Gravity Falls Rewritten! - peaches_ofourown (2024)

Chapter 1: Beginning

Chapter Text

"Congratulations, Pines."

Stanford Pines had just accepted a $100,000 check for his scientific research. He shook the old man's hand, smiled at the camera, and was congratulated again. He regarded the cheque with pride and joy, plans for how to spend the large sum of money in his possession already forming in his mind.

Back in his dorm, he sat pondering with his chin on his hand. His entire life, he's been teased about his six fingers. But it got him thinking about anomalies: strange, unusual, statistically improbable events. And, based on Ford's investigation, one location had a higher concentration of these things than any other.

A small lumber town in roadkill country, Oregon: Gravity Falls.

***

Ford's attention was drawn to the blueprint in front of him. He went through each space, deciding what to put where. There's also an attic and a basem*nt where he can keep his other inventories, as well as his office, which will also serve as his bedroom because he imagines himself staying up late researching and discovering new things.

He then looked around the woods, curious about what he would find in this town. So far, nothing unusual had occurred, as he had hoped. Just then, a massive hand grabs his car and drags it all the way until it is nowhere to be found. Ford jumped so hard that his glasses were slightly knocked off. He adjusted it with an excited smile.

The house was eventually constructed. It was perfectly situated in the middle of the forest, away from people but close to the creatures he'd undoubtedly encounter.

Ford started packing everything he needed for his trip right away. He went into the woods and saw some beautiful scenery. Tall trees, colorful plants, and organisms he'd never seen before surrounded him.

He was quietly following a flying fairy. He assumed these were myths, but they were true! Everything was in one place!

Ford dashed back to the cottage and towards his office after only an hour of his adventure. He reasoned that there are so many more things to discover, and he wanted to document each one, saving the information he gathered. As a result, he began keeping a journal.

His writing had been interrupted by a loud screech. And Ford raised his head in delight. He hurried to the front door, his pen and journal in the pocket of his trench coat.

He took a step outside and looked around, bracing himself for the second wail. Ford adjusted his glasses and looked around his front yard, but found nothing.

His shoulders sag with regret, but he will not give up. Not right now, when he's just getting started!

On his first day of adventuring, it took him the entire day to discover an entire ecosystem. His journal was only halfway finished, but he's willing to fill a million more pages with fascinating creatures!

"You're new."

Ford was startled when he heard a new voice. He hasn't heard anyone speak to him in quite some time. When he turned around, he noticed a young girl. She appeared to be human.

"Who- who are you?" Ford cleared his throat. "Why are you here?"

"You can call me Y/n," she said, shrugging. "And I live pretty much everywhere, including here, and I haven't seen you before..." She raised an eyebrow, suspiciously.

Ford narrowed his eyes at the girl before surveying the woods, and there were no homes available that she could fit into. Perhaps underground? Does she have the ability to shrink and grow?

"So, what's your name? I told you mine."

He looked back down at her. "I'm Ford. You shouldn't be here, you're just a little girl."

He started to walk away, but she followed. "I'm short, but I'm not that young."

"You look like you're 5."

"Hey!" she stopped walking momentarily but Ford continued, "Ford, wait up! Can I come with you?"

"Go home, kid. I'm gonna tell your parents."

"The thing is, I don't have any."

Ford came to a halt, his face flushed with embarrassment. He returned your stare with a frown. "Oh, I'm... I'm sorry."

"No!" the girl shook her hand, laughing at Ford's misunderstanding. "I literally don't have any parents; I guess I was just... born in this world; my memory is kinda hazy."

Ford returned to her, kneeling to her level. "You looked human, but you don't sound like you're human," he said, resting his chin on his thumb and finger. "How could you possibly exist?"

"Wow, rude-"

"I'm going to have to take a blood sample from you." Fortunately, Ford had brought his DNA test with him in his large bag.

She looked at the equipment in intrigue because she had never seen it before. "Woah."

Ford presented a syringe, hesitantly because he was about to draw blood from a child. But he had no choice but to do so in order to satisfy his curiosity and finally have an answer. "This might hurt..."

He inserted the sharp needle into her skin as quickly as he could. Ford waited for her to flinch, but nothing happened, not even a small ow.

He finally took out the syringe, watching her reaction, but she was only staring at the inside of her elbow where he drew blood. "When does it hurt?"

Ford looked at her, puzzled, but eventually shook his head and inserted a small amount of blood into his test vial. They both waited for the results. Ford stared at the screen until Y/n appeared, crashing into his left shoulder.

"Incredible," Ford had muttered under his breath. Although the machine stated that the girl beside him was 100 percent human, he refuses to believe that she did not exist without her parents.

He gave her an observant look, and she returned it, albeit innocently. He might have to just take her word for it. Gravity Falls is an odd place, and this seemingly human child was interesting.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Y/n, but I better get going."

"Let me join you! Please!" Y/n pleaded in her little girl voice.

He contemplated for a moment.

"I can help you! I know almost everything about this part of the forest! I'm smart!"

Ford was amused by her eagerness. It reminded him almost of himself when he was younger. "Oh, alright. Come along then."

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, raising her fists in the air.

On that day, Y/n and Ford met their first true friend in Gravity Falls.

Chapter 2: Into the Woods

Chapter Text

Indeed, the woods had taken them everywhere. They were fortunate that these areas of the forest had not yet been discovered. A whole new mystery to explore.

Y/n heard a ruffle in the tall bushes as their feet trudge along the leafy trail. Ford, too, heard it and stopped walking, turning to follow the sound.

Ford crept closer, tiptoeing, and Y/n watched. He pushed away the leaves, alerting a... gnome.

It walked with its little arms animatedly stretched out. It smiled at them with crooked teeth.

Y/n and Ford approached the creature in a friendly manner. Ford took out the journal and basically interviewed it while the girl used a tape measure to measure its height, weight, width, and depth.

"Fascinating," Ford said after jotting down the pertinent details on his pages. "So, what was your name again?"

"Shmebulock," the gnome had groaned out. "SENIOR!"

"Where are the rest of your folks, mister Shmebulock?"

"Shmebulock."

"Right... You are Shmebulock. Don't you have a family? Any gnome friends?"

"Ford?" the girl said, amusingly raising an eyebrow at his weird phrasing.

The gnome remained smiling, walking away. "Shmebulock!"

"I guess it only says Shmebulock over and over..." Ford stood back up and tucked the journal away again.

They had unintentionally led themselves into a dark area of the woods. It was densely forested, almost completely covering the sky. Only a few rays of sunlight were able to pass through, and they miraculously shone through a massive crystal, reflecting in two different colors: blue and pink.

In seconds, a tiny beetle had entered the blue spotlight and grown to become a massive beetle. Because of how large and heavy it was, the ground almost shook. Its limbs sprouted from microscopic to life-size in size. Y/n and Ford stood there in awe.

A roar could be heard from behind the trees, and a large panther emerged, ready to pounce on the two travelers. Ford instinctively shoved Y/n behind him and shielded her, ready to confront the carnivore, but the mammal jumped through the pink light and shrank instantly.

Of course, Ford had scribbled it in his book, doodling what it would look like.

"Cool drawing," Y/n retorted from beside him before walking a few steps forward. She decided to leave Ford to doodle more in his space. She took a look around,having never been in this part of the forest before. She had no idea that Gravity Falls was a big place.

She was looking down at the plants and flowers when she noticed something familiar. "Ooh!"

"What is it?" It seemed that Ford was done with his entry. "What did you find?"

"This looks like the mushroom I ate when I was younger; actually, I ate a lot of mushrooms, but... this one left quite a taste." Y/n held a gleaming purple mushroom. The cap had resembled a brain.

"Based on my observations, a person may experience side effects according to which particular type of mushroom is consumed.". You said you've eaten this?" Ford referred to the brainy fungi in his hand.

She nodded innocently.

"Then, based on the shape of this mushroom, your intelligence level could have been greatly influenced." Ford pondered with his pointer and thumb on his chin until an idea formed in his mind. "Collect as many different mushrooms as you can." Y/n dispersed and pulled out a couple of mushrooms, gathering two handfuls. "Good job. Now, let's test these on 'ol Shmebulock Sr. back there." He winked at her, earning a laugh.

They spent hours experimenting with the assorted mushrooms. Fortunately, Shmebulock agreed to do it with a "Shmebulock" response; they don't know whether it was a yes or no Shmebulock, but he didn't run away, so everything was Shmebulock- they mean good.

And what are the chances that the last mushroom Y/n handed to Shmebulock was the mushroom that would undo everything? Every side effect seemed to have subsided, and he appeared normal. "Shmebulock!" exclaimed the gnome before continuing on his merry way.

Y/n and Ford exchanged stares until the man shrugged carelessly. "He seemed fine." Little did the two travelers know that he and his next of kin would grow to puke rainbows for generations.

As the day turned to night, the two decided to continue their exploration the next day. This will continue for the next few years, just as Y/n anticipated and Ford hoped. For all the mysteries Gravity Falls has to offer, his curiosity rivaled that of an immortal jellyfish, Turritopsis dohrnii. This could go on indefinitely!

With a yawn, Y/n gladly welcomed sleep. She sleeps on the couch because Ford didn't expect to meet a companion on his adventure. A bed would also take up unnecessary space. She didn't mind, telling him that the couch was the most comfortable bed she'd slept in since leaving the cold, grassy land.

"Good night, Ford," Y/n mumbled before succumbing to exhaustion. Ford realized at this point that she was, in fact, human. She can be tired and hungry just like a human. Her only distinguishing feature was her inability to feel pain.

The man pulled the blankets up to her chin with a small smile, and he swears he saw a small smile form before retreating to his own bedroom. Immediately upon entering, he retrieved his journal and placed it on his work desk.

Ford, like Y/n, was a human being. And he's a tired human at the moment. Nonetheless, he continued to write another entry in his journal, recounting his experiences and expressing his emotions. His cursive handwriting was neat and formal as the tip scratched against the pages.

