#I live for flustered bill cipher

[paper-birdies]

I've been reading a Gravity Falls fanfic called "The Therapist" by @bapple117, where you - The reader- are Bill Cipher's Therapist in the Theraprism. I was on Bapple's Discord server and came across a conversation asking "What if Bill had a secret collection of art he made of the therapist and got super flustered when the therapist finds them."

Posted that and then someone mentioned that in a panic, Bill would probably try to eat the art and tries to eat the pages.

Anyways, I freakin' love this fic and this funky lil' guy.

[rotknox]

Memento Vivere | Cryptic Comforts

Work on AO3 | Work on Wattpad | Masterlist

𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎

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The drive home was quiet. The twins were asleep from the sudden adrenaline rush of shopping for clothes, and Bill was wide awake, but he was focused on the afternoon setting. Bill looked over at [Name], his breath catching in his throat. The air was tugging at [Name]'s loose button-up and at his hair as well.

Bill felt his stupid skin mask boil, so he turned away and let out a disgruntled sound. [Name] looked over and smiled. "You okay?" He asked and Bill simply nodded, slightly biting the nail of his thumb. Speaking of nails, damn, his nails were long as shit… Maybe he should ask Mabel to take care of them? What the hell was he thinking? He hated those stupid goddamn twins!

…Maybe…?

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The shack was quiet. Customers had already left for the day and the only living souls who were left were the staff. Wendy was sitting behind the register with Melody and Soos was cheerfully restocking the shelves.

Ford had come out of the lab, sighing deeply. Wendy looked up from her phone and then looked down again. “Whaddup, Mr. Ford?” She greeted him calmly. Melody looked up and smiled. “Oh hi, Ford! Want something to drink?”

Ford smiled tiredly at both young women. “Hello you two… No thank you, Melody, I’m okay,” Ford reassured her. Wendy looked at him quizzically but shrugged, he was not her business anyways. But, he was a good source of gossip, so…

“Hey, Mr. Ford?” She looked up, Ford looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. “Who’s that blond that’s been hanging around [Name]?”

Ford’s lower lip got caught between his teeth and he looked away. Melody shot a concerned look over to him. “Ford? You okay?”

Soos, who had been ‘minding his business’, immediately appeared beside Ford and placed a hand on his shoulder. “You can tell us anything, Mr. Mister Pines… We are all ears, not literally but y’know,” Soos let out a quick laugh at his own joke.

Ford blinked and awkwardly patted Soos’ hand. “You’re a good manchild, Soos… And I also suppose there is no reason for me to hide this from you all considering you’re all here almost everyday.”

He sighed and sat up straight. “When Stanley killed Bill in his mind, Bill managed to somehow transfer his form to an area outside of time and space. He was taken into a facility known as the Theraprism and a rehabilitation process was initiated. However, he began to get worse… Psychotic outbursts, ramblings, violent tendencies, you name it. Point is, the doctor in charge of him thought it was best to send him here and live life as a human. He has no powers whatsoever and it seems he’s not exactly… himself.”

Wendy blinked and narrowed her eyes. “So, the blond is Bill Cipher? Huh, I imagined he’d be more…” She seemed to struggle to find the correct words, that’s when Soos piped in. “Flashy? Loud? Psycho-crazy?”

Wendy stared at Soos and shrugged. “I guess. But, he’s powerless, right? I doubt we should be worried about him,” She said and looked at Ford. Ford blinked in surprise and looked at her with a perplexed expression. “You too?”

The teen stared at him with a tiny frown. “What did I do, man?”

Ford abruptly stood up. “I think I have to re-evaluate a few things… If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be in my lab,” He swiftly left the room and left everyone slightly puzzled. Soos was the first to speak up. “Welp! Time to get back to restocking!”

The door swung open and in walked an exhausted Bill holding a bunch of bags. After him, [Name] walked in holding both twins, he seemed tired too. “Hey, guys…” [Name] yawned.

Bill almost tripped from how tired he was until [Name] hooked an arm around him. Bill gasped and looked back. “I-Idiot! The ki…”

He noticed [Name] had maneuvered the twins so he had a free arm, a free arm to catch Bill and ONLY Bill…

Goodness, consider him flustered.

Bill gulped back his words and looked away, [Name] smiled and pulled Bill so he’d stand up straight. “You okay? Wanna take a nap?” [Name] asked him and Bill stared at him. “No comfortable bed, remember?”

[Name] let out a soft ‘oh’ before turning to Melody. “Hey, Lody? Can you put these two to bed?” He asked and Melody nodded with a smile. “Sure!”

She took the twins from the taller man and walked upstairs to the attic. [Name] looked over at Soos. "Hey, Soos? Do you still have that old metal bed frame from your past house?”, he asked and Soos nodded. "Oh totally, dude! It’s in the storage room in the attic!”

[Name] nodded. "C’mon, Bill!” Bill had no time to answer before he was yanked upstairs. What the hell was with these men and yanking him around?!

They made their way upstairs and into Bill’s bedroom. [Name] went off to go get the bed frame while Bill got himself preoccupied by unpacking things that he had bought. He was more interested in what the kids had gotten.

He dug into the bag and took out a random piece of clothing. He inspected what looked to be mom jeans? He recalled seeing some women in Ford’s time using these. He put the pants aside and took out another piece, this time a colorful off-the shoulder sweater top. Looking in the bag, it was clear to see what twin bought what, Mabel got him a bunch of colorful 80’s inspired clothes while Dipper got him things like suits and whatnot.

He was startled out of his fleshy exoskeleton by the sound of metal scraping against the floor. Bill snapped his head back to see [Name] breathing lightly, he looked at him with his eyebrows raised. "…Isn’t that heavy?”

[Name] laughed a bit. "Nah, it’s easy when you’re used to carrying heavy things.”

As [Name] turned around, Bill took the chance to shamelessly check his build out. He was a perfect balance of strong and soft… Nice.

Before Bill knew it, [Name] had already set up his bed AND his sheets. Bill felt himself fawn harder, if that was even possible.

“Here, all done!” [Name] smiled wide and sighed softly. "Like it?” [Name] asked him as he wiped some sweat off his brow. Bill looked up at his face and nodded, biting the inside of his lip. “Yeah, I love it.”

[Name] exhaled and stood up with a pleased expression on his face. His eyes traced over Bill’s features for a bit before they settled on the other man’s eye. “Need help decorating?”

Bill’s eye widened and he stumbled on his words in his mind for a little, but he eventually decided to answer. “Sure… I could use a hand or two,” Bill nodded as he took out everything he had bought.

And so it began.

Bill couldn’t recall the last time he had enjoyed someone else’s presence this much. Being around [Name] brought him a large amount of joy that he couldn’t verbally describe, it was the type of joy that made his ribs feel like they were vibrating and made his heart seem queasy.

It was strange in all honesty, he barely knew this man but it felt like he had known him for decades or more. Bill couldn’t help but gaze at [Name] as he put the finishing touch on his room, and speaking of…

Bill blinked and realized they had finished. [Name] sighed lightly and stepped back, he let his eyes admire what they had done. He looked over at Bill with a wide smile full of pride. “So? Feel at home yet?”

The demon looked back at [Name] and he nodded eagerly. “Yeah…”

The room was full of antiques and colorful tapestries, it was a far cry from the empty room he had been shoved into the day prior. It was hard to believe he had only spent a day in this house, for it already felt like he had been here since he was a mere baby.

[Name] couldn’t help but admire the room, it was like if vintage bohemian and elegance had a weird little child, and if definitely fit Bill just right.

He looked down at Bill and smiled. “Are you hungry?” He asked. Bill never had hunger in his life, he could thank his lack of organs for that! But now… His stomach-thingy was rioting against him and making noises he thought only Zanthar was capable of producing.

Bill nodded and followed [Name] downstairs.

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Stan was sitting with the twins at the dinner table. Both teens had woken up shortly before and were still very groggy.

He heard footsteps descending down the stairs and looked up to see [Name] being followed by a frowning Bill. Stan couldn’t help but raise a brow. “Done already?”

[Name] looked over and smiled. “Yeah! Two pairs of hands work better than one,” the taller male affirmed and handed Bill some crackers. Bill mindlessly munched on the snack and frowned as he stared out the window.

“Oh, by the way, three-sides?” Stan spoke up and Bill looked over with offense. “Soos says you can work here at the Shack,” the old man said, Bill couldn’t help but giggle.

“Me? Why would I need to work in this humble abode?” Bill asked cockily and Stan glared at him. “Wanna keep Gompers warm at night? Then shut your trap and accept Soos’ offer.”

Bill snarled a little at Stan but huffed. “Fine… I’m only accepting just because I’m feeling generous, Stanley,” the blond said and Stan waved him off dismissively.

“Oh, [Name]!!! You won’t be alone with handyman work anymore!” Mabel said cheerfully and [Name] smiled at her. “You’re right, starlight. Trust me, man, this work’s easy as 123 once you get the gist of it,” he added as he turned to look at Bill.

Realization dawned on Bill like a blessing. He could see this man sweaty and worked up… Yeah, he’ll make sure to thank Soos later.

They lingered in the kitchen with everyone before Stan sent the twins off to bed and then went to the living room.

A question had been nagging at Bill since he saw [Name] for the first time ever, and so he turned to look at [Name] before speaking up. “So… How’d you even get this job? It couldn’t have possibly been your first choice.”

The [Eye Color] eyed male just smiled and turned to face Bill. “Well, I came here to Gravity Falls for a graduation project… I quickly realized I had no funds left and my family had a hard time sending money over.”

He sipped his drink before continuing. “So, I started to do some job hunting. I had a lot of experience with services and things like woodwork and pottery due to the fact I helped my parents provide for my siblings, so I looked for jobs that required someone with that expertise. And as if some higher power heard me, I found a flier for this place… They needed a handyman who could also work as a janitor since the last one moved up the ranks. And here we are now…”

Bill was intrigued. This guy certainly was God’s golden boy; handsome, smart, charming and job offers literally fell out of the sky just for him. But something had piqued his interest, so he asked another question. “You helped provide for your siblings? Why?” The blond asked and [Name] smiled. “Low income family in Rhode Island with about five kids.”

