【UNDER A DIFFERENT SKY】Ford X Reader

4. Welcome to The Mystery Shack

Following behind Stan and Ford toward their home, you had to stop in your tracks when a large man came bolting out of it.
"Mr. Pines!!! Other Mr. Pines!!!"

Stan almost lost his balance when the man aggressively hugged him. "Heh, it's good to see you too, but seriously, every time with the hugs?! You're gonna kill me one of these days, Soos!"

The man, presumed to be 'Soos' was wearing a black suit with a red fez. Stanley had talked a little about his" adopted son," and first impressions were great. The pair clearly had a connection. You stood awkwardly behind Stan and Ford while they greeted the guy. Trying not to stare, you admired the shack.

Soos let go of Stan saying, "Sorry Mr. Pines. Force of habit." Then turning to Ford, he said, "I would totally hug you too, but our emotional bond isn't as strong as mine and Mr. Pines'—that is, your brother Mr. Pines. Not you Mr. Pines. And you're a great man of mystery, so I don't want to upset such an incredible dude as yourself."

"Soos, we've known each other long enough. You can hug me. Preferably not as violent as Sta-AGH!" Ford was being smothered in an embrace before he could finish his sentence.

Observing the situation, you laughed; this caught the attention of Soos. He let go of Ford and walked over to you. You panicked, praying he wouldn't hug you. He was a stranger, and you weren't fond of the idea of hugging this guy you hadn't met yet. But to your relief, he simply took off his fez and bowed.

"My lady."

You cringed at the name but didn't think it necessary to correct him. Not now at least, if you'd be around him a lot in the future, you would inform him that you're certainly not a lady.

"Hello." You quietly said. He put his fez back on and stood up straight, looking at you. "You must be a girlfriend of Stan or Ford?" He curiously asked this, and you cringed even harder, but for more than one reason.

Your face flushed red and you stuttered out a denial. "W-what? N-no no no! No, w-we're just...I'm...I am..." You looked to Ford for help, but to your horror, he was laughing! It may have been a nervous chuckle upon second thought. Stan, on the other hand, was harshly laughing at your response to Soos' implication. He was much more amused than Ford, leaning on his brother for support.

Feeling your face get even warmer, you pulled at the collar of your shirt and almost inaudibly pleaded, "Guys..."

Ford saw this, moved Stan off of him, and walked over to you putting a hand on your shoulder. Sincerely, he told you, "I'm sorry about that."
You refused to look at him, still embarrassed.

"Soos, this is (y/n), and they're not dating Stanley or I. They're an acquaintance who will be staying with us for a while."
Soos laughed. "Oh ok, well any friend of Mr. Pines is a potential friend of mine."

He stuck out his hand for you to shake, and you hesitantly accepted it. "Sorry about practically turning you into a tomato, dude!"
Averting your eyes, you replied, "It's fine."

Stan strolled over to you guys and hissed, "What? What're you sorry about, Soos? That was entertainment at its finest! Other people's embarrassment is my enjoyment!"
"Oh come on, Stanley. That's enough." Ford said with an authority that wasn't too fierce, but just good enough to get his message across.

"Alright, alright. How's about we head inside?"
"Yes please." You groaned. Despite what just happened, you were still eager to see inside the shack.

You once again perused the twins up to the building, but this time you followed them inside. Instantly, there was cool air washing over your skin. It felt nice coming inside from the warm summer weather. And looking around, it was cool despite the temperature. You were definitely in the gift shop, given away by the various merchandise sprinkled around. Not to mention the counter and cash register. But besides that, you were amazed by the...things...around the shop. Obviously all fake—taxidermied animals sewn together and mixed up with other animals could be seen all over. Some of them made you laugh. A monkey attached to a fish tail to be some sort of mermaid, a bear head with a unicorn horn, everything was absurd!