I shouldn’t be allowed to think of Gravity Falls during work. I suddenly got the idea to write this earlier today while at the register and it was killing me not being able to do it. CipherPines I guess? Or Billdip sorta.
Takes place after Sock Opera. Dipper is in the hospital.
(Warning for I guess dark theme? Sorta. Hospital and sick kids. ;w;)
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Be-Beep.
It was this sound, ringing and echoing in darkness, that finally roused Dipper from his deep sleep. Groaning softly he opened his eyes, vision blurring in the inky black room. Where was he again?
Oh, right. The hospital. After the sock opera fiasco Grunkle Stan had surprisingly insisted on taking Dipper to the hospital. Mabel and Dipper felt that HE might of been the one possessed. To be willing to spend that much money? What a shock. Then again, when they had gotten to the hospital it proved to be a good decision. Dipper had severe bruising along with various degrees of lacerations over his whole body. Even a burn here and there, although neither him or Mabel could figure out how Bill had achieved such an injury. Aside from all of that, the doctor had also noticed how exhausted Dipper was. He had forced the pre-teen to stay overnight just in case. It was mainly just to make sure Dipper got proper sleep. But also because Dipper had also shown some slight signs of a concussion. The odd part of that was that Dipper had no head injuries to speak of besides a small cut or two on his face. The doctor was baffled at what could of caused such damage to the boy’s brain, but it was mild at least so nothing to worry too much over.
All of this led back to where Dipper currently was. Everyone else had gone home for the night long ago, shooed away by the friendly but slightly intimidating night nurse. It felt a little lonely now in the empty room, but at least Dipper had his own body back, even if it was sore beyond belief. Turning his head to try and get the stiffness out, Dipper could see a clock on the wall.
It read 3:25 am in large, faintly glowing letters.
With a groan Dipper forced himself upright while trying to find the source of the beeping that had woken him up. It seemed to be coming from the next room over. A heart monitor? That was a little sad, considering he was in the children’s ward. Looking down at his hands, Dipper examined all the bandages. He had no idea how his hands had not been completely broken. Although by now they were black and blue with bruises. Bill had not gone easy on his body. What Dipper couldn’t figure out though was if Bill had been hurting Dipper’s body on purpose to harm the boy in the long run….or because he really did like pain? Did that mean Bill couldn’t feel pain whatsoever? It was sort of eerie to think about….and a tiny part of Dipper thought it was sad.
The medicine that had been keeping Dipper asleep had fully worn off by this point. But it had done it’s job considering he had still gotten a good several hours of sleep. Because of that he could feel a sort of electricity running though him. Dipper had the urge to move around. Before he had always kind of been a night owl anyway. Yeah he liked the daytime but there was just something about the coolness of night. How it felt to sit in the tranquil darkness and just let his mind wander. So after a good amount of sleep, he didn’t feel like resting anymore.
A growl drew the pre-teen’s attention to his stomach. He winced as it growled again before blushing softly. Right, he hadn’t eaten in god knows how long. Maybe he could find a snack laying around, or a nurse that would help him. Slowly sliding off the bed, Dipper did his best to ignore the odd feeling of being naked under a hospitol gown. He had an IV in his arm so he ended up using the rolling IV stand as a crutch or cane of sorts, and helped himself out of the door and into the hall that way.
His pace was slow and pained. It felt like he had been hit by a truck. But Dipper felt his hunger grow as he moved. It was a strange feeling though…had he ever felt this hungry before? He did want food. But Dipper also felt like he was craving something specific. Yet it was almost like he had never tasted whatever he was craving. How odd…Trying to ignore his own strange thoughts now, Dipper just trudged along slowly through the halls of the Children’s Ward. A few minutes of slow going finally led Dipper to a fork in the hallway. While debating on which way to go he paused, hearing something very faint down the left hall. Listening closer now the boy let his unbearable curiosity once more get the better of him before heading in the direction of the sound.
