Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The moment the snow shovel got stuck in the cold wintery substance was the moment that Dipper Pines lost his patience and threw the handle down. If the snow shovel wanted to be stuck, then it can stay out here with the rest of this damned, frigid weather. His hands were freezing despite the gloves he wore and the bottoms of his pants were soaked through with the cold damp element. He was starting to shiver more than work anyhow, so a break was long overdue.

He huffed before turning on his heel and trudging through the snow to get back into the quaint B&B his sister owned. He was supposed to have help with the upkeep by now, but this damned ice was impossible to get through. He and his sister had inherited the Mystery Shack from their Grunkles’ before they started their overseas journey so his sister, the clever and wonderful entrepreneur that she is, decided to turn this old tourist trap into a quaint bed and breakfast. Dipper on the other hand was in the middle of working on his second master’s degree and agreed to help (extreme emphasis on ‘help’ because Mabel was supposed to hire other groundskeepers) take care of the grounds while he was on break from school, since Mabel immediately joined the workforce after just getting her bachelor’s degree to help her good ‘friend’ (*cough* lover) Pacifica Northwest in several business endeavors, this little inn being one of their pet projects.

Since Soos and Melody, the usual innkeepers, had a month long vacation with their small family planned; no reservations were taken for the next month and half so Dipper and the supposed hired help could keep the grounds up and everything in working condition upon their return. Hell, Mabel promised she would be here by now but she got stuck in New Haven because of a snow storm!

Dipper was grumpy at an extreme level so he decided to do what any rational person would do and made himself something to eat. People always tended to be in a better mood after eating something and what Dipper was craving right now was something warm, so he grabbed a leftover slice of pizza (from the frozen pizza he had last night because there was no way anyone would delivery to him all the way out here, even without the snow) from last night and put it on a paper towel in the microwave while he boiled some water for hot chocolate.

After consuming the two conflicting products, he did find himself feeling a little bit better. His annoyance caused by that damned snow shovel (it definitely had it in for him) faded and he was able to think a little more positively about his situation. He was isolated, sure, but Dipper loved being alone (growing up with a twin didn’t leave him a lot of alone time) since it gave him more time to read. The kitchen was fully stocked which was a motherfucking blessing since the nearest town was twenty miles away from their little bed and breakfast. The roads were too treacherous to drive on and there was no way in hell that he was going to walk that far for a breakfast burrito.

Not to mention that this place was the wintery wonderland that people see on postcards or posters in the airport. If you weren’t the one responsible for the upkeep, then this place would be the snowy paradise. Everything was blanketed in white frost, the lake that is in walking distance was completely frozen and ready to for ice skating, and best of all the bugs that usually plagued this place during summer were back in hell where they belonged so mosquito bites are a thing of the past (or summer at least).

The only downside was the sound of wolves howling in the woods and the fact that the inn creaked and groaned during the night, so resting after hours wasn’t easy but Dipper managed to adjust after the first couple of nights here. Something that made his stay here a lot more eerie were the books on the folklore that sat in the library. Witches and goblins and ghouls (oh my). There had to be at least a hundred books on folklore in here since that was his Grunkle Ford’s specialty and passion. Dipper of course couldn’t resist reading them and enjoyed the occasional creepy chill they sent up his spine.

Sure the labor was a pain, but at least his living conditions were cozy.

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After a long day of manual labor (he decided to make up with the snow shovel and finish shoveling the path), Dipper felt himself relax as he sunk into one of the chairs in the library, settling in the chair with a book on Celtic lore when he heard his phone buzz.

He quickly fumbled to place the book down and fished the phone out of his pocket. His sister was trying to facetime with him through an app so he quickly slid it open.

“Sup, Bro-Bro!” she greeted cheerily through the bad connection. 

“Don’t ‘sup’ me Mabel, you said you were going to hire help!” he complained.

She gave him a small apologetic smile in return. “I did hire help and they were supposed to be there a few days ago, but everyone is having trouble because of the snow! No one is going to risk their life over a job, Dipper.” After letting out a frustrated sigh, Dipper nodded and said, “I know. It’s just quiet here without you.”

“I thought you liked being alone,” she teased, the connection was slowly getting worse so he was barely able to make out what she said.

“I do, but I still miss you, stupid,” he said in an equally teasing tone when the phone suddenly lost connection because of the crappy Wi-Fi this place had. It barely held up throughout the rest of the year, so he was surprised it lasted this long in the middle of a snowocalypse. It hadn’t snowed all day but according the weather channel (that had equally terrible reception) it was supposed to start snowing in the middle of the night again. Great. He was going to have to re-shovel everything.

