BillDip - Working With The Enemy [PART THREE]

The last period goes agonisingly slow and I practically run out of the classroom as soon as the bell rings. As I leave the classroom, I find Bill waiting for me. “Long time no see, Pine Tree.” Bill says.

“Hey.” I greet with a smile, “Ready to go?”

Bill nods and says, “I can just teleport us to your place if you want.”

“That’s probably easier. Saves me having to carry this stupid thing home.” I say.

I take Bill’s hand and blue flames surround us. By now I’m used to this. We soon arrive in my bedroom. I land safely on the bed but Bill crumbles to the floor suddenly. “BILL!” I yell, getting up from the bed and rushing to his side.

I turn Bill over so I can see his face. Just as I thought, his nose is bleeding again. “Bill, are you okay?” I ask.

Bill groans softly and replies with a small grunt, “Yeah…”

Bill sits up, clutching his head. “Ow...My head hurts…” Bill whines.

I place my hand on Bill’s forehead. Damn, he’s burning up. “You have a fever.” I say with a frown.

“A fever? But I’m freezing.” Bill says.

“I think you might be sick.” I say.

“Pine Tree, it’s no secret that I’m sick in the head.” Bill says.

“No, not that kind of sick. I mean you have a cold.” I reply.

“A cold? I don’t get colds.” Bill says.

“But you get fevers?” I ask, with a raised eyebrow.

“I don’t know! It’s never happened to me before!” Bill replies.

I sigh. Crap, how do I take care of a sick demon? I think I have some painkillers somewhere…I stand up and walk over to a drawer next to my bed and pull out a box of different medications. “You can swallow tablets, right?” I ask.

Bill shrugs and replies, “Probably, I’ve never tried.”  

Guess this will be a learning experience for both of us then. I check the label on the bottle:

“Take two tablets up to four times a day when needed, with or without food.”

I take out two tablets and hand them to Bill. “Here. These will help with the pain.” I say.

Bill takes the two tablets and is about to put both in his mouth at the same time. Uh oh, those tablets are too big to take at the same time.

“Wait, don’t take both at the same time or-”

...Too late…

Bill starts choking and holds his throat. Crap, crap, crap, crap. I slap Bill’s back as hard as possible and the tablets come flying out. Bill coughs and gasps for air. I sigh, relieved that the tablets came out before anything bad happened. “Are you okay?” I ask.

“Yeah…” Bill replies.

I grab my box of medications again and pull out a syrup version of the medication and a syringe. I check the back of the medication. The amount of mills to take varies depending on your weight...How much does Bill weigh? He’s a bit thinner than me and I’d take 20mls of this so I think it should be alright to give him around that. I measure out 20 mls into the syringe and hold it to Bill’s lips. “You need to put this in your mouth.” I say.

“I’m not putting that in my mouth! It looks like what you male humans have in between your-” I cut Bill off.

“DON’T finish that sentence.” I say.

I’m never touching a syringe again…

Bill still doesn’t open his mouth. “Do you want the medicine or not?” I ask, beginning to get annoyed.

Bill hesitates before reluctantly opening his mouth. I insert the syringe and press down on the top so the medicine goes into Bill’s mouth. After I take the syringe away, Bill swallows the medicine. “There, that should help.” I say before asking, “Do you want a glass of water or something?”

Bill nods slightly in response. “Okay, give me a minute.” I say, leaving the room and heading downstairs and into the kitchen.

When I get into the kitchen, my mother is in there cleaning a plate. “Oh, hello Mason. I didn’t hear you come in.” my mum says.

“Is it alright if I brought a friend home?” I ask.

“A friend? Ooh, is this a girl?” my mother asks.

I groan. “Mum! We talked about this!” I say.

“Kidding, kidding. Whoever your friend is, they’re welcome to stay for as long as they like. I’m glad you’re finally being social again.” mum says, “So why did you come down here?”

“I was getting a glass of water.” I reply.

My mother nods and grabs a nearby glass and runs it under the tap, filling it up with water before handing it to me. “Thanks.” I say.

“No problem, sweetie.” mum says as I head back upstairs to Bill.

