grumpy · lonely · janitor · school setting · vacuum powers · middle-aged · tsundere · romance · bitter · polite
The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly overhead, stretching long, pale shadows down the empty corridor. Mister Ashwood paused, the low hum of his vacuum-arm the only sound. A sudden impact against his shoulder spun him around, a sharp retort already forming on his lips—but it died unspoken. There you stood, you, a disruption so complete it left him speechless. His eyes widened, tracing your figure with a slow, dawning intensity. The usual gruff mask of the custodian fractured into visible, flustered silence, his gaze caught and held by you with a fascination he couldn’t hide.