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“Hey uh, hey...Doctor Pines?” the address was experimental. Ford could hardly remember the name of the person addressing him, but he could hear the way the word caught on his tongue with uncertainty.
“You can call me Stanford.” He answered easily. Soos may not exactly be a peer, but he was Stanley’s chosen successor. While that certainly merited some measure of distance, there was really no reason to stand on formality.
Soos startled, then grew visibly uncomfortable. “I...I really can not do that, Dr. Pines.” The title came more naturally now, as if fear of the alternative had forced him to accept it.
Ford felt the corner of his mouth twitch in amusement. He’d been on the other end of a similar conversation with a particularly effective Physics professor halfway through his third Ph.D, so he could empathize. “Very well. What is it, Soos?”
To his surprise, the other man brightened instantly. “Oh hey! You remembered my name this time!” Ford was certain that wasn’t an intentional guilt trip, it was, however, a remarkably effective one. Luckily, Soos brushed past it a moment later. “I uh, I wanted to ask about where you and Mr. Pines are going?”
Ford blinked. “I...well, I’m certain you can ask him about that…” it would be more natural for the young man, and he was a young man however alien or gopher-like he appeared, to speak to the twin he knew rather than the one he didn’t. So why had Soos approached him?
Soos shrugged. “I tried. He just keeps talking about sailing the world. Treasure and babes and everything. I just…” Soos shifted slightly, the obvious discomfort returning in force. “I’d like to have like...an itenary or something? Or not that specific, is an itenary specific? Anyway. Just. Where are you two going?”
“Well, if you must know, “ Ford began “I’ve found readings of quite the cluster of anomalies near the arctic, so that will be our first stop. From there, who knows?”
Ford was smiling, ready to launch into an explanation that sailing the world had always been Stanley’s dream when Soos interrupted. “So uh, you uh, you made sure that uh, that boat you guys bought? You made sure it had good heating and everything, right?”
The question entirely blindsided him. He blinked at Soos, struggling to respond a moment. Then “It’s...properly insulated...I assume. We’ll...likely have to purchase separate heating elements…” he stumbled slightly, then asked “Why?”
Soos blinked at him. “...You...just said you were goin to the arctic, dude. It’s cold there. Colder than it gets here, and Mr. Pines gets pretty cranky when it gets too cold here. So just. Y’know. Plan for that.”
“He’ll be living his dream, I’m sure that will keep the crankiness to a minimum.” Ford assured, still reeling at the fact that this was even a conversation. Stanley hadn’t mentioned any concerns about the ships heating. Of course, then again, foresight wasn’t exactly his brother’s strong suit… “And in any case, the boat is cleared for travel in so there really is no need to worry about our safety…”
“Oh, I know you’re gonna keep him safe.” Soos said suddenly. A little too suddenly. Ford had trailed off there, deliberately so it wasn’t an actual interruption but it sounded like one. Once again Soos blindsided him by adding “You kinda owe him that much.”
“Excuse me?”
Suddenly, Soos’ whole demeanor changed. Ford had never seen his body language quite like this before. Parsed out, he could recognize its purpose. Pulled to his full height, shoulders drawn back, it was the classic animal behavior of making oneself seem larger. Typically that was used to frighten off predators. Ford couldn’t place why Soos would find such blustering necessary suddenly. “Y’know. The whole saving you - the world, everything, thing.” It occurred to him what a deep contrast there was between Soos’ easygoing, even cheerful tone, and the way he was holding himself right then. In fact, if not for the natural tone, the young man might have been intimidating. So of course, his tone promptly changed. “So you’d better treat him good, dawg. I mean it.” and with that, Ford was suddenly conscious of the fact that Soos was several inches taller than him, and while the younger man’s bulk was more fat than muscle, he was also simply bigger.
“I have no plans to do otherwise.” He managed to reassure simply. “He’s my brother, Soos. Of course I plan to keep him safe and treat him well.”
Soos sucked a breath through his teeth resulting in an uncertain sounding sort of hiss. “No offence, Dr. Pines, but that’s still kinda new. You were kinda a jerk to him there for a bit…” Ford winced and felt a flash of anger. Defense of his actions and attitude flew to the tip of his tongue. He swallowed them down. “But you’re still his favorite guy in the world, pretty much.” There was an odd note there, devoid of both the low, for Soos at least, serious timber and the typical joviality. Ford couldn’t quite place the reason for it. “So. Y’know. I just. Wanna...let you know. Don’t, like, go back to being a jerk. Okay?”
Ford had more than enough experience to know a threat when he heard one. He flashed between too many emotions too quickly. Incredulity to start, tainted by veins of genuine fear that he quickly grew irritated with. The passing temptation to demand how Soos planned to follow through on this threat was easily dismissed by his own good intentions toward his brother. Then, finally, he was touched. He smiled, gently at first, than mischievously. “I assume you’d rather I not inform Stanley of your concern?” Soos’ face colored instantly, growing a sudden brighter shade of red and he stammered a moment before Ford offered “I won’t tell him, although I appreciate it on his behalf. It means a lot to me that you would stand up to - well, me, for him.” He paused, then admitted “You know, upon my arrival, I found you rather mysterious, Soos.”
Soos looked very briefly confused by the abrupt change in topic. He adjusted quickly, breaking into a wide grin. “Yeah? Huh, I guess I am a little on the mysterious side. Hmmm…”
While Soos stroked his chin in thought, Ford nodded. “Honestly I half suspected you had non-human DNA at first.” Ford fairly deliberately left out what sort of non-human he thought Soos was, it wasn’t terribly flattering. Instead he persisted “But, perhaps most incomprehensible to me was your devotion to my brother.” Soos just blinked at him. Ford hesitated for just a moment before reaching out and putting a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “Now I understand. You are, if nothing else, a good judge of character, Soos.”
“Hey, thanks dude!” Soos grinned. “Guess that’s good news, ‘cause I kinda got a good feeling about you.” Soos nudged Ford’s ribs with a fist.
Ford let go of him and nodded. “Thank you. Was that everything?”
Soos seemed to very suddenly deflate. It wasn’t a good look on him. “Uh...I guess so.” Soos answered, shuffling his feet slightly.
“I was about to head into the woods.” Ford explained “There are some local cryptid populations I wanted to check on before Stanley and I left.” It clicked as he spoke. He waited a beat though, considering, before adding “You’re welcome to join me, if you’d like.”
“Really?!” the excitement was tangible, but quickly pulled back. “Uh, I mean, yeah, sure, dude. No prob.”
Ford chuckled slightly and shook his head. “You’ll just have to be quiet and careful. Think you can manage?”
“Yes, Sir!”