shows up late to the party with gravity falls doodles

Hello ☺️❤️ hope you are doing good☺️❤️ may I please request a written ship with Ateez, Seventeen and SuperM. I have libra sun☺️❤️ people tell me that I have very warm nurturing sweet and very welcoming personality but I also have very strong and sharp personality❤️ I can be very soft and I can be very cold too❤️ I love music a lot!! I even write lyrics and books ❤️☺️ I am ambivert ❤️I have love for aesthetics and my favourite colour are black, whitish shiny pink. I want to spread humanity and love!!!☺️❤️ I love people!!! I just adore and love everyone, I love them!!☺️❤️for looks, I have elbow length wavy black hair, I am 5’2, I have black eyes with long eyelashes and I have tanned skintone. People say my eyes and lips are very attractive❤️thank you soo much ☺️❤️

Hello snowball, I’m so glad I got to read more about you. Ahh thanks for being so patient too. The wait is finally over here’s your ship. 😊😊✨✨

From Ateez, I ship you with...Hongjoong

Positive Side: Oml y’all should honestly get married I’m not joking. First all, you both have this sweet, nurturing and welcoming aura to you that makes everyone feel comfortable to be around you. When your with the Ateez members, you and Hongjoong are mama and papa duck always looking out for them, giving them advice when they need it most and spread love to them everyday to make them feel better. When it’s time to go to work, that’s when your sharp strong personality side comes out and give the people what they love. This man is a song composer himself and would be super happy if you would help him write songs for the album. He would look like a proud husband when you sing the lyrics back to him on key while staring into his sparkly eyes. For his solo debut, he made a song out of your name and got to perform it on a few music shows. Lastly, you both would love to give back to the community doing protests to support all kinds of movements, donate to charity and you both even adopt a stray puppy from the animal shelter and name her snowflake. Together, you both love being surrounded by your loved ones and when they see you two together, they inspire to find a future partner like you.

Negative Side: One thing that you two have in common that I notice is that you both are people pleasers and sometimes that can back fire if your putting to much energy into one person that doesn’t share the same power back. For example if one of your friends all of a sudden we’re talking about you behind your back, you would try to avoid confrontation as much as possible and brush it off pretending everything is fine. When stuff like that happens to the other person, they want to know thier name, address, who they’re associated with, etc... So they can handle the situation. It’s like you both have that you want to try to cherish and try to make those friendships work by trying to live up to thier needs and desires, but it can hurt both of you in the process.

But...: The both of you don’t want to live to see thier spouse unhappy so whenever you or Hongjoong encounters a person like that, the other person handles them and make sure you completely cut that negativity out your life. That’s how you protect each other from haters and fake people that don’t appreciate the things you do for them. With that being said, those bad experiences make you two even closer not afraid of facing anyone or anything.

Ahhh I wish I knew more about astrology love. It would’ve been a lot more helpful. I only know the basics, but no worries I’ll do my research.😣😣

From Super M, I ship you with...Taemin

Positive Side: Adorable sweethearts sharing the same love for music. Taemin is getting to that age where soon he wants to find his potential wifey which is you. He admired how charming you can be when your meeting people and how you can manage in any social event making sure everyone feels at ease. He noticed one time you were singing to one of your baby cousins to sleep singing replay and from that moment on, we was whipped with a capital W. Taemin wanted to show you the beautiful sides of life by taking you to all kinds of book stores to help you find inspiration for writing your lyrics. He would no mind pulling all nighters with you if it mean’t he can stay with you much longer. You both love spending time with each other’s family and friends so it’s not much of an issue when they first meet each other, your both always welcomed to meet up as a whole group for the holidays. Lastly, your both each other’s biggest fan throughout your entire careers. Your always in the crowd smiling and screaming “Taemin fighting” or “Taemin hubby, good luck.” the loudest in the crowd.

Negative Side: Now your fights are very rare because both of you are very soft people and don’t like starting arguments for no reason. I would say the only issue would be that you two tend to keep your problems and worries to yourself instead of bothering the other person about it. Taemin in this case tends to hide it more often because with him being an idol they have to keep that bright image and not show they’re weak sides all the time infront of fans. Sometimes it’s okay, but when it comes to you, he wants to show only his best and bright sides infront of you instead of the bad and the ugly.

But..:Once you’ve started to notice the pattern of Taemin sad facial expressions and his sad tone of voice, you grasp him by the hand gently and decide to pull him to the side asking him if he’s actually okay. It might to him awhile to open up, but once he eventually bursts all his emotions towards you, it’s the most heart breaking yet beautiful sight to witness because that helps build your level of trust together. He starts to feel more comfortable sharing his hardships with you and would only actively listen to your advice so he can face that obstacle head strong.

From Seventeen, I ship you with...DK

Positive Side: Princess and Prince vibes. You two are radiating singing sunflowers that loves to shower people with happiness, peace and smiles. At first, people kinda mistook you for twins almost because of how much your personalities are alike and how good your telepathy is. That was all until you two started hanging out more becoming more lovey dovey with each other by gazing into each other eyes, linking arms with each other and even creating your own alien language. Only you two would understand each other’s humor and would make up silly couple handshakes that would have all the seventeen members shook for. Knowing how musically talented you both are, Dk would try to convince woozi to be help write and compose songs for every comeback wanting you to share your talent with the world right beside him. Also the height difference would be so adorable, I can imagine him looking down at you smiling all excited while skipping down backstage with you before he takes off running to perform. He LOVES kissing you, it’s like vitamins to him he’ll need it three times a day before he gets cranky. Dk is definitely the guy that’ll bring your romantic fantasy to life.

Negative Side: It’s not a big problem, but once you both start dating and your schedules become more busy, it’s hard to stay apart. Your both very loving and affectionate people so it is bound to happen when you desire phone calls, hugs and kisses from each other everyday. When your not together, your moods become a lot gloomier than usual and it’s hard for the both of you to continue on working or being by yourself without seeing each other at least once a day. Your obsessions of each other is not to the extreme, but you both still feel very lost and alone without each other.

But..: You have very good patience and once your able to meet up with DK the next time, your probably not gonna leave his place until the next week. Those reunions with him make it much more rewarding to wait around for and love become much more stronger than before. For the whole day, reserves time on his schedule for you and will take you anywhere and do anything with you as long as it made you happy. He’d be willing to take you to Disney land no matter how far away you were. “Hurry snowball, we gotta pack up right now if your still trying to make the teacups.” “How is that even possible honey? You have a show in literally three hours” He cups your face kissing you and then squeezes your cheeks. “Shhh, there’s always a way. We’re only 40 min away so we gotta hurry. Are you in?” Reaches his hand out to you and then runs out the door giggling.

Ouu look at that melon skin. It’s glowing.😳😳

Out of everyone, I ship you with... Hongjoong

@kpopsnowball thanks so much for requesting love bug. I hope this somewhat made your day. Love youuu.

GF - Beauty Within the Fallen ch.VI

Summary: Two misfit twins come across an enchanted castle, home of a mysterious beast, and slowly begin to form a strong bond that just might survive through anything. Even evil demons.

AU and artwork belong to the beautiful and very talented @artsycrapfromsai​. Go give her some love, guys!!!

