Work Text:
It was a quarter til midnight when I awoke to something incessantly tapping at my window. Odd, seeing as how my bedroom was located on the second floor, and there was no tree growing under the window for someone to climb. And yet, whenever I tried to shut my eyes again, they would spring back open at the sound of another dull “thunk” at the window pane. Finally fed up by the sound, and fearful that whatever was causing it would scratch the glass, I threw my comforter off and stormed towards the window, flinging it open and glaring at the perpetrator outside.
“Mornin’ Sunshine!” Dipper Pines called from down below, waving his right arm, while his left held a little pile of stones.
“Pines, it’s almost midnight. Some of us are--UHH-- trying to sleep!” I reprimanded, not even attempting to stifle my yawn, in hopes it would emphasis the time to him.
“And some of us are tryin’ to wake you up!” came the cheeky reply. Dipper picked up another small stone and threw it. With a (manly) shriek, I ducked, just as the small stone flew over my head and into the darkness of my bedroom. I didn’t hear it clatter on the floor, so I assumed it had landed in the rug. Great, now I had to go searching for it, or risk stepping on it, like one of Greg’s legos.
I straightened up, my cheeks growing red with frustration. “Stop throwing rocks! You have my attention, so spill.”
“Come to the fair with me!” It hadn’t been a question, more of a statement. It took a second for my brain to catch up with what he had said.
“Wha? Tonight?” I glanced at my watch. “It’s midnight Dipstick!”
“No, you cube! Tomorrow, when it opens!” Dipper rolled his eyes, bouncing the stones up and down precariously. “I may be a rebel, but I don’t know how to operate those rides myself...at least, not without breaking them,” he added mischievously.
I groaned, slapping my palm to my face. This kid was a lost cause. “So let me get this straight, you woke me up in the middle of the night, to ask me to go to the fair with you tomorrow?”
“Yep, cause it’s the first day of summer, which means it’s opening day. All the cool cats and dolls are going to be there on the opening, anyone not is a square!“ Dipper gave me the eye as he mentioned the last part, then picked up another stone and tossed it. It bounced just under the window sill, clattering against the wood, and fell ungracefully back down into my mother’s begonias.
“If you throw another rock up here, I’m not going anywhere with or near you!”
“So you’re coming tomorrow?” Came the excited response back.
“What? I ---” I swallowed, my arms crossing instinctively. “I don’t think that’s a good idea Dipstick. I mean...with just us. Won’t people... think something’s funny going on?” I already knew that people were talking bad about Dipper before, this would only smear his reputation more. And I, well...I was already skirting thin ice by hanging out with this little vandil; if bad rumors spread, than I wouldn’t be able to keep this wallflower existence going. And I liked not being the center of attention, especially unwanted attention.
But Dipper seemed nonplussed by this. “But we’re not going solo! Invite your little monster to come along!”
“Wha? Greg? Why would I invite him?” My arms tightened defensively. Somehow having my hyperactive little brother tagging along was an even worse idea than just the two of us going solo.
“Uhhhhh, cause I just said it’s opening day! He’ll be so razzed if you bring him. And besides, my sister’s coming too, so why wouldn’t I also invite your brother?”
This caught me by surprise. “Your sister?” So you mean, he wasn’t asking you on a…
“It’s a hang, man! Why? What’cha think I meant when I invited you to the fair?” Dipper smirked, his eyebrow cocked. I was thankful for the cover of darkness, because I’m sure Dipper would have seen me blush otherwise.
“Bug off! I don’t know why I even bothered opening the window, I’m trying to sleep!” I reached up to grab the window and slam it shut.
“Hey, come on spazz. Don’t you want to meet my sister? You guys haven’t been properly introduced yet. She’s dying to meet you. She’s pretty Kooky though, I don’t think you can handle her; I think Greg will love her though.” The prospect of meeting Dipper’s sister in person was tempting, especially since I had never seen the two together, even though they were both in the same grade. I had to wonder what his sister looked liked. And how similar she was to this mess of a boy.
“Mmmm, I don’t know Dipstick, it depends on how I’m feeling, and I don’t feel I’ll be very social tomorrow--” Once more, I tried to shut the window, though there was more resistance to completely shut the other out than before.
