When Eli was younger, he loved reading comic books. He could still remember his mother taking him to get the latest issue. Apparently, she figured it was a good thing if it made him read.

Eli could recall the eagerness with which he flipped through the colorful pages, reading through it quickly to find out what would happen to his favorite hero. He remembered his childish awe at each heroic — and silly at times, now that he thought about it — line of dialogue the hero delivered and the mix of disappointment and anticipation he felt when the last page had been read. At the time, the idea of someone fighting for justice — sometimes without even having super powers — seemed amazing.

It lost its appeal once Eli got old enough to realize that super heroes weren't real. He supposed it happened around the time kids at school decided they didn't like his hair. Of course, that didn't last, because Eli always knew when and how to defend himself.

And then he met Matthew.

As annoying as he could be, Eli would admit to himself that he did do a fair bit of good things. He helped people, he knew that. Matthew — as Vigilante — did things that the police couldn't manage, and he did them because he wanted to. Because it was the right thing to do. Eli could respect that.

He just wished it wasn't so damn dangerous — especially now that he knew he actually cared about Matthew. It certainly wasn't helping that he hadn't seen the man in days.

The last time he had actually seen Matthew, it had been on the night Eli had patched him up after he'd gotten shot. He'd been gone all too soon and Eli hadn't seen either Matthew or his alter ego since then. That wasn't to say that he didn't hear anything about him.

There weren't many details — because this was Vigilante they were talking about — but the news liked to keep people talking about their biggest story. What Eli heard didn't really make him happy. It seemed that Matthew wasn't the type to be held back by something as insignificant as a near death experience. Figures.

Even with a gunshot wound, he'd somehow managed to find the guys that had shot him — something Eli didn't really agree with. The men ended up in the hands of the police with a couple of bumps and bruises that served as a testament to who had caught them. They looked entirely unimpressive and Eli had to wonder how they had managed to hurt Matthew.

They were just a couple of thieves that got lucky, and maybe that just served to piss Eli off even more. It also made him wonder what would happen the next time some idiot got lucky. How many times would Matthew have to get hurt before his luck ran out.

There was a frown on his face as he glanced at the television hanging on the wall, in the corner of the coffee shop. After having caught the thieves, Matthew hadn't been back behind the mask and Eli didn't know if that was good or bad. The best he could hope for was that the man had decided to do the sensible thing and stayed home.

Eli paused in his task of cleaning a table when Vigilante was mentioned in the news. As much as he didn't like to admit it, he was hoping for news of Matthew — good news. There was nothing though, and the reporters just discussed their theories about what could have happened to the masked man.

"Wonder what happened to the guy," Michael said from behind the counter. He leaned on the cool surface of it and looked up at the news, with a slight frown. Eli knew Michael was what could be considered a fan of Matthew's alter ego. He'd always defended Vigilante whenever Eli said something unflattering about him — which was very often. It was only to be expected that he would keep up with the news about the masked man.

"He's probably just hiding out somewhere," Eli said, going back to wiping down tables. "It's what he did last time he got his ass kicked." At least, that was what Eli hoped. If Matthew was just licking his wounds somewhere then he could accept that. He'd still be pissed off, but it was better than the other alternatives.

"I guess so," Michael said, a thoughtful look on his face. "If he'd really kicked the bucket it would probably be on the news by now," he reasoned.

Eli ignored the decidedly uncomfortable feeling that emerged at those words. He didn't want to think about Matthew being dead. A reasonable part of the redhead's brain thought of how Matthew had been fine the last time he'd seen him and decided that there was no need to worry. The more unreasonable part said he could have gotten hurt again when he went after the guys that shot him. Eli had a deep dislike of that part of his brain at the moment.

The day dragged on after that, mainly because Michael insisted in discussing what could have happened to Matthew. Despite being a so-called fan of the masked man, Michael had some very disheartening ideas. Unfortunately, Eli was forced to listen to them. He'd thought the lunchtime rush would help, but it didn't last long and a couple of students actually joined Michael in his crazy obsessing over Vigilante.

"I heard the police caught him," one guy said while Michael paused in his task of giving him his change. "You know, they've been after him for a while. I guess they don't like random people jumping in and doing their job for them."

"Where did you hear that?" the guy's friend said, standing right behind him in line.

"The internet."

