The next morning you actually woke up when your alarm sounded, and you found yourself feeling much better prepared for your day as you opened up shop.

James likely wouldn't be stopping by today, seeing as he tried to keep his visits on the clock to a minimum so as to not draw any media attention to you or attach you to his name. It was a safety measure you'd been forced to accept and live with, but at least today you weren't depending on his presence for your daily caffeine fix because you'd woken up with enough time to make your own cup. It was drip coffee- cheap, but fine enough for you despite James' insistent requests to purchase you a fancy espresso machine. A tempting offer, but you knew accepting his expensive gifts could be a slippery slope concerning your work ethic and self-dependability.

Eventually making your way downstairs and beginning to open up shop, the morning was quiet and productive as usual. You felt safe to assume you were in for a pretty normal day- nice. Just how you liked it.

It was almost nine, and one of your scheduled employees would be coming in to help assist with the routine increase of customers. Funnily enough, it was Eloise, Tony's best friend who he was comically quick to blame for yesterday's mess. You mentally made a note to ask her if she did know anything about that closing shift when your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the shop's bell.

"Welcome to Francesca's! I'll be with you in a moment!" you called out with your back to the entrance, your voice's high-pitched, sugary sweet customer service tone still causing you to cringe even years after you first began slipping into it.

A loud thud and subsequent groan from whoever had entered the place caused you to rush around the counter to where the person lay, and your eyes widened as you took in their appearance. It was a man, large in stature with black hair and a matching black latex suit, though your eyes were mainly drawn to the puddle of crimson fluid slowly expanding below him.

"You're hurt," you frowned.

"No shit, Sherlock..." he replied with a low, tense voice.

"Okay..." you scoff. You would've rolled your eyes at the guy if your gaze wasn't transfixed on the slowly growing crimson puddle he sat in. "I'm gonna blame your attitude on the pain and still try to help you because I'm nice, but just know you're kinda coming across as a dick."

He responded with a haughty huff, but you stayed true to your word, hastily sitting him up and positioning his body against your front counter. You were certain his gaze was boring into you, but were too preoccupied with locating his open wound to pay it any mind. Upon finding the fortunately shallow gash in his side that was allowing him to lose what felt like an excessive amount of his blood, you rushed to grab your first aid kit in the back. You mentally thanked James for forcing you to attend countless basic safety courses when you were younger, as you were able to bandage up the man quickly and stop the bleeding.

You broke the silence between you two as you stood up and studied your work. It wasn't the cleanest job- the courses you'd taken really were basic basic- but at least he wouldn't bleed out any more. "So I can call an ambulance... or the police if you were mugged or something? Only if you want me too, of course... but they'll probably fix you up better than a florist whose only-"

"No!" he hissed. "Don't involve anyone else in this. The fact that some measly civilian had to patch me up is humiliating enough- I'd rather not involve the law as well..."

Fed up with his never-ceasing insults and seemingly characteristic ungratefulness, your eyes snapped up to his. It was only then that you noticed the black mask obscuring his face, sleek slits exclusively revealing his narrowed, dark brown eyes and his plush lips curled into a sneer. Something about him was familiar- both regarding his appearance as well as his energy, honestly- but one thing you know with almost 100% certainty was that the man in front of you was likely a superhuman, and judging by his aversion to your offer, probably not one of the hero variety. Not good.

"You're a supervillain?" you inquired flatly.

"You really don't recognize me?" he gaped, satisfyingly humbled. "I'm... I'm pretty infamous in the country. For my many feats...?"

"Oh, okay! I'm so sorry I wasn't asking for your autograph. I was sorta busy saving your ass- which I have yet to receive so much as a thank you for, by the way."

You recognized that you were not nearly as scared as you probably (definitely!) should've been, nor were you being all too precautious towards your situation as you'd openly bitched at a confirmed villain who sat before you, but also... he was so fucking annoying that you just couldn't bring yourself to care. Maybe not your best moment, but hey- it wasn't like it was his either.

"Tch. I'm not gonna thank you for trying to play the hero, princess. You're not doing a great job at it anyways. The heroes apprehend and cut down the villains, they don't patch them up and save them. Aren't you just a cute, ignorant little thing?" You scoffed at his patronizing words before he continued. "No, you should be scared."

"God- you're obnoxious," you retorted. "I'm not scared of you, more like scared for you if my overprotective buddy finds out that some C-rate villain is currently verbally harassing me in my own shop."

He laughed bitterly at you. "C-rate? You think that I, world-renowned supervillain Rowan, am C-rate? You powerless humans sure are arrogant for people who are genetically inferior to us super specimens."

