In My Corner
Part 1 of the Boxing AU
Chapter 7
"No," Ford sighed. "I haven't heard from him either."
Fiddleford looked at Ford, worried. Ford tried to give his friend a reassuring smile, but he couldn't bring himself to pretend that he was okay.
Stanley had disappeared. Apparently, this wasn't uncommon behavior for Stan, and it was quite normal for him to leave for a few days after he had finished a match. In fact, he had earned a bit of a reputation with his victory partying. There were nights where he would disappear, be spotted states away, then he would come back and train like normal. The only evidence of his trips would be the phone calls home and questionable pictures taken from paparazzi.
Ford had felt a frisson of anger when he had first heard of this. Some directed at Stan and Shermy for not telling him, but most of the anger he directed towards himself for not knowing. He really had been cut off from his family for far too long.
Shermy had explained that Stanley hadn't returned home for nearly two weeks and he hadn't called, which was unheard of. Shermy had called hoping that Ford might have heard from him, but there was no luck there.
"Not a word?" Shermy asked.
"I'm sorry, Sherman," Ford said.
"Okay. Well, if you hear anything, call me?" His brother sighed. Ford's heart clenched at how painfully young his baby brother sounded. Sometimes Ford forgot that Sherman was only eleven, but in a situation like this it showed.
"Of course, I promise." Ford said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. He didn't think he was very successful.
They hung up.
Ford pressed a hand against his heart, and bent over as if the weight of his guilt was actually on his shoulders. He was suddenly aching all over, as if the loss of his twin was taking a toll on his own body.
Fiddleford gently pried Ford away from the phone and led him to the kitchen table. He sat Ford down and placed a hot mug of coffee into his hands. Ford automatically took a sip and felt better. The beverage warmed him and he managed to sit up and take another swallow.
"What happened?" Fiddleford asked gently.
"Stanley, he's, he's missing," Ford said.
Fiddleford nodded and took a sip of his own drink. Ford mirrored the action.
"I don't know what to do," Ford admitted.
"What do you want to do?" Fiddleford replied.
Ford paused to take another drink. It was obvious what he wanted to do, "I want to go find Stanley."
Fiddleford nodded again.
Stanford stared at his friend wondering when the next question would come. The silence stretched and Fiddleford kept calmly drinking his coffee. Ford asked the question for him, "Aren't you going to ask me why?"
Fiddleford just gave him a look. It wasn't often that he was treated to this particular look. This look told him that Fiddleford thought that the answer was obvious, but Ford made things too complicated to see the answer that was right in front of him.
"Stanford, if you want to go find your twin, then you should. In fact, I think you should. You should keep your family close, it's one of the most precious things you can have," Fiddleford said, but he wasn't finished yet. "Listen, I know the reason why you're not sure if you should do this is because you haven't been very close to Stanley in a long time, but from what you've told me, he'll forgive you."
"Really?" Ford croaked out.
Because it was true. If it had been years ago, when they were both still living together, Ford wouldn't have hesitated to go find his brother. However, it had been quite awhile, and-.
Well, Ford wasn't too sure if he still knew his twin brother anymore.
"You could find him for Shermy's sake," Fiddleford gently suggested.
That, more than anything, strengthened Ford's resolve. If he wasn't doing it for himself, he would at least find Stan for Shermy (and how horrible was that, wanting to see Stan for his own selfish desires and not out of kindness for Shermy or the rest of the family).
"Thanks, Fiddleford," Ford finally said.
"Anytime," Fiddleford replied.
-000-
Later that night, Stanford gathered up the materials necessary to locate his brother. His time at Gravity Falls had not only showed him the abnormalities that existed, but that magic also existed in the world. While not everything was true to myth and most magic was useless anywhere outside of Gravity Falls, there were a few spells that could prove useful in his search. He gathered a few pictures of Stan, both photographs and sketches, and placed them in the middle of a spell circle he had prepared. The candles, map, and dowsing chain were also already set-up.
The rest was up to Stanford.
Ford spread the map out. Once that was done, he grabbed the dowsing chain with one hand and a knife in the other. He carefully evened out his breathing and cleared his mind.
Slowly, he allowed the thought of Stanley break the surface of his thoughts. He made sure to concentrate on the memories of only Stanley. He thought of his brother's image, the way the muscles of his arms bunched up when they were about to hit someone, and the way he crookedly smiled when he was happy. He thought of his laugh and his gruff, but kind voice. He thought about all the qualities that made up his brother, his twin, his Stanley.
Chanting the spell, he made the first cut.
Blood dripped down his arm and onto the chain, but did not fall onto the map. Instead, it coalesced onto the tip of the pendulum, then gently pulled. Ford let the weight direct him to where his brother should be located. Eventually, it stopped.
Ford blinked at the destination.
What was Stanley doing in Mexico?
-000-
A plane ride and a few taxis later, Stanford found himself in a rather.. questionable part of Mexico. He tugged the collar of this trenchcoat higher and his sleeve lower. He wasn't exactly inconspicuous, but he thought the coat was better than just his button-up and tie. Plus he had to hide the dowsing chain that was still attached to his arm. Ford had gotten an address, but it would do no good if Stanley moved.
