Asher Beckett Ramsey (mystery_hunter) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2019-10-03 21:15:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, billy kaplan (wiccan), dipper pines |
Who: Mason Pines & Billy Kaplan
What: Billy has powers that Mason wants to know more about. Curious mind and all
When: After these
Where: Random coffee shop
Rating/Warnings: PG | None
Status: Log | Complete
Billy tried to be early for everything; the thought of being late made him prickle with anxious sweat and he hated the idea of someone judging him for his lateness. Hell, he hated the idea of someone judging him anyway and he was half convinced the entire world was a split-second away from laughing at him anyway. Anxiety was a bitch. Depression was more of one. Billy hated them both and hated even more that the only real relationship he'd ever had was a weird triad with his messed up mental health.
He rubbed his face and tugged on his ear before pushing the door to the cafe open. It was never very busy, one of the reasons he'd suggested it for a meet up to talk about Strange Things. The comic shelves were well stacked and a large pair of cardboard eyes hovered, reminding you that it was an honesty policy reading corner; you were being trusted not to steal.
He grabbed himself a coffee and walked towards the booth near the back, feeling his heart hammering in his throat. The booth wasn't empty, there was a guy sitting in it with sharp features and a nice face and he had a notebook in front of him. He was chewing on the end of a pen, another click-top one sitting on the table in front of him.
You can do this, Kaplan, he said quietly, trying to calm down the part of him that was saying that he should just run before he made an idiot of himself.
He took another breath and pushed it out before he approached, having stood still like an idiot for long enough.
"Mason?"
Mason had been early but then he was always early. He hated being late to anything just ask Mabel, if they had to be anywhere they would be there before anybody else. Admittedly it proved more difficult when attempting to wrestle a half asleep mostly grumpy but definitely dopey Mabel out of bed first thing in the morning. Thankfully Mason had gotten pretty good at it.
He'd secured himself a coffee and a booth before setting up his notepad and fiddling restlessly with his pen, the same pen that was shortly snagged between teeth and nibbled on. Nervous habit or... something, but he'd always done it for as long as he could remember and apparently habits were in fact hard to break.
As was his way he had already scribbled down thoughts and questions from his exchange with Billy via the network because what were the chances of meeting somebody with actual powers? Grab said opportunity with both hands or that's what Mason thought.
He glanced up at the mention of his name, pen still stuck halfway into his mouth, lips slightly apart as he blinked up at the dark haired stranger. A few more blinks and he hurriedly got to his feet, sticking out his hand. "You must be Billy."
"Billy- yes, that- that's me, I- yes." Oh god, oh god, oh god. Billy hated himself in that moment, making a fool out of himself in front of yet another cute guy. He was officially doomed to only ever have two friends and be single forever and ever and all time. He was an absolute disaster and this was a terrible idea.
Unfortunately, he'd already made contact and his coffee was burning his palms a little so he put it down and nodded, shaking the hand that was offered to him and suddenly glad that his skin was warm from the coffee and not clammy like it usually was when meeting someone new. Nervous sweat was prickling at the back of his neck anyway.
"I, uh- sorry I was a little late, you weren't waiting too long, right?"
He slung his backpack off his shoulder. "Had to pack that." He indicated the bag and then sat down in the booth opposite where Mason had been
Mason grinned brightly as Billy confirmed who he was and shook his hand before he waved off Billy's concern about how long he had or hadn't been waiting. "No big deal, seriously. I'd be happy to wait a lifetime to find out about your powers."
He settled back into the booth and picked up his pen again.
"Is that because you need to be somewhere after this or...?"
Billy shook his head, waiting for Mason to settle before he did. "No, I- it's my superhero suit. Figured you might wanna see it? It turned up in my closet and I haven't put it on yet. It has a cape. I figured that'd be a bit ostentatious and stuff."
He rubbed underneath his ear and tugged on his earlobe, fingering his earring for a moment before he cleared his throat and chewed on his lower lip instead.
"I'm free. I've got nothing after this. I figured we might end up talking for a while and this place has really good cakes."
"Wait, wait, wait," Mason said hurriedly as he picked up just two words from that sentence which was "superhero suit", "Back up a second." He glanced around and then leaned in to drop his voice all conspiratorially like. "You have a superhero suit?"
It was clear just how excited he was about the prospect at the gleam in his eyes and the bright grin on his face.
Billy nodded, "Uh, yeah, it just appeared in my closet. That happens too, apparently. You have dreams about some other life or whatever and then things from that world bleed over. Powers, injuries... objects? Like, all kinds of stuff."
Mason lifted his eyebrows at that remark and immediately made a note of it as he had a feeling it would be important later especially if he and Mabel started to dream. "Well, that's interesting. Makes me wonder how that happens or even why it happens."
Could it be some sort of temporal gap in-between parallel universes? Curious, Mason made a further note.
"But a super hero costume isn't the worst thing to turn up, thankfully."
"Definitely not, I've heard of much worse things to turn up," Billy said with a nod of his head, "I mean, some people have had monsters come through, y'know? So I'm super relieved I just got a bunch of comic books and a superhero suit."
He nudged his bag under the table towards Mason. "You can have a look, if you want?"
"Yeah huh," Mason said enthusiastically as he reached under the table to happily and readily collect up the bag. A quick look around to make sure nobody was looking before he unzipped and delved in, eyes widening as he took in the full glory of the superhero suit.
Wow, okay.
Mason cleared his throat and attempted to 'play it cool' as he looked back up at Billy. "That's pretty cool."
