AN: Fic #3 being ported from Ao3 (same penname).
This is wholly inspired by a TikTok, and no I won't apologize. It was a surprise double proposal during a fun photoshoot that was absolutely adorable and I loved it, and I watched it a dozen times before I decided to make it Buddie. Cannon is loose here, and I'll be honest idk when it's actually set. Probably post season 5? There'll be cannon elements and cannon characters, but the time really isn't all that important since they're an established couple in this fic.
This is more fluff and fun because apparently that's all I write anymore, but oh well :)
Know That This Means Everything (To Me)
The skeptical look on Athena's face when she opened the door wasn't unusual, at least not for the amount of times Buck had randomly appeared on her doorstep while Bobby was away. Tonight he was covering for Marcs, the captain over the C shift who was out on paternity leave and for the interim captain who had a minor mishap on a call the night before.
Apparently dogs don't just hate mail carriers.
Buck never really planned his visits, this time excluded—usually he ended upon the doorstep in desperate need for an impartial ear, and of those times a majority had been sans Bobby.
Athena liked to tease her husband about how Buck liked her company better, but Buck (wisely) stayed out of that discussion. Instead, he would cite pure luck and the fact that the universe clearly understood that they were already under the same roof too often at the station. Whatever the reason behind them constantly missing one another outside of their second home, Buck always felt welcome on the doorstep.
As long as he brought an offering of wine as his price of admittance, that is.
Typically his visits were for life advice and new gossip that Hen hadn't beaten him too, or like the last few times to commiserate about raising a pre-teen (who was very vocal about how twelve was practically teenaged, thank you very much). Buck could practically see the gears in her head turning, trying to sleuth the reason for his visit without actually opening her mouth.
This time wasn't like any of the rest, and if he were being honest he was a nervous wreck despite the numerous pep talks he'd given himself while stuck in traffic.
Buck offered her a half smile, then lifted the bottle of wine up and shook it in what he hoped was an enticing manner. It wasn't, if the way his pseudo mom rolled her eyes was anything to go by, but Athena beckoned him in anyway, snatching the bottle and commanding him to close the door behind him.
Buck complied happily, feeling the anxiety that had settled into his bones on the drive over wane ever so slightly as the familiar, welcoming warmth of the Grant-Nash home washed over him.
"Should I get my hopes up that this is a social call, or should I be getting my notepad out and starting my timer for therapy fees?" Athena asked, projecting her voice over her shoulder as Buck followed her into the kitchen where she made a b-line for the cabinet that housed her wine glasses.
"I feel like I should be offended," Buck remarked with a playful frown that did nothing to phase the older woman. "You don't even have one of those chase lounges that every therapist has."
Athena raised an eyebrow while she grabbed the wine glasses and sat them on the counter, pausing to place her hands on the surface and fix the young firefighter with a stern look.
Buck raised his hands placatingly, "Okay, okay. Jeeze," he muttered the later under his breath before steeling himself for the reason for his visit. The nervous energy that had waned moments earlier was back in force, and suddenly Buck was feeling unmoored and a little like he was in over his head. "I uh—I kind of… well no, I definitely do—I need your help."
Buck grimaced at how clumsily it had come out, scrunching his eyes closed as he mentally berated himself for the lack of confidence, wondering slightly if this was all a mistake and if he should just chug the bottle of wine for himself and let the ground swallow him whole.
Or maybe he could make it out to the jeep before she caught up…
Athena sighed then, snatching the bottle opener and roughly shoving it into the cork of the wine bottle. "What's the ticket for, and how long have you had it?"
Unaware of the woman's response due to his dissolution into being mellow dramatic and planning an escape route, Buck pressed on. "I've got this idea, and I swear I've thought about it—like really, really thought about it. I even made a pro-con list, but then I got worried someone would find it so I set it on fire. A contained fire, I'm not dumb, even if Chris and I did catch the bushes in front of the house on fire by accident, but there was a really good explanation—"
Athena blinked, unprepared for the rambling tirade that Buck had gone on. "So… there's no ticket, then," she interrupted.
Buck's face froze mid word, eyes scrunched in thought, head tilted just slightly as confusion was evident on his face. "Why would there be a ticket? Should I give out tickets? Do you give tickets to a proposal? I don't even know where I'd go to buy tickets. Is there a store for that or should I go to Amazon?"
