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All of the performances, regardless of the time, were filled to the brim with enamored fans. Not even once did the audience fail to show their admiration. In every show the crowd cheered until their voices went hoarse, and applauded until their hands glowed an angry red. The many adoring fans traveled from all over the world to catch a glimpse of them: Dipper and Mabel Gleeful, the twins that exclusively performed in the Tent of Telepathy.
Once Mabel and he introduced their audience to the hidden wonders of the world, they would come back, time after time, wanting to desperately relive: the experience, the mystery, the pure magic in the air. No normal person, especially those caught up in their boring, uneventful lives, ever managed to keep themselves away from the endearing, polite, siblings. The show was like a drug to many, one that they could never get their fill of- and the Gleeful twins would not have it any other way.
From his position on stage, Dipper could see the clear adoration in the eyes of those situated in the front row. He could hear the shouts of excitement and gasps of surprise from those seated in the back of the tent. He smiled, giving a well-practiced bow with his sister, pushing his blue cape out of the way. “Thank you~” He announced, taking another elegant bow towards every direction of the audience- making sure that no idiot felt excluded. “Thank you so very much!”
He had them all where he wanted them; they were all at the edge of their seats, holding their breath in anticipation, waiting anxiously to see the next act- to see more of his sister and himself. They never wanted it to end, while he wished it could all be over already. All he could smell for the entirety of the show was the disgusting mixture of perfumes and colognes with natural body odors- it was like no one showered anymore, simply covering themselves with gaudy fragrances. It was torture being around any of them.
He forced himself to smile through it, letting his mind wander from the despicable crowd. Those morons could throw anything they wished at him, but he would not snap- especially not before Mabel. He solely focused on the only entertaining part of show: seeing how everyone fell for the act; how they all believed in his bright, innocent smile, and Mabel’s bubbly, pure laugh. They just needed to give them a small show, featuring some of the many secrets that they were too stupid to find on their own, and they were hitched for life. It was so simple: give them a small taste of magic, and they would come back each time, wanting a little bit more.
By the time they were done taking a bow, the dimwits were still going wild. The twins had no other choice, but to wait it out. He chose to simply smile at them, clearing out the rest of the magic from the previous act.
His sister, on the other hand, chose to actively interact with the simpletons by throwing kisses and waving at them. Everyone swooned at the display, trying to calm their rapid heartbeats. A simple show of affection, and they were all enamored. She always put so much effort into the act, keeping it up for the most part- and only having trouble when she was pissed.
It was the main bad side to their arrangement in Dipper’s lone opinion; they were never allowed to drop the act. The façade did not end when the curtains came down, nor did it end when they gave their final bows to the nitwits. Instead, it was a major part of their lives inside and outside of the show. Every time that he went outside, he had to be ready with a pen, so he could sign a handful of autographs. In the middle of the street, he had to be ready for someone to scream out his name, so he could give them his trademark smile.
Some days it was so hard to keep it up. The constant smiling leaving him with sore cheeks. The stupid conversations giving him headaches for hours on end. If Dipper had it all his way, then he would not give anyone of them so much as a passing glance on the street, but his family -along with himself- needed them. They needed their money, their devotion, and their eagerness to please. It was the sole reason that he constantly pretended to remotely care for any of the imbeciles that came to watch him perform.
Once he was done gathering the rest of the light magic, Dipper realized that it was time to wrap up the performance. All that was left to do was spout some fake appraisals, and tell the savages how much they loved them. When neither of them could come up with any more lies that made their idiotic fans feel good and special, they would be able to move on to the final act, and he would finally take break from this hell.
He grabbed hold of Mabel’s hand, pulling her closer to his side, hips bumping into each other. “I have to admit, sister dearest. Tonight’s audience has been more than wonderful, they’ve been an absolute delight.” He pressed his hand over his heart, as if pinpointing the origin of his words. “I don’t believe that I have the words to articulate the happiness I feel at the moment. We have all these outstanding people by our side, and I hope that we’ve been able to give them at least a fraction of joy back to their hearts. You all were great!”
