Hello! Were back with a new chapter!
Seb led Xin back inside and then to his room just to be sure no one would hear or see them. "Do you want to change back?" The brown haired man asked. Xin stared at him tiredly before sighing and shrinking back into Miz. She began to cry, high pitched wails that reminded Seb so much of his own children's cries and he felt his heart clench painfully.
"Come here." He picked her up easily, her small frame easily fitting in his arms. She was a little larger than Mabel when she was 12. He carried Miz over to the bed and sat down, holding her close. She wrapped her arms around him and sobbed. "Dipper told me what happened." He said softly. She continued crying. Seb pet her hair softly as she clung to him with her little hands. "You should have told me." He almost cried himself, just imagining what she must be going though. The idea of losing his own children nearly made his heart stop with fear. "You should have trusted me to listen…" Seb sniffed and hugged his friend even closer. "Miz, we both have gone through some shit... I could understand…"
"B-but you...you were ha-happy! You have your beautiful children and...and...I d-didn't want to push my problems on you!" Miz wailed. "It's stupid anyway! I wasn't allowed to save Pynelope- but Quackers and Pyrone… they had long, happy lives. They died happy!" she shook her head. "I should be happy! I should be proud! But I'm just...selfish!"
"It doesn't matter what the circumstances are. Losing your children would always be painful." Seb told her gently. "Losing family IS painful, Miz and it's ok if you're sad."
"I'm MAD!" She corrected him with venom, "I wanted to destroy EVERYTHING!" Miz stared up at Seb with glowing red eyes filled with tears. "I wanted to kill Time Baby and tear all of Time and Space apart!" She gasped. "The only reason I didn't was because Ax pulled me into the Space between Spaces and kept me there!"
Seb nodded slowly, stroking the crying girl's back. "Time Baby is a jerk...but unfortunately, as much as I liked destroying him twice, he is kind of important to the universe…" He said softly. "And your Ax did the right thing...it would have taken too much for Time Baby to reform and he would have thrown a huge tantrum…" He didn't hate the Axolotl, not anymore, despite the fact that he was a huge pink asshole. But he kind of knew what he was doing.
She cried. "...I decided to leave. I thought it would help…" her eyes had faded from red into yellow, which was still unnatural for her Miz form but Seb preferred it. "...and I thought seeing you would help…" she looked guilty "...but I got so jealous…"
"You got jealous…" Seb repeated as he rocked the girl back and forth. "Of the twins…" She didn't expect him to have children. Miz sniffed and wiped her tears and snot on Seb's shirt. "They were twins too… and I just miss them so much…I'm sorry…"
Seb leaned back with the girl on his chest, just like he did with Mabel first and then with the twins. "I'm sorry I never asked, Miz...but keeping things to yourself doesn't help…" Very wise words from Linda dear. "Just look at my brothers and I!" He tried to joke. "How well that went for us."
"I don't want to lose you...I don't want to lose you or the Stans! It's not fair! Why were you reincarnated as a stupid human?!" Miz wiped her eyes with her hands. "I...well, at this point Bill2 would say something like 'That's why you should hate everyone' or 'Kill them and you won't suffer' That was his favorite, but I fused with him so he's gone now…" Seb tried to lighten the mood. "To be honest, Miz...I don't know what to tell you, Bill killed everyone when he lost Liam so I'm definitely not suggesting that, but I know it's incredibly painful…"
"It is!" Miz growled. "And it's not FUCKING fair! It sucks so much! I had to watch them die. I held Quacker's hand as she slipped away- I held Pyrone as he-" Seb nodded. "I know…" He didn't know how to help with that. He was not immortal anymore, he didn't have the Axolotl keeping him alive anymore...death was something that would inevitably happen to him…
He pushed it back. Not the time to have an existential crisis. "But...just because they died doesn't mean...it wasn't worth it." He said slowly. "You said they were happy right?" Miz nodded. "Not Pynelope though, she got killed and I wasn't allowed to save her…" Seb reached up to brush some of her tears away, looking so much like a Dad it made Miz smiled slightly to herself. "Well that sucks, I'm sorry that happened. But the others got to spend their lives with you. I think it's...not bad? It's sad and painful but I'm sure your children would have wanted you to remember them and be happy."
"...I know you're right...but I'm still mad."
"Grief isn't something you just get over, just like that, it takes a while." Seb sighed. "Maybe it would even take years. But it gets better. And you still have other people who love and care for you, no?"
"..." Miz hiccuped. "...Xanthar...a-and Pyronica…"
"Yes?" Seb urged her on.
"Te-Teeth and...and Ammy and K-Kryptos…" her breath kept hitching but she continued on "...PaciFire and Hectorgon and 8-Ball and Keyhole... Queen and Facey a-and Toobie… and Jessie and Tina… Ax… and Blue..."
"You've got me too. You're not alone. And even if I'm mortal, I PROMISE you, I will always be your friend. Even until my dying days." Seb held her close. After becoming a father...and seeing Miz so small and fragile...he couldn't help but wonder if, perhaps, he should try adopting her for real…
"...I love you, Seb…" Miz admitted quietly as she hugged him, curling her fingers around his shirt. He pet her head and smiled. "I love you too, Miz." Her breathing slowly evened out and the girl fell asleep. Seb debated if he should put her down to sleep and return to the party or stay with her. Well, if she woke up all alone it probably wouldn't be good. Seb sighed and tucked her into the bed, one of her hands still gripping onto his shirt. Looks like he was going to be staying here.
He yelped when Sir Bedazzle jumped onto the bed and over them. He had felt Miz angry and was scared to approach but now it seemed safe. Seb sighed. It looked like the twins left the acorn in his room. It actually made sense. They were inviting their friends to their room to play so if they wanted to hide their pet, this would work best. Smart kids. He pulled out his phone to text Wanda and tell her what happened. He was going to stay with Miz until she woke up.
Wanda felt her phone buzz and pulled it out.
[Sebby]: Hey. Sorry but I'm gonna be stuck inside the house for a bit
She raised an eyebrow. What did he mean by that? She typed out a reply.
[Wands]: what's going on?
[Sebby]: Miz cried herself to sleep. I'm staying wyoh her until she wakes up
[Wands]: oh no what happened?
[Sebby]: apparently her children passed away and she's been bottling up her grief this whole time
Wanda nearly dropped her phone. Her heart felt like it was clenching painfully. Oh no. That was awful. She imagined losing the twins and had to physically stop herself from running up to hug then and make sure they were safe. She and Seb were overprotective of the kids since they were born premature and it scared the hell out of her and Seb.
[Wands]: oh my god is she alright what happened? Take all the time you need. The poor girl...
[Sebby]: Thank you, baby. We will be there to sing the twins happy bday though!
Wanda sighed and put her phone away. She hoped Miz was alright. She had become fond of the dragon girl. The blonde worried about her, especially after how much Miz loved the twins, helped care for them and made them so happy these past few weeks. She was also curious about Miz's children. Dragons probably didn't age like humans but Miz did seem young for a mother…
Oh right. Shapeshifting. She forgot. Wait… was Miz the mother or the father? Wait...was Miz a boy or a girl? Wanda groaned.
"What's wrong Wanda?" One of the other mothers asked. Wanda quickly pasted on a smile "Nothing, just...a situation came up so my husband will be stuck inside for a while."
"Oh, work I guess?" She smiled. "Men and their office calls." Wanda kept her smile but tensed slightly. "Seb works from home actually."
"Oh? What DOES your husband do anyway~?" The other woman, a friend of Carol's, asked. Wanda smiled at the thought of her dear Sebas's work. Her baby, her amazing handsome and talented baby~ (how he could draw so well while she drew stick figures since she was 3, was still a mystery to her.)
"He's a designer and tailor. He sells his dresses and suits. He also gets personalized works and sells designs to other companies." Wanda explained. Carol hummed slowly. "But you work too, and you work all day… when do you even see the twins?"
"We have a few minutes of video chat during my breaks. I'm really thankful Sebastian can stay home to look after them." Also, ever since Miz showed up she would sometimes teleport the twins into her office during her breaks or vice-versa. Just a few minutes so that she could hold her children.
"Oh god…" The other woman seemed genuinely upset by this. "So you have to leave food for them to heat up?" Wanda shook her head. "Sebas takes care of everything. He makes breakfast, cleans and god, he should be a chef because his cooking is splendid! He's even teaching me his secrets." She laughed.
Some of the women seemed really perturbed by the fact that it was Seb who took care of the house. Wanda huffed internally. As if her husband was useless at taking care of their kids! Stupid gender roles. "It's the only way I can be able to do my job and make sure my kids are cared for." Wanda defended herself. The other woman sputtered. "Well can't you just take less hours?"
"I would lose my position if I did that." Wanda frowned. "Seb and I talked about this. He didn't want the kids to prevent me from advancing in my career. Besides, he does well with the kids and I can rest assured they're in good hands."
"I simply don't get it… how could you prefer your career over your own children?"
"I don't prefer my career over the twins." Wanda hardened her green glare. "I am a professional, I studied and worked hard to get where I am, I'm teaching my kids to think for themselves, it's better for them, to be independent."
"I think you are neglecting your kids as a mother."
Wanda huffed. "I'm always on hand if they need to call me. They know how much I love them." She stood up. "Excuse me." She smiled tensely and walked away. Oof! How stressful. She was envious of Seb getting to hide away in the house.
The party games were starting. She had considered a Piñata but Zu seemed sad that the cute animal would be beaten to death until it spilled it's candy innards, so the Piñata they got was just a triangle shaped paper maché thing that was filled with candy. Yes, it did look like the creepy triangle guy who bothered her in her dreams all those years ago. Yes, it would be very therapeutic to beat it with a stick. The Stans, along with the other set of twins seemed quite eager to beat it with a stick as well.
