The dreams were empty. Nothing was there but yellow roses, shining brightly against a dark, unknown night sky. When Dipper woke, he stretched lazily, but happily and hopped out of bed, smiling in the most uncontrollable way. No bad dreams, and and he remembered it. Of course he was happy, who wouldn't be?

He hummed pleasingly as he slipped on his shirt and shorts, leaving his poofy vest in favour of more flexibility. His hat, just like each of the past few days, stayed on the nightstand quickly collecting a shallow sheen of dust.

It wasn't long before Mabel woke up to a weight bouncing on her chest repeatedly. "Mabel! There were no dreams and I'm sooo happy! Greet today with a huge, happy SMILE."

Mabel's eyes opened in a squint to see her brother's grin. She smiled, and apparently that was a good enough answer, because he was bouncing out of the room and flapping his arms like a bird. Free, in a way.

I can do this. Dipper thought, I've been such a jerk lately, but today is better. No- today is the best. I'll show them I'm fine. They don't have to worry. I'll be happy, for them.

乁(¬_¬)ㄏ

Stan's nose inhaled one moment, and the next it was filled with the unmistakable scent of meat. Ah, meat. The best smell to wake up to. It made him nostalgic, back in the old days he had an older brother he could look to for food. An early riser, too. Waking up to smell meat could only mean one thing... either Shermy is paying a very unexpected visit, or someone is making breakfast.

Stan jolted up. He groaned and mumbled nonsense about body pain before slipping on his slippers and shuffling out of his room. He sniffed the air comically before following the meaty scent to the only place it could have possibly come from. The kitchen.

As he got closer, he could hear music. Was that BABBA? He smiled like an old goof when he walked in to his nephew, (he didn't mention the pink frilled apron, his only concern being where he had gotten it from- last time he checked the only pink stuff that he had were in magazines or given to him by Mabel) swaying his hips and singing along to what was it called? Disco Queen? No matter whatever the song was called, Stan was happy his great nephew was far from whatever mood he was in before.

"Stan!" Dipper grinned, wow was that frightening, "Already have your plate riiight-" the boy put down a spatula and let go of the frying pan handle to pinpoint Stan's plate. "There!"

Stan's face brightened immediately. "Woah. Dipper, if I knew you could cook I would have had you making breakfast from the start!" He sat down, in front of him lay a fat stack of gorgeous golden pancakes. "Ey! Where's the protein?"

"Coming up, Grunkle Stan." One by one, Dipper rolled three greasy sausages onto his Grunkle's plate. Though concerned not by his apron, but Dipper's attitude, Stan brushed it aside until he had pure, hard evidence this was weird (and backup just in case).

"WOAH. Dip! These look amazing!" A piercing voice said. (...speaking of backup) Mabel. She laughed.

"Thanks! Want some?" Her brother asked cheerfully, the smile still as wide as ever on his face.

Mabel shivered, a little bothered by that smile, but smiled back anyways. "Heck yeah!" She slid into her usual spot on the table. "Doon't miind iif Ii doo~" she chimed.

A plate of pancakes, loaded up with sprinkles and syrup plus whatever sugary substances Dipper could find (the pancakes were less than visible)- was placed in front of her. She started to dig in, she hadn't noticed it at first, but when she looked up, she could clearly see Stan's face. She squinted with pursed lips at his look. He tilted his head towards Dipper. Was he signalling her?

She looked, and her brother was just happy and dancing to Disco Girl. Nothing was wrong with dancing, even if he was usually in a sour mood. I mean, the sudden change wasn't that weird. It definitely didn't change the fact that these pancakes were going to be drowned in even more syrup before they were devoured. She rolled her eyes and shrugged to him. Stan's look just screamed louder. She mouthed 'good thing' while shrugging before shoveling more food into her mouth.

Almost suddenly Dipper took off the apron he was wearing and left the room, saying "Already ate. Going to stare at the ceiling before work, k?"

He didn't miss both their eyebrows arch in concern. That was a good thing, their concern. It meant they cared... RIGHT?!
Dipper sighed internally before taking a calming breath, walking to Stan's old couch and laying on it. He tried thinking optimistically. Even he was concerned when he couldn't think of anything that didn't question existence in some way, shape or form. He brushed it off, trying to at least not be a pessimist.

乁(¬_¬)ㄏ

"Oh. It's over here." Dipper grinned. He happily led a customer to the product they were looking for. One of the Mystery Shack's eroteme shirts. He waved and smiled widely as the customer walked out of the gift shop. (Dummy thought the shirt was worth more with a fancy name!)

Mabel watched her brother's face melt into indifference as he took his spot on the couch and stared lazily at the ceiling. For the second time that day! In the hall, her head peeked out into the living room. She watched him think, watched him be void to the world. She watched for a while before retracting, sliding down the wall and sighing.

