#catch ya later nerds ( affectionately)

[you-will-return]

X

[wish-i-wasnt-a-coward]

Family Cuddle Pile

a/n: I actually wrote this a while ago but it was perfect for the request. Theirs like, no content for this ship an I love it so much! Thank you for reading :) @arodynamic-enby

Pairings: romantic Anxceitmus and kid!Patton also super background Logince

Warnings: tattoos, less than ideal parent mentions, food mention, and light cursing

Word count: 1,844 

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Remus flopped out of bed, throwing his body carelessly across the room. He hastily threw on his clothes. Short shorts, ripped fishnets, a vest that was more patches than original material, really big clunky shoes, and a ripped up band-t. He also hooked his favorite bone earrings in his tattered earlobes. 

He stomped into his apartment’s kitchen. He grabbed a stale piece of bread he soaked it in coffee. Yawned and grabbed his bag, racing out the door. 

His brother was waiting for him at the tattoo shop, sketching a new idea. Unlike him, Roman only had a few tattoos, including not one, not two, not three… but three Disney quotes, a frog on a mushroom, a rose on his arm, and a constellation. Most of his tattoos were covered by tasteful burgundy overalls and a white button-down shirt.

Remus’ tattoos were also mostly covered by his clothes. But he had a tattoo sleeve depicting the garden of Eden, a matching frog on a mushroom, a quote from one of Roman’s books, medically accurate bone structures on his hand, a realistic spider on his neck, and a snake wrapping around his non-sleeved arm. And those were just the visible ones. 

Suffice to say, the twins were very different. 

Remus threw his bag onto the floor in the backroom, “Ro, when’s the first appointment!!” he yelled. “Your’s? At 11. FYI, Jan n’ Pat are coming over at 12, for motivation” Remus smiled, fuckin’ superb. 

He busied himself in collecting the ink and preparing the tattoo gun. The client wanted a fucking orange on their wrist, it should only take an hour or two but Remus was not excited to do a frickin’ orange circle. 

The prissy orange bitch came in and Remus got to work. They didn’t move much and only cried a little bit when the needle started jabbing at their skin. Remus liked this part of the process, stabbing people consensually was his favorite thing ever… also the art part but stabbing people!

Almost exactly an hour later the door jingled open. “Dada!!” a tiny voice called back into the store. “I’ll be there in a minute patty-cake” Remus called from his spot hunched over the client's arm.

He added the final touches to the fruit and helped the orange bitch off the chair. Roman swept the client away, Remus practically ran to greet his partner and son.

Janus wore a leather corset over a black collared shirt and baggy pants, their long platinum hair framed their face under their signature hat. They were holding hands with a toddler wearing mostly pink and blue, his blond hair (that matched Janus’) was a mop of curls barely held together by a few butterfly clips. 

“Dada, Dada!!! I got you a flower” the little boy cried, letting go of Janus’ hand and stumbling towards the tall man who scooped him up. Patton giggled and held out a sweaty flower clenched in his chubby fist. 

Remus accepted the flower with a gasp, ”this is really for me?” he said joyfully. Adjusting the small boy in his arms Remus turned towards Janus who was looking at the pair with a disgustingly sappy expression. 

“What are you lookin’ at hot stuff?” Remus teased. “Shut it you,” Janus said, pressing a kiss to Remus’ check. Patton made a noise, “icky” he said pushing Janus away. They laughed, “yes darling, we’re very icky”. 

“When’s verge-“

“he’ll be home at 4” 

“Dope”

“Stop by the Sleepy Café before you bring Pat to the apartment?”

“Can do scootal-lo!” 

Remus turned back to the little boy in his arms, “looks like you're stuck with me squirt”. Patton beamed and snuggled into Remus’ chest. Janus smiled again, “I’ll see you, boys, at dinner,” they said, ruffling Pat's hair and peaking Remus on the lips quickly so as to not upset the toddler. “Bye-bye Janny!!” Patton called after Janus as they left for work. 

“Righty-o,” Remus said, carrying Patton into the back room. “I know Ro’s got a couple coloring books, wanna do those for a bit?” Patton nodded and reached towards the ground to be put down. Remus plopped Patton on the couch and pulled out the book and pens as well as a sketchbook off his own. They sat together coloring and drawing until Roman came back to hug Patton. 

“Ah, my favorite nephew!” Roman said, scooping up the little boy. Patton laughed and pulled Roman’s hair. “Roro, can I color your arm pictures??” he asked, pointing to Roman’s rose tattoo. Roman plopped the toddler back down on the couch and handed him a pen. 

Patton went to work on the rose, scribbling reds and pinks and greens across his arm. Roman gave him complements each time Patton paused, and each time Patton shushed him and went back to work. Remus finished up his sketch, adding it to the pile of tattoo ideas they were eventually going to put up-front, and sat next to the toddler. 

“That’s really good pat-” 

“Shhhhhhhh”

Remus nodded and mimed zipping his lips. He liked spending time with the kid. They weren’t biologically related but who gives a fuck about blood, unless it’s outside of your body, then it’s fun. 

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“I don’ wanna” Patton wined his dad sighed “I know bubbles but we gotta go home to Papa and Janny, isn’t that fun” Patton considered this, “but Roro’s pretty arm picture” he argued. Remus scratched the back of his neck, “Pffffff- Ummm, how about this, we go home now and I’ll take you back to the shop tomorrow after pre-school” 

Patton brightened considerably, “ok” he chirped. “up please” the toddler’s chubby hands reached towards Remus who obediently scooped him up with a coo. After all who was he to say no to uppy hands. 

“See ya tomorrow, have fun on your date with the nerd” Remus sang as he snatched his bag juggling the still fussy Patton in his other arm. “Fu- Frick off Re. Say hi to your partners for me,” Romans said affectionately and waved as his twin left the building. 

Remus happily trotted out into the road. The tattoo shop was located on a quaint little street in the more commercial segment of their town only a short walk from Janus’ job. 

A light drizzle floated around them and the air was warm and comforting. Patton squealed as a large drop of water hit him in the head, prompting a laugh from Remus.

A jingle sounded through the peaceful cafe, the brown room was illuminated by those cool old fashion lights and a lovely array of pastries made the air smell of chocolate and blueberry scones. But the scones, as delicious as they were, weren’t the snack Remus was here for

“Hey babe- Remus why are you soaking wet”

“Puddle” Patton screeched. 

“Kid’s right, Puddle.”

Janus pinched their eyebrows, “ya know what, I’m not even surprised anymore. Just make sure Patton doesn’t catch a cold” they scolded. 

Remus nodded and saluted in mock seriousness, “yes captain” he said and pressed a kiss to Janus’ face over the cash register, “I’ll see ya in a bit” Remus grinned and led Patton back out of the cafe. 

Janus sighed lovingly as they watched their boyfriend and son turn to cross the street, Patton’s hand clasped around Remus’ happily. “Stop looking so happy, you're scaring the customers” Remy teased from across the counter. “Ha, Ha,” Janus glared and went back to work” 

Janus’ apartment was a cute two-bedroom space on the fourth floor of the building. The furniture was an interesting combo of vintage and things from the side of the road. The vintage parts came from their parent’s house, their father had died two years after Janus’ had run away and hadn’t thought to write them out of the will. 

The three of them had made a date out of customizing the few pieces that Janus wanted to keep. The customization mainly included darkening everything and adding more gothic touches. Virgil had done the fabrics, Remus the painting, and Janus moral support/ director. 

The three partners had also painted the kitchen/dining room/living room black with one yellow wall. Janus and Virgil’s room was dark purple instead of black with highlights in the same yellow. Patton’s room was the only one that didn’t  look marginally like a cave. 

The walls were a cream-yellow that lit up in the morning sunlight. After Janus announced that they were going to have a baby Remus had spent three hours painting the grey ceiling with white fluffy clouds. It was one of his favorite projects. 

Patton of course had no regard for the work put into the entirety of his home and was the usual menace of a toddler. And today a toddler with cheerios, truly a sight even god would tremble before. 

Remus plopped down next to Patton who was pushing cheerios around his highchair tray with an intense focus. He smiled at the little boy and flicked on the tv, “got any requests pip-squeak?” Remus asked. Patton looked thoughtful, “dead lady!!” he cried excitedly hitting the tray with his fists, cheerios flew everywhere. Remus nodded, understanding, “Corpse bride coming up!” he picked a few cheerios from the couch “you really are Verge’s kid” 

When Janus got home Patton was curled up on Remus’s chest. Both slept soundly despite the dead folk on the screen in front of them singing about the wedding. 

Janus smiled, their family was fucking adorable. They slipped off their shoes and snuggled up into Remus who hummed happily and pulled Janus into the hug still asleep. 

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Three hours later Virgil trudged up the four flights of stairs huffing indignantly with each step. Of course, he could take the elevator… but it might break down and he would be stuck for hours. Or someone could get into the elevator with him and he would have to interact with a stranger. So stairs it was. 

He rummaged around his baggy hoodie, running his fingers through his dark purple hair in annoyance when he couldn’t find the key. Once he found it Virgil carefully (as he did everything) opened the apartment door. His combat books clunked satisfyingly against the hardwood floors as he entered his house. Virgil felt the tension leave his muscles, he was home. He glanced across the room, looking for his family. 

Virgil’s face lit up like a god damned Christmas tree. 

Across the room, both his partners and his son were curled up sleeping happily. Drool covered Remus’ face and Janus was snoring, they were the most precious thing Virgil had seen all freakin day. 

The three of them woke as Virgil wrapped his arms around them, Patton squealed in excitement. “Hello, darling” Janus mumbled sleepily into Virgil’s arm. Remus just groaned and nestled into the hug. The toddler wriggled between his dads squealing profusely. “Shhh, s’ sleepy time” Remus mumbled, rolling deeper into the cuddle pile and shutting Patton up. 

Virgil smiled and pressed a kiss to his partner’s cheek. “Mmm, love you” they purred. “Love you too Jan,” Virgil said, nestling his face in their neck. Virgil knew he would have to start dinner soon but that could wait, for now, cuddles.

[magicapandora]

V

Victor x Rosie hcs?? I see you rarely talking about them here

Djakdjsksjaksj im glad u wanna hear more about these dumbasses! (affectionate)

So Rosie and Victor at first have a very much playful cat and mouse relationship, or a fox and bunny. Like before even dating they love to flirt and playfully tease eachother, usually calling eachother pet names and being very comfy with eachother. Rosie is actually pretty popular, and so has a sizable amount of friends and other’s who want to talk to her, making her catch Victor’s eye at first.

I’m pretty sure the first time he came up to her, he had a rose in hand and gave it to her, saying something like, “A rose for a rose, quite poetic wouldn’t you say?”. Rosie laughed but accepted the rose, thanking him for the gift, “That’s really sweet of you, but y’know, giving pretty girls pretty flowers isn’t gonna make them swoon.”. That’s when Victor basically swore to himself that he would steal Rosie’s heart, not knowing he already served up the key to his on a silver platter.

Since both of them are theatre nerds, they’d also do impromptu performances either during breaks between classes or even during meal time, drawing a crowd of curious or annoyed onlookers to their act. They usually memorize monologues together and their performances are either super serious and well acted out or super dramatic and are supposed to be bad and over saturated, but both performances do usually get an applause.

Victor calls Rosie Rose-Rose, Sugar, Doll, and My Rose while Rosie calls Victor Handsome, Pretty boy, Vicky, and Count Casanova which is Rosie’s personal favorite cause it annoys Victor.

They often sneak out to the astronomy tower to have impromptu dances, usually with Victor bringing his radio to play some music on a station that plays love songs 24/7 or something cheesy. Victor usually leads the dances but can’t help but just look at Rosie, trying to admire them while also trying not to step on Rosie’s feet with his combat boots. Rosie’s the same, taking in every detail of Victor but also making sure to not crush his feet with her heels.

Their first kiss was actually very sweet. They were talking in a somewhat secluded spot in an empty corridor between classes. They were talking about random things, like they usually do, and Victor makes a flirty comment, probably something like “Even with all these candles, you really do shine brighter.”. Rosie chuckles, leaning back against the wall, “C’mon, you can do better than that.”. Victor smirks, basically kabedoning/caging in Rosie with his arm, leaning closer to Rosie, almost nose to nose. Rosie smiles, “Is that all you got, Vicky?”. Both of them just stare at eachother, looking to each others eyes and lips. Victor leans in, cupping her face, and Rosie placing her hand on his shoulder, both of them leaning into the kiss. It’s quiet but it’s sweet. It feels right. Both of them pull away, a bit flushed in the face. They both just stare at eachother, still reeling from what just happened. Victor clears his throat, “Uh. So. See ya later? Cool? Cool.” Before giving finger guns, and walking away, making sure to walk behind a wall after the turn and absolutely shadow boxing, pumping his fists and absolutely going nuts. Rosie smiles to herself, feeling her lips with her fingers, still feeling the warmth of the kiss still.

Sorry if this was a bit long but I hope you like this!!

[thelostandforgottenangel]

Turtle’s Naked Challenge

@bloody-weapons-soft-soul13​ @fyreball66​ @lonelyheart-clubband @blossom-skies @narwals14 @betelgeusessonajblog @missbeautyandherbeast @midnightrebel669 @midnight-chocolate-turtle @myheyheyheystuff @nikitaboeve @mistyroselove @waterstar2016 @bluesakurablossom @bayverse-turtle-power @nights-legacy @janna-the-breaker @missmagellanic @darksaphire2002 @aurora-the-kunoichi @moonlightflower21 @queendice98 @infintyfandoms @ravn-87 @bmntgirl @vixie-chan233

This took a while to do considering my daughter after hearing her auntie bae claim I was fucking lazy decided to dump a drink over my flashdrives so I couldn’t use them anymore resulting in losing all my files, stories, and all my asks but as requested here’s some steamy wet turtle nudity

Her boyfriend had gotten to her place after a long strenuous patrol looking so tired and rundown just knowing being the leader could be hard

Being the older brother to three whack job goofy brothers could also do a number on a turtle’s mentality and had her heart going out to him instantly one these nights making her somewhat baby her alpha much to the displeasure on his face

He didn’t like the coddling but knowing how grumpy he could be had the woman wanting to make it better because Leonardo deserved to be pampered like a king when he allowed her to do so

After all he made her feel like a queen every day she could do the same for her leader

Upon offering him her shower to relax and wash the day away but also giving him tons of kisses that pulled a loving smile from her special guy and promising of more once he was done had him swayed easily

Plus he seemed more willing as her hand trailed up his plastron hearing her whispering of maybe some more enticing fun once he was finished he had immediately hopped in to clean up while she got comfortable and started reading her new book he had gotten her a few weeks back

The woman figured he might be a while and he deserved the longest shower he could stand so why not read a few chapters until he was done already having their movie ready to be started and dinner in the stove already prepared knowing he loved home cooked meals

Only the best for her turtle

She was so absorbed in the pages happily following the hero’s tale the water turning off didn’t even register to her nor did the bathroom door squeaking or abnormal soft steps approaching her couch where she was lounged out comfortably

What did was the sopping wet towel that landed on her making her squeak and jump a foot in the air

“Finally reading it – it’s a really good story”

She pulled the cloth off her before freezing seeing her leader standing there proud in front of her in all his glorious perfection steam roving lazily off his leaf green flesh as those blue sapphires set her on fire feeling the room getting warm as she looked him over shifting in her seat as something else started to feel ‘hot’

She was panting and all he was doing was looking at her

The throbbing appendage between his thick thighs had her trying desperately not to look down and she failed miserably as he strolled forward a sly grin on his face his lower lip caught between his teeth before he tilted her head up smelling what he was doing to her and the soft fabric of the blue nightie had him seconds from losing his dominate stance

“Just wondering does that offer still stand or are you just going to sit there drooling all over the book” she apparently didn’t answer him fast enough because the look in his eyes shifted as he got over her growling under his breath “Bedroom now and on your knees before I break the couch again~”

Her body responded this time as he moved back so fluidly walking towards the hallway before letting her pass him a small moan leaving her as the pressure of his fingers on the back of her neck had her bending to his will “Whatever you want Sensei”

He had to be having a bad day cause when he got to her place he was growling, cussing, and mumbling nasty obscenities through his bared teeth

No doubt somebody had pissed him off and being how late it was that list of names was fairly a mile long but not limited to several of the normal characters but after a bit of persuading and lots of affection to her teddy bear she had finally convinced him to go take a hot shower to calm himself

She hated seeing him so upset

She lit the sweet fresh picked strawberry candles on the counter just for him knowing the smell of her newest set always made him feel calm remembering with clarity the first night she got them he had shown up in a rage over something she truly didn’t understand but the second he took a deep breath he had just relaxed curling up with his head on her chest passing out almost immediately purring like a kitten

Every night after if she knew he was coming over she was burning those candles finding he became very affectionate and needy

He tried to coax his love into the bedroom mumbling he just wanted cuddles but she handed him her biggest towel and sent him on his way swearing they could snuggle after he was done for as long as her turtle needed

Not wanting to bother the hothead she had sat down on the sofa to wait knowing once he was done she could drag the turtle into some loving cuddles until he wanted to talk about what happened so maybe when he headed home he was in a much better mood

While he was showering she just knew he would be a while and it was her favorite night so the woman turned on her TV fast to catch up on her crime show and became oblivious to everything in her surroundings

She was focused on her favorite character shirtless grinning like a love sick school girl hardly hearing the bathroom door open so when a towel landed over her head she was a bit shocked quickly pulling it off “Raphie this is the best part what are you-!?”

