Near the western border of Oregon lies the small town of Gravity Falls. To most, the town is nothing more than a peaceful, pass through town. They would be frightened to know how wrong they are. For you see, the forest surrounding Gravity Falls is home to many a monster, beast, and creature the likes of which you've never seen outside of books and movies. Not that you could see them even if you tried.
A short ways into the woods sat the cabin known as the Mystery Shack. It was a tourist trap that hosted a number of fake oddities. It's owner, Stan Pines, was a man of secrets and mysteries. Normally he was a loner, only coming into town for supplies and his only company at the Shack being the two workers. However, earlier in the week, the man's great nephew and great niece had come to town to visit for the summer.
They were twins, both sporting curly brown hair and caramel eyes. The girl, Mabel, had waist-length hair and a variety of handmade sweaters in a rainbow of colors. The boy, Dipper, had chin-length hair and a baseball cap he often used to hide his face. During those first days, the two stuck close to the shack, for the most part, and helped around the gift shop. Mabel made the trip into town once, in search of her "epic summer romance", but Dipper barely stepped outside. Every time he did, he got an odd feeling. It was like the feeling you get when someone's watching you crossed with the feeling that something bad was going to happen. It was a feeling Dipper didn't want anything to do with, so he stayed inside as much as possible. He also elected to stay far away from the forest.
"Hey kid, go hang these signs up outside in the trees."
By the way, the universe hated Dipper.
Dipper looked up from his sweeping just in time to catch the signs his great uncle dumped into his arms.
"But Grunkle Stan -"
"No butts except yours out the door," the older man said, moving away to help - or more likely, scam - a customer.
Dipper jumped as his sister popped up behind him, laughing.
"It's not funny, Mabel." Dipper glanced around before lowering his voice. "I think there's something in the woods. My type of something."
Mabel tilted her head. "Have you seen anything?"
"Well, no."
"Then you're probably just being para- I'm mean, Grunkle Stan's stories are probably just getting to you."
"Hey kid, get moving!"
Dipper sighed and adjusted the signs in his arms, handing the broom to Mabel. "I hope you're right," he told her as he headed out of the Shack.
Dipper knew she wasn't though.
You see, this wasn't the first time Dipper had felt something like this. Though he had only ever felt the exact feeling once before, that one instance had made it pretty clear that he should listen.
Mabel had dragged him along with her to hang out with her friends, which would have been bad enough, but the group - minus Dipper - had wanted to investigate an abandoned warehouse. The moment he got within twenty feet of the building, Dipper had been hit by a feeling of bad, wrong, danger, no! He had held his tongue though, knowing he would just be ridiculed. The group was sent out of the building, screaming, not twenty minutes after entering. Of course, the group - minus Dipper - had laughed off the experience seconds after leaving the building. And why shouldn't they? All they saw was a table topple over. Unlike Dipper, they hadn't seen the three-headed, horse-sized dog that had hit it while running towards the group.
They couldn't. Because like everyone else, they couldn't see they weird things Dipper could.
Thankfully, everything Dipper saw in the forest was things anyone could see; birds, squirrels, trees, blissfully normal things.
The bliss ended when Dipper went to hang the last sign and the nail clanged off metal instead of sinking into wood.
"What?" the young boy asked, placing his ear to the tree he had meant to hang the sign on and tapping it with the hammer. It gave a hollow, metal sound. Dipper set down the supplies and started looking over the tree. He found a small symbol carved into the metal. "Weird," Dipper said, running his finger over it. He jumped back when the symbol glowed and a door opened. Dipper pulled the door open the rest of the way to see a little compartment housing a radio-like device.
"Woah!" Minding the spiderwebs, Dipper reached in and flipped the switches. A grinding noise came from behind him and he turned to see a hatch opening in the ground.
"I... should probably leave," Dipper muttered, but approached the hatch anyways. Inside sat an old book. He pulled it out, brushing away spider webs and blowing off dust. The book was maroon with a gold-colored hand on the cover. Looking closer, Dipper realized the hand had six fingers and the number three was on the cover.
