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PATIENCE EQUALS PROGRESS - CHAPTER 4

Comment: A lot of progress for Dipper and Norman in this one! Sorry it took so long, but well, finally chapter 4 is here. For more info on this fanfic, check out the Master Post. Words: 10277 Rating: T

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We’re going to be like the Ghostbusters

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“Do I really have to work with him?” The voice was a try at whispering but failed remarkably and it annoyed Norman as hell. The boy with the ginger hair that stood next to the teacher was glancing Norman’s way so he decided to pretend that he wasn’t at all listening to their conversation.

“I already told you, Todd, that there will be no switching around! You will have to learn to be able to get along with people even if you don’t want to.”

Norman sneaked a peek at the boy who was looking really desperate while closing his fists and sighing deeply. It was obviously not impressive to Brad Jones that just raised an eyebrow and looked at the boy as if he was waiting for him to get back to his seat.

“But he’s weird!” Todd finally said with a hiss.

The comment had been enough for Todd to give up and “suck it up” as his teacher had so neatly put it. He headed back to the table and as he sat down in his seat with such a heavy sigh that he almost looked like he was in pain. Norman looked at him and didn’t really feel as good about Todd being turned away by the teacher. After all, Norman didn’t want to work with this kid either. From what Norman had seen this boy wasn’t really good for anything. He’d failed the first project already and Norman never saw him actually doing any work during lessons. Norman was not really smart like Wybie or Dipper and if he had to do it all by himself he’d probably cave under the pressure.

“So…” Todd said as he slowly turned his gaze to Norman. “I didn’t really listen when he talked about the project before.”

Wow, big surprise.

“Pretty much just anything important from the period of 1750 to 1800. I was thinking about Galvanism, if you’re cool with that?”

“Who’s that?” the boy said as one eyebrow climbed up his forehead.

“Not who. It’s the contraction of muscles. Back in 1790 they would have public shows where they tried to create life in corpses using electricity.”

It wasn’t until Norman had already finished the sentence that it occurred to him that maybe that wasn’t the best suggestion. It wasn’t really a normal subject, was it now? Talking about something like corpses and experiments on them didn’t really seem very... normal.

"Sounds cool!"

Or maybe it was something pretty usual for teenage boys to be interested in. The moment the ginger started asking questions about it was also the moment that Norman started to question his view of the world. Was his interests not as unusual as his dad made it out to be?

While they were discussing who would do what (which slowly pointed in the direction that Todd really was a lazy type of guy and thought that he wouldn't have to do anything) Norman's phone alerted him that he had a text message. As he took it from his pocket the other guy saw his chance and started to fiddle with his own phone.

"norm what classroom are you in?"

Norman didn't really think about it as he typed the answer to Mabel's text. Only once he'd pressed send and was stuffing the phone back into his pocket did he slow down in his track and wonder why the girl would be interested in what room he was in. He found himself glance towards the closed the door until he got an answer, which was barely a minute later.

"i know i saw you go inside." When Norman read that he had to stop and question why she'd even asked from the beginning. "dip have math three rooms over! you should wait for him and go to lunch 2ghter!"

With a deep breath Norman tried to ignore the embarrassment that washed over him. Acknowledging it would only mean that he'd blush and he sure as hell didn't need Todd to notice it. Not as if he seemed like he was about to look away from the screen of his phone any time soon.

"Are you seriously trying to get me together with Dipper now?" he typed out only to backtrack and change "Dipper" to "your brother". He hesitated before pressing send. Both because he feared the answer and because... well... it was weird. What if Mabel was just messing with him? Would she laugh at him taking it seriously? She was a pretty hard nut to crack.

The answer came instantly.

"YUP"

Mabel was insane. With that text she had proven that she was completely crazy. From trying to make them become friends she had suddenly changed into trying to get them together? Which was crazy. Dipper didn't seem to like Norman at all! And he had the hots for Wendy. Obviously there wouldn't be anything between the two of them. Not now, not ever. Norman didn't even want that!

So why did Norman find himself standing outside of Dipper's classroom as soon as class ended?

Just as he got there he started to search for the brown tuff of hair that would belong to Dipper, only to find the brown, raggedy hat instead. Dipper was almost the last one to get out of the room, looking pretty bored like all the other teenagers that longed for lunch and something stimulating that school couldn't quite give them.

"Dipper!" Norman heard himself call out. The one year older boy turned to look at him, slightly surprised to watch the blue eyed boy walk up to him with something kind of like a smile on his lips. "Hey, thought we could go to lunch together."

"Were you waiting for me?" The tone of his voice was impossible to read but the hesitating expression wasn't. With a deep breath Norman decided to lie.

"No, I just happened to see you."

"Oh."

The other students headed down the hallway, disappearing away on their own business. The last students had already passed by Norman and Dipper where they stood before they started to walk with a huge ”awkward” written in the air around them.

For some reason everything escaped Norman's mind while they were walking. Not as if it was a long walk to the cafeteria that required a conversation or anything. Norman just wished he could grab the opportunity and try to be a little friendlier with Dipper (while completely ignoring what Mabel had admitted just a little earlier).

“Thanks by the way.”

The words were dropped like a bomb in the silence. Norman glanced at the boy on his right, noticing that Dipper wore the same look and posture as he always did whenever Mabel wasn't around. Which kind of made Norman make a mental note of that.

“For what?”

“The things you said yesterday obviously made Mabel happier.”

“Oh. That...” Norman forced himself to look away. “That was nothing. Couldn't just stand around and watch her be sad. “

“Thanks anyway.”

Something with the sound of his voice had Norman turn back to look at him only for a smile to be painted on his face. Subtle but honest and for the first time Norman could actually see that they had in fact moved forward. A lot.