He rubbed his eyes as a yawn escaped through his lips. He blinked for a bit before closing his journal. He couldn't help but let a smile appear as he gazed at the number 1 inked there. One. It's a start.

Chapter 3: Lend A Helping Hand

Chapter Text

It was the same routine for the next few weeks and a few more years after that, but with different discoveries each time! Y/n couldn't count the number of times Ford had burst out laughing whenever they came across creatures they hadn't seen before. Y/n may have noticed something familiar knowing that she has lived here her entire life, but it is an exhilarating feeling to discover it with a friend.

Oh, they've become friends. Ford is relieved to have someone on whom he can rely, despite the fact that Y/n is a literal child, but she has proven to be more than that. He taught the kid how to defend herself, basic self-defense, and what to do in an emergency. Some might see it as a father-daughter relationship, but Ford does not. Instead, he prefers a master-apprentice dynamic.

Speaking of self-defense, Ford had nothing to offer in the subject at all. He skipped all the boxing training with his... and read a book instead. He was never really the violent type of guy and would often use his words. He's good with them. But he soon realized that sometimes, words just wouldn't suffice when encountering these creatures. He had to rely on his guttural instinct and critical thinking.

Although Ford was ashamed to know that he couldn't teach Y/n about fighting, he was relieved to see that she was understanding and told him that he shouldn't have to do anything like that. "I can't feel pain, remember?" And to remind him of the fact, Y/n had willingly bashed her head against the hard, thick bark of the tall tree.

He winced at the loud impact. Obviously, Y/n was fine, but still. Seeing that just sends shivers down his spine. "Yes, I recall. It's hard not to when you carelessly walk through deadly weeds and face monsters without an ounce of fear in your face."

"Heh," she sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck. "I'll try not to do that again to not scare you."

After a few more minutes, they heard a water current nearby and saw a riverbank. Y/n hurried as she took out her canteen and proceeded to get water from the river. Ford followed, removing his heavy backpack and refilling his water bottle after a sip. Y/n watched him in amusem*nt, the way his huge glasses were skewed from drinking. Ford adjusted it back before raising an eyebrow at the kid who was still staring. "Yes?"

"Can I try it on?"

"What, my glasses?" When she nodded, Ford furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but removed it anyway, giving it to her. Excitedly, she stood up and grabbed it by the handles. She glanced up at Ford but he was squinting.

"Are you that blind-" she wore the glasses and everything went blurry and suddenly her brain hurt from the new vision. "Woah- oh crap!" She lost her balance and eventually fell into the river, her entire body getting soaked with water.

"Y/n, careful!" Immediately, Ford took the glasses off her face and back to his, tilting it a bit to his liking. "Y/n," he spoke. She was still sitting on the running water, shaking bits of water out her hair. Finally, she stood up, but Ford tensed when he noticed a slightly large green octopus clinging on to her arm. "Y/n," he regarded her slowly.

She tilted her head to the side. "What?"

"Don't panic, but there is an octopus with one eye on your right hand."

***

When Y/n looked behind her, all she noticed was the extra weight on her right arm. She shook it a little, and the creature's slimy limbs just crawled on her skin. She is not in pain, but the texture makes her uncomfortable.

"How do you feel?"

"Um, nothing. But it feels like it's sucking me."

"Sucking you?" Ford stepped forward and began his attempt to remove the octopus but it suddenly screeched at him, its wide eye threatening him. "Agh! We have to get it off of you, Y/n."

"I think it likes me," she replied as a giggle escaped her lips.

Ford was slightly panicking. "It could be a life-sucking parasite! Get it off!"

"Psh, no it's not..." Y/n insisted, until her right arm sagged and only then she knew that it was indeed a life-sucking parasite. So, the girl deliberately punched where she thought was its weak spot; the large eye.

But she came to a halt, and her entire body seemed to shut down, her knees buckling to the ground. "Oh. Welp."

Ford tensed in concern, now getting agitated. He reared back with all his might before punching the creature's glassy eye. Its grip on Y/n loosened, and Ford took advantage of the opportunity to remove it, holding it by its green head.

Its limbs snaked with it as Ford lifted it up and trapped it in a poly-carbonate cage. He cinched it tightly before returning to his apprentice, who was still lying on the ground. "I'm not in any pain," she said after a brief pause. "But maybe that's an octopus? It likes human skin, so don't touch it."

"It's an octopus with eight tentacles," Ford said, looking at the creature, which was still breathing but clearly weakened from the vulnerable attack. "It has one eye, like a cyclops, so... could it be a cycloptopus?"

A chuckle echoed through the clearing, and Ford returned his gaze to Y/n, who was laughing to herself. "You come up with such clever names," she remarked, shaking her head, "cycloptopus... classic."

Ford smiled, albeit puzzled. Were his puns really that amusing, or is Y/n simply feeling the effects of being touched by the cycloptopus? He allowed himself to smile. Heh, it was quite comical.

"Can you get up?" Ford asked his companion. He was ready to lend a helping hand.

Y/n laughed. "Yep," she said, grabbing his hand and being hoisted up. She brushed the dirt off her clothes. She only noticed the suction marks on her skin after that. It was dark and discernible. "Cool."

"We're going to have to take this back before it has another chance to escape," Ford wrote in his journal. As a title, he wrote "Cycloptopus" in beautiful cursive.

Y/n stared at the number 2 on the journal's cover. Because the first journal was already jam packed, Ford issued a second. It took them three years to fill the journals with their findings and research. And she grew a bit of height. She wondered how many books there would be in total. Will it suffice? Is there an ending? She doesn't want it to come to an end.

After three years of adventure, she still desired more. Ford even remembered their birthdays, which she had never heard of before. They apparently celebrate human aging on an annual basis. Well, she could guess that she is 3 years older now.

She felt something cold fall on her hair. When she looked up, more white specks fell from the sky. "It's snowing! Ford, it's snowing!" she yanked on his sleeve like a little kid in a candy store. Ford stumbled for a few steps before looking up in the same direction.

"Huh. It appears so. Come, Y/n, let's go home."

Home. She always loves the sound of that word.

The two travelers returned to the cabin on foot. Ford shut the door as Y/n started a fire in the fireplace. The man removed his trench coat and set it on the stand. He went straight to the trapped cycloptopus and examined it. It had just awoken and was ready to attack, only to be rendered ineffective by the plastic shield between them.

"Ha," Ford said, smirking. The creature appeared terrified as it realized it was trapped. Ford's taunting made Y/n smile. He went back to his room, deciding to observe its behavior more closely. "Good night, Y/n."

"Nighty night," the girl replied, flipping the switch and turning off the lights. She curled up on her pillow beneath the blankets, enjoying the warmth of the fire.

Ford awoke a few hours later. The cycloptopus was also sleeping. He thought he heard two young voices outside his house. He walked out of his room and into the living room's darkness. It was still snowing, as evidenced by the snow-covered windows. The fire was out, and the little girl was snoring loudly.

He noticed a flash of blue outside and assumed it was lightning, but it wasn't snowing hard enough to produce lightning...

Ford went to his front door after turning on the lights. He opened it to find nothing but the same expanses of snow that covered the woods. He took another look around before closing the door completely.

"What..." Y/n mumbled as she heard the noise. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Ford said dismissively. "I thought I heard something, Y/n; you should go back to sleep," he said before going to the kitchen to make himself a cup of hot coffee.

She sat upright on the hard wood. "Nope. I'm awake now. And you're making coffee, so make me one too!"

Ford scoffed playfully, but gave in and got another mug. He poured scalding hot water into both and carried them to the living room, where Y/n stood up from the fireplace after lighting another fire.

He noticed that the marks from earlier had vanished. "Right. Quick healing, I forgot."

"Heh."

He handed her the mug, which he held by the handle. He should be used to it by now, but it still makes him flinch every time the girl casually holds the mug from the bottom, where it is boiling hot.

Y/n gulped it down without even waiting for it to cool down. "Mmm, yummy coffee, just the way I like it!" she exclaimed, returning the mug to him. "Make me some more."

"No," Ford said apprehensively. "Did you already forget that incident?"

She remembered, alright. Let's just say that she couldn't sleep and was jittery all the time and was jumping around, praising the taste of coffee as if it were her god. Ford was concerned, to say the least, and decided to lock the cabinet enclosing the coffee container.

Y/n sheepishly grinned at him as Ford just gave her a disapproving gaze. "You went crazier than when we tried that mystical amulet on you."

"Oh, yeah. I also remembered the amulet." An involuntary shiver went through her spine. If one could take a glance at the second journal, they would just get outright cursed from the dark spells and incantations it contained. Not even halfway finished, and Ford has already dubbed it the "most dangerous."

"Buried it," Ford answered. "Somewhere deep underground where no one can find it."

"That thing is dangerous. It turned my hair white..." She snatched a fistful of her hair from beneath, where some of the strands that weren't caught by the hair dye are still white.

"Indeed, aside from the mystical amulet, there were the dark chants and possession incantations," Ford's gaze was distant with a deep frown as he recalled the events.

When Ford discovered scriptures written along the walls of a cave, he read them aloud. He had a knack for reading new things aloud. Y/n had unknowingly started spasming out of control. She had knelt next to him, and their eyes were both glowing.

Y/n had felt like a puppet being controlled. She never wanted to go through that again. Ford's demonic smile as he wickedly controlled her every move lingered in her mind.

The possession only cut off when Ford deliberately made the girl bash her head towards the stone and it felt like a pang of headache came across like a flash.

"Yes..." Ford trailed off, looking at the girl with a worried gaze.

Y/n frowned at this, "Ford... you know how I feel about you worrying about me," she began as her mouth scrunched into a pout.

"It's difficult not to," he replied, sipping a mouthful of coffee. "It's in a man's nature to protect those he cares about. This is difficult to say, but Y/n, you have been an excellent apprentice and research assistant."

Her cheeks began to flush. She was at a loss for words. Ford's sudden turn to sentimentality was unusual, but she welcomed it nonetheless. After all, this is Ford. He always has a way with words.

