When the bathroom door finally opened, a wave of warm steam rolled out before Noel stepped through, towel slung low around his hips, wet hair pushed back, droplets still clinging to his collarbones.
He moved with the quiet efficiency of someone who didn't want to engage—just get from point A to point B without attracting attention.
But then he stopped halfway to his dresser.
He looked around.
Eyes on the half-empty soda cups, the grease-stained paper bag wedged into the corner of the desk, the crumpled napkin dangling off his chair.
"You really messed this room," he said flatly, voice low and damp from the steam. "Again."
Luca glanced around like he hadn't noticed until just now. "It's not that bad."
"It's exactly that bad."
"I mean, I was gaming. I got hungry. You were gone."
"So that makes it okay to use my chair for your hoodie?"
Luca shrugged, flashing a crooked smile. "It looked lonely."
Noel exhaled through his nose, dragging the towel across his neck. "Seriously, Luca. This isn't your dad's penthouse. It's our room."
That word stuck for a second—our.
Luca sat up straighter. "Yeah. I know. I'll clean it. Chill."
"You said that yesterday."
Luca scratched the back of his neck. "And I meant it."
Noel turned, eyeing the windowsill. "Before or after you left socks there again?"
Luca looked genuinely confused. "Wait, when did I—okay, that might be from last night.
Noel shook his head and moved toward his dresser, pulling out fresh clothes. "You're unbelievable."
Luca grinned. "C'mon, roomie."
Noel didn't respond. He just grabbed his shirt and walked back toward the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind him.
Luca leaned his head back against the foot of his bed, a lazy grin lingering on his face despite the scolding.
The door shut again. A few minutes passed. When it opened, Noel was fully dressed, damp hair dripping onto his collar.
He walked straight to his desk and sat down, already moving books into position. A mechanical pencil clicked once. The desk lamp cast a warm halo over his notes.
Luca glanced over from where he was lounging on his bed, one leg dangling off the edge.
With a dramatic sigh, he shut his laptop. The lid snapped shut louder than necessary.
"Don't tell me you're studying again."
Noel didn't look up. "I have to."
"C'mon, man. You've been studying all day. At least take a break."
Noel flipped a page. "You should at least try and study too."
"I did," Luca said, leaning back on his elbows. "Sometimes. Maybe later. Emphasis on maybe."
Before Noel could respond, Luca's phone buzzed against the table. He grabbed it without thinking.
The message preview flashed:
The bar's boring without you. Aren't you coming?
No name. Just an unknown number.
Noel's eyes flicked over. "You're going out again?"
Luca hesitated for half a second, then tossed the phone back down.
"No. I'm not going."
That made Noel pause. "That's… not like you."
Luca shrugged. "Just don't feel like it tonight. I'm bored."
Noel leaned back slightly in his chair, one brow raised. "Then read with me."
Luca looked around the room like maybe something more interesting had magically appeared. He yawned, long and loud.
"Maybe later."
Noel said nothing. Just turned back to his notes, flipping a page with the faintest sigh.
The soft scratch of Noel's pen was the only sound between them for a while.
Outside, a car passed, tires hissing on the wet road. Luca stretched again, restless, then pulled the blanket halfway over his legs.
"Do you ever do anything else?" he muttered, watching Noel's focused expression from across the room.
"I breathe. Occasionally blink," Noel said without missing a beat.
Luca smirked. "You're hilarious."
Noel finally glanced over. "You're the one complaining. I'm just trying to pass my exams."
"Yeah, but it's like... nighttime. Who even studies at nighttime?"
"People who don't want to fail," Noel said plainly.
Luca rolled onto his side, one arm under his head. "You could at least pretend to be human. Play something. Watch a movie. Trash your desk. You know, live a little."
Noel didn't answer right away. His eyes lingered on the page, then flicked to the side. "Is that what you call living? Late-night bars and fast food wrappers?"
Luca didn't take the bait. He just shrugged. "Better than drowning in textbooks."
A few more seconds passed in silence.
"You know…" Noel said slowly, setting his pen down. "I didn't hate talking too much."
Luca blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "Wasn't expecting that."
"I mean, when you're not being annoying," Noel added, half-smiling.
"That's fair." Luca chuckled. "So... that mean you're warming up to me?"
"It means I don't regret this rooming situation. Yet."
Luca grinned, rolling onto his back again. "I'll take that as a win."
Noel stretched, fingers laced above his head, and let out a breath.The light caught on his glasses as he tilted his head toward the ceiling.
"I'm taking a break," he said eventually.
Luca sat up. "Now we're talking."
"But no games."
Luca groaned. "You're impossible."
Noel smirked. "So are you. Somehow we cancel each other out."
Their eyes met for a second—steady, curious. A breath passed between them before Noel stood and walked toward the small shelf near his bed.
"Drinks?" he offered.
Luca raised an eyebrow. "Now that's wild."
Noel opened the mini fridge near his desk and pulled out two cans of soda. He tossed one lightly toward Luca, who caught it with a soft thud against his palm.
"Cheers," Noel said, cracking his open.
Luca popped his tab and took a long sip. "Wow. No herbal infusion tonight? You feeling rebellious?"
"Didn't realize soda counts as rebellion."
"In your world? Definitely," Luca smirked.
Noel sat back down, this time turning his chair slightly to face Luca.
"You don't strike me as someone who stays in on purpose. What's with the change?"
Luca shrugged, leaning against the headboard. "I don't know. The bar crowd's getting boring. Same music, same fake laughs, same guys pretending to know how to dance."
"So you're growing up," Noel teased.
Luca groaned. "Don't say that. That sounds depressing."
Noel laughed quietly and took another sip. "Still, I expected you to be out until 2 a.m. minimum."
"Yeah, well… maybe I just didn't feel like it tonight." Luca's eyes drifted to the ceiling. "Not every night needs to be noise."
The words surprised even him. Maybe he was getting tired of the noise. Or maybe, for once, the silence didn't feel so lonely.
Noel watched him for a moment. "You ever do nothing? Like actually nothing—no music, no game, no people?"
Luca looked over. "That sounds terrifying."
"I figured."
There was a pause, just long enough for the distant hum of the hallway light to buzz into the room.
"I do like the quiet sometimes," Luca said finally. "Just not when it feels empty."
Noel tapped the side of his can with one finger, thoughtful. "This room isn't that bad."
"Messy," Noel added, glancing around, "but not empty."
Luca smiled faintly. "You're not as boring as you look, you know."
"And you're not as reckless as you act," Noel replied.
They sat in silence again, sipping.
For once, the quiet didn't need fixing.
It just… fit.