Well, here's Chapter 9 for you... This one was a blast to write, and I'm sad that this is going to be ending soon, even though I am satisfied with what I've got planned so far. I don't really have anything else to say regarding this chapter, but I'd like to invite you all to vote on my next story again. As of when this chapter is going to be published, I've only received one vote, and would like to hear what you all think I should do next, because I honestly have no idea.
Let's get to it!
~ Three
Tick, tock.
Bill paced back and forth in the attic of the Mystery Shack, muttering to himself, fingers tapping nervously on the handle of his cane.
His pocket watch had started ticking more loudly recently, beginning the countdown to the end of the world. His prize, the greatest one of all, was just over the horizon-
Which meant that the number of days he would still be able to be with his Pine Tree was running short. Time was slipping away from Bill, and he knew it.
Bill had left a message some time ago for the mortals, that "the end of the world is closer than the end of the summer." Were they still so oblivious? Had they not figured out his code?
Breathing an overdramatic sigh, Bill stopped pacing and let his cane slip out of his hand and onto the floor. He stared at the reflection of the room in the mirror on the dresser, seeing no sign of himself except the telltale shadow on the back wall.
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock...
"What do I do...? Argh, the one thing in the universe that I don't know..." Bill held his head in his hands, exasperation starting to creep in and making him lose control.
Bill was snapped out of his worried thoughts when the door to the attic opened and Pine Tree walked in. He made his way across the room and flopped down on his bed, resting his chin in his open palm and staring straight forward, practically right at Bill.
The demon came closer to the preteen, gazing into his chestnut eyes. He bit down on his lip, feeling his heart wrench and tears start to collect in the corner of his single eye.
"I know you're there," Pine Tree said softly, making sure no one else would hear him. "I don't have to be able to see you to know you're there... But I'd appreciate it if we met in the mindscape."
Bill smiled in spite of himself, snapped his fingers, and emptied the world of its color.
The twelve year old sitting before him seemed to light up just a little bit, but barely smiled.
"Hi," he said sadly, extending his arms and wrapping them around Bill, pulling him into a weak embrace. "I missed you."
Another tug at Bill's heart, another gentle smile. The dream demon returned the hug, running his fingers through Dipper's hair. He didn't speak. He was afraid that if he spoke, he would start crying, and he didn't want to have to deal with that right now.
"Listen, Bill... I- I-" The boy's voice started to break, and his grip on the demon grew tighter. Before either of them quite knew what was going on, Dipper burst into tears. He buried his face into the front of Bill's coat, sobbing and gasping. He fell apart right in front of the demon.
Bill sat down on the bed beside Dipper and pulled the boy into his lap, leaning his head against his chest and stroking his hair. "Don't worry... I've got you... I'm here..."
Dipper continued to cry, letting everything he had kept bottled up inside of him for so long gush out in one big flood. Bill held him close, showing no sign of the snarky, masochistic monster he had once been in Dipper's eyes.
Even when the kid had cried until his tear ducts were dry, Bill didn't let go. He savored the comforting warmth of Dipper's body snuggled up against his, trying not to replicate the boy's actions, letting himself get lost in this moment...
For he knew it would be one of the last.
"Pine Tree... I'm here for you... Until the bitter end..." Bill tilted his head down and planted a kiss on Dipper's forehead, letting his lips linger there for a few moments before pulling away. He kept his arms encircled around Dipper, trying to be as reassuring as one can be when they know the world is about to fall into darkness.
I can't lose you," Dipper choked out, his voice shuddery and overwrought with distress. "I love you..." He clutched Bill's gloved hands desperately, as if he was holding on for his life.
"I love you too, kid. I love you more than the entire universe and all the secrets it holds."
~~~TIME SKIP~~~
"This is nice."
"Mhm." It really was lovely. This was a great way to spend one of their last days together.
The two boys were sitting on the same park bench where Bill had apologized to Dipper what felt like ages ago. The younger was leaning against the older's side, eyes shut. The demon had his arm draped around the boy's shoulders.
"How's my little Pine Tree doing?" Bill asked as he played with a lock of Dipper's hair, twirling it around his finger.
"I'm fine, Bill. You don't have to keep asking."
"Yes, I do. I want you to be perfectly happy for the rest-" He cut himself off, not wishing to head in that direction right now. Why couldn't he just let this be?
Sure, all good things must come to an end...
But this didn't have to. Not yet.
In one swift movement, Bill swept Dipper off the bench and held him bridal-style, starting off down the hill the bench was perched on top of.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see," Bill responded. He received an annoyed look from the preteen.
"You know... I gave you a sign- really more of a warning, actually. You should've picked up on it, being as smart as you are. And no, I'm not talking about my plans or the impending apocalypse. I'm talking about you. So come on, take one last guess- what was my motivation for doing all those things that I did, before I realized they were wrong?"
Dipper thought back to his previous meetings with Bill. Other than the incidents with Gideon and then the puppet show, he couldn't recall any mention of Bill's motivation other than the slight hint.
"Uh..."
Bill laughed a little bit. It echoed, resonating through the air, haunting and melodic. That wasn't quite normal for Bill.
