So, I was thinking of perhaps beginning an actual Gravity Falls story, either on this website or AO3 because I have an account there. I put the idea out on my tumblr a while back and the idea's grown a bit on me... If I come up with an actual outline and actually have time to write the fanfic, would anyone want to read it? If anyone is curious about the idea, just message me or ask about it.

From Smile Dip: "Dipper being protective of Mabel? :)"

Absolutely! More sibling fluff for all! (This one-shot sort of ties into the end of Gideon Rises and mentions both Irrational Treasure and Tourist Trapped, by the way)

Defenses

He wasn't the older sibling. He wasn't the stronger sibling. Heck, he wasn't even the more likeable of the twins (Mabel was more sociable and always seemed to have ten times the amount of friends he did, when they weren't scared off by the bullies).

And yet, whenever she was threatened Dipper felt this overwhelming urge in his gut to protect her. To tell someone off for hurting her. To keep her out of harm's way, even if it meant he had to get hurt instead.

He couldn't explain it. Mabel had just decided to let it slide ever since the overprotectiveness came to light years ago, although sometimes she would give him a stern lecture later on about how he shouldn't throw himself into harm's way whenever she was in the smallest amount of danger, and should take care of himself first! Dipper usually ignored her lectures and pretended to listen as he plotted a subtle way to get back at whoever had taunted her that day about her "ugly and stupid" sweaters. There was no way that he would let something involving his sister slide, especially not if she seemed to forget how to smile for a couple of days.

He wasn't her bodyguard; he was her brother, and even though he was five minutes younger (a fact he loathed to bring up) he knew that when your twin was upset or in trouble, you couldn't just sit back and let it occur. You had to step up and defend them, shield them from further harm.

Perhaps that was why Dipper found himself eagerly shoving the confidential papers about the Northwest Cover-up in Pacifica's face, smirking as her loud squawks of indignation reached his ears from her limo.

Maybe this was why the twelve year old boy found himself leaping off of a very high cliff and crashing into the Gideon-bot, thoughts whirling around his head as they screamed, LET HER GO YOU HURT HER LET MABEL GO HOW DARE YOU LEAVE MY SISTER ALONE!

Stan had chuckled and shaken his head when Mabel started to explain the fight inside the giant robot, gesturing wildly with a bright smile adorning her face. He watched from a few feet away, still trembling from that huge jump and the fading adrenaline. A sigh left his lips when he saw his great-uncle wave off the story, clearly thinking it was an exaggeration of some sorts. Though he knew Stan meant well, his claims of disbelief were growing irritating all too quickly. Why couldn't he just attempt to believe them for once about whatever creature or adventure they had found that day?

Mabel glanced back and caught Dipper's eye before beaming more than before - if that was even possible. She waved for him to come over and when he didn't move right away, she hurried over and dragged her twin to join in, which began a tickle fest between the two. Dipper ignored his bruises and scrapes that ached when his sister tickled them; he'd deal with them later on, preferably once she wasn't there to lecture him or notice that he wasn't entirely unharmed. Who know that little creep could pack such a painful punch? He wondered briefly if Gideon was experiencing worse bruises than he and sighed internally. No, Dipper probably hadn't done that much damage to the kid.

And now, back in the Shack at last, the preteen boy looked over at his sister as she finished putting up her boy band posters once again. Her happy smile and soft meowing made his heart swell. She was okay. He could barely believe that after the chaos of being forced out of the place they'd come to call home over the summer and being chased by a gigantic robot, everything was going to turn back to normal. He'd begin hunting monsters once more, with his twin tagging along, and Mabel would start hunting boys as she usually did. Everything was going to be alright.

"Earth to Dipper!"

He blinked and jumped as Mabel waved her hand in front of his face. Whoa, when had she gotten so close? "Uh, sorry, what?"

She giggled, "I was asking why you were staring at me, ya big dork."

Dipper's cheeks grew warm as he glanced away. "Um, it's n-nothing. I was just thinking, heh, you know..."

"Right..."

Mabel's skeptical look brought back a memory from what felt like ages ago, where the two had been in a somewhat similar situation.

"Uh, uh, it's nothing!"

"'Uh, uh, it's nothing!' What, are you really not going to show me?" Her tone was teasing and he found his defenses crumbling under her gaze, despite the warning he'd just found in the book. Trust no one.

But couldn't he trust his own sister?

"I was thinking about how crazy things were since Gideon... well, you know..."

"Stole the deed to the Mystery Shack, kicked us out, stole your journal, and tried to kill us?" Mabel supplied helpfully. While she was smiling as she spoke, the look in her eyes at the remembrance of the past few days was nothing short of serious.

"But it's okay now, Dip! Gideon's in jail. We got the Shack back and the town loves us for exposing that jerk as a fake! You even got your book back. Things are going to be okay again."

Dipper nodded, reaching into his vest to touch the spine of the worn journal. He couldn't believe that he'd managed to get it back so easily after defeating Gideon. There was no way he'd ever let it out of his sight or grasp again.

Mabel's smile faded after a moment of silence and no reply from her twin brother. "Are you thinking again, bro-bro?"

"Yeah..."

"What about?"

The preteen hesitated, unsure whether he was doing the right thing or not. "Do you think... I mean... Should we tell Grunkle Stan about the journal?"

His sister's eyes widened for a minute as his words sank in. "Tell Grunkle Stan? Are you sure?"

"I think so... why?"

Mabel's gaze flitted to her boy band posters as she bit her lip. "Well," she said slowly, "he doesn't really support this whole monster business, Dipper. What if he tries to stop us from exploring?"

He was definitely worried about this and knew she had a point. Then again, there was a possibility that Stan wouldn't even believe them after seeing the journal for himself. Or maybe he'd be alright with the exploration, as long as they got back in time for dinner every day.

"I just think that after everything, he at least deserves to know why Gideon almost tore the town apart trying to find the journal."

She contemplated his words. "True..."

"Do you think I should tell him?" Dipper found himself blurting out. He wanted her honest opinion. If she didn't like the idea, maybe he could wait a bit before explaining the journal to their great-uncle. Maybe they could explain it together.

"Truthfully?" He nodded and his older twin smiled at him. "I think now's a good of a time as any, Dippingsauce."

"Don't call me that."

She tickled his side in response and giggled as he laughed, curling in on himself in an attempt to stop her. Mabel gave him a quick embrace, almost too short to be counted as one, and flounces back to continue unpacking her suitcase.

He could feel his anxiety fade a little at her optimism and cheerful aura. Yes, he would definitely make sure anyone who hurt his sister learned their lesson - even if it meant having to deal with tickle fights every now and then.

Probably not what you expected, but my imagination just sort of went off on a tangent, sorry. I hope you like it anyway, and I am terribly sorry to keep you all waiting for my updates! I promise I am working on the requests as you read this!