Getting closer and closer, Dipper began to realize that it was a lullaby. But it was unlike any song he had ever heard before. It was eerie, yet almost sweet. Comforting but also making one feel a tiny amount of unease. Frowning, Dipper forced himself to go faster. Finally he rounded the corner and found himself in front of a door. Reading the sign, Dipper’s body grew cold. In this part of the ward was despair and sadness. It was the final place for children dying of incurable diseases. The lullaby was louder now, and Dipper would never forgive himself if he ignored it and didn’t find the source. So, taking a deep breath, he opened the door and slipped inside.
What greeted Dipper was not what he had expected. “B-Bill?!” he gasped, eyes wide in shock, then narrowing into an angry and suspicious glare. What was Bill doing here?
The triangular demon was floating in the middle of the room, body relaxed and eye closed. Bill’s normally bright glow dulled then brightened in a slow rhythm. The lullaby coming from him. He heard Dipper enter however and quickly opened his eye before holding a finger in front of his bow-tie, as if pressing it to nonexistent lips.
“Shh there Pine Tree. Don’t want to wake them up now do ya?” he asked, voice soft. Bill then stared at Dipper, expression even more unreadable than normal as Dipper rolled his IV stand closer, glare just intensifying.
“Wake them up? Why are you even here!” Dipper hissed quietly. He did it without thinking. Glancing around at all the beds that were in the large room, the pre-teen couldn’t help noticing the state some of the children were in and it made his chest and throat tighten.
“I could ask you the same thing.” Bill replied smartly, chuckling when he saw the angry glare that Dipper shot back at him. “Oh my my. With a bit more practice you might be able to kill with a glare like that kid.” Bill teased. Floating down lower Bill then seemed thoughtful, eye examining Dipper’s bruised and battered form with a thrill of pleasure. The pain had been enjoyable. And now he got to see his cute Pine Tree struggle even more. As a demon, no matter what, Bill liked to tease and bully anything he liked or found endearing. Sort of like how an owner would tease their cute pet.
“BILL!” Dipper growled. The boy’s frown deepened as he continued to scowl at the triangle. A sudden soft cry from nearby caught Dipper’s attention however and he glanced over to see the source. It was coming from a small boy, bandaged up from head to toe. The boy was curled up under several blankets atop his bed. The occasional weak movement and soft sound betrayed what seemed to be a nightmare. “Ah!!? Bill! How could you do that to these kids?” Dipper asked angrily yet still with a whisper. He was now glaring at Bill once more. “Stop it!”
The demon had been watching the young child struggle with his nightmare along with Dipper, but looked back to the injured Pine twin because of Dipper’s words. “So rude Pine Tree. I’m not doing that. It’s because you came and distracted me. Now I have to fix my meal before I eat it.” With a heavy, over dramatic sigh, Bill flew over to the sickly child before putting a hand on the boy’s forehead. Soon the struggles and sounds of fear stopped, being replaced with a small smile.
“W-What? My fault…?” What did Bill mean by that? Finally registering the last part Bill had said Dipper felt his heart drop. “Meal?! You can’t eat these kids!” Dipper hissed, trying to get over to Bill to try and stop the demon. Maybe he could whack Bill with the IV stand. Dipper froze though when he saw the young child calming down and seeming to slip into a much more pleasant dream. Apparently Dipper had been gaping in shock because Bill soon fell into a fit of giggles.
“You really are precious! And how do you expect me to eat them? I’m a being of pure energy remember? Honestly. Hello? Dream Demon. I can’t even touch the mortal plane unless under certain circumstances. Summoning, death, being around many that are near-death..” Trailing off Bill seemed to be remembering many things. The demon soon snapped back though, floating back over to Dipper. “I’m a dream demon kid. Dream. Demon. As in dreams….Do I need to spell it out?”
Blushing because he had been laughed at, Dipper took a moment to collect himself. “Okay…so…you eat dreams then?” he finally asked. Dipper then jumped as Bill suddenly popped up right behind him, slapping the pre-teen’s back. “So sorry, you only got it half right. But here! Have a deadly snake as a consolation prize!” Bill chirped softly, snapping his fingers and making the IV stand Dipper held turn into a deadly looking snake. The sudden appearance of the creature caused Dipper to jump back with a squeak of fright. But with a snap of Bill’s fingers the IV stand was back to normal once more.
