odimet:

(A/N): Alright first, just for clarity, whenever there is a strike through present the story will change to the given perspective. Second, this is based off of what i interpret might happen if something went wrong when Bill tried taking over Dipper’s body. Third, the ‘present’ is the point in the timeline where Dipper is looking after Toby.

A familiar cackle splits the silence of Dipper’s mindscape. An eerie hue of gray replaced the usual luminosity and vibrant colors. The cackling began to ring louder and louder. But then he heard it. He heard HIM.

“PIIIIINNNNNEEEE TRRRREEEEEEEEE.”

‘No. It couldn’t be, I just tucked the littl-Toby, into bed.’

“YOU CAN’T HIDE FOREVER KID.”

‘Alright Dipper, deal with this now, question what’s going on later.’

Dipper blipped himself to the disturbance. But he met with something not even omniscience was ready for, something beyond prediction. What stood before him was, though different in a couple key features, himself. His attire was more casual with, both the absence of a suit and the rolled up sleeves of his dress shirt. His eyes were empty except for his radiant white sclera filling the sockets.

“WELL I SEE YOU DECIDED TO NOT STAND ME UP ON OUR DATE. AND HERE I WAS, READY TO TURN THIS CITY INTO A FLAMING PILE OF TOMORROW’S HEADLINE.”

To say the least, Dipper didn’t like the image of Bill’s voice spewing from, what looked like, his body.

‘Welp, this is pretty messed up, but whatever.’

“SPEAK NOW. WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE WITH ALCOR THE DREAMBENDER?”

“Awww, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten about your old pal?”

“I’M IN NO MOOD FOR GAMES YOU WHELP. NOW, SPEAK YOUR NAME OR FACE MY WRATH.”

“Ohoho? Little Pine Tree has some moxie now, is that it?”

Dipper was only getting more restless with this demon’s impertinent tone. But more than that, he couldn’t help feeling unsettled by Bill’s voice coming from his mouth.

“I’ll give you one last chance. TELL ME WHO YOU ARE OR I WILL DESTROY YOU.”

“Are you sure you want to do that Pine Tree? After all, this IS your body.”

“WHA-What do you mean by that?…NO, MY…My body was…no, just. NO. NO.”

“YOU LIE, MY BODY HAS BEEN GONE FOR ALMOST A MILLENNIUM.”

“THAT. THAT WAS THE COST OF BANISHING CIPHER’S SOUL.”

‘If only for a while I guess.’

Dipper was just about done talking with this impertinent fool. If his experience had taught him anything this was just some fledgling looking for a fight. Something no other demon had tried for some hundreds of years. They had already done well to learn that he is one to fear.

“Ha, HaHA, HAHAHAHAHA. IS THAT HOW IT WENT DOWN IN THIS ONE? HAHAHAHA, THAT’S HILARIOUS. OOOHHHH MAAANNNN, HAHA, TOO BAD YOU WEREN’T SO LUCKY IN MY TIMELINE.”

“What?”

The rest of his sentence garbled in his mouth. ‘That’s…no. He-”CAN’T BE HIM? IS THAT WHAT’S RUNNING THROUGH THAT HEAD OF YOURS? Come on Pine Tree, didn’t I raise you better than that?”

Dipper could only manage to give the familiar face a blank stare in response.

“Well, You ARE close, the name IS Cipher but after that it gets a bit complicated. But enough of that, I have a proposition for you.”

(Past)

Dipper sat up in his bed, looking across the room at the young girl sleeping. He recalls a memory, or perhaps a dream, of this girl in great pain. He isn’t sure where the thought comes from but feels unsettled all the same. The amount of time that he had used for sleep had begun to shrink since Bill had possessed his body. Something had begun to shift in Dipper that day, like Bill had put a brand on Dipper’s soul.

‘Aahh, how could I have been so dumb? Maybe Gideon was right about me.’

“Come on kid, give yourself more credit. You’ll make me look bad.”

The voice rang clear in Dipper’s ears but, to no avail, couldn’t spot the triangular demon anywhere.

‘Great, now I’m hearing things. FANTASTIC.’

“Now Pine Tree, if you keep thinking like that then you’ll end up as a paranoid kook. Heh, maybe it runs in the family.”

‘I know I heard something that time.’

“BI-‘Oh yeah, can’t wake up Mabel.’

Instead, Dipper headed out to the roof, hoping the demon would follow.

“BILL, I KNOW YOU’RE HERE, SHOW YOURSELF.”

Just like that, the world made a shift. The background noise of the cicadas buzzing ceased. With similar theatrics to a few weeks prior, Bill floated before him once more.

“Now Pine Tree, if you wanted to see me so much you should have called first. I could have freshened up.”

“ENOUGH. What do you want from me? I’m not going to let you trick me into giving up my body so buzz off you jerk.”

“Woah, woah, now slow down there kid. I haven’t been on this plane of existence for weeks. Not since you and shooting star blew me up with fireworks. Ringing any bells?”

“LIAR, I know you have, you were just talking to me a couple minutes ago.”

While Dipper wasn’t sure of what he expected to come out of this, he was still surprised. Bill floated idle as he stared at the twelve year old with an intense inquisitiveness, not saying a word. He didn’t even make a snide remark to brush off the accusation. So, though it was difficult, given the lack of a face, Dipper tried to read what emotions he could. He noted Bill’s difficulty in deciding whether to be cautious, proud, annoyed, or whimsical. But Bill’s deliberation led him to settle on a mix of being stern and flippant.

Bill began floating backwards “Sorry kid, gotta say I’m drawing a blank.”

“But I hear-” Bill silenced Dipper once more.

With the twirl of a cane which appeared out of thin air, Bill pointed at the way back into the Shack. “Now go back to bed. After all, when you’re tired you really are as useless as you think you are.”

Scrupulous, Dipper continued to stare at the demon for a few moments more. Looking for any waver, any hint, anything that might tell what Bill was thinking. But Bill broke the silence once more.

“Hey, wanna see something cool?”

“Wait, wh-*Bill pulls out a jar of cow tongues*-AAHHH.”

Dipper scrambled back toward the window he’d used earlier. His screaming died down when he reached the relative safety of the dirty panes of glass. The silence that washed over him from earlier then faded away to let the whirring of cicadas back into the world. A few moments of catching his breath and he felt ready to recollect his thoughts.

He tried breaking down what Bill had said to see if it made logical sense. But the image of the jar stuck in his head. Eventually Dipper gave up on trying to reach a rational conclusion at the moment. He decided it would be better to wait until he was less exhausted.

‘Ugghh, "go back to sleep?” yeah, sure thing.’

But Dipper couldn’t help feeling a chuckle bubbling in his stomach. A sensation that unsettled him more than the thought that Bill was still spying on him.

‘Agghh, nope nope nope. Not gonna think about it. Just gonna wash my face and go to bed.’

A quick trip to the bathroom and a mosquito bite scratching session later, Dipper was back in bed.

‘Did Mabel not hear anything just now?’

Dipper walked over to check and found she was struggling with a nightmare. Making a grab for one of her many plush, he placed the doll in her arms and laid back down.

It was bizarre how easy it was for Dipper to fade back to slumber. A world of black flooding his periphery as he recalled the jar once more. But this time Dipper didn’t put it out of mind. Instead, he just let the image fester in his thoughts, letting out a silent chuckle and muttered, ‘heh, tongues.’