ch.V - ch.VII

~~~~~~~~~~

The next few days were wonderful. The journal, the beast, and the two children grew closer and closer, becoming good friends. While the children enjoyed including Ford in all things possible, reading and drawing with him, they had a special bond with Stan. So many times the journal watched as the beast played in the snow, making snow angels and snowmen with Dipper and Mabel, or witnessed them playing chess, or heard of their times together from Stan himself, and Ford was so very happy for Stan. Maybe after all these years, he will finally believe he wasn’t a monster.

Stan was always good with kids, but the twins were special. Mabel knitted him the promised red sweater within two days and even blessed it with a kiss, as was tradition. Stan bit his lip and put it on under his cloak and wore it proudly all day, only taking it off in fear of ripping it or ruining it. The evening of their first snowball fight, Stan joined the children at the table and was so hungry that he had forgotten his little secret and buried his face into his soup like an animal, leaving his silverware abandoned by his bowl and making a mess. He suddenly stopped, embarrassed, and grumpily wiped his dripping, furry chin with his knuckles. Dipper and Mabel, however, were not disturbed or digested, as he had predicted they would be. Dipper only smiled at him (he had assumed this was how a canine-like creature would eat) and Mabel grinned and picked up her bowl. “Yeah! Who needs spoons?!” And she drank her soup from the soul with a smile. Dipper did the same. Stan grinned, wiped himself clean, and picked up his bowl and lapped it. The spoons stood up, huffed and stuck their heads up high, and left the dining hall. The next day, in front of the fire as Dipper read a new book out-loud and Mabel worked on an orange sweater, it happened again. Stan made a hostile comment about his appearance. His tone was casual and even a little comedic, but his vocabulary was dark and unappreciated by the children. They exchanged looks before Mabel finally decided to say something. “Stan, I really don’t like that m-word.” “What? Might?” “No,” Mabel laid her knitting down on her lap and gave him a firm yet gentle look; it reminded Stan of his mother. “You’re not… It’s not… I… It’s not what’s on the outside that counts, it’s what’s on the inside!” Mabel finally settled on. “And you’re full of giant, sparkly, dusty, mushy piles of gold!” “Yeah man,” Dipper injected. “Aside from a few hiccups, you’ve been nothing but nice to us. Don’t put yourself down like that. You’re not a monster.” He added firmly. “Not to mention cute and fluffy! Mabel added, ruffling the gray fur on his arm. “For what it’s worth, we think you’re pretty awesome.” Stan was stunned. He swallowed a lump in his throat and turned his head away, trying to hide a sniff as he wiped at his eye. “Aw, Stan,” Mabel cooed. “Dude, are you crying?” Dipper asked with a smile and a raised eyebrow. “No, I’ve just got something in my eye, that’s all.” Stan grumbled. “Staff’s gotten lazy with the dusting. Wish they did as good a job as you kids with that ballroom.” Mabel and Dipper, who weren’t fooled, smiled with pride, having just finished the ballroom today, and they resumed their activities in peace. Later that evening, when Stan recalled the event as he prepared for bed, Ford laughed (or laughed as much as a journal can). I’ve been telling you the same thing for years. Stan can practically hear his brother’s know-it-all tone. “Yeah, well, it’s different when those two kids say it.” Stan snapped. “They’re not blood.” Uh-huh. “Shut up, Sixer.” ~~~~~~~~~~ Dipper tested the pulley system again while Mabel hitched Waddles up. There was a huge washing well in the castle, and though the servants would have been happy to do laundry, the twins wanted to test their invention in peace; they never did get to see if it was truly better than hand-washing. Mabel laid a trail of corn around the well and Waddles trotted along happily, then the kids sat with a book and waited. Rather than Dipper reading, he had Mabel read in order to practice, none of them having to hear someone coming along and stopping a girl from learning. The clothes inside the barrel were spinning and getting soapy. Dipper and Mabel smiled at that and resumed their reading. Their invention seemed to be working. A soft knock on the door interrupted them and Stan walked into the shack. “Hey kids, just wanted… Holy Moses! What is that?” The beast asked as he looked at the odd contraption. “It’s our washing machine!” Mabel cheered. “Dipper invented it…” “Don’t even try, Mabel.” Dipper teased and lightly shoved her by the shoulder. “It was your idea, I just helped you make it real.” “Wow.” Stan bent his knees and watched the clothes turn and clean themselves in the barrel as Waddles pulled it along the well. “That’s really impressive, kids. Really. Just… wow.” “So,” Dipper said hesitantly. “You don’t think it’s weird?” “Are you kidding? It’s super weird, but weird’s a good thing. I’ve never seen anything like it! It’s unique!” Stan ruffled their hair and smiled kindly down at them. “I’m proud of you little geniuses. You did good. You know what, we should make this a permanent thing, make all the laundry go by faster.” As Mabel smiled, her bottom lip trembled. Dipper looked away with a red face. Apart from Fiddleford, no one had ever praised one of he and Mabel’s inventions. For the first time in his life, Dipper didn’t feel a freak for being himself. ~~~~~~~~~~ Stan was admiring the ballroom again. Those kids did a good job with it. It sparkled and shined like a huge diamond. It looked more lively than it looked in thirty years. Everyone here felt more alive than they had felt in thirty years. Tapping noises could be heard as Soos hopped up to Stan. “Sup, boss?” “Just thinking.” “Ah.” Soos hopped up onto the piano and smiled at Melody, who smiled back, before drawing their attention back to the master of this castle. “Soos, Melody, I’m sorry.” “Oh,” Melody sighed. “It’s alright. It’ll all be over soon, you’ll see, sir. Once the kids’ guardian takes them home they’ll help you find a nice girl that will break the spell.” Stan snorted with a half-smile. “I don’t think that’s gonna work, but I guess you miss all the shots you don’t take.” His ear flickered. He lifted his head. “Hear that?” Soos and Melody listened, but heard nothing. Stan left the ballroom and listened. His advanced hearing picked up… groaning? Punching? Cautious, Stan followed the sound to the old chophouse in the garden. He opened it to find Dipper alone in there, but he was punching a makeshift dummy made out of wood. Stan watched as Dipper’s noodle arms launched little, uncoordinated fists at a t-shaped wooden figure. He smiled and shook his head before emerging from behind the door. “I thought you said you didn’t wanna fight.” Dipper jumped, short of breath, but when he saw Stan he relaxed and kicked the hay-covered floor. “That’s not what I said. I just don’t wanna join the army like all the other boys at school. I still wanna learn how to fight.” “Why?” “Cuz Mabel needs me to!” Dipper snapped. Stan gave him a funny look, a look he couldn’t quite pin as a warning or sympathetic, so Dipper sat against the wall of the shack and explained himself. “I can’t go off to war because Mabel needs me here. If I went away and never came back she would be heartbroken. She can’t lose anything else, she just can’t. She already lost Mom and Dad and Grandpa, if she lost me, her twin, she’d… she’d…” The twelve-year-old rested his forehead on his folded arms and tried to compose himself. “I can’t lose her either. That’s why I have to learn how to fight. We almost died, twice. She needs me to be able to look after her.” “Sounds to be it’s more like you need her. You need to make sure she’s okay.” Stan concluded. Dipper sighed. “Yeah.” Stan smiled and bent his knees to be closer to the boy. “Look, kid, trust me, I might not know much, but I do know a thing or two about twins. You two need each other equally, trust me. Don’t you dare think for a second that’s not true. Also, I think knowing where you’re needed most is a huge part of what being a man is, and right now you’re the best at it I know.” Dipper lifted his head and stared up at the beast, whose eyes sparkled warmly. He smiled and said, “Thanks, Stan.” “Anyways,” He stood up straight and motioned for Dipper to do the same. “Wood makes a crummy opponent. If you really wanna learn, I’ll teach you how to fight.” Dipper stood up and accepted the offer, and so Stan taught him how to give a good punch and dodge pretty well. ~~~~~~~~~~ Mabel was laughing over a story Ford had just written for her. They were having fun together, drawing pictures, playing games, and telling stories. A fun game to play was one they made up where Ford would have Mabel give him a collection of words and he would make up a story from such words. Since he found Dipper far more relatable, Ford was happy to bond with Mabel and get to know her better. She seemed lost in thought as she looked away, and Ford patiently waited for an explanation why. “Ford,” Mabel said quietly. “Fiddleford said books don’t lie; is that true?” Ford’s soul smiled warmly. This book certainly doesn’t lie. What is troubling you, my dear? “Can you see me?” Yes. “Am I ugly?” If Ford had a heart, it would have skipped a beat. Mabel mustered enough courage to look at him and was surprised to see the words not as elegantly printed like before. What makes you ask such a question? Mabel sighed and looked down at her hands in her lap. “Back in my village, there’s a lot of cute boys. Dipper calls me boy-crazy. I used to ask out a lot of guys, I mean, if you want something go and get it, but more and more just laughed at me. Called me a freak for liking to invent and read books. Said my cheeks were too fat and my teeth are too crooked and my hair is too greasy and…” Mabel’s voice cracked and failed her. Mabel, read what I have to say very carefully. Ford instructed. Mabel wiped her stinging eyes to see better. You are the most beautiful thing I have seen in thirty years. You are very beautiful, both inside and out. No one is as kind as you, nor as insightful and delightful to be around. You - and your brother, too, for that matter - have made me feel more alive that I have ever felt, even as a human. So don’t you dare think for one moment that you’re ugly or that something is wrong with you. Mabel’s bottom-lip trembled. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she mumbled, “C-C-Can I h-hug y-y-you?” She only asked because when she hugged the closed book, Ford would be unable to talk. Please do. Mabel carefully closed the journal and hugged him like a teddy bear. Mabel cried, spilling about everything. Not just about the insults, but over the loss of her parents, over Grandpa Shermie’s death, over being lost and scared and possibly never seeing Fiddleford again. Mabel tried not to cry on Ford’s pages, but she noticed a drop falling into the book when she began to pull away and she quickly flicked through the pages to try to find her mistake. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” She cried. On a page, Ford quickly wrote, Don’t be sorry. Water does not damage me the way it does other books. I know you must be tired of reading this, but you just reminded me of Stanley. Mabel wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I did?” He used to cry on my open pages, ashamed and overcome with guilt. Still does sometimes. I do not mind; on the contrary, I am glad to be able to wipe your tears away. Mabel smiled, but still cried. She laid the journal open on the table and laid her little head on him, like he was a pillow, as she continued to cry. Out of the corner of her eye, the girl saw more comforting words on the pages. Don’t you worry, my dear. One day a boy will come along and have great interest in you and treat you right. “Th-There’s one boy,” Mabel whimpered, thinking of Gideon, “But he’s creepy. I told him I don’t like him and he won’t quit asking me out.” Shall I tell Stanley and send him in this boy’s direction? Mabel hiccuped a laugh. “N-No, that’s okay.” Regardless, one day your own prince will meet you and love you and love every part of you. Mabel cried a little harder, spilling more tears on the pages that were instantly soaked away. He and Stan were such amazing friends. She would do anything for them. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you and Stan break the curse.” She wept. “And when you’re human again, I give you lots of hugs and wipe away your tears.” Ford’s next words were very scraggly and a little hard to read. That would be lovely. ~~~~~~~~~~ The next day, Mabel was in the ballroom. She and Dipper were done cleaning, but she decided that she should sweep one more time, just in case. As she did, Melody played a soft tune while the girl sang a made-up song. “They'll be human again, oh yes human again, when a girl finally sets them all free. Cheeks a-blooming again, they're assuming again, they'll resume their long-lost joie de vivre. They'll be playing again, holidaying again, and we're praying it's ASAP. They’ll push and they’ll shove, they will all fall in love and finally be human again!” Mabel was soon dancing around with her broom, tapping her shoes and singing and having fun. Dipper and Stan, having just finished another fighting lesson, found her and were amused. Mabel ended with a dip of her broom and said, “Thanks.” “Don’t mention it.” The broom said and hopped away. “Nice to see this room being put to good use.” Stan quipped. “Hey!” Mabel said, getting an idea. “Why don't we use it?! We worked so hard to make it nice, what if we dressed up after dinner and had a dance party together! We can sing and dance together, it’ll be fun!” Stan chuckled and shook his head. “Sweetie, you do not want to hear this voice singing, trust me.” “Aw, c’mon,” Mabel begged. “How about it, Dip-Dip? Am I a genius or what?” “More like or what.” Dipper teased and then had to endure a punch on the shoulder. “But yeah, I think that sounds like fun.” “OH! We can even wear fancy clothes! We are in a castle! It’ll be so much fun! And I bet Ford would want to come!” “You’re crazy, kids,” Stan laughed, but smiled down at them with his hands on his hips. “But I like your gumption.” “I don’t know what that word means, but thank you.” “Alright, alright,” The beast smiled with twinkling eyes and asked, “You want a dance, you’ve got one! We could all use one. Tell Grenda to make you two clothes fit for a prince and princess, and after dinner we’ll all come back here for a dance.” The kids cheered and jumped around, high-fiving and running off to tell Grenda. Stan smiled proudly and left to get ready as well. Grenda wasn’t the only one busy that day. It seemed like all the servants were encouraged by the small makeshift party to make the castle look better. Soos and Wendy worked together to gather a team together to clean the whole castle from top to bottom. Candy had the kitchen fix a delicious meal and Grenda and her girls put forth their best effort for the new clothes. Even Pacifica the mirror found it in here to compliment the kids’ appearances. “Not bad, peasants. You clean up nice.” A dance. Ford wrote while Stan dried his fur, having just emerged from the tub. What a wonderful idea! You always were - dare I say it - a party animal. “Sweet Lord, Sixer,” Stan grumbled as he shook his long gray hair dry with a towel, his muscular chest exploded, free from his usual shirt. “It wasn’t even my idea, it was the kids’.” Stan about to disappear to get dressed, but he read his brother’s message first. Those children mean a lot to you, don’t they? Stan smiled softly and disappeared behind his cover for privacy. “Kinda a stupid question for a genius to ask, but yeah. Yeah, they’re good kids. It’ll… it’ll be hard to say goodbye.” Goodbye? What do you mean? When Stan peeked and saw those words, he sighed and said darkly, “Face it, Ford. Those kids won’t be around much longer. Soon enough that Fiddlenerd guy or whatever is gonna find them and take them home where they belong. They’ll finally be with their family again.” Ford’s pages were blank for awhile as Stan slowly got dressed. For being the “smart” twin, he had failed to think that far ahead. Stanley, they’ll come back. When Stan emerged, fully dressed in all but his top red coat, he shook his head at his brother’s words. “I doubt it. It’s dangerous in the woods. Once they leave they might never find this place again. I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you should enjoy having them around while we’ve got a chance.” The sounds of Soos’ approach ended the conversation prematurely. “The little dudes are ready, dudes.” The hammer informed. “Thanks, Soos.” Stan said and picked up Ford and closed him. “Brave faces, Sixer.” Stan stood at the bottom of the stairs with Ford in his right arm and against his chest, his left tucked behind him. He was having a deja vu moment from standing to greet guests of the parties back in the day. Stan could hear giggling from the kids as they readied themselves, and soon walked down, the boy leading the girl. Stan’s jaw dropped, showing his sharp teeth. Dipper had left his hat behind, his hair just long enough to be tied back with a blue ribbon. He wore a strapping blue suit with gold trim, much like Stan’s suit (except his won was red), and he smiled proudly at his sister, at his right arm. Mabel grinned down at her friends, standing in a beautiful pink gown, definitely Grenda’s finest piece of work to date. She had short sleeves that fell off her shoulders and the dress ruffled pleasantly, just the right height. What’s more, her headband was gone and she wore a back-crown of pink flowers that matched her dress. Ford could feel Stan’s chest swelling with pride. Stan smiled as the kids walked down the stairs, and when they touched the floor, Stan bowed to them. Mabel and Dipper let go of each other and bowed low respectfully at their hosts. Then they all burst into giggles over the sophisticated nature and hurried to the ballroom. Not only Melody the piano, but every musical instrument in the castle was playing for the small party. Stan put Ford on a musician’s stand, open, so he could see and talk. Mabel took Dipper by both hands and they began to waltz together. Stan blinked in pleasant marvel that peasants could dance so well without any formal instruction. Holding hands rather than hips and arms, they laughed and spun. Mabel even lifted their held hands and spun Dipper. Stan laughed and Mabel skipped to him and grabbed his paws. “C’mon, don’t hug the wall!” She giggled and pulled him further onto the dancefloor. Stan waltzed with Mabel, Dipper smiling and watching. He was nervous at first, but the kids melted his worries away and Stan happily led Mabel in a dance. Soon she broke away and Dipper hopped in, both men unashamed to dance together. Then Mabel and Dipper danced. The trio were judging each other, taking turns, and then at the climax of the song they all held hands in a circle and spun and twirled until Stan hoisted them up and sat them on his shoulders. They laughed as the music stopped and they could see Ford writing. Bravo! Magnifique! Bravo, Dipper and Mabel! Well done, Stanley! “Another one!” Mabel cheered as the band of self-playing instruments began to play again. Stan put her and Dipper down and Mabel rushed to Ford, tenderly picking him up and closing him. “Here, you should have a turn, too.” Mabel bowed to the book and then hugged him close to her chest and did a simple two-step with him, not wanting to risk any pages flying out or dropping him. Stan smiled at the girl  dancing with his brother and he called, “Looking great, pumpkin!” “Thanks!” Mabel replied. Stan took Dipper’s hands and they danced, this time more crazy and less traditional. Stan even showed the boy his favorite cocky-dance and Dipper laughed and did it, too. For another hour, the party went on. Ford was mostly placed on the music-stand, explaining he liked it best to watch, and soon Mabel’s feet ached and Dipper was short of breath. All of them hot and sweaty, they went out to the huge balcony with Ford to cool down. Stan sat Ford on the polished stone and Dipper and Mabel sat with them, smiling with red cheeks. “Having fun, knuckleheads?” Stan asked. “Yeah,” Mabel breathed with a smile. “Thank you so much! We always have so much fun with you.” Stan ignored the heat in his face by changing the subject. “Who taught you two how to dance, anyway?” “Fiddleford.” Mabel said. “I used to step on his toes a lot and Dip-Dip here had no rhythm.” And she gently elbowed him. Stan, on the other hand, noticed how withdrawn Dipper was and how he was looking out at the forest below them. “What’s the matter, kid?” He asked gently. Dipper didn’t want to ruin the fun, but something heavy was on his heart. He gave Stan a sorrowful look and said, “I miss him. I just wish… I wish we knew if he was okay.” Mabel sagged a little, like a flower with no water, and took his hand. Stan’s ears drooped and he looked away, thinking about the situation. Maybe he should try to find Fiddleford again… wait. “I think I know just the guy that can help.” And he smiled down at the journal. “Ford?” Dipper asked. “Can you tell us where Fiddleford is?” Stan opened the journal. No. The kids were crestfallen again. “Oh.” But I can show you. Ford wrote, searching. Look at my hand. Stan closed the journal and the golden six-fingered hand shined before showing a reflection of Fiddleford. The kids gasped in horror as he was huddled by an old tree, coughing hoarsely, pale and freezing in the snow with a broken arm. Mabel’s eyes instantly filled with tears. “Fiddleford! Oh no! He needs help!” “What do we do?!” Dipper asked. Stan had no idea what to do. He opened the journal for an answer and found a map being drawn on a page. On the opposite page, words formed. This will show you the way to your guardian. Take it. “We can’t rip…” But before Dipper could finish, the page fell out of the journal and onto the floor. Ford had intentionally drawn it on the page he could feel falling out. Go. Was the only word left, and it did not fade away. Dipper folded the map and pocketed it in his coat. Stan looked down at Ford, doing some quick thinking. Stan saw no possible way of breaking the curse. No one would ever love Stan. The kids were about to leave and they were never coming back. If he couldn’t break the curse, maybe he could set Ford free, even if it meant they would never see each other again. Stan closed the book and held him out to the children. “Here. Take Stanford with you.” The kids stared at the journal, the golden hand twinkling in the moonlight. “What?!” Mabel shook her head. “We can’t do that! You’re a family, and family sticks together!” “Take him,” Stan said firmly. “You three should have each other. You can always look back and remember me, if you want to.” “No!” Mabel shook her head. “We won’t have to, cuz we’ll see you again! Soon! Once Fiddleford is okay, we’ll come visit you!” “Yeah man,” Dipper jumped in. “What are you acting like it’s goodbye for? We’ll see each other again, don’t worry. Come on, sis, let’s save Fiddleford.” Mabel ran with Dipper away to go save their only family left. Stan watched them go, his brother in his hands. He wasn’t sure what to believe. ~~~~~~~~~~ Gideon pounded the bed with his little chubby fists before settling down. It wasn’t fair! Crazy Old Man McGucket nearly got everyone in town lost in the woods and was now missing, too, all for nothing! Mabel was out there, probably ran away, and Gideon had no way to get to her! The whole thing was stupid, stupid, stupid! The ten-year-old soon relaxed, exhausted from the work, and fell asleep. It was a starry night sky, nothing more, nothing less. Gideon looked around and froze when a collection of stars made a triangle constellation. The constellation shined bright and in a flash appeared a triangle with one eye, a top hat and a bowtie, twirling a cane. “Well, well, Short Stack,” It said to the boy. “Having a little lady trouble, huh?” At once, Gideon’s fears were gone when he thought this thing might actually listen to him. “Yes! Mabel loves me, but something’s always been in the way!” “Right you are, but don’t worry, kid.” The triangle said. “I know exactly where she is! Get this, she and her brother were kidnapped by a dangerous monster, a ferocious beast, in the woods. The castle’s haunted and nearly impossible to find, but you’re destined to take this ugly beast down and save your damsel in distress.” “I KNEW IT!” Gideon cheered and punched the air. “Where’s my marshmallow?!” “Hold it, let’s shake on it, first.” Bill said and held out a hand that was engulfed in blue flames. “If I help you, you gotta agree to help me later in return.” “Deal.” And Gideon shook his hand. When Gideon woke up, in the same hand he shook, was a map as clear as a bell on how to find the monster. He snorted a laugh and got up to gather an angry mob.

~~~~~~~~~~

Author’s Note: Aw, geez. Lots to say. First off, can you imagine how PISSED I was not only that the live-action movie didn’t have Human Again, but on Disney+ that scene is deleted too! I might be the only one, but I LOVE that whole cleaning musical number and seeing Belle help Beast re-learn how to read. (I decided not to do that since Stan’s been practicing reading for over thirty years.) So, yeah, I put the song in here and adjusted it a bit. And yes, the twins cleaning the ballroom was forever foreshadowing, not just the dancing scene, but what the kids were doing to their new friends.

I wanted to give both kids what we were deprived of in the canon GF show: Dipper and Stan bonding and Ford and Mabel bonding. Yes, we got Boyz Crazy and the Last Mabelcorn, but I’m greedy and say that’s not enough. Also, Mabel’s dress, according to @artsycrapfromsai​, is supposed to be a fusion of her dress in the Northwest Manor and Belle’s dress, which I LOVE! (plz will someone draw it)

And now… yeah, I guess I can’t talk much about the cliffhanger without getting spoilery, huh? All I’ll stress is how many of the townsfolk were tired and cold and frustrated over the failed rescue mission when Gideon was throwing his little tantrum and that factor may play in later. Like why it takes so long to gather up a mob.

15 Everybody’s Got A Secret

Ao3 link

7/28/13 Sunday

The dirt roads were rough, a little worse in the dark maybe, but the route was familiar as the back of his hand and the rattle-and-creak of the springs was just background information. He knew exactly how much abuse the suspension could take.

Clary, on the other hand, looked a little grim. Both hands gripped white-knuckled onto her shoulder belt.

"You good over there?"

"Swell."

"We'll be fine - you'll love it once we get there. Hang on, there's a bump - "

It was a hell of a bump, actually, and Stan flung a shielding arm out on reflex as she squealed in momentary panic, bouncing back down with a shaky laugh. "Holy hell, Stan! You always rattle your dates this hard?"

"Only the ones I really like. Hang in there, kid, I promise this is worth the hassle."

"You sure about that?'

"C'mon. Trust me." He spared a sidelong glance. Her eyes were wide in the faint light of the cabin, but she settled back warily into her seat.

"You've gotten us out in one piece before. I’m willing to gamble that you can do it again."

The handful of cockeyed reflectors that marked the edge of the bluff came up a little faster than he anticipated and he hit the brakes harder than maybe he should’ve, but Stan was able to lock it down a good eight feet back without any trouble. He heard Clary suck in a hissing breath and let it go slow.

The car went quiet as he flipped back the key. He left the dash lights and headlamps alone for the moment, watching from the corner of one eye as she wound down her window, popped the buckle and leaned forward to brace elbows on the dashboard.

By now they were past twilight into night. The car perched on a rocky ledge well above town. Twisted, scrubby pine clung to fissures in the stone, stunted enough not to block the view.

Stan rarely paid attention to what anything around here looked like, but at this time of year he admitted it was pretty impressive. Gravity Falls rolled out below like a sprawling tangle of Christmas lights. Pale gold and white sparked with occasional blue or red laced into the silhouettes of trees, all the surrounding forest faded down to velvet black in the dark.

