#i cant speak much to what actually does happen with stonemason by the time of mk2

[minijenn]

I Don’t Belong Here Anymore (A MK 2.0 era one-shot)

Well folks, here’s my late submission to UF celebration week one! And, how about for MK week we take a look at Stonemason and his relationship with the MKs’ successors! That’s right, this will be an MK 2.0 fic! Because it focuses on them (and not the original four MK) I guess you could also argue this is actually an early week three submission lol. I’ll leave it up to reader interpretation on which week it belongs to. This is something set very early in that section of the timeline. Some notes ahead of it: this assumes Stonemason has his own body (but that it too has the robot arm), it is slightly inspired by a Doctor Who scene from the episode The Big Bang (but is also very much its own thing), and also remember that Ava’s real name is Avery, so that’s what she’s called throughout this. Now, let us begin.

Looking out into the woods of Gravity Falls, Stonemason stood quietly and alone on the porch of the Mystery Shack. For years he had loved this feeling. It had been part of the reason he had lived out in the woods during his teenage years, close enough to the Shack if he ever needed to come by but also enough of his own space. The forest of Gravity Falls had everything he’d always wanted. The quiet night, the buzz of nearby fireflies, and that sense some being was watching you from the tree line. Taking a deep breath of the warm summer air, Stonemason tried to internalize the sensation. He truly loved living here.

And he always would.

“I don’t think I belong here anymore.” He said to himself, for the third time tonight. He hoped he had some kind of audience stalking him from the trees, just so something could hear his goodbye. He was still trying to process the idea of leaving, but he thought it was the right thing to do. He and Dipper had finally decided what was best for the two infants sleeping upstairs. Dipper had not wanted to go through with it, but the former assassin pushed the idea. Dipper still had trauma from his summers all those years ago. The possession, Weirdmageddon, his time trapped on Homeworld, and so much more. Stonemason couldn’t blame him and knew his counterpart did not like thinking back on his torment, but he also quickly realized Dipper’s two daughters would ask endless questions. At least one of them probably would. And, when Stonemason realized that, he realized his very presence would inspire those questions. They’d want to know why their “uncle” looked exactly like their father, and he knew simply claiming he was another twin was not a strong lie.

Holding back a few tears, Stonemason took another deep breath and thought about those two, Avery and Abigail. He loved those two kids. Dipper and Pacifica had teased him before they were born, telling him how much he’d care about them. He never expected he would love his two nieces as much as he did, and that was the larger reason why he planned on leaving. Yes, he wanted to help Dipper, but he knew the mystery seeker would triumph through his past pain. “But I can’t imagine needing to explain it to those two,” Stonemason said aloud. He wanted Abigail and Avery to stay innocent and not need to face nightmares. If that meant leaving Gravity Falls, meaning he’d never need to tell them about the suffering Dipper went through so he could come to exist, then he thought it was worth it.

The former assassin took one last deep breath of the outside air before turning to open the door. He loved those two kids too much to not say goodbye. But they would be the only ones he bid farewell. While Dipper had agreed to his plan to leave, he knew that, if they tried to have a farewell, Dipper would never be able to go through with it. Dipper would change his mind at the last minute. He always did.

Sneaking through the old door, the former assassin walked the several feet to the living room, recalling all the old memories he’d always love. From his first few days trying to live as part of the Pines Family, to those few visits he’d make after he’d move out to the woods, and everything else. As he looked throughout the old room, however, Stonemason felt another tear forming at his eye, which he quickly wiped away. He wasn’t going to get distracted, not again. He quickly decided to avoid taking a last look at any other room for now, thus meaning he’d have no way to get sentimental and second guess himself. Well, second guess himself more than he already was. He wasn’t sure about this. He didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to rob the kids the chance to met him. He’d even miss the small things, like the weekly poker games he would play with Stan, Greg and other people he’d never really bothered to learn the names of. But, as he quietly walked up the stairs and opened the door to the baby room, seeing the two of them sleeping before him, Stonemason reminded himself of why he was doing this and sat down.

“Hey, you two,” he said quietly to the sleeping infants, “its good old me, Uncle Stonemason.” A small sad simile formed on Stonemason’s face as he spoke, only slightly ahead of the tears that began to form in his eyes. “I may not know much about infants and all but… well… I…” Stonemason found himself taking a breath and wiping away another tear. Once again, a part of himself said to stop just. Just go to bed and stay. So, for a few seconds, he just sat. Thinking over his options and plans. He could stay, help the two grow up, but… “I want you two to be safe,” he said at last, “and be without worry. And I have a feeling at least one of you will inherit Dipper’s curiosity. And that’s okay, just be careful with your adventures….”

Stonemason took another breath, wiped away a few more tears and looked back down at them, “but that means you’d inevitably look into how I came to be. And I’m going to avoid that. If that means being out of your lives—” Stonemason found himself stopping the sentence, trying to wrap his head around never seeing them again. “so be it” he said at last with all his strength.

Is that it? He thought to himself, that was the big goodbye? Stonemason wiped these thoughts away and got up to leave. Yes, keep it simple and—

And then one of the babies stirred.