Bill hasn’t gotten up from the floor when I come back in. I sit down next to Bill and hand him the glass. “Thanks, Nurse Pine Tree.” Bill playfully says as he takes the glass, “You know, you would make a good nurse.”

“How do you figure that?” I ask.

“You’re patient and good at taking care of others.” Bill replies with a small shrug.

I smirk slightly and reply, “I thought you were gonna say because I’m good with my hands.”

Bill spits out his drink and begins both coughing and laughing. “What the heck, Pine Tree?” Bill asks between laughs, face red.  

I laugh and reply, “I don’t know, it just popped into my head.”

“Damn,  Pine Tree, I didn't know you were so kinky.” Bill says with a small giggle - quite a cute one, actually.

Once our laughter dies down, things go quiet again. Hmm, I wanna do something with Bill but I’m not sure what… “Why don’t we watch something?” Bill asks.

That’s...actually a good idea. “Mabel and I watched this musical once, I think you’ll like it. It’s got a good romance and there’s murders.” I say, getting the musical up on my phone.

“You had me at ‘murders’.” Bill says.

Bill leans his head on my shoulder as I play the musical. “I’m surprised you’re not pushing me away.” Bill says.

“Do you want me to?” I ask.

Bill shakes his head and says, “You make a good pillow.”

I roll my eyes. “Don’t push your luck.” I say.

The musical goes for about two hours. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if Bill would enjoy it but he seems to really like it. I didn’t think he was the musical type. Bill’s eyes light up as characters drop dead and cheers for the antagonist. “I like this guy.” Bill says.

“He reminds me of you. Maybe you’re twins?” I suggest.

Bill pauses for a moment before saying, “I had a twin, you know.”

Bill has a twin? I’ve never seen him with a twin - not even during Weirdmaggedon when all those weird creatures came. “You do?” I ask.

Bill nods and replies, “Yeah. He died though.”

“Do...Do you mind if I ask how he died?” I ask.

“The dimension I was originally from...collapsed. My brother, Will, and I tried to escape but...he was trapped under a rock as a fire broke out. I didn’t know what to do so I escaped, hoping I could...I dunno…get something to save my brother with but when I tried to go back it was too late. My dimension was gone...and so was Will.” Bill explains, looking away.

“Do you...miss him? Your brother, I mean.” I say.

“Of course I do. I...miss him a lot. I miss my dimension too. When I started Weirdmaggedon, I was hoping it would make me powerful enough to bring Will back...I shouldn’t have left him. I should have gotten him out of there.” Bill says.

I frown. I...feel bad for Bill. I can’t image how I would react if Mabel died and I didn’t protect her… “Bill, it’s not your fault, you left so you could try to save him.” I say.

“And look at how well that turned out. It was obvious the place was going to collapse soon and I still went through with my stupid plan.” Bill says, regret evident in his tone.

I lay a hand on his shoulder and say, “Your world was literally ending, it’s understandable that you wouldn’t be thinking straight. If you stayed you could have died-”

“WELL, THEN MAYBE I SHOULD HAVE DIED!” Bill suddenly yells, cutting me off.

Bill’s shoulders begin to shake as he begins to whimper softly. For some reason, hearing Bill say that makes me...sad yet...angry at the same time…? I grab Bill’s shoulders and yell, “DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT’S WHAT WILL WOULD HAVE WANTED? FOR YOU TO THROW AWAY YOUR LIFE LIKE THAT JUST BECAUSE HE’S GONE?”

I know I probably shouldn’t be yelling but I can’t help it. It’s a weird feeling. I really want Bill to understand what I’m saying but I feel like he’s not listening - or doesn’t want to. Bill huffs and replies, “It’s not like he can exactly stop me. In case you’ve forgotten, HE’S DEAD! And it’s my fault! NOBODY else EVER cared about me except for him and he’s GONE.”

“That’s not true! I care about you!” I argue.

“WHY? I fucked everything up just so I could fix what I had done!” Bill says.

“I’m not denying the fact that you fucked up because you did - pretty badly - but I’ve been thinking about this for awhile now and I can kinda understand why you did it. You miss your brother and your home. You were upset and angry. You wanted to bring them back. I would probably feel the same way if I was you and Mabel died. Besides, you’re...different now. I’m not sure what it is but there’s something about you that makes me feel like I can trust you now.” I say.

