I'm afraid I haven't written much in like a year, so bear with me. This story's set somewhere mid-season 1.
Thanks in advance for reading!
"A little bit more," said Wendy, holding her hands steady, "aaand done." She put her tools down and brushed off her arms. "See what you think, Mabel."
Mabel got off the counter, her expression unusually stoic, and walked over to the mirror they had taken off the shop wall. She stared at the image in the glass, reflecting her from her waist up. It stared back until her vision began to blur.
"Do you think it looks good?" her brother asked, walking over from the register to stand next to her, "I think it looks pretty good."
Mabel swallowed heavily before speaking. "I look like you."
"Come on," said Dipper with a frown, although looking in the mirror he had to admit she kind of did.
"Sorry," Wendy apologized as she wiped off her scissors, "I'm used to cutting my brother's hair, so that might be my fault."
The younger girl bit her lip. When she blinked a fat tear spilled onto her face.
"Stupid chicken thing," she mumbled, "Why'd we have to chase after it?"
Dipper looked away absently, letting the bill of his cap shield his expression. "Well…hey, we're lucky it only burned your hair. It's supposed to be able to kill people with its eyes." He was purposefully elbowed as Wendy came up behind them.
"It'll grow back, Mabel," she said, putting her hand on Mabel's shoulder.
"Not before the end of the summer it won't," replied Mabel, rubbing her face, "How am I supposed to have an epic summer romance now?"
Wendy shrugged. "Tambry keeps her hair short and she has lots of guys hitting on her. Right Dipper?"
"H-huh?" he replied, taken aback.
"You think short hair is cute on girls, right?"
Dipper blinked a few times as she smiled at him. "Uh…right." He turned back to the mirror quickly. "Yeah, of course!"
Mabel sighed and fingered the ends of her hair. After Wendy had cut off the burned parts and evened it out, it barely reached past her ears. She sniffed.
"Come on Mabel, it'll be okay" said Dipper as he passed her headband back, "You're always trying to come up with new fashions. You'll pull this one off fine too."
"I know." She took it. With practiced motion she put it on, reaching back out of habit to move aside hair that was no longer there. "I just really liked my old hair. I could pull it over my face and make a beard." The bright blue band didn't do anything more than make her hair poof out a bit in the back.
"I mean…" Mabel turned her head to the side and brushed the back of her hair with one hand. "Should I even bother with it?" She leaned into her reflection critically.
"Hey Dipper," said Wendy.
"Huh?" he turned to see what she needed and immediately flinched as she stepped closer and whipped off his hat.
"Uh, W-Wendy what're you-"
"Just hold still, dude." She pushed something over his head until it fell around his neck, then pulled it back up over his face.
"Ow," he said as his bangs were yanked back. Wendy stepped back and gestured for him to turn around. He did, his face still warm.
"Um," was all he said after a moment.
She had put one of Mabel's headbands on him, a bright yellow one.
"Now you match," said Wendy's reflection, smiling over their shoulders.
Mabel took in the image of the two of them. Her newly cut hair was just beginning to curl up at the ends and the band on Dipper, who still looked flustered, pulled most of his bangs back. It left his forehead and birthmark exposed with a few thin locks of hair, too short to be held back, flopping limply over them. After a few stunned moments, she burst into laughter. Her brother frowned but said nothing.
"Wendy! Wendy!" she cried between breaths as she turned around, "Do you have a camera?"
"What? Mabel, no!" Dipper objected, still flustered from his experience a few moments ago.
"Sure thing, gimme a sec," said Wendy. She lowered her voice as she passed Dipper. "C'mon man, it's for Mabel."
He groaned but quit objecting. Mabel was smiling now and giggled every time she looked at his hair. Dipper sighed, but it wasn't like this was the worst humiliation he'd had to suffer for his sister. Eventually he asked, "Feeling better now?"
Mabel twisted a lock of her new bangs around her finger. It slipped out sooner than she would've liked. "A little," she admitted, "I'll be better if we meet that chicken thing again-"
"Cockatrice."
"-and I can punt it into the bottomless pit."
Dipper grinned at the image, but his face fell when Wendy came back with the camera. She motioned for them to scooch closer together. Mabel linked her arm around her brother's, pulling him into the shot.
"Okay guys, smile!"
Dipper forced a smile back onto his face as the shutter clicked.
I don't know that I'm comfortable with you kids chasing after cockatrices...
Thanks for reading! :)
