Work Text:
Buck was having a great 24 hours. Their last shift had been steady with no major calls or injuries, he had aced making last night's dinner, Christopher willingly joined him and Eddie for movie night, and then he and his boyfriend had some fun in bed before he got a good night's sleep. Then, this morning, they had some more fun in bed before he got up to make a thoroughly enjoyed breakfast.
So it's been great.
Now, he's on cloud nine heading to his sister's for brunch while Eddie heads to an extra shift he picked up to help with Christopher's Christmas present.
Life is good, he decides, humming along to ‘Joy to the World’ and relaxed despite L.A. traffic.
Then, the song ends, and the radio host comes back on, talking about the grand finale of their 12 Days to Christmas Sweepstakes.
“And today is the day, everyone! For those of you who don't know, today is the day that we draw for our grand prize! Everyone who participated and submitted their names in the last 12 days was automatically entered into this drawing so there was no special code given out. And now, we are here with Mr.Ramirez at the downtown location of his remarkable line of jewelers' store, to draw the name that will be winning an engagement ring and all the prizes given out during the event. Mr.Ramirez, if you'd do the honors.”
Buck snorts. Why is an engagement ring the grand prize? What if the person who wins doesn't have someone to give it to? Or what if they already have a ring? Or what if they're already married?
Not that it has anything to do with him. He didn't enter any of the giveaways, so his name wouldn't be in the drawing.
Getting engaged though…
He shakes his head. He'd love to get engaged with Eddie, but, for once in his life, he feels absolutely settled in a relationship. He knows this is it for them. There's no need to rush, no need for more especially knowing that Eddie doesn't have a good history with marriage.
Buck's not going to push. He doesn't have to.
“And the winner of our grand prize drawing is…Eddie Diaz!”
Thankfully, he's at a red light or Buck might have slammed on his breaks hearing that name on the radio.
Eddie?
But wait. There can be so many people named Eddie Diaz in L.A. It's probably not his Eddie.
It's not right?
Right?!?!?!
Or does Eddie want to propose?
Or did he try to get something else and didn't get it but is now saddled with a ring?
Or-
The car behind him honks at him repeatedly, snapping Buck out of his thoughts and reminding him that this is probably not the best time for his thoughts to get away from him.
Later.
He'll think about Eddie proposing later.
=====================================================
Later happens when he's at Maddie’s, both of them letting loose a little since Jee is with the Lees today, a fact that Buck was upset about until he got to his sister's with a visceral need to rant about his latest thoughts surrounding his boyfriend possibly winning an engagement ring.
Possibly.
Because it might not be him.
“But what if it is?!” he asks, hands flailing.
“Would you be upset about it?”
“No! Not the proposal part at least. But what if he feels like he has to propose? What if he does it without meaning it? I don't want him to force himself into marrying me. Or what if he does want to but now I know and will ruin the surprise?”
“Buck,” his ever-patient sister says, dealing with his rant like a pro, the years of practice she has with it coming through and soothing his frazzled nerves just by patiently waiting him out. “What you and Eddie have is nothing like what I know of his relationship with Shannon, and it's not like you're pregnant.”
“But what if he did win the ring and he thinks it's something telling him to propose?”
“Eddie doesn't believe in the universe screaming. You told me this.”
“Yeah, but it's an engagement ring that he'll have. That's not a sign anyone can ignore right? And what is he going to do with an engagement ring otherwise?”
“Okay, let's calm down.”
“But Madds-”
“You don't even know if it's him, Buck. Maybe it's not him and you're freaking yourself out for nothing.”
“I don't know.”
“Let it play out. I'm sure you of all people will know if he won or not and when he is ready to propose. Don't let the what-ifs get to you.”
“Okay,” he relents, sulking. She's right, of course. There's no need to freak out about it when he doesn't even know if Eddie won an engagement ring or not.
He won't freak out over what is potentially nothing.
He won't.
============================
He does.
In his defense, everything has been reminding him of weddings and/or marriages.
There was a call where a soon-to-be bride had taken a nasty fall while trying her nth dress at a boutique. The bakery he drives by all the time had a wedding cake on display. His trip to a thrift store to get some clothes for Christopher’s themed dress-down week had him coming across an unused wedding guest book. The flower shop they drove by on the way to a house fire had some gorgeous displays that would look great at any wedding.
Okay, the last one was more on him than the flower shop, but the point still stands.
He keeps on thinking about Eddie maybe winning an engagement ring, maybe proposing, and freaking out over the possibility that Eddie would propose even when the man’s not ready to.
Then, to make it worse, his boyfriend has the audacity to start acting…off.
He’d catch Eddie looking at his hands when he was in the kitchen making their meals, but those brown eyes would flicker away the moment Buck catches him. Eddie seems to hold his hand more. He’d open his mouth when they’re having one of their private, personal moments in the sanctuary of their own home but close it before anything can come out.
