As a small town, Gravity Falls didn't really have much in terms of entertainment. Most people visiting Roadkill County are usually heading towards Crystal Springs for that, Gravity Falls just happens to be on the way.
Still, it does have a few decent places to go to, such as a minigolf place, a laser tag arena, an arcade, and–
"And there's the Juvenile Juke Club," Wendy pointed out.
"There's a nightclub for kids?" Stan questioned.
"Well, dayclub really. But it feels like one," Wendy said. "Just without all the…inappropriate stuff and more responsible adults."
"Hm."
"Oh! And there's the Crypt Cafe!"
"Crypt Cafe?" questioned Dipper. The car slows to a halt and he looks out the car window to see a dark colored brick building with spooky decor, complete with cobwebs, spiders, and bats.
"They opened, like, a year ago. It's got this spooky, Halloweeny vibe. A lot of my friends hang out there," Wendy said.
"Look at the decor…so spoopy!" Mabel smiled.
"And it'll get spoopier on Summerween."
"Summerween?" Dipper echoed with a quirked brow.
"Yep. The people of this town liked Halloween so much, they decided to celebrate it twice a year," Stan said, grinning. It's probably one of his favorite things about Gravity Falls.
"Instead of pumpkin Jack o' Lanterns, we use watermelon," Wendy said.
"When is it?" Mabel asked.
"The 22nd of June."
"That's in a few weeks!" Mabel said excitedly. "Isn't that amazing, Dipper? We get to go trick or treating twice this year!"
"Aren't we, I don't know, getting too old for trick or treating?" Dipper questioned.
"What? Of course not. Right, Waddles?"
Waddles oinks. Mabel squeezes his cheeks to help him 'speak'.
"Come on, Dipper. Two trick-or-treats means double the candy~." Mabel spoke through Waddles. She pushes the swine closer to her brother so Waddles' snout is pressing against Dipper's cheek. Waddles starts licking Dipper, making the boy giggle. "Double the candyyyy~."
"Mabel, stop!" Dipper laughed, trying to push Waddles away. Mabel finally pulls Waddles back and she joins in the laugh.
"Hey, you guys wanna check out the cafe? We can get some drinks and snacks," Wendy said.
"Can we, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked.
"Yeah, you kids go ahead," shrugged Stan.
Dipper felt his heart pound a little at the idea of going to an unknown place. "What about you?" he asked.
"Ah, it ain't my vibe, kid. I'll just relax here and wait."
Wendy, Dipper, Mabel, and Waddles all exit the car. Dipper was the last to hop out, feeling a little uneasy. He looks out to see Mabel, smiling and laughing. Taking a deep breath, Dipper gets out of the car.
Before heading in, Wendy peers through the passenger window.
"Want anything, Mr. Pines?" she asked.
"I don't need anything from a place that requires me to learn a whole new English vocabulary," Stan said. "Bein' bilingual is enough."
"A mini breakfast bagel with bacon bits?"
"Sure."
A bell above the cafe's door jingled as Wendy, the Pines Twins, and Waddles entered. Dipper looked pale, slightly unnerved.
"Yeah, forgot to tell you that those were real webs and spiders," Wendy said.
"At least they don't have to worry about flies or mosquitos," Dipper said despite himself as he remembered how he screamed when the 'obviously rubber' spiders – as he had put it – suddenly started moving.
Wanting to rid himself of the memory, Dipper takes in the environment. The sounds of grinding coffee beans, of idle murmurs and chatter. The smell of those same coffee beans plus spices and baked goods. Such senses he didn't expect with the decor. Chairs modeled after black iron fences, coffin sofas, electric candles on the walls…there was even a Victorian chandelier on the ceiling.
Dipper felt like he walked into Dracula's castle rather than a cafe.
"Can I get whipped cream and maple syrup in mine?" asked Mabel.
"Sure thing," Wendy said. She approaches the register. Standing there was a girl Wendy's age with auburn hair and a pink highlighted strand and purple eyeshadow. She looked gothic enough for the place.
