Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a frozen winter night. The twins were staying at the shack for the holiday season.The twins were now 18, and definitely grew in height. Pinetree being 5'7 and Shooting star 5'4.

The Stan twins were sound asleep along with Shooting star and the twins' parents. I walked towards Pine trees room and opened the door. He looked to be asleep, laying on his stomach and blankets draped over his body. "Hey Pinetree,you awake?" I whispered, gently shaking him. "I am now, hello love" Pinetree said. He got up and kissed my lips quickly. I loved looking into his soft brown eyes, which were akin to chocolate frosting. I sat down on Pinetrees bed, "so I was thinking maybe we could..um... i dont know exactly how i should phrase this but, maybe could we take our relationship to the next level?" I said, unsure of the outcome.

"what do you mean by that?" Pinetree asked and cocked his head sideways before straightening it and staring at me with expecting eyes. "um....we could partake in the human ritual of...mating?" Pinetree turned a bright shade of red, then glanced away nervously. "Y-you can't be serious," he said with an anxious chuckle."I'm p-pretty serious" I answer with a slight blush on my face.
"I mean, w-we could... But we're both male." Pinetree mumbled."So what? Can't we still partake in the ritual?" I asked confused. "It's n-not going to make a child, is what I mean. We can still... Well, it's hard to explain." "Alright. Wanna come with me, we can figure this all out in the mindscape?" I asked Pinetree. "I.. We... Yeah. Okay. Sure." "Great!" I responded. I gently lifted him up and teleported us to my cottage in the mindscape."Here we are pinetree! Why don't you come on in?" I said, not sure what to do exactly. Pinetree wandered into the house, holding the door open for his boyfriend.

Before I had a chance to say anything, Pinetree kissed me. We ended backing up onto my bed, us moving in sync. "so you ready?, remember that if you don't want to, you don't have too." I said to dipper. "you don't even know what we're doing, do you?" "Not really, no" I replied blushing slightly. "Here," Pinetree explained, unzipping his jeans. "Take off your clothes, Bill." "Um, ok?" I removed all my clothing leaving dipper a deep red."what next?" I ask. "Well, I guess I'll start" Pinetree guided his member into me gently. "If it hurts, let me know." "Ok" I said nervously. I felt lots of pain, but it strangely felt good, making me crave more." Pinetree, this feels really good,can you go a bit faster?" "Uh, I mean, sure," Dipper told me, speeding up a little. He couldn't help letting out a small groan of pleasure. I moaned out loudly as the movements became faster. After a while a white hot liquid came out of my member and I felt like Dipper did the same but inside me.

"wow, that was....." I panted heavily. Pinetree grinned, a little out of breath. "There are other things that feel good too." "What?" I asked. "You'll find out later, I'm tired and it's getting late." "Ok pinetree, do you wanna go home or stay here" "let's just stay here and talk," Pinetree suggested, then flopped down on the bed beside me."ok fine, but your family will be pissed at you~" I said to pinetree. Pinetree's eyes widened. "I -- I mean, you have a point, but..." He looked over at me pleadingly. "Can we stay here? Please?" I couldn't say no to that face. His pathetic, adorable eyes were going to be the end of me."fine but don't say I didn't warn ya when you return"I say to dipper. Pinetree sighed with relief. "Thanks, Bill," he muttered, wrapping his arms around me and resting his head on my chest. Internally, I felt fireworks, but in reality, I put an arm around Pinetree and closed my eyes. "Don't mention it, kid." I said as I drifted off to sleep.

(Timeskip to when dippers about to leave and they made out)

Pinetree was about to open the door until I teleported in front of him and pinned him against the wall. I grinned. "Where's my kiss goodbye, cutie?" I asked teasingly. he leaned forward and kissed me softly."I'll see ya later,bye love" he said before he walked inside the shack. I decided to head home and sleep,.

(Dippers POV)

I walked inside the shack and Mabel tackle hugged me."Where have you been!!??!!! All of us have been worried sick!!!Ford even got the cops to look for you!!" "Sorry Mabel, I just wanted some fresh air is all" I lied Quickly. "well, at least you're ok" she sighed. I walked into the house part of the shack. For a moment, I thought I saw Bill appear in front of me for a split second, but I dismissed it as me hallucinating from lack of sleep. "It's nothing," I told myself, but secretly hoped Bill was in the shack somewhere, waiting for me. "hello, dipper" I heard bills voice say.I spun around and saw ford. "Oh hey" I said to him, a little disappointed. "Dipper, may we talk for a second?" I nodded hesitantly. "Where were you, ACTUALLY?" he asked, tilting his head. I immediately turned red and put a hand over my mouth. I avoided Ford's eyes. "I -- I was... just exploring." "Hmm, do you really think I'm that dumb? Tell me where you were Dipper Pines!!!" "Okay, okay, I was... on a date with B- someone." I mentally cringed at my almost slip up. I needed to be more careful. Being home for so long made me fall into habits, such as not having to explain myself. Ford looked a little disappointed, but he spoke again. "With who?" I cleared my throat. "W-Wendy." "Wise choice, kiddo." He smiled suddenly. "Where'd you take her?" "Uh, Greasy's Diner." "Well, don't lie about it next time." Yeah, sure, I thought. "I'm sorry, Ford." "It's okay. You can go now."

I slowly turned on the faucet then splashed my face with icy cold water. The water was freezing, almost painful when it touched my skin, but I was too busy thinking to notice. Did Ford know I was lying? What if this happens again? What if I get caught? I realized the water was still running, so I turned it off, and looked in the mirror. My hair was an absolute mess. I had dark circles underneath my eyes. I looked almost like a teenage zombie.

How did Bill, a demon who was capable of destroying worlds, like me at all? I let out a breathy sigh, then plopped down onto my bed lazily. The room was Freezing. I wrapped a blanket around myself and closed my eyes, imagining Bill was holding me. I remembered everything that had happened that night, but especially how warm Bill felt when I was close to him. "What is wrong with you?" I scolded myself quietly, then opened my eyes. I instantly, I saw two glowing, catlike eyes. I wanted to scream, but then I realized who it was. "Nothing is, Dipper," Bill said, snickering, kissing me on the cheek, then kneeling down to my level where I was sitting. I didn't say a thing for a while though. I just looked at Bill silently, then looked downward. "Hey, Bill," I murmured. "Oh, cheer up, your favorite guy is here," Bill joked, snapping his fingers and making a flower appear in his other hand. It was a yellow carnation. He held it out to me. I grabbed it by its stem and stared at it blankly. "I don't want you to go to sleep upset, alright?" I smiled slightly. Bill gently ruffled my hair, making it even messier, then glanced around the room. "Enjoy your flower, Pines." "Than-" Before I could finish, he disappeared. And so did my ability to stay awake. I placed the yellow carnation on my nightstand and closed my eyes once again. Bill is so strange, I thought, and fell asleep.

Chapter Text

I woke up to a hand on my shoulder, shaking me wildly and a shrill, familiar voice.

"Dipper! Wake up, dummy!"

"What?" I groaned.

"Just wake up!" Mabel shouted.

"But it's early."

"Dipperrrr!"

"Fine."

I sat upright and rubbed my eyes gently.

"The jig is up. Who were you talking to last night?"

I glared at Mabel, vision blurry. I couldn't even see her that well, it was nearly pitch black.

