Question- Should I write more Soos, Melody and Brock bonding? I know this fic is mainly based around Bill and Ford, but I'm wondering if I should give them some attention as well. Let me know what you think!
Also, just a quick warning for blood in this chapter.
Here is chapter 50 of "Welcome Home"!
The next morning went slowly. The Mystery Shack was open, and Bill was working the register while Wendy took her "break". Bill made an effort at his job for the day, being that he now was being paid with a proper paycheck thanks to the bet Ford had made with Stan.
Bill turned to look at the door as Stan walked through it, holding a box in his arms labeled, "Stuff". Stan walked up to a middle-aged man.
"You there," Stan began, catching the customers attention. "Ya' want some weird, magic potion I stole from a nerdy, dumber version of Einstien?" He asked. The man eagerly nodded his head, reaching his hands out for the potion. Stan put a hand up and said, "It'll be fifty bucks."
The gullible customer pulled out his wallet and gave a fifty dollar bill to the con man. Stan grinned and pocketed the money, handing the customer said potion. Before the customer turned to leave, Stanley leaned in close to the customers ear.
"You take that and run, ya' hear?" Stan said in a hushed tone. The customer nodded and bolted out of the gift shop with a grin.
"What's in the box, Stano?" Bill asked, handing a customer her bags and returning the wave she had gestured towards him as she walked to the door.
"I raided Ford's lab of random junk that could sell for a bunch of cash." Stan informed, placing the box on the floor by the counter. Bill leaned over the counter and looked down at it for a moment to see a mix of potions, gadgets and scrolls. Bill just shrugged and helped the next person in line at the cash register.
Stan took an arrow from out of his suit jacket.
"How long has that been there?" Bill asked.
Stan shrugged. "More of Ford's junk" He replied. He turned to look at the 'Employees only' door and saw his brother walk into the room. "Speak of the devil." He muttered.
Ford put his miniature notepad in his lab coat before looking up in the shop, noticing the box that was atop the cashier counter. He then noticed Stanley fiddling with an arrow in his hand.
Where in the world did Stan get that? Ford asked himself. He walked up to his brother and was quick to take the arrow from him. Stan tried to grab it, and Ford moved his arm backwards a bit.
"Come on, Pointdexter!" Stan practically whined. "What's the big deal?" He asked.
"Stanley, what is one of my arrows, as well a box of my stuff doing in the gift shop?" Ford questioned.
Stan shrugged. "Money." He responded without hesitation.
Ford rolled his eyes and walked over to the cash register. He grabbed the box beside it and placed it under one of his arms, the arrow in his other hand. Ford turned to leave the gift shop, only to feel a slight tug on his lab coat.
"Mister?" A young voice addressed. Ford raised an eyebrow and turned around, looking down to see a young boy standing there. The boy had short, black hair and glasses like Ford had worn during his childhood. The boys appearance reminded Ford a bit of himself back when he was young. He felt awkward being addressed by a strange child whom he had never met before, however he knew it would be rude to not respond.
"Do you need something?" Ford asked, turning around completely now to face the boy. Ford put the box back atop the cashier counter, and was about to place the arrow inside the box.
"Wait!" The young boy said suddenly, putting his hand out. Ford stopped and held the arrow in the air, tilting his head at the child. The boy looked at the arrow and pointed at it, asking, "Can I hold it?"
Ford was even more confused now. "Hold this?" He asked, signalling to the arrow. The boy nodded. "Why would you want to hold such a dangerous object?" Ford questioned.
The boy gave a simple shrug. "It looks cool." He said. "I've never seen one of those for real before. Just in movies." He continued
Ford hummed. The boy seemed very interested in the arrow. Ford too had been interested in them when he was younger, even though his mother would never let him use one. Many years had gone by since then though, and rules in this particular dimension could have changed up a bit. And besides, who was he to crush this young boys interest and admiration for the object? Ford handed the arrow down to the child, and the boy was quick to grab it, looking down at it with wide eyes.
