Chapter Text
"Hey there, Pine Tree!" Bill Cipher's cheery voice echoed, but could not be seen. Dipper Pines glanced around at his surroundings. He was back in the attic of the Mystery Shack. Everything was the same as he had left it. However, something felt off. Looking to the triangular window, Dipper saw it grow an eye and form into the Dream Demon that harassed the seventeen year old every night. "Miss me?"
Stumbling back ever so slightly, the Pines twin glared at the triangular-shaped being in front of him. "What do you want Bill?" Dipper's voice asked in a tone a lot more confident than he felt. His stance shifted nervously, and a wave of nausea fell over him.
"Oh, kid. We've been doing this for what? Five human years?" Cipher mocked. "Aren't you supposed to be the intelligent one? Unlike Shooting Star, sleeping peacefully." Dipper's hands formed into fists as the demon teased he and his sister.
"Bill. What. Do. You. Want?" Dipper asked forcefully, although a slight twinge of fear could be heard under the words. The Dream Demon floated closer to him before giving his iconic laugh. He stepped back once again, trying to will himself out of the nightmare befalling him.
"You really are like all the other meat bags, Pine Tree." Bill said threateningly, before leaning in close. His one hand lit up into a blue flame. "It's not what I want. It's what you want. Good news for you kid, a deal with me is all it takes!"
Dipper woke up with a jolt, the last thing he saw from the dream was Bill tipping his top hat and laughing as he disappeared. He wasn't in Oregon anymore. Instead, he found himself lying in his bed surrounded by a pile of books. Checking the alarm clock beside him, the twin discovered it was only three AM.
With a groan, Dipper leaped out of the top bunk, quietly landing on the floor. Careful not to wake Mabel, who was snoring in the bottom bunk, he crept out of their bedroom. The twin sneaked down the stairs, grabbing a Pit Soda from the fridge before going outside for some air.
Dipper's sleep schedule was terrible, it was normal for him nowadays to only get bits of sleep here and there. Like always, Bill played to his wants. Most nights he would bargain with adventure, and a second chance to take his Great Uncle Ford's offer. That night, however, Bill seemed to know there was something else Dipper wanted. Or something the Pines twin would want in the near future, anyhow.
"Peek-a-boo!" Mabel's voice shrilled as she surprised her sibling. The other twin sat down next to Dipper and took a sip of his soda. She gave him a slight nudge to the shoulder before her expression turned into one of concern. "Did he come back?"
Dipper nodded, looking away. As far as she knew, Bill only came every so often. Not every night. He felt Mabel's arm go around his shoulder, and he leaned in. Exhaustion was finally catching up to him.
"What did he do this time?" Mabel asked, her other hand forming into a fist. She was mad that, despite his death, Bill still haunted her brother. Even if it all seemed to be in Dipper's head, or at least she hoped it was, the dream demon still wore down on her twin.
"Just another deal, like always." Dipper answered, his voice faltering. Yes, Bill still tried to bargain with him but the demon filled his mind with horrible reminders with the past as well. "Hey, uh, Mabel? Wanna awkward sibling hug?" He asked, wanting to go back to a time when everything was okay, just for a moment.
Mabel flung her arms around him, and the two twins embraced. In sync, they stiffly stated, "Pat pat." Each giving the other two light thumps on the back. Dipper immersed himself into the hug, a feeling of warmth spreading throughout him. However a slight coldness followed, as if the hug wasn't the same somehow. As they brought the hug to an end, Mabel erupted into a pile of undignified chortles.
"When was the last time we did that?" Mabel questioned after recovering from her slight outburst.
"I'm... not sure, honestly." Dipper replied, trying to think. In the past five years, they hadn't gotten the chance to hang out as much.
Mabel thought for a moment, "I think it was when, well you know..."
Dipper nodded with a grimace. Weirdmageddon, Mabel's bubble. It really had been that long.
"I'm sorry, by the way. I kinda was a jerk back then. I should've let you follow your dreams. It was unfair of me to ask you to stay." She paused, the words stumbling out of her mouth quickly. "Especially how things are now." Mabel added quietly at the end and brought her knees up to her chest. A feeling of guilt spread across her as she tugged at one of her sweater's sleeves.