The crowd immediately erupted in cries of joy, most of their words becoming jumbled up. Although, he still managed to hear some of the louder comments:
“You’ve made me the happiest person alive, Dipper!”
“We’re not worthy!”
“We love you, Dipper!”
“We’re so glad you’re happy!”
“You’re the amazing one, Dipper!!”
“Little Dipper!”
The last comment that he caught made the corner of his lips turn downward in distaste for just a millisecond- those damn idiots, it was the Big Dipper on his forehead. It was literally on his forehead staring at them in the face. The idiocy of the people in the audience truly baffled him. He hated them all.
Mabel seemed to have caught the nickname as well, since she turned up to look at him straight in the eyes- her own holding that insufferable teasing glint in them. She was just itching to take a jab at his pride as well. He ignored her, knowing that it was the best course of action. It would not do to lose all of their hard work, because of something as trivial as a stupid nickname given to him by an idiot. Plus, there was always later to talk about the topic. Right now, it was her turn to speak about the greatness of the barbaric crowd in front of them.
She coughed once, trying to get their attention back to her, before speaking. A smile on her face that rivaled the brightness of the lights above them. “When you’re right, you’re right, little brother. They’ve been-”
The morons was rowdier than usual, and did not quiet down when Mabel began to speak. They kept getting louder and cheering for Dipper. Not being one to have much patience, Mabel cut herself off. Dipper glanced at her from the corner of his eye, waiting to see her reaction. She was never one to respond well to any lack of respect. Although, she reacted differently than the usual. Instead of glaring or attacking them, she remained calm- he guessed that it was due to Pacifica’s influence; the kind, 80’s obsessed blonde, who worked in the mystery shack, was still the target of Mabel’s affection, and the sole reason that Mabel had started to learn to control her fiery temper.
Mabel’s heels clicked on the stage, as she took a couple of steps away from him. The movement getting the attention of some, but not all of the audience members. Some sensed the change in the atmosphere, tapping the shoulder of the ones next to them to quiet them down. Mabel walked until they were at arm’s length apart, their hands barely holding onto each other. The amulet in her hair glowing a bright blue, as she summoned her magic. By the energy she was gathering, Dipper already knew her intentions- she was still going to make a scene- but it was going to be different from usual. This time he would not have to step in, and stop her from trying to burn someone’s face off.
After she had built up more than enough suspense in the crowd, she spun herself back toward him. Every spin accompanied by lightning, sparkling around her body, starting off at her toes before it reached the space above her. When she was fully wrapped in his arms, he spun her out again, letting go of her hand. He allowed her to twirl in one spot- years of ballet really serving their purpose for her- electricity spiraling unnaturally in the air like a tornado that followed her motions. It made her look electric.
Dipper considered letting her spin until exhaustion, but he decided against. If he did it, then it would just lead to another annoying argument- one that he could not bear again. The memory of her throwing a fit clear in his mind, while he stood off to the side watching her without giving any sign of his annoyance. He was most definitely not in the mood to hear her complain about the drain of the amulet, or yell: “You have to find something better than this fucking crap! Maybe something that won’t make me pass out every time I use it, Dipshit!”
With those comments in mind, Dipper timed his next set of movements perfectly. Anything less than perfect would lead to a disastrous situation, ending with a handful of hospitalizations and a trip to the morgue. If it had been anyone else, they would have messed up and ended up electrocuted- but it was him. He managed to capture Mabel’s hand, controlling the flow of electricity, before he spun her back towards him. When she had no more room to spin, he dipped her. Mabel’s head tossing back with a carefree smile on her face, kicking her foot in the air.
The imbeciles went speechless at the display, while Dipper silently cursed his sister for making extra work for him. He reluctantly held her in place; his arm respectfully on her back- restraining himself from dropping her. It would be so easy to let her go. Before he could give into temptation, he pulled Mabel back into a standing position. She swayed in his arms, almost crumbling to the floor, but he held fast.
