I think I'm just going to change the posting days to Saturdays. They seem to be easier for me to actually post on than Sundays.
Hey everyone. New chapter. I'm not that happy with it, as I feel like I might have skipped too much with my three day time-jump, and didn't explain enough, but whatever. I'm too tired to bother fixing it anymore than I already have.
Just saying, before you read, note that during the three days it has been in the story, Dipper has softened a bit towards Bill. He still hates him, but is also confused by him, as Bill is being kinder and more 'human' than Dipper thinks a pirate should be. I tried explaining that in the story, but I'm pretty sure I fell flat. I apologize; I was sick while writing this chapter and had difficulty getting my thoughts across. I edited it as well I could, but I'm still muddled and just... I don't know. Depressed? Yeah, I guess that's the word. Nothing I'm doing turns out how I want, and it's just... not fun.
There was more I wanted to say, about Bill and Dipper, and how this story is going to go, but I just... don't care. Whatever.
I hope you like this chapter. Please tell me what you think.
Enjoy. Or... don't. I don't know.
He was wrong, he thought bitterly as he stared at the wall, his stomach churning angrily.
Three days had passed since that first meeting in the captain's office. Dipper noticed that over that time, a sort of routine had been created. Not a routine that he particularly liked, but one that did add a touch of structure to his life.
Every morning he would wake, at an undetermined time due to the lack of light. He would then attempt to come up with an escape plan, bits and pieces and scattered ideas before the hulking pirate showed up and yanked him up to leave the cells. Then he'd get dragged- literally, as the days passed and he grew weaker- to the captain's office, where he would spend the next hour or so getting prattled at, the captain speaking of everything and nothing while tending to his wound. At the end of the time, the captain would get his lunch and spend approximately the next ten minutes eating it slowly, watching Dipper all the while. Right before he was let out, the captain would come up close to him, so close that Dipper could see every detail of the demon's face, and tempt him with steaming chunks of decadent smoked beef. Each time he would turn his head away, disgust and disdain and utter hatred clear in his motion, until the demon would send him away with a scowl.
(Dipper was ashamed to admit, however, that his resolve was fading as the days went on. His stomach was growling, his body was slowing. He could feel his mind protesting the lack of food, could feel as the days passed his mind getting more and more muddled, but he didn't want to beg like a child just to be fed. He didn't want to degrade himself that much. Yet as he watched the demon eat his food, as he could smell the roasted meat, he found himself wishing he wasn't so prideful. And he hated himself for it. Hated to know he was actually considering begging for something as simple as food.
Worse still, the captain did not seem to be about to change his mind. Instead, the demon appeared to get more and more amused as the days passed, his one eye alight with a sort of sick glee at seeing his prisoner so desperate. It was like it was a game to him. Like he was trying to see how low he could bring his prisoner before he broke. It sickened Dipper, and he found himself utterly hating the demon for it.)
Once the demon was done tormenting him, though, Dipper would be brought back to his cell where he would be forced to spend the rest of the day sitting in silence, his stomach slowly eating itself. He honestly didn't know what was worse; getting tormented by the pirate captain, or being left alone by himself in his cell, where he had to spend hours on end staring at walls with nothing around to interest him. At least when he was with the demon he had something to do, something to focus on. The silence in his cell was mind-numbing, and it only made him think up things he'd rather not think of. Horrors he had been through, horrors he might still be subjected to. What had become of his sister and great uncle. Torturing himself with memories of home and of safety. All of it muddled and distorted by his lack of food, original head wound, and the blood he had lost with his shoulder wound that first day. He hated it.
There was only one good thing that had happened over the past few days, and that was that his shoulder was feeling better. Even as the demon kept food from him, he still took the time each day to clean the wound and add more medicine, his hands almost gentle as he worked. If it wasn't for the fact the demon was withholding his food from him, he'd almost feel grateful to the captain.
