#09
As it turned out, Eli didn't get to have a heartfelt talk with his mother for a while. Mostly because she was too busy exchanging embarrassing stories about his childhood with Matthew. Eli couldn't say he was happy about that, but it kept them both busy, so that was something.
And Matthew says I can't look at the bright side, he thought, flipping through the channels while Matthew sat in the kitchen telling his mother about the time Eli was scared by a Halloween decoration. Even though no one would see him, Eli couldn't help but roll his eyes. He hadn't even been that scared.
Still, Eli couldn't deny that it was kind of nice to have his mother around. Despite all the gossiping going on between her and Matthew. He was almost sad to know she'd be leaving soon.
Eli was just thinking about how maybe he should try to call her more often, when Matthew walked in from the kitchen, interrupting the redhead's thoughts.
"I'm going to pick up some stuff for dinner," he said, pulling on a jacket.
"And by some stuff do you mean healthy stuff or good stuff?"
"Healthy stuff can be good too." Eli scoffed at that. Clearly, Matthew was wrong, but he didn't feel like arguing. Matthew just rolled his eyes, but seemed amused. "Right, then I'll be back soon."
He pressed a kiss to Eli's cheek and was gone a moment later. Eli was, for once, left alone with his mother. Of course, his mother took advantage of that and took a seat on the couch next to Eli almost as soon as Matthew was gone.
"Hey, Ma," Eli said, trying to focus on the tv even though there was nothing good on. Except for trashy daytime shows, but he didn't want to end up addicted to those like Michael. "So, have you started packing to head back?" he asked, knowing she was terrible when it came to procrastinating. It was one trait he'd inherited from her.
"You make it sound like you want me gone," she said, and almost sounded offended.
"I mean, you can stay, but it'll be just you and the cat when I go back to school. Oh and Matthew. But he sleeps most of the day," he pointed out.
"That can't be healthy."
"Probably not." Then again, most of the things Matthew did weren't healthy. "So, you and Matthew seem to get along."
"Well of course, he's really sweet." Eli gave her a look that told her he didn't believe that was the only reason. "What? Can't I like the person you're dating."
Eli refrained from saying he just didn't expect her to like the guy he was dating. She probably got the message anyway if the sigh that came from her was anything to go by.
"I'm just glad you've found someone who makes you happy," she said after a second. "And it's also really nice to know someone's looking out for you. That's all I could ever want, and as long as you're happy, I'm happy."
Eli stared at her for a moment, trying to find any trace of a lie, but could only see how much she meant it all. Something inside him seemed to warm at the thought and Eli couldn't deny that—as much as he'd told himself it didn't matter what his mother thought—it was still nice to know she was on his side.
"I mean, he's kind of an idiot," he said jokingly.
"Honey, all men are idiots. Including you." Eli couldn't really deny that. "I'm just glad you didn't inherit my terrible taste in men."
Honestly, that nearly made Eli cackle because, if only his mother knew. Sure, Matthew seemed normal enough. That still didn't mean he wasn't positively insane. Eli figured it would be best not to let his mother know just how wrong she was.
"Besides, he has a nice ass." Eli was glad he wasn't eating or drinking anything because he would have probably choked and died.
"Ma, what the fuck?" His mother actually cackled, because traumatizing her son was her favorite pastime.
"It's a compliment!"
"It's traumatic, is what it is," Eli muttered. His mother just chuckled, still amused while Eli admitted that—despite the disturbing input from his mother—he was glad he'd had the time to talk to her.
His joy lasted for only a short while, because whatever higher power there was obviously hated Eli. He'd just settled on watching the news for a while—mostly to see if they would say anything about Vigilante's absence—when the image of a warehouse popped onto the screen. It took a second for Eli to register the flames quickly consuming the building.
As soon as he did, he couldn't help but feel a swell of panic. His mind immediately went back to that night when he'd barely made it out of a building much like the one on the screen. All of a sudden, Eli felt like he needed to know where Matthew was. He needed to know that he was okay.
He almost jumped when he felt a hand settle on his arm.
Eli turned and was met with his mother's worried eyes sweeping across his face. He wondered what sort of expression he must have to earn such a reaction from her.
"Are you okay? You look so pale," she said, eyes still roaming his face in search for some hint of what was wrong with him.
