Blaine stood on a rooftop looking out over the city, desperately trying to think of something he could do. He was shaken from his thoughts by the sounds of crashes and sirens across Metropolis as more and more citizens succumbed to this weird plague. It was only a few hundred now, but Blaine knew that number would grow over the next few days. Sure, he could make sure that no one was injured in secondary accidents, like the car that crashed into the Ace of Clubs. But that was just sealing up one crack in a dam that was about to crumble.

Before Blaine could get even more lost in his jumble of anxious thoughts, he heard a shrill beeping through the air. It took a moment to realize that the noise was at a decibel that only he and some dogs could hear, meaning that whatever it was, it was meant for him.

Considering the state of the city, Blaine figured this couldn’t be a coincidence. He took a moment to listen until he found the direction of the source of the sound and began to follow it back to its origin.

When Blaine realized his destination was the top of SebCorp Tower, he wasn’t surprised. Sebastian Smythe was a powerhouse in Metropolis, and in the few months that Blaine had lived there he had heard every sort of rumor and whisper about the kind of connections and control that Smythe had. If something was wrong in the city, Blaine was sure that Sebastian would know something about it.

Blaine was equally unsurprised to see that there was a window open and waiting for him. He flew into the room, unsure of what he’d see, only to find himself face to face with the man himself, Sebastian Smythe.

“Ah, welcome Superman. Have a seat. Can I get you anything?” Sebastian stood beside his desk and motioned to a chair in front of it, a smirk on his face.
“No thanks.” Blaine tried to stay polite, but he was beginning to feel agitated about why Smythe wanted him there in the first place, on top of his growing anxiety for the state of the city. “I’d rather keep this short.”

“Ah, of course. You’ve got lots of... heroing to do, don’t you?” he asked with a sneer.

Blaine’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, I do. So if you were just going to waste my time...”

Sebastian smiled menacingly. “Of course not, I wouldn’t dream of it. No Superman, I brought you here for a reason.” Sebastian began walking slowly about the room, turning his speech into a sort of performance, obviously loving the attention. “You’ve seen what’s happening out there, I assume. The city is slowly crumbling, slowly dying, seemingly from the ground up. I’ve been worried about something like this happening for some time now, and have had SebCorp’s scientists searching for the answers.”

“You knew something like this would happen!?” Blaine asked, appalled.

Sebastian stopped and turned toward Blaine, his eyes blazing. “Of course I did. Do you think I’m some sort of imbecile? Some strange flying freak shows up in my city without warning and you’d think I wouldn’t assume the worst?”

Blaine blanched. “You think... you think this is somehow my fault?”

“Oh I don’t ‘think’ it, Superman, I know.”

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

Across town at the Daily Planet, Kurt was taking a much needed coffee break. He’d been researching this weird plague but couldn’t come up with any solid answers. No one had died yet, but more and more people were getting sick and falling into comas. He’d gathered all the information he could find on the epidemic, gotten quotes from the CDC and Star Labs, charted its progress, but in the end it wasn’t enough for a really hard-hitting story. Something was missing, but Kurt had no idea what it was.

Not to mention the fact that he kept getting distracted by thoughts of Superman and what had happened between them on the roof. Kurt couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt like that around someone, had those butterflies in his stomach and had the urge to touch, to kiss, to be near them like that. And for some weird reason whenever he started to think about Superman like that, he’d think of Blaine and immediately feel guilty. Kurt was confused and tired and at a dead end with his story, and not even coffee could help him at this point. What he needed to do was talk it all out. Thankfully Blaine wasn’t Kurt’s only friend. He did have another person at the Planet that he could go to. That’s why Kurt soon found himself sitting in the Daily Planet break room across from Mercedes Jones, the Planet’s resident theatre and music critic and Kurt’s oldest friend on staff. They had met back when they were both gophers for the Life and Style editors and had bonded over their constant need to judge and critique their peers. Though Kurt’s life for the past few years had been completely centered on his work, they always found a few times a month to see a show or to meet for coffee.

“Okay Boo, what’s the problem?”

Kurt sighed. “I don’t know, ‘Cedes. It’s complicated.”

“Is this about a certain heroic hottie that you keep writing about?” Mercedes asked with a wink.

“I can’t remember the last time I felt like this about someone.”

Mercedes frowned. “Kurt, sweetie, do you even know the guy?”

Kurt looked offended. “Of course, do you think I’m some stupid school boy with a crush? I’ve interviewed him, I’ve talked to him, and the other day we almost... well, let’s just say it’s obvious he feels something for me, too.”

