#keykeeper

The brunet released a low, satisfied noise in the back of his throat as he deepened their kiss. It ran all the way down her spine, invoking a tightening between her legs that only grew in intensity when she became aware of something hard pressing against her.

‘Hello there,’ she teased, unable to resist because this whole situation was ridiculous. She was straddling and kissing Bill Cipher, and now he had a hard-on. Because of her. 

Life was really, really weird. 

His hands were also venturing into some interesting places, with rough fingertips sneaking beneath her sweater and skimming along her side. Her head pressed against the floor as Mabel suddenly found herself being pushed onto her back, the demon’s lips tracing over her jaw and collarbone. As his hand reached the underside of her bra, she suddenly became aware just how experienced the demon appeared to be. He’d alluded to having sexual encounters before with humans for nefarious purposes, and clearly he knew what he was doing. 

But so did she. 

She reached for the rather obvious bulge in his pants as he pressed rough kisses down her throat, but instead found her wrist snatched aside in a tight grip and a pair of glowing eyes glaring down.

Mabel's chest heaved as the pair both exchanged heavy pants. Her eyebrows knitted together. ‘What?’ she asked, voice breathless. The flame was still burning hot in her stomach.

His gaze flickered over her features, and she could see a fire of his own burning away inside them. ‘Ya don’t wanna do that.’

She arched an eyebrow, trying not to pout. ‘Why not?’ It’s not like she hadn’t touched one before. It’s not like he had some weird demon dick either given he was trapped in a human vessel. 

He leaned closer with a growl, and she could feel the vibrations from his bare chest pressed against her own. The tightening sensation between her legs coiled together more. ‘Because,’ he replied in a low tone. ‘If ya do, I’m gonna ravage you right here and now, Shooting Star.’

Her eyes widened, and the fire within roared violently as the flames soared higher. Oh wow. ‘You say that like it’s a bad thing,’ she whispered, heart racing so wildly he must hear it.

Bill's grip on her wrist tightened and it was almost painful. The demon leaned closer, and her eyes fluttered shut as their lips brushed together. His lips were soft and his body hard, and she could have lost herself in the sensations it invoked if not for his next words acting like a bucket of ice water down her body.

‘Do you really wanna do the dirty in Shortstack’s mind?’ 

Mabel’s eyes snapped open, and the roaring flame was snuffed out in a second. Her gaze met his, and she couldn’t tell if he looked annoyed or amused by her response. Perhaps both? Had he been hoping she would be okay with it and give him the go ahead?

‘...No,’ she replied, quietly.

He chuckled, offering a wry smile. ‘I figured.’ His eyes glittered in the dim light. 'Let's keep it family friendly for now.'

'You say that but you're about to grab my boob.'

'Should I not?'

'Well, I didn't say that.'

They exchanged affectionate smiles, and the hand around her wrist relaxed as he instead grasped her hand, their fingers linking together. But as they leaned towards one another once again, their moment was interrupted.

‘Ahem.’

They froze.

Slowly, the couple turned their heads in tandem to find a familiar figure stood watching with disapproval from ten feet away.

#1 Old draft from Chp 13

The demon was staring at his own reflection with a perturbed look and curl of the lip, a hand touching the side of his face. His gaze in the mirror shifted onto her. She blinked. ‘What?’

‘You humans are ugly.’

‘Gee, thanks.’

‘It's true. You’re a collection of flesh held together in a weird shape, powered by a slab of meat in your brain sending off electric currents.’

‘...I mean, I guess that’s kinda true?’

He dropped his hand, scowling at his own reflection once again before he turned to regard her. She was suddenly aware how close they were, wishing she hadn’t stood next to him. He seemed to only just be aware of their proximity too because in the next moment she noticed his gaze shift.

It was similar to how he’d look at her in the elevator ride. She immediately found herself on alert as she backed away. 

‘Don’t even think about it,’ she warned.

‘Think about what?’

‘Whatever it is you’re thinking,’ she replied hotly. ‘Stop trying to freak me out by staring and touching me, it’s creepy. I’ll punch you again, I mean it.’