Bare traces of midnight blue still clung to the western sky, but summer stars popped out clear and sharp in the vault overhead. Clary twisted, pillowing her cheek on a forearm and peering up through the windshield for a better view. “Nice. I never get to see this many stars back in Baltimore.” Her attention swung over to him and Stan busied himself with escaping his seat belt. “Where are we anyway?”

“There’re a couple little perches up here. This’s the one that’s hard to get at. The easy one is over there - “ He clicked on the highbeams, which reached out far enough to illuminate beaten dirt and a more substantial fence across a narrow ravine. “That is Lookout Point.“ She was beginning to chuckle under her breath and he ignored it. “Which is usually infested with teenagers, which is why we’re over here. Best place to get a look at everything before it disappears in your rear-view mirror, right?”

“So we’re overlooking both town and the local makeout spot.” Her grin flashed in the half-light as she pushed back and made herself comfortable in the far corner of her seat. “I can’t believe how small it all looks from up here. Like your local tourist map but more accurate.”

“It’s not much, I know.” Stan snapped off the rest of the lights and the car went pitch dark. His eyes gradually adapted to starlight as the cooling engine pinged harmony to scattered cricket-song.

“You never did get around to telling me what kept you in Gravity Falls for three decades. There’s the business, sure, but it’s hard to picture you being contented out here for that long.”

“I’m not sure the business woulda worked anywhere else. Scratch that, I know it wouldn’t’ve.” Stan wished like hell that he’d thought to bring a cigar; it’d help keep his hands busy. He settled for resting his cheek against a palm, elbow braced against the window ledge, and tapping restless rhythm with the fingertips she couldn’t see.

“Was it Ford’s thing? The research he came out here to do? I’ve only managed to get bits and pieces out of him about it.” Clary toed off her sandals and tucked feet up onto the seat, glittering dimly across what felt like about a mile and a half of empty leather.

He squinted over at her outline. “What, you asked straight up?”

“He got this wistful look and told me to ask you.”

Stan sighed. “Typical. Kickin’ the hard stuff back to me.” She chuckled and he tipped his head back, staring up at the seams in the roof lining. “Look, considerin’ all the insane crap you’ve seen since you got here, you will not be surprised to hear that there used t’be an interdimensional portal in the basement.”

“What?”

“Maybe a little surprised. So yeah, he came out here for the local weirdness right after college. Me, I, ah.”

Stan closed his eyes, reminded himself that the need to keep secrets was pretty much over and done with, and spilled. “Long, and I mean long story short, Ford an’ I had a fallin’ out when we were on the tail end of high school. I got kicked out, barely talked to him or my parents for ten years, traveled the country tryin’ to make something work, got banned from a couple dozen states…”

Clary was tight-focused on him now, not the sparkling view, and he shifted restlessly under the weight of her shock. “Ford sent a postcard out of the blue one winter, ‘please come’, that was it, so I did. Hadn’t been banned from Oregon at least. I had no idea how bad it’d gotten for him.”

He had to pause, picking his way through the words. Years of practice kept his voice even. “I thought we were gonna work things out. He thought he was gonna tell me to get lost. Things like they were...words got said, punches got thrown...I accidentally pushed Ford through the portal to fend for himself an’ hop through dimensions for the next thirty years.”

It wasn’t like he hadn’t told bits of this story before in various ways, but it was always over a drink and with tongue firmly in cheek, impressing the hell out of some hapless dockside bar with every outrageous embellishment. This was a bare recitation of fact.

She looked stricken, from what he could make out. One hand pressed hard to her lips and he could about hear her thoughts spinning from where he sat. “Wow.”

“Ha. You’re tellin’ me.”

“You took over his identity so you could take over the house.” Clary’s muffled murmur was almost inaudible.

He must have twitched in surprise, because he caught the flicker of her rueful smile as she shifted over to the midline of the bench seat. “I do talk to people who aren’t you, Stan. It’s amazing what you can pick up behind the counter at Greasy’s. Thought it was odd that I heard plenty of stories about Mr. Mystery, but not Doctor Mystery until whatever weirdness went down last summer.”

Stan huffed out half a laugh. “Nosy much?”

“It’s been a month and I find you fascinating.” He cleared his throat and she poked him with a fingertip. “So you stayed. You stayed to make sure he got back.”

At the blurred edge of his vision he could make her out, leaning against the seat back. “I had nowhere else to go, and like hell was I gonna leave until he was safe, so yeah. Moved into the house, started up the Shack, found a way to pay the mortgage.”

“In spades, apparently.”

“I did all right. That all went into the Ford recovery fund, mind you.”

“Stan Pines, selfless. Never thought I’d see the day.”

“Sweetheart, you have no idea how wrong you are.”

Clary chuckled at that and he turned a little to meet the knowing gleam of her regard. “Here I thought you guys had it all figured out.”

“We do now, I guess, but that was a bumpy road and it didn’t come cheap.”

“You’re lucky.”

The faint wistful note in her tone tugged at his attention and he cocked a brow. She slouched, hands intertwined, looking out through the windshield at who knew what. “Not that I need to tell you that. I was in a hell of a state when I got here, and it’s been...nice...to have such good company. Sleeping in a house full of people instead of in another motel room, you and Ford, the kids and Soos and Melody...in spite of all the chaos, this trip would have been so much more bleak without the detour. Thanks for that.”

“Thanks for trashing the car, y’mean?” The sparkly fabric had slipped down enough to bare both her shoulders. Fragile starlight picked out the delicate lines of her collarbones. Dishevelment suited her, he decided.

“I promise to thank your brother for trashing my car before I go.”

Stan casually laid his arm along the seat back and Clary casually nestled into its arc, wriggling a little closer. “I don’t know why. You’re movin’ to Zurich for that fancy job, places to go, people to see, sounds to me like you’re doin’ all right.”

“There are things to look forward to. Doesn’t mean it isn’t lonely going at times.”

“You’ve got family there, right? Your sister and her kids and the grandies?”

She let that hang unanswered for a long moment, lashes lowered, and he found himself stroking her upper arm with his thumb to share a little comfort or stability or something. “It’s possible to live on the same planet and still be a million miles away.” With a subtle shift she pressed her cheek into him. “There’s been so much to deal with and I’ve had to be the tough one for the last couple years. I don’t know how the hell you kept it up.”

“I don’t suppose there’s anythin’ I can punch for ya.”

That won him a dry chuckle. “If only it were that simple.”

Stan dipped his head and pitched his rumble low in the general vicinity of her ear. “All right, then, how about we cross paths again somewhere down the line an’ buck each other up? We’re still on for that date, yeah?”

Clary quivered for a split second - still got it, yup - then rocked back a bit and lifted shrewd, cool eyes to his. “Answer me one question.”

“Shoot.”

“What the hell were you thinking?”

Dammit. Stan knew precisely what she meant. “We made a ton of money, y’know. Gonna cover all your expenses and then some, just you wait.” He waggled brows at her.

“Bullshit.”

“Needed to stress-test Soos and Melody’s crowd management skills while I was around to offer sage advice?”

“Nope.” Her expression was smooth as glass, that faint smile sketched along her lips, shallow lines at the corners of her eyes betraying careful amusement.

“Uh, wild coincidence that I walked into Greasy’s right when everyone was lookin’ to blow their summer cash on somethin’ spectacular?” That actually wasn’t too far off from the truth but she was already shaking her head.

“Nice try.” The smile softened into something a little more hesitant. “You don’t have to take any of this more seriously than you want to, Stan.”

He stared at her in momentary shock - had she misread him that badly? - then felt her fingers twining into his and had to turn away to look out the window for a second, the muddle of his intentions and all the calculated risk crystallizing so sharply in his head that it halfway hurt.

Stan muttered into his knuckles. “Iwantedtoshowyouoff.”

Clary’s clasp twitched in his. “Say that again.”

“I wanted to show you off!” He rubbed at his eyes, gritting teeth in frustration. “I mean – dammit, Clary, I got about everythin’ I ever wanted last summer, everythin’ I dumped thirty years of my life into settin’ right and then some, an’ that oughta be enough.” Stan let the glasses drop back down, searching her shadowed expression. “It’s not. You’ve gotta understand that I am one greedy asshole, always have been. I am selfish enough to want more than that.”

He hadn’t even noticed the tension winding tight in her frame, but he sure as hell noticed the twang of its release. The professional mask cracked clean through. There was nothing but blunt determination left in the line of her jaw and the sharp light of her eyes.

“Good.” Clary hooked two fingers into his neckchain and dragged him in; he followed all too willingly.

It was a wreck of a kiss at first. They shifted and huffed, incredulous half-formed giggles hitching in her throat as his glasses jabbed her cheek. His schnoz and her beak were both substantial enough to pose a bit of a challenge.

At last she swayed into the arch of his encircling arm. Stan chased after, finally finding the right angle to lock lips, his tongue grazing hers and dipping further. The faint mmh that caught in her chest sent a shiver of electricity right down to his fingertips.

He’d half forgotten what a pain in the ass it was to get tangled up in the car - it’d been a while - and the little noises she made took on a frustrated note. At last she pulled away enough to give him a direct, wry look, snagged his collar with quick fingers and drew him down.

Stan braced an elbow so he wouldn’t crush her, went for the slope of her neck and tugged impatiently at the scarf with his teeth. Clary freed a hand and fumbled the knot loose, then the fabric, sheer silk slithering into some dark corner and already forgotten as he trailed kisses up the line of her throat. His lips sealed over the frantic flutter of her pulse and the sharp ah that resulted dragged a growl out of him.

Things went blurry after that. A few bits got cast off here and there, her hair clips landing somewhere in the back seat, his medallion under the brake pedal after it whacked her in the chin. Reproachful teeth nipped at the edge of his ear when his chilly hand settled at her waist to stroke a long arc up her side, and he kissed apology along the line of her collarbone until he felt her shudder and freeze.

Stan made himself stop, dragging his head up with an effort from the bare slope of her shoulder, and, oh.

Well, shit.

His palm was trapped flat against her back, fingers under the bra band. Seemed he still remembered how to unclip these slippery bastards one-handed, because he’d just popped the first hook.

Before he could pull away and apologize, Clary’s fingers twisted into his rumpled hair at the nape and tugged – gentle, but commanding – and he met her eye to hazy eye. To his profound relief that wasn’t anger but a bright spark of glee and rather a lot of real interest. “Did you mean to do that?”

Stan felt himself go scarlet to the ears and thanked his stars that she couldn’t see it in the near dark. “Yes and no?”

A startled, pleased laugh rang in the space between them. He watched her think things over, taking a moment to do the same, and – she deserved better than the front seat of the El Diablo, but what could you do – he was absolutely here for this, which didn’t stop a choked groan from constricting his throat when she arched deliberately under him and canted hips up to press just so.

“Mm.” Fuck, she looked smug and he would’ve called her on it if he weren’t so distracted by her nimble hands between them, popping shirt buttons and sliding in under the slick fabric to stroke his chest. “Carpe diem.”

He’d hung out around Ford long enough to know what that meant.

The tone shifted from playful to purposeful in a blink. Stan’s supporting arm slipped around her, fingers threading deep into tangled waves as he sought her open mouth. Clary's flexed knee settled against his hip as he deftly undid hooks two and three -

...right about in time for the blare of a car horn, someone else’s car horn, to shatter the night.

Stan’s head hit the roof as he jerked upright. Clary recoiled so sharply she slid off the seat, curling in tight like a startled barnacle and compressing into the passenger footwell. Through the haze he could make out headlights across the way at Lookout Point.

“Son of a - ”

“SORRY, MR. PINES!”

God fucking dammit he knew that voice.

Pure adrenaline lent him speed he’d pay for later. Stan booted the door open so hard it tried to bounce back and sprang outside, bellowing like a wounded walrus. “I’M GONNA KILL YOU, ROBBIE!”

“IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, WE SWEAR!”

Stan leaned back into the cabin to flick the headlights on, highbeams still active. Robbie - that greasy kid who’d given Wendy so much trouble, of course he’d turn up like a bad penny at the worst possible moment - flinched behind the wheel and flung up an arm to protect his eyes. His girlfriend, the one with the purple hair and the chronic social media habit, was trying to hide behind her phone.

He clung to the door for balance. None of his blood was where he wanted it to be right this second but he was thinking just clearly enough to be livid. “I DON’T REMEMBER YOUR LAST NAME RIGHT NOW, ROBBIE, BUT YOU BETTER PRAY I NEVER FIND OUT!”

“W - WE WERE JUST LEAVING!” The kid was struggling to get his beater in gear. Stan could hear the pained grind-and-clunk of the transmission from here. “WE DIDN’T SEE YOUR CAR WHEN - ”

“YOU’RE DEAD, YOU HEAR ME, KID? DEAD!”

Robbie’s car lurched and screeched and peeled out way too fast for what he knew was a pretty rough road. Stan collapsed heavily onto the driver’s seat, both hands to his face as he tried to collect himself. As the roar subsided in his ears he registered faint noise behind him and pivoted, suddenly frantic. “Clary. You okay, baby?” If she was crying he really would have to kill the kid.

She was sobbing, all right, but with strangled giggling so profound that she couldn’t get enough air to do more than squeak. Stan deflated a little as she gasped and wiped her eyes and wheezed. At last she was composed enough to throw her head back and bray with uncontrollable laughter for a good minute.

“Yeah, very funny…”

“Oh my god,” she rasped. Clary groped around in the footwell until she came up with his chain and its medallion, then levered herself up onto the seat with a creak of springs. “That poor kid’s probably not going to stop until he’s in the next county.”

“Can’t even get a little privacy on a cliff in this town.”

“My hero. That was magnificent.” Stan rolled his eyes but held still as she clipped the chain back into place, hands light at his neck, and straightened his collar.

“Magnificent enough t’ pick up where we left off?” He knew better, but couldn’t resist the broad smirk. The interruption had blown a hole in the mood.

She smirked right back. “Moment’s passed, darling. Another time.” Clary curled forward and did that liquid thing women could do with arms twisting behind to refasten the bra’s hooks. Stan watched, openly appreciative, as she tweaked the spangled top more or less back into place. “We should head back and check in with the camping crew anyway, make sure nothing’s eaten them since dark.”

“Ha. Yeah, they’ll be fine, you have no idea what a mother hen Ford can be and that magnet gun’s not the only trick up his sleeve. I gotta ask, though.” He drew the back of one knuckle down the side of her pale, pretty neck, and smiled to feel her shiver.

“Go on…”

“You never answered. We still on for that date?”

She slung him an arch look. “What do you call a thousand lawyers at the bottom of the ocean?”

Stan snorted. “That’s the cheapest lawyer joke of all time.”

“Lowest common denominator, yep. Now answer me.”

“A good start.”

“Smart man.” Clary leaned in, laying a delicate, deliberate kiss upon his lips like he was something rare and precious. Stan melted a bit in his seat. Both her touch and her lowered eyes lingered as she redid a few of his buttons, then slid back across the cabin to buckle in. “We’re on. I hope it doesn’t take us until next year, though.”

“What, not gonna cuddle up on the way home?” He fired up the car, the reliable old engine rumbling smoothly to life, and put it in reverse.

“Get this land yacht back on asphalt and drive like a half-blind old man, then yes.”

“I always drive like a half-blind old man.”

“I am not reassured.”

It was an easier drive back out. He actually took pains to dodge the worst bumps this time. Once they were on the county road Clary popped the seat belt and slipped beneath the curve of his welcoming arm. The radio crackled protest as she fiddled with the dial. Pickings were slim late on a Sunday night, and she finally settled for 80s schmaltz. Stan groaned, more for show than anything, and she elbowed him in the ribs. “You’ll live.”

“I may regret it, but I’ll live.”

The moon’s waning quarter still hadn’t made it up by the time they hit the Shack’s long drive, meaning it was a bit before midnight at least. The El Diablo glided easily into its slot alongside the Fairlane. “So if you’re not too tuckered out after all that, I maybe got one last little thing for dessert. You game?”

“I’m game. Need to get my hair back under control, though.” Clary squeezed his hand, tugged on her sandals and hopped out the passenger side, leaning into the back seat to retrieve his jacket and her hair clips. “See you in the kitchen in a bit?”

