Izuku was surprised when they finally left the area. Not because of Bill's childish curiosity about everyone and everything in this new world, but rather the fact that nobody seemed to be noticing him. He looked down at his hands and found that they were rather transparent. So he was some sort of ghost-thing now? People started giving Bill funny looks because of the creepy grin they wore. They seemed amused by everyone.
Izuku couldn't really blame them for being so interested in all the different types of quirks people had, he liked them too. Then Bill started taking quirks from people when they looked at someone. Of course, their quirk was always returned due to how useless they were to Bill, but it was a fascinating power nonetheless. Izuku continued to follow Bill in his new ghost-like form, watching them analyze everything.
"You really like quirks, don't you Bill?" Izuku asked, more so to himself than anything. Izuku hadn't expected Bill to react to his "voice", seeing as nobody else seemed to notice his presence. By that logic, they probably wouldn't hear him either, but Bill seemed to know he was there. Izuku knew this because Bill spared him a short glance followed by a satisfied grin. Then Izuku realized how stupid he was. Of course, Bill would see and hear him. They are in his body after all. And if Bill is a demon and demons can see ghosts, that means that Bill can see Izuku.
He mentally face-palmed for being so dumb, but knowing that Bill could see and hear him meant that he could actually interact with someone, so he felt a bit less lonely now. Well, since Bill was so curious, maybe he could give him some information. "I know you probably won't talk back to me, because you'll look weird and all, but do you wanna hear more about this world? You look really curious," Izuku asked him. Bill pressed their hand to their chin in thought and decided to see what the kid could do. They had already looked into Izuku's memories due to the both of them sharing a single mind, so they knew everything Izuku knew, but decided to accept the offer anyway. Bill shrugged as a response to Izuku's offer, which gave Izuku the go-ahead.
To their surprise, Izuku was a lot more intelligent than any average 8-year-old. This proved to be true when Izuku rambled about the rules of this world. Izuku explained the job of a hero and how villains played a role in the world. Then he explained about the ranking of a hero and how Bill might be able to become a hero, all of which Bill already knew, but Izuku's opinions were more interesting than some basic information. Izuku had a sort of neutral opinion on most heroes, though his worship of the number-one hero was a bit too much. Most people idolized All Might for his fame, power, money, quirk, or anything else related to it, but Izuku was different. Despite the change in Izuku's demeanor from Bill's presence in their mind, Izuku still idolized All Might's desire to save those in need. Izuku Idolized All Might for being what a hero should be.
Some time had passed with all the exploring the two of them did and it was starting to get dark. Bill didn't exactly want to go "home", but they had to find a place to sleep. Even if they were a demon, they were still possessing a human, and humans need certain things to stay alive. If they wanted to keep this new body, they would need a house and a stable income to help them afford all of those things. "Hey, kid. Got any ideas on what we should do? Now that you are dead, we can't go "home" but we need a place to stay. We also need an income to pay for everything," Bill explained. Izuku thought for a moment, before coming to a decision.
"Well, at the moment, I can point out an abandoned building we can stay at for the time being. Or at least until we can renovate it," Izuku told them. Bill had decided that was a good plan. Plus, they were a demon, so they didn't need money to renovate a building when they could just rebuild the entire thing with magic. "And as for income... well, since we are going by my age, we can't enroll in any hero schools yet, so that's not an option... wait a minute. Heroes! That's it!" Izuku yelled, suddenly getting an idea. "We can make support items! Some heroes' quirks are unstable without equipment, and there are lots of people whose quirks go out of control, so we could use that to increase our sales. And since you made us look older, we can make it a business without anyone stopping us because of our age!" Izuku pointed out. And to be fair, it was a pretty good plan.
"You know what, kid? You're pretty smart, I like you!" Bill praised, causing Izuku's face to go red in embarrassment. He wasn't used to compliments, so he didn't really know how to respond to them and got flustered. "Let's do it. If your memory serves correctly, the place should be nearby. Let's hurry before night comes," Bill told him. "Yeah! This is gonna be fun!" Izuku cheered, getting over his embarrassment. Bill was actually pretty glad that Izuku was so on board with their plan. The other humans that Bill had possessed had kicked the dream demon out whenever they started trying to get that person to do what they wanted. But Izuku was different. Not only did the boy not seem to mind being possessed, but he was actually happy about it. Someone who was willing to end their life must not care as much about being controlled as someone who would do everything they could just to live a little bit longer. That was completely fine with Bill because that meant that Izuku wasn't going to fight back when Bill started planning world domination.
