Chapter Two
"DIPPER PINES, GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!" Mabel shrieked from downstairs. Dipper shot up in his bed, eyes wide and chest heaving. She sounded furious. What had he...
Shit.
Dipper jumped up, darting down the stairs to confirm his suspicions. Mabel was standing at the bottom next to a blonde man, who was grinning deviously at Dipper. He had to stop and stare at the stranger for a few moments. His hair was slightly tousled on his head, and fell not so neatly over what appeared to be a closed eye on his forehead. He was wearing a cerulean sweater over a neon yellow button up and a black bowtie. He was also wearing a pair of faded skinny jeans. All and all, Dipper found his style somewhat strange, but it definitely fit once he came to recognize the man in front of him to be Bill.
He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing really seemed to come out right. Bill scoffed, amused. Dipper shook his head, turning his gaze towards Mabel. "I-I can explain everything! I swear!" he exclaimed, sounding just a little more desperate than he would have liked.
Mabel raised an eyebrow. "You'd better," she said, and Dipper blinked in confusion. She sounded... Giddy. "I want to know all the details! Is he a friend from your dorm? Oh my gosh, is he more than a friend from your dorm! Are you scoring with... with..." Mabel turned to face Bill, slightly embarrassed, it seemed. Not nearly as embarrassed as Dipper, though. He was sure of that. "I'm sorry. I never caught your name."
He glanced over at Dipper for a moment, grinning. "Bill Cipher," he replied truthfully, pocketing his hands. Mabel's grin faded.
There was a long silence. Dipper fidgeted uncomfortably, eyes anywhere but on Mabel. "Wait... Really?" she questioned, taken aback.
Bill laughed. "The one and only, Shooting Star," he cooed, raising an eyebrow at her.
Dipper had been about to intervene; about to calm her down. Surely his sister was going to stab him for making a deal with the very demon that had tormented them as kids. But what happened instead was much more... awkward. Mabel whistled. "Triangulum hot dangulum!" she exclaimed, pressing her hands against his cheeks and tilting his head, seemingly to examine him from every angle she could. "You look damn good! Where did you get this body?" she went on to ask, lifting up his bangs to get a good look at the eye on his forehead, which remained closed.
Bill's other two eyes glowed red in annoyance at her prodding, and he glanced at Dipper. "I made it," he said curtly, grinning once again as soon as he managed to pry her hands off of him. "Pine Tree here made a deal with me; he's going to show me how to be human in exchange for a few small favors."
Mabel turned towards Dipper with a sunny expression. "Perfect! We needed an extra set of hands around here," she said cheerfully, clapping her own together.
Dipper furrowed his eyebrows. "You aren't mad?" he asked in shock, not too positive Bill hadn't screwed with her mind or something.
Mabel waved a hand. "I'm more confused why he's even alive, but I guess it doesn't matter. And I don't think we have to really be afraid of him in this state. Plus, I'm not the one you have to be scared of. Grunkle Stan and grunkle Ford probably aren't going to be very happy once they get back from their little monster hunt," she explained with a shrug and a slightly anxious expression. "But I'm sure you'll figure something something out, broseph. Alsooo... There aren't any spare rooms in the house. What's your plan there, genius?"
Dipper let that information sink in, his jaw hanging open. How hadn't he thought of that?! "No..." he said, eyes wide with realization.
Bill burst into fits of laughter, a hand against his forehead. "Oh. My. God. This is perfect! This just keeps getting better and better!"
Dipper glared. "You're sleeping on the floor," he hissed, eyes narrowed.
Mabel smacked the back of his head, and he opened his mouth to speak when she shushed him. "No he absolutely will not. You got yourself into this, bro. Bill is your responsibility, and you can't just neglect your responsibilities. You can buy him a bed if you really don't have it in you to suck it up and share," she said, crossing her arms.
Dipper sighed, pressing the heels of his hands against his eyes. Was everyone against him? How had he forgotten about that? Even worse, he had forgotten about his uncles when he'd made his decision. Mabel rested a hand on his shoulder. "Bro. Bro. Quit stressing it. It's fine. Now, I'm gonna go open up shop. You should just get dressed so you can show Bill the ropes," she said simply, turning and heading towards the gift shop. "Good luck, Dip!"
Dipper was sure he would need it. He sighed loudly, throwing up his arms and grumbling as he made his way upstairs. Bill followed directly behind him, silent. Although, Dipper could feel his piercing golden eyes watching his every move as he ascended the staircase. "I'm kinda surprised you gave yourself two eyes," Dipper pointed out, trying to be as casual and polite as possible.
Bill chuckled. "I quite like being able to perceive depth, Pine Tree. Two eyes are necessary for you humans to do that," he responded condescendingly. Dipper huffed, stepping into his room. He rifled through his drawers for a bit, searching for an outfit he wouldn't burn up in whenever he went outdoors. He pulled out a plain tee and a navy blue vest, almost identical to the one he'd worn all summer as a kid. Bill snorted, sitting down on his bed. "I see your fashion sense hasn't changed at all since I last saw you," he pointed out, watching Dipper pull his shirt off. He glared at the demon, who grinned ear to ear as Dipper threw the shirt at him. He laughed, tilting his head to the side and avoiding the projectile by only a hair.
Muttering to himself, Dipper shoved his head and arms into the clean shirt. "So you wanted to try being human because you were bored in the Mindscape... But you hate humans. Mind if I ask why you suddenly want this 'experience' in the first place?" he asked, putting the vest on. He turned away from Bill to open up another drawer and sift through it for a pair of jeans. Bill was silent for a couple seconds. That is, until Dipper felt hands against his stomach and the body of the very same blonde demon against his back. His eyes widened, and he winced against the foreign contact.
Bill leaned into his ear, so close that Dipper could feel the smirk on his skin. "I think you shouldn't worry so much about things like that," he purred, fingers trailing lightly over the fabric of Dipper's shirt. Dipper creased his eyebrows together, jaw clenched. "Get away from me," he growled, trying to hide the slight fear in his voice. Bill may not be the most powerful creature in existence anymore - maybe not even the most powerful creature in Gravity Falls anymore - but he could certainly kill Dipper whenever he wanted to. The mere thought made the brunette shudder, and Bill must have felt it, because he chuckled.
"Relax, kid. The deal was that I couldn't hurt anyone, remember?" he said, as if Dipper's paranoia was an insult to him. Dipper screwed his eyes shut, giving a slight nod. Bill pushed himself away from the panicking brunette with a frown. Dipper sighed in relief, letting out the air he hadn't known he'd been holding in. "Do I really freak you out that much?" the demon questioned, clearly offended by the notion that Dipper was indeed, horrified of him.
Dipper spun around to face him, much calmer now that his heartbeat had returned to its natural rate. "Forgive me if I'm not exactly at ease around someone that tried to kill me, and my whole family, for that matter," he responded angrily, eyes narrowed. Bill was silent, just staring at him in what seemed halfway between outrage and something else Dipper didn't quite recognize. And for some strange reason, he felt bad for saying what he had. Why, though? There was no reason for him to feel that way, and even less for him to want to apologize. Yet, he did, and it was terribly confusing to him. His sense of morality was getting the best of him, he thought. That had to be it.
Bill turned away, making his way out of Dipper's room. He didn't even close the door as he left, and Dipper watched him go, completely puzzled. What had he even done?! Whatever. He can pout all he wants, Dipper thought crossly to himself, pulling a pair of jeans out of his dresser. He quickly changed into them and combed his hair into place with his fingers. Bill could wait if he really wanted to act like that. There was no reason to get offended. Dipper had only told the truth. Why should he step around Bill's feelings anyway? What were they, some old married couple?
Dipper groaned, stomping down the stairs. So far that morning nothing had gone very well. He entered the gift shop with a sour expression to see Mabel at the counter talking to a customer. Bill was in the corner, eyeing all the phony products and attractions. A little girl walked up to him. She had to be no older than five, based on her height and the way she sucked on the tip of her thumb. The young girl pointed up at him, and he looked down at her. "What's that on your head?" she asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. Dipper felt the immediate urge to herd the child away from Bill, but something happened that left Dipper reeling instead.
Bill crouched down to be at the same level as the girl. "It's an eye," he said, lifting up his bangs. Dipper took a step forward to stop him from saying anymore, but he was too slow. "A maaagical wizard gave it to me. He was so impressed because I was the first person to beat him in a game of space chess! And guess what it can do? Think of a number, any number at all," Bill offered, waving his hands dramatically, punctuating his oh so realistic story with various gestures.
The little girl seemed so deep in thought for a good ten seconds that it appeared as though she had gone completely blank. "Okay!" she exclaimed, jumping up and down enthusiastically. "I thought of one!"
Bill smirked, and the third eye on his head began to glow a soft blue. It opened to reveal a slitted black pupil identical to the ones Dipper's eyes had had when Bill was controlling his body, and the little girl gasped. "Four," Bill said triumphantly, revealing his unusually pointed canines through the lopsided grin on his face.
"Woah! That's so cool!" the little girl yelled, getting in his personal space probably a little more than he was comfortable with. But if it bothered him at all, it didn't show. Dipper blinked in absolute shock. Bill didn't exactly strike Dipper as the type to be good with kids, and even less as the type to humor them like that. Dipper had expected the girl to run away from him crying, in all honesty.
But that's obviously not what happened. A woman walked up behind the girl, and Bill stood up to face her, the eye on his head still aglow. She stared at it in awe for a few seconds before the girl, whom was assumed to be her daughter, grabbed onto her pant leg. "Mommy! I want a picture with the magic-y guy! Pleeaaase? Moooom!" the child wailed pleadingly, and Bill laughed.
He glanced over at Dipper, raised an eyebrow, and looked back at the woman. "Got a camera? Five... Ten bucks a picture," he replied, and the woman nodded, pulling a ten dollar bill out of her purse. She handed it to him, took a photo or two, and thanked him politely before moving on to the next attraction. Bill spun on his heels to face Dipper and strode confidently towards him. He grabbed the brunette's wrist, holding out his hand and placing the money on his palm. "Doubter," he said simply, a hand on his hip. The eye closed, and Bill pushed his bangs back over it.
Dipper was at a loss for words to say. "I... But you... Wow," he stammered, closing his fingers over the money. He pocketed it, staring at the demon in complete awe.
Bill's smile faded away. "Still think I'm gonna hurt anyone?" he questioned somewhat bitterly, crossing his arms.
Dipper ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. "I don't think it's unreasonable for me to assume things, Bill," he breathed, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, Bill still seemed angry. Dipper rolled his eyes. "But... If you keep this up then I'll start to trust you, alright? And we'll move on from there." The blonde tilted his head from side to side for a moment, pondering the thought.
"Fine."
Dipper sighed. "Good, because we're going somewhere, and I don't need a pouty demon in the passenger seat," he said, making his way to the counter.
Bill followed behind him. "Where are we going" he asked with interest, seemingly dropping the past subject.
Dipper leaned on the counter, facing Mabel. He ignored the blonde behind him, which seemed to get on Bill's nerves, but he still said nothing. "I'm taking Bill to the grocery store to pick up a couple things. Anything in particular you need?" he asked with a smile, but Mabel waved him off. She reached a hand down under the counter, rifling around for something.
"Nah, I'm fine," she responded, pulling Dipper's hat out from beneath the counter. She placed it on top of his head, beaming merrily. "You left that downstairs last night. Anyway, I'll be seeing ya later, broseph." Dipper nodded, thanking her and leading Bill outside.
"Can I drive?" Bill asked, a giddy expression on his face. Dipper simply raised an eyebrow, pulling his keys out of his pocket.
He unlocked the door. "Ask me that again when hell freezes over," he retorted, opening his door and getting inside.
Bill did the same, grumbling to himself. "It's all a part of the human experience, Pine Tree," he replied, buckling his seatbelt. He smirked. "Anyway, there actually is a town in Norway named Hell. And it freezes over every winter."
Dipper rolled his eyes. "Then I'll teach you in December, when that happens," he replied, turning the ignition on.
Bill seemed satisfied with that, and didn't talk the whole way to the store. Dipper was somewhat grateful for this and didn't attempt to make any conversation until they were inside. "So that eye of yours..." he started, leading Bill wherever they needed to go. "What exactly is it for?" He glanced at the demon, who seemed to be staring at everything like a kid in a toy store.
Bill looked over at him as well, and mischievous golden eyes met curious veridian ones. "Have you always been this nosy, kid? I feel like you used to be more the figure it out on your own type," he replied teasingly, picking up a bottle and examining it. "Hey, this is alcohol, isn't it? You humans go nuts for this stuff. You're twenty-two now, right?"
Dipper narrowed his eyes. "Mabel and I will be turning twenty-three in a couple months. And we aren't exactly drinkers. Mabel gets too crazy and it just isn't really my thing," he explained, and Bill frowned like a little kid that just got told no for the first time. Dipper smirked. "But I'll buy it if you answer my question."
Bill chuckled. "Crafty, kid; I like it. Okay, I'll bite. All of my magic is stored up there," Bill said, pointing up at the eye on his head. "It would usually only open if I'm using a powerful ability. But since I don't really have those anymore, it's actually only good for reading minds, glowing, and sniffing out gold. I don't need to open it for any of those things though. What happened earlier was all for show."
Dipper hummed, eyes scanning the shelves as he walked. "Now, since I'm curious, tell me how you somehow managed to escape being erased," he added, brow raised.
There was a long silence before Bill finally responded. "Existence lives on in memory, kid," he responded vaguely, and didn't particularly care to go on. That seemed to be all he would say at the moment, which was frustrating, but Dipper could live with that. It was a step, at least.
Dipper huffed, taking the bottle from Bill's hands and placing it in the cart. "Sooo... Gold, huh?" he asked in an effort to relieve the tension, leading the demon down the aisles. Bill chuckled, explaining that power to him as they grabbed anything they needed, and any other miscellaneous items Bill insisted upon in exchange for various bits of information. It was a pleasant trip, if Dipper was being totally honest. Bill was still the same old cynical jerk, but at least he was a cynical jerk with a minimal amount of chaotic motives. So that made things a little bit easier for Dipper to relax around him. Still, he couldn't shake this thought in the back of his head. It made no sense to him. Why had Bill decided to do this in the first place? It seemed to be the one and only thing Dipper couldn't pry from the demon, and it scared him a bit. There had to be a reason beyond what Dipper had been informed, and it was quickly becoming his mission to find out what it was.
He turned the car back on, watching as Bill buckled his belt yet again to go home. "I'm going to find out whatever it is you're hiding from me," Dipper said simply, backing out of his parking space.
"Oof. That's a long list, kid. What do ya wanna know? Government secrets, scandals, what your sister does when you're not around? Man, if you thought she was boy crazy as a kid then I got news for you!" he said, grinning manically.
Dipper wrinkled his nose. "Dude, gross. And you know exactly what I'm talking about," he remarked, eyes narrowed at the road.
Bill hummed, running his fingers through his hair and briefly revealing the eye on his forehead. "I don't think I do," he said simply, taking on a firm tone of voice. Dipper suspected that meant no amount of prodding was going to convince the demon to spill his secrets. But that had to change eventually. He was sure of it. Dipper was a stubborn man, and he'd do whatever it took to find out whatever it was Bill wasn't telling him. But he'd save that for later. They were approaching the Mystery Shack. He pulled up and stopped the car. Sighing, he turned the ignition off and got out. Bill followed behind, opening the door to grab some of the bags.
Well, he may be secretive. But at least he was keeping his word about pulling his weight.
Dipper grabbed quite a few bags, making his way to the door. That is, until Bill started laughing uncontrollably. Dipper spun around to face him somewhat warily. But Bill just seemed to be having the time of his life. It took him a while to actually calm his obnoxious cackling. And when he did, he just stared at Dipper with amusement, his eyes slightly squinting and his grin just a tad larger than usual. "Guess what we didn't do, Pine Tree?" he asked with clear sarcasm, snorting from the effort it took not to start laughing again.
Dipper quirked an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, annoyance evident in his voice. What could possibly be that funny?
Bill just sneered. "We never went looking for a bed," he retorted, stepping past Dipper and not even waiting to see the look on his face.
It really wasn't Dipper's day, was it?