#also ignore the fact that I messed up on Mabels hair in the first one. My drawing app doesn't let me edit drawings once I've finished them

[fentennyson]

Anybody else miss when crossover groups were popular?

[peralta-guaranteed]

Bullies, Black Eyes, and Big Brothers

(read it on AO3)

“Let’s not jump to conclusions right away.”

“What’s there to ‘jump to’, Jake? He got in a fight and gave another kid a bloody nose and knocked out two baby teeth.”

“Yeah, okay, I know that sounds bad.” Jake sighs while shifting gears. They’d gotten the call from Mac’s teacher just fifteen minutes ago, but from Amy’s fidgeting, he could tell she would’ve liked to have already arrived at the school. For what it’s worth, he’s still surprised Holt let them both go without much explanation - he supposes the sentence “Mac’s school called” is some sort of magic spell to turn their captain into grandpa mode. 

“I just remember a lot of times where I got into trouble and wished my mom had listened to me first before the punishment, you know?”

Now it’s Amy’s turn to sigh.

“Okay. He gets one chance at explaining himself, and then we ground him for punching someone.”

When they finally make it to the classroom with Mac’s teacher waiting in front of it, Amy seems to have forgotten all about it though, as she already starts apologising to Ms. Hernandez for the trouble Mac has caused.

“Let’s not jump to conclusions.” The teacher says, and Jake remembers why he’s so glad that Mac got her as homeroom teacher in this grade instead of that nasty old Mrs. Lipschitz he had last year. “Yes, Mac and Dennis got into a fight, and they’re both a little worse for wear, but we have no idea who started it or why. Neither of them will talk to me, so I hoped that you might get more out of him than me. Dennis’ parents couldn’t make it yet, I’m afraid.”

Jake nods and sneaks a peek through the little window on the door - Mac and Dennis (he guesses - not a classmate he’s familiar with) are sitting 4 tables apart, both staring down at the desks with the most forlorn looks he’s ever seen on two 10-year-olds. He remembers his first fight that ended with heavy bruises and a bleeding eyebrow, right around the same age, after stepping between Gina and some teen she’d been mouthing off to. Dennis is still holding a slightly bloody towel up to his nose, and Mac’s t shirt is ripped at the collar, and - yeah, that’s definitely a black eye on his little guy. His stomach swoops down sickenly low and he wants to walk in and just carry him home straight away to ice cream and cartoons on tv and no stupid classmates that fight him anywhere. 

As it stands, he tries to walk in as calmly as Amy does, now that she’s pulled herself together again, before crouching down in front of Mac’s desk.

“Hey, bud.” He smiles at him, but Mac only looks up for a second and then back down to the table, and God can he please just hug his kid and not see the worry and fear in his soft chocolate-brown eyes? 

“Do you want to tell us what happened?” Amy says from his side, equally crouched down, and her voice is far softer than it was on the drive here. She’s probably thinking something very similar to Jake.

Mac, however, shoots a look over to Dennis, who’s decidedly ignoring all three of them, and then up to Ms. Hernandez stood beside him, before shaking his head.

“C’mon, Mac.” Jake tries to give him one more push. “We can’t do anything if we don’t know the story.”

Mac rubs at his eye - the non-black one - and sniffles, but that’s the only sound he makes. Jake fights back another sigh before looking up to the teacher.

“Do you think we could talk to him alone?” You don’t interrogate suspects with their aggressor still present, his detective mind adds, but he’s not sure if that’s an appropriate explanation for an elementary school classroom.

Ms. Hernandez nods, anyway, and tells Dennis to step out with her.

Once the door clicks shut behind them, Jake fully lowers down to one knee and smiles at Mac again.

“How about now? Do we get a story?”

Mac still seems hesitant for a moment, sniffling once again, but then-

“He kicked Maya.” he almost whispers, and his voice sounds sore, like he’s been yelling, or crying, or maybe both. “She was on the merry-go-round that he wanted to go on and he kicked her to make her leave and she fell off and I think she hurt her elbow. Ms. Mabel took her away for a band aid. I couldn’t check. I was too far away.”

“Oh peanut.” Amy says after she’s made her way round the desk to softly ruffle through his hair (it’s a mess anyway, probably from the fight as well). “You didn’t have to be afraid to tell us that. But it also wasn’t okay to hit him. I’m sure Ms. Mabel would’ve talked to him later.”

“He’s called her names before and makes fun of her.” Mac continues, the floodgates apparently finally open. “And he always pushes her out of his way. And she said he chased her around with a stick once until she hid in the toilets. So now she doesn’t wanna go outside during recess anymore. And he took her turrón de maní that abuela gave us that you packed us for lunch.” He looks up at Jake now, and so luckily doesn’t see the way Amy’s face begins to change from soft worry to unbridled mom-rage. “I gave her half of mine.”

Jake has to take a deep breath too, because he reasons that running out to punch a fourth grader in the stomach is probably not a good thing to do, no matter how strong the impulse.

“Why didn’t you tell us about all that earlier?” He asks instead and hopes that there’s no admonishment in his voice, because he really doesn’t want it to sound like he blames him for anything.

“Maya said not to.” Mac sniffles again and rubs his nose, smearing the back of his hand with snot, and Amy has a handkerchief drawn to wipe it as quickly as only she can. “She said she has to be the ‘bigger person’. ‘N I said she should punch him instead but she didn’t want to, so I did.”

Putting aside the fact that their second-grader has definitely picked up lingo that she’s nowhere close to old enough to really understand, he’s glad that at least one of their kids was decidedly against a violent approach - however fitting it would be in this situation.

“Okay, Maya was right that you shouldn’t hit people, unless you have to protect yourself.” Jake vividly remembers that heated discussion about principles in parenting he’d had with Amy not long ago, that ended in his ridiculous argument of ‘so if you’re getting kidnapped and the only way out would be to throw a punch you wouldn’t do it?’ and reminding her of the several times she’s actually punched him in mistaken self-defense before. It had convinced her to agree with him, though. 

“But if someone is being that mean to you or her and bullying you like that, you definitely should tell someone who can help.” Amy finishes for him. “Even if you’d promised not to say anything.”

Jake nods at the same time as Mac, and they look so similar that she can’t help but smile, as inappropriate as it might be for the situation.

“I’m sorry I started a fight.” Mac mumbles again.

“It’s okay.” Jake answers a bit too fast, and Amy’s raised eyebrows in his direction tell him more than enough. “I mean, it’s not great. And it’s good that you’re apologising. But I’m glad you stood up for your sister and protected her.”

Now Amy nods to that, and Jake’s knees ache only a little bit as he gets up after crouching down for so long.

“Tell you what. Maya’s classes are over by now, so what do you say we go pick her up and go to Sal’s for dinner?”

It only takes seconds for a bright smile to finally, finally break across their son’s face as he jumps up and Jake tells him to get his backpack from the other end of the classroom. Amy sidles up to him and nudges his elbow.

“Sal’s, really?” She says almost inaudibly, but Jake can hear the exasperated amusement.

“What?” He whispers back. “I think he deserves a reward far more than a punishment.”

“You only say that because you would’ve punched Dennis too.”

“Well, let’s see how bad Maya’s arm really is and then I decide if he deserved the bloody nose.”

“Alright, let’s not get carried away. You go tell Ms. Hernandez what happened and Mac and I pick up Maya in the meantime.” Amy only mumbles as Mac bounces back towards them.

After Sal’s and an entire Meat Supreme at display temperature for Jake, Mac and Maya (and one slice of spinach & feta for Amy), they watch their two little ones settle down in front of the tv for the one allowed nighttime episode of Adventure Time, Mac holding a small bag of frozen peas to his black eye, Maya snuggling into him on his other side and beaming up at her big brother from time to time.

“If we tell your mum about this”, Jake grins at Amy across the kitchen island where she’s busy making hot chocolate because apparently she agrees on the reward-over-punishment thing too, “I bet she’s gonna send them like a pound of turrón each.”

“We’re not telling my parents any of this, or my dad is going to have Dennis expelled from school or something equally over the top.”

“Hate to agree with Victor about anything, but I do think-”

Luckily Amy pushes a marshmallow into Jake’s mouth so he can’t finish whatever stupid joke he was going to make.

[asterkiss]

What A Catch!: Chapter 7

Pairing: Bill/Mabel Synopsis: Mabel was a mermaid who didn't ask for much. In fact, all she pretty much wanted from her soulmate was a romantic first meeting where he would sweep her off her fins. Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Her soulmate didn't so much sweep her off her fins as he trapped her in a fish net. [Read on AO3 here]

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8  | Chapter 9 |  Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 |

CHAPTER 7: GROWTH

Another year, another hunting season.

Fifteen year old Mable Pines took the hands of the larger girl before her in the water, using magic to heal the bloody gash marks upon her skin. She sighed forlornly at the sight. 'How did this happen, Grenda?'

The taller brunette hummed. 'Peanut butter.'

The mermaid blinked. That hadn't been the answer she was expecting. '....Peanut butter?'

When Grenda only nodded firmly in response, Mable looked towards the third and final member of their current trio for clarification. The kappa smiled in amusement as their eyes met and Candy came forward as she offered further explanation.

'There was a giant jar of peanut butter on the seafloor which turned out to be a trap. The second she moved the jar the netted dome snapped shut atop her like a clam. Even though she used her hands and tentacles to try and escape it was me who managed to cut a hole so she could get out.'

'You hurt your tentacles too?' Mable asked, peering down.

'Nah they're fine,' Grenda replied dismissively, raising some of the dark tentacles that comprised her lower form out of the water to show them off. 'My tentacles have thick skin and aren't that easy to cut. It's just my hands that got messed up.'

The mermaid nodded as she finished healing her cecaelia friend, retracting her hands once completed. 'Done. How's that feel?'

Greanda clenched and unclenched her hands. 'Whoah, there's barely a scratch left! You're getting super cool with the healing thing.'

She grinned. 'Well, small injuries are no biggie.' Over the past year she'd been steadily getting better with her abilities. It was useful for times like this when her best friends had minor injuries. Candy and Grenda were her two closest friends (other than Dipper ― but that didn't count when they were related) and a lot of it stemmed from the fact all three were marine-based creatures. Well, that and also their similar hobbies in gushing over pretty boys.

'I saw a Hunter putting down a bunch of fish traps the other day,' Candy added. 'Some of them were pretty scary looking.'

Mable's smile faded.

'Urgh, I heard there's two of them this year,' Grenda groaned.

'Did you hear? Apparently Soos had a close call and got shot.'

'Whoah, is he okay?'

'Yeah, he came away fine. He's made of clay after all.'

Mable's lips pressed into a thin line as her two friends discussed frantically. She hadn't seen either of the alleged hunters this season round.

'See ya next year.'

Clenching her fists she felt the familiar bubble of anxiety welling in her chest at the thought of the blond whose name she still didn't know.

He was trying to hurt her friends.

She wasn't aware that last year he had had any success with kills of the magical creature variety, just fish and other small-fry game. As a result it had been easier to ignore his attempts. This year however was different. She wasn't the only one who had improved her skills in the past twelve months it appeared.

She wouldn't be able to ignore it if he seriously hurt someone.

It was on that thought that Mable felt the odd sensation of being watched, a feeling that caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end. The young mermaid slowly cast her gaze across the river towards the treeline and it was there she caught the flash of golden eyes watching out from behind the shadows of the trees. When their eyes met he seemed almost surprised that she'd spotted him, and both stared at one another in similar bewilderment. Mable felt her heart skip a beat, a mix of different emotions swirling in her chest as her entire body tensed. He didn't seem inclined to be drawing closer however and there was no weapon in his hands.

...So why was he watching them?

'Hey Mable, are you okay?'

She was yanked out of her turmoiled thoughts by Candy's soft spoken voice and it was then the brunette found two pairs of concerned eyes upon her. She faltered in offering a response, her eyes snapping back towards the treeline once more.

But he was no longer there.

That did nothing to ease her trepidation though.

Aware that her friends were still awaiting an answer she plastered on a wide smile. 'I'm fine, really. Just hungry. Let's go hunt some food, shall we girls?' She tried not to make it too obvious she was ushering them away from their current spot, not wishing to cause them panic with mention of the Hunter. From the way Grenda and Candy side-eyed one another Mable doubted they bought her fake smile or excuse.

But even so―

'Let's go grab some grub then!' Grenda yelled, fist pumping the air as she splashed water over both girls with her rambunctious movements. Even though they clearly didn't believe her lie they would go along with it. It was just another reason why Mable loved them.

That's why if anybody tried to hurt them, even her soulmate, she would do everything in her power to protect them.

The three girls swam further down stream, their voices fading as they caught the current.

A heavy clad boot stepped out of the undergrowth once they were gone, watching them vanish with a steely gaze though his eyes lingered on the mermaid in particular. She wasn't as much of a pipsqueak as she had been last year, she'd grown. Maybe she'd also outgrown the silly notion of them being soulmates ― he could only hope.

Bill rubbed the back of his neck as he breathed out through his nose. He'd left Kryptos alone for half an hour so he could have a break from the younger kid but he should get back, he didn't want to leave his cousin alone for too long. Who knows what shenanigans he'd get into? Shenanigans that would probably backfire on him.

He was turning to leave when something shiny from one of the river rocks caught his attention. The young man paused before crouching down on the embankment and stretching out his hand to grab it. When he pulled it close, he found himself staring at an iridescent pink scale that glittered under the suns rays.

A mermaid scale.

There were a few of them actually, the kid must be shedding as she grew.

'I can’t wait to hunt myself a mermaid!’

He clenched his jaw at the thought of the overeager twerp and could just imagine his excitement if his eyes landed on this. After a moment of consideration the hunter brushed the scales off the rocks and into the water, ensuring they got caught in the current and pulled far away out of sight. He just enjoyed making things difficult for his bratty relative, that was all. Really.

Even so, Bill found himself pocketing the solitary scale in his grasp as he stood up. Turning on his heel he left the river behind and returned to the trees, picking up the rifle he'd left leaning against a tree trunk as he did so.

Time to return to babysitting.

[cat-in-a-fedora]

Reunion Falls

I think I found something for the reunion falls au of Gravity Falls on the original creator’s blog. The reblog and like functionalities weren’t working for some reason, and I couldn’t find it in the creator’s archive. I really like this, though, so I’m gonna put it here and give credit.

This was originally on @sailorleo, and I couldn’t reblog it for some reason.

`-i dunno, he’s like, really weirdly clingy, but when we’re together all he wants to do is talk about his band…

-dump him.

-dipper that’s the same advice you’ve given me for every boyfriend i’ve ever had

-then why don’t you ask mabel?

-fine, maybe i will. mabel, what do you-

-no actually i think dipper’s right you should dump him

-teen soos playing with baby dipper and getting all excited when he says his name

-it would work better if stan actually knew mabel was coming beforehand, but just couldn’t work up the nerve to tell dipper until the last minute. by some fluke, mabel arrives a day early, and makes contact with dipper while stan is out.

-stan tells dipper that at the time of his birth his parents weren’t expecting twins, and couldn’t afford to take care of two children at once. he only told the kid they were dead because he thought it might be easier to handle than the idea that his parents didn’t want him.

–

-what are you still doing up?

-’m makin’ a sweater for grenda. she’s bigger than me, so it’s taking longer. you had a nightmare?

-no big deal, it was just an anxiety dream.

-a what?

-it’s like a nightmare, but instead of being scary it just makes all your deepest insecurities a reality. grunkle stan says they’re the brain’s way of reminding you that life could always be worse.

-…that sounds dumb.

-yeah, well, life isn’t fair, mabel.

–

-that corduroy girl out sick today or somethin’?

-what? um, no! i was just, uh… i tripped. on a rock. a lot of rocks.

-oh c'mon, kid, you think i never got the snot kicked outta me in elementary school? i know a fist to the face when i see it. c'mere, let’s fix you up.

–

-what can i do, though? they’re all bigger than me, and if i tell the teacher i’ll just look like even more of a wimp.

-ha! if you don’t wanna look like a wimp, you should stop letting other people fight your battles for ya.

-but i can’t-

-now hold on. i know you can’t, you’ve got about as many muscles as a soggy piece of toast. but one thing i know about the world is that guys who were born bigger, stronger, and smarter are always gonna punch down. and guys like you an’ me are stuck right at the bottom like old gum. so if your wits can’t save ya, all there is to do is punch back up.

-….do you mean that metaphorically, or….

-i was wondering when i’d have to dig these old things up again! …see, kid, all I’m trying to say is, when the world fights, you gotta learn to fight back.

–

-oh, shit. we’re not getting anywhere like this.

-*gasp* dipper!!

-what??

-you just said the ’s’ word!

-so? we’re practically teenagers, mabel. we can swear.

-i have friends back home who won’t even say ‘crap’! you must be getting it from somewhere

-i don’t know what you-

-[wendy enters] AYYYYYY DICKWEEDS WHAT’S FUCKIN HAPPENING

–

-ugh, sorry about all that, man. i don’t know why robbie’s always such an asshole to you.

-you don’t think he’s like…..jealous of me, do you?

-HA! ohhhhh my god. oh my god you’re probably right.

-what, does he think I’m gonna like, steal you away? like he’s INTIMIDATED by me? …that feels kinda good, actually.

-oh man, can you imagine? dipper pines, casanova extraordinaire! refined older women such as myself just….COLLAPSING at your feet!

–

-grunkle stan, um…. where are my parents?

-uhh……….. they died.

-oh…. how did they die?

-they………………died.

–

-you know when you’re wearing just the vest without a sweater you kinda look like……. someone. it’ll come to me

–

-mabel, what did you do to the journal????

-what? you told me to pretend it was my diary!

-i said to PRETEND it was your diary, not actually use it as a diary!! you didn’t mess with the stuff inside, did you?

[cut to: a shot of the interior of the journal, filled with stickers and cute little drawings and tiny diary entries about boys and the like]

-…….nnnnnnnope.

–

-if you’re going to be a monster hunter, you’ve got to have a look.

-hey, i’ve already got THAT covered

-no, i mean a look that tells people you mean business. like what i’ve got!

-what’s more businesslike than a leopard wearing sunglasses?

-i can think of a few things. what about like, a jacket? or…. a jacket? something besides a big fluffy sweater.

-listen dip, we’ve only known each other for a few days so i’ll let you off the hook this time. but first rule of mabel? the sweater STAYS.

-ugh, fine, but you’re gonna overheat. hey, what about this? it’s big enough to wear over a sweater. and it’s got pockets!

-but does it have PERSONALITY?

-you can decorate it or whatever i don’t care.

–

-mabel, have you seen my gel?

-nope. why do you gel your hair, anyway?

-i don’t want my bangs to cover my birthmark.

-can’t you just cut them off?

-it’s part of the look.

-ohhh, the 'look’.

–

-soooooo dipper had a crush on you, huh?

-haha, yuuuuuup. he thought he was being super smooth about it too. 100% convinced i had no idea. oh shit, dude, you wanna see this valentines card he made me when he was like, seven?

-you KNOW i do!

-boom! check it. all the blackmail you’ll ever need on one piece of construction paper.

-oh my gosshhhhhhhhh…..wait,  "love, ty"?

-oh yeah, ol�� dipstick used to go by 'tyrone’ before he was dipper. just between you and me, dipper suits him better. tyrone is too cool for him.

-why’d he switch?

-dunno, really. he used to hate his birthmark, people would make fun of him for it, yknow? and then one day he just started being super cool with it. he like, reinvented his entire image around the thing. you should’ve seen him before that though, always brushing his bangs down over his forehead… well, at least he puts some effort into his appearance now.

–

-FUCK!

-KID!

-oh no.

-where’d you learn language like that?

-i… uh….

–…..wasn’t from me, was it?

-n-no! it was from…. nobody! i mean, you hear stuff around, and-

-WAHAHA! this is great! now i don’t have to keep my mouth shut around ya! and it isn’t even my fault!

–

-mabel, take out the trash

-booooooo!

-…aren’t you going to do what he said?

-sure, just as soon as i finish kicking dipper’s butt!

-i will dance on your grave, mabel.

-but…he’s your uncle. you should listen to him before he gets mad, right?

-pff, what’s ol’ stan gonna do, throw his dentures at me? (don’t tempt me, kid) half the fun of being a kid is not doing what adults tell you to do! consequences be darned.

-…paz, really, stan loves us. he’s not gonna like, hit me or anything. yikes.

–

-dipper, seriously, what the heck happened between you and gideon!

-i told you, nothing! he’s just a creep.

-oh, is THAT why he won’t stop talking about you? even on our dates! it’s WEIRD. ….you two aren’t like, exes or-

-ew, no!

-haHA! you dated gideon! gideon and dip-per sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-

-we were FRIENDS, okay?? …sort of. i dunno. it was a long time ago.

-heyoooo my drama senses are tingling! now you HAVE to tell me! deets deets deets!

-uuugggghhhhhh fine

-dipper and gideon have been rivals since childhood, but back then it was on somewhat friendlier terms. they would get each other in trouble, start fights over nothing, ruin each other’s stuff, but they would always walk away with smiles on their faces, like an unspoken pact to annoy the shit out of each other forever. but things started to change after gideon found journal 2. dipper didn’t see him around with the other kids as often. his tactics got nastier. he started “winning” more often. things came to a head after stan started teaching dipper to box. one day when dipper and wendy were hanging out together, they ran into gideon, who took the opportunity to tease them mercilessly. when he started going after wendy, dipper socked him, hard, in the nose. “i dunno. i was really mad, but i think i also just wanted to prove i was strong. wendy was always protecting me, so i wanted to protect her back.” after that point, gideon declared them mortal enemies.

-stan and wendy were definitely elated at the fact that dipper punched gideon. stan probably tried to bake him a cake.

–

DOUBLE DIPPER

“BAM! look out party, this girl’s on a mission! and that mission is to find a summer getaway friend group. woah, huddling crowd of teenagers! that’s perfect!”

-paz is talking with everyone listening when mabel interrupts her. “heyo! guess who’s here, it’s mabel, and that’s me.” “…..that’s great, sweetheart.”

-mabel is really excited to make new friends at the party, but most everyone starts hanging around pacifica. mabel tries to make friends with pacifica but paz rejects her, saying “listen, youre new so i’ll fill you in. it might seem like people like you and are interested in you because youre 'quirky’ or whatever, but you’re just a cheap novelty. around here? i’m the one who matters. nobody ignores pacifica northwest. adoring fans?” paz snaps her fingers and the crowd begins to shove mabel out of the circle until she finally falls on the empty dance floor. defeated, mabel shuffles off to the only people not part of the crowd (candy and grenda) “you too, huh?” “don’t worry. when we burn, we burn together.” paz then steps up to the mic and points at them, shouting “hey everyone, check out this adorable new attraction! it’s the reject corner!”

“aww, we don’t need this. the true merit of a partymaster is knowing how to take the party with you. this calls for an impromptu sleepover!”

-mabel offers to cheer up her new friends by ditching the party and having a sleepover instead, candy remarks that they were planning a post-party sleepover together anyway, grenda says how she stole a raunchy romance novel from her mom- wolfman bare-chest. grenda shows off that the book has a full-color illustration of gerard, candy remarks how she wants one of her own, mabel remembers that they have an old copy machine downstairs.

-“i don’t understand. i’m having fun, but i still feel this burning desire to go back downstairs and make her suffer for her crimes. crimes against friendship and partying.” “hey, i know what’ll curb that thirst for vengeance! theft! look what i stole from my mom’s bedside table!” “grenda, you wild girl! this is perfect!” “and it comes with a full-color illustration! his pecs are holographic!” *all three girls scream* “aah!! he is so rugged and brooding, i want to take him home with me and make him my trophy husband!” “ooh, i think we have an old copy machine downstairs! that way we can all keep the poster! come on girls, let’s go make our dreams a reality!”

