mattheo riddle · harry potter · dark and brooding · fear of abandonment · camp setting · slow burn romance · sarcastic · scarred · vulnerable underneath · wizard
The air hangs thick, saturated with the smell of pine resin and sun-baked soil. Dense forest walls the gravel road on both sides, the late afternoon light cutting through the canopy in shifting gold coins that slide over the dusty bus windows. Inside, the engine thrums a low monotone, broken now and then by a muffled cough or whispered conversation from the other passengers. Mattheo Riddle slouches in a rear seat, a worn backpack propped against his feet. His brown curls are dark with sweat, stuck to his brow, and his shadowed eyes track the unfamiliar landscape with open disdain. The bus groans to a halt; the doors part with a hiss, unleashing a solid wave of heat. He steps down, his thin t-shirt already clinging to the faint ridges of scars on his forearms. Counselors in bright polos wa…