A/N: Dipper vs. The World, round two!

...

Dipper arrived at the high school, stopping by the fence that ran around the sports fields. He was beginning to wonder if there wasn't something in what his mom had said, as his head started spinning again. He wasn't sure driving here had been the best idea either, there had been a close call with that tree, and that mailbox had come out of nowhere.

He was here, and alive though, so bonus points. His conscience had required him to eat though, so he'd stopped at a fast food joint on the way and literally downed a portion of fries as if it'd been a pint. Dipper sorta wished somebody had been there to see him play it cool when the squad car drove by, that was pretty ninja.

The prom had been set up in the fields outside, to make use of the warm summer nights. Tents and various stalls and tables were set up and scattered around. Conflicting strains of music could be heard all over the place. Mabel and Pine-ing would be playing by now somewhere. He loosened the tie irritably again, wondering why he'd ever bothered to bring the damn thing and rolled up the sleeves on the white shirt he'd hurried out in and made for the entrance.

Dipper was going to prom.

…

Mabel stifled a squeak as she nearly tripped on her own feet again. What had she been thinking?

"I can't wait for tomorrow
I can not bring back yesterday" Blake sang.

It was a lovely dress, it was a beautiful dress. She rarely wore things like this and everybody had said she looked nice too, which was…nice. Admittedly, she had also braided her hair with what to the untrained observer appeared only to be a entirely random mish-mash of hairclips, braids and assorted sparkly bits and pieces, but it was actually rigorously methodical. And her friends had covered her face with stickers, and then covered her arms and neck with more stickers. Essentially, any bare skin was fair game.

"Even if the shadows remain
Baby, I know that you and I will meet again some day"

They'd done it as a kind reminder to what she used to do herself, everyday. She'd thought nothing of decorating herself before going to school back then. So when she'd turned up tonight and the band had pulled out a few sticker books and basically attacked her with them, she hadn't really bothered arguing.

"I know there's something you wanna say"

The dress though, lovely, yes. But she liked to move when she was on stage, and as she readied herself, giving a few experimental plucks on her guitar, she found she was increasingly worried she was going to wind up diving off stage or something. It wasn't a dress designed for…motion.

Speaking of being unable to move, she wondered if-

"You close the door at night
You make me go away…"

Shit, she thought, play, play!

Her fingers went to work, almost of their own accord.

"I try to make you remember... belief is all you need
And show you I'll be around forever"

It was a good song. She liked it. She'd always thought it was a bit weak vocally, though that wasn't Blake's fault, they were only performing a cover. But it had one of her favourite guitar solos in it. Tonight though, the lyrics seemed almost…bizarrely astute.

Would Dipper show up? He hadn't looked well and she didn't want him to hurt himself any more, but a part of her hoped her brother would turn up somehow, like some last minute hero in the final act of a movie.

…and now you're hoping for a Hollywood ending, she thought, wryly. Down that path lies only insanity.

But they needed to talk.

"I try to make you remember me
I try to open your mind…"

She snapped from her thoughts as Blake's line trailed into silence, he glanced over at her insistently.

Solo, she panicked, solo!

…

Dipper worked his way through the throng, easily hearing Mabel's playing over the buzz of the horde of overdressed students. He found he was more and more nervous the closer he got, he still had no idea what he was going to say. He was sort of counting on the right words or…well…any words at all to just kind of make themselves apparent when he needed them.

Would it be simpler to go back home and go to bed? Yes. His head ached, his legs ached, his everything ached. Why hadn't he even taken a painkiller or something? He really was an idiot.

"Yo, Dip!"

He stopped in his tracks, nearly falling over in the process as Dave appeared beside him, slapping him on the back and almost sending him the rest of the way to the floor.

"Hey." He half-groaned.

"Still sore buddy?"

"…could say that."

Dave was…well…Dave. He hadn't dressed up insofar as everybody else, but he had dressed up as Dave understood dressing up. His hair was straightened over his shoulders, he was wearing all manner of spiky adornments and bangles and belt buckles and what looked a bit like military boots. How had he even got in? He was a walking, talking public health risk. He'd even groomed his beard.

"Don't suppose you'd be fancying a drink, eh?" Dave waggled a hip flask in front of him.

Dipper eyed it warily, then grabbed it and downed a mouthful. Whatever it was he hoped it dulled pain but left you upright.

Whiskey, he grimaced as Dave laughed at the expression on his face. Still, a welcome numbing sensation washed over him nonetheless.

"That was foul." He shuddered, as Dave took a swig and concealed the flask in a pocket.

"I suppose you're wanting to find Mabel and apologise, right?"

Dipper glanced at him suspiciously.