"I'm okay," he said, and was grateful for how steady his voice managed to sound.
"Authorities report that they still don't have a suspect. Several people in the vicinity claim to have heard gunshots shortly before the fire," the anchorwoman spoke with her usual calm tone, eyes staring ahead.
"You know, I'm starting to think this city really is too dangerous," Eli's mother said at his side, but Eli wasn't paying any attention.
"There have been no reports of the city's Vigilante having been sighted at the scene. Authorities believe this was most likely a conflict between drug cartels." Eli was relieved to hear that at least Matthew wasn't there.
"I still can't believe the city just lets some weird masked man run around the city," Eli's mother said of Vigilante. Eli almost laughed at that. Maybe he was more like his mother than he'd thought.
"It's not like they let him. It's more like they can't catch him, even if he is a pain in the ass for the cops." It was something Matthew loved to gloat about.
"Well, they should still do something about it."
"You know he saved my life before, right?" Eli really couldn't help but ask, genuinely curious on whether his mother had forgotten that small detail.
"And I'm very grateful for that," she said, pulling her son closer to leave a kiss on his cheek, something Eli did his best to struggle against as he felt his ears grow warm. "I still think he's insane," she added once Eli had successfully pulled away.
"Honestly, same," Eli agreed with a laugh.
It was a while until Matthew finally got home, and Eli was starting to wonder whether maybe he'd actually gone to check out the burning warehouse. Eli was just about ready to call him when Matthew finally arrived, a bag of what could only be take-out in his hand.
"What happened to eating healthy?" Eli asked from the couch.
"Does that mean you don't want any food?" Matthew said with a grin, walking into the kitchen. Eli rolled his eyes and followed.
"So, what took so long?" There was no way Matthew wasn't up to something if he'd taken so long to get food. Eli's suspicions were confirmed by the faint smell of smoke clinging to him and the wary look Matthew shot over Eli's shoulder.
"Where's your mom?" he asked.
"Packing." Eli figured she probably wouldn't venture out for a while, too focused on trying to fit a week's worth of clothes into a single small bag. "She won't be out for a while, why?"
Matthew looked like he really didn't want to say whatever he was thinking. It was enough to get Eli to wonder just how bad of a turn his night would take.
"I need to go out tonight," Matthew said, and Eli really should have seen it coming. There was only so long Matthew could stay away from his demented little pastime.
"Is it because of that warehouse that burned down? I saw something about it on the news."
"Yeah, it was one of Fisk's. Looks like there's some other people interested in his territory," Matthew said, looking thoughtful.
"And of course, you can't let the cops handle it." Eli wasn't even mad anymore, just tired.
"I would, but whoever was behind this left a message." And with that, Matthew reached into his pocket and pulled out a mask, much like his own and a small black folding knife. "Found this stuck to an outer wall away from most of the fire. Someone knew I'd take a look."
"Wait, you went into the warehouse?" Eli hissed. He tried very hard to keep his voice low enough so his mother wouldn't hear. It was very difficult to express just how upset he was without yelling at Matthew and possibly smacking him upside the head.
"Not in, just took a look around the area." As if that were any better. Eli just groaned, rubbing his temples as he felt a headache building up. He tried closing his eyes, thinking that maybe not looking at Matthew's stupid face for a couple of seconds might help. "I was only there for a couple of minutes," Matthew added.
"You didn't even have your stupid ninja outfit!" Eli wondered how unhealthy it was to have to suppress his rage into a harsh whisper. He figured Matthew had probably made some good progress on the stress induced ulcer he'd been trying to give Eli since they met.
"I had a spare mask," Matthew said all too casually. Eli wanted to throttle him. "Look, I'll only go take a better look at things, try to figure out who was responsible for the whole mess."
Eli glared at Matthew for a while longer. Matthew countered with one of his most pleading—and pitiful—looks. The kind that told Eli there was no use in arguing because the asshole would just sulk about it. With a sigh, Eli resigned himself to having Matthew head back out earlier than planned.
"Just, don't stay out too long."
"I won't, can't have your mom finding out about all this," Matthew said with a wry smirk.
"If she does, I'm letting you try to explain." Eli figured that would be punishment enough. Matthew just laughed, because he really was a jerk at heart.
