Night domed over the shack, and inside the living room, the group were huddled close, while watching a horror movie on TV.
Bill sighed, from his usual place on the sofa. "OK, Zero Gravity Town is great and all...but holy hell, they have the worse movie streaming channels."
"Nah, nothing's better about a horror movie, than cheesy acting and predictable plots," Wendy said, then pointed eagerly to the screen. "I bet that guy is going to get eaten first."
There was a chomping sound coming from the TV, followed by the actor's voice. "Ah! My face is being eaten a lot!"
"Oh no, Chadley!" Mabel gasped. "Now, he'll never be able to give Trixandra a ride on his private yacht..."
Nearby, Will was regarding the movie nervously, and Bill gave him a exasperated look.
"Will, don't tell me you're actually scared," The blond said. "I mean, look at the graphics, the blood and guts are clearly ketchup and spaghetti, and you can see the mic poking out in the corner of the screen."
"It's called creative freedom, Bill," Mabel remarked, and the blond rolled his eyes.
Will responded to his brother. "I'm not scared of the movie itself, it just reminds me of the time we actually faced real zombies."
Bill shuttered. "No need to remind me, too. I still have that stupid song stuck in my head."
"You're welcome," Mabel smiled.
"That's not something to be grateful for!" The blond snapped.
A moment later, Dipper abruptly entered the living room, looking tired as ever. "Hey guys."
"Pine Tree, did you pull another all-nighter?" Bill chastised. "How is your brain even functional at this point?"
"I should ask you the same question," Dipper remarked, but then let out a yawn. "I've been doing some research lately, nothing out of the ordinary."
"You should take a break," Mabel insisted. "C'mon, watch this movie with us."
Dipper shrugged. "Alright, but I might fall asleep halfway through."
"Don't worry, we all have the same plan in mind," Wendy said.
Dipper gave her a smile, before approaching Bill. Without needing to ask, the blond scooted aside, so that the brunette could squeeze in beside him. Afterwards, Bill couldn't relax. His senses seemed to stimulate with Dipper close by. He felt the warmth from the other's waist pressed against his, and the Guardian's arm draped over his shoulders. Bill's gaze drifted to Pine Tree's face, he felt a wave of worry, when noticing the brunette's paling complexion and the way his eyes occasionally fluttered close before snapping open. Dipper really needed to stop putting his research above everything else, especially his sleep schedule.
Bill's point was proven more, when a little while later, when the movie was beginning to reach it's climax, Dipper's eyes drifted close, and his form began to tilt. Bill didn't prepare himself, as the brunette's head landed gently on his shoulder. In a second, the blond's mind was screaming at him to move, but his body froze up instantly. Bill forgot to breathe momentarily, as the strands of Dipper's soft hair brushed against his cheek. Blood rushed through the blond's veins, as the Guardian's warm breath fanned against his neck. Bill flinched, when the brunette proceeded to shift his body in his sleep. Dipper now laid on his side, his head resting against Bill's chest, while an arm laid limply on the blond's stomach.
It took all Bill's willpower not to move. Wendy and Mabel didn't seem to notice the predicament he was in, too engrossed in the movie. Will however, tossed a glance at his brother. Yet, instead of helping the blond, Will only gave him a humorous smirk, before bringing his attention back to the film. Traitorous son of a--
"Look out!" Mabel screamed, at the TV screen.
Her voice alone caused Dipper to jolt awake. Bill could only imagine how red his face was, when the brunette turned to him. Not as red as Dipper's, he supposed, as a deep blush contrasted against the brunette's pale complexion.
"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to lean on you like that," He stuttered, about to get up.
Bill didn't know what implored him, but he grabbed the brunette's wrist to stop him. "It's alright," He reassured, gently.
That didn't seem to calm Dipper down, as he pulled away from Bill's grip, and stood up from the sofa. When Mabel and Wendy turned to him curiously, this was his only response:
"I should go to bed," Dipper said, hastily. "Sorry, I can't finish the movie with you all."
Mabel gave him a soft smile. "It's alright, bro-bro, I'll tell you how it ends."
Dipper mirrored her smile, before he left the shack a moment later. Bill frowned, and Will gave him a look of sympathy, but the blond ignored his brother's gaze. A while later, the movie finally ended, and both Wendy and Mabel bid the twins farewell. After they were alone, Will turned to Bill with a serious expression.
"Bill, I know I shouldn't pry into your personal life," The blue haired boy started. "But, this back and forth between you and Dipper is becoming hard to watch. Maybe, it's about time you confessed?"
Bill rolled his eyes. "Wow, that sounds like a swell idea. How do you prefer I confess to him? Hey, I destroyed your home dimension and possibly gave your entire family trauma, wanna date?"
Will sighed. "Bill, you know Dipper stopped caring about what happened with your past life."
"I know, but that doesn't mean I stopped caring," Bill replied, seriously. "I want to be more than friends with him, but it's kinda hard, when I have to remember all the things I did to cause him pain."
"Well, that's not you anymore," Will said, firmly. "And no matter how many mistakes you made in the past, you sure made it up to Dipper this summer. So, don't be so hard on yourself."
Bill made a faint smile. "You might be right."
"I'm pretty sure, I am," The blue haired boy said. "Whenever you decide to confess, don't make it too late, your true love isn't going to wait forever."
"Love?" Bill repeated, flushing. "Don't be so dramatic, Will. It's a crush, at best."
Will grinned. "If you say so."
