#mabel’s hair is just always a mess in the multiverse
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experimenting with hairstyles
#it’s kinda hard to tell#mabel’s hair is just always a mess in the multiverse#but she tries#my art#fanart#art#gravity falls#gravity falls au#au#portal au#drifting stars au#mabel pines#gravity falls mabel#gf mabel#portal mabel#scribbles
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awaken the stars, ‘cause they’re all around you
Stanford Pines never really believed in soulmates.
He can't imagine the idea that there's one person out there for him in the multiverse who would stop at nothing to love him for who he is, despite everything he is and everything he's done. He can't imagine that someone out there is meant for him, someone who will stand by his side until the end of time.
Or maybe he'd just been looking at it from the wrong angle.
Notes:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, @stariousfalls!!!!! I can't believe we've been friends for upwards of five years now?? You've been a huge inspiration of mine from my first day in the gravity falls fandom back in late 2014, and now you're one of my closest friends. I've been spending the last week and a half working on this behind your back, because I wanted to surprise you with a gift I thought you'd love!!
7.5k words of fluff was....not my original plan, but fluff brain wanted to go feral for you, I guess.
Huge, huge shoutout to @ariasofelegance for helping me keep my mouth shut about this, I absolutely would've internally combusted without your help & support
AO3
Ford never saw the appeal of romantic relationships.
One night when he and Stan were kids, they snuck downstairs in the middle of the night after their parents were asleep to dig through Pa’s “Secret stash” of movies he thought he was good at keeping a secret. They’d thought for sure they’d be coming across bootleg cuts of action movies that were still playing in theaters, or documentaries about how all of the politicians in power were secretly aliens.
What they actually found was much more…sensual. They were both horrified, to say the least, but each time Ford had to turn away to prevent himself from gagging, he’d hear Stan beside him struggling not to laugh.
For years, Ford was convinced coming across those tapes before he was old enough to fully comprehend what was happening in them is what had turned him off to relationships altogether. It certainly didn’t help that he was never able to experience romantic relationships firsthand, as every time he tried asking someone out in high school he’d just be laughed at or called a freak.
Though college was another story entirely, his feelings towards romantic relationships never seemed to change. He went out with a girl from his dungeons, dungeons, and more dungeons club for a few weeks, a guy from his advanced physics class for almost two months, and even tried going out with Fiddleford for upwards of nine months, but he never felt that deeper connection with any of them, no matter how much he wanted to feel that connection.
It’d be forty more years before he learned the term aromantic, but when he was still in college he would brush off his parents’ questions about his relationship status by telling them he was too busy working on his thesis, which technically wasn’t all that far from the truth anyway.
Still, the faint sense of yearning never seemed to leave him be. Whenever he found gaps in his schedule, he would spend hours in his university library reading up on the science of relationships and their place in society. Though he no longer remembers most of the papers he read, one scientific study that’s always stuck with him was a dissertation written entirely on the concept of soulmates.
Everyone has a soulmate, the paper claimed. Though it may be decades until you properly meet, your path always leads to the moment that you and your soulmate are finally united. Once finally together, not a single force on earth can tear you apart. Even if you are apart physically, the stars will always align to bring you together. Weirdest of all, the paper mentioned soulmarks, which were described as “the phenomenon that a person’s very soul is marked with a piece that belongs to their soulmate, which may appear as a physical anomaly on a person’s body, such as an oddly-shaped birthmark”.
Ford had thought for sure that somebody must’ve moved a romance novel into the sociology section of the library as a joke. The only sort of anomaly he had going for him was his polydactyly, and thinking too much about how that could connect him to a single person who was destined to love him gave him a headache.
Nowadays, though, Ford tries not to give it much thought. He’s perfectly happy right where he is, watching the sunrise from the deck of the Stan O’ War II through the steam visibly rising from his coffee mug.
He sighs contently.
“Mornin’” Stan’s voice sounds beside him, gruff with sleep. When Ford turns to look at him, he’s rubbing at his eyes with one hand while he holds a steaming cup of coffee in his other. He’s already donning one of the sweaters Mabel mailed to him, a deep blue with a tropical island and a treasure chest stitched across the chest.
Ford smirks. “You’re up early”
Stan cocks an eyebrow as he sips from his coffee. “A’course I am. I always get up early when we’re docking to see the kids”
Ford blinks, the teasing smirk on his face melting into a gentle smile. “That’s today?”
“Haven’t you checked the calendar lately?” Stan tosses a second handmade sweater at Ford. This one’s the same shade of maroon as his journal covers, and pictures an angry cycloptopus squirting ink towards the bottom left corner of the sweater. “The kids are on spring break. They talked to their parents about letting us have ‘em all week”
Ford is quick to pull the warm sweater over his head. “All week?”
He can’t help sounding like a broken record, but it’s been months since the last time he saw the kids face to face. Sure, they talk over video at least once a week, but nothing beats seeing their smiling faces and having them nearly tackle him to the ground in a hug in-person.
“Heh, you miss em too, Sixer?”
As little as two years ago, Ford would’ve flinched at the nickname. But Bill is gone for good, and Ford knows that Bill is gone for good, and Stan made a promise to do anything in his power to help him reclaim the nickname. He brings his mug close to his face without taking a sip, allowing himself to take in the warmth in his hands and the steam in his face.
“Not as much as you, clearly” Ford smirks, and Stan crosses his arms over his chest.
“You bet I missed them more than you. I’d been taking care of them all summer before you showed up and fell in love with them in half that time”
Ford smirks as he finishes up his coffee and heads into the navigation room to set their course. “By that logic, wouldn’t that mean that I miss them more, since I had less time with them?”
“Hey!” Stan groans as he follows him into the room. “It does not. It means that you don’t know them like I know them, genius. Everyone knows that it’s all about how much time you’ve spent with a person that determines how close you are with them”
Ford laughs as he enters the coordinates they need to get to the seaport they were meeting the young twins at. From the looks of it, it’d be three hours before they arrived.
“Mm, and who put that study together? Was it you?”
Stan doesn’t reply with words, just a noise that sounds halfway between disgruntled and baffled. It makes Ford laugh even harder, and he wipes at his eyes with a wrist. Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees Stan’s overdramatic pout melt away until he’s laughing too.
The sight of it makes the smile on Ford’s face widen. It’d been decades since the two of them were able to just be like this. It’d been so long since the last time Ford heard Stan’s genuine laugh that he’d gone and forgotten what it sounded like altogether. When he was still traveling the multiverse, he searched far and wide for a shred of hope, something to keep his anxieties and nightmares from catching up to him.
What a fool he’d been to ignore his childhood memories of home.
The trip is a quiet but familiar one. Ford can’t talk much when he’s steering because he needs to be on constant lookout, but Stan remains in the room to talk at him and keep him company anyway. The sun is well over the horizon by the time they reach the seaport, and call it instincts, intuition, or something else entirely, because Ford spots the kids sitting on a bench in the near distance the moment he and Stan step foot onto the dock.
They’re squished closely together, watching a video on Mabel’s phone. Whether they’re aware of it or not, they’re swaying their legs back and forth underneath the bench in perfect unison. On the ground beside them are their backpacks, overstuffed with so many things that both of them are popping open.
Most importantly, neither of them have noticed that Ford and Stan are approaching them.
Ford exchanges an amused glance with Stan, and clears his throat to catch their attention.
The phone nearly stumbles out of their hands in shock when they look up and meet their eyes.
“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel squeals, standing to sprint past Ford to knock Stan off of his feet. Ford chuckles at the sight, but not quickly enough to hear Dipper’s “Great Uncle Ford!”, and before he knows it he’s hitting the floor too. The young twins are laughing messes, and stumble over each other as they try to stand to their feet and help their Grunkles up.
Mabel spits out the hair that stuck to her mouth, and pulls a hair tie seemingly out of thin air to tie her hair up into a ponytail. It’s only now that Ford realizes that she and Dipper are also both wearing sweaters, and if Ford had to guess, it looks like Mabel made both of these sweaters as well. Mabel’s is a galaxy print with actual twinkling stars, and Ford makes a mental note to ask her later what she did to make it glow like that. Dipper’s is also space themed, though his pictures the big dipper splotched across a black night sky with a bright orange meteor shooting through the center.
“You have to tell us about everything you’ve encountered”, Dipper beams, once Stan finishes brushing himself off.
Stan cocks an eyebrow. “Two years’ worth is a lot to get through, kiddo”
“Exactly!” Mabel beams, turning to pick up her backpack and put it on. “Which is exactly why you can tell us on the way to the hotel!”
“Hotel?” Ford and Stan ask in unison.
“Surprise?” Dipper giggles. “Our parents rented us a hotel room for the week cause they figured you’d appreciate some time away from the boat”
“It’ll be like our summer in Gravity Falls all over again!” Mabel grins. “But in reverse! You’re in our territory now”
Stan laughs. “You’re the boss, kiddo”
“You bet I am!” She beams, and hands Dipper his backpack. “Now c’mon! If you tell us all of the horrors you’ve encountered out at sea, we’ll tell you about all the horrors we’ve encountered in high school!”
“I...think I remember those horrors pretty well already, thank you” Ford smiles sheepishly, adjusting his glasses. “But we’d be more than glad to tell you some of our own stories”
It’s a short walk to the bus stop, but Ford honestly wouldn’t mind if they walked all the way to the hotel on foot if it meant an extra half an hour with the kids. They’re just as eccentric as he remembers, attached at the hip but still wildly different people all on their own. Dipper’s still hanging on to every word he’s saying, and Mabel’s still skipping along like she’s in her own world.
Once they reach the hotel and check in, Dipper collapses face first onto one of the beds the moment he steps into the room, groaning.
Stan smiles. “Something bothering you, kiddo?”
He turns on his side to look Stan in the eye, his face smushing into the pillow. “Mabel didn’t let me get any sleep last night. She insisted on getting to the seaport three whole hours early because she insisted that she had this gut feeling that you guys would have the same idea and we’d magically show up at the same time”
Mabel pouts, and sits on the bed besides him. “Well it’s not my fault you stayed up late reading that dumb book of yours. Plus, would you rather have kept them waiting for three hours?”
Dipper removes his hat and places it on the table beside him, exposing just enough of his forehead through his hair to reveal his birthmark. It has the same faint glow to it as Mabel’s sweater, and Ford wonders how the two could possibly reflect off of each other.
“Their boat has beds and a fully stocked kitchen, Mabel. They can afford to wait. All we had were those strawberry pop tarts that you ate five minutes after we got there”
Ford can’t help but smile softly at their banter. He missed them so, so, much more than he could’ve ever imagined. He’s got half a mind to stow them away on the boat at the end of the week and homeschool them both himself so he never has to be apart from them again.
Apart. The word still feels like a knife twisted into his chest. There’s nothing he regrets more than trying to separate the young twins from each other two summers ago because he’d been so caught up in projecting his own fears onto the pair. He’d tried apologizing to Mabel over the whole ordeal, but she stopped him before he could even start to tell him he had nothing to worry about.
He only wishes he could learn to forgive himself as easily as she did.
“...Can we, Grunkle Ford?”
He blushes. Had he just said all of that out loud?
“Can we...what?”
“Take the boat out! Not right now, since Dips is being a grumpy-grump and insists on wasting precious time with a nap, but we’ve been talking about it all week”
From across the room, Stan snorts. “Let me get this straight,” he takes his jacket off and hangs it up in the closet. At this point Ford swears his eyes must be playing tricks on him, because Stan’s old burn scar is glowing just as Mabel’s sweater and Dipper’s birthmark are. “All the time you spent groaning and complaining about fishing every time I took you in Gravity Falls, and now you’re asking to go fishing?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of a joy ride,” Dipper yawns from under the covers. “But if agreeing to go fishing is what gets you to say yes, then sure”
He’s smirking under the covers, Ford can tell, because he inherited that expression from Stan.
Stan’s about to bite back, but Dipper must not have been exaggerating about how long he and Mabel were waiting for them at the dock, because he’s already out cold. Stan smiles at him, gently ruffling up his hair before he takes a seat on the adjacent bed, kicking his shoes off so he can kick his feet up on the bed and relax. Ford sits beside Stan, and Stan slings his arms behind him to support his head in his hands as he glances over at Ford.
“They make you wanna retire the whole ‘treasure hunting’ thing and move into the city to be closer to ‘em too?”
Ford chuckles. “I’ve already considered hiding them away on the boat twice today already.” He taps at his chin. “Though I suppose that moving in with them would go over better with their parents then taking them away to live on a boat”
“Hmm…” Stan taps at his chin as well. “Being stuck in the same stuffy high school for four years, or living on a boat traveling all over the world whenever they feel like it? I dunno about you, Sixer, but I have a pretty good idea on what the kids would prefer”
“Grunkle Stan? Grunkle Ford?” Mabel’s voice suddenly chimes in, and Ford blushes, wondering how much of that she just heard.
“What’s on your mind, pumpkin?” Stan asks.
“Well, uh, Dipper was right about us only eating once really early this morning, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to, uh” She twirls her hair between her fingers. “Cook something for us? For old time’s sake?”
Okay, it’s settled, Ford’s never letting these kids go again.
“Sure, kiddo. Soon as your brother’s up we’ll head right back up, okay?”
“Okay!” she beams, and crawls back into her side of the bed, staring at Dipper like she can will him into waking up on command.
Though Ford would’ve been okay if they’d had to wait hours for him, it’s really only about twenty minutes before Dipper opens his eyes again and nearly shrieks in surprise at Mabel’s face hovering three inches from his own. He smacks his hand into her face to shove her away, and she giggles as she rolls off the bed and onto the floor.
Beside Ford, Stan smirks. “Better get up before we leave without you and all our food goes to Mabel, kiddo. You’ve got plenty of time to crash in Ford’s bed on the ship, since he never seems to use it anyway”
Dipper yawns, rubbing at his eyes as he kicks the covers off. “I hadn’t even realized I’d fallen asleep”
“I didn’t realize you were even capable of sleep, bro-bro” Mabel punches him in the shoulder as she walks past him to put her shoes on. He glares at her wordlessly, and Ford has to cover up his snicker with a fake cough.
This time, the bus ride and the walk back to the ship are a quiet one. Ford never really lets himself let his guard down and relax for an extended period of the time, so he cherishes any moment he can get where he finally feels like he doesn’t constantly feel the need to check over his shoulder for signs of danger. Most of the time, if you asked him about his heightened senses, he’d call them a curse. But on days like these, when he can hear the birds chirping and the waves smacking gently against the boats in the seaport, he’d almost go as far as calling it a blessing.
The kids take a seat at the dining table as soon as they enter the kitchen, and Stan grins at them from over his shoulder as he clicks the stove on. “Whaddya say, Stancakes?”
Dipper and Mabel grimace in unison. “Ewwww, Grunkle Stan, you promised lunch!” Mabel scrunches her nose, and Stan’s grin only widens.
“Ah, ah, you said like old times. That means I get to decide what to make, and you have to eat it because I’m your legal guardian”.
“Well I wasn’t even awake when you were talking about old times, so I’d say that cancels out” Dipper crosses his arms over his chest, and Ford can’t help but smile warmly at the three of them as he reaches into the cupboard for his favorite coffee mug. The younger twins clearly had just gotten two copies of the same mug, but crossed both of them out so they’d say #1 GRUNKLES on them instead of #1 UNCLE. Stan has the other one, of course, but he keeps it on his bedside to hold small treasures and keepsakes because it’s, in his own words, “Too special to waste on something as ordinary as coffee”.
Ford sits himself in the seat between the younger twins at their okay, and after some back and forth banter between the four of them, they end up settling for burgers. Truth be told, this is the first time Ford’s eaten a meal in a group larger than two since the last time he and Stan visited the young twins in the winter, and he can’t help but smile into his food at the thought. The closest he’d come even remotely close to eating with others in his research years was his very, very brief time at the truck stop diner, and the experience had soured his view of...well, other people for near decades.
Now, though, he’d burn his own research dozens of times over before he’d even consider eating alone.
Stan’s chair scraping across the floor as he stands pops Ford out of his bubble of serenity.
“Now that that’s taken care of,” Stan cracks his knuckles, smiling mischievously at Dipper and Mabel. “I think I remember a couple of kiddos finally promising their Grunkle Stan he could take them fishing”
“Promise is a strong word-” Dipper starts as he stands to place his plate in the sink, but Stan’s already placing a fishing hat on his head before he can finish his sentence.
“Course you did! You wanna take our baby for a joyride, you gotta earn it first”
Dipper turns to Ford, like he’s expecting him to back him up.
Ford chuckles. “I don’t know, Dipper. That sounds perfectly reasonable to me”.
Dipper scoffs, sitting back down at the table. Mabel laughs.
“Aww, C’mon, Dipper! Aren’t you all about the supernatural? For all we know, Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford could be harboring magical glowing bait that only attracts, like, magical talking fish men, or something!”
Dipper raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t you just receive a bottle message from Mermando last week?”
“Exactly!” Mabel flashes a grin. “That must mean that he’s in the area!”
Stan laughs. “You tellin’ me you only agreed to go fishing so you could kiss and make-up with your long-distance fish boyfriend?”
“Grunkle Stan, what kind of person do you take me for?” she gasps. “He’s married! You know I would never want to break apart such a loving couple!”
Ford’s smile only warms. Where else could he partake in such a conversation that doesn’t turn heads and result in judgmental whispers? Where else can he just be like this, surrounded by loved ones who are just as weird, just as out of the ordinary as himself? In his younger years he thought for sure his place would be among the monsters and cryptids everyone in his childhood made him out to be, but even in the weirdness capital of the country he felt more alone than ever.
“...Don’t think you’re immune, Sixer” Stan’s voice cuts into his thoughts, and before Ford can ask what he means Stan is smacking a homemade fishing cap on his head. “It may ruin your badass image when we’re monster hunting, or whatever, but we’re fishing with the kids.” Stan gestures to them with his thumb. They’re already outside, leaning over the railing to look out at the water in a perfect mirror of each other. “If they have to embarrass themselves by humoring me for a few hours, so do you”
Ford waits for Stan to join the kids outside before he takes his hat off to admire the stitch work. It’s not perfect, and nowhere near the fancy embroidery he and Stan have found in various markets across their world travels. But it’s personalized, and Ford knows it comes from a place in Stan’s mind that’s been stuck behind lock and key since he was seventeen.
Ford runs his hands along each individual letter, which reads POINDEXTER, before placing it back on his head to join the others outside.
Stan has, miraculously, already pulled out his joke book. Stan’s laughing too hard at his own joke for Ford to really make out what the punchline is, but the younger twins’ collective groans is all he needs to know about it. When Mabel notices him stepping out of the doorway, though, her expression shifts entirely.
“So…” she draws out, stepping towards him. “Is there a trick for attracting merpeople to your boat? I mean, asides from being super cute, obviously”
Ford chuckles, taking a glance behind her to make sure that Stan is out of earshot. “Stan’ll kill me if I tell you this, but they’re really attracted towards shiny things. If you tied one of his gold necklaces around a fishing pole and dangled it into the water, the boat’ll be surrounded in minutes”
Mabel offers up her pinkie finger. “I won’t tell him if you won’t”
Ford interlocks his pinkie with hers, smiling. “I think he’ll notice when a whole family of merpeople show up”
“Hmmm…” Mabel taps at her chin with her free hand, visibly mouthing a plan to herself. “Oh! I know! Come with me,” she beams, and before Ford can even open his mouth to respond she’s already dragging him back into the kitchen. She kneels down on the floor and opens the cupboard below the sink. “Got any empty bottles I can use?”
Ford blinks. “Empty....bottles”
“Yeah!” Mabel pulls a neatly folded piece of paper out of her skirt. “If I can send out my response letter the same time we throw Stan’s necklace over, he’ll never be able to tell the difference!”
“Wait, wait” Ford shakes his head. “You really are dating a merperson?”
“Listening skills, Grunkle Ford” she taps at her forehead, folding the letter back into her pocket as she continues to dig through the cupboards. “Used to date. We met at the Gravity Falls Public Pool, where he was stuck, but then I drove him to the lake in a golf cart I stole from the pool grounds because he really missed his family, and then he was my first kiss, and then we were in a long-distance relationship for like, two months, and I kept every single bottle he sent me, but then we had to break up because he was arranged to marry to prevent a big undersea war.” She picks up a bottle, shakes it, and puts it back when it’s too full for her liking. “I know it sounds, like, super complicated, but it’s all okay, because we’re still pen pals!”
Ford laughs, shaking his head. “No, Mabel, I had to ask because I, uh…” his cheeks warm, and he clears his throat. “Before I...came to term with my orientation, I...dated a merperson too”
The bottles in the cupboard rattle as Mabel’s head smacks against the doorframe. She’s rubbing the spot where her head hit, but there are stars in her eyes. “Really?”
Ford’s cheeks burn even hotter. “Yes,” he whispers, and takes a knee so he can get at her eye level. “Technically he was a siren, but yes, we dated for about a month. He promised me he wouldn’t entice anyone else while we were together, but I guess there wasn’t anything...there.” He turns to help her shuffle through the cupboard, and finds a near-empty bottle of olive oil that’s definitely been sitting down there for at least a year. He hands it off to Mabel, smiling. “I’m glad that things worked out with you, though”
To his surprise, Mabel drops the bottle and throws her arms around him in a hug. “I can’t wait to introduce you! He’s gonna love you”
Ford huffs a quiet laugh, and pulls her close as he winds his arms around her as well. The hug only lasts for a few brief moments, but it feels to Ford in those moments that time itself had stopped. Mabel stands, taking the bottle in one hand and offering to help Ford up in her other.
Mabel places the bottle in the sink and turns the water on to rinse it out before she turns back towards Ford, stretching her arms up in the air as if she were warming up for an exercise. “Alright, here’s the plan. You tell me where Grunkle Stan keeps all of his jewelry, and I’ll sneak in and take his necklace while you distract him. Got it?”
Ford smiles. “Got it”.
As Mabel splits away for Stan’s bedroom, Ford heads back out to the deck. Dipper’s leaning over the side of the boat pointing at something jumping out of the water, rambling excitedly to Stan beside him. He’s holding his fishing hat in his hand to stop it from blowing into the water, and his hair is bouncing in the breeze. It’s just enough for the edge of his birthmark to poke through his bangs, and even in broad daylight it seems to be emitting a faint glow.
“I found it!” Mabel cheers, bounding up from behind him. She’s wearing the chain around her neck, and for some reason the gold seems much dimmer in contrast to her sweater. She takes it off and hands it to him. “You wanna do the honors while I go and throw this overboard?”
Ford smiles, ruffling her hair. “Sure thing.” He walks over to where Stan and Dipper are chatting and picks up one of the extra fishing rods. Making sure that Stan’s too engrossed with his conversation to notice, Ford starts wrapping the chain along the line, and at the signal from Mabel, he tosses his line as far from the boat as he can manage.
Five minutes pass before Mabel squeals so loud that Ford’s afraid his glasses might shatter. He reaches for the gun he knows he’s got stashed in his pants pocket, but when he turns to run to her aid she’s leaning halfway over the boat wrapping her arms around a young merman in a tight hug.
“...so good to see you again!” She’s beaming. “I didn’t think you’d be able to find us so quickly!”
“Yes, well, you were easy to track down after we figured out the coordinates to the seaport” the young man says in a thick Spanish accent. “It is good to see you too! My family was so excited to meet you”
“Your family?” she gasps. “Did they all come with you?”
“Of course!” he grins. “We merpeople are very family oriented. Wherever we go, we go together”
Ford winces at the uncanny familiarity of the statement. Mabel must recognize the statement too, because she responds with “Oh, that reminds me! There’s someone I want you guys to meet! Wait right here,” she says, and comes bouncing back over to Ford. Taking his hand in her own, she starts to drag him back to where she’d just been leaning. “C’mon! He’s the one I was just talking about!”
Three more merpeople emerge from the water when she gently knocks on the side of the boat again. “Grunkle Ford, this is Mermando!” she grins, gesturing to the young merman she’d just been conversing with. “He’s the one I helped reunite with his family after they were separated by tragic circumstances.” She wraps her arms around Ford in a side-hug. “Mermando, this is my Grunkle Ford! He was also separated from his family by tragic circumstances, but I helped with that too!”
Mermando laughs. “Even when you think it’s the end, family always finds its way, doesn’t it?”
Ford laughs, shaking his hand. “It always seems that way to me”
“Awwww!” Mabel squeals. “I knew you’d get along!” She grins, and turns her attention back towards Mermando. “Before I forget, though, did you see where Grunkle Ford threw that gold necklace? If I don’t get it back my Grunkle Stan’s gonna kill me”
Mermando laughs again. “I was wondering if that belonged to any of you!” He takes off his shell necklace to reveal that he’d put Stan’s necklace on around his neck. He takes that off, too, and offers it to Ford. “I much prefer this one, anyway” he clicks his shell necklace open, revealing it to be a locket with a picture of his family inside.
Ford takes the gold necklace back, and he means to thank him, but a bell ringing from elsewhere in the port interrupts him before he can open his mouth. Mermando turns to Mabel, taking her hands in his own. “We must go. I’m so sorry we have to leave so soon, but we merpeople recognize the sounds of fishing boats very easily. We’ll try to come back later this week” He opens his arms for her once more, and Mabel wraps his arms around him in a quick hug before she watches him and his family swim away.
“I am so glad that all you were doing was hugging,” Dipper shudders as he and Stan approach Ford and Mabel. “I’m not sure my stomach could handle witnessing you two kissing a second time”
“Awww,” Mabel punches him playfully in the shoulder. “You’re just jealous that I had a boyfriend before you did!”
Dipper cringes. “If you having a boyfriend before I do means I didn’t have to be the one dating a fish, then I’m glad you were the one who got stuck with him first” He punches her back, and gestures at Stan over his shoulder with his thumb. “But anyways, I came over here because Grunkle Stan says he wants to get out on the open water before everyone else gets the idea, or something”.
Ford pockets Stan’s necklace and makes a mental note to put it away sometime later tonight when Stan is too distracted to notice. “Tell Stan I’m going to untie the rope from the edge of the dock, and when he sees me back on board we’re all set to go.”
Nodding, Dipper bounds off towards the navigation room where Stan must be waiting, and Ford steps off of the boat to take care of everything else. On the way to the bow, he traces a hand along the white painted STAN O’ WAR II, and a feeling of warmth sprouts in his chest. Once back on board, he waves to Stan as he passes besides the navigation room once more, and takes a seat on one of the beach chairs they liked to keep aboard.
Most days, Ford prefers to be the one at the wheel. But every once in a while he just wants to be. All he wants to do is lean back in one of their beach chairs and let the sun warm his face. It’s a good kind of warm, the same way spending time with the kids and heavy rain hitting his bedroom window and planning new escapades with Stan feel warm. After so, so long of only knowing unbearable burns, it feels indescribable to have a constant back in his life that heals, rather than hurts.
“Mind if we join you?” Dipper asks, and Ford glances over to see both of the young twins dragging a chair behind them.
Speaking of healing constants.
“Sure,” Ford says, and can’t help the warmth spilling through his tone. They pull their chairs up on either side of him, and curl up to enjoy the warm breeze. Dipper places his hat on his lap to let the wind blow through his hair, and Mabel stretches her arms out behind her head to act as her own pillow. Ford chuckles silently at the pair, and closes his eyes to let himself relax.
All is quiet when Stan finally finds them a spot out on the open water without a single other boat in sight. The water is nearly still, save for the occasional small wave that gently sways the boat. The sun is at its afternoon high, turning the water beautiful shades of teal and aqua. Fishing is tedious, but it’s careful work, and gives Ford something to put all of his focus into. Two whole hours pass before any of them catch a thing, and Stan laughs himself to tears when it’s Dipper who pulls up a single sardine.
Typically Ford prefers much more immersive activities, but right now there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. The sun is starting to set before they realize they aren’t going to have much luck catching anything, and instead decide to take the boat for another ride around the harbor to look for a better place to eventually watch the stars.
“...Great Uncle Ford?” Dipper approaches him shyly once they’ve anchored the boat.
“Yes?”
He tugs shyly at the edge of his sweater. “I…” he starts. “I know you’ve told me that the multiverse was dangerous, and all, but...was there ever anything you enjoyed about it?” He pauses. “What were the sunsets like?”
Ford chuckles, patting at the seat beside him, and Dipper’s eyes light up as he sits down.
“You’re right,” Ford starts, folding his hands together. “I wouldn’t wish what I went through on even my worst enemies, Dipper. It was practically impossible to get any decent amount of sleep and even harder to find food digestible by human kind. I lost some of my best years to the multiverse when I could’ve gone on to become the most renowned scientist in the world.” Ford turns his gaze away from the sun setting on the horizon to meet Dipper’s eyes, but he’s frowning, eyes cast downwards towards the deck of the ship.
“But,” Ford adds before the poor kid can get too lost in his own head, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “It definitely had its perks.” He smiles. “The sun in Dimension 18.2 would emit a sound that mimicked a lullaby every night as it set. Dimension 47’23 had three moons that would shift phases before your very eyes. I haven’t told Mabel because I’m afraid she’ll try activating a portal of her own and run away, but in Dimension 25-12, everyone and everything looks like a watercolor painting. There’s danger in the multiverse, but there’s beauty in equal measure”
“Do you ever miss it?” Dipper fiddles with his hands, like he’s trying real hard not to say the wrong thing. “I mean, I know you don’t miss being lost, or having no idea if you’re ever going to see home again, but...is there any dimension...where you could’ve seen yourself staying, if you thought you couldn’t make it back?”
