„This is just crazy…", Dipper mumbled to himself, walked up and down in the attic with the journal in his hands and browsed through those pages since at least an hour now.
He already could feel the ache in his head after all that pondering, the nervous heat inside his chest, getting stronger with every minute of hesitation.
But he had to make a decision. And he had to make it now.
Once again he scrolled to those pages his Grunkle had shown him and remembered the Floating Cliffs of Gravity Falls with their odd shape. Just the thought about a frigging space ship that once had crashed down in the great valley would amaze the young boy each time anew. And normally he wouldn't be able to wait to see it with his own eyes.
But this time it wouldn't be just a simple and mostly harmless mystery hunt, just for the sake of discovering all the great secrets of this town.
This time it would be just as dangerous as highly needed by looking at those pages and after what Ford had told him.
An alien adhesive.
Powerful enough to seal quite everything and even the crack in the rift.
The perfect and exact thing that Dipper undoubtedly needed.
But looking for that space ship and going down there? Alone?
Dipper remembered how his uncle told him about his trips within the spacecraft and how he used its parts to build the portal. Each trip, he said, had seemed riskless at first and ended without damage since all of the aliens have been dead for at least millions of years.
So he thought.
But at his last visits he had seen that he has been wrong.
Some creatures were actually able to survive for that long time and could live in the dark without barely anything, getting used to the rare access to food, light or movement. They actually prepared themselves for the absolute emergency situation of living from almost nothing, no matter for how long.
Crazy creatures…
And the craziest thing about them is that despite everything they have almost attacked him with full strength and just by a whisker he could get away.
But if even his uncle had struggles with getting off cheaply what are the odds for Dipper to not croak in an instant?
Probably downright zero.
No, there was no way he could do it all on his own or without any aid.
Dipper needed this adhesive. And he needed help, that's for sure.
And actually he had already an idea who he could ask.
But… was that a good idea?
"My foot…", Dipper answered himself and let out a frustrated sigh before sitting down on the padded windowsill, putting down the journal right in front of him.
His mind was getting increasingly tired and he'd love nothing better than someone taking all of that out of his hands.
But he had to make a decision. And he had to make it now.
What else could he possibly do? Who else could he ask?
No one of his family was really approachable in this case and Dipper simply refuses to put anyone else in danger. Especially his sister.
No, there was no one else and no one who could actually help him out.
But it wasn't the first time that he got himself into such a dilemma which ended in a sinister decision. Wild horses couldn't bring him to repeat that mistake ever again.
He even has been warned a several times before.
There's no one you can trust.
No one you can trust…
But he had to make a decision. And he had to make it now.
The young boy sighed once more and buried his frowned face into his hands, rubbed his eyes in attempt to mitigate his headache.
He couldn't believe what he was about to do.
Again.
But with a final breath of air Dipper rose his head, swallowed down the dryness in his mouth before calling out silently, hoarsely:
"William…"
Scarcely had the name left his lips, the room around him seemed to change.
For a split second a dizzy feeling came over Dipper's head, the temperature dropped to an indefinable degree as the time reached deadlock and made anything looking unreal and void.
And when the entire room was completely embraced by this dullness, a bright and blueish shape formed itself beneath the wooden ceiling, appeared with a silent and short blaze out of nowhere.
In this moment Dipper breathed out again as he had overcome this second of fright, looked up at the only light and color source in this room with its black limbs and closed eye.
And slowly this eye would open a small crack and glance down at the young boy.
"Here I am" , William said calmly as ever with that quiet whisper in the background, a voice which was able to actually relax the tensed boy a little bit.
Dipper stood up and watched the ghostly shape floating down on eye level. And for a short moment he had to lift one corner of his mouth.
This whole scenery was just a big and twisted déjà vu.
Him being all frustrated and cornered with a problem he can't solve on his own, sitting in the dimmed attic when a dream demon appears and seems to be the only one who might be able to help him out with a deal seeming so riskless.
Except this time he wasn't lured with empty promises or persuaded until he would finally shake a demon's hand.
This time it was him who had asked for the possibility of making instant contact to begin with, just before receiving a visit from this demon who would implicitly ask for his wish like some sort of djinn.
How ironic…
This time it was him asking for a demon's handshake.
"Well I… I need your help, William", Dipper started and already regretted his decision.
"Apparently you do. And in my assessment it has something to do with the sealing material in the spacecraft, do I have this right?"
So he knew. Oh, of course he knew…
"Y-yes, quite right… I see you already know the issue."
