Chapter Text
Everything hurt. Everything hurt, hurt, hurt, everything was on FIRE.
Dipper felt like mush, like he would melt into a puddle if he tried to move. He was dimly aware of Wendy and Mabel and Soos and Stan around him, but further away than he could reach.
He was glad Mabel was far away. She was safe...but from what? What was it?
Dipper remembered the plans, how they led up to the backlash nearly destroying Bill…nearly. Then what had happened? What had happened? Dipper’s throat felt raw, like if he spoke one word, his throat would bleed. Dipper remembered screaming…screaming. Bill had tried to possess him without a contract. And now...Dipper vaguely remembered the the latin incantation to seal Bill away, into the earth-
and then Dipper remembered.
A slip of the tongue as Bill lashed out at him to keep him from finishing to possess him and stay alive, because he knew exactly what Dipper was trying to do. A slip and now Bill was sealed inside something much more personal than the earth. Much more important. Much stronger. And so much more potentially fatally.
His soul.
How was he not dead yet? How was Dipper still alive? He should be burnt to a crisp and on his way to the afterlife, whatever that was.
But instead he was laying on the ground, very much awake, very much in pain, and very much alive.
He wanted to curl into himself when he realized he was covered and surrounded by a lot of blood, which was coming from all of his minor cuts and the three huge gashes across his abdomen from Bill. He painfully arched his neck and saw Mabel and everyone else beginning to stir.
He let a lazy smile cross his face that everyone was all right, no one was dead.
Well except him. He was probably going to die from blood loss, because the binding obviously hadn’t killed him.
He heard Mabel scream as she saw him. He heard Stan trying to tell her to wait a minute. He heard Soos and Wendy run over to him.
But he didn’t feel them carefully lift him up. He didn’t feel the tears from his sister fall on his face as he breathed short shallow breaths. He didn’t see the bright lights of the hospital that hadn’t collapsed. He didn’t hear Mabel scream and fight to stay with him. He didn’t see or feel or hear.
But he had a lazy smile on his face as he drifted off into a dream filled with warm blue fires and woods to endlessly explore and a night sky filled with stars.
And not one triangle in sight.
Everything was bright. It made him squint and want to move his hand in front of his face, but everything hurt to much. Way too much.
How was he not dead yet?
Dipper groaned and opened his eyes all the way and wanted to hiss in irritation as the light momentarily blinded him.
He looked at himself before he looked at his surroundings. His torso was wrapped in bandages galore and he had a feeling that if he moved an inch, that they would go from stark white to deep bloody red. His arms were wrapped in gauze and his legs felt stiff so they probably were to. He had a number of things poking into his skin and from what he could tell, another roll of gauze around his forehead.
He took a shuddering breath and looked around.
Dipper was in a tan and black room with gray-green wallpaper with the pine forests around Gravity Falls on it. He was in a white bed with tan blankets and sheets and two chairs and a window seat were off to this right. To his left was a bunch of life monitoring equipment and a door that led to a bathroom. Two big cabinets were in front of him in the wall.
He looked at the second door further away on his left and grimaced at the chart next to it.
He’d been out for a week.
He’d been in a coma and nothing had woken him up for a week. Dipper’s first thoughts were about Mabel. Then they spread to the others.
Were they okay? Was everybody okay? Were they super worried about him? Had he caused them any pain? Were they in any pain?
His thoughts were running a mile a minute and he wished so hard that they would walk in and he could tell them *he’s okay*.
Dipper leaned his head back and nearly pulled his stitches when the door that led to the hallway opened.
He smiled at the beaming face of his twin when she saw his eyes were open.
“Dipper!” She rushed over and just barely stopped herself from hugging Dipper. She slowly moved her arms away from him and put them to her sides, eyeing his bandaged torso. He could tell it was talking all her willpower not to rush and give him a hug and wait for the rest of the people with her to walk in.
He smiled lazily at the relieved faces of Wendy, Soos, and Stan, and was that Pacifica? Then he noticed other people. Lazy Susan, Manly Dan, Old Man McGucket, and tons of others. Was the whole town here? Then his eyes froze on the ones of a man who looked just like his Great Uncle.
He squinted and a name came to his tongue. Stanford Pines. Dipper licked his lips and held it back.
Mabel beamed at him as people stopped filing in. “We were so worried! We thought-”She looked choked up.”- we thought you wouldn’t wake up. But you did! Everything’s going to be okay, from now on!” She just looked so happy that he was awake, it made him feel like the sun itself was singing his praises. He wanted to feel like that forever.