Ford shifts in his chair so he doesn’t have to twist his neck so much to look directly at his nephew. “Occasionally,” he muses. “I met the most friendly faces in Dimension 52, so my mind does tend to wander there from time to time” he smiles. “But rest assured, there is something in this dimension that makes it my favorite”
“Oh yeah?” Dipper’s eyes light up. “Over every other dimension you’ve passed through? What is it?”
Ford gently nudges Dipper’s shoulder. “You and your sister”
Dipper’s cheeks turn bright red, and he looks as though he’s struggling not to bury his face into the collar of his sweater and disappear. “Really?” his voice squeaks.
Ford nods. “Everything I had in those other dimensions were fleeting, Dipper. At a moment’s notice everything I grew to love could disappear in the blink of an eye. The very thing happened to me in Dimension 52. When I fell asleep, I woke up in a new dimension I didn’t recognize. Things may have been more advanced, and there may have been dimensions crafted to give you your greatest desires, but in the end nothing ever lasted.”
Now it’s Ford’s turn to divert Dipper’s eyes, gaze casting towards the floor. “Stan was cut from my life completely in the dimension that claimed to be a perfect world. I had nobody. Even in dimensions that actively worked towards my happiness, I was all alone” Ford shakes his head, and turns his gaze once more out on the horizon. The sun is still touching the horizon, but it’s dipped just low enough that some of the stars are beginning to show in the sky.
“But...here, at home, everything is consistent. I don’t have to worry about waking up in the morning to find that everyone I love is gone. I can keep everyone in arm’s lengths, even when Stan and I can only communicate with you and your sister over a video call. I’m…” Ford gently squeezes his hands to reassure himself that this is real and now. “...happy. Happier than I’ve been in decades”
Beside him, Dipper yawns, and when Ford spares a glance over at him he’s smiling at him sleepily. “We’re really happy you’re here too, Grunkle Ford” he murmurs, and his eyes slip closed. Ford’s cheeks flush pink, and he has to choke back a laugh because that’s one of the first times Dipper’s felt comfortable enough to call him Grunkle.
Ford stands, so as not to wake Dipper from his nap. A small glance to his right and he catches a glimpse of Stan and Mabel leaning against the side of the boat watching the sunset just outside of earshot of his current conversation with Dipper.
“You finally bore him to sleep with all your nerdy science talk?” Stan asks as he approaches, sparing a glance behind him at Dipper. “Was starting to think that the poor kid would never get a nap in”
“Yes, well,” Ford smirks. “I’m sure it helped plenty that you bored him to death by taking him fishing first”
Stan gasps in mock offense, and slugs him in the shoulder. “Hey, at least I’m engaging them in something they can actually interact with, unlike your kooky alien stories, or whatever”
Ford can’t help the laugh that escapes him. “Bold statement coming from the man who dedicated thirty years of his life rescuing me from said kooky aliens” he says, returning with a punch of his own. Stan opens his mouth to argue back, realizes he has nothing to say, and closes his mouth. The sight of it makes Ford laugh even harder, keeling over and slapping a hand on Stan’s shoulder to support himself. It must be contagious, because it’s not long before Stan is laughing too.
Ford removes his glasses to wipe the tears from his eyes, and cleans off the lenses with the edge of his sweater. Once his eyes adjust after he puts them back on, his throat nearly catches in his throat when he glances back out towards the water. He’s just able to catch a shooting star before it disappears over the horizon, and the boat’s just far out enough on the water that there isn’t an ounce of light pollution obscuring the rest of the stars in the sky. He takes a few steps back so he can look up and admire more of them at once, and if he looks close enough he can see them twinkling.
Before he can ask the others if they’re seeing the same thing, a bright flash of light coming from somewhere on the boat cuts into his thoughts. He turns, to make sure that none of the lights in any of the rooms are on, but no, they’d turned those off when they’d started fishing. Scratching at his head, he turns to Stan and Mabel to ask if they have any idea where the light is coming from, but that question catches in its throat as quickly as it formulated.
They’re the ones emitting light.
Or, rather, Mabel’s sweater and Stan’s shoulder, approximately where his burn scar should be. Those are emitting light.
...Surely it must just be the reflection of the starlight on the water, right? That same bright light must have woken Dipper from his nap, yes?
He turns heel to ask Dipper the same question, but freezes in his tracks before he can take a single step forward. Dipper’s forehead is glowing too, the same way it has since he and Stan docked the boat this morning.
It...It can’t be, can it?
Gripping his forehead, Ford takes a number of steps backwards until his back hits the wall. Maybe...maybe he just needs to call it a night. He’s been awake since sunrise, maybe his vision is just blurring because he needs to lie down?
He waves his hands in front of his face, but no, those don’t look any different. He squints, to make sure his hands aren’t shaking, but no, they’re perfectly still.
He squints at Stan and Mabel, just to try and see if his eyes are watering, and-
He gasps.
Mabel’s sweater, Dipper’s forehead, Stan’s shoulder; they’re not glowing; they’re twinkling like the stars. It was hard to tell in broad daylight, but now that they’re surrounded by a thousand shining stars, the resemblance is unmistakable.
But...that’s not possible. If he can see them twinkling, but none of them have said anything about it, that could only be if those were…
...soulmarks.
Ford suddenly feels like he’s going to pass out.
He slides to the floor.
Is...Is that even possible? Ford thought for sure that study he read years ago was nothing but a joke. Someone...who does everything in their power to bring you two together, no matter the cost? Someone who, even though you may not meet for decades, will feel as though you’ve known each other their entire lives? Someone who will do anything for you, no matter the personal expense?
Someone...someone like Stan, who spent a painstaking thirty years teaching himself quantum physics to rescue someone that anyone else would assume dead? The man who sacrificed his very mind, his very life, so he could be spared physical torture?
Or...someone like Mabel, the first friendly face he saw after emerging from the portal? The one who forgave him so easily after he tried to separate her from her brother? The one who insists on calling him a good person, despite all of those he knows he hurt?
Or...Dipper? His kindred spirit in all things supernatural? The one who, alongside his sister, sacrificed himself as bait for the most dangerous being in the entire multiverse? Who saw memories of him at his very worst, and apologized to him for snooping?
After everything he’s been through...could things really work out that well in his favor? To not have one soulmate but three, and the guarantee that they’ll never leave, because they’ve already expressed how they love him so?
There’s a tear streaming down his cheek at the thought, but he’s too distracted by a fourth light suddenly emitting from...himself to really notice.
He spares a cautious glance downward, and notices a pulsing light emerging from his chest in perfect time with his heartbeat. If he looks closely, he notices that the light travels down his arms and ties itself into a translucent bow around his fingers. If he looks closer still, the light looks as though it’s slinking faintly across the deck of the boat and reaching towards the gentle twinkling of Stan and Mabel’s marks.
Ford places a hand to his forehead, throws his head back, and laughs his throat dry, paying no mind to the tears pouring down his face.
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GF - All Star
Summary: A deep, dark secret about Ford is slowly revealed to his family, and he’s not ready.
For Skaleigh, wherever she may be...
~~~~~~~~~~
A few days after Weirdmegeddon, Ford was exiting the basement, taking a break from cleaning it out today. Stan had been recovering from his memory loss beautifully and so Ford decided to get a certain chore done on this rainy day. He could hear something, however, that made him freeze as a shiver ran down his spine and his race turned as red as his sweater.
“... start coming and they don't stop coming,
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running.
Didn't make sense not to live for fun.
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb.”
Recognizing who’s voice that was, Ford began to relax. The sweet smell of vanilla and sugar graced his schnoz and he followed the music to the kitchen. There, Mabel was in her little pink apron over her sprinkle-sweater, dancing around the kitchen as she mixed icing with food coloring in little bowls. The radio was playing on the kitchen table, a little dirty with flour, and the whole kitchen was a mess, but Ford couldn't help but smile at his beautiful niece as her hair flew everywhere as she danced and sang her heart out. When the chorus came, she banged her head and put the bowl of light-blue icing on the counter to dance more freely.
“Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play!
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid!
And all that glitters is gold!
Only shooting stars break the mold.”
At the words “shooting stars”, Mabel attempted a flip and fell on her face, just like she did at the dance party at the beginning of summer. Ford winced and made a move towards her, slightly emerging from his hiding spot at the doorway, but stopped when Mabel sprung up, unhurt, and declared to herself and the kitchen, “I’m okay!” Her eyes landed on her uncle and she grinned. “Grunkle Ford! Whatcha doin’?”
“I thought I would take a break from cleaning.” Ford explained casually with a shrug while Mabel turned down the radio a little so they could talk better. “Having fun?”
“Yeah!” Mabel pointed to the twelve cupcakes that were cooling on the stove and said, “I’m making everyone a snack. Want one?”
“I would love one, my dear. Thank you.”
“Ah, ah.” Mabel wiggled a finger at him. “You have to do something for it, first.”
Ford raised an eyebrow at her and held his cleft chin. “Oh?”
Mabel opened the drawer she knew Ford kept his apron in and pulled out his old My Other Oven is a Bunsen apron. “You have to decorate the cupcakes with me.”
Ford grinned and happily accepted the protective clothing against stains. “Well, I suppose it’s only fair that I help you if I’m going to have one. Do we have to share with Stanley and Dipper?”
“Nope!” Mabel giggled. “We can eat them all ourselves! Six each!”
Ford laughed alongside her and she gave him a small bowl of white icing to color however he wanted. He carefully added a few drops of green, seeing how Mabel had already made blue and red and was working on yellow, and she began to dance a little again and she jumped into song.
“Somebody once asked could I spare some change for gas?
I need to get myself away from this place.
I said ‘Yep what a concept,
I could use a little fuel myself,
And we could all use a little change.’”
Ford chuckled, mixing the icing, and he couldn’t help himself; he made himself jump in.
“Well, the years start coming and they don't stop coming,
Fed to the rules and I hit the ground running.
Didn't make sense not to live for fun.
Your brain gets smart but your head gets dumb.”
Mabel gasped in shock for a number of reasons. A) She had never heard Grunkle Ford sing before. 2) She didn’t think he would know this song, let alone the words. And D) His voice was actually very pretty. Mabel grinned and they happily sang together until the song changed to a commercial for Cam’s Camshafts and they began to decorate the cupcakes.
~~~~~~~~~~
Stan yawned as he stretched his tired limbs. He had been sitting out on the deck of the Stan O’ War II, watching the sun set, and he was now in a sleepy trance. Time to put on some warm, fuzzy pajamas and turn on the little TV in the kitchen.
Stan went into his shared bedroom and stopped when he accidentally walked in on Ford in a towel, his back to the entrance and unaware of the intruder as he dug through his drawer for new clothes. Stan was careful to be quiet and give his jumpy brother some space, planning on leaving him alone, but something caught his eye.
During the Stanswitch, Ford insisted on Stan turning away, uncomfortable with what his twin might see. Despite Stan’s insistence that it wasn’t anything he hadn’t seen before, Ford practically begged him not to look, so Stan went along with it until he had shed his suit, leaving only his dark pants and undershirt, and he turned to switch clothes, but he found Ford bent over, his back littered with dozens of ugly cars, trophies for surviving out in the Multiverse for thirty years. Stan had thought that this was the reason for Ford’s modesty and thick sweaters (and okay, sure, the guy had always been a little chilly), but maybe there was another reason.
Stan grinned. No. Way. He slipped away, deciding he would enjoy making fun of Ford when he would least expect it, and he immediately left for the kitchen silently and quickly texted Dipper and Mabel.
A few weeks past since Stan knew Ford’s secret and he had pocketed it away as his “secret weapon”; of course, Dipper and Mabel knew and Stan wished he could have seen the looks on their faces or heard them laugh, but oh well. The kids swore to keep it between the two of them, but Stan wouldn’t be surprised if all of Gravity Falls kenw at this point. Something to look forward to this summer.
Stan had half-forgotten about Ford’s secret until they were at a small shop in Liverpool, England and something jogged the old conman’s memory. A CD was sitting in a 50% off bucket and Stan could have sworn a beam of light from Heaven was shining on the little box. Stan snatched it and hid it in his jacket for later.
The next day Stan couldn’t wait any longer. They were gently coasting on the Irish Sea, the spring weather being warm and calm and pleasant. Ford was out on the deck, reading a map, and Stan sat their radio down, the disc already in place. “Hey Sixer,” It took everything in Stan to hide his snicker. “Mind if I play some music?”
Ford hardly looked up from the map. “Huh? Oh sure, Stanley. Go ahead.”
With the biggest grin Stan had probably ever made in his life, he pressed play.
SomeBODY once told me the world is gonna roll me,
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.
Ford’s polydactyl hands clenched the map so tightly it nearly destroyed the papered material. He lowered it as his face blushed so furiously it matched his maroon sweater perfectly. Sweat was dripping from his forehead profoundly, his eyebrows were nearly hidden in his fluffy hair, they were so high, and his eyes were as wide as dinner plates.
Stan snorted, trying to contain his laughter just a little bit longer. “You like this song, don't you? Oh man, here comes my FAVORITE part!” And to make sure he could embarrass his brother as much as he could, Stan sang along.
“Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play!
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid!
And all that glitters is gold! (I like gold.)
Only shooting stars break the mold.”
And then Stan couldn’t hold it any longer. He busted into a huge fit of laughter, holding his ribs and wheezing as Ford sheepishly lowered his head into the map and hid in shame. When the song was over and Stan was slowing down in his laughing, Ford snapped and spun around, crumpling the map down and scowling.
“How did you find out?!” He demanded, still incredibly red in the face, even his ears were pink.
“I’m your twin, Genius,” Stan huffed, whipping his eyes dry of tears. “I’m bound to notice a couple of things when stuck on a boat with you. I gotta ask, though, why in Moses’ name…”
“It wasn’t intentional, I can assure you of that.” Ford said to try to preserve his dignity. “I had fought a battle alongside a tribe of octopus-armed warrior piglets since they shared their food and water with me. They were quite friendly, unlike the gang of penguin-finned lizards we encountered. It is customary for their tribe to have a grand party after a battle is won in which they all get tattoos. I had misjudged how… erm, intoxicated their drinks would make me, and when it was my turn to get a tattoo of my choosing, I had a certain song stuck in my head and sung it out loud, so the artist delivered my drunken request."
Stan burst into another fit of laughter, one that oddly sounded friendlier than the last one. Like, Ford was supposed to laugh with him. Ford, despite still being very red and embarrassed, couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, man! That’s gotta be your best story from out in the Multiverse yet!”
Ford saw that as a challenge and sat in one of the chairs to get comfortable. “I can think of at least five better stories.”
Stan quickly sat in the other chair like an excited child for a new movie and Ford dove into telling of some of the more fun-filled adventures he had experienced.
~~~~~~~~~~
Summer of 2014 was upon them and the Pines couldn’t be happier. The kids were joyous to be where they felt at home, and even though the old sailors were living the dream, it would be nice to take a three-month break and see their favorite pair of twins.
About two weeks after an emotional reunion, the kids were gently reminded of something they had on their Summer bucket-list.
Much like Stan, they planned their little attack carefully so they may truly enjoy their uncle’s misery. The gift shop was open, but slow. Wendy was behind the counter, Soos was reading a comic book and sitting on a closed barrel, and Dipper and Mabel were grinning like crazy on the porch, the screen door wide open. Mabel popped the CD in the radio and turned up the volume.
SomeBODY once told me the world is gonna roll me,
I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed.
She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb
In the shape of an "L" on her forehead.
Mabel immediately jumped into rap-like singing, dancing around the porch. Dipper chuckled, hands in his pocket and tapping his foot, but Soos laughed, put down the comic, and took Mabel’s hands to dance. They giggled as they tried to sing along, and at the chorus they stopped dancing so they could sing the lyrics as loud as they could.
“Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play!
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid!
And all that glitters is gold!
Only shooting stars break the mold.”
Wendy was banging her head, red hair flying everywhere. Stan suddenly showed up in his boxers and slippers, grinning, and said over the music, “I was awoken by the sound of mockery through pop music! I want in!” He bumped his hips against Dipper to make him move and he danced obnoxiously, making his nephew laugh and dance a little more enthusiastically.
A little later, at the halfway point of the song, Ford stood at the screen door with a puzzled look. “What’s going on…?”
“Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play!
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid!
And all that glitters is gold! (I like gold.)
Only shooting stars…”
Ford looked like he had a sunburn on his entire face. He swallowed, making his Adam’s Apple bobble, and his jaw was tight. Stan laughed at his face and hollered, “THERE’S the man of the hour!”
“Come on, Stan Two, you love this song, right?” Wendy teased.
“Oh no…”
“C’mon, Dr. Pines, wanna dance?” Soos asked, still dancing with Mabel.
“Oh, here comes my favorite part…” Mabel chimed in.
“Hey now, you're an all-star, get your game on, go play!
Hey now, you're a rock star, get the show on, get paid!
And all that glitters is gold!
Only shooting stars break the mold.”
Ford slammed the door shut. The five were as still as statues, wincing a little. “Did we take it too far?” Dipper asked.
“Ah, let the big baby be mad for a minute if he wants to.” Stan said, ruffing up his hat. “I’ll go talk to him in a minute…”
But then the door was kicked open by Ford’s boot and his friends and family were startled to find him heavily armed with water guns. “ONLY SHOOTING STARS BREAK THE MOLD!” He sang, and then shot everyone with water.
Everyone broke into hefty laughter and ran for it. The old scientist was hot on their tails, but Mabel managed to slip away to the closet filled with emergency water-guns and balloons. She hurried back to the battle and tossed everyone some weapons, and soon it was a confused mess of soaked clothes, loud laughter, and exploding balloons.
At one point during the fun fight, he paused to take off his glasses and wipe the water from them. Mabel accidentally bumped into his leg and smiled sheepishly at him, expecting to be sprayed without mercy, but Ford hoisted her up in his shoulders and they worked together. Up three feet higher than she was used to being, Mabel could see things she normally couldn’t. Like a certain tattoo barely poking out of the turtleneck, only visible because Mabel’s weight was pulling the sweater down enough.
She smiled at it, finding it very pretty, and in the midst of the chaos, considered the idea of one day getting one herself.
#GF#gravity falls#ford pines#stan pines#Mabel and Ford bonding#mabel pines#dipper pines#wendy corduroy#soos ramirez#fanfiction#all star#smash mouth#tattoos#legit i laughed for 3 days straight when I found out#now i cant listen to the song without thinking about it#a huge thanks to skaleigh for inpsiring me and making me laugh#love you!#hope you're doing okay
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A Time for Every Purpose
: Part 1 : Part 2 :
Mabel stormed up the stairs, tears streaming down her face. It seemed like every time she tried to take her mind off her troubles, every time she tried to cheer up, something came along and made things more complicated. Had it really only been two days ago that she’d been excited about turning 13 and planning their birthday party? Now she had much bigger concerns, like Bill threatening her family, and Ford extending the apprenticeship offer to Dipper and her.
What with the tears in her eyes and the thoughts swirling around in her head, Mabel didn’t see her brother coming, and collided with him as she scurried up the stairs.
“Oh, Mabel, have you seen Great Uncle Ford this morning? I need to ask him…” Dipper trailed off when he realized his sister was trying to hold back tears. “What’s wrong? Did Bill come back? Is someone hurt!?”
Mabel shook her head, wiping her face on the sleeve of her pajama shirt she still hadn’t changed out of.
“I did see Grunkle Ford this morning. He told me I could stay in Gravity Falls too, if I wanted.”
Dipper’s face lit up. Sure, he’d have to completely redo his pros and cons list now, but this took care of the biggest negative on it! “That’s great!” But then he remembered she’d come up here in tears. “...isn’t it?”
“No!” Mabel cried, trying not to break down again. “Now I have to choose between staying here with you in Gravity Falls or going home to mom and dad!”
“Well, now you know how I feel.” Dipper pointed out. “Isn’t this what you wanted, though? This way you don’t have to leave Gravity Falls behind. You get more time with your friends, a little more summer.”
“Maybe. I dunno.” Mabel sighed and sat down on the steps, very close to pulling herself back into sweater town. “That was mostly just wistful thinking because I was afraid that everything was gonna change. I didn’t think it would actually become reality!”
“Hey, I get it. This is a really big, scary decision.” Dipper sat down beside her. “But you don’t have to make it alone. I can help you make a Pros and Cons list if you want.”
Mabel turned to look at her brother. “Dipper, I know last night you said we had to talk about this when we were calm and not super emotional, but I don’t know if I’m ever gonna not be super emotional about this whole mess!”
“Well, maybe making a list will help.”
The colorful girl scrunched up her face. List making was more her brother’s thing, but maybe it would help for her to get on his level for a bit.
“Ok. As long as I get to use glitter gel pens to write it.”
* * *
Stanford stood in the empty kitchen, the phone in his hand blaring a dull dial tone now that Debbs had hung up. It slipped out of his hand and bounced against the counter door on its curly cord. The old inventor was reeling. What had just happened? True, he probably should have anticipated at least a little apprehension from the kids’ mother, but surely, after explaining the advantages and benefits of his apprenticeship, any parent would have been happy to give their children the opportunity to learn at the feet of an accomplished scientist? And not just any scientist, but a family member who loved and cared dearly for those kids! Instead, she’d acted like he was threatening to kidnap them!
Oh you fool, you’ve done it again. The negative part of Ford’s brain chided him.
The old researcher pushed the thought to the back of his mind, instead trying to justify his own reasoning. It was a pattern he’d seen again and again throughout his life. People left. It always happened sooner or later. Sometimes because they found someone or something more important. Sometimes because they realized the relationship was bad for them. Whatever the case, the outcome was always the same. Deborah was simply trying to delay the inevitable.
“Sooner or later”, yes, and you’re asking the children to leave too soon. That’s what Stanley was trying to tell you, but of course you didn’t listen.
“No. No, I’m not the one being unreasonable here…” He muttered to himself.
Wasn’t he? Stan, Mabel, Debbs, they’d all acted as though Ford’s desire to keep the children here was wrong. Even Dipper had been unsure about it.
But you wouldn’t listen to any of them. You’ve only ever hear what you want to hear. Just like with Fiddleford, just like with Bill!
Perhaps the pattern of people leaving didn’t apply to everyone. Only to him.
“What is wrong with me?” He groaned as he slid down to sit on the floor.
What’s wrong with you? You’re disgusting! Of course no one wants you! The freakish hands are only the tip of the iceberg. You push away anyone with the misfortune to actually get close enough to care about you, but not without doing some serious damage first. Because you don’t understand people and their emotions and relationships. You don’t even understand your own species.
Ford dug his fingers into his hair and closed his eyes tight, trying to steady his breathing. It was true! That was why he’d felt so at home in Gravity Falls, studying supernatural beings. That was how he’d survived thirty years in the multiverse, hopping from one alien society to the next.
The only ones who’ve ever really wanted you just wanted to use you. Bill, the Dean at Backupsmore, your father… Stan…
Stan… Ford wasn’t sure if he believed that anymore. Surely his brother wouldn’t have spent thirty years trying to fix the portal just to use Ford.
No, he was just fine using your identity to make a cozy little life for himself in Gravity Falls while you were gone.
That just raised further questions, though. Stan had a stable life here. He had to have known Ford’s return would mean giving up the identity he’d been living under for thirty years. Even if Stan hadn’t expected his brother to insist he shut his phony business down, he at least had to have known his livelihood would be endangered. Wouldn’t it have been easier not to risk it all and just leave Ford to his fate? The only possible explanation was that Stan cared enough, or at least felt guilty enough, to motivate him to continue trying for thirty years.
Still, as noble as Stan’s intentions may have been, he still put the whole world, no, the whole universe, in danger by reactivating the portal. How could he have ever expected Ford to be ok with that?
A small part of Ford couldn’t help but wonder if he would have done the same, had their roles been reversed.
Then of course, there was Stan’s horrible timing. Ford had been this close to destroying Bill, to finally fixing his mistakes, when he was whisked back to Gravity Falls. It seemed like every time Ford got close to making a decisive strike against Bill, something went wrong. He only had himself to blame for the glue situation, but if Stan hadn’t...
It wasn’t like he had known.
He still shouldn’t have done it. It was far too dangerous.
If Stan hadn’t brought him back, he never would have met Dipper and Mabel.
Stan had put the children in danger on top of everything else.
If it hadn’t happened when it did, Ford would have died trying to take Bill down with him.
Ford had known the risks and had been prepared to make whatever sacrifice was necessary to bring Bill down. Stan had ruined his chance… hadn’t he?
You heard what Bill said. He hates you. Why can’t you just hate him back?
Bill always lies.
There was an abundance of evidence that Stan didn’t hate him. That he actually cared quite a lot.
Ford curled in on himself, the warring thoughts swirling in his head blocking out the rest of the world around him. He didn’t hear his brother coming until the old conman appeared in the doorway, eyes blazing with fury.
“Ford!” Stan shouted, his voice charged with anger.
He hates you.
Ford’s fight or flight instincts took over, and this time they favored flight. He had to get out of there. He darted out of the room as fast as he could.
* * *
Dipper was glad that Mabel had accepted his help to put together her own Pros and Cons list. Not only was it helping him redo his list, she also came up with several negative points he hadn’t considered, like the fact that he’d be leaving behind his friends back at Piedmont Junior High. While Mabel definitely had more friends at school, there were still a couple of classmates that Dipper would consider his friends, although he wasn’t nearly as close with them as he had become with Soos and Wendy.
Besides, he did kinda feel like he’d been neglecting Mabel over the past couple of days. He was just trying to figure all of this out, the rift, Ford’s apprenticeship, and Bill. Trying to comfort Mabel on top of all that just seemed like too much. Once he had the time to sit down and organize his thoughts, to really think things out, it became much less overwhelming. He trusted his Great Uncle to deal with the rift and Bill for now, and he was figuring out the apprenticeship thing.
It was interesting to see Mabel’s thought process as she put together her own list. She liked Dipper’s point value system, but they both scored the same things very differently. She thought getting to explore the caves behind the falls was only worth three points, tops, and she classified continuing to work at the Mystery Shack as a pro, not a con.
Dipper decided not to share his doubts on whether Ford would allow Stan to continue running the Shack out of his home. Mabel already had enough on her mind.
"So, once you finish your list, you add up the points on both sides and whichever has the most points wins." Dipper explained.
"How do you know when it's finished?"
Dipper shrugged. “Just… whenever you can’t think of any more pros or cons, I guess.”
“But what if I forget something important?”
“Well, I mean, it can’t be that important if you forgot it.”
Mabel sighed and started adding up her totals. Dipper did the same. Pros won out on both lists, although Mabel’s was by a slimmer margin. The boy laughed excitedly and beamed at his sister. She gulped. Despite what the numbers said, this still didn’t sit right with her.
“So we’ll both stay in Gravity Falls, together!” Dipper exclaimed. “I can’t believe it, this is like a dream come true!”
Mabel gasped. “Wait, that’s it!”
“What?”
“I think I finally figured out why I feel so wrong about this apprenticeship thing!” Mabel grabbed her brother by the shoulders. “You said you can’t believe it! Why?”
Dipper’s smile faltered. “Mabel, it’s just a figure of speech…”
“Yeah, but you used it now for a reason. Why?”
“Because…” Dipper stopped and thought about it for a moment. “Because if you’d told me two months ago that I was going to stay in Gravity Falls and work with the Author of the Journals, and that he was a long-lost relative, I’d think you were crazy.”
“Exactly. And I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Gravity Falls. I wanted more time with my friends.” Mabel agreed. “You said it yourself. Taking Grunkle Ford’s offer is a dream come true. Because staying in Gravity Falls is like living in a dream, or a fairy tale!”
“...What are you getting at here?” Dipper asked apprehensively.
“If we stay here, that’s not preparing us for the real world! We need to grow up in the real world first!”
“Are you implying that Gravity Falls isn’t real? That we’ve just dreamed up this whole summer?” Dipper asked incredulously.
“No, of course not!” Mabel scoffed. “Sorry, maybe I’m not explaining this very well. Obviously, Gravity Falls is real. We’ve got real family and real friends here. And we’ve both grown up a lot over this past summer here. But would we keep on growing if we just stayed here all the time? Would we learn the things we need to grow up if we stay in a place where most of the grown-ups still act like kids? This is the kind of place where a nine-year-old can claim to be a child psychic and everyone believes him. This is the kind of place where the local kooky hobo is a genius inventor who builds death robots. This is the kind of place where a long-lost Grunkle can come out of a mysterious portal. This is the kind of place where a sad journalist like Toby Determined can have his own newspaper. Does that sound like the real world to you?”
Dipper grimaced. “Yeah, I guess I see your point. But… I thought you didn’t want to grow up?”
Mabel frowned and rubbed her arm sheepishly. “You’re right, I don’t want to…” She then looked up with renewed determination in her eyes. “But I know that I need to.”
The boy gave his sister a proud smile “You’re a lot more mature than most people give you credit for.”
“Thanks, Dip.”
“But…” His face fell. “I do feel like there’s so much more to learn about Gravity Falls… and I don’t want to disappoint Great Uncle Ford. I know he’d really love us to stay. I get the feeling he’s really lonely. The apprenticeship is everything I’ve wanted all summer… how can I just walk away from it?”
Mabel patted her brother on the shoulder. “Well, even if it’s not the right time to stay in Gravity Falls now, maybe someday when we are a little more grown up, we could move out here all year. So don’t think of it as walking away. Just think of it as saying ‘Not now’. And don’t worry about Grunkle Ford. He’s our family and he loves us! I’m sure he’ll understand.”
