2Monster With Inked Skin
"Oh c'mon Dipper," Mabel nudged him slightly, her cheeks were pink from giggling, "you know we're only joking!" Grunkle Stan moved around the table so he was stood closer to Dipper.
"Well, Mabel might be joking but we all know you're the serious one in the family" He got a moody sigh from the kid before continuing, "Why do you think you get on with Ford so much, huh? You're just as boring as each other!" He let out a chuckle and scruffed Dippers hair as he went through the door.
Mabel was still giggling into her cereal when Dipper shot her a stern look. "Hey, don't look at me like that! He was only joking Dip."
Dipper stared at his toast and pushed it away with a loud sigh, "yeah, whatever I'm going to get ready, I've lost my appetite." He stood up groggily and headed towards the stairs, leaving Mabel to finish breakfast alone.
He passed the living room where Stan was sat watching TV and moved towards the stairs. Since him and Mabel had started puberty when they were 15 they both decided it was best that they had different rooms, it saved them both from a lot of awkward situations and since they were both 18 now it was nice to have some space from one another. Mabel chose Fords old room since she knew Dipper had grown attached to the attic and didn't want a pointless fight with her brother.
He slumped up the stairs, the morning conversation had really drained him and made him kind of angry at the same time. As he entered his room he stopped to look at himself in the mirror.
Mabel and grunkle Stan hadnt meant to hurt him with any of the comments or jokes about him being boring, but it did. He knew it deep down and he could see it in himself as he looked himself up and down in the mirror. He was 18 years old and hadnt done anything outrageous in his life. He always turned Stan down when he had offered his great nephew a drink at a meal or when they watched the game together, never smoked in his life even though the opportunity came up many times. He hadn't been to get any tattoos when he'd turned 18 even though he's always wanted one. He hadnt done anything. Even Mabel had been to parties and come home drunk off her face! But not Dipper. And that's what annoyed him. He was always studying or planning for College.
As he stared at himself he started to resent what was looking back at him more and more.
Fuck it he thought to himself as he grabbed his shoes and coat, making sure his wallet and keys were in his pocket and walking downstairs to the bathroom where he quickly brushed his teeth and headed out the door, not telling anyone where he was going.
Dipper arrived at the mall just over 40 minutes later, he had fancied a walk to cool himself off so he'd left his car at the Shack.
As he walked in he took note of the fact there were only about 15 people walking around. That was a bit odd but he didn't really care, he knew where he was going and appreciated the fact the escallators wouldn't be packed like they usually were.
He headed to the top floor, towards the end of the mall. As he saw the big bold writing above the shop he got nervous.
FALLS TATTOO PARLOUR
He could see all the artwork in the windows and the big metal door in the middle, it gave him butterflies. They went away quickly as he got closer to the store. None of the lights were on and the big metal door wasn't a door at all, it was a shutter. The store was closed. He stopped in his tracks, let out an exasperated sigh and clenched his fists. This was his only chance, he'd finally got the courage to do something wild and it was closed.
"Of course its closed, I'm such an idiot" he mumbled angrily to himself and went to turn around the way he came.
"Hey kid are you okay?"
Dipper turned to the direction of the voice and saw a man covered head to toe in tattoos. He exhaled to calm himself down a bit before answering.
"Hey, yeah I'm fine, I just really wanted a tattoo today" He rubbed his neck, he knew he sounded like a kid trying to convince this guy that he was old enough and it pissed him off.
"Oh," The guy was leaning against the shutters looking Dipper up and down trying to analyze him, "You do know its Sunday right, pretty much every parlour around here is closed on sundays."
Dipper mentally cringed partly because of the way the guy was talking to him like he was an idiot, and partly because he was an idiot. He took a deep breath, smiled at the man and turned back to walk off again. "Yeah, of course, thanks anyway." He waved slightly in the general direction of the man and started walking.
Dipper was so embarrassed. He could feel his face getting pink just thinking about the whole situation.
IDIOT! he thought to himself how could you forget it's a Sunday?!
Moments before Dipper was out of earshot he heard the man shouting behind him.
"Hey kid! If you really want a tattoo there's one parlour I know of right at the end of town just before the falls," Dipper carried on walking, afraid of embarrassing himself further and sped up.
"Oh, whats his name? It's right on the tip of my tongue.."
As Dipper rushed down the escallator and out of earshot, the mans eyes shot up with excitement from finally remembering the name.
"CIPHER! THAT WAS IT! BILL CIPHER!"