With the idea of an actual friendship on the way, Norman saw the cafeteria doors and suddenly remembered what it was that he'd been blanking out on before.

“Oh, right!” he said so suddenly that Dipper actually looked at him. “You play mystery games, right? Like... puzzle games and stuff?”

There was a look of honest surprise mixing with Dipper's features. They had just walked through the doors when Dipper answered, the smile still there.

“Yeah, I do. Mabel told you?”

“Mhm.”

“So I take it you play them too?”

“Indeed.”

“So what games do you-”

Dipper didn't get to finish the sentence. He was silenced by the sight of Mabel behind Norman's back, taking the place of last in line to the food. At first it puzzled Norman but when he felt hands on his shoulders and he turned to see a dazzling smile it all became obvious. Or not.

“Hey there, guys,” she said with a voice that spoke of so much more than what was actually said. Norman didn't like it one bit as it only made him think about all the texts they had exchanged. “Whatcha doin'?”

Dipper had turned his back towards them and concentrated on his tray, some kind of silent treatment it seemed. The sight of the back of the baseball cap caused Norman to panic a little. These twins had a thing for making him uncomfortable and confused.

“Oh, look at the both of you! Suddenly all shy and adorable when I came around. Should I leave?”

“No!”

The most awkward part was probably that both boys had said the word with one mouth. They exchanged some confused glances before turning back to the girl whose smile had finally faded a little.

“Stop being weird, Mabel,” Dipper said as he took his plate from the lunchlady and hurried to put it back on the tray and walk away. Norman and Mabel ended up falling behind a little, but it actually felt a little bit better with just one twin around.

At least that was what he thought until Mabel opened her mouth.

“I said I would give you guys some 'lonetime! Sooo, did it work?” There was a teasing ring to her voice and Norman had to hold back a groan. He really didn't like this new turn Mabel had taken.

“Mabel,” he said with a lowered voice, trying to state that he wanted to say something private and to make sure Dipper didn't hear. Which was weird because they had only just taken their own trays and started to walk through the hall while Dipper had already seated himself. “Why?”

“Why?”

“First you wanted us to be friends and when we're finally talking a little you go and make everything awkward.”

During the walk through the cafeteria Mabel didn't give Norman any answer. They walked silently side by side. An expecting silent with the answer just a breath away but nothing were said. Then all of sudden they had reached the table and Coraline was quick to grab hold of Mabel's attention. Norman just silently sat down.

Mabel grinned all of a sudden as she glanced his way.

Oh.

He'd sat down next to Dipper.

Curse Mabel Pines. Curse her. Would he not even be able to sit down without second thought anymore? He hadn't even bothered to check whoever was sitting beside him. Suddenly he was completely aware of everything happening to his left.

“Did you tell them already?” Mabel suddenly said in a loud voice, managing to get the attention of everyone around the table even though she was speaking to her brother.

“Tell them what?”

“About Saturday!”

Dipper did know what she was talking about and it showed on his features. The smile that followed was the type that he rarely showed freely in front of Norman and which had pretty much only been used when they had been playing games the other night. Norman still preferred the one he'd seen just before entering the cafeteria.

“Listen here,” Dipper said as he waved his fork in the air, almost dropping the pea he'd pierced with it. “Remember that failed night at the cemetery last year?”

“Yeah,” Coraline answered and turned to Norman who stiffened as he wondered why. “Wybie even fell asleep.”

“Guilty,” Wybie mumbled as he stuffed his mouth full of food and tried to smile, the result being not very appealing.

“What are you talking about?” Norman decided to ask.

“Well,” Dipper turned to Norman but instantly stopped. They had eye contact for two silent seconds before Dipper hurried to turn away and spoke to them as a group instead. “Fright night! Trying to haunt for something supernatural during a night. I figured out where we should go! It was so obvious I don't even know why we ever bothered with the cemetery last year.”

“Are you thinking what I think you're thinking?” Wybie asked, sounding less excited than Norman had expected him to.

“Probably. The haunted mansion!”

“Sweet!” Coraline said.

“Great idea, Dipper!” Mabel exclaimed.

“Are you sure?” Wybie didn't look as excited as the rest. “I heard my friends talk about that place once and there are some freakish rumors about it.”

“That's why we're going there!” Dipper smiled. “You in, Norman?”

In an instance Norman declared that the best moment of his week. Involuntarily he cracked a lopsided smile, desperately trying to find a reasonable excuse as to why it was the best moment. After all, the only thing that had happened was Dipper saying his name. Perhaps for the first time, sure, but still just a name. He tried to blame it on the fact that he claimed it as progress. At the same time Mabel's words lingered at the back of his mind and made him uncomfortable with the way it was making him feel.

“Yeah, sure.” He tried to keep the smile as subtle as possible.

“Great!” Mabel said. “It'll be so much better than last year.”

Suddenly a conversation about the failure of last year took place and Norman forgot to listen. He concentrated on his food while working hard not to think about anything other than the taste of it. It was hard. There was so much else going on in his life. From getting all happy from having Dipper speak his name, to knowing that his mother probably wouldn't have returned when he got home.

That morning his mother hadn't been around. His father hadn't even looked at him once. Even Courtney behaved out of the ordinary. Quiet and nice, even giving Norman a worried glance. A glance which he silently returned.

It seemed a little far off thinking about going out and having fun at the moment. But there was no lying about it. Dipper had been behaving very differently since the day before. Differently in a way that Norman liked. A lot. It didn't matter how weird Mabel was making it. Since the beginning Norman had wanted to befriend Dipper and for some reason the guy was finally letting up a little.

It was decided that they would be going to the mansion during the following Saturday. With it being Tuesday it felt like an eternity. For Norman it was more than just one eternity. He needed everything to distract himself from life for a little while. Because as soon as school was over he got back home only to notice the empty driveway.

