AN: So one guest review seemed worried that I skipped so much; I updated the summary tagline to include 'not in chronological order.' Basically, I write them in the order I feel like. XD If you want to read them in chronological order, please see my profile; there is a section that says 'Some of Things chapters in Order' or something like that, where I will list them in chronological order for you guys!
So this one here takes place soon after Double Dipper.
(Also pssst Zwei isn't as innocent as you suppose, you'll find that out soon enough hehe. He's just quite a good big brother.)
Song for this chapter: Somewhere over the Rainbow/Simple Gifts by the Piano Guys
CRASSHHHH
Rain lashed at the Shack; Gravity Falls was caught in the grip of a summer thunderstorm, complete with lightning, rain like bullets, and plenty of thunder.
Dipper and Mabel were having their usual late breakfast down in the kitchen, pretty much ignoring the storm. Dipper was propping up a mystery novel against the jug of milk that he'd used for his cereal, spooning the sugary stuff into his mouth with his other hand. Mabel had claimed the leftover pancakes from the previous day, and was drowning them in syrup.
"Hey kids, you know where Drei got off to? We all gotta clean the Shack up from the party last night." Stan had walked into the kitchen holding a mug of coffee, stretching his back.
"Caught a glimpse of him going into the living room," mumbled Dipper, not looking up from his book. He was still trying to take his mind off the failure of last night. He had lost his chance, and Robbie had gotten that dance. Hey that rhymes, he thought absentmindedly. Always thought poetry was more Mabel's thing…
"Thanks. You two finish up." He grinned then turned around. "Drei! I'm gonna need you to sweep the Shack! Just leave all the crud on the porch or sweep it into the yard, the rain'll wash it away!"
There was a thready, quavering reply. "N-no.. I don't thinks I'll be wantings to does that."
That tone of voice, high pitched and almost choked up, led Dipper to put his book down and Mabel to resurface with a face full of pancake. "Drei?" Dipper was the first to speak and get up. Mabel, swallowing, and Stan weren't far behind. They reached the living room to see the teen huddled in Stan's armchair and wearing his pajamas (currently Mabel's sweater she made for him and some soft red linen pants they'd gotten him.) His knees were drawn up to his chin and he looked terrified of something, eyes drawn wide and teeth clenched.
"Woah kid, you okay?" Grunkle Stan looked concerned, wondering what had Drei wound so tight. Then thunder shook the house, and while the Pineses didn't blink, Drei his his face against his knees and shuddered.
"Aw Drei… Have you never heard a thunderstorm before?"
"Noes… Lab was soundproofs. Creator never go researching in rain. Equipment get ruins." His voice was tiny and muffled by his own body as he attempted to wrap his arms tighter around himself. Dipper took one look and sighed.
"I'll take him upstairs. Mabel, you can finish your breakfast. Grunkle Stan, I'll come back down and sweep really soon, okay?" Stan nodded, reaching out to pat Drei on the shoulder before tugging Mabel back into the kitchen.
"Come on, Drei." Dipper gently pulled Drei's arm, guiding him in the direction of the attic. Drei slowly uncurled, still shaking a little. He lasted all the way until the stairs before the question that was written all over his face made its way out.
"Dip?" It was said barely above a whisper.
"Yeah?" A nearly as quiet answer.
"Whys is water so dangerous?"
"Well- Huh wait what? Water?" They'd reached the top of the stairs, and Dipper had halted right in front of the door to the attic bedroom. "I thought it was the thunder and lightning that was bothering you."
Drei shook his head. "Theys don'ts help… But wet is scarys… Can hurts… Melts me and make my tattoos washes off." Drei had pushed the door open with a quiet creak and now was hiding himself at the bottom of his sleeping bag. Dipper sat next to him.
"Aw man where did you get that idea? Water is perfectly safe! It's what you drink to stay alive. It's a vital component of our bodies."
"B-but I saws some kids dissolved last nights after theys got sprayed with waters." Oh. Oh. All Dipper could think at the moment was that he was incredibly relieved that Drei had not recognized the Dipper-clones as Dipper. He would have lost it.