It was like a lightbulb turned on in your brain as he spoke- this was none other than one of James' most formidable opponents. This man, who went under the abnormally casual false moniker of Rowan, could command the four elements and bend them to his will expertly, and he somehow always managed to escape your best friend's pursuits in the end.

He also notoriously had a weird prejudice against humans who weren't born with powers, and you had spent the past few years at this point listening to James seethe about how much he detested the man. Uninterested in the doings of supervillains, you couldn't recall exactly what crimes James had ranted about Rowan committing in the name of his weird ideology, but you did remember that he didn't seem to mind taking innocent lives, even when avoidable.

Yeah, you unquestionably should have been a bit more afraid at such a realization and proceeded to urge the man out of your shop as quickly as you could. Instead, you opened your big fat mouth and revealed a little too much information. "I can't believe I'm actually meeting Megistos' freak nemesis... God, I should punch you in the face for how often I have to put up with him complaining to me about your vile ass."

As soon as the words slipped from your lips you regretted them, and the way his stretched into the ickiest smirk you'd ever seen only confirmed the pit in your gut. You'd fucked up- majorly.

"So you're close with that annoying thorn in my side?" he questioned with a hint of sick amusement.

Bad.

"No. No! We've chatted maybe once or twice- I'm nothing more to him than a simple fan girl! Ha... ha ha?"

As stupid as your last few choices admittedly were, you weren't so naive that you'd felt your lies were at all convincing, and he very evidently was not swayed by them either.

"Hmm. I wonder what he'd do if he found out I had his pretty little girlfriend in my possession," he mused to himself, an amused edge lacing every word maliciously. "I can think of something- beyond the pleasure of watching him squirm anxiously, of course- to gain from the situation later, but for now I think you're gonna be coming home with me."

He slowly stood up to his full height, his long limbs causing him to tower over your form menacingly. Very bad.

"He's not my boyfriend," you spat with a hidden bitterness he couldn't have understood before you went back to convincing him to leave you alone. "He won't care if you take me- he probably won't even show up at all. So you should probably go before a customer comes in and actually calls the cops or heroes on you when they recognize you."

You hoped he bought this lie as your eyes darted around for your phone or any way to alert someone of your current situation only to come up with nothing. You could only hope that Eloise wasn't too nearby yet, as potentially endangering one of your dear employees terrified you more than anything else the man could threaten to do you.

"So you're single then?" he questioned with a disturbing giddy-ness, drawing your eyes back to him as you grimaced. "Delightful! I'm rather intrigued by you, princess. Maybe this'll be fun for the both of us, and I can ruin that punk superhero's day as well. Let's go, then."

He grabbed your waist roughly before pulling your body out of your shop with frustrating ease. It wasn't scientifically proven that being a superhuman inherently increased one's strength unless that was the said superhuman's power, but with how easily he maneuvered your protesting body you wouldn't have been surprised if that were the case.

"Why is my relationship status all that you focused on in what I said!" you cried out indignantly, arms and legs flailing against the large man fruitlessly.

When he finally had you outside the shop, the street was discouragingly empty. You began to cry out for help, but none of your neighboring businesses seemed to hear, seeing as the street remained empty.

Any final slivers of hope you were clinging to faded as you were suddenly propelled into the sky. You could maybe remember seeing that his ability to manipulate air allowed for him to fly, an impressive fact that was currently making your situation a whole lot worse He shrouded your soaring bodies in a thick, billowy fog so that no outsiders would be able to spot your forms. A strong hand over your mouth muffled the screams that pointlessly escaped your mouth, and before you knew it your feet had made contact with solid ground again.

The fog quickly dissipated, and in analyzing your new environment you quickly noted you were on an extremely high up terrace hundreds of feet up in the air. Unfortunate, but good to know; jumping was not a viable option if you wanted to preserve your life. Your next move was to attempt to identify what part of town you were taken to, but Rowan dragged you by your wrist inside before you could pinpoint any telling landmarks.

This place he brought you to appeared to be a penthouse, although the layout was different from James', and had a darker, more sultry vibe. How stereotypical. You peered around the large, expensively decorated open concept space. You noted curiously a few personal touches, like the cohesive curation of sleek furniture, a grand piano in the corner, and a few intricate paintings hanging on the walls. It was honestly cozy in its own way, which you hadn't expected from the poster boy of villainy.

You were so engrossed by your surroundings that you didn't even realize that your kidnapper had released his hold on you until his lilting voice sounded from beside you. "Like what you see? Bet you're not used to being around such wealth- judging by that dumpy part of town your little shop was in. I'm surprised your super friend lets you live in such an unsafe place- an oversight on his part that's landed you in an even less safe situation- hah! You really should take better care of yourself."

