PRE-ENDGAME REUNION LOG

[grimgrinningghosts]

[For those of you who've touched the box, congrats, you made a good call.

You find yourselves sucked in to a black void, The Hollywood Tower Hotel stands in the distance. Everywhere you look, you'll see familiar faces and...amusement park rides. That's fine. Everybody ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride with their significant others.

You still have work to do. You need to prevent this from ever happening again. But, for now, you need to be happy. Have fun.]

*

(OOC: Welcome, friends! Round 3, with the help of the now-redeemed(?) Hades, has made their way to Deadland. The survivors of Round 1 and 2 will arrive approximately half an hour after this. You have approximately two hours ICly before Rod, Hades, Mickey and Ghostave discuss battleplans.

This is our cooldown log before the This will be the last log you have from us until Sunday, where we'll kick off the first phase of our great big gay endgame week. Feel free to make as many toplevels as you want until then.)

Comments

[sorrydoods]

[Yeah, definitely a hug that lifts him on the ground. Also a bit of a twirl because theatrics]

You're okay, you're okay, thank God you're okay!

[Don't mind him just crying tears of joy]

[stanbyme]

Hey, hey, easy with the waterworks, Soos, I ain't had this suit dry cleaned in months.

[He says, between laughter. Soos even gets a hug back.]

[sorrydoods]

I...I'm just so happy, I...I...

[Yeah, he's not even listening. He's just burying his face into Stan's shoulder, finding more comfort in doing that than anything he'd done in the past few hours. He was so scared, so terrified that the last time he would've ever seen Stan was his bloody, mangled corpse, and the fact it wasn't...he just...he might need a minute or two of this.]

[stanbyme]

[...Suddenly, Soos crying into his shoulder is just the kid whose Abuelita called him out of work on his birthday, who came in the next day looking like his whole world crashed down around him. The kid he got banned from airlines trying to get his whole birthday cancelled. Who found that little cubby of pipes and wirework and claimed it as his own, doing his homework in there and proudly calling it his break room even after he was way too big to fit in there anymore.

Good thing Soos has his face hidden in Stan's jacket, so he can't see the way the tough, teasing look on Stan's face fades. He rubs Soos' back (is that- are those both of his sweaters?).]

You're alright, kid. I'm here, I gotcha.

[sorrydoods]

[He takes in a couple deep breathes, feeling happier than he's ever been in the last two months. He didn't know how much he needed this until now. How much he needed the man that was practically his father to just tell him that everything's alright. That everything was going to be okay, as long as they were together. It makes him feel just...blissful.

He lets out a relieved sigh before he can look back at Stan's face.]

Thanks. I...I needed that.

[and yes those are both of his sweaters what did you expect him to just leave them there]

[stanbyme]

Yeah, yeah, don't go tellin' everybody about it, they'll think I'm going soft.

[There's no bite in it, and he ruffles Soos' hair.]

Now gimme one of my sweaters, I don't wanna be walking around in a wet jacket. And the dry cleaning's coming out of your paycheck.

[It's absolutely not, and if that suit was dry-clean only it wouldn't have made it half as long as it did.]

[sorrydoods]

[He just nods along. He knows he doesn't mean it, and he kinda appriciates the sense of normalcy hearing him talk that way. He can't wait until their back home even more, now.

He'll try wiping away some of his tears before he takes the 'Universe's Greatest Grunkle' sweater off his shoulders and offers it to Stan.]

[stanbyme]

[Stan shrugs out of his jacket and... That sense of normalcy falters a little bit when he looks at the sweater. One of the ones that Mabel made for him with love.]

...On second thought, maybe I oughta stick with the suit.

[He says, still holding the sweater and not taking his eyes off of it.

He doesn't deserve this sweater anymore.]

[sorrydoods]

[He can't help but tilt his head in confusion when he hears this. Why would he not what the sweater? It's not li-

...oh...he already knows what this is about. He felt this kind of thing earlier in the day, after...everything that happened...]