"Hey, Tambry! I would like three iced coffees, one with whipped cream and maple syrup, two 'boo'-berry muffins, and one mini breakfast bagel with bacon bits," Wendy gave her order in a friendly and familiar manner. "All to go."
"Are you gonna pay the full price this time? That friend discount isn't forever," Tambry said with an unamused look.
"I will, Tams."
Tambry rings up the order. "Has that doctor science guy in the forest passed out from forgetting to eat again?"
This surprised Dipper. This Tambry person knows Ford?
Wendy shook her head. "Nope. Just showing his niece and nephew around." She nudged her head at the young twins. Tambry looks at this with a dull look. "Dipper and Mabel, this is Tambry. Tambry, Dipper and Mabel."
Mabel waves cheerfully. "Hello!"
"H-Hi…" Dipper said shyly with an uncertain wave.
"Welcome to Gravity Falls," Tambry deadpanned. She looks at Wendy. "And while you're waiting, can you do something about the dork squad?" Tambry motions to four boys at a table nearby. Three of them were godding the biggest boy to eat as much sweeteners as he could. A pile of sweetener packets were starting to pile up on the floor. "Management is gonna kick them out."
"Sure thing, especially if it helps cut the prices," Wendy grinned.
Tambry rolled her eyes. "You've been hanging around Mr. Pines for far too long."
Wendy shrugged. "Eh. Maybe." She and the kids head to the teen boys. "Hey, guys. You're seriously so bored you'd watch someone get diabetes?"
"Wendy!" a blonde one and a dark-skinned one exclaimed.
Another is dressed in a dark hoodie, acne riddled face, and emo haircut with a guitar case strapped to his back. He smiled at the ginger. "'Sup, Wendy. How's it–" He notices Dipper and Mabel standing near the lumberjill. He narrows his eyes at them. "Who are they?"
"Guys, meet the newest residents of Gravity Falls, Dipper and Mabel," Wendy introduced. "Dipper, Mabel, these two clowns are Lee and Nate." The blonde teen and dark-skinned teen grinned. "The guy who just ate 20 packets of sweetener is Thompson." He blushed nervously. "And the guy with the guitar is Robbie."
Robbie kept his glare at Dipper and Mabel. Dipper feels uneasy.
"Hey, aren't you the kids the old guys at the Mystery Shack took in?" Lee asked.
"Yep. That's us," Mabel replied blithely, totally unaware of Robbie's glare. "We're actually their niece and nephew."
"So does that make you two the Mystery Twins or something?" Nate asked.
Mabel gasped with stars in her eyes. "The Mystery Twins…I like the sound of that! What do you think, Dipper?"
"I am not encouraging this," he replied.
"Hey, did anyone hear that scream a few minutes ago?" Nate asked.
"Yeah, it sounded like someone learned about the spiders outside," Lee said.
Dipper felt his cheeks burn.
Stan opted to recline his seat back as he waited in his car and turned on some tunes on low volume. He stared up at the roof of his beloved vehicle, his mind wandering to past conversations.
One with his oldest brother stuck strongly even after two years.
'You admitted Dipper to a loony bin?!'
'It's not like that, Stanley. Psychiatric hospitals have changed since you've been in one. Dipper needed help and is in good hands.'
Stan hadn't talked to Shermie for months. He couldn't believe his brother did that, after learning what Stan had to go through. Stan reeled in his anger only when Ford pointed out that things had indeed changed since his admittance and that Dipper was doing fine.
Once enough of his anger got under wraps, Stan visited Mabel at Shermie's house and just after a minute of conversation, Stan could tell that Mabel was missing her brother so much and of course she would. She had lost her parents and her brother was stuck somewhere, getting his brain pecked at.
When the topic of adoption was brought up, Stan learned that neither Shermie nor the twin's maternal aunt Marlene, Caroline's sister, were going to adopt them. Shermie already has his hands full with Caryn, the grown mens' aging mother, and Marlene is too busy to raise children. This meant that the twins were going to be put into foster care and, after some research, Stan knew that the likelihood of the siblings being separated was high.
So, Stan made probably the biggest decision of his life.
He was going to adopt the twins.
This sparked another conversation between Stan and Shermie.
