#Bill stares at him like he's an idiot. DIpper shuts up. Dumb move actually now that he's thinking about it

[tswwwit]

What are some ideas you have floating around that you don't have any plans on writing but like to entertain as a thought?

Many of them, in fact! Though they sort of vanish from my memory if I don't make a record of them, here's a few ones I jotted down when they came to mind.

For a domestic one: Bill thought he'd hate a lot of being married! Even though he loves Dipper, he thought he'd rebel against the chains of domesticity - and in some ways he still does - but one major benefit he's found is not having to be 'on' all the time.

No need to be perfectly performing all the time! No shoving around for social influence, no intimidation, or clever tricks. No commanding attention or taking up the room. Hell, there's surprisingly little upkeep! Bill can undo his tie and pick his nose and bitch about his day to someone who isn't bending over backwards to agree with him on everything. Someone who doesn't give him a weird look and sneer if he, god forbid, actually wants to sit down, read a book, drop the grin for an hour or two.

The concept in question is Bill's very first moment of great surprise. That when he isn't being the most charming, terrifying, and exciting guy in the universe, and just chilling out for like, five minutes, Dipper comes over and snuggles up to him on the couch, or wraps his arms around his shoulders and kisses the top of his head. And when Bill asks 'what was that for?', Dipper shrugs and goes 'eh, just felt like it'. It's both baffling and extremely compelling.

A short where Reincarnated Dip is Definitely Sure he's Not Gay!!! Especially not for this Hot Demon Man who is getting so close and touchy with him with his big smile and horrible wiles. Yep. Just keeping an eye on him to make sure he's not up to something Nefarious ™.

A discussion between Dipper and Bill where Dipper insists that Bill should understand this, or not do that, because, like. Y'know, Bill's a guy! There are guy things! Making Bill stare at Dipper like he's an idiot. He proceeds to informs Dipper how that's stupid for multiple reasons! First, that Bill's Not Human to begin with, his gender can't be put into a little box! And frankly, he never filled out the paperwork for his original one, come to think of it. Sure, he/him's fine, but c'mon, sapling, thinking of the whole shebang like a binary is dumb as hell. Now Dipper has to do some mental readjustment re: his own issues with masculinity/gender.

[tswwwit]

Trick or treat 🎃👻

A bit belated, but take some post-Bill vs Bill stuff I never completed!

Dipper’s hip hits the desk with a painful ‘thunk’, he stumbles - and smacks a palm on the surface to steady himself.

“Shit.” Dipper says, and shuts his eyes. He’s breathing harder than he’d like. 

SIlence.

Dipper swallows. Heart pounding.

He doesn't hear anything beyond his own harsh breathing. He needs to control that.

Dumb. Stupid. He didn’t mean to pull away that fast, or at all, he flinched and he's dumb and now there's a dull pain in his hip. Idiot. 

That Bill’s gone. For good. The doppelganger left this world more beaten up than Dipper’s ever seen a shape demon, courtesy of his own. It’s fine.

Dipper focuses on controlling his breathing. After a second or two, it’s manageable.

He looks up, trying to smile - 

Where Bill is frozen in place. Perfectly still, like a statue. Even his face is like ice, and his eye dully glows.

One of his hands hangs in midair, fingers still half-curled to cup Dipper’s cheek. 

“Sorry,” Dipper blurts, only to instantly realize that isn’t helping, as the last fragment of Bill’s smile vanishes from his face. “...Shit.” 

Apologizing is pointless. It doesn’t change anything. He just needs to - 

Breathe in, and out. Calming down, slowly. Dipper rubs at his eyes. 

Okay. He’s got this. That was just a momentary reaction, out of instinct. Honestly, he’s had way worse treatment from other beings, so. Startling, just for a moment, isn’t a big deal. 

This isn’t that guy. This is his Bill. Who’s different.

 Just… between the face and the hand, moving so fast, together, it. 

He reacted. 

Damn it, Dipper knows better. He should have an instinct for it, there’s a bond right there to check. Stupid, again. He should be better than this, he’s used to surprises.

Bill’s eye darts down to his hand, then up to Dipper’s face. His arm draws back down, slowly. The hand turned palm up, fingers flexing. For a moment, Bill stares at it like he hasn’t seen it before.

Wait, no. Dipper’s fine. Bill can keep going. He shouldn’t - 

In the awkward silence, Dipper realizes there’s a glass on the desk. It’s full of water, shaking around with a clatter. 

