Closer

by taitofan

Rated T for very light sexual situations involving a demon and a human boy

Disclaimer: I don't own Gravity Falls or its characters.

Author's Note: Bill is a triangle, Dipper is twelve, and this is only canon up to a point. Unless, of course, Dipper does happen to make a binding contract with Bill, but I somehow doubt that will ever become canonical.

If you have any CC, please share and I'll listen. Please read, review, and enjoy! Finished 01-03-15

Ira

Dipper's hands were shaking and he'd never more wanted to harm the demon floating before him than he did at that moment.

"You promised. We had a deal."

"Our deal was that I wouldn't harm your family," Bill reminded him, his voice eerily calm in contrast to mere moments ago. "And as you can see, kid, I didn't. He's just sleeping, so calm down."

It wasn't a suggestion, but all Dipper could feel was the sting of betrayal and the sharp pulse of anger deep within.

"Fix it."

Bill sighed and snapped his fingers, and Stan began to wake up. Part of Dipper knew that Bill hadn't done anything wrong, not really, but he still rushed to his great-uncle's side and ignored the demon. He didn't trust himself not to say or do something he wouldn't soon regret.

Patientia

Bill was immortal, and he had all the time in the world to accomplish his goals. Dipper didn't, but Bill wasn't worried about that minor detail—he knew six dozen ways to turn a human immortal, and eventually he knew that Dipper would put himself into a position where he'd accept Bill's generous offer of an eternity together.

He watched Dipper run to Stanford, calm despite knowing that he had every right to be upset with the boy. This was the thanks he got for protecting the kid? And sure enough, Stanford began berating his great-nephew all over again, calling him an idiot for summoning a demon and binding them together so Bill could stay in the physical world. Dipper flinched at the verbal lashing, but he didn't say anything in his defense.

Whatever, Bill thought. There was nothing Stanford could do to stop what had already begun. Dipper was going to be his—in more ways than one—and Bill wouldn't let impatience ruin all of his carefully laid plans.

Avaritia

"Pine Tree, put the book down. It's not going anywhere."

Dipper knew that Bill was telling the truth—part of their deal was that Bill couldn't destroy the journals—but he couldn't bring himself to put the journal down, not yet. Not when he was so close to getting this mystery figured out. There were only, what, three hundred combinations the code could be? If he kept going, he could be done by the time the sun rose.

He ignored Bill groaning in the background when he didn't listen. Bill didn't understand. He would live forever, but Dipper only had so much longer before the summer was over and he had to leave Gravity Falls. If he didn't get as much done as possible, he might not get the answers he wanted before he had to go. And there was absolutely nothing more he wanted than to uncover the secrets that the journals held.

All of them.

Caritas

"…If you put the book away right now, I'll tell you the code you're looking for in the morning."

Dipper finally looked up at him, much to Bill's satisfaction. The kid had no idea how seldom he had the urge to give out completely free, no-strings-attached information. And Dipper certainly didn't know the reason as to why Bill felt so generous around him.

He would soon enough, but for now, Bill simply enjoyed the way his favorite human's face lit up at the offer, before he scrambled to get into bed.

"Night, Pine Tree," he whispered, but the sleep-deprived boy was already asleep. Maybe, just this once, Bill would give the boy some nice, normal dreams…

Superbia

"I did it!" Dipper cheered, his tone just shy of arrogant. "I did it by myself, and even you were stumped!"

Part of him knew that he was being a jerk, but hey, he was just a kid, just a meat bag, and yet who figured out the journal's latest puzzle? That's right, him. Not Bill, Dipper.

The whole reason he'd initially summoned Bill was so he could better solve the mysteries of Gravity Falls. Rather than have Bill pop up at inopportune times to offer shady deals, he'd worded a contract carefully, with no chance of loopholes. But maybe he didn't need help with this after all. Maybe he—

"Alright kid, if you're such a hotshot, surely you know what this next section says."

In his defense, he only moaned pitifully a little bit when he realized that the code went on much longer, and the conclusion he'd come to was completely wrong.

Humilitas

"Well, Pine Tree, it's your lucky day!" He summoned his cane and tapped three times at the air. Suddenly, the room was filled with glowing runes and their key magically floating about. Dipper looked positively dumbstruck, and after a few glances between the journal and the magical runes, he gave Bill a sheepish smile.

