Work Text:
Fernando Alonso at the age of 25 is currently working at Aston Martin as a data analyst. It wasn’t easy to get the job. There were many other candidates with similar experience and qualifications but Fernando was able to stand out amongst them. He later worked hard to make a small name for himself in the company. Did everyone know him? No. Was he respected by most? Yes. Fernando was able to stay in people's minds for his sharp mind, great skills, and snarky remarks but those remarks were only reserved for when people were being dumbasses. Which thankfully there wasn’t a lot in the company, Fernando would’ve gone insane at this point if there was.
The quiet hum of the office was familiar to Fernando with the click and clacks of keyboards, the low murmur of conversations, paper being shuffled, and the occasional laughs. All background noise to him. He was deep in a report when the voice of his boss, Lawrence Stroll, cut through the noise. Usually, when he heard his boss’s voice, it was stern and firm, but this time it was soft and calm.
“And this, Lance” Lawrence announced to the small figure by his side, “is where we handle all the data analysis for the company.”
Fernando glanced and was taken aback by seeing an 8-year-old boy peeking around Lawrence’s leg. The child had dark brown hair, wide, curious eyes, and a smile that made his buck teeth endearing. Fernando vaguely remembered Lawrence mentioning during a team meeting that he was bringing his son to the office to show him around. Lawrence hoped the tour would spark an interest in Lance for business. Fernando didn’t think Lance would be interested since the kid is 8 and most jobs in the office aren’t as cool as a firefighter, astronaut, or vet but if Lawrence wants to try then I guess go for it. Fernando's lips twitched into a small smile as he noticed how Lance seemed only half-interested, staring at the rows of computers with a zoned-out look. He could see the small boy was growing bored.
“Hola, I am Fernando,” his Spanish accent broke the boy’s trance. “Do you want to know what I do?” His tone was light and playful, a way to catch the boy's attention.
Lance’s face lit up, and he nodded shyly. He got closer to Fernando’s desk as Fernando leaned back in his chair and explained, using simple terms and moving his hands around and making gestures turning the boring task of data analysis into a fun adventure. Lance giggled at the jokes and gestures, a sound so pure it made Fernando happy to see the boy now look interested. Lawrence smiled, nodding approvingly to Fernando’s explanation and how he could catch Lance’s attention.
The next time Lawrence brought Lance to visit, Fernando was buried in data sheets as usual when he felt eyes on him. Most people keep to themselves around the office, if they need to ask something they’ll come up to you and ask. So this feeling of being stared at was new to him. Glancing up from the sheets, he saw Lance peeking from behind Lawrence’s legs as Lawrence talked to one of the other data analysts nearby. When Fernando met the boy’s gaze, he made a silly face which made Lance giggle and hide, only to peek again a moment later with rosy cheeks. Fernando chuckled softly, his eyes twinkling with amusement, he made a couple more faces at the kid. After entertaining the kid for a bit he returned to his work.
But what both didn't see, was that Lawrence caught the exchange and shook his head fondly. He felt Lance shift around his leg so he looked down and saw Lance staring at something. He followed his gaze and noticed he was looking at Fernando. He saw how Lance giggled and smiled while Fernando made silly faces. It was sweet and innocent. Lawrence finished talking to the data analyst and led Lance back to his office. Lawrence was curious about Lance's fascination with Fernando so he asked Lance what he thought of Fernando. Since he noticed that every time Lawrence brought him to the office, Lance kept looking at the man.
The little Canadian’s rosy cheeks turned even brighter as he whispered, “I think he’s really nice, funny… and good-looking.” he looked away after that admission.
Lawrence’s deep laughter echoed in the hallway. Lawrence suspected that Lance didn't exactly admire Fernando like how he admired his favorite athletes, he saw that Lance's feelings were different. Usually, when Lawrence asks Lance about his favorite athletes, he doesn’t become shy and he doesn’t call them good-looking. He would happily talk about how cool they are and go on small rants about their cool tricks. So with Lance’s shy answer, Lawrence knew his son had developed a crush on the man. He knew this day would come when his son would develop intimate feelings for others around him. Lawrence chuckled knowing that Lance developed a crush on one of his most promising employees. Fernando wasn’t an unknown name to Lawrence. Lawrence had seen the work that Fernando had done and could see the determination in Fernando's eyes when they were in meetings or when Fernando was in front of the table leading a presentation. It reminded Lawrence of himself in a way, the determination and skill. He can see how Fernando will become a staple in the company in the future. It is not a matter of if but a matter of when. Lance always knew how to pick the best things and crushes weren’t an exception.