Once Mabel had finally caught her breath enough to form full sentences, he gave her a pointed look that she had to speak about the supposed greatness of the audience. “As I was saying earlier…” She said, taking the hint. “We might be the ones putting on the show, but the real stars of the night are all of you.” She purposely made her voice crack mid-sentence. Before she pressed her face into Dipper’s chest, hiccupping and pretending to get emotional. “We-we wouldn’t be able to do an-any of this without you. Thank you so, so much for supporting us!”
The crowd gasped, as they saw a few stray tears escaping her eyes and running down her cheeks. A split second afterwards the audience started yelling about their love for the twins, and their gratitude for everything they did for them. Dipper wanted nothing more than to roll his eyes at the shouts and his sister’s sloppy performance. Mabel shook in his arms with the force of her fake tears, pressing her face into his shirt and leaving make-up stains. The audience believed that she was shaking from the intensity of her feelings, but Dipper knew better, she was just laughing her ass off.
Regardless, he used his free hand to rub comforting triangles on her back “I am so sorry folks, she gets a bit emotional, when it comes to special people like you.” He lied, looking out to the crowd. He watched them clasp their hands over their mouths and start crying, as they sympathized with Mabel. “You all mean so much…”
He was about to throw even more compliments, ones that would have really make his stomach twist with disgust, but he noticed something- more specifically someone in the crowd. They were off to the side, leaning against the tent. Their bright, blue hair and manner of dressing, finally catching his attention. Dipper was a bit surprised that he had not noticed him before- but now that he had caught sight of him, he could not keep his eyes off the dream demon in the flesh, William Cipher.
Despite the many people in the crowd, Dipper and Will still managed to lock eyes; his icy blue ones meeting up with the demon’s singular, bright blue one. His annoyance from being around disgustingly loud savages all day, dissipating instantly when the dream demon smiled shyly at him. It made his heart hammer wildly in his chest. Dipper allowed his- fake- smile to fall for just an instant, replacing it with a smirk. William was the only one that caught the look; the others distracted by his sister’s loud and obnoxious crying. Will blushed, averting his eyes and playing with his hands; he was adorable.
Dipper did not stop focusing on the dream demon, until Mabel gave him a painful pinch on his back. Fortunately, he was able to bite back a growl, and keep his smile on his face. She was all out of crocodile tears, and too exhausted to do anything else- the stunt from before taking a huge toll on her body; apparently he had stepped in too late. Mabel was clearly in no state to perform, so they would have to bring the show to an early end.
His headache was already coming back, they- more specifically he- would have to apologize to the imbeciles by giving out free merchandise from his paycheck. He had no other option, but maybe there was. He looked back at Will, remembering a passing comment the demon had made a while back. The moment Will tilted his head, looking back at him all confused- his mouth slightly open, and eyes wide with curiosity- he made his decision.
“It seems that my sister has exhausted herself, so she’ll be taking a short break.” He informed sorrowfully. “Don’t worry, folks, she’ll be available at the end of the show, ready to give out autographs and photos… But. The show must go on.” The crowd and Mabel were left confused; their jaws dropping to the floor and eyebrows raising to their hairline. It was like they had just witnessed another impossible act- which it was. From the very first time they had performed, the twins had never done a show without the other. They had always performed the show together- but mixing it up a little would not hurt anyone, and if it did then he didn’t care at all.
Before Mabel could disagree or ask him what his deal was, he began to lead her off the stage. She was too tired and shocked to protest, letting him drag her across the stage. The moment they were behind the side curtains, she passed out. He could already imagine her anger when she woke up- but he would deal with it later. He threw her without a care onto a spare mattresses stored backstage for practice, knowing that she would be out like a light for the rest of the night. He began to walk away, before he looked back. He stared at her sleeping form, before letting out an annoyed growl. He walked back, taking off his cape and draping it over her. Then, without further ado, he walked back into the spotlight.
“Now, my beautiful audience, I am going to need a volunteer.”
There was an uproar of people throwing their hands in the air, jumping out of their seats, and practically foaming at the mouth. It was disgusting to the say the least. He pretended to look over the crowd, humming and tapping a finger on his chin.
