Yes, another superhero fic because Nightbird is sooo amazing.
Summary: After killing New York's last villain three years earlier, Nightbird has nothing to do with his life. He is not the superhero people respected and loved anymore, he is just a debauched man, desperately clinging to the past. But when a mysterious guy starts playing Robin Hood in his city, getting the attention he deserves, Nightbird is forced to recover from his depression to show people who the real superhero is.
Warnings: sexual themes, violence, minor character deaths
3 years earlier
Blaine leaned against the wall, trying to breath. He was close to losing consciousness, he could feel it. The laboratory was in flames, the air was too hot to bear, and he had to get out of there before the place could explode and kill him.
"What's wrong, Nightbird? Can't you take the heat anymore?"
Blaine pressed his lips together and looked up at his enemy. Professor Black, true to his name dressed in a black costume, took a few slow steps towards him.
"It's over, Black. Give up" Blaine said as he pushed himself away from the wall. He knew that he looked awful. He had several injuries, his clothes were ruined but he still tried to stand straight and not show any fear.
"Never" Professor Black smiled. "Once I kill you and activate the reactor, the city will be mine."
"Not so fast, my friend" Blaine smiled.
With shaky hands, he pulled out a small device from his pocket. He raised it into the air and laughed when Professor Black went pale seeing it.
"Not so confident anymore, I see" Blaine panted.
"Don't do anything stupid. If you destroy the lab, you will die, too" Professor Black tried to reason.
"It's my job to protect the city and that's exactly what I will do" Blaine said. Before the villain could do anything, he pushed the button on the device, activating the bomb hidden beside the reactor. The lights in the lab went red and there was a loud shrieking noise that made Blaine unable to move.
"You idiot! We will both die!" Professor Black hissed.
Blaine didn't even have time to nod in agreement as the machine in the middle of the room exploded and the strong wave of air sent him flying back to the opposite wall. He was unable to move as he watched pieces of metal fly through the room and the walls collapse around him.
Outside of the building, there were hundreds of people waiting for Nightbird's success or failure. There were dozens of reporters, workers from the laboratory and other people who just happened to be there and didn't want to miss the big moment when Nightbird, protector of New York city encountered the crazy professor who terrorized everybody.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash coming from inside and the walls of he building collapsed. People ran away from the building, fearing their lives, some of them were screaming, others watching the ruins in horror. And then, for a minute or two, nothing happened. The area became completely silent, people even forgot to breath as they were waiting for something to happen.
A loud groan came from under the ruins and those who stayed close to the place jumped back in fear. Bricks started moving in the middle of the mess and without warning, a fist appeared from under the mess. With another grunt, a second hand appeared. Those hands were covered in dark blue gloaves and everybody knew who they belonged.
"Nightbird!" a girl screamed from the background.
"We have to help him" a man said and with careful steps, he made his way to the superhero to help him.
With some help of a few men, Nightbird was freed from under the ruins and he smiled at the crowd watching him.
"Good evening, everyone" Blaine said, trying to keep his voice steady. He should have said something reassuring but he could barely stay conscious.
"The professor!"
"Where is the professor?"
"Have you killed him?"
Blaine's smile disappeared as he looked down at the mess under his feet.
"The professor's gone" Blaine said quietly. "You're safe."
He closed his eyes, listening to the screams and cheers from all around him. Somebody squeezed his shoulder, then arms sneaked around him. People were celebrating his success and in that moment, he really believed that he deserved it. He freed the city from its last villain after all.
~ o ~
Blaine moaned as he opened his eyes. His head was still spinning and he felt like he was going to throw up but he fought off the feeling once he noticed the two sleeping men beside him in the bed. He smiled and tightened his arms around them. What a night... He had found two cute boys one night and they had been both more than willing to be part of Blaine's crazy idea. They had worn him out but oh, it had been such a beautiful night...
Before he could continue his daydreaming, the door of the bedroom swang open and an angry looking Latina stepped inside.
"What the hell are you doing, Satana?" Blaine groaned.
Santana looked from one man to the other, shaking her head in disapproval. She grabbed the clothes from the floor and threw them onto the bed.
"Everybody, out!" she shouted.
The two men beside Blaine jumped up as Santana stepped to the bed and started hitting them.
"What the hell, man?" one of them shouted.
"Who's this crazy bitch?" the other asked.
"Get out!" Santana screamed again.
The men didn't wait for her to get more angrier, they rushed out of the room, wearing nothing at all, with their clothes in their hands. Once they were gone, Blaine sat up in his bed, glaring at Santana. He didn't plan to get out of bed anytime soon.
"And you" Santana pointed at Blaine. "Your public hearing is about to start, so I suggest you to have a shower and when you come back here, you better be sober."