Over the next few months, Lance would tag along with his father to the office whenever he could. Sometimes he would ask his dad if he could go to the office with him, but his dad usually asked if Lance wanted to tag along. For a while, Lawerence tried to get his daughter to join them but she always declined. Lance, always eager for a glimpse of Fernando agreed every single time, he already had his book bag ready near the door. Even though Lance goes to see Fernando, they barely speak, Lance’s admiration is evident in the way he watches Fernando with curious wide eyes. Sometimes when Lance has developed enough courage, he would walk up to Fernando's desk and talk about what he did the day before back home, his favorite athletes, and things he learned. He’ll ask Fernando about his life, curious about Fernando's own life. Lance learned that Fernando liked soccer (which he called futbol), cars, plants, and cycling. Most people at this point would get annoyed and roll their eyes each time a kid came up to their desk and started rambling about random things but Fernando didn’t mind Lance’s constant presence. Lance was entertaining and was nice to be around.
It was one of the days when Lance couldn’t tag along with his dad to work. It sucked since he couldn’t see Fernando but he got over it because he spent time with his mom and sister. He would play games with his sister or hear stories from his mom. Currently, they are all on the couch waiting for Lawrence to come back for dinner. They decided to watch a movie to pass the time since Lance and his sister already played enough games for the day. Lance and Chloe were curled up against their mother as they watched a romance movie. Chloe saw the cover, read the description, and liked it. His mom also liked the idea of a romance movie. Personally, Lance wanted to watch an action movie but he was outnumbered. Even though it was not the movie he would've wanted, he could admit it was a nice movie, the plot was interesting and it wasn’t cringy like other romance movies his mom would typically watch. The movie was about some friends falling in love while building their business together and ending with them getting married.
“Mom?” Lance looked up at his mother.
“Yes, Lance?”
“Why do people get married?” Lance was always curious about the idea since he knew his parents were married but he didn't understand why. This movie and for some reason Fernando made him think about the concept again. His mother chuckled and played with the fluffy hair of her son.
“There are many reasons people get married but the main reason why most people get married is because they love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together making each other happy.” Lance nodded as he processed what his mother said. As they all help clean up the living room, Lawrence comes back home, in his hand he has his suitcase but with the other, he brought back a nice bouquet that Lance knew was his mom’s favorite. As Lawrence handed the bouquet to his wife, Lance could see the way they looked at each other and how they did small things to make each other happy. He thought about Fernando, and how Fernando made him happy. It wasn’t the same way that his dad made his mom happy. Fernando wasn’t giving Lance flowers and expensive jewelry but he did listen and joke around with Lance which made him happy. Lance liked the idea of making Fernando happy and how he would like to try to make Fernando happy for the rest of his life. While his parents were flirting with each other, he went to his room. Lance looked through his candy stash and found two candy rings. He packed them in his backpack and was hopeful that his dad would bring him back to the office soon. He wanted to have a happy ending just like in the movie with Fernando. Maybe without the kiss because that's kinda yucky in Lance's opinion.
It was a long day at the office. The day felt slow and was a bore. Even though Lance was at the office, Lance didn’t go visit Fernando like he usually did. For a day like this, Fernando would have liked for the kid to come around to entertain him. Fernando was fixing up his desk and packing his bag to head home when he saw Lance approach, holding two candy rings, looking nervous but determined. Lance’s cheeks were flushed as he took a deep breath.
“Hi Fernando, I watched a romance movie recently with my mom and sister while waiting for my dad,” he began in a tiny voice, “it was about two people who fell in love and got married. My mom told me that people get married because they are in love and want to make each other happy for the rest of their lives. I want to make you happy because you make me happy ” He held out one of the candy rings with hopeful eyes and a wide smile. “Will you marry me, Fernando?”
