(A/N : Finally, Mabel's back! Fucking finally, I know.)
MABEL'S POV
A stocky girl was sitting on the riverbank. Her messy teal hair reminded me of Ethan. I let out a surprised hiss and sank lower. I expected Bill to sing and force her away, but instead, he flipped her off.
"Not the time Ash," he sighed as he turned back to me. "Mabel, this is Ashtoni. She's basically my sister." The girl threw up a peace sign and grinned at me. I gasped. Her teeth! They're just like a siren's. Is she cursed? He turned back to her. "Where is Eryn?"
"Getting cleaned up."
"Really? Don't tell me that's the first thing you did here."
"What, no! We were wrestling and she ended up covered in berry juice."
"Excuse me, what the fuck?" They turned back to me as if they forgot I was there. "I wasn't expecting to meet anyone today, much less two people - and one of them is crushing on my fucking brother! How old even are you?" I demanded.
"I'm only nineteen! I don't look that old!" Bill pouted, crossing his arms. He went quiet for a moment. "God damn it, Pinetree." He took off back to the community area, and I followed closely behind. When I got there, I was met with Bill and Dipper wrestling, while Pacifica and Ethan cheered them on. I heard a splash behind me. I turned and was face to face with Ashtoni. Her top, which had previously been covered with an aviator jacket, had a pale blue tank top. Her legs had been replaced with a gray fish tail. She grinned at me again.
"But... You had... You're a demon, aren't you?" I sighed, stupid for not realizing it sooner. She nodded and pointed to Bill.
"So is he. And I'll let your brother explain the reason we're here, but let's just say, Bill loves him, so don't be too harsh please." She gave me another peace sign before completely disappearing. I swam over to Pacifica and Ethan. Bill and Dipper had gone underwater, making whatever they were doing blurry. I sighed, startling Pacifica.
"What's wrong Mae-Bae?"
"Give me a second." I dropped down with my eyes closed and dropped a bunch of pebbles on the boys. I pointed to the surface and shot up, hoping I'd gotten through to them. As I surfaced, I felt two sets of ripples behind me. "Ethan, you should go home. We're going to go to my place, and I don't want Tyler to worry."
"Fine. But I want the details later." he swam away after I nodded my consent. I turned to Dipper and Bill. "Come on. You two have some explaining to do. Pac, you wanna come?"
"Sure. If you're OK with me being there."
"Alright. Everybody, let's go." I heard a giggle from behind me, followed by shushing. I rolled my eyes, grabbed Pacifica's hand, and took off towards Bear Creek. Everyone was silent as we crossed from the stream into my pond. Pacifcia pulled herself onto my sun rock. I pulled myself up beside her. "You two, go sit on the shore."
"Stop bossing us around, Mabel." Dipper said, his brow furrowed. Nonetheless, he pulled Bill over to the shore and climbed up, followed by the demon. He crossed his arms, hoping I wouldn't notice that he was pressed up against Bill, who had his arm wrapped around Dipper's waist.
"Dip-dop, why'd you agree with his lie instead of telling me the truth? You know he's a demon, right? You're Bill Cipher, aren't you? Dipper, how could you ever trust him?" I could feel myself getting angry. Weren't you the one who berated me when I thought he was cool?
"Because there were other people around. And not that I have anything against Ethan of Pacifcia, but I trust you more on your own." He was pretending I didn't notice his tail was intertwined with the demon's. "And I was going to tell you anyway." Bill leaned over and whispered in Dipper's ear, who immediately nodded, blush apparent on his cheeks. Pacifica gripped my hand and rubbed her thumb in circles on the back of it.
"Show me were you're moving to. I know you said you would wait until after our birthday, but it's for the best. I don't care about any of this, but I think if you're planning on having a demon boyfriend, you should have your own place. I'm gonna help you move your shit out. And I need to have a talk with you," I said pointing to Bill. Dipper blushed again and pushed Bill forward into the water. A laugh emitted from the blond once he resurfaced. He pulled Dipper in with him. They're cute together.
"Do you wanna see first, or talk to this asshole?" he asked, pushing his bangs out of his face, allowing his sleeve to slide down and reveal a chain bracelet of triangles. Already claiming him. How forward.
