Living life the way they wanted to live it was easier than Blaine had ever imagined it could be. Waking up next to Kurt every morning was easy, helping him in the bakery during the day was easy, going to his photography classes three times a week was easy, going to Lima for dinner with their family was easy, falling asleep in Kurt's arms (or with Kurt in his arms, depending what they were in the mood for each particular night) was easy. Blaine had never thought his life could be like that but it was and he loved every second of it.

Sundays were still his favorite days. It was just him and Kurt with nothing coming in between them. It was about lazy mornings, long walks with Robert, cuddling on the couch watching their favorite movies and just being with each other, which was what Blaine treasured most.

It was raining that particular Sunday morning. Kurt and Blaine had a thing for rain, since most of their special moments seemed to happen when the weather was grey and stormy outside. Winter was slowly rolling around once again and that only made Blaine want to snuggle under the blankets of their bed and sleep in as much as he could wrapped around Kurt.

That didn't seem to be Kurt's plan, though. The moment he opened his eyes, his delicious boyfriend next to him, with his long eyelashes painting his cheekbones and his full, beautiful lips looking so kissable, he couldn't resist him. He leaned closer and nuzzled their noses together, smiling, before moving down to mouth at his collarbone.

Blaine stirred slowly, his hands moving to the back of Kurt's head, fingers tangling in his hair, as Kurt sucked gently, leaving a little mark behind and then soothing it with his tongue.

"Mmmorning," Blaine muttered sleepily.

"Good morning, beautiful," Kurt replied, smiling against his skin. "Would you get on your back for me, please?"

Blaine shifted, changing positions, his eyes still closed, until he was fully on his back. Kurt straddled him and kissed him, deep and passionate, loving how sot and vulnerable Blaine was when he had just opened his eyes to the new day.

His fingertips ghosted gradually over Blaine's skin, travelling down until he could wrap his fingers around his length, which he started stroking teasingly, giving Blaine not even half of the friction he needed.

Blaine came into full consciousness with just a few tighter strokes. Kurt settled more comfortably and looked down at him with dark, hungry eyes, smiling at the little gasps of pleasure escaping from Blaine's mouth.

"Isn't this a nice way to wake up?" Kurt asked playfully. He already knew how much Blaine loved this. He remembered the first morning Blaine had woken up with Kurt's lips stretched around his erection, surprise and lust shining in his eyes and his orgasm striking him sooner than he expected at how amazing everything felt.

"No, it's horrible," Blaine groaned, tilting his hips up to try and get more friction.

Kurt chuckled and leaned down to kiss his neck. "You're a terrible liar."

Blaine's hands started roaming down Kurt's back until they reached his ass. Blaine kneaded at the tantalizingly firm flesh there, spreading the cheeks apart a bit to have Kurt twisting with anticipation. One of his fingers sneaked in between them to barely brush against his hole and he felt it twitch at the contact. Blaine smiled into Kurt's chestnut hair.

Blaine had learnt that Kurt was exquisitely dominant in bed, no matter who was topping and who was bottoming. During the first months, every time they had sex, it was because Kurt had initiated it. Blaine loved when he took charge. It drove him crazy with desire. But he also knew that teasing, feather-like touches that implied more could turn Kurt into a desperate mess of pure want. It paralyzed him, as if he was waiting to see what Blaine would do next.

Blaine tugged gently at Kurt's hair to bring him up for a kiss. It started sweet and slow, but soon Kurt was pushing his tongue into Blaine's mouth, needing more. It gradually changed into an open mouthed, breathless kiss, as Kurt stopped holding himself up on his knees and finally let their hips fit together.

They started rocking against each other, building the perfect pace as they kept kissing. Blaine reached towards his bedside table for the lube that had been left there last night. He didn't stop moving as he coated his fingers with it and then he touched Kurt's entrance again, who startled a bit at the cold feeling, but immediately recovered and started pushing back, trying to get Blaine to touch him more intimately. Blaine complied, sliding one finger inside and loving how Kurt moaned low in contentment.

Blaine took his time opening and stretching him and Kurt helped by pushing back eagerly against his hand every time Blaine thrust his fingers in, eagerly. He had barely inserted a third finger when Kurt growled, impatient and grabbed his wrist.