"Well, here we are!" Bill announced. The demon and ghost child were standing in front of a broken-down two-floor house. It was a decent size, but it wasn't big enough for Bill's liking. One snap and the building went up in blue flames. Bill almost laughed at Izuku's expression. The child's eyes sparkled as he watched the house rebuild itself from the ashes. Even with no materials, it seemed to put itself together from scratch. The wooden foundation planted itself firmly in the ground and filled up with concrete and then the bones of the structure built itself from nothing. Wood and reinforced steel laid out the structure of a wide three-story building. Insulation and soundproof paint materialized and filled in the white walls that lined the house, both in and out. Decorative designs formed an archway that framed a double doorway. Triangle-shaped windows made of crystal clear glass allowed one to see inside with ease. Finally, a sign that said the words "The Cipher" was displayed above the large doorway, and a sign was placed next to the door explaining how they sold equipment that would improve and stabilize quirks.
Bill strolled inside and listened to the endless praises from Izuku about how cool that was and a long list of questions about all the powers Bill could use. Bill saw no problem answering all of his questions. Izuku gushed over how amazing Bill was and how they could do anything. Bill chuckled to themselves as Izuku rambled about all the things they could make. Bill summoned a notepad that Izuku could use to write down all of his ideas so they could review them later. They decided to focus on the more important task, which was designing the inside of the building. Bill didn't take very long to do so, and Izuku started taking notes on Bill's sense of style, which gained another laugh from the demon.
Bill took one last look at their handiwork and nodded. They would work on drawing in customers tomorrow. For now, it was time to work on the different machines they were going to sell. Hopefully, their old "pal" Stanford didn't mind them using some of his inventions. And when they were done, they could get to work on some other plans that Bill had. Bill wasn't about to take over the world on their own.
. . .
The next day, people started to gather around the once broken-down building that seemed to reform overnight into a beautifully made structure with smooth pillars and intricately made glass. Once the number of people had reached a good enough number, a beautiful "man" in a fancy yellow suit with a black top hat and cane gracefully walked out. He smiled and opened his arms to the growing crowd. "Welcome to my humble abode, where I make items to suit your daily quirkish needs!" they advertised, bowing to the crowd. Murmurs and whispers passed through the crowd about the introduction. "Well? What are you waiting for? Come on in and take a look!" they announced, opening the doors with the snap of a finger.
A few people in the crowd decided to enter the building and were awed at the items displayed inside. The bottom floor was filled with items that were for transformation-type quirks, the second floor held devices that supported mutant-type quirks, and the top floor displayed cases and shelves with items for emitter-type quirks. Bill had installed a basement that was in the backroom behind the reception counter that was only accessible to them, a recommendation from Izuku. There were also bathrooms and changing rooms. Cameras and security measures were also something that Izuku had absolutely insisted on. It took a bit of convincing, but Bill eventually gave in. They knew how right the boy was about the mean people in this world who would try to trick or take advantage of them.
People were starstruck by the different items in the store and some had started calling their family and friends, further advertising the company. Soon enough the place was absolutely packed and the money just kept rolling in. There were still some people who were still reluctant but quickly followed suit when they saw the amazing effects and boosts that the equipment provided. It wasn't long before everything had sold out and Bill had to announce that they were closing shop until next week to restock.
There were many who had requested custom-made items from the salesperson but were politely declined. "Apologies my friend, but I am very busy so you must wait until next week like everyone else. Farewell, my dear customers!" Bill said, ushering them out of the building. One by one the customers left the premises until one of them decided to ask a question. "Sir, can we contact you in any way?" A blue-haired man asked. He had thrusters in his arms that gave Bill a sense of Deja Vu. "Oh! I know him! That's the pro hero Ingenium! His real name is Tensei Ilda and his quirk is Engine. The quirk is genetic so it runs in the family. His entire family tree is a long line of heroes with that quirk, all of which have an engine in some part of their body-" Izuku supplied, continuing to ramble about the hero.