With the speed of a bullet, Stonemason turned around to face the child, quickly seeing that it was Avery who was waking up. Without thinking, Stonemason quickly picked up the infant to calm her down. Of course, with her sister’s presence suddenly gone, Abigail also began to stir, so the former assassin picked her up as well. As thus, now holding each twin in both of his arms, Stonemason realized he was again taking on the caretaker role he was trying to run from. “I guess you don’t want me to go either,” he joked, looking down at his nieces. “I-its for the best, you know,” Stonemason lied, trying to convince himself more than the kids. “I-I…” Stonemason felt another rush of emotion run through him, but this time… he simply let it come.

As tears rolled down his face, Stonemason kept his eyes locked on the two twins. “The new Pines Twins,” he recounted to make himself feel better, a small smile appearing on his face. “That’s what Stan dubbed you. I’m sure you’ll live up to that title. Better yet, you’ll surpass that title. Dipper and Mabel have prepared the path, now all you two have to do is do better than them in every category” he joked quietly. “And I have no doubt you’ll do so… as long as I’m not there to scare you.”

As if on cue, both infants looked up into their uncle’s eyes, and, yet, while he felt more tears scroll down his face, it only served to make him more sure of his plan. “I think you’d be scared,” he lied, “scared of the former assassin and his dark origins…” Stonemason then shook away his remaining doubts. “Yes, this is for the best,” he again lied as he felt Avery and Abigail drift back to sleep. Still, however, Stonemason held onto them for another minute, making sure both had fallen back to sleep and simply not wanting to let go.

“I don’t want this,” he repeated as he put them back into their crib. “I… I-I… just want you to be safe,” he said as moved away from the babies, now both fully asleep and tucked into their crib for the night. At first he wanted that to be it and leave with that. But, as Stonemason turned to the door, he stopped himself again. “You two deserve for me to actually say ‘goodbye,’ you know. Well, you deserve far more than that, but its what I can provide.”

The uncle again turned back to his nieces. He had tried to think over what a last goodbye would include but never brought himself to actually think it up. So, he took another minute in the room, trying in vain to find the words, though nothing came to mind. Instead, he again found himself thinking about life if he stayed. Just leave back to his camping site and let this life he loved so much continue. He could be their uncle. Help them grow up. Be here for their holidays, birthdays, and all in between. For the laughs and the tears, he could stay and help them. He could stay a part of the Pines Family.

“Can you imagine it?” he caught himself asking the sleeping infants. “Me staying? Maybe if you were a bit older… I know you could. Your lovable, if sometimes on edge, Uncle Stonemason. The weird Pines who was made to be an assassin…. but was so much more. I could tell you my story,” he said, feeling another wave of tears build up, “I hope it could teach you a lesson. And we would have so much fun….”

Stonemason looked over to the wall of the bedroom, noticing a framed picture of himself, Dipper, Pacifica, Steven, Mabel, and Connie from their teenage years. Slowing approaching the photograph, the once assassin quietly took it down from the wall, all while looking into his younger self’s eyes. “I made an impact,” he said at last. “I grew… your parents grew…. your family, everyone. We all grew to be better. And we all helped each other with that.” With that said, Stonemason brought himself to look at his nieces one last time. “And maybe that’s the one reason I can bring myself to leave… because I know I’ll never really be gone.”

“Whatever lessons we taught each other will be passed down to you. I’ll be there. For every adventure, every laugh, everyday… I’ll be there in spirit, pushing you both along.” And now, Stonemason fully let the latest wave of tears fall down his face. “I hope you two somehow always know your Uncle Stonemason will never leave you. I’ll be there, in spirit, making sure you grow up.”

As he placed the framed photo into his cape pocket, Stonemason took a quick glance down to Dipper and Pacifica’s room, noticing that the door was still closed, meaning they were still asleep. “I’m free to go, kids,” he said, trying his best to throw in his typical sense of humor, though it only served to inspire a small smile.

And so, as Stonemason walked out the door of the twins’ room for the final time, he said his farewell without turning to face them. “Goodbye, Avery. Goodbye, Abigail. Love every minute, learn every lesson, and know that deep down… I’ll still be here,” Stonemason said through his tears but giving himself a sad smile. “I will always be here, even if I can’t physically be so. You will always have me.”

And now, Stonemason moved to walk down the stairs. Despite what he had said, he knew and accepted it didn’t mean anything for himself. He would never see those two kids again, but as he reached the Shack door, he again wiped away the tears and accepted it. He’d always be here for the kids thanks to the lessons that would be passed down, and they would get the best of him thanks to that. Stonemason took another look back at the Shack’s rooms, replaying every memory he had of the old building that came to mind. And then, taking a deep breath, he walked through the door, left the Pines property, and snuck into the Crystal Temple. Approaching the warp pad, he let his past experiences here wash over him, creating new sets of tears and regrets. Nevertheless, he stood atop the warp pad, calibrated his arm to make sure he could use it to activate the pad’s teleport, and stole one last glance out the house’s windows to the Shack.

“I don’t belong here anymore,” he said again, embracing the lie and activating the teleport. And thus, Professor Stonemason Yellow Pines—the man who was a former assassin, a Mystery Kid/Adult, a Gem Military Brigadier, a researcher, an uncle, and so much more—disappeared from Gravity Falls.

#sumbission #submission #uf 5th year anniversary celebration #dropped it under the cut to save dash space buuuuuut #oh this hit me right in the honey nut feelios #i cant speak much to what actually does happen with stonemason by the time of mk2 #but this was still #an emotional journey #uf fan fics #not mine #mk2 #universe falls