A/N: Just a heads up, things get a little spicier in this chapter than I usually write. Nothing inappropriate happens, but there are some... suggestive things that happen, I guess? Again, though, like I said, nothing inappropriate actually happens, so don't worry if you're not into that kind of stuff. If you are into that kind of stuff, sorry to disappoint, but enjoy the spiciness XD

The very moment the last bite of pancake left its plate and met its syrup covered fate, the occupants of the table seemed to come to life. Wendy and the Stans immediately started collecting the trash, and Dipper leapt to his feet so quickly that the dream demon beside him tensed in preparation for a fight, expecting to see a certain pink haired demon waving from the driveway. However, the only threat facing them at that moment was the mess that stood between them and starting their meeting. Bill pursed his lips in slight irritation at the rush, but said nothing of their antics. He simply stood up and helped to clear the table.

He glanced over at Dipper, hoping to catch his eye in order to perhaps calm him down. The brunet, however, either didn't feel the dream demon's gaze upon him, or he just didn't care, because he dutifully carried the trash to the trash can and the utensils to sink. As Wendy, Stanley, and Ford all took their places at the table to begin discussing plans, Dipper hurriedly washed off the utensils and shoved them carelessly into the dishwasher, practically running back to his seat at the table to take part in the conversation.

Bill Cipher didn't seem to share their sense of urgency. He didn't move slowly, but he certainly wasn't in as much of a rush as the others in the room. He kept a calm expression as he made his way back to his chair, shifting it ever so slightly closer to Dipper as he sat down. He casually brushed his fingers against Dipper's, lingering slightly as if silently asking to hold his hand. The movement went unnoticed by everyone around the table. Everyone except Dipper, of course.

At the blond's touch, fire spread up Dipper's arm, his thoughts immediately pulled away from the discussion at hand, his heart beginning to flutter. His eyes darted to Bill, his skin beginning to feel warm. Bill noticed him looking and gave him an ever so discrete wink that had his face beginning to flush. Bill moved to grab his hand for real, but before he could, Dipper hurriedly sat forward, crossing his arms on the table in a forcibly natural manner to make his hands inaccessible.

Out of his peripheral vision he noticed Bill's eyes saddened slightly, and the brunet's heart ached painfully when the dream demon sat back in his seat dejectedly, placing his hands in his lap and listening quietly to the discussion. Dipper's stomach clenched in guilt, but he had to focus on finding a way to get back Mabel. He couldn't let himself get distracted, and if that meant pushing Bill away, so be it.

Dipper flinched just at the thought, but he had to. His great uncle's words from earlier that morning were ringing in his ears, but he knew that he needed to focus on Mabel. He wanted nothing more than to lace his fingers with the dream demon's beside him, plant a small kiss on the back of his hand, trace the lines of his palm... but he couldn't. He shouldn't... Bill was like a drug to him, and saving his sister was not something he could do intoxicated.

The brunet forced himself out of his thoughts and turned his attention back to Ford, who was currently explaining different ideas he'd been developing for rescuing Mabel.

~*~*~*~*~

After three hours of discussion, they hadn't managed to come up with anything decent, so the group decided to take a break. Wendy needed to run home to let her dog Bear out, since her brothers and Dad would be out all day, but she said she'd be back in about half an hour. Stanford continued to brood over his notes, finishing off his seventh cup of coffee, and Stanley went down into the "basement" to see if he could find any inspiration for a plan.

Dipper was now faced with an unfortunate situation: he had nothing to do. He was trying to look busy, looking over some scratch pieces of paper, refusing to look over his shoulder at the owner of the eyes he felt burning into his spine, but he got the feeling it wasn't working. The blond dream demon watched Dipper for a few minutes, waiting for him to turn and acknowledge him in any way shape or form. When five minutes passed without the brunet so much as glancing in his direction, Bill huffed, shoving his hands in his pockets and approaching the teen.

"Pine Tree," Bill spoke, his voice low and slightly edged with annoyance, "can I talk with you for a moment?" Dipper suppressed a wince, but nodded, stepping away from the table and letting the dream demon lead him out of the room.

The brunet had been shying away from Bill's touch, not making eye-contact, and other manners of avoidance since the meeting began. The chaos god had originally brushed it off as Dipper feeling awkward showing affection towards him around his Great Uncles and Wendy, but as it continued, he started to grow worried, almost suspicious. He could understand it if Dipper didn't want him to kiss him in front of his family, or cling to him, or openly flirt, that made sense to him. What didn't make sense was how even the simplest of touches, ones that were casual and natural in nature, like the occasional brush of an arm, or a hand on his shoulder when leaning in to look at something on the table, were also receiving this cold treatment.

