Chapter Text
"I AM THE MIGHTY BILL CIPHER!" Bill bellowed, raising his arms up to the sky. "FEAR ME!"
To support his words, Bill reared his foot back and gave the sandcastle a mighty kick, causing sand to go everywhere.
And when he meant by everywhere, he also meant Dipper's face.
Dipper spat out some sand, putting the bucket down and giving Bill an unimpressed look. Beside him, his twin sister Mabel was getting sand out of her hair, but she was laughing joyfully. It probably didn't bother her as much because there was already a ton of seaweed in her hair in the first place. "Was that really necessary, Bill?" Dipper sighed irritably, giving him the stink eye.
Bill gave him his most innocent grin. Which, in a sense, made him look sinister.
Putting his hands on his hips, he chirped, "Deal with it, Pine Tree."
"I've been dealing with you for the past four years, don't even-" Dipper warned.
Bill put his hands up to his chest in surrender. Grinning, he dropped down to his knees, setting himself down beside Dipper. He managed to wrap his arms around the brunet's shoulders without the said brunet punching him in the gut for doing so.
"Oh, don't be such a buzzkill, Pine Tree!" Bill sang out. He tilted Dipper's body over to him, the human letting out a grunt of disapproval at his actions. "The sun's out, summer's here, you haven't killed me-"
"Yet," Dipper grumbled.
"-and what's better is the beach is practically empty today! Don't cha want to take advantage of this?" Bill asked, incredulous. To force his lover to see his point of view, he reached out and forced Dipper's chin up to the ocean.
He wasn't lying when he said that the beach was practically empty. There were no sign of human life anywhere except for the Pines twins and himself (in a way). Which was weird, considering that it was the first day of summer. The whole of Gravity Falls should have been here, sunbathing or playing. It didn't help that the beach was just renovated just two years ago. This place was practically a goldmine, if he had to say so himself.
"Hey, why is the beach empty?" Mabel inquired, giving the ocean a quizzical look like the water would tell her the answers. "Yesterday, it was packed with practically the whole town! There wasn't even a warning or anything about not going today..." She put two fingers on her chin, looking like she was in thought.
Bill gave the twins a nervous laugh, holding Dipper closer to himself. He wasn't about to say that it was him who made sure everyone except them get a dream about staying away from the beach. And er, some other things.
"Dude, you literally just destroyed everything I've done for the past two hours!" Dipper finally complained, throwing his bucket to the ground in frustration after seeing the damage that Bill had caused.
"Aw, don't look so sad, I can just make it reappear!" Bill said happily, turning his head to grin at Dipper. The boy merely gave him an unimpressed look with a sour pucker of the lips and a wrinkle of the nose.
To prove his Pine Tree wrong, Bill raised his hand and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the sand in front of them was clouded in blue mist, before it disappeared and presented Dipper's exact sandcastle. With mini sand figures of them to boot, of course.
Since they've arrived here in the morning and the sky was turning orange and red to indicate near the end of the afternoon, they've done many things for the first day of summer. They played some volleyball, in which Bill had accidentally spiked the ball to Dipper's face and apologized with a whole dozen gold coins from the bottom of the ocean. They took a walk down the docks with ice cream, not telling Dipper that a bird had pooped in his ice cream. They had buried each other near the ocean for the hell of it, almost losing Mabel to the tide as a result.
"Seeeee? You have no faith in me, kid!" Bill grinned. He swiveled his head around in one quick sweep, planting a lingering kiss on Dipper's cheek before the boy could argue with him.
Dipper's small scowl disappeared, relaxing his face into one of disgruntlement. The human crossed his arms in front of him, pouting when he realized that Bill was still grinning at him. It only made the blond grin wider, loving how his little human looked so vulnerable.
"Of all places, did you seriously have to bring us to the beach?" Dipper groaned, picking up his bucket and tools to make more parts to his little castle. Beside him, Mabel squealed in delight, picking up her own things to help out with designing the sandcastle.
"Yep!" Bill chirped, popping the 'p'. "It's so I could see you shirtless without having to ask for it."
"Wha-" Dipper looked down at his body, realizing that he was indeed shirtless. His own skinny body was splattered with sand and mud, his blue swimming trunks the only article of clothing on him. With an amused clear of the throat, Bill found that the boy's chest hairs had never appeared, even as a young adult. Dipper looked back at him with a glare. "Okay, you know what, fuck you."
"Yes, fuck me indeed," Bill said happily.
Dipper threw the bucket at his face, much to Bill's utter amusement. The demon merely ducked his head to the side before the human could successfully hit him in the face, but he allowed one strike to hit him across the shoulder just so the brunet could be satisfied. For uh, now at least.
"Jeez, why are you so happy today?" Dipper asked in disbelief.
"And why are you so gloomy?" Bill asked back.