Fernando’s heart clenched at the sheer innocence of it. Fernando wasn’t sure how serious Lance was with this. It could be a one-day type of thing where Lance forgets about it the next time he comes around or a recurring thing where Lance calls Fernando his husband. It was better to let the kid down to avoid any future problems. He sighed and knelt down to meet Lance’s eyes, smiling softly. “That’s very sweet, Lancito, but I—”
Lance had heard this line before, usually when his parents were going to let him down easily after he asked for something from them. “That's nice sweetheart but we can’t let the raccoon in” or “That looks good kid but you can’t add your toy car to the family portrait.” The nice compliment with the added “but” was a way his parents let him down gently without saying plain out no. Either way, it made Lance sad each time he couldn’t get what he wanted. Fernando is going to reject his proposal and Fernando doesn’t have to finish his sentence for Lance to know that.
Before Fernando could finish, he could see how Lance’s eyes filled with tears, and his lower lip trembled. Lance's tears slid down his face as he stood there before he burst into sobs and ran to his father’s office. Fernando winced. He didn’t mean to make the kid cry. He looked around the office and noticed how his co-workers winced as well and looked away. Fernando just made his boss’s son cry. Everyone knows that is a big no-no, it was like an unwritten rule somewhere. Always make your boss’s kid happy and DO NOT make them cry. If you break the rule, you will most likely get fired. Fernando started to think about his position in the company. It's not like he is the only data analyst in the company so anyone else can fill his role. He has seen Lawrence fire people on a whim, most of the time for good reason. To Lawrence, making his sweet son cry is a valid reason to fire someone. Yeah, Fernando could kiss his job goodbye. He might as well start to pack up his things.
“Joder”
Lawrence was looking over some plans and projects when his son ran into his office, crying. Lawrence was alarmed and he quickly dropped the papers on his desk as he stood up to get a closer look at his son. The boy hugged his dad and cried into his suit not caring if he was getting snot or tears on it, his dad could always get it cleaned or buy a new one. Lance was trying to talk but it all ended up as babble. Lawrence ran a hand up and down Lance’s back to soothe him like the many times before when Lance was upset. He hoped that Lance could calm down and tell him what was wrong. Each second he grew more worried but he couldn't force his son to speak when he wasn’t ready. Besides, it will still come out as babble. A bit more back rubs and a couple of tears later, Lance finally calmed down enough to look up at his dad. Lawrence knelt to meet his son's eyes.
“What happened Lance? Did something happen? Did someone hurt you? Did you break something? I promise I won’t get mad” Lawrence placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder in reassurance, a sign of trust. Lance sniffled and shook his head.
“He doesn’t want to marry me, Dad.” The boy’s voice came out weak and some tears slid down his cheek as he said that. That is not what Lawrence has expected. He expected Lance to break a vase or mess up someone's work by accident. He was confused about what his son was saying exactly. He looked at his son’s hand as they moved something in between them, and that’s when he noticed two candy rings. The pieces were coming together but the picture was still not clear in his mind.
“Who doesn’t want to marry you?” Lawrence said slowly hoping he said the right thing and wouldn’t send Lance sobbing again.
“Fernando” Lance squeaked out.
“Ah, okay.” The picture was clear now. Lawrence guessed that Lance proposed to Fernando and Fernando said no. “I’ll see what I can do.” Lance has seen how ruthless his dad could be when someone had offended him or his family. So Lance held onto his dad a bit more before his dad could go.
“Please don't be mean to Fernando! Even if he made me sad, he is still a good guy, Dad! Please be nice! Please!” Lance begged and gave his dad a pleading look. Fernando was still dear to him and he didn’t want him to suffer.
“Of course, kid. I’ll be nice. Don’t worry.” Lawrence guessed that Lance thought that he was going to fire Fernando and that was not the case. Fernando was a valuable employee. He initially thought of making Fernando do some intern work as a punishment since it was repetitive and grueling. But later he had a better idea. A better way to make his son happy and maybe push Fernando to something that will help make him stand out even more.
A few minutes later, Lawrence walked up to Fernando, a calm look on his face. This scared Fernando even more, he would've expected a stern or angry face. So seeing a calm one was nerve-wracking and suspicious. This is it, Fernando is going to get fired and he will need to find a new job. He loved his job and he saw in himself the potential of climbing the corporate ladder and dominating it. But sadly, he won't ever know how high he would've been able to make it. He will be back at square one after this conversation.
“Mr.Alonso, I am sorry about my son's behavior.”
“It is fine Mr, Stroll. I should've been nicer to the kid. Should I leave?” Even though Fernando tried to portray that he was calm, a bit of nervousness slipped into his voice. Lawrence waved him off.
