Notes: Wow, I made a thing. I have not seen any fanfiction about Norman meeting Dipper's Clones so that is a problem. I fixed it. Woo, one-shots.
Norman Babcock was walking.
The forest was quiet except for the soft hum of creatures lurking in the wood's mystical depths. Wind lightly brushed the brightly green ferns and caressed the old, aged stumps of maple and pines trees. It was a beautiful day.
The teenager circled his ninth lap around the woods, a faint smile gracing his cracked lips as he trailed a well-known, worn path. He loved to adventure in these same woods with the Mystery Twins – Mabel and Dipper Pines, who were his closest friends in the entire world.
He met the two siblings just about two years ago when he was sent on a forced vacation for some time away from his beloved home of Blithe Hollow. The trio met by accident of course, screaming at the top of their lungs as they were chased by a huge, fire-breathing Chimera through the same woods he was in presently.
Norman still has scars on his lower back and left leg for the shocking proof of how a Chimera's breath could heat to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. And how dangerous and exciting the journeys with the Mystery Twins could be.
Comparing the Pine's Twins in his mind, Norman could not begin to comprehend how the two were so opposite but they had the strongest bond that he had ever witnessed between a pair of siblings. They fit together like puzzle pieces. Not even he and Courtney shared that close of a relationship.
"You sure you don't want us to go with you?" Dipper had worriedly asked for the fifth time as he began out of the doors of the Mystery Shack to walk.
"I'll be back in fifteen minutes Dip, I swear." Norman waved him off and saw a glimpse of Mabel tugging her brother inside as he left.
Mabel Pines was very dramatic and optimistic. She always wore colorful sweaters that she knit herself, prancing around everywhere she went. Her voice was bubbly with enthusiasm and she seemed to have a contagious happiness that warmed many.
Her Twin, Dipper Pines, though was very serious and mature for his age. The boy carted around his #3 Journal, notepads and pencils in his pockets for safe-keeping; he was always ahead of the game and wrote plans for the simplest of problems.
Norman loved both the Pine's Twins in a special way.
The Thursday afternoon sunshine glowed down on the pebble and gravel he walked on – illuminating it colors of rich brown and silver. The further he walked the clearer and louder the voices of the forest became.
The first thing Norman noticed once he had adjusted to Gravity Falls as a vacationing spot those few summers ago was that the seemingly normal town was ghost infested. Spirits trailed throughout the place with a pale teal aura following. They were in the streets, homes, apartments, forests, lakes, shops and stores. They were everywhere.
It wasn't long before the rumor drifted that he was a medium and it circulated enough to cause mass amounts of ghosts to persistently talk to him. Not wanting to start a reputation as a freak like in his hometown, the boy kept quiet despite how irritating the spirits could be.
Once the Twins found out though, Norman was fine with talking to one casually though some other townsfolk gave his odd stares. And not just because he was talking to 'air'. He got stares, not ones of confusion or unease, but ones of awe when Dipper held his hand when they went out together.
Mabel happily shrieked and squealed when she discovered the blossoming relationship between the two boys and tried to constantly intervene and make things romantic. She continually tripped Dipper so he would fall and Norman would catch him and their faces would be so close and –
Anyway, Norman was walking. He really enjoyed walking. His nearly-boyfriend's voice rang thoroughly in his ears – "Do not stay out long, do not go too deep into the forest, and if you see or hear anything suspicious immediately get the hell out of there and get back to the Mystery Shack as soon as possible."
Dipper didn't like it when the spike-haired boy took his nature hikes through the woods. A million 'what-if' questions racked his brain furiously so due to his panic-attacks it became a rare occasion when Norman went out on his own. But this was one of the occasions.
A rustle to his left alerted him of the presence of a ghost, a pale shade of blue-green coming from a few trees and the outline of a human-like figure glowing dully.
"Hello." The Medium said, his light voice carrying on the breeze musical and soothing like wind-chimes, "Are you okay? My name is-"
The figure floated out, and his voice and heart caught in his throat, immediate terror seizing his body and paralyzing it. An overly familiar face – one with curly chestnut bangs dangling over melting cocoa eyes rimmed with tired shadows underneath. Everything was the same, exactly the same. A roughed navy vest secured around a short-sleeved orange tee, creamy shorts and knee-high socks.
Dipper Pines floated before Norman, a gaping, dripping hole encasing almost all of his stomach area.
Tears immediately surged and flowed through his eyes, hot and salty and disgusting to Norman's mouth before he could even think. He slumped, his chest suppressing thick and strong sobs that were about to transform the calm boy and unravel him gradually into a horrible pathetic mess.
The hole in the ghost's stomach was sopping wet like soaking paper which continued to trickle though, strangely, no blood was visible. Nor internal organs. The spirit froze as the Medium collapsed to his knees.
"Whoa, buddy, whoa!" Dipper yelped, voice coated in layers of concern and panic. "What – you can see me, huh? Shit, I mean-"
"D-Dipper-"Norman managed his name, but it was torn raggedly by his tears, "W-What happened t-to you? How d-did this happen? Wh-at did this t-too y-you?"
The ghost stared blankly as it tried to pat his back awkwardly and comfort him, his eyebrows furrowing into confusion, "Dip – oh!"
Dipper laughed whole-heartedly and Norman swore his heart shattered into a thousand tiny, dark pieces of pain. He was laughing at him. He was laughing.
"Listen, I understand now. I am not Dipper Pines, my name is Tyrone Pines." The Non-Dipper Ghost tapped its chest while slowly blinking at the Medium. The boy coughed, his mind giving in and failing completely.
