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It had been an hour, and still, Buck couldn’t get over it.
“So like, not even on vacation, or anything?”
Eddie chuckled from where he sat rested behind him, hugging Buck’s middle tighter with his arms.
“Buck, I don’t know how else to tell you this love, but I have never, anywhere in my life seen snow before.”
Buck frowned at that. Impossible.
For someone who had been around the world on tour, he’d sure missed one of the most beautiful things nature had to offer.
“I just can’t believe that you’ve been to all these other countries and never once seen snow before!”
“I was surfing baby, that doesn’t exactly call for snowy weather.
Well, when he put it like that….
Buck twisted in Eddie’s hold, looking right into those warm browns.
“Then I guess we better hope it snows here this year. I want you and Chris to have a white Christmas.”
Eddie smiled to him, reaching a hand to brush over his birthmark, Buck leaning into the touch automatically.
“I doubt it’ll snow here this year because it never does, but who knows, maybe we’ll get lucky.”
Buck sighed to himself. He wanted to give Chris and Eddie the best Christmas ever. After everything they’d done for Buck, taking him in, never giving up on him, making him a part of their family—making sure they had a white Christmas was really the least he could do.
Holidays growing up had never been all that memorable. He could only remember waking up the snow falling every Christmas morning, Maddie letting him drag her out to play in it for the next several hours. It was really the only memories he had of Christmas as a kid, and he thought Chris should get to have some of that too.
Eddie’s fingers tapped on his forehead, gaining Buck’s attention.
“What’s running through that big head of yours?”
“Do you think snowboarding’s like surfing, just, on snow?”
Eddie huffed out a laugh, shaking his head down to Buck.
“I dunno, I guess they could be fairly similar? Why, you think we’re gonna get that much snow here?”
“No, just thinking how adorable you’d look in those ski goggles.”
He leaned up for a kiss, Eddie easily meeting him in the middle, their lips crashing together like two waves bound to meet.
They ended up lazily making out there for a while, Buck not bringing the snow up again, the thoughts still racing in the back of his mind.
He wanted their first Christmas together to be perfect, special. They’d gone through so many ups and downs, Buck just wanting them to have an easy win for once. Like Eddie’s expert surfing skills, Buck wanted their Christmas to be flawless.
~
Like Eddie, Buck had hoped that they would get lucky and have snowfall this year, but with Christmas only two days away, it didn’t seem very likely.
He was all but giving up hope for a white Christmas.
They were working the shop together today, the one that turned into a holiday shop for the off season. The High Tide was still in full swing, the usual boards, leashes, and wax traded out for sandy trees, surfboard ornaments, and snowman kits that held starfish for buttons, and Santa hats instead of the traditional top hat.
Chris had even designed them a new logo for the holiday season, Buck of course opting for it on a hoodie while Eddie took the long sleeve. The design was of a candy cane striped surfboard, three reindeer pulling it, one who had glasses, another with a blotchy mark on its forehead, the other with a medallion around its neck. The board was surrounded with Christmas lights, ones that Chris had drawn into little surfboards. Written across the bottom were the words: ho ho ho tide, instead of their traditional High Tide logo.
As Buck finished with another customer, Eddie headed to the back with a box for storage, Buck pulling out his phone to do some research until the next customer arrived. He couldn’t find any forecast that was predicting snow in the next couple days, Buck sighing with disappointment. Sure, he had plenty of thoughtful gifts under the tree for both Eddie and Chris, but it wasn’t enough. They deserved so much more, and Buck was going to do whatever it took to give it to them.
When the store finally dwindled down, Buck had made his plan. He wandered into the back room, admiring the way Eddie was squatted down low, pondering.
“Hey, I’m gonna take off. Everyone’s out of the shop.”
Eddie turned to look at him, brows raised a little in suspicion.
“Buck, we have enough gifts from you. Don’t think I didn’t see the five new ones you added last night.”
Buck feigned innocence.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about my love.”
Eddie didn’t buy it, standing to match his level, reaching out to place his hands in Buck’s.
“Fine, but don’t be gone too long yea? Chris still wants to build those snowmen.”