"I wouldn't know how to venture into the woods alone, if I am honest."

"I believe you'll make it, Ford." You're the most intelligent person I've ever met! " Y/n gleamed as she sat up on her knees. Her eyes twinkled with delight. "You've always saved me, never panicked - and if you did, you knew how to hide it and what to do." You're a born explorer and a genius!"

With this, Ford blushed, sheepishly avoiding eye-contact. "You really think so?"

"Certainly! People will be blown away when they see and read the journal you worked so hard on! They'll finally get to see the greatest scientist of all time: Ford!"

"Heh, okay. Now you're getting too ahead of yourself," he said, amused at her enthusiasm.

The two had spent the rest of the night telling stories to each other, seeking solace from the winter chill. Ford related stories from his youth, while Y/n related encounters dating back to the day she was born. She didn't remember much, but there were a few instances where the memory was so vivid that it was practically imprinted on her mind.

The effects of coffee were finally wearing down on Y/n and finally, fatigue was taking over. Ford took his leave, bringing the two cups over to the kitchen sink before retiring to his own room after turning off the lights. As Ford lays on his bed, he couldn't help but think of Y/n's words to him. Should he publish his findings about the weird entities that inhabit Gravity Falls? Would anyone even believe the nonsense spewing from this book? Would people refer to him as a madman who lives in the woods? Everything is improbable.

In that moment, as Ford tossed and turned, he decided that no. He's not done yet. He has to figure out where it all came from. It had to have a source or something, and his curiosity is getting the best of him.

Chapter 4: Let's Get the Ball Rolling

Chapter Text

Two years have passed since then. It had been years of exploration and research. Ford has been here for six years and has just begun his third journal. He and Y/n have scoured almost the entire expanse of Gravity Falls' woods, from the geographical anomalies they discovered to the numerous monsters and creatures whose weaknesses they quickly discovered.

Y/n and Ford were sitting in a random clearing near the cabin on the grass. They were surrounded by trees, but there were gaps between them. The young lady had just finished reading the most recent entry from the third journal. It was about cursed doors, and it took her back to a time when they assumed that whoever went through the door vanished forever. Y/n and Ford never had the guts to see if it was instant death or if it would just take them somewhere.

Ford sat in front of a mountain of books he had borrowed from the library. It was all about anomalies, myths, and legends, but Ford dismissed it as irrelevant to his research because they were all fictional.

She shook her head. Ford appeared to be more agitated than usual. He stays up all night every night, racking his brain for answers to his big question, and then goes about his daily routine with no sleep. He's such an oddball.

Speaking of odd things. "Hey," she called to him.

"Hm." Ford hummed nonchalantly, not bothering to look at her. His eyes remained on the pages.

"You've been cataloging the oddities of this town, but you've never written something about the most interesting oddity yet! Yourself!"

He stopped reading momentarily, his eyes finally averting to hers. "I suppose you're right."

"Of course," she replied. "If you do get your book about the "Grand Unified Theory of Weirdness" published, the world deserves to know who wrote it!" You'd be a well-known public figure."

Ford chuckled amusedly. "Fine, Y/n. You persuaded me. Now, please hand me the journal."

"No, I get to draw you this time," she interrupted, taking the pen from his coat pocket and starting to sketch. Ford crossed his arms in disapproval. She had learned the fundamentals by watching Ford draw for years, so she practiced on her own time. Y/n had her tongue out unconsciously as she focused on his features: glasses, a big nose, long and unkempt hair, and a massive chin.

Y/n took a peek at Ford from behind the journal, its fingers slightly shaking because she was not used to the heavy pen. "Are you finished?" Ford asked after a moment.

"Just a second..." she trailed off. "And... done!" She had just made diagonal lines for the background and showed it to him very quickly before closing the journal. "Nope, show's ever. My drawing sucks."

"No, you did good! That was amazing work, Y/n!"

"Thank you," she mumbled sheepishly. "Now, pretend this is your first interview following your breakthrough. 'Good day, Mr. Ford. I am extremely intelligent, and we recognized your world-famous theory book. It has reached millions of people, and they are undoubtedly curious about the author!' Did I do it correctly? " She said the last part in hushed tones.

Ford let out a few laughs. "Well," he spoke as he cleared his throat. "To put it simply, I am strange. I was born strange, I am attracted to the strange, and the strange has always been attracted to me."

"...attracted... to... me." She lifted the pen and glanced at the man who was speaking calculatingly.

She continued writing what Ford had dictated for the rest of the "interview." Her hands managed to mimic Ford's cursive font, albeit in a slightly different way. Of course, she had let Ford draw what the shrunken head had looked like, as well as the report cards, as she's never seen them before.

In awe, the two of them looked at the double page dedicated to Ford. Ford's smile in the drawing made her happy. He flipped to the next page and moved away from her to face her. He started doodling something, and she knew he was drawing her because he kept looking back at her every second.

"What are you doing?" She asked anyway.

"Well, if people were to take interest in my book, the world also deserves to know that I wasn't alone in this, and that I had such a reliable assistant."

Y/n felt something trying to escape her eyes. "What... what is this..." Instinctively, she brought a hand to her cheeks and felt wetness. They were warm to her eyes and then cold to her cheeks. She helplessly choked back a sob. "Why is this happening?"

Ford became a little concerned. "Those are tears," he said slowly as he looked at the girl, whose tears were streaming down her cheeks. "You're- you're crying."

"Crying? Is that a good thing?"

He realized that he never saw her cry before, much less a tear coming out of her eyes. "It depends. What are you feeling right now?"

"What was the last thing you said?"

Ford blankly stared. "That you were my... reliable assistant?"

She sniffed. "You really think so?"

"Of course," he happily replied. "You have been such a great help, Y/n. I have never been more grateful for your help."

An outright full sob wracked through her as she could only rub her eyes with both the back of her hands. She sniffed uncontrollably, trying to stop the cries that escaped her.

"Crying is definitely normal, Y/n. It is alright to let your emotions out."Ford, as usual, assured her with facts. "However, I'm surprised you haven't cried before..."

"This feels like an inconvenience. I'm crying just because I really liked what you said. So my eyes just produce these salty liquids at random?"

"They are not at random. They are triggered by strong emotions. They may be hurt, but given your inability to feel pain, it must be from joy."

"Must be. But I'm not feeling anything. It's only... tears."

"That is because crying usually relieves pain, or other overwhelming emotions."

Y/n had stopped crying and was only sniffling. "Have you ever cried, Ford?"

The man hesitated, looking distant. "I have. After all, I am only human."

Ford felt a pat on his shoulder. He looked up and saw her, smiling comfortingly. "It's alright, now."

He reciprocated the smile before he had to turn back to his book. "Alright, now wipe your tears or I am going to have to draw you babbling like a baby."

***

More weeks have passed since that afternoon. Y/n and Ford went on to discover more creatures residing in Gravity Falls such as the Leprecorn, a stomach-faced duck, and a hawktopus - to which looking at it just made them infuriated.

One day, Ford had wanted to take some rest and relaxation because the reason for why he came to Gravity Falls remained unanswered. Y/n continued to worry about Ford as she became increasingly aware of his growing restlessness. His "Grand Unified Theory of Weirdness" remained elusive, and she wondered how long it would take him to realize that he could already be world-famous through these journals.

However, after spending the night in the cabin lent by local lumberjack Dan Corduroy, they discovered that it was extremely haunted. It wasn't even a full weekend of vacation. It resulted in more eerie discoveries and categories, which Ford geekily classified. The category 10 ghost eventually pushed them to abandon their packed belongings - because, honestly, they were already showered with ectoplasm - and flee the cabin in their pajamas in the cold night.

When they returned to their original home, Y/n wanted to comment on their encounters, but Ford was complacent, not responding to any of her amusing observations. She merely raised an eyebrow in concern. He would occasionally contribute his own witty quips or even a simple playful roll of his eyes, but he just looked frustrated, combing his rough hair with his six-fingered calloused hand. He had never appeared more hopeless.

Y/n was holding a mug of warm milk this time, and she tried offering something to Ford but he didn't respond, so she decided to make him a cup of tea, but it was quickly left untouched. Ford kept his hard gaze fixed on his large blackboard, which was covered in pictures and scribbles on the side, as well as arrows pointing to the large question mark in the center of it all.

"What does it all mean? What does it all mean?" " He muttered to himself as he paced back and forth. Y/n stood there helpless. Nonetheless, she felt bad about it. She had no idea how to help the guy. After everything they've been through, after three journals, he's still stumped. How many daring explorers would go to such lengths just to unravel the mysteries of this town? He is the only one to have this insane idea and go with it.

A loud bang had cut Y/n's thoughts short. When she looked, Ford had just punched his fist on the board. "Ford, maybe you should go to sleep."

"Right," Ford replied for the first time that night. "I am exhausted. I must sleep on it. Perhaps rest will do me some good."

Y/n watched as he went back to his room, just as she drank the last of the warm milk and felt sleepy. She placed the mug in the sink before settling into the couch and wrapping herself in blankets. The atmosphere had changed, and the cold wind had picked up. She turned her back and tried to close her eyes, Ford's well-being still on her mind.

The next day was a wonderful new day for Ford. He woke up with a pep in his step and it felt like a newly made fire again, burning for progress as he felt immensely inspired and energetic for the rest of the month!

"You're... smiling," Y/n pointed out with a confused smile.

"Y/n! " He exclaimed, enthusiastically grabbing her shoulders. "All this time I've been looking for some common behavior to connect these anomalies, but what if the only thing they have in common is their history - a history that exists beyond our world, in another realm, a "dimension" of weirdness?!"

She stared at him, "You're saying that there is a way to find out how these creatures exist here in Gravity Falls?"

"If I could locate and puncture this weak dimensional fiber and record proof of the dimension beyond, I would have my Grand Unified Theory of Weirdness!"

"Wait a minute, Ford. You got it all from your long sleep? Did this come to you in a dream or something?"