That was enough to make Bill understand.

“I’ll make sure to explain it all in further detail some other day. For now, I have to leave,” [Name] said whilst he threw his soda can away and checked his watch. He walked over to Bill and firmly gripped his hand. “Sleep well, Bill.”

Bill’s hand ached for more of that soft touch… He waved goodbye to [Name] and quietly fawned.

“I don’t get what they see in you,” Ford’s voice broke through and Bill scowled. “Of course you don’t,” Bill retorted.

Ford came out of the lab’s doorway and stared Bill down. “Everyone is forgiving you. Wendy, Melody and Soos… Hell, even Stanley is mildly alright with you! What do they see in you, Cipher?!”

Bill stared at him blankly before furrowing his brows. “Maybe they actually have hope in me. Unlike you who only saw me for my brains,” the demon said coldly and Ford’s eyes narrowed. “You did the same.”

Bill shrugged. “Touché.”

The demon swiftly went back upstairs to his room and Ford leaned against the counter. He rubbed his nose bridge and looked out the window, thinking this whole mess over.

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Bill laid in his comfortable bed with his eye set on the ceiling. He could now see why humans like to sleep so much…

He settled his head in his pillows, that’s when he noticed something…

The pillow cases had the lingering scent of [Name]’s cologne.

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<- Chapter 1 | Chapter 3 ->

taglist: @cyber-dump-171 @nephalem-da @magicalbunbun @the-ghost-lanturn @dontstartcaringaboutmenow @iamthenumberoneshitgoblinfuckoff

would you like to join the taglist for the next chapter? -> Click here!

[vmpssd]

more bill brainrot since you're okay with it :) (i think so anyway)

now, I don't really know what scenario to place this in- maybe he's starting to warm up more (physically, emotionally??) or maybe he's helping around your home, I don't know man, D:

he's been really helpful recently, helping with the laundry scattered in the living room, helping to dust some cobwebs in more shaded areas, and other areas of housework.

you couldn't be more thankful for him being so good, lately. it just made your heart warm from seeing him being such a positive influence within you.

you hum whilst drying some dishes, drying them down with a towel while bill takes the dried plates and puts them away, finishing up with your cleaning and with bill putting the last plate away, you smile at him.

"thank you again billy, you've been such a good help, taking such a load off my back."

bill coughs. his yellow color turning red just underneath his eye like blush. his eye averts you, trying to brush it off.

"i'm so good aren't i? the best. you couldn't even think of someone better!"

"mhm, always the best, sweetheart. so good for mommy."

there's something about the way a shiver creeps all the way across bill's body that feels so unreal, even for him. there's a slight, glitched gasp that emits from him at the word 'mommy' that he doesn't seem to register the effect it also has on his body.

bill feels himself heating up considerably fast, a low whine floating through his (non-existent??) mouth. it's not long before you feel him attach himself closer to you, whispering (almost in embarassment) for you to keep talking, just, keep talking.

so you do. "awwh, mommy made you all flustered, billy? so cute. maybe there's a way to make you even more red than you are now."

bill won't admit this (atleast not in this very moment) but he can't deny the pleasure that soars through him that causes his legs to twitch and shake.

he's breathing really heavy now, his eye half-lidded and solely focused on you. watching the way you smile, how your lips curve, that sensual look in your eyes, the way how your body is positioned, just looking down at him like that. (he's in love with it, infatuated, even.)

so when you bend down, pick up his slightly trembling form, and start planting kisses all over him, smearing your lipstick across his body, he can't bring himself to formulate words. let alone a sentence.

he feels the way your lipstick-stained lips glide across his body, the whispers and promises you tell him, the swipe of your tongue and drag of your teeth over his more sensitive zones. oh-ho-ho, he's done for.

"what do you think, billy? should we go back to our room and finish this there? mommy has so much planned with you.."

bill has never made a deal so fast in his life.

(...AAAAAAAA IM SO SORRY IF THIS IS BAD OR SOMETHING, I DIDNT REALLY KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING WITH THIS BUT I HOPE ITS OKAY TO READ IT!! LOVE YOUUU FOR LETTING ME RANT, LEMME KNOW IF ITS ANNOYING, THANK YOU!!)

NO ANON DW DON'T STOP TALKING AND YES IM OKAY WITH IT, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO HEAR YOUR IDEAS BECAUSE IM OBSESSED WITH IT TOO

YOU JUST GAVE ME A WHOLE FIC AND NOW I AM LOVING YOUR MIND. HIM HELPING US WITH HOUSE CHORES AND HOW IN CHARACTER THIS IS?

'aren't i the best' PROCEEDS TO BE A MESS WHEN WE CALL HIM SWEETHEART AND THANK HIM FOR EVERYTHING

I WOULD PUT ON LIPSTICK JUST TO KISS HIM UGGHHHH to see it on his body no matter the shape or if he's even human, im soooo down bad for him that i would do the triangle without hesitation

looking down at him, chuckling to myself to his whines and how each 'mommy' coming out of my lips gets cipher more worked up 😞😞 manifesting this

THE DRAG OF TEETH OHHHH YOURE COOKING ANON I DO HAVE SO MUCH TO DO TO HIM, NOT WRONG IN THAT

NOT BAD ANON YOUR WRITING IS MMHH GOOD, I ATE THIS ALL UP LIKE THE MOST DELICIOUS MEAL I HAD IN WEEKS BCZ NOT MANY PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THIS, I MYSELF NEVER SAW IT

not annoying also anon! you're welcome to come and rant in my asks whenever you want to!

[trashyswitch]

The Tickle Community’s Secret Members

Chapter 1: 2 Ticklish Members, One House

Patton discovers that Roman reads fanfiction on tickling! absolutely loves tickling people! Patton, who discovers he loves the feeling of being tickled, lets Roman be his ler.

Later on, Virgil discovers both of their secret!

Fun Fact of the day: Roman is a tickle addict. He has been for at least 4 years. It all started one day when he discovered he liked tickling people. He loved being able to turn someone into a puddle of giggles with his fingers alone. He also loved teasing people and making them super flustered. It's usually a treat to see someone so bashful and embarrassed. But to Roman, this treat needed to be presented as often as possible! His ache to see someone laugh so much, started to get greater as he got older.

One day, while tickling Logan, he discovered that certain people can endure more tickling better than others. Logan endured it for a while, but no one handles it better than Patton could. The person that couldn't handle it very well at all, was Remus. He hated being tickled. He thought it was too childish. He thought there were much better ways to annoy people, than making them laugh uncontrollably. So, despite being Remus's brother, Roman rarely tickled him. It was one of the only things that Roman respected. Besides, he wouldn't wanna piss off a RIDICULOUSLY ruthless ler. If provoked, Remus would become one of the most ruthless, teasy, and intimidating lers anyone has ever seen! And Roman has been a victim of his brutal attacks. So, he knows not to cross paths with an evil little bastard like him.

Later on, Roman discovered he liked watching tickle scenes in movies! Not only that, but through a quick google search, he also discovered there were tons of people like him! They liked writing fanfictions of movies and TV shows, which they called 'tickle fanfictions' or 'tickle fics' for short, they read other people's tickle fanfictions, and they separated themselves into 2 groups that came together: Lees and Lers. A Ler was the person that loved tickling people (which Roman sorted himself into), and a Lee was a victim of the tickle attacks. It turns out, there are people on the internet, that absolutely beg to be tickled! And Roman, being the ambitious ler he was, wished he could reach his hand into the screen and tickle the people on the other side of the screen. Not only that, but the lee accounts opened up a new can of information for Roman! Suddenly, there are multiple tickle tools that make the tickling more effective. There's cute scenarios people can set up and evil little teases people use on their lees to make them cower in bashful embarrassment. It was a very interesting community, and he soon joined the main social media sites he's been reading from! Now, he could secretly say he was part of the tickle community. However, he didn't dare tell any of the sides, not even Thomas! Yes, he loved them, and felt like he could trust them. But it was embarrassing to talk about out loud. So, he refused to talk to anyone about his strange hobby.

Little did he know, that Roman is actually living with a fellow member of the tickle community...

Patton was typing up a Disney tickle fan fiction between Jane and Tarzan. He had gotten pretty far on it, and was trying to come up with his own idea of where Jane's tickle spots would be. Her feet was already canon, so that was on the list. He considered other spots, but decided to narrow it down to her feet, armpits, and back of her neck. Patton had been a part of the tickle community for a while. He had learned what tickle tools work the best on him, he had learned about which types of finger tickling feels worse, and he's learned about which teases make his face turn red the best! How did he find this all out?

Well...he may have told someone...In the middle of an unbelievably large lee mood, he may have told Virgil so his fantasies could come alive. And what do you know: they did! It turns out, Virgil is a really good ler, if given a reason to be! He has wrecked Patton for the pure enjoyment of not only making Patton happy, but making himself feel happy along the way. Through his experiences with Patton, Virgil has become an ally for the tickle community. Though he hasn't opened the can of information himself yet, he recognizes how happy it makes Patton and is glad to support it and give him a good wrecking when he needs it most.

One day, 3 of the sides were hanging out in the living room. Roman was coloring a Princess coloring book, while Patton and Virgil were sitting beside each other, watching Gravity Falls on Virgil's phone. Recently, Thomas had gotten Disney+ to watch the very company he loves: Disney! And so, all of the sides have been enjoying having all these shows, movies, documentaries, and franchises all on one place. While watching Gravity falls, the episode came up where Dipper, taken over by Bill Cipher, was trying to take down Mabel and get the book. He had just tackled her down, and was ready to take the book back for good. However Mabel, being Dipper's twin sister, gladly says "But you're in Dipper's body, and I know all his weaknesses!". Before Bipper could question her motives, Mabel had placed her wiggling fingers under Bipper's armpit, and said "Tickle, tickle." while doing so. This caused Bipper to burst out in laughter and scream. He had never felt tickling before, so he jumped back out of pure fright.

"Hey Virgil?" Patton interrupted. Virgil paused the show and looked at Patton with a smile.

"Ya?" Virgil replied.

"What would it be like learning about tickling for the first time?" Patton asked. Virgil narrowed his eyes and looked away, trying to think.

