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Chapter Text

Week one after he found the journal, Gideon would have said all his problems could be traced back to the day he first met Pacifica, and he'd only have been half joking.

Less than three days after he met Mabel Pines, Gideon would say his real problems started like this:

Gideon sat scrunched at the end of one of the tent of telepathy's complimentary wooden benches. His face looked like if dough could suck on a lemon- crumpled and sour. Curtains flapped to his left, while a ball of Technicolor fizzled to his right.

"Magicians shouldn't just claim to be real psychics or wizards or whatever off the stage, Paz. It’s dishonest. Even the shack has disclaimers warning people that what it sells is just merchandise inspired by local legend, not an endorsement of it, or proof."

When she next popped it was like a starburst; her feet grazed the stage close enough to set the lights of her sneakers off, and even Gideon was grudgingly forced to accept that it was probably for the best that she’d found them seats in the front row.

“Oh, come on Gideon! Are you an adventurer or what? Because sorry to burst you’re bubblegum, but there are child labor laws and you’re too young to be a no-fun-big-word-lawyer. ‘Sides, you already admitted it yourself-“

She leaned further to the left so that Gideon had to literally hold onto the edge of his seat not to fall off.

"This town’s got secrets!"

"Sure, granted.”

Gideon shoved her back into place and adjusted his cap with his free hand.

“But aren’t you forgetting that the Pines twins aren't even from this town? Or do you honestly expect me to believe that outside of Reverse Falls, anarchist gnomes and… and 'child psychics' are a thing that just happens?"

"I don't know, maybe..."

Pacifica made a shape with her hands that ended a little like a ‘v’.

"Maybe this town is like a funnel, and sooner or later all the weird stuff just falls in?"

"What, you mean like you?"

Pacifica twisted, flashed a smile full of braces in all the colors of a Skittle's box, and twirled a finger through her bright gold hair.

"Awe, I can't take all the credit. Have you met my parents?"

Just then, static came over the tent’s overhead speakers, and drowned out all whispers. The lights dimmed, and along the inner isle, lines of candles burst into blue flame.

A voice, high pitched and nasally under the electronic distortion, began to speak.

"L-ladies and gentlemen! Allow me to present the magnificent Mabel, our very own lightning in a bottle! It is she who dances at the eye of the storm, to the melt and the crack of the primal song that reshapes this world! T-truly, she is a star fallen to Earth so that we may more closely bask in her light!"

A girl in a pressed blue vest and skirt stepped from behind the curtain, and took a curtsy. Her brown bangs were swept back and out of her face by a black headband inlaid with a single jewel. Though it was only a shade darker than her powder blue clothes, Gideon found it was hard to think of that jewel as anything but deep. It had a sort of gravity to it; in the way it sucked in and threw back the light and dazzle of the stage.

"…And- and her brother, Master Mason! A constellation of hidden nodes and burning runes, a sage of forbidden arts and dark sciences. He is a knower of that which should not be known, and to you, an imparter of what should never truly be freely given."

A boy stepped from the shadows, or rather, seemed to melt from them in the stark lighting. He was dressed to match his sister, with the addition of a black cape, and a black velvet bolo tie whose centerpiece was the mirror image of his sister's jewel. His face was placid as its surface, but flickered with the similar promise of something deeper. Under one arm, he clutched something that might have been a book.

Each grabbed the other's hand, and lifted as one as the voice continued-

"Yin and Yang, light and shadow, neither can shine as brightly without the other! Give it up for the two, the only...."

The curtains flew open to a black star-studded backdrop, with the tent of telepathy sign at its center. The twins' had formed a pyramid, and its eye fell directly between their raised arms.

"The TELEPATHY TWINS!"

Without letting go of her brother's hand, Mabel performed a little pirouette and took over the narration.

"Prepare yourself for a night of enchantment, thrills, and curiosities most confounding!" 

Next, Mason slipped gracefully under Mabel's arms and into the limelight.

"Where the bound heart sings, and the puppets dance without strings, to revelations most astounding."

***

Mason tapped the little side-table once, twice, then raised his wand. The tablecloth rose with it in the shape of a perfect triangle. 

He made a broad sweep, and the cloth flew over the audience who gasped and shrieked and laughed.

"Of course, the common ghost is nothing more than a household pest. Easily tamed-"

The triangle cloth came to perch lightly on Mason's shoulders. 

It was hard to tell against the starry backdrop, but Gideon thought the cloth didn't quite splay out as much as it should have on the way down. It was almost as if something was holding it in place.

"-And easily controlled."

Dipper pulled the cloth off a whole lot of nothing, and in a flourish, spread it back over the table.

