#Stan arrives at the school before Ford and falls in with a bad crowd that acts as a negative influence

[thelastspeecher]

Uhhhh I couldn't think of a title, but here's the scene I've been working on in my Pollution Powers AU. I'd like to write more for it, and while I do have a few scenes in mind to write, let me know if there's anything in particular you have an interest in seeing!

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                 “Stay away from any syringes!” Ma Pines called after Stan and Ford.  The boys waved at her as they raced down the beach.  The day after a storm was the best to go beach combing.  The water and wind tossed up some of the strangest things.

                 “Heck yes!” Stan crowed, coming to a stop by a patch of black sand.  He dropped to his knees to examine it more closely.  Ford, however, walked past, his eye grabbed by a small, oddly shaped object a few feet away.  He picked it up and turned it over in his hands.

                 It’s like a dented cardboard box but made of metal.  Ford frowned.  I’ve never seen anything like this before.  What could it be?  The metal began to grow warm.  It quivered in Ford’s grip, like it was attempting to escape.  Ford’s eyes widened.  He quickly threw it away as hard as he could.  The object landed a foot away, exploding upon contact with the sand.

                 Ford winced.

                 I suppose I’m lucky that thing was wimpier than I am.  Nothing even hit me!  …Right?  Ford quickly looked down at his legs and arms.  Dangit.  At the beach, the glass was as ubiquitous as the sand, and he could see some slivers of classic Glass Shard Beach glass shards poking out of his skin.

                 “Great,” Ford mumbled.  He reached for a larger shard sticking out of his forearm.  Before he could grab it, however, the shard quickly sunk below his skin, leaving no trace behind.  Ford’s jaw dropped.  He poked at the unbroken skin.  It didn’t even hurt.  “Um, Stan?” Ford squeaked out.  Stan, still engrossed in the black sand, didn’t respond.  Ford opened his mouth to try to get Stan’s attention further but was interrupted.

                 “Boys?” Ma Pines shouted.  Stan sprang to his feet as Ma Pines ran up to them.  “Sorry, sweethearts, but the beach is too dirty today for you to play.”  She grabbed each boy and began to lead them back to the car.

                 “The beach is never too dirty,” Stan argued.

                 “Today it is,” Ma Pines said firmly.  Ford looked back at the patch of sand disturbed by the explosive.

                 “I think,” Ford said slowly, “you are correct.”

-----

                 Ford’s eyes snapped open.  The darkness of the room he shared with Stan was a stark contrast to the dream of that day on the beach.  There was a faint dripping sound from somewhere.  Ford dragged his hands down his face.

                 Not this again.  He rolled onto his belly to peer over the side of the bed.  In the dark, he could barely make out liquid dripping from the bottom bunk onto the floor.  Fantastic.  Ford grabbed a cheap magnet off the side of the metal bunk bed and threw it in the general vicinity of the bottom bunk.

                 “Wake up, Stan.  You’re having another fucking wet dream.”  The strange, bubbling snoring from the bottom bunk stopped.

                 “…Whoops,” Stan’s voice said.  His words slurred a bit, as they tended to when he was in his inhuman form.  Ford squinted.  Without his glasses, Stan was blurry, but his twin appeared to be in human form again.  At the very least, the dripping had stopped.

                 The slurring was likely from tiredness.

                 “You’ve been having those a lot lately,” Ford pointed out.  Stan was the one to dub reverting to his oil form while asleep as having a wet dream.  Ford, tickled, went along with it.  “Do you have any theories as to this sudden uptick?”

                 “Uh, Teach thinks it’s ‘cause I’ve been spending so much time in oil form, practicing,” Stan said sleepily.  “My body’s getting used to it as a normal thing or whatever.”

                 “Oh,” Ford said.  He laid back in bed.  “Well, you’ll have to kick that habit before we go back home.  Mom won’t put up with you making that mess every night.”  Stan was silent.  “Did you fall back asleep?”

                 “No.”  The bottom bunk creaked.  “I, uh, I don’t know if I wanna go back home.”  Ford frowned.

                 “What?”

                 “I don’t think I wanna go back home.”

                 “The day I arrived, you were going on and on about how much you miss the boardwalk and beach and…”  Ford shook his head.  “Why don’t you want to return home?”

                 “You saw how everyone reacted when my stupid power showed up,” Stan mumbled.  Ford winced.  Stan’s body had turned to oil in the middle of the school hallway while he was flirting with Carla McCorkle.  Not only did every student nearby begin panicking, but Carla also dumped Stan before he could get out a single word.  “And even when I was able to keep it under wraps enough to work in the shop and go back to school, everyone acted like I had the damn plague!  No matter what, everyone knows what I am.  And they’re never gonna treat me right ever again.”

                 “Rather hypocritical of you,” Ford muttered under his breath.  The bottom bunk creaked again.

                 “What did you say?” Stan snapped.

                 “You’re being rather hypocritical!” Ford snapped back.  “You speak of fearing mistreatment back home, but have no qualms with mistreating people here!  People who are just like us!”

                 “Okay, wanna stop talking like you’re a professor and just tell me what you’re getting at?”

                 “The McGuckets!”

                 “What?  I’ve never done anything to Fiddlesticks.”

                 “That’s a lie,” Ford scoffed.  “Before his sister arrived to be the new punching bag, you constantly talked about how he wasn’t ‘enough of a freak’ to be here.”

                 “His power is mostly being smelly and dirty.  That’s just what happens when you’re on a farm,” Stan said dismissively.  “I didn’t say any of it to his face, anyways.”

                 “That doesn’t mean he didn’t notice,” Ford said.  Stan huffed.  “But I was primarily referring to his younger sister.”