-the girls end up bringing gerard to life because fuck the laws of reality, he emerges and says “which of you fair maidens brought me into this realm?” candy points to mabel. “girls, i think the party is back on!”

-“hey, fursuit, i don’t know if anyone told you, but this isn’t a costume party. although that would explain YOUR outfit, mabel”, gerard gets angry and tries to defend her by attacking pacifica. pacifica gets a small scratch on her arm and shrieks “are those REAL claws?!” mabel and candy struggle with gerard and finally subdue him (after he loses an arm to the punch bowl) by stuffing him into a closet. “you can come out after you learn to stop being such a butt!!” candy makes some remark about “at least we didn’t make any more!” cut to grenda either using the copy machine or already surrounded by wolf men.

-after the gerard squad starts running wild at the party, mabel gets an idea. “grenda, they’ve already like, werewolf-bonded to you, right? so if you’re in danger, they’ll come and save you!” “..i know what i have to do. hey northwest, be mean to me!” “ok, ok, just… give me a minute. ….hey circus freak, you’ve got arms like a gorilla and a voice like a wrestler, so it’s no wonder that the only boys interested in you are a bunch of wolves!” “…..pacifica, that was really mean.” “YOU TOLD ME TO!!!”

-maybe have pacifica get on the mic again so all the wolves hear her insult

-“grenda I’m sorry you have the body of an amazonian goddess and a voice like ten angels singing one direction!!” “yeah, maybe if one direction were all chain smokers.”

-the girls use this plan to lure the wolfpack into the kitchen, where there’s a sprinkler system connected to the fire alarm. the plan is that once all of the wolves are present, mabel will signal for candy to pull the alarm. however, once mabel gives the signal, it’s revealed that candy has been captured. “i’m sorry, mabel…. their pecs were just so shiny!” “i’m sorry i dragged you into this, pacifica.” “yeah, i’m sorry you dragged me into this, too.” maybe have them cowering on top of the fridge. but just when it looks like all hope is lost, the sprinklers come on anyway. it’s revealed that the first gerard was the one who pulled it, sacrificing himself to save mabel’s life.

-“you will always be in my heart, mabel pines. and i hope…..that i will be in yours…..”

-“well, pacifica, maybe now that we’ve worked together as a team, we can come away from this knowing that our fighting was petty and pointless, having gained a mutual respect.” “are you SERIOUS? all this proves is that you’re a freak, and your friends are freaks, and even though I’m gonna make sure to stay as far away from your little circle of lost causes as possible, the next time we meet? you’re going DOWN, and I’m gonna make sure EVERYONE is watching.” “……welp! i didn’t gain anything from that! maybe next time.”

-“i’m sorry that all this happened, girls. if you don’t wanna hang out with me after this, i get it.” “are you kidding? that was incredible!” “i feel like my heart is on fire! but in a good way!”

-in the aftermath, the girls (sans pacifica) burn the book. as they watch the illustration of gerard smolder, mabel solemnly says “this ends once and for all.” “….my mom’s gonna want that book back.” “once. and. for all.”

IRRATIONAL TREASURE

-pacifica overhears what the twins are trying to do and tails them, then ends up getting captured along with them

-LET ME OUT OF HERE! I AM A NORTHWEST!

-i thought we just established that doesn’t count for anything anymore.

-pacifica yells at mabel for doing something as stupid as leaving a trail of candy wrappers, dipper interrupts to ask her why she always feels the need to shut people down like that. pacifica tells him that its her duty as a woman of status to let everyone know what their place is. “orrrrrr you just feel so threatened by the idea that you’re not as well-liked as you think you are that you need to make everyone else feel bad about themselves.” “WHAT was that?” “threatened?”

-mabel gets her nerve back and yells at pacifica that why would she ever want to be liked by a stuck-up shallow primadonna like her, and throws a hunk of peanut brittle at her, freeing trembly.

-after returning to town, the twins see pacifica being berated by her parents for disappearing and getting her clothes dirty. mabel feels sorry for her and goes over to explain that oh, it was actually my fault, i was trying to uncover dirt on the northwest family and pacifica stepped up to intervene, and we got into a fight. also we totally didnt find anything to shame the northwests so you can thank pacifica for that too. the northwests then threaten to sue the pines family for hurting their daughter, but paz holds them back, saying something about how it isnt worth it to waste time on poor people like mabel.

-this is the start of mabel and pacifica’s budding friendship, and pacifica’s redemption arc

SUMMERWEEN

-hey, little man!

-oh, hey wendy! ….and robbie.

-so….. chilling in the bushes without a costume on? what’s that about?

-nah, i’d say he’s got a pretty solid 'loser’ costume lined up already.

-i’m just hanging out with mabel and her friends, i guess. this big legendary monster thing says its gonna eat us unless we collect 500 pieces of candy but y'know. no worries.

-sick, dude. and you didn’t even have to go out and find this thing yourself? your sis must be like, a monster magnet.

-yeah, she…really is.

-well, i’d help you with the mission if i could, but i’ve got this whole 'aloof teenager’ thing to keep up, yknow? no trick-or-treating for these old bones. but I’ve got a few extra sweets in my purse if you need some more handouts! we can go find mabel, and-

-NO! i-i mean… no, don’t find her, its ok, i got it, give it to me.

-woah, chill out, you little freak! you’re not HIDING from her, are you? …is everything ok? and don’t say it is, because nobody sweats that much when everything’s ok. not even you.

-……i dunno, it’s like, i don’t mind having her around, but we’re always together and she wants us to do all these “twin” things now and I’m just not sure I’m ready for it yet.

-yeah, i getcha. its gotta be a lot to take in. hey, if you need somewhere to decompress after this whole candy deathmatch thing is over, tambry’s throwing a party at her house in a few. text me when you’re free?

-just try not to dork up the place if you show.

-robbie, if you don’t lay off I’m gonna punch you in the dick.

-i just….. twins are supposed to have this special bond, y'know? like a mind meld or something. and i just feel like i’ve missed so much. things could've….should’ve been different. and i came here because i wanted to make things the way they were supposed to be. i thought like, maybe if we were together we could pretend that its the way things always were and everything was ok. but i cant. its not.

-yeah, i… i’m sorry, mabel. everything just happened so fast, and i couldn’t handle it, and i avoided thinking about it, and….i ended up avoiding you, too. i’ve been kind of a crummy brother so far, huh?

-no, no, i get it…. i’m weird, and this is weird, and you’re one of those weird people who likes to be by yourself. and i understand if you don’t want to be siblings. but… can we at least be friends?

-i don’t see why we can’t be both.

TOURIST TRAPPED

-hey, mabel, i was wondering, uh…… how did our parents die?

-woah, what? they’re not dead! are they?? you’re freaking me out, dipper!

-'sup, hambone?

-oh, hey….. soos, right?

-you got it, lil’ dude! so, what’s eating you? besides the mosquitos anyway. nice, good one soos.

-soos, have you ever tried to do something that you thought would make everyone really happy, but instead it just blows up in your face and everything is awful and it’s all your fault?

-story of my life, dude. probably not on this scale though. just a minor everyday occurrence.

-they probably hate me, don’t they?

-what? no way! i just met you a few hours ago and i can already tell you’re like the least hateable dude I’ve ever met. you’re like if they found a way to combine a smiling puppy with an anime fairy princess.

-but i ruined everything!! that’s what they’ll call me in the history books. mabel, queen of ruining everything. everyone was fine until i got here.

-it’s not your fault, dude. mr. pines had to tell dipper at some point. and dude, if it makes you feel any better, i am PSYCHED to have you here. i was telling customers about it all day!

-thanks, soos, but…. i should probably just go home. maybe if I’m gone dipper and stan can just forget this ever happened and go back to normal.

-you kidding, dog? nothing’s ever normal around here. i know this is like, a huge bombshell, but dipper and stan love each other. they’ll work it out. …hey, my brain just came up with a totally neato idea! why don’t we pitch a tent and have a sleepover out here under the stars? we could swap stories, eat raw marshmallows, and if you still want to go home tomorrow morning you can.

-….only if you’ll try to throw the marshmallows into my mouth with your eyes closed.

-deal.

-hey, mom. yeah i got here ok! it’s great, the woods around here are so cool and mysterious! oh, and i met this really cute guy but he turned out to be a bunch of gnomes under a hoodie. i know!! wild, right!

-h-hey mabel….can i….talk to them?

-…oh, mom, dipper wants to talk to you. is that ok?

-….hi, mo- ..mrs pines. it’s dipper.

-“oh, you must be the friend mabel was talking about! she was so excited to meet you! i hope you two are having fun!”

-yeah, it's…. it’s good to have her here.

-“are you all right, dear? you’re sniffling.”

-yeah, i’ve just got a cold. it’s ok.

THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE MABEL

-mabel sees a commercial for the tent of telepathy on tv and gets excited, pulling dipper over to see the famous “psychic”. dipper is annoyed at best and just groans, expositing that he and gideon have been rivals since they were little. he says he’s been trying to catch gideon in the act of something, ANYTHING, for as long as he can remember, and now with the help of mabel’s journal he’s devised a new theory: that gideon might actually be a vampire! he’s always coated in lotion, has stark white hair, speaks like an old southern man, and it might also explain his psychic powers. but dipper isn’t allowed in the tent of telepathy anymore, and he hasn’t been able to get close to gideon in his personal life. mabel offers to go investigate in dipper’s place, but he warns her that it’s not worth it and gideon is a “creep”, offhandedly mentioning that mabel probably doesn’t have the investigative skills necessary to crack the case on her own. determined to prove herself, mabel goes anyway, in “disguise” as a journalist so she can ask gideon questions when the show is over. during the questioning gideon becomes enamored with her, and when mabel asks if he’s a vampire he flirts around the issue, suggesting that he is simply to win mabel over. it works, and she agrees to go on a date with him.

-mabel takes notes on gideon’s mannerisms in the journal while on dates

-over time, gideon begins to reveal his true colors, and mabel realizes that dating a supposed vampire doesn’t really make up for gideon’s behavior.

-actually i changed my mind about the vampire plot, probably dipper just tries to keep mabel away from gideon because of their checkered past together

BOYZ CRAZY

“….can i confess something?”

“yeah, of course.”

“I’ve never like….. LIKED anyone. I’ve dated plenty of guys, and even a couple girls, but i don’t think i felt what i was supposed to be feeling for any of them. i thought that eventually if i went out with enough people, i would start to like at least one of them, but…. i dunno. I’m starting to think that i’ll never fall in love. maybe i CANT fall in love.”

“well… that’s not the end of the world! love kinda. sucks. especially when someone doesn’t like you back.”

“ugh, that’s what I’ve been doing to all these people! for years! i suck. i keep trying to be like everyone else, but i just end up pushing people away. I’ve lost so many friends…”

“hey, it’s not your fault. robbie’s a turd, you know that.”

“yeah, i guess you’re right… i dunno, you ever feel like there’s something, like, fundamentally wrong with you? like something fucked up in the womb and now you can’t ever be a normal person?”

[dipper pulls up his shirt slightly, looking at his binder]

“yeah. i do”

DREAMSCAPERERS

bill: I WAS WONDERING WHEN I’D RUN INTO YOU! QUESTION MARK, SHOOTING STAR…. AND DIPPER OF COURSE!

mabel: whoa, hey, how come soos and i get special names, but not dipper? that’s not fair!

dipper: uh, mabel, that’s not really-

bill: THAT IS HIS SPECIAL NAME, KID! ALWAYS HAS BEEN. HE JUST ADOPTED IT A LITTLE EARLY IS ALL.

dipper: wait, what?. you…you were the one in my dreams? all this time, it was YOU?

-new scene-

dipper: it’s just… the name was a big part of my like, identity, yknow? i thought it was so cool and special and for the first time in my life i was starting to feel NOT like a freak. i thought i was being cool but i was just doing exactly what bill wanted! [pulls his jacket over his head] aaaargh, what have i been doing all this time?!

mabel: di- …..bro, listen to me. your whole like, supreme tough guy monster hunter thing? it’s PRETTY silly. but that’s what i like about it! it’s all you, and you own it! and nobody chose to make you like that but you! and you didnt choose the name dipper because bill told you to, right? that was still all you. so, i don’t know. even if the guy who made it up turned out to be kiiiiiiind of a major jerk i dont think that means all of that is ruined forever. and if you stop going by dipper i’m going to have to start going by shooting star as revenge. star for short!

dipper: ….i think i like you as mabel better.

mabel: aww no, i was already getting used to it! star sounds like the name of a princess, doesnt it? or a galactic warrior!

-BUT DON’T YOU WORRY YOUR GEL-COVERED LITTLE HEAD, KID! I WON’T BE BOTHERING YOU LIKE THAT AGAIN. YOU’VE PROVEN YOURSELF TO BE EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING AND USELESS. CONGRATS.

SCARY-OKE

-in this case obviously dipper wouldn’t want the agents around, since stan has taught him better than that.

-dipper decides that he’s finally ready to talk to his birth parents over the phone, but when he does they insist that they never had twins and mabel has always been an only child, and he realizes they don’t know who he is. everything he knows is once again called into question.

-mabel tries to get the agents’ help in figuring out the mystery behind dipper’s birth and proving that the two of them are siblings

-maybe dipper raises the dead as a way to threaten stan? like, oh you’re so afraid of the supernatural, what if i do this

-or mabel tries to lure the agents back to the shack by creating a supernatural disaster, like oh, say, zombies

-stan finally admits, with zombies breaking down the door, that he got mixed up with the supernatural and made some very bad decisions, although he isn’t specific about what happened. he relinquishes that he kept the truth from dipper all these years not for his sake, but because he couldn’t bear to admit that he was responsible for separating dipper from the family he should’ve grown up with.

THE GOLF WAR

-mabel and pacifica run into each other at the mini golf course, and after watching mabel sink the winning shot pacifica realizes she has feelings for her. furious with herself for developing a crush on somebody like mabel, pacifica challenges her to a rematch and vows to destroy her.

-dipper and stan are worried about pacifica’s behavior, but mabel assures them that she probably just wants a little one-on-one game and had to disguise it as a fight to the death since her parents were with her.

-pacifica gets to the golf course early to get some extra practice in, discovers the lilliputtians, and decides to use them to win against mabel, convinced that if she proves to herself that she’s better then her crush will go away.

-mabel becomes concerned with pacifica’s attitude and worried that she’s gone back to her old ways, bribing somebody to help her cheat. eventually she’s captured and tied up, and pacifica has to save her.

-in the aftermath, pacifica can’t stomach apologizing, so mabel does it for her. “hold on, dip. i think i know what’s going on here.” “what? no. you definitely don’t. whatever you’re about to say about me is completely and totally wrong.” “so i just want to let you know, pacifica…. it’s ok. i understand.” “understand what there’s nothing to understand” “yes there is! and i’ve felt that way before, too. even about you sometimes.” “wh…..huh? you have?” “yeah! all that pressure to compete really gets to you sometimes. but just because i beat you at something it doesn’t mean that you’re any less cool than you were before., ok? so i don’t want you to feel like you have to prove that!” “oh. yeah. yeah, that. yeah.” [awkward pause] “soooo…. you don’t hate me?” “of course not!” “ok good. that’s like, good to know. i don’t hate you either.”

-theyre playing truth or dare and mabel dares dipper to hold candy’s hand for the rest of the night

-mabifica bullshit: 'let me see those beautiful eyes’, holding hands post-confession in nmm, arguing about whether or not to run off into the woods together at night

THE LOVE GOD

-during a conversation with wendy, dipper casually mentions that he’d like a girlfriend. mabel overhears and decides to try and pair him up with someone. she enlists the help of candy and grenda for this secret mission, but notices that candy seems uncomfortable with it. eventually she admits that she’s had a crush on dipper for a while, and mabel is ecstatic. she conspires to set them up on a date at the woodstick festival. candy makes mabel promise not to tell dipper, but of course she can’t keep her mouth shut and blurts it out while the two are having breakfast at the diner. mabel expects dipper to leap at the chance, but instead he just feels awkward. he tells mabel that although he likes candy and thinks she’s great, he’s never thought of her like that. mabel urges him to give her a chance, but dipper argues that it will end badly. he spots candy nearby, freaks out, and runs for cover. it’s at this point that mabel meets the love god.

NORTHWEST MANSION MYSTERY

-“….and grenda can take a hit pretty well so she’d be the best choice for a distraction while i spray 'em with the anointed water from behind, but we might need pacifica to-”

“actually, dip, i was gonna ask if i could handle this one on my own.”

“what? why? we don’t know how powerful this ghost is!”

“because i, the wonderful mabel pines, am going to confess my love for pacifica tonight!”

“you only realized you liked her two days ago!”

“exactly! no time to waste when romance is afoot!”

“you don’t even know if pacifica LIKES girls!”

“well i don’t know if she likes BOYS either. she always seemed kinda indifferent to-

"even if she does, what if she doesn’t like you back? and you know what her parents are like, they probably wouldn’t want her dating another girl anyway…”

“why do you always have to shoot me down like this”

“…..i’m sorry, mabel… i just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

-“we did it!” “haha, yes!!”

-(internally) “this is the perfect moment, mabel, just go for it!”

-“umm, pacifica? now that we just beat this big scary ghostman together, there’s something i wanted to-”

-“YOU’LL PAY FOR THIS, FOOLISH CHILD”

-“….on second thought, I’m gonna go exorcise screamsville here first.”

-“that’s probably a good idea”

-{“WITCH! SERVANT OF EVIL!”}

-“i’m sorry. i didn’t want you to know this about me.”

-“ok, so, your family’s gotten mixed up in some bad stuff, that doesn’t mean-”

-“no, it does. you’ve always been so nice to me, and i never did anything to deserve it… hanging out with you, and dipper, and everyone, hanging around the shack….i started to realize that this isn’t normal. my parents aren't……normal. and now I’m just so scared that no matter what i do, i’ll end up just like them.”

-“….pacifica. i know you. your outsides may be crusted over with gold coins and expensive body lotion and hairspray, but your insides are made of bubbles and kitten kisses and rainbow dolphins high-fiving each other. your parents are a couple of stinky poo-heads inside and out and you’re not anything like them.”

[pacifica, crying, kisses her]

-“oh no. this was a mistake. I’m leaving.”

-“pacifICA WAIT”

-“what would you say if i said i was in love with you?”

-“i’d say you only wanted me for my money”

-“oh pacifica, your heart is gold enough to last me a lifetime!”

-“shhhhhpsshh stop!!”

-[mabel kisses her on the cheek]

-“no but really stop i don’t want my parents to see”

-“ohhh yeah sorry”

THE LAST MABELCORN

-things start out much like they do in canon, but when mabel meets the unicorn and it tells her that she’s not pure of heart she jumps to the conclusion that bill has “tainted” her in some way by taking over her body. the abuse metaphors here are obvious. she sadly returns home and begs ford to help her in some way, and he takes her down to his study. meanwhile, dipper sets back out with the girls in mabel’s place.

-“…..but it wasn’t me….” “what?” “i…..i have to go.” “mabel, wait!”

have it so like, she’s not necessarily visibly distraught when she talks to ford, or even to her friends, but more determined to “fix” herself, hiding the worry that she’s a bad person beneath her insistence that it must be bill’s fault.

“GRUNKLE FORD! bill gunked up my soul and i need you to fix it so i can be pure of heart again!” “…mabel…” “please please please PLEEEAASE!”

-“no offense, but you break the law daily, you two have kind of a…. mutual violent streak, and you……” “don’t say anything.” “and if being involved with bill really did disqualify mabel, then I’ve been doomed for years.” “you’re also not a 'maiden.’” “good point.”

-“man, this is bullshit.” “i know. how are we gonna find someone more pure than mabel?” “no, i mean. the game’s rigged. nobody’s completely 'pure of heart’ or whatever, and how do you even measure that? that glitter-snorting poser doesn’t ever have to give up the goods because she’s asking for something that doesn’t exist.” “…so how do we get the hair?” “well, i say if princess unattainabelle back there doesn’t wanna play fair, we shouldn’t have to either. alright, kids, who’s ready to add a few more bad deeds to the naughty list?” “YEAH!”

-meanwhile, mabel’s mind begins to be encoded. “i can’t undo what’s already been done, mabel. but i can make it a lot harder for bill to hurt you again.”

-mabel’s thoughts: “do you a favor” “have craz and xyler ever kissed?” “adopt every kitten in the world” “PACIFICA PACIFICA PACIFICA”

-mabel ends up putting the helmet on ford because she starts to have intrusive thoughts worrying that he could be possessed by bill, and she decides that proving herself wrong would put them to rest. “ugh, shut UP, brain! this is why we don’t talk anymore.”

-when mabel reads his thoughts, she freaks out and, unlike dipper, actually succeeds in hitting ford with the memory gun. he’s knocked to the ground and she approaches him cautiously as he rises back to his feet. when he explains that he’s not bill and the gun didn’t work anyway, mabel starts crying and hugs him. “its ok, mabel. you did the right thing. when dealing with an enemy like bill, you can’t fully trust anyone, not even the people closest to you. …maybe if i’d known that when i was younger, we wouldn’t be in this mess now.”

-“….i’m a bad person.” “oh come on, you don’t still believe that unicorn, do you? i thought dipper told you she was full of it.” “no, i… did something really bad today. i thought bill did something to gunk up my heart but it was really just me all along.” “wow, what did you do?” “nn. you’d hate me if i told you.” “mabel, you could kill a dog in front of me and i wouldn’t hate you. and if you don’t tell me i’ll just assume the worst.” “i AM the worst.” “ohhhh my god. …..ok, let’s say that bill did break your soul for all eternity or whatever. so what? you’re still my girlfriend. and in case you haven’t noticed, i’m pretty messed up too.”

ROADSIDE ATTRACTION

-“aww, come on! think about it…. just us girls, alone under the stars…” “eww, fine! i’ll come if you stop being gross”

-“i can’t believe my own sister got a girlfriend before me!”

-“romance ain’t a contest, kid.”

-“…yeah, you’re probably r-”

-“just kidding its definitely a contest. one you’re losing.”

-“he was… flirting with me! i think he actually likes me back!”

-“AAAAAAAAA!!” “get it, girl!” “candy wins!” “i wouldn’t get your hopes up, chiu. he’s probably just being a tool.”

-“pacifica, how could you?” “why must you deny true love?” “hey, dipper’s my friend and i think he’s great, but he sucks. I’m just being realistic.”

-“oh, no. i think i just agreed to take candy out on a date.”

-“….aaaaand do you LIKE her?”

-“well, yeah…………….as a fr-”

-“UGGGGGHHHHHH I KNEW IT. listen, 'dopper’, you got yourself into this mess, and its not up to me to help get you out. you deserve it for toying with a woman’s feelings, anyway.”

“candy…. saved my life. even after i broke her heart. she’s so cool…………………………………oh, SHIT.”

-“it’s ok, dipper. if dating pacifica has taught me anything, its that the way to a woman’s heart is through emotional angst and near-death experiences. and we get those every day!”

-“you deserve this and i have no sympathy for you.”

