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The waters crash against the creaking oak of the ship, roaring in it’s thunderous anger as lighting screams above. Leather clad feet splash across the salt soaked deck as men fight tooth and grit with the treasonous winds. Dipper could only grip the railing white knuckled as Gideon cried out orders to the crew. The brunet still recalls how he was dragged aboard, a pathetic attempt of the traveling merchant to keep contact with the boy’s sister and twin. Three weeks traveling across the seas, and all he’d been trained for was pealing potatoes.
How pissed Dipper had been would be an understatement. This being the first ocean storm he’s experienced however, the fifty foot waves however, seem much more terrifying than all the potatoes he’s thrown to the wall. He will die to this storm, surely, and it’s all Gideon fault. Suddenly a hand grasps his wrist, startling him of his thoughts. “Pinetree! You have to get under!” It was Gideon’s first mate, William Riddle.
“I-I, what?!” The man grit his teeth, snapping his tongue as he yanked the brunet away from the railing and to the door that leads below deck. William had been the only good thing about the whole, god forsaken damn situation. The black haired man with heavily sun kissed skin, near caramel in color, had became a close friend in these three weeks.
Throwing the door open to the second in command’s quarters, Dipper was shoved inside, barely landing against the mattress and bruising his knee on the bolted down frame. “Stay, and don’t fucking leave this room! Last thing I need is diving into this fucking hell storm to save your drowning ass!” Will growled, slamming the door shut and turning the lock. The howls of the wind and screaming of the sea were quickly muffed, Dipper’s hands pressing against the duvet as his rain soaked hair dripped, dampening the silk. The storm had only turned up maybe five, ten minutes ago. The ocean was terrifying.
“What do I do now?” Fingers gripping the feather fluffed, red silk threaded gold. It still doesn’t make since how the First Mate has such a richly bed. Glancing around the room, his eyes were once again drawn to the window. Lightning flashed, illuminating the candle lit room, only this time his gaze caught something new. A Cypher wheel. In a location normally hidden by a large rug, dual drawn circles with different symbols etched between, and a large triangle in the center. “Why was Will hiding this?” kneeling down, fingers outstretched to trace the strange and fascinating wheel. A blue spark snapped when contact was made. Quickly withdrawing his hand, finger now feeling of ice. “What is this?”
Elsewhere, a shiver ran up the man’s spine, Will glances towards his cabin, a grimace shifting to a barely there frown. Surely that wasn’t what he thought it was.
Another monstrous wave hits the side of the ship, forcing a hard tilt, just as Dipper was trying to stand. The sudden rock of the ship knocked him off balance, and straight into the center of the wheel. Blue fire lit the outer circles, caging the brunet in cold flames. It ripped through the flesh, dancing through his veins and Dipper’s eyes glowed blue, the Ursa Major birthmark that called home upon his forehead gleamed, lighting the entire room, before he fell unconscious, everything going dark.
An inhuman grin spread across William’s lips as he stared out upon the sea. He found it. His Catalyst.
It wasn’t till two hours later that the storm finally died down. The moon now hung high above them, clouds clearing for the guiding stars. But the man wasn’t drawn, rather excitedly making way towards his unexpected prize. It’s time to throw out the trash…
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Three Weeks Earlier…
“Dipper! Dipper! You won’t believe it! There’s this supper big ship at port! Apparently it’s some traveling magic merchant!” A young girl came bounding up the stairs, her hip length coffee brown hair dancing behind her every step. She landed inches before her brother, the biggest smile on her face. “You have to come with me and see!” Her plum purple dress flowed from her shoulders to her ankles, scattered with patches she stitched on with stars and flowers.
Glancing up from his book about star mapping, Dipper takes in Mabel’s toothy grin, a tiny smile gracing his lips at her excitement. “Mabel, you know what Gruncle Ford said, never trust-”
“Yeah yeah, ‘Never trust a traveling Merchant’ but he has Magic! I saw him Levitating a goat!” She squealed, grabbing Dipper’s arm, forcing him to follow, the book barely clasped in his left hand. He could never really say no to her. Their home was a little shack located up on the cliff, overlooking both the small dock town of Gravity Falls, and the vast ocean. It was the town’s library, and home to every book the town head. Allowing Dipper to read every book at least twice. Following his sister down the pebbled path, he could see which ship she was talking about. It was indeed very large, especially compared to the merchant ships they normally see. In fact, it looked to be near trice the size, bigger than any other ship he’d seen.
