estoria | and when we burst, start over [ OPEN ]

Entry tags:

and when we burst, start over [ OPEN ]

Who: Dipper & YOU
When: IC 5/26
Where: Various
What: Dipper died, but life goes on.
Rating/Warning: Talk of death

[ A: REENTRY ]

[ It’s all the same.

The Powerpoint. The spiel. The drop into VIVID. It’s even the same level he initially arrived in. He’s almost nauseous with the sense of deja vu - if he weren’t already nauseous with the feeling of being alive again.

He’s been dropped into the middle of the Tetris level, and he’s so disoriented at the simple impossibility of life that he reacts slower than he should. It’s not that he didn’t expect to be revived. Logically, he knew he would, but there’s only so far that logic can take him when something so final as death is so casually overwritten.

Finally, he does react - a Tetris block is about to flatten him, and he ducks out of the way. The block should clip his shoulder as he awkwardly run-falls away from it, but...it doesn’t. That’s weird. VIVID must be glitching.

It’s only then that he realizes he might not be the only one in this particular level right now. ]

[ B: REUNIONS ]

[ After logging out of VIVID, Dipper makes his way back to the apartment. It’s the obvious place to go, isn’t it? He definitely doesn’t want to go anywhere else. The thing is...he doesn’t really want to go there, either, and the thought of being isolated in his room once again makes his skin crawl with anxious dread. But he knows he can’t leave his roommates and friends hanging. Dipper can’t be sure who knows what happened to him, but he’s sure at least his close friends could probably guess if they weren’t outright told. They’re a sharp bunch.

He kind of wishes they weren’t so sharp right now.

Though he realizes with sharp responsibility that he can’t keep them in suspense forever, Dipper hesitates in front of the door, because he knows, he knows once he goes inside, the unavoidable things he’s been dreading will happen. He’ll have to own up to what happened. He’ll have to process the tidal wave of emotions he’s only just kept at bay with forced numbness. He’ll be reunited with his friends.

He’ll be reunited with the person who saw him die.

Swallowing against a dry throat, Dipper turns the handle on the front door and heads inside. ]

[ C: REPRIEVE ]

[ After talking to his roommates, there’s only so long that Dipper can stay in the apartment. There’s just too much of something he can’t name, and he has to leave.

Before he does that, he sends out a short message to Minato and Hiro. They knew what had happened to him, and they deserved to know he was back. There are probably others he should text, too, but sending messages to just the two of them already took more out of him than he wanted to admit.

And then, he leaves. Maybe it’s selfish - maybe he should stay where Yu and Rise could know he’s safe and well and alive, but he just can’t stay there anymore. He’s restless. So he heads out to take a walk.

He eventually makes his way to the gardens, hands shoved in his vest pockets and every so often, he turns quickly to glance over his shoulder. That’s strange, he could’ve sworn he saw someone watching him from the corner of his eye. He chalks it up to his nerves getting the better of him, but a nagging voice in the back of his head insists that there’s more to it than that.

The gardens aren’t really his typical go-to place to unwind, but at least they’re quiet and he doesn’t want much more than that at the moment. Eventually, he sits in front of one of the trees and leans back against it. It’s fine, for a moment, until something goes wrong and he falls backwards, right through the tree.

There is absolutely nothing to see here. There is definitely not a kid seemingly fused with the trunk of a tree. Move along. ]

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[It had been a long couple of days. Things went from bad to worse to absolute turmoil all in a short span of time and by the time they got back to Cerealia, everything was a complete and utter wreck. He and Tadashi had come home and Baymax properly patched up wounds to the best of his abilities. An idle thought crosses Hiro's mind that perhaps he should go to the hospital, but all he wants to do is sleep. He's too sick to his stomach to eat and he's tired of thinking of the chain of events brought on by that dark place.

So. He sleeps until the early afternoon, only awoken by text messages. One from Tadashi, one from Ruby, and then a short while later, one from Dipper.

