HAT: Darn it, Gravity Falls! You've gotten to me... now for another family thing!
Disclaimer: I own nothing, but the plot since I'm not Alex Hirsch (wrong gender anyway).
The first time he met Lil' Gideon was when he came to the Mystery Shack with his parents and he was tiny- well, tinier than he is now- and very- as much as Stan would hate to admit- adorable and charming (though that'd change in a few years). It went a little something like this...
"Welcome to the Mystery Shack!" Stan says, looking at everyone with one eye and his cane at hand. He can spot only one kid in the crowd- with notably interesting white hair- but that's enough for him to notably shove the bad language to the back of his throat and keep the adult jokes to a minimum. "Please allow me, Mr. Mystery, to take you on a tour of the Mystery Shack. You can buy plenty of souvenirs at the gift shop."
He leads them inside and begins the tour, pointing out each scam and making it seem like it's the best thing ever. He has to admit that the people in Gravity Falls were the dumbest people in the world and he'd met some pretty stupid people on his journeys in other cities. He could put something as simple as a a button out in front of them and convince them that it's something important, rare, and/or cursed without them questioning a thing.
Best and worst place to set up shop, he thinks as he notices a gnome in the midst of all his customers. When he sets them into the gift shop he takes his broom and sweeps the gnome out of his shop without a second thought. There are too many things that happen in this town and he's sure that he can't have anyone that hasn't lived here for a while come over otherwise they'd be in everything and then it'd ruin so many plans.
"Mr. Mystery?" By the sound of it it's the kid with the white hair and he's got a country accent.
Great, kids, he mentally groans as he turns around and gives a smile. "What can I do for you?"
"I lost my mommy and daddy... can you help me find them?"
Yeesh... "Yeah, sure kid. Come on," he says, taking the kid's hand and looking around the shop for two panicked parents, but finds none. "Do you see them, kid?"
"Uh-uh," he shakes his head and whimpers. "What if they left me?"
"C'mon, kid, I'm sure they're panicking right now or they thought you went to the bathroom or something," he assures before he sighs. "Alright, I'll put you on my shoulders and you can let me know when you spot them."
He picks up the child and puts him on his shoulders to give the child a better vantage point.
After several minutes the child hops in place. "I see 'em! I see 'em! Over there!"
Stan internally groans and walks forward, and then holds out the child to said parents. "Here, you left this."
Take better care of your kid. He could've got hurt! He wants to yell, but instead he lets his eyes do the talking.
"Thank you," the father says as the child is clung to by his mother.
"Just keep a better eye on him, alright?"
"Will do," he says, turning back to his son and scolding him. "What'd I tell you about runnin' off?"
Stan notices the child shiver a little bit- like most children who are in trouble- but quickly it goes away in place of admiration as he looks up at "Mr. Mystery."
"Thank you, sir."
"No, problem, kid," he says before he ruffles his hair and walks away.
That was how he first met the child.
The next time they met Stan barely recognized him and wouldn't have if it weren't for the stark white hair a few months later. He is wearing a cute blue suit and has his hair in a combover that reminds Stan of Elvis in a way. He seems to be excited to be back and the man called Mr. Mystery was just glad that the kid wasn't going shy at the moment and actually being a kid (just one of the less obnoxious kids).
"Mr. Mystery! I saved up a bunch of money from chores to come back," the child informs.
Stan smiles warmly- unable to keep from being a little touched- and ruffles the kid's hair. "That's nice, kid. Do you want anything from the gift shop later on?"
"Oh, that pretty green gem!"
Great... that one... He considers it before he shrugs. "Alright... but promise me you won't use it to do anything bad."
"Like what?"
"Hurting people."
"I promise."
"That also means no matter how mad you feel, you don't throw it around."
"Yes, sir!"
He stands back up and leads the group on the tour. Eventually they make it back to trying to sell their items and Stan grabs the gem from the glass case and hands it to the child. The child carried it in his hands for the rest of the tour and then Stan asked if he could make it into a bolo tie for him so he won't have to carry it in his (tiny) hands anymore.
"Do I look spiffy?"
"Uh, yeah, kid," he says with a shrug.
About a month later the kid comes back and Stan finds that he's become some sort of idol for the kid. At first it was fine, but then it started to get to be too much so he decided to talk to the father of this obsessed child.
"Alright, I get I'm an amazing guy, but I don't think that I'm great enough to be around all of the time."
