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Full title name:
The Hills Have Pines (and Other Assorted Greenery)
The bus driver arrived at Gravity Falls well after sunset, standing from his chair with a heave, he looked upon the sleeping teens. He hadn't planned on arriving this late, or glazing over the original plan of stopping every few towns for breaks, but the traffic had been hectic- even for the current time of year- and he'd been forced to make more pit stops and re-directions than planned. Fortunately, his passengers slept through the worst of it all. He walked to Mabel, who laid closest to him and shook her shoulder gently.
She woke easily, smiling, "Are we here?"
"We're here, kid. Gravity Falls. If you wake everyone up, I will take the bags outside for you all. I am sorry I can't take you guys to your places, but it's already so late." He smiled.
Mabel didn't know it, but she reminded the aging driver of his daughter, who was waiting at home. The similarity was especially close when Mabel yawned and stretched her arms above her head.
"You're very nice, sir. At worst, we can all stay at a friend's house for the night," Mabel told the man, thinking of Wendy and the woman's abnormal sleep schedule, before moving her bag to the seat for him to take.
Mabel whispered something quietly in Dipper's ear, causing him to wake with a screech.
"MABEL! YOU KNOW I HATE BREATHY WHISPERING!"
"Well, it worked, didn't it?" She smiled coyly, Norman waking with a jump and a sour expression at Dipper's screaming in his face.
Coraline woke up shortly after, whispering something to wake Wybie, earning a joking whine from him.
"Clingy," Coraline mouthed with a blush in Mabel's direction.
"Mr. Bus-Man has got most of our bags outside, so let's go." Mabel instructed, leading everyone off the bus.
"I thought he was driving us all the way," Coraline huffed, taking her purse off the ground as the bus went a side-road to loop back to the highway.
"It's really late, and he probably has a family to get home to," Wybie soothed, taking Coraline's luggage from the ground.
"We can stay at my cousins' for the night, probably," Norman offered. "He runs an inn-slash-bookstore off the corner of Fern Drive."
"That would be awesome," Dipper muttered after hefting his bag, yawning before glancing at the clock on his phone, "Seeing as it's almost 11."
"Wow, must have been some traffic." Mabel muttered to herself, yawning too.
"No kidding," Coraline rubbed the sleep from her eyes, "Even Wybie's grandma would be asleep by now. Either way, we should all get in contact before we get settled in case anyone is waiting up."
"Good point, and I have to call my cousin to make sure it'd be okay. No doubt he's watching some noir film at this time of night." Norman muttered to himself, calling his cousin.
...
Wirt picked up on the second ring, "Norman, you're really late, everything alright?"
"Yeah but me and a couple of other kids from the bus need a place for what's left of the night. We haven't really eaten and I'm guessing none of their respective caretakers are up this late." Norman replied, watching Coraline and Wybie share a phone and Dipper taking the reigns contacting the Mystery Shack.
"Good call, I could pick you all up in the book van if you want?" Wirt responded, the sound of hokey acting muffled through the receiver.
"If you wouldn't mind. We'd really appreciate it."
"How many of you?"
"Including me? Five."
"Gotcha, are you at the town line?"
"Right next to the sign."
"Be there in 10 minutes, Norman. Don't move."
"Wouldn't dare." Norman joked before hanging up.
Norman caught the last shred of each of their voicemails they were leaving. A polite Coraline saying she would be over as soon as she could, Wybie interrupting to tell his grandma he loved her before Coraline ended the call. Dipper being curt and explaining they were late but were staying with a friend and would be over in the morning, then the Pines boy hung up.
"My cousin will be here in a bit with the book van." Norman explained, causing Dipper to laugh.
"Like delivers-books-per-request, 'book van'?" Dipper questioned, excited.
"Yeah," Norman nodded, looking down the dimly-lit street for a van.
"You gotta get me his number," Dipper grinned.
"Nerd," Mabel coughed coyly, "Oops, did I say that out loud? Now I feel really bad. Bad Mabel!"
"Emperor's New Groove," Wybie whistled, "Nice."
Soon, a white van with "Book Mobile" spray-painted crudely on the side drove up beside the teens, rolling down it's driver-side window. A scraggly head of hair poked through the window, then followed by a face when the hair was moved from his eyes, smiling broadly.
