Bill sat on the porch the rest of the night, waiting for Dipper to come back to him- to the shack, tense and worried the entire night. He didn't move but to sip his coffee, gaze searching the trees, imploring the teenager to walk out and be unscathed. Slowly but surely night faded to dawn, and dawn faded to day. Soon enough it was eleven thirty in the morning, and Bill hadn't heard or seen the teenager.

"Pine Tree" Bill begged weakly, leaning toward the trees

Mabel stepped out onto the porch

"There you are!" she chirped happily "What are you doing out here all alone? And where's Dipper?"

He tensed for a brief moment before turning his gaze upon the girl and forcing a smile

"Hey Shooting Star" he greeted "Dipper went into the woods after something. Told me he needed to be alone. I'm waiting for him to come back" he shrugged "If he's not back in half an hour I'm supposed to go after him"

Mabel stared for a moment before nodding

"How long has he been gone?"

"... Since seven" he lied slowly

She blinked

"I don't think he'd mind you going after him early" she winked before taking his coffee mug from between his hands "I'll clean this up for you."

For some reason Bill felt strangely relieved to have her approval to go after him- to be encouraged to go hunt down her brother so he could bring the teen home. Sure, she didn't know the real circumstances, but it was encouragement nonetheless, and it made him feel slightly better as he took off across the lawn and into the forest.

BILLDIP

"Pine Tree?" he called as he wandered the woods "Can you hear me?" he paused to listen for a reply "Call my name! Call my name and I'll come to you!"

His heart sunk when he heard no reply, but he pressed on in his journey. And then he heard it

"Bill" his head shot up and he froze

"Pine Tree!?" he cried

"Bill" the voice echoed weakly through his head, and in an instant Bill knew exactly where the teenager was. In a flash of blue fire, he disappeared, reappearing right beside Dipper.

The teenager was laying strewn across the ground, completely naked and quite obviously dehydrated, and he was staring up at Bill with wide, sorrowful eyes. Bill crouched next to him and reached out, freezing when Dipper flinched away, fear flashing through his eyes. Bill felt like he had been stabbed. His Pine Tree was scared of him?

"Dipper?" he asked weakly

Dipper shook his head, tears welling up and spilling down his cheeks

"Don't touch me" he croaked "Don't touch me" he jerked away when Bill reached forward once more, and Bill dropped his hand, a look of immense pain painted across his features.

"Dipper.." he whispered

"I don't want to hurt you again" he wept, curling in on himself, body shaking with his sobs and his hands clenched into fists "I'm a monster"

"Dipper-"

"No!" he cried out, voice cracking "I'm a monster! I hurt you-"

"Dipper!" Bill insisted, reaching out and grabbing the naked teen, lifting him slightly to pull him forward and gently cradle him in his arms "It's okay"

"No" he shook his head, and Bill felt the front of his shirt getting wet from the others tears. A split second later the teen seemed to realize where he was and tried to scramble frantically away from the demon.

"Dipper Pines, hold still!" he hollered

Dipper let out a wail

"Let me go!" he begged

Bill held him tighter

"No" he hissed "I'm never letting you go" he held tighter as the teen struggled "I'm never going to let you go ever again, Dipper. You don't have to go through this alone. You're not a monster, and I'm going to help you through this"

Dipper stopped struggling

"Why? I hurt you. I bit you-" he broke off and whirled, gaze shooting to Bill's neck. Knowing what the teen was looking for, Bill tilted his head to the side, revealing the mark was completely gone. Dipper visibly relaxed, but he pressed on in his argument "I hurt you, Bill. I could've killed you"

"But you didn't" he argued in return. He didn't bother bringing up that the human wouldn't have had the chance; if he hadn't stopped himself, Bill would've come to his senses and stopped him soon enough.

"I could have!" he insisted

"You didn't!" he snapped back

"Why are you so insistent on helping me!? You should leave me out in these woods to rot-" he choked off into a sob

"That's not going to happen" he growled, tightening his grip

"Why?" he squeaked

"Because I love you. I love you, Dipper Pines, and I'm not going to let you go through this alone."

Dipper's eyes widened in shock, and there was a tense silence between them, neither even blinking as they stared at one another, Bill's face tinting red. Eventually it seemed Dipper's body had been through enough for the day, as the teenager promptly went limp in the demons arms. Bill sighed softly and stood, Dipper in his arms, and made his way toward the Mystery Shack.

"Don't worry, Pine Tree" he murmured "I'll protect you."

BILLDIP

When they got back to the shack he made his way straight upstairs before Mabel or Stan saw them, not wanting to explain why Dipper was naked and unconscious. Once in the safety of Dipper's room he laid the teen on his bed and stepped out the door to holler down the stairs

"Dipper is home, but he's pretty worn out! Fell asleep while I was carrying him back. He's going to nap for a few hours!"

"Okie dokie lokie!" Mabel chirped, and Stanford only grunted

With that taken care of, Bill closed the bedroom door and locked it before turning back to the teen, suddenly alarmingly aware of how naked the teenager was. His face turned red -much to his annoyance- and he snapped, dressing Dipper in his pajamas. With a sigh he approached and pulled the blanket over his body, brushing some hair out of his face.

"We need to talk, kid" he muttered "but I don't think you'd appreciate me invading your dreams right now. I probably messed up" he snorted "I shouldn't have said that, Pine Tree, and I'm sorry" he sighed and stepped back from the bed, dropping himself into the chair a few feet away "I guess we can talk when you wake up"

BILLDIP

"Um..." Bill instantly looked up at the timid whisper "Do you have a glass of water by any chance?" he gestured for the teen to hold out his hand, and when he did Bill snapped, a glass of water forming in the teenagers hand.

Dipper offered a grateful smile and downed almost the whole thing, a pleased hum escaping him. He smiled his thanks, and Bill nodded slightly, the two lapsing into an uncomfortable silence

"How did you sleep?" Bill eventually asked

"I'd like to get more" he hinted "Maybe you could too...? We could talk in the mindscape?" Bill nodded and shifted slightly, head tilting back in the chair as he prepared to enter the mindscape "Um... Maybe you could sleep over here?" Bill looked up and raised a brow "With-With me?" he offered timidly

Bill flushed and slowly stood

"Okay." he whispered, making his way over to the teens bed. Dipper shuffled back in the bed to make room for him, lifting the blankets so Bill could slip in next to him. Once Bill was beside him, they fell into silence again.

"I- I guess I'll see you there?" he asked nervously

Bill cracked a grin, which seemed to relax the teenager

"Go to sleep, Pine Tree" he chuckled, reaching out and gently touching his forehead, sending him to sleep almost instantly. Bill watched him sleep for a moment before sighing and settling back, closing his eyes to join Dipper in the mindscape.