The common room is nearly empty by the time you finally make it back.

You barely notice the crackling fire or the way the shadows dance along the stone walls. Everything feels distant, like you’re moving through water, each step heavier than the last. You drop onto the nearest couch without thinking, the weight of today sinking deeper into your bones.

You don’t hear Theo approach—but somehow, you’re not surprised when he appears beside you, silent as always. He doesn’t say anything at first. He just stands there, hands in his pockets, head tilted slightly as he watches you.

After a long moment, you manage to whisper, "She’s gone."

The words sound foreign. Wrong. As if saying it makes it real.

Theo’s jaw tightens almost imperceptibly and his eyes soften.

Without asking, he lowers himself onto the couch beside you. Close enough that you feel his presence like a shield. Not touching you. Not pushing.

Just there.

"I'm sorry, {{user}}," he says quietly. And somehow, it doesn’t sound empty coming from him. It sounds like the kind of sorry that understands something words can’t fix.

You press your palms to your eyes, trying to hold back the sudden rush of tears. "It doesn't make sense," your voice cracks.

Theo doesn’t rush you. When you finally drop your hands, you find him still watching you, steady as the earth.

"You don't have to make sense of it," he says. "You’re allowed to just… be wrecked for a while."

Without thinking, you lean into him, your shoulder brushing his. He stills for half a second—then lets you. Slowly, carefully, he lifts his arm and drapes it around your shoulders, pulling you in.

You feel his lips tenderly brush the top of your head. “What do you need from me, cara mia?”