"What I'm asking is... will you marry me?"

Carson looked up at Kurt expectantly, still down on one knee as his heart hammered in his chest and his brain raced with all the possible ways this could go, most of them horrible. He wouldn't blame Kurt one bit if he laughed right in his face and said no, especially since the proposal he had just stammered out bore absolutely zero resemblance to the one he had carefully planned, written, and rehearsed multiple times with Santana playing the role of Kurt (a role she had taken very seriously, complete with pulling her hair back and draping one of Kurt's scarves around her neck). He had no idea what happened to that speech. It had completely disappeared from his brain the minute he saw Kurt standing there among all the flower petals, looking so angelic and perfect. It was gone now, and it was too late to get it back. The proposal was what it was, and Kurt was either going to accept it or run away and never let Carson find him.

He's going to say no. He's going to refuse, and I can't even blame him, because what the fuck was I even thinking, proposing to him like this? We can't even get married! This was a terrible idea, just a fucking horrible idea, and I never should have said anything. Oh god, I wish he would just say something, anything, and put me out of my misery.

"Kurt?" he managed to force himself to croak out after a minute had gone by without a response from his twin. "Kurt, um... please say something?"

Kurt was looking down at him, looking completely speechless as his mouth hung slightly open and his blue eyes widened. "I... I can't believe this..."

Carson swallowed the lump of disappointment that formed deep in his throat as he hung his head. Of course. He's not going to say yes. This is ridiculous, I don't know what the hell I was even thinking.

"It's ok, Kurt," he said quietly. "Really. Just please say no so I can..."

"What?" Kurt interrupted him. "Carsey, honey... no."

"I thought so," replied Carson as he stood up and focused his gaze on the ring box in his hand, playing with it in an effort to not concentrate on how much he wanted to cry. "It's ok, I-"

"No, Carson, I didn't mean no," Kurt said quickly. "I meant... oh god, I just..." He reached into the pocket of the suit he was wearing and retrieved a small box of his own, which he glanced down at with a small smile before opening it and holding it out for Carson's inspection. Inside was another silver ring, bearing two small, green stones.

"Emerald is our birthstone," said Kurt, his cheeks flushing a rosy pink. "And we've been together since we were born, so I thought..."

Carson blinked, his head full of white noise and his heart pounding even more than it had been when he first entered the hotel room as he stared down at the ring in Kurt's hand and then met his twin's sparkling blue eyes, which were looking at him nervously.

"Wait," said Carson slowly, as his brain finally came back online and the pieces finally clicked into place. "So... you were going to..."

"Well, I wanted to do it during dinner, actually, but I kind of lost my nerve," replied Kurt. "And then I thought I would do it when we got here, but, um... I guess you beat me to it."

"So... so this means..." Carson babbled, refusing to believe his good luck.

"It means," said Kurt, removing the ring with the emerald stones from its box and holding it up between his thumb and forefinger, "that I had planned to ask you to be my husband, but you beat me to the punch. So all I have to say now is a big, fat yes." He took Carson's hand in his own and carefully slipped the ring onto his finger, and Carson could only stare down at it, still not daring to believe that this was happening.

"Yes?" he repeated, almost in a whisper.

"Yes," said Kurt, smiling as he patted Carson's hand. "A thousand times, yes."

Carson smiled back and quickly removed the ring he had gotten for Kurt out of its own box. He gently slipped it onto Kurt's finger, and the two of them stood there, looking down at their entwined hands that were now both sporting engagement rings.

Engagement rings. ENGAGEMENT RINGS. We're ENGAGED.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly, biting his lip.

"Are you kidding?" said Kurt with a grin. "I can't wait to marry you and wake up beside you every morning, and listen to you grumble about how much you hate your idiot co-workers, and make you pancakes to cheer you up. I can't wait to fall into your arms at the end of a bad day, because I know that no matter how bad it was, you'll find a way to make it better. I can't wait to laugh with you, and throw pillows at you when you annoy me, and hold you when you cry. I can't wait for lazy weekends in bed, or just hanging around the city. I can't wait to argue with you over housework, or that cat of yours, and then have awesome makeup sex. I can't wait to face the world with you and be your husband."

Carson tried to swallow back the tears he really wanted to cry, failing spectacularly as he felt them beginning to prick the corners of his eyes anyway.

"I love you so much," he choked out, wrapping his arms around Kurt's neck and kissing him deeply before burying his face into his twin's shoulder, trying not to let his tears fall onto the fabric of Kurt's suit.

"And I love you," Kurt whispered, rubbing circles into Carson's back and kissing the side of his head. "More than any man ever loved his fiancé, I'd say."

"Fiancé," Carson repeated, rolling the word around in his mouth. It still felt too good to be true. "Fiancé. We're engaged."

"Yep," replied Kurt. "I feel I should warn you, though, that I fully intend to keep my own last name."

Carson snorted, pulling away from their embrace to lock eyes with Kurt, who seemed to be desperately trying to keep an amused grin off of his face. "You're such a nerd."

"Maybe," said Kurt with a shrug. "But from here on out, I'm literally your nerd, and I guess that means that you have to love me anyway."

"Like I would ever not?" said Carson, taking Kurt's hand and bringing it up to kiss the knuckles right above the shiny, new engagement ring sparkling on his finger.

"Come here," said Kurt softly, pulling Carson into his arms and pressing their lips together. Carson kissed him back hungrily, drowning in the feeling of being held protectively in Kurt's arms and instantly forgetting all about the worries that had clouded his mind all day. He knew that there was much to discuss. That they would need to figure out important things like how they were going to marry, and who they would be telling about it, and so many other things he couldn't even think of right now, but at the moment, he didn't care about any of that. All that he knew was that he was now a college graduate, an honest to goodness real adult with a real adult life ahead of him, and more importantly, he was with the man he loved. The man who had just agreed to become his husband. He didn't think it could get much better than that, really.

He found himself being gently led toward the bed and pushed down until they were laying on top of it, facing each other on their sides, and Kurt was kissing him again, the fingers of one hand buried in Carson's hair while the other carefully and skillfully started undoing the buttons of his suit jacket.

"I love you," Kurt whispered, brushing their noses together. "Forever. Ok?"

"I love you, too," Carson whispered back, blinking back tears of joy before pressing their lips back together softly. They lay there, just lazily kissing among the stray flower petals while their lips slid together as though it were second nature (and Carson supposed that it probably was). Kurt shifted them as they kissed, laying Carson down on his back and covering him with his body, and Carson let out a whine and opened his legs to make room for him.

It was slow, very slow and unhurried as they savored the moment and took their time, grinding together while their tongues darted out to meet each other. Kurt shrugged off his suit jacket and Carson's hands automatically got busy pulling his shirt out of his pants, his fingers lightly trailing up and down Kurt's back while his twin moved against him.

We can do this every day from now on if we want to. For the rest of our lives. There's nothing standing between us anymore.

I love him so much.

Kurt leaned up a bit, pressing Carson down into the mattress and trailing his tongue expertly along his jawline, sucking a kiss into the skin every few inches and making Carson arch up and moan.

"I like when you make that sound," said Kurt appreciatively, planting a kiss to the tip of Carson's nose before turning his attention to the hollow of his throat.

"I like when you make me make that sound," Carson replied. Kurt grinned and sat up, expertly removing Carson's jacket in one move and helping him remove his shirt, which he tossed onto the chair beside the bed before pushing Carson back down. He returned his focus to Carson's throat, nipping and sucking into the skin before moving further down and taking one of Carson's nipples into his mouth, sucking gently. Carson gasped, arching under the sensation as his fingers flew to Kurt's hair and buried themselves into it. Kurt repeated the action on the other nipple before moving his mouth down more, trailing kisses down Carson's stomach and stopping just below his belly button.

"You taste so good right here," Kurt murmured, placing a hot, open mouthed kiss on the skin, and Carson moaned, bucking his hips up. He could feel his hardening dick bump Kurt on the chin, and Kurt laughed, running one hand teasingly over Carson's crotch through the fabric of his pants.

"Shall we take these of?" he asked, raising one eyebrow, and Carson bit his lip and nodded eagerly. His pants were getting uncomfortably tighter by the second. Kurt quickly unbuttoned his own shirt and pants, taking them off and placing them to join Carson's shirt on the chair before starting to work on the button of Carson's dress pants. In no time at all, he had them, along with Carson's shoes, completely off, and had repositioned himself on top of him, their erections rubbing together through the fabric of both of their boxer briefs. Kurt nipped at Carson's jaw once more, and Carson whined as his hands roamed over his twin's hips, settling on the swell of Kurt's ass and squeezing gently at the flesh.

"Mmmph," Kurt murmured, kissing the underside of Carson's chin and bucking his hips into him. Carson bucked back, and the two of them found a harmonious rhythm as they ground together before Kurt worked his way back down Carson's torso, hooking his fingers into his underwear and pulling them down and off swiftly. Carson gasped as the cool air hit his overheated skin, which turned into a moan as Kurt sunk his mouth down over him. He sucked teasingly at the tip for a bit before swirling his tongue expertly around the shaft, and it felt good, so good, but it wasn't quite what Carson wanted. Not right then. What he wanted was to feel Kurt inside of him, as close together as they could possibly be. He didn't just want it, he needed it.

"Kurt," he said, gently pulling him off and stroking his cheek as he looked into his eyes.

"What's wrong, honey?" asked Kurt, concerned, and the sight of his cherry red lips, swollen from what he'd just been doing, sent a jolt of pleasure through Carson's body.

"Nothing," he said quickly. "I just... I want you. Inside."

"Oh," said Kurt, smiling in understanding. He planted one last kiss to Carson's tip before reaching for something off to the side of the bed, and Carson craned his neck to see that it was a small, pocket sized bottle of lube and a condom.

"Where'd those come from?" he asked.

"They were in my suit pocket," replied Kurt, uncapping the lube. "I, um... I figured it would be safe to carry them on me, since with our track record, you never know when something will suddenly come up, if you get my drift."

Carson laughed, nodding. "We're quite sexually adventurous, I'll give us that."

"Yes, we are," agreed Kurt. "The condom was for if we suddenly had the urge in a restaurant bathroom or something. I guess we can forget it, since we're here."

"Please," said Carson, nodding eagerly. "I don't want it. I want to feel you and only you."

"Thought so," said Kurt, smiling as he drizzled lube onto his fingers and spread Carson's legs open. "Relax for me, honey."

Carson did as he was told, settling back against the pillows and sighing in contentment as Kurt worked one finger into him, which turned into two, and then three. He'd missed this so much, the feeling of Kurt carefully stretching him, gently preparing him as he peppered Carson's face with kisses.

"Ready, sweetheart?" Kurt asked, clearly having decided that Carson was well enough prepared.

"Mmm-hmm," said Carson, nodding with a smile as Kurt removed his underwear and lubed himself up. He settled himself between Carson's legs and lined himself up carefully, looking down into Carson's eyes and smiling gently.

"I love you, honey," he said.

"I love you too- oh," Carson moaned as Kurt began pushing inside. He sucked in a breath, reaching behind Kurt to push at his ass and causing him to bottom out quickly. Their lips met as Kurt pulled out slightly, his hips slowly working against Carson's as he kissed him greedily. Carson met his rhythm, the two of them slowly working up to a languid but steady pace. Carson never wanted it to end. It was almost as though, now that he knew he had Kurt forever, he was afraid of ever separating from him again. He'd happily stay this way forever if he could, moaning as lips explored and hands roamed and nails scratched at skin, with Kurt thrusting into him the whole time.

Carson lost all track of time as Kurt made love to him, their mouths barely separating for even a moment. He felt the low, burning pressure building up in his stomach, gradually inching him toward what promised to be a thrilling climax, but he wasn't ready. Not yet. He didn't ever want to lose this moment, this beautiful, perfect moment of unabashed happiness.

"I can't believe you even want me forever," he said out loud, causing Kurt to pause for a minute and look into his eyes.

"I can't believe that you can't believe it," he replied gently. "Look at you. You're such a beautiful person, inside and out."

Carson swallowed back tears as he bucked his hips up, urging Kurt to keep going. His twin did so, increasing his pace ever so slightly as he clasped hands with Carson, and Carson held onto his hand for dear life as he held Kurt's gaze. His orgasm hit him without warning, his nails scratching wildly at Kurt's back and his dick twitching and coming entirely untouched as Kurt leaned down to kiss him. He felt Kurt moan against his mouth and then there was a pulsing and a pleasant warmth shooting up into him as Kurt followed him.

They stayed frozen in place for a moment before Kurt collapsed on top of Carson, breathing hard and planting a soft kiss onto his shoulder. Carson brought his arms up to hold Kurt around the waist, pressing their bodies as close together as they could possibly get as his head swam with happiness and thoughts of marriage and the future and a thousand more moments just like this one.

I can't believe you chose me. But I'm glad you did.

They hadn't planned to tell anyone. At least, not right away. That much they had agreed upon, after a very brief discussion of the matter over glasses of champagne (for Kurt) and sparkling cider (for Carson, who was still unable to drink) in between bouts of extremely romantic hotel sex the previous night.

"Well, Santana basically already knows," Carson had said in between sips of his cider.

"Oh?" asked Kurt.

"Yeah, who do you think helped me scatter the flowers everywhere?" replied Carson.

"Ok, so she'll know. But I really don't want to tell anyone else," said Kurt, biting his lip and musing. He honestly wasn't even sure who else they would tell. Sebastian? Their dad?

"What about Dad?" asked Carson, as if he could read Kurt's mind. "I mean, um... he does know about us, after all."

"Oh god," groaned Kurt. "Honestly, Carsey, I really don't know. He's still so uncomfortable about this whole thing, I don't want to make it worse for him before he's even had sufficient time to digest it. You know?"

"I know what you mean, but... I mean, Kurt, he's going to be here tomorrow," Carson pointed out. Kurt took a sip of his drink and brooded. Carson was right, of course. Their dad hadn't been able to attend Carson's graduation on the actual day due to an unavoidable work commitment, but he was going to be there as soon as he could the next day to help them start the process of packing Carson's things to move to the twins' new apartment in New York.

"So he'll be here," said Kurt with a shrug. "That... that doesn't mean that he has to know yet, does it? I just worry about his heart. Statistics show that once you've had one heart attack, you're at a significantly higher risk to have another, you know. Don't you think hearing that his sons are planning to marry each other could just be the thing that pushes him over the edge?"

Carson bit his lip thoughtfully. "You're right. Maybe we shouldn't say anything."

So they decided not to. They checked out of the hotel late the next morning and arrived back at Carson and Santana's apartment fully prepared to make as little fuss about their exciting news as possible. Of course, Santana wasn't quite willing to let them do that.

"What did you say?" she demanded as soon as Kurt entered the apartment, pulling him inside and grasping at his hands, her dark eyes searching for the engagement ring and lighting up once she'd spotted it. "Holy fuck, you said yes!" she squealed, wrapping Kurt up in a tight hug and nearly breaking his ribs in the process.

"Santana," he squeaked, trying to loosen her grip gently. "It would be nice to actually be able to get married without having to figure out a way to fit a full body cast under my suit."

"Right. Sorry," she apologized, letting go of him. She took his hand in one of hers, taking Carson's with the other, and swung their arms back and forth like an over-excited child. "But this is going to be so much fuuuuun! You have to help me plan the wedding."

"Well, we're not even sure that it's going to be that big of a wedding," Kurt protested. "I mean, we hardly have a full list of people we can invite, do we?"

"True, but... look, guys, I fucking hate weddings and think they're an archaic waste of time, but if any couple ever deserved a nice one, it's you guys," said Santana. "We'll find a way to make it awesome. Even if me and Meerkat are your only guests."

"Thanks, Santana," said Kurt, catching Carson's eye and smiling.

"Where's Kurtsie Kitty?" asked Carson, looking around anxiously. "You remembered to feed him last night, right? And this morning?"

"Relax, Carson, damn," said Santana, rolling her eyes. "He's a cat, not an infant. I fed him and left him alone. He's probably sleeping under your bed or something."

Carson disappeared off in the direction of the bedroom, calling Kurtsie Kitty's name, and Kurt stared after him, a smile slowly forming across his face as it hit him, for the millionth time in the past twenty-four hours, that this was going to be his life from now on. That was his actual future husband chasing after a cat right now, and there was an entire future of possibility in front of them.

"You look happy," Santana teased, nudging him in the ribs.

"I am," replied Kurt. "I'm very happy." Carson re-entered the room just then, cuddling Kurtsie Kitty in his arms and making all manner of cutesy baby talk sounds as he held the cat up to his face and kissed him on the head.

"Now, Kurtsie Kitty, it's official now, Kurt is going to be your new, second daddy," Carson said to him, scratching gently behind the cat's ears. "So I want you to be a nice kitty and try not to give him too much trouble."

"Yes, and that means stay the hell out of my clothes," said Kurt, fixing the cat with a stern look. "The second I see fur on any of my Marc Jacobs summer collection, I'm going to download a bunch of recipes off the internet and decide which would be the best way to make kitty stew."

"Kurt!" Carson gasped, cuddling Kurtsie Kitty to his chest and looking indignant. "Don't talk to him that way. He's a good kitty and he would never dream of ruining your clothes! Isn't that right, Kurtsie Kitty?" he asked, planting a big kiss on the side of Kurtsie Kitty's face. "Aren't you going to be a good little kitty and not mess up Daddy's clothes?"

"Wonderful. You're already having arguments about how best to raise the children," Santana said, clasping her hands together. "This marriage is off to such a great start."

Kurt rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. "Ok, well. Dad will be here in town tonight, and the moving truck is coming tomorrow, so we should probably get to packing. What are you doing with your stuff, Santana?" Santana wasn't planning to stay in the Chicago apartment either, having been invited to stay with Sebastian until she could get herself re-established in New York.

"My shit's already packed and ready to go, except for my bed," she replied. "I'll have that ready to go by the morning. Right now I have to hustle, though. I'm putting in one last shift at the bar to say goodbye to everybody. I'll probably be back late."

"Ok," said Kurt. "We'll see you tonight."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do," she said cheerily as she grabbed her purse off the kitchen table and headed for the door.

"That leaves us with a variety of things to choose from, doesn't it?" quipped Carson. Santana gave him the finger, waved to Kurtsie Kitty, and left the apartment, leaving the twins alone.

"We could give the bed a proper send-off," said Carson hopefully, once she had gone. Kurtsie Kitty gave him a cat version of side-eye and began struggling against Carson's grip.

"Nice try," said Kurt, shaking his head. "You've got a lot of stuff to pack, and we're short on time."

Carson sighed and set down Kurtsie Kitty, who licked his paw and then scrambled onto the couch, curling himself into a fluffy ball. "Ok," he said. "I guess we can save our energy and use it to christen our new place."

"That's the spirit," Kurt said, pulling Carson in for a kiss. "Where do you want to start?"

"Uuuum," said Carson, looking around thoughtfully. "I guess I'll tackle the bedroom and you can start with the kitchen junk drawers? Don't worry about being neat, just toss shit into boxes. I'll sort through it when we get to New York."

"Ok," agreed Kurt, rolling up his sleeves and dragging a box from the living room into the kitchen as Carson disappeared into the bedroom. He opened drawers and started tossing things into the box, humming as he worked and not paying much mind to what he was doing. All he was focused on was the fact that today might as well have been the first day of the rest of his life, and he was unbelievably happy.

He was busy thinking about possibilities for the wedding when Kurtsie Kitty suddenly raced through the kitchen, tripping him and causing him to drop the handful of stuff he had been preparing to drop into the box. Odds and ends, a candle lighter, and a tattered notebook burst onto the kitchen floor, scattering every which way.

"You and I are gonna have a nice sit-down meeting one of these days, cat," Kurt grumbled, gathering up the things one by one and tossing them into the box. He reached for the notebook, which had fallen open in the scuffle, and was preparing to close it when he realized he was looking at a page full of Carson's familiar handwriting.

Probably old notes for some article or another, he thought fondly, his eyes scanning the words on the page. But it didn't seem like hastily scrawled notes. Not the way Carson usually did them. It looked more like a letter.

It wasn't until Kurt had skimmed over a whole paragraph that it slowly began to dawn on him that what he was looking at wasn't a page of notes at all. His heart thudded in his chest and his stomach dropped to his knees as he slumped down against the sink and began to read.

Dear Kurt,

There's no easy way to say this, except to just come right out and say it. By the time you read this, I'll be gone. I'm sorry, I really am, because I love you so much, but I can no longer live with myself the way that I am. It's too painful, especially after seeing the look on your face today as you ran out of the apartment. I almost wish that last night never happened, because I don't like putting that look on your face, Kurt. And I'm going to make sure that I never do again.

But before I do that, I want to say a few things. There are some things that I want and need to say to you before I leave this earth, even if it's only in a letter.

I've always loved you, Kurtsie. Always. Forever. You were my world from the moment you were born. And ever since you were an adorable little three year old running around that little basement ballet studio in Lima, waving your magic wand and rocking that tutu better than any girl there, I've known that I loved you. That there would never be anyone else for me.

So I devoted my life to you. I did my best to protect you and make the world safe for you. I did whatever I could do to support you and whatever made you happy, even when it absolutely killed me inside to see you with someone else. I never wanted you to have to worry about anything, so I did all the worrying. I did my best to spare you from anything unpleasant. And maybe I overdid it. Maybe I kept you too close sometimes, or was too overprotective. I'm sorry if I was.

But, Kurt, the thing is that it was easy to do all those things for you. If I thought about it in terms of "This is best for Kurt," it just came naturally. But for a long time now, I've realized that I'm actually the one who needs protection. I'm the one who needs someone looking out for his best interests. And I don't know how to do that for myself. Every day is such a struggle. I wake up, I exist, sometimes I go through unimaginable fear and pain, and then I go back to sleep. Living has become a chore, and I don't know how to make it better. I just don't know. Even finishing college at this point seems like a goal that just isn't worth the trouble and the pain it's taking to get there. Especially since I really don't have you anymore. I don't have you because I've let you go. I know for sure that I've caused you pain in doing that. I hope that you can forgive me for that, one day. I only did what I thought was best for you.

I guess what I'm trying to say here is that I love you. I just really want you to understand that I love you so much that it physically pains me. And to understand how much it hurts to have come to this decision to end everything before it gets any worse for either of us. It hurts worse than anything I've ever known, but I know it's for the best. I know you might not realize that right now (and you're probably pissed at me), but I hope you can understand someday. I'm only doing this because I love you and I refuse to make you deal with me and my bullshit problems. It's not fair to you. You have a full life ahead of you. And living this way isn't fair or tolerable anymore for me.

So, goodbye, my Kurtsie. Please tell Dad goodbye for me. Tell him I love him and that he was the best dad I could have asked for. And tell Carole she was a pretty awesome stepmother. Oh, and tell Finn that I never really disliked him THAT much (but that he still totally deserved that punch in the basement in high school). Tell Santana I forgive her, and do me a favor and check up on Malerie.

Oh, and my next door neighbor (in Apt. 512) has my cat. I know you're not really a cat person, but can you maybe make sure that he gets a nice permanent home? His name is Kurtsie Kitty. I raised him from a newborn, and he's kind of my baby. I named him after you. I know what you're thinking.

And lastly, I want you to take care of yourself. I know it'll be hard, but I want you to move on. Find a nice guy. One who treats you like a prince, just the way you deserve. Marry him, or don't. Whatever makes you happy. Don't spend so much energy grieving for me that you forget to live. If you do nothing else, at least do that for me.

I'll make sure to say hi to Mom for you, if I see her again. And maybe every once in a while, you could give Carsey Teddy a hug. I'm sure I'll feel it, wherever I am.

I love you, Kurtsie. Never forget that. I love you very much. Please forgive me.

Love,

Carsey

Kurt read the whole thing twice, feeling sick to his stomach with every word he read. He didn't know what was going on, or why the handwritten pages he was holding existed, or what he was supposed to do now that he'd read them. He was completely numb, rooted to his spot on the ground as he looked down at the notebook, his hands shaking so badly he was surprised he didn't drop it.

"Hey, Kurt? Is Kurtsie Kitty with you?" he heard Carson's voice shout from the direction of the bedroom. Kurt opened his mouth, wanting to answer him, but no sound came out. He looked down at the notebook in his hand and took a shaky breath, still not wanting to believe that it was real.

"Kurt?" Carson called. There were footsteps walking down the hallway, and then Carson was appearing in the kitchen, looking concerned as he frowned down at Kurt.

"Kurt? Baby? Are you ok? You look sick," he said, crossing over to him. Kurt summoned up all the strength he had left in him and held the notebook out to him, looking away as he did so. He didn't need to see Carson's face to feel the level of tension in the room rise significantly.

"Oh god," Carson gasped out, taking the notebook with a shaking hand and looking from it to Kurt uncomfortably. "Oh god, Kurt... Kurt, please, you..."

"How old is that?" Kurt asked, the first words he was able to muster up. "How old is that note, Carson?" He needed answers. He needed Carson to say that this was some kind of joke and that the note was never serious. That he hadn't meant to write it. That someone had broken into the apartment and written it. Anything.

"Carson!" he shouted when Carson didn't answer him right away. "Answer me, damn it. How old is that note?"

Carson cleared his throat, and Kurt could see his eyes were shining with tears. "I wrote it the day that... the day that I yelled at you to leave. After you showed up here and we... you know."

A million thoughts raced through Kurt's mind all at once. He remembered that day. He'd spent all of it right in the hallway outside Carson's door, waiting for his twin to calm down and let him back in so they could fix their relationship. And all that time...

All that time I was out there, he was planning this. I should have sensed... he had on shoes when he opened the door... oh god, why the hell didn't I see it?

He wanted to do something. Anything. Scream. Cry. Get up off the floor and slap Carson across the face for even considering doing something so stupid, so... so final. He couldn't move, though. He was still too numb.

"Where were you going?" he asked.

"What?"

"You had on shoes when you opened the door that night," Kurt clarified, trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "Where were you going?"

Carson looked down at the floor. "I was going next door to ask Mrs. Moore if she'd take Kurtsie Kitty," he replied tearfully. "I... I was... I was going to drop the cat off and tell her I had a family emergency, and then... then I was going to take my pills. All of my pills," he babbled, tears flowing down his cheeks as Kurt's stomach seized up and he fought the urge to vomit. "But I opened the door, and you were there. You were sleeping, and your hair was a mess and you looked so worried and exhausted, and I just... I knew right then I couldn't do it. I... I couldn't..."

He sat down beside Kurt on the floor, reaching his hand out gingerly to touch Kurt's shoulder, but Kurt shrugged him away.

"Don't touch me," he snapped, and Carson yanked his hand back immediately, biting his lip as his face crumpled. Kurt wanted to brush his tears away. He wanted to hold him and rock him and tell him everything was fine, but he couldn't. He couldn't help the anger that he felt boiling within him.

"Kurt, I..." Carson whispered.

"No," said Kurt. "You were going to do this. You were going to kill yourself. Did you stop to think about how that would make me feel? Did you stop to think at all? What about Dad? What about your damn cat, Carson? What about all the people who love you? What was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to find your body?"

"Kurt, no... I wasn't thinking..." Carson protested.

"You're damn right you weren't thinking," Kurt continued, standing up to glare down at Carson, his voice raised now beyond what anyone would consider a reasonable level. "Did you just expect me to bury you and go on with my life as if it wasn't completely destroyed? Do you even realize what losing you like that would have done to me? DO YOU?"

