[HIATUS] The Day the Campers Came | GRAVITY FALLS/CAMP CAMP AU

01

Dipper poked his food uncomfortably, his makeshift journal sitting on his lap. His family (Gruncle Stan, Great Uncle Ford, Mabel, and somehow Waddles the Pig), surrounding him at the dinner table.

Dipper should tell Ford never, ever to cook as long as Gravity Falls attracted oddities. This was disgusting. Dipper could hardly identify what it was, but wouldn't be surprised if it were some Interdimensional meal that was barely safe for human consumption.

He continued to poke and prode his food until he managed to chew and swallow the... slop. The family was eating, laughing, having fun, things they regularly did.

Until something in the basement began going off, loudly. Dipper and Ford raced to the basement, but it shut off as quickly as it started. They scoured their various computers, devices, anything that could help them. "Dipper, the radar!" Ford commanded.

Dipper checked all the drawers until he found it. The center of the radar was the current location, the Mystery Shack. To the Northeastern corner of the radar were two pulsating dots, one much stronger than the other. Eventually, one went out. The other faded, but continued to glow.

The two grabbed their weapons, Dipper his crossbow and Ford his gun, simultaneously agreeing to go and check it out. The two rushed past their more extroverted twin siblings who were left confused.

"Nerds!" Mabel yelled, grabbing her grappling hook as Stan grabbed a sword off the shelf of the Mystery Shack attractions. The two ran behind them, leaving Waddles to watch the house.

Dipper honed in on the distance between him and the anomalies. Ford and Dipper were running quicker than they had the last time they had to hide their stuff from the government.

"Hello! Anybody..?" An unknown voice called from the direction they were running to. "Please—"

Dipper could hear Mabel stop, followed by Stan, then finally by Ford and himself. It was a person?

Dipper looked at the radar again and saw the two dots not very far from their location. One was pulsing brightly, almost blindingly so. One was faded, pulsing very slowly and weakly, right next to the other.

"HELP!" The voice called again. The radar in Dipper hands began to crack before he took off towards the voice. With every step, every pace, it cracked even more. "PLEASE," the voice screamed. It sounded tremendously horrified and hurt. The radar cracked further until it broke, sending glass shards into Dipper's palm. He screamed.

"Dipper!" Mabel shouted from afar. "ARE YOU OKAY?"

"I'M FINE!" Dipper shouted. He prepared his crossbow with a bolt for whatever was setting the radar off so powerfully.

Dipper continued walking and the other three followed behind him. They continued until they reached a depression in the ground.

The center of the depression, layed against a tree, were two boys around the mystery twins' age. One was wide-eyed at the group, cradling the other who seemed to be injured.

The conscious one looked at the group in shock and fear. Blood was running down the arm that was holding the other's head, staining his rolled-up sleeves.

The unconscious one, however, lay limply in the other's arms. He was breathing. He was alive.

Dipper felt Mabel grasp his arm in worry. The two looked eachother in the eyes, Dipper seeing the nervousness and worry in his sister's eyes.

Mabel slowly advanced towards the two boys. The one attempted to get up, before he slips and falls back down. "Hey, hey-" Mabel started. "You're going to be okay. Gruncle Stan, can you pick this one up?"

Stan walked over hesitantly before stopping in front of the boys. Ford cleared his throat. "We need to take them back to the shack for testing." He states. The conscious one clutches the other in fear and shyed away from their touch.

"No, no- he doesn't mean that. No testing. You and your friend will be just fine." Mabel promised, easing her way closer. The unconscious boy tensed seeming angrily, gripping onto the other for dear life. He whispers unintelligible things under his breath.

The conscious one looked at him worriedly before pulling him in for a hug. The unconscious boy seemed to ease.

The conscious one's eyes drooped. "Help him," he whispered before falling unconscious, too.

The walk back was silent, nobody daring to speak. Stan carried the tall, lanky one with the bleeding head. Ford carried the shorter one that was previously conscious.

Dipper, Mabel, and Stan waited nervously for Ford to finish the check-up on the two. Ford had informed them that the shorter one was, in fact, awake. He told them to wait for questions until he was ready.

Mabel leaned her head on Dipper's shoulder as Stan rubbed Dipper's shoulder with his left hand.

Eventually, Ford stepped outside with a person behind him. The previously conscious one had shaky hands as he looked up at the three. He muttered out a shy, "Hello.." his voice was heavy with an accent Dipper couldn't indentify at the moment, and he sounded scared. "I'm Harrison." The boy fixed his composure and looked at them directly.

Mabel stepped forward and held out her hand for a handshake. "I'm Mabel. This is Dipper, my bro-bro," Harrison seemed to tense a bit. "That's my Gruncle –Great Uncle– Stan, and you've already met Gruncle Ford!" She smiled broadly at him. Harrison smiled back meekly.

"My- my friend is Neil." Harrison looked towards the door (formerly vending machine entrance) to the basement. "He'll be okay, right?" He asked nervously.

Mabel took Harrison's single hand in both of hers. She felt something sparky, something alive as they held hands. "He'll be okay." She promised once more before taking him in a hug. Harrison cautiously allowed it, hugging her back. Mabel picked him up and spun him around before setting him down.

"What's your favorite color and hobby? You need a sweater!" She said enthusiastically, grabbing Harrison by the shoulders.

"Don't kill him, kiddo." Stan said, chuckling. "He just woke up."

"Yeah," Dipper agreed. "You doing okay.. Harrison, was it?"

"Yeah. That's my name." Harrison nodded, a small smile on his face. "I'm doing okay. And- uhh, Mabel? My favorite color is purple and I like magic and writing."

"Thank you! I'll start now!" Mabel engulfed Harrison and Dipper in a group hug before racing up the stairs to start her project.

The four heard a noise come from downstairs. Screaming. Neil, screaming.

Harrison ran down those stairs as fast as possible without falling. Neil stopped screaming before he made it downstairs.

Neil was awake, his eyes screwed shut, curled up in a ball, his hands over his ears.

"Neil." Harrison spoke. Neil looked up, ignoring the ringing he heard momentarily. His breathing slowed, the sight of Harrison bringing a strange sense of comfort.

Harrison eased closer to his friend, raising an attempt of a comforting hand before Neil muttered, "don't touch me, please."

"Alright. Neil," Harrison said as Neil noticed four figures standing just by the door frame. "You're going to be okay. I'm going to be okay. We'll be just fine,"

Neil curled in on himself further, wrapping his arms around his legs and setting his head on his knees. Harrison sat next to him.

"Why were you screaming?" The accented boy asked.

"I saw something." Neil leaned a bit closer to Harrison. Harrison moved his right arm so Neil could.

"You want to talk about it?" Neil put his head on Harrison's shoulder, seemingly less overwhelmed then before. Harrison put his arm around Neil's shoulders.

"No."

"Alright. We don't have to, then." Harrison brought Neil in for a half-assed, half hug.

Harrison gulped before he smiled. "I think we'll like it here, for the time being."