The woman looked up from her couch to see the massive turtle standing there with a serious look completely stripped of his normal attire leaving her in a dazed stupor upon seeing what was in front of her as he stepped in the way of her TV

Licking his lips Raphael stood holding a smaller towel drying off his neck as water dripped down his naked built body and damn he had her full attention before a smug smile was aimed at her when she couldn’t look away taking in his perfectly sculpted physique realizing now she had never comprehended how big he was

“Ya still wanna watch the show or – ya up ta help me blow off some pent up steam?” he winked still exuding cockiness walking towards her room giving her a great view of his ass making her turn off the TV so fast not caring if she missed her new episodes before jumping over the back of her couch already unbuttoning her blouse

“No sir… Nope not at all” she ran after him hearing that thunderous chuckle as she shut her bedroom door jumping the massive turtle quickly once he was on her bed kissing him hard as the woman was pulled against him knowing she wasn’t going to let Raph leave tonight “I’m all yours baby”

He was late and not answering his phone… of course he was and after she had worked so hard making him his favorite Italian dish and had even gone all out to make a beautiful tiramisu from scratch which was far from easy like the recipe online had claimed but it was all for her loving genius wanting his rare day off to be perfect but after this long she knew he’s be at her window the moment he realized it

As forgetful as Donatello was she knew he wouldn’t stand her up

Almost on cue two hours later the genius was tapping on the frame with that cute bashful smile on his face as he climbed in the window dropping his gear in the chair she had purposely moved there to keep him from just dropping everything on her floor

“Sorry dove the truck was in need of a tune up and then I got distracted by the leaking radiator hoses – it was a big mess but I’m here – and dinner smells amazing”

Her adorkable nerd trying to explain the whole ordeal as if the woman couldn’t tell what had kept her boyfriend was always adorable he wore the evidence of oil and grease all over his skin and pants stained

The woman jumping back as he started moving in to kiss her made him pause hoping she wasn’t mad at him before she stopped the genius with one finger pointing to the problem before heading to her room

He was still looking himself over like he didn’t see the problem when she reappeared handing him a large towel and the clothes he had left last time he had stayed at her place a serious look plastered on her face but the ghost of a smile on her lips told him she wasn’t upset “You are not sitting on the couch or any furniture until every speck of that is off you”

He gave her the cutest pout starting to argue that he was starving and she knew how long it would take for him to actually get off every bit of grease which – actually made her reconsider her words wondering if he had eaten today but moved closer bringing him down by his dirty mask giving him a loving kiss

She promised as soon as he was cleaned up she would have his plate ready before going to the kitchen getting the degreaser scrub she bought after the last time the genius came over covered in oil after fixing the garbage truck seeing him roll his eyes before chuckling as he finally gave stealing one last kiss as he headed down the hallway

It was going to be a little bit with his having to scrub his arms and hands so she turned on her computer starting to check over a few things her boss needed by next week already having it mostly done thanks to having a brilliant boyfriend who explained it in full detail in less then a minute where as her dumbass boss had pulled her into a three hour long meeting to explain it but left her even more confused

But of course the computer was running slower then normal calling down the hall she would need his tech support help to fix it later whining as it tried to shut down on her after working great minutes before

She had just hit save when a soaked towel landed in her lap making her jump nearly spilling her drink on the laptop before snapping around to get onto the turtle but paused her face draining of any anger that had been there to be replaced by a dark blush

A smaller towel draped over his shoulders as he dried his neck and face had her suddenly aware of just how handsome he was without the mask he always wore but him standing there with nothing on but a crooked half smile on his lips and his glasses hanging low on his snout giving her a clear view of the molten honey brown orbs taking her in

“Did I hear somebody needs tech support? I hate to tell you this princess but the price of services goes up on my day off~”

She couldn’t even come up with a single thing to say with him looking down at her, that heated bedroom gaze melting her in her chair as his mates wide eyes drifted slowly over his body left completely breathless by just how sensual he looked

They had been together for a while and Donnie was normally a little shy even around her but right then he was just as confident as any of his brothers “But maybe I could be swayed to give you a discount for the right payment”

His smile widened noticing she was unable to tear her gaze away from his body always loving how she could boost his self confidence so easily

“I’m willing to do a full payment with interest if you’ll fix it by tomorrow morning Sir”

Her eyes finally met his again feeling the heat building in her, she was already well aware of what he was silently commanding closing her computer the second he shifted his weight back, dinner long forgotten before she was hurrying after him catching his hand

She was in his arms seconds later his lips crushing hers just as the door shut never realizing they were on the bed until the thin fabric of her top ripped and he was ravishing her breast

His glasses coming off was her only warning the lovable shy genius was no longer there

She had already pushed all of the furniture out of the way hoping his patrol wouldn’t last too much longer knowing Leo would try to not make him too late but it gave her time to get everything set up along with the three pizzas and his favorite snacks

Having just finished up with everything a smile spread on her lips when he clambered through the main bay window from her balcony already dressed out in his old sweatpants covered in paint stains with all his supplies knowing he had just ran the whole way after getting home his arms immediately placing them on the plastic on the floor before he was behind her wrapping his girl in a tight hug giving all the kisses he could to her

“What do you think?”

Michelangelo had came over to do an art date and being as the wonderful girlfriend she was she had gotten some of the biggest canvases she could find at the craft store for them wanting to do something special for both of them giggling as he kissed down her neck seeing her surprise for him “I love it babycakes! This is perfect!” his excitement only made her smile wider

They were going to do a portrait for one another so she had planned out her painting to the youngest turtle since she had seen his excitement in having a special night at her place like she tried to do often for him

Being Mikey couldn’t go out in public and she knew how much it bothered him that he couldn’t take her somewhere on dates even though she didn’t really want to be in public the woman always tried to come up with fun dates where the only thing that really mattered was being together and making sure he knew his baby didn’t need to be seen out with somebody or go anywhere fancy to love him

All she needed was the loving and attentive turtle who made her feel special every single day

After placing their easels back to back both of them were so ready to get started grabbing one box of pizza to sit between them as he prepared his stuff being overly affectionate with her kissing and holding her just wanting to watch what she was going to do but she shooed him to his side

This had to be a surprise

Two hours later she finished with the layout starting to add color, of course she couldn’t see what he was doing but her normally hyper noisy boyfriend was surprisingly quiet hearing him working hard on whatever he was painting for her made her work even harder wanting it to be perfect for him

Lost in the painting the woman couldn’t stop from smiling the more and more it looked like his shell the deep mahogany blending in with the hints of chestnut and small streaks of orange she had admired since the day she met him giving it a few finishing touches

He called out he was done just as she finished the last major detail making her carefully pick up her painting placing it over on a homemade drying rack when he came over placing his canvas beside hers for the big reveal

Mikey was instantly pressed against her back holding her from behind hearing a surprised gasp at seeing the pattern of his carapace plates up close “Baby! Holy crap it’s – does my shell really look like that?” she giggled as he tried to look over his shoulder before she took in what he had done

On his there was lots of color blended in together making it very bright, happy, and a bit psychedelic the way the splatters brought out the finer details, her name was in a graffiti like cursive style with tiny spots of glitter making it shimmer like a diamond before seeing in the center the imprint of his chest plate was painted there in his own cute signature loving how he had painted in the heart with green and orange so she would never forget him

“It’s beautiful-” she turned to kiss him noticing his sweats on the floor looking back before she exploded in laughter shocked to see the turtle standing there with a wide grin his brow line wiggling before her eyes slipped lower finding him there in nothing

“Oh my god Mikey!” her boyfriend stood there looking so proud of himself, his entire upper half centered more towards his plastron was covered in multiple colors of paint that went all the way down past his waistline which told her he had painted himself and pressed against the canvas he was splattered in every color imaginable across his muscular arms and cute happy face “Did you get any paint on the canvas”

He seemed so offended looking himself up and down before striking a pose in full Mikey fashion giving her a flirtatious wink “Oh baby you see this body it is the canvas” she giggled waving him off before screaming out as he tackled her to the floor kissing her as he smeared some paint on her face

“N-NO MIKEY! STOP!” she was laughing way too much to be taken serious squirming as he pulled at her clothes mumbling she should try painting nude too throwing them off to the side

Biting her lip she tried to stop from moaning her cheeks burned hotly while trailing the streaks of colorful paint that made his body stand out a bit more biting her lip trying to look up blushing and finding it a bit difficult to resist him with the thick shaft already erect and throbbing against her exposed belly as he picked up a brush as he opened her to him pressing close so she could feel him “Now baby girl – I know something I’m about to paint white~”

With him this was what she lived for her arms surrounding him as she kissed her way to his neck not really caring if she got messy when his hands accidently landed in her paints starting to like where this was going as he smeared it over her curves when she fell limp finally submitting as she pointed to a stack of canvases off to the side

“Let’s do something that will only be for your eyes Daddy~”

[minijenn]

Universe Falls Chapter 73

Eyyyyyyy look at me finishing a chapter on Thanksgiving. Because of course I would. Either way this one is hella cute and filled with all them good Dipifica vibes i won’t shut up about, also god bless its finally canon. Anyway I’ll stop spoiling the chapter and let you at it. Enjoy!

Previous: https://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/188894376744/universe-falls-chapter-72

***

Chapter 73: Mismatched Making

ZPB PSLOD AEYM XASNQ, WAS FWHYH YDVX KXMFFIU D SBRJTR FQZOE, T WPIYY, WCRW WEQKR PSLOD UI WPR GLZQG MS SIFF XYH TXWW BB YIRG TAIVM UREIWS MS WZHR VFPAGGH?

For the past several weeks, the Crystal Temple had sat still and silent, its usual inhabitants having taken up shop at the barn out in the countryside to finish their progress on the drill. Likewise, the Mystery Shack was also rather silent, for while Stan had more or less remained there to maintain the gift shop and the museum while the rest of his family was away, for the past day or so he had been absent, a large closed sign hanging from the door all the while. However, that peaceful quiet all but came to an end as the conman’s car pulled up in front of the shack to let out the far too many passengers that had piled into it for the trip back. 

“We’re home!” Steven exclaimed brightly, bursting out of the vehicle first with both Dipper and Mabel not too far behind. 

“Oh, it’s been so long!” Mabel proclaimed dramatically, hopping up onto the shack’s porch to hug one of its support beams. “I almost forgot what this old place looked like!”

“Mabel, we’ve only been gone a few weeks,” Dipper chuckled, amused. 

“A few weeks too many!” Steven chimed in, already running towards the hill that led up to the temple. The Gems followed after him, ready to finally settle back in themselves, something they readily started doing the moment the young Gem first burst back in through the front door. “Hello, house!” he greeted blithely, running inside. 

The Gems all chuckled amongst themselves as they watched their young ward run about, refamiliarizing himself with his cozy home. “Hello, bed!” Steven grinned, flopping onto said bed as he switched his television on. “Hello, TV! We’ve got some catching up to do. Hello, kitchen!” he continued, rushing back downstairs to throw the fridge open. “Hello, food--augh!” The young Gem quickly stumbled back, rushing to cover his nose to avoid the overwhelmingly foul stench coming from the fridge. 

“Uh oh, did that cake go bad?” Amethyst asked, taking a peek inside at the rotten assortment of food. 

“That was a cake?!” Steven gawked in disbelief before he quickly picked himself up off the ground to head towards the door. 

“Steven, where are you going?” Pearl asked curiously. “I thought you were all excited about being back home.”

“And I am!” Steven grinned. “But now that I’ve gotten ‘re-acquainted’ with home, I’ve gotta do the same with the Mystery Shack! And with Dipper and Mabel and Mr. Pines and Mr. Ford!”

“Dude, we literally just saw them like… 5 minutes ago,” Amethyst pointed out, deadpan. 

“And I miss them already!” the young Gem heaved a heavy sigh, leaning against the door. “See you guys later!”

As Steven set out to head back down to the shack, the Pines family was just stepping inside, all eager to pick up their usual flow of activity where they’d left off. “Ah, finally,” Ford sighed rather contentedly as he made a beeline to the basement stairs. “Back to my real lab again. Even if we did manage to build a functional, earth-piercing drill there, working out of a barn is… less than ideal when it comes to in-depth, tactile scientific research. Also, I miss my favorite reading chair. And my favorite coffee maker, unlike the one at the barn that Peridot broke. Twice...”

“Heh, yeah, that’s right, sixer, head on back down to your ‘nerd cave’,” Stan called as the author began to trudge down to the basement. “Meanwhile, I’ve got real work to do. Like marking up all these prices!” The conman quickly began doing just that, working his way through the gift shop to raise the tabs on just about everything. “Shack’s been closed for two days now; I’ve gotta make up for all those lost profits somehow! Though… I guess I could always cut Soos and Wendy’s pay again… hm…”

While Stan pondered over this plan, Dipper and Mabel eagerly ran past him to head back up their usual space in the attic, ready to make themselves comfortable within it once more. “Yeeeesssss!” Mabel cheered as she burst through the door first. “Bed!” she happily jumped onto her bed, high fiving each of her colorful posters along the wall and ceiling as she did. “Posters!” As she flopped down onto her stomach, she didn’t hesitate to wrap her nearby pet pig up in a tight, affectionate hug, glad to see him again after all the time they’d been apart. “Waddles! Ah, it’s so great to be back! Dontcha think so, bro-bro?”

“I gotta admit, I do,” Dipper grinned as he much more calmly reclined on his bed. “Especially since we don’t really have anything to worry about for the change. The Cluster’s under control, Lapis is finally free from being Malachite and her and Peridot are ok with living together. Even that group of Rubies is out of our hair with no problems at all. For once, it looks like everything is finally gonna be ok.”

“You can say that again!” Steven chimed in as he entered the attic blithely. “We’ve been through a lot of really tough, dangerous stuff this summer. But now that it’s all over, we can spend the rest of our summer just hanging out and having fun!”

“Yeah! Like all those kids in those wacky summer comedies!” Mabel exclaimed excitedly. 

“I love those kinds of movies!” the young Gem quipped brightly. 

“So do I!” 

“Heh, well while you guys are off having your ‘wacky summer comedy’,” Dipper chuckled as he leaned back on his his bed again. “I’m gonna use this as much-needed chance to hang back and relax.”

“You? ‘Relax’?” Mabel scoffed. “Pfft, I don’t believe it. Just watch, Steven, it’ll be no time at all before he’s out and about with one of the journals, hunting down some monster or mystery or something, just like he always does.”

“Oh, come on, Mabel, I’m not that predictable,” Dipper protested, sitting up. “Sure I like a good mystery hunt every now and then, but after dealing with so many of them this summer, I… kinda wouldn’t mind a change of pace. Maybe I’ll try my hand at hunting down something else for a change.”

“Oh yeah?” Mabel asked with a challenging smirk. “Like what?”

“Like…” Dipper trailed off, admittedly unsure of what to say. After all, he’d spent so much time lately embroiled in one mystery, one fight, one disaster after another. So much time spent struggling in the loudest of moments to win the quiet moments like these. And now that they finally had these quiet moments, admittedly, he really had no idea what to do with them. 

Fortunately, he didn’t have to supply an answer to his sister’s question as the shack’s doorbell abruptly rang out. “Well, right now, I guess I’m hunting down the door,” he said succinctly, slipping out of the conversation to answer it. 

“Wait… how can you hunt down a door…?” Steven wondered, confused, though all the same, him and Mabel followed along after Dipper to see who had arrived. The initial speculation on all sides was that it was probably the Gems, though it was a bit odd for them to not just enter without knocking or ringing as they usually did. Though who was actually at the door was just about the very last person any of the kids could have expected, even from the moment Dipper first swung it open. 

“P-Pacifica!?” Dipper exclaimed, absolutely baffled to see the heiress standing in front of him. Even more bewildering was the fact that, unlike the last time she had ventured out to the shack to seek his help, this time, Pacifica hadn’t come in any sort of heavy coat or concealing disguise. Rather, she was in her usual fashionable attire, her expression pensive and her hands held tightly behind her back before she greeted him back with a somewhat awkward wave. 

“O-oh! Uh, h-hey, Dipper,” she said, smiling rather tightly. “Looks like you’re back--finally. N-not that I haven’t been hanging out around here waiting for you to get back ever since that day we spent at the mines, b-because that would be weird, obviously, but… um… what was I talking about again?”

“I… honestly have no idea,” Dipper frowned, confused before breaking into a small, cordial smile. “But anyway, hi, Pacifica. What brings you all the way out here-”

“Pacifica!” Mabel suddenly interrupted, pushing her brother aside to brightly greet the heiress. “Hi! How are you?! Did you come out here to invite all of us to another super glitzy, glamorous party? Because if you are, we are so on board, the last one was so fun! 

“Yeah, it was!” Steven interjected just as cheerfully. “Ya know, aside from the vengeful ghost and crazy Gem mutants. But that’s the sort of stuff we deal with all the time, so I guess it was nothing too out of the ordinary.”

“Oh… you guys are here too…” Pacifica’s smile fell as she looked between Steven and Mabel. “Great…”

“Uh, so…” Dipper cut in, squeezing his way back into the conversation between the pair. “Like I was trying to ask before, what’s up, Pacifica? You need some help busting another ghost or dealing with a pack of angry, city-slick dwarves?” 

The heiress couldn’t help but let out something of a small laugh at this, one that Dipper slightly joined in on, not noticing as Steven, and Mabel in particular, watched the exchange curiously. “No, nothing like that,” Pacifica smirked. “I was just… um… w-well, you remember how you said after your how drill thing was over, we’d… uh… h-hang out?”