"Talk. You go ahead and pack your things. Bill, follow me. Pac, do you still wanna stay here, or do you wanna go home?" My girlfriend yawned, a look of regret on her face.
"I wanna stay, but I should get going. See you for dinner?" I nodded. Pacifica, Bill, and I went to the exit. I hugged her goodbye as she left.
I turned to Bill. "Listen here, you blond dickbag. If you hurt a scale on him, I'll slit your throat in your sleep, no questions asked. Got it?" He nodded. "Good. Now, I don't care what kind of beef you might have with me in the future, but never try to keep me away from him." He nodded again.
"Hey... I have my things. I grabbed some extra glow-seeds, just so you know," Dipper mumbled as he surfaced beside us, his messenger bag slung across his chest with his pillow and blanket in his arms. "I'm ready to go."
"Okay. Where are we going, Dip-dop?"
"Bill, would you please?" I was confused until Bill swam down to where the riverside joined the riverbed. I didn't understand how I never noticed the very obvious hiding spot. Bill pushed through the hole, followed by Dipper, who handed his bed things to Bill beforehand. I went last, replacing the rock out of respect. I followed the couple and realized Bill was still carrying Dipper's bedset. I made a face somewhere between a smile and grimace, and probably looked like I smelled something sour. I saw a sliver of light from ahead of Dipper and Bill, speeding up as they did. I can't stand this small tunnel.
The first thing I noticed was the tent set up on the beach, nestled into tons of berry bushes. The sound of rushing water brought my attention to the waterfall cascading down a steep cliffside with a strange stone arch at the top. Ashtoni and another girl - who was much more obviously a demon with her gray skin - were seated on the shore in front of the tent with their feet in the water. Dipper was beside me, waiting with an expectant look on his face. What do you want from me? Where's Bill?
"You aren't gonna just... come by whenever you want, right?"
"Of course not! I don't get how I didn't realize you had another territory ; your scent is all over the place. It's beautiful here. I understand what the others meant by never just coming into Bear Creek ; there's a sense of "personal space should be prioritized, ASK," and a strong one." I pointed over to the girls sitting on the beach. "Why are they here? Who's the one with gray skin? Why did Bill know about this place before me?"
"We kinda just popped into existence here," the blond said as he popped up behind Dipper, effectively scaring him. Dipper smacked him lightly, a new blush on his face. Very heated, bro-bro. "They came with me from the Underworld. That's Eryn, Ash's fated."
"Her what?"
"Her soulmate, basically." He replied, glancing at Dipper, who had gone over and was nervously talking to Ashtoni and Eryn. His eyes were full of love and something else that I took to be surprise and gratitude. "If you want, I could explain the situation tomorrow. We'll all be here for at least three days." Does he know about our birthday? He gave a quick nod, and I somehow knew he was answering my thoughts.
I thought for a moment, considering all the weird things Dipper had been doing lately. "When did you two first meet?"
"About five days ago, to be honest. A lot has happened." He had a dopey smile on his face while just gazing peacefully at my twin. I was very quickly warming up to this boy. He must've realized he was distracted because he shook his head and returned his gaze to me, a blush clear on his face. "Why?"
"No reason. I wanna know everything before you leave though. And watch out for Dipper. His heat is coming up soon, and with how strong his voice is, I don't doubt somebody is gonna be attracted. And I'm not implying you. I had to fight off a centaur once because of his singing." He blushed redder and nodded quickly. His blush diluted until it was almost invisible as Dipper rejoined us, with Ashtoni and Eryn following behind. Ashtoni gave me a quick wave as they joined the circle we had formed.
I looked to Eryn and realized she had also transformed. Her lower half was a pale yellow fish tail with light purple fins. Her top was a simple gray t-shirt with "PLUS ULTRA" written in teal on the front. Bill cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention, even though he already had Dipper's.
"Pinetree here had a fun idea, and afterwards we should have dinner," he said, turning slightly towards Dipper. "Pinetree?" I almost laughed at his nervous face. He always was a little shy in groups.
