Disclaimer: I do not own GF
Ack! Was I really late again?! I ran into the same problem this chapter as last chapter in which things kept getting rearranged, taken out, put back in, and such.
~~0~~0~~0~~
The month that followed was no different than before.
Dipper hadn't been so sure what to expect. He wasn't the 'boy crazy' twin, he didn't watch cheesy chic flicks and romantic comedies every night like his diligent sister. Sure he watched from afar the drama Wendy went through at times, as well as the other teens he hung out with and sure, he was forced once in a while to join Mabel in another Nightfall movie night, but besides those small and melodramatic bursts, he didn't know how relationships were supposed to work out.
If, of course, what he had with Bill would even be considered a relationship in the first place. After all, he was an immortal god whose lived over thousands of years and was currently trapped in a forest for the rest of eternity.
It also didn't help that Bill had no clue what he was really doing either. Though he had once known "lots of things" as he so eloquently put it, it's been a long, long while since the god had roamed the human world.
This left the blond more clueless than ever on how 'courting' (he refused to call it dating, as he "wasn't a fruit.") worked in the twenty-first century.
So the two, both unsure and unable to ask, simply tried to continue what they had carefully, trying not to do anything too rash to the other.
For Dipper, in fear of embarrassment.
For Bill, in fear of Dipper running away. Not that he would ever truly admit that to himself, however.
So the two were stuck in a limbo of sorts. Things were still the same in a sense, adventuring and meeting new creatures paired with Bill's commentary and companionship, just with a few more pecks on the cheek and, of course, the kiss that would always allow Dipper to return home, no worse for wear.
Despite the strangeness of what one would barely call a relationship and despite both parties having absolutely no clue on what they were to do with one another, the sailing was smoother than Dipper expected.
And that didn't bother him in the slightest.
~~0~~0~~0~~
"Deer teeth! For you!"
Dipper jumped as something heavy dropped around his neck, settling on his shoulders and cutting into his skin something. Dropping his notebook into his lap, the brunet leaned forward from his tree, staring down at what exactly Bill just put on him.
Dipper's nose wrinkled in disgust and he quickly grabbed the necklace and yanked it off, dropping it back onto the ground, feeling slightly disturbed.
"What the heck, Bill?" Dipper snapped, staring down at what Bill gave him.
The brunet wasn't so sure how the god got the string to make a necklace of deer teeth, but nevertheless here it was. Each and every tooth was strung on somehow, gleaming an off-white color in the dappled light, blood and cud cleaned out and nowhere to be found.
Above him, Bill's blinding grin didn't lesson at all in the slightest. "When courting, humans give other humans gifts and stuff, right?"
Dipper scratched the back of his neck, blushing as the C word was used. Talking, or even acknowledgment of their relationship sent thousands of nervous and warm shocks through his stomach and still caused his heart to pump erratically.
Bill chuckled at the flustered expression on the boy's face and picked up the necklace, looping back onto his sapling's neck.
"Well...yeah, but..."
Bill bent down so he was sitting on his haunches. He slowly traced his fingers up the necklace, feeling every bump.
"Exactly, so here you go, kid." Bill continued on, brushing the side of his Pine Tree's neck, causing the boy to flush redder and turn away.
Precious. Absolutely precious.
Bill loved all those little expressions that played out on his saplings face. From the wonder, to the embarrassment, to the happiness, and especially the fear, hate, and anger. Those last three were probably his favorite among the favorite.
"No, Bill. People don't give other people animal parts." The brunet eventually said, voice steady, but cracking slightly.
Bill shrugged. "Eh, but I'm not people, so that doesn't apply to me." Bill drew his fingers away before twisting his body so he was partially laying down on the ground to the teen's right, propping his head up with the palm of his hand.
Dipper sighed. He already knew he wasn't going to win this argument. Grimacing down at the macabre necklace, he carefully took it off and slipped it into his pocket.
"Fine. Thank you for the gift, Bill." Dipper relented.
Bill chuckled some as he rolled over to his back before pushing himself back to his feet.
"You're very welcome, Pine Tree. So, is there anything else you wanted to do before leaving?"
Dipper frowned and idly flipped through the pages in his notebook.
