Work Text:
Saturday, October 3rd 2015
Hill Valley, California
"Damn, damn..!" - was Doctor Emmett Brown's first thought as he coughed out the dust that just blew on his face in a smoke after an unsuccessful test on his yet another failed invention. His dog Einstein sneezed loudly when the dust smoke made it to his nose.
"Sorry about that, Einie." - Doctor Brown apologized to his dear pet as the dust started to settle down - "It looks like today's not yet the day of an energy saving breakthrough."
Einstein let out a small whine, as though understanding and wanting to share his owner's disappointement. But the scientist gave his dog a small smile and reassured him, his voice light:
"Don't worry about that, boy. The Suc-O-Matic vaccuum cleaner was just a little side project anyway. I can finish it another time, whenever I reach my main goal."
As he said those words, Doctor Brown walked up to the partially disassembled DeLorean car and put his hand on it, giving a quick stroke to the stainless steel body. With a nostalgic smile, he went on, speaking both to himself and his furry listener.
"It's been my primary focus for fourteen years. If there's an invention worthy of a scientific breakthrough that I have to make work, it's this one."
He then gave a look to Einstein, who's just been staring at him and panting cutely sticking out his tongue, and Doctor Brown let out a small fond chuckle at his dog's innocence and shook his head. He wished his dog could truly understand him when he talked about his inventions, like a human could. But considering how judgy the people he's met in his lifetime were, Einstein being only a dog was probably for the best, as a dog's love and support was pure and unconditional.
Emmett Brown looked back at his DeLorean, which gave him a new rush of determination. It didn't matter what townspeople or even the scientific community thought about him. He had a big dream that he wanted to make reality, he's been slowly progressing towards his goal to accomplish the "impossible", and he was getting really close to it. Brown dedicated all of his free time out of true passion, not to impress anyone, which was why he didn't need anyone's approval and was happy to just do what he really loved.
The scientist glanced at the nearest clock hanging on the wall and saw it was 3:20 p.m. He's been planning to go to the town's household waste dump to hunt for free scrap metal and parts, so now was the perfect time of the day to go there. After covering the DeLorean with a tarp, Brown gave Einstein a pat on the head before going to the sink to wash the dust off his face. He removed his lab coat, which he threw on his working table, then grabbed his keys and a folded plasic bag for his findings.
"I'm going to the garbage dump, Einie, so be a good boy in the meantime, okay?" - Doctor Brown gently instructed his dog, who went to lie down on his dog bed, not without a small whine - "I'll try to not take too long. But as soon as I return, I'll take you on a walk."
Einstein perked a little bit at the word "walk", before lying his head down when his owner walked through the door and then locked it.
Doctor Brown walked across the sunny streets of Hill Valley at a medium pace, and it didn't take him very long to reach his destination. After a quick glance around, he was relieved to see there was nobody in sight. He could thus search for stuff in peace, without anyobody to give him a hard time just for the sake of it. As much as he learned to not let others' opinions get to him, Brown still didn't like having to deal with rude and judgy people. But it since nobody was here, he had nothing to worry about. With a lighter mind, Doctor Brown proceeded to look through the dumped objects, focusing mostly on electronics and home appliance. Even if these things were broken, they usually had some valuable unbroken parts that would turn out to be super useful. And sometimes, a little bit of tinkering could even make the broken things work again (if they haven't been caught in a rain). "Most people don't even realize how good things they're throwing away are." - the inventor remarked to himself, shaking his head as he took a look at an iron. The object looked in a decent state, so Doctor Brown put his finding in the bag, thinking about disassembling it sometime later. He then caught sight of a clock, and being the time obsessed clock lover he was, it made his heart ache. Picking up the clock and briefly studying it with caring look, Brown shook his head and said a little sadly:
"How could they even discard such a beauty? Some people are so wasteful."
"Tell me about it."
Doctor Brown blenched a bit in surprise, not expecting anyone to be there and respond to his words. He turned around and saw a young girl standing behind a pile of discarded goods, busy retrieving something from it. She had short brown hair, bronze skin, and she seemed to be around thirteen years old. The girl wasn't very tall and had a thin frame, which might be why Brown failed to notice her sooner. The girl noticed the man's surprised look, so she quickly averted her own gaze, looking embarrassed.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." - she apologized quickly and quietly.
"No big deal." - Doctor Brown replied - "I was just surprised to hear a response because I thought I was here alone... as I didn't see you when I arrived..."
The scientist mentally facepalmed at how blatantly obvious his own statement was. "That's literally the definition of being startled, Brown." - he thought to himself - "Way to say aloud what the girl already figured by herself."
