Archive of Our Own ^beta

Demons tended to often condemn relationships, whether they were between themselves or between different species most ended up in the exact same manner: inexistent and with a lot of rancour on both sides. Demons were messy creatures indeed and all the ends of a relationship had to somehow end up messy as well, as if to reflect the complete chaos that was in their hearts, the one that more often than not reflected on the outside world. They didn’t know how they did it or why they did it, it was somewhere in their nature that after so long of being with one creature after another and continuing on this endless cycle without finding the perfect match – or even something close – that the end of any relationship instantly caused them spite and hatred, even if only out of arrogance. There was a feeling of abandonment, a prickle of almost painful irritation, there were a lot of feelings which most had just pressed down into the deepest catacombs of their minds and did not want to let out by this point –whether that was sooner or later; never sounded good. Occasionally some found partners which they loved unconditionally, the type that only appeared in their lives once or twice, the kind that made it hard to be mad or even hate the person once the relationship was over because their love for them only left emptiness and sadness where their presence had been…Immortality had its perks but it wasn’t fun when the partner you chose to love had to die and you could do nothing to keep them by your side, whatever it was you tried. Were there ways? Yes, of course. Did everyone have or know them? No.

Thankfully, Bill did not need – nor want – to think about such horrible matters.

At some points in his life he had craved company as well, just like anyone else, perhaps a dazzling Demonness, an enchanting Incubus, some random creature of hell or even some of the more mortal beings roaming the different dimensions he visited, but he had never quite felt affected by them in the ways that others found themselves to be. He either lacked or overdid his reaction to the ending of a relationship when one did end. Holding no actual feelings of attachment towards the other side, his interest always dwindled even while said ‘relationship’ was set, so once it was over his first instinct was to find another dimension with something interesting to do and have some time punch. It was never that dramatic unless the person annoyed him in which case some ended dead. It didn’t count, they never held his interest well enough for him to hold them in his thoughts for more than a few days afterwards if even that. There was just a weird kind of emptiness where he knew the person wouldn’t be occupying any of his time anymore but nothing else. A good party, some Time punch and the destruction of a dimension usually took care of whatever problematic thoughts he might have had anyhow. There was a time when he had wondered what he would do if the one he liked was mortal. That wouldn’t pass. He had to find something that would keep his favourite toy alive if they so happened to end up being mortal, but that proved harder to achieve than he would have liked and after realizing that anyone barely caught his attention or got to him to begin with, he gave up on the idea. There was no use worrying about such things as getting too attached or finding your other half when you could barely seem to gain any sort of affection for most people you tried to be with, right?

The Demon had never been one for bedtime stories or for romantic mushy stuff.

No, he had never been one for clichés, but Gods did he live one the first time he met Dipper! When thinking back on it now he couldn’t help but burst out into laughter though he was likely the only one in the dimension that found it funny because he knew literature from all dimensions, some which definitely did not exist in this one. Just because he loved parties and having fun did not diminish his knowledge in other dimensions, literature and general facts.

Oh, but it was such a funny tale when he thought back onto it!

The dimension he had chosen to spend time in back then was fairly new, he wouldn’t give it more than about 3000 years maximum. It had maintained the ideas of monarchies while developing some of the technology all around but humans, as usual, seemed to lack most magical capabilities. In exchange, there were quite a few supernatural creatures overall, most who at least had an inclination to magic or magic users. Bill decided it was pretty quaint and made himself at home as ruler over the eastern lands there. Why East? A beautiful sea, many ships, lovely sunrise and the most underestimated side of this world – destroying people was twice as fun when they underestimated you, there was a sadistic amusement in seeing them beg on their knees after they thought they actually had a chance when going against you.

It must have been about ten years after he had settled there that it had happened. He had just been strolling around on the beach with no active purpose in mind except perhaps the fleeting thought of moving onto another dimension since this one got fairly boring after he took over most of it – even limiting himself a bit with conventional human ways wasn’t a challenge anymore. It was about half an hour into his walk that he found a stranded boy on the beach. As any good ruler – or rather as a very curious and bored one – he had the boy brought back to the castle, cleaned up and clothed. All seemed well enough and Bill fully expected some stupid shipwreck story from the boy once he woke up only to find that he could not speak. Not even a peep escaped his lips though he really looked as if he was trying to make a sound when Bill first asked him a question. Interestingly enough sign language also seemed a foreign concept to him but writing in all possible dead languages existent in that dimension came as natural as breathing to the boy who seemed amazed and absolutely charmed when Bill could answer in any language he wrote in, speaking it fluently.

Funny little thing that this boy knew how the languages were supposed to sound and even dared try to correct Bill on some pronunciations – he had the right, this world’s linguistics were slightly different than what Bill knew from other dimensions – when the Demon knew for a fact none of those languages had been spoken on land for at the very least a thousand years if not a few very good four hundred years for the most recent one. The boy, Dipper, seemed completely oblivious that he was not supposed to know those languages though (and it wasn’t like Bill of all people was going to correct such an ingenious mind by telling him he shouldn’t know them), just as he seemed completely oblivious by a lot of things on land – you did not live on land and assume bunnies of all things were poisonous, those were literal fluff balls of puff. There were a few other facts that made Bill’s curiosity in the boy spike, like the stars that marked his forehead, the way he had extraordinarily cute curls but always seemed infuriated with them, the pine tree mark on his right arm that was in a very unusual blue colour, the way he seemed confused by almost everything and anything but knew too much about things unknown to others and the way he seemed to keep trying to be in his company. For the sake of curiosity Bill didn’t mind it in the beginning and not long after he found that he was the one annoyed and irritated if the boy was not in his presence. He was definitely far too quiet for Bill’s preference but the Demon liked his company and general input far more than he would have thought he would. Then again, who wouldn’t? Voice or not, the boy was a little firecracker waiting to explode at the wrong word if you weren’t careful!

They got pretty close but it all seemed like a dangerously slippery dance. They’d get close and spend more time together than Bill would have ever thought he would enjoy from a single person’s presence but as soon as he got close enough to possibly uncover anything about the boy he reached a block, whatever theories or thoughts he might have had about it. Similarly, Dipper seemed very startled when Bill did something out of the ordinary but adjusted very quickly to his behaviour and turned from looking slightly love-struck and letting things slide to writing Bill pages over pages on why that was definitely not alright. This might have been annoying to anyone else, but trying to read those letters seriously when Bill found no horrible consequence or problem with his previous actions was the ultimate amusement in itself! Sometimes he’d do random sorts of voices while reading it as if trying to figure out how the boy would sound if he had a voice which seemed to infuriate Dipper even more. It wasn’t just once or twice that Dipper had locked him out of their shared room – he had no idea how that had happened but it had – because he was angry at him mocking his ‘voice’. Dipper was also terribly good at picking up on hints, mannerisms and general clues, he picked up on magic and other strange things Bill did without a second thought or doubt. It amused the Demon how committed the boy became when trying to find out more about him and so he let the chase go for a while before telling him exactly what he was. Dipper seemed surprised to find out he was a Dream Demon judging by the big doe eyes he watched him with, he even seemed scared for just a moment, before Bill had asked him the same question in exchange.

However, compared to the boy, he got no answer.

Three months passed just like that with them getting close and finding out more about each other, or rather with Dipper finding out more and Bill starting to get terribly aggravated with not knowing enough about Dipper. Despite that, by the end of those three months Bill already knew a lot of little things about Dipper, his quirks, his mannerisms, the way he got that spark in his eye when he was excited, how he absolutely hated running, that he loved actually playing with bunnies but would still jump and hide himself if they did any sudden movements, how he simply adored eating fish based food and found most meat weird, how he slept far too little and woke far too early, how he liked listening to Bill hum to him so he could fall asleep…Three months and Dipper just seemed to be getting more and more nervous every day by the end of the third to the point that Bill could not walk inside of the room without having something randomly flung at him and startling the boy half to death for some reason. None of the usual calming methods worked – not the humming or the singing, not the reading, no book distraction, no cute pet or new artefact, nothing – and Dipper seemed a tad distant from him. Frankly, Bill was never one for feelings or – Gods almighty forbid – worrying for someone, but Dipper managed to almost make him pull his hair out in the vessel he had and go mad with worry just a few days after he had started behaving this way, however much Bill wasn’t quite willing to admit to it. Three months passed and at the end the sea witch appeared to take her prize. However, as much as the classic ‘The Little Mermaid’ provided a wonderful read, Bill literally had no patience or regard for anyone who dared assume any kind of right over something that he had already claimed as his and, as far as he was concerned, Dipper was his.

The witch was dead before she laid a hand on his Pine Tree.

However, she did provide a grand little reveal before being burnt to death! And what a reveal it had been! Bill would have guessed many things about Dipper and perhaps somewhere in his mind the idea of him being a supernatural creature had crossed his mind, especially of the sea, but a siren? Now, those were rare! Plus, story or not, Bill would have never thought one would actually be stupid enough to trade their voice for legs, at least not until he found himself face to face with the facts. He still didn’t believe it now though, mostly because his cute Pine Tree was definitely an exception to most rules to begin with. He was special all on his own.

Oh and the scene after had been a treat! Not only did the boy have the sweetest voice to have graced Bill’s ears, but magic, immortality that came from his species and likely the most adorable reaction he had ever seen as he tried to explain what exactly the deal with the witch had been. It was like a badly made scenario for ‘The Little Mermaid’, only that Dipper was definitely over the age of a teenager in siren years ( Who would have thought being 222 years of age was lucky?) and was by far cuter and much more beautiful than any description a human could conjure up. Sirens were immortal as a fact and fairly rare, they tended to live on the bottom of the ocean and not come out to the surface all that much, at least not near human grounds, their sleeping cycles were considerably shorter compared to mortals and, whatever the dimension, they held the most beautiful voices. Compared to other races most sirens were pretty restrained on travelling unless it was under the sea, but they were also one of the more renown races for their beauty in song and figure, not to mention for magic for the few that possessed it. All sirens possessed beautiful voices and the ability to hunt and lure men to their death but few actually possessed proper magic.

Dipper was definitely one of the gifted ones.

The boy had a surprisingly long tail with fins all around it, stretching much like veils around him as he swam. There wasn’t much of a contrast when one first had a look, but he was definitely very harmonious in his beauty. His skin was pale and there were several patches of scales on the upper part of his body that indicated him as non-human even before one got to see his tail – his claws, fangs and ears were also a very good indication of that. It was around his hips that the scales became more prominent and if you looked closely you could see where they grew out of his skin before they completely overtook his hips and formed into a beautiful dark blue tail. His fins seemed to take after that as well, dark blue where they began and stretching out to become far lighter till you could almost see through them. He was quite the exotic sight and had a voice that could make Calypso cry tears of joy. His magic was definitely not too obvious nor developed enough but there was potential in time.

However, what Bill liked most was how he turned into the most adorable stuttering mess while trying to explain that he had a romantic interest in him and, of course, the Demon had let him stutter till he couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore – the boy was far too cute – and Dipper snapped at him for not taking him seriously. Frankly, they had gotten themselves from one mess into a completely different one the moment things had been cleared up but the demon couldn’t be bothered to care at that point.

Dipper was the perfect partner for him.

