For Dippica Week on Tumblr! I'm late because of exams. ^^"
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You can find the rest on my DeviantART or Tumblr under kuku88!
One whole year.
That's how long it'd been since Pacifica saw Dipper last. And Mabel, of course.
Pacifica Elise Northwest felt her cheeks flush pink as the thought about the boy with dark-brown hair and even darker eyes crossed her mind once again. He'd been popping up in her thoughts a lot more; and the feeling of missing him had grown greater with each day passed.
And with each day, she had changed bit by bit, cultivating into a very different person from the last time she'd seen the Pines twins. After her family had lost much of their fortune (and their mansion), Pacifica had slowly learned to be less spoiled and to "share" more, a word she'd never even known before Mabel Pines. Her reputation had been severely threatened after her family's attempt at making a deal with Bill Cipher, but she'd slowly managed to win everyone back. This time, she was popular not because of fear, but because people actually liked her. Mostly, at least.
And tonight Dipper and Mabel would be coming back to Gravity Falls. Pacifica had bonded with the twins' friends and family to the point where she had actually started helping out at the Mystery Shack. Soos and Melody were super nice managers and Candy and Grenda helped out a lot too. Ford and Stan also came by sometimes, although they had still been travelling so they didn't stay for too long. But now they would be there for the rest of the summer to work and look over things, as well as hang out with Mabel and Dipper.
The shack's business was booming despite the citizens of Gravity Falls having developed a "we didn't see anything" attitude, and supernatural merch was extremely popular. Pacifica was currently rearranging the Bill Cipher shelf as Wendy managed the counter. Candy was dusting and Grenda was sweeping. Stan was giving guests a tour and Ford was in his lab; Melody and Soos were decorating for the twins' return. Pacifica could hear them giggling together in the next room and she felt a brief stab of jealousy. She wanted to be able to do that with someone.
And once again, the image of Dipper flashed into her mind's eye, causing her to nearly drop the necklace of Bill Cipher she was holding. She managed to shove the image out and scrabbled to catch the necklace before it hit the ground.
Sighing in relief when she managed to stop it from doing so, she reached to put it back...
And dropped it again when the door slammed open.
"WE'RE BACK!" yelled a familiar, cheerful and upbeat girl's voice. Her greeting was followed by the squealing of a pig.
"Mabel, shush! We were supposed to wait at the bus station for Great Uncle Ford to pick us up," another voice sounded. This one was a boy—a very familiar boy that made Pacifica scramble to attention.
The vending machine that served as a door swung open and out poked Ford's head. His hair was mussed and his glasses were a little crooked, and he was carrying a glowing purple rock in his hand. "Dipper, Mabel! My stars, what time is it? You're early!"
"I know! We just couldn't wait," Mabel Pines said happily, skipping into the room. She was still wearing her signature sweaters; this time it was her famous shooting star one.
"Darn it, Ford; you were supposed to pick the kids up!" Stan growled, smacking his brother on the arm.
Ford nearly dropped the purple rock. "Careful, Stanley! This thing is very flammable and—"
"Yeah, yeah; whatever!" Stan rolled his eyes good-naturedly and strode over to the guests of honour. "Welcome back, you kids." He gave both of them a brief noogie.
Mabel grinned. Dipper smiled back, before rubbing his hair smooth again. "We're glad to be back, Grunkle Stan," he promised.
Pacifica was staring, open-mouthed as everyone gathered around the twins and welcomed them home. Soos was stammering about how they were early and that their surprise party was ruined and not even ready yet—while Mabel and Dipper were laughing.
"We made you a cake!" Candy offered, pointing at the counter where a cake was indeed sitting.
"Oh my gosh you shouldn't have but I'm so glad you did!" squealed Mabel, running towards the cake. She stared at it, her eyes sparkling. "Ooh, it's so pretty!"
Meanwhile, Dipper was talking to Wendy, who was still wearing his pine-tree cap. "Welcome back, dork," she said, handing him another cap. "Here's a gift; Mystery Shack merch free of charge."
He smiled up at her. "Thank you. I've really missed you, Wendy." He fixed the bomber hat he was wearing and saluted with the new pine-tree hat he'd received.
