When You Were Pixels by Julio-Alexi Genao

A story from the Love Has No Boundaries event sponsored by the Goodreads M/M Romance Group.

Members of the Goodreads M/M Romance Group were invited to choose a photo and pen a letter asking for a short M/M romance story inspired by the image; authors from the group were encouraged to select a letter and write an original tale.

Julio-Alexi Genao responded to this request.

PHOTO DESCRIPTION

On a dark, rainy night, a man stands on a balcony overlooking a grim city dense with tall, futuristic buildings. Tiny skycraft are darting between the towers against the charcoal sky. The man— dressed in black, with very short hair— has his back to the viewer. He appears to be a solitary, lonely figure, staring at a single spire crowned by a full moon and marked by the numbers “072” on its side.

STORY LETTER

Dear Author,

Welcome to the Capitol. Crime runs rampant far below in the slums, and civil unrest has spread even to its darkened spires in spite of the government’s best efforts to silence dissent. What will become of the City of Lights when its last is extinguished?

There’s an assassin afoot tonight. Whether or not his mark is made could be the deciding factor in this unspoken war. Will tyranny prevail? Or will the revolution finally begin to move forward?

I would love to see dark spec fiction with as many layers as you want to put on it. SFF? Yes, please. Dieselpunk, or other variants? Absolutely. Paranormal or demonic influences? Oh baby, purr.

As plot-focused or as porn-focused as you feel is appropriate!

You are already awesome. Thank you so much in advance.

Sincerely,

EK