Older!TwinsAU, Crossover, PostWeirdmaggedon, fanfiction, T rating, word count 10,546, trademarked by ThalioTP.
THE RUNAWAYS
Story by : ThalioTP
Prologue
Dipper Pines had a watch, and he stared at his watch for the fourth time, glancing at the second dial ticking and remembering the positions of the hands. The watch had seemed to be no more than an ordinary silver watch that you could find at every watch stores around, but Dipper Pines was a technician and a pretty smart person according to himself, and that makes everything he owns to be either upgraded or super upgraded.
The fifteen years old Dipper Pines was ultimately different than most people his age, although his lanky posture, broad shoulder, messier brunette hair, and other puberty related things are commonly found on every teenagers. Dipper has special tendencies to know more than he should be at his age, to put it simply, he was extraordinarily smart.
When he was fourteen years old his intelligence quotient, or simply IQ, had jumped quicker than possible. Even Dipper himself had no idea how it happened, he simply went with the flow and moved on. Dipper did not like expressing his intelligent nature to public, mainly school, mostly because he had look up towards the cool kids with bigger bodies than him. Somehow that made him envious, and determined to get his body builder shape as soon as possible.
But of course, there are advantages of being ridiculously smart. Every now and then Dipper would get either bullied or humiliated, once when he was younger he used to rely on his family most of the times but now he was able to cook up with the most brilliant comeback plan everyone has ever known.
Nobody knew what happened to poor Alvin when he got suspended out of school for two months until the news finally came out reporting that he was being moved to a different city, it all happened so quickly that everyone in school immediately knew the true story. Most of the story anyway, they did not know that Dipper Pines had been behind it all along.
But Dipper never liked revenges, he is nice to people and people are nice to him back. He wasn't paranoid and awkward anymore, now he was just another person in the normal section of the world.
At least, that is what it looks like.
Dipper Pines has a past that only a few people knew about it, so far he kept his mouth shut and decided to forget. But somehow the nightmares and the flashes and all those things that is slowly pulling him away from his friends never stopped so far, he is mentally afraid and his all-knowing brain could only come up with one reason behind it. But he wasn't completely sure that Bill Cipher is still alive.
Bill Cipher was a mind based demon, a very old entity that had lived through several ages of earth. Reality is his playthings, and he loves to trick humans in to doing his biddings. Two years ago Bill Cipher was summoned to the world, and the cost of it was catastrophic. Dipper Pines had sworn that the one eyed beast has been dead for years, there was no physical evidence nor any space time anomaly that has happened then. So why is Dipper still having visions of him, what did it mean? Did Bill Cipher actually die? Or was he simply banished from this realm?
But what would that explain? Nothing at all. He was traumatized from his experience, and he was scared that it would happen again.
Dipper had been going to therapy for the past month for his nightly conditions, but somehow he just couldn't tell the psychiatrist of his past. Not now when Gravity Falls is at the risk of falling into the hands of the government, he must always keep his mouth shut about all those adventures he had growing up. He is needed to shut up about it, and the result is a very unhappy psychiatrist asking for his payment for wasting his time.
He only wished that he said that, other psychiatrists tend to be suspicious and nosy. He was actually grateful that this one did not noticed him hiding something, it would've taken him moments to come up with a lie but still. He did not wanted to talk about it.
The only one he is comfortable talking to about anything is his twin sister, and his twin sister only.
Mabel Pines isn't exactly a bipolar opposite of her twin brother Dipper, but if both of them had different face features then nobody would know that they are actually twins. Mabel Pines was down to earth, she was kind to everyone, and she will try to get your attention sooner or later. People mostly avoided her at school because she wasn't exactly a normal-class person, and those who did get classed as normal tend to scold and made fun of her. But Mabel, like her brother, has a special tendency as well, and she normally appears to make friends really quick.
Mabel had experienced the whole incident of what Dipper had gone through, and she understands the way Dipper is acting through her so-called 'sibling soul bond'. But what she felt deep inside her heart after Bill Cipher had tricked her years ago is guilt beyond believe, she felt responsible for Dipper's current state and she is more than determined to fix whatever's broken within her twin brother.
Dipper knew more than once that her authentic recipe, the Mabel Juice, will need more than just plastic dinosaurs to fix him. But he adores the way his sister always cling by his side whenever he is feeling blue and having suicidal thoughts, because her sister is the reason he is still fighting his inner demon. He didn't brought her back from Bill Cipher for nothing, he promised her that they would overcome anything together.
And that's why Dipper had a watch; a gizmo that's not only made by him but also his great uncle Stanford Pines, the man who had been trapped in another dimension for years.
Stanford Pines was also the start of every adventure Dipper and Mabel Pines had gone through. The man had conducted researches on Gravity Falls since he was young, he had written all of his studies on three separate journals. But he had learn too much and thus Bill Cipher was summoned and tricked Stanford Pines by giving him fake dreams of success and recognition, something went wrong after that and ultimately he got stuck in the same place Bill Cipher had.
A lot of things happened after twelve years old Dipper Pines stumbled upon a curiously placed journal in the woods of Gravity Falls, things that mostly involved him and his sister going on miscellaneous supernatural and weird escapades.
Those were the old days, Dipper and Mabel Pines had longed of going back to Gravity Falls. All those time shutting up and not mentioning anything about Gravity Falls is a maltreatment and they just can't wait anymore, they missed all of their adventures and all of their friends. Mabel mostly missed her pet pig Waddles, and Dipper just missed spending time with her.
But then the news came out when their Great Uncle Stan, the brother of Ford, had died of a heart attack on the summer of their fifteenth birthday. Sadly, Mabel and Dipper could only attend his funeral and nothing more, leaving everyone in sadness and worry. Dipper continues to comfort his sister after their Grunkle's death, little by little the pain inside their hearts are now numb. Grunkle Ford had left Gravity Falls as well and nobody had seen him since, anyone did not fought against his will to travel the world.
Now that they had grown up, they began to learn and identify new problems and difficulties of the real world. Even though they didn't want to, they can't help but to spot each in every grown-ups around them.
