My Demon And Me

7- Trouble

Dipper's POV

About a month went by of Bill and I dating. We snuck out quite often, which was pretty fun. I started to enjoy the thrill. Though everyone was getting pretty upset that I was hanging out with Bill and his friends more than them. Still, they didn't really talk to me about it much and kept on with their own lives.

Despite my typical rule following and non-confrontational personality, Bill seemed pretty happy that I was starting to stand up for myself more and break some rules that were unfair to me. It felt good to finally open up and voice my opinion. 

Still, rule breaking came with its fair share of consequences, which didn't mean much to me since Bill was just breaking me out anyway. But I guess now all that sneaking out has finally come back to bite me.

"Dipper, this is unacceptable. This is the third time we've caught you sneaking out whenever you were grounded. You have been deliberately disobeying us and being cruel to those around you. What is going on with you?" Grunkle Ford asked.

"Nothing," I replied, not really feeling up to trying to explain myself for the tenth time.

"It all started when that Will kid showed up. I told you he was a bad influence, Stanley," Ford said.

That's when I got defensive. "Don't bring him into this, he has nothing to do with anything."

"Don't take that tone with me, young man. You know what, that's it. I've had enough." He grabbed the triangle charm around my neck, ripping the necklace off me, breaking the chain. "You are never to see this boy for the remainder of the summer."

"Ford, don't you think that's going a little too far?" Grunkle Stan asked.

"It has to be done. This boy is toxic and is turning Dipper into a kid I don't quite recognize. Now go to your room!" And with that, he stuffed my necklace in his pocket and pointed at the stairs.

With tears in my eyes, I ran up the stairs and slammed my door shut. I slid down the door to a seated position, curling up into a ball and just sobbing. 

Bill's POV

I paused what I was doing when I felt that something was wrong. Since Pinetree and I started hanging out more, I feel more connected to him. Now I could sense that something was wrong with him. But why wasn't he calling me? He always did when he was upset. Perhaps I should check on him. 

I teleported myself into Pinetree's room, seeing him on the floor sobbing. I rushed over to him, sitting down and pulling him into a hug.

"What happened, Pinetree? I've never seen you cry this hard." He didn't verbally respond, instead just wrapping his arms around me and sobbing into my shoulder. I rubbed his back soothingly and sat there for as long as he needed until he was calm enough to talk to me. Once he sat up, however, I was able to get a good look at his neck. "Pinetree, you're bleeding! Who did this?"

"Grunkle Ford was scolding me again. He ripped my necklace off and said that I wasn't allowed to see you anymore!" That was when I did notice his necklace was missing. Fucking Sixer... I would kill that old geezer if it wasn't for mine and Pinetree's deal. 

"Let me guess, you're grounded again too?" He nodded, touching his neck. He started to freak out a bit when he saw how much blood there was. "Hey, hey, Pinetree look at me. We'll clean this up and then we'll get you out of here."

I picked him up and quietly carried him to the bathroom, setting him on the counter before digging around for a washcloth and some bandages.

"Are you mad at me? I'm sorry, I'll get the necklace back!" He said, panicked.

"I'm not mad at you," I wiped away some of his tears before wetting the washcloth and cleaning off some of the blood. "I can get you a new one, perhaps one that won't hurt you if someone rips it off. Or maybe I can put a protective seal on it where it slices the hand off of any person that even tries." Thankfully that made him laugh a little bit, which was a nice distraction as I bandaged his neck. "There we go. Now, where would you like to go? We can pack up your backpack and you can stay with me in the Fear-a-mid for a bit until you're ready to come back."

He was silent for a moment which raised my concern, but I stood there silent until he was ready to speak. "What if I don't want to come back?"

"Elaborate."

"I want to stay with you. I don't want to stay with people that can't hear me out and treat me with the same respect they give Mable."

"So, you want to live in the Fear-a-mid from now on? What about your parents and your life after summer?"

"I'll find a way to get you out of Gravity Falls and you can come with me! We'll explain everything together. Besides, getting to college with your supernatural abilities will be a breeze."

I smiled, "I like the way you think. I can teach you some magic as well if you'd like." He nodded and hugged me, to which I returned it. "Are you sure this is what you want?

"I don't want to feel like a prisoner in this damn shack anymore, I want the freedom you give me. When I'm with you, I don't feel bad for taking up new interests and changing from how I used to be as a kid. I don't feel obligated to be the same."

I nodded, "Alright. How do you want to do this?" I snapped my fingers, gathering up all of his belongings and sending them to the Fear-a-mid. "They still don't know who I really am."

"I'm sick of hiding that too. If I'm gonna leave for good, might as well leave with no more secrets hanging over my head."

"Sounds like a plan." I held out my arm for him to loop his arm through. "Shall we?"

He chuckled and looped his arm through mine, "we shall."