The girl in question just shrugged at his words, replying with a simple:
"It happens."
She then walked to another garbage pile, looking through it with a focused look. Doctor Brown then felt a little awkward at the silence, thinking he might've made the preteen girl uncomfortable by his presence. There was no doubt she knew who he was, judging by a brief curious glance she sent him before going back to business. Doctor Brown figured he should try to break the ice at least a little.
"I didn't expect someone as young as you in a place like this..." - he said, and when the girl tensed a little at these words, he quickly added - "...on such a sunny day."
The brown haired girl relaxed some at the added part and replied with another light shrug:
"Things must be done regardless of weather."
Doctor Brown could see there was still some tension in the girl's body language and figured it would probably be better to leave her alone. After all, he was a stranger to her, and she likely knew better than talking to strangers and perhaps even felt threatened. Not to mention that his reputation as a local lunatic didn't help his case.
"I'm sorry. That was none of my business." - he apologized.
"It's alright." - the girl replied.
Her body posture seemed to relax just a little, though her brown gaze seemed to try to read him. Brown was about to leave things at that and fully focus on what he came here for, but then the girl broke the silence on her turn.
"Do you think you can make the clock you found work again?" - she asked softly and hopefully.
"As a matter of fact, I'm pretty certain I can!" - Doctor Brown replied with a smile - "I've repaired many clocks in my lifetime, and judging by how this one looks, it shouldn't be a big challenge."
"I'm glad. The clock looks too nice to be thrown away." - the girl smiled faintly and briefly.
"I know right?" - Brown agreed, then noticed what the kid found and was planning to take - "Nice ceiling light you found here. This part here is proken though... I wouldn't hang it on my ceiling."
"I'm not planning to hang it." - the kid shook her head - "I'll only use the unbroken part to craft a decorative item out of it, and then I might sell it."
"Oh! So you like crafting new things out of what you find?" - the inventor beamed at this.
"Hm-hm. I come here every now and then to find useful pieces of furniture, toys and other things that I can fix or turn into something else."
"That's exactly what I do with the hosehold appliances I find! I disassemble them and then I use the unbroken parts for my inventions, which is especially practical at the experimental stages, readjustements being expected later on anyway. Better try it with used parts first; lesser is the regret when the invention doesn't work... or blows up."
The inventor noticed how the girl tried to discreetely cover her mouth that curved up at his latest words, obviously suppressing a giggle to not offend him. Doctor Brown wouldn't have taken any offense, but he thought it was sweet of her to consider his feelings. Realizing he didn't know this nice girl's name, he asked:
"So what's your name, kid?"
The girl didn't answer immediately and looked into Doctor Brown's eyes, as though checking for something, likely his intentions. The scientist couldn't blame her for still being wary, although he wondered if she was afraid of him. Before he could say anything to calm her fears, the kid relaxed again and replied:
"My name's Frisk."
"Nice to meet you, Frisk." - the man replied, smiling friendly - "I'm Doctor Emmett Brown."
"I kind of figured that." - Frisk said with a nervous chuckle - "But it's nice to meet you too, Doctor Brown."
"Now that we're officially acquianted, do you need some help in your treasure hunt?" - Doctor Brown offered her in a light friendly tone.
"Thank you, but it's fine. I know my way around here pretty well." - Frisk replied.
"So you come here often?" - Brown asked, curious and impressed by the preteen's confidence.
Frisk tensed again and, averting her gaze, she said:
"...Maybe?"
She then resuming her searches in the pile of junk, avoiding eye contact with the scientist. Doctor Brown frowned a little at Frisk's skittish response, but decided to go back to what seemed to be a more pleasant conversation topic for her, one that would hopefully make her relax again.
"What kind of things do you like to craft?"
This question did the trick, Frisk's eyes lightening up and she instantly started to tell him about some of the things she's built.
"I mostly make things you can hang on the walls, like dream catchers, or table decorations, like candle handlers. For example, I think the good part from the ceiling lamp I found could make a cute candle handler! I also like to make Christmas themed decorations and ornaments when it's the season."
"That's all really nice." - Doctor Brown said with a smile - "Your room must look cute with all these things you make."
"Actually, I sell most of the stuff I make." - Frisk replied sheepishly.
"You don't keep any of your creations?" - the scientist asked, a little surprised.
"Well, I've kept some of the Christmas ornaments I made. They look cute hanging on the bedroom walls and windows. I might make some new ones this year. My sister will get a kick out of it." - Frisk said with a thoughtful look, before looking back at Doctor Brown and asked curiously - "But enough about me. What the things you make are like, Doctor Brown?"