"Gideon's an only child and he was supposed to have a little sister, but she was stillborn and my wife can't give birth again. He's lonely and don't make friends too easy so the first person to treat him kindly outside of the family's the first person he's gonna look up to."
He blinks. "No friends? Isn't the kid supposed to be in school?"
"He ain't old enough yet," the man shrugs.
Stan leans back in his chair and sighs. "I guess I'll let the kid stay around for a little while longer- until he goes to school."
"That'd be nice. I've got business to work with, but with my wife still recovering I can't leave to do it."
"Drop the kid off at the Mystery Shack when you have to go and if you're gonna be gone for days at a time warn me- got it?"
"Yes, sir! Thank you, you don't know how much this has helped me!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah."
"Do you mind watching him tomorrow? I've been putting off this meeting for too long- only a day, I promise."
Stan shrugs. "Alright. I guess."
-Mini Time Skip-
Lil' Gideon runs up to him and clings onto his leg. "Mr. Mystery! I was so happy when my pa told me I could stay with you. Could we play cops 'n robbers?"
"Um... sure, kid... Do you wanna be the cop or robber?"
"Cop!"
"Sure."
Whens the last time I played cops and robbers? Stan wonders as he rubs his scruffy chin after playing the game. It was a slow day so there were no tours and hardly any customers so- of course- he had time to play the most exhausted game other than tag (though perhaps it was just like it when he thinks about it). He has the child clinging to his leg as he sits in one of the spare chairs in the gift shop and it makes him wonder if he would have to get a crowbar to get Gideon off.
When the bell rings Stan picks up the white haired boy and places him on the chair. "Wait right here- okay?"
"Okay, Mr. Mystery!"
Stan turns and scams his customer out of one hundred dollars and then sends him on his merry way when he doesn't buy anything else from the Shack. "Remember! We put the 'fun' in 'no refunds!'"
"That was so cool! I wanna make that much money scammin' people, too!" Gideon says.
"Scamming? This is a business!" Stanford says, puffing his chest out proudly. "Besides, there can only be one scammer in this place and it's me."
Gideon frowns thoughtfully. "Only one scammer?"
I guess I could teach him a little later if he wants, Stan thinks, but before he could voice this the boy's father walks in.
"Hi, sweetie! Did you have fun down here at the Mystery Shack?"
"Oh, did I! Mr. Mystery and I played cops and robbers!"
"Really?" Mr. Gleeful asks, casting a glance toward the older man. "Why, thank you for takin' care of my boy!"
"Yeah, no problem. He's pretty well-behaved," Stan says before he closes the door and mutters to himself, "Kid's not half bad."
"Mr. Mystery?"
"Yes?"
"What's your real name? Pap says it's something else."
"Stanford Pines," grunts the older man as he counts his money for the fifth time. He glances out the window and sees Mr. Gleeful pull up to pick up his son. Gideon stands up with his hands on his hips, feet spread apart, shoulders back, and chest out like he's a superhero or something of the sort. "Huh?"
"Stanford Pines! You are my eternal rival in business and I will be the only scammer in Gravity Falls!"
Stan tries to keep the smile off his face and nods. "Okay... Good luck with that."
"Oh I will have luck... I will," he says as his father comes in. "Pap!"
"We gotta go, Mamma's cookin' us up some grub!"
And thus the rivalry between Stanford Pines and Lil' Gideon Gleeful began.
HAT: I was gonna make everything that happens in Gravity Falls just be a huge game that Dipper and Mabel play and involve Gideon in while Grunkle Stan babysits him while Mr. Gleeful's out, but then I got lazy and ended with this.
Wendy: Sounds like you.
HAT: What does?
Wendy: Being lazy. I mean, have you looked at all the typos you have? And you call yourself a Grammar Nazi.
HAT: I am! With other people's work. I mean, haven't you heard that thing? Like a housekeeper's house is the messiest because they're too tired to clean their own house because they were too busy with other people's houses? Or someone that makes sandwiches all day will have everything but that? I- as a Grammar Nazi- have semi-decent grammar because I have to deal with my friends' (yes, two of them) terrible grammar and correct it to the point I leave angry notes at the end... that might be why they don't let me read them anymore and just ask if it's a good idea...
Wendy: You think?
HAT: *glares* Juuuust say it.
Wendy: Review, dudes.