Title: Fatherly Advice
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Ryo, Bikky, Carol, Carol's Aunt, Dee, OFC.
Rating: PG
Setting: After Like Like Love.
Word Count: 2691
Summary: Home for the holidays, Bikky asks Ryo to go shopping with him.
Written For: Weekend Challenge: Keep It Simple at 1_million_words.
Disclaimer: I don't own FAKE, or the characters. They belong to the wonderful Sanami Matoh.
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Ryo had been amused when his foster son had asked if he'd go shopping with him. Bikky was home from college for the Christmas holidays, and so far, Ryo had scarcely seen him. When he wasn't sleeping late, not getting up until Ryo had already left for work, Bikky was always out, catching up with old friends, or spending time with his girlfriend, and Ryo certainly hadn't blamed him for that. It weas only natural, considering he was spending months at a time at the other end of the country. But when he'd thought about trying to get a bit of quality time with the boy he'd raised from the age of ten, a shopping trip hadn't even crossed his mind.
"Last time I checked, shopping was one of your least favorite activities, to be avoided at all costs unless it was to spend the money you got for Christmas or your birthday. Besides, wouldn't you rather take Carol and let her drag you around to all the stores she wants to visit? I know she'd enjoy that."
"I can't take her this time!" Bikky had protested. "Not when it's her I'm shopping for!"
"Oh, I see." Ryo had grinned, thinking he understood now; Bikky had left buying his girlfriend's Christmas gift until the last minute, and now he was panicking. Naturally he'd turn to Ryo for help; that's what dads were for. His foster father had already bailed him out several times in similar situations over the last ten years, not including the time Bikky had made up for not having a present for Carol's birthday by stealing the sunflowers Ryo had blooming on his bedroom windowsill. "Of course I'll go with you, if that's what you want." He'd figured Bikky, being the poor college student he was, would probably be hoping to borrow some money too.
"Thanks, Dad. I knew I could count on you. Let me just grab my coat…"
Well, that had been over an hour ago now, and here he was with Bikky, standing outside a jewellery store.
"I hope you're not planning to break the bank," Ryo teased his son, who was dithering nervously, scanning the window display.
"What? No, it's fine, I've been working overtime to save up enough. Don't worry, I haven't been neglecting my studies," he added quickly, seeing the expression on Ryo's face. "It's just… This is important, I want to do it right, and I wanted to get your opinion. I mean, what do I know? Um…" Bikky looked at Ryo. "Maybe I should'a asked Carol's aunt instead. She's a woman, and you're not. Guess I didn't think this through."
"You're not making much sense, Biks. And why are you so nervous anyway?"
Bikky looked surprised at the question. "What d'you mean? It's not every day I buy my girlfriend an engagement ring!"
Okay, Ryo hadn't been expecting that, but maybe he should have. Bikky would be twenty in a few months, Carol was twenty-two, and they'd officially been together for the past five or six years. He'd pretty much known they'd get married eventually, so this shouldn't be a surprise. He smiled fondly at his son.
"You probably should've mentioned that before, so we'd be on the same page. Have you talked this over with Carol?"
"Sure, in a general sort of way. I mean, we've talked about getting married, once we've both graduated, but she doesn't know I'm going to propose while I'm home. I thought about waiting until Valentine's Day, but that's kinda clichéd, I bet loads of other guys will be proposing then, so I thought Christmas Day would be good. I mean, we're all going over to Carol's aunt's place for Christmas dinner this year…" Bikky trailed off.
"I hope you're not planning on proposing in front of everyone. That can be a bit uncomfortable."
That didn't do Bikky's nerves any good. "You mean in case she says no? She wouldn't, would she?"
"No, I'm sure she won't turn you down, it's just that having everyone's attention focussed on her might be a bit overwhelming. I think the best proposals are the quiet, intimate ones, nothing too over the top. Carol's never really enjoyed that kind of thing. She'd prefer something more personal, just the two of you."
Bikky nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, you're right. I hadn't thought of that. Oh, but it's okay, Aunt Elena has that sheltered patio out back, and it's all decorated for Christmas, with a tree and fairy lights. I'll take Carol out there; it'll be private but romantic with all the lights on. Then after she says yes, we can come back inside and celebrate with everyone."
"That sounds perfect."
Bikky beamed at Ryo. "It does, doesn't it? I knew getting your opinion was a good idea. And I already know exactly what I'm gonna say when I propose, I've been practising it for weeks, like you had me do that time when I had to stand up in front of the class and do a presentation."
