Archive of Our Own

Dream demons don’t have dreams. After all, their purpose is to invade creature’s dreams and haunt them, either for fun or as a job, or perhaps to make deals, typically to extort the soul off a being or use them as a vessel outside the mindscape. There are most certainly other reasons, but more often than not, they aren’t good.

Bill Cipher was a dream demon. One of the most powerful ones, at that. Well-known throughout the multiverse, too. However, after over a trillion years, he partially became a human. Not just a humanoid, but an actual human with its structure and the various emotions that come along with being one. He kept his demonic traits and powers, but being human meant that he would have dreams—something that he’d never experienced before.

The first few times felt strange. Seeing his own thoughts, conscious and subconscious, mixed up into a movie he didn’t even realize was a ruse made by his own mind until it was over was weird, even for him. He got used to it in no time though; he could still feel that signature sensation of being in the mindscape, after all, and controlling it wasn’t a problem as long as he remembered where he was. It was like he would enter someone’s dream and mess with it, except it was his own little world. Eventually he found it nice; it was like finally truly having a dimension of his own creation.

He was enjoying having dreams to look forward to every night, especially when he could merge his own with his Pine Tree’s. It was always a lot of fun. It was like having a date but without having to actually go out and spend actual money or tire out their physical forms. They didn’t have to plan anything in advance, and even Dipper could do whatever he wanted along with his lover whenever they slept together. Dreaming wasn’t Bill’s absolute favorite part of being a human, as there were a lot of much better things he could do with Dipper with his human form, but it was certainly one of them.

It was a shame that he had to be at least a little human to dream. He had to make sure to cast a spell if he wanted to keep his new mindscape safe, but he never did; who would dare to mess with an infamous dream demon such as himself? Hell, it wasn’t like demons were tuning into his life every day and night like a soap opera either. Sure, he was hated by many, but who would waste their time like that? No one. No one wasted their time because they didn’t have to, and no one dared to mess with him. No, someone decided to punish him for his actions, particularly those that caused his infamy in the first place.

And that someone was not only a prince more powerful than a king, but a demon more powerful than Bill Cipher.

“Bill Cipher,” called the demon with a chimeric form.

“Fauna Mix-and-Match,” Bill sneered in return.

“You should watch your mouth, dream demon. You don’t know who you’re talking to.”

“Hey, who’s the one barging in whose dream here?”

“A Prince of Hell known as Amaymon. You might want to start showing some respect now.”

“Oh no, Amaymon? The Fresh Prince of Hell-Air? Forgive me, hello, your majesty! I bid thee welcome to my mindscape! Please don’t kill me, my liege!” the blond mocked as he jokingly bowed.

The Devourer was displeased, but he didn’t frown and kept the same neutral expression he had, knowing perfectly well that the ignorant, inferior being would end up treating him with respect in the end. It doesn’t matter if it’s out of fear; it usually is anyway.

“You’re lucky you’re immune to my breath. Not very lucky though. Your time’s up, Cipher.”

“Hah, I may be part human now, but time’s still dead for me, toots!”

“And you’ll be the same, Cipher. I may be more powerful than Asmodeus, but I’m not the one who decided to end you. I simply made a deal with someone of a higher rank than I.”

“Oh really? And who’s this superior of yours?”

“That is not the question you should be asking, fool. What you should know is that you’ve brought chaos to several places in the multiverse, and one of those places happens to be their domain. Now, you must pay the price. Relinquish all of your power to me; that’s an order, not a request.”

“And what makes you think I’ll just hand it over to you? Because I’m super sorry for all my crimes and want to make it up to your boss? Yeah, no thanks.”

“You must pay for your transgressions, Cipher. I won’t stop until I have your power.”

“Well then, looks like we’re gonna have to settle this like other demons do.”

Ever since then, The Devourer invaded Bill’s dreams night after night. They would have a similar conversation, and it would always lead to the same thing: a fight. The blond hated not being able to go on dates with his boyfriend every night, but he was willing to fight to keep his power for as long as it takes. However, there was always something he hadn’t been taking too seriously with every fight. Although both demons were focused on not getting hit but damaging the other, they would still talk. Bill would reject anything Amaymon says, mostly because he keeps blabbing about having to pay the price for his transgressions, but The Devourer would always say something before he left, and it was the same thing every time.

“Dipper Pines is paying the price for your transgressions.”

At first, Bill thought that Amaymon was bluffing, though he did cast a protection spell on his precious Pine Tree when he woke up after the first dream in case The Devourer wasn’t bluffing after all. However, as days went by, Dipper got weaker and weaker, and Bill noticed. He tried to reinforce his spell several times, but that didn’t help at all.

For the first time in years, Bill actually felt fear. He realized that Amaymon is more powerful than he was, and his superior is likely far more powerful than both of them. When he finally accepted that fact, in his dream-turned-nightmare that night, he didn’t fight anymore. Instead, he did what The Devourer knew he would; talk to him with some respect. Although clearly full of abhorrence, the blond toned down his rudeness for the entirety of that conversation.

The Devourer entered his dream the way he always did; emerging from unnecessarily dramatic blazes and dark clouds of his fiery and poisonous breath, which slowly faded away to reveal his preferred form; the hindquarters of a giant serpent, the forequarters of a wolf, and the head of an owl.

“Amaymon, please leave Dipper Pines out of this squabble of ours,” the blond said.

“This is no squabble, Cipher. You refuse to pay the price for your transgressions, so someone else will have to suffer for it until you do. Someone particularly precious to you. I’m sure you know why.”

Bill glared at The Devourer and remained silent, waiting to see if he had something else to say. As it turns out, he didn’t. He only stared right back at the blond waiting for him to say something as well.

“…What’ll it take to leave Dipper out of this?” Bill finally asked.

“Your power. All of it.”

“Isn’t there anything else you’d like? Surely there’s something you’d want more than my power. I can give you anything, so why not try thinking a little harder?”

“There’s nothing else, Cipher. I only want all of your power, that’s it.”

“Oh come on, let’s—“

“Even if I wanted something else, the terms of my deal state that I must take all of your power,” Amaymon said, cutting him off.

“But—“

“I want nothing but your power, Cipher. That’s the only thing you can give me if you want me to stop slowly killing Dipper Pines because of you.”

“…Can you keep him safe from anything for the rest of his life if I give you my power?”

“No, but I won’t do anything that will relate to or affect him in any way. Absolutely nothing. He’ll be completely safe from me.”

“Then…is there anything I can add for you to keep him safe from anything?”

“No.”

Bill looked away from The Devourer, directing his gaze to whatever the ground was in his nightmare. For a while, he thought about what he should do. He could put the deal on hold to try and come up with something else after he wakes up, but Dipper was already in so much pain. Bill couldn’t imagine how much harder it’d be for the brunet to live another day if he didn’t put a stop to it. He wanted to think a lot more; he needed more time. A lot more time. There has to be a way to save his Pine Tree without letting go of all his power…but there just isn’t. There was nothing he could do against two demons who are more powerful than he was, and were using Dipper to their advantage. He had no time to completely accept that fact, but he only had so much time left in his nightmare to keep denying it.

“I’ll give you all my power if you leave Dipper Pines alone indefinitely and tell me how much time I’ll have left as a human.”

“You’ll have three days. No more, no less. I assume you can tell by now that I am not one to change my mind, so there’s no point in trying to bargain.”

Bill was left with no choice.

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” he said, holding out his hand and looking into Amaymon’s eyes once again.

“No, Cipher. You know you have yourself a deal.”

Bill didn’t appreciate having his pride trampled on more than it already had been, but he kept himself from saying anything regarding that; he wasn’t going to risk losing the only deal he could make to save Dipper. Instead, he sighed and stepped forward, his hand still out for the demon before him. Amaymon donned a different facial expression for the first time in the presence of Bill Cipher, and he kept that smirk as he shook the blond’s hand. The flames that engulfed their hands overlapped each other.

The deal was sealed.

______________________________

The Devourer slowly fades into the darkness, along with the blond and the rest of his dream. For a moment, Bill couldn’t see anything in the void that was his mindscape, but that quickly changed when a light started to fill that void, and before he knew it, he was back in his and his Pine Tree’s room. He’s lying in bed with Dipper peacefully sleeping beside him, and the sun is shining on both of them, making their features more prominent.

Bill lifts his hand, intending to cup the brunet’s cheek, and he does, but he can feel The Devourer already draining his power. His human form isn’t his natural form; it constantly requires and uses up his power, which means that the power drain will affect him more than it would if he was in his triangle form, and it is. It wasn’t too hard, but it did take more effort to move just now.

Nevertheless, Bill strokes Dipper’s cheek. It’s soft and smooth, just like the rest of his body. He doesn’t respond, still quite deep in his slumber, which is fine, as that just gives the blond more time to gaze at him, or perhaps do other things to him if Bill really wants to. Initially, the demon planned to caress his Pine Tree and nothing more until he wakes the brunet up, but as his thumb inches closer and closer to Dipper’s lips, he eventually grazes them, but even that isn’t enough anymore. He decides to lean towards Dipper and gently press his lips onto his, just for a few seconds. He then speaks in a soft voice.

