Chapter Text
Things had gone almost back to normal in Gravity Falls. Almost. Besides the fact that normal was subjective, everything had been thrown for a loop when one Bill Cipher had started the apocalypse. Destroying the portal almost the entire third floor of the basement had caused a reversion that caused everything to be sucked back into the Nightmare Realm where it belonged, but people had died and for 12 hours, monsters that only existed in nightmares walked around Gravity Falls wreaking all kinds of havoc. Luckily for them, it had only taken a week’s worth of memory wiping and lying to settle most of the town down.
And that left Bill. Human, trapped without his demon powers, and essentially a huge pain in the ass. Dipper, despite both Stan’s heavy frowning and disapproving, had spared his life and insisted on keeping him around to keep an eye on him. Even human, there was a chance he could get into trouble…
But even his insistence hadn’t been enough to sway Ford. After getting out of the portal and then destroying it, Ford had taken up the task of fixing the memories of the Gravity Falls citizens himself, shrugging off the family and obviously distraught. He blamed himself for most of this, but the fact that Bill was around and living didn’t help him either. Although he hadn’t told anyone just what their relationship had been, Dipper knew him and Bill had history. He had tried to talk Dipper out of keeping him alive multiple times when he could get Dipper alone, but the boy was insistent. Even though he used to be a demon, he was a human now. And Dipper didn’t know if he could put him down…
Somedays, he wished he could.
“Oh my god, why does this keep happening?!” Bill whined one morning, curling up on the floor by the chair in the living room, in an illuminati themed set of night clothes. He wouldn’t shut up at Walmart until they bought it for him. Dipper walked out of the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in his hand, looking down at the writhing ex-demon.
“Stop complaining, and just go use the bathroom,” He said, mouth half full. Bill made a high pitched noise and rolled over again, ignoring him. “God, I think I’m starting to miss when you were a mind leech…”
“Being a human is so gross. You should have just killed me,” Bill said dramatically.
“That can be arranged,” Came a gruff voice. Stanford Pines came from the Mystery Shack, having taken up residency in the basement, wearing a red sweater and adjusting his still cracked glasses. Bill looked up at him before finally relenting and pulling himself up.
“Pine Tree likes having me around. Probably thinks of me as kind of a friend,” Bill jabbed, lips pulling into a half smile at the paling of Ford’s face. “Wouldn’t want to kill his friend now would’ja, Sixxer?”
Ford’s lips pursed and brows knit together, reaching into his pocket for something before Dipper stumbled over to him and shoved Bill towards the bathroom.
“Grunkle Ford! Uhm, good morning!” Dipper said, pulling his attention away from Bill. Ford looked over to Dipper, expression softening ever so slightly. “How goes the, uh, fixing of people’s memories?” He tried. As badly as he wanted to drill the older man on the Journals and all the secrets of Gravity Falls, it was turning out to be a mostly fruitless effort. Ford wasn’t relenting one bit, although when he wasn’t out trying to fix people’s memory, he constantly disappeared beneath the Shack and stayed in the basement.
“Hmm? Oh, I finished up yesterday,” Ford replied, putting whatever he was about to pull out back into his pocket. He went into the kitchen, Dipper following him eagerly. “There might be a few loose ends to tie up, but most people will either think it was a bad dream, or whoever’s spouting nonsense about it is the new town fool…”
His voice trailed off for a moment, then opened up one of the cabinets.
“That’s… good.” Dipper said. Ford riffled through the foods in the cabinet, Dipper watching as he polished off his cereal. Upstairs, he heard the floorboards creak, wondering if Mabel had finally pulled herself out of bed.
“Listen, kid,” Ford started, sighing at the unfamiliar food items and deciding on good old peanut butter and jelly. Dipper tensed and withheld a sigh. Here we go again… “I don’t know why you’re insisting on keeping him around. He’s dangerous, always has been, and always will be.” This was far from the first time Ford tried to drill him on the dangers of the demon, and each conversation ended with him seeming to understand only to come back again the next day and try again.
“We’ve gone over this at least half a dozen times,” Dipper said with a sigh, rubbing his face and dumping the remainder of his milk into the sink.
“And I still don’t like a demon being in my house!”
