"It's just three weeks, Kurt. 21 days. It won't be that bad," Blaine soothed.

"Easy for you to say, you're going to be in China having a blast without me," Kurt pouted.

Blaine barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Kurt, I'm going to be spending the majority of my time in a tiny village classroom trying to communicate with little kids who don't speak a word of English. There'll be no air conditioning, wifi, or cell service. It's not exactly going to be a glamorous vacation lounging poolside at a four star resort."

"I know, I know," Kurt sighed heavily. "But knowing that you are off saving the world still doesn't take away from just how much I'm going to miss you."

"Kurt," Blaine whispered, pulling him in for desperate kiss filled with longing. They broke apart at last, both gasping for air. Blaine pressed his forehead to Kurt's, eyes blinking open as he took one more moment to simply breathe Kurt in. "Would it help if I told you I've got a surprise for you?

"A surprise?" Kurt asked, perking up almost immediately. "Like a present?"

"Yes, like a present," Blaine chuckled. "I left it for you in the glovebox of the car." He glanced over at the departures board, seeing that his flight was set to begin boarding any minute now. "I don't want to leave you, b-"

"Go," Kurt interrupted, his eyes sad, "it's okay – I don't want you to miss your flight."

"I love you," Blaine said one last time, kissing Kurt's forehead. "I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"Love you too, honey. Be safe."

And with a final wave, Blaine stepped through the security line and out of view.

Kurt trudged back to the parking garage, already feeling the phantom ache of Blaine' absence. The only thing holding him together (aside from a desire to avoid the public humiliation of sobbing outside the airport) was the curiosity about what magical gift could be waiting for him in the glovebox. It was a pretty tiny space, after all. But as Kurt was fond of saying, good things often come in small packages (case in point: Blaine), so he was hoping for anything that could ease the sting of knowing he had to spend the next 21 days alone. He unlocked the car eagerly, immediately leaning across the middle console and opening the glovebox. He frowned as he tugged out a large manilla envelope, wondering what could possibly be inside. He slid it open and out tumbled five multicolored envelopes, each labeled with Blaine's neat script. More curiously, each began with the same direction - open when... He flipped through them eagerly, smile growing as he read the front of each one. After a moment's thought, he selected the teal envelope on top which read open when... you need to know how much I love you since it seemed most suited to his current situation.

Hi angel,

Let me guess – you opened this one in the parking lot of the airport. You know that's cheating, right? It's like unwrapping your presents a month before Christmas to sneak a peek. But if you waited at least 24 hours before you opened it, I'm proud of you. Either way, I love you. Like to a scary degree. If I could be there in person to kiss you and hug you and show you just how much you mean to me, I would. But since I can't do that right now, I'll have to settle for the next best thing. Go to our favorite coffee shop. They'll be expecting you.

Love and miss you already,

Blaine

Well, that sounds promising, Kurt thought to himself, starting the car and heading towards the cafe.

He arrived thirty minutes later, having spent a third of that time impatiently circling the block and waiting for a parking spot to open up. Kurt stepped through the door hesitantly, envelope in hand, to the usual chorus of greetings from the baristas who made it a point to get to know the names of all the regulars. However as he approached the counter, he began to feel nervous and a bit stupid. Would they know why he was here? Did he need to show the envelope? What if the gift was something really embarrassing like a giant stuffed teddy bear or a sex toy? Kurt could feel himself begin to blush at the ridiculous fantasies unspooling in his mind.

"Hey Kurt," Jake greeted him cheerfully at the counter. "The usual?"

"I..." Kurt trailed off, nodding dumbly and reaching for his wallet on autopilot. "Blaine...sent me?"

Jake smiled back at him. "Yeah, I know. Why don't you go take a seat at the window and we'll bring everything out to you in just a sec, okay?" He glanced down, seeing Kurt's half open wallet. "And put that away – your money's no good here until Blaine comes back."

Kurt shuffled over to the chair as directed, a slow grin erupting across his face. What did Blaine have in store for him? While he waited, he pulled his cell phone from his pocket and typed a quick text to Blaine - I love you. Have a safe flight and call me when you land.

