Chapter Text
The hardest thing about moving in with Jared, was telling Gabe. Over the past few months Evan had actually grown to like his roommate quite a bit.
Jared was helping Evan move out of the dorms. He and Evan were loading up his new-to-him pickup truck. After getting tired of listening to him complain about all the maintenance he’d had to do on his car, his mom had taken him to a dealership and he’d worked a deal for this truck.
Gabe had thrown his arms around Evan in what he’d called an ‘air hug’. After finding out that Evan didn’t like hugs, he started doing these ‘air hugs’ where he puts his arms around Evan while still leaving a generous amount of space between them.
Evan pats his arm awkwardly. “Gabe you can come see us any--any time. And--and Daniel is right next door. Well--well, his building is--is at least.”
“I know. But you were right there!” He flings his arm towards what was formerly Evan’s bed.
“You’ll be fine. You’re gonna get a new--new roommate to bond--bond with.”
Jared snorts from his spot in the door. “He’s just moving down the street. Is that the last box Ev?” he points towards the box sitting on what was Evan’s desk.
“Yep. I’ll talk--talk to you later Gabe.” He waves over his shoulder as he follows Jared to the elevator.
They pass Daniel and Liza as they were leaving. “Hey guys! Are you done moving now?” Daniel asks, looking like he was silently praying the answer would be yes.
“Yes. You guys stalled long enough that we finished.” Jared snorts. He actually really liked Daniel and Liza, especially after they basically ‘adopted’ Gabe. It was funny how they basically treated him like their child. Or an annoying younger sibling.
“Oh thank God,” Liza says, laughing. “We’re going to console him, but meet up for dinner later?”
“Of course.” Evan had decided that he liked when he and Jared would go on double dates with Daniel and Liza. After they talked things over at Thanksgiving, Daniel had confided in Evan that he was going to propose to Liza before they graduate. Evan would like to marry Jared, but there was no way in hell he’d be able to propose.
He’s pulled from his thoughts by Jared shifting the box to one arm and flinging his other arm around Evan’s shoulders. When he refocuses on the conversation he realizes that it had somehow changed to be about his and Jared’s relationship. How great it was that they were moving in together.
Liza joked about them being like an old married couple and Jared squeezes Evan’s shoulders saying, “that’s going to be us one day. Just as soon as I can convince him to marry me.” It’s said in a joking tone, but it still sets Evan’s heart racing.
Did Jared just propose in front of our friends? He knows that he’s probably been quiet for too long, or that his thoughts are racing across his face, but his brain can’t seem to let go of the thought.
~~~
Living with Jared was the greatest thing ever. That’s what Evan decides after about a month. He was always there when Evan got stressed, and he seemed to know when Evan needed space, or a hug, or just some cuddles.
On this particular morning, neither boy had an early class, so they were lazing around. Jared was making coffee when he suddenly turned to Evan. “Marry me,” he blurts, surprising both of them.
All of Evan’s thoughts screech to a halt as he just stands there and blinks at Jared. “O-okay.” He laughs slightly. Did he and Jared just get engaged?
“I--I wasn’t really planning on proposing today so I don’t have a ring. And this was hardly the way I wanted to do things. But I just--you were there and you looked so happy and I’ve been wanting to ask for a while and--so--”
Evan cuts him off, “please tell me you were not about to apologize for asking me to marry you… after I said yes.”
Jared bites his lip, looking at his feet.
“What would you have said if I would have said no?”
“I have no idea. Nothing probably. I probably would’ve cried or some shit. I don’t know. I’m going to do a do-over proposal when I have a ring.” Jared declares, still grinning when Evan comes over to kiss him.
“That’s not necessary, but I know you well enough to know that trying to talk you out of it is a bad idea.”
“Damn right.” Jared says, pulling him into another kiss.
~~~
Evan and Jared were out with Daniel and Liza, and Gabe and his new boyfriend Adam. Daniel knew what Jared was planning, but he was the only one in the loop. He’d helped Jared pick out a ring after all. When Jared called him a few weeks ago, panicking about picking out a ring for Evan and asking for help Daniel agreed to go with him, despite his confusion. After Jared had proposed to Evan a few months ago, he figured they’d go ring shopping together. Apparently not.
The small box was burning a hole in Jared’s pocket. Ever since he picked it out, he’s wanted to ask Evan to marry him again. But he’d carefully planned out exactly how this evening would work, and he wasn’t going to ruin it with his excitement.
Everyone was finished eating. It was time. Daniel does his part and orders a desert. Jared doesn’t even know what he orders, the rushing in his ears is too loud.
“Evan,” he whispers, drawing the other boy’s attention. Jared slides off his chair and smoothly into kneeling right next to Evan’s chair. Daniel shushed everyone else at the table, grateful that Adam had the presence of mind to clap his hand over Gabe’s mouth before he could squeal.
“Evan, I know I already asked you once and you said yes, but I wanted to do it right. With our friends, most of the people we care the most about, here with us. Things haven’t always been good. We’ve got our bad days and they’re horrible. But our good days, they’re worth their weight in gold. I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. You said to me once, that when I stumbled back into your life, it was like everything in you sighed and said ‘oh, it’s you. I’ve been looking for you. I’m glad you’re home’.