"He's always gloomy!" Mabel cut in.
"Hmm. Good point."
"Ugh," Dipper groaned, burying his face in his hands. Behind him, the sounds of waves hitting rock filled the air, sounding much like a lullaby Bill would often use to help him sleep at night. Of course, nothing beats Dipper's soft snores. But it was a good backup track in case Dipper forced him to sleep on the couch.
Mabel elbowed him on the side, catching Bill's attention. The brunette leaned in towards Bill, putting a hand over her mouth to keep from eavesdroppers. "I bet you ten bucks that Dipper secretly enjoys this."
"No deal. Because you already won," Bill told her with his obnoxious grin still plastered on his face. He saw how Dipper smiled at the ocean when the boy thought no one was looking, or how at peace he looked just sitting there under the shade.
Mabel snorted, leaning away from him to move on to harassing her brother.
Shaking his head when Pine Tree let out a squeak of surprise as Mabel put seaweed on his neck, Bill began placing seashells on the castle to make it look more grand. Laughter between the pair filled the summer air, putting a small smile on his face after his grin had faded away. The wind had finally picked up here, brushing his hair to the right and making him look more disheveled than usual.
Shaking out a seashell Mabel had piled up beside him, Bill carefully placed it on one of the sides, using a nail to dig it right in. He smiled softly, proud at what he had created.
But seeing that the seashell had fallen once more, Bill frowned and raised his hand. Snapping his fingers, the blue coat of mist came back to cover the poor castle, raising up all the seashells from the sandy floor to the castle itself.
When the mist disappeared into nothingness, the twins quieted down, looking down at the castle, then back up at Bill. Both Pines were looking at him with mixtures of surprise and confusion.
"What?" He chuckled.
"Using magic twice in a row?" Mabel demanded. She raised up her hand, counting off her fingers with her tongue out. "The last time you used magic more than once in a week was five months ago!"
"And so?" Bill raised an expectant eyebrow.
"You're Bill!" the twins exclaimed.
"I'm well aware of that, Shooting Star, Pine Tree," Bill hummed. He twirled his wrist, producing a beach ball from his magic and passing it over to Shooting Star, who squeaked out in both delight and surprise. "What's it to ya?"
"Weren't you the one who told us you swear not to use magic unless it was a dire situation?" Dipper frowned. "Rebuilding my castle was one thing, but twice in a row? You sure you're okay, Bill?"
Bill grinned at him, one that assured the brunet that he was perfectly fine. Fine, utterly fine. "Of course! I go back on things sometimes, you knuckleheads should know that by now. I'm fine."
His eyes flickered behind his Pine Tree. His grin only widened from ear to ear, which usually freaked out the twins (though they grew quite used to it, he could tell). Pointing behind Dipper, he chirped, "And anyway, get your heads out of the gutter. There's some people who want to see you."
To his words, both twins turned their heads right behind them in curiosity. What they found was a whole bunch of people in bathing suits, charging for the beach with umbrellas and picnic blankets and toys underneath their arms. They were cheering, arms pretty much raised as they raced to freedom for the cooling water. Bill held his breath.
He watched the twins out of the corner of his eye, keeping the air in his lungs to prevent him from breathing heavily and drawing unwanted attention to himself. But thankfully, the twins merely watched in amazement as the empty beach they were sadly occupying was being filled with residents from Gravity Falls. They didn't see the blue clouds rolling in from under the folks' feet, indicating the third time he had used his magic in a span of ten minutes.
Usually, he wouldn't have been so reckless like this. Not anymore, after he found himself that morning five months ago. But today...
"Whoa!" Mabel yelled, eyes widening at the sight of hot shirtless guys passing through with surfboards tucked underneath their armpits. "Mom, forgive me for what I have sinned. Or, be sinning soon." She might as well have caught money on the ground, because she was gone like a bullet the next moment after.
The yells and screams of people filled Bill's ears as more and more folks rolled in, much to Dipper's shock. The boy didn't seem mad about the sudden mod, but he didn't seem quite happy with it either. The only indication of his confusion was his furrowed brow and wrinkled nose, qualities that made Bill's fake grin blossom into a true, genuine soft smile.
He braced himself on a hand, leaning against his braced arm to get a better look at his lover. Messy brown hair, a cute little nose, pressed soft lips- what more could a demon ask for? Of course, a demon would ask for an intellectual mind, a kind and open heart, and a brave soul. Qualities his little human had already possessed.
It was no wonder why Bill had given up everything just for the boy carefully making his sandcastle in front of him, just for the sake of his own twin sister happy.
Finally, finally, Dipper had noticed Bill's gaze. He glanced up at Bill under his lashes, a cute little pout that fit him nicely on his lips. Sitting cross-legged and pouty like that made the brunet look like a child again, which sadly made Bill coo in his own mind. Ask Bill Cipher ten years before that he'd fall in love with a simple human for the sake of being in love and he'd turn your head into a squirrel. And ask him now and he'd laugh merrily, giving Dipper Pines an affectionate kiss on the forehead to show that he was indeed, still madly and deeply in love.
