The Truth to Uncover (BillDip)

Chapter 5

When the sun came up the next morning, its rays reached into the room to find Dipper Pines already awake. He was sitting in the triangular window, knees brought to his chest, looking out over the rain-soaked trees. The storm had stopped about two hours before the sunrise, and the sudden absence in noise had stirred the teen from his sleep.

His nightmare still ringing in his head had pulled him to his feet, and he took his usual place in the window seat. The position was comfortable enough for him to rest, but just awkward enough to keep him awake. This was an occurrence he had more practice with than he'd like to admit. There was hardly a night without some disturbed dream or nightmare to keep his nerves on edge. Sometimes it was just memories replaying in his mind, others it was horrified fantasies of what might be to come...

"D-Dipper...?" Mabel's voice was weak, shaking and garbled. The struggled noise was sufficient enough to gain his attention nonetheless, and he turned to her, eyes blurred as if coming out of a trance. He frowned in concern at her, getting to his feet, his head clearing.

"You look awful, Mabel..." he informed her, his worry blatantly apparent. "You're definitely sick. You should get more rest. I'm sorry if I woke you up." He placed the back of his hand on her forehead to check her temperature. Her skin was fire, her face flushed, eyes bloodshot, lids drooping. She tried to shake her head, though the effort had her wincing slightly.

"No, I'm fine, it's fine. I-I just need some...fresh a-air. I'll... take another w-walk..." she denied, words slurring as she tried to raise herself. Dipper shook his head firmly, gently pushing her back down onto the bed.

"You aren't going anywhere. You're exhausted, and you're sick. Get some rest. I'll bring you some medicine and water. Are you hungry? I can bring you some soup?" Mabel shook her head again, the fight leaving her as she let herself nestle into a comfortable position, eyes fluttering closed.

"Not...hungry..." she muttered, already slipping back into sleep. Dipper sighed, knowing that there was no medicine to cure what she had. When she disappeared upon returning to the house yesterday, down in the lab for hours on end, he knew that she was practicing magic. He just... didn't know how to confront her about it. He knew that he needed to stop her before she got seriously hurt, but... it wasn't a conversation he wanted to have. Not if he could avoid it. He just needed to figure out where she was keeping the journal, then take it back. Then, if she was so intent on learning magic, she'd have to either try and steal it back, or confront him. Either way, it was much easier to respond than it was to accuse.

Dipper descended to the first floor with hushed footfalls. The sun had only just made its way into the sky, and he didn't want to disturb his great uncles, in case they were still asleep. Plus, he didn't really feel like talking, or explaining the situation to anyone. He could deal with it himself, so there was no need to involve anyone else. Besides... he got the sinking feeling that if Stanley and Stanford knew that Mabel was in danger on behalf of Dipper and finding the dream demon, they'd be even less inclined to be okay with the situation.

He sighed, watching as the water poured into the glass cup, yawning slightly at his own lack of sleep, though he had no intentions of going back to bed until nighttime. He set the glass of water aside, turning to the cabinets to retrieve any medication that might help ease Mabel of fatigue or pain. If he was going to be selfish enough to not directly confront her, the least he could do was help her feel better.

He grabbed some pain-relievers and sleep medicine to help her rest, knowing all too well how disturbed and restless sleep was when your exhaustion was inflicted by overexertion. He also took a bag of crackers, in case she ended up having an appetite or needed something to keep her from getting lightheaded. Dipper returned upstairs with his haul, carefully closing the door behind him. He set everything down on the bedside counter, coaxing a half-asleep Mabel to drink some water and take the medicine. He sat back with a pain expression, watching as her rest became more comfortable and more restful.