‘THE PLAN’

B laine liked Santana Lopez - Ari Gold’s other assistant - even though he was pretty sure she was looking down on him. He was sad, however, that Kurt hadn’t stayed for the meeting. Still, when Kurt had told his boss that he wasn’t feeling well, Blaine had supported him and informed Ari that Kurt was looking a little pale.

“So I know that you know that I’m gay,” Blaine opened with, after Kurt’s car left the driveway. “What I’d like to know is how.”

“I interned with your former publicist,” Santana told him. Blaine nodded. That explained a lot.

“Then you probably also know that I want to come out. What’s your thought on that?” he turned to Ari.

“Fine with me,” the agent said nonchalantly. “I’ve had clients with worse secrets. This is 2009, I’d be a pretty shitty agent if I couldn’t get you auditions because you’re gay.”

Blaine didn’t hide his surprise very well. Sure, he’d assumed that Ari wasn’t a homophobe thanks to what Kurt had told him, but that hadn’t necessarily meant that he would also be in favor of Blaine coming out.

“I do however think, that we need a strategy first,” Ari continued and Blaine thought, here it comes. Now he’s going to tell me why I should wait. To his surprise, it was Santana who took over.

“What you have to avoid at all cost is people thinking you were trying to deceive them on purpose. Especially our own people can be vicious, you know the fraction that thinks it’s okay to out people for the greater good. You need to make it a non issue.”

“How do I do that?” Blaine asked. “Won’t people say that if it wasn’t an issue anymore than why didn’t I come out sooner?”

Santana smiled. “You ever told anyone you’re straight?” Blaine shook his head. “Then it’s easy. You haven’t talked about any relationships before, because you value your privacy. Your friends and co workers know and you didn’t think it was anyone else’s business. The press is going to ask you what changed. You’re going to tell them some sob story about a young boy who was sad that there weren’t more openly gay actors because that would really show the bullies at his school. He made you think about using your celebrity to help kids like that boy. And you remembered how much you would have liked a real life gay role model when you were a teenager.”

Blaine was impressed by how well thought out Santana’s plan was.

“I think you should be my publicist,” he joked.

“You can have her in a year when I have to exchange my assistants for newer models,” Ari said, his eyes clued to his phone.

“What if the press asks him about the pictures with the girls?” Wes interjected, who together with David had reappeared when Ari had arrived.

“You blame your former agent. He was the one who kept the  ‘gay pictures’ of you out of the press and made sure you were constantly photographed with your female co-stars,” Ari said, after putting his phone aside.

“You have to control the narrative,” Santana added and Blaine nodded, because it made sense. This time, he needed to be in charge.

“So how do you think he should do it? Give an interview in ‘Out” or something like that?” Wes turned to Santana. It was clear that this was her area of expertise.

“Well, actually,” Santana shared a look with Ari, “we have a different idea. Like I said, I think your coming out should be very organic and a non issue. So, you’ll just make sure that you and your special someone get seen around town. It will get people talking, someone will post something on one of the social media platforms and by the time you arrive at the Emmy’s with your male date in a few months, no one will be surprised and a lot of people will question why they thought you were straight in the first place.”

“There’s only one problem,” Blaine pointed out. “I don’t have a special someone. The guys I’ve fooled around with were usually in the closet as well and the only guy I really liked, wouldn't date someone in the closet and later  moved to Cleveland with his boyfriend.”

Santana and Ari shared another look and somehow Blaine knew, he wouldn’t like their plan.

“You liked Kurt, right?” Ari asked and Blaine nodded cautiously. “Good, because we thought the two of you would make a good looking couple.”

Blaine snorted. Santana looked offended and Ari confused. Wes and David were looking at him like he lost his mind.

“I thought you thought he was hot,” David said and Blaine nodded.

“I did, but then I asked him out and he shot me down. Told me we should be friends in case I needed someone to talk.”

“Then take him up on the offer, but make sure you meet in very public places and that it at least looks like you’re dating,” Ari said.

Blaine shook his head. “I’m not going to deceive him like that. If I do, he’ll never give me a shot. No, if you want him to be my pretend boyfriend, you have to convince him to do it.”

“We could hire someone to play the part,” Ari mused. “But I rather use someone I know is loyal and won’t sell out the story to the highest bidder. So Santana, you seem to know him pretty well. What does Kurt want? How do I get him to do this?”

Santana smiled. Blaine thought she looked like a shark who had just smelled blood.