Hello! After writing that little blurb of the future in my other story (A Bright Future), I decided to give writing a proper 'future' story a try. It would probably be a good idea to scan over that story since I'll probably reference it. So this story takes place ten years after the show. Any tips/ideas are definitely welcome and greatly appreciated. Enjoy! (:
Dipper Pines felt a tingle of excitement as he passed the sign reading 'Gravity Falls'. He hadn't been back in town since that last summer before he left for college. He had become so buried in his school work, he didn't even give the place a passing thought, but now that he'd finally graduated, he yearned to return. So one day, he casually brought it up to Mabel, who immediately began planning a trip up to Oregon. He was beyond excited to see his great-uncles and old friends again.
However, his excitement was no match for that of his twin. Mabel was bouncing in her seat, letting out tiny squeals of elation. She had been up all night wrapping reunion gifts and baking treats, yet she was still overloaded with energy. She couldn't wait to be able to talk to her friends face to face again. Texting and video chatting just weren't the same. The young woman grinned when she caught a glimpse of a giant lumberjack statue through the trees, reminding her of her redheaded friend.
Her smiled intensified as she thought more about Wendy. Mabel definitely remembered what took place when she and her twin were sixteen. Ever since that day they went to the future and found out Dipper and Wendy were destined to be together, she just couldn't wait to watch the romance unfold. She watched far too many summers go by with no awesome love-stuff happening and grew impatient, but now she might at last see it happen. The three year age gap definitely seemed smaller now that the two were in their twenties. She bit her lip to keep from squealing again. This is gonna be the best summer ever.
Mabel looked to her brother and smiled. She wondered if he remembered that night; he never really mentioned it, but he certainly seemed happier after it happened. He seemed to better cope with all the humiliation that was thrown at him, especially when it came to girls. The young woman's thoughts were cut short as the bus came to a screeching halt. Mabel squished her face to the window and instantly spotted her Grunkle Stan. She flashed a huge smile that encompassed her entire face, ran down the bus aisle and hopped straight over the three steps, running to give Stan a hug. Dipper followed a bit slower, lugging all their bags with him.
Dipper dragged the luggage to Stan's run-down car and shoved it into the trunk. As he walked back to the front of the vehicle, he noticed a large tree branch sticking out of the left headlight.
"Uh, Grunkle Stan?" The young man interrupted the heartfelt hug between his uncle and sister. "Hey, kid!" The old man grabbed Dipper's head and vigorously ruffled his hair. "Gah, why does everyone do that!?" He yelped, ripping himself out of Stan's grasp. Mabel giggled. "You're just so much fun to pick on, Dip Stick."
Dipper rolled his eyes and ignored her comment, switching his focus back to the damaged car. He pointed at the branch and asked, "What happened?"
"Oh." Stan stepped forward and ripped the wood from the light with a clatter of shattered glass. He dropped it carelessly on the ground. "I hit a tree... Also a couple of other cars. Maybe some squirrels? I dunno; I'm practically blind, kid." After an awkward pause, he added, "Welp, everyone in!" and hopped in the driver's seat. Mabel promptly jumped into the backseat. Her brother was much more reluctant. "Maybe... maybe someone else should dri-"
"Dipper! Get in before I tell Stan about your psycho ex-girlfriend!" His twin threatened. He instantly complied and climbed into the passenger's seat. "Oh, I gotta hear about that one." Stan said as he started the car and began the short trip to the shack.
Mabel snickered. "Oh my gosh; it was soooo bad."
"Mabel!"
"C'mon, Dip; you gotta admit it was pretty hilarious."
"No! No, it wasn't!"
"It was!" She leaned forward to Stan. "She was like a cat! She gave people dead birds and junk as presents!"
Dipper groaned and shuddered at the memory of that Christmas two years ago...
"Jeez, how'd you end up with that?"
"Look, no one ever talked to her, so I-I-I felt bad and went out with her."
"...And then he found out why no one ever talked to her." Mabel finished with a smirk. "Yeah..."
Dipper spent the rest of the car ride, being awkwardly silent while his sister yammered to their uncle. That and fearing for his life every time the car made a sharp turn or nearly hit something...
