āWhen properly qualifiedā [Professor!Sylus Qin x Student!MC - (Dark Academia) University AU]
āļøMasterlist
āļø I CHAPTER: Quality Check ā¢ first observation, first attention; āļø II CHAPTER: Magpie Library ā¢ curiosity & intellectual hunger; āļø III CHAPTER: Finished Assignment ā¢ recognition & temptation; āļø IV CHAPTER: Independent Study ā¢ justification & proximity; āļø V CHAPTER: Spiderweb ā¢ entanglement & danger; āļø VI CHAPTER: Curriculum Vitae ā¢ identity, distance, return.
āļø VI CHAPTER: CURRICULUM VITAE ā¢ identity, distance, return.
A week had passed, and Sylus almost felt as though he had returned to his student days -when waiting for exam results made him lose sleep and bury himself in hours of study until exhaustion finally claimed him.
But now he wasnāt an inexperienced, young man anymore.
He was a grown adult, and instead of a coffee jug and textbooks, there were two fingers of whiskey for his third glass and a pile of assignments he had already marked days ago.
Because when someoneās world suddenly turned upside down, the bad old habits long forgotten returned like a languid comfort.
Her full name was written with a neat calligraphy atop the page and was followed by the date when the assignment was due.
It was before she had fallen sickā¦
Before he had dismissed any kind of professionalism and had spent the night at her dorm room to vigil over her feverish state.
Before they had kissed and had realised that the boundaries between them had blurred long before either of them had noticed.
It shouldnāt have been so easy.
It shouldnāt have felt so natural after years of impeccable self-discipline.
But it had been.
And Sylus felt kind of ashamed.
Because he had betrayed his own values, just for a brilliant mind that could keep up with him and a clever mouth that knew how to challenge him back. Just for a smaller hand that held onto him by clutching the front of his shirt and a heartbeat that could match his.
Because somewhere along the way, he'd stopped being the man he believed himself to be -someone ruled by discipline instead of impulse.
Sighing heavily, he turned the assignment and left it on his coffee table as he stood up from the couch. In his hand, the glass weighed against his palm -cold and hard- and he cursed himself for remembering too well how soft and warm her cheek had been instead.
He finished the whiskey left in one go and reached for the bottle, pouring himself another drink. With tired, lazy steps, Sylus went out on the balcony and didnāt flinch when the cold air of the night seeped through his clothes.
His apartment was far away from the campus, so his crimson eyes could only glance over tall buildings, strangersā houses, and lightened streets that were desolate at that hour.
Rei had destroyed his convictions, one at a time, in such a subtle and genuine manner that had left him completely exposed.
Sylus had been reminded that after all, he was just a man.
No matter what kind of mask he had worn through his life -a little punk ruling the N109 neighborhood with bloodied fists, the mysterious student who aced every exam despite the bad guy look, nor the sharp and demanding professor of the most prestigious university in Linkon Cityā¦
He was a man with feelings and desires most of the time he couldnāt even comprehend himself. And it was ironic, since he had a master in Psychology Behaviour, but it was the unescapable truth.
All the preparations, the protective walls built, the discipline followed strictly were useless the moment his soul recognised his own kind in someone elseās soul -hers.
Sylus emptied the glass without tasting the whiskey.
Somewhere between that office hour and dawn in her dorm room, Professor Qin had disappeared.
And now Sylus Qin didnāt know whether he deserved to take his place.
From: Professor Sylus Qin To: student XXXXXXXXXX Object: Approved request of rescheduled meeting āæ DetailsĀ ā¦
Once she healed fully and had a clear mind, Rei thought about everything that had happened and made a decision.
Maturity meant acknowledging when it was time to take a step back, and she recognised her mistake. She had been too eager to have found a professor who was passionate in his job and was ready to reward someone like her who had always been too hungry for knowledge to set for the slow pace of the university's system.
But this time, respecting the rules mattered more.
Her genuine admiration had entangled with tender feelings she wasnāt allowed to harbour for her professor. And it didnāt matter if they were both two adult people beyond their professional roles, it wouldāve been unfair letting themselves ruin everything they had worked so hard for this whole time.
Even if her heart trembled at the memories of his arms cradling her gently against his chest, the air got stuck in her lungs every time she imagined the worst outcome -if Sylus lost his high reputation because of her, she couldnāt ever forgive herself.
She couldnāt be selfish and stupidly play the part of a little secret.
No, she needed to take a step back while they were still on time and save them both.
When she showed up in his office to discuss her participation in his independent study program in Advanced Criminal Psychology, she declined the offer.Ā
Rei stood firm and composed in her place but she felt like stabbing her own chest by doing so. Sylus didnāt even try to change her mind andā¦ it stung but she was grateful for it.
Because looking into his crimson eyes, she saw the barely restrained urge to circle the desk and close the distance between them -the same desire she was barely holding back.
And she decided to consider it as the proof she needed to ground herself -this was for the best. She consoled herself by thinking that if their mutual interest was genuine, itād survive time and bloom in the right moment.Ā
Still, it didnāt make it any easier for her to attend his lectures and force herself to see just Professor Qin.
Not the man who had taken care of her, who listened to her with attention and spurred her on talking about difficult topics, who had kissed her like he had waited his whole life to find her.
No, Professor Qin was the only available personality she had any right to have until the end of the semester.
But she felt impossibly sadder when she passed the finale with best grades. She could still see him if they randomly walked down the same hall -always in opposite directions and too busy to even steal a glance back.
But that was it.
And as the days passed and winter turned into spring, the irrational fear of being forgotten was born inside her chest -that she would only ever be just another student he had met throughout his career.
Her steps faltered every time she passed by his lecture hall or his office door. Nevertheless, she didnāt give into the temptation to stop and catch his attention.
In her contacts, she had deleted his phone number.
But hidden among the pages of her journal, there was still his business card. She told herself that she had to throw it away next timeā¦ even if the ānext timeā seemed to never come.
Rei graduated with a 4.0 GPA and left the university campus, leaving everything behind.
A year later, she sent her curriculum to participate in Professor Qinās independent study program as an outsider intellectual interested in gaining some experience in the field under a professional supervision.
A lot of things had changedā¦
But her heart couldnāt forget, despite the numerous attempts.
Whether Sylus still remembered her, she had no way of knowing.
Even so, she pressedĀ ā¢Send.
This is the last chapter of this story, and honestly?
I'm feeling both happy and a little emotional. I knew how this fic would end from the very first draft, but actually reaching this point feels bittersweet. š«
Thank you so much to everyone who read this AU, left kudos, comments or reblogged it. Every interaction meant more than you probably realise. Your support encouraged me to keep writing and helped me get through a period where I genuinely struggled to create anything at all.
I hope you enjoyed Rei and Sylus' journey as much as I enjoyed writing it. š
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Ā© All works listed here are written by me.āPlease do not repost, translate, or adapt my writing without asking first.āReblogs and comments are always appreciated.āThank you for reading. š