More than it making it sad it made him confused. Confused to a point where his stomach was turning because everything with his home was just wrong. He hadn't seen his mother since the night before and with her cellphone in the kitchen they had no way to contact her.

Norman's father made dinner that night, trying to act like everything was fine. There was tension in the air as they all silently ate their food, almost as if they were strangers. Perhaps they were. The one person trying desperately to tie them all together was missing. Perhaps they were strangers without her.

Courtney showed up in Norman's room after dinner, her usually so repelling aura completely gone. The honest feelings in her face had Norman pause the game on his laptop and turn all his attention to her before she had even said anything.

“Mom called,” she said. “Said she would call you a little later.”

“Did she talk to dad?”

Courtney shook her head. “Doesn't seem like it. I didn't ask. It's probably best if we, like... don't ask too much. You know?”

Norman knew. The slow nodding was answer enough.

As if on cue the room filled with the sound of the old cellphone. Norman didn't have to say anything before his sister excused herself with a faint smile and left the room behind. Norman flew on the phone and answered without even checking the caller.

“Mom?!” he pretty much yelled. His heart beating like a drum in his chest.

“Hi, sweetie.” Her voice was like food to hungry ears. “I just talked with Courtney.”

“I know.”

“You're being nice, I hope?”

“Of course.”

“Sweetie...” Her voice faded out and silence took place in the long awaited conversation.

“Where are you?” Norman asked. “Or maybe I should ask how you are?”

“Oh, don't be silly. I'm fine, Norman. I went to visit grandma and grandpa.”

“Oh?” Norman hugged the phone, filled with relief. “Tell them hi from me.”

“I will.”

After that they chatted about anything but the quarrel. Sandra even made sure to ask about his friends in school, even though it had only been a little more than 24 hours since they last talked. When they hung up everything felt fine. As if it wasn't weird that his mother had escaped to their grandma and grandpa without even packing. The feeling that something was wrong didn't catch up with himuntil he was about to fall asleep, and then he couldn't even pinpoint what the source of that feeling was. He tried to distract himself with thoughts of Saturday.

Saturday – the day which couldn't get there any sooner.

Too bad for Norman he had a project in History with the lazy Todd Daring and had to get his head into all the other subjects too. Like math. Norman really didn't like math and started to see that there was quite the difference from math in Middle School to math in High School. Norman didn't like the change.

Norman wouldn't really call himself smart. He wasn't very interested in school either so he would end up doing the homework the day before they were due. Sometimes he even forgot them completely. During the next lesson of History it had actually happened and his partner seemed surprised to see that Norman hadn't done a single thing on their project, having been completely distracted by the fact that he had other lessons and homework, a mother not at home and that Dipper would occasionally acknowledge his existence during lunch. Not that they had been able to have any more private conversations, not even when Mabel tried to text him tips on where Dipper was. He pretended not to have seen them even if he would sometimes think that maybe he should take a detour to his next class.

When Friday came around and the anticipated Fright Night was just one night away he suddenly came to realize that he had yet to ask his father for permission. Since there had been no details he was sure to bring it up during lunch.

Norman was seated between Mabel and Wybie, opposite from Dipper, when he suddenly spoke up. “So about tomorrow...?” he said, hoping it would be enough to get someone talking.

Apparently his voice was too weak because only Dipper looked at him, fork in his mouth and only slipping out to speak. “Oh, the Fright Night?” There was not a trace of hostility in Dipper's voice and Norman had to ignore the thump in his chest.

“Yeah, I haven't asked my dad about it yet and I feel like I need details before I do...”

“Just don't tell him where we're going,” Dipper was quick to say, slightly raising his voice. The sound of it had Mabel notice it and slowly the others conversation died out.

“Ah, I meant like... what time? So dad will know when I'll be back home.”

“Oh.”

They grew quiet for a few seconds, enough for Mabel to butt in. Like always.

“Let's meet at the bus stop at eleven!”

“Eleven?”

“Yeah, then we'll be in the mansion at ghost hour,” Wybie suddenly said as if it was obvious.

“What they said,” Dipper muttered before going back to his food.

A hint of the old, constantly silent Dipper made an appearance but didn't seem to worry anyone. Maybe the chatty version during the week had been an odd occurrence? Even if it was, Norman was simply just happy to have been there to see him be like a normal teenager. Even if he himself hadn't been talking much with him.

An elbow to Norman's waist made him wake up from his thoughts. Obviously enough it was Mabel's elbow.

“You shouldn't stare,” she said.

A fake laugh escaped Norman before he could stop himself. “I'm not staring.”

“Yeah you are. But I don't blame you.” Norman feared whatever she might suggest next. “He's been in such a good mood all week because of the Fright Night. That's it right? I mean.. he tends to be so disinterested and suddenly he's all talk and smiles. All the planning and doing and fiddling is right up his alley, you know.”

The things she pretty much whispered to him came as a surprise. Lately Mabel had been so weird he hadn't expected her to suddenly say such earnest things. The way she spoke and the look in her eyes suddenly became those of the older sister he'd seen at Coraline's house during the game night.

“Oh! Don't tell anyone I told you, but a few years back he had this list where he planned every step to romantic success with Wendy.” Mabel giggled lightly before putting a silencing finger to her lips. “But that's like a super secret, okay?”

Norman nodded while gazing sideways. The one year older boy was collecting his things, saying something to Wybie as a smile adorned his face. The charming dork smile which Norman could instantly relate to what Mabel had just told him. Not the list-thing, but that planning the Fright Night put him in a good mood. Perhaps it helped the boy feel like he was an important part of a group?

