9.13 CODA
The drive back should probably be solemn—the complete opposite of the first stretch before everything went to hell—before Eddie, fully, truly came to terms with the depth of his feelings, before every hateful, homophobic comment was thrown at him, and he realized that they felt hateful, and bigoted, but not… incorrect.
The drive back should be solemn—Eddie should be clutching the wheel with white knuckles, and they should be clutching their ribs, but… no, it’s fun.
They’re still cycling through music, and singing along horribly, and their movements are a bit more stiff with some grunts thrown in, but every time Eddie takes a brief look to the side, he sees Buck—bruised, and battered, but okay. Alive. Beautiful.
That’s his partner. His man. That’s his—they are each other’s everything; he knows that now. With certainty.
I am going to marry you. So fucking hard. If you don’t drag me down the aisle first, that is, because I would let you. Any day. Any Way. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Ever.
Eddie doesn’t say any of that yet, instead he just admires the slope of his nose, and the way he laughs when Eddie turns on 500 Miles.
They have time. But soon. Soon. He simply can’t take it anymore. Perhaps even at the next rest stop, he’ll tell him.
It’s time. He’s ready. And the future is so, so bright.
