*sees Kuroneki ken* … *fangirls* *cough cough* I'm alright… just...ha, breath. Phew… Thank you for following my story :D
Also… screw it I like the Gleeful twins to much. Also there are hints of Pinecest with them… cause they weren't f cked up enough yet. I won't really write anything out of a kiss or something cause I'm not really comfortable with it either.
I was listening to "Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" by Set it off, it really works for 'em but swearing, lots of swearing… meh.
Chapter 2: Mirrored Worlds Are So Much Fun
Dipper drummed his fingers against the mahogany table, irritation storming in his glowing, icy blue eyes. The pen he was manipulating flew across the room, embedding itself in the doorframe. He could sense Mabel presence lingering on the threshold. "If you're going to come in, sister dear, then hurry up with it."
"Well," her silky voice floated in, heels clicking on the floor behind him, "someone is grumpy today."
"Understatement of the year, Mabel," he responded flatly. His sister's arms snaked around his neck, leaning over his shoulder to see what he was working on, her warm breath breezing over his cheek. "Perhaps you'll see something I don't."
"Oh, I doubt that, brother dearest." Mabel unhooked her arms and straightened up, walking around his chair, and dropped into his lap. The outfit she had on was more casual than the normal show wear, a simple light blue sweater and off white shorts, a pair of Dipper's actually. "Magic was always your gift after all," her voice was patronizing which only soured his mood more.
"Sister, correct me if I'm wrong but those are my shorts aren't they," he didn't want to think about the source of his current anger, perhaps taking it out on the Pines later would be fun, but right now his twin was more… interesting.
"What can I say, I just love being in your pants." She began to giggle at her own joke and Dipper just sighed.
"You and puns." He hooked an arm around Mabel's waist, using magic to pluck another pen out of their designated holder, and returning his mind to the work at hand. Dipper knew he always thought better when his twin was in manipulating rage, it gave his other hand something to do and something other than his own mutterings to listen to. The journal pages he had copied and arranged all discussed a dimensional rift and hints at what was beyond, new powers to explore and master.
Mabel gasped under his touch, the symbols of the book flashing in his mind. There was something missing, something he wasn't seeing. A growl escaped him. How, how was this little scrap of knowledge escaping him, he was Dipper Gleeful for fucks sake! His hand tensed, squeezing Mabel's chest drawing another moan from her. That's it! A smile broke over his face, his sister having heard his mental shout. "You've figured it out then?" Her voice was completely unfazed despite her flushed features and half lidded eyes.
"Sister dear, there is a missing piece that I do not posses. The truth is not hidden, simply in someone else's hands."
"Oh?" There was a curiosity in her tone that made the other twin happy, well as happy as his nature allowed.
"Tell me, have you payed a visit to your little boy toy yet this week?" He released Mabel and turned to face her.
His smile was reflected on her face, "No, in fact I haven't, how rude of me!"
"Why not invite him over for coffee, his cousin too of course."
"Of course."
*POV
The twins laughed, Wendy who was out in the hall, flinched when she heard that sound. She didn't like working for the Gleefuls, but the pay was very good. Unlike a lot of other workers, Dipper was actually nice to her, well as nice as a kid like him could be. It made her uncomfortable the way he looked at her, like a prize that he had yet to win. His sister said that he had a crush on her and Wendy was lucky. The only reason she was still around was to help Gideon and Pacifica, double agent style. No one suspects the goth girl anyway. Dipper's openness to her made spying easy, too.
Wendy gasped and backed away from the door. Fortunately the chair, and the twins in it, were facing away, at least that's what she thought. She turned to run, Gideon had to be warned, to hide his journal. Her black combat boots carried her only ten feet when her body froze up against her demands. An icy blue glow snared her limbs lifting them up off the ground. "Oh no," she whispered.
"Miss Wendy," Dipper's voice pooled smoothly in the air, "just where are you off to in such a hurry? I'd hate for you to trip and hurt yourself."
"Ah, M-Mr. Gleeful, you see, I just remembered that I... uh… had a doctor's appointment today. I really need to get there, I'll be late otherwise!" The boy's normally neutral expression was broken by a cocked eyebrow, he wasn't buying it. "Um, may I be set down n-now, Mr. Gleeful?"
His head shook slowly, seemingly saddened. Mabel Gleeful walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his middle and leaning over to see around him. "What kind of odds do you think it is, brother dear, that just as we make plans Miss Wendy needs to run off to the doctor's office, hm?"
"Slim."
Mabel gave a fake gasp of shock, "Oh, and we were just discussing a security problem not two nights ago. It does seem rather odd, doesn't it?"
Dipper's face dropped into a scowl, anger in his cold eyes, like someone had stolen something that belonged to him. "Miss Wendy," the goth flinched again, his voice cutting into her mind, "I don't appreciate being lied to. You've been such an… efficient worker and we'd really hate to lose you, but I will have the truth...one way or another." His eyes glowed brightly with the ending statement.
Mabel bounded up so she was standing in front of Wendy, even if Dipper's magic wore off, not that it would, she wouldn't be able to run away now. "Are you a spy, Miss Wendy?" Mabel cooed, knife in hand.
Wendy swallowed, there was no getting out of this, "Y-yes." She screamed in agony as the magical grip crushed her, "P-please st-stop! Dipper! PLeAsE!" Somehow begging for her life had actually work, only becoming aware that she wasn't being held any longer when her face slammed into the ground. Her vision was black around the edges and she struggled to look up, Dipper had crossed over to stand next to his sister, both looking down at her; Mabel had a sadistic smile on her face and Dipper looked disappointed and angry. Being in his bad books was far worse than romantic interest, Wendy decided.
"I'm very upset with you Miss Wendy," Dipper's voice was as cold as his eyes, "at least face your death with some scrap of dignity."
"W-what?" Her heart sunk when Mabel started giggling.
"It's nothing personal I assure you. In all honesty I'd much rather just break you, maybe transform you into an animal to use in the show, at least you'd be alive," he sighed and knelt down to look her in the eyes, "but, unfortunately, sister dear and I don't have that kind of time. Please understand I'd rather not kill you," Dipper reached out a hand, brushing hair out of her face, "we simply can't afford anymore interference on the Pines' part." He straightened up and looked over to his twin, both of their faces becoming serious with unspoken communication. When Dipper returned his eyes her, Wendy felt her heart stop, "Good bye, Miss Wendy." The last thing she saw was the bottom of the Gleeful twin's shoes as they both slammed a foot down on her head with a thunk.
*POV
Gideon paced around for a good ten minutes, just waiting for his cousin to finish getting ready. They had received an invitation from the Gleeful twins for an afternoon tea or something; of course they weren't going, at first anyway, then the cousins saw a picture of Wendy. Their friend was in bad shape, bruised and cut, her eyes glassed over, and tied to a chair. The words 'bring the journal, or else' were written on the photo's back in a loopy cursive, judging by the 'i' and 'j' both having little hearts instead of the normal dots it was Mabel's hand.
Pacifica kicked down the door into the living room, dressed like someone from a 90's action movie, with a grappling hook launcher instead of a gun. She slipped on a pair of sunglasses, "Ready."
"Then let's get a move on a'for somethin' really bad happens to Wendy."
"Gideon, you're getting more folksy…"
"I can' help it! I'm all worried!"
The two ran through town at top speed, Gideon had the foresight to make a stand in for the journal, it wouldn't really fool anyone but who knows, it could be a viable distraction. He'd hidden the real journal under his vest along his back. He was so pudgy that there wasn't even a bulge.
"Okay, here we are," Pacifica said, lifting her grappling hook, "the den of the beast."
"Well that's an awful way to put it." Both of the heroes spun around wide eyed. Dipper Gleeful was standing behind them, a pleasant smile on his face.
"Let Wendy go!" Gideon shouted. It was rather uncharacteristic of him actually. When the magician's smile widened, the sinister glow hinting at his eyes, the white haired boy returned to his normally terrified demeanor.
"You really think we'd hurt our dear Miss Wendy?" Mabel was the one that spoke this time. She was in the entrance to the Mystery Tent. Both twin were dressed in their stage outfits. Gideon jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, Pacifica gave a startled squeak, too. When the cousins had looked back at Mabel, Dipper closed the distance and firmly clasped a hand on their shoulders.