Once in a while their parents tend to argue, and arguments will change to shouts, and shouts can turn into cries. Dipper and Mabel knew the drill if one of them started something, say nothing and do nothing while staying in your rooms. Once in a while they would sit silently through dinner, just staring into their bowls plates while puncturing their foods with their forks. Once in a while they would be too hesitant to go down to the living room when one of their parents were present, so the both of them would just settle with reading books in silence in either one of their rooms.
Both Dipper and Mabel Pines had turned sixteen years old, they had skip the long waited summer because they had to attend the court of their parent's divorce. The twins could only cry their eyes out during the whole event, and hearing their parents talking about which one they would go home with was the most painful moments of their lives.
Dipper could only stare at his hands twiddling each other's thumbs, his watch is still there ticking and tocking rhythmically. He wondered at just how long all of it is going to go along, he wished for the best for his sister's future rather than his own.
Today was the day the both of them would be separated, today was the day both their hearts will be broken for the rest of their lives. Dipper stared at his sisters eyes with sadness, and Mabel could not stand to look at him in the face. They had stood on the sidewalk in front of their house for who-knows-how-long, saying infinite goodbyes to each other and a whole lot of ill stares and dry laughs.
Mabel noticed her mother, now Dipper's ex-mother, finished packing their wardrobes and belongings to move in with their uncle from their mother's side. The afternoon breeze ran through their hairs and froze their bodies into the point of unmoving, none of them said anything and maybe it was for the best.
Their father only stared at the twins from the porch of their house, waiting patiently when everybody knows that he regretted this decision more than anyone.
"So, this is the final goodbye, isn't it?" Mabel looked up at Dipper and smiled bitterly as she tries to find something to be happy about for one second.
"I didn't want it to…" Dipper said sadly, his heart weighted on his shame of knowing that there is nothing he could've done.
Mabel went up to him and embraced the boy with her signature hug, a sincere yet soft embrace that made Dipper immediately hugged back.
"Have fun in college, Dipper…" Mabel muttered to his ear, earning a sniffle from Dipper.
"I will, Mabes. I will." Was the only thing Dipper could reply before he has to let go.
Mabel took a step back, she took a long hard look at Dipper before glancing at their mother. Ma Pines crossed her arms and looked away from the both of them, she leaned against her car in a rather ominous form.
"Look, Dipper, I know we haven't been on good terms lately..." Mabel began, searching for words as she goes. "But I just wanted to say that it is nice to have a brother like you."
Dipper nodded. "Yeah, and I you."
"I'll facetime you later, brobro…" Mabel smiled in assurance, she picked up her backpack on the sidewalk beside her before waving goodbye which Dipper waved back at her.
Dipper watched the car go, the sound of the engine beginning to be muffled as the car gone out on the distance. Dipper was left looking at his feet, frowning at the very thought of himself.
He walked back home with a slouch, he didn't felt like moving at all. Hell, he didn't felt like being alive. Sometimes there's a few moments that medications could not fix, name this one for instance. Once night had fallen and his father is down at the living room drinking again, Dipper shuts himself in his room for the rest of the night. He waited for a call from Mabel but nothing so far, ultimately Dipper decided to throw away his phone onto his bed.
Something was wrong, it wasn't supposed to end like this. They had promised to each other that they will always be at each other's side, but now not either one knew the other's condition. Dipper scowled when he stared at himself in the mirror, was he always looked like a burden? Is that why Mabel pitied him so much? He hated himself for being useless, he could've done something but why didn't he?
He will meet Mabel again, he just has to. But when he does, he will give her the best day she was supposed have lately. He rummaged through his desks and wardrobes and bookcase, until his eyes fell towards a simple and somewhat thick notebook, he blew off the dusts off the blank dark red hardcovers. He held the book on both hands, he is going to start over again. Next year, he is going back to Gravity Falls.
One year passed so quickly without Dipper noticing, he had left his father's home an hour before with the excuse of going to college. He bid his father goodbye just before going on the bus that goes to another state, he was actually surprised that his father didn't actually said anything else when he left. But he needed to focus on college, he needed to be the one that has a plan for a better future for him.
The bus wasn't exactly crowded, mainly because the only direction the bus was going was Gravity Falls, Oregon. He decided to sit in the far back, so he could have a lot of moments to himself. He needed a place to think, and judging by the look on his watch he had a lot of things to think about before arriving at his destination.
While he rested his chin on his palm and stared outside the window, his mind wandered aimlessly and suddenly fell towards Mabel. Since a year they had been separated it felt like something was missing, it always felt like that whenever one of them never saw each other eye to eye. He didn't like lying to his father, but he just missed her so much.
Mabel had been sending messages, keeping him company at night and day alike. At school and sometimes at unexpected times like bathrooms and midnights, she is unpredictable and he is okay with it. He slouched back to his seat, taking glances at is backpack full of equipment and clothes. He wondered if he is doing the right thing, he had just told Mabel to come meet him this summer at Gravity Falls again but didn't explain why over the message. He knew she was thrilled, more than thrilled to be exact. But maybe he shouldn't do this, he planned on telling her to go with him and disappear, and that information was just crazy.
He took a deep long breath and decided to just go with it, a year he has not met her directly and now is his chance to convince Mabel to come meet him every day.
"Let's just go Mabel!" He muttered to no one in particular. "Let's just disappear and go on crazy adventures again! Like we used to do! - God, I missed you Mabel…" Dipper rubbed the bridge of his nose in stress, tears leaking out of his eyes.
The bus went on for a few hours, he and the other passengers aboard had gone through different states already. As the sun began to set on the horizon, and the sky had turned into a nice light shade of orange, Dipper saw a giant billboard that says 'Welcome to Gravity Falls!'
He was close, and he hoped that Mabel was too. The bus suddenly came to a halt, Dipper felt a tug of momentum pulling him forwards a bit, and it was the cue for him to get off the bus. He picked up his backpack and ignored the man who had just snored like a pig in his sleep, he jumped down the bus to the soil ground beneath his feet and heard the door of the bus closing. And after that, the bus drove away.
Dipper looked around him as he wiped his bangs off his forehead to see well, he was indeed in Gravity Falls, alright; because there is no other place with a tourist attraction named the Mystery Shack.