"Yeah, because I'm right," The blond shot back. "True love? Seriously, this isn't some poorly made rom-com. It's not like I lay awake at night thinking about him."
However, later that night, Bill ended up laying on his bed, staring up blankly at the ceiling.
Bill turned towards the other side of the room. "Will, do your brother a favour, and knock me out with a lamp or something."
"No," Will said, laying under his blanket, and not turning towards the blond.
"Darn."
❇❇❇
The next day, was another day at the shack, and the group were gathered around the living room table. Journal #3 laid opened on the table, with Dipper shining a black light over one of it's pages.
"OK, everyone," He started. "The reason I called for this meeting, is because I might have found Ford's secret hideout."
"Didn't your uncle vanish into another dimension?" Will questioned.
"That's a possibility, but we can't guarantee, since Ford is full of surprises," Dipper pointed out. "I begin to suspect he has been doing his studies in the mortal realm in secret. This could be our first clue about where he might be. Ford used that portal to go into hiding, whatever we find in this secret bunker, could tell us where he is and how we can bring him back."
"This is great, Dipper!" Mabel beamed, excitingly. "You really think we can find Ford?"
"Hopefully," Dipper responded. "And if we do, I already prepared a lot of questions for him."
Wendy looked at the journal curiously. "So, when are we heading out to find this bunker?"
"Right now," Dipper stated, closing the book. "I already might know where it's location is."
"And you're sure there's no booby traps or anything?" Will questioned.
"Pfft! Booby," Mabel chuckled, under her breath.
Dipper ignored her, and answered Will. "Unfortunately, I don't know for sure. For now, all the journal gave me were these strange symbols. If that worries you, Will, you can sit this one through."
Will shook his head. "No, it's alright, I'm curious to know more about your uncle and his studies. Plus, I'm kinda used to surprises at this point...I still hate them, but I'm used to them."
"That's good to hear," Dipper smiled. "What do you think, Bill--"
He paused, when seeing Bill gazing thoughtfully at the floor. "Bill?"
Bill looked at Dipper, briefly flickering his gaze away, before hesitantly facing the brunette. "Oh, sounds great."
Dipper regarded him with worry, but then directed his gaze to the rest of the group. "So, it's official, let's get ourselves ready before we head off."
"Baa!"
Everyone turned, to see Gompers standing there, holding a food bowl in his jaws.
"Gompers, I already fed you earlier," Will sighed.
"How does he manage to finish his food in under a minute?" Wendy questioned.
"It's not impossible for him, he once devoured the kitchen table cloth," Will noted, then said to the goat. "Don't worry, I'll feed you in a sec--"
"Actually, how about I do it for you?" Bill offered.
The blond noticed Gompers staring at him, a look of urgency in his eyes. Bill could only wonder what the goat wanted to tell him.
Will gave his brother a curious look. "That's the first time you offered to do anything for Gompers, are you two finally getting along?"
"Oh, heck no," Bill declared. "Just wanted something to do."
So, without waiting for a response from Will, Bill hurried Gompers into the kitchen. Once they were alone, and out of earshot, Bill turned to the goat expectantly.
"OK, you wanted to tell me something?"
Gompers dropped the bowl at the blond's feet. "Firstly, I need my daily nutrients."
Bill rolled his eyes, before searching through the cabinets. After he found the box of kibble, he pulled it out. He proceeded to pour some into Gompers's bowl.
"There," Bill said, placing the box on the counter. "Is that all you wanted to tell me?"
"Not quite," The goat said. "I actually wanted to warn you."
Bill furrowed his brow. "About what?"
"That underground bunker holds a monster," Gompers said, eerily.
"And how do you know this?" Bill questioned, suspiciously.
"Let's just say, I've encountered this Ford character a couple times."
"Can you be more specific?"
"In a way, I was one of his studies."
Bill blinked in surprise. "So, you were like his freak experiment?"
"Charming," Gompers retorted. "But no, he didn't create me, but he was curious about me, and would come to me whenever he needed a streak of inspiration. A muse, to be more precise. One day, I heard he held a beast inside an underground lair, and that it was prohibited."
"Alright, and what exactly does this beast do?" Bill asked.
"He didn't say," The goat said, gravely. "Which is why, you should be extra careful, since this monster is still a mystery."
"Do I tell the others?' Bill said, though already knowing the answer.
"You can, but then they'll question how you got that information," Gompers noted. "It's better, if you don't say anything."
"Like always," Bill said, bitterly.
The goat hesitated, before speaking gently. "Bill, I know it's hard to keep so many secrets, but bare with me until the machine is done."
"Don't you think the others would want to know the purpose of this said machine?" Bill hissed.
"They're not ready to know, yet," Gompers said, firmly.
"Well, I can't hide it from them forever," The blond said.
"Not forever, just until the machine is finished," The goat promised. "They will know the truth soon enough...the whole truth."
Bill grimaced, but had no choice but to trust him. A moment later, Will stepped into the kitchen.
"Hey Bill, we're leaving now," Will said. "Also, were you talking to Gompers just now?"
"No!" Bill said, quickly. "I was talking to myself."
Will tilted his head. "Really?"
"Yeah, it helps me think."
"That makes you sound more crazy than you already are," Gompers commented.
"I will cook you," Bill snapped, at him.
"Were you talking to yourself just now?" Will asked.
Bill regarded him blankly. "No."
"Oh," Will said, then looked worried. "In that case, please don't cook me."
Bill shrugged. "No promises."