Even tangled and stiff with hairspray, he liked the tumble of waves falling around her features. “It’s nice down!”

She pulled a face at him. “I’m going to run a brush through this mop and grab something a little warmer to wear. See you in a couple minutes.”

They parted ways at the door, Stan upstairs, Clary down her hallway. The house’s unaccustomed quiet was downright strange after last week’s chaos, but familiar. He was humming some awful 80s power ballad under his breath by the time he got Dipper’s laptop and Ford’s antenna rig set up on the kitchen table. The uplink program was bright with alerts, message lines cluttered with incoming texts and photos - apparently the nerd brigade had found exactly what they were looking for.

“Man, we are late,” he muttered, and punched the couple of buttons that would let him page through to Ford.

The uplink connection crackled to life almost instantly. “Stanley, you are late! Where have you been?!”

“Havin’ a nice night out, Sixer. See you’re not dead yet, that’s good, find anythin’ memorable without me?”

Ford did something on his end to get the rest of the crew on speaker. By the time Clary showed up with her hair brushed back and a well-worn zip hoodie over a t-shirt, both Dipper and Ford were talking a mile a minute and Stan was struggling to keep up with the pictures and videos they kept referring to.

“Hey gang!”

“Hey, Clary!” A good fifteen minutes of excited chatter followed. Stan had some trouble tracking once she sat down across the table, drawing idle fingertip circles around the rim of her water glass and smiling right at him.

Mabel insisted on the last word, as usual, shooing Ford and Dipper off to bank the campfire. Her voice came through pitched low. “So did you guys have a nice evening? Because Tambry’s online update feed sure suggests you did….”

“Uh, what now? How have you even got internet out there?” Stan glanced across the table in confusion. Clary blinked back, but was already skimming through something on her phone. After a few moments she choked faintly and turned the screen so he could see a post title: Most Terrifying Moment Of My Short Life.

The video was dark and blurry, thank mercy for small favors, but Stan’s furious roar came through clear as a bell. He laid a hand over his eyes as Clary began to chuckle.

“What were you doing out at Lookout Point, hmmm?”

“Stargazing,” Clary replied, utterly deadpan.

“Suuuuuuuure you were. Are you two a thing yet?”

Clary quirked a brow at him and shook her head minutely. Stan considered. “Yanno, pumpkin, we’re still figurin’ it out. I mean, we made our apologies, we’re friends an’ all that, so I’m sure we’ll hear from her again somewhere down the line.” He reached across the table to hook an index finger into hers.

Mabel’s muffled wail of protest rose on the tiny speaker. “You’ve gotta be kidding! I manage to get you a full day alone and you still can’t make up your minds? You’re perfect for each other and you’re both too old to goof around!”

“I don’t know what to say, honey, we’re both very careful people.” Clary’s clasp tightened in warning as Stan ducked his head and swallowed shocked laughter. “We’re probably going to watch a movie or something before we get to bed. All of you be careful, got it? I expect to see you for dinner tomorrow.”

“Are you sure we shouldn’t get back earlier? I’ve got a multimedia presentation on Grunkle Stan’s most amazing feats ready to go! I know he’s a little rough around the edges but personal hygiene isn’t everything - “

Stan spluttered indignantly. Clary bit her lip and winked. “I already know he’s amazing, Mabel. Let us enjoy the rest of our evening and we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Yup, great job, sweetheart, be careful out there an’ don’t give Ford too much trouble. Whoops, connection’s waverin’, gotta scram, seeya soon.” The speaker squawked with a rising woooOOOOoooo of interference as Stan grabbed the antenna’s tip and swirled it around. He stabbed a couple buttons to kill the call. “Welp. Guess we know where she stands.”

“I feel a little mean, but could we maybe enjoy being a thing for more than an hour without it being public knowledge?”

“Are we a thing?” Stan squeezed her hand and rose, dragging the stepstool out from its usual corner.

“You think you’re getting rid of me after all that? I already know precisely how much of an asshole you are. That kind of info is gold.” She watched him clamber up onto one of the countertops, sitting back with arms loosely folded. “You all right up there?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine, this’ll just take a minute.” He reached way up over the shelves, ran his fingers lightly along the right plank, jabbed a thumb into a knot in the old wood and pulled when he heard the latch pop. “Ford put all kinds of weird hideyholes into this place. Found ‘em all, at least I think.”

Stan stretched and twisted and grunted, ignoring Clary’s quiet chuckles from the kitchen table, and finally fished the bottle he wanted out of the back of the hidden cabinet. She stood by as he cautiously stepped off the counter and picked his way down the stepstool. “Here, check this out.”

“That is an awfully convoluted way to store your booze.”

The squat, long-necked bottle he’d picked out dropped into her grip with a faint slosh. “I’ve got two inquisitive-as-hell teenagers in the house, an’ Mabel is gettin’ pretty good at pickin’ locks. Most of this was here before I was, anyway.”

Clary ran her thumb over the dusty label and her brows popped up. “1976. Bicentennial cognac, no less. What the hell was Ford doing with stuff like this?”

“Heck if I know. I think he got a bunch of junk as gifts when he finished off some of those degrees - found an entire drawer full of handkerchiefs, fancy pens, congratulations cards, that kinda crap. There’re a couple more bottles wedged back there, never really took a close look.” He shuffled across the kitchen to pick through the glassware. “So, up for a nightcap? Do some actual stargazin’?”

Amber liquor gleamed against her palms as she tilted the bottle carefully to catch the light. “This is a decent label. Probably worth something just for the year.”

“Great. Then it’s worth bustin’ open for a celebration.”

Clary cracked him a half-delirious grin, like a teenager about to get into serious trouble. “Drinking this out of juice glasses would be an absolute crime. Let’s do it.”

They ended up on the porch, sitting on the top step for a better view of the sky. Stan fired up the cigar he’d retrieved from upstairs while Clary popped the bottle seal and tipped a bare thimbleful of aromatic liquor into each little glass. They clicked the enameled oranges together and sipped. To Stan it was pretty much just vaguely fruity booze, but she hummed in quiet approval. “Not bad, for a one-horse town.”

“Nothin’ but the best at the Mystery Shack.”

“I feel like I should argue that point, but I really can’t.”

The conversation meandered at intervals between comfortable silences. Eventually he tugged out his much-abused, overstuffed wallet and let her thumb through his photos. She chuckled under her breath as he explained some of the background. Really, that picture of Waddles duct-taped to Gompers didn’t make much sense no matter what kind of spin he put on it.

“Pretty recent stuff.”

“There wasn’t much worth keepin’ track of until last year, not gonna lie, though there’re a million pictures of Mr. Mystery with tourists out there somewhere...nice little side racket.”

“Do you keep money in this wallet from time to time?”

“Nah, I sew hidden pockets into everything for that.” He slipped his arm around her as she snorted in undignified laughter. “C’mon, show me your zoo.”

Clary’s pictures were all digital. She swiped through them, pictures of crooked cobblestone alleys and green flower-starred hillsides, pictures of her pretty dark-blonde niece and two gorgeous little girls, one about ten, one barely more than a toddler.

“My niece is Callista. That’s Nathalie, and the baby is Irene. This’s Phil…” The nephew was a handsome, square-jawed young man with a model-quality smile and a tendency to make funny faces in the background of the family shots. “The family athlete. He runs, he swims, he does that insane Swiss thing where you take the train up into the mountains, strap on your skis and hop out when you’re where you want to be…”

Stan let her ramble and watched her hands. He poured another tiny splash of brandy into her glass when she lifted it up to him. “These’re recent, too?”

“This spring.” One of her fingertips tapped uncertain rhythm against the phone’s corner.

The silence drew out for a while - not uncomfortable, just resigned, maybe - and at length he asked the obvious question. “Got any of your sister?”

She didn’t go stiff, exactly, though there was a subtle exhale. “It didn’t end as well for us as it did for you.”

He felt his heart sink a little for her sake. “Don’t have t’tell me anythin’.”

There was a chuckle, soft and dry as a fallen leaf. “We’re in need-to-know territory now, I’m afraid. It’s easier to show than to tell.” Her swift fingertips flicked across the screen of her phone, pulling up a folder, and within that a long series of dated photos. “This is Charlotte. Charlie.”

Clary’s sister was at least twelve or fifteen years older, blonder, beautiful in a blue-eyed way with a killer smile. A couple of the earliest snapshots could have been plucked from among the seniors in the high school yearbook he hadn’t been around to collect. The bubble cut gave way to a long flip, then went feathered in a familiar image: three blondes in sunhats, lined up oldest to youngest like nesting dolls.

The faces shifted by degrees as she skimmed through. Charlie’s hairstyles went on changing over the years; Callista and Phil started out tiny and grew older; Clary herself was only an occasional presence with her hair drawn back into its familiar knot and variations on her ever-present kerchief.

The shot she paused on was a portrait against a bright blue sky. Clary’s arm draped protectively around Charlie’s shoulders. They wore matching sunglasses, matching defiant grins, and matching designer scarves - Clary’s at her throat, Charlie’s tied jauntily around her shorn head.

Only a handful of pictures followed that one. Charlie’s face and her smile grew thinner but the defiance never wavered. The last was a badly lit candid shot of Clary curled up asleep against her sister on a couch, Charlie pressing a kiss to her brow.

“This was supposed t’be a two-man trip,” Stan said after a while as the screen dimmed.

“Mother died last February. Charlie this January. Last year sucked.” Clary’s laugh was faint and humorless. “Really a candidate for the worst of my life. I spent most of it flying back and forth between Denver and Zurich. Hammering out issues with Mother’s estate, trying to support the kids…we’d been making plans for years. Museums, river cruises, palaces, cathedrals, Paris, Rome…this fucking cross-country tour….”

He could make out her shadowed features by the porch light, mouth bitter and taut. “She made me promise that I’d do this, with the stupid car. Made me promise to do a bunch of other things I didn’t much want to do. Wrote up a bulleted list because she knew I’d make a spreadsheet of the thing and work my way through it. She was right, though, goddamn it.”

Crickets sang into the quiet as Clary forced her breathing to steady. When she spoke again it was measured, and stoic, and barely audible. “She knew me better than I knew her and I will never get to fix that.”

Stan picked up her glass, sloshed in another dollop of brandy, and pressed it into her free hand. She looked down at it for a tired moment, then raised it in salute. “To absent friends. I’m sorry to dump all that on you.”

“To better days.” He tapped his glass against hers. “An’ I promise, they do get better.” They drank slowly and watched the waning quarter-moon track up through the treetops.

“You better take good care of your damnfool brother.”

“Oh, I do. I try, anyway. Some days’re harder than others.”

Leaning into her felt so nice, despite the deepening chill and the gradual stiffness in his legs, that he resisted the weight of weariness longer than he probably should’ve. Eventually he allowed his arm to tighten around her and pressed his cheek into her hair. “It’s gettin’ late an’ you’re gonna be on the road soon. We both oughta get some shut-eye. Anythin’ I can do to help you crash out? Wanna doze off in front of a flick?”

“Mmm. I might stay and watch the stars for a while longer. You probably can’t see how gorgeous it is out here, you’re so used to it.”

“You’re gonna sit here an’ brood half the night, aren’t ya.”

“I love that you’re a sharp observer of the human condition, Stan.” Clary accepted his empty glass with a tiny smile. “I don’t know if I like it as much when you focus it on me.”

Stan shoved the cork home in the old bottle, knowing full well that he should respect her privacy, then felt the words bubble out of him unbidden. “Nope. No way.” She turned a gimlet eye upon him, but he shook his head, resolute. “No damn way. What you oughta do is spend the night.”

Her brows shot up. “What, were you planning to banish me to the back seat of my car?“

“You oughta spend the night with me.” Clary froze in gratifying shock. He took the opportunity to stroke her sharp chin with the pad of his thumb. “C’mon, you already know I make a pretty decent pillow.”

Flickers of expression crossed her features, almost too fast to follow, surprise-amusement-annoyance-grief-exhaustion. “All right. That’s a pitch. Are you going to sell me on it?”

“Sweetpea, if I laid an unwanted hand on you I’d pull back a stump.”

“Ha! You’re not wrong.” She cocked her head, eyes softening. “I think you might be weighing your odds, though.”

Stan cleared his throat. “Maybe a little. I swear I’ll behave. Look, it’ll be warm. If you need t’talk or somethin’ in the wee hours you can just wake me up. I’ve done - “ He paused, because her lips were beginning to tremble. “I’ve done more’n my share of rough nights alone.”

Clary pulled it together by main force of will, blinking a few times, the fine line between her brows deepened into a sharp notch. After a long minute or so she closed her eyes and sighed. “All right,” she murmured. “My air mattress or your lumpy bachelor twin?”

“The lumpy bachelor twin got hauled off and torched while I wasn’t here to argue – after I got all the cash out of it, fortunately. I’ve got a nice new orthopedic full-size. Tight quarters, but not that tight.”

She slipped her free arm around him for a momentary hug, then eased out of his half embrace to rise. “I’ll drop off the glasses and get my pajamas. You go pick up all your laundry.”

“I don’t need to pick up my laundry,” Stan groused, levering himself stiffly upright. He accepted Clary’s hand when she offered, grumbling all the way. The brandy went back upstairs with him because hell if he was going to climb the counter again to stash it in the hidden cabinet. He had time to change into the usual sleepytime uniform of boxers and tank top and was tossing discarded socks from the floor into the hamper when her knock came light upon his door.

At least the sheets were fresh, even if he’d forgotten to make the bed, as usual. “Uh – one sec.” Stan stalled until he’d gotten the last of the dirty clothes rounded up, then let her in, rubbing the back of his neck as she stepped through to survey the sorta-controlled chaos of his personal domain. There was one sad bedside light which left the far corners dim – just as well he’d never upgraded to a decent reading lamp.

The pajamas were lightweight, a loose jersey shirt over shorts, her hair pulled back into an unruly ponytail. Stan squirmed a little as she swept eyes across the room, missing nothing. Her smile widened by slow degrees. “In my defense I wasn’t exactly expectin’ company.“

Clary nudged at his chest, then his bicep, turning him around. “It’s your space. I don’t care. Go on, get, I’m sleepy here.” He shuffled obligingly over towards the bed, then stilled as he felt her palm come to rest at the back of his right shoulder. The careful arc of her thumb traced over the burn scars – he’d been in actual sleeves all month. She hadn’t seen it.

“That, ah. That’s – “

She leaned in, her warmth making the length of his back prickle, and kissed him right at the base of the neck where the most stubborn of his stiff vertebrae jutted. Stan shut up. “If I need to know you can tell me another time. Bed. Now.”

It took a few minutes of shifting around, fitting in with no space to spare, but eventually they nestled face to face with the blankets pulled over. Clary plucked the glasses from his nose and set them behind her on the nightstand. Stan tugged at her ponytail with a sad questioning look and she crinkled her nose at him. “Men and hair,” she muttered, but pulled out the elastic and put it aside, then reached way out to snap off the lamp.

They gradually relaxed together in the near-dark. One of Clary’s hands eased between them to rest against his breastbone. Stan leaned in to kiss her temple, listening to the low rusty rumble of her chuckle and then the rhythm of her breathing as it grew deep and even.

He drifted across the line into peaceful sleep without really noticing he’d done it.

Tumblr masterpost

Clary looks over, sober-eyed. “You don’t have to take any of this more seriously than you want to, Stan.”

I am serious enough to see where this goes in a couple months.

I am completely serious.

Take the very last exit to Friendsville.

Napule Nights - trentuno

A difficult one, thanks to my babe for helping. Also, tiny smut warning x

- chapter navigation -

x

The following day, Jade was determined to not only act as an outlet for his frustration, but also tackle the issue at its source best she could from her position. Even sharing the situation and how things stood had opened him up to at least the proposition of a change in action and with his confidence elevated even higher, she was content with not seeing him for the day – as long as it meant that he was working on improving the situation the business was in, the state that essentially stressed him.

