Work Text:
“Let’s run away together,” Chris said, as he leaned against the kitchen counter, right next to where Peter was preparing their breakfast.
Peter snorted and glanced over at him.
“And what would we do that for?” he asked, with a small smile playing around his lips.
Peter was still sleep rumpled, hair all over the place and there was a softness to his face that usually got lost after the first cup of coffee.
Chris wouldn’t say he liked Peter like this best, but he certainly held a special appreciation for this soft version.
“Just because,” Chris gave back with a shrug and Peter fondly rolled his eyes at him.
“Where would we even run away to?” Peter wanted to know as he put some bacon into the pan.
“Vegas,” Chris immediately said, taking a sip from his coffee to hide his smile.
“And do what? Lose a small fortune?”
“Actually, I thought we could get married,” Chris easily replied and enjoyed the wide-eyed look Peter threw him.
Chris actually had a plan ready that had nothing to do with Vegas, but seeing Peter here in their kitchen, preparing them breakfast like every morning, just made it clearer that he wanted this forever.
They were so familiar with each other by now, comfortable in the presence of the other, and Peter had so thoroughly let his guard down around him, it still surprised Chris some days.
Chris had the ring in their bedroom, and a whole speech planned out, but no moment had been right so far.
Maybe he had been looking for the wrong moments.
“Get married?” Peter asked him with a frown and then he laughed. “Yeah, right.”
Now it was Chris’ turn to frown, because he had thought they were past this by now.
He knew about Peter’s insecurities well enough; knew that Peter still doubted Chris’ sincerity sometimes, thought of himself as hard and unlovable, even though Chris had done everything to show him that it wasn’t true.
That Peter was caring and protective; soft and clever, and so very deserving of love, but it seemed like he had failed somehow.
Because he could see very clearly how the thought ‘Why would he choose me’ crossed his mind, that he feared this was just a spur of the moment thing; it was all over his face and this wouldn’t do, this wouldn’t do at all.
Chris dropped a kiss to Peter’s shoulder and mumbled “Wait here,” before he left the kitchen to get the rings from their bedroom.
He still didn’t know how he had managed to hide them that long, but maybe Peter had lost the constant vigilance around him. It was a thought that filled Chris with even more love for the other man.
He grabbed the small black box, briefly popping it open to check that the rings were still there, and then hurried back to the kitchen.
Peter was still frozen in the same spot, it seemed, and Chris hurriedly moved the pan so that their breakfast wouldn’t burn.
When that was done, Chris immediately dropped to one knee in front of Peter, taking his hand in his own and just staring up at the man he loved for a second.
Peter’s eyes were very blue, and very wide, but he still didn’t move, and Chris smiled at him.
“Peter Hale,” Chris started, and Peter jerked in apparent surprise.
“What are you doing?” Peter whispered, and Chris just barely suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.
“I’m trying to propose here,” he gave back and then flicked open the box. “So, would you please let me?”
Peter’s eyes were drawn to the rings nestled inside the box and his eyes went just that bit wider.
“Peter Hale,” Chris started again, and this time Peter stayed quiet. “You’re an asshole, and I love you,” he said and that, at least, prompted Peter to smile at him.
“From the very moment I met you, I always knew that you would be the most annoying part of my life, that you would make it unnecessarily hard. And while that is still true,” Chris ignored Peter’s protest, “it’s also something I came to love about you. You’re annoying and think yourself to be so clever; you can be mean, you’re a slob surprisingly enough, and you never do anything the easy way. You’re cunning enough that your back-up plans have back-up plans and you play everyone like a fiddle. Not even because you want something, but because you can, because you enjoy it.”
Peter shortly tilted his head, as if to say ‘Fair enough’ but before he could say anything Chris went on. He still had more to say.
“You’re protective of those you like and you’re ruthless when it comes to protecting those people. You tell everyone you’re not a family man and yet you’re around to babysit Derek’s kids voluntarily. You are relentless, beautiful and you cannot imagine how glad I am that you cling so ferociously to life. I loved you when you were a cocky young brat, I loved you when I thought you would die of your injuries, I loved you when you were insane and then dead, and I love you even more now that you’re sharing your life with me. I love you, Peter, you are my everything, and you would do me a great honour if you would marry me.”
Peter stared at him without saying a word and while Chris was mostly sure that it was out of shock, and not because he was about to be rejected, he still prompted Peter by squeezing his hand.
“You planned this,” Peter whispered. “You have rings!”
“I didn’t plan to do it right here in the kitchen, but yes. I’ve been sitting on them for weeks now. You make it very hard to propose.”
Peter reached out, as if he wanted to touch the rings, but Chris pulled the box away, out of his reach.
“If you don’t say yes, you don’t get to touch them,” he teased.
“Yes, I will marry you,” Peter immediately said and instead of going for the rings again, like Chris had expected, Peter leaned down to kiss Chris.
“Of course I’ll marry you,” he said against Chris’ lips. “Now show me the damn rings.”
Chris laughed at that, this was much more like the Peter he knew and loved, and finally handed the box over.
“Is that the Argent sigil I see?” Peter said and narrowed his eyes at the rings. “Are you branding me as an Argent?”
There was something accusing in his voice, like Chris knew him so little that he would really do that, and instead of answering him verbally, Chris tapped on the second ring in the box.
“Only because I’m marking myself as a Hale,” he explained as Peter inspected the triskelion engraved into the ring.
“That’s better,” Peter nodded and took his ring out of the box. “You’ll be mine, then, too,” he almost absentmindedly said as he put on the ring and Chris surged up to kiss him again.
“I was always yours,” he lowly told Peter before he held his hand out. “But you can make it official.”
“How generous,” Peter teased and slipped the ring on Chris’ finger.
Chris couldn’t help but stare at the ring there, a weight he had almost forgotten, but immediately felt comfortable, especially with the connotation behind it.
Peter was staring at his own ring too, but there was a small frown on his face.
“This feels strange,” he said and wriggled his fingers. “I thought it would be lighter. Can I keep it on if I shift?”
“How would I know? Try it out?”
Peter was still wriggling his fingers and Chris sighed.
“You’ll get used to it,” he told his fiancé and Peter looked at him when his heart made a happy little thump at that.
“Are you sure?” Peter asked him, and Chris refused to believe that he was asking about the marriage in general.
Chris had never been surer of anything in his life before.
“If it continues to annoy you, you can always wear it around a necklace,” he said with a little shrug and kissed the ring on Peter’s hand. “As long as you keep it.”
“Everyone would think I’m a homewrecker,” Peter said with a nod to Chris hand. “No. The ring stays on.”
Chris had secretly known that Peter would preen at the official claim to him, he was too attuned to his wolf to be displeased by that, so instead of answering he just kissed Peter again.
Peter rested his hand on Chris’ neck and Chris felt the ring slide over his skin. It was a good feeling.
But not as good as the knowledge that Peter had accepted him and chose him in return. That was the best feeling in the world.