"What are you talking about?" I lied, reaching blindly for the lamp and switching it on.

"Well, last night, I heard someone's voice coming from your room and it definitely wasn't yours... Unless you can do a really good impression of Bill."

The moment I heard the word Bill, I flinched. How could she know? The walls weren't that thin, right?

"You have an amazing imagination, Mabel," I grumbled.

"I'm serious, Dipper. I'm usually silly, but I'm completely serious."

"Bill is dead, Mabel." I knew he wasn't dead, and it actually hurt to say this.

"But what if he isn't dead?"

"Look, Mabel, get some sleep. You're hearing shit. Bill is dead and he was not in my room."

"Please hear me out on this, Dipper. I really think something is going o-"

"Get some sleep," I said through clenched teeth.

"Whatever you say, brother." She muttered, then walked out of my room, slamming the door. God knows where she went.

(Time skip)

I woke up again, but this time there was a hand on my thigh. A pale hand. I looked up, to see who it belonged to.
"Mabel?" I said deliriously. I saw a figure looming over me.

"No, it's not Mabel," said Bill in Mabel's voice.

"Bill?"

"Yeah, it's me," Bill replied in Ford's voice.

"Knock it off with the voices," I chided.

"Okay, okay," he surrendered in his normal speaking voice. The hand on my thigh slowly and gently trailed upward until it reached my face.

"You're beautiful this morning," Bill told me as he stroked my cheek.

"Bill..." I forgot what I was going to say after that. My mind went blank. I just sat still and became immersed in Bill's touch.

"I heard what Mabel was saying last night," Bill explained. "She's clever."

He continued to caress my face. He was looking at me mournfully, like he wasn't going to see me for a long time.

"You know, Dipper, you're a good kid," Bill said finally.

I sat up, and Bill pulled his hand away.

"But, why, Bill?"

"Why what?"

"Why am I a good kid?"

Bill smiled, then grabbed the yellow carnation lying on my nightstand. He reached over and put the flower in my hair. I huffed, took it out and placed it back where it was.

"Answer me."

Suddenly, Bill cupped his hands over his mouth and began shouting in my voice.

"MABEL, HELP ME, BILL IS IN MY ROOM!"

"Bill, what the he-"

Mabel burst in through the door with a concerned looking Ford behind her.
"Where is he!?" They both said in unison.

I looked over to where Bill was, but he was gone.

"I -- he... He's not..."

"Spit it out, boy!" Ford urged.

"I d-didn't..."

"What?!" Mabel practically screamed.

"I -- I said a beetle was in my room, calm down, guys."

"No, you said Bill!" Mabel corrected.

"I agree," Ford said, nodding.

"The beetle flew out the window, you can leave now."

"Your window isn't even open," she
said.

If I didn't make up good lie very quickly, I would get caught. And I don't work well under pressure. I buried my face in my hands and sighed shakily.

"Dipper?" They both said in unison again.

"You... caught me." I choked out.

Ford left the room with a dejected look on his face.

Mabel slowly walked towards me.

"Can w-we discuss this... later?" I managed to say through tears.

I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Dipper, wha-"

"P-please, just -- just leave me alone."

"But why are you cryi--"

A loud coughing noise emanated from the closet. I looked over at it immediately, not even caring how terrible I must've looked after crying.

"What was that?" Mabel asked.

"Hell if I know," I muttered and put my face back into my hands. I knew trying to stop Mabel from opening the closet was no use. I didn't bother to watch, either. As I heard the creaky sound of the closet door, I hoped Bill would have some kind of plan.

There was a startling metallic bang, and before I could even bring my head up again, Bill had teleported in front of me, a frying pan gripped tightly in his right hand. I look over at the closet. Mabel was on the ground, unconscious. I stared at Bill for an explanation, but he shortly lifted me up and held me close with his frying pan-free arm.

"Bill, wh-"

"Just trust me, okay?"

In seconds, we were in the mindscape. I looked around warily, to make sure I wasn't still in my room. The grey grass beneath us was much more comforting in contrast to the flooring in the shack. But Bill's embrace was more comforting. He was being oddly silent, though.

"Im sorry about all this, kid, stay here as long as you want," Bill apologized, carefully opening the door to the cabin and stepping inside. I clung to his shirt as he headed toward my room.

"Get some sleep or something, alright? You've been woken up two times today," he told me and put me back on my two feet once he stepped inside the room. Even after a few seconds, I missed Bill's embrace. I needed to make up an excuse for him to stay in my room.

"Do you need anything? Water? Blankets?" Bill asked sheepishly.

I looked around and tried to think. I was pretty thirsty.

"Can I just have a glass of water?"

"Sure thing, Dipper." He snapped and a bottle of water appeared in his left hand. He still had the frying pan in his right. It wasn't a glass of water, but it was close enough. Bill held out the bottle, and I grabbed it.

"If you need anything else, just holler, okay?" He almost stepped out of the room until I stopped him.

"Wait."

"Yeah?"

"Can y-you cuddle with m-me?" I managed to say.

"Sure kiddo" Bill smiled at me and crawled into the bed.

In an instant,warmth hit me and I curled up to bill.he stoked my hair with one hand and the other wrapped around my waist.

I didn't care about my family at the moment,my worries melted away.
All I wanted was to feel bills warm embrace forever.No worries, no family problems, no stress.Nothing but being with bill,who I love the most.

My eyes got heavy and I drifted off to sleep safe in bills warm,loving embrace.

Chapter Text

(Mabel's POV)
Dipper had been missing for a month and We were all terribly worried.The only thing that I remembered before blacking out and seeing my moms face over mine was that dipper had been crying and we heard a cough from his closet and I went to investigate."Mabel? Are you coming down for breakfast?" My mother asked me as she stepped into my room."I don't feel like it" I grumbled, Turning over in my bed. My mother looked at me and grabbed a plate from outside my door on the small table out there."Well, you need to eat sweetie. listen,I'm worried about dipper too, but we need to stick together. so come spend time with us when you're ready ok?" "Fine mom, love you" I grumble once more. "Love you too" she replied, kissed my head and walked out of my room, closing the door behind her. I sighed and ate my food. Later, I noticed my scrapbook under my bed. I grabbed it and flipped through it.I started crying because I missed dipper. Having no clue where he was and if he was alive or not made me feel awful. I didn't feel like doing anything at all, so I decided to nap. As drowsiness consumed me, I closed my eyes to the faint sounds of Ford and Stan telling stories about being out at sea.

(Dipper's POV)
I woke up in Bills warm, loving embrace. I carefully got out of our bed and showered. When i got out, I heard a groan from Bill and i smiled. Bill usually is not a morning person. "Morning bill" I say as i step into the room. "Morning Dipper" Bill says to me sweetly and kisses me quickly. We then get dressed. I wore a black and red flannel shirt with a navy jacket, black jeans, navy blue slides, and my Pinetree hat. Bill wore a yellow hoodie with his triangle form's eye on it, black jeans, black sneakers, and his top hat and bowtie.