An uneasy feeling wrapped around Norman's chest. He quickly looked away and turned his attention to his almost empty plate. After all, he'd never truly felt like part of a group before. Perhaps he could relate more to Dipper than he had ever imagined.

Norman's dad had borrowed a car. For a second Norman felt his heart sing happily at the sight of a car on the driveway. About as quickly he was disappointed by it being the wrong car. This was something even older and uglier than the family car. Norman had seen it before and laughed at it with... with a friend. That had been a long time ago.

The whole week his father had mentioned that he would try to borrow a car from someone. If not he would rent it. Not that their little town was big, but for his father there wasn't really any other way of transportation.

As Norman dragged his feet over to their house, gaze as far from the car as possible, he heard his father voice. Surprised he looked up only to notice the greeting coming from the other side of the car.

“Look what Bob let me borrow!”

Norman forced himself to smile. His father sounded proud and happy, something he hadn't during the whole week. The best thing to do was probably try to emphasize it. And use it.

“Wow, that's great.”

“I had my hopes set on that! Finally we can get some real groceries.”

“Courtney going with you?”

“You can come too if you want to.”

“Sure.”

Suddenly Norman was actually excited about it. He never did stuff with his father. Even rarer was for Courtney to actually want to do things with anyone from the family.

“By the way, Dad,” Norman said. He was ready to use this good mood. “I've been meaning to ask you... Can I go out tomorrow?”

They stood on each side of the car, Perry leaning over the roof while looking slightly surprised. It was a first for Norman to turn to his father with such a request so perhaps that played a part in the long silence that followed his question.

“Sure. What is your curfew?”

“I don't have one.”

“Oh...” His father seemed to be deeply troubled. Obviously he had never thought he'd have to come up with a curfew for his son on the spot. “How about eleven?”

Part of Norman was happy, which caused him to smile. Another part was troubled and made him utter a dragged out “yeah”. His father gave him a skeptical look. “That's kind of when we're meeting.”

“You're meeting at eleven?!” Perry accidentally yelled. Instantly he lowered his voice along with his head. “Why?”

“It's...” Norman tried desperately to come up with a reasonable explanation that would also be the truth. “... a test of courage, or something like that...”

“What? Did you meet kids with interests like yours?” His dad sounded honestly surprised, and almost a tiny bit happy.

“Yeah, we're not kids... But yes.” Norman muttered.

“Yeah, sure then! Just be sure to keep your cell on all the time! Don't wander off where there is no reception. Keep track of it. I don't...” The words faded on his tongue. Norman was almost sure he was about to say “I don't want to worry.”

“You can even call and check on me.”

“I'll be sure to! And be sure to get back home by one. I'll be staying awake, okay? So not a minute later. I need my sleep.”

When Norman went into the house after the conversation there was a positive kind of air between them. Now if only his mother could get back home soon they could work out all the issues and be a happy family again.

Saturday right before eleven Norman regretted not having asked for more details when he'd been in school. Once he'd came to realize that he had no idea what bus stop they would be meeting by he'd texted Mabel about more details.

“from your place I think it's easiest to just follow the bicycle path behind the convenience store, then it's like taking a turn to the right along this badly lit path into the forest, but it's fine even if it's dark because it leads right to the bus stop. But it's the second right, not the first. Or I think it's the second one. Can be the third too. It's badly lit anyway!! and there is this one tree who is best friends with a rock right by it so look for that”

Norman feared that he would spend the whole night wandering around a dark forest in search for an odd pair of friends. His father offered to drive him, proudly noting out that they finally had a car again. Norman turned it down and got out of the house about fifteen minutes before they were supposed to meet.

Suddenly it struck him. In the dead of the night, darkness filling every little corner hiding from the street lamps. Why hadn't he suggested walking to the bus stop with someone else? Sure, he didn't know where the others lived but trying to find his way there alone seemed like a stupid task. And after reaching the convenience store he also came to think that he had no idea how long it would take. It was already just minutes before eleven and if he was unlucky he might be really late. Being late sucked.

Right around the time he figured that “yeah I'll be really late” he saw something odd.

A little down the road, to the right, there was a tree growing on top of a rock. Or at least that was what it looked like. As Norman got closer he could see that the four feet high rock did not really have a tree growing on top of it, but that the tree had simply just started to grow around it.

Suddenly it was obvious what Mabel had told him. No other punchline than a tree and a rock being really close.

Norman shrugged before following the dark path leading into the forest. Finding his way out wasn't hard at all. If he kept his gaze up he could instantly see the light from the street and what probably was the sign to the bus stop. What worried him though was the lack of people by it.

The street was eerily empty. Looking down to his left he could only see the lit, empty street curving away, and to the right he could see something almost resembling a house further away. The bus stop where he stood was empty but not the one on the other side of the street, a little down to the left. Norman could instantly tell who the bad posture and hat belonged to.

Question was; Where were the others?

Dipper was standing with his arms crossed, leaning against one of the three glass walls to the shelter. Behind him was an old advertisement that Norman couldn't remember having seen during the last couple of years. There weren't even any lights apart from the street lamp by the sign.

Norman slowed down a little as he got closer to it and wondered if maybe he should call for Dipper before having actually crossed the road. Luckily enough he didn't have to. The boy raised his gaze, probably because of the sound of footsteps.

“Norman!”

Something went “thump” inside of Norman, but he simply just swallowed it and forced himself to smile a little.

“Were are the others?”

Norman stopped when there was still more than a polite distance between them. Only once had he been alone with Dipper before so he didn't want to take any risks in pushing the limits. Though six feet were probably a little too much on the safe side.

“Yeah,” Dipper sighed, “about that. I was told 'five minutes' but I can't reach any of them.”

