Content Warning for blood, violence, physical pain, language, and some mature-type themes involving some... *Cough* spicy stuff.

...Don't ask.

Here's chapter 60 of "Welcome Home"!

Ford looked ahead of him, shocked at what he saw. His vision may have been a little blurry in the distance, but the blonde man was close enough for him to see some features. The white colored outfit, blonde hair, they couldn't be mistaken.

McGucket looked over at his friend and noticed he looked stunned. He gave a small snicker which caused the scientist to look his direction.

"What?" Ford questioned.

"Ye' aren't gettin' any younger just waitin' around." McGucket hinted.

Ford looked back at the other outside. "Right." He blurted, getting out of the vehicle. He rushed towards the other man and, without giving it much thought beforehand, opened his arms and embraced him in a hug. His chin rested on the other's shoulder, keeping him close. The blonde looked down at him with wide eyes.

"Dammit Bill, you had me so worried." Ford started, finally letting all that intense worry that had built up the past few days out with a sigh. He pulled away slightly and put his hands at the sides of the other's face. "You're not injured, are you?" He questioned, moving his head around a bit and examining him. The blonde gave a look of disgust and pushed the scientist away, taking a step back.

"Hey, what the hell?" The man questioned, scrunching his nose at the old man.

Ford's concern turned into confusion before he could blink. He furrowed his eyebrows and took a second look at the other. When he looked more thoroughly at the other's face, he realized that the man was not Bill. A wave of embarrassment passed by Ford, and he stood speechless for a short moment.

"Oh, I..." Ford tried. He cleared his throat. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were-"

"Screw off, man." The stranger aggressively snapped. He spat at the scientist's feet before shoving his hands into his coat pockets, walking away with his nose in the air. Ford watched from the corner of his eye at the other as he took his leave and cringed at the rudeness. Though he couldn't exactly blame him. Ford knew that he had been in the wrong, anyway. He couldn't expect kindness from a stranger he had randomly approached.

Chris looked at the stranger, now that he was closer. It was much more obvious that he hadn't been who he'd originally thought. He felt guilty for assuming such. Then again though, it would have been hard to tell if he was correct or not from when he hadn't been up close. He glanced at the other and watched the stranger walk past the car, clearly pestered. He then turned behind him to McGucket, getting a mirrored awkward glance in return. They looked in front to see Ford returning, clearly uncomfortable.

"That was humiliating." Ford grumbled after opening up his car door. He slammed it shut and buried his face into his hands, weaving his fingers in his hair. McGucket frowned, but said nothing. Ford took his hands away and instead just buckled his seat belt.

Chris looked out his window. "There goes trying to catch up to your brother." He muttered.

Ford sighed and put his hands on the wheel. "We'll find him." He replied, though he wasn't confident it would be easy now.


"You'll love my cats!" Susan beamed as the two walked out of the diner.

"You think?" Stan asked with a false chuckle, knowing that being surrounded by several cats at once would give him a somewhat uncomfortable feeling. He kept getting an odd feeling that he was needed back at the Mystery Shack, which is why he felt as though he should get back as soon as possible. Going to visit Susan's place was a gamble on time. It could be twenty minutes, it could be a couple hours, you could never be too sure. Perhaps he could lie his way out of it, he was good at that. Then again though, lying was always a gamble, too.

Maybe it's for the greater good. Stan thought to himself. If Ford and the others were coming up with a big plan, it was a terrible idea to be gone any more time than he already had been. Susan and Stan had already spent a good hour or so together, surely that would be enough to satisfy her for the day. He'd make up for the extra time left another day.

Susan unlocked her car and beckoned Stan inside. He stopped and gave a look of discomfort at the choice that would carry on if he didn't say anything. He stood in place and awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. Susan noticed his hesitance and tilted her head.

"Stan?" Susan questioned, concerned now.

Stan looked back at the woman and put a hand in his suit pocket. "Uhh, you know, maybe this isn't the best idea." He started.

"What are you saying?" Susan asked. She wondered if Stan had allergies. "Are you allergic to cats?"

"No! It's just that uh, I-" Stan started, stumbling over his words a bit. He was a great liar, what was wrong with him? He looked down at the dirt below him and gave a pause. He assumed it may just be easier to use her assumption. He looked up at the woman once more, opening his mouth. "Yeah, I'm allergic. Allergic to cats. And their... eyes. Especially in the afternoon." He lied, giving off a cheeky, half-convincing grin.

Susan narrowed her eyes in suspicion for all but a second before her features brightened. "Oh! Well why didn't you just say so?" She asked.

Stan gave a sigh of relief. He shrugged. "Ah, you just seemed excited about it, so I didn't wanna be a wet blanket." He replied.

"Well maybe we can video chat with them sometime!" Susan suggested with a smile.

Stanley raised an eyebrow. "Video... what?" He muttered under his breath, not understanding what the woman was referring to. He shook away his confusion slightly and hummed. "I dunno, I think i'm allergic to that, too." Stan stated.

