Epilogue
Time To Fly
Kurt lugged the bag of paper through the front door, and Bas hurried to help him.
"What is all this?" Bas asked, seeing a book and different colored paper.
"I'm going to do this origami thing for a design Isabelle wants to see. I came up with it and she just loved the idea and I figured I could work on them at home while I watch tv or whatever," Kurt said easily.
It wasn't the strangest thing Kurt had done for a design or a photo shoot (Bas was there for the the suit made of tinsel and ribbons for a project at Parsons, after all), so Bas just shrugged and asked where he should put the bag.
The following weeks, Bas grew to take for granted that Kurt would be folding papers whenever he wasn't moving around. While the coffee brewed, after breakfast, in the afternoon, at night; Kurt was rarely still without folding paper.
It wasn't until Bas came back from a long training run (he was planning to participate in the New York Marathon for the local LGBTQ community center, with the support of his brokerage firm) and found columned strings of origami cranes hanging throughout the apartment that he realized he'd been hoodwinked.
The cranes made a gorgeous pattern of blues and greens that moved softly like waves as Bas stopped in the front hall to take them in. He saw envelopes clipped on each strand and reached for the one directly in front of him. It was numbered with a 4, and he looked to the left and saw the one on the next read 3, so he reached for the first strand and found the 1. Opening it, Bas discovered a card of pale blue paper with a date from almost seven years before in scrolling calligraphy. He flipped it open and read The Lima Bean. Bas reached for envelope number two. Another date, and the word Regionals.
The third was clearer. Cincinnati Concert Hall. Smiling as he remembered that day with Kurt, Bas continued in order.
His father's apartment in Columbus.
His apartment in Lima.
The debit card.
Their first apartment in New York, with a date that definitely wasn't the day they moved in.
The same address again, with a date not too long after the previous one.
Kurt's home address in Lima with a date at the beginning of the summer break after Bas's freshman year of college. He flushed still, remembering the frank discussion with Burt that led them to spend all the school breaks and visits to Ohio living together with the family, staying in Kurt's old bedroom.
66 5th Avenue, the street address for Parsons, the date from when Kurt had switched to the school's Adult Education program, following his true passion.
Another New York address; Bas recognized the first brokerage firm he'd interned with.
The Fashion Institute of Technology, where Bas had tried to propose but Kurt had refused, arguing that until they were out of college, it was absurd.
Coordinates that made Bas frown until he recognized the date of his graduation from Columbia: he'd wrapped the Porsche around a tree driving them to a celebratory getaway upstate. They really needed to actually stay at that gay resort sometime...
Indian Lake, where they'd had that vacation along with the huge fight and the incredible makeup sex.
Bas's current office, with his official start date.
Kurt's birthday from the previous year, with an address Bas didn't recognize but which must have been the restaurant where Kurt and Bas had been when Blaine had asked Kurt to make him a suit for his appearance at the Tony's for the play he'd gotten right after he graduated from NYADA. That red suit, and the more subdued black one Kurt had made for Eric, had launched Kurt into the consciousness of the New York elite.
Fashion week this year, where Kurt's first collection had garnered rave reviews.
Bas's office again, and the date he'd gotten his promotion.
Kurt stood beside the last strand and Bas gave him a quizzical look as he read it. The address of the apartment they stood in, with today's date.
"Babe, what..."
"The Japanese legend says that if you fold a thousand cranes, the gods will grant a wish," Kurt said. His expression was one Bas had never seen before: hopeful and excited with an undercurrent of what looked like fear. His face was flushed, with the crimson spots on his cheeks that Bas associated with him being extremely emotional. His eyes were wide and his bottom lip trembled slightly.
When Kurt dropped to one knee, Bas's heart just about burst out of his chest.
"Only you can make my wish come true. I love you, Bas. Will you be my husband?"
Bas's mind screamed 'Yes!', but he couldn't get the word out. His mouth opened and closed like a fish.
Kurt waited, and the eagerness slowly drained from his face along with the blood, leaving him white as a pillow with only those heightened red cheeks.
As Kurt started to rise, Bas fell to his knees and threw his arms around Kurt.
"Kurt..." Bas choked out.
"I'm sorry, honey, I thought we were ready for this. I don't want to pressure you. I'm perfectly happy being your boyfriend forever if that's what you want. I just wanted you to know that I've been remembering all our past together from the first day we met and hated each other, and it just seemed like the perfect way to-"
"Kurt!" Bas drew back and finally managed to speak. "Yes. Yes! I love you. I want to marry you. This was the most romantic, overwhelming proposal I have ever seen. Stop freaking the fuck out because I'm saying yes!"
A choked laugh burst from Kurt and they kissed as Bas felt tears wet both their faces. They broke away and held each other, kneeling in their beautiful apartment, their home.
"I just have one request," Bas whispered. "You know I've worked through a ton of my family shit, and there's probably still more I need to address, but... I want to take your name. I will never be proud to be a Smythe, but I would be honored to be a Hummel."
Kurt sobbed and held him tight, nodding against his shoulder, and Bas shivered with the perfection of how every moment since that day in The Lima Bean had led him here; from the angry, lonely Sebastian Smythe to the happily married Bas Hummel he would soon be.
~~GleeEnd~~
A/N So many people to thank. First and always, my beta reader, Flyingpiglet. I completely stole this proposal idea with important dates and events from their life together from her. My writing would never have matured into what it is now without her constant cheerleading and questioning. I'm grateful for her friendship and her insight.
Everyone who has read, favorited, followed, left kudos, bookmarked, and downloaded, and most especially those who commented or reviewed. My thanks are all I can offer.
Actually, not true! I'm writing a bunch of oneshots of Kurt and Bas's life together. I hope to post the first one soon. Depending on response I might be persuaded to write some kinky Eric/Blaine smut as well. So, anyone who's like me and isn't quite ready to say goodbye to this verse yet, well, congratulations; you don't have to.
Great thanks to my most responsive readers: Ann, Megan, The_Infinant_One, tomada (I hope you came back and finished it at some point, I know the year apart was tough), delightful_fear, AriWinterspell, Melissa, 27Rayne, bellakanusti, Janicepj, Multimerc, Fannieforever15, YurTeddyBear, I hate mosquitos, TrackingGlitterInTheBatCave, Fiachna, ToniMH, , onyx115, SaxyBitch, and DivaDi103.
And daydreamer and Celeste_Morrigan: I've enjoyed our interactions greatly. Celeste, I'll see you on Tumblr. Daydreamer, I hope you'll check out my other work and keep in touch.
Until next time…