Dipper sighed and nodded. “I hope you’re right. Ever since Ford offered me the apprenticeship, I haven’t felt ready. He said I shouldn’t worry, because I’ve already accomplished so much, but I guess it’s not really about doubting my own abilities. It’s just not the right time in my life.”
“Guess we should go tell him, then, huh?”
“Oh yeah!” Dipper smacked his head. “I was heading downstairs to ask him to help Wendy with Bill-proofing her house. Maybe we can talk to him about it after that?”
Mabel nodded. “Yeah, making sure Wendy and her family are safe is more important. And it’s like Grunkle Ford keeps saying, we’ve got all week!”
* * *
After leaving Soos to look after the giftshop, Stan made a beeline for the kitchen where he knew his brother had been using the phone just moments ago. That nerd was about to get the talking-to of his life!
“Ford!” Stan called as he stormed down the hall. No response.
He pushed the door open brusquely. The kitchen appeared empty, and the phone was hanging off its hook.
“Ford?” He called again. Suddenly, a figure shot out from behind the table. Stan barely had time to register that it was his brother before Ford dashed out of the room. What the heck had he been doing hiding practically under the table?
“Oh no, you’re not gettin’ off that easy!” Stan grumbled under his breath as he followed his brother. Sure, he wasn’t as fast as Ford, but the nerd had scrambled away so frantically that it wasn’t hard to follow his trail.
Unsurprisingly, the string of jostled furniture and scuffed floors led straight to Ford’s room. Also unsurprisingly, the door was locked. Stan rolled his eyes and slid a bobby pin out of his sleeve. What was even the point of locking a door that was so easy to pick?
Stan’s frustration with his brother evaporated as soon as he opened the door and got a good look. Ford was sitting in the corner of the sectional couch, curled up on himself. It wasn’t too far off from Mabel’s “Sweater Town”. The old researcher’s breaths came in short, shallow gasps, and he was eyeing his brother with the sort of caution a normal person would give an angry moose.
Was Ford… having a panic attack?
“Hey…” Stan said softly, approaching his brother with caution. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
Ford took a deep breath, and Stan could practically see his brother bottling up his emotions as the old nerd’s face became blank.
“Nothing. Nothing is wrong.” Ford said stoicly.
“Sure. And you bolted out of the kitchen just now because you saw a spider.”
Ford's blank expression flickered for a moment as annoyance crept in. "You startled me."
"Obviously." Stan rolled his eyes. "Anyway, I called Debbs back after she hung up on you."
"You were eavesdropping on me?" Ford accused coldly.
"Yeah, and it's a good thing too! I managed to smooth things over with her so the kids can still come back here next year, and you're still allowed to spend time with them!"
Ford didn't reply. He just kept staring straight ahead, stoney-faced.
"She just wanted me to have a talk with you. About you and the kids."
“She doesn’t have to worry. I doubt either of the children will want to spend time with me once they hear about this.”
Stan scoffed. “This isn’t gonna make the kids wanna stop spendin’ time with you, not by a long shot.”
“Perhaps not.” Ford agreed. “They’re still children, quick to forgive and forget. I’ll have to separate myself from them for their own good.”
“Wait, what?”
“Your original assessment was correct. I need to stay away from the kids. If not to protect them from the physical danger that comes with my line of work, then to protect them from the emotional danger of growing attached to a damaged man who doesn’t understand the simplest of human interactions.” He explained in a detached tone.
"Ohno you don't!" Stan retorted. "I didn't just stick my neck out for you, just so you could push the kids away! Those kids love your guts, and it'd hurt 'em a lot more if you just suddenly cut them off!"
"This is exactly what I'm talking about." Ford said clinically, as though he was explaining the problem with one of his experiments and not his own insecurities. "I have no understanding of the thoughts and feelings of others. The fact that you had to talk their mother into allowing me to continue spending time with the children confirms it.”
Stan heaved a sigh. "You still don't really understand why Debbs said no, do you?"
"I understand perfectly."
"I don't think you do." The old conman shook his head. "It's like I keep telling you, they're just kids. They still need their mom, and she still needs them."
"Yes, you were right and I didn't listen to you. Just one of many signs that I'm unable to properly interact with other human beings."
"I'm not finished! The thing you're not getting is just because you can't wedge your way into their parents' place, doesn't mean you can't be in the kids' lives at all! You're still a part of this family."
"And yet Deborah took my offer as a threat."
"Debbs doesn't know you from Adam, Ford! Of course she freaked out! I couldn’t explain the whole situation to her, but I did tell her those kids are the best thing that’s happened to you in 30 years.”
Ford couldn’t deny Stan’s statement. “I can’t do it again!” His prior panic finally burst out of its bottles. “I can’t stand to hurt another person I care about because I don’t even realize what I’m doing wrong until it’s too late! And I don’t even listen when someone tries to explain it to me!” His flare of anger died down, and he curled back in on himself again. “What is wrong with me?” He moaned.
Stan cautiously took a seat on the other end of the couch. “Nothin’s wrong with you.”
The old researcher scoffed. “A lifetime of my experience says otherwise.”
“Look, just because you’re not good with people doesn’t mean something’s wrong with you. Not everyone’s a people person.”
“This goes far beyond not being a people person. I’ve hurt everyone I’ve ever come into contact with.”
“Wow, exaggeration much?”
“How can you joke about this when you’re one of the people I’ve hurt the most!?”
The two brothers froze as Ford’s words hung in the air. Stan was at a loss. Since when did Ford feel like he hurt Stan instead of the other way around?
“See, you can’t even deny it.” Ford continued when Stan didn’t have a response. “It’s just eas-- It’s just safer if I just stay out of everyone’s lives.”
“You can’t just cut yourself off from the world, genius.” The old conman finally found his words again. “You’re the one who was sayin’ you don’t wanna be alone anymore.”
“...I don’t want anyone else to get hurt either.”
Stan paused as he tried to think of how to handle this. “We still gotta stop Bill, right? That’s not something you can do alone.”
“I’ve been doing it alone for thirty years.”
“Yeah, and that’s worked real well, hasn’t it?”
“I was about to end him!” Ford shouted. “I was seconds away from taking the shot, when you opened the portal again and whisked me away!”
“...Oh.” Stan squeaked. He didn’t know how else to respond to that. So he just moved on with the conversation. “Listen, even you’ve gotta admit, you’ve had more success with those kids' help. Dipper helped you get that alien stuff you needed. Mabel pointed out the glue problem you never even realized. If we’re gonna take down this Bill guy, your best bet is to work with us, whether you like it or not. And yeah, maybe it’s risky, but isn’t it riskier to just sit around waitin’ for Bill to make his move?”
Ford just stared coldly back at his brother. “You’re not going to apologize?”
Stan rolled his eyes. “I’m not gonna apologize for saving your life, no.”
The old researcher frowned and furrowed his brow, but he didn’t seem surprised by Stan’s response. He sat there thinking for a few moments before finally speaking again.
“I can see the logic in needing to work together to stop Bill. The children have proven to be incredibly resourceful in that department. And in less than a week, they’ll be returning to California. I suppose it won’t matter after that.”
Stan pinched the bridge of his nose. “For cryin’ out loud, they’re just one state over, not on a different planet. All those arguments you were makin’ about the kids still bein’ able to stay in touch over the computer? That applies to you too, genius. You can even drive down and visit if you want.”
“It’s not about what I want. It’s about what’s best for Dipper and Mabel.”
“Heh, well, good to see we’re finally on the same page there at least. But I’m tellin’ ya, being their mad-scientist uncle is what’s best for them. And what’s best for you too.”
Ford was torn. He wanted to believe Stan’s words, but it was hard to ignore that negative part of his brain, telling him that Stan was a liar, and digging up all the times he had hurt people before. He pushed it to the back of his head for now. Better to focus on stopping Bill and protecting the rift. Speaking of which….
“If we’re both here, who’s guarding the lab entrance!?”
“Relax, I left Soos to keep an eye on things.”
Stan’s reassurance was immediately undermined by the sound of a fight breaking out in the giftshop.
* * *
“Hey Soos, you seen Stan anywhere?” Wendy asked as she reentered the gift shop.
Soos was clearing out the old inventory. After Mr. Pines’ Mystery Science Brother came in and asked Wendy questions about her dream, it had been a quiet day at the Mystery Shack.
“He was here a minute ago, but he said he had to have another talk with his brother.”
Wendy rolled her eyes. “Of course. Well, I’m just gonna take off then. I gotta take care of some stuff. Let him know I decided to take the day off after all if you see him.”
“You got it, dude.” He assured her as she left.
Soos had been wanting a word with his boss himself, but whenever the handyman was about to ask Mr. Pines a question, Mr. Mystery was suddenly busy, giving a tour for just two people, yelling at his brother, or listening in on an important phone call.
It was clear that Mr. Pines was hiding something, and not the usual somethings Mr. Pines would hide, like incriminating evidence or suggestion cards. No, Soos got the impression that Mr. Pines was hiding something specifically from him. It wasn’t all that strange for Stan to avoid talking about anything that even remotely resembled feelings. But it was strange for Stan to avoid talking about what they were going to do for the off season. And even stranger for him to refuse free labor. True, there was a bunch of major drama going down in the Pines family right now, but it wasn’t like Mr. Pines to let it affect how he ran his business.
“The Mystery Shack has needed to be rebuilt like four times in the last two months. Maybe Stan’s just worried because all this reconstruction is costing too much money.” Soos reasoned to himself as he worked alone in the giftshop. But he didn’t quite believe himself.
The bell over the giftshop door jingled, distracting Soos from his thoughts. He quickly ran to the cash register, ready to serve another customer. “Welcome to the Mystery Shack dude!”
“Hello.” A short man with a grotesque face and a tiny 1930’s style reporter’s hat replied.
“Oh, hey Toby! I see you got away from that griffin!”
“I was indigestible!” Toby Determined said as if he was proudly proclaiming he got a new haircut.
“That’s cool. What brings you here?”
“I’m here to interview you, actually!” the reporter explained. “Rumor has it that Mr. Mystery has a long lost twin, and you’re the man with the inside scoop!”
“I mean, it’s kinda supposed to be a secret.” Soos hesitated. “I’ve only told Wendy, and my abuelita, and the mailman, and everyone who was at Greasy's Diner during the lunch rush last Saturday…”
“You’d get to be on the front page of the Gravity Falls Gossiper!” Toby enticed in a sing-song voice, holding up today’s issue for good measure.
“I’ll do it!” Soos declared.
“Perfect! Now, to start off, I’ll need to take your photo!”
“Oh hey, when’d you get a real camera?” Soos asked as Toby pulled out a large camera with an even larger flashbulb.
“Oh, uh, just recently.” Toby chuckled nervously. “Now, you stand right over there, next to that display of bright, shiny, reflective crystals. And I’ll stand right here, next to this clearly out of order vending machine.”
Soos struck a pose where Toby had told him to stand. “Oh, dude, wait--” He remembered he was supposed to be guarding the vending machine just as the reporter snapped the photo. The camera’s flash reflected and refracted through the crystals, blinding the handyman.
“Ah! My eyes!”
“Ah! Also my eyes!”
Unfortunately for Toby, he hadn’t stopped to think that maybe he should protect himself from the flash.
“Uh, dude, could you do me a favor and not touch that vending machine until my eyes adjust back to normal?”
“Never!” The determined reporter declared. “The man in the color-changing clothes and funny goggles told me I could be with Shandra Jimenez forever if I brought him the magic sticky ball hidden in the secret basement!”
Toby felt around blindly for the machine’s key-pad and started pressing buttons randomly. Soos followed the beeping sound and tackled the little man to the ground.
“Not cool, dude! You are officially banned from our FCLORP team!”
“No!” Toby whined. “You guys are the only people who tolerate me!”
“Well, you should’ve thought of that before you tried to break into Dr. Pines’ secret lab, dude! Which, uh, which he totally doesn’t have. That… that’s not a real thing.”
Toby obviously didn’t believe him, as he continued to struggle against Soos for access to the vending machine. Soos easily stopped him by just sitting on top of him.
“Y’know.” the handyman mused as his eyes began to adjust back to normal. “Dipper and Mabel put up a much harder fight than you. I’m just sayin’ you might wanna start doin’ more exercise and stuff. I know a place at the mall that teaches karate! I’ve been goin’ there since I was ten.”
“Let me go!” Toby demanded as he flailed his arms and legs uselessly.
“No can do, dawg. I promised Mr. Pines I’d hold down the fort while he’s busy taking care of family junk.”
Soos didn’t have to keep Toby at bay for much longer. For the second time that day, Dr. Pines burst out of the Employees Only door. He had his blaster drawn, and Stan wasn’t far behind him.
“What happened!?” Ford barked, aiming his blaster down at Toby’s wriggling form. “What is that thing?”
“Uh, I think Bill got to Toby.” Soos explained.
The old researcher grimaced. “Bill must have used some sort of magical artefact to mutate him!”
“What? No, he’s always been like that.” Stan corrected him. “What’d the triangle promise you, Toby?”
“Triangle?” The reporter asked in confusion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“He said a dude in color-changing clothes and funny goggles told him he could be with Shandra Jimenez forever if he got the magic sticky ball in the secret basement.” Soos recounted.
“And nothing about that seemed suspicious to you?” Stan asked.
“Well, not particularly…”
“Why am I not surprised.” The old conman rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Somebody’s pullin’ a prank on you, Toby. The Mystery Shack doesn’t have a basement.”
“Oh, but he was so convincing!” Toby whined.
“He is very convincing.” Ford said gravely. “Where were you when he found you? Do you know where he is now?”
“He just came into the printing room while I was finishing off this morning’s publication. He told me to bring the ball to the dump.”
Ford scratched his chin thoughtfully, considering all the information before him. “It’s probably a trap. I doubt Bill expected this attempt to work.”
“Really, what gave you that idea?” Stan asked sarcastically. “Hey Toby, if you leave now and promise not to come back, I won’t press charges.”
“Hooray!”
“Oh, and gimme a call if you see that, uh, prankster again.”
The reporter agreed and left. Ford immediately began pacing.
“This was almost a disaster! If Bill had sent a competent pawn instead of this distraction, the rift would be broken by now!” He rounded on Stan “Why did you leave the secret entrance unguarded!?”
“I didn’t leave it unguarded, I left Soos.” Stan defended. “And yeah, he’s a goofus, but he got the job done, so I don’t see what you’re complaining about.”
“Aw, thanks Mr. Pines.”
“Don’t get mushy on me, kid.”
“Everything turned out alright this time, yes.” Ford admitted. “But what if Bill sends someone or something more dangerous than a tiny goblin man?”
“I can totally handle it, dude.” Soos assured him. “I’ve fought puhterodactyls, haunted animatronics, and ate my way out of a creepy monster made of candy.”
“Really?” Ford looked at the handyman like he was just seeing Soos properly for the first time.
The conversation paused when Dipper and Mabel entered the room.
“Here’s everybody. Hey Great Uncle Ford, can I ask you a favor for Wendy?” Dipper asked. He then took in Ford’s frantic pacing and Soos’s rumpled clothes. “What’s going on?”
“Toby Determined just tried to break into the lab.” Stan replied nonchalantly, like he was commenting on finding gnomes in the trash again.
“What?” The young twins cried in unison.
“Was it Bill?” Mabel asked in concern.
“It couldn’t have been, the barrier spell is still up.” Dipper reasoned. “Right?”
“The barrier is still intact, yes.” Ford assured them. “It appears Bill convinced Toby to find the rift while possessing the same time travel agent as before.”
“Poor Blendin.” Mabel worried.
“I can’t believe Bill actually tried to use Toby.” Dipper said incredulously. “I mean, he can’t have gotten very far.”
“He didn’t.” Stan said simply.
“I sat on him.” Soos added.
“It seems like Bill is trying to set some sort of trap.” Ford explained. “Bill told Toby to bring the rift to the dump. I suspect he shared that information knowing that Toby would get caught, and that we would interrogate him.”
“That’s weird. Why would Bill want us to go to the dump?” Dipper wondered. “Unless…” the boy’s eyes widened and as he glanced at his sister, he knew the same awful realization was dawning on her. Neither of them had heard from McGucket since the party at Northwest Manor, the day before the portal reopened.
“Unless what?” Ford asked eagerly.
“Uhhh…” the young twins hemmed. They’d purposely forgotten to tell Ford about what happened to his old friend. How do you tell someone their best friend had driven himself insane and was now a homeless coot living in the dump? Although, considering Ford read Dipper’s entries in the Journal, the old researcher probably at least had an idea of how far McGucket had fallen.
“You remember your old research buddy, right?” Mabel asked awkwardly.
“...What does Fiddleford have to do with this situation?”
“He… kinda lives in the dump now.” Dipper’s reply pitched up at the end, almost like it was a question.
Ford stared at them agape for a moment. “I’d gathered that his mental state had deteriorated since I left, but… from what Dipper had written, it seemed like he was still working in robotics. How--why is he living in the dump!?”
“I think he’s just really bad with money.” Mabel shrugged. “He won a sweepstakes earlier this summer and he’s already spent it all on junky cars from Gleeful’s Auto Sales.”
“Yeah, I think he just used them for parts to build the Gideon-bot.” Dipper added.
“And you both believe he’s still at the dump?” Ford asked, distraught.
“Well, that’s where he’s lived all summer.” Dipper said slowly. “But… neither of us have seen him since the night before you got here.”
The old researcher finally stopped pacing and sat down heavily in the chair behind the cash register, running his fingers anxiously through his hair.
“Even if it is most likely a trap, that’s bait I can’t ignore…”
“We have to go find him and make sure he’s ok!” Mabel insisted.
“Yeah, but we can’t just walk right into an obvious trap!” Dipper exclaimed.
“So just sneak in.” Stan suggested. “It’s the dump, not the State Penitentiary.”
Ford shook his head. “Bill can’t be snuck up on, he has eyes everywhere. Our best hope is to take a direct approach and be prepared for anything.”
Stan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, of course you would wanna go in guns ablazing.”
“Says the man who thinks every problem can be solved by punching it!”
“Ok, ok.” Dipper held up his hands, hoping his Grunkles would be able to stop fighting long enough to come up with a plan. “But launching a full-scale rescue mission is probably exactly what Bill wants. We can’t leave the Shack and the Rift unguarded.”
“Eh, Soos can probably watch it again.” Stan said.
“Sure thing, Mr. Pines.”
“Actually, I think Soos’s abilities might be better suited for our rescue mission.” Ford suggested. “We’ll need an unpredictable element. Someone who Bill is likely to underestimate. I think you’d be better to stay and guard the lab, Stanley.”
“Fine by me.” Stan shrugged. “I honestly couldn’t care less what happens to Old Man McGucket.”
Ford scowled at his brother, but held his tongue for now.
“I think we’ll need more than just Stan to watch the Shack.” Dipper reasoned.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, kid.” Stan said sarcastically.
“It’s not like I doubt your skills, I’ve seen you punch dinosaurs and fight zombies, but Bill is really dangerous, and we can’t afford to take any risks.” The boy looked around the giftshop. “Where’s Wendy?”
“Oh yeah, she took the rest of the day off.” Soos remembered. “She said she had to take care of some stuff.”
“Aw man.” Dipper groaned. The lumberjack’s daughter would have been the perfect person to help Stan guard the Shack. She was cunning and resourceful and could bury a hatchet’s blade three inches into a tree from ten feet away.
Mabel tugged on her brother’s vest. “Dipper, you should stay here with Stan.”
“What? But I wanna go with Great Uncle Ford! And, uh, I was the last one who saw McGucket at the party!” The boy protested, trying to throw some weak logic behind his desire.
“I know, but… but…” The girl threw her arms around her brother as she failed to keep her voice from trembling. “I’m so scared that Bill is gonna hurt you again! Please, can’t you just stay here where you’re safe from him?”
Dipper returned her hug. “I don’t want him to hurt you either. Maybe both of us should stay?”
Mabel shook her head. “No, somone’s gotta go make sure McGucket’s alright, and if it is a trap, Grunkle Ford’s gonna need all the help he can get.”
“Just promise you’ll be careful.”
“Don’t worry, brobro, I’ve always got my secret weapon!” Mabel assured him, pulling out her grappling hook.
“I’ll make sure she’s safe.” Ford promised, making pointed eye contact first with Dipper, then with Stan.
“Yeah, you better. Otherwise it’s your funeral when her mom finds out.” Stan grunted.
“Does everyone have what you need to defend yourselves?” Ford asked. Mabel held up her grappling hook, and Soos grabbed a shovel out of the Shack’s utility closet. “Then let’s go! We’ll discuss a plan on the way there.”
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==> - a Miss
An excited purr escapes your throat as you pick up the attuned Tuning Fork, okay, okay. Okay. You.... you needed to get ready for this! Oh, yeah you weren't prepared. Kicking at the chalk you’d used in your ritual a bit to muss up the lines (not that they could be used for anything else), you note to clean up your mess later as you run about collecting what you need. Your travel coat, your shoulder bag, your sword, all things you kept in your work room. The last thing you needed, however, was the watch Star was attached to.
Star was technically all over your hive now a days. An AI who use to go by the name Mabel, given to you by a long lost friend, she now called herself Star and had made a home of the computers and surveillance systems your brother, Calib, once had rigged through the hive for more nefarious purposes.She still, however, frequented outings with you held within the high-tech watch she originally was homed in. The watch itself has seen a few upgrades since, all thanks to Star’s own technological prowess. Truly an heir of Harley genius. Generally you kept the watch upstairs, in your room next to your main computer because Star had the ability to interact with it there.
“✨- Omg omg omg omg!!!!”
A chime like an old videogame twinkle effect sounded over some speakers, signalling Star was taking them over to speak. She could technically reach you in the basement, but didn’t have cameras down there to see what you had been doing. Regaurdless, she sounded excited.
“✨- This is it this is it!!
✨- You’re finally gonna go find her! It’s been like, elevendy billion years Callie!
✨- I bet she’s gonna be like! SO SO HAPPY! When you find her I mean. YEAH!”
“heh, maybe? i mean i hope so. i’ve missed her, bUt it’s still kinda weird she’s never tried to come back on her own.”
“✨- She’s going to be so happy that you’re RESCUING HER!”
“star, i really don’t think she needs rescUed. i mean droog didn’t, she’s every bit as capa-”
“✨- Then how come she never came home?”
“that’s... that’s what i was getting at. i don’t know.” You sigh, shutting off the doorway to your workroom for now and going over to unplug the smartwatch. It was fully charged and perfectly synced with Star’s main hub, and wouldn’t start diverging until you left the area of Wi-Fi. A bright blue hologram of Star’s current fursona popped up above the watch’s screen, barely showing off the sheer sparkle-dog-ness of her current avatar: The frutiest fruit bat to ever fruit. It changed often, but there were always some giveaways it was Star. The fun sweaters were usually the key focus. As well as the blue colouration, as the hologram projector has always had the ability to produce other colours. Blue was just.... easiest? You don’t actually know.
“✨- She isn’t avoiding you, you know that right?” The hologram spoke, fluttering itself up to get right in your face about it.
“it’s! it’s not really me i’m worried she’s avoiding! it’s-”
“✨- Dumbra! I know, I know! But don’t forget you talk to me too when you’re drunk and yo-”
“ANYWAYS, star, i need yoUr help. i know i asked yoU this before, bUt yoU really don’t mind coming along to help me figUre oUt where all this thing is going to take me? i’m not bUgging?”
“✨ - Hmph! But no, of course not silly! This is the only way I can, you know, stretch my legs!” The hologram flapped up further to wiggle it’s anatomically incorrect ‘bat’ legs, laughing at her own joke before receding back to the space just above the watch.
“✨ - Besides, you know I love helping you. It’s practically what I was created for!”
You’re not sure why you think it would be better to try this outside than in your already magically charged basement, but you head out the front door. You’ve called out to Chess to let her know you were leaving, as well as texted Davara. As soon as the cool night air hits you you’re pulling the hesitantly dubbed Travel Tunner from your sylledex and removing your wand from your strifedex. You stand at the edge of the plateau your home is situated on, holding both instruments out in front of you. You only give yourself a moment’s more hesitation before you hit your wand against the metal fork, hard.
The sound it makes is loud, you can feel it reverberating not just in the air around you but up your arms as well. Your vision starts to swim, and you feel almost vague and fuzzy for a moment, like you were fading out of existence.
Simultaneously fading back into existence elsewhere. Where exactly, though, is unclear. It takes a moment to reorient yourself from the travel, but.... looking around, you really can’t see anything. You’re in.... some kind of room? A really big room. Not completely devoid of light, either, but what light was coming through was from.... from.... You had to squint, but there was light coming from the ceiling. The ceiling itself seemed to be made of some sort of round crystal or glass, but the natural light that would normally be filtering through was clouded over by a dark storm. Thunder could be heard in the distance, and.... you strain your ears because there’s something else you can’t quite place. But before you can place it, you become acutely aware you’re no longer a troll. You’re human. Which means.... this was a world inhabited by Pokemon, based on your previous use of Human transformation spells.
“meenah?”
You call out, taking a few steps forward. The dim, barely there light didn’t give you much to go on, but you think there was some kind of chair on one side of the room. A hallway on the other. Still.... there was a sound. Like... like..... It was water sloshing! Beneath the floor, actually. You snap, realizing where you were. Or at least, a version of where you were.
This was the Alolan Champion’s room. Your own time as the Kalos champion had you learn the ins and outs of the special stadiums needed for league battles. And while it wasn’t the most common, there were trainers who used exclusively Water-residing pokemon, like Goldeen and Finneon who, while they could battle on land, were at a severe disadvantage when fighting. Thus the floors were set up in such a way that half the arena could open up to a pool, or even the whole arena dependent on the teams battling. Still, this was only half the puzzle of where you were, and unfortunately you’ve got a sinking feeling you know why you were brought here instead of to Meenah.
“okay star, coUld yoU check where we are in the mUltiverse right now?”
“✨- Sure thing just give me a moment....”
You can’t help but get a feeling of being watched, and you wonder if there’s cameras set up. The shadow overtaking the room was probably in your better interest then, because you’re not sure how you’d explain sudden teleportation in.... actually, no, you could technically use your Gallade as an excuse but-
“✨- OMG CALLIE! You’re never gonna believe this. We’re in our pokemon timeline! Like, the very exact one! You’re coming up as the Kalos champion an everything!”
Ah... yeah, you were correct. You sigh, looking down at the fork. This.... was probably your fault.
“what about anything on meenah makara? can yoU check?”
“✨- Mmmmm nope, nothing on Meenah is showing up. There’s a Mina who’s apparently the Fairy not-gym leader for Alola but that’s the only result I’m finding.”
You sigh heavier, yeah, you did this. Reaching up you run a hand through your hair, groaning. Still, on the bright side at least it didn’t teleport you off to like. The 1920s again or some such. Still, you know what happened.
“when i attUned the tUning forks i mUst have imprinted my more recent associations with meenah into the ritUal. when i played sUn and moon, i was whistfUlly playing as if i were her, so of coUrse it takes Us to the most familiar variation of the alolan champion’s room. caUse that’s where i’d have last really.... felt connected to her. stUpid.... stUpid, hUh?”
More sighing. Well, at least you know what went wrong, and how to get out of here too. You were either going to have to practice tuning without letting associations get in your way, or try and find something of Meenah’s to use with the ritual instead. Both were viable, but first.... you really needed to get out of here. And home.
“✨- Nooo! Not stupid. You’re being really hard on yourself Callie! This was your first time out!”
You put your wand and fork away, relying on tried and true methods of teleportation to get out of here. Turning on the ball of your foot, you zap away to the Pokemon Center in Tapu Village only a few miles out from here. You had a transportalizer set up there, so it was easy to get home.
“mmmmaybe, it’s fine. i’ve got some ideas on what to do next, bUt i think one go roUnd is enoUgh for tonight, don’t yoU?”
#Long post /#action!post#This one has a bit more stuff happening but still a generally boring read so ahh))
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Multiverse is a Curse Word (6)
Okay, hiatus time after this one, but I’ll try to get the next one out as soon as I can. Everyone who has been keeping track of this crazy thing so far, it has meant so much to me. Thank you!!
As always, Adeline Marks is @hntrgurl13‘s awesome OC, and the Dimension Jumper and Drifting Dimensions AUs are her creations also.
@the-subpar-ghost made the Adrift AU, a goldmine of feels, angst, and Ford-Mabel bonding.
The Addiford ship is from the mind of @scipunk63. I think you’ll like this chapter.
@deadpool-demon-diva and @thejesterlyfictionista. Here’s a new one, enjoy.
Minor spoiler: There’s flashbacks to alternate lives, and in one of these Stan is mentioned to have read Tolkien. This is from @amolecularmachine‘s brilliant fic By the Skin of Your Teeth. Go read it.
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Chapter 6: Naturally-Occurring Nerdy Stuff
Addi felt guilt begin to crush her as soon as she heard Mabel whimper in her sleep. She had given Stanford the sword; she hadn’t tried hard enough to convince Wesley she could handle the job; she had encouraged her two companions to stay with the resistance even though she knew Wesley might try to get them involved; she had become entangled in the resistance herself. Addi sighed. The mistakes just kept piling up.
At another whine from Mabel she abandoned her position on watch and padded through the silk-soft green grass to where the girl was sleeping. The beauty of this planet’s forests would be a sight to behold in the morning.
