Pacifica tugged her keys out of a worn pocket. Her perfectly manicured nails caught on the surrounding sweater, eliciting a tiny curse from her delicate mouth. Maybe it was time to put her favorite sweater to rest. She shoved the correct key into her car door, struggling to get it to turn properly. Ever since she had stood up to her parents about getting involved in the community, they had made life hard for her. Even though they had promised her a new car for her sixteenth birthday, they had given her this old hunk of junk. Shoving the metal out of her way, she flopped into the depressed driver's seat and closed the door with a loud thud behind her. Her eighteenth birthday was next month, and she wasn't sure what she wanted. Definitely a new car. She had her eye on one of those Tesla ones, but she wasn't about to get her hopes up. At this point she would be happy with something as common as a Toyota. Her parents would never get her something so nice with the way they were handling her desire to be a good person. All they ever asked was if she was ready to rejoin polite society. Her answer was always an eyeroll and to disappear into her room. The blonde stuck her car key into the ignition, then carefully pulled out of the parking space and into traffic.

She didn't want to go home. Her chest filled with a feeling akin to how heavy lead was. Stomach sinking into her abdomen, she turned the exact opposite direction from her house. She pushed her bangs out of her eyelashes, noting that a haircut would be in order soon. Her fingers flicked the radio on before she could think enough to tell them to do so. The corners of her mouth turned up when she realized that it was the CD that Dipper had given her for her last birthday. It had a bunch of cute songs about love on it. The boy was such a dork, but he was so sweet that she couldn't help but want to hang out with him all the time. Her esophagus twisted around her heart as she realized that she would be off to college soon, college far away from Gravity Falls. Probably to learn how to be a lawyer so that her parents would actually pay for her education. The blonde ignored the sudden urge to smash her face into the steering wheel.

She wished that her volunteer work at the library was actually a paid job. Then she could have money that she had earned, and maybe she would be able to pay for college herself. She couldn't get a real job, though. It was hard enough to convince her parents that volunteering at the library wasn't going to turn her into a common prole, despite the fact that it wouldn't matter to her one way or another if she was. Her headlights shone on the dirt path surrounded by trees that lead to the Mystery Shack. She hadn't meant to go there, but her brain must have been functioning on some level. She pulled into a parking space, letting the engine idle for a few minutes before turning the key. The engine silenced, Pacifica slowly climbed out of the front seat and stretched in the chilly night air. Being around books and small children all day was a taxing activity, but she didn't mind it. Goosebumps bristled over her skin as she walked towards the slanted building that felt more like home than her house did.

The bell jingled as she threw the squeaky old door open, and Mabel stood up from behind the cash register, a bright smile lighting up the brunette's face as she recognized the blonde.

"Oh, Pacifica! It's been ages, I love your sweater!" Pacifica chuckled, since Mabel had been the one who made the garment in question.

"Thanks. It's starting to fall apart, though. I think I wear it too much." Mabel gasped, a glittery flash of fingertips rising to cover her mouth.

"No such thing, dear. I'll make you a new one, though! It shouldn't be too hard, I just finished a different one for Candy about an hour ago. Come by tomorrow and it'll be all ready for ya!" Pacifica smiled at her friend, glad that they could be considered that despite how different they were.

"Where's Dipper?" Mabel's smile intensified, and her eyebrows wiggled in that way that only she could manage. Pacifica immediately regretted asking.

"He's up in his room. He said that he missed you, by the way. You two haven't seen each other in a week, after all." The blonde did not approve of that tone of voice, but she just shrugged it off despite the glowing feeling that started to run over her cheeks.

"I've been busy, is all."

"I see…" Pacifica glanced into Mabel's inquisitive hazel gaze.

"Like, volunteering at the library while attending all my parent's stupid social functions busy, Mabel. I'm not trying to avoid your brother. He's just…" Dreamy. Loveable. Awkward. Cute. Daring. Smart.

"He can be intense, sometimes." She looked at the floor while Mabel made kissing noises. If her cheeks weren't red before, they certainly were now.

"Shut up, Mabel." She felt a sweater sleeve hit her shoulder and mimed being mortally wounded.

"Pacifica. You like him and he likes you back, it's so obvious it makes me gag. Why won't you just ask him on a date?" Pacifica turned for the front door, "You know what, nah, I'll just-" A different door sounded at the other end of the room, and the blonde froze in her tracks as Mabel squealed.