It took another day for him to allow her in, a lot of coaxing until he gave her credit and admitted that she'd done a good job before and could benefit any operation her kind of work required. As much as she knew that Serena didn't care about her or what she wanted, it was her that then ultimately persuaded Alexander to send her on a job that was perfect to, was strictly professional when she explained and prepared Jade for it, but Jade was thankful that it was as much Serena as it was Alexander this time, most days she left the office with him to come with him to his place, was able to uplift him enough to start the day exactly like he had the previous one, the more perfected the jobs he was putting together were, the more confident he was that he would be able to make a change, despite the exterior threats increasing.

So despite the danger that the job posed, no matter how risky it was, she felt prepared, determined to not disappoint him and to actually improve it, trusting unconditionally in his decisions which had her nerves eased even several days later when she woke up the next day. It was the first time he'd sent her to stay at his place alone, but when he'd gotten word the night before – just as they'd been leaving the headquarters – that there'd been a fight at his club, the first fight in a while on his territory, he'd insisted that Cook take her to his loft until he'd follow and despite her efforts to stay up and wait for him, she'd fallen asleep, too exhausted to even notice him coming in and he hadn't woken her either, but when she awoke the next morning, felt his arm wrapped tightly around her, clinging to her to hold her as close as he could, his muscles tense even in his sleep, she was determined more than ever to do him proud, to give any contribution she could to ease his nerves.

The moment he felt her stir it didn't take much for him to wake up as well, the mellow warmth and irresistible scent of her hair fuelling his tired mind and he gripped her tighter, his hand on her side and wandering up to her breasts, kneading them slowly as he pressed his chest closer to her back, humming as his lips touched her shoulder and he moved her hair to the side, feeling her breath quickening, her body coming alive under his touch, the soft plea enough for him to encourage him and he parted her legs with ease, teased her with his fingers until he himself was too eager to hold out much longer, locking her arms behind her back and starting to take her slowly, yet hungrily from behind, pressing wet kisses to her shoulders and her back, his breath tickling her warm skin and it didn't take long for her to surrender, for the tension to leave her body and the pleasure ripped through her, dragging him with her and he emptied himself inside her, chanting her name into her hair.

She lay overwhelmed as they both calmed down, whimpering when he withdrew his hips but squeezed her needily in his arms and shuffled back into him as close as she could, reveling in the throbbing afterglow between her legs, the warmth and sense of safety in his strong arms offered. “Alexander...” She whispered. She had a view of his gold alarm clock on the bedside table, well-aware that he was already late for his meeting.

He hummed, mumbling against her hair tiredly as he spoke. “Yes, darlin'?” He sighed. He was in no mood for her to challenge him, there were mere minutes he had until he had to get out and leave the blissful place he wished he could permanently reside in day in, day out.

“You have to go.”

Alex swallowed. “I kno', Jade” he muttered. “I'm sorreh.”

Her heart skipped a beat and she pressed her lips together, slowly shifting to turn around in his arms to face him. “I told you me distracting those guards while Cook hands everything over will be the best and most subtle way to go about it, I...”

“No” he said, cutting her off slowly when he realised she'd misunderstood. “I joost … I'm joost sorreh I 'ave teh go. I wish I could stay 'ere. I 'ave full faith in yeh, doll.”

It scared her momentarily how raw his words were, unfiltered in the best possible way and while she was aware of their meaning, it was alarming nonetheless, causing her to slowly move from his arms and rise to sit up in bed, brushing her hair back from her face. She bit her lip when she felt him do the same, then he leaned over to press a lingering kiss to her cheek before he was out of bed, collecting his clothes and beginning to get dressed.

“Yeh can stay until yeh 'ave teh meet Serena” he drawled, the moment the cold air of the room washed over him, sent shivers up his bare skin, he sobered up from her, realised just how weak he'd allowed himself to be, nodding over to his suit jacket hung up on the wardrobe with a raise of his eyebrows.

She moved slowly out of his bed, wearing nothing but the indicative jewel around her neck as she strode to pick up the jacket and held it out for him to slip into once he was ready, then sat back down on the edge of the bed for a moment as she watched him disappear into the bathroom. She knew he was tense, had felt it in the way he fucked her, despite the sleep on his mind he'd been desperate, rougher than what she was used to and while she always welcomed it, she knew there was more to it than their pleasure, had sensed an anger spilling over. “Alexander?” She called, getting up slowly. “What happened with the fight?”

Alex strode back out of the bathroom, taking the smoke she held up for him the second she could sense him returning and pulling on it with a sigh of relief, his eyes shutting for a moment as he took a split second to relax. “Nofin'” he stated as he gathered everything he needed, fastening his watch around his wrist with his smoke trapped between his chapped lips. “I dunno 'ow those men got in but they were nobodehs. Serena were gunna look into it. Maffew sorted it.”

She nodded slowly, could sense that he didn't want to discuss more so she stayed silent until he stopped in front of her and drew her close by her hips, his hands locked on her body tighter than necessary and more eagerly than usual, yet serving their purpose as she only pressed herself closer to him when he kissed her, long and hard and with every fiber of him signaling that he would fuck her right back into the mattress if he had the time, pulling away only when his self-control crumbled too far down.

“I want teh see yeh before the job later” he ordered.

She nodded, licking her lips and trying to catch her breath after the kiss had taken most of it from her.

“I mean it” he emphasised before letting out a long breath, then the heels of his shiny shoes clicked on the floor as he made himself to the door without another word, it fell shut and made her jump.

She didn't linger for long, showered and dolled herself up for the job, slipping into the dress she had brought the day before, covering half her thighs just about, but backless and cut low at the front, the tight fabric structured and lavender. She wore the shoes with a pinch of emerald to match the necklace, then made her way out with everything she needed, going through the details of her job on the ride back to the headquarters where Serena already waited for her in her office to go through everything until there was a quick knock on the door, Miles striding in just moments later, his body clad in a baby blue suit, a black shirt underneath, paired with sparkly loafers.

“Which of these pretteh ladies is gunna escort meh teh lunch?”

Serena's lips curled into a smile but she shook her head at him slightly in disbelief. “Miles, we're working.”

“As far as I kno' you've been through evrehfin' a million times. Unless ya girls want meh teh bring sum food teh ruin all these papers, yeh'll talk through it over lunch.” He gave a wave, his grin displaying uncrushable determination, his eyebrows wiggling.

“You go” Serena stated to Jade, sighing and running her fingers over her hair, fixing her ponytail and leaning back in her chair. “I need to make some calls about that fight anyway. Miles, have you heard anything?”

Kane shook his head, licking his lips and extending his hand to Jade when she rose to her feet, gathering the most important things she needed. “Unfortunateleh not” he sighed. “When I go out tonight, I'll try and find out sum more though and you're gunna be the first teh kno'.”

Serena pressed her lips together. “Right. Right. Rivera, any more questions?”

Jade shook her head. “I've got it. I'll go through it with … Turner … if I see him” she said. “And then with Cook in the car.”

With a wave of her hand and a nod that signaled at least a hint of content, Serena dismissed them, Miles' arms linking with Jade's as two of the henchmen outside followed them to the restaurant and before she'd even properly sat down, he glared at her inquisitively.

“Soo, 'aven't seen ya mooch?” He smirked, licking his lips after his first bite.

She nodded slowly. “Any particular reason you wanted to now, Kane?”

“Ya know...” he said slowly. “I 'aven't forgotten our conversation 'bout Al. And I 'ope yeh 'aven't either.”

She tensed instantly, swallowing hard. “Si?”

His eyes widened. “Oh, no, no, bella, dun't ya worreh. I joost kno' tha' Alex clearleh dun't 'ave the intention teh let ya go anehtime soon and … yous are fallin' inteh this rhythm tha' I joost need teh kno' it's not gunna bore ya.”

“Bore me?” She asked, a smile of amusement playing around her lips. “I don't need you to keep   watching me, Kane, I don't need a babysitter. How could I get bored of having everything that I have ever wanted?”

“Ya kno' the business is strugglin'. I kno' Al trusts ya but...” He shrugged. “I'm joost lookin' out for 'im.”

Jade nodded slowly. “Me too.”

He leaned back in his seat, taking a sip from his beer. “Reyht” he said, not having expected her response, nodding back at her. “Bene.”

She'd just finished eating, washing it down with a tall glass of water – any bit of alcohol would have tensed her nerves rather than eased them – when Cook entered the restaurant, stepping up to their table and waving for her to follow and as much as she hated obeying him, she stood up, kissed Kane on each cheek when he rose to tell her to be safe and she could feel several pairs of eyes following her as she exited the restaurant with Cook by her side.

She wasn't nervous about the job, on the contrary, she was eager to complete it, to be one step closer to improving the business' situation and if she could contribute, she was only too happy to oblige. The height of her motivation came from Alexander's trust in her, the fact that he knew that she would do a good job, entrusted her with something so important. Her high spirits didn't go unnoticed by the man beside her, Cook raising his eyebrows as they stopped in front of Turner's office.

“Yeh kno' tha' this is a delicate affair, dun't yeh?” He asked, his jaw tense. He himself seemed to be on edge, maybe not so much because of the job, but because she herself was not. “Weh're makin' a deal in enemeh territoreh.”

“I'm aware” she nodded, lifting her own hand to knock on the door as he stood on the other side of it, giving a nod to Helders. “He trusts me.”

Cook gritted his teeth. “Hurreh. Weh 'ave teh go soon.”

“Come in.”

Helders opened the door for her, held it and closed it behind her, her heels clicking on the floor as she entered the office, Turner rising instantly to his feet when he saw her, walking around his desk. “Did yeh talk evrehfin' through wif Serena?”

Jade nodded, stepping close to him and placing her hands on his chest, adjusting the collar of his light blue shirt, sighing as she felt the heat of his skin through the fabric, his hands coming down on her hip to ensure their closeness in case she moved away too soon.

“Yeh've talked about it wif Jameh?”

She smiled. “So far only with you there, baby, but I will again in the car.”

Alex swallowed hard, his self-control challenged by her words as much as her scent, the touch of her hands, the smile of indifference on her face. “Are yeh takin' this seriousleh enough?”

Jade sighed. “I am. I know how important it is, which is why I cannot wait to get the job done. I know it's been stressing you. You trust me and I-...” She was caught off when he dragged his hand slowly up her side, cupping her breast over the solid fabric of her dress, his other hand moving down her lower back, squeezing her ass. “Alexander...” she said, breathing out shakily. “T-There's no time for this. Why did you want to see me?”

He ignored her question, pursing his lips, his eyes wild as they locked on hers. “I'm the boss, I decide wha' weh 'ave time for” he stated, a tear on his heart when her lips curled into a smile.

“You've got a meeting” she said. “And I have a job to do. And as soon as I'm back, I'll be ready for you to do whatever you want.” She tried her hardest to ignore the rough grip of his hands, her fingers moving slowly to the back of his neck and into his hair, the tension in his fingers loosening instantly and breathed out with relief.

“Jade...” He swallowed hard, his neck straining, jaw tensing as he attempted to compose himself, to see reason. “Yeh're gunna listen teh Jameh, alreyht?”

She sighed. “Yes, of course” she stated with a nod.

He nodded back at her. “Fings get dangerous, yehr first instinct is teh run. Dun't shoot. Get out of there. And if yeh sense danger, yeh tell Jameh. If-...”

She pulled lightly on his hair, angled his head to the side to get his attention. “Alexander” she said, hoping desperately to snap him out of it. “We've been over this. You and me, me and Serena, a dozen times. I know what to do. You don't need to explain.”

He furrowed his brows, discontent with her interrupting him and he exhaled sharply. “I'm joost makin' sure.”

The annoyance on her face then shifted, making room for a smug smile. “Alexander Turner, are you worried about me?”

He swallowed, his round eyes darkening, an intensity reflecting inside them that she hadn't seen in the shape of anything but defense. “Jade, I joost want yeh teh take this job seriousleh.”

She licked her lips, unaware of how badly he wanted to wipe that gorgeous smile of her face. “I have done several jobs for you, there's nothing different about this, so there's no need to act differently, right? It's sweet that you're worried but-...”

“Sweet?” He spat, his jaw locking. “I am joost makin' sure yeh kno' wha's at stake. Yehr fookin' life, Jade.” His voice was calm, but a familiar sense of anger was boiling underneath his tone, but the second he realised she noticed, he breathed out slowly, his features smoothing again as he tried to relax. There was a knock on the door and he huffed. “A moment.”

“I understand the situation and I can handle it” she said, shaking her head.

The smile on her face that usually had him desperate now unsettled him more than anything at that moment and he knew deep down that she was right, that despite the danger of the job, he was not acting like himself, he was too on edge, too tense, but something was different, he didn't usually ask to see her before her job, let alone had he ever been this doubtful about sending her out. Other times he wouldn't have so much as batted an eyelash before letting her go out on a job, at times had even punished her for fucking up and as much as he knew that she was ready, it was all no good if she didn't realise how careful she had to be, if she didn't understand and even teased him for trying to get through to her but he despised the thought of something happening to her, of her not coming back, and it frustrated him to no end, he hated that he even felt like he had to try, that she didn't do her job, that he had to snap her out of it but most of all, that he wanted to.

The tension on his face was slowly but surely becoming more and more confusing and she wondered if there was something she didn't know, swallowing hard. “Why are you so worried?” She laughed, shaking her head at him once again as she saw him grit her teeth at her question, his hands trembling on her. “What is this? What happened to the man that fucked me over this very desk for talking back to him? Who had to have me in his club just to mark his territory?”

His mind was at war, her questions fuelling his anger further and further and he couldn't bear another, she didn't understand, his fingers were shaking, his gaze meeting hers, his voice harsh. “'e fell in love wif yeh.”

Her heart stopped and they stood in complete silence, her eyes as wide as his, lips parted, the shock apparent on her own face as much as on his and before she could even think of speaking, the door clicked open.

“Rivera, weh 'ave teh go.”

Out of instinct, Jade stepped back slowly, saw Turner's face shift from anger to indifference within a split second and she breathed out shakily, turning over her shoulder to look at Cook, when she turned back to Turner he was walking around his desk and Cook grabbed her arm, leading her out of the office, her heart pounding, her throat dry, she had seldom been speechless and frozen the way she was now, absolutely unable to react and it seemed maybe he didn't want her to, she had not found it as difficult to figure him out as she did now and she hardly recalled walking down the halls with the three henchmen surrounding her once she was sat in the car, nodding along to all the familiar words Cook said, she had heard it all before, would have been able to chant the plan in her sleep, but Turner's words were fresh on her mind throughout the whole drive, when the car stopped and when one of the henchmen got out out first and opened the door, when Cook followed and gestured for Jade to do the same, and when she looked around for their meeting.

It was then that for the first time, she replayed a different statement Turner had said to her, to tell Cook if she sensed something as instead of a man approaching somewhere as expected, the slow movements of a car captured her attention, parking right beside them but the moment she turned around to Cook, her heart sank, she heard the thud before she saw the man that knocked Cook to the ground, the same thing happening to the other guard. There was a split second that allowed her to turn and look at the third climbing out of the car, unaware of the men approaching behind her from the unfamiliar black car and she could hardly squirm when she felt someone grip her from behind, a set of hands pulling her own behind her back, a third blocking her vision by holding a piece of cloth to her face that instantly dizzied her mind, her thoughts blurring, her focus slipping and her knees giving in, it sounded like heels dragging across the asphalt and when she realised it were her own she already felt an unfamiliar surface underneath her, the slamming of a car door, shouts and thuds in the distance and then it all turned black.

Alex watched the smoke rise from his lips, the familiar sensation not doing the usual anticipated trick of calming his nerves, the shock still sat deep within his bones, the words that had left him unexpected, but nothing had him quite as uneasy as the fact that they were nothing but the truth. Her lack of response had unsettled him, he was unsure how to interpret it, unable to process it, every time it crossed his mind it was impossible for him to delve deeper without a sinking feeling of comparison creeping up.

He welcomed the distraction of a knock on his office door instantly, crushed his cigarette and instantly lit a new one, raising his eyebrows at Helders stepping inside. The expression on his head of security's face did the impossible, it sank his already low mental state tenfold.

“Boss” he breathed, well-aware that Turner had most likely never heard him as alarmed as he was now.

Alex could hardly speak, his voice straining, his fingers almost crushing his cigarette. “Yes? Maffew?”