“Sand-men Eds, sand-men.”
Eddie gave a roll of his eyes, though he leaned in when Buck made to peck him on the lips.
“I’ll be back before you can miss me.”
Eddie leaned into him, whispering.
“Impossible. I already do.”
Buck couldn’t help but to wrap his boyfriend into his arms, hugging Eddie tightly.
With one last kiss, he managed to pull himself away, heading out the door, the familiar jingle sounding out behind him.
He only had about an hour to get to the place before it closed; he just hoped they still had some left in stock. If snow wasn’t going to fall from the sky, then he was just going to have to make some of his own.
~
As it turned out, getting your hands on a snow machine two days before Christmas was not an easy feat.
He’d wasted several hours driving around town to find one, arriving at each store only to find they were sold out and wouldn’t have any in stock until the new year. So, of course he’d then spent several minutes researching online how to make one. He’d driven all all around town to find the right parts, only for the stores to be sold out of those as well. Why was having a white Christmas so damn impossible?
Because of all of this, he’d not gotten home until after dark, the beach much too cold now for building snowmen, or as he and Chris liked to call them—sand-men.
It was Christmas eve today, Buck feeling defeated. Not only had he not found a way to bring snow to two of his favorite people, but he’d disappointed Chris in turn. Oh, and there was also the fact that the cool weather made his leg ache, all the wandering around yesterday not having done anything to help with that.
Buck nudged Chris from where he was sitting next to him, the coffee table covered in crayons and colored pencils.
“Hey bud, I’m—I’m really sorry about yesterday. Maybe we could uh, go now?”
His leg would hate him for it, but he’d do anything to cheer Chris up, even if the kid had told him it was ok.
“It’s ok Buck. We already made some anyway.”
While that was true, Buck felt guilty all the same. Nothing was working out for him lately.
Buck tried again, hitting Chris with the thing he knew the kid couldn’t say no to.
“How about Scoops?”
Chris promptly dropped the crayon in hand, turning to Buck with wide eyes.
“We have to try the new peppermint flavor!”
Buck wasn’t going to mention that he’d tried it a few days ago when he and Eddie had gone there while Chris was at school.
“Of course! C’mon, get your shoes on so we can go.”
Chris was using the table to help himself up in no time, Buck hearing the familiar tap of crutches across the floor as he went. Buck used the time to stretch his leg, hating how the old familiar pain flared up with the changes in weather.
Once Chris had his shoes on, they headed down to the parlor, Buck thankful the shop was busy so they didn’t have to stop in; Eddie could always sense his leg pain from a mile away.
Scoops smelled like a mix of chocolate and peppermint this time of year, the place decked out with Christmas décor, some of the sandy tree ornaments from the shop hung around.
“Hey guys. How are two of my three favorite customers?” Ravi asked, cheerful as ever.
“We wanna try the new peppermint flavor! Dad would think it’s ‘too weird.’
Ravi let out a laugh. “Well, he actually tried it when—”
Buck made a frantic waving motion across his throat, Ravi quickly getting with the program, handing them each a sample instead, Buck pretending it was his first time trying it.
“Well, what do you think bud?”
Chris nodded his head eagerly, Buck ordering them each a peppermint sundae, with extra chocolate sauce and sprinkles of course.
They took their favorite bench outside, the cool winter air whipping through. It was so much different being by the beach in winter vs summer. Where it was usually sunny and full of people, Eddie out on the waves, now it was deserted, the sky generally foggy and overcast these days.
They ate their ice-cream in silence, making happy mumbles around each bite.
“Can we do sand-men after this?” Chris asked, surprising him.
“Yea, yea of course we can.”
They finished up with their ice-cream then, Chris asking if they could stop by the shop before making their way down to the beach. Buck agreed, praying the shop would be too busy for Eddie to notice the way he was slightly limping.
The store was decently busy when they entered, Buck watching Eddie right in his element, already talking people up for when the new season started. They made their way to the back, Buck knowing the moment Eddie spotted them, his lips curling into a fond smile.
Eddie hugged Chris to him, excusing himself from his customer for a moment to properly greet them.
