Archive of Our Own ^beta

After a long day outside, Dipper and Mabel watched the sunset on the roof of the Mystery Shack. It was quiet, and peaceful, unlike only a few years ago when their last days in Gravity Falls were spent in terror.

Mabel turned in first with a “night” and a wave. She seemed happier now, they both were. She had stopped blaming herself as much for The Incident as it came to be known. And Dipper’s nightmares about holding the cold bodies of his relatives became less frequent.

They loved Gravity Falls, and being with people who truly understood made them feel less crazy. They started visiting for any break they could. Dipper remembers one time his sister got scolded for trying to fake sick and try to “go to the falls to heal”. It didn’t work. Unlike in California, they had friends here, real friends who cared. Mabel and Pacifica often video-chatted nightly while Dipper wondered if something else was going on between them.

He also wondered how the next school year would go. He was excited to meet new people and become beloved by a new set of teachers but also worried about his new schedule. He was taking on harder classes this year, along with a training course outside of school. He and Mabel were also taking up jobs for the extra cash. Many of his nightmares were taken up by him going to class and not knowing what to do while everyone else seemed to. He would wake up with a pit in his stomach, albeit a much shallower pit than other nightmares seemed to give him.

Then he remembered his parents. They loved him and Mabel very much, but they never quite got him the way Mabel, his grunkles, or any of his friends in Gravity Falls did. They understood and supported him. His parents merely tolerated his “lifestyle choice” and in return, they didn’t speak about it, and he pretended to not hear them fight at night about it. That didn’t stop it from hurting every once in a while when he thought about it, but that’s just how it was.

and he pretended to not hear them fight at night about itHe knew it got better, and it was easier to handle with his friends and family around. He also knew he couldn’t fix problems that hadn’t even happened yet. So, he decided to go down to his room, wish his sister goodnight, and resolve to make a therapy appointment in the morning.