Misguided Adventures and Magical Attachments (Completed)

Chapter 24

Bill opened his eyes to the real world and found that he was cuddled with Dipper, pulled flush against him. His whole body was warm and his cheeks burned brightly. His arms were wrapped around the boy who was slowly beginning to wake up.

I feel so . . . oh. Dipper woke with a blush, seeing Bill pressed right up to him. The embrace was sweetly encompassing. He loved it. Good morning, the brunet smiled, not moving to enjoy the moment.

Bill didn't move either. Good morning, he smiled back. An interesting yet wonderful way to start the day. Bill paused for a moment, staying snuggled there. The body heat between them felt nice, something new the dream demon was experiencing. He decided he liked cuddling. That also rhymes.

Yup, the boy gave a low chuckle, comfortably allowing the blond to caress him. It was undoubtedly one of the best feelings in the world.

"Dipper?" a female voice suddenly asked, all too familiar and probing.

He had to try to pull away from the blond, turning his head. Mabel's eyes shone with a mixture of horrible emotions. He ignored the sinking feeling he had, waiting to see what Bill would do.

The former triangle froze, staring at Mabel. What was he supposed to do? He didn't want move, but it looked like he might have to. His body was tense but his cheeks reddened at the embarrassment of getting caught. He knew what that emotion was called, alright. Bill was able to quickly gain composure and slowly sat up. "Good morning, Shooting Star," he said, totally chill.

"'Morning, triangle guy . . ." she responded out of habit, eyes darting between them. "Why are you sharing a bed with my bro?"

Bill shrugged. "Eh. He kept me warm." He yawned casually, acting as if nothing had ever happened.

"Sure. And what did you do to him? He never wears long sleeves in the summer," she pointed out, adding, "or anything besides his stinky little boy clothes."

"What? Mabel, that's not true!" Dipper protested, lacking his usual amusement.

"Why are you always blaming me? Look, I didn't do anything. That was Dipper's choice and responsibility." Bill rolled his eyes.

Mabel made a face. "Okay, well, something's just been different lately. And I'd like to get along again but its ultra hard, 'specially when you don't really trust me anymore." Her words seemed to be directed at Dipper.

"Sorry, but until you can accept that Bill's on our side, I won't be able to do that. You don't understand . . . he's so much better than before," the boy explained, hand drifting over to grasp the blond's.

The brunette looked at him in partial disgust and joy. It was a weird mix. "Bill? Do you have a thing for Dipper?"

He hummed. "I don't know how human emotions work, but sure, you could say that," Bill smiled and held Dipper's hand. "Pine Tree was my obsession as a demon anyway. You know, I'm always watching him and stuff!" Bill gave an actual wink, having taken his eyepatch off the night before.

Dipper couldn't help but blush, heart beating faster despite the imminent mortification coming his way. He trailed his thumb fondly over Bill's knuckles then stopped, eyes on his sister as she put the pieces together.

"You're just . . . he's so much older than you and you said you were . . . and . . ." the girl protested openly, though near speechless. Mabel stood still for a few seconds, finally bursting out with frustration. "Argh! This would be so adorable if it wasn't so wrong!"

"Age is so trivial, Shooting Star. I'm immortal. If he wanted to, he could have created my body to be the same exact age as him. Instead he went with the projection I preferred. I think in this form I'm supposed to be seventeen or eighteen." Bill gave Mabel a grin. "And if you haven't noticed, Wendy is sixteen. Why should one year between us make a difference on who's worthy of affection? We're not too far apart by your human terms of physical maturity," he added.