"What?" Dipper snorted skeptically, looking for all of the world like he had just been slapped

Mabel squeezed her hands tighter together

"Please Dipper?" she begged "I really want to go, but I can't go without my Mystery Twin!"

He wrinkled his nose and took a small step backwards

"I don't like parties, Mabel.." he muttered

"You've never been to one with me, Pine Tree" Bill chirped, coming up behind him and leaning over his shoulder "We'll go, Shooting Star"

Mabel squealed and threw her arms around the boys in a quick embrace before turning and bolting from the room, already dialling Pacifica's number to tell her the boys would be coming. Dipper turned and shot a dark glare at the demon

"Bill, I'm not going to that party."

"Why not?"

"Something feels... Off" he admitted "Wrong, I guess. With me. I don't want to be around that many people, Bill. Not when you and I can't even figure out what the hell is going on with me"

Bill blinked in surprise before gently gathering the teenager in his arms, cheek pressing to the top of his head

"It'll be okay, Pine Tree. I'll be with you every step of the way"

Dipper forced himself to relax in the demons arms and take comfort in his reassurance. He was right; the demon would be with him all night, everything would be fine. He just had to have faith that the demon could keep him in line, and that they could handle whatever it was that was going on with Dipper's body.

He sniffed, nose twitching, and sighed

"She's making Mabel juice" he muttered as the sweet smell assaulted his nostrils even from a few floors away

He felt Bill snicker, and rolled his eyes, a small smile tugging at his lips.

BOOMBABY

When it was time for them to go the party Dipper was no more enthusiastic than he was when he had been told about it. Okay, maybe a little bit, but Bill's promises of dancing and spending the night just the two of them, no worries and no responsibilities, was a very tempting thing. Made it easier for the teen to pretend he wasn't dreading the night, and made it easier for him to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach.

Something was going to go wrong tonight. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach, twisting and flipping inside him and making him want to puke. Something was going to go wrong, and he knew without a doubt that it would be his own fault.

"Bill I'm still not so sure about this..." he murmured as they walked up the steps to the front doors of the Northwest mansion

Bill gently squeezed the hand, offering silent assurance to the teenager, and Dipper sighed softly, stomach still twisting unpleasantly, his feeling of dread only increasing with each step they took. And he knew it wasn't because of his hatred of parties.

BOOMBABY

The party went great for the first few hours, and Dipper began to hope that despite the feeling in his stomach, everything was fine. Eventually, Bill pulled him onto the dancefloor during a waltz, and Dipper's stomach flipped uncomfortably- this time because of the passion he could see burning in the demons eyes when they started their dance. Passion directed entirely at him. His heart beat a little faster and his breath hitched, and he knew his gaze was showing the demon all the love he held for him, and he knew the demon knew because of the shit eating smirk on his face.

The smirk fell away and melted into a breathtaking grin, and Dipper felt his heart flutter, the hands holding him tightening

"You're beautiful, Pine Tree" he murmured, and Dipper flushed

"No-" he tried to protest, and Bill shook his head

"You are" he insisted

Dipper stared at Bill for a second, chewing his lip, and after a moment he pressed himself closer to the blonde, blodies flush against each other in every possible place, and he tucked his head under the demons chin, relaxing when Bill released a pleased hum.

"We should dance more often" he whispered, and the brunette nodded slightly

"I'd stay like this forever, if I could"

"We could, with a deal" he teased

Dipper snorted.

BOOMBABY

Things continued to be fine, progressing much the same as they had most of the night. He watched happily as Mabel and Pacifica danced together to 'Bang Bang', laughed when Mabel choked on her punch when Pacifica made a dirty joke, and felt a warmth in his heart when he spotted the two sharing a slow-dance. For the first time in a long time, Dipper genuinely felt like everything was going to be okay.

And then he turned around.

It was like the sensation in his gut had become part of him, and he suddenly felt as angry as he imagined it did. He felt his hands clench into fists, and he felt more than he heard the growl rumbling in his chest. Dipper wasn't sure what was possessing him to move but suddenly he was across the room and at Bill's side, and in the next second he was grabbing Bill and hauling him out of the way. The demon let out a noise of annoyance as he was jerked away, not so much at the fact that he was leaving a conversation, but at the rough handling

"Dipper what are you-" he broke off at the look in Dipper's eyes; shining in the teenagers normally compasionate green eyes he could find nothing but bloodlust. His own golden eyes widened "Dipper?"