Helders pressed his lips together. “I can't reach Jameh.”

(I was gonna just post this when I had it all together, but you know what - we’re gonna play this doublet series loose here)

Hey Now, Hey Now (1/?)

Words: 2,900~ || CW: —  || Mabel’s Dream Bubble - But if Ford had been there for it. 

They rushed the waffle-guard armed castle, and it was easy enough to reach Mabel. However, the issue in the rescue turned out to not be any of the precautions around them.

She liked it here. She wanted to stay. Something sunk his heart to see Mabel going right in for the prison Bill had made for her, but he couldn’t get himself to say anything. Not when she talked about Dipper staying for the apprenticeship as the reason behind staying. He had thought it was a wonderful idea! However, listening to Mabel talk about it like this... he’d rather not think about it for now.

Soos and Wendy ran off with their utmost desires and Dipper and himself turned off elsewhere. He assured him he would go find Soos or Wendy and talk to them. The desires seemed like one time instances after all so it should be easy enough to convince Soos to come along after he got a few minutes of tossing ball with his ‘Dad.’

Ford didn’t blame them. It took a strong will to cast off the thing you desired most. Frankly though, he was glad Mabel had not gotten to his ‘turn.’ A triangular corpse really was not something he wanted to inadvertently expose to the kids. Chances were likely it would have been heavily mangled as well, all things considered.

He was walking out from Mabel’s castle along the beach trying to find Soos somewhere nearby. It was unlikely he would go far. However, someone calling out his name happened quicker than he had a chance to do so.

“Hey, Sixer!” It was a familiar gruff voice, that took him off guard as he spun around preparing for the worse - whipping out a gun.

Practically right behind him was a relatively small boat that had just come up on shore and Stan at the bow looking to him. He looked surprised at the gun though. “Woah there, don’t worry it’s just me.”

No.

Stan reached down towards him, bending over the edge of the boat. “Hey, hop on up here already. Don’t you wanna go sailing?”

His chest felt cold. “No,” he rebuffed icily, “no, I don’t.”

Stan’s hand retracted only a slight degree. “What’s got you in such a twist?”

You do. “The apocalypse is happening and I am not going to be so ridiculous as to go on some immaterial boat with a product of this damn bubble.” He spat out bitterly.

“All that apocalypse stuff is outside, right? I doubt it’s going anywhere.”

“That’s the problem.” Ford replied turning on his heels before the thing could waste anymore of his time. He stopped after a couple steps when he heard a set of new feet crunching down into the sand.

Looking over his shoulder he saw Stan who’d just hopped over the boat and started walking towards him in a casual demeanor.

“What do you think you’re doing?” He practically hissed at him. Stan paused momentarily, seeming hurt for a second causing Ford a slight jab of guilt which he crushed down with logic. This wasn’t Stan. Even if it were some inane desire to sail at now of all possible times was utterly ridiculous.

“Well, hey, I could go for a dock visit you know.” He said, walking again, with a smile. “You gotta stop on land now and then.”

Thus far none of the creatures here intended harm. He’d keep wary, but he’d just ignore it until he found Soos.

Stan walked beside him, seeming perfectly content doing so.

“Jeez Mabel really is all about the glitter, isn’t she? I mean I knew the kid was into it, but all this shiny stuff messes with the eyes a little bit doesn’t it.”

It did, but Ford said nothing. Where was Soos?

Stan continued. “Still nice though. Just not my cup of tea. She’s really happy here though and I’ve got nothing to complain about.”

... He’d probably leave once he was far enough from the boat or something, Ford told himself.

“Heck you should have seen the inside of the boat. That’s the Stan O War II back there, you know. It’s just like the old one, ‘Cept better than we built it.” Stan added with a grin.

“We used rotten drift wood for half the patches, not the best materials.” Ford responded, immediately internally cursing at himself for doing so. It was just a comment, but he should have just been ignoring him entirely.

“Hey, it worked though, didn’t it? Never got to take it for a real spin, but we at least got it off of the sand.”

Why did he even said anything in the first place? “Well, obviously, it was a waste of time.” Ford said derisively.

“Maybe, but it was still fun.” Stan replied, unbothered.

Ford didn’t say anything back and it seemed like Stan settled into silence as well. Not entire silence though. Every now and then Stan would make a joke or comment on something or other.

When Ford found himself almost smiling at something said, a bout of frustration quickly bubbled to the surface.

“What are you doing here?” He asked with a pointed look at him.

“What? You want some alone time?”

“I want to find the others so we can get out of this godforsaken bubble!”

“Well, why didn’t you just say so. I can help you find them, no sweat.” Stan said before he pointed off. “Kid should still be at the school with her friends.”

Ford glanced off in the direction and there were technically buildings in that direction. Although, he really didn’t want to take directions from any extension of Bill... even if he was certain Bill did not have any active eyes or control inside the bubble.

“Don’t really get why you’re wanting out of Mabel Land so quick though. I mean yeah, the bouncy ground deal is a little distracting, but the boat’s actually solid.” Stan said, perfectly casual. Trying to make him stay.

Ford rounded on him. “Listen here, I am not sticking in some sealed off getaway! I have things to do, Stan! Even if-“ No, no this wasn’t Stan. It was some cobbled fantasy version of him that talked to him and made jokes to him and tried to get him to smile and-

“WHY would I even want to be here with Stanley?!” He finally snapped, gesturing to him sharply. “The last time I even had a good moment with him was-“ that first night at the bottom of the stairs with the brief laughter in front of the mirror- “was DECADES ago when we were teenagers!” He grabbed onto his head with a hand. “And sailing?!”

He laughed bitterly. All the stress of weirdmageddon splitting apart his usual patience. If he’d been more careful this apocalypse would never have happened. Everyone was going through the most horrendous time of their lives. As well, it was rather obvious now that he’d been having negative effects on Dipper and Mabel without meaning to with his apprenticeship. He’d thought it was fine, but obviously it’d been enough to drive Mabel to complacency inside this prison.

“Why would I want to go sailing?!” Ford started freely ranting now. “Stuck on some tiny boat with my brother that would rather die than actually apologize for anything!” His eyes were burning. “Then he spent-“ Ford’s gut turned guiltily, but he pushed past it, “wasted 30 years to fix that damned machine at the risk of the whole world! Just to assuage his own guilt!”

“I was just five seconds away from finally fixing everything too!” His voice finally started to taper down, and he breathed out heavily. He thought finally getting to lash out about everything would be cathartic, but it wasn’t. It just opened up all the old wounds he’d been trying to ignore. “Look at what-“ This was all his fault. Stan had activated the portal again, but if Ford had kept the rift safe this never would have happened.

“Hey,” Stan’s voice gently brought out of his thoughts and Ford glanced back at him. “Listen, you’re right. Let me help, let me make it up to you.”

The genuine offer stung him, and Ford drew back before he crossed his arms behind his back, holding his head up. Then he brushed past the other, in the direction he’d pointed out before. Chances were it was the right direction.

Stan followed after him quietly, soon walking beside him.

Thankfully, this time he remained entirely quiet as they found the high school which - though sparkly - was not overall that different from how the actual building must have looked.

“Nerd Central, here we are.” Stan went up the steps to open up the door and held it open with a hand, looking back at him.

“Why are you still here?” Ford muttered in passing as he walked through the door.

Stan frowned, letting the door drop after himself. “Because you’re my brother and I’m sorry.”

Ford stopped, not quite daring to look back as he felt a sore ache in his chest.

“Sixer, look - I’m sorry I broke your project and ruined your chances at your dream school. I know I can’t fix that now. I wasn’t thinking straight, and I had years to apologize, but I just...didn’t. You deserved that apology over 40 years ago and that’s on me.” A warm hand went to his shoulder.

Burning tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, and he’d admonish himself for that if he was able to properly align his thoughts.

The hand reassuringly squeezed his shoulder and Ford had to shut his eyes tight.

The apocalypse was going on outside and everything was absolutely Hell. It wasn’t the most difficult thing he had to survive through, but the knowledge and lack of options weighing so heavily was what made it so much worse. Just... one thing going right would have been a blessing...

He took in an even breath and opened his eyes. This was not Stan. This was a construct of the bubble. An atypical prison that was largely banned in most dimensions.

Ford put his hand over the one currently on his shoulder in order to calmly and slowly remove it. Before he could though, Stan talked.

“I missed ya, poindexter.”

A sound stopped, halfway up his throat and threatening to come all the way out if he wasn’t careful. Ford shoved the hand off of him and jerked away from Stan. He refused to look at him, looking instead at the wall so that he could see the other in his peripherals.

“Ford-“

“Don’t.” He immediately interrupted him, voice sharp. “Don’t even think about talking about any of that again. Stanley never apologized to me because he was never sorry about what happened.”

“Listening to any lies otherwise is a waste of time, which I don’t have the luxury or desire to indulge in.” He said concisely, never once looking at him, before he turned back down the hall.

He’d find Wendy, then Soos if Dipper hadn’t. By that point... hopefully they could convince Mabel to leave.

He can hear him following after him a dozen feet back, behind him in the halls. Waste of time and energy. He should never have even acknowledged him in the first place. From this point on he’d make sure to just completely ignore him.

Eventually, he could hear the loud sound of teenagers. He eventually tracked it down to a bathroom. Inside were Wendy, her faux friends, and a figure suspended in the air via several layers of toilet paper with a plunger stuck to his head.

Wendy was laughing as she rolled out toilet paper around what he presumed was their principal and up around the rafters. “Hold him steady, guys!”

“Now, that’s a prank.” Stan’s voice came from beside him.

Ford cleared his throat. “Wendy.... Wendy!” He had to speak up to be heard over the loud chatter.

When he did though, Wendy looked over at him. “Oh, hey- Mr. Pines?” Her gaze caught to his side. “Why’re you here in that outfit? Is that actually you or like... what?”

“Hey, suits aren’t good on the sea.” He said with a grin to her. “Might not be as classy, but trust me, kid - It’s a good look.”

“Just ignore it.” Ford said. “I understand the appeal of- well, this,” he said gesturing to the entrapped principle. “However, there are important things at stake, and we need to talk to Mabel in order to-”

“Oh, no. I’m on board with you.” Wendy said flipping down from the rafters with a ‘hup.’

“What?” Ford looked at her taken aback.

“Totally. I already was, just,” she made a face, tapping fingers together, “I figured hey-” She shrugged. “Ten minutes, right?” She lowered her hands into her pockets. “I’m satisfied though. I mean, look at that.” Wendy proudly gestured back to the principal. “This is going to be on my mental highlight reel for like the entire year.”

“Hey!” She yelled to the teens not even ten feet away from her. “Keep wrapping him for me okay!”

Several thumbs up went up and a chorus of agreements went up in reply.

Wendy gave a double thumbs up back to the crowd. “See?” She said, smiling back to him. “It’s covered anyways.”

“So what’s the plan, Stan-Two?” That nickname again...

“Well-” A snort from his side made him stop, and he barely held back from sending a look in the direction. “Well,” he started again, “we’ll find Soos and Dipper then redouble our efforts.”

“So... there’s really not a plan?” Wendy asked, eyeing him.

“It’s a plan- we’re just going to preferably not disband this time around.” Ford stated. “Even if this place is fun for her, Mabel will do the right thing.”

Stan shrugged. “She’s a good kid, the little ball of sunshine.”

“Something tells me there’s going to be a lot more steps to this, but alright,” Wendy said, walking back into the hall and leading the charge, “let’s grab Soos and Dipper!”

“That’s the spirit!” Stan encouraged.

Wendy paused briefly. “So uh, wait is that somehow Stan or...?”

“Starting to feel like chopped liver here, kid.”

“No, it’s not.” He told her, ignoring the thing beside him. “Again, just ignore it.”

“Well, I can avoid eye contact.” Wendy said. “It’s kind of awkward to straight up ignore my boss though. Like completely, you know. Everyone ignores their boss here and there.”

Ford waved a hand. “That’s fine.” He’d admit, completely ignoring it was rather hard. “Now, we just have to get Soos away from his ah... situation. Thankfully, Dipper should already be looking for him. I suspect as well that by the time we find Soos he’ll be fine leaving.”

“What did Soos get?” She asked.

“His father playing catch with him.”

Wendy made a half-pained face. “Ouch... I mean don’t get me wrong, but you know...”

He actually wasn’t entirely sure what she was alluding to, but nodded anyways.

“Yeah,” the voice beside him said, “at least he had the chance for it though.”

“Anyways,” Ford started, brushing past the comment, “we need to find Soos. Do you know where he might go to play catch?” He asked Wendy.

“I told ya, Sixer, I can tell you right where-“

“I didn’t ask you.” He finally turned his head to glare at him.

Stan put his hands up, seemingly not thrown off by the hostility. “Sorry, my bad. Just tryin’ to help here.”

“Woah,” Wendy started. “Mr uh- Mr. Pines.” She said looking to Ford.

“You can call me Ford, it’s fine, really. Doctor if you insist on an honorific.” Ford said speaking to her calmly. “Apologies, I shouldn’t have snipped like that in front of you. It’s just been... frustrating.”

“Uh, Okay. Listen, this is kinda off,” she said gesturing to Stan. “No offense, but you’re a lot less glittery and bright than Mabel would probably come up with.”

“Small victories.” Stan said with a smile, and a short hand wave.

“But you know where Soos is, right?” She asked.

“Yeah.” He nodded his head.

“He could be lying.” Ford said pettily as he crossed his arms, though he really didn’t quite believe that himself.

Wendy looked back to Ford. “No offense, Doc, but I really don’t think he is. Think about it, everyone in Mabel Land is helpful and nice.” She shrugged. “He’s really fine. More than my Stan. Like, there’s zero grump coming off of him.”

“Fair point.” Ford conceded.

“So,” she started, “if he knows where Soos is then let’s just let him lead the way.”

“A good conclusion. It would definitely save time.” Ford begrudgingly continued. “And a lack of foreseeable harm.” He withheld a sigh in favor of a deep breath before nodding. “Alright.”

Stan beamed beside him. “Alright!” He said, clapping a hand on Ford’s shoulder. “Kid’s right on a grassy hill by the park. We can talk to him, all you probably gotta do is just ask him. This’ll be smooth sailing, I promise.”

“A promise from you.” He said simply.

“Hey, say what you want, but it’s better than a promise from Ma, isn’t it?”

“That’s not a very hard competition to beat.” Ford said, the reply coming out easily.

Stan shrugged, putting his hands up in the air. “Hey, not everything is gonna be a fair fight. What can I say?”

Ford let out a huff that was nearly a short laugh, and he saw Wendy glance over at him from the corner of his eye.

“Come on,” Stan said, turning around and beginning to lead the way.

Everyone on the wagon? Because here I go!

Actually it’s hard to connect what I have planned for this story while filling all this empty spaces.

Wish I could write a slow burn fanfiction from it… around forty or so chapters.

Anyhoo (with not too many pictures, sorry!)

Part 1 here

Adult!Maxvid!AU – Part 3 (choo choo!)

Second meeting wasn’t so bad. Max was still stressed, but he managed to more over talk with David, so he was like happy?

(Good for you Max btw)

The rest of the week passed normally for Max. He went out for drinks on Friday with friends. The weekend was spent playing video games, learning with Nikki and skyping with Neil.

Another week passed normally with Max picking up Little Star (I really should give her name… any ideas?) and ‘accidentally’ meeting David.

Max would deny it till his death, but those meetings were the brightest parts of his days.

Plus David always looked so happy to see him, so it was a giant pro. He often asked Max about his life, school and if he still had contact with other campers. He was totally pleased when he found out that Max was still in touch with all the people from his first camp.

Nikki still teased Max about the meetings.

Scene#7

“Hey, can I visit David once with you?”

“Why?”

“’Cause I want to see him too, duh?” Nikki rolled her eyes. Which looked even weirder, because she was staring at Max while hanging upside down.

“No way.” Max said, this time not glancing up from the book he had on his lap.

“Why not?”

“Because?” Yeah, why? Why exactly not? “Because this way David will find out I’m talking about him with you guys…”

“But you are doing it.”

“He doesn’t need to know it, neither he need a prove in form of a living human being.”