Once the trio arrived at the Mystery Shack, Dipper felt like he was going to hurl out his insides. He made a mental note to never hop in a car with Stan behind the wheel ever again. Mabel, of course, wasn't even fazed. Stan got out of the car and slammed the door, causing the front bumper to plop to the ground. The old man pretended not to notice and headed for the couch on the porch.
Suddenly, Soos raced out of the shack and snatched the twins up for a giant bear hug before they even knew what was happening. "Dudes!"
"Soos!" Mabel exclaimed with equal elation.
"Soos, I can't breathe." Her brother coughed, clawing at Soos' meaty arms.
"Woah, sorry, dude." He released the pair. Dipper panted and nursed his aching ribs. "Gosh, guys; it's been, like, forever since I've seen you dawgs. I remember when you were, like, four feet tall." He exaggerated, pointing at Dipper who just smiled awkwardly.
The young-man had definitely grown quite a bit. He didn't hit his growth spurt until he was about nineteen, but as soon as he did, he grew to a little over six feet tall. Of course, he appeared shorter due to the hunched posture he obtained from years of slouching over books and computers.
"Yeah, but no matter how tall he is, he'll always be my little brother." Mabel teased and booped her brother on the nose. Her twin sighed; he'd given up disputing that claim a long time ago... Soos chuckled and began unloading their luggage.
Upon hearing the commotion in front of the shack, Ford strolled out, paying more attention to the newspaper in his hands than where he was going. This caused him to stumble down the stairs, launching the paper and himself onto the ground. The man stood up, steadied himself and adjusted his glasses. Dipper quickly rushed to his aid. "You okay, Great-Uncle Ford?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright." The older replied as he brushed the dirt from his pants.
Meanwhile, Mabel had already snatched up the newspaper and began reading. "Goatman?" She read off with a half-amused half-bemused tone. Ford cleared his throat as Mabel passed the paper off to her brother. "Yes, apparently a growing number of hikers have reported seeing this so-called Goatman."
"Axe-wielding, half-goat half man, prays on teen-lovers? Hikers and dogs..." Dipper read. "That's a pretty... broad list of victims."
"Exactly. It seems far-fetched, but considering past history, I think there may be some truth to it. It's a good thing you guys came; I need you to help me find Goatman- if there is a Goatman- so I can write a report. Think you're up for it?" Dipper instantly lit up. He hadn't even been in town for an hour, and he was already given an opportunity to explore the supernatural of Gravity Falls again. "Y-yeah!" The young man's voice cracked due to his excitement, making him blush a little. He cleared his throat and repeated in a more nonchalant voice, "Uh, yeah; we can totally help out."
"Great. We need to get started ASAP, so if you'll come inside, I'll run through the details and a plan for tonig-"
"Wait!" Mabel interrupted. "Grunkle Ford, we can't do it today! We just got here! We wanna see all our friends. Can it please wait until tomorrow?" She pleaded. Ford scratched his head, "Well, I guess, but it would really be best to do it now before more-"
"Yay! C'mon, Dippingsauce; we've got people to see!" Mabel ignored her great-uncle's reluctance and dragged her twin away, heading for town. Dipper tried to resist. "Mabel, stop! We need to help Ford!" The young woman froze and gave her brother a sly grin. "Come on, bro. Don't you wanna see Weeeendyyyyy?" She winked and giggled as his face turned beet-red. He hoped she forgot about that.
Mabel squealed. "This might be the summer, Dip!" She continued dragging him along to Wendy's cabin.
"I-I don't know, Mabel..."
"What? Why?"
"I'm just... nervous."
"Well, don't be! There's literally no way you can mess this up." Mabel said optimistically.
"You don't know th-"
"Literally. No. Way." She interrupted with a grin. "It's fate, Dip. This is happening!"
Mabel continued lugging him to the redhead's house, ignoring all his nervous protesting. By the time the pair arrived at Wendy's humble cabin, Dipper was sweating furiously and nearly every part of his body was itchy. It always just felt so awkward to see Wendy, knowing what he knew. Luckily, he was able to avoid it while he was busy with school; he was only able to talk over the phone. It was much easier to talk to her without having to look in her eyes. Her gorgeous emerald eyes...