Billy beamed, looking at least a little proud and a lot pleased at the reaction to his suit. He shrugged his shoulder, "I haven't tried it on yet," he confessed, "I just- I keep looking at it and wondering how I'm even meant to get it on as there's no zipper."
Mason looked equally as confused and perplexed as Billy must have done the first time he'd clasped eyes on the costume that was absent of zippers. "That makes like zero sense." He furrowed his brow again and looked at his notes. "You haven't got like a super power that'll help you get it on or anything?"
"Not that I know of right now, but the first time I got it on in my Dreams I sorta just... manifested it? If that makes sense? I've got no idea what my powers are but in the dreams I have a bit more than just being able to fly and shoot electricity from my fingers."
He wet his lower lip, glanced at Mason and then held his hands a few inches apart. He furrowed his brow and took a breath, focusing intensely and a moment later, an arc of bright blue electricity sparked between his fingers, looping over his fingertips like his skin was a faraday cage and then disappearing.
"I'm still getting the hang of it..."
If it was possible Mason's eyes widened in a comical cartoonish fashion as he watched the arc of bright blue which lit up over Billy's fingertips. "That's incredible." And without waiting for invitation or any regard for propriety he reached across the table and caught Billy's hand in his own.
"Your skin's even a little warmer near your fingertips."
Billy wasn't used to people other than Grizz touching him in a manner that wasn't intended to hurt so he did stiffen but forced himself to relax. Mason was just curious. Curious and cute and Christ Billy was a mess. He wet his lower lip.
"It- yeah, I haven't tested to see how strong it is, but in my dreams I nearly killed someone with them. By accident. So I think it's at least as strong as lightening."
He rested his hands on the table, so Mason didn't have to reach out so far.
"Sorry," Mason hurriedly said as he realised what he'd done. Touching without permission? Not cool, really not cool. "I should have asked first but I tend to get a little short sighted when I'm excited about something." He offered Billy an apologetic smile.
He peeled his fingers back, tucked several of them into his hair, and cleared his throat.
"It's almost like you need somewhere to experiment."
“It’s okay, I’m not used to people touching me and not being assholes about it,” Billy admitted with a little nod. “It’s still a surprise to me when someone isn’t intending on shoving me into a locker or something.”
He nodded, “There’s a ranch? Well, sorta ranch place. There’s open space and I’ve used there to practise before.”
"Ugh, bullies are the worst," Mason shared with a shake of his head. "It's always the biggest and the dumbest ones that take their crap out on everybody else."
A ranch? Huh, that was good to know. Mason made a note.
"And how did that work out for you?"
"Practising my powers? I mean it went okay. Good, even," Billy nodded his head. "It's- yeah, I'm still getting the hang of it and I'm going to be going flying with someone else soon so they can catch me if and when I fall outta the sky to certain death."
Mason nodded his head in response to what Billy was telling him, clearly very interested in what the other was sharing with him, notes being made as Billy spoke. "Well, that's good. I really don't think you wanna fall out of the sky to certain death unless you're wearing a parachute on your back. I mean, people do that sort of thing for fun, I don't get it but hey, each to their own, right?"
Rambling, was he rambling? Definitely rambling. Ugh.
"At least you have a safe space."
Billy nodded, “It’s a relief; I mean there’s a lot of people here who have powers one way or another. It’d make sense that there’s somewhere for us to stop ourselves from accidentally hurting anyone.”
"Oh, definitely," Mason agreed. "Pretty dumb not to and I suppose it's a good thing that it's not just a couple people with powers and rather it's a majority so you're less likely to run into small minded bigoted idiots who are under the mistaken impression that regular homosapiens are suddenly going to be in trouble because of all the powered people wandering about."
Billy nodded, "I mean, definitely. I get why people might be threatened or whatever-- there's a whole... I mean in my dreams there's this whole thing where non-powered people hate those with powers and it's totally messed up." He shook his head, "But anyway that- yeah, I don't mind tell you more when I have more dreams, I'm relieved you didn't ask me about the science behind my powers as I've got no idea."
Mason chuckled softly and hitched a shoulder. "I mean, I love science, but it can't and doesn't explain everything that happens in the world. Ghosts and the paranormal? Not scientifically possible but there are way too many reports of people having experiences to deny the existence of that stuff so whilst I worship at the temple of science I am not in any shape or form blinded enough by belief to narrow my options to what is or isn't proven real by science."
Billy grinned, "That's a really good way of looking at things." He lifted his coffee and cradled it in his hands, taking a sip and then placing it back on the table, in the middle so he didn't accidentally knock it over while talking.
"I guess science just hasn't explained it yet, and that's the key point? I mean, I'm guessing everyone who's dreaming is dreaming of some kind of alternative reality, as there's a lot of intersection and a bunch of people who know each other from the dreams but not in real life beforehand?"
"Exactly!" Mason said exuberantly and excitedly even going so far as to sweep his hands out in a wide gesture that caught the very same cup that Billy had been so careful not to knock over and did exactly that.
Fuck!
Billy reacted on instinct, hands stretching out to catch the cup, he wasn't quick enough but something else was. The cup stalled, halfway off the table and - as Billy (and Mason, he assumed as he wasn't looking) watched in stunned surprise and silence - it floated back onto the table and reset itself without a single drop being spilled.
Billy finally blinked, looked up at Mason and asked, "Please tell me you just did that?"
Mason let out a short derisive scoff before shaking his head. "I wish." He lifted his other hand and gestured in several small circular movements between the cup and Billy. "I think that was all you, dude."
Billy leaned back into the chair, suddenly very tired. "Well," he said quietly, "shit."