“Boo!” Nikki made a tube from her hands and shouted in the direction of the blackhaired male. “Then why won’t we all go somewhere together?”

“Like where?”

“I don’t know, some bar? I want to hear what happened to the Camp after we left. Is he still a counselor there? Is he still in touch with Gwen? Is he still playing guitar? When did he learn sign language? Is Muack still at Camp Campbell? Argh, I have so many questions!”

Nikki looked honestly…. Honestly interested in all of these things she listed. And Max felt almost (key word – almost) bad that he was so quick to decline her proposition to take her to the kindergarten.

They talked a little bit more and when there was time for Max to get to his room, before he closed the door, he murmured to her.

“I’ll ask him about the meeting…”

And then he quickly closed the door, because fuck, he was bad at being nice.

But he missed Nikki grinning broadly.

However

Easier said than done actually

During the next meeting Max and David talked a little bit more, but Max couldn’t muster himself to ask for a meeting.

Nikki laughed at him for that.

When it happened for the second time, she still laughed.

On the third try she started to be concerned.

And on the fourth she finally burst out.

“Oh my fucking god! Maxwell Jonathan Marshall if you don’t ask David for a meeting next time, I swear I’ll go to him and tell that you have a crush on him.”

“You wouldn’t dare!?”

“Try me!”

She wouldn’t do it, but Max didn’t want to check it anyway.

So boom, another meeting, and Max was a nervous mess inside. Like holy shit. Help him.

He was also pissed at himself, because no one other than his dumb crush can make him feel like that.

Fuck David.

You want that, right?

Shut up, me.

By the time David came over with Little Star, Max honestly felt like the butterflies inside his stomach had some kind of a fight club.

But the Nikki’s threat hung above his head.

Do it

Do it

DO IT

“David…”

“Yes, Max?”

“Do you want to… hang out? Like I don’t know, go drinking in the evening or something like that? Nikki wouldn’t stop bugging me to meet you and I think Neil would want to do it too…”

David looked at him and then his fucking eyes got so big and so sparkly that Max felt like he could get blind by the pure light emanating from them.

“Oh Max, that would be so cool!” David said, clasping his hands together. Some behaviors from kids couldn’t be unlearned so easily. But then the everlasting smile faltered for a second. “But I don’t drink any alcohol before working days... Will it be a problem?”

“No. Not at all. We can even arrange a meeting on Friday, if you want-”

“Oh my gosh, that would be so awesome!” Seriously, David looked totally enamored by the idea of some meeting. “Wait, I’ll give you my number so we can talk more about it!”

What

The

FCUK

David’s phone number? In his own hand? Did he somehow reach ascension?!

“Thanks…”

He wanted to say something more than a simple ‘thanks’, but then another kid appeared behind David and tugged hard on his shirt with mouth forming a thin, desperate line. It took one glance down for David to smile sadly at Max.

“Call me if you establish something with Nikki and the rest!” He said, already moving after the kid into the kindergarten.

Max didn’t answer, simply because he was still processing what he had in his hands.

Nikki was actually waiting in front of his door to ask about the meeting.

Max just flashed the paper in front of her eyes with proud smirk playing on his lips.

She squealed and stole the paper away.

Max gladly already had the phone in his contact list.

“So when we’re all meeting?”

“I don’t know? He says he doesn’t drink during working days.”

“Huh, lame.”

“Well, he works with children. He can’t go to work hungover.”

“Oh, yeah, right, that makes more sense actually. Soo… Saturday?”

“Works for me.” Max said, trying hard to sound as uninterested as he could. Judging by Nikki’s evil smirk, he failed miserably. Or simply because she knew the truth. “Shouldn’t we ask Neil first, if he wants to go too?”

“Oh, good thinking.” Nikki nodded, already pulling out her phone. “Oh, maybe I should call Ered too! You can message Preston and ask if he has some time to also come!”

“Are we making this some sort of Camp Camp’s reunion?”

“Camp Camp? Pfff… hell yeah, we do!”

And the plan was put into motion.

By the way it was Thursday, so they still had some time.

Neil said that he could move a meeting to other day, so he would come. Tick, one person on the list. He also said, that he can bring Space Kid (they didn’t stop calling him that).

Ered unfortunately couldn’t go, but she gave them number to Dolph. He said that he will be there.

Preston said very dramatically that it had been too long since he had seen their miserable faces.

Harrison had some performance, but Nerris said that she will appear (they are together!!)

Nurf said that he couldn’t go because he had to take care of his mother.

Which left the last guest under question mark.

“You still didn’t ask David if he is coming?!”

“No?”

Nikki facepalmed.

“Dude, not cool. If you don’t do it till tomorrow morning, I will-“

This time it wasn’t a threat underlined with spilling his secret, but with the snake too close to Max’s face.

The snake, which now was two centimeters away from his skin, stuck out his tongue and licked the air. Brrr….

“Okay, okay, I’ll do it! Sheesh.” Max said, stepping away to be at safe distance. God. “I’ll do it today!”

“Great!”

He did it that day, two hours later, which he had spent just staring at his phone and thinking about how he should start.

Then Max finally wrote the message

hey it’s max here. do you have some free time on saturday?? me Nikki and few other old campers want to hang out

The stress that was tugging on his chest disappeared, only to hit him back like a fucking train when David replied after two minutes. What the fuck.

Hey, Max! :):):) Sure I have!! Oh, who will be coming!? :):)

Fuck, so many smiley faces. It kinda hurt Max’s eyes, but it fitted David, both in the same time?

But when Max was in the middle of responding, David wrote once again.

Can I bring Gwen with me!?! :O She will be delighted to see all of you! :):)

Gwen? They were still in contact?

sure. from what I know there should be me, nikki, neil, spacekid, nerris, dolph and drama boi

OMG I’m so excited to see all of you!!!!! :):):):):)

So many smiling faces!

So Max changed David’s name to “Smiley face”

Gwen, by the way, had been informed about Max since the very first day.

A little bit of flashback

“Gwen, you wouldn’t believe who I met today at the kindergarten?!” David’s cheerful voice rang inside her ears.

Gwen sighed, brushing her hair with much needed force to comb through the hair spray put onto it. She was exhausted, hungry and not in good mood for David’s games.

“Who?” She asked.

“Aww, Gwen you have to guess!”

God, why was she still hanging around this guy. Oh yeah, best-friends or some shit like that.

“Gee I don’t know… That guy from the pizza bar from a year ago?”

“What? No. Not Michael.” Seriously, did David still remember his name? “Max, I met Max!”

Max, wait, like….

“Like the Max from our shitty camp? The biggest asshole that ground had seen.” Gwen stopped moving the comb, which stayed upright in her hair.

“Aww Gwen, it’s not nice.” David on the other side of the phone sighed. “But yeah, that Max.”

“Oh… Wait, what the fuck he was doing there?”

“Picking up his little cousin and language, Gwen!”

Gwen doesn’t live that far away from David.

She works as a secretary in some company.

Returning to the main story

Gwen, do you have anything planned for Saturday? :):)

No, why do you ask

Because we are going out for a reunion! :):):):):)

David sent like five smiling faces. He had to be really happy about it.

What reunion?

Camp Campbell’s reunion :):):):):)

Wanted to write more but… meh.

Oh yeah, random Max full name!

I’m actually working on full NSFW scene that will happen in… probably part 5? I guess? I’m not sure. Anyhoo, stay tuned for next parts!

And keep safe!

wine beer>

Random picture of Gwen

Random picture of Nikki and Max staring at his old Camp Camp’s shirt

@mystery-pining

“I know it’s not as good as Mabel’s,” Dipper admitted sheepishly, scratching the back of his head as he handed his great uncle his birthday presents, “but… hope it’s okay.”

Mabel had knit both Stan and Ford matching sweaters for their birthday, as well as a new fez for Stan and a scarf for Ford. She had also made them both cards which had pop-out designs, glitter, and played her rendition of the Happy Birthday song. All together, it was a pretty hard act to follow.

Dipper’s, meanwhile, were far less… sparkly. Once unwrapped, there was a birthday card and a stack of candid pen and pencil sketches of their friends and family from across the summer, some realistic and others more cartoony. Some were just an interesting pose, a captivating facial expression, or a mundane scene (like Mabel knitting, Wendy reading, or Soos working on something), and others were meant to capture a specific memory or moment. Then, in full color and more realized, was a portrait of all of them, caught in various stages of laughter and smiles. In the center of it all were the two great uncles, an arm around each other.

Stan wanted to tell Dipper that it didn’t matter what Mabel did and that he was going to love whatever he gave him but the words died in his throat as he opened his gift. It wasn’t Mabel’s, but then Mabel would always have her own flair when Dipper would have his.

He took his time looking at the pictures, looking at each one and trying his best not to overlook any of them. He spent the most time on the portrait and god he was going to draw like Ford one day he was sure of it and he was proud of him for it. He was always good at following in his brother’s footsteps.

Stan put down the papers on the dinosaur skull and made sure they weren’t going to fall before scooping Dipper up into a crushing hug. “It’s more then okay, kiddo, it’s perfect. Can’t believe ya made so much just for me.” He admitted, but he didn’t let go of him for a good long while.

