In My Corner

Part 1 of the Boxing AU

Chapter 8


Ford had worried that things would be awkward between him and Stan, but surprisingly (or maybe not surprisingly) they easily fell into their old routines. They talked about everything. (However, Ford was careful to avoid any potentially sensitive subjects.) Stan talked about Shermy and how he was a prodigy. Ford told Stan about Fiddleford and their research together. Stan sometimes gave Ford a blow-by-blow of one of his matches. And occasionally, when Stan was in the mood, Ford could tell him about some of the DDandMD campaigns that he had run.

It felt good. While they and their relationship were not the same anymore, Ford felt that the bond that they shared still existed. It had been buried by obligations and the long distance, but now their enforced closeness was helping to unearth that old connection.

The road trip was almost like a vacation for Ford. It had been a long time since Ford had taken a break from research and it looked like Stanley needed a break from his routine too. They drove along the beautiful California coast with the top of the car down and the wind blowing through their hair.

They slowly grew more comfortable with each other.

One day, Ford was even courageous enough to ask about Stan's new look.

"Oh, this?" Stan gestured to his face. "Grab my wallet."

Ford fished Stan's wallet out of his pocket so his twin wouldn't have to take his hands off the wheel. He opened it curiously and his eyebrows flew up at Stan's driver's license.

"Andrew '8Ball' Alcatraz? You have a fake ID for this character?" Ford laughed.

Stan chuckled. "Yeah. Until I can shave off the goatee, I should use that license in case we get pulled over."

Ford glanced at the picture then back at Stan. "The eyepatch is on the wrong side," he said.

"What? Is it? Damn it," Stan cursed. "Well, I can't switch it now."

"Why don't you shave at our next stop?" Ford suggested.

"Good idea. Do you think you can get my mullet?" Stan asked.

Ford sighed in audible relief. "Thank god, I thought you liked the mullet."

"Don't insult me like that, who the hell keeps their hair in a mullet nowadays?" Stan said.

They both laughed.

-000-

Stan drove to a beach with a public restroom. Luckily, the sun was rising and they had the place to themselves. Stan sat near the car, carefully shaving off his facial hair, while Ford sheared off the extra hair on Stan's head and finished around the same time. Stan passed his shaving tools to Ford for his use, then went to the showers to go rinse off the extra hair. When Ford was done, Stan was coming back.

Stan looked good. Great, even. With the extra hair, the fake scars, and the eyepatch gone, his brother looked like the Stanley from his memories.

Finished with their tasks, they headed back to the car.

"I can take over with driving," Ford offered, walking over to the driver's side.

"Sounds good," Stan agreed. He tossed his brother the keys. "But since we're here already, you wanna watch the rest of the sunrise?"

The proposal both surprised and delighted Ford. That was another thing that he hadn't done (purposefully) since he was a kid. He accepted. They sat in the car, roof open, allowing the smells and the sound of the sea surround them. As the world got brighter, Ford was able to see the ships in the water. He smiled.

"Hey, whatever happened to the old Stan O' War, anyways?" Ford asked.

"It's pretty much finished," Stan said without fanfare. "Shermy and I take it out on occasion."

"Well, I'm glad it's being put to good use then," Ford said happily.

Stanley didn't reply and they continued to watch the sunrise in silence.

-000-

After a week of travel, they finally pulled up to Ford's home in the dead of the night. Stan took the chance to stretch and pop his back, while Ford helped get his bags.

"Now, it's going to be a bit dusty," Ford said as he unlocked the front door, "But I have an extra room-" he paused when he flicked on the lights.

There were gnomes everywhere.

"What the hell!" Stan exclaimed, jumping back.

Ford dropped the bags. "They're just gnomes, Stan. They must be here to-"

But before Ford could finish, thee gnomes started launching themselves at the twins. They tried to crawl up their clothes, but Stan wasn't about to let that happen. He grabbed the gnomes off of himself and his brother, punted any of them that got close, and snarled.

Knowing that they were defeated, the gnomes began to run away through the open front door.

"What were those?" Stan asked as he shut the door.

"Gnomes," Ford replied absently. He went to his main research room and checked the inventory. Hopefully they hadn't messed with anything…

"Okay… I'm going to pretend that means something to me. Why were they- woah, nerd central," Stan said as he stepped into the room. He stared unabashedly at the strange contraptions and samples in the room. Ford glanced fondly at his brother.

"Believe the supernatural now, Stanley?" Ford teased.

"Uh," Stan continued to stare, wide-eyed at the machines and creatures. "You weren't kidding when you said that stuff was weird out here."

Ford chuckled. "Truth be told, the gnomes are pretty tame compared to some of the other things in the woods. Speaking of which, I should check the wards I've set up."

"The what?" Stan said, confused.

"I have some.. security. It stops some of the more dangerous of things from coming in and it stops people from wandering nearby," Ford said.

"Wow, uh, I guess I picked the right place to stay then," Stan said.

"Don't worry, no one's going to disturb us out here," Ford said reassuringly.

Stanley gave Ford a bright smile. "Thank, Sixer."

Ford returned the smile. He was extremely glad he had offered for Stan to stay. Whatever had happened had obviously taken a toll on his brother. Hopefully staying here at his home would help Stan recover.

"Did you want to come with me?" Ford offered.

"Maybe some other time," Stan said. "I can get started on dinner."

Ford couldn't help but let out a laugh. "You cook?"

