Work Text:
They were walking through the park on one of the few sunny days in December. If you asked Joe, he would say there was an awkward silence between them, but if you asked Nicky, he would say he was trying to gather the courage to ask Joe to marry him because time was running out.
Joe gave Nicky a gentle push with his shoulder, hitting Nicky's arm.
Joe: "Hi, what's on your mind?"
Before Nicky could answer, he saw an object flying towards them, and because he used to be a goalie, his instincts took over, and he caught it without any problem. When that happened, Joe lit up with a big, bright smile.
Joe: "Oh, Nicky. Of course, I'll marry you."
Joe kissed Nicky all over the face before his mouth.
Joe: "A flying wedding bouquet. What a romantic idea. So much better than what I had planned."
Nicky looked at the wedding bouquet before he looked at Joe. This was not the proposal Nicky had planned in his mind. Yes, it did involve flowers, but not a flying wedding bouquet. Before Nicky could explain, a young woman came running towards them. It only took a moment before she stood in front of them and introduced herself as Winnie.
Winnie: "I owe you a lot for catching the wedding bouquet. We're doing a wedding photoshoot over there, and when the so-called bride threw the wedding bouquet, the wind caught it."
Nicky could see the disappointment on Joe's face when he found out that this wasn't the proposal Nicky had planned. And Nicky wasn't the only one who had seen it.
Winnie: "But If you ask me, I think that the wind planned to carry the wedding bouquet over to you at this exact moment when someone needed flowers."
Nicky nodded. He was still looking at Joe, trying to think as fast as he could for a way to salvage this situation because he hated seeing Joe being so sad.
Winnie: "You can have the wedding bouquet. See it as my gift to you on this happy day."
Nicky: "Thanks, Winnie. What do I owe you for the flowers?"
Winnie: "Just ask him the question you wanted to ask him, and we are even. Oh, and if you need someone to take a wedding photo, call me."
Winnie gave Nicky her business card before she left with a smile. Joe was still looking at the wedding bouquet with sadness. Nicky took a deep breath.
Nicky: "Joe? Please look at me."
When Joe did it, Nicky got down on one knee and held up a silver ring.
Nicky: "Not how I planned to ask you to marry me, but Joe, will you marry me?"
All the sadness on Joe's face disappeared instantly when Nicky put the silver ring on Joe's finger. Then, Joe pulled Nicky up so he could kiss Nicky.
Nicky: "I guess that means you want to marry me."
Joe: "Of course, I'll marry you. I so love you, Nicky."
Nicky removed a curl from Joe's face.
Nicky: "Not as much as I love you."
Joe kissed Nicky again.
Joe: "When we get home, I have something for you."
Nicky: "Can't wait."
Then, Joe looked at the wedding bouquet he was still holding.
Joe: "What are we to do with this wedding bouquet?"
Nicky: "Hold onto it. You might going to need it sooner than you think."
Nicky gave Joe a mischievous smile before he started walking again.
Joe: "Hi, wait, what do you mean with that?"
Joe finally caught up with Nicky.
Nicky: "You will see soon enough. So, what do you have for me?"
Joe: "Well, since you won't share your secret with me, I won't share my secret with you, but I can tell you it's a good one."
Nicky kissed Joe on his cheek.
Nicky: "All your gifts are more than good, Joe. Never forget that."
Joe: "Thanks, I can only say the same thing."
Nicky took Joe's hand in his hand.
Nicky: "Do you love your ring?"
Joe looked at his engagement ring. It was silver and had a pattern, which Joe recognized stemmed from a painting he loved.
Joe: "I love it so much. I will never take it off."
Joe kissed Nicky.
Nicky: "Glad to hear it."
After one more kiss, they made their way home, where Fernando was waiting for them. Before Nicky could go into the kitchen, Joe got Nicky to stand in front of the big plant in the living room.
Joe: "Okay, you hold onto the wedding bouquet and don't move from the spot until I get back in five minutes. Okay?"
Nicky: "Okay."
Joe kissed Nicky before handing him the wedding bouquet. Then Joe picked up Fernando and left. When Nicky was alone, he picked up his mobile phone and made a call.
Nicky: "Yes, he said yes, so set the next phase in motion. I will call you later and thanks. See you. Love you."
When Nicky heard Joe open the door to his workroom, Nicky placed his mobile phone in his pocket.
Nicky: "What have you done to Fernando? I thought we agreed never to become one of those gay couples who dressed up their dogs."