Your eyes narrowed at him in irritation. No way you were being lectured by a villain about your safety now.

"It's really not that bad a part of town, you dick! And Megistos is not my friend- so he really doesn't care. Which is why you should let me go," you tried.

"Right. I'm sure he doesn't care about you at all," he agreed sardonically, only aggravating you further. "Either way, I'm not letting you go unless I get something out of it. Whether that something comes from Megistos or from any of your other loved ones I really don't care, but you can make yourself comfortable while I start to alert them of the fact that you're in my care. Now just so you're aware, these penthouses are as hard to get into as they are to leave without the means to verification that only I possess. Not that I'm worried, anyways. Pretty of a thing as you are, no powerless little human could ever dream of evading me."

Ignoring his compliment/insult, you called out to him as he turned to leave the room. "Wait. If you're gonna make me suffer being held captive by you, then you can at least explain this whole superiority complex thing you have going on. What's your issue with us normal civilians?"

"My problem is that you all are so helpless," he shot back, as though it were obvious.

"And that's our fault?"

"No... but still- you expect us who are gifted to help save you in your times of need, but then proceed to restrict us from using our gifts at any other time. You all have so many demands and we ask nothing from you in return- not that you'd give us anything anyway. You call anyone who uses their powers for anything besides thanklessly helping you 'villains!' It makes me sick how self-serving you all are, and if us super-powered individuals ever decided to humble you all by taking control there's nothing you could do to stop us!"

His voice was laid thick with hatred and contempt, though you sensed an undertone of hurt that caused you to soften slightly.

"I'll agree with you, a lot of civilians do take heroes for granted. We forget our vulnerability and feel entitled to protection. But not all of us are like that." You thought about yourself- about how you never wanted to take advantage of James' abilities for your own selfish gain. "Besides, many heroes don't do it to be thanked- they do it because they care about the greater good."

He shook his head dismissively. "All you're talking about are those so-called heroes! What about the rest of us, who simply hope to live our lives using our natural abilities, but are seen as criminals and evil no matter what we do? We're hated by everyone, regardless of our intentions, solely because we don't want to be puppets for corrupt governments."

His words were somewhat true. From the many conversations you had with your best friend, as well as just from being aware of the often less-than-innocent machinations of the government (at least in your country), you knew that sometimes heroes were given missions and tasks that were not the most moral on any fronts. James had made a big enough name for himself now that he could turn down such missions, but when he first began hero work he wasn't so lucky. You saw how the Commission threatened him to do their biddings on occasion, and on a few occasions, you'd feared that it would cause your friend to quit his dream job altogether.

"You're right," you agreed again, Rowan's eyes widening in slight surprise. "I won't pretend that society is fair in how they treat those we know as 'villains.' Sure, some truly aren't innocent and are deserving of such a title, but others are just trying to live life using the gifts they were born with. Not every civilian is like you paint us out to be, though. We don't all hate villains baselessly and we don't all expect to be protected without giving back anything in return. I mean, I helped you despite knowing your superhuman status, didn't I? Granted, I wasn't aware you were one of the most infamous villains in the world when I did it- but I can assure you that I would've saved you even if I had known because I value all life- regardless of an arbitrary title assigned to people by society."

"Hmm. I've never spoken to a civilian with your mindset," Rowan replied softly, demeanor having shifted entirely from the arrogant, wry energy he earlier possessed into something much more genuine, or even gentle. There was a look in his eyes as he gazed at you that you couldn't quite place, but it almost looked fond. "Maybe you're right. I can see why your little super-boyfriend would like you so much. And I suppose I should thank you for patching me up back there."

You were momentarily rendered speechless, shocked by his choice to thank you after how ungrateful he seemed earlier, but you still intended to correct him. "He's not-"

"But at the end of the day- you're an anomaly," he interrupted, his earlier snark once again present. "Other people aren't as noble as you seem to be. So I'm going to continue doing what I do, and you're going to be my pretty little captive until someone pays to get you back. Unless of course, you want to stay with me now that I've poured my heart out to you? I wouldn't mind keeping an adorable little thing with such a pure heart around, hmm?"

The shit-eating smirk on his face stretched further than the slot on his mask allowed you to see, and you felt your momentary empathy for the man leave your body in an instant, finding yourself repulsed by him again.

"As if I'd stay with you willingly," you spat. "Just because I can empathize with some people who are labeled villains, doesn't mean I empathize with you. You've killed countless people senselessly and don't hold the regard for human life that I do. You're a true villain, and I'll get away from you without you reaping any benefits."