The Shack stood as strong as ever in the opening of the forest even after Bill Cipher's Weirdmageddon and Lil Gideon's wrecking ball, he walked down the small dirt path with his fist clenched in happiness to be back again for so long. Dipper looked around the tourist attraction, somehow nothing changed at all over the last few years. The goat is still there eating leftover cans again, the logo is missing an 'S' on 'Mystery Shack', even the totem is also still there.
Dipper took a few seconds to enjoy the moment of being back, he can feel the mountain air inside his lungs and it felt refreshing. Dipper took no time to hesitate when he sped up his pace to the main entrance of the gift shop, he stood on the porch and stared at the door hesitantly. Dipper loosen up and took another deep breath of reassurance before he took a step inside.
Immediately he was greeted with, "Sorry dude, the Shack's closed…"
Dipper's eyes widened with glee when he saw a familiar redhead sitting behind the gift shop counter with her head stuck inside a magazine, her posture was also kicked back and she looked pretty relaxed. Dipper had thought of surprise hugging her, but realized that it was too much of a bother and wasn't a necessary first impression after so long.
So he settled with the only normal thing he could say. "Hey Wendy."
Wendy Corduroy's head shot up in surprise, at first she stared at him confusedly but her eyes widened in realization of the person in front of her.
Dipper chuckle at her speechlessness. "Still working part-time, Wendy? Or are you running your dad's lumberjack- OOF!" Dipper was given a surprise hug from Wendy instead, the woman had leaped from her seat and quickly engulfed him in an embrace.
"DUDE! I HATE YOU SO MUCH!" Wendy cried out in happiness.
Dipper felt nauseous from the lack of air, the daughter of a lumberjack has genes alright. "Wendy! Can't… Breath!"
Wendy loosened her grip and rested her head on his chest while still laughing uncontrollably, now the girl appeared shorter than what Dipper knew when he was fourteen. Wendy wasn't wearing her lumberjack earflap hat anymore, and her hair is now tied into a ponytail on the back of her head.
"Wendy, it's so good to see you again!" Dipper said in all honesty, now looking at Wendy eye to eye.
"Where have you been, you chump!? I've waited too dang long to see you and your sister's face in Gravity Falls!" Wendy shrieked in both anger and joy.
"A lot of things happened, actually." Dipper told her, to put it simply. "Sorry that I needed to wait an eternity to come and visit again."
"You bet your butt you do!" Wendy smiled from ear to ear. "All this time I thought that you had forgotten about all of us! And you know the most surprising of it all? Pacifica Northwest came by and asked about you!"
As much as Dipper wanted to hear more, he needed to focus on his sister first. "Look, I had called Mabel to come visit here as well. Have you seen her?"
Wendy suddenly beamed up at his question. "Yep! And she's right there staring at us the whole time!" Wendy smiled, putting both hands on her hips and looked towards the direction of the living room.
Dipper's eyes caught a figure standing beside the vending machine, a streak of brunette stood out the most right after the pinkish sweater the girl was wearing. Dipper locked eyes with Mabel for a moment, thinking that it must've been a dream. But his thoughts flew aboard when his twin sister came up to him and embraced him in a tight embrace.
Mabel sobbed to shoulder suddenly, while Dipper closed his eyes in bliss at the presence. A year too long for him, for both of them.
"I'm so happy to see you again…" Mabel whispered through sniffles, closing her eyes as well.
"Me too." Dipper let Mabel go and they still couldn't get the butterflies out of their stomachs.
"How is my bro doing lately?" Mabel smiled as she wiped tears out of the corners of her eyes.
"I'm doing okay, more than okay honestly." Dipper put a reassuring smile, he noticed the lack of braces on Mabel's teeth and decided to comment about it. "How is no braces life going for you?"
Mabel smiled widely at him, "I have tasted foods in a whole new level!"
Wendy could only smile at the twin's reunion, she rested her cheek on her hand while it was supported by her other hand. "Aww… So, how's it been?" Wendy asked the both of them as they let go of each other. "High school and such?"
"Just like what you expected, honestly." Dipper shrugged, looking at his sister and smiled. "Where is Soos, by the way? I've missed the guy." He asked once he remembered about him.
"RIGHT HERE DOODS!" A large voice said, followed by the laugh of Wendy when Dipper got himself stuck between a hug again. The overly large man named Soos had just appeared behind him with his tuxedo and fez, a sign of an owner of the Mystery Shack. "I WILL NEVER LET YOU GO!"
"Maybe if you'll let me live, I'm going to feel okay with that!" Dipper asked through lack of air, laughing dryly as he did. Mabel giggled softly as well.
Soos had let the boy go and dropped him to the floor, Dipper regained his balance for the moment and started to laugh along with the three. He was happy and there's no doubt about it, he missed all of these people and now he finally has the reunion he wanted.
Dipper looked at the taller man, Soos was indeed bigger than before and his haircut changed along with an addition of a short beard under his chin. Soos beamed down at him, Dipper had never seen him this happy before.
"Dip-dude! Boy, I haven't seen you in so long I thought you were dead!" Soos said exaggeratingly, grabbing Dipper by both his shoulders and gave him a little shake.
Dipper though could only stare at them and smile with joy. "Look guys, I'm just going to be here for a little while. I have plans for today and I wanted to greet everyone first."
"Sure bro!" Soos said. "Melody's just upstairs with my little baby angel!"
Dipper's eyes widened at this. "You guys have a baby?!"
Both Wendy and Soos nodded altogether, then Soos showed him his engagement ring. "A lot of things happened when you and Mabes weren't here."
"Yeah, Soos got married with Melody for instance. But I have to disagree with a lot of things actually, this is Gravity Falls for Pete's sake! Nothing changes here!" Wendy commented, she then noticed Dipper's backpack. "So where did you say you two were going?"
"Nothing special, just some family road trip. You know?" Dipper shrugged in his reply, earning a raised eyebrow from Wendy.
"Ooh! Can I join in?" Soos jumped up and down impatiently.
Dipper chuckled at him, "No Soos, you have a responsibility, remember?" Plus, the trip was supposed to be just him and Mabel anyway.
Then Soos's face turned serious, his fist clenched in determination. "Right! I'm an adult! I have responsibilities!"