It really wasn't fair, he thought miserably as he sat in his cell, having just returned from his fourth meeting with the insane pirate captain. His arm was better, but now he had another thing to worry about. Something that would be so easy to fix, if he just got over his pride. If he gave in and let the demon get his sick satisfaction. But he couldn't; he couldn't. The demon was sick and twisted; he couldn't let him win. Not with the things he had learned about the captain of this ship of nightmares.
See, during the times that Dipper was in the demon's office, his legs restrained as the captain worked, the demon had imparted several tidbits of information about himself. Things that he would prattle on about while cleaning his wound. Horrifying, disgusting things. Things like the fact that the demon had a list of murders he had committed that was longer than Dipper was tall. And that he had a list of crimes longer than the ship was wide.
But the amount of crimes wasn't the worst part of it. That wasn't what stopped Dipper from giving in and letting the demon win. No. What was stopping him from caving was how casually the captain spoke of his crimes. Of the people he had murdered or maimed, or tortured. The demon didn't seem to care at all that he was taking lives, destroying families. It disgusted him to hear, disgusted him to be around this monstrous demon. He couldn't let a 'person' like that defeat him and force him to beg. It was more than pride, really; it was principle.
And yet, even that wasn't the absolute worst thing about his time spent in the demon's office, he thought miserably while squirming slightly. That wasn't what caused the most conflict and hatred to rise within Dipper. No, what was the absolute worst thing, the thing that caused Dipper to squirm and feel the most intense hatred, the thing that stopped him from ever giving in to the demon, was how human the captain could be at times. During those moments when the demon wasn't speaking and was simply being, when he wasn't tormenting him. The way the demon would be gentle with his wound and the way he could sometimes look so serene and almost childlike. So sincere. Dipper saw it on occasion, when the demon was staring at him. Or when he was staring off into space, his words trailing off. The curiosity and intrigue in his eye. The humanity. Oh, how Dipper hated it. Hated how it made him almost believe that a monster such as Bill Cipher could ever actually be human. It was a cunning ruse, but a ruse nonetheless. No one who spoke so easily of death could be human. No one who denied a basic human necessity, like food, could be human. Dipper refused to believe it. And yet, sometimes he did. Believe it. Believe that this demon was human. And that was what he hated the most.
Dipper let out a sigh as he lifted his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms around them. He didn't want to think of the pirate captain. He didn't want to feel so… so intrigued by him. So curious. Yes, he still felt hatred and fear, but he was also so baffled by him. He defied what Dipper always thought pirates were, defied the clean line that Dipper had created in his mind. Pirates couldn't be gentle. They couldn't feel anything other than hatred or twisted amusement. They couldn't get this look in their eyes sometimes, couldn't abruptly stop talking and look so… lost, before rambling on about something benign. They couldn't help heal their prisoners, not when it would make more logical sense to keep them delirious with pain. It wasn't possible.
At least the demon had his bad parts that would always remind Dipper of who he truly was. When he would ramble about his crimes, or when he would deny him his food. When he would grin his wide, manic grin with that insane glint in his eye. That always stopped his musings about the captain's supposed humanity. Anything good in 'Bill' had to be a lie. A ruse. Something to trick Dipper into submitting to him. It made him scowl at the wall to think. Well, 'Bill,' you'd have to try a lot harder to trick Dipper Pines, he thought bitterly.
Dipper was pulled from his musings when he heard the sound of loud laughter coming from above, followed by the sound of hooting and hollering. He let out a groan as he buried his head in his knees, covering his ears with his hands. He didn't quite know what was going on up there, but he had been hearing noises coming from the upper decks for the past several minutes now. They had been quiet enough at first that he could ignore them, but now they were getting louder and more frequent. It sounded like they were celebrating, he thought as he covered his head. For what, though, was the question.
As time passed, the cheering got louder and louder, to the point that Dipper couldn't drown it out by covering his head. He scowled to himself, balling his hands into fists as he was forced to listen to their ruckus. This was aggravating. His head was already aching from lack of food and the noise was just making it all worse.
