Blaine Anderson was, in a word, scared shitless. He really shouldn't be, though. This shouldn't be so scary. Yet it was. It was so ridiculously terrifying that it made every single dumpster toss, every slushie, every waiting for a college letter, every fight with Kurt when trying to figure their lives out together seem like a walk in the park. Why was he so scared?

I mean, he and Kurt had been together for almost seven years. He was now twenty-two, just having graduated from NYU and planning to work as a elementary school teacher at one of the local schools. Kurt had graduated the year before him and had been working two jobs during the year while Blaine worked one and went to school. During the day, Kurt worked as an intern for an up-and-coming fashion designer, hoping to learn some tips and tricks for when he was finally able to become one himself. He had given up his dream of being on Broadway, realizing that, while he still loved performing, his love of the exciting and colorful world of fashion drew him in more than the world of Broadway ever could. Most nights, he worked at a local dinner as a waiter while Blaine worked at the nearby music store.

It was summer now, June was just beginning to melt into July and the sun made every pane of glass in New York City sparkle like gems. It was a bit overwhelming their first summer together here, but now, they couldn't imagine living without the beautiful sight.

Anyway, they'd been together nearly seven years and throughout that duration, they'd only grown closer and more in love, the only bumps in the road being the occasional spat that resulted from lack of sleep and stress from their busy school and work lives. But now, since both of them were finished with school and officially adults, they could tell things were starting to look up.

Very recently, around the time Blaine graduated, Kurt got an incredible offer from one of his superiors ("who had finally managed to pull their head from their Giorgio Armani-clad ass and see how much amazing potential Kurt had" as Blaine had put it) to design a few pieces for an upcoming fashion show that would be featuring some of New York's best designers and a few hopefuls who showed promise. It was no Fashion Week, but it was a start.

Blaine remembered the day that Kurt had found out he would be showcasing some of his work at the show. Blaine had barely set foot in the door before he had an armful of Kurt, who had pounced on him enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around Blaine's neck and his legs around his waist, screaming something unintelligible into Blaine's shoulder. When Kurt had finally calmed down enough to speak coherently, he told Blaine the news and him and Blaine had screamed and hugged and kissed and cried and spent the remainder of the night going through some of Kurt's sketchbooks and picking out designs they both loved.

On the other side, Blaine had been offered a chance to teach an elementary class at the school down the street from their apartment and had accepted graciously. He still worked his job at the record store, as did Kurt at the diner, but they knew that soon there would be no need for those extra jobs to get by. They suddenly could almost touch their dream of having stable jobs that they loved in New York City. Together.

So, this seemed like the next step, right? Of course, there was no serious need for this, not like with Rachel and Finn back in high school. Kurt and Blaine had been together so long and Blaine had never felt like this about anyone and was absolutely positive he never would again. That is, of course, unless he and Kurt decided to ever have kids (but he wanted to move past this lump in his throat before moving on to the next.) And it wasn't like he was going to say no, right? How could he?

"Of course he won't say 'no', Blaine? Are you nuts?" Cooper had said over the phone, incredulous. "He's absolutely head over heels for you! He's probably been planning this since you met."

"But still! Things have changed since then! I mean..."

"What's changed? You're both older, you're both the same people, and you both love each other! There's no way that he won't be absolutely elated for this to happen," Cooper replied and Blaine was surprised and reassured by the absolute certainty in his voice.

Now, here he was, waiting for Kurt to get home, fingering the velvet box that lay in his jeans pocket like a heavy stone. It was weighing him down, but in the best way possible, like it was lifting him higher and he couldn't even feel his own weight. It was strange, but not unfamiliar.

He supposed Kurt always made him feel like that. Like he was so grounded with him, that everything seemed so stable and made so much sense when Kurt was around. It was like he was the explanation for everything and nothing needed to be questioned anymore. But at the same time, Kurt made him feel so airy, so light and weightless, like nothing could ever hurt him again, like he could just flow with the wind and everything would be okay, as long as Kurt was by his side.

Kurt made him so sure, yet he made him question everything. He warmed him, yet the way he loved gave him shivers. He held him impossibly close, yet he felt like he was never close enough. He was completely and utterly enamored with Kurt and he knew that he had to have him forever. To make him his and to show Kurt that he promised to never let go.

