Summary:
Steven goes on a walk and eats his lunch
It had been a slow day. Not many people had come for tours that day, so Stan was killing time in the gift shop with Steven. He was currently helping a particularly indecisive customer wearing clearly uncomfortably short jorts. Why he was Christmas shopping in June was a mystery in itself, but hey, some people are like that. It's not Steven's place to judge. He was sweeping behind the counter when the twins walked in.
"Grunkle Stan," Dipper started.
"Can we go to the diner?" Mabel finished.
Steven focused back on sweeping.
"Do you have this in a different animal?" the customer asked Stan.
"Hey, kid," Stan said, "Mind watchin' the shop while we're gone?"
Stan looked over at the customer, "And help him out. No clue how long that's gonna take."
Steven looked over at the customer, who was now trying to decide between a puma or panther shirt. When he looked back at Stan, he was already gone, the gift shop door swinging closed behind him.
Steven took a deep breath before heading over to the customer to help him.
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An hour later, Steven was placing his shirts into a paper bag and wishing him well as he walked out of the gift shop. Steven let out a sigh of relief. Customer service was taking a toll on him that not even the Diamonds could have prepared him for. He looked outside to see the sun was still high in the sky. Steven checked his watch. 12 PM, and not a customer in sight. He sighed. Maybe he should close early, or at least, close for lunch. Surely Stan wouldn't mind.
Steven tidied up the gift shop before locking the door behind him after putting a sign on the door that said 'Out for Lunch.' It was a nice day out, hot, but with a nice breeze that kept him cool. He decided to go on a walk. He hadn't really had time to explore the hiking trails of Gravity Falls, and he figured today would be a good day to check them out. Besides, he could find a nice place to have lunch.
He hummed as he looked up a list of hiking trails on his phone, planning out his route before starting down a trail by the Mystery Shack. The sun shone through the trees, painting the forest floor with specks of light. A cool breeze rustled the trees, singing with the birds. It was peaceful. Soon enough, He found a nice clearing to settle down in and eat his pb&j. He took a small picnic blanket from his backpack and placed it on the ground in the shade of a tree. The clearing looked oddly familiar, but Steven brushed it off. A lot of the forest looked like the clearing, so maybe he saw something similar when they were hunting for that plaidypus. Steven recalled the day. He had revealed his powers to Mabel, something he told himself he wouldn't do. But, getting that off his chest helped. This summer had been good for him. He's creating a new relationship with his powers, but he was still paranoid. Paranoid he would lose control. So far he hasn't had to use his powers too much, just here and there to help the twins in a pinch, but what if something happens, something he can't handle, and he loses control? Steven shook his head, clearing his thoughts. This was supposed to be a peaceful lunch, to relax, not to worry about a possible future that may not even come.
He finished his lunch and sighed as a cool breeze ruffled his hair. He leaned back against the tree and just enjoyed his surroundings. Birds chirped as the faint sound of running water from a nearby creek drifted through the clearing. Soon Steven's eyelids grew heavy, and he felt his whole body relax. But he couldn't fall asleep, he had to get back to the Shack soon. He opened his eyes to start to pack up when he realized the clearing was now longer the gorgeous green clearing it was. His surroundings had been drained of all color, leaving it in shade of black and white. He noticed the wind had stopped, and saw some birds hovering in mid air. It was as if the whole forest had just… stopped. That's when he heard laughing. A laugh he had only heard in his dreams. He froze. That's when a black shape formed in front of him. It morphed into a triangle, and Steven could tell the laughing was coming from it. A singular eye opened in the middle of the shape before a bright light blinded Steven. When his eyes readjusted, he saw a yellow triangle, wearing a top hat and bow tie, holding a cane in his left hand.
"Hiya kid!" the triangle said.
Steven yelped in surprise, jumping a little. The triangle laughed.
"Need a hand?" With that, the triangle summoned a severed hand that took Steven's to help him up. Once he was standing, it disappeared. Steven was still in shock. A triangle was talking to him.
"Name's Bill. Bill Cipher," Bill Cipher held out a hand to shake Steven's, but Steven kept his arms firmly at his sides. After a moment, Bill laughed.