Not like there was anything he could do about it, though. He was trapped, a prisoner. It wasn't like he could go up there and ask them to keep it down. He snorted at the thought, the image in his mind amusing. Though, it was possible that he was just a touch delirious from a lack of nutrition. Or, perhaps, more than a touch.
Dipper wasn't sure how much time had passed before the door to the brig opened, causing lantern light to flood into the room. For the past however long, he had been sitting on the ground, trying his best to drown out the sound of the perverse merrymaking. He even had tried talking to himself to get sound in the room, though his throat had grown too sore to continue that quicker than usual, due to his slightly parched throat. While the captain did give him tea every day, it wasn't nearly enough to satisfy his throat. When he heard the door open, he felt his head snap up to face whoever was invading his prison. He could feel his heart beating fast as he recalled, unwanted, what had happened the last time someone unexpected had entered his cell.
But instead of seeing a group of drunk and handsy pirates, all Dipper saw was a solitary- and unfortunately familiar- figure. Dressed in his usual yellow jacket and black trousers stood the captain, a too wide grin on his face as he stared down at him, swaying slightly in the doorway. Dipper could see the demon was holding something in his hand, though he couldn't quite make out what from his angle.
"Heya Pine Tree!" The demon cheerfully exclaimed as he sauntered over to the cell, collapsing clumsily on the ground in front of the bars. He then started giggling, his eye closed as he leaned against the bars. Dipper watched in confusion- and mild concern- as the demon giggled manically.
"Um... Hi." Dipper stated slowly, eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. He watched as the captain looked up at him, his one eye hooded.
"Thought I'd check up on my prisoner. Like a good captain should." The demon claimed with faux seriousness, before giggling again. He then lifted the thing he was holding and brought it to his lips, taking a long drink. Dipper noticed then that it was a bottle of rum, which certainly did explain things. The captain was drunk. Dipper didn't know if this concerned him or amused him. Concerned, probably, as he recalled what the last drunken pirates he had encountered had done to him.
"I, uh, see." He replied, not sure what else to say. He never really spoke to the demon, while up in his office. He spent most of the time silently glaring, listening begrudgingly to the rambling captain. The demon never seemed to mind, clearly loving the sound of his own voice. But now he was at a loss; what exactly did one say to the drunken form of the person who had taken you captive and was currently denying you food? Dipper certainly didn't know. Especially when he wasn't even sure why the demon was down there in the first place, since his reasoning of 'wanting to check up on his prisoner' sounded just a bit false to him. He didn't ask, though, and instead watched as the captain nodded slowly, smirking up at him. He figured that it just wouldn't be worth the headache that trying to understand the demon's words always tended to cause in him. Especially since it wasn't like the demon was going to be truthful or anything.
"Mhmmm. So, how are you, Pine Tree? Doin' good?"
Dipper found himself scoffing incredulously at the question. Wow, seriously? If the demon was honestly asking him how he was doing, he either was incredibly drunk, or incredibly stupid. Since Dipper doubted the latter, he was going to go with the former. Which didn't bode well for him.
"Oh yeah, doing just great, stuck here as a prisoner on a pirate ship with no food and barley any water. Just peachy." He said sarcastically, feeling too tired and annoyed to really care about any consequences for his words. To his luck, the captain simply snorted with amusement.
"Hey, you should feel lucky, kid, that you're not getting treated worse. Compared to some ships, you're getting the royal treatment here, Pine Tree." The demon stated, staring at him intently with a sardonic grin on his lips. Dipper scowled in response, glaring as best he could, before looking down, something about the words bugging him. As he stared at the ground, he could feel a question rise in his mind. A question that had been bugging him for the past three days, every time the demon had him brought to his office to look at his wound. And with the captain there, his eye so intent, he found he couldn't keep his question to himself anymore.
"And why is that, huh? Why are you treating me better than most ships would? What's your angle?" Dipper demanded, voicing that damn question that had been plaguing him for the past several days. Why was he getting, comparatively, treated decently? He didn't see getting starved as a good thing, but it certainly was better than any of the stories Dipper had heard. It confused and sort of frightened him. Because he had no idea why; why he wasn't getting beaten or worse. Why he wasn't in more pain than he already was. But now that the pirate captain was here and drunk, perhaps he might actually get an answer. Perhaps the captain would be straight to him for once.
