It wasn't too hard for Dipper to talk Mabel into taking the morning music theory class, suddenly excited to start school again. Although it was just one class, it gave her more time to spend with her "new crush," whom she refused to tell her brother who it was. They were careful not to bring up the night before to their Grunkles at breakfast but did let them know about Mabel enrollment to the school. This class was only from 8:30 AM until 9:30 AM, leaving Dipper time for his other classes along with letting Mabel pick between going home to the Shack, or hanging out around with Pacifica. While Ford seemed uneasy at not hearing how the night before went, he kept his questions to himself.
It was roughly around 8:15 AM when they got into the main office, allowing Mabel to get her schedule. After the pink-haired girl handed the paper over, she smiled sweetly to Dipper.
"I'm assuming you and Professor Cipher got past your differences?" she asked, remembering him from the week before. Dipper felt a bit awkward but nodded anyway.
"We talked it out," he quickly explained, not wanting to get into the details. The girl nodded and leaned back in her chair.
"Just remember if you need to report anything," she started but Dipper immediately held his hands up in defense, shaking his head.
"Don't worry about it," he tried to wave the conversation off. The girl shrugged a bit and went back to work, allowing the twins to leave the room.
Once they were out of the office, Mabel looked at her brother with an eyebrow raised.
"Did I miss something?" she asked suspiciously.
Shaking his head, Dipper sighed. "I freaked out, he said if I didn't like him being my teacher to leave the class."
"So you tried?" she crossed her arms over her chest. "What happened to 'keep an eye on him?'"
"I didn't think about that just yet," he explained, glancing around the campus a bit.
Mabel sighed a bit but dropped the conversation. They got to the music building rather quickly, following the crowd of students shuffling inside. Candy emerged from the crowd and ran up to Mabel, almost tackling her to the ground in a hug.
"Mabel!" she cheered. Mabel smiled widely and returned the hug.
"Candy!" she greeted back. "Oh my goodness!"
Dipper ignored the two as they started to catch up, eyes darting back and forth in the crowd. Of course, it was a little obvious whom he was searching for. Without thinking, he pushed his way through the crowd and was one of the first students to enter the class. In the middle of the room was Bill. Dipper took a mental note of what the male was wearing; an oversized grey sweater with his suspenders and black slacks. It didn't take long before Dipper noticed he was admiring the way the former-demon dressed. The desks in the class surrounded him in a half circle, leaving the private rooms to fill the rest of the room behind him. Of course, Andrew was sitting in a desk close to the private rooms, just watching.
A smile grew on his face as he approached the professor, watching as other students speak with him with enthusiasm ringing in their voices. One by one, they left and returned to their seats. Bill noticed Dipper when he was speaking with the last student and smiled sweetly to him. While they spoke, he felt a hand on his back-pat him. Turning around, he saw Wendy smirking at him.
"Just couldn't stay away from him, huh?" she joked, ruffling his hair. Dipper chuckled and stuck his tongue out playfully.
"He offered to reserve Mabel and me seats," he explained. "So I took the offer."
"Hm," she rubbed her chin suspiciously. "Maybe he can't get enough of you?" Raising one eyebrow at him, she laughed playfully at Dipper's reddened face.
After that student started to walk away, Dipper turned Bill who started to scan the crowd of students. Wendy made her way back to her seat and waved at Mabel when she walked down between the seats.
"Shooting Star?" he called out softly. "Would you please join us up here?" Dipper turned around to see Mabel walking towards them with a goofy smile on her face. She wore a rainbow sweater with her brand logo on the front and black leggings used as pants for her. Truly, she looked like a fashion icon compared to him; he was only wearing a black and white flannel with a black shirt exposed and dark blue jeans. Once she was next to Dipper, Bill moved next to them and touched the boy's shoulder as he spoke to the class. "Today, we will be welcoming two more students to the class. Will you please introduce yourselves?"
"Hi!" Mabel waved happily to the class. "I'm Mabel! And this is my little brother, Dipper!"
"Only by 5 minutes," Dipper argued and pouted. Bill kept his smile on his face while watching the two.
"You may sit at an open seat," Bill told them, letting Dipper's shoulder go.
Once to their seat, the class began. The way Bill held himself with this class was different than how he taught the writing class. He talked about break up songs, family songs, love songs, and how to sing a sad song in a happy way. At this moment, he has a random male student on the mini stage with him, guitar in hand. Bill instructed him to do a cover of a sad song but changed the tones to make it sound happy. Everything that the professor was saying intrigued Dipper, there was a light that sparked off of him as he played the guitar.