"Wow," The boy said. He smiled. "This is so cool!"
Ford gave a light chuckle at the kids interest in the arrow. Bill just snorted. Ford looked at him with his brows furrowed slightly.
"What?" Ford asked.
Bill grinned a mocking grin before speaking. "Here's the scoop on this week's shenanigans; cute science nerd gives a kid a sharp arrow. Things can only go downhill from this point, folks!" He says before laughing.
Ford gave a look of unamusement at the sarcasm. He placed an arm atop the counter and leaned on it slightly, looking at the blonde. "Please," He began. "The young boy seemed interested. What could possibly go wrong?" He asked.
"Gee, I wonder." Bill said with half-lidded eyes.
The boy looked up at Ford, not wishing to hold the arrow any longer. "Thanks, mister!" The boy said with a wide grin. He tossed the arrow, assuming Ford would catch it in time. Ford turned his head to look at the boy, only to see danger flash before his eyes as the arrow pierced through his skin, not having enough time to have been able to grab the arrow. He felt the pain and looked behind him to see that the arrow had been thrown at his back.
Ford gave a sudden cry of pain. "Ahh! Something went wrong!" He exclaimed, getting down on his knees and placing his arms out in front of him as the arrow made a sideways cut in his back, falling out onto the gift shop floor. The customers in the shop screamed at the sight of the bleeding man and fled the store before both themselves or their children could witness the sight any longer.
The boy who caused the injury gasped at seeing the scientist bleeding now. He took a step back before bolting out of the gift shop with the other customers. The two others (Save Ford) were too stunned to stop the child.
"Sixer!" Bill and Stan addressed in unison. They both rushed to the man's side, unsure of what to do or how to help.
"That's the last time I'll let a strange child's curiosity get the best of me." Ford groaned.
"You alright there, bro?" Stan asked.
"I-Its nothing I haven't...delt with... before." Ford replied, panting slightly. Stan saw the blood seeping through his lab coat and grabbed the front of it, removing the garment from his brother. Bill grabbed hold of the arrow and looked at it to see a dribble of blood sliding down the crimson painted tip.
After her "break" was over, Wendy walked through the front door of the gift shop, a sack lunch in hand. She noticed Ford with an injury on his back, and observed further, seeing Bill holding the arrow.
"Hey!" Wendy exclaimed. She glared at Bill. "What did you do to him?" She asked the demon, walking up to him and balling a fist in his hair, forcing him up by tugging and looking at him with a cold glare.
"Ah- hey! I didn't do anything, kid!" Bill claimed, still holding the arrow.
"Really?" Wendy asked, not believing the man's claim. She snatched the arrow from his hand and held it up for him to see. "Then what's this doing in your hand?" She asked.
Ford coughed before speaking. "No, he's right." He said. Wendy looked down at him in confusion. "Bill did nothing to harm me." He assured.
"Not yet he hasn't." Stan muttered under his breath, receiving a glare from Bill which he chose to ignore.
"You need any help, other Mr. Pines?" Wendy asked.
Ford stood up and shook his head. "I'll be alright." He assured.
"Ford, you've got a cut in your back, I don't think you'll be alright that easily." Stan stated.
"As I said, I've delt with this before." Ford reminded. "I've been through enough medical procedures in the multiverse to know how to help myself." He assured.
Bill frowned at this. He tried to shake off the guilt. "Well you're not alone anymore, Sixer. I wanna help you." He said.
"Bill, it's fine-" Ford tried.
"It's not fine." Bill retorted.
"Let me handle this myself." Ford growled with furrowed brows. Bill caught on to the man's tone and took a small step backwards. Ford sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment. He put his hands behind his back. "I appreciate your concern, Bill. But please let me handle this by myself. I would prefer it that way." He said.
Bill gave a skeptical look, but nodded nonetheless. "Alright, fine." He muttered.