Stan moved forward and crouched down beside Mabel.
“Kid, we are so *proud* of you. You did an amazingly brave thing out there, and saved the whole world from turning into that triangle’s play thing. You should be so proud of yourself. The whole town is so honored to know you. And Stanford-” He looked to the other man. “-has something to say. Don’t you, Ford?”
Stanford crouched down beside his brother. “You did a better job than I ever would have in your place. Thank you so much from getting Bill’s strings out of my head and setting me free through the portal. I am so proud of what you did today. I am truly honored to be called a Pines because of what you did.”
Dipper smiled.”You were wrong about one thing though. ‘Trust No One’ would have gotten us all killed. But,” Dipper closed his eyes.”You were misled and that’s okay.” He blinked open one eye. “But you did write some lousy spaces in the Journal. ‘Use water, only as a last resort, as that makes it much, much scarier.’ Could be phased better man. But it kept me alive. It kept me and Mabel alive. So that’s okay.” He sighed and closed his eye.
He heard Ford chuckle.”I suppose so. I could have done better, but I wasn’t completely myself. I’m just glad those lousy things did someone good use.”
Dipper heard the end of his sentence, but by then he was slipping back into the cool darkness of dreams filled with mysteries and a pine forest with no dangers.
Dipper awoke to the sounds of yelling and arguing.
He opened his eyes and frowned at the scene before him.
Stan and Ford were in a screaming match with his and Mabel’s parents and Mabel was quietly trying to shake him awake. Dipper made an angry face and moved to sit up more.
“...look what you did! He’s in a hospital bed, for god’s sake! The world is full of creatures that shouldn’t exist! And it’s YOUR fault! The kids are never coming here ever ag-”
“STOP!”
Five heads whipped towards Dipper.
His parents seemed glad he was awake and coherent, but were barely containing their anger at the Stan and Ford. Stan and Ford looked like they were at their wits end. Mabel looked relieved he had finally broken the sound of screaming with blissful silence.
“Stop yelling!” Dipper huffed.”It is not Stan’s fault! It isn’t even Ford’s fault! It’s my fault.”
His dad scoffed.”Dipper, no offense, but leave this to th-”
“No!” Dipper snarled.”You’re blaming everything on them, when none if it is their fault! Everything is my fault! I made a stupid and cocky bet! I thought I could go against an ancient being of pure energy with no weaknesses unscathed, and I paid the price. Wounds heal. It’s all my fault. Everything going crazy with the world is my fault! If we had known sooner or if I had had a better plan, then maybe things would be better. But none of it is their fault.” Dipper took a deep breath of air and steadied his rising voice.” I did something dumb. I paid the price. Flesh wounds heal. Others-” He thought of his soul.”-don’t. And I can’t change that. Ever. One slip of the tongue can send it all crashing down. I don’t even know why I’m still alive.” He looked at Ford. “I think you can guess what I mean by slip of the tongue. With a demon that powerful, I should be dust. But here I am.” He made piercing eye contact with Ford.
His eyes widened.”You- you’re right. You should be dust.” Dipper’s parents let out alarmed noises, but Ford ignored them. “You bound him. He was supposed to go to the earth, wasn’t he.” Dipper nodded. He knew it was a statement and not a question, but he nodded all the same.” But those wounds let the last few words slip and he had an easy accsess point. I am so sorry, Dipper.”
“What!? What did he do? What happened?” Dipper and Mabel’s parents were shaking.
“There's a demon sealed inside his soul.”
Dipper just solemnly nodded as Mabel gripped his hand harder.
“Dipper, I am so...I will always be here for you. Always. Even if stuff goes weird.” She smiled at him and he smiled back.
Then he looked to his parents. “You can’t make me leave.” He stated.” My injuries will keep me confined to bed unless we seek forest help, and I’m pretty sure you’d be against that. So I’m immovable for the next three to four weeks. And even then, I’ll be barely mobial. Unless we seek out forest help, I’m stuck here and you can’t move me.” Dipper stared at his parents.” So we have two options. Let me heal naturally, orrrr: we seek out magic. It will heal me for my half and you’ll be able to take me home for your half. It’s a balanced deal. But we won’t tell you anything unless you let us come back next summer. We know how to get to the forest folk. You don’t. Your choice.” Dipper closed his eyes and leaned back against his pillow.
“Dipper, you can’t be-” His dad tried to argue.
