bill blinks awake. his eyes opening and closing owlishly. the room is illuminated only by the nightlight in the far corner, which means it can't be time to get up just yet. he checks the bedside table, looking to see what the red, blaring numbers on the clock read.

4:28 a.m.

god, it's still so early so why is he awake?

oh right. the shouting.

pinetree and that oaf he calls a boyfriend seem to be having a bit of a lovers quarrel. but at 4 am? can't that wait until later? he thinks, sitting up and rubbing his eyes waking up a little more.

mabel's lucky she's at pacifica's, at least she can get her beauty sleep. bill's about to get up and bang on their door until he actually hears what they're fighting about as he steps out into the hall, their bedroom door ajar.

"why are you getting home so late? it's 4 am what could you possibly have been doing this late! were you out with someone?!" pine tree sounded furious, he has every right to be, bill thought. hell, i know i'd be mad as shit.

"why does it even matter?! are you accusing me of something mason? you shouldn't be talking. you've been whoring around with that dickward ever since he got here! you're such a slut! am i not enough to satisfy you?" brandon counters back. fucking asshole.

pine tree scoffs, "get a grip you douche! are you that insecure?"

slap.

"don't you ever speak to me like that." his voice was so eerily calm it even sent shivers down bill's spine.

bill gasped, quickly covering his mouth not wanted to be discovered. it was quiet, the silence deafening. bill peered into the crack of the door, seeing if things had settled down. pine tree stepped forward with a shake of his head and a small chuckle, delivering a harsh blow to brandon's cheek.

"that's it bitch! whores like you need to know their place." brandon is seething, grabbing dipper by his shirt and slamming him against the wall. before dipper can even open his mouth to plead, bill is there.

bill sends brandon across the room with one punch. one look, and brandon stays silent. he asshole doesn't even put up a fight, staggering out of the room with nothing more than a sneer. jackass. i knew something wasn't right with him.

bill shakes off his thoughts, turning to check on dipper to see him dashing out the room.

"pine tree wai-" bill's cry doesn't seem to be heard over the thumping of feet on the stairs and the slamming of the front door.

Shit.

30 minutes had to have passed by now. it's like 5 am and he can't find pine tree which is bad considering the forest isn't the safest place to be in. just before panic starts to set in, he spots him. head tucked into his knees.

bill slowly approaches, dipper making room for him without a word. bill sits next to him, legs crossed.

"i really do love him you know?" there's a pause, bill just listens. "he just can't control his temper, and he usually doesn't hurt me. physically, that is. i don't know what's gotten into him. he used to be so nice to me, and as far as i know i haven't done anything wrong. but maybe i do deserve this-" bill grabs dipper's chin, tilting his head up and looking him straight in his teary eyes.

"now you stop right there. you do not deserve any of what just happened to you. that bit about love? brandon obviously isn't reciprocating, and if he loves you he wouldn't even think to lay a finger on you. the way you're saying it makes it seem as if this isn't a first time occurrence. if it's not, you shouldn't stay in this relationship. it's unhealthy, and sounds very much like abuse." bill states firmly, wiping away a tear that streams down dipper's face.

dipper's quiet for a second. two. three. a deep breath.

"he's been cheating on me since the beginning of our relationship."

"pine tree-"

"i just, he was my first love. we've been together for so long and i though he was it for me. i stayed, thinking i wouldn't be able to find someone else. now, im basically stuck. if i try and leave, he'll probably hurt me. god, i haven't even told mabel any of this. she's so happy about getting closer to pacifica and I don't wanna ruin that for her." dipper sighs.

"pine tree, she's your sister. you'd never be a burden to her and i know that she'd rather know what's going on with you than for you to keep it to yourself. and as long as i'm here, i won't let anything happen to you. i promise." bill lifts his right pinky. dipper gives a small smile, intertwining his pinky with bill's.

"i'm holding you to that one cipher."

"don't worry, if I break it you get to cut my pinky off!" at that, dipper lets out a real laugh, bringing a smile to bill's face.

the two of them walk shoulder to shoulder the whole way back to the shack.

The duo falls asleep on the couch, tangled up in blankets and quilts. the asshole hasn't made a reappearance thankfully.

bill awakens before dipper looking down at him to see light from the blinds engulfing his face in a beautiful honey glow. he threads a hair through dipper's hair, watching as a happy smile appears on his face.

bill feels a familiar warmth in his heart, and deep down he hopes that dipper feels it too.

love.

i hope you guys enjoyed! i said i'd be back and here i am! i'm really sorry for the delay guys. i don't want to give any excuses. i was feeling rather inspired and just sat down and wrote this whole thing in about two hours, including the planning process. also, writing in lowercase makes it easier for me to write and edit so I hope you all don't mind ! feedback would be greatly appreciated! thanks for reading and being patient with me! see you in the next update!

-snow