Pacifica felt a jolt pass through her. She wasn't sure if it was jealousy, but she was pretty sure Wendy had been Dipper's crush when he'd been here last. Or was she still his crush? Heart pounding, Pacifica swallowed. She wanted to back out of the room.
"Oh, you haven't shared greetings the latest member of our crew yet," Wendy said, brightening. She turned around and gestured at the shelf where Pacifica was standing. The 13-year-old blonde froze in place like a deer caught in the headlights. "Meet our newest addition to the team. I believe you've met... Dipper, Pa—"
"—Pacifica," he finished, eyes growing wide.
She felt her heart stop. She wasn't sure what to do. Did she smile and wave? Or did she walk over to them? Should she say anything? Did he even remember her? Wait, no; of course he did. He'd said her name. He had to remember her—all the cruel things she'd done, at least. God, why was he just staring? Why wouldn't he say anything? Darn it, say something you dork! Do you still hate me?
He opened his mouth. "Uhh—"
"I gotta go!" she blurted out.
Despite saying that, she didn't move. A few moments of awkward silence passed where no one said anything and everyone just stared.
Wendy gave her a strange look. The two had become pretty close over the course of one year and she'd never seen the blond little, sassy rich girl act so awkward and nervous. "Hey, Paz; you okay?" Wendy wrinkled her nose at her. "Do you need some—"
"I GOTTA GO!" Pacifica hollered again, trying not to die of embarrassment. She bolted for the door and out into the yard, where she didn't stop running until she hit the forest. She found the golf cart and sat down, promptly burying her face in her arms. "Ughhhhhhhh," she groaned. "What is wrong with me?"
She waited in silence for a long time in the cart before finally daring to get up and look around. The coast seemed to be clear, so she took a few steps forward and—
She ran straight into Dipper.
Like, head-on straight into Dipper. The collision was harsh and caused her to fall backwards into the grass. "Ouch!" she muttered.
"Sorry," he offered, reaching his hand out. "Need some help?"
Pacifica gazed up at him until the silence became uncomfortable.
"Umm," he uttered. Thinking quickly, she grabbed his hand and let him pull her up. She nearly skittered into his arms as she tried to regain balance.
Both of them stared into the other's eyes before they quickly realized who they were staring at and backed off. "Sorry," she said, dusting herself off. She stared at the ground, embarrassed.
He coughed awkwardly. "I'm surprised you accepted my help," he offered in an attempt to make a joke. "I would've expected you to snap at me or something."
She paused. "What...?"
"I mean, you were just so stereotypical mean girl when we met you last year so I was kind of worried you were going to get mad at me for offering to help you. Heck, I'm surprised you're helping out the Shack. Aren't you worried about breaking a nail or s—?"
"Is that what you think of me?" she blurted out.
He stopped. This time, it was his turn to be surprised. "What...?"
"Is that really what you think of me?" she repeated. This time she did snap at him.
"Pacifica, I—"
"You what? You can't forget the girl I was before? I know I was a jerk, but really? After everything—after an entire year!—that's how you're going to greet me? By bringing up my awful past as if it were some kind of joke? Because haha, isn't that funny? It's not like I regret it at all or anything, am I right? It's not like I feel guilty about it or find it hard to talk about because I haven't forgiven myself for it yet—haha nooooo, it's just so funny and joke-worthy that we should totally crack jokes about it to my face! And my stars, weren't you just hilarious? Dipper Pines, you are such a comedian!"
He was gaping at her, speechless. "Pacifica, I—I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought—"
"Thought what? That I'm still the same awful girl I was when you saw me last?" Sniffling now, Pacifica wiped her eyes as she could feel the tears coming. "Do you really have such little faith in me?"
He didn't reply.
Somehow that hurt even more. "Honestly, Dipper! You've got such a big head and a big brain and you can't even recognize human emotions! God, why am I even talking about this with you? You probably haven't even forgiven me for last year! I sure was an unforgettable, unforgivable jerk, wasn't I? You can't forget that but you can forget the fact that we had an entire adventure together at my old manor where we dealt with a ghost and I thought we established that I wasn't like my parents? That I wasn't just 'another link in the world's worst chain'? Didn't you establish that, Dipper?"
