Chapter Text
Dipper was a pretty smart guy. He was in his final year of earning his Doctorate in Time Relativity Physics (i.e., time travel) at Harvard. He had earned multiple honors and awards for his research, and was on track to graduate a year early.
Yet, despite all of his brainpower, he still couldn't decipher why Pacifica wasn't answering his texts.
"Dipper, for the love of God, would you please put down your phone and keep your eyes on the road?"
Dipper set his phone in the cup holder. "Sorry. Just waiting for Pacifica to tell me when she wants to meet up."
Mabel rolled her eyes. "Dude, she's probably at work. Just go to the diner and wait till she gets off."
Dipper shook his head. "She gets off at two. It's three-thirty."
Mabel let out a laugh. "Dude, no way you're that down bad that you have her work schedule memorized."
"There's nothing going on there, Mabel. Hate to crush your hopes and dreams. Again."
Mabel didn't even glance up from her phone as she hit Dipper on the arm. "Oh, it's gonna happen."
Dipper scowled as he pulled into the parking lot of the mall. "I could just not pick you up, you know."
"Don't have to. Marius bought Grenda a car for her birthday, and she's been dying to show it off to me in person."
Dipper sighed as Mabel got out, slamming the door to his 2012 Chevy pickup. It had been his dad's, a gift to him for his sixteenth birthday.
"It doesn't run too well anymore", he had said, tossing Dipper the keys, "but it'll do you good to figure out how to do this stuff. You spend too much time inside anyway."
Dipper wasn't ungrateful or anything, but he was pretty sure it would've been cheaper to buy a newer truck off of Facebook Marketplace instead of buying all the stuff he needed to fix it up. It wasn't even an old truck when he got it, but somehow it ran like a 1990 Ford. The first time he drove it all the way to Gravity Falls from California, he was pretty sure the damn thing was going to break down, but it made it to the Mystery Shack, where Stan was waiting with his tools and a grin on his face.
That was where he learned how to rebuild the engine of a 2012 Chevy pickup truck from the ground up-and also how to put out fires. Many, many fires.
That was also the summer Pacifica came back from boarding school for the first time, and she had lived at the Shack with the twins. Mabel had moved into Ford's old room the summer before, leaving Dipper alone in the attic. Pacifica had shown up one day, suitcases in hand and bags under her eyes.
Dipper had answered the door when she knocked. Mabel was out with Ford fairy hunting, and Dipper was in the middle of a break from working on the truck. He had opened the door, expecting to see tourists or maybe even the IRS, and was ready to press the panic button when his eyes landed on her.
"Pacifica? What- Why are you here?"
She had smirked, a stark contrast to the exhaustion written all over her face. "Nice to see you too, dork. Can I come in?"
Dipper had nodded, moving aside and picking up one of her bags. "No, I- I'm happy to see you, obviously, I just thought- I mean, you didn't tell me you were coming, is all."
He was suddenly very aware that he wasn't wearing a shirt, and that every inch of him was covered in grease and oil.
Pacifica just let her eyes wander over him, clearing her throat and examining her nails. "Yeah, well. I got to leave classes a few days early and I thought it would be a nice surprise, is all."
"No, it is. For sure. Have you been home yet?" He asked, gesturing at her bags.
She shifted. "I was actually going to ask if maybe...I could stay? My parents don't expect me back until the end of July, and they're all the way on the other side of town..."
She trailed off, still avoiding Dippers' eyes- which he was grateful for, because he was blushing like crazy.
"Yeah! Yeah, totally. I mean, you would have to ask Grunkle Stan, and you would have to stay in Mabel's room, but yeah. He's out here, if you want to come ask."
She finally looked up, and the smile she gave Dipper made him feel like his vital organs turned to lava. "Thank you," she had said.
Dipper had just nodded awkwardly and led her outside to talk to Stan.
Those two months had really been the thing that solidified their friendship. Yeah, they were friends before, but seeing someone everyday, living with them, and running from Gravity Falls horrors with them formed a different type of bond.
That was also when Dipper realized his small little crush on Pacifica maybe wasn't just a small little crush anymore.
Speaking of Pacifica...
Dipper pulled into the parking lot (if you call the large patch of dirt a parking lot) of Greasy's Diner, spotting Pacifica's used 2021 Kia K5 that she had saved up for years to buy - with her own money from the diner, so her parents couldn't take it from her.
He pushed open the door to the diner, heading towards the counter. "Hey, Susan, is Pacifica here?"
She barely glanced up from pouring coffee. "Corner booth."
Dipper turned, expecting to see Pacifica taking someone's order (she worked overtime constantly), but instead saw Pacifica asleep, mouth slightly open, drooling onto the table.
He sat down across from her, but not before taking a picture. She had far too many bad pictures of him, and she looked good all the time, so moments like this were rare.
Susan passed by, setting down two lemonades on the table. "I told her to go home, but she insisted on waiting for your text. I guess she fell asleep before then."
Dipper sighed as Susan walked away, watching the way Pacifica's shoulder rose and fell. The only time she ever looked fully at peace was when she was asleep, and as much as Dipper loved to see her relaxed, he also recognized it was probably a little creepy to just watch her sleep.
So, he cleared his throat. "Pacifica?"
Nothing.
He sighed again. He was gonna have to shake her awake, which she hated. Physical touch - big no for her.
He hesitantly reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Pacifica, wake up."
She instantly jolted awake, jerking away from him.
She blinked rapidly. "Dipper? When did you get here?"
