Chapter Text
Chapter 14: I Want Only You
Time flew by. Eddie stayed in the hospital for 7 days before he was allowed to go home. Then, he had three months of sick leave before returning to work. Buck helped drive Christopher home after school and to other activities. He also cooked meals for everyone and stayed over when they had family or game nights.
The longer time went by, the less Buck stayed in his loft. He didn’t want to be alone up there, so he always found ways to stay in the house with Eddie and Christopher. More and more of his things were gradually moved into the house. Before they knew it, Buck’s clothes filled half of Eddie's closet, his toothbrush was in the bathroom, and a coffee mug stood on the kitchen counter.
One evening, the last weekend before Eddie returned to work, they were all sitting and playing cards. Christopher placed one of his cards in the pile on the table.
“Buck?” he asked.
“Mm?”
“You and Dad have been together for almost 5 months, and I like you. And you have a lot of your stuff here, and you're here a lot now that Dad is getting better.”
“Yeah?”
Eddie looked up from his cards, glancing at Buck first and then Christopher. Buck returned the look with a raised eyebrow. Christopher looked up at Buck and smiled.
“Can’t you move in with us?” Christopher said, smiling his wonderful smile.
“Chris, you can’t just—” Eddie began but was quickly interrupted by Buck.
“Do you want that?”
Christopher nodded, still smiling broadly. Buck turned his gaze to Eddie.
“Do you want that?”
Eddie leaned forward and took Buck’s hand.
“Of course, you practically live here already,” he laughed. Buck smiled back and looked at Christopher.
“Yes, I’d love to live with you guys,” he said.
Christopher was so happy that he jumped up from his chair and hugged him. Buck was initially surprised but then returned the hug. Eddie laughed, and soon, it turned into a big group hug.
“My beautiful and wonderful family!” Buck shouted, hugging them even tighter.
Eddie laughed and first kissed Christopher on the head, then Buck on the head.
“Exactly, our beautiful family.”
One year later
Buck, Eddie, and Christopher drove to school in Buck’s jeep. Eddie dropped them off before heading to his shift. When they arrived, he started helping Christopher out of the car. Buck closed his door and walked over to him to say goodbye.
“I’ll walk you in. I need to talk to Josh for a second.”
Buck looked at him for a few extra seconds before nodding. The three of them walked together to Buck’s classroom. Christopher was in 9th grade now, and Buck was still his mentor and had the day's first lesson. When they reached the door, Buck unlocked it and turned to Eddie while Christopher went inside.
“We need to look at a new suit for Chris before graduation in two weeks. His sleeves are getting too short,” Buck said.
“When I finish my 24-hour shift, we’ll head into town and check it out,” Eddie said, kissing Buck quickly. It lasted no more than a second but was just as electric as the first time they kissed.
“We also need to buy food for the 118 family dinner; it’s our turn on Saturday.”
Since Eddie and Buck got together, they and Christopher have become part of the large “118 family.” They still have dinner every other Saturday at someone’s house. Lucy, her husband, and Lena have started joining the dinners. The houses are always packed on those nights, but the incredible feeling cannot be described.
“We’ll take care of it. Go talk to Josh now, and I’ll see you later, handsome,” Buck said, winking at Eddie before he walked into the classroom.
“Gets me every time,” Eddie muttered as he walked to Josh’s classroom.
He knocked on the door and opened it.
“Josh?”
“Hey!” Josh said, sitting at his desk with a computer in front of him. “What’s on your mind?”
“I need to ask you something. It’s just that I was thinking of—”
Suddenly, from Josh’s computer, the song played:
Love has surely shifted my way,
Marry me,
Today and every day,
Marry me.
Josh rushed toward his computer and tried to turn it off.
Eddie stared at Josh in shock.
“Fuck! One day, I’m going to throw this computer out the window! Sorry, I—”
He pointed to the computer and said quietly:
“That’s what I was going to—” he stopped. “Ask about…”
Josh looked up at him, and a big smile began to form on his face before he rushed up to Eddie.
“YES!” he yelled, lifting Eddie in a hug. When he put him down again:
“Tell me, what were you thinking? How is this going to work?” Josh asked, sitting back down in his chair.
“I was thinking if we could have Christopher’s class sing—” Eddie pointed at his computer again, “that song at the graduation. Buck likes Train. I thought I’d ask him during the ceremony if Athena and Bobby are okay with it.”
“That sounds like a fantastic idea. Let me check,” Josh said, pulling out his phone and typing before putting it back down.
“I just asked Athena and Bobby. I don’t think it’ll be a problem; Buck and Maddie are like their extra kids.” Before he could say anything more, his phone dinged again. He picked it up and read the reply. “It’s done. Now, we must go to the music department and see what they can do.”