“Well, now it’s my turn. Every time I look at you, my soul knows that it’s home. With you, I breathe a little easier. I feel like I could take on the world and win. So, make me the happiest man alive. Marry me?” Jared’s voice is watery and Adam was just barely keeping Gabe from jumping up and down and clapping.
When Jared looks at Evan’s face, he’s crying. He’s grinning, but crying all the same. “I love you so much, yes I’ll marry you,” he says, nodding furiously.
Jared slips the ring onto his finger, letting Evan pull him up off the floor and into a crushing hug, followed by a fierce kiss. When they pull back, both boys are greeted by uproarious applause, most of it coming from their table.
After a few moments of them blushing and holding on to each other for dear life, Adam lets go of Gabe, thinking that he’d probably be done being overzealously excited. He was wrong.
Gabe jumped up, nearly launching himself across the table to hug Evan and Jared tightly. He was shrieking something in their ears that might’ve resembled words at a lower decibel. As it was, both boys had hands clamped over their ears, loudly begging Adam to come retrieve his excitable boyfriend.
After dinner everyone parts ways, making Evan sigh gratefully. He loved their friends, it’s just that, they sometimes took a lot of energy, especially Gabe when he got excited. When they get back to their apartment Jared suggests calling their moms to tell them the news. Sighing again, Evan agrees.
“We’ll make it quick.” Jared kisses him. “Promise.”
They conference in both of their moms at the same time.
“Guys, we have news,” Jared says, pausing for dramatic effect when both of their moms demand to know. “Evan and I are officially engaged!”
They squeal louder than Gabe did, making both boys wheel back from the phone and clutch their ears.
“MOM!” They both chastise at the same time. It makes their moms laugh.
“I’m happy for you guys! Can I help plan the wedding?” Jared’s mom asks.
“Me too!” Heidi squeals happily.
The boys look at each other, confused about which thing Heidi said me too, to.
“Um, we’ll probably plan it ourselves.” Jared shrugs, looking to Evan for confirmation.
“Y-yeah. Not--Not that we wouldn’t like help with some things!” Evan hastens to add the last part after both of their moms make an unhappy noise.
“Okay, well we’re tired so we’ll talk to you tomorrow when we come around to visit,” Jared says, noticing how Evan’s eyes were starting to droop. Their moms both give their respective goodbyes before hanging up.
~~~
Oh. My. God. Evan cannot believe he is about to marry the love of his life. He cannot believe he is about to marry Jared Kleinman. They had planned, what was, for them, the perfect wedding. It was small, intimate, perfect. They’d taken a gamble and agreed to get married in the park.
Evan was worried that he was going to sweat through his tux. He was in his old room in his mom’s house. There’s a knock at the door. Daniel had left about an hour ago to pick up Liza, then go to the airport to pick up Adam and Gabe.
“Come in,” he calls, not taking a break from his pacing and staring at the floor.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’ve got cold feet.” Jared’s voice surprises him. He stops immediately and throws himself into Jared’s arms.
“I thought it was bad luck to see me before the wedding?” Evan muses aloud, not loosening his hold on Jared.
“That’s just brides dummy,” Jared’s voice is fond as he pulls back to look at Evan. “You look amazing,” he whispers.
Evan finally gets a good look at Jared’s tux. His mouth goes dry. “Th-thanks, you too,” he chokes out, jumping when the front door slams. Gabe appears in the doorway a moment later, holding a rather large bouquet of flowers. When he notices Jared, the flowers quickly turn into a weapon. He swats Jared repeatedly with the flowers, telling him that it’s bad luck and he needs to leave. Evan’s laughing until Jared uses him as a shield and he gets a face full of flowers.
“It’ll be fine Gabe,” Evan assures him, holding his hands up to fend off any more flower-based attacks.
From the sour look on Gabe’s face, he can only assume Jared’s mocking him behind Evan’s back.
“Jared. Knock it off.”
“How did you know!? You can’t even see me!”
Arms go around Evan from behind and he laughs. “I know you. And Gabe was making his angry face.”
Jared grumbles something he doesn’t quite catch, but he lets the subject drop when Daniel comes to get them, saying it’s time to leave.
~~~
Evan and Jared skip graduation. They didn’t want to listen to the dean call ten thousand names when they really only care about six of them. So, naturally, they were all at Evan and Jared’s new apartment, drinking (Jared, Daniel, Gabe, and Adam) and playing scrabble (Evan and Liza). The other boys were banned from playing after a tipsy Jared suggested they play to see who could create the most obscene combination of words.
After being kicked out of scrabble, Jared had powered up one of their gaming consoles and was starting up what was either a singing or a dancing game. As it turns out, it was a singing game. And, as it turns out, the only ones that could sing are Evan, Liza, and Adam.
Before Jared can get too far past tipsy Evan switches him to water. They had to meet their moms for lunch at eleven tomorrow and he didn’t want Jared majorly hungover. Daniel and Liza were staying at her parents house while their apartment was being fumigated and Gabe and Adam were in town for a few more days and currently, they were sleeping on the couch that Jared brought back from his school apartment. As Evan looks around the room, he basks in the love of his friends and his husband. After three years, it still felt unreal to be able to say that about Jared, and he loved every minute of it.