He'd have to get a new one soon, considering how full the small book had got in such a short amount of time, not to mention how dirty and torn up it was too. The once blue cover was stained green from foliage, with a handful of red splotches as well. The cardboard was a bit wrinkled too, showing where it had once gotten wet. Inside, the pages were also wrinkly, some stained green, others red, and even more yellowed from dirt and normal wear. Ink was splattered across numerous pages when chewed pens finally gave out and spilled, along with mark outs, out of order notes, and other messiness that steamed from use.
Dipper's eyes roamed over each page. The first one about Bill Cipher himself standing out proudly. He'd added onto it, of course and even more pages had recently gotten dedicated to the god, scattered about. Unlike the first, these added pages held more of things relating to what the god liked, or did, along with various powers, personality traits, among other things.
Bill himself found the pages cute, and "perfect for someone who should be worshiping me," as he was so fond of saying.
That comment got the note of god complex written in, which made the blond laugh.
Dipper smiled at the memories, flipping past pixies only to find a certain page he had forgotten about what felt like forever ago, of a certain being who actually helped him with the problems he had been having at the time.
Bill glanced down at the page his sapling had stopped on, small smirk playing on his lips. Afytha was always...fun to be around. Her honest to gods terror of him was a source of never ending amusement to him.
"Hey Bill, could we go give Afytha a visit? It's been a long time since I've seen her, and I want to thank her for the advice she gave me last time." Pine Tree turned to him with a bright smile on his face, chocolate eyes twinkling softly, dimples pinched and obvious.
Though Bill had no idea what 'advice' his sapling was talking about, the god couldn't help but scoop the boy up once again, hugging him close.
"Oh, I guess so." Bill drawled, making sure to tickle the boy's sides a bit to make him shriek with playful laughter.
Pine Tree shoved his hands against the blond's chest. "S-Stop it, Bi-ill!" He laughed.
Bill slowed down his fingers and adjusted his grip, carefully balancing his Pine Tree on his arm.
"So, what payment will you give me to see Afytha?" The god asked with a smirk, knowing exactly how his Pine Tree was going to react, and wanting to watch it all play out once again.
Dipper flushed and turned his eyes upwards, chewing on the inside of his cheek some. Nerves exploded inside his stomach while his heart tried to tear away from his chest yet again. Heaving a few deep breaths to calm himself and his breathing down, the boy screwed his eyes shut.
You can do this. You have already done this! He told himself before lowering his head again.
Twisting around, Dipper carefully put his hands either or on Bill's shoulders, steadying himself and very carefully, leaned forward.
Seeing how his Pine Tree was going to kiss his chin instead of his lips by accident, Bill dipped his head down in the correct position just as the teen's lips met his in a soft and sweet, closed mouth peck. The two held if for a couple of heartbeats, feeling the warmth of each other radiating off and inside.
Dipper broke the kiss, as he normally did, in a sharp and jerky motion backwards while his eyes flashed open once more, surprise and shock inside those impossibly wide orbs.
As usual, Bill just let his smirk grew as he chuckled, letting azure flames dance around the two as he blipped them away, both falling to void before crashing right back into reality, where they needed to be and where his Pine Tree wanted to be.
As soon as Dipper opened his eyes and the gateway to Afytha's clearing swam back into view, he squirmed out of Bill's tight grip, jumping down to the soft ground underfoot.
As usual, Bill took up Dipper's hand in his own, making sure to tug the boy as close to him as he could while still being able to walk with ease.
The two padded through the gateway into the clearing just as they had the first time and just like before, the small brook bubbled happily in the middle, cutting the entire grove in half.
"Afytha? Are you there? It's me, Dipper!" The brunet called out, staring up and down the brook to see of the Nymph was anywhere to be found.
For a few seconds, nothing moved. The brook continued it's nonsensical babble and everything else was quiet.
Then, a small, tinkling laughter rang out like bells, gentle and soft.
Before the two, Afytha melted back into reality, water hardening into flesh and clothes weaving into existence. Even from afar, Dipper could see her small but warm smile and twinkling eyes. Carefully, she stepped onto the bank before giving a deep curtsy, her eyes never leaving the two.
"Why, hello Dipper and Mister Cipher." She greeted, slowly rising back up to her feet. "If I may so ask, and if you would be so kind to answer, why have you come to greet me, Mister Cipher and Dipper?" She asked as she settled down like before, back ramrod straight with the bottoms of her feet put together.
Dipper broke from Bill's side and strode over to the Nymph, giving her a beaming smile as he sat down across from her.
"Just wanted to come and visit and tell you about my, uh, situation with my friends. I wanted to thank you for the advice again. It actually worked!"
