Well, the chapter name gives a hint on why there is a warning for pain and death threats later on in this chapter.
...Man, this story is dark sometimes. ;-;
Here's chapter 48 of "Welcome Home"!
Bill stood speechless in the gift shop. The other customers had left after hearing about the angry tourist shenanigans, which left only Bill and Stan, along with Soos who was putting away the broom. Just a moment ago Bill had mistaken Stan for Ford, and now he was sure a price would have to be paid due to his lack of self-control so suddenly.
"What's this about your plans in the lab with Ford?" Stanley asked, putting his hands on his hips and glaring at the demon. Things were very suspicious in Stan's eyes. Especially now.
Bill bit his lip and took a step back. "Uh, well, I-I, we-"
"It's for the merchandise!" Soos exclaimed suddenly. Bill and Stan looked at Soos, both raising an eyebrow.
"It is?" Stan asked.
"It is?" Bill also asked.
"Uh, y-yeah!" Soos said, giving an awkward chuckle. "Y-you see, Mr. Ford and Bill were planning something for the shop that they didn't want you finding out about." He claimed.
"Oh, I'm sure they don't want me finding out about somethin'." Stan said, looking down at Bill with narrowed eyes. He then looked at Soos. "Since when do you know about all this?" Stan asked.
Soos shrugged. "I uh... Ford told me." He lied.
"He did?" Stan asked. "Well then, I'll go ask him." He said. Bill nearly protested, however he knew that Ford was a smart man. He watched Stan leave and turned to look at the handyman in the room.
"Soos, what was that for?" Bill questioned, raising an eyebrow. Though he certainly wasn't complaining.
Soos merely shrugged. "I just wanted help a friend out." He said with a small smile.
Bill narrowed his eyes slightly. "Friend?" He repeated. "I don't have friends. Except Shooting Star." He stated. In a mutter, he added, "Wow, that sounds sad."
"Look, I don't mean to sound creepy, but I totally saw you and Ford cuddling the other day at the bus stop." Soos admitted. "If there's chemistry, it shouldn't be messed with recklessly. Like some sort of science experiment!" He said with a smile.
Bill hummed. "Just... don't look too far into what you saw." He said.
"You got it." Soos said, taking the beginning page of his newest fanfiction out of his pocket and crumbling it up in his hand behind his back.
The hand witch walked down the short stairs of the gift shop, only to see Ford still running from the angry tourists as he made his way towards the parking lot. The hand witch was in awe that the old man had such wonderful stamina capacity. On the other hand, he looked quite stupid running around the parking lot while being chased by angry people. The hand witch rolled her eyes as Ford finally tripped, falling over and trying to catch himself, only to land on his back. Ford looked up at the people as they were walking closer to circle him.
"Shoo, shoo!" The hand witch demanded suddenly, walking over towards Stanford and glaring at the people. The hand witch removed her black cloak and let it fall to the ground. She folded her arms.
"Have you no shame?" The witch scolded the tourists.
"That man scammed us the other day!" The other elderly woman stated, pointing her newspaper down at Ford who still lay on the ground. He couldn't see the woman's face, however he swore that her voice was familiar.
"You fools have been chasing after the wrong guy." The witch continued.
"Liar!" One man shouted. The other tourists were quick to agree with the man's claim.
The hand witch narrowed her eyes. "You will leave and never return!" She commanded. For extra measure, two hands crawled up the hand witch's back, one hand resting on each of her shoulders. The fingers on the hands moved in place, making the tourists all scream in a sudden unison. The elderly tourist dropped her newspaper as herself and the others ran away in a fearful manner.
The hand witch watched them leave before turning around to face the man. Ford stood up and brushed the bit of dirt off his pants before looking at the woman. His eyes widened slightly at the sudden realization of who the person was.
"It's been some time, Stanford Pines." The hand witch greeted.
Ford looked down at the woman with his mouth hung open slightly. "I... I haven't seen you in forty years." He said.
"It appears that you've aged well." The witch replied. "Not everyone can say that." She added in a muttered tone, looking down at herself and frowning.
"Well, you're actually quite-" Ford began, only to stop in the middle of his sentence when he saw his brother walking towards him.
"Hey bro, quick question-" Stan began, only to receive a punch to the face from his brother.
"You knucklehead!" Ford chided, fists clenched. "What on earth did you do to those tourists that made them so enraged?" He asked.
Stan looked at his brother and took a step back. "Uh, that's not important. Now, onto my question; what-"
"If my question isn't important to you, then your question isn't important to me." Ford stated. "I was just chased down for who knows how long because of whatever recklessness you showed them the other day. I would like an answer from you before I answer back." Ford stated before walking away towards the gift shop.