"I—"
"You inspired me to change! You made me feel better about myself and made me want to be someone else; someone better! You inspired to me to be nicer and yet—you don't even remember that and you didn't have any faith in me anyway and I just—I—" She was actually crying now, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wiped at them madly, angry at herself for crying—and for doing it in front of him. "Why do you think I'm upset, you dumb-dumb?"
"I don't know," he admitted reluctantly. "I'm sorry, Pacifica... I wasn't thinking straight..."
"Oh my God it's never even crossed your mind, has it?"
"What? What's never crossed my mind?" he cried back.
"That I miss you!" she yelled.
A tense, frozen silence passed while Dipper stared at her in shock as she continued to have tears flow down her eyes.
She took a deep breath. "Tell me, Dipper. Did you miss me too?"
He tensed, but didn't answer. Instead, he looked away.
She took a step back and shook her head in disbelief, feeling hurt. "Oh my God it's not just that, is it? I've probably never even crossed your mind for the entire year! While I was sitting here missing you you probably never even bothered to think about me! Heck, you probably still hate me, don't you?" She took another step back, laughing harshly. She felt like a fool. She was certainly making a fool of herself and yet she couldn't stop. "Just tell me one thing, Dipper."
"What is it?" He gazed into her eyes.
"Do you hate me?"
His eyes widened but he didn't answer the question. He never got to. Because Pacifica was already backing away.
He doesn't need to, anyway.
"I'm just going to leave now. Goodbye, Dipper. Welcome back, by the way. I got you and Mabel a gift." She threw it at his feet and turned around.
"Wait, no! Don't go!" He reached out to her.
She glared at him, slapping his hand away, causing him to stare at her in shock. "God, just leave me alone! Dipper Pines, you are—are so dense!" Pacifica rubbed harshly at her eyes before turning around and running.
I am so stupid, she thought as she ran. Of course he doesn't forgive me! Why am I even mad at him? I don't deserve to be forgiven! I'm just being dumb—there's no reason for him to remember or miss me at all. She squeezed her eyes shut. And yet...why does it hurt so much?
He stared after her before looking down at the white box. He picked it up and pulled off the white ribbon before removing the lid. Inside were two sweaters; both of them were white. And in lavender letters they both read "Best Wishes from Gravity Falls!" He felt an immense wave of guilt wash over him. The sweaters were obviously homemade, but they were also really well-crafted. He was amazed by the effort and craftsmanship that had gone into the making of the shirts.
She made this. With her own hands. For us. For me. Because she cares about us. Because she cares about me. And I just screwed everything up and made her think I'm a scumbag. She probably hates me now.
Meanwhile, Pacifica had stopped running again. She was out of breath and her feet were starting to hurt. Running in heeled boots was not ideal. Panting, she leaned against a tree and stared out at the field in front of her. Fireflies were floating in the air, causing an eerie, extremely soft glow.
She'd never been this far out into the woods before. She'd never had much reason to. She'd always had everything she'd ever needed at home. She'd had a giant yard and a mini-golf course for playing in. Camping for her had been in a giant cabin about the size of a regular small house. She'd never been in a tent before.
No wonder Dipper hates me, she thought bitterly. I'm the very embodiment of a spoiled, rich brat, with everything he doesn't have. I've never had to work for anything. I'm just a good-for-nothing rich girl. And I'll always be a good-for-nothing rich girl.
"Pacifica?"
Startled, she looked up, blue eyes widening. It's Dipper! She dove behind the tree and waited with bated breath as he appeared, looking around. Her heart was beating like crazy, threatening to burst out of her chest as if it were a frenzied bird knocking against an iron cage. She was scared he could hear it.
"Pacifica?" he called. "I'm sorry!"
She squeezed her eyes shut at the mention of her name.
Meanwhile, Dipper was growing tired too. Running wasn't his strong suit. He plopped down on a tree trunk and looked around at all the fireflies illuminating the darkening sky. It was purple, and it reminded him of Pacifica.
Pacifica.
It was a name he definitely recognized. She might not have known, but that name had crossed his mind more times than he could count.
Pacifica. Pacifica. The girl he was looking for.
He stood up, cupped his hands around his mouth, and yelled. "PACIFICA!"
Birds flew out of the trees at his volume. The girl hiding behind the tree just a few feet away turned to stare at him. What is he doing?