It was funny. Really funny that the world thought it would be ironic if Bill was to be taken away on the same day he found love.
"What? Is there sand on me?" Dipper asked, looking down his bare chest for specks of sand. He brushed off his chest just in case, making his skin pelted with leftover sand from his palm instead.
Bill laughed, leaning over to help him brush away the rest of the sand. He ran both of his hands down Dipper's chest, almost sensually, for a few seconds. Dipper watched him with a small frown tugging at his lips, still wondering why his boyfriend had been looking at him so weirdly just moments ago.
Bill stopped, running his fingertips over the skin one last time. He looked up at Dipper with a small reassuring smile, the brunet smiling back at him, almost confusingly. Dipper just seemed happy to see Bill look happy himself. It was a rare sight to see the demon truly smile instead of ones he used to joke around, and Bill knew Dipper liked those smiles best.
So he smiled. A bigger one that hurt his face a little. But it was worth it, seeing Dipper look mildly surprised before letting out a laugh of near relief.
He scooted forward on the sand, closer to Bill. Placing his hands on each side of Bill's face, Dipper peered into his eyes as if he was looking for something in them. They were silent for a moment, the sounds of waves and seagulls and people being truly themselves on this beach filling the air for them.
His thumb reached outward and ran over Bill's curled smile. He ran it over top, then on the bottom lip. Bill's lips twitched to his touch, making Dipper chuckle once. He pressed his forehead against Bill's, his grouchy attitude being replaced by one that only Bill had seen when they were alone. Alone together and in love and just there.
"You seem a little happy today," Dipper mumbled, his lips barely brushing against Bill's.
Bill tried not to show his wince. Of all words to describe what he felt today, happy was not one of them. Not cheerful, not delighted, not contented. He was in the most horrible mood of his whole existence but he vowed to make sure to get through this day with a smile to spite this whole stupid dimension.
"Well I'm with you, why wouldn't I be happy?" Bill chirped against his lips, hands coming up to hold themselves against Dipper's wrists. Not to remove them, just to simply stay there.
To his pleasant surprise, Dipper didn't make a snarky response, instead moving closer just by half an inch to close the space between them. It wasn't a chaste kiss, but a deep one that made Bill melt against his partner. Subconsciously, Bill was the one to scoot closer, hands dropping down to hold onto Dipper's lap.
When Bill was also the one to deepen their kiss, Dipper sighed contentedly against his lips, bringing a tingling sensation down his spine.
Then he remembered that this would be the last kiss they would ever share.
And as if a whip was cracked against his back, Bill held onto Dipper harder, nails almost digging into the other's back. He kissed Dipper harder, more needy, more want and Dipper knew it.
The brunet pulled away gently, hands flat on Bill's bare chest. His eyes were filled with concern as they flickered around Bill's face, looking for something that would give him an answer. And when he spoke, Bill had to chomp down on his bottom lip to keep from blurting things out, right then and there.
"Are you okay, Bill?"
"Fine," Bill automatically responded. Even the lone word sounded like a lie ringing in his ears. "I'm...okay. Are you okay? Do you need me to get you anything?" Each word sounded quieter and quieter, as if he was descending down stairs into darkness.
Dipper pushed his shoulder playfully, as they always had done in the past to tease the other. "I'm fine," Dipper assured him. "But I'm asking you, Bill. You've seemed...a little off when you woke me up this morning?"
"Aren't I always a little off?" Bill hummed, lifting a hand to play with Dipper's curls as the boy spoke.
Ignoring his playful hand, Dipper continued on, watching him with knitted brows. "Well, yeah. Yeah, true. But you're more off-er than usual, you know? Usually, when you wake me up, you'd pin me to the bed and-" Dipper cut it off there, face turning a bright shade of pink. He coughed once, his gaze turning away from Bill's amused one. "-you'd be playful, I guess. You'd tease me, we'd dress each other, then we'll eat breakfast, then bam, moving on to the next day."
"And your point is?" Bill drawled.
"My point is that you were acting strange this morning," Dipper said bluntly. "You woke me up with a single kiss next to the eye then left the room. When I came downstairs to eat breakfast, you weren't there. Mabel told me you went to the beach and told her to tell me to go there later. Why?"
"I wanted to surprise you," Bill simply said. He tilted his head to the side, watching his Pine Tree squirm to find the proper words. The pit of his stomach churned, trying to worm emotions into his head. But he kept them down and kept a straight, stoic face. "You like surprises, don't you?"