The hand witch just grinned at the twins. "I love soap opera." She commented.
Stan looked down at the woman and rolled his eyes. "Ugh, it's you." He muttered before walking away, leaving the hand witch by herself. The witch huffed before grabbing her cloak from off the ground and walking away from the Mystery Shack.
Ford walked into the gift shop, opening the door a bit quicker than he had intended. Soos and Bill jumped at the sudden noise of the door making contact with the wall. Bill saw the look of frustration on Ford's face and bit his lip. He followed Ford though the 'Employee's only' door and looked at him, a look of guilt apparent.
"Look, I know you're upset," Bill began. "But it was an accident, I swear!" He said.
I'm sure this was no accident, coming from Stanley. Ford thought to himself. He took the thought of the tourists out of his head and looked back at Bill. "Was it?" He asked, unconvinced.
"Yes!" Bill cried. Ford saw the look of stress and guilt on the other man's face and grew confused. "I-I thought Stan was you, because he looked all tired out. If I knew it was him, I never would have said anything!" He stated.
Ford just raised an eyebrow. "Bill, what are you talking about?" He asked.
Bill, too, was confused. "Wait, Stano didn't tell you?" He questioned.
"Well, no." Ford answered. He noticed Bill's sigh of relief and tilted his head. "What is going on, Bill?" He asked in a firmer tone.
Bill's mouth hung open for a moment. It turned into a sheepish smile. "Nothing." He lied.
"Bill," Ford warned. "What did you say to Stanley?" He asked.
The demon was hesitant to respond. He saw Ford's facial expression that was impatiently awaiting an answer. Bill then wore a smirk, which turned into a mischievous grin. "Beg me." He commanded.
Ford furrowed his brows. "I will do no such thing." He stated.
Bill wore a mocking grin. "Then I guess you'll be lacking an answer!" He responded before taking a step away.
Ford watched Bill as he took a step away, and put a hand out. "Wait," The scientist began once more. Bill turned around again and raised an eyebrow. Ford sighed and turned to look at Bill. "Please." He said.
Bill walked back over to Ford, putting his hands behind his back as he proceeded to grin at the scientist.
"This seems important." Ford admitted.
Bill simply shrugged. "Depends on how you look at it." He replied. He was taken by surprise when he felt Ford's hands grab the sides of his waist, pulling him close. Bill rolled his eyes and figured he would let Ford play his dominant roll, wrapping his arms around the other man's neck lazily.
"Please, Bill. If this is something important, I would like to know what's going on." Ford said.
Bill looked up slightly into Stanford's eyes and sighed. "Fine." He complied in a mutter. "I'm thinking your brother isn't so dumb after all." He said.
"Explain?" Ford hoped, tilting his head slightly.
Bill looked away, then down at his shoes as they stood in silence for a moment. Bill gave an uneasy shrug. "I... may have said some things that... gave him some hints..." Bill proceeded in a mutter, speaking slowly. It didn't take any more words for Ford to understand. Still, the scientist was left feeling stunned.
"You what?" Ford exclaimed suddenly.
Bill saw Ford's wide eyes of disbelief and bit his bottom lip. "Look, it wasn't intentional!" He defended.
Ford groaned. "And you spoke to Stan where?" He asked, hoping at the very least that they had been alone at the time. Though on second thought, that may not be the best outcome to wish upon when thinking of someone like Bill.
The demon shrunk slightly. "...The gift shop." He muttered.
"Oh, good grief." Ford muttered, looking up at the ceiling before facepalming.
Bill took a step back and folded his arms. "I-I know I messed up, but-"
"Yes, you did." Ford agreed. He took his hand away from his face and instead put his hands on his hips. "Bill, you can't be reckless like this and screw around whenever you please. Let alone in public areas!" He scolded.
"The customers were all gone." Bill tried to reassure.
"That's beside the point," Ford stated. "You need to be more vigilant. If you're not able to keep a low profile and have more self-control, Stanley is going to be on our backs constantly." He said. "And he has evidence now, if I may add."
"Well, I'm sorry." Bill spat in a manner that was far from an apology. He looked away and down at the floor, muttering, "I'm not used to this kind of thing."
Ford frowned and sighed. "I know." He said. "I understand that this is all new to you, learning to love and all." He continued.
"It's not learning to love that I have trouble with, Stanford," Bill began. "It's learning to open up again that challenges me." He muttered.
"I'm not exactly following." Ford said.
Bill looked back up at Ford. "Believe it or not, I wasn't always a horrible demon. Sure I've found arson amusing for as long as I can remember, but I was never as terrible as the more recent years." He said.
