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“No way? Oh my gosh that’s awful! I hope you feel better soon. Yeah, for sure!”
Dipper stood a polite few feet behind Mabel, not wanting to listen in on her phone call. The keys jingled in her hand as she took them out and worked one into the lock. Another wave of pain hit Dipper’s head and he found himself reeling back just a bit, stumbling onto his back foot.
And that was when he noticed an eye peeking through the small opening of the neighbor’s door. As soon as Dipper made eye contact, the door immediately shut.
“Love you, bye!” Mabel’s voice echoed in his head. Dipper tried to process what just happened. Was that normal? Was it normal to try to covertly watch people in the hallway?
“Dipper, you coming?”
He looked back at where his sister stood, already in the apartment. “Yeah, sorry.”
“No worries! Sorry I spent a bit on the phone. Didn’t mean to leave you hanging.”
“Of course, yeah, I don’t mind. Uh…” Dipper wondered if it was rude to ask as he took off his shoes but decided to do so anyway. “Do you know the guy who lives on the left? I think it was 501?”
“Uh, no, not really. He just seems like some weirdo.”
“Ouch, Mabel, didn’t think you’d be the type to call anyone that,” Dipper teased, but was surprised to see the conflicted look on Mabel’s face. But she quickly switched to a smile.
“Yeah, yeah. Pot, kettle. But anyways, I really don’t know him. I don’t think we’ve ever talked except for that one time.”
“That’s fair.” It wasn’t like Dipper was any better. He didn’t talk to his neighbors either. Regardless, his head hurt, he finally had painkillers in his hands, and nothing was getting between him and a glass of water to swallow them down.
Mabel walked over to the living room couch and sat down, frowning at her phone as she tapped the screen.
It was as he was taking said painkillers that a feeling suspiciously similar to dread started to wash over him, and it probably had a lot to do with Mabel staring at him. And of course she looked like she was considering something. This could not bode well for him.
“So, you know how I was on call earlier right…”
“Right…” Dipper answered. Oh no.
“That was my friend Melissa. She thinks she’s come down with something; she has an awful migraine and hasn’t been able to keep any food down.”
“I can relate to the migraine,” Dipper answered. He hoped the painkillers kicked in soon.
“Which means she can’t go to the show with me tonight.”
Why did Mabel sound like she was leading this conversation to something. Dipper didn’t like that. “Oh, wow. That’s rough.” Did he really have to ask… Fuck. He did, didn’t he.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Well, I asked my other friends if they wanted to come with, but they’re all busy tonight. So… I was hoping my really cool twin brother that had come over for the reading week would want to go with me.” Mabel’s big eyes locked expectantly onto Dipper.
“Mabel…”
“I think you’d really enjoy it! They’re a really cool band, Dip!”
“Mabel, you just came with me to get painkillers for my headache.”
“Did going outside make you feel any better?”
“No.”
“Give the painkillers some time to work! It’s not like the show is right now. We still have a while ‘til seven.”
Dipper groaned. He didn’t even want to respond anymore.
“And! And! They’re VIP tickets! 50$ VIP tickets!”
“Mabel, I love you. Please go away.”
Had Dipper let Mabel drag him to the show? Yes, yes he had.
“So, to catch you quickly up to speed: 5 Walls is an indie alternative pop band that has been active for about 3 years now, though I’ve only been a fan for the past year or so. They actually used to be known as Heart Surgery, but about a month ago the lead singer was replaced and they changed the name of the band. And also the new lead singer is super hot.”
“…Okay?” Dipper wasn’t sure why Mabel had mentioned the last bit.
“No, you don’t get it Dipper. The band’s music? Amazing. Good rhythm, beat, catchy, everything’s great. But the lead singer could upload a video of him singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and I would watch that video on loop. He’s the reason we bought VIP tickets instead of normal ones.”
Dipper didn’t know what expression he was making at the moment, but it had Mabel rolling her eyes and sighing. “You’ll understand when you see him.”
Soon, they were at the venue entrance. Dipper and Mabel showed their IDs, tickets, and bags to the bouncer before he let them in and directed them to the door on the left.
The door opened to reveal a small lounge area with a few couches, tables, and a bar. Dipper had to abruptly stop as Mabel stood frozen in place. Dipper looked from her gaping face to the group sitting at a table with merchandise. “It’s the blond one! Look at him! Tell me I was wrong.”