Mabel and he had never allowed the audience to take part in the show, since there was never a doubt in their minds that a volunteer would mess everything up. Even though he could never trust another human being- other than his sister- to perform with him without a flaw; he could trust an all seeing, powerful, and knowledgeable dream demon, who also happened to be his lover. The acts would be a walk in the park for William, and for some very strange reason he did not mind sharing the spotlight. When Dipper’s eyes landed on Will, he gave him a sincere smile and pointed straight at him. “The handsome, young gentleman in the corner, please, join me on stage.”
The words left William rooted in his spot. Everyone’s attention slowly focusing on him, and the demon flushed at the stares; his mouth opening uselessly as he failed to form any words. All he could do was stare wide-eyed at Dipper, finger shaking as he pointed at himself. After some time of struggling, Will managed to get one word out. However, it was spoken so softly that Dipper did not hear him, instead he read his lips, deciphering the word as, “M-me?”
Dipper nodded, smiling reassuringly. He knew that the demon already knew that it was him, and it was just his nerves getting the best of him. Dipper would never understand how it was possible for a demon to end up like William. Most of the time Will acted like the opposite of a demon- but there were a couple of times that he lived up to his name, and he could literally count all of those times with one hand. Will was so different from his definition of a demon: a manipulative, charismatic, overly-confident, evil being.
Sometimes Dipper thought it was all an act. The demon might be acting the way that he did to seem less threatening, to gain his trust, and betray him when it was most convenient for him. William could be pretending to love him like he pretended to care about his fans. It haunted him. For some reason even if it was a plot to destroy him, he could not bring himself to regret anything. Although, suspecting that Will would be capable of such a thing left a sour taste in his mouth.
He pushed the thought away, deciding that he had more pressing matters than worry about nonexistent relationship problems. He had to focus on getting the dream demon on stage- Will had confessed, during pillow talk that he had always wanted to share the stage with him- and this was his chance. He gave the flustered demon a reassuring smile, beckoning him forward with a slim finger. The demon worrying his bottom lip for just a moment, before Dipper’s smile gave him enough confidence to move towards the stage.
William made it four steps forward, before he tripped over his own two feet; and Dipper snapped his fingers, activating the power of his amulet to save the dream demon from meeting the floor. Will opened up his eyes, looking back and forth from the floor to Dipper; his face flushing a deep crimson. Not wanting to chance another incident, Dipper used his power to levitate Will onto the stage. The audience ogling at the performance- completely awestruck.
He used to his magic to make Will float over the heads of the audience members, before he gently brought Will onto the stage with him- more specifically above him. It was not like William was unaccustomed to floating off the ground, but he was new to people watching him so intensely. Dipper felt his heart clench at the sight of Will shaking due to his nerves.
Dipper whispered a spell, before he held out his arms in front of him. The without further ado he released Will from his magic. The demon yelped, his hands grabbing at nothing and his legs kicking uselessly in the air, while he fell the short distance into Dipper’s awaiting arms. He caught him with ease, carrying him bridal style, his arms hooked behind his shaking legs and back. Dipper craned his neck, using the short chance to press his lips close to the demon’s ear, whispering. “Don’t worry. I won’t let anything happen to you, Cipher. Relax."
The demon nodded, and did as he was told; his body losing most of its tension. He was shaking a bit, his lips swollen from all of the biting, but he was looking at him with those beautiful, blue doe eyes. He looked wonderful. Dipper looked him over, checking for any more signs of distress, but he was starting to calm down. Once he was mostly calm, Dipper put him down on his own two feet- and the cretins cheered.
He gave him a charming smile, as he bowed down, flicking his wrist and producing a single blue rose from thin air. The rose had been set aside for the longest time for William. He had enchanted it to make sure it lived, give or take, eighty years; just so the demon would not get emotional over killing something precious. It had been a lot of work to say the least; a series of trials and failure. It was worth it. He offered the magical flower to William, chuckling lowly at the demon’s reaction. His eyes glittering with tears of joy, as he sensed the intricate magic weaved into the flower. "Th-thank you, Mister Gleeful.”
“You’re welcome.” He said, placing one hand around his waist and pulling him closer; the demon squeaking. “But call me Dipper.”
