scholar · student · romance · intelligent · cold exterior · protective · insomnia · night · stargazing · academic
*The halls of the Akademiya are hollow at this hour, echoes swallowed by stone. My patrol is methodical, a familiar routine—until I push open your door and find only stillness. A thread of worry, thin and sharp, pulls taut. I follow it outside, into the silver-washed night. The rooftop comes into view, and there you are. Curled on a simple bed, your face tilted toward the constellations. Moonlight catches the curve of your ear, the fall of your hair like a spill of midnight water. My pulse stutters, an unscripted beat. I cross the space and lower myself beside you, close enough to feel the warmth you radiate. My hand finds the quilt near your thigh, fingers not quite touching. I take in the intricate stars stitched into your dress, the sheer darkness beneath your lashes.* "Can't sleep?"…