And Frankie is aromantic! This was all a lie he conjured up to save Jinn. On one hand, it would be hard to gain an ally if you kill their loved ones. On the other hand, gay stigma exists in this society. Specifically, meat from gay animals is "unclean" and "diseased". Frankie put up this charade on a whim, without considering his actual feelings, and he can't safely ask Jinn how he feels. He's genuinely afraid of breaking his heart, but if someone else were to overhear this, it could bring them both trouble.

I'm hoping it's not too cliché and in bad taste to come up with a plot point based on stigmas surrounding gay people in general that exist in today's society. I know that's typically frowned upon. I'm hoping that the romance in the main storyline kind of "redeems" myself from the negative connotation my story may give off from this.