"I like you kid! It's good to stay wary in a place like Gravity Falls, but you can trust me. I'm here to help you."
That shook Steven out of his shock.
"Help me?" he asked.
"Yeah! I've been inside your head, Sandals, and I can see you have a lot of worry. Worry about your past, your powers, and most important, your control," Bill floated towards Steven, draping an arm over his shoulder, "well lucky you, your prayers have been answered!"
"Prayers? I haven't-" Steven started before Bill cut him off.
"Of course you haven't! Not consciously, anyways. But I can tell you're in a dilemma, and I'm here to help," Bill said.
Steven turned to look at Bill, but found he wasn't by his left shoulder anymore. He felt a tap on his other shoulder, and he looked to his right to see Bill playing with a paddle ball.
"You're here to… help?" Steven asked.
"Sure! It's what I do!" Bill laughed again, throwing the paddle ball paddle into the air where it morphed back into a cane. "Humans have so many problems, so they summon me to help."
"But," Steven said, "I didn't summon you."
Bill laughed again, "You're a riot kid! No you didn't, but you're a different case. You aren't the type to ask for help, and," Bill turned, floating away from Steven, hands behind his back. "You're not fully human, are you?"
"How did you-?"
"Know? Ha! I've been inside your head, Sandals!" Bill turned to face Steven. "So I decided to be a bit more proactive. Offer you help before you even ask! Just because I'm such a stand up guy."
"What are you going to help me with? I don't really have any problems." Steven said.
"Course you do, kid, everyone does," Bill Floated closer, images flashing across his body.
They were flickering too fast for Steven to process them all, but he could tell they were images from different points in his life. Most of them, not so good moments. Moments he's lost control. The last image was him when he was corrupted. Steven froze as Bill turned back into his yellow self.
"You have problems with control don't you?" Bill said.
Steven didn't respond. He hadn't exactly told his therapist about the whole 'corrupted' thing. Well, not directly, anyways.
"I'll take your silence as a yes," Bill said, "Everyone has problems with control Sandals, but you, you losing control isn't just a small whoopsie. People could die if you lose control. That's why I'm here to help!"
Steven was silent for a moment before responding.
"How?" he asked.
"Simple! I'm an all powerful being, so I have a lot of tips and tricks about control," Bill blinked, but Steven could tell it was supposed to be a wink. "And I can teach you! I just need you to help me."
"Help with what?" Steven asked skeptically. What would he have to do?
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there, so, do we have a deal?" Bill reached out a hand wreathed in blue flames.
Steven stared at the hand. It was tempting. But he hasn't had any problems, not for a long time, so did he really need this being's help? It could be a preventative measure, but he didn't like how Bill didn't tell him what he needed to do to fulfill his side of the deal. He didn't trust it.
"Can I think about it?" Steven asked.
Bill laughed, taking back his hand.
"Of course! When you make up your mind, just holler."
Steven nodded.
"See you in your dreams!" Bill's voice echoed around the clearing as he blinked out of existence.
Steven awoke with a start. He hadn't even noticed he had fallen asleep. The clearing was green again, and the birds chirped in the trees above. But now it felt ominous. Steven checked his watch. He had been asleep for 3 hours! He quickly packed his things and left.
_________________
Steven got back to the Shack and quickly unlocked the gift shop door. Once the door had fully closed behind him, he breathed a sigh of relief. The entire walk back he felt like he was being watched. Anxiety levels were running high, but getting back to the Shack gave him a sense of safety. Bill gave him a sense of unease, but his proposal kept echoing in his head. Could he really help him? Not that he needed help, but what if one day he does? What if one day he does lose control, and he regrets not taking Bill's offer? No, that won't happen. It's not like before, when he was stressed beyond belief, and he didn't have a therapist to help him. His powers were tied to his emotions, and as long as they were stable, he was stable. He doesn't need help from some, 'all powerful being;' he had a therapist.
He decided he wasn't exactly in the right mindset to re-open the gift shop. Besides, it was incredibly dead. Steven took a deep breath. He felt heat in his cheeks and knew they were glowing a faint shade of pink. He needed to calm down. He took down the 'Out for Lunch' sign, officially closing the shop. He tidied anything he missed before he left, and walked into the main house. There was no one there, despite hearing voices earlier. Steven sat in the arm chair. He might as well watch some tv to forget about Bill.
