#08

Matthew was an absolute mess when he practically burst into Eli's dimly lit hospital room. His hair was even more wild than usual and there was actual panic in his eyes. Which Eli thought was funny, considering the idiot never panicked when he was the one who got shot, stabbed, or otherwise injured.

"I'm okay," Eli said before Matthew could ask. He figured it would be best to let him know he wasn't dying. Granted he was right there. Then again, Matthew had a tendency to overreact when Eli was in trouble.

"You have a concussion." The way Matthew said it, one would think it was Eli's first concussion.

"I mean, it's like my third one," Eli couldn't help but point out.

Matthew just sighed, looking exhausted, and walked over to Eli. His eyes swept over him, lingering on the growing bruise on the redhead's face. Eli really just wanted Matthew to stop staring at him. It wasn't like he was the one regularly getting stabbed.

"I'm sorry," Matthew said, snapping Eli out of his thoughts. "For not being there," he added, as if Eli didn't know him well enough to know what he was talking about.

"I don't expect you to be around me all the time." Eli didn't think he'd like it if Matthew actually followed him everywhere. "And honestly, it'd be pretty creepy if you were." Matthew's lips twitched, like he wanted to laugh but was too upset to actually do so. After a moment, he just sighed and pulled the sole chair in the room closer to the bed before sitting.

"The doctor wants to keep you overnight," Matthew said after a moment.

"Of course," Eli muttered, not happy in the least. It had been much the same the last time he'd been in the hospital. Granted, he'd been shot that time. Still, a hospital stay was definitely one of the worst things about getting mugged. Especially because all that had been taken was twenty dollars and Eli's bus pass—which was honestly more valuable than the money because those things were freaking expensive.

"Oh, and your mom is coming to check on you."

"What?" Eli was glad he was already in a hospital, because that could have given him a heart attack. Also, a hospital stay was officially the second worst part about getting mugged.

"She's worried about you. Maybe because you keep getting hit over the head." Honestly, he said it like it was a daily occurrence.

"Okay, but how is her coming here helping?"

"Well, she's your mom, so I'm pretty sure it's not so much about helping and more about making sure you're okay. And I mean, you do get into a lot of trouble. Like, a lot."

"Oh, and you don't?"

"I do it for the greater good and in pursuit of justice." Clearly, Matthew was feeling better about things if he could say something that stupid.

"You do it because you like having a fanclub," Eli shot back.

"That's just a very nice bonus," Matthew had a small smile now, and Eli figured that was a good thing. Even if it meant he was back to being incredibly annoying. "Don't worry, she won't be here until tomorrow, so you have a couple more hours to brace yourself." Eli didn't appreciate the gleeful tone in Matthew's voice. Clearly, he was enjoying Eli's suffering.

"Okay, but where is she staying? Because we have a distinct lack of extra space and a couple things we really need to keep her from finding out." Mostly Matthew's habit of going out to beat up criminals.

"You mean you want to keep our love a secret?" Matthew asked, looking absolutely scandalized in a very soap opera-esque way. Eli could just picture him clutching at some pearls.

"That's not what I'm talking about," Eli hissed while Matthew snickered. Though, he wasn't looking forward to having that particular talk with his mom. Still, they had more pressing matters to consider.

"Don't worry, I'll take some time off. Besides, you'll be home for a while."

"Why?"

"Because you have a concussion."

"A mild concussion."

"Keep arguing and I will turn all of the lights on," Matthew said, knowing very well Eli couldn't take bright lights or loud sounds at the moment. To be honest, he was having a hard time staying awake, but Eli didn't think Matthew needed to know that at the moment.

"Fucking rude," Eli muttered, and told himself he did not sound like a petulant child. At least Matthew seemed amused by that. "Are you really going to be okay alone with my mom?" He tried not to sound as exhausted as he felt.

"Sure. People love me," Matthew said with a grin.

"I'm serious," Eli said, knowing very well that his mother could be a handful. "I mean, I'm not going to lie, this isn't the most ideal way for you two to meet."