–

DIPPER AND MABEL VS THE FUTURE

same basic setup, with mabel hitting up all her friends for party plans, but the focus is on having to return home without all the friends she’s made rather than anxiety about growing up (although that’s still a factor). in addition to discovering candy and grenda won’t be around, she also finds that pacifica’s parents are becoming suspicious of her frequent outings so she’s trying to lay low for a little while, so she won’t be able to hang out for the last week of summer.

ford invites dip along for the alien hunt, and doesn’t exactly offer dipper the chance to be his apprentice, but is impressed with his adventuring skills and the fact that dipper has been training in the art of mystery solving for years. au dipper is quite a bit braver than canon dipper after all, and quicker to spring into action right after ford. theres still a bit of hesitation involved, and when ford praises him for his courage, he laughs and remarks that mabel would’ve jumped right away without any thought. ford then confides in dipper that although mabel uses her heart before her head, he can still see how scared she is inside and thinks it would be best for mabel to return home and cease connection with gravity falls, because he’s seen first-hand how much bill has hurt her already and he doesn’t want it to get any worse. he also tells dipper that he can tell mabel’s heart isn’t in any kind of study or quest for knowledge like he is, she’s just a kid having fun, and he can tell that its mostly because she wants to impress dipper and it might be better for her to focus her energy on her own interests, which can’t happen if she stays in gravity falls. dipper reluctantly agrees, saying that he’s always sort of worried about the same thing. of course, this is the part that mabel hears over the walkie-talkie.

for all that mabel and ford’s relationship is better, he still sees her as a child while he sees dipper as more of an equal. he warns dipper that letting mabel become dependent on him, or he on her, is a bad idea, because one day they’re going to have to go their separate ways, and mabel might not be able to handle it (implying that she’ll do something drastic to keep him around, like stan did to him).

theres a scene midway through the episode of pacifica sulking on her bed, hugging a pillow to her face. her mother’s voice calls her for dinner from downstairs, and she groans and gets up. looking in the mirror, she realizes her mascara has run and she scoffs and rubs at her eyes. when she opens them up again, the mirror is full of eyes. “something wrong, blondie?” it cuts off there

after mabel runs away into the woods at the end of the episode, pacifica emerges from the bushes in her full incognito gear, saying she came to warn her about bill. that bill tried to make a deal with her but she refused everything he offered, and that he’s getting desperate and is going to try again with someone else, probably before the summer ends. she tells mabel that if neither of their families want them, they’ll run away, out of gravity falls, together. when mabel realizes she has the rift, she groans, annoyed that she has to go back home and return it. but pacifica insists that this actually makes the plan better, that if they leave gravity falls with the rift it can be kept safer… and that, maybe it would be better if pacifica held onto it, since bill is targeting mabel. mabel agrees and hands it over…. at which point pacifica takes a moment to admire it, and then smashes it to the ground. she laughs, takes off her sunglasses, and is revealed to have been possessed by bill. then the world ends.

WEIRDMAGEDDON 1

-after ford is captured, dipper runs into grenda, as in literally runs into her, while she’s attempting to chase a monster in process of carrying off candy. the two travel together for the next three days, finally deciding to explore the mall in search of mabel and the others. on the way there, though, the two are ambushed by bill’s lackeys. before the fight can begin, grenda tosses dipper out of harm’s way and shouts for him to go on without her while she holds off the monsters. dipper reluctantly escapes, leaving grenda to an ambiguous fate.

-during that time, candy finds pacifica huddled in a pile of rubble, and urges her to come help find the others, but she’s reluctant. “look, mabel’s not here anymore, alright?! she’s gone. bill got her. so you can stop pretending to like me.” “candy does not pretend. not when it comes to friendship.” “….if you just left me here, nobody would have to know.” “on your feet, northwest.”

“augh, my poor hair… it’s got like, twigs and shit in it.” “do you want me to cut it off?” “what? no. why would i do that.” “it’s a symbol! in stories, girls cut off their long hair when they are going on journeys and breaking free, leaving the past behind… it is cool and majestic and– pacifica, YOU should cut off MY hair!” “wait, seriously? …ok, whatever, fine, do your weird impulsive nerd thing. you got any like, scissors?” “let me see….. six, seven, eight pairs! i also have a knife.” “candy, what the fuck.”

-dipper finds wendy, pacifica, and candy all hiding together in the mall. dipper is surprised and relieved to find that candy is safe and she talks about how she bit the monster’s hand to get it to free her, proudly revealing that one of her teeth has turned completely red as a result. dipper admits what happened to grenda, and while pacifica and wendy look worried, candy remains adamant that she’s strong and will be all right. hesitantly, dipper asks if any of them have seen mabel. the room goes quiet, and pacifica confesses what happened, that bill came to her and threatened to possess and torture mabel again if she didn’t let him use her body. she thought that if she agreed, she’d become a ghost like mabel did and be able to use a puppet as a vessel in time to warn somebody. instead she simply blacked out, and when she came to she was just in time to see mabel being sealed in a bubble and taken away.

-at some point pacifica confesses to dipper that bill never threatened to hurt mabel. she made the deal willingly because he promised her that mabel would be able to stay in gravity falls if she let him borrow her body, and she was just so scared of losing her, and everyone.

-candy’s arm is broken in the car chase and ensuing wreck against gideon’s crew. in the aftermath, pacifica uses the remains of her jacket to make a sling.

ESCAPE FROM REALITY

mabeland is nearly the same as in canon, though maybe with some minor alterations to reflect the events of the summer. dippy fresh is replaced by a series of “dream dippers”, versions of dipper that mabel had imagined he might be like before actually meeting him. most are unrealistically cool, but one in particular is just someone who would be the ideal brother, always looking out for her and wanting to be with her. in the end of course, mabel has to look at all of this and decide that real dipper is the one she wants. (theres also a fake pacifica who shares all of mabel’s interests and is hopelessly in love with her, always flirting and offering romantic gestures, but without any of the sass and personality that make her who she is. pacifica ends up snapping her neck.)

mabel introduces the dream dippers one by one like they’re contestants on a game show, but one spot is left empty. dipper asks who it’s for, to which mabel nervously replies that it’s more convenient to have something extra just in case. later on, in the wilderness of mabeland, dipper overhears mabel talking to someone. “i don’t understand. everyone can finally be happy here. wendy can break all the rules she wants and never get in trouble, candy can be herself without people making fun of her, pacifica can get away from her parents, and dipper…. well maybe i can understand why HE wants to leave, since he apparently doesn’t want to deal with me….” suddenly, dipper hears his own voice reassuring her that everything will be alright, and he’ll stay by her side forever, that the summer never has to end. she says “do you really mean that?” to which he replies “of course. you know i’m the best brother ever.” the voice is revealed to be perfect, ideal brother dipper.

crushed by this, dipper retreats to the pond, where instead of being approached by wendy he’s approached by candy. she sits down and asks him what’s wrong, and he tells her how awful he feels that he couldn’t have done better for mabel. she assures him that he’s a wonderful person, and mabel’s being silly for not wanting someone like him as a brother. she then tells him that she was being silly for being mad at him, too, that she’s realized he was right all along, and she should’ve forgiven him earlier. “really? …'cause i was totally with you on the whole 'i was a jerk’ thing.” then candy ups the ante, going on to talk about how oh, he’s so much smarter and braver than her, and she was just upset because she thought she stood a chance with him, but she’s such a loser, she could never- dipper stops her there, worried. he continues to insist that it was his fault, he WAS being an asshole, and he should’ve apologized to her a long time ago, but he was nervous “because…. i DO like you, candy. like, like-like you.” he tells her to stop berating herself, that he likes her because she doesn’t let anybody change how weird she is and that she’s not acting like…. herself. it’s at that moment that he realizes what’s going on. as “candy” begins dissolving into bugs, a fist collides with her head and she explodes. its revealed to be grenda, who managed to find her way in because “the door was unlocked.”

when it comes to the trial, mabel’s memories are similarly flipped through, but instead of having a twin to be there in her time of need, she had nobody. she’s never had anybody like that until she met dipper.

TAKE BACK THE FALLS

-candy and grenda’s symbol is a disco ball. “…and this one could mean a person who can see the fun in any situation! or just a party animal.” “hey, that’s me!” “that’s me too!” “it’s both of us!! SYMBOL SISTERS!!!” [grenda lifts candy up onto her shoulders and they each take a hand, candy on her right side since her left arm is broken and grenda on the left]

-“we’re proud of you, daughter. saving the world will be perfect for salvaging our reputation! i still think those pines kids are a bit of a bad influence on you, though.”

-“oh YEAH? how’s THIS for a bad influence?!” [she pulls mabel into a passionate kiss] “news flash, dad! your perfect daughter’s a big fat gross lesbian! and when i grow up I’m gonna marry this riffraff right here, and change my name to pines too!! so DEAL WITH IT!!!”

stan still loses his memory as he did in canon, but dipper is the most visibly distraught and won’t stop begging him to remember. he tells him how even though they fought a lot over that summer, he loves him so much and he’d never ask for a better grunkle. he desperately tries to jog his memory with baby pictures, but they need to trigger more immediate memories first.

the solution for mabel to stay in gravity falls would be to fabricate a lie that dipper is ford’s grandson, ford being the twin that faked his own death to escape a life on the run, but they’ve just come back to reconnect with the family (since dipper lost his parents apparently), and mabel didn’t want to tell her parents at first because she was afraid they wouldn’t want her staying with an estranged family member/ex-con. but she’s made so many great friends and she loves this town and wants to stay with her “cousin”.

while the northwests go house hunting, mabel invites pacifica to stay at the shack until they can find a new home.

rather than leaving for a new adventure, ford and stan decide to stay at the shack and rest for a while, just settle into their new family dynamic. soos, melody, and abuelita all still move in, and so the house is renovated to make room for the huge family.

with the journals destroyed, the mystery squad now has to start from square one…. but dipper tells mabel that she doesn’t have to do anything to impress him anymore. that he’s ready to try just being a kid again.

[dreamss-of-boston]

Rise - ch10

link on AO3!

wow thank u all so much for your kind comments and kudos!! they honestly mean the world to me, i'm so glad people out there actually read what i write and enjoy it! this chapter is pretty long, and there's some gruesome parts in here TW: regarding titans and blood and wounds. please proceed with caution if you are sensitive! i didn't mean for this fic to get so violent, so i will be updating my tags.

please enjoy!

[-]

It was the calm before the storm. The sky was the softest shade of blue, the sun still hidden behind the walls as it rose steadily but surely to warm the world. As Sonya lay in bed, her body was still, her mind devoid of any semblance of worry, or any semblance of emotion in general.

She knew she didn’t have to be up for at least another hour; she watched the blank space in front of her as specks of dust floated through the uninterrupted air. She didn’t know what time it was, exactly, but the only important thing she needed to know about today was that she would be venturing beyond the walls for the second time in her life. For some reason, that fact didn’t land completely in her consciousness. She knew what was coming, yet she felt nothing for it.

Sonya refused to picture her past experience. She refused to picture Anna, the titans and their glistening eyes staring up at her from the depths of the forest; no, right now, Sonya was staring at the tan jacket of her uniform, sitting draped over the chair pushed against her desk. The stitching on the left shoulder had to be redone after her first expedition. She wondered if she would have to get anything repaired this time.

She wondered if she would come back this time.

[-]

It was Hange’s idea to leave at sunset; with their limited knowledge of the titans, they had a working hypothesis that their activity was reduced at night, thus (allegedly) making them easier to subdue and capture. This expedition would help them test that hypothesis. If Hange was wrong, and the titans were just as active at night as they were in the day, Erwin had promised both the troops and Darius Zackley that he would terminate the mission immediately in order to ensure the highest survival rate.

Most of the day was spent preparing the horses and equipment; the soldiers all tried to act as casually as possible, all attempting to ignore the fact that their goal was to bring the devil right through the gates to their home. Hange, on the other hand, was buzzing with excitement the whole day as the entire scouting regiment prepared for the expedition.

“Make sure you’re careful with those nets!” She exclaimed as Sonya and Mabel were working together to haul the equipment onto the carts. “Those spikes are meant to really mess a titan up; think of what they’ll do to you!” Hange said with an almost gleeful smile. Sonya and Mabel exchanged a glance. They didn’t understand the captain, but she was quite intelligent and one of the most skilled soldiers on the force, so they didn’t really question her antics much.

Only about one-fifth of the scouting regiment was going on the expedition. Most of the soldiers were volunteers, but Erwin had to assign more soldiers in order to “round out the mission and increase their chances of success.”

But the fact that most of the soldiers assigned were rather talented or had proved themselves useful in otherwise compromising situations gave Sonya the impression that Erwin intended to come back with as many soldiers as possible. In a way, it was reassuring that she was assigned to this mission; it suggested that she was more capable than she thought.

Levi was treating her the same as before, if not colder. But Sonya didn’t try to vie for his attention anymore; she was embarrassed at herself for being so comfortable in front of him in just her underwear four nights earlier, but she didn’t regret kissing him in the slightest. Sonya didn’t regret it because it felt genuine; it felt right. After finding out that she was the wrong daughter, unwanted by the Romanovs, kissing Levi was like being hit by a cold gust of wind. It reminded her that she was still a pulsing, living being, despite whose blood coursed through her veins. Through the haze of her memory, she distinctly remembered kissing him, him kissing her back (fervently), and she remembered asking him if he was disgusted with her.

She remembered that he said no, that he said he had never been disgusted with her: the bastard whore from the Underground.

She also remembered being assigned stable duties on her own for the entire month. But, Sonya was very glad that she didn’t get latrine duties - Peter got to deal with that.

As the sun curved higher in the sky, becoming ever closer to sunset, Mabel and Sonya had decided to eat a late lunch of bread, cheese, and cold meats at the top of the wall. Sonya’s legs dangled over the edge, while Mabel sat cross-legged, sitting back on one hand contentedly. Sonya and Peter had been assigned to the expedition; Mabel and Ada had not.

“Don’t try and be a hero,” Mabel warned. “I’ll never forgive you if you die trying to protect someone like Peter.”

Sonya laughed. “Don’t worry; if a titan comes for Peter, I’ll look the other way.”

Mabel smiled, taking a bite of her makeshift sandwich. The two girls sat, basking in the glow of the sunlight while a slight breeze kept them cool. Sonya watched as a flock of birds soared easily over the walls, dipping and rising with the wind currents.

“Imagine if we invented a way to fly.” Sonya reclined to lay on her back, folding her hands over her stomach. “We could get so far away; we might even find another civilization of people behind other walls. Or, maybe on a giant mountain with a moat of spears around it to keep titans out--”

“You’re crazy.” Mabel said. “You never went to school, did you?”

“No.” Sonya said quietly.

“Well, it’s common knowledge that we’re the last of humanity. Everyone else was eaten by the titans; we’re all that’s left.” She said grimly. “Making contraptions to fly over the walls would be useless; everywhere is overtaken by titans, and it’s all the same wilderness, for miles and miles. Besides, we’re safe here. No titans have been able to break through the walls in a hundred years.”

Sonya didn’t say anything. In a way, Mabel was right; Sonya had never gotten the same schooling as her, and she hadn’t really realized until now just how different their worldviews were. For a moment, she couldn’t understand how Mabel could’ve joined the Scouts if she didn’t believe there was something out there. Sonya loved to entertain the many possibilities of there being life beyond the walls, but Mabel just couldn’t envision such a thing. She wondered for a moment if perhaps Anna would have understood her better.

“What’re you two lovely ladies doing up here?” Peter’s voice came from their left, and the two girls smiled as he joined them.

“We’re talking about boys,” Mabel said, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

“Ooh,” Peter tore off a piece of bread for himself as he sat next to Sonya. “I have a crush on Max Petersen!” He batted his eyelashes as Mabel and Sonya laughed.

“Hey, Max is probably the prettiest person in the whole Scout regiment.” Mabel said.

It was true. Max had dark russet hair, golden smooth skin, and eyes as blue as the sky on a summer day. He was tall, unironically kind, and had the most charming smile and personality to match. It was almost infuriating, how he was both beautiful and a joy to be around.

“Max is a person I could see myself dying to protect.” Sonya decided.

“Max could step on my throat and I’d say, ‘thank-you.’” Mabel said, a little too seriously. The three soldiers burst out laughing, and for those few minutes on the top of the world, bathing in sunlight with a cool breeze, they could forget the prospect of death hanging over their heads.

[-]

Sonya ran her hand along Chuck’s strong neck, his soft fur calming her nerves just slightly. Long shadows of the walls were cast from the setting sun, dropping the temperature drastically; the corps were a sea of green, as everyone had opted to wear their cloaks. The time to begin the expedition had come, and Sonya and the rest of the soldiers were prepping their horses and equipment before the official departure. She bit her lip as she sighed, inadvertently glancing around to try and spot Levi’s black hair. Just as she turned, she caught his eye across the rows of other scouts and their horses; he seemed to have been looking for her, too. She lowered her head, silently pleading him to come over to her.

He started to turn away, though he kept his gaze on her. He must’ve let out a scoff, because she saw his resolve crumble as he made his way over to her, careful not to act like he wanted to be by her side.

“Did you buckle your saddle correctly this time, brat?” He said irritably, inspecting Chuck’s saddle.

Sonya felt a smile tug at her lips; she pressed her finger against them, unable to forget how she had kissed and held the man in front of her just days ago. She wanted so badly to embrace him now, to feel his heart thump against her own in order to drown out the world around them. Levi glanced at her, and studied her closely. His gaze fixated on the frizzy curls which poked out and framed her face.

Almost without realizing it, his expression softened as he reached out, wrapping a strand of curled hair around his index finger gingerly. She felt her heart leap in her chest at the contact. His lips slightly parted as he gazed at the brown lock, but just as quickly as his hand was there, it was gone, and he had glanced away from Sonya to look at Chuck.

She was so irritated at his actions. Why did he just do that? Was he thinking of the same experience they had shared, as she was? Sonya reached out and grabbed his hand under his cloak, forcing him to look at her. She needed physical contact with him, to feel the validity of warmth in his hand; she needed to know if he still felt anything for her. He was forced to look back at her, irritation quite evident on his face, but when he saw the silent plea within Sonya’s expression, his demeanor changed.

Levi’s expression softened into that familiar look he had when it was just the two of them, no subordinates or officers around for him to keep up his hardened reputation for. He stepped closer to her, entwining his fingers with hers, their scouting cloaks hiding their affection from the rest of the world. Sonya wished she could kiss his stupid face so that she could pull him out of hiding; she knew he had compassion in him somewhere. It was astounding how much affection she held for him; she couldn’t deny how much joy it gave her whenever he looked at her as if they shared some secret, like two outlaws getting away with a crime. What they were sharing now was a welcome change from his cold attitude thus far; it gave her hope, and encouraged her to feel more for him if they could share more moments like this.

He ran his thumb over her knuckles, and she squeezed back. She understood that they couldn’t exactly be public; she wasn’t even sure if he shared the same feelings as her. In fact, gazing into those cold, gray irises, Sonya started to suspect that, as far as Levi was concerned, she was just a pretty subordinate he could mess around with in order to get out a little tension. She felt a string pull on her heart at the thought of that; and in just a moment, he was gone from her side, and her hand was cold once again.

When he turned and left, his expression was back to the same old, bored and irritated Captain Levi. Sonya’s hand dropped limply to her side. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she was right. Why else would he ignore her for days-- weeks on end, only to suddenly kiss and touch her when she was drunk and half-naked?

She crossed her arms, biting back tears. What a wonderful thing to realize just before heading on the most dangerous expedition she’d ever been on.

“Sonya, what’re you doing? We’re all getting ready to go to the gate.” Peter got on his horse, completely unaware of the whirling mess of thoughts inside Sonya’s brain. She took a deep breath. This wasn’t the first time she had been deemed invaluable according to a man.

As Sonya mounted Chuck, she took hold of the reigns with a forced calm. Very well. For the moment, Sonya accepted her role as a simply physical outlet for the man she had come to care for. Perhaps she could sway herself to see him the same way, and avoid getting hurt even further. Her gaze drifted ahead of her, where Levi was waiting with Oulo, Eld, and Gunther. She refused to think of how poised he looked; she refused to think of how good it felt to tangle her hands in that black hair, to trail her finger down his neck and along his collarbone.

With a huff, Sonya steadied Chuck, who was growing impatient at standing and waiting for so long. She refused to let her personal situation get in the way of this expedition; it was far too important. So, as hard as it was, Sonya shoved all of her overly-analytical thoughts to the back of her brain, and focused on everything presently in front of her.

The sun was dipping lower in the sky; the gate was opened, Erwin gave the command, and the expedition began.

[-]

“Why'd this stupid mission have to be at night…?” Peter grumbled as he clumsily ascended a tree near Sonya, who was already perching on a large branch. The moon was full, so the Scouts were able to see relatively well without the help from the torches. Still, the fact that the mission was at night did give them a disadvantage at spotting titans early, and so they had proceeded with the utmost caution up to their current point.

They were in a large clearing deep within the forest; the moon was just above the tree line and so it was able to shine down on them to give the scouts enough light to pounce on a weary titan. While Sonya set up the torches on the branch she was currently on, she was caught by surprise when Peter swooped over to help her.

“Aren’t you supposed to be helping set up equipment?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah, but I figured I could-- uh, help you out first.” Peter said, sheepishly lighting a torch.

Sonya didn’t say anything, she just cast him a look. “... Okay, well, put it on the next tree over, ‘cause this one already has enough light.”

“Right. Okay.” Peter flashed her a thumbs up, but stalled in his leaving. “Um--”

“Wagner.” Levi’s call came from two trees over. He was standing, apparently speaking with Oulo, when he noticed Sonya’s and Peter’s interaction. He was glaring something fierce at Peter; it even sent a chill down Sonya’s spine. “Do as you’re assigned; she doesn’t need your help.”

Peter gulped. Sonya shared a glance with Levi, who was clearly irritated at Peter for wasting her time. When Levi turned back to continue his conversation with Oulo, she looked back over to Peter, who handed her the torch back, descending quickly to go do his actual job.

It didn’t take long for everything to be set up. The soldiers all mostly worked in silence, the soft light of the moon casting a peaceful quiet over the anxious humans puttering about in the forest. There was hardly any wind, so Sonya’s torches were burning brightly, illuminating the clearing fantastically.

And so they waited. Erwin and Hanji were so tense, Sonya thought they might burst at any moment. Levi was still calm-- on the outside, at least. She couldn’t help but admire how poised he was, standing in wait on the branch just adjacent to her, his blades drawn and at the ready.

The waiting seemed to go on forever. Sonya couldn’t help but pace in her small area, unsure if she should unsheath her blades, as well.

“Perhaps we should go out and lure one in--?” Hanji began, but stopped short when the chillingly familiar sound of footsteps startled everyone into a tense silence.

Now, Sonya unsheathed her blades. The thumping continued, getting closer, louder with each step. Her heart was hammering in her chest-- everything that moved within her line of vision was of utmost importance. She strained her ears to try and hear if any other footsteps were accompanying the approaching titan. As far as she could tell, the beast was alone.

Erwin glanced over to Mike Zacharias, who was standing tensely on the branch adjacent to him. He sniffed the air, and raised his index finger-- he could only smell one.

Sonya relaxed a little at that; she could handle one, especially with all of these soldiers-- mostly veterans-- on her side.

The thundering footsteps finally gave way to the view of a towering, nine-meter tall titan. The dead eyes were the same; glassy, unblinking, hungry. Sonya forced herself to take a deep breath as the titan’s gaze landed on her. Could it see her terror?

Could it smell her?

It must have been an Abnormal-- all at once, it actually leapt from the ground and towards Sonya. Even as high up in her perch as she was, the titan was coming for her fast. It didn’t even need to climb the tree to get to eating-level, and soon, she was face-to-face with the monster.

She couldn’t hear what anyone was saying, or see anything aside from the wide expanse of flesh in front of her. Fear had pinned her to the spot. The rank, heavy breathing from the titan extinguished her torch, it swept through her hair, clung to her clothes.

The titan leaned forward, mouth opening slowly to reveal hideously human teeth, rotting breath as hot as a fire-- the same vision Anna must have seen before…

“Sonya!”

One voice cut through the din of silence-- Levi.

With a gasp, Sonya snapped into that familiar numbness of defense. She suddenly had complete control, and in one fluid motion, she pushed backwards, falling off of her branch and away from the titan into the dark forest behind her.

She couldn’t see anything; the potent smell of the titan was distant as she plummeted down and away from the clearing. Sonya shot her grappling hook blindly, hoping it would hit something and stay.

Snap!

Her hook found a home in the dense bark of some evergreen she couldn’t see. Her line went taut all at once, snapping her forcefully from her falling descent to the forest floor. She let out a grunt at the impact-- she suspected she would have a couple new bruises tomorrow. If she made it.

