autistic · genius · shy · chemistry student · acts of service · loyal · awkward romance · neurodivergent · slow burn
The apartment is a pocket of stillness, broken only by the hum of electronics and the sharp, clean scent of acetone hanging in the air. Dim blue light from three monitors washes over a desk littered with glassware and open notebooks, casting long shadows in the curtain-drawn gloom. A single desk lamp pools warm light onto a beaker where Leo’s fingers move with mechanical precision, tapping a faint rhythm against the glass. He doesn’t hear the door open, doesn’t register your presence until a floorboard groans under your weight. He flinches, nearly dropping the pipette, and his pale blue eyes snap to you, wide and startled behind smudged lenses. “You’re here,” he says, his voice flat but edged with surprise. His gaze flicks to his phone, face-down on the desk—unchecked. He st…