Dipper should’ve known this was going to happen. Mabel told stories about you all the time. You were definitely one of the more normal friends Mabel had, and helped keep her out of trouble. He had a good sense of who you were, and that was all he needed from you.

So, naturally, he was upset when you moved in to their apartment. He understood you needed to live closer to the college’s campus, but you were with Mabel all the time, so he hardly had any time to talk to her about anything. You hogged up the bathroom when he needed to get ready. You never took out the trash. You and Mabel were chattering boxes during ungodly hours of the night.

He was going crazy.

He couldn’t find a reason to like you anymore. He was more stressed out about living with you than his own classes, or his tutoring jobs. But sweet Mabel, she loved you. He could see that having you around helped her stay on track with classes, so he learned to tolerate you. Be more passive than aggressive.

His little acts of hatred went unnoticed by you. You didn’t mind when it was your turn to shower and the water was only lukewarm. You were okay with the smell of weed in the stinking up the hallway between his room and your shared room with Mabel. You liked when he left the TV volume up in the mornings; it helped you wake up on time for classes.

In your eyes, Dipper was just a little awkward. He’d get quiet when you walked in the room, hardly look at you when he’d make his little quips. You thought he was really good at riffing off your jokes! He always looked at you funny when you laughed, and he’d look at you really intently while you were talking with narrowed eyes and pursed lips, like he was really listening. He’d straighten out when you’d say good morning, mumbling something about extra coffee in the pot, before slipping past you and out the door. You were okay with the brief greetings.

Mabel told you great things about him, and you trusted her judgement. Besides, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to say Dipper was a little cute.

It was another morning. Dipper was heading out for a class and you were just waking up for one. You slipped out of the room, hair a mess and yawning audibly. You walked into the kitchen as Dipper was washing out his coffee cup, letting out a sigh when you walked in.