Alright, here it is. I found the correct chapter - phew. I'd lost it in amongst all the Marlas drabbles.
I'm glad WikketKrikket pointed out to me that I'd repeated another chapter, because I really hadn't noticed, and it would be a shame to miss out on this other brilliant couple. (This was wriitten before Zurich, so things are off but still good I hope)
For once in his life, Martin felt like everything was at peace.
MJN had been a high. Meeting Theresa had been a high. Struggling to decide whether he should move to Switzerland and be with her, abandoning the three people that had effectively become his family and leaving them bankrupt, or sticking with MJN and losing out on the chance for love… that had been a low.
More than a low, it had wrought havoc.
However, if there was one thing that Martin Crieff was good at, it was hard work. So he turned down the offer from Swiss Air, stayed with MJN, and put as much effort as he could into maintaining a long-distance relationship. And somehow… it worked. For once in his life, everyone that he knew, his friends, his family, his girlfriend, all of them were reasonable and accepted the fact that he was pulled in more directions than he could count.
And now, Martin was buckling down and pulling all the strings together.
Theresa was a busy woman, running a small country and all, and that would always come first. Martin was a busy man, jetting around the world, and he was never going to give that up. It balanced out nicely. Sure, they didn't see each other every day, sometimes not for weeks, but when they were together, things were almost perfect.
So Martin proposed, and Theresa said yes, and it was as simple as that. Being happy had never been simpler. That he floundered and flustered didn't matter, because she was so down to earth and patient that somehow she managed to keep everything afloat, keep him calm, and keep him hopeful.
All that was left to do was make sure that the other most important part of his life wasn't floating away.
MJN would always be there, so would GERTI, if it was the last thing he ever did. Carolyn and Arthur were supportive whatever he did, and he loved them for it. The only person that still seemed to be drifting was Douglas.
Douglas, Martin's best friend even if he did want to strangle him every other Thursday, who had been oddly morose since well before Martin had even applied for a job at Swiss Air. Who had been so eager for Martin to go and be happy and had been thrilled to see him finally catch a break, at work and in his love life, and yet had fallen peculiarly silent in regards to his own life. He barely even showed off anymore. When he did something annoying, instead of boasting or hinting, he pretended nothing had happened.
Martin recalled a time so long ago, when he had refused to admit that he was the one who had ironed bacon into his shirt, even if it was an accident. The Douglas of a few months earlier would have poked and prodded until Martin had noticed.
It didn't take long to work out what was going on. Douglas was reaching retirement age, he was at risk of losing his job, the man that he spent almost every day with was ready to leave at any moment… Douglas was setting himself adrift before they could cut him loose.
Martin wasn't having that.
Early Monday morning, Martin stood on the steps of Douglas' house, waiting for him to open the door. When Douglas opened the door, it was with a raised eyebrow and a flicker of surprise that he was perhaps a tad too tired to hide. Martin noted that while he was in uniform, he was bereft of shoes or a jacket, with a cup of coffee in hand, and he looked like he planned on slouching about the house for hours yet.
"Martin," Douglas greeted him as he stepped aside to allow him entry. "Are you running the taxi service today? I wasn't informed."
"No, I-I'm not. You still have to drive yourself… o-or actually, as I'm here, it might be easier if I just drove you in...b-but that's not what I'm here for," Martin replied, taking a deep breath. He didn't want to survey the room, or get drawn into a conversation. He was on a mission and wouldn't be side-tracked…again. "I-I wanted to talk to you. It's important."
At this, Douglas nodded slowly and placed his coffee down, his movements transmitting concern in the soft, cautious way that they sometimes did.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
The last time Martin had been desperate to talk, he had been fretting over his brother's stupid moustache. In retrospect, this was far more important, but far less worrying.
"N-nothing's wrong, I just, I-I just…" Martin stammered as he gathered up his nerve. When he spoke, he couldn't quite stop the fizzle of light in his chest from simmering into a smile. "I'm getting married. I-I-I proposed, a-and Theresa said yes, a-and we're getting married."
There was a split second where Douglas' expression dropped – but the next he was beaming, and bridged the space between them to clap Martin on the back. It was the closest to a hug they had ever got, and Martin clumsily tried to prolong it, just for a moment, but wasn't quite successful as Douglas disengaged.
"That's wonderful, Martin. Congratulations!" Douglas said. The smile didn't fade but Martin swore that his eyes watered ever so slightly as for once, he actually seemed to lose the thread of what he was saying and start to ramble. "I knew you could do it," The warmth spread through him and Martin's own eyes burned. Almost as an afterthought, Douglas added. "I'm proud of you."
Martin nodded quickly and choked as he sniffed and composed himself. He dutifully ignored the fingers that pinched at the bridge of Douglas' nose and barrelled on before he could lose his nerve.
"I need you to be best man."
Douglas paused, glanced down at his hands, and then the slightly stiff swagger returned.
"Well, if you're sure you want-"
"N-no, I don't want you to be, I need you to be my best man," Martin corrected. He wished he had his hat to grasp and turn in his hands, but he had left it in the van. This wasn't a conversation he wanted to have as Captain…just as Martin. "Y-you're my best friend, a-and I wouldn't be where I am today without you, e-even if that's just because you were so difficult that I had to get better… no, n-no, that's not it. You helped so much, a-and I… I just really need you to stick around, a-and to be a part of this – o-of the wedding, a-and of helping me along, just…j-just so that-"
"Of course," Douglas cut him off, raising a hand to silence him. Martin waited with bated breath as Douglas nodded solemnly and inhaled slowly, as if he was the one having trouble balancing all the happy with the need to bring everyone together. Perhaps he was simply overwhelmed, but Martin had never seen him overwhelmed, so didn't dare hope. "Of course I'll be your best man. Can't have Captain Mishap planning his own wedding… lord knows what would happen."
He trailed off as if he knew that it was weak.
Martin didn't care. He grinned and didn't wait for Douglas to get over his surprise before he pulled him into a proper hug – a manly, Captainly, perfectly wedding-jitters worthy hug. There were most definitely not tears in his eyes. Or sniffles in his nose.
