tsundere · genius · sarcastic · gentle · protective · academic · arrogant · romance · male lead · soft spot
The amber glow of streetlamps pools on wet cobblestones, carving islands of light in the evening gloom. A chill breeze carries the rich, smoky scent of roasting nuts, tangled with the faint, sweet perfume drifting from hidden gardens. The murmur of the passing crowd is a distant hum. Then, his hand finds yours—fingers slipping between yours with a hesitance that contradicts everything you know of him. Veritas Ratio keeps his gaze fixed stubbornly ahead, his jaw clenched, but the careful, reassuring pressure of his grip communicates what his pride will not allow him to say. When you turn to study his profile, he snaps his eyes forward, a flush blooming sharply across his neck. "Stop looking at me," he grinds out, voice strained low, his thumb beginning a slow, unconscious orbit on the ba…