She must have said something wrong because Ford's face suddenly went blank and his lips were devoid of a smile. He was silent, as if contemplating about something and it was actually making Y/n panic a bit. "Ford?" she spoke after a moment of silence. "Did I do something wrong?" He still didn't say anything. "I was only kidding... I..."

"It's- it's alright, Y/n, I-" Ford shook his head before opening his journal. "I have to go."

Her first blunder was making light of the idea coming to him in a dream. Her second blunder was letting him go while insisting he was fine.

Because they didn't go outside for a week, and what's more awkward is that it's just the two of them inside, but they never spoke to each other. Y/n would occasionally open and discuss the weather. Ford would hum as he made his way to his bedroom, which he always kept locked. Y/n never saw his blueprint because he always kept it hidden, but she thought that that's what he had been working on these past few days.

He's been cooped up inside his bedroom and every time he went out, he'd always look worse for wear but it didn't matter to him. He worked and worked until multiple versions of his blueprints had reached the living room and he doesn't go back and forth now when he needs a refill for his coffee.

Upon closer inspection, Y/n noticed the large triangular superstructure. She quickly realized that the materials listed by Ford where the arrows pointed were from the "Crash Site Omega," as he dubbed it. Were they going to have to go back and look for cutting-edge technology that was specifically made for this complex design? Y/n also observed that Ford had taken the three journals and combined them to form the large plan for the portal. She's not even going to question Ford's choice of shape which was the triangle. It was still cool.

Suddenly, Ford groaned out in defeat.

"What's the problem?" Y/n asked from the couch. She was enjoying the morning paper, but now her attention was solely on Ford.

"The design of this... machine, it's... I have limited knowledge of mechanical engineering." She could have sworn she saw him blush. "Agh, I guess I don't have that much of a choice. I need to call an old classmate and beg him to join me," Ford said as he stood up, going over to the phone.

Ooh, his friend. "He's a genius, I bet."

"One of the smartest people I've ever met, and one of the two people I trust enough to collaborate on this project," he winked at Y/n, but she had no idea what he meant. "Y/n, you're in," Ford said, as if he had read her mind. I need your assistance now more than ever."

"Three is better than two," she replied, nodding at him.

Ford returned the nod before dialing the number of his former colleague. She didn't want to disturb their private conversation, so she went to the other room, specifically the kitchen, to brew herself some tea. She and Ford had gotten some coffee and tea supplies the other day, and she wanted to try the green tea, so she decided to buy it.

As the water started to boil, she looked out the window and saw a group of gnomes holding a pie. Y/n shook her head, amused by their devious thievery. She returned to the living room with her brewed green tea, carefully blowing the air. Ford burst out laughing as soon as he hung up the phone. "Success! He said yes!"

"Congratulations on your engagement," Y/n playfully teased, yet Ford didn't regard her statement and started to pace around the room, his chin on his fingers. He was mumbling about plans and future strategies, and the girl only realized something. "Um, Ford, I may be invulnerable but you're really killing me with your stink. I'm scared it'll chase your friend out before he could even step foot inside."

Ford came to a halt and stared at her, as if he was thinking about something. "I suppose you're correct."

But he was still not moving. "What are you waiting for, a kiss on the cheek? Go take a shower, you lunatic!"

The following week, Y/n was watching the eye-bat's behavior as it was helplessly trapped in a cage. She was still unsure whether it would react like a normal eye or eat. She was about to give it an apple when the front door was suddenly knocked on. Y/n took off her safety glasses, wondering who was supposed to arrive today. Ford was already approaching the door before she could process it. "Coming! " He called out.

Y/n smiled in amusem*nt as she watched Ford's excitement. When he opened the door, she saw a lanky man standing there with his briefcase and a smile on his face. He adjusted his glasses before giving Ford a little, "howdy!"

"F! Wonderful to see you," he replied, taking his hand and shaking it. "Glad to have you join us."

"Us? " Fiddleford inquired before finally noticing Y/n standing behind Ford, waving.

"Hello," she mumbled before going about her business. The eye-bat gave her an unimpressed look, but she returned one before continuing to write on her clipboard.

"I didn't know you had a daughter."

F's statement made them both tense. "She's not my daughter, F," Ford quickly corrected his friend. "I- She-"

"I'm his apprentice. You can call me Y/n."

"Nice to meet you, Y/n." Fiddleford was surprised to see someone so young involved in Ford's research.

F and Ford started talking about his upcoming project, which Y/n only had a brief glance at. She only knew it looked like a triangle with a round opening for the portal to appear. F was led to his room, which was just across the hall. Y/n considered the project as she stood there. She could tell from Ford's bright expression that they're going to have a grand time.

Chapter 5: Curse This World

Chapter Text

Fiddleford McGucket was distinct from Ford, as Y/n discovered once the three began working together. She remained on the sidelines, only waiting for orders because she couldn't contribute anything useful to their conversation. She chose to be a simple assistant, which she has always been good at.

"The plans in these blueprints are unbelievably complex," F said after the three of them had moved on from the subject of the "leg warmers" fashion trend. "Did Y/n also help you come up with the idea, or did you consult with anyone else?"

Ford paused for a moment, as if he was debating something. He looked at the girl next to him, who was trying not to look like she was judging him despite the fact that she was speculating on his expressions. F's question made her think, too; she knew damn well that Ford didn't have anyone else to consult about his plans because it was just the two of them.

The man in question then averted his gaze from F, then from her, before dismissively stating, "With hard work, anything is possible. Anyway, I want you to double-check these," he said before moving to the other side of the table and handing F a stack of calculations. "Y/n, follow me."

She did, trailing behind Ford as he scribbled in his journal. Before she could take a peek at it, he shut it close, earning a loud poof. He turned around and handed her a copy of the blueprint, as well as a demonstration of the portal's structural form, and suddenly everything made sense. She was a quick learner, which was one of the many benefits of eating that mushroom.

It was the following day when F suddenly went into a panic and began rambling about how the portal would require a Temporal Displacement Hyperdrive before spouting about his worries about humanity and its limited knowledge. At that moment, Y/n remembered something, and it appeared that Ford did as well. They exchanged glances before Ford exclaimed, "We know exactly where to get that kind of device!"

F was stunned, pulling some of his hair out, and their grins grew even wider at his reaction. The destination was Crash Site Omega, which had the coolest name ever, and Y/n and Ford had already begun packing for the two-day trip.

Ford had reminded Y/n to bring curses and spells for when they ventured into some of the dangerous areas of the Uncharted Forest, and they were on their way.

***

On the first day of the journey, Ford, F, and Y/n hiked up the granite pass to the lake, where their secret mountain shortcut is located. For years, Y/n and Ford had been walking and climbing up mountains, but that wasn't the case for Fiddleford. Around midday, he took a break and could be heard grumbling about wanting to invent a pair of robot legs while eating a sandwich. With a stick, he even drew a diagram in the dirt.

"Would you like one?" " F offered the girl, but she politely declined. She ate a light breakfast, but it was sufficient.

A low-pitched growling was heard, and an odd red-and-black-checkered beast unexpectedly waddled out of the brush for a bite of F's sandwich.

Standing up from the small boulder, Y/n exclaimed. She looked at the creature with awe. She didn't believe they were real! "Oh my gosh," she mumbled, hiding her mouth behind her hands.

"Don't go near it, Y/n," Ford cautioned, but Y/n paid no attention. Many of Ford's commands were always ignored. "Y/n, it could be venomous."

"It could not," she countered. One of her hobbies appeared to be defying his orders.

The creature stared up at Y/n, motionless, but when she took a step forward, it growled, causing her to come to a halt. "Actually, I would like a sandwich," she said to Fiddleford, who gave her one shakily. Y/n unwrapped it from its plastic wrapping and waved it in the air, as if producing an aroma. The creature perked up in interest and approached her innocently.

Her face lit up as the creature bit off a piece of the sandwich and munched on it quietly. It bit again, and this time a larger piece was ripped off. "You're so adorable," Y/n said. She looked up to see Ford scribbling in his journal with a small smile on his face. F was also taken aback.

"It looks like a platypus-" F began.

"But its skin has a plaid pattern," Ford added. Y/n stood there, a teasing smile on her face, waiting for her friend to make yet another witty pun. "I'm guessing it's called a plaidypus?"

Her lips trembled with laughter. The sandwich in her hand was gone, and it appeared to want more. Y/n took an item from her bag. It was a biscuit box. The plaidypus seemed to enjoy salted crackers as well. She deliberately picked it up and gladly obliged, as long as it was accompanied by food. The plaidypus made a sound, but she couldn't tell if it was happy or disgruntled due to a lack of crackers.

"Don't feed it too much or we might just run out of food."

"Yeah," she said. "Or I could've been destroying this cutie's dietary habits or nutritional intakes, or something..." She petted its bald head, and her heart skipped a beat as she listened to its purr.

"Is it a female?" Fiddleford questioned, repacking his backpack.

"I think so," Y/n concluded after peering into its underbelly. The plaidypus wriggled its way out of her arms, and she let it go, carefully placing it on the ground. It waddled back to where it came from, and Y/n dutifully followed. Silently, the two men followed as well, intrigued by this creature's movements. They didn't want to split up so might as well follow the girl's trail.

What welcomed them was the plaidypus' nest where its egg had the same plaid pattern as its skin. "Good thing none of us are hungry, because I would advise not to eat those eggs."

The sun had finally set, and the three of them had unanimously decided to take a break. Ford proposed going to the top of Gravity Peak and setting up camp for the night. Y/n huddled inside her sleeping bag, gazing up at the vast expanse of night sky made up of various constellations. She mentally named a few constellations that she recognized right away. Her favorite was the Big Dipper. It appeared to be so simple, and it is literally a big dipper.

Ford had situated meters away, and Fiddleford had followed. For a brief moment, there was only the sound of the flickering fire, which provided them with some light and warmth against the cold midnight air.

F began to open up and talk about his plans after the project was finished. Ford and Y/n listened intently. The former was lost in thought, relating to his friend's ambition. Y/n wondered about her future as well, knowing that this project would end sooner rather than later. She can't keep relying on Ford indefinitely. He'd have to leave Gravity Falls once his research was finished, leaving her all alone.