"Hey, don't talk like that. I'm glad I didn't take Ford's offer." The other twin replied to her sudden confession.
"You don't have to lie to make me feel better, Dipper." Mabel said miserably, remembering her selfishness all those years ago. If she had let her brother go, he wouldn't have had to deal with all of the chaos in their lives now.
`"No- really! Ford is great, and researching with him would be a dream come true. But honestly? Hanging out with you will and always will bring out a side I hide with everyone else." Dipper replied, speaking honestly. Mabel was his polar opposite, but whenever she was with him she filled in the optimism and humor that he lacked around anyone else.
"Really?" Mabel asked with a hint of both hope and skepticism in her voice. To her, it seemed like she only dragged her brother down.
"Yeah, really." Dipper slightly elbowed her in the gut. "You are my crazy twin after all." He took a swig of the Pit Soda, before handing it to Mabel. "Mystery Twins forever?"
Mabel took the can and sipped it. "Mystery Twins forever." She replied with a wide smile. "Hey Dip Dop, do you ever miss Gravity Falls?" Mabel asked, changing the topic. "Despite all that had happened."
"Every day." Dipper replied sleepily. His eyes closed for a moment, and when he managed to open them again a horrific scene met him.
Mabel was shaking uncontrollably, and her eyes seemed to have a white slate in front of them. She looked to Dipper, croaking a plea for help. The setting changed from their porch in California to the Bill Cipher Zodiac Circle in Gravity Falls.
Everyone was there, except for Wendy and Old Man McGucket. Or perhaps they were, two people were standing on their symbols but they seemed oddly blurry. Everyone's hands were entwined together, and Mabel looked better. However before the deed could be done, an electrically charged blast from Bill's eye shot directly at Mabel causing her to stumble back.
"Eenie-meenie-minee…YOU!" Bill's voice echoed before cackling in delight. Dipper stared in shock at the One-Eyed Demon as everyone went to Mabel's aid. His hands formed into fists.
"I know this is a dream Bill! Let me out!" He yelled at the being in front of him, before forcing himself to look at Mabel. Her face had paled, and the injury looked... terrible. Lethal even. Blood started to seep into her Shooting Star sweater. It was too realistic to not be real.
"Oh ho! But Pine Tree, this is no dream. This is Fate." Bill Cipher floated in front of Mabel's body. His hand lit up once again in blue flame. "But I can change Fate." The demon said cunningly, "For a price, of course."
"Dipper, wake up!" Mabel's voice faltered, shaking her brother's shoulders. He had fallen asleep, and at first, things seemed fine. But then he began talking in his sleep and jittering.
When Mabel had heard him shout Bill's name, she had started shaking him, begging him to wake up from whatever nightmare that consumed him.
Dipper woke up in a sweat, with his twin's worried face above him. In a mix of both fear and relief, his shoulders began to bob up and down as he sobbed.
"Mabel..." He whispered and let himself be comforted by her. A few minutes went by like this, with Mabel reassuring her brother that she was there. She wasn't prepared for him to cry, he never did. This was the first time he ever fell apart like this, at least in front of her.
Dipper wiped away his tears, sniffling a bit. "We don't have a lot of time, Mabel." He said, stiffening his voice.
"Whatever it is Dipper, you can count on me." Mabel said in a supposed-to-be comforting tone, but it seemed to only make her twin let out another silent sob.
Dipper Pines looked to his sister who seemed perfectly healthy. He vowed then, to keep her that way, whatever it took. "I'm going back to Gravity Falls." And I have a deal to make, Dipper thought to himself when Mabel nodded, deciding not to question her twin for the time being.
"But you'll tell me why soon, right?" Mabel asked, fidgeting with her sweater. She was still worried about Dipper, but it would be no use to argue with him when he was this determined. "And I'm coming."
Dipper got up and held his hand to his twin, Mabel accepted and he pulled her up. "Of course." He lied, faking a smile. Though it probably looked pretty bad, considering his eyes were still red and his voice was shaking. He would find a way to go alone, whatever it took to keep her safe.
Doubt spread through Mabel like wildfire, but she reminded herself that the twins didn't keep secrets. Dipper would tell her when he was ready. Right?
Author's Note:
KHOOR!
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KRSH BRX OLNHG WKH ILUVW FKDSWHU :)
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