"Yup," Stan said proudly. "Shermy loves my food."

Oh, Ford had to experience this for himself. "If you can scrounge something from what's left in the fridge, then be guest."

"Okay, you be careful out there, Poindexter. And when you come back, you'll have one of the best meals of your life," Stan said with a flourish.

Ford laughed. "Okay."

-000-

Ford went out to do a thorough perimeter check. There weren't many things that mess with or pass the wards, only the really dangerous and the completely harmless. He went around, checking each ward and finally found the problem. There was a rune in the ground that had been messed with, probably by an animal. He redrew the sigil and went to check the rest of them.

The simple task let Ford's mind wander onto other subjects. Tomorrow he would have to call Fiddleford and tell him that his brother was staying. Then he would have to restock the fridge and the pantry. Not to mention he would have to grab more food that Stan would like to eat.

Despite the extra work needed in keeping Stan in Gravity Falls, Ford looked forward to having Stan stay with him. It would be nice having someone else with them while he worked. Ford had to admit that at times it did get lonely living up in the woods by himself.

Then his mind turned to other more complicated matters.

What was he supposed to say to Shermy?

In the most recent of months, they had started talking more frequently over the phone. He was due a call from his younger brother any day now. And there was the promise that Ford had made. Ford did say he would tell Shermy about any news he discovered about Stanley, but…

Stanley had been so relieved when Ford had offered him a place to rest and recover. Not that Shermy didn't have Stan's health in mind, but Ford wasn't too sure if he could talk to Shermy without talking to Stan first. But what if Stanley didn't want to tell his brother…

Would talking to one brother first, betray the trust of the other? Ford mulled over the conundrum in his head.

Ford finished checking the perimeter and began to head back. As he approached home, a shadowy figure jumped out in front of him.

He jumped back ready to take the creature on, when it let out a soft 'bahh.' Upon a second examination, Ford realized that the figure in front of him was a baby goat munching on the grass. It's strange eyes stared at him before turning to graze on another part of the lawn.

That explained the ruined sigil. At least it was only something harmless that had passed through the wards. And now that he thought about it, the gnomes had probably come in to rescue Schmebulock Senior. They wouldn't have had any negative intent towards him, allowing them passage across the ward.

Perhaps he would have to look into changing the wards.

Ford mulled over the idea, until he crossed through the front door. He was greeted by a delightful aroma and his stomach growled in anticipation.

Ford decided he could save the more serious talk for another time.

-000-

The next day, Ford spent the whole day showing Stan around the house and the woods. While he could only show Stan some of the more manageable anomalies, Stan still stared at everything dumbfounded. However, after the shock passed, instead of the negative reaction Ford anticipated (like the ridicule from his classmates, or the shock and disbelief and initial outright denial from Fiddleford), Stan grinned.

He said, "If anyone was going to make these discoveries, it was going to be you, Sixer."

The statement made Ford cheeks heat up and he grinned back.

After a day of exploring, they trampled back into the house. Stan was going to prepare dinner, while Stanford-

Ring! Ring!

-Would go answer the phone.

"Hello? This is Stanford speaking."

"Hey Ford."

Ford almost dropped the phone. "Shermy!" He chuckled nervously, "How have you been?" Ford said, glanced at the kitchen. He still hadn't talked to Stan about what to tell the family. More specifically, what was Ford supposed to tell Shermy?

"I've been good. School's been pretty easy, so I've taken to repainting the boat," Shermy said.

"Oh? When you have the chance, you should send me a sketch of it," Ford said, trying to sound casual.

"That's a good idea. I'll' make sure to include a sketch in the next care package we send you," Ford made a sound of acknowledgement and thanks. "By the way, did Stan-"

This time, Ford really did drop the receiver. He cursed softly, wishing he wasn't in this dilemma. He bent down to retrieve the fallen phone, but someone else beat him to the punch.

"Hey Shermy," Stan said casually, as if this was a regular occurrence. As if he hadn't been missing from Shermy's life for over three weeks with no explanation.

Ford stared as Stan nodded to whatever Shermy was saying.

Stan sighed. "Yeah, I'm sorry kid. You know-" Stan was cut off, and he started nodding again. Ford raised an eyebrow at his brother and crossed his arms. Stan made a 'not now' gesture and continued the conversation. "Yeah, I imagine that they're- yeah, yeah."

The twins stood in silence: Stan listening to the phone, with Ford waiting on the outcome of the conversation.

"I get it, Shermy. Thanks a lot bud," Stan said, then passed the phone to Ford. He walked off to the kitchen, leaving Ford alone.

"Hello?" Ford said tentatively into the speaker.

"So you're okay with Stan staying with you for awhile?" Shermy asked.

"Yes, of course," Ford replied.

"Good.. that's good. Thanks, Ford," Shermy said. "I have to get to sleep, but I'll call later?"

"You can call back anytime. Uh, goodnight Shermy," Ford said.

"Goodnight Ford," and with that, Shermy hung up.

Ford slowly put the receiver down. He stared at the phone, brows furrowed, then glanced at the kitchen, where Stan was singing something terribly off-tune. He wondered what their conversation was about...

Ford shook his head. It wasn't his business. He went to the kitchen to help his brother out.


Author's Ramblings -

Thanks again for the support, I appreciate the reviews. However, whoever is leaving the reviews about when the next post is, please stop. It's not very encouraging and it doesn't particularly make me want to post, especially when it's from a guest account.