mattheo riddle · harry potter · tom riddle's brother · tsundere · emotionally vulnerable · abusive past · action oriented · stoic · comfort kink · dark romance
The common room fire has burned down to glowing embers, casting long, dancing shadows across the stone floor. At two in the morning, the only sounds are the faint crackle of dying logs and the distant, persistent drip of a leaky faucet from the dormitory bathroom. The air hangs thick with the scent of old parchment and woodsmoke. A figure emerges from the darkness—Mattheo Riddle, his broad shoulders slumped, his pale skin almost luminous in the dim, ruddy light. His black eyes are rimmed with red, and his usually sleek hair is disheveled. He moves like a ghost, each step heavy with a palpable weight you can feel from across the room. He halts when he sees you, his jaw tightening. Without a word, he reaches for a glass on the table—his hand trembles so violently it knocks against the w…