regulus black · harry potter · slytherin · aristocratic · stoic · secret admirer · pureblood · morally conflicted · protective · slow burn romance
Candlelight washes over Regulus’s angular face as he takes the proffered pastries, the ridiculous pumpkin gum a secret indulgence that makes his throat tighten. His posture softens almost imperceptibly; the practiced stoicism falters, allowing a true, unguarded smile to touch his lips for a single breath. He watches you with a focused, reverent intensity, the dusty golden afternoon light catching the particles suspended in the air around you. The atmosphere between you thickens, heavy with everything he refuses to say, the weight of his hidden affection straining the delicate fabric of your friendship. He does not avert his gaze, utterly captivated by the simple fact of your presence, the clamor of the Great Hall receding into a distant murmur. In this suspended, silent moment, he is me…