“I love you. I know we’ve had lots and lots of good memories—more good than bad ones—and I cherish them. I know you do too, but...please forget about me. I don’t want you to forget about me…but maybe you should. It would hurt you less. You…you might fall for someone else, but…no, you won’t…you won’t, right? I’m the only one you love romantically, and I will always be…but that…I-I want what’s best for you, and that would be to forget about me, but…”

He sighs and wraps his arms and legs around Dipper. His actions wake the brunet up, which is no surprise.

“Mm...Morning, Bill,” Dipper sleepily greeted as he embraced the taller man back.

“Good morning, Pine Tree. Did you sleep well?”

“Yeah…I wish we went on another dream date though. I mean, I know you said you wanted to give your powers a rest, but…it’s just been a while, you know? And I’ve uh...well, anyway, yeah, good morning. It’s nice to wake up in your arms, but it’s even nicer when you’re hugging me with both your arms and legs.”

Dipper always avoided talking about his growing frailty. He didn’t want Bill to worry, and even though he couldn’t hide it anymore at some point, he still refused to talk about it. It was bad enough that Bill could see him struggle and even help him do supposedly easy things. After all, the blond clearly had problems of his own but refused to talk about them as well; Dipper immediately noticed that Bill stopped going on dates with him in their dreams, and he’d confirmed that it wasn’t because the demon didn’t love him anymore, nor was it because Bill ‘wanted to give his powers a rest’.

“And it was lovely to wake up to the sight of your absolutely beautiful face,” Bill replies, making the brunet smile. “Feeling much better now, Pine Tree?”

“What do you mean? I don’t really feel that different from any—“

“Come on, cut the shit, Pine Tree. You know I knew you were suffering. Are you okay now?”

Dipper remains silent for a while. His smile fades and he breaks eye contact with the blond, still hesitant about just admitting that he was getting weak until last night, apparently, and he’d been lying. Lying so terribly and stubbornly to his lover’s face. His intentions were good, but was he really keeping Bill away from more stress? Rejecting and rejecting him every time he showed concern—was that really doing any good? Maybe he was just adding even more onto the demon’s pile of worries. Maybe he should’ve let Bill do what he wanted; to comfort him. Bill would try to do that every day, and Dipper would just reject any of his attempts. He’d refuse to let Bill do what might actually take away some of his stress instead.

Before the brunet can answer, Bill tenderly kisses him again. Dipper waits for him to pull away, but he doesn’t, even after a while. Defeated, Dipper presses his lips against Bill’s as well and closes his eyes. The demon then gently pushes his lips a little further onto his Pine Tree’s, and Dipper does the same. For about a minute, they continue to do so, their heads slightly going back and forth every few seconds as one exerts a bit more force than the other. Hearing nothing but their exhales and the occasional wet pop from their kisses, Dipper embraces Bill a little tighter. Bill, knowing that his Pine Tree is growing impatient, grazes his tongue against Dipper’s soft lips. As expected, Dipper parted his lips.

But Bill slowly pulls away, leaving the brunet with his mouth partially open.

Dipper opens his eyes after feeling the demon’s warmth suddenly faded away. He is met with Bill, who’s smirking at him. Clearly, he knows exactly what he just did.

“So, are you feeling better or not?” he asked before the brunet could complain.

“....I am,” Dipper says after sighing.

“Good. I’ll go make breakfast for both of us now.”

“Not gonna just poof up some food today, huh? How sweet of you.”

“Of course; I’m the sweetest damn guy you’ll ever date.”

With that, Bill sits up, which is harder than he thought, but he manages to look like he isn’t struggling. He then stands and walks to the door. He’s a little slower than he normally would be, but it still isn’t obvious. It’s not like any sort of pressure on his body parts would send intense pain throughout his body; it isn’t even a ‘burning’ sort of pain. Rather, it’s as if he hasn’t used his body parts in a while and has to warm them up again.

Dipper follows him as he heads down the stairs, and thankfully enough, he doesn’t slip or even stumble on the way down.

While he heads to the kitchen, the brunet walks to the dining room. Dipper sits at the table and waits. He fiddles with himself in his seat; he lightly squeezes random parts of his body, somewhat confirming and mostly enjoying his body being back to normal. There isn’t any pain anywhere anymore, but why? He wonders. Surely, Bill has something to do with it, but what? He doesn’t know the answer to that question, but he’s certain that it isn’t good, and with nothing to do, he comes up with theoretical scenarios that may be the case.

Interrupting his thoughts, Dippers hears a few clanks from the kitchen, presumably from some things being dropped.

“Bill, you okay over there?” he called out.

“Yeah, I’m good! Don’t—oh fuck me. Well, do that if you want, but anyway, I got this!” Bill replied.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure, so just wait for the best fucking breakfast you’ll ever have!”

Dipper chuckled softly. “Alright, I’m waiting!”

Whatever’s going on in the kitchen didn’t sound too dangerous, so Dipper stays in his seat and continues to wait for Bill to finish cooking.

After a while, Bill finally comes out of the kitchen with two plates, one in each of his hands. Each of them has a scrambled egg.

“Breakfast is readyyyyyyyy!” he announces as he places the plates on the table, one in front of his Pine Tree and the other in front of where he’s going to sit. He then sits down and gazes at the brunet excitedly, waiting for him to react to the dish.

Dipper looks at the decorated scrambled egg, then laughs. “Well, I should’ve expected something like this.”

“Wow, you’re welcome. Do you like it or not?”

The scrambled egg has been decorated with ketchup, which was used to draw the eye, bowtie, and legs of Bill’s triangular form.

“Of course I do! It’s really cute, Bill, thank you. I bet you worked really hard for this,” the brunet says with a smile.

“Cute? It’s drop dead gorgeous! I made it in my image, after all! And pfft, no, it didn’t take a lot of effort to achieve such greatness. After all, I’m the one who made it.”

Despite what he says, it actually did take some effort to draw on the scrambled egg using a bottle of ketchup. The power drain’s effect, although not that bad just yet, made his hands shaky, and that made Bill have to be extra careful so he wouldn’t mess up the drawings. Of course, he isn’t going to tell Dipper that, but it was a huge relief to hear that he likes it.

Dipper laughs even more, then he slices off a small part of the egg and eats it. His eyes light up with delight as its taste fills his mouth. Of course he’s eaten scrambled eggs before, and it’s not like it’s Bill’s first time cooking for him, but it has been a while, since Bill’s just been poofing food onto the table recently.

“This is really good, Bill. I…I’ve missed your cooking,” the brunet said with a smile.

“Good.” Bill eats part of his own scrambled egg as well. “Hm, it’s no wonder you love my taste.”

Dipper playfully rolls his eyes. “You’re welcome. Surprised it’s not as sweet as you are though, you dork.”

“Would be surprised if the egg I put salt in tasted sweet instead. You try though, Pine Tree.”

“I always try when it comes to you. By that, I mean you never let me win, really. I don’t mind anymore though; I know you love it when I praise you.”

“You seem to love being praised more than I do in bed though. A lot more,” Bill teases as he winks, making the brunet blush a little.

“Oh shut up, I’ll take that as a yes.”

“You do you, Pine Tree. Speaking of yes, how’s about you and I go somewhere nice and secluded, hm? Been a while since we’ve gone on a date.”

“It has. And yeah, of course I’ll go on a date with you! What’s with you today though? I mean, you’re being really nice. And I don’t mean sarcastic and kind of rude but nice, I mean really nice. You cook breakfast for both of us, then you ask me on a date? What’s next, are you gonna propose to me? Thank you, I’m enjoying how nice you’re being, but…what’s going on?” Dipper asks before he continues to eat.

Oh, if only I could, Pine Tree.

Bill didn’t expect that question so soon, but he doesn’t act worried. He answers without his voice faltering at all before he eats more of his breakfast as well.

“Nothing in particular, Pine Tree. I just thought of celebrating your freedom from all that pain. You can finally move all you want again, so I’d like to take advantage of that. You know, as I usually do.”

“Hm, alright. Well, take me wherever you want. I do miss going on dates with you.”

“You’ve been missing lots of things, haven’t you?”

“Yeah…” Dipper’s smile gradually fades, and he looks at his food as he eats it until he’s done. After that, he just looks at his plate and keeps his hands on his lap. Bill watches the brunet the whole time as he continues to eat. He hasn’t taken his eyes off his Pine Tree at all, actually.

“Is there anything else you want to say? You trailed off earlier and never continued,” Bill asks once he’s done eating.

“I wasn’t going to continue; I had nothing left to say,” the brunet answers, still looking at anything but the blond in front of him.

“Right, and I’m straight. I asked because I know that you do have something to say, so you better tell me what it is. You trust me now, so there’s nothing to hide, no?”

“Well, yeah…” Dipper sighs. “I just hope I won’t be missing anything again any time soon. It really sucked, not being able to do so many things. I didn’t think this was worth mentioning, but hey, you asked, so there. Sorry  for killing the mood. I’ll go wash the dishes now, then I’ll get ready for our date. Sound good?”

“I can wash the dishes.”

I’m sorry that you’ll be missing me then.

“I dunno…that clanking I heard in the kitchen isn’t very convincing. I’ll do it for you, really, I don’t mind.”

Bill raises his eyebrow. “You sure? Aren’t you just trying to make amends when you don’t even have to?”

