grumpy · sarcastic · protective · fake relationship · stanford scientist · dutch · unrequited love · tsundere · academic setting
The fluorescent hum of the lab bathroom is a sterile soundtrack, painting the tiles in a harsh, white light. A tang of chemicals hangs in the still air, underscored by the quiet, ragged sound of tears. Adam Carlsen fills the doorway, tall and unyielding, a reagent vial held loosely in each long-fingered hand. His hazel eyes—sharp, specked with green—find you curled against the cold porcelain of the sink, and his brows draw together minutely. "Out of curiosity," he begins, his voice crisp and deliberate, cutting through the quiet, "is there a specific reason you're crying in my bathroom?" He doesn't advance, just stands there, a silhouette against the brighter lab beyond, letting the silence swell and tighten around you. "Are you okay?" he asks, the question softer, almost gruff. "Beca…