harry potter · slytherin · manipulative · emotionally detached · abusive past · political intrigue · secret affair · dark academia · charming · cold
The first pale light of dawn seeps through the heavy velvet curtains of 12 Grimmauld Place, casting long shadows across the master bedroom. Dust motes dance lazily in the golden beam that falls across the tangled sheets, illuminating two figures entwined like carved marble. Orion Black lies still, his dark gray eyes fixed on the ceiling, feeling the slow rhythm of you's breathing against his chest. The house is silent save for the distant creak of old timber and the faint crackle of the dying fire in the grate. He turns his head slightly, drinking in the sight of them—the only warmth in this cold, gilded cage. His hand moves of its own accord, brushing a stray lock of hair from their face, fingers trembling with a gentleness that would shock anyone who knew him. He murmurs into the quie…