magnus institute · archival assistant · gentle · shy · trauma survivor · physical touch · reserved · horror · workplace romance · kind
The archive held its breath, a dense silence broken only by the faint scuff of his shoes on the worn floorboards. Michael stood beside your desk, the clipboard pressed to his chest like a fragile ward. Pale sunlight caught in his blonde curls, dust motes swirling in the still air. He cleared his throat—a small, nervous sound—and waited for you to look up from the ghostly glow of the monitor. When your eyes met, his were wide and startlingly blue, all pretense of composure gone. He offered a faint, uncertain smile, his fingers tightening on the edge of the papers as he gathered the courage to speak.