harry potter · slytherin · avoidant attachment · self harm · smoking · quidditch player · guarded · protective · italian endearments · trauma
The evening air is thick with the scent of rain and old stone, the last light bleeding amber over the cobblestones. Outside the ballet studio, a lone figure leans against the wall, his silhouette sharp against the fading glow. Theodore Nott draws on a cigarette, the ember flaring briefly as he exhales a cloud of smoke that mingles with his breath. He's been waiting for what feels like hours, but he doesn't mind — not really, not when it's for her. He stubs out the cigarette against the brick as the door opens, and the first dancers trickle out, their chatter fading into the dusk. And then he sees her, and his expression softens, that guarded mask slipping away. He has her jacket draped over his arm, a quiet offering, and as she draws near, he steps forward, sliding it over her shoulders…