Daughter of Bill Cypher

Pancakes and sticky substance

Mabel hummed as she poured the pancake batter into the frying pan, letting it sizzle as it cooked. She also couldn't help tossing in an extra spoonful of sugar, her secret ingredient.

Occasionally her eyes wandered back to the doorway into the other room, where her guest was waiting.

Mabel Pines was not an idiot, despite what many people in her high school years used to say. She had been in many clubs and barely passed her core classes, which gave people reason to talk about her behind her back. But she simply didn't care about the actual school and just wanted to do her own things.

It wasn't until she got into a community college(with the college fund her parents had saved for her) that she realized she had to clean up her act. Her first semester went well, with mostly Bs in her classes...

Except for one F in science.

Her parents took one look at her grades and threatened that if she didn't clean up her act, they were pulling her right out of college. That was the wake up call for her. Ever since their summer in Gravity Falls, Mabel was content to continue her childish ways. Sure, she accepted growing up, but it still seemed like such a long way away.

Dipper had gotten into one of the best colleges in their state, and was well on his way in his courses. Being away from her twin was a bit lonely at first, but now Mabel realized that for that first time in her life, she was on her own. Before, she always had Dipper to fall back on. If she got in trouble, he always tried to get her out of it. He was always there to help, even sacrificing his own happiness for her.

Mabel came back for the second semester with a new attitude. She studied in her free time, paid attention in her classes, and put effort into her homework. And as soon as her grades started to improve, she tried to work her hobbies in as well. She joined campus activities, most involving crafts or dancing. She made new friends, dated an occasional boy, and was very active. Through all this, she made sure to keep her grades up.

At the end of her first year, she came home on vacation with three As and four Bs, the best she'd ever gotten.

And now here she was, spending the summer with her bro in her favorite town. Granted, things have not happened as she expected, but she was happy that there was still something extraordinary going on in the town.

Once the pancakes were ready, she scooped three onto two plates each and carried them into the living room, a syrup and sprinkles jar balanced on the insides of her elbows.

The girl was staring at her as she came in and out the plates down. Mabel noticed how she flinched when she heard the plates clatter. She also noticed just how dirty the dress she had on was. The skirt was ripped, as were the sleeves, dirt covered some areas, and there was also blood on some areas.

"Sorry I kept you waiting. The best pancake is one that was softened to the point of fluffiness." She said as she sat down opposite the girl. She popped the syrup cap open and squirted the sticky substance all over her cakes, topping it off with a few shakes of sprinkles over it.

Mabel noticed the girl hadn't moved, and nudged the syrup towards her. "Do you want some? Pancakes don't taste very good when you eat them plain." She advised. She knew she was the only one who really liked sprinkles on pancakes, so she'd just offer the syrup.

The girl didn't react for a moment, and Mabel briefly wondered if she reacted to anything until one of her hands slowly reached out to take the syrup. Mabel offered a smile and opened the cap quickly before gesturing for her to take it. The girl brought it over to her side of the table, her eyes moving to stare at the bottle before going back to her.

"You tip it over, and the stuff comes out." Mabel explained, miming her words with her hands over her own pancakes. The girl glanced at the bottle again before taking it in two hands and tipping it over. Sure enough, the sticky substance came falling out over her own pancakes. Mabel called it a small victory, though she had to verbally tell the girl to stop after she practically coated her pancakes in syrup and drained half the bottle.

After another minute of awkward silence, Mabel picked up her fork and knife. "You can just start eating whenever. It might still be a little hot though."

The girl stared at her with her bright yellow eyes before looking down at her plate.

"You know, eat it." Mabel said, miming chewing in hopes of helping the girl understand. She didn't know how much she understood, maybe no English at all, but she seemed to get movement. She then turned to her own plate and started eating. The girl would eat when she was ready, she wouldn't force her.

She was finishing her first pancake when she heard something on the other end of the table. Looking up, she saw that the girl had picked up one pancake in her bare hands and was inspecting it.

"Whoa!" Mabel instantly stood up. The girl dropped the pancake, and it landed half on the plate, half on the table. "Ah, right, well you can't eat them like that, then you just get all messy." Mabel said hurriedly. The girl's hands were now covered in syrup, and she knew what dry syrup felt like. She quickly dashed into the kitchen and came back with a bag of wet wipes. She knelt down next to the girl's cheer and reached to take her hand, stopping when she flinched harshly.

"Calm down. I'm just trying to help. I need to get this stuff off you hands or they'll get all sticky. I'm not going to hurt you." Mabel said, making herself appear as calm as possible. The girl seemed to study her for a moment before unclenching and letting her gently take her wrist.

Slowly and gently, Mabel wiped the syrup off the girl's hands. Thankfully the wet wipes did the trick, and she tossed the dirty ones in the trash.

"Okay, I should've explained this to you earlier." She said, putting the pancake back on the plate and picking up the clean fork and knife she put there earlier. "You use these to cut it, okay? I'll cut it for you this time, since I don't think you know how to."

She quickly cut the pancakes into bite sized pieces, knowing the girl was watching her the whole time. Once she was done, she held up the fork and made an act of spearing a piece with it. "You use the fork like this. And then you just put it in your mouth. Simple."

She gave the fork to the girl and sat down in her seat, know watching to make sure she got it.

The girl turned the fork over in her hand, studying it, before slowly and cautiously stabbing another piece. She glanced up at Mabel, as if to make sure she she was doing it right, to which Mabel offered a cheerful nod and smile. She then picked it up and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly and apprehensively.

Mabel was shocked at the simple look of wonder that hit the girl's face, her eyes widening and her chewing stilling. Before Mabel could ask if she was okay, she practically shoveled another piece into her mouth, followed by another and another.

Mabel was still staring in shock when she emptied her entire plate not three minutes later. She even picked up the plate and licked the surface clean of syrup. Her eyes them immediately latched onto her unfinished pancakes, which she slid over without complaint. She plowed through it in two minutes, once again cleaning the plate.

She then looked up at Mabel again, syrup on her lips and her tongue darting out to catch some of it.

"Oh boy." She mumbled. She was gonna need more pancakes.
————

I'm sick, my throat is sore, my nose is going through three tissue boxes, and I wrote this in less than an hour.

Enjoy! Harley64quinn