Wanda thought she should tell Sebas, but she didn't want to leave the kids, so she stayed. She was going to call him for the birthday song later. "Ok kids! Who wants to destroy the triangle?!" All the Pines except Shermie stood up. "ME!" The teens sent one worried looks toward the house. Wanda decided to reassure them. "Don't worry. Seb is staying with Miz for a bit. She cried herself to sleep."
"Aw…" Mabel looked sad herself. "But is he...er? She's going to be ok?"
"I don't know. But I'm sure she'll feel better now that she's not keeping her feelings bottled up." Wanda smiled. "Besides, Sebas is with her. He always makes me feel better. I'm sure he can help her too." Dillon, Mabel and Dipper nodded. Yeah. Uncle Sebas was the best. "He's the greatest uncle." Mabel agreed with a huge smile. "Uncle Seb always made me feel better too. Xin-um...Miz will be super fine with him." Wanda smiled at her niece. "Now come on. Let's beat that Triangle." She grinned.
The first tries were of course Zoe and Zu (who seemed a little apprehensive about beating the triangle at first, but his twin's enthusiastic grin was infectious) who hit the triangle with huge fanged grins, but couldn't make the candy fall. Later some other kids tried before Mabel and Dipper decided to have fun too and participate. They didn't manage to break it but Mabel knocked off a corner. Even Stan and Ford (who had been lost in thought for the whole party) had a turn. Ford seemed legitimately sad he didn't break the Piñata. Eventually, Stan managed to break the triangle and the children squealed before throwing themselves to the floor to fight for the candy. War started.
Stan grinned. "Haha! Take that, smart guy!" Wanda winced when Zoe pushed a boy to the ground and screamed "CANDY!" with a growl. Her kids were so much like Sebas...
All the kids finished collecting their candies and surprises, happily bringing them to their parents for safekeeping. Even the twins and Dillon brought it to their Moms and Dads to keep. "Don't eat it!" Mabel warned her dad with a glare as she put hers and Dipper's candies next to him. Dillon was more intelligent and put it in his mom's purse with Diego's. That way Stan wouldn't eat it because Diego would throw a tantrum if he tried. The perks of having a little sibling!
Wanda found herself laughing when Zoe and Zu raced up to her. Her eyes widened slightly when she caught sight of a mild blue and yellow glow. The twins were using their powers to hold more candy. She quickly took their treats and whispered. "No powers in front of other people." They dropped their magic. "Sorry, mommy." They seemed a little guilty. Wanda sighed and hugged them both. "It's ok. Just be careful, alright?"
"Where's daddy?" Zu asked, finally noticing their father's absence now that the excitement died down. Wanda sighed. "Miz was not feeling well so daddy took her inside to rest."
"Is Miz-Xin sick?!" If they'd gone inside to check, they would have found him curled up sleeping with Miz and Sir Bedazzle in his parents' room. "I don't think she's sick. She should be back by the time we bring out the cake." Wanda smiled and ruffled Zoe's hair, making the toddler giggle.
Wanda sincerely hoped Seb's friend was alright. Miz had been so excited to make the cake. She claimed to bake and decorate a unique cake for every birthday for her family (she also complained about having to 'cheat' with magic to make the cakes look how she wanted them to). And now Wanda was reminded of why Miz had to leave the party and found herself worried. Did Miz bake cakes for her own children?
Well there were several more party games to go. She hoped Miz woke up in time for the cake. It just wouldn't be right to cut the cake without her. Wanda led the kids to the musical chairs area. She should stop worrying, her children were incredibly perceptive and she didn't want to upset them.
Despite fighting hard to win, Zu lost against one of the other kids in the final round, it was the kid who won on the chairs. The next game had every mom anxious and competitive: Scavenger Hunt. Ford and Stan volunteered to help but they were asking for stuff like Plutonium and Sicilium or a 4 leaf clover or golden medallions. Dipper and Mabel kicked them away and started asking for normal things this time, like a dollar, an earring, a wedding ring, a sock and the kid who got them first would receive a little surprise. The twins got super competitive and practically threw themselves over their older cousins, but their friends also got presents.
Wanda called Seb to see if he was awake. She heard a groggy "Nughugbl?" on the other end. "Hi honey. Is Miz feeling up to coming down for the cake and presents?" Sebastian looked over at where Miz was stirring sleepily. "Miz?" He asked gently. "They're going to light the candles. Do you want to get up?"
"Ngh! My cake…" Miz was awake in an instant, rolled over and 'poofed' into Xin's form. "Don't let them cut it without me!" He tried to get up but got tangled in the sheets. "Fuck!" Sir Bedazzle bark-squeaked, amused and licked the man. "Not helping Sir Bedazzle!" Xin groaned. Seb resumed the call. "We're coming, Wanda. Get the kids all together." Wanda sighed in relief. "Ok, baby. Love you."
"Love you too~" Seb made kissing sounds at his phone and heard Wanda laugh on the other end. He hung up the call to look at his bed when Xin had managed to thoroughly tangle himself in the sheets. He heard the dragon panting in exhaustion from all his struggling. "Need help?" The lump on the bed wiggled a bit before a sheepish voice called out "...maybe…"
Seb laughed and pulled at the sheets, he finally got Xin out, his hair and clothes rumpled, face flushed and panting. Seb decided it really wasn't fair for Xin to make his vessel so pretty. "I'm so glad Wanda didn't see you like this when you first came. I don't think I would have been able to convince her I didn't sleep with you…" the brown haired man muttered.
"Huh?" Xin blinked at him innocently and the older man laughed. "It's nothing. Come on, can you fix your clothes?" He helped pull Xin up and the dragon brushed his hair away from his face and tugged at his shirt. "No time for that! Cake!" Xin rushed out the door and Sebastian shook his head. Really, the priorities of that man...
"Mommy we want cake! Cake! Cake! Cake!" The twins chanted around the table. Soon enough, all their friends were chanting, even Mabel joined in the chanting of the toddlers, making her twin die of embarrassment. "Aunt Wanda please!" Mabel begged. """Cake! Cake! Cake!"""
Wanda laughed. "Don't worry, kids. The cake will be out soon." To her relief she saw Xin coming out with a large multi layered cake on a tray with five candles. He looked a little disheveled but otherwise fine.
The cake was covered in white whipped cream icing and then drizzled with mesmerizing chocolate, caramel swirls. There were blueberries lined all around the edges with strawberries sliced into little roses and then drizzled with chocolate as well decorating the top. There were little dollops of whipped cream tastefully placed along the spaces between the fruits to tie the design together. Finally there were two triangular pieces of chocolate with 'Z's written on them with white chocolate and some chocolate shavings as garnish.
"Cake!" The children all cheered. Xin giggled. "Everyone back off. Wouldn't want me to drop it right?" All the kids gasped and parted like the red sea to let the man through. Sebastian came out of the house as well, hair and clothes slightly messy from sleeping in them. He had tried to clean himself up a bit more but a few of the other mothers noticed the two men, who had been suspiciously absent for the past few hours, coming out of the house with mildly messy appearances...
Carol and the other moms watched Seb walk past. "You know, Sebastian makes dresses…" She said softly, insinuating what they were all thinking with any sense at all. "Wouldn't be surprised if he was inside with his friend…" Another mom whispered. "Well...Sebastian is...different...and his friend IS a bit effeminate…" and incredibly shapely, they all thought, jealous of Xin's curvaceous hips and butt. "Have you noticed Sebastian wears makeup?" One of the mothers pointed out.
"I thought I was the only one, oh my god!"
"And Wanda told me she's always away at work." Carol whispered. The other women gasped. "But...they wouldn't! Would they?" The women all glanced at the blonde woman handing Seb a match box which the brunet took with a sheepish grin. He acted as if he could turn on the candles with his fingers.
"I hope not...Wanda is a nice woman...despite not always being with her kids…"
"So her husband is alone at home all the time with just the kids?" Another mother asked. They all huddled closer in their gossip. "Should we tell her?"
"No. She might get offended. Besides, we have no proof." Another woman said. "But if it IS true…." Carol glared at Sebastian. The women all quieted when they saw Xin move a little closer to where they were.
"Xin! What took you so long?!" Zoe whined as her parents lit the candles. Xin laughed. "I fell asleep and then I got tangled in the blankets." Zoe pouted "You always get caught in the blankets." She was talking about how Miz's antlers would pull the blankets and get tangled but the women were all listening closely. "Don't worry, Seb helped me get out. I would have suffocated otherwise. And then you wouldn't have cake." Xin teased.
"I'm glad Daddy saved you because we wanted cake!" Zoe nodded with a smile. The kids and Pines family surrounded the table as the twins, Seb and Wanda stood behind the table. Xin was watching excitedly, moving his hips side to side. "Alright! One! Two!-" Wanda exclaimed.
Zu interrupted his mom. "Wait! I-I have to say something first…" Seb and Wanda shared a look. Zoe held her twin's hand and the child shyly smiled at everyone. "I-I have decided that-that I'm not a girl, and I-I don't want to be one anymore, so, so I-I don't want to be called Zully because that's a girl's game...I don't want to be call Zu anymore...Um, I want to be called Zachary or-or Zach."
"Yeah!" Zoe totally supported her twin. "He's my brother now!" She said proudly.
Everyone fell silent, completely shocked and frozen to their place at the child's declaration.