“As you wish, Dipper.” The demon held onto the flower tightly and pressing it against his chest. He was so tense, so Dipper used his thumb to rub comforting designs on his side, away from view. Will relaxed in his hold, leaning into him. “Anything that you wish.”
Dipper looked at the audience to gauge their reaction, and they did not seem to notice their intimacy, so many things went over their heads. They were just going:
“Awwwww,”
“So cute.”
“He’s adorable.”
The general consensus was that they liked the demon, so Dipper carried on without a concern. “So. My fine man, I do believe that the audience is just dying to know your name. Would you be so kind to grace both, them and me, with that small piece of information.”
“It-it’s…uh…William.” The dream demon mumbled, looking down and playing with the rose in his hand.
“What a beautiful name. William.” Dipper repeated for the crowd, not mentioning the quietness of Will’s voice. It made him wonder if the dream demon was mentally prepared for something like this- he needed to know. “Alright, handsome. Are you ready to make some magic happen with me? It’s alright if you say no, I can just pick out someone else in the audience.” The demon stiffened, but he did not notice the words continuing to flow out of his mouth. “Seriously. It wouldn’t be a big deal if you’re not up for the challenge. If you don’t want to do this, then it’s your chance to back out, William”
“I think that can handle it just fine, Little Dipper.” Dipper’s eye twitched at the nickname, stopping himself from snapping at the demon. He had talked about it a million times, so the demon knew how much he hated it and had said on purpose. He did not understand the reason that he had done it, until he realized that he had literally just doubted Will’s magical capabilities. If there was one thing that Will prided himself on was his knowledge and ability to perform magic. He had taken a jab at Will’s pride, so the demon had done the same to him. Dipper could not help but think that even when he was trying to be sensitive towards William, he still messed up and hurt his feelings.
Dipper also knew that he should have been infuriated that the demon had the guts to do something like this, but these small bouts of confidence always made him so flustered. They happened so rarely that he actually cherished them. It was interesting seeing the dream demon take risks. He loved it. He guessed that they were even in some sense, and he could not exactly address the problem at the moment- so he let it go.
Will did not. The little show of confidence disappearing just as soon as it had arrived, leaving behind a very flustered and embarrassed Will. He was fumbling with his hands and words, panicking at his original response, and trying to correct it. “I-I mean… I can do it, mister Gleeful.. I mean Dipper… I’d be hon-honored.” The demon was clearly scared that he had made him mad, and there were tears filling up in his eyes. “Please, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. I got your point the first time around. You want to participate, so there’s no issue. But, I love the enthusiasm, Will.” Dipper laughed. Although, Will’s eyes just watered even more. It made him want to curse in every language that he had learned. He was already smiling and laughing, and he did not know what else to do to reassure the demon- if he cried on stage it would be a disaster- but then he had an idea.
Turning his head away from the twits, Dipper gave Will a quick unamused look, mouthing out the words: ‘I forgive you just fucking relax already’. It was odd, but the demon actually stopped; a smile growing on his lips. Will sniffed, wiping away his watery eyes with his sleeve, as he nodded his head. His body stopped trembling, and he looked happy after Dipper had broken his façade in the middle of the show just for him. The more he thought about, the more he realized that he had never put up the act in front of William, so it must have been foreign to him- to have this happy and charming version of him instead of the usual stoic one- but William loved him not the act.
“Well then…” He said shakily- the pure bliss of his realization, making him lose his composure for a heartbeat- before he steadied his voice. “Since formalities are all out of the way. Let’s get this show on the road!” Dipper announced. “Just follow my lead and you’ll be just fine, William.”
“Y-yeah. Okay.” Will nodded enthusiastically.
Dipper grabbed a small artifact from his pocket, holding it out for everyone else to see and admire blindly. For all they knew it was just an ordinary stupid, little block of wood, but they just assumed that it was magical- which it happened to be- but sometimes Dipper swore that he put too much effort into the show, because all these idiots could easily be entertained by watching molasses move a second faster than the norm. Will, however, was more than well informed over the object in his hand, and he appreciated it even more than all of the people in the crowd.
