Chapter Text
“You seriously don’t have to come. You’ve had to live with this thesis. Trust me, no one will judge you for not showing up, you’ve suffered enough.”
They had probably had this conversation at least six times. Ron was the option that attending his defense of thesis was on par with a root canal. He’d been shocked when Carwood took a half day off work to attend. Carwood, for his part, hadn’t thought twice about it, and when he’d told his boss, the way she hadn’t batted an eyelash and just told him to tell Ron she had her fingers crossed for him. Everyone else seemed to understand that a thesis defense was something a boyfriend went too. Well, everyone but Ron.
“You’re going to have to sit with my parents,” Ron said like that was going to be some deal breaker. Like they hadn’t talked about that already too.
“You aren’t going to get rid of me that easy, Sparky,” Carwood said as he poured the last of his coffee down the sink.
“I can think of a million other things I would do with a half day off work then attend a thesis defense,” Ron stated, still cradling his coffee mug in his hands since he didn’t have to leave for a few more hours.
“That’s because you hate the idea of it on principle,” Carwood said as he pulled on his coat. The weather was finally starting to warm up so he was pleased to break out his lighter jacket.
“Fine. It’s your vacation time,” Ron said, rolling his eyes.
“Yes, it is and I can’t think of a better use for it then watching my boyfriend defend his thesis,” Carwood said, walking over to where Ron was casually leaning against their kitchen counter. He rested his hand on Ron’s hip, pushing up Ron’s shirt a bit so his fingers rested on bare skin.
Ron rolled his eyes. “I’ll see you at one.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Carwood said.
“You are so sappy sometimes,” Ron said before he pulled Carwood into a kiss. Carwood’s fingers griped Ron’s hip as Ron slid his tongue into Carwood’s mouth. It was easy to get pulled in like this, Ron could do that. He always had with Carwood, whether it was the craft room or their kitchen. Ron could make him forget there was a world out there beyond the two of them. Which is why Carwood had set an alarm on his phone for when he absolutely had to leave the house and it was currently going off on the counter.
“I only took the half day,” Carwood sputtered, pulling back.
“Spoilsport,” Ron said before taking a sip of his coffee.
“I’ll see you this afternoon,” Carwood said, taking that first important step back from Ron and the temptation to just call in sick. After that it got easier to pull on his jacket and pick up his laptop bag.
“That’s the only part of this that I’m looking forward too.” Ron replied.
Carwood smiled. “I love you.”
“Love you too,” Ron said as Carwood walked to their front door. Carwood’s smile grew wider because even if it hadn’t taken much doing to get Ron to say those words, it still made Carwood a little giddy to hear them.
It was still a little brisk outside when Carwood stepped out, winter a little unwilling to let go of Boston so that it could slid into spring. As Carwood turned the corner to walk towards his bus stop, he turned back as he always did to see their building. It wouldn’t be their building much longer, once Ron got into Brandeis they wouldn’t need to be so close to Boston College so they could save some money. Carwood was already looking for places. Ron just kept saying to let him graduate first, but in Carwood’s mind that was happening in May and Ron would be accepted and start his fellowship in August. So that was a pretty accelerated timeline to find a place and move. He’d miss this place. It had been Ron’s apartment when Carwood had moved to Boston. At the same time he was excited to pick their place, to find something together. Ron teased him about nesting impulses, but Carwood didn’t care. It was a relationship milestone and Carwood was glad to achieve it with Ron.
When he got to his bus stop, Carwood stuck his hands into his pockets only to find something hard in his pocket. When he pulled it out of his pocket he smiled; it was the container of bubbles from Kitty and Harry’s wedding. That was the last time he’d worn this jacket, standing outside the reception hall. Blowing bubbles as Kitty and Harry ran past to get to their car. He had tucked the bubbles back into his coat before he walked back inside to sit and shoot the shit with Bull and Martin while Buck spun Donna around the room. It had gotten warmer after that and the coat and the bubbles had been packed away in the hall closet.
Carwood ran his thumb over the ribbon tied around the neck of the small bottle, this was one relationship milestone that they might not reach. Not because he thought they would break up, but because neither of them seemed like they were in that much of hurry. They still talked about it every once in awhile. Something along the lines of ‘when we get married, we aren’t doing that’ or noticing the catering company of their building’s holiday party. But it always seemed like something in the distance. And maybe that was because Ron was still in school, or because they still lived in their university apartment. Or maybe it was because they didn’t have overbearing parents breathing down their necks to do it. Sure they had Kitty but even she was mostly joking.
Ron had said once, about four beers in, that he’d just whisk Carwood off to a courthouse some random Tuesday and do it like Dick and Nix did. Carwood had been mostly ok with that suggestion. He’d prefer a planned Tuesday so his mom and brother could make the trip, Kitty and Harry too. Harry would never forgive them if they eloped without him too. But he couldn’t imagine doing the whole church wedding with a reception with dancing to follow. So maybe that was something to add to the list, graduate, find a fellowship, get an adult apartment, and plan a Tuesday.
Carwood smiled as he tucked the bubbles back in his pocket as his bus pulled up to the curb, knowing that whatever they were doing, they were doing it together. And in the end, that’s what mattered.