Instead of worrying over the bad weather, Dipper sipped his hot chocolate and opened his book. He needed a distraction and this was the perfect thing.

A couple hours had passed and the inn made those creaking and groaning noises, making it hard to concentrate on his reading material. Slamming the book closed, Dipper abandoned his empty cup and book on the end table and headed towards the stairs.

He had his foot on the first step when he heard a rippling scream from outside. Judging by the pitch, it was obviously a woman crying so without even thinking about it, he rushed towards the front door quickly shoving his feet into his shoes and just barely caught his coat with his fingertips. He slid it on as he rushed in the direction of the forest trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from. He knew these woods like the back of his hands since he spent his childhood summers exploring them with Mabel. It was treacherous with all the snow, but there was no way he could leave anyone out here in the cold.

When he found the source of the noise, he had to cover his ears because the scream became more high pitched the closer he got to it. There was a woman with white hair, donning a long white and torn nightgown and a golden comb in her hair, sitting in the middle of the forest screaming while burying her face into her hands. Her skin was like porcelain and she looked like she was in the middle of a meltdown.

“I’M HERE TO HELP!” Dipper tried to yell over her screams but the moment he got his last word out the noise stopped completely. The woman lifted her pale face from her hands and stared at Dipper with bright glowing red eyes.

What the hell? That was Dipper’s last thought before a knocking noise jolted him awake in his chair.

He blinked wearily and looked around, heart pounding in his ribcage and sweating since the first time he’s been hear. Relief slowly washed over him when he realized that it was all just a dream.

Another hard knock on the door got him to snap out of it completely. Who the hell is here in the middle of the night during a snowstorm?

Dipper got up and cautiously stepped towards the front door. He was feeling on edge after having that dream and about the unusual time, until he heard someone shout, “Hey! Is anyone in there? I’m freezing my balls off out here!”

Dipper suppressed a snort and decided that if this guy was willing to announce himself like that, then he’s probably not looking for trouble.

The put a hand on the cold handle and unlocked the door. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but the shivering tall, blonde man with extremely vibrant blue eyes was not it. He was anything short of the most gorgeous man he’d laid eyes on and looked pure with white snow covering him in his black jacket and yellow scarf. His choppy blonde locks were covered by a black top hat? Weird.

“Hello?” Dipper barely got out his greeting before the guy pushed past the door and barreled straight for Dipper who barely had a chance to react as cold arms wrapped around him.  

“Jesus fucking Christ finding this place was a nightmare,” the man spoke as he still clutched Dipper, his arms shaking. This man was fucking freezing.

 “A-ah, um, there’s a space heater in the sitting room,” Dipper said, unsure of how to handle this situation. This was definitely not the situation he pictured when he opened the door in the dead of night.

He was immediately abandoned at the promise of a space heater and the man stepped further into the inn, tracking snow and mud through the foyer. Dipper closed the door and followed the stranger’s trail to see him leaning over the space heater, his now ungloved hands being warmed up.

Who is this guy? Is he lost? Did Mabel hire him? “Hey, did my sister hire you?”

The man, who was busying himself with hovering over the heater turned his head towards Dipper, giving him a sort of crooked smile. “Yes she did. Name’s Bill. Bill Cipher.”

“Pleased to meet you. Can I get you anything? Hot chocolate? Tea? Coffee?” Dipper offered the poor man. He was thankful to have some help and it wouldn’t do him any good if he let the man continue to freeze after he looked like he fought so hard to get here through the harsh weather conditions. Though he was going to miss the alone time, but that was the least of his worries right now.

“Tea would be nice, Pine Tree,” the man said before turning back to the space heater.

“Pine Tree?” Dipper asked curiously. Sure, his sweater that Mabel made him and his hat had a pine tree insignia on it, but the nickname was kind of weird.

“Well you never told me your name. For all I know, this is the home to a crazy axe murderer,” Bill huffed and Dipper snickered at the accusations. “Well, I only have the one axe and it’s in the shed, so you’re safe for the night. Name’s Dipper Pines.”

“Ah, so Pine Tree does suit you after all,” Bill teased.

Dipper scrunched his face. “I don’t think so. Just call me Dipper, everyone else does.”