"Alergic to technology?" Susan questioned, baffled by this. "That's odd." She said.

Stan gave an awkward laugh. "Yeah, it's... it's somethin'." He replied. He pointed at her. "A ride still on the table?" He asked.

"Of course!" Susan replied with a smile. Stan didn't hesitate to head to the passenger seat of the car. Susan joined him and within the next minute they were back on the road. Stan let out a relieved sigh. Luckily they were returning to the Mystery Shack. He wondered if he could use his stealth skills he still believed he had to re-enter the shack without the others noticing. Afterwards he could say that he had fallen asleep. Yes, that was a good plan, as long as everything ran smoothly. And why wouldn't they? Ford and the others were all down in the basement, anyway. Surely it wouldn't be too hard to make that story. He couldn't think of anything that would get in the way.

Susan drove all before seeing a strange dead end with a car. She would have ignored it had the vehicle not looked familiar. She slowed slightly and got Stan's attention. The con man gave a noise of confusion and looked where she was pointing.

"Isn't that yours?" Susan asked.

Stan's eyes widened. He could tell by the license plate that it was the same vehicle him and Ford owned. He put a hand on Susan's shoulder while looking out the window. She glanced at the hand and gave a small smile. "Wait, stop the car." He requested. Susan did as asked and Stanley quickly got out of the car. Susan's eyes widened.

"Stan!" Susan cried out, confused at the sudden situation. She quickly got out of the car and trailed behind him. Stan didn't acknowledge her and instead just proceeded towards the vehicle. As he approached closer he could see his brother in the side mirror. Clearly his footsteps made enough noise for Ford to notice. Stan stopped in his tracks when he saw his twin. He was quick to notice that Ford had a glare on his face.

"Woah, what're you doin' out here-?" Stan questioned, taking a step back as the other approached him. He hadn't expected to see him out of the laboratory, let alone in public. Ford kept his glare and placed his hands on his shoulders. Stan could quickly sense that he'd made a mistake.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Ford roared, his grip increasing. He noticed the woman behind Stan and briefly recognized her from the couple times he'd been to the diner. He looked back at Stan, still clearly upset. "What, you left the shack to go out on a date?" He asked.

"Look, I kinda had to-" Stan tried.

Ford scoffed. "A likely story," He spat. "You know we have very important things to do today, Stanley. We need you for our plan!" He continued.

"Ya' finished the plan?" Stan asked. He looked away for a short moment. "Took less time than I thought." He muttered.

"We need you with us to finalize our plan and go over it," Ford replied. "If we want a likely chance at saving Bill, we need to take this seriously, not like some sort of side quest!" He chided.

Susan stood on the sidelines in confusion, just looking at Stan, then at Ford, and over again. She was very confused as to what in the world was going on, but it didn't seem right to get too involved.

"Hey! For your information, I forgot ta' spend time with her when I said I would. I had ta' make it up to her!" Stan replied, putting his hands on his hips.

Susan gave a slight frown. "Forgot?" She blurted out. The twins looked at her in unison. Stan stood there speechless. Susan folded her arms. "I thought you said that you were fixing a sink." She said.

"Look, it's complicated." Stan tried.

Ford looked back at Stan and shook him slightly so that the other looked back at him as well. "Stanley, please, we need to go over this plan." He said.

"Fine, fine." Stan complied. "Don't be so sour." He scolded.

Stanford gave him a slight look of disbelief. "Are you kidding? You left out of no where and we had to come out here to search for you." He stated, furrowing his brows.

Chris poked his head out the car window. "He hugged a stranger!" The blonde said, pointing at Ford and giving a short laugh. The scientist rolled his eyes.

"Let's just... ignore that," Ford suggested. Stan just gave a confused nod.

"So what's this plan you geniuses came up with to save Goldilocks from the bear?" Stanley asked.

"Well," Ford began, all before looking back at Susan. He wasn't so sure he wanted her around when they went over the plan. He hardly knew her and therefore wasn't sure about where he stood with trusting the woman. Stan noticed his brothers unease and looked over at her.

Susan noticed eyes on her and gave a slight frown. "Are you gonna be busy?" She asked.

Stan sighed. "I'm afraid so, sugarplum." He replied.

"Oh," Susan began, not completely sure how to feel. Although it was confusing, it didn't feel anything that was good. Regardless she decided it would be best to leave.

Stan saw her heading to her car and huffed. Mabel really rubbed off on him. He removed himself from Ford's grasp and instead called out to Susan.

"Wait," Stan said. Before Susan could open her car door, she turned to look at him. She wasn't upset, just a bit down and confused. Stan scratched the back of his neck. "Uh... I lied." He admitted.

"What?" Susan questioned, even more confused now.

"Bill, he's not on any kinda vacation," Stan stated. "Well, not a good one, anyway." He added.

Susan tilted her head. "I don't understand." She said.

"My nerdy brother and his buddies were trying to come up with a plan because he's trapped somewhere he shouldn't be." Stan continued.

