Blaine stood in front of his bathroom mirror staring hard at his reflection. It was nearing 8 and soon he would be heading to the Planet to meet Kurt. He sighed, trying to stay focused. After a few weeks working together, he just couldn’t stop thinking about his new partner. Kurt was smart, witty, driven, not to mention gorgeous. Blaine had never felt for anyone the way he felt about Kurt. But deep down he knew that nothing could happen between them. He could never be completely honest with Kurt about who he was, what he was, without risking the man he was slowly falling in love with.

Looking at himself dressed in that ridiculous costume his brother made for him, Blaine wondered at how his life had come to this. Though, if he was being honest with himself, as ridiculous as he felt in it sometimes, it was also kind of exhilarating. When Cooper had first shown him the design he had balked.

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

"Coop, I’ll look like an idiot in that. Is that underwear on the outside of the pants? And… bright blue and red? Really?”

“What? They’re the Dalton colors, just made a little brighter. You love Dalton! Plus, it’s like a metaphor or something, since you’re bright and happy.“ Coop grinned at him and Blaine couldn’t argue with him.

“It looks really tight, though.”

“More aerodynamic.”

“What’s with the S on it?”

“That’s not an S, B. It’s from the blanket mom and dad found you wrapped in. It’s this weird symbol that kind of looks like and S, I just couldn’t get it right. Want me to take it off?”

“Oh… um…” Blaine hadn’t been sure. It did look like the letter S, and he had no idea what that could stand for. Superhero? But he kind of liked that it tied him back to where he came from, that place he had never seen and couldn’t remember. He loved his family, especially Cooper, but he had spent so much time wondering what his home world had been like and what his parents would have thought of him. He wanted to make them proud, and maybe wearing their symbol while helping people would do that. At least, he hoped it would. He liked to think they were the kind of people that appreciated that. Cooper was, and it meant so much to Blaine that he was helping him with all of this. If Coop thought the S thing was a good idea, then he’d keep it. 

“No, it’s okay, we can keep it.”

“Great! And you’re sure about the no mask thing?”

“Totally. It’s the only thing I am sure of. People need to trust me and not think I’m some costumed psycho, especially since I’ll be like, flying around and shooting lasers from my eyes. They need to be able to see my face and know I’m there to help them. I can’t hide away from the people I’m saving.”

Cooper had smiled at that. “You got it, B. Courage.”

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

In front of his mirror in his apartment in Metropolis, Blaine smiled at the memory. As much as he had loved wearing brightly colored outfits once he was free of his Dalton uniform, putting on a suit like his took a bit of courage. But considering what it let him do, it wasn’t such a hard thing to do. As Superman he could do all the things that Blaine Anderson never could. Not only was he able to save lives, he was finally able to be himself. No hair gel taming his curls, no uniform stifling his style, no quiet exterior to keep him seeming normal, and no need to try and hide his powers. For the first time in his life Blaine was free to be himself completely, and it was such a rush that it almost made him cry.

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

As a kid, all Blaine ever seemed to do was hide. The Andersons hadn’t been bad parents, they were kind enough to take him in when they found him in that field, but there was no way to prepare them for raising a super-powered son. As Blaine’s powers developed over time, his parents were at a loss.

“Just try not to use them, sweetie.”

“They could get you in trouble. The government could take you away, or you could hurt someone.” 

“Just stay quiet, keep your head down, and everything will be alright.”

And so he did. As he grew and could do more and more amazing things, he kept them all to himself. He stopped telling his parents when a new power developed; he was too ashamed. He knew they loved him, but they also loved being a normal family, and with Blaine for a son that was something they could never really be. The only person that Blaine could really talk to was Cooper.

“Hey Blainers, why the long face?”

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

“B, no ten year old should look that sad. What’s wrong? Some kid take your lunch money?” 

“No. None… none of the other kids really talk to me.”

“Oh. Is that what’s getting you down?”

“I guess.”

“Blaine, tell me what’s wrong.”

Blaine looked up at his brother with watery eyes. Cooper had never seen his sunny little brother like this before. From the moment an eight-year-old Coop and his parents had found baby Blaine in a crater in Shuster Field he had been a smiley and happy kid. Seeing that face filled with so much pain and sadness made Cooper’s heart ache.