He had to do this.

Asking Burt for Kurt's hand was one of the most exhilarating yet horrifying experiences of his life. Burt loved Blaine like his own son and Blaine loved Burt like he was his father. But he wasn't Burt's son, Kurt was. Kurt was still and always would be Burt's sweet, little boy and Blaine was trying to make an honest man of him. How would he react? Anger? Rage? Exile?

Out of all the reactions he'd pictured, blubbering tears had not been one of them. Burt had all but burst into tears as soon as the words, "I'd like your permission to marry Kurt" left his mouth. He had told him through his blubbering that just seven years ago, he never though Kurt would be able to find someone like Blaine. He never thought Kurt would be able to find someone that treated him the way he deserved for a long time, yet there Blaine was, blazer pressed and hair gelled down to perfection, ready to treat his son like the most precious jewel, all while his son was only at the tender age of sixteen. He thanked Blaine profusely, gave Blaine his blessing and then some, and promised to never utter a word to Kurt. He'd heard someone talking in the background, Carole, Blaine had figured, who asked Burt why he was upset and Burt had turned a little from the phone and said, "Kurt's getting married soon." He heard screaming and even more crying in the background before he said his goodbyes and hung up, wiping away the few tears that he'd shed during the conversation.

A few days later, Blaine had called up Mike, who had remained one of his best friends all through college, as had had actually rented an apartment in a building a few blocks away from Kurt and Blaine and double dated with them all the time.

"Hey, man, what's up?" Mike had answered jubilantly. He heard Tina asked who it had been in the background, to which Mike replied, "Blaine." He heard footsteps and then a loud "Hi Blaine!" screamed through the receiver, followed by giggles. He smiled and greeted her back before returning to the reason for his call.

"So, Mike, I have something to talk to you about," he said in a serious tone that he hoped didn't sound too grave.

"Sure, Blaine, what is it?" Mike said, seeming to hear his tone and listen intently.

"So... I... um... I- Mike, I'm going to propose to Kurt," he said after stuttering for a moment, hardly believing he was saying the words himself.

Mike was silent on the other line for a second before he was yelling and Blaine could hear loud thuds, as if Mike were jumping up and down. He could hear Tina trying to calm him down enough to tell her what was happening, to no avail. Finally, she snatched the phone from her excitable boyfriend and held it to her ear, trying to talk amidst Mike's shouting.

"Blaine, what's going on?" she asked, excitement bubbling through her voice before she even knew what for.

"Teen," he said, using his old nickname for her from their senior year in high school fondly and smiling, a little more confident. "I'm asking Kurt to marry me."

She screamed instantly and he could hear them jumping up and down together and he laughed, their excitement for him making him want to jump around too.

As soon as the two calmed down, they begged for details and Tina implored for him to meet up with her so she could see the ring.

The ring was truly a symbol for Blaine, in a way that Kurt would never know. He'd been saving up for this incredibly rare guitar, one he'd found online that would be auctioned off in a few months. This ring, this beautiful ring, is the reason that that guitar is sitting in someone else's living room right now and not Blaine's. Blaine doesn't regret this decision a bit. Kurt was worth more than any guitar or amount of money to him.

He had to make one last call before the big question, well, let's be real, he had a thousand more calls to make, but this one was probably one of the most important.

"Hello?" the voice of Nathan Anderson rang through the phone, clear and crisp. Blaine winced silently, he'd really been hoping to relay the news to his mother first. Katherine Anderson absolutely adored Kurt. His father had definitely come to accept him and they were rebuilding their relationship, but he didn't want to start an unnecessary conflict after all they'd been through.

"Hey, Dad, it's Blaine. Is Mom home?" he asked, hoping he didn't sound too nervous. His and Kurt's black lab puppy (rescued, of course), Stella, sat herself next to Blaine at the foot of the couple's bed and looked up at her daddy inquisitively. Blaine smiled at her and scratched her behind her ears.

"Blaine! It's great to hear from you, son! How's New York? How's Kurt doing? Oh, and I'm afriad your mother's stepped out for a bit. Can I take a message?" the older man chuckled. For a minute, Blaine was floored. His father seemed genuinely interested in his life. His life with his boyfriend. He swallowed back the hot, stinging tears that rushed to his eyes at how far his dad had come and he wasn't scared anymore.

"Actually, Dad, I can just tell you," he said, glad that his voice wasn't cracking as he spoke.

"Go ahead, son, I'm all ears," he said genuinely and Blaine had to swallow over the lump in his throat and pressed the phone closer to his ear.

"Dad, I'm... I've decided that... I'm going to ask Kurt to marry me," he said and an enormous weight was lifted from his chest.

Nathan was silent for a minute and Blaine could feel the beginnings of worry start to creep back into his heart. But that was dashed when he heard his father's reply:

"Blaine, that's fantastic! Oh, my goodness, I'm so happy for you! When are you doing it? Tonight? Oh, we have to be the first you call when he says yes, I know he will!" he heard his father laughing jovially and heartily on the other side of the phone and the dam broke. He started sniffling and sobbing quietly and soon his father stopped laughing.

"Son? Is everything alright?" his father sounded really concerned.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Dad. For... accepting me. For accepting Kurt, for loving both of us. I... I can't even believe... I... I know how hard it was for you, Dad. To come to terms with the fact that this is how I am and I'm so grateful that you were able to..." he trailed off, covering his eyes with his one hand. Stella, who could tell her daddy was upset, starting rubbing herself against Blaine's arm, whimpering quietly.

"Blaine," his father spoke now in a serious yet caring tone. "Blaine, son, I need you to know that I've realized how wrong I was then. I let my own beliefs and traditions get in the way of being a father and for that, I am so, so sorry. I will never be able to apologize enough for that. But know this. I never, ever stopped loving you. You and Cooper and your mother are the most important people in my life and always have been and I can't wait for you to add Kurt to that list. I love you, son."

Blaine was almost full-out sobbing by now and he could barely breathe for a second. "I... I love you too, Baba," he whispered brokenly, not caring that he was twenty-two and called his father by his childhood nickname for him. Stella had jumped into his lap and started trying to lick his tear-stained cheeks. "And I miss you."

He heard sniffling through the phone and he knew his father was crying now too. "I miss you too, Blainey. Maybe your mom and I will visit before the end of the summer, yeah?"

"Kurt and I would love that," Blaine was smiling now, and scratching behind Stella's ears, putting her at ease.

He heard a door opening over the receiver and he heard his mother greeting his father, then asking what the matter was. "It's Blaine," he heard. "And he has some exciting news for us." His father's voice became clearer and Blaine could tell he was talking to him again. "Blaine, I'm going to hand you over to your mother, okay? I love you, son, and we'll see you soon."

"Bye, Baba," Blaine sniffed.

"Blaine, sweetie! How are you? Oh, I can't believe I almost missed your call!" Katherine sounded delighted to hear from her youngest son.

"Hi, Mama," Blaine was calming down now, only the occasional sniffle now and then and he couldn't wipe the grin off of his face.

"Hello, sweetheart," his mom said, and he could hear the warm smile through the phone. "Now, what's this big news that's got your father bawling like a big baby over there?" Blaine chuckled when he heard his father calling back, "Kitty, stop that, I am not!"

"Kitty? My goodness, this must be big if he's calling me that again. What did you do, sweetheart, so I can make sure he's this affectionate all the time?" she teased her husband, who was grumbling jokingly in the background.

"Mama, I'm going to propose to Kurt," Blaine said, no stuttering because he felt nothing but elated right now.

There was silence again and then, "Oh, my God! Honey, are you serious?" her voice was starting to crack and pretty soon the entire Anderson family (save the oldest son) was in tears.

He spoke with them some more, telling them a few details of what he was planning to do and when and said goodbye, but not without promising his mother to text her a picture of the ring, which in doing so caused her to call him again and squeal for another seven minutes.

Finally, he was done. Everyone who absolutely needed to know, knew. He'd decided not to tell Finn and Rachel, mostly because they'd definitely let something slip by accident and that could not happen.

So here he was, waiting, checking his watch every five minutes, checking the food in the oven every three, bustling around trying to find something he needed to fix, even though everything was perfect.