The boy opened up the book to the first page and his eyes widened as he realized the book was actually a handwritten journal.
"It's hard to believe it's been six years since I came to Gravity Falls, Oregon to study the odd energy anomalies," Dipper read before he began flicking through the book. As he turned page after page, his eyes grew wider and wider. Gnomes, giant bats, spells, potions... "What is all of this?" he asked himself as each new page revealed a journalized entry for all sorts of things that didn't exist. That shouldn't exist. And yet...
Dipper paused as he reached a page that looked closer to a normal journal entry. "It seems my fears have been proven true. I'm being watched. I've made plans to hide this journal. To whomever may be reading this, remember: In Gravity Falls, there is no way of knowing who may be trustworthy. Trust no one!"
Dipper snorted. He didn't need a book to tell him not to trust people. But the monsters the journal talked about... Could it be possible that someone else can - or at least could - see things like Dipper? Not just imaginary friends like the other kids in the therapy group his parents had taken him to once when he was ten, but the scary things that no one else could see? The invisible people and creatures that could move things and shove people?
Dipper's inner thoughts were cut off when something landed on his head. The boy jumped and screamed, dropping the book. Dislodged from the boy's hat by his jerky movements, the ball of fur toppled into Dipper's lap.
"What the..." Dipper mumbled as the ferret - at least he thought it was a ferret; were ferret's supposed to be that yellow? - shook itself before glaring up at him. "Alright, um, shoo. Go back to your home, little guy - girl - thing," Dipper said, making a shooing motion.
The ferret didn't so much as twitch its tail.
Dipper slowly stood up in hopes that the creature would get the hint and jump off. Instead, it had the opposite effect. The little yellow animal scampered up his shirt and rested itself on Dipper's shoulders, tucked between Dipper's neck and the collar of his vest.
"Hey," Dipper shouted. He tried to grab the ferret, but when he received a hiss and attempted bite, he froze.
The ferret made a small chittering, laugh-like noise and nuzzled closer to Dipper's neck.
Very aware of the proximity of claws and teeth to his neck, the brunet didn't move for a few moments.
"Hey kid, you done hanging up those signs?"
Glancing in the direction the voice had come from, Dipper called out, "Almost."
"Hurry up, time is money!"
Dipper sighed and tried to grab the ferret again. This time, the snap grazed his fingers.
"Alright, whatever, you win!"
Dipper ducked down and looked at the journal, which was still open to the last page Dipper had been on. It was labeled Bill Cipher and had a drawing of a triangle wearing a top hat. Without reading the page, he closed the book and picked it up. The book tucked under his arm, Dipper hung the last sign before heading back to the shack.
Sneaking past his grunkle, Dipper slipped upstairs to the attic room he shared with his sister. As he set the journal on his bedside table to read later, the ferret jumped off his shoulder and onto his bed.
"Hey!" he whispered when the animal disappeared under the blanket. He tore the blanket off the bed, but the ferret had disappeared.
Well, Dipper hoped Grunkle Stan didn't have a problem with wild animals running around the Shack. Dipper had found a goat on his bed the first night the twins had been at the shack.
"Hey Bro-bro!"
Dipper looked up from the journal to see Mabel strutting into the bedroom. "Where have you been? I got back from hanging up the signs and you were gone."
"Oh, I went into town with Soos to pick up some stuff," Mabel said, grabbing her pajama shirt.
"That was hours ago. You missed dinner."
"His abuelita needed his help with something so he had to get that done before we could pick up the supplies. It's okay though."
Dipper took in her goofy grin and rolled his eyes. "What happened?"
"Well, since you forced it out of me -"
"I really didn't."
"- I guess I'll have to ruin the surprise. I got a boyfriend!"
"Seriously? In the time you were gone?"
"Yep! His name is Norman. We met in the cemetery. He's deep!"
"Right… Well, you won't guess what I found today," Dipper said, holding up the journal.
Mabel gasped and put her hands over her mouth. "Dipper, it's adorable!"
The male twin blinked and looked down at the book. Adorable?