Bill just shrugged and Dipper took the quiet moment to go to the kitchen and make Bill some tea. Peppermint tea seemed festive enough for this kind of weather. After making two piping hot cups of tea, he came out to see Bill sitting on the couch, wrapped up in the throw blankets.

“You look really cozy,” Dipper teased as he set the cups on the coffee table.

“You can get in here with me. We can share body heat,” the man said a little too casually with a wink and Dipper turned his head and coughed into his hand. “Pass.”

“What? Two guys can’t cuddle for warmth?” he whined. If Dipper wasn’t so sure that this man was just messing with him, he would have thought that he was actually extending an invitation to do more than just cuddle.

“They can, but this one isn’t,” Dipper said, pointing to himself as he sat in his Grunkle’s old chair across from the strange blonde man.

Bill simply shrugged and reached one hand out of the blankets carefully, as to not disturb his cocoon, and grabbed his tea. He took one sip and smiled. “Peppermint? You don’t seem like the holly jolly type, Pine Tree.”

“No, but my sister is and she owns the place,” Dipper said, taking a sip from his own mug. Apparently that nickname was going to stick after all.

“Oh? You don’t have any claim to the property?”

“I technically do, but I let Mabel do what she wants to with it. I’m working on getting my master’s degree in communication,” Dipper said a little too proudly.

“Hmm, what do you plan to do with that?” Bill enquired. Honestly, Dipper wasn’t sure. “I was thinking I could get into journalism or marketing for my sister. I want to do a little bit of everything.”

“Be careful you don’t spread yourself too thin or you’ll make the worst sandwich,” Bill said cheerily as he set his now empty cup down on the coffee table. Dipper gripped his own cup a little tighter, thinking about how Mabel said almost the same exact thing. He stared at his mug for a moment and when he looked back up at Bill, the man was giving him large grin.

“So you gonna show me to my new digs? That’s part of the agreement to work here, right?” he asked, sounding genuinely curious. Geez, didn’t Mabel brief the workers on anything?

“Yeah. Even if it wasn’t, it’d be cruel for me to ask you to travel back and forth in this weather. I’ll go grab your keys,” Dipper informed before exiting the room to go to the front desk in the foyer where the gift shop used to be. Dipper almost grabbed for the key that was right next to his room. That was definitely a bad idea. The guy was already being flirty with him, he didn’t want to give him the wrong idea by putting him in the room next to himself.

As Dipper reached for a different key off the rack, he heard Bill’s voice from behind him. “What was wrong with that room?”

“A-ah, nothing really. It’s next to mine and the walls are so thin and I’m a heavy snorer,” Dipper rambled, hoping it would be enough to get him off his case.

Bill walked up to the key rack, causing Dipper to back up until he was against the wall underneath it. His breathe became uneven at the closeness of the stranger but was relieved when he simply picked a key from the rack and backed up.

“I’m fine with that. I like a little white noise while I sleep,” Bill said, with a gleam in his eye as he dangled the key Dipper was trying to abandon. “Now, show me to my room.”

Geez, he was bossy for someone who was working for him.

“Right this way.” Dipper obliged. If Mabel doesn’t get here soon, this will be a long month.  

Chapter Text

Dipper had cocooned himself inside of his blankets. He did not want to get out of bed, but he knew he had a crap ton of work to do today. He just hoped the new guy knew what he was doing because he didn’t need to spend his day telling him how to do his job either.

After a quick shower, and putting on the snug beanie and scarf his sister made for him he headed downstairs, the smell of something sweet hitting his nostrils the moment his foot hit the bottom step. Trailing the scent back to the kitchen, Dipper’s eyes widened in surprise when he saw Bill pulling some cinnamon rolls out of the oven.

He was wearing his black coat with the golden embellishments on it from yesterday and he seemed to be in the same jeans as well, though he seemed to have left his top hat off of his head today. Now that Dipper thought about it, the man had absolutely nothing with him except for the clothes on his back last night when he came barreling through the door.

“Mornin’” he greeted awkwardly and Bill’s amber eyes found his. “Mornin’. Hope it’s okay I made breakfast. Figured I could help myself unless part of my job description is to risk life and limb to get groceries,” he joked. “N-no, but I was wondering,” Dipper started to say as he took a seat at the table while Bill spread the icing on the cinnamon rolls. “You didn’t have anything with you last night. Didn’t you know you were supposed to live here?”

Without missing a beat, Bill answered, “Of course I knew, but uh, getting here was tedious to say the least and I may have lost my bag in the woods to wolves.”

Dipper raised a suspicious brow. “Wovles?”