Rather than answer Athena took a long swig of her wine before pouring herself another glass and shoving Buck lightly towards the patio. "I think we've missed a few steps, Buckaroo. How about we start over?"
Buck nodded dumbly, setting his wine glass on the outdoor table and opting to pace rather than take a seat like Athena. "I, uh. Yeah that's probably a good idea."
"Generally my ideas are good, yes," Athena smiled, successfully easing the mood.
Buck returned her smile, shaking his head lightly. "I'm not touching that one."
"That'd be mighty smart of you."
"I want to propose," He replied, deciding to go for it rather than delicately pitch his plan. It was clear that his nerves were going to be a problem, so when in doubt he went by the 'Eddie Diaz Method of Breaking News', otherwise known as the 'band-aid method'.
"Propose to Eddie I mean," Buck clarified after a moment.
Athena smirked, seemingly unphased by the admission (and if Buck were a betting person, he'd lay money down that she'd been expecting this conversation to happen). "And here I thought you were going to pop the question to that new firefighter who stole your limelight over at the 147."
Buck paused his pacing to make a disgusted noise and shoot a half-hearted glare at Athena, "Don't get me started on Donato."
The woman was his arch nemesis, even if she didn't know it. Eddie liked to tease him that he had a school yard crush on the woman, which was ironic since he could say the same about Eddie and Lena but his boyfriend would get all grumpy when he brought that up.
(At least he wasn't street fighting with Donato—just spending a concerning, according to Eddie, amount of time plotting the woman's demise despite having never actually met her in person.)
It wouldn't be so bad if she hadn't been trending more than Firefox down in Austin, and it wouldn't be so bad if everyone in the 118 hadn't been gushing about her heroic saves—Buck could do those too! Did do them, even. And it wasn't for the views!
…most of the time.)
In short he was jealous, though he was loath to admit it out loud, and he absolutely refused to let the thought of her ruin this moment.
"Tell me your plan," Athena said instead, keeping her smirk behind the wine glass in her hand, clearly happy with herself for poking the bear.
Buck's face softened as a smile bloomed, already forgetting about being jealous. "I want to get some family photos done—the last time Eddie and Chris had them done were right before Shannon left."
"Right after he got out of the Army," Athena guessed.
"Yeah, and most of them are put away—bad memories and all that. The only one that really gets seen is the one of Chris in the living room, although I know he's got one of him and his mom on his desk in his room."
"So it's high time for some new ones, especially with your new little family unit."
Buck nodded shyly, blushing and ducking his head. "It's been almost eight years since then, and I uh… I never had family photos? Well, I never had any photos as a kid but that's something to unpack with Dr. Copeland—"
Athena tsked loudly, not bothering to hide her displeasure with Buck's parents.
"So," Buck cleared his throat, "I thought maybe May could take them? I know you said she's really enjoying the photography class she's been taking through UCLA and has been working with a classmate—"
"Practically girlfriend," Athena interjected. "They'll figure it out soon, any maybe your little photoshoot will give them the nudge they need."
Buck tilted his head in consideration, "I mean, I want the proposal to be a surprise during the photoshoot so that could actually work in your favor."
Athena's eyes lit up at the idea, "Two birds, one stone. My kind of plan."
"I talked to Chris and he suggested that he hold up a sign behind me and Eddie, something like 'Dad will you marry my Buck'?"
"That could work," Athena nodded. "It'll make for some gorgeous photos, Buckaroo."
"I know," Buck said smugly. "We're adorable."
Athena reached out with one of her legs and gently kicked the man's shins as he passed by, soliciting a laugh from him.
"Eddie hated the family photos back then, but I think if we aren't forcing him into a Penney's photography studio with some stranger making him pose he might not hate it that much. Well, he's going to hate it but maybe it'll be a tiny bit less," Buck held up one hand, placing his finger and thumb a fraction of an inch apart.
"Also being more than a few weeks removed from being shot probably makes a difference too," Athena offered with a shrug.
Buck winced, "God I didn't even think of that. At least I've got Chris on my side for this; Karen and Hen's last round of family photos made him jealous I think, and he's been dropping less-than-subtle hints that he'd like to have a fun photo shoot too.
