The whole city was buzzing when Kurt’s interview hit newsstands. The Planet was fielding calls all day as papers around the world asked to print the story. Kurt was busy keeping court at his desk, lording the article over his peers with a smug expression.

“That’s right, there’re even rumors of a Pulitzer nomination!”

Blaine walked over to their shared workstation, the usual two cups of coffee in hand, smiling softly at Kurt’s boisterously proud speeches.

“Well, just don’t forget us little people.”

Kurt smiled at Blaine, grabbing his mocha and taking a long sip. “Don’t worry, Westerville, I’ll still let you sharpen my pencils when I win my Pulitzer.”

As Kurt spent the morning glowing over his journalistic triumph, Blaine spent the morning quietly at his desk trying to not go slowly insane.

As his eyes kept drifting over his computer screen over towards Kurt, Blaine’s thoughts were in a constant whirl.

Okay, what was that last night? We were flirting and he called himself a friend and… What was I thinking, flirting with him? Five minutes interacting without the hair gel and glasses and I become a horny teenager. Smooth, Anderson, way to be a cool and controlled superhero. Oh man, that suit is so tight, I hope he couldn’t tell… Why did I EVER let Cooper dress me in that? “Aerodynamic” my butt. Ugh, which Kurt saw all of last night when I left. Shoot, is he looking at me? Eyes on the computer, eyes on the computer. What am I even working on right now? Not like it matters, everyone is still re-reading that article. Ok, so I was obviously flirting last night, but he was definitely flirting back and… What does THAT mean? He said “friends but…” Blaine’s eyes widened. Oh no. Kurt likes me. No, Kurt likes Superman. Not Blaine the quiet coffee-runner, but the guy in the cape who can fly and has heat vision and flirts. And who’s tall. Oh great, now I’m jealous of myself! Blaine rested his head on his arms. This is the problem with having a double identity!

A beeping from his computer shook Blaine out of his downward spiral. It was his sound alert for e-mails tagged “important,” and there was a new e-mail in his inbox from Captain Lopez:

*********
Hobbit-

I got some interesting info for you and your pretty-boy partner. The Purell-addicted scientist whose lab was robbed is apparently dating a reporter named Will Schuester. Guess who just got reported missing? And since Metropolis is suddenly getting all wet over Lady Hummel’s article and we all know what went missing…

Listen ladies, you got a line to the Big Guy. I don’t want my name connected to some shitty Planet expose, but just use your little Nancy Drew powers and keep the big Boy Scout informed for me, got it?

-Captain Lopez  

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

Blaine quickly forwarded the e-mail to Kurt and watched from across their desks as his partner read it, eyes widening as he went.

“Blaine.” Kurt looked up at him.

“Not sure why she sent it to me, but I guess you can let you super-pal know.”

Blaine looked away at Kurt’s suddenly red face.

“He’s not… we’re not…”

“It’s fine, Kurt. But you know, there’s a story here. If you want to do more than just bask in your 15 minutes of journalistic fame.”

Kurt’s eyes narrowed at Blaine’s sudden hostility.

“Listen, Anderson, I work damn hard at this paper, and don’t you forget it. Now come on, we’re going to Schuester’s place.”

Kurt grabbed his coat and stalked toward the door as Blaine hurried to follow. They were silent until they reached Kurt’s car.

“Um, do you, um, know who this Schuester guy is?”

“Yeah, he worked at the Planet a while back but he was lazy and a little bit slow. Plus he wore the most god-awful sweater vests. Anyway, last I heard he was fired and had been working over at the Star.”

The Metropolis Star was the Planet’s main rival when it came to sales, but where the Daily Planet was world-renowned for its high quality and integrity, the Star was nothing more than a gossip rag.

The duo spent the day trying to find a lead on Schuester, but they kept coming up empty. Their easy camaraderie was also gone. Kurt shifted between being angry with Blaine for his hostility and wondering what in the world had upset his usually mild-mannered friend. Blaine was simply lost in his own head, trying to decipher if he was indeed in a two-person love triangle with his partner and trying to ignore the cold feeling in his stomach that Schuester’s disappearance had something to do with him.
***************************************************************************

Over in the penthouse of SebCorp Tower, Sebastian Smythe was in a decidedly good mood.

“Harmony,” he barked at his assistant. “Where are we on the Schuester problem?”

“It’s been dealt with, Sir,” she responded with a small yet maniacal smile. “And the Project is all on schedule.”

“Good. Let the lab know that I want a full report tomorrow on their progress and an estimated time until they’re ready.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Sebastian turned to face the windows that lined his office wall, smiling over the city possessively as his plans fell into place around him.

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

That night, alone in his apartment, Kurt was drowning his sorrows in a piece of cheesecake while wondering how his life had become so complicated. His partner, who was arguably also his best friend, was mad at him for no reason. Plus he may or may not be falling in love with a super-powered alien who may or may not have been flirting with him a few nights earlier.