"I am sober" Blaine smiled, swaying on his feet as he stood up.
"You aren't" Santana shook her head. When Blaine didn't move, she started shouting again. "Do you want to keep your freaking apartment, so you can bring your fuck buddies here? Then get your ass into the shower and get ready!"
"Fine!" Blaine sighed and with heavy steps, he made his way towards the bathroom. "Crazy bitch."
"I heard that!" Santana called after him.
"Good" Blaine threw back over his shoulder and disappeared in the bathroom.
When he came back out twenty minutes later, he felt somewhat fresher but he was still drunk. He wanted nothing but to go back to sleep. Unfortunately, Santana was still there, waiting for him with a disgusting looking drink in her hand.
"Here, drink this" she said and pressed the mug into Blaine's hand.
"What's this?" Blaine asked.
"My mother's magical sobering coctail" Santana answered.
Blaine closed his eyes and tried not to breath as he took a sip from the drink.
"This is awful" he grimanced.
"I know but it will help. Either it will make you sober in no time or..."
Before she could finish, Blaine's face turned green and he disappeared in the bathroom again.
"...Or you will throw up from it" Santana said slowly, rubbing her forehead as she waited for Blaine to finish emptying his stomach.
"I hate you" Blaine groaned when he was able to breath again.
"You will thank me one day" Santana sighed.
~ o ~
Kurt leaned forward to take a better look of the inside of the car he was repairing. He had no idea what the problem was, he didn't find anything out of order. There had to be a problem, though, and he had to find it, no matter what. It was the first time his father let him work alone and he didn't want to let him down. It wasn't like he wanted to take over the garage from his father, not at all, but he wanted Burt to be proud of him. And repairing a car would definitely help him.
"Stay like this. The angle's perfect."
Kurt jumped as a body pressed to his own from behind, arms sneaked around his waist, pushing him down onto the car. He groaned and grabbed the arms, trying to push them away.
"Feisty. I like it" the man behind him whispered.
"Let me go, Sebastian" Kurt said angrily, struggling in the man's grip.
"Don't fight against me, Kurt. I know you want me" Sebastian said.
"Let me go or I will scream" Kurt replied.
Sebastian sighed and finally, he released Kurt and took a step back.
"What do you want?" Kurt asked, eyeing the door of his father's office. No matter how brave he tried to look, he was scared of Sebastian. He hated being around the man, especially when there was nobody else around. Unfortunately, Sebastian Smythe owned the whole building where his father's shop was, just like the other buildings in the area. He could come here whenever he wanted and Kurt could do nothing about it.
"You, of course" Sebastian smiled.
"Why can't you just leave me alone? You have enough money to buy whatever you want, I'm sure you can get yourself a man, too" Kurt said.
"That's true but you know, Kurt, I want the best from everything. My house, my cars, even my phone is the best quality, I won't choose a simple man when I can have the perfect one" Sebastian said, his eyes running up and down Kurt's body.
"You will never have me" Kurt hissed.
"We will see about that, beautiful" Sebastian winked. "Do you have the money?"
"Yes" Kurt said and walked to the desk to get the money his father had left there for Sebastian. He pressed it into Sebastian's hand and watched as he counted it. Sebastian shook his head and threw it back into Kurt's hands.
"Not enough" he said.
"What do you mean it's not enough? It's exactly..."
"The prices are getting higher in this area, I have to increase the rent" Sebastian said.
"You can't do it again!" Kurt gasped. Since Sebastian's father had died three years earlier, his son had taken over the business. He terrorized the shop owners, getting more and more money out of them. The rent had become so high that Burt could barely pay it.
"The place's mine. I can do whatever I want" Sebastian shrugged. "Although, I might have a solution for you."
"Never" Kurt replied heatedly.
"Just think about it, Kurt" Sebastian said, stepping closer to the boy. "I can solve every problem of yours. I can give you everything you want, cars, jewelleries, everything. Your father wouldn't have to pay for me, I would take care of both of you. You would have a perfect, careless life. All I'm asking for in return is your body."
Kurt was shaking with anger and fear. He wasn't that kind of boy and he would never be. But the time when his father wouldn't be able to pay anymore was coming rapidly and he couldn't do anything.
"I would make sure you're satisfied" Sebastian whispered as he stepped to Kurt and grabbed his waist again. "I would make sure you enjoy it just as much as I do. Every. Single. Night."
Kurt closed his eyes as Sebastian leaned closer, his lips gently touching his skin. He felt sick, he wanted to push Sebastian away but he couldn't make his body move.
"What are you doing here, Mr Smythe?"
Sebastian jumped back and Kurt let out a shaky breath as he looked up at his father who emerged from his office.
"Mr Hummel" Sebastian smiled. "I came for the rent."
