"Authorities have yet to confirm the involvement of the city's infamous Vigilante, though witnesses claim to have glimpsed the man . . . ."

Eli wasn't paying much attention to what the woman was saying, mostly because it was his third time watching the news as he sat around, waiting for Matthew to show up. A mostly untouched sandwich rested on the coffee table in front of him while the burner phone Matthew insisted he carry around in case of an emergency was at his side. It had been still for the whole morning.

More than once, Eli had wanted to use it. He'd thought of calling Matthew. Of making sure he was alive. But then, the possibility of putting him in danger crossed his mind and Eli decided against making the call. Instead, he was left to sit around and wait, knowing there was very little he could do.

Not for the first time, Eli wondered why he ever let Matthew keep going out.

It was only a quick thought, because Eli knew perfectly well that there was nothing he could do. As much as he hated it, as much as he thought Matthew was being stupid for insisting on going out, he knew there was no changing the way things were. Vigilante was a part of who Matthew was. All Eli could do was accept that and do his best to keep the man alive.

"Sources tell us several people were taken into custody in the early hours of the morning in a case of what appears to be weapons trafficking." The news anchor relayed the news while Eli focused back on the television. "We are still waiting for more details in the ongoing investigation. . ." the anchor moved on to another story, clearly not having many details.

Eli wasn't surprised. It was usually that way when Vigilante was involved. The cops never wanted to say much, most likely not wanting to give any credit to the masked crime fighter or simply not being sure on what Vigilante had done. It was just one of the many sources of frustration for the local authorities.

Matt jumped up onto the couch, settling next to Eli as if to comfort him. Eli smiled a bit, some of the tension he'd felt seeping out as he pet the cat. It still didn't take away from the knowledge that he was fairly useless.

All Eli could do for now was sit around, waiting for Matthew to make it back, and be ready to treat whatever injuries he had sustained. It was frustrating, to say the least. Eli still skipped classes that day just to make sure he was there.

In hindsight, he should have gone on with his usual schedule. There was little chance of Matthew heading home in broad daylight, especially if he was injured. Still, Eli wasn't sure he would be able to concentrate when he knew Matthew was missing. At least this way he could just tell his friends he was sick instead of having to pretend to be alright.

The day dragged on, the news repeating the same information for hours on end. Eli's phone occasionally received a message from his friends while the burner phone remained silent. Slowly—more so than usual, or at least it felt that way to Eli—the sun went down and the sky darkened.

Eli sat there, waiting to see if Matthew would actually show up. Not that he knew what he would do if he didn't. For the time being, Eli avoided thinking about that.

The hours passed, each just as uneventful as the last, and soon it was well past midnight. Eli was starting to wonder if he should go out looking for Matthew. After all, he knew where he'd been the night before. If he was injured then he couldn't have gone too far.

But what if he comes back and I'm not here? He thought. If Matthew was hurt, he'd need Eli to take a look at him. Not to mention, he would most definitely panic if Eli wasn't home. Eli wouldn't put it past Matthew to go looking for him no matter how hurt he might be.

He was still debating his options when there was a loud crashing sound from the balcony. Eli was moving towards it a second later, hardly noticing the cold wind that swept past him as he opened the doors. His heart sped up the moment he saw Matthew trying to pick himself off the ground, a hand clutching his side.

Eli was moving before he knew it. He rushed to Matthew's side, helping him sit up and taking in the pained look on his face.

"Hey honey," Matthew said, a stupid grin on his bruised and bloodied face even as he winced in pain. Eli had the strangest urge to both laugh and smack him upside the head. That would have to wait.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, the question slipping past his lips as he took in the mess that was his boyfriend.

"Long story," Matthew said, struggling to stand, but most likely knowing that Eli wouldn't be able to get him inside without some help.

Which was true, as Eli struggled to half-carry, half-drag Matthew inside. Somehow, he managed it, and soon Matthew was sitting on the couch while Eli hurried off to get their first aid kit.

One of the many consequences of Eli living—and dating—Matthew was his dramatically improved skills in first aid. At that moment, Eli was very glad for that. Matthew was, to put it simply, a mess. He was covered in bruises, the largest spreading over the left side of his ribcage. It looked swollen, the skin covered by a reddish bruise that reminded Eli of dried blood.

Broken or bruised, he thought. He noted Matthew's breaths were shorter than usual, something that could have been brought on by exhaustion just as easily as by fractured ribs.