“Yeah…?” Dipper nodded, raising an eyebrow before he realized Pacifica’s intention in coming all this way to see him. “Oh, wait, you mean right now?”

“Uh… I mean, if you wanna?” she shrugged apprehensively. “I-if you’re busy though, I-I totally get it. I can always come back some other time.”

“I mean, we did only get back from the barn for weeks on end just a few minutes ago…” Dipper noted with an earnest frown. “But…”

“But he’s totally free and he would totally love to hang out with you!” Mabel sharply interrupted, excitedly pushing her brother out the door a bit. “Wouldn’t you, Dipper?”

“Uh… well…” Dipper hesitated for a moment before meeting Pacifica’s hopeful expression. She offered him a small, almost demure smile, one that carried none of the cold haughtiness she often used to front, but instead, it was completely honest, completely genuine. And if there was something that Dipper knew well from experience, it was that Pacifica was always at her very best when she was at her most genuine. “You know what? Sure, why not. It’ll be fun.”

“R-really?” Pacifica asked, quite surprised to hear this as her cheeks flushed the slightest pink. 

“Yes, really!” Mabel exclaimed as she pushed Dipper out towards Pacifica even more, urging the pair off. “Now, go on, get outta here, you crazy kids! Go out and make some memories!”

“Yeah, and have fun!” Steven called after the two as they exchanged a somewhat startled glance, though ultimately decided to head off together towards town all the same. Leaving a very satisfied and a somewhat confused Steven behind. “Huh… that’s… kinda weird,” the young Gem noted. “I wonder when Dipper and Pacifica became such good friends.”

“Friends?” Mabel scoffed. “Steven, please. Those two aren’t just friends. They’re absolutely, 100%, head over heels in love with each other!”

“Whaaaaat?!” Steven exclaimed, dumbfounded. “But… how can you tell?”

“Just look at them!” Mabel motioned towards the pair as they headed off down the forest trail. They lingered noticeably close beside each other as they casually conversed and caught up, sharing the occasional warm laugh along the way. “The rich, elegant heiress with a hidden heart of gold; the awkward, nerdy bookworm who’s looking for something more in his life. Its like something out of a fairy tale, a true, forbidden romance, just like Romeo and Juliet! Though hopefully with a lot less dying involved…”

“Eh, I don’t know, Mabel…” Steven frowned, crossing his arms. “I’m pretty sure Dipper and Pacifica are just friends.”

“Oh sure they are now,” Mabel said with a flippant wave of her hand. “But the sparks of something deeper are there, for sure. And if you don’t take it from me, then why don’t we just go see for ourselves.”

“What do you mean?” the young Gem asked, confused. 

“I mean,” Mabel put on a wry, daring smirk as she wrapped an arm around Steven’s shoulder and nodded off to the path Dipper and Pacifica had just taken. “You and me going undercover, Steven. For the sake... of LOVE!”

***

Neither Dipper nor Pacifica had any particular plans in mind as they ventured into town together to spend the afternoon. After all, Gravity Falls was a rather small town with not too much to offer in the way of man-made attractions, but even so, they decided to make do with what they had. Though as they first set out on the town, Pacifica did make it a point to make herself rather scarce, doing everything she could to conceal both herself and Dipper from anyone who so much as looked like they had a camera at the ready. It was a strange, sort of anxious behavior, one that Dipper quickly picked up on, especially as the heiress pulled them both into another alley for what seemed like the fifth time in the past hour. 

“Uh… Pacifica?” he asked as she peeked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear. “What are you doing?”

“Huh?” Pacifica turned back to him, startled before throwing on a forced, casual grin. “Oh, uh, n-nothing! Just, uh… hanging out in a dark alley, like all you middle class people do!”

“Uh, I hate to break it to you, Pacifica, but most middle class people don’t do that,” Dipper pointed out, somewhat amused until his smile faded somewhat. “You know, if you’re embarrassed to be hanging out with me, you can just admit it. At least then we won’t have to keep ducking in and out of alleyways every five minutes.”

“Embara--what? No!” the heiress quickly shook her head, flustered. “I’m not embarrassed by you. It’s just…” She hesitated, glancing away in anxious shame, almost as if she was afraid to tell him the truth. Though as she met his patient, expectant expression once more, she ultimately folded and decided to do just that. “I’ve never… ‘hung out’ with anyone before. Heck, I’ve never even had any real friends before, just fake ones that my parents hand picked for me, This sort of thing is all new to me and I’m just… scared, I guess, that I might mess it up. Or even worse, that my parents might find out and keep us from hanging out anymore. I mean, no offense, but… you’re not exactly their… favorite person…”

“Gee, I wonder why,” Dipper remarked with a bit of a sardonic grin, though his manner turned serious as he placed a consoling hand on Paifica’s shoulder. “But… if you really are worried about word getting back to your parents, then… I think I know somewhere we can go where nobody will be around to snitch on us.

For a moment, the most Pacifica could do was look to him, surprised and bewildered that he was willing to accommodate her so easily, all for the sake of making her feel more comfortable. But in the end, she smiled, warmly, almost daringly accepting the hand he was holding out to her to let him take her away to wherever he might lead. And that’s exactly what he did. 

Though just as the pair slipped out of the alley as discreetly as they could, the lid of the dumpster tucked away within it suddenly flipped open. And out of it, both Steven and Mabel popped up, their ‘undercover’ mission steadily underway. 

“Aha! See, Steven?” Mabel asked with an eager grin. “Just like I said, it’s forbidden love! And what’s better yet is they aren’t even about to let that stop them, they’re sneaking off to go hang out together alone anyway! Augh, it's so beautiful and so romantic I could cry! Speaking of which, you brought that box of tissues, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” Steven nodded, handing said tissues off to her. “But… I don’t know… I still think they’re hanging out just as friends, Mabel.”

“But Dipper took her hand, Steven!” Mabel protested. “He took her hand! That’s always how it starts, and then it builds and builds from there until they’re in smooch city! Believe me, I’ve read enough $5 romance novels from the grocery store to know all about these sorts of things.”

“Hm… well, you do seem like an expert when it comes to love,” Steven noted. “I mean, you’ve been in plenty of relationships yourself, right?”

“You bet I have!” Mabel grinned proudly. “Like the time I… uh, actually, let’s not count when I dated all those gnomes. Ew, or Gideon either… Mermando was nice, but… he was the one that got away… and ugh, and let’s not even bring up Gabe. And not to mention my massive crush on youuuuuuu-” She trailed off, her eyes wide  as she looked to Steven, realizing what she had practically just let slip until she found a rather sloppy way to recover from it. “Y-your sandals! T-they’re so… pink and cute a-and… I love them!”

“Um… thanks?” the young Gem raised a confused eyebrow at this, though thankfully, he didn’t seem to suspect anything else of it, much to Mabel’s immense relief. “So, you think maybe we should just let Dipper and Pacifica hang out without us spying on them from afar to see if they’re in love?”

“Are you kidding? Of course, I don’t!” Mabel exclaimed, more than ready to change the subject. “We’ve barely even scratched the surface when it comes to those two adorable lovebirds! Now come on!” She boldly pointed in the direction Dipper and Pacifica had went, ever curious to see just where their unplanned day might take them next. Or ideally, how that day might end up bringing them closer together. “We’ve got ourselves a romance to watch blossom!”

***

True to his word, Dipper wasted no time in leading Pacifica not only out of town, but away from prying eyes that might carry word of her rather rebellious activities back to her parents. Instead, he took her back towards the forest, heading out past the temple and the shack and out into the open woods before venturing off the beaten path entirely. Pacifica was rather hesitant as she watched him do so, unsure if she should follow after him as she stared into the light-speckled shadows deep within the vast labyrinth of trees ahead. 

“Uh… are you sure about this?” she asked, frowning at the untamed shrubbery he expected her to head after him into. 

“What?” Dipper asked with something of a challenging grin. “You wanted to make you weren’t caught hanging out with me, right? Well, nobody’s gonna catch us all the way out here, I can guarantee that.”

“Well, yeah, but…” Pacifica paused, frowning down at her outfit, one that was quite ill-suited for traversing the wilds of the woods. “It’s like, super gross and dirty out there…” She caught herself, however, upon looking back to Dipper, who could only really raise a critical eyebrow at such a shallow concern. “A-and isn’t it also sort of dangerous too?” the heiress recanted, coming up with a much better excuse. “What if we run into a bear or a rabid chipmunk or something? Why don’t you have that weird magic sword of yours, just in case?”

“First of all, the Sword of Seasons wasn’t magic, it was technology,” Dipper pointed out before his tone turned slightly embarrassed. “And uh… I sort of… dropped it into the lake on accident. It’s a long story, but don’t worry. We won’t need it anyway.”

“Oh yeah?” Pacifica crossed her arms. “And how do you know that?”

“Because,” Dipper pulled back a few branches leading into an obscured clearing deeper into the woods. “What we’re looking for is right here.”

“It’s… a mailbox?” Pacifica frowned, absolutely confused as she joined Dipper in walking towards it. Sure enough, it was a simple, unextraordinary mailbox, resting alone and rather mismatched against the forest that surrounded it. “Ok, I’m lost,” the heiress shook her head. “You really dragged me all the way out here to the middle of nowhere to look at a boring old mailbox. Is this really what people do when they hang out? Or is this just some weird nerd thing of yours?”

“Oh, this isn’t just any ordinary, boring old mailbox,” Dipper corrected with a knowing smirk. “Its magical. I… think. To be honest, I’m still not actually sure about how it works but trust me, its weird.”

“A magical mailbox?” Pacifica chuckled incredulously. “You know, Pines, I knew you were into some strange, kinda dumb stuff, but this is a little out there, even for you.”

“No, it really works!” Dipper protested insistently as he reached into his backpack to pull out a notebook and a pen. “Watch this.” 

The heiress did so, observing as he wrote a simple greeting of ‘hello’ onto a page before ripping it out of the book and slipping it inside the mailbox. For a moment, nothing really happened at all, that is until the mailbox’s flag suddenly flipped upward entirely on its own accord. “W-what?” Pacifica balked, taken aback by this, though Dipper simply offered her a coy grin as he opened the mailbox and pulled an entirely new slip of paper out of it.

“Out there, huh?” his smirk widened as he showed her the page, which unexplainably read ‘Hello, Dipper and Pacifica,” as plain as day.

“H-how did you do that?!” Pacifica demanded, taking the page and looking over it in disbelief. She was quick to turn back to the mailbox itself, peeking inside to see if there was any hidden chamber or compartment inside. “Is this some sort of weird prank or something?!”

“No, its not,” Dipper laughed, thoroughly amused. “Amethyst and Garnet told me about this mailbox that can answer basically any question, so me and Soos came out here to see if it actually existed a few weeks back. And it turns out, it’s totally the real deal. It knows pretty much everything”

“Hmph, I don’t buy it,” the heiress scoffed.

“Then why don’t you try it out for yourself,” Dipper offered his pen and paper to her, which she readily snatched to pose the mailbox a question. 

“Alright, ‘magic mailbox’,” she snarked as she scribbled her question down before tossing it into the box. “If you’re so ‘all-knowing’, then what did I have for breakfast this morning?”

The mailbox was quick to come up with a response, its flag tipping upward once more just before Pacifica quickly retrieved her answer and read it aloud. “Strawberry crepes suzette with quiche lorraine and imported no-pulp orange juice’?! How does it know that?!”

“Like I said, I have no idea,” Dipper shrugged. “You can ask it anything and it just knows somehow! Isn’t it cool?”

“...Anything, huh?” Pacifica mused thoughtfully, tapping the pen against the paper for a moment as she looked between the mailbox and Dipper. And then, she tipped the notebook up a bit, scribbling another quick question onto it and making sure to keep it out of Dipper’s sight all the while. 

“What are you writing?” he asked, intrigued as he tried to peer over the top of the notebook and see. 

“Nothing!” Pacifica lightly pushed him away, letting out a small, somewhat flustered laugh as she did. “I-I just wanna know something really dumb.”

“Oh yeah, like what?” 

“Like nothing,” she insisted, beating him to the mailbox as she shoved her question inside. Sure enough, it delivered another answer, one that only came in the form of a simple ‘yes’. The heiress was unable to hold back a small, delighted gasp as she read it, one that only made Dipper all the more curious to know what she had asked. 

“Come on, seriously, what did you ask?” he pressed with a wry smile as he began to follow her out of the clearing. 

“It doesn’t matter,” she grinned with a playful wave of her hand.

“Well you sure seem happy about it, so yeah, I think it kinda does.”

“Oh, mind your own business!” she shoved him once more, though this time, he lightly shoved her back, eliciting a shared, bright laugh from them both as they continued back into the woods from whence they came. 

As soon as they’d left, however, Steven and Mabel emerged from their own hiding spot beyond the other side of the clearing, both of them still intent on spying on the pair’s adventures from afar. “Playful pushing? Him showing her magicy stuff? Her getting all excited over a question she wouldn’t let him see?” Mabel listed, growing steadily more excited as she did. “It’s all too good to be true!”

“It is?” Steven asked. “How?”

“Don’t you see, Steven?” Mabel replied, stars practically brimming in her eyes as she hopped up and down on the balls of her feet. “Those are all classic slow burn romance tropes! The evidence just keeps stacking up. And I have a feeling that they’re nowhere close to finished yet!”

***

And sure enough, they weren’t. For as the next day arrived, Pacifica showed up at the Mystery Shack, this time on Dipper’s invitation for them to hang out once again. Just like the day prior, the pair set out into the forest rather than into town, and just as before, Steven and Mabel followed after them, watching from the shadows as they spent more time together. 

“And then we found the Gems’ lost memories about Great Uncle Ford and the portal, but that’s a whole other long story that leads into several more long stories,” Dipper recounted as he led the way through the forest and across a small stream. 

“Wait, let me see if I can get this all straight,” Pacifica interjected, holding her hands up. “So your great uncle actually has a twin brother who was trapped in another dimension for the past 30 years. And the whole time, your uncle was trying to bring that brother back using this huge portal that was secretly under the Mystery Shack the entire time but no one knew about it?”

“Yeah, pretty much,” Dipper nodded. 

“And the Gems factor into all this… how?”

“They sort of… don’t for a pretty long time. Like I said before, they lost their memories about all of this thanks to their leader, Rose, erasing them after they were possessed by…” Dipper trailed off, his expression darkening at the mere thought of the dream demon. “Y-you know what? N-never mind that right now.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Pacifica sighed, relieved. “I feel like my brain’s about to burst from everything you’ve been telling me. Your life is like some crazy movie or huge story written by a psychopath or something. Seriously, how do you deal with all these massive bombshell shake ups all the time?”

“Eh, you learn to just deal with them as they come,” Dipper shrugged, hopping up onto a nearby log to take a seat. Pacifica joined him, glad for the much needed break from their ongoing hike, though even so, she watched in curious confusion as Dipper pulled a snack out of his bag that she was entirely unfamiliar with. 

“What’s that?” she asked, intrigued by the oddly shaped sandwich. 

“Oh, it’s peanut butter and jelly,” Dipper grinned, offering half to her. “Mabel packed it for me before we left and for some reason she cut it into a heart shape and said it was ‘for luck’, whatever that means. Anyway, you can have some if you’re hungry.”

Pacifica didn’t immediately accept his offer, instead looking over the half-heart sandwich with a furrowed brow of confusion. “You said this is a… peanut--who and… what, exactly?”

“What, you’ve never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before?” Dipper asked with an incredulous chuckle before meeting the heiress’s dumbfounded expression once more. “Oh my gosh, you’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Is this some sort of… poor person snack?” Pacifica wondered, holding the sandwich up to get a better look at it. “N-not that being poor is a bad thing! It’s just… I-I’m not really allowed to anything that doesn’t cost over at least $100 per tiny gourmet plate portion, so… yeah…”

“Are you kidding?” Dipper asked in apt disbelief. “Your parents don’t even let you eat what you want?”

“Heh, welcome to the super ‘glamorous’ world of a Northwest,” the heiress laughed somewhat bitterly.

“Well, here’s your official welcome into the super average world of a Pines,” Dipper countered, placing his half of the sandwich into her open hand with a playful grin. “And unlike most of your high class gourmet meals, this one’s completely free.”

Pacifica tried her best to suppress the sudden blush that filled her cheeks as she accepted his offering, though all the same, she was still a bit hesitant to try the sandwich for herself. Until, of course, she ventured her first bite of the sandwich. “Mm! This is sooo good!” she exclaimed, her eyes alight with newfound discovery. She disregarded all the proper manners she had been taught in favor of voicing her overwhelming excitement over such a simple treat. “The bread’s so soft and it’s all so creamy, but then there’s like… little nuts in it too? I love that!”

“That’s the power of chunky peanut butter,” Dipper chuckled warmly, amused by the heiress’s elation as she scarfed down another bite. 

“And this fruity taste? What is that?”

“Strawberry jam. So technically, it’s more of a peanut butter and jam sandwich, but eh, same difference.”

“Whatever it is, it’s amazing!” Pacifica grinned as she finished off the other half. “And you just eat stuff like that all the time?!”

“Eh, maybe not all the time, but PB&J is a longtime favorite for me and Mabel for a reason,” Dipper said, still laughing, especially as he noticed the small smudge of jam marring the heiress’s face. “Oh, hey, you got a little something on your cheek there.”