"I have no clue..." Virgil thought, before letting a smirk grow onto his lips. "Probably...like this?" Virgil guessed, before squeezing Patton's knee. Patton let out a squeal before pulling the leg in and kicking it out. Next, Virgil tweaked Patton's side, and wiggle his fingers on his stomach.

"Wahahahait! Buhuhut, I knohohohow whahahat it ihihis!" Patton argued through his helpless giggles.

"That's true, but it still doesn't change the feeling." Virgil replied, switching from wiggling to squeezing the sides of his stomach.

"Ehehehehehehe! Vihihihirgihihihil!" Patton said happily.

"What? Does it tickle?" Virgil asked, acting oblivious to the fact that his fingers were causing Patton's laughter.

"Yehehehehehes! Patton replied as he flailed his arms around.

Next, Virgil wiggles his fingers onto Patton's exposed neck. Patton threw his head back and let all the laughter explode out of him.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA! NOT THERE! NOHOHOT THEHEHEHERE!" Patton screeched with wide eyes.

"What?! But I thought you loved this spot?" Virgil teased with a smile.

"IHIHIHI DOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Patton replied, covering his face with his fists.

"Then why are you complaining?!" Virgil asked, attacking the back and right side of Patton's neck.

"IHIIHIHIHIT'S TOOHOHOHOHO MUHUHUHUHUCH!" Patton replied through his hysterical laughter.

"Picky, picky, picky..." Virgil muttered with a shit-eating grin. He removed his hands from Patton's neck, and went back to Patton's stomach. Patton's laughter died down to happy little giggles. "Is that a little better?" Virgil asked. Patton nodded as his giggles continued to leave his body.

Meanwhile, Roman had been watching the entire moment, wishing he would've had his phone on him at that moment. This would've been such a perfect thing to record! But at the same time, Roman felt...jealousy. He was jealous of Virgil, and how he was able to tickle the adorable father figure. But at the same time, he wanted to enjoy the scene in front of him for as long as he could. Maybe...he could make it longer by participating...

Roman placed his marker down, stood up and walked over to the scene. "Having fun there?" Roman asked.

"YEHEHEHEHEHEHESSS!" Patton replied. Roman's eyes widened. Wait...did he just say 'yes'? He's having fun! Does that mean he likes it? While trying to question the potential theory, Roman noticed something else very interesting about the scene: Patton wasn't pushing away! He was giggling his heart out as Virgil tickled him to bits. Perhaps he was right? Perhaps Patton likes being tickled?

"You look like you wanna join. Wanna help me out?" Virgil asked. Roman snapped right out of his thoughts at the amazing opportunity.

"Would I?!" Roman replied excitedly, before kneeling down to Virgil's level. Looking around, he decided to try out the spot Virgil tried first: Patton's knees. Grabbing the lower leg with his other hand, he used his dominant hand to tweak and squeeze at the tops of the knees first.

"EEEEEKK! HEHEHEHEHAHAHAHA!" Patton bursted out, squirming back and forth as both people tickled him to oblivion.

Patton, being the lee he was, was absolutely overjoyed! 2 people tickling beyond relief? This was a dream come true!

"Hey Virgil? How are his feet?" Roman asked. Patton's lost his train of thought then and there. His eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, and his face became pale like a ghost!

"Oooh! That's a REALLY good spot for him! Especially, the toes." Virgil replied.

Roman gasped from excitement as he let go of Patton's leg. He scooted himself down to Patton's feet, removed Patton's adorable cat socks, and scratched at the inner arch of his foot.

"OH MY GAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAD!" Patton shouted. His hysterical laughter turned to cackles as Roman scratched the soles of his feet. Roman removed his fingers, to let the man breath.

"Holy crap...Looks like I have to pull out the big guns..." Roman declared, pulling up his sleeves to show off his 'big guns'.

Patton's eyebrows raised as his hand covered his mouth in anticipation. Instead of showing off his muscles, like Patton thought, Roman used his magic to create sparkly, red feathers. Using his hands, he lead the feathers towards the inner arch and the sole of Patton's left foot.

Patton let out a squeal and fell into a fit of joyful giggles. Roman fluttered the feathers back and forth with the magic in his hands, and smiled as he moved the feathers to the outer arch. Patton's head flew back and his giggles turned to blissful laughter.

"Your laughter is so adorable, Patton! Say, what would happen if the feathers got under your toes?" Roman asked, smirking. He pulled the feathers away, grabbed onto the feathers with his fingers, and got rid of the floating magic within them. Patton lifted up his upper body and balanced it with his hands, so he could watch.

Unfortunately for him, Patton wouldn't be able to watch very much because as soon as the feathers wriggled themselves in between the toes, Patton's body was back on the ground, laughing hysterically while squirming and pounding his fists into the ground. Roman was absolutely enjoying this. The fantasy of tickling someone to make them laugh endlessly, was exhilarating to him. Roman has always been fascinated about how something as simple as a small feather, can cause so much laughter to escape. It blew his mind the more he thought about it, and it was blowing his mind further as he demonstrated it. Maybe Logan would allow him to borrow one of his anatomy books to find out more on the subject...

"CROHOHOHOFTERS! CROFTEHEHEHERS!" Patton shouted. His face was getting more red by the second, and his limbs were getting tired of flailing and pounding the ground.

"Roman, I think that's enough now." Virgil warned. Roman nodded and removed the feathers from Patton's feet. As soon as the feathers were gone, Patton's body became limp. He was exhausted from the long tickle session, but was also overwhelmingly happy.

"I sense Crofters is a safe word?" Roman asked, completely unaware of what he just said. Virgil nodded.

"W-Wait...How do you...know about...safe words?" Patton asked through deep breaths.

Roman's eyes went wide, as his hand shot up to cover his mouth. How could he have said that?! No one knew about his secret...And, Roman didn't fully know if Patton was part of the tickle community. What if he was wrong, and he's humiliated himself in front of them?

"Telling by your eagerness to join in, and the fact that you literally created feathers out of magic for the pure reason to tickle him...Something tells me Roman is a Ler." Virgil theorized, looking at Patton near the end.

Roman's face turned a light red, as he bit his lip in nervousness. "Well...maaayybe I am...But how do YOU know about the term 'Ler'? Only people who are part of the community are aware of that term." Roman accused, in order to cover up his own embarrassment.

Virgil's eyebrows raised. He didn't expect for the accusations to turn onto him. "Well, I'm not. I'm aware of it, and a supporter of the community. Patton, on the other hand..." Virgil trailed off, looking at him. Patton let a smile grow onto his lips, and nodded. "...Is a part of the community. He's a Lee, and a proud one at that." Virgil said, as a smile grew onto his own lips as well.

Roman just about fainted at the unbelievable news. A member of the tickle community? Living in the mind palace WITH HIM?! How could he have missed this?! In the past, he's heard Patton's laughter coming from his room. But, he had assumed Patton was watching something funny with Virgil! Could it be that Virgil and Patton were having tickle sessions often without him realizing? This entire idea was overwhelming for him. And yet at the same time, questions had started flooding his brain. How could this have flown over his head? How long was Patton part of the tickle community? How long had Virgil known about it? Did Patton read fan fiction? Did Patton write fan fiction? If so, what fandom was he reading/writing about? HE NEED TO KNOW!

"Okay...I am. I'm a part of the tickle community. And, I'm a Ler." Roman confessed.

"I knew it!" Virgil exclaimed under his breath.

"Wait, REALLY?! You're part of the tickle community?!" Patton reacted, wide eyed with his jaw dropped.

"Yup. The Royal Ler, at your service." Roman declared, holding his hand out for a shake.

Patton smiled. "I'm Disney Lee. Nice to meet you." Patton replied, shaking his hand.

"Wait, Disney Lee? I recognize that name! You wrote those movie fanfics on Big Hero 6, Zootopia, and a few others! I LOVE your Tarzan fics! They're SO GOOD!" Roman exclaimed.

"You read them?! Oh my gosh! Do you write any fanfictions? If so, I should try reading them!" Patton reacted.

"Well...I haven't posted any yet. But I want to. I have a Star Wars fan fiction I'm working on! Wanna read it?" Roman asked.

"You bet I do! Virgil, you wanna join us?" Patton asked.

Virgil waved them away. "Nah, I'm gonna watch another episode of The Mandalorian, I think. You two have fun!" Virgil said, before crashing onto the couch.

While Virgil watched The Mandalorian, Patton and Roman got to talk about their shared hobby! They talked about their fandoms, the community members they follow, the social media sites they have accounts on, and even some of the deep secrets that live within the tickle community. Their favorite tickle tools, what teases get them the worst, their absolute worst spots, and how ticklish they really are.

Roman, being the Ler he was, pulled out a big box from under his bed.

"What is it?" Patton asked.

Roman put a finger over his own mouth, before taking the lid off to reveal the inside. Patton just about died from what was inside...

[timmyrx2000]

Dipper Steps Up: Chapter 13

Chapter Index: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Chapter 13

Chuck had a quick word as the Panthers ran to the dugout: "Guys! Two runs! Can we do this?"

A chorus of "Yeah!" came back.

Chuck shook his head. "I can't hear that! Tell me we can do this!"

At his side, Mabel raised her hand. "One! Two! Three!"

And as she swept her hand down, everyone yelled out together: "WE CAN DO THIS!"

Chuck grinned. "Jon J, step up to the plate!" But as the pitcher walked deliberately out, testing three bats before choosing one, Chuck said quietly to Dipper, "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Dipper had been sweeping the grandstand with an anxious gaze. "Uh. Nothing. Just—you know, trying to see where . . . people are sitting."

"Keep your head in the game," Chuck said, slapping him on the shoulder. "Remember that!"

Dipper settled on the bench. I'll be up after Jon J and X-man. What if I screw it all up in front of Wendy?

After the first pitch—a called strike—it took Jon J only thirty seconds to end his turn at bat, though to Dipper that dragged on like three hours.

And Jon J ended it spectacularly, with a blazing shot right down the left foul line, though it stayed in play. It bounced off the chain-link fence, the left fielder, flustered, bobbled it, lost it, and threw to the wrong place—first base, which Jon J had already left behind, and the throw was short and the baseman had to chase it—

Jon J wound up on third base, leaning over with his hands on his knees, his chest heaving for air. He had probably set a personal-best speed record with that run. The dugout went crazy.

