[It's still incredible to Fiddleford that when he first arrived in Ryslig he could barely comprehend the existence of the flesh coat and now here he is, fond of it. It's a part of Marco that he loves as much as his green, green eyes or his nice shoulders or the way he smiles.
Being fond of it doesn't make it any easier to imagine somehow shoving a whole tuxedo under it. It's difficult enough for Marco just to manage regular shirts. All those layers...]
You could just wear an extra-nice bowtie and leave it there.
It's alright, honey, we'll figure it out. I bet Lorna could whip you up somethin' nice if we asked; I'm probably goin' to her for my suit, she knows her way around a needle and thread.
But I wouldn't mind you bein' in a bowtie and nothin' else.
[He is allowed to flirt casually with his fiance let him have this]
[Truth be told, until Fiddleford said that, Marco was still picturing a shirt under the bowtie. But then he catches on, and his cheeks redden up slightly, but his smile turns warmer.]
And I wouldn't mind trying that look just for you.
[See, this is nice. This is easily the nicest thing he has going for him right now and yet he's still continually discovering all over again how nice it is.]
Honey, you could wear nothin' but a potato sack and I'd still think you were the most handsome man I'd ever seen.
Though actually are we goin' to want a -- I don't know, a theme? My first go-around it was all blues and yellows. Real summery. I don't think that'll work for fall and I wouldn't-- I wouldn't want it to be the same. I want this to be somethin' special.
[Which is, you know, kind of hard to say. It's been years since the divorce and it still weighs on him a little. He's from a time and culture where getting remarried has a lot of baggage attached to it, and it's difficult to speak about it so frankly even with the man he's marrying. He never wants Marco to feel like... like a second choice.]
[A theme, huh? Truth be told, Marco has never really thought about it. His idea of a wedding is a very catholic one, and... That option has only been open to him for long enough that he's never really indulged the thought. After what happened with his father, maybe he simply didn't allow himself.
But regardless of any of that, Fiddleford's sentiment touches him. He leans closer and strokes his cheek with a thumb.]
Fall colors, then? Something earthy? Or should we think of something more elaborate?
[He's picturing it now, and as far as he's concerned, that alone must be a good sign. The image makes him smile: a temperate weather wedding in warm colours, the vivid red of his coat and Fiddleford all in elegant browns.
He takes a deep breath just to soak in the feeling the thought gives him.]
Me too. I don't want to rush it or nothin', we have plenty of time and it's good to have time to plan and organize and all, but I'm... y'know, I'm ready for it.
[He can picture it too. He has been picturing it since before he even asked Marco to marry him, and the more he thinks about it the more ready he feels. No matter how he's pictured it's always looked right.]
Really all that's left is pickin' rings, and I want to do that together.
[Don't mind if Marco's quiet for a second. He's just trying to assess where exactly his line for "tacky" lies now, while also, you know, trying not to freak out about it. Would be a shame to ruin the moment after that joke he managed to make and all.]
I mean, gold is great! Traditional and nice to look at.
I can't imagine you pickin' out anythin' tacky. But, y'know. Remember. I'm from the seventies. I've been led to believe I tend toward tacky anyway.
[Which is complete bullshit, his fashion sense is great. It's just great for a time that almost everybody else here isn't from. This is unfair oppression is what it is.]
So if you see somethin' you really fall in love with chances are I'll like it too.
... Y'know I admit I hadn't thought much about how much it was goin' to cost.
[That's not even a lie. He'd drain his bank account and then some to make this wedding perfect. He won't have to, he's sure, but the point is the bill wasn't first and foremost on his list of priorities. Probably good to have a ballpark estimate, though, he can see the sense in that.]
[Marco stops himself, and for the seconds that follow, his face goes on a little journey (along with his awkwardly gesturing hands). One that Fiddleford may be very familiar with by now, in fact. It's that look Marco gets when he's arguing with himself about something he feels guilty about but is trying very hard not to. It's usually a monster thing, and silly at it is, it's also a sign of progress, in a sense. He's been doing his best to take what Fiddleford has said about innocuous monster things to heart.]
