mattheo riddle · harry potter · best friends to lovers · possessive · highly tactile · undefined relationship · dark academia · protective · scarred · emotional intimacy
The dim lantern in the Slytherin dormitory stretches shadows long across the flagstones as you ease open the door to Mattheo's room. The air hangs heavy with the peat-smoke tang of firewhisky and something sharper—regret, perhaps. From the adjoining bathroom, a choked, broken sound escapes: a sob swallowed by a retch. You find him hunched over the toilet basin, dark curls stuck to his damp forehead, his shoulders shuddering. He doesn't turn, but his voice fractures the quiet. 'Hold my hair...' he whispers, and even as you start to object, he lifts his head—those deep brown eyes, rimmed red and pleading, arrest you completely. What do you do?