doc is my #1 op, idk how i haven’t written for him yet. he’s an enigma, that’s for sure, but i’ll do my best for you!!

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doc x reader >> surprise?

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MASTERLIST

warnings: cursing, dogs

prompts:

#6: “i know you have a dog, i can hear it.”

you can find the prompt list here

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summary: you decide to gift doc the least expected item on your anniversary.

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the calendar wasn’t kidding: the anniversary was the next day. you should’ve known, you and gustave have been married for half a decade and the date always managed to slip past you. the doctor, while he may be punctual, cannot control his hours. more often than not, he’d spent houseparties, holidays, and even his own birthday to practice medicine. it was never his intention to miss anything important, so doc would always make up his absence by sending a gift or setting up a less-than-safe-for-work night with you.

luckily for you, gustave requested a day off to spend with his love, yet you were unsure of his exact plans. even as the morning light graced your eyelids and you peeled your eyes open, you still stared at his sleeping form as he was an angel sent from above. he clenched his jaw, dark hair falling in front of his eyelashes, which fluttered while he dreamt. his appearance was much different than his tight mouth and tired gaze. when he slept, he was at ease. his tanned skin and toned bare arms glowed bronze with the kiss of daylight. he slept on his stomach, facing you with slightly parted lips.

[[why did i get so carried away in describing him,,, he’s just so beautiful,,,]]

“i love you,” you whispered, reaching to feel his jaw with a feather touch. his lips curled upwards. silently, you slinked out of the covers and padded your way to the bathroom, tying back your hair and quickly tossing on an old university hoodie of your husband’s. your pajama shorts remained, as his sweater went well past your thighs.

you made your way to the living room, pulling out a cardboard box from under the couch. digging through the contents, you removed a large bag of puppy food, a bowl and leash. you had to strategically place the items around the house in case they were spotted once gustave was up and about. just as you forcefully shoved the dry food into a cabinet, you spotted a pen and notepad, tearing off a sheet and holding the pen’s cap between your teeth as you wrote.

emergency meeting. be back shortly.

—y/n xx

you smiled, patting the note onto the fridge. that should convince him, you thought. should buy me enough time, too. you snatched the keys from the hook and headed out, both hands against the door as you closed it to muffle the sound.

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the bed was warm but the air felt empty, gustave noticed the moment he was pulled from his dream. this absolutely wasn’t a first time either, with work or family issues usually pulling each other away to spend time together. as ranks got higher and stakes were raised, you saw gustave and vice versa less and less during your domestic life than your job. sighing at the thought, he climbed out of bed and combed his hands through his graying hair.

assuming something was left to notify him of your absence, he made his way to the tv room, now equipped with a button-up and black pants. when you came back, he wanted to make sure he looked his best to hold you in his arms and celebrate.

the room was empty, and your keys were missing from the hooks. gustave smiled, it was like you to leave and place a message instead of texting. he thought it was cute when you’d put hearts or kisses or little doodles, and it was more expressive than letters on a screen. at first, the message went unnoticed, but he kicked over a small food bowl and knew something was off. he hunted for a note, eventually locating it on the refrigerator door. he held in between two fingers, reading every word. he frowned, deciding to make himself busy by catching up on old work.

“shh, shh,” you cooed, one hand occupied as you unlocked the door. finding the main room empty, you shouted across the house. “love?”

“here,” he responded distantly. you’d grown familiar of his spots in the house, making your way to his study. the door was open, and his back was to you as he typed away. “where’ve you been?”

“uh — got called in,” you explained, hand behind your back as you caught yourself about to tell the truth. “expenses or something, it was too boring to remember.”

he exhaled, a smile on his lips. once sending an email, he looked to you, meeting your eyes with the softest gaze. many claim that he stares at you like the first time you walked by him: awestruck. some days, he admires you out of shock from how lucky he is, and today was one of those days.

“happy anniversary,” he stated, standing up with his arms outstretched. you took a panicked step back, the jingle from your behind almost inaudible. gustave paused, raising an eyebrow.

“my back hurts,” you insisted, flexing your shoulders. “we must need a new bed.” it licked your thumb and you shuddered.

“i slept just fine,” doc responded, voice oddly suspicious. “maybe you’ve caught something. may i...?”

“no!” you moved against a wall, a fair amount of space between you and it. “probably just age finally catching up to me.”

if your ears weren’t trained, you would’ve missed the whine. it was high pitched and confused.

“y/n,” he spoke, laughing once. “i’m not stupid.”

“hm?”

“i know you have a dog. i can hear it.”

damnit.

slowly, you moved your hand to your front, finally showing your husband a small puppy.

“he’s a great pyrenese,” you explained, blushing. “three months.” the dog’s small eyes blinked, glancing up at the doctor with curiosity. “surprise?”

“a surprise indeed,” he observed, reaching out a hand. his uncertainty was rewarded with the dog’s snout between his fingers, sniffing. doc didn’t smile, his eyes were trained on the animal. for a moment, you were upset. would you have to bring him back to the shelter?

“did you name him?” he inquired. you nodded, grinning.

“enzo.”

“enzo,” he repeated. “a fine name.”

“can we keep him?” your heart pounded, eyes soft to attempt to convince him. gustave watched you, noticing the nervous stance and enzo, who seemed to be reading his mind. he calculated the potential issues: accidents, feeding, shedding, vacations, grooming...

“i don’t see why not,” he concluded, much to your delight. you leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips, to which he chuckled. enzo joined in, kissing his forearm since it was all he could reach. once you pulled away, he pet his new friend behind the ears, watching him close his eyes in pleasure.

“happy anniversary, gustave,” you finally put the dog on the floor, watching him scamper about and discover the food and water set out for him.

“i’m not too sure if this is a good idea,” he admitted. “but if you’re happy, i’m happy.”

enzo barked, causing you both to laugh again. gustave kissed you again.

“i love you.”