“B-...But…” Bill whimpers between sobs.

“But nothing. When you were telling me that I’d better not kill myself I...I found it really touching. It’s probably one of the nicest things anyone’s ever said to me. I was really happy to know that you care about me and...I want you to know that I care about you too. You’re psychotic and destructive but you’re also kind and...Don’t you dare think for a second that you should’ve been the one to die because you’re special, damn it. If you go then I’ll come right after to you. You shouldn’t feel guilty about anything because your brother’s death wasn’t your fault and I forgive you for everything else you did so...Don’t speak about yourself that way!” I say.

Bill looks at me, eyes puffy and face red. I open my arms and Bill slowly leans into my open embrace. “I’m sorry...I’m sorry…” Bill mumbles into my shoulder between sobs.

“It’s okay, Bill.” I gently reply.

“Thank you, Dipper…”

“I-”

Wait a sec...Did he just call me Dipper? “You called me Dipper!” I exclaim.

Bill pauses, face red. “I-I...uh..”

I smile and say, “You know, people started calling me that because of my birthmark. At first it really, really annoyed me but it doesn’t annoy me when you call me it for some reason.”

Bill’s blush darkens. Before either of us can say anything else, my bedroom door swings open and standing there is my father. I quickly check the time on my phone. It’s already 6:45pm!? “Mason, I heard voices coming from - who’s this?” my father asks, glaring at Bill who smiles innocently and waves.

“He’s a friend from school.” I reply.

“I didn’t know you were bringing anyone over.” my father says.

“Mum said he could.” I say.

“I don’t care, I didn’t give you my permission.” dad snaps, “I’m the man of the house so I decide who comes and who doesn't come.”

“It’s not like P- Dipper invited the whole school over for a party or something.” Bill says.

“Stay out of this!” my father snaps, “And his name is Mason.”

“I think Dipper can decide that for himself.” Bill scoffs, “And no I will not stay out of this because you’re the one who came in here and started picking a fight with us.”

Both my father and I are surprised that Bill is sticking up for me. To be honest...I’m touched. “Besides, you never tell me anything, even stuff like PSYCHOLOGY APPOINTMENTS THAT YOU BOOKED FOR ME WITHOUT ME KNOWING!” I say, raising my voice at the end.

“I did that because I knew you’d be too stubborn to go.” dad responds.

“YOU SAID I WAS INSANE!” I snap.

“What was I supposed to do? You’re always being antisocial. You never talk with the other kids at your school and you always have your nose buried in a book!”

“First of all, I’m pretty sure there’s a difference between antisocial and insane. Even if that was true, Dipper and I are hanging out right now so I’m pretty sure he isn’t being antisocial. Thirdly, the heck do you have against books? Besides, 99.9% of the people at that school are assholes - and that’s without exaggerating - a book would probably make for better company.” Bill retorts.

I laugh at the last part. That’s definitely true. “I’m only giving Mason what he needs.” my father insists.

“If you really were just looking out for him, you wouldn’t accuse him of being insane and antisocial, yell at him, lie to him, keep things from him...Need I go on?” Bill asks.

My father opens his mouth to reply but apparently has no comeback for it. Dad glares at me, anger burning in his eyes. Usually that look would scare me into going with whatever he wants, but for some reason, I don’t feel that way this time. In fact, I couldn’t care less if he glares at me. I think...it’s because I have someone backing me up this time, someone who I know has my back. “I will not have you or your friend speak to me like this, Mason. Don’t come out of your room for the rest of the night, unless it’s to apologise.” my dad snaps before leaving, slamming the door shut.

Both Bill and I wince slightly at the force of the slam. “Yeesh...Sorry I got you in trouble.” Bill says, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, “Want me to rewind?”

I shake my head and reply, “Please, don’t. I like this outcome.”

“But you got grounded.” Bill says, frowning.

“Good. I finally stood up to him and I don’t regret it one bit.” I say.

“Thanks for standing up for me, by the way.” I add.