Dipper’s eyes moved to the only blond man in the group, and begrudgingly he had to admit Mabel wasn’t exaggerating all that much. He was incredibly attractive. And he would never tell Mabel. Ever.
The next thing he knows is Mabel giggling and rushing over to the table. Dipper twitched, not quite sure what to do. Did he wait for her over here? Did he walk over to stand next to her? This is why he hated this sort of stuff. Why did he even let Mabel talk him into this?
In the end, the anxious feeling of eyes on him, imagined or otherwise, had Dipper shuffling over to stand a few steps behind his sister, catching what seemed to be the middle of the exchange.
“Yeah! Main Frame is my favorite song, actually.”
“Good taste. I really enjoy performing it. Have you seen any clips online?”
“No, but I’m really excited!”
“Good! I won’t spoil it for you, but we do a little thing during the chorus, I think you’ll have a great time.” The singer’s eyes flicked to Dipper. Dipper did his best not to shrink back. “Hi there! Did you two come together?”
Dipper didn’t know why, but something about this guy’s smile lines put him off.
“Uhh, yeah. I’m her brother.” Wait, maybe he shouldn’t have said that. Was he sounding defensive?
“Oh wow!” And yep, there it was. A certain emotion passed the blond man’s gaze, and his smile drew even wider. “I was going to guess that, considering how similar you two look. Mm, well…” His eyes flicked from Dipper’s outfit to Mabel’s and he lifted his eyebrow, message coming across quite clearly.
Mabel laughed. “Yeah, we’ve got really different tastes in fashion. Oh! I made these earrings just for your guys’ show, actually!” Mabel leaned forward and pushed her hair out of her way to show off the hand-made wire earrings.
“They look gorgeous! You’re seriously talented.”
“Thanks! I just want to say that I love your jacket. The sequin pattern is really something else!”
“Well, I’ll give a little spoiler cause you’re so cute. You’ll be seeing it come off during the show.” Then he winked, and Dipper, for the life of him, couldn’t figure out how he pulled it off without seeming like a douche. And man, did he pull it off.
They finished the conversation up and Mabel spent some time talking to the other members and buying band merch. Dipper tried not to think about it, but it was hard not to notice how much more… bland the other band members looked when compared to the lead singer.
“Dipper! Take some photos of us!” Mabel took full advantage of her VIP ticket to pose with the different band members for Dipper to snap pictures of. Dipper felt embarrassed, honestly, but none of the other fans looked especially upset or put off, so maybe he should just turn off his brain until they were out of the room.
Satisfied with her acquired loot, Mabel dragged him out of the lounge and to the main hall to find a good spot for the show.
“Isn’t over there empty?” Dipper pointed to a spot close to the stage.
Mabel shook her head at him and grimaced. “Not unless you want your ears blown out. That’s right next to the speaker.”
Mabel squinted at the crowd, and then quickly pulled Dipper over to a spot ten or so feet away from the stage and to the right of the center. Then, she very seriously turned to Dipper.
“Okay. I know you’re not very good at social situations, so if you do get overwhelmed, I won’t get mad if you need to step out for a bit or move further back. Just let me know. I honestly think you’ll really enjoy the show, though.”
Dipper nodded in understanding. Seeing that, Mabel immediately started chatting with their neighbor. Dipper looked around before taking out his phone.
Soon enough, though, Dipper was putting it away as the crowd started to cheer around him. Dipper looked at the stage, but it wasn’t the band members from the lounge that stood on it. Probably an opener, then.
Dipper found himself enjoying the show. The band seemed to have more of an edgy aesthetic, but a decent chunk of the songs they played fit Dipper’s taste. Mabel was enthusiastically dancing with the girl next to her.
When the opening band finished up their set and 5 Walls came on stage, the crowd cheered so loudly Dipper almost thought to cover his ears. Mabel, who he’d thought had already been acting quite energized, was jumping like mad with her arms waving in the air. The band members waved to the crowd as they set up at their stations, the lead singer especially leaning into the fanservice.
If the opening band was good, then 5 Walls was amazing. Maybe Dipper should have expected this result; his music taste and Mabel’s overlapped significantly, and the band members were really good performers. The lead singer felt like he took up the whole stage; the way he moved, somehow bold, dramatic, and fluid all at once. Dipper found himself pulled into the energy of the crowd, and before long his arms started to feel like lead and his throat like sand paper. He tapped Mabel on the shoulder to get her attention.