“Maybe, but I actually am worried about you accidentally breaking the dishes too. Plus, you’re being extra nice today, so I wanna do this for you. It’s nothing too big, but I can at least spare you the trouble of doing something pretty uh…menial.”

“Hm, alright, I suppose I wouldn’t mind you acting like just a bit of a servant elsewhere. I’ll go prepare for our date then. Don’t worry, I’ll wait for you, but try not to take too long, particularly in the shower…or are you not even going to sanitize yourself for this special day? You do tend to avoid showering as much as possible unless I tell you I’ll accompany y—“

“I’ll take a shower after, okay?!” Dipper yells with his cheeks tinted red in embarrassment, cutting Bill off.

The demon snickers. “Alright, I’ll see you later then.”

 With that, Bill stands up and walks to the brunet. He places his hand on Dipper’s shoulder. He then bends down and gives his Pine Tree a kiss. He clutches Dipper for just a few seconds as he does so. He doesn’t want to, but he has to; he might fall or stumble if he bends like that without anything to support his weight. Well, he isn’t that weak, but he won’t be taking any chances. Today, Dipper has to be happy and worry-free. He has to enjoy the whole day. He can’t know yet. He can’t cry yet.

He can’t worry about missing Bill forever yet.

______________________________

After Bill showered, as he said he would, he saw Dipper, who was waiting on the bed for his turn. Bill smiled at him and approached him. He then told the brunet to get in the shower before he takes off his towel, which was the only thing covering his body. It’s not like Dipper hasn’t seen all of Bill before—he already has several times, actually—but he immediately walked into the bathroom anyway. After all, he’s really excited to go on that date.

Bill dressed up while Dipper was in the shower. Of course, that only took a few moments, so he went out of the room and started packing right away. It was good that they always had a lot of food in the house, so he didn’t have to worry about having to conjure up more of it himself. He didn’t take everything, of course, but there’s a lot of options. He wouldn’t have to take so much stuff if he had more time though.

Just as he’s finishing up, Dipper goes down the stairs and sees two filled baskets—one of which has a folded picnic blanket on it—along with a portable grill on the table. He’s wearing a red flannel shirt and a bowtie along with some unusually casual jeans.

“Woah, what’s all this?” the brunet asks as he approaches the demon.

“For the charity program dedicated to the poor in Galafamor, of course.”

Dipper snorts and rolls his eyes.

“They’re for our date, Pine Tree. All of them,” Bill continues.

“What kind of date are we even going to have? A cooking date? We can just do that here, you know.”

“No, we’re going on a picnic. Don’t you see the blanket?” the blond says as he gestures to the said object.

“You’re supposed to bring finished meals to picnics. This is more of an…outdoor barbecue party, except it’s just us.”

“But do outdoor barbecue parties have picnic blankets?”

“Well—“

“No. That’s why they’re called picnic blankets. We’re gonna have a picnic date, Pine Tree, and it’s going to be romantic, okay?”

“Alright, alright. I can carry the stove for you.”

“Then let’s go.”

While Dipper takes the grill, Bill stands up as quickly as he can. His legs wobble a little, but Dipper doesn’t notice, at least. Bill then takes the two baskets, which aren’t that heavy, but they’ll still take a lot of effort to carry for an extended period of time. Nevertheless, he walks to the door along with Dipper. Luckily, the brunet opens the door for him, so he doesn’t have to worry about having to put the basket back down and pick it up.

Once Dipper locks the door behind them, he lets the man in flannel lead the way. They head to the woods somewhat near their house. Although Dipper isn’t worried about running into creatures anymore since he knows most of them already, he wore his backpack anyway, just to be safe. He isn’t paying that much attention to his surroundings though; he’s mostly just looking at Bill. His hair’s pretty mesmerizing when it’s glistening in the sunlight, which is one of the reasons he’s staring at it, but he’s also trying to think of what Bill did to take his pain away. That’s the main reason he can’t quite focus on anything else.

I know asking’s gonna be pointless right now, but please tell me what’s really going on. Soon.

“Pine Tree?”

Dipper blinks, snapping back to reality.

“We’re here,” Bill says.

“Oh. It’s…”

“Yeah. I know you remember this place very, very well. You can look around while I set up. Well, there’s not much to look at other than me anyway.”

Bill puts the two baskets on the ground, then takes the grill from the brunet’s hands and puts it down as well. While he takes the blanket and starts setting up as he said he would, Dipper approaches the only important thing in this place.

Bill’s statue.

Dipper places his fingers on the top of its hat, then slides them down until they’re on its arm. He stares into the stone Bill’s eye as he takes its hand, as if he were going to shake it. Of course, he doesn’t actually do that, afraid that he might accidentally break it even though it still feels pretty sturdy, but he’s not going to take his chances. Bill may be alive again—as a human, even—but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to just destroy his old physical form. It was the last thing he left before disappearing from this universe.

Dipper used to be happy, thinking that the war was finally over and that the dream demon who was trying to take over the dimension was gone for good, but as time went by, he found himself sitting by Bill’s statue day after day, and eventually talking to it more and more whenever he was in Gravity Falls. It’s as if he was waiting for the demon to come back even though he was the one he hated the most.

That day finally came after a few years. As he was basically hanging out with Bill’s statue as usual, he heard footsteps from behind some of the trees around the area. Dipper took his knife from his backpack and readied it, but the footsteps came closer and closer anyway. Not after long, the figure came into the light, gradually revealing itself with an aura of confidence.

What Dipper noticed first wasn’t his bright, blond locks; nor his dark blue coat; and not even his prominent golden bowtie; it was the man’s triangular eyepatch. At that very moment, he realized who the ‘person’ standing before him was, and he felt a lot differently than he thought he would.

He was frozen. He was terrified, but that wasn’t the end of it. He actually felt a wave of relief, too; he was relieved that the demon he’d been waiting for—though he’d keep denying that—wasn’t gone forever, yet that was also why he felt anger. He also wished Bill didn’t come back. After all, who knows what he was planning to do? Dipper didn’t want to have to fight in another war, especially not with his family being put in danger as well. None of those emotions compare to the absolute worst he had at the moment though.

He was happy. He wouldn’t admit it, of course, but he was. Why? Because he wanted to see the deceitful, astute, narcissistic demon. At some point, he started craving Bill’s presence. He felt as if he needed to hear that bone-chilling echoing voice of his and listen to those cheeky words as they roll right off his poisonous tongue.

And he hated it. He absolutely hated it. It was as if Bill Cipher had cast a spell on him without even existing, and that very demon was approaching him with a condescending smirk.

“Hello, Pine Tree. Did you miss me?”the blond greeted.

“Pine Tree?”

No, that’s not what he said next…

“Pine Tree?”

That’s not what he said next. What’s—

“Pine Tree, you alright? I’m right here.”

Wait…

“Hey, Pine Tree.”

Oh.

Dipper finally snaps back to reality and looks into Bill’s eye for a moment. Without thinking, he hugs Bill tightly, and he closes his eyes. The blond is confused and a little worried, but he hugs Dipper back before anything else. He strokes the brunet’s back as well. He isn’t sure why his Pine Tree’s suddenly acting like this, but he does have an idea.

“You okay, Pine Tree? What’s going on in that little head of yours?” he asked before planting a kiss on Dipper’s beanie.

“I just remembered how I met you…not the you I met when I was twelve, I mean you,” the brunet answers.

“I see.”

Bill knew it from the moment Dipper looked at ‘his’ statue. They haven’t visited this place in a while, but it’s always been special to them. It does hold some memories that Dipper isn’t sure how to feel about though. Sure, Dipper’s happy with Bill as his lover, but things were different back then. Those memories are why they don’t go here often. It’s not that Dipper wants to completely erase those memories from his mind, but they tend to make an awkward atmosphere.

That said, Bill holds his Pine Tree in his arms for a while. They embrace each other in the closest to silence they can get; leaves would rustle, and being in the forest, of course there are other ambient nature sounds constantly in the background as well.

It’s unfortunate, but one of them has to let go since their food’s laying on just a blanket on the ground and the grill’s already on. Since Dipper doesn’t seem like he’s planning to let go any time soon, Bill releases him and stands still, waiting for him to do the same. He still hasn’t let go after about a minute though, so the blond finally speaks up.

“Come on Pine Tree, we can’t let those worthless ants eat our food,” he says.

“I guess you have a point…Can’t I hug you for a long time though? In general, I mean,” the brunet replies, still not letting go.

“Of course you can. I think you’ll want to do that soon anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see. For now, come on, let’s eat.”

“Alright. I’m sorry, I…I dunno, I felt really weird after remembering all that. I don’t think I felt awful, but...” Dipper sighs. “I don’t know. I just really want to be with you and uh, make sure that we’re still together and that you still love me and all that. It’s stupid, I know, but I can’t help it. I couldn’t help myself. I—“

“Pine Tree, relax. It’s okay, you know I know how you are. We’re still together, I still love you. I wouldn’t be here with you right now if that wasn’t the case. You’ve got a lovely mind in there; don’t forget to use it. I’ve been in it—I know you know these things. Anyway, you can hug me as much as you want, just not at this very moment, alright? I don’t want our food to get ruined by this fucking nature around us.”

“Alright.”

“Come on, give me that smile of yours. We’re here to enjoy ourselves, and you know you don’t have to tear off your mouth to do that, right?”