“Ex-demon.” Dipper said. “He’s entirely human. If his whining hasn’t gotten into your head yet.”
“Kid, a being doesn’t exist as long as Bill Cipher, as smart as Bill Cipher, without making connections.” Ford growled lowly, slathering peanut butter on a slice of bread. “He’s not to be taken lightly.”
“Which is why he’s staying in my room, with me and Mabel, and why I’m keeping an eye on him!” Dipper said, leaning against the counter. Ford sighed and shook his head.
“Look, I don’t even know if I can trust you watching him” Ford admitted, Dipper’s face shifting to hurt and anger. “Everyone makes mistakes. But to make a deal with Bill twice? And he’s probably pulled you in way over your head. He shouldn’t be allowed to live.”
“I only made the second deal to save my sister!” Dipper spat, feeling himself shaking as his voice raised. “Don’t act like I’m an idiot who kept doing this because I didn’t have the consequences drilled into me. I went to the hospital a lot because of him. I still have nightmares about what he did to me in the Mindscape, about when he possessed me! Back off!”
Dipper didn’t realize he was shouting until he stopped, shoulders tensed and face red. Mabel was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, wearing a long purple nightgown and pursing her lips.
“Uhm, if I’m interrupting anything… I’ll just-”
“No,” Both men said simultaneously. They glanced at each other.
“It’s fine,” Dipper muttered, pushing himself away from the counter and brushing past his sister. She grabbed his hand briefly, giving a gentle squeeze before he shrugged her off and kept walking. He could feel her disappointment stab him in his back.
“I hate this so much,” Bill whined, flicking water off his hands as he wandered back into the living room. “But hey, that was real sweet of you to stick up for my life, Pine Tree.”
“Shut up, Bill,” Dipper sighed, throwing himself on Grunkle stan’s chair. Bill looked down at him, then threw himself across Dipper’s lap, wrapping his arms around the other’s neck as he beamed. “Really? Get off, there’s a couch right over there.”
“Awe, but you’re comfy, and the TV is right here,” He whined, sticking out his lower lip. Dipper rolled his eye and popped up the footrest and turning on the TV. Bill shifted so he could watch the news on the television, Dipper resting his head in his hand.
It didn’t take long after the portals destruction for Bill to stick to Dipper like a clingy human octopus. Over the past week Dipper and Mabel had attempted to teach Bill how to be a human, but he wasn’t taking to it very well. Which, was to be expected, since he was ancient. Just a few days ago Dipper had tried to ask Bill how old he was.
“Imagine an entire mountain made out of individual Stanleys and Stanfords. Add up their ages, and that’s how old I am.”
As vague as the answer was, it was enough to give an idea.
But even as a human, Bill had no idea how to do personal space. Dipper had long since given up trying to get Bill off of him when he sat on the chair, or to let go of him when the pair slept. The bed they had bought the day of the incident was theirs to share, having squeezed it into the attic the day after the portal had been destroyed. It didn’t leave too much room for Mabel, who was still sharing the room, but she didn’t seem to mind. Although she did very much enjoy teasing Dipper about Bill’s clingy sleep habits.
He would have made her take the room downstairs, but with Ford back, that room was kept for him to sleep in. When he wasn’t locked away in the basement doing god knows what. The older twins still had a great deal of animosity between them, although it seemed like they were trying to put it behind them. Sort of. Most days. But they refused to share a room. Hell, the way they yelled sometimes, Dipper was surprised they managed to stay in the same house.
It was December now, the chill in Gravity Falls spreading fast. Which meant the Fall semester at Gravity Falls Community College was ending, and in January the Spring semester would start.
“So, hey, what are you gonna do when you go off to your stupid human school all day?” Bill asked nonchalantly. Dipper furrowed his brow and looked at the man resting on his lap. He knew Bill couldn’t read his mind anymore, but it didn’t stop the blond from saying things that were on Dipper’s mind with alarming frequency.
“Uh, go to school.” Dipper replied. Bill rolled his eye.
“I meant with me,” He explained. Stretching out, he let his head hang upside down and stretched, hair flopping around messily. “You can’t leave me here alone with grumpy 1 and grumpy 2.”
