Work Text:
The realtor's voice faded as Buck knelt down in the attic, picked up the small shiny object, and held it up. A smile crept across his face as he looked at it. One person came to his mind, and the thought didn’t scare him.
He and Tommy had talked a few times since the funeral. But never about where they stood or what they wanted from each other. Buck didn’t truly know where they stood, but as he knelt down and held this tiny object in his fingers, he saw it all.
He and Tommy, suits the 118 and harbor gathered around them, vows being exchanged, first dances, a house, kids, maybe a dog.
Buck suddenly has the urge to go see Tommy; he knows he’s off. They had talked about getting together for beers later that evening. But Buck wants to see him now.
Standing, Buck turned to his realtor and smiled, “Uh, wh-who did you say owned the house before?” Buck asked, pocketing his found treasure.
“I didn’t. The house has been sitting here quite a while now.” She started on, and Buck once again tuned her out, that ring burning a hole in his pocket.
As she kept talking, they moved back to the main living area. Buck took another look around. Standing in the Living room, he saw it all so clearly. Tommy was on the floor wrestling with their daughter, because she was Tommy’s little girl, but she loved Buck just as much. A WWE event is playing on the TV in the background. While Buck stood in the kitchen, which had a direct view of the living room, cooking dinner with their son. The house was really too big for just himself.
Three bedrooms, three baths. Massive garage that Tommy could set up a Muay Thai mat and his car lift, and there would still be room for Buck to park the jeep. Backyard, big enough that it had an in-ground pool, and enough room to still set up a swing set area for the kids. The patio was cozy, with a fire pit being the focal point. It had a built-in outside cook area, and all they had to do was add a barbecue.
Yeah, Buck could see it all. As they walked out front, the tour was being concluded. Buck stood by his jeep, a smile fixed on his face he saw it. He saw the roots being planted, the cheesy “Kinard’s” sign hanging on the wall in their living room, surrounded by family pictures.
Buck got in the jeep and pulled out of the driveway; he didn’t even bother to call. He just drove, pulling in front of Tommy’s house.
Thankfully, Buck’s guess paid off, and Tommy’s truck sat in the driveway.
Buck got out of the jeep and walked to the front door, the ring in his pocket giving him the courage he hadn’t had before. So afraid of being rejected, again, and Tommy leaving his life for good. Buck knocked loudly and confidently.
The door swung open, and Tommy’s smile was bright, and before he could say anything, Buck took a step into Tommy’s space and placed both hands on his face and pulled him in. Kissing him, pouring as much of the future he saw into it, hoping Tommy could see it too.
The kiss ended when the need for air became too great. Buck leaned his forehead on Tommy’s. “I want to marry you, Tommy, not today or even next week, or next year. But I want that with you, marriage, house, kids, us Tommy. And I get it scares you, because it scares me too. I have never wanted that with anyone else I have been with. But I see it all. And it’s with you, Tommy. It’s always been with you.” Buck pulled back and looked him in the eye, and Tommy smiled.
“Hello to you, too, Evan.” He whispered, hands squeezing his waist where they rested.
“Hi, sorry I didn’t call first. But I was at this house…”
“Do you want to come in or just have this conversation in my doorway?” Tommy asked, and Buck laughed a little.
“Right, we- we can go inside.” Tommy nodded and pulled Buck into the house, not letting space come between them. And that had to be a sign that Tommy saw it too.
“I was at this house today. And it’s a gorgeous house, and I was up in the attic…”
“Gotta make sure it’s sound…”
“Right, you told me that a couple of weeks ago. Been checking attics ever since. But, while I was up there, my eye caught a glimpse of something, and when I got closer to look…” Buck reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring. “I found this…”
“It’s a bit small for either of us,” Tommy said, and Buck leaned his head forward, resting his forehead on Tommy’s shoulder, and laughed.
“It is. But the point I’m trying to make here, Thomas. Is that I saw this, and then I saw us. The marriage, the house, kids, maybe a dog. It has a huge garage where you could set up your mat and the lift. The backyard was insane; it has a pool and a cooking area outside. And a firepit.”
“A fire pit? Why didn’t you lead with that, Evan?” Buck smacked Tommy’s shoulder, and they laughed.
“I saw you in the living room wrestling with our daughter, and I saw our son cooking in the kitchen. And family cookouts in the backyard. And the Cheesy “Kinard’s” sign on the wall above family pictures.” Buck felt his eyes start to burn with tears as he described it all to Tommy, a smile still fixed on both their faces.
“I saw it, Tommy.” He whispered to him. And they stood in silence, how long Buck didn’t know. It could have been hours, but he didn’t care. Because he still saw it. So much clearer now that he stood in front of Tommy and was looking into his beautiful blue eyes.
“Show me,” Tommy said quietly, like he always did when he was afraid that if he spoke any louder, the spell would be broken.
Buck’s smile grew wider, and he pulled his phone from his pocket, still not moving out of Tommy’s space. He sent his realtor a quick text asking if he could show his partner the house. She replied back saying she wasn’t available for another showing, but gave him the lock box code and said they could go at any time.
Buck pulled back into the driveway and parked. Smiling as he heard a gasp fall from Tommy’s lips. “Ready?” Buck asked Tommy.
“Yeah.”
He simply said, and they both got out of the Jeep and walked to the front door together. And as they stepped over the threshold, Buck had to grab hold of Tommy as it felt like they had just stepped into their future together. No longer running from the things that wanted to tear them apart. This was it, this was the moment they had both been waiting for.
~6 months later~
Tommy pulled Evan into a kiss, and he smiled. “Do you know how badly I want to drop to my knees for you, husband?”
“Mmmm, I do. I really, really do.” Evan replied and pulled him into a deeper kiss with the promise of more to come. “We have to christen every room of this house,” Evan said when he pulled back.
“Evan, we have christened every room of this house.” Tommy reminded him, they had put an offer in on the house immediately after Evan had shown it to Tommy, because Tommy saw it too. He saw everything Evan had told him about as soon as he pulled into the driveway. (“I had a dream about this house, Evan. I see it too.”) Tommy had confessed quickly.
Once their offer had been accepted, they decided together on changes they wanted to make so the home would be their forever home, the one they both saw. And in the 6 months it’s taken for that to happen, they’ve gotten married and started the surrogacy process.
(“It’s positive”) Gina told them as they all sat down to dinner one night. They were going to be parents.
“Not as a married couple,” Evan said, and Tommy laughed and leaned in to kiss him again.
“Oh, I got you something,” Tommy said as he pulled back from their kiss. Walking to the garage, he came back in with a box, and Evan eyed him warily. “Open it,” Tommy whispered, handing the package over to Evan.
Evan smiled and laughed as he pulled it out and held it up. “The cheesy Kinard’s sign,” Evan said and kissed him again, the sign held between them.
As they stood in their newly renovated home, holding each other close. Tommy felt the giddiness that had overtaken him every day since he and Evan toured this house start to bubble up in him again.
This was no longer their future. This was their now, and their forever.