Reality Is Stranger Than Fiction

Next To Me (Imagine Dragons) (End of Arc 2: the Arctic)

Water pulses around you as you're tossed back into the eye of the storm. It gives you no rest, no break, as you and Stan quickly grab the wheel, navigating the boat out of the storm with Ford making sure everything on the boat was still intact. You can feel your heart thundering in your chest as your mind races far too fast to catch. The only continuous thought you can form that isn't pure panic is the definite, "Bill is back".

Your hands grip the steering wheel harder as you turn right, leaning heavily to the side so the boat moves with your command. Snow and rain hits against your face and the deck, you're soaked to the bone. If it hadn't been for the adrenaline, you're sure you would've shivered so hard you'd pass out.

It feels like hours before you get far enough away from the eye that the storm clears. You're left sitting under the night sky, watching as they twinkle above you. An entire day is taken from you.

You stumble backwards from the steering wheel, your back hitting the edge of the boat as you slump down against the railing. Your stomach feels heavy as if it was only now feeling the effects of the rocky storm. You keep your mouth clamped shut as you put your head in your hands, someone yanking you to your feet.

"You'll catch hypothermia, come on," Stan grunts, pulling you up.

"Can't ever leave me to wallow, can you, Stanley?" you chuckle, trying to put on a smile for the twins.

"Nah, can't stand my brother yacking my ear off that you're going to turn into a human popsicle," Stan says, helping you to stumble over to the cabin door.

The two of you are hit with a rush of hot air as you clamber down into the depths below. Ford's standing at the sink, washing a few dishes as he runs the oven to heat the cabin of the boat. You take a brief moment at the bottom of the stairs to strip yourself of your wet parka and deposit them in the shower with the rest of the wet clothes. Then you shuffle to your room and take a brief moment to change.

There's a knock on the door as you're tugging on your shirt, still shivering.

"May I come in?" Ford asks tentatively from the other side of the door.

"Yeah," you call back, not having to shout as the cabin wasn't very big (or soundproof).

The door creaks open and Ford takes a step into the room, shutting it behind him. You're still shivering a bit as you adjust your shirt, facing the dresser. Something warm is set down on your head. It smells like Ford, and the soft fabric makes you practically melt. Reaching up, you find he's offered you his sweater.

"Ford, I can't take this. You need to stay warm too," you insist, turning to face him.

"Don't worry, I've got a spare," he assures you, pulling out an old black sweater you recognize from your time travelling in the nightmare dimension.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," he hums, slipping into the black sweater.

You adjust the red sweater around your neck, pushing your arms through the sleeves and pulling it down your torso. It's far too big from you, but it's warm and you feel safe. It feels like you're in a perpetual hug with him. Carefully, you reach out your arms and wrap them around him, burying your face into the real thing.

He relaxes into the hug, pulling you closer to his chest and resting his head on top of yours.

"What are we going to do, (Y/N)?"

"I don't know... we're four months from Gravity Falls. Bill could take over the entire town in that time." The reality of your situation washes over you like a wave, turning your stomach as you grip Ford tighter.