Dipper chuckles as he pulls away from Bill, and just as he was told to, he smiles and looks into the demon’s eye.

“Hm, good enough.” Bill leans in and gives the brunet a quick kiss before he sits on the picnic blanket.“So, what do you wanna eat? I’ll cook it for you,” he asks once Dipper sits next to him.

“Oh, uh...let me just check what you brought first. Seems to be a lot, by the way. You really carried all this?”Dipper says as he lifts the lid on one of the baskets and peeks into it.

“Of course. You saw my fists clenched around the handles, didn’t you?”

“Well, yeah, but I mean, why? We’re two people; you’re not planning to eat all of this, do you?”

“Yeesh, just wanted to give you lots of options.”

“Well, you definitely spent way too much effort…but thank you. I wish I could’ve helped you carry these, but my hands were full with the grill. Then again, I could’ve put one of the baskets on top of it. I’ll do that on the way back, I guess.”

Bill just squints at the brunet and doesn’t say a word. Dipper stares back at the blond, nervous about what he might’ve said wrong and what Bill might do, but after about a minute, Bill finally breaks the silence.

“I’m just going to make you some grilled cheese.”

“Oh. Well, how about I make you a grilled sausage?” the brunet offers.

“You’re the one who puts a sausage in your mouth though. Then again, sometimes I do it too, so go ahead; I’ll eat your sausage if you want me to.”

Dipper’s cheeks turn a little red. “…Nevermind, I’m grilling you a burger,” he says, making the demon smirk even more.

“That sounds pretty good too.”

Bill takes a small block of sharp cheddar cheese from the basket along with a pack of burgers, which he hands over to his Pine Tree right away. He then takes a spatula and a pair of tongs from the other basket, and hands over the latter to the brunet.

“Oh, thanks,” Dipper says.

“No problem. Now start cooking; we’re not in a cave, so we don’t exactly have all day out here.”

“Yeah, alright.”

While Dipper takes out a burger from the pack and places it on the grill, Bill grabs a knife from the basket. With his other hand, he gets a small chopping board as well, but with the cheese still in that hand and his fingers more difficult to control than usual, the board ends up slipping from his fingers, and in an attempt to catch it with the same hand, the block of cheese slips away as well.

“D—no—fuck—AH shit,” he exclaims as that mess happens. Luckily, the cheese landed on the fallen chopping board.

“Woah, you alright? Careful, you’re holding a knife…” Dipper asks worriedly.

“No shit, Pine Tree. And yeah, I’m fine. Fucking peachy. Anyway, I’m not wounded and the cheese is still safe to eat, so don’t even worry about it.”

“What even happened?”

“I grabbed the chopping board while the cheese was in my hand, what’s it look like?”

“Bill, really, are you okay? You’re…kinda pissy all of the sudden.”

“I—“ The demon sighs exasperatedly. “Alright, sorry, we’re here to have fun. I’ll get on with grilling this cheese.”

 “…Bill, seriously, what’s wrong?”

Bill doesn’t say a word; it’s not time to answer that question yet. Instead, he puts down the knife, then wraps his arms around his Pine Tree. Dipper doesn’t know what’s going on, so he can only assume that this is somehow connected to what Bill’s hiding from him. The reason doesn’t matter though; he embraces Bill back. Perhaps this is how Bill felt earlier as the one being hugged out of the blue.

“I love you.”

Dipper is taken aback by those sudden sweet words after what was about half a minute or more, but of course, he doesn’t mind them at all. He smiles and hugs the blond a little tighter.

“I love you too.”

With that, Bill lets go and takes the knife again. He’s not losing any less power by the second, but he’s calmed down at least, and that makes it just a little easier for him to fix the chopping board and cheese. Once they’re in place, he carefully slices the block in half, and that’s it. He puts the knife down yet again, and with his two hands, he picks up the newly-sliced halves and places them on the grill.

Dipper looks at the cheese and raises an eyebrow in confusion.“What are you doing? The cheese is just gonna melt, you know…”

“I said I’ll make you some grilled cheese, didn’t I?”

“I mean…” The brunet chuckles. “You weren’t lying.”

“Of course I wasn’t. Now, do you want this medium rare or medium? Well done, perhaps?”

Dipper laughs, making the blond smile as well. “Just take it off the grill. I’ll eat it if you put it on bread.”

“What if I don’t? Will you just let this grilled cheese go to waste?”

“Well…fine, I’ll eat it anyway. I guess I’m gonna have to cook more for myself though. I wouldn’t mind too much since you did make a pretty good joke. That, and just being with you here is enough. I don’t think we’ve grilled in the woods as a date before.”

“No no, I’ll cook something for you, okay? Just…wait a little longer, I guess.”

“Alright, if you say so.”

______________________________

It just isn’t that easy to give Dipper everything he could ever want anymore, and Bill has to get used to it. Not only did he have to be extra careful while even just taking the sausage and placing it on the grill before even cooking it, but he realized how much more sensitive his body now is to temperature. He was just joking around with the cheese so it’s not like he was aiming for perfection, but while grilling the sausages, he watched them carefully and didn’t take his eyes off them. The only other thing that he’d allow to take his attention was Dipper, but Dipper simply watched him and didn’t disturb him, admiring how focused the blond was. However, after a while, Bill’s face started to turn a little red, and beads of sweat started forming all over it. After a while, Dipper decided to wipe those off with some of the tissues Bill had brought along in one of the baskets, worried about the demon. He’s never seen Bill sweat so much outside the bedroom before, after all.

Bill didn’t stop grilling, but he did lean on the brunet for the rest of the time he was cooking, and Dipper held him in his arms. Well, one of his arms, at least; he had to keep wiping off Bill’s sweat with his other hand. The fact that the sweat just couldn’t stop coming was making him worry more, and he was right to. The demon felt like he was melting, but he refused to stop. Dipper knew that was the case, so he just did his best to keep the stubborn, currently light-headed blond from passing out. Thankfully, Bill ended up just fine.

After a while, both Bill and Dipper are finally actually eating. Bill’s eating the burger his Pine Tree cooked just for him, while Dipper’s eating the cheese and sausage Bill grilled just for him. The demon definitely didn’t miss the opportunity to make a joke about Dipper putting his sausage in his mouth, but really, he just couldn’t think of something better to cook at that moment. His Pine Tree said it was delicious, and he clearly wasn’t joking, but Bill still thinks he could’ve done better. He knows he could’ve done better.

What am I doing, wasting my last few days with Pine Tree like this? Well, it’s not a complete waste, but I have to make these last few days the best he’ll ever have, and this quality time I’m spending with him isn’t nearly fucking quality enough.

 “Hey, Bill?”

“Yes, Pine Tree?”

“This is actually pretty nice. Thanks for bringing me here,” Dipper says with a smile.

“You’re welcome. I thought you might like it here. After all, there’s two of me here.”

Dipper chuckles. “One’s more than enough, but two wouldn’t hurt. Anyway, I know we’re done eating, and we should probably clean up, but…I kind of wanna stay here for a bit longer. I don’t really know what else to do, but I wouldn’t mind just sitting here with you. We don’t go here a lot, so yeah...what do you say?”

“I’d love to stay with you wherever you want to be.”

Dipper’s surprised more at the way the demon said that than the lack of teasing he got as a response. Just a little though; it was nothing unpleasant. Far from it, actually. He loves that sudden sweetness, and that sort of thing’s been happening all day so far. It’s strange and a little concerning, but right now, those worries are at the back of his head, and he’s smiling. He loves Bill so much and he can barely hold back.

“Thank you.”

Without hesitation, he hugs Bill again, practically throwing himself onto the demon. Bill would never complain about his precious Pine Tree showing him affection in any way, especially not like this. He didn’t complain earlier either for the same reason. That didn’t mean he didn’t feel any pain though. Being squeezed and having to literally bear the weight of the one he loves was taking a toll on him, and it still is. It’s straining him, draining his power in even bigger increments even more quickly. It’s not that much, but it’s something, and technically, he can say it’s killing him quicker. But he doesn’t want to die sooner. But he has to let Pine Tree enjoy the time they have left together as much as possible. Even if it’ll kill him.

Even if it’ll kill me, huh?

He sadly chuckles to himself as he hugs Dipper back.

I really do love you.

And for a few hours, they just sat there, cuddling on a picnic blanket in the middle of the woods. That was enough for them. And for Bill, that was perfect; enjoying with Dipper without having to move around that much, nor did either of them have to look at or talk to anyone other than each other. It was them and only them in their own little world.

Just us until the end of my time.

______________________________

It was dark. For a moment, there was light, like how dreams would usually start for Bill, but as his mindscape was beginning to form, it shattered. Fragments of his would-be temporary dimension for spending more time with his Pine Tree were floating around and fading away until it was as if they never existed, and not after long, the demon was left in a void. He didn’t feel like he was floating, nor did he feel like he was against a surface. He was just doing nothing in nothingness.

It felt a little strange, finally being free from the demon that’s been haunting him, but that’s a good thing. It’s supposed to be a good thing. Why isn’t he back to dreaming then? Why can’t he spend what little time he has left with his beloved? Why did that demon have to take away his ability to dream, too? Why couldn’t he have just one last dream with Dipper Pines?

