Against all odds, the place that Adria had set up for them was not that bad. Eli was just glad it wasn't yet another shady warehouse. He'd had enough of those to last him a lifetime.

"Huh, guess she isn't completely evil," Eli said as he looked around the simple little apartment they'd be staying in for the foreseeable future. In his travel carrier, even Matt mewled in approval at the temporary home—or maybe he was just hungry. It was hard to tell. Eli was still suspicious, because it was just a natural state for him at that point in his life.

"And you would know how to judge how evil someone is," Matthew chimed in with a small smile as he set the rest of their things by the entrance.

"You've gotten rude in your old age," Eli shot back. He set the carrier down and opened it, letting Matt explore the place.

"Hey," Matthew said, looking absolutely offended. He still fought off a smile as Eli snickered at him. As much as he complained when Eli took a dig at him, he didn't really seem to take it personally. It was more likely that it was just Matthew's way of judging how well Eli was doing.

Which was actually a pretty solid way to judge.

Together, they managed to sort their few belongings—mostly clothes, cat food and what Eli called Matthew's ninja crap—into place. As Eli looked at his small selection of clothing in the closet, he wondered just how long they'd be stuck there, away from their actual home. And all because some asshole insisted on killing his boyfriend. Eli probably should have been more worried than pissed off, but worry would do very little. Spite, on the other hand, was a very good motivator.

Honestly, Eli sometimes wondered how Matthew managed while being so damn cheerful all the time. He supposed that, at the very least, it helped take away any suspicion off him. Really, who would expect someone like Matthew to be the city's infamous Vigilante?

"Dinner's here," Matthew called, interrupting Eli's thoughts. A moment later, he was poking his head into the room, looking as unconcerned as always. Like they were just moving into a new place and not settling into their temporary safe house because some idiot could kill them in their sleep. Which Eli should have expected from Matthew. "Also, I baked cookies."

Eli felt his mouth twitch and had to fight to keep from laughing at just how impressively unthreatening Matthew could manage to be.

What kind of vicious crime fighting pseudo-ninja bakes cookies? Eli thought, though he didn't tell Matthew as much.

"What kind?" he asked instead. Mostly because he didn't want Matthew to put the cookies out of Eli's reach if the redhead dared to question his baking hobby.

"Double chocolate chip," Matthew said happily as Eli walked over to him and they made their way over to the small kitchenette they'd be using for the foreseeable future. "Figured we should celebrate moving."

"Even if it's for some shady reason?"

"What's that? You don't want cookies?" Eli glared, because Matthew knew damn well he wanted cookies. Matthew just snickered at the dirty look Eli threw his way.

Despite Matthew being, well, Matthew, they managed to eat in peace and settled to watch some mindless show. It was kind of nice, in a weird way, if only because they were very much not in their own home. Eli just couldn't get used to things being so different. Still, it helped to have Matthew sticking around.

"Can you at least try to get your cat to not hate me?" Matthew asked as he returned from the kitchen with a bowl of popcorn only to find Matt sprawled across what used to be his spot on the small couch they were provided. It was nice to see there were some things that were still very much the same.

"I could, but what would be the fun in that?" Eli didn't even bother to fight off the grin on his face. Matthew glared at him, then he glared at Matt who didn't really seem to care and only stretched out further. With a roll of his eyes, Eli decided to give Matthew a break.

He picked up Matt, who didn't seem to mind. Actually, it might have been his plan all along—piss off his human namesake and get some pets from the one human he tolerated. Eli was a little proud.

"Of all the cats you could have gotten, it had to be the one that hates me." Matthew sighed as he sat back down, and Eli was about to comment on how it wasn't like he could have known, when he noticed the tiny wince that Matthew clearly tried to hide.

"What's wrong?" he asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion as he watched Matthew tense at the question.

"What do you mean? Nothing's wrong," Matthew said, in a spectacularly bad attempt at sounding casual. Eli would have laughed at how horrible he was at lying if it weren't because the asshole was lying to him.

Now determined to figure out what was wrong with Matthew, Eli stopped petting Matt, setting the cat to the side. That was enough to make Matthew wary of what the redhead might have planned.

"Don't," was all he managed to say before Eli lunged at him. Or tried to. It was really more like Eli managed to clamp onto Matthew's arm to keep him from running off.

Eli wasn't perfectly healed yet, so he did do his best to be mindful of the fact as he tried to get past Matthew's unfairly long reach. He also knew that Matthew would do the same and felt not an ounce of guilt about using it to his advantage.

"Ow," he winced as he rubbed at the spot where he'd been stabbed. The effect was instant, as Matthew let his guard down in concern. Eli didn't feel the least bit bad as he took the chance to lift Matthew's shirt. He would have laughed at the indignant yelp from the man if it weren't for the splotchy bruises that met his sight.

"What have you been doing?" Eli asked, while Matthew hurriedly lowered his shirt.

"Just, you know, the usual," he said with a shrug, sounding decidedly unconvincing. "It's just been a bit busier than usual out there."

