Siblings

seiya234:

“Grunkle Stan?! Grunkle Stan where are you? I got a guy named Big Lou on the line for you in the Library and he sounds kind of mad and oh-!”

Mabel peered at her great-uncle, who was currently sitting at the desk in his office. He was looking at a large picture frame in his hand, bright pink and glitter, and didn’t seem to notice that Mabel was standing in the doorway. Mabel had made the frame for him for Stan’s birthday a few years ago, putting together several pictures that had been scattered around the house.

There was Stan and her and Dipper on his crappy old fishing boat. Her in a gown and robes, and a corporeal Dipper crying golden tears the day she graduated high school. There was Stan on the day of their wedding, eyes suspiciously red as he stood in between her and Henry. Grunkle Stan holding the triplets in the hospital, tiny heads capped with two green caps and one yellow cap popping out of his arms. Grunkle Stan and the triplets all covered in chocolate cake and whipped cream at their third birthday party.

And a picture she had found in the cracks of the parlor floorboards, of Grunkle Stan and his brother, sunburnt and standing next to a wreck of a boat, the words “Stan-o-war” freshly painted on. 

Mabel had a feeling that she knew what was wrong. 

“They won’t stay mad at each other forever, you know?” she said quietly, finally getting his attention. His head shot up and he stared at her.

“What are you talking about kid?” he asked, playing dumb. 

“The kids. They’ll get over it in like, an hour, and be back to normal, I promise.” From what Mabel could tell when she had gone into the living room to break the three of them up, Willow and Acacia had gotten into a fight over who could have the last of the red gummy bears in the bag. Hank had tried to intervene by reaching in and stuffing all of them in his mouth, which made perfect sense to her son, but only made his sisters turn on him. Mabel had heard the sound of their squabbling all the way across the Shack, and had to leave her desk for a second to break them up. Currently there were three very upset five year olds positioned in time out in the corners of the living room. She planned on giving them a few minutes to stew, before letting them free. Mabel hadn’t realized that Stan must have heard them fighting from his office. 

Grunkle Stan said nothing, but Mabel noticed his thumb rub the corner where she had put the picture of him and Ford. She went on. 

“Yup, they’re just like me and Dipper at that age. Did I tell you about the time we were fighting over who got to play with the cool Barbie, and we both fell down the stairs because we were in the hall?” Mabel forced a laugh. “Scared the flip flop out of Mom, I can tell you that!”

He harrumphed. “Sweetie, I’m not stupid, I know kids fight, sheesh, tell me something new.” But Mabel could see his hands tighten on the frame and shake a bit. She sighed. They could dance around in circles for an hour because Stan Didn’t Talk About Feelings or she could be blunt. She chose blunt. 

“They’re not going to end up like you and Ford.”

Grunkle Stan snorted. “I wasn’t worried about that at all; hey did I hear the phone ringing in the Library I can go get that-”

Stan put down the picture frame and got up from his desk, but before he even had stepped around, Mabel’s arm had shot out, barring the doorway.

“I mean it Grunkle Stan. I know it sc-” She thought about her Grunkle, and chose a different word instead. “-worries you when the triplets yell at each other. But they will never end up like you and your brother, I promise.”

Stan looked away, and rubbed a hand over his face. Quietly he said “I didn’t think we’d end up that way but we did.”

“Yeah but you know what the kids have that you two didn’t?” She pointed at herself with both thumbs. “MABEL!”

A weak smile broke on Stan’s face despite his best efforts. Mabel launched herself at him and grabbed her great-uncle in a massive hug.

“Mabel, kiddo you’re going to break my ribs-”

She let him go and poked him in the stomach. “The kids will be fine because you and me and Henry and Dipper….we make sure to let each of them know that they’re special in their own way, that we love them for them, we don’t compare them or make them feel like crap or any of that.”

The term “unlike your parents” lingered in the air, unsaid but understood.

Stan rubbed the back of his head, still obviously not completely convinced. Mabel smiled softly and took her grunkle by the hand.

“Here, I’ll show you.”

They made their way quietly though the house and to the living room. They peeked through the door way. All but one corner held a small red-head looking both at the wall and not as sorry as Mabel would have liked, but eh, they were five.

“Will. Case.” Hank said from his corner. “Guess what?”

Willow snerked. “What Hank?”

Hank paused for a second and then whispered, “Butts.”

Both his sisters broke out into furious giggles and he joined them. They calmed down, and then Acacia said, “Guess what?”

“What?”

“….double butts.”

The three of them burst into simultaneous peals of laughter, and Mabel looked at Stan. His eyes looked suspiciously moist, and Mabel pretended not to notice.

She put her hand into one of Stan’s. 

“They’ll be fine because they got us, and they got each other. Now go pick up the phone while I let them out of time out. Pretty sure Big Lou just got even madder waiting for us.”

Stan swore and walked off into the Library.

Mabel grinned. 

Alpha mom won again.