"Kurt, please," Carson sobbed, looking up at him pleadingly through his tears, his knees drawn up to his chest. "Please. I wasn't in my right mind then, and living just hurt so much, I just... I didn't do it! You saved me, Kurt. If you had left the building that day, I would have done it, but... but you didn't, and... I'm better now, I so much better, you know that! I should have destroyed that note, and I'm sorry that I never did, but you... just... god, please forgive me," he begged. He looked so miserable and fragile, his eyes red and puffy, pleading with Kurt to forgive him.

"Please," he whispered again, dropping his face down into his knees. "Please, Kurtsie, please..."

Kurt felt all his anger slowly melting away as he looked at Carson sitting like that, looking like his entire world had just shattered to pieces at the very idea of Kurt being mad at him. He still felt shock and anger, but more than that, he felt the urge to hold his twin in his arms and never let him go again. He sat back down beside him, gently wrapping his arms around Carson's shoulders, and he could actually feel Carson falling apart, his brother's weight sagging against him as Carson sobbed into his chest.

"I'm sorry," he heard Carson murmur through his sobs. "I'm so sorry, Kurt."

"I know, baby," Kurt whispered soothingly, holding Carson tightly to him and rocking him back and forth. "I know you are, I'm just... I'm just in shock. I love you so much. I want to marry you. I don't ever want to face the prospect of losing you."

Carson mumbled something against his chest that Kurt couldn't make out as his arms wrapped tightly around Kurt's body.

"What was that, Carsey?" he asked gently.

Carson lifted his head and looked at Kurt through his red-rimmed eyes. "I said you're my guardian angel, Kurt," he repeated with a sniff. "You really are. You saved me twice."

That was all it took for Kurt to break down. They sat there on the kitchen floor crying for a very long time, neither one wanting to let go of the other, and only getting up and making themselves presentable right before their father arrived. Kurt thought Carson should consider himself lucky if he even got to go to the bathroom by himself anymore. At least for the time being. He kept eyes on him all evening, long after Burt had arrived and the three Hummel men spent the evening packing boxes and listening to Burt profusely congratulate Carson on his graduation and insist on watching the video that Kurt had shot of the ceremony.

I'm never letting you out of my sight again Carsey, Kurt thought fiercely that night as he and Carson lay beside each other in bed, their arms wrapped tightly around each other and Carson's head resting on Kurt's chest. He held his sleeping twin and vowed right then and there to be the best husband he could possibly be. He would make it his mission to help Carson in any way he possibly could.

I'm here now, Carsey. For good this time. You won't ever be rid of me.

Carson felt like complete shit over the next couple of days. There was no getting around it. His emotions were more fucked up than they'd ever been, and he couldn't believe that he'd been so stupid as to leave that note where it could still be found by anyone. He'd hastily hidden it in the deep recesses of that kitchen junk drawer the night Kurt came back to him, and he'd never looked back.

The night Kurt saved my life, he reminded himself frequently. Again. Goddammit, I should have thrown that fucking note away when I had the chance. He still wasn't entirely sure why he hadn't. He supposed that maybe, deep down, after he started to get better he still wanted to hang onto it, just to remind himself of the point in his life that he never wanted to be at again.

But he certainly never wanted Kurt to see it. He'd been at rock bottom when he'd written that letter. He had honestly felt like there was no other alternative, no other way to make things better, than to end his own life. Now that so much time had passed and he'd made so much progress, the very fact that he'd ever felt that way scared the shit out of him. He could only imagine what had gone through Kurt's mind when he read it.

I'm so sorry, Kurtsie. I never meant to hurt you. I really didn't.

Kurt hadn't mentioned the note since the day he'd found it. He didn't have to in order for Carson to know that it was still very much on his mind. The fact that he'd barely left Carson's side since they moved into their own apartment unless it was absolutely necessary spoke volumes, and Carson felt guilt tearing him up inside every time they had to be apart.

"You'll call me the second you're done, right?" Kurt asked him worriedly on the morning Carson was scheduled for a job interview, his very first as an actual college graduate. Being a copy editor position at a very small paper, it wasn't quite what Carson had always dreamed of, but he supposed it would be a nice step in the direction of his dream job.

"Yes, Kurt. I promise," Carson assured him. "I'll look both ways before I cross the street and everything."

"Don't do that," Kurt said quietly, reaching for Carson's tie and adjusting it carefully.

"Don't do what? Look both ways before I cross the street?" asked Carson. "Surely you don't want me crossing in front of runaway cabs, Kurtsie."

"That's not what I meant," Kurt admonished him. "And you know it. I meant don't... don't tease me like that. Not now."

"Oh, honey," Carson said softly, pulling Kurt into his arms and squeezing him close. "Baby, I know why you're so upset. I understand, I really do. But I promise you, nothing is going to happen to me."

"I know," murmured Kurt, resting his head on Carson's shoulder and sighing. "I know, I do. I just... that was a lot to take in, Carsey. I don't think I'll be over it for a very long time, if ever."

"I understand, honey," Carson soothed, kissing his hair. "But everything is going to be fine. Ok? We still have our whole lives ahead of us as a married couple."

"Future married couple," Kurt corrected him with a smile. "We still have yet to set a date."

"Right," agreed Carson, cupping Kurt's face in one hand and kissing him gently on the lips. "Besides, we haven't christened every room in this place yet. There's still so much ground left to cover."

Kurt snorted, gazing into Carson's eyes with a small smile. "Well, we've finally had a successful session of 69, so there's that. But we haven't broken in the couch yet."

"Yes, we have," Carson protested. "The first night we moved in, remember? You scratched the hell out of my back and I had to put the stuff on it that I usually reserve for when Kurtsie Kitty gets playful with his claws."

"Oh, yeah," said Kurt, remembering. "Sebastian came over with all the stuff I'd left at his place and saw the scratches."

"And then was close to tears when he got turned down for a threesome again," said Carson, grinning. "It was glorious. So, see? We haven't broken in the kitchen table, either. Just putting that out there."

"And we're not going to, either," Kurt said, running his hands along Carson's arms over the sleeves of his suit jacket. "Dad just got us that table. It's gorgeous, and it's for eating. We won't be soiling it with bodily fluids, thank you."

"Aw, man," Carson pouted. "And I was so looking forward to bending you over it."

"Get out of here," Kurt said, pushing him gently toward the door. "Call me when you're done. Don't forget."

"I won't," Carson promised, giving him a deep kiss on the lips before allowing himself to be pushed affectionately out the door.

The next couple of months were full of adjustment as Kurt and Carson settled into a comfortable routine, getting used to living with each other again instead of with roommates. Carson went to work every morning, and to therapy appointments with his new doctor twice a week, while Kurt either headed off to school or work, went with Carson to therapy, or else stayed home with the little furry terror that was Kurtsie Kitty. If Kurt didn't know any better, he would swear that damn cat had it in for him. Or, more precisely, had it in for his clothes. He'd lost count of how many times he'd had to yell at Kurtsie Kitty to get out of his dresser drawers, which the cat had somehow managed to learn how to open. Kurt blamed demonic possession, a theory which was always met with a side-eye from Carson as he leaped to the little beast's defense.