“Oh Blainers.” Cooper grabbed his brother in a tight hug. “Whatever it is, you can tell me. You can always tell me anything, got it? I’m your big brother, and I’m here for you no matter what.”

“But… But Coop, you’re not really my brother. I’m not from here. I’m a freak.”

Cooper pulled back to look his brother in the eye, his face determined.

“No Blaine, you’re not a freak. You’re amazing. You’re special. And no matter where you’re from or what you can do, you will always be my brother. I was the first person on this damn planet to see you and that makes us family.  I changed your diapers, I walked you to the first day of school, I held your hand when there were thunderstorms. You’re my brother and nothing on this or any other planet can change that. Got it?”

Blaine nodded, tears beginning to stream silently down his face.

“Good. Now, tell me, what’s all this about?

“I… I just…” Blaine took a deep breathe. “It’s just really hard, not ever using my powers and pretending that I’m normal. And not having anyone to talk to at school and not wanting to make things hard for Mom and Dad. It’s just really, really hard, Coop.”

Cooper hugged his brother again, mostly so Blaine couldn’t see the tears forming in his eyes. 

“Blaine, I’m so sorry. You shouldn’t have to worry about that stuff. You should just be able to go and be a kid. But listen, you can always come to me with anything, you got that? I’m your friend, and I want to know all about your powers.” He pulled back to look Blaine in the eye again. “You don’t have to pretend with me, you just have to be yourself. So go on, show me what you can do.”

Cooper smiled at Blaine, who gave a timid smile in reply.

“Well… last week I found out I can hear things that are really quiet or really far away. Plus on the way home from school I out-ran a train!  I can go really fast now!”

“That’s great, B! Wanna go outside and I’ll time you?”

“Yeah! Let’s do it!” And in that moment Blaine’s grin was so wide and bright that it rivaled the sun.

Things with Blaine seemed to get much better over the next few years. He felt less pressured since he had Cooper to help him through. After school they would talk about Blaine’s day, his powers, basically anything and everything. With his brother to support him and keep him from cracking under the pressure, Blaine even started making friends at school. Cooper decided to stay nearby for college, coming home on the weekends from Ohio State to check on Blaine. Everything seemed great, Blaine’s steadily increasing powers were being handled and he seemed happy and well adjusted. But then he hit puberty.

When Blaine was 14 everything changed.

One day Cooper was waiting in the kitchen reading the paper when Blaine got home from school. Coop noticed immediately that his brother had a familiar look on his face, the same he had whenever he’d developed a new power. But this time it was laced with something else, a mixture of fear and anxiety. He hadn’t seen Blaine look this anxious in years. 

“Hey Blainers. What amazing feat are we adding to the list this week?” Cooper asked, trying to keep the mood light.

Blaine looked directly at him with teary but resolute eyes. He’d obviously been going over something in his mind and had come to some decision.

“I’m gay, Coop.”

Cooper put the paper down and turned towards his brother.

“I mean… I think I’m gay. I just… I’ve been thinking about it for a while and I… I don’t like girls the way that the other guys at school do. And I keep noticing some of the other guys even though I try not to. And when I think about kissing and stuff it’s always… it’s always other guys.” Blaine spoke in a rush, like he couldn’t get the words out fast enough, as if it hurt him somehow to keep them inside. Cooper realized that it probably did.

“Blaine, come here.” 

Cooper opened his arms and hugged his brother close, just like he always did when things seemed too much for his unique but wonderful baby brother.

“It’s okay, Blaine. There’s nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with you. I promise, everything is going to be fine.”

Blaine pulled back, wiping his eyes.

“Yeah, I figured you’d say something like that.” He said with a smile.

Coop grinned in response. “Well, I’d never lie to you, B.”

They were both quiet for a few minutes.

“So B, when are you gonna tell Mom and Dad?”

Blaine blanched. “I’m… I’m not.”

“Blaine, this is serious. You can’t keep something like this from them.” 

“But… I don’t talk to them about my new powers. Ever. So why would I tell them about this?”

“Blaine, this isn’t like when you got x-ray vision last year, or when you broke the sound barrier over the summer, or last week when you blew a hole through the fence with your eyes. This isn’t a power thing; this is a human thing. This is about who you are and who you love.”