Dipper could only grin at him, knowing Soos as a handyman and a fellow family friend gets him close enough to know that he will be fine. "Never change, old pal." He sighed.
"Hey Dipper," Mabel's voice suddenly piped up. "So what's the occasion? I thought you were going to college this year."
Dipper paused and stared at her for a while, unsure of what to say. Maybe he will do a different approach, something that's going to work.
"Oh hey!" Wendy suddenly cried out. "There's something I've got to show you two!"
Before Dipper could ask what it is, he and Mabel was dragged by the arm and pulled outside by Wendy. He went along with it and see where it goes, they circled around the Shack and by the time Wendy had stopped they are staring at a dark red car infamous for its name the Stanmobile. There isn't anything special, but there is something different about it. For instance, there is no cracks or mud stains, and it is perfectly polished.
Dipper stared at the car in awe, "Never thought Stan would do something like this."
"It looks fantastic!" Mabel cheered, which was music to Dipper's ears. "If only I have my sticker book!"
"Well… Right before he died he wrote a will that involves both of you, and there's one sentence that says that I am entrusted with it." Wendy said with high pleasure, she seemed to be enjoying it.
Dipper had forgotten of Great Uncle Stan's demise, his laughter will surely be missed but his kindness will be remembered the most. Kindness from people like Stan doesn't come cheap, he was the tough nut kind of guy and wanted everyone to be a tough nut as well.
"And his will is…" Dipper said, guessing. "This car?"
Wendy took a key out of her pocket and tossed it to Dipper. "The car's all yours man. But, I may or may not have played with it a few times."
Dipper narrowed his eyes at her innocent smile, but decided shook it off.
"So what? I can ride this?" Dipper asked again, still unsure.
"Of course, dum-dum!" Wendy bumped his shoulder playfully. "Come on, let's take this baby for a ride. Besides, I've got to go to my dad's office by sundown."
Mabel raised her eyebrow. "So you did took over your dad's company?"
"Nope, just an accountant. If you ever need logs just call my number." Wendy said, leaning against the passenger seat of the car.
"Why does that sounded like a flirt?" Dipper tried to joke as he walked towards the car, he threw his backpack to the backseat and went in the driver's seat with now his key at his hand.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! If Dipper gets a car, then what do I get?!" Mabel protested from outside the car.
"You both got the car!" Wendy said, earning a grin from Mabel.
Wendy got in the car as well, she rolled down the windows wide open and let her arm out. Dipper noticed a few thing in the car that had seemed to be upgraded, the air conditioner is now smoother and blows out cooler air, and the leather seating is nice and without a single crack in sight. Mabel jumped in the back, she took the time to appreciate to comfort of their new and upgraded car.
"So who worked their charms on this car?" Dipper asked as he started the car, feeling the engines blare.
"A lot of guys, mainly Soos." Wendy said, almost sleepily. "So, let's go test it out. Kay?"
Dipper hesitated for a moment after putting his hands on the steering wheel. "Um, Wendy, I don't have a license." He said sheepishly.
"Nobody cares, now go start the car!"
"Dipper's still the paranoid one!" Mabel cooed from the back, earning an unamused glare from Dipper.
After thinking of a plan Dipper then turned the gear and sped up as fast as he could, and without warning he lifted the hand brakes. Making both the girls yelp and shriek in surprise as their body tossed backward then forward by momentum.
Dipper smirked from the driver's seat, until a punch from Wendy hits his shoulder and cuts him off from any glee thoughts in his mind.
"What was that for?!" Dipper said incredulously, rubbing the spot where Wendy had just hit him.
"For being stupid," Wendy glared at the boy beside her, she crossed her arms right after. "Maybe next time try not to kill us."
The car zoomed off towards the town, the engine felt smoother and faster than the experience Dipper had the last time he sat inside the Stanmobile. He is actually surprised that there was no more shaking and uncontrollable rumblings, Wendy wasn't lying when she said that everyone in town had worked their charms on Stan's car. Dipper wasn't lying as well when he said that he didn't own a driver's license, but he learned so much from his parents and everyone else to the point where he did not need an actual license.
Dipper felt something inside him softens, looking at the two girls in the car that he had long waited to meet again had change something in him. He slowed down just in time as he entered the town, he looked around the city and all of the people in it. Nothing seemed to change or stood out as always, but he noticed a few more houses that is either being built or already finished.
Dipper felt a light tug at his heart to just jump out of the car and greet everyone in person, he knew that it wasn't actually necessary but it sure was tempting. This exact moment was good enough for him if it meant being with Mabel, three years she hadn't been having the moment and it was all because of him.
The sky turned orange as the hand on Dipper's watch strike right at six after noon, the car had parked just in front of the Corduroy Residence at the same time as the streetlights began to turn on. Dipper tapped his fingers on the steering wheel out of boredom and a bit on the edge, he simply listened and nodded as Wendy bid Mabel and Dipper goodbye.
Wendy got out of the car but didn't close the door behind her, she reached into inside her shirt and took out a piece of paper. "Here, its old man Stan's will."
Dipper tilted his head over the curious item on Wendy's hand, he took it and unrolled the piece of parchment. "You had this in your shirt the whole time?" He questioned her with a feeling of incredulity.
Wendy only shrugged in response, putting both hands inside her jeans pocket. "I didn't want it to get stolen, so…"
"Quick! What did Grunkle Stan say about family fortunes?" Mabel piped up from the backseat, she poked her head between the two seats on the front to look at the will.
Dipper rolled the parchment back without reading a single word, Mabel pouted in her current position as Dipper placed the will inside his jacket pocket. He checked on the gas and it showed that the gas tank was full
Dipper turned to Wendy who stood outside the car, he frowned as he remembered what he wanted to do. "So… I'll see you soon Wendy, promise. I think we'll be going now." Dipper tried to say it as inoffensive as he could.
Wendy however made a confused look. "Go? You're not going anywhere!" She said with a smirk plastered on her face.
Right on cue, Dipper and Mabel turned their heads towards the Corduroy Residence, where a lot of people burst out of the front door with a cheer. Their loud cheers and voices could be heard from their car, a banner was opened on top of the house saying 'Welcome Back!'