"Oh, Dipper~ I'll just leave you and Pacifica to chaaaaat-" And with that, Mabel was gone. Pacifica was certain the girl jumped out the small window behind the counter. She tried to get her cheeks under control before the blush spread to her ears. Dipper was being so quiet. She smoothed her skirt, then her sweater. Dipper stayed silent. She would get Mabel so bad for this. Maybe by gluing her arm to her forehead in her sleep. Or by drawing a moustache under her nose. Or by-

"Uh." Dipper's voice had gotten so deep since they had first met. She couldn't turn around. She couldn't look at him.

"Hi, Pacifica." She pressed a hand to one of her cheeks to see how hot it was. The slight scald that followed told her not to turn around. Her heart started doing jumping jacks.

"Hi, Dipper." Lame. So lame. God, she was lame.

"You, uh, you gonna turn around or should I just pretend this is normal?" She slowly turned, but kept her face glued to the floor. His sneakers were grass stained and falling apart. Glitter sparkled on the laces from one of Mabel's projects. The hems of his pants were slightly higher than where pants should have rested, which meant that the lanky boy had grown again. She was jealous. Dipper chuckled a little.

"I didn't know you were visiting today." Pacifica nodded. Dumb. Lame.

"Well, I was about to go find a mysterious creature in the woods, you want to come along?" She blinked and looked up in surprise. And was hit full-force by his attractive face. His hazel eyes were soft and warm, like a fireplace on a rainy day. His cheeks and nose were a little red, but his nose was always like that. The red on his cheeks showed off how great his cheekbones were. His bangs covered the silly birthmark just like they usually did, but they were getting to be too long. Just like her own. She had been staring for too long. She chuckled nervously, a hand running through her blonde hair so that it wouldn't wander over to his hair.

"Yeah, sounds great, why not, let's, uh, I'm gonna…" She trailed off as Dipper's cheeks flushed further red. He was nervous too. She threw her hair over her shoulder, "Let's go!" He positively beamed as he held the door for her, and didn't seem to stop until she couldn't see his face due to the lack of light. He zipped his jacket up, and pulled out a flashlight. She accidentally stepped too close and brushed her shoulder against his arm. Heat rose into her cheeks, which were still hot from the previous blush.

"So, what are we looking for?" He shined the light onto his journal, with enough spilling over the edges of the paper that they could see where to place their feet.

"I think it's a gargoyle, but haven't been able to get a good enough sighting to decide." Pacifica smiled a little, then stuffed her hands into her pockets. The hole in the right hand side got a little bigger.

"I mean, it could also be a gryphon. I'm not a hundred percent sure-" He continued rambling like that, arguing semantics with himself as they walked further into the woods. Pacifica listened to his voice as they walked, breathing in time with him and answering when he asked her questions. Finally, they reached a tree that mimicked a sequoia in girth and height. He shined the flashlight up the trunk, and she reached out to touch the rough bark.

"This is where I last saw it, so I figured we could stay here and see if it would come back." The blonde turned and smiled, "Sure!" He was so soothing to be around. Despite all the blushing and heart thumping. He just had that sort of voice that made a person feel safe and warm.

"I mean, I was up in the tree…" Pacifica felt her eyebrows twist into one of those 'are you shitting me?' expressions. She was in a skirt. Did he expect her to climb a tree in a skirt?

"We can stay on the ground, I guess." She shook her head.

"Will you be able to see it on the ground?" He stared at the grass, cheeks totally and absolutely red.

"No…" The blonde grabbed the nearest tree branch, "You go first. I'm not about to show off my underwear, here." She blushed as she said it, but the expression on his face was totally worth her own embarrassment. He tucked the journal into his jacket, put the flashlight between his teeth, then hoisted himself into the tree. Pacifica followed, a few branches behind. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but she ignored the text. Falling out of a huge tree was not on her list of things to do.

She was glad that she had worn sneakers that day. Her normal flats would have been shredded by the time they got to a good perching point. The moon was halfway gone, it's weak light illuminating the tops of the trees. The sight was absolutely breathtaking. She shivered a little.