“Five minutes?” Norman felt uneasy. Had he really been that late? Maybe they all tired and forced Dipper to stay just to be mean? Not that it was likely. Not with Mabel around, anyway.

“Mabel and I got here like.. twenty minutes ago when Coraline called and something was up. I don't know what but Mabel told me to stay out of it and yeah, the five minutes turned to twenty and Mabel hung up on me just now.”

Okay, that sure was something. Norman and Dipper alone in the middle of the night while Mabel ignored her own brother because something was up with Coraline? The night that both boys had been looking forward to had already turned into a failure. The feeling of disappointment started to creep up on Norman and he guessed Dipper felt the same.

Dipper was holding his phone and started to fiddle with it. “I'll call them again...” he mumbled. Norman could almost sense worry in his voice.

Then suddenly an unexpected melody filled the scene. It had Norman jump and hold his breath, only to a second later recall that it was his own cellphone and the horrible tune that was his ringtone.

“Hello?” he said before even looking at the screen, just answering as quickly as possible to shut it up. It was probably just his father.

“Norman!” Apparently not. Mabel were on the other side of the line. “I almost forgot about you, I'm so sorry.”

“Where are you? Dipper is worried.” Norman was looking at Dipper when he said that. Instantly it was obvious to him who had called and Dipper hid his own phone in his pocket and closed the space between the boys while ripping of the old hat from his head. He leaned in close in a try to hear what his sister was saying on the other line. Too bad for Dipper that Norman had an old phone with very concentrated sound.

“Worried? Probably for his Fright Night if something. Anyway, that's why I'm calling. Coraline is really upset right now so we won't be making it.”

“What about Wybie?”

“Don't know. I'm kind of sure that he is the reason why Coraline is upset.” Mabel whispered that part.

“So you're not showing up?”

Dipper groaned in the background.

“No, sorry. Can you tell Dipper? I don't want to have to listen to him guilt me. I mean, we can do it next week, right? Tell him that. Calm him down with your soothing voice, Normie!”

This time Norman almost groaned.

“Yeah, whatever.” He glanced at Dipper who'd stepped back and madesilent, disappointed gestures in the air. “I'll try.”

“Great! I owe you one, Norman. Honestly. Take care! Bye bye!”

“Yeah, bye.”

Norman slowly lowered the cellphone and hung up. As soon as he did Dipper groaned even louder than he had before and looked like he'd just been defeated. In what? Norman had no idea. It didn't give him any encouragement in telling him what he was supposed to. After all, Norman had also been looking forward to the Fright Night all week and felt disappointed.

“So...” he started but was instantly interrupted.

“Don't tell me. We're being stood up, right?”

“Yeah, but Mabel said that we can do it next Saturday...”

“Yeah, great!” The passive aggressiveness in his voice had Norman feel uneasy. “We always go with whatever everyone else wants. But whenever I plan something they just go ahead and do whatever they want. I said today so I'm going today, with or without them!”

Dipper stepped back to the advertisement and picked up a backpack from the ground. He swung it over his shoulder and started to walk away.

“Dipper, wait!” It felt weird to call his name but Norman did it without thinking. “You're still going? Alone?”

“I don't care about the others!”

Somehow Norman could relate to the way Dipper was acting. Feeling like it was unfair and having disappointment ring all over his thoughts. Norman felt the same way after all.

“Can I come with you?”

Dipper stopped. With a swift turn he looked back the thirty feet he'd put between them and his face softened. “You still want to?”

“Yeah, I've been looking forward to it all week.”

There was an awkward silence where they weren't really sure if they could simply just smile happily at the other. Even though Norman didn't know it, Mabel had been playing with both of their heads and somehow made both of them too aware of the other.

“It's okay even without Mabel?” Dipper asked.

“Yeah, why wouldn't it?” Norman answered.

At that point Norman had no idea why Dipper even asked that. Maybe it was just because the two of them weren't even friends. They'd had one conversation with only the two of them and that had been pretty tense, before Mabel showed up and ruined it. Maybe Dipper worried that Norman wasn't comfortable to do something without Mabel or someone else around?

Norman didn't know that a clue was just turning around in front of him, as Dipper hid his heated cheeks and continued to walk along the road.

They walked in silence. Not the killingly awkward kind, just the one where neither could come up with anything to say. At least that was what Norman thought.

After three minutes Dipper suddenly stopped. It was very sudden when Norman noticed the dark pathway to the right. Slightly overgrown but still a clear path for a car to drive out into the darkness. Because that was pretty much what it seemed to be leading to.

Dipper took off his backpack and started to search it. “Here.” He was holding out a flashlight and Norman took it from him. “I brought flashlights for everyone so we have three extra.” He didn't mention the extra batteries, the extra phone, the crowbar or the salt that he also had stuffed away in his backpack.

With two points of light leading the way they headed down what once must have been a gravel road. They kept a distance between each other and followed a trail each that had been created by cars over the course of many years. So far nothing seemed out of the ordinary and Norman kept from asking how far away the mansion was, in case it would be taken as him being impatient.

“By the way,” he said after a few minutes of silence. His voice coming so suddenly seemed to surprise the other boy who jumped to the side before acting as if that had totally been on purpose. “Why... why was Wybie so reluctant to the mansion?”

“Reluctant?” Dipper cleared his throat several times. “Probably his weird friends telling him weird stuff.”

“Then why haven't you been here before?”

They walked silently while Norman waited for an answer from Dipper who seemed to be searching for the perfect words.

“Well, first of all it's not really legal. This would be the first time we're breaking and entering.”

“Second of all?”

For a second or two they had eye contact and during the short moment Norman could tell that Dipper seemed relieved. Had he worried that Norman would make a big deal out of it? As long as no one lived there he was cool with it.