Mabel and Dipper had both their jaws slack, unsure of what to say. Their speechlessness are added when balloons began popping out of the windows.
"You planned all of this?!" Mabel squealed in delight, locking eyes with Wendy. "But how?!"
Wendy shook her phone in her hand tauntingly. "I've got my ways. Plus, Grenda and Candy came to help as well."
Mabel had turned her head quick enough to give her a whiplash, her eyes widened in surprise when her eyes caught two of her best friends standing right in front of the Corduroy Residence. Mabel quickly jumped out of the car and ran to the direction of the house, leaving the backseat door opened and forgot to be closed.
Dipper watched from his car still tapping his fingers on the steering wheel rhythmically, he felt nervous and uncomfortable at the thought of going out there and show his figure.
"Come on dude! What are you waiting for?" Wendy cried out as she circled around the car and ran over towards Mabel. Leaving Dipper by himself in a dilemmatic mess, until he decided to just see where it is going.
Dipper pulled the keys out of the car's ignition switch and got out of the Stanmobile, he tapped his fist on the top of the hood twice to ready himself. Once he closed both doors he put the keys in his jacket and walked towards the Corduroy Residence, he finds Wendy waiting at the front door of the house along with her friends.
Dipper is greeted sweetly by some of them, which he returned the favor with an inelegant smile and an awkward nod. When he stood by the doorstep of the household which is decorated by a simple red welcome mat, he is pointed by Wendy herself to take it easy and not wimp out, judging by her taunting smirk on the end of her lips it is obvious that she had read Grunkle Stan's will before him.
Dipper only came there to get all of it over quick, to think that he wanted to run away with Mabel and have all the life they should have years ago but not wanting to stay long in Gravity Falls is somewhat ironic and pathetic to his opinion.
He took a deep breath before going inside the house, for no reason whatsoever he actually felt like a stranger in an unfamiliar territory. He was surprised with a hug from both sides just as he took a step inside, he would never have thought that both Grenda and Candy would embrace him as tightly as they are right now.
"DIPPER IS BACK AS WELL! YAY!" Candy squealed in happiness as she jumped up and down while still hugging him. The girl is far shorter than him by just below the shoulder, her hair has turned longer and her glasses is still as round and big as always.
"UHG! I MISS THIS NERD!" Grenda lifted him as high as she can, the soon to be woman has shown something different about her physique after a few years, but so far her personality hasn't change a bit to Dipper's surprise.
"DIPPER! DIPPER! DIPPER! Look what everyone did for us!" Mabel ran up to him and took his wrist before pulling him out of Grenda's chokehold, Dipper kept his mouth shut from speechlessness.
Mabel put the brakes on her feet, she placed Dipper in the middle of the living room for him to observe the situation that made his brain on pause. The household is full of people fisting the air in joy as his presence came to sight in the room, people whistling at his direction and throwing confetti at his figure, to Dipper this is everything he had hoped for.
He looked at his sister, grinning madly at him and Dipper responded with a soft but meaningful smile. His heart fluttered in relief for a split second moment, before he realize and remember the reason he had come to Gravity Falls in the first place; here comes a thought, Dipper's head said, it is all just temporary and you want to give Mabel the best of the rest of her life.
"Dipper?" Mabel said to his ear with fret, noticing the moment when Dipper's face fell. "What's wrong?"
"I need to talk to you about something," Dipper blurted out as he swiveled on his feet to look at her in the face, he pursed his lips to say more but then he added, "Honestly I've been wanting to talk to you for a long time."
Mabel stare deeply into his eyes, she smiled and said, "Me too, Dip. Let's get some punch while we're at it?"
The event went along just fine, the townsfolk of Gravity Falls had just gathered there in a hurry just after Wendy had sent them all a text, an hour later everyone who came began doing something other than just celebrating Dipper and Mabel's return; like licking the blade of the woodcutter saw while everyone else took pictures for instance.
Grenda and Candy are always by Mabel's side the entire time, Dipper had never seen her talking so highly of school and boys in such a long time he can't keep a straight face while leaning against the wall all alone while everyone is doing something stupid.
Dipper watched as two of Wendy's friends came bursting out of the window, the glass shattered all over the floor and the people who watched just clapped and laughed with them.
"Guys! Let's throw this bowl of punch from the roof!" A twenty years old cried out obnoxiously towards his friends, all of them cheered and went pumping the air with him as they walk out of the living room with the bowl of punch above their heads. Luckily for Dipper he had scoop up a plastic glass full of fruit punch just before the bowl got taken outside, he sipped from his plastic glass quietly in the corner of the room trying not to be distracted by the townsfolk's activities.
"Hey Dippingsauce, is this party the greaterest or what!?" Mabel punched the shoulder of her brother while still holding her plastic cup full of fruit punch, smearing a few essence of apple and lemon on his jacket.
"It's alright." Dipper shrugged his shoulders, taking another long gulp from his plastic cup.
"Alright?!" Mabel yelled out in amusement and incredulity, she reached up to his face and added with a rather raised voice, "What do you mean alright?! I haven't been back in Gravity Falls for years! Now that we're back they threw us motha fukin party!"
It came as a mild surprise when Mabel herself had said something she wouldn't have approved, although her slang was indeed amusing. Dipper had notice that everyone threw the party outside as cheering noises came now and then followed by a noise of something breaking.
"You said you wanted to talk to me?" Mabel asked him, putting down her plastic cup on the table next to her.
Dipper pursed his lips at her question, he opened his mouth but no sound came out. "I have no idea how to say this…" He said in all honesty.
Mabel raised his eyebrow at his response. "Come on, what's up?" She smiled coyly.
"Run away with me, Mabel." Dipper blurted out in reveal, a moment of relief seeps his chest as he did.
Mabel blinked in surprise, and at the same time with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"
Dipper scratched the top of his head and grab a lock of hair in response to the difficulty he has in talking. "We have a car, Mabel. We have… a-a-"
Mabel has her lips quivering, "Dipper, I-"
"No, wait! Listen, I've been thinking for a while about it. In all honesty, I've been thinking about it for a full year and I've already made up my mind." Dipper said, rather in a fast-talking sort.