The captain, however, simply shrugged in response to his question, taking another swig from his bottle.
"You're interesting. Not many people your size would take on a six foot tall pirate captain without hesitation, you know, only to then fight four other pirates. Can't tell if you're brave or simply stupid, though. Clearly cared 'bout that girlie my men had caught for a bit o' fun. She your wife or something?" The demon asked, his words slurring just a little bit and his proper accent slipping. His eye, though, was piercing and clear. It made Dipper briefly wonder if this was all just an act, though he put it out of his mind quickly. Didn't really matter if he was drunk or not, did it? He also didn't really feel like the captain had answered his question fully, but it was enough that he wouldn't demand more. It wasn't really worth it, honestly. He turned, instead, to the question he had been asked, wrinkling his nose slightly at the image it inspired.
"… My sister." He answered after a beat, not quite sure if he should have told the demon or not. He couldn't really see a reason why not, though. It wasn't like the demon could hurt her based on his answer, after all. Mabel was safe and sound on The Mystery. 'Bill' couldn't touch her even if he wanted. With that in mind, he watched as the captain nodded sagely.
"Ah. Family. Makes you do crazy things, huh? Not that I'd know. Killed my family when I was a boy." He said nonchalantly, taking a casual swig of his rum. Dipper, on the other hand, was staring at the demon with wide eyes.
"You're sick." Dipper claimed a moment later, once the shock had faded. The captain grinned sharply at him.
"Not everyone had good families, Pine Tree. Mine deserved what they got." He claimed darkly, before smirking again. "Wanna know what's funny 'bout you? You look like a street urchin, with your unruly hair and your round, baby cheeks. Yet you speak like an upperclassman. Care to explain?"
Dipper bared his teeth at the captain, considering his words. Honestly, it didn't surprise him that the demon had killed his family at a young age, but it still made him sick. No family deserved to be killed by one of their own, no matter what. And as for his question, why on earth would he tell the demon about that? It was private. Plus, it had always been a sore spot for him, the fact that he didn't look much like the other members of the upper class. So it was with no regret or thoughts of possible negative repercussions that Dipper scowled and turned his face away from the captain, showing once more his disdain to the demon.
"I'm not answering that." Dipper claimed, staring intently at the rafters, the dark corners of his cell that were full of tiny spider webs. The scowl was still fierce on his lips, his mind churning as he bitterly thought of the captain and his terribleness. He heard as the captain snorted, before he heard the demon shifting a bit, an excited sound coming from his lips. Unable to stop the curiosity that filled him- wondering why exactly the demon would make the same kind of sound his sister made when something exciting had occurred to her- Dipper flicked his eyes almost unwillingly back down to view the captain. He felt a bit apprehensive at the excited gleam he saw in his eye.
"Oh, wait, wait, I have an idea!" The demon claimed, chuckling as a slow grin grew on his face. "How 'bout we make a deal, Pine Tree? See, you're looking awfully hungry there. An' I'm doubting you'll ever cave and beg me, huh? Too prideful, too stubborn. What I like 'bout you, Pine Tree; determination an' conviction! So, if you answer my question, an' answer it well, I'll give you some food! No begging required." The demon grinned, his eye alight with a twisted kind of humor. But Dipper wasn't paying attention to that. No, he was too busy staring at the captain, his eyes wide and his mind racing. Food? If he just… answered a simple question? No 'begging like a needy child', no demeaning himself so terribly? It made him wonder just how curious this demon was about his parentage. Who knew; perhaps he wasn't the only curious one here.
