A cough from Magnus momentarily snapped Gabe out of his affection-induced daze, at least enough for him to answer Jin’s question.

“Yeah… I’ve been alright. I did a bit of ass-kicking myself, too.” He didn’t mention the torture. Or the large number of scars that now covered his chest and arms. He just put on what had become his signature smirk over the past year and gazed intently into Jin’s eyes. 

Then an alarm started to blare, and Gabe’s smirk disappeared. Turning around, he saw that Magnus had already left the room. He faced Jin again, now looking rather disappointed, apologetic. Their reunion had been interrupted. Their reunion, which they’d both been waiting for for nearly a year. 

“I guess we’ll have to catch up later… It’s really good to see you again,” Gabe said, taking one last good look at Jin before running out of the kitchen. He already had his costume on- it was just a matter of donning his mask and he’d be fully clothed, his identity concealed from the public. He rounded the corner into the control room just as Black Canary began briefing the group of young heroes. He’d be in the second team, waiting until the Star Bridge was free of civilians to take Cinderblock downtown. 

Gabe stood behind Magnus, and the wolfman had started growling softly. Seeking out the source of his unrest, he saw a shadowy-looking girl. Not shady, but literally shadowy. She appeared to be made out of the shadows. She was probably a part of the team. About to rest a calming hand on Magnus’ shoulder, Gabe was glad to see him calm down on his own accord. 

When Black Canary finished speaking, excitement began to bubble in the fire-wielder’s stomach. Unable to help himself, he yelled out.

“WE’RE BACK, BABY!”