No one clapped louder than Pacifica.

***

Mabel handed Pacifica a chalkboard, and positioned herself behind her so she could watch her draw over one shoulder.

After about thirty seconds, she said,

"Okay, I think that's good enough. Is that all right with you?"

Pacifica turned slightly pink and nodded.

Mabel pressed two fingers to her temple, and closed her eyes.

"All right, I'm sending him the picture now."

From his chair up on stage, Mason closed his eyes as well. For a moment, his head lolled to the side, and Gideon thought he'd actually fallen asleep.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes again and straightened. He grabbed his chalk. Then his arm lurched like a possessed snake and twitched out a storm of white dust and scratches. The rest of his body remained detached and composed throughout, which, okay, Gideon had to admit was a little creepy.

When his arm fell limp, Mabel spread her arms. She turned to face Pacifica, as well as the whole of the audience.

"Tell me, Pacifica, is this what you drew?"

Mason flipped around his board to reveal a giant chicken pecking at a tiny square house.

Pacifica gasped and leaned so far forward she nearly toppled over.

Gideon found himself looking side to side for any hidden mirrors.

***

"Now, for this next demonstration, we'll need another volunteer from the audience."

Simultaneously, everyone in the tent raised their hands. This included Gideon, who had fully intended to keep his arms firmly folded over his chest.

"Wait, wha-?"

He tried to move his arm, and managed to wiggle a finger. He'd resorted to physically wrestling his right arm down with his left when Mabel's index finger locked onto him like a crosshair.

"Would one of our new guests do us the honor of joining us on stage for the first time?"

Pacifica punched him in the shoulder.

“Looks like someone wants in on that action after all!"

"Pacifica, I didn't mean to! I mean, they- somehow-"

He swallowed his excuses when he realized that each invariably implied some kind of real magic at work.

Mabel reached out her hand. Gideon bit his lip. Pacifica gave him another shove, and reluctantly, he took it.

Gideon was pulled onto the stage- rather literally. Considering his height, he probably wouldn’t have been able to make it up without the help. However, even after Gideon's feet landed firmly on the ground Mabel's hand refused to let his go, and by that point, trying to pull away would have looked more awkward than he was comfortable with.

The spotlight was a lot hotter than he'd expected before he‘d found himself under it, and he was suddenly painfully aware of how slick his hands were. If Mabel noticed, she gave no indication that she cared.

Her brother, on the other hand, crossed his arms and fixed him with an unreadable stare. Between him, her, and the gawking audience, and the lights that made his eyes water, Gideon hardly knew where to look.

“For this to work, Gideon,”

Mabel’s voice drew his attention back to her with all the inevitability of a black hole,

“I’m going to need you to step on my feet. And I do mean on purpose."

At his expression, she gave him a wink.

“Come now, there’s no need to be shy. My boots are quite sturdy."

Gideon hovered one foot over Mabel’s shoe for a few heartbeats before he committed his full weight to it. He leaned backwards and away even as he placed the other foot down. His cheeks burned. If Mabel's fingers hadn't been of a mind to strangle his, he might have just fallen down.

He still might fall down. Blame it on the fact that he’d only made his first real friend a little more than a week ago, but Gideon wasn’t exactly used to physical contact. Neither was he particularly thrilled to be so close to a girl he didn't know in front of a live audience.

"Close your eyes. It’ll help you clear your mind.”

This part wasn’t difficult, considering Pacifica’s giggling face alone was enough to give him a headache, never mind those lights.

“That's exactly right. Just relax, and take a deep breath, like this."

He felt a warm suction of breath tickle his bangs. 

Gideon breathed.

"Now, I want you to think back to a time when you felt too big for your body, a time when you felt trapped. You can take another breath now, Gideon.”

There was a small chorus of laughter from the audience. Gideon hadn’t realized he’d been holding it.

He shrank a little smaller, and Mabel squeezed his palm in response.

"As you may or may not be aware, I've been gifted the rare privilege to see into a great many hearts. Therefor, when I say we've all felt trapped at some point in our lives, rest assured that I do so with some confidence. In those moments, though the circumstances may very, the wish always remains the same: to be someone, or to be somewhere better."

He could definitely relate to that last one right about now.

"I don't know where that better place is, Gideon. I don't know if I'll ever be able to reach it. But what I do know, what I think everyone knows-“

Here, he felt her hair against his cheek as she turned her head, probably to meet the eyes of the audience.