Of course, Eli thought, rolling his eyes as he made his fifth decaf, nonfat, vanilla latte with soy milk -- no foam. Of course. Because why wouldn't you go to a coffee shop for a decaffeinated drink that barely resembled a decent cup of coffee? Eli was reminded once more why he hated people.

He nearly ran out of the place when his shift was finally over, and was all too glad that he didn't have any classes that day. School had been easier to handle thanks to the fact that he didn't have Michael constantly talking about Vigilante there, at the very least. Still, it had always been hard enough to pay attention in class.

The rest of the week dragged on in much the same way. It was dull, and nerve-wracking at the same time. A combination that Eli did not like.

As always, he blamed Matthew. After all, he was the person on Eli's mind more often than not. If he hadn't already resigned himself to that, Eli would have found it immensely disturbing. As it was, he just huffed in annoyance as he caught a glimpse of a dark, blurry picture of Vigilante on a newspaper that had been left on the bus stop's bench.

He'd seen the article earlier, and it wasn't more than a sad attempt to keep the spotlight on the masked man. Especially since anything related to him sold well, something Matthew seemed idiotically proud of.

"Stupid showoff," Eli said, sitting on the bench to wait for the bus. Thankfully, the overhang at the stop shielded him from the moderate rain — the reason why he'd opted to take the bus instead of walking home.

His schoolbag, damp from the rain and heavy as usual, rested at Eli's side. The redhead rolled his shoulder, wincing at the ache from carrying the heavy load of books. He was looking forward to getting home and taking a hot shower that would, hopefully, help him feel better. What he was not looking forward to was all the work he needed to do. With a sigh, he stretched forward and looked down the street, hoping to see the bus coming.

And then he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. Eli did not jump. He didn't. Whoever had managed to sneak up on him — which wasn't really as hard as Eli liked to think — could be heard snickering behind him at the redhead's reaction. Eli wasn't nearly half as mad at being startled as he was at seeing who was to blame for that.

"Hey Eli," Matthew greeted. As if he hadn't gotten shot before disappearing for weeks.

It was a testament to how much Eli hadn't expected to see him that he could only stare. Matthew looked, for once, like he didn't know what to expect. Or maybe he expected to be punched. Eli couldn't blame him for that because he wasn't wrong.

"What the hell? What are you doing here?" Eli asked. He had more pressing things to ask Matthew, and a lot of things he wanted to tell him — mostly complaints. At the moment, however, it was hard enough to ask even the simplest of questions.

"Well, I was just going home from the coffee shop," Matthew said. "I swear I'm not stalking you," he added, taking a step back when Eli stood up. He looked like he was ready to defend himself with the umbrella he was carrying. Eli was actually pretty glad Michael had agreed to give him a day off that day so he could study for a test, or he would have made a scene in the coffee shop when Matthew walked in.

"You got shot," Eli said after a moment, as if Matthew hadn't noticed or could somehow forget.

"Why yes, I did," Matthew said slowly, an eyebrow quirked. "You were there, I was there, remember?" If Eli hadn't been so surprised to see him he might have glared.  

"Did you really go back out just a day after you got shot?" Clearly, Matthew could tell Eli wasn't particularly happy about that because he took a step back.

"Well, yeah, but I wasn't hurt too badly," he said. Eli strongly disagreed, but Matthew seemed to think that was a good enough excuse. "Did you miss me?" Matthew asked, grinning.

There was a moment of silence during which the only sound was the rain and the occasional car driving past them.

"So you're feeling better?" Eli asked after a moment.

"Yep," Matthew answered cheerily, apparently happy that Eli was still willing to speak to him.

"Oh good," said the redhead with a smile.

And then he kicked Matthew — right in the shins to be exact.

"Ow! What the hell!?" Matthew said, rubbing his leg to try to ease the pain. Eli just ignored him and stepped out into the rain, deciding he'd much rather walk after all.

Even if he lived fifteen blocks away.

"Hey, Eli, wait!" Matthew called out, limping after the redhead who just ignored him.

It didn't take long for him to catch up to Eli. Soon, he was walking next to him, his umbrella shielding the redhead who was still doing his best to not look at Matthew.

"So, why exactly are you mad at me?" Matthew asked a block and a half later. He wasn't really surprised when he didn't get a response.

What did surprise him was when Eli jogged to the bus stop ahead just as the bus arrived. Matthew was left to hurry after him, barely making it, and scrambling to close up his umbrella and pay. He did his best to ignore the odd look the driver was giving him. Matthew sighed tiredly as he slumped down into the empty seat next to Eli near the back of the bus. In the corner. Where the redhead had ducked down.