The second part of the class was focusing on writing for their final. Multiple students have dispersed while Bill walked to Mabel and Dipper, standing in front of them and kneeled down a bit.
"This is crazy," Mabel giggled, staring at the blond man. Bill looked at her and gave her a sweet smile.
"What is?" he asked, knowing what the answer was already.
"You," she leaned back and crossed her arms. "You're human, it's so crazy. It's been 11 years, I can't believe you're still around."
"If you call it that," he chuckled and shrugged a bit. "I'm here to help you guys with your final. You're late to join but you should still have enough time to finish in time. It's due before Thanksgiving break, that gives you about a month to write something."
Dipper stayed quiet as Bill spoke, not wanting to miss anything. The professor looked between him and Mabel, trying to make sure both were paying attention.
"What kind of song did you both want to work on?" Bill asked, looking back to Dipper.
"Love, duh!" Mabel spat out immediately, giggling at Dipper's reddened face. "I want to use this time to sing my crush something cute! Maybe they'll like me after!"
Dipper rolled his eyes as his sister spoke, knowing exactly who she was talking about. "Mabel, you know I have a bad experience with love," he started to explain, looking at his sister. "You can just ask them, you know."
Mabel shook her head and looked at her brother. "I doubt it's hard."
"It's really not," Bill chimed in. Dipper looked at the teacher and leaned back in his seat a bit. "You know the feeling you get when you're about to do something that'll either embarrass you or impress someone you like?" The brunette chewed on his bottom lip, staring at Bill as he thought about the night before. Getting dress was kind of nerve-racking, but that was more because Mabel and Wendy wanted him to make a good impression. Was he just nervous about disappointing them? Or him? Reluctantly, Dipper nodded. "Write those feelings down," he smiled. "Write down anything, really. Even if it's something you want to do in the future or just fantasy." He backed away from the twins, leaving Dipper drowning in his thoughts. "I'm going to help the others for a bit but I'll be back before class is over to check in on you guys. Good luck!" Bill turned and walked away, going to a few other students that were working together for their personal songs.
Dipper watched Bill as he started to help the other students, ignoring his sister calling him to pay attention. Growing impatient, she flicked his forehead as hard as she could. Whining, the brunette boy looked back at her and glared daggers her way.
"What was that for?" he grunted.
"You're the one drooling over our professor," Mabel stuck her tongue out and giggled. Dipper's cheeks heated up and he narrowed his eyes.
"I am not," he protested. His sister rolled her eyes and started to write a few things down.
"I want this to somehow get into the song," she explained, moving the paper in front of Dipper.
'We work so well and we don't even know why'
A small smile grew on Dipper's face, almost immediately thinking of the night before. He crossed his arms and looked at his sister suspiciously.
"What do you want the song to be able with this?"
"Well," she hesitated and took her phone out. "She told me she doesn't understand how we can get along and be so good for each other, but be so opposite."
"Hm," Dipper thought for a moment before starting to write down on his own paper.
Soon enough, they had their first verse complete, using the line that Mabel wrote in the chorus. After getting the words down, they awkwardly sang to themselves, trying to get a good rhythm down. They ended up changing some of the words, trying to get a good rhythm. They got the rhythm good for the verse but was still at the awkward part of their chorus.
By the time Bill came back, he had his guitar with him. This time, he sat right behind the twins, who turned to see him better. They showed him the paper and he read through it, letting a smile start to grow on his face.
"Sing it to me," he requested, handing Mabel the paper. Mabel felt nervous for a moment but started to sing the song in the rhythm they came up with. Bill listened while looking down, nodding very subtly. Once she was done, he moved his hands on the guitar and strummed a few times until he settled on one. "Again," he almost demanded, starting to play a few new notes before pausing for her to begin. Mabel looked at the lyrics on the paper and began to sing.
"You like New York City in the daytime
I like New York City in the night time
You say you like sleeping with the air off
I don't, I need it on
Dipper watched the two and couldn't help but feel a little envious.
You like the light coming through the windows
I sleep late, so I just keep 'em all closed
You ignore the music on the radio
I don't, I sing-a-long"
Mabel covered her mouth when she was done singing, giggling like a mad man. Bill watched her and allowed himself to chuck at the site before looking back at Dipper.
