Secrets part 2 (Advent)
Continued from here.
Happy almost Christmas, everyone. Hope you enjoy the second half of the story! (I'll post it on AO3 later.)
Buck turned the key carefully in the lock. He wasn’t sure why he was sneaking into Eddie’s house. He had permission to be there whenever he wanted, in fact they had already discussed him moving in, but still he was sneaking. He didn’t want Eddie to know what he was doing.
Making his way down the hall to Eddie’s room, Buck entered. He knew Eddie would be gone for another two hours while he attended an event with Christopher. Buck would normally be there with them, but Maddie had called a few nights ago to request some Buckley sibling (and niece) time. He’d had an enjoyable few hours visiting with his sister and playing with Jee-Yun. It was actually Maddie who’d given him the idea that he was attempting to execute now.
He knew that Eddie kept a small box of keepsakes and he wanted to create two shadow boxes with a few of them. One would be for Christopher and contain memories of Shannon (he would search for things in Christopher’s room also) and one would be memories of Eddie and him. Buck thought it was the perfect gift for the family that he hoped one day to join.
Opening the closet, he dug around until he found the box that he remembered Eddie pulling out a few times. Sitting down on the bed, he opened the box to sort out what he wanted. He wasn’t sure how often Eddie looked through the box, but he didn’t want to take anything that would be quickly missed. He was pretty sure that he could just say he took things to make something for Christopher, but he wasn’t sure about how he’d explain momentos from their dates missing.
Setting aside some clippings from when Eddie was in high school, he made a mental note to read them later. He continued shifting through the box, making three piles. One of things to put back into the box, one of items that would work for Christopher’s box, and one of items that were from his and Eddie’s history.
He was almost at the bottom of the box when his fingers brushed velvet. Frowning, he felt around until he could grasp the box. He was pretty sure that Eddie had told him that he’d put Shannon’s rings in the safe until Christopher wanted them. So why was there a ring box in the keepsakes box?
Maybe Eddie had moved Shannon’s rings for some reason. Or maybe this was Eddie’s ring. If Buck remembered correctly, Eddie’s wedding ring had just been a simple gold band, not something overly expensive. There really wasn’t a reason to lock it up, other than to keep the rings together. Running his fingers over the velvet, Buck slid his nail into the seam and flicked it open.
Buck gasped when he looked inside. This absolutely wasn’t a ring from Eddie’s first marriage. The starry band was rimmed on both sides with black Tungsten. A bit more study and he realized that the stars were the Orion Nebula. He had fallen into a wormhole reading about the Orion Nebula a few months ago and had spent the next three days talking to Eddie about everything he’d learned. A simple black Tungsten band was nestled next to the starry band. In addition, two black silicone bands were in the box. Buck carefully removed the starry band from the box and slipped it on the tip of his ring finger.
“You weren’t supposed to find that.”
Buck jumped, almost flinging the ring off his finger at the sound of Eddie’s voice. Making a fist to trap the ring, he spun around to face his boyfriend. “I… um… I was just…”
“You were just snooping?” Eddie questioned as he entered the bedroom and took a seat next to Buck on the floor. He indicated the piles the blond had been making. “What are you up to?”
Buck ducked his head, blushing a bit, as he carefully put the ring back in its box before handing it to Eddie. “I wasn’t snooping. I was getting some keepsakes so I could work on presents for you and Chris.”
Eddie turned the box over in his hands a few times before asking, “Do you like it?”
“It’s gorgeous,” Buck replied. “I love it. I love that it shows you listen to me.” He leaned over, kissing Eddie briefly. “I love you.”
Eddie opened the box again and pulled the ring out before setting the box on the floor next to him. “I love you,” he responded. Holding out the ring, he said, “This wasn’t how I planned this, but…”
Buck closed his hand over Eddie’s. “Then wait. Do it the way you planned.”
The dark haired man shook his head, turning their hands over so he was holding Buck’s. “No. This is perfect.” Still holding Buck’s hand, he said, “Even Buckley, we spent the first week of our relationship with you being an unholy brat. But a grenade and an exploded ambulance made us fast friends. If I’d known where this would lead us when I said you could have my back, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I love you. Will you have my back for the rest of our lives?”
Buck grinned, leaning forward to kiss Eddie before whispering against his lips, “Yes. Yes, I’ll have your back if you’ll have mine.”
