No Matter What

Chapter 1: Piano Keys

Prologue and first chapter, as promised :)
I'm not sure whether people actually want this story, so a comment to a vote would be nice so I know how many people would want more

"Time to get up sleepyhead!"

Through the muffled haze of of sleep, Dipper heard the voice call out to him. For a moment he didn't acknowledge it or even open his eyes, preferring to nuzzle back into his thin blankets. Apparently, this was not acceptable.

"Come on! I'm not doing the dishes by myself again!" The voice persisted. Dipper blearily turned towards the source, eyes still shut.

"But I'm tired..." he whined childishly. He lifted his head, opening his eyes a crack. "Ugh, you're too bright..."

Through his blurred vision, he saw his sister strike an exaggerated pose with a small laugh.

"Dazzling to the eyes, as usual!" Mabel explained happily. In one movement, she tugged the blanket that sheltered Dipper from the morning breeze. "You're just jealous!"

"Fuck!" Dipper yelled, trying to huddle away from the wind. "Are you kidding me?"

Mabel only laughed, making him sit up and glare.

Now fully awake, he could see the battered attic room that had sheltered him every time he went to Gravity Falls for the summer. It was less crowded than it had been a few years ago; once he and Mabel had grown into full teens, they agreed that it would be best if they split rooms. He took the attic, she took the room downstairs. So the lack of sparkles in the corner of the room made it easier on his sleepy eyes as he rubbed them with his fist.

"Just for the record, I wouldn't be jealous if I looked like a walking traffic light." Dipper muttered moodily, sitting up. He meant no hurt, and Mabel understood this too as she laughed.

"Yeah, well I'm not jealous of you right now, Mr I'm-going-to-stay-up-to-four-in-the-morning-for-a-book." Mabel retorted, swatting his head. Dipper whined, ducking away as she ruffled his bangs.

"I discovered a lot yesterday! I would have forgotten it all!" He smiled tiredly, swinging his legs off the worn mattress. The floorboards chilled his feet, making his shudder.

"Like that dream?" Mabel asked, half teasing, half serious. Dipper stood up, staring out at the dusted window.

The dream hadn't exactly been a nightmare, but it hadn't been pleasant either. Sure, it was far less fearful than his night terrors he had suffered from (and still did sometimes, despite him telling Mabel otherwise) in the first few years after Weirdmaggedon, but he still was much happier awake than asleep.

He wasn't even sure why it was unpleasant – all he remembered was a mess of red and white swirling around him, with disjointed piano keys playing in the distance. He had only chosen to tell Mabel unless it actually was anything more than a strange dream; he didn't want to put his ageing grunkles under any unnecessary stress.

"I didn't write it down." Dipper said, "I didn't have it again tonight, so I don't think it was anything more than a dream."

The unspoken possibilities and fears of what that dream potentially could have been lingered as Dipper shuffled to the cabinet beside his bed, pulling out a bottle of pills from its shelves.

"Ugh. Water?" Dipper asked, unscrewing the lid. Mabel had already brought some, handing it to him. "Thanks."

He swallowed them with a small grimace.

"Have you –"

"Yes Dipper." Mabel answered, knowing what he was going to say. She too had had some, though not as many as Dipper, medication prescribed to her after Weirdmaggedon. "Stop worrying for once..." she chuckled. Dipper could not help chuckle with her – it was a weakness of his, as he often called Mabel's laughter infectious.