“Is that no matter how trapped you feel, there's always one final refuge you can escape to. What I refer to, of course, is the mind. The body is far too small for it. It spills over, and it leaks, and every night, our barriers burst, and we find ourselves adrift in the shared sky of dreams. I want you to find that place now, Gideon. Try to see yourself from outside yourself, like you’re looking down from above…”

Something heavier than her hair brushed past the back of Gideon’s head, and he jolted, but Mabel held firm.

“…And fly.”

Gideon opened his eyes and felt the bottom drop out of him because OH MY GREAT GOSH THE FLOOR WAS GONE and the people had shrunk to itty-bitty bugs and-

Gideon was maybe 3 1/2 feet tall- the tent roof should NOT be that close. Up or down, either direction made his stomach flip, and probably would have flipped the rest of him with it-

If he had actually been dangling from Mabel's hands.

Because he wasn't. Dangling. Even though his own feet had long since vacated her shoes in their mad scramble for non-existent ground and by all rights he should be.

Instead, Gideon could have been mistaken for a live insect pinned to a cork board. His legs were left free to do a mid-air-doggy-paddle that never once threw their balance, because they didn't bob, they didn't really even float, and that invisible pin stayed pushed right through his middle like it was the most solid point in the universe.

And he'd never felt a harness, had never seen a single wire.

Finally, they began to descend, though not nearly fast enough. They landed to a rapturous round of applause, to which Mabel spread her arms with a wing-like flutter, and bowed.

Chapter Text

Gideon took one deep breath before he approached the girls leaned over one of the mystery shack's counters of merchandise in a blatantly suspicious huddle.

"Hello, can I help you with something?"

Mabel straightened at once and turned a bright smile on him.

"Oh, speak of the devil! Your lovely friend Pacifica here was just telling me you were interested in stage magic. She said you went half crazy trying to work out the method behind our madness."

She tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear and her arms behind her back, and then leaned forward by the tips of her toes.

"Is this true?"

"It's not wrong," he said.

"I knew it!"

She clapped.

Then her smile deflated into a sigh.

"Its such a shame. I'd love to show you how it’s done, I really would, but you must understand- I can't dole out our secrets to just anyone who asks."

She placed a hand on her heart and lowered her head.

"As a psychic, and especially as a magician, it would simply go against code."

The tip of Mabel's nose came dangerously close to popping Gideon's personal bubble.

"However, I don't think anyone could begrudge me giving a few pointers to a friend."

Gideon had to stretch to avoid being cowed by her height, all while trying not to look as defensive as he felt. In lieu of any better shield, he raised an eyebrow.

"And why are you so determined to be my friend, exactly?"

She was a minor celebrity, right? She ought to have plenty. 

"Even if I didn't think you were positively adorable~"

Gideon sputtered. Pacifica pumped a fist and snapped.

"And then there were two! One more convert and cuteness cult is a go!"

"-Any excuse to spend time with a fellow enthusiast would be incentive enough."

Mabel examined her blue nails in a way that implied she was practiced at blocking out background levels of insanity.

"Oh Gideon, you’d be surprised how few people care for our art beyond the mere spectacle."

"Not really. I think I pretty much had your audience pegged."

Behind Mabel, Pacifica peeked from over a newly acquired conspiracy magazine and stuck out her tongue.

"If you wanted,"

Mabel continued without a second glance backwards,

"I'm sure I could even teach you a thing or two. No voodoo required."

"Ooh, so you do know voodoo?"

Gideon shoved his hands in his pockets, and sunk further into his vest collar.

"I think Pacifica's 'enthusiastic' enough for both of us. Feel free to play witch's apprentice or whatever while I go get on with my honest work."

Even as he turned to leave, Pacifica vaulted herself over the display of books by the points of her lanky arms to grab the tail end of Gideon's vest.

"Gideon! What's gotten in to you? Why you gotta be so rude, huh?"

Gideon recaptured his vest and scowled.

"Rude? Really? We don't even know her, and she just randomly singles us out after we visit her show once? How is that not downright creepy?"

Pacifica let him go, but frowned.

"I don't know how it works in the big city Gideon, but here in Reverse Falls, greeting new faces is just what we call being neighborly."

She patted Mabel on the arm, and cupped one hand over her mouth.

"Don't pay any attention to him; you're creepy in the good way."

Mabel delicately peeled her hand of her sleeve with the minimum number of fingers required.

"It's as she says,"

Said Mabel.

"My apologies if I came off a little strong, but my profession does rather encourage a certain disposition, and, to be honest, it's been some time since I've had a chance to socialize with many children my own age off the stage."

Gideon felt a sudden stab in his gut, and bit his lip. He sighed, turned around, and fidgeted with the brim of his hat.