“Wait...Wirt.” Dipper hesitated, and his expression turned bashful. I paused and stared back at him, my eyebrows furrowed with suspicious. “I...I want you there. It’s...it’s the only way I could think that we could go, without it being suspicious. So yeah, I’m asking you out tomorrow.” He let the remaining rocks tumble from his hands back onto the grass. He kicked them with the toe of his boot, sending them scattering.
I felt my defenses waver. Damn him. When he was playing the part of a greaser, he was so easy to hate. But when he showed this vulnerable side of him, the side very few got to see or know… “K. I’ll come tomorrow. But don’t expect me to ride anything.” I warned.
Dipper’s relieved smile was enough of an answer.
“OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!” I stumbled back, and instinctively plugged my ears from the shrill screech. A flash of pink and glitter zoomed towards me, impairing my vision momentarily. “Are you who I think you are? You are! You are him! Oh my gosh, you didn’t tell me he was sooooooooo cutttttttte!” Blinking and rubbing my eyes, I took another step back to fully gauge the monster who had attacked me.
Oh? It wasn’t a monster. It was a girl. A girl wearing a pink gingham skirt and a light yellow blouse. Her headband blinded me with its gold glitter. Her hair was styled in the classic bumper bangs style, her lips an overwhelmingly neon pink to match her equally overwhelming nail polish. At a second glance, I noticed that her pinky nails were painted the same light yellow as her blouse. Her long eyelashes fluttered up at me in rapid succession; did she have something in her eye?
“Take it down a notch Mabel. You’re gonna scare him away.” Came a much more, surprisingly, familiar voice. In the next second, Dipper was in front of me, standing side by side of the blindingly colorful girl, and...scolding her? It seemed odd; compared to this girl’s bright exterior (and interior as well) Dipper seemed like a foreign entity in his denim jeans and dark brown bush jacket, opened to reveal a white with dark blue trimming, ringer tee. His tan high top converses were so normal compared to the girls’ green ankle wedges.
How did Dipper know this girl?
Actually, forget that for a second, I had never seen Dipper in this kind of attire. Where did that come from?
“That jacket’s new…” I mumbled, eyes focused on the jacket the younger teen was currently wearing. Without his brash attire, Dipper looked less like a hooligan and more like, well, a sophomore.
Dipper looked up in surprise, and his freckles disappeared behind a pink tint, which he quickly hid with his hand. “It’s hot today, didn’t think the greaser jacket was necessary.”
The girl piped in, “He spent an hour in the bathroom getting ready, worrying about his hair--”
“MABEL!”
“And like, he kept asking me what to wear, but anytime I gave him advice, he’d flat out reject me--”
“Because you wanted me to wear such dweeby kicks!”
“Hush Dipdop, you are a dweeb. Anyway, he was so nervous about today, so I thought he was bringing a girrrrrrrlfriend,” the girl teased.
Dipper clammed up, and quickly looked away, no longer attempting to correct her. His fingers clenched.
“But now I see he was just excited about me meeting a friend, which is honestly almost as good, cause Dipdop needs more friends than just his sister!”
Ouch! I could feel the pain literally radiating off Dipper by her words. At this point, I felt it was my cue to step in. “Im sorry, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Wirt Fischer, nice to meet you--”
“And I’m Greg Campbell. I’m Wirt’s brother!” The little pest behind me finally made his presence known, poking out from behind my legs where he’d been annoyingly clinging to my heels the entire walk here. I was already regretting inviting him to tag along, but Dipper had requested, and I felt he wouldn’t appreciate if I had kept this hidden from the little ankle biter. I had hoped maybe Greg would reject, but that was like hoping a cat wouldn’t eat a cornered mouse.
The girl kneeled to my brother’s eye level, her eyes practically sparkling, “Ohhhh, what a cutie. You have the squishiest cheeks I’ve ever seen! Like Waddles--that’s our pet pig! I just want to snuggle you and eat you all up!” the girl squealed, fawning over my little brother like he was a pet. Honestly, if she wanted to take him home, I wouldn’t object.
