I've been planning to do a series of one-shots about Buzz and Jessie for a while, so when this idea popped into my head yesterday, I figured it would be the perfect story to kick it off. The inspiration came from a TS3 stock image that I photoshopped, which can be found on my tumblr.
Toy Story belongs to Pixar, only the fic is mine. Enjoy, and please leave a review! :)
"I'm just going to throw these out," Mrs. Anderson said, as she picked up the tiny pair of piercing earrings that were sitting on Bonnie's nightstand. "You'll never wear them again."
The little girl, who had only recently gotten her ears pierced, sat on her bed holding a mirror, admiring the new dangly earrings she now wore. Her mother had finally taken out the starter pair and let Bonnie model the colorful baubles she had been dreaming of.
"No, Mom, don't!" she pleaded. "I'll do something with them."
"You'll lose them by tomorrow anyway," Mrs. Anderson teased, tousling her daughter's hair before turning to leave. "Five more minutes of staring at yourself, and then we need to head to Grandma's for dinner, Trouble."
Unbeknownst to Bonnie, Buzz had been listening to the conversation from his vantage point on the bed. His owner had set him down next to her when her mother came in, and he had silently observed as the silver posts with sparkling clear stones had been removed from the young girl's ears and laid aside. At the sight of them on the nightstand, his heart skipped a beat. They were perfect.
Bonnie didn't think to choose any toys to take with her; she was most excited about showing off her new jewelry. With one more glance she set the mirror down, then hopped off of the bed and walked to the bedroom door.
"Bye toys, be good!"
As soon as the coast was clear, Buzz sprang into action. He crept stealthily over to the nightstand and grabbed the earrings, concealing them in his hand. Confident that his movements had gone unnoticed, the space ranger dropped to the floor and stopped in his tracks when he unexpectedly found himself face-to-face with Woody.
"Whatcha got there?" the cowboy smirked. He had been watching all along, and Buzz's odd behavior could only mean one thing: Jessie.
Buzz immediately shoved the hand holding the earrings behind his back. "N-nothing."
His friend raised an eyebrow incredulously.
"It's a surprise for Jessie," the space ranger confessed in a whisper. "Just don't let her look for me for a while, okay?"
"I'll try, pardner," Woody chuckled. "But you know I can't control her any better than you can, once she's got her mind made up."
"Thanks, cowboy." The space ranger saluted his friend and darted out of the bedroom and down the hallway, his treasure firmly in his grasp.
'Tools, where would I find tools?' wondered Buzz. His first instinct was the kitchen. The space ranger set the earrings down and scaled the cabinets, then bent over the edge of the countertop to open the junk drawer. As he rifled through its contents, his face fell. 'Blast, not what I need.'
Buzz returned to the floor and retrieved the earrings, then scanned the surrounding area. 'Where else?' Not finding anything useful in the kitchen, he stole back down the hall and into the spare bedroom, hoping to collect his thoughts in a space where Jessie was less likely to look for him. The instant as he entered the room, his focus was drawn to the bookcase where Mrs. Anderson kept her craft supplies. There, near the top, he spotted exactly the tools he was hunting for.
The space ranger climbed the bookshelf like a ladder, holding the earrings between his teeth. He pulled a pair of needle-nosed pliers and a metal file out of a basket, rearranged some ribbon spools to make a place to sit, and immediately got to work.
It was a delicate task. The earrings were small, and the pliers were unwieldy even for a strong and dexterous toy such as himself. Nothing was deterring him, however. Although Buzz only needed one earring for his intended purpose, he had brought both along just in case he made a mistake. This was too important to take any chances.
An hour later, Buzz had finished the shiny piece of metal to his satisfaction, filing off its sharp point and bending it into the correct shape and size. He held it between his fingers, congratulating himself on his expert handiwork – then the realization hit him. Buzz Lightyear was not, by nature, impulsive. He had rushed to claim the earrings, and rushed to create his vision, but he had not planned the rest of the scenario out sufficiently for his comfort. The space ranger's mouth went dry and his mind raced as he tried to figure out how he would ever manage to give this gift to his girl without losing his nerve.