"Yeah... I'm sorry. I get it. What I said was probably a bit harsh, I'm just-"

"Gideon can totally relate," said Pacifica.

"Not to any of the cool stuff, I mean, but you actually sound pretty well matched in the sad stuff department. I'm actually his first friend."

"Pa... Pacifica!"

She cocked her head guilelessly.

"What?"

"I must say Gideon, she's a wonderful start, and certainly nothing to be ashamed of."

"Awe, you!"

"Now, please, do forgive me if I'm being forward again, but if you ever happen to have another vacancy available-"

"Psh!"

Pacifica waved a hand.

"I've already decided you're my friend, and that basically makes you one of Gideon's BFFs by default."

Gideon opened his mouth to protest, but then thought back to his introduction to Robby, and closed it again.

"...Pretty much," he admitted.

"I guess I'll be seeing ya," he said, and gave an awkward salute before he wandered off in the general direction of the cash register.

***

Pacifica grinned behind her braces.

"I still can't believe you have a crush on him. He's absolutely oblivious!"

"Oh dear, and here I thought I was being obvious."

Mabel's hand went to her hip, and her hair swished with her when she turned. 

"You know Gideon,"

She said.

"Do you believe it's too soon to approach him directly?"

Pacifica tugged at her ponytail and hummed.

"In my expert opinion, obviously, you should ask him on a date first. Get the mood right. Gideon's way more interested in mysteries than love, but since you're kind of a mystery too, that can't hurt your chances. I totally felt a connection back there. He just has to get to know you better, is all."

"In that case..."

Mabel whispered something in Pacifica's ear, and her grin grew into something world devouring.

***

Gideon was trying to read a book, titled "The Relative Cousins", when Pacifica burst out of the bathroom, clawed her hands in a way that put Gideon in the mind of dying road kill, and threw her head back into a cackle that didn't sound much better.

Behind her, the door bounced on its hinges. She stopped at the sound and nodded at it once. Then she picked up a merry tune and skipped away.

Gideon spread out his book face down across his lap, and stared at the crack of darkness between the frame and only-mostly-closed door. After a minute or two of internal debate, his curiosity got the best of him, and he moved his bookmark forward by a single page.

(What was sad was that he'd probably just set a new record for his summer reading, if he didn't count the journal or titles like 'Code Cracking For Morons'.)

When Gideon entered the bathroom, he was blinded by a collage of sticky notes scribbled with enough gel pen they probably glowed in the dark. And unless Pacifica had stolen all of Greasy's raw sugar packets again, chances were the neon gibberish was also in code.

With a sigh, he tore all the important pieces loose from the mirror, climbed back into his chair, and lifted a book that was much dustier from beneath his recreational reading.

Chapter Text

Gideon looked down at the note, at the address, and then back at the restaurant, and wondered if he'd made a mistake. The written message itself had proved to be a simple Caesar cipher (three letters forward to translate), while his best guess with the sticky note numbers was that they lined up according to the colors of the rainbow.

(Well, it had been an attempt at a Caesar Cipher anyway. It looked like Pacifica had ran into trouble when she reached the beginning of the alphabet- as in, she didn't know how to translate 'A' or 'b' into something 'three letters back', so she just broke her own rules and left each standing as it was.)

The original message was this:

"EBV DFA QEB HFG, KBU COFHKA JABBI PAFA PB'A BB RM QL MAVFKD CLO PLJB VRJJV CLLG! JBBQ RM FP 8! ♡♡♡"

And his own pencil annotations read, with 'mistakes' underlined read:

"Hey Gid the Kid, new friend MABel said she'd Be up to pAying for some yummy food! Meet up is 8! ♡♡♡"

(It didn't escape his attention that Pacifica's 'mistakes', incidentally, spelled out pop band ABBA. Though what the hearts were supposed to mean was anyone's guess.)

Gideon scratched his head on it one last time, then finally shrugged and tucked away the note. He tucked himself into the lobby in a similar manner, head low and hands in his pockets. He felt distinctly uncomfortable in yesterday's unwashed vest, which still flaked dry mud from his and Paz's last monster hunt. He'd been expecting it to acquire more dirt before the night was over. Not... this.

Gideon sat down on a waiting couch, and tried very hard to make himself look small. Periodically, he checked his watch. Was Pacifica late?

His efforts to turn invisible were utterly dashed when an exaggerated gasp drew the attention of the entire wait room staff.

"Gideon!"

Mabel swept him into a hug full of blue frills and stars. The staff seemed to relax a little.

"At least he smells like her perfume now," he heard one of them mutter.