"Plus, I can play the 'exposure for May' card," Buck said, pausing to take a swig of his wine before plopping himself into the chair beside Athena. "We'll pay of course, but Eddie won't be able to say no to supporting her newest endeavor."
"If it gets my daughter a girlfriend out of this, I'll pay for it," Athena said dryly. "It's always 'Keyona wore her hair like this and it was so pretty' and 'Keyona has the coolest clothes' and 'I'm so jealous of her eyes it's not fair' and 'Oh mom you should see what Keyona came up for our assignment'. That girl could put grass on a piece of photo paper and May would think it belongs in the Louvre."
"To be fair, I've seen the work that May puts up on Instagram and it's gorgeous."
Athena hummed, conceding that it was in fact gorgeous. "Do you have the ring? Or are you doing a watch like Michael did for David?"
Buck's face broke into a wide grin, pure happiness radiating from him like sunshine. Athena felt her own face break into a smile, happy to see the younger man so excited. They'd come a long way from her dressing him down in the back of an ambulance, and this version of Buck (whatever silly upgrade he liked to refer to himself as) looked so happy and settled in life.
It was a great look on him.
Buck pulled out the blue velvet box from his jacket pocket and held it out for Athena to inspect. The woman grabbed it eagerly, gently prying the box open and letting out an uncharacteristic squeal at the sight of the gleaming black ring nestled inside.
"Buck," she breathed, "It's gorgeous!"
Buck was blushing again, nodding while Athena took the ring out to lay it in her palm. "Eddie's not exactly flashy, so I didn't want anything too big, you know? Plus the watch Chris and I got him for Christmas after he broke his last one is black, so they'll match."
"It's perfect for him, baby." Athena said while placing the ring back into the box before handing it back.
Buck shook his head, "I uh…I'd like you to hold on to it, if you can. It's just that Eddie compulsively cleans one room of the house every day of the week, so there's literally no where safe to keep this that he won't find."
"Where'd you have it before now?"
"I just picked it up from the jewelers today, on the way over in fact," Buck replied. "I can't hide it at the station since we're in each other's lockers all the time, and I'm terrified of leaving it in the Jeep because with my luck that'd be when someone broke in and stole it."
Athena nodded, "I don't need to remind you to never keep valuables in your car, especially in a big city. I can stow it away here and no one will be any the wiser."
"Thank god," Buck breathed before launching himself at the older woman, pulling her into a hug and ignoring the 'oompf' she let out in response. "You're a life saver 'Thena!"
Athena smacked his arm playfully, "You'll be the one saving a life if you don't let me breathe."
Buck only hugged her harder.
It had been four nights since Buck had come by with the ring and plan to propose to Eddie, and Athena had finally been able to pin down her daughter and best friend for an evening of gossiping and planning.
May had arrived first, with bags of take out from their favorite sushi place. She'd just finished unbagging everything at the patio table when Hen made her way into the yard, two drink carriers in her hands—one with the adult beverages of choice, and one with each of their favorite boba orders.
"The one with the blue writing is yours May—I had them make the virgin Shirley Temple with extra cherry this time."
May rolled her eyes, "A little vodka wouldn't have hurt."
"No but the fine for supplying a minor with alcohol would definitely hurt my bank account," Hen remarked smartly.
"And your friendship with said minor's mother," Athena added pointedly, eying her daughter with a perfectly raised brow.
"I'm literally a month away from it being legal," May argued while stabbing her straw into her boba.
"And the vodka will taste just the same, trust me."
"We have plenty of history with it to know," Hen said with a chuckle.
"History we won't repeat," Athena said wisely, snagging the takeout cup with her margarita. "Partly because we don't remember it, and partly because some things should never be repeated."
"Shouldn't I learn from your mistakes?" May asked, feigning innocence before dodging her mother's attempt to pinch her with chopsticks.
"Speaking of learning," Athena said, segueing into the real reason she'd asked the two women to come over for a later dinner. "How's your photography class going?"
May's face lit up, "Great! Keyona and I are working through a project to mimic Ansel Adams, but with an urban street twist. We've found a few places downtown we're going to go shoot this weekend."
