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It should’ve been an amazing day, but it was starting to look like it wouldn’t be. It was his ten-year anniversary with his boyfriend, but at the rate things were going at work, Cyrus wouldn’t even be seeing his boyfriend that day. He was supposed to have gotten off of work almost two hours ago, but his boss was making them work late. If he didn’t need this job so badly, he would have quit a long time ago, but he needed the experience and the money – his student loans weren’t going to disappear by themselves.
At one point, he was able to slip away to the side to call TJ. He didn’t want to make the call, but he had the feeling he wasn’t leaving work anytime soon, and he needed to let TJ know what was going on. Not only was he running late, but TJ had made a reservation at a fancy restaurant for them to go out and celebrate their anniversary. Now it looked like they weren’t going to make the reservation, and Cyrus felt a pit of guilt in his stomach as a result.
TJ had been nothing but understanding, but Cyrus still felt really bad. He knew that TJ had been really excited about the plans that he had made, and Cyrus had been looking forward to spending such a special day together. Now that was all going to be ruined.
The rest of his work day seemed to drag on, and it was close to seven by the time his boss finally let them go. Cyrus was completely dragged by the time he got in the car to drive home, and he still felt guilty about missing their reservation. TJ’s car was already parked in its spot, and Cyrus made his way up to their apartment.
When he opened the door, he was surprised at the fragrant smell wafting through the apartment. He had assumed TJ would make something for supper for himself, and he would be able to heat up the leftovers. Kicking his shoes off, he was about to head into the kitchen to investigate when TJ came around the corner, his face lighting up in a smile when he saw Cyrus.
“You’re home,” TJ said happily, coming in for a kiss.
“I am and I’m so sorry,” Cyrus started to say, but TJ just shook his head.
“It’s okay,” he said. “I know that your boss is a hard-ass and that this job is important. I don’t want you jeopardizing that.”
“But it’s our anniversary,” Cyrus said sadly. “And I messed it up.”
“You didn’t mess anything up,” TJ said, eyes twinkling, as he grabbed Cyrus’ hand and pulling him into the kitchen. As they walked in, Cyrus stared around in surprise.
The table was set nicely with a tablecloth that Cyrus didn’t even know they owned. Two candles were flickering gently, and there were several dishes of food set up that accounted for the delicious smells. A bottle of wine sat on the counter, waiting to be poured. Soft, romantic music came from the speaker in the corner.
He turned to face TJ in surprise, who just shrugged somewhat sheepishly.
“I never actually made a reservation,” he admitted. “I was always going to surprise you with this; I just ended up having to push the time back a little bit.”
Cyrus found it hard to find the words to describe what he was feeling. Instead, he pulled TJ in for a kiss. They were interrupted, however, by a grumble from Cyrus’ stomach. Breaking apart laughing, TJ swept his arm dramatically and pulled Cyrus’ chair out for him. Grinning, Cyrus sat in it, and eagerly took in the spread of food in front of him. TJ poured them both wine, and they dug in.
It was as delicious as it smelled. TJ was a great cook, but he had really outdone himself this time. If Cyrus hadn’t been so hungry, he would have spent more time complimenting him. However, it had been a very long time since lunch, so he had to content himself with just eating for the time being.
As they made their way through the meal, they chatted about work and how their days had gone. When they had finished, they sat there for a few moments, allowing their stomachs to settle.
“That was amazing,” Cyrus said. “I can’t believe you made all of this by yourself.”
“Neither can I,” TJ admitted. “I was worried I would mess something up by trying to do it all at once.”
Cyrus shook his head. “Everything was absolutely perfect.”
TJ smiled gently at him across the table, and Cyrus felt his heart flutter a bit. Even ten years later, and TJ still made him feel as lovesick as he had when he was a teenager. It was a feeling he hoped never went away.
“Oh!” TJ said suddenly, sitting up straight in his seat. “I have dessert too!” He got up and started moving things around on the counter, clearly looking for it.
“How did you do all of this, plus dessert?” Cyrus asked in amazement.
“I didn’t make this,” TJ said. “This is store bought, but I figured it was appropriate. Close your eyes.”
Cyrus obeyed the command, curious as to what was going to happen. He could feel TJ move next to him and place something on his plate. Then TJ said,
“Open your eyes.”
Cyrus did so and sitting on his plate was a saran-wrapped chocolate chocolate chip muffin. He glanced across the table at TJ who had a similarly wrapped muffin on his plate, although it looked more along the lines of blueberry. His boyfriend had a giant grin on his face, and Cyrus couldn’t help laughing.
“I can’t believe you got these,” Cyrus laughed, picking his up and starting to unwrap it.
“I was walking past a bakery the other day and I saw them in the window,” TJ explained, unwrapping his as well. “They were sitting right next to each other in the window display. It was like it was meant to be.”
Cyrus chuckled a bit before biting in his and letting out an appreciative groan. He still had his weakness for chocolate it seemed.
When they finished eating, Cyrus was prepared to start cleaning up since TJ had made everything, but before he could get started, TJ hopped up and came over to stand next to Cyrus, hand extended.
“Would you like to dance?”
Cyrus smiled and took the offered hand, allowing TJ to pull him to his feet. TJ leaned over to turn the music up a few notches before pulling Cyrus into a slow dance.
It was a bit of a cliché, Cyrus supposed. Slow dancing in the kitchen at night. But as he swayed back and forth, he found that he quite enjoyed it. After such a long, stressful day, he finally got a chance to relax. And on top of that, he and TJ were able to celebrate their anniversary after all.
