Work Text:
"Hey, Mabel?" Dipper said hesitantly. "Can I ask you something?"
The twins sat in the kitchen. Dipper was reading through a book about vampires (like, an actual, real scientific study, not some gross romance novel) while Mabel worked on her scrapbook. They were back in the Shack for Thanksgiving break, this time with their parents in tow. Their parents were in the front room being entertained by Grunkle Stan and Soos. Wendy had dropped by to say hello, but she was busy with schoolwork and couldn't stay long, though she promised to come and catch up with them later that week. Grunkle Ford sat in a chair in the corner of the kitchen, totally absorbed in writing in his journal.
Stan and Ford had gone on an extended trip fighting the weird all over the globe, but when they had heard that Mabel and Dipper were coming back to Gravity Falls for the holiday, they had come home as well. Soos had done a great job running the shack, and had even promoted Wendy, though she had less time to work now that school had started back up.
Mabel glued a photograph in her scrapbook, then turned to Dipper. "Sure, Dipper. What is it?"
Dipper sighed, rubbing his arm self-consciously. This was something that he'd long worried about since Weirdmaggedon, and seeing Wendy again had only reminded him of all the weird things his brain was doing. It wasn't easy to talk to his sister about it. "You're like, a romance expert. You know basically everything about love and identity and stuff, right?" She'd come out to him as pansexual after school started up, which had gotten him to questioning his own identity. He'd never really felt interested in that sort of thing, except for Wendy. And he wasn't even sure he liked Wendy anymore, either.
"Oh, please," Mabel said, putting a hand to her chest in mock modesty. "I don't know everything. But sure, I am quite wise in the mysteries of looove." She winked at him.
Dipper laughed unenthusiastically. Mabel turned everything into a joke. Sometimes it helped, but not right now. His problem wasn't the mysteries of love, but the fact that to him, love was a mystery.
"I always though I liked Wendy, you know?" he said, looking down at the pages of his vampire book. "But ever since that time in Mabeland when the fake Wendy tried to get together with me, I just..." He struggled how to word it. "It's different. I still like her, but it's weird—like, it's not romantic anymore. I know it wasn't the real Wendy, but it's like the thought of actually being in a relationship with her was better than the actual thing, when it came down to it. And Wendy's, like, the only person I've ever had a crush on, really." He finished his rant, blushing a little. "Sorry. That doesn't make any sense, I know."
Mabel looked at him thoughtfully, stroking an imaginary beard. "Hmm," she said. "That sounds...like something I might have a word for!"
"What?" Dipper said, caught off guard by her enthusiasm.
"Have you ever heard of the aromantic spectrum?" Mabel asked.
Dipper blinked. "Uh, no. But—aromantic. That's like, Latin or something, for not romance-y?"
"Exactly!" Mabel said, clapping her hands. "When someone is aromantic, they don't get crushes on anyone."
Dipper frowned. "But I did have a crush on Wendy."
"It can be a little more complicated than that," Mabel explained. "Some people only get crushes every once and awhile, or not strongly, or only after being really close to someone, or until the person expresses real interest, and then it goes away. That's called gray-romantic!"
Dipper looked at her in shock. Gray-romantic. That did sound like him—romance was sort of an "eh" thing for him, especially after the fake Wendy in Mabeland, and especially when he considered that she was the only crush he'd ever had. Some people only get crushes every once in awhile...or until the other person expresses real interest, then it goes away.
"Where do you learn all this stuff?" he asked in wonder. "I mean, I thought I knew lots of things, but—"
"The internet is an informative place," Mabel said, wagging a finger at him with a smile. "And not everyone is straight in real life! I mean, I like boys and girls, and so does Candy! Plus Davie and Jack back in California, they're dating, remember?"
Dipper nodded, his heart warming. "I think gray-romantic is right," he said. "I mean—I'll have to learn more myself, but...thanks, Mabel."
"Hey, no problem, buddy!" Mabel said. "Here, have a rainbow sticker!"
Dipper laughed and took it from her, absentmindedly sticking it to his shirt. As he did, he heard Grunkle Ford approaching.
"Uh, hello, kids," he said awkwardly. "I couldn't help but overhear, sorry, but...aromantic? What's that, Mabel?"
Mabel looked up at him in faint surprise. "It's when someone doesn't really like people romantically or fall in love."
"Can I get a more clinical definition?" Ford asked, furrowing his brows.
"Sure," Mabel said. "Aromanticism: a romantic orientation where one does not experience romantic attraction."
Ford's eyes widened. "There's a word?" he whispered. "I mean, I've never felt that way in my life, I always thought people were faking it or exaggerating when they described romantic attraction, but I—" He broke off, his eyes shining from behind his glasses. "There are more people like me?"
"Yeah!" Mabel said, grinning. "There's a whole community of people online!"
"And you've got me, too!" Dipper added, elated to find someone similar to himself. "I mean, not exactly the same, but close!"
Ford grinned down at his great-niblings. "Wow, I—I never realized this was a thing! Wait until I tell Stanley!"
"Hey, Great Uncle Ford?" Mabel said. "You want to do a craft with me?"
He smiled at her. "Sure, Mabel." Then, a bit softer, "Thanks for telling me about...aromanticism."
"No problem!" she exclaimed. She pulled up a chair and patted the seat invitingly. "Come on, sit down! I'll make your hand into a turkey! Gobble gobble!"
Ford laughed. Dipper smiled. It was amazing to know there was a word for his experiences, that he wasn't weird or even all that different. There were other people like him, including Grunkle Ford.
Dipper put down his vampire book and joined in the fun with Mabel and Ford. He even snapped a picture of his sister and his grunkle laughing together at Ford's turkey hand.
He smiled. "This one's for the scrapbook."