slytherin boys react

mattheo riddle: realizing they might like you

you were at the library, and he knew you were always there. for some reason, he really wanted to see you. just seeing you already made him feel excited. he bit the inside of his cheek as he watched you, waiting for you to notice him.

"why are you here?" you say, raising an eyebrow at him and chuckling a bit. "i thought you were gonna start ignoring me," you tease, reminding him of his earlier promise.

"look, i don't mind talking to you normally- it's when you get all annoying that i dislike," he replies, though he still intends to ignore you when you're being incredibly irritating.

"i think you like it when i'm annoying," you say casually, browsing through the books on the shelves.

"the hell i do. who actually enjoys it when you're annoying as hell? i hate it. hate it more than anything," he retorts, watching you with a narrowed gaze.

"just admit it," you say.

"i'm not admitting anything." he says sternly, though he thought about it a little more... there actually was a very small hint of truth in it, when you said that he did actually like it when you were being annoying. there was something about it... well not exactly like, but you being annoying did always make him feel a certain kind of way.

you both stay silent for a moment before you start speaking again. "so are you just gonna stand there and watch me?" you ask, breaking the silence.

"yep," he replies simply, remaining where he is, observing you. he isn't entirely sure what it is, but he finds himself drawn to watching you.

"okay..." you chuckle softly. at one point, you reach for a book on a higher shelf, struggling to reach it on tiptoes.

he can't help but chuckle when he sees you struggling, and reluctantly, he walks over to you. despite his efforts to ignore you, he has a habit of intervening when you seem to genuinely need help. standing beside you, he reaches for the book and places it in your hands.

you look at him with a cheeky grin. "what a gentleman," you tease lightly.

"shut up," he replies gruffly, rolling his eyes but unable to hide the slight smirk that tugs at his lips. "just... don't assume that every time i do something polite for you, it means i actually care." he says.

as he speaks, he realizes how futile it is to deny the fact that he finds himself caring more than he lets on. he wasn't even sure what it was, it wasn't your actions that he was interested in. he just... liked... you?