"I do of course. And now you want me to convey this material to you directly, is that right as well?"
"Well… no, actually not."
"No?..."
The blue triangle looked down confused at the young boy who had dropped his still hesitant gaze.
True, Dipper could just simply ask for a quick and effortless purchase of that adhesive and leave everything to Will.
But that was not the plan.
"No… I will be the one who goes down the spacecraft and get that adhesive. I don't want anybody doing the dirty work for me… but I would probably peg out in the first five minutes if I try to do it all by myself and without any preparation.
So I'm asking you to help me as something like… well…"
"A life guard?"
"Yes, a life guard…", Dipper nodded and cracked a weird smile.
Did that sound odd?
Probably it did. But he couldn't think of anything else.
"You do realize that the most possible way to preserve you from any physical harm would be a required, perhaps temporal takeover of your body, besides complying with my advices?"
"Uh… yes. I guess I have no choice…", Dipper answered and already saw that coming.
It seems like there won't be any chance to get around the possibility of getting possessed…
"But only in the case of an emergency of course!"
"So a life guard, I see... However, how did you plan to disburse me in case I would accept?"
And that was in fact the next problem.
What could Dipper possibly have that would be in a dream demon's interest?
His deal with Bill was an easy case. After all it was Bill who wanted a deal in the first place to reach what he wanted to reach: To destroy the laptop and the journals.
But now it was him approaching William with the wish for a settlement.
"Well, uhm… isn't it the case that both of us pursue the same goal?"
"What goal could that be?"
"Well, to save the universe from Bill, right?...", Dipper started to explain and had to admit to himself that he couldn't come up with anything better. But even so, it made sense to him.
"I mean you told me that you and Bill are, or at least were actually a being that wasn't supposed to take any actions ever and now Bill came that far to throw anything into turmoil, just for fun. Something you wasn't supposed to feel either.
Wouldn't that be something you would want to prevent too…?"
"…"
The triangle kept silent.
With its calm eye it watched Dipper who would look up at him in a hopeful way.
He wasn't sure if his brittle words could convince someone like William who didn't seem like the biggest ambitionist Dipper had ever met. And yet he's standing here, trying to argue with Will after avowing himself that this was his only chance.
But it looked like the demon would truly mull over his argument.
"To recap your proposal, aiding you in patching the interdimensional rift would pursue the goal of saving the universe which is the goal of both of us. And therefore it would be a fair deal."
"I… guess so?...", Dipper answered with hunched shoulders.
And after a few silent seconds of exchanging thoughtful glances, William crossed his dark arms behind his backside.
"Alright, child. I accept" , the demon announced finally and came a little closer.
Dippers eyes went wide open by those words he actually hoped for.
Or did he?
"You do?"
William didn't answer again.
instead he lifted his right hand and in the next moment it was enlighten with golden, bright flames.
And with his even, calm voice he started to frame the verbal contract word by word.
"By shaking my hand, you, Dipper Pines, agree to the following conditions of this contract:
During the time of your acquisition of the alien adhesive I will protect you from any physical and evitable harm. Doing so by giving advices which had to be observed, making provisions and take control over your body if needed.
This contract will end by the moment when we had left the craft along with the sealing material.
By breach, no matter from which side, the contract will get void from the moment of the handshake.
Be aware of that.
Do you have any objections or additions?"
During every single spoken word Dipper had starred at this inflamed hand, the light flickering along his face and widely open eyes, silent.
How accurate the dream demon has formed this contract, not skipping any details and even asked for contradictions.
So this is it.
This will be the deal he would wrap up with this blue dream demon.
He's really going to shake a demon's hand once again and allow him to use his body as a vessel.
He has clearly gone mad.
'There is no time anymore for half-hearted doubts or doubled safety', Dipper heard his uncle's voice once again.
From his lips to god's ears…
"..…you will take over my body only in case of absolute emergency. Just if you're sure that I clearly won't be able to handle the situation myself", Dipper finally answered after minutes of thoughtful silence, looking up at the patient shape.
"I agree" , William responded.
"And the deal is off at the moment I left the craft safe and sound..."
"I agree."
"… and even if you break the rules… the contract will get void…"
"I agree" , the demon said once more.
Dipper sighed. Swallowed.
And with slightly shaking fingers he reached out, touching William's black hand and watched how those golden, cold flames invaded their handshake like an unbreakable, brightly shining seal.
"Deal…"
"Deal."