"Enough. Please, it's enough," he said, his voice high and desperate.

Blaine nodded and grabbed the lube again, covering his cock with it. He put his hands on Kurt's hipbones, brushing his thumbs against the skin there and looking into Kurt's blue eyes for a moment, before guiding him down and sinking deep inside of his boyfriend with a groan.

He always needed to stop at times like this. It didn't matter if Kurt was inside him or if he was the one inside Kurt, he always needed a second to let the overwhelming feeling of being so close to the man he loved beat in his chest before he calmed down and was able to move. Those seconds, those brief seconds of just taking in how beautiful Kurt was, how it felt to be connected, how happy he was to be there, were precious to him. Those seconds seemed to be what made his new life real because he was never as vulnerable as he was then, giving everything he had to someone else and receiving everything Kurt had in return. In times like those, he knew Kurt was the man he would love until the day he died.

Kurt started moving and Blaine met him with every thrust. They created their perfect rhythm, holding each other tightly and panting with their mouths glued together. The bed creaked a little when Kurt jerked sharply as he felt Blaine brushing his prostate just right. Blaine moaned brokenly at how perfectly Kurt was clenching around him and he had to take a deep breath to avoid coming already.

"Blaine..." Kurt whined against his neck.

"I know," Blaine answered, breathless. "God, Kurt, I know."

A few more thrusts were too much for Kurt. The angle was too good, the pressure was perfect and he found himself crying out and coming all over their chests, unable to hold back any longer. Seeing Kurt so wrecked sent Blaine over the edge and he let go, too, spilling buried deep inside of Kurt, moaning his boyfriend's name loudly and clinging to him through his orgasm.

Chests heaving, they collapsed against each other and shared a few lazy kisses as they came down from their highs. Blaine didn't move and Kurt didn't ask him to pull out, although it had to be a bit uncomfortable for him. Being connected was much more important than being sore.

"I love you," Kurt whispered as he brushed back the mass of sweaty curls that had ended up on Blaine's forehead.

"I love you more," Blaine replied against his lips. His eyes looked like melted honey, which had become Kurt's favorite color.

He smiled down at the man he loved, feeling so incredibly lucky to have him in his life. "Not possible."

Blaine wanted to argue, but kissing Kurt again was much more tempting.

It was a sunny, warm Saturday morning in April when Blaine drove to Lima alone. Kurt had stayed behind, working at the bakery, since Blaine had told him he needed to work with some classmates on a project. Instead, he parked outside of the Hudson-Hummel household barely after ten and knocked on the door to find a surprised Burt.

"I didn't know you were coming over, buddy," he said, letting him in and squeezing his shoulder in greeting.

"I was hoping you'd come with me," Blaine answered, shrugging, trying to act nonchalant, but failing miserably.

Burt didn't even hesitate. He put down the half empty cup of coffee he was holding. "Sure, I'll go with you. Where are we going?"

Blaine took a deep breath. "Well… I was wondering if you'd help me pick out an engagement ring."

Burt blinked for a second, but then he screamed (he actually screamed, and it was so high pitched that Blaine had to look around the room to make sure Kurt wasn't there with them) and hugged him so hard that Blaine's feet didn't touch the floor anymore.

He decided to take that as Burt's blessing.

As the end of classes approached, Blaine had to get ready for a Photography exhibit he was supposed to put together to get his diploma. It was normal now to see him with his camera hanging around his neck all day. He even woke up in the middle of the night sometimes to snap a picture at something that inspired him. He took pictures of Ellie's customers, of things at the park when they went out for walks, of anything that caught his eye.

He couldn't tell who was more excited about the exhibit: him or Kurt.

"You're graduating! And on time! Considering how late you started classes last year, one would think you wouldn't have had enough time to graduate now!" Kurt had said, excitedly, as soon as Blaine told him about the event.

"Calm down, my love," Blaine had replied, laughing. "I need to know if you'd like to go so I can get you a ticket…"

"Get three!" And Blaine had been happy that he had actually listened to his boyfriend, because once Burt and Carole heard about it, they demanded tickets as well.

Blaine was nervous. His potential career as a photographer could depend on how his work for the exhibit was graded. But that wasn't the only valid reason for him to be freaking out inside. He had also decided to propose to Kurt after the exhibit.

