#03

Eli wasn't a morning person.

He'd been that way for as long as he could remember, and the only reason he even knew what morning looked like was because of school, work, and other ridiculous parts of life. Still, he'd never have guessed getting breakfast for his stupidly reckless boyfriend would be one of those. Yet, there he was, making his way home with a bag of food while he cursed the chill in the morning air.

It was a relief to finally make it back home. The warmth he felt as he stepped inside reminded him of how tired he was, and of how much he just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep for the rest of the year. Unfortunately, he couldn't do that just yet. There was an idiot that needed to be fed. Not to mention that Eli was owed an explanation on what the fuck Matthew had been up to for the last day.

With a new sense of purpose, Eli walked to the kitchen to set down the food before he could go to wake Matthew. Only to find that Matthew was already up and standing by the coffeemaker.

For a moment, Eli just stood there and stared at Matthew, who was frozen in place with a mug of freshly brewed coffee in his hand. Eli took a second to note that Matthew still looked like hell, but he credited that to all the bruises and bandages. At the very least, he looked well rested enough. Still, Eli wasn't happy to see him up and moving around, especially so early in the morning.

"Why are you up?" he asked, and wasn't surprised to see Matthew look sheepish. Clearly, he knew he shouldn't be wandering around so soon.

"Well, I woke up and you weren't around, so I got up to see if you were in the kitchen. And you weren't. But then I figured I might as well make some coffee." He held out the mug in his hand, as if it were some offering to appease Eli's fury. Eli couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Don't walk around when you look half dead," Eli muttered, walking over to set his bag of takeout on the counter. "I just went out to get some food."

He would have cooked, but they'd both decided long ago it would be safer for everyone if Eli didn't. Cooking was one of those life skills that had just decided to completely elude Eli.

"I'm fine," Matthew said, just as he always did. Eli didn't believe him for a second—just like he always did.

"You'd say that even if you were dying." Eli was pretty sure those would be Matthew's last words. He'd say he was fine, kick the bucket, and Eli would have to put his final words on his gravestone just so everyone knew how stupid Matthew was.

"Well, I'm fine this time."

Eli decided he wasn't going to argue that point. Mostly because they both knew Matthew was lying through his teeth. That was made very clear by the poorly concealed wince Eli saw on Matthew's face as he tried to sit down at the kitchen table.

"No, yeah, you look great. Totally not like you got the crap kicked out of you." Eli was very proud to note that his sarcasm was still in top shape. It was enough to get an annoyed look from Matthew. Eli ignored that in favor of unpacking their breakfast. "Now, eat."

He pushed a container full of french toast, bacon, and eggs towards Matthew. Eli was vaguely amused to see his face light up at the sight of food. Then, the thought crossed his mind that Matthew probably hadn't eaten since he'd gone missing. Eli did his best not to focus on that as he grabbed some coffee and settled down to eat.

"So, when are you gonna question me?" Matthew asked after a while, right before stuffing his mouth with more food.

"When I've had enough coffee and you've had enough food," Eli said. He still felt like he wanted to sleep for a week, but the coffee he'd drank was helping. Matthew, on the other hand, wasn't.

Despite his light hearted tone, Eli could tell something was bothering Matthew. It was clear in the tenseness of his shoulders and the distant look he would get every now and then, as if something were on his mind. Something had him shaken, and that was enough to worry Eli.

Breakfast was silent for the most part, both of them having too much to think about. It was almost a relief when they were done—table cleared and Matthew settled on the couch as comfortably as possible—but it was bogged down by a growing sense of dread. Eli didn't know what Matthew had been through, but the way he was acting, it couldn't be anything good.

It's fine, he told himself. He's alright. Must have just done something stupid. Even with Matthew's history of questionable decisions, it was hard to believe. No matter how stupid Eli liked to say Matthew was, he was sure the man was also cautious when he was out as Vigilante.

"So, what the hell happened?" It wasn't the most eloquent way to start the conversation, but Eli honestly couldn't have cared less.

"You already know I went after Fisk," Matthew started, getting a nod from Eli, who sat on an armchair. "Well, he wasn't actually there, but a bunch of his guys were. There was a shipment coming in, weapons, for the most part. I took a look around, made sure they couldn't get away then I moved in, took some guys down. It was going pretty well, actually."

"Until you got your ass kicked," Eli chimed in. It earned him a weak glare, but Matthew couldn't really say Eli was wrong.

"I was ambushed," Matthew argued. "There was this one guy there, he was different from the usual crooks Fisk hires. He was good, more than most guys I've run into. Maybe I would have stood more of a chance if there hadn't been all the other guys helping him out." There was a look on Matthew's face as he spoke that made it clear he was thinking back to that moment.

"The cops showed up, so most of them tried to run away. I took that chance to get away, but the guy followed me. Couldn't shake him off for a while. That guy was persistent and it was hard enough to move, so I found a place to hide out for a while."

"He followed you for that long?" Eli couldn't help but be surprised. If there was one thing that Matthew was good at, it was getting away. It was one of the many reasons the cops hated him so much.

"Like I said, the guy was good," Matthew said with a shrug that had him grimacing a second later. "Who knows where Fisk found him."

"Well, if Fisk's guys are in jail, then it doesn't matter anymore, right? I mean, the guy was probably getting paid to watch their backs. He wouldn't stick around now that he's failed, or at least, Fisk wouldn't keep him around."

"Hopefully," Matthew said, wincing as he leaned back on the couch. "Granted, the guy was acting weird."

"Weird how?"

"Well, for starters, if he was hired to watch out for Fisk's goons or the shipment then he should have stuck to those. But he went after me instead and both the shipment and the guys in charge ended up getting taken away by the cops."

"Maybe he thought it would be fine if he could drive you away. Probably didn't expect the cops to show up so quickly." Eli shrugged. Relieved now that he knew it was just one of Fisk's goons. "Either way, it doesn't matter anymore does it?" Matthew smiled a bit at that, looking to be amused. Eli still noted that he didn't look any less stressed.

"It might not, but then again, if he's that good then there's always the chance I'll run into him again. And there's still Fisk. He'll be pissed now that he's lost so much."

"Well, that's just great." Eli threw his arms up into the air, just about done with things never working out for them. "You know, just once I wish we wouldn't have to worry about murderous assholes chasing after you."

"I mean, it's not like that's always an issue," Matthew said, failing in not sounding offended.

"It is and you know it." Eli sighed, leaning back against his seat. "I still don't get why you can't just quit this whole thing. If I did something that kept getting me shot, stabbed, and generally beat up I'd quit." Granted, being with Matthew had made two of those three things happen to Eli and he was still there.

"You know I can't."

"Sure you can, you just won't."

"Eli," Matthew said, sounding tired and making it clear he didn't want to argue. Not about something they would most likely never agree on. Apparently, Eli was done with the conversation too because he stood, looking irritated.

"Whatever, I gotta get ready for work." Eli walked off, ignoring Matthew in favor of getting ready for a shift that wouldn't start in two hours.

He ended up taking the time to make sure Matthew would have no reason to leave the house or even get up. Food and water was set out for both Matthew and Matt—Eli's cat. He figured it should be enough to keep them alive until he got home. Unless Matthew did something stupid, which was highly likely.

"I have a couple late classes so I won't be home until dinner. Eat that if you're hungry," Eli said, pointing to the literal pile of sandwiches he'd made and set on the coffee table in front of Matthew—who was settled quite comfortably on the couch. "And if you so much as step outside, I swear I will lock you out until tomorrow."

"Got it, I'll be good," Matthew said, trying not to look as amused as he felt and failing miserably.

Eli didn't really believe Matthew. He believed Matthew would try to be good, but would most likely find some excuse to leave the house. Apparently his disbelief showed too clearly on his face.

"What?"

"Just stay alive until I get back," Eli said with a tired sigh.

"Rude," Matthew muttered. Eli chose to ignore him in favor of petting his cat before walking out the door. He didn't bother looking back, missing the look of concern barely concealed on Matthew's face.

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Well, that wasn't so bad. Just so you all know, I'm perfectly capable of not emotionally scarring you all the time. :D Anyway, hope you've all liked this chapter, next one will be out on Friday, June 12th, so keep an eye out for that!

As always, thank you all for reading, and please stay safe!