"I don't get it. Why's he acting all happy so suddenly. It usually would take him hours, maybe even days to be all happy again after a slump... even after something big" Mabel said.

"Maybe he 's thinking when he looks at the ceiling... all weird like that. You know, reflecting." Mabel jumped before registering what Stan said. The old man shrugged before nudging her with his drink.

"Except.... how his mood completely changed from yesterday- I've never been able to do that. To make him that happy that fast. Do you think he found someone else?" Mabel's eyes watered at the thought of being replaced. Someone replacing her job as big sister!

"Are you kidding me? He's barely left the house." Wendy joined. "Before I thought this new thing was just the regular weird... but now it's just- getting creepy."

"Yeah. I get this weird feral instict of fear or unsettledness or- or something about it." Soos added, lifting his gut and poking at it. He laughed. "Instincts don't like it, doods."

Mabel tapped her chin, looking to her brother, then the rest of her family and friends. "Yeah. Everything seems... forced and unnatural." Her lips pursed as she squinted at her brother. "Let's move somewhere a bit more private and talk about it."

They walked to the kitchen, Mabel frowning. Talking about her brother like this... made her feel bad. Bad and gross. She shivered.

"He usually never offers customer service." Wendy started.

Their conversation evolved. Dipper listened. Like a cat, quiet and quickly, he navigated the halls and stood silently next to the kitchen doorway. "He's acting weird" Freak. His mind belittled itself. "Unnatural" His hand lifted and grazed his forehead, touching his birthmark. "Fear" his face twisted. It twisted into something terrible.

Before he could move, before he could control himself, he walked in and slammed his fist against a brittle part of the wall. It smashed in, giving a mere illusion of power. One nice day. One nice day. That's all he hoped for in today. 'hey! Maybe things can be normal again' he was a fool for thinking as such. Is this how they repay him?! By... by... "Talking behind my back?!" He practically shrieked, eyes watery and hurt.

"Dipper..." a few voices tried to calm him down. He could feel the anger in his blood, sprouting everywhere and sloshing in his brain, pissing him off more. It gave him a headache.

"Is this how-... IS THIS WHAT YOU DO?!" His breathing was harsh and the tension in the room was suffocating. His eyes stung, but he willed the sadness away. It burned to ashes, fuelling his anger. "ALL OF YOU. YOU DO THIS ALL THE TIME, DON'T YOU? I'M JUST A FREAK TO YOU, AREN'T I?"

Stan stifled a gasp, a still, masked horror seeping into his bones. An old, but still live warning bell panicked internally. "No! Of course not!" He pushed out of his chair and walked closer to Dipper. The others denied as well, I mean sure, he had been acting weird and even if anyone said it, no one meant it. No one. They didn't- they just needed to talk about recent... happenings.

Stan's tie was pulled, and tightened. Stan's eyes widened as he was met with crazed bagged eyes. He ripped out of the hold and threw off his tie, black spots leaving his vision. In a low voice, eyes glaring around the room Dipper spoke "Never talk behind my back again."

Minutes later a door slammed. Dipper had already stomped upstairs and escaped to his- and Mabel's- room.

Soos immediately helped his boss. Wendy looked to Mabel, and Mabel simply stared at where Dipper was. "We messed up." She put it simply.

Not a freak. I helped. I tried. I was HAPPY for them- Dipper paced in his room, mind as foggy as his body was twitchy. What did I do? Damn it, the food was bad, wasn't it? Do I have to hide my feelings harder?! IS THAT IT?! PENT UP EVERYTHING UNTIL- he sighed, loudly and brokenly before growling and pacing more.

From the corner of his eye he seen something move. He scowled. "Whoever you are I'm not in. the. mood." He stomped towards the movement and pointed at the brown haired kid that apparently thinks he can wander around all willy nilly like he owns the place. The kid just copied his movements. "Dude! Stop!" He yelled, twitching and eyes burning with fire. Did this kid think he was stupid? Was he mocking him? Dipper punched the kid and wailed as his fist met with a smooth, hard surface.

"Wh-" What was that? Dipper gently touched the surface, his fingers meeting the other boy's- aaand it's a mirror.

But it wasn't right. This mirror was a liar. He couldn't have looked this crazy. ...I mean, sure sleep was harder... he hasn't showered in over a week (the opera incident was a good enough excuse,)... ,but still, the personnin the mirror had different eyes, obviously. His eyes- Dipper's- were brown... not yellow or whatever color- is that even a color?- This look alike's was. He shook his head and sighed. When he opened them yes, they were his eyes now. Brown orbs not yellow. He smiled softly and tried fixing his hair. Failing this, he shook whatever dust was on his pine tree hat and put it on.

He pat himself down. He was real, this was him and he was fine. A hysteric smile spread on his face. "Almost went crazy there."

He laid his head in his hand and rubbed his eyes in his palms.

"I need more sleep..." he muttered. It was true.