No. You...you deserve to wear this. Even if you don't think so, I know you do.

[stanbyme]

Soos, I panicked and tried to get all of us killed. And then I didn't even do that right.

[He holds the sweater a little tighter, gripping it in his hands.]

[sorrydoods]

Yeah, to try and get Mabel to survive! Something that I'm pretty sure we all would've been okay with had the vote been normal and not just stupidly rigged!

[At the very least he would've been completely okay with dying for Mabel, and that's good enough for him.]

[stanbyme]

[I mean, he was banking on some of y'all forgiving him if his plan worked so...yeah, he figured you'd be fine with it once it happened, Soos.]

But I couldn't- save her...

[It was like he suddenly remembered - really remembered, not the half-memory of a story with no pictures - the Fearamid, remembered Bill with the twins clenched in his fist screaming "EENIE MEENIE MINEY...YOU"

only this time he didn't have a plan. This time he didn't have anything he could bargain or leverage. He didn't have anything he could do to save her.]

[sorrydoods]

AND NEITHER COULD I! DO YOU THINK IT DIDN'T HURT ME TOO?!

[The waterworks are starting up again as his brain just goes back to that pattern: his fault, his fault, all of it was his fault...]

I-I made a promise to Dipper, I-I said I'd protect you, get you out of there alive, a-and instead I couldn't do anything as I watched you both die, and...and...

[He's hyperventilating, and he looks like he's about to go back into fetal position. It hurt, it hurt so, so much...]

[stanbyme]

[Ah, fuck]

Okay, alright, I'll wear the sweater! Just- Just calm down, Soos. I'm here, the kids are here, we're all fine and dandy.

[He's- he's wearing the sweater now can we stop the crying]

[sorrydoods]

[He can't stop the tears at the moment, but he can at least hold back his sobs as he hugs Stan again, a bit tighter this time.]

I know, I just...I was terrified, and I thought I was never going to see either of you again, and...

[He needs to take a couple more deep breathes before he can keep going.]

I'm just...really grateful I can fix this.

[stanbyme]

[...He's not wearing the Goodbye Stan sweater today, Soos, don't soak through this one.

Have another pat on the back.]

...Yeah. Me too.

You did good, Soos. I'm proud of you.

[sorrydoods]

[He takes in another deep breath before his breathing really steadies.]

Thanks.

[He takes his head off Stan's shoulder again, staring at his shoulder before...letting out a chuckle?]

Ha...You put on that sweater 'cause was messing up your jacket, and now I'm gonna start messing that up. Ha...

[he feels incredibly pained inside]

[stanbyme]

Yeah, I'm not putting on the other one. I've had enough bad luck, I don't need to be wearing it on my chest.

[But, again. Soos knows how to speak Stan.]

[sorrydoods]

Yeah, I...I guess that's fair...

[Part of him doesn't even feel like he should be wearing it around his waist, tbh.

Anyway, he's gonna wipe away those tears again and take another deep breath.]

Have you seen Dipper and Mabel? I...I kinda wanna talk to them too.

[he'll try not to be too depressing]

[stanbyme]

Sure I have, they're running around. I told 'em to make sure they could see me.

They'll be happy to see you, too.

[sorrydoods]

Okay. I'm gonna look for them, then.

[He gives Stan another hug because it's still really comforting, before he starts walking away.]

I'll see you later?

[stanbyme]

Where am I gonna go, Soos.

[Which is "yeah, see ya." but in Stan.]

Hey, by the way, thanks for grabbing my stuff.

[sorrydoods]

[He lets out a small laugh at that.]

Yeah, good point.

And no problem! Still gotta get some of the others' things back to them, too!

[Like Pinocchio's hat, which is currently on his head.]

[stanbyme]

[Stan waves him off.]

Alright, shoo. Looks like you've got a whole lotta Santa to play.

[sorrydoods]

Yes sir!

[And off goes Soos Claus, to spread joy to all the dead girls and boys!]