The rest of the night went by in a quiet fashion. There was still some tension in the air, mostly because Eli was still afraid his mother would find out about Matthew being Vigilante. As unlikely as that seemed—given the fact that his mother slept like a log—Eli couldn't help but worry. After all, crazier things had happened.
Like Matthew's whole existence.
It was almost a relief when she finally headed to bed. Eli knew she was tired and there was very little that would keep her awake once she got into bed. He still waited until he could faintly hear her snoring to give Matthew the thumbs up.
"You had better be back early," Eli said from his seat on the bed, arms crossed and expression set on a glare. Matthew was already in his Vigilante outfit, just double checking that he had everything he needed.
"I mean, depends on what you consider early." Eli's glare intensified. "I'll only be gone for a couple of hours," Matthew amended. "I promise."
Eli didn't feel particularly convinced. Not that there was anything he could do about that.
"Just don't get killed. Or stabbed. Or shot."
"You forgot maimed."
"That too." Matthew snorted, but he walked over to Eli, leaning down to give the redhead a quick kiss. "I'll be fine, don't worry. You're gonna get grey hairs by the time you're thirty at this rate."
"And it'll be your fault," Eli added, deeply offended at Matthew's snickering. "I will shave my hair off if you keep being an asshole." That shut Matthew right up.
"You're no fun," he muttered after a moment. With a sigh, he stood. "Alright then, I'm off. Take care while I'm gone."
"You say that like I'm the one heading into a crime scene," Eli pointed out. "But don't worry, I have my trusty taser collection." Matthew grinned at that. Apparently, the thought of Eli having any sort of weapon was reassuring to him. Most people would say he was insane for that alone.
"Don't forget the bat," Matthew added, motioning to the bat by the bed.
"Do you ever think about how not normal you are?" Eli couldn't help but ask.
"Nope." Matthew ruffled Eli's hair—something he just knew the redhead hated—and was hurrying out the window a moment later. Eli thought he could almost hear him laughing as he left and glared at the spot he'd just been standing in.
With a roll of his eyes, Eli got up and walked back out into the living room. He figured he might as well try to watch some tv to get his mind off things. Especially since he was finally feeling well enough to catch up on all the shows he'd missed while recovering from his latest concussion.
Sadly, Eli did a better job at trying to catch up on sleep, because he was having enough trouble staying awake that he figured he might as well head to bed. He took a moment to check the news, but there wasn't much going on, which was good. At the very least it meant that Matthew hadn't done something astoundingly stupid in the span of an hour.
With a sigh, Eli got up from the couch, stretching and grimacing at the way his back cracked at the movement. Sometimes he had to wonder how Matthew still had a functioning body after all the dangerous crap he did when Eli barely did anything and was already falling apart.
Eli got ready for bed while trying not to trip on his cat. Matt had gotten clingy since Eli had been forced to stay home for the last couple of days. Apparently, even his cat thought he was dying.
"You're almost as bad as Matthew," Eli muttered, looking down at his cat as it attempted to climb up his leg.
He rolled his eyes and picked him up, carrying him out of the bathroom and letting him jump out of his arms and onto the bed. As the cat settled down onto what was usually Matthew's side of the bed, Eli thought of how amusing it would be to have Matthew get home and find his side usurped by the cat. Eli only cackled a bit at the thought. After all, he didn't want to wake his mother.
As soon as Eli got comfortable, he began to drift off, his mind entering that foggy stage between sleep and wakefulness. Maybe it was the fact that he'd lived with Matthew for long enough to be able to react to every small sound, even as he was falling asleep—because he could never know when Matthew would drag himself home half-dead. Or maybe it was just that he was feeling particularly jumpy since it was Matthew's first night out in a while. Either way, Eli was pulled out of his half-asleep state by some unidentified noise from the living room.
He sat up slowly, straining his ears to try to hear anything else, and heard a quiet clicking sound. Almost like the balcony doors sliding open. Eli glanced at Matt, the cat looking alert, then glanced at the bright letters of the clock on his bedside that showed it was too early for Matthew to be back.
