This was utterly ridiculous.
It wasn't hard to believe that Dipper Pines struggled when it came to girls, in fact it was quite expected that he would make a complete fool of himself when presented around the other sex. He had done so on numerous occasions. Whether it was interviewing a girl on what mysterious monster she had witnessed or simply asking for directions, Dipper Pines just had absolutely zero skills when it came to dealing with women.
But Pacifica had never thought she would see the day that Dipper Pines, the boy who had spent all those summers chasing down monsters and throwing his life into every dangerous situation that popped up, would be blurting out his feelings for her.
Sure, their relationship had developed quickly in-between the past four summers from enemies to close friends. And yes, they did spend more time together than they did with anyone else, excluding Mabel who seemed to be the only constant variable when it came to anything relating to Dipper. But it had come as a complete surprise to the blonde heiress that the nerd she had been spending every summer with in the vast woods of gravity falls would return her feelings.
She had been fourteen when she realized she had feelings for the younger Pine twins and the realization hit her like a ton of bricks. They had been sharing the chair that sat directly in front of the Pines family TV, shoulders pressed together as they enjoyed their Friday tradition of ghost hunter marathons and paranormal witness interviews. Ghosts had become an easy topic for the two to talk about after the event at the manor. Who knew a near death experience could bring people together?
Usually the two managed to go through the entire marathon without any issues but the supernatural events of the week had kept Dipper on edge, more so than usual, and had prevented him from getting any sleep.
Somewhere between the corny infomercials and dramatic haunting interview, Pacifica noticed an extra weight on her side. Adjusting to accommodate the sudden shift, it wasn't until she heard his peaceful breathing that she realized Dipper had fallen asleep on her, literally.
It had been the first time she had been truly alone with Dipper. There was no idle chatter of the usual crowd around the Mystery Shack and no strange monster was chasing them towards an early grave. Just two teenagers awkwardly sharing a busted down sofa chair with nothing but the murmur of the TV and his soft breathing to keep her company.
With no one around to distract her, Pacificas eyes curiously roamed about Dippers sleeping face. She had failed to notice how full his hair was, perfectly framing his face and covering his unique birthmark or how warm his body was against hers.
Or how fast her heart raced as his hand brushed up against her bare knee.
No, that was certainly new.
They had remained like that for the rest of the night, Pacifica finally managing to find some sleep after what must have been hours of examining Dippers sleeping form.
Tangled up in each other's arms with Dippers head resting on Pacifica's shoulder and her chin pressed against his forehead, the two rested peacefully until the shrieking cry of delight from an ecstatic Mabel jolted both of them awake.
Dipper was quick to remove himself from the situation, annoyed by his sisters rush of accusations and delighted squeals, leaving Pacifica alone on the sofa chair left with nothing but a bubbling warmth in the pit of her stomach and a lack of warmth around her shoulder.
It was then she realized, as Dipper sheepishly rushed up the stairs of the shack and Mabel began her onslaught of prying questions, that she had somehow developed a crush on Dipper. Somewhere between the events at the manor up until that night she had somehow found herself not only enjoying the dorks company but preferring it to anyone else.
She was quick to hide herself behind the spare pillow of the chair. Finally accepting that her relationship with the shorter of the Pine twins wasn't as platonic as she imagined.
So when Dipper suggested that the two walk home alone from the group get together at the movies she had no objections.
The night sky beautifully illuminated brightly over the sleepy town of Gravity Falls and the empty pathway to the Northwest Manor left no streetlights to dim the view.
It was as romantic an atmosphere as one could possibly get in Gravity Falls.
The weather had changed from the brisk yet enjoyable early summer weather to a colder chilly breeze. When Dipper awkwardly offered Pacifica his jacket, she should have realized what was going on. But as she accepted his offer she failed to notice the way his hand held her shoulder for a few more seconds than needed, focusing instead on how its larger size engulfed her smaller frame.
Dipper seemed content with the pace and atmosphere they had created, lightly commenting on their opinions on the movie Mabel had dragged them and all their friends into watching. Short quips of sarcasm shot back and forth at each other as they continued down, lightly mocking Mabel for taking them to see a heavily romantic comedy with Candy and Grenda.
"Honestly, you would think your sister would know a couples movie from a 'get together' movie". Pacifica laughed out, crossing her arms against her chest and lightly gripping at her elbows.
"Yeah well, at least she didn't try to hit on the cashier again." Dipper offered with a smile. Mabel's reputation as the town flirt was certainly justified.
"No doubt she could convince him to join us and turn it into a date night." Pacifica said, rolling her eyes as she shook her head.
"Candy and Grenda would have ditched for sure." Dipper laughed. But as Pacificas smiling eyes caught his Dipper stumbled and clear his throat. "Cause you know, Grenda's in a long term relationship and Candy's dealing with her breakup so-"
Amused with Dippers sudden need to explain her friend's relationship statues, both of which she was fully aware of, Pacifica raised her brow, "Oh?"