Suddenly, a fluffy yellow tail flopped down in front of Dipper's eyes. The boy froze as he noticed the small weight on the top of his head. "Oh, it's you," he said, swatting the tail out of his face.
"Where did you find it?" Mabel cooed, coming closer.
"I didn't. It jumped me when I was hanging up signs and refused to get off until I got back to the shack."
"Does Grunkle Stan know?"
"No, and he doesn't need to. We're not keeping it."
Dipper felt claws dig into his hair.
"Aw, but she's sooooo cute!"
Mabel jumped when the ferret hissed at her.
"Cute, huh?"
"I just made it mad," Mabel waved it off. "But what did I say? Oh, I know! Is it because I called you a girl? Huh, are you a boy?" Mabel took the chitter-laugh noise as a confirmation. "I'm sorry, little guy. I should have said he's so cute."
Mabel frowned when the ferret hissed at her again.
"Maybe he just doesn't like being called cute," Dipper snorted, and was surprised when the ferret made his chitter-laugh and dropped down to Dipper's shoulders.
"Daw!" Mabel cooed as he nuzzled up to Dipper's neck. "See, he likes you. We have to keep him!"
"He doesn't like me," Dipper argued.
The ferret countered the argument by licking Dipper's cheek.
"Grunkle Stan won't let us keep him," Dipper deadpanned to his starry-eyed sister.
"We'll just have to convince him," Mabel said, determination and cheer filling her gaze.
Dipper groaned and flopped back to lay on his bed. The ferret scrambled off Dipper's shoulders and onto his stomach so as not to be squashed. The creature hissed the whole time, almost sounding like it was cursing under its breath.
Mabel giggled and skipped out of the room, heading for the bathroom to change.
Dipper picked his head up to glare at the ferret. "You're evil; I know it!"
Was it possible for a ferret to smirk? Because the ferret was definitely smirking.
"So, what are you going to name him?" Mabel asked when she returned.
"Why do I have to name him?"
"Because he's your ferret."
"No, he's not."
Mabel reached over to pet the ferret and it darted away, choosing to curl up next to Dipper's head. Mabel sent her brother a pointed look.
"Fine," Dipper sighed. The boy searched his mind for a name, but for some reason, his brain kept pulling him back to the page on the fancy triangle in the journal. It was fitting, he supposed. That had been the page Dipper had been on when the ferret had attacked him. "How about Cipher?"
The ferret perked up and Mabel asked, "Cipher?"
"Like secret codes; the Atbash Cipher, the Caesar Cipher, the Vigenère Cipher."
"Are you sure you don't want something cuter like Lemon Drop or Daisy Boy or -"
Mabel was cut off when the ferret hissed at her. Once she had stopped, he ducked down to lick Dipper's cheek.
"Cipher it is," Mabel said, not at all discouraged. "Alright you two, bedtime. I need my beauty sleep for my date with Norman tomorrow.
"Wait, Mabel," Dipper called, but his twin switched off the light.
"Night Dipper."
Dipper sighed. He'd just have to show her the journal later. "Night Mabel."
Dipper grabbed the book light from the bedside table and hooked it to the journal. As he leaned back on his pillows and resumed his skimming of the journal, he felt Cipher curl up against his side.
He eventually paused at a page that was, compared to the surrounding pages, rather empty. It only had a title and a small passage. There wasn't even a picture.
Dipper adjusted the light and read:
Witches and Warlocks
Witches and warlocks are renowned for being the only humans capable of seeing beings of magic without the need for magical or technological intervention, not considering psychics who can only sense magic using their sixth sense. They are also the only humans capable of using magic. This has led many to believe witches and warlocks are actually a different species altogether, though witches and warlocks can be born to average humans and any genetic differences between the two has yet to be discovered.
Witches and warlocks are often accompanied by creatures that greatly resemble animals, though the creatures possess an intelligence beyond that of a normal animal. This notion is believed to be what spawned the idea of familiars. The true purpose of the animals is, as of yet, unknown.
Unfortunately, no known witches or warlocks reside in or near Gravity Falls. Although I have been able to obtain and verify the small amount of information I have by comparing various testimonies from a variety of sources within Gravity Falls Forest, no further information can be gained without locating a true witch or warlock.