He checked his hair in the mirror. He had been convinced his sophomore year of college that Kurt actually did enjoy his hair curly and unkempt and he wasn't just saying that to be nice, so he wore it with only a little dab of gel to put it in place for the day and had it cut just a little bit so that it didn't resemble broccoli so much and Kurt loved it. His reflection stared back at him in the hallway mirror and he thought he looked okay. Shaven, clean, he looked alive and ready for anything. But his eyes showed just a touch of worry and anxiety and he knew there was no point in trying to hide it, because Kurt knew him so ridiculously well that he'd know anyway. He just took a deep breath and sat back down on the couch.

Kurt's shift ended at 7 and he got home at 7:14 on the dot almost every day. It was 7:12 now. Blaine wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and felt a jolt of excited electricity when he felt the slight bulge the ring box created in his pocket. His jeans were loose and casual enough that there was no visible bump, but he knew it was there. He glanced at his appearance again. He smoothed out some nonexistent wrinkles from his navy sweater, Kurt's favorite, because it reminded him so much of the Dalton blazer and navy looked so good on Blaine.

He heard the door click in the next room and he took another deep breath. Show time.

"Blaine, honey? You home?" he heard Kurt calling him and walked into the room where his boyfriend was taking off that grey apron that he absolutely hated but had to wear from the diner and nearly gasped.

Kurt, after all these years, Kurt was still so beautiful. But tonight, he radiated even more. Maybe it was because Blaine knew what he was going to do tonight, but something about Kurt right then was so immensely breath-taking he almost forgot how to breathe.

"Hey, beautiful," he said, walking over the Kurt and hugging him tightly around the waist. Kurt smiled and wound his arms around Blaine's neck, kissing him lightly on the lips once before pressing their foreheads together. "How was your day?"

"Good, I guess. My designs are due soon so Charlotte's been on my ass more than usual but it's going to be so worth it, I know," he smiled and Blaine beamed back at him. "How about you?"

"It sucked," Blaine said, even though the grin on his face said otherwise.

Kurt's face fell. "Oh, how come, sweetie?"

"Because I didn't get to see you until just now," he said.

"Oh, you sweet talker, you," Kurt cooed, kissing Blaine a little harder on the lips before detangling himself from Blaine, to Blaine's dismay."Ready for dinner, darling? I was thinking we could try out that new Thai place down the street, since Tina won't stop raving about it."

"Actually, sweetheart, I already made us some dinner, if that's okay," Blaine said, hoping Kurt wasn't hoping too much to eat out. He hated disappointing him.

"You did? That's so sweet of you! I could've sworn I smelled something!" Kurt said excitedly, looking around.

"But, Kurt, if you really wanted to eat out, we could do that, I mean-"

"Sweetie, forget about it! I love when you make dinner for us!" Kurt said, kissing Blaine on the cheek lovingly. "Shall I pour us some wine? I think we have some unopened Merlot in the-"

"Sweetie, I actually have a little surprise for you, so would you mind waiting here for a few minutes?" Blaine said, clasping Kurt's hand in two of his own.

"Oh, ...of course, sweetheart," Kurt said, a little confused but pleased nonetheless. Blaine kissed him quickly before dashing away to put the finishing touches on his plan. Kurt caught himself a fleeting glance at his boyfriend's cute ass and smirking before turning towards the mirror Blaine had been using and straightening his clothes and hair, fix any visible flaw about his appearance, though there were none. Somehow, after all this time, Kurt still found himself a little nervous when it came to Blaine, he still felt like he had to look perfect for him, still made his stomach dance with butterflies, make his heart pound. He absolutely adored it.

"Ok, baby, you can come back now!" Blaine called and Kurt smiled, his chest fluttering with anticipation. What he found took his breath away.

Their living room had been transformed into a beautiful, romantic place. The coffee table and sofa had been moved to the side of the room a little bit to make room for a large, maroon picnic blanket, which had been surrounded by scattered rose petals and on which a delectable dinner was placed, a scrumptious-looking lasagna dish, eggplant, Kurt was guessing, since it was his favorite and when Blaine made romantic gestures, he went all out. The room's lights were dimmed and the only source of light came from the several candles placed around the room and by the two, long, dark maroon candles that were resting in the crystal stands that he and Blaine only used for special occasions. Soft music was drifting in the background, a customized playlist of all of the couple's favorite love songs. Right now, it was playing "Ma Belle Evangeline" from the Princess and the Frog. Kurt smiled softly, Blaine had put Disney on their love playlist.

