Thanks for clicking on my story. I appreciate the views (and the reviews).
This was originally posted on Archive of Our Own as "Open Your Eyes," a crossover involving four shows. The other three were Gravity Falls, Kim Possible, and Detentionaire. Because this site treats crossovers differently (aka: won't allow you to cross more than two shows) and I didn't want to post it in Cartoon X-Overs, I decided to go a different route.
In the original Archive version, the characters didn't cross over until the end of the story. Instead, each chapter focused on a different set of characters. Because of that, I decided to post "Open Your Eyes" as five different fics: one for each show, then the ending as a single fic tying them all together. That last one will be posted as "Open Your Eyes" under Cartoon X-Overs. Since this is the Uncle Grandpa story, it's only going to relate the Uncle Grandpa parts. If you want to read the other stories, they're posted as "Open Your Eyes: Gravity Falls", "Open Your Eyes: Kim Possible", and "Open Your Eyes: Detentionaire".
This idea was originally proposed by Dm4487 on Archive of Our Own in the comments for my other work "Total Drama: Cartoon Multiverse." I wrote this as a gift for him.
Now let's start the story!
Uncle Grandpa RV
Somewhere in the universe
Sometime in the early 21st century
It was an ordinary day for Mr. Gus. He woke up at dawn, worked out, and fixed himself a delicious breakfast of eggs, sausage, and fresh-squeezed orange juice. After doing this, he headed into the living room, where he plopped down on the couch and pulled out the remote. He flipped through the channels until he landed on a news show.
"–and as you can imagine, as the skies have grown darker here over Washington, the mood has grown darker as well and people are beginning to resign themselves..."
"Hey, Mr. Gus, what're you watching? Something lame, I bet?" Pizza Steve asked, hopping onto the couch.
"Actually, I was trying to watch the news," Mr. Gus said.
"Boring!" Pizza Steve said. "Let Pizza Steve show you what entertainment is!"
Pizza Steve grabbed the remote and changed the channel to a cartoon.
"–it's wrong to call them goobacks because they're no different than us. They're just humans trying–"
Mr. Gus grabbed the remote and changed the channel again. "I want to watch the news."
"Well I want to watch something interesting," Pizza Steve said. He grabbed the remote and changed the channel. "So buzz off, gramps!"
"Oh, that does it!" Mr. Gus said, leaping onto Pizza Steve. They tussled for the remote, not noticing as their fight changed channels on the television. Suddenly, the television screen froze and then changed to a picture of a man staring out at them with a smile on his face.
"Well, it seems you've discovered what's going on!" the man said proudly. Pizza Steve and Mr. Gus, still fighting, paid him no attention. "Um, hello? Is this–is this thing on? Can they see me? HEY! OVER HERE!"
"I don't care what stupid show you want to watch, I like to start my day off with the news!" Mr. Gus said angrily.
"So use the internet!" Pizza Steve said, licking the buttons on the remote.
"I would if you hadn't broken the router!" Mr. Gus said, punching Pizza Steve in his pepperoni.
"Well since I broke the router, the internet's down, and now I have to watch TV to be entertained!" Pizza Steve said, kicking Mr. Gus in the shin.
Mr. Gus blinked and just grabbed the remote. His face crinkled with disgust as he felt the slimy buttons.
"Ew, it's all greasy!" he said. "I'm gonna clean this."
"Fine, Mr. Gus! I guess we'll watch your show, you big baby," Pizza Steve scoffed.
Mr. Gus rolled his eyes as he went off to clean the remote. "Whatever, little slice."
Pizza Steve stared at the television angrily. "Stupid Mr. Gus, thinks he's so cool. Just because he's big and strong and smart." He huffed. "And what is this stupid program, anyway?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, are you paying attention to me now?" the man on the screen asked. "I wasn't sure, because you were too busy with your puerile fight to notice me!"
Pizza Steve rolled his eyes. "Ugh. Lame. Is this really what passes for entertainment in Mr. Gus's world?"
Mr. Gus exited the kitchen. "Hey, that's not my show. That's your show."
"Uh, no, if it were my show, it'd be cool," Pizza Steve said. "Something this lame is obviously up your alley."
"Whatever," Mr. Gus sighed. He pointed the remote at the television and tried to change the channel. Nothing happened.
"Huh?" Mr. Gus asked, surprised. He shook the remote and tried again. When nothing happened, he pulled out the batteries, swapped them around, and tried to change the channel again. Once more, nothing happened.
"Aw, man, are these batteries dead already?" Mr. Gus asked, shocked.
"No, they're not dead, you imbecile!" the man onscreen complained. "I control the horizontal, I control the vertical, I control your television! How hard is it for you nitwits to get it through your heads!"
Mr. Gus tilted his head as he stared at the television. The man onscreen let out a long-suffering sigh.
