Neighbors in LA (Alex Hirsch X Reader)

Chapter 1: A Visitor

You rubbed your eyes. Sure enough, it was Alex. You thought about your situation, trying to figure out if it was irony, coincidence, or something else. It was probably the second option.

Alex had looked up and noticed you staring at him. He waved. "Hey there! I'm your new neighbor!" he called. "My name's Alex!"

You snapped out of your thoughts and waved back sheepishly. "H-hi...! I-I'm (Y/N)....!" you replied.

"Nice to meet you, (Y/N)! Well, I've gotta go unpack! Bye!" Alex waved once more and walked inside his house rather quickly. You didn't know Alex to be a shy kind of guy, but, maybe with the stress of moving and all...

You closed your window and sat back down in your chair. You finally had an idea for a new animation, and immediately began to work.

***

You suddenly woke up next to your art tablet and looked around sleepily. It was still night. You guessed you must have dozed off while working. Looking down at your work, you noticed a drawing of Alex- extremely detailed when compared to your usual art style. Oh, another subconscious drawing of mine.... You thought to yourself.

"Well.... Maybe... If it was yours," said a voice.

You instantly became terrified and looked in all directions. "Wh-who's there?! I-I have a knife!" you stuttered, reaching to grab the pocket knife you kept taped under the table.

"Oh? You mean this pathetic thing?" the voice asked with a hint of triumph. Your pocket knife was floating in the air, a few feet away from you.

Your heart beat pounded in your chest. But then you thought of something. Knives just don't float in mid air. This is just a dream. A nightmare, really. It's your old fears of a house intruder rising up to the surface once again. It happened every time you moved somewhere new or you got a new neighbor. "Someone's bound to be insane," you would always tell yourself.

"Well thanks for the compliment!" the voice laughed. "You are a smart one, aren't you? Usually it takes people waking up before they realize it's a dream. But, dream or not, I can still harm you." Suddenly there was a body to the voice. Well, you thought it was. It was unlike anything you've ever seen in real life.... But....

"Hold it," you said. "You're-"

"Bill Cipher. The trillion-year-old top hatted dream demon. Didn't think I was real, did ya?" Bill interrupted, twirling his cane.

"No no no..... This is literally a dream! You aren't real and there is no way you can prove you are! The only reason I'm dreaming this is because Alex is here!"

"Well well well well well well well! Looks like Hoodie gave me all the info I needed!" Bill laughed.

You put your (favorite color) hood over your face. This isn't real this isn't real this isn't real this isn't real this isn't real.... You thought.

"Well, Hoodie, this is, I am, and you are! So thanks for telling me where Alex is. The kid's got a deal to fulfill," Bill said. If the triangle had a mouth, you knew he'd be smiling. "And remember! Reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, bye!" With that statement, Bill disappeared and you woke up with a jolt.

You glanced around. No floating knives. No floating triangles. You felt under the table. There it was. Your pocket knife. You were awake. But, just to make sure, you pinched yourself. You were wide awake.

It was morning and the birds were chirping happily; they were lucky. They didn't have any nightmares. You decided to get up and walk to the kitchen. Nightmares always made you hungry.

***

Halfway into the day, there was a knock at your door. "Coming!" you called, straightening out your messy hair and pausing your Doctor Who marathon. You opened the door- not looking particularly flashy- to find Alex waving at you from the outside. You slammed the door in his face and leaned against the door. This couldn't be real, right?

"Uh.... Hello? (Y/N)?" Alex asked.

Holy cheese balls of France! He remembered my name?! you thought in excitement. You slowly opened the door back up. "S-sorry.... I-I.... Gravity Falls.... Episode...." you stuttered as your voice trailed off.

"Oooh! You watch my show!" Alex exclaimed. "Well, if you're thinking of any fanfictions, this probably isn't one of those. Just coincidence! I was just wondering if you wanted to chat for a bit? So I get to know my neighbors and all."

"Oh! Uh, s-sure! M-make yourself comfortable!" you said robotically; as if you were a terrible actor in a terrible play. You stepped out of the way for Alex and shut the door when he walked in. "D-do you have anything to talk about?" you asked.

"Not particularly," Alex replied, glancing around your home. "Seems like a big house for one person."

"Well.... I-I use a few of these rooms for my art stuff. Being in the art business and whatnot.... I paint a little, draw a little, sew a little, animate a lot.... I've got a YouTube channel called VanillaChoZ that I put my animations on," you said.

"Ooh! Sounds fun! Can I see some of your work?" Alex asked.

"W-why not? I'll give you a tour of the house as well if you'd like."

Alex nodded. You began the tour with your animation room which was chock full of OC's and previous animation styles and notes all over the place. Then your painting and drawing rooms, and finally your tiny sewing room. That place was pretty barren save for a decent- but not incredible- plush here and there and a sewing machine as well as thread and other sewing necessities.

Alex would nod and say "mhm" and other things. You didn't know if he was paying attention or not, but you didn't really mind. It was nice having someone else over.

But no matter what you did, the eerie feeling of being watched never went away. It sent chills down your spine. If you had known then, you would have sent Alex back home as soon as possible.

But you didn't know.

And that just made things easier for him.