From Guest (Guest): "These are amazing! I know you have written some sibling fluff between the Pines twins, but do you mind doing another one? You can pick how you want to set it up. Surprise me! Keep up the good work."

Thank you so much, Guest! Sure, I definitely need a pick-me-up after those last three one-shots. I can only write sad and dark things for so long. (Well, I don't really mind sad things... dark things are just a bit more challenging, to be honest). This one-shot is set after The Deep End.

Beach Balls and Splashes

It was a few days before Mabel stopped feeling gloomy about going to the pool. It was a couple more before she worked up the courage to smile and have fun in the pool again.

"Dipper! Catch!" She tossed the beach ball to the boy, who was staring at Wendy for the umpteenth time. It hit him square in the face as he hurriedly turned back, which made her giggle.

"Ow!" Dipper rubbed his cheek and glared at his laughing sister. "Was that really necessary?"

"Stop staring at your true love and maybe it won't be!" she sang, swimming away with a yelp as her brother swam towards her.

"Mabel!"

She held her breath and sat underwater, watching her twin above her as she rubbed the bottom of the pool. Ew...when was the last time this floor was cleaned properly?

She could see him saying her name, his voice distorted due to the water around her. He looked around, not even peering into the pool itself. Wow, sometimes he acting like such a dummy.

Mabel grinned with a closed mouth. Bubbles slowly floated up to the surface. She was always the best at holding her breath underwater. Once, she'd even gone for a full minute and a half before her mother yanked her up because she had thought the girl was dead.

Dipper was looking confused so she decided to surprise him. She snuck up under him and waited until the count of five before scooping him up onto her shoulders, bursting out from underneath the surface. Her twin cried out in momentary fright before rolling his eyes and blushing at Mabel's laughter. She heard Soos and Wendy laughing too on her left. They must have just gotten in after trying to convince Stan that no, he couldn't try and glue Gideon to the chair because it was what he deserved.

"Very funny, Mabel."

"Thanks!" she chirped, giggling more at his groan. She saw the small smile on his face though and knew her actions were worth it.

Soos waded over, still chuckling. "Hambone, that was hilarious."

"The little shriek made it better," agreed Wendy, who freed Dipper from his twin's grasp. It wasn't hard to spot the brighter red blush on Dipper's cheeks when he was set down in the water again.

"I didn't shriek," he argued, his voice cracking adorably. It made the redhead snicker more.

"You kind of did, dude."

Dipper glared at his friend. "Not helping, Soos."

Mabel rolled her eyes and backfloated over to her brother. "Aw, don't be such a grump, Dip! It's summer! It's nice outside! And there aren't that many people in the pool, which is a nice change after how crowded it's been. Stan gave us the day off, so I expect you to have fun, mister!" She poked his almost blindingly hairless chest and he snorted.

"I am, Mabel. You just - "

"Scared you?"

He glared. "No."

"Oh, really? Then what were you going to say?"

The blush grew brighter as Wendy smirked and Mabel laughed at her brother's scowl.

"Fine, I'm sorry, bro-bro. I was just having fun." She almost yanked him under the water when she embraced him.

Dipper blushed even more. His face color now reminded them all of a tomato. He hugged her back and sighed. "Yeah, it's okay. Bet you can't beat me in a race to the other side of the pool."

"What - ?" He took off and she yelped. "Hey, that's cheating!"

And as the two swam, shoving more than one person off their rafts and out of their way, Soos and Wendy smiled from afar.

I know the feeling, Dippingsauce. I can't hold my breath underwater for more than fifty seconds. Mabel must be a mermaid secretly.