"Bill,i think i should check on my family,is that ok?" "i dont see why not,go on ahead.Be back by....7 though, ok?" He said, adjusting his tophat. "ok sure love" I reply and got teleported to the shack. I headed inside and snuck in the living room to find Ford, Stan, Mom, and Dad talking about sending out a search party to look for me. It seemed they thought i was missing/kidnapped because i wasn't at the shack for a months time. I noticed the tears threatening to stream down their faces. "well I guess we tell Mabel we're gonna go through with the plan. we start tonight." "do you really think Im Missing? I'm right here" They turn around and run to me for a group hug, telling me that they were so glad I was ok. "I think i should go see Mabel" I said. Everyone hummed in agreement. I walked up the stairs to her room. I knocked on the door lightly. "come on in"I heard mabel's voice call out. I open the door and see Mabel looking at her scrapbook.

The picture was of me, her, Stan, and ford when we were kids during our first summer here. "Mabel?" She looked up "dipper? Is that you?" "Pretty sure mabes" I reply. She then runs to me and tells me she missed me and has been worried sick. We ended up talking for a little while before it was time for me to go. "well Mabel, it was nice to chat but I got a date to go on" she brightened up at that."Really!? Well go! Just come back home this time!" She said and shoved me out the room. I laughed "Ok Mabel, I'll be back home soon." I called up bill, and told him to come get me.

Once we got back to the mindscape, he lead me to the house for a very nice dinner. "hey dipper? Can I tell you something?" "Sure bill" "ya know, I love you more than anything in this feeble world's existance. Most people say demons can't love, It's not in their nature to feel anything positive or to even be good, but we've proved them wrong. I'm so lucky to have you by my side, proving that demons can change, and definitely love. I don't want to be your boyfriend anymore, I want a grander, more special title." He paused, got on one knee, and held out a ring box.

"I wanna be your whole universe, I wanna wake up beside you every morning, I want to love you till the end of time and beyond that. So with that, will you make me the happiest demon alive and marry me?" "O-of course! Yes! Yes! A million times yes!!" Bill put the ring on my finger.It was a diamond on a golden band with 'my pinetree' carved into it.

We then kissed passionately, and i wanted to stay right in that moment forever. Alas, I could not."shit, better get back to the shack, I told Mabel i'd be back. pick me up at 10 pm so I can stay the night here." "Ok Dipper! See you then!" I was then teleported outside the shack. I put the hand with the ring on it in my pocket and walked in."hey, I'm back!" I called out."hey dipper!" Mabel said to me."how was your date?" "it was spectacular, the best date ever" I reply dreamily. "that's wonderful! who is lucky enough to date you?" "You'll see. I might have the lucky one come over soon." I say, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. "Ughh fineeee. Can't wait to solve this mystery!" She says, before running off, presumably to do some Mabel thing she's got going on. I walk away and take a short nap, not ready for what was to commence the next day.

Chapter Text

(Dippers POV)

"Babe, i'm scared. I -- I love you so much, but are they going to hurt me?" I paused to breathe, but it was quite shakily. "Are they going to try and hurt you? God knows what's going to happen, Bill."

"Look, Dip," Bill muttered, looking nervously around the room. He lifted a hand and gripped my shoulder with it, and his eyes, which were wide with what seemed like fear, met mine.

I smiled, but it felt more like a twitch induced by anxiety was turning up the corners of my mouth.

And for what seemed the first time, Bill's usually chipper, sarcastic voice began to tremble.

"It's not gonna be terrific. I... I think we both know that. But, w-when this goes down," he swallowed, "we gotta be ready. And I love you, too... T-that's why we're doing this, right?"

I nodded weakly. Jesus, did I want to kiss him right then. Or maybe I wanted him to kiss me. It would've been comforting. But we needed to talk, and Bill was on the verge of tears. It wasn't the time for that.

"We're definitely telling them. But, sorry, love, I -- I still have my doubts. The demon, the... uh... destroyer of worlds, that tried to kill them and demolish their entire town... is now romantically involved with their grandson, nephew and brother. I'm not even human myself and I know that no human would like to hear that."

"I -- I get your point," I replied. "I bet you they'll disown me, too."

"Even if they do," Bill grinned, then kissed me on the cheek, "We're still getting married, and I'll tie them all to some chairs, so they have to watch."

"You'd do that for me?" I asked, my worries fading by the minute, and my smile feeling much more genuine.

"Of course, Pinetree."

"Then... let's do this."
I was back in my room in the shack, my stomach in knots. I sat on the end of my bed, cradling my face in my hands.

'When this goes down, we gotta be ready.'

I took a deep breath.

'And I love you too...'

I cleared my throat twice, for good measure, and then called out.

"Hey, Mabel?"

"Yeah, Dipper? What's up?" Came a high-pitched voice from downstairs.

"Can you get everybody together real quick? Mom, Dad, Stan, Ford? You, too!"

"Why? I was watching a movie!"

My shoulders drooped with guilt

"Just do it! I have to tell you guys something!"

"Ugh, fine!"

I listened as Mabel called their names, one by one, as I did to her, and heard their footsteps all crowd toward the livingroom.

'That's why we're doing this, right?'

I slowly and apprehensively stepped out of my room and wandered to the top of the stairs where I lingered for a few moments, preparing myself.

"Dipper, hurry up, you goofball!" Mabel shouted.

She was so clueless.

I traveled down the staircase and sauntered into the living room where my whole family was standing.

Ford and Stan stood side by side, and so did my mother and father. However, Mabel stood by herself in the middle. They all stared at me curiously.

They needed one more to make it even. They needed me for there to be six.

Clearly, there were only going to be five from now on.

"Um, hi. I just wanted to talk about something with you guys."

I began to sweat.

"I've been wanting to tell you about it for a while, but... you might wanna sit down."

Hesitantly, the adults sat down on the couch behind them, but Mabel was happy to take a seat. Her eyes drifted to the TV.

"I'm really sorry about all this, by the way."

I closed my eyes tightly. To see looks on their faces would've been the end of me.

Cipher.

Someone ran down the stairs and I felt the air next to me shift.

I opened my eyes, my head swimming, and looked beside me, then reluctantly at my audience.

***
Ford and Stan had matching expressions of terror. They took turns looking at eachother in bewilderment. My parents looked blank. Mabel was wild-eyed.

"This is my boyfriend."

There was silence for a few moments, then my mother spoke out.

"Oh, honey, don't worry, I think he's cut-"

"BILL?!" Ford and Stan shrieked in unison.

Ford, shaking with rage, swiftly reached underneath the couch cushions and pulled out a shotgun, cocked it and stood up as straight as a board, aiming the barrel directly at Bill.

Stan shielded Mabel with his large arms, blinking rapidly, as if he was about to faint.

"Ford, what the hell are you DOING?!"

"SHOOTING THAT BEAST, YOU BLABBERING IDIOT!"

"What is going on?!" My father implored, my mother clinging to him fearfully.

Me and Bill exchanged glances. I stepped back, tears welling in my eyes.

"Come on, Fordsy! You know bullets don't work on me."

"THEY DO TODAY," he said through clenched teeth, finger aching to pull the trigger.

No matter how much I expected it to happen, I couldn't believe this. My eyes flitted from Ford, to Stan, to my parents and to Mabel, then back to Ford, until I was dizzy. I struggled to not pass out right where I stood.

"FORD. NOT in FRONT of the KIDS."

"THEY'RE NOT KIDS ANYMORE, STAN."

"Stan, do something," my mother urged.

"Ariel, go take Mabel OUTSIDE."