"It'll be fine," Matthew insisted, probably because he realized it was stressful enough for Eli to know his mother was on her way. "Just get some rest, okay?" He leaned over to place a kiss on the redhead's forehead.

"You get some rest too," Eli said, stifling a yawn.

"I will."

"And make sure to feed Matt."

"I know," Matthew said, sounding amused.

Eli was only mildly annoyed by that. Mostly because he was too tired to care. Matthew was still there when Eli finally fell asleep, and Eli supposed that was nice. It kept him from thinking about the hell his mother's stay might turn into.

Unfortunately for Eli, that was exactly the first thing he encountered the next day when he woke up.

It said a lot that the first thing his mother did when she saw him was throw herself over him and attempt to crush him to death with what had to be the most forceful hug Eli had ever received. Still, the concern was nice, he supposed. He was still very glad that Matthew was there to get Eli's mother to step back.

Nora Harper was—much like her son—not a large person, but she could still give out crushing hugs like it was nothing. Eli was still glad to see her, looking just about the same as the last time he'd seen her.

"Oh, honey, what happened?" His mother asked in a panicked voice, hazel eyes full of concern. She made it sound like Eli was lying there in a full body cast. "I told you this city was too dangerous!"

It took plenty of Eli's will power, but he managed to not roll his eyes. Even as his mother grabbed the sides of his face and began turning his head to examine him better. Eventually, that proved to be too much for Eli.

"Ma, I'm fine," he said, doing his best to pry her hands off of him. Honestly, his face wasn't even that bad. "I'm fine," he stressed the last part as his mother watched him as if he were agonizing.

Past the curly red mess that was his mother's hair, Eli could see Matthew struggling not to laugh because he was a jerk. Eli wasn't even surprised. He tuned out his mother's fussing to send the best glare he could manage Matthew's way.

"And you didn't even tell me you had a boyfriend!" That was enough to get Eli to focus back on what his mother was saying.

"What?" he asked, and hated just how alarmed he sounded.

"Your boyfriend," Eli's mother said slowly, like she thought maybe he'd hit his head harder than she'd been led to believe. "The one you've apparently been living with for months. Honestly, you could've let me know. I might have worried less if I'd known you had someone looking out for you."

"Well, I've been busy. With school. And work and stuff." Eli tried not to grimace at how terrible that excuse sounded when he just honestly didn't want to deal with his mother prying into his life. He might have felt differently if she'd not freaked out over him being bi.

"And you couldn't even call your poor mother at least once since Christmas?"

Eli very much wished someone would knock him out again. Sadly, that didn't happen, but at least Matthew stepped in to rescue Eli.

"Well, at least now you'll have some time to catch up," he said in his usual cheerful tone. And Eli's mother actually beamed at that. Eli briefly considered jumping out the window.

Unfortunately, Eli wasn't able to go through with that plan, mostly because his mother would hardly let him go. Eli was forced to settle with leaving the hospital. Which was still a very good improvement. He still felt ridiculous with the sunglasses he needed to wear to avoid a horrible headache, but he supposed it was for the best.

Besides, he had other things to worry about. Like the very concerning fact that his mother and Matthew seemed to get along swimmingly.

"I'm not surprised he's always getting into trouble. He was the same when he was little. One time he got chased by a neighbor's goose when he tried to steal some lemons."

"Why lemons?" Matthew asked, very clearly trying not to laugh at the mental image of a tiny Eli getting chased by a goose.

"He wanted it for a business venture," Eli's mother said, complete with air quotes. "Had this whole plan to sell lemonade but apparently lemons were too expensive. To this day he's still afraid of geese."

Matthew actually snorted at that as they walked down the hall to their apartment. Eli wished he could run away. Preferably somewhere far, far, away from both his mother and Matthew. Unfortunately, he didn't think they would let him get away from them.

"Aw, Eli, you never told me about your fear of geese," Matthew said, his lips twitching as he struggled not to laugh. Eli settled for glaring at him. "Are you glaring at me? Can't tell through the glasses."

Eli wanted to throw something. Mainly Matthew. Out a window.

