Disclaimer: I do not own GF!
Edited and revised 7/9/15
Betaed 1/4/16
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The black sky shone from above, a swallowing void sprinkled with glimmering stars and a sharp moon. It seemed to curl a smile down upon him, similar to the one a certain god wore- the one he had just met in the woods.
Dipper wrapped his arms around himself, fear pumping through his veins. Body, mind, and spirit sore, all the young boy could do was walk the familiar pathway back home. Every step he took filled him with increasing dread. Blackened feelings simmered and spilled over the edge in the form of violent trembles and wet eyes.
He didn't know how late it was, but considering the lack of any activity going on around him in the small town of Gravity Falls, it had to be past midnight. Dipper bit the inside of his cheek, tasting flecks of blood as he did so. He was going to be in so much trouble. Blinking hard, he felt his breaths once again go out of sync, hasty and shallow. Dipper feared his immediate future more than the wendigo, more than the wolves. Heck, probably just as much as he feared the god Bill Cipher.
Grunkle Stan was going to kill him.
No, that wasn't right. First, his Grunkle was going to force him to dig his own grave. Then he would kill him. The thought made his stomach roll.
Buildings passed along either side of him, squat and silent. Lamps burned with magical fire, orange and warm that caused wavering shadows to stretch out, familiar but still haunting. A cool wind brushed by him, raising goose flesh across his bare arms and ruffling his hair. Reaching up to flatten his bangs back down, Dipper continued his pace back home.
The cracked sidewalks eventually became dirt roads as he got closer to the edge of the town. Dying apple grass crunched under his feet, sharp blades stabbing the rubber soles of his shoes. Scuffing a bit of loose dirt into the air, Dipper continued to dwell in his thoughts.
He had gone and stolen one of his Grunkle's precious journals, something he wasn't even allowed to touch. He went into the woods after he was specifically instructed not to, and he made a deal with the evil god who lived there. The god who had saved his life after almost getting killed twice.
And now he had to visit the same woods and god in two days.
Dipper's mind pulsated with a growing migraine. Thinking back, Dipper wished the wendigo or wolves had gotten to him instead of Cipher only so he didn't have to face Stan. After all, the original plan was to grab the book, explore a bit, then go back home and return it before he realized it was missing.
Dipper stared up as a fuzzy shape started to slowly fade into view- The Mystery Shack, a store of the occult and supernatural.
His home.
The jingle rang in his mind: 'Remember, we put the fun in no refunds!'
Dipper would've cracked a smile if he wasn't feeling so cold and terrified. Rubbing his eye with the back of his palm, Dipper side-stepped a lone tree. Freezing in his tracks, the young boy stared at the windows that still flared with yellow light.
Gulping thickly, Dipper was hyper-aware of the heavy weight of the journal in his vest pocket. Lifting a hand up, he stroked the spine gently, trying to calm himself. His breaths came out ragged and unsure, a testament to the panic he was going through. No longer filled with fatigue, adrenaline shot through his heart and veins, circulating through his entire body.
Putting one foot in front of the other once again, the brunet padded up to the front door, only able to hear the sound of his heart pumping in rhythm to the grass beneath his feet.
Pump-pump, crunch.
Pump-pump, crunch.
Pump-pump, thunk.
Dipper's foot hit the first step to the porch, wood old and worn beneath. Dream catchers, shinning crystals, and even some Teru teru bōzu, weather dolls that Mabel had made, blew in the wind. Chimes that hung around the door, each engraved with some rune or another rang softly in the oppressing silence that hung around him.
Reaching the door, Dipper lifted his hand and rested it on the cool metal, palms sticky with nervous sweat. He grasped the knob and released one final breath, unable to quell his nerves. With a flick of his wrist the door opened, and he slipped in before closing it behind him.
Though the shop was flooded with light, there was no one in the room. Dipper gave it a quick sweep with his eyes.
No one hiding in the corners.
No one behind the shelves stocked with charms.
The shelf full of crystals was also void of any stragglers. No one manned the register.
Dipper's shoulders tensed up. He was dreading running into his Grunkle even more now. Tightening his hands into fists on either side of him, Dipper strode forward once again, knees shaking a bit.
Dipper reached the other end of the room much too quickly for his taste. He could hear the television playing in the background, too low to understand what was being said but loud enough to notice the chatter and accompanying background music. Knowing that there was no way he could put off the confrontation any longer, Dipper gave a weak attempt at steeling his nerves before slinking into the living room, head bowed low.
The brunet could feel the glare Grunkle Stan was giving him, just as hot as the blue fire earlier today, if not hotter.
