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Thank you for reading and reviewing this story!
You have to wait for the boys' next encounter a little more (next chapter) and for the real villains, too. I hope you still like it.
It had been two days after meeting that boy and Blaine was still angry. He absolutely hated him... what was his name? Yeah, Kurt. Kurt, who had come to him for help and who had said those stupid things. He was a stupid boy who knew nothing. But then why was he still so angry with him?
Because he was right.
Blaine shook his head and walked to the fridge for another beer. He hated that voice in his head, the one that talked to him in the worst moments, telling him what an idiot he was. The one that reminded him what an awful life he had, what he missed. He hated that voice more than Kurt.
He opened his beer and emptied the bottle with a few long gulps. He wanted to forget. He wanted to get drunk again and feel nothing at all. That's why he drank so much. The alcohol didn't make him happy but it was enough to make him forget for a while and when he passed out, he could be finally alone for a while, pretending that his life wasn't a mess.
How he had ended up like this, he had no idea. When he had killed Professor Black three years earlier, he had thought that everything was going to be fine. There had been no more villains left and he had been still alive, full of strength. He was supposed to be famous, live a perfect life, because he deserved it. He had left college after a few months because he had had too much work to do and he couldn't focus on his studies. He had sacrificed his own life to turn New York into a safe heaven where nobody had to be afraid of sudden attacks and losing their lives. How could people forget that so easily?
There's only one important person in your life. Yourself.
Stupid Kurt, stupid reality. Damn, that boy was right. It was hard to admit, but it was all Blaine's fault. He hadn't helped people because he wanted them to be safe, he had done it all for himself. He had loved being famous, he still did. He was so selfish, no matter how he tried to hide it, people saw it, too. That's why nobody trusted him anymore. People needed a real superhero, somebody with a true heart but Blaine wasn't the person for the job. He had been, once, at the beginning, but it had been years ago. He had left that boy behind and to be honest, he wasn't sure if he could be the same again.
~ o ~
Kurt's heart was beating rapidly as he waited for the other boy to arrive. In the past two days, he couldn't stop thinking about his crazy plan and the more he thought about it, the more determined he became. He was going to do this, he had to. Sebastian hadn't come to them again but it was only the matter of time for him to appear in their shop, demanding more money. His father had told him that it was going to be fine but Kurt saw how worried Burt was. He couldn't earn enough money to pay for Sebastian and they both knew what would happen if they couldn't pay anymore. Kurt wouldn't let his father lose everything, he would better... Well, he would do what Sebastian wanted, even if it would destroy his life.
But he wasn't completely lost yet, not if his plan worked, although he needed some help from his friends. He had talked to Mike earlier that day, it was easy to get his help without telling him too much. He had taught Kurt a few tricks how to be quick and quiet, how to climb high buildings without being noticed. Mike had even showed him a few self-defense techniques once Kurt had admitted that he was scared of Sebastian. Mike didn't have to know more.
Finally, his guest arrived and Kurt smiled as he walked to the boy to greet him. Noah Puckerman had been his friend since high school, they had been together in the show choir of the school and Kurt had helped Puck a lot when he had gotten out of jail after getting caught in a robbery. He wasn't one of Kurt's best friends but he liked Puck. He had been there for him when Sebastian had increased the rent the first time, destroying Kurt's dreams about Broadway and college. He was a good person, even if most people judged him because of his past.
"Hey, Hummel" Puck smiled and hugged Kurt.
"Hey, Puck" Kurt greeted him.
"I haven't seen you for months" Puck said, punching Kurt's arm lightly.
"Yeah, I've been busy" Kurt said quietly.
"Because of that asshole?" Puck raised an eyebrow.
"He wants more money" Kurt replied.
"I know, he sent his men to my mother's shop. She came home crying. They're lucky I wasn't there because I would have kicked their asses" Puck growled.
"I'm so sorry" Kurt said.
"We will be fine" Puck said. "But you wanted to talk about something."
"Right" Kurt nodded. "Could we go into my father's office?"
"Sure" Puck said.
Kurt led them into Burt's small office and locked the door behind them. He didn't want anybody to hear them.
"So... I need your help" Kurt said hesitantly.
"Sure. What can I do for you?" Puck asked.
"I would like you to teach me a few tricks... uhm... I have to learn how to pick locks" Kurt said, looking away.
"Don't tell me Burt locked himself into the toilet" Puck smiled.
"No, it's not that" Kurt said.
"Then what kind of locks do you want to open?" Puck asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Well, you know... Just the usual things. Doors, safes..." Kurt said quietly. Maybe asking for Puck's help wasn't a good idea. How should he explain this?