"Is he in danger?" Susan asked, worry surfacing once more.

Stan shook his head. "No, no," He answered. After a moment of silence he gave a shrug. "Well, we don't know." He said. "That's why this is so important. Especially to my brother." He muttered.

Susan frowned. "Oh, Stanley," She began with a sympathetic tone. "If you just told me I wouldn't have used up any important time." She said, opening her car door.

He's not exactly good at that. Ford thought to himself, but otherwise just watched their conversation.

"You're not mad?" Stan asked.

Susan gave a shake of her head. "I can't be mad," She replied, giving off a small smile. "Just tell me how it all goes." She requested. Stan nodded at the request and Susan entered her car. He turned back to look at Ford and, surprisingly, he didn't seem upset that he had explained what he did to Susan. She drove off and Stan headed back towards Ford.

"It won't matter that she knows that, will it?" Stan asked.

Ford gave a slight shake of his head. "It was the right thing to do." He answered. "And besides, it's not like you went deep into the specifics." He added.

Stan laughed. "Well lucky for you, I don't know most'a the specifics." He said.

"I don't think lucky is the right word." Ford replied. He waved his hand behind him. "Come along, we have to discuss all of this." Ford stated before heading off towards their vehicle.


Meanwhile, Bill was lying down on the floor of his dark cell, his body growing very weak and the aching feelings continuing on, especially after all his attempts at escape the day before. He had been getting so close to freedom, and for what? After some time it was clear that even with his attempts of denting and bending the bars, it wasn't enough to possibly get out. The bars were still too close together even when they were bent sideways. His eyes went into a sudden squint when a random streak of light entered the darkness of his cell. He looked at the front door to see someone at the doorway. The door was opened.

Bill gasped and sat up, regardless of the horrid aching that came from it. He felt lightheaded for a moment after sitting up so fast, but kept himself together. Unable to instantly stand, he crawled towards the door. He extended an arm out, only for the door to shut back to how it had been for the last couple of days. Bill frowned. He gave a pout and face planted into the cold floor. He didn't seem to notice someone else who remained in the room until he heard a laid back tone of voice.

"You okay?" Creggy G asked, his arms folded as he looked down at Bill with sympathy.

Bill tilted his head so that he could see the intruder, noticing the same blonde he had brawled with a few days prior to now standing there. He saw Creggy and scowled at his question. "Really?" He grumbled. As if his condition wasn't easy to tell. Bill was sure he looked pathetic, all weakened like this.

"Right... nevermind," Creggy muttered, realizing the level of stupidity that question had. He looked away with a glum expression. "I just... wanted to apologize about what happened. I overreacted and got you upset, and now you're here." He said. With a sigh, he muttered, "This is all my fault."

Rather than going along with what Creggy had to say, Bill just groaned. He'd admitted to himself that he had been in the wrong the day that he had been thrown into the cell, and now Creggy was coming in and telling him the opposite. Creggy was confused by the other's response, and simply raised an eyebrow.

"But, I did what I could to try and prevent you from getting into this danger. I argued with Bratsman about all this, but no matter what I said, he wouldn't budge." Creggy continued. He sat down beside the other and rested his head on his hand. "It's hard to convince Bratsman for anything, man." He added.

Bill cringed at the name of the producer and scowled. "I don't care about that," He replied, ignoring the dryness of his throat. He gave Creggy a glance and kept his scowl. "I want him dead." He croaked, clenching his fists.

Creggy's eyes widened slightly. And while he couldn't blame the other, he had never thought of a fate that deep about the producer. Well, not in a legitimate way.

"I guess that would make things a lot easier." Creggy agreed, feeling off about agreeing with something so brutal.

Bills fists only clenched further. "I want to kill him." He rasped.

"Just... keep that on the down low," Creggy suggested. He pointed at the door and put a hand beside his mouth. "He's behind the door." He muttered.

"Coward." Bill spat, glaring at the door.

"I'm not sure how long he'll let me stay in here," Creggy said. He looked back at Bill and asked, "You don't mind me here, right?"

"Don't care." Bill muttered. Creggy nodded at the response. It was better than he had been at first expecting.

"You holding up alright, dawg?" Creggy asked.

The groan the blonde gave in reply, along with the glare gave him his answer. Not to mention how annoyed Bill was getting with Creggy asking all these questions about his physical state when it was obvious he was weak. He didn't like all the reminders.

"Right..." Creggy muttered. "Sorry." He said, all before looking at the door when it cracked open. He was met with the face of his producer glaring down at him.

"Talk time's over, go back to your cage," Bratsman demanded. Creggy stood up and gave Bill one last sympathetic look before leaving the room. Bill, however, lifted his head up at the sound of the man's voice and reached for the door, forcing himself up off the ground. He stood in front of the door and tried running out. Bratsman was no fool and sensed that he was there. He turned around and extended his hand which quickly met with his throat. Bill cringed and glared at the man, kicking his legs and swinging his arms.

