UNMASKED

#07

Eli nearly spat out his soda as he listened to the breaking news of the night. Vigilante had been sighted and Fisk was in custody. Briefly, Eli thought of how fortunate he was to have both Collin and Tucker ignoring him in favor of staring at the television mounted on one corner of the diner.

"Witnesses report hearing several gunshots, and some claim to have seen the city's Vigilante leaving the scene. We've not received any confirmation that he was involved, but we've heard from some people living nearby who tell us they saw the masked man, who appears to be injured. . ."

Eli felt his stomach drop at that bit of information. His friends chose that moment to turn back to him and were quickly puzzled by the panic they saw on the redhead's face.

"You okay?" Collin asked, brow furrowed and a hint of concern in his voice.

"Me? Oh, er, yeah. I'm fine, just, you know, tired." Eli was fully aware he sounded far from casual, but he honestly couldn't care less at the moment. "I should probably head home. Get some sleep and all."

He stood, grabbing his bag and his coat as he talked and choosing to ignore the strange looks he was getting from his friends. It wasn't the first time and it certainly wouldn't be the last. Besides, he had more important things on his mind. Like whether their medkit was still fully stocked and how long the bus would take.

"But you still have food left." Tucker pointed to the fries still on Eli's plate along with a couple bites of burger. Apparently, that was the oddest part to him, which, fair enough.

"You can have the fries," Eli said, tossing some money on the table before he rushed out.

A bell sounded as he opened the diner door, the cold air hitting Eli as soon as he stepped out. He didn't pay it any mind as he rushed home, doing his best to secure his bag and keep a hold on the coat he didn't even bother to stop and put on. He knew the diner wasn't too far from the apartment he shared with Matthew. At least, it was close enough that Eli soon found himself running all the way there.

By the time he got home he was sure his face was about as red as his hair. He was panting heavily, throat dry, and his lungs feeling like they were about to shrivel up. Not to mention the sharp pain in his leg that felt like he was getting stabbed every time he took a step. He still managed to hobble over to the elevator—the short wait seeming to take forever.

The short rest as he went up to his apartment seemed both too short and too long, and he was relieved to finally stand in front of his door, key in hand.

At first, Eli thought he'd beaten Matthew home. The place was silent, save for the ever present sounds of the city drifting in through the balcony. And then, Eli heard a shuffling sound from said balcony. He was across the room in an instant.

And there lay Matthew.

He was slumped against the balcony railing, looking absolutely exhausted. A hand rested on his side and Eli could see what could only be bloodstains on his face. Slowly, Matthew turned to look at Eli. The pained smile he gave the redhead was enough to let Eli know he was at least well enough to be an idiot.

Eli still hurried to his side.

"Sorry honey, couldn't dodge quick enough," Matthew said with a stupid grin as Eli grabbed his blood stained hand to pull it away.

"Come on, we gotta get you inside," Eli said, glancing around and finding no sign of anyone who could see them. He struggled to pull Matthew up and drag him in, but managed it. It was also fortunate that Matthew had such a high pain tolerance by then, because it made it a lot easier for him to move for long enough to get to the bathroom.