1.
Rain came down in sheets the night Dipper and Mabel Pines' bus pulled into Gravity Falls. They hurried out of the storm and into the Speedy Beaver bus depot, which was nothing but a small ticket booth and a cramped indoor waiting area where the sound of the rain resounded like endless static at the end of an old videotape.
"Geez this is unreal. When did Stan say he was coming to pick us up?" Mabel asked, raising a hand to wipe away a patch in the foggy window.
This neck of the woods had never been a bustling place, but the roads around the depot were emptier than either of them could remember. Dipper sighed and let his eyes drift to the old payphone wedged into a far corner of the room between ancient vending machines that promised "radical" soft drinks.
"He said sometime around 8pm, which means he's late." He proclaimed dismally. Mabel groaned and pressed her forehead against the window, then began to draw large, sloppy stars by moving her whole body up and down and side to side. Dipper fought down a grin- "Don't worry Mabel, lemme just go call the Mystery Shack on that phone over there."
Two steps away from picking up the receiver, the payphone began to chime. Dipper glanced back at Mabel, who regarded him with excited pleasure at this rare event. "Weird! Answer it Dipper! What if it's Grunkle Stan?"
"But what if it's not? What if it's for somebody else?" Dipper asked nervously, looking around the empty depot. Mabel's expression of glee faded slightly.
"Bro-bro, are you kidding me? Do you see anyone else here?" She gestured to the empty benches beside her. "Just answer it already!" She exclaimed, and Dipper looked at the clerk sitting in the ticket booth, who had been relatively quiet up until now. The old woman quirked a penciled eyebrow at him from behind her dime store romance and he shrugged.
"Okay! Fine! Here I go." And he lifted the phone off the hook. "Speedy Beaver Bus Depot, may I ask who's calling?" Mabel snorted and covered her mouth to quash her giggles. Dipper stuck his tongue out at her.
"Dipper! Took ya long enough, kid." It was Stan on the other end.
"Grunkle Stan? Where are you? You were supposed to pick us up at the bus station at eight!" Immediately Dipper was squished between the payphone and his sister.
"HI GRUNKLE STAN!" Mabel shouted over Dipper's shoulder. "HOPE THIS RAIN ISN'T KILLING YOUR JOINTS!" Dipper could hear Stan laugh gruffly at this on the other end—he'd always had a soft spot for his sister.
"Hiya sweetie. Could be worse. I'm helping Soos patch some leaks in the roof of the Mystery Shack so I couldn't make it into town." To Stan "helping" probably went as far as barking orders at Soos to empty and replace buckets strategically placed around the shack to catch drips as they seeped through the old roof. "Ford's in bed with a fever too so I ALREADY have two overgrown brats to mind tonight." Dipper was caught between overwhelming feelings of love and disgust. The old man would never change.
"Well where does that leave us then?" He was honestly unsure of what Stan would say. He wouldn't put it past Stan to tell them that he expected them to sleep at the bus station that night.
In the end, he was pleasantly surprised.
"Well you can both drive now, can't you? I left the Caddy in the parking lot at Greasy's—just ask Lazy Susan or Wendy for the keys and you can drive on over."
The answer caught Dipper off guard. Mabel continued to lean on his back, and he dimly heard her ask what Stan was saying. "Uh-huh. Wow, thanks Stan, I didn't think you'd trust us with-"
"Forget about it! I know you drive like an old lady anyway. Besides, if anything happens to my baby I'll have you working off the repair bill for the rest of the summer." Stan laughed on the other end of the line. Dipper grimaced.
"Oh…Well, thanks, I guess. We'll see you at the shack then." He was having a hard time deciding whether Stan was kidding about the car situation. Mabel tapped him on the shoulder and he looked around.
GIVE ME THE PHONE. I WANT TO SAY HI. She mouthed to him with exaggerated annunciation. He nodded at her and said, "Wait, Mabel's right here, she wants to say hi." And before Stan could say anything else, he pressed the receiver into his sister's hand and stepped back to the window to gather their belongings.
Mabel gabbed excitedly with Grunkle Stan in the background as Dipper looked in the direction of Greasy's diner. Something occurred to him just then. It was something Stan had said…
Just ask Lazy Susan or Wendy for the keys.
Wendy.