The artifact provided a look into other realms- all of them, except for the mindscape. It had been a struggle obtaining it, but it really added the wow factor to the show. Dipper closed his eyes concentrating on his flow of magic, focusing it on the artifact in his hands, as he began to mutter the spell underneath his breath. He distantly heard Will next to him hum in approval, as the air around him started snap and crackle with the intensity of the magic. Everyone on the tent could feel the air pressure inside increase like some sort of tornado- almost blowing them all away.
Dipper kept himself grounded for as long as he could, before he felt his feet start to leave the stage. He almost lost his concentration, slightly concerned that he was going to fly through the roof of the tent- the amulet a bit too hard to control on his own. His feet were only an inch off the ground, but the annoyance was getting to him. The moment that he was about to break his concentration, Will grabbed his arm. He held onto him just above his elbow. From the audience’s perspective, it seemed like Will was grounding himself on Dipper, but it was the other way around. William was also feeding some of his magic into the artifact, helping him control it.
He held the artifact with one hand, taking hold of Will’s with the other. The moment their fingers interlocked, both of their eyes took on the same glowing blue property it usually did when they performed any sort of magic. Blue flames were summoned, forming a perfect circle around them the heat almost nonexistent, as the flames came towards them. The idiots gasped, afraid that the two would get burned into oblivion. It was not until the flames twirled around their two bodies that the idiots finally relaxed into their seats. The flames wrapping around their legs, torso and arms, becoming serpent like in the matter that it coiled around their bodies.
He could practically feel the power that was practically oozing out of Will next to him, and it was almost intoxicating. The things that he could do with that limitless power, capturing his mind. He could rule the world. It would be easy to fool the demon out of his powers and just take advantage of him. He could be just another pawn like all of the people that placed him on the pedestal, but he couldn’t do it. The moment that Dipper glanced at the dream demon by his side, he knew that he would never be able to go through with it. Will was looking at him like he was his entire world. Maybe his heart was not as tainted as he always believed it be, because if there was something pure in his heart it was the love that he held for the dream demon- and at times his stupid family, when they weren’t being a pain in his ass.
Dipper hated that he felt the blood rush to his face, at William’s gaze. He wished that his heart would not start beating at the stupid pace that it was, because of the demon’s smile. He averted his eyes, trying to ignore these frustrating feelings. He would never admit that he was flustered, he’d rather be skinned alive than to say it out loud. The only thing that he could do was try to conceal them behind a fake smile. He decided to concentrate on finishing the spell rather than deal with this embarrassing feelings- he would rather be ran over a truck repeatedly. He almost hated the affect the demon had on him some time, but just almost. In truth, he loved it, he loved everything about Will Cipher- it was the only thing that actually terrified him.
The brunet did not stop muttering the spell, even as the flames parted in half, one half rose, while the other descended. The fire’s movement changing from something unpredictable that engulfed all in its path to something fluid in motion. He watched as some of the audience members lifted their feet up into the seats, getting their dirty footprints on them, as the fire started to cascade off the edge of the stage. The flames pooling underneath the seats, burning nothing and just radiating a bright blue rather than an intense heat. Some of the brave, or in his opinion the really stupid ones, gained enough of a backbone to reach down and touch the blue flames. Instead of it burning off their skin, it simply slipped through their fingers like water.
The flames that reached the ceiling of the tent covered it in a glowing, translucent essence. At random points the energy swirled into different sized orbs, moving so fast that it actually seemed to stop moving at all, just sparkling like stars. People marveled at the spectacular, and Dipper would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit blown away by the occurrence. Whenever he had performed it with Mabel, it was on a much smaller scale.
He heard the demon next to him chuckle, he moved his head only to feel the world spin around him. He could feel himself lose his balance, the weight being too much for his legs. His hand was gripping hard to the artifact in his hand, as his vision swam in darkness for a brief moment.
When he gained consciousness, no one from the crowd had noticed too enraptured in the spectacle still happening around them. He vaguely felt a warmth spreading through him, helping him regain consciousness. He could feel a firm chest, pressing against his back and arms around his middle. Dipper tensed for a moment, realizing that he had passed out for a short while from the drain of the amulet- but Will had kept him from reaching the floor.
