Another day at the pool, Dipper and Bill were in the middle of lifeguarding duty. However, only one of them decided to be professional, as Bill kept goofing off one way or another. Current example, involved the blond filling water balloons.

"Bill, please take this seriously," Dipper told him.

"I'm enjoying the simpler things in life, Pine Tree," Bill remarked. "Just because we're lifeguards, doesn't mean we should do nothing for hours."

After saying this, Bill took aim at a random citizen, and before Dipper could stop him, the blond threw the water balloon. It ended up hitting Officer Blubs in the back of the head.

"AH! WHY IS WATER AGAINST ME?"

Bill burst out laughing, while Dipper shook his head at him. "Can you be anymore immature?"

Bill tossed another water balloon up and down in his palm. "My answer for that question is--" Then, he threw a balloon right at Dipper.

Dipper yelped, when it broke apart against him, and drenched him in water. "Bill!"

"What? It'd looked like you needed cooling off," Bill chuckled.

The Guardian shot him a glare, then went to go grab a towel. While doing that, a familiar face approached them. It was Mr Poolcheck.

"I have mission for you two!" He announced. "Some maniac broke into the pool last night, and I want you to do a stakeout. If any of the supplies are stolen, there will be consequences."

"We'll do our best," Dipper promised.

Poolcheck nodded in approval, before turning away. Bill then made a mischievous look, and then tossed a water balloon at the back of the man's head. It smashed and poured water all over him, then Poolcheck spun around furiously.

"Who threw that!?"

"It was him," Bill lied, pointing to a random person.

Poolcheck deeply inhaled, then released a war cry, before charging at the said person. In return, the resident screamed in fear and ran off, while Poolcheck persuaded them around the pool.

"Get 'em, get 'em," Tyler cheered, from a nearby a bench.

Dipper shot Bill a mean look, and he shrugged. "I'm sure that guy will be fine...probably."

Meanwhile, Mabel and Will were once again reunited with their merman friend. As of now, they were tossing a beach ball to one another.

"Watch what, Mermando!" Mabel laughed, holding the ball over her head. "I'm about to bring the heat!"

She threw it in his direction, but it ended up hitting him in the face, Mermando didn't seem to notice.

"Are you alright, man?" Will asked, and the merman uttered a sad dolphin sound.

Mabel frowned. "It's your family, isn't it? You're missing them."

Mermando nodded, and the female Guardian made a determined face.

"That does it!" She burst out. "I care about you too much, to see you like this! You have to see your family."

"But, Mabel, I already tried," Mermando stuttered.

"Don't worry, we'll help you," Will chimed in, smiling.

Mermando looked extremely moved by the two. "I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"No need," Mabel reassured. "Tonight, we're breaking you out of here!"

So, with that, they spent the whole day, conducting a plan to free the merman from the pool.

❇❇❇

After hours, Dipper and Bill were still inside the pool area. Dipper was pacing around, darting his eyes to the sides occasionally. Then there was Bill, who looked bored out of his mind, turning his flashlight on and off repeatedly.

"Please stop with the flashlight," Dipper told him.

The Guardian squinted, when Bill aimed the beam of light into his face. "I would, if it weren't the only thing keeping me busy."

"How about doing your job?" Dipper told him, spitefully. "And stop shining that thing in my face!"

Bill rolled his eyes, but put away the flashlight. He stepped closer to Dipper. The Guardian stiffened, when the blond came too close, but tried to keep his composure.

"There's no one here, Pine Tree," The blond said, softly. "We can have some fun."

Dipper's eyes widened, but he couldn't stop himself from asking. "What kind of fun?"

Bill smirked, which made the brunette's blood boil. Dipper recognized that smirk, and he hated it with a passion. Most specifically, he hated the things that smirk made him feel.

Bill was still silent, and before Dipper could speak, the blond planted a hand on the center of his chest. The Guardian didn't have any time to process, as Bill gave him a shove, and Dipper ended up falling backwards.