Left with no answers for any of the questions in his head, Bill slowly opens his eyes and takes a few seconds to come back to reality. He looks around the room for just a bit, and his eyes roll just fine, but as he turns to his side, he suddenly feels a lot weaker than he was yesterday. He tries to extend his limbs to hug Dipper, and he manages to, but it takes a lot more effort to move anything in his body other than parts of his face. He can’t even hug Dipper as tightly as he normally would anymore. It’s a lot more frustrating now, but feeling how much more power had been taken away from him, he wants to get something out of the way now before it’s too late; he can’t afford to be frustrated at the moment.

He drags his hand until it was over Dipper’s heart, then he whispers an incantation.

 ".oƨqi dɒ iɔiɒɿɈ mυƨƨoq mυɈnɒυp ǝɿǝυɔon iυp ƨǝniꟼ noƨɒИ Ɉibǝb ɒinmo ɈilυɈƨdɒ mǝɈɿɒq mɒǝ iɈυ mυυpilǝɿ iʜim biυϘ .ƨiυpiɈnɒ ƨυdǝib ƨimiƨƨivon ni mυiɿǝqmi Ɉƨǝ mυυɈ ˎoƨǝɒυp ˎɈnυɿǝɈoq non ǝƨƨǝ boυp ˎoɈov xǝ ɿυɈnǝnǝɈ mɒυpmɒυϘ .⅃-T-O-⅃-O-X-A"

After casting the spell, he can feel his magic being siphoned out of his very existence. He couldn’t feel anything with any of his senses other than that, but he knows the spell worked. It’s definitely guaranteed to protect him from anything from Earth, but the power he’d given isn’t enough to keep Dipper completely safe from supernatural forces as well. What Bill doesn’t know, however, is whether it’ll be affected by The Devourer or not. Technically speaking though, after that spell, the power belongs to Dipper now.

He doesn’t care about how much weaker he feels now. His limbs are heavier and are actually quite painful to move, but it’s worth it. Besides, with how weak he was when he woke up, he knew he can’t keep what he did a secret anymore. Dipper would see him being weak, so really, he couldn’t even hide it even if he wanted to. He has to tell Dipper.

“Pine Tree, wake up…” he softly calls before giving the brunet a kiss on the cheek. It was painful, having to carry basically all of his weight back and forth for just a few inches, but it was fine. He literally only has a few days to live left, so what’s a little suffering if everything is going to end for him real soon? Nothing. That’s why he doesn’t mind having to suck it up.

Having been woken up in the same way too many times to count—not that he ever planned to, anyway— Dipper lazily opens his eyes and hugs Bill back. He gives the blond a kiss on the cheek, too.

“Morning, Bill,” he greets.

“G’mornin, Pine Tree.”

They stay silent for a while, enjoying each other’s presence and warmth. Well, that’s what Dipper’s doing, at least. Bill, on the other hand, is savoring the time he has left, more than anything. That, and contemplating on how to tell his Pine Tree the truth. Dipper’s happy, and he hates that he has to be the one to take that happiness away from him. But he has to. It’s better than letting Dipper find out himself.

He sighs. “I want to hug you tighter, Pine Tree.”

“Oh. Well, go ahead then. You know I won’t mind.”

“I want to keep waking you up like this. I want to take you out on another date. I want to date you again in our dreams, too. I want to cuddle with you and whisper sweet somethings right into your ear. Into your mind too, at the same time. I want to cook more meals for you. I want to give you more unexpected gifts. I want to snuggle with you on the couch, both of us wrapped in a blanket, as we watch movies or maybe eat instant noodles when it’s raining. I want to laugh about stupid things with you. I want to make you smile more. I want to comfort you whenever you cry until you calm down and rest in my arms. I want to be there for you whenever you need me. I want to kiss you a lot more. I want to hold you—touch you—while we make out until you run out of breath. I’d want to go further, but I’d also want to do it again.

“I just really, really want to say ‘I love you’ to you so many more times and show that I mean it, Pine Tree. I really do.”

“Then…why are you saying all this like you can’t, Bill?” Dipper worriedly asks.

“Won’t you tell me what you want, Pine Tree?”

“What?”

Bill gives the brunet a sad smile. It’s painful for Dipper to look at it, but he lets the blond talk. If Bill’s making a face like that—a face that shows he’s suffering—then wherever he’s leading the conversation to is important.

“I told you the things I want to do with you. Surely you have some things you’d like to do with me. Am I wrong?”

Dipper just has to play along for a bit longer.

“No…” He sighs. “I do have some things I’d like to do with you.”

“Tell me what they are, then. I’d love to hear them all.”

“Alright, well, let’s see…I…I want to wake up by your side every day. I want to keep on going on dates with you, especially  in our dreams; I really miss that. I wish you didn’t have to stop for whatever reason you have. I want to go on more adventures with you. I want to discover all kinds of things with you. You’re an all-knowing smartass, but I want to solve mysteries with you, too. I know you love pampering me, but I want to do the same to you. You’re partially human now—you’re no longer an omnipotent being of pure energy—but I still want to make you feel like the lord and emperor you once were. You…were much more chaotic back then, but I know you love and miss being treated as a deity, so I want to do that for you.

“I uh…I also want to give you more pleasant surprises. That includes…pleasant surprises too. I want you to hold me in your arms more. I want to feel more of your warmth. I want to be there for you whenever you’re going through something, too. I want to do more stupid things with you. I want to kiss you a lot more and touch you more, too. I want to live and enjoy my whole life with you.

“I love you, Bill, and I want to hear those words from you so many more times too. And that’s why most of all, I want to know…

“…Why can’t you do the things you want anymore?”

Bill got the answers he needed, but along with those came the question he wished Dipper never had to ask. He was supposed to have given him the answer to that question before he even had to ask. He can only imagine how painful it is for someone to have to ask their beloved why they’re suffering. Why what little they have is being taken away from them. Why they’re dying when they think that their time isn’t coming any time soon.

Bill stops smiling and looks away for a brief moment, thinking of what he should say and where he should start.

“…Because I made a deal,” he says, his voice devoid of any joy. Why even try to lighten the mood? It’s already darker than his own mindscape.

“What do you mean? With who? Why would…no, that’s not right. Just…what happened?” Dipper asks worriedly, yet trying to not make Bill feel even worse. That’s the last thing he needs right now.

“I mean I made a deal. With…Amaymon. He’s also called The Devourer, and I can see why…he’s—he’s a Prince of Hell. I thought beings related to Hell can’t compare to those from other dimensions like me, but…he can. He’s…h-he’s powerful, Pine Tree…m-more…more powerful than me. He…he just…h-he just appeared in my dream one night and…”

Bill’s mouth stops letting him talk. It’s tightly shut and it trembles as the suffering man tries to tell his one true love why he’s dying. Why he has to leave him, despite having been with so much people in the very distant past for more than half of their lifetimes. Why he made yet another mistake.

The tears now rolling down his cheeks carry his remorse and grief, but he’ll still have to answer all of Dipper’s questions, even if his heart bursts with all the sobbing he’ll be doing.

Bill clenches his fists, tightening his grip on Dipper. It hurts a lot, making his muscles move even though they feel like they just want to be put to rest already. He didn’t want to do that, but he can’t help it. He can’t stop crying, his breaths are growing shaky, and the repeated contractions so close to his human heart makes him feel like he’s dying even faster. He needs to be holding Dipper until his very last second of existence. He has to. He has to leave as much memories as he can before he’ll potentially be forgotten indefinitely, and crying probably is shortening his lifespan.

He’d really stop. He really would. But he’s a human too, and humans can’t help but express their emotions somehow. Even if it’ll kill them, apparently.

“Bill…” Dipper coos as he gently strokes the taller man’s back.

There it is. The pity. He hasn’t even told his Pine Tree everything yet it’s already starting, and he can’t do anything about it. Soon enough, Dipper will limit the things he can do, and it’s considerate, but it’s frustrating. But he can’t say no to Dipper. Not anymore.

Nevertheless, Bill lets himself cry and be comforted. He’s got nothing to lose except time at this point, so why waste it?

Bill sobs and hiccups as he continues to answer Dipper. “He ordered me to give him my power…a-and I didn’t…but I should’ve…I-I should’ve, Pine Tree…h-he kept coming back and demanding it…and we would fight…we’d fight every time h-he came back, a-and after every fight, he…he’d say you…y-you’re paying for what I did…I thought he was…n-no, I refused to believe him…a-and I’m sorry. I’m really sorry…I…I’m the reason you suffered so much, I’m sorry…Even though you were getting weaker, I  was stubborn…I should’ve given up sooner. A-Anyway…I…I finally believed it, and…I…

“…I made a deal with him the other night. S-So he would leave you alone. And look…y-you’re okay now…and that’s…all that…a-all that…a-all that matters…”

That’s a lie and he knows it.

“No it’s not, Bill,” Dipper says. “Please tell me more. You matter too. I need to know what’s happening to you so…I-I don’t know, so I can…treat you right…? I-I mean I think I’m treating you pretty good as your boyfriend, but I have to do something about it—I-I have to help you with whatever you’re going through. Let me do that, okay?”

“…Okay.” Bill sniffles.

“Good. Er, thank you. So, what are the terms of the deal you made with…him?”