Slowly, as to not make any noise, Eli grabbed a hold of the baseball bat at his side. He moved quietly toward the bedroom door, feet bare, and paused just long enough to get one of his many tasers—which he stuck into his pocket just in case. The apartment seemed overly quiet as Eli waited by the door, hoping it was just Matthew outside even as something told him it couldn't be him.
Eli opened the door enough to be able to peer through into the living room. Immediately, he was able to see the dark outline of someone standing by the balcony doors, their large, hooded frame unfamiliar enough to make his heart race. His grip on the bat tightened, even as his first thought was to lock himself in and call Matthew. A second later, his sleep addled brain was reminded of his mother, still asleep in the other room and that option was quickly scrapped.
Sadly, Eli didn't have enough time to think up another plan, because whoever was out there was moving closer. Eli could feel his heart pounding as he quickly moved back into the room. In that moment, he was painfully aware that he was cornered.
He still took a second to wonder why someone had to break in the one night Matthew wasn't around.
The footsteps outside got closer, and Eli hurriedly moved to the side of the doorframe, readying to swing his weapon down. His grip tightened around the bat and time seemed to slow down as the door slowly swung open.
The bat cut through the air as soon as the intruder was inside.
And then, it was caught in an instant. Before Eli could react, he was pulled forward using the bat he'd not had a chance to release. Eli stumbled, the bat slipping from his grip as an elbow rushed up to meet with his face. The hit wasn't as hard as it could have been, thanks to Eli trying to pull back, but it was enough to make him falter. A burst of pain shot through his face and he could already feel blood trickling from his nose.
Still, when he felt a hand wrapping around his throat and pulling him forward, Eli didn't hesitate to grab the arm holding him and kick out with as much force as possible. His foot hit the man's stomach, earning an audible grunt. Unfortunately, he seemed to be wearing some sort of protective armor under his clothes, meaning Eli's bare foot probably hurt more than the man's stomach.
A second later, he heard hissing, and knew Matt was doing the best he could to defend him, even if he couldn't see him due to both his current position and the darkness in the room. The man holding him moved, and he heard Matt yowl in pain, which somehow made Eli struggle more, if only so he could punch the asshole for kicking his cat. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't in the best position to fight back.
He could feel the hand around his throat tightening, his lungs struggling to fill with air. Eli's panicked thoughts were unclear, save for the concern he felt for his mother at the moment.
Before Eli could think of what to do next, there was the sound of something shattering and the grip holding him loosened enough for Eli to free himself. He stumbled back, and watched as the man turned, a hand to his still hooded head. Just behind him, looking both angry and afraid, was Eli's mother, the remainders of what looked to be a lamp on the ground.
"Run," Eli managed to wheeze out, his throat burning and each breath a painful relief. His mother did just as told, turning and running to safety, the intruder followed.
Eli didn't think about it as he rushed after the man, hand reaching into his pocket for the taser he'd stored there. He jumped onto the man, hanging on and shoving the weapon onto the man's neck as best he could. Eli felt the man jerk in pain before he was thrown off, landing painfully on the ground, flat on his back. Pain shot through his back as he shifted, attempting to get up as the man advanced on him. Once again, he was roughly grabbed and shoved up against the wall, his back protesting in pain.
As Eli stared into the dark eyes of the man holding him—a wicked gleam in them—as they were all that was visible past the hood and mask hiding his face from the nose down. The dark gaze that stared at him amidst a slip of pale skin made a shiver run down Eli spine. The menace they conveyed making him truly wonder if he would make it out of this particular mess. His nose still bleeding and body aching, he was just glad his mother had gotten away. He was also disappointed he wouldn't be seeing Matthew again.
He probably should have known better.
A familiar form burst into the room. Relief flooded through Eli the moment he realized it was Matthew, even if his situation was still plenty dangerous enough.
"Took you long enough," the man still standing over Eli said, voice laced with a mocking tone.
Then, the man moved in a flash, a gloved hand drawing a weapon. Eli only managed to catch a glimpse of it, light glinting against a blade before it was plunged into his side. Distantly, Eli could hear himself scream in pain. He thought he could hear Matthew as well, but he couldn't be sure. The world was a mess of pain and fear at that particular moment.
