Work Text:
Chaos.
It was chaos all around.
And it all came from Johnny.
He was pacing around, eyes wild, as he tried to remember if there was anything missing from Daisy’s backpack. He walked to the kitchen around three times, then to her room, then to the bathroom. Her mohawk was a mess, because he kept running his hands through it. His lip was bruised because he kept nibbling on it.
Daisy sat on the sofa, her little legs dangling as she watched her Da’ stress. She had been ready for about twenty minutes: her new uniform had been cleaned and pressed and was still warm, her shoes were tied tight to prevent any accidents, her hair was pulled tight into a ponytail that her Da’ had spent too much time on. She feared she would not be able to get all of the gel off.
Simon emerged from the bathroom, freshly shaved and ready to go. His eyes locked in on Johnny and he sighed deeply, walking to him and wrapping his arms around him to stop him from moving.
“We have everything, baby.”
“But what if I missed—“
“She has her notebooks, her pencil case, her water bottle and her snacks. She even has a second pair of socks and a jumper in case she gets chilly. You covered everything. Stop stressing.”
Johnny slumped dramatically against Simon, eliciting a chuckle from his daughter. She was excited to start Year 1, but it seemed like her Da’ was more nervous than she was. She didn’t really understand why, but she knew her Da’ had been feeling emotional the past few days. The best she could do was comfort him. She jumped from the sofa and walked to the two adults, joining in their hug.
“I’ll be fine, Da’. Don’t worry. Can we go now?”
Johnny chuckled and fought the urge to tousle her hair. He couldn’t mess up his own handiwork.
Daisy’s new school was only a few blocks away. They had done some research on it, of course: the teachers were highly regarded, the activities were fun and interesting, the building was a little old but covered in bright colors and kids’ artwork. It seemed like a place where Daisy would thrive. They walked in tandem, Daisy in the middle, holding on to both of them, skipping along to their long strides. They picked her up intermittently, her squeals and her little feet kicking as she lifted off the ground doing wonders to calm Johnny’s nerves.
At the gate, Johnny insisted they took pictures. They snapped some selfies, and some solo photos of Daisy, who started out standing with her hands politely clasped behind her back and ended up trying to do a backbend to make her dad laugh.
A nice mom took a picture of the three of them, Daisy standing in front of them holding one hand of each man. Simon thanked her as Johnny looked at the picture, his eyes already welling with tears. He placed a hand on the Scot’s back, rubbing soothing circles as he took the mantle of talking to the security guard, asking for directions.
They finally walked into the building, a nice admin person guiding them towards Daisy’s classroom. Johnny’s hand on his daughter’s shoulder was stiff with nervousness as they met her new teacher. Daisy assessed her for a full thirty seconds before looking up at her father and nodding curtly. She had passed inspection. Simon stood back a little while Johnny talked to the teacher, his eyes scanning the environment, taking note of the other children’s parents. They all seemed to be as much of a wreck as Johnny was. Nothing to worry about.
As the bell rang, they both knelt so that Daisy could hug them. Johnny held onto his daughter with an iron grip, his body convulsing as tears spilled from his eyes. Daisy looked up at Simon, her eyes comically wide as she patted her father’s back. “Daaaaa’, please. No tears please.” Simon pressed his lips together to stop himself from chuckling. Johnny really did wear his emotions on his sleeve, and it was incredibly endearing. For him, at least. Daisy was a little mortified.
Simon rubbed his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder, trying to bring him back to Earth. “Come on, baby. She’ll be fine. She’s tough as nails.”
Johnny finally relaxed, letting Daisy escape from his grasp. She gently brushed his tears away with her little thumbs and that only made him cry harder. With a soft sigh, Simon helped Johnny up and gathered him in his arms, holding him tight and allowing him to press his face onto his shoulder, still weeping.
“Go in, pumpkin, I’ll take care of him.”
She gave him a mock salute and with one last worried look, she turned around and ran into the classroom.
