"Bill..." Mabel asked softly, scratching her shoulder as she approached the demon, gaze trained on the floor

"Shooting Star?" he asked, raising a brow and setting down the book he had been reading, turning his gaze upon her "Shouldn't you be in bed?"

She sighed heavily

"Can I sit down?" she asked weakly

He patted the space beside him on the couch, and she made her way over, dropping heavily beside him and instantly leaning against his arm. His eyes widened for a moment, but he brushed off his surprise, instead focusing on his concern for the petite girl beside him. He leaned down slightly and turned his head so their gazes met, and he was alarmed to see tears glistening in her eyes

"Shooting Star are you okay?" he asked softly

She reached up a hand and brushed away her tears, sniffling and nodding slightly

"I guess" she muttered, turning her head slightly toward him "I'm worried about Dipper."

"You too?" he muttered. She didn't reply, and he was relieved he wouldn't have to explain his conversation with Stanford a few days ago. Instead he cleared his throat and pressed forward "Why are you worried about him?"

"Well... If that creature as a werewolf and it bit him..." she trailed off, and a tear slipped free

His eyes widened and he did the first thing that popped into his head; he lifted his hand and gently wiped away the tear trailing down her cheek

"Mabel..." he murmured, hesitating when she sniffled "Pine Tree will be fine. I'm keeping an eye on him, there's nothing to worry about"

"Promise?" she asked, and he felt a stab of pain through his chest at how broken she sounded. He nodded firmly, and she cracked a small smile "Thank you, Bill. I... I don't know what we'd do without you"

She leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek before hopping up and making her way toward the stairs once more. She paused when he cleared his throat

"Sweet dreams, Shooting Star" he assured her

Her smiled widened in relief, catching on to what he was promising. Gratitude shone in her eyes at him, and without another word she turned and made her way up the stairs. Once he was sure she was back in bed, her dreams glittery and filled with candy like he had promised, he stood and made his way to Dipper's bedroom. It was easy to slip into the teens room, as it always had been, as the teen slept soundly and rarely woke to any noises.

Bill made his way over to the side of the bed and tilted his head to the side, frowning and heaving a sigh

"Is there anything going on with you, Pine Tree?" he muttered, reaching out and brushing a strand of hair from the teenagers face "Are you okay?"

"Bill..."

He started at the whisper, jerking back and almost crashing into Dipper's dresser. He squinted suspiciously at the teenager, but all Dipper did was sigh and roll over, and Bill relaxed when he realized that the brunette was still fast asleep. He approached once more and gazed down at the teenager, brows furrowing

"Are you going to be okay, Dipper?" he asked nobody in particular

He was scared to realize he didn't know the answer to his own question.

BILLDIPBILLDIPBILLDIP

Dipper woke the following morning with a pounding headache. He grit his teeth and huffed out an aggravated sigh, annoyed with his luck- or lack thereof. With an annoyed grunt he forced himself out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. Within fifteen minutes he was dressed and had made his way downstairs to the table, were Bill was waiting expectantly.

Dipper frowned instantly; something about Bill seemed... off. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise and he sniffed the air experimentally. Bill smelt strange. His eyes narrowed suspiciously

"You smell different" he muttered

Confusion entered Bill's golden gaze and he raised a brow, looking around the room in confusion before turning his gaze back upon Dipper

"Um... Excuse me?"

"You smell different" he repeated, taking a step away from the demon

"Oh!" he cried suddenly, realization flashing through his eyes "I ran out of my cologne, so I stole some of Mabel's perfume" confusion quickly overtook his expression "You can smell me from over there?"

Dipper tensed, instantly realizing that he wasn't supposed to be able to smell Bill from this far away. He huffed and folded his arms over his chest

"You put too much on" he lied "It's all I can smell"

Bill didn't seem to fully buy it, but Dipper was relieved when he shrugged it off nonetheless. The demon waved him over, and Dipper approached, curiously gazing down at the piece of paper in the demons hand

"What's that for?" he muttered

"You promised me Mac n' cheese!" he chirped happily "We're going shopping"

"Don't we have the stuff here?" he tried to protest

Bill shot him a flat look and snapped, and the fridge swung open, revealing that it was nearly empty. He heaved a sigh and nodded to Bill, and the demon's smile returned.