He could barely feel it but he knew glowing electricity was running across his finger-tips and up his body, Agatha's gene of explosiveness passing through his veins. He knew he had the ability to be like the poor girl, he was powerful, but never, ever did he use it. But in emotionally strained times like this he did panic.
The spike-haired teenager lost all train of thought as; "You're n-not D-Dipper?" tumbled from his lips stupidly, nearly lost in his strangled throat. Tears still brimmed over and lightly traced down his cheeks.
The dripping ghost shook its head simply with a growing grin. "I am so sorry man, didn't mean to freak you out. I had no idea what was happening when you suddenly broke down on me like that."
"I-" Norman tried to compose himself as his heart began to stutter back to its normal pace and his breathing became within boundaries of being controlled – or at least his wasn't hyperventilating anymore. "I-I should be the o-one apologizing. I g-guess I just thought-"
"It's fine." Tyrone calmed, levitating beside the boy who was still in the musty dust on the ground. "I…well; I guess I should ask, what's your name?"
"I'm-"The Medium started but then suffocated on his own words, "Hold on. How are you – what are…what are you? Are you another Pine' sibling that they never mentioned?"
"No dude." The brunette laid back as if in a lounge chair, "So there is this copier, right –? Okay, actually, to say the least I am one of his clones he created in an incident a few years back when Dipper first came to Gravity Falls. I was the first clone, see?" The Ghost Clone prodded his own hat to motion where a pine tree should be was replaced with a '2'.
This stopped the Medium. "Clones…?"
"Yeah, there was like, what – 10 Clones, plus Paper Jam Dipper that was the one that got stuck in the copier and –"
"Never mind, I get that Dipper has done weird shit in the past and I am not going to say anything now."
"You believe him?" Tyrone eyeballed him with wide, gorgeous brown eyes.
"What do you - course, I mean, I have been through a lot of stuff in this town. I see ghosts, I've met zombies and fought witches and on the second day of summer here I got second degree burns when I was running from a Chimera."
"Those things are horrible." Tyrone shuddered and wore this big grin that softened Norman's heart, because it was Dipper but not Dipper. He treasured Dipper, and Tyrone was a great, scary reminder of all the creepy stuff in Gravity Falls, but mostly he reminded the teenager of the boy he loved. "It's good that Dips has you there for him."
The faintest color of pink smoothed on his cheeks, "O-oh, thanks…but why?"
"Well," Tyrone straightened his hat, "Since I am him I know that he always wanted someone other than his sister to confide in about the mysteries of the town. It's a lot to take in…he's lucky."
Norman fiddled with strings of his hoodie as the ghost rambled. His heart stammered because he really adored Dipper, he was waiting for the moment to do something about their 'relationship.'
"Tell me," The Medium began, "I … I want to ask this person out, and this person is actually a lot like Dipper, how do I win them over?"
The Ghost paused, "Hmm, well. I guess be yourself. I'm not really the one to ask for advice on dating but if you're not scared to say you want to date them – well, there is nothing wrong with being a little scared as long as it doesn't change who you are."
Silence engulfed the two and the spike-haired teenager smiled gently, "Yeah…good advice. Thanks."
The Ghost waved a hand but had a satisfied look on his face. His torn, frayed stomach caught the Medium's attention again.
"So how did you…um, die?"
"How did I – oh, well yeah, kinda embarrassing. One of my least intelligent moments, because I forgot that I was actually a copy and originally just paper and Gravity Falls magic and drank a soda." The brunette shrugged, "Should have been more aware but I guess I was just so out of it I didn't think."
"Oh, sorry, I guess."
"What? Why? I lasted to longest, I feel pretty proud of that achievement."
"You're not…mad?" Norman questioned while leaning back to look up into the trees leaves and the pure blue sky above.
"Why would I be?" The Clone asked, focus entirely on the other boy.
"I…well, I –"
"Dude, do you hear that?"
"What?"
"That?"
Norman stopped listening closely and faintly heard footsteps and heavy breathing. The teenager had been in Gravity Falls long enough to recognize this was not a monster but a human. In the middle of the forest. Running.
Tyrone gave him the same look of confusion and then squeaked when a figure burst into the clearing. A worried looking figure that was out of breath and trembling.
"Dipper?"
"Norman!" The Pine's boy squawked, pouncing to grab the medium and hug him which elicited a hushed gasp and blush from the other. "I was really worried when you didn't come back after fifteen minutes and-"
"Dipper, stop strangling him!" Another voice echoed and Mabel crawled out with thorns piercing her purple kitty sweater and brambles tangling her hair.
"I- what are you two doing out here?" Norman coughed uncomfortably as his friend released him.
"Mr. Worrypants over here thought you had been killed or taken hostage by the Gnomes so he rushed out here-"
"Mabel, I did not."
"You did brospeh, don't deny it."
"I was just worried that-"
"He thought you died."
"Mabel!"
"Dipper!"
"Guys," Norman edged his way between the two bickering siblings and smiled, "I'm fine. I didn't mean to take so long, I just started talking to a…a ghost and I just lost track of time."
The Medium glanced over to find Tyrone had disappeared into the mist of the forest and his heart sunk just a little bit. He hadn't got to say goodbye, but his heart was fluttering as Dipper put his arm around his and his hand was on his shoulder, oh god –
The Pines laughed and quarreled as the trio strode back to the Mystery Shack, clearing Norman's mind of what had happened in the woods.
"You couldn't have just texted? Or called?" The male Twin gave a warm glare, showing he wasn't as concerned now. "Was it a monster ghost? Or a banshee?"
"Or a puppy-kitten?" Mabel chimed in enthusiastically.
"Mabel, those things don't exist."
"Or do they?"
"No," The awkward teenager sighed lightly, "No, it was just… – a regular ghost."