“Nonsense, I am not firing you. Besides, Lance would kill me if I did. Even if you did make him cry, he does like you very much. As well I, but not for the same reasons. But I was wondering if… you could play along? Just say yes, for now. It would mean a lot to him.” Fernando finally was able to breathe. Thankfully he didn’t mess up too hard to get fired. Before Fernando could say yes, Lawrence continued. “I am a fair man, in exchange for you saying yes, I’ll offer you the spot for the AM33 project.”
He was going to say yes but the offer definitely made it easier. The project was created not so long ago, it was a big project that was going to be worked on by some of the higher-ups. Right now they were looking for a data analyst for the project. Fernando knew he was one of the contenders for this position with 3 other of his co-workers. Fernando was hoping to be chosen because he would show his talents and make powerful connections. Later it would be easier to be considered for promotions and other amazing projects. So what if he got the project because the boss's son wanted to marry him? The other employees should've been more charming and suave like Fernando. He would be an idiot to skip out on. Fernando looked back at Lawrence and nodded.
“I can do that. I’ll accept his proposal.” Lawrence smiled and he left to fetch Lance. Lawrence chuckled since he was already going to offer Fernando the position later this week.
Lawrence walked into his office and found his son sitting in his chair, pouting as he played with the candy rings in his hand. He looked up to see his dad.
“I have talked with Fernando and he realized he was wrong. He has agreed to marry you.” Lawrence saw how his son's eyes had lit up and how he started to wipe his tears away.
“Really?” Lawrence nodded. Lance got off his father's chair and ran up to him. Lawrence offered his hand and Lance took it. They walked back to Fernando’s desk. Lance's eyes were still red and puffy from crying a bit ago, but he had one of the biggest smiles on his face. Those same red and puffy eyes brightened when he saw Fernando smile at him.
“I was wrong, Lancito. I was being silly, a tonto. I would love to marry you.” He smiled at Lance and held out his hand. Lance beamed, slipping the candy ring onto Fernando’s finger. He gave Fernando the other one so he could do the same to him. The candy ring was a bit big on Lance’s finger but he didn't care. Lance smiled and wrapped his small arms around Fernando.
“We’re married now!” he declared with all the confidence of a child. “And I promise to make you happy!” Fernando chuckled and hugged him back. Well, Lance unintentionally made Fernando happy, because of him, Fernando got the project he desperately wanted. But even without the project, the happiness of the kid filled his heart with warmth. Lawrence looked at them both, he smiled at such a sweet encounter.
Lance visited the office a couple more times after that, but he later joined a hockey camp and his dad was becoming too busy to bring Lance to the office. So Lance didn’t see Fernando again.
Seventeen years passed, and Fernando hadn’t thought of Lancito or their “marriage” in years. At that point, he completely forgot about it. It was a funny and silly moment in his life but he focused on other things. The AM33 project Lawrence had given him had launched him on a path of career success, leading to a high-ranking position. His small name had grown into a big staple name of the company, and he is proud of it every day. He was in the middle of a report when a knock on his office door interrupted him.
A young man with dark brown hair and deep eyes entered, carrying an air of confidence that most people his age don’t necessarily have in the office. There was something familiar about the man but Fernando wasn’t able to figure out why. “Hi, I’m here to pick up some files for the new AMV-18 project for Mr.Stroll,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips.
“Eh? Who are you? I haven’t seen you around. Usually, Mr. Stroll's assistant comes to pick up files.” Fernando looked at the man before him. He wasn’t going to hand over important files to a stranger, who knows, they could've broken in and wanted to steal company secrets! Very unlikely since the security is very top notch but you never know.
“I’m sorry, I should’ve introduced myself, I’m Lance Stroll, Mr. Stroll's son.” The name rang a bell in his head and made the gears in his head turn when the memories from 17 years ago came back to him. Fernando remembered the once doe-eyed, bucked tooth kid who was always so eager to talk to Fernando.
“Lancito?” Fernando said as he couldn’t believe what was happening.
Lance’s smile grew. “Wow, I haven't heard that name in ages. I think you were the only one who called me that. But yeah, the one and only.” The playful glint in his eyes reminded Fernando of the little boy who’d once given him a candy ring and would talk about his interest.
“Well, I never thought that my husband would come back,” Fernando teased.
Lance flushed, chuckling. “You remember that?”
