Phantom Falls

11: Truce

The above artwork does not belong to me.

Dipper scowled as Danny was given a shock blanket.

The older boy was doing a good job of looking shaken up, which he should be if he was keeping a secret from his family. Only, what would Danny want to keep hidden badly enough that he would trek through the woods for two days?

Mabel, who was standing beside Dipper, seemed to read his mind. "Hey, just because he has a secret doesn't mean he's not the same Danny. After all, we have a Grunkle that no one knows about."

She had a point, but for some reason Dipper didn't want to admit it. "He looks beat up, though. What happened in those woods? Why would he leave suddenly if he didn't want anyone to get suspicious?"

A little ways away, Danny was sitting on a bench, talking to his parents. Manly Dan, Wendy's dad, had found him "asleep" near a river. He was obviously hurt, and was carried back to town bridal style.

Maddie Fenton was attempting to inspect his injuries, but Danny kept smacking her hand away, especially from his ankle. Dipper moved a little closer to listen in.

" . . . just a few scrapes and a sprain. Honestly, I'm fine. I'll ask Jazz to wrap the ankle once we get to the mansion. I'm sure she'll want to because . . . because . . ."

He glanced at Jazz, who was standing next to him. "Because I need to practice first aid!" she finished hurriedly. "You know, just in case something like this happens again."

Maddie seemed to buy it. "Okay, Jazz, just be gentle," her mother smiled, if a bit hesitantly.

Suddenly an orange-jumpsuited man ran up to them: Jack Fenton. Panting, he briefly mumbled something about rushing there from the other end of the woods, then wrapped Danny in a bone-crushing hug.

No one else seemed to notice, but Dipper saw the teenager grit his teeth as if in major pain. "Hi, Dad," he breathed out.

Jack released his son and scowled. "Where were you, Danny? What happened? Was there a ghost?"

Mabel glanced at her brother. "Is he serious about that?" she whispered. Dipper shrugged, biting his lip.

"N-No!" Danny stuttered, waving his hands in answer to his father. "No, I just went on a, um, morning hike and got lost." His mother narrowed her eyes, but she didn't say anything.

"I was a crossing a creek and slipped," he tried to explain, "and that's how I sprained my ankle." Maddie glanced meaningfully at the cuts and bruises on his face and arms. "I was pushing through branches. Also I fell out of a tree."

Unconsciously he touched his ribcage. The four of them finally got into their car and drove off, Maddie eyeing her son with suspicion.

As they drove by, Danny looked out the window and briefly made eye contact with the Pines twins. He waved tiredly, not noticing the look on Dipper's face. "I'll see you tomorrow," he mouthed. Then he was gone.

* * *

The next morning, Danny was jolted awake from his nightmare by a gentle rap on his door.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. When he was sure his voice wouldn't shake, he called "Come in."

Slowly someone peeked their head into his room. Suprised, Danny stared for a second before saying, "Hey."

The person in his doorway wasn't Smith or even Jazz, as he'd expected. It was Pacifica, carrying a tray of food.

Hesitantly she set his breakfast on the nightstand. Orange juice, bacon, sourdough toast, hash browns, eggs, pastries- the works. "Hey," she replied.

The blonde girl clasped her hands behind her back. "So I, um, made this for you. Even the pastries. I like to cook, but not many people know that."

Danny slowly took a bite of a homemade donut. It was perfect, melting in his mouth immediately. The boy was shocked. He hadn't known that Pacifica was interested in anything other than being a bully.

Seeing his expression, she smiled wryly and sat on the edge of the bed. "Those are pretty good, huh? It took me awhile to get the recipe right, but now I can whip them up in a few minutes."

"These are awesome," he answered honestly. He was still puzzled, though. "Why did you do this? I thought you didn't like me."

Danny did a double-take at her expression. Was she . . . was she about to cry?

Pacifica blinked her eyes. "I- it's just- I'm really sorry, Danny. I'm sorry that I was such a jerk."

When he stayed silent, she continued. "I actually think you're a cool cousin,Danny. I even sort of like the twins. A little while ago, Dipper changed my mind about a lot of things. But when I tried to be different than my parents, they just sort of . . . ignored me. No, my parents were disdainful. They didn't like who I was trying to be."

She sucked in a shuddering breath. "So I- I did the cowardly thing and caved in. I started to act like a perfect little rich girl again to keep them happy. Kindness to the commonfolk isn't something that they tolerate."

Pacifica bit her lip, nervously watching her cousin. To her suprise, his face softened, and he said, "I think I get it. I have to pretend to be someone I'm not, too. But you have the opportunity to defy them. Be whover you want, Pacifica. If they can't approve of that, then they don't deserve you at all."

Slowly she squeezed her eyes shut. "Do you ever feel like the world just doesn't want you to pull through?" she whispered, half not expecting a reply.

"Every day," he murmured. "Every single day."

With a sob, she hugged him. He winced at the pain in his ribs, but returned her sudden embrace anyway. "I was so worried. If you died out there, it would be my fault," she sniffled. "You- you only get up so early to stay away from me. You wouldn't have gone hiking at all if I hadn't been stressing you out."

He coughed out a shuddering laugh. "The hike had nothing to do with you." He smiled at her. "I'm going to go to the Mystery Shack today. You should come. The Pines are pretty cool."

She hesitated. "But, what if my parents-"

"Your parents can't micromanage your life. You chose to be nice to me. That's a good start. Let's take another step in the right direction. "

Pacifa stared at him a moment, then nodded. "Ok," she agreed quietly. She sniffed and stood up straight. "Just let me get ready. Smith put some crutches by the nightstand."

The door closed sliently. Danny blinked a few times. What just happened? Did I really just comfort Pacifica? He couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Did I really just invite her over to the Mystery Shack?