Chapter Text
The truth was, if they had to play this game then she would pretty much only go into the closet with Dipper. If either of those other boys tried it, they would have been kicked in the stomach which would have taken fifteen seconds and then what would they do with the last six minutes and forty five seconds?
Not that she was opposed to kicking Dipper in the stomach. Well. She was. Something in her gut had started to whisper, ‘He’s so cute. He’s so nice to you. He’s-‘
“Shhh,” she hissed.
“What?” Dipper looked over his shoulder as they both heard a burst of giggles and in unison they rolled their eyes, her shush forgotten.
He got really weird when they got inside the closet. It was pretty roomy, in all honesty. Pacifica assumed they would just talk. Make fun of the game and then maybe one kiss…
No. No kisses. He was her best friend and if this ruined that then she’d just about ruined her own life.
“This is such a dumb game.”
“It’s an excuse for people to kiss who really want to kiss but can’t figure out a normal way to kiss. Just awkward for the rest of us,” Dipper muttered.
“Let's just chill then. Why get all stressed? We just get to hang out without mouth breathers for seven minutes. That’s nice.”
Dipper grinned and sank to the floor, Pacifica followed him, leaving a good foot’s worth of space between them.
“Have you…?”
Dipper groaned, “I hate this.”
“That’s all the answer I need.”
He glared at her, “You?”
“Kinda?”
He raised his eyebrows, she shrugged.
“A guy from the soccer team asked to walk me home after practice and everyone was looking at me so I said yes, he was nice, I guess? Too boring to remember. When we got to my place he sort of-“ she ducked under what was clearly meant to be Pacifica, forward facing and helping no amount, “It was like a split second and just…” she brushed two fingers from the middle on her lips and slid them awkwardly to the outside of her mouth.
“What did you say?” Dipper’s eyes were on her lips. Maybe her lip gloss had escaped the lines of her mouth and given her that greasy, gross, just ate fried food look.
And then Pacifica shrugged because she knew she did it wrong, “I said, ‘Okay, thank you for walking me home.’”
“What?!” Dipper grinned. He looked weirdly relieved, just a bit more relaxed. Maybe her story reminded him that it wasn’t that big of a deal. It was just pushing lips together.
“You would want a whole declaration, wouldn’t you? You play it casual but you-“
“Stop it. Don’t picture my first kiss. It’s weird.”
“Why is it weird?” She wondered what Dipper thought of her story. If he thought it was super embarrassing. That she was rude. She didn’t mean to be, he just… didn’t mean anything to her.
“Was it nice?”
“It just… was.”
“Romantic.”
“He didn’t ask. He walked me home and it was just supposed to mean he liked me. He was in my chem class all year and I don’t even know his last name, that’s something you should know when you kiss someone,” she paused, “He was nice, it wasn’t like he meant for it to be nothing. I almost feel bad.”
“But not really?”
“No. It’s like… I should get to decide who I want to kiss and when. We should both think it’s a fun idea.”
“‘A fun idea’, you really are the peak of romance.”
“Okay, judgy, why haven’t you kissed anyone then?”
“Pretty much for exactly that reason. In case it’s weird. I think I’ll know when I want to kiss someone. And when they want to kiss me.”
“Do you worry about not being good at it?”
“Pacifica!”
“I do. When I really like someone, I want it to be like, ahh.”
“I think that’s as close to romance as you get, isn’t it?” But he kept looking at her lips, and she started to understand.
She waited. They started talking about high school parties and if they’d go. Pacifica went to one at the end of the year. It was fine and the owner of the house panicked two hours in and kicked everyone out, which was even more fine. Two hours was enough. Then she did it.
“Hey, Dipper, can you try not to make this weird?”
“Depends, what’s ’this’?”
“Do you want me to kiss you? So you know that the person likes you. Like as a person, not…”
And she expected that he’d laugh. Or get annoyed that she thought he needed her help. Instead he nodded and each nod made her relax a little.
“Yeah. That would be nice, you’re sure?”