Bill continued. "Just imagine; finding some joy in socializing with mortals, only to watch them grow old and die. Find another person, they grow old and die, just like the last. It was like a never-ending loop. Befriending humans and watching them fade away over time." He said. "That's just one of the reasons why I've been so bitter for so long, unable to actually open up to mortal beings." He said, folding his arms.
Ford hummed. "I've never thought of it that way." He muttered.
"It's all so different now. I-I don't even know how long I'll be stuck like this, or how long I have left to live anymore. I hate not knowing what's going on; I've been stuck with this form for a year now, you'd think I would have figured something out." He said in a more panicked and rushed tone now.
Ford frowned. "All you can honestly do is wait." He admitted. He caught onto Bill's stress and gently wrapped his arms around the other man. "Though I'm curious to know- if you have trouble opening up to other people, why have you done so for me?" He wondered.
Bill was silent for a moment. Ford gave him time. Eventually Bill shook his head. "It's stupid." He muttered.
"I doubt that." Ford retorted.
"Coming from someone like me?" Bill continued. "Yeah, it is."
"If you don't want to say, that's fine." Ford assured. Bill remained silent. A part of him wanted to speak of it, though he was sure that it would come off as strange to hear from someone like him. He laid his forehead atop Ford's shoulder as he considered. There was a moment of silence between the two as they stood in the living room. Just before Bill could speak, Ford pulled away.
"Well then, I suppose I should talk to Stanley." Ford muttered.
Bill was about to explain that he had plans to speak, though he silenced himself for the time being and asked, "You sure that's a good idea?"
"Well, it's certainly a much better plan than avoiding the situation." Ford replied.
"Maybe, but you can't exactly bluff, smart guy." Bill reminded. "Perhaps I should talk to him instead." He proposed.
Ford gave a shake of his head. "Stan is my brother. And not to offend, but I doubt he would listen to a word you would say." He stated.
Bill folded his arms. Before he could speak, his attention was turned to the 'Employee's only' door, Stan walking through it. Ford turned his head to look at the door when he noticed Bill's attention was turned to something else.
Stan walked towards the two in the living room and put his hands on his hips. "Explain." He commanded in a tone that told the two that there was no getting out of their current situation. Stan looked at Bill directly with narrowed eyes.
Bill looked into Stan's angry eyes. He knew just how strong Stanley could be, especially when he was upset. Bill gulped. "Uh... well, I-it's a weird story,"
Ford was quick to nod. "Y-Yes, strange is a... good word for that." He said, shrinking slightly when Stan looked at him with a glare.
"Do you know how much this changes things?" Stan asked, looking at Bill as he asked the question.
"Stanley, I can assure you, things won't get too different around here." Ford claimed.
"Yeah! I annoy Fordsy on a daily basis, you won't even know I'm here!" Bill stated.
Stan narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What are you two idiots talking about?" He asked. He turned to look at Bill. "You ain't gettin' off workin' just because you did extra by taking Wendy's job." He said.
Bill raised an eyebrow. "Took her job?" He asked.
"Wendy went to me earlier, complainin' about ya'." Stan informed. "That might be normal, but she said that you took her job for the register. She's been upset recently, so she went all crazy and started yellin' about it. Eventually she wore me out from tryin' to control her." He said. Ford hummed at this and narrowed his eyes slightly. The memory of the strange man in the forest inquiring danger from the other day came to mind. He wondered if perhaps Wendy's odd behavior was the cause of that.
If not, surely it's a simple mood swing. Ford added to himself.
"Serves her right." Bill muttered. "To be fair here, Fez, she wasn't doing anything. I don't know how she gets away with slacking off all the time." He said.
"Wendy? Slacking off work?" Stan asked as if he didn't believe the remark. There was a short pause, and he snorted. "Not surprised." He admitted. "What'd you think I meant just a minute ago?" He questioned, looking at the others with suspicion.
Bill shot a sudden glare at the con man. "None of your business!" He snapped, clenching his fists by his sides.
"Calm yourself." Ford said, glancing over at the blonde. The demon looked back at him, keeping his glare.
"I don't see why he cares in the first place!" Bill stated, his tone of voice still raised. Ford saw the 'Employee's only' door open to reveal Soos poking his head out and raising an eyebrow in confusion, assuming something bad was happening.
"You're making a scene." Ford murmured to Bill, keeping his eyes on Soos. Stan turned around and also looked at the handyman. He put his hands on his hips.
"What do ya' want, Soos?" Stanley asked.
Soos looked over at the front door of the gift shop, then back at Stan. "Should I lock up the shop?" He asked.