Athena was nodding along, smiling at her daughter while she listened to her excitedly describe all the locations they'd mapped out, making a mental note to thoroughly inspect them in case she needed to call in a favor to have a patrol car nearby. Across the table Hen was shooting her a knowing look, no doubt trying to convey 'they're going to get together, right?' without tipping May off.
They would, if Athena had anything to say about it. Just a bit of meddling here and there (and a nice thank you to Buck for giving her the perfect opportunity) and by the end of the month her baby girl would have her first girlfriend.
"How would you two like to have your first paying gig?"
May delicately picked up one of the California rolls and gave a considering noise, shrugging one shoulder before responding. "Depends on what it's for. If you want sexy pics for Bobby I think I'm going to have to pass."
Hen choked on her margarita and grabbed a napkin to press at her mouth to stifle the surprised laughter. May winked at the older woman, "Especially if they required the non-authorized use of tax-payer funded uniforms that belong to the Los Angeles Fire Department."
"Try the LAPD," Athena snarked with a huff, rolling her eyes. While May fake gagged, she continued, "Our Buckaroo has a secret project that he wants you and Keyona to help out with."
That caught the interest of Hen who immediately sat down her chop sticks. "What kind of secret project?"
"The best kind—but I'm only going to let the cat out of the bag if May here agrees."
May waved a hand at her mother, "As if I'd turn down a paying gig, especially in this economy."
Hen pointed at the younger woman and shot her a knowing look before turning back to Athena, "Let's have it."
"Buck's going to propose and wants it to be a surprise during the family photoshoot he's hiring May and Keyona to take," Athena explained, watching with glee at how the two women's face lit up with excitement. May was squealing, chopsticks laying forgotten atop the spicy tuna roll as she pulled her phone out and began to furiously type.
Hen was grinning like the cat who caught the canary, one hand drumming the table as she shook her head, "Those two I swear. You know Eddie asked me to help him plan something too, literally just yesterday."
"No shit," May gasped, eyes darting from her phone to the paramedic.
Athena echoed her daughter, though not before glowering at her lightly for the profanity. "Seriously?"
Hen nodded, chuckling now. "Hand to the bible, I'm not joking. Karen has the ring hidden because Eddie said, and I quote 'I can't keep anything from Buck and he's going to know somethings up and will go snooping'. And we all know he'll fold like a house of cards."
May let out a whoop while the other two continued to lament about the two oblivious men they were helping. "Keyona's in! She's already got a few ideas on how to do the surprise part, and when I told her Eddie was planning a proposal too she suggested we do them both at the same time."
"Oh, that could work," Hen said with a nod.
"Two birds, one stone," Athena said with a snicker.
"I still don't understand why," Eddie grumbled as he pulled at the collar of his long-sleeved sweater, wondering how he got suckered into wearing the maroon garment that was clearly a size too small despite what Buck claimed.
("It shows off those biceps, Eight-Pack."
"Fuck you, Buckley."
"Don't mind if you do," Buck smirked, expertly dodging his boyfriend's attempt at playfully shoving him.)
Chris huffed a long-suffering sigh (that Eddie immediately recognized as one of his own, much to his chagrin) and turned to his dad to point one black crutch at him. "I want family photos from this decade, Dad, and you promised not to complain."
"I'm not complaining, mijo," Eddie remarked petulantly, matching his son's unimpressed gaze while trying his best not to break out into a grin. The older his kid got, the more fun he had riling him up, and anymore it was far too easy to get him going. "I'm just requesting clarification."
"You wouldn't want to break my heart, would you daddy?" Chris asked exaggeratingly, pushing his glasses back and giving his dad the saddest puppy eyes he could manage. Eddie realized he was fighting a loosing battle here, but also knew he needed to put up a good front otherwise Buck was likely to catch onto the fact that Eddie was actually excited for the photoshoot.
The idea of having a permanent, physically tangible reminder of the family he'd found himself with after years of feeling lost and hopeless had made his heart flutter. He'd spent so long striving to have the ideal family that his parents had dreamed up for him that he'd never dared let himself dream about having a family that he wanted. It didn't matter much though, because that family practically fell in his lap and Eddie was religious enough to thank God for bringing Evan Buckley into his and Chris' lives.