“Yes, wolves.”

“Wolves ate your bag,” Dipper scoffed in disbelief.

Bill placed the cinnamon rolls on a plate slowly and at first Dipper thought he was just going to drop the subject, but after he carried the plate to the table, sitting in the seat next to Dipper and placing the plate in between them, he said, “I was carrying a shitton of jerky and the pesky animals must have smelled it.”

Dipper gulped as he watched Bill nibble on one of the rolls, before setting it down to lick the stick white substance off of his fingers clean. “Then they chased me and I had to ditch my belongings to get them to stop.”

 His golden gaze captured Dipper’s once again and a smirk played his lips. “That, uh, sounds bad. Sorry,” he said quietly as he watched Bill pick up the cinnamon roll he was nibbling on a held it up to Dipper’s mouth. That action dragged him back to reality and he shrunk backwards.

“C’mon Pine Tree, I made these for the both of us,” Bill sang as he tore off a smaller piece of the roll and held it back up to him.

What the hell am I doing? Dipper thought to himself as he plucked the small bit from Bill’s hands with his teeth.

“Pretty good,” he said after he gulped. “Did you make them from scratch?”

“Fuck no, there was a can in the fridge,” Bill laughed before finishing off the rest of his roll.

Dipper found himself smiling as well. The rest of their morning chit chat when very smoothly, which was something Dipper wasn’t used to. The only people he wasn’t really awkward with were his family, and that’s just because he knew they’d accept him no matter what. But Bill was a little weirder than Dipper and so comfortable with himself, that Dipper could feel himself be more relaxed around him.

Dipper even played along when the man flirted with him when he offered to let Bill borrow some clothes. “Sounds like you’re trying to get me in your pants, Pine Tree.” “Sounds like you’re desperate to get into my pants, Bill.” Dipper loved the way Bill’s bright eyes seemed to get brighter when he started humoring him.

“So, what’s the plan for today, boss?” Bill asked, leaning on the table with his elbow, propping his head up in the palm of his hand while giving Dipper a sideways glance.

“Oh, um, well we need to shovel out the walkway to the car, check the roof for leaks and replace some of the shingles,” Dipper said. Since there weren’t any guests, the walkways wouldn’t need to be salted until after New Years day, so checking the building for weak or rotted wood making sure the frost didn’t damage anything or freeze over anything important was pretty much it. Well, along with the shoveling. Shoveling snow was going to be Dipper’s hell for the next few weeks.

“Sounds swell, Pine Tree. Which one did you want me to start on first?”

“Hmm, do you think you could shovel the walkway? I’ll join you after I take care of the roof,” Dipper said. Man, he was glad he had someone to pawn that off onto now. All these chores together felt like they were too much for one person, but split between at least two people, they might actually have a couple hours of daylight left to enjoy.

 But before any of that could take place, Bill called to him from the porch. “Pine Tree, I think we have a problem.”

Dipper stepped onto the porch and saw that snow was starting to fall from the sky. “Again! Why can’t the snow just leave us alone for a day?!” Dipper yelled, shaking his fist to the sky while Bill snickered next to him. It was impossible for him to get on the roof while it was snowing and shoveling it wouldn’t really do them any good because they’d just have to do it again.

“Well, I guess we can-“ Dipper started his sentence but Bill was no longer next to him. He looked around him but the man was nowhere to be seen.

“Did he go back inside-“  SMACK! Dipper had snow dripping down the side of his face. He turned the direction of where Bill was standing and he was casually rolling another snowball in his hands. “C’mon! We can’t work while it’s snowing!”

Dipper scrunched his face in thought. Did he really feel like a snowball fight? The second snowball that hit him in the face answered his question. “Oh, it’s on!” he yelled as he leapt over the railing on the other side of the porch to take cover as he made his own snowball.

He peered over the edge after he had at least four of them made. No sign of Bill. Where could he- slap! Another snowball splashed on the back of his head and Dipper quickly turned around and threw one at the retreating man. Bill leapt behind a tree, but Dipper was quick enough to hit him in the shoulder at least.

Dipper grabbed another snowball and waited for his chance to pounce. The second Bill dashed from his spot, Dipper hit him in the back, but that didn’t slow the blonde down. He was determined to hit him in the face at least once. His more immature side told him that if he at least gets the last hit, he could consider it a full victory.

Unfortunately for him, he completely lost sight of Bill and had to do a little skulking. He walked as quietly as he could in the snow, holding onto his last two snowballs when he spotted a patch of yellow and black through the trees. Dipper stayed low, so he would be detected. Right as Bill began turning his head Dipper nailed him in the side of the face.