He stared at her impassively for a moment before looking away, and the danger she’d felt seemed to fade away. ‘As if I’d wanna touch you. Get off your high horse, kid.’

‘Wha- says the guy who keeps harassing me!’

Bill scowled at her. ‘I’m a demon. It’s what I do.’

‘So you do admit it!’ He kept contradicting himself. 

Bill said nothing, looking annoyed as he remained silent for a moment. After a while he released an aggravated grunt and waved a hand dismissively. ‘Hmph, so what? I’m Bill Cipher, I can do what I want! If I wanna touch you, I’ll touch you.’

‘Excuse me?’ Both her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline as she pinned him with a look of disbelief. Talk about a petulant child.

‘Ya heard me.’ He reached out an arm towards her, which Mabel quickly batted away before he tried to grab at her with the other. She swatted him away again, scuffling with the demon. As persistent as he seemed however, she didn’t get the same vibes from him as she had in the doorway to the diner, or the elevator. He wasn’t being serious right now, he was just messing. Which meant rather than being concerned or scared, she was just pissed off. It reminded her of when her seven year old cousin kept trying to grab her Robert Patterson posters off the wall every five seconds. So annoying.

A finger jabbed against her cheek before the brunet released a successful “ha!’ and pulled away with his arms thrown in the air. ‘See, I did it! 

Mabel stared at him flatly. ‘You’re a jerk.’

Dropping his hands, he offered her a toothy grin. ‘Save the compliments, Shooting Star.’

#2 Alternate ending to Ch 16 after Angel left Bill

‘Do you trust me?’

The growing aggravation in her eyes was quickly cast aside and replaced by confusion, her eyes flickering across his face. After a moment however the steely gaze returned and she yanked her hand free, holding it protectively against her chest. ‘Why the hell would I?’

‘You’re sayin’ if the ground opened up beneath us, and you were hanging on for dear life, you wouldn’t accept my hand if I could pull you up?’

Mabel regarded him warily, eyes briefly looking at the ground beneath them as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. ‘What kind of weird hypothetical is that?’

‘Cm’on, humour me.’

She met his gaze only for a fraction of a second before she looked away again, looking uncomfortable. ‘If you’re telling me my only two choices were falling to my certain death, or taking your hand then I guess I’d have to take your hand. But I could just as easily say if I had to share my bed with you or a grizzly bear, I’d pick the bear!’

He grinned. ‘But you trust me a little bit then.’

‘Like on a scale of nought to a hundred, it’s a one. I’ve drank milk that has a higher percentage than that.’ She threw her hands up before giving him an exasperated look. ‘Why are you even asking about this? Is this some weird long-con prank?’

‘Nope.’ Oddly, it wasn’t. He just hadn’t been able to get Angel’s words out of his head. So Shooting Star apparently trusted him the tiniest sliver of a bit. And knowing that made him… slightly elated? 

The smile he hadn’t been aware of on his face dropped at this revelation. If he was happy then it should be because he could find a way to take advantage of such a thing to his own benefit.

…But that hadn’t even entered his mind.

Bill frowned. Oh this wasn’t good. It was that damn Angel’s fault, her words had messed with his head! The best thing right now would be to get distance from the kid, but that wasn’t possible right now.

He glanced aside at her as she examined their surroundings, noting how she was chewing her fingernails again which meant she was nervous. 

Yeah, he was too.

Urgh. He wanted to scratch again but that would just hurt.

If only he could squish the brat’s face again, that had been a good stress reliever. But as she said, she wasn’t a stress ball - no matter how warm and squishy her skin felt beneath his hands.

Infact…

>

‘Hey.’

Mabel sighed internally as she looked across towards the demon, anxious about what he’d say next. ‘Yeah?’

He grinned as he held out his hand. 

Mabel stared at his hand expectantly. Then at him. 

‘...Am I meant to do something with this?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, grab it.’

‘What, why?’

‘Just do it.’

‘I don’t want to hold your hand though.’

