Here is chapter 27! We're so close to 100,000 words 0-0
Also, about the poker game in this chapter: I don't actually know how to play poker, so I had to look up some of the basics on the internet. Please excuse the mistakes in the way the game plays out if there are any.
Also, MERRY CHRISTMAS! Here the chapter is, on Christmas AS PROMISED! I hope you like it (:
Bill and Ford came out of the room and stood in the main part of the lab instead. Ford looked around once more, seeing no sign of the paper he had misplaced. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find the paper last night, so we're just going to have to use what I remember- which isn't much.." He muttered in defeat. Bill raised an eyebrow. What is he talking about? Paper? Last night?
"You're crazy." Bill stated with a chuckle.
Ford rolled his eyes and smiled. "Am I?"
"Yes, you are." Bill said, folding his arms, watching Stanford as he grabbed the device from off his desk. "Oh yeah, did you find a solution to that device, Sixer?"
Stanford nodded. "Yes, I believe I had, until I lost the paper..."
"Lost the...paper?" Bill questioned.
Ford nodded once more. "The paper, remember? The one with all the information and hypothesis's I had written down?" He asked, folding his arms.
Bill raised an eyebrow, when an idea came to him. "Oh, right!" He lied. "Right, right. I definitely remember that, Sixer!" He said with an awkward chuckle. "Let's get to work!"
Ford smiled. "You're pretty ecstatic for work today. Are you okay, Bill?" He asked half-sarcastically with a chuckle.
"Of course!" Bill said with a grin.
Stanford shrugged and grabbed the emotion device. "Alright then, from what I've been working on recently, it just might work. However, we'll never know until we try." He added. "Are you up for it?" He asked Bill, looking on the device for the 'on' switch.
Bill rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips. "Sixer, you just said that I was extra excited for work. Of course I'm up for it!" Bill said eagerly, cupping his hands together. Bill didn't care that Ford was talking a bit crazy, he was just glad to have gotten him back after weeks of waiting. Now that he had thought about it, he wasn't sure how Ford had woken up. Did he do something, or did he just wake up on his own? Regardless, he sat down on the ground and put his hands out to his sides, ready to be scanned. Or, shot. Or, whatever it is the device would do. At this point, the results didn't matter to him.
"Alright," Ford muttered, looking at the device and aiming it towards Bill. "I'm just gonna turn it on, and-" He began, but stopped in his words, raising an eyebrow. The device wouldn't even turn on. "Huh..?"
Bill stood up in confusion. "Hey, what's the hold up, Sixer? Something wrong?" He asked, standing up near Ford and looking at the device. Bill could tell his breath smelt a bit like liquor, but Ford failed to notice as far as Bill could tell. Bill looked behind Ford and noticed the elevator's doors open. He looked at the figure over Ford's shoulder and noticed Stan was there in the elevator.
"Good morning, Stanley." Ford muttered, not bothering to turn around and look at his brother, instead looking at the device in confusion.
Stan looked in front of him and noticed his brother standing up on his own. Bill peered over Ford's shoulder to look at Stan and gave a shrug. Stan ignored the gesture and ran up towards Ford, his arms wide open. "Stanford!" He exclaimed in pure joy, wrapping his arms around Ford's neck with a bit more force than intended.
Ford raised an eyebrow and turned his neck to look behind him and saw Stan looking at him in happiness. "Stan, what's the matter with you-?" He asked, but was interrupted by the other.
"I missed you so much!" Stan exclaimed. "I almost lost ya' again!" He stated, and pressed his cheek against his brothers.
Ford rolled his eyes and groaned in annoyance, pulling away and giving him a strange look. "What are you talking about?" He asked in absolute confusion.
"There's no time to explain!" Stan stated, grinning from ear-to-ear. "Let's go upstairs and get some coffee, eh?"
Ford shrugged his way out of Stan's grasp and ran a hand through his hair. "Um..," He began. "I don't see why not, I-"
"Great!" Stan exclaimed, still keeping his right arm wrapped around Ford, turning him around to face the elevator and walking towards it. "We gotta' lot to catch up on, pointdexter!"
Bill rolled his eyes. Oh, so there's no time to explain Ford's previous state of unconsciousness, but there's enough time to catch up on the story of Fez's life? Bill sighed, but followed after the two. "Hey, wait for me!" He exclaimed, walking up to the two and walking to the other side of Ford and wrapping his left arm around Ford's neck.
"What's the big deal with the two of you?" Ford questioned. "Did you get drunk or something?" He asked.
Bill and Stan looked at each other with wide eyes, and Stan put his index finger up to his mouth, telling the other not to say a word. Bill quickly nodded in agreement and gave a thumbs up. The two men looked forward, their eyes still open wide, when they responded in unison with a, "...No."
Ford rolled his eyes and sighed. I think I'm going to lose my mind if Soos has gone crazy overnight, too.
When they entered the kitchen, Stan was quick to grab a coffee cup from out of the cabinet and pour a cup of coffee into the mug at a quick pace as Bill grabbed Ford's shoulders and guided him over to a chair, pushing down on his shoulders to make him sit. Ford folded his arms and grunted. "Will someone please explain what's going on?" He asked rather impatiently.
"Uh, duh! We're glad to have you back!" Bill exclaimed, patting Ford on the head playfully before walking over to the fridge. He opened the fridge door and got out an apple.
Ford watched Bill and noticed the apple in his hand. "Bill, are you sure you want to be eating an apple? The last time you ate an apple, you spit it out and got little pieces of blood scattered around the table." He stated, looking at the demon blankly.
Stan scoffed under his breath in disgust. "Yeah, thanks for sharing, Pointdexter." He commented. Ford rolled his eyes and accepted the cup of coffee given to him by his brother. He took a sip of the coffee and gave an approving smile to the taste.
"Who cares? Blood is cool." Bill stated, snickering. Stan and Ford looked at each other, then at Bill. The demon noticed eyes on him and shrugged innocently. "What? My blood is cool. I mean, I don't know about you humans, but mine is pretty awesome." He admitted with a smirk.
Ford sighed. "Bill, you're human." He reminded.
"Ugh, don't remind me." Bill commanded with a scoff. Stan smirked and Ford rolled his eyes, chuckling softly as he took another sip of his coffee.