Clearly he was avoiding Matthew.

"You're so mean, making an injured person run like that," Matthew pointed out. Of course, Eli didn't so much as turn to look at the man sitting next to him. "If you don't say anything I'll look like a crazy person, talking to myself," Matthew said.

"I'm not talking to you," Eli said evenly.

"But you just did," Matthew couldn't help but point out. This time Eli did turn around, but it was only to give Matthew a withering look. "Okay, shutting up," the man hurried to say.

They sat in silence for a while, the sound of the rain pattering against the windows a constant along with the soft snores of a man about two seats ahead. Matthew would have found it amusing if Eli weren't so upset with him. He wasn't stupid — or so he liked to think — he was fairly certain of what had upset Eli so much. It was just too bad there wasn't much he could do about it.

Eli stood and nearly climbed over Matthew as they reached his stop, and the older man just barely managed to get out of his seat. He followed the redhead back out into the rain. Thankfully, it had eased up a bit, but Matthew still offered Eli the bit of shelter his umbrella provided. This time, at least, the redhead didn't try to get away.

Neither man spoke as they walked, though Matthew only stayed quiet for fear of upsetting Eli more. He was a bit surprised that the redhead didn't say anything when Matthew practically followed him home. Of course, by the time they got there Eli was scowling heavily.

It probably said a lot about Matthew — and how odd a  man he was — that it was the first time he used the front door to enter the building Eli lived in. He followed Eli up the stairs, trying not to laugh at the way the redhead stomped up to the second floor and down the hall. He fumbled with his keys and nearly dropped his bag, but moved away when Matthew tried to take his backpack from him, shooting the man a glare.

"So, uh, can I come in?" Matthew asked as Eli opened the door and stepped in. The only response he got was the door being shut in his face. "Eli, come on!" he called.  With a huff, matthew knocked on the door, waiting for a reply. After a while, he knocked again and, as expected, received only silence.

On the other side of the door, Eli felt only slightly ridiculous at sitting on his couch, glaring at the entrance to his home. He listened carefully as Matthew finally seemed to give up and left, his footsteps growing fainter as he walked away.

Hope that kick left a bruise, he thought vindictively, as he pulled his schoolbooks out of his bag, ready to do some schoolwork. At the very least, that would keep his mind from dwelling on Matthew. Eli thought it would be best for his sanity if he just tried to not think about the man.

 This became rather difficult when he got home the next day and found the man — fully dressed in what Eli liked to call his ninja-knockoff suit — sitting on his couch. Matthew was nonchalantly flipping through the channels when Eli walked in.

He heard his bag drop to the floor with a dull THUD and was faintly aware of his mouth hanging open. For a while he didn't really know how to react. Matthew, on the other hand, just grinned and waved at him from the couch.

"Hey Eli," he greeted, as if he weren't just about the creepiest person Eli had ever met.

"That's it," Eli said after a while, sounding resigned. "I'm getting a restraining order."

 He wasn't sure what it said about him that he just closed the door and walked to the kitchen to scrounge up some dinner. Eli heard Matthew walk into the room just as he searched through the fridge for ingredients he could combine into something edible.

"I brought you some takeout," Matthew said from the doorway. A quick look around the kitchen and Eli found the food on his counter — which he hoped Matthew hadn't bought in his current attire. His gratefulness for the food didn't quite outweigh his irritation. It was very close though. "Are you still mad at me?" Matthew asked.

Eli took a minute to consider this. He was irritated with Matthew for many reasons — him breaking into his apartment wasn't one of them, oddly enough. It was something Eli had gotten used to already.

"No, but I'm not happy about you breaking into my apartment after I told you not to," Eli said, stressing the last part as he grabbed a can of soda and the bag of food and walked past Matthew into the living room. Still ignoring Matthew, he sat on the couch and pulled out the burger Matthew had bought.

The man knew how to buy his forgiveness, Eli would admit  that much.

"To be fair, you've been ignoring me lately, and having a door slammed in your face isn't all that fun," Matthew said, sitting next to Eli. The younger man was stubbornly focused on the television and his burger. With a sigh, Matthew leaned back into the couch, arms crossed and the corners of his mouth tilting down into a slight frown.

