The ring itself was stunning in its simplicity, not at all like the complex beauty of the person it would belong to, at least the person he hoped it would belong to. A simple silver band with a single round-cut diamond inlaid, gleaming up at him.

A diamond lasts forever, they said, but somehow he thought that their love would last longer than any sparkling rock.

It was just a rock. Blaine had to remind himself of that from time to time, much as he may like diamonds, love them even, despite the fact that their growing popularity rendered them somewhat pedestrian, potentially gauche, and almost worthless. But it wasn’t about the diamond, not really, and perhaps that was why he’d been so willing to spend such a large amount of money on something that was potentially so worthless, it was what it represented.

He loved his boyfriend; he had since they were silly teenagers, singing about silly love songs as they unwittingly flirted in front of innumerable audiences. He always appreciated how honest they were, are, with each other, even when it wasn’t the easy thing to do, even when it meant having to spend a night on the lumpy sofa they had in their first shared apartment.

They’d had their ups and downs, still do, what couple doesn’t? But somehow, they just fit.

I finally found you, my missing puzzle piece.

He smiled to himself, remembering the lyric to a bubblegum pop song that turned into an anthem of their love. For they had gone to California and gotten drunk on the beach, stumbling back to the cheap motel they could barely afford thanks to the crappy part-time jobs they worked between classes. They had built a fort out of sheets, and they had most certainly gone all the way that night, and pretty much every other night as well.

It was a cheesy song, but as cheesy as it was, it was theirs, just as much as Blackbird was theirs, and the way they did a performance of Baby, It’s Cold Outside for their families every year at Christmas. It was cheesy, but so were they. So are they.

Seven years.

They’d been together seven years. He couldn’t believe it sometimes. Of course, everyone who ever met them would always tell him that it wouldn’t last. It was a high school romance. No one marries their first boyfriend. He wanted to prove them wrong. He was determined to prove them wrong.

He’d gone through so many scenarios, ranging from the outrageous to the understated, but each time he’d come close to finally popping the question, he’d chicken out. He knew that his boyfriend would say yes. He had to, didn’t he? They’d been together for seven years. He had to.

It just didn’t feel…right.

So, he took to carrying it with him. Carefully hidden, of course, but with him always. Waiting, just waiting, for the moment to arise.

Three weeks passed, but the perfect opportunity never arose.

They had always enjoyed having lazy Sunday afternoons, the two of them lounging in their living room, laying on opposite ends of their newer (not lumpy) couch. He had been sitting there for at least fifteen minutes, looking at the book open in his hands, but not really seeing it, the text merely blurs against the stark, white pages.

Kurt softly closed his book, setting it down by their entwined ankles as he extricated himself from the couch. Blaine glanced up at him, who gave him a wink and a smile before padding down the hall to their bathroom.

He stared at the book Kurt was reading, brow furrowing, Wuthering Heights. Why on Earth was Kurt reading Wuthering Heights? While Blaine had quite enjoyed the novel and found it rather tragically beautiful, he vividly remembered the way that Kurt had ranted about the novel when they were forced to read it in English their junior year. It wasn’t even Blaine’s copy.

Just as he was leaning forward to grab the book—

“Don’t!” Kurt’s voice rang, clear through the living room. Blaine jumped back a little, turning to look at his boyfriend. Kurt tore his eyes from the book, finally meeting Blaine’s gaze.

“Sorry,” Blaine mumbled, even though he didn’t understand. Kurt’s stricken expression softened.

“Don’t be, I just…,” Kurt took a breath, gaze shifting back to the book before he finally stepped all the way back into the living room and settled onto the couch near Blaine, snatching up the book. “I love you,” he said as he turned to look at Blaine.

“I love you too.” Blaine grinned; they really needed to say that more. It always made his heart flutter a little whenever they exchanged the phrase, despite that they showed each other their love far better than those words could ever truly encompass. Perhaps this was the time, Blaine shifted searching for the little box.

This was the moment.

“No, I…just let me. I need to tell you something.”

Or maybe not. Blaine’s grin dropped.

“I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I set eyes on you on that staircase at Dalton. I know it’s ridiculous and stupid and I don’t even believe in love at first sight, but I think part of me just recognized my other half in you.” He paused, smiling to himself, “my missing puzzle piece.”

“You have made me a stronger person, as fearless as I may have pretended to be before we met, you made me fearless because I knew you were there to support me, I knew I could lean on you, and the only thing…The only thing I could ever have to fear is losing you, and I don’t ever want that to happen.” Kurt opened up the book to the page he was on, revealing not a bookmark, but a ring. He held it up for Blaine.

“I know this isn’t really proper, or what people would expect or whatever, but Blaine, you make me so happy and you make me do completely unexpected things and I love you for that, so will you please, please marry me?” Blaine stared at the ring, nestled in Kurt’s grasp, eyes sliding over to Kurt’s, gauging the nervous anticipation written across his face before a grin broke out across his own face.

“Of course, Kurt. Of course I’ll marry you.” He pulled Kurt in for a kiss, their lips sliding together with practiced ease. Kurt grinned as he shifted back and slid the ring onto Blaine’s hand. “You beat me to the punch,” Blaine teased as he wrestled into his pants pocket, and pulled out his ring box, offering it to Kurt.

Kurt just smiled at him, brushing his hand against Blaine’s cheek, and that’s when Blaine felt it, the cool glide of metal on Kurt’s finger.

“You cheeky bastard!” Blaine exclaimed, his jaw dropping open. Kurt just swatted at him.

“I don’t think that’s any way to talk to your future husband,” Kurt teased, pressing a kiss to edge of Blaine's mouth.

“How long have you been wearing it?” Blaine asked in disbelief.

“All day. Was wondering when you were going to notice, you know, you're not very observant, though past experiences should have told me that.” Kurt winked at him, a silly, lopsided grin still taking residence on his face.

“All day, really?”

“Yes, really, now kiss me you fool,” Kurt demanded, still grinning. As Blaine wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, no, fianc�, he couldn’t really bring himself to care about how sneaky Kurt was, or how long he’d known. All he cared was that they were together, and they would be, for far longer than any diamond would last.

No regrets, just love.