Chapter Text
Bill wakes up to hushed voices surrounding him, sounding confused and worried.
"Is he okay?" A small girl's voice asks worriedly.
"Considering it sounded like he fell off the roof-" A different younger voice starts, but is cut off by an older man clearing his throat.
"I believe he is awake."
Oh, oh no. Sixer. Great.
Bill wishes he could just go back to sleep or something, but his eye is already open.
Bill can see Ford physically jump a bit at the sight of Bill's eye. It isn't completely the same as when he would possess people in his hayday, but it's similar.
"Heya Sixer." Bill grins, or tries to, but his face hurts. He can see Ford's eyes widen before he blacks out again.
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Bill is surprised he wakes up. He really thought Ford would just kill him after that. Not that he'd blame him per say.
"Pointed ears, strange blue scarring, a tail, and a yellow slitted eye. Not to mention that his other eye is a black void practically." Bill hears Ford's voice talking to himself. He looks around, and recognizes Ford's lab. He's laying down on his back on a surface similar to the table you'd see in a doctor's office. He's wrapped in bandages that itch, and his legs hurt like hell. Bruises litter the parts of his arms that aren't bandaged. Someone mentioned him falling off a roof earlier. What a fun way to enter earth!
"Free pain! Fun!" Bill sits up, grinning as he feels himself getting dizzy. He tries to move his hands, but finds they're handcuffed together. He frowns, but it's not like it'll stop him.
"Oh. You're awake." Ford grumbles, seemingly annoyed by Bill's sudden speaking.
"You bet! Say, why don't you let me out of these cuffs and I'll leave, stay out of your hair. I swear it!" Bill smiles wider, holding a pinky out to pinky promise.
"Not happening. You're going to stay here, and you're going to stay away from the kids, and you're going to answer my questions. Got it?" Ford grabs Bill by the hair, and Bill giggles.
"Alright, I'll play nice for now. Pull a little harder, some might fall out!" Bill pulls the opposite way Ford is, and Ford's grip rips out a bit of Bill's matted hair.
"How are you alive?" Ford asks, circling the desk Bill is sitting on with his legs hanging off like a shark.
"Old friend owed me a favour! Turns out it was a scam! Rude!" Bill frowns at the thought of The Axolotl.
"Oh I'm sure you know lots about those." Ford mumbles, and Bill almost doesn't hear him. But he does.
"Why are you.. humanoid?" Ford asks after scribbling something down on his notepad.
"Apparently this is what The Axolotl thinks a human looks like. I'm in this body as punishment." Bill grumbles, kicking his legs back and forth.
"Who is The Axolotl?" Ford asks again. Boy does he just love questions. It's getting boring.
"All powerful God, whatever. The usual. Am I done yet?" Bill moves his hands up to play with his hair, still handcuffed.
"No. Why did this 'Axolotl' send you here? Why to us?" Ford wonders aloud, a tinge of anger seeping through his features.
"I dunno, something about making amends and redemption. Doubt that'll ever happen!" Bill snorts, and Ford nods.
"Glad we can agree on something." Ford rolls his eyes and adjusts his glasses, moving closer to Bill.
"Woah, little early to be killing me, don't you think?" Bill backs away, and Ford sighs.
"I'm just going to check if your DNA is human or not, and how human you are physically." Ford explains, and Bill narrows his eye, looking at the weird hammer in Ford's hand.
"To test your reflexes. I'm not going to kill you yet." Ford reassures, but it doesn't really comfort Bill. Not that he needs comforting obviously.
Before Bill can respond, Ford gently whacks the small hammer against Bill's knee, and it kicks without him telling it to. Neat! He had no idea human bodies had built-in defense mechanisms! Not as cool as spitting acid, but whatever.
"Reflexes are fine." Ford notes to himself, then grabs Bill's hand and examines it, intrigued by the black fade and the seemingly cat-like claws.
"Little early to be holding my hand, Fordsy." Bill teases, and Ford shoots him a look that just makes him huff out another laugh.
Ford presses two fingers against his wrist and waits, while Bill tries to figure out what he's even doing.
Ford moves again to press the same two fingers against his neck, and Bill feels his face getting warm. Why is it doing that?? Is it normal for humans?? It's never happened before.
"Pulse is a bit abnormal, but could be due to adrenaline." Ford notes out loud again, and Bill's tail flicks at hearing him talk to himself. He's been doing that for 30 years.
"Take off your shirt." Ford says, and Bill whistles. He learned how to do that in the Theraprisim, neat trick!
"Take me on a date first!" Bill grins, twirling a bit of his hair around his finger, and Ford grumbles.
"Quit being so difficult, I'm just trying to examine your form to make sure there's nothing inhuman other than the obvious." Ford waves him off, facing away. It's clear he's trying to hide that his face is red. Cute!
"Well, I can't anyway. Handcuffs, genius." Bill jingles the cuffs together, and Ford sighs, undoing the cuffs for now. He tells Bill not to try anything quietly, before pulling his shirt over his head.
"Interesting. You have breasts." Ford notices. Sherlock Holmes over here.
"Duh. I've always had them. You used to love them, heheh." Bill smiles, and Ford rolls his eyes again, choosing to ignore Bill.
"You have a belly button too. Fascinating!" Ford has that glint in his eyes he always used to have when Bill would show him something new. Ford moves to behind him, moving Bill's hair out of the way.
"You have a tattoo of the zodiac on your back." Ford hums, tracing the circle. Bill gets a weird chill, and bumps form on his arms and legs.
"Goosebumps. When your hair on your body stands up." Ford explains quickly. His hand finds the base of Bill's tail and scratches there. Bill jolts away and turns to frown at Ford.
"What was that for??" Bill narrows his eye, tail flicking in annoyance.
"Hm. Tail behaves like a cat's. I wonder if it wags like a dog's." Ford mumbles to himself, and Bill rolls his eye. Of course this nerd is wondering how his damn tail behaves.
"Since you have breasts, I'm wondering if-" Ford starts, coming back around to stand in front, examining Bill's chest.
"I'm not showing you my vagina, you pervert!" Bill kicks him away, not enough force to knock him over but enough.
"Don't say it like that! You know that's not what-" Ford tries to defend, his cheeks red. Bill rolls his eye and shrugs his shirt back on. Ford is quick to put the handcuffs back on him.
"That's what all the perverts say." Bill smirks, and Ford shakes his head.
"I need to collect a blood sample to test your DNA." Ford announces, rummaging around in a desk drawer for something, then finds it and cleans it, setting something up. Bill isn't paying attention.
He starts paying attention when Ford tries to bring something sharp and stabby near him.
"Hey, I though we said no murder yet! I'm all for a little bit of pain, but-" Bill complains, and Ford audibly groans.
"Would you be quiet? It's just a needle, I'll just take some of your blood." Ford explains, sounding exasperated.
"Can I have some of yours, then?" Bill blurts, and Ford grimaces.
"Why would you need my blood?" Ford asks, stopping what he's doing.
"Well, you're taking mine. It's only fair I get some of yours." Bill shrugs, and Ford huffs an exasperated laugh.
"No. I'm taking yours for a DNA test." Ford explains again.
"You're no fun." Bill rolls his eye again, and Ford's sharp tool stabs him in the arm. It hurts. Good.
"You trying to seduce me, Sixer?" Bill giggles, and Ford grits his teeth.
"For the last time, I'm taking your blood to test your DNA." Ford grumbles, removing the syringe and covering the spot he took from with gauze.
"We're done here. You'll stay down here until I come let you out, got it?" Ford orders, and Bill hops off the table.
"Boring! Aren't you scared I'm gonna get into all your precious research?" Bill teasingly knocks into something to make it fall over on purpose.
"That's why I'm chaining you to your bed." Ford waves a hand at the makeshift bed, complete with an old bed framr that's definitely seen better days and a dirty mattress with mystery stains on it, as well as a comfortable enough looking blanket.
"When do I eat?" Bill asks, stomach complaining at the lack of food since breakfast. Ford chains him to the bedpost as he complains, tugging on it to make sure he can't escape.
"I'll get you something later. For now, I need to be away from you." Ford sighs and leaves Bill alone again.
At least in the theraprisim he got his own room. This sucks!