Chapter 7: How Dare You
"Dipper?"
Mabel didn't know what she expected.
Maybe an answer, or at least for him to look her in the eye.
What she didn't expect was for him to visibly shudder and stumble backward.
He squeezed his eyes shut and wrapped his arms around his middle, his legs wobbled under him as sweat began to drip down his forehead.
Mabel's worry was really building now, she didn't know what she'd do if he passed out. Their parents wouldn't be home for hours and she didn't want to call 911, what if they asked what happened to him? Especially since he was supposedly dead.
His breathing was growing heavy and fast as though he was running out of oxygen.
Mabel could only watch as he doubled over, vomited blood, and collapsed on the ground.
0
Black
That was all Bill could see.
Gingerly he reached his hand out, trying to get his bearings in the udder darkness.
Nothing met his fingers.
He reasoned with himself that he must be asleep. He couldn't remember where or when he had fallen asleep but this was a similar feeling, as well as the only logical explanation.
He stretched the edges of his mind, trying to find the edge of the darkness.
It seemed to stretch forever, or at least farther than his human brain could grasp.
It went eternally in each direction, empty, void.
Save for a presence.
Bill almost hadn't noticed the feeling of being watched, whoever was present was hiding from him.
Not hiding very well, however as Bill's superior understanding of the mindscape helped him identify the presence in record time.
"I WAS WONDERING WHEN I'D HEAR FROM YOU, PINETREE."
Dipper Pines appeared slowly out of the darkness, melting into Bills view.
"You underestimated me Bill, and I took you down with me." Pinetree's voice was soft and far steadier than it had been when he was alive. It was unsettling.
"I HAVE TO HAND IT TO YOU KID, A BINDING? I HONESTLY DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING. FIRST OF ALL, HOW DARE YOU. SECONDLY, WHERE'D YOU LEARN SOMETHING LIKE THAT ANYWAY?" Bill had seen it as a possibility, but he hadn't thought Pinetree was crafty enough.
"Let's just say my great uncle put more in those journals than you knew about." The kids face looked part smug part disgusted, it wasn't a good look on him.
Bill decided the best approach was a seemingly curious one, without access to all knowledge in existence Bill was feeling a little ignorant.
"SO YOU BOUND ME TO YOU, THAT WAS YOUR MASTER PLAN?"
"I guess it was, it worked didn't it?"
"WHAT EXACTLY HAVE YOU ACCOMPLISHED? ALL THIS HAS REALLY DONE IS STALL MY PROGRESS AS WELL AS YOUR COMPLETE DEATH." Bill knew Pinetree had probably done it as some pathetic fail-safe, but he wanted to hear it from the kid himself.
"What did I accomplish?" Pinetree's tone was icy, without his pathetic need for approval he was a pretty effective intimidator. If you were anyone other than Bill that is. "I've stopped your reign of terror, I've trapped you, Bill."
Bill was about to make a quip about being untrappable but he stopped himself. He'd wake up soon and there was still one answer he needed most.
"SO…" He started casually, leveling the field. "WHAT DOES THIS ENTAIL?"
"Pardon?"
"Y'KNOW, WHAT ARE THE TERMS OF THIS BINDING?" Pine tree seemed to think for a moment. He finally relented.
"Might as well tell so you know just how fucked you are," His face didn't hide his pride very well, apparently trapping an all-powerful god was an ego boost. "You are bound to me until you spend a lifetime in my shoes."
"HAH" And Bill had actually thought Pinetree had something clever. " YOUR HUMAN LIFE SPAN IS A MERE MOMENT IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF MY EXISTENCE! YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED NOTHING." Bill wasn't looking forward to the next 80 years or so, but it was nothing compared to the billion years he'd already waited.
But Pinetree still had that smirk…
"You're wrong Bill, it's not my lifetime… you see I'm dead," he spoke slowly. Building to something. "It's your lifetime."
Bill was about to laugh again but stopped.
"NO THAT'S NOT HO-"
"Well, that's how I made it work!" He cut Bill off, irritation now evident. "You and I are stuck together for the rest of time, I don't plan on getting bored of being a ghost, and I don't plan on letting you go so get comfy."
And with that, he melted back into the blackness.
0
Mabel stood shocked for a moment, it was fine, everything was ok.
Dipper laid motionless on the grass, he was in bad shape, worse than Mabel had ever seen. She had just got him back, what if she lost him again?
She stared down at her brother's limp form.
Well, this was getting her nowhere. If she just stood there he'd probably die or something so she had to act now.
Hooking her arms under his armpits she slowly began dragging him back toward the house.
It didn't take too much work given he was a pretty small guy, as she reached the back steps she motioned for Waddles to hold open the door.
Mabel could tell Waddles was proud of himself for finding Dipper, she'd have to remember to give him a nice crunchy potato later.
Mabel hauled Dipper onto the couch and ran for the first aid kit. Her mind was still in a whirlwind from Dipper being back and all the emotional strain that accompanied that, but she couldn't focus on that now.
She was done being selfish.
She returned to Dippers sleeping self with a first aid kit, ice packs, wet paper towels, and an unopened box of band-aids.
She used the paper towels to clean some of the dirt off the scratches on his arms. Using the disinfectant from the first aid kit she carefully placed animal themed band-aids on every one of the little cuts.
Now for the part she was dreading, she brushed Dippers hair away from the large scrape on his head.
Angry red skin surrounded the scratch, it was heavily scabbed over and looked a little infected.
Mabel's focus was drawn away, however, by Dipper shifting and making some kind of mumbling noise. Mabel focused on Dippers face willing him to wake up.
His eyelids fluttered as he started to regain consciousness.
Ever so slowly Dippers eyes adjusted to the light, his eyes met Mabel's.
Yellow with slits for pupils.
The sight of those familiar eyes hit Mabel so hard she physically stumbled back a little.
She should have known, he'd never be done tormenting her. That demon was beyond evil, he would do or say anything to get what he wanted.
But impersonating her brother...making her actually believe he was back, making her believe in a future where she could be whole...and ripping that away from her.
The demon looked up at her, using Dippers face to look apprehensive, almost convincingly so.
Her throat closed with bile and hatred, she could only bear one phrase passing her lips.
"How dare you."