Dipper felt torn at the deal, though. Very torn. On one hand, he was starving. It had been five days since he had last eaten; five days in which his body had gone through extreme injuries and distress. His head was slow, his mind addled beyond belief. However, on the other hand… he really did not want to give in to the demon's demands. God, just the thought made him want to gag, the thought tasting so much like failure to him. But… oh, he needed to eat. He couldn't survive much longer without sustenance. And this question… okay, so it was an important story to him. After all, it was basically the story of his parents, since his mixed heritage was the leading factor in his visage. But was it really more important that food? More important than his life?
"...Fine." He stated a few moments later, feeling his stomach growl. He felt a wave of failure pass through him as he saw a triumphant gleam enter the captain's eye, but he couldn't find it in him to regret it too much. He… he needed food. God, he needed food. He took a deep breath as he thought of what he would reveal, doing his best to ignore the demon that was grinning at him.
"Fine. I look like how I do because my mother… she was a Noble. Old money, you see. But my father… my father was a drifter. Salesman. Was born in the streets and was destined to stay in those streets, selling his wares in various villages and cities around the country, constantly moving. But then he met my mother, seeing her from his cart as she wandered around the poorer neighborhood with her escorts. When their eyes met across the busy streets… well, they fell in love. After that, they made the time to see each other every chance they had, mother sneaking out at night to meet up with my father. After a few months had passed, my father proposed, revealing their relationship soon after to my grandparents. It took a while, but eventually my grandparents came around and accepted my father as their soon-to-be son. A few years later my sister and I were born. We took after our father in looks more than we did our mother." He explained, tersely, with as much detail as he dared to give. He hadn't wanted to give too much detail, since the story was one close to his heart, yet he recalled the captain telling him to answer the question well. One thing that was concerning him, though, was the fact that during his story he had seen the demon's face getting darker and darker, making him wonder if he had done something wrong. If he wasn't going to get fed, after all. But maybe it wasn't anything to do with his story. Perhaps the demon didn't understand love. It wouldn't surprise him, honestly. Hopefully that was it.
When his words had ended, he watched as the captain nodded slowly, his face stony as he frowned at the ground. Dipper tried his hardest to not squirm, eyes glancing around the dark cell, trying to see if there was anything else he could focus on. The captain made him feel nervous, made him want to run and hide. It really was too bad that the man was nearly luminescent in the shadowy space, the light flooding in from the hallway causing his yellow jacket to almost glow. His eyes couldn't escape the demon any more than he could.
"Interesting." The captain said emotionlessly, before taking another swig from his bottle. "You're lucky, Pine Tree. Not many nobles would allowed their daughter to marry someone from the lower class. Unheard of." The demon stated, his eye blank as a slow scowl rose on his lips. Dipper felt confused as he saw it, wondering what the demon's problem was. He was a pirate; what did he know of the upper class? The look on the captain's face made him anxious, though, and he began to explain as best he could, hoping it would be enough. Please don't let the captain take his chance for food away from him. Not now. He had already given in to this ridiculous game that the captain was playing; he had compromised his pride enough.
"Well, uh... my, my mother loved my father, and my grandparents loved my mother dearly. They wanted her to be happy. And, well… if my father made her happy, they would allow it. They had cared more for her than their reputation." He explained slowly, not quite sure what else to say. It was a bit more complicated than that, since it had taken his mother threatening to run away to get his grandparents to listen, but he didn't think saying that was very necessary. But the demon still looked upset, which was concerning. Now, Dipper understood that it was a bizarre situation, that the captain was correct; most families would rather disown their child than allow them to marry one deemed lesser. But what confused him was why the demon looked so… personally upset at his words. Why on earth would this pirate feel personally wounded by a story about the upper class?
"As I said, lucky. Most nobles would just throw their daughter out if she dared to fall in love with someone lesser than them." The demon bit out, his face twisted in some kind of anger. Dipper felt himself shiver at the look, wondering just what it was he had said to make the demon so upset, wondering if there was anything at all he could do to make things better. Before he could even try, however, he watched as the demon's face smoothed over, a manic grin appearing so abruptly Dipper had to blink in surprise. "Hey Pine Tree, you thirsty? Want some rum?"
