Always (2/3)

45: how very nineteenth century of you

45
Pacifica

After a full day of shopping and spending time with Dipper, all I wanted to do was curl up in bed and take a nice long rest. However, the question was if I spend the night at Dipper's, or I go back to the Mystery Shack with Gideon.

Dipper gave everything into pleading with me to stay with him. He even mentioned needing to tell me something important. So, I gave in. I called Gideon beforehand though.

"Hey, Gideon?" I asked, walking into Dipper's bathroom.

"What's up, Paz? You heading back soon?"

"Actually, I was planning on spending the night with Dipper." I explained. "He said he had something important to tell me."

Gideon went silent over the phone.

"Uh, Gids? You alive over there?" I laughed it off.

"Yeah, yeah yeah." He said all too fast. "Yeah you should talk to Dipper. He really does have something important to tell you."

"Wait really?" I shook my head. "I really hope he isn't going to propose. It's way too soon for any kind of romantic gesture like that."

Gideon sighed. "He isn't going to propose, Paz."

"How do you know?"

"Because he wants to talk to you about meeting his parents!" Gideon hissed, unable to keep a secret any longer.

I froze instantly. "W-what? You're kidding, right? Please, Gideon, tell me that you're just joking around here!"

Gideon sighed again. "Nope, his parents are going to the ball. They're going to meet you, Paz. I've never seen Dipper more nervous in his entire life!"

I felt hurt. Did Dipper think I was going to embarrass him in front of his parents? Just because I wasn't a rich-girl?

"Paz? You there, still?"

"Yeah, sorry." I shook my head, shaking the bad thoughts from my head. "I'm just. . .gonna go talk to Dipper about this."

"I'm sorry, Paz." Gideon whispered.

"It's okay. Not your problem." I shook my head and then ended the call.

I walked out of the bathroom and looked around Dipper's room. Was he seriously asking me to meet his parents?

Was it too soon? Or was it the perfect time?

"Hey, you have that thinking face on again." Dipper walked into the room, smiling lightly at me. "What's on your mind, Paz?"

I wanted him to come out and tell me that he wanted me to meet his parents. But, my anxiousness got the better of me and I couldn't stop myself from blurting it out. "Why didn't you tell me you wanted me to meet your parents?!"

Dipper froze, but he didn't look nearly as surprised as I expected him to be. Damn that boy. "I was going to tell you when we went out for dinner. However, I know you; you would've freaked out and I didn't want you to freak out in public."

I nodded slowly, my lips pressed together in a thin line.

"I was going to tell you tonight, but then you and Mabel started talking, and then you had to call Gideon and. . ." he trailed off, his eyes hardening in a glare. "Gideon, that little shit, he told you didn't he?"

There was no point in denying it, so I nodded. "Yes."

Dipper sighed and ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even further. "I, I know how upset you must feel. That I sprung this up on you completely out of nowhere, but--"

"I'm not upset." I shook my head. "I wish you would've told me sooner, but why didn't you?"

"Things kept coming up, sweetheart." Dipper shook his head and sat down on his bed, staring dejectedly toward the balcony.

"Are you embarrassed to be dating someone of a different social status than you?" The words are out before I can stop myself. It wasn't that I completely believed that! But, there were some factors that pointed in that particular direction.

"God, no." Dipper whipped his head to face me again, eyes wide and frightened. "Is that what you thought? Oh, Pazzie," he rose from his bed and walked over to where I stood. He took my hands in his, staring at me so intently that I almost forgot how to breathe. "I could never, ever be embarrassed about you."

I tried to look away but I found that I couldn't.

"I'm quite serious, sweetheart." He tugged my hands up toward his lips and pressed a delicate kiss onto them. "You have absolutely no clue as to how much you mean to me."

"Dipper," I stammered out.

"Not to be entirely too trite," he continued, "but it will never matter to me where you come from, and it will never matter what my parents think of you. Last I checked, I'm dating you, they are not."

I sniffled and blinked the stray tears out of my eyes. "Okay, that was a little trite."

"Nothing wrong with being slightly trite, sweetheart." He leaned his forehead against mine and stood there for a moment.

That was all I needed in that moment. Was I still scared about what Dipper's parents would think about me dating their son? Oh most definitely. But after what Dipper told me, it didn't seem that there would be any issues with my own insecurities.

"What if they threaten your inheritance?" I found myself whispering to him.

Much to my surprise, Dipper chuckled darkly at that. "How very nineteenth century of you."

I noticed that I started laughing as well.

"I doubt that they would do anything of the sort." Dipper replied, pulling away from me to kiss my forehead once. As soon as his lips left my head, he made his way over to his closet.

"Talk about nineteenth century." I shook my head, amused at Dipper's lingo for the millionth time.

"There is nothing wrong with speaking formally and properly, Pazzie." Dipper shucked off his shirt and tossed it ever-so-gracefully into the wash bin. "Now, we have a big day tomorrow, I suggest we both get some sleep."

For once, I agreed. It was going to be an extra long day tomorrow, and the next few following it as well. I just prayed silently that I would be up to Dipper's parents's standards.