They stayed like that for a while, and Eli was reminded of that night he'd found Matthew outside his apartment. He remembered the panic he felt at seeing the blood on Matthew's clothes. Suddenly, Eli wasn't all that hungry, but some of the anger he thought he'd gotten past returned.

"Aren't you going to leave?" he asked, putting his food down and changing the channel. "I wouldn't want to distract you from your oh-so-important work." There was a fair amount of sarcasm that Eli didn't even attempt to hide. He did, however, manage to hold back an eye roll.

"Well, I wouldn't consider it work," Matthew pointed out.

"Don't care, go away," Eli said before picking up his soda and taking a long drink from it. Of course, Matthew didn't leave and Eli felt like flipping a table. He felt like that a lot since meeting Matthew, he thought.

"I'm sensing some hostility here." It was probably because Matthew always said that kind of thing that Eli was always so annoyed with him. "If you're mad you should just say so."

Eli set  his soda down on his cheap coffee table that already held a pile of textbooks and the rest of his dinner. He took a deep breath and turned to glare at Matthew.

"I'm not mad, why would I be mad. Just because you were stupid enough to go back out and actually look for the guys that shot you and then didn't show your stupid face for weeks? Well, I don't care," Eli said, his frustration finally too strong to hold back. "You can go out and die if you want, see if I care. And don't even think about coming back here when you get shot!" Eli finished, crossing his arms and turning back to the T.V. with a frown and a furrowed brow. Matthew just stared at him for a while, seemingly shocked at the redhead's outburst.

And then he laughed. Or it was more like he snorted while trying not to laugh. Either way, Eli was deeply offended.

"What the hell's so funny?" he asked. Matthew just shook his head, smiling in a way that looked like there was more than amusement hiding behind it. Eli thought that it might have been a bit regretful.

"Nothing," he said. "It's just that I didn't really expect you to worry so much."

The look Eli gave Matthew very clearly told him that he didn't actually care. Of course, Matthew knew better.

"I'm sorry for making you worry, you know. I just didn't want to bother you. Guess I didn't think about what you'd think if I just went away for a while," Matthew admitted, looking a bit thoughtful and very sheepish.

"Of course people will wonder what happened if you just go missing!" Eli couldn't help but say. "You're such an idiot," he said with a huff, feeling like his anger had just been drained.

"So I've heard," Matthew said, his lips twitching with restrained laughter when Eli turned away from him. He looked very much like a petulant child. "Well, as fun as this has been, I really should get going," he said, standing from the couch.

"Are you really going back out like that?" Eli asked, referring to the way Matthew was dressed. It was clear that he wasn't fond of the idea, but there wasn't much Matthew could do about that.

"Will it make you feel better if I tell you I'll be fine?" Matthew asked.

"No," Eli replied without a pause.

"Thought so," Matthew said, letting out a sigh. "Then how about I leave a way for you to contact me," he said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a phone. It was the cheap kind of prepaid phone that no one used anymore. They were all over gas stations though, which made Eli wonder what kind of people actually used those. Apart from Matthew, of course.

"I'll call you if I plan to take a break for a while," Matthew said, handing the phone to Eli, who took it rather reluctantly.

"Does this mean you're going to stop breaking into my apartment, because seriously — creeper alert," Eli said, sounding a lot less angry.

"I'm not a creeper," Matthew defended himself, a bit indignant at being called a creeper. Not that it was anything new. "And I didn't break in, you left your window open. Really, you should be glad it was just me."

"Right," Eli said, unimpressed. He did make a mental note to check his windows more often.

Matthew left soon after — through the window, Eli recalled with a shake of his head — and Eli stared at the phone resting on his coffee table for a while, not sure what he should do with it. Rationally, he should have given it back. He'd already decided not to get involved with Matthew again. And yet, he'd just seen him leave while wondering if he'd be at the coffee shop the next day.

In the end, Eli admitted that reason and rationality weren't the most commonly associated things with Matthew, and that wasn't such a bad thing. He went to sleep feeling a bit better that night, and hoping Matthew wouldn't think to call him while he was in class. Just in case, he'd shoved the phone to the bottom of his schoolbag.

It's just in case, he thought, as a part of him questioned his decision to keep it. Of course, he still wasn't sure in case of what.

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Hello everyone! So, I hope you guys liked this chapter, though it was a bit longer than usual. Anyways, as always, thanks for reading my weird little story and thanks to everyone who votes and takes the time to comment! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. Until next time!