Bill had mixed look of joy and fury on his face when he threw his next snowball. Dipper braced for impact but none came.

“Ha, you missed!” he yelled triumphantly as he prepared to throw his last snowball.

Bill quirked an eyebrow and wore a smug grin. “Did I?”

“Wha- AH!” snow piled on top of Dipper from the tree above him and he was suddenly not very fond of the man laughing at him from a distance. Dipper just laid there, defeated and stared up at the sky. After a small plan hatched in Dipper’s head, he knew how he was going to get revenge and prepared a small batch of snow.

 After a moment, everything got quiet and Bill leaned over him.

“Didn’t take ya for the sore loser type, Pine Tree,” he snickered.

“Didn’t take you for the cheating type,” Dipper complained and Bill held out a gloved hand to help him up, regardless. Dipper took his hand and Bill argued, “But is it really cheating if we never established rules?”

Dipper smirked to himself as he was pulled upward by Bill and used the momentum to take an opportunity to successfully wrap his arms around the man’s neck in an embrace. Bill seemed a little stunned by the gesture and gently placed his hands on Dipper’s waist in return.  

“I suppose you could say that,” Dipper whispered into his ear as he poured snow from his sleeve into the back of Bill’s jacket. He was immediately shoved backwards while Bill bellowed out curses. When his eyes met Dipper’s again, they had a predatory look to them and Dipper’s instincts immediately told him to get the fuck out of there.

So he ran.

And, oh, did he try hard to get away.

Dipper ran towards the inn but Bill had tackled him straight into the snow. Bill laughed as they both went down and the next thing Dipper knew, he was laughing too. It had been so long since he’s done anything like this. His sister was the only one who would really goof around with him and she’s been too busy to hang out with him ever since they graduated university.

He didn’t exactly keep in touch with his friends in Piedmont and his summer buddies from Gravity Falls had moved away. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to not be alone.

The laughter began to die down and Dipper spoke as began to catch his breath, “It’s amazing really.” This is more fun than I thought it would be.

“What’s so amazing?” Bill asked, bringing his face down closer to Dipper’s. Alarm set in the back of Dipper’s mind and he wasn’t sure what to do or what he wanted, so in his panic he shoved some snow in Bill’s face and said, “It’s amazing how easily you fell for that.”

Bill used one hand to brush the snow out of his hair and onto Dipper’s face, fine he deserved that, but then he stood up and looked at the sky. “Hey it stopped snowing, I guess it was a false alarm.”

Dipper stood up and brushed the snow off of himself. Though he wasn’t sure why he was bothering, the snow had seeped into his jacket, making his entire outfit damp. “Yeah, I suppose I better fix roof now. It should be an easy fix so I’ll help you shovel after I’m done.”

“Aye aye, Pine Tree,” Bill stated with a smirk before walking back to the inn. Dipper watched Bill walk away for a minute and checked his phone. There was still no signal and damn if there was any moment he needed to talk to his sister during his stay here, now would be the time. What the hell are you supposed to do when you think someone wanted to kiss you?

If he had to guess what she would say it would be along the lines of, “Did you want him to kiss you?”

Honestly?

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The next couple of days went by a lot more smoothly. Bill’s flirting had toned down, but they still quipped at each other and this tedious work became more fun, though Bill distracted him from reading pretty often. He had brought the books he would need to read for his next courses for grad school, but Bill was insistent on talking to him. The man was completely bored out of his mind when they weren’t tending to the inn’s needs and Dipper if he was being honest with himself, he found that he didn’t really mind the attention.

Bill laughed at his lame jokes, and was a witty conversationalist. Dipper had learned that Bill was actually a pretty seasoned traveler as well. He spent the summer and the beginning of fall backpacking through Europe and spent a year in Korea and another year in Japan when he was fresh out of high school. The man had a yen for travel and if Dipper asked about the local folklore, he was more than happy share what he knew.

The more they talked, the more Dipper started to feel sorry for himself. He spent so long cooped up in his room, studying and Bill’s stories made him feel like his own life experiences were, well inadequate in comparison.

“What’s wrong, Pine Tree? I can’t be that depressing to talk to,” Bill stated sarcastically. Dipper shook his head in response, “No, it’s nothing like that. I guess I’m a bit jealous. Gravity Falls is the only place I really get to travel to. I spent some time in Indiana to go to university, but I’ve been going to grad schools in Piedmont and that’s about all I’ve seen.”

