Chapter Text
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All he had to do was take a few steps forward to freedom.
Five steps stood between Bill and the glowing pink portal. Ford was sat on the bedroom desk, resting a boot on the swivel chair, watching the hesitating demon.
So far, everything had been packed. The therapist was right, he couldn’t take everything with him. Together with his boyfriend they picked out a few paintings and other sentimental items from his workshop. Bill had watched his partner disappear in and out of the portal, moving the boxes occasionally with the aid of his brother.
Now all they needed was to move was themselves. Bill unfolded a large crayon drawing of the Mystery Shack from his pocket and stared at it for the eighth time that morning.
The scientist had assured him he could “take all the time he needed”… around four hours ago. It didn’t make sense to him, one thousand years being trapped at the Theraprism and he was reluctant to leave it?
It had been his home for a thousand years; was how Bill had rationalised it. But truthfully, it wasn’t like he was leaving forever, he was still expected to return and attend weekly therapy sessions. It was all nerves.
He clutched his triceratops plush and stared down at his drawing between his knees on the bed. The Mystery Shack. Living with Sixer and Fez. Potentially confronting the victims of Weirdmageddon. Freedom. Potential happiness with his month long boyfriend.
After a few more minutes of spinning the swivel chair, Ford jumped off the desk with an audible sigh. “Alright, how about I hold your hand as you walk through?”
Bill’s eyes remained on the paper below him. “Hmm… Maybe.”
“You’re overthinking it, darling. Let’s just go. If you don’t want to sleep there tonight you can come back here, I promise.”
He walked over and picked up the blond’s hand. Bill was wearing his favourite oversized black shirt: the Sisters Of Mercy T-shirt that Fez gave him.
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s just go.”
Ford huffed away a strand of hair that fell across his eyes and nodded. His partner gripped onto his hand and climbed off the bed with a determined look in his eyes. They began walking across the room with heavy stomps. Their steps matching.
One. Two. Three. Four. “STOP!! Nope. Nope, I can’t do this.”
The man sighed and watched as Bill turned around and threw himself on the bed again. He clapped his six fingered hands together loudly and tutted. “Right, three seconds. You’re going to walk through the portal for three seconds then we can come back out again.”
“Nuh-uh.” A mass of blond curls shook against the pillow he was now burying himself into.
“Alright fine, you can stay at the Prism forever. I’m going back home and I’ll never see you again.” Ford threatened, a leg already in the portal to further elaborate his ruse.
“It’s a trap. I know it.” The demon mumbled from his pillow.
“It’s not a trap, look. I’ll go back now and tell you if I see any giant pink axolotls.”
Bill slid his face to the side, watching as the scientist walked in and out of the portal unharmed.
“See! Nothing bad in there, just Stanley cooking breakfast. Come here, smell the bacon.”
Bacon did sound nice, the promise of bacon and pancakes was the twin’s attempt at luring him through the portal, and it was true that they both hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. He didn’t need to sniff his boyfriend to smell the bacon grease that wafted into his room each time he walked out of the portal.
The Mystery Shack was closed for the day, and all they planned to do was relax for the rest of the earth day. Still, the thought that the Axolotl was waiting for him, hiding beneath the floorboards had haunted Bill the whole night.
He looked up at Ford. He was wearing all black and had taken his boots and trench coat off and had left them at the Shack. The guy had barely slept himself, no doubt from dealing with his several freak-outs during the night. The demon’s blond curls had been petted so much, he was surprised his hair hadn’t flattened.
Ford rested his hands on his hips by the side of the bed, looking down at him. He picked up the triceratops plush and slotted it under his arm. “Come on, Bill.”
“You won’t let go of my hand?”
The human shook his head firmly. “I promise.”
“Alright.” He squeezed his eyes shut and let himself be pulled to his feet.
They stepped up to the portal together and Ford turned to look at him. “Just take one step forward, I’ll follow.”
Inhaling sharply, Bill swallowed his nerves.
Ignoring the twist in his stomach he shook his head and with his eyes still closed tightly, stepped through the portal.
It felt... freezing.
Every part of his new body suddenly felt icy cold.
His whole body was freezing cold and… wet. He breathed fresh cold air into his lungs and felt water splash against his face, still too afraid to open his eyes but immediately knowing he’d fucked out somehow.
They sure as hell weren’t in the Shack.
Damn. Why did he feel so cold? Did he forget what Earth’s climate was like? Was it just Oregon?
Through loud gusts of wind he heard sound of the portal closing up behind him and squeezed his boyfriend’s hand. Just as promised, Ford was still there. The portal wasn’t supposed to close though, he thought with a racing heartbeat.
“WHAT THE?!” Came the loud reaction from the scientist as he processed their mistake.
Bill felt his heart thudding as he slowly opened his eyes.
He didn’t know how he messed it up, but they appeared to be standing in the middle of a forest. A loud stormy wind battering against them, making their wet hair and clothing slap around them. It was like the world’s worst shower setting.
“I MESSED IT UP!!” He yelled behind him, speaking through the thick rain. He could barely see anything, the freezing wet wind so intense as it lashed against his face.
“THIS DOESN’T MAKE ANY SENSE!” Ford replied, squinting through his glasses, holding his elbow up to shield his face from the abrasive wind. “I THINK- I THINK WE’RE NEAR THE SHACK THOUGH!”
Bill gripped onto his lover’s hand tighter, not wanting to lose him as another violent wave of wind slammed against his body. All those years in the Prism, he had forgotten how brutal Earth’s weather could be. Silently he regretted his decision to pick such a small defenceless human body. He could barely see anything in this rain, it was practically sideways, but he figured that he probably had more visibility than his bespectacled boyfriend.
When he turned around he realised where they were.
He saw a few meters away there was a large stone top hat covered in moss, submerged deep in the forest floor. A large stone Bill Cipher. The exact place, the exact spot where he had died. That’s where the portal had taken them. Just as the sun was setting, the dense shade of the forest glowing dimly with a dying orange light.
Grabbing Ford’s hand he started walking against the wind, the demon was only wearing a t-shirt and thin ripped jeans. Luckily he had chosen to keep his combat boots on, unlike Sixer. His large triceratops plush was getting soaked under his boyfriend’s arm as well.
As they walked he felt Ford’s hand against his freezing cold arm, the scientist patted his arm and pointed him in the direction of a path. He nodded and gritted his teeth walking on, hoping to see signs for the Shack against the trees. The wind whistled, practically howling, screeching past their ears. It’s tone almost painful. Bill lifted his hand to shield his face as his combat boots hit the rough forest floor, pine cones wetly squishing beneath him with every step.
At long last, he caught a glimpse of a light in the distance. He turned around and gave a wide smile through the wet lashings of rain towards his partner. A moment of wiping his drenched glasses, he had also spotted the light and nodded, encouraging him to keep walking, his six fingers shaking in his grip. Neither of them could feel their own fingers in this cold gust, unprotected from the elements. The small warmth their touch provided was getting dimmer by the minute.
Bill barely had time to process his emotions, all he could think was to get out of the biting cold wind and rain. To survive. Hoping his boyfriend’s feet weren’t getting too hurt without his boots on. Hoping that they hadn’t arrived in this dimension 200 years too late, or too early for that matter.
They both picked up their pace as they saw the Mystery Shack more clearly. They heard a yell in the distance before the door opened and Fez ran out towards them. Drenched in a trench coat that was flapping wildly around him. His brother’s coat.
Bill let go off Ford’s hand and crashed into him, getting his vest drenched with his body as he hugged him. “I MESSED UP!” He tried to explain, Stanley didn’t seem to be able to hear him, instead he gestured them to hurry up inside and together they ran towards the door.
Once they got inside, Bill collapsed to his knees heavily panting, getting his breath back. Behind him he heard the muffled sound of the twins gasping and shaking the rain off. He coughed up some rain water that he had inhaled and ran his fingers through his drenched hair. The gathered water pooling down his shoulders.
“What the hell happened to you two?!” Stanley managed.
“I don’t- I don’t know!” His twin panted. Ford’s body was just as soaked and he began to shake from the sudden change of temperature. “One m-minute, I’m in the kitchen watching you c-cook bacon, then the second I walk back through with B-bill, we’re in- hoo!” He inhaled through his nose and tried again. “We were in the middle of the d-damn forest, in this s-storm. I’m just as confused as you are Stanley.”
Turns out they had entered through the gift shop entrance, Bill wiped the dripping rain away from his eyes and looked around at the gawdy trinkets on display. He had never felt so relieved to see a bobble-head of Fez.
“That was hours ago!!” Stanley threw his arms up in the air. “I had no idea when you’d return! I was worried sick!”
“We didn’t do it on purpose! Listen, I don’t- I don’t know what went wrong but we’re here now, alright?!”
He heard wet footsteps approach him from behind and a hand gently touched his cold back.
“Bill, darling. You must be freezing.”
Stanley sighed. “I’ll fetch some towels, stay here and don’t get anything else wet.”
“Thank you, Stanley.” The demon felt Ford’s arm wrap around his back as he remained sat on the cold floor.
“I’m sorry!” Bill burst out sobbing once they were alone.
“What are you sorry for, darling?”
“This is all my fault, I don’t know how but it’s all my fault.”
The hand on his back rubbed at his drenched t-shirt. “Of course it’s not your fault, Bill. There must be something wrong with the portal, come on, don’t blame yourself. We’re here now. Are you feeling alright? Did you get hurt back there?”
He shook his head, wiping away more water that was running down his face.
“Then, we’ll figure this all out later, okay?”
The blond nodded, pulling himself up from the floor slowly and peeling some leaves off his jeans. The second he looked up to face his partner, he felt icy cold lips push against his.
“You made it home, darling.” He laughed. He was sure he could barely see anything through his wet glasses, but smiled back anyway before leaning in for another kiss. Wrapping his arms around his shivering body.
Bill squeezed his partner’s body, burying his face in his chest. Hoping that between them, their frozen bodies could generate some heat together.
Three seconds later there was a strike of lightning close to the Shack, the light engulfing the gift shop room as they watched with wide eyes.
“Welcome home, Bill!” He added before they both burst out laughing.
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