"Yeah, yeah. Knock yourself out." Stan encouraged with very little enthusiasm in his voice. Soos smiled and nodded, tipping his hat as a goodbye before walking away. Stan turned to look at the other two once more and folded his arms. "Well?" He pushed.
Bill and Ford just looked at each other for a moment before looking at Stan in unison. Ford cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, looking down at the carpet in hopes of avoiding eye contact. Bill merely shrugged.
"We thought you were talking about the merchandise... thing." Bill stated.
"You were?" Stan asked.
"We were?" Ford muttered, raising an eyebrow. Bill shot Ford a look that told him not to interfere. Nonetheless, Bill nodded.
"I dunno, you both have been actin' suspicious lately." Stan stated. "Can't just be merchandise that's causin' so much suspicion when you've got your hands all over me, Bill." He added. Bill just narrowed his eyes at Stan, ignoring the confused look Ford was likely giving him.
Stan took a step closer to the two, Ford and Bill taking a step back in unison and cringing as their backs hit the wall unexpectedly. "Ya' wanna tell me what's really going on here?" Stanley asked.
"Doodoodoo, locking up the shop." Soos sang to himself as he grabbed the correct key for the door to the gift shop, shutting off the lights and locking the door before heading down the steps on the porch. The sun was just beginning to set, and he walked over towards his car. As he walked towards his car, he stopped suddenly after sensing something moving. He looked around suspiciously in case someone was trying to break into the gift shop. Soos noticed a strange movement over in the forest around him. A bush, to be specific. Soos hummed and shrugged, seeing nothing wrong. He proceeded to walk towards his car until he heard a scream come from over by said bush.
Soos' eyes widened at the sudden scream. He stopped in his tracks and shoved his keys in his pocket, rushing up towards the bush in a worried manner.
"H-hello?" Soos called out. "I-Is everything okay?" He asked, slowly approaching the bush with his hands out in front of him slightly. He looked over at the bush to see a skinny blonde man curled up behind a bush, looking down at a flyer with wide-eyes. There were two other men beside him, who looked very similar. One man noticed Soos and looked up at him with a tilted head.
"Oh, uh... sorry." Soos apologized. He gave an awkward chuckle. "I heard a scream and got worried." He explained.
"We're worried, too." One blonde man with a white hat said.
Soos tilted his head. "You are?" He asked. "Wh-What about?" He questioned. The blonde man with the white hat handed Soos the specific piece of paper that they had been looking down at. Soos grabbed hold of said paper and took a glance at it before looking back at the others in confusion.
"Man, I wish I didn't know how to read." One blonde with a goatee said, shivering.
"We can't go back there!" The third blonde with a long, white sleeve shirt said. He wrapped his arms around his legs that were pressed up against his chest, and rocked himself back and fourth with a look of disbelief.
Soos looked down at the paper once more. The piece of paper appeared to be recently printed. There were small bits of mud on the top right corner of the paper due to it's previous position of laying flat on the ground. Soos looked on at the words on the paper, his eyes widening at seeing a somewhat-familiar face.
Soos looked at the words on the paper. In bold at the top of the piece of paper read,"Ergman Bratsman- Not guilty; freed from charges."
"Hey, I've seen this dude before." Soos said. He looked back at the three blonde men. "What's the issue, dawgs?" He asked, not understanding what was wrong with the man being freed from charges.
"He's gonna come looking for us." The man with the goatee said.
"All of us." The blonde with the white hat added.
Soos just chuckled. "Come on, dawgs. I'm sure that's just paranoia kicking in." He assured.
"See for yourself." The goatee man encouraged.
Soos looked down at the paper once more and looked down slightly, seeing a quote from Ergman himself saying, "I'm going to find those boys! They're nothing without me!"
"I don't wanna go back with that man, broskis!" The long-sleeved blonde wailed.
Soos proceeded to read the paper and hummed. "It's says here that there's five of you dudes." He said. "Let's see, uh... Creggy G, Greggy C, Leggy P, Chubby Z, and Deep Chris." He said, reading off the names from the paper.
"That's out names, dawgs!" The goatee member said to the other two of the five that were nearby.
Soos handed the paper back to the others and tilted his head. "So, if you dudes don't want to be found, where are you gonna go?"
"Where we've always hid, in the forest." The man with the white hat replied.
"Hiding!" The man with the goatee said, squinting his eyes and nodding.
"Well, just stay away from the creepy parts of the forest." Soos warned. He then chuckled. "Well, actually, it's always kinda creepy."
"We're safer here than we are with him." The blonde with the white long sleeve shirt said. "There's a darker side to the boy band he created, right Deep Chris?"