Was it something I said? Bill worried to himself. He didn't think he'd said or done anything out of the ordinary that day... so what had Dipper so jittery and uncomfortable around him? Less than twelve hours ago, they'd fallen asleep in each other's arms, and now Dipper wouldn't even look him the eyes.

Dipper followed solemnly as Bill led him to a random room in the Shack where they could talk without being overheard, his chest stinging with guilt. He had hoped Bill wouldn't notice his attempts at distancing himself, but he knew that had been wishful thinking from the start, and wasn't all that surprised that the demon was onto him. The two of them stepped into a spare room, Bill closing the door behind him. They stood there for a few moments, Dipper studying the floor carefully as he felt Bill's eyes searching his face.

"So, I know I'm still technically knew at this whole 'human emotions' thing, but I know enough to confidently say that you are impossible to figure out," Bill finally broke the silence. His voice was gruff, as it tended to get when he was particularly annoyed with something. Dipper flinched ever so slightly, casting a sheepish smile up at the irritated demon. Bill didn't return the gesture. Instead, he frowned, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, his piercing golden eyes never leaving Dipper's face.

"First you say you love me, then you say you don't trust me. Then you ask me to stay the night with you, and then you ignore me for the rest of the day? And not just ignore, I might add, but go out of your way to avoid every single possible interaction you might have with me," he hissed in exasperation. His eyes narrowed, but his face wasn't hostile. It was more confused, almost wounded, in nature. Guilt took another stab at Dipper's chest and he opened his mouth to reply, but found his words to falter and die before they could pass his lips. He shuffled his feet, fiddling with the fabric of the edge of his shirt.

"I'm sorry..." he managed to mutter. Bill raised an eyebrow, scoffing a laugh.

"I don't want an apology, Mason, I want an answer. What the hell did I do wrong?" he asked bitterly, looking away. Dipper couldn't help the shudder of surprise that danced down his spine. Sure, Bill had used his real name before, but never in any way other than teasing. His use of it just made Dipper feel even worse about the whole situation... Not 'Pine Tree,' not even 'Dipper.' Mason. The gravity with which this dilemma was weighing on the demon was evident in that simple choice of words...

"You haven't don't anything wrong, Bill, I promise," Dipper assured him hurriedly, reaching a hand out slightly as if he wanted to touch him but decided against it. Bill's golden eyes drifted back up to meet Dipper's brown ones, and desperate confusion was evident within them.

"Then why-" Dipper cut him off, shaking his head, bringing his hands to his temples.

"I don't know, okay? Everything is falling apart and I just... everything is just so confusing... I don't know what I believe, who I trust, how I feel, I just... I don't know..." Dipper expressed, his voice rising in his growing panic. His breathing was starting to hitch as he felt his throat tighten with tears. "And then... just when I think I've got things figured out, like how I feel about you, doubt and guilt find their way into my heart, and I just..." he trailed off.

"Pine Tree," Bill soothed, standing up off the wall to rest his hands on the brunet's shoulders. "Breathe... it'll be alright..." he coaxed. Dipper shook his head, his body fighting with itself as he resisted the urge to throw himself into Bill's arms, to cling to him and never let go.

"I'm... I'm scared..." the teen admitted, his words barely audible. Bill furrowed his brow, tilting Dipper's chin up with his knuckle when the teen had dropped his gaze.

"Scared? For Mabel? For your family?" the dream demon guessed, his tone gentle in nature. Dipper stepped away from him, his heart pounding.

"No! Well... yes, of course I'm scared for them but... that's not what I mean," he struggled. Bill's face was filled with confusion and concern, a million questions on his tongue, but he let the teen try and find his words first.

"Bill, I don't just love you, I... It's like I'm addicted to you, and it scares me. Mabel's been kidnapped by demons, and all I can think about is how you smell like the air before a storm, or about how your hair shimmers gold when the light catches it just right, or that smirk you do that is extremely annoying yet at the same time so irresistibly charming, or how gruff your voice gets when you're tired or annoyed, or... I just... Mabel's in danger, my Great Uncles need our help, there are demons running loose in the city, and I can't get my head on straight enough to deal with any of it. It feels like I've failed everyone, and it hurts so bad that I can't just do what I'm supposed to d-"

Dipper's words were suddenly muffled by the fabric of Bill's shirt. The dream demon had stepped forward, pulling the distressed teen into a tight embrace. He let out a small, sympathetic laugh, resting his chin atop the brunet's head.