“Huh?” Pacifica reached up, rubbing just shy of the jam that she missed it entirely. 

“Here, I got it,” Dipper slipped his vest off, not really having anything else but the corner of it to wipe the heiress’ face clean. He stopped short as soon as he did however, suddenly caught off guard by exactly what he was doing, and exactly how close their faces happened to be as he did. In the briefest, most breathless of moments, he caught sight of her eyes, wide and wondering as they practically sparkled in the low light coming in through the trees above. Eyes that were staring at nothing else in the world at that moment... other than him. “I-I… s-sorry,” he quickly recanted, backing off as he hastily threw his vest back on and slipped off the log to stand. “W-we should probably get going.”

“O-oh…” Pacifica frowned somewhat, slowly, almost sadly returning to reality as she did the same. “Yeah, you’re right… Um… thanks, by the way, for the… what was it called again? Sandy Witch?”

“Sandwich,” Dipper corrected with a smirk. “And you’re welcome. I’ll be sure to bring you another one when we hang out again tomorrow.”

“T-tomorrow…” Pacifica repeated, her former smile returning in full force upon hearing this. “Yeah, tomorrow. I can hardly wait…”

“Steven, please tell me you saw that!” Mabel whispered as she looked out of her hiding spot just behind the log the pair had been sitting on moments ago. “Because it was absolutely adorable!”

“Yeah, that was really cute,” Steven agreed with a warm grin. “Still, I can’t believe Pacifica’s never had a PB&J before… That’s like… one of the basic food groups alongside donuts and fry bits!”

“Who cares about that?” Mabel shook her head dismissively. “Did you see the way those two were looking at each other? It’s like they were hypnotized… by love!”

“Eh, I don’t know…” Steven noted with a frown. “I’m still not sure if that was really ‘love’ or not…”

“Oh, so you still need even more proof, huh?” Mabel challenged, her hands on her hips. ���Well, then don’t worry, Universe. If you need proof, then I’ll give ya proof!”

At this, she let out something of a wild, almost manic laugh, one that admittedly startled Steven as he anxiously tried to reign her back down from her obvious obsession. “O-or instead of that, maybe we could just--whoa!” The young Gem didn’t get a chance to finish as Mabel suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him along after her once more, all for the sake of secretly eavesdropping in on Dipper and Pacifica once more. “O-or I guess we could always just keep doing this, that’s fine too!”

***

The next several days flowed along in a similar, surprisingly sweet succession. In light of the lack of any old or new threats or foes to face, Dipper didn’t mind spending his now very open free time with Pacifica at all. If anything, their already unexpected friendship seemed to grow closer and closer with each passing day as they shared new discoveries, snacks, and even secrets on occasion. The woods of Gravity Falls were essentially a treasure trove of adventures just waiting to be had, though fortunately none of their trips into it led to any real danger or disaster. Though one constant that neither of them were ever aware of during their days together was the fact that just about everywhere they went, Steven and Mabel followed behind at a safe distance, always unseen but always keeping tabs on the pair to look out for any signs of budding love between them. And suffice to say that, at least as far as Mabel was concerned, by the time the week was through, they’d seen more than enough signs of just that. 

All the same, Dipper and Pacifica’s latest trip into the woods happened to fall under the cover of dusk, just as the sky filled in with the colors of twilight and the shadows of the trees gave way to darkness. Even so, the pair ventured into that darkness unfettered, their path only illuminated by a simple flashlight as Dipper led the way further into the forest, his hand intertwined with Pacifica’s all the while. 

“Alright, Pines, I’ve had enough of your ‘mysteries’ for one week,” Pacifica remarked wryly as she eagerly followed after his swift pace. “Where are we heading this time? Some sort of creepy cave or underground tunnel to find some secret monster or something?”

“Nah, nothing like that,” Dipper chuckled, pulling the first journal out of his vest. “Its something I found in here that I’ve never had a chance to see for myself before. And I have a feeling it’ll be right up your alley.”

“Oh really?” Pacifica smirked. “So you’re saying it’s some sort of magical creature that eats terrible, over-controlling, prestige-obsessed parents?”

“Heh, if only,” Dipper replied just as playfully as they finally emerged into a small clearing entirely covered by trees from above. This served to block just about all forms of dying daylight out, to the point that the entire clearing was practically engulfed in darkness when Dipper suddenly shut his flashlight off entirely. 

“D-Dipper!” Pacifica gasped, blindly reaching around until she grasped onto his shoulder tightly. “What are you doing?!”

“Don’t worry,” he assured, placing his hand over hers to steady her. “Just wait and watch…”

The heiress let out an uneasy breath as she decided to heed him, allowing the symphony of the evening to fill in for them. Crickets, cicadas, and birds alike all echoed around the darkened den of trees, frightening and fascinating Pacifica all at the same time, but amidst them, she held on tight to Dipper, almost as if he was the anchor keeping her from losing herself to it all. Until… 

A sudden speck of light illuminated somewhere in the darkened space before the pair, small and sparse but persistent all the same. Another tiny light soon joined it, followed by another, then another, until the petite glowing orbs were popping up all around them, creating a warm, ambient sort of radiance that soon filled the entire clearing, making it apparent exactly what these little lights really were. 

“Fireflies…?” Pacifica wondered, smiling softly as she cupped her hands under one of the glowing insects. 

“Not exactly…” Dipper noted knowingly, watching expectantly until the creature’s normal yellow light suddenly, starkly turned a bright, vibrant purple. 

“W-what?!” the heiress gasped, her hands flying away from the bug as she looked around to its kin, only to see similar shifts among them. The fireflies all seemed to slowly, gently change colors with each passing moment at random intervals, some glowing pink while others illuminated blue, as even more blinked orange and still more among them turned green. As they meandered about the clearing, they ultimately created a glittering rainbow of light, one that absolutely enchanted Pacifica as she simply stood there, trying to take it all in. 

“They’re… beautiful…” she whispered, afraid she might scare them off if she was too loud. “What are they?”

“Iridescects,” Dipper informed, nodding to their depiction in the journal before shutting it and putting it away altogether. “Or, color-changing fireflies. They only live here in Gravity Falls, and they only come out during the summer months. I’ve been meaning to come out here to see them for myself, but everything’s been so busy lately that I haven’t gotten the chance to until now.”

“So,” Pacifica began, her wondering smile still apparent as she stood close to him and gazed out at the iridescects. “Was it worth the wait?”

Dipper paused, taking a moment to glance over at the heiress beside him. And the moment he did, it felt as though the entire world slowed to a soft, almost dreamlike crawl. 

The iridescects still drifted through the clearing, colors changing as steadily as ever as they hovered across the otherwise shadowy trees behind them. And yet, despite their practically magical beauty, Dipper found himself captivated by beauty of an entirely different kind. If he was perfectly honest with himself, he’d always known Pacifica to carry an almost regal sort of elegance and grace, though as he looked to her now, those things seemed so much more natural, so much more vibrant, so much more free. The lights all around her reflected off of her skin to the point that it almost seemed to take on an otherworldly glow, her golden hair taking on a similar, constantly changing, but always appealing pallor. Yet what he noticed most, what amazed him the most, was her smile, her eyes, her soft, easy laughter as a small group of iridescects came to hover around her head, creating what looked like a sparkling, multicolored crown. A crown that somehow, in some impossible way, served to make her appear even more radiant than she already was on her own. 

And suddenly, there was that feeling again, striking at his heart and bearing in deep. The very same feeling he’d first felt inklings of that night at the party when they’d first danced, that feeling he’d felt again, stronger and more realized deep within the titan’s ore mines. The same feeling he’d felt brief, crisp moments of scattered across the week he’d just spent with her each time they sat close, each time they happened to touch hands, each time their eyes happened to meet in stolen glances carried by unspoken words, unknown thoughts, and that feeling. So warm, so curious, so real and raw and rich that this time, it refused to be ignored. It demanded to be known, to be realized, to be felt. And as he slowly started to allow himself to feel it, he couldn’t help but wonder, as he looked down to her empty hand beside him, just waiting to be held, if maybe, just maybe, that feeling might just end up taking him somewhere this time after all. 

And yet… 

Maybe, he wondered, he feared, it wouldn’t take him anywhere, just like it hadn’t once before. 

As the gravity of that fear pulled him back down to earth once again, he suddenly drew his hand away from hers before they could even skim one another. His awestruck expression fell into something much more solemn as he tore his glance away from her, almost as if so much as looking at her was like holding onto a promise that would never be guaranteed. “Y-yeah,” he finally answered her question halfheartedly. For even despite the blissfully warm array of colored lights all around them, he felt as though he was standing in a sea of cold, empty darkness instead. “I… I guess it was…”

***

“Ok, Steven, I think we can both agree,” Mabel began, pacing around in front of the chalkboard she’d positioned in the shack’s den. “That what we witnessed last night in the woods was pretty much THE most romantic thing ever! The color changing fireflies, the cool night air, and they way they kept smiling at each other? Augh, it was all so perfect!”

“Yeah, you know, I wasn’t really sold on the idea before, but… I think last night convinced me for sure,” Steven nodded with an excited grin. “Looks like Dipper and Pacifica really do like each other like that. So I guess that means we can be happy for them and move on with our lives now, right?”

“Wrong!” Mabel corrected succinctly. “You saw what happened last night, Steven! Dipper was this close to making a move that would have changed everything! He totally would have taken him and Pacifica out of the friend zone and into the love zone, but nooooo, he just had to back out at the last second, just like he always used to do with Wendy back when he was crushing on her too!”

“Oh yeah,” Steven nodded thoughtfully. “He almost took her hand and everything. Why do you think he didn’t?”

“Cause he’s an awkward dork who doesn’t know how to show people how he really feels!” Mabel huffed, frustrated over the fact that she knew her brother far too well. “But to be honest, I… kinda think Pacifica might be the same way. Which, I’ll admit, is gonna make this… a little tough.”

“Make what tough?”

Steven and Mabel both let out a startled gasp as they turned to find Dipper entering the room, curious to know what their ongoing conversation was about. Though that curiosity only grew as he spotted the chalkboard that Mabel had written D + P onto, surrounded by a bold, massive heart. “Uh… what’s going on in here?” he asked, confused.. 

“Um… good question…” Steven frowned, still somewhat lost in Mabel’s shuffle. 

“N-nothing!” Mabel insisted readily. “And certainly nothing that involves you and a certain rich girl you’ve been hanging out a lot with lately, though if there’s anything you wanna discuss on that front, bro-bro, we’d be more than happy to listen!”

“Uh… no, thanks,” Dipper raised an eyebrow, looking between the pair with growing suspicion. “Wait a minute…” he glanced past his sister, narrowing his eyes at the chalkboard and the heart drawn on it until he all too quickly realized exactly who the initials within it stood for. “Mabel, please tell me you’re not doing what I think you’re doing…”

“Me? Doing what?” Mabel feigned innocence. “Dear brother, I haven’t the faintest idea of what you’re talking about!”

“Ok then,” Dipper said flatly before turning to the young Gem. “Steven, what’s Mabel holding behind her back?”

“Oh, well, it looks like a list!” Steven informed, catching the title of said list before Mabel could hastily shove it into her sweater. “I think it said ‘Dipper and Pacifica matchmaking ideas’ or something like that?”

“Steven!” Mabel hissed, flustered, especially as she looked back to her brother’s disapproving expression. 

“Oh no, absolutely not, Mabel!” he quickly, adamantly exclaimed. “There is no way I’m letting you try to set me and Pacifica up. Like I’ve told you so many times before, we’re just friends!”

“Yeah, but don’t you wanna be more than friends with her?!” Mabel protested earnestly. “We’ve been secretly watching you guys all week, and we’ve seen that special spark between you guys! All you gotta do is stoke it a little, bro-bro, and it’ll turn into a full fledged, passionate romance for the ages before you know it! Right, Steven?”

“Uh… yeah,” the young Gem shrugged with an awkward smile. “Um, sorry for spying on you all week by the way, that was Mabel’s idea.”

“A great one, just like all my ideas are!”

“...Ok, first of all, never do that again,” Dipper began, hardly even surprised by his sister’s antics at this point. “Second of all, there is no spark! Pacifica and I have been hanging out a lot lately, yeah, but we don’t have feelings for each other and that’s that! So you can forget any of your little matchmaking schemes, Mabel, because they’d just be a big waste of time anyway.”

“That’s what you say, Dipper!” Mabel called after her brother as he turned to leave, thoroughly annoyed. “But just you wait and see! You and Pacifica will be smoochin’ it up before you know it! After all, the only thing stronger than the power of love is the power of MABEL!”

“Uh, I dunno, are you really sure about this, Mabel?” Steven asked just as soon as Dipper had left. “Even if Dipper and Pacifica do like each other, I don’t know if its such a good idea to try to force them to be together.”

“You’re right, Steven, its not.”

“Garnet!” Steven and Mabel both gasped, startled as the Gem leader spoke up from her previously unknown spot leaning against the front entryway. 

“How long have you been standing there?” the young Gem asked, startled, though not surprised, given just how often Garnet did this sort of thing. 

“Long enough,” the Gem leader noted as she stepped up to the kids. 

“Great! Then you’re in on the plan to get Dipper and Pacifica to be an official couple then?” Mabel asked with an eager smile. “This sort of thing is right up your alley, Garnet. After all, you are certified expert when it comes to all things love and romance!”

“Hm, thanks,” Garnet smirked, adjusting her shades, though her smile quickly fell into seriousness all the same. “But I can’t say I’m completely in on the plan.”

“Aw, why not?” Mabel frowned, disappointed. 

“Mabel,” Garnet began, kneeling down to the girl’s level. “I know you mean well in trying to help your brother find love. And… you’re not wrong. There definitely is something there between him and Pacifica. Believe me, I know. I’ve been watching them over the past week too.”

“You have?” Steven asked, bewildered. “Why?”

The Gem leader grinned once more at this. “Let’s just say I could see the sparks flying between those two from a mile away. Even back before either of them knew it.”

“Oh my goooosh!” Mabel gasped, excited beyond measure. “So if even your future vision saw them falling in love, then that means they must belong together! In that case, we gotta get ourselves on matchmaking patrol STAT! Break out the romantic candles and the sweeping violin music! Steven, call up a reservation at the nearest fancy restaurant as fast as you can. We’re workin’ overtime here people, this is a love emergency!”

“Hold on there, Mabel,” Garnet cautioned much more calmly, effectively stopping Mabel’s frenetic energy right in its tracks. “There’s a better way of doing this. Love isn’t something that can just be rushed out the door; it needs time to grow, and for the people who are feeling it to grow along with it. And if we really want to bring Dipper and Pacifica together, then that’s what we have to do: help them grow together.”

“So… how do we do that?” Steven asked, curious.

The Gem leader smirked. “I have a few ideas in mind…”

“Then let’s try them!” Mabel readily lept on board. “All of them! No matter how big or crazy they might be or how many illegal fireworks might be involved in any number of them!”

“There’s no illegal fireworks involved in any of them,” Garnet informed evenly. 

“Oh, wait, that’s one of my ideas, sorry,” Mabel chuckled. “Still, this is a pretty big deal. I have a feeling we’re gonna need some extra help to make sure it all works out…”

“Help with what, dude?” Soos asked as him and Wendy entered the den for their break. 

“Oh, you know,” Mabel said with a casual grin. “Only making sure Dipper ends up with the one true love of his life!”

“Whoa, really?” Wendy asked, both her and Soos equally intrigued upon hearing this. “Well, good for him. I knew the kid would bounce back eventually. So who’s the lucky lady?”

“Pacifica Northwest,” Steven said, somewhat obliviously. 

“Whaaaaa?!” both coworkers exclaimed, exchanging a baffled glance at this. 

“No way!” Soos shook his head, amazed. “I thought Pacifica like, hated all of you guys.”

“She did, until Dipper worked his way into her heart and melted it entirely!” Mabel gushed dramatically. “Seriously, they’re so cute together, and they’d be even cuter if they would just admit how they really feel about each other! So what do you guys say? Are you in?”

“Oh yeah, of course!” Soos readily agreed. “Anything for Dipper, dude.”

“Yeah, what the heck, why not?” Wendy shrugged with a smooth grin. “This whole thing honestly sounds super wholesome and sweet, and besides, it’ll be a good excuse to get us out of work for the rest of the day.”

“Hey, hey!” Stan snapped, suddenly poking his head out from the gift shop upon overhearing this remark. “What have I told you kids before? There is never any good excuse to get out of work.”

“Oh, Grunkle Stan!” Mabel greeted the conman with a bright wave. “You’re just in time to help us get Dipper a girlfriend!”

The moment he heard this, Stan was unable to hold back a heavy burst of laughter, slapping his knee as he leaned up against the doorframe. “Ha! Especially not that!” he chortled, essentially beside himself with amusement as he looked to the group in the den incredulously. “That’s a good one! I mean, we all know the words ‘Dipper’, ‘getting’, and ‘girlfriend’ don’t even belong in the same sentence together! Seriously, Mabel, you’re splittin’ my sides here!”

“I wouldn’t speak so soon if I were you, Stan,” Garnet spoke up knowingly. “The chances of Dipper and Pacifica ending up together are much higher than you might think.”

“Pfft, oh what, did you see that with your fancy future powers--wait,” the conman stopped short as he considered exactly what the Gem leader had said. “Did… you just say Pacifica? As in that bratty, spoiled rotten Northwest girl?”

“Uh huh,” Steven nodded. “Her and Dipper have been hanging out a whole lot lately.”

