Summary: AU, Blaine is a compulsive liar, and was never gay. He just lied to Kurt about being gay.

Rating: PG-13, for mild language that eventually develops into stronger language in later chapters, and suggestive themes.

Disclaimer: I OWN NOTHING, SADLY. Well, I own the plot, but that's about it. The characters belong to RIB and

the other writers/directors/creators of Glee.

Author's Notes:

Lying can fuel a relationship, but at the same time, can break it.

Blaine had never really thought about this. Lying just came too natural to him. It was just easier than telling the truth, to him. Sometimes he didn't even realize what he was saying before he spoke, and he'd end up tangling himself in a web of lies that he could barely get out of. Maybe his charm added to that. Or maybe he was just such a good liar.

The lying sure had its negatives, however. Blaine occasionally felt guilty about lying, as he turned down a girl who asked him out, saying that he was gay, though it was always because the girl was such a loser. If he got out of dance rehearsals with the Warblers, which happened quite often, he'd feel guilty because he was the only decent person in there, and they could definitely use his help quite a lot of the time. People who he most frequently lied to started to become suspicious of him, and tended to trust him less.

However, it definitely had its perks, which far outnumbered the negatives. Blaine could get out of just about anything. He didn't have to do lots of stuff, and lied himself into special privileges sometimes, especially when dealing with school. Lying had made him popular, and secured his place at the top of the high school food chain. He was perfectly happy with his life, and was sure that he had it all figured out.

That is, he did until Kurt Hummel came along.

It was a pretty normal day at Dalton, as cliché as that was. He was about to, with his fellow Warblers, put on an impromptu concert for the school. Hey, it got them out of class, and that was always good. The song, Teenage Dream, highlighted his vocals, and everyone would totally love it. He was about to head that way when he saw a total stranger walking down the stairs.

The kid looked like an outcast. He was totally wrong from the start, and Blaine held back laughter, putting on a straight face, getting ready to put on the sensitive act, another lie he had perfected. The kid looked about thirteen years old, and he was obviously trying to spy. His imitation of the Dalton uniform was absolutely pathetic, though Blaine couldn't help but feel sorry for him. The dark jacket was far from the Dalton blue, and the red tie was free of stripes. He was blown away by the effort, though; it could have been somewhat passable, had the kid not worn a completely dumbstruck expression. That was what truly gave him away. Plus, he wore sunglasses and his eyes darted around nervously, worried about being called out.

As he came closer, Blaine decided to pretend to be partially oblivious to the spy; he clearly meant no harm. He turned around, pretending not to have previously seen the guy; he clearly hadn't seen Blaine. He'd probably ask him for directions or something like that. People always did.

"Um, excuse me," he heard a light voice ask from behind him. He turned around to see the spy, blushing a bit with nervousness, "Can I ask you a question?"

"I'm new here," he added.

Of course you are, kid, Blaine thought, smirking a bit as his thoughts cracked his facial expression. He scanned the guy with his eyes, subconsciously making judgments, as any human would. By the style of the clothes, and the fact that they all looked name brand, neat, and expensive, the kid was probably gay. Blaine knew that was jumping to conclusions, but he couldn't help it.

"My name's Blaine," he said calmly, reaching out a hand.

"Kurt," said the spy, shaking it back. He looked surprised.

"So what exactly is going on?" Kurt asked, looking a bit flustered as the many students ran by, excited.

"The Warblers," he exploded, smiling with pride, "Every now and then they throw an impromptu performance in the senior commons. It tends to shut the school down for a while."

"So wait, the glee club here is kind of cool?" Kurt asked hesitantly, looking doubtful. Blaine was shocked. Why WOULDN'T a glee club be cool?

"The Warblers are, like, rock stars." He said, smiling.

"Come on," he said, grabbing Kurt's hand, "I know a shortcut."

They ran through the school, down hallways that had been deserted ever since the rest of the student body had flooded towards the senior commons. Kurt was blushing madly and trying not to smile at the touch of their hands, and Blaine felt a little guilty for leading him on. However, he loved the joyful look o Kurt's face at their hand holding, so it was worth it in some ways.

"Oh, I stick out like a sore thumb," Kurt said nervously as they stood in the doorway of the senior commons, everyone bustling about.

"Next time don't forget your jacket, new kid," Blaine said, wanting to snap at Kurt, "You'll fit right in." Of COURSE he stuck out; he was a really bad spy. However, he needed to keep up the act, so he just mustered as much positivity as he could muster, and smoothed the jacket Kurt was wearing before tossing down his bag and joining the other Warblers for their performance.

