A quick drabble I wrote for my friend!


A beat.

She guffawed, holding a hand over her open mouth. Her gesture did nothing to soften the blow to his pride. His outstretched hand limped and he dropped his gentleman-like posture of bowing before her. Even standing up, he shrank with every laugh.

"Pacifica!" his whine rose to an octave reminiscent of his preteen years. Mabel was right when she said this idea would either make Pacifica swoon or she would pee her pants laughing at him (although the very idea of the Northwest teen wetting her pants in front of anyone, even her boyfriend, was ludicrous). With a little help, Dipper had set up some simple (electronic) lanterns of her favorite color around a little clearing in the forest. A simple picnic sat on the side, made up of freshly and somewhat sloppily prepared dishes. The Pines family had many talents, but cooking was not known to be one of them, save for Stan.

Then Mabel took over when Dipper had left her alone to finish.

She glued together a little banner that read I Heart My Girl Paz and hung it across adjacent tree trunks, tossed mountains glitter across the grass where the couple would dance, and lined the entire area with purple flower petals.

By the time Dipper discovered her executive decisions, Pacifica was already arriving and he had to roll with it.

Dipper had wanted to surprise her, so he set up a simple puzzle that lead her to the area where they shared their first kiss. At that time, he could barely manage a nervous nod to her asking if he wanted to kiss. The teen had improved at being more forward and confident with her since then, but he couldn't help but feel he should surprise her for once.

The moment she arrived to the spot, Dipper pressed play on a dusty cassette player and approached her with his own question.

Needless to say, he was getting frustrated with her response.

"Can you stop laughing for a second?" he pleaded. She caught her breath and met his eyes with her mischievous ones.

"Dipper, it's just so cheesy! It's exactly like that dumb movie I watched with Mabel last week. Did you think a scene from Cosmic Love would impress me?" she grinned, planting her hands on her hips. Her tone reassured Dipper that her laughter was not to mock him. She simply thought he was being strangely out of character.

"Ugh, no wonder Mabel kept saying she'd seen this work before," Dipper ran a hand over his face. "I asked her for a little help, but I didn't realize she'd add all this glitter."

"How long have you known Mabel for?" the teen rose a perfectly trimmed eyebrow.

"Yeah, you're right, I should have expected that part. I just wanted to have a nice picnic and dance to some of your favorite tunes. But I guess even the 90′s couldn't let me have that ," Dipper sighed. He knew his sister meant well, but sometimes her extravagant nature wasn't the best approach to certain social situations. Pacifica wouldn't forget about the banner anytime soon. Maybe romantic gestures would never be his strong suit.

"Really? All of that planning for me? I expected a gazebo to top everything else off," she joked. "While we're here, let's at least enjoy the music and the time away from everyone else." She moved towards the cassette player and turned up the volume. The singer's voice rang above the clearing, dispelling the Dipper's embarrassment. His eyes caught her slight sway to the tune.

"If anything, you picked the right song for the occasion," Pacifica turned to him. Blonde hair waved in the light breeze, framing her beautiful face. Dipper's heart began to soar. His gaze flickered before meeting her eyes.

She gave an expectant nod. Another chance. He did something new right.

"Well, it is one of your favorites." He sauntered to her as best as Dipper Pines could and held out his hand once more. "May I, Miss Northwest?"

She slid her hand into his, genuinely smiling.

"As long as we overlook the glitter, we may, Pines."