Bill took a mental note of the information and tuned out the rest of Izuku's rambling so they could respond to the hero. "Sadly, I have no way to contact anyone at the moment," Bill told him. "Then may I know your name?" Tensei asked. Bill smirked, "Bill, Bill Cipher," they responded. The demon had already known that Izuku didn't want to be revealed to anyone just yet. He was dead as far as everyone else knew, and the kid wanted it to stay like that. So using his name was a no-go. Tensei nodded in understanding and left the building, allowing Bill to finally lock up.
Bill went over to the counter and counted the money they earned. The two were surprised to count a little over a million dollars. Bill summoned a magical safe to put all the money in so nobody would be able to reach it. "Woah! You really stacked up this much money in one day?! That's amazing Cipher-san! At this rate, you'll take over the world in no time!" Izuku praised. Bill laughed at Izuku's optimism. The kid looked like a puppy with those sparkling eyes. "Well, it might take a few years, but who cares?" they replied cooly. Izuku agreed and followed as Bill walked into the backroom where the basement was.
Bill installed an apartment inside the basement which was where they lived. It had all the utilities and supplies to sustain them as long as they needed. There was a secret room installed behind a bookshelf that opened when you pushed on a white book. Izuku knew the reason it was there, but he wasn't very comfortable with it. Bill said that Izuku was allowed to wait outside when Bill went in there to do his "work". There were some things about quirks that couldn't be understood with just analysis alone, and that's where Bill came in. He did the things Izuku couldn't. Izuku would sit outside the room and analyze any interesting quirks they came across while Bill would collect information for further analysis that Izuku wouldn't dare to touch. Bill would help in places that Izuku lacked understanding in and in return, Izuku would share all the information he gathered with the demon. The two of them had a system planned out that they both would definitely use someday when the time came.
But for now, it was time to rest. Bill considered showing Izuku the dreamscape and how to use it. They were curious to see what kind of world Izuku would create in that little mind of his. If it was anything like Shooting Star's, they would have to make a separate space so they didn't have to deal with all that annoying glitter. Bill's curiosity got the best of them and they dragged Izuku into their shared mind.
"What, why am I here again? Cipher-san what's-" Izuku asked worriedly but was interrupted by a small finger being placed on his lips. "First off, just call me Bill. I'm glad that you are being respectful towards me, but we're pals now, so no need for formalities, okay?" Bill told him, and Izuku nodded silently. Bill removed their finger and floated around Izuku. It was strange seeing Bill in their true form. He had gotten used to the dashing blonde in the fancy suit and completely forgot about the fact that the real Bill Cipher was actually a triangle. A cyclops pyramid to be exact. "Now, as to why we're here, I wanted to show you something," Bill explained. Izuku tilted his head curiously, forcing Bill to look away in hopes of escaping those stupid puppy-dog eyes.
"This is the dreamscape. I usually rule over it, but I want to see what your mind looks like, so I want you to modify it," Bill explained. "My mind? What do you mean?" Izuku asked. "Figures you wouldn't understand. Let me explain. See, humans have a sort of space in their mind that reflects who they are as a person. It's built on memories and emotions. What I want you to do is to change this place to match whatever feels like you. Show me what you're made of kid," Bill told him. Izuku didn't really know how to do that, but if this is what he thinks it is, then it should be easier than it sounds. 'Don't overthink this, just make it feel like you,' he thought to himself.
When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to see a laboratory. He didn't really understand why that would represent who he was, so they decided to explore and see what part of this place represented him. The first thing the two saw upon entering the place was a room with a lot of boards. Pinboards with red stings and photos, Markerboards with analysis' and crudely-drawn faces on them, and chalkboards with equations and notes. "Looks like this is the place where all your thoughts and theories come from. You sure have a lot going on in here," Bill noted. Izuku nodded and moved to keep looking at the other rooms.