A sparkly invitation comes in the mail delivered by Pacifica herself when the twins are 17 while they're at the mystery shack during the summer. the whole pines family along with Soos and his wife (she has a bun in the oven) are invited to a 4th of July party by Mcgucket! How fun! mabel shouts yes they'll come and she and Pacifica share a hug. Paz says she looks forward to Mabel being there and takes her leave Mabel is super excited because its Pacifica and shes got this crush on her and this party could be the perfect opportunity to confess, it'll be super romantic! with the fireworks overhead illuminating Pacificas pretty face and they'll share a perfect- Okay Mabel, we get it Dipper says. Mabel pouts at being interrupted then she just kinda excitedly talks about Pacifica for a bit, cause she's an amazing and deserves to be talked about no matter how grumpy Dipper gets. Like, last summer Mabel and Pacifica had that day they spent at the lake where they swam and talked and had so much fun. dipper mentions that he was there too, but Mabel doesn't notice he said anything because Pacifica and then there's the time they had that sleepover at Pacifica's place which was super fun cause Pacifica has everything that a teenage girl could ever want. a movie theater, a bowling alley, a huge backyard to camp out in, Pacifica, and have I told you that she has her own horse ranch? only 13 times... because she has her own horse ranch!! how amazing is that? 14. 14 times now. mabel is practically convinced that Paz likes her back. I mean, think back to all the things that have happened so far during the summer break! lots of cute things that's what and Paz likes hanging out a lot with Mabel, there's been so many sleepovers and most of the time only Mabel's ever invited! they do so many fun things and they laugh together and one time they were touching hands during one of those sleepovers while watching a movie and she didn't move her hand away and was smiling! proof!! mabel is confident and never falters in her ways. dippers a bit more apprehensive, I mean, somebody's gotta be nervous about the situation at hand. but Mabel doesn't pay him much mind. shes totally got this. she makes fun of dippers nerves and implies that he's just jealous cause Paz likes her and not him. he flatly tells her that that's not the case. She spends the entire time between the invitation and the actual party, around two days or so, picking the perfect outfit. something that says romance and love is in the air. but not the sweater that literally says those things. there's gotta be subtlety,  Mabel is a romance expert after all. mabel ends up making a new sweater for the occasion. some pretty hearts in a multitude array of pinks and reds on a purple base. a pale lavender skirt excellently compliments the sweater while the headband with similar colors of the outfit adorns her head with a pretty flower stitched into it. add some hoop earrings and some nice purply makeup with glitter of course and now Mabel has the perfect outfit! yay!! mabel cant sit still and if she tries shes back up on her feet in less than a second on the day of the party. mainly its Mabel excitedly rambling about everything that she wants to do and everything she hopes Pacifica will have at the party. dipper is amused stating that there probably wont be a petting zoo. mabel wants a bounce house, hopes that Grunkle Stan will be providing illegal fireworks, a concert, a full-blown festival, complete with funnel cake and deep-fried cookie dough and so many different goodies. mabel keeps building up her fantasy until dipper finally has to cut in saying that she shouldn't hype up Pacifica's party so much otherwise it'll just be a disappointment when they get to the real thing. mabel assures dipper that no matter what happens Mabel will love whatever Pacifica cooks up. Cause its Pacifica and she's amazing. Dipper is still worried about the confessing thing and is worried that Mabel's heart will be broken. but more than anything he's getting annoyed at how restless Mabel is. there's still a few more hours until the party, calm down! ugh, if only time would move faster! what would Mabel give to jump cut right to where she wants to be? so they're at the party now arriving with the whole family. Thanks driver Soos. The cars have been parked and Mabel practically ran up to the house. Did I say practically? i meant actually. mabel flings open the doors and the party is looking pretty fantastic. everybody is having fun and the atmosphere is somewhat extravagant. a weird clash of formal with a hootenanny. butlers are serving while loud pop music plays. people attire is inconsistent, ranging from casual to ballroom. everybody's having a good time, and as much as Mabel loves that its kind of difficult to care cause the only thing on her mind is finding Paz. Mcgucket walks up and greets her welcoming her to the party. mabel says a quick hello but is distracted looking for Paz. she doesn't spot her so she wanders around looking for her offering an absentminded farewell to Mcgucket. Mcgucket looks slightly confused but shrugs his shoulders and turns back to greet the rest of the pines. mabel hears her name be called out and as it turns out its candy and Grenda. they're having a great time too enjoying the nonsense of it all. dipper catches up with Mabel and he and Mabel's friends greet each other. mabel asks if they've seen Pacifica yet. mabel hears a 'Mabel, I'm so glad you came!' Mabel turns around and gasps. there is Paz looking drop-dead gorgeous (at least in Mabel's eyes) they are both in awe of each other. pacifica thinking Mabel plays everything so cool and casual. shes so real. paz tried looking beautiful cause tonights the night shes gonna woo Mabel and get her to be her girlfriend, but now she knows that she should have just kept things simple. is it too late to change clothes? mabel looks at Paz and sees a stunning and beautiful woman. shes so confident and rocks that look. she looks so mature and pretty that Mabel feels her heart skip a beat. there's no way that Mabel's usual sweater skirt combo could ever impress like Paz does. this cant be impressive to her. (also Pacifica has a fancy cigarette thingy so there's that) is it too late to change? dipper looks between the two girls with a somewhat blank look and lets out a sigh of relief, completely unnoticed by either of them as they're to busy staring at each other. dipper was worried for nothing and everything will turn out just fine. 'i'll just be heading to get some snacks' dipper makes lots of motions trying to get the point across to his sister, but she's in her own world and doesn't notice. dipper gives up trying to get his sisters attention and just leaves. Mabel friends catch on to whats happening as well and join dipper telling Mabel good luck and give her general votes of confidence. paz is the first to break the silence. shes got a lot of fun things planned for Mabel and they cant just spend the entire night looking into each other's eyes, although that wouldn't be such a bad thing. but Paz is gonna woo Mabel so shes got the perfect date set up. pacifica lists the things that she got planned for the night and asks Mabel what she wants to do first. (bouncy castle, petting zoo, movies, eat, smaller fireworks and sparklers, and a cannon). no way, how did Paz know that it was Mabel's dream to be shot out of a cannon. paz laughs and said that she had a hunch. the fireworks don't start until 8 and its 5(?) now so there's plenty of time to do some fun stuff. mabel states that the best should be saved for last. dreams can only come true once. Mabel states that the bouncy house is a first must so they head over to the bouncy castle and the moment it comes into Mabel's sight she squeals, grabs Paz's hand and runs over to it. paz is laughing as the climb inside and they bounce around and have a fun time. c: luckily enough Paz's dress allows for easy leg movement so there's not much of any trouble. the bounce a little bit too close to each other and end up crashing into one another and they land with Mabel on top of Paz. they're silent for a moment looking into each other's eyes blushing and then Mabel bursts into laughter. she gets up and lends Paz a hand letting her up as well. its so easy being around Mabel, awkward moments just dissolve. paz starts laughing too. mabel now wants to see the animals while there's still a semblance of sunlight. there's horses, goats, pigs, chickens, rabbits, basically just a bunch of farm animals. mabel coos over the ducklings and a few of them imprint on her. mabel believes that the pigs here could have made good friends with waddles and is sad they probably wont meet. pacifica says that she can do her best to keep the animals around til tomorrow and Mabel hugs Paz cause would you really do that for me? paz blushes and glances away. mabel  is too bright to look at and she says of course she'd do that for her. mabel hugs tighter and jumps up and down shouting about how thankful she is. and then she lets Paz go and goes back to play with the animals. paz sighs affectionately. Mabel's the cutest and everything she prepared today was totally worth it to see Mabel this happy and excited. as Mabel plays around with the chickens some more she glances over at Paz and sees her smiling at her. she waves a little and as Mabel waves back she realizes that Paz is doing so many nice things for her and Mabel's hardly done anything for her! she then heads back to Paz doing her best to shush off the ducklings. she asks Paz what she wants to do now and she says that she wants to do whatever Mabel wants to do. mabel harrumphs and says that she wants to do what Paz wants to do. pacifica hides a smile behind her hand because Mabel is just too cute with her cheeks puffed up and a pout on her face. paz then gives in and mentions that she saw tacos back at the food tables and she could really go for a taco right now. Mabel's face lights up and she says 'well, what are we waiting for?' she grabs Paz by the arm and half drags Paz back into the mansion. mabel then remembers that she's supposed to be setting a romantic mood so she slows down and lessens her grip on Paz's arm. her hand slides down and not so subtly holds Paz's hand. both of the girls are smiling as they walk into the house. mabel shyly glances at Paz to see what her reaction is and Paz is smiling too cutely, and Paz notices Mabel and her smile grows even wider. Mabel's heart skips a beat again and her face blushes. who gave Paz the right to be this pretty and cute and beautiful? cause Mabel really needs to thank them. they reach the food tables and they grab a couple of tacos. mabel is disappointed to let go of Paz's hand. as they munch on their food Mabel feels that she cant just not put the moves onto Pacifica, I mean, what else is she here for? (besides the fun party and friends and food and fireworks and plenty of other f-words of course) Your eyes are blue, like the ocean. And baby, I’m lost at sea. nailed it. pacifica chokes on her taco in shock. she wasn't expecting Mabel to say something that suspiciously sounded like a pick up line. mabel worriedly pats Pacifica's back helping her swallow the food. woah, easy, you're not allowed to head back to heaven yet. paz snorts and then quickly tries to cover it up by laughing more dignifiedly, but its too late, Mabel heard the snort and loves it. Mabel determined to hear it again. mabel sticks her hand onto Paz's forehead and hums. oh jeez, you're looking a little pale. I think you're suffering a lack of vitamin me! paz just blushes and hides her smile behind her hand because is this really happening? is Mabel seriously flirting with her? mabel gets a contemplative look on her face. hey, have you always been this cute or did you have to work at it? pacifica finally breaks down again and starts laughing and snorting again. ah, and Pacifica tried so hard to never snort in front of Mabel, but of course Mabel got it out of her. mabel is nothing short of pleased with herself. paz laughs mostly because she cant believe that Mabel likes her! enough to use cheesy pick up lines at least. this makes everything so much simpler, its such a relief that Mabel likes her, there's no need to worry. paz ends up laughing so much that her stomach hurts. it's getting dark now and Mabel thinks that it'd be fun to set off some fireworks now. pacifica finally settles down and they head on over to an unassuming closet and Paz opens it up to reveal boxes upon boxes of fireworks. pick whatever you want, there's plenty to choose from. mabel gets sparklers and as many different fireworks that she can carry. the head outside sharing the load and excitedly chatter to each other about how much fun they're going to have lighting the fireworks. mostly Mabel being excited but it rubs off on Paz and she can't help but get excited too. so they're outside and Paz lights up another cigarette as the one from before has long since run out. mabel sets up a firework and Paz goes over and uses her cigarette to light it up. Mabel's eyes light up and she wants to do that too. she mentions that to Paz and Paz heads over to the pile of fireworks cause she knows that she saw something in there before and aha! there it is, a sparkler cigar. she sticks into Mabel's mouth and before Mabel can ask for a light Paz with the fancy cigarette thing still in her mouth uses it to light up Mabel's cigar looking directly into Mabel's eyes. she pulls away once its lit and sparkles spill from it. Mabel's face has turned a lovely shade of red from the close proximity between them and the intimacy of the moment. the cigar almost falls from her mouth but she snaps out of it before it does. any small doubts about wondering if Paz actually likes her are diminished and shes more determined than ever to make Paz her girlfriend by the end of the night. but not right now, Mabel's heart is beating too fast and she'd surely stumble over her words right now. the moment needs to be perfect so she says ha cha cha cha, dancing as she backs up. the first firework has already finished its thing so she sets up another one and lights it up with her cigar. they have a great time setting off firework after firework. both far too soon and not soon enough, its gonna turn 8 soon so Paz grabs Mabel's attention and mentions this fact. Mabel's both excited and disappointed but eagerly follows Paz as shes got a special spot just for the 2 of them. the head up a floor and head on out onto the terrace. there's a comfy loveseat set up looking over the forest. mabel and Paz sit down (with Mabel's heart beating faster because she's sitting right next to Paz and this could be the perfect opportunity to confess. paz looks beautiful with the moon lighting up her face and a happy smile on her face) Mabel's about to say something when Paz grabs her hand and holds it leaving Mabel's heart beating even faster and it's absolutely not fair that Paz can render her incapable of functioning just by holding her hand. the fireworks start up and they're beautiful and amazing. mabel glances over at Paz to see her reaction to the fireworks to see Paz looking right back at her for the same reason. they both blush but both keep looking right at each other. the fireworks are ignored for a few moments then they both speak at the same time. 'they're something i-' you first, no you. they both get the feeling they know exactly what the other is going to say. alright, lets say it both at the same time. they both say i like you at the same time. both of their faces light up and they start laughing. their hands hold tighter to each other as they lean into each other laughing. they gather themselves and look at each other grinning like the dorks they are. mabel leans in and Paz picks up on this and leans in herself. the fireworks reflecting off of Paz's face only make her look more pretty. they share a kiss for a few moments and then break it off. they smile at each other with Mabel vibrating for a few moments before she breaks the handholding to bring Paz into a bear hug, shaking her back and forth and shrieking. Mabel so excited, this is the best day of her life! paz keeps on smiling, her plan went off without a hitch. she giggles and bear hugs Mabel back. the keep holding onto each other and continue to watch the fireworks for a minute until Mabel pipes up, hey, you know what I make my sweaters out of? oh my gosh Paz thinks to herself. mabel looks over at Paz with a huge shit eating grin on her face. girlfriend material. pacifica holds back a laugh and hums. she takes a hold of the sleeve of the sweater inspecting it. after looking it over she looks up at Mabel and says that its high quality. mabel smiles wider mentioning that she only uses the best materials. pacifica smiles and goes on to continue the metaphor until she realizes that she doesn't know how to continue it, so she stumbles over her words until she stops talking for a moment before saying that the sweater is really cute and would suit Paz. or would it be that it suits Mabel? paz continues to stumble until Mabel presses a finger against Paz's mouth shushing her. mabel holds Paz's hands again and asks her to be her girlfriend. paz blushes and nods her head saying a simple yes, barely trusting her mouth to not mess it up. Mabel's eyes light up. she knew that Paz would say yes, but actually hearing it is another thing. mabel glomps Pacifica. she has a girlfriend now. a girlfriend that likes her and has kissed her and is hugging her right now!!! this really is the best day of my life, Mabel says in slight awe. paz chuckles and says just as planned. mabel gasps. she knew it. she pouts up at her girlfriend (girlfriend!). pacifica should have got a nice day too. paz hugs Mabel tighter saying that with Mabel by her side smiling like the dork she is making this the best day ever for her too. mabel looks at Paz's face and sees her genuinely smiling and she relaxes at that. but it doesn't stop her from immediately making plans to create the best day ever for Paz too. they sit leaning comfortably into each other watching the fireworks for the rest of the hour.   a grand display of fireworks ends the show and Mabel + Paz rise from the loveseat. the look at each other and lean into each other again for a quick kiss and then head back downstairs to the party holding hands and leaning into each other. they run into dipper first and Mabel excitedly shouts out fo him waving her free hand. dipper looks over with half a hot dog in his mouth. he waves back and they meet up. mabel excitedly holds Paz's hand tighter and says 'you will not guess what happened!' 'you and Pacifica are girlfriends now?' 'no, me and Paz are-' Mabel excited face changes to a pout. 'you weren't supposed to guess that' Paz laughs at her cute girlfriends (girlfriends!) expression. 'congrats' dipper says as he shoves the rest of the hotdog into his mouth. candy and Grenda wander over noticing Paz and Mabel holding hands. Mabel expression becomes excited again. 'guess what?' 'you and Pacifica finally confessed? congratulations!' candy says with a smile on her face. Grenda smiles along and says 'it's about time you two got together'. Mabel's pout returns twofold. how is she supposed to proudly proclaim that shes got a girlfriend if everybody keeps beating her to the punch? Mabel's looks around and spots Soos. she drags Paz behind her and shouts out 'hey Soos! guess what? and don't guess that me and Paz are girlfriends!' 'oh, alright, hmm, you and Pacifica's hands got glued together?' 'no, me and Paz are girlfriends now!' Mabel's has the biggest smile on her face. Paz hides her giggles behind her hand letting her girlfriend have her moment. 'congratulations dudes!' Mabel then spots lazy eyed Susan and runs over showing off her hand that's holding Paz's. 'guess what? Me and Paz are girlfriends now!' 'oh wow, I'm so happy for you dears!' Mabel then runs around to everybody that she recognizes shouting about how shes got a girlfriend. Paz laughs freely as she rushes to catch up with her girlfriend's hasty steps. 'you know, you don't need to do this, right?' mabel stops and looks at Paz. 'i know, ' Mabel grabs Paz's hand with both of her and looks deeply into her eyes with the most serious expression Paz has ever seen. 'i want to' Paz cant help but laugh. 'i cant argue with that' Mabel grins again and they go back to shouting about how they're girlfriends, Paz included. everybody's happy for them, though perhaps a little annoyed since they cant hear the music over their shouting. after everybody at the party is thoroughly aware that Mabel and Pacifica are girlfriends they head off to the side of the room and laugh amongst themselves. tonight was perfect, and Mabel wouldn't have it any other way. paz smirks in a sultry way and asks, you know what would be a perfect end to a perfect party? Mabel's grin drops and that lovely shade of red is back. w-what? she breathily asks. pacifica smile grows and leans in closer and whispers, getting shot out of a cannon. mabel gasps. that would be an excellent way to end a perfect night! mabel grasps Paz's shoulders jumping up and down. oh my gosh, can we do that right now? can we, can we? Paz quickly kisses Mabel's nose and says, of course. mabel stops jumping and blushes again. mabel has to learn how Paz makes the world stop briefly just by kissing her. perhaps shes dabbled in magic?mabel gets distracted from Paz's supposed witchiness by spotting dipper. she gasps, DIPPER! she waves him like mad, IM GONNA GET SHOT OUT OF A CANNON! YOU WANT TO JOIN ME? dipper chokes out a what? says excuse me to Stanford maybe? and then runs after Mabel and Paz. that cant be safe. when dipper catches up they've already reached outside. what is this about getting shot out of a cannon? mabel, you cant be serious. pacifica, tell me she's joking. paz looks back and smirks. dipper pales and turns back to Mabel. mabel, this has to be the most ridiculously dangerous thing you've ever stupidly tried to do. dipper walks in front of them. I'm sorry but I can't allow this. mabel and Paz stop in their steps while Mabel pouts. cmon dipper, you know that its been my dream since forever to get shot out of a cannon. mabel, its also your dream to break the world record for amount of candy canes that can be shoved into a mouth, no. mabel states i just need to learn how to dislocate my jaw. but that's different, this is different dipper! how often can somebody say that they got shot out of a cannon? dipper frowns. i cant let you do this. i mean, what if you break your neck? what then?! waving his hands about. paz says i made certain that everything's safely set up. i hired a professional. you, dipper points at Paz, stop enabling her. Paz's smile never lets up, much to dippers annoyance. mabel grabs dipper pointed hand with hers and puts on her best animal cooing voice. hey hey hey, don't worry, everything's going to be fine. mabel starts petting his hand while dipper looks even more irritated and a little insulted. noticing her brothers anger she throws being gentle and kind out the window. she throws her head back and groans, oh come ooooon dipper, quit being such a stick in the mud! look, how bout this, Mabel slings her arm around dippers shoulders, why don't you join me? we can get shot out of a cannon together! wouldn't that be fun? dipper looks unconvinced. come on, we'd be, cannonball mystery twins. mabel waves her hand as she comes up with the stupid name on the spot. I don't know.., I just don't think that this is such a good idea. mabel holds dipper hands in her own and puts on her best puppy dog that got kicked expression. dipper gives in, not because he's convinced but because Mabel gonna pursue this no matter what he says. he lets out a defeated sigh. Mabel's face immediately lights up and she squeals and bear hugs her brother. thanking him incessantly. mabel lets go of dipper and holds his hand up above their heads. CANNONBALL MYSTERY TWINS FOREVER!! dippers mutters a please don't call us that. paz chuckles at the display. paz leads them both to the cannons location. a huge cannon attached to a truck is set up in the huge yard. mayer cutebiker is there taking off a helmet exclaiming about how fun rushing through the air was. just hearing this hypes Mabel up even more if that's possible. Mabel's starts running letting go of dippers hand. she runs around the truck taking in the sight of the cannon from all angles while ooohing and aaahing. paz walks up to the cannon expert and talks for a bit while dipper hangs back looking apprehensive. dipper does not like the idea of being shot through the air with nothing but some flimsy air filled bag at the end to catch them. dipper remembers what it feels like to fall off a cliff with the wind biting into your face so forgive him if he doesn't think that getting shot out of a cannon would be a fun thing to do. mabel notices her brothers discomfort and goes over and wraps her arm around his shoulder. come on dipper, we'll do this, you and me, together. and my grappling hook. she holds up her trusty grappling hook and smiles brightly, so much so that dipper can't help but be suckered in by Mabel's confidence. yeah, with Mabel by his side everything would be fine. paz heads back towards them carrying a couple of helmets and goggles. she says that the professional is ready for them. Mabel's squeals once more and rushes to put on the goggles and helmet. dippers much slower and Mabel's starts jittering in impatience. he finally tightens the helmet but before Mabel can drag him to the pro cannon guy Pacifica whirls Mabel around and gives her another quick kiss. good luck and have fun. mabel blushes and in a voice higher than her own squeaks out a thank you. she turns and runs to the cannon guy before she changed her mind and decided that kissing Pacifica would be a better way to spend the night. focus Mabel! dippers already getting prepped by the professional. the guy gives them instructions about proper human cannonball safety which Mabel and dipper seriously listen to. then finally after learning all they needed to, they're set into the cannon. it gets lifted up towards the sky. Mabel's shaking with anticipation while hugging dipper. dippers shaking because of nerves. is it too late to not be shot out of a cannon? outside Pacifica asks if she can do the honors and after given permission lights the fuse with her cigarette. she stands back smiling as the fuse gets shorter and shorter before finally BANG! mabel and dipper are shot out at blinding speeds. Mabel's shouts out in exuberation while dipper screams in fear. they blast into the night sky as Pacifica looks on contently. shes so glad she successfully made the best night ever for Mabel but privately agrees with dipper sentiment about getting shot out of a cannon. she chuckles to herself thinking about how much Mabel would probably want to get shot out of the cannon again as she treks over to where the twins would land.

here’s the first draft, or would this be more of a quick notes sort of thing? a combination of the two? I’m uncertain as I’m not familiar with writing terms, but currently this thing is at 4,962 words and I get the feeling that once I properly write out this entire thing it could easily extend to twice that length. perhaps even longer, maybe. idk i dont write that often. but tell me what you think, if i should change anything or add something else. 

oh, and maybe you could suggest a name or something? im terrible at naming things and the best i got going on for this is a really nice night. im not even joking I dont know what else to call this. a night to remember? the best 4th of July party ever? Mabel gets a girlfriend? idk, i suck at this