Then she stood again and held out her hand towards me. “I’m Mabel Pines, Dipper’s cuter, and better, alpha twin.” She tossed me a playful wink, with her tongue poking out and everything. So this was Mabel, Dipper’s twin. She was nothing like I imagined, and yet somehow I was far more intimidated by this walking sparkler than the gloomy punk next to her. I felt the heat rise to my cheeks in embarrassment as I timidly offered her my hand. She took a tight grip on it and shook with the power of a rocket. “Nice to meet you!”
Yep, far more intimidating.
“N-ni-nice to me-mee-meet yooooou t-tooo!” I said as my arms was violently shaken back and forth. Thankfully Dipper stepped in and broke the contact before she took my whole arm with her.
“Knock it off Mabes, you’re goin’ to tear him in two.” Dipper interjected. “And by the way, you ain’t the alpha twin, there is no alpha twin!”
“Says the not alpha twin…”
“Mabes!!!”
“Alright, alright. I’m just having a little fun, don’t go all ape on me, Dipdops.” She patted his head like he was a dog. Then she turned back to me, her hands clasped in front of her, a big wide, bracey grin on her face. “We ready to ride some rides, play some carny games, or we just gonna stand around, burning daylight?”
“Ohhhh, Ohhh! Wirt, Wirt!” Greg tugged the hem of my pants, and I did everything in my power not to tug them away. “Can we go on the Ferris wheel? Huh? Huh, can we? Can we?”
“Ohhh, nice choice Greg. The Ferris wheel is such a gas! I would suggest waiting til night, when everything is all lit up; that’s when it’s most romantic.” She let out a dreamy sigh, as if reminiscing. Then realizing her audience, she quickly corrected herself at her brother’s annoyed grimace, “But, then, we’re all here as friends, no dates, so the daytime is just as good.”
I looked towards the Ferris wheel, squinting against the sun to see the exact height of the mechanical death trap. “I don’t know, it’s pretty high up. Are you going to be okay, all the way up there? I don’t want to get in trouble if you end up sick all over the seats.” I replied, trying to discourage the idea. In all honesty, I wasn’t particularly looking to ride anything, and there was something about a Ferris wheel that rubbed me the wrong. Perhaps for the exact reason that Mabel had initially described it.
The little germ put his hands on his hips and whined, “Wirt, I’m not a baby anymore. I want to ride the Ferris wheel!”
“Well maybe you shouldn’t be whining like a baby anymore!”
“Booger!”
“Brat”
“Shush!!”
“You shussssh!”
Dipper stepped in, having the audacity to be snickering, “What’s a matter Wirt? With how against it you are, could it be, that you’re the one who’s scared to ride it?”
I felt heat rising to my face, “Listen here nosebleed, I ain’t scared of no stupid ride. I just think it’s boring and slow going.”
“Then it should be your favorite.” Came his cheeky little response.
“Ohhhhhhhh, Dipdops, you’re cruisin’ for a burisin’!” Mabel said, hands over her mouth in an expression of surprise. But I could see she was grinning from the spaces between her fingers. Little shit was probably patting him on the back in her head.
“Very funny. I ain’t no wet rag,” I threw back, stepping closer. He might be stronger than me, but at least when I stepped close, I could feel bigger, looking down his nose. He craned his head up at me, lips still curled in a disgustingly smug way. Like he was challenging me to throw a punch. He knows I won’t do it, that I don’t got the muscle. But I at least know, despite his tough outer shell, he won’t throw the first punch either.
“Then you don’t mind riding it.” Dipper said, voice raising with intensity.
“No, I dont!” I shouted back, filled with the same amount of intensity.
“Then let’s go!” Dipper’s voice escalated.
“Gladly!” I resounded, making sure I would have the last word.
And then Dipper grabbed me by the wrist, and Mabel swooped in and grabbed my by the other; Greg holding her free hand, and without another word, began dragging me towards the Ferris Wheel.
Wait? What? What had I just signed up to? I looked between them, feeling the color drain from my face.
I had set myself up for a big mistake.
Three rides later and I was trying to hold the contents of breakfast in my stomach.