Seb and Wanda paled dramatically, staring at the shy little blond in front of them. Wanda gaped and covered her mouth. Seb bit his finger, completely loss how to react. It wasn't the first time they heard Zully...Zu...Zach...saying they felt like a boy...but it was the first time the...question on hand was brought up publicly.
"Zu-Zach," Sebastian corrected himself. "Okay, yeah, that's a good name too. But couldn't this have…" he leaned down to whisper "...been a private declaration?" He looked at the other parents uneasily. Wanda was kneeling as well, holding Zach's hand.
Zach squeezed his mommy's hands. "I thought I-I was weird because I wanted to be a boy. But when Xin turned into a boy, and told me that sometimes people can just change if they wanted to, I know it now. I'm not the only one feeling like this." Zach looked up at his mom with a very serious expression for a five year old. "I'm a boy. I don't want to be a girl. I don't feel like a girl."
Everyone was still silent. Some parents were horrified and some were even staring at Xin. Others were confused, others understood, and the kids were just not understanding why they weren't singing already to get cake. The Pines family was at a loss, they just didn't know what to say.
Seb crouched in front of Zach, who was shifting from foot to foot, looking at his sneakers. "Well, it was very brave to tell everyone." He didn't want to make his son feel bad for his announcement.
Seb smiled and hugged his dau-SON to him. "That's great that you know now. So, you're a full fledged boy now? That's cool. We can go shopping later if you want any new clothes or-"
"I want cake though…" The child said innocently and Seb laughed. "Alright." he kissed Zach's forehead. Zach already had some 'boy' clothes, rather, it was just pants instead of skirts. Wasn't much different from Zoe's clothes, she didn't like skirts much either.
Wanda forced a smile on her face, for her kid's sake…What...Why right now…?
She was incredibly worried about the reactions of the parents around them. But it made her baby happy to tell everyone… Wanda ran a hand along her face. Ok. She needed to talk to Seb about it and WHAT to do from now on.
The other toddlers shrugged, nodded and clapped. They just wanted cake.
Dillon finished processing the info and smiled. Yeah! LGBT Baby! "Well, what are we waiting for, Uncle Seb? We gotta sing to your son and daughter!" Zach looked up and gasped at Dillon, feeling his little chest warming up so much at being called a son.
Seb lifted Zach and Zoe into his arms and the rest of the family went along with it. Some of them didn't get it, some (Ford) didn't see what was wrong. They could talk later. Right now the children's birthday song.
"Happy birthday to yooooou~" The mothers and few fathers stayed silent for the song, which was for Zoe and Zu-ach Pines. Mabel was singing as loud and obnoxious as she could. Stan, in his competitive nature, was trying to outdo her.
"Make a wish, kids!" Wanda said softly, putting her hands on their shoulders. The twins thought of something and blew out their candles. Everyone clapped and cheered. After a few photos from a really excited Mabel, taking pictures of the incredible cake, and the happy family, Xin was able to cut the cake.
The (gossiping) mothers watched their kids scramble and entertain themselves until they got their piece of cake. They were frowning as Zach was picked up by Sebastian's triplet with glasses. "The Pines' family is weird, huh?" A mother commented in a quiet whisper. "That teenage girl acts like a child, and is always shouting…" She shook her head. "I wouldn't let my daughter act like that." They nodded in agreement. "Exactly, me neither! And Zoe is such a beautiful girl but she's so aggressive sometimes…have you noticed?"
The mothers nodded. "I'm afraid they're letting their kids get out of control." Another mom said. All turned to look at the Pines corner where the other triplet of Sebastian (The women were surprised how strong the twins gene was in that family) was drinking an entire juice box as everyone cheered. "CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!" Stan finished the drink with a victory cry and Stanford stopped his watch. "New record, Stanley!"
"My turn!" The youngest brother grabbed for a juice box and the older twins cheered loudly. "Go dad!"
The women grimaced. They were so childish. "They clearly don't know how to educate their kids properly…" they shook their heads in despair "Like Zully! The poor girl!" Carol put a hand on her face sadly. "This is really wrong...it's one thing for clothes and another for different names! And now they're going to let her be a boy?! You can't just teach kids that you can suddenly turn into a boy or a girl! It's not normal! What is the world coming to?!"
"What kind of parents let their daughter call herself a boy?!" One of the other mothers complained. "I think they are letting them do whatever they want, they even say they're jewish but I haven't seen them being religious!" "If they were, I doubt they'll do this kind of thing...A true religious person doesn't let this gay trend influence them…"
"I hope they aren't one of those liberals…" Another one muttered. "The same man who wears makeup and takes advantage of the fact that his wife is working, which he should be the one doing instead, to make out with their butler!" Carol exclaimed. "So that butler of theirs is a woman?" Another woman frowned. "That can't be a woman, even if he's quite feminine, women and men have different shapes. That has to be a man..." One mother hummed. "What if Sebastian is really gay?!" She gasped. "Poor Wanda…." They sighed. "She's such a nice girl. How unfortunate she had to marry into this family…" This group of mothers wasn't all of them, there were others who had gotten uncomfortable with the conversation and excused themselves earlier. They didn't think there was anything wrong with little Zully being a boy, but they kept quiet out of fear of being mocked by the others.
"Hello Madames, would you like some cake too?" Xin interrupted their conversation. He held a tray with little plates of delicious (and magically health boosting) cake. If Seb and his family were mortal then he was going to ensure they would live as long as they could, never taken down by disease or cancer.
"Oh, no thank you. I'm watching my figure." Carol turned him down, still suspicious about what exactly this butler was. A woman? Dressed as a man? Surgically destroying her body to become a man? How disgusting.
Xin looked her up and down. "No offense ma'am but you look unhealthily skinny. Are you underweight?"
"My health is fine." Carol rebutted. Xin held out the tray again. "Well I assure you the cake is delicious. What's wrong with a piece?" One of the other mothers had taken a bite and practically moaned. "It's not too sweet! And it's so soft and fluffy?!"
"It's a Chinese style sponge cake. The only major sugar is in the frosting." Xin explained. "The fluffiness of the sponge absorbs the flavor of the stuff around it."
"Ooh. Oh. So good~" the woman moaned as she ate another forkful. "The bottom tastes like chocolate...and it's so moist…"
"I poured in some cocoa and non-lactose milk mix into the bottom of the pan and let it absorb into the sponge for a few hours in the fridge, somewhat like a tiramisu. It stops the cake from drying out and makes the flavor soak into the cake itself." Xin was quite proud of that.
"YOU made the cake? It's gorgeous!" One mother exclaimed. The other mothers except Carol, were now reaching for cake. They loved it. "And this is dark chocolate right? I heard it was healthier but I didn't like their bitter taste." One commented. Carol continued to refuse. Even the other mothers were trying to get her to try the cake now. "Oh come on Carol, it's a party. Live a little. It's just one slice." Another mother sighed.
"How about this, you can have half of a slice? That way you won't eat as much?" Xin suggested. He pouted at Carol and the group of gossiping mothers couldn't help but swoon, male, female or not, he looked like a handsome young man. "Your husband already had two." Carol looked over to see that, yes, her husband was already digging into another slice.
"Ok, ok fine." She sighed and grabbed the offered plate. She took a bite and she had to hold herself back from moaning. God! This was amazing! She closed her eyes in pleasure. Xin smiled. "I'm quite proud of my cakes. I made one every year for my children's birthdays." He said fondly. And disregarding his magic cheats to shape the cakes into looking nice, the taste had always been the result of his own skill.
"Oh. You have kids too?" Carol asked. "Had." Xin's smile slipped from proud to a melancholic nostalgia. The other mothers shared a worried and sad look. Had?
Xin shook his head. He had to listen to Seb, he was right. He had to remember his kids and be happy for the time they spent together. "One of them passed away a few months ago and the other two a few years before. I...actually had an emotional breakdown earlier. Seb held me as I cried myself to sleep. S-sorry, not trying to bring down the mood…" he cleared his throat. "I'll continue offering cake…" he nodded politely and walked off with the tray. The women watched the black-haired man leave and most of them sighed in relief. "Sebastian wasn't cheating on Wanda!" One of them whispered, incredibly relieved. "I know right?"
"And he lost his children...I don't know what I would do if I lost my baby." Carol hummed. Well, maybe she was wrong about them on this one thing, but they were still much too lax as parents!
The women watched Xin attempting to feed cake to the triplet with glasses. The taller man was flushing and his family all laughed. "Come on, William…" Ford mumbled, embarrassed. "Everyone is watching…"
"Who cares!? They should admire our beauty, Uncle Ford!" Mabel laughed and posed. "Come on, Fordsie~say Ah~" Xin giggled as he wiggled and reached up to try and pull on his chin. "Why do you need to be so tall?!" The dragon whined as he was forced to get up on his toes, which ended up with him leaning against the other man.
The smaller twins ran towards their family. "Daddy! Can we open our presents?!" Zoe pulled on his pants. "We are Dying!" Zoe and her brother were too impatient to wait any longer. Seb grinned "Sure. Come on everyone! Present time!" he called out loudly. The kids squealed and surrounded the family near the present area. It was piled high with gifts. The twins sat down on the floor and scanned the pile to see which present they would open first. It was such a hard decision!
"No one is going to top my present!" Ford shouted from the background, followed by a "Shut up, Brainiac!" The kids finally decided to grab the first ones in the pile. They were pink but each one had their own names on them. They tore it open to reveal two pretty dolls. You could color their dresses and decorate their hair. "Uuhhh!" Zoe squealed. "Pretty! Thank you!" She'd color them red! As if they were bleeding!