"Yeah, of course I do," Dipper sighed, turning his eyes back to Bill. The demon kept playing with his hair, twirling a strand of it around one finger and tugging it once in a while. He wondered if anyone was watching them from the beach, but soon came to the conclusion that, well, he honestly didn't give a single damn.
"Then what's the problem?" Bill frowned. He was seriously getting confused here, even if he already knew half the reason. "Tell me the problem and I'll make it go away."
"My problem is you!" Dipper blurted.
In an instant, Bill had dropped his hand away from Dipper's hair. "Oh," was the first thing he said. Then he swallowed up his pride, and swallowed the lump in his throat, and said, "Well, I'm glad you think so because it wouldn't matter now, I guess, I-"
"No, no, no!" Dipper said in a panic, eyes wide. He leaned backward, scooting away from Bill to give him a better look. He shook his hands in front of him, trying to explain to Bill exactly what he had meant, even though he suddenly looked frustrated. "It's- it's not you entirely, Bill. It's just- just well- you're- I don't- I-"
He shook his head, blinking once and giving Bill a pleading look. A frisbee landed beside them, embedding itself in the sand a couple feet away from Bill. A little boy who seemed to be about ten came up to them, running to go and get his frisbee. Bill snapped his fingers without hesitation, poofing the frisbee out of existence and letting it appear in the boy's hands. He knew how angry Dipper got when he was mean to little kids. And he certainly didn't feel like pissing off Dipper today.
"You're what?" Bill asked. His voice was a little too quiet, and he was almost certain that Dipper had caught it as well.
"I'm..." Dipper swallowed. His eyes kept flickering from Bill's face to the sand, then all over again. Bill let him have a moment to collect himself, and to collect his magic too.
His hand he used to snap his fingers had started to twitch and eventually spaz out, and he was forced to bury it in the sand to keep it from shaking again. It helped very little, with the sand above his hand shaking and vibrating like some broken toy was underneath. His vision began to fade in and out, and he knew that he was done for.
"Dipper-" he strained out.
"I'm just worried about you, Bill," Dipper blurted out. It made Bill's mouth shut close in surprise. "Am...am I doing this right? Loving you? You're...you're so distant now and I talked to Mabel about it and...and she told me that her past boyfriends used to do the same with her. In love at first, then they'd slowly get bored of her. I- I know that's almost impossible with you, Bill, because you literally changed everything about yourself for me, but I can't...you know?" He let out a forced laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. "If you ever feel like you're just pushing yourself, just- just stop, okay? The last thing I want you to do is disappear for just being here for me."
Bill's eyelids hooded. His heart-rate slowed down instead of beating like a constant drum. Everything he had done, and would do now, it was all for him, and he wouldn't have changed it for the world.
He scooted forward, shifting his legs underneath him so that he was supporting his weight on his knees. He took the back of Dipper's neck, bringing the boy forward so he could press his forehead against his. Dipper watched him through reluctant eyes, eyes that were filled of worry for the future.
"Wanna play some Kan Jam?" Bill grinned.
Snorting, Dipper pulled away from him. He took up some sand and covered Bill in it, much to the demon's delight. "I thought you were going to tell me something important!" he argued, the tips of his ears red with embarrassment.
"I did!" Bill laughed. He pointed at the two black cans fifty feet away from them, empty and abandoned. "I haven't played that game since...I actually haven't played that game before. Heh," he admitted with sheepish smile.
Dipper raised an eyebrow at him. "You haven't?" he asked with a hint of disbelief. "You're a dream demon who has lived on this earth for like, trillions of years, and you haven't even played Kan Jam?"
"Nope!" Bill chirped, standing up from the sand. He brushed off his knees, holding out a hand to Dipper. He gladly took it, almost bumping into Bill's chest as a result.
They giggled at each other, walking down hand in hand to the cans like some cheesy puppy lovers.
When they got there, Mabel and Soos were already there, Soos throwing the disc at Mabel with a grunt. Then Mabel jumped for it and slammed it down to the top, whooping and hollering with Soos and calling the two college boys they were playing against a "sore loser with no taste in music, you Panic! at the Disco haters!"
Dipper shook his head, getting the last of his laughs out. His eyes were bright again, a small smile playing on his lips. "Mabel, can Bill and I have a turn?" he called out to his sister.
"Nice pun, dude!" Soos called back out.
"Oh, uh, I didn't mean to make it a-" Dipper explained, scratching his cheek.
"Sure, after we beat the crap out of these MCR hater-taters!" Mabel whooped, once again scoring Soos and her some points.
"I thought they hated that one guy band?" Soos frowned.
"We hate both!" the two boys grumbled.
Mabel gave them her infamous death glare, causing the boys to wince back from how scary a nice optimistic girl like her can go from cuddly to murderer in zero point two seconds.
Dipper shook his head, letting out a breath of slight irritation. He sat down on the white sand, crossing his legs and leaning back with his arms behind him. Following suit, Bill sat down beside him, putting his hands inside his lap like a kindergartner.