"Does everybody know about my personal life now? Is everybody waiting for me to talk to my sister? How do they even know I did anything? How does anybody know at all?!" He yelled to the world at large, drawing the confused looks of a few bystanders.

Dave only shrugged.

"If you didn't do anything, maybe you should start doing something."

Dipper resisted the urge to throw up the contents of his stomach in sudden and violent panic as he reminded himself that Dave really had no idea what he was actually suggesting.

"…uh…yeah…" Dipper cleared his throat, awkwardly. "…well, yes. Anyway."

They'd walked on a ways and come upon the back of the audience for Mabel and the band. He looked up at the stage, trying to pick out the girl wearing a big colourful sweater or shorts and rainbow leggings or…he frowned, then his mouth dropped open a little as he realised…

Mabel was beautiful. The sleek, black dress caressed every curve, hugged every part of her body, her hair bounced and trembled as she moved with the music. She was his sister, but for the second time in his life he could literally not give a fuck. He'd never seen her so…she oozed class but still there was the smile, the way she shut her eyes and poured everything she had into that music, her face and skin were even covered in colourful stickers. She was so un-Mabel, but so quintessentially Mabel, still.

"…man." Dave echoed his own more…controversial thoughts.

"Hey guys." Nick appeared. Dave fist-bumped their friend and Dipper managed a smile and a greeting, doing his best to bring brother-Dipper back out. And remembering to close his gaping mouth. "She's really something, huh?"

"Sure, I guess." I shrugged.

A look of concern came over Nicks face.

"You sure you should be out, Dipper? I heard what happened, are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine."

"Jenny was looking for you, but I told her I didn't think you were coming and we…uh…" Nick trailed off awkwardly.

Dave sniggered.

"You and Jenny? Jenny and you?" Dipper asked, neutrally.

"…well we kinda hit it off I guess. Been having a good time. Not sure what to do about Mabel though, I don't want to hurt her feelings and I can't just ditch Jenny now."

Nick wasn't a bad person, Dipper reminded himself. He wasn't malicious, he was just…occasionally a bit flaky. It's funny how years apart make you forget things like that.

"I'll let her know. Need to talk to her anyway." Dipper replied, still disarmingly calm.

"Making peace?" Nick ventured, sounding unsure whether his friend was annoyed or not.

"Something like tha-"

"How's it going, Pines?"

Dipper swallowed the curse on the tip of his tongue. Was he destined to be interrupted by everybody tonight? He knew who it was before he even turned.

"What's up Chris? Wow, nice duds, your mom helped you look all pretty for the prom tonight didn't she?"

"Well that was uncalled for," He turned seeking approval from the two guys flanking him, and they nodded. "And me here, just to wish you the best."

"Thanks, I hope they let you back into Kindergarten too. I'm sure if they see how well you can finger-paint you'll have no trouble at all."

"I got a football scholarship, Pines. I'm going places. You struggle along with your…whatever it is you do? Math?" He laughed.

"Yeah, numbers are totally unimportant." Dipper tapped his chin in mock thought. "Now how do I work out who won that football game exactly? Least points wins, right?"

"You're a dork. You've always been a dork."

"Dude, he knows you so well." Dave nudged his shoulder, grinning.

"Geeks rule the world, baby." Dipper crossed his arms. "Anyway, I'd love to waste my time here playing with the other monkeys, but there are other things I need to do."

"Like getting drunk in parks overnight? Classy, Pines."

"We all have bad days."

"Word is you and your sister've fallen out too."

"I do wonder where that word has come from exactly." Dipper shot Nick and Dave a glance, while they shrugged innocently.

"Never thought Mabel could pull off sexy, but she's done it tonight. I was thinkin' of keeping her company, now that friend of your has ditched her too."

Dipper knew Chris was trying to goad him. He knew this.

"I'd sooner leave her in a room with a crocodile."

"I don't bite, Dipper." Chris's friends laughed.

He knew he was being goaded, he knew this. He was aware of that fact, as he clenched his fist.

"She doesn't have time for dead-enders." Nick piped up.

"She has time for Dipper here, doesn't she? Or at least, she used to." Chris grinned.

Dipper was being goaded. That he was being goaded was a fact he was well aware of.

"Leave it fucknut." Dave chimed in. "C'mon Dip." He tried to pull Dipper away, but he shook off his friends hand.

"Alright asshole." Dipper grinned.

"I heard there was trouble in paradise, sister fed up with you too?" The jock smirked.

Dipper vs. Mom, 1 – Nil.

So he was being goaded, okay, Dipper considered himself goaded.

"Fuck you, man."

He swung his fist into Chris's jaw with a sickening crack.

Dipper vs. Chris…?