Dipper could only stare at the now grinning face, the bottle the demon was drinking from extended out towards him, feeling incredibly bemused. The demon's face a moment before... it had looked downright furious, an expression Dipper hadn't seen since their first encounter, when he had nearly killed the demon. A look that expressed the captain's upset and fury quite nicely. Clearly, something about his story had hit a nerve with this insane pirate. And yet… now, here he was, grinning like nothing had ever happened. Like he hadn't exposed himself just a moment before.
Well… that wasn't so surprising, though, he supposed. After all, Dipper had noticed over the past few days that the demon did that a lot. He would be rambling on about something, careless as could be, before abruptly stopping, this dark look appearing on his face. Then, before Dipper could even process the look, the captain would grin and change the topic completely, with nary a hint at what he had previously been speaking of. Dipper had decided a while before that the captain must really be insane, a thought that only intensified when he looked down at the bottle the demon was proffering. But he'd go along with it, as he had learned was best to do. While he was burning with curiosity, he didn't want to purposely aggravate the demon, not if he could help it. Even as the captain was gentle to him, even as he had thoughts of this demon's supposed humanity, he had never forgotten that he was his captor. And he could do anything to him, if he wanted.
So, shaking off his thoughts of the abrupt change in conversation, forcing the curiosity back into a small box in his mind, he focussed his attention on the bottle the captain was offering and forced himself to wrinkle his nose a bit. He was too young to drink, he knew that. And even if he hadn't been, he wasn't sure if he should drink alcohol on a beyond empty stomach. He recalled his great uncle mentioning that that was not a smart idea. And there also was the problem of him being chained to the wall, and being too weary to get up and grab the bottle from the pirate.
However, instead of answering the demon's question, Dipper simply raised his arms, showcasing the manacles that were there. He didn't feel like speaking, didn't feel like wasting his breath reminding the demon of his age. And part of him did it to remind the captain that he was a prisoner, not someone to drink with. Perhaps unwise, but he felt it was better than the confusing way the captain was offering him a drink, as if they were friends. However, it appeared the demon took it the wrong way, his head tilting in contemplation for a moment, before standing clumsily. Dipper watched with distrust and mild fear as the demon fumbled with a set of keys that he kept on his belt, opening the cell a moment later. The captain then sauntered forward, his body swaying lightly as he moved, taking a seat right in front of Dipper, whose heart was pounding as he watched the demon sit with wide eyes. He could see a lazy grin rise on the demon's face as he held out his bottle once more.
"There we go. That's better. Now, want some rum? 'S good."
Well, that was the opposite of what he had intended, he thought sardonically through his slight panic. He had wanted the demon to go away, not come closer. Even as his heart beat fast, wondering if he should be concerned at the fact there was a pirate in his cell, he forced a scowl of displeasure to rise on his face as he stared at the demon who had invaded his prison.
When the demon shook the bottle in his hands a little, eyebrow raised, Dipper tore his eyes from the captain and instead looked at the bottle- his heart slowing as his body registered the fact the captain didn't seem likely to hurt him just then- and felt distaste filling him. He really didn't want to drink the rum. The scent of it had always made him gag, the few times he had seen his great uncle drinking it after a rough day at sea. But he could also see the challenge in the demon's still too clear eye, the mockery and condensation. After years of being looked upon like a clueless child, he found he absolutely despised that look; even more so when it came from the pirate captain, it seemed. And with his fear fading, his indignation was able to take precedent in his mind.
"Well, Pine Tree? I'm waitin'. Gonna make me wait for forever before you take it? Or are you just waitin' for your balls ta drop?"
Well, that settled it. With a scowl, real this time, Dipper yanked the bottle from the captain's hand- startling a laugh from the demon- before bringing it to his lips. He hesitated for only a second, wondering if this was a good idea or not, before tipping the bottle back and taking a large swallow.