Unfortunately, his family did not seem to agree or, to be more precise, Fordsy had had a royal fit. The boy’s sister – Shooting Star, love expert extraordinaire and hopeless romantic – had been perfectly alright with it but his grunkles had been quite opposed to it on the basis of Bill being a Demon. Somehow they had been very appalled by Dipper first liking a human, so being told Bill wasn’t human was almost a relief till they heard he was a Demon. The Dream Demon could have bet that if his family did not calm him down Fordsy would have somehow broken a fin or that long pretty tail of his in his fit. All in all, they had decided never to have family dinners and that an interdiction for Dipper and Bill to be together would just make it worse, keeping in mind that the boy literally made a deal with one of the most dangerous creatures of the sea when denied last time and that Bill had just killed said creature with a snap of his fingers and was by then far too possessive of Dipper to let him go. Overall, Bill thought ‘meeting the family’ went quite well even if Pine Tree would be inclined to disagree.

Oh yes, it had been one of the most cliché things to ever happen to him, but he couldn’t have been more grateful for it.

Almost 99 years had passed since then and despite lacking a tail in his original form, the two were still going strong together. Getting Dipper used to switching between his human and merman form had been a bit of a challenge – it wasn’t an easy spell – but it wasn’t as if anyone was hurrying them. They had all the time in the world and the Demon enjoyed having Dipper in his siren form even if he preferred to switch between his, which, thankfully, Dipper didn’t mind. Sometimes he’d just use his human vessel and spend time with Dipper on the beach while other times he’d stay in his triangle form and indulge himself in shrinking and playing with Dipper’s curls till they were an absolute mess, occasionally he’d just cling to the boy’s fins as he swam – it was actually a pretty amusing past time and the looks he got from some of the Merfolk were priceless! – or change his own vessel to have a tail so he could join Dipper underwater as a fellow ‘siren’. Almost giving Fordsy a heart attack while having a merman form had also been a strong incentive though Dipper had refused to talk to him for a week after it had happened – “Which part of ‘leave great uncle Ford alone’ did you miss!?”

There were some fights and clashes of opinion but they always made up, most of the time it didn’t take long for them to once again speak to each other and enjoy each other’s company but there were definitely exceptions.

Such as the one right now.

“Pine Tree, it’s been two weeks!” The voice was loud, definitely louder than it needed to be given that by the looks of it the man, sitting on a rock in the middle of the ocean mind you, was yelling at the ocean itself. The waves were calm, the light from above was sweet and the air was salty with a light breeze, any other day this would have been the perfect weather for a walk or a lazy day in the sun, but nope, Bill was in the middle of the damn ocean trying to get his life-partner to get his fancy finned tail off of the bottom of the ocean and come to the surface for the first time in weeks. He waited a few moments but nothing seemed to happen. The Demon was getting impatient as he tapped his foot on the rock he was standing on.

This was the problem with having a blasted siren for a life-partner! One damn mistake and he’d disappear off into the catacombs of the ocean till he felt like talking. It wasn’t as if Bill couldn’t go underwater and look for him, it wasn’t as if Bill couldn’t follow if he really wanted to, but when it came down to it Bill was a Dream Demon and the ocean was a treacherous place. The deeper you went the more horrible things got and some of the things down there were the perfect fuel for nightmares. All good and well, he didn’t mind a few weird fish, he had seen worse, but the fact of the matter was that it was almost damn near impossible to find anything there unless you knew where you were going or what you were doing. Dipper, as a siren, knew exactly where he was going, he knew where to hide and where to sit, where to find friends and what places to avoid, he knew every place like the back of his hand, small scales and all. Trying to find the kid while he was hiding in the ocean was pretty much a lost cause most of the time though Bill had definitely become better at it.

And as he had become better at it, he was pretty sure this was the place Dipper was hiding in – those damn birds above could squawk all they wanted, Bill had more important matters to attend to than listen to them – and the siren refused to come out. “I know you’re down there, kid, come the hell up.” The yell was just as loud as before if not worse, scaring some of the passing birds with its suddenness after a small moment of peace. The blond hair getting in his eyes wasn’t that fun either but Bill ignored it. “I’ll give you ten minutes and if you’re not up here I’m coming down to get you this time, Pine Tree.”

Really, this was getting ridiculous!

“Ten minutes.”

He started the countdown and waited.

“Nine.”

The waves continued their steady pace.

“Eight.”

A few more birds squawked – how the hell did Pine Tree put up with those things?

“Seven.”

Why was the kid mad anyhow?

“Six.”

They had been spending a few nice days in the castle and then he suddenly got mad and disappeared.

“Five.”

You’d think he’d at least snap or give Bill an explanation but nope! He just walked right out and into the ocean.

“Four.”

Well, he likely said something but Bill was pretty sure they were swear words. Seriously, they hadn’t even gotten past breakfast that day and this happened.

“Thr-“

The Demon didn’t get to finish when a big wave hit him out of nowhere. Had he been anyone or anything else he would have fallen right off of the rock he had been standing on and into the ocean but as it so happened he only shuddered at the cool water, thoroughly soaked. A pretty blue colour caught his gaze and he watched as clawed hands grasped the edge of the rock and pulled the upper front of the body up so two chocolate coloured eyes could gaze up at him, a frown making them less friendly than Bill would have liked. “Really, Pine Tree? Seriously?” The Demon said, gesturing to himself and the dripping water with an unimpressed look.

“You deserved it.”

Well, someone sure woke up on the wrong side of his clam today.

“You don’t fucking say, kid. Now, since you finally got your pretty little tail out of the water,”

“I’m still in the ocean, Bill.” The boy pointed out, rolling those big doe eyes even as he kept his hands on the side of the rock. His ‘pretty little tail’ was underneath the ocean’s embrace for the most part, invisible to Bill’s eye but the scales around his hips and the fins that reached up were still there visible for anyone who cared to look, the sun reflecting off of them beautifully. As always, he looked as if he had just come out of an artist’s idyllic fantasy. The same couldn’t quite be said for the drenched Demon in front of him but Bill seemed to refuse to acknowledge the state of his vessel that day. No matter, Dipper knew how much it annoyed the man when anything about his appearance was out of place without him being the one who had done it and that was satisfaction enough for the moment.

The Demon ignored the boy’s words, continuing as if he had not spoken. “Would you tell me what the hell has got you mopping on the bottom of no man’s land or do I get bonus points if I drag you back to the castle by your tail first?”

The siren looked just a bit appalled at the suggestion that Bill might even dare touch his tail without his permission, all the more at the suggestion that not only would he drag him by his tail but possibly hold him like some kind of trophy fish. Perhaps next time Dipper should just drown him for the implication of his words. If his glare had been somewhat mellow before it could have cut right then and, as if to mirror his moods, some of the waves also got angrier when slamming into the rock. “I’m not a prize fish, Bill!” He snapped at the man who seemed to have little to no regard for his feelings at the matter and for all Dipper knew the Demon might have meant it as a manner of expression – though he doubted it – but it was still insulting to him as a siren and one of the future rulers of the sea.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Pine Tree!” Bill snapped right back, leaning forward just a bit so he could meet Dipper’s eyes better, his grip on the cane he was holding tightening.

“Shouldn’t you have figured out by now? It’s been two weeks, Bill!”

Oh yes, he should have figured it out. Yep, figured it out because Dipper randomly walking out after breakfast was normal all of a sudden? “It could have been a year, Pine Tree, but you randomly walking out and starting to mop around like a wet rag instead of telling me what the problem is isn’t going to give me many clues!” You would think the kid would have at least caught onto that much by now but somehow hiding from him and not telling him what was the problem seemed like a better solution to Pine Tree, which only annoyed Bill in exchange and an irritated Dream Demon was not a pleasant thing to behold.

For a moment there was silence as if Dipper was debating if he should give up on his resolve and tell Bill what was bothering him or if he should just continue to fume if only because Bill was being aggravating right then. Letting him to his own devices seemed like a good option right about then with how completely ignorant the Demon seemed to his feelings…but Dipper had spent far too much time around Bill to assume the other was simply not thinking about him. Yes, perhaps he sounded kind of harsh, definitely annoyed and perhaps there wasn’t any form of gentleness in his voice right then as he demanded his answers but Dipper knew Bill cared about him and he knew how the other could get. If he didn’t get what he wanted Bill got irritated and annoyed. He was scheming but not knowing things really got to him. Bill didn’t seem one for emotions but Dipper had always been good at seeing through him and his strange quirks.

The Demon might have been angry with him but if he was there it meant that he had put in quite a bit of work to find him and since he hadn’t come earlier he had probably been trying to give Dipper some space to think things over. In retrospect, Bill had probably waited for Dipper to come back and tell him what was wrong so they could work it out. The reason why he was now in the middle of the ocean, soaked to the bone and demanding answers wasn’t because he was truly mad but because he was likely worried. Demons didn’t have the greatest of relationships, Dipper had caught onto that much, and while they had been together and more than generous with the affection they gave each other for almost 99 years straight there was no knowing when things could go wrong. Dipper was sure Bill would never admit to it, not truly or openly, but he was sure the Demon feared that something would happen someday that would truly break them up. They always made up quickly, a few hours after a fight or a few days. Any conflict between them rarely lasted a week or more so this was one of the more rare cases. Dipper did not want to admit it cause he was still angry, but he had probably worried the Demon to death with his absence – well, metaphorically at least since Bill couldn’t die.

Plus, he had a point. If they were to make up or even figure this out they would have to talk. The boy bit his lower lip, claws moving against the rock as a nervous gesture as he thought things through. He could almost see Bill’s patience growing shorter by the second but the blond male didn’t say anything as he stared expectantly at the merman holding onto the rock. A soft sigh escaped Dipper’s lips, mixing into the salty breeze. “It’s what you were eating.” He finally said, but it was likely the wrong answer by the way Bill’s eyes narrowed down at him.

“Kid, I’ve been worried sick about you accidentally getting your fins cut in some random rock at the bottom of the ocean, do you seriously think I remember what the hell I was eating two weeks ago?”

He appreciated the thought, really, he did, but that was definitely not what Dipper wanted to hear right then. The boy glared, pulling himself just a bit higher on the rock as if that would help him be more intimidating when he could barely reach Bill’s feet from where he was. It certainly didn’t make him more imposing or helped his stature, but the glare in his eyes and the harsh tone did make up for it. “Crabs, Bill! You were eating crabs! Crab sushi!” He snapped as if the other had committed a horrendous crime.

The waves moved against the rock and the breeze blew by.

Bill blinked a few times as if wondering if his vessel’s primary senses were working well. “Crabs?” Dipper continued glaring, not moving from where he was propped up onto the rock. Bill could almost see his tail flicking in annoyance under the ocean if only through his mind’s eye, though that really wasn’t of importance right then. “Wait…” The word came out slowly as if he was just trying to process it. “Let me get this clear,” he started and brought a hand to his forehead as if he was about to be ill. “You walked out on me, went to the bottom of the ocean close enough to reach the centre of the Earth, refused to talk to me and mopped about like a kicked puppy for two whole weeks because I ate crab sushi?” His voice started out slow, as if trying to comprehend what Dipper was saying, but by the end of it had risen to an incredulous crescendo as his mind caught up to him. By the way Dipper was looking at him he was right as well. The siren seemed about to say something but Bill cut him off. “That’s your reason!?” The words almost came out as a yell and once again Dipper seemed about to speak only to be cut off. “You’re a siren, you eat more marine life in a day than I eat in a month – in a human vessel anyhow, we both know I don’t need food in my normal form – but somehow I eat crab sushi and I’m suddenly on some unknown black list for all aquatic creatures?”

