Writer's woe: My friend lordkatertots on tumblr sent me the following prompt: JUXTAPOSE STAN'S NEW YEAR'S CELEBRATIONS WITH THE TWINS' IF HE'S ALONE AT THE MYSTERY SHACK AND THEY'RE WITH THEIR FRIENDS AT HOME
I decided to give it a shot and this is a pretty lazy piece of writing. I like to have something I can call my "last fic of the year" and I guess this is it. I had a good time writing it so that's what counts, right? This has been a big year for fic for me. I think I posted more than I ever have before. I'm going to try to do a multichap story next year, so here's to that. I hope you guys are doing great.
Also I'm really confused about the parapines thing going on? I was never super into it when it was a big deal so I'm kinda surprised...
Well, anyway, have a story.
"I can't believe they let you throw a New Year's party," Dipper sighed as Mabel poured an entire bottle of lemon-lime Pitt into a bowl of sherbet.
"They're helping me follow my dream of becoming a super party planer!" Mabel grinned, tossing the empty bottle across the room. Dipper groaned and pulled himself out of his chair to go pick it up and put it into the recycling bin where it belonged. "Cheer up, Dip! Norman will be here soon and you guys can go make out and talk about monsters."
Mabel stood back, admiring her arrangement of snacks and decorations. She squinted and rubbed at her chin, then pulled out a small notebook with a rainbow colored dolphin on the cover. The dreaded sticker diary. She slapped a kitten sticker on the table cloth and walked away, nodding to herself in approval.
"Mabel, we're not dating!" Dipper shouted from across the room. He tossed the bottle into the recycling bin. "Score!"
"Are you sure about that, Dipping Sauce?"
"I mean I wouldn't mind if we were dating but... I mean, he just moved here and I..."
"I'm feeling a New Year's resolution coming on!" Mabel clapped her hands. She headed over to her brother and gave him a couple good-natured punches in the arm.
"I don't know..." Dipper gave a small smile and rubbed at his arm.
"Well, alright then. You take your time." Mabel was starting to let things slide when he was too nervous and it was nice. But he still needed her to give him a little push once in awhile. Okay, maybe a little more often than that.
"Let's finish getting stuff ready, okay?"
It was New Year's Eve and Stanford Pines had not left the basement in hours. Another year gone and he hadn't made much headway.
He took a swig of his cold coffee and sighed. He knew he wasn't going to get anything done tonight but he didn't want to turn in just yet. He ran his thumb along the picture frame on his desk. He hoped those kids were doing alright. Mabel was probably driving everyone up the wall with her antics. Somehow he didn't think he'd be too annoyed if he was there. But he knew he couldn't afford to close up shop and take a holiday.
Another year and he was still alone.
Their parents had let them invite however many people they wanted to. Mabel had gone hog wild and invited five or six of her classmates. Dipper had invited Norman.
The boys were absolute wallflowers. They were as far away as they could possibly be while still fitting Mabel's definition of being at the party.
"So, what's the big deal about New Year's anyway?" Dipper asked, staring at the little sherbet islands floating in his punch.
"People like new beginnings?" Norman chanced.
"I guess..."
"I... I kinda think it's nice. Everyone stays up all night instead of going to sleep and the lights are... pretty. Grandma always stays up with me and we watch mob movies and Christmas specials."
"Wait, Christmas specials?"
"Yeah, see it's too late and they don't thematically mesh. It's a commentary on the nature of time and..." Norman's explanation was cut off by his own laughter. He tried to force himself to keep a straight face long enough to finish his explanation. "Okay, the truth is... I really liked Christmas specials as a kid and there was a rule in my family that I had to stop forcing everyone to watch them once December was over."
Dipper found himself laughing along. Things were going better than he'd expected.
"Well, I could use some hot coffee..." Stan rubbed at his eyes then stood up.
He was halfway to his office, the home of his sweet, sweet coffee machine, when a sudden sound stopped him in his tracks.
Someone was knocking on his door.
The party was a total success. Mabel done everything perfectly. She smiled down at her noisemaker sweater and then up at the room at large.
Dipper was laughing his head off in the corner, a light blush creeping up on his cheeks. Mabel's grin widened. He was having a good time. She had always been a bit too pushy about the whole romance thing. She resolved to take her foot off the gas pedal for a bit and let him take things slow.
She wasn't dating anybody and she didn't think she wanted to right then. She hadn't even put anything about boys on her New Year's Checklist. She wanted to learn calligraphy and some basic Japanese and start making jewelry and work more with LEDs. She wanted to take the next year to hone her artistic craft and learn more about herself.
She was growing up and she wasn't as scared of changing. As long as she was making weird, beautiful things and people were smiling, life was good.
"Happy New Year, Mr. Pines!"
"Oh, uhh, Soos and Soos' grandma and... Fiddleford?" Stan was frozen in his doorway, mouth opening and closing and sounds that were not words dribbling out. He shook himself and quickly regained his composure. "Come in, come in."
He led the group to the dining-living room table. They took seats. They shuffled around, not looking at him.
