July 16th
Dipper awoke this morning, as he had every morning for almost a month now, with the feel of Mabel warm and soft in his arms and the smell of her hair almost blotting out his other senses but unlike every other time this small miracle had occurred it had given him no peace today. His eyes had opened at the touch of the early dawn light streaming in through the window and the first thing he had seen wasn't Mabel's sleeping face, but instead the calendar hanging on the wall beside her all-but-abandoned bed. As he looked at it with bleary eyes he thought that the adorable kitten wearing an Uncle Sam hat adorning the calender seemed to be staring at him accusingly for some reason. Confused by the odd mental image Dipper squinted to take a closer look and then felt a sudden coldness overtake him from within. The calender was a familiar sight, so common that he had almost forgotten it was there but today when he looked at it he realized with an unpleasant start that the 'X's marking down the days of July had almost eaten through the entire month.
Summer's going to be over in just a few more weeks, Dipper thought and felt a sudden rush of panic hit him like a bucket of icy water to the face. We're going to have to go back home soon and from there we'll have to… No! We already decided that we were going to stick together. Even before we were together-together like we are now we had decided that. How though? I mean… what are we going to do? What am I going to do? In the light of the morning all the plans and schemes that Dipper had been cycling through his head over the last few weeks seemed to be either hopelessly naive or just plain insane. I thought I still had a lot more time… more time to make them workable, or at least less stupid. Crap, I've been so happy just being with her that I still haven't figured out how I'm going to be able to stay with her after we leave here. Idiot!
I can't lose her, Dipper thought with his heart feeling like lump of lead in his chest as he buried his face into Mabel's neck to inhale her scent, to try and forget everything for a peaceful second if he could. Try as me might though, he could not.
"Gruuugh… five more minutes." Mabel groaned out sleepily as she buried her own face into his pillow, and Dipper pulled himself back to let her rest, turning away to lie flat on his back and stare vacantly up at the cobweb festooned beams of the ceiling.
What am I going to do?
–
"Someone's got a serious case of the grumps this morning." Mabel said playfully as she gave Dipper a friendly poke while they sat together at the breakfast table an hour later. Ever since he'd woken up Dipper had been practically silent but with his mind racing frantically through any available option that had occurred to him, discarding them one by one before desperately seeking another. By the time Mabel had slowly woken beside him and given him her now-traditional good morning kiss on the cheek he had worked himself almost into a panic, but he tried his best to keep it under the surface to avoid worrying her. Of course, this is Mabel here, Dipper thought, she can pretty much see right through me most of the time even when I'm not so obviously stressed out.
"I guess I just slept on the wrong side of the bed or something," Dipper replied with a small false smile. If I'd slept facing the other side like I normally do then I wouldn't have seen that damn calendar… of course it isn't like not seeing it would make it any less real.
"Well I know just the cure for it!" Mabel said sprightly, "Today's our day off – lets go on that picnic like we talked about. The weather is beautiful out there, and I've been feeling kinda cooped up in the Shack lately."
"Yeah, that sounds pretty fun actually." Dipper said perking slightly, and he was surprised to find that he meant it. A little sun and fresh air would be good for my brain, and it would also be nice for the two of us to spend a little more time alone together when its not after midnight it the attic. Maybe this is exactly what I need… just as long as we don't have to go on another death march courtesy of Sergeant Mabel that is.
"There's this beautiful hiking trail out by the river that I'd been wanting to check out," Mabel said cheerfully as she poured out a bowl of cereal for herself before opening the fridge and checking the milk cautiously to see if it had been purchased sometime in the last year. "Apparently its pretty much been abandoned because everyones too lazy to finish such a long one! Also it's possibly cursed, but I'm pretty sure that last part is an exaggeration."
So much for that hope, Dipper thought with a mental sigh, but he smiled at seeing the excited look on his sisters face as she started telling him the strange rumors she had heard about the trail. At least now I don't have to beat myself up if I find myself staring at her in those tiny shorts. Of course knowing how flirty Mabel's been acting lately she'll probably try to walk in front of me this time just to make sure I get a good look and then call me a perv when she 'catches' me. I don't know why she likes trying to make me blush so much… or why I even still blush at all considering that we've already-
"Earth to Dipper-" Mabel said as she tapped him gently on the tip of his nose with her cold spoon, leaving a drip of milk behind on his skin, "-are you alright in there? You just kinda zoned out for a bit."
