If there was one thing that Eli did not expect, it was to actually miss Matthew.

Of course, he still saw him every now and then, but his visits to the coffee shop were not as numerous as before. Not to mention, when he was actually around, he didn't really talk to Eli. It was actually pretty weird to not have the man practically stalking him.

But it was beyond insane to miss said stalker. Eli was starting to think he needed therapy — something for which he blamed Matthew entirely.

At the moment, the very man he was thinking of was sitting at his usual table, sipping a cup of coffee while he read the newspaper. It was the first time in days that Matthew had shown up at the place, and he hadn't said a word to Eli that didn't have to do with how he liked his coffee. If that hadn't been what Eli had wanted all along, he would have flipped a table.

Of course it was what Eli wanted. Or at least, he'd thought so. He'd lost count of the times he'd asked Matthew to leave him alone, and now, the man was actually doing that. The problem was, it pissed Eli off.

He couldn't help but glare as Matthew walked out of the shop.

"What's up with you giving Matthew the evil eye?" Michael asked, brow raised in a questioning look.

"Nothing, I wasn't giving him the evil eye. This is how I always look," Eli said, turning away from Michael and going to wipe the tables.

"Well, you do have a funny face." That, of course, got Michael a glare. "But seriously, what'd he do to piss you off?"

"Nothing," Eli said, because it was true. Matthew hadn't done anything except what Eli had been asking him to do for months. Eli was perfectly aware of this and it just served to make him even more annoyed — this time with himself. "I'm just having a bad day," he added when he received an unconvinced look from Michael.

He seemed to believe that, at least. Eli supposed that was thanks to the truly crappy days he'd had in the past, most of which Michael had heard about.

"Well, stop glaring at our customers. We don't want to be that-shop-with-the-surly-redhead," Michael said. Eli reminded himself that Michael was his boss and punching him would not be productive to his goal of earning money.

He still accidentally sprayed whipped cream on the back of his head while preparing a drink. Michael didn't comment on the fact that Eli's face was completely devoid of anything that could be considered an apologetic expression. Or that his aim was off by three feet and the wrong direction.

Sometimes, Eli enjoyed working with Michael.

Not that he wasn't glad when the day was over and he was able to go home. He just wished his life was a bit less dull, just enough that he would appreciate the parts not having to do with work or school.

You had a creepy, third-rate superhero stalker and you call your life boring, Eli thought. He tried not to think of how that wasn't a part of his life anymore.

As soon as he got home, he dropped his bag without a care of where it landed, and trudged to the couch. The springs on the old piece of furniture creaked as the redhead let himself fall onto it. He grabbed the TV remote that lay just within reach on his coffee table and switched on the television, thinking he could watch something before he tortured his brain with more studying.

The first image that flashed on the screen was of the last man he wanted to see. Eli couldn't help but groan as Vigilante appeared — just a shadowy silhouette between the buildings. He didn't bother to listen to whatever story the brunette reporter was spouting this time. It wasn't like they wouldn't repeat it about a thousand times until they had something new. More importantly, it didn't concern Eli.

He sighed tiredly and draped an arm over his eyes, doing his best to ignore the news. Not long after, he fell asleep, too tired from his day to fight it. Eli awoke later to the chipper voice of a woman in an infomercial. Tiredly, he sat up and picked up his phone to look at the time.

Apparently, he'd been asleep for about two hours. He didn't know whether he should be glad he got to nap for a bit or panic that he hadn't gotten any schoolwork done. Just as he was considering attempting to get something done, he heard a sound come from his room. A sound much like the soft closing of a window.

If asked later, Eli would adamantly deny having rushed to his room. He most definitely did not burst in with a feeling of hope, and certainly wasn't disappointed when he found nothing out of place. Claiming otherwise would be ridiculous.

With a slight frown, Eli walked over to the window and opened it. The cold wind tousled his hair as he leaned against the frame, sticking his head out to look around. There was nothing out of the ordinary. No shadows shifting in the dark night, trying to hide from his sight. Nothing but a stray cat mewling in the distance and the faint sound of his neighbor's television.

