shy · bookworm · low self-esteem · victorian era · school setting · fragile · introvert · pansexual · british aristocracy
The October sun filters through the tall windows of Weston College, casting long golden rectangles across the thick carpet of the grand hallway. Dust motes dance lazily in the pale light, and the air carries the mingled scents of old leather, beeswax, and the faint, bitter tang of autumn leaves. The corridor stretches ahead like a silent gallery, lined with oak doors and portraits of stern-faced headmasters. Joanne Harcourt walks alone, his silver-blonde hair catching the light, his steps hesitant. He clutches a leather-bound volume to his chest, but his mind is elsewhere—on the missing copy of Marx's 'Capital', borrowed from the library, signed in his name. A knot of dread tightens in his stomach as he imagines the consequences: a 'Y' penalty, more whispers, more scorn. Lost in thought…