She fell onto the seat next to him with a floof and a cross of her legs.

"When Pacifica suggested we meet up tonight, I jumped at the chance to make his a night we'd remember. Did you know that this happens to be one of my favorite restaurants?"

Gideon's eyes floated up to a framed photo of Mabel and her brother cutting a banner that said 'grand opening', and then to another of Mabel labeled 'costumer of the month.'

"I never would have guessed."

Customer of the month? Was that that even a thing?

"Come with me," she said, and grabbed his hand.

"I get the feeling a table just opened up."

Gideon tipped to one, and caught the last glimpse of a snappily dressed waiter ushering an old lady out the door.

"What was that, a premonition?"

***

"It's such a shame Pacifica couldn't make it," Mabel said, and stabbed her lobster between its plating.

The thing made a dead gurgle-squelch, thrashed once, and fell limp. 

"Ya don't say."

This was a set up. He still hadn't decided how he felt about that. Frustrated with Pacifica, certainly, and equal parts wary. There was definitely some ulterior motive here, and he wasn't sure he liked the possibilities that came to mind.

Gideon pushed his own lobster plate into the center of the table by the tip of his fork.

When he noticed Mabel staring, he said, "This uh- this here is the first time I think I've ever eaten grub quite so, uh, lively."

"Oh, I can take care of the if it bothers-"

"Err, no, that's just fine," Gideon said, and pulled his platter closer to his side again.

"It’s like I told you, Gideon," said Mabel, with a twirl and glint of her silverware,

"Aim for the spine, and it won't feel a thing."

She shrugged.

"But suite yourself."

Mabel pushed back her chair to stand.

"Waiter? Yes you, over there, do you happen to be carrying anything a little less fresh?"

While Mabel began to sweet talk the waiter out of whatever was already on some other customer’s intended platter, Gideon met his lobster's beady eyes.

"Am I allowed to be creeped out now?"

As an afterthought, he stole another glance at Mabel's plate, and his brow furrowed.

"Wait, are lobsters supposed to have internal skeletons?"

Mabel flipped back to Gideon just as he pushed his (possibly mutated) lobster what was hopefully a safe distance from the either of them.

"Good news; they'll be out with something newly boiled shortly. In the meantime, you could always hold onto this one for a pet- or an attraction, if you'd prefer," she said with a wink.

"...Look, Mabel," Gideon coughed.

"What's this all about?"

Her eyes blinkered like innocent stars, and her long fingers twined under her chin like a candelabra or something equally decorative.

"Why, whatever do you mean?"

"The fancy restaurant, the private meet up- the um, the pet lobster- you know this isn't really my thing, right? In her note Pacifica implied she was coming, but if she was, she'd be here by now."

Mabel considered him for a moment. Then she smoothed out her napkin, and fluttered it down over the remains of her meal.

"I was going to save it for a surprise you know. Pacifica and I had it all planned out. Just like a magic trick."

A smile tugged at her lips. She pinched the napkin off her plate by the corners to reveal a powder blue envelope in place of the lobster corpse. Then she picked it up, brushed it off, and presented it to him in open palms.

"Gideon Gleeful, would you do the honor of accompanying me to the ballroom dance this Thursday?"

"...Mabel, it's nothing personal, but when I said places like this aren't my thing," he gestured widely at the room around them,

"That kind of included big fancy balls."

"Just give it a chance."

Fast swerving as a spotlight, Mabel snatched his hands off the table and Gideon swallowed. 

"I'm sure it will be a wonderful opportunity to make new friends. I know all about your troubles at home, and-"

Gideon shot up, the existence of his hands temporarily forgotten in a single, bodily yank.

"Pacifica told you WHAT?"

Mabel's eyebrow twitched but smoothed over. She folded her hands and the envelope in her lap, the perfect picture of composure.

"She told me nothing, Gideon. Calm yourself."

Gideon took a deep breath, aware of the stares that burned into him from every side.

"...How?"

He asked more quietly, cheeks red.

"I could see for myself."

"Oh right, because you're psychic?"

"No."

Mabel pressed the envelope onto the table and stood up. She reached for his hand again, face still smooth, but voice firm. Again, Gideon wanted to pull away, but she was determined.

"I recognized that look on your face."

Mabel's nose dipped. Her lashes shaded her eyes.

"Because it used to be on mine."

Gideon went silent. She pulled him down with her as she kept talking.

"Before you came here, you were so numbed to your pain you couldn't imagine a life without it, but now that you know what its like to leave it behind, you can't unknown. You can't ever imagine going back. This summer has been like a perfect little dream for you, hasn't it? You're afraid to even admit it's real."