He didn't think Kurt would say no, but he couldn't stop thinking about all of the things that could go wrong. Maybe Kurt wasn't ready yet or maybe he didn't want to get engaged until he knew they could get married. Marriage equality wasn't legal in Ohio (yet, Blaine thought, but who knew, that could change soon) but that didn't mean he didn't want to see a ring on Kurt's finger and another ring on his own finger. It was funny how much he wanted him after spending years and years of his life not even allowing himself to dream about loving someone and being loved back.

"You're going to be amazing," Kurt reassured him, as he went through their closet to try and choose the perfect shirt for Blaine to wear as his boyfriend sat on the edge of the bed, waiting. "I saw your pictures and they're all fantastic."

"Of course you'd say that. You're my boyfriend, it's in the job description," Blaine rolled his eyes, but smiled anyway. Kurt's confidence in his talent meant a lot to him.

"I hope that's not true, because if you're lying about how delicious my cooking is, we're going to have trouble, Blaine," Kurt answered, picking out a black shirt and examining it with a critical eye.

"Your cooking is heavenly, Kurt," Blaine assured him, amused.

"Good. Now, try this on for me. I don't think I've seen you in this shirt before," Kurt gave him the shirt and started rummaging through one of the drawers, trying to decide if he would combine it with a tie or a bowtie.

Blaine took the t-shirt he was wearing off, before slipping into the shirt and buttoning it up. He looked at himself in the mirror and Kurt stood behind him, holding a red bowtie and a grey tie over each of his shoulders, thoughtfully. He finally decided to go for the tie, so he put the bowtie on top of the dresser and nudged Blaine to turn around so he could help him put the tie on. Blaine had spent most of his life wearing suits and tying his own ties, especially considering since his father had never really been the kind of man to use that sort of thing as a bonding excuse, but he didn't care. He loved how Kurt always seemed happy to do these things for him, these little things that spoke volumes about trust, intimacy and familiarity and about the love and caring he had missed his whole life.

Kurt placed a quick peck on his lips when he finished with the knot. "There, all done."

Blaine smiled and looked into the mirror once again. "How do I look?"

"Absolutely beautiful," Kurt smiled, too, before turning around to go into the bathroom to work on his hair.

Blaine used the opportunity to shove the ring box into his pocket.

Kurt's heart was swelling with pride inside his chest. He looked around at all the amazing work of Blaine's classmates and then at the corner in which Blaine's pictures were displayed. He had spent most of his time by his boyfriend's side, but now one of his teachers had approached him, and Kurt had decided to give them some space. Burt and Carole were roaming around the room, checking out the other photographers, but Kurt had no desire to wander. His blue eyes went back to Blaine's work. Many of the pictures were of places, of random things, of Robert and Brownie, of Burt at the shop. There was one of Finn's profile up-close in black and white that looked amazing and one of Carole with her hands buried in the earth in her backyard, planting new flowers for the spring. But at least half of them were of Kurt. Kurt sleeping, baking, laughing, looking away, kissing Blaine's cheek. There were so many that Kurt lost count of how many times he saw his own face on the wall.

"Your boyfriend's really talented," Burt said, standing next to him. Kurt tilted his head towards his dad and smiled at him.

"He is, isn't he?" He sighed in contentment. "Where's Carole?"

"She went to the restroom for a moment," Burt answered, eying Blaine in a mix of anxiety and enthusiasm. "If it's taking so long to talk to him, it has to be something good, right?"

"I'm sure everything is alright," Kurt said, trying to reassure himself more than his father. He swallowed, nervous for an entirely different reason. "Dad?"

Burt heard the way Kurt's voice wavered. "What's wrong, Kurt?"

"I…" Kurt's fingers closed around his father's arm, like he used to do when he was little and he was looking for support. "I bought a ring for Blaine today."

Burt's hand found Kurt's where it was resting near his elbow and squeezed it. "You did?"

"Yeah." Kurt felt as if a million ants were walking around in his stomach. It was a weird sensation.

A slow, but very, very happy smile spread on Burt's lips. He pulled his son into a hug so tight that Kurt was sure some of his joints actually cracked. "Kurt, that's amazing."

