Little Dipper

Liam

Bill groaned softly as he opened his eye, taking in his surroundings as he slowly returned to the waking world. What had last happened? He was fighting Pyronica...she attacked his back...and it burned. And there was a portal opening, sucking his old friends inside...but where was he now? Everything was...monochrome. He sat up and looked at himself. He was in his real form, and...his old room? No...not his room. He knew this room. It had been emptied out the last time he saw it, but it looked...like it did before that point. Before...

"Hello, Billy."

He gasped and looked towards the bed, where a misshapen triangle boy was sitting with books. "L-Liam...?"

Liam smiled sadly and beckoned him closer. "It's been a long time. Sit with me, tell me how you've been."

"A-Am I dead?" Bill asked, looking around.

"Not yet." Liam shook his head. "But...you are dying."

"Pine Tree..." Bill breathed. "No, Pine Tree would be devastated...I can't die!"

"Pine Tree?" Liam asked, closing the book he had open.

"He's a human boy that I've grown really fond of." Bill explained.

"What is a human?" Liam asked.

"It's...a beautiful creature, so full of color and life and changes and even though they live such a short time they devote that time to others." Bill walked over to the bed and climbed on. "Oh, I have so much to tell you. I've really missed you." He wrapped his arms around him.

"Color...so, you saw The Colors?" Liam's eye squinted into a smile. "What were they like?"

"Oh, Liam...I don't know to describe them. They're just so...vibrant." Bill scrambled for words. "They're..."

"Can you show me?" Liam asked.

Bill blinked in surprise. "How?"

"Just make this place colorful." Liam shrugged. "All you have to do is think about it."

Bill looked thoughtful. "I...can do that, huh? Okay. Close your eye."

Liam closed his eye obediently. Bill squinted his eye in an excited smile and then clapped his hands three times before spreading his arms, filling the room with color. And, oh, so much color. He was yellow again, and Liam...Liam was a beautiful blue color. His books were all sorts of different colors and his sheets were a pale blue and his walls were brown and Bill took it all in before tapping Liam twice. "You can look now."

Liam opened his eye and looked around. "These...are colors?" He looked at himself. "What am I?"

"You're aquamarine." Bill said simply.

"And...what are you?" Liam looked at him.

"I'm yellow." Bill spread his arms out. "Isn't it all so beautiful?"

Liam closed his eye and then opened it again. "It is...it's so beautiful. But, Billy...how did you do it?"

Bill sighed, glancing away. "...I did a lot of stuff...stuff you wouldn't be proud of. I started a revolution that crashed and burned...I left this world, went to space prison, made some friends....got some powers...came back and wiped out our world..." His voice faltered as his eyes grew more downcast.

"Oh, Billy..." Liam got up and pulled him close. "Why would you do that?"

"Because they took you away from me. And...I paid the price for my crimes. I was trapped in our decaying dimension for a trillion years, only able to astral project to reach anyone, and then...then I was stuck in a CLOSET for thirty years, couldn't see anything but wooden planks. And then...then I met Pine Tree. And...he's just...so much like you were. He's a smart kid, but he's got some growing to do, and he's just...so curious. And I...I love him. I love him so much, and I betrayed my old friends for him and the human town I've grown to love and, well, I ended up in a final confrontation with who used to be my best friend and...died." Bill looked at him. "Or...started to die, at least. Oh, man...Pine Tree..."

"Do you want to go back?" Liam asked. "We can be together another time."

"Uh, Liam, I'm dying." Bill reminded him.

"Oh yeah." Liam nodded. "Can't really go back from dying."

A pink creature appeared in the air behind Bill and Bill jolted in place before looking at it. "Ah! Y-You're Axolotl!"

'I am.' The creature said telepathically, though both of them could hear it. 'I offered you a second chance before, if you just invoked my name. I can keep you alive now.'

"What is that?" Liam asked.

"He's some kind of God." Bill said, looking at the creature.

"And he can bring you back to life?" Liam asked.

"...Yeah." Bill nodded.

"Then, go. Your little human is waiting for you." Liam smiled. "I'm already dead, I'll see you next time you come here." He hugged him tightly.

"Are you...sure?" Bill asked.

"I'm positive." Liam said firmly.

"Only fools are positive." Bill did finger-guns at him.

"...What?" Liam blinked.

"Human joke. Sorry. I'll explain it next time. I'll have so much to tell you then." Bill released him and stepped off the bed. "See...see you later, bro."

"Enough stalling, silly Billy." Liam chuckled.

"Love ya, nerd." Bill smiled and then turned to Axolotl. "Okay...I'm ready."

The creature nodded and then there was a flash of light. The next thing Bill knew, he was feeling the sun on his face and hearing worried voices.

"I think he's coming to." He heard Tad say from close by him.

"Bill? Bill, are you okay? You're okay, right?!" He heard Dipper cry.

He slowly opened his eyes and smiled softly. "Yeah...I'm great." He slowly sat up and pulled Dipper close. "Don't worry, Pine Tree. I'm not gonna leave you alone."

Dipper clung to him. "Thank goodness...I was really worried...I didn't...I don't wanna lose you, Bill."

"You won't." Bill gently stroked his hat and then moved it off to press a kiss to his forehead.

"Ugh, mushy." He heard Kryptos grumble from another side of the room.

"Kryptos?" Bill looked over at him.

"When everyone else got sucked away, I trapped Kryptos in here so he wouldn't go with them. My cousin's been running loose and without supervision long enough." Tad explained. "Time Baby helped, of course."

"And...me? Why didn't I go through?" Bill asked.

"Because it only sucked up the evil ones. Plus, you're bonded to Dipper." Gideon said, walking over to him. "You've been out for a few days. We really thought we were gonna lose you."

"You're okay, right?" Mabel asked, joining them at his bed. Bill saw she was wearing a cast and felt a bit of rage at whoever had done that her.

"What happened to your arm?" He asked.

"Pacifier, the jerk." Mabel huffed. "But, you're okay, right?"

"Of course it was him. Maybe Tad can fix it for you. And my back hurts but I think I'll be okay." Bill shrugged. "...I...I saw my brother again."

"Liam?" Tad asked. "Cosmos, we really DID almost lose you. How did you come back if you were that far gone?"

"Axolotl." Bill nodded. "He gave me a second chance. I'll see Liam again next time."

"Well, now that you're back with us, we should really let you rest." Tad looked at the others. "Come on, this place is crowded."

"Can I stay?" Dipper asked.

Tad hesitated before smiled. "Of course you can. But, Mabel has birthday plans to finish, don't you?"

"Oh, right! Dipper refused to have our party until you woke up." Mabel turned to go. "Now I can finish the invitations!"

Bill grinned. "Looking forward to it." He smiled contentedly at Dipper.

Yes...Liam could wait a little while. This was his family now.