"Pine Tree... You need to calm down. You're over-thinking things," he soothed. Dipper could feel the blond's neck vibrate with every word. "You can't keep worrying about how you should feel, and what you should do all the time, it'll kill you. You've just got to... be selfish every now and then."

Dipper couldn't get over how much the dream demon had changed in the past year. He was the same, yet somehow drastically different... His train of thought was interrupted when Bill pulled away from him, giving him a small, almost innocent smile. Well, as innocent as a smile from a demon can be...

"So," he continued, stepping back and spreading his arms to his sides. "Dipper Pines, what do you want? Not what should you want, not what do your uncles want, not what does the world want. What do you want, Pine Tree?"

Dipper's stomach churned, butterflies coming to life in his chest. There was a stubborn little voice in the back of Dipper's mind that insisted Bill was toying with him, trying to pull him along into a false sense of security, but something about the open invitation to be selfish in his desires washed away the doubts festering in his heart, silencing that annoying little voice. Dipper took a numb step forward, his hand drifting out and finding its resting place on Bill's cheek. For a moment, even the dream demon seemed surprised, as if he hadn't expected his speech to spur such action. Dipper's eyes searched Bill's golden ones, a small smile gracing his lips. He let out a huff of a laugh, his thumb drifting across the other's cheek bone.

"I want you," he decided simply. Before Bill could respond, Dipper's hand moved from his cheek to the grab the collar of the dream demon's shirt, pulling him in so that his lips met Dipper's own. The dream demon hesitated for all of a split second, then he let himself relax into the kiss. One hand gently cupped Dipper's neck, the other brushing across his cheek.

The brunet moved his lips against Bill's, finding immense comfort in the smell of stormy air that wrapped itself around him. He didn't realize he'd backed the other into the wall until he pulled away to breathe and found one hand braced against it. Bill's lips curved into a sultry smirk, his cheeks hued a slight pink from his breathlessness.

"I think I like this side of you, Pine Tree," he hummed, his breath having caught up to him. He narrowed an eye at him slyly. "So forward, so upfront, so..." Bill suddenly spun them around, switching his place with Dipper, who's back hit the wall with a small thud. The brunet's breath got caught in his throat when the demon leaned in closer, his arms propped up against the wall on either side of him. "...dominant," he growled, his breath dancing across Dipper's ear. The brunet shuddered, his legs feeling weak as his heart pounded in his chest.

He felt Bill smile against his skin when the demon nuzzled into the crook of his neck, placing small kisses along his collar bone. Dipper's body felt as though it were on fire, and he placed his hands on the other's waist, his thudding heart making his breathing rapid.

"Bill, I," he began to speak, but his voice died in his throat when Bill's lips lingered on the soft spot of his neck. Dipper's eyes closed involuntarily as his body arched against his will to bring himself closer to the dream demon. Bill chuckled, pulling away and bracing a hand against the other's chest.

"Easy, there, Pine Tree," he teased, "the door's not even locked. I don't think this is the time or place for any... funny business." Dipper's face flushed bright red and he shoved the laughing demon away from him.

"Shut up!" he cried indignantly, "I didn't want to- I never said that I- that wasn't where I- shut up! That wasn't what I meant when I said I wanted you!" Dipper crossed his arms, his entire being burning with embarrassment. Bill was still laughing, but he placed a reassuring hand on the teen's shoulder.

"I know, I know, relax, I'm only messing with you," he chuckled. Dipper huffed a pout, but he wasn't as upset with the demon anymore. That is, until Bill continued. "Besides, you clearly weren't the one in control in that situation," he purred slyly, mischief glinting in his eyes. Dipper's cheeks flamed up again and he punched the demon hard in the arm, making him laugh and rub the spot that would soon be bruising.

"You're the worst kind of person," Dipper growled, fixing his hair and making sure his shirt was straightened. Bill hummed a small laugh, flicking his own hair back into place.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not really a person, right?" Dipper rolled his eyes, but he couldn't exactly argue. So, instead, he took Bill's hand in his own, giving the other a small smile.

"Come on," he told him, opening the door, "we've got a rescue mission to plan."

A/N: So I don't know how I feel about the structure of this one, but I'd had part of the chapter already written out, so I added more to it to update for you guys. I'm really tired rn and I have school in the morning, but you guys were so incredibly amazing and supportive in the last chapter that I just had to update, so... thank you for being so amazing!!! I want to say more, but I'm really tired so I'm going to try and go to bed, lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Again, I think it feels rushed and a bit unstructured, but that might just be because I'm sleepy. Dunno. Let me know what you think of it! I'll howl to you guys later!