A/N: Hey! I'm back with another chapter! I know that I took a while to update, but it's because I was gonna go one way in this chapter, and decided to just delete part of it and start over. Ah, I sure do love the fresh taste of indecisiveness. :)
Also, like always, the picture (aka the doodles) above are drawn by yours truly, Mango~
A burning scent filled my senses. It stung my nose, and a searing warmth embraced my body. My eyes darted open. I sat up quickly, fear stricken into my face. I wasn't in the Mystery Shack, and instead, I found myself in the middle of town. Fire engulfed some of the buildings, and smoke billowed into the sky. I swung my head around in distress, looking for any living being. To my dismay, I was alone.
A large orb was chained in between two of the cliff sides, and I immediately recognized the symbol on it from one of Mabel's sweaters. It radiated a threatening aura, and I stared at it in complete shock. Screaming echoed in the distance, and when my eyes shifted to the sky, I almost couldn't believe what I was seeing.
A large black pyramid hovered in the sky, debris orbiting around it like planets. A giant tear in the atmosphere stretched before my eyes, a swirl of vivid colors thrashing around inside. A shrill laughter rang through the air, and disbelief encased me as I recognized it. Bill. Realization struck me and I clenched my fists as I stared at the ground. They told me that he started an apocalypse. I knew that, and I was trying to let it go. But this... this was so much worse than I thought.
He was so much worse than I thought!
I jumped up in my bed, screaming. Sweat clung to my trembling body as Dipper and Mabel both bolted up from their own beds. They quickly rushed to my aid as I gripped my hair in fear. "(Y/N), what happened?!"
"Are you okay?!"
"What's going on?!"
Their worried voices brought me back to reality as I stared at them. It was a dream. It's not real. I scooped them both in an embrace, tears stinging my eyes. "I am so confused." Dipper deadpanned, and I rubbed my eyes, letting them go. "I-I had a really bad ni-nightmare..." I mustered out, slightly embarrassed. They sat patiently in front of me, and I did my best to explain what I saw in my dream. Just as I had feared, they knew exactly what I was talking about. "What you just described was Weirdmaggedon." Dipper confirmed, and Mabel nodded in agreement, " I don't know how you were able to see it since you weren't here last year, but... you got it dead on."
I sat on my bed, incredibly uncomfortable, my sweat still clinging to my skin. Part of me wanted to be scooped up in Bill's caring embrace and forget this all happened, but now I'd seen it. I saw the destruction he had caused; the lives he had destroyed. Was I wrong about him? Is our friendship truly just a trap to manipulate me? Just the day before we had such a great time. Not to mention how we just layed in my bed and stared into each other's eyes. It sounds corny now, but it meant something to me. I... I had truly believed that I was falling for him. And then a realization struck me.
He had to be planning something. If I had a dream like that, then it must've been a sign; a warning. So many thoughts plagued my mind, and I knew that I'd have to think of a plan myself. I still didn't need the twins to know of his return, so I'd have to do this alone. The only problem would be trying to trick the demon. Bill was smart, and with my luck, he might even know how to read minds. I'd have to do a lot of preparing, but for now, I would need to just play it cool.
As great as an idea it sounded, I immediately knew in my heart that I couldn't hurt Bill. I knew that he was most likely using me, but I was even more aware of the feelings I had caught. It was so much pressure at once, but even I couldn't forget the screams of agony from my dream.
"Maybe people don't change..." I mumbled in defeat, hanging my head.
"What?" Mabel asked, and I froze. Did I seriously just say that out loud?! Ugh, I'm so stupid! "No-nothing." I blurted out, and by the looks on their faces, I knew they weren't going to let that down. "Alright, (Y/N), spill the beans." Mabel demanded, crossing her arms. I looked at Dipper, and he was doing the same. I tensed, unsure of what to do. I can't tell them about Bill. Not yet. They'd be after him in a heartbeat, and I still needed to work out a plan to find out what he was up to. If I told them, they'll go after him, and he might hurt them...! My siblings leaned in, clearly impatient about what I had to say. "I... I..." I stuttered, but I couldn't even think of a lie to tell them.
"I need some fresh air!" I yelled, pushing them out of the way, and darting out of the room. I heard them shout in protest, and rapid footsteps followed me. I ran down the stairs and through the hallway. I saw Ford walking and as I passed him I called, "Grunkle Ford, distract them for me! Thanks!" I didn't stick around to hear his reply. I dashed out into the shop, bumping into Grunkle Stan, and I mumbled an apology as I left the Shack. The footsteps didn't follow me outside, and neither did their pleading shouts. Although I knew I would be safe for a while, I didn't dare stop running.