They watched Mabel and Soos, along with the apparent anti-band boys, play the game of Kan Jam. It was a little interesting, and he had to admit a little scary, watching Mabel look so competitive and burn out her victims like this.
Whether that was her shouting, "THIS IS FOR SAYING MELANIE WAS BUCK-TOOTHED!" or literally slamming the disc into the can so hard it shook or hollering "HA! Did you have a fall out, boys?! Cause you kids aren't definitely alright!", Bill knew that she'd be a great murderer one day. They even won in less than three minutes.
"TAKE THAT, ERIDAN AND SOLLUX!" Mabel whooped, high-fiving Soos. The two guys grumbled, admitting defeat.
"Like yeah, what kind of names are those!" Soos hollered, taking a chug of his soda.
"And what kind of name is Soos?" the posh one said with a wrinkle of his nose, crossing his arms over his chest.
The other guy put a hand on his friend's shoulder. With a lisp, he said, "Oh don't worry E.D., they just won't admit that Fall Out Boy can't write songs for their life."
"NOW, YOU COME HERE YOU LITTLE GRAY GAY TROLL PIECE OF SH-!"
His hand twitched by his side, nearly shooting out in front of him like it had his own mind. But then he forced it down, breathing heavily. Underneath him, the sand had begun to smoke. Blue smoke.
Oh no.
"Pine Tree," he spoke, trying to keep his tone level. He turned his head over to Dipper, who looked at him with a small smile.
"Hmm?"
"I uh-" He balled up his fists, keeping them in the sand to hold them back a little longer. "-I gotta use the washroom. I'll- I'll be-" back, was what he almost said. Instead he said, "I'll try to meet you back here if I can." Because as much as he lied and stayed a con man, for the life of him, he couldn't bare to lie to his own lover.
"Oh," Dipper said, no sneaking suspicion in his voice. Just complete trust in Bill and that made it ten times as hard for Bill to walk away. "I'll see you in a bit then. Try not being eaten alive by seagulls on the way." Dipper chuckled at his own words.
Trying to make it seem as if nothing was wrong, Bill laughed as well, but even to him it sounded a little forced. He stood up once more, but not before planting a long, dwindling kiss on Dipper's cheek. He forced himself to move his feet, to walk away from Dipper, who simply smiled at his show of affection and waved him goodbye. The brunet didn't know that wave of goodbye was the last goodbye he'd ever have to give.
Swallowing up his pride and sheer terror, Bill lifted his chin, and marched off.
He didn't know where he was going. He honestly didn't. He just needed to get away from Dipper and from the noise and from everyone who could see him like this. And thanks to his screaming and buzzing mind, he ended up circling a bare spot in the beach, a spot where no one came to for superstitions of the residents.
He paced the sand, accidentally kicking some up as he sharply turned, walked, and repeated. His hands were twitching like crazy, the sand underneath him turning a smoky blue. His ankles were even starting to become translucent, but a few deep breaths let the color come back.
He wanted to leave. He knew that trying to stay for any longer, like he had done for the past five months, would just make everything that much harder for him to leave. He had to go, right now, or he would be a slave to this town forever.
But for some God-awful reason, why wasn't he disappearing?
He let out a breathy growl of frustration, kicking up sand on purpose and pivoting around to face the ocean. It was calm today, the sun just barely touching the surface of the water. It cast a beautiful glow on the whole ocean, the reflection of the giant orb making it look that much bigger. And with the massive size and the beautiful setting, Bill was once again reminded of how small he was in this form, and how massive he could have gotten if he simply didn't fall in love with a human.
Bill took a deep breath, then let it out through his mouth, slowly. He walked over to the water, his toes just barely touching the rising tide of the water and sand. He looked down and just, well, stared.
Some people didn't know the beauty when they saw it, and Bill was glad he was the lucky few to see beauty for what it really was.
He found a rock, a grey flat one that had no significance, whatsoever. But he still bent over, picking it up and rolling it in between his fingers lazily.
Then without warning, he threw it from his side, letting the rock skip once, twice, then three times over the water.
He watched it plunge into the ocean, staring at the rippling spot for a good moment before looking back down at his feet, where a hundred more rocks like the one who threw stayed. He picked up a whole bunch in a fist, his fist for once holding still to allow him this one last moment by himself. He picked out the heavier rocks and the ones that were simply not good enough for rock skipping.
He was left with five in the end. Taking a deep breath, he threw the first one.
Did the world hate him this much to make him leave so suddenly, when he had promised that he would stay for at least more than a couple lifetimes?
Three skips. Not good enough. He threw the other, harder, faster, angrier.
Perhaps he was the problem. No demon could be beat by himself so suddenly, except for the weakest. He was the complete and disappointing problem and he hated it.
