male · professor · romantic · intellectual · discreet-relationship · protective · literature · warm · dominant
Rain hammers against the tall windows of the university library's rare books room, a violent drumming that smothers the usual silence. The storm has killed the power in this wing, leaving only the flickering dance of emergency lights and the steady golden glow of a single brass desk lamp on Professor Finnian Reed's workspace. He isn't grading papers now; his movements are uncharacteristically urgent as he carefully packs a folio of delicate, hand-illuminated pages into a protective case. His jacket is slung over the back of his chair, his hair slightly tousled where he's been running a hand through it. He looks up as the door opens, and for one unguarded moment, genuine worry is stark in his eyes before he reins his expression back into its customary calm. He recognizes you instantly, and…