Kurt looked up from the magnificent set-up and there stood Blaine, smiling bashfully at him and looking even tastier than the food, holding two glasses of red wine in his hands. Kurt's eyes sparkled as he made his way over to his boyfriend and brought him in for a heated kiss, placing his hands on Blaine's chest, Blaine moving his arms only slightly so the wine wouldn't get in the way. They held the kiss for a long time before Blaine pulled back, smiling hugely when Kurt tried to chase his lips with his own.

"Don't you think we should eat before we get to that?" he said teasingly. He felt his heartstrings pull as he watched his boyfriend pout adorably before opening his eyes. Blaine watched, mesmerized, as the two cerulean crystals refocused themselves, coming back from the murky cloudiness that accompanied love and lust.

"Mm, I'd rather eat you up," Kurt whispered, leaning in a little more and staring into Blaine's eyes half-lidded and amorously, which Blaine returned. He hoped Kurt could feel the love and affection that he was trying to communicate through his eyes.

"That sounds wonderful, dearest, but I can tell you're hungry, and that lasagna isn't going to eat itself," Blaine said, kissing Kurt on the nose lightly as the brunette pouted a little more but consented, pulling away and walking towards the blanket with a little more of flirty sashay in his walk than usual. Blaine had to take a deep breath. His boyfriend was unbelievably sexy and he definitely wanted him, but he had to restrain himself. He had a plan tonight.

He knelt down and placed the wine glasses on the blanket before sitting down, patting the space next to him, which Kurt scooted over to fill.

Blaine smiled before turning around and handing the wine glass to Kurt, who accepted it graciously and sipped it. His eyes widened slightly and Blaine could hear the slight intake of breath as Kurt tasted his favorite wine, which they almost never had unless it was a really special day.

"Chianti?" Kurt asked, suspiciously as he put the glass down. "What did you do? Did you let Stella's leash loose at the park again?" he teased, crinkling his nose.

"Okay, that was one time and she seemed so loyal, I didn't expect her to run away! And can't a guy just treat his boyfriend like a prince and not be suspected of tomfoolery?"

"Most people, no," Kurt said, placing a long, pale finger on Blaine's chest. "But you always seem to have honorable motives."

"You know me, ever the gentleman," Blaine quipped. He raised his glass and Kurt clinked it, smiling over at him with eyes filled with pure, unadulterated love and he felt his heart squeeze.

He reached forward to grab the plates and the lasagna, serving a nice portion onto each plate. He moved the lasagna away for scooched away from Kurt a little, who frowned slightly before rolling over and laying on his stomach. He picked up a fork and scooped up some lasagna before lifting it and holding it up, waiting for Kurt to eat it. Kurt stared and smiled at him.

"Hon, you better hurry up and eat this. I don't know if you've ever had lasagna, but it's very hard to keep on a fork for very long," he teases and kicks his feet up in the air behind him and Kurt scrunches his nose up at him before rolling on to his stomach opposite Blaine and taking the food into his mouth.

Kurt moans in delight at the taste. Eggplant lasagna, just as Kurt had suspected and it was absolutely divine.

"Blaine, this is incredible! When did you have time to do this?" Kurt asked.

"Well, I asked Randy at the shop to take over my next shift if I promise to let him pick the music that plays over the store for the next two weeks," Blaine said.

"But Randy's the one who likes Michael Bolton and Taylor Swift," Kurt said, his head tilting in question, as if he can hardly believe it.

Blaine nodded solemnly, but a smirk was still placed on his face. Kurt gasped, half-jokingly, half-seriously. "Blaine! You're willing to put up with his horrible taste in music for me?"

"I'm willing to do anything for you," Blaine said, trying to convey that he meant more with that statement than just listening to "Sparks Fly" on repeat. Kurt seemed to have received the message, because he smiled graciously before pecking Blaine on the lips and reaching down for the fork next to him, stabbing some of the lasagna on his plate and offering it up to Blaine.

Blaine tried to protest a little, but he agreed a few seconds short of Kurt trying to pull the "Here comes the train" routine, and opened his mouth for the food.

After a delightful dinner of feeding each other, giggles, and comfortable chit-chatting, they were both done, but still laying on their stomachs, just gazing at each other. The faint sound of the Beatles' "Blackbird" was playing from somewhere, but they barely registered it while captivated in each other.