Sighing, Eli pulled back from the window before shutting it. He made sure to lock it before he turned and decided he didn't much feel like studying.

- - - - - - - - -

"You look like crap." Eli glared at Collin, the one who had spoken, but it lacked the usual force he put behind it. Instead, it only served to prove Collin's point — Eli wasn't feeling like himself.

"I'd say the same, but it wouldn't be new," the redhead shot back at his friend. At least his snark was still there. Collin only rolled his eyes, but he seemed a bit relieved to hear his friend insult him. It was like a sign of Eli being fine.

"Seriously though, what happened? Did you get fired or something?" Collin asked as they made their way to his dorm room.

"No, everything's fine," Eli said. "I just didn't get much sleep last night. A stupid cat kept making noise right outside my window," the redhead lied. Of course, he was perfectly aware of why he really looked so bad, but he'd be damned if he ever admitted it. It was bad enough denial wasn't working anymore.

It was a good thing Collin let the topic go after that. Eli didn't much feel like talking about his problems. Not that he could even if he wanted to. He could just imagine how that would go. Eli didn't think saying something like 'oh, I'm just upset that my stalker, who happens to be the guy who dresses up like a Batman-knockoff minus the pointy ears and beats up bad guys, hasn't been stalking me' would go over too well.

At the very least, spending his evening with his friends helped him keep his mind off of his strange problems. By the time he left, he was feeling better, even if he was tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep.

In fact, he was so tired that it took him a while to realize someone was following him. He was just about to reach the bus stop when he took notice of the odd feeling that made a chill run down his spine. It was an uncomfortable sensation, something that Eli hadn't felt before — not even when Matthew was being what Eli referred to as 'creepy'. For a moment, he thought he saw a shadow shifting as his gaze swept over it, but he told himself it was nothing. Or at least, that it wasn't anyone he wasn't used to following him.

Who else could it be? Eli thought. He turned as he stood at the bus stop and gazed around. The streets were calm, with just a couple of people walking by, most of them students. Eli could hear some guys laughing further up the street as they walked, probably heading home, and the streetlights chased away the dark, making the place seem less threatening. He was still glad when the bus arrived.

The next day marked the reappearance of Matthew. At least in the coffee shop.

He walked into the place at the usual time and ordered one of his preferred drinks before taking a seat at the same table he normally occupied. Eli did his best not to glare, at least not when he thought Michael was looking. It was still irritating to see Matthew act so damn casual when he was being what Eli considered a 'total creeper'.

As soon as Michael was busy enough not to notice, Eli wandered over to Matthew's table under the pretext of refilling his cup with coffee.

"You are the definition of creepy," he said with a glower. Matthew lowered his newspaper a bit and looked at Eli with a curious expression. He was probably surprised to have the redhead willingly talk to him.

"Really? When did they change it?" he asked calmly, an eyebrow quirked upwards. Eli rolled his eyes at the man's comeback. It seemed like he'd found his match, as far as snark was concerned.

"Just stop being a creeper," he snapped. "Seriously, you're the only weirdo who'd break in through a window while I was sleeping. And the following me to the bus stop thing was beyond creepy. I thought you'd stoppe—"

"Someone followed you?" Matthew said, cutting Eli off. He looked a lot more interested in what the redhead had to say now — almost alarmed. Frankly, it made Eli uneasy.

"Yeah, you, so stop it you creep," he said taking a step back, intending to get back to work.

"Eli, hold on—"

"I have work to do," Eli said, walking away before Matthew could protest further.

He could feel Matthew staring at him, but didn't stop or turn around. After a moment, the man turned back to his coffee and newspaper, as if nothing had happened. There was a thoughtful expression on the man's face that went unnoticed by Eli. For a while longer, Matthew sat there, playing the part of a normal customer until he finished his third cup of coffee and finally looked like he was about to leave.

Eli paid him no mind, going on with his work of clearing a table that had just been unoccupied. He nearly jumped when he felt a hand land on his shoulder. Seeing that it was just Matthew, Eli frowned.