"Definitely." Chris confirmed with a nod. "I slipped up on a few performances when we were in his care. I-I messed up twice. One more strike and I'm dead. Dead, dawgs!" He said, shivering in fear and holding onto his white fedora hat.
Soos frowned. "Well, don't worry! I'm sure he's forgotten about those mistakes since then!" He tried in hopes of sounding reassuring.
Deep Chris shook his head. "No way, girl. I-I mean, dude." He said, cringing at the way that he had messed up his way of addressing the stranger. "Mr. Bratsman is a smart man. If he was smart enough to engineer and create us with some perfect-boy DNA, he wouldn't be the guy to forget something so easily." He informed.
"Oh..." Soos muttered. He didn't quite understand what was happening, nor how he could help. He looked at Deep Chris in confusion as the blonde man looked over at his car.
"Yo' dawg, is that hairy pony munching on your mechanical device?" Deep Chris asked, point over to his car.
"What?" Soos asked, looking behind him in confusion. He looked over at his car to see Gompers chewing on the license plate of his car. Soos remembered seeing the news a year ago about the very man the blonde men were fearing, and how he had been taken to court due to a missing license plate thanks to Gompers. The handyman wasn't about to let that happen, as he had a family to be there for and couldn't afford to end up going to court for such a foolish crime.
Soos was quick to rush over towards his car. Soos extended an arm and attempted to shoo Gompers away. The goat looked at his hand in confusion and attempted to bite Soos' fingers. Soos moved his hand before that happened and shooed the goat a second time. Gompers took a few steps back before prancing away to go eat from a patch of grass at the side of the Mystery Shack.
Soos sighed in relief and got into his car, grabbing his keys and starting up the vehicle's engine. From the bush on the other side of the parking lot, three men watched Soos leave.
"Do you think he could protect us?" Deep Chris asked.
"Not likely." The other two responded in unison.
Chris just shrugged it off. "We should go find the others." He proposed, to which the two other blondes agreed. With that, they fled into the forest to go find the other two of their group.
"'Searching for money', are you kidding me?" Ford asked Bill in disbelief as he sat on the side of the bed by his nightstand down in the laboratory, removing his boots and placing them beside said nightstand. He had recently changed back into his regular outfit, his lab coat and black satchel tucked away for the night.
"I didn't see you with any bright ideas, smart guy." Bill shot back, standing up with his arms folded. "At least Stano is finally off our backs." He said.
"Not for long." Ford muttered. He sighed and adjusted himself so that he lay with his back flat against the bed, his head hitting the pillow. "Perhaps telling him wouldn't be so bad after all." He said, one leg crossed over the other as he put an arm underneath his head.
Bill looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you crazy?" He began. "You'd never hear the end of it if you did that."
"I can't lie to my brother like this." Ford replied in a firm manner. "It was foolish to do so in the first place. Stan isn't an idiot, he'll catch on. And I would rather come clean than have to admit to lying." He stated.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm a problem." Bill said, rolling his eyes.
"I wouldn't say problem." Ford retorted.
"Do you have a better definition?" Bill asked, putting his hands on his hips. There was a moment of silence, which didn't surprise Bill. He just sighed. "As terrible as I may be, I don't wanna come between you and your twin." He said.
"You don't have to." Ford tried to assure.
Bill could only shake his head. "I doubt that." He muttered. He looked up at the scientist once more. "You've been separated from your brother for half of your mortal life. I don't want to rob any more of that time than I already have." He said. "I know what it's like to be alone. You two idiots don't need that loneliness again." He added.
Ford gave a low hum. He wasn't sure how to respond to such a thing. Though he did find it nice that Bill was aware of the sibling relationship he and his brother had finally put back together once more. He's didn't want Bill to think that any troubles were entirely his fault.
"Come here." Ford beckoned suddenly, sitting up straight now and criss-crossing his legs. Bill was confused by the sudden request, but complied with the other mans beckoning. Bill walked over towards the scientist and got onto Ford's side of the bed, sitting across from the man so that they say facing each other.
"You are not a problem." Ford began, extending his arms out slightly and placing his hands atop Bill's. The demon looked down at his hands, then at Ford once more who showed reassurance in his eyes. "And though this whole situation may be problematic itself, you're not to blame for it all." He said.
"Sure I am." Bill responded. "None of this would be happening if I wasn't a part of it." He said.
"This situation involves both of us, it's my fault just as much as it's yours." Ford said.
Bill was amused by the remark and smirked. "Well, I guess so." He agreed. "Whatever weird human magic you used on me to change the way I feel about you plays a part in this, too." He claimed.
