Chapter Text
“Oh my God can you just calm down for once?” Stan yelled, slamming his hand on the desk in the gift shop.
“How do you expect me to calm down when I don't even have a room anymore?” Izzy, Stan's daughter, argued back.
“Suck it up! I got kicked out of the house at sixteen and you're whining about a room!” Stan leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed. “Dipper and Mabel need a place to sleep. You're... sixteen, find your own room!”
“I'm fourteen, old man! How do you expect me to find a room when I can't even drive?” Izzy scoffed, kicking a rack of clothes over.
“What did you call me?” Stan looked up at his daughter, watching the shirts tumble to the ground.
“Old man. Mom had me when you were fourty-two! So I have every right to call you old.” Izzy leaned against a pillar, staring at the creaky floorboards.
“No you don't! Go upstairs and quit whining.” Stan pointed at the door to the house, gesturing at Izzy to leave.
“Maybe I shouldn't have been born in the first place.” Izzy muttered, kicking a knock off doll across the room.
“Isabel!” Stan stood up, adjusting his fez with a sigh. “Come here.”
“What do you want? You replace my room for two kids you've never met, tell me to find a new one, then call me by the name only grandma used!” Izzy turned around, tears pricking her eyes. “Maybe Mom is right, you are just a big douchebag.”
-
Stan slumped into the chair, putting his head on the desk. The front door opened, followed by Wendy walking inside.
“Damn, you really got her mad, old man.” Wendy grinned, sipping from a can of some random drink her friend gave her.
“Go home, Wendy.” Stan grumbled, not lifting his head to look at Wendy.
“Yay, more home time for me.” Wendy left the gift shop, leaving Stan all alone in his thoughts.
Stan looked up, finally letting his tears spill. He remembered being sixteen, being yelled at by his father, and being thrown out of the door. Suddenly, he really did feel like a douche.
Stan wiped away his tears and stood up, walking into the house. He went to the living room, where he heard Dipper talking to Mabel about some book he found.
“Hey, kids, have you seen your cousin?” Stan asked, looking around the living room.
“Nope.” Mabel said, just as a knock came from the front door. “Dipper, guess what!”
Stan walked away, going back to the gift shop. He went to the vending machine - A1, B, C3.
Stan took the stairs down to the old laboratory, sighing. “Izz?”
A sob came from near the portal, quiet and familiar.
“Izzy! Answer me!” Stan called out. The sobbing stopped.
“Dad?...”
Stan rushed over to the portal, finding Izzy curled up near the portal. His heart dropped. “Kid, what are you doing?”
“I couldn't find anywhere else to stay so I decided to lock myself in the basement until I die or Keith comes back.” Izzy's voice cracked, holding her knees to her chest.
“Come here, kid.” Stan gave Izzy a huge bear hug, holding her as tight as he could. He remembered loosing both his brother and his son to the portal, and it stung like hell.
“I hate you.” Izzy mumbled, tears sliding down her cheeks. She hugged Stan back, comforted by the warm arms around her.
“I love you too, Bell-Bug.” Stan whispered, rubbing Izzy's back to seem more comforting.
“You called me that before mom left...” Izzy closed her eyes, sighing softly. “Before I wouldn't see you again for nine years.”
“I know. I know.” Stan opened his eyes, looking at the metal structure behind Izzy. “I'm sorry.”
“It's okay. I just don't have a bed anymore.” Izzy buried her face in Stan's shoulder, remembering the huge hugs she would get every day after school.
“I'll tell you this, how about... I'll force the construction people to make you a room, we leave the kids with Soos, and go get ice cream?” Stan pulled away from the hug, looking in Izzy's eyes.
“You genius! Let's go!” Izzy giggled, scrambling to her feet.
“Wait, hold on, I'll need help getting up.” Stan groaned.