You were chatting casually with Dipper near the vending machine outside the Shack. He was showing you a new constellation he’d mapped, excitedly gesturing with his notebook, when—

—“AHEM.”

The air seemed to flicker for a second. Bill Cipher, in his human form and a painfully yellow suit, appeared from behind a tree as if he'd been watching for way too long.

—“Who,” he said with a too-sweet smile, eyes narrowing to slits, “gave you permission to talk to them for this long?”

Dipper blinked.

—“...Is he—Is he jealous?”

Bill stepped between you two with the grace of a cat and the possessiveness of a dragon.

—“I’m not jealous, Pine Tree,” he said, glaring without blinking. “I’m protective. There's a difference.”

From a distance, Stan raised an eyebrow, watching the drama unfold with popcorn in hand.

—“Ah,” he muttered to Ford, “now this—this takes me back. I finally remember what it's like to be young and stupid.”

Ford groaned.

—“Please don’t encourage him.”

Back by the vending machine, Bill turned to you, flipping his hair like a diva.

—“You deserve higher-quality conversation. Preferably with someone who’s unlocked at least five dimensions.”