Despite what her parents said later, Pacifica knew it had been her fault.

It was the summer after the No Speak Summer. Despite the law banning any mention of Him, research into Gravity Falls's weirdness was still ongoing. Fiddleford McGucket was one of them. Pacifica hadn't really been doing anything when he announced he was looking for interns. She had submitted her application and had been surprised when she was accepted. She didn't have many actual friends in the first place. It was better than listening to her parents whine and complain about being poor. But, better yet, it was interesting.

It was fun .

Candy and Grenda were interns too and it was fun, after some awkward apologies, to bounce from place to place with them in between school, learning about this new world that had opened up for Pacifica the moment those golfheads had tied her down. But that wasn't the best thing that arrived that summer.

Mabel Pines.

The ball of energy in sweaters and glitter, a pig trailing behind her, who had handed Pacifica a letter saying good-bye with her address and email. Pacifica had answered the first email with a roll of her eyes. Then Mabel had replied and then she found herself bouncing here. Response to response, talk about their days mixing in with the updates of brother and friends. And then Pacifica had typed out I love you without realizing it.

Because she did. She really, truly did.

Mabel hadn't even paused. I love you too , she typed out, in the I wanna give you flowers and kiss you way .

They had talked. And talked some more.

And in the end, Pacifica had a new girlfriend.

A new girlfriend who had bounded up to her and kissed her cheek the moment she was off the bus when summer came.

The girlfriend Pacifica had been distracted by when she was showing the twins the fairy tree she and Candy had found in early spring. Mabel had been grinning with braceless teeth at a joke Dipper had cracked, the sun catching her chocolate eyes in a way that made Pacifica's stomach twist. And then Pacifica had slipped, fallen down the hill, and landed with a funny crack on her leg.

Her last thought had been fuck .

Then she screamed.

Pacifica had been unable to enjoy Mabel scooping her up in strong arms, so distracted by the pain. The doctor the twins had quickly taken her to told her it was broken. And she needed a cast and crutches for up to a month.

A month. Half the time Mabel would be in Gravity Falls.

Pacifica sat in the Mystery Shack now, arms crossed and pouting. It was much better than home, where her parents could tell her that they told her so. It's not safe in the woods. McGucket is an insane idiot. Why not get a boyfriend instead and get rid of those Pines ? She mouthed these thoughts, her hand moving up and down like a mouth. If she listened to her parents at all, they would probably be dead.

"How's my favorite girlfriend doing?"

Mabel poked her head in, an apologetic smile on her face. Pacifica raised a brow. Last she checked, Candy and Grenda were heading to the mall with Dipper- both to investigate some apparently haunted animatronics and to go clothes shopping. "I thought you were going to the mall with everyone else." She certainly couldn't, her running ability hampered by the crutches and cast.

"Well, they invited me." Mabel bounded in, revealing she held a tray of cookies that glittered ominously. Waddles trailed behind as she sat down on the dino skull, Mabel's arm pressed against Pacifica's as she balanced the tray on the arm of the chair, before taking the blonde's hands. Pacifica's heart jumped as she entwined their fingers, her chipped rainbow nails a silly contrast to Pacifica's own neat hot pink nails. She tried to ignore the large scar that stretched across Mabel's palm. She didn't want to remember him . "But I wanted to stay here with you."

"Mabel," Pacifica groaned, leaning back as she took a cookie, accepting her fate of eventually eating them. "You didn't have to. I don't want to ruin your fun." The brunette smiled at her. "Seriously! I can hang out by myself, no problem. There are movies on!" To prove her point, she grabbed the remote and clicked the TV on.

"I'm the Widdlest Wumpire!"

Silently, Pacifica clicked the TV off.

Okay, no. No memories of Gideon's horrible psychic act.

"See?" she tried. "Totally fine."

More weight against her arm made Pacifica look down. "Except, I know you better than that," Mabel said, smiling up at her softly. "And I know you'll be bored and lonely. So!" She straightened up, the soft smile replaced by a giant grin. "I figured out some stuff we can do together!" She pulled out a piece of paper, unfolding it out until the end hit the floor.

Pacifica couldn't help it. Her heart fluttered. Mabel had put in a lot of work for this, it seems. And all for her.

"First thing!" And Mabel was bouncing out of the room with the list, leaving Pacifica and Waddles there.

When she got back, Pacifica had barely set the empty plate of cookies back on the tray. Hopefully, Mabel would assume the glitter around Waddles' mouth was just Mabel's presence. Her thoughts were shaken out of this when Mabel set what looked like a truly massive box of paints and crayons and colored pens on the floor. "What's the first thing?" she asked, a touch afraid.

"Painting your cast, silly!" Mabel grabbed the container of pens, pulling out the hot pink one. "I'm surprised you haven't gotten anyone to sign it yet. That's like Having a Cast 101! But," She started working, carefully tracing out her name in cute calligraphy. "I'm also glad you waited. Because it means," She pulled her hand away, revealing Mabel to be written in Pacifica's favorite color, a small pig footprint drawn underneath it. "I get to be the first one."

Her poor heart wasn't going to last if Mabel kept being this cute for the rest of their lives.

"I mean...I didn't really think about it..." Pacifica looked away, the heat in her cheeks almost making her faint. "But I'm glad you were the first."

The smooth feeling of a marker in her hand made her look down, to where she held the hot pink. "Well?" Mabel asked, grabbing the seafoam green pencil. "Don't you want your cast to look pretty?"

Pacifica didn't hesitate.

Soon enough, her cast was a whirlwind of colors, with blank spaces left for Dipper, Candy, and Grenda to sign their names. Soos and Melody had signed it as they passed through, Soos adding a little doodle of him giving a thumbs up. Next to Doodle Soos were hearts and flowers and birds and so much else, Mabel's cartoony art style marrying the scientific style Fiddleford had taught Pacifica.

And Pacifica felt better. "What next?"

Mabel's smile was blinding. "More cookies!" she said, jumping up before helping her up. "I got special edible glitter!"

Pacifica followed her, her smile growing.

Maybe her girlfriend was right and this month would be fun.