Caught in the Stars: Chapter III
A Gravity Falls Fanfic
Knock knock knock knock knock–
Pacifica opened her door to end the noise, and Mabel grinned broadly at her. “Hi! Dipper and I are going out exploring. We heard some stories about a weird animal, and we thought we’d check it out. Want to come?”
Pacficia raised her eyebrows. “You want me to come on a monster hunt with you?”
“Pfft, not a monster hunt. I doubt there will be any real monsters. We’re mostly just going to explore the woods. You totally want to come, right? It’ll be so much fun!” Mabel nudged Pacifica in the side. “I’ll let you borrow my shoes again.”
Pacifica glanced back at her book. She was almost done with her homework, and had nothing better to do than sit alone in her room. She shrugged. “I guess so.”
“Great! Let’s go!” Mabel grabbed her arm and started to drag her away.
“Wait! Mabel! I have to put away my books!”
Dipper was waiting for them outside the dorm building. His eyebrows rose when he saw Pacifica. “You actually convinced her. I’m impressed.” His eyes flicked down to the hot pick sneakers she wore. He smirked. “Wearing Mabel’s shoes again?”
She crossed her arms and glared. “What was I supposed to wear? You don’t honestly think my parents ever got me shoes for something like this?”
He was still grinning as he shrugged. “I guess not. I like the color, though. Looks exactly like something you would pick out.” She rolled her eyes.
Mabel ran and tackled her brother from behind, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arm around his neck. She pointed the other arm towards the woods. “Onward!” she cried.
Dipper follwed her instructions, running straight for the woods. Mabel yelped and tightened both arms around him. “Not so fast, not so fast!”
He slowed down and laughed. “You should have been more specific.”
Pacifica ran to catch up with them, stepping carefully to avoid tripping over the too-large shoes. “Do you just let her climb all over you?”
“He’s taller than me, so I make him give me piggyback rides so I can reach and see things better,” Mabel explained.
“One inch, Mabel. One freaking inch,” Dipper groaned.
“I know!” Mabel spread her arms wide. “A whole inch! What do you do with the countless, glorious opportunites that have been opened up to you?”
“It’s easier to carry her than argue,” Dipper told Pacifica.
Mabel soon climbed down and walked ahead, claiming the title of “scout”. At first, the group followed a dirt path through the trees, but eventually they wandered off it. Pacifica wondered if this was intentional.
“You guys do know where you’re going, right?” she asked when the path disappeared from sight.
“Nope!” Mabel called from her place at the front of the line. “We’re just exploring, remember?”
“But won’t we get lost? Are you sure you remember how to get back?”
“Don’t worry, I have a compass.” Dipper held it up without turning toward her.
“I’d feel better if you had a GPS,” she grumbled.
“I have one of those too.” This time, he held up his phone. “But I trust the compass more.”
She frowned, but decided she was more likely to get lost trying to go back on her own. “So what is it you’re looking for, exactly?”
“We’ve heard stories about some kind of mountain lion–something too big to be natural. It’s most likely a prank. Something for upperclassmen to scare freshmen with, but we thought we’d check it out.”
Pacfica tripped. “A gigantic mountain lion? That’s what we’re looking for? Isn’t that dangerous?”
“If the rumors are true, it’s too big to even notice us. As long as we’re careful not to get stepped on, we’ll be fine.” He turned around and noticed she wasn’t walking. “Are you coming?”
She rolled her eyes. “Fine, yes, I’m coming, but I don’t understand why you always have to go looking for dangerous stuff, instead of something cool–like unicorns!”
“No unicorns!” Mabel shouted from far ahead. “Never again!”
Pacifica looked at Dipper and raised her eyebrows. He shrugged. “She had a bad experience with one. I still haven’t gotten the details out of her.”
Pacifica gasped and ran to catch up with Mabel, nearly tripping on the borrowed shoes. “You met a unicorn?”
“Yes, and it was terrible!”
Pacifica gawked at her. “Do you realize how many girl’s dreams you’ve lived?”
Mabel sighed. “Of course I do! I was one of them! But then Celestabellebethabelle broke my heart and crushed my dreams.”
“Celesta-what now?” Pacifica shook her head. “Never mind. What happened?”
Mabel crossed her arms. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“But–” Pacifica’s foot caught on a rock and twisted out from under her. She fell and landed on her hands. “Ow!”
“Pacifica! Are you alright?”
She winced. “Yeah, I’m fine. Your feet are too big.”
