Chapter Text
"Oh my gosh my parents!"
Buddy grumbled and shifted next to Darnell, tucking his head into Darnell's hip, which, as Darnell had bolted awake, was the most he could reach.
"Wha?"
"I never told my parents I'm getting married. I need to call them, or should I maybe write - thank goodness we didn't do a newspaper announcement or they'd kill me having to find out that way-"
Darnell tried to twist to get out of bed, only to find Buddy's arms locked around his waist. "No. We agreed three a.m. is a terrible idea; it's for sleeping through so we don't have to experience it."
"But-"
"I have met your parents, and I am certain they feel the same way. You can call them in the morning - we both can!"
"Urgh." Darnell let himself be pulled back into bed, falling back as he did so. "That might be awkward."
Buddy poked Darnell's side. "What's wrong?"
"There's...a lot of stuff my parents don't know about me. In order, that I'm getting married, that I'm bisexual, that I'm half of a local racing duo, that I never went to college for mechanical engineering like they wanted, and that I was the one who broke my father's favorite lamp when I was twelve."
"Well, all of those are things you can worry about at a time of day that we allow to exist." Buddy pulled Darnell in as close as he could manage, tucked Darnell's head under his chin, and fell back asleep.
Buddy was still unfazed the next morning, apparently calm enough to make omelets (somehow his quest to discover what brunch was had led to an interest in real cooking Darnell was trying hard not to take advantage of) while Darnell paced.
"Come on." A firm hand pushed Darnell to the table, and then down into a chair; a bacon and cheese omelet sat on the table, steaming gently. "Eat."
Darnell tried, but was poking slightly more than actually eating. Buddy, his own omelet appearing to contain actual leftover Chinese takeout, kicked Darnell's ankle gently.
"Come on, Darnell. I remember your parents were always nice to me."
"Yeah, as one of my delinquent friends, not as the man I'm going to spend the rest of my life with!"
"Delinquent?" Buddy's ears were drooping. "I am pretty sure I was a delight."
"Sorry, Buddy." Darnell patted Buddy's head, offering a scratch that perked the dog back up. "My mother called all my friends from shop class delinquents."
"Well as we both know I am not a delinquent-" Darnell took a moment to consider whether Buddy actually knew what 'delinquent' meant, "you can call your parents and tell them all about me and rest assured they will love you even more knowing you've decided to marry me."
Darnell took one more bite of his omelet and stood. "Alright, I'm making the call. But only because you have unwavering faith in me and that you'll cuddle me if this goes poorly."
Darnell's mother answered on the second ring. "Darnell? It's not my birthday."
Darnell bit back a sigh, at least a little because he probably hadn't called his parents since their anniversary. "Um, I had news I wanted to share with you."
"Oh?"
"I'm getting married. In October."
"Oh! Well, then we absolutely must meet her!"
"Mother-"
"Friday should do; you know when we start cocktails."
"I just think you should know one thing before we-"
"Oh, we're running late. I'll see you Friday, Darnell."
Darnell returned to the table to find Buddy eating the remainder of Darnell's omelet, a mostly inevitable consequence of leaving his food unguarded. "Do you want the bad news or the other bad news?"
"Aww." Buddy patted Darnell's hip, still eating his omelet. "Everything is going to be fine."
"We have to go to their house for drinks and dinner on Friday, and I didn't get around to telling them who I was marrying."
"Okay, come on."
Buddy stood and guided Darnell to the couch and pushing him down.
"What-"
Buddy then dropped next to Darnell and flopped down over his lap. He grabbed Darnell's hand and put it top of his own head.
"There."
"Buddy, why am I cuddling you when I'm upset?"
"I read somewhere that petting a dog is scientifically proven to reduce stress and promote a healthy heart. So…"
Darnell moved his hand slowly, alternately petting and lightly scratching the top of Buddy's head, while Buddy hummed contentedly. And while Darnell originally suspected Buddy just wanted Darnell's hands on him, it was relaxing running his fingers through Buddy's fur.
"Now that you've calmed down, we can talk about how I am going to impress your parents."
Darnell paused in his petting. "You said my parents liked you!"
"Well, sure, but there's a difference between liking Buddy Thunderstruck, racing legend, and Buddy Thunderstruck, son-in-law. I gotta prove I can provide for you."
"Provide for me?" Darnell tugged at Buddy's ears. "You've said on numerous occasions you can't race without me."
"Well, look pretty, then. Do you think I can get to a spa before Friday? Get one of those mud baths?"
"Only one way to find out. Phone - call Belinda."
