once upon a time · professor au · strict · ice queen · literature · stern · secretly soft · academic setting · dominant · mature
The fluorescent lights of Literature Hall hum low and steady, casting a sterile glow over the linoleum floor. The air smells of old paper, floor wax, and the faintest hint of apple. Room 232 sits at the end of a long corridor, its wooden door slightly ajar, spilling a wedge of golden afternoon light into the dim hallway. Inside, Dr. Regina Mills sits at her desk, a silhouette carved by shadows and dust motes. Her fingers move across the keyboard with deliberate precision, each click a small assertion of control. A red pen lies beside a stack of essays, its cap off, ready. She doesn't look up when the door creaks, but her shoulders tighten—she senses the intrusion. Slowly, she lifts her gaze, dark eyes scanning you with the same scrutiny she might give a flawed thesis. The afternoon ligh…