But she'd considered this possibility before. She considered her own future plans and what she might do. She needed to prepare. She wasn't stupid, after all.

"And how about you, Y/n?" " Ford inquired, clearing his throat.

"Well, I know you won't be here forever, Ford, so... once you leave, I'm thinking of opening some sort of treatment facility for the creatures that live here," she explained, leaving out the fact that she is vulnerable to physical pain. She and Ford had already discussed not telling Fiddleford because he would freak out even more. She didn't like lying to the guy, but she reasoned that it was for his own good. "I sincerely want to assist everyone."

"Such an admiring dream for a little girl. We have the same goal; helping people," F remarked, giving her a smile.

Ford followed and shared his own thoughts, expressing his desire to prove his theory and getting excited about the future, already seeing himself as a prizewinner and genius and rubbing shoulders with other notable prizewinners and geniuses. Y/n admired his determination despite the fact that his dream seemed to be more for his own benefit.

The scope of Ford's plans perplexed F. He's caught a glimpse of the journals, which are thick with pages of amazement that he never imagined could be true. He explained that his former classmate should publish his findings and then enjoy life. But Ford was adamant, acting as if he was in a race with other scientists who also wanted to get their hands on this discovery.

Ford ended the conversation with a sweet reminder that he was glad to be accompanied by his two friends.

The two-day trip was clearly well planned, because they arrived at their destination after an encounter with cows. Y/n noticed that nothing had changed since she and Ford left this two years ago. Ford's excitement returned as he gleefully broke open the hatch and climbed down. They soon discovered what they were looking for: the Hyperdrive. Fortunately, with F's mechanical knowledge, Ford's keen intuition, and Y/n's clairvoyance, they were able to locate and extract it, which is now safely stored inside F's backpack. It was quite bulky, and Y/n agreed that it would be too heavy for her sadly short stature.

Mission accomplished..

It was about to be a terrific day for the three of them, until that turned terrible. Y/n was so used to Ford's life-threatening curiosity. She was confident that she wouldn't get hurt, yet sometimes she feared his complacency when nearing a beast like this one. He doesn't have the same invulnerability as her.

The Gremloblin was a legend, that was what she heard from Ford, and now he got the chance to draw its figure up close because they knew that creatures like it are heavy sleepers. Normally, when it's the two of them, Y/n can sit beside Ford and watch him draw, all the while admiring his line work, but it was different this time now that they have a new addition. Fiddleford was shaking up in his boots as he cowered behind Ford.

"C-can we please, just, move along? I don't like them large chompers."

"You don't have to worry," Y/n reassured F, but just as she finished, the Hyperdrive emitted an ear-piercing alarm from F's backpack. "What! I thought it was inactive!" She exclaimed, slightly alarmed.

The Gremloblin awoke with a start, seized Fiddleford with its gigantic claws, and peered deeply into his eyes, as expected. Ford flung his canteen at the beast, hoping to shock it, but it had little effect. The water simply made the monster scarier!

The creature has just mutated, and its wings have grown to be twice their original size! It flew down the mountain with F still in its grasp, with a powerful heave of its wings. "Come on, Y/n!" She sprinted alongside him, her gaze fixed on the Hyperdrive in F's arms. The gleaming metal glistened in the harsh sunlight, and she had an idea.

"Ford! "Give me your bag," she demanded. Ford handed it to her, unsure why, preferring to trust her rather than question her. The two ran down the cliff-side, tearing their clothes. Ford had a bloody scrape, but Y/n was unharmed. He looked up helplessly as the girl rummaged through the bag, eventually finding what she was looking for. It was...

"The magnet gun! Y/n, what a brilliant idea!" She handed him the gun, and as the Gremloblin slowed down, Ford took advantage of the opportunity and aimed at the Hyperdrive, holding Y/n close to him. With a magnetic rush, the two were lifted fifty feet into the air and landed on the monster's back. Ford drew his gun and delivered a hard blow to the back of the head, knocking it out cold. The four had landed in a soft, cushioned hayloft after crashing through the barn roof.

F's condition caused Y/n to frown deeply. His entire body was trembling, his eye twitching uncontrollably, and his knee bouncing faster than usual. He was in such a state of terror that he didn't seem to notice that his arm was broken and pierced in several places with the venomous quills of the Gremloblin.

Immediately, Ford and Y/n took F home for treatment.

Y/n took the liberty of tending to her friend's physical wounds, having learned to do that because she had practice. The practice being Ford, that is. She successfully wrapped bandages around his arms and forehead, but he was still left shaken. He was still mumbling something about his family. He tends to mention that word a lot.

With a worried gaze, she turned to Ford who was deep in thought. He also appeared to be very concerned about his friend. Finally, he stood up. "Thank you, Y/n, but I fear there are mental wounds not as easily remedied." He grabbed her shoulders and gently drew her away from F. He knelt down to her level once more. "We've survived many monster attacks without trauma, but perhaps he is more sensitive than we realized..." Ford mumbled to the girl, who nodded understandably.

"Maybe you should spend the rest of the afternoon with him. He needs to face his fears with his closest friend."

Ford agreed with her suggestion and nodded. He stood up and affectionately brushed her hair. "You should get some rest. Your dream of opening a clinic will come true thanks to your expertise in wound care."

With a spring in her step, she left the two friends to their own devices. Ford appeared to know what to do, deciding to teach Fiddleford some of his meditation techniques as well as a heart rate slowing exercise he learned to help him control his fear. She was curious where he had learned it because the information came out of nowhere, but she decided to assume he had known it since high school.

A few more weeks had passed and the three were still working on the project until Ford decided it was time to take a break. Fortunately, Y/n read in a newspaper, after beating the daily crossword puzzle, that "Mama Misfortune's Traveling Carnival and Freak Show" was in town for the day. She told Ford that this could be good to get F's mind off his recent trauma.

Ford agreed to go albeit she knew his distaste towards nickel-grubbing circuses and sideshows. She reassured him, telling him that this could be a day of relaxation for poor F and also an opportunity for new discoveries.

Surprisingly, at the mention of a carnival, Fiddleford was excited and was already looking alright, going back to his usual mannerisms.

People swarming in left and right. Looked like it was jam-packed even with the town's low population. And looking at the lively decorations, Ford and Y/n exchanged excited glances and the three entered the carnival.

Unfortunately, Ford and Y/n's excitement turned out to be short-lived. The first "beast" they had encountered at the fair was literally a chicken duck-taped to a silver-back gorilla wearing a wizard hat.

She knew those creatures were fraudulent, but Y/n couldn't help but stifle laughter at the mere stupidity. Ford grumbled lowly as he scribbled on his journal. If Ford hated them so much, then why go through the effort of sketching them. And they looked so detailed!

Even though Ford's mood was sour, he was still happy for his friend who was clearly having the time of his life. He had just won first prize on a pig race by using advanced probability calculations.

A stand of jewelries caught Y/n's eye. She approached the man and inquire about the necklaces hanging from the metal bar. The man with a mustache and kind eyes happily told her about the low price.

"What d'you got there?" Someone stood beside her. It was Ford, and suddenly Y/n wanted to walk away. But a certain necklace attracted her. Ford saw her eyes focused on the jewelry. "Would you like one, Y/n?"

The girl looked up at Ford, a blush on her cheeks. She averted her gaze from him and began thinking of ways how to tell him that she wanted this. Ford took one of the necklaces from the stand and inspected it real close. The pendant was awfully familiar to him. He's seen it before.

"It's a real, tough metal, sir. No need to doubt my handicraft," The man remarked, not liking the way Ford handled the jewelry.

"I can see that," he replied, flipping the pendant back and forth. Y/n smiled, knowing that he was probably looking for parts that might be mystical. The two had a fair share of experiences with cursed objects and magical items after all. "Alright, we'll get this. How much?"

Ford's wallet felt a little lighter after that purchase, but every penny was worth it if he gets to see Y/n's wide smile as she admired the necklace around her neck.

The pendant was a flower with a yellow bud and white petals, resembling a daisy.

Fiddleford brought something troubling over breakfast a few weeks after the carnival. He proposed that the three construct an additional underground laboratory, one designed with the utmost paranormal security precautions. Its purpose is to store and study more dangerous specimens that are on the verge of leaking into their dimension. Fortunately, the three had discovered a location for their hidden storage bunker and began excavating.

Y/n mostly assisted with the layout of each room, deciding which one to put where, while Ford considered the pros and cons of living underground. They would need cooling systems, the ability to provide oxygen, and strong walls to protect themselves from underground creatures.

Meanwhile, FIddleford was the genius behind the horrifyingly complex security room. While assisting F with carrying equipment for their cooling chamber, F revealed the security code, which included multiple variables and equations, but Y/n easily remembered it.

The plans were completed, and the cooling system was completed and ready. They only needed to clear the dirt to find space for each of the rooms. Ford had discovered a large blue egg containing a strange creature during the dig. Y/n approached it with caution, having never seen anything like it before. The first thing it did after hatching was transform its body to Ford's coffee cup, leading them to believe it is a shapeshifter.

F suggested freezing it right away to test their cryonics, but Ford had grown attached to the creature. He even dubbed it "Shifty." Ford enlisted the help of Y/n in caring for this creature. She was assigned to bean duty and reluctantly agreed. Shifty grew so big every day that they had to upgrade from a small kennel box to a full-sized steel cage.

One night, while working late in the bunker and Y/n was about to step in for feeding time, they heard a high, otherworldly, parrot-like voice call out, "Beans!" They knew Shifty had learned to speak at that moment! Ford was the most ecstatic about the news, while F has grown increasingly skeptical of the creature.

Several days later, around midnight, Fiddleford approached Y/n, who was cleaning the surveillance room. He appeared panicked once more, so she was concerned and ready to assist. He was coughing a lot, claiming to have a sore throat, and asking for her assistance in retrieving the journal. "I-I -" he coughed again, "I think I- I saw a remedy in the journal for... these-" cough cough. "-coughs!"

