He should have been expecting it, but fuck, the guy was a superhero. Even if Nate had expected it, he wouldn't have been able to stop it. His face exploded with pain and the punch sent him reeling, falling back against the couch. Catching himself on the arm, Nate shook his head. The pain didn't exactly subside, but he still had that alcohol working in his favor. Which also might have been why, before he was even standing straight, Nate had his arm cocked back and threw a punch right back at Eli.

Maybe the alcohol or maybe he just really wanted to punch the guy.