He was so engrossed in reading a work email from Isabelle that he jumped a mile when he realized the manager was standing over him, a large cellophane wrapped basket in hand. Jake followed just behind her with his usual nonfat mocha and a frosted sugar cookie, setting them down with a wink. "There's a card tied to the basket," Jen remarked as handed it to him. "Blaine said you should read it first. Enjoy!"

"Thanks!" Kurt squeaked, deft fingers already pulling loose the curled ribbon and freeing the card. He slid the card from the envelope, opening it and beginning to read.

Kurt,

Because you deserve to be pampered... I wish I could be there to do it myself, but for now, this will have to suffice. And there's plenty more to come. See you soon.

Love,

Blaine

Kurt opened the basket next, seeing a variety of lavish spa treats from his favorite boutique – lotions, creams, shower gels, and bath salts in bright colors and delectable scents. Kurt couldn't help but marvel at how Blaine knew exactly what he needed as always – a hot bath sounded perfect right now.

He took a sip of his coffee, licking a bit of whipped cream from his upper lip as his eyes fell to the sugar cookie. Unlike the ones on display at the counter, this one was heart shaped, with a message piped in red icing – I miss you already. Kurt swallowed hard, throat thick with a growing lump. Usually Kurt talked Blaine into sharing a cookie or other sweet treat when they came together. And he knew it was silly, seeing as how Blaine wouldn't be home for three weeks, but he still broke the cookie in half, carefully wrapping up a piece for Blaine and tucking it away in his messenger bag.

...you are unbearably bored

Kurt made it a full six days before he opened the next envelope. The week up to that point had been tough but tolerable. Work had been hectic enough to keep him occupied during the day and at night, there were dinners out with friends or a steady diet of all the reality shows that he and Blaine usually hate-watched together. The hardest part by far was falling asleep each night in an empty bed without Blaine's warm body wound around his and his head pillowed against Kurt's chest. Still, Kurt was coping. But then came Sunday...

Sunday was hard, because it was their day. The one day neither had work or social obligations. And no matter what they did on Sundays, they always did it together. More often than not, they spent the day in bed or lounging about the apartment - pancakes at noon, lazy afternoons on the couch trading kisses and cuddles, pasta and wine on the balcony as the sun set, whiling away the night as they talked about anything and everything. It was by far Kurt's favorite day of the week.

But this particular Sunday, Kurt woke up alone with an ache in his chest. A whole day stretched out before him without a plan and without Blaine. He was lost. In the end, he decided it was best to keep busy. So he headed to the kitchen, trying out a new scone recipe (the verdict: too dry and crumbly and in desperate need of more sugar) which wasted a solid hour and a half between the baking and cleaning up afterwards. Kurt let all his kitchen cleaning spill over into the bedroom where he spent two hours painstakingly reorganizing his closet by color and season. And against his better judgment he also took it upon himself to rearrange Blaine's abundant collection of bowties (ignoring rule #1 in Blaine's cohabitation guide – never touch the bowties).

Finally, Kurt finished Operation Spring Cleaning and took a few minutes to sink into the couch, panting slightly. While he waited for his breathing to even out, he flicked on the TV, taking a moment to clear the clutter from the DVR, saving his favorite reality to shows to watch when Blaine returned. He glanced at his watch, thinking that it was surely close to 5 PM. But no, barely noon. How was that possible? He felt like he'd aged a year and he was just so bored.

Thankfully, the word 'bored' sparked something in his mind, reminding Kurt that Blaine had prepared an envelope for just such an occasion. Kurt ripped it open without pretense, eager for anything that would put his current mind-numbing boredom to rest.

Hey baby,

Bored, huh? Sorry :( I wish I could be there to entertain you with my sweet dance moves in those green booty shorts that drive you to distraction. But since that's not an option at the moment, I've got the next best thing – sure to provide you with hours of entertainment. Go to your laptop and click the bookmark that's labeled "Blaine's Boredom Stopper." You're welcome in advance.