"No" Puck said seriously.
"Puck, please..."
"No, Hummel" Puck said. "I know what you're doing and I won't let you."
"What do you mean?" Kurt frowned.
"Look, I know how hard it is for you to get through this. Believe me, it's hard for all of us. But do you think your dad would be happy if you get arrested?" Puck asked.
"I don't exactly..."
"Kurt" Puck said quietly. "I know this seems hopeless now but it will be fine. We will be fine. Assholes like Sebastian always get caught, we just have to wait for that moment. But you're a good guy, Kurt. Don't ruin your life like I ruined mine."
"I'm afraid my father will get sick again" Kurt said. "He's working too much and it's not good for his heart. I have to do something, Puck. I-I can't lose him."
Kurt wiped his tears away and looked at the other boy. Puck wanted to close his eyes or look away to not see the pain in Kurt's eyes but he couldn't. He liked the Hummels and he didn't want them to suffer. Which meant he couldn't say no.
"Damn, don't look at me like this" he muttered.
"Puck, please, help us" Kurt said.
"Fine" Puck sighed in the end. "But if you get caught, don't expect me to bring you cookies to the jail."
"Deal" Kurt smiled.
~ o ~
"Oh, not again" Santana sighed as she stepped inside Blaine's apartment, finding the man passed out on the kitchen floor. She stepped to Blaine and kicked his leg a few times.
"Leave me" Blaine muttered.
"Get up" Santana said and kicked him again. "I said get up!"
"Fine" Blaine sighed and pushed himself up from the floor. "Crazy bitch."
"Watch your tongue, Nightbird" Santana said. "You have a new job."
Blaine groaned and with slow steps, he walked to the couch. Suddenly, a glass of water appeared in front of his eyes and he realised that Sam was there with them, too.
"Thanks, Sam" he said and took the glass from him. "What kind of job?"
"Sebastian Smythe needs you as his bodyguard" Sam said.
"He will throw a party for the investors of his company. He's afraid that somebody will try to attack him there and wants you to scare them away" Santana said.
"Why can't I have a real job?" Blaine sighed sadly.
"This is a real job" Santana said. "And you don't have to do anything, just stand there and watch those rich bastards dance or allow them to make selfies with you. Besides, he pays pretty well."
"The saver of my life, right?" Blaine said sarcastically. "I guess you want me to take the job."
"You don't really have a choice, dude" Sam grimanced. "The only person in this city who's willing to offer you a job is Sebastian Smythe."
"And since he's the richest person of New York, you shouldn't refuse his offer" Santana said.
"Do you think he can buy me a villain?" Blaine muttered.
His friends sighed sadly. In the past three years, Blaine couldn't stop talking about his days as a superhero. Those days were long gone but Blaine still couldn't move on. He couldn't accept that the world had changed and he had to change, too. He had gone so far that he had tried to create a villain himself and had been devastated for months when he hadn't succeeded.
"Dude, you have to stop this" Sam said sadly.
"He's right. You can't do this forever, you have to move on" Santana said.
"I don't want to move on" Blaine sighed. "He was right."
"Who?" Sam frowned.
"He said I was selfish. Do you think he was right?" Blaine asked.
"What are you talking about?" Santana asked.
"Kurt" Blaine said.
"Who's Kurt?" Sam whispered to Santana but she didn't know the answer either.
"He's the first person who said that into my face" Blaine continued. "I hated him so much but you know what? I think he's right."
"That boy who asked for his help against Smythe" Santana whispered. "Don't listen to him, Blaine. He doesn't know anything."
"That's what you think?" Blaine asked.
"Yes" Santana said. "People like you this way."
Blaine looked at Sam who was staring at the floor.
"Sam?" he asked. His friend was always honest with him, he needed his opinion.
"I agree with him" Sam said quietly. "You're not yourself anymore. I know you miss the past but it doesn't mean you should act like a asshole."
Blaine lay down onto the couch and buried his face into his hands. The others couldn't tell if he was shaking from laughter or from crying.
"You okay, Blaine?" Sam asked in concern.
"Leave me alone" Blaine said quietly.
"Blaine..."
"I said leave!" Blaine shouted.
"Just... call if you need something" Sam said in the end and led Santana to the door.
~ o ~
Kurt checked if he had everything he needed before he stepped through the door. He was dressed in some of his old clothes, tight black pants, dark green hooded shirt and he packed a mask into his bag to hide his face during the robbery. Robbery... He had never thought he would do somethng so crazy. But he had no other options. When his father had come home from work, he had almost collapsed from exhaustion and Kurt knew he had been in pain, pressing his hand to his chest when he had thought Kurt couldn't see him. Burt Hummel wasn't fine and if he didn't do something fast, Burt would have another heart attack and Kurt was afraid he wouldn't be as lucky as the first time.
