#funny.how.i keep thinking i can write a short drabble and it suddely quadruples in size

[shanklin]

September 5th, 2034, 11:45 pm

Town Cemetery

Gravity Falls, Oregon

Two men stood over the freshly dug graves of Gravity Falls' most notorious citizens. Mabel and Dipper Pines have been a natural part of town just like the forest, the mountains and the lake, so it has come to a surprise to everyone when they passed away just a couple hours apart from each other. If you had told anyone in town a week ago that the Pines would be able to die at all, they would've scoffed at the suggestion.

Those old coots dying? As unlikely as finding a manotaur in a dress. The weirdness has taken a hold of the Pines. Gravity Falls will not allow them to die.

And yet they did die, quietly and uneventful in their sleep. The whole town came to the funeral, be it their friends or enemies, partially to say their goodbyes and partially to see if it was really true or if they would join the many zombies that used to roam the cemetery before their great nephew and last known living relative got rid of them all that one summerween.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" the skinnier man asked and looked around, his body twitching at every noise and gust of wind. The other man smiled and put a hand on the skinny man's shoulder.

"You're a good friend, Fiddleford. I appreciate you staying with me today, but you don't have to be here for this."

The skinny man, Fiddleford, clutched his arms and looked away.

"B-But what if you get hurt, Stanford? I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."

STAN ford? STANford STAN STAN STANLEY STANLEY WHERE IS STANLEY?

The wind howled and Fiddleford jumped.

"I assure you, old friend, they are perfectly harmless. I'll just make sure their spirits will move on peacefully. Please go and wait in the car. I'll join you shortly."

The man's black trenchcoat fluttered in the wind revealing glimmering sigils in the moonlight.

After a long pause Fiddleford finally nodded and turned to leave.

"Be quick." He demanded and Stanford waved him goodbye.

"I will." He replied, his smile firmly in place until his friend was no longer in sight and the squeaking of the gate echoed through the night.

Stanford turned back to the graves and pulled a couple of candles, two letters and an old antique watch out of his coat. He looked at the watch and seemed to count. What exactly, they weren't sure as the hands were missing on the dial. The watch snapped shut with a loud click and Stanford hurried to light the candles and place them in a triangle around the letters.

They knew the letters and they screamed. Those weren't the man's letters. They belonged to the one that looked the same but wasn't. Those letters belonged to the little boy they lost. To the one they hurt. To the one that took a part of their soul with him when he left.

STAN STAN YOU'RE NOT STAN WHERE IS STANLEY?

They raged and the trees bent under their anger. Branches fell to the ground and the thief held up his arms to protect his head.

NOT YOURS NOT YOURS WHERE IS STANLEY

The thief took a candle, mumbled something under his breath and blew it out.

The pain was instant and all consuming. They screamed once more but their control got ripped away from them and the storm faded.

The thief kneeled down in front of their graves and rubbed his eyes.

"I see you've calmed down now."

CALMED DOWN? THEY ARE NOT CALM THEIR SOULS HAVEN'T BEEN CALM SINCE THE BOY DISAPPEARED REGRET SO MUCH REGRET THE LETTERS BELONG TO THE BOY THEY NEED TO APOLOGIZE.

The remaining two candles flickered and cast shadows on the letters they wrote before their bodies started to rot. The boy is still lost. Their soul is incomplete. They need to wait for the boy, they need to find the boy and make it better. If they just found the boy they could make it better. They could fix their mistakes.

"I found the letters you wrote to Stan. I'm afraid those are what's been keeping you here."

STAN STAN STAN STAN THE LETTERS ARE FOR STAN FOR THEIR LITTLE BOY

HE NEEDS TO KNOW

The candles flickered and the impostor sighed.

"I will tell him everything you wrote down when I find him. I promise, but the letters need to go. They shackled your souls to the mortal realm."

Stanford took another candle and shivered as they tried to grab it and went through his living body.

Ancient words left his mouth and he blew out another candle.

The pain was worse the second time. Endless torture as the outer layer of what was once the feeling of their body got peeled away and their vulnerable souls got exposed and ripped out of their intestines.

"Show yourself!" A voice demanded, but the agony made it impossible to form a thought. "Please." It continued.

PLEASE PLEASE MAKE IT STOP PLEASE GIVE US PEACE MERCY THE BOY THE BOY STAN STANLEY MAKE IT STOP!

Two dim lights formed in front of their torturer. They squirmed and flickered in fear as the man drew closer and smiled with tears in his eyes.

"Thank you for showing yourself to me. I know this is difficult, especially at your level."

It hurt so much.

The man picked up the letters and touched their bleeding souls. His hands were vile and full of love. Oh, they thought in between the pain. It's their other boy. The one they raised. The one they failed all the same in their grief and self hatred. The one who left in search of his brother and was rarely there to smooth over the edges that formed between them. They loved him back but his hands felt rotten. There was something wrong in his soul, something tainted that should not be there. Has it been their fault as well?

Their light shined brighter at the recognition.

"Grauntie Mabel, Grunkle Dipper", their boy said, sounding much younger than before. He coughed and blinked and picked up the last candle.

"I know things between us haven't been the best ever since Stanley, ever since he left, but I want to tell you that I am grateful and proud to have been raised by the two of you. I'll miss you."

Their boy gave them a teary smile but they barely noticed. The mention of their other boy, the boy they lost, their Stanley agitated their souls once more.

STANLEY STANLEY WHERE IS STANLEY GIVE US BACK OUR BOY OUR LIGHT OUR DEEPEST REGRET DON'T TOUCH THE LETTERS THEY BELONG TO STANLEY EVIL VILE THING DON'T TOUCH US DON'T TOUCH HIM STANLEY

They screamed once more through the pain and the fear and regret, but their powers have been sealed so all they could do is glow brighter and hope it will be enough.

Their boy wiped away his tears and straightened.

"I love you too." He said and held the last candle against the letters. The flames licked at the paper and they burned alive. It was pure destruction and agony. Their very being was turning into ash and they were helpless to stop it.

Everything was red hot hellish pain and then, suddenly, there was peace. Blue gentle flames cooled their burns and what little was left of their souls. They leaned into the touch and opened their senses.

Their destroyer yelped as the fire eating the letters turned icy and engulfed them into a strong protective layer. He looked up and saw the figure of a man leaning against one of the gravestones.

The man snapped his fingers and the burning letters vanished from out of their destroyer's hands and reappeared in his own. He inspected them with disinterest and scoffed before putting them into his coat.

SAFE SAFE HE IS SAFE

They circled the man with their dim lights and made sure to stay close.

"Pretty sure those letters aren't yours, Sixer."

Their destroyer's eyes widened.

"Stanley?" He whispered, but it might as well have been a shout as the name enlightened their souls.

STANLEY STANLEY STANLEY THEY FOUND STANLEY HE IS SAFE SAFE THEIR BOY IS SAFE

"Oh wow. So you still know my name. And here I thought you forgot considering how you were just about to burn my property."

The man with Stanley's face, their other boy, they have to remember that, rose from the ground and took a shaky step forward.

"You're alive."

"More or less." Stanley deadpanned and clapped his hands. "Well it was nice catching up with you. See you around. Or not." Their boy cocked his head and shrugged. His voice was nonchalant, but so close to him they could feel the tenseness.

Their other boy moved closer, undeterred. He reached out but Stanley moved back.

"Don't leave. I - I've been looking everywhere for you for the past 20 years. Please stay."

Their other boy stopped moving when he saw Stanley evade him, but his hands stayed slightly raised.

Stanley let out a hollow laugh.

"Well you should've looked for me sooner."

THEY SHOULD'VE THEY SHOULD'VE LOOKED SOONER SHOULD'VE CARED SOONER THEY'RE GUILTY THEY KILLED THEIR LITTLE BOY WHY DID THEY LET HIM GO WHY WHY THEY'RE SORRY THEY'RE SORRY THEY NEED TO APOLOGIZE READ THE LETTER STANLEY STANLEY STANLEY

"I am sorry, Stanley." Their other boy's voice cracked and they all knew it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

"Good for you." Stanley said as they kept screaming their apologies into empty ears. Their lights flickered around their boys and illuminated them under the cloudy night sky.

A golden fish like symbol on Stanley's blood red coat lit up and their other boy retracted his hands in shock.

"Why are you wearing the order’s crest?"

Stanley rolled his eyes. "Take a guess, Poindexter."

"They're murderers." Their other boy pleaded as the clock struck twelve.

"So am I." Stanley spat back, causing their other boy to flinch.

"But you knew that already, didn't you? You've been hunting us down for more than ten years now."

Their other boy shook his head as Stanley continued.

"Playing dumb doesn't suit you, Sixer. You knew I killed Pa. And you knew I've killed others. I've been an active member of the order for two decades now. Everyone knows that."

Their other boy shook his head once more.

"I know you're lying. I know there's more to this."

He took a step into Stanley's direction and tried to close the distance between them.

"Is it blackmail? Did they curse you? Did you make a bad deal that you can't back out of?"

Stanley snorted. "What? Like you did?"

Their other boy ignored the remark.

"Whatever it is, I can help. I can keep you safe from those monsters."

Stanley's tenseness turned into blinding rage and he pulled their other boy forward by his collar.

"Those monsters are my family and I won't let you or your master hurt them ever again."

Stanley threw their other boy to the ground and glared at him.

"Stanley, you don't understand. They've brainwashed you."

"They've saved me." Stanley replied as the sound of the last church bell faded to nothing.

"I've got to go. Tell your master the hunt is on."

Stanley opened his jacket and their tired burned and broken souls nestled near his heart.

"Stanley, please. Wait!"

Their other boy shouted, but the noise grew faint as they closed their senses to rest.

Their Stanley, this missing part of their souls, turned on his heels and burst into flames leaving only ash and the distant sound of a motorcycle behind.

---

This was supposed to be a short drabble to get rid of my writer's block. As usual I wrote more than I meant to.

I'll use this fic as writing practice and will write more whenever I'm stuck with something else.

You can find and follow it HERE on Ao3 if you want to read more in the future, but don't expect fast or regular updates please :)

And of course, it's techically part of the

Selfish Shellfish AU - Masterpost

though no knowledge of that one is required.