Eddie slipped the ring on Buck’s finger, then kissed the palm of his hand. “It’s gonna be an interesting life,” he commented. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Happy almost Christmas, everyone. Hope you enjoy the second half of the story! (I'll post it on AO3 later.)
Buck turned the key carefully in the lock. He wasn’t sure why he was sneaking into Eddie’s house. He had permission to be there whenever he wanted, in fact they had already discussed him moving in, but still he was sneaking. He didn’t want Eddie to know what he was doing.
Making his way down the hall to Eddie’s room, Buck entered. He knew Eddie would be gone for another two hours while he attended an event with Christopher. Buck would normally be there with them, but Maddie had called a few nights ago to request some Buckley sibling (and niece) time. He’d had an enjoyable few hours visiting with his sister and playing with Jee-Yun. It was actually Maddie who’d given him the idea that he was attempting to execute now.
He knew that Eddie kept a small box of keepsakes and he wanted to create two shadow boxes with a few of them. One would be for Christopher and contain memories of Shannon (he would search for things in Christopher’s room also) and one would be memories of Eddie and him. Buck thought it was the perfect gift for the family that he hoped one day to join.
Opening the closet, he dug around until he found the box that he remembered Eddie pulling out a few times. Sitting down on the bed, he opened the box to sort out what he wanted. He wasn’t sure how often Eddie looked through the box, but he didn’t want to take anything that would be quickly missed. He was pretty sure that he could just say he took things to make something for Christopher, but he wasn’t sure about how he’d explain momentos from their dates missing.
Setting aside some clippings from when Eddie was in high school, he made a mental note to read them later. He continued shifting through the box, making three piles. One of things to put back into the box, one of items that would work for Christopher’s box, and one of items that were from his and Eddie’s history.
He was almost at the bottom of the box when his fingers brushed velvet. Frowning, he felt around until he could grasp the box. He was pretty sure that Eddie had told him that he’d put Shannon’s rings in the safe until Christopher wanted them. So why was there a ring box in the keepsakes box?
Maybe Eddie had moved Shannon’s rings for some reason. Or maybe this was Eddie’s ring. If Buck remembered correctly, Eddie’s wedding ring had just been a simple gold band, not something overly expensive. There really wasn’t a reason to lock it up, other than to keep the rings together. Running his fingers over the velvet, Buck slid his nail into the seam and flicked it open.
Buck gasped when he looked inside. This absolutely wasn’t a ring from Eddie’s first marriage. The starry band was rimmed on both sides with black Tungsten. A bit more study and he realized that the stars were the Orion Nebula. He had fallen into a wormhole reading about the Orion Nebula a few months ago and had spent the next three days talking to Eddie about everything he’d learned. A simple black Tungsten band was nestled next to the starry band. In addition, two black silicone bands were in the box. Buck carefully removed the starry band from the box and slipped it on the tip of his ring finger.
“You weren’t supposed to find that.”
Buck jumped, almost flinging the ring off his finger at the sound of Eddie’s voice. Making a fist to trap the ring, he spun around to face his boyfriend. “I… um… I was just…”
“You were just snooping?” Eddie questioned as he entered the bedroom and took a seat next to Buck on the floor. He indicated the piles the blond had been making. “What are you up to?”
Buck ducked his head, blushing a bit, as he carefully put the ring back in its box before handing it to Eddie. “I wasn’t snooping. I was getting some keepsakes so I could work on presents for you and Chris.”
Eddie turned the box over in his hands a few times before asking, “Do you like it?”
“It’s gorgeous,” Buck replied. “I love it. I love that it shows you listen to me.” He leaned over, kissing Eddie briefly. “I love you.”
Eddie opened the box again and pulled the ring out before setting the box on the floor next to him. “I love you,” he responded. Holding out the ring, he said, “This wasn’t how I planned this, but…”
Buck closed his hand over Eddie’s. “Then wait. Do it the way you planned.”
The dark haired man shook his head, turning their hands over so he was holding Buck’s. “No. This is perfect.” Still holding Buck’s hand, he said, “Even Buckley, we spent the first week of our relationship with you being an unholy brat. But a grenade and an exploded ambulance made us fast friends. If I’d known where this would lead us when I said you could have my back, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. I love you. Will you have my back for the rest of our lives?”
Buck grinned, leaning forward to kiss Eddie before whispering against his lips, “Yes. Yes, I’ll have your back if you’ll have mine.”
Eddie slipped the ring on Buck’s finger, then kissed the palm of his hand. “It’s gonna be an interesting life,” he commented. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”