It was a bitter summer night in Gravity Falls; the crisp winds carefully sliced through the pine trees, sending needles gliding across the mulch-thriving grounds.
The moonlight cast long shadows upon the terrain and local shops.
The only sound that was present was the crickets chirping and the leaves crunching beneath their boots.
They carried only what was needed; hauling a couple of logs, rocks, a twig, blankets and a baggie full of marshmallows.
"Set them down over here. Oh yeah, this'll do," Grunkle Stan instructed, laying out what little he had to bring.
Mabel, wearing a wooly sweater with buttons running down the sides, put her pet pig down and eagerly chose a log.
"Firsties!" she exclaimed, sitting on the edge.
Dipper practically collapsed as he dropped the logs, puffing out a breath of air, but heard Wendy's footsteps approaching him and stiffened.
"Ehm, need some-" He coughed, trying to deepen his tone.
"Need some help with that, Wendy?"
She laughed.
"What's up with that voice? Did you go through puberty on the way down here?"
Dipper laughed nervously in response, to which Wendy paid little concern.
Soos was the last to arrive. He had brought the marshmallows and twig.
"Dudes, have any of you guys ever been out here before?" he asked, looking around. "It seems kinda... I dunno, spooky?"
"Don't get your nickers in a twist, Soos," Grunkle Stan said, grabbing the twig out of his hand.
"I've been doing this for years. Going out into the woods, setting things on fire..."
"Mr. Pines, sir? I've worked for you all of my teenage and adult years. How come you've never taken me out before?" Soos questioned, frowning.
"Ah... the kind of camp fires I had weren't like this. More bonfire-type things, " Stan explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "You know... I get some baloney 'pay your taxes' junk in the mail more than I want to admit. Now, how am I going to get rid of that stuff efficiently? What... throw it away?"
Stan was on the ground, rubbing the twig and the rocks hard enough to create friction.
He glanced up at the twins. "Burning things is good, children. Next time you have problems, light them on fire. See if that helps."
The fire sparked, erupting into a full-blown flame. "Yes! Haha," Stan cried, cracking his knuckles. "Victory!"
Mabel began to swing her legs. "Grunkle Stan, when can we roast marshmallows?" she asked. "I told Waddles about them all last night. I don't want him to be overwhelmed by waiting for his first toasted marshmallow!"
"Mabel, you're not supposed to give animals marshmallows. I'm pretty sure they'll choke," Dipper informed his sister.
"Do I hear something?" Mabel whispered, glancing at a cluster of trees. "Can you hear that Waddles?"
She got off of the log and scooped her pig into her arms. "I.. I think it's the sound of a... KILLJOY!"
"Yeesh... Okay, Mabel. Get the marshmallows already," Grunkle Stan told her.
Mabel squealed, hurriedly snagging the baggie off the ground. Everyone else took a seat.
Wendy, taking up the other side of Dipper's log, grinned. "Does your sister always get this riled up over marshmallows?"
The two looked over at Mabel, who was trying to tear the bag open with her teeth, but getting the plastic caught in her braces.
Dipper smiled. "I guess you could say that she has a sweet tooth."
They were surrounded by the crackling of the fire. The redhead nudged his arm. "What are you waitin' for, Dip? Let's start roasting!"
Dipper and Wendy retrieved some sticks, penetrating marshmallows with the jagged ends. Mabel was already ahead of them. Her marshmallow was tinted a soft brown color before she pulled it out and stuffed it into her mouth.
Immediately, she spat it out. "Hot, hot, hot," she murmured, fanning her tongue.
Soos draped one of the blankets that they had brought around his body.
"Can you tell us an urban legend, Mr. Pines?" he asked, squirming next to Mabel.
"Hm. Perhaps the man of mystery can come up with a few tales," Stan replied, rubbing his pepper beard stubble.
"Oh man. Not this again," Wendy mumbled, rolling her eyes. "He's just going to tell that one story about the huge bat thing that lives around here." She pulled her cellphone out of her shirt pocket and starting checking her messages. After a few moments, she giggled. "What is it?" Dipper asked, feigning disinterest.
"I just got this hilarious text from Robbie!" His heart dropped. "Here, let me read it to y-"
"Wendy!" Stan interrupted. "This is no time for your social life and whatnot. Hand it here."
Wendy hesitantly tossed her phone over to Stan.