Ford gave a soft chuckle. "Human magic?" He repeated. "We don't exactly have that. Your magic is an exception." He said.
"If you're saying that there's no human magic, you're a liar." Bill said.
"I am, am I?" Stanford inquired, a small smirk apparent now. "As far as I know, there's only one form of human magic." He said.
Bill raised an eyebrow. "Magicians?" He asked. Before he could await a response from the other man, he was taken by surprise when Ford pulled him close. Bill gasped at the sudden movement, only for his breath to be taken away as Ford met his lips with his own. His surprise with the action quickly turned into desire, and he willingly shut his eyes and leaned into the kiss.
They pulled away for a moment, looking at each other for a few seconds before locking lips once more, Ford getting on his knees as he held the sides of Bill's hips in his six-fingered hands. Bill shivered at the touch and desperately grabbed onto Ford's sweater up by the collar bit of his neck in attempt to deepen their kiss. Before Bill could have success with his plan, Ford pulled away slightly, which only earned him a slight whine from the other.
"You should get some rest." Ford suggested.
"I don't need sleep." Bill murmered with a shake of his head.
"You wouldn't want to have a lack of energy for tomorrow now, would you?" Ford asked, gently moving Bill to his usual side of the bed.
Bill was confused at this. Ford has not told him anything about the next day. He raised an eyebrow. "Tomorrow? What happens tomorrow?" He asked.
"Well, there's something in town I was looking to pick up, and figured that you may wish to come along." Ford suggested with a shrug.
Bills eyes widened in sudden admiration. "Really?" He asked, eagerly ready to comply with Ford's suggestion of rest. Bills elbows rested against his pillow as he kept himself up in a half-sitting, half-laying position.
"If you would like." Ford replied simply.
Bill wore a wide grin as he nodded frantically. "Heck yeah!" He responded, sitting up now and practically jumping towards Ford, pouncing towards him and wrapping his arms around his neck. Ford looked down at the floor below him and noticed that he was about to fall with Bill leaning on him. He pushed back as to not send them both tumbling to the floor, causing Bill's back to lay flat against the mattress as he looked up at the other, tightening his grip around the scientists neck.
"What happened to sleep?" Bill asked with a smirk.
Ford looked away at the remark,.feeling his cheeks flushing. He was quick to remove Bill's hands off his neck and sit up. Bill too sat up and snickered at Ford's flushed cheeks.
"Y-Yes, sleep sounds nice." Ford said before laying back down.
Bill kept his smirk, crawling over towards his pillow and looking over at the other man. "You sure? Your intentions seemed a little unclear just then-"
"I-I was about to fall." Ford defended. "And with you clinging onto me in such an unusual manner, you would have fallen as well." He stated.
Bill smirked once more. "Admit it, you weren't just saving us from falling off the edge. Don't think I didn't catch that little look in your eyes." He said.
"Oh, behave." Ford scolded with a scoff. Bill snickered a second time as Ford removed his glasses, placing them atop the nightstand. Bill nearly turned around, until remembering the vial that the hand witch had given him was still inside his front jean pocket. Bill carefully took the vial out of his pocket and lay on his side. He looked behind him after Ford turned off the lamp and watched as the man shut his eyes.
Bill then looked down at the slim vial. It was a one-time use, so he had to use it wisely. The hand witch had also told him that he had to be in a form of physical contact with the person whom he was entering the dreamscape of. It was a bit different than his old, easier ways of doing things, but it would have to do.
Bill waited a few minutes in the dark for Ford to fall asleep. When Bill assumed he was asleep, he checked to be sure. Seeing no signs of the man being awake, Bill removed the cork from the thin vial containing the potion. After a moment of hesitance, he brought the vial up to his mouth, downing the liquid. He cringed at the taste of the bitter potion, but knew that it was for the best.
He tossed the vial behind him, getting under the covers and gently placing an arm over top Ford as to create the physical contact the hand witch said was required. Ford didn't seem to move, which was a good sign. With that reassurance, Bill stayed close and shut his eyes, waiting for his body to welcome sleep.
It took a few minutes, but soon enough Bill had entered inside the same mindscape he had been in the previous night. He had entered Ford's mindscape and currently stood inside the main part of the laboratory. He looked around in hopes of Ford being there as well. Or, at the very least, one of the shapeshifters.
"Sixer?" Bill called out, looking around the laboratory to see no sign of Ford. He checked the portal room, only to find it empty and without the man he was looking for. Bill turned to look at the elevator and considered looking upstairs. He then looked over at the bedroom and figured it would be best to check the entirety of the laboratory before going upstairs. Bill walked towards the door and turned the handle, quietly poking his head inside. He looked forward and had to blink a few times to be sure of what he was seeing.