"Sorry," he apologized softly. "I guess I let that go to my head a little…"

"Aw, don't worry about it, kid!" He punctuated his words with a flippant wave of his hand. "I mean, I did trick you into thinking I didn't know the code. But what fun would it be if I just gave you all of the answers? Wouldn't be much of a mystery left for you to figure out, would there?"

"You're right," Dipper admitted. In a much quieter voice, probably not even meant for Bill to hear, he added, "You're amazing."

Deciding to give the kid a break, Bill chose not to respond with "Well, of course I am!"

"Hey, anyone can pick up a few tricks when they've been around as long as me!"

Dipper nodded distractedly as he looked around the room again, before focusing back on Bill. He was flushed so subtly that Bill figured even Mabel wouldn't have noticed it.

"Still…" A shy smile, and one more reason for Bill to be infinitely grateful that Dipper made their contract. "Thanks."

"…No problem, kid."

Invidia

"I can't believe her," he ranted, pacing the floor of his and Mabel's shared attic room. "She's ditching me for a crush, again. Every single time she sees a cute boy, she does this to me!"

He didn't expect Bill to respond. After all, what could a dream demon know of love?

"Sounds to me like someone's got some green eyes." Dipper paused, not knowing how to respond to that. "You aren't all that upset about her not going to look for the Lindworm with you, I can tell. I mean, she could get hurt, right? And I won't, so I'm the better choice to go with you."

That was true. This could be very dangerous, so he wasn't actually too upset that Mabel had an excuse not to tag along. But…

"No, you're upset because even with all her failures, she's still having better luck with romance than you. Am I right?"

…Sometimes he really regretted binding himself to a demon.

Benevolentia

"Well quit your worrying, kid!" He didn't have a mouth to smile, but Bill was still very pleased with the opening that had been given to him, and he certainly felt like smiling. He wouldn't waste this opportunity. "You want a boyfriend, you've got it!"

"Boyfr— Bill, what are you talking about?" Dipper was flushed and fidgeting, and Bill wasn't fooled for a moment. Dipper swung both ways, and Bill was going to do something that was going to make them both very happy.

…Well, he'd be happy at least. If Dipper wasn't, he'd figure it out eventually.

"I'm saying that I'll be your boyfriend, Pine Tree," he answered as if it were the most mundane thing in the world. "I mean, we're bound together anyway, and you're cute, and I'm powerful, so why not?"

Dipper looked ready to pass out, but he somehow managed to nod before he ran from the room, hiding his bright red face in his hands. Bill helpfully called out for him not to trip, before he heard a crash indicating that Dipper had done just that in his haste to run off.

Bill laughed and calmly floated after the boy.

Luxuria

"Bill, I…" Dipper wasn't even sure exactly what he was feeling. Ever since Bill had insisted they were boyfriends—the fact that Bill had even used that word still seemed too surreal—he'd thought less about mysteries surrounding the town and more about the enigma that was Bill Cipher. His dream demon boyfriend.

He was in way over his head.

"What's wrong Pine Tree? Manticore got your tongue?"

Dipper bit down the urge to ask if Bill had really seen a Manticore before, because of course he had.

"N-No, it's just, I've been wondering if you, um… If you could… If we could…" He sounded foolish and he felt foolish, and he was blushing like the fool he was. But he was going to do this; he wasn't a little kid! "Can we do, you know, couple things?"

Castitas

Bill had this crazy little idea that Dipper didn't mean dinner and a movie, or any other harmless thing most kids his age probably did when they "dated." Dipper was young, but not naïve, and Bill wasn't stupid. Such a flushed face wouldn't exist if Dipper had meant something innocent like, say, kissing.

He also hoped Dipper was smart enough to realize they couldn't really kiss when Bill lacked a mouth.

"Kid, if there's something we can't do, I can improvise enough to make it work." Part of him—a large part in fact—honestly didn't care how old Dipper was. If the kid wanted to know if they could have sex, then his answers would be "Yes" and "Let's start right now." But another part of him thought that Dipper was still a human, and for once he really didn't want to break his new toy. He wanted this one around for a very, very long time. And for that, he had to take good care of his little pet. "…But how about I show you something I bet you think we can't do?"

Bill surprised both of them by pressing his body against Dipper's lips, right about where a mouth would be if he'd had one.

Well, he thought, maybe we can kiss after all.