“Hey bud, what’re you two up to?”
Before either of them could answer, Eddie swiped something off Chris’ lips, raising his thumb up to inspect in.
“Scoops without me, really?”
They both put on their best innocent smiles, Eddie giving that fond eyeroll of his.
“We’re gonna go make sand-men now!”
While Chris wandered to the door, eager to get going, Buck leaned into Eddie, easily accepting a kiss.
“I told you he still loved you.”
So maybe Buck had given himself a bit of a pity party the night before about missing his one-on-one time with Chris. He just loved the kid so much, and hated disappointing him in any way.
“Yea, well I had to lie to him about trying the peppermint ice-cream without him. Ravi almost ousted us too!”
Eddie chuckled, reaching a hand out to brush Buck’s arm.
“So, what you’re really telling me is that you bribed our kid with ice-cream?”
Buck smiled bashfully, ducking his head. It still amazed him anytime Eddie referred to Chris as their kid, rather than his.
“C’mon Buck, we have to hurry before it gets dark!”
Eddie nodded to him, squeezing Buck’s arm. Buck made to turn away, wincing a little from standing in the same place too long. He quickly threw a smile back to Eddie, hoping he hadn’t noticed.
“Buck.”
Buck stilled in his place, turning halfway to meet Eddie, shame already creeping up him.
“Uh, yea?”
“Grab some of the snowmen kits off the shelf.”
Oh yea, that he could do.
Buck made to grab them before throwing a wink and a kiss Eddie’s way, Chris following him out the door.
They made their way down to the beach, picking a spot that had the most sun, taking a seat there. Buck filled their bucket with water, the two of them carefully using it to pack the sand tightly, making three big balls, one for each layer of the snowman.
Once the snowman was assembled, they added the Santa hat and the starfish for buttons, using various sticks and shells laying around for the face, arms, and legs. Standing one either side of it afterwards, Buck snapped a picture of the three of them, sending it off to Eddie with the caption: there’s snow-men like us.
Since they still had time before the sun set, Buck used a stick to draw the outline of a Christmas tree, Chris finding various shells and rocks to use as ornaments, Buck watching as he went. It was the perfect day, Buck only wishing Eddie could be with him, but they’d all be together tomorrow.
It would be their first Christmas together, something Buck never would’ve dreamed of a year ago. He had no idea what Chris or Eddie could’ve gotten him for Christmas—he already had everything he needed, wanted.
As the sun set, they watched it together, Eddie coming to join them at some point, the three of them making their way up to the house, spending the rest of the night baking and in their pajamas.
When they woke in the morning, it still wasn’t snowing, much to Buck’s dismay.
A hand came to rest over his cheek, those browns hovering over him.
“Baby, you can’t be sad on Christmas morning.”
He didn’t want to be, but he couldn’t help but to feel a little disappointed that he couldn’t give both Chris and Eddie the best day ever.
“I can’t give you guys what I really wanted to.”
“And what’s that?” Eddie asked, leaning further into his space.
Buck let out a sigh, turning to look away from Eddie.
“I-I wanted to give you guys a white Christmas, but none of my ideas worked out, and now we can’t have the best day ever.”
Eddie used his hold on Buck’s face to turn him back, blue catching with brown.
“Says who?”
Buck shrugged, not feeling the excitement like he wished he could.
“Hey, we don’t need snow or any of those thousands of gifts from you underneath the tree. All we need is you, Buck. You’re the best present I could’ve asked for.”
“Maybe you can unwrap me later,” Buck said with a wag of his brows, cutting some of the tension between them.
Chris came barging in then, Eddie lifting him up onto the bed, the two of them tickling him silly before they all made their way to the living room. Buck made pancakes, the three of them devouring them before making their way around the tree, opening each and every gift.
Buck got Eddie a surf watch, one that was not only waterproof and told time, but also displayed tide information.
Eddie eyed it carefully, reading over the description. He smiled up to Buck, pulling him in for a sweet kiss. “This is really badass.”
Buck shrugged. “Not as badass as my boyfriend.”
Thankfully Chris had been too distracted with his new Lego beach set to pay them any mind, Eddie handing over a gift from him to Buck.
