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It's something of a dizzying miracle how fast children grow. Already young Sam is toddling about, with all the reckless abandon of a new toddler. He's expanding his world beyond the nursery, and though it makes Vimes nervous to expose his son to the big, wide, all too real world, he knows that it has to happen eventually.
The real world starts close to home, though. There's a blanket spread on the grass in the back garden, and while Sam doesn't seem too eager to test its boundaries, Vimes keeps a close eye on him all the same. Sybil says it's good for him to get out in the fresh air and sunshine, though the air in Ankh-Morpork is hardly fresh. On this particular day off, though, it's about as close to it as it gets, at least upwind of the dragon pens. A few of them wander the yard, steering well clear of inquiring little hands.
For now, Sam isn't interested in pulling on tails or horns. His singular focus is on ripping up chunks of grass, teetering over the blanket with a fistful, and depositing it in the waiting hands of his father or godfather.
"Thank you," Vetinari says, not for the first time, as he's proudly presented with another handful. Sam turns about, wobbling slightly, and Vetinari quietly deposits the grass next to the blanket, dusting off his hands. If Sam has even noticed that the grass is gone when he returns, he simply doesn't care.
When Vetinari turns his smiling eyes to Vimes, something catches in his chest. A feeling that's been there before, slowly growing in strength. A feeling that's been harder to ignore since the last time Vimes nearly died. A feeling that he's been turning over in his head for weeks now, trying to shape it into words. It's shaped something like I want to spend my life with you.
Vimes feels as though he might burst from it now. He has to just say something, to get it out in the open already.
"I know you're already his godfather," Vimes starts, and Vetinari looks at him curiously. "But would you like to be." A pause. "Just a father, as well?"
Vetinari's expression doesn't change, but Vimes starts hastily backpedaling anyway. "Of course, you don't have to, I'm happy with the way things are, you know that..."
"Sam seems perfectly content calling me uncle," Vetinari says in a patient tone. "I see no reason why that should change."
"No, it's not that. Or, it's not really that. That is, it could change, if that felt better, after..." Vimes gestures, and Vetinari's eyes follow his hands, but he doesn't respond. "This isn't really about Sam, it's about us."
"Us?" Vetinari's eyebrows raise a fraction of an inch.
"Yeah, us." This isn't going how Vimes had planned it. Rather, he hadn't planned it, and it wasn't going well. "I've spoken to Sybil about it and of course, she's thrilled by the idea, can hardly wait for it, but I told her I wasn't sure how you'd feel since... Well..."
Vetinari's expression remains unchanged, evidently waiting for Vimes to continue. So he continues. "I told her you might not be interested, or if you were then it would have to be something small, discreet. To be perfectly honest, that sounds better to me than what Sybil and I had, though, ha, I wouldn't want a repeat of that in any way."
"Something small?" Vetinari asks.
"Yeah, you know, it wouldn't need to be anything fancy, just--" Vimes stops, staring at Vetinari, who is still looking at him blankly, and actually takes a moment to process his demeanor.
He has no idea what Vimes is talking about.
Vimes sighs, and rises enough to scoot closer to Vetinari on the blanket. Vetinari and Sam, coming back with another handful of grass, look at him as he takes Vetinari's hand.
"I'm trying to ask if you'll marry me, Vetinari."
Silence. Vetinari stares at him, then at their hands, then back at his face. Vimes tries to remember how to breathe. He won't rush him though, especially not on this.
After a long, long while, Vetinari finally says, "How long do you think it would take the Lawyers Guild to notice minor alterations to the domestic code?"
Vimes exhales, and laughs in the way one does when some weeks of stress are finally lifted, and Sam laughs because Vimes is laughing, and Vetinari smiles that small, private smile that's reserved for moments exactly like these, and Vimes kisses him.
When they part, Vimes grins and says "About forty seconds or four years, depending on what Slant's working on."