"Oh, come on, Kurt," he'd say in a baby voice, picking up Kurtsie Kitty and holding him up to Kurt like some kind of offering while making kissy noises. "Kurtsie Kitty doesn't mean to mess with your clothes. He's just curious. Aren't you, Kurtsie Kitty? Aren't you just my curious little cupcake who doesn't mean to mess with Daddy's clothes?"

"You know, you're lucky that I love you," Kurt would usually reply with a roll of his eyes.

"I know," was Carson's standard reply. "And you love Kurtsie Kitty. Admit it."

"Never."

"Admit you love him!"

"Shouldn't you be at work right now?"

"Aw, Kurt, don't push me away. If I got hit by a cab on my way to work, you'd never forgive yourself."

"That's not funny."

It really was a wonderful life though, Kurt thought one night as he lay in bed beside Carson, propped up on one elbow and gently tracing his fingers along Carson's back while his twin slept peacefully. He'd taken to doing that a lot, staying up for hours just to watch Carson sleep and realizing just how precious a gift he'd been given when Carson had chosen him.

I love you so much, baby, he thought, pressing a soft kiss between Carson's shoulders, which caused Carson to shift in his sleep and sigh a little. I'm so sorry for all the hell you've been through. I want to make it better, because you deserve nothing but the best.

"Mmmmph," came Carson's muffled voice from where his face was buried in his pillow. "That feels nice. Is it morning already?"

"Not even close," said Kurt, burying his face in the back of Carson's neck and planting a kiss there. "I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"No," said Carson, shifting around to face Kurt and kissing him softly on the lips. "I was just dreaming that this perfect angel was touching me, and then when I opened my eyes I realized that it wasn't a dream."

"Oh, hush," said Kurt, smiling as he kissed him back. "You should stay home from work today. We could spend the day in bed."

"I wish I could," replied Carson with a pout. "But then again, if I stayed home, you wouldn't get the opportunity to send me naughty text messages that I have to discreetly hide from prying eyes, lest they think they have the right to be looking at my fiancé naked."

Kurt felt himself flush in the dark bedroom. "Please tell me no one saw those."

"No one did," Carson assured him. "Nobody but me, and the hugely inconvenient and embarrassing erection you gave me. Naughty boy..." He trailed off, his eyes growing wide as he suddenly went rigid in Kurt's arms. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" asked Kurt, but his question was answered two seconds after he'd asked it when he suddenly realized that there were drops of rain beating against their bedroom window. Shit.

Carson's grip on him tightened and his twin pressed himself up against Kurt as close as he could get without actually climbing inside of him. Kurt could feel Carson's heartbeat starting to quicken as his twin buried his face in Kurt's chest and started breathing heavily.

"Oh god, please... not now, I've been doing so well with not having these," he whined, his voice muffled against Kurt's skin. Kurt reached one arm blindly behind him into the nightstand, rooting around in the drawer for the bottle of Carson's anxiety pills. He opened it and shook one out, handing it to Carson along with the water bottle he always kept by the bed for emergencies just like this.

"Shhh, Carsey," he soothed as Carson swallowed the pill. "It's ok. You're with me, and you're perfectly fine."

"I wish I could just fucking get over this," Carson muttered. "It's been years, why am I still like this every time it so much as sprinkles?"

"I don't know," Kurt admitted, stroking Carson's hair. "These things take time, baby." He glanced over at the window, where the lights from nearby buildings were reflecting off the rain drops, making them shine like little pearls. He wondered how Carson would do just standing over there and seeing how beautiful the rain could be. That it didn't have to be such an instrument of torture.

"Carsey?" he asked, pressing a kiss to the top of his twin's hair and gently stroking his back. "Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?" Kurt repeated, wondering if this was such a good idea after all.

"Of course I do," said Carson through deep, shaking breaths. "I... I wouldn't be marrying you if I didn't."

"Ok. Then I want to try something," said Kurt. He gently disentangled himself from Carson and got out of bed, holding his hands out for Carson to take. "Take my hands, honey."

"Kurt, what are you doing?" asked Carson, shaking his head. "My chest hurts."

"I know, honey, I just... just take my hands?" Kurt asked again. "I promise, if you don't like this we'll stop. Ok?"

Carson looked uncertain, but took Kurt's hands, allowing him to pull him gently up out of bed. Kurt placed one arm around Carson and pressed him close, leading him over to the window. Carson started to tremble.

"Oh god, no... no, Kurt, please..." he protested, his voice dangerously close to a panicked scream. Kurt stopped in his tracks, instantly wanting to forget the whole idea and just hug Carson until the pain went away.

"Ok, ok... I'm sorry, honey," he apologized, wrapping his twin up in his arms and kissing his face. "I'm sorry, this was a stupid idea. I only thought that you could maybe see that the rain doesn't have to be this terrible monster, but... oh god, I'm so sorry."

"Not ready," Carson murmured, shaking his head violently as he trembled in Kurt's arms. "Anything but that, please. Not ready."

"Shhh, baby, I know," Kurt whispered as he held him close, feeling like the world's worse fiancé. "I'm sorry. I won't make you do it."

But I wish I knew how to really help you.

Thanksgiving that year was a pretty stressful affair, and not for the usual holiday related reasons, either. It was because the twins were spending it in Lima, and they'd finally come to the decision that their father should be told about their engagement.

"I'm nervous," Kurt had said to Carson on the day they'd arrived back home as they settled their luggage into their old bedroom. "What if he yells at us? Or kicks us out?"

Carson swallowed, wishing that Kurt would stop. He was a nervous enough wreck as it was. His own brain had been swirling with various possible scenarios about how this conversation would go, each prospect more nauseating than the last. Not that he could really imagine their father yelling at them or anything, but still. He couldn't imagine that this news would go over very well.

"It'll be fine, Kurtsie," he assured his twin, trying to sound confident. "You, um... you have my anxiety meds in your bag though, right? I mean... just in case?"

"Yes," Kurt replied. "When do you want to tell him?"

"Well," Carson started to say, but was interrupted by a knocking on the door.

"Come in," they said at the same time., and the door opened to reveal Burt, peeking his head in cautiously as though he were afraid he'd walk in on something he'd rather not.

"Hi, boys," he said, stepping all the way in once he'd determined that they were both dressed. "Um... I didn't get the chance to catch up with you much in the car, with your stepmom and your brother there with us, so... I thought I'd come see how you've been doing? You know... together and all of that?" He sat down on the bed and looked at them carefully. He sounded awkward, and Carson couldn't really blame him. He was clearly trying, though. He was making an attempt to be supportive of them, and Carson felt so appreciative right then. Not to mention slightly relieved.