Peeking through his fluffy bangs, the boy could see that Stan was wearing what he normally wore when he wasn't trying to sell things; a simple stained wife-beater and some striped boxers. Though the older man seemed relaxed, leaning back in his favorite chair easily, there was a certain tenseness to his shoulders and arms.
"Out late, aren't you?" Stan grumbled, anger simmering in his voice.
Dipper gulped and leaned against the doorway, his stomach wiggling about. Feeling the rush of fatigue once more, the brunet stared at his Grunkle with tired but fearful eyes; he looked not unlike a deer caught in the headlights.
Stan stood up slowly, back popping loudly. Slouching forward, gut hanging free, the man approached Dipper slowly. Coming to a stop before the young boy, the older man simply held out his hand.
Gulping again, Dipper reached into his vest with a shaking hand. Taking out the stolen journal, he almost dropped it twice before giving it back, eyes locked on his shoes the entire time.
"Go to your room," Stan commanded, leaving no room for argument. He turned around and relaxed back into his chair, stiffness still clear in his muscles.
Though confused, Dipper didn't waste any time turning around and scrambling up the stairs, lips pressed in a hard line.
The boy quickly scurried to his and Mabel's shared room, unaware of the light leaking out from under the door. Cracking it open, Dipper barely took two steps into the room before a warm and solid shape rammed into him as a pair of familiar arms wrapped around him in a bone-crushing hug.
"Dipper!" The sweater-clad girl cried out, grateful that her brother was back and seemed no worse for wear. Worry receding to the back of her mind, the female twin nuzzled her cheek to his.
"Ma-Mabel!" Dipper gasped out, "You're ch-choking me!"
Giving him a slightly apologetic hum, the brunette unwound her arms after a few more seconds, balancing on the balls of her feet, "Where were you, bro-bro?" She asked, sniffing a bit.
Dipper winced at Mabel's expression, guilt taking a hold of his heart and strangling it.
"I-I'm sorry, Mabel," He apologized, unable to look at her fully.
Mabel sighed and took his hand, leading him over to her bed. Both sat on the edge and leaned against one another, saying nothing for while, just glad to be back in each other's' presence.
"Where did you go?" Mabel repeated after a few moments of silence, voice soft for once. He could hear the tears there, clear as day.
Dipper sighed, and eventually relented. "It's- It's a long story."
"We have time," Mabel pointed out, succeeding at hiding her worry and fears behind false cheerfulness.
Sighing again, Dipper leaned backwards and let his sore back hit the soft mattress. The stress from the area relieved some, and the brunet waited as Mabel leaned back with him. Both twins stared up at the wooden ceiling, eyes mostly focused on the rot that was currently there.
"I took one of the journals, the third one, from Stan today," Dipper started.
"What?!" Mabel cried out, body twisting to stare at him. That wasn't like Dipper at all. Her brother was no thief, and out of everyone to steal from their Grunkle Stan, had to be at the very bottom of that list.
"I was curious! Plus, Stan let it slip that it was about the woods-"
At this, Mabel let out a groan. Dipper and his woods. He never seemed to shut up about them.
"So you took the book and ran off into the woods?" Mabel clarified.
"Yeah."
Reaching up, Mabel firmly flicked her brother's forehead, causing him to squeak in pain.
"Ow! Mabel, what was that for?"
"For being stupid, dumb-dumb! Everyone knows the woods are dangerous," Mabel's voice dropped down to a whisper that was soft like feathers, a sound that was very unlike her. "They're filled with monsters and creatures and beasts," She murmured, half-forgotten memories forming in her mind.
Dipper wrapped an arm around his sister, heart clenching.
"I-I know," He stuttered, voice tight with the struggle to refrain from crying. Even after all this time, the feelings of depression and being lost still seemed to pierce him.
Something told Dipper it always would.
Clearing her throat loudly to chase the sudden somber mood away, Mabel motioned for her brother to continue.
At this, Dipper froze up, mind grasping around blindly to find something to tell her. Could he tell her about almost dying twice? About getting lost?
About making a deal with the resident god, Bill Cipher?
Staring at his twin's eyes, mocha just like his, perpetually shining with a bright and beautiful light that never could be extinguished completely, Dipper knew in those few seconds what he had known his entire life.
"I went into the woods. And-and almost got attacked by a wendigo and some wolves," Dipper stated slowly.
As expected, Mabel stared at him with wide eyes before tackling him in another hug.
"You stupid- ugh!" Mabel was at a loss for words. Her past fear of something happening to this boy who was not only her brother, but her best friend reappeared at the front of her mind yet again.
"I know, I know. But I was saved, Mabel. I'm okay."
