It was a rainy day in Gravity Falls. Rain drops came from the grey sky like knives, making exceptionally loud pop sounds as they hit the sidewalk. Shoes squished against the soggy ground, disgusting the owner of the shoes. It was indeed a rainy day_

But not for Stanford Pines.

Stan walked with a small hop in his step, a big goofy smile plastered across his usually gruff face. His fez was crooked (which normally drove him crazy), but right now, he couldn't care less. He waved to anyone who passed by, even if he had an intense hate for that person.

To him, the rain didn't even exist. Yes, he could feel the droplets of water leaving wet spots on his black jacket. Yes, he felt the water on the walkway soaking through his shoes. And yes, he realized that there were those irritating little water drops on his lenses. But he couldn't care less about any of those things at the moment.

Stan wasn't used to feeling this happy. He was entirely used to feeling like a grumpy old man who lazed around all day, not even having the decency to put on a pair of pants. This happy feeling was new to him, and he wasn't completely sure on how deal with it. But he would figure it out. Because whatever this feeling was supposed to be_ he loved it.

His ugly brown shoes squashed in the muddy path to the Mystery Shack. As he neared the door, his excitement grew. He couldn't wait to tell the kids. He plodded up the creaky steps until he finally reached the door. He broadened his yellow-tinted smile as he tapped three times on the door.

His niece immediately opened the door. "Grunkle Stan! Finally, we missed you!" Mabel exclaimed. "Where have you been?"

He chuckled. "Well, uh…that's actually what I wanted to talk to you and Dipper about," he said.

"DIPPER! GRUNKLE STAN HAS_ wait, is it good or bad news?"

"Good. Very good."

"_ GOOD NEWS! COME ON DOWN!"

Dipper plodded down the rickety stairs, 3 tucked under his arm. He straightened his hat as he hopped off the last stair. "What's the big news, Grunkle Stan?" he asked. He tried to sound excited, but his exasperation about his reading being interrupted blocked a little of that.

Their great uncle smiled down at them. "Kids_ I got a date tonight!" he exclaimed. "Yessiree-bob. Your uncle is a suave man." He brushed his shoulder in a way that said 'you can glorify me now.'

Mabel squealed. "OH MY GOSH! GRUNKLE STAN, THAT'S SO EXCITING AND AWESOME! WHAT TIME?" she asked excitedly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold your horses, kid," he said, grinning. "But in answer to your question_ the date is at 8:00. Me and my date_" he emphasized the word "_will be seeing a movie."

"And just who might this date be?" Dipper asked.

Stan's smile got so wide, it made his cheeks sore. "Lazy Susan!" he said, sounding much too proud to have a date with that woman.

Mabel immediately began jumping up and down and all around, squealing about she planned to be his personal hair dresser, and his outfit-picker, and his cologne sprayer, and his glasses-polisher, and just how handsome she was going to make him look in general. Dipper, on the other hand, wasn't so sure. Lazy Susan could be nice, but most people were sure something was wrong with her. Not that she acted completely insane. But sometimes, she could be a bit…strange.

"Wait. Did she ask you out? Or did you ask her out?" Dipper asked.

"I asked her out! I don't know what happened, I just felt_ brave all of a sudden. And then I did it! I asked her out, and she said yes!" Stan whooped.

Mabel stopped bouncing, and she placed her hands on her knees as she panted. "Whoo! Being excited sure takes a lot of energy!" she panted. "What time is it, Grunkle Stan?"

He used the opposite hand to push up his sleeve a few inches. He looked at his gold watch (the one that the twins had given him for "Great Uncles' Day") and squinted his eyes to see clearer. "Well, it's only_" he gasped. "_ 7:00?! I'm going to be late!"

Mabel squealed again, in a frequency only dogs should hear. She pulled her favorite artist hat from her art box underneath the coffee table. "Monsieur Pines," she said in a fake French accent "I am going to make you_ a masterpiece."