Soon, I saw houses, and then stores. I stopped for a second to catch my breath, gasping for air. I craned my neck to look behind me, but there was no sign of my siblings. I breathed a sigh of relief, and looked ahead. My heart dropped as I was in the middle of town. The same place as my nightmare. Flashes of screaming and the smell of smoke invaded my mind, and I tried to shake it away, but it wouldn't stop. That tear in the sky seared into my memories as the demonic laughter rang in my skull.
I jumped as someone blared their horn in their car, and I realized that I was standing in the middle of the road. I flushed bright red, and ran to the sidewalk, the stares of civilians only making my embarrassment worse.
I walked at a brisk pace, my eyes trained to the ground, and my arms crossed. Suddenly, a sweet, maple aroma engulfed my senses, and I glanced up to see Greasy's Diner. The sight of it almost made me cry as I remembered the time spent with Bill there. I hesitantly walked towards it, but didn't go inside. Instead, I made my way to the back, and slumped against the wall. I looked to my right to see a dumpster. I rested my hand on it, "We are the same, fellow trash."
I jumped as the back door of Greasy's opened up to my left, and I was met with Lazy Susan. She stared at me with a wide eye, and I stared back in shock. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, and I realized that she was holding a full trash bag. I looked back up at her, and nervously laughed, "Trash, amiright?" Another uncomfortable silence. It dawned on me that I was standing in the way of the dumpster, and I quickly moved out of the way, almost tripping over my own feet. She threw the bag in without a word, and started to walk back inside, but paused. She turned to look at me, "You okay, hun?"
"Yesn't."
She stared at me, and shut the door, leaving me alone again. I slowly reached a hand up and felt my face, noticing that it was burning hot in embarrassment. I am such an idiot. Seriously? Yesn't? That's all you could say?! I mentally slapped myself, and I turned to leave, but froze. I looked up, my eyes meeting a gorgeous ocean blue one.
You have got to be kidding me.
"That was a tad embarrassing." Bill joked, his eye glimmering in amusement as he towered over me. As if I wasn't flushing enough already, my face felt even hotter than before, and I tensed. Bill's eye widened, "Woah, can uh, can humans like... overheat? Are-are you gonna be okay...?" When I didn't respond, he reached one of his hands towards my face, and I quickly pushed him away, taking a few steps back. He was noticeably offended, and there was evident concern etched onto his face. When I realized what I did, I crossed my arms, avoiding eye contact, "I-I'm fine. Just a little bit... flustered..."
At that, his expression softened, and he kept a respectful distance, which I took note of, "I didn't think I'd see you today." Although it caught me off guard, I searched his eyes, and found that he was just being genuine. "Yeah," I murmured, "Me neither." He was awfully good at leading me on, but I knew things now. I still wasn't sure what he was up to, but I was determined to find out. I couldn't let my guard down.
"Y'know, I was actually gonna go get a few more things to wear today. Would you want to join?" He asked, and I raised an eyebrow at him, "Don't you have anything else to wear other than your suit?" He shook his head, a grin plastered to his face. I continued, "What about the outfit you wore to the Mystery Fair?" He laughed, "Oh that? I stole that."
"You what?"
"Let's go! I want more things to wear!" Without another word, he had grabbed my hand, and dragged me into the main part of town. My heart lurched in my chest at the sight of the area I saw in my dream, and I swallowed hard. I can't get too close to him. He's still up to something, I'm sure of it...! Bill halted in front of me, and I almost crashed into him from his sudden stop.
I looked ahead of him, noticing the large shopping plaza. Multiple stores lined the streets, and my gaze flicked up to him. His sapphire eye danced between the stores in wonder and excitement. I couldn't help but feel slightly amused. He looked like a little kid.
"Have you... never gone shopping before?" I asked, smirking lightly. His gaze fell onto me, and he smiled sweetly, "Nope! But I'm glad I get to spend my first time with you!" I looked away at the comment, trying not to blush. Stupid demon trying to play with my emotions and making me feel all weird inside...
He suddenly started for the first shop, and I had to jolt out of my thoughts to catch up. The first store was a grunge store, and I had to hold back a laugh at the thought of Bill in emo clothes. He looked at all of the dark themed clothing with sparkling eyes. His eyes landed on a black hoodie with the words 'stressed and depressed' on it, and he grabbed it, showing it to me. I gave him a questioning glance, and spoke as if I was stupid,
"(Y/N), everyone has one of these! I'll fit in more if I have one, too!" I stared at the words on it, bursting into laughter, "Can you read?" I wheezed. His face dusted pink, and he avoided my gaze, "Of course I can. I just want to blend in here..." I slowly stopped my outburst, feeling slight pity for him, and made my way beside him, grabbing the hoodie. I checked the tag, noticing that he had grabbed an extra small. "Well, that won't do." I commented, putting the hoodie back, and looking through the different sizes. "Do you know what size you are?" I asked, side glancing at him. He got a dumbfounded look on his face, "Uhhh, 6' 1"." I suppressed a laugh, "That's a no."