“But Coop… I love you.”

“I love you too, B, but one day you’re gonna grow up and meet a great guy and you’ll want to be with him. And that’s why you need to tell Mom and Dad.”

Blaine sighed. “I keep my powers a secret, why can’t this be a secret too? What good will it do?” 

Cooper thought for a moment, taking in Blaine’s wide eyes and his scared expression. For the millionth time he wished that things were different, that his little brother didn’t have the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He grabbed hold of Blaine’s hands and looked him right in the eye, not looking away, not even blinking.

“Blaine. We both know that you’re meant to do amazing things. All those things you can do? The… gifts that you have? You’re going to be a hero someday. And yeah, right now as a kid in Westerville, Ohio you can’t do much. But even if you’re the only person who can bench-press a mack truck, you’re not the only gay kid. Blaine, I don’t want to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with, but this is your chance B: Your chance to be a hero without outracing trains or catching bullets. You can do so much good, B. You just need to believe that you can. I know that I do. I’ve always believed in you.”

Blaine closed his eyes and sighed again.

“O… okay, Coop. Okay.”

After that, Cooper prayed that everything would be all right. But deep down he knew it wouldn’t be that easy. A few weeks later all of his worst fears came true.

It was a Friday night and Cooper was home for the weekend. He knew all about Blaine’s plans to go to Westerville High’s Sadie Hawkins dance with a friend, but had gotten home after the boys had gone. His parents had left for an early dinner, and later Coop would thank all the gods he’d ever heard of that he was the one home when the call came through. 

“Mr. Anderson? There’s been an incident with Blaine.”

Cooper broke every traffic law in Ohio in his rush to get to the school. For the first time in his life he wished he was the one with super speed. When he found Blaine hunched over in a plastic chair outside of the principal’s office he ran to him and buried him in a hug.

“Oh my god, Blaine. What happened?” 

“I’m so sorry, Coop. I tried so hard, I really did.” Blaine sobbed into his brother’s shirt." 

“C’mon, we’re going home.” 

Cooper didn’t even glance at the principal as he pulled his brother to the door. The drive home was quiet save for a few choked sobs from Blaine. Once they were home and Cooper sat Blaine down on the couch, it was like the floodgates opened. Blaine simply crumbled as he told Cooper what had happened.

“Pete and I went to the dance, and I thought everything was gonna be fine. No one said anything to us when we got there and we didn’t slow dance or anything, we just danced with some friends and it was really fun. But then this guy kept giving us looks, and, like, the whole school seemed to know about me being gay and Pete was getting really uncomfortable so we were gonna leave and come home to play video games or something but then…” Blaine choked back another sob. “Then… they followed us to the parking lot and there were five of them and they pushed Pete down and started to kick him and I tried to stop them and they pushed me back and… and… Coop I’m so sorry, I tried so hard!”

Cooper pulled Blaine in for another hug, holding him fiercely; tight enough that it hurt him. But he knew it couldn’t hurt Blaine. “What happened, Blaine?” what did you do?

“I… I didn’t want to hurt anybody, Coop. But I didn’t want them to keep hurting Pete. I was so scared, I didn’t know what to do. They pushed me down and Pete was screaming and they were yelling and calling us fags and… I knew you told me I could be a hero but I didn’t know how. I just… I just got so scared and then so mad, they were so hateful and they hurt Pete and… and I just snapped. I jumped up and I pushed them away from Pete and I don’t know what happened I did it all so fast. They were all on the ground and they were all hurt and Pete was still screaming and I didn’t know what to do, Coop.”

Cooper began rocking Blaine back and forth.

“It’s okay, Blaine. It’s okay.”

“What if I… oh god, Coop, what did I do?”

“You didn’t do anything. The principal told me. The boys are fine, a few broken bones and some scratches, nothing serious. They broke one of Pete’s ribs but they’ll be okay. You won’t get in any trouble, Pete told them that whatever you did was in self-defense. You just… you were so fast, none of them saw you do it.”

“Coop… oh god Coop. I can’t be a hero. I can’t do it. I should never have come out.”

Cooper’s heart broke.

