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The ocean stretched out as far as the eye can see, its bumpy waters shimmering with the light of the setting sun. Many of the other passengers had made a point to come out to see it during the first few days of the cruise, though as the days went on, most of them had found other things to do with their evenings.
Dipper, however, often found himself leaning against the railing on the side of the ship, watching the endless waves and never finding himself getting bored by them. The ocean was just one big mystery, a massive space full of possibilities, and thinking about what sort of things could be dwelling down there was enough entertainment for Dipper.
“There’s my favorite passenger.”
“Oh, I’m the favorite, am I?” Dipper managed to pull his eyes away from the ocean and looked over at the man now standing next to him. “I guess I must be if you’re using some of your off time from work to come and see me,” he laughed.
Bill placed his hand on Dipper’s lower back and brought him closer with a chuckle of his own. “Exactly. I don’t make time for just anyone, you know.” He let out a content sigh and looked out over the water. “It does also help that you’re out here, though. I know I work on this massive hunk of metal, but it’s hard for me to get sick of a sight like this.”
“Mm, yeah, it’s really nice out here,” Dipper hummed. “I don’t know why, but I didn’t think a cruise ship aimed at ‘nonstop fun’ would have a small deck just for this. It makes sense now, that they would have a spot for people to get away from the noise for a little while.”
“I think if we didn’t offer a spot for some folks to come and get away from the screaming kids, we’d probably have a lot more angry people coming to me. And there’s already plenty of angry people coming to ask for a handful of drinks to calm them down.” He nudged Dipper lightly and gave him a sly smile. “Kinda like how you came crawling to me on the third day, begging me for something to help you deal with the crowds.”
A gust of wind chilled Dipper, and he cuddled closer to the blond with a pout. “Hey, it’s not my fault that this place can get so loud. I’m used to being alone in my room, spending hours reading and working on my computer. I only get out when my sister drags me out. And… When I decide to come onto a cruise because I think that it will reset my brain and not involve me in some late-summer romance.”
Bill snorted. “Yeah, well, you love it. Who knows, a romance could be just the thing to reset your brain. Maybe get you thinkin’ more outside the box and all that.”
Dipper hummed, not wanting to give Bill the satisfaction of being right. Being there, talking to the weird bartender that often slipped him a few free drinks, had been more refreshing than he thought it would be. And it didn’t hurt that Bill was also a very attractive man, giving him the kind of attention he never thought he would get from someone like that. That validation alone gave him a boost of confidence that opened his eyes to a whole new world of possibilities with what he could do with his life.
Which some would say was kind of sad, but Dipper didn’t mind it. Confidence could come from anywhere, and he just happened to find it in the form of Bill Cipher flirting with him on a cruise ship.
“How much longer is your break?” Dipper looked over at Bill, flinching when he noticed the blond was staring at him rather than the water. His face burned as its hue changed to match the color of the setting sun. “W-why are you staring at me like that?”
“Aw, you know I think you’re cute, Pine Tree!” He ruffled Dipper’s hair and yanked him closer. “Don’t think you can get all shy on me now! To answer your question, I’m only out here for about five more minutes, so we gotta make ‘em count!”
The use of the nickname sent shivers up Dipper’s spine. Bill had given it to him when Dipper got too drunk the first night they met, unable to give his name and forcing Bill to call him something. That something ended up being the first thing Bill noticed on him, which happened to be the lame aloha shirt Mabel got him that had pine trees all over it. She claimed that he needed a vacation shirt for his vacation, and it was comfortable, so he wore it out to get drunk.
He had never planned to get as drunk as he did, of course, but apparently seeing Dipper get wasted and complain about Lord of the Rings was enough to make Bill interested in seeing more of him.
“And how do you think we should do that, hm?” Dipper clenched his jaw, hoping his blush had started to go away. “Five minutes isn’t a lot of time.”
“I’m well aware. It’s definitely enough time to steal a kiss, though, don’t you think?”
They were still close, Bill holding onto him tightly against the railing. The position forced Dipper to either look out at the water or at Bill, and after a request like that, Dipper couldn’t bring himself to turn his head towards the blond.
“Aw, don’t wanna give me a kiss? That’s alright, we don’t have-”
“I want to,” Dipper defended weakly. “It’s just… We haven’t done more than flirt and get all close like this. A kiss is… Well, it’s the next step, I guess. So it makes sense…”
Bill placed his free hand on Dipper’s cheek, guiding his head to turn towards him. “Whatever you’re comfortable with is fine, Pine Tree. Just know that I’d really like to kiss that cute face of yours.”
The added compliment didn’t help Dipper feel any less bashful about the situation, and he was sure then that his blush had never left.
“I… I want to kiss yours, too, then.” Dipper didn’t give Bill a chance to respond. He squeezed his eyes shut and pushed forward until he felt their lips meet, wrapping his arms around the other to make sure he didn’t fall back from the sudden movement.
Even though he had been standing out under the sun’s warmth, Dipper still found that the sparks he felt where their lips met were warmer. His eagerness being met with Bill’s own only made more of them fly, and when the two of them parted, Dipper could see in Bill’s eyes that he felt them, too.
“Wow, Pine Tree, feeling bold today, are we?” The stupid smirk on Bill’s face couldn’t kill the mood, though Dipper still rolled his eyes at him.
“You brought it up first, I was just following through.” Bill still had his hand on Dipper’s cheek, and while he enjoyed the comfort of it, Dipper grabbed it and moved it away. “Maybe when you’re done with your shift, we can do more of that. But I seem to remember that you need to get going back about now.”
Bill gave a big, almost cartoonish pout at Dipper’s words. “You’re gonna kiss me like that, then just send me on my way? Damn, that’s cold.”
The two shared a laugh, though neither moved to leave just yet.
“Promise me to come see me again after your shift?” Dipper still had his arms around Bill, wishing that they could stick around for a bit longer and enjoy the last bits of the sunlight together.
“As soon as I’m done, I’ll come right to you. Promise.” Bill placed a quick, far more gentle kiss on Dipper’s forehead, then finally pulled away. “Until then, Pine Tree! Have fun with the ocean!”
Dipper chuckled, waving the blond off and shaking his head. The ocean before him had so many mysteries, but somehow those didn’t feel as vast as the questions Bill raised in him. Would their fling be more than a cute, fun, summer romance? Would they have their fun, then part ways when the ship got back to port?
It was impossible to know the answers unless he asked Bill, though. Which he wasn’t sure he had the guts to do.
When he turned to leave and settle down for the night, another gust of wind passed over Dipper. He heard the soft rustling of something in the front pocket of his shirt and looked down, noticing some numbers written on a napkin. He didn’t even feel Bill put it there, and he didn’t think they would need to give each other their numbers, since running into each other on the ship had been so easy. But, having the numbers in his hand, seeing the little triangle underneath them with its eye staring back at him, it gave Dipper a lot of hope about his future in romance with the strange blond.