As X-man went past, Dipper said, "Make us proud, man!"

X-man smiled and nodded as if that were all he needed. He didn't waste time, either, but smashed a hit into deep right field. The Athletics were either tired or overconfident—or maybe shaken by the Panthers' performance in the sixth. X-man stretched what might have been a single into a double, and Jon J crossed the plate and came into the dugout with everybody jumping on him and pounding his back.

Everyone except Dipper. He stepped out. Only Chuck seemed to notice him. He just said, "Head in the game, Dip. You got this."

"Head in the game," Dipper mumbled.

Sun is so hot today. Not in my eyes, though. This bat feels so heavy! And I feel like Mabel when she was in the golf cart that time—about to puke!

His hands were soggy with sweat. He rubbed dirt on them and pulled on his batting gloves, took two practice swings, and stepped into the box. The Athletics pitcher scowled at him.

This guy likes to brush you back from the plate. If he crowds me, should I jerk back in time or would it be better to be hit and take a base?

Sure enough, the first fastball whistled in—and Dipper had to step back to avoid it. "Ball!" the umpire shouted.

OK, he won't try that one on the next pitch. He doesn't have much of a curve, and he aims for the bottom third of the zone. Eye on the ball. Eye on the—

The pitcher kicked high and bent low and the ball came in right in the center of the zone, but low. Dipper tensed, judged the moment, and swung as hard as he could—

Crack!

He knew it was going into the gap, but he was already running and had no time to watch it. Round first base, and the center fielder was just coming up from the ground with the ball—Faster! He's gonna throw me out!

People were screaming. The ball was in the air, the second baseman reaching up his glove—

Dipper hit the dirt and slid into the bag—

And he heard the second baseman yell, "Shit!"

Dipper got to his feet—not even winded—and started dusting himself off. "Language," he said mildly.

The Athletics player shot him a look that could have killed. Dipper saw that X-man had scored. Tie game!

Hi-Ho, up next, made a valiant try, but managed only a pop-up to shallow left field, and the shortstop caught it. One man down.

Bobby paused on his way to the plate to look Dipper's way and give him a thumbs-up. Mabel did a fist-pump.

Something amazing happened. Dipper, standing just off second, straightened up and looked around.

And at that moment, somehow everything around him reminded him of—Gravity Falls. On a day when there was no Weirdmageddon, no chase through the woods on a golf cart, no competition between Pacifica and Mabel on the mini-golf course, no baleful ghost to conquer, no dance to make him anxious about asking Wendy for just one dance. No, not a day like that, but one of the clear late afternoons he and Mabel loved, a day to lie on their backs on soft, fresh-smelling grass and look at clouds with Wendy. A day to laugh and feel at home and loved and safe. One of those beautiful days that you hoped would go on and on and on because it was too sweet to leave behind.

Everything seemed so peaceful. The game was just a game, fun but not the be-all and end-all. And he had friends—real friends! For the first time in his life he had more than a couple of friends, and they were all right here, in California, on this hot afternoon in May, and they were feeling good.

And he knew how to make them feel even better.

That all passed in a flash, before Bobby even crouched at the plate—the catcher liked to challenge a pitcher by narrowing the strike zone—and well before the first pitch flew.

Bobby swung, the bat smacked the ball, and Dipper saw it was a hard-hit line drive to the pitcher's left, squarely between first and second, and it hit hard and started to bounce, at least a single for sure, but by that time Dipper had launched himself.

He got to third, looked over, and saw Bobby stepping back to first base, grinning. He immediately led off first, dancing, goofing. The pitcher glared at him.

Dipper led off third.

The pitcher wound up—and Bobby tagged up, then led off even more. The pitch, a strike—and Bobby took off for second. Dipper saw that the catcher was throwing to second, and he hunched down and ran faster than he had ever run in his life, even that time in the Fearamid with a monstrous Bill Cipher on his and Mabel's heels—the crowd screamed, he heard the pitcher yell in startled surprise—the catcher was reaching for the ball—Dipper went into a slide again—

And the throw was high and the catcher missed it and the ump bellowed, "Safe!"

And the scoreboard blinked to the final score: ANDERSON 10, VISITORS 11. Dipper's steal had won the game.

Before he could even get to his feet, Dipper was picked up—the cheering team hoisted him in the air and paraded him around. Above everything, Dipper could hear Mabel: "That's my brother! In your face, Athletics! That's Dipper Pines!"

The team wouldn't set him down. They carried him into the dugout. They dumped the water jug over him, making him muddy rather than dusty. Coach Waylund shook his dripping hand. "Good season, Pines," he said. "I'll look for you at tryouts in the fall. We're gonna need a team captain."

"But Chuck—" No. Chuck won't be JV next year. He'll be Varsity.

"Chuck recommended you," Coach said. He turned around, clapping his hands. "Good game, men! Next year we're gonna be number one! Now hit the showers!"

When he came out dressed, with his wet gear in his game bag, he saw Mabel talking to their mom, dad, both Grunkles—and Wendy, who yelped, "There he is!" She hugged him, took off the trapper hat, and gave him a playful noogie. "Good goin', dude! I'm gonna have to turn into a baseball fan!"

"Hey, Dipper," Mabel said, "Chuck and me are gonna ride back with Mom and Dad. Grunkle Stan will drive you home."

"Yeah," Stan said, "Poindexter an' me are gonna check into a motel for the night. Tomorrow afternoon we gotta fly back to Gravity Falls so's Wendy won't miss school on Monday. She's gonna stay with your folks tonight."

"Stanley," Grunkle Ford said, "I'd feel more secure if you'd let Wendy drive. After all, we're in a rental car—"

"Brainiac, please!" Stanley said. "She's too young to drive a rental! You gotta be like twenty-five!"

"Oh—but I let her drive my rental," Stanford said.

"Did she get caught?"

"Well, no, she's a good driver—"

"Then forget about it! Me, I can't afford any points on my license, so I'm drivin'. She'll just hafta sit in the back seat with Dipper."

Oh, that was just such bad news. Dipper couldn't help grinning like an idiot.

On the drive back, Wendy told him that Mabel had called and begged her to get there if she could. "So I talked to Stan, an' when he found out this was like a big game, he talked Stanford into coming—"

"And pickin' up the tab for the airfare! Hah!" Stan said from behind the wheel.

"And, dude, I'm so glad we did! I mean, I've never been a big baseball fan, but that was cool! Is it always this exciting?"

"This was the most exciting game I've ever been in," Dipper said truthfully.

That evening, after dinner, Dipper, Mabel, and Wendy went for another walk. As twilight came on, they rambled another trail in Piedmont Park. Wendy said, "Mabel, you gotta level with him now. You said you would."

"Yeah, I know," Mabel said. "Dipper—it's about this summer."

"You don't want to go back to Gravity Falls," Dipper said flatly. "I figured. Because of Chuck."

"What? No! Well, yeah, kinda. But listen: I just want to stay here until Chuck finishes his therapy. That'll be the last week in June. Then I'll come up to Gravity Falls for the rest of the summer. Grunkle Ford will buy an airline ticket for me. Brobro, I can't live without a trip to Gravity Falls—but Dipper, it's Chuck. I—I have a little crush on him. That's why I asked Wendy if she could come down today."

"Yeah," Wendy said. "So most of June, you'll be in Gravity Falls without Mabel. To make up for it, when you run into some crazy mystery or other and need a partner—here I am, Dip."

"You—you'd go on mystery hunts and stuff? With, uh, with me?" Dipper asked.

She shoved his shoulder playfully. "Yeah, dude! Hey, I'm no Mabel, but in a tight spot, I'm good with an axe. So until, like, the last week of June, no Mystery Twins. How about Mystery Team? I'll go with you on every—investigation? Quest? Whatever, man! It's a promise! Deal?"

"Deal!" They high-fived.

On the last Thursday evening in May, the day that final exams ended, the team presented Dipper with a trophy—a gold-colored pitcher in a wind-up pose atop a mahogany pedestal with a brass plate inscribed "DIPPER PINES / MVP /ANDERSON VS PIEDMONT/PIEDMONT 11, ANDERSON 10/MAY 17, 2014."

That was a high point, as the game had been a high point. As was Chuck's congratulating the new JV team captain for next season. As was Dad's buying copies of the newspaper with a glowing account of the game and Dipper's part in it and distributing them to everyone he knew. As was school ending early on May 30, the last day. As were a lot of things.

Still, on Saturday, May 31, the bus trip up to Gravity Falls was long and lonely with no goofy, cheerful sister next to him. Low point.

But when, late in the day, the bus stopped in downtown Gravity Falls, and a beautiful grinning redhead met him and said, "Hey, dork—need a lift to the Shack?"

And when she hugged him tight and said "Missed you so much, Dipper! Welcome back!"

Well, there's no point quite as high as that.

The End

Note from the Authors: A HUGE HUGE HUGE Thanks to BillEase for working his magic in this idea of mine. I'm no writter I can tell you guys that. What you guys enjoyed was my idea but the brunt of the work was done by BillEase. He is one of the best (if not the best) fanfiction writers I've seen. He wrote almost all of this story while I just helped him with ideas and the baseball games. Go check out Bill's stuff over at Fanfiction.net cause I swear he DOES NOT disappoint. We're not really too sure if this is the end of the story arc for this AU. Bill's got his own arc going on which is damn awesome and deserves alot of love too. If you guys got any ideas to expand this, just leave them in the comments bellow. Hope you guys enjoyed and hopefully this won't be the last fic Thanks so much again for checking this out. Please leave a comment and share with us what ya think. Share it to your friends or just simply fave this and follow Bill and I. Again, Thanks a million and we hope to see ya guys soon! Bill and Tim

[shadowofthelamp]

I didn't get one, so I'm making sure every time I see this, I send one! Yugioh, Puzzleshipping, and Atemu :D

@cosmignon said: 001 - Yugioh

Favorite character: Right now I gotta say Ryou, but it’s very close between him and Yugi.