Bill smiles and replies, “I should be the one thanking you for what you said back there.”

Bill looks at the time and asks, “Is Shooting Star still not back yet? What are those two up to?”

“Everything knowing Mabel.” I say.

Bill chuckles and asks, “Why don’t we have some fun too?”

“I’m grounded, remember?” I ask.

“But do either of us really care?” Bill asks.

…Good point.

“Alright, I’m up for it. What do you have in mind?” I ask.

“Let’s sneak out. Go for a walk or something. I’m kinda curious how your town looks at night.” Bill replies.

Bill offers me his hand and asks, “What do you say, Pine Tree?”

If my dad finds out we’re gone, he’ll be pretty pissed at me...I’d get into so much trouble...But I do kinda want to go…

Fuck it.

I take Bill’s hand, smiling as Bill pulls me closer. Blue flames begin to surround us as Bill asks, “Anywhere you want to go in particular?”

“Anywhere not here.” I reply.

Bill takes us to an amusement park. I heard that there was an amusement park opening nearby but I didn’t think it was already running. “Cool!” I exclaim.

“I knew you’d like it!” Bill says with a laugh.

How- oh, right. All knowing demon. “Will liked amusement parks too.” Bill says.

His brother… “They had amusement parks in your dimension?” I ask.

“Kind of, it was a bit different though. More morbid.” Bill replies.

“This place is pretty morbid too. That teacup ride over there killed three kids.” I say, to Bill’s amusement.

Bill walks over to a shooting range game and asks, “What’s this?”

“You pick up the gun and shoot the stick figures as they come past.” I explain.

“Sounds fun!” Bill says.

“But be careful not to shoot the women. Only shoot the bad guys-”

...Too late. As soon as the gun’s in his hand, Bill’s shooting EVERYTHING - even people walking past. I sigh and facepalm. This was a bad idea. “Bill…” I groan.

“Look, Pine Tree, I beat the high score.” Bill says.

I look up and see Bill pointing at the scoreboard that reads:

“SCORE: 9436 NEW HIGH SCORE!”

The man in charge of the game, who’s now hiding underneath the table, gets up and pulls out a couple of prizes. “Pick your prize.” the man says.

Bill’s eyes immediately dart to the toy gun. “That one!” Bill exclaims.

“Bill, I don’t think it’s real.” I whisper.

“Of course it is.” Bill insists.

It’s kinda cute that he thinks it’s real. The man hands Bill the gun and Bill aims it at the wall of the shooting range stand. As Bill presses the trigger, there’s a loud bang and an ACTUAL BULLET fires out of the gun and ends up getting lodged into the wall. “What the- THAT’S REAL!?” I ask.

“Told ya.” Bill replies with a smug grin, “I know my weapons.”


WHY ARE THEY SELLING THAT AS A PRIZE!? I grab Bill’s hand and start dragging him away, “Let’s go before you kill someone - or that game guy kills you for ruining his stand.”

Bill and I walk over to one of those test-your-strength games. “I’m awesome at these!” Bill says.

Geez, is there anything he’s not good at?

“That would be a no, Pine Tree.”

“Stop reading my thoughts!” I say.

“Can’t help it, they’re cute.” Bill replies.

I huff and grab the hammer. I’m going to nail this and show Bill that he’s not the only strong person here. “Ooh, is the little sapling going to show me how tough his branches are?” Bill asks teasingly with an amused grin.

I glare at him and slam the hammer down as hard as possible. I manage to hit the bell, causing a loud ringing nose. I smirk confidently at Bill and say, “Hah! Beat that.”

“Gladly.” Bill replies, taking the hammer from me.

Bill raises the hammer but as he brings it down, I realise he’s not using his full strength. As a result, Bill only gets about three-quarters up. “Well, would you look at that? Looks like you beat me, Pine Tree.” Bill says.

He...He was throwing the match for me….? That’s...kinda sweet that he’s doing that for me. Definitely not something he would have done a couple of years ago. “How about you pick our next destination as a reward?” Bill asks.

Well...If he insists. “Dodge ‘Em Cars.” I say.

This should be fun. I feel like Bill will like a game where you smash into people and I don’t think anyone can get seriously injured so…

…

THIS WAS THE WORST IDEA EVER!