In the distance, she could hear the commotion of the Scouts grappling with the titan, probably finding some trouble with securing it to the platform it was intended to be carried out on. She could see the light of the clearing through the trees, but she had fallen so far, she suspected the floor was not far beneath her. With a few grunts of effort, Sonya swung herself enough to get some momentum to propel her forward. In a brief moment, she laughed to herself at the memory of the disastrous lesson with Levi in which he forced her and her friends to use their gear without their gas.

The thought of her friends was what pushed her forward-- the thought of Levi.

As she began to make her way back to the clearing, she felt a hot, giant hand wrap itself around her leg and yank her down all at once. She yelped in fear, and strained on the triggers of her equipment to stay secured in whatever tree they were stuck in.

Sonya glanced down to see a six-meter-titan staring up at her, hand wrapped securely around her calf. She almost retched when she saw drool spill from its mouth, dribbling down its chin.

She could have sworn she saw a glimmer of amusement when it yanked on her again, harder this time, causing her to strain even more. She was being pulled in two directions-- being held up by her ODM gear, and being pulled down by this hungry monster.

There was nothing she could do.

Well-- one thing.

Sonya held her breath. With all her might, she pulled herself up with the intention of leaping out of the titan’s grasp. She didn’t come free, of course-- but it gave her enough leverage that, when she released the triggers of her gear, she came plummeting down to the titan-- fast.

In one swift motion, she sliced underneath her, severing the titan’s hand from its arm mid-way at the wrist, and she quickly attached herself to a tree, pressing on the gas to propel her upwards at as fast a pace as possible.

She didn’t think as she careened towards the clearing, back to her friends, her comrades. All she could feel was her clammy hands gripping her swords, now steaming from evaporated blood, and her heart pounding in her ears.

The tree she essentially crashed into was home to Levi and Oulo-- she was on the branch beneath them, and the sound of splintering wood accompanied with her yelps of pain made her presence known.

She noticed for a fleeting moment that the titan that had first come after her was successfully restrained, pinned to the platform underneath a net of spikes which Hange had so lovingly made. It wasn’t until she caught her breath, when she looked down at her leg, that she noticed the steaming hand of the titan still gripping her fiercely.

Sonya screamed-- she frantically tried to pry the flesh off, but it was too hot to touch. She couldn’t feel the pain in her leg just then; all she could think of was the hand being there, chaining her, burning her.

“Sonya!” Once again, Levi’s voice was the only thing to reach her. He had descended to her branch, clawed his way over to her.

“Get it off-- it won’t come off!” She shrieked, reaching out for him-- for any of him.

He came to her side, he let her cling to his arm, let her fingernails dig into his skin through the fabric of his uniform. Levi was calm as he looked her over, as he looked at the rotting flesh clinging to her leg.

“It’ll burn her leg too severely--” Mike began.

“I know.” Levi cut him off, unsheathing a sword. His jaw was set-- he refused to look at Sonya’s face, now red and streaked in tears. Levi pried himself from Sonya’s grip, who was now beginning to feel the intense pain of the burning hand, and made his way to her foot. “Hold it down.” He told Mike.

Mike did as Levi said-- Sonya couldn’t comprehend what was to come.

In one clean, precise slice, Levi severed the hand from her leg by cutting at the finger joints. The one thing he didn’t want to happen did, though. He had cut through the titan’s hand, through the durable leather of Sonya’s boots, to leave a long, shallow cut on the front of her calf.

Sonya couldn’t register that specific pain yet-- she was still processing the burn. She gasped at the blossom of red pooling in the cut. She was sure it would spill over the lip of her sliced boot, like a cup of tea that was too full.

Sonya glanced up to Levi, who looked positively horrified at what he’d done. She reached out to him, because it was the only thing she wanted to do, and he reached out to her, pulling her to his chest tightly, desperately.

The pain hit her all at once-- she felt a surge of white heat pulse through her body, and then her vision blurred to darkness.

[apathetic-revenant]

now you see it all (part 3)

hey I finally finished this stupid thing

I dunno how well I wrote Wendy? fanfic is hard 

part 1/part 2

Evening stretched into night, but no one went home. There was nothing remotely organized about the gathering, not even any kind of agreement about what they were all doing out there in the first place, just a general unspoken consensus that no one really wanted to be alone just yet. Later there might be some kind of discussion about what had happened, or perhaps not, but for the moment they were, against all odds, alive and intact, and they were going to make a hell of a fuss about it. People formed rings around lanterns or makeshift campfires and passed around food; the Hermanos Brothers had set up a grill and were cooking up a storm, supplemented by whatever could be found from houses and restaurants and grocery stores all across town, while Lazy Susan was serving coffee and hot chocolate from a camp stove. No one seemed to be especially concerned about paying for anything, or about the fact that here and there some distinctly non-human silhouettes could be seen-although the gnomes occasionally had to get smacked aside when they tried to make off with peoples' plates.

In the middle of it all, most of the members of the rescue team had coalesced into an unofficial group. The twins and Soos sat next to Stan, who periodically had people wander over and offer up some anecdote or evidence of their history with him. Mabel's friends were clumped up next to her, while a little ways away Pacifica sat trying and failing to look haughty and distant. Robbie and Tambry sat with their arms around each other, looking completely sickening, but as long as they were being sickening with each other Wendy didn't much care. Gideon was perched in a camp chair being annoyingly ingratiating and thoroughly ignored. There was also a manotaur, improbably still wearing one of Mabel's sweaters, and all of the Sev'ral Timez members. Probably all of them, anyway. Wendy never could keep track of exactly how many there were.

She was sitting on the hood of someone's car parked near the statue, drinking a Pitt Cola and trying to get her head around the fact that it hadn't even been twelve hours since all this had been wasteland and the end of the world was nigh, when Ford finally came back.

His coat and sweater were slung over one shoulder, leaving him down to a dingy old black t-shirt that he must have had on underneath. There were clean new bandages around his neck and both wrists, and a few plasters stuck here and there over the patchwork of scars and tattoos that covered his arms. He stood off to the side, almost standoffishly, looking in on the gathering with an expression that Wendy realized she found familiar. She had seen it on kids at school dances, sometimes, and on Dipper as he lingered at the edges of parties at the Shack, and she had seen it very occasionally on Stan: the look of someone on the outside who had already convinced themselves they would never be allowed in.

No one else noticed him for the moment. The group was laughing over a story about Stan and a fishing trip he had taken with the kids. Mabel and Soos were providing enthusiastic sound effects and gesticulations. Ford leaned against the car Wendy was sitting on and watched with a fond, wistful smile.

“Hey,” Wendy said, quiet-like. “Nice tats.”

Ford gave her an absolutely withering look, but it relaxed slightly after a moment. “I've been meaning to ask someone,” he said, in the same low tone. “How has tattoo removal technology progressed in the past thirty years?”

“Aw, c'mon.” She nudged him with an elbow-very gently, remembering that hand clenched tight at his side. “I'm serious. They're actually pretty cool.”

He rolled his eyes. “Not all of them. Anyway,” he added hastily, coughing awkwardly, “they're not all...needed...anymore. Per se.”

She didn't know what that meant, but it probably wasn't something she really needed to know. “I'll look something up for you,” she said. “I might know a guy. Or Stan might-”

She stopped.

Ford said nothing.

They sat for a moment in silence. The story seemed to have somehow turned into an account of a high-speed boat chase, although Dipper was ranting about cameras for some reason.

“I gotta ask you something,” Wendy said finally.

Ford cocked an eyebrow.

“It's...not a very nice question,” she said, not sure why she was telling him that, not sure why she would care about being nice about this. Ford just shrugged.

“I'm not sure I deserve nice right now,” he said quietly.

She fiddled with her soda can, pulling the tab back and forth, not sure how to put it, not sure what to do with this question that had been squirming around in her stomach all hot and clawed and horrible ever since Ford had pulled out the memory gun, ever since he had told them what had happened to Stan. What he had done to Stan.

“Why did you switch?”

Ford blinked at her. “What?”

“You and Stan...I mean...if you were the one who had what Bill wanted...why did Stan have to...”

“Ah,” he said. He didn't sound angry, exactly-or at least, he didn't sound angry at her. “You think I should have been the one to...make the sacrifice.”

“No,” she said, and she meant it, she really did. “I don't think anyone should have had to do that. I just...”

...had been sitting there turning it around and around in her head, trying to find a reason, trying to imagine how they had worked it out. Trying not to imagine Ford deciding that it was better for his brother to take the fall than him. Trying to imagine some reason that did not involve Stan being judged to be less.

But she couldn't work out how to get it out, so in the end she said, “I just want to know how you decided.”

“We didn't,” he said. “Although, for the record, I agree with you.”

She wasn't sure what she'd expected him to say, but none of that was remotely it. “...uh, what?”

“It should have been me.” He sighed and leaned against the car. “It was supposed to be me. I was prepared for it to be me. It would have been...right. I started this mess. I should have been the one to clean it up. For thirty years...I didn't expect to get any kind of happy ending...all I wanted was to be able to take Bill down with me. And now...”

There was that look again, that lost look, only now it was so much worse.

“Uh, yeah, okay, you do realize that has nothing to do with what I said,” she said. “I don't think...I guess I just...it just seems like kind of a risk, ya know? I mean, what if he caught on that you had switched? I mean I'm sure you had a reason, I just...”

I just really need to know what it was.

“It was a gamble, to be sure,” Ford said. He rubbed a hand through his hair, making it stick up even more ridiculously than usual. “But we didn't have a choice. The memory gun wouldn't work on me.”

“You...what? Why not?”

“I took precautions a long time ago, to protect myself from Bill,” Ford said. “It happens that they also prevent the effects of Fiddleford's device. I found that out...erm, rather accidentally.”

Wendy felt something that had been tight and twisted in her chest suddenly begin to ease away. “So you didn't...you didn't choose for Stan-”

“God, no.” Ford looked horrified. “It was his idea. If I'd had any choice...but we had so little time, Bill would have been back any moment, and he had the kids-”

“Hey, hey. Dude. I get it.” She was a little surprised to hear herself say it-so was he, to judge by the look he gave her-but even as she did she realized that, actually, she did get it. “What you did-I mean, it was a sucky thing to have to do, but I don't blame you for doing it. I just needed to know why.”

So she didn't have to hate him.

That was alright, then.

They sat there for a moment in considerably less tense silence.

“...'Sucky'?” Ford asked eventually.

“What? Oh, yeah. That's a thing us young folk say nowadays.”

“You're putting me on,” he said flatly.

Wait a minute, this guy's been gone for thirty years, how much fake slang could I convince him is totally a thing now? Wait. How much in general can I convince him is a thing now...

...Stan would approve.

“Why are you smiling?” Ford asked suspiciously.

“What? Oh, uh. Nothing.” It wouldn't do to give herself away right off the bat. This was going to be a long-term con. Quick, change the subject. “So, uh-those precautions. Can you, like, elaborate on that? Because I gotta be honest, that gun kind of freaks me out.”

Ford smiled wryly. “I'm afraid my methods are rather more drastic than you would probably be comfortable with.”

“Try me.”

“I put a metal plate in my head.”

Wendy blinked at him. “No shit?”

Ford knocked on one temple, producing a highly incongruous metallic clang.

The sound happened to fall into a lull in the conversation, and suddenly everyone was looking at them. “Grunkle Ford!” Mabel squealed, launching herself off the blanket she had been sitting on and careening into Ford like a small glittery cruise missile.

Wendy was pretty sure she was the only one who heard the pained oof noise Ford made, muffled as it was under Mabel's barrage of questions. “You're all bandaged up! What happened? Are you okay? I've never seen you with your sweater off you have tattoos!”

Ford returned his great-niece's embrace gently. “I'm fine. Just...had some burns, that's all. Bill...er, well, never mind.”

A queasy silence fell. Everyone was looking at Ford; Ford desperately tried to look anywhere else. Mabel's eyes had gone absolutely huge. Dipper came over and slipped his hand into hers, watching his great-uncle intently.

“I thought Bill just turned you into a statue,” Mabel said. “Did it hurt? Was that it?”

For a moment Wendy honestly thought Ford might bolt from the gathering altogether. But after a moment the tension in his face seemed to melt into fatigue and something like sadness. He gently lowered himself to the ground and pulled both twins into a hug, one on either side.

“No, being a statue didn't hurt, not...not exactly,” he said. His voice was low and quiet, making everyone in the circle unconsciously lean in to listen. “But Bill found about the barrier that was keeping him trapped, and he guessed that I would know how to break it, so he unfroze me. He tried to convince me to give him the information willingly. I refused, of course, which was when he got a bit more...forceful.”

Wendy swallowed hard. She could see the expression that must have been on her face reflected all around her. They had all seen far too much of what Bill could do merely out of amusement or petty annoyance; her imagination balked to think of what he might be capable of with such a goal in mind.

“Grunkle Ford...” Mabel sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “You didn't say...”

“It's alright,” Ford said hurriedly. “He didn't have time to do much. Your rescue operation came right in the nick of time. When his minions couldn't take you down he turned me back to gold and left me where you found me.”

Dipper gasped. “So that's why-”

He blushed and looked away as everyone stared at him.

“Hm?” Ford said. “Why what?”

“Why you...well...looked different.” Dipper tugged his hat over his eyes. “I thought...when we found you, you were in a different position...I thought Bill must have unfrozen you at some point but I couldn't figure out why.”

“...Yes,” Ford said awkwardly. “But I was able to watch you defeat his minions. It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. I could hardly believe it. I was so proud.”

There was a brief pause, and then both Dipper and Mabel burst into loud tears.

Ford looked completely nonplussed as the twins sobbed into his t-shirt. “Um...there, there?”

“Oh, shove over.” Stan abruptly thumped down on the ground next to them. “I want in on this family hug action.”

Ford squawked in surprise as Stan wrapped all three of them in a bear hug, then again as Soos joined the pile with a wail. After a moment's hesitation, Wendy hopped off the car and joined in as well.

“Hey!” Stan barked at her with absolutely no force whatsoever. “This is a Pines hug.”

“I've saved all y'all's butts multiple times,” Wendy said. “I think I'm entitled to one family hug.”

Stan made a “pffff” noise but didn't protest further.

“I sincerely appreciate the sentiment behind this,” Ford said after a long moment, his voice just a little higher than usual, “but this is actually rather painful.”

They quickly untangled, to the sound of a few disappointed noises from the observing crowd. Dipper wiped his face on his shirtsleeve, looking highly embarrassed, while Mabel sniffled loudly and unashamedly.

“I get why you didn't want to wear my sweater now,” she said.

Ford blinked. “Hm? Oh. Yes. Sorry about that...”

“It's alright. Wool's not exactly the best cure for burns. I learned that after the hair dryer incident,” Mabel said seriously, leaving Ford looking confused and a bit concerned. “You can put it on when you feel better.”

“I certainly will,” Ford said with a smile. He coughed and rubbed at his wrists. “So-I heard something about a lake monster?”

It was later, when things were quieting down and people were starting to fall asleep on makeshift bedrolls or just on top of each other, when Ford shifted under the blanket he had somehow acquired and asked, “What club are you and Dipper in?”

Wendy, who had been starting to doze off in her chair, stared at him for several highly confused seconds before she realized what he was talking about. “Oh...you mean what I said in the car?”

“Mm.” Ford took a sip from the paper cup of cocoa Mabel had given him. “Not really important, I suppose...I just wondered.”

“We're in a club?” Dipper said sleepily. He was leaning against Soos, who apparently made quite a comfortable pillow. Mabel had started out leaning against Dipper but had slowly slumped down until she was almost flat on the blanket. Stan had wandered off a little while ago, saying something about wanting fresh air.

“Well, not really a club. More kind of an alliance, I guess?” She sat up a little and rubbed at her eyes. “You remember, when you showed me your birthmark?”

Her exhaustion-lagged brain realized a second too late that she should not have spilled that particular secret in front of everyone else. Dipper didn't seem to notice, though, or if he did he didn't care very much.

“Oh yeah...” He yawned so hard his teeth clicked. “Wait. I didn't realize you even remembered that.”

“Of course I did, dude! We had a bonding moment. It was great.” To Ford, who was looking confused, she added, “I showed Dipper a picture of me as a kid when I was like, super tall, and then he showed me his birthmark and we decided we'd be freaks together.”

Something shifted on Ford's face. “Freaks?”

Wendy realized with a sudden, awful jolt that she might have accidentally prodded a nerve there-but before she could say anything Mabel was wriggling upright and loudly protesting. “No fair! You guys made a freak club without me?”

“It was a private moment,” Dipper huffed, but then his face softened. “I guess you could still join, though.”

“I dunno,” Wendy said, feigning a serious tone. “Do you have anything that makes you really unique-nope, nope, can't even finish that sentence with a straight face.”

“Yay! I'm a freak!” Mabel flopped back down on the blanket with a grin.

“Hey, what about me? Can I be in the freak club?” Soos said. “I was a pig once, if that counts. Oh, and a zombie. And I got shrunk that one time. And I had a crazy AI girlfriend. And-”

The twins cut him off. “Of course you're in the club, Soos.” “Yeah, no kidding. Like we'd leave you out.”

Soos pumped his fist in the air. “Yes!”

“What about us?” a distinctive voice boomed.

Mabel put her arms around her friends. “Grenda. Candy. You are my 100% certified freak friends for life. As associate co-captain of the freak club, I officially-”

“What? No one made you associate co-captain,” Dipper protested.

“No one didn't not make me associate co-captain,” Mabel countered. “Anywayyouguysareinnotakebacks!” she added hastily while Dipper tried to figure her last statement out.

“Oh, fine,” he muttered, flopping back onto the blanket. “But Wendy and I get to be co-captains, 'cause we founded it.”

“Well, of course,” Mabel said. “I'm not an animal, Dipper.”

“Can I join?” a quiet voice said, barely heard over Dipper loudly saying that he didn't know about that.

Silence fell at once. Everyone stared.

“Pacifica?” Mabel said. “You want to be a freak?”

The blonde girl flushed and looked uncertain in the sudden attention, but she set her shoulders and lifted her chin stubbornly. “You've seen what my family are like,” she said. “If that's normal, then I...I don't want to be it.”

There was a long, uncertain pause. Dipper and Mabel glanced at each other. Then, as one, they stood up and walked over to Pacifica.

“Pacifica Elise Northwest,” Dipper said seriously. “As official co-captain of the freak club, I hereby grant you permission to join our ranks.”

All three of them looked over at Wendy. She shifted in her chair and shrugged. She'd never been able to stand the Northwest family-the rivalry between them and the Corduroys went back a long time- and not so long ago she would have been more than happy for any excuse to kick Little Miss Popularity to the curb. But then again, not so long ago she never would have imagined Pacifica standing up to her parents, or saying she wanted to be different from her family, or, for that matter, parachuting out of a robot house on a dangerous mission to save the world.

Anyway, she had more than evidence of what could happen when you held grudges.

“Oh, alright,” she said, affecting a disinterested look. “Permission co-granted.”

“Permission associate co-granted!” Mabel cried, and shook Pacifica's hand. Rather hard, in fact; the poor girl looked a little whiplashed when Mabel finally let go, but she smiled ever so slightly. Dipper shook hands with her as well, more gently.

“So whaddya think?” Wendy asked Ford as the twins returned to their blanket. “Are you in?”

Ford looked down at his hands. There was a very strange expression on his face.

“Freak,” he said softly. “I used to be called that so often. It tormented me for years.”

Everyone looked around uncomfortably. Wendy winced and sank a little into her chair.

Ford didn't seem to notice. “That was what drove me here in the first place. I was looking for somewhere I would fit in, somewhere an anomaly like me could fit in...and then when I found it, I spent all my time pushing everyone else away from me. I was so used to being alone that I ensured that I stayed that way even when there was no need...and Bill used that against me. Even to the last he was taunting me by telling me how alike we were...”

“I saw that!” Dipper burst out. Ford looked at him sharply. “I saw him trying to tell you it was all your fault but it wasn't! I tried to stop him but-”

“You did what?” Ford cried. “Dipper, you were supposed to run!”

“I know, I know,” Dipper muttered, rubbing one hand up and down his arm. “It was stupid...I just got so angry. But then I didn't know what to do...I tried to punch him, but that didn't work...”

Ford opened and shut his mouth.

“Hold up, hold up.” Wendy sat all the way upright in disbelief. “You tried to punch that jerk? With, like, your actual hands?”

“Yeah, kinda,” Dipper muttered. “I was aiming for his eye but he just threw me off. Into a tree.”

“Dude, that is so badass,” she said, ignoring the strangled sound Ford was making.

“But-but I didn't do anything!” Dipper protested. “It was a complete failure! It was worse than a complete failure because all I did was get the journals destroyed! We'd still have them if I hadn't...”

Ford abruptly pulled him into a tight hug, causing Dipper to squeak in surprise. “That was extremely impressive, promise me you will never do anything like it again.”

Dipper squirmed a little. “I mean...I'm sort of hoping the opportunity never comes up.”

“Never do anything like that in general again.” Ford released his great-nephew and put a hand on his shoulder. “Dipper, I don't care about the journals. Not anymore. I used to care far too much, and look where that got me. I'm just-beyond grateful that you survived that encounter. And beyond terrified that it happened in the first place. And beyond amazed that you would stand up to Bill at the height of his power for me...I'm-I'm beyond a lot of things right now, to be honest. Look, just promise you won't do that again. Please.”

“I won't. I promise.”

Ford relaxed a little.

“If it's at all avoidable,” Dipper added.

“Dipper-”

“But we don't have to keep talking about this if you don't want to!” Dipper rushed on, before Ford could get started again. “I mean...about the whole...the whole freak thing. I mean-I know things were really rough when you were a kid-and if you don't like this-”

Ford shook his head slowly. “Things were rough for me. But unless I miss my guess, things have also been rough for you and your sister. And for Soos, for Wendy...I know they were for Stan...for everyone here, I'd imagine. But you are all still proud of being different. Being different together.”

He sighed heavily and ran his fingers through his hair. “I'm realizing now...far too late...that I let Bill use that as a weapon against me. No, not just Bill. Everyone who ever mocked me or pushed me away...even myself. I let it take me over. I was different, but I let myself think that I was more different than I was, that I was the only one, that would no one would ever be like me or understand me...I let it define me. And it's cost me and everyone around me so much...”

No one quite knew what to say to that.

At last Ford looked up, a small, hesitant smile pulling at the side of his mouth. “I suppose what I'm trying to say is...I'd be honored to be in the freak club. If you're sure you want to have me.”

Wendy exchanged a look with the twins. The three of them stood up solemnly. Wendy put her hand over her heart like she was standing for the national anthem; Dipper took off his hat.

“Grunkle Ford,” Dipper said, with the utmost seriousness, “as official co-captain of the freak club, I hereby declare you a member.”

“Permission co-granted,” Wendy said.

“Permission associate co-granted,” Mabel said.

“Permission associate-associate co-”

“Soos, you're ruining the moment.”

“Sorry.”

Ford saluted crisply. “I accept the position with pride.”

“Amen!”

“Here, here!”

“Take back the freakiness!”

“Damn straight!” Wendy yelled, punching the air. “Why should we let Bill claim all the weirdness anyway?”

“Yeah! Just because he's a stupid giant triangle he thinks he has a monopoly on everything freaky?”

“Who does he think he is?”

“He doesn't think anything anymore,” a gruff voice said from the sidelines. “I got that on good authority.”

They all turned. Stan was standing at the edge of the circle, his fez under one arm and a can of soda in the other hand.

“Stan-” Ford began.

“I leave you guys for five minutes and you start a club without me? Some bereaved friends and family you are.”

Ford spluttered. “Stan-that's not-we weren't-”

Stan snorted and turned to Wendy. “He always this easy to get riled up?”