"We could go exploring in the trench. Just to hang out a little since you guys got here so late in the day and Mabes probably wants to get to know you." I'm such a shitty, controlling sibling. Agreement came from the entire group and we made our way down the tunnel. Dipper said to put the rock back for now so that nobody went in without him there. I lead the way to the sea with the boys together between me and the other girls. I felt alone, even with all of those people.
"Hey Dipper?"
"Yeah, Mabes?"
"I'm gonna go ahead and go meet up with Pac. Have fun, tonight bro-bro. See ya tomorrow?"
"Of course. Have a good date!" he called as I swam past them back to Pacifica's place.
"You too, Dip-dop!" I called in return, enjoying the call of embarrassment from him.
I can't wait to see her.
DIPPER'S POV
"Is this a date, Pinetree?" Bill smirked. I leaned over to him and kissed him, and when I pulled away, I was happy to see him blushing and a slight grin on his face. I heard Ashtoni giggle behind me as she gave me a thumbs up. I gave her my best shit-eating grin. If you want it to be, we can count it as a double date.
"That's just mean, Pinetree. You can't stop me from talking just to say I was right," he pouted. I giggled again and he smiled.
"Double date it is!" Ash exclaimed. I learned to not question how she knew things. We reached the open ocean and I took off, diving down and going as fast as possible. Nobody can catch me! Same deal as before, Bill but no powers! Timer starts now! I thought, trying to broadcast it so the others would know. I could sense Bill charging after me, followed quickly by Ash and Eryn.
Better hurry up, you've only got a minute! I continued, using the current and environment to avoid getting caught. Three... two... one. I stopped, allowing Bill to crash into me, winning just as the timer ended. He smirked as the girls swam up to us ; Ash was obviously upset she didn't win. Up. I shot up, leaving the demons behind me, smiling at the wave of smugness from Bill's mind. I laughed as I surfaced.
Ash and Eryn came up in front of me, both laughing as well. I waited for Bill, no longer able to pinpoint his side of the mind-link. The next thing I knew, Bill was behind me with his arms around my waist and his face in the crook of my neck.
"You owe me two favors now, and if I didn't know any better, I'd think you let me win on purpose," he said, his voice muffled by my skin, but echoing in my mind. I knew my face was red just because of Ash and Eryn's expressions. "But you'd never do that, now would you? Unless... you like me having control." A shudder travelled down my spine.
"Hey... s-stop it. We've gotta go down a-again," I stuttered as he kissed my neck lightly, kissing one of the patches of scales. A whine almost escaped me, but I managed to cover it with a groan of annoyance. "I wanna see if we can find cool stuff, so let's go."
"We're heading down, girls! Find treasures! Go, go, go!" They did exactly that, both excited to find something for each other. I waited for Bill to drag me down, but he never did. Instead, he continued hugging me and kissing me reassuringly.
"Sunshine~ Come on, I wanna find stuff," I whined. He gave a content sigh and let me go. I grabbed his hand, interlocking our fingers, and pulled him along with me. He began searching too, pointing out possible treasures to me. I felt a constant smile on my face and a warmth in my heart ; this was real. I had someone who was meant to love me, and I loved him. We got tired of looking and resurfaced, not surprised to find Eryn and Ash sitting on the beach in their regular forms. I asked Bill if he wanted to change back and he declined, saying he just wanted to cuddle with me in the tide. God, I love you.
"I love you too, Pinetree."
"Did I say it out loud this time?" He shook his head. "Well then, I love you more Sunshine." He smiled again.
I love his smile.
BILL'S POV
He's beautiful. I really am the luckiest demon around. I thought to myself outside of the mind-link, just enjoying my mate's warmth pressed against my side.
"Thank you, Sunshine," he mumbled into my shoulder, startling me. Shit. Already? "What's wrong?" he mumbled groggily, trying to stay awake while obviously drained.
"It can wait. You should rest if you're tired. Ash! Eryn! Come back to the pond whenever you're ready, 'kay?" With their nods of agreement, I cradled Pinetree in my arms and snapped my fingers, teleporting us back to his home. He didn't even flinch at the heat this time. I set him down against the sandbar, settling his blanket over him and his pillow below his head. I swam out to grab his food and drink, quickly just teleporting back inside to protect the food. I wasn't surprised to find him half-asleep, snuggled into the blanket.