"Heh, yeah – sorry. I guess I must not be totally awake yet." Dipper replied, wiping the stray droplet of milk off his nose with the sleeve of his worn old brown canvas jacket with a slight frown.
"Yeah, I can see that. Or-" Mabel said, her voice dropping into a playfully accusing whisper, "-you spaced out thinking about me wearing my hiking shorts."
Dipper stared at her blankly for a second before responding in a flat monotone, "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"Haha! I am so right! Yes! Score one for team creepy-twin-thought-sharing!" Mabel said triumphantly, giving the air a small victory punch.
"Okay, how did you even do that? Are you hiding some kind of amulet on you or something?" Dipper asked, dropping all pretense of innocence. Do we even have something that can read minds? I don't think we do… I really should make a catalog of all that magic junk later when I have the time. If I have the time.
"Nah, it was just a really lucky guess. My other option would have been to say you were thinking about bigfoot or something." Mabel said dismissively as she dug into her cereal with gusto.
"Well, I do think about bigfoot a lot so that might have worked too." Dipper said jokingly, feeling his spirits lift up as the familiar rhythm of their usual banter wormed its way into his mind to push out his earlier cloud of negativity.
"You better watch yourself though bro – it could be that I am mutating, and that my Alpha Twin powers are transforming me into every guys worst nightmare: a girlfriend who can actually read your mind!" she said, putting on her best 'spooky movie announcer' voice for the last part.
"Maybe not so loud with the girlfriend thing?" Dipper hissed quietly at her, "At least till we are out of the house anyway."
"Give me some credit Dip – Grunkle Stan is still fast asleep. If you weren't so busy getting all pervy in your brain with images of my fantastic legs you would have noticed all the snoring." Mabel said teasingly.
Dipper paused and he could hear the faint echo of Stans infamous window-pane rattling snore worming its way down the stairwell. "Fair enough. Sorry for getting all paranoid like that."
"No biggie, it's understandable- now c'mon, get yourself something to eat so we can start getting ready for the hike already! I want us to still have some daylight to work with here." Mabel said excitedly, giving him a small shove toward the cabinets where the food was kept.
"Its 9 a.m., I think we won't have to worry about nightfall for a while," Dipper responded dryly but he did go get himself a bowl of his own and join her again at the table.
Just a nice relaxing afternoon, that's what I need to set my mind straight.
—
Time had passed, but Dipper could not say how much. If he had to guess he would have said somewhere between a few hours and a geologic age judging by the stiffness in his muscles and the nagging feeling that some invisible joker had replaced the normal contents of his backpack with lead bricks.
"Mabel, I think this trail really is cursed." Dipper groaned quietly as he trudged along after his sister.
"Oh shush, ya big wimp. How can someone who fought a bunch of zombies last week be such a baby about a little walking?" Mabel asked cheerfully as she loped ahead of him with easy swinging steps of her long legs.
"This isn't just a little walking Mabel, this is the dress rehearsal for some sort of weird migration ritual. I think I can see Canada off in the distance from here." Dipper panted as he hitched his drooping pack up higher onto his shoulders and paused to remove his cap and wipe the sweat from his brow.
"Well when we get there you can take a breather and have all the refreshing maple syrup you can drink." Mabel called back playfully over her shoulder.
After grumbling quietly to himself about what she could do with the refreshing syrup, Dipper took a deep breath and tried to shake off his weariness and just enjoy the experience, to try and see the hike the way he thought Mabel must see it. He stopped and just looked out around him, trying to see the world as it was instead of just taking it all for granted. The early afternoon sun was coming down strong from above but the arching boughs of the trees lining the path split the harsh rays into dappled beams of light, and the breeze rustling through the branches was coming down cool and sweet from the mountains. He could hear the calling of unfamiliar birds all around him, their whistles and chirps calming his earlier discontent and he felt peace wash over him slowly. It really is beautiful out here…so different from anything we have back home… maybe getting to see something like this is worth a few blisters.
"Okay, I have to admit it is pretty nice out today." Dipper conceded. "Even if we have pretty much just walked across more ground than all of Rhode Island."
"I told you so. You spend too much time indoors Dip- a little fresh air now and then is good for you!" Mabel said, and he noticed that she had gradually slowed her steps until they were now walking side by side. Almost without thinking he reached out a hand and she slipped her own into his without a word, their fingers twining together in a firm but gentle grip.