                 “Angie probably doesn’t even have a power,” Stan muttered.

                 “Why would she be here if she didn’t?” Ford pointed out.  “The Gravity Falls School for Contaminated Youth isn’t exactly a prestigious prep school, despite the administration’s best attempts.”  Stan didn’t say anything.  “I know you don’t really think Angie is a normie.”

                 At least, I hope you don’t.

                 “Fine.  Maybe I don’t.  But why hasn’t she used her power in front of everyone?”

                 “Not all powers are one’s default state!  I’ve barely used my power in front of people!  And I can’t imagine that the treatment from you and the company you keep is helping matters.  She’s probably too overwhelmed to even attempt her power in front of everyone.”

                 “Oh, so this is all about me spending time with Jimmy, huh?  You’re just being jealous?”

                 “No, this is about how you insult and degrade some poor girl after spending our entire lives defending me from the same behavior!  Though, to be quite frank, I do think Jimmy’s influence on you has been a major factor in your bullying!”  A familiar feeling spread across Ford’s skin, as though cold slime was slowly being poured onto him.  Ford looked down at his hands.  His skin had turned to glass, revealing the muscles, bones, and organs beneath.

                 Shit.  Not again!  Ford quickly scanned the room for something that he and Stan wouldn’t miss.  His gaze landed on a discarded cardboard box they hadn’t thrown out yet, which their latest care package from Shermie had arrived in.  Good enough.

                 “I don’t-” Stan started furiously.  Before he could get out any other words, the cardboard box exploded, leaving a black charred stain on the carpet.  “Did- did you just-”

                 “You know it happens when I get pissed off,” Ford muttered.  The cold, slimy feeling faded as his skin returned to normal.  Lights turned on in the hallway, followed by the sound of footsteps.  Ford quickly rolled over, facing the wall.  Stan began to emit loud, clearly fake snores.  The door opened, spilling light into the room.  After a few moments, the door closed again.  Ford breathed a sigh of relief.  The guards typically did the bare minimum, as was the case this time.

                 The light in the hallway turned off.  Ford waited for Stan to stop snoring so they could resume their conversation.  However, the cartoonish snoring continued.  Ford scowled.

                 Really?  Pretending to be asleep to avoid talking?  He closed his eyes.  Well, if he wants to be done, then we can be done.

[radioactivedelorean]

Family

Ford leaned against the gates beside his brother. They were currently outside the gates of Wildwood Middle School, Piedmont, waiting to pick Dipper and Mabel up from school. They had arrived in California unannounced. They’d docked the Stan O’ War II over in Emeryville and had been picked up by Dipper and Mabel’s parents. Neither party had told the kids they were coming - it was a surprise. It was roughly two months into the school year and two months since the older Pines twins had first set sail on the Stan O’ War. They had decided to pay the kids a visit. Dipper and Mabel’s father, Jason, had been overjoyed to discover that his supposedly ‘dead’ Uncle Stanley was actually still alive and that Ford was here too. It had been a fairly tearful reunion on both parts - Ford had barely met his nephew before and he’d been elated to finally get to know him properly. The younger twins’ mother, Kristen, was really pleased to meet them too.

“What time did Kristen say the kids finished?” Ford looked over at Stan. “Three, wasn’t it?”

Stan checked his watch. “Yeah, they should have been out by now, surely.”

As if on cue, a loud bell rang out across the school grounds and a minute later kids started filing out, meeting up with their parents and friends and leaving. The older Pines twins scanned the sea of children for any sight of Mabel and/or Dipper. After five minutes, Mabel’s familiar cheery voice could be heard over the crowd. Stan and Ford stayed put, waiting for her to get closer. Mabel walked right past them, barely able to see them beyond the taller kids either side of her. She seemed to be looking for her parents.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Stan called.

Mabel whirled round and gasped. A wide smile instantly spread across her face and she ran towards them. “GRUNKLE STAN! GRUNKLE FORD!” She exclaimed, running up to them and embracing both of them in tight hugs. “What are you doing here?!”

“Well, we were passing California and thought we’d come and visit you.” Ford was beaming, hugging her tightly. “We docked the boat over in Emeryville.”

“We couldn’t resist coming to see you,” Stan grinned, lifting Mabel up and embracing her tightly. The little girl wrapped her arms around his neck, giggling.

“It’s so good to see you too! What’s the boat like? Have you found any monsters? Have you found any treasure?!”

“Relax, pumpkin,” Stan chuckled, setting Mabel back down again. “We’ll explain everything when we get home.”

“You’re staying with us?!” Ford didn’t think it was possible for Mabel’s smile to get any bigger, but he was proved wrong. “Really?!”

“Yep,” Ford grinned. “We’ll be staying in the spare room at your place,”

“How long will you be staying?”

“Dunno,” Stan shrugged. “Until your parents get fed up and kick us out.” He smirked.

Ford laughed. “That could either be in an hour or a month.”

“Dipper’s gonna be so happy to see you guys!” Mabel turned round, scanning the crowd for her twin. “When he eventually gets out.”

Ford stood on the tips of his toes to look over the heads of the parents in the crowd. For a moment, he was looking for the familiar blue and white pine tree cap, but then remembered the boy had traded hats with the ginger Mystery Shack employee (Wendy? Was that her name?) before they had left Gravity Falls. Sure enough, he soon spotted the boy amongst the crowd. “Dipper!”

Dipper perked up as he heard his name being called. He frowned. That couldn’t be who he thought it was, could it? No, they were out on the boat - That was until he saw Grunkle Ford’s head above those of the other parents. “Grunkle Ford!” He rushed forward, shoving kids out of the way.

