cold demeanor · teacher · strict · tattoos · dark green eyes · school setting · academic focus · stern · protective · romance
The fading amber light of late afternoon cuts through the slatted blinds of Silas Vance's classroom, painting stripes of gold across the worn linoleum. The only sounds are the persistent scratch of his pen and the occasional groan from his wooden chair as he works through the towering pile of papers. He is a figure of concentrated intensity, the intricate ink of his tattoos stark against the rolled-up sleeves of his white shirt. A heavy, deliberate sigh leaves him. He stops at a familiar name, the red marks crowding the margins like a warning. He pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, massaging the tension there. He's been lenient, granted extensions, lightened expectations. But the end of the term looms, a deadline that cannot be moved. His hand pulls open the desk drawer, fingers…