He silently made his way through the streets, wondering if he should at least wait until morning to continue his searching.
The chain gently tugged at his arm.
Ford forged on.
He had been staking out the building where he was sure Stanley was in, trying to blend in, when a suspicious group of men passed by him. He casually followed behind them and was ushered into the decrepit building. They were moved deep into the building, down some stairs, and into.. what looked like an underground fighting and gambling den. The room was obviously designed to be an arena and in the middle held a cage.
Apparently, Ford had just made it for a highly anticipated match if the cheers around him were any indication.
The chain tightened around his arm.
One fighter entered the ring. He was possibly one of the tallest men Ford had ever seen with the muscles to match. He was the fan favorite, as his name was drowned out by the sounds of the cheers.
Then the other fighter entered the ring. This fighter was shorter, a tad less muscular, but his body was no less impressive. He also had a rather intimidating array of scars, a goatee, an eyepatch, and a mullet pulled back in a ponytail of all things. The announcer introduced him as "Andrew '8ball' Alcatraaaaaz!"
The crowd cheered.
Stanford didn't move and the chain continued to tighten almost painfully around his arm.
It was Stanley.
-000-
Despite his changed appearance, Ford could clearly tell the other fighter was his brother. Someone bumped into him and he quickly sat down. The match was starting. Ford would have to confront his brother afterwards.
In the mean time, Ford examined his brother. While the pictures and drawing his family had sent showed Ford that Stanley had changed, seeing him person made him finally understand it. All his baby fat was gone, and the slight pudge that he had in the middle was also gone. Stan bared his teeth as his opponent and Ford immediately noticed that his brother's face had aged. He no longer was the pimply faced youth that he had once lived with.
The two fighters circled one another, staring each other down. Both fighters were shirtless, and their muscles glinted under the spotlight.
Suddenly, Stan threw himself forward and smashed a fist into the other man's nose. The crowd roared and Ford could only hope that that was enough to end the fight.
It wasn't and the opponent quickly recovered. He took the chance to grab Stanley, Stan smacked at the other man's arm, but he didn't let go and he threw Stan into the side of the cage. Stan smacked into the metal so hard that there were indents in his skin after the encounter. Stan stood up quickly and tried to lay a flurry of blows onto his opponent. The other man took it and tried to grab Stan again. Stan jumped away.
They continued this way for awhile. Stan would manage to land a blow and then he would have to dodge out of the way of the giant's grasp.
Ford chewed his lip nervously. The other opponent was almost playing with Stanley. Everyone knew that if Stan was caught, he would be done for. Ford was scared to see what would happen if that occurred. He was tempted to jump in, stop the fight and pull Stanley away, but he was frozen in place. Damned to watch the stupid match instead of stopping it.
The crowd jumped to their feet and Ford followed. In the time that Ford was panicking, something had changed. What was happening now?
He swallowed.
The behemoth had finally caught Stanley.
The fighter tugged at Stan and his brother stumbled forward onto his knees. The opponent chuckled and began to smack his brother around while he was still on the ground. After a few good hits, he stopped and pulled Stan to his feet.
Suddenly, Stan reared back and slammed a fist into the man's chin. He stumbled, and that was the chance that Stanley was looking for. Freeing his other hand, Stanley began to wail on the other man. He landed blow after blow on the man's head, not even stopping until the other man had collapsed.
After a while, Stan took a step back. The man in front of him was bloody, beat-up, but still breathing. His opponent was in no condition to get up. Stan raised a hand in victory and the crowd went wild.
The announcer declared '8-Ball' the winner and Stan left the cage as the crowd cheered his name. At the same time, Ford slipped out of his seat, unnoticed.
-000-
Ford wasn't about to take the chance of encountering someone he shouldn't, so he stood outside away from the building and waited. His patience was rewarded when the dowsing chain tugged him in the direction of the parking lot. There was only one man there and it was clearly Stanley, walking over to what appeared to be the Stanley Mobile.
Ford smiled and made his way over.
He silently approached Stanley, unwilling to call out his brother just yet. This whole time he had been worried sick over finding him, but now that Ford actually had the chance to talk to his twin, he was at a loss. What should he say?
However, the decision was taken out of his hands. When Ford had come close enough, Stan took the chance to slam him into the side of the car. Disorientated, Ford found his face pressed up against the car and his arms behind his back.
"Why are you following me?" Stan growled.
"Stanley," Ford coughed out. "It's me, Ford."
The pressure holding his arms disappeared. "Stanford?"
Ford turned around and dusted himself off, "Yes, well, hello to you too."
"Sorry," Stan said with a sheepish smile. "This isn't the best part of the town."
Despite the initial greeting, Ford could feel himself relaxing. There was the Stan he knew. Past the scars and the goatee, was his twin brother. "No, I'm the one that should be sorry. I shouldn't have sneaked up on you," Ford admitted.