Wait. One from Dipper?

Dipper was back. Dipper was back and in a shorter amount of time than most people who have died here and he can't help but fumble with the device even as he's busy trying to keep his balance on his good ankle to move from his bedroom to the living room. The apartment's too quiet and too empty but his mind's on overload with the knowledge that Dipper Pines was back. So, after a short moment he sends a text back.]

Dude. Hey. Have you been home yet? [It's a much easier question than "are you okay", in his opinion, and much better than screaming about how worried he's been.]

[ Dipper can appreciate Hiro's discretion, as a question like "are you okay" is one he could hardly answer right now, let alone through text.

All the same, it's difficult to answer just about anything right now. ]

Yeah. Not for long. [ Not long at all. Not long as he probably should have been before wanting to leave again. ]

You eat yet?

[Also important questions. "Where are you going? What are you doing? Are you taking care of yourself?" They're the questions he knows he'd be asked but he's phrasing them in a way that isn't overly overbearing.

Why is it that the people he cares about continue to die? How can he help make this better?]

No

[ He's not especially hungry, either. You'd think, having a body all shiny and reconstituted, he might be a bit peckish, but no.

He just feels all...twisted-and-turned up in side.

But Hiro's offer is somewhere to go, and Dipper needs to go somewhere else. He has to take it. ]

Did you have something in mind?

[Welcome to the club little buddy. He's quick to type out his next words.]

Tadashi ordered way too much pizza before he left. Ruby and I had some but...there's a lot left over if you want some.

["Please come over because I need to make sure you're really okay."]

[ Recently deceased or not, leftover pizza isn't something a growing teenage boy can say no to. ]

Okay sure
I'll be there in a bit

Cool. I'll see you in a little bit.

[And that's all he says. He doesn't have anything else to say until he sees Dipper in person but he's immediately nervous about the prospect. Still. He reorganizes the nest of blankets he'd made earlier with Ruby on the couch and he grabs some paper napkins to toss next to the pizza. He settles on the arm of the couch and waits impatiently for the knock on the door.

He's not even sure how this will go, but he knows he's not ready.]

[ ...Maybe this was a bad idea.

Of course, Dipper doesn't have this realization until he's standing in front of Hiro's apartment. He'd just been so focused on having somewhere to go that he didn't really think about what was going to happen after he got there.

How do you explain to your best friend that you died?

But he knows if he tries to bail now it'll only make things worse - if Domo doesn't start barking at his presence, anyway.

So he raps on the door crisply. ]

[It's probably a bad idea, but it's something that needs to happen. He realizes that maybe it was a bad idea, too. On the other hand though when he hears the knock on the door he's carefully pushing himself up and making his way to the front door.

By the time he checks to make sure both Demo and Baymax are in charge mode and not activated and gets to the door he can feel the sense of nervous energy washing over him. He opens the door carefully and casually leans against the doorframe not only to make this as non-threatening as possible and also just to prop himself up. He's still in his pajamas and dressed in an oversized t-shirt and cut-off sweatpants, ankle wrapped up and arms folded to carefully avoid touching his side.

Regardless, upon seeing Dipper he examines him closely even with a light smile on his face. It's mostly fake, but he's more than relieved that he's back. He's gauging, quiet for a moment to determine the next step.

What do you do when your best friend comes back to life? At least he's had some practice.]

Man. Took you long enough to get here. [A light joke. He has to see how Dipper is first. Then he can decide.]

[ Dipper is counting the seconds in his head until Hiro opens the door. Counting off his last moments to bail. His last moments to avoid whatever's coming.

But he won't do that. He has no idea what to make of his current situation, or even how to really feel about it, but he'll still face it. That's...just what he does.

Sometimes he thinks it would be easier to be the type of person who runs and hides, though.

Then Hiro opens the door.

