Chapter Six
Dipper sat on the roof of the Shack, eyes closed. The wind blew softly, tousling his hair, and the night was lit up with a thousand stars. He took a deep breath, content. And then he realized that breathing was about all he could do. Not again... he silently pleaded, hoping to god that night would be even slightly more pleasant than the last. Dipper felt something cold crawling up his body, and he knew it to be a hand, even without looking. He furrowed his brow, gritting his teeth in frustration. "Open your eyes," cooed the hollow voice he recognized right away. He didn't want to.
But it seemed he didn't really have a choice.
Dipper opened his eyes to see the same blackened figure, this time sitting atop his lap. He wrinkled his nose. "Well, look who's got legs this time," he hissed in anger, finding that his voice still worked. The demon giggled, a hand over the place her mouth should have been. She shifted on top of Dipper, leaning her body over his. He cringed.
"Legs, hands, all the necessary bits," she murmured, icy fingers gently toying with his hair. He would've swatted her away had he been able to. But he couldn't, of course. She hummed, leaning into the brunette's ear. "Shh. Do you hear that?" she purred, a hand on his jaw while the other continued doing what it'd been in Dipper's hair. He tried to focus. He closed his eyes. And then it happened. That same familiar snap and that same familiar whir. And once again, it led to the same familiar outcome. The first scream he heard belonged to Stan, and he felt his shoulders stiffen.
"Quit." Ford joined in as well. Dipper bit the inside of his cheek.
"No. Stop." Pacifica. Wendy. Soos. Dipper's eyes snapped wide open. The demon hummed, raking her claws softly down his jaw and neck.
"Please!" he begged. And then Mabel's voice was added onto the chorus. Dipper grit his teeth, eyes closed, and the figure over him laughed against his ear.
She sat back, hands on either side of the man's face. "Oh, but it isn't finished," she purred. The sounds of all Dipper's loved ones screaming in agony and begging to be saved or occasionally begging to die faster, intensified. "You touched him," the voice of the woman on his lap growled, bright white eyes turning a blazing red. Flames seemed to come ever closer to them. Dipper could smell the smoke mingling with the charring flesh. "You wanted him to touch you!" she wailed, claws bearing down on his shoulders.
The voice of a blonde demon he knew well rang out above all the rest, outrage, horror, and pain all evident in his screaming. The shadow leaned so close she was just about nose to nose with Dipper. "Don't you know who you belong to?" she questioned darkly, eyes narrowed into slits. The stained glass window behind them shattered, and flames licked at his back. The symphony inside the house only seemed to get louder, until it was roaring against Dipper's ear drums and he felt dizzy from it all.
The brunette was trembling. "B-Bill? That's what this is about?" he asked, unable to hear his own voice over all the wailing.
The figure screeched, hand crashing into Dipper's face and claws slicing deep into his cheek. "Don't speak his name!" she cried. His eyes widened in terror. "You're mine! MINE!"
Dipper shot upright in his bed, panting. His shoulders ached. His cheek stung. His heart dropped. This couldn't be happening. He shook, hands covering his face. He wanted to cry. He wanted to scream. He wanted this to be over. "Kid," a voice Dipper had heard begging for his life moments prior hissed. Dipper looked up to see Bill standing already, his fists clenched at his sides. "I'm going to kill her. I'm going to rip out her throat! Hers?! You're mine!" he snarled, hands aglow with flames that threatened to burn the whole place down. And considering the dream Dipper had just experienced, that wasn't necessarily something he wanted to witness.
Still, he couldn't stop himself. "Yours?" he asked, a slight blush covering his cheeks.
Bill didn't hesitate. "Of course!" He still sounded upset, but the blue flames had at least withered away to nothing. "You're on my wheel, kid. You're practically my property."
And Dipper was then reminded yet again of what an asshole Bill really was. He stood up, trying to shake the nightmare from his head. "I'm getting in the shower," he said coldly, striding past the blonde and into the bathroom. Bill was left standing there, wondering what the hell he'd said wrong. What had Dipper even expected from him? Something actually kind of nice? Of course not. He knew better than that. And with the 'she-demon', as Bill had taken to calling her, on his back, he'd honestly prefer to keep away from Bill as much as possible. With threats becoming more and more real, he didn't want to think about what would happen if he expressed any interest in anyone. Even Bill. Especially Bill.
Bill knew this, but he didn't care. It pissed him off, to be totally frank. Dipper was under the thumb of some other demon, and there was nothing he could do about it. He growled out a curse, stomping down the stairs. He didn't bother getting dressed. "Shooting Star!" he called, making his way down the hall.
