The Man Clad in Black (Phantom of the Opera)

And in a Bed - Chapter 30

As soon as you arrived into Matthew's home, he escorted you and Erik into the living room, grabbing a couple of coats from the coat rack as he did so.

"Here," he said, handing you one of them. "I might have something warmer that you can change into, but for now, this will have to do."

You smiled softly and took the coat from Matthew, murmuring a soft "thank you" as you put it on. It was quite large - nearly down to your knees, actually - but it would simply help you warm up for now.

He paused for a moment, eyeing Erik a little suspiciously before handing him a coat.

"For you too, Monsieur..." he muttered.

Erik nodded gratefully (though probably unamusedly, too) as he grabbed the coat from Matthew, eyeing it for a moment before he took off his cloak...

He seemed to be dry enough.

You sat down at a sofa near the fireplace, and thankfully, due to the tremendous amount of wind, the rain didn't seem to have been able to drain through the chimney.

Matthew walked around the room. In the corner, stacked carefully into a neat pile was some firewood, and he grabbed a log or two before he placed it inside. After a few more moments of gathering a few things, he ignited a fire, causing you to let out a sigh of relief when a warmth washed over you... You were unbelievably grateful.

"Thank you, Matthew," you said with a small smile. "It truly means a lot that you're letting us stay the night."

Matthew brushed off his hands and flashed you a smile, letting out a soft sigh as he nodded a little.

"It's my pleasure," he said, beginning to head to another room. "You're my friend, [Y/N]... And you too." As soon as he said that, he glanced to Erik, who was sitting at your side and looked more confused than ever. "A friend of [Y/N]'s is a friend of mine... You're both welcome to stay as long as needed."

You thanked him again, and he soon disappeared into another room, collecting a change of clothes for the both of you.

Erik leaned over to you, keeping his suspicious gaze locked on the door in which Matthew disappeared behind.

"He's being kind to me," Erik muttered, his jaw clenching as he wrapped an arm around you. "Why?"

"He just said," you whispered with a small smile. "You've been kind to me, and because of that, he trusts you."

"I'm not sure if he should," he muttered, although you swatted him playfully. You knew he didn't mean that... Hopefully.

Just then, Matthew came back out, holding two sets of clothes - one of Erik and one for you.

The outfit that he handed you was quite simple, actually - it was just one of his work shirts and some trousers that appeared to be your size.

He gave Erik the same thing.

"Here," he said as he handed the clothes to the two of you. "I know it's not much, and it's probably not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it should work for now."

You flashed him a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Matthew," you said with a nod. "Really - just... For everything."

Matthew paused for a moment before he smiled down at you, nodding slightly.

"You're absolutely welcome," Matthew said with a slight nod.