[Bill has experienced a lot of personal growth, by which I of course do not mean personal or emotional development and only mean that he's taller. His feet are on the ground and his hat comes up to Ford's shoulder. It's a touch smaller than the size he seemed to prefer in the mindscape, but this is about as tall as he can get and still have his widest point fit through doors.]
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME LYING TO YOU WITH AMNESIA AND ME LYING TO A VERSION OF YOU THAT'S A KID AND SCREWING AROUND WITH THE COPIER MACHINE? OR A VERSION OF YOU THAT'S GOT CLAWS? HUH? I'M SORRY ABOUT THE LOKI PART. THAT WAS DUMB.
[Does Ford want to have this conversation? He's not sure he does. He's very weary of picking apart everything Bill does and says. It's been....simpler, without him. Lonelier in a lot of ways, but Ford suspects he might be happier now.]
If you're trying to figure out when it is and isn't acceptable to lie to me, then I'm not sure we have much to discuss.
[Silence from the door. Ford supposes, on reflection, that he'd feel the same way, if a fresh-from-Weirdmageddon Bill showed up, even if it had the same dimensional signature.]
I see.
[The meaning there's all in the tone: it's not dismissive, it's an, "I get it."]
I shouldn't have expected honesty from you, anyway. I should have realized you'd decide to protect yourself! Frankly, it's everyone who knows both of us that should've spoken up.
I ASKED EM NOT TO, BACK WHEN I THOUGHT YOU WERE A NEW FORD AND THAT I WAS JUST LEAVING ANYWAY.
[Bill is tall enough to meaningfully sit, now, lean his back panel against Ford's door and let gravity flump him down to the floor, his black stick legs sticking straight out in front of him.]
I CAN'T DO IT AGAIN. I CAN'T START OVER AGAIN. I DON'T HAVE IT IN ME.
You asked our friends not to tell me you were here?!
...
[The implications of that kind of domino themselves into place. Ohhhh it feels familiar. Oh fuck.]
Bill Cipher, if you're going to keep doing things that make me mistrust everyone I know, you're going to have to start over, because I'm never going to speak to you again!
[He's going to deal with the fact that NO ONE TOLD HIM ABOUT THAT later. Good god, when are people going to stop keeping secrets from him on Bill Cipher's behalf?]
You think I want things to be like this? Where I can't trust you because everything you said about trying to be better turned out to be another lie the second you decided I couldn't take care of myself? Where you have no idea what you want out of your future anymore but one with me in it isn't worth taking a single risk over, so you're just going to sit around without a plan figuring you can just be miserable forever? I'm not the one who doesn't care, Bill!
[Bill is so beyond being able to absorb any of this; it all just kind of hits as a wall of sound. He looks like someone who just had a bomb go off next to him and can only hear ringing in his hears and nothing else.]
YEAH, [he says, hoping that will make sense as a response to whatever the fuck Ford said and will allow him to smoothly exit this conversation.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spam, 11/29/20
He knocks, impatient.]
IT'S BILL.
[Would greatly prefer to argue through the door than to come in, frankly.]
Re: spam, 11/29/20
What do you want?
spam, 11/29/20
His feet are on the ground and his hat comes up to Ford's shoulder. It's a touch smaller than the size he seemed to prefer in the mindscape, but this is about as tall as he can get and still have his widest point fit through doors.]
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ME LYING TO YOU WITH AMNESIA AND ME LYING TO A VERSION OF YOU THAT'S A KID AND SCREWING AROUND WITH THE COPIER MACHINE? OR A VERSION OF YOU THAT'S GOT CLAWS? HUH? I'M SORRY ABOUT THE LOKI PART. THAT WAS DUMB.
no subject
[Does Ford want to have this conversation? He's not sure he does. He's very weary of picking apart everything Bill does and says. It's been....simpler, without him. Lonelier in a lot of ways, but Ford suspects he might be happier now.]
If you're trying to figure out when it is and isn't acceptable to lie to me, then I'm not sure we have much to discuss.
no subject
[A noticeable stumble, Bill corrects a word before it comes out.]
THAT I CARE ABOUT IS THE ONE I'VE BEEN THROUGH EVERYTHING WITH TOGETHER.
no subject
[Silence from the door. Ford supposes, on reflection, that he'd feel the same way, if a fresh-from-Weirdmageddon Bill showed up, even if it had the same dimensional signature.]
I see.
[The meaning there's all in the tone: it's not dismissive, it's an, "I get it."]
I shouldn't have expected honesty from you, anyway. I should have realized you'd decide to protect yourself! Frankly, it's everyone who knows both of us that should've spoken up.
no subject
[Bill is tall enough to meaningfully sit, now, lean his back panel against Ford's door and let gravity flump him down to the floor, his black stick legs sticking straight out in front of him.]
I CAN'T DO IT AGAIN. I CAN'T START OVER AGAIN. I DON'T HAVE IT IN ME.
no subject
You asked our friends not to tell me you were here?!
...
[The implications of that kind of domino themselves into place. Ohhhh it feels familiar. Oh fuck.]
Bill Cipher, if you're going to keep doing things that make me mistrust everyone I know, you're going to have to start over, because I'm never going to speak to you again!
[He's going to deal with the fact that NO ONE TOLD HIM ABOUT THAT later. Good god, when are people going to stop keeping secrets from him on Bill Cipher's behalf?]
no subject
[Bill stands, preparing to leave. This went super well.]
no subject
no subject
[Bill's tone goes breezy, businesslike.]
WE MADE A CONTRACT YOUR FIRST WEEK HERE. RESTRICTIONS ON ME, NOT YOU. I'M DISSOLVING IT.
[He snaps - click. Nothing happens, because it was never real except in Bill's mind.]
no subject
Oh, I don't care?
You think I want things to be like this? Where I can't trust you because everything you said about trying to be better turned out to be another lie the second you decided I couldn't take care of myself? Where you have no idea what you want out of your future anymore but one with me in it isn't worth taking a single risk over, so you're just going to sit around without a plan figuring you can just be miserable forever? I'm not the one who doesn't care, Bill!
no subject
YEAH, [he says, hoping that will make sense as a response to whatever the fuck Ford said and will allow him to smoothly exit this conversation.]
no subject
You're a real piece of work.
[If shutting the door in Bill's face counts as a smooth exit, Bill gets it. There's a pause, and then a thunk as Ford's fist hits the wood.]
no subject