As usual, when I start a story, I am pumping out chapters like it's the end of the world.
But I might be taking a step back from this story soon so I can write about how I believe Stan and Ford made up with each other, so keep checking my profile for that if you notice a lack of updates for this story.
To Lilliana Dragonshard: Haha! I'm glad you find him cute. As for age, well he's about ten or eleven, but has mood swings like any hormonal teen XD When he's in a 'normal mood', he has the mentality of an eight-year-old, though. And I also knows what it's like to have a cast. I broke my arm the day before my eighth birthday! DX Not good!
There's a My Little Pony reference hidden in this chapter for all you bronies and pegasisters (if you take the name, of course) in the Gravity Falls fandom. Tell me who you are, so I know I'm not alone!
More out of character Bill Cipher, and possibly OOC Mabel ahead. Enjoy!
Chapter 3 – Clean Slate
"THAT'S BILL CIPHER?!"
Ford winced at the volume of Dipper's outburst, but thankfully he'd been expecting something akin to it. After all, this was Bill Cipher they were talking about. No one who knew the demon would be happy about spending a week with him, let alone an entire summer.
"Yes, Dipper," Stanford said.
"Okay, I don't wanna hug you anymore," Mabel announced, shuffling her seat away from Bill.
"But… how... how is Bill human?" Dipper questioned. "Last time I checked, he couldn't leave the Mindscape unless he possessed a living body." Upon saying this, he glanced at Bill. It was ridiculous how a triangular demon could suddenly become a human boy who couldn't be much older than eleven. Twelve, at a stretch.
Immediately, Bill cringed, but no one seemed to notice.
"I enlisted the help of another dream demon," Ford explained. "It was risky, but I managed to get lucky. She-."
"She?" Dipper interrupted.
"Yes. She. I managed to learn a few things from her; mainly how to defeat another dream demon. As it turns out, the best way for that to happen was for a demon more powerful than Cipher to… 'Challenge' him, as they call it."
"'Challenge'?" Dipper echoed curiously. "What do you mean by that?"
"To put it simply; it's a fight between the two contestants. Winner takes all. Power, knowledge, even the area they preside over. As you can see; Cipher lost."
"That stupid fire-bat cheated," Bill growled under his breath, earning a stern look from Stanford.
"If I recall," he countered, "you were the one who tried to summon another monster of the Mindscape halfway through the Challenge. Which was supposed to be one-on-one, only. Alter only countered your attempts with her own summoning."
Surprisingly, Bill didn't argue. Instead, he only lowered his head and glared at the table.
"That still doesn't explain why Bill is human and here right now," Dipper objected.
"It was part of the stupid deal that Ford agreed to," Stanley grumbled. "Although I honestly can't see why that darn demon couldn't have destroyed this nuisance and be done with it."
"You made a deal with a dream demon?!" Dipper yelled. "That's crazy! Why did you-?"
"It was the best option available," Stanford interrupted. "Thankfully, the deal was easy enough. If Alter won the Challenge, then I was supposed to serve as a guardian for Cipher until the end of this summer break. It was either that, or she returned his power to him, and left me to deal with an even more ticked off top-hat-wearing Eye of Providence on my own."
"And what will happen when summer vacation is over?"
Stanford shrugged. "Then he's on his own. Probably going to serve as a sort of 'pet' of Alter's. I never got the specifics, but either way; Bill here won't be a problem ever again."
"How do you know she won't go back on her word?" Dipper pressed.
An exasperated sigh escaped Stanford's lungs. "I spent a long time wondering if I could trust Alter before I enlisted her actual help," he said. "And like I said; I got lucky. She's trustworthy enough, albeit her ideas are rather… odd, to say the least. She claimed that she had plans to make Sherriff Blubs and Deputy Durland a couple by manipulating their dreams."
At this, Mabel chuckled, followed by a high-pitched squeal. "Oh my gosh!" she shouted. "Someone else who ships it!" She stopped when everyone turned to stare at her. "What?"
"Time to pretend I never heard that," Dipper murmured, and both Stans nodded in agreement. Bill, however, was looking at Mabel with fascination; a change from his previously dispirited mood.
"Well, I'm going to make lunch," Stan announced, clapping his hands together and marching over to the cupboard where the food was kept. "Kids, why don't you go play outside? Just keep out of trouble."
"Okay," the younger twins chorused, standing up and heading outside. However, Mabel stopped at the front door for a moment before rushing back and grabbing Bill by the arm.
"Come on, Billy-Boy!" she whined, much to the shock of Stan and Ford.
"Mabel, I don't think-," Stan began.
"Oh, lighten up already!" Mabel countered. "Crazy dream demon or not, he's having a hard time and needs somebody to cheer him up. Now, let's go, Bill! Wait, do you have crutches?" she added, gesturing down to Bill's broken leg.