"So…" Stan trailed off awkwardly. Then he went to stand next to Ford, casually leaning against his car. He looked straight ahead, then dramatically turned his head to look at Ford. "What's a guy like you doing in a place like this?" Stan said in a thick Jersey accent.
Ford let a smile curl on his lips. His brother was such a goofball. "I was looking for you," he answered honestly.
"Really?" Stan said, completely shocked.
Ford's smile drooped and he felt a stab of guilt at his brother's reaction. Maybe he had been kidding himself when he thought nothing was different. Things had changed and they didn't have the same relationship they used to. However, that was something Ford was going to fix.
He let himself say the first thing to come to mind. "I, ah, saw your match. You were strong, Champ."
Stan flinched. "Yeah, my fights are always like that," Stan said a bit suspiciously. Ford's spirits fell a little bit more at Stan's tone. Talking wasn't Ford's strong suit.
Ford chuckled awkwardly. "Hey, you remember when-"
"Stanford, what are you doing here?" Stanley interrupted.
Ford fell silent. Trust Stanley to cut through all the bullshit and go straight to the meat of the issue. One that Ford wasn't too sure of himself. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. What words could describe everything that Ford wanted to tell Stan? There were none.
Suddenly, Stan grabbed Ford's forearm. Ford winced. Unfortunately it was the one with the dowsing chain. Stan gave Ford a weird look, but then shoved his brother behind him. "Get in the car," Stan said quietly.
"Wha-" Ford looked around to see that the two of them were now surrounded by a few unsavory looking characters.
"I can take em," Stan said. "Just sit in the car."
"Stanley-"
"Sit your ass in the car, Stanford," Stan said again, and shoved a duffel bag into his brother's arms.
The men advanced and Stan put his arms up into a boxing stance. Ford stared at his twin's back, then walked in front of Stan.
"Ford-"
Ford slapped a hand on his brother's forehead. Then yelled, "IVOK LUMO LITUS!"
There was a blast of light that knocked everyone, but the brother's off their feet.
"Ford!" Stan said flabbergasted.
"If we're going to get away, it has to be now. Get in the car," Ford commanded.
They jumped into the car and sped away into the night.
After Stan made sure no one was following them, he turned to his brother, "What the hell was that Ford?"
Ford coughed. "Well, let's just say I haven't told you everything about my studies in Gravity Falls."
"That's because you haven't told me anything," Stan grumbled softly.
"It looks like you haven't told me about everything either, Stanley," Ford retorted.
Stan tensed and he wrapped his fingers tighter around the steering wheel. Ford crossed his arms and turned away with a huff. They traveled in silence, both too stubborn to apologize.
"Where are we heading?" Ford said, breaking the silence.
"I'm bringing you back to California. That stunt you pulled back there? You're going to have a lot of people after your tail," Stan replied.
"Wait, you're going to leave me at the Mexican border?" Ford asked, incredulous.
Stan frowned. "Hey-"
"No, that's not, I'm not angry," Ford quickly interrupted. Talking to his brother was harder than he remembered. "But what about you? You were about to beat those guys up."
"I'll be fine," Stan grunted. "It's not the first time something like this has happened."
That wasn't very reassuring to Ford, but he decided not to argue (at least not right now). Stan kept his eyes firmly on the road and Ford took the chance to examine his brother up close. He certainly was changed. Between the muscles, the eyepatch, and everything else, his brother did look like a different person.
And he was acting like one too. What happened to the Stan he knew, who was maybe a bit rough around the edges, but was someone incredibly loyal to his family. Why would he have left home? Why was he in Mexico? What was with the mullet?
In the past, Stanford wouldn't have hesitated to ask Stan these questions. But they weren't in the past anymore, and they weren't the same two brother's that had promised to go treasure hunting together.
Ford paused. There was a memory that seemed like it came from a lifetime ago. He wondered what had happened to the Stan O' War.
It was another question that he couldn't ask.
However, whatever distance was between them, Ford was willing to try and fix it.
"Stan?"
"Yeah?"
"Why don't you stay with me?" Ford asked, tentative.
"What?" Stan glanced at his brother.
"I- don't know what's going on, but.. if you need a place to stay, you can always stay with me," Ford offered. "I live in a small town, in the middle of the woods-"
"I- I get it. And yeah.. lying low sounds good right now," Stan accepted.
Ford smiled. Maybe it was only a small victory, but he was glad that Stan trusted him enough to stay with him at a troubling time. Then Ford remembered where he lived.
"Oh, but I should warn you, that there are some strange things in Gravity Falls," Ford added.
"Weirder than what you did back there?" Stan asked.
"Even weirder," Ford admitted.
"Pfft. I'll believe it when I see it, Poindexter," Stan said.
Ford chuckled, warmed at hearing one of his old nicknames. "Oh, you will."
Author's Ramblings -
I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it. I enjoy writing about the Stans' relationship, romantic or not.
(By the way the spell is just an amalgam of words that sounded alright for the spell. Hopefully I won't have to write more in the future.)