Mabel looked him over with a critical eye. It wasn't that she thought he was lying to her or anything of that sort. Dipper would never lie to her, not in a million years. But he did have a nasty habit of playing down his own troubles.
Sure that he wasn't making an understatement, Mabel motioned for him to continue. "Someone saved you?"
Dipper nodded and lightly closed his eyes. Imprints of the ethereal blue flames still flared in the darkness of his mind's eye, hot but not burning. "Yeah. A god."
Mabel sucked in a breath. Even without seeing her, Dipper could picture the expression she had on her face.
Eyes wide. Mouth open slightly. Body still for once.
"His name was Bill Cipher."
Dipper tightened the pressure on his eyes a bit, closing them even tighter. The image of Mabel disappeared, taken over by the over-dressed man with a floating top hat, mischievous smile, grating voice, and a single gold eye that promised danger and excitement.
"Bill Cipher...Bill Cipher...Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?"
Suddenly Mabel snapped her fingers in recognition. Dipper opened his eyes again, taking in her excited expression.
"Isn't he that guy in all those stories we heard of when we were little?"
Dipper nodded. "One and the same, though I don't really remember how those stories went."
Mabel shrugged, "Me neither."
"Anyways," Dipper said, getting back on track, "After Bill saved me, he forced me to make a deal with him."
"Dipper!"
"I know, I know! Never make deals with gods. But it wasn't like I had a choice."
"So what was the deal?"
"He said he was bored or something and wanted entertainment. So now I have to go visit the forest when he wants me to."
Mabel cocked an eyebrow, "How is that entertainment? He's not going to, like, eat your soul or anything, right?"
"No. He just wants to watch me explore the forest."
"That's...creepy. And weird," Mabel said tentatively.
Dipper nodded. "Yeah. But it's not like I have a choice. I'm supposed to go back in two days."
"That's fast," Mabel noted, "Wait, you aren't going to get hurt doing this, right?"
Her brother shook his head. "Part of the deal was that I wouldn't get hurt. I mean, it's a win-win situation. I get to see the forest safely and he gets...entertainment."
"This is terrible, Dip-dop. How are you supposed to sneak off into the forest, especially with Grunk- wait! Does Grunkle Stan know any of this?!"
Dipper bit his lip nervously. "Well, he knows I took the journal, but that's it."
"You're dead," She deadpanned, "Are you going to tell him about..." The brunette sat up and waved her arms around wildly, sleeves flapping everywhere. "All this?"
Dipper blanched at the idea, "NO! Mabel, Stan can never learn about this! He'd try to go break the deal himself or something!"
"But Stan knows everything about the woods! Or, magic and the supernatural at least. He'd be able to help-"
Dipper shook his head adamantly. "And then he'd get himself killed." Dipper sat up, staring at his twin with unwavering eyes and offered a pinkie to her. "Promise you won't tell him. We- this needs to be a twin secret."
Mabel glanced down at the offered digit, uncertainty weaving a bitter course through her. Steeling herself, she grabbed Dipper's pinkie with her own and the two of them shook on it.
"Okay. I promise," She relented.
Her twin shot her a grateful look before jumping off her bed to go to his own, too tired to even change out of his day clothes.
"Goodnight, Mabes," He said after settling in, laying on his side to look at her.
Mabel nuzzled into her bed. Like her brother, she didn't change out of her sweater. Her brown eyes met his and reflected perfectly, "Night bro-bro," She muttered, reaching out and turning off the lamp, snuffing out the light and bathing the room in darkness.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Dipper stared forward at his fuming Grunkle, gripping the kitchen chair tightly, knuckles turning white.
Next to him, Mabel fiddled with her hair, a half a cup of Mabel-juice in front of her. Her eyes darted between her Grunkle and her brother, worrying her lip as she did so.
"-You never ever touch my stuff without permission. Never. I thought I drilled that into your head," Stan growled, arms crossed over his chest with the stolen journal in front of him.
Dipper winced at the tone of voice his Grunkle used, more guilt clawing at his heart.
"Sor-" He started, but a quick and hairy hand halted his hundredth time trying to cough out an apology.
"I don't want to hear it." His Grunkle's eyes narrowed. "Not only did you steal from me, but you also put yourself in danger on purpose when I specifically told you to not go-"
"I didn't go into the woods!" Dipper said, the lie slipping easily off his tongue.
Stan cut off his ranting; interrupted, surprised, and instantly suspicious.
Mabel's eyes widened a fraction at her brother's denial, but quickly schooled her face and stared downwards at the table. She was barely able to keep her shock hidden, though luckily Stan didn't notice.
"You stole my journal about the forest, but didn't actually go into the forest?" Stan reiterated.