"You know, you're right, Pizza Steve," Mr. Gus said. "This is lame. I'd rather watch your cartoon."
"Well how are we going to do that without a remote?" Pizza Steve asked.
"Uh, change the channel using the controls on the TV?" Mr. Gus suggested.
Pizza Steve groaned. "Fine."
Pizza Steve got up and walked over to the TV.
"Ha!" the man onscreen proclaimed. "Try all you want, nothing can shake my hold on you! Now cower, as I–"
Pizza Steve changed the channel.
"–think I saw a manatee."
"Was his name Julian?"
"I don't know, we didn't exchange–"
The television snapped back to the man.
"I told you, nothing can shake–"
Pizza Steve changed the channel again.
"Jethro! Pa wants–"
The television snapped back.
"Stop that!" the man complained.
Pizza Steve changed the channel again, and it changed back. This sequence repeated several times before Pizza Steve spun around, frustrated.
"Mr. Gus! Stop using the remote to change the channel back to that boring guy!" he complained.
"I'm not even touching the remote!" Mr. Gus shot back.
"Then how does the channel keep changing?" Pizza Steve asked, aggravated.
"I told you! I'm doing it!" the man onscreen angrily yelled. "I have something very, very important to tell you!"
"Oh yeah? What could be so important that you interrupt Pizza Steve's! TV time?" Pizza Steve asked.
"Um, maybe it's that I've kidnapped your Uncle Grandpa and his Belly Bag, and I'm holding them hostage!" the man declared triumphantly.
Mr. Gus and Pizza Steve stared at the television and then started laughing. When they finally calmed down, they had smiles on their faces.
"Yeah, that's like, super unlikely," Pizza Steve said.
"Yeah, Uncle Grandpa's magic," Mr. Gus said. "No way would you be able to kidnap him if he didn't want you to."
"Now give us back our TV, okay?" Pizza Steve asked. "Do that, and I won't break out my Italian kay-ra-tay on you."
The man onscreen growled. "I seriously kidnapped him! Why don't you believe me?"
"Wait, say what?" Mr. Gus asked.
"Yeah, no way did you kidnap Uncle Grandpa and Belly Bag!" Pizza Steve said.
"Believe it!" the man on their television screen said. "And if you want them back, you'll follow my instructions."
Giant Realistic Flying Tiger roared.
"Is that a giant realistic flying tiger?" the man asked, scared.
"That's right, and you better watch yourself, buh-ro!" Pizza Steve said.
"Yeah don't care," the man said, regaining his nerve. "Just follow my instructions."
"What are they then?" Mr. Gus asked.
"Uh..." the man said hesitantly. "Hold on, I forgot them. Let me just go get them."
The man stepped offscreen. Some muffled conversation was heard, and then the man stepped back into view.
"Right! Yes!" he proclaimed triumphantly. "I've kidnapped your Uncle Grandpa, along with some other people, and if you want to get them back, you'll have to go on a search for clues! The trail will go long distances, and at the end of the line you'll get your Uncle Grandpa back–that is, if the other groups don't get here first! So, you've just gotta pick four people to go on this trip. Oh, by the way, that's a nice RV you have there. It'd be a small wonder if you found somebody to guard it."
"Tiny Miracle!" a familiar voice said from offscreen.
"Wait, is that Belly Bag?" Mr. Gus asked.
"Yeah, it is," Uncle Grandpa said, wandering into the shot.
"Uncle G.?" Pizza Steve asked. "What are you doing there?"
"Being captured," Uncle Grandpa said. "You should really come help me. But it would take a tiny miracle for you to do that and keep the RV safe."
"Did someone say 'Tiny Miracle'?" Tiny Miracle asked, emerging from the kitchen.
"Sure did. Can you guard the RV, buddy?" Uncle Grandpa asked.
"No problem!" Tiny Miracle said happily.
"So yeah. The rest of you need to like, get some stuff and come rescue me or something. I dunno. The first thing you have to get is in the Marinara Trench. Oh, and there are three other teams racing to rescue some other people, and only the team that gets there first saves their captive...it gets really confusing. Anyway, Marinara Trench, guys," Uncle Grandpa told his friends.
"But Uncle Grandpa, couldn't you just–" Mr. Gus started to protest.
"Sorry gotta go!" Uncle Grandpa said.
The transmission ended.
Mr. Gus sighed. "Well, I guess we're going to have to go rescue Uncle Grandpa. You in, Pizza Steve?"
"You know it, bro," Pizza Steve said.
"Giant Realistic Flying Tiger?" Mr. Gus asked.
Giant Realistic Flying Tiger roared.
"Frankenstein, buddy, you coming with us?" Mr. Gus asked.
"Graah," Frankenstein said.
"Alright!" Mr. Gus said. "Marianas Trench, here we come!"
He thought about it and frowned.
"Wait..."