Like Eddie’s trying to figure out his ring size or maybe even spring the question on him.
Or is he overthinking it?
He’s overthinking it, isn’t he?
Then, it all comes out when they're snuggled together on the couch, ‘Home Alone’ playing on the television As part of their Christmas movie marathon. It’s just them tonight because Christopher got invited to a friend’s pre-Christmas party, which is also a sleepover.
So, he’s unworried about a teen overhearing when the movie reminds him of his childhood and quietly admits, “My parents left me at home once. Not for long but…”
Eddie’s hand rubs his arm, “Did you set traps for potential burglars?”
He chuckles, burying closer to his boyfriend. This is why he loves this man so much (or at least part of the reason). He can say anything on his mind from the most irrelevant facts to somber things from his childhood and Eddie will know exactly how to respond. Concern, words of assurance, a shoulder to lean on.
Never pity though. Buck never wants pity or to be treated like he's fragile. He doesn't want to be babied.
And Eddie knows this.
“No,” he tells his partner. “I never even watched this until coming here.”
“Well, don't get any ideas from it. You won't be needing them.” The kiss that is planted on his head makes him melt on the spot. “You'll never be forgotten here.”
He knows that. He knows that to the deepest level of his soul.
And maybe it's because of that thought. Or maybe it's because he feels so warm and fuzzy on the inside. Or maybe it's because it's been on his mind since he heard the announcement on the radio.
But he goes, “Gonna put a ring on it?”
The reaction is immediate. Eddie freezes under Buck, and Buck reacts to that reaction by tensing up as well, shooting straight up, his back ramrod straight.
Did he screw up?
“Y-you wanna get married?” his boyfriend asks, eyes wide.
“I…forget it,” he tries, hoping that he can backtrack. “Slip of the tongue.”
Unfortunately, his partner knows him too well, placing a hand on Buck's. “So you do want it.”
“I'm not…I don't want to pressure you. I'm not pressuring you. I know this is it. I don't need a piece of paper to know that. But I was just thinking about it because of that sweepstakes on the radio. You know, the one with an engagement ring as the grand prize? And they announced your name and I wasn't sure if it was you or not but it got me thinking about whether or not you want to propose or if you'll feel forced to propose because I don't want you to feel like you have to because you got a ring and-”
“Buck.”
His mouth snaps shut, an automatic response after years of constant talking around his best friend because Eddie rarely stops him mid-tirade. If he does, it usually means there's something important he wants to say, he thinks Buck needs to breathe, or something Buck said shocked him so much he couldn't help it.
“I did enter a giveaway they had,” Eddie admits with a squeeze of their hands. “I couldn’t pass up on annual passes to all the museums in the area, could I? But, no. I did not win the engagement ring.”
And Buck doesn’t know how to feel about that. Disappointed because he’s not getting engaged? Relieved because Eddie’s not proposing because he feels forced to or just because he won? Horrified because now Eddie knows Buck wants to get married?
Oh no, would Eddie think Buck wants to get married and propose because of that?!
No, he doesn’t want Eddie to feel like he has to-
“Buck.”
He looks up to meet whisky-brown eyes, looking at him with so much love he could combust.
“I might not have won an engagement ring, but I would like to get married.”
“You don’t have to just because-”
“No. I’m not saying it because I know you want to.”
Then, unexpectedly, Eddie pauses the movie and drags him up and to the center of their living room and-
Gets down on one knee.
Buck feels like he suddenly can't breathe. Is this actually happening?
Then Eddie reaches into his sweats, pulling out-
A ring.
‘Oh my gosh, it's happening’, he thinks, heart rate racing in anticipation.
“I really do want to marry you, Evan Buckley. All I want for Christmas is knowing you'll walk down the aisle with me. So would you give me the honor and make it official by saying yes?”
Buck finds himself without words for once, staring at his boyfriend, mind blank yet so elated and wild at the same time.
He's going to get married.
“Eddie. What- I- How did you even hide that?” he manages to ask when his brain finally gets back online.
“Christopher helped. I figured you'd find it when you clean the house no matter where I put it, so the two of us passed it back and forth so you wouldn't find it.”
“Oh my gosh. And wait. The passes. Did you win them?”
“Uh, no.”
“Okay.”
Forget the passes though! Getting to marry his best friend is better than any annual passes!
Where do they start with the wedding planning!? Guests!? Venue!? Flowers!? Should he get a clipboard!?
“Um, that's…not a dealbreaker right?”
Buck snaps out of his wedding preparations, looking at Eddie still on one knee and looking more nervous than Buck's ever seen him.
Oh.
He hasn't said ‘yes’ yet.
“That's not a dealbreaker,” he reassures. Then, smiling so brightly that his face hurts, he opens his mouth to begin the next chapter of his life.
“Yes. Of course, I’ll marry you.”