It was Dipper who interrupted Bill from continuing on his tandem this time, because he knew if he didn’t he’d never hear the end of it. “It’s the principle of the matter, Bill!” The siren pointed out but barely got that out before his partner once again took the discussion.

“Kid, I’ve been eating fish in front of you for almost an entire century! And you’ve probably hunted, skinned, torn apart, killed and tortured – among other things - more marine animals than most beings could count! If anyone’s the killer here – at least for marine life – it’s you. I mean I don’t know if you’ve noticed, kid, but you’re a predator!” Dipper looked as if he wanted to interject. “Not to mention the occasional human and don’t you dare lie to me about that, all you sirens get to at least taste a few before deciding if you want to dine on them later on in your lives as well or not, you get blooded pretty damn early at that.”

“Bill, it’s no-“

“I can’t believe you’re mad at me for eating sushi!”

“Bill, would you just li-“

“We literally had sushi for a week straight once!”

“Would you ju-“

“A week, Pine Tr-“

Another wave of water hit Bill directly in the face and the Demon coughed to get some of the water out of his mouth before glaring at Dipper who looked completely unaffected except for the completely wet hair where it had earlier started to curl at the tips. At the very least it got Bill to shut up even if he looked quite unhappy with the siren right then. “It’s not about eating sushi, it’s about it being crab sushi!” Dipper pointed out and Bill seemed just about to go on another tangent so Dipper continued before he could. “And I know I’m a predator, you’ve seen me hunt and eat before when I was trying to teach you how to do it in a siren vessel. It’s about the fish you chose to eat not about eating fish generally!”

Bill, who looked quite a bit like a wet cat by this point, very much would have liked to fling his partner back into the ocean but that would have done Dipper no harm so he abstained on the basis of it not having the results he wanted, plus he had barely gotten him to come out of it. “What exactly is wrong with crab?” he snapped, having quite had enough of this though it only seemed to fuel the fire in Dipper’s eyes. For someone whose main element was water as a magic user and as a species he had one hell of a fiery personality, as bad as a storm when he wanted to be and as cold as winter when upset.

“One of my best friends was a crab, you tadpole!” Ah, yes, the infamous siren insults. For some reason Bill could never take them seriously. Being called a ‘tadpole’ was supposed to be somehow insulting on the basis that you barely had a tail, couldn’t do much if even swim around and were basically a powerless baby with no proper fins and so on. Any other time Bill would have burst into laughter but he was a bit more concentrated on their current dispute. “Remember? The one that helped me when I first got legs?”

“Just one thing, Pine Tree.” Bill started, diplomatically.

“What?” Dipper answered carefully, not quite at ease with the tone.

“He’s dead.” The answer came as a very exasperated scream that hurt Dipper’s ears. Another wave seemed just about to hit but Bill had had quite enough and sent it right back with a wave of his own magic.

Dipper seemed unaffected by his little magic attack being stopped as he picked up the conversation. “It’s the intention that counts! I’m friends with crabs, you can’t just eat crabs! That’s terribly rude and cruel! You could have been eating his great-grandsons for all we know! That’s horrendous!”

“So suddenly eating crabs is a crime but salmons are fine even if some helped you? You seriously expect me to worry about eating some sea creature’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great” Bill took a breath. “Great-great-great-great-great-grandsons?”

The brown haired merman rolled his eyes at him, but at least seemed to lower himself a bit on the rock, which Bill took as a good sign of him cooling down a bit. “Firstly, those were exceptions and most salmons are pricks so really their only good purpose is being food.” Bill snickered. “Secondly, it’s the intention that counts!”

“What does an intention count for if they’re already dead?”

“Do you want me to stop being angry at you or not?” Dipper snapped, nails scratching against the rock in aggravation.

“Yes, but if that involves having to apologize to some random creature on the bottom of the food scale, I’m not going to do it.” Of course he wanted Dipper to stop being mad at him – for crabs! – it was the reason why he was in the middle of the ocean to begin with, but this was getting ridiculous!

“You could at least apologize to me.” The boy pointed out, tone quite dry for someone who was a creature of the sea.

“Apologize for what!?”

“For being insensitive!”

Bill had just had enough. “Kid, you never said anything about not eating crabs!” He got a glare but he knew if he let Dipper say anything right then it’d just end up badly and the boy would go right back to the bottom of the ocean and hide from him all over again, and this time it might as well have been for a whole year. “Look, how about a compromise?” At the very least that got him to stay. “I promise not to eat any more of your precious crabs from now on, alright?” The boy still looked reluctant…to anyone else it might have been annoying how stubborn Dipper was and sometimes it really did get so, but this was a bit different. Yes, Dipper could be stubborn and sometimes about the wrong thing but he held very tightly to his beliefs. Did Bill find this whole thing completely stupid and idiotic? Most definitely, but he wasn’t going to dismiss a problem Dipper had with him if it meant it would affect their relationship, nor was he going to invalidate his beliefs just because he didn’t share them. There were a lot of things they had different beliefs in after all, Bill believed time was an illusion, Dipper believed it should be cherished; Bill believed Gods didn’t exist despite the occasional swears he used while Dipper was raised as a firm believer in Calypso by his race. Bill believed he should be able to eat crabs as he pleased but if it made Dipper uncomfortable or mad at him because the boy believed some stupid far off memory about a helpful crab needed to be cherished then he’d stop. It wasn’t as if he needed to eat anyhow or as if he needed to eat crabs specifically, he had just thought it’d be an interesting meal to try.

Bill sighed. “Come on, Pine Tree. I promise, cross my inexistent heart and hope to drop out of the spiritual plane and all that.” Really, the things he did for the kid. “How about this? I’ll make it up to you.” The Demon let himself fall into a sitting position which startled the siren slightly but Dipper didn’t move away as a dark skinned hand reached for his pale one that bore a few scales on the back. “We’ll both go back to the castle and we can have a day or two all to ourselves, hmm? No servants, no people, nothing.” He rubbed small circles on the back of Dipper’s hand soothingly, noting that he didn’t pull away. The hand got a gentle grip of his own as he spoke and Bill could feel the familiar scales underneath his fingers. “Just the two of us.”

The idea sounded nice…it sounded pleasant and Bill had promised not to eat crabs anymore which was the best Dipper was likely to get out of the Demon. Plus, he was smiling really nicely right then and the look in his eyes…it was the one that made Dipper want to melt. The one that told him the other would rather look at him for the rest of eternity rather than anything else, the one that looked at him almost reverently. Bill didn’t believe in Gods or Calypso or karma, but sometimes he looked at Dipper so lovingly and so gratefully that it reminded the siren of how people who had lost hope looked after a miracle had saved them from a seemingly unstoppable cataclysm – disbelieving, loving, grateful, almost crying tears of joy and being eternally indebted somewhere in their hearts to whatever invisible force had saved them…Like a lost soul who had just learnt mercy or a deaf person hearing a siren’s song after years of nothing but eerie quiet…

“I’ll meet you at the shore, hmm?” Bill continued, seeing as Dipper had yet to answer him. He brought the hand to his lips and pressed kisses against the few scales on the back of his hand, one by one. “I’ll make sure to prepare you a warm bath and a big towel for after you change.” He turned Dipper’s hand so the palm would be facing up and placed kisses on the few scales that intruded towards the palm of his hand. “I’ll wash you up myself and we can lie in the tub with all of those nice smelling shampoos you like.” He pressed a kiss right in the middle of Dipper’s palm, eyes never leaving the brown doe ones of the siren. Dipper never got thirsty as a siren, but right then he could almost feel his throat go dry with the affection Bill was showering him in.

He had missed him…

”We can stay tangled up on the bed for as long as we like. We can have breakfast in bed – salmon sushi, pancakes, waffles, whatever you prefer – and I’ll get you whatever book you want to read.” He gave Dipper’s hand a gentle squeeze and Dipper wrapped his own smaller hand around his. Bill smiled, a bit too pleased, a bit too confident but all too genuine. “I’ll even sing for you.” And perhaps Bill didn’t have the best voice even in his human vessel and perhaps music wasn’t his passion either but sirens had that. Sirens courted each other through singing and while Dipper would never admit it for the life of him, Bill knew the siren liked when he sung him songs, just as he liked when Bill listened attentively to his singing in return. Dipper had always been quite the introvert and even now Bill doubted there were many who had heard him sing but Dipper did sing. Yes, he sung beautifully and Bill had the honour of hearing him whenever he pleased and seeing that beautiful blush he got whenever Bill complimented him.

The siren gave a small nod.

“I’d like that.”

*****

“You promise you’ll get us inside the moment I transform?” The blue siren bearing the Pine Tree mark on his arm asked unsurely, looking up at the tall dark figure standing on the rock. Just as they had decided, they were to meet at the shore once things were taken care of – namely, Dipper informing Mabel and his great uncles that he’d be gone to the surface for a while with Bill while the Demon dismissed any servants for the next few days so he could spend them in peace, relishing in his beautiful siren’s presence. However, they had not thought too much about the weather and, in retrospect, it didn’t count too much hence why neither had brought it up. No, it definitely didn’t count when you were an immortal being and didn’t really have plans for the outside made – unless being in the ocean fit into that – but that didn’t mean Dipper wasn’t reluctant to be in windy weather and cold ocean water for several moments after his transformation into a human body. He never had problems with the water as a siren, but as a human he felt as if he would get hypothermia the moment he transformed!

Currently, storm clouds were gathering overhead almost ominously and the waves were a bit more violent than Dipper would have liked, just a bit too violent, enough to possibly carry a human away easily if anyone decided to be stupid enough to ‘go for a swim’. Any other time he would have loved just letting himself be carried by them in his siren form, relishing the splatters of water and letting them carry him into the middle of the ocean somewhere, he would have liked to play between them and perhaps challenge Mabel to a race as they tended to do but he had other plans and it just so happen that those plans did not fit well with violent waves. Harsh waves and cold temperatures plus wind weren’t a good combination for turning into your human form and the boy could bet the water would be freezing once he did, but Dipper wasn’t going to back out from his plans with Bill either just because of that…he just wanted to make sure the Demon got him out of there and somewhere warm the moment he finished the spell. Yes, Bill always made sure to do so but that didn’t mean that an answer to his question wouldn’t at least help put his mind at ease and prompt him into the actual spell.

“Promise. I’ll get you inside the palace and into the warm bathtub as soon as you’re done, Pine Tree.” The Demon assured over the sounds of the sea, nodding towards the brunet. After all, he always did take good care of Dipper and he had no intention of letting the boy get sick, however much the siren insisted that he could not get sick. Similarly to their latest discussion they were on a rock. Or rather Bill was standing on a rock near the shore and Dipper was clutching onto the sides of it as he looked up to talk to him. Any other time the setting of their meeting might have been different – possible a tad warmer and somewhere more pleasant – but Dipper needed to be in the water to actually transform in his human form – ironically enough – so they had had to find a place where the water was deep enough so Dipper could draw on the energy of the ocean for his spell. They had been using this particular spot for a while now so they both knew how things went. The Demon got to one knee and leaned over the edge just a bit. “Ready?” The siren gulped a knot in his throat but nodded resolutely. It would be fine. Bill was there to get him out and to safety as soon as he lost his tail, it would be alright. He just had to get his part done quickly and Bill would take care of the rest.

