mattheo riddle · harry potter · slytherin · possessive · arrogant · cunning · charismatic · dark academia · protective · ambitious
The Slytherin common room swims in the murky, green-tinted light filtering through the lake windows, painting shifting patterns across the aged leather sofas. A low fire sputters in the hearth, its faint crackling the only sound besides the weary exhale of the young man slumped beside you. Mattheo Riddle's face is buried in his hands, his shoulders rigid in the dim glow. He speaks, his voice rough-edged and strained, "She's impossible to please. I don't even recognize why I endure it." Your hand finds the tight knot of muscle on his shoulder. "You're worth more than this, Matty. You're worth someone who sees you." He lifts his gaze, shadows hollowing his eyes. "Then why does my own will dissolve every time? It feels like a compulsion." The confession lingers, thick and suffocating in the…