Before he could waste much time in panic, Buzz heard Jessie's voice in the hallway. He hastily shoved the pliers and file into their basket, throwing the spare earring in as well. Clutching the precious item he had just made, the space ranger slid down the edge of the bookcase and landed quietly on the floor. He tiptoed to the door and cautiously pushed it open, only to meet the cowgirl abruptly on the other side.
"There ya are! I was gettin' worried. Whatcha been doin' in here?"
"I was… um… looking for… tape… TAPE! Tape to fix Bonnie's spaceship. Yeah. Tape."
Her eyebrows furrowed. Something seemed amiss. Buzz never kept anything from her, and it had been over a year since he'd acted awkward when they were together. Not to mention he wasn't carrying any tape.
"Did ya forget something?" she asked.
"Oh! The tape. I couldn't f-find any." Buzz could see the concern in his girlfriend's eyes, and his anxiety lessened with the necessity to make her feel at ease. He clasped her hand with his empty one. "I'm sorry, you just startled me. I should have told you where I was going."
"S'okay, you can make it up to me tonight, after Bonnie goes to bed," she replied with a wink. "Whadd'ya wanna do until she gets home?"
Buzz thought for a moment. "Let me go tell Totoro I couldn't find any tape, and I'll meet you in the living room. We can watch some TV." He gave her a quick kiss. "Five minutes."
Buzz hurried back to Bonnie's room in search of Woody. When he caught the cowboy's eye, he called him over to an unoccupied corner.
Assuming Buzz was angry that Jessie had tracked him down, Woody began to defend himself. "Look, I tried to get her to stay in here, but she was determined—"
"I need you to hold this for me, for later," the space ranger interrupted, slipping the tiny metal object he had crafted into Woody's hand.
The cowboy stared at it, dumbfounded, then looked back up at his friend with wide eyes. "Buzz, are you—"
"Shhh, just put it in your pocket, please?" he begged. "I'll get it from you after Bonnie goes to sleep."
"You got it, buddy." Woody stashed the item securely away and patted his friend on the shoulder.
With an appreciative smile, Buzz turned and headed down the hallway to join Jessie.
Hours later, Bonnie had drifted off to sleep. Buzz, however, was wide awake, sitting on the chair where the little girl had left him at bedtime. He was gazing out the window at the night sky, lost in contemplation.
"Hey you."
The space ranger flinched in surprise at Jessie's voice, and jumped off of the chair to greet his girl properly. "Hey! Want to go outside? It looks like a nice night."
"Sure." She snaked her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. "It's plenty private out there."
Buzz rested his hands on her waist and returned the kiss. "Go on ahead, I'll catch up. I just have to take care of something in here really quick."
The cowgirl tilted her head quizzically but decided not to question him. "Don't be long, 'kay?" She sprinted out of the bedroom, in the direction of the kitchen with its pet door leading out to the yard.
Buzz rushed over to the side of the bed. "Psst, Woody, you awake?" There was no answer. Just as the space ranger was about to shimmy up the comforter in his impatience, his friend's face peeked out from on top of the mattress.
"Looking for this?" The cowboy tossed the contents of his pocket down to Buzz.
The space ranger nodded and caught his girlfriend's gift effortlessly, in spite of the apprehension evident in his eyes. Woody offered a thumbs-up of encouragement and Buzz took a deep breath, then followed Jessie's path outside.
"Buzz, over here!"
Jessie leaned out from behind a large tree, in a secluded corner of the yard, hidden from the view of the family. She had thought enough in advance to take a dish towel from the kitchen drawer before going outside, and had spread it on the grass for them to lie on.
It was a cool, starry summer night, and the sweet smell of roses blooming along the fence nearby filled the air. The space ranger jogged over to join his cowgirl and they both reclined on the towel.