Bill gave him a quirky smile but a weighted questioned flowed from his mouth, “Why are you so adamant on education anyway?”

 “I want to learn things and to grow from that knowledge. I like to dabble in a little bit of everything, like I enjoy writing, but I can’t picture having a career sitting at a desk just typing my life away. I took a couple of art classes with my sister, but it’s not really what I’m passionate about. I’m also a bit of a history buff but- what?” Dipper stopped when Bill’s smirk turned into a knowing smile.

“You’re still searching, you don’t know what you want!” Bill pointed out, a bit too bluntly. Dipper stuttered on his words for a moment. He didn’t have any sort of defense ready for that accusation. Especially since that accusation was true, it’s just one that no one had ever called him out on before. His parents were just proud that he was going to such great lengths to further his education, but Dipper had never had the heart the tell them that he was never really sure what he wanted in the first place.

“Shut up,” Dipper said, as he stood up to place his plates in the sink. He heard a stifled laugh from behind him, “C’mon, Pine Tree! Don’t get sour over that. If it makes you feel better, that’s why I travel. I don’t know what I want, I just kinda go where life takes me, and right now life has brought me here to you and this cozy B&B,” Bill said, resting his chin on the palm of his hand at the kitchen table, eyes staring straight into Dipper’s from across the kitchen. He was still a little huffy over that statement, but it did make him feel better to know that he wasn’t alone in the sentiment at least.

“Why do you think life brought you here to this crappy little inn?” Dipper heard himself ask. That wasn’t a question he was supposed to say out loud, but it spilled from his mouth anyway.

“You say crappy, but I find this inn surprisingly attractive and I have no regrets coming here,” Bill said as his amber eyes looked Dipper up and down.

“But this inn doesn’t really have a lot to offer and it’s pretty secluded and hard to find. And this job is only for the season. It’s not like it can really go anywhere,” Dipper responded, knowing full and well that they weren’t talking about the inn anymore.

At this point Bill was standing up, talking careful steps towards Dipper. “Ah, but the best things in life are short lived and difficult to come across. You learn to appreciate the opportunities given to you, even if they don’t last forever. Might as well have fun with them while it lasts.”

Dipper was backed up against the counter, with Bill closing in on him, “But won’t it hurt to leave if you found that you really liked this job or staying here?”

“Pain can actually be hilarious if you think about it. It’s also a part of life that no one can really escape from,” Bill responded as he tilted Dipper’s chin up.

Several thoughts buzzed around in Dipper’s mind but there was only one prominent, desperate thought that was strong enough to push itself to the front.

He tugged on Bill’s collar and smashed his lips to his in the most desperate kiss he had ever given. 

Chapter Text

The second Dipper realized what he had done was the second he let go of Bill and back away. “I-I’m sorry, I just- It won’t happen again.”

“Pine Tree.”

“Aw geez, what the hell am I doing? You’re technically my employee! I’m a sexual harasser!”

“Pine Tree!”

“I should go to jail. I deserve to be in prison.”

“Dipper!” Bill put his hands on Dipper’s shoulders and forced their gazes to meet. “Your sister technically my employer and,” Bill placed another kiss on Dipper’s lips and slid his hands down his arm and interlaced their fingers. “And now we’re even, though I think I want to harass you a little more.”

Dipper let out an audible gasp when Bill put his hands on his hips and lifted him up onto the kitchen counter. Before he could protest, Bill’s lips were place gently on his. He felt himself lean into it carefully.

Bill ran his hands up and down Dipper’s arms, as if to test the water and Dipper had his fists bunched up against the blonde’s chest. The kiss began to deepen and Dipper spread his legs a little so Bill could get closer and he almost too quickly took the invitation. Dipper was forced to do something else with his hands as Bill’s chest collided with his so he opted for tangling them in those blonde locks he oh so admired as he allowed Bill’s tongue to invade his mouth.

Bill’s fingers found their way to the buttons of Dipper’s jackets the suddenly found himself grabbing his hands to make him stop. Bill pulled his lips off of Dipper’s and gave him a confused look.

“Look, sorry. It’s just uh, it’s just that the logical part of my brain is kicking in and I,” Dipper trailed off the thought and Bill finished it for him, “And you’re still afraid you’re taking advantage of me? Someone you barely know?” Bill seemed almost amused by the thought.  