"Please come in," the twins were speaking at the same time with exactly the same vocal infection, it was so creepy, "we have a lot to discus." Some kind of force pushed them forward even after Dipper released their shoulders. A table was set up with a variety of lunch foods and different beverages. On the tent's stage was a floating cube about one inch length on each side, a single spotlight on it. The rest of the space was dark outside the twins' glowing eyes and pins. Four chairs floated out of the darkness and the Pines cousins were rooted to the wood. Dipper and Mabel stood behind their own chairs, smiling at each other. They were all seated so that Gideon was across from Pacifica and Dipper was across from Mabel.
Gideon swallowed nervously, the feeling returning to his limbs. Any argument he had died in his throat when a levitating knife whizzed past his head, inches from his nose, and into Dipper's hand. "Go ahead, friends," the gleaming eyes twin's flickering in the low light, "get something to eat."
"N-not to offend Dipper, but I'm not sure Pacifica or I feel very...inclined to eat knowing that our friend is hurt."
"Ah, of course!" Both twins lifted the arm closest to the stage and snapped their fingers in unison. The grey cube shuddered and rotated, unfolding itself. A swirling vortex of energy crackled between the expanding edges. Wendy, seemingly floating in some kind of stasis was held at its' center, only a small cut on her face.
"B-but- How is she not- You gave us a photo of her all beat up!" to accentuate her point Pacifica pulled out the picture and practically shoved it in Dipper's face. Gideon nearly flipped out, why would she purposefully antagonize them!?
"Photoshop, my simple...friend." Dipper leaned away from her thrust out arm and it sparked the gears in the younger boy's head, they were being… pleasant… polite… they must want something…
"As you can see, our dear friend is unharmed," Mabel gushed, "right, brother dearest?"
"Mhm, yes." He lifted a napkin to his lips, wiping off something from the corner of his mouth with palpable disinterest. "Naturally, I cannot guarantee that she'll remain so."
"You want my journal, don't 'cha." That had to it… right?
"I, want your cooperation, Gideon." rarely if ever did Dipper speak about the wants of just one of the twins, that fact that this was his plan alone sent a chill up Gideon's spine. Mabel may be volatile, but Dipper was the one to watch out for in the end, cunning, ruthless, Dipper.
Everyone at the table was looking in Gideon's direction and he could feel the sweat breaking over his brow. "A-and if I refuse?"
Mabel giggled her amulet hair pin glowed brightly, her brother's steak knife whipping up off the table and pressing into Pacifica's neck. The blonde sucked up breath in, "Hold it, stereotype Pines, twitch and I'll stab 'ya!"
The journal barer looked around in a panic for something he could use to disarm his sadistic stalker, freezing when his gaze met Dipper's. The magician wore a contemptuous expression and Gideon knew he was dancing in the Gleeful's palm. "I kill them both." He stated the consequence so bluntly that he couldn't say anything.
Poor Gideon fumbled for words before realizing how thoroughly he'd been had. "I'll do it, just don't hurt them." he looked down at his reflection in the china.
"N-no! Gideon I-ah!"
"No talking."
Dipper stood, walking behind Gideon, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving a gently squeezed, like he was trying to comfort Gideon. It was strange. "A wise choice. The information you can volunteer will surely expedite my research." Dipper pulled his vest slightly, coercing him out of his chair. "Sister, make sure our other guest is entertained, comfortably."
"Certainly, brother dearest."
Dipper threw a glance over his shoulder, likely to make sure Gideon was following him. The blue eyed boy snapped his fingers towards the stage causing Wendy's prison to fold in on itself again. With a flick of his wrist the little grey sube flew into his palm and vanished with a puff.
"W-where are we going?"
"You'll see, Pines...you'll see."
They were walking into the darkest corner of the tent when a strange feeling wriggled through his body, like he was being dragged through something solid, no more like he wading through that weird cornstarch mixture that was a solid under pressure but a liquid when left alone. He couldn't quite remember the name, the'd made it in science class. On the note of science, there was a whole lot of it going on when he came out the other end of the...wall? "What in the wibbly world was that."
