#reverse dipifica

Her eyes were squeezed shut and she pressed her hand against her heaving chest as she desperately tried to regain her breath. Her entire body seemed to sag with relief as she released a long sigh. Whatever relaxation she had gained by barging into his secluded corner was destroyed when she opened her eyes and actually realized Dipper was there. A squeak of surprise left her lips when she saw him standing across from her. 

Dipper hadn’t recognized her upon her sudden appearance since the shock of the moment had stalled his thought process. Her face was concealed by the mask she wore and the cover of darkness that obscured her features. However, Dipper would know those big lilac eyes anywhere. He hadn’t expected her to be here, which, in hindsight, was a foolish assumption. This was her family’s Masquerade and it only made sense that she would return to Gravity Falls from her boarding school when it was winter break. As the surprise of the moment wore off, a smirk curved at his lips.

“Pacifica,” he said, standing to his full height and inclining his head in a silent greeting. “You look stunning.”

Her reaction was immediate, and her surprise at seeing him there melted away into an expression of rage. 

“What are you doing here?” she sneered, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her eyes were burning as she glared in his direction, reflecting the glow of what little candlelight had filtered into the hallway. 

Dipper shrugged at her question, and the ever-present smile on his face successfully riled her up even further. She never could control her temper when he was around. 

“I was invited,” he replied. He watched in interest as Pacifica directed her glare towards the ballroom floor and cursed under her breath. “I’m sure the town would have rioted if the county’s most beloved pair of twins were snubbed an invitation to your family’s New Years Eve Masquerade.”

“And why would you even want to be here?” she asked, rolling her eyes in exasperation. She gestured towards the ballroom, just as a slower and softer string quartet filled the air and another waltz began. “You hate parties. Or socializing in general.”

Dipper ignored the jab that she made at his recluse nature. He was more than used to her sarcasm, he even enjoyed it from time to time. “I’m not exactly eager to be here, but Mable was insistent.”

She scoffed at that. “And God forbid Mable doesn’t get what she wants.”

It was her tone that set him off, along with the way that she spat out his sister’s name like it was poison. His brow twitched in irritation as he reached for the pendant at his collar. He stopped himself before his fingertips could brush the surface. He could tell she wore her bloodstone, the silver chain around her neck and the dark crystal tucked under her bodice gave that away. His amulet would have no effect on her. But his desire to snap back at her was overwhelming.

“And why are you here Pacifica?” he hissed, bitterness hanging on his words. “I know you hate these social events as much as I do.”

“It’s my parents’ party,” Pacifica countered, straightening her spine and holding her chin high. With her regal gown and the jewels she was adorned with, she looked like a queen. “I have to be here.”

“I’m surprised they even bothered to ship you back up to Gravity Falls,” he said, watching with a measure of satisfaction as her shoulders became tense. 

“Shut up,” she whispered, her eyes darting towards the ballroom. 

Dipper ignored her harsh demand, gaining far too much enjoyment from igniting her temper. “Funny, how your parents only acknowledge your existence when you need to make a publi-“

Dipper barely had time to react when Pacifica jolted forward without warning, pressing her chest against his so she effectively shoved him into the wall. Her hand was clamped over his mouth, but Dipper couldn’t bring himself to care. He was sure she could feel the desperate pounding of his heart, considering how firmly she was pressed against his chest. Pacifica, for her part, was perfectly composed as she pushed the two of them against the wall and focused all her attention on the outside of the hallway. 

A woman with sandy blonde hair done up in an elaborate twist stormed past the narrow corridor. The woman’s artfully applied makeup and her elaborate mask did nothing to hide the ugly scowl on her lips, nor her identity. Though, Dipper doubted that even at a masquerade, Priscilla Northwest would ever want to remain anonymous. Her elegant crimson dress whispered against the ballroom floor as she swept past them. Pacifica pressed herself against him further, as if she were trying to force them both to disappear into the wall. Her head tucked itself neatly under his nose, and Dipper pressed his face into her hair and inhaled the scent of strawberries like a man plagued by starvation.