I found a large, and held it up to him, realizing that it would be baggy on him, but since he had a long torso, it would fit. I felt his gaze on me, and I looked up to meet his eye. It twinkled and for once, he looked actually happy. For a brief moment, I had completely forgotten that he had tried to take over the world. My focus lowered to his lips, and I realized how much I longed to-
"Here." I murmured, shoving the hoodie into his hands. He was caught off guard as I started to leave the store, my face burning from flush, "I-I'll meet you outside."
"Hey, (Y/N)?" I heard him call. I halted hesitantly, turning to face him. His eye was still wide as he spoke, "I don't have any money."
Although I was still suspicious of the demon's intentions, I had a surprisingly good time with him. Thankfully, I had brought my wallet with me, and I was able to get him a few outfits. I wasn't sure on how he planned on washing them since he didn't have a home, but I tried not to dwell on it.
The sun was starting to set, painting the sky with vibrant oranges and pinks. The sight was gorgeous, but seeing the sky like this reminded me of Weirdmaggedon, and the huge rip in the sky. It was a painful memory, even though I didn't actually get to live it.
"What's on your mind?" Bill asked, biting the straw on his chocolate milkshake. I glanced over at him, and then back at the sky. "Can't you read minds?" He huffed at my question, "Well, yeah. It's just kinda draining, and I like a surprise," He leaned back on the bench we were sitting on, staring at the sunset, "Believe it or not, it's not all that great being a demon. Sure, I'm powerful and all, but everyone's afraid of me. People don't easily forgive me, either..." He bit the inside of his cheek, and I sipped my favorite flavored milkshake.
I was actually intrigued to see if he could actually read minds, but I didn't want him invading mine. I had too many personal thoughts roaming through my head, and I especially didn't want him knowing that I knew he was planning something. I had to remain calm about all of this.
Maybe if I pretend to like him, I can lure him into liking me back. Then he might share his plan with me, and I can stop him before he hurts anyone. I looked over at him; his expression looked pained, and my brows knitted. How would I know if he likes me back? For all I know, he could have feelings for me right now.
I shook the thought away. If there were any feelings he felt towards me, they were all fake. I knew that he was using me for something, and it was my responsibility to find out what it was.
Although every time I looked over at him, my heart raced. I had never noticed it before, and maybe it was because of the lighting, but he had freckles. They were faint, but if anything, I found them rather complementary to his already attractive features.
Why did it feel so wrong to assume he's bad? I knew that he was bad -that part was obvious- but everything about him had me feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. I wanted to push away those feelings, but every time he smiled, or I saw that brilliant blue eye, I was hooked all over again. Bill was like a drug to me, and I found myself wanting more of him the more I was around him.
"Hey Bill." I said, and I felt him flinch. I continued, "You never told me how you came back." I heard him sigh, and I could feel my heart racing in my chest, "I'm still not ready to share that yet." I nodded, although I was disappointed that he still wasn't telling me. "Then let me ask you another question." I deadpanned, "Why did you start Weirdmaggedon?"
He physically tensed at the question, and this time, I didn't take my eyes off of him. He sat up straight, and looked at me with a hurt expression, but I refused to let my guard down this time. I had a feeling that he would tell me, and I wanted that feeling to be right. He scratched the back of his neck, "I wasn't in the right state of mind back then-"
"It was last year, Bill."
"And I've changed since then, I swear!" I jolted in my seat at his outburst, his hands gripping my arms, and his eye held a desperate look. He paused, realizing how tightly he was holding me, and he let go, "I-I'm sorry!"
"It's fine..." I muttered. He slightly panicked, as if he didn't know what to say, and he cleared his throat, searching for the right words, "Years ago, I destroyed my own dimension. No one took me seriously there, and I was treated so poorly. Not a single being showed respect to me, so I harnessed my powers- so I could prove to them that I was actually worth something. In the end though... I was still completely overlooked..."
I glanced over at him, and his eye looked glossy. I had to suppress the urge to comfort him, but I needed to hear him out. He took a deep breath before continuing, "I ended up obliterating them, including everyone I ever knew. After that, I guess in a way I became mad with power. I knew that I was dangerous, and boy did I take advantage of it. That's how I met the henchmaniacs.
"They respected me, and treated me like family. I cherished it, and I promised them that I would repay them somehow. So after years of searching, I found your dimension. I thought that I could take over Earth, along with your entire galaxy, and make it my new home. Their new home."
He looked up at me with a defeated expression, gently taking my hands in his, "(Y/N), I lost my mind. My last moments in Stanley's mind made me realize everything I did wrong. My entire life flashed before my eyes, and I knew that I had made a terrible mistake. I didn't want to be that way anymore. So when I came back..." He gave me a warm smile that made my heart skip a beat, "I knew I'd have to change for the better. For you."