Jessie cuddled against Buzz's shoulder. Buzz, however, fidgeted uncomfortably. His left forearm and tightly-clenched fist rested on his stomach, instead of embracing Jessie as usual, and she couldn't help but notice.
"What's with your hand? Did ya hurt it?"
'Oh boy. This is it.' The space ranger's heart felt as if it would pound right out of his chest. 'Here goes…'
"I… uh… actually, I have something for you." Buzz sat up slowly, and Jessie followed suit.
"Really? What is it? Is that what you were all sneakin' around about today?" She reached for her boyfriend's hand and tried unsuccessfully to pry it open. "Lemme see!"
He extended his fingers, revealing a perfect little "diamond" solitaire ring resting in his palm.
"Oh, Buzz!"
"I… I know we're toys… b-but I love you, Jessie. I've wanted to give you a ring for a long time, and when Bonnie didn't need her earrings anymore… I just thought… if we can ever find a way… would you m-marry me?"
Jessie's face shone with love for the space toy in front of her. "You bet yer boots I will!" she exclaimed. "Are ya gonna put it on me or what?"
Buzz beamed at her response. He hadn't doubted her love for him; but marriage between toys didn't happen very often. What if she had thought it a foolish notion? Thankfully, she hadn't. Now, he proudly placed the glimmering jewel on her left ring finger, and was relieved to find it was as precise a fit as could be expected. All the hours spent studying the lines of her slender fingers, when her hand was in his, had paid off.
Jessie was enchanted by her new ring sparkling in the moonlight, and the couple basked in the joy of the promise and meaning it signified. Suddenly, disappointment clouded the cowgirl's features. "Wait… what are we gonna do about Bonnie? I can't wear this… if she sees it—"
"You know what? I don't even care." Buzz smiled lovingly at his now-fiancée, and cupped her face tenderly in his hand. "Let her see it; she'll come up with some creative explanation," he laughed. "You're never taking it off, space ranger orders."
"Oh yeah? What other orders d'ya have for me, captain?" she purred, bringing their faces closer together.
"Mmm, I can think of a few," he spoke breathily, as she pulled him down on top of her on the towel.
"Mom, have you seen my pointy earrings? I wanna put 'em on Dolly."
Bonnie was searching on her nightstand, on the floor beneath and near it, and even in her bed sheets, for the piercing studs she had taken off the day before, but they were nowhere to be found.
"I haven't seen them, sweetie," her mother called from the living room.
After a few more minutes, the little girl gave up. "Oh well, I guess I can use stickers," she reasoned, failing to notice the rag doll sigh in relief of not having her felt punctured.
Once Bonnie had successfully adorned Dolly with creative sticker accessories, she moved on to her other toys. As she picked up Jessie, a glint of light caught the little girl's eye, and she examined the cowgirl doll's left hand, puzzled. "That looks like my earring, but it's a ring now," she pondered out loud. "Did you always have that, Jessie? Or did your boyfriend Buzz propose to you last night?" She held the space ranger up alongside the cowgirl. "You stole my earrings and made her that ring, didn't you?" She made the space toy nod. "I knew it!" Bonnie twirled around with them both in her arms, giggling merrily. "Well, we'll have to plan a big wedding! You wait here." She set the couple carefully on her bed, wrapping Buzz's arm around Jessie, then took off running down the hall. "Mom! Can I have some fabric?"
Buzz and Jessie looked at each other and grinned, then snuggled down into the pillow to wait for their owner's return. The two toys didn't quite know what they'd gotten themselves into, but somehow, they didn't mind one bit.
I've always seen Bonnie as an imaginative kid who would shrug off the idea of toys being alive like it was no big deal. If there's any kid who would accept it, it would be her.
Also, even though I've already written a wedding fic about these two, this could sort of be seen as a prequel in the realm of my stories. It wasn't really planned that way, but – with the exception of Bonnie's reaction following the wedding – it works.