"What's going on, Mabel?" Came the voice behind the female. Mabel froze, closing Dipper's cavity on his torso, turning around.
The automaton seemed unresponsive, as if he was in a deep form of stasis, no longer breathing any steam though his facial expression showed sleepy content.

With her heart thudding and a dry mouth, she stared up at the shadowy figure who appeared to tower over them like a giant. Making out the shape of the person's body, they seemed to be a heavyset male.
"Mabel? Dood, please say something, you're freaking me out" came the familiar voice of.....Soos?!
Mabel sighed in relief and held her chest, feeling her painfully fast heartbeat slow down, gulping slightly. She offered a shaky smile to the handyman, standing up a little straighter in front of her brother like a protective mother wolf.

"Soos, thank God it's just you!" Mabel sighed, a shaky chuckle escaping her lips.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you or anything, girl dood. I just got worried about ya, so I asked Mr Pines if I could find where you are. After all, can't have you guys hurt....." his words trailed off, catching sight of the unconscious automaton on the rock behind Mabel.

"What happened?" Soos asked, walking to stand on the other side, toolbox in hand.

Mabel quickly twisted around, about to protest, but watched as he carefully lifted Dipper's arm, holding it in his strong hands as gently as he could. His warm skin could feel the cold of the rose gold, titanium-alloy and copper; malleable yet strong. Could give way to rust, though.

Mabel looked worried, stroking Dipper's synthetic brown locks affectionately.

"He, uh.... h-he had a malfunction" Mabel admitted. Soos frowned in concern.

"Poor dude. I can help you, if you like? I know a thing or two about fixing stuff, that's why Mr Pines took me on" he said. Mabel nodded, re-opening Dipper's chest cavity.

Almost immediately, Soos swiftly and expertly rooted through his workings, until he found the problem; a few gears had slipped out of place and were knocking against the boiler, causing the smoke to flow from Dipper's mouth earlier on. A few wires had snapped in the process too; luckily his clock-heart was untouched.

Mabel couldn't help but feel impressed, albeit a little jealous, all the while Soos continued to repair the damage.

Within minutes, Soos signalled for Mabel to close the cavity tightly.

Pressing the tiny switch located at the base of Dipper's neck, the two watched in nervous anticipation for the automaton to reactivate.

A violent hiss was heard, hot steam leaving Dipper's cheek vents. Unlike before, it smelled sweetly of pine trees and cola, making Mabel hum in content despite herself.

His fingers twitched and he let out a few coughs, his green photoreceptors opening soon after.

"W-what happened? M-Mabel?" Dipper whimpered, sounding like a child who'd woken from a nightmare. Mabel hugged Dipper as tightly as she could, her robotic brother looking a little stunned. Without prompts, Dipper curled his arms around his human 'twin'.

"Don't scare us like that again!" Mabel sobbed, her face buried in the crook of his neck.

Dipper looked at Soos, then back at Mabel, memories running through his mind of the malfunction, how terrified he and Mabel must had been. An uncomfortable clenching feeling was present in his teal core, and he looked down guiltily.
"I-I'm sorry, Mabel" he murmured, gears ticking softly from under his chassis.

He then pivoted his head in Soos' direction, a small smile on his black and silver lips.
"Thank you, Soos, for fixing me" he said softly, the harmonics in his voice making him sound soothing and less computerized, slipping his shirt back on once Mabel had let go of him.
"It's no problem, dude. And don't worry, your secret is safe with me" he promised sincerely.
With a winding noise, Dipper nodded once in gratitude.
He stood up, taking a few uneven steps like a mariner returning to land after a long voyage, his walking becoming a little more smooth though still a little mechanical.

Mabel watched, carefully looking for any danger, and walked alongside her brother, Soos following with the toolbox in his hand. All three walked back towards the shack, not many people were out by now. Once they had got to the shack, both the twins watched out the window, seeing the weather changing in an almost ominous manner.
As Dipper had predicted, a storm was slowly rolling in, the sky turning from a pleasant blue to a storm-streaked grey and black mass of clouds, thunder rumbling overhead.