Work Text:
After Shannon, Eddie never thought that he would ever want to get married again.
Yet, a little red box lays in his pocket until the perfect moment to propose comes around.
He has been carrying it for weeks now, waiting.
He wants his proposal to be perfect because he knows that this is the last time he will ever be asking this question. Buck is it for him. There will never be anyone else.
Eddie is sure of it like he has never been of anything else in his entire life.
“Oh my God, Eddie.”
He flips around to see Maddie with her hands on her mouth, eyes wide. He almost drops the box in his precipitation to put it back in his pocket.
“Please, don’t say anything,” he begs. “It has to be a surprise.”
She nods, blinking her tears away.
“Of course,” she says and wraps him in a big hug. “He is going to be so happy. Eddie, this is amazing.”
He smiles, touched by her enthusiasm. He has always liked her, always admired her, and he could not wish for a better sister-in-law.
“Think he’ll say yes?” he asks, only half-joking.
“I have no doubt in my mind, Eddie Diaz.” She is beaming, her big brown eyes shining with mirth. “Oh, I’m so happy. I’m glad it’s you. Welcome to our little family, Eddie.”
“I haven’t asked yet,” he reminds her but he’s smiling as widely as she is.
“So what? We both know the answer.”
Her certainty soothes some of his worry. He doesn’t see why Buck would say no, he knows that they are both madly in love and that they have a strong, loving relationship. Buck loves Christopher like his own son, and Christopher loves him just as much.
Still, he can’t help but be a little nervous.
He wants a life with Buck so much, to wake up every morning next to him, to see Christopher grow up as they grow old. He wants it all, the good, the bad, the normal, the insane – all of it.
“Can I see it?” Maddie asks, softly. “It’s okay if you don’t, I’ll see it when he’s wearing it anyway.”
She is looking at him, nothing but pure happiness in her eyes, and he finds that he can’t refuse her.
It’s a simple ring, gold, with both their initials engraved on the inside.
“I think I might cry,” she says, and her voice does sound wet. “Buck will love it.”
“Buck will love what?”
Oh no.
Eddie tries to hide the ring and the box, but it’s too late.
Buck has seen everything.
“Eddie,” he says, breathless.
“This isn’t what you think,” Eddie tries and then scrambles for a fake excuse, looking at Maddie who is as panicked as he is. “Huh, Maddie is going to propose to Chim. Very modern strategy, and we’re all for it.”
Buck laughs, he is crying tears of joy. “Eddie, they’re already married.”
Damn. Right.
“They’re going to get married again?” he tries, and then winces at how stupid it sounds. Their wedding was less than six months ago.
“You want to marry me?”
Buck is awed like he can’t believe that it’s real. He is shining brighter than the sun, his smile is impossibly big and his eyes are as blue as the bluest sky. God, Eddie loves him.
“Of course I want to marry you, Buck,” he breathes out, dropping any pretense at an excuse. “Of course.”
A half-sob, half-laugh escapes Buck’s throat.
“Ye – ”
Eddie is physically silencing him with his hand before Buck can finish saying what he’s about to say.
“Do not finish that sentence. This isn’t the proposal. There is a plan, okay? You’re going to get proposed to as you deserve to be.”
Under his hand, Eddie can feel Buck smiling widely.
“Alright. I’m removing my hand. Don’t even think about answering a question I haven’t even asked.”
Maddie is snickering behind them. Both ignore her. They only have eyes for each other. As much as he is feeling heated, Eddie is completely overjoyed. Yes, this isn’t the surprise he wanted it to be, but now he knows that Buck will say yes when the times comes. He does not have to worry anymore.
“I’m not saying anything,” Buck promises easily. “Though I can’t wait for you to ask the question.”
“Soon.”
“Great, because I don’t know how long I can stand not being engaged to you, now that I know that it’s in the cards.”
And Eddie just has to kiss him.
It becomes a game between them.
Buck drops the biggest hints, shamelessly, and soon enough everyone is aware of what’s happening. There are bets all around but it’s such a joyful affair, everyone being happy for them, that Eddie can’t say anything about it.
He does get teased endlessly but even that does nothing to dampen his joyous mood.
