*Two Years Later*
"Pumpkin! Have you seen my tie?!"
Cooper poked his head out from behind the closet door, catching a glimpse of Oliver adjusting his suit in the mirror, no tie on.
Tonight was the night of their prom, a night that was going to be special for them because Cooper was planning (if Mr. and Mrs. Otto gave their permission) to ask Oliver to marry him. Well, marry him one day.
They were only 18, so it was more of a promise ring than anything. But still, Cooper wanted to guarantee they'd be together forever. All he needed was for Oliver to say yes.
"Yeah, amor. I'm pretty sure it's in the bathroom," He said, startling Oliver from across the room. "Thanks." Oliver nodded, strolling out the room to retrieve his tie.
Cooper grinned, moving back into the closet and towards the suit jacket hanging up. He pulled out the small ring box, opening it with a click to make sure Luther hadn't eaten the diamond ring.
The ring was expensive, with tiny diamonds in the silver band while the biggest rock was in the middle. It took him almost a month to find the perfect ring and Cooper hoped that Oliver would like it.
He closed the velvet box and placed it back in his suit jacket before getting dressed. When he finished, Oliver was dragging him out of the room, telling him that Gina and Brie were already ready and had the limo waiting for them. Gina and Brie started dating a few months before and they were the cutest couple Oliver and Cooper helped put together.
"Go on, I just need to get something," Cooper said at the front door.
Oliver scrunched his face, dark brows knit as he looked at him confused, "Fine." He walked out the door, closing it behind him as Cooper sighed in relief.
He made his way over to the kitchen island where Katie and Greg were talking while looking at photos on Katie's phone. "Hey um, I need to ask you guys something?" Cooper spoke up, getting their attention.
They turned to him, confused looks on their face, "What's up Cooper?"
Cooper took a deep breath, pressing down his suit with the palms of his hands. "I love your son so much, and one day I want to well... I want to marry him, not till after college of course! But I wanted to propose? Like a pre-engagement Promise ring sort of-" He rambled, waving his hands around, and before he could say anything else, Katie and Greg hand their arms around him, hugging him.
He leaned into the hug, all of his worries melting away because he knew the Otto's weren't big on hugging. "Cooper, we know you're still young and all, but if you really plan to wait, then we give our blessing," Katie said softly.
Cooper could've cried right then and there but he didn't want to worry the Otto's. He sniffled, whipping at his eyes as the two parents backed away from Cooper, both of them smiling.
"Now go, you're going to miss your prom," She laughed. Cooper nodded, getting his composure back, and walked out of the house feeling a lot more confident.
...
The prom turned out to be a masterpiece, Oliver laughing and twirling Cooper around on the dance floor till they were both tired and dizzy. Cooper pulled him by the dip of his waist, kissing him gently as they swayed to the slow beat of some song from the 90s, probably Boys to Men or All-4-One. Though Cooper didn't care, Oliver's lips were sticky sweet from the punch.
Cooper felt his heart flutter when Oliver moved his hands to cup his face, pressing their bodies together and not caring if anyone noticed or stared. And Cooper felt like it was the perfect time to put his plan into action.
"Hey babe," He whispered when they pulled away.
Oliver looked at him, confused, "Yeah?"
"I um, I need to go do something really quick."
Before Cooper could turn to walk away, Oliver pulled him by his elbow, catching his attention. "Are you planning something? Wait... Are you breaking up with me?!" He said, jumping to conclusions like his mother would.
"What! Baby no, I would never do that, why would you even think that?" Cooper said, his voice sincere. "And I'm not planning anything, I know you don't like surprises."
"It's just, you've been acting weird all week and I'm.... worried I guess," He admitted.
"There's nothing to be worried about, I'm not breaking up with you and never will." Oliver's anxious frown turned into a soft smile.
Cooper leaned in and pecked his lips with a grin. "Now I'm going to go talk to Brea, okay mi amor?" Oliver nodded and gave Cooper's elbow a small squeeze.
He turned on his heel, walking over towards where Brea, Gina, Weston, and Weston's date, Andrew were talking near one of the tables. "I think he might be catching on, we need to be inconspicuous," He said, getting their full attention.
