Kurt Hummel had spent quite a lot of time over the course of his life imagining his one true wedding proposal.

When he was five, his fantasies involved a candy-ring and his future husband dressed as the pink power ranger. Over the years, his daydream had undergone much revision, with each of his celebrity-crushes of the moment taking the spot of hopeful groom-to-be.

When he'd first met Blaine, Kurt had tried very hard not to think of engagements at all, because all of his fantasies invariably ended up with Blaine on one knee, holding up a magnificent yet tasteful ring and looking at him like he hung the moon. And when reality had intruded, he was once again reminded of how Blaine saw him as nothing more than a friend and the truth had just hurt too much.

But after Blaine had kissed him, after all of his hopes and dreams of love had come true over a table strewn with fake gems glittering in the muffled sunlight, Kurt didn't hold himself back anymore. Whenever Blaine smiled at him softly from across the coffee shop, Kurt's heart stuttered and he'd imagine them married in New York, getting each other coffee before work. Whenever Blaine held his hand over the table, he'd gently swipe his thumb across Blaine's knuckles, imagining a wedding ring nestled under his touch. On those few nights Blaine was allowed to stay over at the Hummel-Hudson house, he'd stay up late cuddling with Blaine on the living room couch, imagining it was their house. He imagined it all, but never voiced it for fear of maybe taking it too far, too fast.

He should have known there was no need to worry, that he and Blaine were too in love, too perfect for each other, to not be on the same page in this matter.

On the day they'd taken their relationship to a new level, still high on the new physical intimacy and the increased emotional closeness, Blaine had quietly confessed that he imagined them being married a lot, and that he wanted to marry Kurt someday. Kurt had kissed him senseless in reply, which had then proceeded to less innocent displays of affection, but that moment kick-started their endless discussions of weddings and rings and living together and a future of them.

They never really discussed the actual proposal though, but Kurt Hummel was nothing if not vividly imaginative. There were romantic picnics with the autumn sun turning Blaine's eyes honey-gold as he held out a ring and asked Kurt to be officially his, forever. Or warm candle-lit dinners where Blaine got down on one knee and made an impassioned speech and they kissed while the rest of the restaurant burst into applause. Or when he was feeling particularly wild and dramatic, Blaine showing up backstage after Kurt's first Broadway show with a dozen roses and proposing in front of hundreds of adoring fans.

Oh, Kurt had fantasized quite extensively about this one moment. But never in his wildest dreams did he think that when it happened, it'd be because Blaine admitted to deciding not to propose to him. Nor had he imagined that he'd be naked, with his hair an absolute haystack the way only good sex can turn it, with Blaine kneeling in front of him, naked save for a blanket tied around his waist.

No, Kurt had never imagined it playing out quite like this. But in hindsight, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

*

Their reunion had been as satisfactorily dramatic and clichéd as a reunion befitting an epic love story like theirs should be. (Kurt was quite proud, he could already hear the amazing romantic tale he could spin about it for their grandchildren.)

One moment Blaine had been standing in front of Kurt at the final gate of the airport, telling him a sad goodbye after their week together, with Kurt in Ohio for Burt's therapy. The next moment Kurt had thrown himself at Blaine, kissing him fiercely and passionately, right in the middle of the line leading to the terminal, ignoring both the disgruntled security guard and the line of elderly women whooping enthusiastically at them, losing himself in Blaine's sweet mouth, Blaine's little hitches of breath and Blaine Blaine Blaine instead.

The next thirty minutes had been a blur of retrieving his luggage back from the airport and cancelling his flight ticket, before they had jumped into a car and headed straight to Blaine's thankfully-empty house.

An afternoon of enthusiastic, breathless and heart-soaringly perfect mutual debauchery had followed.

And now here they were, with Kurt on his back, loose-limbed and worn out in the best way, his last orgasm still coursing through him, making everything fuzzy and warm and pretty, while Blaine curled into him, head resting on Kurt's shoulder, snuffling Kurt's neck, pulling him closer with his arms and legs.

Kurt giggled softly, carding a hand through Blaine soft curls, which had loosened from the constrictive gelmet during their… activities. He loved how Blaine got after sex, all warm and pliable and content, draping himself over every available part of Kurt that he could.

“I love you so much,” Blaine breathed into his neck, shuffling even closer.  Kurt wrapped an arm around Blaine and pulled him in tight.

“I love you too,” Kurt replied, savouring the feeling of skin on skin, of being here and how perfect it was, and the scent that was just so inherently Blaine.

“I'm so glad I decided not to propose to you this week. I like how this played out much better,” Blaine mumbled sleepily, nosing at Kurt's collarbone with a contented little sigh.

Kurt froze.

His heart started to pound as his entire being focused on a single word. Propose?

“Propose?” Kurt asked, his voice going high-pitched in surprise.

Blaine's whole body went stiff, before he scrambled off of Kurt, looking panicked and terrified.

“I didn't mean to say that,” Blaine said, hurriedly, eyes blown in panic, “Please don't freak out.”

“What do you mean, Blaine? Propose?”

Blaine took a deep breath.

“After our talk last week I just wanted to do something, something big,” Blaine started, words running together in his panic, as Kurt stared at him wide-eyed. “To reassure you that I meant what I said, that you'll never have to doubt me again, that you can trust me again.”

“I already do trust you again Blaine –“

“And it seemed like an engagement was the best answer,” Blaine continued, voice going slightly strangled, not having registered Kurt's reply, “because what better way to promise forever to someone than actually promising forever, officially this time?”