"You think I'm pretty, without any makeup on…"

During the entire song, all Blaine felt was guilt. Kurt was blushing madly, smiling, fluttering his eyelashes, and showing obvious infatuation for Blaine. Nobody could miss the obvious, though short, gasp that fell from Kurt's mouth at the sound of the phrase "skin-tight jeans." It was quite embarrassing, and he could tell that some of the other Warblers sensed it, too. However, he couldn't help but gaze into those beautiful eyes of his, and admire that wonderful smile he wore. Kurt was quite adorable, and it Blaine wasn't straight; he would totally fall for him.

"It's very civilized for you to invite me for coffee before you beat me up for spying."Kurt said as they sat in the Dalton coffee shop later that afternoon. Introductions had been made, yet he looked either absolutely terrified, on the verge of tears, or both. Blaine couldn't really tell. He really felt sorry for the poor kid.

"Can I ask you guys a question," Kurt said, looking a bit doubtful, yet expecting, "Are you guys all gay?"

The guys laughed at the question. Of course they weren't. There were some at Dalton that were, but Wes, David, and Blaine weren't among them.

"Uh…no," Blaine said, still laughing. However, he saw the disappointed look on Kurt's face after their laughter, and suddenly changed courses.

"I mean, I am," he added smoothly, as if he hadn't had to think about the answer, "But these two have girlfriends."

He got half of a confused look form Wes for about a millisecond, and then it changed to indifference. Wes and David were both so used to Blaine's lying, and this wasn't really a surprise for them, that'd he'd lie to make someone else feel better. The sensitive Blaine did exist; he just didn't come out as often, unless it was an act.

Wes and David started explaining the no bullying policy at Dalton. Blaine would have jumped in, but he was concentrated on Kurt. His expression changed rapidly, and he started looking more and more like he was going to start crying. Finally, when he was about to crack, Blaine stopped them.

"Would you guys excuse us?" he asked softly. Wes and David pretty much immediately obeyed. They muttered something, and then walked out. Blaine prepped in his head, thinking of character lines for this super sensitive guy he was pretending to be. As soon as Wes and David were out of earshot, he started.

"I take it you're having trouble at school?"

"I'm the only person out of the closet at my school," Kurt said, his voice heavy with the coming of tears. Blaine's heart immediately fell in sympathy. This poor, pathetic kid seemed to be all alone, and he was sitting there, making judgments about him.

"And I tried to stay strong about it," Kurt continued, tears now slowly streaming down his face, "But there's this Neanderthal who's made it his mission to make my life a living hell."

"And nobody seems to notice."

At that moment, with that lonely kid sitting in front of him, crying because he was afraid to be who he was, Blaine decided to be this kid's hero. He was going to be there for Kurt, whenever he needed him, no matter where or when. He was going to make that effort. He wouldn't purposely lead him on, because he had no intention of making that cover-up about being gay his identity, but he would help Kurt persevere. He had no right to be treated like he was, and Blaine was going to have him show people that.

However, he couldn't help but do it, couldn't help but lie. On the spot, he made up a quite depressing story about how he had been bullied for being gay at his old school. He knew in his heart that this was the worst lie he could ever tell, but he couldn't just sit by and say "Oh, that sucks for you. My life as being gay has been fabulous." He needed that one thing that Kurt could relate to. He started giving him advice on how to overcome this prejudice, and started even inspiring himself.

He gave some parting words to Kurt, and then made up an excuse about Warblers practice before leaving.

He had gotten a phone call from Kurt the night before. They'd exchanged texts, most of which were Blaine telling him to have courage, but this was different. There was a sense of urgency.

"He…he kissed me," Kurt mumbled, seeming in shock as he murmured the story.

"I'll be there in the morning." Blaine said, hanging up.

This was crossing the line. Kurt had become like a brother to him, and nobody was going to mess up his little brother without some resistance from him. Especially not a guy who was too afraid to admit he was gay, and took it out by pushing around someone no more lower than him.

He'd driven down to Lima the next morning, arriving around mid-morning at William McKinely. He was genuinely furious about this. He wasn't going down without a fight. However, he had to stay in character, so he had a bunch of stuff planned out to say about it being "okay to be gay" and all that.

He said some pretty professional-sounding stuff about the dude not being alone, but then he got pushed, and even though he raised up his hands in surrender, he was about ready to fight. If his Dalton education hadn't been on the line, he would have.

Oh, he so would have.

He was ready to defend Kurt all the way, and make him feel better, but then he started blabbering on about that being his first gay kiss. Blaine squirmed uncomfortably, and he could sense that Kurt expected him to say something comforting, though he had nothing.

"Come on, I'll by you lunch." He said, getting up. As much as he could avoid the situation, the better.