Rowan was restless. 

Everything had gone according to plan and he was sure that his gift had reached its destination, but his leg, which was bouncing up and down rapidly, still had doubts. 

He didn't want to admit to himself that part of his nervousness came from worrying about Matteo's reaction. In the year he'd known him, both in mask and civilian clothes, he knew that justice was what mattered most to him. Rowan had no doubt that Matteo believed the heroes of the Legion shared the same principles. Rowan didn't blame him, for he had once thought the same. Eclipse, Frostbite, Seismic, not to mention his parents and uncle... Rowan had once known so many superheroes who made him see the world through rose-coloured glasses. 

But superheroes also cost Rowan everything.  

Now he had no family, no friends, no legacy. All he had left was revenge. And he certainly didn't want Matteo to end up like him.  

Except that Matteo wasn't his responsibility. 

Rowan needed a distraction, and he needed it fast. So he did the only thing he could think of. 

On his way to a familiar place, he stopped at the grocery store and bought a crate of beer. 

"Great. You're just in time. The show's about to start," Cecil greeted him as soon as he opened the door. Immediately afterwards he turned on his heel and disappeared into the apartment as if it were their normal routine. Rowan shook his head in amusement and entered. 

He carried the beer up to the living room, where he sat down next to Cecil and focused on the screen. Apparently Cecil didn't just have a favourite late night show. And maybe it was the same one. Rowan didn't have enough knowledge to assess that. 

Instead of bothering with that, he picked up his beer, opened it with his ring, and handed it to Cecil, who took it from him with thanks. Then he opened another one for himself and slid the crate over so it wouldn't get in the way. 

"Tough day?" Cecil gave him a fleeting glance, then shifted his attention back to the television. 

Rowan sighed, took a swig from his beer, and replied, "You could say that." 

"Love problem or work problem?" Cecil asked. 

And though Rowan still refused to talk to him about Matt and whatever it was between them, he answered, "Both, I guess." 

"Both?" The bald man was surprised by the answer. "You want to talk about it?" 

"Not really," Rowan replied honestly, glad he didn't have to answer sharply again as he wasn't overly nosy for his tastes.

"Okay." And with that, they went back to watching TV with Cecil's occasional comments on the show. However, it didn't take long for Rowan to pull out his phone and before he knew it, he was checking the Citadel's fan page to see if anyone had seen him in the city today. No luck though. Citadel was obviously busy with other duties today, which didn't surprise Rowan, but he still hoped to find out something. 

He was getting nervous, so it's no wonder that after a while he blurted out. "What do you even like about the show?"

Cecil, however, was obviously used to his mood swings, if you can call them that, so he laughed and turned to him. "When you're my age, you'll understand." Then he took a sip of his beer and Rowan did the same. 

"My Mellie loved romantic films and my friends and I used to go to the cinema to see all the new action movies we could afford. They were really great films. Now that I'm old and my life is boring and I'm not going to change it, why not inject some drama into it through TV?" The bald man gave him another broad grin and Rowan just shook his head in amusement.  

Rowan's life was dramatic enough without it, but while he was here he decided to give Cecil's show a second chance. After all, he had welcomed him into his home, even though he had broken in and threatened him before. 

Before he knew it, he had spent most of the day with the older man. It was dark outside when he got up from the couch and decided it was time to go home. 

But if he thought his thoughts of Matteo had completely disappeared, he was wrong. And so, after an hour at home, he decided to put on his suit and go over to the Legion building to see if he could spot him. Unnoticed, of course. 

He could have gone in civilian clothes, but Rowan was more willing to risk the superheroes noticing Revenger than he was to risk them discovering his true identity, hidden behind a Rowan Black mask. 

He used his abilities to quiet his steps and keep to the darkness of the nearby alleyways, far enough away that he wouldn't be seen, yet close enough to have a view of the Legion's entrance. And that's how he spent the next half hour until he decided to try and see inside the building through the windows, so he climbed the nearest tall building. 

But he still had no luck. 

Fortunately, he had at least a shred of self-preservation left in him, and he realised that it wouldn't be safe for him to lurk here for long. With one last look at the ordinary looking building, he turned and headed back home.  

Today, however, was clearly no average day, and once again Rowan was finding that out in ways he certainly hadn't expected. As he crept through the dark alleys, he heard something that made him stop. 

He moved higher to get a better view of the situation and suddenly found himself in a moral dilemma. Revenger was certainly no superhero, but was he capable of not intervening in this situation? 

He was in an alley behind a shady club, and there was only one way to explain what he saw. Revenger didn't have to be a genius to understand that the older man holding the younger guy, despite his mild protests, had no good intentions. What's more, from what Revenger had heard before he caught sight of them, it was obvious to him that the younger man hadn't protested more for one simple reason - he couldn't. The bastard had obviously spiked his drink, and before anyone noticed, he had managed to drag him out of the bar and into this alley. 

At the same time, Revenger knew one more thing: if he wasn't going to help him, no one else would.

He was certainly no hero, and he had never saved anyone, but looking at the situation he couldn't just walk away. 

He jumped down without a sound, and before he could think better of it, he approached the man from behind and knocked him out. Thanks to his abilities, he always had a stun gun on hand, so he was able to incapacitate the man without having to hit him. Without evidence, no one needed to know he was even there. 

The bastard fell to the ground, and with him all the support that had kept the young man on his feet was gone. Revenger managed to catch him before he could fall, and from the terrified look in the young man's eyes, he was sure he could still perceive him. However, it was only a matter of seconds before he lost consciousness and was completely dependent on Revenger's arms. 

"Now what," he muttered to himself. Not that he regretted saving him, but he was annoyed at how hard it was to play superhero. He could probably find his ID and get his address from it, but at the same time he doubted that his family, if he lived with them, would be thrilled that a villain had brought him home. 

Revenger didn't have much time to think as he was still standing near the back door of the club, with the unconscious bastard at his feet. Maybe it was desperation, maybe it was his own stupidity, but Rowan decided to take his rescued princess home with him. 

Luck was clearly on his side today, and perhaps it was the fact that he had decided to do something good for a change as he managed to drag the unconscious young man back to his place unnoticed. He should probably stop calling him young man, as he guessed he was only slightly younger than he was, but finding out his name couldn't have mattered less. 

After successfully opening the door to his apartment, he placed the stranger on the couch, hoping he wouldn't fall off. Just to be on the safe side, he put him on his side in case he got sick, and after a moment's thought, he also placed a bucket beside him and a glass of clean water on the coffee table in front of him. That would do, wouldn't it? 

Rowan wasn't used to caring for others, and he had no reason to improve on that inability. 

Instead of changing right away, he headed for the bathroom with clean clothes as well. He desperately needed a shower, as his villain suit wasn't exactly the thinnest, but he'd rather be bulletproof and sweaty than dead, so he couldn't complain. 

After his shower, he decided to get something to eat, and sadly discovered that he didn't have much in the fridge or cupboards, so he'd have to go shopping in the morning. 

Even his rummaging didn't wake the stranger on his couch, so he judged that he probably wouldn't wake up today. However, he didn't want to risk him escaping before he could be reassured of his silence, so Rowan locked the door just in case. 

He knew the stranger wouldn't be happy to find out, so Rowan found the last bit of good in himself and decided to leave a note next to the cup on the table. 

"Don't panic and drink the water. You'll feel better." It wasn't the best message of comfort or explanation, but Rowan couldn't think of anything better, so it had to do. 

There was nothing more he could do for him at the moment, and since he was breathing, Rowan took that as a good sign. So he decided to go to bed and deal with the situation in the morning.