"Just Mabel?!"

"JUST Mabel, sweetheart."

"Why?!"

"GO."

My parents got up from the couch and ran out the door with my sister, slamming it behind them.

I was alone with Ford, Stan and Bill.

Not one of us spoke.

A clock ticked in my mind.

Bill stared down the barrel of Ford's shotgun, which was sitting inches from his face. He smirked.

Stan turned to me, his fez crooked.

"Boyfriend, huh?"

I shrugged. That's all I could do.

"What happened to you liking Wendy?"

"I don't know."

I felt so many eyes on me, but especially Ford's. I was sure he wanted to shoot me, too.

***
"Ya know, I have so many questions right now. How Bill is alive, and why in God's name you thought getting near a DEMON again was even a slightly good idea..."

He chuckled, but it was one of those chuckles that signified someone was about to go hysterical.

"All I'm gonna ask is for you to apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Apologize to Ford," he pronounced slowly, as if I had brain damage.

Bill snorted.

Ford cocked the shotgun again and pressed it into Bill's chin.

"Laugh again, you piece of shit, and you're getting a shot clean through your brain."

I flinched.

"Ford..."

He kept his eyes locked on Bill, not even glancing at me once.

"I'm sorry."

He gritted his teeth.

"It's much too late now, Dipper."

I was so lost in thought, I didn't feel the tears streaming down my face.

What was wrong with me?

"Ford."

"What?"

"Shoot him."

Ford lowered his weapon.

This part confused me, until he spoke.

"Where?" Ford quizzed, smiling like a maniac.

"Wherever you want."

I grabbed Stan by his shirt.

"Stan! Don't let him do that!" I blurted out.

"You're going crazy, boy. I killed Bill for a reason. I lost all my memories just to take him down," Stan recalled grimly, pulling my hand off of him. "And... now you're defending this pile of trash? Didn't he try to kill us?"

"He's changed! He... I... It's not what it looks like, Gruncle Stan!"

"I save your life, and this is what you do to repay me?"

"I-"

"Don't call me Gruncle Stan anymore, kid."

I stared at Bill expectantly, teary-eyed.

He shook his head.

Ford searched Stan for an okay. They nodded at eachother, and his gaze returned to Bill.

"I hope you like blood, Cipher," Ford muttered. He move back a bit and aimed his shotgun at Bill's leg.

In my mind, I demanded to know what Bill was doing. He telepathically replied: "Trust me on this one."

I held my breath.

Boom.

As my ears rang, and I began to sob uncontrollably, I realized something.

I made a big mistake.

Chapter Text

(Dippers POV)

I watched, weeping with fear and confusion, as Bill writhed in pain on the floor, clutching his left leg so tightly his knuckles turned white. Blood coated his shaking hands, and puddled messily on the tile, painting it a dark, nasty red.

Ford kneeled down to Bill's level, his crazed grin not leaving his face.

"How does that feel, fuckwad?" he growled.

Bill managed to grin back at him through a pained facial expression.

"Great, Stanford!"
****
Ford yanked Bill upwards by the collar of his hoodie, forcing him to stand. Bill winced, putting less pressure on his wounded limb. Stan gestured for Ford to let go of him. Sighing, he released Bill.

"You're gonna have to suck it up, weirdo. You got some explainin' to do," Stan said. He looked over at me.

My heart skipped a beat.

"You too. Don't go thinkin' this isn't your fault."

I nodded and rubbed my head vigorously.

Don't pass out. Not right now.

"Here's something I've been itching to ask," Ford added. "Why is..." he covered his face with his hand and laughed, "Why is Bill still alive? How?"

Bill raised his hand.

"I, uh, resurrected myself."

"When?!" Ford and Stan inquired loudly together.

"When you thought you'd killed me."

Stan and Ford shared a look.

They glanced at me, and I struggled to stay conscious. The Smell of blood, Bill's injury, and my heads continuous pounding was enough for me to almost go unconscious.

Tears still streamed down my face, the betrayal and getting quite possibly disowned was fresh in my mind and made my heart heavy.

"So, Mason. When did this start?" Ford inquired.I gulped at the use of my real name so vile, like my name was poison that he spit out.

"Um, a few years ago..." I murmured.

"Would you repeat that louder?"

"It started a few years ago." I repeated, louder like Ford requested.

"WHAT! You mean to tell us you've been dating this...this FUCKWAD FOR A FEW YEARS!?!?" Ford yelled, making my ears ring.

"Yes" I said loud enough to be heard but still be soft spoken.

Ford took a deep breath and calmed his rage some. He proceeded to ask another question.

"When did this all occur?"

I sigh and begin my story

{Flashback}

It was a rainy Tuesday, Grey clouds blocking the bright blue of the sky and the blinding light of the sun. Rain droplets fell from the cloud covered sky and hit the ground and nature around me. I walked on the concrete sidewalk, heading home from the dreadful day I had at school that day.

As I walked home,I was listening to wolf in sheep's clothing. A song that I listened to a lot.After all,I could connect it to my crazy summer in gravity falls and dealing with bill.

I especially liked the line where it says that the person could change and abandon all their wicked ways. I thought that bill could potentially do this, if he tried hard enough. This day was the first day of 8th grade for me.

Everyone chattered about their summers while Mabel and I remembered our shared summer. When the teacher called on us to tell of our summer, we tried to tell without much supernatural but I slipped up and revealed a little more than I wanted, accidentally telling a snippet about bill. The class was intrigued, so was the teacher, but Mabel and I didn't dare speak anymore about it, saying that our summer was really messed up.

The rest of the day was uneventful, mostly just getting introduced to our teachers and learning about the curriculum. There was one class about supernatural theories that I took as an elective, but I dared not spill any more about our summer, deciding if was best to stay as silent as possible about it.

School was soon over and we headed towards the front of the school, Mabel far infront of me. Once I arrived there, I saw Mabel had taken off to the mall, that left me to either walk
home or join her. I decided to walk home so I could try and get some sleep.

(Time skip)

I arrived home,at last. The door was unlocked thankfully. I kicked off my wet and muddy sneakers and treaded up the stairs to my room. Once there, I took off my outfit and put on a T-shirt and some shorts. Feeling accomplished I flopped onto my bed and tried to get to sleep.

{Dream Sequence}

My mind was racing and my heart was pounding. I was running faster than I ever had before. There was some sort of monster behind me, but I didnt know what it was as the journal didnt classify it. I didnt know if I could or would survive. As the footsteps got closer, I hoped that someone would find my dead body and tell my family I was dead.

Then, I was faced with a cliff. The monster had cornered me. When I looked at the monster, the only thing I could see was the dark, menacing eyes glaring down upon me. I stepped backwards and teetered over the edge. I knew I would die and only hoped that my family knew I loved them. As I fell, I awaited my death as there was nothing that could stop it.

Then there was black

"Pinetree~, Wake up~" "Five more minutes, mom..." "Pinetree~" "Fine I'm up.." I say to who I thought was my mother. When I opened my eyes, I saw an attractive human with golden blonde hair, a yellow sweater vest and pale yellow buttondown with a suit coat that had bills eye, bowtie, and pyramid design, black dress pants, black shoes, an eye patch, bowtie, black top hat, and the most stunning blue eyes I've ever seen.