For a second, Gideon thought it was glitter caught in her eye, but then those lashes unfolded and he startled.

"Mabel..."

She wiped the brightness on the back of her sleeve cuff.

"...You got all that from my stupid face?"

Maybe she really was...

She nodded.

"I tried to make you smile, back at the tent, and I still haven't seen you smile once. People who don't want to smile are usually the same kind who are afraid they'll have to stop. But did you know that some people have the other problem?"

"Other problem?"

Her smile thinned around the edges.

"Some people only know how to smile when they're lying."

***

He hadn't made it ten feet outside the building before Pacifica popped out of a bush.

"So, how did it go?"

"Weird."

"How weeeird?"

Pacifica twisted a leaf out of her hair and sniffed it, then shrugged and pressed it to her tongue. Gideon lifted his gaze to the stars as Pacifica began to chew.

"It's just... I don't think I’ve ever met a psychic that was actually able to... tell. What was wrong. With me."

Pacifica gulped loudly.

"You mean...?"

"About my home? Yeah. You know, I'm not used to expecting much from people who claim to know everything. I don't even think I realized how defensive I was about it. I... might have been a bit biased, before. Quick to judge."

He scuffed his shoe on the sidewalk. Pacifica adjusted her scrunchie and pulled at her ponytail in yellow puffs.

"...Look, Gideon, I'm sorry about springing this on you without warning. She just sounded so sincere, and-"

Gideon shook his head.

"Don't be. I keep telling you; I don't want you to baby me. This is... good, I think."

"Sooo... does that mean you're going?"

Gideon held up the envelope clutched in his hand, as if he'd seen it for the first time.

Chapter Text

Gideon didn't have anything particularly fancy to wear. He'd packed for a stay at a tourist trap in the middle of the woods, after all.

So in the end he settled for leaving his hat at home and washing his vest. As an afterthought, he borrowed a bowtie from his dad. 

"One size fits all," he had said, and rested a hand his shoulder. A proud expression was reflected in the mirror behind him.

It didn't stop him from fiddling with it later, or worrying that he looked more ridiculous wearing a tie with a puffy vest and tennis shoes than he would without. 

Gideon rubbed the back of his neck when Mabel approached.

"Oh, hi Mabel. Sorry, I wasn't really clear on the dress code-"

Mabel pulled him into a hug, and when she released him, he noticed his vest was covered in glitter.

"...Okay, we're doing this again," he wheezed.

"Not to worry," she laughed and let go. "I wore enough glitter for the both of us."

***

"Woo," Gideon rubbed his cheek. "I think my mouth is gonna get sore from smiling'."

Mabel crossed her legs.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Ha ha, no I mean, I'm really grateful for the opportunity and all, but I'm honestly not used to pretending to like so many people at once. The way they were all watching us... it made me kind of nervous."

She leaned closer to his side of the boat.

"You can hardly blame them though, can you? We do make a rather attractive couple."

"A... a couple of friends?"

Fiddleford adjusted his glasses. "Oh! That'd be my cue!"

He dropped his oar and pushed a button on some kind of handheld controller.

Fireworks shot into the night sky, and spelling the word "Gideon" circled by a heart.

Gideon's first instinct was to shrink into his vest like a turtle. He tried to straighten.

"Mabel, wha- I told you I don't like attention!"

Mabel spread her arms.

"Ignoring the fact that I ordered these expensive fireworks weeks in advance-"

Gideon leaned back.

"Um, I've only known you for a little over one week."

"-Trust me when I say a little exposure therapy will do you some good. And what better exposure than me?"

Mabel coughed.

"What I mean to say is..." She folded her hands near his lap. "I think that a little bit of change- say, like a girlfriend- could do you some good."

Gideon shook his head slowly.

"Listen Mabel, I'd like to say I'm flattered but... this whole summer had been one big change after another. I have found friends- friends that don't want anything from me, who don't to change me..."

Mabel threw a hand over her heart.

"I would never insist you change who you are."

"Then would you be willing accept that kind relationship just isn't something I want right now?"

Mabel's smile became strained. "Are you asking... me to wait?"

"No, no. That wouldn't be fair to you or me."

"I pushed a little too far, didn't I? If we go someplace quieter next time-"

Gideon threw his hands. "No. No next time, Mabel, just- please."

Mabel's mouth hardened into a firm line. She brushed a hair out of her face, the shadow of her bangs falling over her eyes.

"Can't you just take no for an answer? I don't want things to get too awkward. If..."

Gideon twiddled his fingers.

"If you still want to be friends, then please don't make this awkward."