"Right. Well, I can't argue with you there, princess! But you would do it too for the check that I get on my little escapades. I could regard your human life, though- and treat you so nicely!" he simpered. "If you're so adamant about leaving though, then I better be on my way to negotiate a price for your darling head. You don't want me growing too attached to you, so I'd suggest you leave me alone while I contact Megistos and the authorities."

You rolled your eyes at his words, not understanding why he felt the need to mockingly flirt with you. Clearly he was done being serious with you, so you were done being patient with him.

"Whatever, asshole."

You watched as he strode across the large room and disappeared behind a door, closing it softly behind him. You immediately began to search for and find the doors you assumed belonged to the elevator that would provide your escape. It used what looked like the same technology to access the doors as James', and you realized you needed to find his key card to get out of your temporary prison. You knew he wasn't stupid (just insanely annoying), and figured he kept it on his person. The best time to try and grab it was most likely when he was asleep and vulnerable, though he'd probably keep it stored somewhere safe and private in anticipation of your plan.

Now, this plan was only necessary if no one figured out your location and came to your rescue, but judging by the fact that no one had located Rowan's home for years you doubted that would be the case. For now, you would just have to wait and conceal your plans from your kidnapper.

The hours ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace, Rowan of course not giving you anything to busy yourself with, but you eventually found yourself eating dinner with the man. He was still donning his mask, which brought you comfort because 1) if you failed to escape on your own, him still concealing his identity meant he was truthfully planning on letting you go eventually, and 2) it was making eating difficult for him, and his struggle brought you minor satisfaction.

That being said, you didn't feel super great about eating food your captor prepared for you, but he had threatened to feed you himself if you wouldn't, and you couldn't bear that humiliation. It was admittedly pretty tasty, and regrettably, you failed to hide that opinion on your face.

"Liking my cooking?" he asked, breaking the silence that had fallen between you both. "I wonder if you're falling for my domestic charm. Does your loser boyfriend feed you this well?"

"Not my boyfriend," you gritted out. "And it's- uh- it's pretty bad."

"You're not very a very good liar, princess."

Your face scrunched in discomfort. "Would you stop with that? No more pet names. I'm not a princess."

"You sure act like one, with that uppity attitude," he teased. "Anyways, I made contact with your not-boyfriend. He's very eager to get you back for a stranger... being the brat he is he refused to pay me in money for you. He just spewed all that hero shit: 'I'll find her!' and 'You can't keep her hidden from me!' It's disgusting."

It felt a bit hypocritical for him to mock a hero for adhering to stereotypes when he'd been all villain monologues and maniacal laughter, but that didn't matter now. What did was the picture your mind was painting of James declaring such romantically coded words on your behalf, and it had the softest smile falling on your lips as you allowed yourself to entertain such an idea. It definitely was not your friend's intention to sound so much like a worried sick lover, but hey- a girl could dream! It was only when Rowan narrowed his eyes at you that your expression twisted back into an unamused one.

"What?" you sighed.

"You were smiling pretty hard for someone who's not your partner. Such a pretty expression- what do I have to do to be its source, I wonder..."

"So he's gonna come find me, then?" you asked, knowing better than to address the faux flirting.

"How could he? He's yet to find out where I live, and I doubt he'll find it now. It's a shame, but it looks like maybe I won't be making any money out of our little arrangement. I'm not in any dire need, but still, it's rather disappointing anyway."

"So what happens to me then? You're just gonna keep me here?" You attempted to express more worry than you truly felt as you furrowed your brows, aiming not to let on to your intentions of escape.

"Not quite. As much as I'm coming to appreciate that sweet face of yours and your feisty temper, I'll probably take you out next week and draw out your little boy toy with your presence. I might not get paid financially, but beating the fool's ass should be just as gratifying. I'll give you back to him then. Until then though- you're mine to enjoy!"

Oh, absolutely not. The more his sing-songy voice grated at your ears, the more certain you felt you'd go insane if you waited until then. It wasn't a want- you needed out of there, that night.

Dinner progressed quickly enough after that. It consisted primarily of you tuning out his droning on about everything and nothing at all, and eventually, he announced it was time for bed. You were a bit surprised he would retire so early (the clock above you read 8:30 PM), but his grandfather ass sleeping schedule was what would ultimately allow you an earlier escape, so you couldn't complain.

You were for the first time grateful for how weak he viewed regular civilians to be, as he simply laid out a couple of blankets and a pillow on the floor of his huge bedroom, and didn't take any measures to restrain you at all. He promptly shut off the big light, though a small nightlight provided a hazy golden glow to prevent total darkness from falling over the room. Before lying down, he assured you that he was a deep sleeper and told you not to feel bad if you made any noise in your sleep. A surprisingly thoughtful reassurance, and one that also made you feel more confident in the success of your plan.