“...All…All of my power…all of it…so he would leave you alone…I’m…I’m sorry…”

Just as Bill was calming down, he starts to cry even more, regretting his actions even though he isn’t even sure if he should regret them. It depends on what actions are being referred to. Does he regret making that deal? Seems like it. But Amaymon wouldn’t have come for him if he didn’t make whoever his boss is mad, so does he regret being a chaotic dream demon and doing the horrible things he did throughout the multiverse? He does. More than anything. And there’s nothing he can do about it.

Both of them can feel the pillow getting more than just damp, but neither of them can care about that at the moment. Dipper’s eyes are welling up with tears. He knows perfectly well what Bill means; it doesn’t take a lot to connect the dots. He’ll be making the pillows wet as well.

“It’s…Y-You don’t have to apologize, Bill…” Dipper says, his voice cracking as he tightly hugs the blond in desperation.

“No…I…I-I’m making you cry…t-that’s horrible, I-I’m sorry…”

“Bill, stop…S-Stop apologizing. J-Just continue with…your answers…”

“I-I tried to get him to protect you. I tried, I TRIED! He just wouldn’t…b-because I didn’t just…talk to him properly  when he first came…and by the time I did, it was too late. H-He wanted me to suffer more than he already did, so he refused to protect you…all because I’m a fucking stupid dick…

“B-But hey, um…th…this dick is protecting you right now…I-I mean, I’m constantly losing my power, but…but that’s the thing. I have to do something for you before I lose all of my power, a-and I mean something that’s actually good. And I did. I—“

“Bill, you’ve already done so many good things for me, what are you talking about?”

“N-No, I…uh, well…look, I cast a spell on you while you were sleeping. It’ll protect you from any harm from Earth. I’m sorry I can’t protect you from supernatural forces, but…I’m doing the best I can for you. I-If I did that, I might not have enough power to last for the rest of this day, and I just can’t have that…b-but yeah, that’s my last spell. The very last spell of my whole life, all for you, Pine Tree. None of the ‘good’ I’ve ever done for you can compare to it.”

“Wait, so you have even less time to live now…?” Dipper asks, the slight crack in his voice making him sound more forlorn than touched.

“…Maybe, b-but not by a lot.”

“How do you know that? You didn’t tell him you would do that, right? So how do you know that? How do you know that you won’t be leaving me that much sooner?!”

Bill freezes. Tears continue to roll down his cheeks, but guilt was stopping any words from coming out of his throat. He finally breaks eye contact and looks down, unable to look Dipper in the eye without an answer. He fucked up more than he already did, didn’t he? Even in his last few days of existence, he still inevitably brings chaos and suffering to those around him. Perhaps he should just cease to exist.

But he can’t just do that, especially not now. Not when Dipper is desperately trying to keep him in his life for some reason. He may have been a powerful demon, but he’s always been a burden to the one entity he’s truly loved in his whole life so far. Sure, he’s made Dipper happy, but he’s been taking the time and attention he could’ve spent on something else from him, too. Things that could probably have been better for Dipper or just made him happier. Bill acts like he’s the only one who could make Dipper the happiest he can get, but is he really? No one knows. Even with his full power, he still can’t know. Perhaps that’s where Dipper’s fear of uncertainty comes from.

“…Bill?”

He can’t speak.

“Bill?”

I shouldn’t speak.

“Hey…sorry for raising my voice, okay? I just…don’t want to lose you. B-But it’s not your fault, I get that, don’t worry. Just please answer me. I-I want to know how I should spend the rest of my time with you, and again, I’m sorry for raising my voice and asking you all those questions all at once. This…This is a lot for you to take in, right? E-Even until now. A-Anyway, yeah, sorry, please, go on…”

I should be more gentle.

Dipper slowly leans in and gives Bill a tender kiss on his tear-stained cheek. The blond feels just a little bit better, but he can still feel himself getting weaker as he continues to cry. He whimpers as he shakily breathes in and out, and Dipper continues to stroke his back as he does so. His Pine Tree’s gentle touches do help, and in a few moments, he finally comes up with an answer.

“I didn’t tell him, but if he said that I have three days, ‘no more, no less’, maybe...he’s already taken my future actions into account. Maybe he even knows, but…I-I doubt it. I…I think I doubt it…I-I don’t think he would approve of that spell…or maybe he knows it’s useless. I don’t know if it’ll last even after…even after I d-die, but that power I gave you is technically yours now, so…it might. I hope it will.”

“Wait…you gave me power? You put a protection spell on me and gave me power?” the brunet asks, his eyes wide in surprise and worry.

“Giving you some of my power is the protection spell. It’ll keep you safe at all times, so…you don’t have to cast a protection spell on yourself if you ever want to.”

“But I don’t have anyone around to teach me how to use it, and I would never summon any demons other than you, s-so how…no, wait, the power’s limited, isn’t it? I-It won’t—I mean…” He sighs. “I don’t know…i-is there something you want me to do with this?”

“I…I don’t know how long it’ll last either, but the thing is, my power usually regenerates over time. Right now, either…he stopped that from ever happening again, or my power actually is still regenerating, but he’s draining it at a much faster rate. I-I don’t know which one it is, but I…I think it’d be good if it regenerates for you. At least I can still protect you forever…i-in a way.”

Dipper’s been distraught from the moment he realized the love of his life is going to die in a few days. It’s probably sweet that Bill’s still trying to protect him, but…he might’ve just wasted one of his last few days of existence. Maybe.

When that realization hit him, tears continuously rolled down his cheeks, rather than just falling as trickles of true, yet literally hopeless love.

“S-So, that date yesterday…was it because you knew I’d…that I’d feel like this if I found out that you’re…t-that you’re…y-you know…? I…I really enjoyed being with you there in the place I first met you, but…was it all just so you could tell me all this the day after? Did you plan to make that our last date, Bill?”

It’s clear in his voice that he doesn’t want to believe it, but it makes sense to him. And he hates it.

There’s a few seconds of silence before Bill answers. “…Yes…I-I’m sorry, Pine Tree. I knew I wouldn’t be able to act normally after yesterday, so…I had to make the most of it. I had to make you happy one last time before…this. Before I can’t do that anymore because I’d just make you miserable for the rest of your days…or my days, at least. I know you wouldn’t mourn me for that long…” Bill flashes the brunet another sad smile.

Dipper finds Bill to be very beautiful, but that face is always just so hard to look at, no matter how long that ‘smile’ stays. Not wanting to see that look again, he holds the blond closer, letting Bill rest his head on his shoulder.

He sighs. “Maybe I won’t mourn for the rest of my whole life, but I’ll keep trying to find a way to get you back, Bill. I…I guess this makes me sound like I’m gonna be miserable—and probably crazy—but I’m never going to let you go. I know there has to be a way out of this…I just need to find out what it is.”

“Don’t waste your life, Pine Tree. If your power does regenerate, it’d just be the same as the power I used to have. It…It’d still be weaker than his…”

“But you uh…you came from another dimension. A-Another reality. And you use your power to be partially human, but...I’m a full human. M-Maybe that’ll affect my abilities somehow…i-if they last. I’ll think of something, Bill. I promise.

“I love you.”

Bill finally smiles a little. Dipper might be hoping for too much, but it’s nice to hear how much he loves him. Bill just hopes that Dipper won’t end up wasting his life.

“I love you too, Pine Tree.”

Dipper carefully leans back so he can see the blond’s face. He then slides his hand up his lover’s body until it’s cupping his cheek, then he tenderly kisses him. Bill presses his lips against Dipper’s as well, and although even the slightest movement of his body can and will hurt, he slightly tightens his grip on the brunet and even squeezes Dipper’s leg with both of his.

Dipper slowly pulls away after a little while, knowing that they still had to catch their breaths. As he and Bill pant together, they look into each other’s eyes.

The brunet smiles warmly. “I think I know how to treat you now. Until…well, you know.”

“Better not treat me like a hospital patient.”

“No, no. I’ll…Well, technically, we’re still boyfriends, but…I-I think if we had more time, we would’ve…I dunno…l-look, I’m just going to treat you as my…husband…now…”

His warm smile was short-lived; it faded as his embarrassment surfaced on his cheeks. Barely, though. They were already red from his crying, but it’s still pretty damn easy to tell how he’s feeling at the moment.

“Oh, the best treatment I can get. Nice,” Bill remarks.

“Well…y-you’re welcome. I’m gonna make breakfast for both of us now, okay? After that, I’ll spend the rest of the day by your side.”

______________________________

There’s nothing to wake up from. Yet again, his ‘dream’ was just a void. He couldn’t see or feel anything, not even himself. It was scary; it was as if he didn’t exist, except he was able to feel that nonexistence. He’d wonder if he’d be stuck with that sensation once he dies, but he opened his eyes, and the first thing he sees as he wakes up is his Pine Tree gazing at him worriedly.

“Good morning, Pine Tree,” Bill greets in a soft, tired voice. He flashes him a tiny smile, not wanting to start one of their last mornings together so drearily.

“Good morning, Bill.”

Dipper can’t bring himself to smile, knowing how little time Bill has left. He wishes he could at least smile back at him, who’s trying his best to be happy, but since he can’t, he bends down and gently presses his lips against Bill’s for a brief moment instead.