"I like your writing," he complimented and looked back at his sister. "You both make a good team."
"Thank you!" Mabel leaned forward, giving Bill a surprise hug. The professor froze up at her sudden movements. Once she released the surprised male, she started writing on her paper again, ignoring the other two.
Dipper smiled while watching her, liking how happy she was. Lost in thought, he almost didn't feel Bill tug on his sleeve. Looking back to the taller male, he noticed the other had a concerned look on his face.
"You're awfully quiet today," he commented. "Are you okay?"
"Don't worry," the younger was taken aback for a moment. "I'm just thinking too much."
While he didn't seem convinced, he nodded and rubbed his shoulder. "If you need to talk, I'm here."
Once he was gone, Mabel looked at him with an eyebrow raised.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked, also keeping note when Dipper has fallen quiet that day. Unfortunately, he tried ignoring the question, trying to get the paper from his sister to see what more she has written down. Pulling the paper as far away from his as possible, she shook her finger at him. "No, no, no," she sputtered. "Are you really not going to tell me?"
Dipper fell back into his seat defeated; he hated it when she used that line. Rubbing his face a bit, he muttered to her quietly.
"Ford," he mumbled. Confusion flashed over Mabel's face. "He gave me a switchblade last night."
"Did you use it?" she asked dumbly. Dipper scoffed and shot her a glare.
"Why would I?" he sneered. Mabel held her hand up in defense.
"Woah," she eyed him weirdly. "It was just a question."
"I know," Dipper sighed, letting go of the anger. "I'm sorry. I just don't know why he gave it to me."
"He didn't mention anything about a knife last night," she started, "but he did mention being worried about your location and if Bill was the only demon in this town."
"He's not a-" he began to argue, but was cut off by Mabel raising her hand towards him a bit.
"I told you that," she pointed out. "You know what I meant."
Dipper shook his head and looked around the classroom, his eye landing on the blond playing the guitar for another student. "If anything, he needs it more than me," he admitted then looked back at his sister. "He almost got hit by a car."
Mabel widened her eyes and glanced to where the professor was located. "And he still came into work the next day?" she questioned.
"It's not just that either," he shook his head. "I'm pretty sure he walked here from his apartment. You know he lives on the other side of town from this place. It's not too far from the Shack but even then, it's like a 10 or 15-minute drive over here. His bike was destroyed and I doubt that 'helper' helped him at all." Dipper let out his rant, speaking suddenly without thinking much. It surprised him how much he was bugged by having to watch Bill go through his punishment. "I know he kind of deserves this but… He said he gets hit weekly…"
Mabel sighed softly and rubbed her brother's back. "I guess it's time to save for a car?" Dipper shook his head.
"He won't drive," he spoke in a weak tone. "Too many accidents."
Worry started to set in Mabel's chest.
"Then walk him home."
Dipper's now second class went by rather quickly. He sat alone due to his sister sneaking inside to hang out with Pacifica. They were sitting in the back, careful not to get caught by the professor. Once class was over, Dipper found himself heading back to the music building. He snuck into Bill's class again as other students were finishing up what they were working on for the day. Bill was still going around to help students as he had done in his own class. It wasn't long before that class was dismissed. Dipper stayed seated as the other students left the classroom. When the only Bill, Andrew, and himself were the last ones in the class, the brunette noticed Bill pulling out a lunch pail from his bag. Dipper took this time to walk up to the teacher who was consumed in eating his sandwich and typing away at his computer. Sensing a presence, Bill looked up and gave Dipper a very confused look. He stood up but Dipper got in front of him before he could fully stand.
"Is something wrong?" he immediately questioned.
"How did you get to school this morning?" Dipper asked, looking up at the confused professor.
"Walked?" he shrugged a bit, feeling more confused. "I told you I would, it's not news."
"What would it take for you to let me find you a ride home?" the brunette asked softly.
"Memory eraser," Bill joked. "I'm fine, please don't worry about it."
"I don't want to just forget it though," he admitted. "I don't want you to get hit, that's ridiculous. How long are you going to have to deal with this?"
"Until he's dead," Andrew chimed in from his spot. Dipper glanced over to him, feeling a raging bubble start growing in his chest. Bill blew him off by shaking his head.
"Until the God decided I've had enough," he started to explain quietly, looking away from Dipper's eyes. "Once he's decided, yes I will be gone."
"Bill," Dipper stepped closer, wanting to give comfort to the former-demon.