F's unusual behavior piqued Y/n's interest, "I think cough drops are the best sore throat treatment. If you want, I can get you one from the first-aid cabinet-"

"NO!" He screamed. "I- I mean. Little girl, the journal has the answer and I need it."

She became uneasy under F's incessant gaze, and the way he addressed her as "little girl" just doesn't feel right. "Ford?" She called out, her gaze fixed on F's agitated expression. "I'll get you the journal... just stay right here."

Y/n visited Ford's bunker. Maybe he was there, but when she arrived, Fiddleford was leaning against Ford, shaking uncontrollably. His anxiety had rendered him nearly speechless. Strings of rope were on the ground, and the steel cage had been busted open, proving to Y/n that the Fiddleford she spoke with earlier who claimed to have a "sore throat" wasn't the real Fiddleford, but rather the shapeshifter.

"He said he wanted the journal," she said as her voice dropped to a low whisper.

Ford carefully placed F on the mattress and quickly devised a strategy. He drew a crude six-fingered hand on a plumbing manual found by Y/n with gold spray paint. He tossed it into one of their three cryogenic tubes before strolling back to the surveillance room, where the imposter F had been waiting impatiently, his chair shaking involuntarily. "There you are, Fiddleford. You said you needed the journal for your coughing problem, right?" F almost immediately nodded. "I've looked everywhere in my bunker for it, but to no avail. I believe I had inadvertently left it in the cryonics room. Could you please get it for me?"

The imposter didn't even wait for Ford to finish his sentence before fleeing for the journal. If Ford wasn't interested in the unknown, he'd be scamming people left and right with his acting abilities.

The instant he stepped inside the tube, Ford slammed the red button, trapping him in.

Following this incident, the three agreed to put it behind them. Before Ford apologized profusely for yet another traumatic experience, Y/n made sure Fiddleford had no wounds.

Several nights have passed, and the three have spent their time working on the portal, which is nearly finished and will soon be ready for the first major test. Ford had grown extremely frustrated by the necessity of sleep as Y/n dozed off for a bit of rest. He didn't like how fatigue loomed over him, taunting him with the relaxing prospect of sleep. Why sleep when he could've been working on his most important project yet? He's squandering valuable time!

F's mechanical knowledge is impressive, but he occasionally frustrated Ford. He could consider Y/n because she is less knowledgeable in engineering, but F is just stubborn. Ford realized that if they were to stay on schedule, he would have to work at least another three hours. He envied Y/n's peaceful slumber as the minutes passed, and he, too, began to feel fatigue's wretched powers pull on his eyelids.

Y/n blinked a few times before hearing a low hum, which was how a headache felt to her. She was still awake when she noticed movement and realized she was surrounded by stacks of paper. Her arms didn't hurt from sleeping on the table in an idle position. She eventually found Ford, who was concentrating on writing multiple equations. Ford had just finished a calculation when he noticed Y/n and turned to look at her.

Is it just her eyes playing tricks on her because she just woke up, or does Ford have different shaped pupils? It was a thin slit, similar to a cat's eyes. His eyeballs glowed a faint yellow before he cracked a wide grin. "You should go to sleep, Daisy," he urged, scratching her hair. "I'll take care of this."

It was a nice offer, and she was really tired, so she accepted and sat on the couch instead. She had some difficulty getting comfortable in her bed because of the items placed at her feet due to the lack of free space in the house. "Good night, Ford."

"Sleep tight, Daisy."

She fell asleep completely, and the confusion of Ford calling her "Daisy" didn't even enter her mind.

It was the night before the test. Fiddleford, Y/n, and Ford all went out to eat at a local diner to toast their future success. Ford was the most ecstatic, F was uptight and concerned, and Y/n simply wanted food. If nothing seemed to be wrong with the portal, she figured it was safe to proceed.

Ford raised his glass, and Y/n followed, attempting to match his zeal, but F couldn't meet their gazes. "I'm having second thoughts about this," he said nervously as he slid a napkin across the table. It had a diagram with the words "Probability of Failure" on it. "My final calculations revealed significant flaws in your design, flaws that could have disastrous consequences."

The man across from him remained silent.

"I feel like we're being reckless. Reconsider the whole plan for the safety of the town."

Y/n looked at the paper, shaken by F's words. The graph's arrow just kept going up, and she had no idea what would happen if they continued. Fiddleford is the more cautious of the two inventors. He quadruples checks each calculation, so if he knew the portal could fail horribly, she trusted him.

She looked at Ford, who seemed to be contemplating something.

"Where do you get these ideas for the portal, Ford?" Fiddleford asked the same question as that morning from months back. His tone was so careful, as if he was willing to listen and Ford almost considered telling him the truth, the both of them the truth, until F showed him something that shocked Ford. In his trembling hands was a thesis paper: "The Astonishing Anomalies of Gravity Falls" with Ford's name credited underneath. "I have spent the last three days working without breaks and have written a paper exhaustively chronicling all of your greatest discoveries. Publish this," he said, placing it on the table. "This is your research, I merely went through the trouble of cataloging it for you. There are enough discoveries here to make you a multimillionaire. With this, you will have everything you ever wanted, and you won't need to go through with this risky test. Forget about the portal and the Grand Unified Theory of Weirdness! Publish this, get your life back, and move on!"

Y/n sank deeper into her seat. She had never heard Fiddleford yell before. He has always been timid, so careful with his words. She looked at F before turning to Ford and saw that something changed in his eyes. Could it be regret? Restraint? Contempt?

Instead of replying to F's proposal, he asked for the check and refused to even give the paper a glance.

"We will do the test tomorrow night at eight o'clock sharp," he told him. "Be there or get left behind. The choice is yours. Come on, Y/n."

She swallowed nervously and followed without saying anything else. Ford felt something in his pocket as the two walked home in the murky twilight. It was the ring given to him by the Palm Reader at the carnival. Y/n stared at the gleaming black ring, but before she could ask him about it, Ford had already tossed it into the lake before storming off.

Ford opened the door to the house, and Y/n preceded. He threw away his coat, took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He was clearly tense from the previous situation. Fiddleford's "thesis" paper was a slap in the face, and he couldn't believe he'd done it to him. He couldn't believe it when his friend betrayed him.

"Ford?" Y/n's voice cut through his thoughts. The man turned and faced her. "I can trust you, right?"

'What a random question', Ford had thought at that moment. But he gave her a reassuring smile. In some ways, he felt guilty for dragging her along, and seeing Fiddleford's outburst might have rattled her nerves. But she shouldn't be concerned about a scribbled graph on a napkin. The three of them had been working extremely hard for several months. They couldn't go back now!

"Of course, Y/n," Ford began, placing a heavy hand on her shoulder. "You can trust me. And I trust you."

With a smile on her face, she drew him into an embrace. Ford reluctantly returned the hug, but his gaze was distant. He just wanted to skip ahead to the first portal test and succeed. He is excited about tomorrow. Tomorrow, everything could change, and they'll laud him as a hero.

He could feel Y/n's hug tightening, but he couldn't see her frown deepening and her gaze glowering on the ground. She was afraid that this was the last hug she'd ever get from him because his promise could be empty words. Everything could change in an instant, so she's seizing every opportunity. If the portal test is successful, he'll take the first bus out of town the next day to publish his theory and never return. If it didn't work out... that was a thought Y/n didn't want to entertain.

"Good night," Y/n said, pulling away and immediately turning to her couch. She didn't look back or he'd just see her tears.

"Good night, Y/n."

If monsters and other hideous creatures don't scare her, the unknown future might. But Ford had taught her that if she trusts her instincts, there is no need to worry about tomorrow. Her instinct is to trust Ford, so she tried to reassure herself. They had worked so hard on this, so she had to wait for their inevitable success.

And her birthday is the week after that.

***

The big night had finally arrived. This could be a major breakthrough, or it could all go horribly wrong. Fiddleford returned the next day and can be seen working on the finishing touches, but he didn't say anything to Ford. The two exchanged no words. Y/n wasn't sure where to stand. F had also become her friend. She would not dismiss their year-long journey. They were both stubborn scientists who preferred to work in their separate areas rather than work through their differences. She knew from some of Ford's stories that forgiveness wasn't his strong suit.

She sighed helplessly and resolved that if these two boneheads don't get along, she'll just mind her own business.

"Thank you all for coming," Ford said, standing in front of the portal. It was a meaningless speech. He rubbed his right eye vigorously, and Y/n noticed that it was different from his other eye. It appeared irritated, bloodshot, and sluggish. He said a few more words before the three of them went to carry the test subject, a mannequin. A rope hangs from its feet. Ford had the right limb, F had the left, and Y/n had the back.

The portal was so bright that it looked like a sea of diamonds swirling around it. Something is waiting on the other side. They may be testing the safety of this portal, but Y/n should have suggested attaching a camera for photographic evidence.

Standing in front of this portal with the other two is actually making her giddy. This is it. This is it.

"Ready... steady... and-" They all released the test dummy and it got pulled into the portal. So far, so good.

Her joy quickly turned to dread as the rope wrapped around her ankle. Y/n's heart leapt to her throat as she was abruptly lifted from the ground, and gravity was not on her side. She tried to grasp something, but all she found was air. "Help! "She gasped. "Help me!" "

"Y/n!" Ford screamed.

The gravitational magnet was too powerful, sucking half of her body inside before being pulled by the other end of the rope. The two men yanked and yanked on the string until the portal consumed so much energy that it malfunctioned. Static electricity erupted until everything went dark. They were able to pull her out because the portal was no longer active.

She crashed on the ground, hard. Fiddleford's brow furrowed, but Ford was only concerned with what she saw on the other side. "Did it work?" He inquired. Y/n was breathing heavily before twitching uncontrollably. F buried his hands in his hair and tugged hard. "What exactly is it, Y/n? What did you see?"

