Chapter Text
The sunlight was pouring into the small bedroom, making the water Bill was sitting in grow slowly warmer. The siren had been quiet for a while, sometimes staring at the various drawings he had carved on the cabin’s wall. Everyday, he made more of them, and he was starting to worry he’d run out of space soon.
Dipper was a few feet away from him, on his bed, laying on his stomach. He was reading some kind of book, which probably came from the pile he had under his bed. Or maybe the one from his desk. Or was it the one next to the door ? He had too many books for the siren to understand. After all, Bill couldn’t even read. Sirens knew the human language perfectly, thanks to their songs, but singing it and reading it were two different things. Dipper was trying to teach him, though, and he could now understand a few words. He couldn’t read by himself yet, but he was hoping he was going to get better. Considering how alone he was in this small tank, with no hope to escape anytime soon, any distraction was more than welcome. And Dipper was happy to teach him. The young pirate had beamed when Bill asked him to teach him more than the alphabet, and had immediately started to pick books from various corners of his room and to toss them on his bed. Since then, he took a different book every day and explained to Bill how words worked to form sentences on paper.
Turning away from his wall, Bill faced the human. He was smiling, messy brown hair falling on his face and chocolate eyes moving from on word to the next as he flipped through the pages of his book. He looked so passionate, he always did when he was reading. The siren smiled at the sight. He remembered times when Dipper would endlessly talk to him about books, wether it was about that one chapter or about how it ended. Because these conversations were mostly Dipper talking and him listening, he wished he would be able to read soon. He admitted he loved the way the human’s eyes were filled with stars when he talked about stories and mysteries.
Everything was peaceful. The only noises he could hear was the faint sound of the waves beneath the ship, and the pages Dipper turned as he read. Bill closed his eyes, appreciating the calm surrounding him. For once, he wasn’t worried about Gideon, he wasn’t worried about anything. It felt like he could stay like this for days, in silent, listening to the small noises his tank’s water made when he moved his tail or to the soft gasps and whispers Dipper made when he read. He sighed. If he still had a voice, he would have started humming.
He opened his eyes when he heard Dipper shifting on the bed. The pirate turned to face him, and waved at him with a small smile on his face. Bill smiled back and waved as well, before grinning and splashing water at the other. Drops of water fell on the floor and on the bed, some of them reaching Dipper. Surprised, the pirate put one arm in front of him, protecting himself from the attack. He glared at Bill, trying to look mad and failing miserably. He let him arm drop back on his lap, and giggled. He shook his head to get rid of the water, before sitting up on the sheets.
« Are you that bored, Bill ? »
Bill pouted. Dipper wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t exactly bored. He leaned on the glass of his tank, and signed :
« Yeah. »
He paused, before tapping the floor next to him and adding :
« Come ? »
Dipper tilted his head, placing his book on the bed.
« You want me to come sit with you ? »
Bill nodded vigorously, and Dipper stood up, walked towards Bill’s tank and sat next to it, resting his back against the glass. The siren hesitated before coming closer, wrapping his arms around the human and letting out a happy sigh when he felt how warm he was.
« Bill ! » Dipper laughed after jumping at the contact, « You’re going to ruin my clothes ! »
However, he didn’t make a move to push the siren away.
Bill leaned closer, resting his head on Dipper’s shoulder. The pirate let himself relax in the siren’s embrace, closing his eyes and appreciating the contact. For a moment neither of them moved, just feeling the sun on their skin and listening to the other’s breathe.
After a few minutes, Dipper whispered softly. « Think i should get up and keep reading.. ? »
Bill hugged him tighter.
« No. » He signed. « Stay. »
He looked at him with pleading eyes. It felt so nice having the other close enough to hold him, he didn’t want to let go so soon. The siren had been alone for so long. Being able to hug someone was something he had wanted too much.
« Please ? »
Dipper smiled, placing his hand on Bill’s. He held it gently, linking their fingers together.
« Of course.»
He turned to face the siren, finding themselves closer than he expected. The other’s face was only inches away from his. He could see every detail of it, the small yellow scales on his cheeks, the freckles… He felt himself blush, and noticed that Bill’s cheek were darker than usual, too. His freckles looked like they were glowing… But it could just be the sunlight.
Bill felt his heart starting to beat faster when Dipper held his hand, and his cheeks felt warmer when the human faced him.
Dipper raised his free hand, keeping the other on the siren’s. He cupped his cheek, and noticed it was slightly warmer than he remembered. Bill shuddered at the contact, before closing his eyes. He leaned into the touch, lips curling into a smile. At this very moment, his arms wrapped around Dipper, feeling his hand on his cheek, hearing no other sounds than their breaths and heartbeats…. At this very moment, for the first time in years, he felt home.