"It's okay, Drei. Those guys weren't really humans, they were magical constructs…" This drew a whimper from Drei and then Dipper wanted to punch himself. Of course that wouldn't make Drei feel better…
Drei was a magical construct.
"No wait I didn't mean it like that, Drei, they were different…" But the teen had already curled into a ball at the very bottom of the sleeping bag. It looked like he wasn't planning on coming out for a while.
Dipper sighed and awkwardly patted the Drei-lump, unsure if it was his head or shoulder or knee. "I… I'll be downstairs helping sweep, okay? You can stay here and calm down a little. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to put it that way…"
He left on the light as he went downstairs.
"Well, Drei is afraid of water," he announced. "Any ideas on how to get him over this?" Mabel looked up from the dustpan she was working with. Stan had vanished to tidy up another section of the Shack.
"Water? Why would he be afraid of water?"
"It's kind of a long explanation, but he thinks he'll melt or dissolve or something, or that all the ink and information will wash off."
"Will it?" Mabel looked at Dipper with questioning eyes.
"I don't know. Only one way to find out. First we have to get him to understand that water isn't gonna actually hurt him…" Dipper was now pacing; he realized this and decided to grab a broom and put his pacing to good use.
"But Dipper… He's a recording device thingy, technically… Aren't recording devices normally paper or techy stuff? And what happens when you dump those in water? Bad things, that's what. What if… What if he's not wrong?" Mabel sounded worried for their friend. Dipper stopped again, looking sick for a moment before his face showed clear relief.
"I understand that way of thinking, but Drei is actually alive. He's got blood, and while it's black, it's still gotta be water based to keep him alive. But besides that, he drinks Pitt Cola! And milk and apple juice! Water is the basis of all of those things, it can't hurt him."
"Oh whew. Well, we can't like trick him, that would be mean… Um…" Mabel tapped her chin. Dipper interrupted.
"Let's think while we clean. Then we can get this done quickly."
And so they did, giving the Shack a vigorous cleaning at Stan's instruction. Occasionally, they called out ideas to one another. Demonstrating how water didn't hurt either of them was shot down because Drei knew water didn't affect humans. (Dipper had suggested having him watch a water ballon war, and Mabel had suggested Dipper demonstrate how to shower. Dipper had shouted the latter idea down before Mabel had even gotten the words out all the way. "What, you're both guys," was Mabel's response.)
"Ya know I can hear you two knuckleheads, right?" Grunkle Stan said as he came into the room. Both whirled around. "You two are missin' the most obvious solution. Dipper, just explain to him what you explained to Mabel earlier. He may not know exactly the way some stuff works, but he ain't dumb. He's got a ton of knowledge, and Dipper, I think nerd-speak is his language too. Mabel, you're all fluffy and encouragin', you can do all the promisin' he'll be fine. Start with maybe a wet washcloth or somethin' similar."
The twins looked at each other and then stared at their great uncle. "Grunkle Stan that's… A really good plan," Dipper said, a bit awed.
"I knew you had a heart in there!" Mabel crowed as a grin split her face. "I'll go get a washcloth!" She got up and sped off, the lightning bolt on her sweater seeming especially apt.
Stan chuckled. "No problem, kiddos." He was reminded of a certain nerd trying to science him to death in order to get Stan over his fears. While it hadn't worked on him very well, he was sure it would be helpful for a fellow nerd. "And ya both did great with the Shack cleaning. Tomorrow we can go get some ice cream, on me."
Dipper grinned. "Thanks for everything Grunkle Stan." Then he ran off after his sister, and Stan was left to chuckle to himself and go back to rearranging merchandise in the gift shop.
"Okay Drei, did you get all that?" Mabel asked softly. Between the two of them, they'd managed to convince Drei to climb out of the sleeping bag and sit on top of it, still looking nervous. At least the thunder and lightning had moved on, though the rain still pounded on the roof.
"Is did…" he mumbled. "Make sense. Make lots of sense." He picked up the can of Pitt Cola Dipper had brought along to squint at the ingredients list again. Dipper had pointed out that WATER was clearly listed first. He almost didn't believe it. "Buts… I still scared…"
"It's okay! Everyone gets scared!" Mabel promised. She squeezed his hand. "And… We have a way to get you over your fear."