"Thank you." Ford said just before turning away, walking through the 'Employees only' door to get the medical bag from the bathroom.
Stan watched his brother leave, his hands on his hips. "He'll be fine." He assured, glancing over at Bill.
The blonde couldn't find himself to believe Stan. He knew that Stan was currently unaware of what had happened with the shapeshifters the night before. Bill had seen the pain Ford had gone through, and he didn't want the man to feel it any longer. Sure the injuries weren't permanent, but the two of them had still felt the pain of the attacks in the dreamscape as if they were real.
"That darn kid." Bill grumbled. He looked back at Stan. "He should've known that Sixer wasn't looking when he threw that arrow." He said.
"To be fair, it's Pointdexter's fault for givin' it to the kid in the first place." Stan responded.
"That's true." Bill muttered, looking down at his feet before looking at Stan. "Ford's in pain and doesn't want help." He began once more. "I wonder why."
Stan gave a slow shrug "Eh, he's always been that way." He said; as if Bill didn't already know. "Like I said, he'll be fine." Stanley tried to assure.
Ford entered the bathroom and shut the door, locking it to be sure that no one would be able to come in. He reached his arm out towards the miniature cupboard behind the mirror and grabbed some supplies from the red medical bag he had specifically placed inside years ago. He took out things such as a bandage roll, scissors, cotton balls, and some hydrogen peroxide.
Ford looked in the mirror for a moment before grabbing the bottom of his sweater, pulling it up and off his torso to reveal his scarred arms and chest. He felt less insecure about his scars ever since Mabel had found out about them and had talked to him about it. He would have found it hard to fathom a nearly 14-year old girl being able to open his eyes in such a way had she not done it in the past as well.
He tried to turn to the side to see the injury in the mirror. He couldn't see it well, which would make his attempt to help himself much more difficult. Ford sighed and placed his hands on the counter. Surely it couldn't be that hard. He had delt with injuries before, though back ones had been less common in his days where he would travel the multiverse.
Ford unscrewed the cap on the hydrogen peroxide and took a cotton ball, being quick to apply liquid to the cotten ball. He brought the cotton ball up towards his back, hesitantly placing it atop the wound. He hissed and tossed his head back, letting out a cry of pain at the sting. He grasped the counter tighter as he applied the cotton ball to his healing wound a second time. He bit his lip and groaned, furrowing his brows. He got a fresh cotton ball to replace the original that was now coated with blood and couldn't stop the painful groan that escaped him.
Fiddleford was walking by when he heard the pain-filled cry and labored breathing. He stopped and raised an eyebrow, wondering if he should speak. McGucket cringed when he heard Ford shout a swear.
Fidds cautiously knocked on the door. "S-Stanford?" He began in a hesitant manner. "Are ye' alright?"
Ford tried to control his shaky breath enough to respond. He sighed before speaking. "Yes, yes. Everything's fine." He tried to assure. Fiddleford could see past his obvious lie and frowned.
"Did ye' hurt yerself?" Fiddleford proceeded to question.
"No," Ford replied, scrubbing off some excess blood at the sides of his wound that had dried on his skin.
McGucket frowned. "I-I'm not sure if I believe ye'." He said in a hesitant manner once more. He heard a low growl from Ford and took a step back.
"If you want the truth, Fiddleford, I got stabbed by some young boy in the gift shop." Ford said with an eye roll. How pathetic those words sounded coming out of his mouth.
Fiddleford hissed. "Ouch." He muttered. "Do ye' need help?" He asked. "I-I would be glad to assist if ye'-"
"No!" Ford shouted suddenly. Fiddleford was taken aback by the sudden shout and flinched. Ford recognized his tone and frowned. "Thank you, but I'll be fine handling it on my own." He said.
McGucket hummed. "Alright, Stanford." He said before proceeding to walk away. He wasn't sure what to think of the situation. As much as he wanted to help his friend, he knew that Ford would prefer to be left alone with treating his injuries himself.