"Are you cold?" She looked over at Dipper, who had extinguished the flashlight. He looked genuinely concerned, but still flushed from the exercise of climbing. She shook her head.

"You sure? You can borrow my jacket." He nudged her with a sleeve. She giggled a little, then accepted the offering. It smelled like bargain detergent and pine needles and something that was so distinctly Dipper Pines that it felt like a violation to be wearing his jacket.

"Thanks" She kind of wanted to keep it. Like, really wanted to keep it. She also wanted to smack her traitor brain for feeling that way. Butterflies started to unfurl in her stomach.

They sat in the tree for hours, so many that she actually fell asleep on the branch. The blonde awoke to her companion gently shaking her shoulder and whispering excitedly. She had forgotten where she was. A glance down gave her more vertigo than she had planned on, and she flailed a little before Dipper's strong arms steadied her.

"Sorry, Pacifica, but look!" He pointed to another tall tree in the distance. An impossibly large winged critter landed in the branches, then stopped moving and blended in with the foliage. Dipper's not-pointing arm was wrapped around her shoulders, which was distracting her from the thing they were observing. He was so strong…

"That's incredible! Do you have a camera?" He removed his arm.

"In the right pocket." In the right pocket of wha- oh wait, she was wearing his jacket. She fumbled with the zippers on the pocket, then handed him the disposable camera.

"Thanks!" He flashed a stunning grin, then quickly focused on camera things. She pressed her face into the fabric of his coat, noting that now it smelled like his soap and her shampoo. It was a cute mix of woody and flowery. She took the jacket off and handed it back to him when he finished taking photos.

"Really, Pacifica, thanks for coming out here with me. It means a lot." His shy smile melted her cheeks and heart. He was blushing worse than she was. His hand scooted a little closer to hers. Their fingertips brushed, sending a nervous jolt of electricity through her arm. She flicked her eyes up from the branch to rest on his face, which was leaning closer and closer and she was so lost in the depths of his eyes. The greens and blues and browns swallowed her as their lips pressed together. She let her eyes close, then leaned in to return the gesture. His hand pressed over hers, fingers winding together. Her free hand gently reached up to cup his strong jaw. Her heart was in overdrive, but she wanted this moment to last forever.

When they were back on the ground, all of her worries about college and leaving him were whirling through her head at intense speeds. He had tied his jacket around his waist, and they were standing awkwardly close but somehow not close enough.

"Dipper?" Her voice was squeaky from nerves. She fiddled with the hole in her sweater pocket.

"Yeah, Pacifica?" She blinked at the ground, then tried to meet his eyes.

"I have to go away for college. My parents…" He nodded, sadness seeping into his expression.

"Is that why you were avoiding me?" Tears pricked her eyes. She swiped at them with the sleeve of her sweater.

"I didn't mean to, I was just scared because I didn't want to start something and then have to break it off-" He grabbed her hands with a little more force than was necessary, but was able to catch her teary gaze before she looked down again.

"You don't have to be scared, Pacifica." He said her name too much. She blinked, tears overflowing just like her sense of hopelessness.

"But how can we have a normal relationship if my parents reject everything I want to become? They've already rejected you, ever since that party with the lumberjack ghost! How can I ever do anything…" He pulled her close, releasing her hands in favor of the greatest bear hug she had ever been involved in. She cried into his shoulder, and he just let her.

"Pacifica, they're your parents but they don't run your life. Take things as slow as you need to, but don't be afraid to do what you want. Get a job, go to college, be wherever you want. Just keep in touch. We'll work it out." She nodded into his now wet shoulder. Her phone started buzzing violently. She jumped out of Dipper's grasp and answered the call from her mother. Dipper stood awkwardly to the side as she got a lecture for being out so late, then walked her to her car and helped her get the door open.

"Pacifica?" She looked at him as the engine turned over and started to purr.

"Yeah, Dipper?" He leaned in and kissed her again.

"Call me, okay?" She smiled and nodded, rubbing her nose against his.

"Yeah, Dipper, get some!" Mabel shouted from the Mystery Shack. Pacifica stared at the steering wheel as her new boyfriend went inside to give his sister a stern talking to. Pacifica smiled, renewed resolution shining in her heart. She could handle her parents. She could handle anything the future threw at her. She blushed as she pulled out of the parking lot. She could handle a long distance relationship.