Zach smiled a bit. He guessed it would be fun, it would be like making dresses like Daddy. "Thank you." he said politely. Xin knelt beside him to examine the doll. "You know what? I'm sure your father would be able to make some tiny suits for them." He whispered. Zach grinned. Yeah. Then he could cut it's hair and it would be a boy too.
They went through the other presents. The twins loved the walkie talkies from Stan and Carla. "Oh dear, they're going to use those to talk to each other even while sitting next to each other, aren't they?" Wanda groaned while Sebastian laughed. Dipper and Mabel got them Lego sets. A princess castle for Zoe and a dragon cave for Zach. The little boy immediately cackled and claimed his dragon was gonna kidnap the princess. Then Zoe claimed the princess would bite the dragon's neck and kill him! Dipper and Mabel stared at Xin with sheepish looks. He just laughed at people's disturbed looks over Zoe's morbid nature.
They went through the pile of presents. Every time Zach received something clearly intended for a girl (a nail polish set, which wouldn't be that bad because Daddy also painted his nails if the colors weren't so pink with stickers of flowers and hearts) his expression would turn a bit strained. Xin pulled the boy into his lap and whispered. "They didn't realize you're a boy. Don't worry, I can magic these afterwards to fix them alright? I can make them whatever color you want."
Zach sniffed and nodded. The Pines also noticed how the child's face fell at the feminine presents. Wanda bit her lip, torn between her worry and her baby's sad face, and Seb frowned. He was immensely grateful for Xin holding Zach and cheering him up.
Of course there were a few presents from parents who clearly knew their children's friend (having heard from their kids that Zully had declared herself a boy at school) and got him more neutral or even 'masculine' toys, that made the blond boy's eyes light up. Seb made a note to remember those parents and give them a proper thank you later. And possibly get to know them better. He needed more adult friends outside the family anyway.
Eventually, when the presents were almost done, Amanda approached the twins with her presents for them. "My daddy went back to get them 'cuz we forgot them at home earlier." They were neighbors after all. Zoe and Zach opened the presents, and the boy pouted once again, clearly getting more and more upset. It was a set of lots of hair bands, laces and hair clips with different designs. Zoe loved them though.
"Mommy bought them." Amanda looked a little guilty. "But we could use them for art too?" Zach frowned. "But I'm a boy." He insisted, looking annoyed that missus Carol still got him this. Carol frowned and interrupted them. "No. You're a girl. You were born a girl and so you ARE a girl." The woman frowned at Wanda and Sebastian "And your parents shouldn't be encouraging this pretend play of yours."
"Now wait just a-!" Seb had to be held back by his wife who was frowning but didn't want to start a fight in front of the children. The older set of twins and Dillon glared at the woman as Stan looked for his brass knuckles and Ford for his gun. "But I AM a boy!" Zach cried, his breathing getting faster and his brown eyes welling up with tears.
Carol's husband was also trying to hold her back. "Honey, can we please not…for ONCE-" but the woman wasn't listening. The other mothers looked uncomfortable as well. Many of them didn't agree with Carol and even the ones who did, thought it was very mean of her to scold the child for it. This was something she should be talking to the parents about, not trying to make a child cry on their birthday!
"If you're a girl then you're a girl and that doesn't change! You can't just say you are a boy!" Carol raised her voice and even Amanda flinched away from her mother. She wasn't sure what was wrong. If Zully wanted to be a boy then what's wrong with that? The teacher at school said they could be whatever they wanted.
Carol turned to look at Seb and Wanda. "And you two! What are you doing, letting your daughter do this?! So if she says she feels like a dog she's suddenly a dog too?! Or a tree! Because she can suddenly feel whatever she wants, huh?! Are you stupid?" Carol spat.
"The fuck is wrong with you, woman?!" Dillon shouted, ready to throw fists, but Stan grabbed him by the arm and held him back. Stan grimaced. "Look lady, that and this are not the same. Zach can do what he wants as long as it ain't hurtin' anyone. And being a boy ain't hurtin' anyone." Stan glared. "Unlike you , going around and yelling at a kid during his birthday!"
"You are hurting your own daughter! PERVERTING her! And I wouldn't trust you all, seeing how you all seem to believe in this horrible idea! No one can change their gender! There are only two! Not imaginary ones where you feel like being! And you're born as what you are! Just as God intended! You are just sick!" Carol hissed.
"That's not true! Xin used to be a girl but now he's a boy!" Zach said loudly, holding back tears with a strained expression. He didn't succeed, the tears spilling down his round cheeks as his breathing hitched. He wasn't a dog! He didn't feel like a dog! Why was Mrs. Carol being so mean to him?! She had been nice to him before… He-He didn't want to be a dog...he would be good…
The whole party went silent. A lot of the other parents were very tense, this was so awkward. Carol had made that poor child cry. Hell, some of the other children were crying too at all the yelling.
The tension was broken by a soft "...Fuck." From Sebastian who was running a tired hand across his face. Xin looked at the panting child, not knowing how to react to this. "Well...yes, but my situation's a little different…" Xin explained. "I was born both male and female but-but none of that matters!" Xin turned to glare at Carol. "If I choose to be male, I'll be male. And if I want to be female, then I'm female. And you don't get to decide FOR me. Just like you don't get to decide FOR Zach!"
Zoe snapped when she saw her twin cry. "You shut up! Zach is my brother! He is! And no one cares what you think!" Zoe defended her twin with a snarl, showing off her little fangs as her eyes slowly turned red. "I will bite your face if you don't shut up!" the toddler charged at Carol and Wanda quickly picked up her daughter to try and hide Zoe's glowing eyes against her chest. "Shh, Zoe, no!"
Zach sniffled at the looks he and Xin were receiving. He didn't like it, he didn't want people to look at him that way, it was as if he was, he was ...a freak, sick... wrong... He angrily pushed past Xin to run back inside the house, sobbing. The dragon took off after him. "Zu-Zach, come back!"
Seb grinned at the guests with an unnerving smile, it wasn't a happy expression. "Alright...I'm gonna count to three...and I want everyone off of my property...or I am going to burn this damn lawn down with ALL OF YOU INSIDE!" His hands itched to burst into flames but Stan's hands on his shoulders kept him from exploding. "I am so sorry…tha-thank you for coming but please…" Wanda grimaced at the shocked people. She was blushing slightly at the mess but took the time to glare at Carol. "Get out." she told her directly.
The fence actually had a gate which was unlocked from the inside and swung out so the guests could leave. Many of the children were crying or distressed at all the yelling. They didn't understand what it was about but their friend Zu was sad and Amanda's mom was really mean. Their parents were still stunned. A few of them, the ones who'd given neutral or masculine gifts (one of whom was the mother who'd apologized to Seb a while back for her son Georgie's behavior), hung back to give the family sympathetic looks. "Don't worry. Your son is a beautiful child." They assured Wanda.
She smiled gratefully. "Thank you." They nodded and picked up their own children to leave. The gate closed and Wanda sighed heavily. Zoe was sobbing angrily in her arms. "Is not fair! Why can't they just call Zach how he wants! He's happy that way!" She wailed. Diego curled up on his mom's chest. "Why did she shout at Zul-Zach?" the youngest Pines asked, remembering like a good boy that Zully said to call him Zach now. It was incredible how someone as young as 4 years old could understand this simple fact but those grown ups couldn't.
"...Because she wants to hurt him and she doesn't understand…" Carla explained softly. When Dillon told her he was gay, she opened her mind even more, she had to. She researched about it to be able to understand and help Dillon through it, to let him know she understood and loved him. She kind of knew what was happening here, but it was never not a surprise.
"Your cousin IS a boy but some can't see it." Seb was fuming. He wanted to burn everything. "I'm gonna sue her. I'm gonna sue the fuck out of that woman! And I'm going to watch her rot in fucking jail for being such an asshole and hurting Zu!"
"Sebas, calm down…" Shermie tried but the older man growled. "How the fuck do you expect me to calm down?! She made my baby cry!" He shrieked. This time both his arms were consumed entirely in blue flames as he raged. "I am going to kill her!" He shot fire at the stupid present that caused everything to happen and Dillon ran inside to get a fire extinguisher. The Stans were trying to calm their triplet. "No Seb. Murder is a bad idea." Stan soothed. "That's the angry part of you talking."
Seb sobbed and clung to Stan to cry his eyes out as Wanda and Zoe were comforted by Carla. "I don't want Zu to feel sad…" He wanted Zu-Zach to be able to express himself, to be whoever he wanted to be without idiots bringing him down and telling him he was something he wasn't. Like everyone had always told him what he was or wasn't. Seb wiped at his face angrily.
"We should find Zu-Zach, you know, to show him his family is right here." Dipper suggested, rubbing the back of his curly hair. He understood what it was like not to feel 'manly' enough. Of course, his little cousin's case was completely different, but Dipper didn't want Zach to feel left out. Seb had been there for him when he had a manly crisis, he should do the same for his child.
"Oohh! I like that!" Mabel squealed. Seb wiped his tears from his eye while Wanda and him shared a look. Yes. They should go with their baby. The hoard went inside and were met by a barking acorn. "Holy Moses what is that?!" Shermie cried.
"Sir Bedazzle of the Forest…" Wanda and Seb said at the same time. Zoe picked him up and hugged him to her chest, pouting and still upset. Mabel crouched and patted the acorn's head. "He's so adorable!"
"Is that...an acorn?" Dipper leaned closer to inspect. "Xin created it." Ford told the group and everyone got it. Right. Magic and weirdness!