He could hear the grunt of Mabel's voice, and he knew immediately what was up. He snorted upon walking into the kitchen. She was slumped over a cup of coffee, two empty bottles of water at her side and sunglasses over her eyes. Pacifica sat across from her with a soft smile adorning her lips. Both of them were still in their pajamas. "What?" she huffed sourly, chugging down quite a bit of the coffee.
Bill crossed his arms, leaning against the door frame. "I've got Pine Tree problems," he said simply, sighing at the end.
Pacifica giggled. "So you two aren't a thing yet?" She raised an eyebrow. Bill shook his head. He liked Pine Tree. A lot. In ways he probably shouldn't. He supposed that came with the human body. Heart, mind, and... Begrudgingly, a soul. It wasn't like he'd wanted one. But had he not created one for himself, the body would have decayed. He wouldn't be human. He'd have been resorted to a zombie, a shell of what he'd needed. So he'd have to bear with the additional feelings he'd acquired with it. It was his only real option, after all...
But he'd leave that part to himself.
"Looks like he'll probably be ignoring me for a while," Bill replied, eyes on the ground. He pursed his lips. Maybe if he were a bit nicer, but that wasn't really his greatest draw. Still, Dipper seemed to like him just the same, even if he refused to admit it.
Mabel waved a hand. "He'll come around. His stages of denial never last very long," she said, one hand massaging her temple while the other held the mug up to her lips. "Just give him some time."
Bill hummed. That'd be totally fine... If he had all the time in the world. But sadly, in his current form, he did not. Human lives were all too short. Not bothering to respond, he turned on his heels, deciding he'd get dressed and hope for the best. Dipper was stubborn, but there was no way he'd stay mad at Bill long if he just said all the right things. He opened the bedroom door to see Dipper, hair wet and only half dressed. Not that Bill really cared. They'd changed in front of each other multiple times already. Still, human attraction was a very strange thing. He always got the weirdest feeling at all the weirdest possible moments. And that was something he really didn't need.
"Turn around," he said, trying not to stare.
Dipper furrowed his brow. "Why?"
Bill exhaled, running his fingers through his bangs. "I wanna see if those scratches are still all over your back," he replied simply. That at least was being honest. Hey, he didn't always have some ulterior motive. Just... most of the time.
Dipper twisted around, ears heated. "If they are, I can't feel them," he said with a shrug. He was right. Not a single one remained. Only the ones on his shoulders and his cheek even made an appearance on his body. So at least they'd faded quickly. Bill stepped towards him, quietly. He placed a hand on the small of Dipper's back, feeling the brunette flinch beneath his touch. He gave a thoughtful hum, running his fingers upwards. Dipper visibly shuddered, and Bill chuckled. The blonde leaned into his ear with a smirk. "I meant what I said, you know," he cooed, enjoying the look of mortification on Dipper's face. "And unless I'm mistaken, I'm pretty damn sober right now."
Dipper shook his head, breaking away from Bill. He turned to face the blonde, arms crossed. "Could you not?" he grumbled, trying to look angry despite his blush.
Bill ignored it though. He had tried not to look at it before, but the cuts on his face practically begged to be seen. "She got you pretty good, didn't she?" The question needed no response. His eyes traced along Dipper's face, resting on his scarred cheek. He placed a hand there, thumb running along the reddened skin. The brunette hissed, wincing at the sensation. He was about to recoil, but the way Bill's eyes had begun to glow an iridescent blue stopped him in his tracks.
"What're you-" Dipper's voice cut off. The throb in his cheek seemed to gradually fade away, and he knew immediately that it was Bill fixing it. The pain had ebbed away to nothing, and the blonde let his hand fall, eyes turning their usual shade of yellow.
Bill grinned triumphantly. "Wouldn't wanna explain that to Shooting Star, now would we?" he asked, expression faltering for a moment. Anyone else would've assumed he was fine, but Dipper knew better than that. He knew Bill better than that. He could clearly see the blonde's hands shaking violently. Dipper opened his mouth, but before he could even ask, Bill's eyes had turned a deep gray and the demon had fallen to his knees, sputtering.
Dipper knelt down beside him, hands reached out and clueless as to what he was supposed to do. "K-kid... This is-" he coughed a deep red liquid into his hand. "Bad. Even minor magic usage... is painful to pull off." His eyes wouldn't focus on anything, and they seemed to fade in and out of color. Dipper pressed his hands against Bill's shoulders, keeping him steady.
The blonde coughed again, this time more blood spewing from his mouth. Dipper's brows knit together and his lips pulled into a tight frown, he combed through his mind for a solution. Any solution at all. But none came. Not any of his prior knowledge of the supernatural or Gravity Falls had prepared him for the situation he found himself in. And that applied to both of the demons in his life. Bill let his head loll to the side, shuddering in horrible pain. His eyes flashed a bright white for a moment, and Dipper had to squint even to look at them.
