HAT: Howdy, folks! Inspiration slowly but surely making this inch closer and closer to the end. Remember: fanfictionisfulloffeels, itgetsworsebeforeitgetsbetter, theremightbeasequel, BYE!
Disclaimer: I only own the plot and OCs, otherwise, Gravity Falls and it's characters belong to their rightful owners.
"Pacifica, this is stupid," Travis deadpans at the edge of the food court twenty minutes later.
"C'mon, no one'll even know if it's you," Pacifica assures.
He gives her a look and says, "Everyone's gonna know it's me."
Currently he's in a business suit- that fits- with a fake beard that is the same shade of black as his hair- she spent a good five minutes comparing colors to his hair- and used some makeup to make him look a bit older (and she's definitely glad she still remembers all those makeup videos she watched before she was kicked out) so now his cheekbones are enunciated and he has crows feet and dark circles under his eyes. She even went as far as to put old man perfume on him so that it'll be convincing.
Pacifica rolls her eyes. "You're more manly than Toby Determined, it'll work."
"Well... you do have a point there," Travis mutters as soon as Toby Determined is mention.
"Just change your voice and you'll be fine," she assures. "Now go distract the lil' creep and I go break up Mabel and Carlton."
"Craig," Travis corrects.
Another eye roll. "Whatever. Like I care what his name is. He's not gonna be in my family."
"Sure thing, Double P," Travis says and notices her grimace. "What, no good?"
"Not at all."
"I'll come up with something," he shrugs.
Proooobably not gonna happen anytime soon, Pacifica thinks- Travis had been trying for weeks to come up with a nickname for Pacifica that only he uses that isn't cheesy or lame or used by her family... so far he has had no such luck.
But she doesn't have time to focus on the developing friendship between the two of them. She has to focus on the developing whatever-ship happening between her cousin and that Chad person and Travis was slowing down the process.
"Yeah, yeah, just go distract Gideon," she hisses.
"I wish Dipper wasn't at the band competition," Travis whines with a pout.
"Quit your pouting and geit," Pacifica says with an odd mixture of northern and southern accents coming together at the last word.
As a kid (technically a teenager) she's begun to pick up on the accents she hears all the time and she's not the only one. Dipper and Mabel's accents were also changing- slowly but surely- with the change in environment and it was an odd mixture of northern and southern as well (and she's relieved not to be the only one).
She waits until she sees Travis engaging in conversation with Gideon before she slips into the crowd and makes her way toward Mabel and Charlie. She gets about a table's length away and then acts like she's part of a group while listening in on her cousin and Ciel's conversation.
"-end up with a sweet and cute relative like you?"
Mabel giggles almost obnoxiously loud. "Oh, stop... keep going."
He laughs a bit and says, "You're funny... y'know I wouldn't mind going on another date. Maybe dinner tomorrow?"
Oh. Hell. No, Pacifica thinks and makes her way over to the two and before Mabel can answer says, "Sorry, she's busy helping me tomorrow."
"Pacifica," Mabel hisses in frustration and then laughs nervously and looks at Cameron and says, "She's just kidding. I'm totally up for-"
"Not wasting her time with you," Pacifica interrupts and nearly flinches at the force glare Mabel sets on her.
"What I mean is," Mabel says as she goes from piercing glare to sweet, flirtatious look in the course of turning her head to look at Chad, "I'd love to."
Before Pacifica can outright forbid her cousin to go out with this jerk, a body runs into hers and she stumbles to the side. "Hey! Watch where you're going!"
"Abort mission," Travis hisses in her ear. "We've been compromised."
"What the he- oh, crap," Pacifica hisses when she catches sight of Lil' Gideon- who has a clear view of Pacifica's face and he's still going out of his way to get to her- and then flees with the black haired boy out of the food court.
"Hey! No running!" Joe- the security guard- shouts.
"We can't let them catch us alive," Pacifica says while grabbing Travis' wrist when he begins falling behind.
"E-excuse me, but not everyone runs track," Travis pants irritably.
You'd think that with all the paranormal stuff that goes on here, these people would know how to run for long periods of time, Pacifica thinks, but then remembers that she- herself- hadn't been much for running before unless it was an emergency and even then someone was doing the running for her... she only started running extensively after getting adopted into the Pines, so... yeah, she's probably being a little biased after so long of being with the Pines for about six months.