"By the door," Bill said quietly as he hopped after Mabel. Immediately, the girl grabbed his crutches from their place and handed them to him. "I… thanks…"
"You're welcome. Now come on, I wanna take Waddles for a walk."
Momentary confusion flashed across Bill's face, but it was quickly replaced with a neutral expression as he exited the house with Mabel. Now the only ones left were Stan and Ford.
"That girl's too nice for her own good," Stan grumbled as he brought out the chopping board and a few plates.
"Perhaps that's why Alter wanted me to look after him in the first place," Stanford said; putting away the first aid kit. "I'll have to ask, if she ever shows up again."
"What exactly does she have to gain through all of this?"
Stanford shrugged. "She said it would serve as entertainment of some sort. Apparently, watching people change is something she enjoys."
"Demons are weird."
"Agreed."
Outside, Bill was sat on the porch whilst Waddles snuffled at his bare feet, which were dangling over the edge. The pig's scratchy snout tickled him, and he found himself laughing and grinning at the whole thing. Pain might not have been hilarious any more, but being ticklish was.
Meanwhile, Mabel was sat beside him, fiddling with her grappling hook. "So what's it like being an actual human, huh?" she asked at one point. "Any different from being Bipper?"
Bill looked up in surprise at the Pines twin. There was no malice or scorn in her tone; she seemed genuinely interested. "It's scary," he murmured.
"Really? How come?"
At this, Bill's attitude suddenly changed, and he scowled at Mabel. "Why do you want to know?" he asked resentfully, although unbeknownst to him, Mabel could hear the underlying notes of fear and sadness mixing in with his voice. "Why do you even care, Shooting Star? All I've ever done to you is hurt you and everyone else around you, but all it takes is for some fire-bat to turn me into a human, and you're treating me like your best friend? It doesn't make sense!"
Mabel shrugged nonchalantly; unfazed by Bill's outburst. "What's the fun in making sense?" she questioned. "That Alter person made you human for a reason, Bill. My guess is that it's a second chance for you. And with a second chance comes a clean slate, if you catch my drift. Although I do remember what was on the old one, so we don't need to go through introductions all over again. Unless you want to, that is."
Bill frowned; perplexed. "Can we… try the clean slate thing?" he ventured after a moment of consideration.
Immediately, Mabel beamed. "Great!" she chirped, holding out her hand. "I'm Mabel Pines. I have a pet pig called Waddles, my first kiss was a fish man, and I got suspended in third grade after punching a guy who made fun of my brother's birthmark."
Now feeling a little perkier, Bill shook the offered hand and made his own introduction. "I'm Bill Cipher. I like sleeping on stardust, and werewolf puppies. I used to be a dream demon, but another demon made me human."
"Nice to meet you, Bill. Okay, so we're back to where we started; what's it like being human?"
The corners of Bill's face twitched downward slightly. "It's scary," he admitted yet again.
"How come?"
"Well… it's different from just possessing a random body," Bill explained hesitantly. "If… if something happens, then I can just leave, and I'll be fine. But now… now it's not that easy, and… I can actually die, now. I don't wanna die."
A pang of sympathy found its way into Mabel's chest, and it only grew more noticeable when she realised that Bill was ever so slightly shaking. Much to even her own surprise, she understood the cause of the former demon's fear. As an immortal demon, he had very little to fear; next to nothing could destroy him. But now that invulnerability was gone, and to feel so helpless all of a sudden must be terrifying.
"Hey, it's okay," she consoled, wrapping an arm around his shoulders and giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Scary stuff aside, what are the positives of being human?"
Hearing this, Bill felt strangely better, and his trembling ceased. "I like it when my body responds to emotions," he said; smiling somewhat. "Like; when I'm… excited, I think it's called; I feel all tingly. And that time when I watched that horror movie when Stan was asleep, and Six-Finger was doing sciency stuff in the basement and didn't know I hadn't gone to bed. I felt this crazy buzzing sensation in my limbs every time it got to a part where the characters were being chased by the killer, and it just felt so amazing!"
By now, a somewhat manic grin had formed on Bill's face, and he was waving his arms around to emphasize his point about what he was saying. Mabel bore a smile of her own, glad she was able to cheer him up.
"I got into trouble with Stanford, though," Bill trailed off. "Said that I shouldn't be up so late, which I didn't quite get, because he was up way later than me, even though he said that humans needed a lot of sleep."
"I think he sleeps in every morning," Mabel stated. "Or he has a lot of coffee. I dunno."
"Hey, kids! And Cipher!" Stan suddenly yelled from inside. "Lunch is ready!"