“Hey, sweetie,” she said gently, running a hand through Mabel’s short brown curls, “hey, it’s okay, you’re safe, you’re safe …”
Mabel opened her eyes and looked around, reorienting herself. Addi continued to stroke her hair until her breathing evened out. The sound of wind rustling through delicate leaves soothed them both.
Eventually Mabel sat up and rested her chin on her knees, shifting her blanket so that it wrapped completely around her. Stanford hadn’t been eager to retrieve their supplies from the shuttle (delaying their departure through a portal), but Addi was now glad she had insisted. Having a halfway decent campsite encouraged a feeling of safety and homeliness, something they all needed.
“Not sleeping tonight?” she asked. Mabel shook her head silently and leaned against Addi, who enveloped her in a hug.
“You know it wasn’t your fault, right?”
Mabel remained quiet for a few seconds, then replied, “I keep going over and over it in my head, but I can’t see it happening any differently. I mean, when I swung the sword I didn’t know she was there, and I needed to shut the security doors.” She turned to Addi with anguish in her eyes. “Am I missing something? Was there anything I could have done to make it go right?”
Truth be told, Addi had no idea. Thirty years of travelling through the multiverse had pretty effectively demolished all her certainty and guarded scepticism. There was undoubtedly a universe where everything had gone right for Mabel, where no one had died or come near to death. There was also a universe where nothing had gone right. The chaos that perpetually engulfed the multiverse meant that Addi had rarely been able to do more than hope like hell she was not part of the latter, and wish that she occasionally caught a glimpse of the former.
“No. I think that was entirely out of your control.” Addi answered. “Everything has to happen somewhere, and that was what happened to you … but let’s play out a hypothetical situation: if you had missed that guard, and hit the control panel, what do you think would have happened afterwards?”
The teary girl thought. “She still had her gun … and she was definitely not afraid to use it,”
“Right. So regardless of whether she was simply trying to do her job, or protect her friends, or was hyped up on adrenaline, anger, or fear, she was also trying to hurt you and your great uncle. You were trying to keep yourself and your family safe.” She let that soak in for a moment before continuing. “Mabel, it is wonderful when you can find a win-win scenario, but they are not guaranteed all the time.”
The girl sighed as though some of the weight had been lifted from her. There was still a long way to go, but it was a start.
“It’s not your fault either, Addi.” She said unexpectedly. “Blaming yourself for being betrayed is something overly-dramatic TV action heroes do to gain tragic sympathy from viewers. It’s compelling, but silly. And you’re not silly, Grauntie Addi.” She finished sternly. Then she nestled into the speechless woman’s lap matter-of-factly.
⃝
Ford was awoken by daylight streaming through a parting in the trees to hit him precisely in the eyes. Rolling over to avoid it, he found he was the last to wake. Adeline and Mabel were both enclosed in a blanket, softly playing a hand game.
“Morning sunshine,” Adeline said when she saw him.
“I’m awake enough to recognise sarcasm,” Ford warned, sitting up.
“Sarcastic? I? Your paranoia is getting the better of you again, Stanford,”
“Here you go, Grunkle Ford.” Mabel deposited a fruit in his lap and crouched next to him. “It’s not poisonous, I ate one before you woke up.”
“You what?”
“She’s just messing with you,” Adeline said, shaking her head.
“Oh, so you have learnt some caution,” Ford said, relieved.
Mabel laughed. “Oh no, I totally ate, like, three. But Addi knew it was okay,”
Still mildly concerned, Ford finished the sweet tasting food.
“Are you okay, though?” he asked tentatively after swallowing. He could tell by the shadow which temporarily dampened her light mood that she knew he was not talking about the fruit.
Mabel shrugged slightly, avoiding his eyes. “I could do with a couple million stuffed animals and a huge family hug pile,” she said, her voice catching because they all knew that neither were possible.
Regardless, he would do his best. He put as much love into the following embrace as he could muster, and the surprised giggle Mabel made when Addi joined in allowed him to believe that they were equivalent to at least a hundred fluffy toys.
⃝
“I wish we could stay here,” Mabel said wistfully as they packed up.
“As do I, however I think it would be safer if we continued to move on. That threat Wesley gave you was decidedly ominous,” Ford directed at Adeline.
“I don’t think he’d come after us.” She frowned. “Then again, I didn’t think he was a flipping insane-” she paused.
“Butthead!” Mabel supplied.
Ford nodded his agreement and checked the readings on his analyser before altering his calculations.
“Another portal should be opening up around here-”
“There!” Mabel shouted. “Bye forest!”
They stepped through the bright blue circle.
Ford had never gotten used to crossing dimensions, and he doubted he ever would. The experience was the same for everyone. They caught flashes of events from their alternate selves’ lives.
… he was in a darkened room and a terrified boy who could only be Mabel’s brother was pointing a memory gun at him …
… he was in a hospital bed and feeling worse than ever in his life, but Stan was making him grin like an idiot by admitting he had read Tolkien …
… he was staring down in shock at the lifeless form of his niece, who had just managed to plunge Adeline’s sword into the control panel before being shot down …
⃝
Addi shivered and took a deep breath, throwing off the lingering feeling that she was falling off a cliff towards the Gravity Falls river. Stanford was looking pretty shaken up too.
“Hello forest!” Mabel said cheerfully. Their new location was rather less pleasant, but it did seem to be another forest. It had dry, browny-green, tough-looking trees rather than the earlier lush, deep green ones, and raw, baking heat emanated from every available surface, reflecting the sun’s glare. The pale pink sky was stubbornly clear of cloud cover.
“We’re going to need water,” Addi stated.
It was almost three hours before they found any. By then, all of them were exhausted and soaked with sweat. They were also extremely tired of the rocky, uneven terrain.
Mabel let out a groan of relief upon seeing the river. Without saying another word she threw off her boots, her black coat, and her sweater, and flopped into the coolness, remembering to keep it away from her face until they knew it was a fresh water current. Addi, too, immediately stripped off her outer layers and sat beneath a tree on the river’s edge, allowing the cool liquid to soothe her burning feet.
Stanford held off his moment of peace, of course. She expected nothing less from the man who would work himself to exhaustion on the portal before he slept. He took out a capsule-like device and trickled some water into it. It beeped and flashed green.
“Okay, it’s fresh,”
Mabel instantly dunked her head into the water and lay face-down. Stanford added his own contributions to the pile of clothes, including a starry, dark blue sweater that Mabel had obviously made. This revealed something that made Addi snort.
“Nice tat,” she laughed. Ford flushed slightly and instinctively clapped a hand over the cheerful little star inked onto his neck. Its yellow colour exactly matched Mabel’s shirt.
“Shut up,” he said irritably, and waded into the river.
“I want one just like it,” Mabel enthused, coming up for air to hear the exchange.
“No. Never,”
“Aw, you’re no fun,”
Stanford narrowed his eyes. “What is this? My niece has suddenly become deluded and irrational! She must have been bitten by the deadly Lunacy Beetle of Madron, whose poison can only be flushed out by,” he surged over to Mabel, “extensive water exposure!”
Mabel shrieked and caught him in the face with a blast of water. This did little to deter him, and Mabel was plucked out of the river and mercilessly dunked back under over and over. Droplets trailed sparkles through the air. The girl’s war cries and vows of vengeance were interspersed with splutters, rendering her as threatening as a kitten. On Dunk Number Five however, she managed to grab onto Ford’s shirt effectively enough to pull him under with her, and when they emerged again they were both coughing up water.
“So is the madness all out of your system? Do you consider me sufficiently ‘fun’ again?” Ford asked once his lungs were clear.
“Yeah, yeah, you’ve made your point.” Conceded Mabel. “BUT, that water fight wasn’t fair. You are way out of your league, old man.”
“Oh, well in that case, maybe I need to enlist Addi’s help. Together we should surely be a match for you.” He turned to look at Adeline, but she was already crashing towards them. Ford’s confident expression was wiped away however when Addi dived at him rather than his niece. Mabel cheered as they went under.
Below the surface it was difficult to discern much of anything, the silt being so recently stirred up, but Addi did see a glint as Ford’s glasses came off. She caught them in one hand and grinned mischievously down at him, close enough to see his matching expression. She was very conscious of how he had not removed his arm from around her waist since they had fallen. Also, she needed air.
“Is that a jet ski?” asked Mabel when they resurfaced. They looked, Addi returning Ford’s glasses.
The river was very broad, so much so that the opposite bank was a blur. However, there was what looked like a small vehicle heading in their general direction.
“I don’t think they’ve seen us. It’s most likely a patrol of some kind. Nevertheless, we don’t want to be noticed,” Stanford said warily.
On the bank they shoved their feet into their boots and Addi hid their dry clothes and bags in a bush. A layer of leaves combined with rock-hard dirt eliminated the need to cover their tracks, so they retreated straight into the refuge provided by the forest, and waited. It was only then Addi realised she had forgotten to grab their weapons in her haste.
She expected the vehicle to pass by on a quick sweep, then continue down the river. Instead, it came to a stop not far from their supplies and the rider dismounted. The amphibian-like person walked unassumingly forward, bulbous eyes fixed on a monitor in their hands.
Seriously? Our luck cannot be this bad, Addi thought disbelievingly as they were forced to back away indefinitely as the stranger moved innocently towards them.
After a ridiculous sixty feet of this, the alien even following their evasive and curved paths, there were more footsteps off to their side. Another person with a monitor was heading their way. Addi stopped breathing as herself and her friends crouched in the middle of some large bushes and waited for the beings to pass them by. Through the leaves, she saw them gesture to a sick-looking tree and compare monitors. Mabel released a breath and Stanford relaxed.
Environmentalists. No threat. Unless you hurt their trees.
She jerked her head towards an outcrop of boulders a reasonable distance from where the scientists were working. Quickly and quietly, the three of them left the site of interest.
“That never happens to us!” Mabel said happily to Ford. “It always turns out to be bounty hunters, or space police, or some other person you’ve upset.”
“I’ve upset? Allow me to remind you of a certain gambler who destroyed half a market square not a week ago,” Ford responded in mock offence.
“Ooh, shiny.” Mabel noticed, deftly changing the subject to look under the gap between a boulder and the ground. “I think I can – ACK!” She suddenly disappeared from view.
“MABEL!” Both adults yelled. Stanford leaped to where she had been sliding into the gap, and he too disappeared.
Knowing it probably was not a good idea, but going ahead with it anyway, Addi grabbed a sharp rock and followed. There was a near invisible hole under the boulder with a small, glittering white crystal on its other side. Bracing herself, she dropped into the darkness.
It was like a slide. A really rough, nearly vertical slide. Amid the tumbling of rocks, she heard shouting coming from below her and prayed the others were okay. She hit the floor of a cavern with a jolt, but managed to stay on her feet, and spun around with the rock raised, searching for some sort of cave-dwelling monstrosity. Instead, she saw Stanford and Mabel both gazing around in ecstasy, spouting off half to each other and half to themselves about the wonders surrounding them.
The wonders in question were many, many, larger versions of the crystal marking the entrance to the hole. The entire place was filled with stars. Addi dropped the rock.
“Addi, Addi look! It’s so pretty, it’s like magic! Is it magic? It could be magic! What if there’s fairies down here? -”
“Adeline, the luminous properties of these crystals is amazing! It appears they can absorb and store energy almost perfectly, and only release a small amount as light, creating this wonderful glimmer!-”
“-fairies use them for building houses! Or maybe there’s an underground society of dwarfs that come and mine this place! Or even-”
“-significant usefulness as batteries or even devices of their own! Do you think we could fashion some sort of communicator out of them? Maybe-”
“-dragon treasure! I could probably make a bracelet out of these-”
“”-look, even as we’re speaking they’re growing brighter from the kinetic energy produced by sound vibrations!”
“I need some!”
“I must take a sample!”
“So, I guess you two haven’t encountered endo-ergon quartz before?” queried Addi, amused at their excitement.
“You have?” replied Ford, carefully unearthing some and placing them in a pocket.
“A few times. I’ve never seen a deposit of this size before. You are right, they make good batteries. I use them when I can to power things like Big Bertha, my transmitter, my portal beacon …”
Which reminds me, I should set that up, Addi remembered. She grabbed a couple of crystals for herself.
“Wow, they’re pretty handy.” Called Mabel, collecting some of the smaller ones. “This cave is full of naturally-occurring nerdy things! Except these rocks are actually beautiful and useful, which is completely different to Dipper’s collection at home. I think he has some gravel in there.” She mused.
There was an exit at the back of the cavern which returned them to the forest. Once they were in the open Mabel turned to Addi.
“Grauntie Addi, I’m going to make you a friendship bracelet. And you Grunkle Ford. And one for me too,” With that decision, she began to run back up the incline to where the rock pile was situated.
“Grauntie?” Ford said in surprise.
“Yes. I’m very proud,”
“I guess that decides it,” said Ford absentmindedly.
“Decides what?”
“Oh, er, I was going to ask whether you wanted to stay with us.” He said, a bit awkwardly. “I mean, you’ve saved our lives so many times already, and you are extremely capable, and amazing at, well, everything. I honestly cannot thank you enough.” He drew in a breath. “I know that I’m asking a lot, for you to keep helping us, so hopefully we’ll be able to return the favour at some point.”
Addi opened her mouth to deny the notion that she expected anything in return, to say that it had been her privilege to meet them, and get to know them, and spend time with them. However, Ford didn’t seem to be done.
“Mabel clearly loves you and wants you to come with us. I have to say, it would be greatly beneficial for her to have someone other than myself to care for her, especially someone who actually seems to know what they’re doing with kids.” He gave a quick, but nervous, grin at that. “I, myself, value your company exceedingly, and I would … greatly appreciate it if you decide to remain.”
Are you kidding? She wanted to scream. Of course! She figured that would be fairly alarming however. A shout of joy was all she wanted to do, though, because she could feel a swell of emotions about to explode from her like a volcano of happiness. He couldn’t know how much what he had said meant to her. He hadn’t even known her in his dimension! At home she had always thought of herself as good, but nowhere near as brilliant as her two friends. Yet here she was, and Stanford was telling her that she was the capable one, was nervously asking her to stay with him as though there was any other option she had considered, and above all was completely trusting her with the life of the wonderful child he had in his care when only a week ago he had seen her as his enemy.
“So … will you stay?”
The volcano erupted.
Completely impulsively, but without any regrets, she stepped forward and kissed him, entwining their fingers as she did. After a moment of uncertainty, she was relieved to find him kissing her back.
⃝
Whatever Mabel had expected was the reason Addi and Ford were taking so long, seeing them making out in a clearing full of light was not it. The first thing she did was react appropriately.
“MATCH MADE!” she screamed.
#ADDIFORD IS HEREEEE#yes i love this ship#addiford#park ranger aliens#gravity falls#fanfiction#adrift au#dimension jumper au#drifting dimensions au#portal ford#portal mabel#portal addi#adeline marks#stanford pines#mabel pines#multiverse is a curse word#my writing
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Falling Into A Different Destiny - Gravity Lapses - Part 1
I do not own Gravity Falls or Undertale, they belong to their respectful owners. I only own this story and my OCs. While I was always going to make a Gravity Falls AU for this, the comments really made me want to make this so bad! I hope and pray that there will be fanart for this story, if only for the pairings alone.
Please remember that with Error and the kids being in this, it changes a lot. It might not show a lot at first, but it will cause a ripple effect. One example is that Stan doesn't pretend all that much about not knowing about what is strange with the town like he did in the first episodes or season. He has a literally Monster God working with him along with said God's kids, he has no leg to stand on if he says there is nothing wrong with the town.
Although, now that I think about it, I can still see Stan trying that just because he is Stan... like in the first episode, instead of "Monsters in the forest isn't real..." he could say "Look, the only Monsters that are real are inside the house. By your logic, it would be safer out in the woods.". Hmm, I might use this later on.
World: Gravity Falls
Pairings: Error/Stan, Null/Dipper, Void/Mabel, One-sided Error/Bill, One-sided Error/Ford, One-sided Null/Pacifica, and One-sided Void/Gideon
When: I had a choice to make, three choices in fact on when I could make Error land. First, Weirdmageddon. But I want time devoted to character, plot and relationship development, around that time it is closer to the end of Summer, meaning that Dipper and Mabel leave. Next options was around the time Stan sets up shop or in between the first two episodes where there was a time skip. After much, and I mean much, debating with myself, I have decided to go with when Stan is younger. This way Error and the kids know the town and said town's people are very protective of the skeleton Monster family. It also gives me time to age up Null and Void a bit so that they are more closer to the twins physical ages. While there are rumors of walking talking skeletons in town there is no proof of this because no one lets the world out too much, only tourist talk about them and it isn't like the government is going to come knocking just for that kind of rumor, if they did, then the government would be just be about everywhere looking for Big Foot or The Moth Man. Time moves faster in Gravity Falls then in Error's Original Multiverse.
Stan was on his way to see his brother after years of not, driving in the dark. Then suddenly, a sobbing whisper sounded out in his ear and a bright light nearly blinded him. Slamming the breaks, Stanley Pines ran out of his car to see just what in hell was going on.
A downtrodden man broken by his own mistakes was then faced with a Monster God broken by years of abuse and torment for doing his own job and duty that was barely hanging on by a thin string that was called 'Null and Void' or simply called 'His kids'. Faced with someone much more broken then even he could be, Stan took them all in with no regrets. He made a promise that day after all.
Years later, Dipper and Mabel are faced with the supernatural and magical just as they step off the bus in this Universe. Their family here is more strange, their adventures more dangerous and a lot more mysterious but they wouldn't have it any other way. Both twins gain two more friends, Mabel gains a knitting teacher and buddy while Dipper gains a teacher on the strange and thought to be long gone or not thought to be real. Stan gains someone to lean on and for someone to lean on him as well and three certain Monsters who made him smile, making sure he was never truly alone.
Error gains too much in his eyes, things that he shouldn't have because he knew he would mess it up or taint it with his bloody dust hands. Yet, he wouldn't trade it for anything in the end, even with all the trouble that comes with it.
It's amazing what destiny can do, how much can change, when you add a bit more to something already amazing.
Error watched his Original Multiverse, LOVE surrounding him.
This Multiverse watched Error, a broken unconditional love in everything he does.
While Error's Original Multiverse didn't love him, didn't accept him as himself, Gravity Falls could. Weirdness was something they held dearly and proudly, and Error was one of the weirdest Monster they have ever seen.
Error watched this New Multiverse, love surrounding him as they all opened their arms for him to rest in, for him to come and heal in.
To truly heal, love and move on...
All you have to do is trust in others and yourself.
-Start Chapter-
"Man, I must really be in the boonies!" A man with brown hair grumbled, squinting out into the dark as he drove down a deserted road. "Nothing but trees..."
Stanley Pines sighed, making sure to keep a eye out on the road in front of him. "This reminds me of a horror movi-"
"Please! Promise me-" Stan jerked the car at the sudden noise in his ear. The car swerved as the voice sobbed as if in great pain, whispering words that Stan could barely make out. Just when the voice stopped and Stan got the car straight again, a bright light blinded him as it flashed in front of him.
"WHAT THE HELL!?" Stan yelled out, slamming his foot on the breaks. He faintly could hear a thud as the car jerked to a full stop, tires squealing from the strain. Stan almost hit his head on the dash board, chest heaving as everything finally stopped.
Silence took over, the light fading into nothing like it was never there. "Just like a horror movie...." Stan whispered, only to then chuckle lowly. "That, or a alien movie-"
"aRhH....."
Stan was out of the car before he even knew what he was doing. Fearing that he had hit someone, Stan ran to the front of the car only to freeze. His headlights the only light there was, but it was enough to tell that the tall being a few feet in front of him was in no way human. The being almost blended in with the dark, crouched down as if protecting something with their body.
Taking a small step forward, Stan stilled when the other's head snapped up and he was struck with multicolored glowing eyes in a cracked skull with what seemed to be blue tears going down their eye sockets. Seeing the warning in the other's eyes, Stan slowly raised his hands to show he meant no harm.
As the other slowly relaxed at his motion, Stan took a closer look at the other's face. Even in his headlights, Stan could see blood leaking off the other. Scars that are fresh and old alike on the skull, chips and marks littered everywhere. To be honest, this skeleton - because what else can this creature be? - looked like he went to hell, stayed there for a while, then finally decided to fight their way out.
It was only when the tall skeleton shifted that Stan noticed the little skeletons that the taller held to his chest protectively. His mouth went dry. All this didn't paint a good picture and it did not sit well with the only human in the area. Before Stan noticed, he was already talking to the creature that could likely kill him. The smart thing would be to go back into his car, turn it around, and never look back or think about this again.
Stan never said he was smart, that's more his brother's area anyway.
"Um, hey!" Stan stumbled, hesitantly taking a very small step forward. Eyes trained on him like a scope on a gun. "A-Are you okay? I mean, that thump sounded like you had a rough landing! D-Do you need help? Maybe someone I could call...? I could drive ya home if it's near..." Stan had no idea what he was doing or asking, but his heart was screaming at him to do something - so he was going to do it. He can still hear that sobbing voice echoing in his head from before.
"Please! Promise me you'll help them! Help him heal! Help My Child!"
Stan might be a crook and have some very twisted morals, but he isn't heartless. Some parent was crying for help, somehow, and now another parent was on the ground trying to protect their kids. While he may be horribly confused, he was going to do his best by doing what he does best.
He's going to wing it like no tomorrow.
"i.....nO." Stan was in awe when the other slowly sat up, bones cracking as they slowly did so. The voice was ever changing, like it was glitched to be honest. And he could see the skeleton glitching too, this is really not what he expected when he started driving today, it really wasn't. "I haVE NO hOME."
"Oh...." Stan glanced around as if the trees themselves would give him a answer to what to do. Noise caught his attention, and he saw the little skeletons in dresses move about, yawning and slowly waking up. The taller one - He? Stan is pretty sure that it is a male from the voice alone, it is pretty deep no matter how it changes pitch, but Stan also didn't want to assume. - quickly cuddle them close, a cold wind whipping through them.
'I'm such a sap...' Stan sighed, closing his eyes. Then he opened them, knowing what he was about to do could end very badly for himself, but then again most of everything he does ends badly for him. What's one more time?
"How....How about you stay the night with me then?" Eyes snapped to him while he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm going to check into a cheap motel for the night, so it wont be much, but it's better then staying out in the cold dark, right?" Stan sighed harshly, ruffling his hair. "Just for the night, find out what your going to be doing now." Stan glances to the now squirming kids who are now finally waking up. The dark skeleton seemed to be debating, so Stan went for the throat - meteorically because Stan didn't think he could take on this skeleton. It was like something dark and powerful was wrapped around him, held tightly but could be released at any moment. Stan did not want to be the one to help release that. "Give the kids a dry place to sleep for the night."
The skeleton twitched before gracefully standing up. Stan almost took a step back at the other's height. Sure, he could tell he was tall, but not this tall! Stan only went up to his middle chest if that, and he wasn't a small fry himself either.
The skeleton was soon right in front of him, bending down so that they were eye to eye. Stan's heart stopped, it was like the dark skeleton was looking right through him - seeing everything.
Eventually the skeleton nodded. "okAY. DO anYthINg To mE aND MInE," Here the skeleton clutched the kids tighter to him. "i WiLL maKE YoU wiSH FOr tHE MERCY oF DeaTH."
Well, what can Stan say to that? Although, is it really that unfair? This is stranger danger on both sides and a opposite side of hitch hiking - where the driver picks up someone off the side of the road instead of someone on the side of the road asking for a ride from the driver. Stan could hardly believe he is going through with this, because if he was on the skeletons end he wouldn't even consider accepting. So, not that unfair to threaten him. With a shrug, Stan agreed with him. "Fair enough."
After that, Stan and the skeleton were in the car with Stan wondering how this is his life now. Stan had to move the car seat a bit for the taller one, make it lower as well as back so that the skeleton could actually sit down much less fit inside the car. The supernatural, paranormal, and magical wasn't something he believed in...Well, not until it landed right in front of him. The dark skeleton wasn't buckled in and was holding the half-asleep children in his lap. Stan wasn't about to tell him to buckle up, he liked living too much for that. In fact, he would pay good money to see a officer pull them over and try to tell the taller on to buckle up. No, better yet, he would make tickets and then sell them to other people. It would be a good slaughter.
With a gulp, Stan started driving once more.
"D...Daddy...?" A quiet mumble was heard, then Stan out of the corner of his eye saw the taller skeleton lean down and almost silently cooed something to the small skeleton in blue. He did the same with the one in orange, making both relax fully. Before long, they both were almost fully asleep.
Silence once again over took everything, only the sound of slurred mumbling from the children who were slowly going back to sleep from the movement of the car and parent and breathing.
Then the skeleton broke it.
"thANK yOU." The skeleton quietly said.
Stan flinched before laughing nervously. "Y....You're welcome...." With a dry gulp, Stan let everything tumble out of his mouth without thought now that the skeleton broke the silence. It was like the other broke a lock that Stan held on his words. "So, I've been calling you 'Skeleton' and 'them' in my head, and I don't really know if that is racist or not." Stan glanced out of the corner of his eye to see the skeleton slowly turn their head to look at him. "Like, what I'm asking is....How do I say this without looking like a jerk? Can I just ask what's in their pants? No, that sounds worse...What if they're one of those people who don't have a gender? They're a skeleton though....Is he a zombie?!" Stan mumbled to himself.
A deep chuckle made him stop. Chancing a look over, he saw the skeleton laughing with a gleam in his eyes. A very small smirk coming up on his face.
"I aM mAlE aND iDenTifY mySeLF AS maLE. althOUgH, wiTh maGIC, i cAN maKE eiTHeR oR boTH repRoDuctiVE 'oRgaNS' IN mY paNTS. skELeTONs ArE nOT boRN wiTh pHySicaL oRgANs, SO wE makE thEM wiTH OUr maGIC." Stan choked, nearly crashing the car at the matter-of-factually tone the skeleton was talking in, like he was a teacher almost, and what he was saying. "mY naME iS eRRoR, anD mY RacE aRE caLLEd MonsTERs. SO i aM a SkelEtON mONStER. nOt a zOMbiE, noR aRE tHE kiDS foR thAT maTTeR."
With now red cheeks, Stan still grinned. While embarrassed, he felt good about this. Maybe it wouldn't be as dangerous or as awkward as he thought it would be. Sure, Error admitted to being a Monster, but he said it was what his race was called. Not racist for thinking it then, at least that was one worry off his mind. Although, Stan had to admire the skeleton for out right talking about how babies are born via Skeleton Monsters. Not many people like talking about that.
"Error, huh? Nice name!" Stan could feel himself relax a bit. "The name's Stanley Pines. Call me Stan."
"huMaNS AlwAYs haVE suCH fuNNy namES." Error chuckled out loud. "stAnlEY. mEnaINg: liVEs bY thE sTONe groVE. dId yOU liVe BY a sTONE GroVE? i CaN sEE it maKINg SenSE thEN."
"Hey now-" Stan stopped himself, thinking about it. It could be a culture difference now that he was thinking about it. He could remember some different languages having some funky meanings yet parents still naming their kids them for whatever reason. Then again, just where in hell did this Monster come from now that he was thinking on it. "So, Error, where are you from? Oh, and the kids's names, what are they?" Stan tacked on, glancing down to the dozing children.
Error paused, eyes dimming in thought. He thought to when he awoke, blinded by a light. Coming to, he found the light to be from a car, a man now standing in front of the car. It had taken everything in him not to lash out for blood, feeling the little SOULS under him slumbering peacefully made his instincts heighten to new degrees. His mind wasn't right - not that it ever is right or safe - in that moment. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he wasn't willing to let the babybones go or get blood on them.
Then, the man started talking to him. It was obvious he was slightly scared and way out of his depth, yet here he was trying. That was more then anyone has ever done for him. He offered a way home, and when he heard Error didn't have a home, the human offered a ride and a night somewhere dry and warm for Error to think on where home could be.
Looking in the human's eyes, seeing a little bit of the other's SOUL within, made Error accept. This human was not a bad one, not really. There were sins, a ton of sins, but not huge ones. Petty crimes it looks like, Error has done worse. The human might be tainted with sins, but Error is drowning in them. What right did he have to judge the human? None. Besides, if it came down to it, Error can protect himself and his.
After this night he probably wasn't going to see this human - Stan - again. When the other is asleep, he is going to check the Codes and see what he can do, find out if there are any other Monsters like him or not. But seeing how Stan reacted, they are either still underground or not at all here. After tonight, they were going their separate ways, that much Error could tell.
What was the harm in sharing his story for once? It wasn't like anyone would believe Stan if he mentions it to anyone after they part ways.
"thEsE....aRE mY SOnS. nULl ANd VOiD." Error eventually stated slowly, mind whirling. "nUlL IS thE oNE iN bluE, mY EldEST. VOiD iS In oRnagE aND mY yoUnGesT." Error smiled softly down at the children. "thEY'RE MY baBYboNES."
"Null and Void?" Stan snorted with a sassy grin. "And you say my name is funny? Is this some sort of Monster thing then?"
"YEs, iN a WaY." Error nodded as he thought on the history he had learned over the years. "mOSt aRE namED aFtER fOnTs bAsED ON hoW thEY soUND aND laTEr wRitE, BuT thAT iS ThE olD wAY. whEN thEY foUNd ME, i WaS gOING to NAmE thEM SaNS anD papYRuS. buT thEY wanTEd a nAME liKE mINE." Error frowned tightly, feeling bittersweet over it. "ERRoR, i AM naMED thAT becaUSE I aM a GliTCH, a ErRoR IN thE coDES. bUT iT IS coMMaN tO giVe nAMEs SImilAR tO oNE'S chILDrEN."