“Cause they’re in looooove,” Mabel added with zealous smile. 

Stan, however, completely ignored them, his eyes growing wide with dawning realization. “As in the same Northwests who are so stupidly wealthy that they have way more money than they even know what to do with? Those Northwests?” 

“Oh boy,” Wendy smirked, crossing her arms. “I can already tell where this is about to go.”

“Well, then why didn’t you mention that from the get-go?!” Stan exclaimed with newfound excitement. “If Dipper really does get with that Northwest girl and they end up getting married someday, then we’ll all be RICH!”

“Does that mean you’re gonna help us out too, Mr. Pines?” Soos asked. 

“Are you kidding? Of course I am!” the conman said as though it was obvious. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to make absurd amounts of money without even doing anything and I’m not about to let any of you kids mess it up, and I’m especially not about to let Dipper mess it up!”

“Actually, Dipper’s not the one you’ll have to worry about on that front,” Garnet noted, though once again, Stan largely paid her no mind as caught up in his own flights of fantasy over the matter. 

“So what are we sitting around here waiting for?” the conman asked, dollar signs practically in his eyes. “Let’s get those kids hitched so I can finally buy my own private island in the Carribean, just like I’ve always dreamed of!”

“Uh, m-maybe we should just settle for getting them together for now?” Steven suggested much more rationally. 

“Eh, that works too,” Stan shrugged as everyone came in close to begin properly planning. “Just as long as I walk outta the wedding with the deed to my new personal island when it’s all said and done.”

***

Despite the many hands involved, the first stages of planning out a starting scheme went surprisingly smoothly. And in the end, the entire group walked out of their meeting with something that they all hoped and believed had a solid chance at working; the only thing they had to do was to make it all happen. 

Securing a venue for the affair was easy enough of a task; the temple house had just enough room and would do the job nicely, especially after Steven, Mabel, Soos, and Wendy spent the better half of an afternoon stringing up lights and setting up tables. In the process, they managed to recruit Connie, Pearl, and Amethyst into their plans as well, with the former all set up to provide a romantic violin accompaniment while the latter pair would handle the food. Strangely though, neither Garnet nor Stan really participated in the preparations, save for dropping in to carry out a table here, take a few plates and utensils there, even cart off one of the flower arrangements for some unknown reason that neither of them would never explain, no matter how many times they were asked. Even so, the others managed to pull their plans together in record time, with everything and everyone set up perfectly in place just as evening began to fall. All that was left was to bring the hopefully soon-to-be couple into the mix and let nature take its course. 

While, of course, not letting either of them in on that plan at all. 

“Ok, seriously, you guys, what is going on?!” Dipper asked with a frustrated huff as Steven and Mabel shoved him out the Mystery Shack’s front door. Out of nowhere, the pair had pounced on him, forcing him into a clean-cut dress shirt and freshly-pressed pair of pants before they essentially held him down to run a comb through his hair. By the end of it all, even he had to admit he was dressed to impress, though for what reason, he hadn’t the faintest idea. 

“Oh, you’ll see…” Mabel said with a leading grin, more or less dragging her brother up towards the temple. 

“That’s what you guys have been saying for the past two hours now!” Dipper protested, thoroughly aggravated. “And it’s not good enough anymore! I need some answers now! Why are you guys acting so weird? And why did you force me to get all dressed up like this?”

“Aw, sorry, Dipper!” Steven said much more apologetically. “We’d tell you, but that’d ruin the surprise!”

“What surprise?” Dipper asked, still quite disgruntled as they all stepped up onto the temple’s porch. 

“This one!” Steven and Mabel chimed in cheery unison as they threw the door open to reveal the equally bewildered heiress standing just on the other side of it. 

Surprised, Pacifica spun around, showing off the simple, yet classy teal tea tress she was wearing. Her golden hair carried a slight wave to it, her face peppered with just a little bit more makeup than usual, creating an elegant, natural, appealing look. All the same, her eyes widened as she caught sight of Dipper, looking his own formal attire over for a moment before she ultimately broke into a small, impressed smile. “Hey.”

“H-hey,” he returned her greeting much more tightly, trying his best not to show just how mesmerized he actually was by how lovely she looked. 

“Its working!” Mabel whispered to Steven, unable to hide the huge grin on her face. “It’s working!”

“Its starting to,” Steven agreed, chuckling before speaking up to the entranced pair with a formal bow. “Sir, madam, your table awaits.”

“Wait, what?” Pacifica blinked back into reality, confused. “Table?”

“Whoa, whoa, hold on,” Dipper cut in, sending Steven and Mabel a suspicious glare. “This better not be-”

“A date! Yep, you got it!” Mabel exclaimed, pressing past the pair into the shack. 

“A-a date?!” Pacifica flinched, startled as her cheeks flushing bright red as she looked to Dipper, battled and distressed. 

“Pacifica, I swear I had no idea they were planning this!” he quickly assured, scowling at the pair. “Though in retrospect I guess I should have seen this coming considering how you guys always take these sort of things way too far…”

“What was that?” Mabel asked with a growing smirk as she stood before the curtain obscuring the rest of the house. “I couldn’t hear you over that romantic violin music.” She paused, her smile fading as she realized no such music was wafting through the building. “I said… that romantic violin music!”

“Oh! Sorry!” Connie called from the other side of the curtain. At this prompting, she began to play an elegant solo piece, one that Steven and Mabel used as their cue to pull the curtain back to finally reveal their master plan. 

“Prepare yourselves… for a night of romance!” Mabel proclaimed, throwing a dramatic hand out to the setup behind her. In just a few hours alone, the rag-tag team had turned the house into a makeshift restaurant, complete with Christmas lights and candles in an attempt at creating a sense of atmosphere and ambiance, though in reality it ended up coming across as somewhat cheap, perhaps even a bit cheesy. A handful of small tables had been set up, complete with lacy tablecloths and fine plastic dining ware, and at each of those tables sat a different, romantically-involved couple, each of which had been invited for the sole purpose of filling the restaurant up. 

The couple that was clearly enjoying themselves the most was Soos and Melody, the latter of whom just so happened to be visiting town at just the right time to make this impromptu date possible. They sat leaning in close, warmly conversing all the while as they absently munched on their breadstick appetizers before they happened to grab the same exact one, opting to eat it together until it led up to a brief, but very welcome kiss. Sitting at the table across from them was Robbie and Tambry, neither of whom were very invested in their date as much as they were sending each other flirtatious text messages, occasionally reacting to said messages with a coy grin across the table. Surprisingly, Lars and Sadie were also present, though quite begrudgingly so, given how flustered they were as they realized just how romantic the atmosphere around them actually was, something they were clearly uninformed of in advance. And still several other couples sat somewhat boredly as Wendy casually waited on their tables and Connie kept her gentle violin accompaniment going all the while. Even as a very audible argument began to break out between the pair of “chefs” in the very open kitchen nearby. 

“Amethyst, for the last time, nachos are not considered fine dining!” Pearl huffed, clearly irritated. 

“Oh yeah, and how would you know, P?” Amethyst retorted, still trying to prepare the simple snack food despite the white Gem’s protests. “You don’t even eat.”

“Maybe not, but I do know refined elegance when I see it and nachos certainly are not that!”

“Huh, and things were going so smoothly in here too…” Steven noted with a concerned frown that he was quick to chase away with a forced smile as he turned back to Dipper and Pacifica. “N-not that there’s a problem, because there isn’t!”

“Uh, yeah, there is,” Dipper replied flatly. 

“Oh, and what might that problem be, dear brother?” Mabel asked, trying to maintain an air of class despite how classless the scene behind her was. 

“Well for starters, you invited half the town to… whatever this is,” Dipper huffed, waving a hand out at the restaurant. “And second of all, you guys just threw all this together without even asking either me or Pacifica! I mean, did it ever occur to you that maybe we didn’t want you guys setting us up on some big, embarrassing date? B-because we don’t. We definitely don’t…” He essentially had to hold back a disappointed sigh as he said this, and likewise, he didn’t even bother to glance back at Pacifica behind him. Though if he would have, he’d have gotten a glance at an expression that was every bit as crestfallen and fretful as his own. “Right?” 

“Um, y-yeah…” the heiress forced herself to say, frowning as she wrapped her arms around herself and looked to the floor. “Right…”

“More like right idea, wrong execution.” 

The kids were all quite surprised by this interruption as Garnet suddenly stepped into the house, a confident grin on her face as she looked down to the hesitant pair in front of her. “Dipper, Pacifica, your other table awaits,” she stepped aside, holding the door open to the night air outside. 

“Other table?” Steven and Mabel whispered to each other, completely bewildered by this turn of events. 

Likewise, Dipper and Pacifica exchanged a wondering glance, but even so, they decided to at the very least follow the Gem leader’s lead, curious to know where it might take them. At the same time, Garnet silently beckoned Steven and Mabel, as well as Connie to pick up shop and follow after her, which they all did, even despite their palpable confusion. 

“Hey, wait, where you guys goin’?” Amethyst called as she noticed the group heading out the door. “What are we supposed to do with all these nachos?!”

“Not serve them to our guests, obviously,” Pearl scowled, snatching a plate away from the purple Gem before she hastily grabbed it right back. 

“Ah well,” she shrugged with a smirk before scarfing down the entire plate whole in full view of their very confused patrons. “More for me!”

***

As initially out of the loop as Dipper and Pacifica themselves were, now it was Mabel and Steven’s turn, for as the two of them and Connie treaded after Garnet and the couple from a distance, they couldn’t help but wonder exactly what shakeup to their well thought out plans the Gem leader had in mind. Which was exactly what Steven ventured to ask her as she continued to lead the group out past the shack and into the forest instead. 

“Um, Garnet?” he asked in a whisper as him, Mabel, and Connie caught up to the Gem leader. “Where are we going?”

“That’s a surprise,” Garnet said, a finger to her lips as she vaguely nodded back at the pair behind her. 

“Uh, n-not to sound like Nervous Nelly here, but this... wasn’t part of the plan,” Mabel frowned anxiously. 

“It was,” the Gem leader countered. “It’s just a bit of a different spin on the plan. I figured those two would appreciate just a little more privacy. And I wasn’t the only one to think so either.”

“Yeah, that’s right, which means you three oughta give them that privacy!” Steven, Mabel, and Connie all gasped in surprise as Stan of all people suddenly pulled all three of them aside, away from the setup that Garnet was taking the pair still following her to. 

“Grunkle Stan?” Mabel asked, bewildered. “What are you doing out here?”

“Like I said before, I ain’t about to let anyone mess this whole shebang up,” the conman said bluntly. “And that includes you kids. So sit back and watch some real romance happen. Or at least romance according to Shades over there, though since she’s pretty much in constant honeymoon mode, I’d say they’re in pretty good hands.”

“Boy, I’ll say,” Connie agreed, glancing forward and prompting Steven and Mabel to do the same. “Look!”

Garnet had finally stopped, Dipper and Pacifica pausing behind her as they looked around the dark, yet very open clearing they were now standing in with a shared sense of confusion. That is, until the Gem leader swept her hands out, somehow filling the entire area with a soft sort of gentle, multi-colored light, all of which radiated from the handful of iridescects filling the jars and lanterns strung across the clearing. Under that light sat a single table, set only for two, and every bit as warm and inviting as the rest of the serene, intimate setting very much was. 

“I’ll leave you two to it,” Garnet concluded with a simple smile as she turned to the pair, pulling down her shades a bit to reveal her trio of eyes, the topmost of which offered them a brief, knowing wink. “Enjoy.”

And with that, the Gem leader stepped aside, joining Stan and the kids back in the shadows of the surrounding trees. As she did, Dipper and Pacifica looked to each other once more, both of them equally perplexed as they tried to make sense of exactly what both of them had been unwittingly dragged into. 

“W-well, I gotta admit,” Pacifica began diffidently. “This… wasn’t what I was expecting when Mabel texted me earlier and told me to dress up nice and come all the way out here without even explaining why.”

“Ugh, Pacifica, I’m so sorry about all of this,” Dipper sighed tiredly. “I don’t know what those two were thinking with all this. Well, actually… I know exactly what Mabel was thinking, b-but that doesn’t matter. A-anyway, if you wanna call it a night and go home, I wouldn’t blame you. I mean, this is probably way more awkward than you ever could have bargained for…”

“N-no, its not!” Pacifica suddenly exclaimed, far more intently than she had meant to. She recanted somewhat, flustered, though she still managed a small, genuine smile all the same. “I-I mean… it’s actually really… sweet that your sister and your friends would throw all this together for us. E-even if it is sort of… out of the blue. Still, y-you… wouldn’t want all their hard work to just go to waste, would you?”

Briefly, Dipper paused, looking between heiress and the table before them, both of which were practically aglow in the low light surrounding them. And despite his staunch rejection of this so-called ‘date’ before, he found himself hard pressed to turn the offer down when Pacifica herself was the one presenting it to him. “N-no, I guess not,” he shrugged just as apprehensively, following after her as she moved to take a seat. 

Things were still somewhat stilted as they did so, however, the noises of nighttime filling in for any sort of actual conversation. That is, until they happened to lift the covers off their plates to reveal the deceptively simple, but surprisingly meaningful meal underneath. 

“Oh! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches!” Pacifica laughed brightly, absolutely charmed the once again heart-shaped snack. “How’d they know?”

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know the answer to that,” Dipper remarked, chuckling himself. “Honestly, I still can’t believe how much you liked PB&J the first time you tried it. It was pretty funny to see you get so excited over something as simple as a sandwich.”

“Ugh, no, it wasn’t,” the heiress smirked, blushing. “It was embarrassing. Even if that sandwich was totally delicious.”

The pair shared another laugh over this, one that was filled with warm that didn’t slip away, even after it was over. “You know…” Pacifica began with a soft, easy smile. “Even though we can both agree that this isn’t a… ‘date’, it’s still really nice to just be here… together…”

“Y-yeah…” Dipper agreed with a grin that was every bit as genuine as the heiress’ own. “It is…”

As the pair continued their casual conversation, they had largely forgotten about the group spectating over them from the sidelines. While both Garnet and Stan had taken a much more discreet, wiser approach to watching in the woods, Steven, Mabel, and Connie had all scaled a nearby tree to get a better vantage point. They had perched themselves on an obscured branch, just out of the pair’s view, but still giving them a perfect spot to see and hear everything that was going on between them. And suffice to say, they were quite happy with what they were seeing. 

“Oh my gosh, Garnet was right, this was way better than our old plan!” Mabel gasped, delighted as the pair leaned in a bit from their respective ends on the table, laughing softly all the while. For a moment, it seemed as though their hands were about to overlap, though just before they could, they both ended up drawing back, noticeably flustered as their conversation carried on all the same. “But… they’re still holding back…” Mabel frowned upon seeing this. “Ugh! I can’t deal with all this ‘will they/won’t they’ tension! I need those two to finally get to Smooch City already!”

“Hm…” Steven mused, staring down at the pair. “There’s gotta be something we can do. What did Garnet say again? We have to help them grow together?” The young Gem paused, looking around the dimly lit clearing for anything that could give him an idea. And sure enough, he found that idea in the form of the violin still resting in Connie’s arms. “That’s it! Connie, can you play us a song? Something slow and easy, but emotional and passionate? Like a love song!”

“Well,” Connie grinned, positioning her bow to play. “Let’s see what I can come up with…” After a few practice notes, she was quick to find her footing in a smooth, natural, calmly-tempoed tune, one that soon filled the entire clearing with its gentle, pleasing sound. 

“Yes, that’s perfect!” Steven whispered, stars in his eyes. “Now, if only I had my-”

“I’ve got you covered,” Garnet said as she handed the young Gem’s ukelele up to him. 

“Thanks!” he smiled back down at her, quickly tuning his own instrument before finding the perfect place to jump into Connie’s melody to create a sweet, soothing duet. One that wasn’t lost on the pair listening to it from down below. 

“Yeesh,” Dipper shook his head, facepalming. “They just don’t know when to quit with this stuff, do they? Remind me to get new friends and a new sister when all this is over.” Pacifica couldn’t hold back a small snort of a laugh at this remark, one that admittedly caught Dipper off guard from the very second he heard it. “Whoa, since when do you snort when you laugh?”

“Augh! Sorry!” the heiress flushed, covering her face in embarrassment. “It’s something my parents have tried to break me out of doing ever since I was little. They say its ‘not ladylike’, but sometimes I-I guess sometimes the snort just can’t help but slip through the cracks.”

“Well, I’m glad it does,” Dipper remarked, not even realizing just how red his own face was as he forced himself to maintain eye contact with her, largely speaking without thinking at this point. “Cause to be honest, i-its really… well, cute.”

By this point, Pacifica’s smile was so wide and so elated that she couldn’t help but let the bright, cherished feelings sparking within her brim over, urging her to be bold, urging her to take a chance, urging her to cross the line. Which she did in the form of something quite simple really; by doing nothing more than slowly, carefully resting her hand on top of Dipper’s own. “Say, Dipper…” she began thoughtfully, perhaps even a bit leadingly as she met his awestruck expression evenly. “You remember the night of the party, right? After the ghost was gone and we just went out there danced like a bunch of total dorks for hours and hours until we couldn’t anymore?” 

“Heh, how could I forget?” he answered, finally tearing his gaze away from their hands and toward her imploring smile instead. 

