#flashbacks to sock puppet dipper

[stardustsernade]

Mable: People who sleep with socks on are weird

Stan: People who sleep WITHOUT socks are not to be trusted

Ford: People who sleep are weird

Dipper: I was a sock once

[lkfarrout]

What Happened Last Summer (18+) Chapter 9

Pretty proud of this one, idk

Start at Chapter 1 here and read Chapter 10 next

“Well Stan, I’ll admit I was wrong. This old tent should fit us all comfortably.” Ford and the kids took a few steps back to admire their work. 

Stan glanced up to see the newly erected canvas structure, and the sun getting low in the sky behind it. “Told ya so,” he said, before returning to the pile of wood and kindling in front of him. Kathy added the last camping chair to the circle around it.

“Grunkle Stan, is it almost time?” Mabel was practically bouncing up and down.

“Just one more thing.” Stan headed for the trunk of the car and grabbed two items. “Dip, you wanna do the honors?” He held one of them out to Dipper - a propane torch with a long neck, the one Soos often used to burn weeds outside the shack.

“No fair! I want to help!” Mabel complained. In response, Stan gave her the other item, a bottle of lighter fluid. “Cool!” She poured it onto the wood with a grin.

Dipper took the torch excitedly and approached the fire pit. “Stand back!” With a soft woosh, the flames ascended into the pink sky. Kathy was surprised at how much Stan and Ford trusted these children with such tools, but they did seem resourceful for thirteen-year-olds. 

“Sit down everyone,” Stan patted the canvas chair next to him, “Kathy, we have a story to tell you.”

Mabel dragged a duffel bag across the ground until it sat between her and Dipper’s chairs. Once unzipped, it revealed several books, some sock puppets, and strangely enough, a grappling hook. Expecting a cute story from Mabel’s imagination, Kathy smiled in anticipation and looked at Stan. His expression was gravely serious.

Dipper stood and took a deep breath, holding a thick stack of index cards. “Kathy, this is the story of what happened last summer. It’s a story about all of us, but mostly about Grunkle Stan - the man that saved the entire world.” He paused and looked at Kathy, waiting for her reaction.

Kathy laughed, “Is this a true story?” She looked around, expecting anything other than the solemn faces that peered back. 

Stan grabbed her hand and squeezed it, “I swear on my life, sweetheart.”

Ford cleared his throat, “Kathy, do you believe in the supernatural?”

She nodded hesitantly, and looked back to Dipper.

“See when we first came to Gravity Falls, it was just Grunkle Stan - we didn’t even know Great Uncle Ford existed…” The story continued and the sky became darker. Dipper did most of the talking, with several pauses for visual demonstrations from Mabel and occasional clarifications and flashback sequences from Stan and Ford. A few times the fire had to be rekindled, and blankets and snacks fetched from the tent. It seemed that everyone learned something new that night…

… “Ya filled my house with clones, kid? Some observant grunkle I am.” 

… “So Grunkle Stan, you did have money to get a hotel when Gideon took the shack, you just had to find an excuse to send us home so you could sneak back to the portal? I knew it!”

… “Wait, Dipper, you were cognizant while Bill was in your body? I always seemed to black out and forget what happened. Incredible.”

By the time midnight rolled around, Kathy had been handed several journals and had learned more about Stan’s life than she had after over a dozen dates with him. 

“Need a break, sweety?”

“No Stan, it’s okay. What happened, were you able to secure the rift?”

Mabel chimed in, “Not exactly…”

The hours continued to creep by, and as the sun rose over the campsite, the fire was still burning, and Kathy’s eyes were filled with tears. It seemed that everyone else was crying, too. The final speech was given by Stanford, who, through crooked glasses and a choked up voice, thanked his brother once again for everything and recounted a few highlights from their sailing adventures. He pulled Stanley into a hug, along with the kids. After a moment, Ford dismissed the exhausted Dipper and Mabel to the tent, and approached Kathy. “I know you have questions, but we can deal with that later. You two should take a walk.” And he headed for the tent himself. 

Kathy and Stan found themselves in the car. Neither of them were too sure what to say. She placed a hand on his cheek and his hand followed to rest over hers. 

“Stanley, you’re shaking.”

“I’m just tired, doll.” He let his face relax into her touch. “You alright, after all that?”

“It was a lot to take in, but I’m so glad you told me. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.” She gently kissed him on the forehead and he gave a weak smile in response. She asked, “Could I see it?”

“See what?”

“The burn.”

“Oh,” Stan started working on the buttons of his shirt, “yeah, of course.” She helped him pull one arm out and get it around his back in the tight quarters of the car. Next came the white undershirt, which he pulled off as he turned to face the driver’s side window so she could see his back.

She gently traced the bluish-purple patterns of scar tissue with her fingertips. “Does it hurt?”

“Nah, not for a long time. First few weeks hurt like hell, though.”

“I bet.” 

Stan chuckled, “It gets to itchin’ pretty bad sometimes.”

“Yeah? I can help with that.”

Stan let out a soft groan as Kathy started to scratch his back. His torso relaxed and he let the side of his head rest against the seat of the car. He lifted his head again a few minutes later when she yawned.

“C’mon, we’re both tired.” Stan pulled his undershirt back on. “Let’s go to the tent.”

[solahaze]

Swap Falls Update 1

~ At a generous suggestion, Stan will be slightly like Star Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy, but only slightly. So, he's sorta arrogant and overconfident sometimes. Oh, and sometimes he just listens to interdimensional tunes when no one's around. ~ Ford is really concerned for his brother with what happened in the portal, and wants to help him somehow. But Stan is all cool and is like "Nah, I was fine. Those monsters didn't stand a chance." But in reality, he has PTSD flashbacks and nightmares. Stan can't hide his scars forever. The emotional, and the physical. - The scar burned into Stan's back works as a ward to evils like possession and certain dimensional monsters. It's probably a big reason he survived at all. ~ Dipper wants Mabel to give him the Journal. He says it's too dangerous, that she'll get hurt. She thinks he will get hurt, so she refuses to give it up, but still lets him look at it. Dipper steals it frequently. ~ In "Sock Opera" Mabel uses a spell in the Journal to bring the sock puppets alive. ~ Bill said, as Bipper, he wanted to possess Mabel, but she wan't nearly as gullible as Dipper. This is a nod towards the fact that Mabel likely has more common sense, because she has a more optimistic, and not paranoid outlook on the Journal. ~ Dipper is a little jealous of Mabel for obvious reasons (she's sometimes better at his hobby than he is) ~  Dipper will sometimes get mad at Mabel while she's writing in the Journal, because she's "doing it wrong" (writing with a glitter pen, putting stickers on the pages, etc)