Kurt's heart pitter-pattered in his chest, gum-wrapper rings and sparkling eyes full of promises and love flashing through his mind. They'd come so far since then, lost so much, yet gained so much and more too.

“And I know!,” Blaine was near hysterical in his panic now, “I know I was being stupid and selfish and it wasn't so much reassuring you as reassuring myself, but I just wanted –“

“Blaine.”

“- and I even bought rings, but I swear I wasn't going to! I thought about it and these two nice old ladies talked to me about it and I decided in the end that it would be selfish of me and I'd be putting you on the spot and I'd never do that to you Kurt –“

“Blaine, I'm –“

“I'd never do anything to ever make you sad or uncomfortable or pressured, I know I screwed up bad in the past, but I promise I never will, please don't –“

“BLAINE!”

Blaine's mouth snapped shut and he clutched at the sheets tangled around his waist and to Kurt's horror, he saw tears slightly welling in Blaine's eyes.

“Shh, no,” he said, scooting forward and gathering Blaine up in his arms, “no, baby, shh.”

Blaine buried his face in Kurt's neck, long eyelashes like butterfly wings brushing back and forth across Kurt's collarbone, as he blinked and took deep even breaths.

“Sorry,” Blaine said, voice throaty with a hint of apologetic laughter in it, as Kurt continued to gently pet his hair, “We're still so new and I'm still just so worried of screwing this up again and I just –“

“Panicked,” Kurt finished for him, a smile in his voice.

Blaine huddled in closer and Kurt held him tighter.

“We both made mistakes, Blaine,” Kurt said softly, as he stroked Blaine's curls, “we both screwed up, but we talked and we start on a clean slate now, okay? We learned from this, we're stronger for it, I love you and there's no point beating ourselves up over it, okay?”

“Okay,” Blaine said, nodding into Kurt's neck.

A beat of silence.

“Did you say you bought engagement rings?” Kurt asked.

“Yes,” Blaine admitted quietly, “but I promise once I sat down and properly thought about it, I decided it was a stupid, impulsive idea. I'd never put that kind of pressure on you.”

Another beat.

“It wasn't,” Kurt said softly into Blaine's hair.

“Wasn't what?” Blaine asked, moving back a little to look at Kurt.

“It wasn't stupid,” Kurt said, staring deep into Blaine's eyes.

“… Oh.”

“And you wouldn't have been pressuring me. You would've surprised me but it'd have been a good surprise, Blaine, because this is still something I really really want.“

“Oh.”

“I came back to Ohio to tell you I want you back. I couldn't get it out right when we talked last week, but if you'd asked me to marry you, I would've said yes. Because it's all I want Blaine. You are all I want,” Kurt finished, eyes still boring into Blaine's.

Blaine stared back at him, mouth slightly open like Kurt had just scrambled his brain.

He probably had.

The silence stretched on and it didn't seem like Blaine would recover any time soon.

Kurt rolled his eyes fondly, fiddling with the sheets around Blaine's waist.

“You should get the rings out,” he said, prodding Blaine, who still looked gobsmacked.

“…What?”

“I'm saying I want you to propose to me, Blaine Devon Anderson,” Kurt said, slowly, enunciating each word.

“You're saying… you want…?”

“Yes.”

“Right now? You and me?”

“Yes, you adorable, infuriating idiot, right now.”

And Blaine's face was brighter than the summer sun.

Which was why Kurt Hummel was naked with a bedhead sent from hell, while receiving his one true wedding proposal from his one true love (who was also equally naked and bedhead-afflicted).

Sure, it wasn't exactly what he had had in my mind. But when Blaine dropped down on one knee and looked up at him, eyes full of adoration as he breathed out a “Kurt Hummel, will you do me the honour of being my husband?” and slipped the simple band of white-gold on Kurt's ring finger, and Kurt pounced on him with a litany of “Yes yes yes”, as they traded fast, desperate kisses…

It was everything.

“So we're engaged?” Kurt asked coyly, as they cooled down a few minutes later, Blaine balancing carefully over Kurt, gazing down at him with love in every line of his face and Kurt's heart hurt with happiness.

“We're engaged,” Blaine quipped back, grinning widely.

“You know, there's one really big problem in all of this,” Kurt said with a mock frown, pouting up at Blaine.

“Oh yeah? What's that?” Blaine played along, hands running lazily up and down Kurt's sides.

“How on earth are we going to tell our proposal story to our grandchildren?” Kurt asked, the picture of complete devastation.

“I see your point, it does have way too much nudity involved to be appropriate for their innocent young minds,” Blaine agreed, face grave.

They stared at each other in mock seriousness for a second before Blaine snorted out a laugh and collapsed on top of Kurt, lost in uncontrollable giggling.

Kurt indulged him for a few minutes, grinning like a love-struck fool at the ceiling before abruptly flipping them, Blaine now on his back gazing up as Kurt settled over him, bright-eyed and mussed up, so very lovely and Kurt's.

He leaned down until his lips brushed against Blaine's ear.

“I heard that post-engagement sex is some of the best sex you'll ever have in your life,” he breathed into Blaine's ear, grinning smugly as Blaine shivered beneath him, “Wanna test it out?”

Judging by Blaine's enthusiastic response, he guessed that statement was going to turn out to be one-hundred per cent true.

Kurt was pretty okay with that.