Hey guys!
So, just to let you guys know...
I'll be starting a long-term fanfiction on the weekend, but because it'll go on longer the chapters will be shorter. (Like 500-1500 Words)
As for this fanfic, I'll do my best to post every other day. (Maybe more on weekends, it depends)
Get on with the show! ^u^
-Fly
Dipper had woken up to the sound of springs grinding against wood. Squinting in the morning light, he realized it was just Mabel, jumping on her bed.
"Hey Dip! Did you get another one of those creepy nightmares?"
He couldn't breathe. There were walls... Walls that reached towards the sky, never seeming to end. He felt himself grow woozy, and the room spun. The walls were closing in on him, an all too familiar laugh bouncing of of them, slowly getting louder... "Long time no see, Pine Tree."
Of course, Dipper couldn't remember any of his past traumas. He'd only wake up to an empty feeling in his stomach, sweaty and screaming. Mabel would groggily walk over to him, comfort him for a while, and then she'd fall asleep on his bed. He'd sleep on her's for the night, not wanting to wake her, and Mabel would shake him awake, not remembering falling asleep, confused and dazed...
"No." He said simply, shaking his head. Mabel grinned ear to ear.
"Good. I didn't wake up in the middle of the night, appearantly, so I was worried I just slept through your terror!" As grim as that last word sounded, the silence was quickly filled with the humming and shuffling of feet on wood as she disappeared out the door.
Dipper sighed, relieved he'd actually slept through the night, and, more importantly, so had Mabel. Ever since he defeated Gideon, he was haunted by nightmares. He felt awful that nearly every night his sister felt the need to talk to and comfort him until he could calm down. The irony was how despite the fact she was trying to make him feel better, in the end it made him feel worse.
He got up, groaning from a sore back. Nobody ever said their summer home was comfortable. He was about to slip on his orange shirt, now stained with sweat from the day before, but remembered how sweaty it was. Smelling it, he decided it was definitely time for a wash. If he bumped into Will that day he didn't want to embarrass himself. Wait... What? Did he really care about what that stranger thought about him?
...Yea. He did.
A lot.
Why? When (and why) did Will suddenly become such an idol for him? Dipper thought about it, but came up empty. Hmm. He would wash it anyway.
Mabel was ecstatic to see her brother had actually washed his clothes- even if it was actually just a single shirt, it had to be done. He wore that shirt every day, and he smelled worse than a pig! (of all people, she would know.)
The sister herself was wearing a new sweater of her own creation- It was bright blue, with a giant smiling sun made of golden felt embroidered on the front. The words "Fun In The Sun!" were sown on in the same golden color.
Her fuzzy fashion really seemed to mirror what was actually happening outside- The sun was beaming down even hotter than the day before, and it made her look like a walking weather forecast. Soos had pointed this out, and they both immediately decided that they would spend the day showing the tourists "The Wonderful Weather Of Gravity Falls!".
Stan was too caught up in a phone call to pay much attention to the two of them, and gave them permission to do... Whatever crazy, weird thing they were doing. That was all the motivation they needed. Off they went, running off who knows where to make more sweaters. Dipper himself decided he'd just have a quick bowl of cereal, and then he'd head into town for a bit. Pulling on his shoes and vest, he set foot into the sweltering heat.
After another long, agonizing walk into town, he made it to Will's still unnamed store, the sign of the old store barely visible through a fresh coat of dripping red paint.
...That was paint, right? The sound of a car horn woke him up. No wonder people thought he was boring, he LITERALLY found it interesting to watch paint dry! Or maybe he was just interested in other things. He didn't really care.
Pushing open the familiar glass doors, he spotted Will across the store, who quickly slammed the lid on a box closed.
"H-hey there, Dipping Dot!" He tried to cover up his obvious nervousness, but they both knew it hadn't worked.
"Okay Will, what's going on here?" The tall man flashed him a smile, his sharp-looking teeth practically sparkling in the warm lighting of the store. Was that? No.
"Oh, you know..." He kicked the box aside, brushing off his gloves. They were covered in... Dipper bolted to the doors. He tried to push them open, but they wouldn't budge. His pulse quickened.
"Whoa, whoa, I can explain!" Will said, yelling. He snapped his gloved fingers before picking up the box. Inside was a black suit, a white dress shirt and a bright red bolo tie.
"I couldn't find a red one..." He continued, thrusting the box into Dipper's hands. "So I, uh, had to make one myself. There you go. No refunds. Wait, it was free... Uh, just take it, okay?" Dipper was shocked. What could he have done to possibly get a free suit?