There were some rooms that Bill had expected from Izuku, though they were a bit bland. There was a giant library which must be where his memories were stored. A quarantined area with lots of chemicals, the room where dreams were made. A maze with lots of stickers and puzzles as a guide. An art room, a classroom, a gym, basically an entire school at this point. Then there were training rooms with computers and robots, which were likely for simulations of what might happen in certain scenarios, which meant this room was forethought. Then there was the lobby, which was basically the main room. Not a single hint of childish thoughts here.
There was a daycare in the side room with what looked like the bare minimum. A few coloring books were on a small shelf, some building blocks, a small spiral slide that was accessible by a green ladder, and a small table with a plate of katsudon on it. That was Izuku's favorite food. Bill could tell the toys were more for critical thinking than playing. And that slide was definitely an expression. It probably had to do with Izuku's constant ramblings. Spiraling thoughts, the building blocks of an idea, the coloring books were blueprints that needed finer details, and the katsudon is a moment of rest. This wasn't a daycare, this was a study. Bill felt a bit sad now. It's like this kid doesn't even try to have fun. The fact that this room is here means that he wants to have a childhood, but he just doesn't know how so he only plays with toys that inspire creativity and critical thinking. He then integrates their purpose into the lab where his thoughts are processed. The only problem is that the "toys" are more of mental training than entertainment. The only thing in here that looked entertaining was the giant All Might rug in the middle of the room. Bill should've expected that one.
Moving on from that secretly depressing room, they reached a long hall. It was dark, flooded, and there wasn't even a ceiling. It was just rusty pipes. This was a sewer. There were lots of rooms with strange... entities. "Ah, so this is the nightmare zone. Looks like you got some really nasty ones in here. Lots of trauma going on," Bill explained. Despite their neutral tone, they were greatly unsettled by the creatures. Some had deformed "bodies", some were just shadows, some were a type of toxic goo, and then there were a few oddities here and there that were more confusing than anything. But out of all of them, there was one that Bill was actually scared to go near. A creepy black mist that jerked this way and that with red eyes that stared crazily at Bill. Strangely enough, Izuku seemed to recognize that one the most. He looked guilty too as if he was responsible for creating such a destructive force. Bill knew what kind of nightmare this was, which is why he was concerned about how little it was secured. It was in a cage, but the cage was rusted and barely held together by torn ropes. It was probably the most problematic of them all. Bill did not want that thing in the dreamscape. Hatred was always a pain to deal with, but it was worth fighting.
"Well, I think I understand what's going on here. Your mind is a lab because all of your thoughts are an experiment waiting to happen. The nightmares in the sewers are dark thoughts, negative emotions, and all sorts of trauma that you shove into the back of your mind to forget about. But that loose canon right there breaks out every chance it gets and goes on a rampage, which feeds into more negative thoughts and emotions. It also runs around the lab, destroying whatever thought you had on your mind in favor of what would probably end in a panic attack. So, in conclusion... you need a therapist. I know just the demon, but she's not allowed in the dreamscape, got it?" Bill explained, making sure to give Izuku a stern look when they said the last part. Izuku nodded in acceptance.
"Thank you," Izuku whispered, just loud enough for Bill to hear. Bill looked away for a moment before sighing and placing a hand on Izuku's head. They ruffled his green hair softly as the child cried. Even though Izuku didn't say it, Bill knew why Izuku was thanking them. It wasn't because Bill was going to get him some help, it was because they cared enough to do so. Izuku wasn't used to people caring about him so he was glad to finally have someone to call a true friend. "Hey, let's go back to the daycare. This place is depressing," Bill said, acting annoyed.
Bill made a silent vow to get rid of Izuku's hatred. It's okay to feel angry every now and then, but this one was just growing and festering. He needed an outlet. Hopefully, their bird friend wouldn't mind. She was a total mother hen, pun intended, and would most likely jump at the opportunity to dote on a traumatized child. If Bill let this continue the way it was, it was only a matter of time before Izuku snapped and took control out of pure spite. That much hatred is dangerous, and even deadly if not dealt with properly. And one of that size only proves how urgent this matter is.
