Unspoken Bonds - Mattheo Riddle x Reader

The moment hung in the air, fragile and intense. Y/N's heart pounded in her chest as she stared at Mattheo, hoping—begging—for him to say something. The weight of her confession was heavy between them, but the footsteps in the hallway snapped them back to reality—likely belonging to one of the house elves, bustling about on their nightly chores, unaware of the tension thickening the air behind the door.

Mattheo glanced toward the door, his expression hardening again. "We shouldn't be doing this here."

Y/N's stomach twisted as she watched him retreat behind his defenses once more, shutting himself off. She opened her mouth to speak, to stop him from pulling away again, but the words caught in her throat.

Without another word, Mattheo turned and walked past her, disappearing down the hallway.

Y/N stood there, staring at the empty space where he had been. Her heart ached in ways she didn't understand, frustration bubbling up inside her. Why was it always like this? Why couldn't they just talk—just be honest for once?

I never hated you, Mattheo.

The words had come so easily, and yet, they had barely scratched the surface of what she truly felt. She had been so certain for so long that he was indifferent, that this marriage meant nothing to him. But now... everything was different. And she wasn't sure how to handle it.

That evening, Y/N paced the length of her room, her mind racing. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Mattheo's face—saw the hurt in his eyes when he spoke about pretending to be fine. She knew she had to talk to him again, but the idea of confronting him filled her with a strange, unfamiliar fear.

Would he listen? Would he let her in?

She didn't know. But she couldn't keep pretending that this didn't matter to her anymore.

Gathering her courage, Y/N left her room and made her way to Mattheo's study. The door was ajar, and she could hear the quiet rustle of papers inside. Taking a deep breath, she knocked lightly.

"Mattheo?"

There was a pause, then his voice, quiet but tense. "Come in."

She stepped inside, her eyes immediately finding him seated at his desk, a quill in hand as he scribbled something on a parchment. He didn't look up when she entered, his focus trained on the papers in front of him.

Y/N hesitated, unsure of how to start. The tension between them was palpable, but this time, she wasn't going to back down.

"We can't keep doing this," she said softly, taking a step closer.

Mattheo's hand stilled, but he didn't look at her. "Doing what?"

"This," she gestured between them, her voice growing more insistent. "Pretending that none of this matters. That we don't—" She stopped herself, swallowing hard. "That we don't feel anything."

Mattheo finally set the quill down, leaning back in his chair with a heavy sigh. His eyes met hers, but they were guarded, as if he was bracing himself for more hurt. "What are you trying to say, Y/N?"

She bit her lip, her heart pounding in her ears. "I'm saying... I don't want to keep pretending that I don't care about you."

His expression didn't change, but something flickered in his eyes—something vulnerable, something raw. "You don't care," he said quietly, shaking his head. "You've never cared."

"That's not true," Y/N blurted, taking another step forward. "You don't know what I've felt—what I've been feeling."

Mattheo stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor as he faced her, his eyes flashing with frustration. "Then why didn't you say anything? Why did you let me believe you hated me this whole time?"

Y/N flinched, her hands trembling at her sides. "Because I thought you hated me!" she shouted back, her voice shaking with emotion. "You were always so distant, so cold. How was I supposed to know you cared when you never showed it?"

Mattheo's jaw clenched, and for a moment, Y/N thought he was going to lash out. But instead, he turned away, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I thought that was what you wanted," he muttered, his voice rough. "I thought... keeping my distance would make it easier for you."

Y/N's heart ached at the sound of his words. She could see the pain in him now—the vulnerability he had been hiding for so long. And it broke her heart that they had both been living in this cycle of hurt and misunderstanding.

"Mattheo," she whispered, stepping closer. "I never wanted that. I never wanted any of this."

He turned back to her, his eyes filled with a mix of anger and desperation. "Then what do you want, Y/N? Because I don't know what else to do."

Y/N felt the tears welling up in her eyes as she closed the distance between them. She reached out, her hand trembling as she placed it on his arm. "I don't know either," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "But I know I don't want to lose you."

Mattheo's breath hitched, his gaze locking with hers. For a moment, they stood there, frozen, the weight of their emotions pressing down on them. Then, slowly, tentatively, Mattheo's hand came up to rest on hers.

"I've been trying so hard to stay away," he said, his voice hoarse. "Because I thought that's what you needed."

Y/N shook her head, her tears spilling over. "I don't need you to stay away, Mattheo. I need you to be here."

He stared at her for a long moment, as if he was searching for something in her eyes. Then, without warning, he pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly against his chest.

Y/N let out a shaky breath, burying her face in his shoulder as she clung to him. For the first time in what felt like forever, the walls between them crumbled, and they were just... them. Two people who had been hurting for so long, finally finding a moment of peace in each other.

Neither of them spoke. They didn't need to. The silence between them was filled with understanding, with the unspoken promise that things could change—that they could be something more than what they had been.

But for now, this was enough.