It's... nice. Not decorated, doesn't have much of a personality, and goes for a very minimalistic-maybe-Spartan vibe, but everything is well-maintained, as you would perhaps expect of a New York enclaver. The bed is tidily made, his assignments are in a neat pile on his desk, his books are ordered alphabetically, and it absolutely has enough shadowy nooks and crannies that it must be to deliberately bait mals, but of course by the way Scorpius casually moves around in there without knocking at anything or checking any corners it must be entirely mal-free.

Lex's "gift" is on Scorpius's bed, the way Sophie left it. He grabs it and turns around to give it to Lex.

"Huh. I was expecting - murals, beanbag chairs, maybe a hot -"

Lex looks at the clothing in the way another man might look at a dead rat. (Not in the way Lex would look at a dead rat.)

"What."

"I was gonna say 'take it or leave it' but I'm making you take it anyway, Higgins, your clothes look like they're going to fall to pieces the moment someone gives you a stiff look."

Lex takes the clothes, shockingly without argument. He turns and begins to strip, being very careful with his existing rags. (His ribs are... distressing. His spine is worse.)

...good God.

He is not going to comment, because he actually doesn't want to just mother Lex around, however much he's playacting it. He wants Lex to be okay and he'll tease him about eating and... hopefully that plus being his friend will be enough but.

He pulls the clothes on. Stretches a couple of times; swings his arms experimentally.

Finally, he says, "I can't believe she thought I wouldn't notice."

That makes him crack a smile. "I didn't say it, you said it. I didn't tell, I promised I wouldn't so I didnt."

"There's more mana in this shirt than in dresses she's been wearing for two years. She must have been talking to it like she was trying to teach it to talk back."

"She said you would drive yourself nuts wanting to pay her back if I told you it had been hers."

"...I want to. But - if - if she really didn't - stop -"

He swallows. "I've already got too much to make up to her. What's a shirt on top of it?"

"Atta boy, that's the spirit, now I just have another three thousand nine hundred and ninety-seven students to convince to not be asses to each other just because they can."

"Good luck with that. It only took, what, twenty-eight hours? Maybe you'll get somewhere."

"Maybe! I do think you are a tougher nut to crack than most, though. Anyway, let's get the rest of these to your room."

Lex takes the rest of it and shoves it in his bag, and spends a minute getting into the new boots. "...need to break these in," he notes. "Um. Could you bring me by the toilets on the way over, it's been a bit since I had a proper shower with someone standing watch and if you're going to continue obsessing over me I might as well take gratuitous advantage."

"Sure thing. Also in normal person parlance it's called a 'crush' not an obsession."

"I've never spoken like a normal person before and I don't intend to start now."

"Touché."

Lex is between him and the door, so he gestures out. Not even Scorpius Lake gets more space given by the Scholomance. Or, well, a little bit, from the dying kids over the years, but not meaningfully so. Still cramped.

Lex exits, gesturing magnanimously.

Onwards to Lex's.

Lex follows along, and puts his new clothes away when they get there, then heads towards the toilets with Scorpius.

He's got something on his mind, clearly, but he isn't saying it.

Scorpius is going to wait, because he can be patient. Honest! For now, at least.

"- I don't - want -" he says eventually. "Rgh. I don't - want things to be - different. I know how to deal with - how things are. I know how to handle - Sophie thinks I'm useful and you've got some kind of bug up your arse about me and everyone else thinks I'm scum. I don't know what it would even mean if - if Sophie likes me and you have a crush on me and, and everything's going to be okay."

"...brother, stuff is either true or it ain't. Either Sophie likes you or she doesn't, either I have a crush on you or I don't, and as far as I can tell both of those are a 'yes' and you gotta deal with it. And you can deal with it by hiding from it but it's not gonna be any less true."

"Yes, because you would never hide behind a comforting illusion."

"...what's that even supposed to mean? What am I meant to be hiding behind, here?"