Chapter Text
Four months later
The backyard was alive with laughter and the smell of grilling meat. Eddie stood at the barbecue, flipping burgers while Bobby supervised with the critical eye of a captain who'd seen too many firefighters burn dinner.
"You're doing good," Bobby said, nodding approvingly. "Nice char on those."
"Learned from the best," Eddie said, but his attention kept drifting to where Buck was playing cornhole with Chimney and Hen, his laugh carrying across the yard.
The ring box in Eddie's pocket felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.
"You nervous about something?" Bobby asked, his tone casual but his eyes knowing.
Eddie's hand went to his pocket reflexively. "That obvious?"
"Only to someone who knows what to look for." Bobby smiled. "You've been checking your pocket every five minutes for the past hour."
Eddie exhaled slowly. "I'm terrified."
"Of Buck saying no?"
"Of screwing this up. Of not finding the right words. Of—" Eddie broke off, shaking his head. "We've built this incredible life together. What if I mess it up by trying to make it official?"
Bobby's hand landed on Eddie's shoulder, firm and reassuring. "Eddie. That man looks at you like you hung the moon. You could propose with a twist tie and he'd say yes."
"I want it to be perfect," Eddie said quietly. "He deserves perfect."
"It will be," Bobby promised. "Because it's coming from you."
Across the yard, Christopher and Theo were kicking a soccer ball back and forth, Christopher's crutches abandoned on the grass as Theo carefully passed the ball within his reach. Maddie and Athena were setting out dishes on the long picnic table, their heads bent together in conversation. Karen was refilling drinks, and Buck—
Buck caught Eddie staring and grinned, that bright, beautiful smile that still made Eddie's heart skip a beat even after months of waking up next to him every morning.
"I love him," Eddie said, the words simple but weighted with everything he felt.
"I know," Bobby said. "We all know. So what are you waiting for?"
Eddie looked down at the burgers, then back at Bobby. "These need another minute."
"I've got it." Bobby took the spatula from Eddie's hand. "Go. Before you lose your nerve."
Eddie's heart was pounding as he walked across the yard. Buck saw him coming and excused himself from the game, meeting Eddie halfway.
"Hey," Buck said, his smile softening into something intimate. "You okay? You look—"
"Can you get everyone's attention?" Eddie asked, his voice steadier than he felt.
Buck's brow furrowed. "What? Why?"
"Please. Just—trust me."
Something in Eddie's expression must have convinced him, because Buck nodded slowly. He turned toward the yard and raised his voice. "Hey! Everyone! Eddie wants to say something!"
The conversations died down. Chimney paused mid-throw. Hen and Karen turned from where they'd been setting up the dessert table. Maddie looked up from her conversation with Athena, her eyes immediately finding Eddie with that big sister intuition that never missed anything.
Christopher and Theo stopped playing, both boys looking at Eddie with curious expressions.
Eddie's mouth went dry. Everyone was staring at him. Buck was staring at him, confusion and concern mixing in those blue eyes.
This was it.
Eddie reached into his pocket and pulled out the small velvet box. Buck's eyes went wide, his hand coming up to cover his mouth.
"Buck," Eddie started, and his voice cracked. He cleared his throat, tried again. "Evan Buckley."
"Oh my God," Maddie whispered, her hand clutching Chimney's arm.
Eddie dropped to one knee on the grass, and Buck made a sound that was half-laugh, half-sob.
"Eight years," Eddie said, looking up at Buck. "We were friends for eight years, and I was an idiot for most of them. I looked at you every single day and didn't see what was right in front of me. I didn't see that you were everything I'd ever wanted, everything I'd ever need."
Buck's eyes were already shining with tears.
"When we finally figured it out—when I finally figured it out—everything changed. You showed me parts of myself I didn't know existed. You made me feel things I didn't think I was capable of feeling." Eddie's voice dropped lower, more intimate despite their audience. "You taught me what it means to be completely, utterly consumed by someone. To need them like breathing. To crave them in ways that should probably be illegal."
Hen laughed wetly, wiping at her eyes. Karen had her arm around her waist, both of them watching with matching expressions of joy.
"But it's not just the passion," Eddie continued, his own eyes burning now. "It's everything else too. It's the way you make pancakes for the boys every Sunday. It's how you always remember that Christopher likes his sandwiches cut diagonally and Theo won't eat anything green unless you hide it in the sauce. It's the way you look at me over coffee in the morning like I'm the best thing you've ever seen, even when I haven't brushed my teeth yet."
Buck laughed through his tears, his hand still pressed to his mouth.