He ran his fingers along the soft fabric. Comfy, yet classy. It took his mind off of the man's nervous stuttering and the runny, red paint. It really was an amazing suit. He opened his mouth to politely refuse it, but was instantly cut off.
"Oh, and also, can you stick around and help me finish unpacking? Before you say no, just remember all the trouble I went through to get you that tie..." Will wiggled his gloves fingers in front of Dipper, who didn't bother asking why he couldn't just take the gloves off. Sometimes it was better to just accept things and move on. Will's strangeness was something even he couldn't comprehend.
"I was going to anyway, you really don't need to give me this..." He noticed Will looked offended, and quickly corrected himself. "I- I like it, but... I didn't do anything to deserve-" He was hastily cut off.
"Then you WILL!" And with that, he was ushered to a stack of boxes, neatly each one stacked and labeled. "Let's begin, shall we, little Dipper?"
Nothing too odd happened for a good while. Will and him bounced jokes and bad puns off of each other, although Dipper could tell the man didn't find him funny at all. His fake laugh echoed around the store, which made them both feel pretty awkward.
Eventually, Dipper decided it was about time he should leave. Mabel must be getting worried.
"Aw, leaving so soon, kiddo?" Dipper nodded his head.
"Gotta head home. Thanks for letting me hang out with you- and for the suit." Will grinned, obviously happy that Dipper liked it.
"No problem, Dip!" Dipper waved goodbye, and headed home.
The streets were busy with traffic. He watched the cars speed by as he walked, each one a different color... The complicated rythem of the cars on the road were... Almost... Hypnotizing...
"DIPPER!"
The shrill scream felt like a slap in the face. He had wondered right onto the street, in the middle of the speeding cars. He quickly retreated back to the sidewalk, panting. Looking around, he saw the source of the warning was Will himself. The man ran towards him, his face filled with concern.
"DIPPER! WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?" Ouch. He was expecting more of an "I'm glad you're safe!" But Will wasn't that kind of person.
"I don't know." Was all he could manage, shocked he was still alive.
"That's it, I'm walking you home." Dipper opened his mouth to protest, but shut himself up when Will slung an arm around his shoulder, ushering him down the sidewalk. Okay. Maybe this wasn't so bad.
It was only after they had reached the shack when Will finally let him go. Dipper tried to hide his obvious embarrassment. He was twelve! He could take care of himself! Will wouldn't hear any of it, though, and in the end he gave in. In a way, it was comforting to know someone's looking out for you.
"Thanks, Will." The shopkeeper smiled back at the boy, still a little shaken from what had almost happened to him.
"No problem. Thanks for the help. See ya 'round, Dip!" With that, he turned and walked away, not looking back.
Dipper himself walked back into the shack, where Mabel and Soos were still entertaining tourists with their "100% Accurate Weather Perdictions!" He tried to sneak past, but tripped over the carpet and was quickly helped up by his sister.
"Attention everyone! Meet Dipper! He's our sciency nerd boy!" The small crowd cheered, and he felt his face heat up.
"Mabel, I'm not in the mood, okay?" But her grip on his arm didn't falter.
"Uh-uh-uh. No way, bro bro. Not getting out of this one!" She winked at Soos and he lowered the lights. "You'd miss the great and powerful... RAINBOW!" As soon as she said that, Soos opened the curtains, light shining into the room and bouncing off of a giant prism.
"Where did you even get that?" He was surprised he hadn't seen it on the way in, but decided it wasn't important. He needed to get himself out of her crazy weather show before he embarasses himself.
"I may or may not have looked in your journal..." She said, trying to sound innocent. "Before you get mad, just know that it's back exactly where you left it! As for why you had left it, well, you have some explaining to do." Shoot. She had turned the tables on him. Not good. If Mabel's got the upper hand, it's never good.
"None of your business" he muttered, frustrated that he'd made such a stupid mistake. Sure, leave the journal on the middle of the bed, and walk away to hang out with a creepy shopkeeper you'd only met yesterday. What could go wrong? He shuddered. If Mabel found out, who knows what assumptions she'd make, and what rumors she'd spread. Mabel just giggled.
"Of course! Why would I ever pry into your private life?" She blurted, not bothering to hide her sarcasm. All of a sudden, there was a deafening crash, and light from outside poured in through a gaping hole in the wall. The group of people at Mabel's presentation fled, screaming and shouting.