Dipper nodded, heart thumping wildly in his chest with such a heavy lie. "Of course not! I wouldn't put myself in actual danger! I- I just wanted to know more..." At this, the brunet hung his head, gripping his chair ever tighter, eyes flickering back and forth.
Stan narrowed his eyes at his nephew, his angry worry fading into simple but strong irritation. Dipper normally had a pretty good head on his shoulders- but geeze, talk about making bone-headed decisions.
Stan sighed and stared down at the journal. Dipper always was interested in the forest. Ever since he was a little kid. It was a bit morbid, when he dwelled on it, considering what happened in those woods.
"You're grounded," Stan stated, voice apathetic, "You're to come straight home after school, no staying at the library, no hanging out with friends. No books either unless they relate to school. Oh, and you're to do the dishes every night for the next month. Now get outta here."
Dipper hung his head, accepting the punishment. Grabbing his backpack, he quickly slipped it on. Back and legs still a bit sore from the day before, he swung out of the chair and padded out of the room, Mabel trailing behind him silently.
"Hey dudes. Why the long faces?" A familiar voice asked as they entered the shop section of their home.
Dipper and Mabel looked up to see the Mystery Shack's handyman and one of the twins' best friends, Soos. The man was currently at the register, trying his best to close it with little success. With Wendy being at school for the first part of the day, her normal station shifted to Soos's watch, unfortunately.
Both twins gave him reflecting half-hearted grins. "Nothing too important. We'll tell you later." Dipper said, not wanting to go through another lecture or see Soos's reaction to the fact that he actually stole something.
"Okay, dudes. I'll see you later!"
Calling out one last goodbye, the twins hurried out of the shack, running a bit late. Fast-walking down the dirt pathway and into actual civilization, the twins dived behind a few back alleys and weaved between crowds of people to try and get to school on time.
"We're not going to make it!" Dipper cried, staring down at his watch. The hands ticked ominously, the hour hand wriggling back and forth. "Ugh, I think this thing is broken," He complained, tapping the face.
Mabel grabbed her brother's hand and sped up her walk, yanking her brother along with her, "Not if we run faster!" She cheered.
The twins were just able to slip in the door as the tardy bell went off. Hallways mostly cleared at that point, the two didn't even glance at one another as they fast-walked and veered to the right, diving into their shared homeroom as the final bell rang.
"Phew," They both sighed, slipping into their respective desks near the back. They were thankful that this particular teacher assigned seating charts based on name and not on actual tact.
Said teacher stood from her desk, eyes shining lightly as she greeted the class briefly before instructing them which page to read in their textbooks. Groaning together, the class reached under their desks to pull out the needed history books.
Dipper blinked blearily as he cracked the book open to the correct page, his notebook already out to jot down any information he might need. Next to him, Mabel was doing the same while simultaneously talking to a few other girls in class that she knew.
Tired, Dipper's eyes wandered over the page, reading but not taking anything in. Sighing softly, his mind wandered to the day prior; almost getting attacked, meeting the strange god with a top hat and bow-tie, being carried by the very same god like a child, feeling a strange warmth...
Feeling his cheeks flush in embarrassment once more, Dipper buried himself deeper into the book, gripping his pencil tightly.
Five minutes later, he realized he was reading the same line about Manifest Destiny over and over again.
Dipper's eyes sparkled as a sudden idea came over him. Glancing around to make sure no one was paying attention to what he was doing, he quickly flipped to the index in the back of the book. He knew that the chance this book would have any information on what he wanted to know was small, but that didn't stop him from hoping. Gods did play a major part in American History, after all.
Finding the C's, the boy quickly scanned the page.
Ca...Ce...Ch...
Flipping the page over, Dipper finally found what he was looking for: Ci. However, there was nothing on Bill Cipher.
Sighing through his nose, the brunet turned back to the pages he was supposed to be taking notes on, trying to focus his attention. It didn't really surprise him that his sixth grade history textbook had nothing on the nearby god, but that didn't mean that he still wasn't disappointed. Chewing mindlessly on the eraser of his pencil, Dipper felt slight frustration creep in on him. He knew it was fair that he had been grounded. Heck, he should be grateful that Stan not only believed his lie, but didn't give him too harsh of a punishment.
After all, the old man could've made him work overtime.
Of course, that didn't mean that he wasn't upset about not being able to research anything on the god until Stan allowed him to go to the public library again.
Popping his neck, Dipper shook his head to try and get his mental focus back. It'd do him no good to worry and think about things that were out of his control at the moment. He needed to focus on his school work.