"Wait a second...Bill?!?!?" I exclaimed in shock. "You guessed it pinetree!"
Bill shouted happily. "wh-what are you doing here? H-How'd you get that body, and how are you you alive!?"

"I'm here because I want to make a deal, I made this body myself, and I'm alive because I resurrected myself!" Bill replied.

"That explains a lot, but there's no way I'm making a deal with you! The last time I did,you possessed my body! And you caused an apocalypse!" I angrily shouted at the demon.

"Well, you might just change your mind. You see, the whole demon thing, I was...insane to say the least. I can't remember why or what exactly happened, but according to memory, I was the lowest class in society. You see, triangles were outcasts and other shapes were much higher. Triangles were treated like garbage. I took a stand and well.... I burned down the entire dimension after they wouldn't listen to my pleas for change." Bill explained.

I felt kind of bad for him, strangely enough. I could see his eyes swelling with tears that threatened to spill. I did the only thing I could think of, I hugged him. I rubbed his back lightly as he finally let himself break down. I was suspicious that he was doing all this, but the look on his face and his emotions were genuine. I let him cry until he couldn't anymore.

"Bill, you ok?" I asked, nervously. He lifted his head and nodded. He then pulled me down onto the bed with him, and layed there contently. He put is arms around my chest and stomach, essentially cuddling me. I let him, as he'd just been so emotionally vulnerable. He fell asleep in my arms, with me not far after.

(Time jump: Freshman Year. They're in the mind scape house)

It'd been about a year since I befriended bill. He was actually quite nice! He told me about how he was trying to become a better person and he was glad that I accepted him so easily. I honestly don't even know why I did that, maybe it was instinct or I just felt bad. Whatever it was, it doesn't really matter.

Bill was trying to help me on my essay for Supernatural Theories. The assignment was to write an entry in our "journals" about a creature of our choosing. Bill, of course, took it upon himself to elect him as that very creature. "Make sure to get my good side, Pinetree~" He said, striking a pose. I looked up at him, chuckling and started to sketch him, in both triangle and human form.

To be honest, I really liked him. He had grown on me and was there for me in some tough moments (like last summer when I got heartbroken over my online friend passing). I hated to admit it but the demon had me smitten. I was so lost in thought I hadn't realized that I had sketched Bill in the exact pose he was in, and very well at that. I was impressed but also a bit embarrassed that I had done that.

I continued to fill the entry with things I'd learned from knowing bill. I had gotten really far in, and was really tired. "Bill, do you have a scientific name for yourself or something" I yawned, clearly tired. "You good pine tree? You sound tired." Bill stated, looking a bit worried. "I'm- I'm fine..." I say, trying to wake myself up.

Bill walked over to me and shook me, before, shockingly enough, kissing me. I kissed back, cause I'd been wanting that for a while. It wasn't as magical as romance novels say it is but it felt really nice either way. After a minute or two, we broke away. "W-woah" I breathed out.

We ended up confessing to liking each other romantically that very night, and that whole night was spent kissing and finishing the paper. Once it got to about 1 am, Bill dragged me to bed and I fell asleep in his arms.

(Time Skip to about right before present time)

It was getting colder, as it was December. The trees were barren and the ground covered in a thick white blanket of snow. I had been laying with bill, when my mother called for me. Ever since Bill had came to me about 6 years ago, I had to hide him in my closet when my mother came in. Luckily she has loud footsteps and there's always an inexplicable amount of time to get bill safely tucked away.

I walked down the stairs to almost run straight into Mabel. We had grown further apart over the years but still had a good sibling bond nevertheless. "Sorry Mabes, wasn't watching where I was going." I say. "Its fine! So what do you think mom wants us for? Do you think we're going to that glitter museum I've been wanting to go to??"Mabel asked, cheery as ever.

I laughed "who knows, could be" We walked into the living room where our mother was sitting, looking quite excited. "I know you two hate waiting for what I have to say, so I'm just gonna say it. We're going to your grunkles' home in Gravity Falls for Winter Break! We're leaving tonight, so good pack!" She said, running off, to most likely do some last minutes.

Mabel turned to me with a large grin. "Can you believe it?! We get to go spend Christmas with Grunkle Stan and Ford! I gotta pack bye!!" She said, before running off. I missed seeing her, as she had a boyfriend and was never home. It was a good thing, cause I could talk to bill, but I missed having her around. Usually when we go to Gravity Falls, she's around me more often. I headed upstairs to get packed and tell bill to turn into his triangle form. He's able to turn at will and can even be smaller so he can go to school with me.

I get to the door, let him out of the closet, and tell him what's going on. After a while of nonchalant chatter, I brought up a serious question. "Will we ever tell my family we're together?" I asked. Bill shifted a bit, unsure. "I mean eventually but I don't really know about how soon we should do it."

I finished folding the last shirt and sat on the bed, beconing him to join me. Bill sat on the bed and I took his hand. "I was thinking that this would be the perfect time. Its everyone that matters to me in one place, and plus we've been putting this off for years, its about time." Bill looked at me and nodded. "Ok, during this trip we will tell them." I smiled at him, before kissing him. "Now can you help me get this into my car?" I asked. Bill nodded and snapped his fingers, making my luggage bag disappear into my car.

(Back to present day)

"That's basically it. That's how it all happened." I said, finishing my story. Stan and Ford looked shocked, and then the shock turned back into anger, but less extreme, and a slight trace of... Worry? "Mason, did you perhaps ever think that bill was tricking you into being his... Lover?" Ford spat out the last word, as if it were a piece of rotten food. "No! Bill loves me and he'd never trick me into anything like that! I can make my own choices anyways. I'm 18! For fuck's sake, I can take care of myself."

I said, glancing over at bill, who was healing himself, but it was very slowly. Stan was watching him to make sure he wouldn't try and summon a weapon or something to hurt anyone with. "Whatever.. Believe what you want. I understand you're an adult, but your only a few months over 18. Not exactly a fully-fleged adult... Anyways..."

He turned his attention to my right hand, sitting in my pocket. "Why is your hand in your pocket, are you hiding something?" Ford asked, his rage slowly coming back. I looked over at bill, who looked back worried for what would happen. I returned my gaze to Ford. "Its none of your business. I'm not hiding any sort of weapon or whatever to hurt anyone." I said, trying to signal to Bill that we should just teleport out of here or something.

"Show me willingly, or I'll force you and then bad things will happen to Bill over there." He said, looking at Bill with disgust and a slight hint of murderous killer. "Fine." I say, revealing my hand, the engagement ring from bill in full view. Ford was shocked, to say the least. He motioned for Stan to come over to me and look, and Stan shared Ford's exact expression.

"I know you're both confused and all that so I'll keep it simple. Bill proposed and I said yes." I said, nervous what would happen next. Bill then got up, although shakily. "Well, its been fun but I'm sorry to say we must leave.Bye bye!" Bill said. Even though he was in pain, he managed to get up pretty quick and teleport the two of us out of the shack and into the mind scape.

Bill all but collapsed onto the ground. I, of course, picked him up and carried him into the house and later him on our bed. I stoked his soft hair absentmindedly, thinking about how fucked up our situation was. Ford could very well plotting on how to kill us, and I knew we were both terrified what would happen if he succeeded in finding us, let alone killing us.

'Damn, my life is crazy.' I thought, before drifting off to sleep.

