The sun was shining brightly along the winding road heading back to Gravity Falls with a lone rental moving truck making its way through it. Dipper was at the wheel, keeping everything steady. The animatronics were in the back, though DJ Musicman's AI chip was in Dipper's pocket and he hadn't heard the rest move in a while and assumed they had powered down to save their battery. Gregory was curled up next to Dipper, having fallen asleep soon after they had begun the drive. Dipper glanced briefly at Gregory, wondering if he should wake him so he could see the Welcome to Gravity Falls sign. But ultimately decided against it. The boy had had a long night after all and needed the rest.
Still, though, Dipper felt himself relax a bit more as they passed the sign and officially entered Gravity Falls' borders, happy to be home after this last adventure. Dipper wove through town, waving at some of the citizens began climbing up the hill to what had once been the Northwest Manor but was now the Pines Manor. As Dipper pulled up to the front of the grand entrance, Gregory began to stir.
"Arewethereyet?" Gregory mumbled as he sat up with a yawn.
"Just arrived," Dipper said with a smile as he turned off the truck. "Take a look…"
Gregory glanced out the window, blinking blearily as his still waking-up mind tried to process what he was seeing. Once he noticed the large and fancy house before him, he gapped and shocked and said, "Am I dreaming or are we in the wrong place? This looks like one of those super-rich people's homes on TV!"
"Well we are super rich," Dipper revealed, opening the driver's door and getting out of the truck. Chuckling at the shocked and disbelieving expression Gregory was shooting his way, Dipper continued, "We've been adventuring for over a decade and found plenty of treasure in that time. That plus several patents for Grunkle Ford's inventions means we have plenty to live comfortably. And even then we still have other small jobs we're passionate about that bring income, like I have a popular web show of mine and my sibling's adventures."
"What!?" Gregory said in shock and confusion as he struggled to combine the idea of Dipper the badass supernatural adventure with the snobbish rich people he had seen portrayed in movies. "But- You- this- huh!?"
"Take your time," Dipper laughed as he headed to the back of the truck and began to unlock it.
Gregory scrambled out of the truck and began dashing towards the back to bombard Dipper with more questions but froze about halfway there when the doors to the manor opened.
"There's my new nephew!" Came an excited squeal and a blur of glittery color before Gregory found himself hoisted off his feet and squished in a tight hug. Gregory yelped and squirmed a bit so his face was pressed against the sweater-clad shoulder of the one holding him and gasped for air. The woman that Gregory wasn't entirely sure wasn't trying to murder him didn't seem to notice his distress as she happily rambled, "It's so great to meet you Gregory and I can't wait to get to know you! Start with your favorite colors and designs so I can start making your first sweater! One of many as I'm going to be the best aunt ever and spoil you rotten!"
"Mabel! Let him breathe!" a more sophisticated female voice scolded from the direction of the manor's entrance. "We only got a brief summary of what he and the boys got up to last night and even from that you should know that he probably needs his space!"
"Oh. Right," the one holding Gregory agreed and gently placed him down.
Now back on his own two feet, Gregory was able to get a look at the newcomers. The one that had hugged him looked like a female version of Dipper and had her very long brown hair in a high ponytail. She wore a colorful sweater that stretched slightly over her pregnant stomach. Even so, she seemed to be vibrating with excitement.
The other woman held herself in a much more dignified manner and wore a business casual purple shirt and black slacks with perfectly stylized blonde hair. Gregory shrunk a little under her gaze as at first glance she seemed the type to dismiss him as disgusting for being homeless until a few hours ago, but instead she gave him a small but genuinely friendly smile as she said, "Welcome to the Pines Manor Gregory. I'm Pacifica, Dipper's fiance."
"And I'm Mabel!" Mabel introduced. "Dipping Sauce's twin and Kiki's sister. And now your favorite aunt!"
"Bold of you to just assume I won't be his favorite," Pacifica retorted with a raised eyebrow.
"Just stating what we both know will happen," Mabel smirked back. Pacifica rolled her eyes fondly at Mabel before turning her attention to Dipper who was walking towards them as the animatronics began filing out of the back of the truck.
"It's good to see you're still in one piece," Pacifica said, giving Dipper a brief kiss in greeting. "Any more news from Mike?"
"Not yet," Dipper shook his head. "But I'm not surprised. With something like the Pizzaplex being burnt down completely, the investigation's going to take a bit and he and Vanessa are probably still being questioned. But I'm sure their cover story of the fire being an accident caused by Fazbear's cheapness and poor safety practices will hold up, especially since Mike kept all the reports he had sent about those issues as well as all the glitches the mainframe had been experiencing and affecting the robots ai, proving that there wasn't much Vanessa could do as a lone human guard in such a big place."
"I'll have our lawyers ready just in case," Pacfica concluded, eyes flickering to the animatronics. "Don't want them pinning the fire on Mike as a way to 'cover up the theft of the valuable advanced animatronics'."
"We're sorry for any inconvenience we may cause you," Freddy said from where he joined Gregory.
"It's no problem," Pacfica waved her hand dismissively. "This is really nothing compared to some of the things we've had to deal with."
"Besides you guys are practically family," Mabel added easily. "And you better believe us Pines look out for family. Now come on! Let's give you the tour!"