"Yeah, a safe, non-scary way," Dipper promised. "We have a damp washcloth that we can put on the back of your hand. It's not going to do anything. And, just to see if water could wash off your tattoos, I can make a non-necessary entry, and we can try and wipe it off. Sound okay? Simple enough?"
Drei gulped and nodded. Had he pupils, they would have been wide with fright. But… "I'll be doings it. If…. If harmless, I shoulds be getting overs my fear… Rights?"
Mabel beamed. "That's the spirit, Drei! Now…" She picked up the washcloth from the bowl she had put it in. Seemingly without noticing, Drei's other hand snatched up Dipper's just as the back of the one Mabel held went blank of any tattoos. "You ready?"
He closed his eyes and nodded, teeth gritted and canines locked together. Dipper closed a hand around the burn lotion he had stashed under his bed (part of his monster hunting first aid kit.) Without further ado, Mabel plopped the cloth onto Drei's hand.
He flinched, but a second later his eyes opened and he stared down at his hand. "… Its worked!" He looked at Dipper and Mabel in turn. "Guyses! It not hurt me!" His face lit up, grimace transforming into a grin.
"Told you!" Dipper said with a smile of his own.
"Oh yeah high fives!" Mabel held up her hands to both Drei and Dipper. The former had to watch what Dipper did, then imitated him. Then he poked his fingers in the bowl of warm water.
"Feel… Nice." Wet skin was a new sensation for him.
"Wait until you take a shower, or go swimming!" Mabel said in excitement.
"Hold up Mabel, first we have to see if his tattoos are waterproof." Dipper scooted so he was next to Drei's arm, while Drei rolled up his sleeve. "So… Hmm…." He cleared his throat and spoke with intent.
"I'm pretending to write something down."
And the blue scrawl appeared. Drei handed over the washcloth, which Dipper wiped against the marks.
There was no change in the tattoo, nor any ink on the cloth which Dipper checked. He tried again with the same result, then grinned. "Drei, I officially pronounce you fully waterproof."
"Yaaaaaay!" Drei jumped to his feet while Mabel cheered. "I is not afraids any more!"
"No you are not," Dipper agreed, and Drei rolled down his too-long sweater sleeve. Then he took off out the door, which neither twin was expecting. They spared a moment for a shared glance, then ran after him.
They found Stan smiling a knowing smile and counting profits at the register in the gift shop.
"Where's Drei?" Dipper puffed out. Stan chuckled.
"Outside."
"What?" But it was still pouring. Still, Dipper and Mabel went onto the porch and found that their grunkle was right.
Drei was standing, staring at the sky, getting thoroughly soaked. His eyes held a look of wonder; he was gaining a new experience. If only he was able record his own findings on his skin. His uncovered right eye blinked away the drops that hit it while his monocle collected beads of water. His hair had turned a darker color and was plastered to his head, bangs washed away from his forehead. His clothes looked like they were dripping off his small bony frame, but his sleeves were rolled back. The water was allowed to patter on his tattooed forearms and upturned palms.
Then he realized Dipper and Mabel were there and smiled. "Dip and Mabel! Rain are good! Not scary! Come ons!" He beckoned them, then flung his head back and stuck out his tongue to catch the raindrops.
Mabel grinned and tugged off her sweater so she was just wearing the t-shirt beneath, while Dipper removed his vest. Then they left both garments on the old couch on the porch and joined their friend, splashing through puddles and chasing one another and just being happy.
And Drei? Drei was proud of himself for overcoming his fear. He had done it. But he was also extremely grateful that the Pines twins had cared enough to help him.
Best friends, indeed.
AN: About the "I'm pretending to write something down"… In the episode, Dipper writes it on a clipboard, but it's in the copy of Journal 3! So this is my little idea for this AU of how it got in the journal. XD
Guess what? If I write the one-shot I'm planning next instead of later… Eins will be introduced! (No it's not the reunion scene yet, sorry!)