“I didn't promise anything like that,” he protested, although he vaguely remembered when this conversation had taken place and how Matteo had tricked him.

“Do you want me to go alone?” The hero asked him a question in a way that he could only answer to Matteo's liking. He always had too much power over him, and usually the villain didn't mind, but this time it was different.

“I want you to forget that I ever mentioned any university,” he answered him directly.

Matteo nodded his head and pretended to think for a moment. “Nope. That won’t work,” he informed the villain, and then reached out to press a kiss on his cheek. “I won’t take no for an answer until you at least look at the campus.”

“Fine.”

Rowan was convinced that nothing would change, but a few days later, he found out how wrong he was.

While Matteo, as Citadel, was handling some business at the Krasport branch of the Legion, Rowan received instructions to attend a university tour. He was certain it was no coincidence that one was happening exactly when they were here and precisely when Citadel needed to be at work and thus couldn't spend time with him.

So, Rowan found himself walking the university hallways, listening to the student ambassador, and looking at various classrooms and school buildings. He didn’t want to admit it, but after a while, he started looking with interest, and when they got the opportunity to attend a demonstration lecture, he immediately took it.

To his surprise, the university was nothing like high school, and while he hadn’t felt like learning anything new there, here he was quickly convinced otherwise. Maybe it was the professor, who was occasionally sarcastic and wasn't afraid to poke fun at his students if they didn't know something, but his cynicism felt refreshing to Rowan.

When the tour ended and he reunited with his fiancé, who was already back in civilian clothes, he knew he had lost. Matteo's smile clearly showed that he saw right through him and knew exactly what feelings Krasport University had left in him.

“It will be a waste of money,” Rowan tried one last protest.

“You don’t have to pay anything.” Apparently, Matteo was prepared for that too. “I looked into it. You can get a scholarship. All Max or Casey have to do is report you as their child.”

“You talked to them about this?”

“No,” Matteo replied, and Rowan breathed a sigh of relief. He knew both of his uncles would be more than willing, and if they knew about his dilemma, they would be even more supportive than Matteo. This way, he believed he had at least some chance to decide for himself.

“But you should.”

“They'll tell me I should apply,” Rowan said, convinced that this was a fact and not just a guess. Both still felt guilty that he hadn't been able to finish high school normally and didn't have a typical school experience. Instead, he had experienced the cruelty of the streets, something both blamed themselves for, even though it wasn't their fault.

“Then maybe there's something to it,” the hero tried.

Rowan sighed. “I’ll think about it,” he promised, although he already knew what his final answer would be. However, he wanted to make his fiancé happy, so he chose this response.

“Thank you.” Matteo reached out and pressed a kiss to his lips before taking his hand. “Now let me show you my favorite places in Krasport. I want to see how much has changed here.”

Obviously, this was a plan to make Rowan fall in love with the city, but the villain didn't protest. After all, they still hadn't had enough dates to make up for the almost entire year when neither of them had admitted their feelings aloud, and every opportunity to go out somewhere as a couple warmed the villain's heart.

…

Ultimately, it was Max who became his parent on paper. Although Rowan was far too old to need a guardian, since he was applying for the Legion staff children’s scholarship, Max’s name shone in the father column.

Rowan submitted the scholarship application along with his university application, and then all he could do was wait. He didn't have high hopes, as he was much older than the average applicant and, moreover, when filling out all the details, it was clear he had finished high school years after leaving school. Nothing that would indicate he was a promising student, despite having achieved a full score on the SAT. He had no extracurricular activities or awards. He was practically preparing himself in advance to be rejected.

To his surprise, however, that didn't happen.

Six weeks later, an envelope arrived at his home, and just by seeing its size, he began to have doubts. However, Matteo didn't give him time to recover and snatched it from his hand, opening it before the villain could start protesting.

“Dear Rowan Mendoza,” the hero began to read the moment he held the decision in his hands. Rowan tried to take it from him, but the moment he reached out, he felt his feet lift from the floor, finding himself stuck to the ceiling.

“Matteo—” he warned, but the hero wasn't listening. Instead, he read on.

“Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been admitted to Krasport University—” At this point, the blonde stopped reading, instead letting out a sound of enthusiasm and then looking up at the ceiling, where he was still holding his fiancé with his powers.

His wide smile was contagious, and so Rowan quickly found his own corners of his mouth lifting into a slight smile. Although he didn't intend to admit it, after expecting rejection, it was good to hear that he wasn't a lost cause after all.

“Looks like I’ll have a reason to visit Krasport,” Matteo remarked with a smile, and then finally freed the villain from his ceiling prison.

“I'm still not sure it’s a good idea,” the villain countered.

“It's a great idea,” the hero immediately assured him. “You’ll show everyone how smart you are. I give it a month before you’re known as that hot, mysterious guy who knows all the answers.”