Chapter Text

The Stan twins looked in disbelief at the barren scene where Dipper and Bill just stood moments ago. Ford's Rage was growing inside of him, and he threatened to explode with anger. Ford tried to calm himself down with techniques he had learned over his years, but they only worked somewhat.
At that moment, Mabel and her parents decided to walk in. "What just happened Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked, unsure of what to say to him. There was silence for a moment, and then Stanley spoke. "I don't know pumpkin, I don't know." He said before walking back to his room.
Ford Stood in place for a few more moments then finally spoke. "I think its best Stanley and I take a minute to think about this situation." Ford Turned and headed towards the basement containing his study. Mabel looked at him with an expression of confusion and sadness.
"Mom, do you think everything will ever be ok again?" Mabel asked. Ariel looked on, still processing the whole situation. "I don't know Mabel, I don't know." She said, before breaking down into tears.
She didn't understand why Stan and Ford were so cruel towards her son and his boyfriend. She didn't know why she heard a gunshot and both Stans screaming unnecessary obscenities toward her son and his boyfriend. She didn't know what to do at that moment but just cry until she couldn't anymore.
( one year later )
Bill and dipper had been living in a rural area in California for about a year. After the big fight, Bill took Dipper with him to the mindscape so he could heal properly. It took about a month for the bullet wound to fully go away.
The two of them eventually decided that they shouldn't live in the mindscape if they could help it. So they went in the dead of night and grabbed all of Dipper's things from his old house (His mother took the suitcase incase he ever came back) and left a note Saying:
Dear Family, This is Dipper. I've been away for some time and have come back for my belongings. Don't come looking for me, I'm far gone by now. I love you all, even if you don't love me back.
Sincerely, Dipper C.

Dipper stared at the letter in his hand, fighting back a few tears. He wished his family would understand his relationship but they never would. It hurt him to leave such a letter, but it was what he had to do. There was still a stinging hurt from the last time he saw them. How no one defended him, or cared to try to understand. Dipper wiped his eyes with his jacket sleeve, and laid the letter on the countertop. He then stepped out of his old home, and walked to the spot he and bill discussed, so he could teleport away from this place that just left him hurt.

“Hey, are you ok?” Bill said, as he appeared in front of Dipper. “Y-yeah, let’s just go home.” Bill nodded and teleported them away. They arrived at their house almost instantly. Their two story house with a garden and a nice yard. They went inside and cuddled throughout the night.
They lived in relative peace, and mostly everything felt right between the two. The only thing was that they both wished that they had more people that would accept them. A week after they had fled from the shack, There were a multitude of voicemails and text messages from Soos, Wendy, and a few others, mainly the people of gravity falls that the twins were close to. None of the messages were congratulatory. They consisted of anger, asking Dipper why he was involved with that demon again, and hadn’t he learnt his lesson from last time? Etc. All the messages left Dipper in tears, with only Bill to comfort him.

A month later, Dipper’s friends from Piedmont had called him to ask what was up, why they hadn’t seen or heard from him since before winter break. Dipper gave them a very edited, brief version of what happened, minus the magical parts and details on exactly why. Dipper condensed everything into a short message. “Long story short, Told my family I was dating this bad-boy esqe dude and my great uncles flipped. My Great uncle Stanford shot my boyfriend and we had to run away. My sister and parents were sent outside while me, my boyfriend, and uncles fought. It was awful and none of them were very supportive. We’re far gone by now, living somewhere nice and away from them all. Worst of all, im engaged to my boyfriend (or should I say fiance?) and now idk if we’ll be able to get everyone at our wedding next year. We’re hoping things calm down enough once its closer, like 2 weeks away, to mail everyone invites. Don't want them hunting us down so we’re not putting return addresses and it’ll be out of state. Are any of you guys interested in coming?” From this, Dipper got overwhelming positivity and support from his friends, which made him very happy.

The happy couple were getting ready to mail out the invites. Surprisingly, Soos, Pacifica, and Wendy eventually came around and were willing to hear Dipper out and support him, which made Dipper and Bill very happy. They sent the letters out with relative ease, and could only hope the results wouldn’t be too bad.
The Stan twins had been trying to forget what happened during December of the past year. Ford had been trying to locate Bill but that was proving to be pretty hard, considering there was not much to go off of, considering he could be living in the mindscape with Dipper for all he knew, so he tried to not focus on all that. He had been making a cup of coffee when the phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and greeted his Caller. “Hello?...yes i have a minute… you found something?... old friends seem to be going away altogether… did you catch them saying his name?.. No? But you're positive they're going to see him? Ok thanks for the information. Goodbye.” Ford hung up
He called for Stanley. Stan eventually appeared in the doorway, looking quizzically at his twin. “Watcha want, Sixer?” Ford turned to his twin
, “How would you like to go on a trip?”

Chapter Text

Stan stared at Ford “what do you mean by go on a trip? We just got back from being out at sea only a few weeks ago, and you said you didn’t want to sail till spring so it wouldn’t be cold and all that.”
Ford looked at Stan, then he started to speak.

“I got a lead. Some old friends of his are all going on a trip to North Carolina. Isn’t it suspicious? Why would they all be going away unless to see him???”

Stanley sighed deeply and looked at his brother again.

“Sixer, that doesn't sound like much proof at all. Listen, i know you wanna give the bastard what he deserves and get Mason outta all this trouble with the guy, but you can't go out on a limb like that. Unless you get solid confirmation that they’re going to go see Dipper, give it a rest, will ya?”

Ford knew his brother was right, but he had such a strong gut feeling. In the end, he knew that Stan was right. He should wait until their inside spy gives them a better lead to go off of.

“You’re right Stanley, I’ll be in my lab if you need me.” Ford then ventured off to his lab, and Stan to the living room to catch up on his soaps.

“Bill, can you take Leo out on a walk? I’ve gotta call the venue” Dipper called from across the living room.

“Sure Pinetree!” Bill said, walking over to the door and picking up the dog leash. He snapped his fingers, Their dog came running towards him excitedly.

Dipper dialed the venue's number. Bill put the leash on the dog and walked outside while Dipper confirmed the last payment and hung up with a thank you. He sighed heavily, leaning into the couch cushions. He’d been utterly exhausted having to do all these errands and calls for the upcoming wedding. He was excited, of course, but oh so exhausted and stressed.
Mainly he was worried about his family. Bill had said he’d “Tie them to chairs and make them watch” but as the day neared, he wasn’t sure if he even wanted them there. In his heart, yes, he wanted them there. The logical side of him knew it wasn’t worth the risks. Even still, he was conflicted about inviting them. He had already decided that if he really wanted to have his family be there, he’d want to just invite Mabel and his parents. He figured he’d discuss a dinner invite with bill, to see how it’d play out just seeing them again. Bill then came back inside, Leo far ahead of him, already on the couch licking Dipper’s face.

“You have a good walk buddy?” Leo then jumped off and ran to his toy basket. Dipper chuckled and turned to bill. “So I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Bill turned his full attention to Dipper. “I’m all ears, Pinetree. What do you wanna talk about?”

“So you remember that when we had the fight with the Stans and Mabel and my parents were told to go outside right?” Bill nodded.

“So I was thinking maybe we should invite Mabel and my parents for dinner and see if they’d be willing to hear us out and possibly go to the wedding?” Dipper asked.

