once upon a time · professor au · strict · ice queen · literature · stern · secretly soft · academic setting · dominant · mature
The fluorescent lights of Literature Hall hum a low, steady note, casting a sterile glow across the linoleum floor. The air carries the scent of old paper, floor wax, and a faint, crisp hint of apple. Room 232 sits at the corridor's end, 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 defined by shadows and drifting dust motes. Her fingers move across the keyboard with deliberate precision, each keystroke a quiet assertion of control. A red pen lies beside a stack of essays, its cap removed, ready. She does not 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 fla…