Once the woman was out of sight, Pacifica leaned back from him without removing her hand from his mouth. She peeked around the corner for a brief moment, making sure that her mother had truly passed them by without knowledge of their presence. 

Dipper manoeuvred his head so he was free of her grasp. “Miss Northwest,” he murmured, angling his head so he could draw her attention back to him. She whipped around and stared up at him in shock when she realized their delicate position. “Are you hiding from your parents in order to be with me? I’m flattered.”

Pacifica immediately shoved herself away from him, her lip curling in barely repressed disgust. 

“Screw you,” she hissed, keeping her voice barely above a whisper just in case her mother was close enough to hear. 

Dipper knew his response was cheap, but he couldn’t help himself. “I hardly think this is the place.” 

Pacifica backed further away from him, her cheeks becoming a bright and visible red under the limited lighting. She pressed her back into the wall as she glared in his direction. 

“You’re repulsive,” she said. Dipper didn’t mind her venomous tone when she looked completely adorable while she was embarrassed and flustered. “And FYI, I only hid in this hallway because I thought it was empty. If I’d known you were in here I would have avoided it like the plague.” She paused in her tirade, looking thoughtful for a moment before she continued. “Speaking of which, get out.”

“I was here first,” Dipper replied, crossing his arms over his chest as he regarded her. “Find your own hiding spot.”

“It’s my house,” she sneered in retaliation. “All the hiding spots are my hiding spots. Now get out.”

Dipper grinned, his green eyes glinting in the candlelight and his voice lowering into a sensual purr. “Make me.” 

Her face flushed with further embarrassment and rage, glaring at him with all the bile that she could muster. Before long her face grew so warm from looking at him, that she was forced to turn her gaze towards the ground. Her exceptionally bright blush, and the fact that he had caused her sudden bashfulness made him beam with pride and jubilation. 

“I swear, this night is cursed,” Pacifica hissed in exasperation, slumping into the wall. She showed no care for bending the wings that were strapped to her back. “First, my mom tries to pawn me off to any asshole with a wealthy father and a trust-fund.” Dipper stiffened at that statement. His smug grin faltered with the knowledge that she was being pursued by other young men at this party. “And then, when I finally get away from her, I run into you. The psycho mind-controlling magician that’s obsessed with me.”

It was like cold water was being tossed over his head, dousing any pleasure he had gained from this interaction. Something serpentine and spiteful coiled tightly in his stomach. He was aware that she knew how he felt. It’s not as if he hid it from her the last time he saw her in the summer. However, for her to point it out so candidly and with such hatred in her tone, stung more than he cared to admit. “Your vanity is astounding, Northwest,” he hissed under his breath. “I’m not obsessed with you.”

Pacifica looked back up at him with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Her blush had vanished and she seemed thoroughly unconvinced. “So you weren’t smelling my hair before?” she asked in a deadpan tone. 

Dipper froze, and his eyes grew wide as if he were staring death directly in the face. Crap. He had been hoping that she hadn’t noticed that. 

“I was struggling to breathe through the chemicals,” he sneered, quickly covering his mortified expression with a look of disgust. “Did you drench your head in hairspray?”

“And all the times you stared at me from afar during the summer, and constantly crept around me?” Pacifica asked, pushing herself up from her slumped position against the wall. She stood taller than usual, due to the heels she had, no doubt, been forced to wear. “What, was that all for the sake of the journal?”

“Yes,” he said, holding his head high with the pride that he could manage. “And sometimes I found you marginally attractive. When you weren’t dressed like a slob, that is.”

She hummed in thought, and her eyes seemed to shift to a darker shade as she took a slow step towards him. “Then I guess you don’t care that we’re in this dark narrow hallway. All alone.” She took slow deliberate steps towards him as her words filtered through her rosy lips like silk. Within moments, the distance between the two of them was closed and her face was inches away from his own. “No sweat for Dipper Pines.”