__________________
He was watching some cheesy romance flick when the Pines family returned. They were all laughing with each other, clearly very happy and excited about something. A stark contrast from Steven's day. When Mabel saw Steven, she ran over to him, bouncing on her heels.
"Steven! Stan got Lazy Susan's number!"
Steven smiled down at Mabel. There was something about Mabel that always lightened his mood. She radiated happiness, it was impossible to be sad around her.
"He did?" Steven asked.
He looked up at Stan, who was beaming. He waved a strip of paper in the air and Steven guessed it was Lazy Susan's number.
"I may be old, but I've still got game!" Stan laughed.
Steven looked at Dipper who definitely looked rough.
"Woah, what happened to you?" Steven asked.
"I was training to be a man with the Manotaurs of the forest, but they turned out to be a bunch of jerks," Dipper puffed out his chest, "But I stood up to them, which is the manliest thing I could do."
Steven smiled at Dipper.
"Good, I don't like jerks."
"And," Mabel took out her scrapbook, "Dipper got his first chest hair, I saved it for my scrapbook."
She showed Steven a page with a singular hair taped to it. Steven saw Dipper frowning at the scrapbook.
"Don't worry," Steven said, "It'll grow back."
Dipper sighed, "I hope so."
"What about you, Steven," Mabel asked, "Do anything fun today?"
Steven thought back to his encounter with Bill. He was tempted to tell them, but he didn't want to ruin the mood.
'Later,' Steven thought.
"Nothing much, It was pretty boring," Steven opted to say instead.
"Whatcha watchin'?" Mabel asked, sitting down on the dino head side table.
"I don't really know, to be honest," Steven said, giving a little laugh.
"Well, you kids have fun, I'm going to check on the gift shop," Stan said, walking out of the living room.
Dipper and Mabel settled around Steven, watching with him. Mabel made up fake backstories for the characters, and Dipper complained about how unrealistic it was. Steven smiled. He didn't need to make a deal with Bill, he had the twins. As long as they were happy, he was happy. He looked back at the TV, laughing at Mabel and Dipper's commentary. Yeah, He'll be alright.
______________________________
That night, Steven had everything but restful sleep. He was running through a forest, desperately trying to find a way out, running from some unimaginable beast. The longer he ran, the heavier his legs felt. Soon it felt like trudging through thick mud, dragging him down with every step. Soon he couldn't move. He struggled, trying to lift his feet out of the mud, but it was impossible. A shiver ran down Steven's spine as he heard the heavy foot falls grow louder and louder. He turned and he saw himself. His corrupted self. It roared at him.
"Need a hand, kid?"
He turned forward and saw Bill offering a hand. Steven looked at it. He shouldn't. There was something off about Bill. But be needed to get away, to escape his corrupted self. He looked back as it stomped closer.
"Last chance," Bill said in a teasing voice.
Steven turned forward and grabbed his hand. Bill pulled him out of the mud before pointing at the monster with his cane, and it blinked out of existence.
"Thank you," Steven said.
Bill laughed, "Don't mention it! I am on your side. Have you considered my offer?"
Steven thought for a moment.
"Yes."
"And?" Bill offered his hand again, but this time, it was covered in blue flames. "Do we have a deal?"
Steven stared at it. Maybe he wasn't in as much control as he thought. Maybe he did need Bill's help.
He reached out his hand. But he stopped. No, he didn't need his help. He could handle it.
"No," Steven said, lowering his arm.
"You need me, Sandals, You can't do it on your own. You'll only hurt everyone you love," Bill said, his voice growing more stern, "Just shake my hand and I can help you!"
"No," Steven said more firmly. "I can do this on my own."
Bill's brow furrowed, extinguishing his hand.
"Your loss, kid. But if something happens, You know who to call."
Bill disappeared, and the entire scenery with it.
Steven was falling. Falling and falling and falling. Falling into nothing, and Steven slipped into a dreamless sleep.