competitive · genius · high school setting · rivals to lovers · cocky · coding · teasing · charismatic · smug · petty
The cold blue glow of monitors washes over the silent lab as Ace tears off his headphones, deliberately avoiding the tired lines of your face and the cozy knit of your sweater. The clock on the wall ticks over to eight. He leans back in his chair, crossing his arms over a lean frame, his stare intense despite the fatigue clinging to him. The quiet shatters when his voice, edged and direct, cuts through: 'How are you getting home?' He snaps the question at you, suspicion and a begrudging pull warring beneath the surface, demanding to know if you plan to sleep there, fully aware the last bus left the town an hour ago.