Tired as he was, it was morning before he knew it. 

It took him a moment to remember everything that had happened the previous day, but the moment his mind began to work at full speed, Rowan's slow rising became resolute. A neutral mask appeared on his face as he had no idea what was waiting for him outside his bedroom door, but judging by the lack of sounds beyond it, it couldn't have been anything bad. 

As he had done so often lately, without thinking, he used his abilities to quieten his footsteps. As it turned out, it was useless. The stranger was lying on the couch in the same position Rowan had left him. The water on the table was untouched, as was the bucket. 

Rowan cautiously approached him to check his pulse and make sure he was okay. Luckily for him, the stranger was still breathing and seemed to just be asleep. Still, Rowan was beginning to wonder if he should have taken him to the hospital. 

However, it wasn't the first time in his life that he'd seen someone intoxicated with this type of drug, so he knew that it was normal for people to recover in different ways. Living on the streets had taught him a lot.

He decided to give the stranger another hour while he went out to buy groceries that not only his kitchen but also his stomach desperately needed. 

As he locked the door behind him, he wondered if it would frighten him if he woke up, but ultimately decided it was better to find him frightened here than not to find him at all. 

The grocery store was just around the corner from his apartment. Although it was small and couldn't be compared to a supermarket, Rowan was too lazy to walk far. He only used his car on very few occasions, and this certainly wasn't one of them. 

He nodded to the salesgirl, who looked as if she'd rather be anywhere else, and headed for the shelves. His shoppings had never been very diverse. He hadn't had the time or inclination to try out any elaborate recipes in his life, so he usually made the same thing over and over again. The simpler the better, and with that in mind, he tossed a box of cereal into his shopping basket. 

As usual, the shop was almost empty, so he shopped quickly, paid and was on his way home. 

The moment he opened his door, he noticed something was different. He stayed still for a moment, his eyes scanning the room. The glass on the table looked untouched at first glance, but Rowan noticed a slightly wet spot on the rim, as if someone had taken a drink from it, but didn't dare drink any more. His second glance went to the stranger on the couch, and being used to concentrating on details, Rowan immediately noticed that he wasn't lying exactly as he had when he'd left. It was a small change, but enough to let Rowan know that something was obviously different. 

Instead of heading for the living room, however, his footsteps headed for the kitchen, where he placed his shopping bag on the counter and began to take things out of it. 

He purposely rustled with things to provoke the stranger, but when that didn't work, he decided to take matters into his own hands. 

"I know you're awake," he said loudly, continuing what he was doing. 

For a moment nothing happened, but then there was movement on the couch. Rowan tried not to look at him, trying to give him space, so he moved over to the fridge to put things in it. 

"You're Revenger." Two things were clear from the stranger's voice - he still wasn't at his best, his voice was hoarse and sounded sick, and he was scared. 

Rowan slowly closed the fridge and looked back at the couch. Their eyes met and the fear on the stranger's face turned to surprise before he frowned. 

Rowan knew he probably wasn't what he was expecting and, since he'd had enough trauma already, he held back his laughter. 

"I am," he confirmed, although it wasn't necessary. He knew it wasn't a good idea to approach him, since after what had happened to him the last thing he would want was a strange man near him, so Rowan decided to get breakfast ready instead.

While Rowan could be sympathetic in this situation, he didn't know how to continue this conversation, so he decided to leave it up to the stranger to decide how to proceed. 

He took a bowl from the cupboard and went back to the fridge to get the carton of milk. As he did so, he watched with his peripheral vision as the stranger carefully got up from the couch and approached him with slow steps. Rowan noticed that he wasn't quite sure on his feet yet and put it down to the effects of the drug. 

"Since when do you save people?" He stopped on the other side of the counter, leaning against it to keep his balance. He watched Rowan's every move with wary eyes, as if to make sure he didn't hurt him, and if he didn't have to hold on, he'd probably keep more distance between them.

"I don't," Rowan assured him, and the stranger frowned. He straightened as soon as Rowan approached him again, but he stayed on his side of the counter so he had nothing to worry about. 

"Then why did you save me?" he asked, and this time Rowan gave him a quick look before going to the shopping bag and taking out the cereal.

"Looked like you needed it." Rowan shrugged. 

It clearly wasn't what the stranger had expected and he frowned even more. 

"Why did you bring me to your house?" 

Rowan pulled out another bowl and set it next to his. "I could have looked for your ID, but I figured whoever you lived with would panic if I dragged you home in your condition." 

The stranger seemed to consider his words and remained silent. 

Rowan continued to prepare breakfast. He poured cereal into both bowls, topped them with milk and then took spoons from the drawer. He placed each in one of the bowls and then moved one of the bowls closer to the stranger. 

He appeared surprised, and instead of reaching for it, he gave Rowan a confused look.

"I'm too lazy to cook." He shrugged as if it was a given. He knew the stranger was asking something more complicated with that look, but he didn't want to answer, because that would mean admitting that he was doing something out of the goodness of his heart. 

Rowan didn't want to explain any more, not on his own initiative, so he picked up his bowl, walked around the stranger and headed for the couch. He acted as if the stranger wasn't there and it was his regular morning.

He picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. 

It wasn't long before the seat on the other side of the couch sagged under the weight of another person. 

With a side glance, Rowan noticed that the stranger was holding a bowl. 

"Gravity Falls? Really?" His tone quickly changed and no longer sounded frightened. Instead, he clearly had an opinion about Rowan's choice of show. 

Rowan took a spoonful and put it in his mouth, then turned to the stranger with a judgmental look. "You have no taste," he replied simply, turning back to the screen. 

