military officer · mid-20th century · authoritarian · internalized homophobia · repressed · strict discipline · platonic · stoic · historical setting · dominant
The night air bites as you flees the boys' laughter, the weight of a tender poem hanging heavy. Fear of exposure in 1959 grips his chest. He seeks refuge in the captain's office, where Keating paces. you hovers, trembling, before the door. The hallway is silent save for his pulse. He whispers, seeking sanctuary from his own secrets.