“Mine was weird, you should get something chill. Maybe you can relax then.”
Dipper nodded. Pacifica was very not relaxed but she still turned to look at him, he turned to look at her. And there, sitting in a closet, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. She didn’t wait for him to lean in too, it probably wasn’t that kind of kiss, she thought she was kissing him and he’d just get to feel it. But he pressed into the kiss. They stayed there a second longer than was strictly necessary. His lips moved a bit, it was her turn to lean into it.
They pulled apart, eyes locked.
“You’re a decent kisser,” she said but it sounded a bit hollow because it wasn’t decent, it was really nice and she thought maybe it was just nice for her. A kiss that she chose, “You’re all set.”
“Yeah,” Dipper looked a bit shell shocked, then his eyes flashed back to her lips and then her eyes again.
“So, what do we talk about for…” she looked at his watch, “three minutes.”
Dipper’s voice got more confident, “We could just… keep kissing?”
She didn’t really need to think about it, “Yeah. Let’s do that.”
It took a second to figure their arms and hands, Dipper leaned back in before they really figured it out. Now two minutes left and impatient to use them and their hands sort of settled into place.
It started small, a soft kiss, a pause, just a beat, then another kiss. And then there stopped being pauses and they pressed in closer, the awkward hands turned into his arms around her waist, her arms over his shoulders.
His watch buzzed, startling them, pulling them apart like an electric shock. Arms didn’t get the memo, much more reluctant to let go.
“You’re so pretty,” Dipper said, looking a little dazed.
“You set your watch wrong,” Pacifica had begun to panic, leaving the closet meant all the kissing would end. She finally understood it, why people obsessed over it, “You set it in the living room but it starts when we get in the closet. Those are super basic rules, Dip.”
“Yeah,” he said, barely listening, “I took forever to get in here.”
Sure. Fine, whatever. Thinking was taking a back seat. Pacifica wondered if Dipper was confident enough to add tongue. No. Possibly? He wouldn’t. Or..? Maybe next time?
Next time? Haha. No. You didn’t kiss your best friend and you didn't try to slip them tongue. They both had the realization at the exact same time.
“Shit,” she said.
“Shit,” he said, looking focused for the first time in four minutes.
A distinctly Mabel knock, “Guys?”
“Shit,” Pacifica muttered.
“Hey, Mabel,” Dipper said, sounding exactly like someone who made out with their best friend and was trying to hide it.
“It’s been like… ten minutes.”
“Yeah…” Dipper looked at Pacifica with desperate eyes. God, his lips were so red. His shirt was so crumbled. Shit.
“Your brother is so wrong about…” Pacifica wracked her brain, “Waffles. French toast is the superior breakfast food.”
“Okay…” Mabel sounded unconvinced, “How long does that argument take?”
“We’re done.”
“Because I’m right.”
“No,” Pacifica snapped, so, so grateful that he figured out a way to let them neaten up, “Waffles are only good because of the shape. French toast tastes good.”
“Liege waffles are right there.”
“Uh… I’ll leave you guys to it. Come back when you’re… decided.”
“Yep!” Pacifica said brightly, “Will do!” Dipper put his head in his hands. Mabel would know. She must.
Pacifica took her hair down and quickly combed it out, telling Dipper to do the same. There wasn’t much to be done about their lips. Pacifica would go back and put on some lip gloss right away, Dipper would go to the kitchen for a drink and hopefully the cool water would help.
They agreed to their plan and avoided talking at all about what this meant. Dipper went to open the door and Pacifica did the same.
“You go.”
“No, no, you go.”
They both tried to go based on what the other said, then Dipper put his hands on her hips and moved her, opened the door and waited. She didn’t know if she could stand this being where the kissing ended forever. But she couldn’t lose her best friend, she just couldn’t.
“See you out there.”
Pacifica smiled, “Yep. Don’t be weird.”
“Same to you,” he looked at the closet.
Why were they leaving again? It was right there . Shit. Shitshitshit.
“Are you working tomorrow?”