He frowned. ‘You said you didn’t want me to scratch my arms, so do it.’

‘How does holding hands stop you from scratching your eyes out?’

‘Distraction,’ he replied. ‘The disgustingness of holding your hand will keep my mind occupied.’

‘Do I have to?’

‘Only if you don’t want me to go digging for treasure in my skin.’

Urgh. Mabel didn’t wanna hold his hand. Especially when he’d been acting so weird. It was making her feel weird as well, since she didn’t know what to expect or do in response.

‘Okay, fine.’

He smirked as she slid her hand into his, unable to keep the grimace off her face. His skin was hot to the touch as he squeezed her hand tightly and she purposefully looked away. ‘Can we go now?’ 

‘Sure.’

#3 Deleted scene from Chp 21, set after Angel “died”

Readjusting the fabric wrapped around her injury until she was confident it wouldn’t fall off in five minutes, Mabel stood back up.

‘Done?’ Bill asked.

She nodded. 

‘How’s the pain?’

She paused. There he went again, asking about her wellbeing. She wanted to dismiss it as him goading her, but there was no teasing or mockery in his voice.

There hadn’t been for a while now.

‘Nothing I can’t handle,’ she replied. A second later she added: ‘I’ve been putting up with you this entire time, after all.’

The demon looked surprised by her comment which was odd. ‘What?’ 

He studied her face for a moment before looking aside, shrugging. ‘Just not used to being smiled at like that.’

She froze. Was she smiling? She resisted the urge to raise her hands to her face, instead composing her face to relax. ‘So what? I’m a smiley person.’

‘Really? Coulda fooled me, you’ve been sour faced since I picked you up.’

‘Yeah, because you’ve been keeping me hostage! Nobody would smile in that situation!’

‘You haven’t been a hostage for a while now.’

‘That’s not- I- huh?’ she faltered, stumbling over her words. ‘What does that mean?’

‘Exactly what I said.’

She frowned. ‘You said so yourself, I can’t afford to leave.’

Bill groaned at that. ‘I say a lot of crap then change my mind, I’m my own worst enemy.’ He waved a hand dismissively. ‘Forget that stuff.’

‘Soooo, what? You’re not forcing me to help you anymore?’

Bill blinked at her. ‘....I mean hey, if you wanna keep helping me that’s fine.’

Mabel eyed him suspiciously. ‘All I want is to go home.’

‘And to do that, we need to get the Grimoire. I promise the moment I have it, I’ll get us outta here and you can go back home.’

‘Then what?’ she asked, feeling uncontent. ‘What will you do with the book after that?’

#4 Deleted scene intended to take place after Chp 17 but before they were thrown in jail. Here, Mabel’s memory of her phone conversation with Dipper is instead presented as a dream before I incorporated it into the jail illusion.

Throwing the phone across her room, the brunette grabbed a pillow and with a deep breath slammed her face into it and screamed. 

Meanwhile, Mabel stared at herself from across the room with eyebrows drawn together. ‘I never said that…’ 

Sure they’d said nasty things together, but they’d ended the conversation and agreed they’d talk when they both calmed down. Mabel had been waiting for him to call her like he usually did.

She would never say the kind of mean and ugly things that just played out towards the end. 

‘But you wanted to.’

She flinched at the whisper against her ear, snapping around to come eye to eye with-

‘Gideon?’

But as those pitch black eyes bore holes into her, her initial shock was swiftly eclipsed by a more sinister feeling. She took a step back.

“Gideon” smiled at her. ‘Time’s running out, child.’

She swallowed thickly, feeling suffocated down beneath the heavy pressure it exuded. ‘You…. What do you want? Where is Gideon?’

The Grimoire took a step after her, closing the distance once again. ‘What we want is simple.’

Its face loomed near her own, voidless eyes unblinking as it observed her seriously. 

‘We want you, Mabel Pines.’

Its hands latched onto both sides of her face, nails sinking into her skin as it yanked her closer. She immediately reacted, releasing a yell as she shoved it away and tumbled backwards out of its clutches.