“Those who lived here all went crazy. It's been like... 20 years since someone lived here and not even the local teens use it as a hang out. Not only because it's like in the middle of nowhere. They say people have gone missing and they went crazy too because of what they saw and heard.”

“So you mean there's a lot of rumors that people believe in?”

“Exactly.”

“My great uncle used to live in a house like that.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

They grew silent. Norman didn't feel like explaining anything about his uncle. Instead they allowed the sound of their footsteps to fill the air.

The walk from the bus stop to the mansion turned out to be about ten minutes. In the dark it seemed like less, but they had been interrupted by Perry calling so Norman knew exactly how much time had passed once they walked through the missing gate in the stonewall surrounding the mansion. Their flashlights didn't light much and the frightfully great building was towering over them, making Norman feel even smaller than he actually was.

“Wow,” Norman whispered under his breath. From what he had expected this was very different. It was three stories high and spread far out from the ridiculously long stair up to the entrance. The whole look of it was humbly unassuming and symmetrical with an old touch. Almost as if it could have been built hundreds of years ago as well as the last couple of years.

“Yeah...” Dipper whistled in agreement. “I've never been here in the dark. This will be great!”

It was as if Dipper had read his mind, because Norman had just been filled with both fear and anticipation. This would be like being part of an actual horror game!

They walked across the gravel yard and started to ascend the stairs. Both of them whispered hopes that it would be unlocked, because that would make them feel less like criminals. When Dipper reached out to feel the handle they were both holding their breaths.

The door opened.

“This is great!” Dipped sang as he twirled around to look at Norman.

They were both grinning happily at each other and only let it fade once they got eye contact and seemed to remember that, yeah, things used to be weird between them. Which seemed crazy all of a sudden. Here they were, the only ones to actually show up and seem excited about this awesome night!

Only at that moment did Norman actually come to realize that this was his chance. To finally make Dipper realize what Mabel had been trying to tell them both. As if it was a challenge and Norman had just accepted that he had been fighting for it since long ago. Mabel had been screwing with his head, convincing him that the impolite bastard would actually come to like him. It had once seemed weird and with every little improvement Norman had began to work for more.

Now he was alone with Dipper and they were having fun. They hadn't even stopped to check if it was weird to be excited about an abandoned mansion. They were both there after all and just went with the flow.

It was all great and Norman knew he would prove to himself, Dipper and Mabel that from this day on Norman would be able to call Dipper his friend. Friend, and nothing else.

“Let's... go in...” Dipper had turned back to the now opened door. His flashlight was directed through the opening while Norman was illuminating Dipper. Soon enough he stepped up next to him, this time not minding that their arms brushed together. Actually, it felt good. Like actual friends wouldn't care.

“It's really dark...” Norman mumbled, suddenly feeling a little hesitation.

“Mhm...” Dipper mumbled. “And, you know, we have a mission. Okay?” Norman nodded. “To prove that something supernatural is going on here! We have to find something... odd and document it. It's not science if we don't document it.”

Norman didn't bother to kill his quick laugh. It seemed to have been a good call because it had Dipper swallow his hesitations and step inside. Norman followed behind him.

The first thing they noticed was that it smelled. It was obvious that the place hadn't been aired out in a while and probably had one or two moisture damages. It was quite disgusting to step in and suddenly be able to feel as if they could taste the rot and dust in the air.

For a second Norman considered turning around and walking out. Dipper was the one to keep him from doing it as he stepped in further and started to move around with the flashlight. Norman didn't walk further than to the door of the vestibule.

The hall there was really breathtaking. With a high ceiling and the stairs to the left leading to the second stair balcony it was really like something out of a movie. Most furnitures seemed to be missing but the walls were adorned with paintings that Norman allowed his light to linger on. Old portraits with an eerie, dead feel to them. As if the pictures were taken after the people had already passed on.

“Come here!” Dipper called.

His light had already disappeared and Norman had been too concentrated on the hall to notice where to. Slowly moving he tried to find out where, but just a few steps into the room he stopped. A chill went down his spine and for a second he was sure that he'd felt a breeze and seen something, or someone, flash by in the corner of his eye. He wished intensively that it was Dipper, but just then the ray from his flashlight shone through a vault a little bit ahead and to the right.

Norman pretty much ran across the room.

There was a hallway to the right and he followed it, noticing how Dipper had dragged up a trail in the dust that had settled on the floor. By the look of it there hadn't been a single soul in the area for many years.

When he made a left into a room where the trail lead he was caught off guard. The room was lit by a silvery light coming from outside. The opposite wall from Norman was made entirely out of glass and allowed the moon to shine straight into the room.

Dipper was standing in the middle of the room, looking around while moving the flashlight as eagerly as his head.

Norman totally didn't think that the frame of light around Dipper made the whole scene like that of a dream.

“Isn't it cool?” Dipper asked and grinned like the dork he was. He blinded Norman with his flickering flashlight, only to turn it away once he noticed the startled look and hand he used to try and block the light. “Sorry,” he continued. “Honestly though, this is like... A wall of glass! And with the moon, it's like it was built only for this.”

The other walls in the room seemed to be build-in bookshelves. Apart from that, an old chair and a knocked over table there wasn't much to find. At least not at a first glance. Norman liked the room.

“This is kind of cool...” he mumbled to himself as he looked around, too impressed to find much else to say.

“Can't you imagine how some night about two hundred years ago the count of this place would sit down here and gaze out at the backyard? Maybe it was filled with flowers and trees and statues. Or how that serial killer would just stand here, dead in the eye, and stare out on the empty and dead garden?”

“Serial killer?” Norman's heart started to speed up. Normally he would probably have loved to hear the story. Now it worried him. There was a feeling seeping through the house that would easily make him believe any story he'd be told.