Ford was in the same place he had been in before Bill had entered his dreamscape, which didn't come as much of a surprise. What Bill didn't expect, however, was the sight of one of the shapeshifters taking the form of Bill himself, laying there beside Ford.
The shapeshifter posing as Bill poked Ford in the cheek. The scientist, who assumed that he was in reality with trouble sleeping, turned to look at the shapeshifter in annoyance.
"Bill, please. Sleep is important whether we like it or not." Ford stated before laying on his side once more.
"Sleep is annoying." The shapeshifter posing as Bill retorted.
"Almost as annoying as your complaints about it." Ford replied before shutting his eyes.
The supposed Bill frowned, and placed a hand atop the Ford's chest, making the scientist open an eye.
"You know Fordsy, we've both had a long day." The shapeshifter began.
Ford gave a nod. "Yes. And now we get sleep." He muttered, shutting his eyes once more.
"I don't feel like sleeping." The shapeshifter said.
Ford growled and opened his eyes, giving a small glare towards the supposed Bill. "I'm about to kick you out of this room for the night." He threatened.
"Come on, Fordsy." Bill cooed with a grin. "We both know you don't want that." He said.
"If it gets me sleep, I would prefer it." Ford replied.
The shapeshifter rolled its eyes at the humans pitiful behavior. He grabbed Ford's shoulders and turned himself so that he was overtop the scientist.
Ford glared. "Bill, that's enough." He said in a firm manner.
Bill took a hand and held Ford's chin with it tightly so that Ford couldn't look away. The man glared at the demon above him.
"Stanford, look into my eyes." Bill commanded. Ford looked at the other man with furrowed brows. His glare slowly faded into a confused and tired expression. Bill smirked at this, it meant that his plan was working just as it had months ago. In a hushed tone, he said, "You know that you want me."
Ford looked back at the shapeshifter with his mouth open slightly, his expression blank for a moment. He blinked and proceeded to look at the creature before speaking. "I know that I want you." He said in a deep voice. The shapeshifter grinned as Ford sat up on his knees suddenly, grabbing the supposed Bill's hands and pinning him down.
The real Bill looked at this with wide eyes, his mouth hung open. "Hypnosis..." He muttered to himself. Bill was surprised at how easily Ford had been tricked into such a thing. He growled and kicked the door open suddenly, walking inside the room with blue fire emerging from his palms as he clenched his fists.
"Hey, Shifty!" Bill addressed with a glare. The shapeshifter tilted it's head back just enough to see the figure of Bill standing there, whereas Ford merely looked up. The sight of the dangerous blue fire caught his eyes, causing Ford to jump back in alarm, shaking his head with his eyes closed as he shook the strange feeling from his head. He put a hand atop his forehead after being tricked out of hypnosis and looked at the two Bills looking at him.
Ford gasped and got off the bed, looking at the two Bill's in confusion. "Wh-What the hell?" He blurted out, beyond confused. "How on Earth did you duplicate yourself?" He asked, not knowing which Bill to look at as he did so.
"Sixer, I'll explain everything later, I promise." Bill said, taking a few steps towards the false form of himself. The shapeshifter got off the bed and rushed over to Ford, standing behind him and clutching his arm tightly.
"Don't listen to him, he's an imposter!" The shapeshifter wailed.
"What?" Bill exclaimed, glaring at the other Bill. "Don't hide behind him like that, ya' big coward!" He scolded.
"Fordsy, don't let him hurt me." The shapeshifter pleaded.
Ford looked down at the supposed Bill clutching his arm so. "He won't hurt you." He assured. Ford then looked over at Bill with narrowed eyes, shrugging away from the shapeshifters grasp on his arm and walking towards the real Bill with a glare.
The fire surrounding Bills palms extinguished as the other man walked towards him. His fists unclenched, and he took a step back as Ford proceeded to walk towards him.
Bill out his hands out slightly. "Sixer, what-what are you doing?" He asked, looking into Ford's eyes that showed anger. Before Bill could pull away, Ford had his hands clenched tightly around Bill's wrists. The demon cringed at how tightly the grip felt; the six fingered feature on the scientists hands only made the grip harder. Bill felt Ford force his hands behind his back, and made a sound of pain that he didn't find humorous. Bill was pushed to the ground, Ford's knee laying atop his back as he held his hands to keep him in place.
"What are you doing, ya' knuckkehead?" Bill asked, barely able to look up at the man.
"I don't know who you are, what you are, or where you came from," Ford began. "But whatever your intentions are, you won't be harming Bill." He said in a tone that sounded like more of an order than it did fate.