“I am.” There was something in his voice that made the room go cold.
“We do it my way or we wait.” Dipper stated with his eyes closed.
That seemed to make his dad angry, if the strangled noises and tone in his dad’s voice were anything.”Now listen here, I am your father and you will-”
“No, you won’t.” Dipper opened his eyes and shot a hard glare at his father.”I don’t have to do anything for you. I’m no puppet. I have no strings you can pull. The abnormal is now the norm, and the calm before the storm, is gone. I’m no longer anybody’s puppet to play with. Bill is as good as dead and that’s all that matters to me, but I still know what it’s like to feel as if your every move is not your own. I don’t have to do anything for you. I. Am not. YOUR PUPPET.”
Dipper’s hands had curled into fists and his face was contorted into a look of defiance and disgust, the edges of his mouth pulled back in a snarl. He was making a noise in his throat and looked positively infuriated.
While he could see his reflection from a sideways glance at the mirror in the bathroom, he couldn’t tell his irises had gone a shade lighter during his rant.
“Now please, leave, if you have nothing else to say.” He whispered and laid back down, tilting his face away from them.
His face relaxed as everything faded to a rooftop and a sky full of stars with the person he cared about most.
And it was just fine.
"Dipper! Wake up!" A voice hissed in his ear.
“Wazzat?” Dipper mumbled and opened his eyes and saw that Mabel was three inches from his face.”Under normal circumstances I would yelp and pull back, but right now, I’m too tired to care. What is it, Mabel?” He squinted at his twin.
“Somebody at the window wants to see you!”
“What?” Dipper struggled to remain awake.
“Somebody at the window wants to see you!”
“Who is it?”
Mabel turned around and walked to the window. She breathed on the glass and wrote something. She waited a second and then came back.
“It’s a forest sprite. He says his ‘introduction name’ is Fabian. He want’s to heal your injuries as a thanks for keeping Bill from merging the Mindscape with the physical realm, but also allowing his kind to roam the rest of Earth.” Mabel rubbed her hands together.
Dipper thought for a moment. Then he nodded.”If he asks what our names are...oh!” Dipper carefully lifted his bangs and showed Mabel the edge of his birthmark. “Remember what Dad said about the Big Dipper? One of it’s stars is actually two stars, one revolving around the other. Twin stars. Sooooo, I can be Alcor and you can be Mizar. So we have introductory names.” He smiled softly and let his bangs drop.
Mabel smiled.”That’s a great idea, bro-bro!” She walked to the window and nodded.
A soft green ball of light phased through the window and fluttered towards Dipper.
Fabian bowed and smiled at him. Dipper smiled in return and bowed his head in respect.
Mabel watched from the window, a soft smile on her face.
Dipper returned his gaze to the forest sprite as he lifted his head.
“Hello! My name is Fabian. I am from the forest and I wish to give my thanks by healing the majority of your wounds.” The sprite introduced himself.
Dipper smiled.”Hello, Fabian. Your articulation is very good, not a sound of a lisp anywhere. I am Alcor, and that is my sister, Mizar. I am very thankful that you wish to heal the holes in my flesh caused by the demon Cipher.”
Fabian was staring at him in mild shock and Mabel looked very confused.
“I...I didn’ expect you to actually answer in the tongue of the Fey.” The sprite muttered in English.
Dipper frowned.”I was? Hmm…” He licked his lips and tried to find the words again. They were gone, but he could sort of *feel* the imprint they left in his head. He started to process this and leaned back. He had had a formal tone to his voice and he knew what he had said. Part of him was panicking because how did he know that? And another part was saying to just roll with it and figure it out later when you don’t have three gaping and ready to re-open gouges in his flesh. The latter was sounding more reasonable
He shrugged.”With all the weirdness that’s going on and the fact I was in the middle of the impact crater can chalk up to random knowledge I guess...or maybe I read it in the Journal enough? I don’t think that that is the most important thing right now.” He looked at Fabian and shrugged.” If you feel discouraged and no longer wish to heal me, that is fine. I can heal naturally.”
Fabian shook his hands.”No,no,no,noononono, that isn’t it! I still wish to repay you! I was just...shocked.” He said each word very carefully.
Then he started to move his hands in circles and swirls, leaving runes in the air and marks that burned Dipper’s skin as the magic killed off the old cells and replaced them with new ones in an instant. It was definitely painful, but absolutely worth it. It would work out better in the long run.