Once she disappeared, Simon turned his full attention to the sobbing Scot in his arms. He ran his fingers through his hair, scratching his scalp softly, trying to ground him. He knew Johnny needed to feel his feelings, so he let him be, existing as a steadying presence as he worked through his emotions.
A few minutes later, Johnny took a step back, lifting his face from the crook of Simon’s neck. His eyes were still sparkly, but there was a shy smile on his lips. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, it’s a big day. But you might need to talk to Daisy because I think you embarrassed her a little.”
Johnny had not been able to weasel himself out of a shift that day, so Simon was the one in charge of pick-up duty. He waited at the gate with all of the other parents, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall. It only took a few minutes after the bell for Daisy to appear, running towards him, her backpack slamming against her back as she went. Her socks were bunched up around his ankles, her ponytail had turned into a messy bun on the nape of her neck and she looked immensely happy.
Simon crouched to take her into his arms and bring her up with him. “You look like you had a wonderful time.”
“It was so fun! I learned so much! Matthew is not very nice,” she added, softly, shooting a dirty look to another child “but I made a lot of friends!”
They walked slowly back to the house, Daisy recounting her day back to Simon with painstaking detail. Simon, as always, was glad to just listen, interjecting here and there but mostly letting the child tell her story. She was obviously excited, and he was not going to do anything to deter her from her love of school. If she noticed his nervousness, she made no comment, content to fill the silence with stories of how the teacher was very nice, and that there was a girl named Maisie that had shared her markers with her, and how she could not wait to go back tomorrow.
Once they were home, Simon ushered her to go get a shower. She was glad to get an excuse to get rid of her uniform and the gel in her hair, so she went with no problem. As he heard the water turn on, Simon sat back down on the sofa, his face in his hands. He took a few steadying breaths, his fingers twitching due to his nerves. He pushed through it, standing up to carry out his plan.
He picked out her clothes for the evening and placed them on her bed as she finished showering. Once she came out, he helped her towel her hair before letting her get dressed. He sneaked back into his own bedroom, kneeling by his side of the bed, and pulling out a small box that he’d strategically taped to the bed frame. He held it tight in his hand, trying to ground himself and work out the nerve to do what he needed to.
He came out to the living room, where Daisy was busy brushing her hair. She looked up at him with a smile that immediately fell as he saw his expression.
“What’s wrong?” Once more, he was impressed but also terrified at this kid’s ability to read him like a book. He had known her for two years, and in that time, he had never ceased to be amazed by her uncanny social ability. He had always prided himself in his stoic expression, but had retired its use in his off-duty life. Whether that was because he was tired of it or because it was pointless, given that Daisy could still read him, he did not know.
“I have something to ask you,” he started, worrying on his lip as he walked towards her, his hands behind his back. She placed her brush on the coffee table and turned to him, expectant. She looked wise beyond her years. “I want you to know that you can say no, you can tell me your honest opinion. But I need your permission to do something.” He sank to his knees in front of her, revealing the tiny black box he held in his hand. He opened it up, showing her the inside.
The ring was a simple black band made of Tungsten carbide, with two delicate stripes: one rose gold, and one green sapphire. The interior was also rose gold, sparkling in the light.
Daisy’s mouth fell open, her eyes wide as she realized what was going on. Simon took a deep breath, ready for his speech.
***
Johnny came home tired, the shift proving to be too much for him. Between the nerves he had with Daisy’s first day, and the emotional exhaustion of crying himself out in Simon’s arms as he saw her walk into her classroom, he had been out of it at work. He had tried his best to focus and stay on top of things, and he had succeeded, but his mental state had taken a toll because of it. He had barely eaten lunch because his stomach was in knots, trying to survive on coffee and mints.
He closed the door behind him, his shoulders sagging under the weight of the day. His daughter was immediately next to him, hugging him tight and hiding her cheek against the side of his hip. When had she gotten so tall?
He held her tight, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head. “How was school?”
“Wonderful!” She exclaimed, pulling him by the hand into the house, offering no other explanation. This was not usual for her.