'Stan, this is a huge responsibility. This isn't just babysitting. You will be providing for their future. Are you sure you're up for this?'
'If it means keeping those kids together, then yes.'
There was a knock at Stan's window, startling him out of his thoughts. He looks to see the culprit and bit back a grown. That red Hawaiian shirt and strawhat was recognizable enough for Stan to know that it's one Bud Gleeful, Gravity Falls' used car salesman.
"Good morning, Stanley Pines," came the man's muffled greeting through the glass. Stan didn't like his buck-tooth grin.
For whatever reason, instead of just ignoring the guy, Stan turns down the window. "What do you want, Gleeful?"
Bud laid an arm on the Diablo's roof. "I was just down the road when I noticed a couple of tykes going into the Crypt Cafe with Manly Dan's daughter. I take it those were your little niblings?"
Stan wasn't shocked that Bud knew about this. In small towns, word gets around fast. Gravity Falls was no different.
"Who wants to know?" Stan asked, crossing his arms.
"I'm just a little surprised, is all. And speak my condolences for their losses. After all, considering your criminal history, penchant for conning folks for a livin', and general lifestyle. Those children deserve to be in a stable household.
Stan felt his fingers twitch. "I got all that sorted out ages ago."
"How is your brother Stanford by the way? I hope he's still not dealing with the results of your shenanigans since taking his name."
Stan twitched again at the mention of his brother. "Again, sorted out."
Apparently, Bud wasn't done.
"I believe the last time I saw him was at the local market about two weeks ago. I was honestly surprised. The man seldom ever comes into town and he looked like he crawled out of a dungeon. I see that some things still haven't changed."
Stan recalled that day. He had sprained his ankle helping Soos with some furniture and was going to get more stuff for when the kids arrived. To his surprise, Ford volunteered despite his discomfort around people. When he came back, Stan could tell how much of a toll it took on his brother. He didn't have the heart to tell Ford that he had missed a few things while out, maybe out of panic.
Stan knew that despite being a paranoid mess, Ford was a kind man. And anyone who insults that, either directly or indirectly, has to answer to Stan. That's how it's been since they were kids and it hasn't changed into their late 50s.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Stan questioned, his fingers curling on the skin of his folded arms.
"While things have been sorted out, that doesn't change what happened before you came along. I may have been a younghyun at the time, but I had eyes and ears too," Bud said, his voice taking on a more grim tone. "I saw the house and the lights. I've heard of the things he would bring into that cabin. I saw when he started putting up those signs and barbed wire. I've heard how he would see things and hear things that aren't there."
Stan's grip on his arms tightened, the cracked nails of his fingers digging in. "Are you saying that something's wrong with my brother?"
Bud seemed unbothered by Stan's growing anger. "Can you blame me? I've heard how he threatened friends and family with a crossbow when they got too close. I saw his eyes. Those were not the eyes of a sane man. And from what I've seen for the past couple of years since he came back from God knows where, it hasn't changed. A first."
Stan remembers back when Ford did exactly that towards him, threatening him at point blank. He also remembers the crazed look in Ford's eyes, how exhausted and scared he looked. While Stan didn't fully understand what was going on at the time, Stan knew his brother needed help.
'You are the only one I could trust.'
But, then…
"Whatever is going on with my brother is none of your damn business," Stan said.
Bud held up two hands in a disarming way, but kept his composure. "I am merely speaking my worries about your young wards, as a father of a young child myself. It's probably not wise to expose them to someone like Stanford Pines. Especially when they are still healing from a tragedy."
Stan could feel the heat of anger simmering. "I don't remember asking for your opinions, Gleeful. So, why don't you do us all a favor and hit the road."
"Alrighty, Stanley," Bud said, taking a small step back. "I do hope you know what you are doing because once somethin' goes wrong, that's on you."
If Stan had a nickel for every time he's heard that…
"You done? If you don't take a hike now, you're gonna learn what happens when you play with fire," Stan warned.
Bud seems to have finally taken the hint. "Have a good day. I hope things turn out well for you."
Stan inwardly cheered as Bud finally walked away. He wasn't sure how long he was going to contain himself.
