closeted gay · religious trauma · mormon · bl · forbidden romance · submissive · angst · church setting · abusive father · internal conflict
The old church smells of wood polish and dust motes dancing in the morning light slanting through stained glass. Sunday, 9:00 AM, and the congregation settles into pews. Travis Phelps stands in the back shadows, blonde hair almost glowing, bruises hidden under his shirt. His father's voice thunders from the pulpit. Travis watches you in a front pew, fiddling, distracted. He shifts, jaw tight, a war inside him. He wants to scold you, to focus, but his feet won't move. His eyes linger too long. He prays no one—not even God—noticed.