“Wait, didn’t you have to ask Buck something? I can’t remember what for the life of me,” Hen says with the biggest grin.
“Buck looks very coming in this light,” Chim announces with fake innocence as the sun sets behind them. “You could just do it now. It’s very romantic.”
“I’ll make it an order if I have to,” Bobby jokes, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Even Athena gets in on the joke, texting him one day, out of the blue, Did you ask him yet?
And Eddie can’t even pretend to be annoyed by all their meddling because he knows without any doubt in his heart that it’s coming from a place of love. Their friends, their family, they are all wanting to celebrate with them.
In the end, Eddie does not wait long enough after Buck finds the ring.
He too can’t stand not being engaged to the love of his life for much longer.
Years ago, a lifetime ago maybe, Eddie asked Shannon to marry him in an elegant restaurant, and people had clapped when she had said yes.
It had been a sweet moment that Eddie will never regret, even just for the fact that it brought him Christopher.
He had loved her and she had loved him.
He only wished that they could have let each other go earlier. Maybe things would have been different for her, maybe she could have lived.
Sometimes he wonders what she would have thought of Buck, but he knows deep down that she would have loved him and that she would have been happy for them.
Maybe she is, somewhere.
There are many possibilities going through his mind – too many one might say, in fact.
The element of surprise is mostly gone. As soon as Eddie will do anything a little fancier than usual, Buck will know what’s about to happen. That also means that they will be able to share that joy together building to the moment where Eddie will finally ask, and Buck will finally be able to say yes.
Should he do it after a hike, taking them to a beautiful wild spot? Should he do it at their house, after a home-cooked meal? Should he involve Christopher, to make sure that he knows this is also a celebration of the three of them as a family?
In the end, all his plans go out the window.
He should have known that their whole relationship has been based on spontaneous decisions, decisions that felt right in the moment and proved to be right in the long term.
It’s early one Sunday morning.
Christopher is sound asleep in his room and will be for a few more hours still.
Eddie and Buck are laying in their bed, limbs tangled together, Eddie’s head on Buck’s chest as they enjoy the peaceful quiet moment. They are basked in the first ray of sunshine of the day, and Eddie feels drunk on the feel of it and of Buck’s skin on his.
It’s the kind of slow mornings that last forever, soft and sweet, and filled with love.
Suddenly, Eddie knows. This is the most perfect moment because every moment spent with Buck is the most perfect moment.
He does not want to spend another day, another minute, without being engaged to this man he loves so much.
He lets go of all his plans, all his ideas, because there can never be a moment more perfect than this.
“Where are you going?” Buck whines when Eddie gets up.
“Don’t move, I’ll be right back.”
Eddie gets to his jacket and he pauses at the sight of the little red box. He wants to remember everything about this moment, forever. He wants to remember it all, from the feel of the sun, to the weight of the box in his hand and the strong beat of his heart against his rib cage, sure and steady.
Upon returning in the room, he can’t help the soft smile that draws on his lips. Buck is sitting up, his back to the headboard of the bed. His hair is soft and messy, and Eddie is seized again by his love for him.
This is the most perfect moment.
Eddie gets down on one knee.
“Is this happening for real?” Buck asks, tears in his eyes, smile on his lips, and he has never looked more beautiful.
“It is,” Eddie confirms, beaming. He takes in a deep breath, the emotion almost overwhelming. “Buck, my love. You are the most selfless, amazing, wonderful person that I have ever met, and I want to spend every single day of my life with you. I love you so much. I love how you care about everyone, I love how you take care of Christopher. I love how you always make sure there’s coffee in the pot when I wake up because you know I get grumpy if there isn’t.”
He could not stop if he tried, and he does not want to stop. He could go on forever about how much he loves Buck.
“I love how you get passionate about things. I love that dumb little dance you make when you’re happy. I just, I love you. God, I love you – inside and out, and I will love you forever if you’ll let me.”
Both men are crying and smiling and Eddie has never been happier.
“Evan Buckley, will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Buck cries out, fumbling to get to Eddie and dropping on his knees. “Yes, yes, a million times yes.”
The kiss they share tastes of their tears. It tastes like a promise of a future they will build, together.
It tastes like love.