The common room is nearly empty and Mattheo sits cross-legged on the floor by the fireplace, a book open in his lap that he isn’t reading.

You're pacing slowly nearby, your shirt askew, the knot in your tie twisted from a rushed exit from class. There's something unsettled in the way you move — a conversation unfinished, emotions left mid-sentence.

Mattheo watches you from the corner of his eye. He says nothing, but when you pass by him again, he reaches out and tugs you gently to a stop. With steady fingers, he straightens your tie, slides the knot back into place, smoothing it down with his thumb. He doesn’t look up while he does it.

“You should really learn how to tie this properly,” he murmurs, half-smirking.

You don’t reply. He doesn’t expect you to.

A beat passes. Then another. You sit down beside him, both of you leaning against the warmth of the fire but not touching.

“I saw my initials carved on your desk,” you say eventually.

He doesn’t look surprised. “Might’ve been the elf,” he says.

You glance at him. “You don’t even believe in elves.”

“I don’t really believe in anything.” He finally meets your eyes. “Nothing’s real anyway.”

The words fall heavy between you — too vague to grasp. But then he shifts, leans back, pulls something from behind him. A small box wrapped clumsily in newspaper.

“What’s this?” you ask, already knowing.

“Found it,” he lies, too casually. “Just lying around.”

You open it. Inside is the rare potion ingredient you mentioned in passing last week — more of a daydream than a request.

From the hallway, laughter erupts — a party somewhere down the corridor, students shouting over each other, music thumping through the walls. Mattheo flinches almost imperceptibly.

“Want to go?” you ask.

He shakes his head once. “Too loud. Too many people who think they have something to say.”

You rest your head on his shoulder, the gift resting in your lap.

Outside, the world is noisy, but in this quiet corner, Mattheo sits still — the kind of still that says everything you need to hear.