A split second later, Ford had been tackled by the young boy. He laughed, scooping Dipper up into his arms and hugging him tightly. “Good to see you too!”

Dipper laughed, his deerstalker hat lying lopsided on his head, as he wrapped his arms around Ford. “What are you doing here?”

“We were sailing past California and decided to come and see you.” Ford grinned, putting Dipper down beside his sister. “We’ll be staying at your place for a little while.”

“Really?!” Dipper’s reaction mirrored his sister’s. “Wait… we?”

Stanley laughed. “Hey, where’s my hug?”

“Grunkle Stan!” Dipper ran over to the other man, hugging him equally as tightly. “You’re here too?!”

“Course. What, you thought Ford left me on the boat so he could see you all by himself?” Stan chuckled, hoisting Dipper up into his arms for a better hug. “No way was I staying put on the boat!”

“Come on, you guys!” Mabel grabbed Ford’s hand and started dragging him towards where the car was parked. “Let’s go! I’ve got so much cool stuff to show you!”

Ford laughed and looked over his shoulder at Stanley. “Yeah, Stan, come on! I can’t drive, remember?”

Stanley scoffed and put Dipper down, following his brother and Mabel over to where they’d parked their parents’ car (they’d borrowed the family Volvo). “Only because you forgot how to,”

Ford tried to look indignant, which was kind of difficult with a hyperactive thirteen-year-old clinging to his wrist. “Hey! It’s not my fault I didn’t drive for thirty or so years while I was lost!”

Stanley shoved his brother’s shoulder playfully as he caught up to them, Dipper by his side. “Yeah, I know, Poindexter. Those alien cars were too weird, huh?”

“Do you have any idea how difficult they are to steal - I mean operate?” Ford coughed.

Stanley burst out laughing. “You tried to steal one? My brother, Mr Couldn’t-Even-Take-Free-Samples? Didn’t that Sanchez guy ever lend you his car?”

“A) It was a ship, not a car,” Ford held up a finger. “And B) No, he was always the one driving.”

Stanley rolled his eyes as they got to the car. He climbed into the driver’s side. Ford went to open the passenger side door, but Mabel beat him to it. “I wanna sit up front!”

“No fair!” Dipper protested. “You had shotgun on the way here!”

“Did not. You’re lying,” Mabel stuck her tongue out at him.

“Am not!”

“Are to!”

“Am not!”

“Are to!”

Ford gently pushed Mabel out the way and stood in front of the door to the front passenger seat. “Right, how about I get shotgun privilege, since you can’t decide who gets it?”

“No!” Both of the younger twins cried in unison. “That’s not fair!”

“Grunkle Ford Mabel had it on the way here!” Dipper protested.

Ford shrugged. “Maybe I want to sit in the front seat for a change?”

Stanley was laughing. “Just sit in the front, Mabel.” he chuckled. “But Dipper gets shotgun on the next two trips, okay?”

Mabel stuck her tongue out at Dipper again and climbed into the front seat, dumping her school bag on the floor. “Thanks Grunkle Stan!”

Dipper pouted and got into the driver’s side rear seat. Ford sat next to him and pulled his seatbelt on. “It’s alright Dipper. You get shotgun next turn, anyway.”

Dipper smirked. “Okay,”

Stanley started the car and adjusted the rearview mirror. “Seatbelts on?”

“Yes!” The three passengers said simultaneously.

Stan looked in the mirror at his brother. “Was that really necessary?”

Ford crossed his arms, a smug grin on his face. “Yep, now would you just drive?”

Stanley rolled his eyes and put the car into gear before pulling out into the road and heading back towards the kids’ house. Ford leaned back in the seat, one arm around Dipper’s shoulders. Dipper leaned against him. “So,” Dipper said. “What’s the boat like?”

“It’s not bad, actually,” Stan said. “McGucket helped us with a lot of the construction, so as you can imagine it’s got a lot of tech built into it. He somehow managed to invent and then integrate a filtration system that filters all the crud and salt out of the seawater and then even heats it so we can have a functioning shower and taps and everything. That way we don’t have to make frequent stops at ports to have the water tanks refreshed.”

“He also hooked up fully functional solar panels so we could have a constant source of power,” Ford added. “He’s found a way to use the panels to charge a main battery in the boat so that we have power during rainy days too. There are several backup batteries on board too.”

“He even managed to set up a system so that we could have constant phone and internet signal.” Stan said. “The man’s a genius.”

“So you can, like, watch TV and stuff while you’re on the boat?” Dipper grinned. “That’s awesome.”

“Well, no, on account of the fact that we don’t have a television on board,” Ford pointed out. “As much as Stanley wanted to have one, it would use far too much power. We each have a laptop, though, and plenty of books.”

“What! No TV?” Mabel gasped. “How on Earth can you manage without TV?”

Ford laughed. “That’s what Stanley said, but he’s been just fine so far.”

“So far,” Stan emphasised. “Trust me, I’m slowly going insane on that boat what with Ford’s incessant rambling.”

“I do not ramble!” Ford said indignantly. “I have perfectly meaningful conversations with myself!”

“First sign of madness - talking to yourself.” Stan pointed out. “Face it, Poindexter, you’re losing it.”

Ford laughed. “Of course I’m insane if I spent the last two months stuck on a boat with you.”

Stanley glared in the mirror at his brother, only causing Ford to laugh again. “You know I can still throw you overboard in your sleep.”

“I can swim,” Ford crossed his arms. “Plus, I know you wouldn’t throw me over.”

“Could we see the boat?” Mabel asked. “It sounds really cool!”

