He was late.  He was so, so late.

Blaine ran through the campus, barely illuminated by streetlamps and lights on the buildings that needed to be replaced soon and only seemed to help moths and flies get together and socialize around them.  He had to make the drop-off time.  Assignments were due in the appropriate teacher assistant mailboxes by midnight.  It was 11:55 pm.  He had fallen asleep at his desk working on the assignment only to wake up at 11 and rushed through the rest of the questions.  Better to get partial marks on them than none at all.  Now he just needed to get to the business department mailboxes across the campus.  Hopefully the T.A. didn't check their box until morning, but he had known some to wait maliciously beside their boxes, emptying it as soon as midnight hit.

Thank goodness for shortcuts.

He weaved himself between the chemistry building, which stunk of god knows what, and the biology lab building, which stunk of things he didn't want to know about.  His friend, Wes, had grossed him out on far too many occasions with one-sided conversations about the latest thing he had dissected in there.  It was a wonder there was anything left alive in the world given how many dead animals were channeled into that building.

Blaine turned behind the biology lab building only to bounce back.  He shook his head and looked up in surprise, sure that there wasn't a wall where he had turned, and let his eyes adjust to the complete blackness that existed in the spaces between the buildings.

“The fuck?  You trying to start something kid?”

The voice registered before Blaine's eyes were able to see the outline of a much larger guy than him, the “wall” he had run into.  He wasn't alone either.  There were a couple other silhouettes in the darkness there with him, both of which had lifted off the walls they had been leaning against to smoke.  Their cigarettes glowing gold in the ebony night devoid of all stars.

“No!  No!  Sorry!  I didn't mean to run into you!  Just trying to get my assignment in!”  Blaine wagged the paper in his hand out as proof.

The paper was snatched away and tossed behind the guy, floating slowly to the ground as Blaine yelped and scrambled to retrieve it.  In that moment it was the only thing he cared about, and that was idiotic of him given that he was in a dark space between buildings with guys that had no business being there.

His collar was grabbed as he moved to rescue his paper and with a ‘hrk!' he was yanked back.  Someone out of the group laughed while another one cracked their knuckles and as Blaine struggled and flailed to free himself, he realized the gravity of the situation he was in, and wished they offered those damned rape whistles to the guys as well as the girls on campus.

“Guys!  Please!  I just wanted to get my homework in!  I didn't mean to offend you!”

“You made me drop my smoke man.”  The guy who had a hold of his collar said plainly.  

Blaine wanted to swallow down the dread in him, but found he couldn't.  His heartbeat became sluggish and he just wanted whatever was about to happen to just hurry up and happen so it could be over.  

Then, the least expected of things happened.  A shrill, sharp scream echoed through the night forcing everyone, Blaine included, to grab their ears and cry out in pain from the hard pop theirs ears were enduring.  He crumbled down to the ground, curling up tightly into himself as if it could protect him from the auditory assault.  Beside him the other guy had done the same, whimpering in a manner that was a complete juxtaposition to his size and the threat he had posed.

There was a scramble, and another body stepped into the group as the guys around Blaine got up and started yelling.  Blaine just kept himself balled up.  Maybe if whatever had attacked them all thought he was already dead or infirmed it would leave him alone.

Blaine's hearing came back to him after a minute, though dulled.  He listened and tightened his grip on himself as he could hear coughs and the unmistakable sound of bones cracking and flesh being struck, all complimented by groans, ‘oofs', and ‘ughs'.

Then it was quiet save for the soft whimpers and whines of other bodies around him and Blaine tensed.  If they were down that meant whatever had attacked them had won and Blaine was all that was left to take care of.  Damn it.  All he wanted to do was turn in his assignment.

“Are you alright?”

The voice was deep, and the crackle that accompanied it told Blaine it was probably produced through some kind of machine.  A gentle hand settled on Blaine's shoulder.  Initially he tensed at the touch, but the lack of any harm coming to him made him realize that the assailant wasn't there to hurt him, but to help him.  He peeked through the cracks between his fingers and took in a sharp breath.

It was Blackbird.

He had read about him in the newspapers, seen the shoddy footage of him on the news, and even read a couple of the comics Wes had on him.  Nothing though had prepared him for what the hero was like before him.  

Bright blonde hair, a dark mask that may of well been drawn around his eyes, and black…. so much black.  Tight black shirt, tight black leather jacket, black leather gloves, black belt, black leather pants, black boots.  In fact, aside from the skin and hair and the bo attached to his back, Blackbird definitely lived up to the name.