“That sounds like a good idea, let’s call and see if we can make it happen.” Bill said, rubbing Dipper’s shoulder.

Dipper turned his attention to his phone and went to call his mother. He stared at her contact for a minute, debating whether this was a good idea or not. Nonetheless, he tapped the call button. The phone rang 3 times before she answered.
“
Hello? This is Ariel Pines speaking.” Ariel said while finishing up sweeping the house.

“U-uh hey Mom..” Dipper managed to get out.

“...Mason? Is that really you?” she said, shocked.

Ariel could hardly believe it was her son on the phone. He’d taken off after that fight with the Stans and she hadn’t seen him since. The last she heard of him was a note saying he was gone and taking his belongings with him. He’d also signed off with a different last name, leading her to assume he was either married or going to get married. She hoped it was the latter, as it would hurt her deeply to know her son didn’t think she’d support him enough to watch him become wed to the man he loved. Ariel didn’t mind the fact her son was a homosexual. Mabel, however, had said she needed time to think about it all. She knew Dipper and her had been close, but ever since High school, they’d been drifting. She knew it’d happen, but not in the way it had. With Dipper cutting off contact, it’d been hard for everyone. She still thought her uncles were crazy for being so against Bill. What could he have done wrong to them?

“Dipper, why haven’t you called? I’ve been so worried about you! You can’t just cut off all contact like that!” Ariel shouted, earning apologies from Dipper.

“Now, why exactly did you choose now to call?” She finally asked.

“I was hoping you, Mabel, and dad wouldn’t mind having dinner sometime this week so we can discuss some important matters.” Dipper said, his anxiety swelling.

“Of course Dipper, we’re all free on Wednesday and Sunday. Do either of those work for you?” She asked, leaning her broom against the wall.

“Sunday works best, be here at 7pm then?” Dipper wrote down the date and time on his phone's calendar as he talked.

“Sure, sounds great! See you then!” Ariel said.

The two exchanged their goodbyes and hung up the phone. Dipper let out a sigh of relief he didn’t know he was holding.

“You good Pinetree?” Bill asked, a tad concerned.

“I’m good, just scared about what might happen. Do you think they’ll try to separate us?” Dipper asked, fear shining in his eyes.

“I don’t think so, especially not in public. We’re gonna be fine.” Bill reassured.

Bill turned on the tv to a B horror movie about ghosts, which led to the couple having a marathon of really bad B horror movies. They laughed at the awful inaccuracies and let the worries on their horizons fade away. They ended up asleep on the couch that night. Little did they know, a big storm was coming.

Chapter Text

(start chapter 8)
Mabel Pines believed that she was a good person. She had done some things that weren’t the greatest of ideas but she still upheld her belief in herself. A big regret of hers was what happened with her brother and his boyfriend. She was angry and fearful at first, but came to realize that her brother was a smart man and most likely knew what he was getting into. If given the chance, she would like to talk with Dipper and hear his side of the story. When her mother told her that Dipper had called and that they arranged a dinner between the three in the Pines family household and them, she felt a little conflicted. On one hand, she was excited to see her brother and finally be able to talk things through. On the other, she was worried Grunkle Ford would hear about their meeting and sabotage it.

The man seemed to have an uncanny ability to know if things were hidden from him. He’d contacted her multiple times asking if she would help him track down her twin so he could destroy Cipher and she would always decline. The mere thought of aiding in her brother’s heartbreak and distrust was awful to her.
When the day finally arrived, she spent the hours leading up to the dinner preparing herself for the night, along with topics she hoped to discuss. She dressed rather simple: a pink blouse, a white skirt, a tan sun hat that had a pink bow wrapped around it with fake pearls scattered all over, and white heels. She heard her mother shout that it was time to leave and she looked in the mirror one last time knowing what happened at this dinner would make or break her and her twin’s bond.

(Transition to Wendy’s pov)

Working as a spy for Stanford Pines was an odd job she never thought would be hers. However, it was her job and she was determined to do it right. Spying on Dipper Pines was hard though. For a while, all she did was research on people possibly connected to him from where he grew up. This proved to be quite a challenge but she was known for never giving up, even when things seemed hopeless. Eventually she found friends of his that still talked to him, as found by social media posts and certain comments that she was sure were Dipper’s. He covered his tracks well, but once you’ve known a guy for a few years, you tend to pick up on how the dude talks and types. She was quite surprised when Dipper fell for her ploy. Even more surprised when she was mailed the wedding invitation. It made her feel bad for lying to him, so she hadn’t told Ford just yet. Now, however, she felt like it was a good time to tell him. She looked him up in her contacts and called. After a few rings, he picked up.

“Hello Wendy? Did you find something?”

He asked, curious to know if she found anything new.

“Yeah, I ended up faking an apology and asking for his side of the story. He fell for it and he’s convinced that I'm good. Even sent me a wedding invitation.”

Ford was shocked, Mason was actually going to marry that freak???

“What? Send me the address! We have to interfere, I can’t let him be brainwashed any longer! We have to crash this wedding!”

Ford sounded insane, rambling on and on about what they would do. Wendy began to realize that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to send him the address after all. She had already felt really guilty being his undercover spy and sabotaging Dipper’s happiness, this was just the last straw. Wendy decided then and there, that she was going to support Dipper and stop Ford from ruining his nephew’s life.

“Actually, I’m not gonna do that. Ford, do you really want to sabotage Dipper’s happiness? Dipper knew what he was getting into when he decided to be with Bill. Dipper is a smart guy, and he wouldn’t purposefully endanger his family and friends. I regret even helping you in the first place! I quit! If you’re so pleased with ruining your relationship with Dipper even more and killing his lover, then you’re a monster! I thought you were a good guy, I guess not huh?”

“Wha-What??? Wendy, you’re making a mistake! Bill is evil! He tried to kill all of us! He took over the whole town and made it into a wasteland! You were a tapestry! Does anything about what that villain has done mean anything to you? How am I the monster? I'm trying to help here! Bill is dangerous and he has not and will not change! I can’t believe you’re on his side now! And don’t call me a monster, I am trying to protect everyone!”

Ford yelled and rambled, sounding even more insane. He eventually hung up after his argument with Wendy. Ford proceeded to write furiously in his new journal, mumbling to himself as he wrote. He looked worse than when he discovered Bill’s true intentions with the portal. The phrases Trust no one and Kill Bill Cipher echoed in his thoughts. Stanford Pines was truly losing his mind.

Stan went to check on his brother and bring him some tea. When he entered the basement, he found Ford surrounded by papers mumbling to himself with bits of scattered hair that had been pulled out laying all around.

“Woah Pointdexter, what’s going on? Are you alright?”

Stan asked, putting down the mug and slowly approaching his brother. He was cautious with his movements, as not to frighten his brother by moving too quickly.

“Stanley, are you still with me in our plan to stop cipher?”

Ford spoke lowly, as if he were afraid of someone overhearing. Stan looked at his brother for a while. Initially, he had gone along with Ford because he knew that Ford was smart and Bill was genuinely evil before, at least as far as he knew. Stan felt bad about treating Dipper the way he did but he fully trusted his brother in what he knew.

“...Yes. now tell me, are you ok? You look like how I saw you when you called me here so long ago.”

