The Witch in the Woods (Bill Cipher x reader)

Chapter 2

The next morning comes along and you begin the same morning routine you've had for years now, getting dressed and going to tend to your garden. Your stomach growls but you ignore it. You did have breakfast this morning but it was light and you didn't eat much yesterday either, having had no time for lunch or dinner. You rarely have time to do so with how many people and creatures come to you for help. You don't tend to complain though.
    Just as you are about to start harvesting some carrots from the ground, there's a loud thump and crunching from behind you. You jolt to your feet and whip your head around to see a man with blonde and black hair, laying in your tomato plants which would be the cause of the crunching. Where he came from, you have no idea since people shouldn't be able to get into your garden without a bunch of thorns.
    You walk over to him cautiously, watching where you step as you make your way toward him. You scan his body once you are close enough and find third-degree burns all along his skin. His eyes are closed but the slight shifting of his body and quiet moans tells you he is still conscious, if only just. You kneel down beside him and take a closer look at his face, blotches of burnt skin covering some smaller parts of it and some even spreading to his neck. You run two of your fingers across his cheek, inching closer to the burn until he suddenly jerks and a cry of pain comes from him, making you yank your hand away quickly.
    After your quick analysis, you get back to your feet and run inside. You go through your remedies and find some burn cream. Thankfully, for both you and the guy in your garden, he's actually a creature that can take potions which will make this 10 times easier. You grab a potion for pain as well as a sleeping draught then head back outside.
    The guy hadn't moved since you left, not that you expected him to, and you go to kneel down beside him again. You gently tap his forehead and his face scrunches, showing a reaction to your touch. "Hello? I am not sure if you can understand me properly but I need you to sit up so you can drink something." You speak slowly and meticulously so that you would be easier to understand. You watch his eyes tighten then slowly open but only very slightly, so little that you still could not tell the color. You hold the potion openly in your hand in hopes of him seeing it and understanding what you are trying to do. His eyes close again and there is a few seconds pause before he attempts to push himself up. You quickly set the potion down and press your hand against his back to help him up.
    Once he is fully in a sitting position, your hand still pressed against his back, you pop the cap off the potion. The liquid inside swirls on its own, a mixed color of blue and green that makes it looks almost sickly. "Ready?" You bring the rim of the glass to his lips and wait for him to spread them apart before you pour it down his throat. It takes a second too long but you watch his throat constrict as he swallows. You make him drink the whole potion before pulling it away. You also make him drink the sleeping draught and he takes it with more ease.
    You let him slowly fall back onto the ground, his body relaxing as both potions take effect. You wait a few minutes for him to fully fall into a deep sleep then pick him up. You struggle with him, your strength not being your strong suit, but do eventually get him inside the house then to your spare bedroom. You lay him down on the bed in a semi-comfortable position, leaving his head on a pillow.
    With the burn cream in hand, you set it down on the bedside table and proceed to remove his clothes. You start with the long, yellow tailcoat he wore along with the white button-up undershirt and black bowtie. Next is the black dress shoes and dress pants which both come off easily. You let him keep his boxers though, for dignity's sake. You set the dirty clothes, he had landed in dirt after all, off to the side so you can wash them later.
    Using the burn cream, you rub in a liberal amount onto his burns and the skin around them. They are all over his body from splotches on his face, spreading to his neck and shoulders then down to his arms and torso and going even further down his legs. Some are bright red and large, looking like giant sores while others are blackened slightly as if they are old scars. You apply the cream to all of them either way.
    It takes you roughly an hour to cover all his injuries, but you do and once you finish, you are left with a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. You did have to use all of your burn cream though so you make a mental note to gather ingredients and make more. Before you leave the room, you grab the clothes you had peeled off of him. You plan to take them to a nearby river later so you can wash them.
    Jack is waiting outside the door for you, his tail wagging happily. You smile at him and gently blow on his ears. The fire around his ears flickers and flares up as you blow on them, fueling the fire which causes Jack to yip happily. "Hey Jack, keep an eye on this guy for me, ok?" You brush past him and put the dirty clothes in a hamper in your bathroom which is still full of some of your own clothes.

