Chapter Text
"So, what’s the next step in this ‘Benny Finally Gets a Real Childhood’ plan? Disney? Pillow forts? Ice cream at midnight? I’m wide open to chaos."
"There's so much stuff we could do!" I exclaim.
Something in my stomach turns.
But not in a bad way.
I don't exactly know what I'm feeling.
Billie grins, drumming his hands on the table like he's hyping up a big announcement. "Exactly! The possibilities are endless!"
Adrienne shakes her head, laughing softly. "You two are going to get into so much trouble together, I can already tell."
Billie smirks, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Oh, definitely. But, like, the fun kind of trouble." He leans in conspiratorially. "So, Benny, what’s at the top of the list? Theme park? Midnight snacks? Video game marathon? Absolutely reckless amounts of caffeine?"
He pauses, grinning. "Or do we go full childhood chaos mode and do something totally ridiculous?" His green eyes sparkle with excitement. "I mean, I am an adult with zero impulse control and access to a car, so we could totally just... go on an adventure right now. No rules. Just pure, unhinged fun."
He leans back, smirking. "What do you say, kid? Call the shots. This is your childhood reboot, and I’m just along for the ride."
I think for a minute before I look at Billie mischievously, "we should make a pillow fort, and watch a movie, and get midnight snacks, AND go on a walk and get hig- yep just go on a walk."
I slap my hand over my mouth before playing it off like it was nothing.
For a minute I forgot that Billie isn't my friend.
I can't say those things around him.
Billie raises an eyebrow, instantly picking up on my little slip-up. He smirks but doesn’t call me out on it-at least, not directly. Instead, he leans in, resting his chin on his hand like he’s studying me.
"Hmm. Interesting. Very interesting." He strokes his imaginary beard, pretending to be deep in thought. "You had a whole plan there, Benny. But then you, uh… redirected."
Adrienne shoots him a warning look, but she’s smiling. "Billie."
He holds up his hands innocently. "I said nothing!" Then, turning back to me, his smirk returns. "Alright, alright. Pillow fort? Check. Movie? Check. Midnight snacks? Obviously. And the walk? As long as we’re just walking, sounds good to me."
He leans back in his chair, still grinning. "But if you ever do feel like telling me what that little edit was about… just know I’ve done way dumber shit than you can probably imagine." He smirks. "And I’m not the ‘lecture you to death’ type. I am, however, the ‘make sure you don’t do anything too dumb without backup’ type."
Adrienne sighs, shaking her head with a fond smile. "I don’t know if that’s reassuring or really concerning."
Billie shrugs, grinning at me.
"Anyway! We’ve got a fort to build and an ungodly amount of junk food to consume. You ready, kid?"
"Hell yeah!" I exclaim.
Billie jumps up from his chair, clapping his hands together like a coach getting his team hyped. "Alright, troops! Operation Ultimate Pillow Fort is officially a go!"
Adrienne shakes her head, laughing softly. "I’ll grab extra blankets before you two start stealing all the couch cushions."
Billie smirks at me.
"See? She knows us too well already."
He gestures dramatically toward the living room.
"Alright, Benny, let’s get to work. We need maximum coziness. Strategic placement of pillows. Structural integrity. Mood lighting. This isn't just a fort-this is a freakin' stronghold."
He pauses, then grins.
"Also, what’s the movie of choice? Horror? Comedy? Something so bad it’s good?"
His green eyes sparkle mischievously.
"Or do we just throw on something completely ridiculous and make fun of it the whole time?"
I think for a minute.
Then it hits me.
"What about... Ordinary World?" I say mischievously grinning at Billie.
Billie freezes for a second, then slowly turns to look at me, squinting like he’s trying to figure out if I'm serious.
"Oh. Oh, you little shit."
Adrienne bursts out laughing from across the room, covering her mouth.
*Billie dramatically throws himself onto the couch like he’s just been personally attacked.
"Out of every movie in existence… you pick that one? My own movie? The one where I attempt to be a normal suburban dad and fail miserably?"
He groans, covering his face with a pillow, but I can hear the amusement in his voice.
"I knew adopting you was gonna come back to bite me, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon."
He peeks out from behind the pillow, smirking.
"Alright, fine. You wanna watch Ordinary World? We’ll watch it. But just know that you’re about to witness some peak cringe, and it is entirely your fault."
Adrienne shakes her head, still laughing. "You walked right into that one, babe."
Billie sighs dramatically, then sits up, pointing at me. "Okay, but if we do this, we’re roasting it the entire time. Full Mystery Science Theater 3000 mode. No mercy."
He grins, shaking his head. "Damn. I knew you were a little menace."
"Okay okay, we can watch something else." I say, raising my hands up like he caught me committing a crime.
Billie narrows his eyes at me playfully, like he’s trying to decide whether to accept my surrender.
"Mmm-hmm. That’s what I thought."
Adrienne smirks as she tosses a blanket onto the couch.
"Wow, Benny, that was impressive. You actually made him backpedal for once."
Billie scoffs, crossing his arms. "I did not backpedal-I just, y’know, graciously accepted the offer to watch literally anything else."
Then, looking at me with a smirk, he adds, "But don’t think I didn’t catch that mischievous little grin. You knew exactly what you were doing."
He flops onto the floor, leaning back on his elbows.
"Alright, then. What’s the real pick? Horror? Something ridiculous? I’m down for whatever, as long as it pairs well with an obscene amount of snacks."
"Have you ever watched Bird Box?" I suggest. "It's a pretty good movie, it's one of my favorites."
Billie’s eyebrows shoot up, and he gives an approving nod.
"Ohhh, good choice. Yeah, I’ve heard of it. The whole ‘don’t look or you’re screwed’ thing? That’s some next-level horror tension."
He smirks, leaning in conspiratorially. "Also, Sandra Bullock? Absolute badass."
Adrienne chuckles as she finishes setting up extra pillows. "Just a warning, Benny-Billie will yell at the screen if characters make dumb choices."
Billie scoffs, throwing up his hands. "I can’t help it! If someone in a horror movie decides to do the stupidest possible thing, I have to say something! It’s a moral obligation!"
He turns to me with a grin. "So, you good with running commentary, or are we going full serious ‘immersed in the horror’ mode?"
I laugh loudly, "oh don't worry, I yell at the TV too!"
Billie’s face lights up like I just told him the greatest news ever.
"Hell. Yes. Benny, I knew we were gonna get along."
Adrienne groans, shaking her head fondly as she tosses another blanket onto the pillow fort.
"Great. Now I have two of you screaming at the TV. I’m never going to get a peaceful movie night again, am I?"
Billie smirks at her, then looks back at me.
"Alright, it’s official-we’re gonna absolutely roast every dumb decision in this movie. If someone takes off their blindfold for no reason? Immediate judgment. If they split up when they clearly shouldn’t? Yelling will be mandatory."
He flops into the pillow fort dramatically, grabbing a handful of snacks. "Alright, let’s do this. Bird Box: Armstrong Commentary Edition-live."
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As the movie starts, Billie immediately shifts into full commentary mode, settling into the pillow fort.
He tosses some popcorn into his mouth as the eerie opening scene plays out.
Then, as soon as Sandra Bullock starts warning the kids about the dangers ahead, he points dramatically at the screen. "See? This is exactly the kind of no-nonsense energy I respect. ‘You take off that blindfold, and you die.’ Boom. Straight to the point. No sugarcoating."
When the chaos in the streets begins and people start looking at the entities, Billie groans loudly. "Nooo, dude! Why?! If people are screaming and throwing themselves into walls, maybe-just maybe-don’t look at the thing!"
He turns to me, wide-eyed, gesturing wildly. "Benny, if we were in this situation, we’d survive. You know why? Because we actually have common sense!"
As another character makes a questionable choice, he throws a handful of popcorn at the screen. "Bro, what are you doing?! Stay inside! Close the damn door!"
"Right, that's literally basic horror survival 101!" I yell.
Adrienne shakes her head, laughing from where she’s curled up nearby. "You two are impossible. I don’t think either of you have been quiet for more than ten seconds."
Billie just grins, nudging me with his elbow. "Admit it, Benny-this is way more fun than watching in silence."
"Yeah, like I wanna talk about why they trust that creepy dude with the wackass drawings!" I say exasperatedly.
Billie throws his hands up, looking absolutely offended by the stupidity. "RIGHT?! Like, bro rolls up with a bunch of nightmare fuel doodles and some real sus energy, and they’re just like, ‘Yeah, seems trustworthy!’"
He points aggressively at the screen. "If some dude with serial killer vibes starts talking about how ‘beautiful’ the monsters are, that is your cue to kick his ass out immediately!"
"Exactly!" I basically yell at him.
He turns to me, eyes wide with disbelief. "Benny, if we’re ever in an apocalypse and some creepy art dude knocks on the door, we’re doing a background check before we even think about letting him in."
Adrienne chuckles, shaking her head. "You two are basically turning this into a horror survival training course."
Billie grins, tossing some popcorn in his mouth. "Exactly. We’re preparing for the worst. If some Bird Box situation ever happens, me and Benny are thriving."
Then, when the creepy dude inevitably betrays them, Billie throws himself back against the pillows dramatically. "OH WOW, WHO COULD’VE SEEN THAT COMING?!" He turns to me with a deadpan look. "Oh, that’s right-literally us."
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As the credits roll, Billie stretches his arms over his head, letting out a dramatic sigh. "Well, that was a wild ride. And, as expected, we were right about everything."
He turns to me, smirking. "Moral of the story? Don’t trust weird dudes with creepy drawings, don’t take off your damn blindfold, and if you hear some whispery demon voices, maybe don’t go running toward them like an idiot."
Adrienne shakes her head, smiling as she gathers up some of the empty snack wrappers. "You two were nonstop commentary the entire time. That was honestly more entertaining than the movie itself."
Billie grins, nudging me playfully. "Hell yeah, Benny-solid first movie night. Strong teamwork on the yelling-at-the-TV front. We make a great horror survival duo."
Then, his expression turns mischievous. "Sooo… what’s next? More movies? Late-night snack raid? Or do we really embrace the chaos and go for that midnight walk?" His green eyes sparkle with mischief. "I did promise an adventure."