Chapter 28 part 2

Samuel

The light stung Samuels eyes as the sun flowed into the room. His back ached as he realized he had slept sitting upright on the couch.

He looked to his left where Ellie was sprawled out. He couldn't push back the smile that grew on his face. Even just knowing for a fact that she was okay made him happier than he could even describe.

When he faced back forward he caught a glimpse of Matias out of the corner of his eye. His head was leaned all the way back onto the couch and he had a peaceful look on his face.

He couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Months ago he wouldn't have been able to imagine this guy petting a puppy. Now he couldn't see him hurting a fly.

Samuel lifted himself off of Matias's shoulder and slowly stood up off the couch, careful not to wake either of the two sleeping next to him.

His injuries stung a bit, mainly in his stomach and a gash in his thigh, but he only sucked in a sharp breath and kept moving.

He pulled a mug out a cabinet and grabbed a coffee packet along with some milk.

The milk was almost empty and was one of the only things left in the fridge. He hadn't been shopping since he got back and between both him, Ellie, and Matias, they'd be out of food by lunch.

Once he had made his coffee he made his way back to the couch. Both Ellie and Matias were still asleep, an unsettled expression growing on Matias's face.

His head shifted to face the other direction and his eyebrows furrowed. Samuel caught himself in a daze watching it, unsure of what to do.

He took a step forward, contemplating waking him, and then a step back, wondering if he should let him sleep.

A small groan escaped Matias's lips and his eyes squeezed shut. Even while asleep, he looked terrified.

Samuel finally took a deep breath and approached him, setting his mug down on the coffee table. He laid one hand down on his shoulder and the other on his cheek.

"Matias" he whispered, trying both to wake him calmly and keep Ellie asleep.

Matias continued to turn back and forth on the couch, growing more and more restless.

"Matias" Samuel repeated, his voice getting louder and more desperate.

He squeezed Matias's shoulder and used his other hand to hold his head steady.

Matias's eyes squeezed shut one last time before squinting open.

He looked confused for a moment, looking behind Samuel at the TV and then at the window.

"Are you okay?" Samuel asked as softly as he could.

Matias blinked and his eyes opened a bit more, seeming to only just notice that Samuel was even there. His eyes were glossy and a look of subtle fear took over his expression.

"Samuel?" He asked under his breath, slowly coming to his senses.

"Mhm" Samuel answered gently.

He was unsure of what to say. He didn't even know what had happened, let alone how to make Matias feel better about it.

Matias sat up and looked around the room. Samuel watched as his eyes paused on the window before looking back at him.

"Are you alright?" Samuel asked once more, his voice as soft as it could be.

Matias hesitated, taking a deep breath.

"Yeah. Just.. bad dream, I guess" he mumbled sounding ashamed.

Samuel nodded, but didn't move. The two of them had far too much going on, his "bad dream" could've been about anything. He itched to know what it was, but didn't want to pry.

"Coffee?" Samuel broke the silence, figuring Matias had nothing more to say.

Matias only nodded, standing and wasting no more time moving to the kitchen.

Samuel stood for a moment, still by the couch. He hadn't realized it, but he had a perplexed look on his face. His eyebrows were pulled inward and his lips shaped awkwardly into a pathetic attempt of a frown.

He had no idea how Matias was so.. casual. Calm, even.

Samuel had had one nightmare about everything going on. One, singular, measly, nightmare. And he couldn't comprehend how Matias was so casual about it.

Samuels was no doubt less severe. Nothing that would make him toss and turn on his sleep. Nothing that would cause him to make noise or seem abnormal.

And yet there Matias was, walking through his kitchen. Acting as if whatever he dreamed about never even happened.

"Samuel?" Matias called out from the kitchen, still being mindful that Ellie was asleep.

Samuel didn't respond, but forced his legs to move towards where Matias was now standing by the coffee maker, grabbing his own, already made, coffee on the way.

"You okay?" Matias asked casually.

He was leaned back on the counter with completely relaxed posture. He seemed almost like he didn't have a single care in the world, if you took the mildly concerned expression off his face.

"Yep" Samuel responded quickly and bluntly.

He grabbed another coffee packet and began to prepare it for Matias.

The lingering pain from his wounds got worse and worse as he stood and walked around the kitchen, but he bit it away and ignored it as best he could. He could already tell it would be a rough day.

Once the coffee was done Samuel turned back to Matias, which he was partially dreading doing. He felt like Matias would be able to read both his concern and pain right of his face.