Stan was listening, but all he could focus on was the 'when they found me' part. "Um...bucko, what do you mean 'when they found you'?" Stan glanced to Error in apprehension. "Ain't they your kids-um, I mean, babybones?"
"i cOME frOM anoTheR mulTIvERse." Error bluntly stated. "i'M ErROr, ForcED goD oF dEstRuctION anD dEstroYER oF uniVeRsES. goT tiREd oF beiNG haTED aND abuSEd foR keEPiNG evERythING IN balAncE, TriED TO kiLL mySelF by juMpINg IN a VOID - TwiCE - anD thEN somEhoW diDN't DIE anD lanDED hERE." Error said this all bluntly and calmly, like he was stating what the weather was. Said skeleton then looked to a shell shocked Stan, who was numbly driving. "thE fiRST tIME i juMPED, i lANDeD whERE nuLL anD voID WERE, iN a DifFEREnT mulTIvERsE. thEY uSEd TO bE liVE EXperimEnts bEfoRE i ToOK thEM. WhEN i JUmpEd fOR thE secOND tIME, tHEY jUmpEd aFTeR mE foR whaTEvER REasON. SO, yES, thEY aRE mINe."
".....I think this is a conversation for when I'm not driving." Stan eventually said, feeling like he was having a out of body experience. "Because most of that, multiverses and voids, I don't really understand. I'm a twin okay, my brother is the smart one who could understand you. Me though, not so much unless you explain it more."
Error snorted, liking how honest the other was. "WeLL, iT's nOT liKE I'M nEEdeD anyWheRE anYmoRE."
Taking that as agreement, Stan concentrated on driving, mind going all different places.
'I have a God in my car.' Stan blankly thought to himself. 'I have a God of Destruction, one who has admitted to destroying universes, has calmly said he has tried to commit suicide twice and has his two little kids with him - who he saved from being experiments.' Thinking back on all that, Stan felt kind of torn. Should he be afraid right now? Because from all that he has heard so far, Error sounds less like a threat and more like a broken person who saves children. Besides, Error said 'forced God of Destruction'. How can someone force that?
'Man, Ford would kill to be in this car right now to pick Error's brain.' Stan silently snorted, picturing a younger Ford in the back seat, clinging to Error's seat, fire question after question and pleading and begging for information the other must have.
But that was how Ford used to be before everything that had happened. There was no telling how he was now that ten years have passed. Stan doesn't even know what he looks like anymore. Probably like himself, because, hey, twins! But then again, time changes people. But for some reason, Ford needed him after all this time. Might as well see what the other needed, maybe they could still build that boat together. Maybe they could make up after all these years.
Before long, Stan was pulling into a ratty old motel on the side of the road. It almost looked abandoned to be honest, with only a crappy dinner and suspicious looking gas station by it.
It was perfect.
"Okay then, this is how we are going to do it." Stan shut off the car, turning to look at the three skeletons right by him. "While it would be hilarious if all us went in there to get the key for a room, it would most likely end with me getting arrested and you..." Stan looked Error up and down, recalling the other's words. "You would most likely kill everyone and be gone before they even knew it."
"DoN'T woRRy, i woULdn'T lEt thEM aRResT yOU." Error assured calmly. "thE lEasT i cAN DO fOR giVing mE anD thE kidS a RidE ANd sOMEwhERE dRY foR thE niGHT sO i caN fiGUrE oUT whaT TO dO NExT."
"Really? Thanks!" Stan grinned brightly at that. If only he had a God of Destruction backing him up in Colombia, things would have been much more different then. "Anyway, I'm going in and get a room we can share. After I get the key, I'll come and get you. You need to cover up and stay in the dark though..."
"juST gET thE keY aND THeN gO tO thE doOR wE haVE, thAT waY i knoW whAT ROOm WE haVE." Error grinned right back at Stan, a glint in his eyes. "i'LL hanDLe thE resT."
With that ominous sentence out of the way, Stan shrugged and got out of the car, heading into the office to the motel to get a semi-decent room for a low price. Time for him to talk his way into a good price. Bullshitting is something he was always good at.
Error blankly watched the human walking away. Once out of sight, Error got out of the car, glancing around to make sure no one was watching or could see him. After that, Error swiped his hand, a small portal opening up to show this Universes Codes. Symbols, numbers and letters filled the small portal, not much of it making sense. The only things that he could make sense was that there were other dimensions and Alternate Universe here as well, it was a different Multiverse after all, and that Fate had no hold here. In fact, it was like chaos reigned supreme here if he was reading what he could right. Honestly, it would take Error time to try and make sense of this new Coding, trying to find what he needed to know - but time was something he had now.
That alone blew his mind. Time was something he never had, much like freedom. But now he has both for the first time in his very long life.
Error has no idea what to do with himself now that his shackles have been broken off.
Just before Stan stepped out of the office, Error closed the small portal. He would look at it more later tonight when everyone was asleep.
Error shifted so that Stan could see him, making the man jump then sigh in relief when he saw who it was. "Give a man a heart attack!"
Seeing Error smirk, Stan sighed, not getting made when he saw that it amused the skeleton so much. The other deserved to laugh at something, that much Stan knew. With that is mind, Stan started going up to the second floor, stopping in front of the room on the edge near the stairs. It was the only one with two beds and a bathroom apparently. But both were needed, how else were they to sleep and get all that blood and dust off of Error?
'I feel like I am helping commit a murder or helping in the aftermath.' Yet, that didn't horrify him like it should, Stan could roll with the punches.
Looking to Error, Stan pointed to the door, number 10. He saw Error nod, then he blinked and Error was standing right next to him.
"Whoa!" Stan almost stumbled over the railing. "What in Sam's Hell did you do?!"
Error just looked at him with a smirk. "mAGiC."
Stan threw his arms up in the air. "Sure, why not?!" He then started walking back to the door, unlocking it and opening it, mumbling all the way. "Skeleton Gods from another Multiverse, doing magic, why freaking not? Magic is real, who knew? Not me, that's for sure!"
Error chuckled, following the amusing human into the motel room.
It was a small room, with two twin beds, a side table in between them, a small chair by on of the beds nearest to it. The chair was on the wall, on the other side of the wall was the bathroom. A little closet by the door, a rickety TV stand and a small old fashion TV on it.
All in all, not the worse place Error has stayed in. But considering that he lived in the Anti-VOID in the VOID, and has been in some AU's that have been worse then hell, so that's not saying much.
"I'm going to head to the bathroom." Stan sighed as he shut the door after Error walked in. He watched Error go to the chair, gently laying the children on the bed and then sitting the travel bag down on the chair. "We can clean that blood and...dust after that." The dust part really confused Stan, but he figured he can ask later. "By the way, if anyone calls or knocks to ask who you are, I told the old women at the counter you were my cousin who just got into a accident, killing your wife and leaving you alone with the kids. I came to pick you up so that we can live together until you get back on your feet." It was either that or saying Error was his husband/wife, and he didn't know how Error would react to that kind of lie, so he went with the other. In any case, he got a good deal for the room when he played it up.
"okAY." Error agreed absent mindlessly, opening the bag and getting out a raggedy T-shirt and that onesie he had found for Void before he 'got' the dresses for them. for the kids to sleep in. Sleeping in shoes and pearls must not be comfortable, they were not that soft after all...right? Error had no idea, he doesn't sleep, so might as well go with what he saw Toriel's do through the portals. Everyone always said she was the best Goat Mom - or Dad depending on the AU, might be Asgore in there instead of Toriel.
When the bathroom door shut, Error set to work. Gently taking off the shoes, socks, pearls and hats, Error then got to work dressing them once more after taking off their dresses and folding them up for tomorrow. He would either steal or make new clothes for them later - stealing what he needed.....In the end he was stealing either way now that he thinks about it.
But does he care?
No. Not really.
Then again, he could form some clothing with his strings like he did with his dolls....
Options for later.
Just as Error was tucking the two babybones into the bed - moving the pillows and bunching up the blanket as to make sure they don't roll off the bed - the toilet flushed and Stan opened the door, sticking his head out of the door and around the corner. "Hey, I found some towels for you to use, I'm iffy about the soap thou-are those peals?"
Error glanced to the travel bag in the chair, the pearls laying on top of the folded clothing. "yES. thEy aRE nUlL'S anD voiD'S."
"You bought your kids pearls?" Stan asked shocked as he stepped out of the bathroom, looking to Error's clothing then to the pearls. Did he spend all his money on his kids and nothing on him? "How did you get the money for that? Did you con someone rich?"
"NO, doN't bE stupID." Error snorted, walking away from the bed and pass Stan to go into the bathroom. "i sTolE thE thE pEaRLs." Stan's jaw dropped, watching Error's back as he passed him. "WhY WOUlD i steAL monEY WHeN i CaN juST StEaL whAT i WanTED anyWAY. i DiDn'T wanT moNEy, i WantED thE pEarLS. nULl WantEd somEthINg pReTTy, SO i gOT HiM anD voID soME pReTTY pEaRlS."
'What a man!' Stan was impressed and strangely maybe, sorta, kind of having some sort of small attraction to the Monster right now. So what if he was a tall skeleton littered with scars, he always did like someone who could out smart the cops and commit a crime without getting caught.
Pushing those weird thoughts away, Stan walked into the bathroom to see Error just blankly looking at everything like he didn't know what was what.
"Um, here." Stan walked in, turning on the faucet on the stained sink. Lifting up the towel from where he sat in on the toilet lid, he wet it and put some soap on it. "It's not much, but it should be enough to clean most of it off ya."
Error took the rag, slowly wiping his face off and dipping the rag into the water when it got too dirty. Slowly the sink water turned a bloody red, almost brown color with flecks of dust in it.
"So, I gotta ask, what's up with the dust?" Stan asked aloud, leaning on the doorway as he watched Error clean his face. "Blood I can unserstand, but not the dust."
"WhEN a mONsTEr'S SOUL ShatTERS, thEY tuRN tO dusT." Error answered, adding more soap to the rag. "mONstERs aRE maGIcaL bAsEd unliKE huMANs, whO aRE phySicaLLy bAsED. mONsTERs CaN blEEd, moST caN anyWaY, buT whEN onE diES, thEY dON'T lEavE behIND a ColD boDY, thEy lEavE a piLE oF dusT."
Stan blinked, understanding but also confused. "Wait...you said soul.." Stan's eyes widened. "Does that mean souls actually exist?!" Stan shook his head, scratching his head in confusion. "How do they even work?"
Error snorted, finding it funny that was the part the man focused on. "SOULS, noT souls. aND yEs, thEY aRE reAL. EvEN hUMAns hAVE thEM, thOUgh yOu dON'T havE enoUGh maGIC tO pulL thEM ouT." Error paused, thinking about it before reminding his sentence. "thOUgH, i suPPose soMEoNE wiTh EnouGH DETERMINATION CaN puLL thEIR's ouT." The skeleton put down his rag, turning to look at Stan. "EvERy SOUL haS TraiTS, vIrtUes aND viCES. SOULS StaRT ouT whiTE, WhiTE iS thE TRaiT fOR HOPE. iT's WHY EvERYonE SaYS bABiEs aRE puRE. yOUr SOUL GaiNS colOR AS yoU liVE oN. iT caN ChanGE anD gaIN moRE coloRS aS liFE goES ON. buT juST bEcaUSE YOuR SOUL DoesN't ShoW a TRaiT doESn't mEAN yOU DON'T havE iT, iT jusT mEaNS thAT iT iSN'T AS sTRONG aS yoUR mAINs. ANd EvEn mAINs CAn comE iN liTTle doSEs CompAIRd TO thE othERS." Error paused, looking grim and serious. "yoUR SOUL iS yOU, youR vERy beING anD coRE. TreAT iT AS suCH."
"Right." Stan immediately agreed when such a look was directed at him. "But, um..." The man gulped when the Monster raised a brow in question at him. "Could you...I don't know, but could you show me my soul-I mean SOUL?"
Error twitched, that wasn't something that was ever asked of him. Taking out another's SOUL could mean a few things. First was that it was for a checkup, a doctor of some kind taking out the SOUL to check up on it or to do a procedure. Even then, the doctor must ask for permission unless it is a emergency - like the SOUL was cracking and about to shatter. Second is for family and/or loved ones, something you do in private of course. Then finally the only other option, besides the option of proposing for marriage/being SoulMates, it can be a form of showing trust in another. You are asking someone to take out your SOUL, meaning that you trust the other with your very being and for them not to hurt you the moment the SOUL was out.
If someone had asked this of Error before in his own Multiverse, he would wonder if they had hit their head one too many times.
But, for all he knew, he was the only Monster here. Stan might never had the chance to see his own SOUL after Error leaves with the kids, so he might as well do it.
"StaY StILL, yOU miGHt FeEl a tuGGinG senSaTION." Error lifted his hand and placed it over Stan's chest. "iT shoULDn'T huRT unlEsS yoU figHT iT. iF iT staRTS huRTinG evEN a lITTle, TeLL mE. SomEthINg miGHt bE WroNG tHEN."
Nodding quickly, Stan hoped that Error didn't notice his pounding heart. But he couldn't help it, he was about to see his own SOUL! Ford would kill to have this, having always raved about these type of things. In fact, Ford had wanted to study SOULS before everything went down.
Before he knew it, he felt a slight tug inside his chest before a purple light came shinning through.
With wide eyes, Stan looked down at the heart that was floating inside Error's hand.
"PERSEVERANCE, tHAT iS yoUR mAIN TraiT." Error glanced to Stan, softly smirking at the awe filled look the other was holding. It reminded Error of Swap when he talk him about magic and the Multiverse. "VicES aRE iNflExabiLiTY AND apaThY. buT dON'T woRRY, i DOn'T sEE mUCH oF thE viCES In yOU. ONlY a lITTle biT oF ApaTHy, buT thAT's noRMaL AS yOU aRE A aDulT. iF you WerE a ChILD, i WOuLD bE moRE woRRIED...." Error glanced down at the SOUL. "DO you WanT tO hEaR yOUR stATS?"
Stan chanced a glance at Error, fearing if he looked away from his SOUL it would go away. "Stats? Like a game?"
"humANs, IN my mulTIvERsE, TOOk thE staTS TO uSE iN GamES, buT thEY foRgoT WHaT thEY mEanT oRiGinALLy." Error chuckled a bit darkly, knowing that is one of the main reasons why the human child that fell started killing. "thERE iS AT, mEaniNG ATTaCK, DF, mEANinG DefENsE, thE onLY TwO thAT aRE thE SaME. HP StanDS fOR HoPe FOR moNStERs, AS WE aRE maDE uP oF emoTIONS anD maGIC. EMoTIonS aRE whAT kEEPs US gOING, WithoUT thEM WE FALL DOWN. FALLING DOWN mEaNS TO GO inTO a comA thAT LEADs tO DeaTH, thERE is NO knoWN cuRE." Error explained at the human's confused look. "iT caN MEAN thE samE foR hUMANs, buT humANS CaN liVE wiTHouT HoPe, thoUGh iT CaN eFFEct HOW muCH HP thEY haVE. iNStEAD HP foR hUMANs ARe hEaltH pOINTs oR hIT pOINTs, bASed ON thE hUMANs HoPe anD oVeRaLL hEalTH. hoW manY hiTs YOU caN TakE bEfoRE yoU aRE doWN."
"It sounds like a video game." Stan stated in slight humor, though thinking of 'FALLING DOWN' was really a damper on the whole thing. No wonder most humans commit suicide when they loose all hope.
"The oThER StATS aRE whERE thINGs GeT skEtCHY." Error lifted up Stan's SOUL a bit. "INV stanDS fOR InVuLnERabiliTY, hoW mANy AtTaCKS thAT CAn noT huRT yoU aFTEr YOUR SOUL TakES A hiT. SPEED IS SPEED, hoW faST yOU caN movE yOUR SOUL WhEn iT iS oUT." Now, Error's face turns grim yet amused. "LV aND ExP GO hanD in hAND. LV stANDs FoR LOVE."
"Love?" Stan snorts at that, giving Error a funny eye. "That doesn't sound too bad."
"LOVE, noT love, iS a AcroNyM AS wELL. iT stAnDs FoR LEVEL OF VIOLENCE." Stan now grew serious at that, while also looking a bit shocked. "EXP sTanDs fOR EXACTION POINTS, hoW maNY pEoplE yOU havE kiLLED. boTH go HANd iN hAND, thOUgh YOU caN hAvE hiGHER LV thE EXP. LV alSO EffECts THE resT oF yoUR staTS, bRinGinG uP HP aND AT. AND DOn'T woRRY, LV iSn'T TOO bAD. WhAT iF yOU wERE DEfenDIng youRsELF? bEsiDEs, EvERyONE hAS 1 LV, EvERyoNE iS boRN WiTH tHE abiLiTy TO huRT, EvEN bAbiES. onLy vERy senSiTivE pEOPLE havE 0 oR nEgaTivE LV. bUT thoSE aRE raRE To sEE anD havE." Error chuckled."iN mY caSE, mY staTS aRE gliTChED AND vErY hiGH uP. in anY caSE, I AM a JUDGE. i CaN sEE youR stATS EasiLY AS i WaS piCKEd BY maGIC TO GivE juDgmenT onE oTHER'S SOULS."
"...I would like to hear my stats." Stan eventually decided, curiosity getting the best of him.
Error's eyes glowed, looking into the SOUL, making Stan shift. It felt like Error could see everything about him, all the lies and sins, all the hopes and dreams that are within him. It wasn't a unpleasant feeling, but it wasn't a good one either. It just was.
"StAnlEy pINEs; knoWN cOnmAN AND cRIminAL. HP: 1599." Error stated almost mechanically, eyes never leaving the SOUL. "LV: 89, EXP: 5, AT - NoRMaL: 84. AT - WiTH bRaSS knUCKlES: 168. DF: 100. INV: 98. SPEED: 46." Error hummed, finally taking his eyes off the SOUL to look at Stan. "AlL IN aLL, QuiTE nORmAL foR a ADulT WiTH yoUR BackGROunD, bEttER evEN wiTH thE loW EXP. UnliKE oTHEr MONStERs, i unDeRsTaND anD REspECt yoUR LV anD EXP. mY joB calLEd foR hiGH lEvELS iN aS WeLL."
"I see..." Stan felt a bit better about that then. It wasn't often he was talk that having amounts of violence in you was a good thing, or that having killed - by accident and self-defense in his case - was alright. Then, Stan back tracked a bit as Error pushed his SOUL back into his chest. The purple glow gone and leaving Stan feeling less exposed. "You mentioned a job before..." Stan frowned, thinking about it. "And that you are a forced destroyer...But I don't see how that is."
Well, Error decided to rip it off like a band-aid. Might as well tell the other, it wasn't like he had anyone else to tell his side of the story too. "FaTE IS Real WhERe i AM fROM. At tHE sTaRT thERE wAS onlY ONE UNivERSE, SO FaTE CreaTED thEIR FirsT chiLD...."
Error lowly told the story, the start of everything in his universe, while he washed the rest of his face and hands. He even took off his coat to clean his arms and redo his wrappings. He got out his strings as to help the healing time, never stopping as he told the basics of what he knew.
Late at night some time later, Stan was laying awake in the bed nearest to the door, mind whirring from what he had been told. Chancing a glance to the side, he saw that Error was looking through what he had called 'Codes'. Looking back to the ceiling, Stan kind of wished he could box that so called creator in the face.
Stan is not smart by any means, he knows this and accepts this, but you don't beat on another guy for doing his job, a job that meant life or death, and the only reason he has the job is because you screwed it all up and is trying to fix said screw up. Stan can read in between the lines of what Error said and didn't say. Stan himself had to grow up fast to live after he was kicked out, but he could tell Error never had the chance to be a child or relax. He saw the way the skeleton watched everything, like he was waiting for the attack to come.
'PTSD.' His mind supplied, remembering hearing that in history class a few times. About the soldiers or POWs that came back from war and were twitchy for many reasons. Error had admitted to living many years, even older then this Earth he had said. So this might be beyond PTSD and depression at this point if he has had it even for a fraction he has been alive.
Although the whole tale felt like a story - how Error told it captivated Stan, making him think that Error used to be a storyteller or book writer of some kind, that or he could be one here. - Stan knew it was all true. Unlike Ford, Stan listened to his guts more then his head, it just wasn't his forte. But with all the proof there was - walking talking skeleton, SOULS coming out of chest, magical strings, seeing a rib fall off and going back on like it was nothing and making Stan almost scream like a little girl because of said rib, and then seeing a real honest to god portal as well as other little things. - he was safe in thinking that, yes, Error is telling the truth about the whole thing. He believed in both in mind and gut - his very SOUL.
So, where did that leave him?
Thinking about the two little ones in the bed next to him, of Error covered in blood and dust, of that falling rib and Error saying it was normal of all things, of seeing how warm Error's eyes got at talking about his kids, of the near silent mutterings of what he was supposed to do now, Stan felt torn.
In the end, Stan never claimed to be smart. It just wasn't his side of things, it was more of his brother's area. But of there was one thing he had, it was being able to read people. Error wasn't all that hard to read, not on the surface at least. The dark skeleton was a broken mess, much more then even himself. Yet the skeleton isn't giving up anymore - and not just because he can't die. Boy, when Error mentioned that and how many attempts he tried, Stan was humbled and very worried about the other. Like, wrap him up in bubble wrap and keep him safe kind of worried. The last time he felt like that was with Ford when they were young teens. - and trying to do his best, not for himself, but for his kids.
With that in mind, just as sleep claimed him, Stanley Pines came to a decision that would open so many more roads in his destiny then he would have originally had.
-Early Morning-
"Hmmmm...Ghnn..." Stan groaned in annoyance when he felt light hitting his face, the noise of slight muttering next to him. Slowly opening his eyes, he blinked a few times to clear the blurriness of his sight.
When his vision was cleared, he was met with two skulls looking down on him.
"AHHH!" With a scream, Stan rolled off the bed in pure instincts to get away. But before he could hit the ground, a strong breeze flew passed him, hands catching him before he hit the ground.
"StaNlEY?" Stan gasped, hand on his chest and the other clinging to the red scarf like it was a life line. Blinking a few times, calming his heart, he saw Error's kids now looking over the edge of the bed at him while Error was leaning over him, holding half his body so that he doesn't fall all the way off and hit his head. "WhY DId YOU scREaM?"
"I-I....Kids...." Stan panted out, still trying to calm his beating heart. He felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest by the way it was pounding. "...N-Not....Clo-ose!"
"kiDS?" Error frowned, looking up to Null and Void. "..WhAT-OH. i SEE noW, thEY wERe tOO closE tO yOU whEN yOU wokE uP. SoRRy abouT tHAT." Error chuckled, lifted Stan up much to his shock and placing in back on the bed. Null and Void scooted away, but kept their wide eyes on Stan. "yOU'RE thE fiRST niCE hUMAn thEY EvER sEEN muCH lESS meT bEfoRe. thEy WantED tO geT a cloSER lOOk aT yOU, SO i lET thEM."
'Well, shit. What can I say to that that doesn't make me look like a asshole?' Stan sighed, turning to look at the children that were now dressed. Null was wearing a simple blue off the shoulder sundress that had a yellow ribbon on the front, heeled shoes, and cloche hat with his pearls. Void wore a simple sleeveless orange sundress that had a red ribbon on the front, red booties and a orange cloche hat.
"Error." Error looked down at Stan with a blink, Stan just stared at the kids. "Where did you get those clothes? Did you have even more in the bag or something? I thought you said you only stole the ones."
"i mADe thoSE cloTHEs wiTH maGIC. mY sTRinGs CaN foRM inTO othER iTemS." Error answered, walking over to the chair where his bag sat. "i alREaDy FEd thEM ToO. Do yOU WanT sOME aPPLEsauCE StaN?"
"Sure..." Hey, Stan wasn't about to turn down free food no matter what it was. While Error was digging through the bag, Stan turned his attention down to the still staring babybones. "Why hello adorable!" Stan grinned down at them, not minding the staring now that he knew the reason why. "I'm Stanley Pines if ya didn't know."
"....I'm Null." Null stated proudly before shifting Void, who was in his grasp so that the baby didn't go tumbling off the bed on accident. "This is Void, my baby b'other."
Recalling how Error called the kids 'My' and 'Mine' with the same tone, he could see where Null got that from. Both kids are probably going to grow up into possessive little Monsters, but who could blame them or Error? "Is he now? You must be a good older brother then, he looks happy and taken care of." Null puffed up slightly while Error walked over, a few applesauce cups in his hands as well as a plastic spoon.
"Daddy?" Error looked down at Void, handing the cups and spoon to Stan. It was the least he could for the man, besides, he can always steal more later. "Are we going to live here now?"
"nO." Error shook his head with a sigh, going over and picking the two up. Null immediately curled up into Error's chest while Void cooed, curling and chewing on Error's scarf. "i havEn'T fouND a plAcE fOR uS yEt. BuT dON't WOrRY, i Won'T lEt anyTHing hapPEN tO YoU tWO."
While the babybones cooed and talked to their Father, Stan noticed how Error mentioned nothing about himself in that sentence. Oh, he said they would find them all a place to stay, but nothing about protecting himself, only protecting the children.
Stan decided to go for it now.
"So, um, about that..." All three skeletons looked to Stan, who was now getting off the bed to stand. "See, the thing is, if you don't have anywhere to stay....you could, maybe stay with me for a while?" See Error's brows go up, Stan hurried on. "I mean, I'm living in my car right now, but it's better then nothing, right? I'm on my way to see my twin brother, Stanford. He said he needed help and we didn't part on good terms." Understatement of the century right there. "But he was always the smarter of the two of us, and really good at that paranormal stuff unlike me. So maybe he could help you out with something or find you some place to stay where it is safe. If nothing else, on our way there, you could find yourself a home without the government coming for you...maybe...potentially." Stan then thought about before sighing. "But in that scenario, I think you'll be fine. I just ask you not to destroy my car if that happens if I am near you."
Error laughed, liking how Stan didn't ask for him not to kill the others or even not destroy the Universe. Just as long as his car is fine of all things. "i'M a kILlER, yOU WanT mE tO travEl WitH YOu?" Error couldn't help but ask. He will never understand others. First Null and Void want him to be their father, now a strange human wants him to essentially live with him.
"You planning on killing me?" Stan didn't even skip a beat asking that.
"nO." The dark skeleton admitted. No plans for that whatsoever, he might even say he is a bit fond of the weird human.
"Then we're good." Stan shrugged at the look he got. "Look, I might not know all about you, but I can see you're not a bad guy - Monster? - even if you have hurt and killed others before." Not with the way he sees Error tenderly hold his children and look down at them with complete devotion in his eyes. All of it really makes him wish to hit Fate in the face with his brass knuckles when he thinks about it even a little bit. "So, what do you three say?" Stan grinned brightly, gesturing to himself. "Who wants to travel with this hobo on a cross country trip that may or may not end well?"
All three skeletons blankly stared.
-One Hour Later-
"How's it feel?" Stan asked as he parked the car in a supermarket's parking lot. "The sunglasses staying on?"
"yES." Error shifted, making sure both his kids were covered with blanket that Stan kept in his backseat so that no one could see that they were skeletons. Error himself wearing a beanie, sunglasses and pulled his scarf up so that you couldn't see his face. With how all three were covered, it looked like the kids were sick and Error was just a really tall and thin human who was covered up.
"Now remember, you have to own it so that no one asks any questions. Ignore all the looks and just go about everything." Stan explained as he turned off the car. "Now, what is it you need to do?"
"i'M GOinG tO sELl SOme GOld-" Error ignored Stan's choking. "anD thEN buY...WhaT diD yOU caLL iT? SeaTS foR nULL anD voiD? i CouLD sTeaL oR foRM tHEM likE i DID wiTH thE CloTHeS, buT i doN'T knoW WHaT thEY lOOk likE oR whERE thEY woULD bE. bEsT tO juST buY thEM iN THiS CaSE."
"Booster seats, car seats. They can be called a number of things depending on where you are." Stan supplied, watching in awed shock when Error pulled out some gold from his bag and put it into his coat pocket. "Why do you have gold?"
"MonSTEr curREnCY." Error handed on to Stan, who just numbly looked at it. "WoRthlESS hERE, bUt i'M goiNG to KEEp onE AT lEaST foR seNtimENtal ValUE."
"I see..."
After that, both were in the store. The great thing about this supermarket was that it was in a little town in the middle of nowhere. So while people stared, barely anyone was in the place. It was also great because no one asked any questions, not with how Error stood and walked, how he portrayed himself naturally. Stan had a feeling that Error could and would wear just about anything and own it like it was made for him. If only because the skeleton didn't know anything else or why he should be embarrassed about wearing it. Trading the gold for money was a shocking moment, if only because a few coins got them so much money. Just enough for two very expensive booster seats, Error wouldn't buy his kids anything cheap. Stan can respect that and admire that. Error was a better dad then his was, that's much for sure.
They bought two car seats, said to be three-in-one and were high up on the price side. One was black and blue, the other orange and black. The blue one had kittens on it and the orange one had puppies on it, Stan thought it was fitting in a way.