"It's the life we've built together," Eddie said. "The family we've made. You, me, Christopher, Theo—we're a unit. We're a team. And I don't want to spend another day without making it official. Without telling the whole world that you're mine and I'm yours and we're in this together for the rest of our lives."
Eddie opened the box, revealing a simple platinum band with a single diamond set into it. "Evan Buckley, will you marry me?"
For a moment, Buck just stood there, tears streaming down his face, his whole body shaking. Then he was dropping to his knees in front of Eddie, his hands coming up to frame Eddie's face.
"Yes," Buck said, his voice breaking. "Yes, yes, a thousand times yes."
Eddie barely got the ring out of the box before Buck was kissing him, deep and desperate and full of everything they felt for each other. Eddie heard cheering around them—Chimney whooping, Hen and Karen applauding, Athena's warm laughter—but it all faded into background noise.
There was only Buck. Buck's mouth on his, Buck's hands in his hair, Buck's tears mixing with his own.
When they finally broke apart, Eddie slid the ring onto Buck's finger with shaking hands. It fit perfectly, glinting in the afternoon sunlight.
"I love you," Buck said, staring at the ring like he couldn't quite believe it was real. "God, Eddie, I love you so much."
"I love you too," Eddie said, pulling Buck close again. "So fucking much."
They were immediately swarmed. Maddie got there first, throwing her arms around both of them, crying and laughing at the same time. "I'm so happy for you," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "Both of you. You're perfect together."
Chimney was next, clapping Buck on the back hard enough to make him stumble. "About time you made an honest man out of him, Eddie."
"Congratulations," Hen said, hugging Eddie tight. "You two deserve all the happiness in the world."
Karen kissed both their cheeks, beaming. "This is beautiful. You're beautiful together."
Bobby pulled Eddie into a hug, his voice low in Eddie's ear. "Told you it would be perfect."
Athena hugged Buck, then Eddie, her smile warm and genuine. "Welcome to the married club. It's a good club to be in."
Christopher and Theo pushed through the crowd of adults, both boys grinning widely.
"Does this mean Buck is officially my dad now?" Christopher asked, his words coming with their familiar, unhurried pace?" Christopher asked, looking between them.
Buck's face crumpled, fresh tears spilling over. He dropped to his knees again, pulling Christopher into a tight hug. "If you want me to be," he said, his voice rough. "I would be honored to be your dad, Christopher."
"I want you to be," Christopher said, hugging Buck back. "You already feel like my dad anyway."
Theo wrapped his arms around both of them, and Eddie joined the group hug, his heart so full it felt like it might burst.
This was his family. His whole world, right here in his arms.
Bobby disappeared into the house and returned with a bottle of champagne and glasses. "A toast," he announced, popping the cork. "To Eddie and Buck. May your marriage be filled with as much love and laughter as your friendship has been."
"And significantly more sex," Chimney added, earning him an elbow from Maddie and laughter from everyone else.
They raised their glasses, and Eddie looked at Buck—his fiancé, God, his fiancé—and felt like the luckiest man alive.
The rest of the afternoon passed in a blur of celebration. They ate burgers and potato salad and the elaborate cake that Maddie admitted she'd been hiding in the kitchen, just in case. Everyone wanted to see the ring, to hear the story of how Eddie had picked it out, to offer advice and well-wishes and teasing comments about wedding planning.
As the sun began to set, casting golden light across the backyard, people started to leave. Maddie hugged them both one more time, whispering to Eddie that she'd never seen Buck this happy. Hen and Karen promised to help with wedding planning. Bobby and Athena offered their house for the reception if they wanted it.
Finally, it was just the four of them—Eddie, Buck, Christopher, and Theo. They cleaned up together, the boys chattering excitedly about the wedding, asking if they could be in it, if they could wear matching suits.
"Of course you can," Buck said, ruffling Theo's hair. "We wouldn't get married without you guys there."
After the boys were in bed—both of them too excited to sleep, but eventually worn out from the day's excitement—Eddie and Buck stood in the kitchen, finishing the last of the dishes.
"Come here," Eddie said, pulling Buck close.
Buck came willingly, wrapping his arms around Eddie's waist. "Hi, fiancé."
"Hi, fiancé," Eddie said back, grinning. "That sounds good."
"It sounds perfect." Buck kissed him softly. "Today was perfect. You were perfect."
"I was terrified," Eddie admitted. "I thought I was going to pass out."
"You didn't show it." Buck's hands slid down to Eddie's ass, squeezing. "You were confident and romantic and everything I could have wanted."
Eddie felt heat curl in his belly at Buck's touch. "Take me to bed," he said, his voice dropping. "I want to celebrate properly."
Buck's eyes darkened. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Eddie kissed him again, deeper this time. "I want my fiancé to fuck me."