"I know…" Kurt gulped, causing Burt to frown at him.

"You don't look very excited," Burt pointed out.

"I'm just not sure if I should propose," Kurt confessed, glancing quickly at Blaine to check that he was still busy. "We've never talked about marriage, I don't even know if he wants to get married…"

Burt cleared his throat awkwardly. "Well, I'm sure you'll figure it out. Maybe you should talk to him."

"I don't know why I bought the damn thing," Kurt said, exasperated. "I went shopping for a new pair of jeans to wear tonight and I saw the ring at the jewelry shop and… it looked so perfect…"

"Kurt, don't freak out about this," Burt patted his back. "Having a ring doesn't mean you have to propose immediately. Just… take your time, if you're not ready."

Kurt's eyes fell on Blaine again. He seemed to be having a very intense conversation with his teacher. "I really, really love him, dad. He's everything to me. I don't want to make a mistake."

Burt actually chuckled at that. "Kurt, you'd have to be blind not to see how crazy Blaine is about you."

Blaine chose that particular moment to turn his head to the side very quickly and his eyes found Kurt in an instant. They were shiny and a little wide and Kurt thought he saw a flash of longing in them, as if being on opposites sides of the room was too much for Blaine to bear. It was gone in just a second, as Blaine turned his attention back to the man still talking to him, and Blaine shook his head in answer to something he was saying, but Kurt had seen it and it had been enough.

Blaine had been standing there with Kurt, watching how Carole and Burt walked around watching the other parts of the exhibit, and just enjoying a little time alone when Blaine's teacher approached them. Knowing it had to be about Blaine's grade, Kurt had excused himself and let them to talk on their own.

"You've done a wonderful job, Blaine," Mr. Richards said. He was an older man, in his sixties. He had been a photographer for numerous magazines and newspapers and had become a teacher just a few years prior, when his health didn't allow him to travel so much anymore.

"Thanks, Mr. Richards," Blaine smiled, incredibly pleased.

"You have a natural talent for this," Mr. Richards got closer to one of the pictures to examine the details. "You know, every year, we get a bunch of new students. Some of them are here because they really like doing this, some of them because they think it's a nice hobby… but most of them will end up doing something else with their lives. You, on the other hand, are going to do great things as a photographer."

Blaine wasn't sure he had heard so many compliments from anyone besides Kurt and the Hummels in his life, and his heart started bouncing inside his chest, happily.

"I don't think I need to tell you I'm giving you the highest grade," Mr. Richards looked up from the picture of Brownie sleeping next to the window. "These are all excellent."

Blaine's smile was so big he was sure his face would be sore the next day. "Thank you so much. You don't know how much I appreciate this…"

The man was quiet for a moment. He lingered at a picture of Kurt's face. He had been sleeping when Blaine took the picture, half of his face buried in his pillow, but looking so peaceful and beautiful that Blaine had needed to put it up for the exhibit. Even after Kurt had chased him around the apartment to try and take it from him.

"Someone special, I assume?" Mr. Richards asked.

Blaine grinned. "That's my boyfriend," he answered, proudly, not caring what people thought, not caring about anything else but letting the world know he loved that man.

"What does your boyfriend think about Boston?" Mr. Richards said then and Blaine frowned, confused.

"Boston?"

"I'm planning to open an art gallery in Boston," Mr. Richards explained. "My daughter lives there and she always complains that there aren't enough art galleries, which I have to agree with. I've been thinking about doing something about it, but I want a young artist to run it, someone who can exhibit and sell their own work at the same time as selling sculptures and paintings from other local artists." Mr. Richards straightened up and looked at Blaine from behind his rectangular-rimmed glasses. "I've been considering asking one of my students and… they're all bright, I have to say, but you're the brightest, Blaine. I'd love it if you could take over the gallery."

Blaine gaped, shocked. Was someone actually offering to pay him to do what he loved for a living? He had been dreaming about an opportunity like this since he had discovered his love for photography, and especially since he had cut all attachments to his parents.

But he couldn't ask Kurt to go to Boston with him. His whole life was in Ohio: his family, his home, the bakery he had worked so hard to have since he was a teenager… Kurt wouldn't want to leave everything behind just because Blaine was offered a job.