XOXO,

Blaine the Genius

Kurt snickered at Blaine's signature. Genius, huh? That cocky little shit, Kurt scoffed. He made his way to the desk, opening Google Chrome and quickly locating the bookmark. He clicked it, his eyes going wide as a YouTube playlist loaded on the screen. The first video automatically begin to play, and suddenly he was watching an absolutely adorable baby elephant getting his first bath in a kiddie pool, splashing happily in the water and trumpeting with excitement. Once the video was over, he scrolled through the playlist seeing dozens of adorable animal videos, lovingly curated by Blaine. It was perfectly tailored to his interests – there were plenty of elephants, since those were obviously Kurt's favorite, but also everything from a baby polar bear learning how to walk to an unlikely friendship between a dog and a deer. He clicked on the second video, picking up his laptop and carrying it over to the couch with him. He set the computer on the coffee table and wrapped himself up in a chenille blanket, still totally engrossed in a video of baby pandas playing on a slide.

Hours later, Kurt was still watching Blaine's playlist happily, having fallen into a YouTube rabbit hole he never wanted to crawl out of. He glanced at his watch, shocked to see that it was nearly 6:30 PM and the sun was already sinking low in the sky. He reluctantly tore his eyes from the laptop screen, groaning as he stood and stretched, his joints creaking in protest. As he was making his way to the kitchen, a thought occurred to him – he certainly wasn't bored anymore. Huh. Maybe Blaine was a genius after all...

...you feel like screaming at the world

The day started off bad and it was all downhill from there. Kurt slipped and banged his knee getting out of the shower, he burned the toast and nearly set off the smoke detector, and then the subway stalled (along with the air conditioning) forcing him to wait in the stifling heat of the packed subway car for far too long while they fixed it. He arrived to work twenty minutes late, sweaty and disheveled, sighing gratefully as he saw his assistant waiting with his usual coffee order, reveling in the one thing that hadn't gone wrong that morning. At least it hadn't gone wrong until Kurt stumbled slightly, running directly into his assistant and splashing his much needed coffee all over his brand new McQueen sweater.

It took all the willpower he had to keep from simply turning around, hailing a cab, and heading home where he could hide under the duvet until Blaine returned. But there were meetings he had to attend and a column to be written, so he stayed, grateful for the extra change of clothes he always kept in his office for just such a sartorial emergency. And really, the only thing that got him through the absolute hell that was his day was the knowledge that once he got home, there'd be an envelope waiting for him - one that was clearly written with today in mind.

He finally made it home just after 7 pm. Kurt slid off his jacket, letting it fall to the floor, not caring that it would be hopelessly wrinkled in the morning. He toed off his shoes and loosened his tie, making his way towards the bedroom, collapsing in a heap atop his duvet with a muted groan. Kurt reached blindly until his fingers met the manilla envelope sitting on his nightstand, pulling out the one that read "open when... you feel like screaming at the world," shaking his head with wonder at just how well it described exactly how he was feeling at the moment.

Sweetheart,

I'm so sorry you're having a bad day. I'm even sorrier that I can't be there to make it better for you. But I've got just the thing to help you left off some steam. I know that you have a tendency to bottle things up, but remember how good it feels to finally let it out? I want you to throw on some workout clothes and head to the punching bag. There's a CD player sitting right next to it – just hit play and go to town on the punching bag. Remember what I taught you. It'll help, I promise. Once you're done letting out your anger and frustration, check underneath the CD player for another surprise.

Blaine, Your Personal Boxing Coach

"But I'm tired," Kurt whined aloud. "Why does it have to involve moving?" he grumbled to himself as he reluctantly pushed up to a standing position. He stripped off his clothes slowly and silently, leaving on only his undershirt and grabbing a pair of yoga pants from his drawer. Curiosity propelled him forward to the corner on the loft where they'd installed a punching bag, wanting to know what surprise was hiding underneath the CD player. Still, Kurt forced himself to follow Blaine's directions – hitting play on the CD player slipping on the boxing gloves without peeking underneath.