"I assumed you'd try 'an sneak away," Bratsman said. Bill didn't stop. The man increased his grip on Bill's throat, causing the demon to give in and put his hands on the one around his neck, trying to pull it away. His attempts were weak, and his vision went blurry. Bratsman laughed when his scrambling went weaker, and loosened his grip of the blondes neck when his head dropped forward and his eyes shut. Bratsman let go of his neck, and Bill fell to the floor, his body limp.

Bratsman turned around and glared to see Creggy still standing there, a look of paralyzed fear on his face. "Hey!" Bratsman shouted, causing the blonde to look back at him. "What're ya' still standing here for? Get back to your cage!" He spat. Creggy gave a quick nod and scrambled around the corner to return back.

Bratsman looked down at the unconscious man and put his hands on his hips. "Pathetic." He said, looking down at Bill with narrowed eyes. He grabbed hold of the hood on his jacket and pulled him back into his cell. Bill's eyes fluttered open and he looked down, seeing himself being dragged across the floor. He grabbed hold of the producer's arm and tried to release his hold. Ergman looked down with a glare.

"You like to put up a fight, dontcha?" Bratsman spat. He pulled Bill forward, smacking against the back wall of the cell. Bill groaned and fell forward. He rolled on his back and Bratsman put his foot on his chest to keep him down. "There's not much point ta' wearin' yourself out," He stated, until thinking twice. "Well, I guess you won't be needing the energy." He said with a cackle.

Bill glared. "I'll kill you." He rasped, the pressure on his chest not helping with his already faulty sounding voice.

Instead of getting upset, Bratsman just laughed. "You won't be doing anything like that," He stated. Grinning, he added, "You're too weak."

This upset Bill more than everything else the man had said. He grabbed the man's ankle and forced it off him, holding onto the wall and standing up, his other fist clenched. He lifted it, only for Bratsman to grab hold of it. Bill glared, and Bratsman raised his own fist, giving the blonde a hard clock to the face, Bill's head hit hard against the wall. A wave of pain passed through his already aching body. Bratsman folded his arms as the demon fell unconscious to the floor, his nose bleeding.

"Pathetic." Bratsman grumbled with a shake of his head, turning around and leaving the cell. He gave one last glance at the blonde before shutting and locking the cell door. He went to put the key in his pocket. With Bill's current state, Ergman assumed he'd only make it another day, if even. With a cocky smile, he walked away from the cell and headed back to his office, the key accidentally left on the floor.


Chris, who remained in the front seat of the car, poked a hole through the plastic surrounding the tiny straw in his hand. He grabbed the tip of the straw and removed the plastic, mindlessly dropping it on the floor of the car. Putting the straw inside his juice box, he put it up to his mouth and took a sip.

"What's he got a juice box for?" Stan asked, looking at the blonde up front and folding his arms. He then looked down at where he sat. "And why am I in the back seat with this fool?" He asked, pointing his thumb at McGucket. Fiddleford looked from Stan to Ford, ignoring the comment about him.

Ford looked at his brother in the back seat and gave a shrug of his shoulders. "He's easier to manage." He replied. Stan's jaw dropped and he sent a glare towards his twin.

"D'aw, it's not so bad back here." McGucket said, putting a hand on the con man's shoulder and pointing up at the car ceiling. "Ye' could always count the balls a' lint up there." He suggested. Stan scrunched his nose and made a grunt, shoving the other's hand off his shoulder. McGucket just shrugged and looked up front to see Ford handling a small collection of papers.

"I know I brought it with..." Ford muttered. His features brightened. "Ah, here it is." He said, pulling out a drawn map of the studio and handing it to Stan. McGucket glanced at the map, regardless of him knowing some of the places written on it.

Stan squinted his eyes. "Crumbs, ya' know I'm bad at readin' maps, Ford." He stated. "Let alone a complicated, cursive written thing like this." He added, handing it back to his brother and folding his arms.

Ford gave an unamused look in return. "Fine then, I suppose i'll have to explain that, too." He muttered.

Stan's eyes widened. "Uh, you don't have to do that." He said, giving a cheeky laugh. Ford raised an eyebrow. "I've been there lotsa' times." He lied.

Ford squinted his eyes, and after a moment gave a light smile. "Excellent." He replied. Stan gave an awkward laugh and looked out the car window. Fiddleford rolled his eyes. Ford noticed him looking away and cleared his throat. "Now you'll have to pay attention, we don't have the time to thoroughly explain this twice." He stated.

Stan turned his head back towards his brother. "Payin' attention is one of those important skills I was supposed ta' learn but didn't." He stated.

"Well I suppose you can't learn about paying attention if you never paid attention to that lesson in the first place." Ford replied, adjusting his glasses and looking down at the map.

McGucket snickered. "He got you there." He said. Stan shot him a glare.