Bill’s breath was still ghosting on Dipper’s lips and he really, really wanted to ignore that nagging voice in the back of his mind but instead he nodded. “Yeah.”

“Isn’t that exciting though? Neither of us knows what we’re in for,” Bill whispered temptations into his ear before nibbling on the lobe. Suddenly that nagging voice was silent and Dipper’s hands were clutching Bill’s shoulders as he began trailing those kisses down to the nape of his neck. “For instance, you, a quiet bookworm that I have to nag a conversation out of,” Bill paused to trail his tongue from the nape back up to his earlobe. “Might be a bit more wild than you appear at first glance. You did technically make the first move.”

Bill was wrong about Dipper, right? Dipper didn’t have it in him to do these kinds of things, with no strings attached, right? Because let’s be honest, that’s exactly what he’s getting himself into. But no matter how much he fought against it, Bill wasn’t wrong. Dipper knew what he wanted, but his insecurity and morals caught up to him after a few moments, but now that Bill had returned the interest with such, well, excitement (the kind of excitement that he could feel through the other man’s jeans), Dipper felt his resolve returning with the help of Bill’s tongue on his neck he breathily said, “Let’s just-“ he paused to lick his drying lips,” take things slow.” He released the blonde’s hands from his grip so they could wander freely. Bill was more than happy to oblige that notion and began where he left off with unbuttoning Dipper’s coat while kissing his jawline to his neck and ear. His cold fingers fumbled and Dipper held onto Bill’s shoulders until he finished.

Dipper quickly shrugged out of this coat, the chill in the air not bothering him as much as it should have since he could feel his skin heating up due to his current situation. Dipper pulled his head back to get Bill’s lips off of his ear and went to kiss the man as he began popping the buttons off of his coat as well. Bill rested his hands on Dipper’s thighs, giving them a tight squeeze, causing his hands to shake and slip from their task. It felt like an eternity passed before Bill’s jacket fell off of his shoulders and he folded it up nice and neatly before setting it on the counter next to Dipper.

Bill looked Dipper in the eyes before leaning down to kiss him a little more gently than he had. It gave Dipper a moment to adjust comfortably in his awkward position on the counter. He settled for gripping Bill’s shirt at the ribcage and Bill’s hands settled on this waist, teasing fingertips lingering underneath his shirt, barely grazing the skin.

They stayed like this for a few moments before Dipper deepened the kiss. He could feel Bill’s smirk on his mouth as he moved his hands up his shirt. Cold fingertips traced his heated skin from his ribcage to his sternum. After a few more moments of just feeling his skin, he elicited a moan from Dipper by thumbing over his nipple with one hand, while lightly digging his nails into his skin with the other hand. 

Dipper’s moan must have been an open invitation to Bill, who forwarded his tongue into Dipper’s mouth and began grinding his erection into Dipper’s. This made Dipper heat up and melt in this frigid air. Impatience resonated in his body so he took the next initiative and broke the kiss and moved to Bill’s neck.

He took note that Bill reacted more the harder he sucked on the skin. He decided to test a boundary and nip at his neck with his teeth. The heavy breathing in his ear and shaky hands moving to his belt buckle was enough indication that Bill liked it at least a little rough. As Bill’s hands worked on the buckle Dipper ran his nails down Bill’s back, shuddering at the breathy moan in his ear and held in a yelp at the attack on his own lobe. Bill chewed on his ear and then bit Dipper’s neck in return, causing the same embarrassing sounds that Bill made to flood out of his mouth as well.

Bill began to tug on Dipper’s jeans so he placed his hands on the counter to lift himself up so they could be pulled down, he burning erection greeting the cold air unfazed. Not that Bill gave it much of a chance to freeze as he quickly wrapped his warm hand around it. Dipper immediately and instinctively bucked his hip to the touch and Bill gave it a pleasant stroke.

Suddenly Dipper found himself falling backwards against the wall as Bill leaned more into him, stroking his member and nipping at his neck.

Bill’s hands were excellent and smooth for someone who’s doing physical labor a living. Dipper reveled in the warm feeling that was building in his gut.

His head began fogging over with the warm sensation of the man’s touch. He couldn’t remember the last time he’s had…

Release.

He had just cum right into Bill’s palm embarrassingly quick. Left panting, Bill pulled away and the only response he seemed to offer was a smirk that said, “Yeah, I’m that good.”

Not willing to let this be an open discussion, Dipper pushed Bill just far enough to get himself off of the counter, ignoring the stickiness on the hem of his shirt and turned Bill so his back was against the counter. Dipper kissed him fervently as he began working on the blonde’s pants to return the favor and then some.