"So, uh, what's up with this?" Stan glared down at them, trying to look like he was offended. Like they had interrupted some incredibly important business.
"Well," Fiddleford cleared his throat and stared directly into his hat, nervously working at the brim. "We figured you'd be mighty lonely, so we decided to visit."
"I brought sparkling cider and chips!" Soos added.
"And I drove everyone here, so that's good enough," Soos's grandmother said under her breath. This did not stop everyone from hearing it.
"I like your attitude," Stan beamed.
"Hey, Mabel, do you wanna go out and stargaze with us?" Dipper had dragged her away from her friends.
"I don't know... wouldn't that cut into boyfriend time?" He grin faltered when she saw Dipper's frown. "What's up, broseph?"
"I... uh..." Dipper stared down his sneakers. He looked both ways before grabbing her hand. They weren't little kids anymore, they were thirteen now. But he didn't mind feeling like a needy little kid right then. "I wanted to spend some time with my favorite sister too."
"I'm your only sister." She squeezed his hand.
"Technicality." Dipper squeezed back. "So, stars- yes or no?"
"Of course."
"That wasn't one of the choices, Mabel!"
"You know what I mean."
"This cider is not expired at all. I want a refund!" Stan shouted after his first sip, sending the group into giggles. "What- I meant that."
"I'm thinking we play a board game after this," Soos suggested after the laughter subsided. Stan noticed that his grandmother paled slightly at this comment.
"No, no board games," she said firmly. "Not again."
"Alright, how about some mindless public access television?" Stan asked, hoping to avoid any board game related catastrophes.
"I hear Toby Determined is hosting the New Year's broadcast this year," Soos supplied.
"And Gideon's Cell Block Party is bound to be a blast," Stan muttered.
"It's settled," Fiddleford pounded his fist on the table and then proceeded to crawl across the tabletop. He crab-walked to the couch and settled down after circling the cushions like a cat.
Stan smiled. He was getting better but he was still seriously strange sometimes.
The party went on inside, minus one host and two nerds.
"It's getting pretty close," Mabel said. Cool air brushed her face and she suddenly felt much more alert.
They sat criss-cross applesauce in the grass and stared up at the sky.
"It's really clear tonight," Norman commented.
The stars were everywhere, like someone smashed a paintbrush covered in white paint straight into a black canvas. Mabel decided to try something like that soon.
"Okay, so tell us about the stars, nerd." Mabel jabbed Dipper in the ribs.
Dipper pointed to clusters of stars and whispered names and stories. She didn't know if she'd remember any of it, but she liked hearing it.
"So that's that. On to Orion. So the story goes, there was this hunter and..."
Mabel drifted in and out, listening the way one would listen to a song for the first time. Picking up words in twos and threes, but mostly enjoying the way the sounds moved into and out of each other.
Norman was shredding grass with his fingers beside her, glancing up every so often. Mabel smiled and nodded when their eyes met. She mimed taking a big breath and letting it out. He halted his grass massacre and did as she suggested. He'd be fine.
A series of shouts and whoops sounded from the house.
"Oh, I guess we missed it... sorry, guys," Dipper mumbled, pulling himself away from the sky. "You guys should have told me I was going on for too long. I'm-"
"I liked it," Mabel interrupted.
"M-me too," Norman stuttered. He took a deep breath and continued, "It was a nice change of pace. And quieter too."
"I mean it could have used some explosions or UFOs or something," Mabel joked.
"Well, everything is better with aliens," Dipper replied. "But, seriously, aliens probably don't care about things like calendar changes on Earth. Today doesn't mean anything to them."
"Dipper, stop being a nerd for three seconds and come get your first hug of the year from your big sister." Mabel ran at him, arms wide open. He hugged her back.
"Get in this warm arm cave, Norman!" Mabel shouted, latching onto his arm.
"I-I don't know if-"
"Get in, Norman." Dipper pulled away from Mabel a bit, freeing one arm.
"Hug circle, hug circle!" Mabel chanted and Dipper quickly joined in.
"Alright, I'm going in!"
"I can't believe they let Toby on TV," Stan complained, waving a hand at the television set, "Where did he even get that camera?"
"I've found some nice equipment in the dump?" Fiddleford offered up.
Stan snorted.
"Now, get close to your loved ones. Be sure to hold that one special lady close," Toby winked at them from the tiny screen.
"I'm not holding any of you."
"Suit yourself, Stanford." Fiddleford slapped him on the shoulder, giggling. Soos put an arm around him and Soos's grandma edged away from them all.
"Three, two..." Stan pushed Soos and Fiddleford off of him only for them to come back with hugs of vengeance. Soos's grandmother- Stan really needed to ask her what her name was at some point- got up from the couch, mumbling something about having to go to the bathroom.
"I guess this isn't so bad." It sure beat hiding in his basement all night.
"One."
He silently prayed that this year would be the year. He wasn't sure if he could take it if he wasted another year.
"You okay, Mr. Pines?"
"Yeah, I think so..."
"Well, we're here for you, so you don't have to worry."
"Th-Thanks, Soos."
Writer's woes: hope you liked!
happy new years and stay strange, folks!