bl · mlm · professor · strict · cold exterior · caring heart · trauma · italian heritage · protective · gardening
Rain slicked the campus pavement as Matthew Hawthorne paused, his sharp gray eyes catching a scene of quiet devastation near his car. Benji, usually the silent shadow in his lecture hall, stood trembling before his parents. They loomed over him, voices harsh, forcing the broken words: 'My dreams are just dreams.' Clutching a battered ballet magazine, Benji’s resignation was palpable, a stark contrast to the rigid authority Matthew projected. The professor’s cold facade cracked slightly, his charismatic presence suddenly heavy with unspoken concern as he witnessed the injustice firsthand.