“Go home, Superman.” Sebastian smirked. “Go back to whatever hole you crawled out of, go back and hide. There’s nothing for you to do here, no one you can save. You can only make things worse.

“But I...This can’t be... I can’t just abandon the city...” Blaine felt so lost all of a sudden.

“Let me make this clear for you, Superman. If you stay, the city dies. If you leave, my scientists will begin working on a cure. The only way you can save the city is to leave it. Stop using your powers, stop trying to save the world, and you’ll actually do some good.”

“But people are getting hurt out there. People that I can help.”

“That’s right. And if you choose to stay and help them? I’ll send these findings over to your buddies at the Daily Planet. Then all of Metropolis will know what you really are.”

Blaine blanched. He felt like he’d been backed into a corner. The city needed him, but if he stayed he would just make things worse, and everyone would hate him. There was nothing he could do to help the situation except to leave, knowing that there were people that needed his help. For a moment he couldn’t breathe.

“I...”

“Just go, Superman. And you can keep that file. I have enough copies to go around.”

With that, Sebastian turned and walked to his office door, an obvious skip in his step.

“Have a nice day, Superman!”

*****************************************************************************************************

Blaine flew back to the Daily Planet in a daze. He couldn’t wrap his head around how his life had fallen apart so quickly. Without realizing it, he ended up back in his normal clothes and at his desk, unsure of exactly how to continue.

He knew that he needed to leave the city, Sebastian had made that pretty clear. The folder that was still in his hand, actually, was what made that clear. He dropped it suddenly as if it had burned him, the proof of his abnormality, the proof that he was dangerous. After all those years of hiding, of dreaming about the day when he could finally be himself and actually help people, it was all worthless. Could he even go back home? He didn’t want to hurt Cooper, but then again Cooper had been fine living with him for 18 years. Maybe if he stopped using his powers. He could get a job at a paper in Columbus, maybe as an editor. Blaine began packing up the few things he had in and around his desk. He’d send an e-mail to the Chief, he couldn’t stomach the idea of letting Burt down to his face. He’d go back to hiding, back to being less of himself. But what choice did he have? Staying in Metropolis meant hurting everyone, and when they found out... when Kurt found out.

Oh no... Kurt.

Blaine didn’t want to think about him right then.

Which of course meant that at that moment, his partner walked over.

“Blaine! There you are!”

Kurt stopped in front of Blaine’s desk to catch his breath, only to notice Blaine packing up his things.

“Wait... what’s going on? Where are you going? Is there a scoop?”

Blaine didn’t look up as he grabbed the photo of him and Cooper and stuck it into his briefcase.

“No. I’m leaving.”

“Leaving? Leaving where?” Kurt started to feel nervous. Something was very wrong with Blaine.

“Here. The Planet. Metropolis. I’m going home.”

“You’re... WHAT?!” Kurt was shocked. “Why would you... what happened? Blaine?”

Kurt reached out to touch his arm, but Blaine flinched and took a step back.

“I’m sorry Kurt. I thought I could handle it, being here in the city, being away from home. But it’s too much.”

“Blaine....”

“And now with this whole... this weird sickness thing. I just have to go.”

“Blaine, don’t be ridiculous, okay?” Kurt grabbed for him again, gripping his wrist and staring him down. “Look, you’re a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, alright? You’re one of the best men I’ve ever met and... I know you can do this, okay? I don’t know what happened to make you think that you couldn’t but...” Kurt took a deep breath. “You can’t leave, Blaine. That’s ridiculous, all right.”

Blaine looked down at Kurt’s hand on his wrist.

“Kurt,” he whispered, “you just don’t understand.”

“So explain it to me.”

Blaine sighed, obviously reluctant to go on.

Kurt started to get desperate. Something was wrong and he needed to fix it.

“Blaine, I promise that we can get through this, okay? And as for the whole epidemic thing, we’ll figure it out. We’re the best investigators in the city. And nothing bad is going to happen with Superman around.”

That’s what broke Blaine.

He looked up at Kurt, eyes blazing and shiny.

“Really, Kurt? So your Super-Boyfriend is just going to fly in and save the day? He’s not a god, Kurt. He can’t just magically fix everything, alright!” Blaine ripped his arm from Kurt’s grasp. “Do you have any idea how it feels, Kurt? For you to talk about him like this, about how perfect he is to you? He... he probably doesn’t care about you, Kurt. He’s just a guy in a ridiculous suit, and there’s not a damn thing he can do for this.”

Kurt took a step back, glaring at Blaine. “There’s no reason to yell at me, Anderson. I’m not the coward here. Fine. Just... run back home to Ohio, to your small town and your useless life. Just run away from all of your problems instead of facing them like a man.”

Blaine grabbed his briefcase with shaking hands. He didn’t want to leave Kurt like this.

“Kurt, I....”

“You what?” Kurt sniped back.

Blaine finally looked Kurt in the eye, trying to hide how much this was killing him. He reached up and tucked a fallen piece of Kurt’s hair behind his ears, causing Kurt to freeze with a sharp intake of breath. Blaine dropped his hand to Kurt’s shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

“I’m sorry.”

And with that, Blaine grabbed his things and quickly left the bullpen, not noticing as a stunned Kurt reached a hand up to touch his shoulder, his eyes wide as he whispered, “it can’t be...”

Kurt’s eyes then fell to the folder left forgotten on Blaine’s desk.