“Of course! We could take you down after dinner, if you wanted,” Stan offered as he pulled into the driveway. The kids immediately jumped out and ran up to the front door. Ford climbed out, soon followed by his brother. Stanley locked the car and followed the kids up to the front door. Dipper unlocked the door and let them in.

“Mom! Dad! We’re home!” He called.

“Why didn’t you tell us Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford would be here?!” Mabel demanded as her mother came out of the kitchen.

Kristen laughed. “It was meant to be a surprise! They arrived a couple of hours ago.”

Mabel turned and glared at Stan, smirking slightly. “So you told them you were coming but you didn’t tell us?!”

Stan put his hands up in defence, grinning. “Hey, you were happy to see us, weren’t you?”

There was a snort from the kitchen before a small pink blur knocked Stan over and started licking his face. The man laughed and lifted the pig off his chest. “Good to see you too Waddles.”

Ford knelt down and gave the pig an affection scratch behind the ear. Waddles snorted happily before trotting off into the living room. Ford stood back up straight and looked at Kristen. “So you weren’t particularly against having a pig in the house?”

“No, he’s surprisingly well trained,” Kristen looked to where the pig was settling down into a small dog bed. “No mess and he barely leaves hair anywhere.”

Dipper grabbed Ford’s hand and started dragging him towards the stairs. “C’mon Grunkle Ford you gotta see our bedroom!”

“Hold on Dipper,” Ford laughed. “Let me take my shoes off first.” Dipper waited all of thirty seconds while Ford removed his shoes before dragging him up the stairs again. Mabel dragged Stan upstairs too. The kids showed Stan and Ford all their schoolwork, pictures, projects and everything they’d been doing since they left Gravity Falls. Dipper showed Ford a journal he’d been writing in, similar to Ford’s own journals, and Mabel showed Stan all the new sweaters she’d knitted. She presented both of her grunkles with a new sweater each. Ford’s was a deep navy blue with a golden six-fingered hand embroidered on the front. Stan’s was dark red with his ‘Order of the Holy Mackerel’ logo on the front.

At about five o’clock, Kristen called up the stairs. “Dinner’s ready!”

Mabel and Dipper instantly dropped whatever they had been holding and rushed downstairs. Ford and Stan followed them. They sat down at the large dining table in the kitchen just as Kristen was setting down plates of lasagne portions in front of the kids. She gave another plate each to Stan, Ford and her husband before taking her own and sitting down.

“So,” Kristen started. “What sort of things do you eat on the boat?”

“Dried and canned things, mostly,” Ford said. “We’ve got a freezer on board, so we can have frozen meat, veg and fish too, but nothing anywhere near as good as this,” he placed a forkful of lasagna in his mouth.

Stan was wolfing down his food at a rapid pace and nodded. Ford whacked his shoulder. “Stan! Eat properly, not like a pig!”

Waddles gave an indignant snort, causing the family to chuckle. Stan swallowed. “I’m not that bad!”

“At least chew your food, don’t inhale it.” Ford rolled his eyes and kept eating. He looked across the table at the kids. “How was school?”

Dipper seemed to go quiet as Mabel instantly burst into a speech about everything she’d done. “Well, first off in Chemistry we got to make crystals, then in Biology we dissected a kidney, then in Art we got to draw any creature we wanted - I drew Waddles, obviously, and Dipper drew a gnome - then in English we had to write a short story, then in -”

Ford seemed to zone out to what Mabel was saying, more focused on Dipper. The boy had his hands folded in his lap and his head was down, his dinner sitting on the table forgotten. He kept clenching his eyes shut and wiping them with the back of his hand. Ford cleared his throat and put his fork down. “Dipper? How was your day?”

Dipper seemed startled by the question, rubbing his eyes furiously. “Oh, it was… it was fine. Kind of boring, really,”

Ford frowned as the boy kept eating, albeit slowly. He decided not to press the issue any further at the dinner table. Mabel was still excitedly telling her parents all about the story she had written in English. Once they had all finished eating and the kids were excused from the table, Dipper went straight back upstairs. Ford heard him slam the bedroom door shut. Mabel, however, frowned and went into the living room and began watching TV. Waddles trotted after her and sat on the floor in front of the couch.

Ford rose from the table. “Excuse me a moment,” he said, tucking his chair in and heading upstairs to the kids’ room. He knocked on the door gently. “Dipper?”

Ford heard sniffling from behind the door, before a quiet “Come in,” was heard. The man turned the doorknob and let himself in. Dipper was sat on his bed cross-legged and wiping his eyes. Ford closed the door quietly behind him and sat beside the boy.

“Care to tell me what’s wrong?”

Dipper stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. “.. have you ever felt like no matter what, people are still really mean to you, even if they don’t know you?”

Ford bit his lip and weighed his options. He could approach this question in several different ways. He could ask why Dipper felt this way, give a quick laugh and assure the boy that he had, or reassure Dipper that he was a perfectly wonderful young man who didn’t deserve the treatment he was getting. He opted for the straightforward answer. “Yes, unfortunately these -” He held up his hands and moved his extra fingers “- meant that, without even getting to know me first, my classmates treated me horribly.”

Dipper nodded, quietly avoiding Ford’s concerned gaze. He wrung his hands in his lap, biting his lip nervously. “Right… should have guessed that…”

Ford laid a hand on Dipper’s shoulder gently. “Trouble with kids at school?”

The boy nodded, tears stinging his eyes again. “Yeah, they keep picking on me, and calling me mean names,”

“Can I ask what?” Ford asked gently.