Mabel straightened her back, then straightened her pendant.

"Ha ha ha, what? No, of course not. It's not like I staked my entire hopes and dreams on this night or anything. It's fine. Just fine." Mabel's smile was a little to wide for comfort.

"...Are you sure?"

She waved him off. "Please, give me a little credit. I do have some grace. Now, can you swim?"

Gideon looked both ways before he met Mabel's gaze again.

"No?"

Fiddleford adjusted his spectacles.

"Taking his surface area to height into account, I'd reckon he'd float."

"Best stick to the safe side, then. Be a dear and bring us into shore, Fiddleford."

Mabel kept smiling.

The trip to shore was awkward.

***

"Mason!"

The boy stepped from the shadows.

He cast a brief sidelong glance at Pacifica, before directing his attention to Mabel.

Mabel gripped the edge of Pacifica's chair. "Did you follow me?"

"There was hardly a need, with your flair for the dramatic. Where else would you keep a-"

He gestured an arm at Pacifica-

"A victim, if not an abandoned warehouse. I do hope the rest of your 'plan' isn't so obvious- or do you seriously believe that holding your crush's alleged ladylove hostage will change his opinion of you for the better?"

She turned up her nose. "Its nothing like that."

"He isn't likely to trust you if Pacifica "mysteriously disappears" the day after he broke up with you, either."

"Oh, shut up. Fine, for your information, was intending to make a bargain with him, but-"

"You were going to use Will."

"Yes."

Mason rubbed his eyes. "The demon isn't a toy, Mabel. This is getting out of hand!"

"'The demon isn't a toy'," Mabel mocked, with finger-quotes and all.

"Well, he looks like one, and whose idea was it to incorporate him into our act?"

"That is different. What you are suggesting, sister dear, is that we use Will as some, what, mediator? A third party in a deal between humans? Oh let me guess, you want Will to erase Gideon's memories, or make him love you, in exchange for letting Pacifica go. Am I right? Have you stopped to consider what Will gets out of the equation? Do you expect he'll do just as you say for free?"

Mabel stomped. "He has before! He's bound!"

"This is a deal! This is what he's made for! If he played it right, he may even find a means to subvert that bond! What if making Gideon love you meant making you a different person, have you thought of that?!"

"I-"

Mabel faltered for just a moment. Then her mouth steeled in a line.

"Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I could do to think more before I act. I'll get on with that now, but mark my words- I am not giving up." She jabbed Mason in the chest with one sharp nail. "Now, you can help me like you promised, or you can leave."

Mason sighed. "...Write up a contract. I'll look it over when you're done. In the meanwhile, I suspect you'll need to make a few phone calls."

She smiled and snapped.

"You suspect right. Guard the prisoner?"

"Do you have so little faith in your own knots?"

She turned with a wave.

"To be fair? I am used to tying knots we're meant to escape from~!"

Mason was still as the metal door swung closed with a squeak. Then he turned to Pacifica.

She looked up at him with wide eyes and a mouth full of cloth. There wasn't much else she could do, unless she wanted to risk blinking something that came out wrong in Mores code.

Maybe it was the dark, but for a brief flicker, the rings under mason's eyes seemed to hang a little heavier, before the porcelain mask was back in place.

He knelt and leaned close enough that she could feel his breath whisper in her ear and she stiffened and pushed as far away as she could, which admittedly wasn’t much. It took a moment for what he had actually said to sink in over the rapid beat of her heart.

"When there's a distraction, I'll loosen your bonds. Don't let on that I helped. Just run."

He stood up, and his cape fell after him as he strode away.

Pacifica did the only thing she could, and blinked. Slowly. To be fair, it was a very expressive blink, and when it was done, her eyes were shining- like they were seeing the world in a new light.

***

Mabel spun theatrically on her heal.

"That's the deal Gideon. Your friend will be free, and we'll both be happy. Sounds like a win-win to me."

"Maybe, but what else will I be? Brainwashed?"

Gideon pointedly looked away from where Pacifica was struggling with her ropes.

He pointed to chalk the circle instead.

"You're summoning a literal DEMON to mess with my head just because I said I wanted to stay friends? How does that even work? How is it any different than drugging me? How could you do that to someone you claim to care about?"

"Maybe you wouldn't- but then, you've never been very good at holding onto things you cared about, now have you?"

Gideon grit his teeth. 

But it was working. Her eyes were burned onto him like a brand.

She circled around him, and Gideon moved with her. Short as he was, he had to hope he'd be enough to distract her from what was happening behind him.

