Mike's and the twins' stand-off was broken by the sound of a tour bus arriving at the front of the Shack.

"Considering how late it is, that's probably the last bus of the day," Dipper commented idly as they watched people disembark.

"And that's my cue to leave," Mike said, getting to his feet and making sure his hat kept his face in shadow. "The last thing you're Grunkle needs is me scaring off his customers."

"We'll show you out." Mabel volunteered. The three of them descended the ladder but before Mike could slip out the door, Stan came marching up to the three.

"There you kids are, I need you two to restock the gift shop stat!" Stan ordered before turning his attention to Mike. "And who are you? I haven't seen you around before…"

"Umm…" Mike began, not really sure how to describe his and twin's sort of meeting.

"This is Mike," Dipper introduced. "We met him on our last adventure."

"And today we've been getting to know him better," Mabel added. "We're practically best friends now."

"More like he's a distraction for you two… now get to work!" Stan barked, shoving the twins along before turning back to Mike. "And since you stopped them from helping me most of the day, you're going to help me with the tours!"

"Wha…" Mike stumbled, confused by how rapidly things were happening. He didn't even have time to really process what Stan was suggesting before the old man was steering Mike onto a small stage amongst the other strange attractions.

"Stay here!" Stan ordered as he turned around to leave. As soon as Stan was out of sight, Mike immediately began looking for the exit. He was about to make a break for it when Stan came back, followed by a group of tourists.

"And this young man right here is our latest employee and newest oddity," Stan announced, leading the group right to Mike before he could run. "Behold, the terror that is GRAPE JUICE MAN! He used to work at a grape juice factory but there was an accident and he fell into the vats of juice, permanently staining his skin purple! And you can have your picture taken with him for just 10- 20- for a steal of 100 dollars!"

There was a pause when Mike was sure no one was going to buy such a stupid story or pay such a ridiculous price, but then people just started pulling out wads of cash and excitedly shoving each other to get to go first. The next hour or so was a haze of different people coming up to stand next to him as he was continually blinded by camera flashes. He did make a token effort to try and smile, but he was sure he mostly looked shocked and confused in all those photos.

How can he be in such close proximity to so many people without having someone screaming in terror? Were people really that willing to accept such as silly story over the truth of their own eyes? Mike was still a walking corpse after all and people were standing close enough that they should be able to smell the decay underneath the cologne he always wore. He didn't know how, but people were ignoring all of that just to take goofy pictures with him. Mike was still trying to process it all by the time the last few people were finishing up buying souvenirs from the gift shop.

"It's best not think about it too hard," Dipper advised when he noticed the stunned look on Mike's face. "People can be staring real magic and monsters in the face and claim it's all fake, but totally buy into something with a stupid pun for a name. It frustrates me sometimes, but I've also learned the hard way that it's better if the average person doesn't find out about the supernatural because they can't handle knowing it."

"Yeah… people are really good at convincing themselves things aren't real…" Mike agreed with a grimace. He still can't believe that real murders were turned into an urban legend that had a horror attraction built to make money off the tragedies. (Mike might have enjoyed burning that building down more than he should… for multiple reasons…)

"Great job kid!" Stan congratulated, slapping Mike on the back once all the tourists were gone. "You really boosted sales and racked in a lot of cash. Here's your cut."

Stan gave Mike a small stack of bills, much to Mike's surprise. Glancing it over, Mike knew it was a very small amount compared to what Stan got, but it was still more than some of the lousy jobs he had done before. So Mike didn't complain and just pocketed the money.

"You know what would be a great way to thank him would be to let him stay with us!" Mabel said, giving Stan an adorable smile. "He was just telling us he was going to need a new place soon and he said he'd be fine to sleep in Soos' break room as long as he has a place to store his stuff."

"Is that so…" Stan replied carefully, looking Mike over with a critical eye.

"Yes- No- Not exactly-" Mike fumbled, really unsure what to say. He didn't really think the kids had been serious in their offer and was floundering on what to do.

"And with Mike staying around, he'd be able to help out the with the tours and Shack more," Dipper jumped in, doing his best to give Stan a convincing grin. "And since he's staying here you wouldn't even need to pay him that much as working here could be considered rent."

Stan surprisingly seemed to be seriously considering the twins' suggestion, making Mike fidget awkwardly as Stan looked him over with a judging gaze. (Should he try to make himself look as nonthreatening as possible? Or would that just come off as suspicious? Did he even want Stan to let him stay around? Yeah, the kids were nice, but they barely knew each other… This was all happening too fast…)

"As long as he doesn't expect me to feed him too, it's fine with me," Stan concluded, making Dipper and Mabel cheer.

"Yeah, that's not going to be a problem," Mike couldn't help but snort at the condition. It's not like he needed to eat anyway. "But really… you don't have-"

"Nope! No backing out!" Mabel cut in with a smug grin. "You made a deal with us and now you have to keep it!"

Mike intended to protest, but when he looked at the twins he was assaulted by matching puppy-dog eyes and his willpower immediately crumbled. (Any older brother immunity to that particular look he had has long since faded over the years.)

"Fine, I'll move into the Mystery Shack," Mike sighed in defeat, causing the twins to exchange a triumphant high five.

How in the world did he get into this mess?

Mike didn't stay much longer as he just helped close up the shop and the family got ready to rest for the evening. Stan volunteered to show Mike out while the kids made snacks for their tv time.

"Mr. Pines, you shouldn't feel obligated to actually let me stay," Mike said as soon as they were out on the porch. "I barely know the twins and you don't know me at all, you don't have to let a stranger stay with your family."

"Feel free to call me Stan kid, "Mr. Pines" just makes me feel old," Stan replied with a casual shrug. "And if I thought you were a danger to those kids, I'd bury you so deep it wouldn't matter how undead you are. But those kids, while they can each be a little oblivious on their own, are actually great judges of character when they work together. They seem to like you a lot and my own instincts say you won't purposefully put them in danger. Which is great because they seem to find danger enough on their own."

"That's true," Mike laughed, thinking of the stories Dipper told them and the first encounter he had with the twins. "But still, there's a lot of dark history in my past and it's probably better if I stay away. And despite what you seem to think, I haven't been a kid since the '80s. I can take care of myself and have for a while."

"Still younger than me so that makes you a kid to me," Stan joked before turning serious. "Look, without getting into the fact that you've died at some point I can tell you've had a hard life. And as someone with their own dark past, I know how much a small act of kindness can mean to someone who doesn't feel like they deserve it. I don't know what you've been through and I don't need to. Just accept the kindness those kids want to give you and do everything you can to keep them safe for as long as you're with us. Besides, you've already figured out those kids are hard to say no to, so you might as well resign yourself to staying here."

"Right…" Mike agreed, struggling to speak past the lump of emotion in his throat. He can't remember the last time anyone showed him kindness despite who and what he was and it was hard for him to process. With one last nod to Stan, Mike began making his way back to his hotel.

Mike still didn't know why those kids decided to attach themselves to him and why they wanted him as a part of their lives, but he would do everything to keep them safe just as Stan asked. Mike still didn't know how long he was staying, but for the time he had… he might as well make the most of it…