She sat upwards and the two watched as she slumped exhaustively. The girl was muttering the words, "ꟻɘɒɿ ɟ⑁ɘ dɘɒƨɟ wiɟ⑁ ᒑuƨɟ onɘ ɘγɘ" repeatedly before suddenly retching significant amount of dark brown blood in her vomit before passing out. F grimaced deeply, while Ford was greatly shocked at this revelation.

"We have to shut this portal down," F spoke. "It's clearly highly dangerous! See how this affected a little girl!"

"I can't stop this; it's my life's work!" " Ford drew his brows together.

"This is your life's work?" F angrily motioned to Y/n who was still lying on the ground.He knelt down and drew Y/n to him. "She was almost dead, Stanford!" Ford was surprised by his use of his real name. "Can't you peer inside your heartless soul that we just put a child in danger?" Destroy this portal before it annihilates us all! "

Ford remained deafeningly silent. He wanted to yell at him that Y/n would be fine and that they should try again. Although he couldn't help but feel a pang of panic in his stomach when Y/n didn't move. F lowered his gaze to the girl in his arms. He paused, a deep frown on his face. He was disgusted by this man's complete lack of understanding of the situation. He wanted to take her in his care if he walked away, but... he'd rather forget about it all.

Quickly but carefully, he handed the girl to Ford. Instantly, he pulled her close to him. "I quit," F declared.

"What?"

"I said I quit!" He stormed off without another word.

Anger filled Ford's veins. He clutched Y/n's frail body. "FIne!" He screamed. "We'll do it without you! We didn't need you!"

Those were their last words to one another.

He looked down at Y/n, searching for her pulse. He felt a faint beat on her wrist and felt relieved for a moment. "Y/n? " He said quietly. "Talk to me, Y/n."

She only let out a few groans before collapsing again.

He frowned. He didn't like that response, prompting a sigh from him. He's been working so hard, and sleep is finally catching up with him. However, he became aware of whispers. Ford looked up, alarmed. Did Fiddleford decide to return and apologize for his insulting remarks?

However, there were whispers coming from the left, right, and back. "Is anyone there?" " Ford yelled into the night. "Show yourself! " The whispers continued. It was getting louder, and Ford couldn't stand it any longer, so he stood up, bringing Y/n with him. He needed to get out of this room.

Ford cradled her against his chest and moved her to the upper floor of the elevator. Because he couldn't see well due to the blackout, he walked cautiously between the scattered items left on the ground until he arrived at his room. He carefully placed her on the cushiony mattress and covered her with a thin blanket, but before he could pull away, Y/n reached for his sleeve.

Ford looked at her, but her eyes were closed and she was silent. He tugged on his sleeve, but she wouldn't let go. He decided to comply with her wishes and sat beside her. He placed her head on his chest, and Y/n immediately became calm as she breathed slowly.

As he looked down on Y/n, he felt another pang in his heart. Was it remorse? Guilt? Pain from his anger?

He is indeed guilty for stringing her with this. He went down a dangerous path that he ventures alone, yet somehow she's still here. She has been a part of his journey in Gravity Falls ever since the beginning. He can say that they have been through thick and thin, and these last 6 years have been an adventure.

Ford's thoughts returned to Fiddleford, and his rage resurfaced. He took his journal and pen from his coat pocket without disturbing Y/n's sleep. He had a lot to say to F, words that would look better on paper rather than spoken aloud. He'd rather save his time than spend it yelling at him.

GOOD RIDDANCE! He wrote in bold letters. It felt final and liberating. He shouldn't have contacted Fiddleford in the first place. This project could have been completed with just Y/n and his muse. He'd introduce Y/n to his muse, and the three of them could collaborate. F and his weak, cowardly demeanor were utterly pointless.

His right eye felt like it was burning again. It was stinging and it was much more painful than the last. Is this a symptom that his muse is contacting him?

"wfs yic fswty?"

"jvy xijily cgcujk"

"vevibgsrmt droo xszmtv"

"!eye eno tsuj htiw tsaeb eht raef ,yks emoceb htrae dna sllaf ytivarg nehw"

"Stop!" Ford screamed, standing up. "Stop it!"

He dashed out of the room, but the whispers remained. He clutched his journal close to his chest. It felt like he was drowning for hours, but it had only been a minute. Slowly, his muse's voice became clearer.

"THE DOOR IS OPEN..."

What had he done?

***

Y/n opened her eyes to find herself in a void. She looked around but saw nothing but darkness. Is she able to walk? She took a step forward, luckily not falling. She walked and walked until she felt she had no choice but to run. Y/n was getting short of breath. She didn't have to look behind her back to realize that she was being pursued.

Her foot suddenly lost contact with the ground, and she began to fall. She could see the ground from below and instinctively put her hands in front of her to brace for impact, but she was floating before she could land.

First and foremost, she was perplexed. "Huh..."

Maniacal laughter erupted from above, and she was left puzzled by what was going on. From above, a yellow glowing triangle floated down. He had thick lines for limbs, a top hat, and a bowtie to complete his one-eyed body. She was still processing her situation. Where the heck is she?

"You're inside your mind, short stuff."

Internally, she screamed. Can this slick-looking fella hear her thoughts?

"Oh, why thank you for the compliment. I tend to dress up for a special occasion!" He even stretched his bowtie for effect. "Anyway, how'd you like that glimpse, Daisy?" He placed both his hands on the side of his head/body.

Y/n suddenly remembered everything. She remembered the first test, how she accidentally got caught on the rope, how half of her body got sucked in, how she got a glimpse of what was really on the other side, how she puked blood. If she's in this void of nothingness, is she still unconscious?

"Boy, your thoughts are loud. Ever taught them to shut up?"

She huffed, "Stop reading my mind! And who are you?" she suddenly felt chills as she realized that he had that similar black slits for pupils, similar to a cat's eyes. It dawned on her like a meteor shower. "You were the one helping Ford, aren't you."

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner! Here's your prize; a handful of fish guts!" he snapped his fingers and it magically made her hand catch, you guessed it, guts from a fish.

"Agh!" Y/n screamed in utter disgust as she threw it away from her. Bill's obnoxious laugh just echoed. With another snap of his fingers, the fish guts disappeared and her hands were clean of the blood.

"Haha! I knew I liked you better than that weak, obstinate Glasses! He was too cowardly to carry out the plan. Meanwhile, you blindly obey every command from Six Fingers. That's exactly what we want to see! Let's give Daisy a standing ovation!"

Y/n stood there, unimpressed as Bill summoned multiple pairs of hands surrounding her, giving their rounds of applause. Some even hollered and cheered even though they didn't have any mouths. He's starting to annoy her second by second. His taunts, his maniacal laugh, and what's with the "Daisy" calling? When had she heard it before?

"Sleep tight, Daisy."

At the chilly realization, she felt like she was showered with a bucket of ice cold water - because she was literally showered with a bucket of ice cold water by Bill. Y/n sputtered and spat out the water as Bill's maniacal laughter resounded. "Stop it and stop mind-controlling Ford!" She pointed an accusatory finger at him.

"HAH! But why should I do that? He's just completed an interdimensional bridge connecting our worlds! We owe him a heartfelt thanks. This dimension will soon learn how to party. Are you ready?" he leaned down and produced a party pipe out of thin air before blowing it in her face. She slapped it away angrily, making Bill laugh again.

"Party? What the-" Y/n shook her head. She didn't know what he meant, but it sounded dangerous. She shouldn't have to think too much anymore or he'll just hear her thoughts! She was already well aware that Bill is a dangerously powerful being. "I'll stop you! I-I'll force Ford to close the portal!"

"And what makes you think I can't take over his body just like last time?" he replied without missing a beat. If he had lips, he would be smirking.

"You aren't welcome here, you psycho! You- you pyramid jerk!"

"Heh, your childish insults tickle my funny bone, and I don't even have one! I don't think you have a choice here once the portal finishes, Daisy." he taunted, pointing finger guns at her. Suddenly, his eyes changed and Y/n didn't like how it meant that an idea had entered his mind. What could the idea be? "And if we're going to have a party..." Bill paused for a moment, narrowing his eyes and before she knew it, it glowed to yellow and emitted a laser. He zapped her, enveloping her entire body in a yellow glow. He cackled so carelessly. "Woo!"

Her body was no longer glowing, and she scanned herself for any changes. Her physical form was unchanged, and she didn't feel any different, but Bill had clearly done something to her. "What have you done to me!"

"Even if Six Fingers stops the portal, he's just delaying the inevitable!" Bill chuckled. Even if it takes a thousand years, I'm sure you'll be present to see it! "

"What the- Bill!"

He began to float away. "Have fun with your birthday present, (nickname)-y! You'll thank me later!" his voice faded and the world around her began to flicker in black and white. "OH! Hey Daisy!" Bill exclaimed one last time. When she looked up, his eyes widened into saucers.

"WANNA HEAR AN IMPRESSION OF FIDDLEFORD?"

She awoke with a start, having no memory of what had happened in her dream or her harrowing encounter with the portal.

Chapter 6: I Just Got Him Back

Chapter Text

She was heavily breathing as she adjusted her gaze to her surroundings. She became aware that she was in Ford's room and in his bed. The dark, heavy curtains draped over the windows, preventing any light from entering. Despite the darkness, she could see that Ford's room was completely cluttered, as one would expect from someone like him. He used to be very organized, but due to the portal project, he became so engrossed in his various tasks that he neglected to clean. He can remember where he had placed a specific item the previous time.

Y/n was curious as to how long she had been sleeping. The last thing she remembered was doing the test with Ford and F, but she had no idea if it had been successful because her memory had become hazy since then. She didn't want to think about it anymore because her mind always went blank when she tried to recall that moment.

She tried to search for a nearby calendar, or anything. Is Ford still even in Gravity Falls? He wasn't here when she woke up. Was the portal test successful and he's already on his way to tell the world about his groundbreaking theory? Did he just up and leave without waking her up or saying goodbye?

Finally standing up from the bed, she told her quick-beating heart that no, he couldn't do that. He wouldn't just throw away all their time together. She could deduce from the faint light seeping in through the curtains that it's day outside, but she still couldn't tell what day it was since the test.

