Dipper sat on the fallen log, watching Wendy and her friends playing Frisbee on the green, forlornly. He tried to bury himself back in his book, even though it was pointless while he insisted on forcing himself to sit there and watch the older kids.
He'd thought he and Wendy had been getting along better in the last few weeks, but maybe he was kidding himself. It wasn't that she'd refused to let him hang out with them, he'd declined her offer actually. But he knew he wouldn't fit in with her friends any more than he did with the kids back home.
He watched Wendy dive for the airborne toy and sighed. He was definitely crushing hard. So hard, he didn't notice the-
"Orriinnk."
"The fu-!" He blurted, half-jumping to his feet, scrabbling to regain his balance as Mabel's rasping laughter broke out from behind him. "Mabel!" He yelled, hurling the book vaguely in her direction.
She ducked, holding Waddles up as a shield. The book bounced off the pigs head. It snorted.
"Waddles!" She squeaked. "Truce! Truce!" She crossed her fingers, waving them in the air.
"I'm out of books anyway." Dipper shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets and sitting back on the log.
Mabel walked round so she was to his right and looked at him expectantly.
"It's a free log." He shuffled over so she could sit down. Waddles snorted again as she sat him on her lap and began chewing the sleeve of today's sweater. It was purple. He briefly wondered what the pig thought it was, or if it even cared.
"So, Dippingsauce, what's the game plan?" She asked, suddenly.
"Game plan?"
"Yeah, to win her off Robbie."
"I dunno. Tried that before. Time travelled a lot. Didn't really help." He kicked a loose pebble. "Only time I got close you lost Waddles to Pacifica." He made a phony "throw-up" sound at the back of his throat to illustrate his opinion of the spoiled blonde. "Couldn't do that to you, not even for Wendy."
"Well, I'm sure Waddles is as grateful as I am you didn't let him wind up stuck with her." Mabel stuck out her tongue. "She'd probably have turned him into bacon."
Waddles oinked suddenly, making the both of them jump.
"Ohhh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Mabel cried, covering the pigs ears and hugging him tightly. "I didn't mean to mention the "B" word!"
Dipper burst out laughing at the sight. Unintentionally or not, Mabel had a knack for making him feel better. He watched her rocking back and forth with the pig, distressing the poor thing even more and in turn, distressing herself…even more. Sometimes he wondered how he'd manage without her. Even though she drove him mad, he'd probably go even more mad without her. Mabel's craziness stopped him living in his own head too much.
Like now, he mused, the second before Mabel and Waddles crashed into him with a cry of "Look out!" and sending them all tumbling to the floor in a heap.
"Mabel, what the hell-" He grunted, trying to free himself from the tangle, just in time to see the Frisbee sail harmlessly to the floor at the foot of the log. "Are you serious?" He stared at her, blank faced.
She let out a nervous chuckle, flashing a beaming smile.
"It coulda been dangerous, Dip!" She insisted. "It coulda-aahh!" She yelped as he rolled her off him.
"Ooorrrnnk!" Waddles snorted, as he deposited the pig onto Mabel's stomach eliciting another squeak from his sister.
He heard shouting as he clambered to his feet and dusted himself off.
"Come on Dipper, chuck it back!" Wendy called, waving.
He stooped to pick up the thing, just as Robbie came jogging over. He didn't like Robbie.
"Quit wasting time, kid, just give it back al-" He sent it flying over Robbie's head, mid-moan.
"Oh, sorry dude." Dipper apologised, trying to sound surprised. Robbie's expression twisted into a scowl. Robbie didn't like him either.
"Thanks Dipper!" Wendy yelled from behind him.
Dipper smirked.
"Little brat." Robbie muttered. "Just keep you and your weird sister out of our way, yeah?"
He glanced back at Mabel briefly, wondering if she'd heard what he said. She had her back to them, and was dusting off her knees. Dipper glared back at him.
"Back off. Nobody calls my sister weird apart from me, grease-monkey."
Robbie's scowl actually managed to become even…scowlier.
"Whatever." He muttered, trying to be aloof. "At least she doesn't follow my girlfriend around like a lost puppy." Robbie shot him a last frown and stalked off.
"Man I hate that guy." Dipper mumbled.
"Didja give him what for?" Mabel piped up, suddenly beside him.
"Orrinnk?" Waddle snorted.
Dipper made a non-committal noise at the back of his throat.
"I heard what he said." She continued. "Heard what you said too."
"Well," He looked at her, then back toward Robbie. "It's true. Nobody but me gets to call you weird." Dipper replied, awkwardly.
Mabel smiled a little, seemingly satisfied. She then began whispering to Waddles and a moment later the pig was tearing after the lanky teenager. He turned to his sister, about to question her, when she nudged his shoulder, gesturing for him to watch.