“BILL?!” Dipper hissed, shaking from the effort it took not to yell at the demon. Bill was just amused, the triangle shaking with suppressed laughter. “Oh-Oh man. You are a riot Pine Tree. Absolutely adorable.” Bill chuckled. He just chuckled more when the human denied being cute under his breath.
“As for your question kid…you ARE half right. Dreams are how I eat. But I don’t eat the actual dreams. I absorb the energy given off while someone dreams. And energy is different depending on the type of dream. Nightmares are spicy. Good dreams are sweet. I have a sweet tooth personally so, although it’s fun to torment people with nightmares, haha, I don’t usually do it to eat.” Humming slightly as he responded, the demon watched the surrounding beds to make sure no one woke up or was having another nightmare.
“Wait..so…you eat the energy? Okay but…why are you here then? Did you come just to mess with me? Take my body again? I won’t let you if you did!” Dipper asked, suspicion clearly written on his features. The dream demon quickly shot down the question though. “I’m here because I’m hungry. And here I thought you were the smart one out of your little group. Guess I was wrong….You see Pine Tree…Humans that are near death tend to have the most horrible nightmares and the strongest energy!. BUT! If you turn those nightmares into good dreams…they become the best meal imaginable. And the people who dream the most…? Children! Dying children in fact. Plagues are the best but a hospital ward like this does fine too now and then.” Bill was looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully while remembering some of the great feasts he had enjoyed in the past. If he had lips he would of licked them at the memory. During the demon’s speech, Dipper seemed stunned.
“So what? You are…helping these kids?” he asked, still stunned.
“Accidentally.” Bill replied with a shrug. “Them having good dreams is just a product of me wanting good food. If it makes them happy or content in dying, who really cares? You humans are so weird with your emotions and mortality. I swear kid, I will never understand it.” Floating back to the middle of the room Bill closed his eye again. Slowly he began to glow a soft blue color, different from any color Dipper had seen the demon change into before. Slowly Bill began to sing again. The sound was calming and Dipper found himself enjoying the melody. Not long after Bill began singing, what seemed like wisps of smoke swirled up from each child before flying slowly to be absorbed into Bill’s body. Once the last bit of the odd looking energy vanished into him the demon returned to his normal appearance and his eye opened. “Aah. Much better. Nothing beats being full! Now I got business to run to…And shouldn’t you be in bed squirt? It’s way past baby’s bedtime.” Tone teasing, the demon enjoyed how Dipper bristled like a cat. Cute. He even got angry like a kitten.
“Y-You…! I’m fine just like this. And it wouldn’t MATTER when I went to sleep if you hadn’t wrecked my body!” Dipper hissed back in response. Truthfully Dipper was trying to hide how awed he had been by the sight of Bill ‘eating’. It had been oddly…beautiful. Not in a way Dipper had ever considered using the word for either.
“Come on kid. The past is the past! Now be a good Pine Tree and leaf me alone.” Bill cooed, enjoying the groan and deadpanned 'Really?’ that Dipper gave in response. With a snap of his fingers Bill then began to glow before waving at Dipper. “I’ve gotta run. But don’t forget…I’m watching. Always watching.” Vanishing from sight after that Bill’s missing presence seemed to make the room seem much heavier and darker.
Frowning, Dipper didn’t think he would ever understand the dream demon. Part of him was determined to try though. 'Man Dipper, you really are a glutton for punishment.’ he thought to himself.
Giving one more glance around the room Dipper then slowly took his leave. He did pause, however, by the last boy’s bed. He was feeling that odd hunger again. Without thinking Dipper reached out and touched the sleeping child through the kid’s blanket. The boy appeared to be at least 4 or 5 years younger than Dipper himself was. Remembering that song Bill had sung Dipper hummed a few notes. It had been a pretty song, although Dipper would never tell Bill that. The triangle had a big enough head already. Not to mention he was a jerk.
For a minute Dipper felt like his hand grew warm. The feeling quickly vanished as the pre-teen pulled his hand back from the young child’s blanket in shock. As the feeling vanished the injured boy figured he must of imagined it. Oddly enough, as he left the room now Dipper felt much better.
He wasn’t hungry anymore.
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((Repost again. aah I forgot how much I liked this one. I rarely feel like I actually do a good job but I do like this one.))