We're Home- A Gravity Falls story

Mabel Pov

All right, I don't know how a trigger warning is supposed to work, but this chapter does include some parts of abuse by a parent, nothing to big, but if you are in any way sensitive to that, here's your warning. Otherwise, enjoy!

He's in his room, just like he's been for the past six hours. Dad's given up trying to call him down to dinner, he knows it's pointless. Dipper has two modes: School Mode and Home Mode.

When he's in school Mode, he's quiet and reserved and he doesn't talk to anyone, barely even me. 

When he's in home Mode, he locks himself in his room with the loudest music blaring through his headphones. The only reason he wears the headphones is because the neighbors complained to the landlord about the noise at 3 am.

It all started a little before mom and dad divorced. They were fighting all the time, and Dipper did everything he could to shield me from it. But when dad started to work longer hours to get away from mom, she looked to us for a way to get her aggression out.  It started small: sharp pinches to our arms to get our attention, light shoves to get us moving. But as the months wore on, it got worse.

Soon, she was slapping Dipper every time he did something she didn't like. She would pull my hair and scratch me, too. Dipper always got in between us when he was around. But he wasn't always around. And that was when she hit her lowest point.

 I had come home from school twenty minutes late, because a teacher had some questions about Dipper. She noticed he wasn't volunteering in class as much as he used to, and while his grades were still doing great, she was worried. Dipper had a study group that day, and so when I got home, he wasn't there to protect me.

Flashback:

" Where the hell have you been?" she was standing in the kitchen, cutting vegetables for dinner.

"A teacher wanted to talk to me about something. She was worried about-" She had stopped cutting, and she was looking at me as if she had just learned I had taken something from her.

"A teacher was worried about what? Did you say something?"  She was coming toward me, the knife clenched tightly in her hand. She was shaking slightly. Her knuckles were white.

"N-no. I didn't- I didn't say anything to anyone! I swear!" She kept coming toward me, and I backed up toward the stairs. If I could get to my room, or Dipper's, I could lock the door and get away until she calmed down.

"DON'T you dare lie to me! I know you told someone! Tell me who!" She charged at me, the knife swinging. I turned and tried to run up the stairs, but she tripped me.

"I swear, mom, I didn't tell anyone!" She lunged at me and I kicked her in the stomach, making her stumble backwards a bit. I turned and ran, with her screaming behind me.

I ran to the closest room, Dipper's room, and slammed the door shut. She hit the door just as I locked it, and she screamed in rage.

"OPEN this door, NOW! I'll kill you, you lying BITCH!"

I slid down the door and sat on the floor, hand over my mouth, crying silently.

My phone rang in my hand. I looked down and saw Dipper's face.

"Di- Dipper, I- I need- I need help! Mom's gone crazy, I locked myself in your room, I can't get out the d-door. She has a knife!" I almost cried out in relief when he replied calmly.

"Mabel, it's gonna be ok. Listen to me, alright? Look out my window, you see that tree?"

"Y- yes."

"Okay, open my window and climb down. The branches make a ladder, you can used it to get down."

I get up slowly and move to the window. I open it and look out. He's right, the branches do make a ladder.

"Mabel, are you still there? Once you get out, run to the library. I'll meet you there and we'll call dad."

"O-ok." I started to climb out the window, my phone in my hand.

"Mabel? I love you." I nearly started crying again.

"I love you too, Bro-bro." With that, I ended the call and hurried out the window and onto the tree branch. Mom was slamming into the door, trying to open it.

Once on the ground, I ran.

End of flashback

"Mabel, honey. Could you take this plate up to your brother? I gotta get to work early." I take the plate from my dad, my own food was cold and unappealing now. Dad stands up and starts to clear the table while I go down the hall to Dipper's room. I knock on the door twice, then I call out.

"Dipper? Dad made you a plate. Can I come in?" I can hear him shuffling around and then I open the door.

He's laying on his bed, just staring up at the ceiling. He does that a lot now, I don't know where he goes, but he seems to be happier there.

I walk into his room and sit down on his bed, laying the plate on his nightstand. He doesn't look at me, but I can tell he's waiting for me to say something.

"I asked dad if we could go and stay with Grunkles Stan and Ford for the summer. He said yes." He shoots into a sitting position when he registers what I said.

"Are you serious? We get to go ho- to Gravity Falls?" I nod, and for the first time in months, he smiles. 

"YAHOO!" He hollers as he leaps from his bed and grabs my hands and we twirl around the room. For a second, he reminds me of the Dipper from before everything went to crap.

Dad walks up and leans against the doorway, and watches us goof around for a bit.

"Yeah, Stan and Ford got back a few months ago from their trip around the world, so by the end of the school year, you can go. I know how much you kids miss them." For a second, I think I see tears in Dad's eyes, and I think it's because he knows it'll finally make Dipper happy again.

"Do you know what this means? There's only like two more months of school left! That means there's only 44 days until we can go!" Dipper hugs me and Dad, and we stand there for a while, just being a family. But then dad clears his throat.

"Well, I've gotta get to work. I love you both,"He gives us both hugs before he continues.

"Go to bed at a reasonable time so you can get up for school tomorrow." Then he leaves for work and Dipper and I dance around for a bit more before going to bed, more excited than we've been in years.