"Now, listen up... kids, moody teens and obese men alike. I'm going to tell you the tale of Squabat, the ancient elder bat that lives around these parts."
"Oi. This again. Am I right?" Dipper whispered, hoping to get a laugh out of Wendy. She crossed her arms.
They continued their conversation as Stan was avidly telling the story. Soos and Mabel listened carefully.
"Stan just took away my only chance to talk to my boyfriend. I can't believe him," she muttered, leaning back.
Dipper cringed at the word "boyfriend", but he kept on pursuing her. "You know... I wasn't too excited for this thing either," he replied, trying to take her side. "But, Stan is pretty convincing when he wants to."
"I'm just... ugh! Now I have no one to talk to!" Wendy exclaimed, unfolding her arms and balling her hands up into fists.
Dipper looked down. Wendy frowned, an expression of regret coming into contact with her face.
"Dipper... I didn't mean it like that," she stumbled, putting a hand on his shoulder.
He didn't reply. He just stared at the dirt, wanting to escape his current situation as much as possible.
The teenager bit her lip and got up.
Stan's tale tarried momentarily. "What are you..."
"Just getting a blanket, Stan," she replied, gathering two thin blankets in her arms.
His eyes narrowed. "Whatever you say." His story resumed its place.
Wendy reclaimed her spot on the log. She scooted closer to the twelve-year-old boy than before. Dipper noticed this, but still didn't look up.
She threw the thicker of the two blankets over his shoulders, wrapping it around his small body.
Covering her lap with the other blanket, she turned to Dipper, her eyes looking into his pleadingly.
"I can explain," the redhead murmured.
Dipper lifted his head up slightly.
"All I meant was no one my age to talk to. I didn't mean to... hurt you, or anything. I'm sorry," she apologized.
"Besides, you'll always be my boy, and you know that. I can't say to Robbie what I say to you. You're more of a listener."
Wendy put her hand on Dipper's head, ruffling his brunette hair.
Dipper's amber eyes met hers. He gave her a peak of a smile.
"And hey... I got a little something," Wendy muttered, her hand diving into her jeans pocket.
She removed the two graham crackers and half of a Hershey's bar that was concealed in her pocket.
"I snuck these in before we came here," she explained, tearing the wrapper of the chocolate off. "Perfect weather for making smores, you know. I brought only a couple because I wanted to give you and your sister one..." she trailed off.
"Your sister looks like she's having way too much sugar by just eating the marshmallows."
Dipper nodded in agreement. Wendy handed him a serving of the chocolate bar and a graham cracker.
"But... won't Stan notice us eating smores?" he inquired, preparing his stick with the marshmallow.
"Blankets. Remember?" she chuckled, raising the blanket up to her chest.
"Oh yeah. Good thinking," he admitted, grinning.
The two spent the time applying heat to their marshmallows, patiently waiting for them to turn a crispy-chestnut color.
Once achieved, they snuck their roasted marshmallows under their blankets, topping them with a portion of chocolate and two graham cracker halves.
The chocolate oozed once the smore was all bundled together. A sticky white cream (formerly the marshmallow) melted in with the Hershey's bar, creating a flavorful atmosphere to the smore.
Both snuck their heads under each blanket, carefully biting into their smores.
Dipper was finishing his when he poked his face out.
It was only then when he realized that Stan had finished talking, and all three of them were looking at him and Wendy, puzzled.
"Ooooh, what were you guys doin' in there?" Mabel sang out.
Wendy licked the side of her mouth, trying to cover up the evidence.
"Eating our marshmallows, of course," she said, waving them off with her hand.
Wendy and Dipper broke off in fits of laughter.
The remaining people in the group decided to shrug it off.
"Oh! Oh! Can I tell the next story, sir? It's like, totally freaky," Soos offered flailing his arm in the air.
Stan sighed. "Yeah, go ahead."
Wendy glanced at Dipper and smiled.
"We should do things behind Stan's back more often. Maybe next time I could sneak a pizza out here!"
Dipper laughed, knowing that he would reminisce this night for years to come.
A/N: First attempt at a Gravity Falls fic! Could you guys tell it was based off of the three second scene from the GF theme opening? :'D
Let me just say this, though:
I don't really ship them romantically... more like friends. I really like how Wendy doesn't treat Dipper (or Mabel, for that matter) like a little kid, she treats him like a friend. And that's a sincere form of a relationship C: