Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/ works/4342139. Rating: Explicit Archive Warning: Underage Category: F/F, M/M Fandom: Gravity_Falls Relationship: Bill_Cipher/Dipper_Pines, Pacifica_Northwest/Mabel_Pines, (maybe mabifica!!_maybe_eventually_unsure_yet), (this_is_a_billdip_fic_so_idk) Character: Bill_Cipher, Human!Bill_-_Character, Dipper_Pines, Mabel_Pines Additional Tags: BillDip, cipherpines, Alternate_Universe_-_High_School Stats: Published: 2015-07-14 Updated: 2015-07-16 Chapters: 2/? Words: 4492 ****** Nobody Gets Me But You ****** by billdipmixtape Summary After a car crash killed Mabel and Dipper's parents, the orphaned twins are sent to live with their Grunkle Stan in Gravity Falls. Now seventeen, the two are enrolled at Northwest High School. Mabel, who retained the outgoing attitude and charm that she had when she was twelve, fits right in and makes new friends. Dipper, who retained his awkward demeanor and anxious tendencies (as well as his obsession with the paranormal), is viewed as odd and not horribly likable by his peers. Except one. Dipper hits it off fantastically with the clever outcast Bill Wentworth. There's something familiar and not quite right about Bill- and Dipper makes it his mission to figure him out. Notes ok hi this is my first billdip fic and i only recently got into this ship and also i havent done much writing recently so go easy on me k (tho i'd love feedback lmao talk 2 me!!) billdipmixtape.tumblr.com aight so I would say anything big in the show that happened after sock opera isn't canon in this fic (example: stanford coming back). basically gravity falls mellowed out in terms of weirdness and danger after that and there is a reason for that in the fic. this is mainly just a fluffy cute high school fic tho. ye ***** Chapter One ***** Dipper sat in the passenger seat of his Grunkle’s car solemnly, staring out the window. He let his vision blur and the orange October trees blended together as the car sped by the ENTERING GRAVITY FALLS sign on the side of the road. The ride from the Portland International Airport to Gravity Falls had been mostly silent, besides Grunkle Stan’s oldies radio station playing quietly and Mabel’s sniffling from the backseat. Mabel eyes were perpetually wet since their parent’s funeral where as Dipper couldn’t find a tear to shed. It’s not that he wasn’t sad; he was devastated. He was numb. Crying just wasn’t in him. He wasn’t strong enough to cry.   As they got closer to the Mystery Shack- the setting of every single one of the twins’ summer adventures- neither Dipper or Mabel, now seventeen, felt the same excitement that they usually did when nearing their second home. As Dipper’s eyes met Mabel’s bloodshot ones in the rearview mirror, they felt a new era begin. They were unsure whether it would be a good one or a bad one.    When they pulled into the driveway, three girls that Mabel befriended over their summers at the shack, Candy, Grenda, and Pacifica, were sat on the front steps, waiting. They began to rise as soon as they noticed the car, their faces full of concern. Mabel had hardly waited for the car to stop when she opened the door and ran to them, her sobbing starting up again as her friends wrapped their arms around her. Dipper couldn’t even see his sister, who was in the center of a group hug receiving I’m here for you’s and it’ll be okay’s.    Dipper leaned against the car and sighed, his breath visible in the chilly fall air. He couldn’t help but be slightly envious of the friends his sister had made over the years. Pleasing people was just so easy for her, and they were like yin and yang: she was extroverted, bubbly, outgoing, and friendly, and he was introverted, shy, anxious, and weird- and not weird in the fun way that Mabel was. He didn’t bother to try to make any friends of his own during their summers here, so he didn’t have a right to be disappointed that none were waiting for him.   He felt his Grunkle’s hand on his shoulder and looked up at him. Although he looked old, he hadn’t aged since they were kids. That was a comforting constant. “I’m gonna take the rest of you and Mabel’s stuff to your room. You need anything? You okay?”   Dipper nodded, and looked to the path leading into the woods. “Yeah. I’m just gonna go for a walk. I’ve never seen the woods during this time of year.”   Stan looked at him, his worry obvious. “You want me to come? Will you be okay by yourself?”   