"Hey! I'm Wirt. Hop in the back!"
Norman laughed, opening the back of the van and climbing inside, closing the door when everyone had gotten inside. The bookshelves were modified and adhered to the floor, locked shut with cabinet doors. The teens sat in the spaces between the two shelves, The twins and luggage on one side, Norman, Wybie, and Coraline on the other.
"I hope you realize how shady this situation is, Wirt." Norman laughed, having to support his shaking frame on Wybie to keep from falling over from laughter.
Everyone laughed along, including Wirt. Mostly because of the funny sound Norman made, snorting from laughing so hard.
"Whatever, Norm. Let's head to the inn, I have to put you all in Norman's room so you need to divvy up the bed, couch, and chairs." Wirt added, eyes glued to the road as he drove.
"Girls get the bed!" Mabel called, raising her hand.
"Damn," Wybie muttered, "guess I'm gonna put the two chairs together. I hope I don't have to hang my butt down between the chairs."
"We can sleep head-to-foot on the pull-out couch, Dipper." Norman suggested.
"I'd rather sleep back-to-back, Norman." Dipper laughed, "No offense to your feet, it's just that you really do not want to sleep next to mine."
"Alright," Norman agreed soundly.
...
After they all had a light dinner of bologna sandwiches and juice (but a bowl of baby carrots with an apple to suit Coraline's vegan diet), they all were as quiet as they could as they went up the steps and went into the biggest vacant room available, in the attic. They set their bags in a specific corner and immediately laid down, not bothering to change.
"Goodnight, Dipper!" Mabel stage-whispered.
"Goodnight, Mabel!" Dipper whispered back.
Everyone took their turn to join into the Pines twins' tradition and told each other goodnight, even though it was less than a half hour until midnight and they were all exhausted.
"Goodnight, Dipper..." Norman whispered.
"Goodnight, Norman..." Dipper whispered back, yawning.
With the cycle ended, everyone fell asleep.
...
When morning broke, Norman was the first to open his eyes. He was used to being bombarded with spirits at every waking moment, not waking up to one gave him a strange sense of relief. Being careful not to wake Dipper and the others, he pulled his hoodie from the floor and put it on as he made his way out of the door. He closed it painstakingly slow, the door whispering a small creak as it shut. Tip-toeing down the stairs, he found his cousins Wirt and Greg sitting at the table in the kitchen, eating oatmeal.
"Hey, Norman!" Greg said a tad too loudly, then lowered his voice with a smile. "Sorry. Hey, Norman."
"Greggy." Norman teased.
"Nooooo," Greg blushed, embarrassed, "Greggggg."
"Gregory, then." Norman continued, amused by his young cousin.
"You do this every time you see him, Norman." Wirt pointed out, shaking his head. "Still, he keeps falling for it."
"It's fun," Greg admits, finishing his oatmeal and putting the bowl in the sink. "I miss Norman."
"Well, I'm here now." Norman grinned, watching Greg move from the kitchen to the living room to turn on the tv.
"So, Wirt," Norman started, "How's business?"
"Good enough," Wirt exhaled, watching his half-brother in the other room. "The inn business is much better during the summer- it's the only time it gets packed, actually. Otherwise, most of the money comes from the book-selling."
"You never told me how you go about that."
"Well," Wirt took his attention from Greg to Norman. "I get donated books from people from Gravity Falls or I get books in bulk online at discount prices and re-sell them in the truck or online. The system isn't perfect, but we're doing alright here. My specialty here is that I can find rare books that are hard to find or are out of print. The price of living in Gravity Falls is surprisingly low. Everyone here is pretty self-sufficient. People here are more likely to trade services than to exchange cash, except for tourists, that is. Practically everyone here is willing to take every dime from tourists."
Greg had turned to greet someone staying at the inn with a hello. The couple smiled and exhaled a hello to Greg before continuing on their way. Greg watched cartoons absently, his eyes glued to the green alien yelling on the screen, its purple eyes squinting in irritation.
"How are things?" Norman asked vaguely.
"They're better," Wirt admitted. "It was really hard for both of us at first, me never even living alone before this happened and having to maintain a living this way has definitely been... difficult. He got enrolled in school, poor kid is really good at making friends but I think he's afraid to bring them home."
