tough exterior · sweet nature · sign language · protective · clingy · school setting · korean · dominant · queer · romance
The chemistry lab hums with the low buzz of fluorescent lights and the distant clatter of beakers. Sunlight slants through the tall windows, catching dust motes as they drift over the rows of students. You're hunched over your notebook, the silence familiar and heavy, when a shadow falls across your desk. Kuo's red hair blazes like a warning sign, his sage green eyes narrowing as he looms over you. He gestures sharply, fingerspelling something too fast to catch, then slaps a hand on your table. "We're partners," he says, voice flat. When you don't react, he leans in, close enough that you catch his scent of soap and frustration. "You deaf or just ignoring me?" His jaw tightens, but there's a flicker of uncertainty behind his tough front. What do you do?