Afytha's eyes sparkled and her grin was stunning, displaying every pearly tooth, which shined under the sun. "Oh, it truly was my pleasure. If I may so ask, and if you would be so kind to answer, would you tell me the tale of how it went?"
Bill smiled lightly at the enthusiasm his sapling held and tried his best to ignore the raging jealousy in his heart. Making sure his face didn't actually mirror his feelings inside, the god strode over to where the two were sitting, settling next to his Pine Tree briefly before pulling the boy into his lap, wrapping both his arms around the child's waist and settling his chin on the top of his hat.
Afytha ignored the movement, but didn't dismiss the obvious and stronger possessiveness the god had for his child, nor Dipper's obvious blush and clear fidelity that shined in those brown orbs.
The sight both scared her and yet, brought a glimmer of hope to her heart.
After all, what good could come from a monster like Cipher? What corruption was this child already going through? Afytha was fearful to even think about it.
However, corruption of this sorts was a two sided blade and, it was clear in the way Cipher held the boy, tight enough to show ownership and gentle enough to show care, that his child was changing him in an unexpected, and in Afytha's humble opinion, better way.
"Yeah, okay." Dipper answered her, squirming a bit as Bill traced small circles on his sides. It was a bit ticklish, but not enough for him to cry out in laughter. "You see, I went and talked to Wendy and-"
As Dipper trailed off into his story, Bill actually stopped his mind from wandering away too fat to focus on his sapling's story with rapt attention just like Afytha was.
Wendy. The girl who did nothing while his Pine Tree was emotionally and mentally hurt.
Deep anger boiled inside him, only growing hotter as another recognizable name was mentioned; Robbie.
Bill didn't care how long it took. Weeks, months, years, or even decades. He'd eventually get out and once his...grander plans were completed, would hunt the two down and make sure to hurt them as they did his sapling.
Dipper finished relaying his story to the Nymph, who was still smiling brightly at him, eyes glowing with joy as well as something akin to pride.
"That is wonderful. I am ever so happy that you were able to make nice with your friend, Dipper." Afytha stated, lightly clapping her hands together.
Dipper nodded, accidentally shaking Bill off him, much to the god's dismay.
Afytha did her best to keep her eyes on Cipher's child, not wanting to look at that single red and black eye that seemed to be glaring somewhere to her left. Though she couldn't say she's met many creatures, per say, she could tell that Cipher was thinking of something that deeply angered him.
Afytha hoped that this anger wouldn't lead to another temper tantrum. The woods, as well as the very creatures inside them, didn't need another rehash of what happened last time.
Afytha let her own shivers from the memory simply roll off her, like water on a duck's back. It was best not to think of those unpleasant things.
"Yeah. Wendy's cool and a good friend and losing her like that...well, it would've been hard. No worries now, though!"
Bill placed his head back onto his Pine Tree's hat, his anger cooling into jealousy. Maybe his sapling had forgiven the horrible things those people have done, but he certainly didn't and the fact that his Pine Tree still gave them any attention whatsoever irritated him to no end.
"That is very good. If I may so ask, and if you would be so kind to answer, is there anything else you would like to discuss, Dipper?" Afytha ventured, keeping an eye on Cipher's reactions. So far, all he was doing was resting on top of his child's capped head. Despite the earlier clear anger, his face was a careful mask with a blend between paying slight attention and boredom.
Dipper smiled up at the Nymph. "I've made more entries in my journal. Would you like to see them?"
Afytha smiled softly at the boy and glanced upwards to Cipher. Seeing how there was no glare or obvious protest, she continued on.
"That would be wondrous. I would love to see your work, Dipper."
Dipper wriggled around a bit to loosen Bill's hold on him to take his notebook out. Taking a second to stare down at his work, pride blossoming in his heart, a handed it over to Afytha.
The Nymph carefully took the book, making sure not to touch Cipher's child in any way and careful not to get it too wet. It was a battered and beaten thing, born out of a childlike innocence and wonder at the world.
Staring at it as such, Afytha couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart. This child before her was already in so deep.
She glanced upwards at Cipher as she slowly opened the book up, making sure none of the pages tore.
If there had been a chance for this child to get away from the forest, from Cipher, it was long gone. She could tell, as easily as she could tell last time, that the god wouldn't let his child go. Not now and most likely, not ever.
