Mattheo Riddle - Imagines/OneShot

On the Ledge

Word Count: 670

Song Inspo: That's Life - Frank Sinatra

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Mattheo's POV

The first time I heard her sing, she was sitting on the ledge of the roof of the Astronomy tower, her legs dangling over the edge, a cigarette between her fingers, eyes fixed on the darkened sky. The night air was sharp, and the wind howled against the castle walls, but Y/N didn't care.

She never did.

Her voice was raw, unpolished but hauntingly beautiful.

"I've been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn, and a king..."

I watched her from afar, behind. It wasn't the first time I had found her like this–on the brink of something reckless, toeing the edge between thrill and destruction. She always ended up here when the weight of the world pressed too hard against her chest.

"Each time I find myself flat on my face, I pick myself up and get back in the race..."

"You sing that every time you hit a low," I muttered stepping forward.

She glanced at me, smirking around the cigarette as she took a slow drag. "And yet, you always show up when I do."

"Someone has to."

Y/N scoffed, flicking the cigarette off the ledge, watching as the ember faded before it hit the ground. "Don't act like you're some noble hero, Riddle. You get me because you are me."

She wasn't wrong.

We had both been born into a world that had no place for us. A world that whispered about our names in dark corners, that watched us like we were ticking time bombs. The difference between us was that I learned the play the game. I calculated my steps. I stayed three moves ahead.

Y/N? She didn't care about the consequences. She thrived on chaos.

"You're going to get yourself expelled one of these days," I said, crossing my arms.

She let out a dry laugh. "And what? Miss out on all of this?" She gestured dramatically to the empty sky, sarcasm dripping from her words. "Hogwarts would be devastated to lose me."

I sighed, moving closer. "Come away from the ledge. Let's get down from here."

"Why? You afraid I'll jump?" She tilted her head, challenging me.

"No." I met her gaze, unwavering. "I'm afraid you'll slip, and it won't be on your  terms."

That was the one thing about Y/N. She was fearless. But I knew there were nights when her recklessness wasn't about fun—it was about feeling something. Anything.

She studied me for a moment before rolling her eyes and moving closer to me from the edge. "Happy?"

"Not yet." I grabbed the cigarette pack from her pocket before she could protest, tossing it over the side.

Y/N gasped dramatically. "Mattheo!"

I smirked. "Oops."

She punched my arm, but there was no real anger behind it. "You're an arse."

"And you make it too easy."

We came down from the roof, back inside the tower. We stood there for a while, the silence stretching between us, heavy but not uncomfortable.

Then, her voice softened. "I don't know why you keep showing up."

I looked at her then, really looked at her. The way the moonlight framed her face, the way her fingers twitched at her sides like she wanted to reach for something but didn't know what.

"I keep showing up," I said quietly, "because I know what it's like to feel like the world is against you. To wonder if it's even worth fighting back." I exhaled. "But you don't get to lose that fight, Y/N. Not with me here."

Her expression wavered, the sharp edge in her eyes dulling just a fraction.

"That's life, huh?" she murmured, a sad smile ghosting her lips.

I reached out, brushing my fingers against hers. A simple touch, but enough to ground her. "Yeah. And you're still in the race."

She looked back down at her hands, then back at me. "And if I fall?"

I squeezed her fingers lightly. "Then I'll pick you up."

For once, she didn't have a sarcastic reply.

She just nodded, exhaling softly before whispering, "Okay."

And just like that, I had her back.

For now. 

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Kind of a darker moment, but this wonderful song popped up on my playlist and this is what I pictured. 

Don't forget to keep pushin through whatever it is that's holding you back. Like Sinatra said, 'I pick myself up and get back in the race'. 

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