To the Nights in the Hold of Stone (BillDip)

Get to Know One Another, One Way or Another(13)

Bill POV

Ana met my eye over Dipper's curly hair, judgment and a question in her gaze. I hushed her with a flip of my hand. She only shrugged at me before disappearing leaving the two of us alone in the throne room.

Dipper lifted his head from my shoulder, in slow motions he removed himself from my space. "See you did it. Good job." I smiled, placing my newly freed hands on my hips confidently.

Dipper blinked rapidly, a sheen to his eyes I've not seen before, his brows pulled together confused. "What?"

"I said good job."

"At what? What was that?! You said 'trust you' and then didn't even do anything." He sneered, throwing his hands up in the air.

It pulled a laugh from my lungs, seeing him still all worked up after everything, couldn't he see he won. "For finally standing up for yourself!" The words carried laughter in them, only further influenced by the continued confusion in his features. I couldn't help it, I reached for his face, squeezing his jaw in both hands. "Don't you see! You finally told them off! Didn't it feel good? Having confidence in yourself again." I shook his head back and forth in my own excitement.

His hands met my wrist, prying his face out of my hold, "Are you kidding?" Anger flitting in and out of his voice.

"Normally yes. Now no."

The edge in his eyes softened in exhaustion, "Yeah, it did feel nice to get that off my chest." His hands still on mine, fingers fidgeting with the cuffs of my coat.

"See, that's why."

Dipper scoffed, something running through his mind, something I could easily grab on too if I wanted, but I wanted to hear him put it to words. He didn't. "Yeah well, whatever. I need some space." Finally letting go he took another step back, drawing himself to his full height. Thin frame straightened as he pressed his arms behind his back, lifting his chin indignantly, "Show me the proper way to at least get between the room and mine, I don't like feeling like a damn maze rat." 

Heat fluttered under my skin, this new side to Dipper introducing a whole new gambit of games, "Right this way," Humming I slipped past him to a different door, one that led directly to the room he was staying in, it was a long flight of stairs up but still. I floated up them with no issue. Dipper, while close on my heel, cursed under his breath loud enough to make his opinions known.

The glow of the hall outlined the door of his bedroom. I expected a thank you at least, definitely not the hard brush of the shoulder or the swift slam of the door.

Pushing it open anyways I took him up by the arm, he'd only made it a few steps into the room before I'd followed suit. "Cute as you were standing up to them was, Pinetree. I'm going to need more than that from your side of the deal. I intend to collect. You may have not been there when he did it but you have read Sixers journals. You know. I know you know how to bring down that field." He didn't pull away, gaze searching my face for something, from my eyes to my lips.

His own features held nothing but caution, to the turn of his brow and the hardness of those brown questioning eyes, in the part of pink dusted lips. "What happens to our deal if I don't?" Dipper's eyes ducked away, turning to search the room instead.

"You do." It was so matter of fact, nothing would happen to the deal because he does know. I'm sure of it.

He on the other hand did not seem to think so, and my insistence only seemed to aggravate him more. "How?" Pulling free from my grip he took a step back, his arms folded in on himself. Messing with the sleeves making the end of the tattoo I'd given him for shits and giggles came into view. Dipper noticed me looking at it, "Why would you put this here? You never did this to Mabel or Stan."