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Being part of the rogue family was not what Owen had expected. The camaraderie, the laughter, the happy moments his father talked about were all a facade, at least as far as Owen was concerned. Owen didn't doubt that his father had been happy among the Rogues, but Owen had to be careful. One wrong move could ruin not only his life, but also that of his father. Owen had to live in fear that the Rogues would find out that he was the son of Meloni Thawne, brother of Inertia and Impulse. Living in fear that when they discovered him, they would kick his father out of the Rogues, that they would both have to live on the streets, that they would probably kill Inertia or himself. Every day that he was in Central City, Owen had to watch as the Rogues fought mercilessly against his brother Inertia. Every day he was in that city, he had to stay away from him, despite seeing how loneliness affected his brother, for fear of raising suspicions.
Bart could take care of himself. He was a hero, he had support and he was loved. It was Thaddeus that worried him. For some reason, Kid Flash had stopped controlling his strength when fighting him, overreaching and leaving Inertia looking very bad in some of their fights. No matter how many times his father had told him to stay away from his siblings to avoid suspicion, Owen couldn't leave Thad like this. And if that meant abandoning the Rogues, the Outsiders, and all the life Owen had known so far, he was determined to leave with his brother and start a new life somewhere else.
Even his father had been drifting further and further away from the Rogues, growing closer to Rick Flag, former Army colonel and leader of the now-retired Suicide Squad. A man who, according to his father, was worthy of following and made him want to be a better person. Owen knew that he would have to meet Flag at some point, he couldn't put it off forever. He had run out of excuses, but he didn't want to meet his father's new love interest, someone who was completely opposite to the lifestyle they led.
Being part of the Outsiders was not what he had expected a team of heroes to be like. He could tell that everyone except Kara wanted him to fail. Sometimes, Owen didn't know why he had been asked to join the team. But even with Kara he had to be careful about what he revealed about himself. He had discovered, not without some dismay, that being part of a team of heroes was not exempt from being stabbed in the back. He was no stranger to receiving betrayal from those he trusted.
Because he was half speedster, Owen could be in any city in a few seconds. Thad had rethought his life as a villain, he wanted to study, be like anyone else and Owen had supported him. Being one of Spiderman's Rogues, Owen knew which areas to avoid so the spider wouldn't find them. It was strange that Deathstroke had recommended Inertia to New York as a place where he could rebuild his life. Thad wanted to be a neuroscientist, he had already enrolled in university, where he had become friends with someone named Peter Parker, of whom Deathstroke had surprisingly given him very good references and with some mockery had informed them that Parker was someone trustworthy. Owen had a feeling that Deathstroke was hiding something from them. He could see it in his eye and in his mocking smile that he tried to hide.
Owen went every weekend to check on his brother. When the Green Goblin attacked the house where Thad lived, it was Peter he called first. Peter had taken him in and within weeks, he and Thad had ended up living together.
When Owen and Peter met, Owen instantly knew who Peter Parker was. He could never forget that voice. Peter, who took Thad in when he needed him most, Spiderman, who Captain Boomerang had fought countless times.
If Kara had taught him anything, it was to not judge heroes until he had met them outside the mask. Owen wanted to believe that he had left the same impression on Kara as well. He could see the loneliness in Parker's eyes, his desire to be accepted, perhaps that was what had led him to help people, to become a hero.
Owen had gone to visit for the weekend, but he was thinking about staying and living in New York. There was something interesting about Peter, an attraction he thought he'd only felt with Kara. He didn't know why he always ended up falling in love with heroes, perhaps because he thought that one day it might be reciprocated, that someone would see more than his ancestry, than his past.
Thad looked at them suspiciously every time Owen and Peter went out for coffee. It couldn't have been a coincidence when Thad disappeared more and more frequently, leaving them alone. Owen made sure to let Peter know who he was, leaving boomerangs on display. He just wanted to see his reaction. He could feel Parker's discomfort at first and deep down, Owen hoped Parker would throw them out. But Parker didn't, he continued to pretend that none of that had happened, that he didn't know who Owen was, even though there was recognition in his eyes.
If his father had been able to trust Meloni Thawne, if he could also learn to trust Rick Flag, Owen could learn to trust Peter Parker.
That's how Owen had worked up the courage to ask Parker to the movies, greatly enjoying his blushing and babbling. For once he had managed to silence the spider! He had been very encouraging. Maybe he should also go live in New York, a change of scene and a change of hero. They had been dating for weeks and at times, Owen had doubts about the status of their relationship, because Peter could be really absent-minded sometimes, but Owen made sure not to berate him when he was late to their dates for having been fighting one of his villains.
Owen Mercer knew that he was in love with Peter Parker and that was dangerous. But Peter had shaken his entire world in a short time, because he was passing each of the tests that his father made him swear that only someone worthy of him would pass: accepting his ancestry, his past, his family, his way of life, being loved and accepted for who he was and not be criticized for his defects seeking to remodel him with an ideal of perfection.
Maybe he quickly got his hopes up, just like he had with Kara? Maybe Parker saw him only as a friend and the tension he had felt when they were together was one-sided?
When Captain Boomerang and Rick Flag showed up unexpectedly at his apartment, Thad put on his best innocent face, but Owen, who knew him well, knew that he was the one who had called them.
-Hello son.-said Captain Boomerang hugging him.-Thad told me that you were dating someone. I decided to come meet him and evaluate him. My son can't go out with just anyone.
- He's not dating anyone.- Thad said mockingly.
-Are we dating? -Peter asked, opening his eyes immensely. -I didn't realize, I mean, I was going to suggest it to you when I invited you to the movies tonight.
- You didn't know you were dating?-Captain Boomerang asked, staring at him.
At this moment, an alarm sounded. Captain Boomerang and Rick Flag crouched down instantly, Peter threw a web where the sound came from, climbed the wall and stuck to the ceiling.
-Let everyone calm down!-said Thad, too smiling and mocking.-I only put popcorn in the microwave.
-Spiderman?-Captain Boomerang asked.-Are you dating Spiderman? No wonder you don't want to rob banks anymore, Owen. You have my approval! If he was any other hero, I'd have a chat with you Owen, but all Deadshot talks about is Spider-Man and his daughter. If Deadshot likes him, that's a point in his favor.
Rick Flag laughed and walked over to Peter to help him down from the roof.
- Thank you, sir.-Peter said blushing, standing behind Owen.
- You know, Flag? I'm glad my father found someone to trust.-Owen said, shaking Rick Flag's hand.