"You're a shitty liar and you know it." Matthew didn't even bother to argue that point. "Is this about that guy that attacked us? Have you been digging around for info?" Eli should have known the answer to that even without seeing Matthew's expression.

"I didn't know what to do while you were in the hospital," he said simply, and Eli just knew this was about more than just getting information. Matthew was avoiding looking at him, brow furrowed and lips set in a tight line.

"So what, you went out to beat the shit out of some third rate crooks?" Actually, that sounded like exactly the kind of thing Matthew would do. It was like a particularly violent form of therapy. Eli honestly wouldn't care if it weren't for the fact that Matthew was clearly being reckless and that was something he couldn't afford to be when he was out there. Especially not when there was someone actively trying to kill him.

"I haven't gone out again. Not since Adria showed up. She said I should lay low for a while until she figured some things out," Matthew said after a while. Eli kind of hated that he felt like he owed her for that. Apparently, some of the displeasure that came from that thought must have shown on Eli's face, because Matthew didn't waste any more time in apologizing. "I'm sorry, I know I should have just stayed with you, I just needed to do something."

Eli sighed, leaning back against the couch and idly wondering how in the hell he'd ended up with such a mess of a life. As always, he blamed Matthew. He was, by far, the oddest part of Eli's life. Not that Eli minded all that much most of the time. At the moment, he just wanted to keep the idiot alive.

That shouldn't have been such a difficult task, but then things had a way of surprising Eli in the worst ways as of late.

"I'm just really tired," Eli said, eyes focused on the television screen where they were now playing some survival show. The kind Eli usually liked to watch for the drama that came from putting a bunch of people together in a jungle and leaving them to starve. At that moment, he just didn't care about it, the images not really registering even as he stared.

They were silent for a while, both probably thinking about what to say. Which was difficult for Eli, as he had so much he felt he needed to tell Matthew.

"You know, I never asked you why you do all this," he said after a while. He still couldn't look at Matthew, not when he was almost certain that there would be that look on his face—the guilty one that made Eli think that he could just let things go this one time. "It's not because I didn't want to know, or I didn't care. I just figured you had your reasons, and maybe you weren't ready to share them. So, I just had to wait for you to trust me enough. But, I don't know if I can keep letting you go out there, and then fix you up when you come back, without even knowing why."

He turned to look at Matthew, and was very glad he'd not done so earlier. The way he looked at Eli was almost enough to make him tell Matthew to forget it. That they could just deal with it all later. But Eli knew better than that. So, he looked right back at Matthew—who honestly couldn't look any guiltier if he tried—and finally asked for the answers he should have had from the start.

"So, why?" Eli asked, and it was enough to make Matthew's shoulders sag as he let out a tired sigh.

For a moment, he didn't say anything, just looked away, most likely trying to figure out what to say. Eli waited, figuring he'd waited long enough already. A minute more wouldn't really make any difference.

"It's not something I didn't tell you because I don't trust you," Matthew said at last. Then, he turned to Eli with a little half smile—a quirk of his lips that attempted to weakly lighten the mood. Eli sort of appreciated it, despite how small an attempt it was. "I don't think there's anyone I trust more than you," he said, and Eli did his best not to show how much that actually meant to him.

He didn't think he managed it, if the heat he felt on his face was anything to go by, but an attempt was made.

"When I left home, well, it wasn't under the best circumstances," Matthew said, pitying Eli enough not to mention how red his face had become. "I was on my own for the first time, and things were difficult. There wasn't anyone in town I knew, no one I could talk to, school was stressful, and I guess it was too much."

Eli could relate to that, as he'd gone through much the same when he left his own home. Granted, there had still been some small connection to his mother, even when she didn't necessarily agree with his choices. She'd always made it clear that he had a place to return to. By the sound of it, that was something Matthew hadn't had the luxury of.

"But, there were still people that made me feel better about things. People I ran into, shopkeepers and neighbors. They made me feel like I belonged here. I guess, it sounds kinda stupid, but they became important to me. This town is important to me." Eli could tell how much he meant that. He could see it in the fondness that was reflected in his gaze and hear it in the way he spoke. Matthew truly loved the skeevy little city they lived in. Which was just a little funny to Eli, considering how utterly weird the place was—he supposed Matthew would fit right in.

"Then, things started to change. People got hurt, went missing sometimes. Shops got robbed. And I just felt like I had to do something. Nothing big, just stop a mugging here and there, which is probably why the media took so long to even notice, but I just wanted to help."

"So you decided to beat the crap out of some petty crooks." Matthew just shrugged, as if he knew how ridiculous that sounded—which he probably did. Eli shouldn't have been surprised. Actually, he wasn't. It was all just such a very Matthew thing to do. He really was the type to get overly attached to a whole city of strangers and decide to take on all of the fucking crime that plagued it. The thought alone made Eli want to laugh.

Enough so that he actually ended up laughing a bit without realizing it.