Eddie wasn't sure what they'd do without him. Sure, they'd survive, but there was no timeline out there where a life without Buck was fulfilling, and he'd spend every waking moment of his life here on Earth proving that to Buck. The younger man had breathed life into Eddie, anchoring him and bringing with his presence a technicolor that made his grayscale life worth living again.
Eddie wasn't just existing, he was thriving—and he owed a great deal of that to Buck and Chris.
(And the therapist that Dr. Copeland had found for him, not that he'd ever let Buck know that. He had a reputation to maintain, after all.)
Owed him so much that he'd gone to Hen, and subsequently Karen, to hash out a plan for a proposal. It'd been Karen's idea to use Buck's idea for a photoshoot as a surprise proposal, and when he pitched the idea to Chris the young boy had immediately demanded to be able to hold up a sign to ask Buck to marry his dad.
Eddie was thrilled, and a little bit relieved, with how easily Chris had taken the talk of proposing to Buck. It wasn't like Eddie had thought Chris would outright say no—he loved Buck too much for that—but Eddie wasn't sure how his pre-teen would take the news of his dad remarrying. It wouldn't be much of a change in the family dynamic since Buck had practically been co-parenting with him since day one, but Eddie still needed Chris to understand that he had as much input into this decision as Eddie himself had.
It hadn't mattered in the end, and over the last two weeks he'd been assaulted by Pinterest board notifications (he genuinely had no idea how that app even ended up on his phone), color palette ideas from May, inspiration boards (he still wasn't exactly sure what those were, for the record) from a group chat that Buck had started with May and Keyona, and not-so-subtle looks from Hen that he was sure Buck was going to pick up on eventually.
Chris had been an enthusiastic participant in the planning of the family photoshoot, bombarding May and Keyona with photoshop requests. He had to remind his kid that they were paying for photos of the family, not photos of Chris photoshopped onto a cowboy t-rex, not matter how cool his kid and boyfriend thought that would be.
(Admittedly, it would be pretty cool and he knew that Buck had been binging tutorials on YouTube to figure out how to make it possible.)
With an exaggerated sigh Eddie shook his head to clear his thoughts and bent down to fix the collar of Chris' dark grey button up. "You're killing me here, kid."
Chris tilted his head before placing two fingers on his dad's neck. With a hum he proclaimed his father to be living, "Pulse is 110."
"Seems a bit high," Buck chimed in as he swept into the living room with a flourish. "Got something making your heart go all a-flutter, Eds?"
"Nothing in this room," Eddie grouched with a fake frown.
Buck placed a hand to his chest in mock offense before waving one hand the length of his body, "Are you telling me all this doesn't do it for you?"
"Ay Dios mio," Chris grumbled before heading towards the front door, no doubt escaping to the truck before he had to witness them kissing or doing anything as scandalous as holding hands. "You two are soooo gross."
In truth Buck did do it for him, but Eddie wasn't about to let him win this round. "The fact we have matching shirts is a bit much, don't you think?"
Buck waved a hand dismissively, "Yours is maroon and mine is navy, clearly that's not matching. That's coordinating."
"It's the same sweater!"
"I got it on a BOGO, I figured you'd be happy I saved money on this!"
Eddie narrowed his eyes playfully, "You saying I'm cheap?"
"I'm calling you a tight ass," Buck affirmed, eyes rolling as he grabbed his keys and wallet from the coffee table.
"Funny, I'm pretty sure that's what I was calling you this morning," Eddie replied before heading out the door, winking suggestively as Buck's face grew progressively redder.
Athena pulled up to the trail head where they were taking photos, glancing at the back seat where she had the sign Chris and May had worked on the night before. The bold lettering spelled out, 'Surprise! My dads are finally getting married!' and had gone through half dozen versions before Chris was satisfied with the outcome. He was adamant it was perfect, and who was Athena to deny him that?
Her phone buzzed with a message from May, letting her know she and Keyona already had the boys up a ways taking photos, and that they were ready for the sign whenever Athena was (which was code for 'Eddie has about ten minutes left so hurry'). Quickly she grabbed the sign, making sure to keep the lettering facing her while she hurried up the paved path to where she could hear the peals of laughter belonging to Buck and Chris, no doubt torturing Eddie.
