My Name Is Bill Cipher One Shots

November 2016: Bill

November 2016
Bill's POV

"You really want to hear? All of it?" I make sure, afraid to let them know of the final chapter of Yule's story. It's gruesome. It's heartbreaking. But they deserve to know it.
"Yes," Mrs. Shields insists, her hands folded. Tyler sits so close to her that their shoulders touch. He puts his hand over her folded ones. "Every detail."
I walk them through the story, and in doing so, I start at the beginning of my own, which Tyler knows, but Mrs. Shields is still unaware of it. I wonder if she'll hate me after this.
"Are you okay?" I ask her as she silently cries into Tyler's shoulder once I finish.
She nods, and smiles through the tears. "He was so selfless, even at the end. My son. My Yule. What did I ever do to get to be the mother of such a precious child?"
"So..." Tyler chokes on his words. "So you guys really were aware that his death might happen even before the fact?"
"We were," I confess. "I'm sorry we never told you. It's just... people don't take too well to the supernatural in this town, and now we know that you both know that better than most people. When I told Yule about his possible death, he cried. It was the first time I'd ever seen him cry. And he wasn't crying for himself. He was crying for the both of you, and for the rest of us. He was so afraid that you both would never be able to get over the pain, especially after what happened to his father. He sobbed and wept for the pain after he was gone that he wouldn't have to experience, but the rest of us would."
"Of course he would," Tyler said with a smirk, shaking his head with a broken laugh. "He was just like that."
"Bill," Mrs. Shields turns toward me and takes my hands in hers. "I don't blame you for this. Yes, you did some awful things, but you're aware of that. You've changed into a wonderful young man whom my son was proud to call his friend. I want you to know that nobody says this is your fault."
Tyler winks at me, referring to the night he found out about Yule's ghost. I resist the sick urge to snicker.
"If anything," Mrs. Shields continues, "I'm glad you were there with him. You really were his best friend. I hope he never let you forget that."
I laugh. "You have no idea."
"You should come over more often, Bill. Maybe come for dinner sometime? You remind me so much of him, of what it was like having him in our house."
I remind her of him? Yule? "Really?"
"Yes." Mrs. Shields smiles warmly. "I always enjoy your company. You could bring your friends, too, if you wished. I certainly would love to see Pacifica again. Oh, and Merrily, too, what a dear."
"I'm sure they'd love to. Thank you for being so hospitable."
She shakes her head. "It's nothing, Bill." As I stand to leave, she gives me a hug. "Come back soon, okay?"
I hug her back. "Of course."
Tyler walks me out. Once we're outside, he says, "Thanks for coming. This really meant a lot to her."
I shake my head. "It was the least I could do."
He looks around for a moment, as if he might see something or someone. "Is he here?"
Ah, Yule. "No. He knew I was coming, but he's spending the day with Merrily."
His face softens. "He's happy with her, huh?"
"Absolutely. The boy is head over heels."
Tyler chuckles. "The kid's got more game dead than I ever had alive."
"So, have you been in contact with Florian recently? Have you thought through when your going to introduce him to your mom?"
Tyler nods. "Yeah. He came to see me earlier this week, actually. He wants to wait until the baby is born, and that's still a month away. We settled that they'll all come over on Christmas. You and your friends will be able to make it, too, right?"
"For sure. How do you think you guys'll be that day?"
He waits, grimacing. "I'll survive. Mom... will be better if you all are there. Especially Florian and his kid. That'll cheer her up, get her mind off things. It certainly won't be easy, but neither are a number of other days in the year for us. We've made it through those, we'll make it through this. I just..." His face scrunches up like he's trying not to cry. "I can't imagine Christmas Day without celebrating his birthday." He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Mom still left a present for Dad under the tree the Christmas after he died. No one touched it for days. And then, one day, it was gone. I don't know if Yule did something with it... I never asked, but I didn't think he was clever enough to back then. He was so young. Maybe Mom wondered why she ever did it and took it away herself. All I know is I will never forget that, and I don't know if I'll be able to stand it if she does that for Yule this year." He buries his face in his hands. "I know people have different ways of coping, but why do ours have to be so painfully different? It's like we can almost never grieve in a way that works best for both of us."
"And that's okay," I assure him. "Everyone goes through that. I needed a lot of time to myself after Yule died, and even after he appeared to us, but Pacifica did better by spending time with other people. Mabel needed to talk things through, while Dipper needed to think things through on his own. Everyone grieves and copes differently. We're not always going to be compatible that way. We're only human. Er... humanoid."
"Heh. Yeah." His eyes sadden, but he smiles. "Make sure Yule comes, too."
"He wouldn't miss it," I assure him. "Thanks, again."
"Sure."
As I wave goodbye, I get the feeling that everything just might turn out okay for everyone.