Not one but TWO requests in 24 hours?! You all are truly amazing. How do you come up with brilliant requests so fast?
From I'mWishingforaStarRod: "Can you do a chapter on Stanley Pines? He's my favorite theory :)"
Of course! While I am not completely on board with all of the Twin Theory, Stanley is an entertaining thought I cannot refuse. I feel like Stanford was more like Mabel (cheerful and extroverted) when they were children and Stanley would be more like Dipper (introverted and bookish), and since Mabel and Dipper get upset sometimes when the other goes off with their friends, I imagine it would be the same sort of ordeal with these two. I'll be going off of those headcanons for this one-shot. Hopefully I do the two justice. Enjoy!
Alone
He didn't understand that word. Alone. Alone was when you felt like you had no one, you felt like you had no one to help you or make you smile or laugh. Alone was when no one understood you, when you were an outcast in your own home. Alone was wanting to be by yourself to think over things, to have some privacy for even a couple minutes.
He didn't understand why his brother acted as if he were alone. After all, his brother was a twin, and twins were never alone! How could Stanley be alone when he had a brother to help him out when he was feeling sad? The ten year old boy didn't understand why Stanley was so distant at times, as if he were hiding something. Twins shouldn't hide things from each other; what was the point of being joined at the hip if they weren't sharing secrets and being there for one another?
It was a few weeks before Stanford confronted his brother on these feelings of loneliness. Between the school bullies and constant reminders from Pop to "man up", he was rather busy dealing with his own problems. It was only after Stanley hurried off to the bedroom the two shared after finishing homework and shut the door quickly before his twin could follow that Stanford felt as if it were time to talk with Stanley.
Stanford hesitated for a few minutes at the door, unsure whether to knock or just enter. It was a silly thought, really - it was his bedroom too! - but he couldn't help the nervous bubble slowly forming inside his heart, ready to burst. What if Stanley told him to go away?
He decided to just go for it and opened the door, wincing at the small creak in the hinges. His brother was sitting on his bed, reading from some mystery book. He did not appear to have noticed his twin enter the room.
Stanford crept closer, shutting the door behind him in case his twin bolted again. He plastered a smile on his face and said, "Hey, Stanley! Whatcha reading?"
Stanley didn't even look up from the novel, much to his brother's disappointment. "The Case of the Cape Capers."
"Is it any good?" Stanford asked after a few moments of awkward silence. He cringed inwardly at the question; since when did he care about his brother's weird mystery novels?
Stanley's lips twitched as if he were fighting back a smile. "Yeah, I guess. Why?"
He laughed awkwardly to stall for time, trying not to feel as if he were searching for the right words to say. He was terrible with these sorts of things.
"No reason! Just curious, you know."
Stanley's eyes finally left the book, glancing at his own identical pair of brown irises.
"Why are you really asking?"
Dang it.
Stanford rubbed the back of his neck and sighted, the shag carpet floor suddenly becoming ten times more interesting than it had been mere moments ago. "I just... You seem like you've been avoiding me, that's all. You say you want to be left alone. Did I do something wrong?"
His brother's eyes widened and he set down the book in surprise. "What? No, not at all! Why would you think that, Stanford?"
"Well, when people want to be alone, they usually feel sad," Stanford said carefully, so as not to accidentally offend his brother. "They don't want to be around other people."
Stanley straightened from where he sat, a frown slowly settling over his features. "I'm not sad, Stanford. I just like to think on my own sometimes."
Stanford nodded, but wasn't any less anxious over the situation. "I know, I know! You're weird like that!" His twin protested, but the tension lifted slightly at his playful tone. "But you're always off reading or thinking now. I don't... um, I don't like it."
His twin frowned deeper. Any sign of playfulness left his expression and Stanford could tell he was thinking extra hard.
"You're lonely?"
That word sounded ominous. Stanford never liked to use that word; he had never really liked the sound of being lonely. After all, with a twin you were never supposed to be lonely? So how could he be lonely?
"No. I'm not lonely! I'm just...wanting to spend more time with my knucklehead brother who won't get his head out of his mystery books anymore."
Despite the playful jab, Stanley didn't laugh or smile. Instead he raised an eyebrow and some strange look came into his eyes.
"So you're lonely...?"
Stanford frowned. Didn't he just say that he wasn't lonely? What part about this did his twin not get?
Stanley snorted and shook his head. "Stanford, you're describing all of the symptoms of being lonely. You want to spend more time with me, right?"
The other twin adjusted his glasses, feeling terribly confused, and just nodded wordlessly.
"I get lonely too, it's okay. I guess that is kinda my fault for leaving you alone a lot, sorry." Stanley snorted again. "I just needed some space. School has... It's gotten a bit harder, if you know what I mean."
Stanford understood what his twin meant quickly: the bullies were bothering him as well.
"Pop wants to sign me up for boxing lessons - boxing lessons! - but I don't want to, so I'm just trying to think of a way to convince him I don't need them. That's why I've been thinking a lot."
"That's all?" Stanford couldn't help but feel incredulous. "There's an easy solution to this, you know, little brother."
"We're the same age! I'm not younger than you!"
Stanford ignored the protest and continued speaking over his brother. "I could switch places with you! No one will know the difference! I've always wanted to try boxing, and maybe this will convince Pop you don't need them if you do good on a few lessons!"
Stanley thought it over with a frown, adjusting his glasses upon his nose. "Well, if you put it like that..."
"It'll be great!" Stanford added, feeling excited the longer he contemplated showing Pop he could "man up". What could go wrong?
His brother sighed, a small grateful smile spreading on his face. "Alright. I'm sure Pop wouldn't notice the difference between us if we traded places for a few lessons..."
"See? It's genius!" Stanford punched the other's shoulder teasingly, watching Stanley chuckle at his blatant excitement. "We can't pass up an opportunity to pull another switch! Remember the last time? When we were eight and Aunt Kate wanted to take me to feed the ducks?"
"Yeah, you mean when she fell asleep and left me to do all the feeding?" groaned his twin. "How could I ever forget?"
Stanford laughed. "Oh, right! That was hilarious!"
"For you!"
"So when does Pop want to begin lessons?"
Stanley sighed heavily. "Next Tuesday. Try not to act too happy when you go; I was a bit irritable when he brought it up, so he'll be suspicious if you look all excited."
"Don't worry! He won't notice a thing!"
Strangely, neither twin mentioned the previous sense of loneliness that no longer lingered in the atmosphere. Both would fiercely deny the first part of the conversation ever occurred.
Did I do alright? Writing younger!Stan was surprisingly hard, ugh.
I'll post the next one-shot later on. In the meantime, any more requests?