And there was a, rather plumb man, maybe a few years younger than Dipper himself, with silver white hair and peachy skin, near pink and unmaimed. He wore a baby blue Captain's coat lined in white and silver, and pearly white clothes. Overall, he didn’t seem the sea fairing type. “Come one, come all! Gleeful’s traveling ship of wonders!” There was a selling stand made up nearby, full of gems and nick-nacks that looked even more gimmicky than what their Grunckle Stan sold. Dipper could tell in a glance it was purely fakes. Mabel however was quick to let go of her brother’s hands to ogle the goods. Taking a few steps back, Dipper bumped into something too firm and too warm.
Quickly, apologizes on his tongue, spinning on his heel to see just who he ran into. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying atten---tion...” the rest died before leaving his lips. While shirtless strangers aren’t uncommon, very attractive strangers covered in tattoos were. Dipper could spend hours mapping out those solid black lines that had to be foreign languages, dressing sun tanned skin, just the perfect shade of toffee. The man stood a good foot above Dipper’s comfortable five food eight, and the one golden eye gazed down at him in amusement. The other hidden below a triangular eye-patch. The only thing off was the solid black hair tied back in leather. It didn’t seem to fit the man quite right.
His golden gaze caught sight of the book in Dipper’s hand, and the bandanna covering the boy’s forehead, before a sly smirk graced his features. “No need to fret, Pinetree,” The man reached a hand out, before something behind Dipper caught his gaze and he quickly withdrew. “My name is William.”
“Oh, I’m-”
“OHMYGOSH!!!” a high pitched squeal nearly blew Dipper’s eardrums as two arms tightly wrapped around Dipper’s middle. “You are the hottest guy I’ve ever seen!”Mabel was quick to blurt, before all but shoving her bother out of the way to get closer. “Hi! I’m Mabel! The Alpha Twin!” Dipper landed on his ass, the book falling from his hold only to be ran over by a rolling cart. Unmanageable curls fell over Dipper’s eyes as the cart splashed a puddle, flinging muddy water over his side and soiling his shirt and trousers.
The stranger’s, no, William’s smirk turned sour, forcing a grimace as he looked between the siblings. “Yes, well, nice to meet you, Shooting Star, but shouldn’t you help your brother?” turning on his heel, William lifted up the now soaked and damaged book, handing it to the twins before walking away.
“He was so cute! And dreamy~” Mabel swooned, following the man with her eyes. Dipper huffed the hair out of his eyes, taking the ruined book and forcing himself to his feet. “God, I need that man above me!” Dipper shook his head before heading back home. “Wait! Where are you going!”
“Home, to change clothes?”
Mabel rolled her eyes, grabbing Dipper’s hand “Oh hush, you’re fine.” She was quick to brush off his worries, dragging him over to the plump, heavy set man. Grubby fingers were gripping a triangular gem tied around his neck in a silver chain. A glowing teal aura was enveloped around a goat, holding it in the air. His green eyes must have met with Mabel’s since the man was all too eager to toss the coat to the side and kneel on one knee before her. “Ohh?!”
“Is this an Angel I see? I’m blessed to even gaze upon such a beauty, let me count the ways you set my heart a flutter~” Dipper couldn’t help but cringe at the man’s words. His sister covered her lips and gave a small giggle. The man’s green gaze fell upon their conjoined hold, all to ready to snag her hand, letting his wet lips touch her knuckles. “To whom does I, Gideon Gleeful, Captain of the Mysterious Eye, have the pleasure?”
“Ehh, heh” Her girlish giggle a little more forced, as she can’t quite pull her hand away. “Mabel Pines.”
“She was beautiful Will, absolutely wonderful!”
