A/N Why are all my stories the same? Like, almost all of them start really sad and heavy, then I drop a fluff bomb at the end. Whatever...
In this one, Dipper is troubled by the "what ifs" of the summer. Like always, Mabel and comfort ensue.
Anyway, enjoy! (I think that has become my trademark note, haha)
Dipper growled in frustration as he turned over in bed again. Why couldn't he just fall asleep? It was his and Mabel's 13th birthday tomorrow. He should be sleeping happily, dreaming of becoming technically a teen once and for all. But instead, he was wide awake, mind plagued with all the events of the past few days.
The burning sky. The nightmarish creatures. The town he'd come to love turned upside down. The fear.
The loneliness.
He'd never felt more alone than when he was lost without Mabel, running through the wreckage wrought by that sadistic triangle.
But then they found her, and he thought everything was going to be okay. It wasn't. They almost lost. They were so close to losing the battle. And they would have, if Grunkle Stan hadn't given up everything to end that demon once and for all. But still, to think that he'd come that close...
Dipper shuddered. He turned over to face Mabel's bed, where she was peacefully sleeping, the rise and fall of her blanket reminding him 'she's there, she's alive'. Even as the images of an alternating shooting star and pine tree flashing in a blinding, all powerful eye began to flash through his mind. So close...
Dipper turned away suddenly. It was fine. They're alive, and that's all that mattered. So... why was he still so afraid?
"Dipper?" a groggy voice sounded from the other side of the attic. Dipper shifted back over to see Mabel, half sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes. "What're you doing up?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you, I-"
"You didn't wake me. I guess I just kinda... felt something was wrong and woke up." She smiled. "Call it my twin sense."
Dipper smiled back for a moment, but it quickly faded. "It's nothing. I was just... thinking, is all. You- you can go back to bed."
"Well, with that tone, it's definitely not 'nothing'," Mabel said, pushing off her covers and shuffling over to Dipper's side of the room. "Good luck getting me to go back to bed now," she joked. Dipper stayed frowning. "Seriously, though, what's up?"
"The sky? Although in this town, I guess that's not always a guarantee, huh?" Dipper said, trying to match his sister's levity, but the words came out as emotionless. His mind was too busy with all the images and thoughts. "I was just thinking... about everything that's happened the past couple days."
Mabel's expression dropped. "I've been thinking about it all too." About how she'd allowed herself to be held prisoner by her own fantasies.
"Really? But you're still so... Mabel. How could you have been worrying about it all but still stay happy?"
"It's been harder than it looks. But when I'm happy, you're happy. And I always want to keep you happy..."
The two remained silent for a long minute, both thinking over everything they'd seen and experienced. Then Dipper broke the silence, finally saying what had been keeping him awake.
"We could've died."
Mabel looked at him, surprised, waiting for him to go on. "I mean, we actually could've died, Mabel. And I don't know what to do with that knowledge. I've never felt so close to death before. And then, when Bill almost..." he choked on the word. "Almost... killed you... it all became real, you know? I'd never thought about the possibility of dying until it almost happened. But it made me realize something. That wasn't the first time." Dipper took in a shaky breath. "Mabel, we're so... lucky. All those adventures this summer; the gnomes, the Gideon-Bot, the portal, your- your play. Every time, we were so close to losing. And it never occurred to me just how close it was until I almost lost you to Bill. We were so lucky."
Mabel looked down, processing everything her brother had said. Was it all just luck? The leafblower, her grappling hook, getting caught on the shutdown switch, Dipper's fatigue at the play. Was it all just by chance?
No. It wasn't.
Mabel looked back at Dipper, still wearing his lost and confused expression. She sighed. "You're right, Dipper. We ARE lucky." A small smiled crossed her face. "But not in the way you think." Dipper's expression changed to one of question.
"What do you mean?" he asked her.
"We're so lucky to have each other. All the things we did this summer... we never could've done them on our own. Think about it! I was helpless when Gideon pulled me away from you. But you leaped off a cliff without looking back to save me! And there I was, staring into a demon's eyes, thinking about giving up everything I'd worked for... until I remembered that's exactly what you would do for me. And with the gnomes, when you trusted me enough to step back, and we won! We're always there for each other, bro! That's what makes us lucky. It's not mere chance. It's our promise to always be there for each other, no matter what." Mabel dropped her voice, looking up to her brother's identical eyes. "And I'm really, really lucky to have you for a brother- and a best friend."
Without warning, Dipper tackled Mabel in a hug. "I'm really lucky to have you too."
Mabel returned his gesture, then smiled. "You know there's only one thing we can do now, right?"
"Am I thinking what you're thinking?"
"Duh! We're, like, practically telepathic!"
"Okay, on three. One, two..."
"Pat-pat!" "Pat-pat!"