"Please," Bill held his hands up a bit and took a half step back. "Don't feel pity. I'm not a damsel in distress. You don't know everything that I have done. I'm just wanting to enjoy whatever time I have left."
"Let me walk you home," Dipper spoke as if the statement was more of a question, but still not wanting to give room for arguing. Of course, Bill shook his head and looked at Dipper almost desperately.
"Thank you for caring," he spoke quietly. "But I can't risk you getting hit too. I'll never forgive myself for that."
"Then I'll be your stalker," Dipper turned around and walked out, ignoring Bill's protests as he exited the room.
Dipper's now third class went by rather quickly. Although Bill was trying to avoid making eye contact with Dipper, the brunette was still determined to walk the professor home. He couldn't just all this precious man get hit again.
'Wait,' Dipper stopped in the middle of his thoughts and stared at the paper he was mindlessly scribbling on. 'Did I just think he was…. Precious?' Anxiety was building up in Dipper's chest at the realization that, yes, his brain called this man precious. 'Oh man,' he thought to himself. 'Ford would kill me.'
As soon as class was over, the younger boy took his sweet ass time getting his things together. Once the classroom was almost empty, Bill had started to head for the door but was stopped by a pull on his abused elbow. The blond narrowed his eyes a bit from the pain and sent a glare Dipper's way.
"What?" he asked through his teeth, trying to wiggle his elbow free.
"I'll see you at 6," Dipper stated, letting his elbow go. Bill rubbed his pained elbow and stared at the younger man.
"I'm not a princess," he said flatly. "I don't need to be walked home."
"You think that'll stop me?" Dipper crossed his arms stubbornly.
"What are you going to do, Pine Tree?" Bill questioned, voice dripping in annoyance. "Walk me home every single day? I can't escape it, why avoid it?"
"What if you die?" Dipper snapped. "Do you know how many people would be sad?" Bill stayed quiet for a moment, the irritation slowly dropping from his face. "I don't care what it takes, I'm walking you home. If I have to every day, I'll do it."
"You're so stubborn," Bill stated before turning around and walking away from him. His voice didn't sound upset but it did tremble with something Dipper could point out.
Once 6 PM rolled around, Dipper was waiting outside of the music department for the former-demon. Students started to file out of the classroom but the professor didn't come out. Confused, Dipper went into the building and started to walk towards his classroom. Bill suddenly walked out of his classroom with Andrew following right behind. While Andrew ignored his existence, the professor slowed his pace and stared at the younger male as he approached him.
"You really don't-" Bill started to protest again but Dipper cut him off quickly.
"No arguing," he stated, moving to walk by his side.
Silently, they walked off campus. Andrew did bring his bike, which was still in perfect condition unlike Bill's, and left the two to walk alone. Dipper started to feel nervous after they weren't speaking for a few minutes. Glancing over to the taller male, he could see that he wasn't the only one feeling awkward.
"So," Dipper tried to start up a conversation. "Do you have any pets?"
"Had two," Bill answered, not looking over to the younger male. "Both died within a month under my care."
Dipper pouted a bit. "What kind of pets were they?"
"One was a fish, the other was a hamster," he explained. "I don't know what I did but after the hamster, I figured I wasn't meant to be a pet owner."
"Well, you probably just aren't that kind of pet keeper," Dipper tried to reason with him. "Maybe a cat? They're pretty independent."
"Maybe," he shrugged. Looking over to Dipper slowly, he smiled a little. "Maybe you can help me?"
"Of course!" The brunette cheered, now smiling brightly to the blond.
They transition into an easy conversation, trying to keep the topics light. They weren't too far from the Shack when something popped into his mind.
"Have you seen Ford or Stan since being back?" he asked curiously. Bill nodded but stared at the ground.
"They didn't recognize me, obviously," he shrugged. "But of course my fate leads me to run into them at times."
"Where do you see them?" Dipper asked.
"Usually the grocery store," Bill explained, suddenly chuckling a little. "The first time Stan saw me, he told me to stop by the Shack." He shook his head at the memory. "If only he knew, I'd probably be dead."
Upon hearing the last comment, Dipper fell quiet, remembering the switchblade from the night before. After he got it back from Wendy the night before, he stored it in his school bag via Ford's request.
"Have you been mugged before?" the brunette asked carefully.
"A few times," Bill admitted, letting the smile drop from his face. "But that was back in Portland. Nothing that seriously happens here."