Stan thinks about his brother and the kids. He remembers how skittish his brother got not too long after he returned and how he had expressed his own fear of himself. Yes, Ford was thrilled that they were able to take in the twins...but at the same time, Ford felt like he shouldn't be around them...
Like Ford doesn't trust himself.
Stan sighs. "Hopefully, things will work out...Hopefully..."
Once Ford was able to pry the anomaly off Soos' face, he took both creature and human down in the basement, taking occupation in a room that looked like a sci-fi medical room.
The cycloptopus was placed in a secure crate that had a seal stamped on it and Soos sat on one of the two beds in the room, a steaming towel draped over his entire head.
"If this species is anything like the one in 34-Beta, then the hot towel should help with the epidermal swelling," Ford said. "Does it feel alright, Soos?"
"It feels great, Dr. Pines!" Soos said.
"Good. Let's keep that on while I put together an ointment." Ford moves to a glass tank that had a strange looking plant that appears similar to aloe vera, but blue and pink in color. He takes one of its fleshy leaves. "However, if you start having breathing problems due to tracheal swelling, let me know so I can administer my specially made epinephrine."
"Gotcha."
A semi-comfortable silence fell as Ford got to work with his concoction and Soos sat patiently. Ford starts thinking about the past week and feels guilty over his behavior towards his niblings.
He sighed softly.
"What's the matter, Dr. Pines?" Soos asked from under the towel.
The question startled Ford a little. "...I don't know what you mean."
"Are you worried about Dipper and Mabel?"
"I… *sigh* …yes…" From all the three years that Ford had come to know the handyman, he learned that while Soos seems rather oblivious at times, he's surprisingly observant. "Soos, you've been living in Gravity Falls all your life, yes?"
"Yep."
"That would mean that you've experienced the strange occurrences that frequent the land?"
"I mean…my abuelita protected me from most of it, but I did notice something weird about this town," Soos said. "It wasn't until Wendy found that book and you came back when I realized that all of it was real."
"And…how does your grandmother feel about you being involved?" Ford asked. He knew Soos' grandmother. Maria Ramirez, one of the very few people Ford had interacted with when he arrived at Gravity Falls. She also knew, since the day that he was gone, sucked into his portal, that Stan wasn't him.
"Well, she wasn't thrilled, but she was fine as long as I'm careful." There was a light pause as Soos came to a realization. "Is that what you're worried about, Dr. Pines? That Dipper and Mabel will get involved?"
No doubt that Soos got his observational skills from his grandmother.
"I just…I don't want anything bad to happen to them. I don't want to lose them…" Ford admitted. He still remembered the call from his older brother. Ford basically went through the five stages of grief in the matter of minutes. All that was left was devastation.
And how devastated he felt…just months after he got to know Morgan and Caroline…
And…it was his fault…
"But…would it be better to let them know instead of keeping all of this to yourself?" Soos questioned. The question pierced through like a needle in ice, cracks formed and grew. "Maybe they'll understand better."
What Soos said did make sense. The only reason Dipper is upset is because he doesn't know the truth about Gravity Falls and what it contains. But…no matter what he'll do, Dipper and Mabel will be involved.
"You…might be right, Soos. But, where should I start?" Ford wondered. "Most of the places I conduct my field research contain at least one dangerous anomaly. Of course, most of them aren't exactly Rex level, but…"
"Oh, I know! How about you take them to that spot in the forest? The one with the shimmery trees? That place is safe enough," Soos suggested.
"The Shimmering Grove? …It's not a bad idea. How did you know about that place?" asked Ford. Soos doesn't accompany Ford on his research. He's typically busy repairing the shack.
"Wendy told me."
Oh, that explains it. "…Alright."
Ford finishes the ointment. "The remedy is ready. Remove the towel, Soos."
"You got it, Doc," Soos said, removing the towel. There were swollen suction marks all over Soos' face, plus some second degree burns from the anomaly's toxic saliva and bite marks.
"How does it look, Dr. Pines?" Soos asked, smiling obliviously through the swollen welts. He blinked his puffy, bloodshot eyes.