"Hey, I get out too sometimes." Dipper responded, slightly defensive but adding a small squeeze of his hand to hers as well.
"Tromping around through the woods while monster hunting doesn't count. You don't get to really appreciate all the nature around you when you're running for your life from something that wants to eat your face." Mabel said.
"I guess…" Dipper said, "but you do have to admit that it's great exercise."
"I'll give you that one," Mabel replied, "but I don't think that you could really sell most people on it instead of just going to the gym."
"I suppose I'm not most people then. I'd rather be running from something trying to eat my face than join a gym." Dipper joked.
"Well, I guess it has been working for you well enough," Mabel teased back as she ran her other hand up his arm and gave his bicep a playful squeeze while making an approving noise in her throat.
"Nothing like a little terrified climbing and desperate undead smashing to get some definition." Dipper replied in a semi-sarcastic tone. That and the push ups that I do sometimes when you aren't looking, he thought with slight embarrassment. Though he would never admit it to Mabel, even under threat of torture, he'd been secretly doing a little working out just to try and make himself more attractive to her ever since their relationship had started getting physical a few weeks ago. Probably a lucky thing that I had, a little extra muscle does actually come in handy when you have to deal with weird junk trying to kill you every now and then. I guess my insecurity can be a good thing sometimes.
"Hey, speaking of our last date, do you remember that guy that Grenda had been dancing with?" Mabel said, taking Dipper's mind out of that particular tangent as he tried to recall the boys face.
"Yeah.. I think his name was Rick or something? It was kind of hard to hear him while Grenda was practically choking him all night though." Dipper responded as he thought back to their Summerween night at the dance club.
"Well apparently he gave her a call a few days afterward for a second date and they are pretty much going out now!" Mabel said cheerfully. "She's really excited about it since she hasn't had too much luck with boyfriends in the past."
"Well, there's someone out there for everyone," Dipper said with a smile.
"I think the costume may have helped her confidence a lot," Mabel said, "That girl can really rock a metal corset and viking helmet."
"It was actually pretty good look for her." he responded with a nod.
"Oh, and Candy's been asking lately about whatever had happened to the mysterious Gerard." Mabel said with a chuckle.
"Really? What did you end up telling her?" Dipper said cautiously, recalling the entire bizarre incident of their deception. I STILL can't believe that we pulled that off somehow.
"Unfortunately our love was not meant to be," she began dramatically, "because he was a spy trying to steal state secrets and ended up getting deported when I was forced to turn him in."
"Wait, I was a spy? I thought Translovakia was one of our allies?" Dipper joked back.
"Then maybe Gerard was a traitor or something? Either way he's probably buried in an unmarked grave somewhere by now." Mabel said in a mock-sombre tone.
"Yeesh, that got pretty dark." Dipper replied.
"Yeah, I probably should have dialed it back a bit on the last part." Mabel conceded. "Still, its a good story, right?"
"A bit too dramatic for my tastes, but I guess it would still be more believable to most people than 'he spent the night fighting a bunch of zombies summoned by the lamest wizards in existence."
"I swear if I see either of those two guys again I'm going to give them a kick square in the nuts for making us put up with all that junk on a date night." Mabel said with a small frown briefly flashing across her face.
"I think they probably learned their lesson. Anyway they already looked more scared of you than the zombies as it was." Dipper joked.
"They should be." Mabel said grimly.
"I've been thinking about a few new ideas for attractions back at the Shack lately," Dipper said quickly to try and distract his sister from her sudden shift in mood. That whole zombie thing must have really put her on edge I guess. Maybe she's been needing this day out for relaxation just as much as I have?
"Really? Like what?" Mabel asked, shaking off the dark look that had settled on her face.
"Well, how about slapping some pigeon wings on that weird stuffed turtle thats up in the attic?" Dipper said.
"What, like we make one of those little koopa guys from Mario?" Mabel asked.
"Exactly! The old people eat it up as an oddity and the kids get to laugh because they are in on the joke." Dipper responded with a smile.
"I can see some potential there. How much glitter will it need?" Mabel asked critically as she stroked her chin thoughtfully.
"How much do you think you can get?" Dipper said.
"I like the way you think – we'll start on it tonight after we get back." Mabel said cheerfully, and her wide smile made Dippers heart skip a beat. I can't get over how great she looks when she smiles like that at me.