They found the little boy curled up next to Xin as he patted his head and whispered soothing things. "Baby…" Seb whispered. Wanda and Zoe entered the twins' room first. Zach looked up and saw his three uncles and their families also coming in and he smiled. "Hey…"
Xin smiled softly. "Here." He picked up Zach and handed him to his dad. The dragon had spent this time telling the child that there was nothing wrong with him. Poor baby had been inconsolable, claiming he lied and he was still Zully, just so he wouldn't get shouted at again. "I-I lied! I-I am girl…I'll be good..." His eyes full of tears and his expression told Xin otherwise though.
"Don't let that stupid, ignorant bitch tell you who you are, Zach." Xin told him. "You say you feel like you're a boy? Then you're a boy. And if you change your mind and want to be a girl instead? That's fine too. But don't lie to yourself. Be who you want to be. It's your choice and no one else's." He told Zach that there were plenty of dumb people in the world and sometimes they would say mean things, but Zach had to ignore them because they were WRONG and had no right to make his life choices for him.
The Pines crowded around the boy sucking his finger and Wanda pulled his hand out. "If Daddy is putting chili on his fingers to stop biting them, you're going to get that too." She joked, kissing his hand. "I don't recommend the dark path I'm following, Zach." Seb laughed and attacked his son with wet kisses. "No! Daaaddd! You are all itchy with your beard!"
"I wanna attack Zach with kisses too!" Mabel threw herself to the bed and stole the toddler from his mom to hug him close to her. "You know we love you so, so, so, so, so much, right?" The girl asked.
"We don't care what name you choose or who you want to be." Dillon said. "We're your family, Zach, and we'll be here for you." Xin smiled fondly at the family before 'Poof'ing into Miz so she could squeeze in for a hug too. The others were a little startled but "Aww"ed at the adorable girl hugging Zach as well.
"Yeah!" Diego smiled. "It's better if you want to be a boy anyway, cuz that way we'll win against Zoe!"
"You wish!" Zoe smiled. "I'm still more stwong than all of you!"
The adults and teens chuckled as the Stans also approached their nephew. "Your cousin's right, sport." Stan nodded. "We Pines stick together and it won't be easy for you to get rid of us." He and Ford laughed. "I don't want to get rid of you, I want to stay with you forever and ever…" Zach declared and hugged his Uncle tightly, feeling safe and happy surrounded by his family. Miz perked up "Forever~"
"No. Bad Miz." Seb sighed as he pressed his hand down on her head. She pouted.
The family eventually moved out of the room and went to the living room to be more comfortable, but none of them stopped showing the little boy how much they cared. Even Sir Bedazzle of the Forest nuzzled the boy with affection. Miz watched, amused as the family started playing games. The three kids chose their teams for the board games and the Pines started a heated and competitive game of Ichi.
Stan threw Ford a 'Plus four' with a "Eat that, sucka!" when Ford grinned and added another plus four to Sebastian. "WHAT?! FORD!" Seb growled as his team started complaining. Ford high sixed Diego. "DAD! DESTROY THEM!" Zach pulled at Seb's arm as Zoe instructed Stan what card he should use next. The twins were laughing, thoroughly distracted from the distress of earlier. They played long into the afternoon and early evening, Miz ran off to make everyone dinner when they stayed later than they were planning to. Ford stared incredulously at the little girl. He was fascinated by the dragon form and asked a bunch of questions alongside Dipper as the girl materialized ingredients to cook. "Can't you just...make the complete food?
"Well, of course, but where would be the fun of just materializing it? I like to cook!" Miz shrugged as she checked if she had everything. Ford remembered hearing him as William saying he liked to cook…huh. Weird, but cool! Speaking of William, "So why are you in the form of a dragon?" Ford asked. "Or, rather, a dragon disguising as a human?" Miz shrugged before her form shifted once again, this time into William. She blinked her large eye at the startled Pines boys who hadn't seen this form before. "I can't exactly go around like THIS right?"
Ford and Dipper shook their heads quickly.
William sighed, his maid uniform fluttering as he shook his head. "Creating a unique body takes time." mainly because he wanted to make sure they looked nice. "I've got a bunch of 'regulars' that I use pretty often and most of them aren't very human looking. Miz and Xin are the most human looking forms I've got so far." He pouted. "There's also Jan but his form has 4 arms and making him with less feels...wrong. I COULD do it, but it's uncomfortable." Both uncle and nephew shared a surprised look. "Is that something all Bills can do, or just you?" Dipper asked curiously.
William shrugged. "Most Bills are too narcissistic to even considering wearing another form as their body for more than a few minutes." He brushed inhumanly long fingers down his sides. "I'm more open to experimentation." He frowned. "Also, the whole, triangle thing is a matter of pride and...a reminder…"
"Reminder of what?" Ford asked. William looked wistful. "Of where we came from. A home world that was long destroyed...and how we are all that's left…"
"Woah…" The Pines nodded. There was so much they didn't know about Bill Cipher...but should they continue worrying about him? He was dead. "Well, what exactly happened to Bill anyway? He...He is dead right?" Dipper asked. William nodded with a sigh. "The fate of Bill Cipher is to be destroyed by the Pines...that's a very common fixed point in the dimensions I've seen…"
Stanford looked at Seb shouting at the TV to make it work. "What if he reincarnates?" He asked bluntly, shifting in his seat uneasily (almost… guilty to be asking this, especially after his psychosis a few years back). William hummed. "I...I'm not sure...But if Ax decides to bring him back... that's not your problem anymore…" he shrugged. "Even I'm probably gonna be killed by my own Pines family or Zodiac someday." He calmly put the chicken into the oven to heat up as Ford and Dipper both dropped their pens with a clatter.
"W-what? But...but you're nice!" Dipper stammered. Ford felt his heart clench in fear at the thought of William being killed in the future. The demon didn't seem all that bothered. "That's just how it goes. I've made peace with it and I'm sure my Ax will bring me back too, so I'm not all that worried. I'm not any less excited to meet and get to know my own set of Pines when I'm old enough. You know, most Bills don't get to know half the shit I do since my powers are kinda unique." Mainly because he was on the AXOLOTL's good side and wasn't restricted like they were.
The two men bit their pens as they listened to the demon. What made this Bill so special anyway? Was there a reason he was a good guy, or at least trying to be, while other Bills were fucked up since the beginning? They weren't sure how to ask. "Um...why are you a good Bill when the others are bad?" Dipper asked. "Uncle Seb also said that in his...past life, he was bad too."
William rolled his eye. "The thing...the turning point that drove most Bills crazy...was probably when they lost their family." William looked over at where Seb could be heard laughing in another room. "It's a little different for each of us. But Seb lost his older brother in his first life. And it was the same for Blue, another Bill I've met." Ford and Dipper frowned worriedly. Thinking about having a past life they could remember was still really difficult...But knowing Seb, he must have suffered a lot, enough to destroy his old world…
William checked to be sure Seb wasn't listening. "So things in my dimension are slightly different but similar enough. The Flatlands were a shape based hierarchy." He frowned. "I don't know if it's right to talk about Seb's past and what happened to him but I can tell you how things went down in MY world…" He set to work on chopping some vegetables as he spoke. "The more sides you had, the higher you were ranked. Triangles like me were the lowest. At least I'm equilateral which meant I was still better off than the poor isosceles… or the extreme irregulars."
"A hierarchy? And Bill Cipher was the lowest caste..." Ford could see how this would have made Bill angry and sensitive about his appearance. He would want to flaunt the fact that a lowly triangle like him had become a powerful demon god. "Being at the bottom of the caste sucked." William admitted. "I actually lucked out from some other Bills because of my birth defect…"
"Birth defect?" Ford asked, looking William up and down but of course he wouldn't see what the problem was like this. William sighed. "My genitals were...Unnatural. Not normal."
"Because you're a hermaphrodite?" Ford asked. Dipper nearly choked on his pen. "Hermaphrodites were common, no, it was the SHAPE of my junk the doctors were interested in." William scowled. "My parts are ROUND." Dipper grimaced, looked perturbed. "Your dic-oh my god, I imagined it! Oh my god!" Now he would never get the mental image out of his head.
William cackled "Whatever you're imagining, you're probably wrong. But yeah, my 'dick' as you so nicely put it, was the wrong shape. It was round. Meaning I can only mate with a Circle. So, you can see how my existence was a problem huh?"
Ford nodded slowly, taking in everything. "You were needed in your world I guess? You couldn't be treated like any other triangle because you could benefit the higher class." William nodded. "Yup." He snickered at the teen who was still blushing. "So you were lucky for that…" Ford looked in the direction of the living room. He wanted to ask Seb about his past life! Why hadn't he asked before? Right. Because he didn't want to start a conflict. Ashton used to tell him to just leave his brother's past alone...But would it be too wrong if he did? Seb was fine now, Ford was fine now too… maybe they really could talk about it?
"I was put through hell for it. They thought that a Shape's intelligence depended on sides, Triangles weren't even allowed full schooling since they're just meant for manual labor. But they couldn't allow a 'stupid triangle' like me to mingle amongst the upper class." William spat. "So there I was, barely an inch big, didn't even know how to talk yet and they were pushing lessons on me. Math, history, language...and if I had no idea what they were saying they would hit me and call me a worthless idiot!" Looking back, now that he finally understood the words, he could finally understand all the slurs his tutors had thrown at him.
Ford and Dipper winced hard. "Damn...your world totally sucked…" The teen grimaced. "Did...Seb had to go through that too?" Ford asked softly. "Well he is fully male so, no. He was treated like a normal triangle. Which means he probably had it worse . Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder with no way up. At least if I played my cards right I could have married into a high class family and lived comfortably." William smiled bitterly.
"I can see why Bill wanted to destroy his world." Dipper shrugged a bit. If he had gone through that, he was sure he would have snapped, anyone would have! "Well, the difference between our worlds was that...in Seb's past life his world was way more strict and harsh…" William said softly. "While Irregular shapes in my world were the lowest rank, they still had work assigned to them, a house and stuff like that, even if it paid the bare minimum for survival. With Seb's past home...if Shapes weren't equilateral enough...they were killed."
Ford closed his eyes. He remembered this story… "Liam...that was the name of the brother…"
"Seb had an older brother named Liam...a scalene triangle who was executed by the council simply for existing. Blue went through the same. That was what drove those Bill Ciphers mad. I've met a couple other Bills and many of them had something similar happening to them too." Dipper nervously played with his t-shirt. If something happened to Mabel he would go insane...He had been so preoccupied about her during Weirdmageddon, if Bill had hurt her, Dipper would have done everything in his power to kill Bill.
"If the death of their brother is what drove them insane enough to become a demon...is it right to assume it didn't...um...happen to you or…?" Ford awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Is it too personal?"
William laughed with a faint edge of hysteria. "Oh I had a LITTLE brother. A sweet and innocent little baby brother I loved more than life itself…" he went still, staring blankly. "He was perfect. Lovely perfect little angles and nice, normal mating parts...mother and father were quick to cut off all contact between me and Will the second I was old enough to move out…" he laughed again, it was the most unfunny thing. "They didn't have to throw me out because the fuckin' council supported this division. 'You shouldn't have anything to do with the low class' they told me…" William gripped the knife tighter and the male Pines' eyes widened. "I think we should change the topic…" Dipper laughed sheepishly. "Everyone liked your cake today?"
William's mood changed drastically and he smiled at Dipper. "Really?!" He didn't even show any trace of the anger and melancholy from before, hiding everything behind his smile. "I was a little worried since young human children have taste buds more sensitive to bitterness and I was afraid the dark chocolate might have turned them off the taste but the milk itself was sweetened so…" He continued talking about the cake he was so proud of as both Dipper and Ford sighed in relief. Thank god for William's short attention span. Neither recognized the poker face for what it was.
In the living room, Seb had managed to turn on the TV to play video games with his younger brother. The younger man had gotten him obsessed with a game and they sometimes stayed awake playing together. Meanwhile, Stan was on the phone talking to a man about Stanco while Mabel was with the twins and Diego, coloring. Zoe wanted to use every color available in her drawings and wrote her names lots of times, showing off she knew how to. Diego also knew how to write his name, but Zach asked Mabel to teach him how to spell it.
"Aaw! Of course! We can decorate it with glitter later!" She pulled out glitter glue pens from her pocket. "You carry that all the time?" Diego asked. "Pfft! Of course! You never know when you might need it!" The girl shrugged. It's why her grappling hook was also tucked away under her sweater somewhere.
"So Zachary is a nice name?" Zach asked Mabel. "It IS a LOVELY name!" She praised. Zach grinned, flushing with pride that his cousin liked his new name. Mabel was honored to teach him how to spell it.
Zach was much happier now as he slowly wrote out his new name. He liked it so much better than Zully. He finished and ran off to the kitchen to show Miz/Xin what he wanted to call himself. "Miz! Look! This is my name now!" He stopped and blinked at the yellow Cyclops. He was confused for a bit before asking hesitantly "Miz?"
Dipper sighed. "Pick a form and stick with it. You're going to confuse the kids." And he was worried about them accidentally starting to think that any random stranger might actually be Bill in another form and...oh...OH...Dipper grimaced. Is that how Ford had felt when he was in his 'Trust no one!' phase?
William seemed to realize that too and shifted back into Xin...still wearing the maid uniform, Which was suddenly much tighter in certain areas. Dipper and Ford both blushed and looked away. "Wi-Xin! C-can you please change your clothes?!" Dipper wailed. "Hehe, nope." Xin grinned as he puffed out his chest proudly.
"Xin, look at my name! I decorated it with glitter with Mabel's help!" Xin bent down to look at the paper and Ford nearly combusted from the heat of his face. Dipper had already averted his innocent virgin eyes. "Oh baby, it's perfect!" Xin squealed. "I like the smiley faces around it."
"Thanks! Mabel helped me to do that but I told her where I wanted them." Zach smiled. "Here, it's for you!" The demon/dragon melted at the adorable fanged smile. "Alright. I'll put it on the fridge so I can always see it ok?" he took the paper carefully. "I should magic this to be indestructible too!" He said to himself.
"Ok! I'll tell Zoe to bring hers too!" The toddler ran back to the living room and Xin squealed, hugging Ford tightly. "Why are they so fucking adorable?! Who the fuck gave them the right?! All you Pines are adorable jerks!" he wailed. "It's not fair! I can't believe the other Bills would ever want to destroy you!"
"Haha, yeah it was not fun to be tried to be destroyed…" Ford patted Xin's head awkwardly, still uncomfortable with "human" interaction besides his family. He'd gotten better at it, but it was still a work in progress. Dipper got tired, knowing that if he stayed in the kitchen much longer he would surely catch on fire like Sebastian, so he went back to the living room where said man was insulting Shermie for cheating, his Dad was completely denying it even though the teen knew for a fact his dad cheated on games (look at the shit eating grin, his Dad was the most cheating cheater in the universe! He definitely got that lying stuff from Granny Kari), while Uncle Stan shouted at them to shut up and let him speak on the phone.
Yup. This was definitely better. He should also text Pacifica, will at least redirect the blush to his girlfriend. He saw Zoe lead Mabel into the kitchen and decided to hang back a bit to get a photo of the look on Mabel's face when she sees…
"Geh-bwah?!" Yup. Definitely worth it to see that look on Mabel's face. Especially when Xin bent down to see Zoe's picture too. Dipper grinned. Served her right for being annoying sometimes. Xin finished making lunch/dinner ("LINNER!") and the Pines, like the lazy asses they were, simply went to eat in the living room watching TV. The kids had their own plates as well and Xin was panicking that they would drop food, them OR the adults.
"Guys! Be careful!" He pleaded. His tail had popped out to writhe with nerves around in the air. "Crumbs!" He whined. Wanda had rolled her eyes at his maid uniform and merely suggested he make the skirt longer to the relief/disappointment of the rest of the family. She didn't understand why he dressed up like that anyway. He was a friend, not their butler or something. It made her feel weird, more than she was already feeling. She wanted to talk to Seb when they were alone...
Seb laughed at his panicked face. "Xin, relax! If something gets dirty, we'll clean it up later. Just sit down and eat already." He scolded. "Yeah, if something falls, the twins will help clean everything up." Shermie offered his kids. "Dillon will help too." Stan added with a shitty grin.
"""DAD!""" The three teens shouted.
Xin considered them and nodded, accepting this compromise. (Not that any of the Pines realized how close to danger they were. MizBill was fine with the babies dropping crumbs and food, they were babies, that was fine, but the adults and teenagers? Oh no, they would have faced his wrath if he hadn't been assured they would clean everything) "Alright then. But they better clean it up!" He sniffed before settling down with a ruffle of his skirt and curled his tail around himself. "I can't believe they just sold us!" Dillon mumbled in annoyance as he chewed. "Dad, you can't sell us to clean everything up!" Mabel whined. "You live under ma roof, you listen to ma rules." The youngest brother shrugged. "Not for long…" Seb singsonged. "They're gonna grow up before you know it~" He smiled and looked at his own twins. Babies...they haven't even started elementary school yet...
"I'm still paying for their collage." Shermie said.
"Uuugh~" the oldest children all groaned. Xin sniggered. "Serves you right. If you drop any crumbs you have to pick them up."
"I don't even know why I wanted to go to high school! It was the worst! I couldn't have 8 hours of sleep anymore and I'm thinking about what to do now that it's over!" Mabel complained as she spoke with her mouth full. "Like, I had to take a whole year off after graduating because I just didn't know what to do." She and Dipper had decided on college, but only after many long hours of thought and debate.
Xin sat down next to her and she blushed a little. "Most people don't know what they want to do. Just try to see what you LIKE to do and work from there." Xin shrugged. "At least you get to choose. I never got that freedom."
Mabel hummed. "Is being awesome something I can do forever?" Dipper and Dillon groaned loudly as the children giggled. "Well, I have kept my GPA almost perfect...that was part one of my plan to get into a good technical college!" Dipper informed everyone. Ford chuckled, the boy had had that idea since he was a child. Xin laughed. "You can always be awesome!"
"What's GPA?" Zach asked. "Is that the voice that tells in the car where to go?" Diego raised an eyebrow, confused. "That's GPS, silly!" Dillon laughed at his brother. "GPA is grade point average. Like, how good your grades are."
"Like, getting lots of stars in the participation chart?" Zoe asked and the teens smiled. "Yeah. Like that. Exactly."
"I get a lot of stars! I will also get a big GPA!" Zoe announced. "You just need to have fun when you're in school, ok?" Wanda said. "And finish it." Seb added.
"I'm sure you'll do fine, Shooting Star. You're incredibly bright, even if it's in a different way from your brother." Xin leaned against her, feeling safe with this Pines family in a way he somehow couldn't with anyone else but his Friends and Blue… it was probably because they were Seb's family, and Seb was… also a brother. Though they hadn't officially decided that yet. But MizBill had been living here with him for the past few weeks, crawling into his and Wanda's bed to sleep beside the older (former) demon. (Wanda found she didn't mind it as much as she thought. Miz was very warm and somehow she always slept better when Miz was there.)
Mabel squealed internally when Xin leaned against her.