He fought back a smile as Pacifica hurriedly wiped the drool off of her face. "Just now. I dropped Mabel off at the mall first. We both texted, but I guess you were asleep by then."
Pacifica picked up her phone and groaned. "Sorry. I just...ugh. Sorry, Dip."
Dipper shrugged. "It's fine. Do you wanna tell me why you're passed out on the table?"
Pacifica sighed and rested her elbows on the table, cradling her head in her hands. "It's my parents."
"As usual."
This earned a small smile. "Yeah. But it's way worse than usual."
"Okay...like, shipping you to boarding school for four years worse?"
Pacifica groaned. "I wish. Dipper, they won't give me my money."
Dipper raises an eyebrow. "Pacifica, I'm not sure how to tell you this, but your family has more money than everyone in this entire town. Combined."
Pacifica glared at him. "Yeah. I know. And yet, they won't give me any of it."
Dipper just blinked. "I'm lost."
Pacifica sighed. "I have a trust fund, and it's worth a lot. My dad always told me he would give it to me when I turned sixteen. Then it was eighteen, then twenty-one, and now..." she trailed off, her eyebrows furrowing. "Look, I make money here. Not a lot, but honest money. But it's not enough. I would have to work here for, like, six more years to get the money to leave, Dipper. And I can't do that." Panic began to cloud her eyes. "I can't stay here for six more months, much less six more years. I have to get out."
She twisted her apron in her hands. "Like, okay, boarding school sucked, and I hated it and it was awful, but at least it wasn't here. Dipper, I told myself I would get the hell out of this town, away from my parents on my eighteenth birthday. And now... I'm twenty-four, and I'm lost. I can't go anywhere or do anything without my dad's approval. I'm trapped."
Dipper just sat there. He knew how badly Pacifica wanted to move and leave everything here behind, but there was a hint of desperation in her voice that hadn't been there before. He leaned forward slightly. "Why won't your dad just give you your money? I know he's an asshole, but you're quite literally a grown woman."
Her hands twitched, something that happened when she was tired or frustrated. "He has... a new stipulation for me."
Dipper raised an eyebrow. "That's never good."
Pacifica fidgeted with her straw wrapper, lowering her eyes to the table. "We fought about it last night. I told him I was going to find a way to get my money, because I am a grown woman and can do what I like. And he told me..."
She took a deep breath, dropping her hands to her lap. "He told me that I was only allowed access to my money if I married someone of his choosing."
Dipper stared. "What?"
Pacifica just shook her head, still staring at the table. "Apparently, it's been set up that way since he created it, and he was just lying to me to keep me in line. I have to marry someone who has 'worthy assets' and 'respect for our family name'. So, basically, some old, rich guy that only wants me for sex and my dad's money and connections."
She finally looked up. "So, essentially, I'm fucked either way. Either I stay here and die, or I marry someone I hate and lose my money anyway since he's using it to bribe them."
Dipper finally found his voice. "Pacifica, I am so sorry. That's...That's beyond fucked. I'm sorry."
She gave him a small smile. "Thanks, but there's nothing you can really do. I mean, if Soos needs another assistant in the Shack, you could let me know."
Dipper nodded. "He would definitely hire you on the spot, but there has to be another way out of this."
Pacifica sighed heavily. "Trust me, I've thought of everything. There's nothing I can do."
"What if there's something I could do?"
He spoke before he had really thought it through, but the faint flash of hope that darted over Pacifica's face made it worth it.
"I appreciate it, but unless you can change my dad's mind, which would be the equivalent of moving Mt. Everest, there really isn't anything you can do."
Dipper adjusted his glasses. "Okay, does he have, like, a list of dudes that he approves of, or is it just anyone who has a million bucks minimum?"
Pacifica frowned. "Um, he's shown me a few people, but right now I think he's just waiting for people to, like, reach out? Like I'm a fucking Craigslist ad or something."
"Okay, so, this might sound crazy, but what if he approved of me?"
Pacifica raised her eyebrows. "What?"
He wasn't really sure what he was talking about, but he kept going anyway. "I'm serious. I mean, he hasn't seen me since I was, like, twelve. All I have to do is make a fake Instagram. I can ask Marius to lend me pictures of his planes and castles. Hell, maybe even a copy of his family tree. Mabel can social media stalk like no one else, and I can one hundred percent lie convincingly enough."
Pacifica frowned. "I don't know, Dipper. It's risky. You would have to lie about your family, your job, your assets, even your name. Then you would have to actually meet my parents and pretend to like them and agree with them about whatever they say."
Dipper shrugged. "I got this. What, you don't trust me?"
Pacifica smiled. "No, of course I do. I just..." she sighed. "Dipper, I don't want to get my hopes up just to fall again."
He leaned forward. "You won't. I promise. I can pull this off, Pacifica. Trust me."
She stared at him, and Dipper could tell she was weighing the pros and cons in her head. Finally, the pros must have won, because she gave him a genuine smile.
"You're gonna need one hell of a story."
Dipper grinned. "Well, luckily for you, I happen to have a twin who is a master storyteller. Come by the Shack when she gets home, and we can workshop it?"
Pacifica gave him a wicked grin. "Actually, I have a better idea."
She pulled a credit card out of her back pocket and giggled. "He has so many he didn't even notice when I took this two months ago. If you want him to buy this, you're gonna need a new wardrobe."
Dipper groaned. "Please, no."
"Oh, yes. We're going shopping."