#06

There were times in his life when Eli wondered why he was still involved with someone as undeniably creepy as Matthew. At that very instant, for example, he couldn't help but glare at the cup of coffee sitting innocently on the bench at the bus stop, waiting for him. And there was no doubt in his mind that it was, indeed, waiting for him, considering it had his name on it followed by a heart written in black marker.

Eli almost wanted to laugh at how ridiculous it was.

He almost did laugh, mostly because the street was empty and so there was no one around to judge him. Instead, he gave a tired sigh and took a seat, grabbing his drink. Eli looked around, wondering where his idiot boyfriend was hiding, but figured he was wasting his time. With a shake of his head, Eli took a sip of his drink.

Idly, he wondered if Matthew had bought the drink while in his costume and nearly choked on his hot cocoa at the mental image. Eli's bus came before he could continue on that train of thought. He still made a mental note to ask Matthew about it later.

As it happened, Eli didn't get to ask Matthew about his little stunt. Mostly because, for once, Matthew seemed to be in a bad mood.

From the moment Eli—lounging on the couch in his pajamas—spotted Matthew making his way in through the balcony, he knew something had upset the dark haired man. It was in the tense set of his broad shoulders and the sharp glint in his eyes. It made Eli feel uneasy.

"You're back early," he said. Eli watched as Matthew did his best to put on a tight smile for his benefit, eyes softening as they always did when he looked at Eli.

"Well, you're always telling me to take it easy. And I did get almost stabbed yesterday," Matthew said, carefully removing his mask.

"When has that stopped you?" Matthew's mouth twitched into a small smile. "But seriously, it's not even midnight."

Slowly, Matthew's smile faded, his eyes sharp once more and Eli couldn't help but worry about whatever it was that he would say next. Then, he let out a breath, some of the tension from his shoulders leaving.

"What is it?" Eli asked, not really wanting to know. Still, might as well get it over with.

"Today I got some interesting info on Fisk," Matthew said cautiously. He was well aware of how much Eli didn't want to hear that particular name. "Apparently he's been upset about me getting in his way, so he's doing what he can to get me out of his way."

"Meaning?" Eli asked, though he had a horrible feeling he knew the answer.

"Fisk is offering a reward to whoever gets rid of me." For a moment, they were both silent. Eli struggled to process what Matthew had just said while Matthew waited to see how the redhead would respond.

"So, he put a hit on you, is what you're saying," Eli said eventually, sounding far more calm than he felt.

"I know it sounds bad, but it's mostly just the usual crooks being a bit more, er, enthusiastic." Eli almost felt like laughing, because only Matthew would talk that way about people wanting to kill him. He figured that was proof enough he'd finally gone off the deep end.

"Well, that's great and all, but now what are we going to do?"

"We aren't doing anything," Matthew said, and Eli was already preparing the best glare he could muster. "I'll do something about it, but I don't think I should stay here for a while." And then, as if he hadn't just said he was leaving, he tried to walk away.

"You can't just leave. What the hell? So you want to just fuck off somewhere for who knows how long until people don't want to kill you?" Eli was just about done being calm, but honestly, Matthew should have known better.

"Eli, I just want to make sure you're safe—"

"By leaving me here. Alone. Without knowing what the hell you're doing out there."

"By making sure if I screw up no one can find you." Eli responded to that by glaring, which was honestly more than enough to let Matthew know just what the redhead thought of his plan. Matthew let out a tired sigh as he ran a hand through his dark hair, a sign of just how frustrated he was.

"If you leave I swear I will go out there and drag your stupid ass back here." Eli almost wished Matthew would try it. Vigilante getting dragged away by an angry ginger would probably make the news. The thought almost made Eli cackle.

"Why do you have to make things difficult?" Matthew said, sounding absolutely exhausted. Not that Eli cared. Really, it was Matthew's own fault in the first place.

"Excuse the fuck out of you, but I'm not the one running around the city pissing off criminals." Eli thought that was a very valid point. Matthew probably disagreed.

He certainly looked just about done with the whole conversation. Honestly, Eli hadn't seen Matthew that irritated in a long time. Unfortunately for Matthew, Eli wasn't in the best of moods either. Which explained his next words.

"You know what, fine. You want to leave, go ahead. But I won't be here when you get back."

There was absolute silence for a while, both men staring at each other. For a second, Eli regretted saying that. Maybe it was because of the way Matthew was looking at him, or maybe it was just the uncomfortable feeling he got from the thought of walking out the door and never coming back. Eli thought about the talk they'd had not long ago—and about how he'd said he wouldn't leave.

"If I do you'll just get yourself killed," he'd said. Now here they were. Eli would have laughed at how ridiculous it all was if he weren't so thoroughly upset. All at once, he was exhausted, and he knew that if he didn't walk away he'd just say more things he might come to regret.

"I'm going to bed, you do what you want." With that, Eli walked away, doing his best not to look at Matthew as he headed to the room. But it was too late. The image of Matthew, looking absolutely torn, stuck to his mind even as Eli finally lay in bed.

It was a while until he heard Matthew walk in, and Eli was already wondering if maybe his threat hadn't been enough. He scowled at the relief he felt when he heard Matthew wander into the bathroom, presumably to change into his bed clothes. The sounds of Matthew shuffling around, and then the shower running did nothing to help Eli sleep. Not that he thought he could, with everything on his mind at that moment. Most prominently, the fact that Matthew would even think of leaving.

Not like he hasn't done it before, Eli thought bitterly.

Before he could really start reminiscing about the time Matthew had left him—without so much as a note—for a year, he felt the bed shift as Matthew climbed in. Eli didn't move, his back turned to the other man and his whole body tense as he hoped Matthew would just go to sleep. Or at least, that he would think Eli was asleep.

"You know, I don't want to leave." And there went Eli's plan of pretending to sleep. After a moment, during which Matthew clearly waited for an answer, Eli finally gave up and answered.

"I don't want to leave either," he said, the words sounding loud in the quiet room. He felt Matthew move closer, his arms circling Eli.

"I'm sorry," Matthew said, and Eli could feel his warm breath against his neck. It made heat rush to his face despite him still being upset. "I just want you to be safe."

Matthew didn't need to tell Eli that much. It was blatantly obvious with just the way the man was always following him around, making sure Eli got home safe. And then, there was Eli's taser collection. It was extensive and very unnecessary. Eli still appreciated the thought.

"And I just want you to stop being stupid." He doubted that would happen anytime soon. Matthew snorted. Apparently, he'd expected a more heartfelt response.

"We'll figure something out," Matthew said after a moment.

Eli didn't say anything. Mostly because he wasn't sure what they had to figure out. He wasn't sure about what could be done against so many wanting to harm Vigilante. Mostly though, Eli didn't know that he could do anything to help. The helplessness that came with that realization was enough to chase away any thoughts of sleep he might have had.

# # #

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, but I had to take a mental health break. I posted a message about it on my profile, but yeah, I'm back to writing. Hope you liked this chapter, and as always, thank you all for your continued support!

I honestly have the best readers, haha. Anyway, next chapter should be up on August, Friday the 14th, so look forward to me emotionally abusing you then. :D

As always, stay safe everyone!