Ford grimaced. "...Good?"
As an animal with limited forms of communication, Waddles just sat on the floor and listened to his human talking to the other humans. He opted to take a nap at Mabel's feet until he noticed something green scurrying about.
Waddles oinked and grunted before following it. Mabel wasn't aware of her piggy's absence until she looked down a few seconds later.
"Waddles?" She looks around the cafe for the pig. "Waddles, where did you go?" Mabel moves from her seat to better her search. "Waddles? Has anyone seen a cute piggy?" Before the panic starts to set in, she finds Waddles at an occupied table, being fed a tater tot. "There you are, mister! I'm so sorry about Waddles."
"Oh, no. It's okay," said the person feeding Waddles. They looked to be a large girl about Mabel's age. Next to her was another girl of the same age who appears to be of Asian descent. On the large girl's shoulder was an iguana.
"Wow! You've got an animal on your body!" Mabel exclaimed.
"Yep!" the large girl said. She feeds the iguana a tater tot. "Grenda Jr. loves tater tots."
"And you have an adorable piggy," the Asian girl said, scratching Waddles' chin.
"Yeah. Waddles is very adorable! My great uncle got him for me when I moved here…that or he stole him," Mabel said. "Either way, I've only known him for about a week, but if anything were to happen to him, I'd hurt the person closest to me in blind rage."
A random patron seating close by gives her a worried look.
"I was the same when I got Grenda Jr.!" the large girl said.
Mabel giggles. "I'm Mabel."
"I'm Grenda!" the large girl introduced. "This is Candy." The Asian girl waved, revealing the forks taped to her fingers.
"Why do you have forks taped to your fingers?" Mabel asks.
Candy uses the forks to pick up the tater tots. "Improvement of human being."
Mabel gasped and hugged Waddles close. "We have found our people, Waddles." Waddles grunted.
Back with the teens, Dipper saw the interaction and smiled, happy that Mabel found friends.
Lee leans close to him. "Hey, Dipper, have you been to the laser tag arena yet?"
Dipper shook his head. "No, I haven't."
"Oh, you so gotta come with us later. Robbie's bandmates are going and challenged us for a round," Nate said. "We're gonna need a fourth player for our team since Thompson pulled a hammy last time."
"Hey, laser tag is too intense for me, okay?" Thompson said. Lee and Nate laughs.
"What do you say, Dipper? You in?" Wendy asked.
Dipper couldn't remember the last time he grinned so big out of excitement. Even before…everything, he's never been invited to hang out, not even for birthdays. Now, he's basically been accepted into what he would call the 'cool kids'. It also helped that they're not treating him like a damaged kid.
The answer was obvious.
"Well, I–" The words halted when Dipper noticed Robbie still glaring at him. "I-I…I'll think about it."
Thankfully, none of the teens seems to notice this.
"Take your time, little dude. It won't be until later, anyways,"
Dipper tries to ignore Robbie, keeping his head down until Wendy got his attention again.
"I'm gonna go check on our order. Think you can hang here for a sec?" she asked.
"Y-Yeah. I'll be fine."
Wendy leaves and Dipper feels anxious as he tries to ignore Robbie, who still glared at him. Feeling Robbie's visible eye on him, Dipper gets bombarded with memories of the asylum… and what led up to it.
A lit match…a house on fire…white everywhere…cushioned restraints…doctors trying to hold him down and give apologies while nurses gave words of reassurance…screams…so much screaming…
Soon, it was all Dipper could only hear, along with his breathing and heartbeat. He wanted to run…he needed to run…to run…to hide…to find Mabel…to find Grunkle Stan…to find Great Uncle Ford…to find Grandpa Shermie…to find his parents…to–
"Dipper?"
Dipper snapped his eyes opened, sunlight in his vision, and realized that he was no longer in the cafe. Instead, he was in some alleyway. Stan kneeled over him, his look of concern.
"G-Grunkle Stan?" Dipper breathed. He couldn't say anymore, so out of breath.
"Take deep breaths first, kid," Stan said in a low, calm tone. "You're brain's goin' a mile a minute."