"Y-You've got the wrong me!" Bill claimed, desperation in his voice as he hoped that Ford would release his tight grip on him.
"Do you expect me to believe anything you have to say, imposter?" Ford snarled with a glare. He dug his knee further into Bill's back, his hold on the demons arms tightening. Bill threw his head back and cried out at the sharp pain in his back.
"Let go of me!" Bill pleaded.
Ford ignored the cries from the supposed imposter and increased the pain.
"Stanford, y-you're hurting me!" Bill wailed. He just wished the pain would cease. Bill normally didn't mind some pain, but it was much different of a feeling to him when Ford was the one inflicting the pain.
"I'm not an imposter, I'm not!" Bill said, his voice and hands shaky. Ford noticed the hand shaking and knew that it was a common sign Bill showed of fear. Ford wasn't sure if the imposter would mimic such things. Not to mention that Bill's pleading for him to stop sounded much too real to be made up or mimicked by another creature. Ford quickly removed his hands from Bill's wrists, taking his knee off his back and flipping the demon over. Bill looked up at him with fear in his eyes, his chest heaving as his breathing failed in slowing.
"Bill," Ford began, extending his arm out as Bill sat up. Bill scooted backwards, a safe enough distance away from the man. Ford's heart shattered at the sight of Bill, shrinking away as if he were a cornered animal.
From a distance away from the others the shapeshifter smirked at the sight of Bill.
"Oh, this is priceless." The shapeshifter who posed as Bill said. He kept his smirk. "Poor little Bill Cipher, fearing a puny human." He mocked. Bill and Ford both shot a glare at the creature.
"Watch it." Ford warned with narrowed eyes. He watched as the shapeshifter crawled over the bed to join Bill on the f, turning into the form of Stanford now as was down on one knee.
"Back away," Bill commanded. "Don't forget who put you in this position of power." He said, glaring.
"Ah, yes. And it must sting to see your mistake of giving me this ability coming into play, doesn't it?" The shapeshifter asked. Bill kept his glare on the man who held Ford's eyes, but no where near the same soft, gentle look.
The shapeshifter frowned with furrowed brows when Bill gave him no answer. "Doesn't it?" The shapeshifter asked again, glaring at the demon. Bill refused to answer to the creature. This irritated the shifter. It hated being ignored. He raised a six fingered hand up and smacked it against Bill's cheek, striking the demon with a quick force that made him yelp in surprise.
"Stop that at once!" Ford hollered, looking at the form of himself with an icy cold glare. A shiver went down his spine when the shapeshifter smirked back.
"You have no power over me, human." The shapeshifter said.
Bill looked at Ford before speaking. "Yes you do! This isn't reality, it's just your-!" He tried to say, only for him to be stopped when a hand was placed over his mouth. The shapeshifter sat behind him on his knees, pointing a finger up in front of Bill so that the demon could see said finger. The shapeshifters index finger grew a sharp claw.
"Say one more word, and I slit your throat." The shapeshifter warned. Bill released a whimper at the sound of Ford's voice saying those words ever so calmly. It was unusual, and very unpleasant.
"Let him go." Ford demanded.
"Or what?" The shapeshifter shot back.
Stanford stood up, looking down at the shapeshifter. The creature watched the human stand, paying more attention to him than he was to Bill. This was a good chance for the demon, and he threw his head back, smacking the back of his head against the shapeshifters.
The shapeshifter groaned and released his grip on Bill before clutching his head. Bill took the chance to escape away from the shapeshifters grasp, rushing over to Ford's side.
"Care to explain what's going on?" Ford asked.
"This isn't reality." Bill said. "It's the dreamscape."
"So what in the world is a shapeshifter doing in the dreamscape? And how?" Ford proceeded to question. "Who's dreamscape is this?"
"It's yours." Bill responded. "And the shapeshifter is a long story."
Ford was beyond confused. "Can you at least try to explain-?" He began, only for Bill to grab his wrist and run out of the room. Ford nearly tripped, but kept up with the other man best he could. At the very least they could get away from the shapeshifter for the time being.
The shapeshifter looked up at the two leaving the room and growled. "Pathetic." He grumbled, standing up as the door slammed shut. It may be Ford's dreamscape, but the shapeshifter had control. They couldn't stand a chance against his abilities Bill had so kindly gifted him years ago.
There's the end of this chapter. I hope it wasn't confusing. There are technically two plots at the moment for this story, however the shapeshifter plot is the main focus. The Sev'ral Timez bit will be focused on later on in the story. Hopefully this chapter was somewhat entertaining. The next one will be up soon. c:
