Yes, it's me! I'm not dead like I'm sure some of you hoped, anyway sorry for taking so long on this chapter. Stuff happened, I'll get back on track soon!
"That's a hundred points for me," Dipper said, smirking
He and Wendy laughed at the sight of Sheriff Blubs and Deputy Durland squirming around with lifesavers constraining them. Just another day at the pool!
"Dude!" Wendy said, high-fiving the boy. "With this job, you and I are gonna be havin fun all summer!"
Dipper's happy mood was brought to an abrupt stop, as the sharp sound of a whistle blew through the air. The brunette turned and saw Pool-check glaring at him, pointing at the trapped cops.
"Pines!" Pool-check shouted. "Here! Now!"
Dipper felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. 'Uh oh, this could be bad'
Pool-check walked angrily up to the boy.
"You gave me your word that you would respect the rules of this pool!" Pool-check yelled, voice thick with anger and betrayal.
Dipper tilted his head in surprise. "Mr. Pool-check? A-are you crying?"
"That's not important right now!" Pool-check declared as he turned away and wiped his eyes. "You're on the nights, boy! You wanna keep this job? Well, some maniac broke into the supplies closet last night and destroyed our only pool skimmer! I want you on a stakeout. If one more supply gets taken, you're fired!"
Dipper winced a bit at the tone, before rallying up his resolve. "I won't let you down!"
Pool-check nodded and walked off.
Dipper exhaled. He hadn't expected Pool-check to be that mad at him, or to look so hurt by Dipper's actions. He also hadn't expected the spike of overwhelming guilt that hit him when he made Pool-check cry.
It had been a long time since an adult had trusted him, and not treated him like a problem child, or an assault charge waiting to happen. And Dipper had betrayed that trust.
Okay, so maybe he only had the job because he wanted to hang with Wendy. It was still the main reason he wanted the job, but... Well, no sense in letting his boss down, right?
Dipper popped his knuckles. If anyone tried breaking in that night, Dipper would make sure that they'd regret it.
[In other news]
"Mermando, get ready!" Mabel called.
Mabel threw her beach ball at her companion but frowned at the sight of the ball bouncing off a dejected Mermando's head.
"Mermando, are you okay?" Mabel asked.
Mermando swam to Mabel, he had a depressed look on his face.
"Oh..." Mabel said, realization hitting. "It's your family, isn't it? Are you thinking about them?"
Mermando answered with a sad dolphin sound.
Mabel hesitated for a moment, before getting a determined look on her face. "Mermando, enough is enough! I care about you too much to see you like this! We're gonna bust you out of here and get you back to your family!"
"But Mabel!" Mermando argued. "Me escaping is impossible."
Mabel shook her head defiantly. "We're breaking you out of here, and we're doing it tonight!"
To show her resolve, Mabel hit the water, like slamming a fist on a table. Unfortunately, unlike a tabletop, water is not solid. The impact caused a large splash that soaked both kids' faces.
"Oops..." Mabel said sheepishly. "Sorry about that."
[Later in the night]
Dipper walked back and forth around the pool, eyes peeled for anything suspicious.
His plan was simple: Patrol all night, protect supplies, catch a trespasser should there be one, beat the crap out of possible trespassers if they're a monster or Gideon, keep his job, make sure Poolcheck didn't hate him, and get to hang out with Wendy all summer.
Simple.
Dipper's head suddenly whipped around as he heard a sound. "Freeze!"
Dipper aimed the beam of his flashlight at the sound and saw a familiar wrinkly old face.
The night guard let out a frustrated groan. " ... Grunkle Stan...? "
Indeed, Stan was right on the other side of the chain-link fence, wire cutters in hand as he had just cut open a hole in the metal barrier.
"I-uh," Stan stuttered. "I'm sleepwalking! Also now I'm sleep talking."
" You're the one destroying pool supplies?" Dipper asked tone somewhere between angry, fed up, and just tired. Which he feels most of the time.
"What?" Stan asked, confused. "No! My crime is a lot better than that. I'm gonna get that seat and be ready in the morning when Gideon comes. And maybe I'll destroy some pool supplies. Night's still young."
Dipper pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a frustrated sigh. ' ... Of course. '
With a sharp breath, Dipper blew his whistle, the old man flinching at the noise. Dipper pointed away from the pool and gave Stan a glare that would make most grown men cower.
" Leave, " Dipper said in a no-nonsense tone. " Now. "
"Yeesh," Stan said at the display. "Alright, I'm goin'!"
"And don't even think about trying to sneak back in here!" Dipper called after his grunkle.
Stan grumbled to himself as he walked off.
Dipper stayed watching that area, knowing full well that Stan would try again. He saw the old man go into the bushes to the left, towards his coveted chair. Dipper figured he'd try to break through the fence again, or maybe some other scheme. Still, regardless of what Stan did next, Dipper knew where he'd end up. The boy walked over to the chair in question, deciding to stake it out. Knowing his grunkle, he probably wouldn't have to wait long.
So focused was Dipper on his mission, he didn't notice the Mystery Shack Golf Cart pulling up to the new hole in the fence. Mermando peeked his head out from under the water, seeing the dim red glow of the cart's rear lights.
"Mabel!" the Merman whispered as he swam to the edge of the pool.
"Are you ready to see your family?" Mabel whispered back as she approached the locked supply shack and pulled out a hair clip.
"Yes," Mermando answered in a low tone, "but how can I, a merman, possibly escape?"
"Okay, my original plan was to tape together a bunch of fish sticks to make you a prosthetic pair of people's legs," Mabel said in a hushed voice as she used the clip to pick the lock.
"Intriguing..." Mermando said thoughtfully.
Mabel smirked as she felt the tumblers fall into place. She opened the door, revealing her target.
"But then I realized that I could just transport you in this cooler," she said.
Mermando nodded. That did sound like a better plan.
The Merman gathered his energy and lept out of the pool. He flopped around on the deck for a bit, before Mabel grabbed him by the arms and helped him into the water-filled cooler. They each smiled at each other, before Mabel turned back and closed the supply closet door, re-locking it in the process. Mabel was so satisfied with her brilliant escape plan going off without a hitch, she didn't realize until too late that she was right next to a bucket with various cleaning nets. She walked right into it and, well...
A clattering noise rang out over the empty pool.
"Hey!" Mabel heard a voice call from across the pool. "Who's there!"
"Quick!" Mermando whispered. "Hide me! My kind must not be seen!"
Mabel managed to secure the lid on the cooler just as Dipper shone his flashlight on her. Her eyes widened at the sight of her brother, and she grew an awkwardly wide smile as she tried (and failed) to play it cool.
"Oh," Mabel said just a bit too loudly, " Heeeeey, Lil bro. What are, ah... what're you doin' here?"
"I work here," Dipper grumbled flatly. "And what about you, huh Mabel? Is there anyone not breaking into the pool tonight? What, is Soos here too?"
At that moment, Soos tumbled down from climbing the fence across the pool.
"I'm okay," the handyman announced.
"Go home, Soos," Dipper called without even turning to look at the man.
"You got it," Soos said as he began climbing back over the fence.
Dipper took a deep breath before addressing his sister. "... So, why are you here?"
"Uh... no reason?" Mabel tried.
Dipper's unimpressed look told her he didn't buy it.
"So you just decided to drive over here," Dipper started, "break into the place I work at, and steal supplies."
"Hey look!" Mabel suddenly exclaimed, pointing behind her brother. "Wendy in a bikini!"
Dipper cocked an eyebrow at her. "Really, Mabel?"
The girl shrugged. "Worth a shot."
"Hand over the cooler," Dipper ordered. "Now."
"I'll bring it back!" Mabel insisted. "I just need it for a little bit!"
"Why?" Dipper asked.
"Well, um..." Mabel mumbled. "Uh... to fight the forces of evil...?" *wink wink*
"Mabel, I don't have time for your games," Dipper said, growing increasingly frustrated. "If you don't give me those supplies, I'll lose my job."
Mabel rolled her eyes. "Big whoop. You can hang with Wendy at the Shack."
"It's not just that," Dipper said. "This job means something to me, Mabel. And I won't lose it just because you felt like going on some vandalism spree."
"Trust me Dipper," Mabel tried, her patience beginning to wear thin, "this is important."
"But not important enough to tell me?" Dipper asked pointedly.
"... Well... I mean-"
"Return the supplies and go home," Dipper stated harshly. "Final warning."
Mabel gained a glare of her own at that last statement.
"'Warning'?" she asked, a serious tone in her voice. "What are you gonna do if I leave with that cooler right now, little brother?"
The twins looked each other dead in the eye. Their glares were so intense, that lightning was practically arcing between them.
"... You know what," Dipper responded taking off his letterman.
Mabel nodded slowly. So that was how it was going to be.
The girl took one step backward to the cart, and Dipper sprung forward. He aimed a punch right at Mabel's stomach, aiming for quick incapacitation. But Mabel saw the attack coming and deflected her brother's fist with her arm. She threw a quick hook at Dipper's cheek but was surprised when his head barely even moved from the hit. Before she could pull her arm back, Dipper grabbed her by the wrist and pushed her fist off of his face. Mabel tried yanking her arm out of his grasp like she'd done many times before when they'd sparred, but was surprised yet again when she found she couldn't. Dipper's grip was a vise, and she could barely budge him.
Dipper capitalized on his sister's moment of shock by yanking her to the side, while simultaneously sweeping his leg under her's. Just like that, Mabel was knocked off her feet and falling. But as she went down, she swung one of her now airborne legs right into Dipper's side. The sudden pain caused Dipper to flinch, and his grip on Mabel's wrist to loosen. She quickly pulled her arm back and rolled away from her brother as she landed.
As she jumped up to her feet she saw Dipper was already mere inches from her, not having been slowed in the least. He swung a roundhouse kick right at her side. Mabel managed to catch the kick mid-swing and softened the blow to her side. But before she could use the captured limb to throw her brother off-balance, Dipper pulled his leg back, easily ripping free of Mabel's grip.
Mabel stumbled back and, in a moment of panic, shot a jab outright at her brother's throat, working purely on instinct. But Dipper was ready for the punch this time. He ducked to the side, dodging the attack, and grabbed Mabel's forearm. Before she could do anything, Dipper pulled her around in a half-circle. In one smooth motion, he had Mabel's back pulled against him, and wrapped her arm around her neck in a headlock. And try as she might, Mabel couldn't break out of his grip.
' What the heck!?! ' Mabel thought. ' Since when was Dipper this strong!?! '
Dipper meanwhile, was very pleased with himself. While the bulk of the ridiculous strength he'd built up training with the Manotaurs had faded since he'd been unable to continue the regimen (he wondered how Leaderaur's head was doing), he was still far stronger than normal. He'd never been able to manhandle Mabel like this before.
' This certainly makes things easier, ' Dipper thought as he caught the elbow Mabel tried to ram into his gut.
Mabel growled in frustration. At this rate, Dipper would probably pull a straight jacket out of nowhere and further incapacitate her. She didn't know how her brother had gotten so much stronger, but Mabel knew better than most that strength wasn't everything. She suddenly bent over, lifting Dipper off of the ground. Startled by his sudden loss of footing, Dipper released his sister. As he slid off his sister's back, Mabel suddenly straightened up her spine, pushing Dipper back.
The boy stumbled backward as his feet touched the ground, his balance was off. Mabel reached down and swiped one of the dropped cleaning nets off the ground. Dipper ducked and stepped back as Mabel swung the net end at his head.
' And now she's going to break more supplies! ' Dipper thought angrily. ' Wonderful! '
The boy ducked and weaved, avoiding the attacks with the net as best he could. He didn't want to block it, as doing so would likely damage it. Mabel grinned at her brilliant plan and used her constant swipes to push Dipper back.
Dipper's eyes widened as he realized Mabel was backing him up toward the edge of the pool.
' She's trying to push me in, ' he thought as he ducked under another swing. ' But if that's her goal, then she'll probably try to... '
Dipper's heels were right at the edge of the pool. Mabel smirked at the sight, mentally patting herself on the back.
' Sorry, Bro, ' she thought. ' But Mermando needs to get home! '
At that, Mabel thrust the pole forward, aimed right at Dipper's chest. However, the boy grew a devilish smirk. He instantly spun to the side, avoiding the push. He really did know his sister too well.
As he spun, he grabbed the pole of the pool cleaner. He used his motion to pull it forward, and Mabel along with it. As Mabel stumbled forward, being dragged by her weapon, Dipper came back around and landed a powerful sidekick right in Mabel's stomach. With one fluid motion, Dipper had managed to dodge the attack, counter, and yank the cleaning net out of his sister's hand with nary a dent.
' It's good to be the king, ' Dipper thought proudly.
Meanwhile, Mabel fell on her butt, thinking that her imaginary self back pat may have been premature. She had tensed her abs just before the kick had hit, so she was only slightly winded. But still, she'd feel that one in the morning. She looked up and saw Dipper toss the cleaner to the side, and she glared at him as he stared at her.
' This isn't good, ' the girl thought to herself. ' Face it, Mabel you don't exactly have a great track record when it comes to fighting Dipper one-on-one. And you can't leave this up to chance. Mermando needs you! So figure out what you need to do, and... '
Suddenly, Mabel raised herself with her hands and, channeling her dancing skills, swung her leg out at her brother's feet. Dipper didn't have space to step back, so instead, he jumped over the attempt to trip him. Unfortunately for him, Mabel knew he would do that, and instantly kicked up with her other leg right into Dipper's stomach.
' Do it! ' she thought triumphantly as she felt her kick connect.
The boy flew back through the air and crashed into the water, a loud splash echoing into the night.
Mabel let her feet rest against the concrete, bringing her leg sweep to a stop. She bounded up to her feet and watched as Dipper's headshot above the water, gasping for breath.
Mabel smirked. ' It's good to be queen. '
Dipper tried to wipe the water out of his eyes as he swam to the edge of the pool. He half expected to find Mabel by the edge, ready to keep him from getting back up. But after blinking a bit, he saw his sister in the Shack's golf cart, revving up the engine.
"Sorry, Dipper!" Mabel shouted back as she drove off.
" Mabel! " Dipper growled as he quickly pulled himself out of the pool.
Dipper dashed across the concrete and jumped into the Pool Mobile. Putting the pedal to the metal, the boy's vehicle shot out like a rocket after his sister.
As the two drove off, Stan poked his head out of the nearby bushes and grinned.
"The coast is clear," he said as he walked to his favorite chair and sat down in it. "Now all I have to do is wait here fifteen hours until the pool opens."
Crickets chirped and a light breeze blew through as Stan sat in silence for a few moments.
"This was a good plan."
[With Dipper]
Dipper got up from the pool, got in one of the spare pool carts they had (for some reason), and chased after his sister with much rage.
"Give the supplies back, Mabel!" Dipper shouted through a megaphone as he drove after his sister.
The two were ripping through the streets of Gravity Falls. Mabel was going as fast as she could to the lake. She glanced back at the cooler and saw it was still secure in the back. She also saw that Dipper was gaining on her. It seemed that the Pool Mobile was faster than the Shack's cart.
"C'mon!" Mabel muttered at the cart. "Go faster!"
The kids zipped past various shops and other such locales of the town and even a cop car. Mabel's jaw clenched as she saw Dipper get closer, now about ten yards behind her. She had to lose him somehow. It was then she realized she was approaching a hard right turn she needed to make. There was a fire hydrant at the corner, so trying to corner-cut would result in little more than a crash. There was no way Dipper could make the turn at his current speed, but Mabel...
' You can do this, Mabel! ' she thought. ' You can do it! '
Without slowing, she turned hard around the corner, tires screeching against the pavement. She forced the steering wheel to turn as far as it could but still turned at a dangerously wide angle. She swerved toward a store on her left, the centripetal force of the turn causing the cart to tilt. Mabel's eyes widened, realizing she was about to crash. In a desperate attempt, she flung all her weight to the right of the cart. Her actions were enough to get all the cart's wheels back on the ground, and she quickly spun the steering wheel back into a neutral position.
With a triumphant laugh, Mabel shot down the road, not having lost a bit of speed.
' Crap! ' Dipper thought.
This was a problem. At this point, he was too close to the corner to do what Mabel had done. There was no time to slow down, and no room for his current speed to make the turn either. There was only one thing he could think to do.
' Please let this work... ' Dipper thought.
Dipper accelerated the Pool Mobile and made a sudden sharp left turn, away from where he needed to go. Almost as soon as his vehicle began turning, he cut back hard to the right. He felt and heard the rear wheels skid under him, and the Pool Mobile started to spin out. But instead of letting that happen, Dipper spun the wheel back to the left, driving against the spin.
Mabel glanced over her shoulder, expecting to see her brother skid to a stop, but instead saw him drifting around the corner at top speeds.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!" she exclaimed at the sight.
Dipper straightened out his vehicle as he completed the turn, and took off after his sister, barely having lost any distance.
Mabel gripped the steering wheel of her cart harder and tried desperately to push down more on the accelerator.
After about a minute of somehow managing to stay just barely ahead of her brother, Mabel was pulling up to the shore of Lake Gravity Falls. She pumped the brakes as she sped toward the water. Unfortunately, her tires hit a patch of extra slick mud, and she began to spin out. She jumped out of the cart just as it flipped over, her fall cushioned by the ample mud she landed in.
Dipper saw the wreck and hit the brakes. He also began to spin out in the mud, but unlike Mabel, he was ready for it. He turned his spin out into another drift, sliding in a wide arc around his sister's wreck and coming to a stop between her and the lake.
Dipper let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. A driving test would be like nothing after this.
Mabel's eyes darted around the shoreline as she scampered to her feet. She was cornered by her brother and covered in mud, but none of that was important at the moment. Mabel scrambled around as she looked for the dropped cooler. When she spotted it, she dashed over to it as fast as the slick ground would allow.
' Please be okay please be okay please-! '
Mabel slid to a stop, crouching down to check the cooler. At first, she was relieved, as it seemed to still be safely in one piece. Unfortunately, the stopper at the bottom had broken off in the crash, and the water was spilling out. She tried plugging the hole back up by hand but wasn't very successful. The water leaked out through her fingers for a few seconds before she was suddenly yanked backward by a hand on her shoulder. Mabel winced as she fell on her back in the mud and looked up to see a slightly panting Dipper looking down on her.
"Alright, this stupid game is over, Mabel," Dipper said, a bit short on breath as he walked in front of his sister. "Hand over the cooler."
Mabel spent a second catching her breath before her defiance flared. "Never!"
Without warning, Mabel swung her leg in and swept Dipper's legs out from under him. She instantly jumped to her feet and tried running around to the cooler, but Dipper grabbed a handful of mud and slung it right at Mabel's face. The girl slid to a stop, trying to wipe the muck out of her eyes, and in doing so gave Dipper the chance to get back up.
Mabel cleared the mud out of her eyes just in time to see Dipper take a swing at her face. She ducked under the strike, sliding forward a bit without meaning to. While Mabel swung her arms wildly, trying not to lose her balance, Dipper spun himself around, feet gliding on the slick ground with greater ease than Mabel had. Almost as if he was skating, his feet pushed him to his sister just as she righted herself. Dipper collided with Mabel's back, tackling her to the ground and pinning her arms behind her back in the process.
Try as she might, Mabel couldn't free herself. Dipper's grip was too strong, and the slippery mud beneath her provided a little traction for throwing him off. She was caught, with no way out.
"Why do you even need it?" Dipper asked in frustration.
Mabel shot a panicked look at the now totally drained cooler before taking a deep breath and saying, "I needed the cooler to save my new friend because he needs to go home and he's really nice and we combed each others' hair and he needs to be in the cooler because he breathes water because he's a Merman!"
At that, the lid on the overturned cooler fell off, and Mermando flopped out into the mud next to the twins.
"Hola," the Merman said.
Dipper blinked, dumbstruck for a moment.
"... You could've led with that, y'know," he said as he released his sister and stood up.
"Dipper, Mermando the Merman," Mabel said, sitting up in the mud as she tried to steady her breathing. "He's a Merman."
"I noticed," Dipper responded.
"Nice to meet you," Mermando told Dipper with a nod. "Also, I think I am dying."
Mermando suddenly let out several short gasps as his face started turning an unhealthy-looking blue.
"Water!" the Merman wheezed. "Agua! Yo Necesito!"
"Oh, no!" Mabel exclaimed. "Mermando! Dipper, you're a lifeguard! Give him CPR!"
Dipper looked at his sister with an unimpressed look. "Or..."
The boy suddenly kicked Mermando hard in the side. The impact caused the fish boy to go tumbling down a nearby slant in the ground and right into the lake.
"Oh. Yeah," Mabel said. "That works too."
Mermando's head broke the surface of the water, and he shook his hair out majestically.
"Thank you for saving me," Mermando said. "My side, it aches in gratitude."
Dipper shrugged.
Mermando tried making dolphin noises, but they were quiet, and when he tried going louder he broke into a coughing fit.
"... I am weak from coughing," the Merman said. "How will I get my family to hear my call from the mighty depths of the ocean?"
Dipper thought for a moment, before sighing. "Hold up."
The boy walked over to the Pool Mobile and grabbed something from it.
"Catch," he said as he tossed his megaphone to Mermando.
Mermando made more quiet dolphin sounds and was pleased to hear them amplified through the megaphone.
"Perfecto!" Mermando said. "This will work!"
"Whoa, hey," Mabel said. "That's a pool supply. Won't you get in trouble for losing it?"
"No, I'll get fired for losing it," Dipper corrected, somewhat annoyed by the situation. "But this is more important."
"Aw, Bro..." Mabel said, eyes watering.
"Yeah, yeah," Dipper said, waving his sister off. "Go say goodbye to your boyfriend already."
Mabel nodded as she walked over to the lake and stood in front of the fish boy.
"Mabel," Mermando said fondly, "I have never met anyone like you."
"Same here," Mabel said with a smile. "Except for a zombie, a gnome, and a couple of cute vampires."
Dipper raised an eyebrow. "I don't remember the vampires."
"I don't tell you everything," Mabel told her brother slyly. "Well, Mermando, I guess this is it."
"Not quite," Mermando said with a grin. "This is!"
With that, Mermando jumped out of the water just long enough to plant a quick kiss on Mabel's lips.
Dipper decided to look at a very interesting pile of mud at that moment. Mabel, meanwhile, stared forward with wide eyes and a slight blush on her face.
"That was my first kiss..." Mabel said in awe as she lightly placed her fingers on her lips.
Mermando looked up at Mabel as he began to turn away.
"Goodbye, Mabel," Mermando said with a sad smile.
"... Goodbye, Mermando..." Mabel whispered back, watching as the Merman sunk beneath the waters.
[Tomorrow at the pool]
"A wrecked fence," Poolcheck said with barely contained rage, "dents and mud all over the Pool Mobile, and a missing megaphone!? Who is responsible for this!?!"
Dipper sighed. "It's my fault, sir."
An angry vein bulged on Poolcheck's forehead. "Hand! Over! The whistle, boy!"
Dipper dejectedly gave Poolcheck his whistle, frowning at the feeling of failure he had. He cared less about this feeling as he saw Poolcheck put the metal whistle in his mouth and chew it to pieces. At that, Dipper decided that backing away slowly was probably the best idea.
Poolcheck swallowed the pieces of the whistle and stood fuming. "If one more thing goes wrong today-!"
At that very moment, Soos threw all of the inflatable ducks over the pool fence.
"You're free now! Free!" he cried out. "Inflatable ducks unite!"
" You! " Poolcheck roared.
What followed were various screams, pleas for help, and other experiences that would haunt Soos until the end of his days.
"Git 'em! Git 'em!"
While that slaughter was going on, Gideon walked happily to Stan's favorite lawn chair. But when he got there, the boy gasped at the sight of Stan already in the chair.
"Stanford!" Gideon exclaimed in surprise.
Stan laughed at his nemesis. "Sorry, Gideon. Ocupado, and all."
"Well, guess you've won," Gideon conceded. "Put 'er there."
Gideon extended his hand for a shake, and Stan tried to take the hand and savor his victory. "Tried" being the operative word. He quickly discovered he couldn't lift his arm. It was firmly stuck to the chair.