The question took the scientist by surprise. Nobody's ever took interest in what he did. Of course, it could be that Frisk asked just to be polite because he asked about her crafted items first, but Doctor Brown still dared to believe there was at least some genuine interest. All too happy to answer, he started telling about a few things he's built in the recent couple of years.
"One of the most useful devices I've built is my automatic dog feeder!" - Brown said proudly - "It's set up to open a can of dog food and pour its contents into Einstein's bowl at a specific time! It works perfectly on schedule, and that way, I never have to wonder whether or not my dog's been fed! I only need to make sure there are always some cans lined up on the machine."
"That's awesome and very useful." - Frisk said with a smile, listening with great interest.
"I can get really absorbed in my work, so before building my dog feeder, I sometimes struggled to remember when I last fed my dog. Of course, Einstein would let me know that he was hungry, but when he was still a puppy, he'd try to trick me into giving him an extra meal. And I couldn't compromise his health by overfeeding or underfeeding him. So now he's fed on the same hours every day, and Einstein's fully used to this schedule."
"That's a great solution you found." - Frisk nodded in agreement - "Do you have any other timed devices like this?"
"I do! Every morning, my coffee machine and toaster activate at a specific time, so I have my cup of coffee and toasts ready when I start my day!" - Doctor Brown answered - "I'm still trying to find a way to make eggs to cook themselves too, but the task turned out trickier than expected, taking into account the importance of eggs refrigeration."
"Yeah, eating spoiled eggs is not fun." - Frisk commented, briefly making a face at an unpleasant memory - "But what you did with the toaster and coffee machine is already so great! Having warm toasts ready when getting up sounds so good."
Brown chuckled at Frisk's enthousiasm about it, pleased that she liked such a simple invention. But he couldn't help but wonder if Frisk, given the way she said it, didn't have toasts ready to eat when she got up in the morning. She was so young, didn't her parents make her breakfast before school? But Doctor Brown quickly chased this assumption away. "I'm probably overthinking this, she likely meant it generally." - he told himself, before focusing back on their current topic.
"Well, I'm glad you think so, Frisk. I always try to improve my inventions though, so maybe I'll get my eggs idea work properly someday."
"I really hope you'll figure it out." - Frisk said with a genuine and encouraging smile.
Frisk's simple yet kind words really pleased the encouragement deprived scientist. It was nice to meet someone who didn't make fun of him and his eccentricity, who listened about his inventions with interest. Frisk was so gentle and polite in her interaction with him, she's never tried to change the topic or dodge the conversation, instead asking him more questions, prompting him to tell her more! It was a first for Doctor Brown, so he happily answered the kid's questions, all while they kept treasure hunting in the garbage dump.
They weren't sure how long they've been there, but it was certainly long enough for Doctor Brown to fill his plastic bag and for Frisk to fill her backpack. As the inventor finished explaining another of his projects, Frisk, her eyes shining in admiration, said with a smile:
"All these devices you make sound awesome, Doctor Brown. I wish I could learn to make things like that."
Something about her eagerness to learn his skill and the glimmer of adoration in her eyes made Doctor Brown melt inside, his heart warming up in such a nice way he hasn't experienced in a very long time. And this was enough to trigger an urge to grant her wish.
"What if you can?" - he said, making Frisk give him a curious look - "I'd use a hand in my lab."
Frisk's mouth opened slightly as she caught on what he meant.
"You... You want me to be your assistant or something?" - she asked with surprise.
"It's just a suggestion." - Doctor Brown felt suddenly shy - "It'd pay you, of course. I wouldn't expect you to help me for free. You could come by my house whenever you have the time to help me with experiments and other things, and I'd pay you... say, twenty dollars a day?"
Frisk grew very thoughtful at this and didn't say anything for a few seconds. Doctor Brown could tell she was tempted by payment, but realized his offer probably wasn't easy for a young child to accept. "She probably doesn't want to be seen hanging around me because of my reputation." - he thought - "Or maybe she's still wary and is afraid I'll kidnap her, or something of the sort." He decided to ease this potential fear, saying:
"But I didn't mean anything weird by this, alright? I mean you no harm, and you're free to refuse-"
"I accept, Doctor Brown." - Frisk cut him off.
"You do?" - the scientist blinked in surprise, having expected her to reject his offer at this point.
"Yeah, I'd like to see some of these inventions you told me about." - Frisk answered with a smile - "And I'd be happy to help you any way you need."