“Yeah, it's like an old legend. The top most reason as to why no one wants to live here, as far as I know.” Dipper moved across the room and stood by the window, trying to see anything interesting in the still nature outside. With nothing to see he turned back to Norman. “It's about a stranger who showed up in town. He would go out here, claiming to live in the mansion. The people in the town didn't believe him to have a right to stay here and one day they marched their way out here. They found dead bodies and confronted the man who took his own life on the spot.”

A brutal shiver traveled through Norman's body. He didn't even find it embarrassing. The story was creepy when you actually stood at the place where it might have happened.

“That's a great story,” he admitted and Dipper's face turned into a smile.

“I found it in a reliable source. An old diary.”

Dipper didn't say anything more about it. Instead they decided to check upstairs, hoping that there would be something more than just some old furniture. Anything that could prove the story Dipper had told, or anything creepy in general would do. They had to find something, they both agreed, that they could document and shove in the face of the others.

The wooden floors would bend and creak by every step they took. A haunting sound that would surround them. As if the old building settling and the wind blowing wasn't enough sounds to put them on edge, ready to run for their lives.

Norman hadn't even noticed how the six feet from before had turned into one. It only occurred to him when Dipper suddenly stopped and Norman walked straight into him. He didn't even care. The feeling of a warm body kept him calm, ignoring the things he thought he saw in the corner of his eye. He even allowed a hand to rest on Dipper's shoulder as they both peeked around the corner and into the room Dipper had stopped in front of.

“Should we go inside?” By the sound of his voice and the way he acted, Dipper hadn't noticed it either. Something about a haunted house brought people together. Norman had to remember that for future references.

“Hell yeah,” Norman answered.

The room they slowly stepped inside of, cautiously minding every step, was a bedroom. On one side there was a king sized canopy bed. What caught their attention though was the closed wardrobe on the other side of the room. They weren't even speaking as they moved over, Norman still keeping no more than a feet between them and the hand without the flashlight resting in the air between them.

“We're going to check it, right?” Dipper asked.

“Of course. This might be it.”

“I keep thinking that something bad will happen...”

The confession came out of nowhere but didn't stop either of them. Dipper held out a hand, slowly reaching for the knob. The wooden door slowly slid open, the darkness behind soon illuminated by two flashlights.

Nothing.

Oh, wait! A few metal hangers and a garment on the floor that must have been colorful at one point but had grown dull by the layer of dust on top of it.

“Well that sucked,” Norman said with a sigh. Somehow the disappointment made him relax a little, just enough to allow some space between the two of them.

“Yeah...” Dipper turned to the younger boy. “Better to just... keep going.”

None of them moved. Perhaps the tension that had dropped was welcomed to both of them. No matter how much Norman enjoyed the thrill of being scared, the calm that came after felt surprisingly good.

Without thinking he got his cellphone out of his pocket and woke up the colorless screen. 00.17 it told him and with a deep breath he remembered his curfew.

Damn.

“We better hurry then,” he forced himself to say. Dipper who had walked over to the window turned around and looked over at him. “I've gotta be home by one.”

“And now it's?”

“Twenty minutes past midnight...”

“Oh.” Dipped didn't seem to bother to hide his disappointment. “We better start heading back then.”

“Sorry about this.”

“It's fine. Actually, you know,” Dipper said while slowly walking towards the bed, “in all honesty I didn't know if it would be fun to come here with you. I don't really know you... but... it's been really fun. Even if we haven't been here long.”

Norman suddenly forgot about where they were and that uneasy feeling that had been following him around the whole time. It was instantly replaced with a warmth he welcomed with open arms. The two boys shared shy, happy smiles as Dipper sat down on the old bed.

Then suddenly the air filled with screams.

The kind of screams that only can be uttered by two young teenagers seeing something unexpected and downright unexplainable. Fear filled them to the core and their voices took over.

Dust flung up in the air around Dipper and while Norman had been smiling, having eye contact with the boy and with the light from his flashlight directed slightly above the boy, he saw something he wish he hadn't. There was no mistaking that the dust had created the image of... something. Whatever he'd seen it had scared him and before he even had a chance to do anything other than scream Dipper had moved towards him.

A hand grabbed onto his and pulled him away. As soon as he was plunged forward his feet took over and they both ran, instantly out of breath and with senses both numbed and heightened. They stumbled down the stairs, missing a step here and there, and rushed across the hall and the vestibule and pretty much ran into the door before they could push it open.

They ran as far from the mansion as they could, only slowing down when they could no longer see the building.

The air filled with the sounds of panting and wheezing. Norman really wished he'd taken cardio training seriously. By the sound of Dipper's faltering steps and dramatic breathing he figured he did too.

“Wait,” Norman suddenly said between loud breaths and stopped walking. “Why did you scream?”

Dipper stopped too. Only then did both of them realize that their hands were desperately clutching the other's. Like proper teenage boys they should probably have jumped away from each other going “no homo” and laugh it off. Thing was, neither of them were proper teenage boys and instead they stood there, their intertwined hands the only thing between them. Norman swallowed nervously before they both relaxed the grip and let go.

“Why did you scream?” Norman repeated.

“There was... something... behind you. Hey, what about you? Don't tell me you saw it too? I'll seriously freak out!”

Norman nodded silently.

“Shit! That's... that's so... cool!” Dipper looked both terrified and excited at the same time.

They started to walk again, slowly picking up a comfortable pace. This time Norman took the same path as before, following the car track, while Dipper walked between them, barely a feet of distance between them. Perhaps their racing hearts and the adrenaline of having been scared played a part in it. Perhaps something else had happened in there that neither of them had been aware of.

“I'll write everything down when I get back home. You do too! And then we'll compare the notes. If what we saw match up I think it's legitimate to say we have some kind of proof of paranormal activity in that house,” Dipper said.