Under the weary eye of the cashier - who shivered violently in fear when they noticed Error just staring at them - both Stan and the undercover skeletons left back to the car. Luckily no one was near them or could see them with how far away they were. So it was simple for Stan to buckle in the kids for Error - who had no idea how to do it, so Stan showed him to do it by letting the other watch him - without fear of someone noticing they were skeletons.
"There we go!" Stan grinned, putting his hands to his hips as he stepped back so that Error could step to the open door. "Both kids are safely buckled in, and both can see out side the windows. Because my windows are tinted, it should be fine. Even then, I don't think anyone would really believe their eyes if they saw any of you."
Error hummed, looking into the backseats. Void behind the driver seat and Null behind the passenger seat. Both looking comfortable, making Error give a satisfied nod. "thANK yOU."
"Welcome." Stan's smile then fell slightly as he thought about all the other things that would need to be bought. Sure, they got a lot of money from Error's gold coins, but those were Error's. he would hate for Error to waste all that money on him when Error and his kids needed it more. With a sigh, Stan lowered his head. "Now, about food-"
"oH, thANkS foR remiNDinG mE." Stan blinked and looked up, and then nearly fell to the ground when he saw Error open his trench coat wide open, food falling out of it. Before Stan knew it, there was a small mountain of food around Error, who was pulling out even more food out of his pockets. "AlmOST foRGOT aboUt ALL thiS."
'HOW DID HE STEAL ALL THAT WITHOUT ME NOTICING?!' Stan was frozen, just watching the skeleton pull out drinks and food.
Sure most of the foods were considered snacks and were cheap and/or canned, but food was food.
With his jaw on the floor, all he could do was blankly watch Error put boxes, packages and other containers of food into the car. Drink included too. Apparently Error's tench coat had pockets on the inside. The issue Stan was having with this was that there was no way a box of snake cakes could fit in there, much less a twelve pack of juice pouches.
Unknown to Stan, now that Error knew what some food items looked like, he opened small little portals in his pockets so that he could just reach in and grab the item, pulling out of his pocket with no one the wiser. Oh, Error could make his pockets limitless with a bit of magic, but this was easier in the long run. Besides, he could always steal from a different store later on from his pockets if need be.
Having no idea if this was enough food but figuring it was a good start, Error turned to Stan, pulling out a bottle of cold coffee. The tall skeleton once heard that this drink helps keep others awake and energized - a reason Swap was never aloud to have one from what he heard - and with Stan driving, he needed it. "hEre StaN. iF yoU wanT anYTHinG, juST TakE iT. i CaN alWAyS SteAL mORE." Handing the frozen man the coffee, Error leaned down to speak with his kids. "okAY, i GoT mY kNITTinG nEEdlES anD sTRIngS. WhaT kInD oF blANkeT DO yOU WanT?"
"DA!" Void cheered brightly, waving his arms about. "Dadadadadadadadadada~!"
Null hummed in thought. "I want....something soft and warm like Daddy's hugs, like what Void wants!"
"....noT WhAT i mEanT, buT okAY." Not that Error thought he was warm or soft, but he wasn't going to argue with the kids right now. "WhAT DO yoU wanT iT To lOOk liKE iS whAT i mEaNT. ColoRS? thINGs On iT?"
There was only one thought running through Stan's head as he stood there, bottle of cold coffee in his hands and watching the God of Destruction put away food that the God had stolen as the God talked to the children softly about blankets to keep them warm and safe while in the back seat.
'I think I'm in love...'
Thus was the start of a free fall that would last for years.
-Three Hours Later-
"hErE nULL." Error reached over and around his seat, handing Null a juice pouch with the straw already in it. "iT sayS iT's 'FruiT pUnCh', sO iT muST pACK a pUnCH."
"T'ank you Daddy~!" Null cooed out before sipping from the pouch, Void already drinking from his bottle.
"Still can't believe that you all have...what did you call it? 'Echo stomachs'? That you can make to absorb and hold food." Stan muttered to himself, relaxing as he drove down the highway. Luckily no one was peering into their car, and with the tainted windows they were fine unless a cop pulled them over. But if that happened, Stan could either talk their way out or Error could...handle it.
"ECtO. NOt EcHO. EcTO, shoRT foR EcTOplASMa." Error corrected, putting the box of juice pouches back on the floor in the backseat. "UnlEsS tHE toNgue DiSsOlvES iT, thEN thE boDy wILl foRM a EcTO sTomACh TO holD tHE foOD unTIl thE maGIC DiSSolVEs iT comPLeTlY fROM tHERE. likE a hUMan StomAch, onlY wiTh LEsS oRgAns AnD mORe maGiC."
"I also can't believe you have five tongues." Stan said aloud, thinking back a hour ago. He had been childish, sticking his tongue out at Error after the skeleton teased him on something. Said skeleton stuck his as well, making Stan bit his tongue when he saw give blue - almost transparent - tongues come out.
"iT fEELs NATurAL TO hAVE FivE, BUt i CaN FoRM As manY aS i WanT." Error shrugged, seeing no big deal about it. "WiTh a biT oF FoCUsE, i CaN havE oNE TonGUE oR eiGHtEEn. AS manY oR lESS aS i WanT. unLIKE oThEr moNStERs, FoRMinG comEs EasY TO ME."
"Magic..." Stan shook his head, feeling like his life has done a whole 360 turn. He had three magical Monsters in his car, one a God of all things, food of all kinds in his car, and now he was calmly talking about magic as if it was a everyday thing with said God. His life has taken one hell of a weird turn, but then again, does he care?
No. Not really.
"Anyway, have you eaten Error?" Stan chanced a glance to Error with a raised brow. "You must be hungry about now, right? Using magic is like using a muscle right?"
"yES, bUT i'M a GLitCH. i'm noT gEttING TiREd eaSIlY. BEsiDEs, i DOn'T nEEd TO EaT." Error shrugged, leaning back in his seat with his arms crossed. "havEN'T EatEN iN YEaRS."
"Years?!" Stan yelped as he almost hit another car, thinking of all the days he had to go hungry out on the streets. He couldn't imagine doing that for years. "But what about hunger pains?!"
"OH, thoSE." Error rolled his eyes as if talking about a annoying friend. "EvENtuALLy thEY stOPPEd....thAT oR tHEY juST bEcAME onE WiTH thE resT oF thE pAIN, WITH mE jusT geTTIng uSEd TO iT SO i DOn'T noTice IT anyMORe." Error tapped his chin in thought, now actually thinking on it for the first time. "i juSt nEVeR hAD thE tIME AnymORE. EatING iS SUcH a pAIn WHeN yoU'RE oN a TIME crUNCH."
"W-Why don't you eat something now then, now that you have time?" Stan tried to find a excuse. The very thought of Error going hungry did not sit right with him. "Do you remember any foods that you liked? Your favorite food?"
"FaVoRiTE?....ChoColATE." Error smiled, thinking about the food. "i StoLE ChoColaTE a lOT bEfoRE aT tHE sTaRT, ONlY StoPPinG wHEN WoRk GoT TO bE tOO muCH aND i GOT bEaTEN FoR iT onE tOO manY TimES. iT's bEEn yEarS siNCe I laSt hAD iT, i'vE foRGoTTeN WhaT iT tAStE liKE."
'At least now I have a motive for becoming a mass murder. Now onto making the list.' Stan just smiled. "I'm sure we got something chocolate in the car, you were bound to pick up at least one thing with chocolate in it. Why don't ya try one? You have time now."
Shrugging, Error turned to the backseats to dig around the pile of food and drinks that made a small mountain in the back floor. The skeleton saw no issue with this really, as it was chocolate. It wasn't like he was going to eat a meal or eat every day, but Stan made a point. He had time now. Might as well enjoy it while he can before it blows up in his face like usual.
"How about that one Daddy?" Null pointed to one that was to the side of him on the floor. "Choco'a'e is brown right?"
"uSuaLLy, buT IT caN comE iN WhiTE oR anY ColoR REalLY." Error told the babybone as he plucked the box Null had been pointing at. Picking it up, he saw that it was simple chocolate brownies with sprinkles on them. "thIS IS ChoCOlaTE. ThanK yOU nULL."
Null beamed, a pleased blush on his face as he slipped his drink. "Wel'ome Daddy!"
Before Error turned back around, he looked to Void who was swinging his bottle around. "voID, DOn'T DO thAT. You'RE GOinG TO drOP yoUR boTTlE."
"Da...ka..." Void pouted, stopping his shaking of the bottle. "Daaaa~...."
"DoN'T GivE ME thAT lOOk." Error sighed, closing his eyes as if in pain. "lOOk, DrINk yoUR boTTLe, ThEN i'LL GivE yOU a TReaT." He opened his eyes and glanced to Null. "FiniSH youR DinKS, aND i'LL give BoTH oF yoU a TreaT." The skeleton changed his sentence, thinking it would be unfair to just give one of the kids something and not the other.
"A treat?" Null perked up along with Void. "Wha' kind?"
"a ToY oR SomethING To weaR." Error eventually said after a moment of thinking. "i CaN makE yOU boTh somEthINg oR 'GeT' YOu somEthING, uP tO YoU WhiCh aND WhaT."
"Kay~!" Null sang out, going back to his drink along with Void, who lost his pout.
Error ignored Stan's snickering, opening the box of brownies. "DO yOU waNT OnE StaN?"
"Nah, you enjoy it-!" Stan started to say, only for the words to get lodged in his throat when he saw Error out of the corner of his eye eating the whole brownie....without taking the plastic wrapping off.
'You know what....ignore it.' Stan lightly shook his head, concentrating on the road. 'Must be a Monster thing....Probably a Error thing now that I'm thinking about it. Ask about it later if at all Stan, you took too much shock for one day.' "Hey Error, hand me another cold coffee would ya?"
"okAY." Error munched on another brownie, plastic and all, as he reached down for another bottle of cold coffee.
'This is my life now.' Stan thought to himself, hearing Error getting him a coffee and eating substances that would kill a person and hearing two kids in the backseats drinking and cooing to one another.
'Huh....It's not a bad life. Better then what it was by a long shot. Shocking how much your life can change forever in just a day or even a few hours.'
-Five Days Later, Gravity Falls, Oregon-
"Here we are!" Stan beamed, seeing the huge sign not too far from away now. "Gravity Falls, Oregon. We finally made it Monsters. Are pumped like I am!?"
"thE oNLy ReaSON yOU'RE sO hapPy aboUt thIS IS bEcauSe WE finALLy LoSt thoSE CopS anD thAT oNE maFia GroUp a hOuR aGO." Error pointed out bluntly, hands going to town as he formed something new. It was now dark, very early morning, and the kids were already awake and munching on some soft crackers because of them having no schedule in place for sleeping. But Stan couldn't blame them or Error about that, from what Stan could tell, Error had no sense of time. On the other hand though, Stan knew that Error didn't need to sleep. Error was the one to keep watch over them all when they pulled over and slept in the car after all. Error even dealt with some people who were stupid enough to try something with them during the time. Stan never did ask what Error did to them, because the only reason Stan knows about this is because Error mentioned it the next morning. "i StIlL Don'T SEE whY I CouLDn'T GeT riD oF thEM." Error grumbled with a frown.
"Because then it would put us behind schedule." Stan told the skeleton as the drove past the sign. "And although I think it would have been a sight to see, it would have just made more chase us in the end."
"PlEaSE, i'vE bEEn thROuGh tHAt TOns oF tIMEs." Error scoffed, the magical strings in his hands now formed into a doll that looked like Stan. It amazes Stan that Error could turn his strings into so many different things, like they were never magical glowing blue strings to begin with. "IF thEY StIlL ChaSED uS, I WouLD haVE DelT WiTH iT. i'vE dONE iT bEFoRE."
"Well, now you don't have to." While knowing that Error is strong and could most likely pick up a semi-truck and throw it without breaking a sweat, that didn't mean that Stan wanted Error to get his hands bloody again. Oh, Stan could tell Error liked destroying things and even fighting, even seeing it as a very normal thing to do, but Stan could also tell that Error was tired of seeing blood and dust on his hands. He's caught Error staring at his bare hands before when the skeleton took off his gloves, the skeleton's gaze hollow and haunted by what he has done. Maybe that will change for better or worse, but for now, Stan will try to keep Error's hands as clean as he can.
It made Stan want to laugh, because his own hands were not the cleanest, yet here he was trying to make sure that another's doesn't get even more dirty. Error's hands were more then that to Stan, he has seen Error create such amazing and awe inspiring things. How a creative skeleton became the God of Destruction - no, how such a creative skeleton was forced to be the God of Destruction, Stan will never know.
Although, Stan knows better then to mention this to Error. The last and only time he called Error 'creative', Error broke down. Nearly screaming that no, he wasn't creative before 'ERROR' signs over took his eye sockets and only sounds and tones - much like a TV or something glitching sounded out - over took everything, no more words coming out of the skeleton. Later, Error explained that he 'crashed' and that it was normal when the skeleton felt high emotions or panicked too much. Error stayed blind for a while after that, nearly three hours after words. Luckily all this had happened when they were not in the car but in a closed down park where no one could see them. Error then told Stan, very brightly too, that he has been blinded before tons of times and that three hours was shorter then normal. It made Stan slightly sick and furious at how happy Error sounded at that.
Not at Error though. Never at him.
To Stan it sounded and looked like a disorder, like a panic attack mixed with blacking out or fainting. Maybe even a seizure now that he was thinking about it. In any case, it scared the crap out of him and the kids before and after, no matter how nonchalant Error was about the episode.
In fact, with how Error treated the whole thing, it made it worse.
"Now, Ford did say he lives not too far from the sign..." Stan muttered to himself, eyes squinting as he tried to look out in the dark. "I think he said he lived in a shack or something..."
"iS thAT iT." Stan slammed on the breaks, making the kids squeal in delight. Stan's head shot to where Error was pointing, a somewhat large shack or cabin was nestled down a road surrounded in trees. Honestly, Stan would have searched hours for it if Error didn't point it out.
"How...?" Stan trailed off, looking at the almost hidden out of sight shack.
"i hAVE NigHT visION." Error bluntly told the man, who hummed and then nodded. Stan could see that. It explained how Error was so good at moving around no matter the time of day or night. "That must be handy to have."
"yOU dO nOT KNoW hOW manY AU's WeRE juST DaRK oR coVEREd In shADoWS. HA! tHouGH i shoWEd tHEm." Error went on to say as Stan started driving again, going down the road. "TriED tO ATTaCk ME iN thE DaRK oNLy To gET A WoRlD fuLL oF pAIN WhEN i SaW thEM comING."
The grin on Error's face when he said this made Stan shiver. Not entirely from fear either.
"Oh! Look! Here we are!" Stan nearly screamed out as he almost crashed the car into a tree near the shack. Luckily for him, Error nor the kids were normal so they didn't question the sudden turn of his voice. With Error, his voice changes all the time, so he probably thought it was normal. "Time to see For-"
It finally hit him that he was about to see his twin.
The brother who he hasn't seen or contacted in ten years.
Error, noticing Stan's nerves and fears, put on his sunglasses and put the Stan doll into his pocket. "sO, WhaT DO We TeLL hIM?" Stan's head shot to Error, who was now putting on his beanie. "DO WE cOmE ouT wiTH thE TruTh, thAt i AM a MonsTER GOD oF DesTRucTIon, oR bruSH iT oFF unTIl WE hEaR whaT HE wanTS? oR DO wE liE anD thEN laUGH aT hiS facE whEN hE sEEs I'M a skElEtON? i lIke tHE lasT onE bEsT...juST SayinG."
Looking shocked, Stan eventually shrugged. "Honestly, I was thinking we could go with the flow on this. I have no idea how much he's changed or not."
"WoRks FOR mE." Error then turned to look back at the kids. "i'M nOt lEavING thEM iN thE caR."
"I'll carry them in." Stan offered as he shut off the car. "It would make Ford less likely to hit me." He narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Still not for sure if he called for help like the postcard said, or to finally beat me up for messing up his life."
"hE hAS TwElvE pHds doEsn'T hE? EvEn iF he DIDn't GeT inTO thAt schOOl, iT soUNDs liKe hE's DOnE FinE wiTh hIS eduCaTioN." Error pointed out, lifting up his scarf to his his lower face before opening the car door. "i DoN't thINk yoU mESSEd uP hIS liFE iN thE loNG rUn. maYbE thAT mOmEnT, BuT nOT hiS WhoLE liFE afTER. thE resT oF hiS liFE is ON hIM, nOt yOU."
'But that doesn't change what I feel and believe, or what Ford does.' Stan sighed, getting out as well. It took them a moment to bundle up the children. Both babybones having their cloche hats on and wrapped in the blankets Error formed for them. Null's was the color of the ocean and had bubbles and stars on it. Void's was pastel orange with swirly suns and hearts on it. Both also had Error dolls with them, the toy that they ask for from a bewildered Error. Stan had laughed himself silly when they asked for a doll that looked like Error.
Why have a stuffed animal to protect you when your Daddy was better at it? Stan could understand that, Error could scare away anything under the bed, shadows or just about anyone with just a look alone. Not a glare, just a look.
-The first mob member that came after Stan for some reason or another had learned this the hard way. Error's stare is not to be underestimated. Stan still thinks that guy peed and crapped himself before running and fainting.-
Both got out of the car, snow crunching under their feet as snow gently fell down on them. The woods seemed to surround them, and made Error twitch as it made him feel slightly trapped in a way. But that wasn't on his mind, not too much anyway as he noticed something more important.
Magic was in the air. Magic was in the woods.
Magic was surrounding them unlike anything Error has seen before in this Multiverse, in this world. Some fresh, other stale.
Not Monsters, but magical creatures roam here. Something powerful, almost feeling like Error himself but not quite, was here. Yet, did not feel anything like a Monster or Monster magic. It confused and set Error on edge.
"So, how are we going to do this?" Error was snapped out of his thoughts at Stan's question. Looking over, he saw Stan looking through the back seat window at a giggling Void. "They don't have jackets do they? Are you going to whip one up or do that thing you did with your scarf like before?"
Tightening his gloves, Error made sure to listen to everything as he got out the kids, wrapping them together in their blankets. As Stan wanted to carry them, and as Error does trust Stan to make sure nothing happens, he combined the two blankets into a baby carrier, wrapping it around Stan.
Stan made sure to keep his arms around the bundle, hopping through the snow carefully, making the children laugh. Stan knew this was a bunch of trust Error was putting into him, not that he deserves it in his mind, but he for sure wasn't about to mess this up. These kids are Error's world and lifeline right now, if something happens to them, no one is getting out in one piece let alone alive.
With that in mind, Stan walked to the door with Error close behind him, much like a shadow. In fact, if Stan didn't know Error was walking behind him he would never know it. Error glided on top of the snow. Even as his feet went into the snow, it didn't make a sound. But Stan cross that off as a Monster thing.
Though it could be the signs saying 'Stay out' along with a bunch of other ones that are making Error slightly twitchy. It's making Stan twitchy at the least, because just what the hell did his brother get into?!
Unknown to Stan, Error was in protective predator mode. The skeleton and those who were his are in a unknown place with magic of all kinds surrounding them. A place where a powerful, destructive magical creature or being has been. Walking silently and swiftly, eyes hidden behind dark shades looking everywhere and anywhere, and limbs loose yet tense. Instincts are flaring and waiting for Error to use. Nothing would touch his.
Nothing.
"Okay....here we go...." Stan gulped, glancing down at Null and Void, both cuddled together in the makeshift baby carrier. "I would keep quiet kids, I don't know how he's going to take this."
When they nodded, Stan lifted a hand to knock, only for the door to swing open.
"WHO IS IT?! HAVE YOU COME TO STEAL MY EYES!?"
"Wha-!" Stan blinked, and then the next thing he knew, he was moved back with Error in front of him protectively. The skeleton stood tall, arms crossed, and looking down at something in front of him. Stan leaned over and then promptly choked on the cold air, making his throat sting.
"What in the world?! Stan! Why did you bring more people?!" That was Ford yelling out. His twin brother he hasn't seen in years.
His twin brother who he hasn't seen in years who has a crossbow in his hands, armed and ready.
"FORD!?" Stan took a step back, turning slightly so that his body was more in front of the bundle, eyes wide as he realized that Error must have seen what his brother had and moved to protect them, thinking that Ford is a threat. It said a lot that Stan was more on Error side in this case, Ford could have harmed the kids! "What the hell are you doing?!"
'Put that thing down before Error kills you!' Stan screamed in his mind, feeling the tension as well as the feeling of destruction coming off Error. This was not going to end well at all.
Error, meanwhile, was pretty much waiting for this idiot to try it. 'Bitch, please.' Error's eyes narrowed behind the shades, hands tightening their grips on his own arms, holding back everything that was screaming at him to just kill the fool and be done with it. 'Try anything, I dare you.'
What a family reunion this is turning out to be. If he could, Stan would have started banging his head into the wall.
Hearing the little babybones's bones rattle from the cold and their slight whimpers made Stan reacted to the now instead of staying still imagining himself hitting Ford for being so stupid. Who points a crossbow at someone, much less someone who has children on them?! Much less a God of Destruction who looks about ready to prove that they destroyed whole universes for a living. Sure, Ford didn't know Error was all that, still didn't change the fact that Stan did and wouldn't blame Error for hitting Ford into the next Universe if he had hurt Null and Void.
What can Stan say? They were too adorable, he was wrapped around their little fingers and proud of it.
"...Ford, put it down." Stan took a step over so that Ford could see him, but making sure that the bundle while visible wasn't in any danger if Ford decided to fire. Seeing Ford's eyes widen made Stan sigh, knowing his smarter brother knew what was in the bundle. "I wasn't going to leave them. Now, you said you needed help?"
"Oh! Yes!" Ford glanced around wildly, slowly lowering the crossbow. "Come in....We need to hurry." Too much and too many worries were going in his mind to really think on what he was seeing in front of him. It really looks like his twin brother, Stanley, has became a family man. But he's a scientist, assumptions are below him. This tall, skinny and admittedly terrifying man - the taller one has a feel to him, one that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, the way he could feel that stare even behind shades going through him and seeing everything about him. Something was wrong with that man, something that made Ford want to run yet also question him on just what is he. He couldn't be fully human, there was no way. - could just be Stan's friend or something. The bundle is obviously a baby, maybe two in there from how it is shaped. They could be Stan's or the man's....maybe both of their's for all he knew.
But there are more important things to worry about. Ford needed this to happen, and quickly.
All of them shuffled inside, Error making sure that the three are still behind him at all times. Even when Ford put down the crossbow, Error wasn't taking any chances. He knows paranoia, and Ford wears it well. The way the human shifts, eyes moving about, and the way he watches and twitches at the shadows clued Error on that part.
But Error wears it better and for longer. Ford has nothing on his years of being alive, paranoid about everything and almost everyone.
So when Ford made for a grab for Stan, Error was quick to grab the hand reaching out, lifting Ford up by said wrist.
"Whoa! Okay now!" Stan quickly came out from behind Error to his side, grabbing the skeleton's arm and tugging at it, making sure to tuck the children so that Ford couldn't see their faces. Said children quiet, taking Stan's warnings to SOUL. They used to live in a place where bad things happen so they know to listen, they weren't going to make a noise unless something extreme happens. "There's no need for that, I'm sure he wasn't going to do anything..." Stan turned his gaze up to his shocked brother, turning into a suspicious glare. The man already turned a crossbow at him, who's to say he wasn't going to try anything else. But family is family. "Were you Ford?"
"N-No!" This just cemented that this man was in no way a normal human. There was no way this man could lift him up, the taller one had no muscle mass from what Ford could tell. "I-I had only wanted to check Stanley's eyes is all!"
"Why?" Stan's eyebrows shot up. "What kind of 'hello' is that?"
"I...I just..." Ford gulped, looking deeply into the shades right in front of him. "I had to make sure....I won't try anything, I promise."
Error titled his head before shrugging, lowering his arm so that Ford's feet were back on the ground, and then letting go of the other's wrist. Promises are important to the skeleton, just like with all the others. Promises might as well be deals, swears or even vows to the skeleton Monsters in his Original Multiverse. While Ford might now understand what he said, Error will hold him to it.
Rubbing his wrist, Ford led them all into another room that were filled with all kinds of things that made Stan go wide eyed. Glancing to Error, he couldn't help but snort when he saw that Error had no cares about all the gadgets or experiments. The Monster has probably seen better and much more amazing things before.
'A scientist...' Error mentally sighed to himself, rolling his eyes and hiding his twitches with practiced ease. 'Why is it always a scientist?' Now, Error didn't remember his past, so he could have been one for all he knew and he for sure could be one now with all his knowledge he has gained over the vast years he has been alive and watching everything, but that didn't change the fact that most scientists made him twitchy. Most of them he hated in fact. Most Sans and those taking his place were scientists at one point, and that's not counting the Gasters - especially the one he still wants to kill slowly and painfully.
"There isn't much time." Stan patted Null's and Void's back through the blankets when he felt them shift as he turned his attention to his now talking brother, who was grabbing a book and some papers now. "I've done things, terrible things."
'Preaching to choir about that one.' Both Error and Stan thought to themselves, clearing their throats awkwardly and looking away from everyone. None of their hands are even remotely clean, so much so they wonder if they even have the right to graze past the babybones.
Thinking on it, if Ford is telling the truth, then the only innocent ones here are Null and Void. You got Stan, a criminal and conman who has done some very sketchy things to get by in life, then you got Error, A God of Destruction who has killed off entire Universes as well has killed more people then there are numbers, and now apparently they have Ford, a very paranoid scientist who has apparently done some horrible things.
Error just hopes it's not human/Monster/alive creature experimentation. If it was, then there were going to be some issue.
Although, one another note, Error noticed this is starting to sound like a joke; Three people walking into a shack. One a paranoid scientist, the other a conman and the last one a Monster who happens to be a God of Destruction from another Multiverse.
He just hopes that there is a funny punch line to the end instead of a actual punch.
"I...I just don't know who to trust anymore." Ford sighed, walking past the group.
"Whoa there, take it easy." Stan took a step to his brother, not letting go of the bundle. While Ford might be kinda insane right now - he still hasn't forgotten the crossbow or the yell about eating his eyes or whatever - but he is still his twin. That has to count for something, right. "Let's talk this through, okay?"
Ford frowned, not looking at anyone. The he turned to his brother. "I have something to show you." He waved a hand in front of him, eyes tired yet alive at the same time. "Something you won't believe."
Stan snorted, he couldn't help it. "Look, I've been around the world." Stan made sure not to glance at Error who was standing behind him. "I've seen and heard some things that have shattered my world and reshaped it in ways I can't explain, seen things that make me question my very existence, and have so much more knowledge about the Universe as a whole that it makes me feel tiny in ways I don't want to say....all in this week alone." He rolls his eyes just thinking about all the things he has seen Error and the kids do, as well as what Error has told him. "Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll understand."
-Ten Minutes Later-
"I don't understand." Stan stated bluntly, looking up at the huge upside down triangle like machine in Ford's underground basement. This whole thing was starting to feel like one of those spy movies - with Ford starring as the mad scientist set out to take over or destroy the world. Which is kinda funny in retrospect, because he has the literally embodiment of destruction right behind him. "You're going to have to explain this to me."
"It's a trans-universal gateway." Ford explained as he walked to the huge device. "A punch hole in a weak spot in our dimension. I made it to unlock the secrets of the universe, but it could be used for terrible destruction." Ford missed how the taller one shifted awkwardly at this or how Stan looked ready to laugh for some reason. Ford reaches into his coat, bringing out a red journal with a golden six finger hand on it. "That's why I shut it down and hid my jounals that explain how to operate it. There's only one-"
"Look, this is interesting and all, but I'm still not getting what that does." Stan pointed to the device, interrupting Ford. "I'd like to know just what the hell you've made and gotten into before anything else."
"a pORtAl." Both humans jumped at the voice. Their heads shot to the covered up tall one. "yoU maDE a pORtaL. ThiS UniVeRsE miGhT bE mORE aDvanCED thEN i thOUghT...."
"Oh!" Stan's eyes lit up in realization at that. The skeleton had explained and even showed him the portals that skeleton could make. The only reason they didn't use the portal to get to Gravity Falls is because Error had no idea where it was, what it looked like, who was there, or even how to read the Codes in completion. The skeleton wasn't chancing anything and Stan could get behind that. "Why didn't you say so! So, what kind did you make? Multi-universal or just Universal? Dimensional maybe? I...If I'm remembering correctly, they're three completely different things, right?" He glances to Error, who nods yes in answer. "Right, good."
"H....How do you know that Stanley?" Ford jerked back in shock and slight awe. "It took me years to understand the differances and everything along with it!"
"Oh, I don't understand it all too much, but I got the best teacher around for that kind of stuff." Stan jerks his head to the taller one behind him, making Ford's eyes snap up. "This here is Error, he might as well be the smartest person I know. He would be like you if he went to school, having all those PHDs and stuff."
Ford stumbled forward a bit, eyes still on the covered one. "I see...So you understand all this?"
Both Stan and Error looked to one another. Error shrugged, making Stan sigh. "Well, you see Ford, I came to see...Well, I needed a bit of help too."
Ford's head shot to Stan, eyes slightly worried. "Help?"
"Um, yeah, you see..." Stan glanced to Error. "Error...Error isn't norm-no, that's not the right word for it." Error's hands went up to the sunglasses and beanie. "Error isn't human."
"What?!" Ford's neck cracked from how fast he turned it, heart beating fast at the now cracked skull looking down at him. "What in the world Stanley?! You brought a zombie into my house?!"
