"And I'd choose you; In a hundred lifetimes, across a hundred realities, I would choose you over and over again."
Reincartation!AU in which Bill and Dipper reminisce about a few of their past lives while sitting on the beach.
This is a longer one, mostly fluff with a little angst. They're pretty dialogue-heavy compared to most of my other stories.
Dipper leaned his head against Bill's shoulder and sighed contentedly. His shifted his feet in the cool sand as he listened to the soft crashing of the waves against the beach. "Do you remember the first time we did this?"
"Vaguely." It had been so long ago; nearly 600 years by Bill's last count. "A piece of seaweed touched your foot and you started crying." He laughed at the recollection and placed a kiss on Dipper's head.
"I was eight, Bill." Dipper snorted. He paused a moment before sighing again. "It was sunrise that time, too."
"I remember."
"Bill! Wait for me!" Dipper called from the ground where he had fallen.
Bill slowed for a moment and called over his shoulder. "Hurry up, slow poke!" He took off running again.
Dipper groaned and hurried after the older boy. "You're too fast, Bill!"
Bill stopped and turned around, his small hands placed defiantly on his hips. "I knew I shouldn't have brought a little kid with me."
Dipper drew even with him and bent over his knees to catch his breath. He grabbed the collar of his dirty shirt and wiped his forehead with it. "I... am not... little," Dipper panted. "You're only... two years older than me anyways!"
"Yeah, but I'm ten! So that makes me a grown up." Bill stuck his tongue out.
"Shut up!" Dipper stood up and shoved the other boy. "Where are we going anyways."
Bill snorted with laughter and pointed down the path they were on. It was still dark, but there was enough light to make out the upward slope of the path. "It's right over the hill, come on you big baby."
"I am not a baby!" Dipper stomped his foot defiantly before starting to march up the hill.
Bill laughed again before pushing past Dipper and running up the hill. When he reached to crest, he stopped and waited for the brunette to catch up with him. "Come on! You'll miss it!"
"I'm coming," Dipper groaned again. He reached the top of the hill next to Bill and he gasped. "Woah!"
The pair were standing at the top of a small cliff that dropped down onto a small beach. The beach was enclosed into a small cove by the cliff that wrapped around three-quarters of the perimeter. On the far side of the cove was a small inlet opening roughly wide enough for three people to stand shoulder-to-shoulder in. The water reflected the dimly lit sky and the soft breeze sent ripples across the still surface.
"We're right on time!" The blonde pointed towards the inlet triumphantly and looked over at his friend.
"What do you..." Dipper's sentence faded away as he looked where Bill was pointing. The early morning sun began to crest over the distant horizon right at that moment. Bright streaks of light cascaded out from the horizon sending soft streaks of color across the surface of the water. The waves began to catch the light and sparkle like diamonds. "Woah..." Dipper echoed again.
Bill shoved Dipper lightly on the shoulder before scrambling down the cliffside towards the beach. As Dipper hurried down behind him with a delighted smile Bill called to him over his shoulder. "Come on! Lets go!"
The pair spent hours splashing around the the waves at the shore until they were soaked to the bone. The steadily-rising sun beat down on them and evaporated the water on their skin leaving a salty residue behind. They build sand piles to climb and topple and collected shells from the water's edge.
"Halt!" Bill shouted from the top of his newest sand-tower. "No one can enter the castle without bringing a gift for the king!" Bill jabbed a thumb at his chest.
Dipper burst into a fit of laughter as he ran to the shoreline. He dropped to his knees and searched through the sand with his hands until he pulled out a large shell. He ran back to the front of Bill's pile and held out the shell triumphantly. "I have a gift for the king!" He exclaimed.
"Ah! The princess as brought a gift in hopes of marrying the king?!" Bill placed his hands on his hips and leaned forward with a wide grin.
Dipper stomped his foot in the sand defiantly. "I am a knight! Not a princess! And I wouldn't wanna marry you anyways." Dipper stuck out his tongue.
"Well, I don't need any knights in my castle." Bill stuck out his tongue in return. "You're gonna be my princess and you're gonna marry me."
"Nuh-uh." Dipper tossed the shell back into the water and crossed his arms.
Bill scrunched up his face in annoyance. "I'm gonna kiss you and we're gonna be married!" He jumped off the sand pile and started chasing Dipper down the beach - Dipper screaming in defiance the whole time - until the pair collapsed into the warm sand in exhaustion as the sun began to set.
"Are you ready?" Bill cast a sideways glance at the man to his right.
"Of course not," Dipper laughed nervously. He shifted his shield on his arm and adjusted the visor of his helmet out of his eyes. "How could I possibly be ready?"
Bill turned his head fully and squinted in the light of the bright reflection of the sun off of the armor of the men around them. "Mason. Hey. Look at me." Dipper turned to him, his brows knit tightly on his forehead. "Just stay close to me. We'll be fine."