Instead, when he turned he was met with Matias's much stiffer posture and his gaze staring solidly up at the ceiling. His arms were crossed over his chest and his entire head was turned back to look at the ceiling.

"Matias" Samuel mentioned calmly, doing his best not to startle him out of his trance.

Nonetheless, Matias's head whipped downward, giving Samuel a puzzled look. Almost as if he forgot he wasn't in the room alone.

Samuel outstretched his arm, handing him the coffee, but was too distracted to say anything else.

The distraction, of course, was Matias. More specifically, it was how his lip was curled inward and he was chewing on it casually.

Samuel hadn't seen him do it in so long, he wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand he was sad, upset that whatever was on Matias's mind—presumably whatever he dreamed about—was causing him to stress. On the other hand, however, it made him realize how much he had missed Matias's presence.

Even a simple gesture like biting his lip showed very well who Matias was. Who Samuel was so happy to be around. The person he had given a second chance and took a turn like he never would've believed.

"Samuel? You sure you're okay?" Matias spoke up through the silence.

Samuel noticed that Matias had taken the coffee without Samuel noticing, somehow. He had been staring at the wall like it was a puzzle, like Matias had been doing to the ceiling just moments before.

"You were rustling around in your sleep" Samuel stated abruptly.

Matias looked up in shock, changing his expression back to calm as quick as he could.

Samuel saw his concern, but did his best to pretend like he didn't.

"Sorry. I guess I was a bit restless" Matias chuckled awkwardly.

Samuel nodded and retrieved his own coffee to take a long drink.

"You groaned a few times. Like you were scared, or in pain" Samuel pushed.

He knew he shouldn't pry and pry Matias to talk about it if he didn't want to, but kept going anyways. He was concerned, but didn't know how to help if he didn't know what was going on.

"Really? I guess I was pretty distraught" Matias spoke unconvincingly.

Samuel bit his tongue. He really didn't want to pressure Matias into saying anything if he was uncomfortable. He wasn't in favor of ignoring it either, however.

"Matias" Samuel sighed.

Matias's eyes whipped around, but quickly calmed back to normal. He was still nibbling on his lower lip and was gripping the counter behind him particularly hard.

"You don't have to talk about it" he went on, waiting for some kind of response from Matias. When he got none he continued to speak. "We both know things have been rough for a while. But keeping to yourself, acting like everything is fine, and pushing me away won't do anything"

A sharp pain ran up Samuels leg as he shifted his weight— his oldest wound still not healed— but didn't show his pain in the slightest.

Matias looked down at the floor for a brief moment. When he looked back up at Samuel his expression was softer and, much to Samuels relief, his lip was rested away from his teeth.

"It was a nightmare. No big deal" he dismissed.

Matias held eye contact, but Samuel could only stare at the cabinet just left of his head. He was more than happy that Matias was opening up, but that didn't make his pain or worries go away.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Samuel asked, unsure of what else to say.

Samuel could see Matias's hesitation. He could watch the consideration behind his eyes.

"No"

Samuel nodded. If that's was Matias wanted, then so be it. As curious as he was, he couldn't pressure Matias like that.

The room grew quiet and Samuel glanced back at the living room where Ellie was sleeping thoughtlessly. He sipped at his coffee, which he had forgotten about, to fill the silence.

"Are your wounds bothering you?" Matias spoke up suddenly, seeming to banish any previous worries in a second.

Samuel stiffened the second the question registered in his brain. He was sure he was hiding it well. He was positive he was acting as normal.

"You're just standing really stiffly" Matias continued, obviously noticing Samuels hesitation.

"I'm fine" Samuel choked out awkwardly, his voice cracking like a hormonal middle schooler.

Matias nodded unconvincingly.

His face was so calm, it almost made Samuel a bit jealous. He knew it was just an act, that underneath the surface he must've been just as rattled at he was. In the back of his mind, however, he still caught himself wishing he could be as composed as Matias was.

Looking at his relaxed face and stance, he couldn't resist the thoughts of Guzantee. How he admitted to setting Matias up to become some kind of villain. How he was so sour of some drug money that he ruined Matias's entire life.

How would Samuel tell him about that? How was he supposed to break that news to him?

He was sure his heart couldn't handle all this.

One day he would stoke, or seize, or have a heart attack, and it will be because of this. All this bullshit because he tried to be a hero.

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It's already February 😃😃