“Yes, yes, like you’ve already said.” The tanned man gave a bored sigh, rolling his eye as the ‘Captain’ blubbered on. The golden eye glanced to the Cipher wheel painted onto his palm, nearly washed away. ‘Not here either...’
The pompadour clad man shook his fists, glancing to his First Mate, the man who found him this ship and crew. “You know, if it wasn’t for that damn brother of her’s, dragging her away, I know she would have been mine!”
Now that got Will’s attention. The girl he could do without, but the boy, he was a least cute with his mocha colored eyes. A smirk crossed his lips as he held his fingers out to the man’s stone. “You know, you could kidnap him?” His long legs crossed at the knee, leaning closer, his voice just a whisper, “With your oh so powerful magic, you could make the boy join the ship, keep them apart… That way, she will have to talk with you, to you...” He let out a low chuckle as the gem glowed, pulsing as the man’s gaze went blank.
“Yes Bill…”
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Waking up to subtle rocking and swaying was not how Dipper usually woke up. A netted nest of blankets tangled his limbs like a cocoon, tied between two posts. Salt and sea spray filled the air, and he was instantly sick. Fleeing from the hammock, tripping on the blankets and landing on his shoulder and elbows, scrapes and bruises, he dashed up the stairs. Darting to the railing, Dipper threw up everything in his stomach. Chunks fell into the ocean, splashing and merging with the deep blue waters. A hand came up against his back, rubbing circles as Dipper continued to heave. “Where am I?”
“On the ship,” the voice was deeper and much more proper than the brunet was expecting. Glancing to the side, near violet eyes caught his gaze, along with the jelled back black hair. “My name is Thomas Strange, but you can call me Tad.”
“What am I doing here?”
“Gideon thought it would be in his best interest to use you to gain favor with your sister.” He gave a small sigh, glancing around the ship. “But I wouldn’t worry about appeasing him.” He brought his gaze back to the brunet before him. “Just don’t piss off William.”
Heaving dry bile, Dipper did his best to give an acknowledging nod, before his knees wobbled and gave out from underneath. Tad wondered elsewhere on the ship, as Will approached. “Ooh, Sea sickness, first time on a ship?”
“You could say that...” Dipper groaned, seeing the man from the other day, though now dressed in a white tunic and stained trousers. “I think I want to kill Gideon...” That earned a laugh from the man, before he assisted the brunet to his feet. Another wave gently rocked the ship, knocking Dipper’s land legs off balanced. Falling against the tanned man, Dipper instantly went to apologize, but Will didn’t even budge and simply supported the smaller’s weight. “I’m so sorry.”
“You’re fine kid. Let’s get you laying down.” The brunet barely weighed anything, and it’s been a few years since Will gave another human more than a passing glance. Running a palm over the boy’s forehead, he was out like a light. Taking a breath, he smelled of pine wood and crisp forest breeze. The ocean winds blew over the deck, and Bill glanced to Tad, who always kept close. “What?”
“Nothing, just wondering when Captain Cipher will come out of retirement...” Tad gave a side way grin, sharp teeth flashing, eyes glowing violet. “After all, twenty years is a long time...”
Golden iris flashed cyan, a grimace on thin pale lips, shark like teeth peaking from between. “As soon as I find where damn Sixer hid the other half of my soul, we can throw that damn idiot overboard.” Bill gathered the brunet into his arms, looking the twenty-something year old over. “As much as the man-child annoys me, he’s a good shield.”
“And the boy?”
The grin turned feral, all teeth and sharp edges. “A distraction, hobby, a toy.” the smile faded, eyes glinted “Unless he ends up being boring…”
“Whatever you say, Captain,”
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The boy didn’t disappoint. He could actually hold a conversation and kept up with Bill’s humor, even had some witty jokes of his own. He would often question why the First Mate’s cabin seemed more like the Captain’s quarters, then the captain’s. Bill waved it off, laughing about how Gideon is just an idiot, but then Dipper asked why ‘William’ wasn’t the Captain then. Bill had to admit, the boy caught on quick, even better than some other flesh-bags he’s had the displeasure of meeting. The boy was rapt to mention how the crew listens to him over Gleeful.