About an hour later, Fiddleford put his hands in his pockets and walked out the back door, standing on the porch and looking outside. Oh, how he missed nature. When he had lost his sanity, he had never taken time to appreciate the world around him. The grass, the tree's, the sweet Oregon smell, and the bushes-
Wait a minute. Fiddleford thought to himself. He looked over towards the right and noticed a bush moving slightly. He narrowed his eyes in confusion, and saw a white fedora hat poking out the top of the bush's leaves.
"Hey, I-I think I recognize that hat..." McGucket muttered to himself as he proceeded to look at the bush. "No, i-it can't be!" He gasped with wide eyes. The man wearing the fedora looked up from the bush a bit more, and McGucket had to keep himself from squealing when he saw Deep Chris looking around behind the bush.
"My golly!" Fiddleford exclaimed, his eyes still widened. He had taken a liking for Sev'ral Timez years ago when the pop group had been just starting out. Even though he hadn't been the most sane at the time, even now he still liked Sev'ral Timez.
Deep Chris glanced over at McGucket and gave a wave to the human from the bush he was behind. Fiddleford gasped and took a step back, waving with a grin before bolting back inside.
Bill, who was in the living room laying uncomfortably atop the armrests of the couch, his head upside down, watched McGucket rush back into the shack. He raised an eyebrow, and was deciding whether or not to ask why the man seemed so oddly happy.
Stan beat Bill to the question, and watched McGucket from the doorframe of the kitchen. "What's wrong with you?" He asked, taking a sip of Pitt cola.
"Words... Not working from mouth!" McGucket panicked. He took three deep breaths in and out before collapsing to the floor.
"Is he dead?" Bill asked in a casual manner, turning himself around to sit up correctly.
"Hard ta' tell." Stan replied, looking down at the unconscious man and poking him with his foot. Stan got no response and shrugged. "Yup, he's probably dead."
"Great," Bill groaned with an eye roll. "Where we gonna hide the body?" He asked.
Stan shrugged. "I've got a few places in mind." He replied, walking away from the body and into the living room.
"Well if Fiddle-dee is dead, Sixer's gonna be pissed." Bill stated. "I say we say that Ford's crazy if he brings him up, and pretend that Fidds never existed to begin with." He proposed with a shrug. "That could work if they hadn't dated in the past." Stan pondered with a hum.
"Well I don't see you with any bright ideas!" Bill said with furrowed brows.
"You're the criminal mastermind here!" Stan shot back, putting his hands on his hips.
"Yeah? Well-" Bill began, pointing his finger in the air. He stopped and looked away. "Actually, that's fair." He muttered.
There was a moment of silence until the two flinched in unison, wide eyes as a pain-filled shout was heard from another room. Bill and Stan looked at each other with wide eyes.
"I thought he'd be done by now." Stan said, rubbing his eyes.
"I'll just..." Bill began, slowly inching away from the couch. "Check on him real quick." He said, taking another step away before running off towards the bathroom.
Bill rushed over and knocked on the door. "Sixer?" He addressed.
"Ah- What?" Ford asked, groaning as he tried to wrap the bandage around his injury.
"You sure you don't need help?" Bill asked.
"I'm fine." Ford stated in a manner that was the least bit convincing.
"Sure you are." Bill muttered with a huff. "I'm coming in." He stated.
"Wh- N-No!" Ford exclaimed suddenly, wide eyes. Bill tried twisting the door knob, only to realize that the door was locked. Ford gave a sigh of relief and abandoned the bandages, just throwing his turtleneck overtop him so that his torso was covered. He unlocked the door and opened it, glaring at the blonde.
"I specifically told you that I can do this myself." Ford stated.
Bill folded his arms. "Yeah, hence the reason you've been struggling in here for an hour." He grumbled back. He noticed Ford's annoyed and angered glance, causing Bill's facial features to soften a bit. "Look, I just wanted to check on you is all." He said in more of a mutter, his hands falling to his sides.