A few hours pass until lunchtime is upon you. The day had been less busy so you actually have time for lunch today. Before you do so, however, you also grab another potion, for when the man wakes up as your sleeping draughts usually only last a few hours as does your pain potions. You have yet to perfect any of your potions really but you haven't had the time to do so either.
    You are in the middle of making some rolls when you hear a crash from one of your rooms along with Jack whimpering. You immediately drop everything and head over there, throwing the door open to see what is inside. You find the man on the floor in a heap of blankets and pillows while struggling to get up. Jack is to the left of the door, sitting still while watching him as you had asked him to earlier.
    You sigh and run your hand through your (H/L) (H/C) hair once, fixing a few of the stray pieces back into place. "Well, it's nice to see you're awake. The names (Y/N) by the way." You walk up to him and offer your hand to him to get out of the void of blankets. He stares at you with yellow irises, his pupils flickering from your hand to your face then back again. He slowly takes your hand and you help him pull himself out of the blankets.
    He stumbles for a moment then regains his footing and stands fully. He looks around the room with a dazed look, his eyes going up and down as he scans the roof and the floor and everything in between. He is clearly confused so you give him the time to adjust to his surroundings while not saying anything as to startle him. You think he might be in shock but it's a low possibility.
    He eventually looks back to you and you give him a gentle smile. "Do you have a name?" There are many other questions you want to be answered but you shouldn't ask too many or you might overwhelm him, as you've learned from previous experiences. He clears his throat and you grow hopeful that he will finally say something to you. "The names Bill...Bill Cipher." He offers you his hand to shake. You take it.
    "Nice to meet you, Bill. I made lunch if you're hungry, and I also have a potion for you to drink." You gesture for him to follow you and he does, all the way to the kitchen where lunch and the potion you had made sat. Jack follows you both but he remains in the background, not making a sound. You take the potion and offer it to him, the liquid a pale pink. He looks at it with a skeptical look in his eye and takes the bottle, swirling it around to make the liquid inside move.
    You ignore his skepticism and turn around to grab a plate, placing mashed potatoes and a roll on it. You turn back around to face Bill only to watch him down the potion in one gulp. You blink a bit in surprise then shrug it off, holding the plate out to him. "Hungry?" He sets the empty bottle on the counter and looks at the plate of food, turning away without more than a scoff. "I guess you're not..." You give him an odd look then set the plate down on the counter with the uneaten food on it, planning to save it for later.
    "Well, after assessing your injuries and vitals, I would recommend you get plenty of liquids into your system and do not irritate any of your burns." He glances at you then leaves the kitchen and head towards the living room, completely brushing you off. You blanch and glance at Jack who trills and follows Bill to the living room. You follow a few seconds afterward.
    The moment you walk into the room, you see Bill on the opposite with a small jar in his hand filled with leaves of a certain. You flinch as he starts twisting the lid off the top of the jar. Jack suddenly barks at him which causes flames to erupt from his mouth, straight towards Bill. The moment the flames touch him tough, nothing happens, and they dissipate into nothing.
    You stomp up to Bill and yank the jar from his grasp, tightening the lid once again before setting it under the table with all the reason. "Listen here Cipher. I’ve healed your wounds, given you several potions to speed up your process of recovery, and even offered you food. Not to mention, I’m going to let you stay here until I find your burns have fully healed. All I ask is one simple request; don’t touch my alchemy or any of my herbal remedies under or upon this table. Got it?” 
    He looks bewildered for a moment and then it appears as if a wave of confidence washes over him. “Oh, I get it. You have no idea who I am, do you? Let me explain it to you, I’m-” You immediately cut him off. “Bill Cipher, all knowing dream demon, being made of pure energy, looks like a triangle, tried to take over the entire world in Weirdmaggedon. Yeah, I know who you are, but I’ll be damned before I let you walk all over me or do whatever you want.” You cross your arms, silently challenging him.
    Once again, you appear to have shocked him. He doesn’t respond right away and he takes a few seconds to gather himself while trying to wrap his head around the fact that you just talked to him that way. He clears his throat. “Well then, in that case...How about we make a deal?” Deals, you know, are Bill’s specialty, but the kind of deal he wants to make with you is lost to you. It has you curious. “I’m listening. What kind of deal do you want to make with me?”