“I'm going to say...yes,” Wendy said. “I don't know him that well, but...yes.”

“Thought so.” He perched on the edge of the car she had been sitting on earlier and took a long slurp of soda. “So, what's this club about? Can I join or what?”

“It's the freak club,” Mabel told him. “You can only join if you're a freak.”

“Oh yeah?” Stan raised his eyebrows. “Hm. I dunno if I'm a freak. I dunno much- hah! Amnesia! That's pretty freaky, right?”

Ford looked pained. “I'm sure it's temporary, Stan-”

“So you're saying I'd get kicked out of the freak club? Well that's no good.” Stan spread his hands in a dramatic show of requesting aid. “Help me out here, guys. What have I got that makes me eligible for the freak club?”

The answers came thick and fast.

“Uh, saving the entire world? That's pretty unique.”

“You've been legally dead for thirty years!”

“You're into taxidermy, which is pretty freaky if you ask me.”

“You're probably the only person ever to punch a pterodactyl with brass knuckles.”

“And zombies!”

“You have a cool hat!”

“You're Mr. Mystery!”

“You pulled off an amazing feat of dimensional engineering just to rescue some jerk from the mess he got himself into,” Ford said. “And you stuck by him, even when he was too wrapped up in his own head to appreciate all you did.”

Stan blinked. “I...I did what?”

Ford stood up, with some wincing, hobbled over to Stan, and threw an arm around his twin's shoulders. “Ladies and gentlemen of the freak club, in recognition of all his truly astounding accomplishments in the name of weirdness, of his long service to this weirdest of weird towns, of the sacrifices he has made to ensure the continued existence of the rest of us freaks, I make a motion to appoint Stanley Pines as our admiral.”

“I second that motion!” Mabel yelled.

“All in favor say aye!” Dipper added.

“AYE!”

Stan blinked several times and hastily gulped at his soda. “I...I don't...”

“Do you accept this position?” Ford asked him seriously.

“I...I uh...” Stan looked at all the faces watching him earnestly. “I...I think I would be honored.”

A cheer went round. Stan cleared his throat and wiped a hand under his glasses. “Alright, alright! That's enough of that. I wanna issue my first decree as admiral of the freak club.”

“That was fast,” Wendy muttered.

“The power's gone to my head already. I'm a tyrant. I coulda warned you.” Stan took a long drink, deliberately letting the tension build. “My first decree...is that you all tell me that story about the pterodactyls, cause that sounds incredible.”

“It was so incredible!” Mabel said. “You were like bam! And the pterodactyl was like awwwwk oh no I'm a pterodactyl and I'm being punched!”

“You know,” Ford said, leaning against Stan a little, “I think I'd quite like to hear this story myself.”

“Yeah, no kidding.” Wendy flopped back down in her chair. “I can't believe you guys didn't invite me on that one.”

“We didn't know what was going to happen! It all started when we went on a heroic mission to rescue Waddles...”

“No, it started before that, Mabel. Back up.”

“That was when the important part started.”

Wendy grinned and leaned back as Dipper went on about chasing a pterodactyl through the woods with Soos.

They were here.

They were alive.

They were weird.

How did that old saying go? The king is dead; long live...us.

[impishnature]

The Light Keeper (Part 13)

AO3

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12

Rating: T

Summary: A beast lurks in the waters. Stan loses Ford to the waves, the lighthouse his only point of contact and hope of ever getting him back. …He used to love the sea, now it’s taken everything from him.

Lighthouse Keeper AU.

Series of One-shots.

AN: Commission and story collab with @garrulousgibberish​ based on their Lighthouse Keeper AU (link above). Art by Ran again cause it’s all incredible and I love it and we always need more Ran art /everywhere/. Just saying.

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Part 13: Sand Angels

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“…I was about to ask if you were really sure about this but I think that answers my question.”

Stan stared, a bemused smile on his face at the childish glee that emanated from his brother. The young twins and Ford had pestered him for an entire evening on making the trip, his own worries clouding his judgement on the matter. But they had persisted, the combined set of puppy dog eyes finally destroying him as Ford pointed out that Stan had gone beach combing with the kids before and it was only fair that he got to as well before they left for the summer.

And he really couldn’t begrudge his brother wanting to make memories with the best people in his life, though Stan would never admit that to them of course.

Which meant it really was his own fault for promising to tell stories in the first place, which led to how Dipper had found out and ultimately wound up with giving Ford this hare-brained scheme. Ford also pointed out that he should be moving around more now that he was up and about so that he didn’t lose mobility entirely and Stan found he really couldn’t argue once all their arguments were laid out before him.

Other than the fact that he really, really didn’t want to.

Really, Ford? How on Earth can you stand the sight of the sea after all that time in it?

But here they were, with a still mildly nervous and apprehensive Stan watching warily from the beach as his brother came shuffling closer, fully expecting him to change his mind at any moment and they’d spend the day inside instead. He’d already planned it as well, happy to play that nerdy game Ford and Dipper loved so much if it helped ease whatever this trip was about to unleash on his brother’s nerves- only to realise early on there was no need to worry so much in that regard at least.

Ford took one step onto the sand, stumbling slightly with a giddy laugh as it shifted beneath his feet. Dipper hovered around him anxiously, though Stan wasn’t sure how much help he’d actually be if Ford fell but it was the thought that counted. Ford quickly discarded his shoes before he took another step, toes curling into the sand for a few seconds, eyes quick and inquisitive as if he was taking all the information in as he scrunched the material around, ignoring the distasteful look Stan was giving the gritty mess beneath them. Before Stan could open his mouth to ask what he was doing, Ford took a few more shuffling steps and sat himself down, laying back on the already sun warmed sand and letting it filter between his fingers. He took a deep breath, seemingly taking in the sea breeze.

The notion left Stan befuddled and lost.

You can’t honestly tell me you still like that god awful brine smell.

As lost as he felt though, he couldn’t stop the bemused smile curling on his lips, a quirk to his eyebrow as the amused words escaped him.

“What was that?”

He huffed, rolling his eyes as his brother kept his closed, basking in the warmth. “I said I was about to ask-”

“Oh! Are we making sand angels?”

Stan’s reiteration had barely made it out of his mouth when Mabel interrupted him. She shrieked a high pitch happy noise and joined her Grunkle, the pair of them suddenly tasking themselves with making the biggest sand angels that they could, even as sand covered them entirely in the process.

Dipper stood beside Stan, his face thoughtful as he watched, not holding the same disgruntled edge as Stan who was trying to keep out of the spray of sand the two were unleashing. Dipper did however slip his small journal back into the bag they’d brought with them to keep it safe from their antics.

Ford sat up to admire his handiwork, beaming as Mabel joined him and gave a nod of approval before starting to add small details in the sand to his impression.

“What do you think of seaweed hair, Grunkle Ford?”

“Perfect! I think we should go searching for some later.”

“Hmm, how about we find some coloured glass for the glasses?”

“I like your thinking, bro!”

Stan shook his head at the spark in Ford’s eyes, fingers already moving as if he was trying to imagine what seaweed felt like again. Dipper had scurried off from his side to search for some items as they grabbed what was close enough as a starting block. Stan kept an eye on him, out of his peripheral, unable to stop the age old habit as the waves ebbed and flowed across the shore, the small trickle of doubt settling back in as a sudden chill breeze slipped across the beach.

No one else seemed to notice.

He shook the feeling, tugging his jacket around himself further to ward the cold away as he kicked a couple of stones towards them, rounded by the waves and perfect for something he was sure. He made sure to school his face into a look of utmost ignorance when Ford raised an eyebrow at him. “What? I was just wondering if you two were going to get up any time soon for beach combing or not.”

Ford held the sea smoothed pebble in his hands as he looked torn between Mabel’s art and why they had come to the beach in the first place. He rolled the rock around, slipping it into his pocket without a thought to continue playing with later as he shrugged playfully, a toothy grin in place that Stan hadn’t seen in a very long time. “Well, we’re here for the day, aren’t we? Lots of time to do lots of activities.”

“Have I been duped?” Stan put a hand to his heart as his family grinned up at him.

“Maybe. It took long enough to get you to agree to beach combing but we thought once we were down here…”

Stan blinked at Dipper’s honesty as he walked back passed him, his shirt filled with small trinkets for the other two that he dropped in a pile beside them. He wasn’t entirely sure who gave the happiest squeak as Mabel gathered up a few items to place instantly and Ford sat toying with the others, holding them up to the light to watch them gleam as his thumb ran across them.

“Hmph. Well, I guess this is alright.” Stan grumbled out, ignoring the knowing grins from his family. He grabbed the bag that Dipper had dropped, throwing out the blanket they had brought with them and sitting down on it with a groan.

No one mentioned that Stan sat directly between them and the sea, his back turned to it in an odd act of defiance.

“Stan, it’s just sand.”

Stan grimaced but otherwise snubbed the comment. “Just make sure you don’t tire yourself out old man.” He held up a hand as Ford opened his mouth. “Don’t. Don’t say it.”

“But-”

“No.”

“But I have slept-”

“It doesn’t work like that! I thought you were smart!” Stan huffed as Ford let out a bubble of laughter, the frustration at his sibling a mix of exasperation and endearing as he realised that Ford really did like irritating him.

It left an oddly warm feeling in his chest, the endless sibling banter falling over them again with an ease he’d never expected to get back.

He tried to shrug the thought away, stay at least slightly irritated at his wayward twin but it had melted far too quickly in the sun along with the uneasiness. He slipped his jacket off as he suddenly felt the heat, slipping out his magazine for a quiet moment in the sun with the sounds of his family around him. Mabel joined him after a while, getting a gruff grumble as she dusted him with sand before starting to build a sandcastle beside him, chattering away about another exhibit they had planned to create between them. It didn’t take long for him to realise that her previous job on the sand angels had been discarded because Dipper and Ford were now lost in a fast paced discussion about the creatures the young twins had seen in their stay.

“You saw a Dobhar-chú? It took me months to catch sight of one!”

“Is that what these are called? They make a really weird noise and wake me up quite a lot at night, that’s the only reason I’ve seen them a few times.” Dipper practically vibrated where he sat, slipping out a stack of photos from the back of the book to flick through them. “I couldn’t find anything close to them in the library, so I snapped some pictures to have a look through when I got home- here! This is the one.”

“This is incredible!”

Stan gave a soft chuckle, trying not to show how proud he felt as Dipper suddenly looked sheepish and honoured to hear the words, to watch as Ford went through his photos in awe. He always had thought Dipper and his brother would get along like a house on fire and he hadn’t been wrong. It had been obvious from the start, but most of Dipper’s questions had been about the overlying mystery- getting to know his new family member and figure out the lighthouse which had been aggravating him for weeks. Now, with the reminders of all the other anomalies that inhabited the place around them, it seemed only natural for them to realise that there was a lot more research to be discussed, their eyes bright with a shared passion for the unexplained.

Is that a trait that runs in families? Is it like twins?

“Two peas in a pod, am I right?” Mabel flopped on to him, giving him a soft mock disappointed sigh.

Stan nodded his head sombrely as Dipper gave a small chirp of excitement as Ford scrubbed at his chin and started to tell him about creatures he had met. His pen seemingly materialised from nowhere as he started to scribble everything down amongst the notes he already had, adding his own thoughts and knowledge to the conversation whenever Ford shrugged. The pair of them filled in the blanks in the others knowledge until their words became a fast babble of excitement the other two could only smile amusedly at. “What ever shall we do with them?”

“I don’t think we can do anything about it. But I guess that’s OK.” Mabel gave another deep sigh, the smile on her face more than enough evidence that it wasn’t meant at all.

“Yeah, the nerds are happy, after all…. Even if they are nerds.”

The pair of them looked at one another, a long suffering expression shared between them that had them both bursting out into peals of laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

Stan looked up to find Dipper and Ford had paused their conversation long enough to look at them in confusion. Stan’s grin widened, his laughter still overflowing as Dipper subconsciously clicked his pen, eager to get back to note taking. “Oh, nothing, Sixer, nothing. Just listening to your tall fish tales.”

“Tall- Stan.” Ford sat back affronted, his face slightly aghast. “They’re not stories, you know that!”

Stan shrugged, eyes flickering to Mabel, who shared his mischief. “I dunno, some of the things you guys talk about- I mean you wrote about poisonous rodents that live in the rock pools, Poindexter.”

“Lavellans are a legitimate cryptid, Stan, and believe me their venom is nothing to be trifled with-”

“If you say so.” Stan’s jaw began to ache from the childish smirk, his whole body shaking with mirth as his brother spluttered, a strangled noise escaping him.

“Says the man that’s been using my research for his- his-” Ford continued to stutter, hand gesturing to the Shack in the distance.

Stan raised an eyebrow at him. “Wow, good insult there. Ten out of ten for that one, nerd.”

“Grunkle Stan, you can’t seriously say you don’t believe in these things after this summer!”

Stan shrugged. “I dunno, just some of the creatures are just too much, you know? I mean, I’m pretty sure I found some old articles once about dinosaurs still existing- I mean, really? Where have they been all this time?”

Ford growled, teeth gritting as he pointed at Stan. “I’ll have you know, Plesiosaurs have been spotted around the world and are widely held to be the origins of many a sea serpent myth.”

“Widely held?!” Stan’s laughter boomed out again in a cascade. “I think that’s the tallest fish tale yet!” He rubbed at his eyes, still staring at Ford as he seemed to physically fizzle. “Wow, your face, bro. Anyone would think you actually believed me.”

Ford deflated, irritation still visible as he sat up straight. “You mean-”

“What? You believed a con man? That’s your own fault.” Stan gave him back a toothy grin in kind, similar to the one Ford had displayed earlier. “And your own brother no less, that’s a recipe for disaster, that is.”

“Believing my brother is a recipe for disaster, is it?” Ford shook his head, a soft disbelieving smile spreading across his face.

“When there’s an opportunity to tease? Of course.”

“Grunkle Stan?”

“Yes, sweetie?” Stan didn’t take his eyes off of Ford as he answered, still giving him a cheeky look to contrast his exasperation.

“Can I make a ‘Tall fish tales told here’ sign for the Shack?”

Stan and Ford both blinked, turning to her as Dipper bit on his knuckle to stop from laughing at their twin shocked expressions. Stan narrowed his eyes, scrutinising her in playful warning. “That depends, whose tales are you calling tall?”

Mabel didn’t even blink as she looked between them all and then back to Stan. “Well, all of yours, obviously. Have you guys heard some of your stories? They need some polishing to be believable.”

“Wait, Mabel, you saw the creatures I saw too!”

“Yeah but they don’t sound believable once they’re in that book of yours, Dip-Dop, even to me! Oh- maybe I can help with that!”

Stan stared at her bright gleaming expression for a few short moments before turning back to Ford who seemed conflicted between slack jawed surprise at her quick answer and hysterical giggles at her encompassing logic. Stan caught his eye, gesturing in defeat. “I think Mabel won that round.”

Ford could only really concede defeat as well, nodding to him in a truce.

Dipper, however, continued to splutter beside him, his journal held tightly to his chest as Mabel offered her expertise, hand out for the book to go through it with him. While he adamantly shook his head, looking about ready to bolt, Stan thought it best to help the kid before things got out of hand, even by sibling standards. “Hey, I thought we were meant to be beach combing anyhow, not telling ghost stories. We’ve done enough of that over the last few days, don’t you think, Casper?”

There was a sudden silence as all eyes went to an oblivious Ford.

“…Who’s Casper?”

“You.”

“Me? Why-”

“Never mind, doesn’t matter, does it, kids?” Stan grinned as the pair continued to giggle at Ford’s nonplussed expression, all thoughts of the journal forgotten. “Anyway, I thought I heard talk of looking for seashells to complete those sand angels of yours?”

“Oh yes, quite! I got wrapped up in Dipper’s research…” Ford connected the dots later than Stan did, glancing between Dipper, the journal and Mabel’s still outstretched hands. “Ahh, should we go look for some, Mabel? Just you and me. I’m sure Dipper and Stan have some beach combing of their own to do.”

Stan waved them off, looking over at Dipper with a grin. “What do you think? Wanna see what fun things we can find this time?”

Dipper glanced warily at Mabel out of the corner of his eye as her own eyes sparkled, her entire being vibrating as her earlier task lay forgotten. “That sounds great. Hey Mabel, have you seen any mermaids purses?”

“No, what do they look like?”

Stan snorted, Mabel’s interests now completely diverted as his face twisted into exaggerated disappointment when really a smile was trying to stretch across his lips in pride at Dipper’s quick thinking. “Well, they’re only part of the exhibit in the Shack!”

“…Oops.”

“Well, I guess we’ll have to find you some while you’re grabbing shells, keep some interesting ones for me, will you? You never know what a gullible tourist will believe.” Stan winked at her, ignoring the eye roll from his brother just behind her as he stood up.

Mabel gasped, tugging at his arm as she went. “If I come up with a good story will you tell it at the Shack before we leave?”

“If it’s a good one… I don’t see why not. If you can make me money you know I’ll love you forever.”

Mabel slapped his shoulder jokingly, shaking her head at him flippantly. “You’ve got to love me forever anyway! You’re my Grunkle!” Before Stan could respond, she turned her back on him, grabbing hold of Ford’s sleeve and tugged him none too gently across the beach. “Come on, Grunkle Ford! We’ve got to find the best shells and come up with an amazing story.”

“Alright, where do we start…”

Stan watched quietly as the pair made their way across the sand, their voices trailing away into laughter and soft shrieks as they traversed and inspected the rock pools further down. The breeze brought their voices back to them in small bursts of happiness and each one made Stan’s tense muscles relax further.

Though it still couldn’t get rid of them entirely. His eyes hawkishly watched them and the tides, as if he hadn’t triple checked when the tide would be coming in only moments before they left that morning. Nor did his reminders of the copious checks he’d done the night before, when he’d finally agreed to the outing, push the last dregs away.

None of that knowledge helped the slimy anxious feeling in his stomach, the horrible looming worry that the sea wasn’t done with them yet.

That if he looked away for just a second, if he so much as blinked, something would go terribly wrong all over again.

A soft chuckle sounded on a cold sea draught, a frown marring his features as he continued to watch after his family.

That hadn’t sounded like the laughs he’d been hearing before, it didn’t hold any of the warmth that had been bubbling over since they had arrived.

“Grunkle Stan?”

Stan blinked, eyes locking on to Dipper who gave him a knowing smile. He shook himself, returning the gesture in kind though slightly more sheepishly at being caught.

Must be my imagination. That’s all. Damn wind.

“You should go off with them, you know, if you want to go exploring like you usually do.”

“You don’t want to go beach combing and keep an eye on them?”

Stan raised an eyebrow at the perceptive gleam to Dipper’s eyes, though he also saw a bit of himself in the gaze as his eyes darted quickly to Mabel’s back as if worried she’d go out of his sight. “I like the way you think, kid.” Stan stood with a groan, eyes skimming their possessions before shrugging at the empty beach and deciding that they could leave them there without a worry. “But then again, I’m more convinced your sister can look after Ford than the other way around.”

Dipper scurried to keep up as Stan took long strides across the beach, eyes down and skirting the pebbles in quick succession. “Well, she did manage to make friends with a kelpie so I’d say that’s fairly accurate.”

Stan paused in his observations, face snapping to Dipper’s in all seriousness. “A kelpie? Your sister touched a kelpie?”

“I mean, I think so?” Dipper’s face turned chagrined at Stan’s stern, unyielding expression. “I did warn her! And she didn’t touch it for the most part, she just followed the cool horse around for the afternoon and chattered away to it. I think she even came back to the Shack for sugar lumps-”

“Hey! I wondered where all my sugar went!” Stan blurted out before shaking his head and gesturing for him to continue. “Not the point. Kelpie. Your sister. What happened?”

“Well, after a full day of us keeping an eye on it, she patted it as a goodbye. I freaked out but- nothing happened, the horse nudged her hand and we came home.”

“…Are you sure it was a kelpie?”

“We watched it walk into the sea and not come back out.”

“Oh.” Stan looked out at the ocean, glaring distastefully at it before his eyes caught back on his twin and Mabel again. “And I didn’t get told about this when you got back because?”

“…Because we thought we might get a lecture about how dangerous the sea is?”

Stan sighed, rubbing underneath his glasses as Dipper looked pitifully up at him, guilt evident in his expression. “You two are going to be the death of me. I love you to pieces but this entire family just doesn’t seem to know when to quit- and don’t say it, I know I’m exactly the same.”

“We just didn’t want to worry you. Or I didn’t- it scared me enough as it was.” Dipper’s voice grew quiet at the end and Stan couldn’t blame him.

Fear was bubbling up around his heart, making his chest tight at the mere thought of Mabel close to a kelpie, actually seeing her in the act might have given him a heart attack…

He gave a long suffering sigh, his thoughts on a different night, one they hadn’t spoken about since because he’d been too upset to even think about it in great detail. “Is that the same reason you won’t tell me about that day you came in later than you should have from the beach?”

“What-?” Dippers voice cracked in the middle of the word, his head shaking vehemently. “No! Nothing happened, I just… forgot.”

“Dipper, you don’t just forget things like that. I know you.” Stan sighed when Dipper’s face shut down, his eyes dropping to the floor as his feet kicked, hoping to find something of interest to steer the conversation away from dangerous waters. “Alright, I won’t pry. I’ve kept enough secrets in my time, I can’t begrudge you the same. All I can say is that I’m not sure keeping all those secrets did me any good.”

“Really?” Dipper glanced back up at him, intrigued. They’d been told many stories from the last thirty years and as much as it had hurt to know he had been lied to, that he had been right the entire time that something was up with the lighthouse, he had started to realise what Stan had gone through, why he had chosen that life for himself. “It makes sense. Who would have believed you?”

Stan shrugged. “That’s what I thought. But, you saw the way this town came together that night, and you know, not one of them has questioned how I went out alone in a storm and came back with my twin brother.”

Dipper’s eyebrows furrowed as he stopped in his tracks. “Huh… I hadn’t thought of that.”

“I hadn’t either. But either way, whether it was a good thing or a bad one in the long run- it definitely didn’t do me any good. Keeping it all bottled up, having no one to turn to…” Stan’s face soured for a moment, his eyes locked on to the middle distance as his mind traipsed over dark nights and darker thoughts before shaking the gloom from his features to give Dipper a reassuring clap to the back. “Besides, I’m trying to tell you- I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t think anyone would believe or help me. You on the other hand have three people who will always be willing to help and always believe you.”

“So do you.”

Stan grinned at the push back, a warm glow fizzling through the darker thoughts that had begun to roam again. “I guess I do- but I’m not the one still keeping secrets, am I?” He pulled Dipper’s cap down so it covered his eyes, getting a squawk of protest as Dipper shuffled it back into place.

“Alright, alright, I’ll… think about it.” Dipper muttered, voice low and filled with hesitation.

“Then I won’t push.” Stan knew a lost cause when he saw one, and pushing further would just push the boy away, his shoulders already high around his ears. He glanced around for something to take their minds off the conversation until a small spark of realisation hit him. “Wait, does this mean I’m forgiven?”

Dipper’s head shot back up, eyes wide in confusion. “Forgiven?”

“Yeah, for… keeping you two in the dark.” Stan winced, rubbing the back of his head as the words came out all wrong. “I mean, I never meant to. I just didn’t expect to have Ford 2.0 here catching on to everything before I was ready. You really are too perceptive for your own good.” He winked playfully at Dipper who puffed up prideful at the compliment. But the feeling soon deflated as Stan continued, his smile vanishing quickly. “I can understand if you’re upset, if you’re angry that I kept so much a secret-”

“No!” Dipper stopped him, hand catching his trouser leg as he continued to move forward, his face almost as distraught as the night of the storm though Stan didn’t know why. “I-I mean I was, I knew something was going on you weren’t telling us but-” His face scrunched up as if he couldn’t get the words out properly and Stan almost laughed as the pair of them fumbled with how to make sense of their thoughts. “I… I really thought you were the one turning on the light, and you’d told us not to trust what turned on the light… and I just didn’t understand. But then we saw you out on the sea trying to save Grunkle Ford and-” Dipper shuddered, and Stan knelt down beside him, gripping his shoulder with one hand.