What stood before them looked like a cross between a pegasus and a dragon. It's multicolored mane floated around it's head in the wind, which must've been created by it's crystal-clear wings. It had flashy, sea-green scales and stood at least 20 feet tall. He looked at Mabel, whose expression was stuck somewhere between fear and adoration. Soos had fled with the crowd, leaving the two to figure out what to do on their own. The beast let out a roar, shaking the ground beneath them.
"OKAY! OKAY! I MAY HAVE STOLEN THE PRISM FROM A NEST. HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW IT BELONGED TO THIS THING!?" He grabbed her hand and ran with her to the attic. Slamming the door closed behind them, he raced to his journal. Flipping through the dirty pages, he stopped on one with a sketch of what looked like the prism Mabel had stolen.
"The elusive dragon-fly lays eggs in the shape of..." Dipper facepalmed. "Mabel, you stole the beast's BABY! That prism is AN EGG!" Mabel smiled sheepishly.
"Whoops..." A sudden crash downstairs sent a jolt down his spine. He raced down the stairs, leaving Mabel behind. If anything went wrong, he didn't want her to get hurt. What he saw next he couldn't explain. The "dragon-fly" snatched up the prism, and flew away, emitting high-pitched sounds of pain. There were dark red stains on the floor, and Dipper figured it'd be safe it say it was blood. The carpet was singed, the last sliver of fire just going out.
However, the most confusing was the shadowy cloaked figure standing in the middle of it all. A long knife rested in their hand.
"HEY!" Dipper yelled, but the figure was too quick. It swiftly ran out the gaping hole in the shack, knowing that even if the boy was slow, he was still hot on his trail. Eventually, it disappeared into the forest, leaving Dipper behind as he panted and coughed.
"Who are you?" He said to no one, knowing he'd never catch up. He turned around to see Mabel was right behind him.
"That was weird." She stated, letting him know he hadn't imagined it. He nodded in agreement.
"Very weird."
The two were quickly snapped back into reality when they heard Stan calling. Yelling would probably be a better word for it, actually.
"KIDS! COME HERE RIGHT NOW!"
"Oh no." They groaned in perfect unison.
"Jinx!" Mabel called.
"Mabel!" Dipper rolled his eyes.
"Sorry. Not the time?" His sister shrugged.
"KIDS!" They heard Stan call again.
"COMING!" And off they went.
The twins ran towards the shack, prepared for whatever punismnent was to come.
"What happened? I demand answers!" Stan's stare bored into their souls. It was enough to make Dipper's hair stand on end. Mabel only looked down and kicked at the dirt.
"Well, Mabel found a prism in the woods... Don't ask." He said quickly, noticing that Stan was about to interrupt. "Appearantly the prism was actually an egg, and..."
"Oh. Enough said." Stan dismissed, inspecting the hole. "Well, none of us will be sleeping in here tonight..." Mabel gasped in excitement. Dipper often wondered what it was like to be such an optomist, and this was one of those times. Mabel made it look both tremendously fun and incredibly exhausting- He'd probably just stay the way he was. Sparkles made him sick, he'd rather die than wear neon, and all that happiness couldn't be healthy.
"WAIT WAIT WAIT. Does this mean..." Mabel's eyes widened to the size of golf balls.
"Yea, kid, go have a sleepover with those weirdos. The problem I can't get rid of is this outcast." Dipper furrowed his brows.
"Hey, I have a friend!" Even if that friend was a creepy man who he'd only seen twice. Still. Mabel had a sleepover with two girls the same night she met them. This had to be better than that. Mabel stifled a laugh.
"Oh yea? Who's that, you're shadow?" She blew a raspberry, dancing in a circle.
"N-no..." Well, he did talk to his shadow when he was feeling lonely... Yea. He never had too many friends. Going to Gravity Falls over the summer really gave him a chance to start fresh, and finally make friends. He hadn't really taken advantage of that.
"His name is... Will. I'll just go sleep over at his place! Nothing to worry about." Not wanting to be questioned on it, he quickly turned and walked away. "I'll see you guys tomorrow!" It was only 5, but he wanted to get away from his sister as soon as possible. She was already suspicious that he'd done something, and that would only lead to her finding out the truth.
It was only when he was halfway to town when he realized the situation he had created for himself. He was going to ask if he could sleep over at a grown man's house, not even knowing if the answer would be yes. Not to mention that for all he knew, the man could be a serial killer, or... Nope, he wasn't gonna think about that. Not now.
What had he gotten himself into?