Moving as though another force was controlling him he released Bill and took a few staggering steps toward the raven that had been hitting on Bill. The growl that rumbled in his chest grew louder, and he bared his teeth, barely noticing as he stooped slightly, pose mimicking that of a wolf ready to attack. His hands shot up, poised as if they were claws, and he took a step forward, red overtaking the green of his eyes

"Dipper!" Mabel cried, rushing over, but her cry fell on deaf ears as he lunged at the man, knocking him straight to the ground. Bill caught her around the waist before she could rush over, and pushed her toward Pacifica, whom held her tight and held her back- away from her brother.

Dipper's teeth instantly snapped shut on his throat and the man let out a piercing scream- one that was cut short when Dipper slapped his palm down over his mouth. The body jerked in his hold, and a split second later Bill had hauled the teenager off of the man and took off without a word to anybody else, leaving the panicked screams inside the ballroom as he fashed down the stairs, Dipper still ferally growling, but Bill knew it wasn't directed at him.

He didn't stop until they were outside.

As soon as Dipper's feet hit the ground his eyes faded back to green, and his hands began to shake. Bill swallowed thickly and took a step back, ready to give the teenager space if he needed it, but from the look of agony on the teens face he knew he had taken it the wrong way.

"Bill-" he tried weakly, voice cracking "I'm not- I won't- I'm not going to hurt you" his voice was desperate, almost begging, and Bill felt his heart break for the teenager

And he knew he was safe. He trusted him. So he closed the distance between them, mumbling a soft 'I know' as his arms wrapped around the teenager, pulling him against his chest gently, pushing his nose into the humans hair and letting a soft sigh escape him

"I'm sorry, Pine Tree" he muttered "I should've moved quicker"

"Everyone in there is going to know I'm a monster!" he wailed into the demons chest, shoulders shaking as he struggled against his sobs "They're going to chase me into woods where I belong!"

"Dipper, hey!" he snapped, stepping back only slightly so he could meet Dippers tearful gaze "Listen to me, nobody is going to send you away. I've taken care of it. None of them remember it was you, except blondie and Shooting Star"

"How?" he asked weakly, reaching up to wipe his cheeks

"They thing it was a lapse in security and an animal got in" he replied "It's going to be fine. I told you I would take care of this, and I meant it"

"Bill-" he broke off when he heard a door slam open, and only moment later Pacifica came tearing into view.

As soon as her gaze landed on Dipper she let out an enraged screech and took off toward him

"I'm going to kill you!" she screeched, arms stretched out in front of her to grab him as soon as possible, and Dipper flinched, but the only move he made was to shove Bill out of the way.

Pacifica hesitated, angry charge slowing until she came to a stop in front of him

"Dipper?" she asked, voice uncharacteristically soft "What's going on with you?" the teenager shook his head, and she felt her heart give a painful tug. Taking a step forward, she felt another tug in her chest when he flinched. That prompted her to close the distance between them and wrap her arms around him, holding tighter when he tensed up in her hold.

"Pacifica?" he asked weakly, and she only shook her head. After a moment, his arms wrapped around her in return

"Alright demon, what the flap jack is going on!?" Mabel demanded, storming around the same corner Pacifica had come from, her rage directed at Bill

"It's side effects!" he tried "From the possession!"

"Don't bullshit me, Bill!" Mabel snapped back "Something is wrong with my brother and you're going to tell me what it is right now, or I'll get my Grunkle Stan to lock you back in the mindscape!"

It was more her use of a swearword than the actual threat that caught Bill off guard, even if the threat was unpleasant. Why? Mabel Pines never swears. He stared down at the fuming brunette and shook his head

"Nothing is going on, Shooting Star" he insisted "There's just a few things going on in Dipper's mind after his possession that we can't figure out. We're working on it. He'll be fine in a few days"

Mabel's gaze snapped from her brother, to Bill, to her brother, back and forth an almost dizzying amount of times before she finally spoke

"Fine." she hissed "But if anything like this happens again, I'm telling Grunkle Stan"