Blaine was exhausted, his shoulders ached and his feet hurt and he was tired enough to lean his head on the pole in the train to keep himself upright. He just needed to close his eyes for a little while and then he'd be fine. The train stopped and jerked Blaine back to reality. He opened his eyes and blinked blurrily around. He hadn't missed his stop that was good.

The train doors opened and Blaine started shuffling out with everyone else. He wasn't sure why it was that moment that Blaine noticed it, but suddenly he was looking down at his hand with a puzzled expression. 

He lifted his hand in the air and then scooted out of the way as someone ran into him without so much as an “excuse me”. He wasn't paying attention to the people around him though. What was wrong with his hand? It looked… Oh god, it looked empty. 

Blaine's eyes widened and he let out a little yelp and he immediately started looking on the ground around him. As if his ring had just fallen off. It wasn't there of course; he wasn't even sure how long the ring had been missing. 

Maybe he took it off last night when he was making dinner and it was still on the kitchen counter? Or maybe it was on the bathroom sink? He closed his eyes and tried to remember when he last took it off. As long as it was at home somewhere he be fine, if it was at home he'd find it. 

He couldn't lose this ring. It went with Kurt's. It represented all the promised they had made to each other. It was important. 

He held the strap on his book bag tighter as he made his way out of the subway station. He had to find the ring; he didn't want to tell Kurt it was gone. He got to their apartment and hung up his bag and kicked his shoes off at the door. He went straight to the kitchen and started looking around for his ring. The counters, the window still, the floor under the table. It was nowhere to be found. 

He passed Kurt hurriedly in the hall on his way to the bathroom. 

“Blaine! Youre home!” Kurt called and Blaine just sort of waved at him. 

“Yeah, I… yeah.” He got to the bathroom; the ring wasn't on the sink. Did he take it off and leave it here? Did it go down the drain? He got down to his hands and knees looking on the tile floor. Should he shut the water off and take the pipes apart? Would it be long gone? 

“Blaine? What are you doing?”

Blaine didn't glance up from his search as Kurt stood by the bathroom door. 

“Blaine.” Kurt called again. 

Blaine finally looked up. He paused for a moment and took in Kurt's appearance. He had on dress pants and a crisp white and light blue shirt and a vest, with a suit jack looped over his arm. His hair was done even higher than normal and he looked polished and amazing. 

“Fancy clients at work today?” 

Kurt furrowed his brow. “No. Why?”

“You look all dressed up, are you going out tonight? Wait, do we have plans I forgot?”

Kurt lowered himself down resting on his heels so his pants didn't touch the bathroom tile. “I think a better question is why are you crawling all over the bathroom floor?”

“Oh god!” Blaine smacked his palm against his forehead remembering now that Kurt had asked him if he'd like to go out to dinner that evening. “We do have dinner plans don't we? I didn't realize it was so formal and… actually I just forgot.” He shook his head. “I'm so sorry.” 

Kurt smiled and stood, holding out his hand and pulling Blaine to his feet. “It's okay, I know I just texted you about it this morning. No big deal, we can still go out, you have time to change.”

Blaine shifted nervously on his feet. “Kurt there is something I need to tell you.” 

The smile slipped from Kurt's face. “Okay. What's wrong?”

“I…” Blaine ran his fingers through his curls and then held his left hand up for Kurt too see. “I lost my ring.” He said quickly. “I just noticed when I got off the subway and I don't remember where I took it off... and I will find it Kurt I promise, but-" Blaine stopped talking as Kurt drew close to him and placed a finger against his lips. 

“Blaine, I have your ring.”

“You do?” Blaine said against his finger. 

Kurt smiled and pulled his hand back. “You didn't lose it, I found it on the bed stand the other day and took it to the jeweler to be cleaned.”

“Oh thank god.” Blaine said and leaned his head against Kurt's shoulder. “I thought I'd lost it.”

“Sorry to make you worry.” Kurt said patting his back. “But you haven't had it on for two days and you just now noticed it was missing?”

