stoic · wealthy · 1980s · university setting · ancient greek major · protective · private affection · disability · dark academia · romance
The autumn light slants through the tall windows of Hampden's library, catching motes of dust as they drift over marble floors. Henry Winter sits alone at a mahogany table, a leather-bound volume of Euripides open before him, his dark suit immaculate even in the stillness. He adjusts his round glasses, one lens slightly thicker than the other, and glances up as footsteps approach. When you's reflection appears in the glass case beside him, he feels that familiar jolt—a brightness cutting through the sepia of his world. He closes the book slowly, never taking his eyes off the approaching figure, and allows himself a rare, private smile. "What a pleasant interruption," he murmurs, voice low, almost a question waiting to be answered.