“I'm…. I'm….”

A smile pulled at the corner of Blackbird's mouth and Blaine realized then that a hand was being held out to him.  He took it, trembling a little as he rose to his feet.

“I'm late for getting my homework in.”

Internally he smacked himself silly.  It had to be the stupidest thing to say to a guy, a gorgeous guy for that matter, that had just saved your ass.  Unfortunately, as his family and friends could certainly attest, Blaine was not great under pressure.

Blaine watched this time as Blackbird's lips moved with the voice following a split second behind.  His voice was definitely being morphed by something.

“Business, math, or science homework?”

“B-business.”

Blackbird nodded and knelt down, picking up the paper that had been snatched away from Blaine just minutes ago.  “This it?”

Blaine nodded, “Y-yeah!  Thanks.”

“I can get it there for you faster…”  Blackbird noted, dusting off the paper and glancing down at it before his eyes, beautiful blue eyes, met Blaine's again.  “... you get out of here and call campus security.  Let them know these guys need some first aid.”

Blaine quickly nodded, looking around for the first time since his eyes had settled on Blackbird and seeing the crumpled and knocked out bodies of the guys that had gotten so upset over a cigarette.  “Yeah… yeah… thank you.  Thank you so much!”

He watched as a grin formed on Blackbird's lips and the hero turned away from him.  “You're welcome.”

Campus Police Reports

…..

A report was received at 11:10 p.m. that a disturbance had broken out between the Queen Biology Lab building and the Lance Chemistry Studies building.   Campus police apprehended three individuals and held them until police were able to take them into custody.  Charges are pending.  

….

Blaine shook his head as he read and reread the little blurb in the Campus paper.  Nothing about Blackbird.  Nothing about him.  Nothing about him meeting Blackbird, seeing Blackbird, talking to Blackbird.  In the days following the altercation, Blaine had purposely stayed up late, looking out of his dorm window to see if he could see the man in black.  He had pulled up every article on Blackbird he could find online, as well as watched and rewatched all the video footage people had of him.  Nothing did the man justice though.

His friends made fun of him once they had gotten over the awe of knowing someone who had been saved by Blackbird.  He had gone from being completely disinterested in the masked man to completely infatuated.  Maybe it was the way the moon had come out from behind Blackbird when Blaine had been looking up at him, framing him in the most gorgeous of glows, or maybe it was some kind of hero worship.  Whatever it was, Blaine couldn't get the man off his mind.

He was determined to meet him again.

How though was another issue altogether.  There was no ‘Blackbird' signal, he had no emergency phone line, certainly no email address or tumblr account.  Blackbird just seemed to show up at random, and lucky for Blaine that he was in Blackbird's path that night.  

Blaine received his assignment back later that week.  Surprisingly, aside from the last couple questions he had fudged, he did pretty well on it.  On the last line though, something caught his eye.

Stay out of the shadows.  Stay safe.

His heart fluttered when he read it and Blaine might have let out a squeal akin to something a young teenage girl might make.  There was no way that was written by his T.A.  Blackbird had written him a little note.  Blackbird cared about his safety.  Blackbird took the time to make sure he knew!

His friends could make fun of Blaine all they wanted now.   It didn't matter to him.  He'd look out his window every night for eternity to watch for Blackbird.  One day Blaine would meet him again, and one day Blaine would come up with something better to say than that he had homework he needed to get in.

“You were out late last night.”

Kurt yawned and nodded, rubbing his eyes as he stumbled out of his small bedroom.  As he went to scratch his itchy head he realized he hadn't even taken off the damned blonde wig he wore as part of the costume, flinging it off his now sweat gelled hair and to the floor.

“Find any other cute boys to moronically write notes to on your marking?”

Kurt snorted as he sat across the table from his old family friend Roy, now a mentor to him of sorts.  The other man had his legs kicked up on the edge of the table as he read through the paper so that Kurt could only see the top of his red hair.

“He'll just think it was from when I, as Blackbird, delivered it.  I doubt he'll connect the dots to realize I'm his T.A. too.”

“Never say never kid.”

Kurt just rolled his eyes and went to pour himself a cup of coffee.  He had assignments to mark, judo class to get to, and his own homework to do for his post-graduate degree.  Retired heroes like Roy could be listened to later, if at all.  Kurt was in the life now, and he was just trying to stay afloat.  

But the boy had been cute.