A Life Before (Ended)

Chapter 13

Ford had just walked into the kitchen when he saw Mabel looking out the back window. "What are you looking at, Mabel?" He asked, walking over.

Before Mabel could answer, he saw Dipper sitting with Bill, the two closer than Ford would've liked. Ford frowned at the scene, only to notice that Mabel was smiling.

"Mabel, what are you smiling about?" He asked, confused at the sight. Mabel looked over, giggling. "Those two are getting really close."

Ford raised a brow at her before turning back to watching the two males outside. The two were clearly enjoying themselves, and Ford even found himself smiling when he saw Dipper fall over laughing.

Ford looked away, walking over to get a cup of coffee. "Grunkle Ford, do you think Bill can change?" Ford looked at Mabel, her eyes wide with hope. "I don't know. From what I've learned about him, I would say no."

Once again, he looked out the window, watching Bill and Dipper. "Yet he acts so differently around Dipper. And to be honest, I don't really know as much about Bill as I wish I did."

Mabel nodded, looking over to see Bill pulling Dipper to his feet. It was clear her twin was confused. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw Bill spinning them in a sort of dance.

"Do you think Bill likes Dipper?" She asked Ford who was also watching the dance between the two males. "It's hard to say. Though it seems that Bill is just being friendly."

Mabel looked back over, noticing that the two had stopped spinning and were now swaying back and forth. "They look cute together."

Before Ford could say anything, Mabel ran off. When she came back, she was holding her camera. She took multiple pictures of the two while Ford watched.

"Mabel, I don't think taking pictures of them right now is..." Ford stopped as he looked over Mabel's shoulder at the pictures she took. "Wait, go back one photo."

Mabel did as asked, scrolling back to the previous picture so Ford could see it. Though it took Mabel a while to see what Ford had spotted, Ford was studying the image closely.

"Grunkle Ford, do Dipper's eyes look..." "Golden. Yes." Ford said, looking up to where Dipper and Bill were currently. "It's not like the yellow gold of Bill..." Mabel said, noticing the more brown based gold of Dipper's eyes.

"Bill is doing something to Dipper. And that photo is proof." Ford said, turning to head down to his lab. Mabel frowned, turning to look at the two resting boys.

Bill was being affectionate to Dipper again. He was letting the teen rest against him while he played with the curly burnet hair.

"You're wrong, Grunkle Ford..." She said softly to no one. Turning, she left the kitchen. She needed to prove to Ford that Bill really did care for Dipper

Outside, Bill was humming softly to Dipper. He was staying out of the teen's mind, but he still knew that Dipper wasn't getting enough sleep. So he was trying to help.

"Hey, Bill...?" Dipper asked softly. "Yes, Dipper." Dipper looked at Bill with a smile. "I'm glad we can be friends." The brunet said, resting back against Bill.

Bill stared at the teen for a moment before smiling. "As am I, Dipper." He said, before returning to his humming and playing with Dipper's hair.

Though Dipper did want to get some more sleep, he was interested in the tune that Bill was humming. Something about it seemed familiar, but he couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.

"Bill... What are you humming?" Dipper asked, once again looking up at the demon. Bill looked down at the teen smiling at him. "It's an old song that I picked up." Bill brushed Dipper's hair back, relaxing the teen. "It has words, though I never learned them..."

Dipper nodded, closing his eyes to listen to the tune some more. Noticing this, Bill began to hum again. Dipper enjoyed the humming, letting it relax him.

Bill smiled when he realized that Dipper had fallen asleep on him. He continued humming as he made a book appear, reading through it.

"Hey, Bill." Mabel said, walking over to him. Bill looked up, giving her a smile. "Well, hello there, Shooting Star. How have you been doing?"

Mabel sat down across from the demon and her twin. "I've been great. I went out with the girls yesterday, and..." Mabel went off about her time with her friends, getting a smile from the demon.

"You and Dipper should come with us next time. Dipper needs to socialize more." Mabel said, looking at her sleeping twin.

"He sleeps during the day a lot..." She said, worried arising in her voice. "He just doesn't get much sleep at night. He stays up reading late into the night."

Mabel nods, smiling kindly to the demon. "Bill, what are your feelings towards my brother?" She asked suddenly, surprising the demon.

Bill was quiet for a moment before speaking. "I do like him. I didn't really understand before, but..." He stopped speaking, not wanting to say any more to the girl.

"Bill, I'm saying this because I care about my brother. He likes you. And I've seen how happy you make him. But if you ever hurt him, either physically or mentally, I will use every last bit of information Grunkle Ford has to make your life horrible.

Bill looked at the brunette. "Shooting Star, if I ever hurt Dipper, I will personally give you the spell that would lock me away forever."

Mabel looked at the demon before giving him a nod. The two went quiet after that, neither really knowing what to say to the other.

"Say, Shooting Star... When is yours and Dipper's birthday?" Bill asked suddenly. Mabel raised a brow. "The end of the month. August 31st."

Bill nodded, thinking about how much time was left between that moment and the twins' birthday. Would he have enough time to make what he wanted for Dipper?

"I'm putting a party together. As I said, Dipper isn't very sociable, so you'll need to make sure he comes." The girl said, smiling widely. Bill smiled at her. "Of course. I do rather enjoy parties. Tell me if you need anything."

Mabel nodded, grinning at the demon. If Bill was going to be helping her, then she knew the party would be amazing.