Chapter Text
"Mable, what do you think going back is going to be like?" I said with a sigh, my head leaned back against the worn-in headrest of the bus seats, the stained leather groaned under the weight of every movement.
"Don't worry Dipper, I'm sure everyone and everything will be just the same as we left it. Isn't that right, Waddles?" She looked down at her pig, Waddles, now old and lethargic but still full of love.
I stifle a smile and look out the window, my breath blurring the view from outside. The familiar trees pass by and the town starts to come into view, the diner looking unchanged, and the old water tower somehow still standing. I watched as the Mystery Shack slowly emerged from the jail of the forest, "Wow, it really hasn't changed much..." A smile made its way to my face.
"See I told you it would be the same, even the totem pole is still broken from when we left." Mabel pointed out the window at the weathered totem pole that lay on the ground, covered in a thick layer of moss and lichen. Unchanged.
The bus came to a stop in front of the shack. We grabbed our things and headed to the door, the bus driver waving us off and pulling away as we stepped off.
"Kiddos!" We heard as we saw our Grunkle Stan open the rickety door to the shack, the door closing with a loud bang behind him. "We've been waiting for you two forever!" He made his way over to us, Mable running towards him with her arms spread wide.
"Grunkle Stan!" Mable practically pummeled him with a hug. I collect both of our bags and head over towards him.
"Grunkle Stan! I'm so glad we are back, I really missed this place." A wide grin painted across my face, and a slight look of disbelief that we're back. Grunkle Stan ushers us inside to see the others.
"The others are gonna be so glad you two gremlins are back, Ford has not stopped talking about when he is gonna see ya again." His voice a bit more gruff then when we left and he also looks like he got more sun. We make our way inside and set our bags down. Ford was sitting at the dinner table looming over papers, his normal position.
"Guess who's here!" Stan yells out to his brother while his arms are strewn over both of our shoulders. Ford looks up from his papers and his face lights up. "Dipper! Mabel! I am so glad you two are back." Ford walked over with open arms and took me and Mabel both into a big bear hug, Stan joining in.
"We are glad to be back, Ford, normal life is just so boring." I said with a chuckle. The house still smelled the same, the dining room the same except for new photos strewn about the walls, the same dino skull as a coffee table, the same old TV, everything is the same.
"We left your room the same, go ahead and put your things away, but come back down, we're goin' out to dinner" Ford said with a smile shooing us away to our room. Me and Mabel head up the stairs with our bags.
"Aren't you excited Dipper, we're back in Gravity Falls, Stan and Ford are still here and everything seems to still be standing up right." Mabel looks over and smiles a bit, she is obviously looking for an answer.
"Of course I'm excited, I'm just... it's a bit overwhelming, everything looks the same but it feels so different, like nothing has been touched in years, but it obviously has been since Stan and Ford are living here." I shake my head to try and clear my thoughts. We open the door to our old room and everything is how we left it, maybe a bit more dusty but exactly the same. The floors squeak as we walk in and set down our things, I put my pillow and blanket on the bed and hook my hat on the bed stand. I look out of the window at the yard, same view.
"You okay Dip Dop?" Mabel sounds concerned now, I look over to see her worried expression.
"Yeah I'm okay, just it's a lot to take in." I say in short, not really knowing how I feel, I just know something is off. "Let's get back down to Ford and Stan, maybe some nice pancakes will make me feel a bit better." Mabel smiled and grabbed my arm before practically dragging me down the stairs.