Reality Is Stranger Than Fiction

I Really Like You (Carly Ree Jepsen)

You bolt up in bed, a soundless scream escaping your lips as you blink at the room around you. You curl your knees to your chest, hands tugging at your hair as you struggle to level your breathing. A millisecond after you awoke, Ford gasps next to you. Turning your head slightly, you see him staring up at the ceiling, tears clouding the corners of his eyes.

"So you saw that too?" you whisper, trying to stop the tears from rolling down your cheeks.

"This is getting worse," he says, confirming your question.

"We need to find a way to stop it."

"Agreed."

Ford rolls out of bed, you shuffle after him, and the two of you get dressed for the morning. The sun's not even up yet, but you know neither of you could fall back asleep even if you wanted to. So instead, you tug on your pants and shirt, gliding your fingers across your own scars for a brief moment.

The two of you forgo moving down to the basement, not wanting to wake anyone else in the house. So, Ford grabs a few of the books sitting neatly on the shelves, and the two of you sit down on his couch, searching the notes for any indication of weakness or hope.

It took three hours to find something. However, you managed to find in the notes a way to protect a building from Bill's influence. You grin, turning your head to show Ford, only to see him fast asleep. His head was slumped forwards, the book still in his hands as his chest rose and fall gently. A small smile creeps across your lips as you remove the book carefully from his hands and drape a blanket across him. Then, you place the book with your findings in his lap (making sure to bookmark the page).

When you're satisfied, you stand to your feet and leave the room. It was late enough now that you could hear the twins upstairs waking up, so you sneak down to the kitchen before them.

You take out the ingredients for pancakes, using a mix as you didn't trust yourself to remember a recipe. You work quickly, mixing up the batter as little footsteps sound down the stairs. There's a little gasp behind you as you pour the batter onto a heated pan.

"PANCAKES!" Mabel exclaims, pulling a chair up to the counter to watch what you're doing.

"Figured you kids would be hungry," you hum, placing a few chocolate chips in a smiley face on the pancake.

"You're the best, (Y/N)!" she praises, hugging your midsection tightly. A soft chuckle escapes your lips.

"You want to help? You can decorate them if you'd like," you suggest, pouring another pancake onto the pan.

"Absolutely! They're going to be Mabel-tastic!"

A smile paints your face as you and Mabel cook the pancakes together. Dipper sits at the nearby table, reading over the rules for Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons. Every once and a while he asks a question out loud and you answer it to the best of your ability. When the first round of pancakes is done, Stan makes his appearance.

"Pancakes? My brother put you up to this?" he grumbles, taking a seat across from Dipper.

"Nah, he's still asleep. I figured everyone likes to wake up to a hot meal. So, pancakes," you hum, pouring another into the pan and watching as Mabel drops them in the shape of Saturn.

"Sixer sleeping in?" Stan barks while laughing, slamming his fist down on the table, "What's next, Waddles is going to fly?"

"Well, technically he fell asleep while we were researching. We were up early, so it's understandable," you clarify, flipping over the pancake in the pan.

"Why aren't you up studying him then? That in itself is an anomaly. Thought you liked those," Stan comments, oblivious to the way it tints your cheeks as you nearly spill the pancake batter while pouring a new one.