Fernando nodded. Fernando noticed that Lance had grown into a striking young man, and he found himself noticing every detail. Lance still had the sort of doe eye he had when he was a child but his soft face now has sharpened and become defined. His hair still looked soft and fluffy, his old haircut was changed for a more modern haircut. Fernando could see that Lance was now strong, tall, and lean. It was no surprise he grew up to be tall, have you seen Lawrence Stroll? Overall Lance had grown up to be a handsome man that Fernando wouldn’t mind taking out. Espera, Fernando, calmate.
On the other hand, Lance saw that Fernando had barely changed. He looked like a more refined and older version of the Fernando that Lance saw when he was younger. Lance would've thought he would've had less hair due to the stress of the job but his hair was still luscious but now with the occasional gray hair peeking out. If Fernando from before was good-looking, the Fernando now is handsome. Fernando has aged like fine wine. Lance was always into older men and Fernando was no exception. Wait, Lance, stop.
Fernando focused back on why Lance was here, he looked through a file cabinet and grabbed the files that Mr. Stroll needed. He handed them over to Lance. Lance got close and reached for the folder. Their fingers brushed against each other, and both felt a spark. They ignored it.
“You are here to follow your dad again like before? Yes?” Fernando teased Lance again. Lance nodded his head and smiled.
“Yeah, but this time I won't be asking any of his employees to marry me.” He chuckled and for some odd reason even if it was a joke, Fernando was glad to hear that. That Lance wasn’t planning on cozying up to one of his co-workers. The thought of Lance with another person made Fernando feel odd. But he will need to unpack what that means later. “I was working in another company after I graduated but my dad thought I would learn more if I worked with him. That working here will help me develop a better experience and he can pass down some of his knowledge.”
“Oh, so I'll see you around then?” There was a hint of hopefulness in Fernando’s voice that Lance didn’t pick up.
“Yeah, I might also help and work on projects with you. But I think that'll be later since I still need to pick up on some of the skills here. So don't get your hopes too high.” Lance smiled and Fernando liked his smile.
“Well if you need some help or some tips I am always happy to help” Fernando offered hoping that Lance would take him up on the offer soon. Lance nodded.
It wasn’t immediate but a couple months later they started working together on projects, sharing ideas and late nights at the office. With each moment, their bond deepened, and the admiration Lance once held for Fernando transformed into something more mature. One particular late night as they were packing up to go home, Lance decided to go for it. He decided to just ask Fernando out. If it didn’t work then he could head home and order his favorite comfort food while he ran to his best friend about how much of a disaster he was. He could sulk in embarrassment, maybe call in sick the next day. Well probably not since that might make Fernando feel bad since Fernando would know Lance isn’t actually sick and stayed home due to his rejection. Anyway, this potentially sad story to the side, Lance is going for it. He clears his throat.
“Hey Fernando, I wanted to ask you something” There was a slight tremble in his voice but thankfully Fernando didn’t pick it up or decided not to bring it up/
“If it’s about the project, please ask me tomorrow. I am tired.” Lance chuckles and shakes his head.
“No, it's not about the project. I don't want to think about it either.” Lance fiddled with his hands, trying to calm himself. He was close to running out of the building as if it were on fire. Even though he hadn’t even gotten to the hard part the nerves were quickly building up and he felt like if he dragged too long he might actually run out.
“Okay, then what is it?” Lance took a deep breath before he continued. This is it, it is either now or never. Well, not really because he could always ask another time, but that's not the point now! He can’t back down now, he is so close!
“Eh, uh, I was wondering….If…. you’d like to go out with me? Like, have dinner with me?” The last part came more of a question than a statement due to his uncertainty. He can see how Fernando freezes. How he stopped halfway when he was putting his laptop in his bag. He could see how Fernando’s eyes widened in shock.
Fernando did not expect that. He expected a favor or anything else but that. That was something he daydreamed about. Fernando is slow to answer because he does want to go out with Lance but he is still his boss's son and co-worker. He has dated a co-worker in the past and it didn’t end well. Nothing bad in the sense that they hated each other after but it did make things awkward and uncomfortable when they worked together. Thankfully they were able to overcome it and get back to a good work relationship. The newly added layer of Lance being his boss’s son made things even more complicated and risky. If Fernando and Lance go for a relationship but later the relationship doesn’t work out, which Fernando hoped wouldn’t happen, how could he face Lance at the office? How could he face Lance’s protective father? He knew Lawrence was protective of his son and wanted to keep his son happy. A clear example was that proposal incident from 17 years ago. But this time it wasn’t a silly proposal from a kid 17 years ago that would be forgotten in less than a couple of months, this would be a real relationship with serious feelings and outcomes that could impact their overall future. There were a lot of aspects Fernando had to think about before jumping to an answer.