He was about to lock eyes with Kurt to silently ask him if he thought now was the right time, when Kurt suddenly seemed to lose all his composure all at once.

"Dad, Carson and I are engaged," he blurted out, his eyes widening and his hands coming up to cover his mouth as soon as he'd said it. Silence reigned in the room for several long, uncomfortable seconds. Kurtsie Kitty, who had been sniffing his way around his new temporary dwelling to decide if he approved of it, even stopped what he was doing and looked around, as though trying to find the source of the sudden silence.

"Dad?" Carson squeaked out after a minute, once he'd finally remembered how to speak. "Dad? You, um... you ok?"

"Can I just ask you something?" were Burt's first words. Carson felt Kurt sliding over to him, taking his hand and squeezing it nervously.

"What is it?" he asked in a nervous whisper.

"How?" asked Burt. "Please don't get me wrong, ok? I... I've come to a place, I think, where I can almost accept that you're... you know. But a marriage? How are you gonna do that, exactly? I'm not trying to be a jerk, you know I'm not. But... who's going to come to the wedding? I mean..."

Carson swallowed. "Well, um... It's going to be in the spring. On our birthday, actually. Santana and our friend Sebastian know about us, of course, and they would be there. Sebastian is doing that thing where you can become a minister on the internet, I think. Not that he really needs to, because it's just going to be a small commitment ceremony in the park, but he said it makes it feel more official that way, and..."

"And we'd really love it if you'd be there, too," Kurt added in a small voice. "I've always wanted my dad there on my wedding day."

Burt didn't say anything for a minute, although he certainly looked like he wanted to. His eyes were focused on something intently, and Carson followed his gaze to see that it was their engagement rings, which they both had been wearing, having forgotten to take them off and hide them on the plane.

"Dad?" Carson said cautiously.

"Those your rings?" asked Burt. Carson and Kurt nodded at the same time.

"They're nice," said their father. Carson felt Kurt sag slightly against him in disappointment when Burt stood up then and patted them both on the shoulder. "Um... congratulations, kids. I mean it."

Carson wanted to ask if that meant that he would attend the wedding, but he couldn't bring himself to. He could sense that Kurt was dying to ask the same.

"Thanks," said Kurt to their dad, giving him a small smile. Carson nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Dad," he said, squeezing Kurt's hand for comfort.

It's ok, Kurtsie. It's ok. This is just hard for him to take.

He wasn't sure what made him decide to do it, but that night, as he lay between Kurt and Kurtsie Kitty in bed and it started to gently rain, he found himself carefully getting up out of bed on his own. Taking deep, labored breaths, he willed himself to ignore the rapid beating of his heart as he rooted through Kurt's bag for his pills and quickly took one, swallowing it dry. He debated with himself only for a moment before he padded slowly into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Walking right up to the small window facing the front yard, he took a deep breath and forced himself to look out of it.

And to his surprise, not much happened. He was definitely still having an attack, but he found that simply looking out at the rain wasn't making it any worse than it usually was. In fact, it was kind of a relief. He could actually see that it was nothing but water falling from the sky, not a threatening boogeyman out to get him. It helped, in a weird way.

He didn't know how long he was standing there, but eventually he heard the bathroom door open and Kurt came up behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing his neck.

"Are you ok?" he asked in a whisper.

"Never better," replied Carson. He actually meant it. It was a very freeing sensation.

"I love you," said Kurt.

"I love you, too."

Before Kurt even knew it, it was early spring and finally time to start really planning their wedding. Even though it was going to be very, very small (they only had two guests, after all), it was still the only wedding they were ever going to have, and Kurt wanted every detail to be as perfect as it could be. His first task had been to thoroughly impress upon Sebastian, who was going to be performing the actual ceremony, the importance of not screwing that up.

"Seriously, Sebastian, I don't want this to devolve into a bunch of jokes about my ass, or about threesomes," he'd reminded the other man at least half a dozen times. "Just... promise me that, ok?"

"What kind of man do you take me for?" Sebastian asked, feigning offense. "I do have some sense of pride, you know. I only planned to make a maximum of two sex jokes during the ceremony."

"Sebastian, I swear to god..."

"Ok, ok, seriously. I won't do anything to ruin your moment. I'll be on my best behavior," Sebastian promised.

"Good," said Kurt. "I don't want to have to commit murder on my wedding day."

His next order of business had been to convince Carson to get fitted for a nice suit, which Carson groaned and grumbled about, but ultimately did without too much fuss. All that was left after that was making sure they had enough lights to string up in the trees, and enough flowers to set up at their makeshift altar (lilacs for Kurt, blue flowers for Carson).

Truthfully, the wedding itself, being so small, wasn't going to require much planning. The real planning was going into the honeymoon. The twins had gone over a multitude of possibilities, and more than a few fantasy vacations that they knew they'd never be able to afford in a million years.

"In the future, when we're both rich and famous," Carson told him, after Kurt had wistfully started looking up hotel accommodations in locations like London, Paris, Italy, and various Greek islands one morning over breakfast. "I promise, we'll take the most romantic vacation of a lifetime then. For now, we have a budget to stick to."

"I know," said Kurt, taking his hand and kissing it. "Maybe for our tenth anniversary."

"It's a plan," said Carson with a grin.

"Any input on where we go?" asked Kurt.

"I'll go anywhere, as long as it's with you," said Carson cheerfully. "I've got to go. I'm needed at the paper for a few hours. Can you feed Kurtsie Kitty?"

"It's either that or let him eat my shoes," quipped Kurt. "So yeah, I guess I will."

"Oh shut up, you love him and you know it," said Carson, slinging his bag over his shoulder and planting a kiss on Kurt's lips. "I'll see you at lunch time."

"Bye, baby," said Kurt as Carson headed out the door. He put his bowl in the sink, deciding to wash it later, and filled Kurtsie Kitty's bowl with his favorite wet food. The cat immediately started eating, and Kurt settled himself down on the living room couch with his laptop and a determination to find a honeymoon destination within their budget.

"Let's see..." he mused. Maybe a beach vacation? Atlantic City? Carson could walk around shirtless, and that would be an awesome honeymoon in my book. Hmm. Or maybe go up north and see the mountains? New Hampshire seems nice. Or a bed and breakfast in Vermont somewhere?

He'd just about decided to text Carson to see what he thought about the Vermont idea when he felt claws on his leg and looked down to see Kurtsie Kitty trying to climb him.

"Oh, no you don't, you little beast," Kurt admonished him, reaching down to gently swat him away. "These are good jeans."

Kurtsie Kitty sat back, looking up at him with wide, blue eyes and a small meow. He looked as if he was trying to make Kurt feel guilty, and as much as Kurt hated to admit it, it was working.

"Fine," he sighed, reaching down to pick the small cat up with one hand and settling him down beside him. He yawned and settled back with his laptop, beginning to search for affordable bed and breakfasts, but he felt his eyes drooping with every passing minute. It had been a long night of homework for him, and he hadn't gotten nearly as much sleep as he'd usually prefer.