Dipper was surrounded by a cold shock, as he fell into the pool. He immediately rose to the surface, gasping in some air. Once the water that had clogged his ears cleared, he heard Bill laughing hysterically.

"You really are a demon!" Dipper yelled, furiously.

Bill calmed down a bit, grinning. "Relax, we're both wearing lifeguard outfits, so your precious uniform is spared."

"You still pushed me!" The brunette snapped.

Bill looked down at him with a challenging look. "Yes, and what are you gonna do about it?"

Dipper paused, then smiled slyly. As fast as lightning, he grabbed Bill's ankle, and pulled him forward. Bill didn't have the strength to fight back, and splashed in beside Dipper.

As Bill coughed up bits of water, Dipper laughed and laughed. Afterwards, Bill regained the strength to punch the brunette in the arm.

"What the hell!?"

"You started it," Dipper pointed out.

"Yeah, but I didn't expect you to retaliate," Bill replied. "I think I'm becoming a bad influence on you."

"You always were," The brunette chuckled. "One time, you convinced me to draw on Grunkle Stan's face while he was asleep, and then--" He paused, because he noticed the intense stare in Bill's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"That's the first time you spoke so calmly about my past life," Bill noted. "Usually, you'd be hesitant to talk about that."

Dipper looked at him for a long while, before bowing his head. "I think I gotten quite used to you, Bill," He said, hesitantly. "Every day, it's like I'm back home, seeing his face..."

Bill frowned, then asked softly. "Do you ever miss him? My past life?"

"To an extent...maybe," Dipper admitted, then looked the blond in the eyes. "But, obviously, you're almost an exact copy of him. It's like he never left."

"I can't tell if that's a good thing, or a bad thing," Bill chuckled, nervously.

Dipper gave him a soft smile, then it faded. "We should get out," He said.

"C'mon, you finally loosened up," Bill complained.

"We were paid to guard this place, not swim."

"Mr Poolcheck didn't exactly tell us the pool was off limits," Bill said, cheekily. "We'll still be watching the place, while in here."

The blond paddled closer to the brunette, and tugged on Dipper's soaked white vest. The Guardian rolled his eyes. Bill really was a bad influence.

"Alright, but we can't be long."

"Of course, Pine Tree."

So, they spent a while in the pool. Dipper was ashamed to admit that he had a little fun. Sure, Bill was annoying as ever, but this was possibly the longest time they socialized with each other. At one point, Bill splashed some water on the Guardian, and in return, Dipper happily dunked his head underwater. When Bill came up again, he basically pinned Dipper against the edge of the pool, while the Guardian laughed at the angry blond.

Just when Bill was choosing between scolding him or punching him, he grew distracted. Something in the way the water glided down Dipper's hair, and how the moon casted a silver hue on his porcelain skin, was extremely mesmerizing. Bill drew closer, it never came to his awareness, how the space between their lips decreased...until Dipper turned away.

Bill regarded him, noticing that the brunette grew silent, and looking downwards.

"Bill, I think something is in the water," Dipper breathed.

Bill blinked, following his gaze. It was hard to tell in the dark, but he managed to see a shadow looming just below them. Immediately, they climbed out of the pool, and stared at the circling silhouette.

"What is that thing?" Bill gasped.

He turned to Dipper, only to turn away in embarrassment. It only occurred to him now, that he had almost kissed the Guardian. He had no idea what possessed him to do that, and he hoped that Dipper hadn't noticed.

"I don't know," Dipper answered him. "Maybe, if we--"

He was interrupted, when they heard a heavy thud behind them, followed by a loud grunt. They turned, on the same time when the door to the storage closet swung open, and a figure fell out. They were shocked, to see that it was Will.

"What are you doing here?" Bill demanded.

Will sat up, holding onto a cooler, and regarding them anxiously. "Uh, would you believe me if I said that I was trapped in there all day?"

"Maybe," Bill admitted.

"Bill," Dipper chastised, then went to look at Will. "Were you about to steal that cooler?"