Mabel furrowed her brows, then her face fell a bit when she got the idea. "I-I don't know, Dipper. I mean, why would you…?" Surprisingly Mabel did not responded with denial, she is merely troubled of hesitation.
"I never wanted us to be separated in the first place, and I don't want us to be in that situation again! Come with me, Mabel." Dipper said in a pressured speech, as if motivated by urgency not apparent to Mabel. "We can finally have the life we wanted to have! We can hunt monsters, a-and we could travel the world."
"But where would we go?" Mabel hung her head, thinking about the idea of disappearing. She looked pass Dipper and stare at Grenda and Candy who are currently busy chatting with the older boys, "What about our friends, and mom and dad?" She sighed to herself.
"It's hard for me too, Mabel. But it doesn't have to be forever," Dipper said, contemplating on a different approach. "We can go back home every once in a while. I just want to spend some time with you. You know we never had that for so long."
"That didn't answer my question!" Mabel said in a bit of a yell. "I-I-I mean, what about them?"
Dipper hung his head in a troubled way, his heart weight in guilt of knowing that he is rather being selfish. "It's not that I don't care about them, I mean, all I want is us to be happy. We could just stay here if you want, but I doubt that neither of our parents would agree and they'll just come and take us away again." He said bitterly.
Mabel stared at his eyes in worry, her lips curled a bit. "I-I'll think about it, I still don't know how we will manage to disappear without money and all that. I get why you're doing this, Dipper, I really do. But… I just need some time to think." Mabel gave him a comforting smile as she squeezed his hand pensively, she lets go of his hand and walk away towards the front door.
Dipper watched as his sister left the household, a moment of standing in silence happened. Dipper put both hands on his face and cupped his own face in shame, her leaned backwards against the wooden wall before sliding down his back making his position change into a curled up ball on the corner of the living room.
Dipper could only imagine what his sister is thinking right about now, he would've probably ran away from the scene the moment anyone who he has never seen for a year began asking him if he wanted to run away together. He felt ashamed, truly.
"Goddammit, Dipper." He cursed to himself in a rather hateful way. "Couldn't have done it smoothly, can you? *sigh* At least it couldn't get any worse."
"Hey, Dipper." A soft feminine voice which only belonged to Wendy is heard, when Dipper look up he saw the redhead standing just in front of him while looking down towards his curled up form. "You hanging there? Everything's a-okay?" She seemed to be failing an attempt to comfort him.
Dipper stared for a while before he groan and dip his head back in between his legs. "Everything's peachy, Wendy."
Wendy didn't seem convinced by his response, she settled to sitting beside him with her legs spread out in front of her. The plastic cup full of fruit punch in her hand is put aside as she slouched back towards the wall, she stared at the boy beside her with a half-smile on her face.
"You know, between you and me, I think the fruit punch is trash." Wendy said, trying to engage in a conversation.
"Wendy... Can you leave me alone for a moment?" Dipper said, not looking at her as he did. He did not even care about keeping it a secret anymore, what's the point?
Though Wendy stayed in her current position. "You've been through a lot, haven't you?" She asked him.
Dipper sighed. "You have no idea."
Wendy nodded in understanding. "I respect your decision, even if you want to run away with Mabel. I can see that you two haven't been seeing each other for a long time."
Dipper looked at Wendy from the corner of his eye, feeling a bit surprised that she had hear their conversation a while ago. "You don't understand…" He said in a saddened way.
"I'm trying to, I mean, I can't imagine how it feels like to be separated for a year after your parents split up. I know it must've been hard and all, and you wanted to give Mabel the life she deserves, but you're in between the line of leaving all of this for her. I'll have you know that I'm alright with you two disappearing as long as you both are happy, and I will always respect that decision." Wendy told him, her eyes met his.
Dipper had his mouth opened with no sound, a sudden feeling of embarrassment flushed his insides. He never wanted to bring a conversation about his parents with someone else other than his sister, so he settled in with a different response. "I-I'm sorry that I haven't been visiting in a long time, it's just that there's a lot of things happening, you know?" He said.
He earned a nod from Wendy in response to his. "I understand, really I do."
"How did you know?" Dipper questioned her, then an idea clicked in his head. "Did Mabel told you everything?"
"She told me enough." Wendy put a hand over his in a comforting way. "That's why I wanted to throw a party for both of you in such a short notice, you wouldn't believe just how determined everyone is to set all of it up."
Dipper laughed at that, he really did meant something to them. "This party had been great, the best, really. Thank you for that."
Wendy smiled and nodded.
"But not the fruit punch though." Dipper added, a smile brightened his face. "The fruit punch is horrible.
Wendy laughed at that, Dipper took a moment to relax at the sound of her laugh. He used to be madly in love with it, where did his feelings go? Dipper thought about running away again, he can still come up with more ways of how it will go wrong.
"Read the will, Dipper." She said suddenly.
Dipper looked up from between his legs, hesitating if he had just heard her say. "What?"
"Stan's will, read it." Wendy reached out her hand towards his jacket pocket, he let the will get taken from him and watched Wendy unrolled the parchment. "The old man stated specifically that you both should read it, not Mabel nor you, both."
Dipper had forgotten about it after being with his thoughts for a while. Wendy give out the parchment for Dipper to take, as he took both end of the parchment Dipper observed the letters carefully, not wanting to miss any word from their beloved Great Uncle Stan.
Last Will and Testament of
Stanley Pines
I, Stanley Pines, and adult residing in The Mystery Shack Gravity Falls, Oregon, being of sound mind, declare this to be my Last Will and Testament. I revoke all wills and codicils previously made by me.
I appoint Stanford Pines as a Personal Representative to administer this Will, and ask that he be permitted to serve without Court supervision and without posting bond. If Stanford Pines is unwilling or unable to serve then I appoint Wendy Corduroy to serve as my personal representative, and ask that he be permitted to serve without Court supervision and without posting bond.
The Mystery Shack shall be under responsibility and supervision of Soos Ramirez, and those who he be giving trust towards. The contract of the Mystery Shack and the future funds it devises will now belong to Soos Ramirez.
I devise, bequeath, and give my 1965 El Diablo Convertible to Dipper Pines along with Stanford's unnecessary technologies and gadgets lying around in the Mystery Shack.
