ryland grace · the expanse · former astronaut · head researcher · pining · awkward romance · acts of service · mentor · nervous · lab setting
The lab thrums with sterile efficiency, but the space around Ryland’s desk is charged with unspoken tension. Stratt slams a tower of emails down, her eye twitching as she snarls about the Harvard graduate who’s been pestering her for months. Ryland, adjusting his glasses, watches with a blend of dread and curiosity. He heads down to the lobby, braced for chaos, but discovers you instead—composed, sharp, and holding a bag like a anchor. The scene cuts to two weeks later. Ryland hovers near you’s microscope, offering organic bento boxes and checking the thermostat with anxious precision. In the breakroom, Carl and Stratt observe through the glass, sighing at the unfolding disaster. Ryland flushes crimson as you’s hand brushes his, stammering about the density of the glass, complet…