"Did the police help?" he asked, starting to feel a bit worried. Bill shook his head.
"I usually had to fight them off of me," he responded. "I got one beaten so bad, he actually pressed charges against me for assault." Dipper furrowed his eyebrows and felt the same rage bubble from earlier start to build again. Bill looked back at Dipper with a serious look. "And won."
"What the actual fuck?" Dipper growled. "They took the side of the person who started it?"
"Yup," he shrugged. "Because I could have stopped once I got the gun from him. I beat him with the butt of the gun once I got it away, therefore, it turned into an assault. It would have been assault with a deadly weapon until I was able to prove that I never bought a gun."
"That's ridiculous," the brunette shook his head in disbelief.
"That's my fate," Bill shrugged, looking back to the ground.
Dipper was the only one of the two paying attention to where they were going, trying to prevent any accidents if possible. Unfortunately, they weren't paying much attention to what was behind them. They were across the street from the apartment complex, waiting for it to be safe to walk when someone jumped and tackled Dipper to the ground. With a grunt, the smaller male struggled and kicked his attacker. Surprisingly, he successfully hit the attacker in his groin. This caused the strange man to cry out and let the brunette go. Once he was released, he saw the other person holding a knife to Bill's throat, demanding for his phone and money. Quickly, Dipper got out the switchblade from his bad and ran up behind Bill's attacker. Opening the knife, he pressed the blade to his throat.
"Take one more step to him," Dipper hissed in the other's ear. "I'll slit your fucking throat."
The attacker froze at his touch and dropped the knife he had to the blond. Dipper pushed him towards the road and grabbed Bill's hand. Without thinking, Dipper began wrapped his arm around the blond man's waist and started to book it across the street. Surprisingly, every single car stopped right before hitting the duo. They got to the other side but didn't stop running until they got to Bill's apartment.
Bill was out of breath and his eyes were full of tears. He quickly unlocked the door and pulled Dipper inside. Once inside, the taller man pushed Dipper to the room and paced in front of him.
"This is why!" he exclaimed softly, rubbing his face. "What the fuck... What the FUCK?!" Bill was talking to himself more than to Dipper.
The younger male's adrenaline was still running high as he watched the blond having a meltdown. The former demon looked at the other again with scared and tired eyes, tears falling down his face. His eyes traveled down to the switchblade that was still in Dipper's hand.
"Where did you get that?" Bill began to back away from him a bit. Quickly, Dipper closed the knife and put it back into his bag then placed it on the ground.
"You can't trust everyone here," he explained softly and approached the shaking male. "I'm not going to hurt you."
Bill stayed quiet and hugged himself, looking down and shaking his head. Dipper wrapped his arms around the other like he had the night before. This time, it took a few moments before Bill allowed himself to lean against the other for support. Dipper felt the other bury his face into the crook of his neck.
"How do you do this by yourself?" Dipper asked, stroking his back slowly. "You keep telling me you're fine but…" he trailed off. Bill forced himself to pull away and leaned against the wall, staring at Dipper with a defeated look in his eyes.
"As you said," his voice croaked a bit. "I'm a bad liar."
"I thought you couldn't lie?" Dipper tried again. "Are you actually fine?"
"I know I will always end up fine," he explained quietly, rubbing his eyes. "So, it's not a lie."
"Are you okay?" the brunette started rubbing his arm. Bill clenched his jaw before slowly sliding down to sit on the ground. Dipper followed suit and sat next to him, wrapping his arm around the other's waist to pull him closer. "Should I take that as a no?"
"I want to be," he admitted softly, leaning into Dipper's touch. "I don't deserve it."
"You do in my eyes," the brunette sighed softly. "You're not allowed to prevent me from walking you home now."
Bill looked at Dipper but didn't respond, not wanting to argue anymore. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. The blond man leaned away from Dipper, pulling his legs close to his chest and rested his head on his knees, staring at the brunette.
"What if you get hurt?" he asked softly.
"Would it be bad to say I don't care?" Dipper suggested, still having his arm around Bill's waist. "As long as you're safe, I don't care."
"I don't deserve you," Bill whispered to the other, tearing up again. Dipper wiped some of the tears away with his free hand.
"You deserve a good friend for once," he explained, offering a comforting smile to the other. "Can I be that friend for you?"
Bill raised his head and moved his arms to embrace Dipper.
"You're such a stubborn Pine Tree," he mumbled into his shoulder, relaxing against the other.