"Hey!" Stan exclaimed. "What the-!?"
"... Unless perhaps I predicted your plan, and coated the entire chair with glue last night!" Gideon said smugly. "Enjoy your chair. Forever..."
Gideon walked off, laughing madly the whole time.
"Kids, get the spatulas!" Stan shouted desperately. "Kids!"
While Stan learned what being caught on flypaper feels like, Mabel sat by the pool filter, sighing sadly to herself.
"How are you doing?" Dipper asked as he approached her, sitting next to her.
"How 'bout you?" Mabel asked. "Heard you get fired. Pretty sure the whole pool heard. You okay with that?"
"I'll get over it," Dipper said. "But I asked you first."
Mabel groaned as she ran a hand through her hair.
"I know it wouldn't have worked," Mabel said. "You saw how hard being away from the sea was for him. Even if he didn't have a family, he couldn't live on land, and I can't live in the water. We could never really be together, but..."
"But knowing that doesn't change how you feel?" Dipper offered.
"Yeah," Mabel answered. "I really liked him, Dipper. And he was the first guy I fell for that didn't turn out to be secretly evil. And... and I had my first kiss, and it was a goodbye kiss. I just... I don't know. What if Mermando was my best chance? What if I blew it?"
"I thought I was the pessimist?" Dipper asked.
"C'mon Dipper, I'm serious," Mabel said.
"And so am I," Dipper responded. "You'll find someone, Mabel. You're nice and funny. And twelve. You've got time. You know how the saying goes..."
"Don't you dare..." Mabel said, a smile breaking out on her face.
"... There's plenty of cute fish in the sea."
Mabel slugged her brother in the shoulder.
"Nerd," Mabel chuckled. "... Thanks."
"You can thank me by not calling me that again," Dipper deadpanned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get as far away from Poolcheck as I can."
With that, Dipper rose and walked off, leaving Mabel by herself to think about things. She didn't have long to think though, as a message in a bottle suddenly shot out of the pool filter and floated in the water before her. Curious, she picked up the bottle and pulled out the message, reading the note with a new smile.
' "Dear Mabel," ' she read in her head, picturing Mermando's voice, ' "I am home with my family and I am very happy. Our first kiss will always hold a place in my heart. Technically hearts. As a Merman, I have, like, seventeen hearts. Horrifying but true! More bottles on the way!" '
At that very moment, several more bottles came out of the filter. Mabel giggled at the sight and gathered up the new bottles, determined to read them all.
As Mabel collected her long-distance love letters, Dipper walked off sadly. He'd hidden his feelings from Mabel, but he really was upset about losing the lifeguarding job. It had been a chance for him to be different in Gravity Falls. To have someone actually trust and maybe even respect him. But he had given it up. He would always choose his sister over some really unstable (possibly robot) guy he barely knew and helping Mermando was the right thing to do, but the rejection still stung. And the loss of an easy way to hang out with Wendy sucked too.
No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than a water balloon collided with his face.
"Hey, doofus!" Wendy greeted him as she approached him in her regular outfit. "You'll never guess what happened. I just got fired."
"Really?" Dipper responded, surprised by the timing.
"Yeah," Wendy answered with a nod. "I guess Poolcheck found out I was taking too many snacks."
"... How many?" Dipper asked.
In answer, Wendy lifted her hat and revealed a small stack of Corncorno packs. Dipper snickered at the sight, earning a chuckle from Wendy in the process.
"Hey, wanna go break rules somewhere else?" Wendy asked.
Dipper shrugged and wore a small smile. "I guess I've got nothing better to do."
The two smiled as they walked off, intent to cause mayhem.
So maybe neither of the twins was having much luck with love. That didn't mean they were hopeless or doomed to be single forever. When it came to romance, there was always tomorrow. But for the moment, they were each going to enjoy today.
... And remain unaware of their grunkle's cries for help.
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So, Dipper vs. Mabel happened. Finally, amirite? Ever since the Nerd vs. Childish comic Buryooooo put out, I've wanted to see who would win if the twins ever came to blows. Since we never received an actual comic detailing this, I decided to do it myself! Well, except as a written story. Did you get the reference I put in?
Expect more chapters in the near future!