Even if it wasn't just any job.

Even if it was the one he had been dreaming of his entire life.

"So, what do you say?" Mr. Richards clapped his hands together, excited. "Can I count on you?"

Blaine snapped his head to the side and his eyes immediately found Kurt, who was standing across the room with Burt, talking quietly. He was so beautiful, so unique, so perfect. The dreams and fantasies Blaine'd had about the man he wanted to fall in love with years ago didn't even begin to describe how amazing Kurt was. He was everything and he couldn't ever leave him behind just for something as stupid as a job. He would work for the rest of his life at the bakery if that meant he could stay with Kurt. The rest didn't matter to him.

He looked back at Mr. Richards and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I can't do it."

Mr. Richards seemed confused, as if he wasn't expecting his offer to be rejected. "But Blaine! It's a magnificent opportunity for you!"

"I know it is," Blaine replied, sighing. "But I can't do it. Not without Kurt and he won't leave Ohio. This is where his family is, our family."

Mr. Richards was obviously disappointed. He patted Blaine on the arm. "Listen, boy, there's no pressure. I'm planning to open the gallery in the fall. Take a couple of weeks and think about it. You know where to find me if you change your mind…"

"I just can't leave Kurt, Mr. Richards. I've been looking for him forever," Blaine said, feeling a lump in his throat, feeling his entire body urging him to go hold Kurt, to have him close, to make sure he was still there.

Mr. Richards insisted one more time that he should think about it before leaving him, but Blaine didn't need to. Kurt walked towards him as soon as he realized he was done talking with his professor and gave him a hug, immediately enveloping Blaine in the sweet scent that made Blaine feel home.

He didn't care about any of his dreams, as long as he could have Kurt, because Kurt himself was the best dream come true he had ever had.

Something had changed.

Kurt noticed it immediately, but didn't dare making any comments about it until he was sure what was going on. Blaine was silent and thoughtful. Sometimes he stopped Kurt at random times just to hug him, and his hugs were so tight that Kurt couldn't breathe. But when he closed the bakery one afternoon and went upstairs to find Blaine packing his cameras and all his photography stuff into a box and trying to shove it into the closet by the bathroom, he knew he had to do something.

"What are you doing?" He asked, his eyebrows all the way up into his hairline.

"Oh, hi, I, uhm," Blaine jumped and looked around, avoiding Kurt's eyes. "Just making space. My things were everywhere."

"That's not true," Kurt tilted his head to the side in confusion. "You have your own shelf there for all your cameras and photography books. Why are you putting everything away?"

"No reason, really. I was just…" Blaine tried to laugh it off, but it was so painful looking at it that Kurt's heart clenched at the sight and sound.

"Blaine, you don't know how to lie," he cut him off, taking a step towards him, grabbing the box from him and putting it down on the floor. "Tell me the truth. What is it?"

Blaine gulped. "Kurt, it's nothing, please. Just drop it."

"It's obviously something!" Kurt exclaimed, a bit desperately. "Just tell me what it is!"

"I've been offered a job," Blaine answered before he could stop himself.

Kurt blinked for a few seconds before looking truly blissful. "Oh, honey, that's wonderful! What kind of job?"

"In an Art gallery," Blaine replied.

The excitement spread over Kurt's face as he smiled. "That's even better, Blaine! What…?"

"It's in Boston."

The silence was so abrupt that they could almost hear each other's heartbeats. Kurt could feel his breathing quickening, but he tried his best to remain calm.

"You… you're going to Boston?" He asked, choking a bit on his own words. "Is that what you're doing? You're packing your things and leaving?"

Blaine's eyes went wide. "What? No! Kurt, I'm not leaving!"

"Then why didn't you want to tell me about this?" Kurt asked, on the verge of tears.

"Because it doesn't matter!" Blaine took a few steps towards him and pulled him into his arms. "I'm not going. I can't do that."