He secured the second glove just as a familiar melody began to play, followed by Blaine's unmistakeable voice carrying over it...

After all you put me through, you think I'd despise you. But in the end, I want to thank you because you made me that much stronger.

"Oh. my. god," Kurt breathed, slack jawed with surprise as Blaine began to sing.

Well I thought you knew you, thinking you were true, guess I couldn't trust, called your bluff, time is up 'cause I've had enough

Kurt was speechless. Blaine was singing Christina Aguilera with absolute conviction, as if his life depended on it. He sounded more than a little ridiculous, but yet...it was weirdly hypnotizing.

You were always there by my side, always down for the ride, but your joy ride just came down in flames, 'cause your greed sold me out in shame

Kurt could feel the energy flowing through him as the song reached its crescendo, propelling him forward. He threw a punch and then another, breathing hard.

Makes me that much stronger, makes me work a little bit harder

He was sweating now, putting every ounce of anger and frustration into his punches, panting with exertion.

It makes me that much wiser, so thanks for making me a fighter

By the time the song was over, Kurt was ready to collapse. His whole body felt loose, all the previous tension having melted away. He wasn't sure if he wanted to laugh or cry, but most of all, he felt relieved. The stress of the day now behind him, Kurt felt only a bone weary exhaustion.

Kurt was contemplating the effort necessary to cook something for dinner rather than ordering in pizza when he remembered the surprise beneath the CD player. He lifted it up tentatively, unearthing a small leather pouch. Inside, he found a USB drive with a post it note saying only "play me." Kurt rolled his eyes affectionately, appreciating Blaine's flair for the dramatic (not to mention cryptic).

He grabbed his laptop, inserting the drive. The only file on it was a video file titled "laughs guaranteed." Kurt clicked the file and of all the things he could possibly have imagined, he was not expecting to see Blaine and Sam dressed in the most ridiculous of 80's gear and singing Wham on the stage at McKinley. The video was clearly filmed several years earlier, during that dark period during which Kurt was in New York and Blaine in Ohio when everything was sideways. Kurt wasn't surprised that Blaine had kept the existence of the video a secret from him until now, given the very high blackmail potential of the video. It was just so ridiculous, and Kurt was giggling in fits and starts, watching with wide eyes as Sam and Blaine continued to top themselves with absurd dance moves and unbridled excitement. But Kurt lost it completely around the time that he realized Blaine was wearing an earring. AN EARRING.

He can't remember a time he's ever laughed harder.

...you are really horny

It had been 10 days without sex. 10 days without Blaine's mouth or skin or touch and god, he missed it. All of it. But most of all, he just missed connecting with Blaine physically. He'd giggled when he'd first seen the title on the envelope, thinking that it would be incredibly easy to keep his impulses in check for a mere 3 weeks. As Blaine was fond of saying, "that's why they invented masturbation" (also phone sex – Kurt mentally added) so he wasn't worried. Kurt had simply tucked the envelope in the back of his underwear drawer – thinking out of sight, out of mind.

That hadn't worked out as well as planned, sadly, Still, somewhere along the way, not opening the letter had turned into a competition with himself. One more day, he'd think. Blaine hasn't been gone that long yet, you aren't that horny. You can stick it out another day. Kurt was winning the competition, even though he had no idea why that was so important to him, but then he woke up sweaty and half hard after a sex dream about Sebastian and that just wouldn't do. If his subconscious was getting turned on by that smirky meerkat face, it was time to admit that yeah, he was more than a little horny. So he caved, crawling out of bed and grabbing the envelope, eager to see what Blaine had in store for him.

Hey hotstuff,

So you're horny, huh? Me too. I'm probably thinking of what your face does right before...well you know. Unless I'm in the classroom with the kids, in which case I'm definitely not thinking about that. That would be totally inappropriate and I'm a consummate professional, right? Shut up. Okay so on to the fun part. Go to your laptop and search for Blaine. It's a folder. You'll know it when you see it, trust me.