"But-. This isn't like training. We don't get to just... try again if we mess up! Do you know what they do to people they fight?!" Dipper gestured across the expanse of the open field in front of them to the large army forming battle lines on the other side. "What if-?"
"Alright boys!" The pair stood instantly to attention with the rest of their battalion as their commander spoke. The commander rode his horse back and forth in front of the front line of soldiers as he yelled to them. The red feather tail on his helmet flowed gently in the wind behind him, it's gentleness a stark contrast to the events that were about to take place. "Today, you become men! Training is over. Today, we either achieve glory in victory or honor in death!"
Dipper let out a shaky breath. He sucked in sharply when Bill's mail-covered hand clapped him on the shoulder. Dipper turned to look at the other man - whose eyes were trained forward - and Bill nodded slowly before returning his hand to the hilt of his sword.
"Draw swords!" The commander yelled again, turning his horse to face the battlefield. The ringing of thousands of swords echoed through the still air. The commander drew his own sword and thrust it forward. "March!"
The air seemed to freeze in Dipper's lungs as his feet moved of their own accord. Every part of him wanted desperately to pull Bill away and run as far away as he could manage, but his feet did not stop moving. His heart was pounding in his ears in time with the thudding of feet and hooves and flooding out all other noise until it faded into a deafening silence in his ears. His eyes became unfocused as he struggled to force his lungs to take in air. To the left, Dipper heard a vague noise that he couldn't quite make out.
"Get down!"
He was suddenly thrown violently to the ground with another man on top of him as the ground seemingly exploded beneath him.
"Mason!" Someone was above him. His ears were ringing and he couldn't hear. "Mason!" Someone was shaking his shoulders. "Dipper! Get up!" The blonde rolled off of him and hefted him to his feet.
"Wh- What's happening?" Dipper stumbled forward after Bill who was turning wildly with his sword in his hand. There was a large dent in the side of Bill's helmet and he was covered in dirt and blood.
Bill pulled off his helmet and tossed it aside with a dull clang. "Cannons." He barked. Their ordered ranks were scattered across the field. Men in armor and chainmail bearing different seals were fighting all around them. The air was filled with the clanging of swords, shouts, and the whistling of cannon-balls flying through the air.
"The-. Ah!" Dipper ducked quickly as a sword was swung at his head.
He slashed back at his attacker quickly, striking the man in the side. The soldier stumbled backwards away from Dipper as he raised his sword once more. The man charged at him with a yell and swung his blade once more. Dipper blocked the strike with his own sword but found that the other man was much stronger than him. Their swords locked at the hilt as Dipper was pushed backwards. With a strong push of his sword, Dipper was knocked backwards onto the ground and his sword fell from his hand. The man raised his weapon above his head once again in preparation to strike. Dipper fumbled for his own sword as the man moved to strike him.
Just as Dipper began to feel his life was over, the soldier stopped mid-swing with a strangled sound. The end of a blood-stained sword was protruding through the chainmail of the man's stomach. The wound sent blood splattering across Dipper's front as the man slumped onto his knees. As he fell forward, Dipper could see his savior.
"Are you alright?!" Bill shouted above the noise. He extended a hand down to Dipper and pulled him to his feet.
"Yes. Yes." Dipper replied hurriedly as he grabbed for his sword. "But you're hurt!"
Dipper reached to cup Bill's face but the blonde swatted his hand away. "It's just a scratch. Focus. You aren't allowed to die on me."
"Neither are you!" Dipper shouted back, blocking an attack from Bill's left. The pair stood with their backs to each other as attacks came from all sides.
Bill was clearly the better fighter by far - Dipper thought briefly for a moment how he was glad Bill was on their side. Blood splattered through the air with every slash of their swords as bodies began to pile near them. Dipper heard Bill begin to laugh as they fought and turned his head to look at him. There was a bright fury glinting in Bill's blue eyes that Dipper had never seen before. "You're still with me, right?" Bill called to him with a boisterous laugh as he cut down another foe.
"Of cour-."
The moment of distraction cost him. The pain started like a fire burning in his side as the sword pierced him. Searing pain shot through his body as he swung his sword with all of his strength at his attacker. His strike hit its mark with full force and the blade left his side. The world around him seemed to slow down as he sank to his knees. Their armies were nearly spent; the fighting around them growing more sparse by the second.
Dipper's sword fell limply from his hand as his hand found his wounded side. He looked down with bleary eyes at the sticky, hot, blood covering his hand. "B-bill..." he muttered as he collapsed forward onto the ground.
"Mason!" Bill wheeled on him and knelt down beside him, his sword falling from his hands. He grabbed Dipper by the shoulder and flipped him over. He pulled off Dipper's helmet and grabbed the brunette's face. "Mason! Look at me, damn you!"
Dipper blinked slowly up at the blonde, blurriness overtaking the corners of his vision. "B-bill... I... It's just a scratch." He let out a weak laugh that turned into a cough that caused his side to ache. He placed a weak hand on Bill's cheek. His face was stained with blood, dirt, and soot that Dipper brushed away carefully with his thumb. "It's just a scratch," he repeated quietly.