"Inconspicuous?" Gina chuckled, "I don't think you could be 'inconspicuous'" Cooper rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest, "Gina." She held out her hand, making a gimmy-gimmy gesture.
Cooper stubbornly gave her the fifty bucks he promised. She gave him a thumbs up in return, taking Brea by the hand as the two of them went off to do their objective. He had planned everything out to the point, nothing unaccounted for.
He waited almost 30 minutes before he put the last few steps into effect. Cooper pulled Oliver outside the gym, making up an excuse about wanting some air. "Hey babe, how 'bout we take a walk?" He asked with a smile, looking over at Oliver leaning against the bright red brick.
"Uh, sure?"
Cooper linked their fingers, pulling him along down a pathway at the back of the school. "I still feel like you're planning something?" Oliver said, confusion clear as day on his face. "Well, I already told you I'm not."
Oliver's face turned from confusion to something unreadable. The farther down the path they got, the brighter it was. Fairy Lights circled each tree with lanterns hanging from their branches. "The hell...?"
He grinned, leaning into Oliver's side as the one looked around, "Isn't it pretty?" Cooper asked.
"Yeah?"
Cooper pulled Oliver along the pathway and when the trees cleared, Oliver's jaw dropped. Personally, Cooper thought he could have done better, like a skywriter or maybe where they had their first "official" date but no, a simplistic gazebo outside their high school, near a pond.
It was an eggshell white gazebo with flowers at the top of the entrance, as well as bright fairy lights along the edge. Cooper's grin widened as Oliver began to smile at the tranquil image before him.
"Come on, let's go look at the view," He whispered.
Oliver nodded and walked with him up the steps of the gazebo with his boyfriend. Cooper moved behind him, wrapping his arms around his waist as they looked out into the lake, the lights shimmering in its reflection.
He slipped a small, heart-shaped locket into Oliver's pocket and pulled away, Oliver not paying it any mind. "Look in your pocket," Cooper said, toying with the ring box in his suit jacket.
His boyfriend slipped out the locket, opening it and mumbling "Will you, Marry me..?" then he turned around surprised. Cooper, already down on one knee, flicked open the box, "So, Will you marry me, Oliver Otto?"
Oliver gasped, sinking down into a crouching position in front of him as he, very unexpectedly, started crying. "Fuck. Are you alright?! Do you not like the ring?!" Cooper asked freaking out.
"No, It's not the ring," He said, hiccuping as he whipped his face with the sleeve of his suit jacket.
"Then, do you not want to marry me?" He asked. Cooper moved closer to Oliver, lowering the ring box to the wooden floor. Oliver took a deep breath then circled arms around Cooper's neck, taking him by surprise for the second time that night.
"Ask me again," Oliver whispered.
"What?"
"Ask me to marry you again."
Cooper's heart skipped a beat at his words, a smile spreading across his face as he picked the ring box back up, "Then... Oliver Duke Otto, will you marry this dunce." Oliver laughed. With tears still wet on his face, Oliver leaned in a kissed Cooper.
"Yes. Absolutely yes," He said, titling their foreheads together. Cooper grinned and took Oliver's hand into his, slipping the silver band on his ring finger. "I love it, but..."
He looked at his eyes wide as Oliver trailed off with a smirk, "I actually bought you this-" Oliver pulled out a rose gold ring, C+O was engraved on the inside of the band. "I thought I'd give this to you in a few days for your birthday."
"Aw," Cooper cooed, "I love it."
Oliver put the ring on Cooper's finger and kissed his lips gently, and when he pulled away, he spoke in a soft tone, "And I love you." Cooper's face flushed as he heard it. They'd said it many times before to each other but at that moment, he couldn't help but feel his chest swell with all the love in the world.
"And I love you too, marido."
He pulled the two of them up on their feet, pecking his lips again. "Now let's get back to our prom, I get to show off my shiny fiancee," Oliver laughed. Cooper slowly linked their fingers, leaning into Oliver as he did earlier.
"Now how do you say that in Spanish?" Oliver asked as they walked.
"It roughly translates into- Puedo presumir de mi brillante prometida."
"P-puedo presumir de m-mi brillante p-prometida?"
"There you go," Cooper giggled, kissing the top of Oliver's head.
And from there, the two of them walked back towards the gym together, hand-in-hand. Together as one. Finally.
~The End~