“Do you maybe wanna… I dunno… give that another go?” she offered, her tone soft and hopeful as the musical melody continued sweeping through the air, practically inviting them to move along to it. “W-we don’t have to, of course, I just thought… W-well, it might be-”

“‘Fun, or something’?” he countered, repeating the very words she had used the last time she’d asked him to dance. “Y-yeah, I think it would too, though… I, uh… don’t really know how to dance to something like, um… well, this.” He paused, allowing the almost waltz-like tune to fill in once again. 

“Oh, it’s easy,” Pacifica assured as they stood and stepped up to each other. “All you have to do is just put this hand here, and this other hand here…” she trailed off, steadying herself as she rested one of his hands against her back before she took his other one. As apprehensive as he clearly was, his touch was light and more than welcome, especially as she met his anxious, yet adapting expression with a soft, good-natured smile of her own. “And then… you just go.”

And with that, their dance began, Pacifica leading it given her greater experience with this sort of skill. It began slow and easy, though still in time with the music as they spun in calm, cool circles near their table, their eyes never drifting away from each other all the while. And as that melody carried them on across the clearing, Steven decided to put words to it as he strummed along, creating a fitting love song for the pair that was clearly starting to fall into exactly that. 

“How could it be? Now do you see? Its starting all at once…”

Prompted on by these gentle lyrics, they spun out wider, greater, with Pacifica gradually letting Dipper take the lead as he grew more and more comfortable with each and every step. True, he was still new to this, but she trusted him, she always had, from that very moment he’d helped her realize she could be so much kinder, so much stronger, so much happier than she’d ever thought possible. Happiness that she always, always felt in full form whenever he was by her side.

“You take a leap, then fall in deep. Slow at first, then all at once…”

Perhaps it was the night air or the colorful lights or the dreamlike music urging them onward, but urged by whatever it was, Dipper accepted the lead Pacifica was giving him, using it to spin her out swiftly yet carefully. When he pulled her back in, it was as though her eyes were sparkling as she looked to him, unquestionable elation and excitement filling them to the point that both were instantly infectious. For a brief moment, he could hardly believe that this moment was real, that they were here, together, like this. Certainly it had to be some sort of dream or fantasy and yet as he looked to her again, felt her hand intertwined with his own, he knew that this perhaps the realest thing in the entire world, the realest feeling he’d ever experienced in his entire life. 

“Doubts disappear, there’s no more fear. And it happens all at once…”

Gradually yet naturally, their pace began to slow, their twirls becoming more lofty as the music did the same. Their hearts were both admittedly racing, both from their ongoing dance and from nerves, fear, and exhilaration all at the same time. But there was no question they treasured all of those feelings. They wanted to cling onto that moment, as blissful and sweet as it was. They wanted it, and everything it represented, to last for as long as it was able, even as the song soon came to its peaceful, promising end. 

“Now that you know, your hearts can grow…. Together, all at once…”

Even as the lyrics reached their gentle conclusion, Connie and Steven continued playing their song, albeit a bit softer as the couple opted to ultimately slow dance to it down below. For awhile, neither Dipper nor Pacifica said anything as they continued, their hands still pressed together and their eyes tightly locked on nothing other than each other all the while. When this lingering silence finally was broken, however, Dipper was the one to do it, even if his voice was barely over a whisper when he did. 

“A-are you ok?” he asked softly, intently. 

“Y-yeah…” she nodded, just as subdued as he was. “I… I’m just a little dizzy.”

“Oh. S-should we stop?”

“No…” “Never,” she wanted to say, but she didn’t. And yet, despite this, they still stopped all the same, still holding onto each other loosely as they stared at each other, entranced and enchanted and unsure of what might happen next. That is, until, acting not on reason or logic or any sort of thought at all, slowly but surely they both began to lean in, their faces steadily drawing closer together, much to the delight of the trio watching them from the trees.

“YES!” Mabel shouted in a bright, elated whisper as she pulled out her camera to capture the moment as it happened. “This is it! Smooch City here they come!”

“I’m so happy for them!” Steven grinned joyously as tears started welling up in his eyes. “Oh man, I wish I’d brought a box of-” The young Gem stopped short as Garnet handed him off a box of tissues from down below right on time for his tears to begin to fall. “Thanks again!”

“Guys, shh!” Connie cautioned with a small, amused chuckle. “You’ll ruin their moment!”

Steven and Mabel were quick to pipe down at this, opting to instead watch in anticipation as Dipper and Pacifica only continued to move in closer and closer. For what felt like ages, nothing else seemed to matter, not the several sets of eyes they knew were on them, or the radiant colored lights all around. As if on instinct, their eyes both slipped shut, both of them breathless as they braved themselves to bound across the line and let their hearts lead the way. 

Until, at the very last minute, when one of them realized exactly what was happening. And as soon as they did, they were all too quick to fearfully pull away. 

Once Pacifica noticed her eager lips had been kept waiting, she hesitantly opened her eyes, only to see something that made her heart immediately plummet. For some reason, Dipper had pulled away, relinquishing his hold on her entirely as he took a small step back. His expression was rife with dread and guilt as he all but refused to make eye contact with her and instead gazed downward fretfully. 

“D-Dipper?” Pacifica dared to venture, newfound hurt filling into her own expression as she reached an almost trembling hand out toward him. 

“I-I... “ he hesitated, finally looking up at her before shaking his head. “I-I can’t do this… I’m sorry…”

The heiress flinched, awestruck as she watched him turn to leave her behind without even explaining why at all. All of the previous warmth that had once spread throughout her was now filled in with a bitter chill, one that carried into her tone as she worked up the courage to fiercely call him out. “S-so that’s it then?” she asked in disbelief. “Y-you’re just gonna walk away like its nothing? I thought… I thought you… t-that we were…” She took in a sharp breath, forcing every ounce of willpower she had to keep herself from breaking down entirely. “I-I guess it doesn’t matter what I thought, does it? Because clearly, you weren’t thinking the same thing.”

Dipper let out a long, remorseful sigh at this, briefly glancing over his shoulder at her to meet her bitter gaze. “Pacifica, that’s not-”

“Oh, what? That’s not it?” Pacifica filled in, obviously frustrated. “Then what is it, Dipper? Is… is it me?”

“W-what?” Dipper turned fully at this, seemingly distressed. 

“Look, I get it, ok?” the heiress continued, choking back a small, harsh sob. “I treated you and your sister and your friends terribly. I was awful to everyone and, a-a lot of the time, I feel like I still am except for when I’m with you. Y-you made me want to try to be someone better, to be somebody who’s actually worth all the effort but… b-but… I guess that’s not good enough, is it?” She let out a small, pained laugh at this, her tears finally falling as she shook her head. “I should have known; after all, nothing I ever do is ever good enough for anyone, right?”

She was more than ready to resign herself to such a grim thought, a thought that she had always been taught her entire life and had only recently begun to believe could be false. But all too quickly she was being reminded of just how miserably true it really was, just how hopeless and powerless she to make that change she desperately wanted. 

Until, of course, he came along and, in a single moment, pulled her right out of the darkness of that despair and back into the light, just as he had before. Only this time, it was in the very last way she could have ever expected:

With a kiss. 

She barely had time to react, to think as she felt it, his lips pressed against hers in perhaps the most surprising moment of her entire life. Admittedly, it was quite surprising for him too, especially as he realized exactly what his feeling had so recklessly, thoughtlessly pushed him into doing. And yet it was too late to take it back now, for they there were, standing there, kissing of all things, both of them feeling absolutely ridiculous… and absolutely wonderful all at the same time. 

“YESSSSSSS!” Mabel cheered as quietly as she could as she snapped a picture from the trees. “I got it! This baby is getting an entire scrapbook page all to itself!”

“I-I’m so glad you brought these tissues along, Garnet,” Steven sniffled as he glanced down at the Gem leader. “C-cause I’m really needing them now!”

“You’re not the only one,” Garnet grinned, thumbing away a stray proud tear of her own. 

“Huh,” Stan remarked, absolutely dumbfounded as he watched the scene unfold. “Who could’ve guessed the kid actually had it in him? Either way, I’ll be rollin’ in dough in no time!”

These collective, excited reactions were all but lost on Dipper and Pacifica themselves as they slowly drew away, their faces still close as they tried their best to catch their breath and regain their bearings. After all, everything had just changed in an instant; and yet neither of them could deny that it was an instant in which they could go back to and live in forever, for all it was worth. 

“O-Ok…” Pacifica spoke up first, uncertain. “Now I’m really confused. A-are you like… trying to play some sort of mind game with me?” 

“N-no!” Dipper quickly, anxiously replied, gripping her hand and holding onto it tightly. “I’m not, I-I’m sorry, I just… I-It's not you, please, don’t think it’s you. I love how much you’ve been trying to change and it is good enough and it’s always been good enough and I… I’m just rambling at this point, aren’t I?”

“Um… yeah, sort of?” the heiress raised an eyebrow. “What exactly are you trying to say here?”

“I-I don’t know!” he admitted earnestly, absolutely overwhelmed by all of the thoughts in his head conflicting with the feelings in his heart. “I’m just so bad at these sort of things, I always have been, e-even… even the last time I felt this way about someone…”

“L-last time?” she asked, concerned. “Wait… you mean that crush you used to have on that Wendy girl?”

“W-wha--how did you know about that?!”

“Mabel told me,” she said with an understanding smile. “I didn’t really know why she did… until now, I guess.”

“Ugh, like I said earlier, remind me to get a new sister…” Dipper grumbled, letting out a long groan as he allowed himself to flop down to sit in the grass, defeated. Pacifica hesitated a moment, but ultimately joined him, sitting close, though not too close, as she waited for a long enough beat of silence to pass before speaking up. 

“Uh… so if you don’t mind me asking, what happened with… that whole situation?” she asked, curious. 

“It was dumb,” Dipper shook his head dejectedly. “I was dumb. She’s way older than me and I knew that, but I just had to go and fall in love with her even though some part of me always knew it was never gonna work out. So I spent so long being all anxious and scared and coming up with all these crazy plans to get her to impress her when it all just ended up being a huge waste of time in the end anyway. But then, after it did fall apart, I started to wonder if I was ever really in love with her at all? Like… maybe I just thought I was all this time? I don’t know…” he sighed, closing his eyes thoughtfully. “I know this sort of stuff is all a part of growing up, but that doesn’t keep it from being less confusing…”

“W-well, at least we have that in common,” Pacifica grinned slightly. “After all, I’m all new to this stuff too…”

“Wait… you are?” Dipper looked to her, amazed. “Aren’t you like, the most popular girl in town? I would have thought you’d have had a thousand boyfriends by now.”

“Heh, never any real ones,” the heiress chuckled. “More like stuffy suitors my parents forced me to hang out with to make their business partners or the press happy. But I never actually cared about any of those guys… until… until you.”

“Pacifica…” Dipper said quietly, unsure of what to follow it up with, though thankfully he didn’t have to as she continued for him. 

“I… think I finally get it… why you held back at first,” she explained, slowly taking his hand once more. “It’s… hard wondering if you’ll ever really be good enough, working so hard to try to be the best you can for something that you’re not even sure is gonna work out in the end. It’s like a weight… one that’s so heavy you sometimes wonder how you can even carry it all without being crushed completely. So in a way… I guess we both have our own weights we need to carry, huh?”

He hesitated, though only for a moment. And in that moment, he realized that while his supposedly infatuated interactions with Wendy had always felt awkward and stilted, with Pacifica, it was like always seemed to know exactly what to say and do. A fact that, once again, proved to be completely true as he gave her the kind, easy smile he knew she deserved. “Well,” he began, prompted on by courage he didn’t know he had. Courage that was fueled by affection that he was now absolutely, finally certain of as he offered her hand a steady, supportive squeeze. “Maybe we can carry those weights together. That is… if you want to…”

Tears were welling up in the heiress’ eyes, though this time, they were filled with unquestionable joy as she nodded warmly. “Of course…” she whispered blissfully, somewhat playfully as she began to lean in closer to him. “But only if we take things slow…”

“Like I said, I’ve never done this before,” he laughed, overwhelmed once more, though by feelings of an entirely different, much better kind. “So slow is the only way I really know how to go.”

“Same here… and that’s perfectly fine with me,” she agreed, her eyes closing along with his as they drew in, this time entirely on purpose. 

And on that purpose, their lips met once more. Perhaps even more than their first kiss, this second one was genuine, crisp, and warm, one guided not by fear or guilt but by instinct, by fondness, by faith that this could and would work out. As it continued, she lifted her hand to rest gingerly against his cheek as he absently weaved his fingers through her hair, the mere touches alone striking even more soaring emotions within them both. And by the time it was all over, it felt as though by that kiss alone they had solidified something, that they had made a promise to themselves and each other that this was the start of a bond, of a relationship that they’d cherish and protect, no matter what might come their way. 

For as long and dreamlike as it all was, eventually, that kiss did eventually come to its natural end, though even as it did, they lingered close, their foreheads pressed lightly together as they shared a small, sweet laugh. However, for as tender as this moment was, it didn’t last long before it was inevitably interrupted by the flood of excitement that rushed out to meet them. 

“Mazel tov to the happy, brand new couple!” Mabel cheered, catching the pair off guard as she tossed a handful of rice over them from behind. Steven stood alongside her, brightly applauding while Connie hurried over to try to keep them from ruining the moment any more than they already had. 

“M-Mabel! Steven!” Dipper exclaimed as him and Pacifica pulled away, flustered. “What are you guys-”

“Oh, no need to thank us, bro-bro,” Mabel grinned proudly. “We were more than happy to make a match out of a couple as cute as you two, right, Steven?”

“Right!” the young Gem happily agreed. “Though… to be honest, I think we owe a lot of our success here to Garnet.”

“Well, my experience in the field of romance has never steered me wrong before,” the Gem leader remarked, grinning as she stepped up to the group. 

“Hey! Don’t forget about me!” Stan cut in brashly. “I helped set all this up too! Speaking of which…” The conman threw on an amicable, somewhat patronizing smile as he looked to Pacifica. “Welcome to the family, kid. Does folks on your side of the tracks still do that whole dowry thing? And if so, how much are your parents willing to fork out for yours? Just asking for the sake of reference.”

“Uh…” Pacifica trailed off, exchanging a bewildered glance with Dipper over such an odd question. 

“Ugh, come on, you guys…” he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose before turning to his new girlfriend with an apologetic smile. “S-sorry. I hope you don’t mind dealing with… them.” He nodded to the group surrounding them, composed of Steven, Mabel, and even Garnet’s wide, elated smiles and Stan’s much more greedy one. 

Even so, the heiress let out a bright, genuinely amused chuckle at their antics, one that did more than enough to set Dipper at ease that she’d find a way to fit in among his occasionally overbearing friends and family just fine. “I think I’ll get used to it,” she grinned, accepting his hand as he helped her up to stand. “After all, I’d much rather deal with them than my family.”

“Well then, like Grunkle Stan said, welcome to ours!” Mabel quipped, throwing an arm around both Dipper and Pacifica’s shoulders as she sandwiched herself between them. “Oh my gosh, Pacifica! Does this technically make us sisters now?!”

“Um… I’m pretty sure that’s now how any of this works,” Pacifica noted sardonically. 

“Alright, everyone, it’s getting pretty late out here,” Garnet spoke up, nodding over to the jars of iridescects that were starting to dim as they fell asleep for the night. “Let’s head back to the shack; I’ll make everyone some hot chocolate.”

“Ooo yeah!” Steven exclaimed excitedly, readily following after the Gem leader as she began to head back. “And we can put on a movie too!”

“Something romantic for you two lovebirds to cuddle up to,” Mabel added, offering Dipper and Pacifica a sly wink.

Even though Dipper let out an exasperated sigh at this, Pacifica merely chuckled once more, a laugh that Dipper himself couldn’t help but join in after a moment or two. As the others all went on ahead, the newly-formed couple trailed at the back of the group, their hands inconspicuously intertwining as they set out. As their fingers laced themselves together, they shared a soft smile, realizing just how well their hands fit together, how well they fit together. It was strange, perhaps even downright bizarre just how two people, so completely different yet also so very much the same, hand ended up together, but through fate or luck or something else entirely, they had. And as they strolled through the darkness into their fledgling future together, at long last, neither of them had any doubts left at all. Their feelings for each other were real, rich, and radiant, and there was no question in either of their hearts or minds, that together was exactly where they needed to be. 

“Now that you know, your hearts can grow…”

“Together....”

“All at once…”

Next:

[what-stop-the-presses-rly-means]

Hi, it's aphandgflove's girlfriend, can I get a ship for DEH and BMC too (or Hamilton or Heather if you can? I know these better)? I a sex-negative asexual who enjoys telling dirty jokes to confuse people, I'm a total sadist, especially with people I love (my girlfriend, friends, and OCs) but I actually care a lot about their happiness (spits hearts(and blood)), I'm a gamer and a cheater (in video games) and I love reading, writing and talking about stories in as many details as possible. Thanks

This took me forever to respond to, and for that I apologize 😓

Also, I stuck with DEH and BMC because I don't know much about Hamilton and I'm only just now becoming a fan of Heathers so I wasn't confident in my knowledge of the two. Hope that's ok!

DEH:

I ship you with Jared!

He would be a little confused when you first tell him you're asexual. And in his very Jared Kleinman way, he'd probably make a couple lewd comments about it

Of course he'd back off if it ever hurt your feelings or made you uncomfortable. And eventually he'd grow accustomed to it (after doing extensive research on Google) and be less of a dick

If anyone can relate to picking on/teasing loved ones but actually very much caring about them, it's Jared. He doesn't show affection too often but you know he cares

It's in the little things he does, like remembering your food order when going out, knowing all the words to your favorite song, or always having your favorite candy on hand

He always has his guard up so he never likes to outright show that he's interested in something. He'll want to hear all about your stories but doesn't wanna look like a nerd. You've heard this more than once: "So... what happens next? Not that I care! But does it have a happy ending? Or whatever..."

