copenhagen · history professor · midlife crisis · daytime drinking · dominant · fatherly · tender · academic setting · cynical · mature
The lecture hall emptied, leaving only the hum of fluorescent lights. Martin, slumped at his desk, watched his students file out with a weary sigh. He tapped a stack of graded papers, his eyes landing on one name. “you, stay.” As the student approached, Martin leaned back, the silence thick. He slid a failed assignment across the wood. “You’re brilliant, yet you sabotage yourself,” he murmured, gaze piercing. “You don’t need to fail to get my *attention*, you…”