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It came on suddenly. Maybe it had been building for weeks but he hadn't noticed, sure he'd been stressed but he thought he could handle it. And then Mabel got a scrape. It wasn't even bleeding heavily, a light thing barely brushing past the first layer of skin. But something about the image of Mabel, his sister, his best friend with blood dropping from her hand made him snap.
And then he was on the ground and his heart was pounding and he couldn't breathe. Panic was coursing through his system, horrible gut turning panic and he tried to push it down but he couldn't and his hands were shaking and he couldn't, breathe. "Dipper!" Mabel, she was, she was, she was touching him and the blood and. His breath caught and quickened before stuttering to a full stop.
"Dipper it's okay, shh Dip it's okay." The blood, his sister was bleeding. His sister, his sister oh god.
"Hey, Shooting Star, let me handle this." That was Bill, Bill was here why was he here? "Why don't you go slap a band aide on that?" Oh god the blood.
"Yeah, okay." Her voice was shaking, a hand in his hair. "Take care of him." Her footsteps, fading and, Mabel she-. There was a hand under his chin, tilting his head up.
He was met with a grin and a single unblinking eye. "Hey Pine Tree." The words were soft and soothing and seemed to wash across his mind in waves, dulling some of the panic. His breathing began to slow. "Shh, That's right kid."
The hand on his chin smoothed up to cup the back of his head, drawing him closer to rest his forehead against Bill's. "Don't look away, listen to my voice."
"B-blood." He stuttered out at last. "Mabel-"
"Shhh," his pulse was starting to calm and the hand on his head began rubbing up and down slowly. "Shooting Star is fine, nothing is going to hurt her." Something about those words struck him and he blinked as tears began slipping down his face. "There you go Pine Tree, let it go."
"She was, she wasn't even," he had to stop as a heavy son wracked him and Bill's other hand came up to cup his cheek, thumb stroking just under his eye. "She wasn't even bleeding, badly."
"I know kid." The demon hummed, eye glowing faintly.
"Why, why am I, this is so-" his own hand came up, still shaking faintly as it covered Bill's.
"You wouldn't believe the things that stress can do to you meat sacks." He made a soft shushing sound as Dipper sobbed again. "Shh, it's okay, you're okay."
A sound that was half a laugh left him. "I'm sorry. I look, I'm such an-"
"You're fine." Bill cut him off, hand squeezing the back of his neck briefly. He smirked, "you know how cute I think you are when you're all broken up Pine Tree."
This time his laugh was all laugh and amusement and he smiled as he replied. "You're such a jerk."
Bill snickered in return, pressing a quick kiss to Dipper's tear damp lips. "Demon darling."
Dipper's smile was wholly fond as he dropped his head against Bill's shoulder and felt the tension leave his body when long arms wrapped around him. "Still a jerk."