Chapter Text
“Ford?” Fiddleford piped up, it was late at night. Neither of us had slept in days. The poor man was probably just as tired as I was. Fidd was working on the blueprints for the portal. He claimed we were ahead of schedule which was great.
“Yes, Fiddleford?” I looked down at him and raised an eyebrow. He pushed his glasses up his large nose.
“I was ahem wondering… if you would like to come with me this weekend to visit my family? My wife wanted to meet you…” He smiled awkwardly, Fiddleford had never been very attractive. I was pretty damn frustrated when i found out he married and settled down before me.
“uh, I’ll have to see,” I muttered. I needed to work on the portal, breaks were unthinkable. I also wasn’t the most child-safe man. Fidd’s wife probably wouldn’t be thrilled about having me around their son. I’m a terrible influence, and the woman was already mad at me for tearing her husband away from his family and forcing him into terrible conditions.
Fiddleford nodded, he looked down and continued to work on the blueprints. His hands were shaking from the amount of coffee he had consumed… the amount of coffee I had urged him to consume. He kept nodding off in the middle of our work, which caused me to realize that maybe not everyone was cut out for my research conditions. Still, I needed Fiddleford. He was one of the only things that kept me sane through all of this. The only human contact I had.
He wasn’t as passionate about our research as I was, but he was still very helpful. It was nice to have a second opinion on my theories. Also, he was a genius engineer and had helped tons with the construction of the portal. I hated to admit it, but I needed him. This portal was going to be groundbreaking. With Bill’s help, I felt unstoppable! A bridge to a new dimension! Fiddleford and I were achieving the impossible, we were opening a portal to a whole new realm.
“Stanford?” Fidd asked again. I couldn’t help the smile when I met his eyes.
“Yes, Fiddleford?” I sighed and shook my head, I laughed at the other man.
He smiled up at me, his smile was awkward and lopsided. I smiled back, those days it was rare that I was genuinely happy. It was nice to share quiet moments like this.
“Oh, fiddlesticks… I don’t even know.” He rubs the back of his neck and looks down at the papers in front of him.
“How have you uhh been, I guess?” He smiled and looked up at me again, I rested my hands on the back of his seat.
“I’ve been alright, just stressed and exhausted. ” I sighed and patted his head. He laughed while nodding. His dad smile was comforting, He was great at keeping the spirits up. Even if he wasn’t the life of the party.
“Of course you’ve been tired! We both need a break, that’s why I wanted you to come with me to see my family this weekend?” He raised an eyebrow. He took my hand and squeezed it.
I squeezed back and sighed.
“Fine, fine. I’ll come with you, I could use a break..” I smiled, and he smiled back.
“Great!” He said happily, his voice cracked.