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“No.”
“Oh come on Dipper, you know Stan and Ford have been not so subtly suggesting we try summoning familiars again.”
“Absolutely not. Do you not remember last time at all?” Dipper argued, determined not to let his sister win this argument. They'd been through this argument probably at least four times in the past week, but his sister had stayed adamant in trying to convince her brother.
“Of course I remember! I also remember you freaking out when the shape of your familiar turned human-ish, then wispy, then faded out of existence. And Ford said it was either you weren't concentrating hard enough, or that your familiar is from another dimension and doesn't know what to do with the whole 'oh shizniz I'm getting summoned what'.” His sister reassured him, but Dipper wasn't convinced, because he had heard this so many times. He was also sick of hearing this, that it was either his fault or not his fault. Couldn't his grunkles and his sister just pick an option? So, being fed up with hearing it, and knowing Mabel would just have a repeat conversation with him tomorrow, he gave in.
“Ugh. You know what? Fine. When do you want to look over all the stuff required for this thing?” Dipper asked, his very fake enthusiasm earning him a wide grin and a roll of eyes from his twin. The two spend the rest of the day studying their old summon ceremony, and picking out things they wanted to change.
“Tell me again why you wanted fern at the last ceremony Mabel?”
“I read somewhere that they mean 'magic, fascination, confidence, shelter' in the language of flowers. And I still want them there.”
“Huh.” Dipper had never understood Mabel's fascination for the language of flowers, but it did sound cool, when Mabel told him things like that.
“Anything else we need there?” Dipper asked, writing down notes in the notebook Stan had tossed to him when he had checked in on him when he and Mabel hadn't shown up for lunch. Honestly they had lost track of time.
“Cattail, for peace, and white chrysanthemum for truth.”
“If our familiars are from a different dimension will they even know the language of flowers? What if they have their own and fern and cattail and white chrysanthemum mean bad things? Oh jeez... Mabel. Don't look at me like that. It's incredibly unnerving.” Dipper sighed. Mabel was wiggling her eyebrows at him.
“Dipsmoshers-”
“No don't ever call me that I thought we were done with bad nicknames in senior year-”
“Dipper-”
“That is better, so much better-”
“Dipper!”
Dipper shut up.
“Thank you. Dipper. I know you already know the whole thing with twins and familiars and what happens if one of their familiars is human shaped in the weaving process when they are first being summoned. I know you know mine was also human shaped. I want you to know we're in this together. Even after I tell you the thing Stan and Ford don't want us to know about.” Mabel smiled nervously. Dipper narrowed his eyes and sighed. Mabel was always getting into trouble since they graduated, mostly in the form of listening in on their grunkles' conversations.
“Continue.” Dipper encouraged.
“So if our familiars are indeed still humanoid this time around, uh. They're our soulmates. Like. Romantic soulmates.” Mabel smiled nervously still, before finally meeting eyes with her twin.
“What. No that's. I mean, familiars that aren't humanoid are technically platonic soulmates so it's not technically impossible.. Ah jeeeez... What did we get ourselves into Mabel?”
“Well, it's not like we could help being born Dips.” She said softly, all nervousness gone from her features and body language. Mabel rested a hand on her brother's shoulder, all sisterly instinct and comfort. Dipper sighed.
“I guess. Let's get back to work. We still have to work on new runes, since we've gotten way better in the past couple of years, and we also need to think about what we're going to wear.”
They ended up wearing something along the lines of what the modern magic users wore at their summoning ceremonies. Dipper wore a dark green tank top and gray shorts. He would much rather be wearing a jacket, but apparently he had to showcase his arms? Okay?
Stupid soulmate bullcrap...
He also had to wear gold jewelry. Namely a gold chain choker that Mabel gushed over, and several gold bracelets on each wrist. And also a gold anklet on his left ankle. Goddesses, he felt like such a girl! But he still looked pretty cool.
Mabel on the other hand wore one a long and wavy fuchsia dress that swirled around her ankles as the wind blew gently. The garment had thin spaghetti straps – don't ask Dipper why they were called that, because he wouldn't know – and Mabel had to keep pulling them back into place. She had almost put her hair into a braid before Dipper suggested to curl it lightly and leave it down, maybe add a white chrysanthemum in her hair. Mabel's eyes had gone wide before she had smiled wide.
She had the same jewelry as well, but in a shiny silver. Apparently Stan and Ford knew something about their familiars, but the younger Pines twins weren't going to even try and ask. They weren't going to get anything out of the men. They never had if they weren't determined enough. Right now they could be patient.
In the end Dipper and Mabel had decided on body paint with their grunkles hasty agreeements. When they asked the men what to draw, they just said 'triangles'. So the two young adults got to work after getting fully dressed.
“Just don't paint a triangle on your forehead whatever you do!” Ford yelled after them as they went into Mabel's room. The younger twins shared a worried glance. Ford had given them the soulmate talk earlier, only to shake his head in fond annoyance when he realized twenty seconds in the kids already knew, and were doing a piss poor job of pretending to not know.