"PACIFICA, I'M SORRY!" he continued to shout. "I'M AN INSENSITIVE, STUPID DUMB-DUMB WHO IS REALLY BAD AT THIS STUFF! I DON'T THINK YOU'RE AWFUL AT ALL! IN FACT, YOU'RE AMAZING BECAUSE YOU DARED TO GO AGAINST YOUR PARENTS! I FORGAVE YOU FOR LAST YEAR A LONG TIME AGO!" He paused, and when no one answered, he sighed and lowered his arms. "You weren't the awful one... I was. I'm sorry, Pacifica. Please come back."
"You got that right, at least."
He looked up, startled. His eyes grew big and his cheeks turned red. "P-Pacifica!" he spluttered. He'd been saying her name a lot. "D-Did you hear everything?"
"Everything," she confirmed with a nod. She walked away from the tree and towards him, where she smiled in slight amusement. "You were right about you being an awful dumb-dumb."
He turned even redder. "I'm glad you caught that part," he half-groaned-half-muttered as he covered his face with his hand.
"Hey, I'm enjoying it. That was the most sensitive thing you've said to me all day. You're practically grovelling at my feet for my forgiveness, so I like it." She gently took his hand and removed it from his face.
He opened one eye. "Of course you do."
She sat down on the tree trunk beside her. A lengthy silence passed before she looked up at the darkening sky and the flitting fireflies and asked, "How do you feel about Wendy?"
He blushed, turning to her. "What?"
"How do you feel about her?" she repeated.
"I uhh... She's really cool, I guess. I—"
"No, how do you feel about her?"
Dipper blinked, pausing. "I...umm... Well, I liked her."
"I know," Pacifica whispered, looking down. She felt her heart crack a little.
"In the past," he finished. He smiled almost sadly as he gazed out at the field. "This is actually where she turned me down."
"Really?" Pacifica's eyes widened as she turned to stare at him.
He nodded, not meeting her eyes. "It's okay. It's been a whole year. I've moved on. Besides..." Here he swallowed and finally met her eyes. They're so beautiful; like the colour of the sky. "There's plenty of other girls out there for me to charm. I'm pretty charming when I want to be."
"I'm sure you are," she giggled. Her mind whispered in confirmation, You are.
Dipper laughed. "You sound like you don't believe me. Well then, I'll prove you wrong."
"I bet $20 you won't be able to win a girl over by the end of the summer."
"Oh, challenge accepted." He smirked slightly. "In fact, I bet I can win a girl over in a week."
Pacifica grinned. "You're on."
"Just watch me," he responded, "you'll see."
She smiled, and a few seconds of comfortable silence passed. Then she took a deep breath and said, "Hey, Dipper... I just have two questions."
"Yeah?" He raised an eyebrow.
She leaned in a little closer. He's taller than me now, she realized. "First question: do you hate me?"
He stared at her for a long, long time. It was only when she began to droop with disappointment that he remembered his words. "No. God, no. I don't hate you at all. I like you. I-I like you a lot, in fact. You're amazing. I uhh—I'll just shut up now."
Pacifica giggled, her cheeks turning pink as she brushed a stray strand of blond hair behind her ear. "Thank you. I was beginning to think you'd just totally forgotten about me."
"I thought about you a lot; I promise," he offered.
She froze. Then she broke out into a giant smile. "That was my second question."
"Oh, sorry—"
"Idiot."
Dipper's eyes widened as he felt arms wrap around him. Pacifica was hugging him.
"You're a big dumb-dumb, you know that?" she mumbled into his chest.
He relaxed, smiling slightly as he ran a hand through her hair. It was soft. Really soft. "I thought we established that already," he whispered back.
"That was going to be my second question," she repeated. "You ruined it."
"Sorry."
"See? Dumb-Dumb." She hugged him tighter. "But thank you. I...I thought about you pretty often too."
"I know." He smiled.
She squeezed hard enough to make him cough out an "ow". "Jerk."
"Dork," he teased back. "By the way, you owe me $20."
She smiled back. "Hmm, I guess I do."
They didn't move for awhile, but then Dipper asked, "Should we head back?"
"No, wait... I want to stay like this for a little longer." She changed positions so that her head was resting on his shoulder. "...I've missed you. A lot."
"I know," he replied quietly. "Me too."
And so the two just sat there for a long time, hugging each other as fireflies danced in the air.
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