“Blaine…”

“No, no Cooper!” Blaine pulled back and looked up at his brother defiantly. “Don’t tell me that it’s going to be okay. Don’t lie to me like that. I just… I need to go back to hiding. I need to try and pass for straight, I can’t let this happen again. I could’ve killed those guys, Coop.”

“No. No way, B. You can’t do that, you can’t hide who you are like that!”

“What’s the difference?” Blaine stood up, eyes blazing and chest heaving. “I pass for human and I’m not. How is this any different? I’m not human, I’m not straight, I’m not normal, and I’m not okay. I need to just pretend that I am. I need to pretend so that I don’t… don’t run everything.” Blaine’s face crumbled. “Oh god, Coop. I’m not… I can’t… I have to hide it all or…”

All Cooper wanted to do was cry, but his brother needed him right now, he needed him to be strong. He wiped his eyes and grabbed hold of Blaine’s face, looking him directly in the eye. 

“No, Blaine. No. You already hide way too much. If you keep doing that then… then you’ll never have a life. And you deserve to have a life. A great one; one where you can be yourself and be happy. So no, I won’t let you pretend like that. Sure, you can’t use your powers in public but you should never have to hide who you really are. And you know what that is? Who you are is Blaine Anderson, my dopey kid brother. You’re smart, you’re funny, and you have the worst fashion sense of any gay kid I’ve ever met. You’re vibrant and you’re optimistic and you always see the best in people. You make me smile everyday, Blaine. And I know, I know that you’re going to be a hero. Hell, you’re already my hero. And I know it’s going to be hard sometimes, but I still believe in you, B. I believe that you’d never hurt anyone, and in a few years you’ll be able to control yourself better and you won’t hurt anyone. None of this is your fault, B, and you can’t blame yourself. Please, don’t blame yourself. Have courage, B. Have courage.”

Tears were streaming down Blaine’s face. “But Coop, what am I gonna do?”

Cooper knew what he meant. “Well, first you’re gonna change into your pajamas and we’re going to have a Disney movie marathon. With ice cream. And then Monday morning you’re going to start at Dalton.” Cooper recently began teaching drama at Dalton Academy, a private school with a zero tolerance bullying policy. Blaine would be safe there, and he wouldn’t have a need to lose his temper. “Don’t worry, I promise not to embarrass you.” Blaine gave Coop a watery smile. “And then… I promise, B, I’m gonna come up with a way that you won’t have to hide anymore. A way that you can be a hero and be yourself at the same time.” He hugged his brother close again. “I’ve got your back, B, and I always will.” 

Finally, after years of struggle, Blaine’s life was looking up. He loved Dalton and the friends he made there. No one bothered him about being gay, they all just loved him for being Blaine. He avoided the theatre department and any implied nepotism, but he thrived in the student-led a capella group The Warblers. Cooper loved to watch him sing, and often told Blaine that he was a born performer. That’s what gave him the first spark, the seed of an idea that grew over the years.

“I got it, Blaine. I know what you’ll need to do!”

Cooper explained his plan while Blaine stared at him incredulously. Had his brother finally lost it?

“You want me to wear a costume?”

“Yeah, like The Phantom or Zorro. It’s perfect! You can use your powers to help people and still have a life.”

“Oh… I… shoot, that kind of sounds like it could work. Wait… what do you mean by costume?”

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

Blaine eyed himself in the mirror once more. Leave it to Cooper to give him the most outlandish outfit imaginable. But it had worked, he was doing it. Blaine was finally able to be himself and he was able to be the hero that Coop always believed he could be.

Looking back, Blaine knew that it couldn’t have been easy raising him. His childhood and adolescence was one big blur of pain and fear, but Cooper had been his strength.

But now it was Blaine’s turn to be the strong one, to show Cooper that his belief was not unfounded. Now Blaine was going to go out there and begin to put his trust, even just a little bit of it, in another person. Through Kurt he could get enough information to the city that hopefully they would trust him so he could keep doing his job.

And if there was something brewing, someone gathering information on him, Blaine was going to need an ally.

But really, more than wanting the city’s trust, more than wanting help, Blaine just wanted more time with Kurt. And that, of course, was the scariest part of it.

Blaine took a steadying breath as he stared down his reflection.

“Courage.”