“You nervous?” Mabel asked, brushing off her grunkle's comment but keeping it in mind at the same time. They had received silver and gold body paint for Mabel and Dipper respectively, and so the twins painted the other with triangles across their arms and chests while they conversed.
“Kind of. Feels like a marriage ceremony to be honest. What if my familiar doesn't like me Mabes?” Dipper confessed worriedly.
“I think the problem lies within whether you'll like them honestly.” Mabel chuckled. Dipper smiled, and nodded. They sat in pleasant silence as the paint dried, and when the paint was dry – Mabel checked -, they headed downstairs.
The ceremony was going great until it was right before Dipper had to start saying the words for his familiar. He could feel the magic in his bones and soul and in his everything- No. He could do this. His Latin was great, he closed his eyes to concentrate better. This, in hindsight, was possibly the worst idea he had ever had. Besides thinking he was straight.
When he opened his eyes the ceremony was done. He heard his sister let out a loud cheer, and he knew Ford would chastise her for that because 'it's not in tradition' and-
“The first thing you do after summoning a highly powerful and dangerous demon as your familiar soulmate is stare at your twin sister? Honestly I'm scandalized.” A very familiar voice said, a little too close to him.
Dipper's eyes snapped to the face in front of him. Okay yeah, that's too close, but Dipper didn't move. That would be blatant rejection. But Dipper's heart was hammering so loudly he felt like he was going to explode, or fall over or... or- Suddenly a hand reaches out and lays itself on his shoulder and suddenly he calms down, and Dipper wonders how that happened, before he remembers just who is front of him. Just who his familiar is. His soulmate.
Bill Cipher Northwest. Intensely powerful, very scary, do not mess with, do not look at, do not think of demon of the Underworld. More importantly, someone who should not be summoned, at all costs...
The one who's been in his dreams ever since the last time he tried to summon his familiar, the one he's grown to have an embarrassingly unhealthy crush on. Bill Cipher Northwest, the one who Dipper convinced himself he could never have. How did he fall in love with a demon? He's not really sure he could remember even if he tried.
“Hey kid, I can feel your anxiety, relax.” Bill says, soft and filled with worry Dipper knows is out of character for him back in his home dimension.
“You. It's you...” Dipper says quietly, so quietly he's not sure Bill caught it, even with his awesome demon senses.
“Yeah, it's me.” Bill smiles one of those rare smiles Dipper always tries to get in the Dreamscape, and warmth spreads through him right around where his heart is. And Dipper just grins stupidly.
“Okay love birds, we have a family dinner to attend. I know you read the old etiquette books dear brother.” A voice Dipper doesn't recognize calls him and Bill away from their world, and Bill rolls his visible eye. The Pines notices his gigantic eye patch is missing, so all the scarring is visible. It's only the second time Dipper's seen Bill without it, and he briefly wonders why Bill doesn't have it on. Dipper looks away and back into Bill's eye to catch Bill watching him. Dipper offers an apologetic look, but doesn't receive anything in exchange.
Great. Dipper's sarcasm is the only thing that keeps him company until Bill cups Dipper's chin and kisses him chastely on the lips for two whole seconds. For those two whole seconds Dipper's brain short-circuits and he totally forgets to kiss back and then Bill pulls away smirking because he knows – he totally knows he short circuited Dipper because he's still touching him. When dipper comes back, Bill opens his mouth and starts talking.
“I think I've clarified it's okay to stare. You've told me not to be ashamed of the scars. I'm trying.” Bill says smoothly, though Dipper can tell Bill is scared, still scared to let people in. Dipper's just thankful Bill took a chance with him. Dipper lets his magic send warm tingles to Bill, because he's still to stunned by Bill's previous action to speak yet.
Bill grins, and the cat like look in his eye is back.
“Let's go meet your grunkles, shall we?”
“Your description of your sister was absolutely perfect, except for one thing.” Dipper sighed, his body curled up against Bill's own.
“Oh yeah? And who are you to challenge my absolutely perfect descriptions?” Bill asked, leaning further into Dipper's warmth. For some reason, demons were stupidly cold.
“She totally hates me. Like, I think she has some personal plot to get rid of me. You were so wrong about us hanging out and being best friends.” Dipper whined, he hated the thought of dying so soon after meeting a tangible Bill he could have for the rest of his life. Bill growled, and Dipper stilled.
“Shit, sorry, sorry.” Bill rubbed slow circles onto Dipper's back, repeating apologies like growling was the ultimate sin.
“Hey, no it's okay, I don't understand though, I mean, I don't honestly think Pacifica would actually kill me, I was just joking. I'm sure she'll warm up to me in like. Five or so years.” Dipper said, very confused.
Bill sighed.
“Don't talk about you dying, unless you think it'll actually happen, okay? Just-” Bill was surprised when he was cut off by his soulmate kissing him, right on the lips. In that moment Bill knew they would be okay. He knew things would end up for the better, no matter what the would end up in each others arms. Then Dipper's fingers were on Bill's scarring, sending little shocks of magic that felt like love and trust and truth, peace and shelter.