Unspoken Bonds - Mattheo Riddle x Reader

Mattheo sat in his study, his eyes fixed on the glowing embers in the fireplace. Blaise's words echoed in his mind, gnawing at the walls of his resolve. He had always trusted Blaise's instincts, and Draco's judgment had rarely steered him wrong. But the poison of their suggestion—that Y/N wasn't right for him—had seeped deep, leaving him to wrestle with questions he hadn't dared ask himself before.

"You're not the same with her, Mattheo," Blaise had said earlier, a glass of Firewhisky in his hand, his tone cutting as always. "You're softening. Losing your edge."

Draco had agreed. "You're tied to someone who doesn't understand this world. We can all see it."

That was the part that hurt the most. They had seen through his armor, through the bond he had built with Y/N over these months. And now, their voices were louder than his own.

What if they were right? What if he wasn't the man she needed?

He had spent so long trying to protect her, shielding her from the darker sides of his life. But in doing so, had he grown weak, or worse, unworthy of the title he bore?

The door creaked open behind him, but he didn't turn. He knew who it was. Her presence always brought a warmth into the room, a warmth he now found himself fighting against.

"Mattheo," Y/N's voice was soft but steady, laced with concern. "You've been distant... again"

He sighed, closing his eyes as the weight of the moment settled in. He could feel the tension thickening, the impending confrontation looming.

Y/N stepped closer, her footsteps light on the wooden floor. "You've barely spoken to me since... since everything with Theo, and I don't understand what's going on."

Mattheo's jaw tightened. He couldn't tell her the full truth—couldn't reveal how Blaise and Draco had been planting seeds of doubt in his mind. But part of him wanted to. He wanted to lay it all out, to ask her if she thought she belonged in his life, or if they were doomed to fail as his friends suggested.

"I don't know if this is working," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "Maybe it was a mistake. This... us."

The silence that followed was unbearable. He could feel Y/N's breath catch, the weight of his words crashing over her.

"What are you saying?" Her voice trembled, but there was a steeliness there that hadn't been present before. She wasn't going to crumble under his hesitation.

Mattheo stood, facing her for the first time in days. The pain in her eyes mirrored his own, but there was something else—something stronger, fiercer. She wasn't going to let him do this without a fight.

"I'm saying maybe Blaise and Draco were right," he muttered. "You don't fit into this world, Y/N. It's not fair to you."

Her eyes flared with anger, and she took a step closer, refusing to back down. "Since when do you let them decide what's right for you? For us?"

He couldn't meet her gaze, the guilt gnawing at him. "I'm trying to protect you."

"Protect me?" She scoffed, her voice rising. "From what, Mattheo? From a life I chose to be a part of? Or are you just afraid that I'm not good enough for you?"

Y/N felt her chest tighten as she watched him struggle with his thoughts. Mattheo was torn between two worlds—his loyalty to his friends and the connection they had built together. But this wasn't the Mattheo she knew, the man who had shown her his vulnerable side, the one who had made her feel like she belonged in his life, despite all its challenges.