Even with the casual smile and joking manner, Dipper can practically feel the tension rolling off his friend. He knows it's coming off of him, too. Was there any point to pretending otherwise? ]

What can I say? I'm still breaking in a new pair of legs.

[ Apparently there is something to it, because this is an easier approach. ]

[His lips twitch a little.]

Maybe I should be a little proud of you. Go big or go home, right? [God. It's hard. It's too hard to keep joking about something so earth-shattering and something he's dealt with two other times. His lips twitch again more to one side than the other in a lopsided grin before he steps forward, cuffing Dipper around the shoulders in a one-armed hug. It's a little too tight to be only casual and it's only because of his chest wound that he's not getting a full hug. He's steering Dipper into the apartment anyway.]

C'mon. Got a spot on the couch with your name on it to rest your short legs for a bit.

[Hiro, you have no place to call anybody short. He doesn't know all of the details of what's happened. He's not sure he wants to know either, but he's not going to outright ask either. That's the last thing Dipper needs.]

[ A raw smile cracks over his own lips as he throws his arm around his friends shoulder. It's fleeting, but it's real. ]

You know me. I've got a flair for the dramatic.

[ It's so painfully untrue, and Dipper can already feel the tension creeping up on him. Talking about it won't be easy, but joking about it isn't easy, either. Nothing about this is easy, but he didn't expect it to be, either.

He just has to deal with it, and if off-color jokes eases him into dealing with it with Hiro, so be it. ]

Thanks. You think they could've brought me back a little bit taller, but no. [ A surge of panic erupts in his chest, so it's time to change the subject as they walk inside the apartment. ] What happened to you, anyway?

[ Yeah, let's...talk about what happened to Hiro. Not Dipper. Not yet. ]

Yeah, yeah. How could I forget? [He knows that's not true. It's not like Dipper at all but he rolls his eyes and pretends he just thinks it's stupid instead of worrying about it.] And you say that like they'd bother doing us any favors. I'm almost glad you didn't. I've gotta keep a couple of inches on you, don't I?

[He allows the subject change though. The nice thing about having a lot of broken and sprained bones in his childhood is he's grown used to getting around and shifting his weight, so he hobbles his way back to the couch with Dipper before awkwardly sort of falling onto it and squirming into a more comfortable seated position.]

Um...you want the long story or the short story? [And subtly nudging the pizza box to angle it to Dipper. If he wants. No pressure. (Please eat, buddy. At least something.)]

[ The smell of pizza is surprisingly alluring, when only moments before he was sure he had no appetite. As he drops onto the couch next to Hiro, Dipper quickly scoops up a slice. ]

Long story. [ He wants to know what happened after he...died, and the longer it takes to get to Dipper's half of the story, the better. He can feel a deep-seeded need to tell Hiro what happened to him, but he doesn't want to. He'll take the excuse to put it off for the moment as he crams the pizza slice into his mouth. ]

[Probably the reason Tadashi ordered it for Hiro despite the fact that the younger Hamada only had two slices himself. Still, he's keeping an eye on Dipper and there's a more genuine smile when he notices his friend taking a slice. That's a good sign.

Not a good sign: having to explain everything that happened out there. He pauses for a minute, already reasoning that if he explains then Dipper will probably explain to him.

Probably.]

Did you know that the masks could affect people if they were worn for periods of time? Like...it changed their personalities. Did you know that?

[ Between bites of pizza (and maybe through them, too): ]

I was starting to get the impression that was happening. [ He's glad that theory wasn't completely off-base,d then. ] Did you put yours on?

[ He didn't think Hiro had, though he must have to talk to the alien. Dipper had, too, but he hadn't noticed any effects.

Of course, he hadn't lived long after that, either. ]

Just for a little bit. I didn't keep it on for longer than necessary though. [That is to say that yes, it was just for the alien. He hadn't experienced any effects, but...]

Some people kept the masks on longer though and it made them act totally crazy. [He pauses, licking his dry lips as he thinks of how to phrase this.]