He glances down, where his own clenched fist is trembling on the desktop - then jerks his arm back up against his chest, and swears again.

...Bill still hasn’t said anything.

Dipper forces his arms to his sides. He straightens up. Bill’s almost statuesque, now. No sign of a grin, no sign of anger, though Dipper can almost feel it, surging somewhere inside that demon. And he’s not wrong to hold back, except - he absolutely is, and - 

And. 

This sucks. Like, a lot. 

Bill not doing anything is. Okay, Dipper guesses - but him not even saying anything is arguably worse. Any other time, he’d get teased about the flinch. Or Bill would grab at him, just to see it again, pinch his sides or his cheeks, he’d even surge forward like a jumpscare. It always sends Dipper’s heart racing.

Bill hasn’t moved, except to hold his arms stiffly at his sides. His shoulders are tense. 

Heat always radiates off Bill - but now there’s magic there, too. Bill’s holding himself back, in multiple ways. The strain would be invisible to anyone who didn’t know him so well. Dipper can sense the potential for flame, ready to burst - and barely restrained.

And Dipper’s… 

Okay. he had a moment. 

But it was just a moment. He doesn’t want Bill to pull away right now, though that’s technically human-correct. Why did Bill have to pick now, of all times, to remember what’s appropriate. He never cares about that.

If anything, Dipper could actually really use one of those demonically too-tight hugs -  but Bill’s not offering one right now, and that’s really not helping.

He clutches his arm against his chest. He’s not sure what to say.

That interdimensional interloper really threw a wrench into things. Didn’t he. Dipper should have figured. It’s what Bills do. 

Now, they have to… sort all of that out. Good thing he’s used to his own, human side of it.

When Bill won’t do the right thing, someone else has to do it for him.

Dipper takes a breath. Forcing his hand to lie flat against the desk. 

Then he straightens up, surges forward, and tugs his idiot husband into his arms. Bill lets out an ‘oof’ of sound, slightly surprised. 

Dipper squeezes more, just to hear Bill huff out a breath again, and shuts his eyes. 

Yeah. This is better. Bill’s warm and solid, his breathing slow. There’s the thud of the heart, too -  low and present. Dipper shoves his cheek up against that firm chest. He’s very tense in Dipper’s arms, but the twin rhythms of his not-at-all natural organs are good to hear.

It’s nice. It’s normal. Dipper feels some of his own tension bleed away. As far as either of them can be normal anymore, for their respective versions of it - 

Though Bill’s holding his arms up and out. Not hugging back. Dipper squishes him tighter, to no effect. 

In facet. He's very deliberately not touching. 

"Bill," Dipper speaks up, though his voice is muffled against Bill's shirt. He grabs onto said shirt with both hands, balling it up. "If you don't hug me, I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Well, if you put it that way," Bill responds as easily as if they’d been bantering this entire time. One of his arms comes around Dipper's waist. Light enough to be barely there. "I dunno, sapling. I kinda wanna see how you’d manage what even that guy couldn’t do."

Dipper huffs out a breath against Bill’s shirt, and feels his husband draw him in close. He holds Dipper in the right way; that just-too-tight way that means Bill’s never going to let him escape.

There’s a steady beat in that chest, though the breathing catches for a second. Bill’s warm and solid, and definitely his Bill. The heart beats in that chest, over and over and over. A constant rhythm. The way he moves is the way of someone who really knows Dipper, and the bond is strong and clear and safe.

Dipper breathes in - god, this version even smells right - and finally relaxes.

That counterfeit wasn’t around long, and he still somehow didn’t fit the…. role. In any of the major senses. This is nicer. Better. More comforting. Though Bill wouldn’t admit that that’s something he wants to do, would rebel against the very idea -  he manages to accomplish it, despite himself. 

One of Bill’s arms stays wrapped around him. The other pats, twice. An awkward gesture, before it slides up and down Dipper’s back. The touch makes him shudder. as the muscles in his back start to unclench.

Bill makes an amused sound, and Dipper swats at him in return. Hell, he’s only human. This, too, might be stupid - but a hug really is making him feel better. 

Body contact is a whole thing, and for all that Bill’s intelligent, eternal, and they’ve been together a while - He still seems surprised at the variety of platonic touch.

So Dipper had a bad time. That was a different guy, and he’s definitely gone. 

He’ll get over it.

It won’t even take very long.