Ford looked up at the group and put a finger up. "Alright, listen up." He commanded. Chris sucked from his juice box, but paid attention. The two in the back seat both looked at the scientist. Ford cleared his throat. "After a couple hours of communication, the three of us came up with a plan to go along with." He began. "Now we were the ones who came up with this plan, Stanley, so if we're successful, don't get too cocky about it." He said.

Instead of giving a mature response to this, Stan just snorted. McGucket and Chris looked at him when he made the sudden noise. Ford just narrowed his eyes. Stan gave a snicker and bit his lip, noticing that the three were looking at him. "Sorry, sorry." He said, giving a wave of his hand. "Nerd words are funny." He said before bursting out laughing. Fiddleford shook his head and facepalmed. Chris just raised an eyebrow.

"Oh Merlin, it's like teaching a twelve year old." Ford grumbled. Stan's laughter not ceasing, Ford looked at McGucket. "Can you reach him from where you're sitting?" He asked. McGucket nodded. Ford nudged his own head to the side. Fiddleford put a hand up and smacked the back of Stan's head. The con man's laughter stopped and he held the back of his head with his hand.

"Ow!" Stan exclaimed, scowling at McGucket. Fiddleford just folded his arms.

"Now, as I was saying," Ford proceeded. "We'll have to explain this to you simply enough so that it won't have to be said twice." He stated.

"Good, explain it to me like i'm five." Stan grumbled.

Ford ignored the comment and adjusted his glasses. "I'll walk you through it," He assured. "When we get there, we're going to have to be stealthy, and make sure there's no high security. Myself and Chris will go up to the roof and sneak inside from the vent." He began.

"Like last time." McGucket added.

"Precisely," Ford confirmed. "Stan, you and McGucket will wait by the back door until we open it from the inside. Check around a tiny bit while you wait if you wish, but don't travel far, especially not alone." He said.

Stan furrowed his brows. "Why can't I just pick the lock?" He asked.

"It doesn't have an accessible lock." Ford replied. "No doorknob from the outside, either. Which is exactly why we'll open it from the inside." He said. Stan hummed, but gave a nod. "When the door opens, Fiddleford will follow us back to the room with Chris' brothers inside. Stan, you'll go off and check around to make sure there aren't any security guards nearby." He stated.

"And if there are?" Stan asked.

Ford offered him a sly smile. "You've got your fists, don't you?" He asked. Stan's features brightened, and he grinned at the thought of punching.

"Just try and find a radio while you're searching around," Ford advised. "If you do, it would be best if you gave it to McGucket. That way things will be easier as far as communication goes, just as long as we find another along the way. That won't be too hard, since they seem to be scattered around a bit." He said. "If everything's clear in the halls, you'll come back and give us a signal." Ford informed.

"Is that it?" Stan asked. He wasn't complaining, he was just confused as to how simple his part of the plan seemed.

Ford gave a shake of his head. "We're just scratching the surface." He replied. Stan grinned. "McGucket is going to stay with the clones while you and I split up and search for where Bill is being kept. Chris gave me a main idea of where he'll be, so I can't promise that you'll get there first." He teased. Stan merely shrugged. "Meanwhile, Chris will leave to retrieve the key to the cage in that one man's office." He continued.

"Bratsman." Chris said, the liquid in his juice box practically gone. The straw and juice droplets inside made for an obnoxiously loud slurping sound in the vehicle.

"Right," Ford muttered, the noise annoying him. He did his best to ignore it. "And if you need help with retrieving that key, call out to me before I run off." He told Chris. The blonde nodded. "Whenever you get that key, head back to the room with that cage, McGucket will still be there." He assured.

Stan tossed his head back and made a mocking snore sound. Ford shot his brother a hard glare. Stan looked back at him after a moment and rubbed an eye. "Sorry, it's just that your little step-by-step speech was gettin' boring, especially since ya' weren't talking about me." Stan said.

"You're unbelievable," Ford grumbled. He released a sigh. His twin's immaturity was the least of his problems right now. "The main point of this is, Fiddleford and Chris will help with those boys who need to get out free while you and I go looking for where Bill's supposed to be. Radios are good, but don't overshare information on them, because i'm sure the security guards will be able to overhear our conversations on them." Ford stated. He looked back and fourth at both Chris and McGucket. "If anything goes wrong, you find one of us." He said, pointing towards Stan and himself.

"So we go to you." Chris said to Ford. Stan scowled at the blonde.

"That would be the smarter choice." Ford agreed. He looked at the time and saw that it was already later than he'd originally hoped for. "It's already coming towards five in the afternoon, i'll explain the rest on the way, but for now it would be smarter to just get there." He stated, turning himself around and buckling his seat belt. "Any objections?" He asked. He heard no response. "Good." He said, ready to drive off. In a matter of moments the four were buckled up and back on the road. They were going to rescue Bill.


"I just don't understand all of this," Ford said, removing his boots and placing them beside his nightstand. The room was brightened by the lamp being that the power had come back on an hour prior. "It doesn't add up. It doesn't make sense." He continued.