He must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes and felt Carson's familiar, warm weight cuddled up beside him on the couch.

"Afternoon, sleepyhead," Carson teased him, kissing him lightly on the nose. "Sleep well?"

"No," Kurt mumbled, shifting a little as he felt something warm on his chest. He looked down to see that it was Kurtsie Kitty, snoozing away on him just like he usually did with Carson. He raised one eyebrow and looked from Carson to the cat curiously.

"Did you put him there?" he asked.

Carson grinned. "No. He was sleeping on you when I got in. You now have no excuse to be so mean to him. I knew you loved him."

"Oh, shut up," grumbled Kurt, but he had to admit, Kurtsie Kitty did look kind of cute. Even if he was getting fur all over a vintage sweater right now.

"He's kind of our kid, huh?" he said to Carson, reaching a finger up to gingerly pet Kurtsie Kitty between the ears."

"Mmm-hmm," replied Carson with a kiss.

Carson didn't know why he was so damn nervous on their wedding day. He really didn't. Theoretically, all that was going to happen was that he and Kurt were going to exchange vows in front of Sebastian and Santana, and maybe a few pigeons. No pressure.

But still. Maybe it was the fact that, after today, they were officially going to be husbands. If not legally, at least emotionally in their minds and their hearts. It felt like what he'd been waiting for his whole life. Like every moment of joy and heartbreak and cheering and crying... all of it had led up to this. For some strange reason, he really wished their mother could be there to see it, even though he had a feeling she probably wouldn't be that crazy about it. Burt wasn't even attending, after all. He wished that Grandma was at least still alive to see it. She wouldn't have even known who they were, but she had always loved a good wedding.

"Lost in thought?" Kurt whispered as they stood in the early evening at the back of the aisle that Kurt and Santana had created with tea lights in a sparsely trafficked area of the park. Sebastian was on the other end, his hands folded in front of himself and looking as serious as Sebastian was able to look, while Santana was perched delicately on a nearby rock, wearing the same dress she had worn to Burt and Carole's wedding years ago and holding a basket of flower petals to throw at the twins when the ceremony was over.

"I was just wishing that Grandma could be here," Carson whispered back. Kurt smiled and squeezed his hand.

"I know, honey," he said. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," replied Carson, sneaking a kiss onto Kurt's lips.

"Hey, save it for the honeymoon," Santana shouted. "Get married first before you go crazy macking on each other."

Kurt rolled his eyes and looped his arm through Carson's. "She's right. Let's do this."

"You're not going to start without your old man, are you?" said a familiar voice behind them, and the twins turned to see Burt standing there, wearing a suit and looking awkwardly at them.

"Dad?" Kurt said, his blue eyes widening with shock as Carson gaped. "Dad, you... we thought..."

"I know," said Burt. "I wasn't sure that I could handle being here for this, but I was being a jerk. I told you that I would do my best to accept this, and I would feel like crap if I missed out on the happiest day of my sons' lives."

The twins just stared at him for a second. Carson didn't know what to do until he saw Kurt lurch forward and hug their dad, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Thank you, Dad," he whispered. Carson tentatively reached out and joined the hug, letting a few tears spill out as he savored the fact that he would have a parent watching him get married after all.

"Oh, there's no chairs," said Kurt fretfully as they stopped hugging, looking around as though a chair would magically appear out of thin air.

"That's ok, we have rocks," shouted Santana, gesturing around her. Burt smiled and crossed over to her, carefully settling down on a neighboring rock and waiting.

"I guess it's now or never," said Kurt, looping his arm through Carson's again as Santana pressed the play button on the boombox beside her and the wedding march began to play quietly into the park.

"Dearly beloved," said Sebastian, once the twins had reached his end of the aisle. "We're gathered here today- all three of us- to witness the joining of Kurt Elizabeth Hummel and Carson Phillip Hummel in holy brotherly matrimony."

Kurt gave him a warning look, and Sebastian's eyes twinkled with mischief before he cleared his throat and continued. "Ahem. At this time, the aforementioned couple would like to say a few words of devotion to each other."

Carson turned to face Kurt, his breath catching in his throat both at how beautiful he looked and the fact that he was about to do this in front of their father. He shook himself mentally. Now was not the time to fall apart and have a panic attack.

"Kurt," he began. "I've loved you from the moment you were born. I never was a people person, but you were different. You and I... we were just made for each other. I could always talk to you. You could genuinely bring a smile to my face no matter how bad my day had gone, and nobody has ever brought joy into my life the way you have. And I really can't express how much it amazes me that you're going to be bringing me that joy now for the rest of my life. I love you so much, Kurt, and there will never be a greater honor in my life than the one of being your husband." He turned to Sebastian, who handed him one of two matching silver rings, both of which were engraved with a tiny "K+C" on the inside, along with a heart. He slipped it carefully onto Kurt's finger above the engagement ring, bringing Kurt's hand up to his mouth and kissing it.

"Carson," said Kurt after he had composed himself, "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life. You and I both know that. And the one that I regret the most is not telling you sooner how I felt about you. I can't tell you what a relief it was to finally see through the fog and actually realize that it was you that made me truly happy. It was always you who was my greatest protector, my biggest cheerleader even when few others had faith in me, and my best friend in the entire world. I don't ever want to live in a world devoid of you and the ability to show you how much I love you. From now on, we're joined for life." He took the second ring from Sebastian and slipped it onto Carson's finger before holding his hands tightly and smiling at him.

"Well, then. By the power vested in me by the internet, I now pronounce you husband ad husband," said Sebastian grandly. "You may kiss, the... um... groom."

Carson's heart skipped a beat as he realized that he was going to have to kiss Kurt in front of their dad, and Kurt seemed to have realized the same thing, because his eyes grew as wide as saucers and he stared at Carson as though he weren't sure what to do. Sebastian caught on and snorted, and Santana threw a small rock at him.

"Boys," said Burt after a moment of awkward silence. "I've seen you kiss on the lips before all the time when you were little. Just do it."

Carson felt a relieved giggle pass his lips before they were being covered with Kurt's, and instinct took over as he gave in to the kiss, pulling Kurt closer and deepening it as much as he dared with an audience present.

"That's hot," said Sebastian. Carson kicked him.

Santana pressed another button on the boombox and the opening strains of "I Can't Help Falling In Love With You" filled the air. The twins smiled at each other and Kurt pulled Carson into an embrace, resting his head on his shoulder and sighing contentedly.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," Carson replied, kissing the tip of his ear. "It's you and me from now on."

"Forever," agreed Kurt.

"I, um... hate to interrupt," said Burt, walking over to them. "But I do have a little present for the happy couple."

Carson and Kurt pulled away from each other slightly, looking at their dad curiously. Carson watched as Burt reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope.

"What's this?" Kurt asked, taking it from him and opening it as Carson watched over his shoulder. Inside the envelope was a wedding card, and inside the card was...

"Dad!" Kurt gasped out loud as he gazed down at the card in disbelief. "Are those plane tickets to Greece?"