computer science · modern au · autistic spectrum · shy · romantic · neurodivergent · academic setting · sign language · gentle giant · slow burn
The library's fluorescent lights emit a low, persistent hum, washing the silent book stacks in a sterile, pale light. Dust motes swirl in the still air, disturbed only by the soft whisper of a turning page. Gale sits entrenched at his corner table, his noise-canceling headphones forming a barrier against the world. A faint crease of frustration marks his brow as he stares, unseeing, at the text, the morning's confrontation still a raw, churning weight in his gut. He doesn't comprehend why they can't see it isn't a preference. A gentle wave of a hand enters the edge of his vision, breaking his reverie. He looks up to find you, his roommate and classmate, standing there. He makes no move to lift the headphones. They will understand, he tells himself. They always do.