Alright, I've got something to say. I don't know how often I can provide Gravity Falls stories anymore.

I absolutely adore this show, and it STILL is the best cartoon I've ever had the pleasure of being a fan of. But I've been making content for it for years now, and it's getting harder to think of new ideas. My artwork is mostly just poses for the twins, holiday related, or my persona, and I've written pretty much everything I want to write. My headcanon, is, well, complete. There's the one other story I have planned to add to my HC, but after that, I'm not sure what else to write about.

I'm not saying I won't be writing Gravity Falls ever again, because inspiration is really weird and strikes at random times (usually late at night for some reason haha), I'm just saying i don't know when it'll be.

I love this show. Period. (I'm in the middle of rewatching it right now, for heavens sake). I've just used up so many ideas I don't know what else to do. So please, if anyone has any ideas, tell me! I'd love to hear them!

Anyway, on with the story, and all the Pines twins fluff to come...

"Come on, Dipper! It's not that far!"

"For, real, Mabel-"

"You know there's only two prime places for knitting: in front of the TV and outdoors. And the reruns of Ducktective don't start for another few weeks." Mabel crossed her arms, and Dipper rolled his eyes.

"And what happened to your bed? That used to be a totally fine place to knit."

"For sweaters, sure. But this is important! I need to finish the shawl for my dress by tonight!"

"It's wet outside…"

"It stopped raining an hour ago." Mabel looked away. "Please, bro. I don't wanna go alone."

Dipper sighed. "Alright. Lemme just grab my journal first." He quickly made his way up the stairs to his room, swiping his journal from the desk. Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea. He hadn't really journaled after rain before; maybe he'd find some new things to observe. Besides… he really didn't want Mabel to have to go alone.

Once Dipper was back downstairs, Mabel left a note on the coffee table ("Went to the park. Be back before dinner "), and the twins set out.

The park was a couple blocks away, and wasn't anything too exciting. Just a picnic table, small playground, and cluster of trees, but it was one of Mabel's favorite places to knit when she needed to focus (not that Mabel wasn't already, like, the most focused person ever!). She settled at the table, Dipper across from her, and they both got to work.

Now, the reason this particular garment required such special circumstances was because it was for such a special event. The eighth grade dance was tomorrow night, and Mabel had been looking forward to it literally for the entire semester. And to make things even better, she was slowly working her way into a friendship with her crush, Brendan (a real crush, not "love at first sight" like last summer). This dance would be the perfect opportunity to see if maybe he liked her too, and she had to make sure everything was perfect. That included her accessories, such as this shawl. It was made with a special white yarn that had glittery streaks of silver in it, and would be absolutely adorable with the lavender dress her mom had gotten her. She could see it now: walking into the building with Dipper at her side, catching Brendan's eye, then spending the whole night with them (Maybe she could even find a girl for her brother to dance with while she was at it). Yes, it was going to go without a hitch!

Mabel was so lost in her dreamy state, she hadn't even noticed the first drops of rain. It wasn't until Dipper practically yelled her name that she returned to reality and saw the dark clouds.

"Let's get back home. I don't want either of our projects ruined by rain," he said. Mabel nodded, stowing her goods under her sweater as the rain grew heavier. Dipper shoved his book in his vest, and the two of them took off running. Within seconds, they were caught in a full on downpour, so heavy it was hard to see. Almost instantly, both of them were soaked, and Mabel was fighting to keep up with Dipper. Not because he was faster than her, but because her shoes were not meant for running while wet. Normally, the flats were fine for a quick sprint, but with the rain, she could feel her feet slipping with every step.

"Dipper, wai-" Mabel started, only for her voice to abruptly cut out, as her left shoe slid out from under her, and she tumbled forward, landing hard on her other foot. Immediately, she was overwhelmed with pain, so intense she couldn't even make a sound.

Dipper turned back around, confused as to why Mabel hadn't finished her sentence, only to panic at seeing her lying on the sidewalk, clutching her right ankle. "Mabel!" Dipper ran back to her, not even caring about the rain anymore. "What happened?"

"I- I don't know! I fell and now- ah!" She sucked in a sharp breath, trying to get the ability to talk again. "I think I… my ankle…" Dipper's eyes widened, and a cringe shook through him as she moved her foot forward. He felt as though his own leg was in pain at the sight of his sister's already swollen ankle.

"We have to get Mom and Dad," he said, panicked. Without another thought, Dipper grabbed Mabel's hand, pulling her up. The second even the tiniest bit of weight hit her right leg, she cried out, and Dipper wrapped her arm around his shoulders, so she could use him as a crutch. "Come on. I've got you." Slowly, the two of them made it back to their house, the rain having slowed by then.

The next few hours were a blur, with Dipper yelling for their parents, driving to hospital, and finding out that Mabel had a moderate sprain in her ankle. The doctor fitted her with a boot and crutches, and left the family with a clear message: no strenuous activity for at least a week. And now, those words were echoing in Mabel's mind as she stared out the car window, and the rain streaking against the glass.

At least a week… The school dance was tomorrow. There was no hope for going to it, now. All that hard work, all that planning, all those daydreams… worthless. Mabel rested her head on the window, her vision blurring as tears threatened to fall. She felt a hand pat her arm, immediately recognizing it to be Dipper, but she didn't move. The disappointment festering inside her was making it hard to even breathe.

The family got home, and Mabel just asked her dad to take her upstairs. He did, and once she was in bed, the tears finally came. It was so stupid! Just one little misstep and all her plans for this special night were ruined. No dancing, no fun with Dipper, no snacks and music, no chance to be with her crush… Why did this have to happen now?