That’s what he wanted to ask?
“Yeah, the morning shift.”
“Okay, I’ll see you there.”
“Will you?”
“Yeah. Why? Are you busy?”
“No, I just thought-“ she didn’t know what to say so she asked him a real question. She hated the way her voice changed, “Do you really think I’m pretty?”
Dipper frowned, he looked back to the closet. Back to her, he shrugged, “You know you’re pretty.”
“I didn’t know you thought I was pretty.”
“It’s not my fault you’re self-absorbed and never noticed.”
“So…?”
“This once,” Dipper was clearly enjoying this, he’d seen her uncertain before but she’d never really told him to tell her something. She had never told him that his was the only opinion she really cared about, it felt too vulnerable, she almost told him it didn’t matter, she didn’t care, he more or less already said it. And maybe he saw that switch because he caught her, “I think you’re pretty, really pretty. Probably too pretty to be in a closet with-“
“Shut up,” she said and honestly didn’t even consider that they were now outside of the safety of the closet when she darted forward for one last kiss, so quick that he didn’t even close his eyes, gone as he started to lean forward to meet her. As he tried to chase her, “You’re cute, Dipper. Let’s… figure this out tomorrow. Go a little too slow when we walk home, okay?”
He frowned, his confusion clear but he didn’t question her. Just nodded. Their now twenty minute absence was getting conspicuous. Had been conspicuous. Was getting more so by the minute. She came into the living room and found Grenda and Joel gone, Mabel chatting with Candy and Archer playing with his phone.
Mabel looked up, “Is it resolved?”
“Your brother is so bad at being wrong,” Pacifica sighed.
“But he’s right. Waffles are better.”
“The Pines are so bad at being wrong,” Pacifica sighed, as though she barely heard.
“You guys were in there for a really long time,” Mabel’s suspicion was not only clear but she was almost sure. Almost.
“It was kind of nice to be away from all the hormones,” Pacifica said, which was true.
“Did you-“
“Even if we did, maybe we can just leave it? Just let it go, for right now. For a bit longer, maybe.”
Mabel was as relaxed as Pacifica ever saw her when it came to her brother and romance, “I’ll allow it.”
“Great, thank you.”
Dipper came back, looking pretty neat, all things considered, Mabel only stared at him for three minutes, her eyebrows furrowed and with Dipper studiously ignoring her, not bothering to pretend it was by accident. He just literally refused to make any sort of eye contact in her direction.
Candy and Archer were next in the closet, leaving Mabel the only one, presumably, unkissed but if this bothered her, she didn’t show it. Pacifica sort of understood, Mabel wanted summer romances not kisses in a closet with boys she barely knew. And Pacifica had to admit she was a tiny bit grateful to have gone into the closet with someone she not only knew but had been wanting to kiss for at least the last few weeks. Maybe since the start of summer. Probably the start of summer. Dear God, did it go back to before summer?
She realized with genuine horror that she didn’t know when she first developed a crush on Dipper Pines but it was a bit embarrassing that she hadn’t even noticed it happening. Was it…? No, before that. It could have been… No. Before that. Wendy’s little comments on emotional repression were starting to make more sense and it was frankly annoying when Wendy was right because she was always right and it drove Pacifica crazy.
Dipper wasn’t even taller than her. Wait. Was he?
“You’re staring at my brother,” Mabel whispered very loudly, “It’s making me want to be less relaxed and more shouty about this.”
“No. Nope, we’re not doing this right now. I’m going to get water and I’m coming back in fifteen minutes. You’re going to not have that-” she waved her hand, “ that expression on your face when I get back.”
“Do you want me to send Dipper with you…?” Mabel said with her evil, sweet, not even pretending not to be totally pleased with herself tone.
“I’m going to murder both of you if I see you in the next fifteen minutes,” Pacifica said, “I’m only nice enough to let you pick who dies first. Your move.”
“... I’ll uh, keep him here,” Mabel didn’t even question whether Pacifica was serious. She was dangerous when she used that voice.