When Lance saw that hesitance, it brought him back to when he had those two candy rings in his hands. Back then he didn’t know that Fernando only reconsidered the proposal to keep his job and please his father. So later when Lance found out about the truth, he felt a bit bad that he put Fernando in that situation. He realizes that Fernando is weighing his options at the moment. If Fernando says no, then Lance would probably cry to his dad and later his dad would bribe Fernando to accept Lance’s offer. If Fernando says yes then he skips all the steps of getting Lance’s dad involved. Either way, the answer would be forced in Lance’s favor, which isn’t ideal for Lance because he wants Fernando to do it because he likes Lance not because he was forced to.
So Lance quickly scrambles to take back what he said, thinking maybe he can close Pandora's box. That somehow Fernando can forget this conversation even happened. “You know what? Forget about what I said. I’m sorry for putting you in such an awkward position. I’ll see you around” Lance's eyes started to water as he was about to leave. Lance was already planning on buying his favorite comfort food and calling up his best friend to rant about how fucked up his love life was and how he was so stupid in believing that maybe he could’ve had something with his hot older Spanish co-worker.
“Lancito, espera,” the Spanish accent that got him in a daze, stopped him in his tracks. He looked at Fernando and saw him looking straight at him “I would like to go out with you, and before you say it’s forced, it's not. I have wanted to say something before but I wasn’t sure if you felt the same. You are younger and if you didn't feel the same, it would be weird for an older guy to hit on you. You’re also my co-worker and boss’s son, I’m worried that it might make things complicated.” All the things that Fernando said made sense to Lance. So Lance isn’t going to hold it against him when they look back and ask each other why didn’t Fernando make the first move.
“Well, about my dad, we can keep it between us for now until we figure it out. I don’t want him to be in my business since this will be new. And about the co-worker thing, we can set some rules on how we can keep our relationship separate from our work life or even talk to a professional about it. I’ll do anything to work this out. I really want to go out with you. So what do you say? Want to get dinner with me Friday night?”
“I would like that very much, Lancito.” Fernando held Lance’s hand and brought it up to his mouth so he could leave a sweet kiss. It wasn’t just a kiss but it was a promise.
There wasn’t a big shift in their relationship after they started dating. They acted the same in the office but after hours was a different story. They started sharing their dreams, aspirations, and fears. They were there to celebrate each other's wins and there to comfort each other during losses. They would go on dates. Going out to eat, staying in to eat, watching movies, going on walks in the park, dates of shared interest. Sometimes the dates didn’t go as planned but it didn't matter because they had each other. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows though. They did have their issues and problems that could have broken the relationship. Thankfully they had friends and loved ones that encouraged them to work things out. Lance and Fernando took time to hear each other out and figure out how to fix things. Overall they were a healthy couple. So it wasn't surprising when three years into their relationship, under the soft glow of lights strung across their patio, it was Fernando's turn to go for it. These past three years have been amazing for both of them. Fernando couldn’t imagine a world where he woke up and didn’t have Lance cuddled up against him. A world where they didn’t share a nice cup of coffee or tea in the morning. A world where Lance wasn’t smiling at him. A world where Lance isn’t laughing at his corny jokes. Fernando needed Lance to be by his side forever and the word boyfriends wasn’t enough anymore. While Lance was chatting about how he grabbed the wrong bread and had to go back for the right one after realizing, Fernando was playing with a velvet box in his pocket. Fernando saw the sun was setting and knew it was time. He took a deep breath and got down on one knee. He took out the box and opened it. The words in Lance’s mouth died when he realized what was happening. He can tell Fernando more about the bread story another time.
“Lance, cariño, mi amor, mi vida. I remember the day that you came back into my life. You looked amazing. When you smiled and talked with me, there was this strange feeling in my chest. I didn’t know it was at the time but slowly I learned that I was developing feelings for you. Every time you walked around the office I couldn't look away. I remember that day when you asked me out because I was a coward. I was afraid if I asked you out you wouldn't have accepted. I couldn’t accept that rejection so that's why I never asked you out. I am so thankful that you had more courage than me. But this time I am not a coward because I have courage. In my life, I always want more. I don’t think that’s a bad thing because that made me ambitious and fight for what I want. I want more with you. I want us to be more than boyfriends. I don't want to let this moment slip from me, I would regret letting this slip away. I’m sorry I couldn’t get candy rings but I hope this is a second good option. Mi alma, will you marry me—this time, for real?” Lance laughed at the last comment, but his eyes glistened with the combination of tears of joy and fondness.