"Vortex manipulation," Dipper responded, as if it would make any sense to him. "Welcome to my work shop, don't touch anything, especially if it's glowing or beeping." They had come out into a warehouse sized room full to the brim with what seemed like innocent magic tricks at first, but the farther they went the more it looked like a super villain's lair. Large machines of unknown purpose buzzed and hummed, a large book shelf greeted them when they came to a large Mahogany desk. It wrapped around the entire office like space, broken only by a doorway. Gideon took the multitude of pens stuck in the wall, some were shattered, some were buried almost to far into the wall to see. They were all clearly thrown with Dipper's magic.
The snap of Dipper's finger broke Gideon from his mildly terrified consideration of the wall. A stack of paper that once inhabited the desk surface shot up into the air organizing themselves to the magician's will. "Gideon," with a flick of his finger Dipper had dragged a thoroughly panicking Gideon to his side, "what do you see?"
"I-is that a serious question?" Dipper's glare informed him a strong 'yes'. "Uh...I-I'm not...sure… the lines," he pointed at the papers, covered in lines, circles, triangles, filled with symbols that he couldn't quite understand, "don't match up… like there's a part… " his eyes widened, realizing where he'd seen pages like this before, there were a few in his journal, though he'd no idea what they meant. "missing."
"You're smarter than I give you credit for." Dipper's voice was flat but his gaze was burning into Gideon's head, causing him to flinch when he turned to face the taller boy. "Let's see if you know this one too, where do you think might I find the missing pieces?"
"M-my journal."
"Good," he said smoothly, holding out a glowing hand to Gideon, "Now, just give me what I need, then you take your journal and your friends, and leave with no bloodshed." The white haired boy nodded slowly but just as he reached into his vest Dipper's eyes flashed with a icy blue glow and he smile wryly, "Now that's initiative, Pines. Bringing a fake journal, but I'm not my sister. I won't fall for such cheap tricks. The real one's on your back isn't it."
Gideon gasped and stared at Dipper, what could he do? He was out classed, out witted, and had no way out. Two of his closest friends were being held captive, their lives threatened. "What are you planning, Dipper?"
"A magic trick like the world's never seen. Now, hand over the journal."
The book labeled three passed from one hand to another. The book took on a life of its own, rattling and glowing in Dipper's grip. It flew up into the air followed by other objects, paper pens, ink, rules. The pages that contained the strange lines and runes were copied exactly as they were in the book, even portions written in invisible ink. Gideon knelt farther down to the ground, avoiding flying objects. When he looked up Dipper was clutching his head like he was in pain, his eye were a solid blue glow. The paper and other writing tools shuddered in the air and fell back into place on the desk. Gideon's journal landed in his hands and, not quite trusting the situation, he looked up at Dipper. The boy in question was covered in sweat and landing on his desk, breathing heavily.
"D-Dipper?" he reached out a hand to the magician twin's shoulder, somehow concerned for a boy that caused him nothing but terror, and he was pretty sure had plans for global domination.
"Don't touch me," he snapped slapping Gideon's hand away, a look of pure disgust and contempt on his face. The two boy waited there while Dipper caught his breath, a wicked grin curling over said boy's features. "Ha, Thank you, Pines," he said straightening up, "you may go now."
"B-but my friends!" A bright flash of blue blinded Gideon as he rushed towards Dipper. He was falling and landed on his back with an 'uff' outside the mystery twins' tent. "Hey! Dipper! We aren't finished until you've returned my-"
"Gideon!" Pacifica shouted from behind him, taking the smaller boy to the ground, "You have no idea how worried I was about you, idiot! Why did you do agree to the creep's terms? We could'a busted out way outa there, save Wendy an-"
"No we couldn' have! 'Cifica you didn't see it? Every one of their plans that we thwarted was because we had Wendy helping us. We've never beaten them on our own and… and… it was Dipper pulling the strings, even if I could've sweet talked Mabel into letting Wendy go… with her brother right there… no way. You'ld be dead if I didn't cooperate. 'Sides," he pulled out his journal and showed her, "he didn't take it, he just wanted to look at a few pages… "
"Gid, you block head!" she dropped her fist onto his head, "Whatever he's planning it would be worse than sacrificing our lives, don't you get it? Who knows what he can do with the information he's got now!"
"I-I'm sorry 'Cifica, I just didn't want you to get hurt."
