Chapter Text
Dipper felt the relentless rumble of the bus as it drove Mabel and him back to Gravity falls. He held the letter he’d gotten his last time tightly in his grasp. Ten years. That was way longer than everybody predicted he’d be gone. Mabel had gone every year she got the chance, but Dipper could never bring himself to come back until now. He’d pack his bags every time, but then he’d chicken out as nightmares plagued his mind the weeks before.
Dipper drew a breath as he watched the trees speed by, growing denser. He almost didn’t come this time, but Mabel convinced him by telling him how much everybody missed him. Stan and Ford came by Piedmont whenever they had time between monster hunting, but Dipper was usually in his room. Something in him was keeping him away from anything that was once involved with Gravity Falls. Heck, he found himself avoiding Mabel some days.
Mabel stirred in the seat across from Dipper. She sat up and stretched as she glanced out the window. Her face lit up as they passed the Welcome to Gravity Falls sign, she excitedly stated, “Dipper, we’re almost there!”
Seeing the sign, Dipper felt dread sink in his stomach, but he forced his expression to stay light . “Great,” he replied, “can’t wait to see everybody.” He shifted to look at his feet, keeping his voice steady as he reminded himself he was an adult now, he could book tickets back home whenever he needed to. He rubbed his eyes. ‘Why didn’t I just take my car?’ he thought.
Mabel tilted her head, her long braided hair making an appearance from behind her back. “What’s wrong, Dippin’ Dots?” she questioned. “I thought you wanted to see everybody again. You don’t have to go into the woods, or even stay the whole summer. I know how you can get… twitchy.”
“I don’t get twitchy!” Dipper looked back at Mabel. “I just… gah!” He leaned back in his seat. “I don’t need to justify myself.”
Mabel gave her brother a worried look before she started getting her stuff together. Waddles was in a securely strapped box, sleeping through the ride he’d been on so many times by now. “Sure...” she said slowly before snapping her tone back to something more lighthearted she said, “anyway, who do you think you’ll see first? Ooh! Soos’s run at being the boss at the Mystery Shack has been amazing, but Abuela took our old room, so we’ll be renting out a motel. Good thing nobody comes to Gravity Falls often, the one I’ve picked out is dirt cheap and pretty good.”
With a nod, Dipper put his duffel bag over his shoulder and readjusted the hat on his head. He had Wendy’s hat in his bag, the thing had been taunting him since that first summer he didn’t come back. Now he was back, he intended to return it.
The bus came to a stop and Mabel excitedly got up. Picking up Waddles in both arms, she had everything she needed for the visit in two huge backpacks, one on each arm. She once told Dipper that Waddles’s little legs couldn’t make it down the stairs off the bus, which was why she gallantly carried the little pig down; however, Dipper knew that was a lie, he saw Waddles hop down the stairs when they first got home from Gravity Falls.
“I’ll never understand why you don’t just drive,” Dipper said as he followed behind Mabel. “Or why you don’t just shove everything in a duffel bag so it’s at least easier to carry Waddles.”
Mabel happily hopped off the bus. “My car’s electric and there’s no changers around here,” she said, holding Waddles as Dipper departed and the bus soon left the station.
“Right,” Dipper uttered, being reminded of just how isolated this place was from everywhere else. He rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. “So… where’s this motel?”
“This way!” Mabel announced as she put Waddles down and started running, Waddles loyally following after her. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!” she announced once she had a head start.
With a sigh, Dipped followed. He wasn’t in a mood to chase Mabel at full speed today, he was still wrestling with the dread in his gut. Once he reached the tiny town, he couldn’t help but notice how it looked like it hadn’t changed a day since summer 2013. He half-expected a younger version of himself and Mabel to run past and to see all his old friends still teenagers breaking rules, but instead he was met with faces he couldn’t quite recognize. Sure, he could make out a few people, but some looked completely unrecognizable. "That's what happens when you don't come back for 10 years, Idiot," he mumbled to himself.
Dipper had to stagger to a stop as he’d bumped into somebody. Taking a few steps back, Dipper mumbled as fast as he could, “sorry, I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Well, I’ll say you didn't!” A person with a mildly southern accent said, annoyed. They paused for a moment before continuing, “well I’ll be, if it ain’t Dipper Pines! It’s been a good few years hasn’t it?”
Dipper looked down, his brow furrowing as he recognized that accent, even if the voice had deepened a bit. “Gideon?”
Low and behold, it was Gideon Gleeful, his white hair now reasonably cut and his clothing choices still reminiscent of a person trying to be normal after who knows how long of being a spoiled kid with a magic pendant. “The one and only,” Gideon replied. “Now, tell me-” he pulled Dipper down to his level by putting his arm around Dipper’s shoulder, which made Dipper mildly uncomfortable due to the kid’s previous attempt to kill him. “What brings you back ‘round these parts? Though, I could also ask what’s been keeping you away?”
