"Hello, Bill. My name's Mason, and I'm your psychiatrist for your stay here." he introduced, sitting across the table from Bill.
"Nice ta meetcha, Doc, I would shake your hand..." Bill trailed off, jerking his arms in the straitjacket he was wearing. "...but I'm apparently a 'danger to myself and others', so I get this nice little fashion accessory." After his little tyrade, Bill went back to staring just above and to the left of Mason's head.
"Alright... I'm just going to ask you a few questions, okay?" Mason asked, setting his clipboard gently on the table with a clatter.
Bill blinked a bit, before grumbling out, "Yeah, not like I get a say..."
"Say, doc, how's your sis? You seem a bit down lately, and that usually happens when somethin's wrong with Shootin' Star..." Bill asked, tilting his head in concern. He reached his handcuffed hands out a bit before seeming to remember himself, pulling back.
Mason sniffled, then blinked rapidly a few times to dispel the tears gathering.. "She... she overdosed yesterday... she's in a coma and the doctors don't know if she's gonna make it."
"Oh, Pine Tree, I-" Bill's voice cracked a bit. "-I wish I could hug you right now. Listen, Piney, look me in the eyes. This. Isn't. Your. Fault. She couldn't handle stuff. You couldn't have done more than ya did. You can't go beatin' yourself up about this. It's... it's not a light road to travel down. Trust me, it hurts almost worse, that cycle of 'I could have done more why didn't I do more', but she wouldn't've wanted you to blame yourself and get as depressed as she was."
Mason sniffled again, then wiped a few tears from his eyes. "Thanks, Bill." He chuckled a bit. "Hey, wasn't I supposed to be the psychiatrist? And yet you're the one helping me through my mental issues. The irony..."
"Yeah. Get your shit together, Pine Tree."
"Oh, shaddup, Bill Cipher. I'm no worse than you."
"I guess..."
"Mr. Pines, your next appointment is up," called a girl with long auburn hair.
"Thanks, Wendy. See you tomorrow, Bill!" Mason promised, walking out.
"See you..."
"Hey, Pinetree. How d'ya feel?" Bill asked, holding Mason's hand gently, tracing the pulse point.
"Wonderful, now that I'm with you." Mason replied, smiling gently.
"Pinetree... would you do anything for me?"
"Yeah! Whatever it is, I don't mind!"
"Can you help me get out of here, so we can be together?"
"Yes! I would love to! Do you have a plan, or do you want me to help create one, or-"
"I just need to get a message to some of my friends. Can you go to Card's Game? It's a club, all you have to do is go to the bouncer and give them this note." Bill handed a folded piece of paper to Mason, giving him a quick kiss as he did. "Hurry, the rotation ends in three days, and then the scedules will be different for guards."
"Of-Of course, Bill! I'll do it tonight."
"Thanks, dearie." Bill let go of Mason's hands, just as Wendy poked her head through the door.
"Hey, Mason! Time's up!"
"Thanks, Wendy. See you tomorrow, Bill..."
"See you, Pine Tree."
"Hi, Bill. I did what you asked me to!" Mason said, half skipping to the chair across from Bill.
"Who?" Bill growled out, glaring at Mason.
Mason backed up a step, his face half frozen in a mix of confusion and happiness. "What? Bill, what are you-"
"Who hurt your arm?!" Bill demanded, standing up and slamming his hands on the table.
Mason flinched back at the sudden movement and noise. "I uh, um, Nothing. Nobody. Noone hurt my arm- Bill, please calm down, it wasn't, no, calm down a bit, okay? Please, you're scaring me-"
"Don't lie to me." Bill's voice turned eerily quiet, and Mason could see the angry storm brewing just beneath the calm. "Those bruises aren't just a fall from stairs or whatever sad excuse you were going to give. I know the difference between accidental injuries and ones inflicted by someone else. So, I'm going to ask you again. Who. Hurt. Your. Arm. Mason. Pines."
"It- it was, it-"
"Who?"
"His name was Eightball!" Mason cried out. "I think- he didn't know who I was, he was the bouncer, thought I was, I don't know, trying to get in?" Tears began to stream down Mason's face, but he didn't seem aware of them as he slammed against the concrete wall, curling into himself and clutching his hair painfully. "After I told him you sent me, he apologized profusely, and took the note, I- I-"
"Shh, shh, it's okay. I'm sorry he hurt you, are you okay now?" Bill comforted, giving Mason an awkward hug. "He won't hurt you again, it's okay, shhh." He gently untangled Mason's hands from his hair, and soothingly whispered quietly into his ear until Mason's breathing stabilised. "There, all better. Cipher's got you, you're okay."
"Thanks, B-Bill. I'm sorry, I d-don't know why I'm cr-cr-crying..." Mason began roughly wiping the tears off of his face, leaning into Bill's comforting hold. "One of the others, Py-Pyronica, or something, said she'd come in with the crew in... oh, about ten minutes from now, actually... Sorry, I was gonna tell you right when, when I got in, but I guess I got... got distracted?"
"Alright, that's okay. Hey, Pine Tree, you know that I'm not a good person, and that you helping me means that you'll have to go on the run too?" Bill asked, gently running his fingers through Mason's hair.