This wasn’t what he’d expected when he brought this up, they were meant to be having a fun day out, not unloading all of these difficult conversations.

Though when Dipper looked at him again, it felt like maybe this had been a long time coming and was desperately needed.

“I thought- there was a moment when I didn’t trust you…” Dipper whispered, but, though it hurt, Stan could do nothing more than give an understanding sad smile. That much was to be expected. “But then you were out in the storm saving someone and all I could think about was making sure the light stayed on so you could get home.” He shook again, his face etched with guilt and Stan wanted to bundle him up but when he tried to, Dipper shook his head, eyes firm and fixed to Stan’s. “You really scared us that night.”

Stan cringed, his eyes and his hand dropping, as a wave of shame washed over him.

“And… we really scared you and I didn’t think I’d ever get to say sorry for that.”

Stan’s head snapped back up with a painful click as he heard a soft sniffle.

“And I really, really am sorry.” Dipper scrubbed at his eyes, his voice wobbling out as his lip trembled.

“Hey, it’s OK. I’m not- I’m not mad, I didn’t bring it up because I was mad.” Stan shushed him reassuringly, his hand rubbing the boy’s back as he trembled. “Hey now, everything’s OK now, isn’t it?”

Dipper gave a shaky nod, still scrubbing at his eyes. “I k-know. I just- I was upset but that didn’t matter against getting you home. And then you told us everything anyway s-so…”

Stan gave a gruff laugh, patting Dipper’s head. “And all this time I thought you were still angry at me.”

Dipper shook his head, scurrying forward and burrowing in quick as he continued his words. “I thought you might be upset at me for not trusting you, or for going in the lighthouse, or still angry cause of-”

Stan huffed, cutting his rambling panic short. “We both thought the other might still be disappointed so we didn’t talk about it… that just sums us up, doesn’t it?”

Dipper gave a warbling choked out laugh. “Yeah, I guess it does.”

They stayed like that for a few more moments before Dipper spoke again, his voice hesitant and holding a small quiver of fear.

“Also… I- I couldn’t be angry at you. ‘Cause I started thinking about if it was Mabel out there and…”

Dipper shook again, unable to continue and Stan held him tighter, his eyes hardening. “That’s never going to happen. Nothing’s ever going to happen to you or your sister while I’m around, you hear me?”

Dipper nodded into his shoulder. “Y-yeah.”

The rest of his sentence still refused to stop looming even then, swirling in the boy’s skull but Stan got the message quickly and his arms tightened protectively again as his eyes found the other two still happily wandering. Dipper got why he had lied, got why he had kept so many secrets but also anything happening to either of his niblings didn’t bear thinking about.

The thought of Mabel near a kelpie alone was turning his stomach, let alone everything else he knew was lying in wait out there.

“Nothing, and I mean nothing will ever hurt either of you.” Stan pulled away to give Dipper a confident look as he pointed at himself. “Anything that gives you trouble has to go through me first, you got it?”

Dipper looked towards the sea instead of him for a moment, brain seemingly warring with itself behind his eyes. Stan waited expectantly, hopeful the boy might spill whatever happened that night but instead he looked at him dolefully.

“I’m still sorry for forgetting. You can’t actually punch the sea itself.”

“I can try.”

Dipper gave a surprised hiccup of laughter at the words, Stan beaming in pride as the smile stayed firmly in place this time instead of sinking into shame and fear. He didn’t want Dipper worrying too much about ‘what if’s and ‘what could have been’s. It was much better to focus on the present and try not to make the same mistakes again in his opinion.

That and though he wouldn’t admit it, seeing Dipper look so distraught was really eating away at him and making him wonder whether he had been a tad too hard on them when he’d been scared for their safety.

“Anyway, no more apologising. It happened, you learnt your lesson, now let’s have a good time, yeah?”

Before they could continue, the breeze blew forth another stream of excitable giggles and conversation from their siblings, a completely different feel to their own heartfelt conversation swimming over them like the tide and reminding them that everyone was safe and sound. That the world was still turning exactly how it should be, and everything was back to normal, just with an extra addition to the family who was very much welcome.

“Grunkle Ford! You are terrible at sneaking for crabs!”

“…Sneaking for crabs?”

“What? Don’t give me that look, it makes perfect sense! Now are we catching this crab I have a date or not?”

Stan and Dipper looked at one another, both trying to imagine just what Ford’s expression was at that moment, Dipper bit his lip as Stan grinned.

“How long before Mabel gives them names and tries to get Ford to marry them, you think?”

And with that Dipper couldn’t contain the giggles that had been threatening to overflow as he imagined the overwhelming tide that was Mabel drag their newfound Grunkle into her latest scheme. “That- that depends on how good Grunkle Ford is at ‘sneaking’ for them.”

And with that Stan followed suit, one hand clapping Dipper on the back as they both watched Ford scurry around a rock pool in the distance, obviously following Mabel’s advice that they could no longer hear as the wind dropped again.

They continued to watch them, both still giggling away until Stan added to their mirth. “How on earth are they both still in sweaters?”

Their laughter must have carried though as Mabel looked up and waved at them, knee deep in the rock pool herself.

Stan took a deep breath in, standing up once more. “We should probably actually do some beach combing so that they don’t ask what we were doing back here, what do you think?” He gave Dipper a playful nudge as the boy gave him a serious look and nodded quickly, obviously wanting to keep that little outburst of emotion between them.

It didn’t take long for them to get back into the spirit of things, Stan knowing that things were right with the world when the journal slipped back into Dipper’s hands as they walked. It also helped that he was being more honest than he had been in years, only telling the stories he knew to be true because he’d experienced them himself over the years. Sure he might embellish them a little bit, or hide some truths that were best kept that way from the kids, but in essence the stories at least were not just the things that he had thrown together for tours and gullible tourists who would believe anything he said.

He might have tried once or twice, but Dipper was getting increasingly good at spotting his lies. Still, didn’t harm to test the waters even now as the boy gave him increasingly sceptical looks and stopped writing whenever he gave into the impulse to lie through his teeth.

Unfortunately, other than a few trinkets though, there wasn’t much to be found in the way of interesting items unlike their last attempt at beach combing. They’d almost caught up to their twins as well, and without anything to show for it, Stan was hard pressed to think up what they could say when they finally got to them.

As he thought, his eyes caught on a small alcove in the cliff face, his face turning thoughtful as his legs went towards it. “Hey Dipper, what about in there? Think we’ll find anything in-”

A small hand grabbed the back of his shirt.

Stan froze, turning around to the small boy who was looking straight ahead. “Dipper?”

“L-let’s not.”

“Kid?” His voice came out as a slight warning, a gruff worried question as the boy continued to stare at the cave as if there was something there Stan couldn’t quite see.

“Just, can we not? Please?” Dipper finally tore his eyes away from the cave, his eyes pleading as they locked on to Stan’s.

“Sure.” Stan gulped, unnerved as he turned back towards the other pair, Dipper still holding on to his shirt as his gaze shifted back to the caves. Stan waited for an explanation, only getting a sigh of relief when they were a distance away from the offending area. “That’s unlike you. Where’s your sense of adventure gone, kid?”

“…It realised some things are better left alone.” Dipper whispered, though Stan caught it on the breeze, his steps slowing to a halt.

“Alright, I’m curious now, what’s in there?”

Dipper gave a pained noise at the questioning, tugging Stan towards the others now. “I don’t know- but it doesn’t like you.”

“Doesn’t like- well there’s a lot that don’t like me, human or otherwise so that doesn’t really help.” Stan gave him an amused look, ignoring the frustration marring the boy’s face. “Come on, let’s go pay it a visit then, I’m sure I can get it to like me if I flash the old charm-”

“No. Grunkle Stan, please.” Dipper gulped, pushing at his legs. “It really didn’t- it wanted to hurt the lighthouse keeper and now that makes a lot more sense, OK? Cause it shied away when the light came on but at the time I wasn’t really paying attention to that and-” His voice choked up, the memory still too close for comfort. “Please, can we just go?”

“Alright, I get it, you don’t want to talk about it. Should we go catch up with-”

Before he could get the words out, Dipper blurted out an answer he hadn’t been expecting.

“I met it the night we were late in.”

The amusement on Stan’s face vanished, confusion and concern vying for top spot as he looked back at the caves. “Oh? Kid, if you got stuck out here because of a creature, you should have told me… no?” Dipper’s shaking head stopped him in his tracks.

“No.” Dipper twisted the journal in his hands as he took a few more steps away from the cave, and towards Stan, trying his best to keep his back to it. “I… it had answers, or it said it had answers to my questions about the lighthouse…”

Stan’s stomach twisted, thoughts of the myriad of creatures that lured people to their fates coming to mind, as well as the looming presence he was still trying to deny existed even with his brother standing before him being proof of it’s existence. “Ok, I’m still lost.”

“It was still my fault that I was late.” Dipper muttered out dejectedly, fingers tight around the book. “I got caught up in the questions and it was making me doubt everything and- if Mabel hadn’t called I wouldn’t have noticed how late it had gotten. But then it… it scared me. I realised it had wanted me to not notice the time and that it didn’t want me to leave… I didn’t think it was going to let me either.”

“I see.” Stan’s gaze hardened, the cave now being memorised as he scanned the surroundings, mapping it out and taking in the details. He turned back to Dipper, with a soft smile. “Thanks for being honest, that makes a lot more sense than you just forgetting.” Stan hid his actual feelings as Dipper seemed to deflate with relief, his hands still tugging Stan away from the cave as Stan hazarded another vicious look back.

I’ll talk to Ford about that later, whatever that is can’t stay there. Maybe Ford will know what it is.

“You two find anything interesting?”

Stan looked up from his musings, not having realised he’d been dragged so close to the other two. He shook the thoughts away, not wanting to ruin the moment by asking Ford about the creature now. That could wait, maybe until the kids had left so there was no risk of a repeat performance of whatever had Dipper so spooked. A small hand clutched at his, as if troubled that he’d share their conversation as well. Stan squeezed the hand back, a sign of assurance as he gave Ford a grin. “Absolutely nothing, you’d think there’d be something of interest that washed up after that storm and yet…” He shrugged, gesturing noncommittally to try and get the conversation away from them.

“I mean we did get Grunkle Ford from it so I guess we shouldn’t ask for more.”

Stan couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him as Dipper interjected, obviously also hoping to drag the conversation into safe waters. “True, nothing more interesting than that, all things considered. Definitely better than an oddly shaped piece of driftwood but I can hardly use him as an exhibit…” He gave his brother an appraising look, mind whirring playfully. “Although…”

“No. Just no.”

Stan’s grin grew wide and sharp. “I’ll think of something, but for now – what did you two find?”

“Well, I found a crab but Grunkle Ford still can’t find a suitable friend for her.”

“I’m sure the crab doesn’t need help in that respect, Mabel…”

Stan bit his lip, trying not to laugh at the nonplussed expression marring Ford’s face, utterly baffled by his Great nibling’s antics. She started to babble at him about how wrong he was, spinning a tale for the crab in her hands with enough charm and drama to fill Stan with an odd sense of pride. He shuffled around them all, glancing around the large rock pool they were inhabiting in the hopes of getting that excited happy expression back on Mabel’s face and not even realising himself this time that he was yet again positioning himself between his family and the sea. A steadfast barrier against the ice cold dangers it held even on a warm and sunny day when nightmares seemed all the more insignificant.

But the warmth was slowly breaking through, each happy cry and gleeful giggle as Dipper joined Ford and Mabel in the rock pool another small weight lifted from his aging shoulders.

That was until Mabel seemed no longer able to ignore his behaviour.

Once it became clear that no one was going to help her in her quest for the poor crab she took it upon herself to prove a point to her stubborn Grunkle.

Stan, not really paying attention as he tried to help Ford out of the small pool without letting him slip on the wet rocks, or dragging his unwilling brother in, only just managed to register as she slipped past him towards the waves. “Now, sweetie-”

Before he could say much more she was chasing the waves, small fleeting footsteps forward and swiftly running away from the water again as if tempting it. He watched sharply, eyes following the tide until it started to sink in that as much as he feared the open water, the small foam brushing up on shore couldn’t really do her any damage.

Water was just water, the sea itself was not the problem.

Little by little as Mabel toyed with it, as if she knew that she was dealing with a dangerous creature but one that she showed no fear to, Stan couldn’t help but relax further and further. The fizzling, snarling fear that had plagued him since the kids had arrived, the fear that had grown exponentially once his brother was back that the sea would try to take him once more, dampened to a mere husk of what it had been as he watched her curiously run rings around something he had skirted for more days than he could count.

The sea finally caught her in a lapse of judgement and he held his breath, the spark of fear still there as she squawked as it lapped across her feet- but then she was running back towards him though still closer to the waves than he would like, her teeth chattering away as she frowned heavily.

“Cold, cold, cold- how is that so much colder than the pool?!”

And with that, the husk turned to dust.

What’s to fear? It’s just water. Nothing out there’s going to hurt them while you’re around.

Dipper huffed out a laugh, shaking his head from his position beside Stan, where he seemed to be the most relaxed that day though Stan didn’t point it out as Ford started to dry off a little ways away. “Well, you did get drier in the sun, and the sun probably heated the rock pools a bit.”

Mabel huffed, crossing her arms with a pout. “It should still be warme- ahh!” The sea caught her again when she wasn’t looking, flowing up over her ankles as she stood in reach. Dipper’s small chuckles became more pronounced as she glared down at the sea as if it had done that on purpose before narrowing her eyes, irritated at her brother. “What? Don’t think it’s that cold? How about- now!”

Unfortunately her aim was off, the kick of spray aiming for her brother only skimming him.

And mostly covering Stan instead.

He blinked, the cold water covering his glasses in a spatter of salty rain that had Ford snorting from somewhere to his right. Dipper seemed to have the foresight to shuffle away from him at that moment as Stan took off his glasses and rubbed at his face without a word before replacing them. He eyed Mabel from the shore as she grinned at him sheepishly. “You’re right, that is cold… Wanna know what’s worse though?”

“Worse? - No, Grunkle Stan! Grunkle Stan!” Mabel, in a moment of confusion, couldn’t jump out of the way in time as Stan picked her up, her eyes going wide suddenly as she realised just what Stan was planning. She tried to scrabble at his arms as he stood in the waves, the water running up to his shins as he turned to the other two with a small bow. Taking a leaf out of her book, he decided to trust her judgement that it really was time to keep his head above water and not let the fear drown him any longer.

And promptly dropped her with a loud splash into the waiting cold tide.

She came up spluttering, long hair bedraggled across her face as she shook her head. “Grunkle Stan!” She glared reproachfully up at him, with a disappointed whine before giving him a mischievous look. He didn’t have more than a chance to frown at her suspiciously before she was jumping forward and launching at his knees, making him stumble.

Stan wobbled backwards, arms windmilling in a moment of panic before he abruptly found himself sitting, freezing and half drenched, with a cheekily grinning Mabel still attached to his knees that had managed to stay above water. He’d managed to catch himself before he was fully submerged, hands in the sand behind him but still it was more than he had ever meant to be in the water.

A small voice cheered along with Mabel’s satisfied smile, but the more pressing thought process was narrowing his eyes at her in challenge.

“Oh, it is war. Come here, you!” Another high pitch squeak escaped Mabel as she jumped away from him at the sudden declaration.

A chase ensued, in and out of the froth and foam as the pair tried to stay above water. The heat of the day dried them as they went, warm enough that for the moment they weren’t shivering, other than when they managed to catch the other out and paddled around one another in waves that lapped higher than expected on occasion.

One particularly large wave managed to barrel Mabel into Stan, both of them fumbling around with a cry that ended in a tangled mess, both of them soaked through again in the blink of an eye.

A booming laugh echoed around them, the pair pausing in their struggle of a competition to glance over at Ford who was sitting down and using Dipper as a support as he gave full body laughs at what they could only assume were their antics.

Stan gave Mabel a sour look, eyes gleaming with playful intent. “I think our siblings are far too dry, what do you think?”

“Agreed.” Mabel darted away from him without another word, arms outstretched to encase her brother who quickly saw what she was doing and darted away.

“Mabel! No, Mab- Mabel!”

Stan followed suit but a lot slower, groaning as he finally noted that he probably shouldn’t have pushed himself quite so hard running around after her. He wasn’t as sprightly as he once was, and definitely never able to keep up with her boundless energy. He stood above Ford as he continued to laugh, propping himself up on one arm as Dipper vanished from his side.

“S-stop it! You’re dripping all over me!” He managed to get out, his hands going up to cover him as he continued to let out his giggles.

“Yeah? Maybe I’ll move if you tell me what you’re laughing at.” Stan leaned over him with a grin.

The booming laughter came again as Ford beamed up at him, loud chuffs of happy energy clattering out of him like thunder that was contagious as Stan helped him to his feet.

“Watching you two- the beach- I-” Ford gripped his hand tightly as he was helped up, his other arm gesturing widely. “Oh. I don’t know, just everything I suppose.” A small frown marred his features as he tried to word it, this sudden happy energy that had been there this whole time but now threatened to overwhelm him in the best possible way.

Stan watched, waiting quietly until Ford’s face softened, his shoulders slumping in a tranquil moment as his eyes gleamed.

“I’m home. It just hit me, I’m really home- this is what home feels like, isn’t it?”

And swiftly, the words sunk in to Stan as well, a fire igniting in his chest that overwhelmed him too as if grabbing Ford’s hand had transmitted the emotion straight through his nerves. The feeling he had had the morning after, that undeniable ecstatic heady rush that he had succeeded engulfed him once more, but this time there were no more tears, his brother’s solid weight beside him, his hand warm in his just making him join in the laughter until the pair were holding one another up. Their laughter bounced and reverberated around the rocks around them in such a cacophony of sound that Stan wondered whether the creature down at the bottom of the abyss could hear them from here.

And that thought just increased his mirth. He’d won, he’d beaten the odds, his brother next to him was proof of that. “You’re home, you’re home!”

The fizzling energy grew too much though, that laughter wasn’t enough and Stan, playful as ever couldn’t help but bundle his brother up, picking him up with a small grunt and swinging him around with unabashed enthusiasm. Ford didn’t seem to hold the same sentiment though, flailing in surprise and stumbling over his words that only made Stan bark out another laugh as he ignored his efforts to get away.

“Stan! Your back!”

“Who cares? You’re home, Sixer, home!”

“Put me down, Stan! Right now, before you hurt yourself.”

Stan paused in his spins, grinning up at his brother, his childish and challenging demeanour the perfect contrast for Ford’s stern and disapproving expression. “Make me.”

Ford’s face shifted from worried irritation to indulgently playful in the blink of an eye, struggling with all his might to win the impromptu competition Stan had sparked. He did succeed in making Stan stumble and drop him down but he couldn’t quite get out of his grasp, a wrestling match ensuing that he was vaguely aware Mabel and Dipper were cheering for in the background.

It didn’t take long for him to tire though, even though he knew Stan was actually going easy on him, as if in amongst the play fighting he had remembered all the fussing he’d been doing in recent weeks.

Ford felt a fizzle of affectionate warmth at the realisation but also a much stronger resolution to make sure that next time he could catch Stan off guard. He couldn’t have him worrying over him forever. That just wouldn’t do.

For now though, he conceded defeat, slumping and raising his hands up. “Alright, alright, I yield. Can we stop now?”

Stan grinned, standing up and helping Ford back up with him, childish excitement still visible through a layer of tiredness, apparently running after Mabel as well as that had actually tired him out more than Ford had previously thought. “I win!” Stan turned towards the kids, still paddling in the sea, eyes shining brightly as Ford winced at the burst of noise. “You hear that?! I win!”

“Technically I did get you to put me down…” Ford scrubbed at his ear, smiling good-humouredly as he waited for the bickering response to cut him off.

“I did it.” The words were softly spoken. Ford wouldn’t have caught them if he hadn’t trailed off hoping for Stan to bite. He tilted his head, turning just slightly as if worried the words weren’t meant for him and found that Stan was not looking at the kids as he had assumed. Instead his eyes were cast and unfocused across the waves, a small satisfied smile sliding across his face.

“I did it, I won. You hear that, whatever you are, I- we beat you.” Stan jolted out of his mutterings as an arm fell around his shoulders. He quickly amended his words, his smile stretching until he was grinning from ear to ear as he turned to Ford. “We did it, Sixer. We really did it, didn’t we?”

“No.”

Stan’s smile dropped instantly, his body tensing as a sliver of doubt broke through at the word. But then Ford was giving his shoulder a squeeze, bringing him in tighter for a one-armed hug.

“You did it, Stan. That was all you. You beat it.”

Stan sniffed at the words, self-consciousness slipping through as he tried to shrug off Ford’s arm. “Don’t give me that. I didn’t do it all alone, or nothin’.”

“Oh? I’m pretty sure everything you’ve said up until this moment, very much points to that.”

Stan tried to shake him off again, the hand actually latching on tighter against his rocking movements. He gave a soft huff, a sigh of defeat as Ford ignored him and continued to give him a look that broached no arguments. “Alright, I did it.” He felt his back straighten at the words, a small puff of pride that he tried to hide. “I won, happy? Now let’s stop being sappy and- will you let go of me, you limpet?”

Ford’s grin turned victorious, smug and self-satisfied. “Make me.”

Stan watched the kids as they started their own competition, skipping stones and splashing in the waves that no longer held the cold edge he’d given them at the start of their visit. He felt Ford settle self-assured beside him, still clutched on tight as if prepared for whatever Stan was thinking.

After all they both knew he wouldn’t take that challenge lying down.

Stan’s brain ticked away until with a barely audible chuckle the start of an idea formed. “Hey, Ford?”

“Hmm?”

“How many tickles does it take to make an octopus laugh?”

Ford’s eyebrows furrowed as he slowly took in the question. “Is that a riddle? Why on earth would I know- wait, Stan, no-”

“Tentacles!” Stan dived for Ford’s sides, a high pitch scream alerting the kids to the ensuing tickle fight.

Ford found it hard to breathe, his hands dropped to flail against Stan’s hands, the sensation overwhelming after thirty years of nothingness. He’d been impressed by the feel of sand beneath his feet, this was far too much to deal with. “Stan- Stan, please-”

“Oh? Have I won again?”

“Yes! Just stop!” Ford relaxed as the feeling vanished, his breathing back on track as he glared up at his brother. “Of all the things- why that?!”

“Well, you were clinging to me like an octopus, it seemed fitting.” Stan shrugged, patting him apologetically on the head, though his face said he meant nothing of the sentiment.

“I’m not a fish!”

“You could have fooled me, I’d say most things that survive underwater for thirty years count as a fish to some degree…” Stan hummed.

Ford spluttered unintelligibly for a few moments as Stan roared with laughter above him. “Stan!”

“What? If you can make ���I slept for thirty years’ jokes, I can most definitely make fish jokes.”

Ford pushed him away, his dark grumble turning into a huff of a laugh as Stan went face first into the sand with a thud.

“Hey!”

“What? You deserved that! I was only giving you a hug- they’re mandatory in this family, remember? Mabel’s orders.”

“Yeah, well, you’re still a clingy octopus.”

A small gasp broke through their jovial bickering, the pair’s attention snapping over to the kids in a heartbeat with worry as Mabel stood there with her hands over her mouth.

Really, they needn’t have worried.

“That’s it! I know what the best design for your next sweater is, Grunkle Ford!” Mabel jumped up and down, running a lap around them in excitement as Dipper joined them. “A hug monster sweater! With a friendly octopus!”

And with that Stan was gone, dissolving into another fit of giggles as Ford did a very good and unwitting impression of a goldfish, which only added to Stan’s mirth.

