HAT: Sorry this came out late. It's my birthday and I haven't exactly gotten the chance to be on the computer pretty much all day... yeah- on the bright side the newest episode came out on my birthday! Anyway, enjoy this new story! If Alex Hirsch is reading- thank you for the amazing and not on purpose birthday present!
Disclaimer: I do not own Gravity Falls or it's characters, just the plot.
"Is it me or do you think Grunkle Stan's keeping us away from Grunkle 'Ford a lot more than he was before?" Mabel asks her brother after being ushered out of the kitchen as soon as they were done eating after their other great uncle entered for the third morning in a row.
"Yeah, I've noticed that. Do you think they had another fight?"
She shrugs. "I dunno, maybe."
"Too bad we can't ask," he sighs.
Soos leans against the clothing rack. "Maybe he's feeling insecure because you've been spending a lot more time with Mr. Pines 2?"
Mabel shares a glance with her twin. "He did get kind of jealous when we chose Soos over him on that fishing trip..."
"But that doesn't explain why he's trying much harder than he as before."
"Who's trying harder than before?" Everyone jumps and stares at the person they are talking about. "Is if Robbie again? I swear if that punk comes back with that huge stereo and gets crushed in front of my house again, I'm gonna shove my foot right up his keister!"
Dipper chuckles. "No, Robbie learned from the last two times... I think..."
"Oh... so who's trying harder?"
"Uh- Soos!" Dipper lies quickly.
"Y-yeah!" Mabel choruses. "He's been trying really hard to keep in contact with his girlfriend!"
Stanley nods. "Well, good for you... what's she look like?"
Soos pulls up a picture and Stan raises an eyebrow. "What? Is it a picture of abuelita?"
"How'd you get a pretty girl like that?"
"You underestimate my skills, Mr. Pines," Soos says.
"If you get that, of course I am... you two, go do some manual labor and Soos... keep doing whatever it is you're doing."
Stanley walks away with his mind filled with scenarios in which Soos got a girl that pretty to go out with him. He can't wrap his mind around it.
Despite this, there's more to worry about than how Soos might have tricked the girl- there's the twins and Stanford to worry about. He's noticed that the twins are making more of an effort to stay around their other great uncle, but he can't allow it. If that dream is a premonition like he thinks it is, he's more than sure that his brother is something to be wary of.
A wolf in sheep's clothing...
For years he thought that the only one that he could ever trust was his brother- ever since he was a child. He doesn't know why he kept this belief that Stanford is the only one that he can trust even to this day. It's been so misplaced when he sits down and really thinks about it. He didn't stand up for Stanley and let their father disown him, then there was the fact that his brother only wanted to use him to hide the journal that was left to hide, and then his grudge still being held even though Stanley spent thirty years of his life to bring the ungrateful man back.
How can I trust a man that doesn't even thank me for spending thirty years focusing on bringing him back?! He doesn't even bother to get to know me or know what I had to give up to get him back, Stanley thinks angrily as he enters his office. Speak of the devil...
"Hello, Stan."
"What the hell are you doing in my office?"
"Figured you'd come in here at some point."
Stanley closes the door behind him. "What do you want?"
"I want to know what's going on with you, Stan! You look like you haven't slept in days- again- and you're keeping the kids away from me even more than you did before. Did you have another dream or something?"
Stanley's nose wrinkles in anger. "Since when do you care about me? You did't care about me forty-someodd years ago when I was kicked out by dad or any time after that!"
At first Stanford seems to be taken aback, but then his shoulders sag and then his features gain a remorseful look. "I know... I know I made mistakes and I know I've been a terrible brother, but you have your faults, too-"
"Always putting the blame back on me- that's just what you wanna do when it comes to defending your case," Stanley scoffs. "Typical."
"But-"
"You don't even bother to think of others. How many times have you put the twins in danger? Yourself? Me? All you care about is yourself! Thirty years of my life isn't enough to make up for two mistakes? Do you even know how much time, energy, effort, and so many other things I've sacrificed? And you don't even have the decency to even look grateful!"
"You have no idea what I've seen on the other side of that portal, Stan, I've seen people die, I've killed people," Stanford insists.
"Don't talk to me like I haven't seen that... I've seen more in those ten years between getting kicked out of the family and seeing you again than you've most likely seen in twice that amount of time. No, I don't know what's on the other side of that portal, but on this side I've seen things no kid should've ever seen at that age and done things I only wish I could've taken back."
"Stanley, you're no killer-"
"You're right... but I have killed people before and had people try to kill me so if you want to get a bit more in depth. Quit acting like you're so high and mighty and been through soooo much... I'm going for a drive-"
"Are you really gonna do that to the twins?!"
Stanley pauses in opening the door and glares back at his brother. "Shut up, Stanford... you don't know what you're talking about."
Without another word he slams the door and quickly tells Soos to improvise and have the twins take over for him for a few hours- he has to try his best to keep them away from Stanford even if he isn't there physically- and then leaves. The entire ten minutes drive- he wants to be sure that the twins don't see Stanford at all- he curses himself for letting even a little bit of his emotions show. Damn it all if it's more than a little of his true emotions and being exhausted from lack of sleep doesn't help him at all in keeping up his mask, but it's not like his nosey brother helps at all. Between those things he's surprised he hadn't burst out with everything that's happened the past forty years.
I'm losing it, he finally decides as he reenters the Shack.
"Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asks as she walks through the curtain. "I thought that you said you'd be gone for a few hours."
"Nah," he grunts. "So, how much money did you make?"
Back to hiding behind the mask of a smile.
Stanford: Wow... you're really into torturing people aren't you?
HAT: What makes you say that?
Stanford: ... look at all the stories on your profile.
HAT: Yes.
Stanford: Most of them a person gets tortured.
HAT: Okay! So I have a problem- I'm not the only one!
Stanford: *rolls eyes* Review.
HAT: What about my birthday hug?! I got one from everyone else! Even Stanley!
Stanford: *sighs and holds out arms* Fine.
HAT: *tackles him* YAY!