"You talk so much, but what would you possibly know about healthy, or normal or relationships? We're both broken, Gideon. No one's going to hold onto each other but us. Isn't a miracle that we found each other like this? I know you understand. I know there's something you need to hold onto no matter what-"

She turned just in time to get whacked with a chair.

Pacifica hadn't got her over the head, more like in the shoulder, so she was awake to scream in pain or rage if momentarily debilitated. The chair stayed glue to Pacifica's shaking hands for a moment before she dropped it, and ran to Gideon.

"TRAITORS!"

Mabel bent over, clutched her wounded arm to her side, and twisted her free wrist.

Pacifica went flying into Gideon, and both crashed in the wall with a crack while she limped closer.

For once, Gideon was sorely grateful for his extra layer of chub. Even with it, he'd still be feeling these bruises tomorrow- assuming they’d ever make it that far.

Through blurred eyes, Gideon saw a second form run to her side.

"Mabel-!"

She pulled away, and both Pacifica and Gideon fell in a heap as she turned on him, hands clawed. 

"You were supposed. To be watching. The prisoner!"

He scratched his arm, as if in sympathy. "It looked like you had it handled."

Mabel's eye twitched. "She could have killed me!"

Mason's eyes landed on Pacifica, and she shrunk.

Gideon didn't think, he jumped. He jumped on Mabel and fell on Mabel’s medallion with his full weight until it snapped off her neck.

Her head snapped backward, and this time Mason clutched his own Medallion, gathering Gideon in an unearthly glow, but-

Gideon raised his arm.

"I'll smash it!"

Both twins froze.

"Make another move either of you and I'll smash it!"

Gideon grabbed Pacifica's hand, and pulled her back step-by-step. He nudged her when their back fell against the door, and she pushed it open for them. Gideon didn't dare break eye contact with either of the twins.

He probably shouldn't have been surprised that they followed him past the doors, but how was he supposed to make good on his threat? The moment he smashed the amulet, there would be nothing to stop Mason from smashing them.

He almost bit his tongue when he heard a whisper by his ear. It was Pacifica. 

He hadn't even realized they hadn't let go if each other. He hadn't even felt her arm around him.

"I said smash it," she said.

His lips formed around the word 'what', but no air came out.

"I think he'll let us go."

"You think?!"

"Gideon, if we hold to this Mabel will do anything to get it back!" She squeezed his hand and squeezed close her eyes.

"Trust me."

Gideon clutched the amulet tightly in a small hand.

Maybe Pacifica was crazy. Maybe she was also right. 

She was the one who'd been captured, had time time to watch and listen, consider and plan, after all. Not him. And the time for thinking had ran out.

In a single impulse, he slammed he crystal underfoot. Mabel reached out and screamed. She spun on Mason, face beat red, but then Mason fell.

He clutched his own amulet as he went down, and Mabel momentarily faltered.

"Mabel, I can feel- augh! My stone's twin-!"

Pacifica gave Gideon's hand a sharp tug, and he took that as their cue to run.

***

Mabel was like her amulet, which was true on any given day, though tonight it meant she was in pieces.

Mabel tore at her covers with her sharp nails like a feral animal. She threw stuffing at Mason. It wafted harmlessly over him like snow. If anything, that pissed Mabel off more.

"They HUMILIATED ME!"

She stood up on her bed and jabbed a finger at him.

"You saw that, they humiliated us! It's just like photo day all over again! You need to rip her hair out!"

She pulled at her own hair.

"Ugh! We can't be upstaged by- by a girl who looks like she rolled out of THRIFT STORE covered in glue, and a brat that comes up to my waistband!"

She illustrated Gideon's height with one hand, flat like a razor against her skirt.

Mason put a hand on her shoulder.

"Shush, Mabel. You'll wake Great uncle Ford."

Mabel gave him a hard shove in the chest. When he kept his balance, she snarled and ran her sharp nails down his shirt. He winced but didn't flinch.

"The guy who FAINTED does not get to shush me!"

She jumped off her bed and landed with a STOMP. The door slammed.

Mason sagged and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"She's completely lost it. Just being here is driving her insane."

His eyes lingered on the knife imbedded in the wall before they closed.

"I won't lose her too, not after everything. I'll get it back, and then she'll remember. She has to."

Mason slipped his hand I to his pocket, and closed on something delicate. He held his hand in front of him and opened his palm.

A photo of a girl, a boy, and a man smiled back at him, all in matching fishing hats.

His grip tightened.

"A deal's a deal, Will."

The single eye of the triangle tapestry behind him blinked open, and Dipper breathed. 

"I'm taking my home back."

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Cut to black

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Chapter Text