As she rounded the bend, she caught sight of May behind the camera, snapping away while Keyona helped pose the three of them. Eddie's face lit up as he caught sight of her, immediately begging the police sergeant for help.
"You gotta save me, Athena."
"I'm off duty, so you better call 9-1-1," Athena remarked with a smirk.
Eddie groaned and let his face drop onto Buck's shoulder while the younger man threw his head back in laughter. Athena heard May's camera clicking away as she captured the moment, laughing herself at Eddie's look of betrayal.
Keyona was quick to intervene, setting her camera into her camera bag while ushering the three boys into their positions. "Right on time Mrs. Grant-Nash," she said brightly, waiving over her shoulder while the boys helped Chris into a sitting position on the rock retaining wall.
"Call me Athena," she replied warmly, watching as Chris sat on the ledge and placed his crutches beside him, safely out of the line of sight but still within reach.
Keyona nodded shyly, "Sure Ms. Gr—I mean, Athena."
"I love what you did with your hair, Keyona," Athena said instead, ignoring the way May was glaring daggers at her. She watched as the younger girl ran a hand over the smooth braids that ran along the side of her head, giving way to the natural curls she was sporting in the form of a frohawk.
"Really? May helped me pick out this style this time." Athena would have to have been blind to miss the bashful look on the young girls face, which only reaffirmed her position that they would be dating in no time.
"It's gorgeous," Athena nodded, winking at her daughter. "My girl's got good taste."
She could almost hear May cursing at her, but instead Athena waltzed over to Chris and handed him the sign he made, making sure to keep Buck and Eddie from seeing it.
"What's that?" Buck asked feigning innocence, though no one bought it for a second.
"If that's some elaborate prank at my expense," Eddie began to threaten, shooting a stern glare at his partner while simultaneously trying not to break.
"It's Chris and Buck," May said, "Of course it's at your expense."
"Yeah, yeah," Eddie snarked, waving one hand at the young woman and turning towards Keyona. "What's the next pose you're torturing me with?"
"Downward dog," The tall woman remarked just as dryly, much to Buck's pleasure.
"I like her Athena, we need to keep her," Buck said in delight.
"She's not a pet," May scolded him while Eddie flicked his bicep.
"At least not your pet; I'm pretty partial to some good pets and pampering," Keyona amended. "I need you two to turn around, back's together—good, now take a few paces forward—normal pace, Jesus are you all leg, Buck?"
Buck's emphatic 'no' was drowned out by a resounding 'yes' from everyone in the vicinity.
Keyona moved in front of Buck and pulled out the navy-colored jewelry box he'd left with Athena, placing it into his palm, opening it to let the ring peak out. She showed him exactly how she wanted him to hold it: flat on his palm, held out just slightly from his body while looking down at it with a smile. They'd gone over it before and May had reminded him nearly a dozen times that it was important he think about the happiest memory he had with Eddie while looking at the box so they could capture that raw emotion moments before they had Eddie turn around to see him dropping to one knee to propose.
Once she was certain that Buck had the right idea, she moved over to Eddie to help get him in place, loudly remarking about how little she needed to correct. Chris was openly laughing at the two of them now, watching as Keyona positioned the red velvet box into Eddie' palm the same as she'd done with Buck.
Satisfied they were in position, Keyona moved back beside May, bending down to switch to the camera she was going to use to record the proposal. May nodded to Chris who plastered the biggest smile he could muster onto his face, flipping his sign around and holding it just under his chin so that the camera could easily see it over the top of his dads' heads.
"One the count of three I'm going to take a few photos, then when I say move I want you two to turn around and think about the first kiss you had."
"No can do," Buck replied. "Our first kiss was an accident because Eddie forgot that we weren't actually dating when he kissed me on the way out of the door to go to the shift he was covering. I'm not sure you want 'shocked, excited, manic panic' for those photos."
Eddie groaned, "Then think of our second kiss!"
"That one was a little spicy," Buck reminded him, causing Eddie to blush spectacularly.
"Oh for the love," Athena rolled her eyes, "Just put on your best cow eyes and call it a day!"
"I do not—"
"THREE!" May shouted, letting her camera shutter command them into position.