“Sure. But I don't think that anyone will actually take us seriously.”

“Mabel will. That's what matters the most. Prove to her that she missed out. Hopefully Wybie will care too.”

“Tell Mabel?” Norman sounded unsure. “Everything? Can't we keep certain... details out of it?” Norman coughed.

Dipper muttered an “oh” and for Norman it was painfully obvious they both were actually embarrassed over the last thing that had happened in that house.

They walked in silence for a while. Once more it was of the comfortable kind. No need for words to fill the air. They'd been through a lot and for the moment the memories were all they needed.

Norman admitted to himself that the Fright Night had been nothing like he'd imagined, but it had been so much better. Why? He didn't really know. It probably had something to do with the dork walking on his right. Spending time alone had proven what Mabel had said before, that they had a lot in common.

A little bit ahead they could see the street lights. Dipper turned off his flashlight and Norman soon followed his example, surrounding them in darkness for the short distance before they would reach the road.

“Before we get back,” Dipper said as he cut the silence, “I just... need to ask something. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. We barely know each other and tonight's been really fun and...” Dipper bit his bottom lip while Norman started to get a really weird feeling. Somehow the clenching heat in the pit of his stomach was seemed both good and bad. “Do you like Mabel? I mean, like in a romantic... sense...”

Norman regretted having turned off his flashlight. The darkness surrounding them did nothing to calm his nerves. As far as he knew Dipper could be expecting any kind of answer. Somehow it seemed important to pick the right one.

But Norman decided to be honest. “Mabel? No. Not romanticly.” He scratched the back of his head, feeling the texture of his hair.

“Then is there anyone else you like?”

The hand pressing against his hair froze. The first thought passing through his mind worried him. The memory of his first school day. It had most likely only been triggered by his own gesture, the one that none of them could even see.

He pushed it away. Ignored it. Instead he tried to think logically about the question and mumbled a “no” as an answer when he started to wonder why it had even been asked.

Three possibilities, Norman figured. Maybe Dipper wanted him to like Mabel? There was also a possibility that Mabel had been suggesting the same thing when talking to Dipper. She had after all written in a text that Dipper “blushed like crazy”. The last possibility seemed impossible. That Mabel had been trying to get Norman to think of Dipper like that because Dipper already was.

“No?” Dipper repeated. “That's great.” His face cracked into a smile. A relieved smile.

When they reached the road Norman still didn't know which of the three were the correct one. Though he was curious to know he couldn't find it in him to ask. As they reached the light he pretended as if they hadn't even had the conversation.

Once they began to draw close to the bus stop their pace slowed down. They only stopped once they were back by the shelter.

“I'm going that way,” Norman said as he pointed across the road with the back of the flashlight.

“I'll take a detour by the Pink Palace, in case Mabel is still there.”

Words hung unspoken in the air. Every single thing Norman could come up with sounded like lines from the end of a date in really cheesy movies. By the silence coming from Dipper he could probably no come up with anything better himself.

They really were alike. Norman hated how right Mabel was about that.

“Well...” Dipper was finally the one to say something. His hand had traveled to his neck, playing with the brown hair peeking out from under his hat. “Good night, then. Well... if you'll be able to sleep.”

They laughed nervously. Both of them had been scared pretty badly back there. The image of whatever he'd seen behind Dipper sent a bad shiver down Norman's spine.

“I think I'll be fine. Horror fan, remember?”

“Right. Of course.”

Something told Norman that Dipper would be the one with trouble sleeping that night.

Then the silence was back. Awkward and heavy with unspoken words. The only thing calming Norman was that Dipper didn't say anything more either, meaning they were both just as tortured by it.

On the badly lit street on the deserted road both boys looked directly at each other at the same time. That was the moment Norman thought “screw it” and suddenly didn't care anymore.

“I should get going, but I had a great time. That sounds weird, but I think the others really missed out. Let's do it again some time.”

That didn't sound like the end of a date at all. Nope. Not... at... all...

No matter what it sounded like the other boy cracked a big smile, once more looking relieved. “Yeah,” he said as corrected his cap. “Be sure to tell them that. Though, honestly... We should do something like this again. Without them, I mean.”

Norman nodded. “Totally.”

The unspoken words seemed to have been spoken. The tension cut and Norman found it in him to actually start leaning away, ready to go.

“Bye then,” he said as he took a step out into the street.

“See you in school!”

Before Norman even reached the middle of the street he turned back around, arm stretched out to hand back the flashlight. “I forgot,” he mumbled. It felt stupid to go back like that.

“Keep it. I have too many anyway... Just be sure to bring it with you at all times! Might come in handy.”

When Norman actually headed home that night he couldn't believe the night had actually happened. What he thought would be Wybie and Dipper being all factual about the house, Mabel trying to scare them all and Coraline being the only serious one, had turned into him getting closer to Dipper. A lot closer.

In fact, Norman had no idea what he would call their relationship at this point. His curiosity had both been stilled and doubled. They were so alike and so different! Mabel's word both scared him and urged him on. But even more important than any of that, they'd been having fun.

The house was dark as he stepped through the front door. Which was weird. But from the living room he could see the blue light of the TV. He approached it and smiled as he leaned against the door frame- No wonder his dad hadn't called during the night.

“Hey dad.” The man in the armchair jerked awake, looking disoriented as he woke up. “It's ten minutes until one am. Thought you might want to know.”

[This chapter is so unlike the first version. The Fright Night was supposed to be the point where Dipper first talked to Norman as if he was another human being, but with them already having had one conversation like that things kind of.. escalated. This chapter was so gay. Hope it didn't feel stressed or ooc. I always worry about that... OTL]

#patience equals progress

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#patience equals progress