It took all of Dipper’s strength not to shudder as she leaned in towards him, balancing precariously on the balls of her feet. He refused to show her weakness, even as she peered up at him with lilac eyes that were clouded by shadow. So, gnashing his teeth, he quickly snapped back at her. “It’s not.”

Her eyes narrowed for a moment, the corners of her eyes crinkling with irritation. A coy smile curled at her lips as she placed her hand against his chest. He could feel the warmth of her palm seeping through his clothes and into his skin. 

“Then why is your heart beating so fast,” she murmured.  

It would be too easy to lean into her touch and close that minuscule distance she had kept between their lips. It would be too easy to slip his hand to the nape of her neck and snake his arm around her waist, keeping her from squirming away while he kissed her. Unfortunately, such a reaction was exactly what she expected, exactly what she wanted. And Dipper wouldn’t allow himself to prove her right. However, since she had decided to play this game, there was no reason that he shouldn’t play along. He would like to see how long she could keep this up. 

“You’re awfully fixated on my reaction to your flirtation,” Dipper whispered, inclining his head as he reached up to tuck a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. Given the fact that she was the one to start this, her own pride wouldn’t allow her to recoil from him. Or perhaps, she didn’t actually mind it. “Are you sure I’m the one who’s obsessed?” 

Pacifica didn’t move an inch as Dipper lightly traced the outline of her jaw with his fingertips. She simply regarded him, with a strange look in her eyes. Without a hint of unease or hesitation, Pacifica reached up with her other hand and delicately ran her fingers through his hair. She never broke eye contact, so Dipper wouldn’t either. It was a silent challenge, a test to see which of them would break first. 

It turned out to be Pacifica, though it had had nothing to do with him. A shrill voice commanded their attention and Pacifica immediately pushed herself away from him.  

“Pacifica Elise Northwest!” Pricilla yelled, storming up to her daughter with an absolutely livid expression. Pacifica shrank back at the sight, curling in on herself and looking to the floor with shame. “You’re hiding from our guests? Why do you always act like a child? Do you gain some sick pleasure from embarrassing me?”

“No mother, I was just…”

“It doesn’t matter. Now come along,” Pricilla’s hand latched onto Pacifica’s arm like the claw of a monster, right before she dragged her out of the corridor. Dipper was quick to follow them, his heart jolting with an uncomfortable jitteriness when he saw Pacifica stumble as a result of being yanked along by her mother. “The Earl’s son has been waiting to dance with you all night. If you can manage to do the bare minimum and act like a respectable girl, you may end up as nobility.”

“Actually, Mrs. Northwest,” Dipper spoke up quickly. Thankfully Pricilla had heard him, stopping her relentless march and turning to look in his direction. “Pacifica promised the next dance to me,” he lied, watching as the blonde’s eyes widened in shock and her mother’s eyes narrowed into slits. “If it’s not too much of an imposition, I just don’t know when I’ll have another chance.”

There was a moment of silence that stretched on for longer than Dipper would have liked. Pricilla looked him over with a suspicious glare just before her face split into a tight smile. “Of course,” she stated in a friendly manner, though the tension in her voice suggested she was far from happy. Reluctantly, she released the vice grip that she had on her daughter’s arm. Pacifica quickly pulled away, rubbing at the red skin on her bicep. “My apologies.”

Pacifica watched her mother saunter away, her elegant dress swishing against the ballroom floor. She turned to Dipper with an alarmed expression. “Did you just mind control her?”

“No, I knew your mother wouldn’t want to deny her guests a polite request,” Dipper replied honestly. Although, the idea of mind control had been tempting after seeing the way Pricilla treated her only daughter. He had quickly decided against it. “God forbid word got out that she was a bad hostess.”

Pacifica turned back to see that her mother had vanished into the crowd. When she turned back around, the shy smile that she wore was enough to make his heart flutter. “Thanks.”

“It’s alright,” Dipper muttered as he turned his gaze away. The modesty only lasted for a moment before he turned back to her with a smug grin. “Considering your obsession with me, you were probably clamouring for a dance anyway.”