Chapter Text
Twins were supposed to trust one another no matter what.
Dipper trusted Mabel when she made certain decisions, especially ones in dangerous situations. However, it turned out that sentiment was not mutual. The preteen came to realize this as the clock until the literal end of the world kept ticking down and Mabel had still not followed through, even with his shout of “ HE’S LYING! SHUT IT DOWN NOW! ” cutting his great uncle(?) off.
His hope of survival trickled away with every manipulative word Stan was spewing in order to prevent Mabel from preventing the potential destruction of the world.
The final straw came with the words “Grunkle Stan… I trust you.”
As the blinding white flash of light flooded the lab, Dipper felt part of himself fade along with the rest of the world around him.
Dipper was beside himself with confusion, anger, and curiosity all bundled into one. THE Author , the person he has idolized for the entire summer, was related to him all along? However, Mabel had swooped in and instantly left her impression on his new great uncle Stanford, leaving her brother in the dust. Dipper supposed he could have been more forward, but what did they want him to do, instantly forget about how he just wanted to prevent the Author from walking through the portal? Of course he was panicking in the corner.
“-we need to get rid of those agents up there before they pummel us instead. Any ideas in your nerd brain, Poindexter?” Stan questioned gruffly, still nursing his pulsing jaw.
“Physically fighting them is an ineffective strategy. If we could somehow disable them without causing harm to ourselves-”
“GREAT UNCLE STANFORD, I HAVE AN IDEA! Feast your eyes upon… a memory gun!!” Mabel interrupted with a radiant, brace-filled smile on her face.
Ford gently took the memory gun from Mabel’s grasp. Suddenly, he had an idea:
“Mabel, where did you get one of these? Actually, no matter- if I can adjust the gun to emit a sound wave with a similar frequency to the one their earpieces are on…”
“...then they’ll forget why they’re here! Grunkle Stanford, you are a genius!” Mabel gushed.
Blushing, Stanford smiled. “Please, my girl, do call me Ford. It’s much easier to use.”
Dipper, still separate from the group, stared on. Mabel had already bestowed the beloved title of “Grunkle” onto the man who was practically a stranger at that point? Dipper shrunk into his vest and hat, still hurt by his sister’s actions.
Once Great Uncle Ford had adjusted the memory gun to emit sound waves instead of an actual beam and erased the agents’ memories of himself, the family moved upstairs into the living room. While Mabel sat next to Ford on the couch, Dipper sat as far away from the strange man as possible, instead taking comfort in being secluded.
“-er, I never did quite catch your name, young man. It has been quite hectic, after all. What is your name?” a still-foreign voice asked hesitantly.
Dipper blinked and looked up from staring off into space. “It’s D-Dipper. I’m s-sorry, I didn’t get to introduce m-myself.”
“Well, in any case, it’s nice to meet you, Dipper,” Ford replied awkwardly. He looked over at Mabel, who just shrugged. Stan, however, sighed quietly and interrupted before the conversation could develop further.
“Actually, you two gremlins should go to bed. It’s gettin’ late and me and my brother need to have.. an adult conversation. Shoo!”
Hesitantly, Dipper and Mabel skittered away and up the stairs they went- Mabel questioning when she would see her new grunkle, and Dipper thinking up questions to ask his idol. The two made it into their rooms, changed into their pajamas, and jumped in bed.
“Oh my gosh, Dipper! Isn’t Grunkle Ford sooo cool?” Mabel fangirled. “He’s exactly how we thought the Author would be~!”
Dipper flipped over onto his side and glanced at his excited sister with a bit of hidden disdain. “Yeah, he seems to like you. I just made a complete fool of myself!”
“Bah, not true! He totally likes you more than he likes me. Even if he doesn’t, your nerdy nerd personalities will make you stick together like glue on a sweater! Don’t worry, Dip-Dop, there’s always room for second impressions,” Mabel reassured her concerned brother.
“Whatever you say, Mabel. We’ll see, I guess..” Dipper conceded before flipping over to face the wall.
As Mabel’s breathing slowed and deepened, Dipper huffed out a sigh. There is no way he’s ever going to talk to me again. Why do I have to clam up in front of people I respect!?
But as Dipper kept thinking about the issue, he came to realize a major factor in how the interaction went. Mabel wormed her way into his only opportunity to talk to the Author!
Of course she did, especially after she blatantly went against me when the fate of the world was in her hands. What else should I have expected? At least now I know I can’t trust anyone. Heck, I shouldn’t even bother talking to Great Uncle Ford, since Mabel already has him wrapped around her little finger.
With clenched hands, he furiously readjusted his blankets and blankly stared at the wall to his right.
The next day, Dipper heard Mabel shift out of bed. He felt her eyes fall on him and he feigned sleep. Of course he hadn’t slept- there was too much to contemplate. Mabel stayed put for a moment before quietly walking out of the attic. Dipper opened his eyes again, sat up, and stood up and out of bed. He changed into his normal clothes, but after a bit of contemplation, left his hat on the nightstand. With one last glance at his half of the room, the preteen exited the attic and descended the stairs.
“Good morning, Dippingsauce!” Mabel greeted him excitedly. She was already eating cereal at the kitchen table with Stan at the head sifting through paperwork in his characteristic wife beater and boxers. Dipper briefly acknowledged her before moving to pour some cereal for himself and sitting down at the table.
“Oo, look who it is! Hello, Grunkle Ford! What are you working on?” Mabel rambled, obviously excited about seeing her new Grunkle again. Though Stanford looked like he could use a couple gallons of coffee, he gave her a straight answer.
“Well, my girl, I’m working on taking down the portal.”
Dipper abruptly looked up, interested in where the man was going with that information. However, Ford was only acknowledging Mabel’s questions.
“Oo, cool! How long do you think it’s gonna take? I wanted to measure you so I can make you a Mabel’s-Cozy-Sweater-Brand masterpiece! What do you say?” Mabel invited Ford, clapping excitedly.
“How about in a couple hours? Once I get to a stopping point in my work- you know what? Why don’t you come down and help me, Mabel? You definitely seem like a capable individual, especially if you’re familiar with my work-”
“Stanford, what did I say? I don’t want you riskin’ the safety of the twins!” Grunkle Stan interrupted with a furrowed brow directed toward his brother.
“Trust me, Stan, she’ll be safe! I won’t let her near any risky sites,” Stanford persuaded. “It’ll be a learning experience for her.”
With a glance over at Dipper, who was staring forlornly into his bowl of cereal, Stan conceded. “Fine, but if any harm comes to either twin, you’ll be talkin’ to my fist.”
Dipper stared as Mabel jumped out of her seat and followed their great uncle Ford into the basement of the Shack in the excited rush she tended to have when something cool was happening. Stan watched Dipper sadly as the preteen quickly finished his cereal, placed the bowl into the sink, and rushed out the door into the woods, obviously wanting to keep to himself.