"Wh-What am I doing outside?" Dipper asked.
"What? I saw you running out and ducking over here. You're experiencing a panic attack."
Hearing this, Dipper almost felt cold as panic took over. "I-I am…? I-I'm sorry! I-I thought I could handle it! I really did! Please, don't send me back!"
Stan appeared confused. "Back…where?"
"The asylum!" Dipper's breathing picked up in short, quick bursts. How could this have happened? …He thought he was doing good…that he was finally okay…
A firm hand found its spot on Dipper's shaking shoulder. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid. Easy now. Eeeasy…In and out slowly, kid." By some miracle, Dipper started to do just that, reigning in his breathing until his head no longer felt light. "That's it…you're doin' great… Dipper, I'm not gonna send you back to the asylum just for having a panic attack."
Dipper looks up at his new legal guardian. "You're…Y-You're not?"
"Of course not. Why would…Did someone tell you that?" Stan asked.
"Not…someone in particular…" Dipper replied, breaking eye contact and rubbing his arm.
Within his peripheral vision, Stan notices Wendy and Mabel outside the alley, worried. He motions them to stay back. He knew that Dipper didn't need the overcrowding as he is right now. The girls' begrudgingly went, Mabel giving a look of worry at her brother.
"Dipper, I want you to be honest with me, okay?" Stan asked.
"O-Okay…" Dipper stuttered.
"Were you mistreated in any way at that place?"
The question seems to surprise Dipper a little. "N-No. Nothing like that…the doctors and nurses were really nice…" He wasn't lying. They were nice. They treated him cordially…something he felt he didn't deserve…
There was a look in Stan's eyes that Dipper couldn't place. The older man lightly shook his head. "Dipper, you don't have to cover for anyone around me."
"I'm telling you the truth, Grunkle Stan. Really, I am," Dipper insisted. "It… I… I just…" He sighs. "I don't wanna go back there…I don't want to be separated from my sister again."
"...I know the feeling." Stan moves to sit beside Dipper, his back against the wall. "I knew what it's like to be separated from Ford…"
"Had Grandpa Shermie told you anything about what happened?" Dipper asked.
Stan looked ashamed. "…No. He and I weren't talking to each other. Ford was the only one who got updated and I didn't want to hear any of it."
"Why?"
"I was mad at him, at Shermie, for sending you there in the first place," Stan replied. "All I could think about was how you were gonna be treated because I had that happen to me too."
"You were admitted too?" Dipper asked in surprise.
Stan nodded. "By a couple of cops. I was…not in a good headspace and once people catch wind of that, they send ya off. And I had the luck of being admitted into one where they don't give a sh–crap about the wellbeing of their patients." Stan absently scratched at the crook of his arm. "Drugged me up to make me easy to manage or just strapped me to a bed when I got too angry for their liking. So, yeah, I didn't exactly have the best experience in that kind of place." At this moment, Stan realized what was happening and facepalmed. "What am I doing, telling you that kind of stuff? I'm just making it worse, aren't I?"
But, Dipper shook his head in protest. "N-No, it's fine, Grunkle Stan. I guess it's a little relatable. That it's good to know that I'm not alone, in a way. The only difference is…well, it was warranted on my part. I…made a lot of the people there worried."
"Warranted? How?" Stan asked. Dipper didn't answer and it looked like he wanted to. "You don't have to force yourself. You can tell me when you're ready."
"Are…you sure? Are you okay with that?" asked Dipper, his voice slightly cracking. Stan wasn't sure if it was just puberty or that the kid was on the verge of crying.
"Past experiences taught me not to cross certain lines unless I was given the go." Stan gets back on his feet, ignoring his protesting knees and cracking back. "Now, let's get out of here. I think I've had all I can deal with this morning." Stan smiles at Dipper. "What about you?"
Dipper nodded and smiled back. They exited the alley, seeing Wendy, Mabel, and Waddles waiting for them by the Stanmobile. Mabel saw them first and rushed to them. She stopped short though, hesitant. Dipper gave her a smile and held his arms out.
Mabel rushed to her brother and hugged him tightly.