Dipper trusted him with that…

Taking a deep breath of ocean air – more so out of nerves than anything else – Dipper’s form disappeared under the water as he submerged himself into the angry sea, the only thing remaining out being his hands which still held onto the rock, onto a lower part where water could still reach them from the waves. Magic thrummed through the air but except for the feeling all around there was no indication of it working as Bill waited and watched, paying close attention to how Dipper’s fingers seemed to twitch and tighten almost desperately on the edge of the rock. The scales seemed reluctant to leave but soon disappeared under soft white skin as if they never had been there and the long and dangerous claws Dipper bore shortened themselves into a beautiful and harmless round shape. Another wave hit and one hand slipped from its hold. The other would have followed suit if Bill hadn’t caught the boy by the arm with a vice grip at that point and pulled him up and out of the water as if he weighted next to nothing.

Dipper wasn’t sure if he was thinking straight after the sudden temperature shock the sea had given his body or after how rough the rock had suddenly felt against his palms as he lost his siren strength, but he still somehow expected to feel the firm water beaten rock underneath his feet when he was pulled up by a strong arm. He expected horrible wind, splashes of water on his cold skin and perhaps even some rain as he struggled not to fall and use his feet…instead, he found his feet stumbling and slipping on wet marble floors which landed him directly into a tight and warm embrace, soft material pushed against his cheek and body. There was humidity in the air and the light hurt his eyes for a brief moment as he blinked away the water from his eyes. He could tell the temperature there was definitely warmer than that of the sea but he still found himself a shivering mess as Bill’s hand held onto his arm with a vice grip, another wrapping tightly and securely around his bare waist. He could almost feel his teeth – fangless – clatter, the cold refusing to leave his bones. “I hate human forms.” He put in, a tremble in his voice and a shudder breaking his last words up. A warm, amused but kind, chuckle filled the air though frankly Dipper would have actually preferred a fire right then.

Not a moment later the hand holding his arm let go and Bill held him on his unsteady legs by the waist as he leaned in just enough to sweep the boy off of his human feet and carry him. Now that Dipper could take a better look around, he recognized the huge bathroom of the royal quarters Bill held for himself and, truly, not a moment later he found himself lowered him into a bathtub filled with warm water and bubbles, smelling of vanilla and a few other things he couldn’t bother to pinpoint. The warm water met his cold skin and he flinched at first before relaxing and letting the warmth sweep into his bones. Being a siren meant staying in the ocean but if you were out of the ocean salt water wasn’t really the best thing to have on you or let dry up on you, not in a human form anyhow, so it had become a habit by then that Bill would draw him a warm and nice smelling bubble bath before he transformed. Once he was safely settled into the tub and his body started to relax he submerged himself into the water without a second thought, eyes and mouth tightly closed so none of the nice smelling water would get into them.

The sound of laughter seemed to resound off of the walls of the huge bathroom as Bill watched the boy submerge himself into the warmth as soon as he had the chance. Dipper had always been adorable, whether he sported a tail or legs, but Bill had personally grown quite adoring of how he reacted to human bodies, beliefs and, of course, baths. It had been especially fun the first few times after Dipper had learnt to change forms by himself when he would all but run towards the bathtub and submerge himself in it without a second thought. Bill always had to make sure Pine Tree didn’t slip since he always had a certain clumsiness to him in the first few hours after acquiring his feet, however used he might have become to them in time. Bill also had to make sure to have the shower ready nearby in case Dipper once again forgot that he was definitely not supposed to open his mouth or eyes underneath the water when it had shampoo and soap in it and hence needed cold water to wash it out.

You’d think he got a good grasp of how these things worked in the first free months of being a human, he really had gotten the gist of things at the time but since he started just changing between a form and the other he sometimes tended to forget things that didn’t come naturally to his human body as opposed to his siren one – such as breathing underwater. He waited for almost a whole minute before Dipper finally emerged to the surface, gasping for air and coughing as his lungs protested his little habit. Bill wasn’t sure even after all these years if Dipper just constantly forgot he couldn’t breathe underwater in this form when first transforming or if he just held his breath for as long as he could as if that would spite the bath water for having him clean up in a human form. He assumed it was a bit of both depending on the occasion, but it was always fun to watch him splutter afterwards, occasionally glaring at the Demon if he dared laugh.

Settling himself on the edge of the huge tub, Bill watched with endearment in his eyes as Dipper tried catching his breath. He doubted Dipper would have admitted it but Bill was pretty sure the boy got pretty scared when he had to change into his human form. For all it was worth swimming as a human was not his forte and the waves that evening had been terribly threatening. It made him kind of happy to think back onto it that way because while he might not like for his Pine Tree to be scared, the amount of trust the boy placed in him was flattering. Shifting, the brunet made himself comfortable in the tub which might as well have been a small indoor pool really. Dipper would have thought that exaggerated any other time but he actually liked this tub. The size wasn’t useless, Bill had had it made especially for him as a surprise actually. It didn’t have an ‘important’ purpose, it was just there in case the siren wanted to laze around in his natural form between bubbles and scented water, which could be pretty fun.

Bill often joined him for that.

Dipper had learnt that while Bill’s fascination with things quickly went away most of the time, his enchantment with the blue tail and light fins Dipper had never quite seemed to be in the same category, instead he’d often have him trace his fingers over the scales or gently caress the fins…It was good quality time. Once Dipper had finally caught his breath and settled down nicely into the water so it reached to his shoulders, he felt fingers tangling in his wet hair and leaned into them. Bill tilted the boy’s head back gently till he was able to meet his chocolate gaze, then leaned in and placed a sweet kiss between the stars that decorated the boy’s forehead. Dipper smiled and Bill returned it. “You alright, Pine Tree?” he asked him in a soft whisper as if not to disturb the water around them but the siren caught the words easily nonetheless, judging by the warm light in his eyes.

“Mhm.” Dipper murmured in confirmation, sighing contently. Fingers moved through his hair, untangling any knots carefully and twisting a few strands around. “That feels nice.” It always felt nice when Bill played with his hair though Dipper had not been too fond of the gesture in the beginning, mostly because Bill used to tease him about how cute his curls were – which he still did sometimes mind you. Pine Tree was definitely very adorable after all, especially when he was pouting and denying said adorableness with surprising vehemence…he was also surprisingly small in his human form when compared to his siren one, but that should have been expected. Sirens had a bit of a different built than humans, stronger, more self-sustaining and while the upper body shape was pretty similar, the tails were always much bigger than legs would have been. Dipper’s tail was probably one of the longest Bill had seen but one should keep in mind that the boy’s fins were also long. Bill quite liked them, they gave Dipper an ethereal kind of appearance.

In storybooks and human thought most sirens had a similar tail, long with some fins at the end, but the truth was many sirens had different types of tails, some which resembled fish or other marine creatures while others were completely unique. Dipper’s were in the latter category. They flayed out at the end of his tail like a very fancy fan, like a flower in bloom if you wished, and he had a front and back fin that started pretty high on his tail. It almost look as if he wore a dress which Bill found far more entertaining than he should have, all the more when Dipper had been so confused about why only women wore dresses on the surface as they looked quite a bit like his tail. Yes, Dipper had a beautiful and long tail which gave him ‘height’ but in his human form he almost looked petite. His height was average and he still maintained the body of a swimmer along with the elegant body curves of a siren, but he almost looked fragile with his skin that bruised far too easily.

The Demon continued running his hand through Dipper’s hair and the boy hummed contently, moving just a bit to submerge himself just a little bit more in the hot water. They stayed like that for a while, just enjoying the serenity of the moment and each other’s presence before Dipper opened his eyes and leaned back a bit to look at Bill inquiringly. “Aren’t you going to join me in the water, Bill?” the boy asked, and Bill noted how he just barely seemed to remember to move his mouth out of the warm water before talking just a moment earlier as to not get any of the multiplying bubbles into his mouth. It was a small thing to notice but it still brought some amusement to the Demon as brown strands of hair fell from his fingers.

It wasn’t that Dipper didn’t know how to act human or survive as one but one tended to forget such things out of habit after not being in this form for a while. It wasn’t as if Bill asked Dipper to stay in his human form for him for extended periods of time unless the boy wanted to or felt like it. On the contrary, both switched quite a bit between their corporeal forms and Bill often enjoyed just staying with Dipper when he was in his siren form, tail lazily spreading out behind him – whether Bill himself used his human vessel, siren vessel or just stayed as a triangle depended on his mood but Dipper was always warmly welcoming towards him and very happy to see him and have him around (except for perhaps when he had to deal with his family cause Bill and Ford never mixed well for a reason or another and Stanley didn’t quite approve either so it was better for Bill not to be in their presence. Sheesh, you’d think they’d lay off after almost a whole century, but nope!). Regardless, Bill was used to switching vessels and forms while Dipper still sometimes forgot basic human things – just small things – when turning from one shape to another. One of the more amusing situations was whenever he forgot to heal any hickeys Bill left on him and got teased for it. It wasn’t as if Bill was going to tell him either, not when Dipper blushed a thousand shades of red whenever someone brought up the hickeys before turning into a stuttering mess. It wasn’t as if most sirens really had the concept either. Hickeys were fine for humans because their teeth weren’t too sharp, but not for sirens who had fangs that could easily tear into flesh. For most sirens the idea of letting themselves bitten for pleasure seemed absolutely horrendous.

Another entertaining little thing was how humans seemed to perceive their relationship as horribly peculiar. If he and Dipper were a bit too affectionate for the sirens, they weren’t affectionate enough for the humans. Clearly, supernatural creatures weren’t unusual and Bill ruled the dimension by then anyhow but the humans seemed just a bit scandalized that two races could be together without having some constant kind of sexual intercourse as if that’s what was needed to keep a relationship afloat. For some reason that was necessary to their relationship as well? All the more since they had human forms? Dipper explained their way of thinking better but neither truly cared about it. Sex was quite pleasant, yes, surely, but neither felt a constant need for it. Dipper theorized that it was because they didn’t feel that primary need as strong as humans due to their races but neither really dived into that discussion with an intention of changing anything. They were pretty easy going in that department, if they felt like it then it was perfectly fine or if one of them was craving it then the other would play along for their sake without a second thought – it was a pleasurable way to waste time after all – but except for that they were more than able to engage in other activities to keep each other entertained, happy and completely head over heels for each other.

“I will if you undress me.” Bill answered after a moment of thought Dipper looked at him absolutely scandalized, turning in the tub so quickly that the water swished, some spilling out. Bill was having a hard time not laughing at the look Dipper gave him as he took in his attire, knowing exactly what was going on through his mind. As usual, the Demon was being his snappy dresser self, a long cloak and, if Dipper’s assumptions were correct – which they likely were – a vest and a shirt underneath. Yes, this was all well and good for the Demon who used magic to put them on and could probably dress up in a suit in record time even without magic but it was an absolute nightmare for the siren who barely wore human clothes most of the time and found buttons to be the Devil’s work. Plus they always somehow got tangled up in his curls! Biting his lower lip, the boy furrowed his brows and he made a face almost as if debating if the trouble of undoing so many damn buttons was worth his life partner’s presence in the tub.

Bill laughed.