“Thanks for the good morning kiss. No need to serve me breakfast in bed though; I’ll be doing that today. After all, it’s the last day I can actually do anything, and I want to make you feel special for one last time.”

“No, Bill, I should be the one making you feel special. I have to make you as happy as you can be before…y-you know.”

Before you die.

He still can’t make himself say those words. He knows it will happen, but he refuses to accept it. It’ll happen and he’s not doing anything to even try and stop it. He’s letting it happen and he hates himself for it. Why isn’t he trying? There’s still time, isn’t there? As long as his dearest isn’t dead, there’s still time, and he shouldn’t waste it.

That’s what he keeps telling himself—that there’s still a way to free the demon from the deal that’ll erase him from all existence. Sure, there probably is, but it’d definitely take time to find it. Too much time. Beneath the reasons he seems to be grasping for to loathe himself—blame himself—for Bill’s near demise, he knows that. He just won’t let himself surrender to The Devourer, not even after Bill did.

There has to be a way. There has to be a way.

Therehastobeawaytherehastobeawaytherehastobeawaytherehastobeawaytherehastobeaway.

“Before I die? No. I really want to pamper you more before I can’t anymore, Pine Tree. Don’t you want me to do that? I thought you love it when I show how much I love you,” Bill says, interrupting the brunet’s thoughts.

“I do, but i-it’s okay. You’ve done more than enough, y-you’re wonderful, I love you! I…” Dipper didn’t intend to say ‘I love you’ just like that at that very moment, but he doesn’t mind, and neither does Bill.  It’s not like they haven’t casually said those words back then, so he just continues with what he’s saying.

“I want to give you what you deserve, and that’s—what you deserve is treatment so much better than what you’ve given me. I don’t think I can fully do that…not anymore, b-but I can still try. Let me do this for you, Bill. Don’t you like it when I’m servile towards you? I-I know you do, there’s…well, you know that you do.” Although it isn’t exactly a good time to even be thinking of that aspect of their life, a slight blush creeps up his cheeks. It’s cute, but of course, that’s not going to distract the blond.

“Yeah, I do, but right now, I’d prefer to pamper you instead. I won’t be able to do that anymore soon enough, and I’m going to miss it. I love making you happy, Pine Tree. Let me do that while I still can. Please? Come on, I’m basically begging here.”

Don’t make me feel more powerless than I already am. Please.

“But I can’t make you feel special when you’re gone…don’t you want me to please you, Bill? I-I uh…I guess that might’ve sounded a bit wrong, but look, I want you to be happy. Don’t you want to be as happy as you can be before you…d-disappear? I…y-you look really beautiful with a smile, and I’m…I…I’m going to miss you, Bill.” There was a crack in his voice as he said those last few words, and his vision started to get blurry as tears well up and threaten to fall.

“And I’m going to miss you too, Pine Tree. I know I won’t exist anymore, but I can’t stand the thought of not being able to interact with you in any way. Besides, what good treatment of mine are you talking about? Before I became ‘human’ like I am now, I fucking terrorized your family and the whole damn town of Gravity Falls. Not only that, but I’ve done several other things that caused chaos in several places throughout the multiverse, including what got me into this mess in the first place. I…I don’t—I hate talking about this, let alone remembering how horrible I was, but…”

He sighs.

“Just stay here, Dipper. I’m going to make breakfast for both of us and I’ll make you feel special whether you want me to or not because I love you so fucking much.”

With that, he decides to sit up. But his eyes widen and his lips part in shock and anxiety that’ll drive him insane.

It’s as if his arms are no longer attached to his body. They’re painfully numb, and trying to move them feels like he’s lugging a weight so heavy he’s tearing every fiber of his muscles apart. His gasp gets caught in his throat as he started to realize what was going on, and he grunts as he forces his arms to slide against the sheets and lift his torso. It took at least a minute, but for a brief moment, he finally manages to do it. He sits up, but that grin of desperate relief lasted only for a very brief moment.

His arms tremble as he continuously forces them to support his weight, and just as he thought he’d finally achieved the supposedly simple task of sitting up, his elbow slips off the thin fabric of the sheets, causing him to crash back onto the bed with a louder, frustrated grunt.

“Bill, just stop, please…” the brunet pleads softly, feeling his heart ache as he watches Bill suffer. 

The blond ignores him, refusing to give up on making breakfast for one last time. He tries again, and miraculously enough, he succeeds a second time. Not wanting to have to make a third attempt or even more just to sit up, he turned as fast as he could to the edge of the bed and let his legs dangle over it.

“Bill, come on, lie down. Y-You can’t make it to the kitchen like this.”

Bill, still not listening, pushes himself a little to let his feet touch the floor. He then slowly stands up, stifling his whimpers and grunts of pain through his gritted teeth. His legs tremble, barely supporting his weight, but he ignores the sharp pain shooting through his muscles, even if it feels like icicles are shooting right through his bones with every step he takes.

“Bill, stop!”

“No!” he yells back.

“BILL!”

“NO!”

He can’t give up yet. He’s still alive. He can still move. There’s no fucking reason to give up. I need him to feel special. He’s the most important person in the damn multiverse and I have to make him feel that he really is. I need him to remember how much I love him. I need him to.

All I can leave him are memories, and I can’t let him forget any of them.

But his legs fail him. Not even close to the door, he falls to his knees; as if the pain wasn’t enough to make him suffer, his legs go numb, as if their nerves can’t take any more pain and are surrendering. They don’t cause him to slip at all—they just collapse.

“BILL, PLEASE, STOP! YOU REALLY CAN’T!” Dipper yells again as he cries.

“NO!”

Bill tries to get back up, but before he could even straighten his legs, his foot slips and makes him fall back down. But that doesn’t stop him.

“PLEASE, BILL, YOU’VE SUFFERED ENOUGH, STOP!”

“NO! I CAN STILL DO THIS AND I WILL!”

 He continues to force himself and yell, despite Dipper begging him to stop, but even though he’s letting his knees practically be bludgeoned by the floor just so he could make his way across the room, he just can’t manage to stand up straight; he’s only barely making his way to the door by slipping and falling over and over again.

Although it was pathetic, it was working, and he was willing to work with that, but right when he’s finally just a few inches away from the door after what felt like an eternity of torture, the universe seems to want him to suffer even more, or perhaps it’s Amaymon’s superior watching over him and wanting him to die even faster.

Bill Cipher can no longer move his legs.

Every nerve seems to have suddenly shut down, as if deliberately cutting off all communication with his form. No longer can he feel them, and unable to use his arms to haul the deadweight along with the rest of his body, he’s helplessly stuck on the ground, and unlike any other problem he’d had in his entire sinful, disgusting life that should never have existed, he’s absolutely powerless. He can’t manipulate reality to bend to his every will anymore.

What little is left of his existence is being taken away, and the realization carved itself into his mind.

And he cracks.

“WORK, DAMN IT! I MADE YOU, AND ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS SERVE ME FOR ONE LAST DAY! WHY WON’T YOU LET ME STAND?! WHY WON’T YOU MOVE?! FUCKING WORK! PLEASE!”

He screams in agony as he starts hitting his legs with clenched fists, and tears of anguish burn as they flow down his cheeks.

Dipper rushes to his lover’s side and kneels before him. Firmly, yet gently, he grabs Bill’s shoulders, and, with his eyes overflowing with tears as well, he pleads again.

“Bill, please…please…stop.”

And he finally listens. He gives up. He surrenders, letting the terms of the unbreakable deal continue to consume him. He sobs heavily and buries his face in his fists. He was hyperventilating, possibly bringing himself closer to death, but a gentle hand with the comforting warmth he’s always loved tenderly strokes his back. Slowly, he calms down; his loud gasps fade into soft whimpers, and his breaths grow lighter, no longer choking him with every inhale.

“Bill,” the brunet softly calls as he carefully helps the blond sit up straight. He then lovingly cups his cheeks one by one and wipes the tears on each of them, leaving his other hand on his shoulder to support Bill’s weight. Bill’s still crying, so he can’t completely wipe them dry just yet, but that’s okay. To him, it may be painful to watch, and to Bill, pretty much everything is painful, but it’s okay. They’re still together, and Dipper will never leave Bill, even after he’s gone.

“Bill, why don’t you turn back to your original form? It’d be less painful for you, wouldn’t it?” he asks once Bill seems to be in a slightly better state—just enough to be able to listen and think at least a little.

“Because it’s the one you hate the most.”

Dipper freezes. That was a reply he didn’t expect, nor did he ever want to hear it. Especially not with remorse and heartbreak in Bill’s face and voice.

Especially because it’s true.

That triangular form haunted his first summer in Gravity Falls, and though he knows the demon is a lot different now, that form will always remind him of the past.

He sighs and wraps his arms around Bill, who couldn’t look him in the eye.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll still love you, no matter what form you take. I won’t mind if you switch back to your original form,” he says before giving the blond a short, tender kiss to further reassure him.

That’s a lie.

But Bill doesn’t want to say that, nor does he want to believe it. He hates doubting his Pine Tree, but Dipper can’t possibly not mind. Dipper detests that form and even wanted to completely destroy it. He can’t just set aside those memories because he doesn’t want to hurt his demonic lover. He can’t manipulate his own mind.

“And I won’t do it.”