I-- Okay, I know it's not... Of course the jewelry isn't the important part, but, but I mean... It would be nice to get the best we can afford- Sorry, I mean...
[Is he being superficial? Is he being greedy? Is he making SENSE?? It probably doesn't help that he's afraid the Ex-Millionaire Brain is enabling the Squid Brain.
How suddenly Marco can overthink himself into a loop!]
Honey. Listen. I didn't grow up with a lot, you know that. [Really that's putting it lightly.] So if I'm goin' to spend my money I want it to be on somethin' important, you know, and you're just about the most important thing to me.
[It's difficult to articulate. He never wanted to make money just to have money. He wanted the recognition, sure. The attention would have been nice. But ultimately what he really wanted was still just a screen door that wasn't broken. He wanted to be able to make the life of the family he always knew he wanted to have as good as he could possibly make it. And now that Marco is his family that still holds true. It's not a kid, a dog and a white picket fence but that doesn't make it any less the dream he had. Sometimes a family is a fish, a snake, and a couple of robots, and if the fish wants the most expensive ring their budget allows for who is the snake to say no?]
And I'd say the jewelry's plenty important. It's more than just somethin' to wear.
[There's a reason he still has his old wedding ring, hidden away somewhere safe. Even if he didn't have a penny to his name he wouldn't pawn it. It means too much. It's something near-sacred, and whatever rings he and Marco decide on he'll treat the same way.]
[The way Marco's inclined to think about it, Fiddleford's past is exactly why he needs to keep himself in check when it comes to these matters. Not everyone grows up with parents who can afford every single item on your letter to Santa, be it a modest one or otherwise; not everyone has good clothes and food and no need to worry about getting sick and a new phone every year.
But, well, he's not going to interrupt Fiddleford. And...
He's not sure if he gets it. He's not sure what it is that he's having trouble grasping, either. Perhaps it's the implication that he is what's important, not the jewelry. It might be that.
Although he feels strangely humbled, he ends up finding a few words.]
It has to be something we both love. A... [A deep breath. A smile.
Fiddleford McGucket is so incredibly important to him, too.]
[They see eye to eye on more things that one might expect. Despite the difference in their timelines, despite the difference in their upbringings, he and Marco really do come together in and incredibly harmonious sort of way. He almost expects they'll zero in on the same set immediately -- but they can't know until they actually go shopping.]
We just have to set aside the time. We'll make a day of it.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shh i didn't forget about the macbook or anything
[In fact, now that they're on the subject of clothes... Marco just sort of looks down at his coat, uncertain.]
I wonder if it's even possible to find a suit that goes well with this.
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Being fond of it doesn't make it any easier to imagine somehow shoving a whole tuxedo under it. It's difficult enough for Marco just to manage regular shirts. All those layers...]
You could just wear an extra-nice bowtie and leave it there.
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[He gives Fiddleford a little smile, looks down and fidgets at his neck, picturing what that might look like. If it's the only way to make it work...]
I could try wearing a jacket over the coat, but that might be a little...
[Stupid? Suffocating? Both?]
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[That's probably the kindest way of putting it.]
It's alright, honey, we'll figure it out. I bet Lorna could whip you up somethin' nice if we asked; I'm probably goin' to her for my suit, she knows her way around a needle and thread.
But I wouldn't mind you bein' in a bowtie and nothin' else.
[He is allowed to flirt casually with his fiance let him have this]
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And I wouldn't mind trying that look just for you.
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Honey, you could wear nothin' but a potato sack and I'd still think you were the most handsome man I'd ever seen.
Though actually are we goin' to want a -- I don't know, a theme? My first go-around it was all blues and yellows. Real summery. I don't think that'll work for fall and I wouldn't-- I wouldn't want it to be the same. I want this to be somethin' special.
[Which is, you know, kind of hard to say. It's been years since the divorce and it still weighs on him a little. He's from a time and culture where getting remarried has a lot of baggage attached to it, and it's difficult to speak about it so frankly even with the man he's marrying. He never wants Marco to feel like... like a second choice.]