“Shut up, it’s not funny.” The boy snapped but Bill could not take him seriously when he had a blush on his cheeks and that stubborn reproachful look without any actual hate in it. The brunet would have growled if he had the ability but as it so happened he didn’t, so he could only try his best not to pout or seem too affected by the Demon’s teasing. Bill’s laughter was getting on his nerves by this point and if only out of spite to prove him wrong, he decided he’d do it. “You know what? Fine.” He declared stubbornly and moved closer to the edge where Bill was sitting, casting a nervous – if not annoyed – glance at the buttons. “Move closer, I can’t reach.” He instructed, not willing to move away from the warm embrace of the water if he had a choice. Yes, he could probably reach if he got on his knees or if he got up, but as it so happened he didn’t want to.

The laughter finally seemed to fade away some as the Demon brought his undivided attention to the determined look on Dipper’s face. “I’m sure you can reach just fine from where you are.” He pointed out smugly, knowing that getting out of the water in any way was exactly what Dipper was avoiding. He wasn’t doing it to actually get him to get out of the water, he just liked teasing him and, truly, he received a glare in return.

“I am not getting out of the water more than necessary, Bill.” Dipper said with conviction and gestured the Demon to lean in closer. The blond rolled his mismatched gold and blue eyes, shaking his head slightly as if he was making some grand sacrifice – drama queen – and finally leaned forward just enough for Dipper to reach, keeping his balance by holding onto the side of the tub while pale white fingers reached out and started working on the buttons of his cloak. Dipper’s fingers were long and slender without a single flaw to them, they almost looked like the kind people expected from those whom played piano. It was because of how completely white and sensitive the boy’s hands were in this form that Bill had originally assumed that, logically, the boy must have come from a high standing family. Really, the boy looked as if he had never lifted a book in his life and that had been bound to incite Bill’s curiosity! He hadn’t been far off from the truth, the kid was royalty, just not land Royalty. For the moment, mismatched eyes watched as those slender fingers fiddled hopelessly with the buttons of his coat. Bill was pretty sure it was only out of accident that Dipper even managed to undo the first button and his fingers kept slipping or accidentally letting go of the button that refused to do as he wanted it to. Bill let him at it for a few buttons – which took a while even with the boy’s determination – before grabbing one of Dipper’s hands in his own.

“Like this, Pine Tree.” He brought his hand over to the next button and easily pushed it through with his fingers. Dipper seemed to shiver at the contact as Bill’s hands were still somewhat cold from the outside while his hands were warm and wet from the bath. The Demon couldn’t tell if Dipper was looking at him with reproach for interrupting, jealousy for being able to do it so easily or relief for having gone over a button without him having to actually take care of it by himself. He brought Dipper’s hand to the next button on his cloak and helped him undo it the same way, guiding his hand with his own, then did the same for the last one. “See? It’s not that hard.” He pointed out with a smug smile once brown eyes returned to look at him.

Brown eyes glared at him without much effect, lips in a pout. “It’s a nightmare.” Dipper lamented, groaning as the Demon got up to take the coat off and discard it somewhere, revealing a vest and a black shirt. He knew it. “Why can’t humans wear anything easy to undo?” he complained loudly, leaning on the edge of the tub where Bill had earlier sat. “Why can’t you ever in your life wear something simple?” he continued, eyes landing on the many buttons left to be undone. Dipper was sure that while human attire could be a pain there were some clothes which were much easier to take off or could just be pulled off, but his life-partner just so happened to have a thing for clothing with buttons and this ‘fashion’ thing. Dipper was willing to indulge him on most things, but this wasn’t one of the things he particularly enjoyed.

Chuckling at the boy’s complaints, Bill strode back to where he was leaning over and watched as Dipper moved back into his earlier spot so the Demon could sit down. “I do wear simple things, Pine Tree!” He answered in a preppy manner, looking very pleased with himself as he leaned forward for Dipper to continue on with undoing the vest. The boy scoffed but nonetheless reached for the smaller buttons of the vest, fingers still slippery with water.

He tried mimicking the Demon’s earlier movements but it came as harder than expected and he kept from grinding his teeth in exasperation. “And when is it that you wear these ‘simple things’ because I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in them and we’ve known each other for a damn century. Even your original form has a top hat, a bow and a cane!” he pointed out with childish exasperation, moving his eyes away from the buttons and up to Bill’s eyes as he waited for an answer, the next button continuously slipping from his fingers for some reason. By the look in Bill’s eyes, he had expected that question from the beginning and had an answer to it that he was very pleased with. This either meant Dipper would really like the answer, be confused as hell or want to fling the nearest corporeal object at the Demon.

“In my siren form.” The answer flowed smoothly from those delectable lips and Dipper found himself blinking for a moment if only because he expected some silly answer instead of one that actually made sense. “Well, theoretically I don’t wear anything in that form, but it still counts!” The Demon pointed out with a knowing grin as the boy blinked up at him for a second. It was true since technically sirens did not need to wear anything, they were perfectly alright with their bodies though Dipper had seen some wear ‘clothes’ on their upper parts or add decorations to their hair, he had seen some using plants to make a paste and create temporary designs on their bodies similar to how humans had temporary tattoos and had often seen Mabel try all sorts of things both in her siren and human form. Bill never needed those though, he looked absolutely magnificent in his merman form. He was already quite stunning in his human form with his blond hair and dark roots accompanied by those mischievous mismatched eyes, but his siren form just had something more to it in Dipper’s personal opinion. Sincerely, it was likely just a race thing, Dipper would always be partial to his original race so seeing Bill making a siren vessel so they could both sunbathe and search for oysters and such like other siren couples made him very happy. He was a sight to behold as well, a long golden tail turning black around the middle and two patches of golden scales on his shoulders, another one just a bit up his stomach.

Oh and the voice…

Dipper would never be able to get over the voice Bill had in his merman form. As a Demon, Bill didn’t quite have a pretty voice, most Demons didn’t nor did they care for song, but he had a very smooth and pleasant voice while in his human vessel and had specifically made sure to have a good voice in the siren one for Dipper. Sirens often courted each other through song and most believed that their favourite voices were those of their other halves, if two sirens harmonized perfectly then they were said to be soulmates. This didn’t work for Dipper and Bill since Bill was a Demon and not a siren but to his credit Bill had gotten the exact type of voice that made Dipper melt on his first try and that counted well enough for the boy. Mabel had said that this definitely meant they were soulmates…and had had to explain to Bill how things worked for the Merfolk while Dipper felt like dying from embarrassment and tried to hide behind a rock. She also vehemently insisted that now that he could, Bill had to court Dipper properly, song and cuddles and all the nine yards.

Bill had been more than happy to oblige.

“And we would have known each other for 99 years at the end of this upcoming summer, Pine Tree, you added about a year to that.” After all, Dipper was a romantic at heart so if only for his sake Bill made an effort to remember their anniversaries and all sorts of random things just so he could surprise him and see him melt at the attention. By this point Dipper had managed to undo a few more buttons and Bill brought a hand to help him once again till he seemed to get the movement of undoing buttons easily and the vest hung about Bill’s form.

Why was Dipper smirking?

“You’ve known me for almost 99 years.” Dipper pointed out, a small glint of mischief in his eyes as he looked up at the Demon taking off the vest to discard it on the floor. Those words seemed to stop him short for a moment as he waited for Dipper to continue. The siren leaned in and placed his arms on Bill’s thighs, a knowing look on his face that Bill didn’t know if to be proud or wary of. “I would have known you for about a century at the beginning of summer.” Bill all but gaped as he looked at the smug little siren resting his arms on his lap.

“Wait, you mean to say when you said ‘I’ve seen you before on ships’ once we got things sorted out, you meant a blasted year, not a week or a few months or something?” Dipper seemed about to confirm this but Bill cut him off. “How didn’t I notice you!?” He seemed pretty appalled with his own incapability of not noticing someone was watching him and it was Dipper’s turn to keep from laughing as he sported a big grin on his lips.

“I’m good at sneaking around in my siren form.” He offered sweetly, watching Bill’s wide eyes stare at him in bewilderment. It wasn’t often that anyone got to Bill but Dipper greatly cherished the moments when he did. “Are you going to let me finish undressing you or not?” the boy prompted, bringing the Demon out of his shock, a golden eye blinking at him while the other was covered by blond hair. He leaned in just as he had done earlier and this time Dipper reached for the buttons a bit more confidently and managed to undo them, albeit at a slow pace. It must have been a minute into this that Bill finally spoke again, bafflement still clear in his voice.

“A year?” he asked, seeming stunned. “A whole year?” He repeated and Dipper had the hardest time concentrating on the buttons and the dark skin the shirt revealed when he had to hold back his laughter. “You sure you counted that right, Pine Tree?” Bill offered, looking down incredulously to where the siren was done with half of the buttons on his shirt. Dipper seemed about to answer but Bill cut him off before he could and Dipper couldn’t even be mad at it. “A whole fucking year?” By this point Dipper couldn’t help but laugh, his shoulders shaking with amusement.

“Yes, Bill, a whole blasted year.” He smirked, just a bit smug as he undid the next button. “You looked quite charming on deck but never quite paid attention to what was off deck.” He offered, still smiling in that smug and knowing way, his fingers undoing the last button after a few tries. “All done!” he declared proudly, bringing his brown eyes up to Bill who still looked a bit shell-shocked even if he was definitely starting to get a grip of the conversation.

“A whole blasted year.” Bill mocked, more so himself than Dipper, as he pulled the shirt off to reveal perfect dark skin. “I can’t freaking believe this. How come I was never told?” he said, voice raising in disbelief as he took his shoes and socks off, throwing them into a pile with the rest of his clothes.

“It never came up, I think?” Dipper offered innocently, shrugging his shoulders while Bill undressed in front of him, quickly getting rid of the rest of his clothes and throwing them on the floor. “Well, nothing more than ‘I saw you before making the deal with the witch’ I suppose. You never asked for how long either.”

“I expected it was a month or two at most, not a whole year!” Bill pointed out, seeming just a bit aggravated, if not impressed, as he got into the bathtub with Dipper, hands wrapping around his waist as soon as the male got close to him. He muttered something which Dipper assumed was a swear in an old language or another – they had different pronunciations for some of them but they were still similar enough to make out. Dipper giggled and leaned into the embrace, soon feeling Bill lean his head into the crook of his neck and placing a small kiss there. Bill had long since memorized where his life partner had his scales in his merman form and found that those spots were a bit more sensitive than others when he was human, the crook of his neck, the small of his back, his hips and sides, just below his elbows, the back of his hands and where his palms met his wrists…There were no scales now though, nothing but soft skin as he nuzzled the boy, making him giggle and squirm in his grip.

He smirked and held him closer.

“Enjoying yourself?” he inquired mischievously, smiling against the pale skin underneath his lips as Dipper squirmed from the sensation. He gained a small amused hum of approval not long after and a hand reached out to tangle in his blond hair. He hummed in return against the skin, murmuring something softly to the boy as his hands traced his sides, tracing little patterns where he knew the boy usually had his scales as if they were still present. A blissful sigh escaped Dipper’s lips as he leaned into Bill, playing with his hair while Demon clung to him. Occasionally he’d giggle when Bill intentionally brushed his hands against a ticklish spot but except for that, the sounds of the water and the storm outside, it was quiet. Tilting Bill’s head by tangling his fingers in his hair, Dipper leaned in just enough to place a soft kiss near his ear, spotting the Demon’s smile and soon feeling it against his skin not long after. “We should get you cleaned up, Pine Tree.” Bill pointed out not long after, placing one last kiss to the side of Dipper’s neck.

