Vigilante | ✔

Annual #2

In the past, when Eli thought about how he would spend Valentine's day, he usually pictured a nice relaxing day with a pretty girl or a good looking guy. Maybe they'd go out to dinner and a movie, or maybe they'd just spend a night in. He did not, however, expect to have to sit at home for hours, waiting for someone who would clearly not show up.

He definitely didn't expect to have to lay in bed while a masked man knocked on his window, whining like a particularly annoying cat. Eli did his best to ignore the noise, which was loud enough that he could still hear it even over the rain — which was coming down pretty hard, actually. Not that Eli felt sorry for the man stuck outside. Not. At. All.

Five minutes later, he got out of bed with a huff, throwing the covers to the side and wincing at how cold the floor felt beneath his bare feet. He heard Matt complain from his place on the bed, as the covers hit him, but didn't pay much mind to the cat. Instead, his attention was taken by the pale face looking back at him from the other side of the window.

If Eli hadn't known any better, he'd have thought Matthew was giving him puppy dog eyes. Actually, he did know better and Matthew was definitely giving him the most pathetic stare he could muster and that was saying a lot. With a long suffering sigh, Eli finally unlocked the window and opened it a bit, stepping back as the darkly clad man stepped in.

Idly, Eli thought of how glad he was that the bedroom didn't have carpeted floors because Matthew had just created a sizeable puddle. He rolled his eyes at the glare Matthew threw his way once he'd peeled his mask off.

"Really Eli?" Matthew said, sounding nothing short of exasperated. "You locked me out? On Valentine's Day?" He said it like that would stop Eli. It almost made the redhead want to laugh.

"I'm surprised that you're surprised," Eli said instead, one eyebrow arched and an unimpressed look on his face. And really, Matthew should have expected it. If he thought he could ditch Eli on the one day he'd said he would actually be around, then clearly he didn't know Eli all that well. Which was sad considering how much of a stalker he was.

Apparently, Matthew knew Eli well enough that he realized he was being an idiot. Again. Eli still wondered why he'd ever put up with him.

"I know you're mad," Matthew started. "But there was some trouble down on the other side of town—"

"Which I'm sure the police could have handled," Eli cut in with a glare. If Matthew were a smart man, he would have claimed Eli was completely right and that he was an idiot before changing his clothes and curling up on the couch with the hope that Eli might let him sleep in the same bed as him within the next decade. Unfortunately, Matthew was not a very smart man.

"Well yes, but I was already nearby and the cops would take too long to get there," he pointed out. "Besides, you said you'd be okay with me going out when I came back." By the look on his face, Matthew probably realized he'd just said the worst thing possible at the exact moment the words had left his mouth. He winced internally and swallowed thickly before looking at Eli.

The look on the redhead's face could only be described as murderous. Matthew knew he was screwed.

"Yeah, I did. Not that you would have stopped if I hadn't," Eli said, fists clenched at his side in an effort to not punch the other man. "But you were the one who promised you would take one day off from your stupid quest to take on all of the fucking crime." Eli pointed out, and okay, fair point. Matthew did remember promising that much.

"Eli, I tried—"

"And you failed miserably," Eli cut him off again, because he really wasn't in any mood to listen to Matthew. "So now you can take your ass to the couch where you will be sleeping until the next decade. If you're lucky."