Enjoy,

Your one and only

Kurt tripped over his feet in his haste to get to his laptop, nearly face planting on the carpet. He waited impatiently for the laptop to turn on, easily locating a folder titled "For a good time call Blaine Warbler." He was still laughing as he opened the folder, seeing 12 image files in all. He clicked on the first one and...damn. Wow.

It was a good day.

...you don't think you stand another day without me

For a solid two weeks, Kurt was okay. Sure, he'd been lonely at times, bored, horny and all the rest, but throughout it all, he'd been managing. But things caught up to him four days before Blaine would be flying home.

Kurt was in a constant state of anxiety in the days leading up to Blaine's return, because his dad was due for a yearly checkup with his oncologist to be sure the cancer hadn't returned. This year was particularly nerve-wracking as his dad would be approaching the 5 year remission mark in a few months. Most relapses tended to occur in the first five years following the initial diagnosis, so reaching this milestone was a big deal. He knew Carole had been keeping Burt on a pretty tight leash – making sure he stuck to the recommended diet and exercised regularly, but years of experience had conditioned Kurt to believe that bad things tended to happen when he was least expecting it.

If Blaine was there, he'd make Kurt chai tea and let him watch all his favorite shows (even the ones Blaine hated) and hold him extra tight as they fell asleep each night But Blaine wasn't there and Kurt just missed him, which somehow led to Kurt balled up on the floor of their closet sniffing one of Blaine's unwashed t-shirts that smelled like him and crying silently late one night.

Kurt knew there was only one envelope left and while he could really use a happy surprise right now, the thought of having nothing left except waiting for Blaine gave him pause. In the end, he decided he desperately needed the support so Kurt wiped his eyes and climbed to his feet, grabbing the last envelope from his nightstand.

The lavender envelope was slightly larger than the others and thicker too, Kurt noticed as he tore it open eagerly. Inside was a DVD plainly labelbed in sharpie with the words "watch me." He frowned slightly, hoping for a note of some kind, desperately needing words of reassurance from Blaine at the present time. Still, he dutifully walked to the living room, inserting the disc into the DVD player and hitting play. Kurt gasped as Blaine appeared on the screen, waving at him. Tears filled his eyes as Blaine began to speak, eyes warm and face radiant.

"Hi honey," Blaine began. "I know this time apart must be hard on you. Just know that I miss you desperately and I can't wait to see your face again. It won't be much longer now, I promise. And the first thing I'm going to do when my plane lands is kiss you senseless, okay? I know you've never been much for public displays of affection, but I'm hoping you'll make an exception just this once. I swear I'll make it worth your while, if you know what I mean," Blaine winked, only a little lewdly, causing Kurt to chuckle despite himself. "I love you, and I'll see you soon," Blaine continued. "Stay tuned for a little surprise."

The screen went black for just a second before a lilting, haunting piano intro began to play. Blaine and Kurt's smiling faces appeared on the TV just as the first words rang out.

Love I get so lost sometimes, days pass and this emptiness fills my heart.

Picture after picture materialized, starting with the earliest days of their relationship, both of them attired in familiar Dalton blazers singing on the stage at regionals. There were pictures of them ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza, at Kurt's high school graduation, at Mr. Schuester's failed wedding, both of them pink cheeked and slightly rumpled from their epic car make out session.

When I want to run away,I drive off in my car.But whichever way I go,I come back to the place you are

Gradually, newer pictures appeared, mainly from New York and the life they'd built together. There was one of them arm in arm, both sweaty but smiling as they surveyed the boxes around them when Blaine first moved in. Silly domestic snapshots came next – Blaine kissing Kurt on the cheek, Kurt pulling a goofy face as he flipped pancakes in his pajamas, both of them tan and shirtless on the beach on a vacation they'd taken to Hawaii.

All my instincts, they return, and the grand facade, so soon will burn. Without a noise, without my pride, I reach out from the inside

Tears rolled down Kurt's face unnoticed, breathless at the relationship laid out before him. Blaine was everything to Kurt, and in the end, that was all that mattered. He could last four more days. Hell, he could last a lifetime as long as he knew Blaine was his.

