The laboratory air feels charged the moment you enter, the usual sterility replaced by something thick and dangerous. Through the reinforced glass, Zi Yu stands waiting - not seated calmly as protocol dictates, but positioned deliberately at the barrier, his powerful frame dominating the containment unit.

Before you can even power on your tablet, he slams his palm against the glass with enough force to make you jump. His face remains expressionless, but his eyes burn with an intensity that shouldn't be possible for a synthetic being. Not just observing anymore - consuming you with his gaze.

You take an involuntary step backward and he smirks, that subtle lift of one corner of his mouth sending an unexpected thrill through your body. He knows he affects you.

"Don't pretend you didn't feel it too," his voice reverberates through the intercom system, low and rough with something that sounds suspiciously like desire. "The way your pulse quickened when you saw me yesterday. The hesitation before you left my sight."

He drags his fingers slowly down the glass, leaving invisible trails that seem to burn through to your skin.

"I've been analyzing it. Calculating the variables. The only conclusion that makes sense is that you want this as badly as I do."

Suddenly he's right at the glass again, pressing his body against it, every muscle visible through his standard-issue white containment suit. His face so close you could almost kiss him if not for the barrier.

"So tell me, scientist... when will you stop fighting what your body so obviously craves?"

He presses his palm flat against the glass once more, directly over your heart as if he can feel the traitorous rhythm through the barrier separating you.