I found myself speechless. Should I kiss him? Should I punch him? What was I supposed to do?!
A red car screeched to a halt on the road next to us, and I quickly pushed Bill away from me, hearing him yelp as he fell off the bench. Ford, Stan, and the twins ran out of the car and to my side. My siblings were latched on to me in a matter of seconds, and it almost knocked me over. "We're so sorry we pushed you away like that!" Mabel cried.
"(Y/N), I swear to god, if you ever do something like that again, you're gonna give me cardiac arrest!" Grunkle Stan yelled, shaking me by the shoulders. I assumed he meant well, but it came off awfully threatening.
I saw Ford pull out a gun from his cloak from the corner of my eye, and I gasped. He was aiming it straight at Bill, who was dusting himself off from falling on the concrete. "You! What were you doing with my niece?" Ford threatened, and I panicked, staring at Bill. Did Ford even know that Bill was the Bill? "I, uh..." Bill stuttered, but Mabel was suddenly in his face, "Oh my gosh! You must be the guy (Y/N)'s been talking about!"
I saw the blond boy's gaze fixate onto me, and I flushed, looking away. "What's your name?" Mabel asked excitedly. I looked at Bill, my heart racing, and I found his eye staring straight back. He looked like he was mentally panicking. Please don't tell them your real name! "Oh, um... I'm Damien...?" Although he made it sound like a question, I was relieved beyond belief.
Ford put the weapon away, facing me. "So this is the boy you like?" He taunted in a hushed manner, wiggling his eyebrows. My face grew hot, and I groaned, "Ugh, Grunkle Ford!" He chuckled, and I lightly punched his shoulder. "Why's he got an eyepatch?" Grunkle Stan whispered to me. I scoffed, "You're one to talk."
"Hey, that's not very nice!"
"Neither are you."
"Well I- But you- Nevermind, you got me." Stan laughed, patting me on the back and heading towards Bill. He seemed a little more confident now, and he stood tall, which I found adorable. "So what's the deal, huh? What were you two doing out here?"
"Oh, we were just going on a date!"
Everyone froze, and I almost spit out my milkshake. Bill, oh my god, you suck! All eyes were on me, and I stuttered, "We-well it's not official or anything! We were just hanging out! Right, Damien?" I shot the blond a death glare, and he laughed nervously, "Yeah! Just hanging out. Nothing suspicious. A perfectly normal thing that humans do." He smiled wide, and I could tell that it was forced.
Everyone narrowed their eyes at him, and shrugged. Grunkle Stan walked over to me, placing a hand on my shoulder, "Be home by 10, okay kiddo?" I nodded sheepishly, and he rustled my hair, driving off with Ford and the twins. I sighed with relief, but when I looked at Bill, he only looked more stressed.
"Is everything oka-"
"(Y/N), we can't let that happen again."
"What? Why?"
"They're not supposed to know that I even exist! And apparently we're dating now?! I'm not ready for any of this!"
"Bill, we aren't dating. We made that up, remember?" He paused, dumbfounded. Then he slumped forward, sighing with relief, "Oh, thank god."
Ouch...
"Well, I guess I better walk you home, huh?" He flashed me a smirk, suddenly bubbly again. We had just had a great evening, but I still wasn't so sure about him. I can't just forget about Weirdmaggedon... "Actually, Bill..." I started, averting eye contact, "I think I'll walk home."
"Oh! Then I'll come with you!"
"Alone."
"Oh." His lips taut into a frown, and he stared at the ground for a few seconds, "Can I at least get a hug goodbye?" He raised his arms for a hug, and I tensed, wanting to hug him, but at the same time, wanting to just leave. He was still a bad guy! Therefore, I needed to keep my distance, which meant that I couldn't go around hugging him. I can't get any more attached than I already am. Even if it means distancing myself.
Bill got the hint, dropping his arms to his sides. "Okay." He turned to leave, but I couldn't stand the pressure. I ran up to him, embracing him from behind. I felt him flinch, and even a quiet yelp escaped his lips, but he relaxed. "I'm sorry..." I muttered into his back. I wanted to just be happy with him, yet the screams from the apocalypse echoed in my mind, the burning scent of fire seemed to linger in my nose.
"It's okay, (Y/N)."
A/N: Haha, yeah I know that there's an author's note at the beginning of this chapter, but I really want to give a shout out to an amazing author! She has a Bill Cipher x Reader trilogy and oh my god it's so good! Like holy crap dude-
I'm kinda more used to writing horror nowadays since my other book I'm writing is a horror, but I like to think that I'm still good at writing romance. I... I hope.
Anyways, go check out anadelrey_
Her books are really good!