Gregory's mind felt like a blur as Mabel and Pacifica showed them around the manor, from the elegant ballroom to Dipper's workshop where the animatronics stayed so Dipper could look them over and try and jury-rig a charging station. Gregory couldn't even recall the name of Mabel's husband minutes after being introduced to him because of how overwhelming he was.
"So that's pretty much everything!" Mabel concluded as the tour came to an end.
"Feel free to pick any of the available guest rooms for your use," Pacifica added. "Is there any particular one you like?"
"No. I mean yes!" Gregory scrambled to try and find the appropriate answer. "Everything's really nice but it's… it's…"
Overwhelming… Gregory thought as he shifted uncomfortably under the women's gaze as they waited for him to gather his thoughts. While they and Dipper made it clear that he was more than welcome here, Gregory still felt out of place amongst the plush carpets and fancy furniture. He was dirty and disheveled from the night of fighting for his life and sleeping on the drive up. He didn't belong here amongst all the fanciness and a part of him worried that the others would soon see that too.
"Um… where does Mike usually stay again?" Gregory cautiously asked. Maybe if he was near Mike's room he'd feel less like an intruder that was bound to get caught and kicked out any second.
"That room over there," Mabel said, pointing out one of the doors. "Though honestly I think he ends up sleeping at the Mystery Shack just as often if not more so."
"Dipper too if they're working on some project in Ford's underground lab," Pacifica added.
"The Mystery Shack?" Gregory asked in curiosity.
"We'll show you," Mabel grinned. "And I know you'll love it."
The group grabbed Dipper, leaving the animatronics to charge, and took one of the several cars in the garage to the Mystery Shack. Gregory had no idea what exactly he had been excepting from a place called the Mystery Shack, but somehow the rundown cabin in the woods fit the name perfectly.
"Is this a tourist trap?" Gregory asked as he and the adults got out of the car.
"Yep!" Mabel confirmed cheerfully. "One that'll try and scam all the money out of you. Grunkle Stan's the one that's founded this place, though Soos runs it now as Mr. Mystery Jr. And he does an amazing job!"
"Aw thanks, dawg," came a voice from the entrance, belonging to a tall puggy man who in some ways almost looked like a large hairless gopher. He gave them a friendly smile as he said, "But I can never be as good as Mr. Pines."
"Don't sell yourself short dude," Dipper replied, exchanging a fist bump with Soos. "You've really made this place your own."
"We're not keeping you from a tour are we?" Mabel asked in concern. "Because we can just show Gregory around on our own."
"I just finished one and the guests are all browsing the gift shop, which Melody can handle," Soos assured. "And it's only right that I give the tour to our newest member!"
"Soos is practically Stan's adopted son," Dipper elaborated for Gregory at seeing the boy's expression. "So we all consider him a part of the Pines family and he's given us an open invitation to visit or stay here whenever we want."
"Of course, you're always welcome," Soos said with sincere conviction. "This was Mr. Pines's home for thirty years and it will always be his home and open to those he cares about."
"And that's why you're the best Soos," Mabel said, playfully punching Soos' shoulder. "Because you're just the sweetest cinnamon roll and I don't know what we'd do without you!"
"Thanks," Soos chuckled. "Now let's begin the tour!"
Gregory had a lot more fun on this tour, seeing all the strange attractions Soos had set up in the museum and the cozy charm of the living areas. There was even a secret elevator leading to a cool lab and even a treasure room.
"And finally the attic loft!" Soos concluded, showing off the last room. "Where the twins would stay nearly every summer since they were twelve and still mostly used by them and Mike today!"
"So many good memories here," Mabel said as she looked around with a nostalgic smile, Dipper nodding in agreement.
The room was cozy and very much showed signs of being lived in. There were all sorts of random marks and scratches on the furniture and lots of random posters that had just gotten plastered over the old ones over the years. There was a loose shoe crammed behind the post of one of the beds and old oil stains on the desk. But more than that, there was a certain warmth in this place that Gregory could feel and he swears he could almost hear the laughter of Mike and the twins staying up late having fun together.
"Can I stay here?" Gregory asked before his mind really caught up with his mouth. Once he realized what he said he immediately backtracked and said, "Sorry. I didn't mean that and you don't have-"
"It's okay dude!" Soos cut Gregory off with a laugh. "I said there was an open invitation here and that extends to you dawg!"
"And I can't believe I didn't think of offering this place sooner!" Mabel agreed. "What better way for you to get the full Gravity Falls experience and used to our family's fun ways than staying at the place where so many of our shenanigans started from!"
"I can set up a temporary charging station too for Freddy," Dipper added with a nod. "As you two will want to stick together."
"Thank you," Gregory said quietly, overwhelmed by how above and beyond they were going for him.
"We'll give you a moment to get settled," Pacfica said, herding the others out. "Then we'll go shopping for clothes and other things you need."
Gregory could only nod before the door closed behind them, leaving him alone in what he guessed was now his new room. A bit dazed, he sat on the edge of the bed and absent-mindedly ran his hand over the cover. He couldn't believe how much his luck had changed in the course of one night. He went from being homeless with no family or even friends to being a part of a large welcoming family that had more wealth than Gregory had ever dreamed of having.
It was like a dream come true.
A part of him worried it was too good to be true.
Still though as Gregory spotted Dipper, Mabel, and Mike's names scratched into the side of the desk, he had a feeling that he was going to like his time in Gravity Falls.