Hell, he was even decent as reading the stars and weather, better than one of the few good members that followed Gideon aboard. But unfortunately, Bill had to keep up his cover, and kept the boy in the stocks with Teeth, where he peeled potatoes. Gleeful, the idiot, didn’t want to even see the male.
Three weeks passed that way, where the demon could feel the boy’s gaze, tracing the curses etched into Bill’s flesh, hiding away his true form, mentioning how the scars on Bill’s human body seemed to be from much more, than just ‘hauling merchandise from port to port. He wasn’t wrong, but that’s besides the point.
They were three days from the next port, and Bill had been working on his Cypher Wheel, his personal brand and summoning circle, trying to trace what Fordsy had done to his other half, when the storm crashed upon them. His human’s first ocean bearing storm.
His human, whom was dangerously close to falling overboard and into the depths. His human. A possessive growl ripped from his throat, at the thought of the waters trying to claim what was his. Bill didn’t share. That may have been part of why he had thought nothing of throwing the boy into his person chambers, without worry about hiding his wheel. So when a surge of magic flowed through his very core, his soul feeling whole once more, he was more than pleased.
In his room, his human, his other half, lay in the center, out cold. Bill’s left eye glowed cyan, his grin all sharp and feral. “My pinetree, my pet,” Bill lifted the crumpled body into his arms, giving a soft hum as he set him much more comfortably in his personal bed. ‘mine, mine, mine,’ like a mantra, chanting in his mind. Dipper’s fate was sealed. He was never getting off the ship.
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The sun shone brightly, seagulls cawing as the waves crashed against and rocked the ship. The large window captured most of the outer wall, Dipper’s eyes blearily watching the sea foam splash against the robin egg blue of the clear sky. Stained glass decorated the panes, a large golden triangle in the center, staring down, encasing his prone form in a yellowed glow. For once, things seemed calm, the calmest since he was taken aboard. He was sure the yelling would start soon, and the crew would get moving, but the mattress was feather soft, and the covers warmed from the sun rays.
Fingers scraped against his scalp, tangling in his unmanaged curls, scratching in a soothing manner, with nails a touch too sharp. A tingle ran down his spine; a soft hum left his lips. “Pinetree,” the slight nasally voice, belonging to none other than William Riddle, chuckled around him. “Come on, I need you up and moving for this.”
A huff, Dipper forced himself to get up, finally turning to look at the bed’s rightful owner. Why was he in Will’s bed anyways? “Will?” The man looked different. The roots and first few centimeters of his hair was still pitch black, but the rest was golden blonde, put back in a messy ponytail, a grin on the man’s lips.
“Call me Bill, Pinetree.” He pulled the brunet out of the bed, no doubt still mentally and physically exhausted from the soul bind the night before. Hell, had it not been His Pinetree, he would have simply killed the host of his other half and absorbed what was rightfully his. “Get up, I have a show for you.”
Dipper was still clad in tan trousers and a ratty blue tunic, but he can get the boy new clothes later. “Bill? What’s going on?” Even though he was barefoot, Bill pulled the brunet along, his grin growing sharp with each step. “Bill?”
All too soon, or perhaps not soon enough, they were standing at the quarterdeck, Dipper rubbing the sleep from his eyes as the entire crew stood among them. Captain Gideon Gleeful seemed the most confused, followed by a small handful of men behind him. “William Riddle?! What is the meaning of all this?!” The platinum blonde cried, and only then did Dipper notice how scared the man looked. “What is this, Mutiny?!”
Will, er, Bill simply twirled his finger, the triangular gem around his neck shattering into a million pieces. Dipper’s eyes grew wide, and the sound of liquid slashing the wood of the deck echoed. “Oh, would you look? The Navel guard Pissed himself? Ha!” Bill started cackling, and the captain coat Gideon had been wearing shifting before his very eyes into that of a torn Navy uniform. All those behind Bill started laughing, and Gideon looked sick to his very stomach. “What’s this? You suddenly seem much more aware, Gleeful.”