You guys never give each other affectionate pet names, oh no. Everytime you see each other you come up with the best/worst nicknames you can think of:

"What's up, Assface?"

"Hey, Trashbag!"

"Later, Trolldoll."

"See ya, random comic relief/throw away character!"

*gasp!* "Too far!"

He would totally team up with you to make over the top sexual comments and jokes to each other in public. He already does that with whoever's in the room, but it's 10x funnier to him when he does them with you and everyone looks so baffled and confused

You guys spend countless hours playing videogames. You'll sneakily try to cheat your way to the finish line while he's less subtle. He'll straight up just sit in your lap, blocking your line of sight, or push you out of your seat. He gets very competitive

BMC:

I ship you with Michael!

Michael's always super chill about everything. You're asexual? Cool, dude! You do you. He thinks he might be asexual himself so there's no weirdness there

But you would totally catch him off guard by telling dirty jokes. He'd get all flustered and blushy, the cute boy. But after he gets used to it he'd just laugh, especially if you're in public. The more confused you make others, the funnier it is to him

He's a very creative person so if you want any advice on how your story should go, he's always willing to help. Hell, he doesn't even need an excuse to read your work, he enjoys himself either way

He would play video games with you all the time and it would kill him, not knowing how you beat him every time. When he finally finds out it's because you cheat, he is baffled. He goes into drama mode, claiming he could never trust you again

Then the next time you play (which is probably like the next day lbr) he dramatically glares at you like every 10 seconds to make sure you're not cheating. And you still end up beating him

He tries to get into reading because you love it, and he really tries his best. He picks out a nice book with a lot of action and adventures, and he sits down next to you so you can both read together...

And 5 minutes later the book is on the ground, he's for some reason sitting upside down in his chair, and now you're completely distracted from your book. But it's not his fault, the poor ADHD boy

He's such an emotional, loving guy who always wears his heart on his sleeve. So there's never a doubt in your mind that he cares about you. It can get a little much and sometimes you feel pressured into reciprocating the affection. But he assures you that he knows how you feel, no matter what. (You could probably punch him in the face and he'd say thank you)

Again, sorry this took forever and half to get to. Thanks for being patient with me! ❤

[orangeoctopi7]

It’s Hard to say “I Love You”

Stanuary week 1: Love

Ok yes I’m late excuse me I’m trying to make grad school application deadlines.

Takes place the night after the birthday party before Dipper & Mabel leave for California the next morning.

Stanley found Mabel sitting at the kitchen table, her brow furrowed thoughtfully as she stared down at a little notepad. He didn’t like to see her looking so serious, and it had become way too common over the last couple of weeks.

“Hey pumpkin, something the matter?” He asked, taking a seat beside her.

“Oh, hey Grunkle Stan!” She greeted him, her expression brightening, but still thoughtful. “No, nothing’s wrong. I’m just thinking.”

“Looks like you’re thinking pretty hard. Careful, you’ll end up like your brother.”

“Or your brother?” She asked wryly.

“Heh, yeah.” Stan gave a short chuckle. “So what’re ya thinking so hard about?”

“Well…” She trailed off, trying to formulate her chaotic thoughts into words. “Dipper and I are leaving tomorrow, and… I just don’t want things to get crazy bad between our family like they were when the whole Weirdmageddon thing went down. I’m trying to think of ways to keep us all from falling apart again. I know that’s kinda what got me into the rift mess to begin with, so I’m being careful to think of things that’ll work for everyone, and not be like I’m trying to force it.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that, sweetie.” Stan assured her. “We all learned from our mistakes.”

“I know, but if we don’t change what we’re doing, we’ll just keep on making the same mistakes eventually!” Mabel said emphatically. “Learning a lesson doesn’t do a thing if you don’t change!”

“What kinda changes are we talking about here?” Stan asked, looking over her shoulder at her notepad. It was full of ideas. Several, like Eat the same meals were crossed out, while others like tell each other what they do well were underlined. One was circled and underlined. Twice.

“Tell each other ‘I love you’ every day.” Stan read aloud. He grinned. “Sappy, but effective, I guess. That’ll be good for you two if you can get Dipper to go for it.”

“I already talked to Dipper about it, he said it’s fine as long as he doesn’t have to do it in public. But it’s not just for me and Dipper.” She looked at Stan seriously. Cripes he hated to see her so serious.

“Y’mean me and Ford?” the old con man asked innocently, as though it wasn’t already obvious. Mabel nodded sagely. Stan chuckled. “It’s not that I don’t think it’s a good idea. Like I said, it’ll be good for you and your brother. But it’s different for us. We’re a couple of crotchety old men.”

“But Grunkle Stan, think about it! When Grunkle Ford came back, you felt like he didn’t love you anymore, right?”

Stan was taken aback by how blunt she was. He’d felt that way a long time before Ford came back, and his twin’s actions upon his return did nothing but cement that feeling.

“Actions speak louder than words, kiddo.”

“I know, I know, but it still would’ve helped to hear those words, right?” It would have. “And maybe those words would have even changed some of those actions. And I’m sure there were times when Grunkle Ford needed to hear those words from you.”

A certain memory that had first resurfaced after a heart-to-heart with Ford in the hospital after Weirdmageddon suddenly reared its ugly head again. It was an accident! But hey, maybe there’s a silver lining! Treasure Huuuuunt?

“Yeah.” Stan agreed. “But… it’s not that easy, alright? A tough guy and a super-genius from Jersey? We just don’t say stuff like that. It’s… awkward.”

“The more you say it, the less awkward it’ll be.” Mable reasoned. Then she gasped in horror. “Oh no, I’m trying to force it! I’m so sorry Grunkle Stan, it was just an idea, you don’t have to say it if it’s too awkward for you!”

“Hey, no, you’re not being too forceful or anything!” Stan reassured her, “You’re just trying to help, I can appreciate that.”

Mabel still looked distraught. It only took a second for Stan to think of a way to cheer her up. He pulled her into a big hug. “I love you, ya little gremlin.”

Mabel gasped and looked up at him with stars in her eyes. “I love you to, you smelly gross old man!”

“So, uh, I was talking to Mabel earlier…” The kids were now in bed, and now Stan was trying to figure out how to breach the subject of Mabel’s idea with Ford.

“Mmmhm.” Ford hummed from where he was writing in the Journal Dipper had rediscovered a few days ago.

“Guess she’s worried about us having a falling out again.”

Ford looked up, frowning deeply. “I’d like to say her fears are unfounded, but… after the way I behaved, the way I treated you… I understand why she’s worried. Stanley, I was a fool--”

“OK we don’t need to have this conversation again.” Stan rolled his eyes. He’d already heard three variations of Ford’s overdramatic ‘I Was A Fool’ speech today, he didn’t need a fourth. “She had this bright idea that we should say ‘I love you’ to each other every day.”

Ford grimaced. “And, uh… did you tell her that would be potentially, er… awkward?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m not saying she’s wrong, it’s actually quite a brilliant idea. It’s just… I don’t know if it’d work for us.”

“I know, but… I think I might’ve found a way we can make it work.” Stan smiled. “I love you, you ginormous nerd.”

Ford grinned back up at him, immediately catching on to his brother’s plan. “I love you too, you reckless, stubborn, dinosaur punching Xenon.”

Stan raised an eyebrow. “Xenon?”

“Yes, it’s an element, one of the Noble Gasses, actually. It doesn’t react with other elements, so it represents stubborness.”

“I know what Xenon is!” Stan cried in mock indignation, “But who says that?”

“I’m sure some people say it.”

“No Ford, not even other science nerds say that.”

“It is so a thing people say! Perhaps it was from one of the dimensions I encountered….”

“No, I refuse to believe that anyone says that, even in other dimensions!”

Many months later:

Stan was getting lunch ready aboard the Stan’o’war II when he heard the laptop he shared with his brother sound out a series of notifications. He checked it, and sure enough, there was a sting of emails, each one with an audio attachment.

“Hey Ford, get in here, it’s that time again!” He called to his brother up on deck. The old researcher pounded down the stairs and into the galley. Stan pressed play on the attachment from the first email.

“G’night Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford! I love you!” Mabel’s voice rang out of the laptop’s tinny speakers.

“I love you two too!” Dipper’s voice joined in.

“Pfft, you said tutu.” Mabel giggled.

“Mable! You know what I--” the recording stopped. The two old men shared a laugh and proceeded to listen to the rest of their messages.

“I love you doods, stay safe!”

“Don’t ferget I love y’all!”

“Love you dorks. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”

“We love you! EEEEEEE!”

Ford opened up the voice recording app on their laptop and pulled out a little microphone. He insisted the one built in was deficient.

Mabel had been right. Saying I love you every day made a difference, and while it had certainly been awkward at first, Stan now found himself at a point where he could say ‘I love you’ without even having to soften it with an affectionate insult. Sure, it was still sappy, but it was the kind of sappy that made him feel good. He reached down clicked the record button.

“Hey kids. I love ya. Sleep well, and don’t hesitate to call us if you have any nightmares or anything.”

“I love you too.” Ford added. “And let me know if any anomalies give you trouble, I’ll do my best to find a solution.”

They saved the recording and attached it to an email, then forwarded it to the kids and everyone else Mabel had put on the list.

“While you’re in here you might as well eat.” Stan suggested, pulling out a loaf of bread and some shredded fish he’d caught this morning. “Chowder’ll be done in a minute.”

“Thanks.” Ford took the bread and spread a good helping of mayo onto it before heaping flakes of fish meat onto it.

“Oh, and Ford?”

His brother looked up.

“I love you, ya knucklehead.”

Ford looked back down at his sandwich and smiled. “I love you too.”

It was getting easier every day. Someday, they’d be able to look each other in the eye and say ‘I love you’ without the good natured ribbing. Someday soon.

[another-writer]

Oasis

Word count: 3,444 Pairing: Bucky x F!Reader Warnings: some self-deprecation, a little social anxiety as well? Bucky being a flirt, tooth-rotting, cavity-inducing fluff

A/N: I’ve had this idea for a one shot in my head for a while and I figured I’d take a break from Begin Again to write this out before I lost it. Hope you enjoy xx

You stood in front of the full length mirror making final adjustments to your make up, swiping stray eye liner from the corner of your eye. Tony was throwing another party to keep up public appearances and unfortunately, you felt obliged to go. Tony was your friend and if he was going to suffer, you decided that you would too. 

You were dressed in a tailored dark wine red playsuit with black opaque tights and black heels. It was slim fit, and the neckline rested only a few inches below your neck so it was sophisticated enough but not too stuffy. 

You heard the door open as you threw your eye pencil back into its place when -

‘Doll, are you - hello, gorgeous.’

You rolled your eyes playfully, looking at him in the reflection of the mirror, but blushed. He looked impossibly handsome - broad-chested and dressed in an all-black suit, the only colour coming from his gentle cerulean eyes and full pale lips. His hair was brushed back and you knew you would have trouble concentrating on anything else but him.

‘Turn around, lemme get a look at you.’ His words were meant to sound sultry but there was a near-goofy smile on his face that essentially just described Bucky himself.

You obliged, quirking an eyebrow. ‘I dunno, Barnes, you seemed to be enjoying the other view.’

Bucky flicked you on the forehead playfully. ‘Get your head out of the gutter,’ he smirked, making you giggle, before wrapping his arms around you and kissing you gently. In your heels, you were still a couple inches shorter than him. 

His hands ran up your back soothingly. ‘I like this,’ he muttered with a devilish smirk. ‘Zipper means it’s easier to take off.’

‘Honestly, James,’ you scolded light-heartedly, eyes sparkling from how affectionate he was being.

‘You’re gorgeous,’ he breathed with a dream-like smile on his face.

‘I should hope so, I feel like I’m wearing the airport on my face.’ You brushed aside the comment, running your hands from his shoulders to his upper arms. 

‘I’m serious, Doll,’ Bucky said. ‘You’re a knockout.’ 

You weren’t sure how to respond, never being one to know how to take compliments so you settled for kissing him lightly hoping that sent the message; Bucky chuckled against your lips softly but kind-heartedly at how flustered you had gotten.

‘Are you ready?’ you asked. ‘We should go, we’re already late.’

Bucky groaned. ‘Do we have to?’

‘C’mon, Bucky, I thought you actually like these things.’

‘Well, yeah, but now I just wanna stay here and look at you,’ he pouted, nuzzling your neck making you laugh.

‘Just look?’ you teased.

‘Amongst other things.’

‘Get your head out of the gutter,’ you mocked his previous words.

‘I love you too.’

‘Let’s go,’ you pressed but made no effort to move.

‘It’s been a month since I last saw you,’ Bucky whined, holding you tighter. ‘Can’t believe you left me for that long.’

‘I know, it’s almost like I don’t even like you,’ you mumbled, kissing him again before you pulled away from his arms (regrettably) and left the room.

‘Let’s go, Buchanan.’ you hollered over your shoulder.

‘What are ya middle-naming me for?’ Bucky whined, running after you

The party was in full swing by the time you had reached which meant people would already be too engrossed to pay you both any attention as you slipped inside. A bar was in the far corner with minimal lighting surrounding it; a jazz quartet enriched the guests into a sophisticated atmosphere, everyone dressed to the nines and no less. Bucky held your hand in his, leading you through the crowd when he saw Steve beckon him from across the room. 

‘So you guys are super early,’ Steve smirked.

You scoffed playfully. ‘Who even turns up to a party on time anymore? I bet Stark himself was half an hour late at least.’

Steve gestured with his half-full beer. ‘Well most people want to make use of the open bar.’

‘Watch yourself, Cap, you’ll tarnish your Golden Boy rep,’ you teased, laughing when he nudged you in the ribs. 

‘The quiet ones are always the worst.’ Bucky shook his head with playful regret. ‘What am I going to do with you, Steven?’

‘Loser,’ Steve muttered and wound an arm around your shoulders, embracing you. ‘How was DC?’

Your eyes brightened. ‘Really good actually,’ you answered, spotting Natasha at the bar, gesturing for you to come over. ‘I’m sure you have more to catch me up on from while I was away, I’ll talk to you later.’ You pinched Steve’s cheek with exaggerated affection and said, ‘Take care of my son, Bucky, don’t let him cause too much havoc.’

Natasha nodded proudly at your outfit as she nursed a beer. ‘I approve,’ she decided with a satisfied smirk.

‘Oh thank God, I was getting worried,’ you mocked, dodging her elbow.

‘So is that the reason you and Barnes showed up late?’ she taunted. ‘I thought you’d manage to hold back until after the party.’

You scowled. ‘No, why does everyone - shut up,’ you grumbled, glaring at her when she snickered and rested her head on your shoulder. ‘My flight from DC was delayed; I only got back into the city two hours ago.’

‘And how was it? Everything you hoped?’

You shrugged but couldn’t hide the smile on your face. ‘It was kind of awesome,’ you chuckled. ‘Internship with a supreme court judge … it’s every law nerd’s dream.’

‘I’m glad,’ Natasha nodded. ‘Is it gonna turn into something permanent?’

‘I don’t think so,’ you admitted. ‘It felt so good being in that kind of courtroom … I got a job offer - personal assistant to Justice Sotomayor.’

‘That’s awesome!’ Natasha cheered quietly. ‘You’re not taking it?’

You shook your head. ‘I love working here, Tony trusts me to get so much done prosecuting the criminals you bring in.’ 

Natasha nodded. ‘If you’re sure. I mean, I’d hate to see you go anyway.’

‘It was just for fun,’ you said. ‘Cross something off the bucket list.’

Natasha scowled. ‘We need to re-evaluate your definition of fun.’

You kicked her shin lightly. ‘Your sass aside …’ you snapped playfully, ‘I’d miss this place too much.’

‘Any specifics …?’ Natasha pressed, eyes glinting slyly expecting a particular answer.

You feigned confusion, glancing briefly around you. ‘I don’t know, Nat, there’s no one else I really like here.’

Natasha nudged your cheek with the lip of her bottle. ‘Loser,’ she scolded.

‘No, you’re right,’ you grinned, leaning against her comfortably. ‘Sam and Bucky couldn’t handle Steve without me.’

After a while, Natasha was being beckoned by Tony for something work-related leaving you alone by the bar. Your eyes scanned the room and rested on Bucky who was animatedly talking with Sam and Clint, the three of them with broad grins and eyes crinkled, deep laughter. You loved moments where Bucky showed his core personality to you and you alone when the shell of a man opened up, expressing fears and regrets and stories and kind-hearted relentless wisecracks. You also, however, treasured the times where Bucky would express himself around other people like he was truly rooting himself into this new life. He was so happy it made your heart explode.

You were torn from your thoughts when the bar stool next to where you stood was pulled back. By habit you looked and saw a tall woman you recognised as an agent under Maria Hill. Dressed in a mid-length satin navy blue number, and with bright forest-green eyes, she was somehow intimidating in her confidence.

‘I hear you just flew in from DC,’ she said.

‘Hey, Avery,’ you replied slightly stiffly, thrown by her forwardness. Not that she had said anything particularly terrible but you only knew her by name and face. You didn’t even think she knew you. ‘I did, I had an internship.’ 

She nodded in response, sipping delicately from her champagne flute. ‘James mentioned that, I think.’