"A warlock?" Mabel asked.
The moment the twins had finished breakfast, Dipper had pulled his sister into their room and told her about the journal. He then told her about the theory he had come up with the night before.
"It would make sense, right. It explains why I've always been able to see monsters and stuff!"
"I guess," Mabel said, not sounding convinced. "Does this mean you can cast magic spells?"
"Apparently," Dipper responded, looking down at the journal. That thought hadn't even occurred to him. He'd been far too preoccupied rejoicing in the fact he finally had an explanation for his odd vision. "At least, according to the journal."
Mabel started jumping up and down with excitement. "Oh! Do a spell! Do a spell! Turn my hair pink! No, purple! No, rainbow! And make it so that it floats around like I'm underwater!"
"Uh, Mabel, I don't think there's a spell like that in here," Dipper pointed out, flipping through the journal to a page on spells.
"Can't you just make one up?" Mabel asked, looking through the spells.
"I don't think it's that ea-"
The female twin cut her brother off with a gasp and pointed to one of the spells. "Dipper, do this one! It turns furniture into candy furniture!"
Dipper bit his lip as he looked down at the spell. "I don't know, Mabel. Maybe I should start with -"
Mabel placed her hands on Dipper's cheeks and moved forward so that her face was inches from her brother's. "Candy furniture, Dipper. Candy. Furniture."
Before Dipper could either agree or disagree, Mabel was forced to back away as a hissing ferret jumped onto the book. He then curled up and fell to sleep, body covering the spell in question along with most of the others.
"Well, I guess that's done," Dipper said, setting the book down on the bedside table carefully so as not to upset the temperamental ferret.
Mabel frowned, but her smile returned a second later when the doorbell rang. "Norman's here!" she cheered, charging out of the room.
Dipper followed his sister downstairs at a more relaxed pace and found his grunkle in the living room.
Stan frowned as he looked up at his great nephew. "You better clean up after it."
"Wha-"
Something furry brushed against Dipper's cheek. He groaned, there went the idea that Stan would tell Mabel no.
"Hey family, say hello to my new boyfriend!" Mabel said, coming to the doorway of the living room with a teenager following behind her.
The teen in question had dark eyes, one of which was covered by dark brown bangs. His body was almost completely covered up by a black, dirty, and ripped hoodie and a pair of baggy jeans. He also had an odd, red stone hanging from a chain on his neck.
"Sup," the teen, Norman, said.
"Uh, hey," Dipper said.
"How's it hanging?" Stan added.
"Are you bleeding, Norman?" Dipper asked, noticing something red trailing down the teen's cheek.
"It's... jam."
"I love jam!" Mabel gasped. "Look at this!" she added, gesturing between herself and Norman.
"So... You wanna go... hold hands... or whatever?"
"Oh! Oh my goodness!" Mabel giggled. "Don't wait up!" she shouted, running out of the room. Norman followed, running into walls as he went.
"Am I the only one that thought that was weird?" Dipper asked.
Cipher chitter-laughed in Dipper's ear.
"He's a teenager. Just wait, you'll be just as weird soon enough," Stan offered, heading towards the gift shop.
Dipper bit his lip and headed back to the twin's bedroom. "You think that was weird, right?" he asked Cipher. He received a lick in return. "Yeah, me too."
Dipper grabbed the journal and sat on the bed to flip through it. He felt a twinge and stopped on a page. "Gnomes? Weird, but not helpful." He kept flipping until he found a picture that looked vaguely like Norman. "Sometimes mistaken for teenagers, zombies are known for their paleness and apathetic or aggressive attitudes. Wait, zombie!"
Well, that would explain the grunting and walking into walls. And why they met in the cemetery. But could Mabel really be dating a zombie? Dipper bit his lip. Mabel was too lost in boy-crazy mode to listen and everyone else would just think he's - would ignore him. Proof, he needed proof.
Dipper grabbed his video camera out of the closet and took off to follow Mabel.