He stared at the lights casting their dim glow on Greasy's sign just across the road, illegible for the rain. The diner was open, amazingly, and the light from within the giant log-shaped eatery cast yellow reflections onto the wet parking lot where scant few cars sat. One at the far end of the lot had to be Grunkle Stan's Cadillac. It barely fit into a single parking space.
"Dipper! This is amazing, I can't believe Stan is letting us drive his car!" Mabel snapped him out of his thoughts as she grabbed her own duffel, a hot pink number peppered with gemstones she had added with her trusty bedazzler years ago. Dipper grabbed his own bag—an old blue rucksack from the army navy surplus in Piedmont.
"The shack's not too far from Greasy's… I wouldn't count on Stan letting it out of his sight for too long. You ready?" He asked as he broke out a disposable rain poncho.
Mable eyed him up and down with mild amusement as she retrieved her own umbrella. "As I'll ever be—let's grab something at Greasy's before we head over. I'M STARRRVING please tell me you feel the same." She fixed Dipper with a deadpan expression, seemingly frozen. Dipper stared back at her, his eyes wide and lips drawn into a thin line. The chair underneath the clerk's wide bottom creaked as she leaned forward, watching them shrewdly over her novel.
Then the two of them were both spluttering into fits of giggles almost simultaneously, "I think you lost that one." Dipper laughed, pushing the door open for his sister.
"WHAT? No way, nuh uh. You cracked first. I saw you blink!" She protested, opening her umbrella with a 'pop'.
"We could always go back inside and ask that lady. Pretty sure she was watching us the whole time." Dipper said slyly. Mabel's eyebrows climbed her forehead as they fell in step together.
"Do my ears deceive me? My own brother calling for a judge on this one! You can't take my word for it?" Her incredulity was dripping with the same inauthentic contempt Dipper could sometimes trace in Stan when he knew his Grunkle was just messing with him.
"I swear, you and Stan are two of a kind!" He laughed, taking her arm as they crossed the road to the diner. Mable scoffed.
"I'll take that as a compliment lil' bro, thank you very much! Put your hood on, Dippy Fresh, lest you soak your head." He tugged the plastic hood of the poncho over his hat and noticed for the first time just how drenched he was actually getting.
"Too late for my feet." He groaned, feeling water squish through his socks. "I'll never trust the weather channel again."
"I can't believe you did in the first place!" Mabel laughed as they entered the parking lot to Greasy's. Lightening flashed, momentarily revealing the expanse of the parking lot. On a dry day in summer, it would be hard packed dirt, but the rain had turned the whole place into a mud bath. "Wow, Waddles would LOVE this!" Mable shouted over a peal of thunder that shook the night. "Let's go!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Mabel began trudging directly across the flooded parking lot. Dipper lingered behind, watching warily as Mabel's feet disappeared through several inches of muddy water. Then he noticed the ground wasn't too bad off the right side of the lot, where more grass had the opportunity to grow without being squashed under the tires of cars parking at the diner. He swung wide of the giant mud puddle to the grassy shoulder and took his time navigating the smaller puddles between him and the safety of the sidewalk near the front door of Greasy's.
Meanwhile, Mabel had already entered the restaurant after shaking out her umbrella and cleaning her shoes off on the welcome mat at the top of the stairs. Through the windows, Dipper could see her squeal with excitement over someone he couldn't see until a very tall redhead suddenly tackled her.
His heart lurched in his chest and he all but forgot that he was standing in two inches of rainwater.
It was Wendy Corduroy.
In a perfectly uncomfortable moment of coincidence, lightning flashed just as she looked up and saw him standing outside. Their eyes met.
Thunder rolled ominously over his head and almost all at once, Dipper felt like he could just walk back to the bus depot and wait for Mable there. Then Grunkle Stan's voice came into his head.
Don't be chicken shit, Dipper.
His mouth set in a thin grimace of determination, he resumed his trek. In five strides he was at the steps to Greasy's and Wendy was back to serving the night owls of Gravity Falls. He opened the door and stepped inside.
As he removed his poncho and hung it beside the door, he looked around. It really was a skeleton crew at the diner that evening. A couple of college kids took up a booth at the far end of the restaurant next to the strength tester, a lone patron sat at the counter reading the Gossiper, and Mabel was already cozied into the booth directly in front of where the Stanmobile sat outside. She waved frantically to him, as if his seat would be taken if he didn't hurry up. Dipper shuffled over, looking around to see where Wendy had gone.
She was behind the counter leaning against the side of the broken dessert case talking with the night shift cook. Suddenly her gaze slipped past the cook's shoulder and fell on him. Dipper jerked his eyes away and he sat down across from his sister.
"You're not gonna say hi to Wendy?" Mabel asked, concerned. He shrugged and immediately busied himself with the napkin dispenser at the end of the table.
"I don't know… She looks busy right now." He mumbled pathetically, trying for some semblance of nonchalance. Mabel could see him trying to catch another glimpse at the redhead without turning around, and the confused smile dissipated to an expression of pure bewilderment.
"Dipper wha—"
She was cut off when the girl in question appeared at their table side.
"'Sup dudes?" Wendy Corduroy asked, an easy smile touching her lips. Dipper looked up at her, nearly at a loss for words but for the small 'hello' he managed to get out between stuttering and stammering her name back at her. The mauve uniform dress fit her like a glove and her long auburn hair was swept up into a messy ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her graceful, slim fingers clutched two menus to her chest. Her eyes-
"When'd you start working at Greasy's?" Mabel cut in brightly, leaning forward in her seat. Dipper sighed appreciatively for her effort in lightening the mood. Wendy shrugged, handing them the menus.
"On and off since the school year started. I'm just filling in for Lazy Susan tonight—one of her cats wasn't doing so hot. Donald was puking all over her kitchen so they phoned me to pick up her shift." She leaned against the side of Dippers seat, looking at Mabel as she spoke. "I have Stan's keys over by the register—lemme go grab them after I take your order."
"Yaaay Wendy!" His twin cheered. Mabel grabbed up a menu, her face obscured as she opened it to read. Wendy turned to Dipper and smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Hey Dip." She said softly. Those two words bade him to look up at her, though he had been avoiding eye contact directly. She seemed happy to see him, at least a little bit.
"H-Hey yourself." He stuttered obliquely. Dismay filled him, and his fingers automatically grabbed for his napkin and began to rip it into small pieces. They both looked away from each other, the moment broken.
"How was your school year?" She asked as she toyed with the pen in the pocket of her apron. She clicked the ballpoint a few times in rapid succession, and he felt a deep pang of longing for the old days.
"It was good, thanks." He nearly whispered, and wanted to say more. Instead, he cleared his throat and asked, "How are things at the Shack?"
Wendy shrugged. "Same as always." She sighed, "I've been helping Soos plan some of the exhibits for the next tourist's season. It's been a lot of fun." She turned to Mabel and grinned conspiratorially, "Stan's binging those old soaps again. He's got Ford hooked on them, too." Mabel laughed giddily. Dipper could already see forcing both Grunkles into watching some chick flicks this summer. "Anyway, what can I get you?" Wendy asked expectantly.
"I'm DYING for waffles and hot chocolate. That stormocolypse outside has me hankerin' for some ye olde comfort food!" Mabel exclaimed, putting on a country drawl that sounded eerily like McGucket while waggling her eyebrows at Dipper. He couldn't help but laugh at the impression.
Before he could speak, Wendy said, "The usual?" She looked at him briefly with that unreadable expression again. Dipper could only nod. "Great, be back in a minute. With a new napkin." And with that, she was gone. Dipper frowned down at his hands, half-buried in a flurry of white confetti before him on the table.
Mabel immediately began grilling him.
"Ok Dipper, you guys seemed perfectly fine last summer so what the heck is going on here?" She whispered as soon as Wendy was out of earshot. Dipper laughed nervously as he swept the shredded napkin into a neat pile. It was difficult to pretend things were normal under Mabel's unblinking stare of judgement. He hated being a twin sometimes- even as he opened his mouth to lie his sister cut him off cleanly, "Spill Bro-bro!" Dipper glared back at her, mostly annoyed that she had been able to call him out before he could make excuses.
"Fine, fine. Just… please, keep your voice down?" He whispered, looking past her to where Wendy was working. Mabel nodded, steepling her fingers over her mouth. The doctor was in, and Dipper her reluctant patient... He sighed deeply and racked his brain for the best place to start...
Ice Breaker
Naoko Asakura
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. Thanks for reading!