Eddie nodded and followed Josh to the music room. Inside, there were a man and a woman. The man had short brown hair and wore a red flannel shirt over a white T-shirt. The woman, with blonde hair tied up in a ponytail, wore a beige knit sweater and jeans.
“Eddie, this is our music teacher, Finn, and Deb, our exchange student from Scotland. She’s training to be a music teacher and has been with us for two weeks.”
“Nice to meet you,” Eddie said, shaking hands with them both.
“This is Christopher Diaz’s dad and Buck’s boyfriend,” Josh said, pointing to Eddie.
Finn smiled broadly.
“You’re the one who got Buckaroo to fall for you,” he laughed. “I’ve only heard about you but never had the chance to meet you. I’ve only been here a year, but the others have spoken highly of you and Buck.”
Eddie felt his cheeks flush.
“Yeah, that’s why he’s here,” Josh said. “He wants to ask Buck the big question at the graduation.”
“Will you marry him? At the graduation?” Deb asked. Eddie had to think for a second to process what she just said.
“Yeah, Buck loves music, especially the band Train. There’s a song I’d like Chris and his class to sing,” Eddie said.
“Athena and Bobby have said yes to that,” Josh quickly added.
Finn and Deb looked at each other before nodding.
“There’s a spot in the program we haven’t filled yet. The class that has performed the best usually gets to sing an extra song at the ceremony as a prize,” Finn said. “Christopher’s class is the top-performing class this year, thanks to Buck as their mentor.”
“We’ve got this,” Deb said, smiling at them all.
“It’s just the first verse and the chorus. Then I’m going to pop the question,” Eddie said, scratching his neck. “Can you ensure the class doesn’t tell Buck about it?”
Both Deb and Finn gave thumbs up in response.
“This is going to be so great!” Josh exclaimed, jumping up and down. “I’ll set up a chat where we can discuss everything. We just have to ensure Chim can keep quiet about it.”
Eddie laughed and shook his head as he followed Josh into the hallway.
“We’ll make sure this is something he’ll never forget,” Josh said, hugging Eddie.
“Thanks for everything,” Eddie said, looking at the clock. “I have to go, see you!”
Now, all that’s left is for him to say yes to my question.
Over the next two weeks, both Christopher and Eddie were acting strangely. Almost the entire staff at Grantwood was behaving oddly. Buck couldn’t put his finger on what it was. He spent days and nights wondering, even pulling out his clipboard and making lists of what it could be. But he couldn’t figure it out.
Now, he stood in front of the mirror in their bedroom, tying his red tie to his black suit and white shirt. Today, Christopher will graduate from grade 9, which feels strange. It wasn’t that he was Christopher’s father, but he cared so much about that boy. He was nervous for him, just like a parent would be. He was incredibly proud of Christopher’s work in school and how much he had developed in just one year.
How much we’ve all developed.
If someone had asked him a little over a year ago what he thought his future would be, this wasn’t anything he had imagined. A house, a fantastic job, an extended family, a boy almost like his son, and Eddie. A boyfriend who was so incredible it was impossible to describe.
Buck adjusted his tie, bent down, and pulled a box from under the bed. He opened it and took out a small case. Inside the case was a black engagement ring. After graduation at the Grant-Nash family home, he would kneel before everyone and ask for his lover’s hand in marriage. He closed the box and nodded.
“Christopher? Eddie?” he called. “Time to go.”
Christopher came out of his room in a smart dark blue suit, a red bow tie, and a white shirt. Like Buck, he wore red Converse on his feet.
“Best-looking student in town,” Buck said, hugging him. “Where’s Eddie?”
“Athena called and asked him to bring some extra chairs. There’s going to be more people this year than last,” Christopher said, starting toward the front door. “Are you coming, Papi?”
Buck took a step forward.
“What did you say?”
Christopher turned around.
“I don’t know, I just—”
“It’s fine,” Buck said, walking over to him. “You can call me Papa if you want, son.”
His eyes teared up, and they hugged before jumping into the old jeep and driving to school.
“Is everything set and ready?” Eddie asked, placing the last chair in front of a large stage.
“Yes, for the hundredth time,” Taylor laughed. “You’re worse than in a rom-com.”
Eddie rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’m so nervous; what if he says no?”
“He won’t,” Eddie heard behind him.
Maddie walked toward them, along with Chimney.
“He loves you so much, and you two are perfect together no matter what,” she hugged Eddie.
“Let’s do this,” Chimney said, patting Eddie on the back.
If I don’t die from nerves first.
Everyone eagerly watched, applauding each student who received their grade and cheering for every musical performance. Finally, it was time for the principal and vice principal to say a few words.