Meanwhile, these demons were five steps ahead, practically skipping to the next destination. Greg was sitting on Dipper’s shoulder, who surprisingly, when I went to reprimand Greg to get down, had responded that he didn’t mind one bit, and was more than happy to carry Greg like this for awhile. I was surprised, but then, as I watched them from the back, talking, laughing, and Greg smiling like it was his birthday, I began to feel angry. And for once, I wasn’t angry at him, easy as it was; I was angry at Dipper. I was supposed to be the older brother, right? Wasn’t that my job? Could it be I was jealous? Seeing my little brother and Dipper act more like siblings than us?
I chose to blame the nausea on the last ride we’d be on.
“OHHHHHHHHHHH!” Greg’s sudden squeal caused me to fumble, and look up. It seemed even his squealing had startled Mabel and Dipper because they both had stopped abruptly, looking at each other with concern. Greg, meanwhile, was staring in another direction, one hand slapped to his cheek, eyes wide, while his other hand pointed in the direction he was looking. I followed his line of sight to...a large stuffed elephant hanging above one of the carnival booths.
“Can we play it? Can we?” Greg begged, slapping his hands against Dipper’s cheeks and rocking back and forth with an intensity enough to topple the teen. Dipper luckily held his position, keeping them both upright.
“I don’t know, shouldn’t you be asking your brother?” Dipper asked, looking back at me for confirmation.
Greg looked at me as well, and the smile vanished from his face. He leaned down to (unsuccessfully) whisper in Dipper’s ear “He’ll say no. He always does when I want something.”
This was grating on me. I didn’t always say no. Just sometimes, and only because Greg wanted things that were basically trinkets, dust collectors. There was no greater purpose to them than to look cute, and then be forgotten in the corner of Greg’s room. I was only trying to make sure that my parents didn't waste their hard earned money on something trivial.
Dipper cocked his eyebrow at me in surprise, “Really?”
“I don’t always say no!” I repeated, trying to defend myself.
Dipper and Mabel frowned and suddenly having three people frowning at me made the situation worse. I suddenly felt like the bad guy.
“Well, don’t worry Greg, I’ll win it for you!” Dipper said, smiling up at Greg. Greg’s face broke into the biggest smile ever, and that was it! I had had enough!
“Oh no! Don’t you dare! I’m winning that stupid elephant for my brother!” And the next second, I was storming towards the booth, with the determination to not only try and win an obviously rigged carnival game, but to show that I wasn’t a complete shit of a brother like they were painting me to be.
“One dollar for one ball, five dollars for three balls,” The clearly enthused teen operating the booth droned, thumbing through a large stack of green already. I didn’t respond, just slammed a five on the table and picked up the first ball. I eyed my targets: milk jugs stacked into a pyramid. I carefully took aim, praying to hit the middle, where I felt it would cause the most reaction. I chucked it, and only realized after I threw it, that my swing had been off point. The ball swerved to the left and completely missed the jugs, wapping against the tarp of the booth.
“Nice try, two balls left,” the teen didn’t even look up from counting. His response grated on my nerves. I grabbed the next ball and lobbed it directionlessly. It sailed over the milk jugs.
“One ball left.”
I picked up the ball, tempted to throw it right at him, wondering if that would change his tone. Realizing that throwing it at him would probably result in me being banned, I took a steadying breath, and concentrated. My aim was shit, but I had to make this last shot count.
“Just pretend it’s my ugly mug.” I fumbled, the ball almost slipping from my grip. Dipper had slunked over to my side, staring at the milk jugs with a calculated look. Greg stood right beside him, watching me carefully. “And don’t aim for the middle, you want to hit it from the bottom, between the middle and either the left or right side. If you hit it from there, they’ll all come collapsing down. Like a stack of cards. Or like the papershakers during homecoming.”
I eyed the bottom right corner of the jugs. Since I swung better from my left hand, I’d have a better chance of knocking the right side down. “I’m gonna aim for the right,” I whispered to Dipper, as if I was strategist who didn’t want the vendor to hear my plans.
Dipper hummed in approval, “And just remember, pretend it’s my face.”
I snorted, “I’m not going to pretend it’s your--”
“Well if you don’t win this, I’m more than happy to win the elephant for Greg.” He looked down at Greg, and my brother practically lit up at his words. “I mean, I have a pretty good arm, so it’s okay. Not everyone is keen at these games--”
WHACK!
