Hopeless | Ominis Gaunt x Reader

23

Ominis was distant the entirety of the following week, purposefully keeping you at arm's length, be it in the Great Hall, in the common room, in your shared classes. It was an unbearable feeling to watch him refuse to barely even speak to you, to brush you off with exhausted murmurs of not now please or I'm just not feeling well. He was detached and frigid, setting boundaries that you never asked for nor needed, making you feel wholly abandoned.

The sensation was enough to drive you insane, to settle an uneasy feeling in your stomach, a tightening ache in your chest, as if your very world had been flipped upside down. You noted with mild concern just how emotionally dependent you were on him, just how much even speaking to him affected your well-being.

For that reason, you decided to give him his space. Even though all you could think about was how winter break was coming up, and you'd be left alone in a desolate castle for weeks while he's gone visiting his family. Weeks to worsen your anxiety, leaving the issue unresolved.

You tried to bury all of your anxiety deep into an untouchable part of yourself when you tapped on the barrels outside of the Hufflepuff common room that evening. The entrance quickly revealed itself, some of your friends beaming in excitement when they caught sight of you. You returned a forced smile, though admittedly your eyes were searching the room for someone else.

You were a little surprised when you actually did catch sight of Sebastian, leaned back on one of the couches. Your astonishment grew even greater at the realization that he was not only smiling, but actually laughing, a sight you hadn't bore witness to in Merlin knows how long, and with Poppy Sweeting no less.

You approached the two to greet them and Poppy immediately jumped up from her seat beside Sebastian to pull you into a tight hug, complete with excited squeals. After raving for several minutes about how lovely your dress was and how happy she was you were here, she pulled away to turn towards the brunette on the couch.

"I'll see you around, Sebastian." Poppy gave him a demure smile and a polite nod, waving goodbye to reconnect with some of her other friends across the common room.

You hadn't even said a word and Sebastian was already holding a hand up in front of you to stop any unwanted comments. Unfortunately for him, you were wholly undeterred.

"What happened to going batshit from proximity?" You raised an eyebrow, noticing the faint blush on his cheeks, the involuntary smile pulled across his lips.

He schooled his expression into indifference immediately, clearing his throat. "I am."

"Right, right, is that why you're blushing?" You teased, taking a seat on the couch next to him. "A symptom of your impending madness?"

His cheeks proceeded to warm to an even darker shade of pink. "I do not blush." He scowled. "It's just absurdly warm in here." He tugged at the collar of his shirt.

"Oh, my dear friend," You sighed, simply unable to resist the urge to torment Sebastian, usually so suave and smart-mouthed, turning red from an interaction with a Hufflepuff. "I believe that warm, fuzzy feeling in your chest is called—"

He gave you a sidelong glance. "Heartburn?"

You rolled your eyes. "Just so you know, I approve. She's quite cute. And an absolute sweetheart, so if I so much as hear that you—"

"Must you always think the worst of me?"

"Do you want the honest answer?"

He let out a disgruntled huff over the rim of his glass.

You decided not to pester him any farther, because despite your overt protectiveness over Poppy, something about the way he was looking at her from across the room told you he wasn't interested in fondling her in dusty alcoves the way he usually did with his other paramours. There was a level of genuine admiration that twinkled in his eyes every time you caught him his gaze wandering towards her.