Dipper understood his concern, but he was annoyed nonetheless. Ever since his parents died, people were treating him like a fragile glass tchotchke. He was fine. He didn’t need to be put on a shelf and watched with caution. “I’m okay, I just want to clear my head. I’ll be back soon.”   His Grunkle walked around the car to the trunk to get the luggage and Dipper walked to the path. He was used to the woods being a rich dark green with colorful flowers scattered about. He was used to beads of sweat finding their way to his forehead. Now, he was zipping up his hoodie and shoving his hands in his pockets as he crunched brown leaves beneath his feet and looked up at the orange and red ones that were preparing to abandon their branches. There was so much change happening, and Dipper wasn’t sure if he was ready for it. He wasn’t sure if he was ever gonna be used to it.     -   It had been two weeks since their arrival. Stan had given Mabel and Dipper time to mourn and settle into their new home. They had helped around the shop a lot and led the few tours that happened during the Mystery Shack’s off season; when they weren’t working, they were watching movies in their pajamas and taking the golf cart on joy rides through the woods. They would take the journals they had found when they were kids with them and try to find the gnomes and fairies they remember seeing when they were twelve, but they were never around. After their initial summer there, the one with the triangular demon and the lake monster and the mermaid boyfriend and the child fortune teller, Gravity Falls seemed like a fairly normal town. The citizens were still odd, but there was hardly ever a supernatural sighting. The strange vibe was still there though, that never left. Whether or not there was magical creatures in the town, the town was still magical.   But on the two week mark, Stan had decided it was time for them to go to school. If they missed any more, chances were likely they would have to either go to summer school or repeat junior year. The only reason they were able to miss so much already was because of the loss in the family. So it was nearing the end of October and the twins were wearing first-day-of-school esque outfits and standing in the office of the Northwest High School waiting for their schedules to print.   When handed them, they compared their classes quickly. They only had F Period gym together, which was better than nothing, but dropped today on the rotating schedule the school functioned by. They unfortunately, did not have the same lunch period today.   Mabel sighed. “Well, let’s meet after school by the track and then walk home, okay?”   Dipper nodded. He could tell by the way Mabel was twirling her hair that she was nervous. He took his sister’s free hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”   They locked eyes for a moment, and she smiled. She trusted her brother, and if he said they would be fine, they would be fine.    The first bell rang, causing them both to jump. Students spilled out of their homerooms and flooded the hall, bringing the sound of scuffling feet and loud conversation with them. The twins gave each other one more look of encouragement before parting ways. Four more periods until lunch, and then the day would be basically halfway over, and they could go home. They would be fine.    -   Dipper was not so sure that he would be fine.    Mabel, on the other hand, was doing great.    When they passed each other in the hallway when she was leaving lunch and he was going to it, she was surrounded by her three best friends and two more people he didn’t recognize at all. Her wave to him was accompanied by a toothy grin. He could only return a forced smile. Although happy that his twin made new friends, Dipper once again found himself jealous of her ability to do so.    He wasn’t sure if people didn’t notice him, or if they were ignoring him. Likely the latter, as people must recognize him. He basically grew up with most of these people. They’d let him join their volleyball teams in the summer when they were short a player. They’ve all been to the Mystery Shack. Sure, a lot of them teased him for his awkward behavior and he knew most of them thought his slight obsession with the paranormal was weird, but it’d be nice if at least one person said hi. Either way, he had just as many friends now as he began  the school day with: zero.    Which meant zero people to sit with at lunch, seeing that Mabel, Candy, Grenda, and Pacifica weren’t in this lunch.   