The boy let out an exaggerated groan and proceeded to let himself lean fully against Bill as if that would make it more difficult to move from the comfortable position and stop their little moment of bliss. “I don’t want to move.” The brunet complained pathetically, definitely exaggerating the situation and making Bill chuckle. For people saying that Bill was the drama queen, Dipper could be just as bad depending on the situation.

“If you hand me the sponge and shampoo you want we barely have to move.” The Demon pointed out and since Dipper at least glanced towards the shampoos, he assumed he caught his attention.

Dipper sighed.

“Fine.”

He leaned over and grabbed one of the familiar bottles of shampoo and shower gel, handing them to Bill before picking up the sponge. He leaned back against the Demon and presented the now soaked sponge to him. “Here you go.” Bill gave him a kiss on his forehead for the trouble and grabbed the shower gel, placing some on the sponge. Dipper rubbed the shower gel into it before Bill took it away from him and started running it down his skin, the cold feeling making him jump a bit. Once his back was cleaned he was allowed to lean back against his partner once again and Bill took to making sure every inch of the boy was cleaned up of any salt water so only the smell of the shower gel remained. Dipper seemed pleased enough with the treatment till Bill asked him to sit on the edge of the bathtub so it would be easier to scrub him clean.

“You said I wouldn’t have to move.” He pointed out dryly, giving Bill a look.

“Demons lie, kid. After knowing one for a damn century you’d think you’d know that – I still can’t believe you sneaked up on me for a whole freaking year.” That little titbit seemed enough to brighten Dipper’s mood as he moved out of Bill’s arms.

“I guess you’re just getting a bit rusty.” He teased and Bill scoffed. Any other time he would have made a comment or a remark back but as it so happened Dipper seemed to slip while getting up so Bill concerned himself more with catching him before he got himself hurt. “Thanks.” He boy stuttered out and Bill could almost hear Dipper’s heart beating at the sudden shock as he helped him get up and sit on the edge of the tub.

“Don’t worry about it, Pine Tree. You still need to get used to your legs.” Bill assured gently and grabbed the shower gel to pour more onto the sponge.

Dipper sighed but didn’t dare move from where he was gripping the side of the tub in fear that he’d slip again and hurt himself. Human bodies were definitely not as resistant as siren ones, as proof his skin bruised surprisingly easy in this form. “I hate legs.” Mostly because he never got a grip of them instantly as he would with anything else. It was aggravating, but Bill just seemed to find it amusing as a chuckle broke through the air.

“Is that so?” he inquired, smiling up at the boy. He moved closer and placed a kiss on the boy’s thigh, making him blush up a storm that had nothing to do with the hot water. “Because I think you have very beautiful legs.” He hummed and Dipper struggled to stutter out a response, stopping himself a moment later when Bill smirked knowingly at him. It didn’t take more than a few minutes from then on for Bill to clean him up and then get the shower gel off of his body. Once that was done it was time to deal with the boy’s curly hair so Bill had him come back into the tub and turn his back to him so he could more easily tend to him. A bit of shampoo later Dipper’s hair felt sticky but there were no complaints as skilled fingers ran through the brunet locks, rubbing the shampoo in and massaging his scalp.

It felt nice.

Somewhere along the line Dipper had grown very attached to all of the nice scents the land had to offer. He’d often be in complete awe of a shampoo or another, of some perfume Bill got him and it always made his eyes sparkle with curiosity and happiness. All of them had really nice smells – that was their purpose after all – but he definitely had a weakness for the sweet kinds, most which just so happened to be made for the female gender on land. Bill had teased him quite a bit about it but he always got Dipper an entire table filled with different perfumes when he got into his human form if only to spoil him. Poor siren had no idea where to start with them more often than not but Bill always recommended one or another out of his own personal preference as to what he’d prefer Dipper to smell like that day. Bill himself didn’t use them but Dipper didn’t think he needed to nor had reason to. The Demon had a natural scent about him which Dipper really enjoyed, it was kind of sweet and tangy but also pretty imposing and masculine. Dipper was sure the only reason he smelled that way was because he liked people to cower in fear as much as he liked nice scents while in his vessel because otherwise the Demon loved burying his head into Dipper’s neck and smelling whatever sweet perfume he was wearing that day.

Gentle hands weaved through his hair and Dipper smiled at the sensation, leaning into the touch. Years ago Dipper would have never dreamt of trying or, by all means, enjoying this. Humans were weird and put all sorts of strange things in their hair and on their bodies, but he found he enjoyed a lot of human things after Bill showed them to him. And he especially liked it when Bill took the time and washed his hair like this, running his fingers through the strands that would curl up once his hair dried and massaging his scalp. Sometimes Dipper joked that Bill was only being this gentle when washing his hair because he sometimes chose to sit on top of Dipper’s head in his small triangle form and always, somehow, got his hair extremely tangled up and in the weirdest of shapes. Why he preferred doing that Dipper had no idea – Bill said he liked playing with his ‘curls’ though there were barely any when he was a siren except if he was sunbathing and his hair was starting to dry – and the boy often got quite a few weird looks from his fellow sirens for it but that was normal by this point.

He got a lot of weird looks when it came to Bill.

Demons were dangerous and unpredictable, they barely had genuine emotions of affection and most sirens were very wary and didn’t trust Bill, but that was fine. The couple ignored them and went about their business normally. Often they joked about it. Sometimes, Dipper just asked Bill to tag along out of spite because he had heard one siren or another say something about them and he’d be damned if he didn’t bring the triangle along if only to rub their relationship in their face and make them uncomfortable. Most of the time it went well…other times it was a complete disaster but that was always a chance with Bill along. The worst was when they accidentally bumped into Ford though, so Dipper did his best to avoid letting that happen.

They were definitely never going to have family dinners.

Bill adjusted the temperature of the water coming from the shower head and proceeded to rinse off any remaining shampoo from the brunet locks. It looked straight when it was soaked and longer than expected as well, quite different from how it would look when the boy was swimming in the ocean. Despite that, Bill was sure that as soon as it would start to dry it would curl up at the tips in such a way that it would perfectly frame the boy’s face. It would gain some volume and seem shorter than it actually was while looking absolutely adorable on his sweet Pine Tree. Once he was done rinsing Dipper’s hair, the siren straightened up and stretched, bear back exposed to Bill. Smirking, the Demon leaned in and placed a kiss on the back of the boy’s neck, making Dipper arch his back and jump a bit at the unexpected touch. He smirked and wound a hand around him, once again pulling him closer to his body. “All cleaned up, Pine Tree.” He assured and placed a kiss on the boy’s cheek. For the second, Dipper moved to meet his lips instead, prolonging the kiss till Bill pulled away and left him breathless. Shifting in the blond’s arms, he moved so he could face him, wounding his arms around his neck and pushing his forehead against his affectionately, a gesture which Bill happily returned, amusement in his eyes.

“Now we just have to get you cleaned up.” Dipper pointed out, a smile on his lips as he stole another short peck to Bill’s lips. He liked this, the little gestures of affection and how they were completely normal for them at this point, how neither had to ask for them anymore or check in with the other, they were just something both happily embraced, received and returned. Sometimes they were soft and playful like right now and they would melt in each other’s presence while other times they got competitive with each other, with kisses and touches and who could make the other one more of a mess…Dipper quite enjoyed both but the genuine affection between them right then was exactly what he craved.

The Demon hummed in response, staring into those beautiful doe eyes. “Oh, you’re going to wash my hair in return now?” he teased in good humour, hands resting on Dipper’s sides. It shouldn’t be natural for a siren to have such pretty brown eyes, most had green or blue eyes for that matter. Bill was sure that in some other dimension Dipper was a race that fit his pretty doe eyes much better but that was unimportant. There could be a million Dippers in different dimensions and there probably were, but the siren one in his arms insisting on washing his hair in return was the only one he wanted to spend eternity with.

The brunet nodded. “Yes.” Dipper reached and grabbed the shower head before Bill could protest in any way, grinning victoriously. “Turn around please.” He chimed, untangling himself from Bill to give him enough space.

The Demon chuckled, but followed through with the instructions he was given, leaning his head back so Dipper could reach. “Should I be afraid? I’ve heard sirens have very little experience in such departments.” He teased, soon feeling warm water course over his hair, soaking the dark roots and the blond tips completely. Dipper ran his hand through it, pulling it back and revealing a blue eye that Bill’s hair usually hid. He liked the Demon’s mismatched eyes, they were pretty mesmerizing and had been one of the first things to peak his curiosity about the Demon.

Placing the shower head aside, he grabbed one of the shampoos he knew Bill liked. “If you continue talking like that, perhaps.” The boy quipped, gathering some shampoo into the palm of his hand. By all means, Dipper definitely lacked some human skills but he had always been good at washing Bill’s hair. He wasn’t as confident in his movements as his partner and didn’t do it as often but he was really gentle and always made sure that no shampoo got into Bill’s eyes because he knew that hurt. Occasionally, he would get some shampoo in Bill’s eyes on purpose if he had annoyed him – hence the unspoken threat – but they usually avoided that. The brunet started rubbing the shampoo into the blond locks, watching as bubbles formed while he took to massaging Bill’s scalp similar to how the blond had done for him. The Demon let out a small hum of approval at the feeling, standing still as the boy took his time washing his hair. He took a bit longer than needed with rubbing in the shampoo but Bill didn’t say anything or interrupt him either since he liked the feeling. A moment later he heard the shower head being turned on again and soon after felt warm water washing away the shampoo. Dipper rinsed the blond hair with warm water till it seemed like all of the shampoo was gone before finding himself pleased with his work.

Hearing the water stop, Bill opened his eyes to look up only to be met with two big brown eyes. A kiss was pressed against his forehead and he smiled. “All cleaned up, Bill.” The boy echoed the Demon’s earlier words, smiling sweetly down at him before he pulled away so Bill could straighten up. The Demon rolled his shoulders back for a moment, then turned to face Dipper, leaning in to place a quick kiss on the side of his neck, gaining a small giggle from the boy.

“Thank you, Pine Tree.”

“You’re welcome.” Dipper hummed, hearing thunder cracking outside where the storm had begun. He ignored it in favour of Bill’s voice and kisses. He liked those words on Bill’s lips because he knew it was rare for him to thank anybody for anything. They were special when Bill spoke them to him and while Dipper still held to his conviction that Bill could be terribly impolite in that sense, he also liked being one of the only people to ever hear him speak those words.

It made him feel special.

Catching one of the boy’s hands in his, Bill brought it to his lips and placed a kiss on the back of it. He continued holding it as he pushed his forehead against Dipper’s star kissed one affectionately. “Shall we get out now or do you still want to lie around in the bathtub for a while?” he asked, mismatched eyes meeting brown as he gently traced random patterns on the back of Dipper’s hand. Personally, Bill would have had no problem with spending a bit more time in the bathtub just holding Dipper and nuzzling against him contently but they had already been there for a while. The Demon was more used to being in a human vessel by then but he fully agreed with Dipper when he complained about human forms more often than not. One such complaint was dehydration after staying in the bathtub for too long. It was a big bathroom and everything but the air was still a bit too warm by this point. Plus, he could just cuddle Dipper once they were comfortably settled down on the bed underneath the covers if he so wished. The boy didn’t seem like he’d have any complaints to that. He briefly wondered if Dipper was hungry. He had made sure to have some snacks and food ready for the boy in case he was but he knew that if the boy had already eaten in his siren form – an amazing amount of fish, most sirens ate quite a lot though they had different preferences – then Dipper was unlikely to really want to eat anything. A bite or two were passable but nothing more.