Four skips. Better, but he needed more. He rolled up the other one.
He was disappearing, and he didn't even tell Dipper. He couldn't.
Five, six skips.
He was such a coward that he couldn't even think of hearing Dipper cry over him, or see him look so heartbroken over a promise he wouldn't keep for much longer.
Six skips. He let out an inhumane snarl, eyes turning red in demonic anger.
A beach, the perfect place to tell someone you loved that you had to leave forever and there was no turning back. Nah, who was he kidding? Smiling kids, the laughter from everyone around them, teenagers blasting out their favorite music, kicking down sandcastles and rebuilding them, playing with strangers and not even questioning it because the beach was a place for happiness. A place for memories, and now he was going to be just that- a memory.
Eight. Not. Enough.
He should have told Dipper that he loved him more than all the beaches in the world. He should have told Dipper that he would have replaced all the oceans in the world with things Dipper liked just so the boy could smile. But now he would never, ever see that smile again and it was all his fault.
When he ran out of rocks to throw in his hand, he let out a scream of frustration, kneeling down and picking up a hand-sized rock, reeling back and throwing it so far that it left his line of vision, still sailing down the ocean.
He breathed heavily, feeling his anger flare up so badly that the water curling at his feet was bubbling with his anger. And the water let him hide his disappearing ankles, his feet just gone and left with nothing. He almost barked out an ironic laugh. Be careful what you wish for, was what he always said to people he made deals to. And now he was the subject to that.
For the hell of it, and because he just could with no consequences anymore, he picked up the nearest boulder with his telekinesis, one that was bigger than his body, and moved it in front of him, letting it float over the water and block his view of the sparkling water.
Then he hesitated, wondering if he could reverse the effects for just one more day. Just one more day with Dipper, that's all he wanted, all he asked, and maybe...
Shaking his head, his temples feeling like they were being squeezed together, Bill threw the rock away as far as he could, breathing laboring and his sides feeling like they were set on fire. Sure, he liked the pain, loved it sometimes even, but it wasn't funny anymore.
A pair of arms wrapped themselves around his waist, squeezing him close to a warm body. And Bill's worries washed away.
Dipper laughed softly behind him, his melodic laugh echoing in Bill's ears. The demon shivered, vulnerable to Dipper's touch.
And as if the brunet knew this, he kissed the demon's cheek, then nuzzled his nose in the demon's shoulder and neck comfortably, breathing him in almost greedily. Bill closed his eyes, loving the way how Dipper felt against him, and wished he'd remember the feeling forever. It was the only feeling he'd ever need and want for the rest of his life.
"You were gone in the bathroom for a very long time," Dipper muttered against his back.
"I got lost," Bill lied through his teeth.
"For a demon with all-knowing powers, you're extremely dorky," Dipper laughed.
"But I know how to pleasure you, so that's all that matters," Bill purred. He put his hands over Dipper's on his chest, squeezing Dipper's clasped hands in a way of reassurance, despite his flirty words.
Again, Dipper didn't make a snappy comeback. Instead, the human hummed in content, swaying them from side to side like how a mother would rock a baby to calm them down. And like the baby, Bill could feel himself slowly and steadily become more and more relaxed.
"The water looks like mercury like this," Dipper murmured quietly in his ear.
"Mm," Bill hummed, letting Dipper sway him more. "If you want, I could change all the water in the world to mercury if it makes you smile." And it wasn't even a lie.
Dipper laughed a breathy laugh in his ear, making the demon shudder more. He hoped Dipper didn't notice the effect the boy had on him, and kept a straight face.
"Why would we need mercury for?" Dipper snorted.
"Easy," Bill grinned. He craned his neck, planting a big kiss on Dipper's forehead warmly. "So it could be easier to find Uranus!"
Dipper snickered, pulling away from Bill's warm bare back to push him into the water. Sadly, Bill didn't fall in, causing the demon to grin in victory and turn around to face the traitor. He hugged Dipper by the waist (he let out a yelp of surprise), and picked him up, dragging them farther into the ocean.
Together, they got splattered with a high tide, Bill's arms still protectively around Dipper to keep him in place as the water splashed their whole bodies. They laughed, sputtering out water and stayed kneeling in the ocean. It was freezing, but Bill felt warm pressed against Dipper's body.
Then again, they dragged each other out of the water like barely alive survivors, dragging their bodies to the surface sputtering but laughing.
Dipper turned on his back, arms spread out and hair out of his face messily. He kept laughing, his chest heaving up and down in exhaustion. Bill copied him, but had his head tilted to his Pine Tree, watching silently as Dipper smiled and laughed.
He didn't even feel Dipper reach out for him, entwining their hands together. Bill's cold body suddenly felt warm, inside and out.