He didn’t have to haggle and bargain. This was much safer.
Dipper sighed as the burning turned into a coolness. This was safer. Much, much safer. No deals. No fights. No having to deal with his parents inability to deal with the supernatural. Much safer…
Dipper drifted off as the sprite continued to heal his wounds.
His awareness sunk into a bright green forest under the stars, fill with glowing blue and green orbs of light.
Dipper shot up and clutched his stomach, wrapping his arms around his stomach and wheezed in pain.
Everything was one fire. Everything hurt and it was burning and everything was closing in on him. His breathing got faster and he wanted to rip away the walls and the wires and stick his head out of the window heneededairNOW.
Dipper pulled at his hair with his hands and whimpered because everything hurt and it was to hot and stuffy and the walls were right there and it was NOT okay. He started scratching away the wires and lines poking into his skin and let out a whine as he ripped them all off.
He kicked the covers away and stumbled to the window. He pushed it open as fast as he could and shoved his head, neck, and most of his torso out.
Dipper breathed in the cool air and started to calm down, the fire was gone, the walls were gone, everything was okay. Nothing was there. No fire. No nothing. Nothing hurt, nothing felt like anything, he couldn’t feel anything at all.
He just hung there and let himself drift peacefully. He twisted around and walked to the cabinets. Dipper picked at the hospital clothes and opened the cabinet drawers. He shuffled through them and grabbed some of his clothes.
Pulling the hospital clothes off, he slipped his on and sighed. He walked back over to the window and pushed his body as far out as it could go.
Then he frowned. Did I just have a panic attack? I think I did. He looked back into the dark room and made a face. Dipper hung himself as far as he could go when he heard someone make an almared noise. Turning around, Dipper saw Mabel looking at him as though he wasn’t there.
Dipper pushed himself off the window seat and walked towards Mabel.
“How did...how did you do that?” She whispered.
“What?” Dipper frowned and closed the door to his room that Mabel had opened.
“You...one minute you looked see through. Like you were…” Mabel gulped.”...like you were a ghost. Then you were totally solid the next.”
Dipper stumbled at her words.
What?No, no, no I’m not a ghost, I’m here, I just opened a window, I was touching things, I have a body, I’m not dead. Bill’s dead, I’m not. He’s dead, dead, deadeadeadeadDEAD. I’m not, I’m right here. I’m RIGHT HERE.
Dipper’s breathing quickened and he felt like the walls were closing in around him.
No,no,nononononoNO. Stop it, stop it, STOP IT.
Dipper stumbled up and pushed himself towards the window and out. He gripped the edges with his fingertips and felt his heart flutter in his chest. He wanted out, out, OUT. He didn’t like it here and he wanted open space, not a small box.
He wanted to push himself out all the way and run, run, run into the woods, into a clearing, AWAY from this place full of small boxes.
“Dipper!”
He turned around, feeling like a cornered animal and his eyes locked with Mabel. She looked panicked, like she knew exactly what he wanted to do. “Please, stay here. I don’t want you to get hurt more.”
Dipper shuddered and slowly sat down onto the window seat’s cushions. He let his head stick out over the threshold and felt his heart hammer into his chest like a caged bird.
He suddenly felt something sit down next to him. He looked at Mabel as she pulled him close. She hugged him tightly and shuddered.
“I thought...I thought you were gonna jump.”
“I was.” Dipper whispered.”I don’t...I don’t like it here!”He whined. He knew he sounded childish, but he didn’t care.”I don’t like it here, it’s cold and small and full of hurt and hate and I want to be out. I want to be out where it’s big and full of warm.” His voice was getting quieter and quieter.”I don’t want to be in here anymore Mabel.”
“I know, Dipper.” She rested her head on his.” I overheard Mom and Dad. They said that we’re leaving tomorrow. They don’t want us to come back.”
Dipper snorted.”To bad…” He mumbled.”I’ll walk here if I have to. I like it more here than I do at home.” He shuffled closer to Mabel.”People like us. We have fun here. We can be whoever we want without complaint. We have friends. We don’t get picked on anymore. I like it here. A lot more than Piedmont.” Dipper said quietly.
Mabel leaned away for a minute and grabbed a blanket. She wrapped it around them.”I know. I like it here too. I like it a lot. If we have to, let’s run away back here next summer.”
“Okay, Mabel. Promise?”
“Promise.”
And they stayed like that, drifting off to a shared dream of tall pine tree woods and a sky full of shooting stars.