"That's good. Well, now we've got the proposal sorted, you just need the ring, so maybe we should go inside and see what they've got in your price range. If there's nothing suitable, we can try somewhere else. There's no shortage of jewellers around here."
"Right. The ring." Suddenly Bikky was nervous again. "What if I get her one and she hates it?"
"That doesn't seem likely, you should know the kinds of things Carol likes by now. You've known her since you were four and she was seven."
"Yeah, but we were little kids back then, and now she's a woman."
"And you're a man." A bemused smile settled on Ryo's lips. "Still not entirely sure how that happened."
That made Bikky laugh. "I grew up."
Ryo looked up at his boy, towering over him now. "I noticed. I think I fed you too much."
"Dad!"
"Look at you, you're five inches taller than me, and still growing! I remember when the top of your head barely reached past my waist."
"I was ten! Anyway, I need to be tall if I'm gonna play basketball. There aren't all that many short guys on the pro teams."
"That's true, but it still seems strange having to look up at you." Ryo shook his head. "We can't stand here all afternoon, not when you have an engagement ring to buy."
"Yeah." Bikky nodded. "Diamonds, or just one diamond." He followed Ryo into the shop. "Which d'you think would be best?"
"You want something Carol will be happy wearing all the time, and bear in mind she has very small hands, so don't go for anything too big and clunky. Does she have a favourite stone?"
"Yeah, sapphires." Bikky blushed slightly. "She always says she likes them best because they're the same color as my eyes."
"There you go then, see if you can get her something with a diamond and sapphires, maybe one each side of the central stone."
"That's a great idea, I hadn't thought of that!" Bikky turned to the woman behind the counter. "Hi. Um, yeah, I'm looking for an engagement ring for my girl, something with a diamond and sapphires, but nothing too big. She has tiny hands."
"Let me show you what we have. Do you have an upper price limit?"
"Yeah, I only have around two grand."
"If you find something you like and it costs more than that, I'll pay the extra and you can pay me back whenever," Ryo cut in.
Bikky gnawed on his bottom lip. "Are you sure?"
"You're my son, and you're only going to get engaged once. At least I hope you are."
"Thanks, dad. I won't break the bank, I promise." Bikky turned back to the counter, studying the rings he was shown, discussing them with Ryo, trying to narrow down the selection to the ones than would be most suited to Carol's tastes, and her delicate hands. It wasn't easy. There were so many, and they were all so sparkly.
It took them nearly two hours, including visits to three other nearby jewellers, before they were back in the first shop, having decided the rings there were the nicest. Bikky stared at his top three choices, trying to picture each one gracing Carol's left hand.
"I can't decide. I never realised choosing a ring would be so hard. I just don't want to pick the wrong one."
"The final choice has to be yours, Biks. Unless you want to call Carol and have her choose."
"NO! Can't do that!" Bikky looked horrified at the very thought.
Ryo chuckled. "Okay, then try to think of the other jewellery she likes to wear. Which ring would go best with her favorites?"
"I'm not good at that stuff, Dad!" Bikky protested, frowning at the three rings in front of him, then his eyes drifted to another ring, a couple of hundred dollars outside his budget. It was smaller and more delicate, not as flashy, and with a platinum band instead of gold, but it kind of reminded him of a ring Carol had once seen in a store years ago, one he'd been planning to buy for her birthday, before he'd instead given the money to a little kid who'd just been robbed on his way to get a gift for his mom, who was in hospital.
"That one," he said. "I know it doesn't look as fancy as the others, but I think it's what Carol would like. At least I hope it is."
Bikky's hands were almost shaking as he handed over the money, plus some of Ryo's hard-earned cash. He still wasn't completely certain he was making the right choice, but it was done now, and in a few days he'd get his answer. He just hoped he could keep his nerves under control until then so that he wouldn't give himself away.
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OoOoOoO
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The Christmas Day celebrations at Carol's aunt's house went wonderfully. Everyone helped with preparing the meal, which was delicious, and afterwards, with the gifts all opened, they sat around watching the football game on TV. Bikky was really starting to get nervous by now, butterflies fluttering inside him. It made concentrating on the game a bit difficult, and he completely missed seeing the game-tying touchdown because he was staring out the window, waiting for it to get dark out so the lights on the patio could be turned on.
Then, just as he was running out of patience with how long it was taking for dusk to settle into full darkness, beside him Carol gave a little gasp.
"Bikky, look! It's snowing!"
Sure enough, large, fat, feathery flakes were beginning to drift down past the windows.
Bikky felt a surge of relief. Snow! What better excuse could there be to drag Carol outside?