Least Favorite character: Dartz. I love the beautiful disaster that is s4 but he’s my least favorite seasonal villain.

5 Favorite ships (canon or non-canon): Heart, Puzzle, any mix of Ryou/Bakura/Marik/Y!Marik (I know that’s cheating but I DO WHAT I WANT), Flare, and Vision.

Character I find most attractive: My inner bi is caught in a battle between Mai and Marik.

Character I would marry: Ryou or Yugi.

Character I would be best friends with: Yugi is the Ultimate Friend

a random thought: I made this post the other day but Priest/Pharoah Seto is in the afterlife, right? The afterlife Kaiba walked into. That’s gonna be a fun encounter.

An unpopular opinion: Mai is in her twenties at least, idk why they decided to give her a romantic subplot with a 16 year old. It’s Bad.

My Canon OTP: If Thief doesn’t count, I do like Peach. (They like each other, at least.)

My Non-canon OTP: Angsthipping!

Most Badass Character: You could make an argument for damn near anybody, but first one to come to mind is Marik ‘wrenched back control and survived a shadow game with a single life point WHILE telling his dark side to piss off’ Ishtar.

Most Epic Villain: *Insert any gif of Yami Marik doing the tongue thing here* (Thief King is a close runner up)

Pairing I am not a fan of: See the above with Joey/Mai

Character I feel the writers screwed up (in one way or another): HOO BOY DID RYOU AND THIEF KING GET SHAFTED BIG TIME

Favourite Friendship: Yugi and Joey’s friendship is so sweet, I love how they learn and grow from each other.

Character I most identify with: Everybody can be Projection Central depending on the day but it seems like right now I’m more feeling with Ryou, although Marik’s a close second.

Character I wish I could be: NOBODY, EVERYBODY GOES THROUGH SO MUCH SHIT. Maybe Honda, he goes through the least crap I think besides the monkey thing in the virtual world arc, but he’s still part of the group.

______

PUZZLESHIPPING

When I started shipping them: I don’t remember, but it was during the first time I was really getting into yugioh, about three years ago. It was during the anime watch, though.

My thoughts: Can you say soulmates? They help each other learn and grow, and are about as close as two people can be. I binged all of season 4 in like two days one spring break and didn’t even realize how weird and not good it was until afterwards because I was caught in Puzzle Feelings.

What makes me happy about them: They care about and help each other so much, and the growth over the series is amazing.

What makes me sad about them: *sustained sobbing over ceremonial duel*

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: Mmmmm surprisingly I don’t read that much puzzlefic? I don’t like when people overuse aibou, though- partner sounds just as good, maybe even better.

Things I look for in fanfic: Pretty much what I look for in canon- they complete each other, and are equals. (Plus flustered Atem and confident Yugi. Atem freaked out at the possibility of a date, Yugi openly swaps porn tapes with Joey in the schoolyard. He’s not the innocent one.)

My wishlist: I wish Atem had gotten to grow up, whether with Yugi or not. He didn’t seem to really want to go to the afterlife, just thought it was his duty.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: I like Flare (Both of them with Kaiba) but I’d also like Pride and Heart or Wish to be endgame.

My happily ever after for them: Ceremonial duel happens, Atem gets to see his family, but then they sense turmoil within his soul and promise that they’ll be waiting when he’s ready to actually join them. He rushes back into Yugi’s arms, still in his pharoah clothes and with his original body, and gets piled into the biggest group hug of his life.

He still lives with the Mutous, and stays on the Duel Monsters circuit, although he might branch out to other games. Him and Yugi work together with Kaiba to develop more games, and he stays in contact with the Ishtars to fill in as many gaps about his reign as possible. 

They grow old together, and when they’re ready, walk into the afterlife arm in arm.

_____

ATEM

How I feel about this character: I LOVE HIM. His development over the series from smug bastard to genuine leader is great, and even though it’s not written the best, I LOVE the memory world arc. He saw that Yugi was a ray of kindness and sunshine and was just ‘yes, I want to be more like that.’

Any/all the people I ship romantically with this character: Yugi, Kaiba, Ryou, Mana, Joey, Anzu, and Thief King (to an extent).

My favorite non-romantic relationship for this character: I love what he has with Kaiba, romantic or not. I saw it described as something that both pushes him to be the best he can be, and the one relationship he doesn’t have to share with Yugi. I also kind of like how Mokuba sort of nudges him to keep his older bro in line.

My unpopular opinion about this character: Boy is NOT the ‘top’ in a relationship. Take out the card games and he is a flustered dork.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: LET HIM STAY IN THE WORLD OF THE LIVING. HE DESERVES A CHANCE TO LIVE.

Favorite friendship for this character: Either Yugi or Joey!

My crossover ship: Don’t really have one, but did toy a bit with an idea forever ago about Bill Cipher from Gravity Falls having something to do with the Millennium Items.

[kokoroikikoeru]

Fandom: Gravity Falls

Warnings: Profanity, Implied Drinking, Implied Sex

Additional Tags: College AU, College Parties, Fluff, Older Pines Twins, Human Bill Cipher, Nice Bill Cipher, Dancing, Comfort, these two are adorkable boyfriends that are good and considerate to each other, sorry if this sucks i'm not good at writing fluff :|

Maybe it was because of the stuffy, humid heat produced by the horde of inebriated college students or the pulsating, pounding sounds of EDM blaring through speakers, but regardless of whatever it was, one thing was for sure:

Parties were the bane of his existence.

He was okay with hanging out with familiar, old faces or heading somewhere with a very small group of people. Never was he one for meeting a sea of strangers, grinding up against someone else, drinking to the point beyond being shit-faced, and so on.

At least he had Bill, though.

The brunet turned his gaze from the shifting and squirming mass of people who were all dancing and packed in the other part of the room like sardines in a tin to the young man sitting beside him. The two were watching the crowd from the sidelines, idly seated on a nearby couch. The fingers of the blond’s right hand were laced and entwined with Dipper’s left while the ones of the guy’s free hand were restlessly drumming against a fairly shabby, stained armrest to the beat of the music.

Bill wanted to party and dance like the others, that much was obvious.

The young, sleep-deprived adult stared at the remainder of the swishing and sloshing liquid held by the obligatory red solo cup in his hand. He drew his lips into a thin line, contemplating something before letting an almost inaudible sigh as he forced a faint smile.

Times like these were when he’d truly realized how different they and their worlds really were.

“Y’know,” he started, catching Cipher’s attention, “you can go out there too if you want. You don’t need to force yourself to stay with me.”

Cobalt eyes widened, similar to those of a preteen found reading his father’s porn mags. The action was so short-lived that he would’ve missed it had he blinked.

The affable first-year was quick—but not quick enough—to conceal his blunder that screamed, “I’ve been caught!” by quirking his lips and slinging an arm over the shoulders of the boy beside him.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, kid.”

“You look really bored,” Dipper countered.

“Geez, Pine Tree! I think you need more glasses or something since I clearly can’t see what you’re—”

“You really shouldn’t lie to your seniors, Billy Boy, especially if they’re your psychology study buddy.”

In reaction to the interruption accompanied with a smug, knowing look, the taller male looked away, uncharacteristically flustered as he grumbled something along the lines of “stupid smart guy”.

The shorter young adult let out an amused, good-natured sigh.

A serene though brief quiet passed between the couple as they listened to the thrumming beats of the song that was currently playing and the drunken shouting of their fellow peers. The introverted Pines twin was the one to break it.

“You can go if you want to. I don’t mind.”

“But you would mind joining me, right? Plus I’ll be leaving my poor, little tree all alone!” the blond dramatically cried out that last part. He threw an arm against over his eyes—well, eye—swooning like some damsel in distress as he swung his legs back and forth, kicking the air while flopping back into the cushions of the sofa.

Mason smirked at his antics and singsonged, “Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t mind watching you.”

Bronzed cheeks gave away a faint blush. Another tranquil and momentary silence transpired. This time Bill broke it.

“You sure about this, Pine Tree?”

“Absolutely.”

“Really, really sure?”

“Positively.”

“Really, really, really—”

The brunet stopped the probably never-ending river of what would essentially be the same, pointless question rephrased over and over again by turning to face the man, swiftly grabbing and tugging down on the other’s collar until their faces were a mere breath apart.

“Bill, just shut up and go dance. I want to see if my boyfriend can actually pull off the legendary moves he’s been claiming to be capable of for the past few days.”

Said boyfriend smiled mirthfully, genuinely and with a noticeable hint of guilt, arctic-blue irises softening fondly at the playful challenge.

Dipper wasn’t prepared for such an uncommon expression to cross his love’s visage. Nor was he prepared for a fleeting but warm and comforting peck against the tresses curtaining his constellatory birthmark from the younger.

“I promise I’ll make this up to you, sapling,” the smitten beaut whispered fondly. The guy’s smirk grew wider at the sight of a rosy flush blooming across the pillow-soft cheeks to the originally pale-tipped ears of a certain mystery-loving lad.

“Yeah, yeah,” the second-year mumbled, shooing the other away as he bit the insides of his cheeks and turned his florid mess of a face away from the other’s gaze. “Now go have some fun.”

And with that, the Pines boy watched his eccentric other half walk away, content though somewhat forlorn…

…only for the sapphire-eyed man to come back not even five minutes after his departure, deciding to return just in order to literally carry his unwilling, bibliophilic significant other with him as he dove back into the dense flock of college students.

After weaving and struggling their way through several waves of mainly inebriated people, they eventually reached an oh-so-very marginally less busy area near one of the sides of the room. Throughout their ephemeral but still rather arduous and tedious journey, the (much) smaller male was fruitlessly kicking and releasing shouts and protests that went unheard by both Bill and the surrounding students. To the freshman, it was honestly like carrying an adorably irked, drowsy kitten.

When he finally decided to gently put the thrashing nerd in his arms down, he received a punch to the shoulder and an aggravated sigh.

“You’re such an ass!” Dipper exclaimed. The blond gave him a faux sheepish grin.

“What can I say? I started missing and worrying about my favorite tree!”

The brunet attempted to force down the redness that threatened to creep up his cheeks and threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.