Mabel glanced over at her closet, where her dress hung in wait. Angrily, she got up, standing shakily on the unfamiliar crutches, before making her way to the closet and throwing the dress to the ground. A cry of frustration escaped her, and she just desperately wanted to do things over. To not have gone out today, or to have finished the shawl earlier; then, this never would have happened.

The pain in her ankle flared up, and, even more upset than before, Mabel fell back onto her bed, hoping this all was just a bad dream.

Several minutes passed, with Mabel just staring at the ceiling, before she was startled by a voice at her door.

"Mabel?" It was Dipper. "Can I come in?"

Mabel sighed. As much as she wanted to just wallow in misery, she could really use her brother's presence right now. "Yeah," she replied, hating how her voice broke with just one word. The door opened, and Dipper stepped in, his expression almost as pained as his sister's.

"How're you feeling?"

"Not great," she admitted.

"Figured as much." He paused. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Yes, yes, yes! Mabel's mind screamed, but all she could say was, "Not really." Dipper just nodded, standing by the door for a moment before walking over and sitting beside her on the bed.

The twins were silent, as Mabel tried to fight with what to say, and Dipper waited for her to open up. He knew she would; she could never hide anything from him for long. And after a couple minutes, she finally did.

"I wish none of this happened."

"Me too."

"I've been waiting for this dance for so long… and now I can't even go to it… It just feels so unfair! I was so excited to finally get to experience a real middle school dance, after being too scared to go before… And now I'll never get to." Mabel felt close to tears again, but she forced them back. "Just promise me: when you go, be sure to have fun. Please, for me?"

"I'm not going," Dipper said, getting a horrified look from Mabel.

"Why not? We've planned this together! You have to go!" She exclaimed.

"I won't go," Dipper reiterated. "Not without you."

Mabel smiled a little at her brother's sentiment, but still, she couldn't let him do it. "Bro, I don't want you to miss out because of me. You've already given up opportunities in the past; you deserve to have a night for yourself!"

"No, Mabel, you don't get it." Dipper turned to look her in the eye. "I don't want to go without you. You know I'm not really a social guy. But I wanted to go to the dance because I wanted to spend the night with you. Well, you and Brendan, I suppose," he teased; Dipper knew about Mabel's plan to dance with him. "But if you're not going to be there, then I don't see a point in going. There's more important things to me than experiencing a school dance. This is just one opportunity in a lifetime of others."

Mabel swallowed, truly touched by Dipper's revelation. He was right, there were more important things; and one of those was Dipper being happy, even if she couldn't. "Well, I see a point. I can't let you give this up for me. I want you to go to the dance, and have fun because I can't be there with you. This is your one chance, and I'm not going to let you miss it."

"Mabel, you don't hav-"

"For real, Dipper. I'm not going to negotiate."

Dipper smiled. "Fine, then. But just because you're making me," he joked. And despite it all, Mabel couldn't help but smile back.

Three Weeks Later

Mabel pushed open the car door, and with pure elation, ran up to the house. She'd finally been freed of the boot and crutches, and was back to normal.

"We'll be back with dinner!" Her dad called from the car, and she flashed a thumbs up, excited to have a little time with just her and Dipper. Then, the parents drove off, and Mabel unlocked the door- only to see the house dark.

She frowned, reaching for the light switch, but before she could turn it on, the room illuminated with string lights. Mabel looked around, confused, but in awe of how pretty the lights strung from the ceiling looked, when she noticed something. Dipper, standing in the door frame between the living room and kitchen, wearing the same slacks and collared shirt their mom had gotten him for the dance a few weeks ago.

"Dipper? What's going on?" Mabel asked.

"Mabel Pines," Dipper said as he walked toward her, getting a giggle out of his sister for the clearly scripted performance. "Would you care to dance?"

"Dipper, you didn't!" Mabel's grin spread from ear to ear as her brother pushed a button on their CD player, and the soundtrack to Mabel's favorite movie began playing. Dipper held out a hand, and she took it, laughing at the absurdity of it all. With a yank, he pulled her into the middle of the living room (where he'd already pushed the furniture out of the way), and began stepping to the music. Mabel quickly followed suit, and soon, they weren't even trying to keep time, just doing whatever moves they felt like.

"You didn't have to do this, bro-bro…" Mabel said as the dancing continued.

"I didn't want you to miss out on our middle school dance." Dipper grinned. "Now, I know I'm not Brendan, but-"

"You're even better," Mabel interjected.

"What?"

"You're my brother and best friend," she finished, feeling happier than she was sure she ever would have felt at school.

Dipper was right; there were more important things than some dumb middle school dance. And she would take this over that any day.

Story time! The most severe injury I've ever sustained was, in fact, a sprained ankle. It was four years ago, and honestly, I don't even remember which one it was (I think it was my left foot), but I remember the PAIN. And it happened in the stupidest way possible to: I fell off the sidewalk leading into a parking lot while running to an accident that happened right outside my apartment complex. And get this: I was so hyped up on adrenaline to check on the cars, I got up and ran the rest of the way. It wasn't until after the cops and whatnot came that I realized how much pain I was in, and I had to call my dad to carry me back to the apartment because I couldn't walk. Adrenaline really does some crazy stuff...

My sprain must not have been too bad, though, because I was back to normal in about a week. But that first day back to school with three floors to navigate was torture...

Anyway... till next story!