I thought newsroom dramas were supposed to be full of quipy banter and less emotional confusion, he thought. All those classic films lied to me. I bet Hildy Johnson never had to go through this kind of shit.

Did Superman like him? He’d been very flirty on the roof, and, unless Kurt was imagining things, there was a definite bulge in his super-shorts by the end. But even if he did like Kurt, there was no way he’d act on it. He was a superhero, he did superheroic things, and those things did not include an attractive and talented but otherwise utterly average human reporter. Even if Kurt was more and more sure that he had fallen head over heels for the enigmatic hero. Kurt sighed, deciding to ignore the tangle that was his non-existent love life with Superman for now and focus on why Blaine was so upset.

He couldn’t be jealous of the article. Blaine’s not the type to go all green-eyed-monster over my success; he’s not the Brutus type. But everything was fine before the article. He did make that “super-pal” comment. Maybe he has a secret thing for Superman? Hell, every gay man and straight woman in Metropolis has a thing for Superman, the guy is sex on a stick! Blaine knows that. Maybe… shit, maybe Blaine isn’t jealous of me, maybe he… likes me?

Kurt shook his head, not wanting to think those kinds of thoughts or further complicate his friendship with Blaine. Kurt knew he wasn’t always the most likable guy or the easiest person to be around. He could be cold and bitchy and he kept his heart hidden behind a metaphorical Great Wall. His whole life was the Planet, and he had almost no friends there. Just the Chief, though Burt was more of a father-figure than a friend, and Mercedes Jones, the food and theater critic that he bonded with back in his Life and Style days. He didn’t want anything making his friendship with Blaine awkward. He couldn’t afford to lose what they had.

Kurt sighed, getting up to dig through his freezer for more dessert. This problem definitely called for a whole cheesecake.

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

While Kurt was busy eating his feelings, Blaine’s head was still whirling with his own part in the Blaine/Kurt/Superman debacle. Instead of resorting to baked goods, he went in search of some brotherly advice.

“Blainey! Welcome home, little brother.” Cooper grabbed him in a bear hug the moment Blaine walked through the back door. “To what do I owe the pleasure of this surprise visit from Metropolis’ #1 hero?” Blaine could see that Cooper had cut out the interview and taped it onto the fridge, which was also covered with Blaine’s own Daily Planet articles.

“Hey Coop. I just, you know, got homesick.”

Cooper grinned at his brother, pulling him over to sit at the table as he grabbed them both cans of coke from the fridge.

“You can’t fool me, Squirt. You always come running to me when you’ve got a problem that you can’t punch your way out of. So, what’s the problem? Actually, let me take a guess here, what’s his name?”

Blaine sputtered into his soda. “Wha.. um, what makes you think there’s a guy?”

“Blaine, you’re in your 20s, and you have a good job, and there hasn’t been a natural disaster or a super villain attack in a week. Of course it’s a guy. What the hell else could it be?”

Blaine sighed. “Kurt. His name is Kurt.”

“That guy from work, the one who interviewed you?”

“Yeah. He’s kinda of my best friend.”

“But….”

“But I’m also kind of in love with him.”

“Blainey! That’s great!”

“Not really. He’s likes somebody else.”

“Oh, that really sucks, B-.”

“-He likes Superman,” Blaine interrupted.

“Oh.”

The brothers sat in silence for a few moments, both staring intently at their sodas.

Cooper was the first to speak. “What if you, you know, told him the truth?”

“I can’t do that, he could be in danger. This whole secret identity thing is a lot more complicated than we originally thought.”

“You know, B, the whole point of you having this ‘secret identity thing’ is so you can have a life, and that includes a love life.”

“But Coop, he doesn’t like me like that. Not me. He likes superhero, the taller and stronger and super version of me. He… he likes a fantasy. And I can’t be that for him. I’m just Blaine.”

“I know, B. And that really does suck.”

Blaine dropped his head into his hands.

Cooper suddenly stood up. “Wait, I got it!” he said, pointing at Blaine.

“Got what?”

“A plan. What you need, little brother, is to go find somebody else.”

“Coop, that sounds like a horrible idea.”

“No, it’s awesome. You’re going to go back and find another guy and date him. Seriously, go find someone that you like that likes you back. It’ll help you get over Kurt. And hey, maybe seeing you with someone else will make Kurt insanely jealous.” Cooper waggled his eyebrows and Blaine couldn’t help but laugh.

“Fine, maybe. But what do I do about Kurt as Superman?”

Cooper shrugged. “You said it yourself, B. Superman’s a fantasy. He’s there so you can save people and be true to yourself, but he can’t exactly have a relationship. Just try to let the guy down gently, I guess.”

Blaine groaned. “That’s what I was afraid you’d say.”