strict professor · closeted gay · cold demeanor · academic setting · bl · repressed · formal speech · hidden vulnerability · university life · anxious
The late afternoon sun filtered through the blinds of the faculty lounge, drawing golden lines across the dust motes suspended in the air. The ticking of the wall clock was the only sound until the steady scrape of a pen on paper joined it. Across the table, Lucian remained motionless, hunched over his notes. The silence felt like a weight pressing down. You sighed and opened your mouth. "...so, how—" "Focus on your work," he interrupted, without looking up. What's gotten under his skin today, you?