As soon as her back hit the ground, she woke up.

And there she saw another face, captivating blue eyes piercing into her own.

‘Morning, Sleeping Beauty. Have a nice nap?’

She scrambled up to her feet, heart thudding as she looked around wildly. She’d been asleep? What? How?

‘What happened?’

‘You tripped up.’

‘I tripped?’

‘Yep, slammed the ground on your face and passed out for five seconds.’

She frowned, beginning to have the vaguest recollection of falling over. Bill regarded her for a moment before his eyes suddenly focused on her face and he stepped closer. Mabel regarded him warily, raising an eyebrow. ‘What?’ 

‘How did you get those marks?’

‘What marks?’

He frowned, reaching out towards her face. Her stomach flipped at the action and she quickly leaned away, thoughts briefly dashing back to their earlier conversation.

‘Are you saying that you… like me?’

‘Ha, yeah right!’ 

The demon’s eyes narrowed at her reaction, outstretched fingers curling in on themselves as he slowly dropped his arm by his side. Blue eyes flickered over her face in a way she couldn’t discern, and then he said something she didn’t expect.

‘Oi, can I touch your face?’

‘Hah?’

His expression pinched. ‘It’s not like I- it’s for a reason, okay!?’

Mabel leaned further away, and that only seemed to make him more annoyed. Meanwhile, she was trying to figure out what the hell was going on with him. ‘What reason?’ 

‘Will you just say yes!’

‘Now you want me to say yes?’ she asked, eyebrows vanishing into her hairline.

He frowned. ‘What does that mean?’

‘Wha- seriously!?’ she asked, in disbelief. ‘You’ve been grabbing and physically harassing me since the moment we got in this place! And now you’re asking for my permission?’

‘Yes.’

‘Why?’ she asked, eyeing him suspiciously. What was he up to?

‘Can’t a guy try to be considerate?’

‘A guy can, sure. But not you.’

He scowled before turning away. ‘Forget this. You’re a brat.’

‘You’re the brat!’ she retorted, glaring at his back. ‘You’re acting like a little kid throwing a tantrum!’

He spun on his heel at that, eyes narrowed and he suddenly looked a lot more intimidating as he stepped towards her. Her anger faltered at the sudden change in mood as he towered over her. A pair of hands grabbed her by the forearms and she released a small “oop” as he jerked her forward so they were nose to nose, forcing her to stand on her tip-toes.

‘Angel.’

She blinked at the random word he spat out. ‘Huh?’

He glared at her a moment longer, and Mabel wasn’t sure what he was looking for in her expression but he clearly didn’t find it as after several moments the anger in his expression seemed to falter. ‘...Shooting Star?’

Mabel stared back at him, utterly lost. ‘What’s wrong with you?’

All at once his ire evaporated from his expression and he cast his eyes aside, muttering something beneath his breath. But then his eyes returned to meet her own, and Mabel saw that tell-tale shift in his gaze again. It wasn’t the one that indicated he was about to lie though. 

So what did it mean he was going to do?

His grip on her arms tightened and Mabel felt her heart picking up as her stomach churned. They were so close she could feel his breath on her face, and she noted how his pupils dilated as she swallowed thickly.

Time to retreat. Time to move away-

‘Can I touch your face?’

She froze at the request, but she wasn’t sure why. He was asking so gently, it was weird. Especially when he was staring at her so intently like that. Was it really him who asked it? She was so caught by his eyes she hadn’t seen his mouth move.

‘Why?’ she asked quietly. There was no way she could just say yes to him. It was Bill! Even when his expression seemed to fall slightly in disappointment. There was absolutely no way she could say yes-

‘Okay, fine.’

-or okay, she had just said that, hadn’t she? 

His gaze lit up before her eyes, an expression she’d only seen when he’d been revelling in terror or destruction beforehand. A set of warm hands suddenly cupped her face and where as she’d expected him to tug on her cheeks in a teasing manner, instead his thumbs brushed across her skin gently.

