In the Scheme of Things (Discontinued)

Chapter 17

Dipper stretched as he stood by his locker. Finals were done, and now he was just waiting for Bill. The demon had been held back by their math teacher for some reason. Dipper figured it was because he had finished faster than average.

The teen sighed. He had already emptied his locker, so he had nothing to do while he waited. Well, there was one thing he could try but was worried about getting caught. Everyone was busy with their exams, and no one would be coming this way for at least an hour.

Looking around, Dipper smiled before sitting on the floor and holding out his hand. Though Bill had been strongly against it, Dipper had finally gotten him to agree to teach him something other than just grounding himself. He knew why the demon was so scared, but Dipper was just glad he could finally be of some help if something happened.

Dipper frowned as he looked at the yellow flame that danced on his hand. The last few weeks he had felt as though he was always constantly being watched. He wanted to chalk it up to his paranoia, but there were the few times he caught Bill looking off into the distance that made him wonder if there was something around them.

Dipper lowered his hand, turning to look down the hall. Once again he felt he was being watched. But he was alone. Shaking himself, he reached into his bag, pulling out the book he had just finished. He had enjoyed it, so reading it again wasn't so bad. If anything, it allowed him to try and catch all the things he had missed the first time reading through it.

The teen was just finishing the fifth chapter when he heard someone running towards him. Looking up, he saw the person was Bill. Dipper smiled, putting the book away before standing. "Sorry to keep you waiting. She had me redo the whole exam right beside her so she could watch, and took it with her when she went to answer a question. Seriously, that women has issues." Bill rambled, getting a chuckle out of the teen.

"At least we're done. Now, let's head home. I'm sure Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford are waiting for us." Bill smiled, holding his hand out for the teen to take. Though embarrassed, Dipper took the demon's hand. At least there wasn't anyone around to see them.

The walk back was a quiet one but it was comfortable. Bill was surprised that Dipper was still holding his hand, even if the only reason he didn't was because of Matt. Dipper, however, was just glad that he could finally devote all his time to the demon without worry.

The two were passing through town when Dipper's phone started ringing. Confused, the teen answered it. "Hello?" He wasn't sure who was expecting to hear on the other end, so naturally, the voice surprised him.

"Ah, Dipper, you're there. I was wondering if you and Bill would be willing to go grocery shopping for us. We'll be having three extra bodies at dinner tonight." Ford's voice came through the phone, catching the demon's attention. "If you two don't mind, I can send you the list of things to get." Dipper looked at his boyfriend who just shrugged.

"Sure, Grunkle Ford. We can get them. We're in town anyway." There was a muffled shout from the other end of the phone, and though Dipper couldn't hear it that well, he knew he recognized the voice, but couldn't place who it belonged to.

"Thanks, Dipper. We owe you one." Dipper chuckled, hanging up upon hearing the click from the other end of the phone. The teen turned his attention to the demon beside him, giving him a smile. "Looks like we're going shopping." He retook the demon's hand as the two changed directions so that they were heading towards the store rather than the shack.

"I thought you didn't like grocery shopping..." Bill commented, knowing that he had been the one doing all the shopping since he had come back. "I don't, though that's mostly because I'm not much of a chef, so I never really know what to buy." The teen explained, getting a nod of understanding from the blond.