"Yeah. I don't mind, as long as I- I'm with you..." Mason trailed off. A distant pop pop sounded in the distance, but Mason ignored it. "I- I think I love you, Bill. No, I know I do. You- You're my everything, and I'd burn the whole world if it meant I could stay with you."
"Those are some strong words there, Pine Tree. You saying that you'd kill for me?"
"Just ask. I would, and I will. Oh, that reminds me, I got you a little present!" Mason reached into his labcoat, pulling out a pistol. "Tada. I thought you might want it, just in case."
"That's so sweet, Pine Tree, can I see it?" Mason handed it to Bill, who immediately cocked it and held it to Mason's head.
"Bill?" Mason asked, not flinching a bit, but wondering what he was doing.
"You really care that much, huh? Or are you too dumb to realize that I could kill you, right now."
"I don't give a fuck. I don't care if I die, as long as it's you who kills me."
"Gods, I love you."
"I love you too-" Mason was cut off by Bill's mouth on his, kissing him desperately. He returned the fevor, opening his mouth to let Bill in completely.
Bill broke the kiss after a second, and Mason whined at the loss of contact. Bill chuckled a bit. "Hey, Pine Tree, can you show me how much you love me by shooting Wendy when she pops through the door?"
"I- uh. I'd love too. I've just never actually been able to shoot my target, I'm a terrible aim, I just, I don't wanna miss."
Bill handed Mason the gun, and Mason held it carefully, placing his finger carefully over the trigger. Bill put his hands over Mason's and they both aimed it towards the door. "Here, let's practice a bit. Pull the trigger." Mason did, and the gunshot echoed through the room. There was a black mark where the bullet had hit the wall. "Alright, now show me how you had aimed when at the practice range." Mason did, and Bill cackled at the poor attempt. "Here, you gotta line up the target, make sure all the ridges- there you go. Now try. Pull the trigger."
The second bullet hit it's mark, right where the first one had lodged itself into the concrete.
"Nice job, Pine Tree! You did amazing! Ah, and here's our guest. Do you know where her head pops out? Aim for there, but don't shoot until you're sure that's the right shot. You're gonna wanna hit the forehead, biggest target and kills her the fastest. Ready?"
"Mason are you okay?! There's some lunatics with gu-" Wendy shouted, looking back through the doorway. When she looked through to Mason, she found a gun pointed straight to her face as he sat in known criminal Bill Cipher's lap. "What's going on here, man? We- I thought we were friends?"
"Pull the trigger, Pinetree."
"Mason, wait-" Another gunshot rang through the room, and Wendy crumpled to the ground, a hole in her forehead.
"I did it! Bill, did I do good?" Mason cheered, looking to Bill for approval.
"You did great, Pine Tree, that was wonderful." Bill praised, cupping Mason's cheeks lovingly and rubbing his thumbs gently under Mason's eyes. "Now, let's go find my crew, huh? I'm gonna carry the gun, so stick close to me, okay?"
"Okay!" Mason got up off of Bill's lap, helping Bill up to stand next to him. He handed Bill the gun, then took his other hand and led the way through the asylum to where Pyronica had told Mason she would be. "Pyronica told me she'd be over this way, and Soos is the only other guard in this hallway. If possible, can we just knock Soos out? He's a big softie, and Mabel really loved him."
"Of course, sweetie. But just Soos. He's a nice guy, always snuck me extra food, so that's okay with me."
"Thanks! Oh, Bill, look out!" Mason tackled Bill just as a gunshot fired, and they landed in a crumpled heap. "S-Sorry, Bill, he- he was gonna kill you." he said weakly.
A second gunshot fired, and their assailant, a big redhead guard, crumpled, joining his daughter in the afterlife.
"Shh, it's okay. Your arm was the only thing shot, you're gonna live. Here, let me-" Bill ripped a section of Mason's labcoat off, tying it around the wound in his left arm. "It just grazed you, so you'll be okay. I'm gonna carry you, and we'll get to Pyronica quick so she can patch you up."
He scooped up Mason in his left arm, then began sprinting the way they had been going, shooting anyone and everyone in his path. He cut a swath of destruction straight to the heart of the fighting, and began shouting orders to his crew.
"Key, Teeth! Get Pine Tree to a medic. If he dies I'll flay you alive, got it? Pyronica, time to retreat, now. The rest of you? KILL!"
The crew cheered, unloading their full arsenal of guns even as they loaded onto the Hypotenuse Delivery Service truck they'd come in. They cackled as they drove away, and Kryptos tended to Mason's arm.
"Wh-what?" Mason asked groggily, sitting up on a bed. "Where... am I?"
"Calm down there, Pine Tree. You're at my place. You got hurt during my breakout and blacked out, do you remember?" a voice asked to his right.
"Nngh... Bill? My... my head, it hurts, like I've got a really bad hangover." He blinked his eyes a few times, and his eyes focused enough to see Bill, sitting in a chair by his bedside and looking like he hadn't slept in ages. "You look like shit."
Bill chuckled, rubbing his sleepy eye with one hand. "I feel like shit."
"How long was I out?"
"Just a day, well, thirty-six hours and twenty minutes, give or take."
"You stayed by my side through that? That's really sweet. But you need to sleep, and I wanna cuddle, so can you cuddle with me, please?" Mason suggested, making a halfhearted sleepy pout.
"Heh, fine. I love you, Pine Tree."
"Love you too."