"N-no!" Will stuttered, unconvincingly.

Bill stared at him. "Stealing private property?" He gasped, then grinned. "I'm finally starting to rub off on you!"

"Don't encourage this," Dipper remarked, then addressed the younger twin. "Will, I'm afraid I have to turn you in for this."

Will breathed deeply. "In that case--Now, Mabel!"

The two didn't have the time to react, when a shower of glitter powder fluttered over their head. Bill and Dipper inhaled it unintentionally, and immediately collapsed onto the ground. Behind them, was Mabel holding an empty packet, looking down at their sleeping forms.

"I knew stealing this fairy dust would come in handy!" Mabel cheered.

"Wait, you stole that?" Will questioned.

"Yep, and I'm probably on the fairy queen's hit list, but it was worth it," She declared, then beckoned him towards the pool.

Will carried the cooler over to the water, and immediately after, Mermando poked his head up.

"Mabel! Will!" He smiled. "You came."

"Of course, we did," Mabel said. "Now, let's get you out of here!"

After filling the cooler with water, they helped Mermando inside the container. By the time Dipper and Bill started stirring, Mabel forced the gate open, and the two carried the cooler to the cart parked outside.

Dipper peeled his eyes open, then gasped upon seeing Mabel and Will placing the cooler in the rear of the cart. "Stop!"

Mabel immediately moved to the driver's seat. After Will sat beside her, and secured the cooler, she stepped on the gas pedal.

The vehicle sped through the path away from the pool. Will clenched desperately onto his seat, as the cart shook up and down on the bumpy road.

"Woohoo!" Mabel cheered, turning the steering wheel like a maniac. "Don't worry, Mermando, you're going home!"

Will leaned his head out the passenger's seat, hoping to calm his nerves. However, he got hit in the face with a water balloon instead.

"Ah!" He squeaked, in surprise.

Gaining on them, in the cart that belonged to the pool, was Dipper and Bill. Bill was launching balloons at them with a pool skimmer, while Dipper was driving.

"Pull over in the name of pool law!" Dipper yelled in a megaphone.

"Pool law is dumb!" Mabel yelled back, then stepped harder on the gas pedal.

The cooler almost fell out, but Will caught it at the last second. Unfortunately, this caused most of the water to pour out. Will's eyes widened, as he heard gasping inside the cooler.

"Hold on, Mermando!" He told him. "We're almost to the lake!"

The two carts sped through the forest, Mabel dodging the other's attacks. Eventually, they broke through trees, arriving at a lake. Yet, Mabel couldn't hit the brakes in time, and ended swerving drastically, resulting in the whole cart flipping over. Mabel and Will crawled out.

"Are you okay?" Mabel asked Will, checking him for wounds.

Will gave her a reassuring look. "I'm fine, what about Mermando?"

Mabel was just about to turn to the cooler, when Dipper and Bill approached them.

"Mabel, what are you doing?" Dipper snapped. "What's inside that cooler that's worth this much trouble?"

Mabel sighed, standing up. "I should've told you this earlier, but..." She opened the cooler, causing Mermando to roll out.

"Hola," Mermando said, awkwardly.

"I should've expected this," Bill said.

"Guys, this is Mermando the merman. He's a merman," Will said.

"Nice to meet you," Mermando said, politely. "Also, I think I am dying." Then he went into a fit of gasping and retching, while his face slowly turned blue.

"Oh my gosh, Mermando!" Mabel screamed, kneeling beside him. "Someone give him CPR! Or reverse CPR? I don't know!"

Will stared, then looked around urgently. His eyes caught on a water bottle inside the pool cart, and he made a dash towards it. Bill looked at him, as his brother grabbed the bottle.

"Will, what are you planning to do?"

"Something that I'm going to regret!" Will remarked.

He quickly rushed to Mermando's side, and opened the bottle. He squirted the water inside his mouth, and started resuscitating Mermando through mouth-to-mouth.