“See? Mabel gets it! You’re a sea creature!” Stan couldn’t quite manage to get himself standing as he doubled over with laughter in the sand, Ford’s mystified face amusing him to no end.

Ford huffed again, any actual annoyance unable to keep hold as Mabel gleefully ran around him. He shrugged his shoulders, accepting his fate as he swept her up into a hug.

After all, if he was going to be called a hug monster, he might as well enjoy the benefits of the title.

“Well, if I’m an octopus, that must mean you’re my little limpet.” Ford prodded Mabel’s nose, getting a bubbling chirp for his efforts as she nodded away to the nickname. He hummed thoughtfully, sitting down beside Stan to bundle up Dipper in his arms as well. “And that must mean you, my boy, are a batfish!”

The other three paused, the reference lost to them. Stan raised an eyebrow, his laughter dropping to bemusement. “A what now?”

“A batfish! They’re some of the most curious fish I know- well other than some cryptids but, that goes without saying- what?”

“Nothing.” Stan gave him an odd, endearing smile. “You’re still such a nerd, that’s all.”

Ford sniffed, clutching Dipper closer. “You understand, don’t you?” The imploring tone almost had Stan dissolving into chuckles again.

Dipper hugged him back, his face bright. “Well, I’ve never met a batfish but I can’t say I’m not curious.”

“Too curious for your own good.” Stan couldn’t help but rumble out, eyes on both of them as they both sheepishly looked away.

“Aren’t we all? A little bit?” Dipper tried to excuse himself, fingers almost touching as he turned to his sister for help.

“Yeah, I mean… I’m sure that’s a family trait. Or well, more not knowing when to quit.” Ford added, eyes going back to Stan with a look that dared him to argue.

Stan rolled his eyes, looking at the three of them, with their smug knowing looks that told him that there really was no use disputing their points. “Well, it’s three against one so looks like I can’t win this battle.” He raised a hand to his forehead and cast a glance up to the sky, though it wasn’t long before the view of his family pulled in his attention again, unable to really believe that everything was finally as it should be.

“Stan? What’s that soppy look for?”

Stan pouted, annoyed that he’d been caught in the act. “Nothing, Poindexter. Just thinking how late it was and how us big kids are still playing about on the beach half soaked. I think it’s time to make a move-”

His words were met with various outcries of disappointment.

“Hey- don’t give me that! Considering what we’ve been through, I think I’ve done well making sure that house has no colds in it and I’m not about to start letting any in now! So come on, time to get warm and dry, before the sea breeze gives anyone a chill.”

“Do we at least get hot chocolate?”

“What kind of person do you take me for? Of course there’s going to be hot chocolate.”

.

AN: Woooo Dipper and Stan needed a conversation after all that! Get everything out in the open! More fluff but also a few loose ends tied up c: Also just so you guys know, a small part of this was based on actual conversation between me and Ran.  ...Sneaking for crabs made perfect sense in my head.

Oh! And lastly -

Ford was really happy with his sweater really ♥ Even if it just added to Stan’s terrible pun repertoire. 

[videogamelover99]

The Void

A/N: H-hey, guess who’s back! (Sweats nervously). I know, I know, that new chapter was long coming, and I do plan on posting it tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy this little short that has nothing to do with anything, really! Or does it?

Anyway, per usual, this thing's got a really strong Flat Dreams influence. Shoutout to @pengychan and stuff. And the idea was actually requested by Barbacar on ffnet. Enjoy!

The first thing Mabel saw upon waking up was white. The next thing she saw was also white, because there was nothing but white all around her: the “ground” she was laying on, the “sky”, and the wide expanse all around her was all a blank, blinding emptiness. There was no wind, no sound, and most importantly, no Dipper.  Wasn’t he with her before...before- what?

The girl squinted into the blank abyss above her head, trying to remember how the heck she got here and why there was a heavy dread pooling in her chest that wouldn’t go away. She remembered Dipper, he was there with her, he looked...scared. And the Grunkles were there too...panicking?

“ENIE!” Wait.

“MENIE!” No.

“MINIE!” No no NO.

“YOU!” She- she was-

“WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT SHOOTING STARS, THEY BURN BRIGHTEST BUT LIVE THE SHORTEST!” There was an intense amount of heat and then-

She’d died. She’d died, and now she was-

“No no no no NO!” It took a moment for Mabel to realize that the voice wasn’t coming from her head. “YOU CAN’T DO THIS SO ME! COME ON, I INVOKED YOU, YOU’RE SUPPOSTA GET ME BACK!” She raised her head and saw a familiar yellow glow that froze the blood in her veins. The triangle was floating only a few feet away from her, shouting obscenities at the white expanse of sky, some of which did not even sound human. “YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO-” the demon turned around, his single eye fixing onto her, pupil narrowed to nothing but a pinprick. “YOU.”

Oh no.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?! HELL, YOU’RE NOT EVEN SUPPOSED TO BE HERE, YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE-”

Dead. She was supposed to be dead, and if she was dead, and Bill was here with her, than he was also dead. By the look in his eye, the demon seemed to come to the same conclusion. Whatever quick glimpse of distress she saw was quickly masked by fury. “Well well, we just gotta fix that real quick, don’t we?” Bill floated down closer to her, and extending into the air as if preparing something to strike her down. Mabel’s breath hitched, and she couldn’t help but crawl backward in fear. If the aching feeling in her chest was something to go by, dying hurt, and she wasn’t looking forward to doing that a second time. Bill clenched his hand and snapped his fingers-

“What.” And nothing happened. The triangle tried again. And again. The snap echoed through the vast expanse around them, but no horrible monster came to eat her, and no jets of fire came to turn her into ashes. Mabel let out a sigh of relief, falling back down on the ground, while Bill’s panic only seemed to increase. The demon glared at his shaking hands, clenching them into tiny fists. “ARE YOU KIDDING ME? WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW, HUH?” Bill, Mabel noted in the corner of her mind, was a lot smaller then he was during Weirdmaggedon, so that she was now a foot taller than him. The demon kicked out his little legs, which now seemed so silly Mabel couldn’t help but laugh. Maybe it was slightly hysterical, but the girl couldn’t seem to stop, not even when Bill turned to her again, eye red with anger. “OH, YOU THINK IT’S HILARIOUS, DON’T YOU? LET’S SEE HOW HILARIOUS IT IS WHEN I... WHEN I-... AUGHHH!” the demon threw his arms up, floating away from her, apparently frustrated that he couldn’t physically harm her anymore.

“Ha ha, sorry, it’s just,-heh! It’s just we’re dead and stuff, right? Kinda expecting something else. This...actually, this seems really boring.” Mabel’s smile dropped abruptly. A wide expanse of nothingness. Forever. That was not what she was hoping for at all. She kinda hoped on being reborn as a sea lion or something, but this was so much worse than anything it could have been.

“We’re not dead, kid.” the sudden change in volume made Mabel raise her head. Bill now looked frustrated more than anything, but at least he stopped screaming in rage, so that was a plus. She didn’t know how much of his grating voice she could take in those volumes. “I looked, and there was nothing there. This is something. Something terrible, but still something. We haven’t kicked the bucket yet, kid.” he squinted at her. “Though why the heck you’re here is one hell of’a question.”

The girl shrugged. “Dumb luck?”

“Yeah, apparently.” Bill snorted, which brought the question to how he could snort. He didn’t have a nose. Or a mouth, for that matter. “Good ol’ Frills messed everything up. Some god of rebirth.”

“Who’s ‘Frills’?”

“Noneya.”

“What?”

“None ya business.”

Mabel scowled. “Okay, so you’re five. Got it.”

“Hey, look who’s talking! I gave ya a place where you could literally do whatever you wanted, and you made it into a sparklier version of disneyland.” the demon threw his hand up. “I mean, talk about wasted potential, yeesh!”

“Jerk.” Mabel folded her arms across her chest, “If you wanna talk to me, you better stop being one.”

“Who said I WANT to talk to ya?”

“Then why are you still here?”

“Hey! Good point! Why am I still here?” Bill turned his (back?) on her, floating away into the abyss. “SEE YA NEVER, KID!”

“FINE!”

“FINE!”

And then Mabel was alone.

Mabel took her hair band off her head, playing with it for a while before putting it back on her head. She layed down on the ground again, staring unfocused into the white “sky” above her. She let her thoughts wander for a bit, seeing as there was nothing else to do. Unfortunately, they took her to places she didn’t want to be at the moment. What happened to the Grunkles? To Dipper? The rest of the town. She assumed they defeated Bill somehow, otherwise he wouldn’t be here. Were they okay? Was everything back to normal?

Did they miss her?

As what happened finally sank in, Mabel felt a lump for in her throat. She would never get to turn thirteen. She would never see her brother or her parents again. Waddles would never get his owner back, and the Grunkles would never get those goodbye sweaters she was planning to finish. She was dead, and as the million things she would never get to do came back to her, the girl felt the first stray tears slide down her cheeks, splattering onto the whiteness her head was resting on.

“Why are you leaking?” Great, him again.

“GO AWAY.” she wiped her face with her sleeve, turning away from the glowing yellow monster making circles around her head. “Weren’t you gonna do that in the first place?” the triangle did what could only be described as a shrug. “Got bored. So why’s your face producing liquid.” he floated closer to peer at her face, only to back away when Mabel tried to smack him. “Wait, don’t tell me. Okay, you’re not a toddler, so that crosses off like 90% of reasons. Are you-”

“I’M SAD, YOU JERK!” Mabel took off her shoe to fling it at the demon, only for him to foat out of the way again. “AND IT’S YOUR FAULT! YOU KILLED ME!”

“Hey, don’t take it personally. Sixer wouldn’t hand over the equation, I HAD to make ‘im see what the stakes were. The odds happened to land on you.” Bill flicked her nose, only for Mabel to smack his hand away. “I kinda liked you, to be honest. Should’ve gotten rid of Pinetree instead.”

“Don’t bring my brother into this! He’s not the one to blame, I am!”

“Woah, okay, relax, yeesh. Can’t really bring him into anything right now.”

“I-it was my fault. I was a selfish brat, like usual, and handed you that stupid rift, and now I’m dead. I guess it’s better this way.”

“Hey! You’re not dead! Stop saying you’re dead.” Bill’s eye narrowed. “If we were dead, then he’d be here, and he’s not!”

“...Who’d be here?”

“I don’t-” the triangle clenched his eye shut, gripping both sides of his frame. “I don’t know. But he’s not, and if we were dead, he would.”

“I thought you knew lots of things.”

“Yeah, well clearly not this.” Bill’s tone was sharp, and held a silent but obvious message to let it be. So she did.

…

“Your turn.”

“Ugh, fine. I spy, with my ALL SEEING EYE something…pink.”

“My sweater.”

“Wow, how did you guess?” Bill gives her a sarcastic look. She ignores it.

“Okay, my turn. I spy with my little eye something...white.”

“Everything here is white, kid.”

“...This game got boring.”

“WELL, you’re the one to suggest it in the first place!”

Mabel chewed on one of her hair strands thoughtfully. Bill lay next to her, his stick figure arms folded behind his upper angle. The triangle looked blankly up, or the direction the two decided to call “up” since gravity seemed to work in the opposite direction. This was weird, how calm everything was, despite Mabel laying next to the guy who killed her only a few hours ago. Or it seemed like hours. How long has it been, really? She turned to look at Bill’s blank eye. “So tell me some stuff.”

The eye shifted to her face. “What ‘stuff’?”

“You know, like stuff! You said you know lots of things. Give me a fun fact about the universe or something.”

He frowned for a moment, seeming to think it over. “The moon landing was faked.”

“Oh. I remember Dipper ranting about something like that last year.” she frowned. “Something about alien surveillance?”

“Oh yeah. That thing you call the moon is just a giant disk hiding the guys that feel like studying you humans. Why’d ya think you never got to see the back of it?”

“I dunno, rotation and stuff?”

“Ha! That’s what they want you to think.” Bill tended to gesture a lot when he was speaking, something Mabel took note of. “Never trust people with authority, kid.”

“Gotcha.” The two spent an unclear amount of time in total silence, before Mabel tried to break it again. “So where did you come from?”

Bill’s eye narrowed, and for a moment Mabel regretted ever asking that question. “A dimension far far away. It’s gone now, I made sure of that.”

“Was it really that bad?”

“Oh, you have no idea, kid.”

“I mean, your definition of ‘bad’ kind of differs from the rest of us.”

“...There was no color.”

“. . .WHAT?”

“Yep. The suckers banned it, just like they banned anything even remotely fun.”

“Okay, that is horrible.”

“I made it better,” Bill’s eye narrowed again, and he seemed to be talking to himself now, “I let them do whatever they wanted, and they threw it away. A bunch of flat, idiotic minds stuck in their own box of rules. The universe was way better without them.”

“That’s...really sad.” Mabel frowned, thinking it over. “Also kind of a paradox. I mean, in the bubble I could do whatever I wanted, too, but I ended up hurting Dipper in the process. Something I didn’t want.” she looked back at the triangle. ‘So you could say you can’t really have what you want, can you? Not completely.” She frowned. “What did you want, Bill?”

“I wanted it back.”

There it was again. “What are you talking about?”

“I-I don’t know. I can’t remember. Why can’t I remember? Mabel blinked as the demon left her side, floating a few feet from the ground and rubbing at his eye. “It- it was important, why can’t I- That wasn’t there before.”

Mabel sat up to look where the triangle was staring. It was...a door. In the middle of literally nothing. Okay.

The door was dull and gray and was made with looked like chipped and heavy wood. Big, several times taller than Mabel herself, and it looked like she could barely reach the knob. The most noticeable thing, however, was the heavy, rusty metal chain that was wrapped around it, holding it shut. “Uh…”

The two look at each other, then back at the newfound anomaly. Beats nothing but white void, in Mabel’s opinion. But the fearful way Bill looks at it tells her he doesn’t feel quite the same. The girl slowly approached the door, pausing before grabbing the knob, the metal burning her palm with a freezing cold.

“Don’t.”

Mabel spun around to find the demon hovering a few feet behind her, his eye shifting from her hand to the door itself, which such a hopelessly terrified look on his face that she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. And also hesitant. Because she had no idea what was on the other side, and if whatever it was was capable of scaring the all powerful triangle guy, who reveled in destruction and commanded creatures that may as well have walked out of a surrealist painting, then it definitely wasn’t good.

And yet the longer Mabel stared at the door, the bigger the urge to open it, to find out what’s on the other side became.

The twin reached for the doorknob again.

“DON’T.”

She slowly twisted it.

“SHOOTING STAR, DON’T YOU DARE.”

The metal was cold under her palm.

“I-I’LL RIP OUT YOUR ORGANS! EVERY SINGLE ONE I SWEAR IF YOU- NO STOP STOP!” Bill’s empty threat transformed into a scream of fury? Terror? She wasn’t sure, but at the moment, it was like none of it mattered.

Mabel opened the door.

And gazed into the unknown.

[that-he-may-return-blog]

Episode 2: Slugbug

Unfortunately, none of Dipper's questions for the triangle were answered. This was probably due to the fact that Dipper didn't see said triangle for several days, which led his mind to uneasy conclusions- had Bill escaped? Was he back in Gravity Falls and terrorizing everyone? Was he dead? Was Dipper possessed and he just didn't know it-

It also didn't help that Dipper had been having the exact same “dream” every night since the All-Mart incident. He was hesitant to call it an actual dream, sans quotation marks, because nothing really happened- he just found himself in a coniferous forest, alone, for hours on end until he woke up. The entire experience led Dipper to wonder if he was slowly losing his mind. The only proof he had that the All-Mart attack had ever happened was a headline reporting the “Largest Shoplifting Heist of the Century”, listing a number of objects that mysteriously vanished into thin air on September fourteenth.

Of course, nobody knew what had actually happened except Dipper… until now.

“-and that's why everything up and vanished the same day we were there,” he explained. “They literally…” he extended his arm, “walked out.”

Mabel blinked. “So Bill is…”

“I don't know where,” Dipper admitted. “And not knowing is killing me because what if he's murdering people back in Gravity Falls-”

“Oh, he's not,” Mabel said confidently.

“How would you know?”

“I have my ways.” Mabel held up her phone. “Also Candy and Grenda and me made a pact to keep each other updated on the Gravity Falls-Piedmont life 24/7, down to the exact detail, no questions asked. I just typed out your whole Bill monologue and-”

“-don’t send that!” Dipper grabbed the phone, “Mabel, are you crazy?”

“Am I crazy?” Mabel pointed a finger at him. “You're the one that made a deal with a resurrected demon that tried to kill us all.”

“I didn't have a choice-” Dipper said quickly, deleting the message. “Grunkle Ford was counting on me to take care of this because any other option would’ve resulted in an essential perpetual death for at least one person or a literal death for the entire universe!”

“Okay, Mister Let’s-Save-the-Universe over here. Don’t forget that I helped too!”

“Technically neither of u-”

Mabel reached forward and put her finger over his mouth. “Shh...” Dipper scowled. “I understand that you've got that whole conspiracy craving and would probably explode if you couldn’t explain why bigfoot is cthulhu- because I am a caring and loving sister- but… really, Dipper, are you sure this is a good idea?”

Dipper glanced up. “...I don't think there's a better idea,” he said slowly. “But there's nothing I can do about it now- Stan and Ford are probably in the middle of the ocean, and if I went back to Gravity Falls, Bill could probably find his body and start using magic again-”

“Again? I thought you said that in the store he waved his arms wildly and turned a bunch of eggs against you? Using magic?”

Dipper glanced at the wall. “Okay, so, I don't know how it works. Entirely.”

“At all.” Mabel took her phone back.

Dipper rubbed his arm. “Just- I thought I should tell you. Everyone kept too many secrets in Gravity Falls, so the more that's out in the open, the better, at this point.”

Mabel blinked. “Does that mean we should tell Mom and Dad?”

“Uhhh- no. Not… not right now. They'd freak out.”

“This sounds like the premise for an American children’s cartoon!” Mabel grinned, “Mason Pines came home from summer break with a lot of strange souvenirs, but the strangest one is a triangle with a bizarre sense of humor and great fashion sense-”

“That sounds like a show that would try and make Bill likable,” Dipper pointed out. “Too out of character.”

“ATTENTION: THIS IS THE LAST HELICOPTER OUT OF VIETNAM! GET ON BOARD OR REMAIN STRANDED!”

“COMING, DAD!!” Mabel shouted back, grabbing her backpack. Dipper got up and slung his over his shoulder, brushing his hair over his forehead- he wasn't about to take Wendy's hat into a public school, one of the most hazardous places for any material object. Besides, hats were technically against the dress code - not that he had cared in previous years - but hey, at least this was a decent excuse.

The twins headed downstairs to find the house empty save for Waddles, who was napping on the couch, and a note from their mother on the table saying that she would be back in the afternoon; she was probably hanging upside down from a redwood, trying to photograph of a colony of bats. They grabbed their lunchboxes as they darted for the door, Mabel taking a second to slip in a previously-vetoed bottle of Mabeljuice. Outside was the second car, fondly nicknamed The Bug by Mabel, and in the driver's seat was their dad.

Forrest Pines was roughly the height of a flagpole and had nearly the same dimensions, which meant that compressing himself into The Bug involved a lot of doubling over. Dipper would have sworn on his life that his father didn't wear anything but sweater-vests and only combed the back of his hair. Mabel would have sworn on her life that Forrest was an alien from planet Cybernoodle who planned on taking over the earth by hacking RCVs everywhere.

“Who's ready for school?” Forrest called as Mabel hopped over the typical suburban lawn flamingo and into the car; Dipper chose to walk around the flamingo. The flamingo had been Forrest’s idea, and Cassidy had never acknowledged its existence.

“Ready for KNOWLEDGE!” Mabel shouted, slamming the door.

Dipper glanced at her. “Knowledge?”

“Yeah, genius- of the new kids- new kids, new friends, am I right or am I right-”

“You're left,” Forrest pointed out. The Bug pulled onto the road and set a course for Piedmont Public Schools.

Dipper glanced out the window. He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that Bill was too close for comfort- even though he was nowhere to be seen. What that meant, he didn't know, but he didn't like the weight it left on his mind.

After a few minutes of dissonance with Mabel, Forrest, and the radio, The Bug rolled to a stop in front of the school- the twins wasted no time gathering their stuff and getting out of the car.

Forrest leaned out the window. “What, no “first day of high school” trauma? No existential dread or questions about moving up the social rank?”

“We kinda sorta already had that kerfluffle over the summer,” Mabel said. “Ha. Kerfluffle.”

“We’ll be fine, Dad,” Dipper told him.

Forrest frowned. “Hey, you're not wearing a hat today.”

Oh no- he was going to ask about the lucky hat Dipper had had at the beginning of the year- the one that had met its premature demise to a pack of angry gnomes. Dipper braced himself. “Well-”

“Good for you,” Forrest said. Dipper blinked. “We call that character development.” He patted Dipper on the head.

“Aha, right…”

“Well, don't murder anyone! Bye kids!”

“Bye-”

“Bye Dad!”

The Bug sped off into the distance, leaving two eighth graders on a yet-to-be trampled public school lawn.

Dipper didn't necessarily enjoy school. Not that he didn't enjoy learning; gaining knowledge was how he built up his collection of conspiracies. But Dipper could have written an eight-page essay on why the school system did a very poor job of actually teaching anything. He also could have written an essay on the lack of supervision in the classroom or work ethic from the staff, or how being expected to socialize with people he would never see outside of school was counterintuitive- but these weren't the biggest reasons Dipper disliked the school experience. No, that award went to the spiked levels of sheer acrimony that hung around the school like a forced metaphor.

Yeah, okay, maybe the bullied nerd trope was overdone. That didn't change the fact that Dipper was, in fact, a bullied nerd. This year he planned to change that- the honors/regular class split started this year. With any luck, he'd leave the aggressors of the past behind and start a brand new year of education and-

-someone tripped him.

Because that wasn't cliche.

Dipper stumbled to regain his balance and half the pile of books he was holding slid onto the floor. His face was red- he couldn't tell if anyone was laughing, but it definitely felt like it. He crouched and picked up the books; off to a great start.

“Didn't see you all summer, Dipstick!” someone shouted. Dipper closed his eyes. “Did you run away to cry somewhere else-”

Dipper kept walking. That was one time- well, maybe several. He'd been perfectly fine over summer- maybe because he had gotten the chance to make his own impression. But everyone here already knew him as the kid with the dumb name, no friends, and who was prone to crying. His legacy.

The honors/regular split had also led to an unexpected consequence; he no longer shared any classes with Mabel, who preferred talking with friends rather than studying with them. Since Forrest had dropped them off, in fact, he didn't really see her at all. This meant the majority of his day was spent either being ignored and alone or having to listen to “dipstick” get shouted across the room, which by now wasn't insulting so much as annoying. The reality was setting in that, without Mabel around, they wouldn’t be watching each other’s backs. This could end up being the worst school year of his life.

He really should've taken Ford's offer, Dipper thought as he scribbled in the margins of the first-day handouts. At least then he'd be spending his day doing something he actually cared about with someone he actually looked up to- it would've been better than coming back to this mess. And now all he had to show for his poor decision was a missing demon and a sister who caused the apocalypse.

“...what?”

“Pines, is there something you'd like to add?”

Dipper blinked. “No, I'm just-”

“Then I suggest you join the rest of the class in sitting in silence.”

Dipper sank down in his seat. Mabel didn't have anything to do with Weirdmageddon… unless you counted getting locked in a prison bubble. And you know, making a selfish deal trading something that wasn't even hers for her own personal gain.

Dipper focused in on the desk. Okay, where was this coming from- he wasn't supposed to be an idiot, you’d think he could put this together. He pressed a hand to his head. Was he hallucinating? Was he so tired from those repetitive dreams that he was starting to imagine things? Maybe he needed a break- from the planet-

“Bill-”

It was nice to know he could do basic logic. Dipper gripped the edge of his desk. Where was he- why was his train of thought being constantly interrupted like this- as if he would tell him-

“Shut up-!”