Dipper was frowning as he came into the twins' bedroom. He had looked through the footage he had taken of Mabel and Norman's date from the day before, but he couldn't find any definitive proof that Norman was a zombie. Still, he had to say something to Mabel before her next date.
"Hey, bro-bro, what do you think?" Mabel asked, holding her arms out so Dipper could see her date attire.
"You look great, Mabel, but there's something you should know. Something about Norman." Dipper held up the journal and Mabel gasped.
"Do you think he's a vampire?" She asked, looking star-eyed.
"What? No, worse." He opened the journal up to the bookmarked page. "Shabam!"
Mabel screamed.
Dipper smiled, only to frown when he looked down at the journal. He had somehow missed the bookmarked page. Gnomes again? Weird. Dipper flicked to the zombie page as he said, "Oh, sorry, wrong page. Shabam!" He held out the journal, showing his sister the correct page.
"A zombie, really Dipper?"
"I'm serious Mabel!"
"Come on, even if you're right, how would I even be able to see him?"
"I -" Dipper glanced down at the journal. Humans weren't supposed to be able to see zombies. "I don't know, but you've seen how he acts."
"So he's a little weird."
"He's more than a little weird."
"Dipper -"
"I know the journal doesn't list any weaknesses, but I think I've got a plan on how to capture him, then we can pro-"
"Dipper!"
Dipper's mouth snapped shut at his sister's shout.
"Look, I know you're worried and I know you think you see stuff sometimes, but -"
"Think," Dipper whispered.
Mabel froze. "I..."
"You don't believe me."
"I - that's - Dippin Dots, I just meant you're worried about me getting my first boyfriend so you're acting a little para- you're overreacting."
"You think I'm paranoid."
"A-a little."
"You think I'm crazy."
"That's not what I -"
"Do you think I'm crazy?" Dipper practically shouted.
Mabel bit her lip. "Dipper..."
The doorbell rang and the twins could hear Grunkle Stan calling for Mabel.
"Just go," Dipper said, turning away from his sister and closing the journal.
"Bro-bro... I'm sorry." Then she was gone.
Dipper felt his eyes begin to sting. He threw the journal and lied down on his bed. He drew his legs into his chest as tears slipped free. There was a rustling noise, which turned out to be Cipher messing with the journal. The young boy sighed and turned over.
He knew he was crazy. He had always known. It was stupid to hope he could be anything but. Mabel had always believed in him though. Or at least that's what he had thought.
Cipher started nudging at his back.
"Leave me alone," Dipper hissed and Cipher hissed back at him.
The ferret continued to nudge at Dipper's back, but he ignored it. Eventually, Cipher gave up. He gave a little huff before walking off, brushing against Dipper's head as he did so.
Dipper's eyes flickered close as his mind grew fuzzy. Almost like he was drifting... off... to sleep...
A hand combed through his hair.
Brown eyes flew open and the boy quickly uncurled.
There was someone over him, leaning on their hands and knees. They seemed to be about fourteen years old and - androgynous, that was the word for it right? Their body certainly seemed masculine, but their face was way too soft to belong to a boy. Their brilliant blue eyes were surrounded by long, full eyelashes and the change in color between their pale red lips and dark chestnut skin spoke of makeup. Even their hair was in an androgynous layered style that was black at the top and faded to golden-yellow where it ended just below their chin.
They wore a men's yellow, short-sleeved button-up shirt with a black, tailed vest and a bow tie over. They also wore a yellow layered skirt with a brick pattern and yellow Mary Janes. The outfit was completed by black tights, Sunday gloves, and top hat.
"Aw, how cute, you're speechless!" they chuckled, ruffling Dipper's hair.
The boy flinched and scrambled away from them, falling off the bed in the process. He blushed as the stranger laughed at his clumsiness. He jumped to his feet and glared down at them. "Who are you? What are you doing in my room?"
The stranger smiled and stood up.
Wow they are tall, Dipper thought. The top of Dipper's head maybe reached their chin. Dipper blamed the heels.
"Well, I've had many names over the years. Can't tell you my actual name - you'd evaporate into dust with an expression of horror and ecstasy on your face - so you can just use the name you've been calling me, Cipher."