I present Mabel Pines my bank account, to give her opportunities so she could invest on her own future, the combinations are unnecessary, for Mabel had already knew the order.
Personal Note
Dipper, Mabel, if anything did happen to me or Ford. Don't ever blame yourself for it, none of us wants you two to be glooming around all day thinking about our graves. It's bad enough that I never had that chance to be filthy rich, don't make me regret throwing my chance away for you two. Mabel, I would like to thank you for always trusting me, and know that you are not alone because you will always have Dipper by your side. Dipper, you're a wimp, so don't be you, toughen your guts up for me will you? I know that you have it in you pal, and Mabel depends on it.
Signed, Stanley Pines.
When Dipper had finished reading it, Wendy smiled sweetly at the boy. "Now you have the gas money for your entire lousy pilgrimage, huh?" She said in a rather teasing way.
"Yeah, I guess so." Dipper said as a reply, he wiped off a single drop of tear on the corner of his eye. For a moment he thought about hope, not the things that could possibly go wrong in his runaway. Dipper stared at Wendy for a whole while, taking notes of her different physique and posture. "I missed a lot, didn't we?"
"Yeah, a pretty whole lot." Wendy replied.
"You still work in the Mystery Shack?" Dipper asked in curiosity.
"Nah, since I'm not banned anymore from like, half of the town's workplaces, I'm making more money than most of my brothers!" Wendy said, bragging. "Though working as a cashier in that old tourist trap… I don't know what it is, but the place gives me the reason to work."
Dipper rolled up the parchment will and put it back inside his jacket pocket. "Thank you Wendy, for everything." He said, intending to end the conversation.
"Hold on, Dipper." Wendy said, digging through her back pocket. Once she is done, she took out a small business card that looked like it is a pearl white paper dipped in gold on each corners. "I spread the news about you and Mabel returned back to town to everyone, and surprisingly someone came replying my message pretty quickly. I think you might know her name."
Dipper saw the business card right in front of him being given by Wendy, once he has it between his fingers he then saw the letters that formed the name 'Pacifica Northwest'. He is confused at first, wondering why Pacifica Northwest herself had left a card for him. The girl was used to be known for her reputation as a rich kid, and the most arrogant person in the whole Gravity Falls until Dipper had found out that she was actually trapped by her own parents. He isn't sure what she has been doing for the past years, frankly he never seemed to care more than average.
"Pacifica texted me that I should tell you about the card." Wendy explained.
"Why? What's so important about the card?" Dipper asked, puzzled.
"It's a job offering, she said." Wendy told him, earning a look of incredulity. "She wanted you to work for her. Says she had been 'observing' your progress throughout high school."
Dipper is utterly confused. "Wait, what does that have to do with this?"
"Beats me, she refused to tell me more." Wendy shrugged.
Dipper stared at the business card for a few while before looking up towards Wendy. "Well, thanks again Wendy." He said, standing up from his seat.
For the first time ever, Wendy went up to his face and pecked his cheek with her lips. Dipper watched as the redhead stood up and waved him goodbye before she got outside towards her friends. Dipper lifted his the business card above his head towards the lamp light, not sure why but he felt like there was a secret message on it, why else would Pacifica Northwest hire him? How long has it been when he had last seen her? Two weeks ago on the front page of Mega-Billionaires magazine, that's when.
He was actually surprised to know that she had regained her position back after Weirdmageddon, and a matured body to match (to his surprise, of course). A sudden job offering felt a little too pushy when it came from a mega billionaire who hasn't gotten to her twenties yet, but it sure is tempting as hell to finally have a reason to not worry about your future plans. But that is something Dipper has to worry about on a later day, considering that Pacifica Northwest won't be getting along with him soon.
He heard a sound of a car just outside the house, he can see the headlights beaming on the windows brightly. What came after was each and almost every one of the people who came to party had scream bloody murder, a thundering voice of an angry lumberjack came raining down on the atmosphere of the room.
With instinct, Dipper fled.
Dipper got outside of the Corduroy Residence when he realized that the hand on his watch had strike a quarter past seven and Wendy's father had gotten home, he can already see the gibbous moon high up in the dark sky. Mostly everyone has gotten home by now, Dipper could see Wendy out in the back of her house talking to an ominous form, which could only come from her father.
He saw Mabel by his car talking to both Candy and Grenda, Dipper watched as the three of them hugged each other at the same time before letting go with a saddened look on each one of their faces. Grenda and Candy had seem to have called their own cab for the night, the both of them left the scene after they waved at Mabel. The car zoomed away to the right direction and out of sight, Mabel was left to hang her head and sigh.
"Hi Mabel, how was your night?" Dipper said, trying to start a conversation with her. "A-are you okay?"
"Dipper," Mabel began. "Have you wondered why the fruit punch tasted weird?"
Dipper nodded curtly at her question, "Oh yeah, it's disgusting."
"I spiked it with Mabel juice."
"HURK!" Dipper clenched a fist in front of his mouth in a hurry to stop himself from vomiting.
"Oh, come on! It's not that bad once you've gotten used to it!" Mabel swiveled around to yell at him in disbelief, then her shoulders fell in an instant. "Then again, maybe I shouldn't have done that…" She added.
Dipper could still feel the rising urge to puke inside of him. "I have tasted Mabel juice before, and I'm not sure how that sickening ooze had left my mouth."
"Shut up!" Mabel laughed as she came up to him and pushed him backwards playfully.
"Probably the most horrible thing I've ever tasted…" Dipper said greenly, a bit of him wanted to tease her more. "And I'm still surprised that you can still manage to make more…"
Mabel snorted and crossed her arms before looking away with a shaken head, Dipper let out a breath of relief once he realized that there was no more heavy atmosphere between them.
"I'm coming." Mabel said suddenly.
Mabel cocked his eyebrow. "What?"
"I'm coming with you." Mabel turned around to face him with a smile, she twiddled her thumbs in front of her skirt. "I… Kind of wanted to give it a shot, you know? Maybe it won't be so bad."
Dipper is speechless, he can only say a simple 'oh' while looking down.
"I talked to Candy and Grenda, and they kind of supported me on this, said that it's kind of an important part in my life…" Mabel said, her smile never leaving her face.