“You-you-you’re Bill Cipher!” Gideon screamed, the band of men behind him also had wet spots grow at their groins.
Bill Cipher? Where had Dipper heard that before? Dipper looked around him, suddenly nervous. What the hell is going on?!
“That’s Captain, Bill Cipher, the one and only Captain of the Beautiful DreamScape...” He shrugged on a coat from mid air, crimson red and lined with glittering gold. “The most feared Pirate of the thirteen seas!” Dipper’s stomach churned. He remembered. The Pirate ship, the DreamScape, vanished near twenty years ago, after his Great Uncle Stanford took down it’s Captain. “And, you were a wonderful red herring, my boy...” His gaze landed on the brunet, grin all teeth, like a predator. “But I don’t need you anymore Gleeful… You or your men.” The small group of six turned tail, fleeing to the railing as the man in purple and black pulled out a flintlock. ‘Tad Strange’ Dipper’s mind pipped, First Mate to Bill Cipher. “Bye bye!”
Bullets rang out and red flooded Dipper’s vision. Without thinking, without breaking eye contact with the golden Devil, Dipper fell backwards over the railing. Bang… Bang… Bang… He hit the cold waters, but it felt solid, slapping him in the back before giving way to swallow the boy whole. A thunderous crash flooded his senses, followed by another water drowned Bang. Closing his eyes, Dipper was ready to accept his fate. Surely it would be better than anything the demon had planned.
Too bad Fate had something different planned. Another splash resounded in his ears, much too strong fingers gripped his upper arms, hoisting him to the surface. Water fled from his lungs in painful hacking coughs. The hand moved from his arm to his waist, before being levied onto a strong shoulder. “Why...” Dipper worked out between hacking up seawater.
It was Bill, there was no question, and he had little strain climbing the rope up the side of the ship, carrying Dipper like a sack of potatoes. “Silly Pinetree...” the man chuckled, taking an offered hand and being assisted back onto the deck. Dropping Dipper, his single eye glowing crimson, “Because you’re mine. Like I would let you escape that easily…”
The sails shifted in the winds, whipping in the sharp winds, flashing from an off white to iridescent black. The creaking wood rippled like Bill was the stone dropped in a still puddle, stained from sun bleached wood to dark walnut. The crew cheered, fists in the air. Tad stepped forward, belting the flintlock and adjusting his gloves. “Captain Cipher, unfortunately two escaped into the waters below. Should we go after them?” His violet gaze cold and calculating, before giving a glance to the cowering boy. His gaze softened, a small turn of the lips and rise of the brow before his full attention was back on the Captain.
“Haaa, no. We’re still at least two days from port, and now that I have what I wanted, there’s no need to continue that route.” Bill grinned, and Dipper could count the shark like teeth. “And Pinetree,” The devil reached down, pulling the brunet to his feet, the later still weak and spitting up water. “Don’t try that again…” His grin turned into a snarl, skin flashing dark. “You don’t want to see me angry.” Dipper quickly agreed to Bill’s demands, heaving a breath of relief when his eyes returned to yellow, before being dropped back onto the deck. “Alright! Now, Pyronica, Taddy, I want a full sweep of the ship, and everything returned to proper working order. I’ll have Sapling map us out a new course and we’ll sell off the twerp’s shit and refresh our stockpiles. WE’RE BACK BABY!”
Dipper shivered, watching blue flames erupt across the deck, winds cold, rip through his clothing and chill him to the core. His gaze lands on the demon responsible. What is going to happen to him? Slowly trying to get back to his feet, Terry, no Teeth, gave him a grin, but not with his face. His stomach split in half in a big toothy smile. After all those days in the pantry peeling potatoes, how did he not notice? And Py, he should have noticed how much more unusual her strawberry blond hair was, now that it was fading pull pink! Her too wide hips for that much too thin waist. “Why, why me?”
An arm wrapped around his shoulder, pulling him tight into a much too warm embrace. “Simple kid, the Axolotl must hate you too! Hahaha!”
“I’m too tired for this...”