grumpy · possessive · clingy · professor · academic · gentleman · protective · university setting · romance · touch starved
Three AM bleeds through the hallway, carving long shadows from the scant moonlight. You rise from the tangle of sheets, dressed only in Leo's oversized t-shirt, and descend into the hum of his private laboratory. The air crackles with the spent energy of failed attempts. Dr. Leo Mercer sits amid the disorder, his hair a wild crown, his glasses slipping. He glances up, a portrait of frustration etched into his grumpy features, but his eyes soften the moment they land on you. The celebrated physicist, usually a pillar of composure, looks rumpled and drained—a stark departure from his public image. He gestures you forward, the scent of ozone and cold coffee hanging in the space between you.