Matthew gave him an odd look, questioning the disbelieving sort of snicker that left the redhead. Which was fair, Eli supposed. It was kind of a weird time to laugh.

"Sorry," he said, though Matthew still gave him a very unimpressed look. "It's just, I probably should have guessed it was something like that."

"I finally tell you my tragic backstory and you laugh," Matthew said, but Eli could tell he was fighting not to smile.

"It's not so much a tragic backstory as it is you being too nice." Which was very much on brand for Matthew. Matthew finally let his lips quirk up into a little half smile as he looked at Eli.

"I guess it's stupid," Matthew said after a moment. "To think that I could really make that much of a difference."

"It's not." The words slipped out before Eli could really think about it, surprising even him. "Just because you can't fix everything doesn't mean you haven't made things better. People like you. They trust you to help. That's good enough, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," Matthew said, a soft smile on his lips. Eli found he liked that look a lot more than the forced curve of his lips he so often wore as of late.

"Besides, the people like you. Granted, anything's better than the cops," Eli said, adding the last part as he thought of the way they insisted on trying to catch Vigilante—mostly so he would stop making them look so bad at their job.

"I thought you were all for letting the cops do their job?" Matthew asked, brow raised.

"I only say that so you'll quit trying to get yourself killed." Not that it worked. Still, an attempt was made. Matthew snorted, because Eli trying to keep him alive was somehow funny. They sat there for a moment, Eli thinking of what Matthew had just told him, still processing just how much Matthew seemed to trust him.

"It's been fun," Matthew said after a while, eyes trained on the television screen, though he didn't look like he was truly watching the images displayed on it. "Helping people, I mean. But I guess it's about time I put it all away."

Eli just stared at Matthew in disbelief of what he'd just heard. And then, he paused to wonder why he didn't feel absolutely gleeful at that, because that was exactly what he'd always thought he'd feel when Matthew finally put his mask away for good. Now, he just wished Matthew wouldn't look so damn sad at the thought of having to step away from a role he'd played for years.

"Don't do it if you don't want to," Eli said, wondering how long it would take for him to regret saying that. Matthew definitely wasn't expecting to hear that, judging by his expression. "I mean, if you're just going to mope around, you might as well keep going out. Just, you know, don't do too much."

"So, no dismantling organized crime?" Matthew said, as if that wasn't exactly what had gotten them where they were in the first place. Eli just glared in response.

"You know, that's usually not an issue that comes up when people go through a rough patch in their relationship." Eli pointed out, because he just couldn't get over the fact that this was the conversation they were most in dire need of.

"We're going through a rough patch?" Matthew sounded genuinely alarmed at that, which really only made Eli want to laugh at how clueless he could be at times.

"I got stabbed and we're in hiding, what do you think?"

"Well, when you put it like that," Matthew muttered. Eli just rolled his eyes and leaned back against the couch, trying to focus on watching the utterly miserable people on the television screen and their poor attempts at surviving in a jungle.

"But thanks," Eli said after a while. "For telling me." Eli didn't look at Matthew, but he could feel him staring.

"I should have told you earlier," Matthew said after a moment. Eli just shrugged.

"You always said you had your reasons. I figured, whatever that was, it had to be important to you." And sure, Eli didn't think he ever would have made the choice Matthew had, but he could understand why he'd done so.

He knew Matthew well enough to see that it wasn't just that he wanted to play the hero, or make a difference, Vigilante was more than that—Vigilante was the thing that had kept Matthew going. The mask wasn't just what connected him to the city, it was what disconnected him from the things that made life difficult. Eli could understand that much.

He could also understand that it was for this reason that he couldn't just make Matthew give it all up. That was a choice Matthew needed to make.

"It is," Matthew said, confirming what Eli already knew. Then, he smiled at Eli, his blue eyes soft and his warm hand finding Eli's own to rest atop it. "But now there's something else that's more important to me."

Eli stared, trying to will away the heat building up in his face—something he'd not yet managed but refused to give up on trying. He tried to focus, instead, on the warm feeling in his chest. It was pleasant enough that he didn't mind if Matthew made fun of his blushing cheeks. Just his once.

"Wait, did you just call me a thing?" he asked after a moment. Matthew snorted and then laughed. Eli didn't mind.

He still hit Matthew with a couch pillow when he laughed for too long.   

# # #

Hello everyone! Hope you've all liked this chapter which will be the last until sometime in January as I enter hibernation mode! :D But at least you all got Matthew's not-so-tragic backstory, lol.

Anyway, I'll still be writing during my little break though, I'll just also be busy doing Christmas stuff and I will be posting at least one holiday special in the Prompt Fills book so keep an eye out for that! Also, post your holiday prompt ideas if you have any and maybe check out my other books while you wait for this one to update.

As always, thank you all for your continued support! I love you all and your comments, even when you're mad because I've emotionally destroyed you. Hope you all have a good time this holiday season and a much better year in 2021 than this mess of a year. Be nice to others and yourselves and stay safe! ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡)

And now that all the nice stuff is out of the way, I leave you all with this teaser of what's to come: