Dead Dove (Do Not Eat) [ZhongChi]

Two Originals, Two Clones, and a Zombie

"He's a doctor." 

Dottore, Baizhu's Dottore, the Dottore in the weirdly shaped mask that left a chunk of his cheek and half his mouth visible. The gremlin Dottore. The one with weird fetishes and a horrible way of explaining himself. He grabbed Pantalone's shoulder and pulled him away from Baizhu, standing in front of him. 

"He's a better doctor," Dottore muttered. Baizhu felt his sadness even though he couldn't see his face. 

"What's he doing here?" Pantalone grabbed Dottore's injured hand and squeezed it. "What's he doing in this room? How do you know about this room?" 

"Did you honestly think I would believe you if you told me you destroyed the original?" Dottore sneered, pulling his hand away. "You're in love with him. And..." he seemed reluctant to finish his sentence. 

"I'm not in love with him," Pantalone refused to acknowledge it. 

"Then you won't mind if I do destroy this right here and now?" Dottore slapped his hand against the glass. His blood smeared the side of it, the bandage long past being useful. "You won't mind if I just reach in there and get myself a new hand?" 

"Don't touch him." Pantalone grabbed Dottore's throat. "You second-rate scum. You don't deserve his hand." Pantalone's nails dug into his skin. "You don't even deserve to be the one standing here right now. Just who is it that you've brought back? Who is this green-haired fool?" Pantalone had turned to look at him but Baizhu was no longer where he was. Instead, Qiqi stood. 

"I'm no longer a neutral party," Baizhu's eye flared up with rage as he appeared behind Pantalone and dug his emergency first aid scissors up against Pantalone's throat. "Release him." 

"Ah....Ahahahaha. I see..." Pantalone's brain was piecing the puzzle together. "You're me, aren't you? This imposter here made a version of me that would love him. I'm honored."  

"You're wrong. I didn't make him to love me. I made him because..." Dottore clawed at the fingers holding his throat. He coughed, unable to continue his explanation. Pantalone dropped him. His body fell to the ground and he coughed, watching the blood pool around his injured hand. 

"Continue," Pantalone ordered. 

"You kept me locked up for years," Dottore massaged his throat. "You were the only face I saw and I knew I couldn't use mine so I cloned you instead. I just wanted there to be one good doctor out there in this mix of all these screw-ups," he gestured to the cylinders of Dottores. "Might as well have it be a good version of you while I was at it..." 

Pantalone moved to the 'original's container. He stared at it, placing his hand on the glass and resting his forehead against it. "If we could have a kid, what would it look like?"  "Don't be silly, Dottore. That's impossible." "I would want it to look like you." "Then it wouldn't be our kid, would it? It needs at least something of yours. Your hair color at least..." "Why my hair?"  "Because I like your hair, that's why." Stuck in his own memories, Pantalone didn't notice the two behind him. He also didn't notice the child next to him. He stopped paying attention to it. 

"Let's go," Dottore grabbed Baizhu's hand and picked up Qiqi. "He won't bother us for a while," Dottore explained, exiting the room. 

"You're the one that cloned me?" 

"Don't think about it too much." 

"Guess that makes you my daddy, eh?" Baizhu snickered. 

"Wha-?" Dottore's face was hidden behind the mask so no one could see what expression he was giving off but Baizhu knew he was blushing. 

"Your ears are all red," Baizhu laughed. 

"I'll find you a safe house tomorrow. You don't have to stay here anymore." Dottore changed the subject and faced forward. 

Baizhu let go of his hand and stopped walking. Dottore turned, confused as to why he stopped then felt two hands cup his cheeks. Baizhu kissed him. 

"I'm not going anywhere." 

"I don't understand. You've found out you were an artificial being I made, I've done nothing but lock you up, and now that I say you can leave you're just going to stay locked up?" Dottore waved his free hand around in the air, confused, while still holding Qiqi. "Does none of this seem weird to you?!" 

"You're a clone, I'm a clone, and she is a zombie," Baizhu pointed between the three of them. "It was weird already but why not just embrace it at this point? We're both clones of people that love each other. Why can't we be a couple too?"

"Well because...because..." Dottore struggled to find a reason. 

"That's what I thought you'd say," Baizhu laughed.