"Doc" Emmett L. Brown (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
4thdimensional) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
maskormenacelogs2017-07-18 11:10 pm
4thdimensional) wrote in maskormenacelogs2017-07-18 11:10 pm
Entry tags:
[closed] a miscalculated proposal
WHO: Doc Brown and Mr. Gold
WHERE: Heropa park + various
WHEN: July 11th
WHAT: Doc has a suggestion about the future. It doesn't quite go as planned.
WARNINGS: Old men being awkward. Nothing of particular note, will update if it changes.
It's a fairly peaceful evening in Heropa, the late afternoon air damp with the whisper of a storm recently passed. Tolerable air is a rarity in Florida summers, so Doc is quick to leash his two dogs and bring them for a trot around the park. Fortunately, he's not alone in this endeavor---Mr. Gold's company is, as always, greatly appreciated. He attempts to hold the door as they depart, but Kepler and Christmas are chomping at the bit, so it ends in a sort of dance to escape the tangled leashes.
But they're free at last. The remnants of the storm crackle in the air with a familiarity that Doc once found terrifying---fortunately, it now provides comfort, as does Gold's steady presence. He's achieved a hard-won peace now, and he'd like to see it continue. Preferably without all the awkward tangles in the doorway.
With that, he makes up his mind and seizes the moment, as he often does.
"You know, I've been thinking," he says with a gentle smile. "It's been...almost a year now, hasn't it?"
WHERE: Heropa park + various
WHEN: July 11th
WHAT: Doc has a suggestion about the future. It doesn't quite go as planned.
WARNINGS: Old men being awkward. Nothing of particular note, will update if it changes.
It's a fairly peaceful evening in Heropa, the late afternoon air damp with the whisper of a storm recently passed. Tolerable air is a rarity in Florida summers, so Doc is quick to leash his two dogs and bring them for a trot around the park. Fortunately, he's not alone in this endeavor---Mr. Gold's company is, as always, greatly appreciated. He attempts to hold the door as they depart, but Kepler and Christmas are chomping at the bit, so it ends in a sort of dance to escape the tangled leashes.
But they're free at last. The remnants of the storm crackle in the air with a familiarity that Doc once found terrifying---fortunately, it now provides comfort, as does Gold's steady presence. He's achieved a hard-won peace now, and he'd like to see it continue. Preferably without all the awkward tangles in the doorway.
With that, he makes up his mind and seizes the moment, as he often does.
"You know, I've been thinking," he says with a gentle smile. "It's been...almost a year now, hasn't it?"
no subject
With him, it is clear they are taking him on a walk, leading him somewhere and occasionally looking back to ascertain whether he needs a rest. Today they're a little more rambunctious, though, and with Doc, they are on a romp, yanking and twisting, and he keeps up with them with speed and agility that Gold lacks when he carries his cane.
The question seems to come out of nowhere. "Since we first met? More than that," he muses. "Since you first kissed me? Nearly that long."
It would be much closer to autumn when that day would come.
no subject
And it can be even better, if...
"Well, yes. And I've been thinking lately, about things. About whether it might be time to get somewhat closer..."
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He sleeps over almost more than he stays in his own flat.
So while there should be obvious precursors to this conversation Doc is starting, it still catches him by surprise.
Gold has to stop short at that to look up at him -- with a look on his face that veers close to "deer in headlights."
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"I'm moving too fast, aren't I? I thought it might be more convenient, but---no, never mind. I'm sorry."
no subject
Doc tends to be very patient with his shifting moods, mindful for those very brief moments of panic and pain that bleed through his usual veneer of calm and control. The trouble with this is that Gold can be worrisome when there's no reason for him to be that way, and it throws water on the Doc's natural vibrance.
He knows when he looks at his face that this is where he's veering right now.
"N-no, you're not. I want to hear."
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His grip on the leash tightens.
"I wondered if...if you might be amenable to relocating. To a joint home with more space."
He looks up at Gold, his eyes earnest and hopeful but worry lingers around the corners of his mouth.
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It is...probably a large step. Not even probably. Definitely. It's also one he's literally never taken before. People in the Enchanted Forest do not really cohabit before marriage if that's the direction they're headed. He knows it's what people in times and worlds like this tend to do ahead of anything more extreme, but somehow, still a little foreign to him.
"Oh."
It's all he can say for a moment, but a little bit of a laugh comes out with it.
"That's... well it's not what I was expecting."
He's still waiting for an answer, isn't he?"
"...We can certainly talk about it."
no subject
It replays in his mind. He slaps his forehead with the hand holding the leash, resulting in a small bump. Oops.
"Do you really think I'd bring these two to a proposal? Not that I'd be necessarily opposed, at some point in a hypothetical future when we'd changed course to decide on it, but..."
He exhales loud enough for the both of them, a crooked smile reappearing.
"Let's get back to the basics. Space and seclusion might be nice..."
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He can't even make the excuse that he is just unaccustomed to much of this.
Doc is more untried than he is and yet he's by every inch much braver than him.
He doesn't know how this is supposed to go, but neither of them do.
"You're not wrong. The dogs having space to run around without needing a leash, perhaps."
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"Then, for us, perhaps kitchen space? Seclusion from the hustle and bustle? A larger bed?"
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"So...you're thinking of a house, definitely."
A little smile.
"...I don't think a bed will come with it but it's easy enough to shop around."
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He'd be mindful of their budget, of course, but anything had to be better than what they had now.
"I'd like that," he grins, giving Christmas a little fur-ruffle. She barks her approval and attempts to twist the leash around his ankles again, but he dodges with practiced ease.
"Yes, princess, and room for you to run about as well. Maybe even a pool, I know you love to swim."
And he's reminded of it as he gently steers her away from the lake. He really doesn't need a repeat performance of her muddy romp from last week.
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It's clear he's picturing something of that nature to anyone looking at him.
He laughed a little.
"So you mean for us to become actual Floridians."
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"You've the better eye for decoration and amenities, I merely ask that we locate an adjacent garage."
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"That's...reasonable," he assented. "I suppose I must give some thought as to what I really want. I don't know what the rental market down here is like, what it's pointless to wish for."
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His smile's hard to vanquish. This might just be fun.
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It could be an entertaining diversion, he thinks to himself. He doesn't much relish renting, though he's been doing that for a while now. It's such a step down from how things were in Storybrooke, after all.
"Anything in particular you'd care to avoid?"
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"I wouldn't like it too tall. Too much temptation for dangerous experiments. And I wouldn't like it backing up to a river without a fence. The last thing we need is for gators to come too close to the dogs."