“Dipshit, dipstick, starboy and… uh…” Dipper bit his lip harder, almost enough to draw blood. “Freak,”

Ford felt an icy chill go down his spine. He was more than used to hearing others call himself a freak, but to learn that Dipper was also on the receiving end of such insults was sickening. His grip on the boy’s shoulder tightened momentarily. He loosened his grip, pulling Dipper closer to sit in his lap. He shuffled back on the bed, sitting up against the wall. “Di - Mason, can I tell you something?”

Dipper, still unused to hearing his real name from anyone other than his parents, took a moment to answer. “Yeah,”

Ford swallowed and took a deep breath. “When I was growing up, between the ages of four and eighteen, I had a similar experience to yourself. People took one look at my hands and decided that, as I was different, I should be punished. At every opportunity, I was insulted, shouted at, shoved, punched, kicked, beaten and I was frequently the primary target in food fights. After a while, I’d had enough” He held his left hand out in front of Dipper. “See that scar?”

Dipper held Ford’s hand in both of his own, looking at the thin scar running across the knuckle of his sixth finger. “Yeah,”

Ford took another deep breath. “I was fifteen when I did that. I locked myself in the bathroom one evening with a knife and attempted to remove my finger. I thought that maybe, if I got rid of the extra fingers, I could be normal. People would stop picking on me and I could finally get along with my peers.” His hand was shaking slightly, his voice beginning to crack. The memory was still painful. “I was a fool, and if hadn’t been for Stanley, I would have succeeded. He broke the door down and brought me straight to a hospital. He made it absolutely clear to me that removing my extra fingers was not the solution. It took me thirty years drifting through all sorts of interdimensional horror to realise that.”

Dipper was quiet, his mind processing everything that Ford had said. He hadn’t expected his great uncle to confess something like that. His thumb ran absentmindedly back and forth across Ford’s scar. “I sometimes wear make-up,” he eventually said. “To cover up my birthmark. I use Mom’s foundation. That’s why I always used to wear my pine tree hat, ‘cause it pushed my hair down over my forehead so nobody would see it.” The boy turned around so he was sitting facing Ford. “I don’t like wearing makeup, but it’s the only thing that stops them laughing at me. They laugh at me for wearing makeup, too,”

Ford sighed quietly, pulling Dipper into a hug. He laid his chin on top of Dipper’s head. “It’s tough,” he said quietly. “Especially when it’s not something like a person’s weight, which can be altered with some effort.”

He felt Dipper tremble in his arms and felt something wet seeping into the top of his shirt. He stroked Dipper’s back gently. “It’s okay… shh… it’s okay…”

Dipper laid his cheek against Ford’s chest, listening to his heartbeat. Ford lifted his sleeve to dry the boy’s tears. Ford ran all six of his fingers through his nephew’s hair soothingly. “It’s going to be alright, Mason. I know your classmates’ behaviour may tell you otherwise, but the biggest supporter of you is yourself.” He kissed the top of Dipper’s head gently. “You’ve always got Mabel too. You’ve always got your twin by your side, which is more than can be said for some people.”

Dipper nodded, wiping his nose on a tissue. “Yeah, I guess. She’s got so many friends, though. I don’t want to be a burden on her.”

Ford squeezed Dipper’s hand. “I felt the same way when I was at school. My brother had the potential to have a lot of friends, but he constantly spent his time keeping bullies away from me. He could have been very popular if it hadn’t been for the fact that he was protecting me. But let me tell you something: he wouldn’t change his actions for the world. You can ask him - he doesn’t regret any of it. I’m sure Mabel would be more than happy to spend time with you.”

Dipper smiled. “Thanks, Grunkle Ford.”

Ford smiled. He turned Dipper round to face him. “Besides, I’m sure you remember some of those curses from the journals. If people continue to give you trouble, have at it.”

Dipper laughed and hugged his uncle. “Thanks Grunkle Ford, seriously.”

Ford hugged him back and ruffled his hair. “No problem. Now, what do you say we got and get some ice cream from the parlour down the road?”

Dipper smiled and got to his feet, pulling Ford up off the bed. “Sure.”

——

Forduary Week 4: Family

[amydiddle-fanfiction]

The Gift of Memories

@fiddleford-appreciation-month Week 2: Memories (UNEDITED) A SUMMER OUT OF JERSEY: YEARS AFTER (relativity falls)

Today marks a day that has been a long time coming. Years after Mabel saved Dipper from the portal, stopped Bill from taking over Gravity Falls, and the twins were taken into their Great Aunt’s home in Senior Year. After Ford and Fidds went off to West Coast Tech to study their hearts out, graduated top of their class, and begun their own investigation on the paranormal.

It has finally happened. Stanford and Fiddleford’s wedding has finally arrived and with the wedding comes the Best Man Speech and Stanley has something special lined up for the two nerds he holds the closest to his heart.  Ao3

Fiddleford could not wipe the smile off his face if he tried. This was the day that he had thought never would come. The slowly warming metal on his finger and the matching pair on Stanford’s told him that this was very much not a dream and very real. He had just married Stanford Pines.

“Something on your mind?” Stanford whispered into his ear and made the other man jump.

Fidds laughed it off and pulled him into a kiss, “Nothing but the happiness that this really happened, darling.”

Stanford smiled into the quick peck and grinned at him brightly. The only thing stopping him from going in for another kiss was the sound of glass being tapped on that was coming from his right.

The pair turned their head as the room’s chatter slowly was killed by the soft clink. Only when all the sound had been quenched did the source of the clinking noise stop and fix his tie. Stanley Pines smiled at everyone from the other side of his twin and then down at the two at his side.

“Thanks for coming everyone, this has been a very emotional day. I mean, even the cake is in tiers.”