Fortunately for the teens, no one got anything dirty so they didn't have to clean up. However, they were told to go wash the dishes. The teens mumbled in annoyance and collected the dishes to wash. "When the kids are old enough I want to see them washing too!" Dipper complained childishly. Xin scoffed. "You guys have a dishwasher. All you need to do is rinse the solid stuff off and put them in. I had to wash everything by hand!"
"...they don't have washing machines out in space?" Mabel asked. "Not until I introduced the idea of them inside someone's dream." Xin complained. "I swear, you humans are the only true innovators...mainly because Time Baby orders me to kill anyone else who's smart enough to think for themselves…"
The pride the teens felt dimmed as soon as they heard the second part and pouted. Way to ruin it for them. Xin looked at them and sighed. "Look, Time Baby wants everything neat and orderly. So free thinkers are killed, captured or brainwashed into falling in line with his rules and regulations."
"Baby jerk." Mabel said after thinking. They probably should be more upset by Xin's admission of having killed people before, but uncle Seb had been Bill Cipher in a past life, he'd probably killed millions of people, even if that technically doesn't count since Seb was Seb and not Bill anymore, but Stan and Ford had been forced to kill while out in space, and well, Dipper had murdered his clones, Mabel had helped him kill those wax figurines, and Soos had eaten the Halloween Trickster… and well, none of them really had any right to criticize. As long as Xin didn't go around killing people here without good reason, they were willing to just… let it go. Wanda was a little distressed at the idea of Xin being ordered to kill. She was going to have to talk to him about that later.
The sun slowly started to set as the day wore on, the little twins and Diego yawned. They were big boys and girls. They didn't want a nap. They were tired though. It'd been a long day. Sir Bedazzle noticed the twins were tired, it meant he could nap with them! He stood up from his spot and curled up next to them. The two yawned and each held onto one of his stubby legs. Mabel "Coo"ed. "Seriously that thing is adorable and I want one too."
"No, Mabel please." Shermie grimaced. "Waddles is more than enough. And I don't want a magical acorn running around."
"Waddles would love to have a friend!"
"Or a snack!" Dipper snickered. Mabel gasped and smacked her brother. "He would NEVER! Waddles is an ANGEL!" she defended her pig. "Sure! Like that time he ate my papers!" Shermie shouted from his spot on the couch. "He said he was sorry and he was still a baby!" Mabel shouted back. Xin rolled his eyes at the exchange and looked at the little twins and their little cousin. They had fallen asleep on the floor with Sir Bedazzle between them. He called Seb's and Stan's attention and the brothers cooed loudly.
"It's getting late. Will you stay here or have you reserved somewhere else?" Wanda asked. It happened sometimes. Sometimes they stayed, sometimes they didn't. Xin scoffed and walked over to a wall where a door suddenly appeared. "Sleepover! I just made you guys your own room~" he grinned and the door opened to lead into a whole other house (full stabilized, incapable of collapsing from damage). Dipper and Ford gasped. "Spatial manipulation!" Ford squealed. "And it's fully furnished!" Xin said proudly, eager to show off his powers. He wanted them to stay longer, so of course he could just build an entire new wing to the house. He wasn't doing it for them , he was doing it because he wanted it.
Seb and Wanda gasped when they looked inside. "Guess we should have called Miz for that extension to the house." Seb laughed. Xin proudly motioned everyone to follow him inside to show them their rooms. Seb, Wanda and Carla picked up their sleeping kids from the floor before following Xin. There were several guest bedrooms, complete with their own bathrooms. Wanda wondered how it worked with the plumbing but Xin rolled his eyes. "They're enchanted with self cleaning and recycling. Any waste and dirt will be broken down and expelled out through the drainage pipe outside the house…"
Ford smiled even more. "Awesome…"
"Go on! You can choose your rooms!"
"I claim the biggest!" Mabel announced and started searching for the best room. "No!" The male teens cried and ran after her. Seb and Wanda smiled in relief and exhaustion as their family settled down. "Xin… this is amazing…"
"Yeah, and it'll cost you, kid." Xin grinned. "Excuse me?" Seb gasped. Xin giggled. "I demand headpats! From all three of you." He pointed at Stan and Ford as well. (Sure, he wanted them to stay, so he could build this wing of the house for them, but he also wanted headpats if he could weasel some outta them!) Stan groaned and Ford grimaced. "Do I have to do it as well?"
"Do you want a room?"
Wanda laughed as the triplets collectively groaned. "Fine! Deal~" Seb mumbled. "Great!" Xin grinned with a blue flame flickering along his hands. "Frankly, the Deal helps me cement these rooms into existence. Wouldn't want them vanishing if anything happened to me you know?" (Not that they would, he anchored them down properly, but, better safe than sorry.) Stan and Seb shuddered. Ford, more curious than disturbed, hummed in thought. Seb flicked his own flames to life and shook hands with Xin, then Stan and finally, Ford.
Stan turned and placed a hand beside his mouth to call. "Hey, honey! Can you put Diego to sleep?! I'll be giving headpats to a demon-dragon!"
"Have fun!" Carla shouted from the room she chose for her younger son. Wanda shook her head. She'd seen the way Miz would purr when her head was pat. Were dragons like cats? She shrugged. Whatever. Now she will have to wait for Seb to finish to talk to him…
Dipper and Mabel came back to see Xin nuzzling Ford's chest. "Ah…what's happening?" The girl asked.
"Xin demands headpats." Stan shrugged. "From all three of us." He laughed at the embarrassed look on Ford's face. "Pet me? Pet me?" Xin whined. Dipper and Mabel blinked. "Yeah...I think we're just gonna go back…" The twins turned around and went to Mabel's temporary room.
"Xin, let me put Zu-Zach to sleep first?" Seb pleaded. He was holding the boy with one arm while patting Xin with the other. "Okay~" Xin purred against Ford as the man scratched at his hair and antlers with a six fingered hand. "Hm~more fingers really is nicer~" Xin sighed. Ford stayed alone in the hallway with a purring and clingy demon because Stan took the chance to escape and make sure Diego was asleep and Dillon was ok.
"We can go to your personal guest room?" Xin asked sleepily. "Headpats...wanna sit...bed soft." Ford sighed, realizing his brothers had abandoned him, and walked to one of the empty bedrooms. He looked down at the snuggly demon/dragon. "You're quite cuddly." He commented.
"I wasn't always." Xin admitted. "I worked really hard to train myself into accepting physical contact." He pushed Ford to sit on the bed with his back against the wall and then laid his head down on the man's lap. Ford blushed at how Xin was lying right between his legs. "Um...can't you...lie somewhere else?"
"My antlers would stab you if I laid sideways." Xin pouted up at him. "Ok, fine." Ford pouted and continued massaging his scalp. The purrs grew louder and Ford closed his eyes when he felt his face burning. Where the heck were Stan and Sebastian?! Putting a child on a bed shouldn't take that long?! Also, the way Xin's head was rubbing against Ford's crotch was starting to get...awkward.
The dragon didn't seem to notice but to Ford's relief he moved so he head was no longer pressed between Ford's legs. Though Ford wasn't sure if the new position was any better. The dragon was now sitting up with his back against Ford's chest, his slighter stature making him only come up to Ford's chin. Also Ford had to widen his legs to accommodate for Xin's wide hips sitting between them.
Ford felt his legs rub against Xin's thighs and shivered. He knew he wasn't interested in this sort of thing but his body still reacted to certain sensations, he wasn't a robot, as cool as that would be. It wasn't dangerously so but Ford was getting uncomfortable. "Nope. Not in my lap." He tried to get up, get Xin to sit somewhere else. He heard Xin whine. "But you're a nice chair~"
"I am NOT a chair!" Ford protested. Xin laughed and tried to sit on him again but Ford yelped and the two tumbled over onto the bed. Ford turned absolutely red when he realized their new position. Xin was lying on his back, staring up at Ford in surprise as the man was braced above him on all fours. Ford had grabbed Xin's forearms to pull him off earlier but now he was pinning the other man to the bed. He felt Xin's tail curl around his leg. Their faces were barely a foot away from each other and Xin was flushing faintly even as his eyes were wide with what seemed to be growing panic. "Oh…" His eyes darted over to where Ford was holding his arms very near his wrists, a surprised expression crossing his face as his panic ebbed, he was tense, but he wasn't...freaking out.. Ford quickly let go, placing his hand on the bed beside Xin's head instead.
"S-sorry...I…" Ford was about to get off but Xin's tail wrapped around his waist and kept him from getting off. "Wait!" Xin cried, flustered. He had an odd look on his face, brows scrunched in thought. His tail let go and curled around in a nervous manner. The two stared at each other. "I'm not into this sort of thing." Ford said at last. Xin sighed. "Me neither.' He admitted. Ford frowned. "Then why-?"
Xin grimaced. He looked away, timid and unsure. "It feels really nice…" he finally admitted. Not his wrists, but... "This whole...touching thing…" ...the feeling of Ford pressed so close to him. Xin slowly took hold of Ford's hand and moved it to his head and Ford buried his fingers into the other man's hair almost reflexively. Xin let out a contented sigh. Ford slowly moved his hand, watching Xin's expression shift. "You know I had an interesting chat with my personal mind healer a few millennia ago…" Xin brought up suddenly. Ford furrowed his brow in confusion. "About?"
"My issue with being bound." Xin said quietly. "Specifically about how I fall into an emotional mess when I get caught in a binding circle…"
"...and?" Ford questioned, not understanding how this related.
