SHORTS 8: Stan's Birthday [Takes place after "I Always Have A Plan"]

It was a success when the Shack threw its first ever party to attract the youth. However, it occurred to Y/n as she realized that they had not held a separate party to commemorate the older man's birthday. June 15th. This irritated her because she felt compelled to make an effort despite the man's wishes not to go too much on something so insignificant.

Now she made it her mission to throw a big surprise party that will hopefully send him into a heart attack– she was kidding. Or was she?

When she told Mabel of her plan, she had to cover the girl's mouth to prevent her from screaming excitedly. "Mabel, shh!" She hissed. That man's ears are too big for his own good. "It's supposed to be a secret!"

"I love surprise parties!" The braces-wearing girl squealed, twirling around. "Dipper and I are born birthday experts," she said, throwing an arm across her brother's shoulders.

Dipper pointed a finger gun at her. "We shared every birthday together so we know how to make them perfect."

"Alright," Y/n smiled. "I'm counting on you, guys. I guess I'll be the one distracting him while you guys do the planning."

"We need all hands on deck," Mabel said, reaching for her phone. "I'm calling for back-up," she hurried and dialed the numbers she obtained from her newfound friends, calling Soos for help. She walked downstairs, leaving the two.

Dipper didn't question Y/n's sudden decision to throw a surprise party for his great uncle, but he remained curious. Heck, he didn't even know that his birthday passed. But he felt warmth in his heart when he saw the way that she was willing to give him the best day ever, so of course he would help.

"What are you doing?" Stan deadpanned, not looking away from one of the control panels.

"Whatever do you mean?" Y/n asked with a slight smile, expecting Stan to question her behavior.

He rolled his eyes as if it was obvious. "You're doing that thing where you couldn't keep your hands still. Your tapping hurts my ears,"

"Well, you're an old man with huge ears after all, so of course you're sensitive to these noises," she replied easily, leaning back with her arms behind her neck.

"You only do that when you're nervous or anticipating something," he paused for a moment. "Are you hiding something from me?"

"I would never," Y/n breathed, her face morphing into an offensive expression. "I was just wondering if you'd like to go on a little expedition with me."

"Expe- what?" Stan questioned, glancing at her. "What's with the sudden activity? We haven't gone outside for the last thirty years."

"You mean we haven't gone outside together for the last thirty years," she easily corrected. "Come on, it'll be fun." She stood up and dusted her clothes.

He narrowed his eyes on her. "I'm suspicious of all of this." He spoke slowly, but after tossing the tools to the side, he relented. The two re-boarded the elevator, which took them to the top floor. She peered in through the vending machine's peeping hole. They quickly exited the multipurpose machine once the coast was clear. Y/n wondered where the gang was, but she had a feeling they were going to throw the party outside.

She led Stan outside, purposefully through the gift shop door—the exact opposite side of the Shack where the surprise was still going on. She was grateful for the events' precise timing. Stan wouldn't suspect anything because they walked out the door in front of them. From the corner of her eye, she saw a stray streamer flying aimlessly on the ground. Hopefully, Stan with his poor vision wouldn't notice. He didn't even question the disappearance of his employees and his niece and nephew.

"So, where are you taking me anyway?" Stan asked after a moment of walking idly around town. It took them about half an hour to exit the forest where the Mystery Shack resides. After crossing the wooden bridge, they were finally on the asphalt road. Thankfully, the streets were almost empty, but it was still a small town with people going to places they should go. She was also thankful that they minded their own business that day.

They passed by the Tent of Telepathy, Gleeful's Auto Sale, Greasy's Diner, a few more houses, until they rounded a corner and there was the local market at the other end of the avenue.

Y/n shrugged at his question. "We're going grocery shopping,"

"Well, you're unlucky," he faced her with a solemn smile. "I didn't bring my wallet-"

His words were stuck in his throat when she lazily raised her hand that held his auburn wallet. "You mean, this wallet?" She smirked.

Stan glared. "What are you planning..." He grouched.

"We've run out of food, Stan. What else are we supposed to do?"

He begrudgingly retrieved the shopping cart and began rolling his way in each aisle, Y/n in tow. She had the grocery list memorized in her head as she obtained what they needed. While strolling by the fresh goods area, Jimmy popped his head out from the corner with a smile.

Jimmy was the local grocer, ever the enthusiastic and perky teenager. Y/n flashed a kind smile at him. "Hi, Y/n!" He chirped. "Hey, Mr. Pines~!" He sang, already on his way to gather a dozen eggs. "Ya ready?"

Stan grinned, immediately shifting into a position. His legs were slightly apart as his body crouched. His hands were open and accepting as he eyed the eggs in the other person's arms, about to be transferred into the other. Y/n rolled her eyes playfully, moving the cart away for safety. They always seemed to do this every time Stan went to the market.

'Toss me a dozen eggs' was what they named the game.

But on the bright side, if Stan does catch the eggs, he gets to take it free, and no charge. But if even one egg slipped and fell to the ground, he gets nothing and he gets to pay for the cracked egg.

Stan was confident, though, and it didn't fade when he effortlessly secured them in his arms. "Ha! Nice throw, Jimmy!" Stan didn't forget to leave a compliment. If it wasn't for the boy's skill, he wouldn't have caught it properly.

Jimmy chuckled, impressed. He had his hands on either side of his hips. "Thanks for playing, Mr. Pines. 'Till next time," he retreated back to the storage room again.

All of the eggs Stan had captured were placed neatly on one side of the cart and they began pushing again. They didn't have to buy a lot of stuff so they were quick to check out. The bags they carried were light and soon their feet carried them back to the Mystery Shack.

"So you seriously forced me to go outside with you to go... grocery shopping?" Stan raised an eyebrow.