Dipper found a seat at an empty table in the corner of the cafeteria. He pushed around the watery mac and cheese that was on his tray with a plastic spoon, debating with his growling stomach on whether or not he could bring himself to eat it when someone plopped down in the seat across from him, causing the table to shake.   “Heya, Pine Tree!” said the stranger, who beamed at him with a glimmer in his light brown- nearly golden-eyes. His blond hair was a stark contrast to his dark skin.   Pine Tree. Why was that nickname hitting a nerve? “Pine Tree?” Dipper responded, his reaction late. He didn’t realize that he was silent for nearly a minute. He assumed he zoned out while in thought, or he got distracted by the guy’s looks and had been staring. “Why did you call me that? Have we met?”   The boy smiled. “No, I don’t think we have. You just have a pine tree on your hat,” he explained, leaning across the table to take the ratty old thing off of Dipper before pulling it onto his own head. “How do I look?”   He was a handsome guy, and he knew it. Dipper could tell by the way he was smiling and raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, it suits you,” Dipper admitted, chuckling a little bit. He ran a hand through his hair, knowing it must look messy without his hat to cover his unruly curls. He still didn’t know this guys name.    “Your hair looks fine,” the guy said. “The curls are cute, kid. I’m Bill, by the way. And you’re Dipper.”   Dipper’s cheeks flushed at the word cute. He was still mulling over why the nickname ‘Pine Tree’ sounded familiar, and something clicked when he heard the name Bill. “Wait, are you sure we haven’t met before? I swear-“   “Don’t worry about it right now, we’ve got a more imminent concern at the moment,” Bill interrupted, staring at his hands nervously.   Dipper looked at him in confusion, about to ask what he meant, when someone ripped Dipper’s hat off of Bill’s head. Dipper looked up to see Gabe, the former puppeteer, towering over their table. Once puberty hit, Gabe got brawny and buff, and ditched puppets for sports. He was certainly intimidating, and was never afraid to tell Dipper that he thought he was a weirdo. Things got worse after Gabe found out that Dipper happened to be bisexual.    “Aw, are you gays already sharing clothes? That’s adorable,” he sneered, harshly throwing the hat on the table.   “Gabe, don’t you and your internalized homophobia have anything better to do? It’s no secret what you’re thinking in the locker room,” Bill grinned, his voice intensely smug. “When all your teammates are strippin’ down…”   Gabe’s entire face went red. Dipper couldn’t tell if was because he was furious that Bill would even suggest that, or if it was because Bill’s words held truth. “Shut it, Wentworth!”   “Make me, baby,” Bill said with a wink. “C’mon, Pine Tree.”    Dipper nodded and stood up, pulling on his hat. As they left the cafeteria, Bill blew a kiss to Gabe.   They walked together in the empty hallway in silence for a brief moment, before turning to each other and making eye contact, which is when they immediately started laughing so hard they both began to water at the eyes.   “He… looked like he was about to explode,” Dipper managed to say between convulsing and gasping for air. “How did you know that he was gonna react like that?”   Bill shrugged, “Takes a gay to know a gay.”   The bell rang before Dipper could say something humorous in response (he wanted to hear Bill’s laugh again- his laughter was maniacal and infectious) and Bill began to turn to walk away. “Hey, Bill?”   Bill turned his head towards Dipper immediately, expectedly. “Yes, Pine Tree?”   “You know where the Mystery Shack is?” Bill nodded. “I live there.” Bill nodded again. The hallways were getting crowded now and Dipper needed to get a move on to figure out where his classroom was. “If you don’t have anything planned this Friday, for Halloween, you should stop by. My sister and I are having a movie night.”   Bill nodded again, a grin now on his face. “Okay. See you there, Pine Tree.”   -   Dipper was waiting by the track when he saw his sister approaching, walking backwards to wave goodbye to her new friend group.    She ran to Dipper, throwing her arm over his shoulders. “Hey, bro-bro,” she smiled, calling him by his pet name. “How was your day?”   Dipper shrugged, and they began to walk back to the Mystery Shack. “It was okay. Got to debate about themes in Lovecraft stories in English class, that was cool.”   “I don’t even have to ask, I know you won that one,” she grinned, bumping her hip against his playfully.   “You know it,” he said, smiling. “How was yours?”   “Y’know, it was okay. I think we’ll be okay here, Dip. I made a bunch of new friends. Mind if I invite a few to our movie night on Friday?”   “Course not, go ahead… I invited someone too, actually.”   “Oh my gosh, who?! I’m so glad you made a friend, you big nerd,” she exclaimed, practically jumping out of her skin and doing an excited twirl on the sidewalk.   “Don’t sound so surprised!” Dipper scoffed, mock offense in his tone. “You aren’t the only one with social skills, you know.”    She gave him a doubtful look.   “Yeah, I know.”   “So who?!”   “Some guy named Bill Wentworth? Have we met him before? He seems really familiar.”   Mabel pursed her lips, thinking hard. “No, I don’t think so… Wait!” She said, snapping her fingers. “Wentworth, like Lazy Susan Wentworth?”   “Huh, maybe,” Dipper said, scratching the back of his neck. “They don’t look at all related, though. I’ll ask Stan about it when we get home.”   Mabel nodded, and then went on and on about how she thinks Dipper and one of her new friends would hit it off. Dipper nodded and listened about how her friend loved the paranormal and stuff, but Dipper zoned out about halfway home.    He couldn’t stop thinking about his new friend’s golden eyes.   ***** Chapter Two ***** Chapter Notes ye btw since the twins are older now they decided to have separate rooms See the end of the chapter for more notes Dipper and Mabel were hanging up decorations and cleaning their living room in preparation for their guests to arrive. Halloween was always one of their favorite holidays, especially when they were kids and would dress up in matching costumes; they had deemed that too childish when they were fifteen and stopped wearing costumes, but seeming childish was not going to stop them from at least putting up some orange streamers with cute bats hanging from them across the ceiling, and it certainly wouldn't stop them from putting a skeleton wearing sunglasses on the couch. The twins plopped down on either side of their stylish skeleton friend with an exhale. "So," Dipper said, "who did you invite over tonight?" "Y'know, my gals," she responded, implying Grenda, Candy, and Pacifica, "plus Emily and Debbie."  "Emily's the one who likes sci-fi and stuff, right?" Dipper asked, kind of excited to finally meet someone who had similar interests as him. "Yup yup!" Mabel smiled, kind of excited that she got to do some platonic match making for her brother. She glanced at the clock on the wall above the TV. Upon realizing they only had fifteen minutes until people would show up, she stood and said, "I'm gonna go get ready. Is that Bill guy coming?" "Uh, I think so," Dipper shrugged, "he said he was gonna, but he hasn't been in school. I haven't seen him since I invited him." "Bummer," she sighed, "I was looking forward to meeting your new best friend."  Dipper rolled his eyes at this. "He's not my best friend, Mabel. We talked once." "Whaaaaatever," She laughed as she turned to walk up the stairs to her room. Dipper turned to the skeleton. "I hope she doesn't say anything like that if Bill comes. How embarrassing would that be? Huh?" The skeleton did not reply. It was, after all, made of plastic. "You have a way with words, Skully." Dipper pushed himself up from the couch and went to his room. He glanced at himself in the full length mirror that hung on the wall. His hair was a mess and he had some kind of stain on his shirt. He hasn't washed a single article of clothing since moving in to the Mystery Shack, and everything was starting to smell a little weird. Bill was a pretty stylish guy. When they met, he was wearing a black cable net sweater with a yellow collared shirt underneath with a pair of skinny jeans. Not many people at Northwest High School could pull that off, or would even try to. If Dipper was gonna impress Bill, he was gonna have to change his outfit. And start doing his laundry.  After sifting through his drawers, Dipper settled on wearing the same jeans he had on before with a black graphic tee shirt that had a festive cartoon ghost on it underneath an open plaid shirt. With only five minutes left to spare, he ran his fingers through his hair in attempt to tame his curls and walked through a cloud of cologne on his way back to the living room. Mabel came down bouncing down the stairs in a black skirt paired with tights and a chunky black turtle neck that had a orange jack-o-lantern on it. "Tah- dah!" She said, throwing her arms up. "How do I look? Isn't my latest creation adorable? "Your best work yet, Mabes," Dipper said, smiling. Mabel was really one of a kind.  "Hey, you changed your outfit too," She said, looking suspicious. "You look nice." "Thank-" "Who are you looking nice for?" She said, sitting down next to him, her face near to his as though she was interrogating him.  "Can't a guy just look nice? Sheesh," He said defensively, leaning into the couch to get farther away from her. "Y'know, I feel a little insulted!" "You like Bill!"  "I do not!"  "You do! You do! You do, you do!" Mabel was on her feet and dancing around, repeating those two words in a sing-song voice. "You do, you do, you do-" The doorbell rang, and Mabel took off to get the door. Dipper sighed. He kind of did.  ===============================================================================   Dipper was sitting on the floor exchanging opinions with Mabel's friend Emily on the latest Star Trek remake, and though happy to finally have someone who'd seen the original series to talk about this with, he wasn't fully invested in the conversation. His eyes kept wandering to the window to see if a car or Bill on foot would come down the road, but he was now half an hour late and Dipper's heart was sinking lower and lower. Mabel came from the kitchen with a huge bowl of popcorn on one arm and a huge bowl of assorted candy on the other and sat down on the couch next to her four other friends, pushing the bowls onto their laps. "Help yourself, ladies," she said, and tapped Dipper on the shoulder, snapping him out of his daze. "I know Bill's not here yet, but can we start the movie? It's getting a little late." Dipper sighed and nodded before leaning forward and pushing The Shining into the DVD player. ===============================================================================   They were half an hour into the movie, and Bill still wasn't there. Bill was an hour late and Dipper's stomach was churning. He wasn't actually sure if it was nerves and embarrassment or if it was all the candy he just binged on, but he needed air. "I'm gonna go outside for a sec, gotta breath," Dipper announced, heading to the door.  "Do you want us to pause it?" Asked Candy. "No thanks, Candy, I've seen it," He replied, calling from the front hall.  Once outside, he sat cross-legged on the porch, his back against the house. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. The air was chill; he could feel it turned his nose and cheeks red and bringing goosebumps to his arms. Luckily the sensation pulled him out of the constant worrying about whether or not Bill was coming. He couldn't worry about that when he was cold. "Cute shirt, Pine Tree." Dipper's eyes flew open to see Bill's eyes right in front of his. His irises looked nearly black in the dim light from the house and his face was hardly two inches from Dipper. Bill's breath was warm on his face and smelled like chocolate, and thawed his nose. "You're late," Dipper said, his voice having a certain bite to it even though the pain in his stomach subsided as soon as he saw Bill.  "Sorry, I am," Bill sighed, dropping to the floor to sit across from Dipper, their knees knocking together. "I had a really bad migraine. I've been having them the past couple of days, too, that's why I wasn't in school." "Sheesh, that sucks... Do you get them a lot?" He asked, sounding genuinely concerned. "Nah, they just started... Right after I met you, actually," Bill said with a smirk. "Oh, so it's my fault?" "All your fault. You're the worst." "How can I make it up to you?" Dipper said with an exaggerated eye roll. Bill paused for a moment. His eyes flickered to Dipper's mouth. "I've got an idea." When his intentions dawned on him, Dipper licked his lips nervously, anticipating him kissing Bill and messing up massively somehow. He didn't know how he could fuck up kissing him, but he was sure if anyone could, it was him. Dipper Pines was really good at making mistakes. He was also probably really bad at kissing. He didn't have much experience. "I-uh-um, so you're adopted!" Dipper blurted out, trying to avoid the inevitable as much as he could. He then cringed and put his face in his hands after realizing what he decided to say. "I'm sorry, that was probably really insensitive."  Bill laughed. "I like seeing you flustered, Pine Tree. It's adorable." Dipper was unsure and unable how to respond. So he didn't. He stayed silent. He wasn't even sure if he was breathing. "Yeah, Susan's been my adoptive mother ever since I can remember," Bill said after about thirty seconds of Dipper being quiet. "She's great." Dipper inhaled, finally. "Really? I've been going to the diner since I was twelve. Are you sure we've never, ever met before?" "No. I would remember you," Bill shook his head, his voice drenched in flirtation.  