"Pretty sure they're just bruised," Matthew said, knowing Eli well enough to tell what he was thinking. Eli certainly hoped he was right, because there was no chance in hell Matthew would let himself be dragged to the hospital.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much Eli could do about that. The best he could manage was some pain relief. He dug around for some painkillers, handing a pair of pills to Matthew who wasted no time in downing them. With that settled, Eli continued checking Matthew over. He spent what felt like hours cleaning, disinfecting and, in a couple of instances, stitching up the man sitting in front of him.

"Huh, you've gotten better with stitches," Matthew commented after a while, watching as Eli worked on a particularly vicious cut on his leg. It was a wonder he'd made it back at all.

"I've had practice," Eli snapped back.

He was fully aware that he should be glad that Matthew was back, but there was still that sense of anger he always held towards Matthew for ever thinking it was fine to put himself in danger—for being so willing to risk his life for people he didn't even know. And still, Eli stayed, knowing all too well that there was nothing he could do. It was just who Matthew was—a part of him that Eli had to accept. Not that it made things any easier.

Matthew stayed silent for a while, simply watching as Eli worked. It was probably for the best that he said nothing. Eli was still trying to calm himself and, somehow, stitching up the idiot in front of him helped. Maybe it was just that it gave him time to think. Or maybe it was just the knowledge that Matthew hated getting stitches.

"Done," he said after what felt like hours.

He stood up, back aching from being hunched over as he treated Matthew. His eyes were sore from lack of sleep, and there was a headache building up that Eli really should have expected. Still, Matthew looked a lot worse, even after getting cleaned up. There were dark circles under his eyes, making his skin look a lot paler than usual. His hair was an even bigger mess than usual, and then there were the numerous bandages covering his arms and legs and the bruising that spotted his skin.

More than that, there was a look of exhaustion in Matthew's eyes that mixed with what Eli thought might be concern. At the moment, he looked distracted, a faraway look on his face, like he was stuck in his thoughts as he stared blankly ahead. It reminded Eli of all the questions he had. But then, he realized just how worn out Matthew must be, and he figured getting some answers could wait.

"Now go to bed," Eli said, startling Matthew who snapped out of his thoughts to stare at the redhead.

"Don't you want to know what happened?"

"That can wait until you don't look like you're about to drop dead from exhaustion." He busied himself with putting away all the medical supplies. Eli had a feeling it would be better if he didn't look at Matthew at that moment. Not when Eli was still feeling so irritated, and most definitely not when Matthew was covered in bruises. The sight alone made Eli all the more angry.

Matthew chose to stay silent, which was good. Eli didn't think he could deal with any of Matthew's usual dumb comments. For a while there was only the sound of Eli packing up the first aid kit and Matthew shifting on the couch.

"I'm sorry," he said after a while, startling Eli who'd thought he would just head to bed. It was enough to make him actually look at Matthew. He regretted it a second later.

To put it simply, Matthew looked miserable. It wasn't just the injuries he'd received—now covered in bandages—nor the tired look in his eyes. There was something else, something that seemed suspiciously like regret.

No, it's guilt, Eli realized.

"I didn't mean to make you worry." Matthew sat up on the couch, wincing at the pain as he moved. Eli stared at him for a second, thinking back on all the times Matthew had said the same. Then, he let out a tired sigh, and helped Matthew stand.

"Yeah, well, it's not like you can help it." It was something Eli knew he'd just have to live with—that they'd both have to live with.

Matthew was quiet after that, most likely focusing instead on making it to their room without crushing the redhead helping him along. Eli let out a relieved breath once he'd let Matthew all but collapse onto the bed. He was tired, upset, and had no idea what was going on. But it was late, and Matthew was exhausted. All Eli wanted at the moment was to sleep.

"We'll talk tomorrow," he said when it looked like Matthew had something to say. Maybe Matthew could finally see just how worn down Eli was, because he didn't argue any further. He didn't insist on explaining why he'd gone missing for a day only to show up half dead. He just gave a small nod and settled back into bed.

For a moment, Eli stood there, watching as Matthew drifted off to sleep almost immediately. His breathing had slowed enough for him to not look so pained. The painkillers must have been working. The thought of how lucky it was that all Matthew needed were painkillers and some stitches crossed Eli's mind while the idea of when that luck would run out nagged at the back of his mind. He decided to ignore that particular thought for the time being.

Matthew was home, and that was all that mattered.

###

Hey everyone! 

See? I'm nice enough to not emotionally destroy you all this early on. :D Anyway, hope you've all liked this chapter, next one will be up on Friday, May 29th! In the meantime, you can always take a look at my other stories(Mandatory self advertising complete!) or just think about how I'll hurt you all this time around. 

So yeah, as always, thanks for your support and please stay safe!