"That was delicious, sweetheart," Kurt said and Blaine smiled. "But what was it for?"

Blaine reached out for Kurt's hand and the older man offered it up enthusiastically, squeezing it lovingly. "I just want you to know how much I really and truly love you." Kurt's eyes starting swimming with unshed tears and he beamed at Blaine. He was absolutely glowing.

"I love you, too, Blaine," Kurt said, his voice laced with emotion and sincerity. They stared at each other for a little while longer before Blaine spoke.

"This is the song that you sang when I realized how in love with you I was."

Kurt smiled, "I owe Pavarotti a deep debt of gratitude then."

"No, you don't understand what this song means to me," Blaine said. Kurt didn't interrupt, he let him continue. "Before you sang this, I knew you were gorgeous. Of course, I knew, you were Kurt Hummel," Kurt giggled. "But, I didn't realize what you being so beautiful meant to me until you sang this song. You were pouring your heart into this song, over a canary, of all things, but you had so much emotion and caring and love for all living things, even if it was only a canary and I found myself wanting nothing more than to have even just an inkling of that love directed at me. I wanted to be loved by you, Kurt Hummel, more than anything in the world. I needed to make you mine."

Kurt stared at Blaine and sniffled, his grin reaching from ear to ear. Blaine kissed his forehead and smiled back.

"Wait right here, beautiful," Blaine said, unlocking his hand from Kurt's and almost shivering at how empty and cold it felt. "I'm going to go grab dessert."

This was going superbly. Blaine grabbed the plate of dessert, fingered the bulge in his pocket where the ring was, and set out.

His breath caught as he emerged from the kitchen and found Kurt, lying on his side, every perfect curve of his body showing, his pale, beautiful features absolutely shining in the low candlelight. The delicate smile on his face made his heart pound, but there was one thing that had changed since Blaine had left.

"Stella! What are you doing out here? I thought I put you in our bedroom!" Blaine chided, even though he knew he was going to receive no response from the small dog.

"Aw, Stella just wanted to come see the beautiful evening Daddy prepared for Papa, didn't she?" Kurt cooed, scratching the dog's ears and kissing her nose gently. The dog panted happily and wagged her tail in reply, licking Kurt's cheek affectionately.

"Well, the evening's not over yet, so back into the bedroom you go, Stellie," Blaine said, placing the plate down and snapping his fingers, which Stella obediently followed down the hall and into the room, closing the door behind her. Lucky for them, Stella was a quiet, peaceful dog and had no qualms about leaving her daddies to their evening.

"Blaine, you better come back soon, or I'm going to start this delicious dessert without you," Kurt called alluringly, in a voice that practically oozed sex. Blaine tried not to seem too eager as he came back into the room. Kurt had picked up a chocolate-covered strawberry from the plate and was sucking on the end eagerly, his eyes closed and moaning a little bit, half in delight and half seductively. He saw that blaine had reentered the room, so he stopped his sucking and took a bite out of the large strawberry.

"I can't leave you alone for one minute, can I?" Blaine asked, making his way over and kneeling down, taking Kurt's chin and taking his lips with his own, this time a little less innocently. He poked his tongue at Kurt's lips yearningly and Kurt opened his mouth immediately, drawing Blaine's tongue in with his. Blaine could taste the chocolate and strawberries as well as a taste he could only identify as Kurt. Their tongues fought for dominance and their lips moved together zealously. Blaine dropped to his knees from his kneeling position and Kurt turned himself around so that their chests were nearly touching, their arms finding their ways around each other and holding them close. Slowly but surely, their fevered kissing died down and they separated, but not by much. Kurt and Blaine situated themselves in somewhat of a spooning position, Blaine leaning up on his elbow and gazing at Kurt again while Kurt lay with his back to Blaine's chest, both men lying on their sides. Blaine reached an arm over Kurt to the plate and fed him a strawberry, while Kurt grabbed one and reached up to feed Blaine his.