Blaine straightened back up smiling at Kurt and shrugging. “Oops?” 

Kurt arched an eyebrow. 

“School and work have left me a little frazzled.” Blaine said sitting down on the closed toilet. “I mean I'm happy to be back in school and working as a T.A. But... it's a lot.”  Blaine looked back up at Kurt who was leaning against the door frame and worrying his lip. 

“We don't have to go out tonight if you don't want to.” Kurt said meeting Blaine's eye. “If you want a quiet night in we can make that happen.”

Blaine stood up and shook his head as he pulled Kurt forward and wrapped his arms around him. “No, you're all dressed up and you look amazing.” He kissed him softly. “Let me change. I want to go out with you.”

Kurt smiled and nervously ran his fingers behind his ear straightening hair that was already in place. “Okay, go change.” He said backing up and letting Blaine pass. 

Blaine turned and paused half way down the hallway to look at Kurt for a moment. He was leaning against the door frame and rattling his hand in his pocket as he let out a deep sigh. 

Blaine knew Kurt well enough to know that something was bothering him. Was he upset that Blaine had forgotten about tonight? Or that he didn't notice his ring was missing soon enough? 

Blaine opened the closet and distractedly picked out some clothes for the evening. No, Kurt seemed more nervous than upset. Maybe he was worried about work and needed an evening out as much as Blaine did. 

Blaine slipped on slacks and shoes with a white shirt, a dark tie, a yellow sweater vest and suit jacket. He went back to the bathroom and ran a little water through his curls with his fingertips to loosen them up and then he was ready to go. When he got to the living room Kurt was pacing back and forth, like a cartoon character who was wearing a rut in the floor. He was also biting his thumb nail which he never did. 

“Kurt.' Blaine said walking up to him and placing his hands on his shoulders to make him still. “What's wrong?” 

Kurt let out a breath and smiled “Nothing. Nothing's wrong. You look incredible by the way.” He said looking down Blaine's body, he then kissed Blaine's cheek and tugged on his hand leading him out of the apartment. 

They were mostly quiet on the way to the restaurant, Kurt bouncing his knee the whole drive. When the cab stopped Blaine found that Kurt had made reservations at his favorite restaurant. He placed his hand on Kurt's lower back leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Thank you for this, you know I love this place and we haven't been here since we moved back.”

Kurt just smiled at him his eyes sparkling.

Dinner was delicious and whatever seemed to be bothering Kurt started to fade throughout the evening his shoulders relaxing and the conversation easy. Kurt was talking animatedly about the new fall line at work, he eyes dancing and his dimples showing. Blaine just leaned on his hands and listened until Kurt  got to a stopping point. 

“I love you so much.” Blaine said. 

Kurt paused surprised at the out-of-the-blue declaration. 

“I love you too.” 

Other words were on the tip of Blaine's tongue. “Let's get married.” But he held them back like he'd been doing for months now. He and Kurt had applied for permission to be married as soon as they had gotten their real names back. A year and a half later they still hadn't heard anything from the Registry. They were in limbo, knowing what they wanted but not able to get there yet. 

“What are you thinking right now?” Kurt asked interrupting Blaine's thoughts. 

Blaine shook his head. “Oh… just about life.” 

Kurt raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Life huh?” He straightened up and motioned for the waiter. “You ready to go?” 

“Sure.” 

They paid the bill and walked out of the restaurant hand in hand. 

“Want to walk home?” Kurt asked. “It isn't too far.”

“I'd love that.” 

The evening was cool and Kurt's hand was in his as they walked and leaned against each other. All the stress of the day was falling off of Blaine as he just enjoyed being near the man he loved. They passed a little park in their neighborhood and Kurt tugged on his hands pulling him in. 

The sun was down, but it was still early enough that the park wasn't a dangerous place to be. Blaine was surprised to see a group of trees off in the cornet covered in white fairy lights, Kurt lead them there and sat down on the bench under the trees patting the seat next to him. 