“Maybe yours are just too small.” Mabel held out her hand and helped her onto her feet. Pacifica gasped and fell back down.
Dipper ran up. “Are you okay? What happened?”
“I just tripped and hurt my ankle. I’m fine.”
“She can’t stand up on it,” Mabel said. “Maybe she sprained it!”
“Do you know how to tell?” Pacifica asked.
The twins exchanged a glance. “Umm . . .” Mabel began.
“We should go back so you can see the nurse,” Dipper said.
“I’m fine. I’ll just–” Pacifica tried to stand up, but fell again. “Fine, but how do I get back?”
“Dipper could carry you,” Mabel suggested.
“Absolutely not.”
“It might be the only option,” Dipper said, turning away so she couldn’t see how red his face was turning.
“I’m not letting you carry me!”
“It’s not that big a deal.”
“No.”
He crossed his arms. “Do you want us to leave you here then?”
She crossed her own arms and rolled her eyes. “Fine, whatever.”
He knelt down with his back towards her, and she put both arms around his neck. He hooked his arms under her knees and stood up. “Someone else will have to use the compass,” he said.
“I will!” Mabel ran over and rifled through his jacket pockets. “Found it!” She ran ahead again, keeping an eye on the compass.
Dipper walked slower on the way back since he was carrying Pacifica, and Mabel paused often to make sure they were keeping up.
“Sorry you had to give me a–what did Mabel call this again? Something about a pig?” Pacifica asked.
“Piggyback ride.”
“Right, that. Does she give them to Waddles, or something? Is that why she calls them that?”
“Um, no. That’s just what they’re called. Did your parents never–no, never mind.”
She rested her chin on his shoulder since it was easier than leaning back the entire time. “Did your parents give them a lot?”
“Yeah, kinda.” Dipper chuckled. “They like to take us hiking whenever they can, but when we were little, we got tired pretty quickly, so they’d carry us the rest of the way.”
“They seem like cool people.”
“They are. I’d like you to meet them sometime.”
Pacifica blushed and turned away. “Anyway, I’m sorry you had to turn around because of me. I know you were probably looking forward to exploring.”
Dipper shrugged, lifting her head. “It’s no big deal. These things happen. Besides, there’s probably nothing there. We were mostly just exploring because we were bored. I’m just sorry because you probably won’t want to come with us again.”
“Again? You mean this wasn’t a one-time thing?”
“I mean, not if you don’t want it to. You don’t have to come, though, if you’ve decided the bugs and mud aren’t for you.”
“Don’t forget the ankle injuries.”
He laughed. “Those too.”
“I might like to come again,” she said quietly. “But I should probably buy my own shoes.”
“I think we’re almost there!” Mabel called. “This rock looks kinda familiar!”
Dipper chuckled. “Leave it to Mabel to recognize a rock.”
Pacifica turned her head and leaned her cheek on his shoulder so she could see his face better. His glasses were starting to slide down the bridge of his nose. He scrunched up his face to push them back. Pacifica reached over to slide them up, and he flinched. “Sorry,” she muttered. “I was just trying to help.”
“Yeah, thanks, just give me some warning next time.” She smiled.
Her eyes caughed on his old blue and white cap, and she tapped it. “I thought Wendy took your hat. She wore it all year.”
“Uh, yeah, she did, but I like to wear a hat, and hers was too warm to wear most of the time, so I asked Soos to send me a new one.”
“Have you considered getting another new one?” She pulled it off his head and studied it. “This one’s getting pretty old.”
“Can I have it back, please?”
She started to put it back, when something caught her eye through his hair. “Wait, you have something on your forehead. Let me get it.”
“No, wait! That’s not–” he stopped when she brushed his hair aside, revealing a picture of the Big Dipper on his forehead.
“Did you draw that?”
He sighed. “No, it’s a birthmark.”
“Really?”
“Yes, now can I please have my hat back?”
She put it back on his head. “Is that why the kids at school called you Dipper? I just thought you were a huge nerd back then, too, and liked the stars or something.”
“No, it’s because of my birthmark.”
“Is that why you keep your hair so long and always wear a hat?” He nodded, turning away so she couldn’t see his flush.
“It’s cool.”
He blinked. “Huh?”
“Your birthmark. It’s cool. And pretty unique.”
Dipper looked down and swallowed. “Uh, thanks.”
“Hurry up, you two! We’re almost there!” Mabel called.
“Coming!” Dipper shouted.