Dipper mentally kicked himself at the thought. He couldn't be a creep. Though it was practically a sure thing they'd end up together, the neurotic young man couldn't let go of the idea that he could possibly ruin everything. Maybe everything will be okay. Maybe he won't freak out near her anymore. He was an adult now, not a pubescent teenager. He could control himself. Probably... He tried to console himself.
"Earth to Dipstick." Mabel said as she waved a hand in his face. Dipper snapped back to reality and realized that they'd already reached their destination. Had he really been internally flipping out for that long?
"Go, bro." Mabel urged.
"Go? Go where?"
"Knock on the door, silly!"
Dipper swallowed. His earlier consolations didn't help at all, and his brain retreated back into its cave of anxiety. "Y-Y'know, I really think we better get back to the shack... crazy Goatman and all..." Her murmured as he turned to leave.
His sister grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back, practically choking him. "Knock." She repeated sternly.
"No." Dipper stood his ground.
"Alrighty, then." Mabel grinned mischievously before grabbing him and shoving him into Wendy's door, causing a loud bang to radiate through the cabin. After recovering from his initial shock, he whirled around and glared at his sister.
"Mabel, what the hell!"
"I was just trying to help!"
"I don't need your help!"
Dipper was now shaking furiously, partially from anger, but mostly from nervousness. Great, Wendy's probably gonna come out here and be pissed about him slamming her door. Everything is ruined.
He flinched and had a mini heart attack when he heard the door swing open.
The redheaded woman froze for a fraction of a second as she was greeted with a pleasant surprise. "Guys!" She exclaimed, pulling both of her dorks in for a hug. Dipper took a second before returning the embrace. This certainly was not the reaction he had been expecting. The trio broke the group hug.
"Gosh, guys, it's been forever." Wendy said. "Summer's been so boring without you two."
Dipper chuckled, "Heh, yeah."
His friend playfully elbowed his side and slung an arm over his shoulder. "Oh, man, look at you." She commented, glancing up and down his frame. "You totally went and grew up on me, dude."
He smiled. "Yeah, uh-" Dipper stared at her, trying to find something to say. At first glance, Wendy looked pretty much the same as she always did. Though he did notice her body had taken on a slightly more feminine shape. He immediately averted his gaze and blushed. He looked back to her face and noticed her curiously staring. In a panic, he stammered, "Y-you too..."
His friend gave him a brief confused look. Dipper kicked himself. That was so creepy.
"Soo, Wen," Mabel butt in to stop the awkward reunion. "Have you had any boooyfriends lately?" She asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Pssh, no."
"Aww, why not?" Mabel pretended to be disappointed when in reality she was bursting with joy at the information.
"I dunno, man. It's like every new guy I meet is a total jerk."
"Well, maybe you should date someone you already know!" The younger hinted. Her twin scowled at her.
Before she could reply, Dipper interjected. "H-How about we all go back to the shack? I think whatever Ford had to say was pretty important..." He looked to Wendy who shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah, that sounds fine. Was probably gonna head up there to steal beer from Stan tonight anyways." She snickered.
"Mabel?" He addressed her.
"Eh, you guys go ahead; I promised Candy and Grenda that we could hang out tonight! We're watching the new movies for Wolfman Bare Chest!" She gave her brother and friend a quick hug before skipping off.
"Wow, that sounds terrible. Wolfman Bare Chest?" Wendy smiled.
"Yeah, it's pretty bad. I suffered through Grenda reading the book out loud."
The pair shared a laugh and began their trek to the shack in a comfortable silence.
When they arrived, Wendy immediately sauntered into the kitchen to raid Stan's liquor cabinet, and Dipper went off to find Ford.
The young-man eventually found him in the living room fiddling with some device. When the old man noticed the other enter, he set the machine to the side and motioned for Dipper to go with him to talk in the dining room.
"Where's Mabel?" Ford asked, looking around.
"She's watching some dumb movie with her friends..."
"Oh, is she coming back soon?"
"I doubt it; it's based off, like, thirty books..."
Ford groaned. "I'll have to make some changes to the plan then; my original strategy requires two people."
"I can do it."
The men turned to find a lanky redhead leaning in the doorway holding a can of Stan's beer.
"Really?"
"Sure. Better than sitting around at home all day."
"Alright, that works for me. Gather round, you two. Here's the plan..."