#& 𝗱𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 ft. WENDY C.

[wildcstwinter]

closed starter: @wendayee !! location: ursula's bar

❛ i'm gonna warn you right now, i can drink you under the table now, ❜ dipper grinned as he slid into the bar stool next to wendy, drumming his palms on the bartop enthusiastically as a shit-eating grin split across his face. his reasonings for having a higher tolerance as of late certainly weren't anything he was proud of but, drinking with wendy had always been fun back in gravity falls. ❛ shot for shot, beer for beer... what do you say ?? ❜

[wildcstwinter]

to say dipper was doing would be a bold faced lie ; to even imply he was doing anything but incredibly poorly would be a falsity. he had noticed the shift, when he had become visible again, the way people's gazes found his and brows scrunched with concern instead of them seeing right through him. when he standing in the middle of the sidewalk resulted in a disgruntled huffs as strangers navigated around him instead of passing right through him. dipper didn't know what he believed to be worse now ; disappearing and having no one care , or disappearing and having people care.

he almost preferred the later.

he was staring longingly into the mystery shack, a cramp in his stomach as he tried to quell the anxiety that had decided to plague him. dipper didn't know what he would do when the people he loved realized they could see him again — he was more overwhelmed by what would be his reaction as opposed to theirs. seeing wendy misted his eyes almost immediately, pulling his lips back in a strained smile as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and limply shrugged his shoulders. " sorry i uh , you know , had no control over this one. . . " did he tell them he had seen everything ?? heard everything ?? " i uh — i'm not gonna lie i don't really know what to do with myself right now. i kinda got . . . used to people not being able to see me. "

LOCATION: outside of the mystery shack FOR: @wildcstwinter (dipper)

At first she didn't believe her eyes, seeing him through the window so casually, as if he had not up and vanished for an entire two months. Like he'd never left at all. They wanted to break into a sprint, to pull him into a tight hug, ruffle his hair, question if he was hurt, then smack him for not saying goodbye... but Wendy had never been particularly good at wearing her emotions on her sleeve, and she had a long list of failed situationships to show for it. Leaving the browsing customers to fend for themselves, they settled into the bench outside the doors, staring at him for a moment. "Dude, you have to cool it with the disappearing acts," she finally spoke with a hint of a smile, biting back the questions and all feelings that came with them for now. "I couldn't hunt you down this time, you know, I'm kind of... well, stuck here."

[wildcstwinter]

dipper grinned at wendy, laughter bubbling from him once more, head shaking side to side as he looked at her with amusement ripe on his features. ❛ if you're not in a retiring home by then, ❜ he taunted, rolling back his shoulders and making a display of loosening up his posture. dragging his teeth across his lower lip to bite back an even wider grin, dipper picked up his own shot and moved to tap the glass against hers. ❛ yeah right, wendy corduroy. bottoms up. ❜ dipper then proceeded to tilt his head back and down the whiskey, the chilled liquor burning icy hot down his throat, his nose scrunching before he exhaled through his lips. ❛ alright, first one down.... shit, you know what ?? we should dial things up a notch and turn this into a drinking game. like... fuck, i don't know. truth or dare ?? ❜

"I'll be sure to remind you of how ancient I am in three years," Wendy promised, realizing in real time she had been a little too quick to call people old before herself. "You know, a new dinosaur exhibit would be kind of sick, though." For a brief moment she wondered how they even got exhibits into the museum, how things from other places could come in but nothing inside could leave. Nope. Not a thought they wanted to cling to, sober or not. Holding up their shot, they grinned. "Okay, fine, we'll take it one step at a time. For now, we can just focus on me kicking your ass."

[wildcstwinter]

the man put his hands up defensively, a genuine grin splitting across his lips as a laugh erupted from his chest; ❛ alright alright, i take it back. i'll tell the museum nevermind on the new dinosaur exhibit i was gonna have them put up in your honor. ❜ when the drinks were brought to them, dipper slid one shot and one beer over the wendy, beyond thankful they were doing this because of how fucked everything in his life seemed to be lately. maybe if he was hammered, bill wouldn't be able to get into his head. dipper wasn't sure if that was how dreamscapes worked but, at least if he was blacked out he wouldn't remember it. ❛ a bet on top of a bet ?? wouldn't that cancel them out ?? ❜

"Old?" Wendy repeated the word, wincing as if it stung their tongue. "Damn, Dipper, I came out to have a good time right now. Don't attack me like that." While they knew that they weren't old, time was definitely moving faster than she had anticipated, and she wasn't sure how to deal with that. So, like everything else... she didn't. Easier to just not think about it, not face it, than have to work through those emotions. "Oh, yeah? Wanna bet?" They grinned, forgetting for half a second they were sort of already in the middle of a bet.

[wildcstwinter]

❛ it also means you're old, ❜ dipper teased, poking their bicep with his finger as a laugh erupted from his chest. wendy wasn't even close to being old, but she was older than him, and that is what mattered. at the proposal of food being the prize, he grinned; ❛ works for me, i'll never say no to food.❜ unless it was seafood — dipper could absolutely say no to seafood. turning to the bartender he ordered them two beers and two shots, opting for one he knew he could stomach. ❛ hope you like fireball, wendy... because you won't like it anymore after tonight.❜

"That just means I've had even more practice," they pointed out, though in reality, they didn't drink that often. Bars were more for the social aspect than actually getting drunk, usually opting to tap out by her third shot when hanging out with friends. But this? This was different. This was a competition now, and she wasn't about to look lame as fuck to someone that used to look up to her. "I don't know about you, but I'm gonna be starving when I get smashed." Wendy's eyes started sparkling as they thought up possibly the most boring suggestion. "Loser buys food?" There was very little Wendy loved more than free food.

[wildcstwinter]

❛ of course i do, but i also remember the last time we played this game i was hardly twenty-one and half the size i am now, ❜ dipper laughed, making a ridiculous display of flexing the bicep had had been working very hard to grow as he flashed a cheeky grin in their direction. shaking his head, he turned to the bartender and leaned in to order their first round before sitting back in his chair, looking back at wendy with mischief ripe in his expression. ❛ not if i get alcohol poisoning first, ❜ he joked, swiveling in the seat to face her better. ❛ — what does the loser have to do ?? we need some kind of prize on the table to make the potential stomach pumps worth it besides bragging rights.❜

"Hey, Dipper, quick question. Do you remember who you're talking to?" Wendy shot him an inquisitive grin, not as confident that they were right as they were in their own stubbornness, ready to take him up on his offer as soon as the words came out. "I will literally die of alcohol poisoning before I let you outdrink me." She was... partially joking, for what it was worth.