Vigilante: Prompt Fills

Mafia Boss Matthew

Of all the reasons Eli could have to regret his career choice, he never thought being involved with the mafia would be one. Then again, student loans were a bitch to pay off.

Still, he took a moment to regret all of the life choices that led to him standing in front of a mob boss while still wearing his pajamas. It probably said a lot about him that his next thought was that he hoped he wouldn't get any blood on said pajamas because they were his favorite and he would hate to ruin them. That also probably said a lot about his current mental state.

To be fair, he'd been woken up by a pair of goons only to be politely dragged back to their lair, so really, Eli wasn't in the best frame of mind.

"Well, hello doctor," Matthew, the world's most irritating man—and the mob boss currently making Eli's life more difficult than it ought to be—said with a grin. Eli wished he could punch the asshole without ending up at the bottom of some lake.

"I am tired, and I have work and school tomorrow. Where are you hurt and what is it this time?"

Matthew, the bastard that he was, just grinned. If Eli weren't so very deeply indebted to him, he would have left. But he was, so he settled for glaring.

As it turned out, the idiot had gotten himself stabbed. Again. By Eli's count it was the second time in as many months. At the very least, the wound wasn't so bad that it would take too long to treat. Which was great because Eli really wanted to go home and get to bed.

"Sorry to wake you," Matthew said as he sat in his room, shirtless, while Eli worked. He didn't look the least bit sorry.

"If you're sorry don't call me unless you're dying."

"But then who would patch me up?"

"I'm sure your friends could manage."

"You mean my goons?" Matthew sounded absolutely amused by that, or maybe it was just the way Eli paused. "It's what you call them when they're not around."

"Well, I wouldn't if they didn't wake me up by nearly knocking down my door." Honestly, it was a wonder the flimsy wood was still standing, considering all the times some ridiculously large henchman decided to pound on it.

"They wouldn't have to if you were a bit easier to get in touch with," Matthew pointed out, grinning in a way that told Eli exactly what he was getting at.

"For the last time, I am not moving in with you," he said, and decided to be just a little less careful with the stitches he was getting ready to start on.

"But you'd save so much on rent! And I'd even give you a ride to school."

Honestly, it sounded like a good deal. Enough so that Eli had to remind himself that the man was a mob boss and living with him was probably the worst thing he could do. Apart from letting Matthew cover his tuition.

Which, to be fair, wasn't Eli's fault. After all, Matthew was dead set on having Eli indebted to him and Eli was honestly desperate enough that he figured he probably wasn't the only student taking shady deals to pay for their education.

"You could even quit your job," Matthew added, apparently thinking this was his chance to convince Eli.

"And how would I pay you back if I did that?" Eli asked instead, because he still wasn't that far gone.

"Oh, I'm sure I could think of something."

Eli glared at the way Matthew was looking at him. Not that it did any good, considering how hot his face felt. There was no doubt in his mind that he was blushing. He still did his best to ignore it and tried to look intimidating. Which was probably a stupid thing to attempt in front of someone like Matthew.