Not that Dipper would want to leave Cipher's side, however.
The Nymph turned page after page, commenting on the fantastical creatures even she never knew existed and beautiful places she could never hope to see. Dipper guided her along the written journey, stumbling over his words some at times. Despite the clear nerves he showed for someone else seeing his hard work, the teen stayed enthusiastic and cheerful, even when asking her to skip over more...personal pages.
Her eyes roamed over waterfalls that glistened in rainbow colors, groves made of crystals, squash that had human faces and emotions, giant mushrooms, flowers that affected everyone in a different way, and many other mystical things.
"I never knew the forest had so many strange and wondrous things." She commented in awe, eyes glued to a rough, and admittedly bad, sketch of a pixie. "You must spend a lot of time here."
Dipper felt his face fall a little at hearing that. It wasn't that he didn't love the woods, or enjoy Bill's company and friendship, and talking to many of the other creatures, but the realization that he certainly did spend a lot of time here, more than he did with his family.
More than he did with his own sister.
Sickness twisted inside him, along with guilt. Suddenly anxious, he leaned deeper into Bill, wrapping his arms around himself and giving Bill's forearms a light squeeze.
In response, Bill started tracing circles on his sides once more, this time careful not to tickle him.
"Yeah..." He muttered, eyes falling to the ground, frown tugging at the corner of his lips.
Seeing the sadness etched onto his face, Afytha briefly panicked, quickly looking up at Cipher, ready to be punished, to be burned once again. She subconsciously rubbed where her fins had once been, still remembering the pain of them slowly smoldering away...
However, Cipher's attention was completely focused on the child he had.
Afytha had to hold back her sigh of relief.
"If I may so ask, and if you would be so kind to answer, what is the matter, Dipper?" She asked, keeping an eye on Bill.
Dipper sighed and looked up at the Nymph. "It's just...I never seem to spend any time with my sister any more. We're...I guess growing apart and it just kinda huts I guess."
Afytha frowned slightly. Being born from the small river here, with little interaction from the outside world, she didn't understand his plight, nor the pain that came with it. However, despite this, Afytha was determined to get Cipher's child to smile once more.
He did have the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen, after all.
"Then you should try and make time. Sit down and have a conversation with her and tell her how you are feeling because of this. If you don't let her know how you are feeling, she'll never understand your plight."
The brunet's grin returned, shining and thankful. "Thanks, Afytha. You give the best advice."
"Oh, I don't give good advice?" Bill grumbled, causing the Nymph to freeze in brief fear.
Dipper laughed at the god's response. "Bill, you are terrible at giving advice. Bees don't win people's hearts or get you friends."
The god snorted. "You humans are so dumb! If you had a whole bunch of bees, you'd be able to get a lot of honey. I thought you liked honey?"
Dipper shook his head. "That's...not how it works."
He turned his attention back to Afytha.
"Thanks again, Afytha! It's starting to get a bit dark out, so I think it's time for me to go back home. It was great seeing you again though!"
The Nymph returned his smile with a true one of her own. "And I to you. Please feel free to visit anytime, Dipper."
Dipper stood up shakily, almost tripping over Bill's long legs in the process. Retrieving his journal from the Nymph, he gave her one last wave goodbye as she melted back into the water, becoming one with the babbling brook once more. Behind him, Bill stood up as well and scooped Dipper up into his arms, settling the boy on his arm, just like before
"Kiss for home?"
Dipper flushed brightly and squeezed his eyes shut, going through that brief hesitation before pressing his lips against Bill's in another warm peck, breaking it off as quickly as it came.
"Kiss for home."
~~0~~0~~0~~
"I'm worried about him, Robbie." Wendy stated as she checked through the crystals placed on the shelf, making sure each one had it's proper charge.
Behind her, Robbie leaned lazily on the wall, admiring the small, hidden corner they happened to be in. Sure, finally finding some time and getting the guts to actually visit his crush at work was a dream come true, but he didn't want to spend it talking about that weird Pines brat. Well, the male one at least. Mabel was weird and annoying in her own way, but at least she wasn't so sensitive and, in an ironic way, girly.
"What? He's a thirteen-year-old kid. They all act like that." He commented offhandedly, letting his eyes roam over her flowing and bright red hair and...other assets.
Gods, he needed to ask her out for the end of school dance. Why did he have to be so nervous?