“This is lovely.” Blaine said sitting and looking up at the twinkle lights; he glanced back down to find Kurt gazing at him earnestly eyes wide and face close as he leaned forward. Blaine smiled and leaned in for a kiss, it was soft and sweet and too short. Soon Kurt was pulling back. 

“I have something I want to show you.” 

“Oh?” 

“Before I do though; you need to know it is good news, really good news, for us. So don't freak.”

“Okay…” 

Kurt pulled out a folded piece of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it to Blaine. Blaine held it and it took a minute before he realized what it was. A blue envelope from the Lifemate Lottery. His head snapped up to look at Kurt. 

“Good news. Remember.” Kurt said probably recognizing a little flurry of fear in Blaine's face. “I opened it already. Go ahead read it.” 

Blaine's heart was beating heavily in his chest as he pulled out the letter and his eyes scanned it by the light of the streetlamp and the fairy lights above him. 

“We are pleased to inform you your marriage application has been approved.” He read out loud “Please fill out the form enclosed to inform us when you set a wedding date…” 

Blaine's heart felt like it was soaring. This was it. This was what they'd been waiting for. He looked up from the letter to see that Kurt had gotten up from the bench and was now on one knee on the ground. 

“Kurt.” Blaine said his voice scratchy.  

Kurt smiled and lifted up a little velvet box that Blaine recognized as the box for his ring. 

“My ring isn't being cleaned.” Blaine said. 

Kurt laughed nervously and shook his head. “No.” 

He opened the box. 

“Blaine Anderson. You are the love of my life. The only person I ever want to be with. The only person who can always make me smile and make me feel safe and feel like I can do anything. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I love you. For your smile and your laugh and your wisdom and your kindness and even for your silliness, especially for you silliness. I love you... and… and I want to be your husband. Will you…“ His voice caught a little and he cleared his throat. “Will you marry me?” 

Blaine blinked a few times his vision a little blurry with tears. Then he got off of the bench and onto his knees with Kurt on the ground. “Yes Kurt. God yes.” He pulled Kurt close and planted a kiss on his lips even as Kurt laughed against his lips. 

“Yes. Yes. Yes.” Blaine repeated his lips brushing against Kurt's. 

They kiss for a long time and only parted when Blaine realized his knees were a little sore on the hard ground. Kurt's face was flushed and his eyes wet. 

“Did you even look at the ring?” Kurt said his voice pitched a little higher than normal. 

Blaine looked down as Kurt withdrew the ring and slipped it onto Blaine's finger. It was his old ring, white gold tree branches twined together, but with another band interlocked with it, still white gold but with a string of little diamonds around the circumference. 

“Kurt.” Blaine breathed. “It's perfect.” He looked back up at Kurt who was smiling so big his cheeks had to hurt. They stood up together and Blaine couldn't help but throw his arms around Kurt in a tight hug. 

“This is why you were so nervous this evening.”

Kurt laughed burying his face in Blaine's neck, his arms around Blaine's shoulders. “I wanted everything to be perfect and then I made you upset about your ring and you were so tired and I thought I had messed it all up.” 

Blaine pulled him back to look in his eyes. “You didn't mess anything up. This was perfect. You're perfect.” 

Kurt's glanced from Blaine's eyes to his mouth and then brushed his thumb softly over his lips. “I'm going to marry you.” He said softly. 

“I'm going to marry you.” Blaine echoed and then they were lost in a kiss, holding each other as their lips moved and their hands roamed. Blaine was starting to feel almost dizzy with joy and the press of Kurt's lips against his own. He thought his knees might give out. He started tugging Kurt back towards their apartment. 

“Let's finish this at home.” He breathed and Kurt nodded quickly as they clasped hands and raced home laughing and happy. 

Blaine couldn't stop looking at Kurt, the man he'd loved for years and who he'd already promised everything too. But now they could make it official, let the whole world know they belonged to no one but each other. In their bedroom they slowly undressed each other savoring every moment of this night even though they knew it was just the beginning of the rest of their lives together.