Cold.
It was extremely cold, and I didn't know why. I could feel myself shivering as I sat in the tree. Bill flipped himself upside down from the branch above me, startling me.
"Bill! Don't do that!" I laughed, Bill giggling as he dropped down beside me, snuggling into my side. I grinned as I ran my hair through his fluffy blond hair; He always loved it when I did that. "Watcha writing, lovely?" He questioned curiously, looking at my journal. I blushed at the nickname-
"Dipper?"
- knowing that was the exact reaction he was hoping for. I just rolled my eyes, tousling his hair without answering as I looked up at the darkening sky, frowning slightly when I heard Bill say beside me; "Somethings wrong," Without any warning, the wind picked up, -
"Dipper."
- and almost threw us out of the tree.
"What the fuck?" I exclaimed, looking up at the sky that was rapidly turning a mix of reds and oranges. "
No!" I yelled as the sky split, a giant X appearing in the bloodied sky, like a beautifully chaotic painting tearing at the seams. "
Bill! What's going on?" -
"Dipper!"
- I yelled over the screaming of others below in the town, and he just shook his head. "I Don't know." A white lig-
"Don't open your eyes, I'll keep you safe. Just trust me, Pine tree, and they'll leave us be."
"Dipper!!"
I gasped awake, sitting bolt upright in bed as I looked around frantically, sweat dripping down my forehead. I looked at Bill, who looked just about as panicked as I felt.
"Are you okay?" He asked, frowning. I slowly nodded, swallowing the lump in my throat.
"I... I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to wake you, I-"
Bill gently shushed me, patting my back and thoroughly surprising me.
"Don't apologize, Pine tree, you can't control your nightmares..." Bill said softly. I nodded, letting out a small sigh of relief that he wasn't upset since I still hadn't gotten over how angry he had gotten when he dragged me out of the tree. Bill bit his lip as if making a difficult and risky decision.
"What if we watched a movie? or read a book?" He asked, looking at me with soft eyes. on the contrary, my eyes widened.
"What?" I asked, stunned. Bill huffed, narrowing his eyes.
"I'm not gonna repeat myself, Pine tree." He said, and I rolled my eyes, getting over the initial shock.
"Yeah, cuz you're so big and tough, Mr. demon man." I chuckled out. Now it was Bill's turn to roll his eyes.
"Go get your journal, I want to see what kind of research you've done so far." Bill hummed, and I sighed.
"I know what you're doing, Bill. Don't worry so much, I'm fine. It was just..." I paused as small flashes of the sky splitting returned, making my breath hitch for a moment.
"I'm fine, okay? Thanks for your help, Dorito." I thanked him, offering Bill a small smile. Bill looked hesitant, but nodded and smiled pack.
"All right, Pine tree, sleep well." Bill said quietly as we laid back down.
"Sleep well, Bill."
Hours later, I awoke to find Bill starfished on the bed, only leaving enough room on the bed for me if I was on his chest. And where was I? On the floor. I woke up on the floor because this demon decided in his sleep that my queen-sized bed was too small for the both of us.
I huffed, stretching my aching muscles and stood up, standing up and hitting Bill in the stomach with my pillow. He gasped awake, sitting up as he caught his breath, which had been knocked out of him when I hit him with the pillow.
"What was that for?" Bill whined sleepily, rubbing his eye with his fist as though he was only a little kid.
"You kicked me out of my own bed!" I whisper-yelled, my hands on my hips.
"'M sorry, Dipper. I won't do it again." He yawned out apologetically. I sighed, nodding.
"Alright," I said quietly, satisfied with the apology. Bill gave me a tired grin before flopping back onto the bed, cuddling up under my blankets and with my pillows.
I rolled my eyes, chuckling softly as I made my way up into the loft, mixing the different kinds of milk up just in time for Freud to start squeaking. I quickly fed him then let him go back to sleep. While he slept, I busied myself with doing research and writing things down.
"Dipper?" A small, questioning voice mumbled from behind me about 2 hours after I had gotten up.
"Over here, Percy," I called quietly as to not wake Bill up again. I heard the pitter-patter of small feet walking over, then coming up the loft stairs. The young boy, wrapped in his Sherlock blanket, crawled into my lap and cuddled up to my chest, his bear held tightly in his arms.
"Hey, buddy. Did you just get up?" I asked softly, Pers nodding sleepily.
"Do you want to just sit here for a while as I work?" I asked, and he once again nodded.
"Okay, kiddo. " I hummed, going back to work while the boy I consider a little brother sat in my lap. A few more hours passed by the time Pers slipped out of my lap, leaving to get into some real clothes and go see his sister. I let him do as he pleased since he's smart and old enough to keep himself out of trouble while I worked.