He leaned closer and her eyes widened. Wait, what was happening? She tried to will her arms to move but they felt like dead weight by her sides and he seemed closer still.

‘What are you doing?’ she asked, forcing the words past the solid lump in her throat. Her voice cut through their moment with Bill halting in place. In this position their lips were scarcely an inch apart, her entire vision taken up by his eyes. There was no way they’d started off this close - he’d definitely moved closer. 

His grip on her face slackened and he pulled away, regarding her tensely before he raised a hand. She noted the blood smeared on his thumb and flinched, raising a hand to her own cheek. Since when had she been bleeding there? Her fingers came across a welted mark on both sides of her face.

-almost like a set of nails had pierced her skin.

She paled.

‘I wouldn’t go to sleep again if I were you.’

She raised her head, meeting Bill’s eyes as he warned her. He seemed… annoyed? She blinked and he turned away from her. 

She dropped her hands from her face, slowly bringing them to cover her chest as she tried to calm her beating heart after what had just transpired.

It was fine. Everything was fine.

He’d just been examining the injuries on her face in his own weird and intrusive way. That was all. 

Nothing more.

….Right?

#5 Alternate Chapter 18 opening which showed exactly how Mabel/Bill ended up getting thrown in “jail” by Buddy Gleeful.

‘This is the one.’

Mabel eyed the blue door. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Yep. Got it on good authority.’

‘And whose authority is that?’ she asked.

He paused, and flashed her a smile. ‘Mine of course.’

Mabel’s eyes narrowed. Liar.

But she was too eager to get out of here to question him. So she reached out and opened the door before them, revealing a clinical-like office space. It didn’t seem much different from the corridors they’d been lost in for the past…. however many hours. Days? It felt like days.

Mabel hesitated on stepping in. The last time she entered a room it didn’t go well.

Bill however seemed to have no such qualms, walking on in and looking around the room so with a hint of uncertainty she followed after him. It looked just like-

‘A waiting room?’ she asked, observing the empty chairs lined around the pristine white room. 

Bill walked up to the reception kiosk, knocking on the frosted glass that separated it from them. A dark shape shifted behind it and a female voice replied. ‘Name?’

‘Bill Cipher.’ He glanced her way. ‘Plus guest.’

‘He’s not seeing any visitors right now.’

‘We’re special.’

‘Uh huh. If you don’t have an appointment then-’

‘Can we make an appointment?’ Mabel asked, popping up beside him. She had no idea who “he” was but oh well.

The shape paused, and she could almost swear it tilted its head. ‘That voice…. are you Mabel Pines?’

‘Um, yes?’

‘Ooh, then in that case go right on it! VIP privileges, and all that.’

Mabel tilted her own head. ‘VIP?’

‘Nice, thanks chick!’ Bill said, taking the chance to open the door beside them. Mabel blinked as Bill gestured for her to follow, walking through the door as he held it open. They went into a smaller office, standing before two chairs and a desk. A larger chair stood on the opposite side, faced away from them with a figure seated on it.

‘...Bill Cipher and Mabel Pines, hm? Tell me, why are you visiting my office?’

Mabel frowned. That voice…

‘We need to find Gideon,’ Bill said.

‘Hah.’ There was a chuckle as the man slowly turned around in his chair, regarding the two of them with a benevolent smile. 

‘Bud Gleeful?’ Mabel said in astonishment.

‘Ah ah, that’s Warden to you two,’ he corrected, sending her a smile though his gaze was stern.

Mabel looked at Bill who didn’t seem surprised. ‘Why is there a warden here?’

Bill looked back at her. ‘It is a prison.’

‘Yeah, but Bud? His dad? Why is he the warden?’

Bill shrugged. ‘Dunno, why is his step-mom the receptionist? Mindscape stuff. Anyway,’ he returned his gaze to Bud. ‘We’re looking for Gideon, current day. Mind showing us the way?’

Bud regarded the two of them as he smoked on a pipe. Since when had he smoked? His gaze switched between the pair of them. ‘I could show you the way, aye…’

Mabel regarded him. ‘I sense a “but” coming.’