Joe: "This is a special Christmas outfit I made for Fernando. Remember how your socks and my tanktop from our first date couldn't be used as clothes anymore because of holes?"
Nicky nodded as he looked at Fernando, who was wearing a blouse and socks.
Joe: "I turned those two pieces of clothing into one special Christmas outfit for Fernando to wear around Christmas."
Fernando didn't look impressed with his newest outfit at all and tried to get rid of the socks by chewing on them.
Nicky: "It's a lovely outfit, Joe, even though Fernando doesn't think so."
Joe looked at Fernando, who had one of the socks in his mouth. Joe took the sock before something could happen.
Joe whispered to Fernando: "Remember to use your cute puppy face for the next bit."
Joe took a deep breath before he got down on one knee.
Joe: "Nicky, you're the love of my life."
Fernando licked Joe's face.
Joe: "I also love you, Fernando."
Nicky giggled.
Joe: "Nicky, you're everything... No, you're more than... Oh God, this is not going to my plan."
Nicky ran his fingers through Joe's curls, which prevented Joe from having a panic attack.
Joe: "Here, hold Fernando. I have forgotten something."
Before Nicky could say or do anything, Joe handed Nicky Fernando and left. Nicky looked at Fernando, who once again was chewing on the socks.
Nicky: "Let me help you."
After placing the wedding bouquet on a table, Nicky removed the remaining socks from Fernando's feet, which earned him a lick on his face from Fernando. When Nicky looked at the socks, one felt heavier than the rest. Nicky placed Fernando on the floor before taking a closer look at the sock, where he found a silver ring.
Joe: "So, will you marry me?"
Nicky saw Joe kneeling next to the Christmas tree, and a second later, Nicky almost ran over to Joe, where he knocked Joe over in eagerness to kiss him, so Joe ended up on his back. Joe wrapped his arms around Nicky before they kissed.
Joe: "I guess this means you want to marry me."
Nicky: "Of course, I want to marry you. With my entire heart."
Nicky kissed Joe one more time before Joe got them to sit face to face. Then Joe took the ring Nicky was holding.
Joe: "The inscription on the outside of this ring will tell the entire world what you are to me."
They both ran a finger over the inscription on the ring.
Joe: "The words are in Arabic and say: "He's not my boyfriend. He's all, and he's more."."
Nicky: "You're an incurable romantic. I love those words so much, and I'll always treasure them."
Joe put the ring on Nicky's fingers before they interlaced their fingers so the two rings touched. Then, they leaned their foreheads together, and when they closed their eyes, they felt so in love with each other and happy together.
Joe: "One more thing."
Joe took the sock where the ring had been in.
Joe: "You can decide which way you want to turn it. One side shows my old tank top, and the other side your sock."
Nicky turned the sock inside out.
Nicky: "I love it more than Fernando loves his new clothes."
They looked over at Fernando, who was trying to get out of the blouse by rubbing his body on the floor.
Joe: "Maybe if we have a child one day, she will love the blouse."
Nicky took Joe's face between his hands.
Nicky: "What you did with those two pieces of clothing will always be a wonderful idea, and I'll always love the thought behind it."
Joe: "Thanks. So it doesn't scare you the thought of having a daughter one day? I always wanted one. Maybe she can have your beautiful eyes."
Nicky: "Not at all, but only if we can also have a child with your lovely curls."
Nicky removed a curl from Joe's face.
Joe: "I love that idea. Us, our children and Fernando sitting next to the Christmas tree."
Nicky kissed Joe.
Nicky: "So do I. Speaking of Fernando."
Joe just nodded because he was busy kissing Nicky's neck.
Nicky: "He is about to knock over..."
Nicky did not get to say more before the Christmas tree fell over them.
Joe: "Fernando, why?"
They looked at Fernando with his wagging tail and a proud smile on his face.
Nicky: "It's a Christmas tradition that Fernando knocks over the Christmas tree after you have tried to puppy proved it."
Joe rolled his eyes, and as he got up, Fernando ran away. After helping Nicky up, they got the Christmas tree to stand again.
Joe: "Yes, you're right. Let me find Fernando, and then I want to know all about the secret you haven't told me yet."
Nicky: "Not going to say a word before the time is right."
Joe kissed Nicky.
Joe: "I knew it. It's a Christmas gift, but you already gave me the world's best Christmas gift when you asked me to marry you. So what can it be?"
Joe had better luck finding Fernando and getting him out of the blouse than getting the secret out of Nicky.