“Do you want a drink?” he asked.
“What?” she yelled back.
Dipper mimed bringing a cup to his lips and Mabel nodded. He carefully moved through the crowd, trying not to make eye contact with anyone, and thankfully reached the bar with nothing happening. There was a bit of a line, but he finally got his two drinks. He felt for a moment that someone was staring at him, but there was no way to tell if he was just imagining it in the dark venue. The feeling passed quickly though, and Dipper put it down to his anxiety, walking back over to his sister and handing over her drink.
“Thanks!” she yelled as she tipped back the cup. Dipper took a long drink from his own, but soon the jostling of the crowd that he’d been a prior enthusiastic participant in started to get to him. He guarded his cup against his chest, but after another two songs that he’d tried to half-dance to Dipper couldn’t take it anymore. He checked the time on his phone, and seeing how the time was nearing the show’s end, decided that he would enjoy the rest of it from the bar. Dipper tapped Mabel again and motioned to himself and the bar.
“Text me if anything happens!” Mabel shouted as he once again abandoned her in the crowd.
The music was quieter back here, but the low chatter of voices balanced it out. He couldn’t see the band as well as before, but at least from this far back he had a stable angle. Dipper leaned against the bar to take the pressure off his feet and nursed his drink, which tasted decent for its price. And of course, back at the bar again, he felt the eyes on him. He swept his surroundings with his gaze, but he really couldn’t spot anyone. The people within the light of the bar weren’t even remotely looking in his direction, and anyone out of the fall-off range was impossible to see clearly. Whatever, it was fine. It was probably just his social anxiety again. He just had to ignore it.
It was halfway through his second drink that Dipper started to feel buzzed. Maybe even tipsy, if he was going by the way the crowd pulsed in front of him, but he couldn’t say for sure that it wasn’t just the effect of strobe lights and the bass. But he was starting to feel something in his back, like an itch but cold and weird and he got the feeling that it was spreading. Climbing up his spine, and it was getting harder to focus on the music or his drink, like his brain was shaking in his skull.
He looked from his cup towards the stage, but was hit with the realization that he couldn’t see it anymore over the crowd. Had he changed his position? He didn’t remember doing that. And he didn’t remember the crowd… undulating like this. It was a weird word to use, which only made Dipper all the more unnerved at how it was the only one he could think of that fit. Maybe it was the alcohol, after all, everything was starting to feel quieter, too. That was one of the effects of drinking, right? And everything slowing down? And the weird shadows at the edge of his vision?
Fuck, fuck, no, fuck this, alcohol had never done this shit to him before. He looked away from the crowd, which had stopped dancing, or maybe it hadn’t, and towards his drink again. Half full. There was no way this was the effect of drinking one and a half watered down bar cocktails. He stood up from the bar, and he couldn’t ignore it anymore, the weight of that gaze like heavy sand, gritty and uncomfortable and just not what he signed up for. Don’t look at the crowd, just find Mabel, but his thoughts were rendered moot when he looked at the walls and the walls looked back.
Something was wrong, he realized, as his eyes locked with the hundreds of pupils bursting out of the plaster. This wasn’t alcohol. When he turned back frantically to the crowd, the warped faces of the concert goers had him flinching back.
Shit. Fuck this. He was getting Mabel.
Dipper shoved down all the panic and fear and distress he was feeling down his throat, determined to put off the breakdown until later and took a reluctant step forward. He grit his teeth and shoved through the hulking forms, and he tried not to think about the way the his elbows sunk into them like sponge and the groans let out like opening doors. The sparks in his spine felt like a pins and needles straight through to his head.
But it was okay, it was okay, he was almost there, he’d grab Mabel and they’d run the fuck out of this place and he’d cry and- a sticky and tepid hand landed on his shoulder. He reeled back, eyes landing on a menacing looking shadow. The feeling in his spine suddenly flushed his arm, and he felt the inexplicable urge to press-
“Woah there! Looks like somebody had one too many drinks. Let’s go sit you down.” And before Dipper could respond, or think about what he almost just did, he was rapidly being dragged away through the crowd in the opposite direction of his sister. It was only once he found himself in a whole other room that his arm was released and he was able to actually get a look at who’d grabbed him.