Soon, the strawberries were gone and they were just laying with each other, Blaine's arms wrapped around Kurt's thin waist, Kurt's arms laying on top of them. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions, but neither man noticed. Kurt craned his neck a little and nuzzled his nose against Blaine's cheek, nearly purring in content and glee. Blaine moved a little to kiss at Kurt's cheek, then at his lips, which Kurt met. The two started a languid dance with their lips, slow but sensual. Soon, Kurt was turning in Blaine's arms and their kissing sped up again, all teeth and tongues and wandering hands. Blaine rolled over so that Kurt was underneath him, the taller man's arms wrapped around his neck and one hand tangled in the curls at the bottom of his neck. Blaine pulled back from the kiss for air, then dove right in again, but this time at Kurt's neck. He kissed and licked and nibbled at his boyfriend's long, elegant neck as its owner mewled and made breathy sounds in reply. Their hips were slotted together and rocking slowly against each other, their desires becoming more evident to the other by the second.

"God, I love you so much, Kurt," Blaine breathed out between kissing the growing hickey that he'd just left on Kurt's neck.

"I love you, too, Blaine. So, so much," Kurt gasped out, trying to pull Blaine as close to him as possible. "D-Don't you have a promise to me from earlier?" he whispered right in Blaine's ear, licking the shell of it sultrily.

"I believe I do. Something about you eating me up?" Blaine said, smirking into Kurt's skin. Kurt could only nod and say, "Bedroom, baby. Now."

The two started to stand up and Blaine halted in his tracks. The way Kurt looked right at this moment. His hair was slightly disheveled from Blaine running his fingers through it, his clothes askew but still fitting him so well and looking so perfect, his gorgeous, pink lips kiss-swollen and looking so plump, it was breath-taking. But his eyes. His eyes. They were shining with lust and excitement, but behind it he saw love, such love and adoration and sincerity and dedication and loyalty and promises and hope swam in those eyes. But those eyes were looking at Blaine. Those eyes held all of those things for Blaine and he knew it was time.

"Wait, baby, wait," Blaine said and Kurt stopped as he turned to go down the hallway to their bedroom. He turned back to Blaine and looked at him with those eyes again and Blaine never felt more sure of anything in his whole life.

"What is it, sweetie? Is everything okay?" Kurt asked and god, how could Kurt think everything was anything less than okay, everything was perfect and lovely and beautiful.

"Of course, baby, of course. I just... I have something I want to tell you," Blaine said and he saw a momentary sense of panic in those beautiful azure eyes.

What if Blaine was going to tell him bad news? Did he find someone else? Was he breaking up with him? No, he'd prepared this incredible meal and evening for him, he couldn't be leaving him, right? That wouldn't make sense. But what if he was? Kurt wouldn't be able to handle life without Blaine. After only half a year together, Kurt knew he was in way too deep with Blaine to ever come out. He loved him more than anything and he can't imagine living, breathing without Blaine by his side. He needed him.

"I can almost hear your thoughts, sweetheart," Blaine smiled slightly and took Kurt's hands. "This is nothing bad, I promise. And I would never, ever leave you, Kurtie. Ever." Suddenly, the opening notes to Boyce Avenue's cover of "Teenage Dream" began to play. How fitting, Blaine thought.

Kurt looked immensely relieved, but now just confused and a little surprised by the nickname. Blaine hadn't used it in a while and it made his heart flutter uncontrollably.

"Kurt..." Blaine started and hoped he didn't look too nervous. He really hoped his palms wouldn't start to sweat as Kurt held them. "Sweetheart, you and I have been together for almost seven years. I... I honestly don't remember what life was like before you. I find myself wondering all the time what I did with all of my time and what all this love I have for you went towards. I was floored when I realized how much love I had for you, especially when I was only sixteen. But regardless, I felt it and it was the best feeling in the entire world."

Blaine took a deep breath and prepared himself for the cheesy part of his speech. "Remember during your sophomore year when you and I had just started our weekly Disney marathons? How excited we got just to be able to cuddle with each other and watch these movies together?" Kurt nodded, his eyes wide and disbelieving in all of the things his boyfriend was saying. "Well, the first time we sat down together and watched the Princess and the Frog together for these marathons, I was struck by something. You know how, when Naveen is asking Charlotte to kiss him, but it's for Tiana because Tiana to him... is like his Evangeline?" Kurt is frozen now, mouth agape and eyes swimming with tears. "That's you to me, Kurt. You're my Evangeline. You're the person who lights up my world, the person I tell everything to, who I love unconditionally and is the entire world to me, even if you're just a little ball of light to everyone else." He felt himself becoming choked up as well, but held strong.