As soon as the button came undone, Dipper did as Bill had done and sucked and nipped at his neck as he fondled the hard cock inside of the boxers. Bill’s responses came out desirable and the surprised look on his face when Dipper dropped to his knees to release his erection completely was even better.

Dipper licked his lips one more time (he should really remember to have chapstick in cold weather) before bringing his mouth to the standing erection in front of him. The first thing Dipper took note of was that the drapes did indeed match the carpet. The second thing he noticed was how sensitive Bill was when his tongue swirled around the tip before he slowly began to work his way to the shaft.

The blonde had one hand in Dipper’s hair (thankfully the one that wasn’t covered in cum) and the other clutching the counter Dipper was just on for support. Dipper dug his nails into Bill’s thighs the moment the cock hit the back of his throat. His gag reflex and need for air were too great to stay that way so he bobbed his head and swirled his tongue just right to get more of those delicious noises from the other’s mouth, to feel his grip tightening in his hair, and lastly, to feel the ever so slight way he would buck his hips in a selfish attempt to get more of Dipper’s mouth.

“P-Pine Tree, fuck,” Bill stuttered out as he yanked Dipper’s hair to pull him out of the line of fire, though some of it still ended up on his shirt.

Bill took in a few deep breaths and Dipper managed to catch a glimpse of the priceless, breathless look on his face before he gave Dipper another cocky smile. “You’re just full of surprises, kid. I wonder what it’d be like if I actually got you into a bed.”

Dipper returned his remark with his own confident smile and said, “And you may never find out. I need to get cleaned up.” And also, it was time to do that laundry he’d been putting off.

---------------------------------------------------

The next few days weren’t as awkward as Dipper feared they might be. His and Bill’s chemistry didn’t really change. As a matter of fact, he felt more relaxed than he’s ever been, even if he was still on edge about having trouble contacting Mabel (or anyone else for that matter).

Dipper checked the date on his phone and it had been nearly a week and a half since Bill came to the inn and Christmas was coming around the corner.

Bill had his nose in one of the books in the library and Dipper held in the audible sigh that threatened to escape his lips. The snow had prevented them from getting any actual work done today so they were forced to retreat indoors.

Dipper hummed and tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch before glancing at Bill. Now that he thought about it, he never once saw Bill pull out a phone or try to communicate with anyone outside of the inn.

“Bill, do you have any family?” he found himself asking before he could stop himself.

“None that I talk to,” he answered without even glancing up from his book.

Dipper quirked an eyebrow, “Really? Well, what about close friends?” Bill’s eyes glanced up from the book and he responded, “I’m too much of a rolling stone to keep in contact with people.” Dipper felt like statement was more for him than he chose to acknowledge.

“So there’s no one you’d want to call during Christmas?”

Bill officially put the book down to the side and said, “Firstly, I don’t celebrate Christmas. Secondly, I don’t really have anyone I’d want to talk to during the holidays. Why, do you?” Dipper sheepishly nodded, “Yeah. Mabel. She was stuck in New Haven last time I talked to her and now I can’t get a hold of her since the night you showed up. This might end up being our first Christmas apart.”

Dipper’s voice almost cracked at the thought, but he kept it together. So what if they missed a Christmas together? It wouldn’t be that big of a deal, right? They could just celebrate it late. Though, it wouldn’t be the same.

“So? Who cares? It’s kind of silly that people want to buy other people presents and for them to eat the worst kind of cake known to man during a certain time of year. Plus people go insane over the whole gift buying and receiving, it’s a little to contrived for my taste but that’s just because I don’t like buying people presents,” Bill stated with wild hand gestures to emphasize his point.

“It wasn’t about the presents, though my sister did go out of her way to make me something every year. She’s knit me a sweater or a hat and I’d make us a huge dinner. We’d drink eggnog and sing stupid Christmas carols. It’s a fun tradition,” Dipper explained and was greeted with a confused look. Maybe when Bill said he didn’t have a family, he really meant he didn’t have a family and Dipper was hit with a pang of guilt for bringing it up and then gushing about his own experiences.

“Sounds nauseating. But intriguing, I’ll give you that.” His glance when towards the window and he quickly said, “Oh, hey. The snow’s letting up so I’m going to get a jump start at picking up the dead branches.”

Dipper sighed as Bill swiftly left the room without another word.

Maybe he had overstepped his bounds.