Fiddleford snorted at the terrible joke while Stanford gave a deep sigh and shook his head. Around the room the response was pretty much the same; a few people laughed while others groaned. Mabel cracked up laughing at the front and clapped.

“Thanks,” Stan chuckled, “I worked hard on that pun but this isn’t about my tasteful jokes. Today is the day I have been waiting for since me and my nerdy bro turned thirteen.”

Stan looked at the two sitting next to him and smiled.

“Today my brother and my best friend tied and knot and I could not be happier,” The man chocked out. His eyes getting that misty look like when he was about to cry.

The man took a breath and looked back at the crowd.

“I know this is supposed to be me talking to you about funny stories about these two and all this stuff but,” Stan grinned and pulled out a little remote from his pocket, “I think it is better if I showed you all.”

In the back of the room, Carla McCorkle gave his boyfriend the thumbs up and hit the lights while a few screens lowered behind the main table.

“What is going on?” Fidds asked as he looked at the screens behind them.

“Stanley?”

“This is my present to ya both,” Stan said with a grin, “I’d turn your chairs around.”

The newlyweds looked at each other confused before doing what they were told and facing the screens.

As soon as the two were settled Stan hit a button on his remote and stepped away from the main table and a video began to play. Fiddleford gasped a little as the image of a familiar twelve-year-old boy appeared on the screen.

Stanford Pines was laying with his head over the end of a bunk bed. His glasses were slowly starting to slide off his face but the child did not seem to care with his eyes stuck to the video game in his hands.

“You excited to head to Gravity Falls?” A voice belonging to the camera owner asked the young child on the screen.

“I guess,” The child said with a shrug, “I don’t see why we have to be over there for our birthday.”

“Oh, come on, Sixer. This will be an adventure and who knows…maybe we will find you a girlfriend!”

The younger Stanford snorted and pushed the camera that had gotten way too close to his face away.

“Yeah right. Like anyone would want me as a partner.”

The video faded out and changed to a familiar attic room. It was covered in streamers and a few slices of abandoned cake were on plates on the floor. A young Stanley’s braces filled smile filled up most of the screen suddenly and made many people around the room laugh.

“Okay,” The Stan on the screen whispered, “So, today was our thirteenth birthday Sixer. I know, if you ever see this, you will probably kill me but…”

The young Stan looked across the attic room, out of the camera’s range. The smile on his face turned from mischievous to one of affection. The boy looked back at the screen and flipped the camera back around to show the forms of two sleeping people.

A younger Stanford and Fiddleford were sleeping soundly on the other bed in the room. Both children still had on their clothes that they had been dressed in for the party and were snuggling close.

“I had to capture this, Ford. You look so happy,” the younger Stan laughed behind the camera, “I mean, who knows, maybe I will just delete this later.”

Fiddleford felt his eyes get all misty as that video faded out slowly and pictures started to fill the screen. A hand on his shoulder pulled him back to the reality of sitting there at his wedding that all those memories playing on the screen had led up to. Stanford smiled at him with a teary-eyed expression and gently pulled him close.

A vide showed up again and the expression on the younger Fiddleford’s face made the man watching the screen groan. He knew this clip all too well from trying to edit it out of Stanley’s guide entirely.

The thirteen-year-old Fidds was sitting on a stump by the forest and watching something just off-screen.

“So, Fiddlenerd, what’s your favorite color?” Stan’s voice said from behind the camera.

“Ford,” the teen on the screen hummed with a love-sick smile on his face making the people watching the video laugh and Stanford pull his husband closer when the man hid his face in his arm.

The child on the screen’s smile dropped quickly as he became aware of the real question.

“Wait, what was the question again?”

The younger Stan giggled behind the camera, “Oh nothing, I got what I needed.”

“Stanley, what did you ask me? A-are you recording?”

The boy behind the camera giggled and the camera pointed and looked over at the boy Fidds had been staring at. The younger Ford was unaware of his best friend’s affections and was trying his best to capture a gnome.

The video faded out just as Fidds jumped Stanley and the camera fell to the ground.

The video went on with pictures and secretly recorded video chat segments that neither groom had been aware of but were happy to see. A few laughs were given when Stanford fell asleep at his desk while talking to Fiddleford; the giggles changes to ‘awes’ when the, then sixteen, Fidds gently smiled at the sleeping man and said ‘I love you’ before letting the call end.

The full video ended on a clip from Stan’s home High School graduation video. The teen had the camera bouncing around the shack before landing on Ford and Fidds who were hugging tight in the Shack’s hallway.

“Give us a kiss for the camera.”

The teenagers on the screen looked at each other curiously. With a smirk, the Fidds on the screen pulled Ford in for a kiss and Stan laughed in victory behind off screen. The wedding party cheered as well as the cheesy heart transition appeared on the screen when Ford dipped his, at the time boyfriend, and shoved a hand at the camera lenses. The screen went dark and the video ended.

The crowd clapped as the screens went up and the lights came back on. Fiddleford and Stanford did their best to regain themselves and wipe away the tears before they were noticed.

“I am bad with words but watching my brother and Fidds slowly grow up together and just fall more and more in love,” Stan said slowly as he wiped his eyes subtly, “It is something a brother can only dream of.”

Stanley looked at the two of them and smiled, “And, I mean it when I say, you two couldn’t have done better. Let the memories of the past be the building blocks of this marriage and let the future create more…or something cheesy like that.”

Stanley held up his glass and the rest of the wedding party did so as well.

“To these nerds and the happy future they are about to go into as husbands.”

The guest cheered.

Stanford and Fidds stood up and pulled Stanley into a hug.