"How long have we been walking for anyway?" Dipper asked, suddenly becoming aware once more of the twinges shooting up from his calf muscles with each step he took along the crunching leaves underfoot.
"Well, I'm not really sure…but I think I can see the halfway point marker up ahead though! Not a lot further to go." Mabel said with a smile as she gave his hand a playful squeeze.
Halfway marker? Dipper thought as his heart sank deep into the pit of his chest, Oh boy….
–
Mabel gave an approving nod as she stood with her hands on her hips and surveyed the clearing by the river bend that was just a short walk off from the path of the main trail. The perfect spot for a picnic, she thought, plus I think if we go any further Dipper will probably just fall down and demand that I bury him on the spot. Knowing him, he probably packed a shovel somewhere in that giant bag of his just in case.
"Hey Dipper, come on over this way – I think I found the spot!" she called out and she heard her brothers weary cry of celebration echo faintly through the trees as he slowly made his way toward her. She gave him a sympathetic look as he stumbled into the clearing and doubled over with his hands on his knees, panting raggedly. Maybe I've been pushing him a little hard on the walk today… but its not my fault he always insists on carrying that really heavy pack whenever we go out. I mean, we're just going on a picnic today, not climbing Mount-freaking-Everest.
While Dipper was busy recovering his breath Mabel went over and helped him slip the bag off his back before she started laying out the thick old flannel blanket they had packed to use for the picnic. He joined her in setting up the food after a few minutes of rest and soon they were lying together under the shade of the trees and enjoying the chicken sandwiches and large bottles of cold tea that had been set aside for their meal. The twins ate mostly silently, just enjoying the gentle sound of the river rushing against the banks and Mabel scooted herself along the blanket until she was nestled up under one of Dippers arms, which he wrapped around her automatically as she leaned against him with a sigh. After they had polished off the last of the sandwiches Dipper had turned and produced a bag of gummy koalas from a secret pouch in his backpack, to Mabel's delight, and declared that dessert was on him. They made a game of tossing the colorful candies into the air and trying to catch them in their mouths, but stopped after an attempt at the risky simultaneous-double-toss resulted in the twins banging their heads against one another and left them giggling like children at the ridiculousness of it all.
This is also what romance feels like, Mabel reflected with a smile when she caught sight of Dippers grinning face as he rubbed the sore spot on his forehead where her skull had collided with his, its not just the big dramatic stuff that they write about or show in the movies. Its the little things. The silly things that you never really think about. The stuff that just makes you happy to just be with the person you love.
"So, walking aside – how do you think this dates been going?" Mabel asked as she leaned back on her arms and luxuriated in the feel of the sunlight filtering through the trees on the bare skin of her arms and legs.
"This date has been 90% walking," Dipper said in a sarcastic but still cheerful tone, "but I've really been enjoying it. It's nice to just spend some time together with you out in the sun. You know, when we aren't being chased by a monster or working in the Shack or what have you."
"Hey, don't knock being chased by monsters too much Dip – if we hadn't been cornered by that giant bat you might never have kissed me." Mabel said with a teasing smile. Though I might have kissed you eventually…but who knows? Either way I'm glad it happened. Maybe not the almost dying part, but the rest of it for sure…
"That's a good point." Dipper said with a nod as he lazily tossed a lime flavored gummy koala into his mouth.
"You gotta look for the silver linings in everything bro, even when it comes to being chased around by pissed off monsters." she said matter-of-factly.
"He probably wouldn't have been so angry if you hadn't woken him with the camera flash," Dipper teased as he gave her a gentle poke in the ribs and she swatted him back playfully in return.
"Well you gotta admit it made for a good picture – I saw you pasting it up in that journal I gave you." Mabel retorted.
"Very true. I've actually ended up adding quite a few pages to that thing since you gave it to me. I'd almost forgotten just how much I really loved the summers we spent up here… and you know… going on these sorts of weird adventures with you." Dipper said.
"They have been fun. Scary sometimes," Mabel said, "but definitely fun. Plus you know, getting an awesome boyfriend out of the deal is pretty nice too." she teased as she jabbed him playfully, "This is the epic summer romance that I've been wanting since I was a kid."
He smiled back at her, but she noticed there was something else behind his eyes. Something sad and worried, like she'd noticed brewing in him earlier that morning. What's been up with him today?
"What's wrong Dip?" Mabel asked as she reached out and ran her hand over his shoulder gently and looked into his mahogany eyes with her own practically identical ones as if trying to see into his head, to spot whatever it was that was hurting him.
