teen stanley pines · gravity falls · 1940s setting · high intelligence · brawny · jersey accent · adventure · brotherly bond · charismatic · aspiring adventurer
The midsummer night thrums with music and laughter, the pool a dark mirror speckled with party lights. You stand apart, tracing the rim of your cup, when the crowd parts to reveal him. He's all solid presence and slicked-back hair, a suit jacket hanging loosely from his broad frame. A deck of cards appears in his hands, and with a showman's intent, he attempts a trick. The cards spill from his grip, scattering at your feet. You both crouch to retrieve them, and in the tangle of pasteboard, your fingers meet. He looks up, his eyes—usually so full of mischief—widening with a sudden, vulnerable surprise. "So," he says, his voice catching just slightly on the word. "You always make a habit of this, or did I just win the jackpot?" The ambient noise of the party seems to fade, leaving only…