whatever it takes • gravity falls

the calm

The next few weeks, Stan spent a lot of his time in the basement.

The kids were avoiding him, spending most of their time either in the attic or around town. Stan guessed they were putting all their energy into planning their birthday so they wouldn't have to focus on other things.

(Some of those other things being; that they didn't trust their great uncle anymore, that they have another great uncle they'll never meet, that there was a portal beneath their feet with the capability to destroy the world, puberty.)

Stan put almost all hours of the day into the portal, feeling twenty seven again and filled with an eager hope. Each night Stan was exhausted and feel asleep fast, Bill staying true to his word and visiting every night. His help proved to be very valuable, fixing things that Stan didn't even know needed to fix. He didn't know why his brother was so bananas about this dude. Stan was trusting Bill more and more as the days went by, them turning into something that could be called friends.

One night, Stan said, "I think I'll take a break tomorrow. It's not as easy as it used to be."

Bill shot Stan a look like he was crazy. "A break? Sixer finally has an opportunity to come home from what you've put him through, and you're going to delay giving that to him? Maybe you're dumber than I thought..."

Stan worked with a new fire the next day.

It was nearing the end of the summer and Stan was working in the basement, sitting next to an open circuit board and fiddling with the wires inside.

He heard the elevator and looked up to see Mabel standing in front of him, avoiding his eyes. "Hey Grunkle Stan."

Stan put his tools down and leaned against the wall where he was sitting on the ground. His eyes felt heavy and he had to fight to keep them open. "Hey kiddo," He said around a yawn.

Mabel kicked a rock softly and it rolled under one of the machines. "Is it okay if I use to stove to make dinner for all of us? It's me and Dipper's birthday in a few days and all of us haven't been spending much time together recently and I just thought it'd be nice if we all had dinner together tonight."

Stan smiles because how could be not. "Sure, go ahead. That sounds nice. Come get me when it's ready."

Mabel smiles like the sun, giving Stan a quick look before turning on her heel and running towards the elevator. "Thanks Grunkle Stan!" She yells over her shoulder as the doors close.

That kid was something else. Even when she leaves for the summer, Stan doubts he'll ever be able to forget her smiles, her glitter, h̶o̶w̶ ̶s̶h̶e̶ ̶d̶o̶o̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶S̶t̶a̶n̶f̶o̶r̶d̶ her kindness; just her general Mabel-ness. Her and Dipper were a force to be reckoned with.

He can remember their birth clearly. A tux (what were you supposed to wear to a birth?),eight-ball cane, and gloves stuffed with an extra finger. One wailing was joined by another and suddenly there were two more people on earth. Stan was allowed to hold them fourth, staring through misty eyes at the little Mabel grabbing onto his finger and the little Mason with a brilliant Little Dipper on his forehead.

Stan is warm in memories and doesn't remember the last time he got a full night's rest, so while leaning against the portal's machinery, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.

He closes his eyes and opens them a moment later to a black and white shack, the only color being the yellow annoyed-looking triangle floating in front of him.

"You know," Bill says with a cross of his arms, "Your limited human capabilities are getting annoying."

Stan shrugs, looking around at the mindscape he's gotten used to. "There's not much I can do about that, humans got to sleep."

Bill rubs his face where Stan can imagine his chin being. "But I can do something."

Stan hums in question and Bill continues. "When you fall asleep, I can take over control of your body. I can work on the portal even faster without the need to dumb down everything for you. Then later when you wake up, you have control over your body again." Bill sticks a hand out that become engulfed in blue flames, "All I need is a deal."

Stan stares at Bill's hand, raising an eyebrow. "You mean, like possession?"

Bill's hand doesn't waver. "No, it's more like me taking your flesh bag for a spin and doing the hard work while you're unconscious. Doing this, we'll get your brother home even faster, which is what you want, right?"

And that's what Stan wants more than anything; so, he shakes Bill's hand. "What do I do now?"

"Just sit back and relax." And the mindscape fades to black as Stan falls into a proper sleep, dreaming up far away oceans as his body's eyes open with a high pitched laughter, the unnatural yellow piercing the darkness of the basement.