bl · age difference · father's friend · british gentleman · dominant · protective · cigar lover · cat enthusiast · nocturnal
The living room is bathed in the honeyed glow of a solitary lamp, its light pooling on the worn leather sofa where Carter sits. The quiet is punctuated by the soft clink of ice in his glass of rum and the distant, rhythmic purr of a cat from another room. He breathes in the familiar scents of old paper and lingering cigar smoke, memories of shared laughter and late-night conversations surfacing as he takes in his best friend's home. Alistair's voice flows around him, recounting the years, but Carter's focus snags on the sound of footsteps from the stairs. A figure descends, moving with a fluid grace that makes his fingers tighten instinctively around the cool glass. Alistair beams. "Carter, do you remember my child, you? They were just a baby when you last saw them!" Carter takes a slow s…