He pretended to watch TV while he ate, waiting for the stranger's next words. He didn't want to throw him out of his apartment as he still wasn't well, but at the same time he didn't want to tell him any more of his secrets. He already knew the biggest one. 

"I still haven't thanked you," the stranger said after a moment. "I don't know what - I know what would have happened if you hadn't stepped in, so thank you." 

There was a hint in his voice that he was fully aware of what had happened, and his emotions were boiling. Rowan could recognise desperation at a first hearing and knew how much it could cling to a person and not let go.  

"Stop it. Nothing happened," he assured him in a firm tone. 

"Because you intervened," the stranger argued, his voice no calmer. In fact, he sounded like he was about to burst into tears. 

"Yes, so nothing happened." Rowan put the bowl down on the table in front of him and turned to face him. "You can learn a lesson from this, but don't take the trauma out of it." 

The stranger looked at him in confusion, and Rowan saw tears glistening in his eyes. 

"He wanted to..." He didn't finish because his voice broke and Rowan saw his hands tremble. Gently, he took the bowl from him, careful not to touch him, and placed it on the table. 

"He was a bastard who got a lesson in what happens when he tries something like that," Rowan argued. His tone was firm and allowed no protest. 

The stranger nodded, but it was obvious he was still holding back tears. 

Rowan couldn't remember the last time he'd softened his voice for someone, but now he knew it was necessary. "I wouldn't let him hurt you." 

His eyebrows knitted in confusion. "I don't understand," he admitted in a low voice that was far from steady. "You're supposed to be a criminal. And he... And he was so nice to me, and then..." If he hadn't stopped, the sobs he was trying so hard to suppress would have escaped him. 

"The worst people in the world are the ones who hide behind kind words. But you know what? They're also the biggest cowards." Rowan spoke from experience, but he didn't want to reveal any more. 

The stranger sniggered, but still looked like he wasn't far from breaking down. 

"How am I supposed to live as if nothing happened?" His words were almost inaudible, but not to Rowan, who could manipulate sound. 

"One at a time," he replied simply. "You'll probably be too scared to go out at night for a while. Then you'll find that being surrounded by friends will make it a little easier. And before you know it, you'll be fine," he assured him. 

"You're quite smart for someone who watches Gravity Falls." Rowan showed he appreciated his joke by giving him a short snort of laughter. But that wasn't all he did for him. Maybe it was the fact that he spent a lot of time thinking about Matteo, and maybe it was his new friendship with Cecil, but Rowan decided to do one last good deed. 

"Do you have your phone on you?" The stranger was surprised by the question, but nodded and took it from his pocket. 

Rowan knew better than to reach for it and scare him, so he revealed his intentions straight away. "I can give you my number if you want. If you feel unsafe, you can call me." 

"Why are you being so nice to me?"  

Rowan sighed. He didn't know the answer to that question himself, and he didn't really want to know. Instead, he simply replied, "I can be nice when I want to be."

"Everyone says you're the worst villain in the city." 

Rowan shrugged as if he didn't care. And in fact he didn't. Not really. He didn't care what anyone thought of him, as long as it meant he would achieve his goal.

"I'm not saying I'm a good person," he replied simply.  

"It's hard to believe you're a bad person," the stranger retorted. 

This conversation reminded him all too much of a similar one he had once had with Cecil. "Someone told me the other day that I'm an anti-hero." 

"Anti-hero?" 

"Yep. Like Batman." Rowan rolled his eyes, letting the stranger know what he thought of that. 

A hint of a smile finally appeared on his face.  

"I'm pretty sure Batman didn't have cereal for breakfast," the stranger remarked. 

"Because he was too snobbish to admit that cereal is good as fuck," Rowan argued. This drew a chuckle from the stranger. As soon as his laughter faded, his gaze dropped to his hands, still holding his phone, and then, without a word, he quickly unlocked it and held it out in Rowan's direction.

Rowan took it and automatically opened his contacts so he could enter his number. He debated for a moment whether to enter his name or his alias, but finally decided that nothing bad would happen if he gave him his name. It was fake anyway. 

"Rowan?" The stranger read out loud the moment he got his phone back. 

"You didn't seriously think I'd put Revenger on there," Rowan remarked sceptically. 

"I didn't think you'd tell me your name. If that's your name." He frowned. 

Rowan rolled his eyes. "It would take too much effort to come up with a fake name." 

The stranger still looked surprised, but eventually the grimace faded from his face and he shifted his gaze from the phone to Rowan. "I'm Logan."  

Rowan nodded, not knowing what more to say. It wasn't exactly a comforting circumstance under which they'd met, and he didn't want to hint at it in any way and ruin his moment of peace. 

In the end, he didn't have to say anything because it was Logan who started another conversation. "Would you... Would you mind if I stayed a little longer?" He asked uncertainly and then added, "I'm not sure I'm ready to see my family yet." 

"As long as you don't puke on my couch, we're cool." 

Logan chuckled, but the darkness returned to his eyes.

"If you want, I can walk you home later," Rowan offered before he could think any more about it. It just seemed right to suggest it, even if it was out of character for him. 

"Are you sure you're a criminal?" Logan asked in a sceptical tone.  

Rowan laughed briefly. "I'm sure I've broken into too many buildings to pretend I'm not."

Despite his admission, Logan didn't seem alarmed by his presence. There was something more like curiosity in his eyes.  

"Watching Gravity Falls is still more of a crime," he declared after a moment.  

"All right, I have a new condition. You can stay here longer, but you're watching Gravity Falls with me from the beginning, so you'll see why it's awesome."