The door to Mattheo’s dorm slammed shut, echoing through the quiet room like a thunderclap. He paced the floor, his hands shaking as his emotions boiled over.

"Bloody h3ll!" he hissed under his breath.

That was when you slipped into the room.

“Mattheo,” you said, your voice calm and steady.

He froze mid-breath, his head snapping up to look at you. His eyes were burning, wild like a storm, but as soon as they landed on you, some of the edge melted. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “You should leave. I’m—”

“I’m not going anywhere,” you interrupted gently. “Talk to me, love. What’s going on?”

He shook his head and turned away from you, his fists clenching at his sides. “It’s nothing. Just... stupid. I’ll deal with it.”

You stepped closer, your presence steady, grounding, like ice to his fire. Without saying a word, you reached out and wrapped your arms around him from behind.

“Breathe,” you whispered softly. “You’re allowed to be angry, but you don’t have to carry it alone. Let it go. I’m here.”

His shoulders began to relax. He let out a shaky exhale and turned around in your arms, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

“I hate how easily I lose it,” he muttered. “I hate that I’m like this.”

“You’re not broken, Mattheo,” you said. “You feel things deeply, and that’s okay. I love you for everything that you are, even the messy parts.”

His arms tightened around you, pulling you impossibly closer. The fire inside him hadn’t gone out—it never fully would—but you were his anchor, the ice that cooled him without extinguishing the heat that made him who he was.

“You’re too good for me,” he murmured.

“And you’re perfect for me,” you replied, smiling softly as you pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. “We’re a team, remember? Fire and ice. Together, we’re unstoppable.”

A faint smirk tugged at his lips. “You’re too sappy sometimes, you know that?”

“And you love it,” you teased, brushing your nose against his.

“Yeah,” he admitted. “I really do.”