If Yu hadn't healed me I'm not sure I would've made it back to the colony either.

[ Dipper pales, a sort of painful relief twisting inside of him.

Well, at least Yu was able to save one of them. If Hiro had died, too, then...

But there's no point in guessing at that now. ]

Somebody attacked you?

[ His voice is much quieter now, almost crackling. ]

Word of advice, dude. If you ever date a girl, make sure her best friend isn't jealous of you. [It's too late for him to think of how he'd phrased it. Yu had saved him. Yu probably tried to save Dipper, too, and it hadn't worked. This was a bad, bad way to start this story. Oh well.]

Or...it's what I can guess, anyway. [He takes a deep breath, sighing after that.] It was the mask just like...I don't know. Getting to her head or something.

Oh. Uh...geez, dude. That sounds pretty messy.

[ To say the least. Dipper didn't know Ruby well enough to guess at who Hiro is referring to, but if her best friend is as powerful as Ruby is, then it's not hard to guess that Hiro, without his armor or Baymax around, might have run into a seriously tight spot.

He exhales a deep breath. ]

So what happened? Did you fight her off? Or was someone able to talk sense into her?

That's one word for it, yeah. [A small huff.] She's...really strong. She fights with a sword and some kind of magic, it's hard to explain. The mask was driving her crazy and making her think that I thought I was better than her and stuff and that I was trying to replace her. So she attacked me. We fought. I had my gunblade but not much else and I just...didn't dodge in time. She's also pretty fast.

I realized last minute that it was the mask making her act like that so I grabbed it just as she drove her blade into my chest. [Candid. Factual.] If it'd gone on longer than that I have zero doubt she would've just gutted me. [He points at a space on his left below his ribs.] But hey. Cool new war scar. That's something.

[ Dipper's eyes fall to where Hiro points out his wound. That sounds like one heck of a close call, and Hiro had likely acted just in time. He's not wrong. If it had gone on longer than that...

But it didn't. That's the point. Hiro lived, and Dipper can breathe a little easier knowing that, even if his friend is in pain as a result. ]

That is something. Did she, uh...get control of her mind again after that?

[ Must've been an awkward follow-up conversation. ]

[Hence the oversized shirt so it doesn't touch the sensitive flesh. He's unhappy with how things happened and he's thinking of everything that could have been different but…is there a point? Is there a point in overthinking it? (No, but more likely he will anyway.)]

Probably. Yang's got the mask now from what I've heard and Ruby's talked to her. I checked in just to make sure she wasn't totally off the deep end but that's about it. [He frowns a little, glancing down at his foot.] She got a couple of really good hits in. If I didn't get the mask off of her my next option would have been to have to shoot her.

[Not really what he wants to do either.]

So yeah. Real fun story. [His eyes drop to the pizza box, unsure of what to say next.] You and me. We don't really let stuff like that slow us down, do we?

[ He blows a breath through his lips. Hiro almost had to make the choice between saving himself and shooting one of his girlfriend's best friends. Dipper doesn't really envy him right now.

It sounds like a hot mess. And yet somehow that wasn't the most dramatic thing that happened to them in the city.

He's eaten his pizza down to the crust, and he starts to pick at it with his thumbnail. ]

...Nope. We get beat down and killed and yet here we are.

[ ...Maybe Dipper does have a flair for the dramatic, after all. ]

[Shooting Weiss is the last thing he'd ever want to do, but if push came to shove…

Still. He's actually pretty glad Dipper sees his point and he grins slightly to shift the topic again.]

Pretty sweet, right? It's kinda like being invincible. Or being a cockroach. […Hiro.] …I mean I'd rather be the first thing but the point is that we just keep going. It's what we do. Doesn't mean that stuff isn't hard sometimes. But the other thing we're both getting really good at is figuring out how to get back up and get better.

[So. That is to say, bro, hit him with your best shot. He shared. Now it's Dipper's turn.]

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