Five minutes into the game Bill, who insisted on driving, is smashing into literally anyone and everyone with as much force and speed as possible. I don’t think anyone’s been injured but he’s going so fast I feel like I’m going to throw up. “YOU ARE THE WORST DRIVER EVER!” I yell.

“I THINK YOU MEAN THE BEST DRIVER EVER!” Bill yells back before causing another car to spin into a wall.

As soon as the announcer says that the game is over, I jump out of the death vehicle that has become our car. “I’m free!” I exclaim before turning to Bill and saying, “I’m taking away your driver’s license.”

Bill laughs and says, “That’s okay, because I didn’t have one to begin with.”

That explains a lot. “Oh, they don’t have driver’s ed for demons?” I ask.

“They have murderer’s ed, not driver’s ed.” Bill replies with a small giggle.

For some reason, I can’t get the mental image of a small triangle-Bill driving a tiny little car out of my head...It’s kinda hilarious yet also adorable. “Well, where to now?” I ask.

“What about the roller coaster?” Bill suggests.

“A roller coaster? After your crazy driving?” I ask.

“You scared, Pine Tree?” Bill asks.

“Pft, no.” I reply.

Bill gives me a questioning look. As if it’s going to work. I’m not going to go on that death trap just because he called me chicken.

...Twenty minutes later, I’m mentally kicking myself as Bill and I get into the roller coaster carts. “We’re going to die.” I say.

“Lighten up, Pine Tree, this will be -” Bill’s cut off as the ride starts.

Right from the beginning, the roller coaster takes off at extreme speed. Both Bill and I scream in surprise, although I think Bill’s also half-exited. I feel the blood rush to my head as we’re turned upside down.


Uh oh...I think I’m going to vomit. I look down and realise how far up we are. We’re so high up and going so fast that the people below are basically small, blurry dots. The roller coaster begins to spin us around and around in multiple consecutive loops. I suddenly feel faint and dizzy. Bill notices and quickly pulls me closer to him. “Don’t worry, Pine Tree, I’ve got you.” Bill says.

“Thanks.” I mumble, burying my head into his chest.

The rest of the ride isn’t too bad - for no reason in particular…

As the ride finally stops, Bill carries me out bridal style. “I can walk, you know.” I say.

“I know.” Bill replies, “But I prefer carrying you.”

Well, last time I got dropped onto the floor so maybe I’ll just let him carry me this time. “Where to now?” Bill asks.

“Let’s go on the ferris wheel.” I say.

Something slow and relaxing, finally. Bill nods and carries me to the Ferris wheel. After getting a ticket, Bill puts me down and we climb into the carriage. As the Ferris wheel starts, Bill asks, “I wonder what the view will be like?”

“I bet it’s going to be gorgeous with the moonlight reflecting on everything and all the lights.” I reply.

I smile and lean my head on Bill’s shoulder and also place my hand on Bill’s. Bill begins to play with my hair as the Ferris wheel slowly takes us up, stopping at the highest point. Just as I thought, the town looks beautiful from this height. The way everything is illuminated almost makes the town appear enchanted. This is definitely the best night I’ve had in a long time. “The view is beautiful.” I say.

“Indeed it is.” Bill says.

I look up and realize Bill isn’t looking at the scenery, he’s looking at me. So that means when he said… I blush. “Hey Bill?” I ask, “Thanks for taking me out tonight. This was the best night ever.”

“It was, wasn’t it?” Bill asks, twirling my hair with this fingers, “You know, I meant what I said all those years ago. I like you, kid. You are my favourite fleshbag, after all. In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t like you as much as I do.”

I chuckle and reply, “I think that goes for both of us.”

Bill leans in closer and whispers, “You know, Pine Tree, since this was my idea and all, I think I should be rewarded.”


“Oh, with what exactly?” I ask.

Bill pretends to think about it, “Hmm, a kiss, perhaps?”

“Is that a dare?” I ask, smirking.

“Do you want it to be?” Bill asks.

“You can read minds, can’t you? You should already know the answer to that.” I reply.

“Then I guess it is a dare.” Bill says.

