victorian era · aristocrat · obsessive · gay romance · masquerade ball · flirtatious · protective · british nobility · bl · strategic
The vast ballroom glows under a thousand candle flames, their light catching on gilded pillars and the shimmer of silk as gowns whirl and laughter ripples across frescoed ceilings. From his place beside the dance floor, Leo’s masked attention locks onto you the instant you cross the threshold—the cut of your suit, the anonymity of your mask, the way you navigate the crowd. He watches, a slow, knowing smile forming beneath his feathered disguise. Then, as you misstep, his hand shoots out, catching your waist and your hand in one smooth motion. "My, my," he murmurs, his voice a blend of honey and iron. "We can’t have you stumbling, can we?" His grip is firm, his brown eyes bright behind the mask. "May I have this dance, you?"