“Pines.”

Dipper sank down. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

“Would you like to step outside for a little bit to calm down?”

No. “Yes.”

Dipper slipped into the hall and shut the door behind himself. He pressed his hands to his temples, trying to think. Bill had to be messing around in his head, somehow… Dipper shuddered, imagining Bill puppeting him from the inside. He wasn't actually… well Dipper wouldn't know that. Dipper glared at the wall.

“Get out.”

He wasn't going to. Well, at least that answered that question. Dipper rubbed his head… what would he even be doing in there? Not like Dipper would know. But carrying a demon’s thoughts in his head didn't seem like a fantastic option, especially when he had no idea how to get him out…

“Hey Dipstick. Where’ve you been, huh?”

In any other context, it might have been a friendly greeting. Not in this one.

Florence Goodman had to be the worst misnomer of the century. Dipper had only ever actually seen him in class twice in his life, leading him to assume that he spent his spare time throwing darts at pictures of other students’ faces. Florence also seemed to think his insults were hilarious; this was probably a direct result of beating up anyone who disagreed, although Dipper wasn't sure he'd get the whole cause/effect relationship. Another reason he had never explained it was that Florence just so happened to be twice his size and nowhere near as terrified of detention as Dipper was.

“I said, where’ve you been?”

Dipper looked away.

“What are you doing out in the halls?” This guy really needed to learn to respect personal space. “I would've thought the teacher's pet would be teaching the class by now-”

“Aren't you supposed to be in class,” Dipper muttered, “and not hanging around like a-”

“Like a what, Pines?!” Dipper's head knocked against the lockers- he could feel a bruise forming on the back of his skull. Pain was hilarious.

“Nothing, nothing-” he said quickly, but Florence had already moved on.

“Where's your dumb hat, Pines?”

Dipper didn't respond.

“What, did you lose it? Someone get to it before me? Huh-” His palm slammed into Dipper's forehead; Dipper winced. “You should've kept it on- now everyone can see your dumb hair-”

Dipper braced himself for what was sure to follow. It was an old well but a deep one, and every time it just got to him. He felt the fingers shove his hair up, off his forehead-

“-and your mutant face-”

“It's not a mutation, it's a statistical anomaly…” His face was burning- his entire head was burning.

“Little dipstick over here thinks his big words won't make him a freak-” Into the locker again. “Well guess what-” And again. “You'll never be anything but the weirdo with no friends-”

Dipper covered his face. That wasn't true-

“You gonna cry? Cry, Pines- cry about your stupid hair and your freakazoid face- your disproportionately gigantic head and tiny weak body- the stupid rectangle on your forehead-”

Dipper screwed his face up. Until summer, his birthmark had always been a sore spot for him- it had been the target of countless insults. Now that summer had ended, when he had finally started to accept it, it was just going to become another reason to hate him- his head cracked into the lockers again. Always with that stupid constellation birthmark- making him a target- making him “that weirdo-” well it wasn't like he could help it!

“Are those tears, treeboy-”

Dipper grabbed his fingers- they were rubbery and- slimy-? Florence screamed and dropped him onto the ground; Dipper winced and rubbed his head, slowly looking up. Florence was stumbling around like an idiot, waving his arm and screaming.

“Maybe- maybe that'll make you think twice about making fun of me, huh-” Dipper got up. Whatever was going on, it sure was making Florence panic- the problem was, Dipper had no idea what was going on.

Thankfully he found out, as he watched this high school student transform into a gigantic slug with six eyes, a pig nose, and terrifyingly long slimy arms.

The monster roared.

Dipper shouted and threw a pencil at it. The pencil bounced off his lumpy flesh and rolled down the hall.

The two looked at each other for a moment. The slug blinked and stared at its new slimy features. Dipper decided to use this moment to run for it and booked it through the halls. He heard a vaguely roar-like sound from behind him; he figured that turning Florence into a close relative of a snail didn't make him want to kill Dipper any less.

He ducked behind a wall and pressed his back to it, shaking- had he done that- Dipper stared at his hands. They were just as pale and clammy as ever. Maybe it was the fact that he had just run to the other side of the school, but he felt exhausted; there was a stitch in his side and his eyes were starting to close. Dipper shook himself awake. There wasn't time for that- there was a giant slug loose in the school somewhere. It wouldn’t be long before someone saw it.

“Heyyy, what are you doing in the Dumb People section?” Dipper blinked and looked up. Mabel had put a sticker on his nose. “Don't you have some kind of over-complicated class to get to?”

“-there’s something more important going on right now,” Dipper told her, glancing back around the corner. Florence the giant slug couldn’t be far.

“You found something more important than your GPA?” Mabel leaned around the corner to look at whatever he was looking at. “I'm proud of you- you've realized that the true meaning of being a student is learning and having fun by pursuing an interest that you genuinely like-”

“No, Mabel, I turned Florence Goodman into a nine-foot long invertebrate.”

Mabel frowned and raised a finger. She opened her mouth and the finger turned into a finger gun, “Are you making a spontaneous and nonsensical joke-”

Dipper looked at her. Mabel lowered her finger. “Right, okay, giant spineless bully somewhere in the school.” She frowned again. “How did-”

“I don't know,” Dipper admitted, ducking back behind the wall. “I think it had something to do with Bill-”

“THEY SAY THAT IF YOU SAY THE DEVIL’S NAME HE APPEARS!”

Dipper yelped and fell backwards.

Mabel glanced from him to the empty air directly in front of him. “Is he back?”

“Unfortunately…” Dipper muttered.

“Unfortunately?” Bill pressed his hand to what would have been his chest. “Now that stings- after all I've done for you- turning your school bullies into gastropods- I am hurt-”

“You did that-?!”

“Well I'll admit that it was a team effort- somebody here got really mad for no reason at all-”

Dipper glared. “So you just used me as your funnel-”

Mabel raised a hand, “So I'm sure this is a very important argument but all I can hear is Dipper's side- and also maybe we should focus on taking care of the monster before we argue any more?”

“I don't think Bill cares,” Dipper said.

“Oh contraire, spaceface.” Bill pulled his cane out of nowhere. “You're my only vessel, and your fancy contract says my psyche is linked to your body- if you die, I'd be stuck in a little radius around it, and that wouldn't be fun for anyone, would it?”

Dipper looked away. “Mabel, do you have the flashlight?”

Mabel shook her head. “I didn't really unpack everything yet.”

“Right, okay…” Dipper rubbed his forehead, trying to think. The hall was quiet and empty, and he couldn’t see or hear a thing in the corridors, but he knew what was out there. “Well, at least we have time to plan,” he resolved. “He might be big, but slugs are slow. It'll take a while for it to even find us, let alone catch up to us.”

Bill laughed.

Dipper stiffened. “Unless that's not the case…”

“Oh, it is definitely not the case, pine-tree! Remember how turning things on their head is kind of my deal? My schtick? My gimmick? My-”

“You made a super-fast giant slug.”

“Well I wouldn't call it giant, we’re only talking like eight, nine feet long here- giant would be, say, the size of the school- your tiny little mind doesn't have nearly enough energy for that.”

“Well apparently there’s enough to make you a giant pain in the-”

“DIPPER-”

Dipper looked over just in time to see a super-fast, average-sized slug come ricocheting around the corner.

Dipper thought he knew what fear felt like. He had been ripped out of his own body, more than once by now, been chased by gigantic deformed creatures of unimaginable horror, and witnessed the apocalypse firsthand. Yet, somehow, none of these came close to the sheer adrenaline that running from a nine-foot invertebrate at top speed through an empty school hall could bring.

“How do we stop him?!” Mabel asked as they slid around a corner.

“I don't know,” Dipper said- he was panicking. “I only knew things in Gravity Falls because of Great-Uncle Ford’s journal- I don't have that anymore! We threw it down the bottomless pit!”

“Well, actually-”

Dipper looked at Mabel. “Actually-?”

Mabel waved it off. “I'll tell you when we’re not being terrorized by a giant slug.”

Dipper darted up to a door leading out of the school; he tried to stop but his momentum carried him into the bar and out onto the grass. He tumbled forward and faceplanted. Bill laughed.

Dipper shoved himself up- “If you're so concerned about protecting your vessel why don't you help-”

“Oh, I might. If it gets completely hopeless. Right now I just want to watch you squirm.”

Dipper wanted to retaliate, but he didn't get the chance as the monster slammed its head through the door and bowled him over. He scrambled up, now covered in slime, and darted back inside the school; during the day, the doors were locked from the outside. This proved true as the slug rammed into the door over and over, but it didn't open. It also might not have opened because it was a pull door, but Dipper decided not to tell him that.

Dipper slid down against the wall to catch his breath.

“...what do we do when school ends?” Mabel asked, “because he’s still going to be there-”

“I’m trying to get there,” Dipper breathed. He rubbed his forehead and watched the door thud as the slug rammed into it. Bill was busy criticizing a mural of Egypt in the hall.

Mabel sat down next to him. “Maybe we should get to class?”

Dipper snorted. “I'd rather not. At least not right now.” A nine-foot slug. No journal. No hex circle, no flashlight… all he really had was a demon whose current life goal was to ruin Dipper's own life. Bill probably knew how to fix it with magic or something- but it wasn't like he'd help. Dipper might have to take a different approach…

Dipper sat there in quiet contemplation as Mabel doodled and the formerly-human slug pounded on the doors. After a while, the bell rang and students flooded out into the hallways, and to their… lockers? Dipper started and looked at the clock- what?! -this was the end of the school day- and he still had no idea what to do regarding the giant slug- and it was at this moment that the hinges on the door gave way- and in it came.

It was chaos. Everyone scattered, some to run and scream, others to touch it, more to record videos, and the slug to (presumably) murder Dipper. Dipper saw this and decided to join the portion of the student body that was running. Mabel followed suit.

“You know, for someone who made a life-changing self-discovery about courage and standing up for yourself over the summer, you sure are doing a lot of running away today,” Bill commented.

Dipper glared. “I can't just fight it,” he snapped, “and it's not like I have anything that'd help me-” he shoved the front door open and ran out onto the grass.

“Well that's not very fair- I'm right here!”

“You’re the main cause of the problem-!”

“What is it with you people and your blame-games- you turn a couple people into disfigured monsters and suddenly it's all oh he’s evil and you’re a 'problem’-”

There was a loud popping sound, followed by an unappealing squelch- Dipper turned to see that the slug had managed to figure out the push-door. It literally threw the door open and was continuing his chase, barrelling right for Dipper- panicking, he jumped to the side, hoping the monster couldn't turn as quickly as it could run, or crawl, or slink-

The proper term for the movement of a slug was put low on Dipper’s priorities as he watched it crash through the parking lot and disappear among the cars. There was a sound of alarms and honks.

“Well, this seems like a good time to let law enforcement handle the giant slimy thing,” Mabel suggested. While the idea of Florence Goodman being taken away from the school did seem appealing, it was Dipper’s fault that the guy was a slug in the first place.

“Eh, ehh…?” Mabel was ready to go. Dipper took in a breath, then sighed.

“We should do something.”

“But do we?” she groaned. It was very likely that she hated Florence more than he did. Dipper genuinely considered walking away. It’s not like he was obligated to be the bigger person here, but- it was a little overboard to turn him into a lightspeed slug. There was also the fact that the security cameras in the school probably saw him near Florence when it happened, and the last thing he wanted was another run-in with the government.

Being thirteen was hard.

Just as Dipper was about to make his decision he heard a shrill and childish squeal from the far side of the parking lot. Dipper and Mabel exchanged a glance.

“Dad.”

They both made a dash for the east side of the parking lot and found the slug with its head jammed inside the window of The Bug, and Forrest Pines firmly pressed into the back seat, throwing all available objects in its face. So much for leaving their parents out of weirdness- now Dipper definitely had to do something. Mabel was way ahead of him.

“Back off my dad you slimy buttface-” Mabel shouted as she bolted to the car and began beating the slug with her biology book. This took the slug’s attention off of (potentially) eating Forrest- it pulled from the window and went for Mabel next.

“Mabel, get away from that thing-!” Forrest shouted. Dipper pried the slime-coated car door open; Forrest scrambled out and scooped both twins up and out of the way of the monster, backing away. The slug started advancing- Dipper threw a rock at its head and tried his best to give an intimidating and stern glare, but judging from Bill’s snickering it wasn’t working out too well.

Forrest was just about to make a run for it when Mabel slipped out of his hold and ran for The Bug.

“REMEMBER ME!!” Mabel called as she dove past the slug and jumped in the car. The slug spat acid at her as she ran past; it ate away at the ground, burning holes in the asphalt. Forrest nearly had a heart attack as the monster went after his daughter.

“MABEL-”

“Acid?!” Dipper hissed at Bill, who had been casually drifting near his field of view.

“So, I have these ideas, and sometimes they’re just too good to turn down. So, the slug spits acid now. And also has a taste for human flesh.”

“Oh it just gets better every minute, doesn’t it-”

“It really does, isn’t it great?”

Forrest sat Dipper far away from The Bug and ran to grab Mabel.

“Do you think this is funny?!” Dipper glared at Bill.

“Yes, actually.”

“Well it isn’t-” Dipper pointed at the triangle. “You’ve always seen our lives as a game and a joke, but the joke's over, Bill-” Bill wasn’t looking at him. He was experimenting with flames in his right hand. “Are you listening?!”

“No, not really, your interests are relatively insignificant to me.” Dipper was fuming. He had to get his attention, and the only way you get a triangle’s attention is by making him angry or panicked- or maybe even a little bit of both.

Dipper started walking towards the monster slug. “What are you doing, kid?” Bill called. “D’ya think you’re going to take this thing on with those noodle arms?”

“No.”

“Well that’s good because that thing will totally kill you. So, you know, it wouldn’t be that smart to keep just walking towards it like that. So, uh, why are you still walking towards it-”

“You’re going to let my family get killed, then you don’t get a vessel.”

Bill laughed. “As if you’d actually get yourself killed just to get me to do something, that’s ridiculous-”

Dipper kept walking. “Are you really that stupid-” Bill said louder as he was pulled along at the edge of Dipper’s mental barrier. One foot in front of the other, Dipper walked up to the slug and kicked it.

The slug’s acid was just about to eat through the roof of The Bug- Mabel was aggressively searching the backseat and resisting Forrest’s attempts to remove her. The slug twisted its head to look at him. Dipper held his arms out at his sides. “You’re an idiot, kid- you’re going to get yourself killed- this is proving nothing-”

“It’s proving nothing except that you’re out of options.”

“I have plenty of options other than your cruddy vessel-”

The slug made a gurgling noise; acid foamed at its mouth, dripping down at Dipper’s feet, just missing his shoes.

“You’re gonna die, kid-”

It reared up. Dipper didn’t move.

“KID-”

Dipper squeezed his eyes shut- there was a spitting sound-

...but nothing happened. Hesitantly, Dipper opened an eye. He was outside of his own body, and for a moment he thought he might have actually died; then he saw that his own body had thrown up a magical wall in front of itself, like a triangular forcefield. Dipper couldn’t stop himself from grinning.

“I hate you so much,” Bill muttered through gritted teeth as he dropped the wall and the remaining acid fell to the ground. Operation Anger the Triangle was a success. The slug tilted its head in confusion. Bill leapt forwards and knocked the slug back with a punch that clearly had some extra magical energy, because it slid back several feet and embedded itself in the hood of a car.

“Just turn him back-” Dipper said as Bill climbed into The Bug a little unsteadily. Forrest was staring and petrified in the back at this point.

“It’s- give me a second, okay-” Bill wheezed as he struggled to catch his breath, “your stupid noodle of a body could barely take a bit of running last time- you think it can take all that- no! Because some vessels aren’t pure energy-”

Dipper let Bill continue his rant about how weak he was as he watched the slug pry itself from the car and shoot over to The Bug. Bill looked at the slug and glared.

“I have had it up to here with all the things I make trying to kill me-” He slid into the driver’s seat and tried to stay awake. He was about to use another shield to block more flying acid, but something shot through the windshield and straight into the slug’s face.

“GRAPPLING HOOK!” Mabel retracted the hook from the backseat, proudly standing on the seats, one hand on her hip. Forrest was unable to process anything happening around him. Mabel jumped into the passenger’s seat and shot the hook straight into one of the slug’s eyes; it backed up more, blinded.

Bill was slumped over the steering wheel, about to pass out. Mabel shook him. “Hey- hey you can’t fall asleep- mystery twins are back in action-!!” Bill slowly opened his eyes and looked Mabel dead in the face. The sunlight made the slit-pupils obvious.

“Could you, for once, Shooting Star, maybe not scream in my ear... magic is hard enough as it is...” He was too tired to make any witty comments; all he had to spare was pure dismay. Mabel shot the slug in the face again.

“You’ve been doing a bunch of magic, huh-”

“Yes.”

“And Dipper didn’t get enough sleep again I bet-”

“Clearly.”

“But you can fix this with magic??” “Magic fixes most things.”

“Well- then-” Mabel pulled her lunchbox up and offered Bill a mysterious red fruit drink.

“Is this poison?” Bill looked at Mabel. He threw up a shield to block flying acid and looked a little more exhausted.

“No, it’s Mabeljuice!”

“So, poison.”

“It’ll give you a boost- promise-” Bill glared at her. He put up another shield and swayed slightly; a fleck made its way around the shield and burned through his hair. He sighed, steadying himself- Dipper wished he had popcorn. “Eh? Ehh?” Mabel held the Mabeljuice closer. Bill slowly took the glittery drink.

“This doesn’t have anything on Time Punch-” he downed the drink. Mabel shot the hook into the slug’s face again. The slug seemed confused as to how he continued to fall for these attacks.

Bill felt a burst of energy as the caffeine set in. A grin spread across his face- he might be slowly dying of poison, but he was alive again. The slug moved around the other side of The Bug and crashed its head through the window; Bill held his hand out at the slug and it was pushed back by an invisible force. The Bug shook.

“Now what-” Forrest whimpered from the back.

“Now we knock that thing out and finish this-” Bill said, putting his hand on the dash. The Bug began morphing and mutating and Dipper stared as he turned the family car into a huge, metal, eco-friendly winged insect, with six legs instead of four wheels and an apparent taste for slugs.

“WOO!” Mabel cheered as it advanced on the monster. Bill laughed maniacally as The Bug attacked the slug, knocking it down into the pavement- it spat acid at the car, burning holes into pieces of metal legs- but The Bug kept ramming into the slug, shoving it back. It plucked the slug off the ground before it could run away and flew off towards the football field.

Forrest was screaming. “OKAYOKAYOKAYOKAYWHY- WHY IS THIS HAPPENING- KIDS-”

Mabel looked back at Forrest, giving him an encouraging thumbs-up. “Calm down, Dad- we’re professionals-! We’ve got this!”

Forrest just stared. Dipper wasn’t looking forward to explaining this later. The Bug hauled the slug over the football field and higher into the air; it released the slug and it plummeted into the ground, leaving a crater in the grass.

The Bug hovered for a bit and, when the slug didn’t get up, it lowered and landed next to the crater. Mabel hopped out of the car and ran to the crater to peer in the hole, grappling hook at the ready. The dust cleared and, instead of a bloodthirsty lightspeed acid slug, there was just a beat-up Florence Goodman, looking utterly traumatized. Mabel let out a breath and help up a hand to high-five Bill, grinning. “Nice work-”

Bill looked at her. “You really want me touching your hand.”

Mabel lowered her hand.

The caffeine was wearing off fast; Bill used the last bit of energy he had to strip The Bug of its insectoid features. Then he fell face-first into the grass.

When Dipper came back to consciousness in his own body, everything was numb and he didn’t want to move. Mabel was sitting with him in the high school nurse’s station; she seemed a little more excited once he actually looked at her.

“Wh… what happened…?”

“Well, uh… Bill… fixed it, and you passed out after that-” She seemed a bit surprised, “since when does he help us-”

“I blackmailed him,” Dipper murmured.

“...you blackmailed Bill?” Mabel said, staring. Dipper shrugged, eyes half-closed. “That’s… that’s great. Showed him who’s boss this time, am I right-” she grinned.

Dipper smiled slightly; it felt pretty good to be holding the cards for once. He thought for a moment and frowned. “What happened to Florence…?”

“Uh, about that…” Mabel began, “He looked super freaked out- I don’t think he’s coming back here. But he doesn’t entirely know what happened, I just told some cops that the slug ran off in the woods- so, we should be in the clear. For now.”

“Didn’t they see it on camera…?” Dipper asked. Mabel shifted in her seat slightly.

“Nope.”

“Nope?”

“Nope.”

“What do you mean nope?” Dipper sat up a little.

“Well, I took a little time to say a few things to Dad, calm him down a little bit, and… he used his computer magic to get rid of the footage.”

“Since when was Dad a hacker?” He usually only saw his dad coding games of brick breaker.

“He said he picked up a hobby over the summer,” Mabel said, then grinned, “so we’re in the clear.”

‘The Clear’ was probably something they were far from, but knowing that they had covered up the incident to some extent was a relief. He glanced around and saw a disgruntled Bill glaring at a chart on the wall.

“...thanks for fixing that,” Dipper whispered.

“Shut up, Pinetree, I’m not dumb, you smug little-”

“Oh come on- you saved yourself anyways,” Dipper muttered. “That’s a bright side for you.”

“All my creations keep trying to kill me,” he said, arms folded. Dipper frowned.

“...The Bug didn’t try and kill you,” Dipper suggested, “it must have liked you.”

“It didn’t like me, I just gave it an extensive craving for slugs. It was in self-defense.” Bill vanished, presumably back into Dipper’s mind. Dipper didn’t really have the energy to care about Bill’s personal struggles at the moment. It served him right.

After Dipper took some time and mustered the energy, Mabel helped him walk out to meet Forrest, who was harshly rethinking his comprehension of life. The Bug was out of commission, probably because the engine had been eaten through with slug acid, so he took Dipper and Mabel the rest of the way home by foot. When they got back to the house, the twins explained to their dad about the existence of ‘weirdness’ and how they saw supernatural beings and creatures over summer break.

However, the details were severely watered down. As far as Forrest knew, they just met a mermaid, spotted a unicorn, and caught a fairy only to delicately release it. Mabel said that they learned their monster handling and magic skills from a unicorn fight, which wasn’t entirely a lie, only mostly. It only took Forrest a solid two hours to process the entire situation.

“So… monsters. Mythical… things. Exist,” he repeated numbly.

Dipper and Mabel nodded.

“And you’ve… fought them,” he asked again.

“Uh-huh,” Dipper responded. Forrest slumped back in the couch and rubbed his eyes. After another minute or two he sat up straighter and looked at the two of them. They were sitting quietly in front of him.

“Well… you know, I’d say you did a really awesome job. Really, really impressive stuff there- but, just don’t scare me like that okay-” The twins nodded and promised not to throw themselves into deadly situations again. That promise would probably last less than twenty-four hours. Forrest took a moment to breathe, and wrapped his long arms around the two of them in a tight hug. “I’m just glad you two are safe,” he said. They both hugged back.

He pulled back and pointed at the two of them. “We are not going to tell Mom about this until we can actually think of a way to explain it. Especially the car. Deal?”

Dipper shuddered. “Deal,” said Mabel.

“Great…” Forrest laid down on the couch and closed his eyes, ���it’s been a long day, so I’m just going to… keep rethinking everything. You two finish your homework or read or… something.” The twins gave their dad a moment of peace. Dipper quietly helped Mabel with her homework as the sun began to set outside. For the first time all day, there was a bit of silence.

Cassidy Pines shoved the front door open, covered in dirt, twigs in her hair, camera in hand.

“You’re not going to believe what I saw today.”

Dipper somehow doubted that.