Only six months, huh- no. Run now, contemplate life later.
"You're a boxer, you should have more endurance than this," Pacifica scowls.
"Not running this fast!"
She dives toward Victoria's Secrets only to get tugged to a stop by a blushing Travis.
"C'mon!" Pacifica insists while tugging at him, but she can't make him budge.
"I'm not going in there!"
Pacifica makes a face at him. "They know you're not buying anything for yourself, just c'mon!"
"Can't we choose somewhere else to hide? I mean, he's probably not even close enough to see us anyway," he insists.
"Well, where do you think we should go?" Pacifica demands.
"Follow me," he says and twists his hand so she has no choice but to let go and then he grabs her wrist and leads the way.
It takes a long time for her to realize where they're going... and by a long time, walking in and seeing the siblings.
"Hey, guys, can we hide out in here?" Travis asks.
Dre scratches the scar under his eye. "Sure thing! Right, Crystal?"
The older teen shrugs. "Sure, I don't care... who're you two hiding from?"
"Gideon Gleeful," Pacifica groans while going to one of the chairs.
"Little punk's got an obsession with her," Travis informs while trying to look over the counter at what Crystal's doing. "What'cha workin' on?"
"Just some drawing," Crystal says with a shrug and then turns her attention to Pacifica. "Hey, is it me or did something happen to your face?"
"Crys! That's rude!" Dre hisses with a look at his older sister.
"No, she's right. I had my cousin jack up my face to throw off Gideon... didn't work like I thought it would," Pacifica grumbles. "I mean, at a distance it even scared my dad and he has cataracts. How this boy is still interested, I don't know..."
"Well, you're a catch," Dre says. "You're pretty- well... most of the time. You're sweet and considerate- I mean, who else would try and get presents for so many people on twenty-five dollars?- and you're smart. Heck, I'd go out with you."
"Erm... thanks?" Pacifica says hesitantly. Was that an attempt at flirting or to cheer me up?
The fact that she has to question whether or not someone is flirting with her or not is a testament to how disinterested in boys she's become- six months living with the guys and only one girl three months after just living with guys kinda does that to a girl apparently. Not only that, but she wouldn't want to subject any guy to getting intimidated and threatened by either Stan (and McGucket if he's there).
"Ignore my idiot brother," Crystal says as she flicks his temple and earns herself a glare. "He has no filter."
"Hey!"
Travis laughs at their antics and says, "I dunno. She's got a point."
"Shut up! You're supposed to side with me," the older boy says while pushing Travis.
"Whatever, I was just telling the truth- that's why friends are supposed to do," the onyx haired boy shrugs.
Pacifica smiles and finds that she likes hanging out with them just as much as she likes hanging out with everyone in the Shack. Maybe I've my small group of friends outside of family?
After all, Mabel had Candy and Grenda and Dipper had... well, whatever those guys' names were (she hasn't bothered with Dipper's friends all that much). Why can't Pacifica have her own group of friends?
Stop, you don't know them that well, not to be friends anyway, Pacifica thinks to herself.
"Hey, what're you-?" Pacifica demands when Travis drags her behind the counter and is cut off when his hand covers her mouth.
"-nd then I dunked him! It was great!"
Pacifica stiffens at the voice. No... oh, please, not now! What's he doing here?
Travis must've seen him just before he came in...
Pacifica's emotions are all over the place and she can't settle on anger or fear. Dan- the terror of her eight grade year it seems- is in the one place in the mall other then Victoria's Secrets where she could feel safe. Will she never be rid of him? Will he just pop up in her life and ruin it for her for the rest of her life (if he doesn't kill her first)?
She doesn't even realize that she's shaking until Travis puts an arm around her in a hug and she stiffens in surprise. She's not really used to being comforted in this way- never really was- but she relaxes minutely... until she hears him talking again.
"Hey, Crystal," Dan says with a flirtatious voice, but there's an underlying hint of danger.
Pacifica would've shouted for Crystal not to buy it if it weren't for the fear in her veins and the hand over her mouth.