Rowan laughed at his words, but then realized another thing that complicated his decision to apply to the university.

“What about our wedding?”

“What about it?” Matteo didn’t seem to realize the same obstacle he did.

“How are we going to plan a wedding when I'm in school?” Rowan tried to show him where the problem was.

“Then we’ll plan it sooner,” Matteo suggested without having to think about it at all. “We can start now and get married in the fall. That way, you’ll be in Krasport with a ring on your finger, and everyone will know to back off.”

“Because they'll face the revenge of my jealous husband?” Rowan added, amused, while wrapping his arms around his fiancé's waist.

“Exactly.” The blonde nodded, not even trying to hide that, although he was the one wearing the ring at the moment, he was still occasionally overcome by jealousy.

“We promised everyone we’d wait with the wedding,” Rowan reminded him.

“As if you’ve ever had trouble not following the rules.” Matteo gave him a look that clearly let him know how much he considered his argument ironic.

“Your brother will kill me,” the villain didn’t give up.

“My brother doesn’t have a problem with you,” the hero assured him. “He even asked me when your birthday was so he could buy you a gift.”

“Really?” That was the first time the villain had heard about it.

“Yup.” Matteo nodded. “My family adores you. Believe me, if they had a problem, they would tell me.” Then he puckered his bottom lip, and his blue eyes looked like the gaze of a puppy and not a brave hero. “You don't want to marry me anymore?”

“I hate you,” Rowan told him in reaction to his emotional manipulation. Despite his words, he leaned closer and gently bit the hero's protruding lip before deciding to treat it with a kiss.

“I need to call Lynnie so she can start looking for a dress,” he said as his first thought when he caught his breath again. After all, he couldn't get married without her being his maid of honor.

“So, we have a plan?” The smile on the hero’s face clearly indicated he was pleased that he had gotten his way. Just like always. The villain couldn't refuse him anything.

“We have a plan.” Rowan nodded.

…

A few months later, just a couple of weeks before their wedding, Rowan found himself on the grounds of Krasport University. He had to go there for registration, accommodation, and campus orientation. Although he protested, he eventually decided to apply for a dorm room to have the full college experience, even though he was much older than his future classmates.

After receiving his room key and access card, he found the correct room and discovered it was for two students. His roommate wasn't there yet, so Rowan claimed the bed that suited him better. He put his suitcase in the closet for now, deciding to leave the unpacking for later. There wasn't much space to put his things anyway, as the room only contained two beds, a shared desk with a chair, and two closets. There was definitely no space to spare.

Students had several hours to move in, so he wasn't surprised that his roommate hadn't arrived yet, as Rowan had come as soon as possible. Not that he wanted to claim the best bed, but he simply wanted to avoid the crowds. Therefore, as soon as his things were in the room, he decided to explore the campus more, where he was supposed to spend the next few years.

At check-in, besides the basic rules, he received a campus map and immediately tasked himself with memorizing it. Although he had left his career as a villain, or hero if you will, he still remained cautious and wasn't going to leave anything to chance. That’s why he immediately memorized where the gyms and sports halls were located, so he could continue training even when he didn't need to.

As he walked along the path and looked around, checking the map against his surroundings to make sure everything was where it was marked, he didn't pay much attention to the people around him. He wasn't a social person and didn't believe that would change at the university.

As it turned out, however, it wasn't up to him.

“Rowan?”

He barely realized that the person behind him was calling out to him, as he didn't expect anyone here to recognize him. However, when he turned and saw a familiar face, he looked at him just as surprised as the dark-haired young man was looking at him.

“What are you doing here?” Logan asked.

“I’m starting this semester,” Rowan admitted honestly, lifting his hand with the map so Logan could see what he was holding.

“Seriously?” A wide smile suddenly appeared on his face. “Well then, we’ll be seeing each other often.” He moved closer to him. “Are you staying in the dorms?”

The villain nodded. “I just went up to drop off my stuff.”

“Which room?” Logan asked another question.

“I’m 312B,” he answered truthfully.

“I’m 408A.”

Although Rowan wasn't in daily contact with Logan, after they met in the city and he had the chance to introduce him to Matteo, they occasionally texted. Mostly the villain made sure the other man was okay, while Logan had random conversations with him, sometimes even sending photos or memes. Especially the Gravity Falls ones.

One thing that never came up was work, or rather, studying. Logan knew about Rowan's secret identity, and it never occurred to the villain to find out what Logan did during his days. Now he knew that was a mistake, because if he had known he was attending Krasport, he would have contacted him about it much sooner. But it didn't matter. They had the whole semester to get to know each other better and spend time together. 

So, Rowan found that, even though it was only his first day here, he already had someone he could call a friend.