Love was the best thing ever.
At a very young age, Sam Evans had decided that, more than anything, he wanted to be in love, wanted someone to love him. After all, as long as someone loved you, it didn't matter if you are kind of a dork or not the smartest guy around. It might've been an odd dream for your average boy, but Sam had always been a little different.
Some people called him special, not always in the good way.
This desire for connection had led him into a bit of heartache during high school. First, there had been Quinn, who left him to go back to her own first love. Santana, well, he'd always known she didn't love him, but he been so hurt after Quinn and she had her own issues, so that was what it was. Dating Mercedes had been awesome and he was sure she felt strongly for him until he had to move away. He'd been pretty depressed in Kentucky, to down to really consider love, but sometimes trading kisses with Brendan, who worked at the Dairy Queen, made him forget how much he hated his life. Back in Lima, he'd chased Mercedes, hoping to recapture that feeling they'd shared before, but eventually she left for LA and didn't look back, at least not at him. Brittany was beautiful and sweet and she really understood him in ways the other girls hadn't, never looking at him like she thought he was dumb. When he thought the world was going to end, he'd been overjoyed that she wanted to spend her last few days with him.
Of course, the world hadn't ended and their marriage hadn't been real and Brittany went back to Santana, who was her soulmate….
Winter break of senior year had been spent hanging around Blaine's house, the two of the mourning the ends of their relationships and commiserating over broken hearts. Already best friends, they grew closer over the following months and, slowly, they pulled each other out of their respective funks.
It had been a natural thing, gravitating together and neither of them even realized exactly when their feelings shifted from platonic to something more, not until one day in April when they were discussing college plans. Both were headed to New York City, Blaine to NYADA and Sam to the Pratt Institute to study art and graphic design. Both were delighted that they were going to be in the same city and Sam had said, "I don't know what I would've done without you."
For a moment, Blaine had gone totally still and Sam had cursed himself, thinking he'd spoken out of turn…until Blaine leaned in and kissed him.
Their first kiss, but most definitely not their last.
Freshman year, Sam had lived in a dorm, but spent most nights at Blaine's small apartment (sure, he came from money, but he didn't see the need for something big and showy). At the end of that first year, Blaine had asked Sam to move in with him and he'd readily accepted.
Of course, they'd had the usual issues people had when cohabitating, working out who showered when and such. Blaine got used to the strange health foods Sam kept around (he'd made the mistake of stealing a sip of a nori and wheatgrass smoothie once) and Sam didn't tease about the array of products Blaine used to tame his curls (though he did like the days when they stayed in and Blaine didn't bother with gel). Sam was a morning person, up with the sun (or earlier in the winter) to run, while Blaine slept in.
Little things are easily overcome and even their occasional spats were quickly resolved. Their friends told them they were kind of sickeningly sweet.
Waking early one Saturday morning in late September, Sam stretched, luxuriating in the half aware feeling before he truly woke. Being a senior at Pratt, he was working in internship along with his classes and his schedule was busier than ever, so he took a moment to enjoy the peace of lying there beside Blaine, who was still dead to the world, his face half hidden in a down pillow.
Smiling, Sam rolled over to face his partner (a term they'd begun using the year before) and raised a hand to gently brush dark curls back from his brow. Unable to help himself, he let one finger brush down over the bridge of Blaine's nose before tracing soft, parted lips.
Blaine stirred a bit, making a disgruntled noise Sam knew meant "Too Early!" in pre-caffeinated Blaine speak and burrowed further into the pillow, trying to hide from the daylight. Chuckling, Sam placed a soft kiss on his shoulder before sliding out of bed and tugging on his running clothes.
An hour later, he returned, muscles burning pleasantly, a bag of fresh bagels from the deli down the street in hand. Turning on the coffee pot, he jumped into the shower, scrubbing down quickly and, as he was wrapping a towel around his waist, Blaine stumbled in, lured out of bed by the scent of coffee in the air.
They spent a leisurely morning together, nibbling on bagels (cinnamon raisin with plain cream cheese for Blaine, whole wheat with garden herb spread for Sam), sipping coffee and reading the paper. Curled on the couch, they discussed various things, Cooper's upcoming visit, plans to spend Thanksgiving with Sam's family and everything in between.
As afternoon rolled around, they dressed and decided to take a walk, using their phones to track down some favorite food trucks and poking around in various stores. Sam picked up a few new charcoal pencils while Blaine found a biography on Ted Kennedy that he'd been wanting to read.
After a light dinner, they headed to Callbacks, where they met up with a group of their friends. Rachel and Puck, who had appeared in New York two years earlier and never left (to everyone's shock, he joined the NYPD), Kurt and Drew (his current boyfriend), Santana (studying law at Columbia and as terrifying as ever) and Brittany (who was happily teaching dance to young children) and Brody and Sarah (his current girlfriend) had already laid claim to a choice table and signed everyone up to perform throughout the night.