"Ciph- you mean the ferret?" Dipper asked. His blush increased as the stranger leaned closer to him. The boy tried to back up, but his back pressed against the table between his and Mabel's beds.
The stranger hummed and leaned even closer so that their nose was just an inch apart from Dipper's. "Yes, but I'm not a ferret."
Obviously, Dipper thought. Ferrets aren't oddly attractive creepers that sneak into your room.
Dipper shivered at the leer the stranger, Cipher, sent him.
"What are you, then?"
"My species, so to speak, has quite a few names as well. Basically, I'm an extremely powerful magical being from another plane of reality." Cipher held up their hand and Dipper jumped as blue flames flared up around it.
The boy stared at the flames and reached his hand up to touch them. They were warm, but they didn't burn him like normal flames. They disappeared as Cipher snatched Dipper's hand, threading their fingers through his. Their other hand came up to curl around his cheek, pulling his attention back to Cipher's face.
"Are you a guy or a girl?"
Dipper flushed the moment the words were out of his mouth and Cipher laughed.
"Honestly kid, I'm not sure. My dimension has 14 billion different genders. It's very confusing. It would take years of paperwork to sort it all out."
"I... Right." 14 billion genders? And Dipper had thought people getting mad at someone for not conforming to one of two genders had been crazy before. "So... Why are you here?"
"Simple, for you."
"Me?"
"Yep, I want to train you."
"Train me, in what?"
Cipher's eyes flickered and Dipper realized they were the same color as the flames from before. "Magic, Pine Tree. I wanna train you to use your magic."
"This... is about me being a warlock."
"See, I knew you were a smart one, Pine Tree," Cipher cheered, leaning even closer to Dipper so they were nose to nose. "My kind have always been close to yours. Your book even talks about us."
Dipper frowned. The book hadn't mentioned any magical creatures helping witches or warlocks, except - "You mean the familiars."
"That's one name for us, sure."
"But I thought familiars were animals."
"More or less. We usually use animal forms since animals are more inconspicuous. Plus, small animal forms are easier to maintain."
"I guess that makes sense," Dipper mumbled. "But do I really need a familiar? I mean, I have the journal to teach me spells and stuff. Do all witches and warlocks have familiars?"
"Well, no. Some do choose to not have a familiar. Like those who are in covens - they sometimes survive - or the ones who release their familiar when they decide they don't need a familiar anymore - they usually make it a few months before dying - and of course there's the idiots who believe they can go it without a familiar from the beginning - they only ever make it around a week. You're smart though, Pine Tree. I bet you'd probably make it through a month, give or take a few days."
"W-wait, survive? What do you mean survive?"
Cipher smirked. "Tell me, Pine Tree, what do you think would have happened if I hadn't of stopped you from casting that spell your sister was trying to get you to cast?"
"I... would have turned Mabel's bed into candy?" Dipper said, the look Cipher was giving him making him question his answer.
"Oh, you'd have definitely have turned her bed to candy, but you'd also have depleted your magical energy reserves since your core isn't used to using that much energy at once. You'd have put yourself into a permanent coma, or worse. But hey, at least your sister would have her candy bed."
Dipper swallowed. "R-right, so no big spells at first."
"You don't want to use too little either. You were okay not using magic before, since the small amount of magic your core produced either faded or was subconsciously used up before you could ever get close to filling up your reserves, but now that you've learned what you are and your powers have awakened, your core has begun to increase production. If your reserves get too full, the magical energy will overflow into your little mortal body. I once saw this witch accidentally electrocute this guy because she let her reserves overflow. And you wouldn't believe the number of witches and warlocks I've seen spontaneously combust after getting too full of magical energy!" Cipher giggled, as if the idea of someone bursting into flames was absolutely hilarious.
Dipper shook at the mental image. "S-so not too much energy, but also not too little." That... definitely made things more difficult. There was no way of telling what spells he would be able to use and when. The journal hadn't listed any kind of difficulty levels for the spells. Why would it? It was written by a human that wouldn't be able to even use the spells. Even if it did, it still didn't say when he'd be able to move from one difficulty to the next.