"Damn it, Dipper! I told you to focus." Bill held back a sob as he clutched at the back of Dipper's head. He pressed his free hand do Dipper's wound to try to suppress the bleeding.
"You hardly ever call me that." Dipper smiled softly. His hand fell from Bill's cheek onto his chest. "I'll be alright, just let me... let me rest a moment..." Dipper's eyelids felt like lead and he struggled to keep them open.
Bill pressed his forehead to Dipper's chest-plate. "You can't leave me. Not again." The soft patter of tears on metal filled his ears.
"Hey..." Dipper mumbled. Bill lifted his head and looked up at him through red eyes. "Don't worry... You'll see me again soon. We've done this... before." He coughed.
The blonde cradled Dipper's head in his lap and brushed the strands of brown hair from his eyes. "You don't know that. You won't remember me. We won't remember..." Hot tears continued to slip down his cheeks.
"That's half the fun." Dipper's voice became impossibly softer. He smiled at the blonde through half-lidded eyes. "I'll get to know you all... all over again.."
"Clothes are so complicated now," Dipper grumbled as he tightened the back strap of his vest.
The blonde looked up over the top of his book and scoffed. "I agree. I much preferred togas."
"Of course you would prefer togas." Dipper rolled is eyes and collected his tailcoat from the dresser. "Come on, we don't want to be late."
"You're the one who spent an hour preening yourself." Bill stood up from his armchair with a grunt and reached for his cane.
Dipper offered Bill his arm for support as they exited their flat. "You're one to talk," he laughed, "If I had that much grease in my hair I would look like a weasel."
Bill released Dipper's arm and grabbed for the stair railing. "If you're going to be like that, I'll take the stairs myself."
"Oh, hush." Dipper rolled his eyes and grabbed Bill's arm again. "You know very well you wouldn't make it two steps without my help with that bum-leg of yours."
"And whose fault is it that I have a bum-leg in the first place?" Bill stopped on the third step and turned to the brunette with a quirked eyebrow.
Dipper scoffed and continued to guide Bill down the steps. "That was all you. I didn't want to go riding that day anyways. You're the one who decided to take that jump, I told you it was dangerous."
"Shouldn't you know by now that I never listen?" Bill squeezed lightly on Dipper's arm as the reached the bottom of the stairs. He released his hold on Dipper's arm and opened the front door of their building. The pair stepped out onto the bustling city street and moved with the crowd down the sidewalk. "Remind me, where are we meeting them?"
"Some fancy place on Alden Street," Dipper replied. "I think it's called... Rockwell's. Yes, that's it I think."
They turned a corner onto a smaller, less-populated side street. "Have we eaten there before?" Bill glanced up at the tall buildings to either side and extended his arm out to the brunette.
"No." Dipper shook his head and looped his arm through the blonde's. "I considered taking you there for our anniversary last year, but it was too expensive."
Bill stopped and tapped his cane on the ground. "Can we even have an anniversary if we aren't technically together?" He turned to the brunette and tilted his head. "Also, if it is so expensive why are we going now? I don't know if our finances will stretch..."
Dipper chuckled and pulled Bill down the street. "Don't fret, it's all taken care of already. And besides," The brunette looked at his partner out of the corner of his eye, "we are together even if the law doesn't quite allow it."
"Well then." Bill let out a laugh of his own. He tapped the end of his cane against his bad leg. "Isn't it a good thing I have this bum-leg so that you can still hold my hand?"
Dipper flashed him a smile and squeezed his hand. "I suppose it is, then."
The steadily rising sun sent streaks of light across the water. Dipper shifted his head on Bill's shoulder and sighed.
"What's wrong?" Bill asked softly. He tilted his head to look at the brunette's face.
Dipper sighed again and gave Bill's arm a squeeze. "I was thinking about our wedding," he responded with a giggle.
"Which one?" Bill snorted. It was a fair question; they had been married at least 3 times by Bill's last count.
"1897. We had blue flowers," Dipper explained. Another wave crashed against the sand.
Bill made a sound of acknowledgement and was silent for a moment. "We honeymooned in... Paris. We took a boat to get there and you got seasick." He chuckled to himself.
Dipper elbowed the blonde in the side, but laughed anyways. "I'd forgotten about that." Dipper scooted sideways before laying his head in Bill's lap. Bill stroked a hand lazily through Dipper's hair as the waves continued to splash against the sand.
Bill twirled a strand of hair around his index finger and hummed. "We should get married again."
"What?" Dipper laughed. "We don't have the money to do that again."
Bill leaned down and placed a kiss on Dipper's temple. "I'll wear the dress this time?" He suggested.
"Bill," Dipper chided. "We don't have the money."
The blonde sighed and continued to card his hand through the brown locks. "Alright," He conceded. "Next time, then."