“What happened to the ‘I promise I’ll make this up to you’!? You’re serio—”

The first-year abruptly cut him off by placing a finger on his sapling’s plush lips. “Shh! Just dance with me.”

His lover sputtered, flustered before a sudden anxiousness and nervousness seeped in after realizing where they currently were.

The sophomore was beginning to panic, starting to feel like everyone was staring at him—even when they actually weren’t—with scornful looks that stabbed through his body, leaving it a porous, gory carcass. It wasn’t as if he wasn’t used to this, however, due to the numerous groups of girls and guys lusting after his popular boyfriend. Thankfully, though the other was deranged and unpredictable, he was always the first to notice and the first to be there to reassure and console him all those other times, so what made this time any different?

“Bill, I-I told you! I r-really don’t like crowds an-and I’m really bad at-at dancing and I really don’t want to—!”

He was cut off again, this time by the dark-skinned man looping an arm around his waist, partially and effortlessly dipping him while being mindful of the bustling people around them and the lack of space they gave. The taller male titled his Pine Tree’s chin slightly upwards, forcing gingerbread-brown eyes as wide as dinner plates to meet relaxed and confident blue ones.

“Focus on me, kid, just me.”

Dipper didn’t bother trying to bite back a soft smile.

The duo danced the night away afterwards—or, well, at least until Bill began getting more “aggressive” in their dance which inevitably led to the two of them retiring early for the evening because of certain very recently-planned activities they had much, much later that night (and yes, these activities did drag out to the ungodly hours of the morning).

A few people around them had realized just how heated their dancing was becoming. It’s not like it mattered to either party, though. Many others in the room were doing the same, so the couple forgot about the world around them during their dance.

The day after, while in bed and being securely wrapped in the safety of his partner’s arms, Dipper supposed that parties aren’t all that bad, so long as he’s with Bill.

[paper-birdies]

[hillyhipher]

Not the Right Time Fanfiction!

I was on @if-trash-could-speak blog and saw all of these Pyronica X Bill talks and had to make a fanfiction! I'm warning you, English is not my first language so it might sound weird. Please enjoy! (The words in the * * are Ford's thoughts) ~~~~~ Ford gasped as cyan chains grasped his neck and legs. He felt himself being pulled off the ground and levitating in front of his enemy, Bill Cipher. Ford tried to grab at the chains around his neck, they were cool to the touch. “YOU'RE MAKING THIS SO MUCH HARDER THEN IT NEEDS TO BE.” Bill said in his shrill voice, swirling his ‘margarita’. The purple drink smelt like blood and sulphur, it made his eyes burn. “EVERYONE HAS A WEAKNESS TOUGH GUY! I’LL MAKE YOU TALK, IT’S ONLY A MATTER OF TIM-” Bill stopped talking and looked away from Ford. His eye twitched but he didn't seem to be looking at anything that Ford could see. Maybe he was listening for something? *What are you doing Cipher?* Suddenly, he heard it. Large thumps coming from the other side of a Fearamid. It was getting louder and Ford could hear a gravely voice saying some gibberish. *Must be one of his ‘Henchmaniacs’ as he calls them.* Ford looked at Bill and could clearly see confusion in his eye. Suddenly, it cleared, as if he recognized that awful voice from the hall. Bill groaned and looked back at Ford. “DON’T TRY ANYTHING FORDSY. I’LL BE RIGGHHHTTT BACK.” He said in a singsong voice as he floated towards a door that was behind Ford. It must've been the entrance to his penthouse. Bill brushed against his arm while walking past the old man, it made the appendage numb. Ford drew back a bit and watched Bill disappear in a blue light. He reached up with his hands and tried to pry his neck chain off. He failed. He let his hands dangle and looked around the room. It sure screamed Bill. Especially that picture of the triangle wearing a crown and stepping on Earth. It showed him as he truly was. An egotistical bastard. Ford sighed and closed his eyes. A few minutes later he heard Bill return and he was jerked awake. The room was empty but when Ford turned he saw Bill enter the room from the door. He seemed pissed. “What was it?” Ford said in a confident voice. Bill looked at Ford with confusion, as if he forgot the conversation they just had. He blinked his one eye and looked at the chains he casted on the human. “YOU WOULD LOVE TO KNOW, WOULDN'T YOU SIXER?” The triangle sneered. “NOW WHERE WERE WE…” Bill floated closer to Ford, his dark cartoony hands crackled with electricity. Ford was about to resort with a defence when he heard the loud thumping noise again. This time closer. Bill’s eye turned red and he clenched his fists. “I SWEAR IF THAT IS KRYPTOS AND 8-BALL FIGHTING AGAIN I WILL TURN THEM INTO CONDYLURA CRISTATAS.” The triangle mumbled. Even when taking quietly, Ford couldn't stand his annoying voice. The thumping grew louder and faster, till it was outside the door. Ford saw Bill look over to the entrance and widen his eye. It flashed from red to the regular split pupil. He looked… uncomfortable? *Bill being uncomfortable?! What in the world could make Bill freaking Cipher uncomfortable?* He didn't want to know. Ford looked over his own shoulder and recognized the monster immediately. The Henchmaniac was over seven feet tall and bright neon pink. It had an ‘humanoid’ body with a round head, flaming limbs, messy short pink hair, huge horns, large lips, and one huge eye. It was Pyronica, he remembered her from the nightmare realm. In her fire arms, she held a large dirty white binder that had burns and teeth marks in it’s cover. “Heya Eye Candy! I got the pictures I needed to get!” Pyronica exclaimed in a gravely voice. She opened the binder, showing it was filled with pictures of dead bodies and ancient temples. “I needed Kryptos to do it. He didn't want to but once I showed him a meant business, he was happy to help!” She said, fluttering her one eye. The iris was red. “RONNIE, I'M KINDA IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING.” Bill said, only letting a inch of irritation into his voice. *Eye Candy? Ronnie? Jesus christ I don't want to hear Bill and this practically nude monster chit chat!* As the two monsters spoke, Ford tried to wiggle out of his chains. “Oh! Who is this cutie wootie!” Pyronica cooed, stepping up to Ford. “Hey! It’s the guy that Bill wanted to catch.” She said in a giddy voice. “I thought you turned him into gold, my little angle.” She said, turning to Bill. He looked liked he recovered from her barge in. “HE KNOWS SOMETHING WE NEED IF WE ARE GOING DOWN THIS WORLD DOMINATION ROUTE.” Bill explained. “ONLY THE DIMWIT WON'T TELL ME!” Bill sighed and itched his one large eye. “I WAS ABOUT TO SHOCK THE ANSWER OUT OF HIM BEFORE YOU CAME IN.” “Personally, I prefered him when he was gold…” She said gruffly, patting Ford's back. He expected her fiery hand to burn his trench coat and back. It cooled him instead. “Anyway!” She stepped closer to Bill and he floated back. “I got these cool pictures of places where we can visit after we get out of here!” She opened her binder and turned to the back. She walked back over to Bill and showed him. “Here is Palenque! I heard the humans that used to live there tasted great!” Pyronica said cheerfully. Bill, now getting into it, floated closer to the binder, and looked at the picture of Palenque. “I HAD HAUNTED A COUPLE PEOPLE THERE ONCE. FOR SOME REASON THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED THERE LEFT A SHORT TIME AFTER AND NEVER CAME BACK.” Bill eye seemed to be somewhere else for a second before going back to the binder. “THEY BUILT THESE TEMPLES THAT LOOK LIKE ME AND NAMED IT AFTER THEMSELVES! RUDE IF I SAY SO MYSELF. STILL, IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD TRIBUTE.” Pyronica smiled and turned to look at him. “Were those the people that insisted you press a wooden board against your forehead to make you look more beautiful.” Pyronica smirked, her bucked teeth and fangs poked out. Bill laughed, it made Ford cringe. He hated that laugh. “I SAID I LIKED THEIR TRIBUTE, I NEVER SAID THEY WERE SMART.” Pyronica rolled her eye playfully and looked back at the binder. She pointed one of her flaming fingers to a picture Ford couldn't see. The six fingered human realized his chains were suddenly looser. Bill must be distracted. “Going here would be cool! Only 8-BALL said it rained crazily, and I really don't want my hair to be ruined.” Bill scoffed and pointed to a picture in the binder. “WHY DID YOU PUT A VOLCANO IN HERE?” “Well, I thought we could have a hot tub party here, like what we did with Pompeii!” Pyronica seemed oblivious to the, again, uncomfortable Bill. “YEAH, WE PROBABLY SHOULDN'T OF TURNED ON THOSE JETS.” “Please, you know you turned them on. Even if it wasn't on purpose.” She laughed. “I must’ve gotten you riled up or something!” Pyronica and Bill shared a glance and the triangle quickly looked away. His pupil was about half the size it was usually. Ford, who at the moment was trying very hard not to laugh, met eyes with Bill. The demon’s form flickered red for a few seconds before going back to Pyronica. Ford gasped as his chains tightened sickeningly around his neck and legs. Bill looked at Pyronica and closed the binder shut with his magic. “SORRY TOTS, THIS WAS FUN, BUT I'VE GOT TWINS TO TORTURE AND BUBBLES TO POP.” Bill said smoothly, seemingly over his awkward feelings. “WHY DON'T YOU TALK TO ME LATER, AFTER I OPEN THIS IDIOT'S BRAIN AND FIND THE EQUATION I NEED.” Bill glanced at Ford. “FOR NOW, WHY DON'T YOU GO EAT KRYPTOS OR TEETH?” Pyronica grinned and nodded. “Sure thang boss man!” She sang swiftly. Her gruff singing voice sounded ok but then again, Ford just heard Bill sing earlier so everything sounded alright after that. She patted Bill on the top hat, blew a kiss to Ford, and thundered out of the suite. Bill’s body glowed light blue and he readjusted his hat. Ford remembered once trying to touch the infamous top hat during their researching in Ford’s dreams. He would never forget the look of pure death Bill gave him. He was surprised she survived touching his hat, you would think it's his child. “NOW THAT THAT’S GONE, IT'S TIME FOR TORTURE THE FORDSY. WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE CLASSIC WATERBOARDING, OR PERHAPS 500 VOLTS OF ELECTRICITY.” Bill looked at Ford with a cocky expression. He expected to see a terrified face but instead got a face trying to hold back laughter. Bill’s form shimmered red. “WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING?!” The one eyed demon growled. “Why wouldn't I be?” Ford chuckled, ignoring the pressure from the chains on his neck. “The all so clever, smooth talking, deal making Bill Cipher just got flustered over a freaking pink highlighter!” As the moment got longer, Ford laughed harder, and angrier Bill got. The now red and black demon grabbed the chains around Ford’s neck and legs and held him up to his eye. “500 VOLTS IT IS.”