After a few short minutes, you heard soft snores escaping his evidently dormant body. You quietly arose and made your way over to his bed. He was still wearing that stupid mask, and you almost thought to remove it and catch a glimpse of his secret identity. Deciding not to press your luck, you instead slightly lowered his covers to where you had better access to his neck. You mentally thanked James again for the safety courses- though this time you referred to the self-defense ones, as you were able to quickly locate the spot on his neck that would render him unconscious with the precise blow you delivered to it. His soft snores ceased, and for a moment you feared you had missed and he had awoken, but his perfectly still body informed you that he was not. You had decided earlier that while his being asleep regularly was fine enough in your plan to leave, if he was fully out cold he would be much slower to wake up- securing you an easier exit.

You began to move about his dimly lit room in search of his keycard. This would be the difficult part- where would an evil genius supervillain hide the one way to enter into his lair? It could be anywhere, really... Doubts began to surface in your mind- what if he had locked it away somewhere and you had to also find the key for that? What if the card was on his body, and you'd have to undress him or something to retrieve it? Desperate as you were and vile as he was, resorting to disrobing him without his consent just felt icky. You were nearly panicking now, hands grasping your hair anxiously as you-

Oh.

Okay, maybe he was actually an idiot, because the sleek card rested plainly, out in the open on his bedside table. You tried not to feel insulted at just how much the man underestimated your ability to evade him, and grabbed the card. You made your way out of his room and towards the elevator, tapping the card and waiting for the doors to open. They dinged, alerting you to its arrival, and subsequently opened. You stepped in, tapping the card again before selecting the bottom floor. You knew you had knocked him out, but everything felt like it was going tediously slow as if it were working against you.

You felt the room moving downwards and prepared to run as fast as you could away from the building. As soon as the doors opened you made a mad dash, uncaring of who saw you and thought you were a crazy person. You didn't think to alert anyone of the fact that a supervillain lived at the top of their building either- your escape was your top priority.

Once you exited the building you sprinted for as long as you could before your knees gave out below you, fueled on pure adrenaline. You had no clue where you were, but anywhere was better than that obnoxious man's home.

Most businesses seemed to be closed around you, but thankfully you spotted a small diner 24-hour diner and you hurried to make your way inside. You asked a waitress to borrow her phone, and she kindly complied without hesitation. You dialed up the only number you had memorized and reminded yourself to delete the call log from her phone after you finished your conversation. It rang twice before a low, shaky voice called out your name, somehow expecting you despite your calling from an unknown number.

"Hi, Jamie. Can you please come pick me up?"

...

Your captor woke up to a dull pain in his neck. It was still dark outside, and for some odd reason, his prisoner was noticeably absent from his room. It took one quick glance at his side table to see his key card was also gone, and it didn't take long for him to connect the dots.

He had underestimated you, and you had escaped.

While there was understandable disappointment that you were gone since it meant he couldn't dangle you over Megsitos' stupid head, he felt some other, inexplicable frustration at your absence.

In the short time he kept you hostage, he had admittedly grown somewhat fond of you. You were pretty annoying and mouthy at first, but your defiance and lack of fear around him was refreshing. He never felt so positively towards a regular civilian, but something about your quick wit, your kindness, and your (admittedly short-lived) insistence on hearing his perspective- which you even partially agreed with!- had him feeling uncharacteristically comfortable around you. He also suspected that your undeniable beauty had something to do with these foreign feelings, but that was besides the point currently.

The fact of the matter was that he was sad that he would have to go back to his lonely life at the top in your absence. He was also annoyed that someone as deplorable as Megistos would get to enjoy your sweet company, while he'd have to sit and watch alone. He believed you when you said he wasn't your boyfriend (the thought was actually quite relieving to him, for some reason), but he knew from the urgency in the hero's tone earlier that you were still quite close to him.

Ugh. You really were just gone like that, and you took all his fun with you.

Unless... well, he knew where you worked now. He was certain it wouldn't be hard to find out where you lived either. And, you hadn't seen his face. If he used this all to his advantage, then he could continue having his fun playing around with you. He was also curious to see if you'd say the same things about the ethics of superhuman treatment when he wasn't wearing the mask, or if you'd just said it all earlier in order to appease him, your captor.

How delightfully peculiar you were, instilling a fire of curiosity in him he hadn't felt in ages. And if you were truly as good and pure as you seemed... honestly, he wasn't sure what his next move would be. All he knew was that for some reason he he yearned for your presence and that he wasn't anywhere near done with you.