Dipper turned his head to him, a smile on his lips. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me, you know that, right?" he said. His tone was genuine. Sweet, and loving even.
Bill could feel his own throat closing up, his heart skipping too many beats to be heavily. Heart pummeling to his stomach, he sat up, supporting himself with his arms braced behind him. He forced himself not to look at Dipper.
He ran his hands through his hair, hearing Dipper get up from the sand himself to sit up next to Bill. He crossed his legs, turning his body to face him. His smile was gone, replaced by a small down tug of the lips. His eyes were heavy with concern.
Letting out a disgruntled sigh through the mouth, Bill got up, not wanting to be this close to Dipper than he already did. Part of him was extremely glad that Dipper had come to find him, and the other was frustrated. He came here to get away from him, of all people, but Dipper was too stubborn for things like that.
And his stubbornness showed more as Dipper stood up, brows pulled together in concern. With the way Bill was acting, there was no doubt that he was hiding something and Dipper was determined to find out what it was.
Before Bill could walk away without a word to his lover, Dipper stepped to his view, taking his face in his hands and pulling them a little closer. He looked into Bill's face, his mouth slightly opened as he inspected Bill's face. There was no doubt that Bill was showing extreme fear and depression in his eyes and look.
Dipper ran his thumb over Bill's slight frown, a small frown of his own tugging at his lips.
"What's wrong?" Dipper whispered. The pure and downright worry and love in his Dipper's voice broke him, freezing him in the spot completely.
It took him a full minute to gather himself, to be able to breathe fine again.
And when he did, he wrapped his arms around Dipper's waist, pulling him close and crashing his lips against Dipper's. It was a lingering kiss, a kiss of goodbye that one of them was not aware of. And it broke him so much knowing that Dipper would regret every single kiss, every single moment with him, after he told Dipper was was going to happen once the sun disappeared.
Dipper pulled him away, not laughing, but frowning. Dipper Pines wasn't stupid, and he knew when someone was holding something back. For once, Bill hated that attribute to him.
"Dipper," Bill said, a begging tone coming with his voice. "I'm begging you right now, kid, to- to just punch me in the face and just call me a goddamn liar right now before I go insane. I- I can't keep living like this, Dipper. More than anything, I want to be able to go to this beach again with you, but I can't, I can't, I can't."
Dipper's frown deepened. "Bill, just spit it out," he said in a soft voice. He looked like he wanted to reach out for the demon, but thought better of it. If Dipper touched him, Bill didn't know what he'd do first- burst out crying, screaming, or burst into flames. Maybe all three at the same time.
"Dipper," Bill strained. His voice was becoming hysterical and hoarse. "It's happening."
And like something snapped, Dipper's face blanked.
And then it pulled back in confusion. He didn't know. He thought Bill was just...
"You told me not worry," Dipper said. His brow furrowed. "You...you told me that this would happen one day, but you told me to stop being so worried, like I usually am. And I still believe you. Bill, didn't you say that you'd be with me for a couple lifetimes and more?"
Bill stayed quiet. How could he speak, when the boy he loved still thought they had days, weeks, years?
"How long?" he said, his voice just barely above a whisper. His eyes were trained on Bill, staying on him and assessing him like he was looking for some sign. A sign that would betray him. So Bill forced his face to stay passive. It was hard, especially when he felt like breaking down in Dipper's arms.
"How long do you have? One millennia?"
Bill didn't respond.
"One...one thousand years?"
When Bill didn't respond to that, Dipper blinked, swallowing visibly. Bill's heart sank to his stomach seeing his lover look so distressed.
"One hundred?" No answer.
"Fifty years? Ten?" Dipper called out desperately. Bill laughed, in his head. Humans. Always so hopeful that the worst would never come, when it always was the first option.
"Bill," Dipper begged. His voice shook, keeping a shakiness that Bill hadn't heard ever since...God. When was the last time he heard Dipper sound so...so vulnerable?
"Bill, how long? How long?" He sounded hysterical, distraught, delirious. Like the very thought of Bill leaving him was the one thing that would officially break him and it took everything Bill had not to burst out crying like the weak monster he was.
"Bill," Dipper choked out. "Answer me. Please."
And once more, Bill did not answer. Or better yet, he could not. His own throat felt closed up, choking him in a wallow of guilt and sadness. "D- didn't you tell me we were gonna be together forever? Y- you promised me," Dipper whispered. "Forever and always, remember? Bill, please. How long?"
"My love, there is no such thing as forever." His words sounded stiff, strong, like it didn't break him inside saying it.
To his words, Dipper's face just...fell. It fell, along with Bill's heart. On impulse, Bill took his hand, pressing Dipper's knuckles to his lips to place a chaste kiss, lips brushing against skin delicately. "The thing I love about you humans is that you think forever exists, when your average lifetime is less than a hundred years. That's less than a generation, Dipper," Bill continued, eyes narrowed to the ground. He wouldn't meet Dipper's eyes, couldn't. Seeing his lover's face alone would be the last tap that would shatter his whole being. He closed his eyes.
