A Villain's Hero

Chapter 34 - Matteo

"You won't miss it."

Rowan's words replayed in his mind, as did the reminder of where they were right now. Thoughts of the villain, as well as worries about him, kept Matteo awake, and he finally let them convince him.

He got out of bed with the excuse that he was going to get something to drink.

He quietly left the room and listened to his surroundings to see if he was the only one in the dark house. However, it seemed that luck was on his side and everyone was in their rooms.

He cautiously walked down the stairs without turning on the light and went into the kitchen. The first thing he noticed was the light coming from under the door in the corner, and he quickly discovered that he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.

Before heading for the door, he made his way to the kitchen counter where he took a glass and poured some tap water into it.

His thirst was quickly quenched, but the same couldn't be said for his unease.

He left the empty glass in the sink and walked over to Rowan's door. There was still a thin strip of light underneath, so Matteo didn't hesitate to raise his hand to knock.

He waited a moment but received no answer.

He had two options - leave or try again. However, he knew his mind wouldn't let him rest if he just walked away, so he moved his hand to the doorknob. Rowan might not answer but he could have fallen asleep with the light on and Matteo just wanted to check.

He opened the door carefully and looked inside.

"You can come in." Rowan's voice startled him. He quickly shifted his gaze to where the voice had come from and found him sitting in a chair in the corner of the room.

Without hesitation, he stepped in and closed the door behind him. With the light on, he got a full view of Rowan's room and found it to be a cross between a child's room and an adult's.

He automatically moved towards the large teddy bear, but Rowan's voice quickly stopped him in his tracks. "Did you want something?"

Matteo turned back to him and decided to come closer. There was no place to sit next to him, though, so he ended up sitting on the edge of his bed.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," he said honestly, not hiding his intentions.

Rowan frowned. "I told you I was fine."

"I didn't mean physically," Matteo corrected him. "You told me that your parents died in this house. I thought it might be hard for you to be here." His voice was careful, he knew he'd broached a sensitive subject. "I was worried about you," he admitted.

Rowan didn't react right away. Matteo saw his lips tighten into a stern line and it looked like he was fighting with himself. He knew the villain didn't like to show his weaknesses, but he wanted to reassure him that he didn't have to hide anything from him.

"You look like you can't sleep," the hero added after a moment when Rowan was still silent.

"It's hard for me to sleep in this house," Rowan admitted in a low voice, and if they weren't alone in the room, Matteo probably wouldn't have heard him. "It's easier during the day when I have things to do, but at night I have trouble to stop thinking."

Matteo knew what he wanted to say in response, but he was trying to gather his courage. Ever since their two worlds had merged, he wasn't sure how to treat him anymore, especially when Rowan was acting differently too.

On the one hand, it bothered him when Matteo worried about him, but on the other hand, he'd eaten breakfast with him at the same table and Matteo couldn't forget that he'd let him stay at his place.