After half a page of notes, Mabel giggling playfully next to him as she passed notes back and forth with her friends, and a few more side conversations that were quickly reprimanded by the teacher, the bell finally rung to signal the end of first period.
Dipper gathered his belongings and slipped out the door with Mabel a few steps behind him. Keeping as close to the wall of lockers as possible, the brunet struggled against the mad flood of students, trying to get to his next class.
Something told Dipper it was going to be a long day.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Sighing happily as the lunch bell rang, Dipper was the first to dive out the door. Taking a left instead of a right, he dodged down a few more hallways, sticking to the lockers as he normally did. Briefly slipping into the bathroom to wait out the storm of other sweaty, hungry students, it didn't take long for the brunet to reach the school library.
Peeking into the room, he made his way to the occult history section in the back, eyes darting around. Stan had said he couldn't go to library, but he also said he could still read books for school.
Reaching the admittedly small shelf, Dipper leafed through the heavy books available, slight scowling forming at the results he had. It was no secret that the school library was...lacking certain subjects, mostly dealing with magic but this was absolutely irritating.
Pulling out a few books on different magical creatures, Dipper sat at a nearby table and began to flip through the first one, hunting for any information about gods. Unfortunately, only a few brief paragraphs mentioned the powerful beings and only reiterated information he already knew.
Dipper sighed and dug through the other books available to him, only to find the same knowledge in each and every one. He couldn't find a single thing on Bill Cipher himself.
Frustrated, he returned the books to their proper place and left the school library just as the bell signaling the end of lunch went off. Shoved to the side of the hallway, Dipper flowed with the crowd to get to his next class, mind whirling.
Looks like he'd have to wait before pursuing research about the god known as Bill Cipher.
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ZKDW D PBVWHUB WKDW FLSKHU LV
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First off, I want to thank everyone who's read this story so far. Though it hasn't got much love on here, a lot of people left me some great comments on AO3 and Tumblr, so I've decided to continue this!
Secondly, I want to thank my friend in real life who helped me flesh out this AU more as well as helped me make head cannons for this. You're a great help and I wouldn't be able to do this without you!
As you guys can probably tell, this is going to be a long A/N. I'll try to keep it as short and sweet as possible. There is some information you'll need to know pertaining to this AU I made (which I'm just going to call gods!AU for short from here on out until I can find a better name) I also want to note real quick that updates will be a bit sporadic. Including this story, I'm working on four fanfics and balancing them out is pretty hard. All I can ask is for your patience. Another thing is that this is my first multi-chapter fanfic that's focused on romance and it will be slow.
Lastly, I might change the title of this fic in the future. If you guys have any ideas, feel free to leave them!
Oh, and before I actually go into detail about the AU, I want to note that yes, this story does now have a plot, but it's still very up in the air, which is very strange for me. I'm use to having every chapter planned out, so this is new to me. However, this also means that if you guys have any ideas whatsoever, feel free to leave them! Suggestions are great and I'd love to incorporate other ideas into this!
Okay, now here's some basics about this AU. I'm not going to explain every little thing, but this is what you need to know before starting. I'm putting this info in an A/N mainly to avoid annoying exposition in the story that would break my flow.
First of all, the supernatural isn't just all over the world, but has evolved right next to the human race. The supernatural grew up with civilization and creatures with the same intellect as humans live in society normally.
Magic also exists. Most humans are born with the ability to do magic and like any talent or ability, some people are better than others. Since magic is a big thing, technology hasn't really had the need to evolve, making technology still stuck in the 1960's. Most machines are run off magic. I'm still working on how exactly magic works and such, but it'll probably be based off of a number of religions and beliefs. I'm still researching but if anyone has any information they'd want to part, that'd be great!
Religion and politics are the same. Probably won't go too into detail with this as I don't think it'll be needed.
Education is still the same. Magic theory and basics are taught as a core class (like math, English etc.) and later on, more specialized classes are available as electives. Some colleges have magic based classes, but it's mostly taught in special schools.
As for the gods; gods are considered the most powerful supernatural creatures to exist. Though worship happened in the past, it's nonexistent in today's society however cults do still exist. Sometimes, people do appeal to certain gods, with either prayer, gifts, or sacrifices to get something as well. An example of this would be someone needing more luck in their life, so they appeal to a god of luck for their influence.
Humans put gods under the category of evil or good based on their actions. There's a bit more to this, but it'll be revealed in the story.
Besides all of that, there isn't much more to say. Everything else that is important will be shown later on. As I said, that's just the basics I have currently. If you're confused about anything though, feel free to ask me any question you might have. I promise I'll answer unless it's related to the overall plot to all this.
Well, I think that's about it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and, as always, thanks for reading!