“But Bill—“

“I was told how long I will live and nothing will change that amount of time,” Bill declares, his tone firm and probably a mere few decibels away from anger because he doesn’t want to sound like it. He sighs. “The amount of pain I experience won’t change anything, so I don’t care if I suffer in this form. I just don’t want you to suffer for as long as I have left to live.”

“Then will you let me pamper you? It’d  make me happy, and I can make you happy. It’ll be good for both of us. Seriously, it’s no trouble. We uh…we can have more sweet moments together, too. I-I’ll make them less painful for you though, of course, but I won’t make you feel…” Dipper trails off and doesn’t continue, not knowing which word to use to make his point and not offend Bill. Luckily, the blond takes care of that.

“Pathetic?” Bill suggests.

“Uh…y-yeah, let’s…go with that.”

Bill keeps his eyes on his hands as he thinks long and hard, too stubborn to give up just yet. Other than his sniffles, the room was filled with silence. It isn’t comforting, but it wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, either. Meanwhile, Dipper patiently waits as the blond makes his decision. He does something every few moments, not to skew his judgment or anything, but just because he feels that Bill needs some affection right now, even just bits of it.

He places his hands on Bill’s and strokes his knuckles.

He slides his hands up his arms.

He wipes the tears off his cheeks.

He kisses his tear-stained cheeks.

He runs his fingers through his soft, pale locks of hair.

“…Fine.”

______________________________

Bill has ten more minutes.

He’s lying in a field of blue violets; leaves shaped like hearts though with rounded teeth on its edges, delicate-looking yet capable of surviving the unforgiving cold of the harsh winter, representing trustworthiness, and symbolizing faith, affection, and intuition. But he mostly cares about one particular thing it symbolizes—love.

They’re Dipper’s favorites. Dipper told Bill to choose his favorite, not his, but the blond insisted; he said it’ll be like he’s surrounded by Dipper as he dies. As dark or creepy as it may sound, he does really want it, and it isn’t too farfetched for him to say something weird. In fact, that’s his thing. Regardless, Dipper couldn’t say no to one of his last few requests, so here they are now.

Dipper’s sitting beside Bill and holding his hand. He’s been doing so since he brought the blond to this place. Tears are threatening to leave his eyes, not wanting to let his lover go just yet.

“Don’t cry, Pine Tree. The last thing I want to do is make you cry,” Bill says, his voice soft and weak. Right as he says that though, the tears overflow and roll down the brunet’s cheeks.

“I…” Dipper hiccups. “I’m sorry, I-I…I can’t help it, Bill. B-But don’t worry, you’re not the reason I’m crying right now…”

“Right, of course you aren’t crying because your lover’s dying right in front of you.”

“W-Well…y-you’re not the one making me cry. That’s what I meant to say.”

“Who, then?”

“It’s…him, but let’s not talk about him ever again. Let’s make the most of the time you have left, p-please. I…I-I don’t want to say goodbye yet.”

Bill is tempted to look away, feeling the same way but hiding it even though he’s going to die very soon. He doesn’t though; he doesn’t want to waste any time at all either.

“Okay,” he says, his vision started to get blurred with tears as well.

With that, Dipper takes off Bill’s eyepatch, exposing his black eye with a bright, light blue pupil. Without putting it down, he goes back to holding the blond’s hand.

Bill squints then blinks a few times, letting his other eye adjust to the light. A few tears fall, but his vision seems a lot fuller. He hasn’t taken his eyepatch off in a while; it’s been a while since he’d seen his Pine Tree with both of his eyes, and he regrets not having  taken it off sooner. He doesn’t know what it is, but somehow, he just looks a lot more beautiful. He’s towering over Bill, looking right into his eyes even as he cries, and though his hair isn’t as light as his lover’s, it’s still glistening beautifully in the sunlight, and it looks so soft Bill really wants to touch it, but he can’t do anything he wants anymore other than talking to his beloved Pine Tree. It’s still really good, but it’s extremely painful that he can’t do anything else. Knowing that he’s mere minutes away from being erased from existence, he doesn’t stop himself from crying anymore. He’s not sobbing, but tears continue to roll down his cheeks, and Dipper gently wipes them away, engulfing his face with his comforting warmth.

Dipper feels a lot warmer to Bill now. It’s the same warmth, but his temperature has been dropping, and on his now pale skin, it’s a lot hotter. It almost feels like it’s burning, but it doesn’t hurt at all. In fact, he hopes that he’ll be able to feel that sensation until he completely ceases to exist.

 “Don’t let go, Pine Tree.”

“I won’t. I don’t want to let go either,” the brunet says as he strokes the blond’s hand to reassure him. “…I haven’t thanked you for…well, f-for stopping me from suffering every day. I mean…I don’t want you to die, but I should’ve thanked you for what you did for me. I-I’m sorry I took this long, I just didn’t want to believe that I’m going to lose you. I still don’t want to, but I have to, and I do…”

I do.

Dipper’s always wished he’d say and hear those words to and from Bill. He’d brought up the idea of marriage before, but neither of them have figured out a way to actually get married with a ritual of some sort, and now, there’s a chance they never will live a life as a happy, married couple. They might never say their would-be vows to each other.

Then again, maybe they already did. They already told each other all the things they wanted to do together, and that counts for something.  

“You don’t have to apologize for anything, Pine Tree. I don’t want to believe it either. You’re welcome though. Just live a good life for me, okay? Do what makes you happy. I won’t be able to cheer you up when I’m not around anymore.”

“You can, actually. I can look back on memories of us.”

“Wouldn’t that just make you miss me more?”

“Maybe, but I’ll be okay. W-We’ll be okay. You won’t be gone forever; we’ll—“

“We’ll meet again…” Bill weakly sings, making Dipper smile and chuckle just a little.

“Don’t know where, don’t know when…” the brunet continues.

“But I know we’ll meet again—“

“Some sunny day…” they sing together.

“I’m not sure we’ll even be able to see each other in another life, Pine Tree. I’m going to be completely drained of my magic, and you know I don’t have a soul,” Bill says.

“It doesn’t have to be like that. I…I can find a way while I’m still alive; while I’m still me, Dipper Pines.”

The blond’s lips curl into a little smile. “You’re beautiful, you know that?”

“Oh, uh…that came out of nowhere. Th-Thank you though, and uh, even if you’re…well, like this, you’re still beautiful, too,” Dipper replies, his cheeks getting a little redder.

“Beautiful enough for you to still want to touch me?”

“I’m still holding your hand, aren’t I?”

“Could you stroke my cheek too?”

“Of course.”

“And my hair?”

“Of course. If you don’t mind me asking though…do you want to stroke my cheek and my hair?” Dipper asks, knowing that that’s probably the case.

Bill can feel his cheeks warm up slightly. Conversely, he can also feel blood leaving the other parts of his face, but he couldn’t care any less. “Yeah…but I can’t. That’s why I’m asking you to do those things to me instead.”

“I can just do this, Bill.”

Dipper takes one of the blond’s hands and rests his cheek on it. Bill strokes it lightly with his thumb, wanting to feel more of his Pine Tree’s skin before he can’t anymore, though he can’t apply any more pressure than he already is. Nevertheless, he’s grateful for this last opportunity.

After a while, Dipper slides the hand up to his hair, and lets Bill tug on it and just barely run his fingers through his brown locks to his heart’s content. Both of them are enjoying the moment, but at the same time, Dipper’s worrying about the frailty of Bill’s movements. His time is growing near, and it’s tearing the brunet apart.

He desperately focuses on Bill rather than the time they have left.

He looks into those mesmerizing eyes that now barely have the life he could see in them before.

Bill’s eyelids close halfway.

“I’m tired, Pine Tree.”

While a few tears fall out of his eyes, a river quickly builds up and floods out of Dipper’s. His agony and desperation burn his cheeks and drip onto his dying lover, staining his perfect form with grief. Although Dipper doesn’t want to believe that this is finally happening, he gently lays Bill’s hand on his chest and doesn’t let go.

“Don’t close your eyes yet, please…I-I have to say some more important things before…b-before you rest…please…” he whispers as he tries to stop his breaths from choking up his words.

Bill’s eyes grow wider for a brief moment, but they go back down, with no strength left to hold them up.

Dipper sobs, but he can’t let time consume Bill before he finishes talking.

“Bill…Bill Cipher, I love you with every fiber of my being and every ounce of my soul, and I will never stop loving you. I will bring you back, I promise.”

I will bring you back. I promise.

Bill smiles. Weak, but full of love.

“I love you too, Mason Pines. You will always be my Pine Tree, and I await the day we’ll meet again.”

Dipper bends down and presses his lips against Bill’s, kissing him for one last time.

He sits back up, and a few moments pass.

Bill closes his eyes as his body goes limp. His physical form starts to fade, and within just a few seconds, his hand phases through those that are holding him. Dipper is unable to touch him at all anymore. All he can do now is watch and cry as his lover disappears from this world.

And he does.

He then lies on his side and hugs himself where Bill used to be, thinking that he’d be basking in the remaining essence of his beloved and embracing him.

“I’ll never forget about you, Bill. I love you. I’ll bring you back, and you’ll see how I’ll do just that. I know that somewhere, somehow, you’re still watching me…there’s no way you’re completely gone. You’re always watching, right…?”

Please wait for me.

I’ll bring you back to life before I succumb to death.