The demon didn't stop walking, but placed a quick kiss on Dipper's cheek. "It's because I like you, kid! Don't you remember me telling you that?"
"I thought you were just using that to trick me into making a deal," Dipper said, looking up at Bill.
"Well, it was genuine. So congratulations to you for being one of the only mortals worthy of my affection. You deserve some applause." He snapped his fingers, and suddenly several pairs of disembodied hands appeared around them, clapping. Dipper yelped and pressed up against Bill's chest a bit more, eliciting a giggle from the demon. He snapped again, making the hands disappear as quickly as they had come.
Dipper glared at him, punching his shoulder. "Would you cut that out?"
Bill snickered. The kid was so cute when he was angry.
"WELL, here we are," Bill announced loudly, stopping and standing still. Dipper looked around. It just looked like any normal part of the forest.
"Yeah, so what?"
"So... This." Bill set the boy down on the ground, muttered something in Latin, and flicked his fingers outward. A nearby tree caught on fire. The flames flickered, a rich turquoise color, reaching towards the darkened sky.
One by one, the trees surrounding them lit up like torches, all different hues, ranging from violet to golden. They produced trails of spark and smoke that resembled fireworks, only much more brilliant.
Dipper gasped, somewhat awestruck, and gazed up at the night sky that was being painted with fiery color. Bill sat down beside him and enveloped him in a hug.
"Do you like it?" Dipper just nodded, staring at the light show with wonder in his eyes. Bill grinned and rested his head on the kid's shoulder.
"Little parting present... For you."
After some time, the bursts of light gradually slowed to a halt, leaving the demon and the boy in the darkness of the night.
Bill gave Dipper one last little squeeze before vanishing, leaving him to the rest of his dream.
When Bill exited Pine Tree's dream, he couldn't help feeling everything that he had managed to shove away for the one night come rushing back to him. The pocket watch was clicking away the seconds, loud enough to drive him mad.
His time was limited, extremely so, and he was working himself farther and farther into a trap. It really would be fatal, this attraction- fatal to Pine Tree, and fatal to Bill.
Because the demon was excellent at putting on facades, little shows to trick the mortal eye, but he was beginning to break. Insanity unlike any he had experienced before was rooting in his infinite mind, shattering him from the inside.
Bill had to end this... Now. Before anything could change his mind.
Including himself.
He'd let the child have one more day, and then he would put a stop to this before it brought him to his knees.
He was too far gone to care about the consequences, and about how his little Pine Tree would feel about this. He may have been omniscient, but he was being blinded by this desire to abolish these deadly feelings.
Tick, tock, tick, tock...
~~~TIME SKIP~~~
This dream was completely different. Instead of one of the many intricate, gorgeous landscapes Bill had created in the past, this was just a room. The room had no doors, no color, and no furniture other than a square table and two chairs in the center of it.
Dipper was sitting in one of them, and Bill was across from him in the other, on the opposite side of the table. His hands were clasped together, elbows resting on the table.
A mechanical ticking noise was emanating from somewhere inside the room, bouncing off the walls and reverberating through the empty space. It was a penetrating sound that seemed to bore little holes inside Dipper's very being.
"What are we-?" Dipper started to say, until he was silenced by a gloved finger on his lips. Bill shushed him, but didn't say anything or make any other noise.
The whole situation made Dipper incredibly uncomfortable and anxious. Bill was staring at him with a great intensity, his singular, icy eye reading Dipper's thoughts like an open book.
In a flash, Bill went from calm and collected to absolutely mad. He shoved the table aside with the slightest motion of his hand and advanced on Dipper, shoving him backwards until his back slammed into the wall.
"Bill, what are you doing?!" Dipper screamed as the demon's hands flew to his throat, applying pressure and shoving his neck further back against the wall. Dipper started to choke, gasping for air as Bill tightened his grip.
Azure fire spread up from the dream demon's fingertips. The searing flames licked at Dipper's neck, burning his skin and causing him to cry out.
Soon Bill's entire body was engulfed in the fire. It blazed with almost as much fury as his glare.
"DON'T YOU SEE?! I CAN'T LIVE LIKE THIS... I can't love you... I need to get rid of this... I intend to burn your reality to ashes, and I can't allow myself to love you if I am ever going to succeed... So today, death welcomes you."
The demon continued to clutch Dipper's neck, nearly choking the life out of him and getting closer by the second. Dipper coughed, trying to speak.
"How is it... Any better if you're the thing... That kills me? Don't demons feel guilt? Wouldn't... That be... Worse?"
Bill's narrowed eye widened in sudden realization, and he disappeared, letting Dipper slump to the ground. Dipper flew into a wild coughing fit, hacking and cloying for breath. He felt bruises and burns already beginning to form on his neck.
The boy was on his hands and knees, trying to force air back into his lungs. A tear slipped out of his firmly shut eyelids and ran down his face, dripping on the bare ground.
Tick, tock. He still heard it.
As always, please comment and let me know what you thought.
Catch you guys next time, with the grand finale. I'll have it up by next weekend.
~ Three