“We are gonna have to talk to you about how it is wrong to record video calls,” Fiddleford whispered into Stanley ear with a laugh.

“Aw, come on, Fidds. You know you were happy I did.”

Fiddleford laughed and patted Stanley’s face as he released him from the hug. 

“Yeah…still doesn’t make it ethical.” 

“Since when as Stanley been ethical?” Stanford asked. 

Fiddleford just rolled his eyes but had to agree with that. Stanley Pines was never ethical but he did have a big heart. That was the best present he could ever get from one of his most favorite people on the best day of his life.

[enigmatist17]

Long Time (Pines Family)

I had a good starting idea, but then it just kinda...I dunno, I hate it but I worked on this for a bit so here ya go I guess.

“GRUNKLE FORD! GRUNKLE STAN!” Mabel’s scream echoed throughout the courtyard of her school, everyone turning to watch the pink blur race over to two ratty-looking old men who caught her with grins so big they could be seen by everyone. The excited 13-year old was chattering a mile a minute as one of the men kneeled down to her height, a grin on his face as he responded to her numerous questions without skipping a beat. The other man watched in amusement, perking up when he heard some sounds nearby that sounded slightly off, Stan and Mabel not realizing he was wandering off. “Not gonna fight back anymore Dipstick?” A taunting voice sneered, Ford poking his head around a corner to see four boys surrounding a person on their hands and knees. His blood ran cold when he recognized the familiar brown hair, Dipper slowly looking up with blood running from his nose and busted lip. He grunted moments later when one kid kicked his side, recoiling from that direction in a feeble attempt to avoid a second hit, only it never came. Slowly looking up Dipper’s eyes went wide when he saw his grunkle Ford was holding one of the boys hand, his expression dark as he looked at the preteens who looked nervous at this very tall man in front of them. “Is there a problem here children?” His tone was cold as ice, the boys hurriedly shaking their heads as he advanced a step closer. “Then I would suggest you leave. Now.” No further prompt was needed as the group ran as fast as they could, Dipper slowly sitting up as Ford knelt by his side with a look of concern. “Dipper, are you alright my boy? Is your nose broken?” Ford was alarmed by the blood dripping from his nephew’s nose, digging through his pockets to pull out a handkerchief that Dipper took gratefully. “Sorry about the blood Grunkle Ford, and no its not broken this time. I just bleed really easily.” He explained with a wince, watching as Ford collected his bookbag and the scattered notebooks all around the alley, the last book he picked up being the journal Ford had helped him make. “This time? How many times has this happened?!” Ford asked, his rage barely repressed as Dipper shrugged, wincing when his ankle moved at the motion. “A lot, ever since we started school I guess…” Dipper trailed off, Ford gently examining the swollen ankle before placing one arm under Dipper’s knees and the other behind his back, easily lifting Dipper up and close to his chest. Dipper instantly felt safe as his grunkle made his way back over to Stan and Mabel, Stan instantly looking angry as he took in his injured nephew as Mabel bit her lip sadly. “Who did this? I’ll kill ‘em.” Stan groused as Ford shook his head. “Let’s get him treated first, then threaten.” Dipper smiled faintly as Ford carried him home, Mabel riding on Stan’s shoulders as she gave a brief history about the bullies Dipper had been forced to deal with for years. Their parents weren’t home when they arrived, Mabel unlocking the door and quickly running in to get the first aid kit as Dipper was placed on the dining room table so ford could better examine his foot. “Out with it kid, I want those punks name.” Stan grumbled, heart aching as Dipper let out a strangled gasp when Ford tried his best to gently remove his shoe, the dark purple bruise greeting them only riling his anger further. “Grunkle Stan, it’s fine…” “No it ain’t.” Dipper flinched at the tone in his voice, Stan sighing as he took a seat and placed a hand on Dipper’s shoulder. “This is not okay…” “Do your teachers know who is doing this?” Ford questioned, looking affronted when Dipper nodded. “And yet no actions have been taken?” “Grunkle Ford, things are a bit different when it comes to things like this.” Mabel spoke up, Stan gently picking her up and placing her beside her brother. “They have to see it happen during school, or the teachers don’t do anything. Mom and dad tried to stop it, but they never believe us ‘cause they don’t like Dipper much…” “Why?” Ford gently tilted Dipper’s head up so he could make sure the bleeding had stopped from his nose, pleased to see it was merely bruised and not broken. “Cause Dipper is the smartest in that school…and we may or may not have kept pranking the principal for the last few years.” Dipper grinned as Stan chuckled, Ford standing to go and rummage around for an ice-pack for the young boy. “Unbelievable, and I thought the school system had been bad in our time.” Ford groused, not so easily swayed as he grabbed the only ice-pack he could see and wrapped it in a towel, handing it to Dipper once he had returned. “Look Ford, don’t even think about goin’ after those kids. Laws are a lot stricter when it comes to kids.” Stan warned, knowing that this was the last thing his twin wanted to hear as he grumbled something in an alien language rapidly. “Yet they allow children like Dipper to be harmed merely because they have no visible confirmation of being bullied to the point of his ankle being twisted and a close case of a broken nose?” Ford sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, once more speaking in an alien language that was most likely him cursing like a sailor. “I refuse to accept this.” “It’s okay grunkle Ford, we only have another year and a half, then in high school we probably won’t see them again…” Dipper tried to weakly reason, Mabel nodding as the older twin gave them a wane look. “I apologize, I just…I am very passionate about this subject.” Stan gave his brother an understanding look as the younger twins nodded. “But, you’re safe right now Mason, and that is all that matters.” “You told him?” Mabel grinned at her brother, Dipper shrugging with a slight blush creeping up his cheeks as Stan chuckled. “You’re such a nerd.” “Oh shut up!” Dipper blushed as the two began to bicker good-naturedly as the older twins merely chuckled and watched. It took a fair amount of convinced Ford that Dipper would be ok before he felt good enough to return on the voyage he and his brother had interrupted to see their favored family members, and even then Ford left Dipper with a wrist-watch that also doubled as an invisible shield. The parting at the docks was sad, but both parties felt giddy when they went their separate ways once more, phone calls and e-mails made daily. The kids weren’t allowed to return that summer, the entirety of Gravity Falls of course disappointed but they carried on the best they could for another year until one day a bus drove into the familiar stop that was rarely stopped at. “IT’S DIPPER AND MABEL!” Grenda’s cries echoed throughout the main street, citizens popping their heads out of various buildings to see the bus driver help the twins unpack the dozen suitcases they had. Cheers erupted as the townsfolk flooded around the two, smiles all around as greetings were had and the bus driver was helped by several people so he could get back on his way. “It’s so good to see you guys!” Wendy grinned as she and Dipper switched hats, the almost 15-year old grinning as he had grown almost to her height. “Same to you as well!” Dipper couldn’t help but grin in return, the two chatting until Mabel’s squeal rang out at the sight of an old car chugging towards the mass crowd. Stan barely got out of the car before he was almost bowled over by the energetic hug he received, Dipper hanging back until Ford motioned him over for a less-energetic but still hearty hug. “Kids, you got here early.” Stan commented as everyone dispersed a bit from the two shrugging teens. “Sorry, bus came way earlier than it was supposed to.” Mabel explained, bouncing back and forth on her feet. “Our phones also died so we couldn’t let you know.” Dipper nodded, leaning against the car with a sheepish smile. “Here I thought Stan was forgetful about charging his phone.” Ford teased as some people laughed, the conman rolling his eyes with a grin. “So why are you guys here with so much stuff?” Soos questioned, murmurs rippling throughout the crowd as the younger twins glanced at each other. “Well…mom and dad thought it would be a good idea if we went to school with less…problematic people.” Dipper worded carefully, not wanting to give away the fact that his parents had recently gotten a divorce and had sent them to Gravity Falls until things could be sorted out. “You’re gonna be here for high school?” Wendy asked curiously, the two nodding which sent some cheers throughout the teens hanging around. “This is gonna be great!” “It so is!” Mabel grinned, the town beginning to ask questions that she and Dipper were more than happy to answer. They had never looked happier as they were driven home by Stan, the two eagerly chatting around this and that until they saw the new additions to the Mystery Shack, awestruck as they hopped out of the car to get a better look. “We figured we needed some more space, it has been a while since the old girl had an update.” Stan explained, leaning against the driver side door as he watched them grin and comment on how it looked almost like the expansion had always been there. “We thought of giving the whole building a fresh look, but it just didn’t quite sit right.” Ford commented, already unpacking their things as the twins went over to help him. The rest of the day was spent unpacking the twins’ things and catching up on just about any topic they could think of, smiles never once falling from their faces. It was good to be home, where they were loved and safe.