If the look of awkward terror on Dippers face wasn't so genuine Pacifica might have broken out into laughter. Scratching the back of his neck nervously, Dippers mouth began moving faster than his thoughts. "N-not that Candy wouldn't be capable of calling up a friend and having him join us."
As he paled in color, Pacifica couldn't hold back the amused chuckle that left her lips as Dipper continued. "I'm not suggesting that you and I would be a couple, for the date night, but out of everyone there you're the only one who I would-"
Dipper must have caught sight of the intrigued look on Pacificas face because he suddenly stepped away and halted. His hands reached out as if to assure Pacifica that he was collecting his scrambled thoughts. "Not that Candy and Grenda aren't great or anything, but you're the only person who I really spend time with besides Mabel. Plus Grenda is taken and Candy's cool but I don't have feelings for her like I do you-"
Watching Dippers face turn from pale to bright red in the matter of seconds only added to the amusement Pacifica was receiving from Dippers verbal regurgitate. Her inner delight only dampened as she watched Dipper smack his hands against his face, slumping over as if to hide his glowing red cheeks from her. His groan was muffled by his hands, and if not for Pacifica stepping closer she might have missed the whisper of curses that left his mouth.
Peek out from his hands, Dipper gave Pacifica a sad smile which caused her heart to skip. "This was not how I pictured telling you, just so you know." Dipper said softly, a sigh rolling off his shoulders as his blushing dimmed. Pacifica stared up at Dipper, her movement was slow and hesitant as she stepped closer to him. Large blue eyes staring up at his warm brown gaze. "Tell me what, exactly?"
Releasing a sigh, Dipper moved his hands away from his face and offered Pacifica an embarrassed smile. "That I have feelings for you." He offered, one hand reaching up to scratch the back of his neck while the other dug itself inside his pants pocket.
Whatever reaction he was expecting from Pacifica obviously didn't come as he frowned and leaned over her. "Listen, Paz." He said softly, "I'm not expecting you to, you know." He shrugged, rolling his shoulder as if to supply the words he struggled to find. "Return the feeling or anything."
A moment of silence passed as Pacifica stood absolutely still, blinking up at the flushed Pines boy. His confession still fresh on his lips and just now fully registering in her mind, the entire ridiculous situation replaying in her mind.
Glancing up and over her shoulder, Dipper gave another sigh and straightened himself back to his towering height. Six feet and he was still a centimeter shorter than Mabel, it seemed unreal. This entire situation seemed unreal.
Placing his free hand into the depths of his other pocket, Dipper gestured his chin towards the Northwest manor which sat nearly half a mile away.
"Right well, I think I've embarrassed myself enough for one night. I'll see ya around, Paz." Before Pacifica could speak in return, Dipper turned on his heel and began marching down the road. Opening her mouth to speak but nothing came out. What could she even say?
Surly anything would do, Dippers horribly awkward confession certainly lowered the bar.
But as the words formed in her mind Dipper was already halfway down the road, his tall and slender frame barely noticeable in the dark.
Not willing to let things end as they were, Pacifica dug into her purse and pulled out her phone.
Quickly mashing the numbers on the screen she held her phone to her ear and watched as Dipper paused and pulled out his phone. A shaky breath left her lips as she watched Dipper turn around and bring the phone to his ear.
"Pacifica, I-"His words cracked as he answered, a hint of fear mixed with the embarrassed tone of his voice.
"Eight o'clock tomorrow, there's another showing." Pacifica stated quickly, her words nearly blurring together as she let it out in one quick breath.
"What?" Dippers confused tone matched his tilting head as he stood staring at Pacificas frame.
"Movie. Tomorrow." Pacifica restated. "There is a showing at eight."
There was a minor pause before she caught the sight of Dipper scratching the back of his neck. "Pacifica I don't –"
"I'm asking you out on a date you idiot!" Pacifica shouted, stomping her foot for emphases as she listened in annoyance for his reaction.
It never came.
Instead, she found herself once again looking up at Dipper Pines, whose breath was harsh and heavy as he heaved from his short sprint towards her.
"Well?" Pacifica asked, her arms crossed, her gaze questioning and her proud posture failing to hide the nervous glint that cover her gaze.
Smiling with the goofiest grin she had ever seen, Dipper laughed as he bent down. "It's a date." He chuckled before pressing his lips against hers.
"Did you want to invite Mabel and the cashier?" He mumbled against her lips, his smile still spread across his face. "He might be able to get us a discount." He laughed in amusement at the annoyed groan that escaped Pacifica.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Pacifica pulled Dipper back down for another kiss. She sighed as his hands gently held her waist. This whole experience was ridiculous.
Completely and utterly ridiculous.