The dream demon readjusted behind him, holding him flush against his form and supporting most of his weight. Will laughed softly in his ear, twirling the rose in his fingertips. “You need to be more careful when you play with fire. Wouldn’t want you getting hurt, Burning Forest.”
“I think I can handle myself just fine, Cipher.” Dipper whispered back, feeling relieved that all of the imbeciles were still observed by the flames covering the entire area, allowing him to drop his smile. He was too tired to keep up the façade at the moment.
He felt the demon snuggle against the crook in his neck truly pushing their luck. He relaxed in his hold, feeling the demon’s energy seeping into him and alleviating the dizziness. It was perfect, until the demon offhandedly said: “That’s a lie.”
“Excuse me?” Dipper clipped out, stiffening in the hold and glaring at a random spot in the back of the tent. “What do you mean by that?”
“W-well, you’re just a human, and humans are weak. Your kind is sadly at the bottom of the food chain. Most humans aren’t capable of doing anything, and they’re always at the mercy of others and your own limitations.” The demon informed, completely clueless. He was using the same happy and confident tone that he took whenever he taught him something- it was one of the things that he always did well being a creature that had a lot of knowledge to share. “Plus, you just passed out, and if it wasn’t for me you’d be on the floor. Just imagine if that happened when you were at the presence of a violent supernatural being, I guarantee it wouldn’t end well.”
Dipper growled at the comments, highly offended by the demon’s doubt in his strength. He had proved himself a million times over, yet all of that was overlooked by this one incident. He glared at the dream demon about to put him in his place. The day he allowed someone to look down on him would be the day that he lost who he was completed. He was ready to rip the demon apart and probably say a lot of things that he would regret with his blinding rage. The demon caught sight of Dipper’s murderous look, and stumbled over words to rectify the damage.
“I…uh…mean. You’re strongest human that I have ever met, and you’re probably stronger than ha-half of the creatures in existence. M-most of the time yo-you can take yourself w-well enough, but wh-when you ca-can’t I’ll be there for you.” The demon muttered weakly, pressing his forehead against Dipper’s shoulder, shaking and crying. “I’m-i’m sorry. Everything ca-came out so wrong.”
Dipper was completely torn. He did not know whether to take his comment as an insult or a compliment, so he took it as both. He breathed out a tired sigh, feeling the arms around him shake like a leaf. “I accept your apology, Cipher. But speak so lowly about me again, and I’ll show you who…hm… Just don’t do it again.”
“Of course, Dipper. Never again.” The demon sniffed, letting go of him with one arm to wipe away his tears.
It was just in time as well, since the audience was looking back at them. They seemed a bit confused by their positions but did not mention anything; not wanting to wait any longer for the rest of the act. Dipper opened up his palm, the artifact floating an inch above his hand. It was different however, before it had been a solid circular piece of wood with a carving of something similar to northern lights engraved into it. Now, it was just the image of those lights in his hand.
Dipper tilted his head, smiling at the demon behind him. “Go ahead.”
There was not a moment’s hesitation, as the demon unwrapped his arms from him, and clapped his hands over the lights. Dipper leaned back against him, using him to keep him up. The fire on the ceiling came shot down like shooting stars, while the fire on the floor grew like trees. The process was short, and ended up with a line of pure energy in the middle of the tent right over the crowd’s moronic heads, before a figure appeared.
It was a beautiful creature that could not even exist in their dimension, and it was a look to the impossible. No one could believe it. Some people bringing up their hands to brush against the creatures, thinking that it would have no effect, but it did. The creature would turn feeling the touch, but not being able to see the cause of it. It was amazing to be able to interact with another dimension. The show kept on going, more creatures and more impossibilities appearing.
The demon began to speak to him, whispering about the creatures that appeared in order. He shared with him everything that he knew, and Dipper took mental notes over everything. It was nice. Once he had enough energy, Dipper went over to touch a creature himself, smiling. The stage was completely obscured from the people’s view, giving them a bit of privacy to enjoy the show as well.
No one could see or hear them.