“Dear students, colleagues, and parents, Today we stand here and look back on another year filled with challenges and incredible progress. We’ve fought, learned, and grown together for a year, and I feel immense gratitude for everything we’ve shared. To you students, you have shown incredible dedication, courage, and a willingness to develop. You’ve not only learned new things but also grown as individuals. You’ve supported each other, learned to take responsibility, and shown you are ready for new challenges, both now and in the future,” Athena said, handing the microphone over to Bobby.
“For all of us, this year has been a reminder that nothing is predetermined – we have the power to shape our path. And even when the road feels tough, we know there’s always hope, always an opportunity to learn and grow. Thank you to everyone who contributed this year – for your effort, energy, and warmth.
I look forward to another year with you, with even more lessons, laughter, and progress. Now, we’ll take on the summer break, but with hope and anticipation for what awaits us when we meet again,” Bobby said, handing the microphone back to Athena.
“Before all the students get their long-awaited summer break, we will announce the class that has worked the hardest this year. The class and their mentor will come up on stage and perform a song together.”
“The class that has performed the best is…” Bobby said.
Finn and Deb started beating drums for a drum roll.
“The 9th grade class with their mentor Evan Buck Buckley!” Athena exclaimed.
Christopher ran up to the stage, and Buck followed. The other students and the teacher, Finn, joined them. The students took their places on the stage and began to sing:
"Wha—" Buck started but was pulled up by May beside him.
"Up you go," she said, pushing him toward the stage.
Buck looked around, confused, and followed his class.
"We haven’t practised any songs," he mouthed to Athena and Bobby on stage.
"Just stand there," Bobby mouthed back.
Buck did as he was told and stood to the side of the class, watching them as they got in position. He didn’t know what to do or say. Buck watched as Finn and Deb grabbed a guitar and a bass. Finn began playing the guitar, and the sound poured through the speakers.
Forever can never be long enough for me.
To feel like I’ve had long enough with you.
Buck recognised the words—a Train song—but couldn’t remember the name. He watched his students sing the beautiful lyrics. He saw Christopher standing tall, and for a second, their eyes met. Tears began to form beneath his eyelids.
Forget the world now, we won’t let them see
But there’s one thing left to do
Now that the weight has lifted.
The more they sang, the more Buck recognised the song. The name still didn’t come to his mind, and he began looking out toward the audience. His gaze automatically searched for Eddie, but he didn’t have time to glance again before the chorus came:
Love has surely shifted my way
Marry me.
His heart stopped, his breath hitched. Just as the words "Marry me" hit Buck’s ears, he saw Eddie stand in the aisle in the middle of the audience. People turned to see why one of the teachers looked like he had seen a ghost.
Today and every day
Marry me.
Eddie walked toward the centre of the aisle, his eyes locked on Buck’s soul. The warmth in his eyes was enough to melt the ice in Antarctica. He knelt with a ring in his hand, facing the stage where Buck stood. The entire audience gasped and began whispering to each other.
Together can never be close enough for me
Marry me.
The song ended and became silent, so quiet you could almost touch the silence. Taylor came forward with a microphone, which Eddie took with his other hand.
"Will you marry me, mi cielo?"
Everyone’s gaze shifted between the stage and the man on one knee. Buck was frozen, unable to find words. He suddenly felt a hand on his arm and looked to see it was Christopher.
"What do you say, Papi?"
Buck looked back at Eddie, swallowed one last time, and said,
"Yes."
He took a step. And another.
"Yes, you fool."
Then he ran down the stairs, down the aisle, and reached Eddie. He knelt before him, cupped his face, and kissed him. The entire room erupted in cheers and shouts of joy. Buck broke the kiss and looked at Eddie.
"You jerk," he said, laughing. He stood up with Eddie. Then he took the box from his pocket, and now it was his turn to kneel.
"I was going to wait until tonight, but Eddie Diaz, will you marry me?"
"Well, I didn’t see that coming," Ravi said, laughing.
Finn and Deb fist-bumped each other. Both Karen, Hen, and Maddie handed Chimney five-dollar bills each.
Suddenly, music started playing through the speakers:
Shut up and kiss me.
"For fuck's sake," May muttered, walking over to the computer by the speaker, grabbing it, and tossing it in the trash next to the stage. Everyone laughed. Eddie removed the ring from its box and slid it onto Buck’s left hand. Buck did the same.
"They both said yes, and we wish you all a great summer break. We’ll see you in the fall!" Bobby and Athena said together.
Buck laughed and turned back to Eddie.
"You fool," he said.
"I’m your beloved fool."
"Yes, you are, and soon, my fool of a husband."
Eddie smiled and gave him another kiss. Buck could feel him smile against his lips. Everything was perfect and excellent, just like a dream. But it wasn’t a dream. This was reality and…
"Everything has a meaning in everything."
- Lovevind