Middle school seemed like such a long time ago, but in the grand scheme of things, it really wasn’t that long, he supposed. But so much had happened with them since then, both individually and as a couple. They had their share of roadblocks and struggles and difficulties, but in the end, they had made it through together, and now they were celebrating ten years together. Cyrus gently pressed the side of his head against TJ’s and heard his boyfriend sigh contentedly. As the music washed over them, Cyrus suddenly realized what song was playing. It was a slow song that had been popular when they were freshmen in high school; in fact, it had been the first song they ever slow danced to, in the high school gym at their first homecoming.
He smiled, feeling more at peace than he had in months. Despite all the difficulties at his job and just general life stuff of figuring out how to be an adult, he still had TJ, and if they had moment like these, then it was all worth it in the end.
“I can’t believe it’s been ten years,” TJ said softly, and Cyrus murmured in agreement. TJ pulled away slightly so he could look at Cyrus as they swayed back and forth.
“I’m really glad Buffy introduced us that day,” he said seriously. Cyrus grinned, however, and said,
“You should tell her that.”
TJ rolled his eyes. “And have her lord it over me for eternity? No thanks.”
Cyrus laughed and kissed the tip of TJ’s nose. “I’m glad she did too. Even though you were a little scary at first.”
TJ sighed heavily as Cyrus laughed again. “I could’ve screwed things up. I almost did, so many times.”
“No, you didn’t,” Cyrus said gently. “And we figured things out every time, didn’t we?”
“Yeah,” TJ agreed. “I’m so glad we did.”
“Me too,” Cyrus agreed, snuggling back up to his boyfriend. They danced in silence for a few more minutes, before TJ spoke up again.
“I’m so glad I met you,” he whispered, his voice heavy with emotion. Cyrus looked at him, a little surprised. While TJ was definitely affectionate, he still wasn’t one to really openly express his feelings without prompting. But he was now.
“I’m glad too,” Cyrus said, pressing his forehead briefly against TJ’s.
“You made me a better person,” TJ said.
“You always were a good person,” Cyrus insisted. “You just had to show the rest of the world that.”
TJ gave him a crooked smile. “Thanks to you.”
“Well, you’ve helped me become a better person too,” Cyrus told him. TJ’s brow wrinkled slightly.
“I have?” he asked.
“You push me out of my comfort zone,” Cyrus said. “You encourage me to take chances and to stand up for myself. I’m not always great at that.”
TJ smiled fondly at him. “We really work well together, don’t we?”
“I like to think so,” Cyrus said, smiling.
“I want to spend the rest of my life with you,” TJ told him, pausing in the swaying.
“Really?” Cyrus asked. They had always talked about the future in vague terms with the idea that they would be together, but that was the first time TJ had ever said anything like that.
“Yes,” TJ insisted, bringing his hand from Cyrus’ waist to clasp Cyrus’ empty hand.
“I do too,” Cyrus said earnestly. After all this time, it was impossible to imagine his life without TJ.
TJ gave him another smile, and this time Cyrus could tell that he was nervous, which was surprising. Before he could think too deeply about it, TJ was pulling away from him slightly. One hand let go of Cyrus and dug into his pocket. At the same time, TJ knelt down right in front of Cyrus. Before he even got the ring box out, Cyrus could feel tears starting to well up.
“I love you so much,” TJ said, grasping one of Cyrus’ hands. “I’ve loved you ever since we first talked on the swings that day in seventh grade, and I’ve spent the last ten years loving you every day. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, through all the good times and bad times. Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” Cyrus managed to choke out. “Of course, I will.”
TJ stood up quickly and Cyrus threw his arms around the other man’s neck. They stood there for a moment, in a tight embrace, a soft song playing in the background. Cyrus pulled back slightly so he could kiss TJ. When they broke apart, out of breath, they rested their foreheads together.
“We’re getting married,” Cyrus murmured, hardly able to believe it.
“Yeah,” TJ replied, also sounding a little awestruck. Cyrus pulled away more and glanced down at the ring box in TJ’s hand. Throughout the whole proposal, he had never actually opened the box, and Cyrus was now realizing that there was a ring in there for him.
“Can I see it?” he asked, and TJ looked confused for a moment before realizing what Cyrus meant.
“Oh, yeah!” he said, popping the box open. Inside was a slim, silver band.
“Guy rings are pretty boring,” TJ said, somewhat apologetically. “There really wasn’t much variety.”
“That’s fine,” Cyrus said, picking the ring up. He looked at TJ. “I don’t care what it looks like; all I care about is who it came from.”
He slipped the ring on his finger and found that it fit perfectly. He glanced back up at TJ and found to his surprise that his boyfriend – fiancé – looked almost as though he was about to cry. TJ very rarely cried, so it was quite unusual. Cyrus leaned in and kissed him gently, and when they broke apart, TJ buried his head in Cyrus’ shoulder.
They stood there in that embrace for a few moments, and when they pulled apart, TJ’s eyes were red.
“This is really happening?” he asked hoarsely.
“Yes,” Cyrus replied.
---
The next morning, Cyrus woke up first. As he slowly drifted into consciousness, he had the sensation of being very happy and content. For a moment, he couldn’t remember why he felt like that. Then, as his eyes fluttered open and focused, his attention narrowed to his own hand, casually resting on TJ’s chest. His gaze caught a glimpse of the slender silver band on his finger, and the events of the night before came flooding back to him.
He and TJ were getting married. TJ had proposed to him and they were going to get married. The happiness flooded through him and he felt a lazy grin spreading across his face. He glanced up at TJ, still sleeping contentedly. They were really going to spend the rest of their lives together, and he couldn’t wait. There was no doubt in his mind that TJ was the person he was meant to be with, and he was thrilled that they were going to make it official.