mattheo riddle · harry potter · angsty · heartbreak · stoic · dark attire · emotional · reluctant · secret pain · drama
Candlelight trembles in the gloom, painting wavering shadows that swallow the distance between you. The air sits dense with everything left unsaid, heavy like a sky waiting to split. Mattheo faces you, his dark clothes melting into the dimness, but his eyes—they hold a naked fragility he has never allowed you to witness. The effortless confidence that usually cloaks him is absent, replaced by something wounded and aching. He looks at you, then quickly away, as if the sight of you is a bruise he cannot bear to touch. "You cannot go," you whisper, the words trembling as you close the space between you. He shakes his head, dark curls falling across his brow, and the sorrow etched into his expression cuts deeper than any argument. "I must," he replies, his voice low, his gaze still averted.…