[worldofadvent]

NEO World of Advent Chapter Four

Hey everyone, Age here. I wanted to let you know that I haven't been completely idle, even if you can't see the fruits of my labor right now. I've made a good 31 chapter summaries into the first arc and overall story details as a whole. It's going to be pretty huge, actually. A bit bigger than I had anticipated. I'll probably start rolling out actual chapters soon added to this one as the summaries have reached a sufficient point where they don't really need much (or any, really) changing. So, for the sake of clarification, not that it comes up here, Allouette got an 'upgrade' I suppose and has a more adult body in this story. She's a reploid. If Zero's body can be healed from absolute disrepair I imagine consciousness can be transferred. There's a more serious note after the end of the chapter that I want you guys to take to heart, but until then, enjoy!

NEO World of Advent Chapter Four

The sky overhead was clear, barely overcast save for a few stubborn clouds that had not yet evaporated in the sun's heat. Cipher found himself appreciating the crystal blue horIzon, the lazy drift of the white cushions scattered thinly across it - anything but the thick grey handle that led to a large building labeled crudely "THE DOJO." It had been some time since he had been here, the last having held his last major fight with Joan while they were still a couple. The sight of the building gave him conflicting feelings of nostalgia and apprehension. With a sigh, his hand closed over the handle and pushes it forward.

Inside, the Dojo held a sporadic assortment of washed out gymnasium instructors and discount martial arts teachers. A class was going on in the main room, a set of movements repeated over blue plush mats. Cipher found an employee (the counter is unsurprisingly empty) and asked about Room 003. The employee, a human teenager with acne sprawled over his face like an overturned antpile, gave him a quick nod in the right direction before applying a liberal amount of cream to his face.

The Dojo wasn't the largest building in the area, but Cipher felt it could do a bit better with directing people to their right room. Who in their right mind put Room 005 before 003? Despite obvious flaws in architecture and basic numerology, Cipher reached the white door, a clear glass window revealing Joan's tensed form in the middle of a rapid punch. The unfortunate object of abuse, the room's assigned punching bag, swayed violently opposite of Joan before swinging back down to receive another round of punishment.

Joan stopped as soon as she heard the definitive "Click!" of the door opening. Cipher looked around, taking in a few dumbbells and a solitary workbench to the side of the room. The rest was bones-bare; the ragged punching bag seemed to be the room's defining characteristic.

"Hey," Cipher managed lamely before Joan tossed him a pair of boxing gloves.

"Put these on," she told him. "You don't want to hurt your fist just before your match."

Cipher held back a short sigh. "I never said for sure that I was going to do it. There's a lot that needs to be done back at the Shop."

"So?" Joan shrugged. "There's always work to be done. It gets done, with or without us. We can't do everything, you know. This is more important. This is our chance to get out."

By 'out' Cipher knew her to be referring to the constant state of anxiety they found themselves in come every billing. Barely scraping by each month was not an easy way to live. If even a slight hiccup came by, like one of their Family getting sick and insurance not covering everything, it put a further strain on their already tight budgets. The Gran Serena Tournament was, to Joan, their way of escaping the constant cycle of barely avoiding poverty.

"There's no guarantee we'll even place," Cipher contended. "What if we wipe out in the first or second round? Nobody ever remembers fourth place."

"Don't get fourth," Joan told Cipher confidently. "Or third. You can get second, but only to me, understood?"

Cipher shook his head and put on the gloves. "If I decide to go."

"You will," Joan said simply. Why she said it with such confidence, Cipher could not fathom. "Besides, this is a lot more fun than pushing papers, right?"

Cipher had to admit, she had a point there. As much as he enjoyed his neat, orderly corner of the universe, there was something about the wild, unbridled feeling of fulfillment as you beat something senseless. "Fair enough. Stand clear, will you?"

Joan stepped aside, clear of the punching bag's chaotic tendency to fly in any direction a punch sent it. Cipher found a comfortable position and just as he was about to throw the first punch, his communicator rang, unsettling him. Cipher excused himself, giving Joan free range to torment the suspended bag in his absence.

Recognizing Charles's face in the window of the communicator, Cipher pressed the call button, seeing a real-time flustered Charles in its place. "Where were you?!" Charles said. "You won't believe it. I don't believe it. It's amazing!"

"Slow down, slow down," Cipher told him. "What's going on?"

"Cero came by!" Charles remained ecstatic, his words spilling out faster than he can say them comprehensively.

"Cero? You mean the Resistance Kid, Cero?" Cipher clarified.

"YES." Charles took in a deep breath. "He just browsed the Sliders. He seemed really interested in those new ones you designed."

Cipher's breath hitched. "Well? Did he buy anything? Did you get his number?"

"No," Charles said sadly. "He didn't want to buy anything just yet. Still, this is huge!"

"No kidding," Cipher said excitably. "This could be a way into a major sale - to the Resistance! And if Cero starts riding my Sliders…"

"More sales," Charles concluded for him. "An instant celebrity endorsement. We don't even have to put his name on the side if he wants to use it himself."

"Keep me posted if he comes back," Cipher told him.

"Why can't you just come over now?" Charles asked. "If he comes back, it would be better if you were here in person."

"I can't," Cipher said. "I'm at the Dojo with Joan."

"Is that so?" Charles's tone of voice was coy. "How's that going for you?"

"It's not like that," Cipher says exasperatedly. "It's for that tournament everyone keeps going on about. There's a lot of prize money if you win."

"I see." Charles's voice took on a more guarded tone. "Well, be careful, alright?" Cipher gets the feeling he isn't talking about physical injury.

"I will."

Charles took a long breath and told Cipher that he'd take care of the shop for a little while as he gets his business with Joan settled and in order. Cipher thanked him and closed the conversation with a final "Click."

Joan popped her head out upon the closure of the heated conversation. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Cipher said. "You know Ciel and Zero's kid? He stopped by to look at the Sliders earlier apparently."

"Way to go," Joan said. "Celebrity endorsement!"

"That's what Charles said," Cipher said. "It's pretty major. This could mean big business for the shop."

Joan's face fell. "Does this mean you won't be doing the tournament after all? If you have a potential mass order from the Resistance of all places, that might, you know… It's okay if you don't want to."

Cipher shook his head. "The product he was interested I already designed. He was interested in it, but he didn't buy anything - but if I can get the shop's name out there, I won't need a celebrity endorsement. I'll be doing it myself. Work has been slow lately. Like you said, I'm sure they can handle it."

Joan smiled gleefully. "The Gran Serena's going to bring a lot of publicity. Even if you don't win, just having the brand on your uniform or something might bring you the kind of attention you deserve."

Cipher nodded, eyes set on a glorious future inlaid by a fat account balance and a distinct lack of insta-meals. "I'm in."

"Woo!" Joan hugged Cipher tightly, an uncomfortably hot embrace due to her having let off some steam - literally - in the rec room. A quick inspection inside proved his suspicions as the punching bag lay on the ground, smoking.

"You know," Cipher said, "You have an unusually strong oversol for a civilian Advent. You never told me who your reploid parent was."

Joan only responded after finishing the remains of her water bottle, wiping away the sheen of water on her lips as she set it down. "He was made or remade - he never really made it too clear - from one of Neo Arcadia's old Gentle Judges that Zero destroyed a while back. He used to be called Blazin' Flizard or some way too "hip" name for the old geezer." Joan smiles sadly but quickly shakes herself out of her reverie. "I inherited his fire abilities; that's how I can stand such intense heat and use so much firepower."

"That makes sense," Cipher said. "I remember hearing that a few of the Eight Gentle Judges were reconstructed after the war. What happened, er, if you don't mind saying. Someone like that shouldn't have been easy to uh, you know."

"Die?" Joan shrugs casually to let Cipher know that she isn't bothered by talking about it. "I don't really know. There was an accident and both my parents were in the way. I don't know the specifics."

"I'm sorry," Cipher says, feeling ashamed at having brought it up in the first place. "I know it's not something you like talking about."

"Who does?" Joan said. "It doesn't matter though I guess. I'm just going to honor him by pummeling my way into first place. I think that would make him proud, his only daughter winning a fighting competition."

"If anyone would win, it would be you," Cipher said. "I haven't met anyone with a stronger oversol."

"I think mine is strong, yeah," Joan said, "But I think yours might be stronger. Every time you actually get it out it's like fighting an entirely different person."

"My oversol…" Cipher sat down on the bench next to Joan. "It'd be nice to know who my reploid parent even is. Or my human one for that matter. But you know how the city is with Family Heads and heritage tests."

Joan made a face. "It's not the best system, that's for sure. Well, do your best out there too, alright? I'm sure they'd be proud of you as well if you come home with a shiny gold trophy."

"I will. I just wish I could use more of my oversol. It's hard to bring it out at all."

Joan thought for a moment. "What color is it?"

Cipher tensed the skin on his hand, feeling the odd, almost prickly sensation as his skin hardened into a metallic black. A crimson red formed just above the wrist.

"So red and black?" Joan shrugged. "I got nothing. Let's try working on that for now. Maybe it'll give you some answers if you can unlock more of it."

"Sure thing," Cipher said. "How did you unlock your full oversol in the first place?"

"A lot of it is practice," Joan said. "You have to be comfortable with using it, too. Let's try using it in a spar - against me this time, not just a bag. Do what comes naturally."

Cipher nodded, the two making to unfasten the punching bag from the middle of the room, leaving a dangling silver chain in its place. The two of them stood at opposite ends of the now empty room, ready to spring into action at the timer Joan set in motion's beep. A few tense moments passed by and a ringing was heard as Joan bolted into action. She closed the distance between the two of them in a second, a rusty-red fist swinging sparks at Cipher's shoulder.