Before he could process things, he was abruptly dropped, his legs unable to support him as he crumpled to the ground. He heard a crash followed by the sounds of a fight, but Eli couldn't be bothered to pay attention. Not when there was a knife sticking out of him. Eli was only vaguely aware of Matthew having tackled the intruder and that was honestly good enough for him.
He only looked up when he heard a shriek. His mother was there, pale faced and horrified—the phone in her hand dropping from the shock. She rushed over to him while Matthew held off their attacker, and knelt by her son's side. Her hands trembled as she reached for Eli's wound, stopping just above it, afraid of doing something wrong. Eli almost laughed, mostly because that was exactly what it felt like at the start, when Matthew would show up bleeding and asking him for help.
Struggling to ignore the searing pain, Eli tried to calm his mother. After all, the last thing they needed was for anyone to panic.
"I'm okay," he said, and didn't miss just how much like Matthew he sounded at the moment. Because no, he was most definitely not okay. The very pained tone of his voice was enough proof of that. "Help me lay down. Leave the knife."
Carefully, she did so, and Eli did his best not to cry out in pain and make his mother panic even more. He supposed that, at least if he was lying down, he couldn't really see the freaking knife sticking out of him.
"You'll be okay, I promise. You're going to be alright," Eli's mother said once Eli was lying on the floor, doing her best to reassure Eli while trying not to have a breakdown herself. She looked around, finally realizing she'd dropped her phone. "I called for help. They'll be here soon, just hold on," she said, voice shaky and tears welling up in her eyes. All in all, Eli couldn't say he was glad his mother was there. Giving his mother a heart attack wasn't really something he ever hoped to achieve.
There was a loud clatter off to the side, and Eli glanced over just in time to see Matthew slam the other man onto their coffee table. Which wasn't ideal. Eli really liked that table. He still felt very glad to see the asshole get his ass kicked because Eli was in serious pain.
The intruder threw a kick at Matthew, who dodged. It was still enough for the other man to get up. They both froze for a second as the sound of sirens grew clearer. Help was on it's way and Eli couldn't have been more glad for that.
Apparently, the intruder wasn't as happy about it. Eli saw the glint of silver and barely had the time to process what it was before the knife was flying towards Matthew. Fortunately, Matthew was a lot more skilled and managed to dodge out of the way. The distraction was enough for the enemy to get away, and soon enough he was out of Eli's sight. For a moment, it looked like Matthew would follow, but his gaze traveled back to Eli. That was enough to have him hurrying to the redhead's side.
Which, sadly, his mother took as a possible threat to Eli. She dove in front of Eli, doing her best to look as menacing as possible. Which was very difficult when she was about as short as Eli.
"Stay back," she said, voice shaking but still very much determined to protect Eli if the sheer viciousness in her tone was anything to go by. It was awfully touching. Eli still thought it would be best to say something before she attacked Matthew.
"Ma, it's okay," he said through gritted teeth. It was becoming painful to do so much as breathe.
His mother looked utterly confused as she turned to look at him, wide eyed, then back to Vigilante who kept his distance. Eli could tell Matthew was struggling with what to do. Even when they both knew he couldn't stay.
"Go," Eli said, hoping he could get away before the cops got there. Matthew hesitated for a moment before turning and hurrying out of the balcony. Eli felt relieved as he watched him leave, even as a part of him wished Matthew was still there with him.
Next to him, his mother was still staring at the place where Vigilante had been, shocked. She turned back to him as the sounds of people outside the apartment just barely registered in Eli's mind. The last thought he had before he lost consciousness was that he would have a lot of explaining to do if he woke up.
# # #
Hello everyone! If you're reading this, it means I've gone into hiding and will not emerge until you all don't want to kill me. (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)
Hope you've all liked this surprisingly long chapter, I say, as I laugh at your suffering. :D But only a little. Because I'm nice and all. So, yeah! Hope you liked it and, as always, thanks so much for checking out my stuff. As much as I may like to torture you all, I love you all and am very grateful for the support you've all given me!
Anyway, please comment and/or vote if you can. I love seeing what you all think! And also, sometimes you all come up with some great jokes, lol. Next chapter will be up on Friday, September 25th!
Have a good weekend and stay safe everyone!
P.S. Here's an actual picture of me reading your comments for this chapter. :D Don't mind the bunnies, all they ever think about is eating banana.
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