It took a few shots before Buck's shoulders stopped shaking with laughter and Eddie didn't look constipated while trying not to set Buck off again, but eventually the two adopted equally smitten looks as they gazed into their palms, unaware that the other was doing the same. Above them Christopher was beaming again, practically buzzing with excitement.
"Alright, and move!" May called out, watching with anticipation as the two men turned in tandem.
As Eddie turned he dropped to one knee, holding out the ring box, poised and ready to launch into the (well) prepared speech about how much Buck meant to him and Chris, how much he loved and adored him, how much having him in his life had made him a better man. He could hear the words he'd practiced in the mirror bouncing around in his head as he opened his mouth to ask Buck to spend the rest of their lives together—but all of that went out the window when his eyes landed on the box in Buck's hands.
While the words were dying in Eddies' throat, Buck was wheezing with excitement and laughter. He'd been slower to turn around, blaming it on nerves and completely convinced that he'd fumbled the whole proposal until he saw Eddie kneeling on the ground. The speech he'd written half a dozen times was crumpled in his pocket, worn from the amount of times Buck had pulled it out to read and recite, but none of those words mattered when he realized that Eddie was on one knee, planning to give him that same speech.
Without a word Buck swapped the rings, openly laughing while he heard Chris whooping with joy. Eddie stood, face lit in disbelief when his brain finally caught up to recognize the double proposal. He watched as Buck slid the ring on his finger, eliciting a level of happiness that Eddie wasn't sure he'd ever felt before.
It spoke to how connected they were—proposing at the same time, knowing exactly what the other was asking without ever uttering a single word. Buck didn't even need to say yes, not by the exuberant display of tossing Eddie's blue ring box over his shoulder in favor of slipping the ring on his partner's finger.
Eddie glanced at his hand, marveling at the smooth black ring. He grabbed for Buck's hand, running a finger over the similar black band—though Buck's was slightly wider and had a thin band of blue lapis in the center, dark enough that at first glance you could easily miss it. He brought Buck's hand to his mouth, kissing lightly at the ring before cupping the other mans face, thumbing over the birthmark like he loved to do.
Buck was leaning into his touch, letting his own hands curl around Eddie's wrists, feeling the love and affection that Eddie usually reserved for the privacy of their home. After a blissful second Buck opened his eyes, searching to find Eddie's gazing at him softly. He wasted no time in diving down for a kiss, just a quick peck before he grabbed Eddie's hand and held it up for May to catch with her camera. Buck moved behind Eddie, twisting his arms around the man so that his ringed hand would lay atop Eddies, both rings on display.
They stayed like that, letting Keyona and May direct them while they were lost in their own moment, cherishing one another. Before long Eddie was moving, pulling Buck back towards Chris, letting the young boy into the action as he tossed the sign to the side to pose with them. Eddie watched in wonder as his son and fiancé interacted, posing so effortlessly that Eddie had to consciously fight the tears from falling. He was overwhelmed with emotion in that moment, feeling for the first time in his life so complete—with his son and his partner at his side—and like the future wasn't so intense and uncertain.
He'd give anything to go back in time to his past self, to give that younger version of himself just a tiny glimpse of what was to come. To know that all the sleepless nights, all those moments where he felt like he was drowning, barely keeping afloat, all the times where giving up seemed like the easiest option—they were all worth it to lead him here to this moment where he had everything he'd ever dreamed of.
The tears were falling, but Eddie decided he didn't care and instead was burying his face in his son's curls, clutching strongly at Buck's arm, pulling them into a tight embrace. He felt Buck's hand sliding up his back, comforting him as the younger man nuzzled his head into Eddie's shoulder, kissing softly at the fabric of his shirt.
"I love you," Buck murmured for his ears only.
"I love you too," Eddie murmured back, "I love you too."
Three days later May and Keyona dropped by to give them a thumb drive with all the edited photos, and the video that Keyona had put together capturing the surprising moment. Chris wasted no time in dragging his laptop into the kitchen so he could go through the photos while Buck and Eddie made lunch. They'd offered the girls a spot at the table, but they politely declined citing plans to try the new vegan place, 'Kale My Name' they'd seen online.
Buck was pretty sure it was a date, and Eddie was pretty sure that Athena would be asking them to give May a plus-one for the wedding.