"However," Cipher said, regaining Dipper's attention, "if you had someone to monitor your magical core and teach you spells in time with your magical growth, you wouldn't need to worry about that."
Dipper narrowed his eyes at Cipher. "So basically I either have you as a familiar or die."
"You could also try to find a coven, but I wouldn't count on finding one in time. The few real ones that exist don't exactly advertise themselves. Not to mention the closest one's on the other side of the country. You might think about trying to track down another of my kind, but I wouldn't if I were you."
When no explanation came, Dipper asked, "Why not?"
The glare Cipher gave him sent up every warning flag Dipper's mind had. And were Cipher's eyes red? "Gravity Falls is mine, and since you awakened here, so are you. I do not share."
Dipper flinched, glancing down. He suddenly realized their hands were still intertwined. He pulled his hand away. He thought Cipher would keep ahold of it, but to his surprise, Cipher let it go. In fact, they stood up straight and took a step back, suddenly back to being blue eyes and smiles.
"So, what's your decision, Pine Tree?" Cipher asked, holding out their hand. "Do you want me to be your familiar."
Dipper bit his lip, looking first at the offered hand and then at Cipher's face. "What's the catch?"
"Catch?" they asked, though their smirk told Dipper they knew exactly where he was going with this.
"Yeah, magical deals like this always have catches. Like with Rumplestiltskin or genies."
"Because the life or death ultimatum isn't catchy enough for you?" Cipher chuckled.
"It would be if I knew what you were getting out of the deal. Rumplestiltskin wanted a baby and genies find loopholes in every wish so that they can torture their masters. Everything has a price, right? So what are you getting out of the deal?"
The next thing he knew, Cipher's arms were wrapped around Dipper's neck and their lips were pressed against his. Dipper's face flared red and -
Oh man! They're kissing me! What do I do? Should I kiss back? What? No, I should push them away! Shouldn't I? It feels good. Doesn't it? It's not like I have any experience. Oh man! This is my first kiss, and it's with a magical being from another dimension! What do I do?
Before Dipper could do anything - or even make up his mind on what he was going to do - Cipher pulled out of the kiss and said, "I knew I liked you, kid."
"I - uh," Dipper stuttered, very aware of just how close they still were.
Cipher chuckled. "You should see the look on your face."
Dipper was pretty sure it was impossible for his face to get any more red. He yanked free and stepped to the side so he was no longer pinned between Cipher and the table. "Y-you still haven't answered my q-question!" he accused, flinching when his voice cracked.
"So I haven't," Cipher said with a smirk that had Dipper taking a step back. "To put it simply, it's exhausting to remain in your plane for too long and I can only access enough of my magic to maintain my physical form. As your familiar, your magical core will function as a connector between my plane and yours. I'll be able to access as much of my magic as I want and as a bonus, I'll be able to adjust your magical energy levels for you so you won't need to worry about overfilling or running out."
Dipper narrowed his eyes. "Wait, if you're able to mess with my core, then you'd also be able to drain all my magic."
"Yep," Cipher said, popping the 'P'. "I'd also be able to fill you up until you burst," they added with a giggle.
"So if I agree, I'd basically be giving you the freedom to kill me whenever you want?"
"Yep."
"Why would I agree to that?" Dipper asked throwing his hands in the air.
"Because you have no other options," Cipher pointed out with a harsh smile.
Dipper flinched away from them, backing up some more. "C-couldn't we, um, make some sort of clause or something? Like, as part of the agreement you're not allowed to kill me?"
"We could."
A moment passed, then another.
"But you won't?"
"You're adorable when you're anxious."
"S-stop that!" Dipper shouted, blushing again.
Suddenly, Cipher was directly in front of him. Dipper stumbled back and landed lying down on Mabel's bed.
"Stop what?" Cipher chuckled. "This?" They leaned down so their lips brushed against Dipper's.
The boy flailed, only missing slapping Cipher because they pulled back immediately after the chaste kiss. They held out their hand, smirking down at the flushed and flustered boy.
"So, what do you say, Pine Tree? Do we have a deal?"