"So let me get this right," Buck said, looking back and forth between Maddie and Chim. "You are daring me, a measly $20, to randomly kiss someone in this bar?" The whole team was at their favourite karaoke bar near the station, and Maddie wasn't letting up on her attempt to set Buck up with someone.
Maddie nodded eagerly while Chim was looking a tad queasy, feeling unsettled at his girlfriend's eagerness to set up her brother. "And an extra $20 if they kiss you back." She added, doubling down on the original dare, waving the two bills in her hand. Chim groaned audibly at the latest addition, hunching down in his seat as if he was trying to disappear into the booth itself.
Buck glanced around the room, grinning as his eyes settled on Eddie. He slowly made his way over to his boyfriend, trying not to laugh at the easy money he was about to make. "Hey there, handsome," Buck said with a grin, obviously checking out his partner from head to toe.
Eddie shifted uneasily, not used to this sort of attention from Buck in public, but couldn't help but feel a bit flattered as well. He let out a small smile as Buck moved closer, placing a hand on Eddie's waist.
Glancing up at his boyfriend, the noise of the bar - including the hoots and cheers from their teammates faded into the background, as Buck leaned down slightly to capture his lips, his tongue sliding in to explore his mouth gently. Eddie couldn't help but to moan into the kiss, reaching his hands up to grip Buck's curly hair and pulling himself flush against Buck as they continued to make out against the bar.
Finally, remembering that they were in the middle of a bar surrounded by their teammates, Buck pulled back reluctantly, letting his forehead rest against Eddie's, trying to catch his breath. "Will you marry me?" The words came tumbling out of Buck's mouth as he gazed into Eddie's eyes. This wasn't how he had planned to propose, but he meant every word of it. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Eddie and with Christopher.
Eddie nodded, finally managing to utter a quiet yes as he leaned in to kiss his boyfriend - wait fiance - again.
XXXXX
After all the cheers, handshakes, and congratulations, Buck and Eddie made their way back over, hand in hand, to where Maddie and Chimney were sitting.
Expecting more congratulations and likely some hugs, Buck was surprised when Maddie stood up and punched him lightly in the shoulder instead. "I've spent all this time wondering and worrying about you. You didn't think of me once?" Maddie said, waving her arms around in frustration.
"Uh, sorry?" Buck said, exchanging confused looks with Chimney and Eddie. Chimney gave a slight shrug of his shoulders to indicate that he had no idea what Maddie was going on about.
"You should have told me that you were dating Eddie!" Maddie exclaimed, punching him again in the same shoulder, a bit harder this time.
"Maddie, Maddie, could you please avoid hitting my boyfriend?" Eddie asked, stepping in front of Buck, his arms up as if he was confronting a frightened animal.
"Fiance," both Buckley siblings corrected, looking at each other and then bursting out laughing. Maddie finally calmed down enough to smother both Eddie and Buck in huge hugs, with Chimney repeating her actions right after.
The four of them sat down as Maddie motioned for another pitcher of beer for the table. Buck reached out his hand for his money, but Maddie simply shoved a mug of beer in his hand instead. "No money for you, cheater," she replied, handing the extra money to their waiter as a tip instead.
"What's this about money?" Eddie asked, a confused look on his face as he glanced back and forth between Maddie and Buck.
"Boy do I have a story to fill you in on," Chimney said with a grin, ignoring the threatening glares he was receiving from both Buckleys. As he started to explain the bet, Eddie's grin only got wider until he started laughing out loud.
"So you mean I have Maddie to thank for a marriage proposal?" Eddie finally choked out, still laughing hard.
"Hey, no, no! That was all me," Buck said, pointing at his chest. "It wasn't how I planned on asking, but that was all my idea," Buck confessed, wanting to make it clear to his partner that the proposal was absolutely not Maddie's idea. At that point, Chimney was able to pull Maddie away from the two, feeling like they needed a bit more privacy for this conversation.
Once they were on their own, Eddie reached across the table and grabbed both of Buck's hands. "So you've been thinking about proposing…." Eddie asked, not really elaborating further.
"Since the first day I met you," Buck confessed, blushing a deep shade of red that only got darker as Eddie pulled him into a passionate kiss that promised much more later. Not willing to wait any longer, Buck broke the kiss, grabbing Eddie's arm and pulling him out of the bar, barely remembering to wave bye to their team on their way out. It was time to show Eddie just how much he loved him but in private this time around.