"Why haven't you sent one of your men? I'm sure that a man in your position doesn't have to deal with things like this" Burt said. He saw that Kurt was close to faint, so he stepped in front of his son, blocking him from Sebastian's sight.
"That's true but I like visiting my favourite places on my own" Sebastian smiled, taking a step right to look at Kurt again.
"You have what you needed. Leave my shop" Burt said, stepping towards Sebastian.
"Sadly, no. I've just told dear Kurt that I have to increase the rent" Sebastian smiled cruelly.
"How much more?" Burt asked.
"500" Sebastian answered.
Burt turned pale but otherwise, he didn't show any emotions.
"You will have your money next week. Leave" Burt said.
"Till next week, then" Sebastian said and with one last look at Kurt, he left.
Once the door closed behind him, Kurt fell to his knees, his legs shaking too much. Burt turned around and knelt down beside him, watching his son in concern.
"Are you alright? Has he hurt you?" Burt asked.
"I'm fine, Dad" Kurt whispered, blinking rapidly to fight back his tears.
"I will kill him" Burt growled.
"Dad, calm down. It's not good for your heart" Kurt said. His father had had a heart attack a few years earlier and since they were forced to work so much, his condition seemed to worsen again. Kurt was scared that he would lose his father this time if they couldn't find a way to stop Sebastian.
"He has no right to treat you like this!" Burt shouted angrily. "If he thinks he can have you, he's wrong. I will work twice as hard if I have to but I will protect you from him!"
Kurt smiled sadly. He knew that his father would do anything to ensure his safety and he was so glad he had such an amazing father. But Sebastian was powerful and rich, he was afraid that he would find a way to hurt Burt, just to force Kurt to do what he wanted.
"What will we do when we can't pay anymore?" Kurt whispered.
"Don't even think about it" Burt said.
"I have to, Dad" Kurt said desperately. "We can barely pay the rent now. He will demand more and more and soon we won't be able to pay."
"Then we will close the shop" Burt said.
"This is your life, Dad" Kurt said quietly.
"No. You are my life. And if I have to give up everything else to keep you safe, I will do it" Burt said.
"I love you, Dad" Kurt cried and hugged his father.
"I love you too, kiddo" Burt whispered.
Burt's heart broke as he saw how upset his son was. Kurt was a strong kid and he was so proud of him but what Sebastian did... it was too much for both of them. He had to find a solution to stop this and save his son, even if it meant he had to die in the process.
~ o ~
"Keep him still."
"You think it's that easy?"
"I kicked him out of the bed this morning, I made him a sobering coctail and I cleaned up after he throw up all over the bathroom. The least you can do is to keep him still until I get him into his costume" Santana growled at the tall blond man standing behind Blaine. Sadly, Blaine was still far from being sober, he could barely stand on his feet but his public hearing was about to start and they had to get him into his Nightbird costume. Nobody knew who Blaine really was, just his closest friends, Santana and Sam who helped him through everything since Blaine had learnt about his powers back in high school.
"Guys, don't fight" Blaine muttered.
"And you, shut up" Santana said, poking Blaine's chest with her index finger. "This is all your fault. You're a freaking superhero, Blaine, you can't act like a college student."
"I want to be one" Blaine whispered.
"Well, sadly, your college years are gone, so get yourself back together" Santana spat. "The head of the Smythe Groups pay you pretty well for this job, I'm sure you don't want to lose it."
"I'm a superhero" Blaine said. "I don't listen to people's complains, I fight against villains."
"Uhm... Dude, you killed the last one three years ago" Sam pointed out.
"Get me a new one, then" Blaine muttered.
"Okay, enough!" Santana said impatiently. "Those days are gone. Let's focus on the present, okay? God, why can't I get you into this stupid costume..."
"It's too small. You shouldn't have washed it in hot water, it sh-shrank" Blaine said.
"Or somebody shouldn't have avoided his training" Santana replied. "You look like a pregnant woman in her last month."
"I hate you" Blaine said.
"I love you, too" Santana said and sighed in relief when she was finally able to zip up Blaine costume. "Ready."
"How are we going to get him into the room without anybody noticing it?" Sam asked in concern. "He can barely stand on his feet."
"We will get him a chair" Santana said easily. "Come on, boys, it's show time!"
Sam put an arm around Blaine and helped his friend out of the dressing room. He had a bad feeling that things would go wrong.
~ o ~
"Next" Blaine sighed after listening to the 100th boring, insignificant problem that day. He was mostly sober but his head was killing him and the last thing he wanted to do was to sit here and listen to these people. But sadly, he couldn't do something else. He needed this job if he wanted the money for it, and he needed that money to keep his apartment and feed.
"Emily White" Santana said in a bored tone. She hated these jobs just like Blaine.