“Yes! I will marry you again, now officially and not in some office cubicle,” he teased, as Fernando slipped the definitely real, half-a-million-dollar, ring onto his finger. Fernando got up and pulled him close, a content smile on his face as he kissed him. Such a sweet yet possessive kiss one that conveyed some of the things that Fernando had problems translating to English. One that says “I am going to hold you so close to me so that no one can take you away from me. Close because I crave being by your side. My hold won't be harsh or restricting but soft and gentle because you should be loved that way. I promise to love you that way.”
They were excited for the big day, they took their time planning everything out together. When Lance told his father that Fernando proposed. Lawrence couldn’t believe it but when Lance flashed the ring, there was no denying they were engaged. Lawrence hugged his son and later his soon-to-be son-in-law. Lawrence insisted on paying for the wedding so Lance could get whatever he wanted for the wedding. He did it when his daughter, Chloe, got married so it wasn’t any different from when his son got married. He saw how much they loved and cared for each other. Did it bother Lawrence the age gap? A bit since Fernando is older than Lance by 17 years, but Lawrence has an age gap with his wife so he can’t really criticize them. Lawrence saw their love and dedication for each other and that is what matters in a marriage. He knew Fernando well with how much he worked with him, he knew Fernando was going to take good care of his son.
Even though they had been engaged for a year, time flew by quickly. It was finally the wedding day. When Lawrence held Lance’s hand as he walked him down the aisle. It brought him back that day when after convincing Fernando to accept Lance’s proposal, he held the 8-year-old's hand as he walked him to Fernando's desk. Now instead of a small 8-year-old, it was a grown 29-year-old, and instead of a desk, it was the alter. But with those differences aside, it was still the same man, maybe not exactly the same 25-year-old from before but still the one that Lance was enchanted by.
At the reception, everyone was telling their stories about times when they saw how Lance gushed about Fernando or how Fernando fondly talked about Lance. Nice and embarrassing anecdotes about the grooms' love for each other. Lawrence was the last one to tell his story. Lawrence held onto the microphone, eyes crinkling with amusement. “I think I have a story that can beat all of those. Most of these stories go back 3 to 4 years, mine goes 20 years back.” Lance groaned knowing exactly where his dad was going with the story.
“I brought a little Lance into the office hoping that being there would make him get interested in the business. I was wrong, the kid was bored out of his mind. But thankfully Fernando was there and made it fun for Lance. He had a way of explaining it and making it sound fun. Fernando has to be some sort of magician to make data analysis fun for a kid. Later on, I kept bringing Lance into the office and I noticed how Lance always looked for Fernando. I could see how much Lance admired and liked Fernando. I even asked him what he thought of him and his words were around the lines of ‘I think he’s really nice and good-looking.’ At that point, I knew my son had a crush on the man.” Lance squeezed his husband’s hand as he had to hear his dad tell everyone that he had a crush on his husband when he was little.
“I remember working in my office one day when a doe-eyed Lance ran into my office and was crying his little heart out because Fernando wouldn’t marry him. In his hand, I saw two candy rings that he probably grabbed from his candy stash. It crushed me to see my boy so sad. So naturally, I had to go and work something out so Fernando would accept the proposal. I later found out that Fernando didn’t really need a lot of convincing since he thought he was going to get fired if he didn’t accept the second time around.” Fernando and some of the other guessed laughed,
“So coming back to now, there was no fear of getting fired, there was nothing I had to work out. They found each other again and fell in love. They decided to take the next step in their relationship and get married because they love each other and can’t imagine a world without the other by their side. They invited their loved ones and declared in front of them and the world that they wanted to be together for the rest of their lives and make each other happy. And that’s sweeter than those two candy rings from back then. Cheers to them!” Lawrence raised his glass as everyone cheered. Fernando laughed and kissed his blushing groom on the cheek. Lance was a bit embarrassed about the story but always loved hearing how his dad talked fondly about it. They were happy with how life worked out and they can’t wait to keep on building it.