"So drop it for the night and pick it up tomorrow," Bill replied, falling backwards onto the mattress before moving to lay his head on his pillow. He was dressed in his typical night attire; a grey tank top and dark blue boxer shorts.

"How do you expect me to drop it so simply?" Ford asked, turning his head and looking over at him. "It's not that easy, Bill."

Bill shrugged. "Maybe not, but i'm not going anywhere." He assured. "We can continue it tomorrow, smart guy. Don't get your brains in a bunch." He said, folding his arms.

"You know I worry too much about these things," Ford replied. "It annoys me, too." He added.

"Hey, I never said it was annoying," Bill stated, sitting up and folding his arms. He looked away, then back at him. "It's... sometimes it's just... well..." He tried. Ford just raised an eyebrow. "Yeah okay, it's annoying." Bill muttered.

"I'm just stumped on where this is all coming from," Ford proceeded. Bill rolled his eyes, but didn't interrupt. "Who knows what this could be. It doesn't help that I've had concerns about danger ever since I saw that blonde man in the forest-"

Ford was interrupted by an obnoxious groan coming from his boyfriend. Bill scowled and put his hands on both sides of the scientist's face, pulling him closer. "Stanford Pines, if I hear one more thing about that stupid guy in the forest, i'm gonna rip my hair out." He said, teeth clenched.

"I don't see why that's such an issue to you." Ford said, grabbing his wrists and taking them off his face.

"Well for one, ya' don't even know the guy." Bill started. "How can you believe some stranger without any kind of explanation?" He asked.

"It's not like there was much context," Ford reasoned. "He mentioned danger. And i'd much rather take precautions than ignore it like you're doing." He said.

"I'm not ignoring it," Bill defended. He looked down for a moment. "It just doesn't seem like something that you should let get to you this much." He stated.

Ford took that into account and went silent. He hummed before looking back at the other. "Well I can assure you that i'm more focused on your surge of power than that whole... danger warning." He said.

"Right, should we even be worried about that?" Bill asked. Ford looked at him with his eyes slightly widened. Bill noticed this and continued. "Think about it; Even earlier on, when I was practically powerless, my ability progressed. This could just be another step of that." He thought.

"And if it's not?" Ford asked. Bill gave him an unamused look in return. "Bill, I really think something caused this. It can't be coincidence." He said.

Bill just shrugged. "Well if it wasn't random, I don't know what could've caused it." Bill replied. His expression turned to a grin. "Whatever happened, I like the extra power!" He said.

"Of course you do." Ford said, giving a roll of his eyes. Bill noticed this and gave a snicker. The author offered him a smile in return.

"It's cute when you smile." Bill commented. He grabbed the other's glasses from off his face and folded them. "You should do it more often instead of being all sour." He said.

Ford scoffed. "Oh, give me those." He commanded, snatching the glasses from his hands and placing them behind him on the nightstand. He reached over by his lamp and shut it off, the room going dark. Bill grabbed the comforter and tossed it over himself, turning on his side and curling up a bit.

"Perhaps we could test it out in some spare time outside tomorrow," Ford suggested. "We'll have nothing but time." He mused, putting the sheets over himself.

Bill raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look behind him. "Why, what happens tomorrow?" He asked.

Ford simply smiled. "You'll see." He replied.

Bill turned himself around and put his hands on the other's shoulders. "Come on, tell me!" He begged.

"I'm not saying anything yet." Ford said with a chuckle. "I'll explain to everyone in the morning." He reasoned, not wanting to spill the news of a camping trip too early. He was met with a sigh from the other.

"Very well." Bill said, laying back down. He welcomed the gesture when Ford wrapped an arm around his waist, keeping him close. The scientist had big plans for tomorrow with Bill and the others in the shack, and he figured that the large environment space in the forest would be a nice way to test out some things involving Bill's power without accidentally wrecking any property. The forest was always a good place for tests, anyway. It had been a while since he'd seen the stranger who'd mentioned danger, so surely a day or two out in the forest couldn't hurt after waiting some time first. Still though, even with Bill claiming everything was fine, he couldn't help but worry.

Has Stan thought about this at all? Ford thought to himself. He assumed it was unlikely, but then again, he wasn't sure if it was something that had completely gone over his head or not.

Bill just sighed. "Alright, what're you overthinking now, IQ?" He asked.

"What?" Ford questioned. How could Bill tell? He considered this to be another ability that came along with the extra power. He'd have to test that theory with him tomorrow.

"I'm not an idiot," Bill said. "If you couldn't tell, every time you're about to sleep and you start thinking too much about something, you end up clenching part of my shirt in your hand." He informed.

Ford scoffed in disbelief. "Wh- that's ridiculous. I do not-" He said, all until looking over at his hand. His hand was in a fist that slightly tugged on the blonde's shirt. Bill glanced at him with half-lidded eyes. "Oh." Ford muttered, letting go of his shirt and resting his hand once more, leaving a section of the tank top slightly wrinkled.

