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The ride back home was long and tiring, but the pines twins reached their neighborhood before they knew it.
In time, they were in their parents arms.
“Nice hat Dipper! Where’d you get it from?” Their mom asked, leading them all inside.
“Oh, a friend. Her name is Wendy and shes sooo cool!” Dipper smiled, his cheeks hurting from it.
“Oh, a lady friend? Is this true, Mabel?” Their dad asked.
Dipper blushed a bit.
“Yeah its true, but its not like that!” Mabel giggled.
She had been put on their dads shoulders and was now dragging her hands across the ceiling.
Waddles was following after her. Their parents silently decided to talk about that later.
“Ah, its all good sport. I didn’t meet your mom until College! I was great with the ladies though-“ Their dad laughed.
“That’s enough honey, no need to rush him. My little charmer will find the right lady at the right time.” Their mother smiled. “Now, get all your stuff situated in your room! Dinner will be ready by the time you are done!”
The twins were rushed out of the living room, and Waddles was let out to peruse the backyard.
“My room! Hello walls! Hello stuffies I couldn’t fit in my bag! Hello bed!” Mabel went around greeting everything in the room that she had missed.
Dipper pushed his suitcase under his bed and dropped his bookbag on the floor next to his bed. It had been freshly made, waiting for their return.He placed their letter from everyone on his nightstand, and took his hat off.
He looked at his sister. He didn’t understand how she could be so… happy. How she could smile and make jokes about everything. He was envious of her.
He sat on his bed, silent as his sister laughed and gushed about seeing some of their school friends again. Neither of them had many, as Mabel was seen as weird (her parents just called her creatively excentric) and Dipper was just awkward. But he assumed her summer fun had given her more positivity towards making new friends. Good for her…
She finished unpacking and as she turned to talk to Dipper, she saw his grim and quite frankly unsettling expression.
“You okay Dip-Dip?” She asked, concerned.
He glared at her, till suddenly, they were called down for dinner.
“Yeah.” He shrugged.
He was out of the room first and Mabel nervously followed him.
Dinner was fine in his opinion, but his anger only grew as he listened to Mabel laugh and joke with their parents.
They both agreed that Weirdmageddon and Bill would not be mentioned, so he knew why she wasn’t talking about that- but how could she not show how anything affected her?
As soon as he was finished eating, he washed his dishes and left. As he retreated up the stairs, he couldn’t help but overhear their parents asking Mabel if anything happened.
“I don't think so… I think hes just upset that we wont get to see all of our friends till next summer… Its okay though! Ill be here to help cheer him up!” She beamed, finishing her dinner as well.
“Wait, Mabel, your Father and I are going on a date night tonight, just before school starts so we can have one last night out. Could you tell Dipper for us?” Their mother smiled, putting her dish and their dads in the sink.
“Oh, yes! Dip-Dip! We’ve got the house to ourselves!” She yelled.
“Thanks sweetheart! We’ll be back around 8:30! Theres ice-cream in the freezer for dessert!” Their dad called out.
In the minutes after, she heard the front door open, then close and the car drive away.
Mabel then went into her room, where she saw Dipper sitting at their desk, writing something.
“Dipper! Did you hear me?! We get the house to ourselves and we get ice-cream for dessert! Isn’t that-” Mabel was very excited, and sat herself on her bed, grabbing one of her stuffed animals as she did.
“Yeah its cool…” He interrupted her, muttering.
Mabel was quiet, and a bit nervous.
“Are you alright Dipper?” She asked.
“I… I just…” He struggled to figure out what he was gonna say.
“It’s okay! You don't have to talk about it with me! If you want, you can talk to- Mr.Wiggles!” She said in a funny voice, pulling a stuffed elephant up to her face.
“How can you still be so- positive, Mabel!?” Dipper snapped, causing Mabel to set her stuffed animal down.
“How can you laugh and act like we didn’t just experience the worst time of our lives!? Like we didn’t watch a town get destroyed, or our great uncle lose his memory? It’s like nothing affected you at all! Like a giant interdimensional dream demon didn’t almost kill us!” Dipper berated her, but stopped as he saw tears swell in her eyes.
“Oh- Mabel I-” He got sad, not realizing all of his pent up anger would burst like that.
“No, Dip… I understand…” She looked away, wiping her eyes as she did.
“I am sad, Dipper. I am sad and scared and I don't know what to about all of it. The only thing I can do that keeps me from thinking about everything that happened, is being positive. Because if I remember any of it… any of what I did to you… to the town…” She sniffled.
“I feel terrible, Dipper. I cant even look at you without feeling guilty… But if I stay positive, maybe even try to act like who I was before Gravity Falls, then maybe I won’t feel so bad… and its working for me…” She started to cry, but took a deep breath to calm down.
“I am so sorry, Mabel… None of what happened- it wasn’t your fault-”
“How, Dipper!? I- I was the one that gave Bill the rift!” She cried.
“You were tricked by Bill. Thats what he does, he tricks people.” Dipper told her.
“He tricked me too, remember? Your puppet show?” He continued.
“At least that didn’t cause the end of the world…” Mabel countered.
“Thats not the point, Mabel. The point is that Bill caused everything. He set it all in motion, and none of that is your fault.” He told her.
Mabel smiled.
“Yeah… I guess you’re right… But still… Im sorry.” She apologized.
“Its okay. I accept your apology.” He smiled, “Awkward sibling hug?”
Mabel giggled.
“Awkward sibling hug.”
After they hugged it out, Dipper smiled.
“So, I heard there was some ice cream that needed to get eaten?”
“Yes! And we can let Waddles in and he can eat some too!”
“Well… would mom and dad really want him in the house?”
“Dip-Dip, guess who’s being left home alone?”
“Okay, okay, you’re right…”