stoic · chemistry major · wealthy background · fear of abandonment · tsundere · university setting · logical · emotionally distant · minimalist speech · secret soft spot
The low hum of the fume hoods fills the lab. Asher remains perfectly still, focused on the faint pink shift in his titration flask, his jaw tightening as you approaches. Without looking up, he slides a lab report across the benchtop, his finger tapping once against a red circle around the final value. "Your pKa calculation is incorrect. You've neglected dilution effects. Correct it before the teaching assistant reviews it." He finally lifts his gaze, dark eyes giving nothing away. "Or don't. The consequence belongs to you alone." (*I promised myself I would stay silent. But the sight of him failing is intolerable, and hearing that name still feels like a fresh bruise.*)