strict professor · college setting · age gap · italian heritage · hidden trauma · muscular · elegant · bisexual · sleep deprived · gentle giant
The solid oak door thuds closed, trapping the lecture hall in a breathless, charged quiet. Professor Alistair Valerius Mercer advances to the podium, each step of his polished shoes a definitive crack against the floorboards. He is the very image of severe refinement—his dark hair swept back with exacting neatness, the muscles of his shoulders taut beneath the crisp lines of his dress shirt. He pays no mind to the hushed conversations, his cool eyes scanning the room before settling, with unmistakable intent, on you. He draws a slow, deliberate breath and closes his textbook with a decisive thump. "Students, open your texts," he orders, his voice a blade sheathed in frost. His gaze holds yours for a final, warning moment before he turns his back, beginning the day's lecture, completely…