And what he saw did not make sense at all. Fuck. A dense shadow closed the door behind it, its edges like the tongues of a flame. As he stumbled back and the figure took equal steps forward, it shed the smoke and solidified into the mostly recognizable shape of a man. Mostly, because the 4 extra arms fading in and out of existence did the opposite of scream human, and so did the needle-sharp teeth in the smile flashed his way. And eyes, even with yellow contacts, did not have the ability to literally glow.
“Look who it is! Well, you feeling calmer, mister my-sister-brought-me-along?”
Dipper shook in place. What the fuck. Why did the band’s lead singer look like a demon fractured through time and space?
“Oh, I don’t just look like one, honey.”
The lead singer, and maybe Dipper was wrong and this was some freaky doppelganger but that’s what he was going to label him for now, stepped even closer, light on his feet. Was the man skipping? Dipper had to be tripping. He didn’t exactly have any prior experience to base that off of, but somehow someone must have spiked his drink.
“Caught red-handed! It was me; I admit it.”
Dipper blinked, then rubbed his eyes with his shaking hands, pressed his cold knuckles into the grooves of his eye sockets. Anything to get whatever was going on to stop. He swore he hadn’t opened his mouth since he’d walked into this room. Was this an effect of the drugs too?
“No, that has nothing to do with it. I’m just reading your mind.”
“Fuck, what do you want from me!?” Dipper finally shouted. He was still confused and scared, but the irritation overpowered that just long enough for him to let out a burst of frustration before stumbling back even further. At least the room was well lit. Maybe he was in shock.
“Lots of things! But the better question is what you should want from me, and I have exactly the answer to that.” With that, the man finally reached him and took hold of his wrist, splaying his fingers out against it. He hummed before moving to trace up his ulna to the elbow. Dipper jolted from the pins and needles that sprung from the contact. He tried to slide out of the singer’s reach, but another hand shot out to firmly grasp his opposite side.
“What are you doing?”
“Just a little inspection. It’s been a long time since I’ve come across something like this.” The hand moved from his elbow up to his shoulder, and then past it to the top of his spine. Dipper really jumped then at what felt like a literal spark under his skin.
Dipper shoved out of the blond’s hold at that, using full force to get out of range and to the door. “This is freaky, I’m going.”
“Really? But aren’t you curious?”
“It’s obvious enough that something isn’t right here, and honestly I might be safer not knowing.”
A loud, long cackle filled the room at that. Against his better judgement, Dipper slowed to a stop right at the door, reluctantly turning to look at the man.
Finally, he finished laughing. “And you’re sure about that?”
Dipper didn’t like the sound of that. But maybe he was just egging him on.
“It can’t get worse,” Dipper said, though just as the man implied, he really couldn’t be sure.
The blond smirked. “You’ve been having headaches, haven’t you?”
‘Headaches’ was putting it a bit lightly, but how did he know about them?
“It’s not exactly a rare occurrence for most people,” Dipper hedged.
“Ahh, but most people don’t have them as bad and as close together as you’ve been having for…” Eyes raked up and down his body, but something in Dipper told him that what the man was looking at wasn’t what most people could likely even see. “The past few days, probably?”
Dipper stopped at that, trying to prove or disprove the words in his head. If he thought about it carefully, the first headache had been an hour or so after first getting to Mabel’s apartment. That had been on Sunday… And he’d been having at least one a day since, like clockwork. Shitty, skull-pounding clockwork.
“So, are you curious?”
Curious? If this guy was implying that there was a reason behind Dipper’s awful head pain and could tell him, curious was the wrong word for the need that threatened to block his throat. The painkillers were getting less and less effective with each use. But maybe there was a sort of morbid, terrified curiosity about why the hell he knew about his headaches.
Dipper nodded. A satisfied grin spread on the man’s face, and he stepped back to sit on the couch, motioning to the one across. Dipper, not enthusiastically at all might he add, walked over and sat down in place.
As soon as Dipper’s eyes lifted to make contact, completely unreasonable words came out off the man’s mouth: “It’s magic.”
Dipper didn’t make a sound. Was it too late to get back up? Was the guy a druggie? He wouldn’t be surprised; he was pretty sure it was a stereotype of some sort that artists take drugs. Then again, Dipper was one to talk, having come to sit across a man with 4 extra arms, shark teeth, and bright glowing eyeballs. Once again, he considered that he was on drugs. Maybe this was all a fever dream and he’d passed out at the bar.