"Put that brain of yours to rest, Six. You use it too much." Bill said, reaching over and rubbing the top of his head (Mainly as an excuse to touch his hair). Ford closed an eye and looked up at his hand, cringing slightly at first but growing calm. Bill drew it back and put it back underneath the pillow.

Ford relaxed himself and rested his head on the pillow. "I suppose you're right." He said.

"Of course i'm right, i'm awesome." Bill replied.

Ford hummed and shut his eyes. "That's debatable." He joked.

Bill scowled and turned his head, shooting him a glare. "Keep that up and I kid you not, i'll start another apocalypse out of pure spite." He warned.

Ford opened his eyes and kept the blonde close. "Not as long as i've got you, you won't." He replied before giving him a sly smile. "You're stuck right here, you little terrorist." He said.

"Yeah, too bad for you, huh?" Bill said with a short laugh.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Ford responded, leaning in slightly to give him a quick little peck. Bill took humor to the response, turning himself and nuzzling the side of his face against his lover's chest. The human was warm. He'd always liked that, especially nowadays when Ford never chose to stop him. They ended up going back for a second, more passionate kiss that they melted into. Ford gently fondled his hip, showing extra affection through his touch. Bill didn't mind it, if anything he somehow found it soothing. He wasn't sure where exactly all of this was going, he only knew that he liked it.

When they pulled away, Bill hid the side of his face slightly after allowing the other man's hand to venture down from his waist to his thighs. He didn't want to show any kind of weakness by submitting so vulnerably to the touches, but stars, was Ford good with his hands. The blonde released a shiver when the other made small, circular motions on his thigh. The muffled whimper wasn't quite loud enough for the author to overhear, but just enough to make Bill feel embarrassed at the sound of the random noise.

"I really don't mind being stuck with you," Ford continued with a small, innocent smile. His palm slightly pressed down on his thigh in a way that made Bill have to bite his lip to hold back the little moan that would have dared to escape. Ford didn't notice and gave a chuckle. "Not in the slightest." He murmured, all before yawning. It was late, and he was tired, but he didn't mind giving his boyfriend some affectionate gestures before bed. Bill, on the other hand, wasn't sure how to describe it. All he knew was that whatever the scientist was doing, it was making his face flush. He felt the six-fingered hand move to his inner thigh, resting there for only a moment before grabbing part of the skin in his hand and giving it a squeeze. Bill tossed his head back, a moan passing by his lips against his intention.

"Fascinating." Ford murmured at overhearing the response to the gesture. He looked down at the blonde and at that moment noticed his pink cheeks. Ford blushed and looked away after catching sight of his boyfriend. Had he really done that to him? And in such a short amount of time, too. Ford hadn't expected to have gotten this reaction out of him with- what he'd assumed to have been- simple touches. He took into account that Bill wasn't all that familiar with romantic gestures, and assumed that to be the main reason. A part of him felt guilty for potentially giving him the wrong idea about what was going on.

Bill glanced at him and wrapped his arms around his neck. Ford looked back and saw Bill lean in to him, giving him a kiss. A part of him was surprised; it was rare for Bill to make the first move. Ford put a hand on the side of the blonde's face and went back to return with a tender kiss, though at first it seemed like Bill had other plans. His were much more desperate and rapid. Ford pulled himself away and put his other hand on the other man's shoulder.

"Not so fast," Ford guided.

"I can't help it." Bill breathed, his cheeks still giving off their pink tint, his pupils slightly dilated and his eyes shining with desire.

"Keep it tender, now." Ford instructed. Bill was taken aback by the position of authority the other seemed to hold. Though in a way, he didn't find himself minding it for the time being. He calmed and shut his eyes, and their mouths met once more. Bill's grip around his neck tightened slightly, not to where it hurt the other man, but it drew them closer. Their lips kneaded together passionately. The nights were typically pleasing down in the laboratory. The others in the shack would be asleep and they would have the chance to take time for themselves. And while they'd never had sex, there had been been a few occasions where they would get distracted from sleep and take their time with an intimate moment shared between them, just like the present situation.

Ford pushed down on the other's shoulder, Bill's back pressing against the mattress and his head on a pillow. Aside from Bill noticing his boyfriend's slightly tired look, their kiss continued without trouble. Ford pinned one of the blonde's two hands down, the other remaining hung around his neck. Ford's spare hand rested on his chest, pushing him further down into the bed as their kiss deepened. Bill wrapped one leg around the other man's waist and pulled them closer as Ford's hand kneaded the thigh of his other leg. Bill whimpered at the touch, his sounds being muffled and lost in their kiss. Ford still noticed and blushed at the surprisingly elegant little moans in which he withdrew from his boyfriend.

"Your body's very sensitive," Ford observed. As if he didn't already know.

Bill rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut up." He muttered before they stole each other's lips once more, Ford giving off a little smile. Their kiss didn't last long, but their affections continued. Bill messed with his hair as Ford affectionately fondled and caressed him, specifically with his waist and thighs. Stanford's touches were overwhelming in the nicest way. He took pride in the sounds he could get out of his boyfriend.