"She mentioned that, like my cuddle therapy to get me more comfortable with touching others, perhaps I needed some sort of binding or bondage therapy to get over my fear of being tied down…" Ford was starting to see where he was going with this. "You...want me to hold you down?"
Xin flushed and looked away, a pout on his lips. "It doesn't have to be sexual...even if it's sensual. And I'm supposed to do this with someone I trust." Ford felt himself go light headed, catching the meaning behind that. "You...trust ME? Why? You saved our lives but we barely know each other." He stared at the dragon who blushed faintly.
"I don't know." Xin admitted. "You're a snobby know it all with no common sense and more awards than your ego has room for-"
"Hey!" Ford protested.
"-but for some reason I feel safe around you." or at least, his fear wasn't overwhelming, which was better than anyone else managed. "Like...I want to tell you stuff or just... Be near you…" Xin frowned. "Which is super odd. I'm starting to think it's some kinda weird Ford Pines 'thing' because something similar happened with a Ford I met in another dimension…" Xin thought back to a young teenaged Sixer who had been surprisingly nice to hang out with (when he wasn't being an absolute shit-head of a human being), he was rambling now and Ford stroked his antler to pull his attention back.
"!" Xin's whole body shivered. Ford quickly let go of his antler, despite being scientifically curious as to how the appendage even felt sensations, were there nerves? He shook his head, not important right now. "So you think there's some kind of...what? Resonance between you and 'Ford Pines' that you meet?"
Xin shrugged. "I don't think that's it, not REALLY, but sort of? I don't know what this is. Or why it happens. But I feel safe around you and I didn't immediately panic and kill everyone around me when you pinned me down this morning…" Ford nearly felt his heart stop at that. "O-oh…" Xin nodded, not noticing the horrified relief on Ford's face. "That happened the other times I tried to get someone to help me with 'bondage therapy' and it made it quite difficult for me to get much progress in that area…"
"R-right…" Ford was incredibly relieved for this weird resonance or whatever. The thought that Xin could have accidentally killed him and the children this morning was...distressing. Xin looked up at Ford pleadingly. "Since you can actually hold me down without me panicking...could you help me with this? I'll free your brothers from the deal…?"
Ford stared into Xin's eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright...Yes. I-I can help…" He told him. Xin started wagging his tail excitedly and hugged the six-fingered man. "Thank you, Sixer!" He squealed into his shoulder. Ford absently noted that it felt nice to be hugged like this.
It took a while for Stan and Seb to put the kids to bed, as surprising as it sounded. Diego started crying as soon as he felt himself being placed on a bed, while the twins whined and threw a tantrum, claiming they were not tired but clearly lying. Wanda threw herself onto her bed and wished Seb good luck with Xin. The brothers tiredly met in the new magic hallway and looked around. "Where are Ford and Xin?" Stan asked. Seb deadpanned. "Do you think I have powers to magically-Oh, right. HAHA! I DO!" He closed his eyes and used his mind's eye to search through the rooms. Carla resting, Shermie on his laptop, Dipper finishing his homework, Mabel watching videos, Dillon listening to music and-
"Oh my god…" Seb whispered and blinked to get rid of the image. He rubbed his eye. He was hoping he saw wrong…
"What? Which room is it?" Stan asked. He saw the way Seb's eye darted to a certain room and began walking over. Seb gasped, face red "Wait! Don't-!" Seb tried to warn him.
Stan opened the door and froze at the scene before him. His elder brother, the nerd, boring stick in the mud who wouldn't even look twice at a beautiful woman walking by… was straddling Xin on the bed, pinning the man's arms above his head as the smaller man moaned breathlessly. "Ngh...h-harder please…" Xin gasped as he writhed on the soft bed sheets. Ford had an oddly determined look on his face as he flipped the other man over onto his stomach and pulled his arms up and back, making Xin arch back in a position that looked pretty painful but only made him moan louder as his spine made some cracking, popping sounds. With the noise Xin was making, the two hadn't noticed the door open.
Stan's mouth dropped open and his eyes bulged out as he watched. Sebastian was covering his face behind him while holding in a mortified scream. On the bed, the sounds were getting more intense as the bedsprings squeaked. "Ah!" Xin cried out as Ford twisted one of his arms. "Oh!" He gasped when he was pressed hard into the bed. His body shivered and he moaned again, his tail wrapping tightly around Ford's arm. "F-Ford!" Xin's face was flushed as he was manhandled roughly. Stan could finally see that Xin's clothes had been partially ripped off, exposing his smooth shoulders and bare chest.
Seb's mind took him to that dimension where Bill liked his brother and the tent, and the screams, and he whimpered softly before his eye rolled up and he dropped to the floor in a dead faint. Stan was bright red and was sure he shouldn't be watching this. A part of him was cheering though. 'Sixer's finally getting laid!' but why did it have to be with Xin?! He slowly closed the door and was quite glad the two hadn't noticed them come in. He turned to see Sebastian passed out on the ground. He almost wanted to faint as well but he picked up his brother and carried him back to the main house where Wanda was sitting on her bed reading. "Oh. That was fast. Miz normally demands at least a half hour of headpats before she's satisfied." Wanda blinked. She'd been roped into petting the girl sometimes around bedtime when she snuggled into the bed with them. It was almost cute how much Miz demanded attention.
"Ah...things kinda escalated from simple headpats…" Stan said sheepishly as he dropped Seb onto the bed. Wanda looked confused before she saw the blush on Stan's face. And the lack of the oldest triplet. "No?!" She gasped. "Xin...and...with FORD?!" She had known that guy since High school, she NEVER in a million years would have thought that boy would have sex! Stan made an embarrassed sound. "I guess my brother's not as boring as we all thought? Or...maybe he just has a thing for Xin? Or...Bill I guess…" he made a weird face. "Actually...that might explain a lot...if Poindexter and his Bill had been like that...no wonder he was so angry and never dated anyone since then…"
Wanda grimaced, and shivered. She left her book aside and looked at her husband. "He passed out… well, I guess it makes sense… since, you know, Sebas was-"
"OH MY GOD! SHUT UP! NO!" Stan cried, cursing his brain for trying to imagine it. "You know what? I-I need to lay down...see ya…" He stumbled out of the room and to the second house. He passed by the door and whimpered before running away to hide with his wife.
Even nice, Bill Cipher somehow found a way to mentally traumatize the Pines family… again!
Xin panted, face flushed and feeling… rather content, all things considered. He laid on the blankets and sighed happily. That felt really good...even got all the cricks out of his back as Ford twisted him like a pretzel. The larger man was also panting as he laid next to him, it was quite a work out. "My hands are cramping." Ford complained. Xin laughed. "Maybe we should use ropes next time?"
"Where would we even find rop-wait, never mind, almost forgot who I was talking to." Ford groaned with an arm thrown over his face. The two laid there quietly, catching their breath from the surprisingly strenuous activity. After all, they couldn't stimulate true binding if Xin didn't struggle against Ford's grip. The two ended up wrestling somewhat as Ford tried to pin Xin while the smaller man tried to break free. Of course their clothes had gotten torn up in the process but Ford wasn't all that worried, Xin could easily fix it and he wasn't wearing one of his best shirts or anything. He was coming to his nibling's 5th birthday party, he had been prepared for his clothes to get destroyed anyway. Ford groaned as he rolled over and lamented the only downside, the scratches that had ended up happening on the both of them.
Xin's nails were kinda sharp.
Ford traced a cut along his side, Xin had apologized and offered to heal it but Ford said he didn't mind. He used to fight with monsters and had gotten way out of shape and rusty at it over these past 5-6- (how many?) years. He told Xin to leave the cuts so he could remind himself of how he needed to practice again. If he couldn't keep himself from getting hurt wrestling another person, how would he do against something like a gremloblin?
He looked over at Xin, who didn't have cuts and scratches along his body since Ford kept his nails carefully trimmed. Instead the smaller man had hand shaped bruises all along his body. Ford frowned. Those looked painful. "Aren't you going to heal those?" He asked. There were distinct fingermarks along Xin's chest where he had placed his palm and pressed Xin down into the bed. Ford could count six fingers on the bruise.
"Nah. I like the way they feel." Xin sighed. Ford raised an eyebrow and Xin clarified "Pain is hilarious~" Besides, this was less pain and more of… a pleasant ache. Xin made a face. Whoa, he… liked this sort of thing? Not sexually, he wasn't turned on or anything, but it felt good. Almost like when he used to get massages, except more… intense. He'd tried out all sorts of things, with his bricks being a 'thing' way back when, he'd needed some rough handling in order to really gets a deep tissue massage, this reminded him of it.
"...right…" Ford kept forgetting this was actually Bill Cipher. He was nothing like the sadistic triangle that haunted and tortured him all those years ago...and then suddenly he would say something that very much reminded Ford that he was still A Bill Cipher. Ford sighed. Now he wanted to sleep. Or maybe take a bath first? He felt the smaller man's head falling onto his shoulder and he looked down at Xin. Di-did he fall asleep?!
"Xin?" He whispered. He didn't know Bill Cipher could sleep, wait no, he fell asleep that one time 18 years ago after Stan had given him a head pat, rather, THIS Bill Cipher could sleep, his own probably didn't. "Xin?" He tried again, but the man was unresponsive. The scientist sighed tiredly. Very well, he was going to sleep with a nice version of his enemy tonight… he… he could do that…
He took off his glasses, left them on the nightstand next to the bed and stretched as much as he could to reach the switch. "Good… good night…"
Ford closed his eyes and couldn't help but notice how warm and comforting it felt to sleep next to Xin.
It was so warm he didn't even need blankets.
Soooooo Ford is really comfortable with MizBill~~ Please comment what you think~