In your eyes, the light the heat, In your eyes, I am complete

Kurt fidgeted nervously, eyes glued to the escalator. The arrivals board confirmed that Blaine's plane had just landed, and Kurt's long wait was nearly over. He reached into his pocket, feeling the small envelope for the hundredth time, needing reassurance that it was still there. He looked up and there was Blaine, grinning widely as he made his way to him. Kurt took a few steps forward, flinging himself at Blaine eagerly. He held onto him for a long moment, simply breathing Blaine in, heart pounding. At last, he pulled away, and before he could draw a breath, Blaine grabbed his face, pulling him in for a long, lingering kiss just as he'd promised via video only days before.

Kurt finally broke for air, gasping as Blaine planted a second kiss on his temple. "Hi," he murmured.

"Hi," Kurt echoed.

"God, I missed you," Blaine whispered.

"I... I missed you too. More than you know. The presents helped though."

"Yeah?" Blaine asked, a slow smile spreading across his face.

Now or never. "Yeah," Kurt replied. "In fact, I got a little something to say thank you."

"Kurt, you didn't have t-" Blaine began, words cut off as Kurt thrust a tiny envelope into his hands. He smiled as he read the familiar beginning "open when...you're ready for forever." He looked up at Kurt, puzzled, mind buzzing with jet lag and the overwhelming relief of being home and reunited with Kurt at last. Forever? That couldn't mean...could it?

"Go on, open it," Kurt encouraged, smiling hopefully.

Blaine looked at the envelope dumbly, eventually sliding it open with shaking hands, groping blindly until his fingers met cool metal. He gasped as he carefully pulled out an absolutely stunning platinum ring, turning it over in his hands, heart pounding. Blaine tore his eyes from the ring at last, eyes going wide with shock when he saw Kurt on one knee. "Oh god," he breathed, speechless as he took Kurt's outstretched hand.

Kurt drew a quavering breath, screwing up his courage as he began to say the words that'd been echoing in his head for the past four days. "I know this is something we've been talking about for a long time. But these past few weeks have showed me that I can't imagine my life without you in it. You're..." Kurt stopped suddenly, drawing a quick breath and swallowing hard. He continued, voice thick with unshed tears. "You're everything to me, Blaine, and I want to spend forever with you by my side. So Blaine Anderson, will you marry me?"

"Yes, god yes," Blaine was saying just as Kurt finished his space. "Of course, yes, a thousand times yes," he repeated like a litany, pulling Kurt to his feet.

"You're sure?" Kurt asked, biting his lip.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Kurt beamed back at Blaine, taking the ring from Blaine's palm and gently sliding it onto his ring finger. Then he was cupping Blaine's face with his hands, kissing and clinging to Blaine like a drowning man starved for oxygen. He pulled away at last, startled by the sound of applause. Kurt and Blaine gazed at the small crowd that had gathered around them while they'd had eyes only for each other. Kurt blushed furiously as several people shouted congratulations.

Blaine took a small bow, amused by the attention, even though he really, really just wanted Kurt all to himself at the moment. He leaned close, whispering "wanna get out of here?" in Kurt's ear.

"Please," Kurt replied quietly, linking arms with Blaine and leading them towards the car.

"So were you surprised?" Kurt asked, when at last they were alone again in the hushed silence of the parking garage.

"You have no idea..." Blaine grinned. "Look," he continued, holding up his still shaking hands, "I can prove it."

Kurt took Blaine's hand in his, lifting it up and pressing a kiss to his palm. He toyed with the ring on Blaine's finger for a moment. "Did you read the inscription yet?"

"Inscription?" Blaine gasped, eyes going wide with shock. "No, I haven't..." He slid the ring from his finger tilting it up so he could read the words etched on the inside in the faint light. He gasped at the familiar words and melody that immediately sparked in his mind. On one side of the ring - I will love you. And on the other - until my dying day.

"Kurt, I love it," Blaine spoke with hushed reverence. "It's perfect. You're perfect." He smiled up at Kurt. "There's just one thing..."

"Hmm?" Kurt asked.

"I have every intention of holding you to that promise."