Chuckling anxiously, Dipper slowly unwrapped himself from Gideon. “Oh, you know… school. I- I’ve been very busy with school.” His grip was tight on his duffel bag as his gaze was trained on his own blue shoes.
Gideon gave Dipper a long suspicious look. “Since you were thirteen?”
“Yes?”
Gideon’s suspicious gaze remained for a few moments longer before it finally softened, letting DIpper go. “Oh, Dipper Pines, you and your studiousness!” He giggled and hit Dipper in the arm. “I should’ve expected nothing less from you.” Dipper rubbed his arm and continued his anxious chuckle as he glanced for the pink of Mabel’s sweater. “Well, I’ll be seeing you around, I’ve got a date with a stack of pancakes. Toodles.” Gideon sidestepped Dipper and walked away.
“Yeah, you too.” Dipper managed to mumble before he saw Mabel excitedly hopping next to a building Dipper somehow hadn’t noticed his first summer there. She yelled something to Dipper before making a grand gesture for him to get over there. He let out a thankful breath as he jogged over.
“I win! I win! You’re the rotten egg!” Mabel announced melodically while playfully pointing at Dipper. She was moving so much her braid was bouncing like crazy. Waddles was sitting down, seemingly making similar brags through his oinks.
Nodding, Dipper stepped to the door which Mabel excitedly unlocked and ran in with Waddles. The motel was basically just two beds, a bathroom, and a minifridge, but he couldn’t complain, he couldn’t find a speck of mold or a stray splinter, so it was already better than the Mystery Shack. “This’ll do nicely,” he murmured as he put his duffel bag beside a bed and laid down, his dread giving him a mild headache.
Mabel threw her backpacks onto the bed and plopped down next to them, Waddles proceeded to lay beside the bed and look up at Mable expectantly. He oinked, causing Mabel to sit up and pull him up with her. “What do you want to do first, Dipper?” she asked, placing Waddles in her lap. “I heard Greasy’s diner upgraded their appliances; Waddles and I are starving.”
Dipper put a hand over his eyes. This town was so small the diner getting some upgrades was something worth mentioning; though, he guessed it would be his main source of food because this room lacked a kitchen of any kind.. “I want a nap,” he said. “Something about being out here is giving me a headache.”
“Probably the pollen.” Mabel shifted a bit so Waddles wasn’t cutting off circulation to her legs. “There’s so much more plant life here. It’s great!” Dipper could never understand how Mabel was always so excited about how luscious this town’s plant life was. “But if you need a nap, Waddles and I can go to the diner on our own.” She looked down at Waddles. “Do you think Pacifica would want to eat with us?” Waddles oinked in affirmation. “Of course she would.”
Mable put Waddles down and stretched. “I’ll see you this afternoon, Bro Bro.” She shot a finger gun at Dipper before leaving with Waddles.
Removing his hand from his face, Dipper stared at the ceiling. “What is wrong with me?” he asked himself. “There is no danger, well, no Bill danger, and yet it’s as if everything in my body wants to run away. It feels like everything’s the same, yet I couldn’t recognize anybody from my walk through town…Stan and Ford will be here tomorrow… maybe that’ll make it easier” He sat up and rubbed his temples. “It’ll never be completely easy, but it’ll become easier than it is now. I just have to work through this.”
Dipper leaned down and rummaged through his duffel bag, looking for Wendy’s hat. “I just need to start.” Once he found the hat he rubbed his fingers against the soft interior. “And my first step will be seeing Wendy again. I’m sure she has a whole boatload of new things going on in her life like a job and maybe school and maybe even a house because she’s just that awesome.”
He stood and made his way into the cramped bathroom, looking at his exhausted expression and unbrushed hair. “When did you grow up, Mason Pines?” he muttered to himself as he splashed some cold water on his face. He looked up for a towel when he caught a glimpse of a golden yellow triangle, causing him to shout and press himself against the opposite wall, though once he got the water out of his eyes he realized it was just what the towel was supposed to hang off of.
“Idiot,” Dipper said to himself as he walked back into the main room and started looking through Mabel’s things, he hadn't thought to bring a towel. Quickly, he realized Mabel didn’t think to pack one either. Making a pact with himself to buy some towels when he went to the store, Dipper grabbed a jacket he brought and wiped his face off.
Standing back to his full height, Dipper stared out the window for a moment, catching a glimpse of gnomes which made his gut twitch. “I shouldn’t have agreed to this,” he said, sitting back down and wondering how long he would have to stay in order for his visit to be considered acceptable. “At least until after I see Stan, Ford, Wendy, Soos, and maybe Pacifica because she’s dating Mabel.” He took a deep breath. “Three days at least.”