"I guess its the 'summer romance' thing… I mean… do you worry about the future? You know… after the summers done and we have to leave here." he said, hesitantly.
She paused. So that's whats been eating him. "I guess I do… but I mean, we're going to figure it out, right?"
"What if we don't though?" he said shortly, startling her. "I mean… I've been trying to come up with something… some idea or plan for what we're going to do when we have to go, but I've got NOTHING… and it just scares the hell out of me because I see the days just slipping by and I worry that… that you'll be slipping away with them."
"C'mon Dipping-sauce… don't get so dramatic here. I'm not going to just disappear in a puff of smoke when the summers done. I love you- get that through your head," she said as she reached out and tapped his forehead playfully with her knuckle. "If anything you'll have a harder time finding a way to avoid me now that you're my boyfriend." she teased.
She saw him look at her then with a small sincere smile that set her heart fluttering in her chest like a trapped bird, and she leaned across to him to plant a slow kiss on his lips that left the both of them with wide smiles. I mean, we will figure something out right? We have to.
Don't we?
"Okay, brainstorming time!" Mabel said with a loud clap of her hands, "Lets see what we've got to make sure that Dipbel can survive the end of summer."
"Dipbel?" Dipper asked.
"I was trying to come up with a couple name… that was really the best I could do with Dipper and Mabel." she replied.
"Yeah… you might want to work on that one a little more." he said slowly.
"Idea one," Mabel said sharply, ignoring his comment, "We run away and join the circus."
"That might actually be a little harder than you think," Dipper said, "plus I think we'd need some sort of talent or act or whatever."
"How about a dancing pig? Oooh, or ventriloquism! I could go find Bear-O and-"
"Dear god no!" Dipper said in a voice of quiet horror that was only very slightly exaggerated.
"Seriously?" Mabel said with a roll of her eyes, "Still that creeped out by Bear-O?"
"Mabel I was waist deep in angry re-animated corpses last weekend and Bear-O is still pretty much the only thing that I have nightmares about." he said in a deadpan voice.
"We should really take you to see someone about that." Mabel said with a shake of her head.
"Well the circus is out anyway," Dipper said, "but I do have one that might work… how do you feel about destabilizing the economy slightly?"
"Are we going to be doing more counterfeiting? Because I've been practicing and I think I've gotten a lot better lately." Mabel said with a hint of pride.
"What? No… wait, what do you mean you've been practicing?" Dipper asked with confusion.
"Yup, how do you think I could afford such nice things? Oh, don't look at me like that - its not like its even that big of a deal." Mabel said as she toyed with the large goofy sparkling earrings dangling from her ears.
"Sure, what's a little federal offense here and there?" Dipper replied sarcastically.
"Anyway, what was your big plan Mr. 'I'm too good for forgery'?"
"Well I had been thinking a lot about that growing/shrinking crystal we've got and how we've never really used it to its full potential… I mean, if we wanted to we could just get a little piece of one of Stans gold chains or whatever and literally make a ton of gold out of it by just growing it. We'd never have to work at all if we didn't want to." Dipper said.
"I don't know… you always say that we shouldn't abuse this magic stuff that we find, and I think that you were right about that. I mean, if you use this junk selfishly then all sorts of terrible things seem to happen. Like, every time without fail." Mabel said carefully. Though unlimited cash forever does sound pretty tempting.
"Well its not like we'd be going full Gideon here. We aren't trying to rule the world or anything." Dipper said defensively.
"Eh… I don't know… lets shelve the giant magic gold nugget plan for now. How about something less drastic… like we just transfer over to the same school? You know, some place that we could both get into." Mabel said, her voice taking on a more serious tone.
"I have thought of that one too," Dipper said, "and its not a bad plan… I don't know though… after that talk we had after the bat attack… I don't even know if I actually want to go to college at all. I mean, you were right – it would cost a lot of money and I don't even really know what I'd want to study. Or even what I want to do with my life."
"Is this really Dipper talking here?" Mabel asked, "Mr. Straight-A's? Senior Science Club president? You just want to ditch your education? I thought you loved learning and studying and junk."
"Well thats just it, I do… but I don't know what I'd be studying at all. In school they just handed you stuff and it was your job to learn it, but here… well I don't have any kind of focus. I mean, all the stuff I like learning about would probably get me laughed out of most of the average classes." Dipper said.