Almost as soon as the rum hit his taste buds, he found himself gagging, nearly spitting the liquid back out onto the captain before he managed to stop himself, swallowing painfully. He started coughing a second later, the alcohol burning his throat as it went down, his head swimming. He could distantly hear the captain laughing hysterically, but he couldn't find it in him to really care. He felt terrible, his lungs heaving pained breaths as he tried to get the foul taste from his tongue. It took him a few moments to calm his body down, his mind pounding again as he sat back against the wall. The demon, he saw, was hunched over with his laughter.
"Oh! Oh! My sides! Ha! Pine Tree, that was gold! Ha!" The demon laughed, looking up and grinning widely at him. Dipper scowled darkly back, his cheeks feeling red hot, which seemed to make the demon laugh even louder. It took a while for the captain to calm himself.
"Ah, Pine Tree. You're too much." The captain chuckled once he had mostly calmed down, wiping a pretend tear away from his eye. He was smirking at the still scowling Dipper, which caused the boy to scowl harder, his embarrassment mounting with each second that passed. Oh, how he hated being treated like a child. He watched bitterly as the demon then tilted his head, his eye filled with amusement as he slowly grinned, somehow softer than his usual one. "Has anyone ever told you that you look adorable when you're mad? Your face gets all squishy and hilarious."
Dipper felt his eyes widen at that, spluttering as offense filled him. Adorable?! Had the captain seriously just called him adorable?! For one thing, he was not adorable, he thought as he bared his teeth at the captain. He was very manly, thank you very much. For another thing, what kind of pirate captain called someone adorable? 'Bill' must be more inebriated than he had thought, Dipper mused darkly with distaste.
"Seriously, it's like tryin' ta argue with a puppy." The demon claimed, before reaching a hand out and ruffling Dipper's hair.
"Hey!" Dipper shouted, smacking the hand away, annoyance filling his face. The demon chuckled again, settling back down on the ground, a soft smirk on his face. Dipper felt his heart lurch unpleasantly, and wondered what the hell was going on. Something about this felt so wrong, he just… couldn't put his finger on it. His head was feeling kind of fuzzy, now.
"Relax, kid. Just havin' a bit o' fun. Since you clearly don't like rum, hand me the bottle. Don't wanna let a good drink go to waste, ey?" The demon demanded, holding out a hand, which Dipper glared at. He considered not giving the bottle back out of spite, but decided against it, as he wouldn't put it past the captain to come over and take it from him. And he really didn't want the demon to be too close to him. So- with a bit of grumbling- he handed the bottle back, the cool, solid bottle getting taken from his grasp, the briefest touch of warm fingers brushing his as he let go. He felt his breath hitch at that, yet decided to not think of it. Couldn't really, with how muddled his head was.
He then leaned back against the wall, a groan escaping his lips unbidden as he felt his head pound. The alcohol had not helped him at all; in fact, it had just made things worse. Even though he had only had one sip, he could feel it invading his body, the poison spreading through him angrily. He didn't like this feeling. It wasn't like the time he had had the one drink with Wendy and her friends. This time was much worse, probably because of his empty stomach and injuries. And the noise that was still coming from upstairs wasn't helping, making his head pound unpleasantly. A silence rose between him and the captain, which allowed him to think. And wonder.
He didn't understand the captain. The demon was a pirate, the scourge of the seas. He killed for fun and thieved for sport. He had a list of crimes a mile long and repented none of them. And yet... And yet, here he was, staying down here with him instead of staying in the upper decks with his crew. Here he was, acting almost like they were friends, when they most certainly were not. And as much as Dipper certainly was annoyed at the captain's antics, he couldn't really say that the demon was being... evil. Or morally wrong. It was more innocent than that, more friendly. Honestly, it reminded him a bit of Wendy, and of how he acted with Wendy, if he had to put a name to it. Which was a scary thought, considering.
He blinked in surprise when he heard the demon who was sitting in front of him shift, forcing him to turn his tired eyes to the man. As he stared, he couldn't help wondering just why he was there. Why he wasn't upstairs with his crew, why he wasn't celebrating with them. Why he was spending his time down here alone with a prisoner, rather than up there with his crew. It baffled him, and he burned to know the answer. Burned to know why. That desire mounted when he saw the look the man- yes, man, in this moment he was just too human, Dipper couldn't remember why he wasn't a human- had on his face. The look of silent intrigue and curiosity that was so goddamn human. The peace and the serenity. God, he needed to know why.