"I'm alright, you don't have to worry about me." Ford said, shutting the door. Bill extended an arm out to keep the door open and looked at Ford with a frown.
"Is there a specific reason you don't want help?" Bill asked.
Ford froze. His mouth opened slightly, and he closed it. He looked away before looking back at Bill, saying, "...No."
"You hesitated." Bill said, pointing a finger at the other.
"I... I did not." Ford response with a scoff, looking away.
"You just did it again." Bill stated.
Ford glared. "Go away." He commanded.
"Oh, so there is a reason?" Bill asked. He gasped when Ford swung the door open, walking towards him with clenched fists. Bill looked at him with wide eyes when Ford gripped his shoulders tightly.
"Dammit, Bill!" Ford shot suddenly, his glare hardening. "Can't you just drop whatever you're thinking and move on from it?" He asked.
"No," Bill replied with a frown. "I'm just worried-"
"Well let it go." Ford commanded with a cold stare. Bill looked back at him with his mouth open slightly, unsure of why the man seemed so upset about it all. Ford broke the eye contact and gave a deep sigh before taking his hands off Bill's shoulders. He turned around and grabbed the supplies from the bathroom counter before walking away.
Bill stood there for a moment, speechless. He turned his head and looked beside him, watching Ford leave. His frown turned into a grin, and he crept up behind the scientist to follow him.
Ford walked off and noticed Fiddleford unconscious in the middle of the floor, though he chose not to question it. He was too deep in thought to ask his brother what had happened. Stan looked at Ford as he walked through the living room, and raised an eyebrow when he saw Bill creeping up behind the man.
Ford walked into the gift shop (Which was now closed for the day since no other customers had shown up after the scare from earlier.) And pressed the button on his watch to open the vending machine. Bill looked over on the gift shop floor to see Ford's lab coat still there. He was quick to grab it before slipping past the vending machine as Ford closed it with his watch, descending down the stairs and groaning at the pain in his back. Bill followed behind him silently.
When they reached the end of the stairs, Bill took the lab coat and tossed it into the air. Ford saw something above him and grabbed it before it could fall to the floor. Bill took this chance to sneak part Ford and into the elevator. Ford stood up straight, and begin to turn around.
"Hey." Bill said casually, his arms folded as he leaned against the elevator. Ford gave a shout of alarm and looked in the elevator with wide eyes, only to see Bill standing there.
Ford narrowed his eyes and walked inside the elevator. "What did I say about letting this go?" He asked in a stern manner.
"Letting what go, exactly?" Bill asked.
"Why don't you tell me?" Ford replied with a raised eyebrow.
Bill put an arm around Ford's shoulder and looked at him with a deadpan expression. "You've been acting strange today. Not in general, but because of this specifically." He said. In a mutter, he added, "Excuse me for being concerned."
Ford glanced at him with a frown. "It's not you." He assured. "There are just some things i'm not sure if you would be able to comprehend mentally without..." He continued, only to stop in hopes of finding a better way to say it.
Bill raised an eyebrow. "Without?" He pushed.
"Without jumping to conclusions." Ford finished.
Bill looked at him in even more confusion. The elevator opened, and Ford stepped out of it, the medical supplies still in his left hand. Bill hesitantly followed with a tilted head.
"Jumping to conclusions?" Bill repeated, still confused of why Ford would say that. "I don't understand." He said.
"It's... probably for the best that it stays that way." Ford said, walking towards his desk and placing the supplies down.
Bill narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Are you hiding something from me?" He asked.
Clearly, yes. Ford was hiding something. It was more than just a something. This was more of a feature; a permanent one. He didn't want Bill to see him any different were he to find out about the scars. Surely there wouldn't be any good reactions that would come from speaking out about it.
Ford adjusted his glasses and looked away. "W-Well, you see, I-It's a... a..." He stammered, tongue tied. He had done it now. What was the best option here?