Y/n couldn't help but chuckle at that. "Maybe."

"That was it!?" Stan actually looked rather annoyed at the entire situation and she could only respond with an amused laugh.

"Yep! Now wasn't that fun?" She proudly smiled at him, to which he didn't reciprocate.

"I'm not having fun," he glared. "I'm not gonna agree to anything you offer ever again."

"Oh, come on!" Y/n expressed, her smile never leaving as she took the grocery bags inside and into the kitchen. She saw Mabel appearing behind Stan while he was busy glaring at her, showing an enthusiastic thumbs up– which only means that they were done with everything.

Well. that was fast.

"Okay, Stan, you caught me," Y/n raised her hands in faux defeat. "I brought you with me to go grocery shopping. But I've actually been wanting to expedite with you. I have these creatures I've been taking care of, but you might need some safety glasses before going to the site." The lie slipped easily from her lips. Stan kept his gaze at her, and his eyes became narrower and narrower in every sentence.

He kept quiet, but his hands remained on his hips.

"Now, we don't have access to either of our safety glasses, so we might need a makeshift one. Uh..." she looked around for something in the kitchen and settled for... "this one!" she said, holding up a random washcloth by the sink. "Here, wear it."

"What?!" Stan exclaimed. "Why do I need to wear one?"

"Um, because I don't feel pain?" She replied as if it was obvious. "And the site is very... bright and colorful. I hope you don't get sick of it." She said slowly, her story gradually falling apart. But the description reminded her of Rainbow-Blooded Equestrians she and Ford had an arm-wrestling match with that lasted for 30 hours.

Stan groaned. "Now I'm having second thoughts."

"Just- just put it on!" Y/n said, frustrated. She just needed Stan to be blindfolded. Was that so much to ask? "You can remove it once we're there."

He reluctantly put on the cloth around his eyes after handing the glasses to her. "Couldn't I put it on when we're near the site?"

Y/n resisted the urge to roll her eyes and bang her head against the wall. Of course Stan decided to be smart and calculating that day. "Good point, but we're actually nearer than you think." She retorted lightly. "Now, hold my hand, and follow the sound of my voice."

Stan wobbled around as he tried to step his foot on the ground. He was voicing out noises of discomfort of not being able to see while Y/n was happily guiding him towards the side of the Mystery Shack where a surprise was waiting for him.

Y/n made sure that her voice was loud for everyone else in the party to hear, taking that as their cue to hide. Everyone hid and managed to fit behind the table. "Okay, just walk over here," they hear Y/n's voice from the corner of the Shack. "And... stop." Y/n placed Stan in a spot where he could see everything.

There was a huge banner with the text saying, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY STAN!" with streamers and balloons hanging from the trees. The tables were filled with food and Y/n wondered how they prepared it quickly. Then again, they were outside for almost 2 hours.

"Okay. On the count of three, you're gonna remove your blindfold..." She ran to the side and shouted the following words. "3, 2, 1. Now!"

Stan pulled the cloth away from his head and adjusted his eyes to the lighting. Y/n handed him his glasses and as if on cue, the twins and their friends jumped out from the table. "Surprise! Happy Birthday Grunkle Stan!"

"Happy Birthday, Mr. Pines!" the others greeted.

"What...?" Stan was lost for words, looking at the scene in front of him. Mabel wore the biggest grin, while Soos had just thrown a handful of confetti. Grenda and Candy were also present, but Y/n was sheepishly bouncing on her heels.

Stan turned his head towards her. "So this was the reason why you deceived me."

Y/n's smile remained. "It was worth it, wasn't it?"

He wasn't able to provide an answer as the kids surrounded him with big smiles and hugs. "Happy Birthday, Grunkle Stan! Y/n told us pies are your favorite, but we didn't know which one specifically, so we have pecan pie, apple pie, pumpkin pie, key lime pie. Lazy Susan and Soos' Abuelita helped, but it's not a birthday without cake so we didn't forget about that one!" Mabel relayed the information to Stan, who was rendered speechless. He was left utterly stunned, his eyes widened in amazement. It was a rare expression for Stan to wear.

"Mr. Pines?" Soos called from beside him. "Are you crying?"

"N-no!" Stan quickly denied, looking away from them. He choked back a sob as he yelled, "I'm just sweating through my eyes! Come on, everybody, let's eat pie!"

"Yay!"

***

It was already nighttime when the duo found themselves back in the basement. It had gone quiet, the remnants of the party dying down from the excitement. The girl silently sat back on her chair after carefully placing the last slice of cake by her table. In the darkness, the older man with her brought out a lighter and a small candle, placing it on the cake after lighting it up.

The fire from the candle flickers, casting a soft glow that reflects the atmosphere.

It wasn't just Stan's birthday.

It was always a tradition on every birthday to make a wish before blowing out the candle. And in that moment, in the silence of the portal room, their hearts seemed to intertwine as they yearned for the same thing: to bring the real Stanford back.

The two exchanged glances, nodding as if to say, "I've always got your back."

They'll bring him back.

***

author's note:
HI YALL! welcome to another set of shorts! these are original ones, and will be composed of 4-5 shorts! no codes this time, but prepare for lotta ones in the second season ;) (no way, confirmed second season wowie)

anyways, happy birthday to the original pines twins! in a way, this is my belated birthday present for them. it's all up to u what to give your old man :)

keep on a look out for... anything honestly. sometimes i might feel silly and change things. my brain is getting foggy from writing so i apologize for the mistakes and cheesy writing. i might forget anything important, but i'm sure future me will handle it and add it to the next one. we'll see.

as always, i love you guys so much. i appreciate your comments and they make me amuse every time. i read them all!!! keep commenting!!! i love u !!!

kimmiepines