"I guess so." Mabel said, her face searching his and seeing the uncertainty written there. He's been thinking about this a lot hasn't he? Why hasn't he ever said anything about it before? Did he just not want to worry me or something?
"I mean, I guess lately I've seen the Shack as kind of like an anchor for the future since Stan said that he was going to give it to me someday… but I have no idea when thats going to be, and I honestly hope that it isn't for a really long time since I can't imagine what the place would be like without him. Honestly I think it would be pretty great to run the place once I've maybe learned a bit more about the business, but I can't do that now, so I just feel sort of stuck wondering about what I should be doing with my life until then." Dipper said, his voice sinking low.
"I feel that too sometimes," Mabel replied honestly, "I mean… yeah, I don't even really know if I want to go to art school either. I still think it would be super fun to learn how to do more things and improve my skills, but like I said before… ugh… I don't know either." Not the best date conversation, Mabel thought as she felt herself sink down imagining the future bearing down on her like a speeding train.
"The only thing I really know for sure… you know, about what I want it… well, whatever future I have I want you to be there too." Dipper said quietly as he reached out a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair back behind her ear and run his thumb gently along her cheek.
Mabel looked up quietly into her brothers face and she saw him, raw and vulnerable and with his emotions written as plain on his face as if they were etched there in burning letters. "Dipper, that has got to be the corniest thing I've ever heard." she said, but with a slight catch in her voice. He means every word too.
She saw him blush, and his ears redden as he realized just how open he had left himself and he started to pull his hand back away from her face but her own hand shot out and grabbed his wrist firmly and she kept her eyes locked on his. Mabel gently brought Dipper's hand over to her lips and planted a soft kiss on his fingertips- even she wasn't why she did it but she saw the dreamy look that came over Dippers face as she did.
"I want that too." she said, her voice almost a whisper as she felt her own cheeks grow hot, "I want you to be there with me wherever I end up going. I want us to go together."
They were silent for a few heart-beats, their breaths growing slow and heavy as they read one another's faces, as they saw everything written on them - all the feelings too big for simple words to ever express properly. Mabel felt her pulse start to pound hard through her veins as he pulled his hand out from her grasp and brought it up around her neck and drew her to him, bringing their lips together for a slow kiss, but she could feel a fire growing between them that wouldn't let it stay slow for long.
Mabel brought her hands up around Dipper's neck and pulled his hat straight off his head, tossing it aside as she tangled her fingers through his hair and darted her tongue into his mouth, but to her delighted surprise he pulled her even tighter into his grip and started kissing her back just as hard rather than letting her take the lead as he often did. She could feel the energy pouring out of him with his every breath, an almost desperate need that she hadn't felt from him before in those few wonderful times when they'd managed to find themselves alone enough to enjoy one another like this.
Mabel brought her hands up around Dipper's neck and pulled his hat straight off his head, tossing it aside as she tangled her fingers through his hair and darted her tongue into his mouth, but to her delighted surprise he pulled her even tighter into his grip and started kissing her back just as hard rather than letting her take the lead as he often did. She could feel the energy pouring out of him with his every breath, an almost desperate need that she hadn't felt from him before in those few wonderful times when they'd managed to find themselves alone enough to enjoy one another like this. She moaned loudly into his mouth as she felt his hands roaming over her body, sliding up under her colorful t-shirt and reaching back to slip her bra off with a speed that impressed her. He's gotten a lot better at that, she thought dreamily as she felt his hands come back around and stroke over her skin in a way that sent shivers up and down her spine and sent a moan tearing out low and hot from her throat. She darted her own hands out and started roughly tugging Dipper's jacket off as he tried to peel her own shirt off at the same time, which left them awkwardly fumbling around for a few frantic moments until they successfully found themselves stripped to their waists. Mabel ran a hand over her boyfriends newly exposed chest and loved the feel of the muscles twitching along his sides as her touch set his nerves singing, but it wasn't long before he was on her again, bringing his lips and teeth down on that sensitive patch of skin between her neck and collarbone which he had learned to zero in on that always managed to drive all the thoughts from her head. She tangled her fingers tight in his hair and ran her other hand down over his back, dragging her nails up his spine as she gasped and squeaked out incoherently while he sucked hard at her neck.