Stan folded his arms and looked at Bill. "Hey, how's about a game of poker later?" He offered. "It is Christmas eve after all, might as well celebrate, Eh?"
Time has gone by suspiciously fast, how did I lose track of the time so easily? Ford asked himself, deeply confused.
Bill looked at Stan, then at Ford, then back at Stan. He shrugged. "Sure, sounds fun." He said, running a hand through his hair. "You sure you're up for losing again, fez?" He asked jokingly with a smirk.
Stanley just glared. "Hey, that was just beginners luck. Tell me I'm wrong, demon." He shot back.
"You're wrong." Bill stated with a smirk. He walked over to the counter near the coffee maker, snickering.
Stan grunted and sighed. "I'll be back." He announced, and Bill waved his fingers dismissively at the man in a mocking manner.
Ford downed the rest of his coffee and stood up to wash the mug. He walked over to the sink and turned the faucet on as Bill got a coffee mug from out of the cabinet. "You should have seen me beat Stan at poker, Sixer." He stated with a sly smile.
Stanford looked over at the other as he grabbed a rag from the counter. "Oh yeah?"
"Yeah," Bill repeated with a smirk. "I ruled at that game. I mean, I destroyed your brother." He continued. "Like, I literally demolished him-" He continued, bragging, when a loud voice shouted from another room.
"Rub it in, will ya'?" Stan shouted, exclaiming in annoyance. Bill snickered at the reaction and read the words on the coffee mug, chuckling at the joke.
Ford laughed, and heard Stan growling at his reaction from the other room. Ford put a hand over his mouth to avoid sounding rude, and shook his head, holding back laughter. Bill looked at the man and smiled. Ford walked over to the cabinet beside Bill and put the mug away as Bill grabbed the glass coffee piece.
Ford stood behind Bill and put his hands on both sides of the counter. Bill looked behind him for a moment and saw the other man. He raised an eyebrow at the action, and Ford looked into his eyes with a small smile. "We can push aside the work on the device until later if you're going to play a game. I need to fix a few things on it first, anyway." Ford offered.
Bill shrugged. "Sounds good to me." He commented, turning his head back around in front of him and looking down as he poured the coffee into his mug.
Ford nodded and chuckled. "Alright then." He said, and gave Bill a quick kiss on the cheek before walking away to leave the room.
Bill's eyes widened at the action given by the other, and he stopped pouring his coffee, turning around with his hands on his hips. "Hey!" He called out to the other man with a glare.
Ford stopped to look at the other. "Yes?" He asked, holding onto the doorframe.
"What the hell was that?" Bill asked with force in his voice, a clear scowl on his face.
Stanford raised an eyebrow in confusion. "What was what?" He asked, confused.
Bill rolled his eyes and glared at the other. "You just... you just kissed me!" He exclaimed, letting his arms fall to his sides, balling them up into fists.
Ford nodded slowly. "Uhm.. yes, I did. Is that a problem?" He asked the other. What happened to him..? Ford asked himself.
The demon looked up at the ceiling and sighed obnoxiously. "What is wrong with you this morning?" He asked Ford, putting his arms out in front of him.
Stanford folded his arms and leaned against the doorframe. "I was going to ask you and Stan the same thing!" He stated. "All morning you've both seemed much... happier to see me. It's quite unusual and I'm not quite understanding this situation."
Bill groaned and rolled his eyes. "Of course you arent! You're an old man who could literally die any second! Screw being 92, I wouldn't be surprised if you died at 70!" He shot at the man with a glare, turning around pouring the rest of his coffee, the scowl still plastered on his face.
Ford took a step back, a look of hurt on his face. His mouth was slightly open as he processed the insult. How could he say something like that? Especially After how we've treated each other throughout the month, after all that's happened... how? Ford shook the thought away and glared back at the other man, storming out of the kitchen without another word.
Bill downed half his coffee in one breath, and slammed the mug down on the counter in annoyance, sighing and shaking his head. What planet is that guy on? He asked himself. Just... going up and kissing me like that? Where does he think he is? Bill rolled his eyes and glared down at his coffee, putting his elbows on the counter as he sunk his face into his hands.
He shook his head and bit his lip. Maybe I overreacted. He thought to himself. He sighed and grabbed his coffee cup, taking another long, slow sip. Okay yeah, I might have overreacted, but come on! Since when does someone just do that with no context? He doesn't even...-
And then it hit him.
Does he..?
Could he ever..?
No, that would be impossible. Bill told himself, scoffing. Stop being ridiculous, Bill.
"Hey, what's the word, Pointdexter?" Stan asked, taking his eyes off the TV screen. "You wanna join us in poker later?"
Ford shrugged and bit his lip. "Not likely" He said. He looked over in the corner and noticed a box filled with Christmas lights, and a bubble-wrapped tree in the corner of the room, yet to be put up. "Stanley, do you need help with the Christmas decorations?" He asked.
"Ya' sure you can handle it?" Stan asked his brother. "I mean, you're not exactly a teenager anymore." He reminded.
Ford rolled his eyes. "I'll be fine. Do you have a ladder?" He asked.
Stan looked away for a moment, then back at Ford. He chuckled awkwardly. "Well, uh..," He began. "..No."
Stanford raised an eyebrow. "Wh-?" He began to ask, but remembered that Stan had a major fear of heights.
Stan shook his head, putting his hands out and waving them in front of him. "Don't you ask why, sixer. I already know what you're thinkin'. Don't bother asking, because I got over my fear of heights a long time ago." He stated, folding his arms. "And besides, I was gonna have Soos put the stuff up today, but-"
"I can do it." Ford stated with a nod of his head. "Let Soos take the day off. You know, spend some time with his girlfriend." He said with a shrug and small smile. "What was her name..?" He muttered, folding his arms and looking down at the floor, trying to remember the name of the girl.
"Melody." Stan informed.
Ford snapped his fingers and nodded. "Right, that was it." He said and chuckled. "Well, I'll be back." He said. "I might start with hanging some of the Christmas lights by the kitchen and the doorframe."
Stan rolled his eyes. "Write me a book about your plans, while you're at it." He said with a snicker.
Ford shrugged. "Journal 4? Look out, I just may write one." He informed half-sarcastically, and watched as Stanley stood up from the couch. Stan left the living room, and Ford entered through the Employee's only door to go down to the lab.
Stanley walked over towards the kitchen, looking around inside and noticing Bill still by the coffee pot, downing a half cup in one breath. Stan raised an eyebrow. "Woah there, how much of that coffee you been drinkin'?" Stan asked. "The coffee's almost gone."
"Relax, Fez." Bill commanded. "This is only my second cup."
Stan shrugged. "Careful not to get all high on caffeine there, Bill."
Bill nodded, taking another sip and placing his mug beside him on the counter. He leaned against the counter, looking over at the other and folding his arms. "Hey uh, Stan?" He asked. Stan raised an eyebrow, asking him to continue with the eye contact he gave the other. "How come you're being so... nice lately?" He asked, a bit suspicious.
Stan shrugged. "Well, I've kinda' noticed you and my brother aren't at each other's throats, so I might as well get used to ya'. And I thought about what you said last month down in the lab once the kids left. I guess I figured, who knows? Maybe you wouldn't be so bad after all." He said with another shrug.
"Like you at poker?" Bill asked, snickering.
Stan glared and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it off." He said.
Bill nodded. "Oh, I will." He confirmed with a smirk.
"Speakin' of poker," Stan said, scratching the back of his neck. "Care to play a round?" He asked.
Bill nodded. "I guess so, what about Sixer?"
"Eh," Stan began, shrugging, "He volunteered to put up the Christmas decorations. I was gonna have Soos do it but he practically insisted. Never seen my brother so eager to hang up and untangle some lights." He said, shaking his head and chuckling. "But knowing him, he might play some later." Stan added. "Go to the livin' room and sit over by the table, all the poker supplies is still set up from last night." He said.
"Alright." Bill said, chugging the rest of his coffee and placing the mug in the sink.
Ford came up from out of his lab, his ladder in front of him as he opened the door. He walked over to the kitchen and placed the ladder beside the outside of the door, turning around to go back to the living room for a moment to grab the Christmas lights. During the process, Bill and Stan had already begun their poker game. It wasn't much of a surprise to Stan that Bill already knew how to play poker. It was much easier to just sit down and play, rather than having to explain everything.
"Raise." Bill said, looking down at his cards. "200 bucks." He said with a nod of his head.
Stan raised an eyebrow. "You kiddin'?" He asked, surprised.
Bill tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. "I don't joke around when it comes to poker, Fez."
Stanley just grunted. "Call.." He muttered, unsure of his move choices at this point. He felt it would be best to take a risk, it may end up helping him out in the end. Still, Stan was shocked by the raise numbers. Dam, this guy's good.
Bill hummed. "You're a real risk taker." He complimented.
Stanley nodded and smirked. "You should see me in Vegas."
"Don't get too cocky." Bill advised. "If you lose the showdown I have every right to mock you about it." He said.
"Uh huh..," Stan muttered, squinting his eyes as he considered his next move as he watched Bill take his turn.
Bill chuckled as Stan played his next turn. Stan bit his lip at the reaction, afraid that he made a mistake. "So," Bill began. "Did the kids get home fine?" He asked.
Stan nodded. "Yeah, they called the shack the moment they got home." He informed. "Kept askin' a bunch of questions about Ford. They were really worried about 'im. I'm sure they still are since I haven't given an update. They'll feel better when I call to tell em' later today."
Bill shook his head. "Nah, that's not a good idea." He said, still looking down at his cards as he extended his arm slightly in front of him.
Stan raised an eyebrow. "Why not? They'll be nothin' but happy to know that he's doin' okay."
"You know what they would like even more?" Bill mused. Stan looked up at the other man, a bit curious about the idea. "Why don't you have Fordsy call the kids tomorrow. Why tell them when they can hear him for themselves?" He said with a small smile. "It'd be like some sort of 'Christmas miracle', if that's what you people still call them."
I never thought of that... Stan told himself. "Huh..." Stan considered. "That's uh... pretty good idea." He said, scratching his head slightly. Bill nodded, smiling. "I'll ask Pointdexter about it later." He said. "How come you care if they got home or not?"
Bill shrugged at the question. "Dunno, just curious, I guess." He said. He cleared his throat and muttered. "Well, curious about Mabel, that is. Dipper...eh." Bill admitted. "He hates my guts, and I still hate his."
"Ya' know, Dipper's not that bad once you get to know the kid," Stan said. "Maybe the two of ya' could get along."
Bill shook his head and squinted his eyes. "I don't see it." He commented, his teeth slightly clenched as he chose his next turn. "You got a girlfriend?" He asked, curious.
"Nope," Stan muttered. "Used to. Even got married once. It all kinda' fell apart." He said with a shrug.
Bill nodded. "Sorry for bringing it up." He said, noticing the small frown on the others face.
Stan waved dismissively. "Ah, don't be. Biggest mistake of my life, anyway." He said. "Hey, what about you? Have you found anyone since you've been... here?"
Bill bit his lip, but shook his head. "Uh, no..." He said in more a whisper.
Stan noticed the behavior and looked at the other man. "What, was it somethin' I said?"
"No, no..," Bill said with a small chuckle. He sighed and looked at Stanley for a moment. "I'm just... afraid, I guess."
Stan smirked, snickering. "Who woulda' thought? Bill Cipher, afraid?" He said sarcastically. Bill rolled his eyes and Stan laughed for a moment. "Whaddaya' got to be afraid of?" He asked, setting his cards face-down and folding his arm, leaning back in his chair. "This'll be good." He muttered to himself.
"Can I..," Bill began with a sigh. "Can I ask you something?" He asked, looking at Stan once more.
"Shoot." Stan encouraged with a shrug. "Just be straight forward with whatever it is, I don't got all day." He stated in a rather serious tone. He then chuckled. "Who am I kiddin'? I got a few more years."
Bill looked away for a moment, over at the doorframe to make sure Ford wasn't nearby, then back at Stanley. "Does Stanford have any... crushes?" He asked, leaning over the table slightly.
Stan shook his head. "Nah, not that I know of. Although he's known to be pretty secretive. Why ya' askin'?" He asked, curious.
"Well," Bill said, taking a deep breath before saying, "I feel like he's... falling for me." He said, biting his lip and looking away.
Stan sat there in silence for a moment, replaying the demon's words in his head. After a moment of silence, he looked over at Bill and burst out laughing, leaning over the table a bit and slamming his fist on the table, unable to control his laughter. He looked up at Bill for a split second which only made him laugh more. "Y...You?" Stan asked, taking the situation with the least bit of seriousness.
Bill rolled his eyes. "Crazy." He stated with his teeth clenched. "You think I'm crazy." He muttered, shaking his head and looking away, glaring.
Stan shook his head. "Look, uh... Bill," He said, still chuckling in-between his words. "My brother hasn't shown one single sign of having any interest in you. Besides, ya' tried to destroy the world. Do ya' really think he's gonna wanna be with you?"
"For over a month," Bill began with force in his voice. "He's been talking about a clean slate. A fresh start, a new beginning. Tell me I'm wrong, Fez!" He said, glaring at the other.
"You're wrong." Stan stated, smirking. "Sound familiar?"
Bill rolled his eyes once more. He frowned and looked away, biting his lip for what had to be the 100th time. Stan noticed the other's reaction and raised an eyebrow. "Hey, why the long face?" He asked, folding his arms.
"Why should I tell you?" Bill shot back. "All you're gonna do is take it as a joke." He said with a scowl on his face, folding his arms.
Stan shook his head. "Alright, alright. That's enough outta' me. I'll listen." He confirmed with a nod.
"Seriously, Stanley, I think he really does care." Bill said with a shrug. "I have evidence of my own."
Stan raised an eyebrow. "Evidence?"
Bill shook his head and sighed obnoxiously. "Forget it." He stated, deciding to say no more. He tipped his head backwards a bit, looking straight up at the ceiling. "Look at me. One day I'm taking over the universe, and the next I'm talking about my life theories to some old man."
"Hey," Stan shot with a glare. "I'm 15 minutes younger than my brother. Don't you start callin' me old."
Bill smirked, and looked at Stan. "Really? I'd raise to 30 bucks if you completely forgot we were ever even playing poker." He said, folding his arms.
Stan grunted. "Dam." He admitted. How could I have forgotten?
"Eh, don't stress it, Fez." Bill said, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm sure you're not the only one who forgot." He said with a snicker. "If ya' did forget, then you're probably not as young as you think you are." He said with an innocent shrug. "Showdown?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Showdown." Stan confirmed, the two flipping their decks over. Bill smirked at his hand and looked over at Stanley's. Stan smirked at his hand, and then looked at Bill's. His eyes widened and the result, and Stan exclaimed in the upmost annoyance and fury, standing up from out of his chair and literally yeeting the chips across the table, scattering them around the table, chairs, and floor. "Come on!" He shouted, slamming his fist down on the table and groaning obnoxiously.
Ford was over by the kitchen, on the ladder as he hung up the lights around the doorframe. He took a quick glance over at the front door as the handyman walked into the room. "Good morning, Soos." He greeted, and went right back to hanging up the lights.
"Good morning, Mr. Ford..," Soos greeted back, walking across the room for a short moment before realizing the re-occurrence of the man. "Mr. Ford!" He exclaimed in a mix of confusion and joy. "We missed you! I missed you!" He exclaimed, walking over to the man and hugging his legs with a smile.
Ford looked down in confusion. What did he say? And... why is he hugging me like some sort of large panda who had just found a lifetime supply of bamboo? Ford just raised an eyebrow at the contact. "What did you just say?" He asked, keeping his arms up by the wall as he held the lights he was hanging in place.
"I said that I missed you!" Soos said with a smile, taking a step back from the other. "We all did!"
Ford tilted his head in complete confusion. "What are you talking about?" He asked. Now Soos has gone crazy, too? What happened?
"Well," Soos said, scratching the back of his neck before explaining, "You were out cold in a slumber for like, a month, dude." He informed, summing it up as best he could.
Ford hung up the last bit of the lights and took a few steps down off the ladder, landing his feet on the floor to match Soos's height. "Wait, a slumber? Are you telling me I was asleep for a whole month?" He asked, putting a hand in his hair, shock on his face.
Soos nodded. "That's correct, dawg."
"How-?" Ford tried. "How is that possible?" He asked. "Was I asleep all at one time? Where was I all that time? How did I get into a situation like that? Who did this?"
Soos put his arms out in front of him. "Woah, I-I'm not sure. I'm probably not the best person to ask about that stuff. If you ask me, you should probably ask Bill, dude." He said, shrugging. Soos really didn't know much information, other than what he picked up from the situations he had been in, and the ones that Bill had either dragged him into, or Soos had offered to help with.
Ford nodded slowly, taking a few steps towards the living room. "Thank you, Soos." He said with a nod of his head, walking out of the room and practically storming into the living room.
He walked over to the table in the living room where Bill and Stan were playing another game of poker with his fists clenched, and he slammed one of his hands down on the table with a glare on his face, looking at both of the men. "Would anyone care to explain what the hell happened to me?" He asked, fury and alarm on his face.
Stanley and Bill looked at each other for a moment, putting their cards down in unison and looking over at Ford. Stan shrugged slightly. "You were asleep for almost a month." He tried to inform.
"I know that!" Ford exclaimed, putting his hands in his hair. "But my question is why? Why was I asleep for an entire month? That's not even humanly possible, is it?" Ford knew he sounded angry, and he was, but he was deeply concerned and afraid. How come the others didn't inform me about this earlier? Were they really just going to act like it never happened? Stanford looked at Bill and folded his arms. "You..," He muttered. "Did you have something to do with this?" He asked the other, raising an eyebrow.
Bill shook his head and put his hands up slightly, showing his innocence. "No, I didn't." He answered truthfully.
Ford took one hand out of his hair and face palmed. "It was all a dream?" He asked, mostly to himself. Bill and Stan gave each other confused looks, and looked over at Stanford once more. "It was all a dream?" He asked again, a bit more force in his voice. He felt so embarrassed, no wonder Bill freaked out earlier...
"Jesus, Stanford. Calm down!" Bill exclaimed, running a hand through his hair as he watched the other trying to process the situation.
"What're you talkin' about?" Stan asked his brother, folding his arms.
Ford shook his head and sighed, looking away and drawing his eyes to the wall. "Forget it." He muttered with his teeth clenched. He walked out of the room, shaking his head once more.
Stan and Bill gave each other another confused look. "What's he talkin' about? What was 'all a dream'?" He asked, shaking his head in confusion.
"Beats me," Bill muttered. "Let him throw his little confusion tantrum. He'll get over it sooner or later." He said with a shrug.
Stan sighed. "I dunno, sounds kinda' serious, don't ya' think?" He asked the other.
Bill nodded slowly. "Well yeah, but Sixer is smart, I'm sure he'll end up figuring it out on his own." He said. With that, Stan shrugged and the two picked up their cards once more, continuing their game.
Ford walked over to the kitchen and stepped back on the ladder, hanging the rest of the lights around the frame. I can't believe this... How did this happen? It seemed so real. Ford scoffed at his own thoughts and rolled his eyes, shaking his head. Oh, who am I kidding? Now that I think about it, that illusion didn't seem real at all... it felt so unreal that I assumed it really was real. What in the world could have caused this state of mind?
"Are you okay, Mr. Ford?" Soos asked, walking out of the kitchen to look at Ford.
Stanford jumped slightly at the scare and put a hand on his heart. "Oh," He said, looking at Soos, getting out of his thoughts after the scare. "Yes, I'm fine." He assured, sighing at how easily he had been scared by the handyman. "Soos, you do realize you can go home for the day, right? It's your day off, and I offered to take your job of hanging the decorations. You really don't have to stay today unless you really insist on it." He said with a shrug.
"Really?" Soos asked, tilting his head.
Ford looked at the handyman and nodded, giving a small smile. He looked down at the Christmas supplies and grabbed a new strand of lights. "Really." He confirmed.
Soos shrugged. "I don't know what I'm going to do," He admitted. "Dipper and Mabel are who I hang out with throughout the day, and they left while you were in your sleep."
Ford nodded and sighed. "I really wish I would have been there to see the kids leave," He said. "Who knows when they'll be here next. By the sounds of it, their parents weren't very thrilled about letting them stay for Thanksgiving break after everything that happened this summer." Ford said, and took a few steps off the ladder. He picked up the ladder and moved it over towards the staircase to hand the lights across the railing. "I can't help but think I'm the reason Dipper and Mabel's parents were so startled." He said with a shrug.
"That must have been hard, dude." Soos said. "Are you sure you don't want any help with the lights?" He asked, changing the subject.
"I'll be fine." Ford confirmed. "If I may ask, how is Melody doing?"
"Oh, Melody?" Soos said with a small chuckle. "She's uh.., she's doing better." He said with a smile.
Ford nodded. "What, did she have an injury that she recovered from?" He asked as he decided between two different light strands to hang up.
Soos shook his head. "No, she's just been under a lot of pressure recently. We both are, actually.." He said, scratching the back of his neck and chuckling awkwardly.
Stanford questioned the behavior for a moment, but decided not to ask, as it wasn't any of his business. "Well, I hope things get better for both of you." He said with a smile. "Which lights do you think would go better with the railing?" Ford asked, holding a pair of multi-colored lights in one hand, and gold with white ones in the other.
Soos hummed for a moment, looking at the two. "Multi-colors," He said with a nod of his head. "If you think about it, they can resemble multiple personalities, and multiple different ways a person could react in their future. Like a baby." He said. He thought over how he had put his explanation and looked away in remorse.
Ford raised an eyebrow at the long, but welcomed, explanation by the other. "Good choice." Ford said with a shrug, turning around and extending part of the light strand.
"You know..," Soos began. "I think I'll go home. I really should be with my family on Christmas eve." He said. With that, he walked over to the front door, clutching the door handle and looking back at Ford. That's the longest conversation we've had... ever! Soos chuckled and gave a small wave. "Goodbye, Mr. Ford." Soos said.
Ford looked over at Soos and waved. "Please, call me Ford." He said with a small smile. "I'm not all about the fancy titles, unlike my brother Stanley is."
Soos nodded quickly at the request. "Will do!" He said, and opened the front door to leave. He closed the door and was quick to head over to his car. He got into his car and shut the truck door. Soos grabbed the wheel with one hand, and took out his phone from the other. He was quick to dial Melody's phone number.
The ringer rang a couple times in the silent car. Soos held his phone up to his ear and waited for his girlfriend to pick up the phone. He smiled when he heard her greeting from the other line.
"Oh, hey Melody!" Soos said with a smile. "I don't have to work at the Mystery Shack today, so I can come home. How are you doing?"
"That's great, Soos!" Melody said over the phone, chuckling. "I'm surprised Stan didn't want to keep you there, especially on Christmas eve."
Soos nodded, even though no one else was around him. "Well, he seemed pretty busy with a poker game. I guess he closed the shop today because he figured not many people would show up, I don't know." He said with a shrug.
"Anyway, when you get back to Abuelita's house, do you think you could give me a ride to the doctor's office? The next appointment is scheduled for today." Melody informed.
"Oh man, that was today?" Soos asked, putting a hand in his hair. He heard Melody's confirmation over the phone. He bit his lip, but nodded. "O-of course I will! Isn't this where we find out..?" He asked, slowing his words towards the end.
"Yeah. Do you have any name suggestions for either genders? I know it's pretty early, but it might be better if we begin to decide a bit earlier in the process." Melody advised.
"No, none right now." Soos admitted. "I'm gonna hang up and get on the road." He said. Melody responded to the goodbye and the two hung up. Soos sighed and couldn't help but give a small smile. Ever since he came out about the situation to Dipper and Mabel, he had felt a lot better about becoming a father. He started up his car and was quick to leave the shack's driveway, beginning to drive off.
Stan growled in annoyance and ran a hand through his hair as Bill took a large pile of Chipackerz to the other side of the table, popping one into his mouth with a smirk. "Aw come on!" Stan complained, standing up and putting his arms in front of him. "That's the third time today!" He stated with a defeated look on his face.
"Fourth," Bill corrected, stuffing a few more Chipackerz into his mouth. "Thefs tafste jus' 'ike chips." He commented, his mouth filled with the food.
Stan rolled his eyes. "And I thought I was good..." He muttered, folding his arms. He put a smile on his face and shrugged dismissively. "Alright, It'll be gettin' dark outside in a couple of hours. How's about we all make some sugar cookies, eh?" He asked, shrugging.
Bill raised a eyebrow. "What? Why?" He asked, half-complaining.
"No way outta' this. I'm draggin' Ford into this too, so you won't be the only miserable one." Stan stated, laughing.
Bill rolled his eyes, and grabbed a handful of Chipackerz before Stan dragged him by his T-shirt collar out of the living room. Stanley looked around the room and looked to his left, looking at Stanford as he was finishing up hanging the Christmas lights on the stair railing. "Hey, pointdexter!" Stan hollered, causing Ford to jump in surprise, his eyes widened.
"Stanley, what's wrong with y-?" Ford began, but was interrupted by his brother.
"Come on Stanford, we're makin' some sugar cookies, just like Ma used to back when we were kids." Stan said, informing him on the situation that he was being dragged into unwillingly.
Ford sighed, but nodded. "You go ahead, Stan. I still need to finish the rest of these lights first-"
"Nope!" Stan said, shaking his head. He grabbed Ford with his other free hand by his turtleneck, the strand of lights unraveling as Stanford was being dragged off to the kitchen.
Ford exclaimed in alarm when he stumbled, nearly tumbling to the floor. He jumped as he was being dragged to the kitchen, quickly trying to get the lights off his ankle that had tangled around him as he had been hanging them on the stairs. He successfully freed himself from the lights just in time, and Stan pushed both Bill and Ford in front of him into the kitchen.
"Stan, do you think you could be a little more careful?" Bill complained. "I lost my Chipackerz on your little journey to collect us."
"You ate them." Stan said, putting his hands on his hips. "I ain't fallin' for that." He stated.
"Stanley, 'ain't' is not a word." Ford stated, putting his hands behind his back. "Try learning some proper grammar. For instance-"
"Yeah, yeah," Stan said, rolling his eyes. "Let's just get to making some cookies." He said, walking over to the cupboard to grab a cookbook.
"Watch out, fez," Bill advised. "I just might poison them." He said with a sly smirk.
Stan scoffed and tilted his head. "Where could you even find poison around here?" He asked. Bill and Stan stood in silence for a few seconds, and then looked over at Ford, knowing the clear answer to Stan's foolish question.
Ford put his hands up slightly, an innocent look on his face. "All of the dangerous chemicals that I use in my work are thoroughly stashed away at all times when they are not in use." He stated, folding his arms.
"Yeah," Bill mused. "It'd be a real shame if someone just... happened to get into that safe using its set combination down in the lab." He said with puppy eyes. Stanford raised an eyebrow at the words, and Bill pulled out a small vial from his back pocket. He held it up for Ford to see with an innocent smile on his face. "Oh, lookie here!" He said, tilting his head to the side and looking at the other man with a smirk on his face.
"Bill," Ford began with a firm voice. "How did you get that?"
"With my hands." Bill said.
"When did you get that vial?" Ford asked.
"That one time." Bill answered.
Ford rolled his eyes. "What were you intending to use it for?"
"Dunno." Bill said with a shrug.
"And how did you get into my safe?" Ford asked.
"With my hands." Bill said once more.
"Bill!" Ford exclaimed, putting a hand in his hair and clenching his fists.
The demon laughed at the other's reaction, and held the bottle out, pointing to the liquid inside. "Relax, Sixer!" Bill said, still snickering. "It's just an old bottle containing a mix of my own creation, Vodka with a dash of Mabel juice!" He said, putting a hand on his hip.
Ford sighed in relief, and Stan laughed mockingly. "Gosh, pointdexter! That reaction was priceless!" He commented with a snicker.
"It's a concerned reaction, Stanley." Ford stated, folding his arms. "And for your information, I-"
"Yeah, yeah," Stan blurted out. "Let's make some cookies." He said yet again.
Bill nodded and pointed at Stan. "Yeah, yeah. What he said." Bill opened the vial and put the container up to his mouth to drink the liquid, and Ford was quick to take a step forward towards Bill, grabbing the bottle and pulling it out of his hand, away from the other just before the substance could hit Bill's tongue. Bill looked over at the other man in confusion, not really caring about how close they were.
"Did you wash this container before putting the liquid inside it?" Ford asked.
Bill shook his head. "No."
"Was there a substance inside the vial before you used it?" Stanford asked once more.
Bill nodded. "Yeah. I dumped it out, though. No biggie." He said with a dismissive shrug.
Ford looked at Bill for a moment, and then walked over to the sink, dumping out the substance that was in the bottle and turning on the water, grabbing some dish soap to wash the vial. Bill looked at the action and gave a glare. "Hey, what'd you do that for?" He asked, walking up beside Ford and complaining.
"If there was a substance in this, and you simply dumped it out, who knows how dangerous it could be. It wouldn't be very smart to drink from this." Ford informed, looking at the other.
Bill rolled his eyes but smiled, resting his arm on the other's shoulder. "Well, well," He said. "Look at Fordsy actually caring about my safety." He joked.
"Stopping you is better than you ending up in the hospital." Ford stated.
Bill walked away from the other with no other words, looking at Stanley as he got a couple of cookie sheets. Stan looked at Bill for a split second, then back at the cookbook beside him. "You know how to measure stuff?" Stan asked Bill.
The other shrugged. "How hard could it be?" Bill asked.
"Eh," Stan said, unsure of himself. "I still get em' wrong sometimes." He admitted. Stan looked over at the cookbook, reading over the list of ingredients. "Alright, we need some flour." He said. "We can get the other stuff later."
Ford looked over at Stan and dried his hands, walking over to the counter and standing beside his brother. "Stan, might I give a suggestion?" He asked. Stan just shrugged, and Stanford continued, "It's better to grab all of your ingredients beforehand for a lower probability of forgetting something."
"I might be dumb, but I'm not stupid, pointdexter." Stan stated, looking at his brother and putting his hands on his hips.
"That has nothing to do with it, Stanley," Ford said, "I lost count of how many times I've forgotten something in a recipe when I hadn't gathered all of the ingredients." He said with a chuckle. "Back in college I would always forget the salt. For some odd reason..." Ford said, muttering the end. "So, I began to lay out all of my ingredients before I began to bake something, and it helped me severely." He said with a nod of his head.
"Alright, alright," Stan said. "You wanna do it your fancy way, you can get the stuff while I preheat the oven." He said, walking over towards said oven.
Ford just nodded, and raised his arm up to open the cupboard above him. He looked up in the cupboard, looking for the vanilla. Bill snickered and lifted up the man's sweater partway, just enough so that he could poke his belly button. "Poke." He blurted out with a snicker. Ford looked down at the other and pulled his sweater down, looking at Bill and giving him a blank look. Bill rolled his eyes. "Jeez, Sorry." He said, folding his arms and pouting.
Stan preheated the oven as Ford got the flour and the vanilla. Ford looked over at Bill and asked him to get two eggs. As Bill got the eggs from the fridge, Ford grabbed a glass bowl from the cupboard, placing it on the counter in front of him. Bill got two eggs and walked over to the glass bowl, tossing the eggs straight into the bowl without bothering to crack them. Park of the yolk began to leak out of the slightly cracked shells. Bill looked over at the other for a moment, afraid he made a mistake. Ford immediately looked at Bill for a short moment, just staring, before he began bursting out laughing.
Ford took the eggs and put them in a small measuring cup beside him, cracking both the eggs correctly and putting them in the cup, making sure none of the egg shells were mixed in with the liquid. Bill saw a small shell inside the small puddle of egg yolk that had leaked into the bowl, and picked it out, flinging it at the wall in front of him carelessly.
Stanford took the measuring cup and put it in the fridge. "We'll use this shortly." He informed. Bill just nodded. The two grabbed the rest of the ingredients as Stan got the rest of the measuring supplies. Ford pulled up his sleeves and the three looked down at the cookbook.
Stan pointed at the beginning instructions, reading the instructions. Aware of the task needed to be done, the three got to work. Bill took hold of the flour bag and made sense of the amount needed. At the same time, Ford got down on one knee, looking at a measuring cup at a flat angle for the most accurate results. He poured the liquids needed at a slow pace, squinting his eyes as he poured. Once he had a good measurement, Bill called out his name. "Hey, Sixer!" Bill exclaimed with a smirk. Ford looked at the other man and was quick to close his eyes frantically as Bill clapped his hands together roughly, flour sprinkling around his hands and on Ford's face.
Stan looked over and laughed mockingly as Ford stood up, shaking his head and smiling. He removed a majority of the flour from his face with his hand. Bill smirked and put one of his elbows on the counter, leaning on it as he spoke, "Ever heard of 'think fast'?" He joked.
"Have you?" Stan asked. Bill raised an eyebrow and jolted his hands in front of his face as Stanley chucked a ice cold rag at his face.
Bill exclaimed in alarm, smacking the towel away from him as a shiver went up his spine. "Stan!" Bill complained, folding his arms.
"That's cold, Stanley..." Ford said. Bill shot Ford a glare, unsure if he was smirking at the way he was oh-so-brutally attacked, or the way he had used a pun oh-so-brutally smooth.
"Don't worry pointdexter, I got one for you, too." Stan said with an innocent look on his face before chucking another rag at his brother. Ford quickly ducked before the towel could hit him, and he sighed in relief. Ford didn't think to look at Bill until the demon had thrown his towel over at Ford from the side. Bill laughed mockingly at his reaction to the surprise attack
The cookies took about an hour and a half in total before they came out of the oven- due to all of the unexpected goofing around- and in the end, the three men were quite satisfied with how they were turning out. Ford opened the oven when they were done, his oven mits on. He grabbed the tray from out of the oven and backed out slowly. "Watch out," He advised, closing the oven with his leg. "They're extremely hot."
"Quit statin' the obxious, Sixer." Stan said, folding his arms. Ford rolled his eyes and placed the sheet on the counter.
Bill hummed and squinted his eyes at the cookies. "They're missing something..." He said. Bill pointed his index finger out at the cookie sheet and lit the cookies on fire, sparking blue flames atop the cookies. Stan and Ford looked at the tray in alarm.
"What the hell?" Stan exclaimed.
"It's fine! I've got it under control." Bill assured. He clenched his fist, hoping that the fire would burn out on command. To his surprise, it was no use. Crap! This worked last week when I lit that snow globe in the gift shop on fire! Bill looked at the tray that was still burning blue flames before his eyes, and he bit his lip in panic. "Uh..!" He blurted out, unsure of what to do to stop it.
Stanford noticed the look of fear on the others face, and stepped in to assist. "Back away!" He commanded, putting an arm out to keep Bill a safe distance away.
Bill did as told and took a few steps back. He put his hands in his hair with a remorseful look on his face. "Aw, crap!" He exclaimed, face palming and clenching his teeth together. Bill Cipher, you're officially turning into a certified idiot. He thought to himself.
Ford looked around the room cautiously, speeding over to the counter to grab a spare cookie tray that hadn't been used. He grabbed the extra tray and flipped it face-down, walking over to the fire and placing the trays atop each other to limit the oxygen inside, holding the sides of the tray just in case.
Stan sighed in relief, and Ford lifted the top tray, backing away slowly. Bill looked at the tray and bit his lip. "Well," He began at a slow pace. "Now they're extremely hot." He said, chuckling awkwardly. Stanley looked at Bill and and rolled his eyes.
Luckily, the cookies hadn't been completely burnt, just a bit rough around the edges (literally.) As the three waited for the cookies to cool down, they began to prepare icing. Making the icing didn't take long to make, but it dried on the cookies in a quick amount of time. They decorated the cookies with icing, and put some sprinkles on top to add a bit more color. Bill, however, took a handful of chocolate sprinkles from a container and and dumped the entirety of what was in his hand onto his cookie, covering the cookie and a few around him completely in sprinkles. He picked up the cookie and pouted when the majority of the sprinkles fell off the cookie.
Stan looked at the cookie Bill had made and tilted his head. "You sprinkle them on top. Ya' don't pour half the sprinkles on a cookie, knucklehead."
"It's my cookie," Bill stated. "Maybe I like chocolate sprinkles!" He said, putting his hands on his hips. Ford looked over at the cookie and just chuckled. "In fact," Bill mused, taking the rest of the plastic container containing the chocolate sprinkles in his hand and pouring the rest of them on another cookie beside him. "I love chocolate sprinkles." He said with a smirk.
"I guess I'm headin' to town to get more chocolate sprinkles," Stan muttered, standing up from the table.
Stanford raised an eyebrow. "Stan, you really don't have to-" He began, but stopped when Stan put a hand up.
"Nah, I need some stuff anyway. I'll be back in an hour." Stan announced, leaving the kitchen to go up to his room and find a jacket.
Bill watched the man leave and shrugged, grabbing the pink sprinkle shaker and shaking a few atop his cookie.
Once Stanley had left the house, silence filled every room. Bill and Ford continued to decorate, but they weren't exactly speaking. The silence was beginning to get on Bill's nerves, and he sighed obnoxiously as he tipped his head back. "I'm gonna put on some music." He said, and Ford shrugged.
Bill turned the radio on, and Ford was surprised at the one he had chosen. "I thought you weren't in to new music." He said, as he coated another cookie with icing.
"Nah, I just don't like that high-pitched stuff that you'd see in some movie about high school crushes and stuff." Bill said.
"Songs related to that play once and a while on this station, would you like me to change it?" Ford asked, turning around to look at the other.
Bill shook his head. "Nah, It's fine."
"Suit yourself." Ford said with a shrug. Bill sat back down into his chair and coated a cookie with icing before selecting a new sprinkle shaker. The two continued to decorate cookies for a few minutes until Ford stood up to walk to the fridge. He looked in the refrigerator and grabbed a Pitt soda, opening it up and taking a sip.
Bill tilted his head. "I thought you hated those drinks. Didn't you say something about the ingredients list?"
Ford shrugged. "Well, as much as I don't care for what they put in these, they're okay to have once and a while, I suppose." He said, walking out of the room without another word. Bill just shrugged and went back to decorating.
When Ford walked into the living room, there was a Christmas tree in the corner, across from the couch and beside the Television. Ford sat down on the carpet between the tree and the TV, looking at the lights on the tree and smiling. It's nice to have Christmas in this dimension again, after all the years of waiting. Stanford recalled a time where he celebrated Christmas in another dimension, and all of the trees were made of snakes. Whenever you attempted to apply an ornament onto the tree, the snakes would either fling it off or slide out of it, making it nearly impossible to put on an ornament.
He looked down at the bottom of the tree and noticed one of the ornaments had fallen off the tree. Ford leaned over to grab the red decoration, and placed it back on the tree towards the bottom so that he wouldn't have to stand up. He looked at the Christmas tree once more and took a sip of his soda, looking at the lights and smiling. He felt more at peace without the people around him yelling. It was nice to look around at the decor that you would only see one month a year, glistening against the light with music playing in the background.
Ford heard one song from the kitchen ending, and smiled when the next came on. He had listened to some recent music since he had come back from the portal, and he preferred the pop music over all of the rap nearly everyone else in Gravity Falls was listening to. However, the music from his younger days has always had a special place in his heart. His mother's music taste was rather wide, as he remembered it. She would listen to music ranging from slow love songs to hip hop, even to heavy metal. His father Filbrick, however, never had much of an interest in music at all. Stanford was lucky he got his music enjoyment from his mother rather than his father.
The next song that came on the radio was a song from his childhood, the reason that he had smiled when he heard the beginning notes. He remembered studying to it when he was younger one late Tuesday night. It had played on the radio often back then, as it was a huge hit. The song was called Can't help falling in love, a song that Ford hadn't heard in years. It was really nice to have finally heard the song once more after so long, it reminded him of his earlier days when he was back in high school.
He waited for the lyrics to begin. It had only been around 8 seconds, but it felt longer. So much longer. He hummed the first line as it played.
Wise men say...
Just as the next line began to play, Bill walked into the living room with a white plate in hand, a few cookies on it. Ford took a quick glance at the other, then turned his head away, looking across from him at the couch. He frowned a bit, sure that the song would be interrupted by a conversation.
Only fools rush in...
Bill walked over to the other, sitting down beside him to the point where their shoulders were nearly touching. He looked left at the tree for a split second before drawing his eyes to Stanford. "Cookie?" He offered, extending his arm and putting the plate in front of the other.
But I can't help falling in love with you...
"Thanks." Ford muttered, grabbing a round cookie and taking a bite. He looked away, over at the table from across the living room where Stan and Bill had played their games of poker earlier in the day.
Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?
Bill nodded and sighed, biting his lip. "I'm sorry..." He said with a frown.
If I can't help falling in love with you...
Ford shrugged dismissively. "Oh, I wouldn't stress it. I know you weren't trying to burn down the house or anything-"
Like a river flows,
"That's not what I'm talking about." Bill stated, looking at Ford.
Surely to the sea,
Ford raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you talking about?" He asked, taking a sip of his Pitt soda.
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be.
"I mean I'm... sorry for freaking out earlier, and then being a complete jerk about it." Bill said, looking down at the floor and placing the plate atop the carpet.
Take my hand, take my whole life too...
Ford just shrugged, chuckling. "That's okay, Bill." He assured. "You were correct. I was completely out of line, and if anything I owe you an apology."
For I can't help falling in love with you...
There was a slight moment of silence before Bill looked at Ford. "Why did you do it?" He asked.
Like a river flows,
Ford exhaled slowly before answering. "Well," He began.
Surely to the sea,
"That whole illusion I was in for the entirety of this month messed with my head." Stanford said.
Darling so it goes, some things are meant to be.
Bill nodded as Ford continued, "It made me believe that what was happening was reality." He informed the other.
Take my hand...
"And?" Bill questioned, looking at the other.
Take my whole life too..
"And, it tricked me to believe things that weren't actually real and that had never really happened." Stanford continued. Bill nodded and looked over at the tree.
For I can't help falling in love with you...
Ford shrugged and looked down at the carpet. "I suppose I finally woke up, only to realize it was all a lie. A dream. It was all... a dream." He said, continuing to look down at the carpet, feeling his heart shatter as he spoke the words.
For I...
There was yet another moment of silence, and Bill looked over at Ford. He took a deep breath, and shrugged slightly. "Maybe... it doesn't have to be." He said.
Can't help...
Ford looked at Bill with his eyes open wide, noticing the other's serious facial expression. His heart began racing as Bill leaned over towards him slowly, making eye contact as he inched closer and closer.
Falling in love...
The two closed their eyes as their lips kneaded passionately against each other in a slow and meaningful kiss.
With you...