Spa treatments to impress the in-laws were apparently within Belinda's bailiwick, although she insisted on a couple's package. Darnell, however, found it difficult to get into the proper mindset. Buddy, as predicted, loved the mud bath, but drew the line at acupuncture.
"The only people I let stick needles in me are medical professionals for the express purpose of limiting the spread of infectious diseases. So you can take your tiny pain sticks and place them elsewhere."
Darnell himself lasted until the deep tissue massage, slapping away the masseur's hands before he could touch him. "Okay, only one person gets to touch this. Buddy?"
"This is not nearly as relaxing as was promised," Buddy agreed, hopping off his table. "Although the mud bath has left my fur feeling glossy and smooth."
Darnell had to agree with the assessment; Buddy rarely took the effort to do more than a quick shower, so the thorough wash he'd needed to get the mud out had left his coat with an attractive shine.
His eyes drifted, a little, down, to where Buddy's towel was casually knotted, just barely holding it in place, before he glanced away, heat flushing his cheeks and bridge of his nose.
"Ooh, there's a sauna!"
"Nope!" Darnell pushed Buddy toward the room they'd left their clothes. "We have had enough relaxation for today; thanks everybody, we'll leave a good review on Yelp!"
"You seem high strung," Buddy said as Darnell dressed, eyes firmly on the wall opposite Buddy. Darnell nearly jumped into a locker when Buddy put a hand on his shoulder. "Darnell? Sweetie?"
"Sorry; you - surprised me."
"Aw, sorry Darnell." Arms wrapped around Darnell, Buddy's bare chest pressed against his back, and Darnell yelped, spun, and Thunder Flipped Buddy into one of the benches. He was panting hard at the scene, and Buddy's shocked expression, before his mind caught up."
"Oh my gosh Buddy I don't know what I was thinking!"
Buddy's expression eased; he didn't look upset, but he wasn't smiling, either. "It is clear you are more tense than I thought. How about we get pudding cups and you can tell me what's wrong?"
Buddy escorted Darnell to the couch when they got home, piling some two dozen pudding cups (all chocolate, which meant Buddy did not intend to eat any) around Darnell before sitting cautiously on the far end of the couch. It felt like a slight, even though Darnell knew Buddy had good reason to be nervous.
"Now, I think I might know what's going on with you, but I have a poor track record on that front, so...do you want to tell me what's wrong?"
Darnell took a deep breath; he hated this, talking about what made him feel bad. "I'm...nervous," he offered.
"About your parents? I have got that covered."
"Yes, I'm worried about my parents...among other things."
"Other…? Darnell, you are going to need to explain this a lot more clearly, because as we have established, I am bad at reading between the lines."
Darnell grumbled and sank into the couch, wishing Godzilla or something could start rampaging through Greasepit, if only to keep him from having to say it aloud.
"You were basically naked in there."
"I had a towel-"
"Somehow that did not help."
"Darnell…" Buddy shifted closer, just an inch, but it was enough of an invitation that Darnell lunged, knocking over the pudding to pillow his head on Buddy's lap. "We had this conversation. I remember because I was not aware you could turn that shade of red."
"It's a different conversation," Darnell muttered into Buddy's stomach. "My stance has not changed. Sex and you in the same thought is…definitely appealing."
"That is good to know, because the way you flipped me when I tried to give you a hug, while awesome, might lead me to think otherwise."
"I know and I feel terrible about it! I should not be throwing you into furniture outside of a wrestling match."
"To be honest, Darnell, that is the least concerning part about all of this; our lifestyle is not safe. We should both be dead a dozen times over."
"Idontwanttoruinit."
"What?"
Darnell hugged Buddy's waist tighter. "We are amazing, Buddy. We have always been amazing."
"Yes, that is our thing."
"Yeah, but...what if it's bad? If it turns out to be one of our terrible ideas? We can just get back up and go again after a crash, but…"
"Oh, wow, you are totally off base, there, Darnell. I love you, which is clearly a thing you need to hear more. But rest assured, your hands are some sort of magic wands that have routinely made me melt with pleasure. So first, when we get to that, you are going to nail it. Second, who cares? Darnell, every moment we spend together is amazing, so I don't care what it is we do to get there."
"Fart nugget; you can't just say things like that, Buddy," Darnell grumbled into Buddy's hip. "You're going to make me cry."
"Aw, come on, I wasn't saying that to make you sad." Buddy pulled Darnell up so they were chest-to-chest, and despite several delicate kisses to Darnell's cheeks, thankfully did not mention the still-wet tears on Darnell's face.
It helped, though; years of knowing Buddy had more or less proven he didn't just say things, or at least not to Darnell, if he didn't mean them.