Doctor Brown felt again touched by Frisk's curiosity and, as he could tell, her genuine desire to help. He was sure money played a part in her motivation to accept his offer, but the way she didn't jump on it at the mention of twenty bucks a day, as well as her earlier interest in his inventions, led him to think money wasn't her sole reason to accept. At least, that's what he wanted to believe about the kind girl.
"Well, it's a deal then." - he said, returning Frisk's smile - "You can start tomorrow if you like. ...Unless you already have plans with friends or family?"
"No plans with anyone." - Frisk shook her head - "Tomorrow's good. Where do you live, Doctor Brown?"
"John F. Kennedy Drive 1646. It's not very far from here. My house is located next to the Burger King, on its left. It resembles a garage... since it used to be one... so you can't miss it."
"Okay, I'll remember." - Frisk said, chuckling lightly at the garage part - "That's not very far from my home. What time should I come?"
"Whenever works for you." - Doctor Brown replied.
"I'll try to come around noon." - Frisk then closed her backpack full of found goods, then picked it up from the ground - "Alright, I think it's time for me to go home... I wonder what time is it?"
"It's ten past five." - Doctor Brown said after checking his watch.
"Oh no, already?! I must hurry back home; my sister Tina must be hungry by now and waiting for me..." - Frisk exclaimed, as she put on her backpack, not without a light wince at the weight.
"Will you be alright carrying your bag by yourself, Frisk? Do you need help?" - Brown offered with concern.
Now that the big backpack was on Frisk's shoulders, Doctor Brown took notice just how thin and frail she looked.
"No, it's fine." - the girl quickly shook her head and straightened up a bit - "Not the first time, I'll manage."
Doctor Brown was a little concerned but didn't insist, so he just nodded and said:
"Alright then. See you tomorrow?"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Doctor Brown. Have a good evening!" - Frisk said, before walking off in the direction of her home.
Doctor Brown watched her go until she disappeared from sight. Then he picked up his own bag of "treasures" and walked back home, where he knew Einstein was waiting for him to go on their daily walk.
When he finally made it to his home and opened the door, Einstein indeed greeted him wagging his tail excitedly.
"Hey, Einie, I'm back!" - the scientist greeted his dog, patting him on the head - "Just give me a minute and we'll go for a walk. Now, bring me the leash."
Understanding the command, the dog trotted off to search for the leash, while Doctor Brown put down his bag and sat down to rest for a moment. He thought about his encounter with Frisk again and he couldn't help but smile. She was such a kind kid, and she clearly had a curious, resourceful and creative spirit. It was nice to have a conversation with someone who not only had similar interests to his own, but who looked at him with interest and admiration rather than with judgement and disdain. For the first time in forever, Doctor Brown felt truly seen as a human being, and not just as the town's lunatic. But the best part was that he'd get to see Frisk again! A small part of him worried she'd change her mind and not show up at his door the next day, but something told him Frisk would stay true to her word.
Even though he barely knew anything about her yet, Doctor Brown admittedly already liked the kid, and he was looking forward to get to know her better. There were some things he noticed about Frisk that concerned him though. Like her really thin frame and her worn clothes. It could just be that she was from a poor family. But there was also the fact how she mentioned her sister was waiting for her at home hungry, which seemed to imply Frisk herself had to make her dinner. Doctor Brown shook his head. He didn't know anything about Frisk yet, he shouldn't jump to conclusions. Hopefully, it was just a misunderstanding on his part. But only time would tell.
The scientist got pulled out of his thoughts when Einstein approached him, holding the leash in his mouth. Smiling, Doctor Brown took the leash and proceeded to secure it around his dog, and while doing so, he told him about earlier events.
"You know Einie, I met a really nice girl at the dump today. Her name is Frisk. She's around your age in dog years." - he said, the smile not leaving his face, and Einstein looked at his owner curiously - "She loves to build things like I do, except she works mostly with wood and fabric instead of electronics. She's afraid to zap herself."
The leash secured, Doctor Brown stood up and petted Einstein's head.
"But she's curious to learn. So I offered her to become my assistant!"
Einstein let out a curious whine, tilting his head.
"Frisk will come here tomorrow, you'll meet her then. You'll definitely like her! Hopefully, we'll get to see her often."
Doctor Brown said the last part with a hint of insecurity. As though sensing it and wanting to encourage his owner, Einstein gave his hand a lick, making the scientist chuckle.
"Thanks, Einie." - he said, giving Einstein another soft pat on the head - "Alright, let's go on that walk, shall we?"