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"They're not gonna listen." Mabel whispered anxiously, combing shaky fingers nervously through tangled hair.
"They're going to listen." Dipper replied.
Mabel trembled and stopped walking.
Confused to see Mabel was no longer walking beside him, Dipper stopped not long after and slowly looked back. His expression falling from a reassuring smile to a worried frown.
"N-no, no, Dipper," Mabel stuttered, "They... they're not—"
"Hey," he cut Mabel off, a hand reaching up to squeeze a shoulder as he once again smiled softly. "They're going to listen."
A pregnant pause.
"...And if they don't?"
"Then we'll make them." Dipper stated.
He pulled Mabel close in a hug, uncaring for how awkward it felt. He wasn't used to being the calming sibling, usually being the one panicking and needing Mabel to ground him instead, but he was determined to try his best.
"They're our parents, they love us. And if they try to give you a hard time about it... well, no one bullies my brother but me."
Said brother snorted, Mabel's trembling slowly dying down until he was as steady as he always was when faced with a challenge. Still, Dipper held the hug a bit longer, making sure that Mabel could feel all the love and support he had for him in the rare embrace.
Soon as they broke apart Mabel offered Dipper a tiny grin, his braces flashing in the dim hall light.
"So you do listen to me."
Dipper rolled his eyes.
Of course Mabel would recognize the very line he'd fed him a hundred times growing up. But it was true. They'd both learned a lot about family and love after that first summer with their grunkles, and even more every summer after.
"Kind of hard not to with how loud you get." He teased.
Mabel scoffed and playfully shoved him, earning a chuckle as he drawled sarcastically, "And I'm only going to get louder the deeper my voice gets."
"Oh no..." Dipper feigned dread.
"Oh yes! Just you wait, as soon as Grunkle Ford starts me on..." He trailed off, all humor falling away as Mabel again ran his fingers through the ends of his hair. It was a whole four inches shorter than it used to be, but it was still long enough for the anxious fidget.
Dipper didn't let Mable have a moment to stew as he hummed, "You know, you're right. I can already hear your voice starting to crack. Soon as you get on testosterone you're not going be able to sing Sady Fairy anymore. Nothing but Ronny Buck from now on."
He pretended to be thinking for a moment before adding, "Might have you record his song 'Burnt' for me."
His brother predictably made a face.
"I'm still gonna sing 'West Coast Chicks'. I don't care how deep my voice gets!" Mabel protested. "Sady Fairy forever!"
The laughter they both erupted into was so relieving for the both of them. Like a fresh glass of water after a day spent melting in the hot sun.
Once the laughter petered out, Mable gently punched Dipper's shoulder, nothing but pure affection in his eyes.
"Thanks, bro-bro."
Dipper chuckled as he rubbed his arm.
"Sure thing, bro-bro."
The way Mabel lit up made Dipper smile.
His sibling's happiness was always worth whatever they went through together, and always would be. That expression had been worth traveling through time and flipping the world upside down again and again two summers ago. He never wanted it to ever vanish completely, and it never would.
Dipper was determined to make sure of it.
He held out his hand.
"Come on, mom and dad will be falling asleep soon. Think it's time they know they have two sons instead of just one, huh? Won't catch them more relaxed than now."
Mabel looked down at the offered palm, chewed his lip as his eyes darted up passed Dipper to their parent's bedroom before dropping again, and then finally took Dipper's hand.
The smile was forced, but it was so entirely Mable with how confident it was.
"Yeah."
They walked off together, hand in hand and right at each other's side.