Then they faded back into their original golden hue, just moments before they closed softly. Bill's body fell against Dipper's, unconscious, and the brunette had no real clue what he was supposed to do. So he just wrapped an arm around the other, pulling him upwards and hauling him towards the bed. He laid the blonde down, trying in vain to make sense of what was happening. Obviously Bill's powers were fading away. But why? Maybe it was because he resided in a human body.
Or possibly even more likely, he had created the body in the first place because his powers were fading away.
Dipper blinked, realization crashing into him. Was that it? Was this whole thing simply a means of survival? And if so, what had become of the Mindscape? Was it in shambles, or did it function on its own, apart from Bill? Was he even still immortal? Or would the body eventually die, just like a normal human's? Dipper was pacing at that point, and had picked up a notebook off his nightstand. He flipped to the first empty page, jotting down whatever seemed important at the time. He also wrote down a list of questions he'd be asking Bill once the demon woke up. He was far too invested not to finally put his foot down and demand some answers. He slipped a shirt on over his head, then shoved the miniature notebook into his back pocket. With one last look at Bill, he stepped out of his room, closing the door.
He wasn't going to avoid answering Dipper's questions this time. The brunette had his ways of making the other talk. Maybe his means were a bit... unorthodox, but they would have to do. Bill wanted the whole human experience? Well, by god, Dipper would be perfectly willing to help him out. Only, of course, if he got something out of it. Devious, he knew. Sneaky, even. But hell, he'd learned his tricks from the absolute best, hadn't he? He grinned, although a part of him felt very strange about it all. It hadn't been okay the night before, but it suddenly had become that way? No. No, of course not. He just really needed the information. His safety and the safety of others may depend on how much he could get Bill to say. But there was also the whole possessive she-demon that haunted his nightmares and really hated Dipper so much as being around Bill. For whatever reason she may have had...
Yeah, he seemed pretty lost for a solution omce he really stopped to think about it all. No matter what he came up with, there always seemed to be a reason to go back on it. Maybe he'd try to coax the info out of Bill and that'd be it. Nothing crazy. Nothing he'd regret. Except... Would he even regret it? Dipper's face flushed. Of course he would! Or... maybe he wouldn't. Boy, he needed to make up his mind, and quickly. This was getting a bit ridiculous. He stepped into the kitchen to see Mabel, now fully dressed, pouring herself a cup of coffee. Likely not her first cup either. By the look of things, she had a massive migraine. One of the many reasons Dipper didn't drink often, but hey, who was he to judge?
Pacifica looked back at him with a smile. "Morning, Dip. I was just about to get dressed and go. Mom and Dad really want me to go to some stupid rich people party to plead for money and regain our fortune. Anyway, I kinda have no choice until I move out," she explained, standing up. He nodded, and she briefly wrapped an arm around his torso, giving a slight squeeze. "It was fun hanging out. And I'm sure I'll have even more fun explaining my hair to my parents." She giggled, darting off. Mabel called her goodbye, taking a large drink of her coffee.
"Where's Bill?" his sister asked, sitting her cup down. Dipper glanced away for a split second before looking back at her. She narrowed her eyes, one eyebrow raised.
Dipper coughed into his hand. "Um..." He really didn't know what to say, so he decided to just be honest. "Unconscious upstairs."
Mabel shook her head. "What? Why?" she questioned, looking off towards the staircase.
Dipper decided to be honest again. Keeping secrets from Mabel had never turned out well in the past. Why should it have then? "I'm not quite sure, but whenever he uses his powers, it seems to hurt him in some way. And it's gotten worse." He leaned against the door frame, arms crossed. "He started coughing up blood until he passed out. I kinda figured he was losing his abilities, but I'm worried about it..."
"Oh, please, kid. Throw me a fucking tea party while you're at it," Bill grumbled from behind him, and Dipper spun around to face the blonde. His eyes were slightly more dull and his hair was unkempt, more so than when he'd gotten up. There was dried blood crusted up against his lip, but he didn't seem all that interested in it. Frankly, Dipper thought he looked like hell. "I'm fine. Just give me one of those capsule things so I can get myself a goddamn shower." He rubbed one of his temples, in obvious pain.
Mabel and Dipper shared a glance. "Pills...?" she asked, head tilted slightly.
"Whatever," Bill snapped, holding out a hand. "My head feels like it's being crushed. You humans are too susceptible to pain, and it pisses me off. This body is far too weak." Dipper blinked, turning and reaching towards a drawer beside the sink. He opened it, pulling out a bottle of pills and popping it open. He held one out towards the demon, who took it without so much as a thank you and stomped back off towards the stairs. He closed the pill bottle. Mabel watched him put them away, frowning. "Bro, this is potentially bad," she said with a worried expression on her face.
