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“That’s a trap.”
Spock’s hand quickly withdrew from the flower he had been observing. He glanced around the gardens for any sign of said trap, but there was nothing he could discern. He turned back to his companion to inquire about the trap; however, Jim was not looking at Spock or anything in their immediate vicinity. Instead, his focus was on a couple some 20.736 feet away.
Spock raised an eyebrow. “I believe it is called a proposal.”
Not taking his eyes from the scene—a man on one knee in front of his supposed boyfriend, declaring his love—Jim wrinkled his nose. “Like I said, it’s a trap.”
“Those may be your personal views on marriage, but many value the companionship it brings.” Spock attempted to not look too displeased as he spoke. Granted, he never expected his fixation on Jim to lead to anything, yet it was still displeasing to hear one’s desired mate express distaste for commitment.
“No, I meant public proposals are traps.” Without further explanation, Jim turned from the scene and began walking towards a different section of the gardens.
Spock followed, attention now focused solely on Jim rather than the flora. “I was under the impression that public declarations are considered romantic in Terran culture.”
“To some people. Others hate the attention. It’s really a personal preference thing.”
“And you are averse to public declarations.”
“In most cases, yeah. Also, proposing in public puts a lot of pressure on the person being proposed to: everyone just expects them to say yes, and what if you don’t want to? Only way that kind of thing’s okay is if the couple’s talked it through beforehand. Even then, can you imagine a bunch of strangers staring at you during something like that? If someone proposed to me in public—even if I wanted to marry them—I’d say no on principle.”
“You do tend to resist authority and societal expectations.” It made sense for Jim to dislike a custom with such expectations built into it.
Shrugging, Jim said, “I just don’t think it’s a decision you should pressure someone into.”
“I see.”
Although Spock would likely never be able to apply this information, he made note of it. One could never be too prepared. Additionally, should Spock ever get the chance to ask for Jim’s commitment, he would need to ensure an affirmative reply.