So I really liked the new episode (Dipper with a flaming sword, come on), but it also made me really worried? About everyone? Anyways this really has no point it's just me throwing my emotions somewhere :P

For what must be the hundredth time this summer, Dipper is, once again, too tired to sleep.

The numbers of the clock near his bed read 3:30 am, the tiny, glowing letters stabbing into his eyes as if too mock him. Dipper groans, shifting restlessly in the sheets. He's beyond tired, his limbs sore and heavy with the uncomfortable ache he's come to associate with the supernatural. Though the actual battle (a battle, he can't believe he was waving a sword around mere hours ago, how cool is that) left him with little injury, the fall to the basement had left its share of bruises, and getting dragged off by the gryphon – or whatever - wasn't exactly comfortable.

But that's not what's keeping him up.

(He's had far worse, anyways, he thinks, as his fingers subconsciously trace four-set dots that won't fade.)

No, what's keeping him up is the same stupid word he's had blaring in his head all week – trust.

Or, more accurately, who to trust.

Trust is a tricky thing, now. It used to be a casual word he'd associate with clenching falls into Mabel's arms and the favorite phrase asked by angsty heroes to their lovers in some of Mabel's sappier movies. It hadn't really taken on weight until he'd told his "friend" in the fifth grade about his birthmark and he'd turned right around and ratted him out, subjecting him to another year of stupid nicknames and bullying.

Trust is important. You have to be able to trust people, or you'll get hurt – Dipper knows that much.

So.

Trust Stanley?

Grunkle Stan was there first. And gruff and miserly as he was, Dipper does love him. Stan may order him around (and only him), but he believes it's for Dipper's own good. And he's seen firsthand, Stan understands what it's like to be weak.

Which brings him to a reason not to – why does Stan have to be such a jerk whenever Dipper screws up? Why does he have to laugh?

Okay, maybe that one's more of a personal thing, but still.

And Stan lied. He looked him and Mabel in the eyes and flat-out lied to them, about the Journals, about his identity, about everything. Except maybe his love for his family.

…fine, scratch the maybe. Stan loves them, and Dipper understands exactly why he opened that portal. That's why forgiving him was so easy – because he knows he'd do the exact same thing if their positions were swapped.

Dipper understands. But Stan's still – he's just not sure if he trusts. So-

Trust Stanford?

Great Uncle Ford is everything Dipper's ever dreamed of and more. He's the author, the person he's been looking for all summer, and they're related! And not only is he Dipper's idol, he's a friend. He understands him, his obsession with the supernatural, his "nerdy-ness", and that's something Dipper's been craving, whether he wants to admit it or not. No one's ever sat through that game with him like that, much less had so much fun doing it. And he makes – he makes him feel smart. Ford makes Dipper feel worthy, worth trusting and showing all the wonders and secrets he's been working on, and that's just so cool-

Dipper shivers in excitement, pulling up the blankets again. He's going to learn so much.

But… Dipper sags, uneasiness squelching his excitement. Ford asked him to keep secrets. From Stan, and from Mabel. And maybe it really is for the greater good, but that just… doesn't sit right with him.

Ford may be everything Dipper's ever wanted, but he's realizing just how little he really knows about the man.

Dipper groans into his pillow, frustrated. Why does everyone in his life have to be so complicated?

There's a rustle from across the room, and Dipper rolls over to find Mabel shifting in her sleep. Her hair falls hectically over her pillow as she smiles in her sleep, muttering about unicorns. Dipper subconsciously relaxes, feeling a small smile cross his lips.

At least there's one person he'll always get.

He feels a prickle of guilt, remembering their conversation from earlier. Mabel doesn't mean any harm when she laughs at him, and he knows that. Maybe it hurts, but doesn't he do the same thing to her, when he gloats over his successes? Neither of them are perfect. And that's fine. They're not supposed to be.

That certainly doesn't mean he can leave Mabel behind, though, he thinks, determinedly. Massive issues or not, their family will find a way to fit together. If Stan and Ford are anything like him and Mabel, they'll work it out.

It's just a good thing him and Mabel aren't too much like Stan and Ford, he thinks, yawning, as sleep finally starts to take him. He'd die before he let anything like that happen to them. Mabel's too important to him.

Trust Mabel, he thinks, yawning again. At least she'll always have his back. She's the only one he'd really trust to.

A tiny, whispering thought flickers into his mind, seconds before he falls asleep, as he stares with heavy lids out the window.

She still feels the same, too, right?