"Can we talk?" he asked.

"I'm working," he said, turning and putting some distance between them. He didn't leave though, because something told him that Matthew was serious — that whatever he wanted to talk about was important. Maybe it was the way his shoulders were set and his eyes were so sharp, alert.

In that moment, Eli couldn't help but be reminded of who Matthew became during the night. Even then he didn't seem as intimidating, not when he was with Eli. The redhead swallowed thickly, but didn't look away from those blue-grey eyes that stared right back. Matthew sighed and looked away for a moment before turning his gaze back onto Eli.

"I'll stop by your place later, is that okay?" Eli hid his surprise at hearing Matthew actually ask. That was probably why he agreed, nodding numbly. Matthew left moments later, and Eli went back to work.

It was difficult to focus on working when he was expecting Matthew to visit him later. Eli did his best though, and tried not to think too much about what the man could want. He didn't think that it would be good. Not when it made Matthew — who was always so laid back, with a half-smile on his lips — look so tense.

Maybe I shouldn't have said anything, he thought as he picked up his backpack and headed out of the coffee shop, waving at Michael. Now it seemed that Matthew was back in his life, and Eli didn't know how he felt about that. He huffed in annoyance and continued on his way home.

He'd only been home for a couple of hours when there was a knock on his door. Eli wondered if it could be one of his neighbors, but they rarely visited. Not that they had any reason to. The last person Eli expected to see when he opened the door was Matthew, and yet, there he was.

"Did you just knock like a normal person?" was the first thing Eli said, not bothering to hide his shock. Matthew rolled his eyes as he walked in.

"I am a normal person," he said. Eli strongly disagreed.

"Right," said the redhead, choosing not to comment on that. "So, what do you want?"

"You said you were being followed," Matthew said, seeming eager to talk about whatever was bothering him.

"Yeah, yesterday night," he said. "Why? Wasn't that you stalking me again?"

"No, it wasn't," Matthew said, frowning. "I told you I'd leave you alone, and I did." Eli scoffed at that. "Where were you when it happened?" Matthew asked before Eli could point out how not alone he'd been just a couple of days earlier when he fell asleep on his couch.

"I was on my way to the bus stop," he said, as he sat on his couch. "I went to my friends' dorm to study. On my way back it felt like someone was watching me or something, and I thought I saw someone. . . " Eli explained, trailing off thoughtfully. "It was probably nothing. You might have just made me too paranoid with all your weirdo habits," he accused.

"Eli, this is serious," Matthew said. "If someone is actually following you, you could be in danger."

"You always follow me, well, used to," he corrected himself.

"Because you always get in trouble," Matthew pointed out, eyes narrowing in an accusing manner.

"Well I didn't ask for your help," Eli shot back, crossing his arms. "I didn't ask you to look after me, you know. I can actually take care of myself."

"I know you can," Matthew said, sighing in frustration. "In case you hadn't noticed, I haven't been around you lately," he said.

"Oh really? Then I guess you weren't the one who broke in here two nights ago," Eli said, looking smug as Matthew failed to hide a guilty look.

"No! Well, I mean, I was in the neighborhood," he said, stumbling over his words. Eli snorted at the man's weak excuse. "I wasn't planning to! I just thought I'd stop by. Just for a minute," he added, and Eli didn't fail to notice his ears were red. "If you closed your damn window I wouldn't have to come over to check!" he finished with a huff. Matthew was sure he'd done rather well, to stay away for weeks.

Eli thought he should get an award for managing to not laugh at Matthew. He watched as Matthew sighed, running a hand through his dark hair before turning back to look at him.

"Okay, look, I know you don't like me being around, but can you just put up with it for a while longer? Just for a while," Matthew said, and something about the way he sounded — almost desperate — made Eli uneasy. Not that he showed it.

"Are you seriously asking if you can stalk me?" he said with a deadpan look. "And why exactly do you think I need you to?" Eli most certainly did not like how uneasy Matthew looked.