“So he’s....”

“Likewise inclined, yes.”

“Huh. I should’ve figured, that is a pretty flamboyant outfit...”

“Focus, please! I know he likes me, but he keeps holding back and I don’t... I just don’t get it.”

“Well Kurt, he is sort of a superhero. I don’t think they have time for romance.”

“I know that.” he huffed. “It’s just... there’s this connection between us and...”

“And you’re obsessing.”

Kurt’s face grew guarded. “...Maybe.”

“Kurt!” Mercedes drawled. “You can’t keep doing this.”

“Doing what?” Kurt asked indignantly.

“Kurt, you keep falling for unattainable guys. Remember when you had that idiotic crush on one of the straight interns? Or when Sam started working here and you were convinced he was gay?”

Kurt felt embarrassed just thinking about the Planet’s blonde, fun-loving IT guy who had been seriously dating Mercedes for the last year.

“Alright, fine, those were mistakes, but Superman... he’s different. He likes me back.”

“Okay, so he likes you back. But other than the sexual tension, do you think the two of you could ever actually have a relationship? You don’t even know his real name.”

Kurt had no response. For once he wasn’t making this up in his head, for once he was sure he’d fallen for someone who not only could love him back, but did. But Kurt was wrong. That was the problem with falling for a superhero. By putting on that suit he took away any other identity, any other life. Kurt couldn’t date him, couldn’t have a life with him. Couldn’t be anything more than a friendly reporter or a “damsel” in distress.

Kurt dropped his head onto his arms on the table. “Oh ‘Cedes. This sucks. Why do I keep doing this?”

Mercedes patted his head lightly. “I don’t know, sweetie. But I know he’s out there, the right guy for you.”

Kurt thought back to his previous dating experiences. Back as a military brat following his father around the country he’d known a few severely closeted young soldiers. College brought his first real dates, but nobody lasted long. The more devoted he had gotten to his work, the less guys seemed to want to stick around, and the more cynical and judgmental Kurt grew.

“Yeah, right.” He scoffed. “I’m married to the Planet. Who would want to be ‘the other man’?”

Mercedes laughed. “Kurt, you’re way too gorgeous and smart and successful to not find someone. I promise, somewhere in this city there’s a guy who’ll love your passion and dedication, a guy who’ll just smile when you go on your news-induced rants, and will happily support your late night coffee binges.”

At the mention of coffee, the image of Blaine holding two mugs in his hands flitted through Kurt’s mind. Kurt sat up suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” Mercedes asked.

“Oh my god. Blaine.”

“Blaine? The cutie with the bowties that follow you around like a puppy?”

“Yeah. He... oh no. I got jealous when he was set up on a date. I... I felt guilty for talking about Superman in front of him. I... I told him he was my best friend...”

“Hey!”

Kurt looked up. “Sorry Mercedes. But... holy shit.”

“Kurt... do you....?”

“I... I gotta go...”

Kurt grabbed his bag and his mug and ran for the door.

“Wait, Kurt!”

“Sorry sweetie!” He called back. “I gotta find Blaine!”

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

“I don’t ‘think’ it, Superman, I know.”

Sebastian grabbed a file folder off of his desk and handed it to Blaine. “It’s all in there, all the research. The trajectory of this plague, the origins in the city, the correlation to your ‘heroic’ activities. You’re an alien, Superman, and you’ve brought some sort of unknown illness onto the people of this city.”

Blaine looked through the papers in the file, skimming over the reports that tracked his activities, most of them in the poorer parts of Metropolis, and tracked this disease beginning in those same locations. There were diagnostics of the disease itself, a seemingly new illness of unknown origin. Blaine’s mind raced.

“But this can’t... I... I’ve been on Earth for years... this has never happened.”

“Yes, but have you ever used your powers like this?” Sebastian countered. “It was clear to my scientists that you’re powered by radiation from the sun, sort of like a solar battery. The findings are all in there. Anyway, obviously when you use your powers you give off a different radiation, one that is apparently toxic to humans.”

Blaine looked up with wide eyes at Sebastian’s words. “...Toxic?”

He nodded. “Apparently. You see, Superman, you may think you’re here to do good, but that’s not the case. Your presence here is only causing harm. You’re a freak, you’re a disease; you’re the rat that carried the Bubonic plague. It’s all there in black and white, Superman. People are dying all around you, human beings, because you decided to play hero.” Blaine’s face paled as he took in Sebastian’s words, his eyes still glued to the papers in his hand, not seeing the triumphant grin on Sebastian’s face. “Go home, Superman. 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.”