I'll protect you

Chapter four

Mabel and Dipper met Mabel's friends at the diner the next morning.

"Mabel I'm not sure about this." Dipper says again. Mabel rolls her eyes with a smile.

"I'm always right about everything! Trust me Dipper, today will be amazing." She says supportively. Dipper nods silently but still doesn't believe his sister.

Eventually the three other girls show up. Dipper felt a bit uncomfortable being the only boy there but he tried his best to ignore that feeling.

They all sat down and had some small conversations after they ordered their breakfast. Mabel and Dipper found that they rarely have to pay for things here because of when they saved the town. Mabel thought it was fun and great but Dipper found it weird and annoying.

"So dipper are you single?" Pacifica asks him desperately.

"Uh yeah?"

"How?" She asks with heart eyes. Mabel mentally gagged.

"Why does it matter?" Grenda says in a loud voice.

"Just curious." Pacifica twirls her hand around her finger.

"Well anyway. We should go to the movies. I heard 'Little Loves' is playing today!" Mabel says with a smile.

Everyone agrees and after they all finished eating they left the diner and walked to the movies, which wasn't that far of a walk.

"So Dipper, why don't you have a girlfriend?" Pacifica asks him once they all got to the theater.

"I don't want a relationship right now." He lies.

"What about with me?" She suggested. Once she saw Dipper stiffen she adds, "hypothetically."

"I don't want a relationship." He repeats and the group of people walk into the room with the big screen.

They all found some seats next to one another. Grenda on the end, Candy next to her, Mabel sat in the middle, on her other side was Dipper and then Pacifica.

The movie starts and around twenty minutes in Pacifica tried to hold Dippers hand. He pulls away quickly.

"What the hell dude?" He hissed. Pacifica rolls her eyes.

"Don't pretend you don't like me." She says with a smirk. Dipper shakes his head.

"Pacifica I don't like you. So stop." Dipper stands up and leaves the theater. Mabel tried to follow after him but her friends didn't let her.

He walked quickly back to the Mystery Shack. Stans car wasn't there so he only assumed that him and Ford were out doing something.

He walked into the empty house and ran up to his room.

He wasn't sure what to do now. He was bored and didn't want to just sit in the house because he knew that if he did that he would start thinking to much.

He decided to go out into the forest where he usually went. He didn't think Bill would show up and frankly he didn't care either way right now.

He sat himself down near the river and looked into the water. It didn't help anything, he still continued to overthink.

He sat there for about ten minutes before he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"You like it here, don't you?" The man said and walked over and sat down next to the smaller boy.

"Hi to you to." Dipper says sarcastically but doesn't lift his gaze from the water.

"You seem upset." Bill points out.

"I always am when I come out here, aren't I?" Dipper realizes. Bill smiles.

"Well why are you upset?" He asks.

"A girl tried to hold my hand after I told her I didn't like her." Dipper cringed as he said the words out loud, "I guess it just made me uncomfortable or whatever."

Bills face grew dangerous the more Dipper kept talking. Dipper didn't notice, he still hadn't raised his gaze from the water.

"Who was it?" Bill asks through a clenched jaw. Dipper finally looked at him. He grew scared of Bills expression and looked back down to the grass in front of him quickly.

"It doesn't matter, it's not like I'm hurt or anything." Dipper shrugs, trying to brush it off.

"She made you uncomfortable!" Bill protested, "someone needs to teach her a lesson." He said harshly. Dipper looks at him once more.

"The deal was that you can't hurt anyone in Gravity Falls." Dipper reminds him. Bill smiled to that.

"Well you haven't exactly kept your side of the deal up, have you?" Bill says sarcastically.

"You haven't really asked me about it." Dipper points out.

"I asked you who the girl was."

"That's not about me though."

"Same thing." Bill shrugs while looking at Dipper.

"Bill please don't hurt anyone." Dipper pleaded, "people will start to figure out you're back."

"Aw does pinetree not want me to leave~?" He teased. Dipper looked away from him with a red face.

"Well I mean, aren't we friends now or whatever?" He defends himself.

Bill laughs lightly, "I'm only kidding. I won't kill anyone. I don't want to kill people anymore."

"Then why did you before?" The younger boy asks.

"It's complex." Bill says shortly, "once I made a deal with sixer, I realized there was no going back no matter how much I wanted to. Although I was more powerful then them, my 'friends' would have tried to kill me if I didn't open a portal to here. I guess I could have gone around the whole situation somehow but I wasn't really thinking and I hope you know I'm really sorry for everything." Bill says, unable to stop himself.

"I do forgive you. I did a long time ago. I understand, but that doesn't mean everyone else will." Dipper looked back at Bill, "I don't want anything to happen to you. Please be careful." Bill smiled and ruffled with Dippers hair a little.

"Don't worry pinetree, I will."

***

Word Count: 964
Date Published: 12/9/22