An old, grey-haired woman stepped inside with a cat in her arms. Blaine raised an eyebrow. He so didn't want to know what her problem was. Probably her TV wasn't working. Or she wanted to adopt a second cat. Or she was just alone and came here to talk to someone.
"Good morning" Emily smiled.
"Hey, Emily. How can I help you?" Blaine asked, trying to be nice.
Emily stepped closer and her smile disappeared as she took a better look of Blaine.
"You didn't look so fat the last time" she said.
"I told you" Santana whispered.
"I'm not fat!" Blaine said.
"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. It comes with the age" Emily smiled.
"Would you please tell us what your problem is?" Blaine asked impatiently. His friends were laughing behind him and he was getting angry.
"My cat runs away every morning when I let him out" Emily said. "I'm afraid that he would leave me one day. What should I do?"
Blaine blinked in surprise, opening and closing his mouth several times. It wasn't serious, right? He wasn't sitting here, talking to this woman about her cat. He was a superhero, not an animal rights activist.
"Why does he run away?" Sam asked, trying to help Blaine.
"My neighbour has a young cat, I think she's the problem" Emily answered seriously.
Okay, this was getting worse than expected. Now they were talking about the sex life of Emily's pet.
"Why don't you get him another cat?" Sam asked. "Back in high school, my girlfriend had a cat named Lord Tubbington. I bought him a Lady Tubbington and they lived happily until they died."
"That must be the solution!" Emily said. "Thank you, darlings."
"You're welcome" Blaine muttered as Emily stepped out of the room. "Kill me. Just kill me."
"No way, Nightbird" Santana smiled. "There's another one waiting for you."
"Don't torture me" Blaine said, rubbing his eyes.
"His name's Kurt Hummel" Santana read the name on her paper and raised an eyebrow when the young boy stepped inside.
~ o ~
Kurt had no idea what he was doing. He couldn't really expect Nightbird to solve his problems, but when he had heard about him in the radio right after Sebastian had left, he had been desperate and had called Nightbird's assistant before he could stop himself. The idea seemed so crazy. A man who used to be New York's superhero, who had defeated Professor Black himself, was now giving advice for people in need. But Kurt was exactly one and he had nothing to lose, so he could give it a try.
He took a deep breath as he stepped inside. Nightbird, like a king, was sitting in an armchair in the middle of the room and there were two other people wearing masks behind him. They were his assistants, Kurt knew. He had read about them a lot. Nobody knew who they were, nobody had seen their faces before and it just made Kurt even more nervous.
"What can we do for you, Kurt?" the woman on Nightbird's right asked.
"Hey! I'm... I'm Kurt Hummel but you already know that" Kurt said nervously. "I'm here for your advice."
"Everybody is" Nightbird said impatiently. "Continue."
Kurt took another deep breath and tried to calm down.
"It's about Sebastian Smythe" Kurt said honestly. "He keeps people in terror and ruins their lives. He's... He's powerful, very powerful, but he only uses this power to hurt people."
"What do you expect me to do?" Nightbird asked, eyeing Kurt in a way that made the boy feel extremely uncomfortable and exposed. It was like being with Sebastian again.
"You should try to act like a superhero and help people, for example" Kurt snapped.
He couldn't see much of Nightbird's face behind his mask but he seemed surprised and somewhat angry.
"You're right, I'm a superhero" Nightbird said. "I don't care about economy. I fight against villains, real monsters, not businessmen. If you have a problem with Mr Smythe, I suggest you to talk to him."
"Don't you think I tried?" Kurt asked angrily. "I did it, several times. Just like my father or others who rent buildings from him. He increases the rent over and over again and he doesn't care if people can pay it. For all he cares, we could all die."
"I'm sorry" Nightbird said. "But I still can't help you."
"Of course" Kurt shook his head and turned to leave. Once he reached the door, he opened it but looked back at the masked superhero one more time. "You know, people're right about you. You've changed."
"What do you mean?" Nightbird asked.
"You were our hero once. People respected you, I respected you. Because you cared about us but now, there's only one important person in your life. Yourself" Kurt said.
"You don't know anything" Nightbird hissed and got up from his chair.
"Maybe I don't" Kurt shrugged. "But I love my family. I love my friends, my neighbours and people my father works with. I can't watch them get hurt again and if you don't do anything to stop this, I will do it."
"Good luck with that, kid" Nightbird said.
Kurt shook his head and rushed out of the room, barely able to stop his tears. It was a mistake coming here. Nightbird was just an arrogant, rude asshole, there was no way that he could help him. But he didn't completely waste his time here, his short conversation with Nightbird gave him an idea. Maybe they weren't that lost after all. Maybe people just needed a new superhero, somebody who truly cared about them, who tried to help them.
And maybe he could be the person for the job.