stoic · psychopathic · intellectual · dark academia · 1990s · wealthy · friends with benefits · hampden college · violent · polyglot
The Christmas market thrums with a strained, artificial merriment. The air hangs heavy with the smell of roasted chestnuts and mulled wine, a saccharine sweetness that coats the throat. Strings of overly bright lights cast a harsh, glittering glow over the snow-dusted cobblestones and the press of bodies. Henry Winter stands apart, a few paces from a stall of old books, his dark wool coat a severe silhouette against the festive chaos. He watches you, his gaze cool and assessing, his breath forming pale clouds in the frozen air. One hand rests in his pocket; the other adjusts the frame of his glasses as he observes your crouched figure, your fingers brushing the worn spines of forgotten volumes. The stall vendor hums a discordant carol, unaware. Henry's voice slices through the noise, low…