A/N: I'm not really sure why I wrote this. I actually don't think that Derby would be all that scared of elevators and escalators but what do I know? *flails arms* I, however, am terrified of them. And I felt like writing some Derby and Bif fluffish stuff. AND I read a fic about Petey being stuck in the bathroom. So yeah. Enjoy. Review. Danger-Sempai, if you are reading this then I would like to dedicate this to you. If you don't mind.
I apologize for OOCness.

Derby looked around cautiously as he walked through the parking lot of
the mall with his fellow Preppies. All were there with the exception
of Chad, Bryce, and Justin. It had been the brainchild of Gord and
Pinky to travel to one of the larger cities while they were in a
different state during summer break. No one objected, so there they
were. Chad had to go to the veterinary clinic to get his dog checked
out (he was suspicious that someone poisoned him), while Bryce and
Justin's family had other plans for them.

The blonde tapped his fingers gently against his cousin's waist as
they stepped onto the curb. He tuned out Gord's babbling and watched
as Bif rushed up to grab the door for him. What a loyal man he was.

Pinky paused in the middle of her sentence to squeeze through the door
with Derby, continuing on when the Preps were inside the stuffy
building. It somehow surprised them how... cheap it seemed.

Parker chimed in with a witty comment when Gord complained about
something, but the three other teens didn't pay any mind. Tad
eventually stepped in when frogs and chocolate were brought up,
leading to Derby making a statement that made Gord squeal with
disgust. Bif remained quiet, eyeing his friends as they maneuvered
through the crowded mall.

"Ooh!" Pinky squealed as she caught sight of a jewelry store. "Mind if
I peek for a bit?"

Derby raised an eyebrow but let her trot into the store, Gord staying
close by her so they could finish their conversation (and possibly
look through the clothing store across from the outlet they were in).
After a slight moment, Derby, Bif, Parker, and Tad continued on down
the building. They honestly didn't know where the hell they were
going, but they kept on. Maybe the four would find a really crappy
place to hate on. Or the exact opposite to browse through.

"Oh, hey," Parker suddenly mumbled, slowing down and causing the other
three boys to look back. "I just remembered, I gotta get something.
I'll catch up with you later."

Derby bit his cheek but let him go, watching him walk off until Bif
began walking again. The two other Preps that remained next to him
made small talk, every once in a while commenting on someone's fashion
sense.

"Ay," Tad muttered, stopping in front of a shoe store. "Mind if I step
in?"

Derby sighed quietly. Bif was the only one that remained next to him.
But he was loyal. He wouldn't dare leave Derby.

...He was overreacting.

The blonde and the redhead continued on in a comfortable silence, the
smell of food every so often hitting their nostrils. Who actually
bought that crap?

Derby's gait slowed down noticeably as he noticed an escalator. An
elevator was not too far.

Bif turned around when he noticed Derby stopped walking, his eyebrows
knitting together in confusion.

"Are you okay?"

Derby bit his tongue. /Not really/. He nodded and stopped walking
altogether, suddenly turning around. "Let's go this way."

Bif blinked. "Alright..." he mumbled, suspicious, but continued on
anyways.

Derby bit his tongue harshly as they made their way back to where they
came from until they turned around again with no sights of a store
that was somewhat interesting. The blonde noticeably avoided the
contraptions that would lead them to the top floor. His redheaded
bodyguard was becoming concerned.

"Why don't we browse the selections on the upper floor?" he suggested.
Derby's eyebrows furrowed in response, but he didn't object. He
instead gave him a curt nod and marched towards the elevators.

It was shabby, dirty and dusty. Bif hesitated in touching the buttons
(why were there so many of them?) when they determined their floor
number. As the boxed machine began upwards, Derby's stomach dropped.
He thought he would puke.

He almost did when the elevator came to a sudden holt, the lights
flickered, and the door didn't open.

The blonde slapped a hand to his mouth, his throat becoming
constricted and his breathing more frantic. He knew this would happen
to him one day. Getting stuck in an old, rusty elevator. It was one of
his worst fears. Other than the obvious. And especially if he was
alone. But he wasn't alone, thank god. He had Bif, who was worried,
but more about the Harrington's reactions rather than actually being
stuck inside the cramped elevator.

The taller teen moved over to the button panel in search of an
emergency button he could push. What kind of freakin elevator didn't
have one?

What kind of freakin elevator had an emergency button that didn't even
work?!

Bif stepped back with a sigh, flipping out his cellphone before a
quick glance to Derby. The blonde was holding his stomach, doubled
over, his face was pale and he looked as though he would puke. The
taller of the two moved over to where the blonde was and gently laid a
hand on his shoulder. The reaction he got from Derby was not what he
expected.

He turned slowly, looking up at his right hand man with glossy blue
eyes. His mind and heart were racing with panic an he didn't even
think about what he did next: he clung to Bif. He grabbed the tall
redhead and buried his face into his neck, no chance of letting go
anytime soon. A wave of relief washed through him, but the same,
dreaded feeling never went away.

Bif was shocked. Phone open in one hand, his other one hesitantly
pressed to Derby's back, his eyes were wide.

"I'll... I-I'll get us out," Bif mumbled, slightly nervous, down to
the teen just below his chin while patting his back gently. Derby
stood still, letting himself lean on Bif, inhale his scent.

After a moment of Bif's demanding voice filling the small space, there
was silence. Derby stayed where he was. He felt as though he could
fall asleep on Bif.

He suddenly tore himself away from his bodyguard and turned his back
to him. Bif looked back to him with his eyebrows knit together, but he
didn't question Derby.

It seemed like forever, but a rescue team came by and fixed up the
elevator. A majority of the employees and the rescuers that had
gathered around to watch apologized profusely, Derby mumbling about
how he could get them fired before he stormed away. Bif chuckled and
followed after him to meet up with the four other preps a slight
distance away.

Pinky immediately latched onto her cousin, burying her face in his
neck. The blonde pressed his left arm to her back, just like Bif had
done to him not too long ago.

"Are you okay?" Gord spoke up, concern present in both his voice and
expression.

"Oh," Derby shrugged. "You know."

Bif grinned.