The teen looked up from his stack of dough, his eyes wide. It was like he wasn’t expecting to hear anything get knocked over. Even I couldn’t believe it; one second the ball was clenched in my fist, and the next, I was watching the jugs topple one over the other until there was nothing left on the stand. “Wha--???”
Greg let out a surprised shriek, “WIRT! WOWIE ZOWIE!”
Dipper patted my shoulder, “Nice job.”
I did it? I did it! I eyed the vendor triumphantly. “I’ll take that stuffed elephant now,” I pointed to the prize. The teen huffed, and grabbed a small metal cane which he used to pluck the stuffed animal from its spot.
“Whatever dude, it’s a cheap-o toy anyway,” The teen bitterly replied, throwing the toy at me. I wanted to agree, because believe me, I knew more than anyone what a waste this whole scam was. But somehow, it was more than just about the toy. It was my pride on the line now. And I was determined to salvage it. I nodded towards the vendor again, then pushed Dipper out of the way to stand directly in front of my brother. Greg was looking at me with an expression of awe.
“Here!” I pushed the large elephant into Greg’s tiny arms; the elephant was practically the size of him, so he had to hold it tightly with both hands, his cheek squished against its fluffy back. I could barely see him over the large toy. He stared at it with wide, whimsical eyes for a long moment, as if he couldn’t believe I had actually won it. Not that I didn’t have help; I eyed Dipper, but Dipper was purposely avoiding my eye, whistling conspicuously.
“Wuuuu----WOAHHHHHH!!!! WIRRRRRRRT! YOU GOT HIM FOR ME! YOU DID ITTTTT! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! YOU’RE THE COOLEST BIG BROTHER EVER!” Greg excitedly rambled, squeezing the stuffed animal’s midriff so tightly, I was worried the head was going to pop right off. He stared at me from over the Elephant’s head, the biggest smile on his face; and it was, for once, directed at me.
“Umm… It’s fi-fine squirt! Just be careful not to lose it now.”
“I won’t, I promise!” Greg bounced, and then bolted towards Mabel who was coming back from buying cotton candy for the group. “Mabel, Mabel, look what Wirt won me!”
I shouted after him, “Hey, don’t run. You’re gonna get swallowed in the crowd.” I made a move to follow, but a hand on my elbow stopped me. I turned back to see it was Dipper, who had stopped whistling and was giving me an expression I hadn’t seen on him before.
“He’s fine, don’t worry,” he nodded his head in the direction Greg ran off, and when I looked back, he was right. Mabel had run to meet Greg halfway and the two were animatedly talking in what I assume was Greg showing off the stuffed elephant I had just won.
“Oh, yeah, I guess so.”
“You’re a good brother, if you try.”
I felt a flutter in my stomach at his words. I didn’t want to look at him, to see what kind of face he was making, so I just focused on Mabel and Greg. “I mean, I don’t know. I guess. Sadly I don’t try enough.”
“Why not?”
“It’s...it’s complicated. I don’t really want to get into it.”
“I mean, I’m here to listen if yo--”
“Cut the gas, Dipstick. I told you I don’t want to get into it.”
“Alright, alright. Sorry.”
We were quiet for a moment, just watching our siblings engage in conversation.
“How do you feel right now?”
I thought about it: “I feel pretty unreal.”
Dipper said that whatever crawled up my ass had fallen out during one of the rides. I didn’t appreciate his snark, but I had to admit that I did feel much better than I did at the beginning of this adventure. Greg even asked, at one point, if I would carry him on my shoulders, and while I refused because I didn’t nearly have the strength to carry him like Dipper did, I didn’t mind carrying his stuffed elephant when he became too tired to lug it around himself. Soon I became the designated holder of people’s possessions, which was fine by me, because that meant I didn’t have to ride anything anymore. I was perfectly content with watching them from the safety of the ground.
Before, time felt like it was dragging through molasses, but now the sun was setting, and the carnival lights were starting to come on, and suddenly the day seemed to be ending all too quickly.
“Looks like we have time for one more thing,” Mabel said. She looked down at Greg, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. He was nodding off. I had a feeling he was going to be the first one to crash, especially with all the kettle corn and cotton candy he has consumed.