"Come on!" He jumped to his feet, holding out his hand to Carol, the ring box feeling like it was almost burning a hole in his pocket. "Let's grab our coats and go out on the patio!"
Laughing, Carol took her boyfriend's hand and let herself be pulled towards the back door.
"Are we goin' too?" Dee asked.
"In a bit, Ryo replied, smiling lazily. "The game's almost over, we might as well watch to the end. The snow isn't going anywhere." That was true, it was coming down heavily by now. "Let's wait until there's enough out there to be worth getting cold for."
"Feelin' your age, are ya?" Dee teased.
"I'm only ten months older than you," Ryo reminded his lover.
Chuckling, Dee draped an arm around Ryo's shoulders and pulled him close. "What's goin' on?" he murmured close to Ryo's ear.
"You'll find out in a little while." Ryo kept his own voice so low that Carol's Aunt Elena didn't even notice the exchange.
Outside on the patio, Carol was twirling around in the falling snow, her long, blonde hair flying, and Bikky thought she'd never looked more breathtakingly beautiful, like a tiny Christmas angel, full of light and life. As she turned back towards him with a brilliant smile, he felt tears sting behind his eyes, and without even thinking about the words he'd been rehearsing for weeks now, he simply dropped down on one knee as he pulled the ring box from his pocket.
"I think I've loved you since the first time I saw you, but you've never looked more beautiful than you do right now," he admitted. "Carol Baker, will you marry me?" He opened the box and held it out.
Carol's breath caught in her throat as she looked at the ring nestled there. "Oh Bikky, it's perfect!" Then she met his eyes. "Yes! Of course I'll marry you! There's never been anyone else for me. Now put that beautiful ring on my finger and get up, you're getting your pants all wet!" She held her left hand out, her eyes shining with happiness, and sparkling with unshed tears, just as his own were.
Taking the tiny ring from its box, careful not to drop it in case it got lost in the snow, he slid it onto Carol's ring finger, relieved to find that it fitted snugly. He'd taken such care drawing around the insides of some of her other rings and taking the piece of paper with him when he and Ryo went ring shopping. It had been ridiculously fiddly, but now it looked like his efforts had been worthwhile. He stood up quickly, suddenly aware of how wet and cold his lower leg felt, then pulled a face as he looked down at his sodden trouser leg.
"Ugh!"
Carol giggled, then launched herself into his arms, standing on tiptoes to kiss him. Sweeping her off her feet, Bikky spun her around.
"That's not very dignified," Carol's aunt said, appearing in the doorway, drawn by the squeals of laughter.
"I don't care!" Carol called back. "It's better to be happy than dignified anyway. I think I read that somewhere."
"Look at you, like two school children playing in the snow." Elena shook her head, smiling indulgently. "Anyone would think you'd never seen snow before."
"It's not the snow." As Bikky set Carol gently back on her feet, both of them feeling a little giddy, she turned to her aunt and held her hand out, displaying her ring. "Isn't it just the most perfect ring you've ever seen?"
"Oh my goodness!" Elena clasped her hands together. "How wonderful! Congratulations, both of you!"
By now, Dee and Ryo were standing behind Elena. Ryo was smiling proudly as he nodded at his son.
"You knew," Dee murmured beside him.
"Of course I did," Ryo agreed easily before stepping out into the snow himself. "Congratulations." He hugged Carol, then turned to hug Bikky too, his smile widening. "Nicely done."
"Thanks, Dad. For everything."
"Yeah, congratulations, kids," Dee added, still lounging against the doorframe. He turned to look at Bikky. "You'd better treat our Princess right, or I'll be comin' after ya."
"Oh yeah? You and whose army?" Bikky was already three inches taller than Dee.
"Ryo and Elena for starters," Dee said mildly, and Bikky deflated.
"Yeah, okay, 'cause if I ever did anything to hurt Carol, I'd deserve whatever punishment I got."
"Get out of the doorway, Dee. You're letting all the cold into the house." Ryo, like Dee, had taken the time to put his coat on before coming outside.
A sheepish expression on his face, Dee stepped all the way out, letting Elena scurry back indoors to fetch her own coat, then closing the door.
The snow fell steadily around them, settling in their hair and on their shoulders, but they scarcely noticed it. In a bit, they'd go back indoors and drink a toast to the happy couple; Ryo had a bottle of champagne out in the car, which he'd bought for that very purpose. For now though, it was enough just to stand out on the patio in the illumination from the fairy lights and the tree, snowflakes swirling around them, sharing in the young couple's happiness.
Christmas couldn't have been more perfect.
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The End