Dipper just shrugged, grabbing himself a mug and filling it with coffee. He debated whether or not to put anything in it, but decided that he didn't really care enough. "It'll be fine. I'll just have to keep an eye on him to be sure he doesn't try to get them back," he replied, taking a drink. "Once they're gone, he'll be human and we won't have to worry about him hurting anyone."
Mabel shook her head. "I don't think you get it," she said somewhat urgently, her voice barely above a whisper. She placed both hands on Dipper's shoulders. "This is hurting him, Dipper. What if being here is killing him?"
Dipper had to force himself to swallow his coffee. His eyes widened. It would make sense, but why? Why would Bill want the human experience if it meant dying? It didn't make any sense. He narrowed his eyes at his sister, sitting the cup down on the counter. He gently removed her hands from his shoulders, pulling the notepad from his pocket and adding this new discovery to his list of things he needed to know. "Can you take care of the Shack without me today? I'll do all the work tomorrow, I promise," he said, looking serious. Mabel seemed skeptical, but he rolled his eyes at her and held out his smallest finger towards her.
"I thought you were too cool for pinky swears," she teased, locking her pinky with his.
Dipper chuckled, letting his arm fall to his side. "Maybe in high school. Everybody kinda stops trying to be cool in college. We're all just big kids with legal authority, to be totally honest," he pointed out and she scoffed.
"Sounds like the place to be," she retorted. "Alright, bro. I got the Shack handled for the day. You go do your thing and investigate." She kissed his cheek and turned the other way, towards the gift shop. She opened the door, leaving him with a slight wave. Dipper's smile dropped as soon as she was gone. Bill might be dying. Or deteriorating. He grit his teeth. Why did that leave such a sour taste in his mouth? Why did that make him feel so nervous? His chest tightened, heart beating faster than it should've been. Nothing seemed to be adding up in his head. He needed answers. And soon. All of these secrets drove him crazy.
He sat at the table with his drink, sipping on it. Anxiousness clawed at him, but he tried to focus on something else. Anything else. Even the horrible ache in his shoulders seemed mind numbing enough to keep him from screaming in frustration. Developing feelings, or at least some sort of attraction, towards a dream demon that tormented him as a child didn't seem like an ideal scenario. Especially with all of these theories and conspiracies floating around in Dipper's head. He sighed loudly, holding the mug up to his lips and taking the last drink. Bill stepped into the room, looking bored and much more pleasant than previously. He opened his mouth to speak, but Dipper clearly wasn't in the mood.
"Sit," the brunette ordered, a hand running through his bangs. He really had thought the most eventful year of his life was the one he'd spent his first summer in Gravity Falls. And it was... But this was certainly on its way to getting there.
Bill raised an eyebrow, but sat down on one of the wooden chairs anyway. "What's got you looking so-"
"I want answers, Bill," Dipper hissed, leaning his head on his hand. "It's getting real annoying, all this secrecy."
Bill stood up, turning and heading for the door. Dipper blinked. "We have a deal. Remember?"
Bill froze for a few seconds before spinning back around, a furious expression on his face. Dipper could tell he was definitely regretting that little agreement. He stepped towards the other, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and yanking him upwards. Bill got in his face. "I could kill you if I really wanted to, you know," he growled, flashing his unusually sharp canines. Dipper remained stoic. He had no reason to be scared of the blonde, or even really take that threat seriously. Their original deal stated that Bill couldn't so much as hurt anyone, and both of them knew he had no way of going back on it.
"But you don't want to, nor could you. Not really," Dipper replied, lips forming a thin line on his face. "Face it, I've got your hands tied pretty tightly." Bill's eyes turned a deep scarlet before fading back into gold. Although Dipper noticed they were slightly less bright than they'd been before. The two just stared at one another for a long time, Dipper expressionless and Bill slowly calming down. He sighed, shoulders slumping and hand loosening on Dipper's shirt. "Fine." He shoved the brunette away from him.
Dipper grinned triumphantly. "Glad you see it my way," he echoed the demon's words from the night before, and Bill practically turned red with anger. He couldn't believe he actually felt something for some obnoxious kid. And Dipper couldn't fathom the fact that he felt anything towards some sarcastic asshole. But neither of them really seemed to be complaining as Bill turned towards the hallway with a sour look on his face.
"We're going somewhere," he muttered, turning his head to look back at Dipper.
The brunette crossed his arms. "Oh yeah? And where would that be?"
"I don't fucking know," Bill hissed, stepping towards the front door. "It's not like I'm driving."
Dipper huffed, following after the blonde. At least now he'd be getting some answers. But something told him he wouldn't like them. He bit the inside of his cheek. There had to be a reason Bill was keeping all of this from him. But why?
Dipper took a deep breath and followed him. That's what he needed to find out.