Still, he chuckled and let himself be pulled, sniffing the air in confusion. There was a strong scent of cooking meat. But it couldn’t be. “Did– Did Simon cook?”
“Oh, Simon did.” The man in question replied, coming out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a kitchen towel with a smile on his lips. Johnny stopped in his tracks, making Daisy stumble as she tried to drag him still.
“What’s all this?” He wondered, looking at the dining table. There were plates set already, drinks served, and even two candles lit. Simon shrugged, reaching around the table to plant a kiss on his lips.
“I know you had a hard day. Figured I could make a nice meal and we could celebrate Daisy's first day.”
“But you’re… cooking meat?”
Simon shrugged, scratching the back of his neck. Shy , Johnny realized. “I might have looked up some recipes and some cooking shows. You’re always making wonderful meals for us and I can’t keep contributing only with spaghetti.”
Johnny was still a little confused but he was pushed to their bedroom by his daughter, to take a shower. There was something going on, that much he could tell, but he could not put his finger on what exactly. The thoughts slid from his mind as he walked under the warm spray of water, glad to be able to rub the grime off of himself. He made quick work of it, though, willing himself not to close his eyes under the heat of the water, not wanting to keep them waiting.
He came out of the bedroom only fifteen minutes later, and Daisy was ready for him. She took his hand again, helping him sit down and handing him his glass of wine. Johnny narrowed his eyes suspiciously at her, a playful smile on his lips. “What’s going on with you? You’re fidgety.”
“Am not!” She immediately countered, showing him how right he was with his assessment. She turned to her own seat, picking up her fork and knife, ignoring her dad’s knowing look.
Simon appeared at that moment, carrying in the meat and potatoes he had roasted. He served helpings for the three of them, before sitting down. He didn’t dig in, waiting for Johnny to taste his work first. The Scot lifted a small bite to his lips, the flavor exploding in his mouth the second the meat touched his tongue. His eyes went wide, and Simon broke into a grin, obviously proud of himself.
They ate in silence, but Daisy was still fidgeting, unable to sit still. She kept shooting glances at Simon out of the corner of her eye, and even though Simon was pretending not to notice, Johnny could see that his fingers were twitching as he held his glass of wine.
“Okay. What’s going on.” He placed both of his palms on the table, alternatively looking between his daughter and his boyfriend. Daisy glanced up at Simon once more and started chuckling nervously, covering her face with her hands but leaving space between her fingers to still watch. Simon sighed, shaking his head with a soft smile, before locking eyes with Johnny.
“Your daughter has no poker face, is what’s going on.” He licked his lips and took a deep breath to steady himself. “Daisy, do you want to tell him?”
“Tell me what?” Johnny was getting antsy with so much secrecy. He did not enjoy being kept out, but was trying to keep his temper in check, although his anxiety had creeped into his words.
“Simon has a question he wants to ask you, Da’. He asked for my permission today.”
The Scot was thrown off by that, his anxiety dying down. He had been expecting some terrible news, but this was clearly not it. Johnny’s eyes were locked on his daughter so he missed Simon moving out of the corner of his eye. “Permission for what?”
“For this.” Simon caught his attention with his words, turning his head before his eyes and freezing in place.
Simon was now by his side, one knee on the ground, holding a small black box in his hands, a hopeful and teary eyed look on his face. Johnny felt like he was choking.
“Oh, Simon…”
Simon struggled a little before managing to open the small box.
“John MacTavish,” Simon started, making Daisy chuckle, making the Brit huff out a laugh himself at his own serious tone. “You have no idea how much I love you. Meeting you and Daisy really was the highlight of my life. You showed me that I could trust others, that I could love others. You are so selfless, so sweet, so caring, such a wonderful father. You bring light into my life. And you’re also very hot.” Johnny chuckled wetly at that, Daisy playfully groaning at the comment but still watching them with wide eyes. “I never thought I’d meet someone I would want to spend the rest of my life with, but I did. You’re it for me, Johnny. I want to spend every day of my life doing my best to make you happy, like you do so effortlessly with me. I already asked Daisy, and she said yes. So– will you marry me?”