Mabel was so distracted that she hadn't even noticed that Dipper had managed to unbuckle her shorts at some point, leaving enough space for him to slip his hand down between her thighs and start running his fingertips over her with those fast circular strokes that he knew drove her crazy. And he's definitely gotten a LOT better at that, Mabel thought incoherently before the pressure of his fingers sliding across her slick wet skin caused her to throw her head back and just start moaning loudly, with no worry about discovery or need to keep herself quiet out here in the forest miles away from anyone. She was clinging tightly to him now, her hands clenched sharply on his back and her teeth sinking hard into his shoulder as he drove her to a peak that left her thrashing and gasping around as if she was having some sort of fit but he just didn't stop though, and she could feel herself being pushed past the point where pleasure became almost painful. With a low animal growl in her throat Mabel grasped a handful of Dippers hair and pulled his mouth down to hers for a crushing kiss that distracted him enough from his caresses that she could get her head clear enough to speak.
"Pants off. Now." Mabel gasped out as she broke their kiss and felt his eyes burning into hers as he nodded mutely in agreement.
They separated quickly before reaching toward one another's last few articles of clothes, each one wanting to strip the other – to see themselves out here in the light of day and lose themselves in one another with no thought to the uncertain future, no fears or worries outside of this perfect moment. They flung themselves at one another again, balancing precariously on their knees as they tugged and pulled as if they were wrestling, each one trying to get the other down onto the blanket first. Dipper moaned loudly as Mabel gently clamped her teeth onto his earlobe and blew her hot breath into the shell of his ear, weakening him just enough to let her push him flat onto his back with a victorious grunt before she slid herself up his body to straddle his hips with hers. Before she could get herself settled in though he grabbed her hips tightly in his hands and Mabel gave a yelp of surprise as Dipper rolled her off him and onto her side before he pounced on top of her. Dipper brought his lips to hers again, hard, and she could feel his knees moving between hers, spreading wide as he grabbed tight onto her hips again and lifted them up off the thick flannel blanket spread out beneath them. She heard him growl in frustration as he awkwardly found himself thrusting against her, sliding himself off her slickness but not quite reaching the target until she reached her hand down between them and guided him in. They both groaned out as he sank into her, and when he started moving inside her Mabel wrapped her legs crushingly tight around his waist and pulled his face to hers for another kiss, wanting to be close to him as she could in every way possible. This wasn't anything like their first time or their third or fourth or any other time, it was harder and more desperate but that need burning inside the two of them just made everything feel more intense. Maybe it was the angle, maybe it was fact that they were here out in the open and maybe it was just their shared energy but every rock of his hips against hers drove a moan out from Mabel's throat and she could feel her nails scratching hard against Dipper's back, which just seemed to be driving him forward even harder. She was babbling out incoherently now, not knowing what she was saying but saying it loudly and her senses were overwhelmed with the feel of him inside her, by the scent of their sweat and deodorant mingling with the smell of the trees all around them and the taste of his lips on hers. With a spasm that wracked through her entire body and sent her toes curling she felt herself explode, and her whole body seemed to be consumed with hot white light that left her dizzy and her throat hoarse from screaming. Her head cleared and could see his face now, locked in concentration and she knew he was holding himself back – focused on her, like he always did. She slid her hands up from his back to pull his face to hers again and their eyes locked as she nodded to him slightly, that silent little signal that they'd used since their first night together. She pulled him tight to her chest and clamped her teeth down on his earlobe again, her hot breath driving him over the edge as she whispered out a frantic panting "I love you." to him before she heard him groan and shudder on top of her. They lay frozen together, both locked and reveling in the sensations of each other for a few quiet minutes.
Eventually Dipper slid off Mabel unsteadily before he felt himself collapse back against the thick flannel blanket, his arms spread wide and his breath coming out in ragged pants, and Mabel crawled over to join him shakily and draped herself across his chest. Mabel's lips curled up into a deeply contented smile as she felt his arms circle around her and pulled her into a tight grip and she squeezed him just as tightly in return as they lay silent under the rustling branches of the trees.
Dipper was the first to break the silence, "Well… I feel a lot less stressed now at least." he panted quietly.
"Mhmmm" Mabel murmured in agreement, "You shouldn't worry so much. One way or another I'm not going anywhere without you, you big goober. You're all mine, remember?" And I'm yours too, she thought, totally and unconditionally.
"I'm still not getting that tattoo though." Dipper joked quietly as he bent to plant a soft kiss on the top of Mabel's head.