"Tch, looks like we might be more similar then I thought." Stan grumbled to himself before speaking back up with a grin. "Nah, he's not a zombie. Ford, meet Error, A Monster - and that's what their race is called! Jeez, don't make that face! - God from another multiverse who came here via trailing in something he calls the 'VOID'. Essentially he traveled across Multiverses to get here, by accident at that. We were wondering if you knew a place were they wouldn't be hunter."
"They?" Ford's mind was going a thousand miles per hour as he watched his brother unwrap the bundle. The next thing he knew, there were two admittedly adorable skeletons sitting by Stan's legs. "Stan! You didn't tell me there were children here!" Then, everything else Stan said caught up with Ford, making him choke as he looked to Error.
"Y....You traveled Multiverses! You-you must know so much!" Ford's eyes widened in awe and started to sparkle in a way that made Error very uncomfortable. "A God! J...Just how all of this is possible! And you didn't land in Gravity Falls?"
"nO, i lAnDEd In FrONt oF StaN'S caR wiTH MY kIDs aboUT SIX DaYS aGO." Error shortly said, keeping a weary eye on the nearly vibrating man. He really didn't like how the other was looking up at him in ways he couldn't explain. "AnD i WOuLD liKE TO SaY I knoW A loT." Error snorted just thinking about not knowing anything, he might as well have been Fate's puppet if that was the case. "i'VE bEEn alIVE lONGER thEN THiS EaRTH....mUCh lonGER." Error glanced to the portal, having a bad feeling about it. "bEsiDEs, mY joB bEfoRE mADe mE GO aLL aORUnD mY mUlTivERsE. PoRTaLS aRE EaSY TO makE whEN yOU havE maGIC. FiRsT tiME i'vE sEEN a HumAN buILD onE thoUGh." 'Not even the fallen human has tried that before.'
"Amazing...Such a anomaly." Ford breathed out in awe, reaching a hand out. Error, seeing this, backed up a bit. "Please! I have so many questions!"
"Whoa there Sixter, slow down." Stan cut in, seeing how uncomfortable Error was. "How about you back away a bit-"
"NO!" Ford suddenly screamed out, making Stan grab the kids and Error tense.
Ford blinked, shaking his head and the rubbing his face. "I...I'm sorry about that...I...I haven't been sleeping well." Ford then turned to Stan, holding out his journal. Stan looked him up and down wearily before slowly sitting down the kids once more. The one in blue grabbed the one in orange, and then ran to Error, hiding behind his legs. "I need you to take this Stan, you're the only one I can trust with this."
Stan slowly took the journal, keeping a eye on Ford's face. Before he could say anything, Ford had already turned back to Error, who shifted to stand more in front of the kids when he noticed this.
"About the issue from before, you three can stay here!" Ford opened his arms open, eyes having a gleam in them. "I'm sure that we can work something out, but the outside will never understand you. The government will find out about you then, and, well..." He glanced off to the side trailing off before looking back at Error. "But I'm sure it'll be fine as long as you stay hidden, here!"
"nO, i DoN'T tHINk thAT's GOinG tO woRK oUT tOO WeLL-" Error started to say, not liking the other's look nor how this all sounded. It was starting to sound like a prison like the Anti-VOID was.
"No! No, we can make it work!" Ford beamed, hands reaching out from a stilled Error, who was obviously trying to think of a way to get the other stop without resorting to kill the other. "I have plenty of room for you all! You could help me out with my experiments! I have so many questions and-"
By now, Null and Void were cuddled as close as they could be to Error's leg. They shivered, the weird human was starting to sound like HIM. Error slipped off one of his gloves slyly, getting ready for anything as he put both hands into his pockets so that Ford didn't notice anything - not that he would understand the meaning behind taking off even one glove.
Stan, having enough of Ford's rambling, decided to intervene before it got out of hand. Putting a hand on Ford's shoulder, he jerked him back harshly, enough to make him stumble. "Ford! Stop it, Error said no." Stan shook his head as Ford stumbled back a bit. "He's been traveling with me for a while, so he'll stay with me until he finds a diff-!" Stan jerked back when suddenly Ford was in his face. "What the-"
"You are so selfish!" Ford snapped, eyes almost mad looking. "Finally! FINALLY! There is someone here who can tell me everything, who can show me the wonders of MULTIPLE UNIVERSES! Not just this one, no! But tons of them!"
"Ford, you need to calm down!" Stan nearly growled, not liking how the other was sounding. "Error already said no, it's fine! Besides, he might not want to answer your questions! Did you ever think of that?"
"He told you! Why wouldn't he tell me then!" The Twin with the PHDs frowned harshly, a gleam entering his eyes. "You just want to take away the only chance I have for answers! Much like you did with my dream school! YOU JUST TAKE EVERYTHING I ALWAYS WANTED AWAY FROM ME!"
"THAT WAS TEN YEARS AGO!" Stan screamed back before snarling. "Error isn't a object or one of your experiment Ford! You don't do that to family! Especially MY family!"
Now, Error didn't understand a lot about social interactions or even what was considered okay or polite to do and say. But he is for sure about five things right now. First, he is pretty sure that he was now the bystander to some family drama. It was like watching Undernovela through one of his portals almost, only he can understand it right off the bat because he doesn't have to learn the language. Second, the tall skeleton doesn't think this is going to end well. He'll try to make sure it does, if only for Stan's sake, but he's pretty sure one of them is going to get. Not even Fate will save them if it happens to be one of the kids that get hurt. Third, even with his limited - none - social skills, he's pretty sure that you don't say stuff like that to your brother. He's never seen Sans or Papyrus do that-wait...He's never seen both do it before, and really mean it. Some AUs out there are harsh, just look at Dust's. But even then, Dust still loves his brother and his brother loved him until his last breath - even now as a ghost that he maybe sometimes can see....Error's still not for sure if he hallucinated that or not, it's hard to tell. Wouldn't be the first time. In any case, fourth thing he is for sure about is that after all this and all is said and done, Error is going to figure out the Codes if it is the last thing -HA! He's funny, isn't he?- does. There are too many things that are going on in this Universe, maybe even in it's AUs and pocket dimensions, that make Error too paranoid. Something is out there, he knows that. Something is chasing Ford, someone knows he has the knowledge, he can tell. Preparation must be had even if he is on the other side of the world.
Fifth, Stan has claimed him.
No has ever really claimed Error. Nightmare's group had a few times as he did with them, but this was different. Nightmare's group claimed him as one of the 'dark' Sanses, one of their kind. They understood one another, saw where they stood and seen similar things in the short run.
With Stan though, he is claiming Error and his children as family. The only other time this happened was with Null. It made Error's SOUL beat all the faster, face feeling slightly warm. He had been claimed once more.
It felt nice to know he was wanted, even if he knew he didn't deserve it.
These thoughts almost made him missed seeing Ford talking Stan, making them roll into another room not too far off from where they were. Error's face grew grim, hearing and feeling the magic shift in the air. He knew what was going on even before the lights came on.
The machine has been turned on. A magical portal to stars knew where, one that Error may not be able to control as it runs on something different.
"kIDS, StaY StiLL." Error lifted his uncovered hand, strings coming to life. "thIS maY gET uGlY FaST."
Stan's screaming filled the whole basement, making Error's head snap to the direction. Ford came flying out of the room, journal now in hand once more. Stan stumbled out right after. But before he could do anything, the portal flared to life. Magic unlike any other he has felt before from the other side coming to life and coming out, echoing against his magic.
When the magic touched his, it created something new, exploding out all around him.
Stan winced, feeling the burn on his shoulder and back, pain flaring out. Just as he was going to tackle Ford once more, something heavy, chaotic yet every changing filled the air. He could almost taste something on the tip of his tongue yet he didn't know what. The air grew heavy, so why was he floating off into the air toward that machine his brother made.
"DA!"
"Daddy!"
Both babybones cried out as they started to go into the air, tears forming and floating as they did so. Fear clouded their minds, even as they knew their Daddy would save them from anything.
'Everything wrong!' Error's mind whirled, becoming worse and worse as the weird magic wrapped all around him, suffocating him. It was only Error's experience with Ink's magic that made him sorta used to this. The magic while different had the similar effect on him as Ink's did. Opposites. But this magic was similar to his own, adding another layer to the whole thing. It was like Error felt okay with it, but on the other hand felt violated with the way the magic was coming to his. 'NO! LEAVE ME AND MINE BE!'
Error had no idea who his mind was screaming to as he used his strings to get his kids. Tying them down with his strings quickly, making sure they didn't fly off, Error turned and didn't think about anything as he went into the air and dove for Stan. His Stan, the one whole claimed him as Null and Void did.
It was only right that he claimed him back, making Stan one of his.
And Error would do anything for what is his.
Stan choked out, tears coming out as his Brother was yelling for his help, for him to save him as they both flew to the portal. Ford was slowly going in, and just before Stan could get too close to the portal, hands grabbed him and brought him down to the ground.
"Error!" Stan gasped when he lifted his head and saw Error bringing him down to the ground, those glowing magical strings of his coming to life on one hand. Blinking, the next thing Stan knew was Error making strings come to life from the ground, and them wrapping around him. Stan blinked, feeling the same yet he wasn't moving. It hit him that Error was using his strings to make sure that he didn't go flying, as well as the kids. Error was probably used to these kinds of things.
"Error, what do we do!?" Stan yelled out in panic. Error lifted a hand, making him stop just in time to see Error get up and dive for the portal once more, going to get Ford who was almost all the way in, only part of his body was still out. "ERROR! FORD!" Stan struggled against the strings, wanting nothing more then to run and try to grab the both of them.
Ford couldn't stop yelling for his brother to save him, screaming for help. He blinked, and he saw a gloved hand reaching for him. It was like in slow motion. He saw multicolored lights in red sockets staring into his almost determinedly, gloved hand reached out. Hands were coming to him, yet still too far away.
"HELP ME! PLEASE!" Ford cried out, eyes tearing up in panic and slight hope.
The skeleton was coming close, but just as it looked like Error would be able to grab the human, a few things happened.
One, the glove that had been in Error's pocket had come loose, falling out of the pocket from all the movement only to fly to the portal from it's pulling everything in. Said glove his Ford's face, making him let go of his journal. Said journal then went flying out from Ford's sudden throw, hitting Error in the face. The unknown magic pulsed once more, making Error's bones rattle. It only made Error pause for a second from the shock of it all.
But a second was all it took.
Stan, Null and Void all watched in shock as Ford was fully sucked into the portal, making everything fall back down as the whole thing shut down. Error swiftly went back down on the ground, journal now in hand, disgusted with himself. While he may not have liked Ford, he was Stan's brother. That alone was enough for Error to try and dive in for Ford, yet he was too slow.
He knew he couldn't do anything about this. The Multiverse's Codes were unknown to him mostly, and then there was the fact Ford could have landed in a different dimension and not a AU. There could be millions and millions of different AUs and worlds, that alone could make hunting for Ford like a wild goose chase as Error didn't know where everything was. Never mind he hold on time was skewed from all the time in the Anti-VOID. Years could pass him by if he isn't careful.
It also didn't help that Ford called for help. Called him for help. Called Error for help.
It made his SOUL sting. He was just like the rest, not answering a call for help. Made one of his own feel pain much like others have felt before. In a way, Ford was like Error, only in the opposite of ways. Error watched his AU crumble, being ripped away from him as Fate destroyed it. Ford was ripped from here, yet knows this place is still standing - but he could be anywhere in any environment.
"NO!" Stan screamed out, the strings finally fading as Error wasn't concentrating on them even a little bit. While Null, who was carrying Void, ran to Error, Stan ran to the portal machine.
"GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER!" Stan yelled, hitting the machine. Null and Void both lightly touched their Daddy, who had fallen to his knees, journal tight in his hands as he remembered Ford's words. "PLEASE! I'M SORRY!"
"hE caLLE FOR hELp....i CoulDN'T ansWER hIM." Error chuckled, tears slowly forming but not falling. "I'm No bEtTEr thEN thE REsT whO Can'T anSWeR. I FaiLED."
"Daddy..." Null sadly cooed out, hand lightly touching Error's arm. "Can't you find him?"
"Dadadada..." Void lightly hit Error's knees. "Da...."
Stan finally stopped hitting the machine and trying to turn the lever. He swiftly turned to Error, face harsh before it softened at how Error looked, crumbled and broken as he mumbled to himself, seemingly not hearing his children's soft cooing.
"....Error." Error's head shot up, looking up to Stan. "Error-"
"i'M soRRy...." Stan's throat kluged up at Error's pleading and broken expression. Error reached up, scratching at his face harshly, making Stan and the kids wince as blood started to come down from said scratching. "SoRRysoRRYsORRySoRRySORRyS0000RRRRyyYY-"
Stan knelt by the glitching skeleton, and then gently put his arms around the other, pulling the taller one into a hug. "I'm sorry too." Tears started to fall when he felt hands hesitatingly and ever so gently come around him as well. "I'm so sorry!"
Null and Void both wiggled their way into the hug, all of them but Error crying now. Error refused to let tears fall at his failure. He's cried too much, but at the same time, he clung all the hard to the ones in his hold. Fearing that he would fail them as well.
It would take a while before all of them let go of another. By that time, Error would wrap up Stan's burn in his strings to heal up. Stan would get a scar from it, as it is a magic symbol it wouldn't just go away. In a way, Stan has been branded, and that ranked up Error's nerves.
"Error....I can't do this alone." Error looked into Stan's watery and devastated eyes. Both were in Ford's house, Null and Void asleep in a makeshift bed while they sat on the couch together. Error not having to sleep and Stan not being able to. "I can't!"
"....i'LL HeLP yOU." Error decided. He had no where to go, and only Stan had given him a kind word and help. Stan was one of his, and Error would do anything for one of his. He failed once now, maybe he can make it up now, getting back Ford for Stan. Seeing Stan wavering made Error fear the worse, thinking that the burn he got was doing something more. You never know about magical symbols after all. "StaN? WhaT's WrONG?"
"You won't leave me?" Stan said much like Null or Void would, eyes lost and almost hollow. It made Error hug the other, SOUL tearing up for his failure.
All of this was Error's fault as always. He should have just stayed in the car. Or better yet, out of Stan's life. Then none of this would have happened. But it has, meaning that Error has to try and form something better out of this.
"i pRomISE yOU, I'LL nEvER lEavE yOU." Error swore, making Stan look at him. "yOU aRE oNE oF mINE, juST as I aM onE of YOUr'S. JUSt aS nuLL anD VOId aRE mINE. i WILL noT lEavE yOU aloNE liKE thIS." Error smirked softly. "hEY StaN? WhaT DO yOU sAY?"
Stan sniffed, feeling slightly better. "What do you...?"
"hoW WOulD yOU liKE tO woRk WiTH tHIS bROkEN MonsTER TO bRInG TO liFE a PORtAL mAchINE, bRInG bACK a CertAIN hUMAn aNd havE thE whoLE thING EnD WelL?" Error asked just as Stan had done for him, only with some slight differences.
Stan just stared at the skeleton.
Then a small smile finally grew.
-One Week Later-
A week passed then. Both Error and Stan trying their hardest to get the machine to work, but with only one journal and with Error not understanding the foundations and Codes of this Multiverse, it was very slow going. Both adults, were running themselves ragged. At times, even Error felt like the need to sleep, but refused to. While Stan tried to figure out the journal, Error found a clean journal himself and started trying to figure out the Codes.
Null and Void helped where they could, Error making sure to drag Stan out at times for a break so he didn't break, and as well as Error making sure to take care of the kids.
But food was running out and Stan needed some fresh air.
Error didn't know how it happened, but one moment he was reading the Codes after Stan went out, time passed and then he heard motion in the house, the next thing he knew, he was standing in the doorway with a huge group of people in front of him, with Stan at the end, holding a fake skeleton that was dressed in bright colors.
It only got worse by the fact that Null and Void were right behind him, peeking out into the crowd.
Humans stared at the tall skeleton. Empathy was a strong thing, just as much as compassion and love. Reading the body language wasn't a hard thing to do, and knowing that someone is drowning in some way isn't a hard thing to tell. It was easy to tell this skeleton had a story.
Susan walked up with a smile. "Hello there!" The skeleton blinked at her, the two little ones watched her with wide eyes. "And who might you be? Are you apart of the tour too?"
Before Stan could say anything, Error spoke up.
"i AM ERRoR. a MonsTEr skElEtON fRom anoTHEr mULtivERsE." Error looked to his one ungloved hand before looking back up. "i AM A GOD oF dEsTRucTION....DO yoU wiSH tO hEaR mY StaRT? tO hEaR hOW i aM aND whY? A SmaLL pARt oF mY stoRY?...mY stORy iSN'Y woRth anyTHiNg i FeaR....buT iT iS mE."
Ford might have said that no one would understand him, that the government would come sooner rather then later if he let himself out. But that is a chance he could take. Anything for his, anything. Ford might not be his, but he is Stan's. That is enough for Error. He knew Stan complained about money, even though Error could steal what was needed if not form it. But that took time and magic, one of those things they don't have time for ironically enough. Time was needed to understand everything, time was needed to get that damn machine running.
Time was suddenly important to the skeleton Monster who had no meaning of time before now.
'Anything.' Anything meant willing to put yourself on the chopping block. Time to see how humans work, time to see if he will break and fall or come out of this without needing to kill someone.
Money was needed to get things that Error wouldn't be able to steal. Not without knowing what it was or where he could find it. Codes would have to take priority, and unlike Stan, Error had the advantage of not having to sleep.
Time to tell his story, to get it out. So that he might be able to help Stan even a little bit. He was worthless for everything else, so he might as well.
Something green caught his eye. Blinking, the woman from before was now holding out something. With his gloved hand, he gently took it out from her hand. A twenty dollar bill was staring back at him.
"I think your story is worth more then all the money in the world, but I still want to hear it." The woman, with her big hair and one closed eye smiled gently at the skeleton, making the other people pay close attention. "I hope this is enough for a God to tell me even a small part of his story."
That made the others agree, and before Error knew it, he had wads of money in his hands. Looking confused, he saw Stan grinning. Stan shrugged at him, eyes laughing more then ever. Feeling Null and Void come out a bit more, Error made up his mind.
"iN mY muLtivERSE, thEy'RE usEd tO bE onLY ONE uniVERsE. FaTE, sEEinG thIS, cREatED thEIR FIrsT ChilD...."
At the end of the day, there wasn't one eye dry. It was only the first chapter of the story called 'Error', but it was heart breaking. The Monster was captivating as he told the story, using magic and much more to prove it all. When he finished the main parts, more then one person was sobbing when Error asked why they were crying.
Empathy was a strong thing, just like compassion and love. Error needed those, that much they could tell.
At the start of the next day, there were gift baskets given to the four, filled with random items, and more people willing to pay to see the shack as well as hear more about the broken God of Destruction called Error.
Gravity Falls loves the weird, prides themselves in it and holds it dearly. Error was the weirdest Monster to ever come around. If that other Multiverse didn't want such a loving God, then they'll take him in with arms wide open and smiles on their faces. Even as the years pass, the feelings only grow. They see Error helping out around town, taking care of those he calls 'his' with such a broken unconditional love. Like he has been burned too many times yet is still trying no matter what. It broke their heart.
Gravity Falls claimed Error without regret.
Error, for the first time in his long, long life, watched in shock as the whole town accepted him. While the whole state might know about him, none gave him out no matter how they felt about him or who he lived with. He watched in awe and fear as they opened his arms out to him, nothing but fondness in their eyes.
Error was waiting for it to all backfire on him, even years later.
Then, one day about twenty years later, they got a phone call.
That very same summer will change everything.
-End Chapter-
Here it is! Sorry it took so long to come out, life has been busy. This story was a long time coming to be honest, and the comments have just pumped me up so much for this! I hope it was all you were wanting and more. If it wasn't, don't worry. There is more of this story to come!
Ford is sleep deprived, paranoid like you wouldn't believe, most likely recovering from Bill himself, and has his emotions all over the place. When Error shows up, it was like all the answers he could ever want and need are right in front of him without Bill there to worry him. Even like this, he trusts Stan's judge of character, and seeing how comfortable he is with Error made Ford fall back on that trust. It's why he lashed out, all he could have wanted was right in front of him, everything just came to ahead. Ford will be better when he shows up again, or at least, as better as he can like in the cartoon.
In some ways, Ford reminds me a bit of Error when he comes back. Ford has forgotten what his own dimension is like, as well as what is normal. He even gave Mabel a crossbow, questioning if it is a thing that is done as he is confused if he is right in giving it to Mabel. Error would just ask if she knew how to use it, if no, then he would teach her how to use it. He taught a bunch of Charas how to wield a knife, maliciously even in some cases. Both do have some similarities, though Ford does freak Error and the kids out as he does want to run some tests on them here, which they do not like at all.
Having said that, all three of them - Stan, Ford and Error - and the kids have issues here. This whole thing messed with them mentally.
Because of Error, Null and Void being here, it changes things. For better and/or worse.
Destiny didn't just choose this Multiverse, they chose Stanley Pines. Error needs someone to be with him, a friend or more depending on their choices, and help him - someone who would understand even just a little bit. The world is weird, and Destiny knew that Stan was heading to the weirdest place on their Earth, so Destiny placed Error and his kids in the way so that Stan would take them in. Choosing a Universe is important, but the landing and who is there can be even more important. It's like in "Destroyer Meet Forced Destroyer" (DMFD) where Destiny chose Beerus to help Error.
Stan is slightly attracted to Error here, it grows as the years go on. By the time the twins come to town, Stan is in love with Error. It's actually natural that way, as Stan and Error have spent twenty or so years together in that time skip. If Stan doesn't fall for someone else and still holds that attraction, it like a flower can be watered and grow as time goes on. With spending so much time with Error, it is definitely watered throughout that time skip no matter what as Error is not pushing him away. Not that Error knows about these feelings, but he's still not giving Stan any reason to not be in love with him, and Stan naturally did not loose his attraction to Error, so it just grew.
Error meanwhile, has a fondness of Stan that has grown and claims him as one of his own, sorta like with Null and Void but not quite, but he doesn't understand attraction or love all that much even years later. All he has seen of that is by watching others, in life, through portals, or from TV and movies. Error is attracted to Stan, he just doesn't understand that himself all too much. This will be covered more as we go on as well as seeing this change slightly.
But Error is still Error no matter what. Poor oblivious unconventional Error.
Error has traits that Stan finds attractive as well as finding the skeleton actually pleasing to look at in some weird way - well, a weird way to Stan. One because Error is from another Multiverse, Stan never thought that he would meet much less fall in love with what is essentially, kinda, sorta an alien, but he's not against it. Second because Error is a Skeleton Monster God, of Destruction of all things, making Stan think he is WAY out of his league and also the 'WTF' factor there. Like, he's thinking how did this happen to him. We'll hear and see more of this later on in the story, through flashbacks or even just Stan thinking or talking about it. He is not oblivious to his feelings or anything like that, but he will not say anything even as the feelings grow over time. It will take a pair of twins to make him even admit aloud that he loves Error much less try to tell the other, but that comes later on.
There will be flashbacks, other mentioning things and such, explaining more and more about the past. It's why I didn't give many examples after that destiny filled tour.
I was going to end this chapter after "Thus was the start of a free fall that would last for years.", but I went on as I wanted to start on the actual episodes - from Gravity Falls and Original ones made by me - on the next chapter. And you all said you like long chapters, so I think it's fine. Not like it's over 30,000 unlike DMFD.
Words:20,486
#Gravity Falls#Gravity Lapses#Stanley Pines#Stanford Pines#Error Sans#Forced Destroyer Error#Papa!Error#FaiDD#Error/Stan#Fanfic#Fanfiction#My Fanfic#Harrish6#Null#Void#Null And Void#My Headcanons#My OCs#Error Belongs To Loverofpiggies#I Do Not Own Gravity Falls Either#Or Undertale
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Precipice Chapter 3: Piece by piece
What’s this? A wild update has appeared!
Sorry this took so long, but here it is, chapter 3!
In which Ford gets confused, several times, Soos needs a hug, and Abuelita makes an allusion to Mary Poppins.
Word count: 3,686
Chapter 2 Chapter 4
Ford wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep, leaning sideways in the hospital chair with one of the books Wendy left sitting in his lap. He was hovering on the fringes of unconsciousness, that dreamy state where he could feel the awkward position of his neck and the lackluster padding of the hospital chair and hear the distant voice that was coming from near his brother, but he just didn't care.
Slowly the voice became clearer, and Ford grabbed onto it like a life preserver, pulling himself back into consciousness. Something stirred in his chest- panic, joy, fear, shame guilt guilt guilt- that he couldn’t quite pin down until he was able to identify the voice as belonging to the hairless gopher man-child. Ford started to sit up, but something in Soos’s voice made Ford pause and listen, feigning sleep. He opened his eyes a fraction and peered through his lashes, the man-child not having noticed him moving before.
"-and don't worry, the Shack is open today. Ford was staring at the back of Soos’s head, but he didn’t need to see his face to know that the handyman was still just as upset as he had been yesterday. Ford could hear it in his voice, see it in the way Soos mashed his baseball cap between his meaty fists. “Mabel’s in charge again, and Dippers doing the tours. You'd love to see him go Mr. Pines, he does a great job. But not as good as you dood," Soos said with a little sniff. Or, well, a rather loud sniff “no one can compare to the original Mr. M-mystery." Soos's voice broke on the last word, and through barely cracked eyelids Ford saw the young man's shoulders tremble.
"We're all really worried about you Mr. Pines. Dipper and Mabel both cried themselves to sleep last night, and Wendy is low-key freaking out. We were texting until like, two in the morning cause neither of us could sleep." Soos took a trembling breath before continuing, “We all really need you to wake up soon dood. I mean, without you, who's gonna read out of the joke book? And who's gonna punch zombies and pterodactyls for Dipper and Mabel? Who's gonna complain about Waddles eating the attractions? Wendy won't have anyone to call a crappy boss anymore, and she's gonna get like, sent up state and you know she doesn't wanna do that. And I-" Soos's voice broke into a sob, and Ford watched the young man break down in front of him, twisting his hat between his hands "I really can't have my dad leave again. So-so you gotta wake up soon." He gave the hat in his hands a final twist before tugging it back onto his head “Please Da-ad."
Ford was tense in his seat, hands gripping the armrests, but he was able to collect himself enough to relax before Soos turned, scrubbing his eyes dry.
"The kids'll be here soon. Wendy and Abuelita are gonna be bringing them. I just had to come check right now, in case you were up. You always get up early, so I thought you might’ve decided to wake up now. I'm gonna go use the bathroom dood, brb." Soos walked off, leaving Ford alone with his jumbled thoughts and his comatose brother.
Ford felt like an intruder. Which was ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous! Stanley was his brother, his twin! Soos was just the handyman at the Shack. If anything, Soos was the intruder here. Ford had known Stan all his life!
Even though they had only seen each other once in the past forty years before now.
And sure things weren't the best between them, but still, how big a part of Stan's life could this simple employee be? Soos couldn't mean as much to Stan as his actual family, as Ford and the kids do, could he? Family had always been everything to Stan.
But what makes someone family? A voice echoed in his head
Blood relation Ford replied
Really? Blood relation didn’t stop your father from throwing Stan out, did it? Would family do that?
I don’t-
And what about Fiddleford? He was the first real friend you made after Stanley betrayed you, wasn’t he? He was a stranger that came to be like another brother to you. Don’t you think Stanley can form connections outside of you?
...well-
He seems to have made some connection with Soos. You’ve seen how much the children adore him. Even Wendy, his cashier is amazingly loyal to him. Why is that so hard for you to accept?
...
Are you afraid?
Afraid? Ridiculous! What do I have to be afraid of here?
That Stanley doesn’t ne-
“Oh, hi Mr. Dr. Pines." Soos came back, and disrupting the intrusive thoughts "how long have you been up?"
Ford hadn't even noticed he had sat up. "Oh, ahem, uh just a few minutes. Wha-when did you get here?" Ford fibbed through his teeth. Tear tracks still shone dully on Soos’s face, and his eyes were ringed red. Ford pretended not to notice.
"I think twenty minutes ago dood?” Soos said, sounding almost as cheerily oblivious as he normally sounded “Or maybe two hours? I don't really know, what time is it?" Soos looked at his wrist.
"Um, you aren't wearing a watch.” Ford noticed, giving the man-child an inquisitive look.
“Oh, I know dood. I just kinda like pretending I have one until I can fix mine.” Soos gave a small smile and a shrug. “The small gears are really hard to use duck tape on.”
“Ah. I see.” An odd silence filled the room, partially amiable, and partially awkward, punctuated by the sounds of the machines surrounding the bed. A small part of Ford’s chest ached, filled with questions that he longed to ask this stranger that knew his brother. But how in the multiverse could he start that conversation? By the way, I was just eavesdropping on you as you were emotionally baring your soul to my comatose brother, and I’m mildly confused. Could you please explain to me, in great detail, the exact nature of your relationship with Stanley, as well as give me a timeline of your life, a pedigree chart that goes back five generations, and any other information you can think of that will help me understand why you referred to my brother as your father? Even Ford could tell that that was tactless.
And so they sat in silence and waited.