I set his food on one of the shelves, and was about to leave and sleep on the beach when he called out.
"Bill, come sleep with me! You're warm," he insisted sleepily, sitting up slightly to face me. I felt my face heat up again.
"Let me get my bag first, okay?" He nodded slowly with another yawn, which made me smile. Everything you do is adorable, Pinetree.
"Thank you." I still wasn't prepared for him to answer outside the mind-link, but it still made me happy. I swam out and grabbed my bag, opting to cast protection over the bag and its contents as I passed under the waterfall. I stowed my bag on the shelf with his food before joining him under the blanket. The moment I was beside him, he snuggled into me and wrapped his arms around my waist. I gave a small chuckle as I pulled him closer, allowing him to snuggle closer to my chest. I let out another content sigh. "I love you, Pinetree."
The only response he gave me was quiet snores.
-----TIME SKIP BROUGHT TO YOU BY GOOGLEIPLIER-----
I woke up to quiet whimpers and an extremely warm body pressed against mine. I hugged him closer on instinct, which only made him yelp. The only light came from a flashlight he'd put on a shelf and my eyes. I removed the bandage, exposing my less normal eye. I should get an eyepatch.
"Bill, it hurts..." he said. I let go but he didn't move away. He was curled in the fetal position, pressing his back into me as he continued to whine, his arms wrapped around his stomach like he wanted to throw up.
"What do I do?" I said, keeping my voice low and quiet, letting out an instinctive croon so he knew I was there. I knew he wouldn't understand completely since he wasn't a demon, but his whimpers quieted, making me think that - somehow - the message had carried.
"I have some pills in my bag... They're in the inside pocket, in a blue bottle," he said, pointing weakly to his satchel. "I need three of 'em." I did as told and retrieved the pills, pulling three out and returning the bottle to the bag. I handed them to him, also giving him the Coke Zero. He gave me a confused expression, but drank it, nonetheless, swallowing the pills with it. His body gave a shudder - probably because of the new sensation of carbonation - and he sat up, more awake now.
"Sorry you had to see that..." he apologized, rubbing the nape of his neck. "It's the main thing I hate about being a siren."
"It's fine, Pinetree. I'm happy to help you. Are there other things you don't like about being a siren?" A wave of doubt and nervousness filled his mind as he chose his words carefully.
"Well, I'm tied to water, so going inland to cities and stuff is out of the question. And there's the whole... diet issue," he said, covering his body with the blanket again, shame strong in his mind. "So the only way I can hold my own is to use my voice, and that's tiring as hell. And since I'm too fucking weak and shy to tell the people I attract by accident to go away, Mabel has to do it." His self-hate and dissatisfaction with himself poured out, and he began crying, which only made him angry.
I couldn't say anything ; I was afraid to make him more upset. I swam back over to him and hugged him, pulling him into my lap. He relaxed after a moment, resting his head on my shoulder, tears rolling down my back. "Why, Bill?" I stiffened.
"Why what?"
"Why do you love me? I'm weak. I'm stupid. I don't have money, and I'm just a load of shitty issues. So why do you love me? The only thing I can think of is the destiny marks that tie you to me. Did you just convince yourself that you love me?"
"Pinetree, never question my love for you. I saw you in a dream before I even knew we were fated. And let me tell you, I have seen demons who have been through less than you and breakdown. The fact you hid this so well, and are only letting it out now is the strongest thing I've ever seen. And you're so smart, realizing things before me and explaining things to me, even though I should've known them. Money isn't an issue, and neither are you. And there is nothing you can do or say that will-"
"Ok, OK, I get it," he giggled, sniffling and wiping his tears off of his face. He gave me a quick kiss, returning his head to its rightful place on my shoulder, leaving a small smile on my face. "I'm sorry. I'll do my best to be someone worth loving." "Stupid mood swinging heat bullshit."
"You already are, Pinetree." That explains it. He began humming softly, eventually just outright singing. My eyelids grew heavy as he continued, though I doubt he was doing it on purpose. "I brought you more nachos... They're in my bag..." I yawned. He giggled a little.
"I know, Sunshine."