A light knock on the door could be heard, and Mabel entered the room with a plate of bacon and eggs. I glared a little as she brought it up to my loft.
"You missed breakfast." She said sadly, frowning. I just nodded, continuing my work as she left. I glanced at the plate of food, my stomach growling as I eyed the bacon. I shook my head.
"Just one more paragraph, then I'll eat," I muttered to myself, continuing to write things down in my journal.
Bill soon got up, yawning and stretching as he looked around. He got out of bed and walked out of my room, mumbling a tired "Hi, Pine tree." As he did so.
I simply continued to write, three more paragraphs already done since the time I said I'd only do one. There was a knock on my door and I looked up as Pacifica entered, holding a gold envelope. "Dipper? I have something for you." She said, taking my loft's stairs two by two. I looked at her, smiling.
"Sure, what is it?" I asked.
She handed me the gold envelope.
"An invitation to my next party, at the end of next week. Pers said he already told you about it, so I might as well give you your formal invitation. It is a formal party, but I'm sure you won't have a problem with it?" She asked hopefully.
"No problem, Pacifica. I'll be there." I promised, giving the girl a quick hug. Perseus came running in, bolting up the stairs.
"Bye, bro! I'll see you soon!" He cheered, hugging me tightly for a moment before returning to Pacifica's side.
"Goodbye, you two, I'll see you soon," I confirmed, the two smiling as they turned to leave.
"Oh! And say goodbye to the other three for me!" I called after them.
"We will!" They called back in unison, permitting me to get back to work. And the best part? They closed the door when they left.
Soon, everyone had left and thankfully the girls cleaned up their mess before they departed. Now it was just Freud, Bill and I left in this big house. I continued my research, only pausing to go to the bathroom and feed or play with Freud.
In all, it was a calm day for everyone, since Bill spent his day watching TV.
By the time it was 9 pm I had written at least 10 paragraphs thanks to my state of hyperfocus and non-stop work. However, this greatly tired me, and I found that by 10 pm I was already ready to go to sleep.
I sighed, looking down at my pages of research, 'Not enough.' My brain told me, and I frowned. I stood up from my chair and made my way downstairs and into the kitchen, where Bill was cooking.
"Hey, Dipper," Bill said, waving from his spot in front of the stove.
"Hey, Bill," I replied, turning on the coffee machine and beginning to make myself a cup. Bill cocked an eyebrow, looking at me skeptically.
"Coffee? At this time?" He questioned, glancing at the clock above the doorway. I nodded. "Yeah, I have work I need to get done," I explained, Bill apparently not happy with my answer. "You've been working all day, Pine tree. take a break." Bill suggested.
"I'm cooking some jambalaya, do you want some?" He asked, grinning. I eyed the food, raising a brow.
"Why are you cooking jambalaya at nearly half-past ten?" I questioned, my stomach growling once more, not going unnoticed by Bill.
"Because I'm hungry, and apparently so are you. Sit down." Bill ordered, albeit hesitantly. "Excuse me?" I asked as I made my coffee, eyeing Bill suspiciously.
"I said sit down, Pine tree. You obviously haven't eaten all day, and I'll be damned if I find you dead in the morning. " Bill huffed more firmly, and I rolled my eyes.
"You're a demon, you've already been damned." I huffed, and Bill frowned unamusedly. I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"Fine, ill sit and eat, but afterwards I'm going back to work." I huffed, Bill finally smiled, chuckling lightly.
"All right, Pine tree, you do that." He hummed, plating the food and placing the plates on the table, leaving the pan and spatula on the stove away from the hot burner. He sat where he usually sits, at the end of the table opposite me.
We began eating, and I couldn't help but smile. The food, as always, is delicious. It tasted even better because I hadn't eaten all day.
"Well, you seem to like my cooking." Bill chuckled, making me huff.
"No, actually, it's horrible, like eating a mud pie and worms," I said sarcastically, Bill pressing a hand to his chest.
"You wound me, Pine tree," Bill said dramatically, leaning back. The chair fell backwards with Bill's weight, a smash and a yelp resounding in the otherwise quiet kitchen. I instantly began laughing, almost choking on some shrimp as I did so. Bill glared at me playfully from the ground, more offended than actually angry.
"Don't laugh! it's not funny!" Bill said although he was bitting back his own bursts of laughter. I continued to laugh, doubling over as my stomach began to hurt. Bill started laughing as well, the kitchen filled with nothing but our laughter. As we laughed, Bill picked himself and the chair up, dusting himself off as he sat back down.
"Okay, okay, no more laughing, pine tree. I could have been severely wounded, but you would have never known because you were too busy laughing at me!" Bill exclaimed, still lightly chuckling. I shook my head, still chuckling as well.
"No, you would have been fine, you're just overdramatic." I said, taking another bite.