Dipper didn’t need to think twice about his answer. “No.” He made a face as if he had just tasted something foul, giving Bill’s hand a gentle squeeze in return. Yes, he loved lying around in the bathtub and he loved Bill bathing him or generally cuddling with Bill while in the water, skin against skin, but the dehydration was starting to get to him. There couldn’t possibly be something worse for a siren than feeling dehydrated in their own element – losing their voice might top it but Dipper had managed to deal with that for a while as well. He didn’t want to deal with feeling dehydrated if he didn’t have to though. “My mouth is going dry.” By this point he felt like he could drink three jugs of water right then, though his appetite for anything else was pretty small as he had had his meal earlier that day with Mabel at her request. Even so, a small human snack sounded good. Maybe one or two of those little sandwiches they served at parties or a bruschetta? Sushi would do as well!

However, before any of those: water.

The Demon chuckled at the boy’s expression and quickly pecked his forehead before letting go of him and getting out of the water. He stretched then glanced towards the siren. “Wait here.” He instructed and disappeared behind the door that Dipper knew led to his room. The brunet moved closer to the edge of the tub and leaned on it as he waited. The only sounds came from the outside storm, the walls being a bit too thick for him to hear into the other room. A few minutes later Bill returned, barefooted and only wearing a comfortable pair of pants, carrying a huge towel. Dipper didn’t have to be told that was for him as he moved onto the edge of the tub once again, careful not to slip like earlier. He carefully got out, holding onto the edge as to be sure he wouldn’t suddenly find himself losing his balance and not long after Bill enveloped him into the soft material, the towel all but swallowing him whole. Bill made sure to dry Dipper off and even towel dry his hair a bit. He grinned as familiar curls formed. “Ah, there are those curls!” he teased and Dipper rolled his eyes. Bill thought his curls adorable and Dipper did not want to be called that, it sounded like he was being belittled or underestimated. It was more so conditioning that the word was calling him weak indirectly but he had almost grown a strange kind of fondness for it when it came from Bill, it wasn’t like the Demon was going to stop calling him that anytime soon anyhow. The gesture only seemed to amuse the blond as he pecked Dipper’s lips and took him by the hand once the towel was safely draped around his form.

“Let’s get you dressed up.”

Still holding onto Dipper’s hand just in case the boy slipped or lost his balance till he got used to his legs, Bill led him inside his chambers. It was a big room befit for a ruler – of course – and a bit intimidating when one first walked into it if truth be told, but it was a familiar sight for Dipper and he found the atmosphere pleasant. There was a blue fire lively burning in the hearth, which didn’t come as a surprise. The room was warm even if the winds were blowing harshly outside with the storm and Dipper relished in that warmth. There were a few couches and armchairs in front of the hearth along with a coffee table and a few shelves of books nearby. On the other side of the room there was a huge bed decorated with pillows and warm covers, a big baldachin looming over it to offer a sense of intimacy. There was absolutely no need to have both armchairs, couches and a bed in the same room but Bill often got restless in his human form and liked moving about – and making pillow forts was also a regular occurrence by this point. In the corner there were shelves and a desk filled with seashells Dipper had collected for Bill on his little expeditions along with other knick-knacks and a few agendas, some containing drawings and some containing stories or notes. Bill had absolutely no need for them nor did he seem to quite understand how seashells were a courting gift for sirens but he accepted them and got excited over them all the same. Plus, even he had to admit Dipper chose some of the prettiest shells for his gifts!

Along one of the walls more bookshelves decorated the room and Dipper noted that the coffee table near the hearth bore all sorts of food. Bill must have made sure to get those for him in case he happened to be hungry after a day at sea and his transformation spell. It was sweet but also a bit of a waste since there was no way Dipper could eat much right then. Bill led them both to the huge wardrobe near the bed and opened it to reveal its contents. While the wardrobe had been solely Bill’s in the beginning, they had ended up sharing it at some point. That was good, it made things easier…he just wished Bill would stop randomly throwing out some of the clothes he liked on the basis that ‘That’s so last season, Pine Tree!’ but at least the Demon never threw away the ones Dipper really liked or the ones Mabel had made for him. The Demon got to looking through some of his clothes in search for a shirt while Dipper had to lean on his tip toes to search for one of the sweaters Mabel had gifted him.

Mabel had not come onto land till a while ago in truth, but as soon as she did she had taken a liking to knitting and crocheting, anything to do with crafts. It didn’t take Dipper long to find the familiar red-brown colour and pull the sweater out from its spot. The sweater itself was pretty simple without any design, bearing a loose turtleneck and being long enough to reach just below Dipper’s hips – that was mostly a mistake as she had considered his height more so as a siren than a human at the time. Dipper liked wearing it to sleep and while it wasn’t old, the turtleneck was a bit looser than when he had first gotten it because Bill kept pulling at the sides of it so he could get to place kisses and hickeys on Dipper’s neck to the point that now the turtleneck could easily reveal one of his shoulders if just pulled easily to the side. The material had also stretched a bit with time since Dipper kept pulling at it every once in a while when fidgeting or when he slept in it, so now it reached just a little past his thighs instead of just below his hips. It was very comfortable though, made of a soft material, and Dipper had gotten used to wearing it to bed when he was in a lazy mood and wanted to snuggle up to Bill.

He glanced over at Bill to see if he had already chosen something for the night and proceeded to promptly stare mutedly for a moment before snapping without thinking. “For Calypso’s sake, if you wear anything with buttons to sleep I swear I’m going out and back to the bottom of the ocean, Bill!” The words came out even before Dipper truly thought them through once he saw the Demon looking at a button up shirt for a reason or another. Had he waited for a bit for his mind to catch up to him he would have realized that that was definitely not sleep wear and that Bill was just looking at it with the purpose of teasing him. It worked and the Demon laughed. Dipper blushed in embarrassment and glared. “I’m serious, Bill!” Yes, very serious…the most serious…as serious as he could get…which wasn’t very in truth, not in this situation

Bill couldn’t get his laughter under control for a full minute as Dipper did his best to glare at him. “Got it, Pine Tree.” He assured, still getting his laughter under control. “No buttons.” He assured, putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender as Dipper continued to watch him warily. The shirt was placed back into the wardrobe and Bill effortlessly grasped onto a thin white shirt, pulling it over his head. It was long and comfortable, the type that nobles and the higher class often wore to bed. It suited him well. “Let me help you with that.” He offered and took the sweater from Dipper before the boy could say anything, pulling the towel off and starting to slip the sweater onto him the next moment. Dipper clicked his tongue in irritation at his life partner, but followed through with the movements till the sweater was on and Bill was adjusting the soft material on Dipper’s form, pulling it down till it reached his thighs. Once he was pleased with how cosy Dipper looked in his sweater, he closed the wardrobe doors and pulled him into his arms by the waist.

Dipper sighed at Bill’s pretentious attitude but didn’t resist as he was pulled close. “Do you want anything to eat, Pine Tree?” the Demon inquired and made a small gesture towards the coffee table bearing food.

Yes, the food smelled good but Dipper was sure he could not stomach much after having had a big meal with Mabel earlier that day. Sirens ate much more than humans and Dipper wasn’t sure his human form would be able to properly eat any sort of consistent meal till the next evening for lack of hunger. He shook his head, hands resting on Bill’s arms. The sleeves of the sweater her also gotten a bit longer with time, mostly because Dipper tended to pull on them when fidgeting, whether it was because he was thinking, nervous or had nothing to do with his hands. “Mabel wanted me to go eat with her earlier since I told her I’d be gone for a while so I really can’t eat almost anything right now.” He explained with a small shrug, knowing that while Bill probably had expected him to at least eat something he wouldn’t hold it against him if he didn’t.

He knew how siren diets went after all.

Every siren meal was usually pretty consistent and big, though it depended on the size of each. Their bodies used up a lot of energy and most sirens wanted to always have a strong and full voice when singing hence they wanted to keep themselves well fed. It didn’t take them more than one meal a day – or depending on the siren one every two or three days – but that was a pretty big meal. That kind of appetite definitely did not go through when having a human form – humans ate so little! – but if Dipper had already eaten as a siren he would definitely not feel the need to really eat as a human, not for a pretty long while. Bill usually insisted he at least had a bite of something every once in a while though even if he didn’t truly feel like it so his human body would function well. It was just so that Bill had come to make up a list of things that Dipper liked to nibble on or at least have from time to time without worrying about eating too much, so the siren would get something in his stomach to keep his human body going about its daily business in a healthy manner – chocolate pieces, small sandwiches and caviar were also on that list.

“I want water though.”

The Demon chuckled at the request. “Of course.” He agreed and untangled himself from the embrace to instead hold the boy’s hand as he led him to the couch and the coffee table full of food and sweets.

The rug underneath their feet was soft and Dipper seemed a bit more comfortable with the familiar feeling of it as they made their way there, no more than a few steps but enough to see that Dipper was getting a bit more comfortable with his legs already. As soon as they were near, Dipper let himself fall into a sitting position on the soft black couch, surveying all of the different kinds of food on the table. His body was probably still adjusting because he didn’t quite feel sick at the smells even if he was full nor did he feel a horrible desire to at least try some of it as he usually would after a few hours or a day of being in his human body and adjusting to life on land. Bill grabbed the jug of water and started pouring the liquid into a cup with a Pine Tree on it – Dipper had just come to assume Bill preferred using that ‘nickname’ for him and putting it on his things because where Bill came from shapes were pretty important, seeing as he himself was a triangle. Dipper watched almost impatiently as the water gathered up, but took time to notice that the table definitely had nothing with crabs. He also briefly noted that all of the sushi was salmon and cucumber.

“Here you go, Pine Tree.” And Bill didn’t have to say that twice as the siren grabbed the big cup of water Bill had extended to him and started gulping it down breathlessly. He absolutely hated being dehydrated. He despised it and water always seemed like one of the highest necessities to him even if he was on land. He gulped down the water in record time without stopping to take a breath and Bill chuckled as he watched a few droplets of water slide down from near the boy’s lips in his haste. He didn’t wait for Dipper to tell him to pour him another cup which the boy took to drinking right after, though notably slower and more content now. “Better?” Bill asked him once the brunet seemed done with his second cup of water and more relaxed in his stance.

Dipper nodded. “Much better.” He agreed and watched as Bill himself drank some water to make up for their earlier hot bath. Dipper smiled at him, that content, sweet smile with a teasing hint that he had, a small knowing spark in his chocolate eyes. “I appreciate the lack of crabs, but why the increase in salmon?” The question seemed to amuse the Demon as he settled his cup down on the coffee table with a small ‘clack’ sound from the glass surface.