Kurt clung to him, fisting the shirt Blaine was wearing in his hands and burying his face in his neck. "You could've told me…"

"There was no point, sweetheart," Blaine moved to the couch, still holding Kurt, and sat down, pulling Kurt onto his lap. He rocked back and forth, soothingly. "I'm not going, I thought it wouldn't matter if I didn't mention it…"

Kurt stayed there, just feeling Blaine against him for a few minutes, taking in his scent, feeling the way his chest moved under his hand as he breathe. Blaine's lips were pressed against his temple and they felt warm and perfect. Kurt realized that his greatest fear was having to live without Blaine. It had been only a bit over a year since they had gotten together, but time didn't matter. It was the overwhelming intensity of the love he felt for that man that counted, that convinced him a life without Blaine wasn't worth living.

Finally, Kurt lifted his head and looked into Blaine's hazel eyes, frowning. "Blaine… do you want to go?"

He had to ask. He just had to, because not having Blaine wasn't half as terrible as cutting Blaine's wings after he had worked so hard to let them grow again. What he had caught his boyfriend doing when he had arrived spoke volumes: letting go of a dream made Blaine take a million steps back.

"I only want to be with you," Blaine answered, smiling sweetly at him. "That's all I care about."

Kurt sniffed and snuggled even closer to him. "That doesn't really answer my question."

Blaine chuckled and kissed the top of his boyfriend's head. "It's the kind of job I've always wanted to do, and if it had been here in Ohio I would've jumped at it. But I can't go without you and I can't ask you to go with me…"

"Why not?" Kurt took one of Blaine's hands in between his and started playing with his fingers.

"Because you have everything here. Your work, your family…" Blaine said, shrugging.

Kurt shifted until he was sitting on the couch next to Blaine, looking intently into his eyes. "Blaine… I can bake anywhere."

"And I can take pictures anywhere," Blaine replied, stubbornly.

"Clearly not, since you were putting all your cameras away," Kurt cupped his face in his hand and gave him a peck on the lips. "You need to talk to me. You can't make these decisions on your own. It affects us both…"

"No, it doesn't. I decided not to go so you wouldn't have to…"

"Blaine," Kurt rolled his eyes and put two fingers on Blaine's lips to silence him. "Like I said, I can bake anywhere."

Blaine shook his head and kissed Kurt's fingers until he removed them. "And what about your family?"

"Our family will have to deal with it the same way all the other families do," Kurt answered quietly. "Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays… those will be the times we'll go and spend time with them."

"Kurt…" Blaine couldn't believe what he was hearing. He shook his head again. "This is crazy. You worked so hard to open Ellie's and you're so close to your dad and…"

"And I'm so in love with you, Blaine," Kurt cut him off, nuzzling into his neck. "So in love with you. I want to be happy and I can only be happy if you're happy, too. I know you've wanted this for years and I don't want to be the reason why you let this go…"

"There will be other opportunities…" Blaine assured him, but he didn't sound too convinced. "I can't ask you to do this."

"You're not asking me," Kurt smiled. "I'm offering."

"Kurt…"

"Do you remember what I once told you? About not wanting to leave Ohio because I was afraid I would be alone?" Kurt asked, tracing the outline of Blaine's jaw with his fingertips. Blaine nodded. "Well, I'm not afraid of leaving Ohio or of being alone anymore."

Blaine swallowed, his gaze boring into Kurt's deeply. "Are you completely sure about this?"

Kurt bit his lip, already feeling the excitement pooling in his stomach. "Yeah, I actually think I am."

Blaine moved forward for a kiss and Kurt instantly melted into it. Were they really going to move to Boston? It sounded so surreal. He had woken up this morning without a single idea of how his life would change just mere hours later…

Except for one thing. Kurt had been thinking about making one change without really finding the perfect moment, and now… he needed to know. He needed to take this leap of faith and see if it landed him somewhere safely.

"Do you know what they have in Boston?" He asked against Blaine's lips.

Blaine nuzzled their noses together, smiling so widely that Kurt felt dizzy just by looking at him. "What?"

"Marriage equality," Kurt said, the words coming out in a trembling rush.

Blaine blinked at him blankly. Kurt panicked.

"I was just… you know, it was just a random comment," he said, trying to hide the disappointment in his voice. "I meant that there must be other gay couples there and we won't be judged as much as we are here and we… where are you going?"

Blaine stood up and walked into their room, leaving Kurt there, wondering if he had just scared his boyfriend away. Wondering if he'll ever be able to have more than a boyfriend and deciding he didn't care about the title as long as he could still have Blaine.

