"Mabel?" Various emotions flashed across Dipper's face before he settled on a nervous smile. "Uh, hey."
"Uh, hey? Is that all you're gonna say to me?" Mabel chuckled, slinging her backpack over one shoulder. "Great to see you again, you dork."
"Right. You… too." Dipper lingered in the doorway for another second before abruptly stepping to the side. "Oh, come in, come in. Don't touch anything."
If she thought the outside had changed, that was nothing compared to the inside. Lab equipment lined the hallways until only a tiny path remained from the living room, the kitchen and the stairs.
"Don't touch anything, if you can." He amended. Mabel tried her best as she made her way to the kitchen.
"You got enough nerd equipment there?" She nudged her brother, who gave an uncomfortable laugh in response. "But seriously, this is all so different! You and Great Uncle Ford have been busy… wait, where is Ford?"
Dipper tiptoed over to the fridge. "He's out on a research trip."
"Oh..." During Grunkle Stan's funeral? "So you're holed up here all on your own? That doesn't sound fun."
"I manage. Do you want something to eat?" He opened the fridge. "We've got… uh, salad? No, those are samples. I can get you some water, if you want. Sorry."
"I'm fine." Mabel frowned. "What's with the jumpiness? I'm not gonna bite, Dipper."
"Huh? I'm not being jumpy… well, maybe I am, but it's been such a long time and I was worried-"
"Don't be worried about me. I'm happy to see you!"
"Yeah…"
Mabel thought for a moment, and then she pulled up a chair. "Here, how about we do some catching up? I know you're going on sciency adventures with Ford – that's cool and all – but I've been doing some stuff too!"
"Oh yeah?" Dipper tried for a smile. "Did you get into an art college? I know you always wanted to be an artist."
"No, I… Dropped out. High school was pretty tough. It must have been cool to have Ford teach you."
"Oh..."
"But that's okay! Mabel's got a job now!"
"You have?"
"At this clothing store. They usually put me near the front because my smile is irresistible, haha!" Mabel grinned to show her point, but Dipper seemed less than impressed.
"So you're… a store greeter."
"Don't give me that look; it's fun! I get to say hello to all these strangers! Of course there's always a few shouty ones, but on the whole it's pretty good, really it is." She leaned back in the chair. "I'm saving enough money to rent an apartment, so Mom and Dad won't have to put up with me for much longer. Then I'll have my own space, so that's exciting!"
"Yeah," Dipper scratched his head. "Real… uh… yeah. So what are you gonna do after that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Are you going to college, or-"
"Nope." Mabel's smile stretched. "School is hell. Never going back."
"Are you sure?"
"Yup. Not everyone's as big of a brainiac as you, bro! I'm just dumb, haha."
"What?" Dipper frowned in concern. "You're not dumb, Mabel. You're just-"
"Smart in different ways or whatever. Sure." Mabel abruptly stood up. "So where am I sleeping?"
Dipper led his sister upstairs to the twin room. It was the first area she could actually recognise from her summer home; one bed was covered in books and pens, and the other was bare.
"I thought it'd be cool if we shared the same room, like we did in that summer." Dipper was saying as they walked in. "If you don't want to, there's always Great Uncle Ford's room, but I just thought since you're only staying for a few days-"
Mabel plonked her backpack down on the bed. "I love it!"
"You do?"
"You bet I do!" She took off her shoes and threw herself onto the sheets. "I forgot how hard these mattresses felt! It's like sleeping on a rock... amazing!"
"Phew, I'm glad you like it." Dipper sat down on the opposite bed and picked up a book, a comfortable silence settling between the two of them. It almost felt like old times, back when they were inseperable; two very different personalities with an unbreakable bond.
Then Dipper just had to break it.
"You're doing okay, aren't you?"
Mabel rolled over to face him. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, you're not... You, uh..." Dipper closed the book, struggling to find the right words. "I mean, you were talking earlier about school, and... you're okay, right?"
"Sure I'm okay." She raised an eyebrow. "High school's over now. Maybe it'd have been easier if you'd bothered to talk to me once in a while, but it doesn't matter."
"That wasn't my fault!" Dipper snapped. "I was busy!"
"Whoa, I didn't say that!" Mabel sat up. "We both did some dumb stuff after you decided to stay with Ford. I'd say the blame is around fifty-fifty, if my math is correct."
"That's not math."
She shot a look at him. "Fine. Seventy-fifty then, with the seventy on your side."
"Wha- huh? That makes, like, zero sense!" Dipper took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry we lost contact, but I was busy. I didn't have time. Plus, it was probably for the best; we both got to grow on our own as separate people, without one of us suffocating the other."
"Suffocating?" Mabel raised her voice. "You think I'm suffocating?"
Dipper paled. "That was a poor choice of words! I don't think you're suffocating, I just think, uh..."
"Yeah, what did you mean by that?"
"I meant... um..."
Mabel crossed her arms and watched him struggle for a few seconds. Then Dipper stopped stuttering, and stood up. "I... meant something else, okay? I'm going down to the lab."
"Yeah, I can't suffocate you down there, can I!"
"That's not-! Argh, nevermind. I'll see you later." He stalked out of the room, leaving Mabel alone. Her glare softened as soon as he left.
"Suffocating." Mabel sat on her bed and put her head in her hands. "He thinks I'm suffocating."
I made sense when she thought about it. Dipper was the smart twin, the successful twin; of course he'd find her suffocating. Not that it made the actual admission any less hurtful, but still.
"You're here for Stan, Mabel." She told herself. "I'll be out of Dipper's hair as soon as the funeral's over. No point in staying."
Because without Stan and the Mystery Shack, Gravity Falls just didn't feel like a welcoming place to her anymore.
Edited 8/16/17