It wasn’t more than a few minutes before door was opened and Mabel came whirling into the hospital room, Dipper close behind. Stan’s fez was perched on Mabel’s head, and for the first time she was wearing a sweater Ford had already seen her in, a dark pink sweater with purple puzzle pieces decorating it. Ford started when he saw Dipper; the boy was wearing a miniature version of Stan’s absurd ‘Mr. Mystery’ suit, complete with a flipped up eye patch and his hair slicked back looking far too much like a younger Stanley for Ford’s liking. Mabel’s almost too-wide grin contrasted sharply with Dipper’s deep frown. Mabel immediately went over to Stan’s side and started babbling to him cheerfully, not seeming to care that Stan was unable to hear her.
“No hat today?” Ford asked Dipper as the boy came to stand by him. Dipper quickly turned away from Ford, keeping his eyes down on the floor.
“Lost it at the-the thing yesterday.” Dipper muttered. Ford was puzzled by Dippers actions. Surely the boy was shaken, but could an event like this really start to drive him away from Ford so soon after the two had started to bond?
“Ah, you must the other Mr. Pines that my Soos has told me about.” Fords attention was drawn to an elderly lady holding a rather garish carpet bag he hadn’t noticed come in. She came over to Ford and extended a hand “Ramona Ramirez, so nice to meet you.” Ford hesitated a moment before giving a handshake.
“Stanf- Stanley Pines.” Ford said.
Mrs. Ramirez made a small noise in the back of her throat. She gave Ford a limp handshake, barely grasping his fingers.
The rest of the visit went by in a blur. Before Ford knew it, Mabel and Dipper were giving him tight hugs and heading out of the door. Soos gave Ford a small buck-toothed grin as he herded the kids out. Wendy didn’t acknowledge Fords existence, and he returned the favor. But, to his surprise, Ford wasn’t alone with Stanley after the door shut. Soos’s grandmother was sitting in a heavily padded camp chair next to Fords seat. And she was holding a bundle of clothes in her arms.
“It is good to see you again Dr. Pines. Although you probably don’t remember when that happened.” She rose and shoved the bundle of clothes into Fords arms with more force than he would have expected. “You smell terrible and look a mess. Go clean up.”
Ford gaped at the woman as she sat back down, and started rummaging through her carpet bag. He...really didn’t know what to make of this. He was positive he had never met this woman before in his life, and why was she even still here? Who did she think she was to stay here, invading both Stanley’s and Ford’s privacy, bossing Ford around with the gall to say he needed to clean up, excuse him for having more important matters on his mind than trivial grooming when his brother, his twin, was in a hospital, hurt and vulnerable and he wasn’t there to protect him and-
“Dr. Pines, you can say what you want to me, but after you freshen up.” Mrs. Ramirez had looked up from her bag when she noticed Ford hadn’t moved. “You...look rather run down at the moment. I am sure that the children noticed as well that you are not doing too well. They are worried about you. I believe they will worry less if they see you with a shaved face and clean clothes when they come by later today, don’t you?” She gave him a look that made him think of his own mother when she spoke.
“I...suppose you have a point.” Ford said, feeling his heart rate start to drop and his hands unclench (when did he tense up in the first place?). How could he have not thought of that? No wonder Dipper didn’t want to look at Ford, he must be a mess. And now that he thought of it, the children’s hugs had been rather brief. Ford felt ashamed for upsetting them, and the blood started rising in his cheeks. He turned on his heel before Mrs. Ramirez could notice and retreated into the small bathroom in Stan’s room. Ford pushed the door close, but hesitated before letting in click into place in the door frame. The last time he let Stanley out of his sight, all of this happened. The Incident (the details of which Ford didn’t have fully at the moment, but he couldn’t bear to press Dipper and Mabel about it when they were sobbing to him about it in the waiting room), the time spent fretting in the waiting room being useless and helpless, wondering how could this happen, why did this happen to us, why wasn’t I there, I could have stopped this, the shock of seeing the quiet, still man in the bed and realizing that that was Stanley and that he was hurt-
Ford dimly noticed that his hands were shaking. Calm down Stanford, a gruff voice echoed faintly in his ears. You’re getting wrapped up in yer own head again. If ya don’t calm down, yer never gonna get this to work. They were words from years ago, when Ford had worked himself into frenzy over...over...over something. He couldn’t remember, he couldn’t think, he was-
The bundle slipped out of his hands. Ford stared at it on the hospital floor for a moment or two before moving to grab the scattered contents. He used the task to ground himself. Ford was frazzled and on edge, but he didn’t know why. Surely some of it had to be stress from everything that had happened...yes. That’s all it was. Just a little stress throwing him off his game, making him even jumpier than normal. Ford just had to keep his head, keep on top of it. He had to be strong for the kids. For Stanley. With a solid nudge, Ford closed the door behind him.
Fifteen minutes later, Ford was feeling calmer, if a little drained, and wholly uncomfortable. Mrs. Ramirez had given him, along with the clothes (which reeked of mothballs) a small can of shaving cream and a razor, a hairbrush, and a travel bottle of shampoo. Ford was tempted to simply change and ignore the other items, but he was mildly afraid that if he did Mrs. Ramirez would simply drag him back into the bathroom and wash him herself.
His hair was quickly washed in the sink and brushed through. Shaving is what took the most time. Ford found it tedious to have to use a razor, but without his usual supplies he was unable to shave any other way. He nicked himself twice, but avoided tossing the razor at the far wall until he had finished. Ford didn’t know where Mrs. Ramirez had obtained the change of clothes for him, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out. The stench of mothballs had been bad enough before Ford had put the clothes on; now it was so overwhelming that he could taste the mothballs. The shirt, a wrinkled button-down, was barely wide enough in the shoulders and too large around the middle. The pants were large too, and long; Ford had to roll up the cuffs of the pant legs, and cinch his belt tight around his waist to keep them from tripping him up. He couldn’t tuck the pant legs into his boots, so he left them out. A quick look in the mirror showed that the collar of Fords borrowed shirt didn’t quite cover his tattoo, so when he throws his trench coat on, he tugs the collar high and hopes for the best. Normally Ford would have worried more about the horrendous tattoo, but he had already been away from Stan for too long, so his trench coat would have to work for the moment.
As soon as he left the bathroom Ford was struck by how ridiculous he looked. He was close to ducking back inside for a few minutes, if only to collect himself. Ford had worn outfits that were much more uncomfortable and embarrassing whilst traveling through dimensions with little shame. This, however, felt worse than the other times. Ford supposed he was ashamed at the thought of Dipper and Mabel seeing him in this state when they came to visit later tonight. And Stan wouldn’t let him live it down if he saw Ford dressed so ridiculously.
If Stan ever wakes up that is. The words fill Fords head without warning.
NO! Stan will wake up! Ford’s heart picks up again, a small swell of panic picking up again.
Are you sure? You may not be a medical doctor, but you know enough to know that he doesn’t have very good odds, especially at his age. With every day that goes by his chances of waking up go down, and his chance of making a full recovery if he does ever wake up is already low. Stop deluding yourself Stanford, and face the facts! You’re the smart one after all. It’s what you’re supposed to do.
Shut. Up. Ford wrestles with the intrusive thoughts, shoving them down into the back of his mind. Stanley will wake up. He’ll be alright. He’s strong. He can make it.
Ford resumed his spot by Stan’s bed, carefully avoiding looking at Mrs. Ramirez’s face as she took his clothes from him. “I will wash these for you and bring them back later. Now you eat.” To Ford’s surprise a napkin and a plate were dropped in his lap. The plate was soon filled with several tamale’s, which were still warm. Ford looked up in time to see Mrs. Ramirez putting a Tupperware box back into her carpet bag.
“Urh, yes thank you, but I really must ask you-†Ford started to say
“I’m sorry if the clothes are uncomfortable. They were my husbands, and I didn’t have it in me to get rid of them after he died. And anyway, they fit my Soos so nicely now that he is all grown, so it is not a bad thing. Lemonade?” Mrs. Ramirez procured a small thermos and a few plastic cups from her carpet bag.
Ford decided to ignore the fact that he was wearing dead stranger’s clothes, opting to focus on the seed of annoyance that was growing in his gut. “What, no. Anyways, could you tell me-”
“Such a shame. It’s very good lemonade.” She poured a cup for herself. “Are you sure you don’t want any of-”
“Yes I am quite sure that I do not want any lemonade!” Ford snapped “What I want, Mrs. Ramirez, is for you to answer my question.”
Mrs. Ramirez didn’t respond to Ford outburst. She simply took a long drink of her lemonade as Ford sat fuming in his chair. She finished and placed her cup on the ground, then met Fords glare with a matronly look. “What is it that you are so eager to know, Dr. Pines? And, please, call me Ramona.”
Ford sucks in a tiny breath, trying to calm himself, keep the tremor out of his voice. “I would like to know what you meant earlier. When you said it was nice to see me again.”
“Ah. I knew you wouldn’t remember. It was over thirty years ago.” Mrs. Ramirez gave a small smile. “You had barely moved into town at the time you see. The Corduroys’ had just finished your cabin, and you were moving your things in. My friend Susan and I liked to welcome newcomers to Gravity Falls with pies and quilts. And we brought my daughter, Maria, along with us. She was only five at the time.” A small, proud smile lit up Mrs. Ramirez’s face as she spoke of her daughter. “She was a fiery, energetic child, always wanting to meet new people, make new friends. That’s actually why I remember this visit so well. When you opened the door, Maria started introducing the three of us, chattering on and on. You didn’t quite know what to make of her, or any of us really.”
The tiniest bit of memory tickled the edges of Fords mind. If he thought about it, he could vaguely recall an incident involving a pie when he was first moving in. His first encounter with the gnomes had been them breaking into his kitchen to steal the pie, and now that he thought of it an old quilt he had seen in the Shack did look vaguely familiar. But Ford had a hard time remembering anything about two women coming to call with a toddler in tow.
“I tried to come around a few more times, but you were always so busy. Eventually I stopped. But Maria kept asking me to take her to visit Stanford Pines, the six-fingered science man again. She was quite enamored by you, you know.” She pointed at the plate of untouched tamales in Fords lap. “Please, eat Dr. Stanford.”
Ford took a bite of one of the tamales to appease Mrs. Ramirez, before a sudden revelation had him chocking on it. A glass of lemonade was placed in his hand, and he took several gulps from it to quell the coughing. A small part of him felt bad for snapping at Mrs. Ramirez; it was very good lemonade. “Have-” Ford wheezed “have you know that Stan wasn’t me this whole time?”
Mrs. Ramirez smiled. “Yes.”
“...oh.” Ford turned his attention back to the tamales. He and Mrs. Ramirez sat in silence as he ate.
And then Ford had an idea. “So, your daughter, Maria. She’s Soos’s mother I presume?” Ford tried to sound casual. Stan would be able to pull this off.
Mrs. Ramirez gave a sad smile “Yes, she was. She loved little Jesus so much. But she left this world far too soon. She is with the angels now, waiting to greet me and the rest of her family when our time’s come.”
Ford, Jewish by birth and a scientist by choice, decided not to give Mrs. Ramirez his two cents on that matter. He instead asked a question that had been on his mind since he woke up. “What about the boy’s father?”
Ford wasn’t prepared for the long stream of rapid, vehement Spanish expletives that came from Mrs. Ramirez. Her tirade increased in volume as she went on, before ending with a statement in English “That man didn’t deserve my daughter, or Jesus, and I am glad to be rid of him! If he ever comes back here I will make him wish he was never born!”
Ford wisely decided not to comment on this outburst, and instead decided to focus on his tamales. Well, at least that rules out Stanley as the boy’s father. Unfortunately, this revelation only left Ford with more questions, questions that he would have to save for Stanley, if when he woke up.
Mrs. Ramirez spoke as Ford finished his meal. “I should be going now. I will be bringing you your own clothes tomorrow. And Soos and the children will be here later today. Wendy will probably bring food, so there will be no nasty cafeteria food for you” She took Fords plate and napkin, then folded up her chair and stowed it in her carpet bag. Somehow. Ford was puzzling over how she could fit everything that he had seen in the average sized bag when Mrs. Ramirez said her goodbye. It occurred to Ford that he probably should have said farewell.
#gravity falls#gravity falls au#precipice au#ford pines#grunkle ford#soos ramirez#mabel pines#dipper pines#wendy corduroy#abuelita ramirez#and her mary poppins carpet bag#mild stangst#stan pines#grunkle stan
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April Fool’s
I meant to have this done on Saturday but time got away from me. Here, take some shameless stangst. I may continue this to include aftermath?
AO3
Rating: T (for violence and some language)
Word Count: 1600~
Summary: Stan’s attempt at an April Fool’s prank goes terribly wrong.
Stanley Pines hummed merrily as his gnarled knuckles wrapped around the sink tap and twisted it on. Lukewarm water slowly began to pour from the facet, drumming against the base of his metal bucket with a resonant ring. He nearly winced at how loud the initial rush of water was, but he supposed the noise couldn’t be helped. If he were lucky, his nerd brother would find himself so absorbed in studying and cataloging their latest catch that he wouldn’t find any iota of suspicion in his current doings…
He doubted Ford remembered, but today marked April first. April Fool’s Day. One of their favorite days as kids. Forty plus years prior, they took great pleasure in springing pranks on each other and their family that day. Young Stan aimed for the classics- whoopee cushion under his father’s seat at dinner, Groucho Marx glasses at the temple, smearing whipped cream over Ford’s face when he was sleeping- the list of practical jokes was nearly endless. Ford, on the other hand, was more of a Rube Goldberg machine kind of guy. He’d spend weeks engineering and constructing elaborate set-ups that would fling those plastic slinky snakes at Ma from across the room when her heel hit a tripwire hidden in the carpet. Oh man, they could laugh for hours at the sheer variety of treacherous gags they’ve pulled on this day!
However, he and Ford hadn’t gotten to terrorize each other with stupid pranks since they were seventeen. Truth be told, this was one of the things he missed most about their relationship. While they’d long since made up, and while Stan recognized they were still working towards rekindling their brotherhood, he longed for the day when he stopped feeling like he was constantly tiptoeing around Ford. He longed for the day his brother stopped treating him like fragile glass. And his hope was that cracking a classic, harmless prank might help with those issues. Remind them of their past a little. To remind them that a little poking fun at each other is okay.
“Doo-doo-doo da-doo, filling a big metal bucket full of water,” he muttered to himself in a sing-song voice as the tap continued to pour, “so I can dump it on my twin bro’s head!”
Stan faintly recalled pulling a similar prank when they were nine. He poured a tray of ice cubes down the back of Ford’s shirt. His brother shrieked like a five-year-old girl at first, and then proceeded to chuck the ice right back at him, giggling the whole time. Their Ma threw a fit when she found the watery mess their feud left in the kitchen, but it was worth it for the laughs.
Man, he hoped they could both get a similar chuckle out of this. He always loved the sound of Ford’s laughter.
Stanley waited until the water filled the bucket, and promptly shut off the tap. With a labored grunt, he hefted the bucket out of the sink and onto the floor, wincing at the way his joints creaked as he straightened his back. Step one was complete.
Step two was to simply smoke ol’ Sixer out of his hive, get into place, and wait for the perfect moment…
_____________________________
“Hey Sixer, get out here, would ya’? There’s somethin’ all spooky like out in the water. I think it might be another one a’ those… uh, another one of ‘em seven headed squid things?”
“Mmm, coming,” Ford muttered distractedly, eyes securely fixed on the half-filled parchment before him and the nerve sample suspended in a vial of formaldehyde upon the desk. The sample came from the thirteen-armed serpent they conquered a week prior. From all the taxonomic scientific literature he’d referenced while conducting his study, the creature seemingly had not yet been discovered by marine scientists. Excitingly, this meant that he would be tasked with naming this new strange anomalous species, and with presenting his findings to the scientific community when they reached shore again.
The moment his pen touched to make the first stroke against roughhewn paper, Stan’s gravelly voice filtered through the thin walls again.
“Ford, if ya’ don’t get your nerd ass out on deck in the next minute, I’m feeding you to the squid!”
He tossed the fountain pen to the side of his journal and pushed himself out of his chair in one fluid motion. “All right, all right!” he hollered back.
Ford carded all twelve fingers through his thick greying hair, and rolled his eyes at the wooden ceiling with a heavy breath. God, what had gotten into Stanley today? He wasn’t usually so unnerved about the magical creatures they encountered in this span of open sea. Hastily, he snagged one of his overcoats and a scarf from the coat hook by the door. He shrugged his shoulders through the long, padded sleeves as he crossed into the main cabin of their ship, and then wound the warm knit scarf— midnight blue and peppered with glitter for stars, Mabel’s design— around his neck. His hand brushed against the comforting weight at the left of his hips, the titanium blaster he’d brought back with him from his journeys through the multiverse. He only had to use it once since his return home, and probably didn’t need to lug it everywhere now that he wasn’t constantly on the run from bounty hunters, but old habits die hard. Beyond that, in his first weeks back in Gravity Falls, he quickly discovered that the familiar weight helped ground him whenever he was griped with panic or fell into dissociation.
He swung the cabin door open with caution. Cool, salty sea air filled his nose almost instantly, and tickled at the hair at his jawline and chin he’d allowed to grow slightly beyond stubble. (Any longer, and he might soon have a burgeoning beard just like Stanley’s, he realized with a snort.) From first glance, the water seemed too calm to be hiding any large territorial creatures that might pose threat to their ship, but admittedly he had been woefully wrong in his assumptions before. Sea monsters were nothing but unpredictable, and especially those that had evaded oceanic cataloguers’ sights all this time. Meanwhile, Stan was nowhere to be seen on deck—despite his call— proving nearly as evasive as their deep-sea cryptids.
Ford had just opened his mouth to call for his brother when his sensitive ears picked up on the muted sound of liquid sloshing from above.
_____________________________
Barely holding in his laughter, Stanley— who knelt on the roof of the cabin right over the outer doorway— tipped his bucket over the edge. He watched with anticipation as the water cascaded down towards his brother’s head.
If only he noticed earlier how Ford’s dominant hand nervously twitched next to the holster at his hip as he exited the cabin, perhaps he would have possessed the good sense to leave him be.
If only he took account of the way his brother’s entire body seized up milliseconds before the water’s impact as if expecting an attack… perhaps he would have had time to duck.
_____________________________
The instant he heard it, it was as if his conscious mind drifted a thousand miles away. His legs were rooted to the deck. Distantly, Ford felt the lukewarm liquid hit his head, utterly flattening his hair and soaking through his overcoat and shirt all the way to skin. Heard a loud clap as the remaining fluid splashed onto the deck. It was warm. His imagination immediately brought images of the multitude of monolithic horrors he'd faced, especially the kinds that soaked their food in tepid stomach acid to aid in digestion before their victims were consumed. Suddenly midday turned into night, and the nebulous skies of alien worlds soared overhead. His vision became glassy and his pulse skyrocketed as the lifesaving mantra that consistently dominated his mind whilst beyond the portal took hold of his tense limbs.
Danger! Danger! Danger!!
From outside himself he watched his hand find the grip of his gun, tightening around the thick rubber. Watched his body fall easily into an offensive stance as he’d done time after time after time. He swung around, senses alight, brain conjuring any number of fearsome beasts from the scourges of his memory…
Finger on the trigger.
Hands shaking.
Eyelids squeezed shut. Muscles contracting.
Even though his mind felt miles away from the deck of the ship, the firing of the gun left a cacophony of ringing in his ears. The kickback shook his joints.
It was his brother’s scream that finally knocked him back into himself.
“AUGGH, goddamn!”
With a heaving gasp, he was violently thrown into full awareness of his own body. He could barely push past his own quickened breaths to concentrate on the scene before him. His eyes panned from the gun he held in trembling hands, to the emptied bucket that had fallen onto deck, to above. To Stanley. Images of demons and leviathans and beasts shattered like glass, replaced by the sight of his own twin brother, cradling his left shoulder. He could already see blood pooling from in between his fingers.
“F-fuck,” Stan hissed, tears rimming his reddened eyes.
Ford let out a choked sob as he realized what just happened, what he just did. The muscles of his right hand went slack, and the gun clattered onto the wooden deck. His lungs burned as his already hastened breathing turned into strained wheezing. Numbed fingers frantically pressed against his face, clawing at the frame of his glasses. He felt his legs propel him through the door, into his cabin, away. Heard Stan’s voice hollering his name. Sensed his body folding in on itself, his hands griping harshly at his hair. A harsh ringing echoed through his ears, causing his head to seem heavy and the world he inhabited to feel little more than an elaborate, cruel facade.
Monster, he spat at himself. Clutching his knees tight to his chest and struggling to breathe, the man began to weep.
#my writing stuff#gravity falls#stanley pines#stanford pines#stan and ford#sea grunks#stangst#gravity falls fanfiction#injuries#blood#april fool's fic
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Stanchez Apprecition Week: Day 3
And here’s day 3! Where Rick is making gifts for Dipper and Mabel’s 15th b-day and Stan gives him some help!
You can read it here under the cut or over on my AO3!
And just a reminder I'm taking stanchez requests until March 24th. So if you have any ideas for stories don't be shy!
Rick still couldn’t believe it. The summer was already over. And soon he and the rests of the Smith’s would be leaving Gravity Falls and heading back to suburbia-hell Washington. It was so weird to think about. Just a few months ago it felt like time had literally slowed down, Rick had to check his one of his universal time tables just to make sure any freaky temporal shit was happening in this weirdo hick town in the middle of nowhere. It had been a real long, boring summer. The worst that happened was a gnome civil war and a unicorn revolt. It had been way to quiet for Rick’s liking. He ended up dragging Stan or Morty and the other kids off into the multiverse every other night just to keep things interesting. And even then things still felt so quiet.
While it was happening it felt so boring. And yet now that was the last week of summer vacation it felt like it all went by in an instant. It messed with his head. Not a lot, but just enough to piss him off.
At least summers in Gravity Falls never ended on a sappy depressing note, with everyone moping around and feeling like shit. It was always pretty nice that the Twin’s birthday landed right at the end of the summer so they could all go out partying.
And from all the commotion he heard upstairs this morning, this was going to be an interesting one for sure. The second summer the Smith’s spent up here but it would be Dipper and Mabel’s third summer, and they were turning 15.
Now knowing the two a lot better than last year or the year before, Rick wanted to make them presents they would actually like. Something they would actually use and not just set aside in the back of a closet to collect dust. He wanted to knock their fucking socks off.
So while they were all upstairs party planning or whatever he went down to Ford’s underground labs and got cracking.
Of the two Mabel was the easier. Honestly he could of made literally anything and as long as he bedazzled it in hot pink Mabel would of loved it. But this summer he’d gone forty steps beyond that. So he’d made a modified version of one of his old favorites before his portal gun. It was a gun where each interchangeable barrel had a different purpose, there was a grappling hook, glitter canon, laser, freeze-ray, hot glue, this guy had everything Mabel could need. And he also painted it hot pink and bedazzled it. He knew the kid always liked her sparkles even when she was in the underbelly of her “punk goth stage” in life which was “totally not a phase guys!”
Dipper had been a little harder to pin down at first. He ended up scrapping his initial plan because half-way through he realized he wasn’t really making something Dipper would want, he was making something Ford would want. So he tossed out his first idea for an electronic journal. But he did keep the concept of a database for his work. And instead of making it writing base, he set it up on a medium the kid used a lot more, camera. This camera could record and hold years of film, and all of it would go into a secure database for all his recordings and research.
Both the gun and the camera were completely finished, and just in time as the party was tonight at Fiddleford’s fancy mansion. All he had left to do was wrap the bastards.
Too bad wrapping gifts was the one few thing he sucked at. When it came to design, he was always functionality and price over looks and god did it show in his gift-wrapping. He already demolished one whole roll of paper, it all sat on the floor in shreds and coated in more tape than paper. And he was working his way to wasting one and a half roll of wrapping paper as he botched up his latest attempt at wrapping. It might have been easier if he’d made the gifts box-shaped, or put them in boxes, but they were so asymmetrical and always looked like shit once he had them secured in tape. He was just about to give up and go look for gift bags like a weakling when the elevator down to the lab came to life and started whirring.
As the cart came down Rick crossed his fingers hoping it wasn’t Ford. When it came to parties the guy usually ducked to find a hiding spot and wait everything out if he could and he really didn’t want him coming down here and seeing the shitty state of his presents.
When the doors finally opened though he was slightly less upset to see Stan there. Sure his Lee wasn’t as annoying as Ford, he was dating him again after all, but he still wasn’t happy with anyone seeing him struggle to do something as easy as wrap presents.
“There you are! Been looking for your sorry hind everywhere!” Stan called out as he stepped down into the basement laboratory.
As he walked towards the bench Rick had been working on he wondered if maybe he should bother hiding the presents, at least all the paper and tape on the floor. But Stan was getting close and it was already too late, he saw the mess and his eyes widened a little.
Then he just smirked at Rick, clasping his hands behind his back like a dick. “Wow! You still have no idea how to wrap presents?”
“It’s harder than it looks, ass!” Rick huffed as he looked back at his recent attempts at presents. This time round wasn’t too bad… on one side. When he turned it over it was a mess of taped-off papers. There were a few spots where the paper didn’t even cover the gift. Pouting he once again ripped off all the paper and tossed it on the ground.
Before he could start attempt number 23 Stan stopped him, nudging him aside and swiping the roll or wrapping paper out of his hands. “Here, let an old pro! Mabel’s been hounding me on proper wrapping etiquette ever since she first came here!”
“I’m fine!”
“Come on, it’ll take be like two minutes! Besides, you really want to show the kids these? You know Jerry would have a field day with’em!”
Rick caved in at that, he could take humiliation from anybody else, but never in his life would he ever let a Jerry talk shit about him. He hoisted himself up onto the bench to watch Stan at work.
As he worked he rolled out a sheet of paper double the size of Mabel’s gift and began marking off crease line with a pencil along all the funky little curve and nobules on the gun. Then after cutting a few of the creases, he folded them over so they were fleshed to the shape of the gun. Soon after strips of paper were stretched across and while you could clearly see it was a gun, it was still completely wrapped-up.
As Stan went to work on wrapping Rick’s camera, he flashed a cheeky grin at Rick.
“Show off.” He muttered, still pouty but unable to stop watching Stan at work.
“You’re welcome!” Stan said back mock-sweetly before he went back to marking crease-lines onto the paper. “Why are you even worried about this stuff? Usually you just wrap things terribly and don’t give a shit.”
“I dunno.” Rick replied, trying to keep a cool, apathetic tone. “I guess I’d rather not look like a complete embarrassment to your nibs’. Spent long enough on their presents. Nothing was half-assed so the presentation shouldn’t be half-assed either.”
“They look pretty neat, that’s for sure. How long did you spend working on’em?” Stan asked as he cut up some strips and began folding them over Dipper’s gift.
“Little less than a month, Dipper’s camera went a little longer cause I had to scrap my first idea.” Rick answered easily.
“Why’d you have to do that?”
“Eh, didn’t really seem like something he’d actually like once I started working on it. I wanted to make thing’s your kids would want use this year, you’know? Something they’d actually like? I think I got it right though, so both of them should be happy with their gear. I think they’ll appreciate them at-at the least or something like that-“
Rick hadn’t realized he’d been talking so long. When he looked back up at Stan he’d already finished the present and was beaming at him.
“What?”
Stan had his head leaned up on his fist and he still had that weird look on his face. “You really want to impress them, don’t you Sanchez?”
“Wha- No! The- those little bastards can go peddle these on the streets day after their birthday! I don’t give a shit!”
“You’re getting soft!” Stan teased.
“Fuck off!” Rick shoved him away but Stan just laughed.
And he leaned back his ruffling Rick hair, “Hey they’re pretty great kids, so it’s not all that surprising. But don’t worry, you’re secrets safe with me!”
“Whatever, get off me!” Rick squirmed out of Stan’s hold and readjusted his hair from its frazzled state back to its normal frazzled state.
And Stan stepped away from the bench as Rick hopped down and grabbed his newly-wrapped resents.
“So I got some other stuff to take care of but I’ll see you at the party right? You and you’re beautifully wrapped presents?” Stan asked smirking as he stepped into the elevator.
“Ya, if I don’t have anything better to do.” Rick replied stepping in right after him.
The elevator door slid shut and began pulling them back up to the surface. Rick tucked the presents into his coat pocket, he’d keep them there until the party then whip them out once they were done opening the gifts from everyone else.
On the ride up he caught himself wondering about how the two would react to his gifts. If it would blow them right out of the water. If Mabel would get all jumpy and screechy and thank him a billion times. Or if Dipper would start freaking out, asking a hundreds questions a minute about how the camera worked. If they would really like their presents.
When the hell did he start caring so much?
When all this began two years ago he'd started out a little distant to the younger twins. Sure they were cute, but Rick hadn't really seen much else in them. They both reminded him of Ford though, especially Dipper, all wide-eyed and excited to talk about aliens and monsters. And while Mabel wasn't as clear cut as her brother, she still had a lot of Stanford Pines to her, whenever she got on a project she dedicated her whole life to it, and that pride. And both seemed like they were always trying to impress. But over the past year or so of being around them and seeing them in action, they really grew into their own, weird, original people and wormed their way into his heart. Right next to Morty and Summer. And he realized he was actually hoping they had a nice time on their trip today, now he was the one trying to impress them.
Even as the elevator slid open and Stan pecked him on the cheek before stepping out his train of thought was stuck on the kids.
Maybe Stan was right, maybe he was getting soft…
Yet it was something he didn’t feel strongly happy, or upset about. It was just something that had happened ever since he came back to Earth. Sorta like his rekindled relationship with Beth. Or his now with Stanley.
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