"I know this is incredibly cheesy, but it's only begun so brace yourself," Kurt smiled and chuckled wetly. "Like Rapunzel to Flynn, you are my dream. I've imagined millions of paths that I could take with my life but on every single path, you're next to me, holding my hand and smiling at me when I feel uncertain. I want to spend my entire life with you. I want to celebrate with you when your designs get featured in Fashion Week and sit with you and squeeze your hand as every gorgeous design goes down that runway. I want you to be there when I come home with a hilarious story to tell about one of the kids in my class. I want to be cheesy and have dinner parties and watch Modern Family and fight and make up and have kids and love you with every fiber of my being for the rest of my life.

"You changed me, Kurt," Blaine said, a tear finally slipping down his cheek. Kurt was almost openly sobbing by now. "Before you, I always assumed I would find a guy to love me and have a family and do all these things that I realize now I never wanted to do. Being with you opened my eyes to all these dreams that I have and can accomplish with you by my side. You made me unafraid to be myself by teaching me that it doesn't matter what anyone thinks as long we're together. It's like you gave my world color, Kurt, and I can't ever thank you enough for making me the man I am. You were my missing piece. You... complete me.

"Kurtie, I can't tell you how many times I've stared at you when you're asleep and thought about how amazing it is that you're mine. And I'm yours. But... I feel like that's not completely true until I give you some sort of tangible proof and let everyone know how I am the luckiest man in the world because you love me. So," Blaine let go of one of Kurt's hands, which flew directly to his mouth to try and stifle the cries that were coming from him, his cheeks soaked with tears and his shoulders shaking. Then, Blaine got down on one knee, staring up at Kurt with so much love that it hurt and Kurt let out of a cry that he couldn't hold back. Blaine reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the ring box.

"Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, my Kurtie, the love of my life, my adorable sweetheart, my beautiful boy, my sexy, little minx, my perfect angel," Blaine said, his voice laced with hope and anxiousness. "You've made me the man I am, the man I hoped I could be for you. You had my heart the minute you stopped me at Dalton, even if I didn't quite know it yet. Will you make me the luckiest man to ever live and marry me?" He snapped the ring box open and Kurt nearly broke his hand from squeezing it so hard at the sight of it. It was a silver band, but it was embedded with two baby blue gems surrounding a large diamond. On the inside, it was inscribed with the words, "My Missing Puzzle Piece."

Blaine stared up at Kurt for a moment while Kurt seemed frozen in time, unable to move, barely able to breathe before he whispered, so quietly Blaine was almost sure he imagined it.

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes, Blaine," Kurt said, louder, as if he were trying the word out in his mouth and suddenly realized what it means. "Yes, yes, yes, a million times yes!" he was nearly screaming now, as if Blaine might not believe him if he stopped saying it. "I will, Blaine, I will marry you!"

Blaine's eyes overflowed and his face broke into a huge smiled as he stood up and took the ring in his hand and slid it onto his boyfriend, no his fiancee's finger. Kurt laughed through his tears and flung himself at Blaine, holding him tightly and promising to never let go. Blaine lowered his head onto Kurt's shoulder and his shoulders shook as he wept in happiness. Kurt was his. He was Kurt's. Forever. He could feel Kurt shaking and he kissed his cheek soundly.

"Oh, my God, I have to tell everyone! Carole and my dad, Finn, Rachel, Mercedes, Brittany and Santana, Tina and Mike, Quinn..." he trailed off as Blaine laid a finger on his lips, shushing him with a smile on his face.

"There will be time for that tomorrow, baby. Tonight, you're mine. In fact, you're mine forever," Blaine said, laughing at the end.

Kurt beamed and pulled Blaine in for a kiss, which he returned with such fervor that he actually lifted Kurt off the ground and spun him around. Kurt pulled back and laughed excitedly, so happy he felt he might explode.

The next day, Kurt picked up the phone, Blaine's hand clasped in his, giggling when Blaine kissed his knuckles, and dialed a familiar number.

"Hello?" came Burt's gruff voice from the other line.

"Daddy?" Kurt said, his eyes never leaving Blaine's.

"Yes, what is it, bud?" Burt asked, anxiously waiting for the answer.

"I'm getting married."