He sighed and went to his door, opening it quietly. His father should have been asleep but Kurt was still quiet as he walked down the stairs. He looked around in the living room and in the kitchen but he didn't find his father down there. He sighed in relief and left before he could stop himself.
As much as he wanted Sebastian to pay for all the pain he caused them and other families, Kurt was scared of the man and he chose an easier target for his first night. Another businessman, one of Sebastian's friends, Hunter Clarington. Clarington only owned one company and it wasn't too well guarded since Clarington thought he could keep thieves away with just his presence. It was true most of the times, that man was really scary and Kurt wouldn't want to meet him while robbing his company but he knew for sure that Hunter was out of the city, visiting his family in Ohio and he wouldn't come back anytime soon. Which meant Kurt could sneak into his apartment on the highest floor of the company's building, get some money from his safe and get away without being noticed. Yeah, it was a good plan.
Getting to the building was the easier part but getting inside without being noticed... He was so nervous as he walked around the building, trying to find an open window, his whole body was shaking. If he got caught, his father would never forgive him, that was sure. It looked like he had a lucky night, he found a window open on the first floor and it wasn't hard to climb inside. When he was in the small office, he looked around. The whole place was dark and seemed deserted. He looked around once again, listening to footsteps or voices but he couldn't hear anything.
With one last deep breath, he pushed himself away from the wall and started running towards the stairs as quietly as he could. He couldn't take the elevator, it would have been too noisy, so he had to climb up the stairs, right to the top of the building. He stopped a few times, afraid that he would meet someone but nobody noticed his presence.
One he reached Hunter's apartment, he knelt down in front of the door and started working on the lock. Within a minute, it opened in front of him and he slipped inside, shutting the door carefully behind him. Now he had to be quick in case Hunter's security system was better than he thought. He walked into the living room where he hoped he would find the money and let out a small shriek of fear when he found himself face to face with a man. No, that couldn't be happening... Hunter wasn't supposed to be at home. Oh, wait a second...
The man didn't move. Kurt frowned and took a few steps forward, grabbing his flashlight. He directed the light right into the face of the other man, blinding him if necessary. Kurt was only a few feet away when he realised that it wasn't a man but a human-sized puppet. The puppet of Hunter Clarington himself.
"No. Freaking. Way" Kurt whispered in amusement. He quickly made a photo with his phone and then forced himself to leave the puppet, avoiding his thought about why Hunter would need such a thing.
He walked around the living room, thinking about where he would hide the safe in Hunter's place. In the movies, they were usually behind a painting but Hunter didn't have one. Maybe he was wrong and it was in another room. Maybe in the bedroom.
Shaking his head, Kurt stepped into the bedroom. Hunter's bedroom was full of paintings and photos of himself, all around the walls, and there was another Hunter puppet in the bed.
"Man, you're sick" Kurt said.
He looked behind the paintings but couldn't find a safe. He was getting frustrated, he had to get that money. He knew that Hunter had some cash in his home, he hated banks and always talked about hiding his money at home would be a better option. He surely had some money saved in here, Kurt just had to find the right place.
He knelt down in front of the bed and smiled viciously as he pulled out an old suitcase. He opened it quickly and almost cried out happily when he saw that it was full of money. He finally found it.
Without hesitation, he took half of the money and pushed the suitcase back under the bed. Hunter didn't deserve any of that money, he had taken it from poor people, Kurt had heard everything from his friends who suffered under Hunter's cruelty like he suffered under Sebastian's. But he wasn't like Hunter and although he was sure that the other man had a lot of money elsewhere, he didn't want to take everything from him. It wasn't the point. He wanted to help people, not hurt others, good or bad.
He made sure he locked the door behind him and walked back down the stairs, onto the first floor. He found the office where he had gotten inside in no time and climbed out of the window, running away from the crime scene as fast as he could, looking back in every few seconds to make sure he wasn't followed.
When he reached his street and still nobody was after him, he slowed down and allowed himself a break. Now he had to find out what to do with the money. As much as he wanted to help his father first, he couldn't do that. Nobody could find out who he was and people would surely make the connection sooner or later if Burt Hummel got a large amount of money. He decided to help Puck's mother and Mike's father, because he was so grateful for the boys' help, leaving enough money for the next two months' rent. Then he walked to a few other shops and hid the money at the doors. The owners would find it in the next morning when they came to work.
"Who's there?"