"I hate this!" Will gasped, between refilling his mouth. "I hate this!"

Quickly, Bill took out his phone he'd been storing in the pool cart, and took a picture of the two, while their lips were locked. "Haha, blackmail material."

Finally, the natural colour returned to Mermando's face, and he shot up. He smiled at Will, as the boy wiped his mouth. "Thank you for saving me...but why didn't you just roll me into the lake?"

Will facepalmed.

A moment later, Mabel and Dipper carried the merman to lake, and tossed him in. Mermando peered his head up, and tried to make a dolphin sound, but ended up coughing instead.

"My voice!" He said, in dismay. "It's weak from coughing. How will my family hear my call from the mighty depths of the ocean?"

Bill came up, and handed him the megaphone. "Here."

"But that belongs to the pool, you could get fired," Will said.

"This seems more important," Dipper insisted.

Mermando gratefully took the megaphone, and went to smile at Mabel, as she knelt before him on the dock.

"Be safe, Mermando," She said.

"Thank you for everything, Mabel," Mermando gushed. "I never met someone like you."

"Same here," Mabel smiled, sadly. "But, I guess this is it."

"Not quite," He smirked. "This is!"

Then he launched up, and kissed Mabel on the mouth. It took a few heartbeats, before she returned the gesture. Eventually, Mermando pulled back, giving her one last smile, before sinking into the water.

After he left, Mabel could barely contain her joy. "That was my first kiss! Yes!"

"It was kinda Will's first kiss, too," Bill snickered.

Will shuddered. "Don't remind me."

❇❇❇

"Missing pool supplies, dents in the pool mobile, and a missing megaphone!" Poolcheck screamed, that morning. "Who is responsible for this!?"

Dipper and Bill stood in equal silence. Eventually, Dipper replied. "It was us, sir. We gone too deep..."

"Hand over the whistles, guppies!" Poolcheck roared, and they obeyed.

After they handed it over, Poolcheck promptly ate them without any trouble. The two stared for a while, before cautiously backing away. After they were at a safe distance, Bill and Dipper walked beside each other.

"That was terrifying," Dipper chuckled.

Bill nodded in agreement. Then, he grew silent, recalling what had happened earlier. "Pine Tree, about what happened in the pool--"

"Guys!"

They turned, seeing Mabel and Will rushing towards them. Mabel was holding a bunch of green bottles in her arms, and she was beaming.

"Mermando is back with his family, and decided to message me through letters!" She squealed. "I have a romantic pen pal! The teen movies were true!"

"I'm happy for you, Mabel," Dipper smiled.

Mabel practically skipped away, with Dipper following her. "I'll have to talk to you later, Bill," He said. "Thanks for all the fun."

Bill looked grimly as they both left, then Will noticed his facial expression. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"You were in that closet the whole time," Bill suspected. "Did you...see anything?"

"The only thing I saw were creepy pool floaters, that will most likely haunt my dreams."

"There's such a thing as sharing too much, Will," Bill said.

"Sorry," Will replied, then added. "But, I did hear you two. It sounded like you and Dipper were getting along."

Bill nodded, deciding to stay quiet. He couldn't get that moment out of his head. It had to be the environment. The moonlight. The silence. And the fact they had been alone together. Anyone would've got caught up in the mood. It wasn't like Bill had wanted to kiss Pine Tree, if it had been anyone else he would've done the same thing.

It certainly surprised him, that he almost kissed Dipper of all people. With his annoying sense of justice, his weird clothes, his cute dorky smile...

Did he have a crush on Dipper?

No! That was impossible. Pink dusted Bill's cheeks, as he thought back to how gorgeous the Guardian looked in the moonlight, then thought back to the times Dipper looked good in every moment of the day. He recalled the times seeing the Guardian sad, something he deemed as a heart wrenching sight. Then Dipper's smile...that horrible, horrible smile shouldn't be allowed to make the blond's heart speed up so fast.

I don't have a crush on him!, Bill screamed in his mind. Right?