“Well there’s only way to end this day!” Dipper replied, smirking knowingly. I cocked my head in confusion, completely lost on where this thought process was about to head. But one look at Mabel and I had a feeling she was in on this end to end the day.
Simultaneously they replied, “Funnel Cake!”
Greg perked up momentarily at the mention of sweets, “Yeaah~” but then faltered off, head drooping as another wave of sleepiness hit him.
Dipper waved his hand towards me, “Wirt and I will grab the Funnel Cake. Mabel, grab that bench for Greg.” He pointed to the only empty bench remaining, and Mabel, without warning, picked up Greg and made a mad dash towards the bench to claim the spot as ours. “Come on Wirt, before the line gets too long.”
“Oh, um, sure,” I was still trying to process Mabel’s lightning speed, but quickly decided to give up, because honestly? Trying to understand these twins was a mystery better left untouched.
So, I silently followed after Dipper to the already accumulating Funnel Cake line. “Jeez, is it that good?”
Dipper looked at me like I was alien, “Have you never had funnel cake?”
“No, I don’t digest fried garbage.”
Dipper rolled his eyes, “You’re such a wet rag. Funnel Cake is a summer experience!”
“A garbage summer experience.”
Dipper glowered, “You’re going to be eating those words when you actually taste heaven on earth.”
By the time the line thinned out, and we were ordering, I was growing increasingly annoyed. This thing better be damn worth it. “Two Funnel Cakes?” the man at the counter asked, looking between the two of us.
“Oh, we’ll actually there’s fou--”
“Sorry, we’re running low, so I’m only making enough for those who are in line.” The man said, interrupting me, and went to the back without another word as if he already decided our order.
Dipper put a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry, two is enough, you’ll see.”
And sure enough, when the man came back, he was holding two giant funnel cakes which he handed over on a flimsy paper plate that could barely sustain the weight of it. Dipper took one, then elbowed me in the side, cueing me to grab the other. Before I could even thank the vendor, he had already turned to the next customer in line, who was starting to push us out of the line.
“They’re like piranha’s.”
“Yeah, buying funnel cake is an extreme sport.” Dipper chuckled, stopping long enough to snatch two forks and a handful of napkins. Somehow, he was able to balance his funnel cake in one hand, while I was struggling to keep it with two.
“So how’s this working?” I asked, eyeing the confections warily, the strawberry syrup starting to ooze over the side of mine. “One for you and Mabel, and one for me and Greg?”
“I was thinking something a little different,” Dipper answered, his voice suspiciously low.
“Oh?”
“Hey, can we take a detour?” Dipper asked, but he didn’t wait for an answer. Instead he turned sharply left and made for the funhouse. I didn’t have time to argue, even though the confusion got the better of me. I trailed after, trying to keep the syrup from dripping onto my hand.
“Dipper, I’m pretty sure we’re not allowed to take this into the funhouse--” Not that it mattered, because Dipper didn’t head for the entrance of the funhouse; instead he walked around the entrance, to the back. There was chain link fence separating the back from the front, and I really hoped Dipper wasn’t planning to climb the thing with the funnel cake in his hand. But he wasn’t, luckily, because unluckily, there was an already large sized gap in the fence that he was squeezing through. He maneuvered through it skillfully, without getting a single scratch on himself, or disturbing the dessert from the plate. Dipper grabbed the edge of the broken fence and pulled it back, allowing me to squeeze through easier. He eyed me dangerously, basically saying ‘You’re going through this whether you want to or not.’ I sighed, passing through it as carefully as I could, but not avoiding a few nicks and snags to my sweater. After I got through, he let go of the fence and started walking again. I followed.
This seemed even worse, “I’m pretty sure we’re not allowed back--”
“Put a sock in it!” Dipper turned on his heel, and I dug my heels into the grass to keep from ramming into him and getting funnel cake all over us. I squinted, the sudden darkness a contrast to the burning luminescence of the carnival lights. I looked around; the back of the funhouse was dark, deserted, and distressing. This looked like the place where people came to die. Or…
“This is where people usually come to neck. Or y’know...where easy people...make themselves easy.” Dipper seemed to be reading my mind.
Nope, this was way worse!
“I’m ready to go back!” I said, hating the squeak in my voice. Thank god for the cover of darkness, because right now I was sure I was as bright and flashy as one of those carnival lights.