Robbie squealed, actually squealed, in surprise as the pig suddenly appeared under his feet. He tried to avoid tripping over the surprisingly athletic Waddles, only to get tangled in his own legs and promptly fall over. Waddles, sensing his opportunity, scurried onto Robbie's prostrate form and up the teenagers shirt, oinking and snorting as he went.
Dipper and Mabel burst out laughing as the teen tried to dislodge the insistent animal, rolling to and fro on the floor. Behind him he could see Wendy and the rest of her friends laughing too.
"How do you get him to do that?" He asked, turning to his sister.
"I, Dippingsauce," She began, wrapping an arm around his shoulder conspiratorially. "Am a pig-whisperer." She waggled her fingers mysteriously.
"Never change, Mabel."
"Me?" She asked, mock-offended. "Never."
…
Dipper stopped to catch his breath again.
"Come on Dip, giddy up already." Mabel jabbed his side with her foot.
"I'm gettin' too old for this." He muttered. Adjusting his grip on Mabel's legs for the umpteenth time. Why he'd agreed to give his sister a piggy-back all the way to the park he didn't know. Well he did know, but he was going to pretend he didn't.
"That's defeatist talk!" She jabbed his other side.
"Do that again and I'll drop you sis."
"You wouldn't do that," She leaned forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek against his. "You love me. I'm loveable. Who doesn't?"
He couldn't help but smile. At least she was back to her old self again. It wasn't often she let mom get to her like that anymore.
"Doesn't mean I wouldn't drop you if that foot of yours comes anywhere near my stomach again." He affirmed.
"Grouch." She nuzzled his head.
He glanced around warily out of habit more than anything. This early, most people were probably just getting up. Especially considering it was a weekend. Himself included, if he hadn't let Mabel "persuade" him they should go out. He wasn't sure she'd want to do anything after last night, but that was Mabel all over, she didn't mope.
So it was they'd hurriedly dressed at about five in the morning and left the house, hands full of toast. At least that woman they lived with had crawled to bed at some point during the night, what was her name again?
Oh yeah, mom. He thought, bitterly.
"So…" She began, filling the silence. "Have you thought about where you want to go, college-wise?"
He looked back at her, but she was looking ahead, expression neutral.
"I've looked into it a little. I mean, I can pretty much go anywhere that runs the mathematics course I want to do. But there're definitely some places that will be better for it than others." He felt her nod. "You?"
"I still haven't decided whether I want a degree in art or music. If only there was some weird conglomeration of the two." She mused. "I know I can take one as a second, but I don't know which I'd take for the degree."
"Have you decided where you'd want to go?"
She leaned back and shrugged, then yelped as she nearly lost her balance, grabbing onto his shoulders again.
"Fuckfuckfuck!" Dipper staggered under Mabel's sudden movement, letting out a relieved sigh as he managed to not fall over. "Sit still would you?" He grinned, giving her thigh a squeeze.
"Sorry." She squeaked, clinging on tightly.
They came up on the park entrance just as the sun was settling in the sky.
"So…uh, you don't really know where you want to go either then?" He asked.
"I can go pretty much anywhere that runs the course I want to do." She replied, quietly.
"I've heard that somewhere before." He chuckled.
The question hung in the air between them, heavy. Dipper wasn't willing to broach it right now, and he suspected Mabel wasn't either.
Five minutes, and several stops for breath later, Dipper finally reached the top of the small hill that lay in the centre of the park. Mabel slid off his back, getting the feeling back into her legs. It was already getting hot. He rolled up the sleeves of the shirt he worse, wondering if he'd regret wearing cargo pants instead of shorts later.
Mabel didn't seem to notice things like temperature. She was wearing one of her giant sweaters, blue today, with a bumblebee on the front, and a pair of jean shorts. They showed off her legs nicely, in the glow of the morning sun.
She noticed him looking, quirking her head slightly in amusement.
"See something you like?" She teased, putting a hand on her hip, he felt his face flush a little.
She smiled at his sudden awkwardness, and took his hand, pulling him beside her.
"Glad to see you're feeling better." He managed.
"Oh you know me." She waved a hand, idly.
"Yeah, I do."
"Don't worry about all that other stuff now." She whispered, running a hand down his cheek.
"What, you mean like everything ever?" Dipper smirked.
"Yeah, Dipmunch," She flicked his forehead. ", that."
He reached a hand out, brushing the long, loose tresses of her hair and tucking it behind her ear. Mabel was looking at him expectantly. He made to look around them, but she stopped him, keeping his gaze fixed on her.
"There's nobody but us."
"Guess so." Dipper replied, cupping her chin gently, as they leaned into one another and their lips met.