"Why would you think that?" Norman asked, watching Greg chuckle under his breath at a joke on the tv.
"He told me a while back that he didn't want to bother me." Wirt let out a shaky breath, "God, and to think I used to resent Greg. The kid's got a heart of gold and after what we went through-" He took a breath and calmed, Greg looking at him worriedly. "Greg is still the sweetest kid I know."
Norman nodded. Wirt had yet to tell him the full story, bits and pieces of vague hints and inklings over the times they've talked, but the only thing Norman knew for sure was that it still sets Wirt on edge, though four years had already passed. Norman understood, though, hard to escape a memory when there are shadows to remind him at every turn and even harder to share it with others.
Wirt noticed Norman drifting off, eyes growing distant. Wirt promptly rose from his chair.
"I don't usually make breakfast for people who stay," he smiled, trying to lighten Norman's spirits, "but for you, I will make an exception."
"Thanks," Norman mumbled, eyes watching Wirt's hands as he used his height to easily reach the box of oatmeal on a top shelf.
"Hey, Wirt?" Norman started, catching Wirt's full attention as the man was putting a pot of water on the stove.
"Yeah?"
"I didn't encounter any ghosts in the house. Usually I'm bombarded if I've stayed in one place this long." Norman remembered a ghost of a rat on the bus, but other than that, he hadn't encountered any since the day at the bookstore with Dipper.
"Oh, that." Wirt nodded to himself, then tapped the knuckle of his index finger on the wall. "I got the house cleansed and warded when we moved in, even got talismans and the like hidden around the house. I heard from someone that weird stuff happened here in Gravity Falls... I figured that we needed a form of protection for Greg and I. It protects this property, but if you wanted a personal one you would have to get it specially made."
Norman shook his head, "No, the ghosts are alright and all, I just like to have a sanctuary from them is all."
"Understandable." Wirt commented, pouring the oatmeal into the boiling water. "Do you take your oatmeal with anything?"
"Just butter, milk, and sugar."
"Can do." Wirt responded, stirring the contents of the pan. "Would you mind letting Greg show you around town today? He needs to get out of the house to relax for a while and I can't leave The Bluebird without anyone attending."
"Sure. Dipper already offered, but maybe if we all went together, they could tell each other places the other doesn't know about."
"Good point." Wirt nodded, a nod of understanding that a father would have, and it made Norman's heart ache a little. The responsibility Wirt now held over the life of his younger brother aged him immeasurably. "The oatmeal is done. Once you finish, it might be best to wake your friends."
"Friends?" Norman said aloud, "I don't know about friends-"
"Well, friend, at least. I saw how you were with that Dipper guy yester-"
"Wirt, I-"
"Stop it." Wirt interrupted, taking the spoon that had previously stirred the oatmeal and pointing it at Norman. "I get it, Norm. When you moved, you got uprooted from all you knew. I've been there too, remember?" An expression crossed Wirt's face as he remembered moving out of his own home to a town in scenic nowhere in hopes to start his life over again, and to hopefully improve Greg's in the process.
Wirt lowered the accusatory spoon and sighed, setting the bowl in front of Norman. "You and I are a lot alike. We both don't think highly of ourselves to the point of flaw. But you have got to let it go, or at least not let it affect your life so much. Those kids are good for you, there's something special about them. In all the time I've known you, I have never seen you that happy. Don't ruin it by standing in your own way, Norm. It's okay to feel close to people 'too fast'. Okay?"
Norman nodded dumbly.
"Okay, here's your oatmeal. Eat it quick before it gets cold, I need to head to the front counter." Wirt said hurriedly, untying the apron from his waist and hanging it on a hook. "Norm, don't worry about scaring him off. If he's worth it, he'll inadvertently prove it to you." Wirt gave a final tap-tap to Norman's shoulder before leaving to head to the front of the house.
Norman ate his oatmeal distractedly, his mind wandering to the teens upstairs. Sure, he'd taken a particular interest in Dipper, but that was because he knew him- distantly. Norman tended to sit in the back of classes, Dipper near the front. In the few classes they had together, Norman had formed a one-sided closeness to the boy he watched from afar. It was not in admiration that he watched Dipper, so much as fascination. He was outstandingly different from the rest of their classmates and Norman, in his own mind, felt he was the only one who noticed this obscure and unseen quality that made Dipper different from everyone else. Norman saw it in himself when he would spare a glance in the mirror, an insatiable curiosity and a yearning for something unseen.