But for now, Izuku needs a distraction, so they're going to teach Izuku how to create things in the mindscape. Some actual toys would be a good start. They'll allow it as long as Izuku doesn't bedazzle the whole place and cover it in glitter and rainbows. Bill refuses to allow another pig-loving teenager with an obsession for drama and sparkly stuff into their mindscape. They learned their lesson. Bill had to stop Izuku from making puzzles and books, though. They ended up giving him a copy of Grimm's fairytales as an example of what to make.
That seemed to work well enough since the next few items in the room were a green bunny plush, a rainbow Furby, and an All Might onesie. Bill decided this was acceptable and woke up to the sound of an alarm clock, pulling Izuku out of the mindscape in the process, still in his onesie and holding his plush. Bill didn't notice this until they saw him in the mirror when they were brushing their teeth and nearly choked on the water that was in their mouth.
Bill decided on Izuku's new nickname.
. . .
"Alright, that should be everything. Ready to head out, bunny?" Bill asked, now dressed in their original outfit. Izuku was confused at the new nickname until he realized that he still had the plush in his arms. Red-faced and flustered, he poofed the bunny away and nodded frantically. Bill snorted at the ghost child's antics and climbed out of the basement. Despite no longer having the plush, he still looked like a bunny with those two floppy yellow ears on the hood that were meant to look like All Might's signature cowlicks.
"That's not gonna save you, bunny. This is sticking whether you like it or not," Bill teased, summoning a yellow wallet and putting some of the money from their safe into the wallet. Izuku groaned in defeat and curled into a ball, pulling his hood over his face to cover his blushing face, not that it did anything to stop Bill's roaring laughter. Bill might like the kid, but they were friends, and friends tease each other. And Bill took great pleasure in tormenting the little green ghost child.
It took a bit to reach the mall, but when they did, Bill was recognized immediately. Izuku floated above the crowd of people that gathered to try and get information about how their inventions worked, but they were denied that information with a simple shrug and "It's a secret", which Izuku laughed at. Bill walked away from the crowd to collect food and supplies. Bill was human now, which meant that they needed to keep their human body healthy, so food was a must.
After Bill collected everything they needed and paid for it, they told the store clerk to deliver it to their work address later and went to go buy a house. Sure they had a place to live, but how was Bill supposed to summon all their demon friends without suspicion if his basement was full of demons? Besides, it's always good to have a backup plan in case someone tries to rob the secret apartment, or worse, finds the hidden room. After a long search, Bill finally found the most expensive place available. It was a mansion with over two thousand square feet. The house was called "the Kyodai Castle" and it was 1.5 million yen. Bill agreed to buy it on the spot.
The dream demon didn't actually have enough money for that, but a few tweaks in reality and they had doubled the amount of cash in their safe. The dealer was glad to hear that someone was going to buy it after it being on the market for five years. The lack of paperwork on the house was a huge weight lifted off the poor woman's shoulders. "Tell me, my dear, do you know a place where I could hire professional maids and butlers?" Bill asked, leaning in close to her face, causing the poor lady to turn red. "Y-yes sir, please follow me," she replied, hurriedly rushing away in another direction. 'Don't scare her away, Bill! We still need her,' Izuku huffed, reprimanding them for their actions. "Oh, she isn't scared, bunny. I assure you," Bill said mischievously. Izuku was too young to understand the mental torture they were putting this woman through, but Bill was having fun riling the two up.
Today was a very productive day.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
(Oh, yeah! Two chapters in one go! Readers, keep in mind, Izuku is still eight years old so there are no ships. And for any wondering about Bill's opinion of Izuku, they look at him the same way we look at a puppy. And considering that Izuku was abused, bullied, and betrayed, Bill feels the need to protect him due to facing a similar past. Bill may be a demon of chaos, but they aren't evil.
Oh, and as for why I've been using they/them pronouns on Bill, it's because they are a demon. And most demons are spirits, and thus they have no physical gender to refer to themselves as. So Bill is technically genderless in this. Most people in the book will refer to them with "he/him" pronouns because they don't know that Bill is a demon, but Bill has long since gotten used to it and has accepted that humans are like that.
So yeah, hope that clears everything up!
Thanks for reading, and I'll see you soon.)