"I simply told you that I would make our love seem like forever, not literally," Bill murmured.
Then he looked up at Dipper, whose eyes glowed beautifully, like the stars in the sky. And his own very words felt numb to his ears.
"It's today, Dipper."
And Dipper just...well, snapped.
He shook his head, pulling away from Bill and giving him the most grief-stricken look Bill had ever seen on a face. He looked so lost, like he no longer had a purpose, like he was stranded in the middle of a sea with no one to depend on. There were no tears, just a look of sorrow and disbelief.
"And you didn't tell me?" Dipper said, voice low and filled with horror. "You didn't tell me and just- just thought you'd disappear without saying goodbye?" The trace of betrayal was evident in both his words and his face.
"Dipper, I couldn't watch you just-" Bill begged.
"You should have told me!" Dipper shouted, eyes rabid with craziness. He stayed stuck in place, arms limp by his side. "I- I could have helped you. We could have figured this out together, we could have-!"
"There is no cure, Dipper," Bill snapped. "Aren't you even listening to me? I should have disappeared years ago, when your Grunkle vanished me into nothing but a statue. But your greed and mine got the best of us and now I have to go. I can't stop this, and you can't too. Just let me do this one thing for you and I'll leave you alone!" His voice was slowly rising into a shout.
"I don't want to be left alone!" Dipper shouted back. Tears prickled at the corners of his eyes. "I don't, Bill, I don't! I loved you, more than any- anything you could have offered me. I just want to be with you. And only you." His voice shook along with his body. His next words made Bill swallow the abnormally large lump in his throat.
"Let me go with you."
"Dipper-" Bill murmured.
"Please," Dipper begged. He stepped forward. "Let- let me disappear with you. I don't know what the hell would happen, I don't even know what would happen to me, but I want to be with you." His eyes lowered. "Forever and always, like you promised me," he whispered.
"Dipper, please don't do this to yourself," Bill pleaded, stepping forward to envelop Dipper in a warm embrace. He could feel his lover shake against him, his wet cold body shivering and shuddering. From the cold or the news, he couldn't tell which.
He stepped away, just a little bit, just so he could see Dipper's face and tilt it up to his face. There were warm tears trailing down Dipper's face, looking like a mess for the life of him. "You have a family. You have your life. I can't let you just-"
"I can and I will." Bill was startled by the firmness and promise in the human's voice, despite Dipper looking like he just sat through five sob stories in one go.
"Dipper-"
"Don't," Dipper clipped. He put his hands on Bill's chest, then to his shoulders. He pulled Bill close, surprising the demon with a kiss. As a distraction, as a one-timer thing, again Bill could not tell.
And when he pulled away, there was a trace of fire in Dipper's eyes, a complete burning hellfire that Bill knew he couldn't escape.
"Let me disappear with you," Dipper begged. "Then we can go to every beach you could dream of."
Bill's arms tightened around his lover. Next to them, their shadows were beginning to lower. He was running out of time. They were running out of time.
"Mabel. Your Grunkles. Your pa-" Bill whispered.
"They don't matter," Dipper told him quietly. His eyes stayed on Bill's face, not once leaving his face, despite the sun dragging itself down like a time bomb. "They'll understand. I can live with them with any other single lifetime but only once can I be with you, Bill. Please, just let me do this."
"You're a selfless man, Dipper Pines. Your family will spend years looking for you, heartbroken and-" Bill protested.
Dipper cut him off with a chaste kiss to the lips. The sun was three fourths setting.
Bill didn't even realize that Dipper had dropped his phone to the ground. "There's a note on my phone explaining everything that's going to happen and why I'm gone," Dipper explained, eyes still set on Bill's face. The trace of unconditional love in the human's eyes made the demon's heart feel real. "I wrote it when you told me about this two years ago."
Bill let out a small laugh. "You planned this," Bill stated. "You planned this all along, didn't you?"
Dipper bit down on his lower lip, giving Bill a half shrug with his hands still on Bill's shoulders. "I never thought it would be this soon, but..." he trailed off.
The demon dipped his head, planting a long kiss on Dipper's lips. The human kissed back with the same fiery passion, their hearts driving them to stay like this, to stay in love and stay with each other.
"Every single beach," Bill breathed against his ear. He swayed them from side to side comfortingly as the sun began to fully set. "Every single beach, I promise you. We'll go to every single one. And everyday will be a day at the beach."
"A day at the beach," Dipper echoed, smiling softly at him. He pressed his forehead against Bill's, as the demon's eyes closed in content. "I'd like that," he admitted quietly.
As the sun fully set, their bodies disappeared into nothing. But their hearts became everything.