Gula

One discovery after another, after another, after another. Whether it was finding new creatures that he'd previously thought to be fictional, cracking a new code in the journals, or learning something new about being in a relationship with the demon he was bound to, every day Dipper was gaining new knowledge. It was an intoxicating feeling to have so many mysteries unraveling all at once after so many setbacks earlier in the summer. Why hadn't he bound himself to Bill earlier?

…Well, maybe the whole invading his great uncle's mind and taking over his body incidents hadn't left a good impression and it was only desperation that had lead to him basically giving himself to Bill. It had all worked out though, and no matter how often he kept being told he should find a way to end it, Dipper had absolutely no desire to do any such thing.

Sure, he wanted to learn everything he could about Gravity Falls… But now he needed to know everything about Bill, and he wouldn't stop seeking that knowledge until he'd had his fill.

Temperantia

Bill indulged all of Dipper's little whims, whether it was showing a living selkie, giving him a nudge in the right direction to understand those silly journals, or giving details about himself that he'd have to kill other meatbags over if they ever found out. But Dipper was his little meatbag, and who was going to tell him he couldn't spoil his pets? It was harmless—mostly, but really, Dipper should have listened to him when he warned that selkies bite—and Bill really did love that look of awe on Dipper's face when he was seeing something new for the first time.

As for learning new things about Dipper, well, Bill wasn't quite as insatiable as Dipper was. After all, he'd been watching Dipper since the moment he'd step foot in Gravity Falls, and there was nothing more telling about a human than their dreamscape. Really, it was mostly just little human quirks that Bill didn't quite get in general that he was curious about, but it was nothing that couldn't wait.

"Bill, Bill!" Dipper's eyes were shining in excitement and had Bill been anything but a demon, he might have melted at the smile the boy wore. "I heard some tourists mention seeing some red thing with wings and a really long nose. I can't find it in the journal…"

Bill didn't even need to think about whether or not he'd give the information for free. He'd get kisses for payment later.

"Tengu," he went into lecture mode easily, already floating out of the room, Dipper at his side immediately. "They usually stick to Japan, so it's your lucky day!"

Dipper's rapt attention to his words and blind trust to keep him safe reassured Bill that there was nothing wrong with a little bit of indulgence.

Acedia

Dipper didn't feel like doing much of anything other than sitting up on the roof, Bill perched in his lap. The summer was almost over, and soon he would have to go back to California. True, Bill was bound to him and thus they wouldn't be separated, but the days of doing as he pleased were almost over. Even if Bill could stay with him for the other three-fourths of the year, they would still have to be careful about who saw him together with a triangular demon.

"Don't you want to work more on that code?" Bill asked, though he didn't seem very inclined to get out of Dipper's lap. Dipper shook his head, tightening his grip around the oddly warm demon and taking comfort in the magical pulsation that emanated from him.

"Not really. I just want to stay here and pretend I won't have to go back and deal with school and parents and not being in Gravity Falls. Even if I still decode the journals, it's not like I can actively uncover any secrets here, and you can't stay around all the time or someone will see you, and—"

And he didn't get to finish, because Bill was laughing.

Industria

"Jeez kid, if that's all, then get up and stop moping!" Dipper looked as if he will protest, but Bill levitated from his lap and grabbed his hand, forcing him to his feet. "Hello, dream demon, remember? All kinds of reality bending powers and everything? I can make it so other meat puppets can't see me, and if you're really nice, maybe I'll feel up to spiriting you back and forth between here and there…"

Dipper didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. Picking him up and peppering kisses all over his small body was enough of a response for Bill.

"Yeah, yeah kid, you love me, I know. Now let's go look at your code. If we hurry, I can show you the sirens tonight, before they skip town."

He expected Dipper to jump at the opportunity, but much to his surprise, Dipper stopped and squeezed Bill's hand. His cheeks were pink and it looked like he had to use all of his power to keep eye contact. This was one of those little human quirks that Bill wasn't familiar with. Whatever Dipper was thinking, he really didn't have any idea.

"…I do love you Bill."

It wasn't often that Bill didn't have an answer, and he wasn't about to start being tongue-tied now. He didn't even have a tongue!

"And you're the only meat bag I don't want to see maimed. Now let's go!"

It wasn't "I love you too," but he could tell by Dipper's smile that the boy understood the sentiment all the same. After all, he still had all the time in the world to say what he really felt.

They had an eternity.