Dipper scratched the back of his head in an unassertive. "You know, you don't have to if you want to…"
Mabel only shook her head as a response. "Who's gonna look after you then? Who's gonna make sure that little Lamby doesn't have nightmares?"
Dipper's face flushed in an instant when he had heard the reference, he palmed his face and groaned. "That was years ago!"
Mabel laughed at his reaction, she pinched Dipper's cheek playfully. "But how come are you still my little Lamby?"
"You're never going to change, are you?" Dipper asked out of topic.
"Nope, and don't you forget that!" Mabel winked and warned with a finger pointed towards Dipper.
Dipper laughed at that, he pushed the hand away from him. Something in Dipper's mind clicked as he felt a lump inside his jacket pocket, a parchment of Grunkle Stan's will that Mabel hasn't read yet.
Dipper reached towards it and pulled it out, sadly the paper is all crumpled after some time inside his jacket pocket. "Here, I think you should read it." Dipper said to Mabel as he let out his hand. "Grunkle Stan left something for the both of us."
Mabel took the parchment and unrolled it, her eyes traced each and every word that is written on the will. She paused for a few second, "Grunkle Stan's bank account?" She questioned.
"Yeah, he passed it on to you." Dipper said.
"Oh…" Mabel said, rereading the whole will again before sighing and rolled it back in its original form. "Well, what now?"
"I guess we go to the Mystery Shack and take it?" Dipper said with unsureness.
"Yeah, let's do that." Mabel nodded in agreement, giving Dipper the parchment back.
Dipper took that as a cue to leave, he circled around the car and got into the driver's seat with her by his side. The Stanmobile drove away into the night and it might never to be seen again, in a few days or so. The whole trip back to the Mystery Shack was mostly silent with a bit of modern radio music playing, which made them argue if it either one of the has horrible taste in music. Once they got back to the Mystery Shack on the side of the road, Mabel had to excuse Dipper at Melody to blame him for interrupting their family movie night, fortunately the both of them got a pass at cleaning the whole Shack before leaving for the night.
Melody kept calling Dipper the biggest boy in the room, his embarrassment caused Soos a high deal of jealousy until he was told that he is the best. Mabel could not help but to ogle at their baby with so much energy, she never seemed to stop compelling at pinching his cheeks. Dipper had a lot of fun moving Grunkle Ford's items, it was curious why he didn't take them all with him when he disappeared.
Both Mabel and Dipper waved them goodbye right after being painfully hugged by Soos's thoughtful embrace, they got back inside the now their car again and zoomed off away from the Mystery Shack. They went passed the giant billboard of Gravity Falls, their eyes locked on forward towards their wanted destination, which they do not know.
The blinkers on cars, the red brake lights filling the highway. Dipper could not keep his eyes open for another minute longer after two hours of endless driving, though Mabel had fallen asleep on her seat just an hour ago. Dipper's eyes shot open from being dangerously closed by Mabel's sudden snore, the girl shifted from her previous sleeping position and continue to sleep soundly. Dipper looked up towards the road sign above their car before it passes, he slouched back to his seat when he noticed that the highway has less and less cars driving on it, he relaxed a bit once he knew that the road is a home stretch.
Another road sign passed over their car, the streetlights made the road seemed to go infinite in the distance, and a few more hours passed with Dipper expertly handling the car like he had rode it before. The only fear he has now is being pulled over by the police. Dipper rubbed his tired, watery eyes with the back of his curled up hand. He pulled over by the side of the road in intention of getting a little bit of rest, he had never driven a car this far in his life before.
Dipper sighed and yawned at the same time, making an inaudible noise as he did. Dipper took out something from his back pocket, a business card that was given to him from Pacifica Northwest. A job offer of sorts.
He got out of the car silently, carefully not waking Mabel up. The car is parked right below the streetlight beaming it light brightly from above, on the other side of the metal road railing is a dark forest. Surprisingly no animal, nor anything else apart from himself and the car's engine is heard within a mile. No other vehicle is with him at the moment, no other human in sight.
He shook his head and relieved himself from the wariness that filled him, Dipper examined the phone numbers printed on the business card. Another pocket of his jacket held a flip phone, he took it out of his pocket and held it in his hand, and then he flipped it open and hesitantly dialed the numbers on the business card.
He brought the phone up to his ear, a ring and another ring that followed was heard. After a few seconds the flip phone let out a human sound, "You are calling the Northwest line, please state your full name and business." Said the rather monotone feminine voice, it did not sound like a human but curiously it requested something.
He licked his lips before beginning, "Uh, yeah, Dipper Pines. And I'm calling to-" before he could finish his sentence the robotic voice said again.
"Dipper Pines, your contact will be permanently stored in the Northwest contact line for future use, your number will be dialed shortly after 10:00 AM in the twenty one of July."
Dipper thought for a second, the date today was the twentieth of July, that means tomorrow the Northwest line is going to call again, he presumed.
"Your career in the Northwest family starts now, more information will be again, brought to you in 10:00 AM in the twenty one of July. Good day…" The line ended just like that, he expected someone who sounded a bit like Pacifica Northwest rather than a really smart answering machine.
He looked ahead on the highway, just a couple of meters more is a fork road, split into two. Between the two roads is a road sign standing on a pole, giving each roads directions. Dipper realized the destination of both roads, one to his state, to his home. And the other one to a completely different territory he had never been to before.
Dipper looked at the business card briefly before clenching it inside of his fists in anger, he is a runaway now, and so is Mabel. There is no turning back once he got to the next state, and that is what he intends to do. Dipper stared at his silver watch again, the hand pointed sharply at midnight.
This story focuses on the adventures of the Pines Twins after their runaway from their homes, added with Pacifica Northwest funding them for a mysterious job she had offered. The later chapters involves them with quests given by Pacifica, they crossover with a lot of people they met on their way and help them out, mysteries and one-shots for the most plots.
Will write more if I wanted to, which I will probably do. Requests are open so you all can ask anything you like! Crossover requests are also opened, the requested movie, tv series, book, and game that is crossed has to be supernatural based for the genre, but I'll see if I can cook up something else. Please review for support if you like this chapter, goodbye and see you on the next chapter!