Cast Away

Chapter 7

(Dipper pov)

I try to turn over in my sleep, trying to move closer to the warmth, it feeling like something has me trapped up against the warmth. I don't really think of it as anything important until whatever my head is resting against starts to move slightly. I slowly open my eyes and my face goes bright red realizing that I am laying next to Bill while he's asleep. What's worse is that he is shirtless and my head is resting on his chest, one of his hands gently on the back of my head while his other arm somehow snaked itself around my shoulders during the night and is what is keeping me in this position.

Okay, do not freak out. Or more importantly just stop fucking freaking out. I just need to slowly move away from him and back to my side of the bed without waking him up or disturbing him. I slowly grab his arms moving them off of me before I slowly move myself to scoot back onto my side of his bed.

Out of nowhere his arms grab on to me tightly and pull me back against his chest, a very not manly shriek escapes me from the utter surprise of it. I look up at him seeing him smirking but his eyes are still closed.

"You can quit pretending, Bill. I know that you're awake."

"No I'm not. I am deeply fast asleep."

"You wouldn't be talking otherwise. Now let me go."

"No. I am tired and you are too comfortable for me to even think of letting go."

"This is embaressing on so many levels."

"You're the one who started this last night."

"What do you mean?"

"You kept insisting on being close to me last night no matter how many times I tried setting you back on your side."

"That isn't my fault, I can't control what my body does when I'm asleep."

"Too bad."

I groan as I am stuck in this situation. He keeps me against his chest like that for a few minutes before he lets go of me and stands up pulling fresh clothes on. I sit up as I rub the last of the sleep out of my eyes.

"How long have I been sleeping in here?"

"Nearly a week I think, you have been sleeping on and off. You seemed pretty out of it for the most part, looked touch and go for a while. How are you feeling now?"

"I'm feeling a lot better actually."

"Do you feel well enough to be up and walking around?"

"I think so. Maybe for a little bit anyway."

"Then change back into these unless you would rather walk around in my shirt and your boxers. I honestly think it is a very sexy look for you."

I feel my face flush bright red as I get out of the bed and hastily take the clothes he was holding out for me, it taking me a minute to realize they were the clothes I was wearing when I first fell into the water. I change into the clothes and pull on the boots that he hands me.

He opens the bedroom door and does an exaggerated bow. "After you, my darling Pinetree." I just roll my eyes in annoyance as I walk into the halls.

He pulls on his coat and hat as he leads me up to the main deck and leans back on the railing as he looks at me with what I think is amusement.

"You said before that you lived with your great uncles after your parents died, correct?"

"Yes."

"They still part of the Naval Guard?"

"Ford is, Stan retired like 30 years ago."

"Must be a lot of hype with having both of them either in or having had high positions in the Naval Guard."

"I guess you could say that."

"Lots of pressure I imagine."

"Do you have a point here?"

"Why did you never become part of the Naval Guard?"

"I'm not old enough. Mabel is waiting to join until we're old enough."

"But what about you?"

"I have no interest in doing anything of the sort."

"Why not?" I just give a small shrug of my shoulders, it being difficult to explain to anyone why I never wanted to follow in my families footsteps. He nods me over so I rest my arms on the railing.

I glance down at the waves that are gently rocking the boat, my whole body suddenly feeling clammy and cold. It feels like everything in my chest tightens up making it hard for the air to get in and out of my lungs. My hands clench the railing tightly. It feels like I am thrust back into the dark cold churning waves of that storm. It feels like I can feel the water flooding into my throat making it so I can't breathe at all. I numbly feel Bill grab my shoulders pulling me away from the railing.

"Pinetree!" Bill grabs my face in both of his hands making me look at him and it's only now that I realize that tears are spreading rapidly down my cheeks. "It's okay, just take a few deep breathes in and out. You're okay." I do as he says and I slowly start calming down. "You feel better?"

"A little bit...."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay.....Why didn't you specifically want to join the Naval Guard?"

"I just didn't understand why anyone would want to in the first place. I understand that the work is important but I just would rather stay on land with my stories than risk my life at sea."

"Head back to my room. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"But-"

"That's an order, Pinetree."

"You aren't even my captain." I pull away from him and head back down below deck.

I am just about to head into Bill's room when I hear what sounds like cursing a few doors down. Curious who was cussing that much I walk down the hall to the room, it looking like the engine room.

"Hello?"

To my surprise I see a woman with pink hair look up from one of the engines and glance towards me.

"You know what a wrench is?"

"Yes-"

"Good. Get your ass over here and hand me the wrench over there." I grab the nearby wrench and hand it to her. I watch as she does some tinkering inside the engine before she closes the engine compartment and wipes the grease and oil from her hands onto her pants. "That should be at least a little bit better."

"What were you doing?"

"The engine was making a weird sound so I was trying to fix it, problem was harder than I originally thought."

"I wasn't aware that any girls were even on this ship."

"Yeah well I'm probably the one and only. I'm Pyronica." She holds her hand out and I grasp it shaking it.

"Dipper."

"What are you doing down here?"

"Bill had me going to his room but I heard you cussing and wanted to see what was going on in here."

"Well you should probably head to Bill's room before he throws a bitch fit when he realizes that you aren't there."

"Yeah....I'll see you around."

I walk out of there to Bill's room and flop myself onto his bed as I just wait for him to come back.