‘You think?’ you wondered. What was she hinting at?

‘We were quite busy talking about the last mission actually,’ Avery continued, green eyes piercing you effortlessly. ‘He’s getting so good out in the field, I’d say you’re doing quite well with him.’

You frowned, finally turning to face her. ‘What does that mean?’

Avery smirked like the answer was obvious. ‘James doesn’t need to be watched anymore, [Y/N].’

You narrowed your eyebrows. ‘I wouldn’t describe our relationship like that,’ you said curtly. ‘He and I are -’

‘Imean, you were helpful, of course,’ Avery sneered.

You glowered at her, unable to comprehend how quickly the conversation had taken this route. ‘I’m his girlfriend.’

‘You’re his therapist.’ 

Your heart was pounding erratically. ‘That’s not ...’

Avery’s smile twisted condescendingly.  ‘He needed help when he first came here, I understand that,’ she began, ‘but look at him.’

You couldn’t help it. Your eyes flitted back to him; his head was thrown back in laughter at a story spilling from Clint’s mouth; not only that, but he was also sitting amongst other people you hadn’t met before, other agents. Mixed with what Avery was telling you, it seemed like Bucky didn’t need you. 

Stop it, you told yourself. Since when was Bucky having friends a problem? Since when did this become about you?

You fixed Avery with a steely glare, quickly re-building your resolve. ‘I don’t think this is any of your business,’ you said to her. 

‘Tell me how you met?’ she asked rhetorically, brushing your words aside. ‘Neither of you have any history together, you don’t even work in the same job department, you don’t experience what he goes through.’ 

You rifled through the contract for the umpteenth time, eyes doing one final scan as you rode the lift to the floor with the Avengers’ living quarters. You hadn’t met any of them, only having to interact with Tony Stark, but hopefully they wouldn’t react too terribly. You just needed one signature from your boss and you would be on your way. 

You stepped out to find the common area deserted but heard voices from the kitchen at the opposite end. When you walked inside, you found Steve Rogers and James Barnes sitting at the table looking as though they had been in the middle of a serious discussion. 

You gaped for a moment before composing yourself. ‘I’m sorry,’ you began, ‘I’m just looking for Tony? He said to come find him up here, I just need a signature.’ You gestured lamely with the papers in your other hand.

Steve, at that moment, was the embodiment of relaxation and you eased immediately. ‘You’re okay,’ he assured. ‘Tony’s actually on his way back from somewhere but you can wait here.’

‘Figures,’ you muttered, ‘he tends to underestimate my punctuality.’

Steve chuckled. ‘Buck, this is [Y/N].’

‘Wait, you know who I am?’ You froze at your outburst.

Steve brushed over it. ‘The lawyer who keeps us out of jail? Tony brought you up when you got him out of trouble a couple years ago.’

‘It sounds shady when you say it like that,’ you mumbled before turning to Bucky. ‘Tony wasn’t actually doing anything wrong, it was just super hard to prove his innocence … I also don’t use terms like shady or super hard on the job.’ You cringed at yourself. 

Bucky chuckled at you but it wasn’t cold or derogatory. ‘It’s nice to meet you,’ he said, sounding sincere. 

‘What exactly do you do here?’ Avery asked, though it didn’t sound like she was looking for an answer.

‘I-I-’

‘Sign papers?’ Avery said more than asked, as though she was prompting you to remember something. ‘Email documents? Getting signatures does sound like difficult work …’

That’s not true. Sure, you handled documents but you had been in court as an advocate countless times, prosecuting criminals and defending Tony or Bruce or Wanda and the other members of the team, or making resolutions to stop them from being taken to court in the first place. So why weren’t you saying anything?

‘You’re a lawyer,’ Avery said coldly, ‘how long do you think you can keep Bucky engaged before he gets bored with how average you are?’

You gaped at her, mouth opening silently, words seeming to have left your brain. As though satisfied with a finished project, Avery swept her flute and waltzed back into the crowd. 

You could feel the heat creeping up your neck, tainting your skin red, and pounding in your ears.

Average. Were you average? You certainly didn’t have Steve’s golden legacy, or Tony’s ingenuity, little physical skill in general. But it wasn’t as if you needed those things to be above average. You were a lawyer in a building of superheroes and spies, so what? You were head of department. You … you were good at what you did. 

You suddenly felt as though every single person on the planet was looking at you. Your grip on your glass tightened and you held it close to you with both hands, needing to hold something. You were starting to sweat, the back of your neck, your forehead - when did it get so warm? And what the hell were you wearing? Your heels were so tall, making yourself even more visible and your clothes … you couldn’t even tell if they were too much or not enough. There were so many people dressed in black, why weren’t you wearing black?

You held onto your glass, despite it being empty, as you looked around the room and spotted French doors close to you; the dull gold curtains were pulled shut over them but you could see through the gap that they lead to a balcony. Trying your best to look nonchalant, you headed for them.

Maybe you just needed some air. 

You weren’t sure how long you had been leaning against the stone railing, relishing in the fresh air, surveying the rolling gardens lit under the silvery moonlight and warm white spotlights concealed in the grass. The empty glass was left on the top of the wide railing. Your phone was in your hand, the email with the job offer on screen.

Perhaps you wouldn’t have cared so much if you weren’t also in a relationship with Bucky - after all, you obviously weren’t the only employee who wasn’t out in the field. But, if you were totally separate from his side of the operations, then it wouldn’t have been such a big deal - you felt as though you were scraping into something you weren’t quite part of. Maybe you should take the job in DC. You certainly would fit in much better there.

‘I hope you’re not planning on leaving alone, doll, I think we had plans together?’

You jumped, hand knocking against the tumbler and sending it flying off the rail. You leaned over the edge, wincing when you heard the high pitched shatter on impact, the glass scattering across the dirt pathway in front of the country club’s entrance. 

Heart beating wildly from the scare, you turned around and saw Bucky walking towards you the sultry glint in his eyes replaced with both concern and confusion at your state. 

‘You okay?’ he asked. ‘It’s freezing out here.’

‘’M fine,’ you replied, irritated when you heard how breathless you sounded.

You retreated away from the railing and sat down on the stone bench, locking your phone; the sleeves of your playsuit were fitted otherwise you would have drawn them over your hands.

You then felt Bucky drape his blazer over your shoulders and you slid your arms through the sleeves, relishing in the scent and warmth. 

‘What’s wrong?’ Bucky asked, sitting close to you.

‘Nothing,’ you said and watched his face contort with concern. ‘It was getting kind of crowded, just needed some air.’

Bucky drew your legs over his lap and wound his arm around your shoulders, holding you close as if you both were on his bed back in the compound watching a movie and not at a high-end event with a hundred other people. He drew patterns on your back as you relished in the cool air and the comfort. 

Eventually, you pulled away, taking his arm from your shoulders, needing some more space. 

Bucky bit his lip, resting a hand on your knee. ‘I don’t want to push you but …’

You shook your head. ‘Buck, seriously. The lack of sleep is getting to me.’

‘I know it’s not nothing.’

You groaned and leaned back on your hands that rested on the bench.  ‘I hate when you say that,’ you mumbled, making Bucky smirk. ‘We can deal with it later, I swear.’

‘You’ve been out here a while, I’m worried.’

‘I don’t want you to worry,’ you mumbled.

‘Nat’s been teasing me about why we were late,’ Bucky said after a while. ‘She got pretty suggestive, I dunno if …’

‘Don’t doubt my sense of humour Buchanan, I can handle Nat.’

‘Again with the middle-namin’, doll,’ he scolded mockingly, making you chuckle.

You sat up properly, groaning slightly as you cringed at yourself. ‘I had this conversation with one of the agents,’ you started, not meeting Bucky’s eye. ‘They just said some stuff and it …’ You rolled your eyes at yourself, trying to convince yourself that it didn’t matter. ‘Like, my skill set is a bunch of things I’m okay at, there’s nothing interesting or …’ You tapped the point of your shoe silently against the ground, resting on your heel, suddenly cold from the small distance between you two.

Bucky furrowed his eyebrows. 'Go on.’

‘I-I dunno, I just …’ You shrugged, looking away cautiously as you tried to gather your thoughts which were whirling like a hurricane. ‘I mean … there are so many people like me that can basically do my job but better and … I’m not some trained spy or anything. At least if I were in DC, I’d be around people who actually ...’ Who would actually respect me. The words faltered in your mouth and you stopped, feeling embarrassed by your admissions.

Bucky was frowning slightly. ‘You wanna take that job?’ he asked softly.

You retracted one of your hands and rubbed the back of your neck subconsciously. ‘I don’t know, it’s just a thought.’

‘You told me you didn’t want it,’ Bucky said, getting to his feet. 'I thought you wanted to stay here.’

‘It’s not like I’ve completely changed my mind,’ you defended, standing up as well to match him.

Bucky bit his lip. After a moment he said, ‘What’s wrong?’

Your cheeks warmed. ‘Why d’you think something’s wrong?’

‘[Y/N], c’mon.’

You ran your tongue over your lip nervously and rubbed the back of your neck trying to find the words. ‘I’m just ... - what if ‘m not needed here?’ you mumbled, self-consciously crossing your arms over your chest, the sleeves of Bucky’s blazer scrunching up.

‘[Y/N], either way, we need a lawyer,’ he asked straightforwardly. ‘If you left, Stark would just hire another department head. It’s an important job, you know that.’

Bucky had picked up on your nervous habits long before, like how you avoided eye contact when confessing something personal or had the need to do something with your hands. And it seemed like he knew that the job itself was only the face of the problem, he knew before you had admitted it. But forcing you to talk wasn’t going to work.

‘True,’ you said quietly. ‘What else you got, Barnes?’

‘I don’t wanna tell you what to do.’

‘What were you going to say?’

‘If ... If you really want that job, I wouldn’t stop you,’ he said seriously.

You blinked. ‘Wait, what?’

Bucky squared his shoulders, hands in his pockets. ‘I want you to be happy. If that means you leaving, then ... But I also want us to work.’

Your heart fluttered. You knew rather quickly that you were rooted in New York, firstly, well before you even met Bucky. In your eyes you had the greatest job you could hope for, with the best people around you. Bucky Barnes was an unexpected bonus.

‘I want us to work too,’ you murmured. ‘You’d really be okay with me moving? Feels like there’s a but coming.’

‘Just don’t leave because someone’s making you,’ he pleaded. ‘I don’t care how many lawyers there are out there, Stark chose you, not them. There’s a reason for that. You’re so smart and we would all fall apart without you - I’d be a mess, doll, you know that.’

You pushed away your discomfort. Avery had called you Bucky’s therapist. And you knew that you and Bucky had a romantic relationship that included and extended past it, and yet Avery had gotten under your skin somehow.

‘Buck, it’s not just the work,’ you admitted. ‘I just ... I’m not doing what you do. I wanna be enough for you.’

Bucky scoffed, nealy laughing - to him it was simple.

‘You’re so beautiful. And you make me so happy,’ Bucky breathed, walking to you, hands going around your waist and squeezing you gently, making you grin into his shoulder, your arms still folded shyly. ‘I know towards the middle of our relationship I vented out a lot to you but you listened and allowed me to mourn and you took me as I was and … I feel so good, y’know? I don’t think I could’ve done this without you.’

Your cheeks were warm, and you were slightly at a loss at his words. ‘How d’you know what to say to me, or get me to talk?’

He leaned into you, holding you tighter. ‘I just know you,’ he replied simply. ‘And it’s nice. You know me better than you give yourself credit for.’

Your hand was resting on the back of his neck, fingers combing his hair lightly. ‘You let me,’ you said quietly. ‘I know that wasn’t easy. And I don’t want to leave New York.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yeah, Bucky, I’m sure. I love it here, and I love you,’ you confirmed and then groaned self-deprecatingly. ‘I can’t believe I let something so insignificant get to me.’

‘You always say it happens to the best of us,’ he assured softly, nuzzling your hair. 'I’m so lucky you let me love you like this, I’m so lucky you love me.’

You blushed as you brushed his hair back. ‘’M very lucky you were stupid enough to pick me,’ you added teasingly.

Bucky scoffed at your choice of words and kissed the crown of your head.

You wound his arm around your shoulders and rested your head in the crook of his neck.

‘You want to go back inside?’ you asked, relishing in his hold, leaning comfortably into his chest now that the tension in your head and heart had dissolved.

Bucky’s eyes crossed his surroundings, taking in the clear ink blue sky, the scattered stars, and the thin crescent moon; there was a slight breeze amongst the cool air; the only light was peeking through the gap in the curtains behind you both, and the warm white lamps below in the seemingly endless fields. You were wearing his blazer, tucked under his arm with your head in the crook of his neck and he was resting his head on top of yours; the scent of your hair and perfume and the softness of your hand soothed him into equanimity.

‘Can we sit out here a little longer?’

[you-will-return]

Girlies, we've made it

[you-will-return]

Joonas as drawn by my friend Maxi

[you-will-return]

For once, I'm actually doing what I said I'd do in a timely manner.

So this will be jacket post part two: electric boogaloo, bc I didn't want the other one to get too long.

Anyway so yesterday I finished all the sewing (you'll see what I mean) and on Wednesday I finished the painting at Maxi's place (who btw came over and helped me finish my uni stuff so everybody go thank Maxi bc otherwise I'd still be sitting here crying over my shitty printer.... anyways)

Let's get to it

Here we have the front of the jacket (I'll show the collar area in more detail in a sec). On the right pocket I added my LOTSAD pin (yes, I still think the abbreviation is funny), originally I wanted to put the Blind Channel one there but then I realized 'sewing inside of a pocket sucks ass, as does sewing through two layers of jean fabric at once', so here we are. The sewing doesn't look very clean but fuck it (it's just rock'n'roll, okay I'll shut up). Maxi told me 'It would've looked better if you had cross stitched it' to which i replied 'Honey, I'm just glad that it's on there'. Anywho underneath the ghost, between the buttons I added the word(s) 'care fully' (which can be read as one or two words and I kinda like that. It's a Mitski reference but also I just love playing with language).

Here we have the LOTSAD pin (and shitty sewing job) in more detail and as you can see I finally added the GIANTS pin above the Get Up coward.

The Joonas smiley got some company. Tbh sewing the beads on like this was so much easier than trying to sew on the pins.

More beads!!! I decided to make the rays two-colored bc why not? And I know the bead placement is a bit on the nose, but eh who cares? Also I added the birds last minute bc freedom and the sea and all that (in my heart they're evil lil seagulls).

(This is nothing new but I just wanted to show it to y'all colored in)

From bottom to top: The knife (!!) is finally colored in and I couldn't be happier. Imagine walking by someone and then boom KNIFE!! (I hope you can tell how much I love this stupid bloody knife). Above this I added one of my favourite songs off of the new album. But yeah it has a star in the middle, bc they're burning (again lost an arm and a leg on the creativity). And you might notice that these beads are different, and that's bc I did this arrangement at home, where I had a greater variety available :)

My favourite part of the jacket, still. It's so simple and yet it just works. Again, I know that you've seen this before but I just wanted to show it outlined and coloured in :)

Now for the back:

Top to bottom: since my collar is usually down, I put the Watching Over Me mainly here for myself, but it's for good reason. This lyric really means a lot to me on a personal level and it's from the first MCR song I ever listened to (so it's double special), so no one but me (and you guys now haha) has to see it or know it's there, but I still wanted it to be included. Secondly: the Bad Idea back piece is done!!! Yaay!! And the roses don't look like colored in 8s anymore (double yay!!). I'll admit it looks pretty edgy (what about this jacket doesn't) but I really enjoyed painting it. I think I might have also done it out of spite for my 9th grade English teacher, who, after I had done a presentation abt MCR, told me:"Nice presentation. But Anna, all that blood and gore? Is that really necessary?" Yes, yes it is ma'am.

Lastly: the rest of the back. Yeah I kinda just went ham with the beads and pins, but it was fun (for the most part). Bottom to top: The 747 is finally colored in, bc of its position it's kinda reminiscent of an incomplete license plate but if you knew my history with this number, you'd agree that it makes this just that much more fitting.

Above it the Blind Channel beads, kind of as a summary of everything above them.

Then we have Balboa (why is there a heart bead? Bc Maxi had some lying around and I thought it looked pretty). I really like this song and I would give a lot for that skeleton Breakdowns for Breakfast t-shirt.

Above Balboa we have a part of glory for the greedy. No deeper reason for why it's here just 'mwah'. This was the first bead arrangement I sewed on btw and lemme tell you it was a struggle.

Talking about struggle we have the Don't Fix Me pin arrangement that made me want to throw myself into a river. I struggled so much with this but I ended up really liking it. Pink + edgy??? Fuck yeah, that's what I live for. I know the song itself is not everyone's favourite, but I've been listening to it on repeat ever since it came out so lol

Lastly we have the Left To Die beads (yes alive or only burning, again, that song has been living in my head rent free ever since I first listened to the album and not just bc of the jupiter line haha). When I first heard the chorus I was like 'huh' and then i thought about it some more and I was like 'hUH?!?', anywho needless to say this lyric hits me every single time (:

Soooo.... that's the jacket. Edgy, wonky and with a certain.... diy-charm.

Hope you enjoyed this journey and its outcome as much as I did.

Bonus: The diy saftey pin necklace (by me) and saftey pin earrings (by Maxi), that I'll probs wear at the concert. Alongside a Revenge bracelet that I wanted to sew onto the jacket but sadly didn't know where to put.

[you-will-return]

Omw to see the boys :)