"Why are you here?" He mumbled softly, almost to himself, eyes fixed on the captain. He watched as the man blinked, tilting his head in confusion as he looked down at him, a small frown on his face.
"It's my ship. Why shouldn't I be here?" The captain asked somewhat defensively, his back stiffening as a cold look entered his eye. Dipper shook his head slightly, as much as he dared with his pounding head. Part of him wanted to just forget the whole thing, knowing the question was stupid, but his mouth refused to listen to his mind and continued without his permission.
"Not what I meant. I meant why are you here, and not with your crew. I can hear them celebrating. Why would you, their captain, be down here with me, your prisoner, instead of up there with them, your crew? I don't understand." He stated, still softly, eyes beseeching.
The captain stiffened more, his eye cold as he looked down at Dipper, before he relaxed. Dipper saw as the man grinned, manic and utterly false, and felt like groaning. He knew then that he wasn't going to get a straight answer. He may not have known the pirate for long, but he knew enough to know that his grin was his defense. That when he was grinning like that, 99% of what he said was either a lie, or the truth disguised as a lie.
"Same answer stands, Pine Tree. Why not? 'Ve been a part o' this ship long enough that their revels bore me. Here, my quarters, the upper deck; doesn't matter much which I'm at. 'S'long as I'm interested, ey? And you, Pine Tree, are interestin'." The man shrugged, taking another swig of his rum.
Silence overtook them after that, Dipper staring at the captain and the captain staring at the wall, his grin frozen. Dipper would be lying if he didn't say that he was intrigued by the answer, wanting more answers to the questions that response had created, but his mind was working again, barely, and stopped him before he could voice his questions. He didn't want the captain to get angry at him. No matter how human he may seem in this second, Dipper couldn't forget that he was a murderer. And that he might hurt him if crossed. He was still burning to know, though. Oh, how he wanted to know.
"Well, this has been fun, Pine Tree." The man claimed- a bit stiffly- several minutes later, breaking the heavy silence in the room. The sudden noise jarred Dipper, the boy jerking slightly in surprise. He felt himself flush just a bit when he realized that he had been staring at the captain for the entire time, ducking his head in embarrassment. "But I'm afraid I've got to be goin'. Places ta be, things ta do; you know how it is. See you tomorrow, Pine Tree."
With that, the man- demon, demon, he was a demon not a man, God Dipper remember that- got up clumsily and sauntered away, hips swaying slightly as he moved. Dipper wondered, absently, how he did that. How he made walking seem so elegant. Graceful. Like a dance. He then watched as the man- demon- exited the cell and locked it, sending him a small grin before turning and leaving the room.
Dipper stared at the door for several minutes after that, his head still pounding. He wanted to think, wanted to puzzle the captain out, but he found he couldn't. His mind was muddled, from pain or alcohol he wasn't sure anymore, and he found he couldn't put even two thoughts together.
But he had to remember one thing, even if everything else faded away. No matter how kind the demon- yes, demon, he was a demon, he was a demon- pretended to be, he wasn't a friend. He wasn't someone to be interested in. Just because the demon was shrouded in mystery didn't mean he had to solve it. It didn't mean that under the mystery was a human being who was good. It was Mabel who always saw the best in people; he was the practical one. The one who knew that not everyone was good. As long as he remembered that, as long as he didn't get tricked, he'd be fine.
God, he was tired, he thought as he laid down. Maybe that was why he was thinking charitable thoughts about his captor. He was delusional from lack of sleep and hunger. He remembered, distantly, the deal he had made with the captain. He wondered if the demon would remember and honor it. Probably not, he thought as his mind started to drift into the nothingness of sleep.
When he woke the next morning, beside his head was a plate full of meat.
In between bites, he mentally thanked the pirate captain, knowing he'd never say those words out loud.