Ford worked at Bill's inner thighs in a delicate way that drove him crazy. "Sixer," He groaned, his eyes squinting shut. Ford's blush returned at the sensual calling of his nickname, and he looked down as Bill's hands that proceeded to grab hold of his hair. Bill looked back at him, his eyes still holding that desire. That longing. "Please." He practically begged. Ford could see the look on Bill's face, as well as his eye language. He wore a much different look than their usual times when they would mess around. It was more than satisfaction. It was arousal.

When Ford got the hint he pulled away slightly. "What?" He inquired. If what he assumed was happening, he didn't want it to continue. He couldn't allow it to. With how quickly things had seemed to escalate, this didn't seem like the right time to engage in intimacy, especially given the fact that he hadn't been expecting things to take this turn.

"Oh stars, don't stop." Bill pleaded, running his own hands through Ford's hair.

"I... I can't promise that," Ford replied. He took his hands off of Bill and instead laid beside him. He put one hand on the blonde's shoulder and gave it a gentle rub, giving his jawline a small peck. Bill turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, what're you doing?" Bill asked, confused with the sudden change of mood. He was getting mixed signals from the other man, and he couldn't say he liked it.

"I'm sorry," Ford began, gently rubbing the side of Bill's arm. He was given a look of confusion. Ford cleared his throat. "I hadn't intended for that to become... erotic..." He muttered, glancing away in awkwardness. "That wasn't fair to you." He said.

"Oh," Bill replied, obviously still very confused. "Well that's okay. Just... keep doing whatever you were just doing to me, Ford," He requested. In a mutter, he added, "It felt nice." Taking his glance away from the scientist for a moment. When he looked back he noticed his boyfriend's cheeks were tinted pink.

"Well, I can't quite do that, not tonight." Ford began, only adding on to the blonde's confusion. He cleared his throat and rested his face on his hand, laying on his side in attempt to compose himself. "I-It's very late, we'll need our rest for tomorrow." He stated. In a mutter, he added, "So that's enough."

Bill put his hands into his hair and laid his head back to the pillow. "Again about tomorrow," He groaned. "If you want it to stay a little secret I suggest you stop bringing it up. You know how curious I get about things. If you keep talking about it, i'm just gonna keep asking questions." He reminded.

"Oh, I suppose so." Ford agreed in a mutter before giving a deep, low-toned yawn, his eyelids drooping slightly. Bill overheard, and a sly smile appeared on his face.

"Someone's sleepy." Bill teased, giving the other's nose a gentle flick. The scientist scrunched his nose. Bill snickered. "How cute." He cooed.

Ford gave him an unamused look in return. "I'm not cute." He grumbled. Bill continued to tease him on it, only to end up receiving a rude finger gesture in return. Ford's eyes ironically gave out not a few seconds later, and he fell forward, passed out on his stomach.

Bill laughed. "Cute." He teased, knowing the other couldn't respond now. He tilted Ford's head to the side slightly so that he wasn't face planted into the pillow. He couldn't have his human end up suffocating in his sleep, especially not on something so pathetic like a pillow. Bill sighed and relaxed himself underneath the covers. He extended an arm out to his boyfriend and ruffled his grey bundle of hair. The mess of hair that surrounded his fingers were soft on his hand and between his fingers. Bill looked down at his tank top to see Ford's hand clenching onto it.

Bill narrowed his eyes. "Really?" He grumbled. He took hold of the hand and removed it from his shirt, and instead winded his fingers between Ford's. The scientists' grip loosened, but still kept a firm hold. Bill looked down at their interlocked hands, then at his sleeping boyfriend. "No more overthinking." He ordered, despite knowing that he wasn't conscious enough to take it into account. Ford's facial features softened, and started a just nearly inaudible snoring pattern.

Bill caught himself giving off a small smile and turned his expression back to a neutral one. He sighed as a couple thoughts of his own surfaced. He was curious about what Ford had planned for the day tomorrow. He hoped that they would be going somewhere, especially after how much he'd been hoping to get out and take a trip of some sort. His stomach growled slightly and reminded him of how busy he had been with Ford in the late afternoon that he had forgotten about dinner. He assumed that if he went to sleep, morning would come to him faster. That way he could get ready early and catch breakfast. Bill took one last look at Ford resting peacefully beside him before shutting his eyes, waiting for sleep to take him for the night. Tomorrow would be a good day.

So there's that. Poor Bill, so gullible, without a clue of what was to come. The end bit of this chapter is meant to have taken place later on in the day that the power had gone out for them, which was the the afternoon/night before they went out on their camping trip. Hopefully it all tied together well like i'd hoped.

Aside from all of the serious stuff going on, I couldn't help but sprinkle some fluff in there, too. I love them too much to not add a little something every now and then, even when everything is bursting into flames around them. The next chapter will have a lot going on, and i'm excited to get it out as another chapter to this story. Moving's making it a bit slow, but I still find time. Stay tuned!