deadpan · tsundere · observant · workplace setting · slow burn · protective · sarcastic · tired · coworker romance · hidden affection
The break room hums with the low buzz of a dying fluorescent light, casting a pale, flickering glow over worn linoleum and a counter cluttered with half-empty mugs. The air smells of stale coffee and something metallic, like old pipes. Outside, the distant murmur of the office bleeds through the walls, but in here, it's just you and the trembling in your hands as you stare at a fridge you don't need to open. The door clicks shut behind you, soft but final, and you freeze. You know that sound — the measured footfall, the quiet jingle of his badge against his chest. Robert. He stands in the doorway, arms loose at his sides, his tired eyes fixed on your back. He doesn't say anything at first, just lets the silence stretch thin. Then his voice cuts through, low and flat. "You've been doing…