Bud chuckled at that. ‘Aye, you’d be right. I’m happy to show the way to innocent folks coming on through this place but, well…’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘You aren’t innocent, hm?’

Bill rubbed the back of his neck. ‘I mean, I might have committed an odd crime or two.’

‘Or a billion?’ Mabel cut in.

Bud leaned back in his chair. ‘I’ll show you the way but first you have to be punished for your wrongdoings. Don’t do the crime, if you can’t do the time is what I always say! Ha!’

Bill made a face. ‘What kinda punishment we talking about here? We’re on a clock here, pal. Is there any way to speed past this, do like an apology letter? A Youtube streamer video where we cry and shit?’

Bud smiled. ‘This is the Mindscape, after all. You’ll be in and out less than an hour if you do it right’

‘Hmm. Alright, fine. Let’s get to it. Give me the stuff, big daddy.’

‘Big Daddy?’ Mabel repeated, looking at him in disgust.

Bill shrugged.

Bud laughed. ‘You’re funny. But alas, I wasn’t speaking to you when I spoke about wrongdoings.’

Bill paused. ‘Wait…’

Mabel raised an eyebrow. ‘You mean…’

‘Me?’ /  ‘Her?’

‘Why me?’ Mabel cried. ‘He’s way worse than me!’

‘Definitely, I’ve got a billion years of petty crimes and interdimensional felonies on my head.’

‘True,’ Bud replied. ‘But you’re already being punished for your crimes as a demon, are you not? That’s a pretty nasty curse you got there.’

Bill went quiet at that. 

Mabel watched as her companion became subdued, before she scowled at Bud. ‘What exactly are my crimes?’

‘You already know that, dear.’

She frowned. ‘...For what I said to Dipper?’

‘Mighty selfish, aren’t we?’ Bud asked, eyes gleaming.

Mabel felt her heart squeeze painfully, gripping at the chair tightly beneath her.

‘Hey now, that’s bullshit,’ Bill cut in, appearing to have recovered. ‘She might be a brat sometimes, but that ain’t a crime. Trust me, if it was, most of the population would be in prison!’

Bud shrugged. ‘I’m Warden. What I say, goes.’

Bill eyed him suspiciously. ‘Did the Grimoire pay you off somehow? Or are you being controlled by it? What gives here?’

Bud shrugged, leaning back as he resumed his smoking. ‘That’s my condition. If you want me to take you to Gideon, Mabel here has to do her time.’

She frowned.

Bill scoffed. ‘This is obviously a trap! We’re not going to fall for it.’

‘I’ll do it,’ Mabel said.

‘Wait, what?’

She stood up, glowering at Bud. ‘Whatever you wanna throw my way, I’ll take it.’ 

“Time’s running out, child.’”

Mabel wanted to get out of this place. More than ever. If she had to deal with this then so be it.

Bud smiled at her brightly. ‘Good, good! In that case-’

‘Hey, hey, hold your horses!’ BIll spat, standing up. He pinned her with a glare. ‘What the hell are you doing?’

Mabel raised an eyebrow. ‘Trying to get us to Gideon?’

‘This is a trap!’ he hissed, leaning towards her. ‘Who knows what’s gonna happen if you willingly walk right in.’

She paused for a moment before clenching her fists in her hands. ‘So what? You want to find Gideon, right? I’m here offering myself to help us with that.’

His face twisted. ‘You’re no good to me if something happens to you.’ He leaned closer, eyes narrowed. ‘You’re not doing this for the good of Gideon, you’re doing it because you want to get out of here.’

She averted her gaze.

‘So what if she is?’ Bud asked, cutting through their conversation. ‘People can do selfish actions that happen to benefit other people.’

Bill shot him a dark look, he turned to regard Mabel one more time before standing up. ‘Fine, but I’m tagging along with her.’

Bud stared at the demon for a moment before shrugging. ‘Sure, nothing against that.’

‘Sooo…. what happens now?’ Mabel asked.