"We only need to get the stuff for my dinner" he told the teenager as Dipper lead him back through the house toward the exit "Shooting Star said she and Pacifica would be going grocery shopping tonight"

"Alright, sounds fair" he nodded his head, grabbing the keys as they passed the hook "Is Stan awake?"

"Probably" Bill replied

Dipper sighed

"Grunkle Stan, I'm taking the car!" he hollered, receiving a few indistinguishable grumbled from somewhere deeper in the shack. Taking that as a yes, he lead Bill out the door.

Bill couldn't keep the delighted smile off his face as he slid into the passenger seat of the car. He was finally going to get his Mac and Cheese- and on top of that, he was going to get alone time with Dipper! The best kind of alone time; every time Dipper made this meal, everyone cleared out; Mabel didn't like it anymore after the time Bill had stuck deer teeth in her dish as revenge for her bedazzling his suit, ans she dragged Pacifica along with her every time. Stanford left because he thought Dipper put a 'disgusting amount of cheese' in it, which was ridiculous. Nonetheless, every time Dipper made it for Bill, everyone in the house cleared out, and Bill got precious precious alone time with his darling Pine Tree.

He was pulled from his thoughts when Dipper climbed out of the car, and he realized with a start they were already at the store and parked. He got out of the car and followed Dipper inside, and the teenager went straight for the cheese, Bill pausing to grab a basket for their groceries before following after him.

"Why is cheese so expensive?" he complained loudly as Bill approached, and the demon chuckled, offering no response to the teens outrage as he threw a block of marble cheese into the basket Bill was holding

They made their way to the pasta aisle, and Dipper grabbed two boxes of Kraft Dinner and tossed them into the basket before making a beeline to the dairy aisle. He grabbed a jug of milk and a block of butter before turning his gaze upon Bill

"Need anything else?" he asked curiously

Bill shook his head and Dipper nodded, and they made their way to the register. Once they had paid and gotten back into the car, Dipper pulled out and drove Bill up to another grocery store. He parked and handed the demon a twenty-dollar bill.

"Get the cheese" he requested, and the demon nodded and climbed out of the car, hurrying into the store.

It didn't take Bill long to procure the other block of cheese and return to the car, handing Dipper the few cents in change he had received. Dipper only sighed and pulled out of the parking lot.

When they got back to the shack they made a beeline for the kitchen, and Stan made a noise of disgust

"You're making that cheese crap again?" he complained

Dipper flashed an innocent grin

"You're welcome to stay, Grunkle Stan" he offered

Stan shot him a dark glare

"I'd sooner let a maniac bring a ladder in here" he hissed before grabbing his jacket and leaving the room. A minute later they heard the front door slam.

"His loss" Bill shrugged

Dipper hummed in response and set to work preparing the meal Bill was so enamored with. After multiple times making the dish he completed the tasks necessary with ease, and was soon left waiting for the water to boil, two piles of cheese already grated and waiting on the counter beside the stove. Bill leaned over his shoulder and sighed happily

"Oh Pine Tree, you're so good to me" he praised playfully

Dipper swatted at him, and Bill huffed in mock offense

"How rude!" he cried dramatically "I try to praise you and you swat me"

"I'm going to do a lot worse if you don't shut up" he warned, shooting a smirk at the demon over his shoulder

Bill smirked

"I think I'd enjoy that, Pine Tree" he murmured

Dipper's cheeks turned red and he kept his gaze glued on the pot as he finally dumped the noodles in. Behind him, Bill cackled at his embarrassment, and Dipper had to fight the urge to punch the demon, knowing he'd probably get some sick form of enjoyment out of it. Eventually Bill was back leaning over his shoulder, watching with wide and appreciative eyes as Dipper drained the water from the pot and added the powdered cheese, milk, and butter.

"Oh, I want to mix!" he cried enthusiastically

Dipper stepped aside and handed him the spoon, and Bill eagerly mixed the ingredients, eyes visibly sparkling as Dipper threw handful after handful of cheese into the pot. He was practically drooling all over himself when the teenager finally pushed him away and took the spoon, announcing the food was done.

In the time it took him to turn around Bill was already holding plates and flashing a wide smile. Dipper couldn't help but smile in return, even as he rolled his eyes at the demon. Ten minutes later and both were on the couch in the living room, a plate of Mac n' Cheese in their hands, television playing some crappy horror movie from two decades ago, and Bill cooed happily. Dipper snorted at him and shoved him playfully, and the two fell into a comfortable silence. Neither said a word when they shuffled closer together so their legs were touching.