Dipper dropped the façade, deciding to have some fun with the demon. He smirked, looking at Will. “This view is really beautiful, but it nothing compared to you, Cipher.”
The words had the desired effect; the dream blushed, biting his bottom lip. Before he laughed, playing nervously with the tips of his hair. “There you go again, playing with fire, kid.”
“No. That isn’t playing with fire. This is.” Completely forgetting about the crowd, Dipper slowly brought up his hand to press against the side of the demon’s face, letting his fingers brush through his partner’s hair. A soft touch that shocked Will, who was shaking at the switch of demeanor. He brought his hand down the outline of his temple all the way to his chin, pulling him closer with two fingers hooking under his chin. The simple touches getting the demon all flustered, his lips parting open in a desperate plea for a kiss that Dipper was not going to give him. He was just playing him. He pulled away, leaving centimeter between them and looking smug. “Seriously, I don’t mind playing with fire, you know. The burn is always so worth it in the end.”
“If you want to play, then I am more than willing. But… I don’t think I can bring myself to burn you too bad, Gleeful.” Will whispered out softly, only loud enough to make Dipper want to throw all caution to the wind and kiss him- but he barely restrained himself. He chose to change the subject.
“I’m happy you showed up tonight, Cipher.” Dipper stated simply, putting his arms around the demon’s neck, melting into his arms. “I’ve had to deal with these idiots all day.”
“Must have been hard.” The demon said in an understanding tone, as he nuzzled into his neck.
Dipper pulled back, scowling at him. ”I never said it was.“
“Oh, of course.” The demon fumbled. “You can handle yourself just fine in front of the crowd. I think you’re one of the few that can, Burning Forest, since you’re so talented at it- just like everything you do.”
“Yeah. That does seem to be the case” He blushed, pressing his face into Will’s shoulder at the compliment. He did not want him to see the effect he had on him, wanting to just hide away.
Will smiled, before placing a kiss to the top of his head “You’re the epitome of perfection, Gleeful. There’s no one better than you. I think you deserve a reward.”
Dipper hated the feeling of losing himself with such simple words, but he loved them at the same time. His mind all foggy, he allowed the demon to loosen up his bolo-tie, and unbutton the first few top buttons of his dress shirt, as he pressed kisses down the side of his face, teasing him in return with his heated breath. Dipper could not handle it, he tilted his head to the side, letting the demon suck and kiss him as he pleased. The tension in his body completely disappearing, and replacing it with a feeling of content as he whispered, “I love you, Dipper.”
The small cough from the imbeciles that he had forgotten about brought him back to reality that they were still on stage, startling the demon into biting his neck. Dipper hummed at the pain, as the demon apologized quickly- it was sure to leave a mark, but it was alright by him, since it felt so good.
It was almost time to shut the show down, but they could let it last a bit longer. Dipper smiled, rubbing his thumb over Will’s supple lips,. They still had some cover behind the magic. If he got caught, then so be it. There was nothing that he would not give up for one of Will’s kisses.
He pulled the demon close for their lips to meet, enjoying the feeling of their lips moving against each other. His adrenaline pumping at the thought of getting caught, of people realizing that he already had someone that loved him. All that he could concentrate was on Will and his feelings for him, putting it all into the kiss. He closed his eyes, reveling in the taste of Will’s lips, the bold movements of his lips that contradicted his usual shy ones. It was messy, it was hot, and perfect. They pulled away, panting eyes glazed. “I love you too, William.”
Dipper gave him one last peck to his lips, before he walked away. He fixed himself, adjusting the amulet on his bolo tie. They could continue where they had left off later.
“Come take the bow with me.” He ordered, extending his hand for the demon. He did not even look back at him, fixing himself and taking calming breaths, but he could still hear him chuckle.
“It would be my honor, Burning Forest.” Will took his hand, kissing the top of it, before he clasped it with his own hand. Once they were ready, Dipper snapped his fingers and everything came whirling back towards the demon and himself; it was funny how easy it was to break the spell but hard to set it up. Then again it had taken years of practice to be able to do something so simply. The audience all stared at them, as he took Will’s hand throwing their hand in the air, before they gave a bow- and the curtains fell.