"Says the one who sings Babba in the shower." I nearly choked again, having to cover my mouth so I didn't cough out my food. I finished my bite, looking at Bill wide-eyed.
"I'm not the one who started the incident!" I retorted, although my tone was playful. Bill's face fell slightly, and he frowned. I frowned as well, feeling bad for bringing it up. Bill seemed to notice how guilty he looked since he smiled.
"Hey! Hey, it's cool, okay? That's in the past. We're okay now, remember?" Bill cheerily reminded, though the uncertainty in his voice was easy to hear, and I nodded.
"Yeah... We're cool now." It was awkward for a moment before Bill offered his hand.
"Fist bump?" He questioned. I laughed at his attempt to make it less awkward, but I gave in and we fist-bumped.
We both settled back into our chairs, eating dinner while we made small talk about what we had done today. Once dinner was over, I cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes, since Bill cooked.
"Thanks, Bill!" I called as I rushed upstairs, getting a distant "Welcome!" from below me, though it sounded slightly uncertain. I went into my room and back up to the loft, where Freud was squeaking for food.
I chuckled and made him his dinner, introducing some of the meat mush since he should be able to eat it by now. The little hedgett gladly lapped down the food, and so I wrote about the hedgett's diet so far. It had only been an hour when I received a knock on my door.
"Come in!" I called from my desk, Bill walking in almost immediately after I had said it.
"Hey, uh... can we talk?" He asked softly, catching my full attention. I turned to look at him, noticing how he was nervously fidgeting with the hem of his shirt.
"Uh... Yeah, sure..." I said, standing up and hopping out of the loft, walking over and sitting in my bed. He inched forward slightly, shifting nervously from foot to foot until I patted the spot in front of me on the bed, inviting him to sit with me. He gladly did so, sitting down at the end of my bed.
"So, uh... about last night..." Bill started, and I immediately got defensive.
"What about it?" I asked, shrinking away slightly.
"What was the dream about?" He asked, looking uncertain. I frowned, trying to think of what exactly the dream was about.
"I... I don't remember the details, but we were talking, and... and then the sky split and It was just so... so cold..." I said, starting to tear up. Bill frowned, obviously recalling the incident as well. I quickly whipped my eyes, not wanting to cry in front of him again.
"I should... I should get back to work..." I mumbled, going up into my loft. Bill just nodded, but he didn't leave yet.
"Actually... can we talk about-"
"No," I said firmly before he had a chance to finish.
"I...I don't want to speak about the incident..." I whispered, getting even more upset. Bill was silent, but I knew he had seen me start crying.
Bill left the room, leaving me to cry on my own.
It was nearly midnight, now, and I had stopped crying nearly an hour ago. Bill had attempted to bring me water and chocolate, but I refused. I didn't want to see him, talk to him, let alone eat or drink anything he would give me; I could tell that he felt guilty by the way he looked at me and acted.
Psychology 101 is how to tell guilt apart from manipulation, and he was certainly guilty. He ended up feeding Freud for me, though, since I was shaking too much to do so myself. I guess just because I had stopped crying, it did not mean my nerves had completely calmed. I had tried to thank him, but I found that my voice didn't seem ready to cooperate at the moment.
It was now 12:35 am, and I was finally starting to calm down, my body no longer shaking as much. I was exhausted, and I still felt the tight pain in my chest, but I simply could not allow myself to keep wallowing in my sorrow, not when I had work to do.
I sighed, getting out of bed and going down the stairs to get some coffee. I downed the black coffee within 30 seconds of my first sip, returning to my room to continue working.
However, it seemed like certain god-like beings had different plans for me tonight.
I began typing away on my computer, working on an assignment my university had told me to have done by the end of my summer retelling the things that I had found and what I was doing with my knowledge of the unknown.
The essay had to be at least 5 pages, 10 at most, but I could easily write all of them in one night if I was so pleased to do so. I was only halfway through the first page when a white, wispy light appeared outside my window. I blinked, and the being was in front of me.
"Hello, dear." The moon demon said in a voice that echoed, a voice that was neither feminine, masculine, or human. I looked at the figure, their face I could only describe as warm and gentle, their body as androgynous as any being could be.
It seemed that they were wearing both a large, flowing dress as well as a suit simultaneously; Although I could clearly see and picture them, I wouldn't be able to properly describe them, so how this god-like demon looked depended on who was looking at them.
"I can tell that you are confused about my nature and my connections with Bill, young one. How lovely it is to see such a curious little creature. " The demon hummed, stretching its arms out to me, their robe-like clothing flowing towards me in a beckoning manner.
"Come with me, little one, and I shall give you the answers you so desire." They said, and I nodded, walking towards them. I took their hand, immediately feeling a wave of gentle calm wash over me. The figure smiled as we appeared in a sort of dream-like land, the only thing I could see was beige and white, our surroundings looking like what I could only describe as clouds, but at the same time, they clearly weren't.
"Now, you may be wondering what I am. I am the moon demon. I am one of the highest demons, and I uphold the safety of humans. I watch over every crisis and downfall of humanity, seeing all of the time in every universe at the same time. The Past, present and future of every timeline always present in my field of vision. I have watched over every lower-class demon in all of history. Some even call me the mother of all demons." They said calmly. I opened my mouth to speak, but they answered my question even before I answered it.
"My name is Periculosus, and I am not a man nor a woman, for I am not human. My appearance is in the eye of the beholder, as is my voice." The demon sang, and I couldn't help the smile that crossed my lips.
"I am called mother because many enjoy using the term, and find that I am a caring being. Your stereotypes for terms both for men and women do not apply to being such as I, and so 'mother' is a fitting term for anyone." They explained, beckoning me closer. The being looked around as they pulled me into their arms, cradling me with arms that felt more like pure light and clouds than true limbs.
"Bill is trying to wake you. You must not tell him of our encounter, understood? He is not allowed to know." The demon warned.
"Now wake. little one."
I gasped awake, glancing around frantically.
"Pine tree! Come on, away from the window-" Bill said, trying to drag me out of my chair.
"Wha? No, I-" Bill cut me off with a groan and picked me up, rushing down to the main level of the room.
"What are you doing?" I mumbled, finally noticing that the house was shaking.
"Is this an earthquake?" I panicked, trying to push Bill away.
"No, Pine tree just- Close your eyes!"
"What, I-"
"Do you want to live? Close your eyes!" He yelled, panicked. I obeyed and quickly closed my eyes, but still fought to get away as the house shook. He held me to his chest, making sure I didn't open my eyes even though I was pushing and punching at him, yelling at him to let me go. A loud bang was heard from outside the house, as well as shrieking, and I whimpered as I struggled to get away from Bill's hold.
I was terrified and shaking at this point. Another bang and high-pitched screeching could be heard, but above it all, I could hear Bill gently whispering to me, "Don't open your eyes, I'll keep you safe. Just trust me, Pine tree, and they'll leave us be." I felt my mind slow at those words, and I finally gave in, pressing closer to Bill to allow him to hold me.
He immediately held me closer, wrapping his arms tighter around me as the house rocked and shuddered, the loud wailing of what seemed like a siren, though I knew it truly wasn't, raged on outside.
I noticed too late that I started having a panic attack, my breath now quick and never seem like enough. Bill rocked me gently, combing his fingers through my hair.
"It's okay, you'll be okay, Pine tree. I'll keep you safe. They won't hurt you, I promise." He whispered, and I couldn't do anything other than gripping his shirt. The lights flickered and the house groaned. I grit my teeth together as I felt the house move, the lights suddenly not working.
Bill looked around frantically for something, anything, that would calm me down, and his eyes landed on my closet.
"Stay here. " He said, rushing over to my closet despite my pleas for him not to leave me alone, my eyes closed and rendering me defenceless. Though it was only a matter of seconds before I felt him pick me up again, wrapping me in a blanket and handing me a stuffed animal.
"See, sapling? You're okay, you're safe." He muttered, and I was too scared to protest about the ridiculous term of endearment he gave me, as well as the blanket and stuffed animal, although I do admit the items helped quite a bit to calm me down.
Finally, the shaking and wailing seemed to come to a halt, and there were a few minutes of tense silence before Bill sighed, his muscles relaxing as he realized it must be over.
"You can open your eyes now, Dipper." He said tiredly, and I did so, even though there was a tremble in his voice. I looked around the darkroom, my eyes slowly adjusting to the pitch black. I was surprised to see that nothing fell off my shelves, nor was there any damage to anything.
I looked at Bill, my panic still fairly present as I asked, "What the HELL was that?" I asked.
"That, Pine tree, was the moon demon. "
"You mean your mo-"
"No! They are NOT my mother!" He said, his voice akin to a growl. I flinched, and his expression softened.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." He said gently, keeping his tone down.
"You can't trust them. They aren't what they say they are." Bill said seriously. I nodded, frowning. "Can you tell me what happened before you fell asleep?" Bill asked, and I nodded.
"I was working, and then they appeared outside the window and then they just kinda beckoned me to follow them. Then I was in a sort of cloud place, and everything around us was beige and white." I told him, and he muttered something along the line of "So they took you to the dreamscape..." I looked at him as he stared at the floor, the cogs in his mind clearly turning in thought.
"They said I was safe with them..." I mumbled, and Bill's eyes flashed.
"They're lying."
"How do you know?" I asked, Bill's eyes filling with pure, wild rage, growling out his next sentence.
"Because they said the same thing to me."