“Chill, I ain’t gonna jump your bones, spaz. I just want to eat some Funnel cake with you. What, is that bad now too? I just want...shit, I just want to do something that other people are allowed to do! Is that not okay?” I couldn’t see his face, but the hurt was easy to detect in his voice, despite how hard he was trying to mask it.
Oh… oh.
“Oh…o-okay. Yeah funnel cake is fine. Ummm. how, how am I--?” I felt flustered. Flustered over eating funnel cake. Damn him. Damn him, he was probably enjoying this.
“You’re a real jerk sometimes,” Oh. he didn’t sound like he was enjoying this at all. “Here,” he suddenly said and I had to squint to see what he was doing. After a moment of my eyes adjusting, I noticed he was holding up a piece of funnel cake, speared on the plastic fork. His expression was still hard to read, but I could see he was staring at me, and he didn’t seem like he was teasing me.
“Are you...feeding me?”
Dipper frowned, “Take a damn bite, before I feed you a knuckle sandwich!”
Well, couldn’t really argue with that. I nervously opened my mouth, allowing him to stuff the piece of sugary dough into my mouth. I bit down, allowing a moment to savor the flavor. Oh!
“Well, how is it?”
“Sweet! Extremely sweet,” I muffled through a full mouth, using my hand to cover my mouth.
“…I see...” Dipper sound dejected.
“I like it!”
“Oh?” Dipper lifted his head at that.
“Yeah, can I have another bite?” I swallowed, opening my mouth again.
I heard his soft chuckle. “You’re a jerk,” he said, with a touch more affection as he carved another piece for me. “Here, don’t eat all of it, I want some too,” he said, holding the piece out for me. I took another bite, watching Dipper carefully. He seemed to be thinking about something.
“Did you enjoy today? I mean, would you say it was made in the shade?” Dipper finally asked, staring at the fork in his hand, twiddling it nervously.
Ohhhh! Things were starting to fall into place. This whole day, which had seemed like an average day from an outer perspective, Dipper had been carefully gauging my reactions, had been trying to make it just as enjoyable for me, as it had been for everyone else. While he had been playing nonchalant, he was not so nonchalantly trying to make this day fun for me as well. Getting me out of my comfort zone, helping me with my little brother, doing all these things that Dipper wouldn’t do for anyone else. When I looked at the Dipper in front of me, I could see the person before he donned that greaser jacket. The Dipper that Mabel saw.
I swallowed again. Carefully I grabbed the fork from his hands and cut a piece of the funnel cake. I held it out to him. ”Close your eyes,” I whispered.
He eyed it carefully, his gaze drifting to mine suspiciously. I know he was waiting for an answer, but I wasn’t going to make it that easy. Sighing, he closed his eyes and opened his mouth. I carefully moved the fork towards his mouth, and only when I was sure he could practically taste it, I moved the fork away and leaned forward, replacing the cake with my lips. A small little gasp escaped him, and he jolted. For a second I thought he might drop the funnel cake, but he kept it steady. Despite that, I could feel him shaking.
I pulled away. His eyes fluttered open, his expression dreamy. I felt my own face warming with sickly sweet feelings: “Today was unreal.”
Dipper smiled, “Told ya.”
I chuckled, leaning down to press another quick kiss to his lips, which he almost hungrily returned. “Let’s head back, before Mabel thinks we ran away with the funnel cake.”
Dipper laughed, “She’d kill me if I ate her piece.” I laughed alongside him; barely meeting her, but I could imagine it.
As we headed back: “So, would you say I changed your mind about funnel cake? Is it no longer sugary garbage?”
“Oh it’s still sugary garbage.”
Dipper huffed.
“But... Maybe I need something a little bad for me, every now and again,” I threw him a saucy wink, the kind he loved teasing me with.
From the distance, we could see the Ferris wheel glowing in the distance, lighting the way with a beacon of rainbow hues. The fair was closing, but at the moment, this small little area lit the town with laughter, and this little pier, which was usually empty, was alive with color. Dipper was living among it all.
And I felt like I did when I had stumbled off the tilt a whirl: Weak kneed and queasy. But in an entirely different way.