Disclaimer: Sadly, I own nothing and all rights belong to Disney and Alex Hirsch.

Dipper traced the elaborate vine that weaved around his forearm. The vibrant green ink stood out on his pale skin and the bright yellow flowers Mabel had accented the vine with were a sharp contrast to the blue of his veins. Once, his skin had held the tan of summer afternoons spent exploring the woods with Mabel but weeks of hiding inside had seeped the color from his skin. His fingers had stopped trailing over the intricate lines and instead dug into his flesh. Slowly, he relaxed his grip, though the dark red marks he had inflicted upon himself did not lessen.

"Mabel!" A loud bang rang through the classroom as the door slammed open. Dipper's breath caught in his throat and he gasped for air.

"Dipper!" The voice sounded far away, lost in the fog around him. "Dipper what's wrong?" Harsh ringing filled the silence and Dipper clawed at his ears, begging for it to stop.

Through the pain Dipper could hear faint murmurs and a warmth that had settled on his back. Mabel, he tried to cry, but his lungs still couldn't fill with air and the call was silent. Trapped in a muffed world of white fog, Dipper struggled to focus on the hand rubbing his back. The pressure was accompanied by distant, soothing words yet try as he might he couldn't understand what was being said.

The hand on his back didn't leave him and as air finally filled his lungs Dipper found himself leaning back into it. Indistinguishable words became a chain of "It's okay, everything's okay," repeated over and over He forced his eyelids open, fighting against the weight that held them closed.

Mabel's face blurred into focus before him and Dipper's vision jumped from her pale skin to her eyes, wide with panic.

"Is he alright?" the words were spoken from somewhere over Mabel's shoulder and Dipper froze, eyes glued to his sister's.

"It's just Becky," Mabel said under her breath as Dipper struggled to force down the panic bubbling through his blood. Her hand was now a steady pressure in his own and Dipper swallowed the growing lump in his throat as his sister turned to the girl behind her. "Yeah, everything's fine," Mabel glanced back at him, "you just startled him that's all."

Becky's lips were pressed into a firm line, but she nodded her head. "I couldn't find your water bottle," she said finally, eyes still locked on Dipper. He turned his head away, trying to escape the searching gaze. "Sorry."

Dipper felt Mabel flinch beside him, guilt rolling off her in waves. "It-it's okay," Dipper gave her hand a light squeeze and she cleared her voice, "I'll probably find it tomorrow." Her voice was stronger and she gave his hand a returning squeeze.

They sat there for what felt like hours in a gaping silence. Becky had long since collapsed into the chair beside Mabel and was now fidgeting with her pencil, glancing between Dipper and Mabel. Dipper turned his head away from her scrutiny, afraid of what she might see if he dared to lock eyes with her.

As the minutes passed, more student came pouring through the classroom door, filling the silence with loud, senseless chatter. It was almost comforting, how easily the mindless murmurs around him distracted from the nightmares that had begun escape his nights and haunt his waking hours.

The third bell rang with a muffled chime, hidden beneath the chaos of the crowded room. It wasn't until a tall, willowy woman in the front of the classroom called for order that Dipper's classmates begun to find their seats. Ms. Freschner, Dipper recalled as he stared at the teacher. Her lips were moving a mile a minute yet as Dipper tried to focus on her, no sound reached his ears.

Turning his eyes from the older woman Dipper glanced at Mabel. She would tell him if anything important was said later.

The desk was cool beneath his cheek as he lay his head down on the wooden surface. Surely nothing too important would happen on the second day of school.

Mabel was worried. They weren't even ten minutes into first period and Dipper had already had two panic attacks. There was something very wrong with her brother and she had no idea how to fix it. Turning away from the teacher, who had been going on about classroom rules or some other nonsense Mabel had ceased to care about, Mabel studied her brother. His head lay on his desk and his eyes had fluttered shut. Dark bags hung beneath his eyes and Mabel had to look away, a violent anger building inside her. Even in sleep Dipper couldn't relax, his hands tightening into fists, bitten nails leaving behind stark red crescents. The anger Mabel felt for everything that had ever dared to hurt her brother surged through her veins.

"You alright?" a quiet voice asked from beside her and Mabel closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath to cool the fire burning within her.

"Of course." She turned to Becky. "Why wouldn't I be?"

The look Becky gave her was not one she had ever expected to see from her happy-go-lucky friend. It was clouded with suspicion, a wariness Mabel was not familiar with. "No reason." Becky spoke slowly, each word layered with meanings Mabel didn't want to understand. This wasn't what she wanted to happen. She didn't want to drive her friends away.

Mabel opened her mouth, to say what, she didn't know. Then the panic came crashing down in waves. The urge to protect her brother from everything that had happened, and the urge to protect herself from it as well. She closed her mouth.

Becky's mouth dropped into a frown and she turned away from Mabel. The terror grasping at Mabel's throat increased, was this what it felt like to lose a friend?

Mabel tore her gaze away from the frizzy-haired girl, trying to push down the guilt, the dread building in her chest. She had Dipper nothing else mattered. Her eyes still itched though, and the moisture building up on her lashed refused to go away. Choking down a sob she looked to her brother. He was still lost in sleep, but his hands shook, betraying the peaceful façade. Mabel lifted up her own hand. It was shaking as well.

Dipper had yet to open his eyes when the bell rang, announcing the end of class. Mabel dismissed Becky with a wave of her hand as the other girl gave her a rushed wave goodbye before fleeing the classroom with one last lingering glance at the twins.

Mabel was reluctant to end the sleep Dipper so desperately needed, but the rest of their classmates were quickly draining into the hallway and Mabel was weary to be left alone with the teacher who would no doubt tell Dipper off for sleeping in class.

"Dipper," she gave Dipper's shoulder a light shake, "Come on, class is over."

Dipper groaned in response and shifted further away from her. Ms. Freschner had begun to eye them and Mabel gave her a tight smile before grabbing her brother more forcefully. "Come on, Dipper."

With a final tug Dipper stood up from his chair, Mabel grabbed him as he almost toppled down again. Careful not to drop her unsteady steady brother, Mabel picked both of their backpacks off of the floor and then slowly began to make her way out of the classroom, Dipper leaning heavily against her.

The hallway was a stumbling rush of people and Mabel winced, she was never going to be able to guide Dipper through that without dropping either him or their stuff. "Mabel?" Dipper said from beside her, his voice almost lost in the racket of the hall.

"Thank God you're awake." Mabel set their bags down beside the classroom they had just exited and slowly helped Dipper straighten until he was standing on his own. "Can you walk now?"

Dipper rubbed the sleep from his eyes and gave Mabel a tired smile, "Of course." He looked around for a moment before his eyes found the backpacks at Mabel's feet. "I can take my backpack now too."

"Are you sure about that, Broski?" Mabel teased as she handed over the bag, "We can have you fainting from overexertion in the middle of the hallway."

Dipper rolled his eyes at her and heaved the bag onto his shoulders. "Very funny, Mabel." He glanced around the hall, "Now, do you remember how to get to the computer classroom?"

Mabel laughed, the anger within her chipping away as she relaxed into her brother's company. Maybe her old friends didn't understand her, but Dipper certainly did.

AN: I'm not longer failing math! Anyway, I'm so sorry for the long wait. This chapter, short as it may be, was a dosey to write. All comments and suggestions are welcome!