Safe

Awfully Familiar

Tate stayed and watched out of curiosity Ford's eyes were closed as he shook the creature's hand but as his eyes opened the triangle vanished and his eyes, they weren't normal, the glowed a bright yellow, his pupils were slit like a cat's. He grinned, baring his teeth and his gums were visible. His head turned slowly so he was staring Tate in the eye. "Well, well, well, kiddo, you sure don't know how to listen do you?" His words were enough to scare Tate into the elevator and up to his father.

"Tate!" Fiddleford ran and hugged his son who emerged from the elevator. "What in the world were you thinking!?" He held onto Tates shoulders but hugged him again. "It's very dangerous down there, ok? You shouldn't ever go down there...... Where's Ford?" He noticed the tears on Tates face and Ford's absence. Fiddleford rolled his eyes. "Go to your room and don't come out until I say so, ok?" He stood up and watched as his son nodded and headed up to the attic. Fiddleford took a deep breath. "Here we go again..." He rode down the elevator and could hear an obnoxious voice come from the study. "Nice of you to show your face, Specs." The voice taunted. "Bill, what did you do to my son?" Fiddleford walked into the room with his fists clenched. "Oh please, I didn't do anything, just scared him, I'm not that soulless." Bill smirked and watched as Fiddleford restrained himself from strangling Ford's body. "Get  out. Now." Fiddleford grabbed hold of Ford's collar. He never understood why this always happened, one second he and Ford were relaxing, the next he was dealing with some sort of monster. "No can do, nerd." Bill smirked and pulled Fiddlefords hand away. "You look terrible." He laughed and tightened his grip around Fiddlefords wrist causing him tremendous pain. "Go back to Hell." Fiddleford choked on his words trying to speak through what felt like his wrist breaking. "Oh, but the party's only just starting." Bill used Ford's other large hand to violently grab Fiddlefords sandy brown hair and pull his head back as far as it could go without snapping his neck. The southerner began to tremble with fear, pain and anger. "Leave him alone." Fiddleford could barely speak through the pain and memories. Bill noticed this and grinned widely. "Huh, feels familiar doesn't it? I'd think you'd be used to this, didn't she treat you like this? Like the dirt you are?" He pinned Fiddleford to the door, forcing him to look into those disturbing yellow eyes that could traumatize a Gremloblin. Fiddleford's eyes widened, he tried to not let it get to him but it was starting to tear at his skull like lion ripping through the flesh of it's prey. He pressed against Fiddlefords body. "Oh what is wrong, Fidds?" He sounded like Ford, he was mimicking Ford. This was the last straw for Fiddleford, he tried to put up a fight but he couldn't keep it up. Bill used Ford's hand to grab Fiddleford's face and held onto it, tightening his grip every time Fiddleford would squirm, and lifted him up slightly off the floor so his toes were an inch off the ground. "Now, stop trying to get in our  way, wouldn't want anything to happen to that little twerp of yours now would we?" he smirked and tightened his grip one last time before throwing Fiddleford onto the floor. "Better clean up, Fordsie's waking up." Bill cackled and went to sit surrounded by prisms and tapestries. Fiddleford coughed and held his jaw as he laid on the floor but seeing that Bill went to let Ford back in made him struggle and  get back up, tumbling into the elevator.

Ford opened his eyes and yawned. He stood up and stretched. 'Hope Tate's better.' He sighed and headed up the elevator, once the doors opened he was face to face with Fiddleford, who looked incredibly upset and had finger shaped bruises around his cheeks and wrist. "Fiddleford! What happened!?" Ford grabbed Fiddleford's arm to examine it, checking for broken bones, but Fiddleford pulled away, making Ford confused and scared for his partner. "Stanford, I...I can't do this anymore." Fiddleford backed away but Ford stepped forward and reached his hand out. "What do you mean?" Ford felt his heart sink. "That..that thing...you don't understand, Ford...please stop." Fiddleford pleaded, he didn't want to leave Ford but he couldn't take this much longer. "He's just...different.." Ford tried to reason with his lover but to no avail. "He's going to kill you! And you know it! You barely even sleep or eat now! Not to mention what he does to your body! Ford, please just...just quit. You don't need the portal...please...." Fiddleford started to run his fingers through his sweaty hair and pulled on it out of frustration as tears stained his bruised and burning face. "I..I can't go through this again...please.." He started to fall to his knees. "Please..." his glasses became stained with salt and he could feel his body shaking. "Fiddleford I...." Ford crouched down and pulled Fiddleford's hands away from his hair so he couldn't rip it out. "I'm so sorry....." Ford put one hand on the side of Fiddleford's face and could feel him lean into his palm. "I'll talk to Bill, I promise. Fiddleford, you mean the universe to me." Ford gently kissed Fiddlefords forehead. He wasn't sure what to do or say at this point. "Hey, I have something for you..." Ford said quietly and reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it to Fiddleford who opened it with his shaky hand. A wide smile crossed the southerners face as more tears flowed

On the were three crudely drawn figures in marker, one in red, one in green, and one drawn in the middle was purple. The figures were marked with poorly written words, the middle was marked 'me', the green was 'papa' and the red was 'pops'. Fiddleford laughed and adjusted to lean on Ford's shoulder so he could see too. "If he really starts callin' you that it's gonna get confusin'.'" Fiddleford looked at Ford who was biting his lip trying not to cry, he was so happy but didn't want to break down so he tried to hold it in, which Fiddleford noticed. Fiddleford kissed Ford's face, smirking as much as possible while doing so, he was still a bit angry but he trusted that Ford would handle the Bill situation. "We should find a babysitter..." He said quietly into Ford's ear and then nibbled on it carefully, causing Ford to blush brightly. "Y...Yeah...I'll go find one n..now..." Ford tried to stand but was stopped by Fiddleford giving him a mildly rough kiss, rubbing his tongue against Ford's mouth so he'd open it and deepen the kiss. Once they pulled away Fiddleford smiled wildly and pressed his forehead against Ford's. "Now, hurry up before I change my mind." He laughed as Ford rushed to stand.