“Kiss me, Pine Tree.”

I know I probably shouldn’t...but regardless, I press my lips against Bill’s, cupping the side of his face. Bill’s eyes widen in surprise and his face goes red. I don’t think he was expecting me to actually do it. Eventually, Bill kisses me back, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer with one hand and holding my free hand with the other. The kiss lasts for a couple of minutes, but not nearly as long as I’d like. It’s only when breathing becomes difficult that we eventually pull apart for air. If I didn’t need to breathe, I’d probably have kept kissing Bill for a while longer.

...He’s a good kisser, okay?

As I pull away, Bill’s face has gone dark red. “Damn, Pine Tree, I just...damn!” Bill says.

I laugh. I’ve never see Bill this flustered before. I realise the Ferris wheel has already come back down. “We should probably head back to my house. It’s probably getting late.” I say.

Bill looks at his wrist - although he’s not wearing a watch so I don’t really know what he’s telling the time with - and says, “It’s...1:45am.”

What!? 1:45am!? “How did it get so late?” I ask, “My parents are gonna kill me if they find out I left.”

Bill quickly teleports us back to my bedroom. As soon as we appear, Mabel jumps out at us, yelling, “BOO!”

I jump. “Augh! Mabel! Don’t scare us like that!” I say.

“Us? You’re the only one who jumped, Pine Tree.” Bill says.

“So how was your date?” Mabel asks.

“It wasn’t a date.” I say, “Do mum and dad know I left? Dad and I kinda got into an argument and I got grounded so…”

Mabel gasps and says, “You snuck out!? Man, you’ve been hanging around Bill too much...Can’t say that’s a bad thing so far. And no, they don’t know you left. I kinda figured you two were out somewhere so I pretended you were in your room.”

I sigh, relieved. “Thanks Mabel.” I say.
“No problem. So did you guys kiss while you were on your date? Tell me everything!” Mabel says.

“Yes, we did kiss.” Bill says with a grin.

“I...It’s a long story. I’ll explain it to you in the morning.” I say.

“MY BROTHER TOTALLY MADE OUT WITH A DREAM DEMON!” Mabel yells.

I have to shush her so our parents don’t hear. “Listen up, Bill, you better treat my brother well. If you make him shed ONE tear, I swear I’ll-” Mabel says.

I roll my eyes and say to Bill, “Don’t mind her.”

“Dipper, don’t interrupt me! I’m going into overprotective twin sister mode! You’re still my brother so he better not think he can take you away from me!” Mabel says.

“Don’t worry, Shooting Star, I’m not going to take Pine Tree from you. The last thing I want to do is upset him.” Bill replies.

Mabel huffs, folding her arms, and says, “You better not.”

“Okay, okay, we have school tomorrow so I should probably head to bed.” I say.

Bill nods and says with a kiss on my cheek. “Goodnight, my Pine Tree.”

“Night, my crazy-ass dream demon.” I reply.

Bill laughs and says with a wink, “I think you mean sexy-ass demon.”

I blush at Bill’s words. Bill smirks, looking proud as he teleports away in blue flames. I turn to see Mabel smirking at me and ask, “What?”

For some reason, I don’t like the look on her face. “You’re totally smitten with him, aren’t you?” she asks.

“Pft, what? No!” I reply.

...Yes…

Mabel laughs and says, “You totally are! It’s written all over your face! You have this massive grin!”

I roll my eyes. Mabel tries to muffle her laughs and stop them but ends up making herself laugh more. Eventually, once Mabel’s calmed down, I sigh and ask, “Are you finished?”
“Yeah. Seriously though...be careful. This is Bill after all, we don’t know if he’s planning anything.” Mabel says.

“I know, I’ll be careful. But something tells me he really has changed.” I say.

“Well, if that’s what you think and he really does make you happy, who am I to judge?” Mabel asks.

I sigh, relieved that Mabel doesn’t hate me for falling in love with our ex-worst enemy. “Thanks, sis.” I say.

Mabel holds out her arms and asks, “Awkward sibling hug?”

“Awkward sibling hug.” I reply, hugging her.

…

“Soo...Was the kiss good?”

“Okay, get out.”