“I wouldn’t want my pretty little siren running back into the ocean when I just barely got you to come to the surface, so I decided to play it safe. After all, ‘most salmons are pricks so really their only good purpose is being food’, isn’t that right?” The Demon said, quoting the siren’s words from a while ago with quite a bit of self-satisfaction. Dipper couldn’t help a small laugh that was like music to Bill’s ears. Dipper did have a beautiful voice. All sirens had beautiful voices, but Dipper’s was definitely something else. Everybody may be entitled to their opinions and Mabel was definitely the more well-known singer thorough but as far as Bill could tell Dipper’s lack of popularity in that department was purely stemmed from his own lack of participation. That in turn, from what Bill had gathered, came from a lot of inhibitions from when he was a child and his voice continuously cracked or refused to cooperate coupled with a general stage fright. Knowledge and speeches? Those came easily, but even as a siren Dipper seemed to have this almost absurd concept that he would somehow screw up bad enough and his voice would crack again even if it had definitely settled down a long while ago. On one side Bill wanted to flaunt the siren and his beautiful voice to everyone but on the other hand he quite enjoyed Dipper singing for him almost exclusively. Yes, he definitely liked showering him in compliments and wouldn’t keep that from him, not with how beautifully his eyes lit up as blush dusted his cheeks, but he kept from any encouragements about singing to others or going on stage out of pure selfishness.

Dipper extended a hand and after taking a moment to find the smallest piece of sushi he could, gingerly grabbed it between his thumb and forefinger. His fingers always looked weird to him without his claws and scales, but Bill – for some reason Dipper couldn’t phantom – thought his movements without his claws were quite elegant, probably because the boy put a bit more thought into them without his natural predator instincts there. A moment later the small piece found its way into the boy’s mouth and after chewing it thoroughly, he swallowed. “Well, they do make good sushi.” He commented after, a smile still on his lips. “Maybe we can have some more tomorrow. Would you mind taking the food away for now though? I fear I won’t like the smell too much once my stomach settles.” Bill made a small hum and with a short burst of blue fire the food disappeared, only a faint smell left behind which Dipper was sure would go away not long after. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Pine Tree.”

Bill offered the boy a hand to get up and Dipper instinctively took it and let the Demon lead him over to the bed so they could get snuggled up for the night. The covers were already pulled aside and as soon as Bill had settled on the bed, leaning against the big fluffy pillows, Dipper crawled in after him. As a fact, Dipper loved how soft human beds, covers and pillows were, even if there were definitely mermaid equivalents for such things as well, but right then he much more craved being close to Bill than leaning against the pillows. It was so that a moment later he was settling himself onto Bill’s chest, a strong arm wrapping around his waist while the other pulled the covers over him snugly. He smiled and shifted just enough so he could move higher onto the bed to reach Bill’s lips with his own, joining them in a sweet kiss that was reciprocated with just as much love. Bill could feel Dipper’s legs moving to tangle with his own and couldn’t help but smile into the kiss as he held him close by the waist, a hand coming to move a few stray curls from the boy’s face. Sirens showed affection differently than humans, one of the most popular gestures seemed to be coiling their tails together while sunbathing or just enjoying each other’s company. This seemed much harder to achieve as a human but his Pine Tree had always been a stubborn and resourceful type so it hadn’t been long after starting to sleep next to one another that Bill had started waking up in a mess of limbs with Dipper’s legs tangled with his own. It was the most adorable thing, all the more so when the sleepy siren would stubbornly refuse to move or let him get up.

They had to break for air after a while and Bill took to placing small little kisses on the side of the boy’s mouth and along his jaw, hands trailing down his sides and making the boy shiver under his touch. His lips reached the nape of Dipper’s neck, a hand trailing down to his thighs where the sweater wouldn’t reach. Dipper jumped a bit out of surprise at the intimate touch and Bill could feel the heat of his skin underneath his lips as he flushed.

“B-Bill, not today.”

Bill moved his hand back to the boy’s side instead of his thigh and leaned back to look at the cute blushing mess resting on his chest. “Tired?” he inquired as an answer to the unspoken question and Dipper nodded. He placed a kiss on the left side of the siren’s sweet mouth, giving a small thoughtful hum afterwards as he leaned back. If the boy didn’t want him touching him or doing anything to him that night then he’d respect his wishes. He found he craved him a lot right then, wanted to touch and kiss him all over, to feel his soft feverish skin underneath his lips and have his body tremble underneath his touches after having had just a brief taste, but he wouldn’t ever push that onto Dipper without him having the same urge and desire. “Maybe at a later time then.” He conceded and saw Dipper smile up at him, leaning in to steal a short peck to his lips that made him smile back.

“Just not tonight.” Dipper agreed, moving a bit higher on Bill’s chest so he could rest their foreheads against one another. “Tomorrow sounds good.” He murmured and the almost impish twinkle in his eyes made the Demon smirk back knowingly.

“Does it now?”

Dipper nodded and gave a hum as if he was thinking about it. “Tomorrow morning sounds especially appealing.” Their lips met again, a sweet and short kiss with their lips curled into amused smiles at each other’s antics.

“Lazy morning sex does sound good.” Bill agreed and leaned in to place another kiss on the side of the boy’s neck, getting a small soft moan as he nibbled on a sensitive spot.

“And cuddles.” The brunet added and once again met Bill’s lips when he pulled back, biting his lower lip while pulling away, smirking. “And bites.”

Bill smirked in turn. “And hickeys?” he inquired knowingly, running his hands soothingly down the boy’s sides.

“And hickeys.” Dipper agreed with amusement in his tone. Bill always loved leaving lots of hickeys on his skin, especially since they were so obvious against his pale skin colour. Dipper always enjoyed them but sometimes he forgot to heal them when going back into his siren form and found himself more than a little embarrassed when someone pointed them out. Sometimes he tried to make up for it by leaving just as many hickeys on Bill’s unblemished dark skin but that usually backfired because Bill was more likely to flaunt them than anything. Dipper stole another kiss, prolonging it this time till he couldn’t hold his breath anymore. “And lots of kisses.”

“All over.” Bill agreed, already loving the thought of how their morning together would be. A few more sweet kisses were shared, innocent and very affectionate in their touches and neither could have asked for a better way to spend the evening or end the day.

“I love you.” The words were a bit breathless, soft and sweet, accompanied by a smile as beautiful as the voice that spoke them. Perhaps it was also the way those big brown eyes looked at him with such awe and love that made the Demon’s human heart speed up at that simple cliché phrase coming from his life partner’s lips.

“I love you more.” He retaliated playfully but just as sweetly. More often than not the other would contradict him on it and they’d go back and forth for a good while with teasing remarks, kisses and tickle fights – anything to win – but this time the siren seemed quite content to just hear those words and sigh softly as he buried his face into Bill’s neck and nuzzled there, inhaling the Demon’s scent and listening to his heartbeat.

“I kind of like that thought actually…” The words were soft as if they were just a breath tickling Bill’s skin and not actual sounds meant for communication but Bill caught them nonetheless. Dipper also seemed to catch them a moment later as if they had been something spoken in a haze of sleep rather than actual words meant for him to hear, which instantly had the boy moving away from Bill’s neck and if their legs weren’t tangled together and Bill didn’t have his arms around the boy’s waist he was sure Dipper would have all but jumped into a standing position. His eyes were wide with slight horror as if he had just said something extremely insulting, quite different from the sleepy half lidded look he had had just a moment earlier. And, as Bill had come to expect from that look by now, the boy went on a tangent. “No, I mean, I didn’t mean it like that! I mean yes, I like the thought but I don’t mean it as in I don’t love you just as mu-more, just uhm,” By now the boy was breaking into words that barely made any sense and he held his hands out as if in a gesture of surrender, his whole face flushed in pure embarrassment as he tried to excuse himself. “I just, uh” And this was probably another reason why Dipper did not like being on stage or in the centre of attention, because if he made a mistake he might just make it worse by continuously talking and becoming a stuttering mess. “I just like the thought of being someone’s first choice.” Dipper really needed to learn when to stop talking.

And despite everything, Bill couldn’t help but be amused as he watched his little alarmed Pine Tree try to explain himself, especially when he didn’t seem to be able to stop, words coming out so quickly it was a wonder Bill understood what was being said.

“I like the thought of me loving you more as well.”

Dipper stopped short from whatever he was trying to stutter out through all of the thoughts crowding his mind, everything seeming to come to a sudden stop.

“Oh?”

Bill chuckled at the boy’s slightly shocked expression and grabbed one of his hands in his own, rubbing small circles on it with his thumb. “Demons don’t feel much for others, kid. We’re especially horrible with relationships and I’m particularly terrible with any kind of sentimentalisms.” Bill filled in as if this was a new piece of information and Dipper wasn’t sure he was catching on, partly because his mind was still clearing up from his own thoughts and partly because while he knew the facts, Bill was always really gentle and loving to him – admittedly he was terrible with others which could be problematic. “I like the idea that since I barely get attached to anyone, when I do love someone I’m willing to give them everything I can.” he placed a kiss on the back of Dipper’s hand, not breaking eye contact. “I like entertaining the idea that out of everyone in the multiverse or any dimension, I love you the most and no one can compare, not even you.” A small playful smirk played on his lips and Dipper felt himself flush again, throat going dry for a completely different reason. “Plus, you’re more caring, you like a lot of people, Pine Tree! And while I do have my own friends, it’s only you that I love.”

Dipper nodded, a bit dumbfounded as he took in everything, though he visibly relaxed. He seemed to need a moment to find his voice, giving Bill’s hand a small affectionate squeeze. “So you don’t mind the idea that I don’t love you as much as you love me?” Because while that was a relief it was also kind of hurtful because Dipper did love Bill most dearly.

“Nope.” Bill assured easily. “Because I still know I’m your favourite.” He answered confidently. “And I never said you don’t love me as much as I love you, I just said I like the idea that I love you more.”

Dipper furrowed his brows and looked just a bit exasperated. “That makes absolutely no sense.” He pointed out.

It likely did for the Demon though because Bill rolled his eyes at him as if he had to explain things to a child all over again, which Dipper definitely was not but sometimes Bill did make him feel like that when he knew more about something than he did. And Bill knew lots of things. “I love you more than anyone else in the multiverse.” Dipper nodded slowly when the Demon gave him an expectant look, showing that he caught that. “And you love me more than anyone else you know and more than anyone else in the multiverse, so doesn’t that mean that while you can’t measure an emotion we still love each other more than anyone else, hence it’s still roughly equivalent even if in a bit of a roundabout way?”

Sometimes Bill made too much sense without making any.

There was a moment of silence then Dipper burst into giggles and buried his face back into the Demon’s neck, needing a moment to compose himself. “I missed you.” He admitted after calming down, giving the Demon an affectionate nuzzle and placing a kiss in the crook of his neck.

“Well, it wasn’t me that decided sulking at the bottom of the freaking ocean for two weeks without any explanation was a good idea.” There was some bitterness in his voice but barely any venom. Thankfully, almost nothing could get the smile off of Dipper’s lips right then.

“Don’t ruin the moment.” The brunet told him though his voice was too happy for someone trying to make a threat. Thankfully, Bill didn’t continue that part of the conversation either, instead opting for pressing a kiss to the crown of his lover’s head, fingers coming to play with soft brown curls. Not long after that, Dipper’s breathing started to settle and even out.

“Good night, Pine Tree.”

A soft, sleepy voice answered him back along with the ticklish feeling of brown curls brushing against his skin as Dipper gave him one last sleepy nuzzle.

“Good night, Bill.”