Everyone who wanted to…which, considering their group, meant almost everyone.
No longer in glee club, Sam still sang and played guitar in private for the sheer joy of doing so, but tonight was special. Only Puck was in on Sam's plan and had brought his guitar so that Sam's performance would be an even bigger surprise.
Not wanting to chance getting drunk, Sam cautiously sipped at his beer before switching to water, mumbling about carbs when Blaine gave him a curious look.
Throughout the night, names from their party were called at random. Rachel kill with Breathe, Blaine performed extraordinary rendition of Home, Santana charmed with She Is Love and Puck had people gaping when he saying something he'd written called Musical Soulmate.
Women in the audience were swooning and Rachel had that look in her eyes that said she'd take out anyone who tried to move in on her man. Sam had a feeling it wouldn't be too long before they caved and made things official and started producing gorgeous, freakishly talented and badass babies.
Eventually, the man running the stage called out, "Sam Evans?"
Blaine turned to him, surprised and pleased. "You're singing tonight?"
Nodding, Sam squeezed his hand and made his way up to the stage where Puck had left his guitar after his own performance. It had been a while since Sam and played for an audience, but he was on a mission, so he took a breath and approached the microphone.
"Hey everyone, I'm Sam. I haven't performed in public for a while, so bear with me. This song is for Blaine. I love you."
Strumming the guitar, he focused on the music and looked out into the audience to meet Blaine's eyes.
"Forever can never be long enough for me
To feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do
Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way"
Blaine clearly recognized the song, eyes wide and mouth open in a stunned smile as Sam tried to pour every bit of love he had into the next few lines.
"Marry Me
Today and every day
Marry Me
If I ever get the nerve to say
Hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm"
Hand over his mouth now, Blaine was nodding mutely and Sam felt his heart sing.
"Together can never be close enough for me
To feel like I am close enough to you
We'll wear white and I'll wear out the words I love
And you're beautiful
Now that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown you my way"
He thought changing a word here and there was forgivable, as it made the song where applicable to them.
"Marry me
Today and every day
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Promise me
You'll always be
Happy by my side
I promise to
Sing to you
When all the music dies"
Still playing, he hopped off the low stage and wove his way back to their table, stopping when he stood before Blaine.
"And marry me
Today and everyday
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Marry me"
He sang the last three lines acappella, letting the guitar swing behind his back in favor of grasping Blaine's hands and falling to one knee. There were unshed tears shining in Blaine's eyes, so Sam felt less embarrassed to blink back his own.
"Yes, Sam. Yes!" Blaine replied, leaning forward to catch his lips in an enthusiastic, elated kiss.
Sam didn't think he'd ever stop smiling as the room around the broke into applause and he pulled the ring out of his pocket. Sterling silver with a small diamond embedded in the metal, it wasn't fancy, but neither was he. "I know it's not…" he began, but was cut off by another kiss.
"It's perfect," Blaine told him, allowing him to slide the ring onto his left hand. "You're perfect."
In that moment, everything was perfect.
"Dude," Puck commented with a rueful smile. "You do know that you've just set the bar ridiculously high for the rest of us now, right?"
Sam turned to look at their friends. Rachel, Brittany, Kurt and Sarah were also sniffling through watery smiles, while Santana was discreetly wiping her eyes. Drew didn't really know them well enough to be emotionally invested but he seemed happy, while Puck and Brody were grinning broadly.
Once he was again seated at the table, Blaine's hand tucked in his so he could feel the ring press against his skin, Santana stood and raised her glass. "All right, all right, enough of this sentimental crap. Let's just say congratulations to Trouty and Frodo. Now, Trouty's my boy, so if you hurt him, I'm coming after you with a melon baller, but I wish you both all the happiness. You deserve it…but thank God you can't reproduce with each other, cuz that would be a funny looking, tiny kid with the most bigger than its face. If you adopt, Auntie Snakes will be here to teach it the ways of the badass, as Puckerman's balls now seem to reside in Rachel's purse. Felicidades, mis hijos!"
To a stranger (and, clearly, to Sarah and Drew) that might not have seemed like a very nice toast, but to those who knew her, it was clearly a declaration made out of love. Sam and Blaine certainly took it that way.
Later that night, as they lay in bed, tangled together and sharing lazy kisses, Sam knew that life had turned out as it was supposed to.
For all the rushing he'd done when he was younger, it was the slow, steady climb toward love where he'd found true happiness. He was in love with someone who wanted him just as desperately and that was really all he'd ever wanted.
Blaine was everything he'd ever wanted.
As though sensing him thinking, Blaine pulled back a little and rested their brows together. "What's on your mind, Love?"
Sam smiled at the term of endearment. "How does Blaine and Sam Anderson-Evans sounds to you?"
A slow grin lit Blaine's face. "It sounds like home, Sam. Home and the rest of our lives."
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