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I lost them.
I got separated from Bill and Dipper, and now I'm stuck in the middle of a crowd with no ride home, all alone in a sea of unfamiliar faces. I called out for them, but it was drowned out by those damned Christmas shoppers; I whipped my phone out of my pocket and swiftly pressed the power button. It didn't turn on, instead flashing the "very low battery" symbol.
Shit.
Okay. Okay, I got this. Sure, I'm stranded with no ride, no communication, and no friends, and maybe I don't have any money on me because Bill said he'd cover it, but no, sure, it's fine, I'll be fine. Totally and completely fine.
Okay, deep breaths.
Shit, I'm already taking deep breaths, but it's not helping much, because I'm using those breaths to call out to my boyfriends even though I know they can't hear me and it's irrational to even try and holy shit, why am I so worked up over this? Is this really how an adult should respond to a situation like this? Probably not?? But like??? Who cares? Because I hate being alone. Despise it. It tends to lead to anxiety attacks and panic attacks, and OH, would you look at that, I'm a puddle of anxious, panicky goop.
Gods, what if they leave without me? What if they think I walked home?
Why don't I walk home??
Probably because I have no sense of direction. Shit. I returned to calling out their names, hands cupped around my mouth in a makeshift megaphone, when suddenly-
"Hello? Are you okay?" asked a voice nearby, and I turned rapidly to face its source.
There was a slightly older couple, probably somewhere in their 50s, standing right behind me. I felt my panic lessen slightly, a little relief flooding through my veins. I sighed.
"Uh, mm, not really? I'm kinda, I got separated from the people I'm with, and it's just kinda, er, stressful, because my phone died, and I, uh...." I trailed off as the woman nodded sympathetically.
"Aw, hon, ain't that a pickle you're in... I presume those names you were calling for were the ones you got separated from? They your kids? Friends?"
"Uh, heh," I hesitated, "no, actually, they're my boyfriends."
There was an awkward pause before she replied with a surprised-sounding "Oh."
The man, who hadn't... actually said anything or even drawn attention to himself until now, grunted, then inquired sharply, "Not to be rude, but how does that work?"
My brows furrowed, and I felt tense again. "Uh, I'm sorry, I don't quite understand the question?"
He sighed in an exasperated manner and made a quite obvious attempt to not roll his eyes. "I asked how that would work; you know, the whole 'two boyfriends' thing."
Why was it so warm all of a sudden? Christ, it felt like the sun was baring down on me with all the heat of the Sahara!
"W-Well, I mean... I like one of them, and they like me... they like each other... and the other likes me, and vice versa? It's basically the same as a couple, but with another person, really." I explained, minutely shaking. I could feel the heat in my cheeks.
The woman cocked her head. "But doesn't it feel wrong to you?"
Okay, this is really uncomfortable. "Uh, no, not really. I mean, I love them both, and I know they love me too. I'm happy where I am, and honestly, this is kind of making me uncomfortable and I have people to find, so if I could just--"
"But it's wrong!" interjected the man, "It's morally wrong to be with more than one person, and it's selfish--"
A hand settled gently onto my shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze, and I jumped, whipping my head around to find the culprit. I was greeted by two familiar faces, and upon seeing them, I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding.
"Actually, it's not morally wrong because all three of us agreed to be in this relationship, and it's not selfish to want to be happy. Not that it's any of your business. There are seven billion people in the world; I'm sure you can find another, if you are so inclined." Bill snapped. A comforting hand intertwined its fingers with my own, and I looked over just in time to see Dipper give me a reassuring smile before turning a withering gaze onto the pair in front of us.
"Not that you should be anyway," he added, nodding toward the matching golden rings on their fingers. "because that would be 'morally wrong,' after all." his words held a snarky undertone that shocked the couple just long enough for Bill to press a kiss to my temple and murmur,
"Let's go home."
And they didn't get a chance to get another word in edgewise.