Dipper snorted, jabbing at Bill’s slightly exposed stomach. The blond yelped and sprang up, glaring daggers. It turned out that human Bill was ticklish. And he hated it very much.
“Why? Are you scared of them?” Dipper teased. Bill rolled his eye.
“In case you haven’t noticed, this form? Isn’t as durable as I would normally be.” He explained. “Sixxer definitely has it out for me. Shrine Hat’s not too keen on me either.”
Dipper watched the news quietly, shifting under Bill’s weight.
“What’s up with you and Grunkle Ford anyway?” Dipper asked, glancing at the kitchen in case the man came out. From what he could hear, Mabel had him at her attention about something or other. Bill stretched and got off of Dipper, heading towards the stairs.
“Bill? Just not going to answer?” Dipper asked.
“It’s not important,” Bill replied. He called over his shoulder, “I’m going to get dressed.”
“I finished your sweater! It’s on the bed.” She called after Bill, poking her head out of the kitchen. She looked at Dipper. He raised a brow at her and she shrugged unapologetically. “He said he wouldn’t give back my Saint Patrick's Day sweater if I didn’t make him one! That’s one of my favorites!”
“They’re all your favorites, Mabes,” Dipper chuckled.
“Besides the point!” She said, looking over her shoulder before walking into the living room and sitting by the dinosaur skull that acted as a side table. “Besides, I made you one too. It’s getting chilly out there.”
“I swear to god, if you knit me another kitten sweater--”
“It’s not a kitten sweater! Promise.” Mabel said, beaming. Dipper smiled, sighing and staring blankly at the infomercial that was playing on the TV screen.
--
Upstairs, Bill skipped into the room and looked at the sweaters that were laid out on the bed. There were two, one golden yellow with a single eye in the center of the chest, framed with 8 black lashes. The other was white with blue sleeves and a blue pine tree knit in the center. Smirking, Bill took the one that was obviously meant for Pine Tree, disrobing from his sleep clothes.
It was weird, being human. Having to change clothes, sweating, peeing and -- ugh -- pooping. Needing to eat all the time, and drink all the time. Having to walk everywhere, not having any magic. It was slowly driving him insane, truth be told. But he did enjoy getting to stick around Pine Tree more… It seemed that Pine Tree felt responsible for him. It made him tickled pink!
Sliding the sweater over his head and putting on a pair of the slimming grey jeans they had bought for him, a sound caught his attention. Bill froze, then spun around to see the world in flat monochrome.
“Bill! Getting used to a permanent vessel, huh?” Came a teasing and eerily calm voice. A purple square floated forward, his round eye featuring a sideways, rectangular pupil, a small bowler hat atop his head.
“Tad! Please tell me you have good news,” Bill groaned, sticking out his lower lip.
“Well, good news and bad news!” said Tad Strange, floating around Bill’s head. “Good news is, there is a way to get your powers back. Bad news is, it’s gonna take a long time. Other bad news is we never really discussed payment…”
He looked over at Bill, leaning on his shoulder. Bill narrowed his brows.
“Okay, okay, what do you want, Tad?” He muttered.
“It’s simple, I promise! Just a bit more control in the Nightmare Realm, that’s it!” Tad replied jovially. Bill’s eyes narrowed and he leered at the purple demon on his shoulder.
“You say it like it’s not a big deal,” He growled defensively. The Nightmare Realm was his. Sure, other demons could utilize it, but it was his domain. Tad may as well have been asking to crash at his place permanently without paying rent.
“Aah, not technically without paying rent,” Tad said, reading Bill’s mind. Bill fumed, despising being human right now. “My payment is getting you out of this chunk of meat! Surely, you can give me that little bit of control in return for, oh, I don’t know, giving you everything you had back?”
Bill grit his teeth together and his nostrils flared. Tad knew he was desperate, and he was playing him for it. Bill couldn’t really blame him; he would be taking as much advantage of the situation as he could if it was reversed… He looked down at Tad, seeing the smile in his eye. Bill rolled his eye and brushed Tad off.
“Fine, fine, I … I agree,” Bill sighed. Tad held out his hand, green flames licking up his palm. Bill shook his hand, then woke up, standing in the room as if nothing had happened.
Everything was just about back to normal.