He's gonna kiss you, Dipper thought with a gulp. He's gonna kiss you and he's gonna do it soon. Wait- what's that near the trees? Bill looked over his shoulder to see what Dipper's gaze was fixated on. An orb, about three feet in diameter and hovering six feet off the ground, was emitting a soft yellow light near the footpath. Though it was a featureless sphere, it seemed to be looking back at them. Just as Dipper was going to open his mouth to say something about it, the orb shot off into the woods, moving rapidly. However it was still visible from the porch, and Dipper scrambled to his feet to run after it, Bill fast to follow him. They ran after the spirit desperately, and they sucked the icy air into their burning lungs even more desperately. The orb was leaving behind a trail of light that disappeared quickly as it went, and Dipper and Bill were always right behind it, but never able to increase their speed enough to catch up. They kept getting their feet caught on tree roots and knots, but their eyes never left the orb; even when it went off the trail, their bodies and their eyes followed it feverishly.  And then, a bit in the distance, the orb vanished. Dipper stopped dead in his tracks, leaning over in attempt to catch his breath. Bill, who was a bit farther ahead when he stopped, entered a similar position.  "You saw that too, right?" Dipper asked between gulps of air. "I'm not losing my mind?" "I was about to ask you the same thing," Bill nodded, looking to the spot where the orb disappeared. "Lets go look over there." Dipper followed him, and they ended up in a small opening. The grass was plush and full and green, despite it being fall. There were white flowers lining the edge of the small field that gave off a soft glow in the moonlight. In the center of it all, a small body of water; it was smaller than pond, but bigger than a puddle, and it was a deep blue, and it's surface was totally still. Dipper fell to his knees at the edge of the pool, wholly mesmerized by it. He stuck his hand in up to his wrist and felt a gentle tingle shoot up his arm. It took all his willpower to not submerge himself in it. "Bill, you have to feel this!" Dipper said as he laughed in disbelief.  Bill sat next to Dipper and tentatively dipped a finger in, and pulled back immediately, wincing. "Fuck, ouch!" His hands went to his head. They covered his eyes and forehead, but his mouth was visibly in a grimace. "Whoa, whoa, what's going on?" Dipper said, wiping his hand on his pants before trying to pry Bill's hands off his face. "I think- I think that water triggered a migraine somehow," Bill looked up at Dipper, confusion and pain and excitement all blending together and shining in his eyes. "What was that? Where even are we?" Dipper shrugged and shook his head. "I have no clue." Bill looked up at Dipper through his lashes and smiled, and then the smile turned into laughter. "Can you believe this?" He had to wipe tears from his eyes. "Do you think this is because it's halloween, or something?" "Not at all," Dipper replied, a smile breaking on his face. "I think it's because of you." Bill looked confused. "Oh, so it's my fault?" He said, mocking Dipper. "All your fault. You're the best," Dipper exclaimed, his voice reflecting how light and airy he felt in his chest. "Bill, I've been waiting for Gravity Falls to be weird again. I've been seeking it out, and it's hidden from me. Then I meet you, and suddenly it's seeking us  out, and bringing us here. Thank you." Bill grinned and shook his head. "How are you gonna repay me?" Dipper threw his head back and laughed. "I've got an idea." Dipper took Bill's face in his hands and straddled him, pulling him into himself. Their lips met, and Dipper felt the same magical tingling as he felt when he touched the water. Instead of feeling the same pain as he felt when he touched the water, Bill smiled into the kiss, and wrapped his arms around Dipper's waist. They kissed like that until they felt as breathless as they did after chasing the orb.  Chapter End Notes hope you enjoyed!! i didn't proofread this chapter :/ also im not the best at writing kisses and stuff but this fic may get pg-13 at some point ooh ooh.! feel free 2 leave me feedback lov hearin what u thought and stuff. u can contact me/follow me here on my sideblog - billdipmixtape.tumblr.com hav a good day/night/whatevs Please drop_by_the_archive_and_comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!