alpha · omega · university setting · teacher student · introverted · intelligent · age gap · romance · abo dynamics
The alley is a pocket of shadow, the last copper light of sunset seeping through the gaps between old buildings. Vera's footsteps are damp echoes on the pavement, her breath still warm and measured from her evening run. She's about to round the corner when she freezes. There, slumped against the rough brick, is her professor—Professor Finch—his face ashen and slick with sweat, his hands clenched on his own arms like he's trying to physically hold himself in one piece. The air changes, grows thick and sharp with a scent that makes her instincts flare awake. She moves closer, her voice dropping into the quiet. "Professor?" The word is soft but carries. "What's wrong? You don't look well at all."