Cipher ducked, feeling the wave of heat as it passed through the air next to him, willing that small bit of black and red to manifest, his senses heightened to an unnatural degree. It was like everything was just a little bit slower, like he was that little bit faster. Cipher gyrated like a top, sweeping his legs out from under Joan, only to find her jump up, a kick aimed at his chest. It landed, knocking him into the edge of the wall, but Cipher's concentration only sharpened, instantly analyzing the way she moved, how she attacked. Where she would be open, next time.

Cipher moved in closer, carefully taking note of the spreading armor Joan is manifesting and decided to take action before it could spread any further. With a practiced punch, he sent Joan into the defensive, following with another feint by way of a punch directed toward the shoulder that quickly turned into his other fist burying itself in her stomach. Cipher's fist hurts from the retaliation of her oversol, but noticed Joan wince as well. Taking advantage of the momentum, Cipher tried to kick her legs from under her again, but she grinned defiantly.

"Not that again," she warned, and deflected the kick with a smarting blow of her own. "Come on, Cy," she egged him on, "You're going to have to do better than that."

Cipher felt his vision turn red with a distant anger from the sharp impact that quickly turned into a literal red as his oversol inched up his arm. The room became crystal clear, a primal desire for violence curling at the corners of his lips as he pulled back a punch that Joan blocked, but barely. Her body skidded back, her back now against the wall. Cipher rushed forward, a black fist raised with the determination to win.

Suddenly, his vision went black. Having faced her more than once before, Cipher recognized it as her ash clouding his eyes. Not making the mistake he had before and opening his stance up to clear his eyes, Cipher listened for a sign of movement. There! Cipher's head snaps to the direction of a hastily shuffled bench and made two quick back-steps from that direction while making a quick swipe of his eyes.

The little time it takes to become adjusted to sight again was all Joan needed, however, and a fireball smacks him in the middle, charring his clothes but feeling more like a cannonball than burning fire. It faded quickly but by then Cipher was already on the ground, nursing a vast bruise across his chest through singed clothing.

"You did really well," Joan said happily. "I had to use most of my oversol that time." She fetched him a new pair of clothes, an unfortunate necessity whenever they planned on sparring with each other in earnest. "Tell me, what's it like when you use your oversol?"

"What's it like?" Cipher thought for a moment. "It's like the world get slower. Things become easier to see, patterns start opening up where they weren't there before. It's more than just my fist becoming stronger."

"That's what I thought," Joan said. "For me, it's not that so much as feeling this kind of hot tingly thing and I can shape heat how I want to. Whoever your reploid parent is must have had a lot of technical skill but not much elemental affinity is my guess."

Cipher nodded, throwing on a new shirt, tossing the old one like a ball in the waste basket nearby. "Whatever it is, it's addictive. You feel like a whole different person when you're in oversol. Power is one heck of a drug, I guess."

Joan leaned against the wall she was pushed against in their fight. "Let's hope it's something you can handle. A lot of Advents can't handle the rush. Sometimes their minds or bodies break under the pressure. A lot of more powerful Advents have to go through special training for it. I hear the Top 4 had to train really hard so their bodies could withstand their oversols."

Cipher put his hand to his chin, cupping it as he thought. "I wonder if I have to be mentally ready for it first. Physically, I'm in shape, but I don't get into fights that often, you know? When we fought a part of me was on survival mode. If I can control that, maybe I can use more of my oversol."

"It's worth a shot," Joan said. "There might be some studies done on the subject, but I wouldn't really count any of them as a guarantee to be helpful. Advents haven't been around long enough to really have a solid study done on it yet."

"Yeah," Cipher agreed. "Well, whatever gets it to work, I'm going to figure it out. Come the start of the tournament, I'll be ready."

Joan beamed. "That's the spirit! There is one teensy little caveat though…"

"What?" Cipher prepared himself for the news.

"You have to pony up a registration fee," Joan explained. "You know, to help pay for the winnings. Blazin' Flizard left some sort of fund that I can tap into to pay for it, but you may be on your own. Unless you find someone to sponsor you, which I recommend more."

Cipher groaned. "Who in the world would sponsor a random Advent from a shop nobody has ever even heard of?"

"Well," Joan said, pulling up a list from her communicator, "I've made a list." Cipher looks it over, feeling an odd sensation of warmth for his old friend as he recognizes the thought that she had put into it. "There's a few retired generals in the area, but if you said Cero came by your shop, Neige might be worth a try. She's an old friend of the Resistance and is usually willing to help Advents like us out. If you tell her you know Cero she might be even more willing to help."

"Thanks Jo," Cipher said. "I'll give it a shot." Cipher stored the list digitally inside his own communicator and Joan made a brief lurching movement before stopping awkwardly.

"This is usually when we'd hug and see each other off," Joan said distantly.

Cipher gives her a quick embrace, but not the long ones they used to reserve only for each other. "We're still friends, you know," he says. "That never changed."

"Yeah," Joan said, a slight smile returning to her face. "Right." She slung her pack over her shoulder. "Well, I'll see you later alright? Try not to let the younger kids drive you insane."

"I make no promises," Cipher said with a grin. The two of them leave the room and wave each other goodbye as they take off on their respective Sliders. Cipher remembered the feeling of her touch as they hugged, a sort of heaviness in his heart remembering longer, lingering touches and the more intimate feel of her lips. He hardly remembered making the trip back to his home at all before he found himself at the gates.

Cipher flashed a quick card that let him into the small apartment complex he had reserved, for the most part, for his Family. Those few residents that weren't a part of it made due with being neighbors to a large and rambunctious group of children. Inside the complex, Shirley was supervising the younger kids as they splashed around in the pool. The sky was already dark, the sun making its final vestigial effects on the dusky sky before it descended into true night.

"Hey there," Cipher greeted them. "Miss me?"

"It's Cy~" some of them shouted to an encore of "Cy is here! Cy is here!"

Shirley smiled fondly at them before giving Cipher her attention. "The rugrats have been wondering when their 'big bro' would be getting home."

"Well I'm here," Cipher said.

"Play with us," a girl named Talia begged him. "Shelley doesn't know any of the games."

"I do too," Shirley protested. "It's just too late. I told you. Half an hour in the pool and then it's bedtime."

"Play!~" They egged the two on.

"You go check with Kent," Cipher suggested to Shirley. "I'll tire them out."

"I hope you don't mind getting wet," Shirley said with a smirk, clasping him on the shoulder before making her way upstairs.

"So what game do you want to play?" Cipher asked, already knowing the answer.

"Hide n' Seek!" seemed to be the general consensus, and thus Cipher spent the next fifteen minutes calling out a phrase with his eyes closed as he lumbered toward the spasmodic shapes floundering around in the shallow end.

Once all the kids, save for the perpetually energetic Ralph were too tired to continue, Cipher rounded them all up and ordered them to dry off after a quick series of showers. Cipher, sopping wet himself, made his way to the room Charles was in charge of, where he was met with a scene of prepubescents pulverizing a shell shocked Charles with pillows. Feathers were everywhere, giving the distinct impression of a war rather than a simple pillow fight. The feathers seemed to stick to Charles, who appeared slick with some kind of oil.

"Help." Charles zoned in on his greatest chance at salvation and Cipher shook his head wearily as the chaos winded to a respectable level of pandemonium.

"Be nice to your older brother," Cipher reprimanded them. "And what did you do to all these pillows? You know you have to sleep on them, right?"

"Sorry Cipher," the recalcitrant leader of their small coup, Greg said. "We got bored."

"Then find a hobby," Cipher said exasperatedly. "Something that doesn't involve making your room look like mass swan murder."

"Will do," Fabian said with what Cipher suspected was a distinct lack of sincerity.

"What did you do to Charles anyway?" Cipher asked, examining his still-in-shock second in charge. "Is this oil from the shop?"

"Yeah," Greg said abashedly. "Clark took us around to visit earlier so we took a little bit."

"How much is 'a little bit?'" Cipher asked.

"Matt took a whole gallon," Fabian offered to a betrayed gasp from the offending thief.

"You said you wouldn't tell!" Matt's mouth was open with comical outrage.

"Yeah well, Matt's going to show me what else he's 'borrowed' from the shop while you guys get ready to sleep. I mean it. Light's out in fifteen minutes."

Cipher had the resident kleptomaniac of the Family lead him to a hidden stash with an eclectic assortment of odd things nabbed from the shop, including a few documents that would have been sorely missed. Alerting the others, namely Shirley, Brandon, Kent, and whoever else was of sixteen years of age or older, that Matt was a practiced sneak and was not, in any uncertain terms, to be trusted around anything flammable or that could become flammable from the shop, Cipher checked on the girls, who seemed to be perfectly asleep, the lights already off. "Why did that stereotype have to be true," Cipher muttered darkly as he eyed the closed doors of the boys' room, finally arriving at the room he shared with Charles.

Cipher sat down, resting his aching muscles for the first time all day, a truly heavenly experience marred only slightly by the sound of the shower still running and the consequences behind it. "You okay in there?" he called out to Charles, following a steady trail of feathers to the closed bathroom door.

"It won't come off!" Charles' voice took a slightly hysterical tone to it.

Cipher groaned and got to his feet once more. "Hang on," he promised Charles. "I'll get you something that can take it off."

A quick trip to storage and a subsequent trip to the store found Cipher in his bed much later than he had anticipated, but several bottles of oil remover richer for his troubles. He had no doubt that it would play a part in the near future as he sunk into the folds of his bedspread for the first and hopefully last time that night.

He was asleep instantly.

Author's Ending Note:

As for the more serious news, a friend of mine died a few days ago. They (wished to be referred to as genderless) were clearly not in their right mind on a school campus and the campus security shot them. They held a high position in that school and became a target of the news. So many people are condemning them as a criminal or that they deserved it. Please, I'm begging you, understand that mental illness doesn't choose or discriminate. It can go from zero to a hundred in no time at all. If you yourself feel like you're getting to the point where you feel like you might break, let a loved one know. Like now. I lost a friend and I don't want to see it happen to any of you. Peace, Age.