They made their way to the bedroom, hands roaming, mouths meeting in increasingly desperate kisses. Buck kicked the door shut behind them and immediately started undressing Eddie, his movements urgent but reverent.
"I can't believe you're going to be my husband," Buck said, pulling Eddie's shirt over his head. "I can't believe I get to keep you forever."
"You already had me forever," Eddie said, working on Buck's belt. "This just makes it official."
They stripped each other bare, and then Buck was walking Eddie backward toward the bed, laying him down gently. But there was nothing gentle about the way Buck looked at him—like Eddie was everything, like Buck wanted to devour him whole.
"I love you," Buck said, settling between Eddie's legs. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life showing you how much."
"Show me now," Eddie said, spreading his legs wider. "Please, Buck. I need you."
Buck took his time preparing Eddie, his fingers slick and patient, working him open with a thoroughness that had Eddie writhing on the sheets. When Buck finally pushed inside, they both groaned at the sensation—the stretch, the fullness, the perfect way they fit together.
"God," Buck breathed, holding still to let Eddie adjust. "You feel incredible. You always feel incredible."
Eddie wrapped his legs around Buck's waist, pulling him deeper. "Move," he demanded. "Buck, please—"
Buck started to thrust, slow and deep, and Eddie felt it everywhere. This wasn't just sex. This was a promise. A commitment. This was Buck claiming him, marking him, making him his in every way that mattered.
"I'm going to marry you," Buck said, his voice rough with emotion and desire. "I'm going to stand up in front of everyone we love and promise to be yours for the rest of my life."
"Yes," Eddie gasped, his hands clutching at Buck's shoulders. "Yes, Buck, yes—"
"I'm going to wake up next to you every morning," Buck continued, his thrusts getting harder, deeper. "I'm going to make you coffee and kiss you before every shift and come home with you every night."
Eddie was close, pleasure building at the base of his spine. "Buck—"
"I'm going to fuck you in our bed, in our house, for the rest of our lives," Buck said, his hand wrapping around Eddie's cock. "You're mine, Eddie. Mine forever."
"Yours," Eddie agreed, his back arching off the bed. "Always yours, Buck, I'm—"
He came with Buck's name on his lips, his body clenching around Buck's cock. Buck followed seconds later, burying himself deep as he emptied himself inside Eddie, his face pressed against Eddie's neck.
They lay there for a long moment, both of them breathing hard, hearts racing in sync. Buck's weight was solid and comforting on top of him, and Eddie never wanted him to move.
"I love you," Buck whispered against Eddie's skin. "So much it scares me sometimes."
"Don't be scared," Eddie said, running his fingers through Buck's hair. "I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me now."
Buck lifted his head, and his eyes were bright with emotion. "Good. Because I'm never letting you go."
They cleaned up slowly, reluctantly, and then climbed back into bed together. Eddie curled into Buck's side, his head on Buck's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
"This is everything I ever wanted," Eddie said quietly. "You, the boys, this life we've built. I didn't even know I could have this. Didn't know I was allowed to want it."
Buck's arms tightened around him. "You're allowed to want everything, Eddie. And I'm going to spend the rest of my life making sure you have it."
"We're really doing this," Eddie said, a smile spreading across his face. "We're getting married."
"We're getting married," Buck confirmed, and Eddie could hear the joy in his voice. "You're going to be my husband."
"And you're going to be mine." Eddie pressed a kiss to Buck's chest, right over his heart. "Forever."
"Forever," Buck agreed, his hand stroking up and down Eddie's back. "I like the sound of that."
They lay there in the darkness, wrapped around each other, and Eddie felt a peace settle over him that he'd never experienced before. This was home. This was family. This was love in its purest, most complete form.
"Hey, Buck?" Eddie said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"For loving me. For being patient with me while I figured my shit out. For wanting this life with me." Eddie lifted his head to look at Buck. "For being everything I didn't know I needed."
Buck's eyes were suspiciously bright. "Eddie, you don't have to thank me for that. Loving you is the easiest thing I've ever done."
Eddie kissed him, slow and sweet and full of promise. When they broke apart, Buck was smiling, and Eddie felt that smile all the way to his soul.
"Get some sleep," Buck murmured, pulling Eddie back down against his chest. "We've got a wedding to plan."
Eddie closed his eyes, listening to Buck's heartbeat, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing. Tomorrow they'd start planning their future. Tomorrow they'd tell the boys about the wedding, start making arrangements, figure out all the details.
But tonight, they were just Eddie and Buck, wrapped up in each other, exactly where they were meant to be.
Forever started now.
And Eddie couldn't wait to spend every moment of it with Buck by his side.