"Whaddoyawant, Dan?" Dre asks with a sneer.
"Stop being rude to the customer," Crystal hisses- Pacifica can hear that she doesn't like Dan either.
"Yeah, Dre, stop being rude," Dan says cockily.
Pacifica notices Dre stiffen and his grip on the counter is so tight that his knuckles turn white, but he keeps a mean look on his face like he's not effected at all. Pacifica has to give him props on that since she's seen how... terrifying Dan can be when in public.
"I'm gonna have to ask you to leave if you aren't going to buy anything," Crystal says.
"Fine, we'll leave," Dan sighs. "You guys are no fun... oh, and check ya later Pacifica."
Pacifica's entire body seizes and she begins to shake after the door closes. How did he know I was here? What does 'check ya later' mean?
So many questions run through her mind and it's suddenly hard to breathe with her chest tightening up.
"What's going on?" Travis asks worriedly with a bubble of fear in his chest as he holds a trembling Pacifica while she stares into nothingness with glazed eyes.
"I think she's having a panic attack," Crystal says with a panic in her voice he's never heard before.
"Whaddowedo?" Travis asks.
"Calm down- first of all- you can't do anything helpful when you panic," Dre says irritably while reading something on his phone. "Says here we gotta talk her down- ask her easy questions and stuff... aaand..."
"Gimme that," Travis snaps quietly when his friend takes too long and snatches the phone from his friend and reads the information quickly. "Crystal, go make sure no one comes into the store until after she's calmed down. Dre, stay here to help me."
Dre seems to be the calmest of all four of them- after all, he's the one that's been in more pressing situations (as his scar under his left eye would suggest) and right now Travis needs that calm as an anchor so he can help Pacifica through her panic attack.
I knew Dan was a bad guy and hurt her, but... He didn't know how bad it really was.
"Pacifica, can you hear me?" Travis asks while adjusting himself so that she'd be able to look into his eyes if she focused.
He asks this question slowly and repeatedly until most of the glaze is gone from her eyes and he receives a nod.
Dre taps his fingers against his knee from his kneeled position- a nervous habit Travis has seen only when something was really bothering him. The black haired boy had no time to dwell on the brown eyed boy's anxiety at the moment- he has to focus on the panicking blue eyed girl in front of him.
"Can you tell me your name?" Travis asks.
She seems to struggle for a while, but eventually she manages to stutter, "P-P-Pa-c-cifi-ca... P-Pi-ines..."
"Good," Travis says. "You're doing good. Can you lift your hands over your head for me?"
She gives him an incredulous look- a vast improvement from several seconds ago.
"Just do it , okay?" Dre begs insistently, but gently from where he is.
Her hands shake, but she lifts them above her head as requested.
"You're doing great. You can put them down now" he says.
"Do the breathing technique," Dre says quietly to Travis after glancing at his phone that he snatched back at some point.
Pacifica makes a confused face and she seems lost.
"We're just gonna breathe in and out," Travis says while grabbing one of her hands and squeezing it supportively. "Just breathe with me and Dre. In... out... 1... in... out... 2- you're doing great."
He counts all the way to fourteen before Pacifica lurches forward and hugs him and Dre- much to their surprise. He continues to assure her that everything's alright and Dre joins in. They hug her back despite the initial shock because of fear that she might dissolve back into a panic attack if not careful.
"Thank you," she murmurs earnestly.
"Anything for a friend," Travis replies.
"No problem, Paz," Dre says while spitting her hair out of his mouth.
HAT: I suck at endings... but hopefully this will do for now until the next chapter gets created.
Dipper: Why did you make Pacifica have a panic attack?!
HAT: So when she overcomes the Dan obstacle, it'll be a show of great growth in overcoming fear!
Dipper: And how's she gonna overcome the fear?
Gideon: She is not at liberty to tell you that.
Dipper: Wha- Gideon?!... since when were you her legal advisor?
Gideon: Never, she just wanted me in here.
Dipper: *rolls eyes* Of course... wait, where'd she go?!
Gideon: She took the food!
Stan: AFTER HER!
*large crowd pursues HAT*
Dipper: *sighs* These people and food... Review! *runs after crowd to et food back*