Bill looked at him for a moment more. He noticed Ford's hesitancy and eventually scoffed. "You know what, nevermind." He began. "Keep your confusing little secret." He said, turning around. He looked behind him at Ford and said, "It's clear you don't want my help anyway." Before walking off.
Ford gave a faint frown. He hadn't meant to upset Bill, and he was sure that the blonde hadn't meant to upset him, either. Ford had been around Bill enough to know well that his curiosity easily got the best of him. Ford felt guilty now for getting mad at him previously when he had been upstairs. Regardless of the consequences that may come with it, he assumed that it would be best to finally come clean with Bill.
"Hold on," Ford said, looking over at the man. Bill stopped and turned around, looking at the scientist with folded arms. Ford took a few steps forward to stand in front of Bill and drew in a breath before speaking.
"The truth is, yes, I have been hiding something. For a very long time, actually..." Ford admitted, looking away for a moment before drawing his eyes back to Bill's gold ones. "And, well, I suppose you would have found out one way or another even if I didn't say anything." He continued.
"Well... what is it?" Bill asked hesitantly.
Ford scratched the back of his neck before speaking. "It's certainly something I know you wouldn't have expected." He said. "So... if I were to show you, I wouldn't want you to feel... uncomfortable."
Bill looked at Ford with a blank expression. "Hi, I'm Bill Cipher. Have we met?" He asked in a sarcastic manner.
"That's not-" Ford began.
"Sixer, relax." Bill said, draping his arms over the man's shoulders. "Whatever it is, you don't have to be so hesitant about it. I've never minded some weirdness, anyway. You should know that, smartypants." He reminded.
Ford gave a slow nod. "I do know that." He replied. "Though it's still unsettling to think of bad outcomes." He said. Bill hummed and took his hands away from the others shoulders as Ford took a step back. Bill watched as the scientist looked down at his sweater in unsureness. Ford grabbed the bottom of his sweater, only to let go a moment later. Why was this so difficult? Bill noticed that the sweater was a big part of Ford's hesitancy. He walked up to the other and placed his hands atop the scientists hips.
"What are you doing?" Ford asked. Bill looked back at him and merely shrugged at the question. Without warning, Bill lifted part of the sweater up, revealing part of Ford's torso. Ford looked down at it, whereas Bill kept his eyes on the scientist. Ford sighed and grabbed his sweater, taking Bill's hands away from it and slipping the garment off his torso himself.
Bill then, for the first time, looked down at Ford's bare chest. He gasped at the sight of countless scars around this waist, torso and chest. There was one particularly large scar across Ford's chest that nearly looked like a lightning bolt, a bit of grey hair also present on his chest. Ford heard the gasp and saw Bill's taken aback expression. Not a good sign.
"Oh, Ford." Bill began, looking at the man with a mix of emotions. He placed his hands atop Ford's chest, looking up at the man and shaking his head. "I had no idea." He said.
Ford frowned and now felt ashamed for merely looking at Bill. "I'm sorry if this... displeases you." He said in a mutter.
Bill opened his mouth again and scoffed. "You kidding?" He asked. Bill looked down at the man's torso and grinned. "The only thing I'm displeased about is the fact that you kept this from me!" He said, running his hands along Ford's muscular arms, a gleam of admiration in his eyes.
"So... you're not disappointed? " Ford asked.
Bill kept his grin and pulled himself closer to Ford, planting a kiss atop the larger scar across Ford's chest. He looked up at the other man with a smile. "Not at all." He replied in admiration. He gave Ford's arm a squeeze. "The muscle is a good feature too." He added in a muttered tone.
Ford gave a hum. He hadn't expected this. He wasn't sure what sort of reaction he had been expecting, if any. He had been pleasantly surprised by the blondes reaction.
"Well, I couldn't have survived without some." Ford replied, giving an awkward chuckle.
Bill's glance at Ford turned to the floor, his grin fading to a frown quickly. He sighed. Ford didn't seem to notice and proceeded.
"Why, if I didn't improve my strength throughout my time in the multiverse, I would have been dead years ago." Ford added, hands on his hips with a smile as if he was telling it as a joke.
Bill's frown increased. He squinted his eyes shut and groaned before leaning forward and resting his forehead on Ford's chest.
"You could've died," Bill began. "And it would've been my fault..." He muttered with a sigh.
Ford looked down at the other and now noticed his frown as Bill nuzzled the side of his face close up to him. He now felt guilt for being careless with his words, and gently wrapped his arms around Bill's back.
"Even if something had happened to me, it would have been because I made a wrong move on something I had faced throughout those years." Ford tried to reason.
"It was my selfish desires of freedom that got you into that mess in the first place." Bill retorted in a grumble.
"I'm here now, aren't I?" Ford replied, raising an eyebrow. Bill looked up to see Ford looking back at him with an unreadable expression.
Bill nodded slowly and looked away once more. "Yeah, I guess so." He murmered.
"I'm sorry for keeping this from you for so long." Ford apologized.
"Eh, you had good reason to." Bill said with a shrug.
A moment of silence went between them. There wasn't noise in the lab, save their shallow breathing. It didn't take long for the silence to get awkward. Bill pulled away and put his hands on his hips, looking at the other once more.
"So," Bill began. "Ya' hiding any other secrets from me?" Bill asked with a laugh, giving Ford a joking smack on the back. He realized what he had done and bit his lip, cringing when Ford growled at the sudden pain, squinting his eyes shut.
"Whoops." Bill said. He looked down at his feet for a moment, then at the other. "Well uh... Do ya' need any help?" He asked.
Ford opened his eyes and hissed at the sting in his back. "Well, I had gotten the blood to stop rather quickly earlier since the injury had been thin. Though it would be best to cover up the injury and cleanse it a bit better for protection." He answered. He looked at Bill and gave a small smile. He no longer felt as though he needed to hide his unusual features from Bill. "And if you would like to help," Ford continued. "It would certainly be appreciated."
Bill grinned at this. "Sure thing, Fordsy." He said. "Whatever you need, I'm at your service." He added, walking past Ford and heading towards his desk where the scientist had placed the medical supplies.
"Your kind intentions with this are a bit unexpected." Ford said, following Bill towards the desk.
Bill rewrapped the bandage roll for the time being and shrugged. "Only for you, Sixer." He replied. Bill grabbed the chair and moved it beside Ford. "You should probably sit down." He advised. "This might take me a minute here... " Bill added, looking down at the supplies on the desk.
Ford complied with the suggestion and sat down in his chair, leaning forward slightly as to not press his back against the chair. He watched as Bill looked at the supplies. Ford gave him a quick understanding as of what to do as Bill prepared some cleanser.
About a half hour later as the sun was setting, Ergman Bratsman was inside of his car, driving towards a special location. It had been so long since he had been at this place, and he was eager to take control of the building once again. Come next week, he would no longer have to wait.
Bratsman parked his car in the parking lot by the building. He got out of his car and shut the door, walking over towards the entrance of the building. Memories of the previous years all came flooding back when he opened the doors. He had remembered the time when he had first genetically engineered the 'perfect boys' that had made him rich. He had always made sure that the boys were dense and unaware of most ordinary things in the outside world. Now that they were loose in the forest, it would be difficult to find them if they still roamed alive.
There may be another solution. Bratsman thought to himself. Replacing the boys with new clones of themselves would be a piece of cake!
Bratsman looked around the room. The lobby of the building had creamy yellow walls, as well as wooden flooring. The man walked forward and turned to his right, walking down the hall towards another room. He grabbed hold of the doorknob and opened it when he reached the specific room he was looking for. The turned on the lights before stepping inside. In the room was a large, metal cage. To the left of Bratsman were the tubes of where the replacements of the five boys were meant to be located.
Ergman walked up to the tubes, only to look on in confusion at noticing that all five tubes were empty, and without their usual green fluid.
How weird. Bratsman thought to himself. His brows furrowed slightly. It looks like getting Sev'ral Timez to perform again will be muchharder than I originally thought. He told himself, knowing now that he couldn't replace the members of the band with new, identical ones. How much easier it had been in the past when Bratsman had access to creating new clones of them whenever he pleased.
Ergman hummed. It seems that I'll need to go searching around for the boys after I find someone who can fix these darn tubes. He decided. The quicker he found the boys of Sev'ral Timez, the faster they would return to his 'care' and make Bratsman rich once more.
"Ah, n-not so tight." Ford instructed, wincing slightly as Bill tugged on the bandage around his torso to cover the wound.
"Whoops." Bill said. He stopped tugging and attempted to loosen the bandaging just a bit. He repositioned a part of the bandage slightly, straightening it out. "That better?" Bill asked.
"Yes, thank you." Ford said, looking down at the bandage. He gave a small smile, surprised at just how well Bill was doing with assisting him. "Where did you learn to wrap bandages so well?" Ford asked.
"Observation," Bill answered. "A few months back, Karen would always have to get some bandages and fix all the injuries I would get when she was at work." He informed.
Ford gave a slow nod. "Oh, yes," He said in a quieter tone than intended. "Your lover." He muttered, the words rolling off his tongue with distaste.
"Oh, I wouldn't call her that." Bill replied quickly with a rapid shake of his head. "She was a nice lady, sure, but there wasn't any love on my side of the relationship." He said. "And besides, we never went anything further than kissing no matter how much she ached for me." He added, walking over to where he faced Ford, getting down on a knee and adjusting the scientists bandage so that it was evened out better.
"A relationship without any forms of love?" Ford began to question, tilting his head to the side a bit. He certainly wasn't complaining; he wasn't even sure if Bill completely understood- or cared -about human intimacy. Regardless, Ford was confused on what Bill meant when he had said this. "How does that work?" Ford asked.
Bill laughed before speaking. "Oh, don't get me wrong here, Fordsy. She was crazy about me." He said. "A little too crazy for a human." He continued. "So, I used that feature to my advantage and got her to help with a lot of stuff." He said.
"So you used her? Ford asked with half-lidded eyes.
"Definitely." Bill responded with a nod of his head. "I mean, who wouldn't in that situation?" He asked. Bill saw Ford's slightly furrowed brows and gave another short laugh. "Eh, it doesn't matter. She's dead now." He said with a grin.
"Bill, you know that I care about you, but you worry me sometimes." Ford said.
Bill gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. I was afraid I was acting too human for me to handle." He replied. Bill stood up and put his hands on his hips, taking a step back and looking at Ford's bandage. "Did I do this right?" He asked.
Ford looked down at the bandage and gave a nod, looking up at the other. "Yes, it seems to be wrapped correctly." He said. "You did well." He praised.
"Well, of course I did!" Bill scoffed.
Ford reached for his sweater and found the bottom of the garment. "Don't get too cocky." He said before putting his sweater back on. "Say, do you have any idea what Fiddleford was doing on the floor?" Ford decided to ask. He figured that now was a better time to ask about such things.
Bill had wide eyes for a moment. He had forgotten about him. "Fiddleford?" He repeated, as if he were completely clueless in the situation. He gave a cheeky grin and asked, "Who's Fiddleford?"
There's the end of this chapter! It would have been out three days ago, only for me to get sentence-block (A thing I made up; it's like writers block, except it's a particular sentence you aren't sure how to get past.) Ugh. Well, this is here now, and I hope you enjoyed.
Also, if anyone has fluff requests, you might want to throw them at me before... stuff happens. I can't say exactly, because that would be giving it away. I will say, however, that something bad is coming in this story, so if you have fluff ideas or a moment you want to see in the next chapter, please feel free to request it!