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But regardless of any of that, Fiddleford's sentiment touches him. He leans closer and strokes his cheek with a thumb.]
Fall colors, then? Something earthy? Or should we think of something more elaborate?
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Simple seems better, I think. Less to worry about. But earthy could be nice. Warm colors. That way nothin' would clash with your coat.
[Since it's not like Marco can exactly take it off. Whatever they go for, it has to pair alright with bright red.]
And I've always looked good in browns and greens.
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He takes a deep breath just to soak in the feeling the thought gives him.]
I like it.
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[He can picture it too. He has been picturing it since before he even asked Marco to marry him, and the more he thinks about it the more ready he feels. No matter how he's pictured it's always looked right.]
Really all that's left is pickin' rings, and I want to do that together.
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[The fact that he's joking about Monster Things is a clear testament to what a good mood this conversation has put him in.]
We have to match, of course.
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Of course. I imagine you'll be wantin' somethin' real shiny? Gold's traditional but I'm open to suggestions.
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[Don't mind if Marco's quiet for a second. He's just trying to assess where exactly his line for "tacky" lies now, while also, you know, trying not to freak out about it. Would be a shame to ruin the moment after that joke he managed to make and all.]
I mean, gold is great! Traditional and nice to look at.
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[Which is complete bullshit, his fashion sense is great. It's just great for a time that almost everybody else here isn't from. This is unfair oppression is what it is.]
So if you see somethin' you really fall in love with chances are I'll like it too.
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[He is SO serious about that question.]
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[That's not even a lie. He'd drain his bank account and then some to make this wedding perfect. He won't have to, he's sure, but the point is the bill wasn't first and foremost on his list of priorities. Probably good to have a ballpark estimate, though, he can see the sense in that.]
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[Marco stops himself, and for the seconds that follow, his face goes on a little journey (along with his awkwardly gesturing hands). One that Fiddleford may be very familiar with by now, in fact. It's that look Marco gets when he's arguing with himself about something he feels guilty about but is trying very hard not to. It's usually a monster thing, and silly at it is, it's also a sign of progress, in a sense. He's been doing his best to take what Fiddleford has said about innocuous monster things to heart.]
I-- Okay, I know it's not... Of course the jewelry isn't the important part, but, but I mean... It would be nice to get the best we can afford- Sorry, I mean...
[Is he being superficial? Is he being greedy? Is he making SENSE?? It probably doesn't help that he's afraid the Ex-Millionaire Brain is enabling the Squid Brain.
How suddenly Marco can overthink himself into a loop!]
no subject
[It's difficult to articulate. He never wanted to make money just to have money. He wanted the recognition, sure. The attention would have been nice. But ultimately what he really wanted was still just a screen door that wasn't broken. He wanted to be able to make the life of the family he always knew he wanted to have as good as he could possibly make it. And now that Marco is his family that still holds true. It's not a kid, a dog and a white picket fence but that doesn't make it any less the dream he had. Sometimes a family is a fish, a snake, and a couple of robots, and if the fish wants the most expensive ring their budget allows for who is the snake to say no?]
And I'd say the jewelry's plenty important. It's more than just somethin' to wear.
[There's a reason he still has his old wedding ring, hidden away somewhere safe. Even if he didn't have a penny to his name he wouldn't pawn it. It means too much. It's something near-sacred, and whatever rings he and Marco decide on he'll treat the same way.]
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But, well, he's not going to interrupt Fiddleford. And...
He's not sure if he gets it. He's not sure what it is that he's having trouble grasping, either. Perhaps it's the implication that he is what's important, not the jewelry. It might be that.
Although he feels strangely humbled, he ends up finding a few words.]
It has to be something we both love. A... [A deep breath. A smile.
Fiddleford McGucket is so incredibly important to him, too.]
A perfect union of our tastes.
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[They see eye to eye on more things that one might expect. Despite the difference in their timelines, despite the difference in their upbringings, he and Marco really do come together in and incredibly harmonious sort of way. He almost expects they'll zero in on the same set immediately -- but they can't know until they actually go shopping.]
We just have to set aside the time. We'll make a day of it.