Vigilante: Prompt Fills

Matt and Matthew Home Alone

Eli was going to kill him.

That was all Matthew could think about as he watched Eli's beloved cat clamber down a fire escape. In hindsight, he should have known something like this would happen, after all, he suspected the cat hated him for stealing even a small bit of affection from Eli. Obviously, the cat had it in for Matthew. Still, he hadn't expected it to make a run for it as soon as he opened the window.

For a moment, he stood there, dumbfounded before he snapped out of it and practically ran to the front door. As desperate as he was to catch that cat, Matthew knew better than to climb down fire escapes in broad daylight. Instead, he rushed down the stairs, knowing the elevator always took too long, and hoped he made it in time.

All Matthew had wanted was to catch up on some sleep while Eli was off studying with his friends and now here he was, chasing down a cat that wanted nothing to do with him. A cat that he had to find if he didn't want Eli to leave him or, at the very least, make him sleep on the couch for a year.

Finally, he made it to the ground floor and hurried out the doors. The small side street next to the building was blocked by a gate that he quickly climbed over when he caught sight of the cat. Thankfully, there was no one around to witness this.

Matt turned, catching sight of Matthew running over to him, and promptly dashed to the other end of the alley. His furry little body easily slipped past the gate and he wandered off around the corner before Matthew could reach him. A sense of dread hit Matthew as he watched the little beast's tail slip away from his view well before he made it to the end of the alley.

He jumped over yet another gate, only to be met with ominously empty streets. Not a cat was in sight and Matthew felt a sense of dread at the realization.

Yes, Eli was most definitely going to kill him.

— — —

When Matthew got up that morning, he hadn't expected to spend so much of his time looking for a cat that clearly didn't want to be found. Much less while he was dressed as Vigilante. And yet, there he was, perched on some apartment building's rooftop while he tried to catch a glimpse of Matt through his portable binoculars. Even as he focused on the task at hand, he was fully aware that he was running out of time.

The sun would set soon enough and Eli would be home—most likely to throw Matthew out of a window if he didn't find that damn cat. Most worryingly though, Matthew knew Eli would be devastated if anything happened to his cat. Honestly, Matthew wasn't sure if he could live with the guilt of being the one who lost Matt.

The thought alone made him focus even more on the darkening streets below. His search was rudely interrupted by the ringing of his phone.

Usually, Matthew didn't carry it with him when he was acting as Vigilante, but he figured Eli might call him. Something that—unfortunately for him—turned out to be true. He felt like his heart stopped for just a moment when he caught sight of the redhead's adorably grumpy face displayed on his phone and, for once, considered not answering.

After bracing himself, Matthew answered, a strained smile on his face.

"Eli, honey—"

"What did you do?"

Matthew internally cringed at the knowing tone in Eli's voice. It was almost like Eli's superpower was calling Matthew out on his lies.

"Nothing! Why do you always think I did something?"

"Because you always do," Eli said, sounding unimpressed.

"I find your lack of faith in me disturbing." From the other end of the line, Matthew heard what could only be a tired sigh.