Dipper slams his face onto his desk and groans. School's almost finished and the Twins have a ton of homework not from the school.
"One more month of this, we can do it!" Dipper says, retrieving his cap.
"Are you telling me or yourself?" Mabel groans on the desk behind him.
"Both?"
Mabel bangs her head on her desk repeatedly, "we are 15, almost 16 why. Are. we. still. Doing. This. Ow."
Dipper laughs, "you OK?"
"No?"
Mabel groans when they hear the creak of the stairs, the Twins quickly pick up their pencils and start writing as their mother passes their open door. She walks back carrying a suitcase. After they hear her walk down the stairs, the Twins sneak out of their room to hide on the balcony. They watch their parents leave the house and hear the car drive off, no words to the Twins. The twins walk down the stairs and head into the kitchen to see a note on the counter.
Dipper picks it up and reads from it, "sorry, couldn't convince Dad to leave me behind for the business trip. He only told me at the last minute like he usually does, won't be gone long! Oh and attached are a list of chores I need done to keep you busy."
Mabel groans a she looks at the list, "whhhhhhyyyyyyyyy."
Dipper crumples up the letter and list, tossing them into the bin. He walks to the phone and dials a number, "hello Abuelita, is Soos busy?"
"Yes," she answers from the other end.
"Oh, in that case, could you please set up the attic for us?" Dipper asks.
"Of course, you two have safe trip now," she says and hangs up, presumably to go set up the attic.
Dipper puts the phone back in its stand after erasing the call history. He turns around to see Mabel beaming, "are we going to pull a Gruncle Stan?!"
Dipper grimaces, "no, we don't have enough time for something like that. We're going to do the most cliche thing and run away. Let's go pack."
"But, why Dipper?"
"Isn't it obvious Mabel? They don't care."
Mabel grins again anyway, and dashes up the stairs to go and pack.
The twins are packing the last of their luggage when Mabel spots a small box in the closet. She pulls it out and opens it, gasping as she sees the photobook and Diamond Dogs uniforms. She had forgotten about this stuff, not their adventure though.
"Mabel?" Dipper says he walks up and looks at the box.
"They're too small for us now, but let's pack them up and the book," he says with a smile.
Mabel smiles, "hey Dipper, could you pull my hair into the bun please?"
"Sure thing Mabel, after we finish packing," he says, packing his small uniform away. They pack away the uniforms and book, Dipper pulling up Mabel's hair. Waddles is sleeping calmly by Mabel's bed while he waits.
They make their way back downstairs, Dipper tapping away to their chat group. Ford made an encrypted messaging app for the Zodiac, no one could read their messages.
"Dipper, ranting about it won't help, they won't be able to help us," Mabel says, patting Waddles.
"Robbie has some free time he says, he's going to come down and check on us but we 'better not be crying wolf'," he says, lowering his phone.
"Well it's going to take him awhile to get here, it takes six hours," Mabel groans flopping over the bench.
Dipper grins, "Unless it's Gruncle Stan, then it takes three and at least twenty broken laws."
Mabel laughs. She thinks for a bit, "hey Dipper?"
"Hmm?"
"Do you think they're still alive? Uncle Boss, Ocelot, Uncle Grumpy Bum and Huey?" she asks.
Dipper thinks for a bit, "I dunno Mabel, possibly, though they live a pretty tough life style so I wouldn't be surprised if they're dead."
They sit around the house and chat a bit more while they wait for Robbie.
Five and a half hours later, Dipper's phone rings and he answers it, "yes?"
"Hey, it's me. Where are you two?," Robbie says.
"I will hand you off to Mabel to direct you," Dipper says, handing the phone to his sister.
She starts to direct him over the phone as Dipper tidies their stuff up. He also organizes his brain for the long explanation for Robbie.
It didn't take long for Robbie's red hatchback to roll into the driveway and the man to step out, walking towards the door and knocking. Dipper opens the door and lets him in.
Robbie raises a brow to their stuff, "OK, I really need an explanation, so let's hear it."
Dipper takes a deep breath, "well the unnecessary amounts of homework has been in since we started school, our mom has always been giving us so many chores and we don't get paid for it. When we're not doing that our Dad always makes us go boxing and he doesn't sit back and watch quietly. He's tried to stop me from dancing on several occasions and dislikes Mabel going to art club, saying it's 'not smart and a waste of intelligence'. Earlier this year they went on another "business trip" that lasted two months."
"Whoa, and I thought my folks were bad, we need to get you two out of here," Robbie says after a moment of thought.
"Wait, you're actually going to?!-" Dipper freaks out
"Yeah, this is really whack. Not cool at all. Get your stuff together and come outside, I'll get you back to the 'Falls," he says.
The Twins gather up their stuff and walk out to Robbie's car with Waddles. Dipper locks the door behind them and they climb into Robbie's car. Mabel makes Waddles comfortable and puts her stuff in the back. Dipper puts his stuff in the back and closes the boot.
"I call shotgun!" Mabel calls, running to the passenger side.
Dipper laughs as he gets into the backseat, Robbie getting into the driver's seat.
After they get buckled in and Robbie starts the car, turning to them, "what do you guys want to listen too? I only have rock and heavy metal."
"Eeeh, just put it on rock," Dipper says, moving Waddles to the floor to lay down.
Robbie pulls out of the driveway and drives toward the highway that will get them out of Piedmont, California.
"You know how to contact your parents, right?" Robbie questions, trying to fix the loose volume knob
"Mmm, maybe. I'd rather not," Dipper leans back, trying not to think of it.
Robbie shrugs it off, "I'll talk Mr. Pines and the Doc."
Mabel starts singing to the song that's on as they enter the highway.