Kurt froze where he was kneeling in front of a florist's door. He turned his head slowly, sighing in relief when he saw Mrs Jones, Mercedes' mother walking towards him, shaking with fear. She surely thought that he was a thief. Well, he was, but he didn't want to hurt her.
"If you want money, you're not in the best place" Mrs Jones said. "I don't have any. I barely earn enough to feed my children."
"I know" Kurt said quietly and stood up. "I came to help."
He reached into his bag and grabbed a pile of money, pressing it into the woman's hand.
"This will be enough for a while" Kurt said and turned to leave.
"Do I know you?" Mrs Jones asked.
Kurt gulped nervously and shook his head.
"No" he said in the deepest voice he could manage.
"Thank you. I really appreciate this" Mrs Jones said quietly.
Kurt smiled at her and quickly disappeared before Mrs Jones could find out who he was.
~ o ~
The news of a mysterious guy leaving money in different points of the city spread quickly. Nobody knew who he was or where the money was from, nobody reported a break-in, possibly because nobody knew what kind of secrets Hunter Clarington was hiding and the man was scared that the thief would reveal what his bedroom looked like. There were only a few people who had seen the mysterious man, they described him as a tall man with broad shoulders and deep voice, their imagination making him look more like a superhero. Because of his clothes and the fact he helped poor families with money, people started to call him Robin Hood.
Blaine read the news, of course, and he didn't like how quickly this stranger became the hero of the city. His city. This Robin Hood – what a stupid name – had no right to come here and take his place. He was the only superhero in New York and it had to stay that way.
"Would you tell me why you dragged us here in the middle of the night?" Santana groaned as she walked inside, grimancing at the sight of the dirty room. "When I thought this place couldn't get worse..."
"This is our base" Blaine said.
"It was" Santana rolled her eyes. "When you actually fought against villains. You don't need it anymore."
"Wrong" Blaine pointed at her and went to the old computer, hoping that it was still working. "We have a new case."
"Really?" Sam asked hopefully.
"Don't you read news?" Blaine asked.
The other two shook their heads. Blaine groaned and waited for the computer to come to live. Luckily, it still worked, so he could show his friends what he meant.
"Robin Hood" he said with venom in his voice. "A mysterious man who came out of nowhere and guess what? He appears in different points of the city and helps people with money."
"Good for him" Sam said.
"No, you don't understand" Blaine said. They didn't get it. "Something's wrong with this guy. Why would he do this? Why now? Why here?"
"I don't understand what your problem is" Santana said honestly. "He hasn't done anything wrong."
"Oh, come on. What do you think, where is the money from?" Blaine asked.
"From his bank account?" Sam asked slowly.
"Unless it's Sebastian Smythe who decided to get rid of all of his goods, and I'm pretty sure it's not him, this guy gets the money from somebody else" Blaine said.
"What do you mean?" Sam asked.
"Just think about his name. I think he robs from rich people" Blaine said.
"Do you really have something against him or are you just jealous?" Santana asked.
"Jealous? Oh, come on" Blaine rolled his eyes.
"You are jealous" Sam smiled.
"I'm not" Blaine muttered.
"People like him better than you and you can't accept it" Santana said.
"Okay, maybe I'm a tiny bit jealous" Blaine said impatiently. "But something isn't right with this guy and as the superhero of New York, it's my job to find out what it is."
Santana and Sam looked at each other.
"Do you think it's because he's drunk?" Sam whispered.
"I'm not sure he's drunk" Santana answered.
"I'm not drunk" Blaine said. "Seriously, I haven't had anything since he came into the picture."
"Wow" Sam said in amazement.
"I knew we should have gotten him a villain earlier" Santana shook her head.
"Could we focus on the important things?" Blaine asked. "We have to find out who he is and what he's planning with all of this."
"I think he just wants to help" Sam shrugged.
"People don't help each other without expecting something in return" Blaine said. "He has something in his mind, I'm sure. I wouldn't be surprised if it turned out he's a bad guy."
The others weren't too convinced.
"Don't you remember Professor Black?" Blaine asked quietly. "Everybody thought that he was a great man and than he almost killed the whole city."
"Yeah, you're right" Santana nodded slowly.
"Fine" Sam sighed when Blaine looked at him. "But promise me you won't hurt him until you make sure he's dangerous."
"Alright" Blaine nodded.
"I can't believe we're doing this again" Sam said excitedly and rushed to the computer. "Don't worry, dude, I will find him in no time, you catch him with your super speed and bring him here, so we can talk to him."
Blaine gulped nervously. He hadn't used his powers for years and if he was honest with himself, he wasn't sure if he still had any powers. But he was a superhero, he could catch criminals without having superpowers, right?