Shooting Stars
Dipper lifted his arm to point at another constellation, a thoughtful expression plastered onto his face. "I think that one is... Gemini," he murmured. "In our part of the world, we can only see it between November and April..."
Mabel elbowed his softly in the side. "You big dork," she snickered. "Do you just memorize constellations all day instead of having social interactions?"
Dipper shrugged dismissively. "Maybe," he drawled.
It had been about two months since their stay in Gravity Falls. Now, it was October. While, yes, it was considerably cold outside, Dipper and Mabel couldn't be bothered to care much.
The two were laying against a short grassy hill, each staring up at the stars with a sense of contentment. Dipper's hat -or, rather, the one that Wendy traded with him, was sitting on the grass a short distance away.
"Hey, Dipper," Mabel whispered -they were quiet just because they didn't want to break the peace. "Because you're such a nerd, how 'bout you tell me more about Gemini?"
Her tone was teasing, but Dipper could tell that she was genuinely curious. With a stifled chuckle, he returned his gaze to that constellation.
"Well," he began in a quiet voice, "people say that that constellation looks a lot like to people holding hands, which people think are two twins, Castor and Pollux."
As he spoke, he could feel Mabel's hand wrap around his own. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he continued.
"In fact, Gemini is actually a Latin word that means 'twins'. And do you see that star that connects the two twins?"
He pointed with his other hand, the hand that Mabel wasn't holding. "That star is named 'Iota Geminorum'. Without it, they wouldn't be connected anymore."
He felt Mabel's grip on his hand tighten slightly. "Don't worry, that star isn't going to burn up for a long time," he added to reassure her. It worked, and her grip loosened.
"You know," Mabel started, donning a contemplative expression that was rare for her, "that's kind of like us..."
Dipper turned his head slightly to look at her, a little confused. While one might've thought she meant just the thing about the twins, Dipper could see she meant something else. "What do you mean?"
"Well, imagine we're those two twins up in the sky, right? We have that one special star to connect us. It brings us two together. It makes us close."
She paused for a moment, the stars' shine reflecting off of her eyes. "But even without that star, we can still see each other's light. We can still find each other, even if we're a little separated. So we have a special little bond in that star that connects us, but even when it burns out, we'll still be right there by each other's side regardless."
Dipper nodded, his small smile growing slightly larger. "Huh. Well said, Mabel."
"Just remember, you're still the star dork here, still," she smirked. Dipper rolled his eyes, though good-humoredly.
The two returned to gazing at the constellations in the night-sky, still with their hands holding each other's. After a moment, Mabel gave a small squeak of excitement.
"Look, Dipper, it's you!" she giggled, pointing with her other hand to the Big Dipper constellation.
Dipper scoffed, though his smile grew a little bit wider. "Whatever, Mabel."
Mabel turned her head a bit to look at him. "Honestly though, Dipper, I don't know why you hide your birthmark all the time. It's literally the Big Dipper! That just makes you one-hundred percent more awesomerer and unique!"
Dipper blushed slightly, though fortunately for him, it was too dark in the night for Mabel to see. Mabel tilted her head back to can the sky again, and Dipper did the same.
Soon enough, a shooting star streaked across the sky in a white, glowing arc. Mabel must've seen it, too, because Dipper heard her squeak quietly.
"Dipper, quick, make a wish!"
Even though he knew it was a childish thing to do, Dipper found it oddly satisfying to just close his eyes for a mere moment and just think of a simple wish.
When he opened his eyes after a moment, Mabel still had hers closed, but only for another second. When she did open them, she tilted her head to look at him.
"So? What'd you wish for?" she asked.
Dipper smirked slightly. "Oh, you know the rules. I can't tell you, or it won't come true." Yes, while he knew that was all just superstition, it felt good to feel like a little kid for a moment.
Mabel frowned, though it was fake, as she too just wanted to pretend. "Awwww, come on, Dipping-Sauce. Just tell me!"
Dipper let out a soft laugh, turning his head to look at the stars again. "Only if you tell me yours."
Mabel grinned. "Oh, alright. I wished that we'd remember this night for a loooooong time."
"You don't need to make a wish for that. I was already going to."
Mabel rolled her eyes with a wide smile. "A deal's a deal, broseph. What'd you wish for?"
Dipper didn't respond for a moment. He shut his eyes, enjoying the peace of the night. "I wished that our Iota Geminorum won't burn out. What you said was true, Mabel, but doesn't it feel better when we're connected?"
He opened one eye to look at her, gesturing with his other hand to their holding hands. Mabel smiled softly, not like the wide grins she normally wore, but a very sincere smile.
"Yeah, you're right. We-" she broke off into a yawn.
"We should probably be getting back," Dipper suggested. Mabel frowned.
"Aw, come on Dipper!"
"Mabel, come on."
"Alright, fine," she sighed.
The two, reluctant especially because of their previous chat, broke their hold on each other. They pushed themselves up onto their feet, and Dipper kneeled down to pick up the hat that had been besides him.
"Come on, I'll race you back!" she laughed, barreling down the hill.
At that moment, Dipper realized that her Zodiac name, "Shooting Star", just fit perfectly. She was a bright light in the dark. A glimmer of hope in the void of worry. She could reassure him, when everything seemed lost.
Dipper was about to place his hat on his head, but he stopped himself. He remembered something Mabel had said to him.
"Honestly though, Dipper, I don't know why you hide your birthmark all the time. It's literally the Big Dipper! That just makes you one-hundred percent more awesomerer and unique!"
So, instead of putting the hat on, he tucked it beneath his arm and swept his bangs slightly to the side, before following Mabel down the hill.