It was probably a good thing Eli's cat showed up right around then, affectionately rubbing up against his legs. Then, it looked at Eli with big blue eyes and the redhead felt a lot better. At the very least, he wouldn't be kicking anyone in the shins any time soon.

"Well, Ma, it's been nice seeing you and all but I'm kinda tired," he said, picking up his cat. "So, wake me up when it's time to eat." And with that, Eli made his escape to his and Matthew's bedroom. He trusted that there was no way his mother was sleeping there with Matthew's Vigilante suit hiding in their closet.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Eli released a relieved sigh. He set Matt down on the bed and went to change, trusting Matthew to make sure Eli's escape was successful. It was just as he was settling down in bed that Matthew walked into the room.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, walking over and taking a seat on the bed next to Eli.

"Tired," the redhead grunted, refusing to open his eyes and burying even deeper into the bed. "Where's my mom sleeping?" he asked after a moment.

"The Mattcave," Matthew said, using the punny name Eli had granted Matthew's workspace. "I cleared it up and set up a very comfortable folding bed. She's settling in and resting too. She said the trip was pretty exhausting."

Eli felt Matthew's hand running through his hair and wondered if he should bother swatting it away. Then again, Matthew would probably just ignore any of his efforts. With that though, Eli decided to just let him do what he wanted.

"Huh, you're really tired, aren't you?" Apparently, Eli's decision to not move said a lot about his current energy level.

"You two exhaust me."

"Rude," Matthew said, but Eli could tell he was amused. "Are you alright?" he asked when Eli didn't so much as shift. Eli knew all too well what he was asking about. Mostly because he'd never made his still on the mend relationship with his mother a secret.

"Yeah. I guess It's just kinda weird." Eli's finally shifted and looked at Matthew. He didn't think this was a conversation they should have while he was muffled by blankets and pillows. "I mean, it's great she cares and all. It's just that I haven't seen her since the last time I almost died."

"To be fair, almost dying is usually great for mending relationships. I would know."

"Okay, first off, fuck you very much. I still haven't forgotten about you making me think you were dead." Matthew snickered because he was a terrible person. Eli chose to ignore that for the time being. "But also, it's especially weird that you two are best friends when you literally just met."

"I'm a very lovable person."

"You're a dick and you know it."

"A very lovable dick and you know it." Eli smacked Matthew on the head with a pillow.

"Concussion or not, I will kick you in the shins," Eli threatened. It probably didn't have the effect he was hoping for when Matthew looked like he wanted to laugh.

"I know," Matthew sighed. Apart from Tucker, Matthew was probably the one who knew just how much a kick to the shins could hurt when it came from Eli. "Hey, you know your mom's just doing her best to not stress you out, right?"

Eli just grunted, going back to trying to sleep. Clearly, he didn't feel like talking about it. Unfortunately for Eli, Matthew wasn't going to let things go so easily.

"She's just worried about you. I guess she's just trying to make things up to you, and not hating me on sight is her way of doing that."

Grudgingly, Eli could admit that Matthew's theory made sense. Ever since Eli had almost died, his mother had made a greater effort to be in his life. If it weren't for the fact that Eli wasn't used to it, he would have thought it to be a good thing.

"Well, maybe she shouldn't have waited until I got a concussion to visit," he muttered. He heard Matthew sigh next to him.

"Alright, since you're determined to be grumpy about this, I guess I'll let you rest. But you should try talking to her. I think it'll be good for you to settle things before she goes home."

Eli felt Matthew lean closer before leaving a kiss on the redhead's forehead. The bed shifted as Matthew stood and walked out, the door shutting softly behind him. For a while, Eli thought about what Matthew said, about the way his mother tried so hard to be better. He supposed talking with her wouldn't hurt. Even if it was awkward as hell. With that, Eli slowly drifted off to sleep.

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See? I am capable of not hurting you all in a chapter. Because I'm nice and stuff. (ㆁᴗㆁ✿)

I'll just do that in the next chapter. Anyway! Hope you've all liked this one. Next chapter will be up on Friday, September 11th so look forward to that! In the meantime, maybe read my other stuff? I promise they'll only hurt you a bit. :D

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