[thelastspeecher]

Separate thought from my last ask!! knowing that Filbrick is positively disgusted by the twins. I'm imagining that it's kind of like a Hogwarts type situation where the kids can stay for breaks (I don't think every kids family would be as kind about their mutations). Stan and Ford would probably stay, because yikes, if their dad was abusive to them before I can only imagine what he's like when their mutations develop. Fidds and Angie probably ask them what their plans are for winter break and they avoid that topic like the PLAGUE. As soon as they find out though they are DRAGGING their asses back home with them. (also, sorry if all of these asks ever get annoying alkjdjksd)

Oh yes! It's a year-round boarding school in which students can choose to stay during the summer or during other traditional school breaks. There are multiple students whose families fully disowned them as a result of their powers, and as such, those teens don't have anywhere to go. So they stay at the school. Jimmy Snakes (the ringleader of the bad crowd Stan falls in with) is one of those kids.

And yeah, Stan and Ford stay year-round. Once they get better control over their abilities, Ma Pines tries to convince them to at least visit for a few days, because she misses her boys so much. But they refuse every time. Ford's not opposed to returning to Glass Shard Beach eventually (though he doubts he'll live there as an adult), but after the way Filbrick looked at him when his power manifested, he doesn't want to live with that man anymore. Stan just flat-out doesn't want to go back to Glass Shard Beach. He's still humiliated and devastated by the way his power showed up in the middle of school.

Fidds goes home during school breaks, certainly. Angie, when she arrives, stays at the school, however. She hasn't gotten much control over her power if any, and the McGuckets don't want her to hurt herself or others if she loses control at the farm. Also, it hasn't been long enough for people to forget the height she was when she left. She was unconsciously using her power to make herself taller back home, and no one back home knows about it. Which the McGuckets want to keep up. Not because they're ashamed of her, but because they don't want anyone to treat her poorly. As far as the folks in Gumption know, Angie was sent to a special boarding school due to her difficulties in school despite her high intelligence. Eventually, she's able to return home for breaks, but that takes a year or two.

But yes. Angie and Fidds do politely ask Ford (and Stan, once he has his character development and stops being a bully) whether they'll be returning to New Jersey for holiday breaks. And the boys dodge the question every time.

And yes, like you said, once the McGucket sibs get a straight answer out of Stan and Ford, they insist the boys spend some vacation time in Gumption. Stan and Ford shouldn't have to spend their school breaks still at school. And the boys quickly learn that the McGuckets are determined to host them. No matter what, those boys are gonna get some home-cooked food and quality family time.