“If this was a dream, I assure you I’d be making it much more entertaining. Maybe we should clear your mind!” The singer snapped his fingers in front of Dippers face, and suddenly everything was normal again.
“What the fuck,” Dipper whispered.
“Now that you’re in a more present state of mind, we should introduce ourselves! Bill Cipher, hot new lead singer of 5 Walls and part-time philanthropist at your service.”
“Dipper… Pines…”
“Wonderful! Now, while it might be hard to believe considering our limited interactions, I’m actually a pretty busy man, so let me get right to the point! You’ve been having headaches because some artifact in your vicinity has awakened your latent magic! It’s very unstable and likely to fry innocent bystanders if you don’t get it under control.”
“Magic?”
Bill must have recognized the shocked disbelief dripping off the word, as the next thing Dipper knew the man had leaned over and grabbed Dipper’s hand. Sparks burst between their palms and Dipper quickly jerked his arm back.
“I believe you! Fuck!”
“People tend to have a bad time when they don’t! So, to reiterate. You almost fried one of my devoted fans in the venue back there!” Why did Bill sound excited instead of upset?
“Oh… fuck. Uh. How do I not fry people exactly?” Dipper’s voice rose in pitch, remembering exactly what Bill was referring to. And fuck, it really did feel like if Bill had arrived a second later, Dipper might have caused what had actually been a normal human serious harm.
“Great question! It aligns perfectly with the previously discussed question; what you should want from me. You need someone to teach you magic so that you don’t accidentally commit assault and battery. I just so happen to be a great fit!”
“And why shouldn’t I just find someone else?” Dipper honestly had a bad feeling about this whole situation. Something about Bill put him off, and that was still the case even after he turned back into a mostly normal looking guy.
“Oh, well, if you know someone else, I can’t stop you, of course. And I assume you’re fully confident in not hurting anyone else in the meanwhile?”
Dipper bit his lip. “What do you want?”
“Now that’s how you ask! See, like I said, I’m a busy guy, so I can’t just offer my tutoring services left and right, you see? I like you, though, so I’m willing to help you out with this if you help me out with a small task. It shouldn’t inconvenience you too much.”
“Please spell it out,” Dipper pleaded.
“Alright, alright, I see you’re a man who appreciates a little bit of transparency. I can work with that. The artifact that awakened your magic… I want you to help me acquire it.”
“I can help you with that?” Dipper asked, honestly confused at how he wouldn’t just be hindering Bill.
“Well, your magic awakened to defend you from the artifact, so I can estimate its location according to where you’ve been spending most of your time. Anyways! You can help me, I can help you, what do you say?”
Dipper was still trying to process everything else Bill had said, but the man, quite irritatingly, pointed to the non-existent watch on his wrist.
“No other catch?”
“Nothing that you wouldn’t agree to! We can shake on it.”
Bill put out his hand over the table, and Dipper couldn’t really think of anything else he could do in that moment other than clasp Bill’s hand in his. It wasn’t like Dipper had any money to be scammed out of, at least.
Dipper, for what felt like the hundredth time this evening, flinched back as flames engulfed their hands, but Bill’s tight grip prevented him from pulling away. Completely unbothered, the singer gave Dipper’s hand a good shake before taking his own back and placing it lightly in his lap.
Thankfully, Dipper found that his hand wasn’t burnt or anything along those lines.
“Great! Toodl-oo then!”
“What! Didn’t you say you’d help me keep from hurting people?”
“Right! Almost forgot.” The man made a strange sign with his hand and Dipper felt a cold sensation pour over him. “That’s a temporary measure to keep your magic in check, but for now try not to feel anything negative and you should be fine!”
Before Dipper could protest, he was unceremoniously shoved out of the room and back into the main venue. Dipper gave a nervous sigh, stuffing his hands into his pockets before he went to find Mabel.
“Hey, Dipper! Where were you? You didn’t answer any of my texts.”
Dipper decided it was better not to tell Mabel that it was probably because he didn’t hear any notifications while he was going out of his mind. “Sorry, probably didn’t hear it over everything else.”
“It’s fine. I’m just glad you’re safe. Did you enjoy the show?”
“Yeah, the music was pretty nice. But, Mabel.”
“Yeah?”
“You have awful taste in men.”