Kurt was trembling when Blaine reappeared. He stood by the doorway for a few seconds, just looking at Kurt and the tiny smile on his lips gave Kurt a bit of confidence.

"I thought about that when Mr. Richards told me about the job," Blaine said, quietly. "Wasn't Massachusetts the first state to legalize gay marriage? But the funny thing is, legal or not legal… I had already bought the ring."

Kurt gasped and found himself immediately unable to take another breath. He watched with wide eyes as Blaine made his way back to him and knelt in front of the couch.

"No, no, no, you're not doing this," Kurt started hyperventilating, digging his nails into the cushions. "No, you're not doing this, Blaine."

Blaine startled and fell back on his butt, ending up sitting on the floor instead of kneeling. "Why not?"

"Because I bought a ring, too," Kurt answered and scrambled off of the couch, running to the corner where he kept his sewing machine and opening the little box where he kept different types of buttons. He grabbed a velvet box.

"Oh my fucking god," Blaine covered his mouth with his hand and, as soon as Kurt was close enough, he tugged at his hand, causing him to fall to the floor almost on top of him. Kurt yelped loudly and tried to hold himself before collapsing against Blaine's chest. "Kurt… what are we doing?"

Kurt gave him a watery smile. "Well, sweetheart… I think we're both proposing."

Without being able to hold back, Blaine put a hand on the back of Kurt's neck and brought him in for a desperate kiss, almost whining into it. "But I had another idea for this… dinner and candles and…"

"And I'm doing it now, either way," Kurt interrupted, clutching the box so tightly that it was digging into his palm. "I spent nearly my whole life thinking it would matter how the proposal went, if it was romantic and flawlessly planned, but I just don't care about it anymore, Blaine, because all I want is for you to say yes-"

"Yes!" Blaine exclaimed, without even letting him finish. "Yes, Kurt, always yes."

Kurt laughed as he felt a few tears spilling down his cheeks. He opened the box and took the silver band with a single diamond out to place it on Blaine's finger. "It has my name engraved on the inside. I hope that's fine…"

"Yours has mine," Blaine bit his lip, loving the feeling of the cold metal against his skin as Kurt slid it into place. "Kurt… I love it. I love you."

"I love you, too, but give me my ring before I take yours back," Kurt said, rolling his eyes in pretended impatience.

Blaine chuckled and wiped his tears away quickly, taking the box out of his pocket and presenting it to Kurt. "I practiced this in front of the mirror a million times, so I'm going to be a bit formal about it, okay?" Blaine murmured, making Kurt giggle as he cried a bit more. He nodded and Blaine took a deep breath. "Kurt, you're the love of my life. You saved me. You're the reason I'm happy. I want to be with you for the rest of my life and…" Blaine closed his eyes, frowning. "Damn, I forgot what was next. I have it on paper, let me just…"

"Oh my God, Blaine, just do it!" Kurt sobbed breathlessly.

"Okay, okay," Blaine cleared his throat and grabbed Kurt's hand. "Kurt… will you be my husband?"

"I'll be your husband. Yes, Blaine, yes," he whispered, overcome with emotion. He rested their foreheads together as he looked down to see Blaine putting the beautiful silver ring with two diamonds on his finger.

They kissed and they cried and they rolled on the floor laughing. Robert started barking at them and then whining, without understanding what the hell was going on. Brownie watched the whole scene from her place on the kitchen table, completely uninterested, where she was soaking up the last rays of sun. They started fighting over who was going to be the one to call Burt and Carole to tell them the news and then they chased each other around the apartment for the phone, until Blaine ended up wrapping his arms around Kurt's waist and throwing him over his shoulder with surprising ease. He carried him into the bedroom and dropped him on the bed, crawling on top of him immediately and silencing his protests with a burning kiss.

Neither of them remembered to call anyone after that, lost as they were in the other's sweet smiles and mesmerizing touches that made the bitterness of their past vanish completely.

Not for the first time since Kurt had Blaine in his life, he looked into his future and saw nothing but happiness.

Not for the first time since Blaine had Kurt in his life, he looked into his future and he was actually able to see one.

Feeling happier than he had ever felt, Blaine grabbed his fiancé's hand and kissed him deeply, deciding to start living that future right away.