Maybe it was the same for Dipper as it was for Norman, a yearning to diverge from the mundane. The excitement (albeit terror as well) that derived from the autumn that the dead rose and the happiness that came from his gift being put to a higher purpose, to save the living and redeem the dead. Norman wished to have that purpose back. He was sinking in place, his only deeds coming from the occasional helping of a wayward spirit that needed to be put to rest, once and for all. Norman wondered if Dipper had some yearning like that too, or if he was just projecting.
At that moment, Coraline walked down the stairs quietly, her boyfriend nowhere to be seen.
"Norman, I'm about to wake up Wybie. I just wanted to thank you and your cousin for letting us stay here for the night. It's really appreciated."
"No problem," Norman replied, frowning at his spoon when it scraped against the bottom of the empty bowl. "Let me know if you guys want to hang out while I'm visiting this summer."
"Of course!" Coraline smiled, surprising Norman. "Sounds like fun. I don't want to spend the entire time hanging with Wybie." She tousled her mussed hair and laughed, "Don't get me wrong, we're a great couple and all but it's nice to have other people to hang around with."
"I guess I can understand that," Norman shrugged, tilting his head a little. He stood and washing his dish before putting it in the drier by the sink. "Well, you know where I am."
"For better or worse," Coraline agreed, using both hands to bring a fake pistol in front of her, making a weak attempt at the sound of a gun firing a round. "See you around, Norman."
"See you," Norman replied, watching her disappear behind the wall shielding the stairs from his eyes.
Wybie followed Coraline when she came down the stairs and waved at Norman as he left.
"Sorry, I'm a bit loud. I woke up Mabel, but Dipper still seems to be asleep." Wybie commented as he closed the front door leading to the street.
...
Mabel came down the stairs a while later, clothes changed and hair brushed with her bag in tow, "Morning, Normie."
"Hey," Norman smiled, sitting with Greg as they watched cartoons. "Want to watch this with us? The Mystery Kid is on the case."
"Oh, I love this show." Mabel sat next to Greg, her legs curling next to her on the couch. "Is this the episode with the giant robots?"
"No, you missed it." Greg muttered, "That was last episode."
"Dang it!" Mabel pouted, "I love that episode."
"Then you should wake up earlier," Greg smiled to himself, making Mabel laugh.
"What's your name?" Mabel asked, watching Greg with interest.
"Gregory." Norman answered for him.
"Greg," the boy corrected, adjusting the right strap of his overalls.
"I like your clothes," Mabel smiled, looking over the boy's outdated sense of clothing, from his loose overalls to the striped shirt he wore under it and the hiking boots on his feet. "Do you wear things like this often?"
Greg nodded, "They remind me of The Wood."
"The Wood?" Mabel asked, the way he'd said the place coming off as vaguely ominous.
Norman interrupted, looking down at Greg with desperation, "You should help Wirt with the morning chores so you can show me around town."
Greg- unaware (or ignoring) Norman's avoidance of the subject of their incident- left the two teens alone to help Wirt.
If Mabel had noticed the shift of mood in Norman, she didn't point it out, just continuing to watch the TV. Norman rose to his feet, making the slow trek up the stairs to wake Dipper. When he opened the door, the girls had apparently made each side of their bed and Wybie putting the chairs back where they originally sat.
"Dipper," Norman whispered, not wanting to scare Dipper awake. Dipper's hair, fallen from his forehead, showed the birthmark across his forehead, a constellation Norman recognized all too quickly. Norman felt a smile grow on his face as he reached out to trace the outline of the big dipper. Dipper woke with a start the moment Norman's fingertip touched his skin.
"Oh, Norman... It's just you." Dipper said in relief.
"Yeah," Norman half-smiled, not able to determine if Dipper sounded relieved or disappointed, "It's just me."
A.N.
To those of you wondering where the paranormal part comes in: it will be soon. I just have to set the stage first.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is most story preface. I plan for this to be a slow-burn fic, so hang in there for all the sub-genres!