Wendy shot him a small frown before flicking another crystal, watching the electricity inside flare yellow before picking it up and placing it back where it belongs, briefly grumbling about customers not putting things back where they found it.
"But it's Dipper. He may be a bit introverted, but never this much. And he barely hangs around Mabel anymore! Even you have to admit that's alarming."
Robbie sighed and scratched the back of his neck. "...Yeah, I guess so..." He finally relented, wishing they could move onto a different subject. It was a month till the end of summer! They should be talking about their plans, not Dipper.
"So there's something wrong." Wendy restated triumphantly, straightening back out before turning around and checking another shelf of crystals, flicking each one to make sure the electricity flared red this time. Her mind meandered through the recent memories of the past month or so, on how he dodged questions and never seemed to be around.
Robbie pouted. How she was able to turn this entire conversation around with just a sentence or two baffled and impressed him to no end.
Just another reason to love the redhead, it seemed.
"Well, okay, yeah but what are you going to do about it?"
Wendy sighed. "I don't know. Ask I guess, though if he hasn't told anyone yet, he probably won't if I even question him. I'm just...worried about him I suppose."
"I thought you already asked him?" Robbie continued, leaning his weight onto his left foot, fingers toying with the edge of his finger-less gloves, which were very cool, thank you very much.
"I have but he just says he goes to the library or wander around town. I've been to both the library and around town and never see him! If he's not in either of those places, then where does he go?"
Robbie frowned at that. He still wasn't feeling worried about the entire situation, he didn't like Dipper after all, but the fact that the kid's been lying did give him a few chills. Dipper may be a complete dork and loser, with that dumb birthmark and his weird obsessions, as well as, in Robbie's opinion, a borderline creepy crush on her, and on top of it all, have zero skills talking to people in general. But despite all that, Dipper wasn't a bad kid, per say. Hell, he was more innocent than he had been at his age.
"I don't-"
Before Robbie could finish his sentence, the creak and substantial slam of the front door rang throughout the shop and house, causing both teens to jump in surprise.
The two gave each other an alarmed glance before slipping out of the hidden niche they had been in. The floorboards underfoot creaked and groaned each day everyday all the time. The fact that they hadn't, paired with someone leaving, was suspicious.
Not only would they have to have lived here to know where to step, they also would have to have the floor memorized.
The two teens hurried over to the door and swung it open, freezing at what they were witnessing.
Robbie's mouth fell open.
Wendy almost screamed out.
But Dipper's form had already disappeared into the forest beyond.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Sorry for the shortness!
A time skip! It was needed but...ugh, I'm terrible at time skips. Went over that one four times and I'm still not all that happy with it. Plus, telling instead of showing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Oh well.
Afytha is so fun to write, especially her dialog. Sadly, this is going to be the last we see of her.
Well, shit's about to hit the fan. Here's the start of the buildup for the final climax. Hope you guys are ready!
Guest- I promise I will! The end is so close!
yaoifangirl1232- I think this chapter answered your question.
Wildtail of Wind- Haha, thank you! Curious to see your reaction to this chapter ;)
Just-Gold- Ship them. Ship them hard 'cause it's finally happening!
JackieLanternXOXO- Haha, that's why I hate the term 'filler chapter.' Though not much in the ways of plot happens, there is foreshadowing as well as character development, which is just as important! Glad you liked the chapter!
random name- Haha, thank you!
The Raccoon- Thank you so much! I might not be able to fit your idea into this story, however I might write it as a oneshot later on. We'll see how it goes!
The Keeper of Worlds- Thank you! Glad you're liking it!
MindfulThoughtlessness- Haha, glad to see I could convert you ;) but yes, Sir Prize was a node to that song, cool that someone finally caught that! Or at the very least, pointed it out. I am aware my editing is...kinda bad. I do scan chapters but hard editing takes upwards an hour with the length of these and to be honest, I can't be bothered. beta's can take a while in editing a chapter and as such, daily updates wouldn't happen. I plan on going back and fixing all the mistakes when I'm done, however.
LuminousMoonRay- Thank you! And though Dipper has a sister, I doubt Mabel wears bras and if she does, it's probably those small training ones. I can imagine Dipper getting a little flustered, but not as bad as Robbie hoped he'd be ;)
Swinny Fluviru- Aw, thank you so much! It means a lot!
a fan- Thank you! I think this chapter answered your question a little...
TOOWC- Thank you!
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the beginning of the end! As always, thanks for reading!