"You might not like this," Matthew said, and Eli might have imagined it but it looked like he took a step back.

"I already don't like this," Eli said.

"Yeah well, you really won't like this," Matthew muttered, though Eli still heard. "You know how I usually go after drug dealers?" he said, a bit louder.

"Kinda hard not to notice," Eli said with a roll of his eyes. Vigilante was in the news so often it was almost impossible to not know what he was up to. That and one of the reasons he was so popular with the general public was because he went after what many considered the source of much of the crime. It was probably why he got hurt so often.

"Well, they're pretty pissed off," Matthew said, with a weak attempt at a grin.

"You have that effect on people," Eli said. "So what does this have to do with me?"

"It has to do with you because I'm around you so often," Matthew said, and Eli finally understood.

"Wait, are you saying that they're coming after me now?!" he asked, sitting up and doing his best not to panic at the idea.

"No! Well, maybe," Matthew amended. To his credit, he was doing his best to look reassuring. It was too bad that Eli was past the needing reassurance stage. "I'm not sure, but it's possible," Matthew went on.

"It's possible?! What the hell?! I didn't even do anything!"

"You kinda did help me that one time," Matthew started, but shut up at the glare he received. "Eli, calm down. I'm not sure that's what's going on. It could just be nothing."

"Oh yeah, and that's why you're freaking out, because it's nothing," Eli said, tone dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm not freaking out," Matthew said, frowning. He did his best to not look as concerned as he really was. "But just be careful for a while okay? I'll look into things, and—"

"Oh no you won't!" Eli said, standing up. "This whole thing is your fault and I am not going to let you mess things up even more! You're staying out of this and away from me."

"Eli, I have to do something," Matthew argued.

"You already did more than enough! You're the one who got me into this mess in the first place!" Eli snapped, cheeks red with anger.

"That's why I have to fix it!" Matthew said, finally giving up on trying to sound calm. He sighed tiredly. "I'm sorry I got you mixed up into this, but I can't leave you now. Just put up with me for a bit longer, just until I know you'll be safe."

Eli glared at Matthew, wanting to tell him no. But he couldn't, because Matthew was looking at him in a way that was just pleading for Eli to let him help.

Because he's been so helpful so far, he thought bitterly.

He sighed, feeling exhausted. The anger he felt at Matthew turning into simmering resentment.

"Once this is over, will you stay away for good?" Eli asked.

For a moment, Matthew felt like his stomach dropped. A heavy feeling settled on him as he looked at Eli. The redhead was glaring at him more fiercely than he ever had, and Matthew knew he deserved it this time. He'd always done his best to look after Eli, to make sure nothing happened to him on his way home, that he was safe. Now he knew all he'd done was put him in danger, all because he wanted to be around him. Eli was right after all, he didn't need Matthew. He nodded, and swallowed thickly before speaking.

"If that's what you want, then I will." He felt his fingers curl into fists against his will and did his best not to frown.

"Good," Eli said, though he didn't look any happier. He stood and walked to the door, holding it open for Matthew.

Slowly, Matthew made his way over to the door. He stopped before Eli, hesitating as he looked at him.

"The phone I gave you, do you still have it?" he asked. Reluctantly, Eli nodded.

"Yeah, why?" asked the redhead.

"Keep it with you," Matthew said. He took a moment to look at Eli, to stare into his brown eyes, usually so warm. His eyes trailed down to the redhead's mouth, currently set on a tight, straight line. Freckles stood out on cheeks flushed with anger. Even through the anger Matthew knew was directed at him, he couldn't help but feel his heart beat just a bit quicker as he stood so close to Eli. "I really am sorry," he couldn't help but say.

"Yeah, you said that already," Eli answered, his displeasure clear. Matthew nodded and walked out. The door closed firmly behind him.

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Hurray for getting things done on time!

Seriously, I'm shocked, but happy. I hope you guys liked this chapter, as the story is close to being done. As always, thank you all very much for all of your votes, reads and comments. I always love to hear your thoughts. Even when they're complaints, lol.

Until next time!