A/N: Alright, let's turn up the awkward teenage-phase-ness!

...

"It's our first high school prom, Dipster!" She wailed from behind her door. "And Chris Daniels asked me! Me!"

He exhaled, leaning back against her door.

"I get that, but-"

"It needs to be perfect!"

He adjusted his tie, changing his mind about it again. He loosened it, deciding the crisp, clean, formal look wasn't for him.

"Yeah, but-"

"He asked me!" She repeated. He could almost feel her excitement radiating through the door.

He scowled, involuntarily. Truth be told, he had mixed feelings about that. Chris Daniels was, well…for lack of a better word, a dick. His friends were dicks, their friends were dicks. They thrived on making people miserable. Hell, they'd given him a hard time from the off and all through freshman year.

A lot of them made jokes about Mabel when she wasn't around, calling her things, saying she was weird and odd, or even retarded. Never to her face, but he knew she heard the rumours. Hell, he'd sat and held her while she cried her eyes out in her room enough times. He'd never heard Chris himself say anything about her, but he'd had no issue ramming Dipper into lockers, tackling him at random around school or generally making his life hell.

That he'd suddenly turned and asked his sister to the prom, and told his friends to back off all at once made Dipper…uneasy.

And anyway, he was one of those guys. He was in the year above, he was sporty, athletic, good looking, not the sort who…who…who went for people like Mabel. He bit his lip, not that she wasn't good enough for him, no. She was too good for him as far as he was concerned.

She wasn't like the other girls they usually went for. She didn't pile on pounds of make-up, bleach her hair, colour her skin. She didn't dress up a lot. She was pretty, she was funny, kind, enthusiastic…she was artistic, she'd even been learning to play guitar. People just didn't see her the way he did, didn't understand her the way he did.

"You still there Dipper?" She called out.

"Yeah." He replied, distractedly.

Dipper frowned, that was a lot of thinking. But he had a lot on his mind, and it was just brotherly concern, he reminded himself. Even if the two of them were closer than any other siblings he'd ever met. They just…were. Dad left during the year. Just up and went. No more arguments between he and mom, though instead she turned her anger on them now. Mostly Mabel, for some reason and he hated her for it.

So they were close, it was only natural, given what they'd been through in Gravity Falls and what they dealt with at home and school. They had each other, they consoled each other, found solace in each other.

Although, things were a little…odd sometimes. They used to just hang around each other nearly all the time, everywhere. They'd spend the night in one another's rooms and stuff. But then she'd started to…change…in ways. He flushed, remembering the time he'd gone to her room and she'd let him in right after she'd had a shower and was getting changed, not thinking and…

His face flushed just thinking about it.

Idly he wondered when he'd started seeing her as a girl.

"I'm ready!" Mabel all but screeched in excitement.

"Let's see it then." Dipper sighed, standing up straight, wondering what could possibly have taken her so long. She didn't need to bother with all that dressing up stu-

"Whaddya think, bro?" She stepped out.

…-u-u-u-uuuuff?

He made a strangled noise at the back of his throat, managing to nod appreciably.

She'd gone to town. Her long hair was pulled back and done up into streams of curly strands, with a fringe curving to one side, tucked behind her ear and held in place with a blue hairband. She'd chosen a light blue dress with short sleeves that came down to her knees and a tight section at the waist that showed off the curves and shapes of her body he was only just noticing she had. Especially around…well, and around…yeah, anyway.

And she was wearing a pair of opaque tights that made her legs look…and heels! He derailed the thought. Mabel never wore heels! He didn't even know she had any.

She giggled, doing a spin.

"Will he like it?"

"Does a Gobblewonker shit in the woods?"

"No, in the lake." She smirked, crossing her arms.

"Whatever. Look, unless he's been struck blind by too much football-induced trauma to that empty head of his…"

He wondered briefly if he should try and persuade her not to go with Chris again. They'd talked, well argued, a lot about it over the past week or so. It wasn't that Mabel was naïve, she just…saw the best in people. They both knew what Chris and his friends were like, but where he expected the worst as a result, she would always be willing to give them another chance.

"I know what you're thinking." She said slowly. "But I've made my mind up, I'm going with him."

There was also the fact she was stubborn as hell. "Resolve", she called it.

"You don't even like him."

"He asked me. It would be rude not to."

And that was that. It was that simple to her. It wasn't about status, or popularity, or one-upping the cheerleaders. It was because it wouldn't be nice to refuse.

He shrugged, with a small nod.

"So you think I look alright?"

"Mabel, you look…" He struggled. "…uh…beautiful. And if he can't see that…"

She looked momentarily disheartened.

"Sorry, it's just-" He was caught off guard as she flung her arms around him in a hug.

"I know, you care."

He was still momentarily stunned. They hugged all the time, but right now, with Mabel all dressed up and perfumed and all that she was overwhelming his senses. Eventually he managed to fold his arms around her and hug her back.

"…uh…yeah." He agreed, trying to clear his head.

"Now come on broseph," She pulled away and took his hand in hers. ", mom's probably pissed at us again and she's got to drive us."

"Sure." He managed, letting her tow him with her, head spinning.

…

Mabel looked sideways at her brother, as he slumped forward onto the desk again. Class by now was just a formality. There was nothing left to learn, the teachers, the students, the school, they were just killing time till it ended.

He'd worked hard over the exams, for himself and for her. She wasn't stupid, but some subjects totally eluded her and he'd taken on the added workload of helping her study too.

She smiled as he let out a snore-snort.

The teacher didn't seem to care anymore than the students, seemingly not noticing her brother faceplanting the desk.

Mabel turned her attention back to her doodling. Though Dipper insisted her "doodles" were better quality than some actual art he'd seen. She'd been sketching the dress she thought she wanted for the prom on a figure that bore more than a passing resemblance to herself, stood next to a figure which bore a more than passing resemblance for the snoozing cavalier beside her.

She bit her lip, glancing at the back of his head. It would be the first time since freshman year they were going to the prom with other people. Since the first time, she winced at the thought, they sorta just wound up going together. Not "together" together, but just hanging out with each other and other friends rather than going with any dates.

They obviously couldn't go as…what they were, whatever that was. For obvious reasons. Still, she looked down at the doodle, finishing a few lines so they were holding hands, she could dream.

She knew he was only taking Jenny because they were friends. Neither were seeing anyone…officially, she reminded herself, so it just fit. She didn't mind. She wondered what Dipper thought about her going with Nick though. He hadn't shot it down, or disagreed, but he hadn't really said anything about it at all. He could be hard to read, sometimes.

Like back in freshman year. They were both pretty confused then, mixed up. Neither really knew where they were headed, or what they wanted. She doubted she could have ever guessed they'd ever…end up like this.

It all changed at that dance, though.