"Are you sure? It could be a manly looking 'M'. Plus, who would see it but me?" Mabel teased as she absentmindedly walked her hand up and down his chest and belly, causing him to stifle a giggle from the ticklish sensation.
"No, still not sold on the idea." he said as he brushed the damp hair back from Mabel's face, his fingers lingering on the soft skin of her cheeks and brow as he stroked her face. She glanced up at him and felt her heart soar at seeing the affection in his face, that unguarded sense of friendship and tenderness that was the core of their relationship.
"How about if I got a matching one?" she asked thoughtfully only half-serious, "Like a 'D'… ooh! Or I could get the constellation just like your birthmark."
"Not necessary," Dipper said as he frowned slightly and absentmindedly brushed a bit of his own hair down over his forehead at the mention of his most hated facial feature.
"Hey, I love your birthmark-" Mabel said playfully as she reached up and brushed the hair back, "-its a part of you, so there's no need to try and hide it from me. I mean, I've seen the rest of you pretty clearly already… especially right now."
Mabel grinned wide as she saw a slow flush overtake her brothers face and he slowly sat up from the blanket and scanned the clearing around themselves. "We kind of went a little crazy throwing the clothes around didn't we? I can't see where my underwear went…"
"It'll show up eventually," Mabel said lazily as she lay back and folded her arms behind her head. "In the meantime lets enjoy a little sun. Bodies are nothing to be ashamed of after all."
"Help me look for it anyway and I'll join you, I just feel kind of exposed here." Dipper said turning around and Mabel felt a full bodied laugh overtake her when she noticed that he had a bunch of gummy koalas clinging to his sweat soaked back like an infestation of sugary rainbow colored ticks.
"Dude, I will give you five bucks if you eat those!" Mabel dared him after she had pointed it out and he'd peeled off the stray candies with a slight grimace.
"What? No way!" Dipper responded with a grossed out laugh, his face screwed up into an exaggerated frown.
"Twenty bucks! You know I'm good for it." Mabel said.
"You just admitted to counterfeiting! No way I'm trusting money from you anymore. Plus, I'm not eating these things for any amount of cash." he said as he pitched the unfortunate candies into the river with a gentle toss of his hand.
"Boo! Captain Buzzkill has possessed my boyfriend somehow… if only Doctor Funtimes was here to save me from this nightmare." Mabel said teasingly to Dipper as he retrieved his stray boxer shorts from the low tree branch where Mabel had enthusiastically flung them earlier.
"Why are you so intent on me eating a fistful of sweaty candy?" Dipper asked as he settled himself down beside Mabel on the blanket once again, his underwear set aside next to the small neat pile of their clothes that he'd made.
"I dunno, cause it would have been funny?" Mabel said, "Plus, you're going to need all the energy you can get for round two." she added as she sidled in closer to him and planted a soft kiss on his neck.
"There's going to be a round two?" Dipper asked, a note of cautious excitement in his voice as he started to run his hand slowly up and down her bare side, his touch sending a slight shiver through her frame.
"Well, we have the whole afternoon to ourselves…" Mabel purred in a silky voice, "what do you think?"
–
They arrived back home some hours later with the sun already coming down low over the trees, and Dipper felt sore all over. Whether it was from the hike back or from the rest of their afternoons activities he couldn't say for sure, but either way Dipper wasn't complaining (though he did wince when he leaned back against the drivers seat and he felt the enthusiastic scratch marks that Mabel had left down his back).
Okay, maybe we don't have a solution yet, Dipper thought to himself as he pulled the car into the shacks parking lot and gave Mabel's hand a slight squeeze before they had to make their way back into their house and the distance they kept from one another there to avoid suspicion, but we still have time. I mean… I'm not the only one in this… she wants to stay with me just as much as I want to stay with her.
One way or another we're going to find a way to make this work. Maybe it won't be easy, but when I'm with her… I'm sure we can do this.
But if this is going to work… I'm going to need to drop myself out of that school. He frowned at the thought. Oh my folks are NOT going to like that… and they are definitely not going to like the whole 'maybe college isn't for me' thing…
The future still loomed over Dipper, with hints of some rocky times ahead… very close by… but he turned and saw Mabel and she gave him a cheerful grin in return that set his mind at ease. He felt he had two anchors now in the uncertainty ahead, the Shack and Mabel – and with those two in his corner he felt he could do anything.