The package was large in size, Buck looking it over, shaking the box before Eddie gave a roll of his eyes, Buck finally opening it.
Inside was a basket full of things, Buck pulling them out to look them over. There was massage oil, lotions, medicated cream, wraps, and scar cream. Along with that was a jar of popsicle sticks, Buck picking them up to see various words had been written on them.
“I know you hate asking for help, especially when it comes to your leg, so I thought we could keep everything in one place, and you can use the sticks as your tickets for free massages, or whatever you need that day.”
Each stick had a dorky memory of the two of them, Buck cherishing each one more than the next. To some, it might be a lame present, but not to Buck. The way Eddie understood him without Buck ever having to say anything was one of the many reasons why he loved the man so much.
Buck all but crawled into Eddie’s lap, hugging him tightly.
“You’re the love of my life, you know that?”
Eddie hugged him back, pulling him in close.
“Funny. I was gonna say the same thing about you.”
They managed to finish opening the rest of their presents before the two of them fell together on the couch, Chris still thoroughly engrossed on the floor with his new toys.
Buck was laid on the couch with his head in Eddie’s lap, Eddie’s hands carding through his hair. It usually made him knock out, but his leg hadn’t stopped bothering him since sitting in the sand for hours with Chris the day before.
He thought about it a minute before reaching off the side of the couch, reaching for a stick from his basket, shyly handing it back to Eddie. Their hands met as Eddie took it, setting it behind them before he reached for a bottle of the cream, beckoning for Buck to turn around.
Buck did so, placing his feet in Eddie’s lap, watching as Eddie slowly lifted the hem of his sweats, pushing them back to reveal his ugly scars. He was getting better at not hating them, or hiding them, but it was still a lot for him even so.
Eddie’s hands were always so gentle, precise, Buck relaxing right into the feeling, letting Eddie’s touch take over.
He watched outside the vast doors in front of him, the ones that lead out to their balcony. There was a slight breeze blowing around, the sky over-cast. It had sprinkled earlier in the day, but all seemed calm now. Buck was in and out, eyes closing as Eddie worked the tension out of his leg.
When Eddie’s movements stopped for a moment so he could gather more lotion, Buck found his eyes opening again, watching as something fell from the sky. It almost looked like rain, Buck sitting up a little to get a better look.
“It’s snowing.”
The words tumbled out of him, Eddie snorting for it.
“Maybe I should see what’s in this cream.”
Buck waved him off.
“No babe I’m serious, look!”
It seemed to be against Eddie’s better judgement, though he finally looked, pausing as more fell down. Eddie made his way to their balcony, opening the doors and stepping out onto it.
Chris finally abandoned his presents, getting up to see what all the fuss was about.
“Dad, what’s that?”
Eddie looked from the sky to Chris, then back at Buck, something like disbelief spread over his face.
“It’s—it’s called snow buddy.”
When Buck started to get up, Eddie protested, Buck not slowing down; no way was he missing their first white Christmas together.
They ended up down on the beach, the snow coming down thicker than before. It was the weirdest thing ever, to see snow on the beach—weirdly beautiful.
The snow fell down onto the waves, Buck glancing to Eddie watching as his boyfriend honed in on them.
“Bet you’ve never surfed in the snow.”
Eddie shook his head with the biggest smile plastered across his face.
“Definitely not.”
They snapped several pictures before coming to rest next to one another, watching as the snow fall down around them.
Eddie turned to him, Buck meeting his gaze wholly.
“Ok, I have to admit—this is definitely the best Christmas ever.”
Yea, Buck thought so too.
He met Eddie in the middle, their lips brushing together as snow fell between them, Buck licking it off Eddie’s lips. They kissed with a little more passion after that, not pulling apart until something hit them in the face, Chris’ giggles quickly following. They looked down to find a ball of snow, their eyes meeting for a silent agreement.
It. Was. On.
They spent the rest of the afternoon throwing snowballs at each other, not caring how sloshy the snow was, only focused on each other.
The snow would fade, tides would break, but at the end of the day, they always had each other. Like an ocean to a wave, they sailed on.