‘Good, at least you haven't abandoned ship like Wendy. I’m fine, just thinking is all. Please leave me be, I will yell if I need your assistance.”

Stan nodded and started to leave. He took one last look at Ford before returning upstairs to tend to the shop.
Ford grabbed his most recent journal. A deep, dark maroon colored velvet journal much darker than the others before it. A number 4 written on a golden hand that matched his own. This journal was a recount of new studies and follow-ups/revisits of old. There was a few pages on Bill, ranging from detailing the recent encounters to a page on destroying him. Ford wrote in his journal the plan and headed to the small corner of the basement he deemed a resting spot. As he laid down, he thought about nothing except his plan to be rid of cipher once and for all.

Chapter Text

Dipper adjusted his flannel over-shirt and checked his phone. Half an hour till he met with his parents and sister. Dipper started to pace and mutter to himself, a habit formed out of his nervous energy from his youth that still seeped into his adulthood. Bill opened the bedroom door to find Dipper pacing and muttering. He put his hand on Dipper’s shoulder and started to speak.

“Honey, it's gonna be ok. I know you’re nervous about seeing them again, I know I am too. We are going in public and you know I’ll protect you if anything happens and it goes wrong. They don’t know the full story yet and I think it’s a very good thing we are meeting to finally clear the air. Remember you aren’t alone and I’m here for you, always.”

Bill kissed his cheek and sat on the bed. Dipper smiled at him and joined him on the bed.

“Thanks, that made me feel a bit better. You know how I get when I’m stressed. I just hope everything goes to plan.”

Dipper reached over and held Bill’s hand and relaxed a little. He repeated positive affirmations about the night ahead while Bill rubbed his hand in a soothing motion.

Sooner than either of them would’ve liked, It was time to leave. They got up and left the house, getting inside Dipper’s car with a plethora of supernatural bumper stickers. As they drove, thoughts of doubt plagued their minds. They were scared, yes, but they had already come this far so they felt they had to go.

Time seemed to go by in a blink, and before they knew it, they had arrived. Dipper took a few deep breaths and slowly got out of his car, Bill following out after him. Dipper looked at Bill and took his hand as they made their way to the front of the restaurant. Bill took care of talking to the woman outside about their reservation and Dipper kept an eye out for the three.

Almost too soon, Dipper saw his sister for the first time in an entire year, the absolute longest they had ever been away from each other. Dipper cleared away the negative thoughts in his head and walked towards her and his parents. When Mabel caught sight of Dipper, she didn’t care about all that had happened. She just wanted to hug her brother again. She walked towards him and opened her arms for a hug. Dipper smiled and hugged his sister.

”It’s good to see you again Dip, I missed you”

“I missed you too, Mabes”

Mabel stepped away so their parents could greet Dipper as well, moving over to Bill with a cautious stance but still respectable. She gathered her thoughts for a moment, thinking of what to say.

“Hi, how are you?”

She settled on, waving awkwardly. She didn’t really know what to do with him, as she didn’t know him like Dipper did. Bill gave her a polite and friendly smile, trying his best to ease the tension.

“I’m alright, you are certainly looking swell. “

Bill moved to greet Dipper’s parents properly for the first time, and Mabel sighed with relief. This was going to be a long dinner.

(time skip)

“Alright, so I believe it’s time I give you all a proper explanation of who Bill is, why everything happened the way it did, why Stanley and Stanford were so aggressive towards Bill, from our perspective. I can only hope you still support us by the end.”

Dipper took a breath and explained everything. All the way from the beginning. Telling of his and Mabel’s first ever encounters with Bill at 12, all the way to where they were today. They told of Bill and Ford’s past together, Their friendship and eventual love, how Bill grew from his mistakes and has been working for years on becoming a better person, to just why they had to leave. The family was stunned, they hadn’t realized just how complicated the story was. That day had been such a blur of confusion and fighting, no one could really think clearly. There was a silence between the group, all wondering who would be first to speak up. Mabel, surprisingly, was first to speak.

“Dipper, I am so sorry I wasn’t there to defend you. I’m sorry I never tried to contact you. You’re a smart man Dip, and if you say Bill’s changed, then he has. I’m sorry it took this long to realize that.”

Dipper felt his eyes tear up and he hugged his sister. Bill cautiously approached and Mabel roped him in, making Bill feel extremely happy. They broke off after a couple seconds, and Dipper’s mother began to speak.

“Dipper, I-I never knew it was so complicated. I’m so sorry I wasn’t there either. It’s a shame your great uncles couldn’t even handle a proper discussion and resorted to violence. I want to say that I will always be here for you and Bill both, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Bill, it sounds like you’ve gone through some hardships in your life. What makes you such a strong person is that you’re trying to change. It takes a good person to change your ways and recognize your past wrong-doings. I hope you will continue to make my son happy, that’s all that matters to me.”

Dipper looked at his mother happily, he was glad she understood and was taking the situation well.

“Thanks mom, you have no clue how much this means to me.”

Dipper’s father said similar words to his mother, but was overall supportive and accepting of Bill. He was glad some of the family was willing to try with his and Bill’s relationship.

At the end of the long dinner, they parted ways with the promise to keep in touch and visit one another. Mabel was especially excited to visit once she heard they owned a dog. They waved goodbye and climbed into the car.

“That went well, don’t you think?”

Bill said, with a slight smile on his face. That dinner put him at ease knowing they had some people on their side.

“Yeah! I’m glad they accepted us, I feel much better now that I don’t have to worry about them. When we get home, you wanna just cuddle? I’m pretty tired.”

“Sure honey, we can definitely cuddle.”

They arrived at their house and got out of the car. They made their way to their room where they almost immediately started to cuddle one another. Dipper fell asleep with a weight off his shoulders and a smile on his face.

Back at the Mystery Shack was a very exhausted Ford Pines. He had been awake for at least 2 days writing almost utter nonsense in his journals. His brother had taken note and decided that he was going to make him rest, whether he liked it or not. He made his way down to the basement where a tired Ford sat at his desk, staring at the ink stained pages of his journal, trying to will himself to think of anything that could be useful to stop Cipher once and for all.

“Hey, Pointdexter, you’ve been down here for too damn long. You have to come upstairs with me, whether you like it or not. Now come on.”

Stan took the pen out of Ford’s hand to grumbles of protest and ultimately was able to pick him up and bring him upstairs to his room. Ford gave up trying to fight back as he was far too old and tired to fight back against what his body craved for him to do. He let himself fall asleep and Stan went back to the Basement to clean up the mess of papers, coffee mugs, and inkwells that lay on Ford’s work desk. He looked over the notes out of pure curiosity and discovered lists of information on every encounter Ford remembered having with Bill, and any information he heard while inside of the portal.

He knew supporting Ford to take down this evil being was what he should do, but he found himself full of doubt every time he looked at Ford’s notes and just Ford himself. It wasn’t healthy whatever obsession he had with him, but what could he do? He had just gotten a better relationship with Ford, he didn’t want to give that up over some bouts of paranoia. Stan sighed to himself and continued cleaning up. When he checked on Ford a while later, he was pleased to see him still sleeping.

‘He deserves the rest, god knows how much he needed it’

Stan thought to himself as he decided to relax in his chair and watch tv. Soon, Stan was lost in the fantasy world of ‘The Duchess Approves’ once more.