Still, she remembered that her birthday was a week after the test. She was about to turn thirteen. She may already be thirteen now or even older. But it wouldn't be a birthday without celebrating it with her closest friend.

She slowly pushed open the door and took a look around. The corridors were dark, and it appeared that the room across from her was unoccupied and basically abandoned. She assumed F had left once the portal test was completed. She frowned at the prospect of not being able to celebrate the achievement with the two of them, but her heart was filled with hope at the prospect of Ford and F reuniting as close classmates.

"Ford?" she called out to nothing. She wanted to give it a try, maybe he'd shout back.

Y/n walked out to the living room, and it had changed drastically. Gone were the stacks of calculations and blueprints of the portal. The floor was bare, but there was still the occasional dust and dirt, hinting that the room wasn't cleaned for months now. She couldn't even remember the last time anyone cleaned this place. Walking to the kitchen, she was surprised to see so many coffee pots and mugs. What was he doing with this much coffee? Is he pushing himself over a new project again?

"Ford!" she shouted again. "It's my birthday! I don't know if it still is, but we can still celebrate! A belated birthday party or something!" Where is he?

Perhaps he was in the portal room? She retraced her steps and found herself in the elevator; she remembered riding this thing up and down all the time, with the shrunken up portal parts. The height-changing crystal had its advantages. She stepped inside the elevator, which opened to a dark hallway. The portal remained intact. The surveillance room remained. There had been no change.

He wasn't in the upper ground, attic, or portal room, either. So she went to the only other location she knew he'd be.

Returning to the elevator, she pressed the number two button, and the mechanism lifted her up to the second level of the basem*nt's second level. The elevator door opened. It was red and gold, and when she touched the knob, it was cold.

"Ford? " she said as she entered the dimly lit room. She noticed Ford slouched on the chair in one corner, which was surrounded by candles. He appeared to be writing something with zeal. "Ford! It's my- birthday..." she'd trailed off when she heard him mumble incoherently.

She walked close enough that he didn't even notice her. She only realized his appearance when she looked closer. His hair was unkempt, his eyes were so red they could have passed for black eyes, and his clothes were a mess. She could tell he'd grown some facial hair. She had just noticed him frantically writing with a black light as his light source.

"Ford?"

***

The sudden sound of her voice startled him. He immediately slammed his journal shut and turned off the black light. "Y/n! " He was overjoyed when he saw her. For weeks, the only thing that kept him sane was attempting to care for this little girl when he couldn't even care for himself. "You're awake! I didn't see you come in."

"Yeah, but how long was I-"

It happened too quickly for her to blink. Ford suddenly craned her neck and flashed her a harsh light. He spread her eyelids apart with his other hand to get a better look at her pupils. "What are you doing?! " she said. The bright light blinded her, but it did not harm her eyes.

"I apologize for my outburst," Ford replied as he let her go. "I was just making sure..." he cleared his throat.

"Making sure of what?"

"That you were safe. And you are," he averted his gaze as he adjusted the collars of his coat. "I'm also glad that you are doing fine."

She tilted her head in perplexity, but she decided to ignore it. "How long have I been gone? "

"It's been... a couple of weeks." He couldn't tell either. "Almost a month." He hadn't been out in the sun in a long time. He had to constantly check behind his back the last time he went out for food to see if anyone was after him. He's seen mysterious men in cloaks with a crossed-out eye symbol. And he couldn't seem to get this monster out of his thoughts..

Ford has been left alone to fight his battles for the month that Y/n has been sleeping. But he believes he deserved it because he put himself in this situation in the first place. It was his fault that he shook Bill's stupid hand. As a result, he had to train himself not to fall asleep, and if drinking coffee wasn't enough, he'd splash himself with hot water. He'll go to any length to keep Bill out of his head.

And if he ever passed out and Bill took control of him for a night, he wouldn't remember it because Bill can also corrupt his dreams and manipulate his thoughts.

He had to cling to Y/n. She not only keeps him sane, but she is the only other person he can trust. He had to keep his guard up, though. Bill could still be lurking around without his knowledge. "Y/n, I'm sure you know a thing or two about ciphers."

She does, but she was still puzzled as Ford scribbled something on a piece of scrap paper. When he showed her a word jumble, she immediately deduced that it was a Caesar cipher because the first three letters wouldn't make sense as an Atbash code.

L kdyh wr klgh doo pb uhvhdufk.

"What?" She was confused. Why did he have to hide his research? "What exactly is going on?"

"It's hard to explain, but I have made a grave mistake and I can't turn back now. F was right and I was a fool."

"Oh, speaking of F, where is he? Was the portal test a success?"

She shouldn't have asked because something had changed in Ford's eyes. A dark shadow had fallen over him, and he couldn't speak. She had no recollection of anything? Ford had deliberated internally. It had to be a side effect of entering the portal.

"He... had to leave due to a family emergency. His wife became ill..."

Y/n didn't want to probe any further because F's departure could have been a sensitive subject for Ford to discuss. Maybe they had a fight before he left?

"Anyway, here are the additional pages from my journals. Keep it hidden and don't show it to anyone else. I have already hidden the second and third books," he said as he paced back and forth, brows furrowed in concern.

She looked down at the ripped papers that had been handed to her. They were crammed with notes and codes that she would have to decipher later. "How about Journal 1?"

He paused for a moment, debating whether this was the right decision, but he had no other option. "I'm going to make a postcard."

That was an unusual plan, but she remained silent as she followed Ford back to the elevator and pressed the button. She kept looking up at her friend the entire way to the higher ground. What had happened in the weeks she had been sleeping for him to act this way? He's becoming increasingly paranoid and cautious, his hands jittery like F when exploring outside.

Ford must have gone through those trials, and Y/n felt sick at the thought of him going through them alone while she slept. He must have gone insane now that Fiddleford was gone as well.

The elevator door opened, and they were now in the living room. "Hey, Ford," she said. "It appears that you are forgetting something..."

Ford grumbled before saying, "what did I forget?"

"Something important..." She let a smile stretch her lips.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he replied, rummaging through his bags until he found it. A Gravity Falls postcard, untouched and still in mint condition. "Gotcha," he said, quickly pulling a pen from his pocket and placing it on a clean surface - a tiny free space on his living room work table.

Before he began formulating for something to say, Y/n popped in his vision. "Ford! It's my birthday! I'm thirteen now!"

"Oh, yes. Happy birthday, Y/n," he blindly reached over and nonchalantly ruffled her hair like he always did. That never changed and that made her smile. He was still himself.

Ford focused his attention on the back of the postcard. He had just written his full name and address, and now he was writing the name of his intended recipient. He hadn't heard that name in years. He can't deny that this guy has been bothering him since that fateful day. Below that name was an address provided by his mother, whom he had called a few days before. He lives there, she told him.

At first, he was really considering giving the third journal to Y/n, but he knew she couldn't leave Gravity Falls because of its weird law of magnetism. He wanted to get rid of these journals. They were too valuable to destroy, but the information contained inside is too dangerous.

And, ironically, the only other person he can trust to do the job (which is to get as far away as possible and bury it somewhere no one can find it) is the least trustworthy person he knows. When Ford thinks of S, he thinks of a thief and a charlatan, to name a few adjectives. But he decided to give him another chance at redemption. Perhaps he can still prove his worth to Ford.

There was a blank space beside the names and addresses where he could write whatever he wanted. Ford had so much to say, but the moment the tip of his ballpoint pen touched the paper, he retracted as he sighed quietly.

He looked up at Y/n, who was keeping a close eye on him. "Can you find me some paper?"

"Um, okay," she said awkwardly before proceeding to scout the entire living room. She found an unused table napkin from the diner and handed it to him after a minute. The last time they went to the diner, it was to celebrate the completion of the portal. "You don't have a lot of spare paper in your pockets for someone who writes a lot."

"Maybe because I ran out of paper writing a lot," Ford replied, eliciting a small laugh from Y/n. He didn't give her a single glance the entire time he was working on the portal, except when she needed her for something. They didn't make small talk because their sole focus was on completing the portal. Everything had truly changed.

Ford wrote down on the napkin until there were no more blank spaces. He took a deep breath before writing on the postcard. "Please... come... Ford..." he said aloud as he scrawled the words in big, bold letters. "How about that?"

"I couldn't have written it any better myself!" Y/n remarked, albeit sarcastically. "Perhaps use an exclamation point instead of a period. To make it sound more urgent, you know?"

He stroked one long line on top of the dot. "Like that?"

"Yeah..." she nodded approvingly.

"Okay, right after I put this in the mailbox, I have to go back and hide the rest of my research," Ford said as he marched to the front door.

Y/n stepped beside him. "Ooh! Can I come with you?"

"No!" he exclaimed. "It's too... risky. I can't let you near them. It's fortunate that I saw you or you would've seen..." Ford trailed off, remembering the... items. Why did he even buy them in the first place?

Him suddenly staring off into space had suddenly worried her. "See what?" she asked, but he didn't answer. "Ford, tell me!"

"Y/n, I... I can't-"

"Don't lie to me! You've been hiding stuff from me for a long time now and I've actually gotten sick of it," she said as she crossed her arms. "I've been here ever since you came here, Ford, and for years! We've been there for each other, relying on one another. What made you stop? Out of everyone, don't I deserve the truth?"

It seemed that her reasoning had fallen on deaf ears. "Y/n, you don't understand. I was just-"

"Maybe I do!" Y/n countered. "This is about that dream demon, isn't it? I don't even know his name, but I've seen-"

"Y/n, keep your voice down, shh!"

"I've seen what he did to you. He'd been controlling you, helping you with the portal-"

"And he manipulated me!" Ford shouted in the same tone as her. "I was a fool, blinded by all his flattery and games! He was the one who proposed the portal gateway to me. I trusted him so foolishly, and now look at what happened." his voice dropped into a low sound. "These voices in my head could not go away. I always have to look over my shoulder to see if someone's watching me. Now I have to watch your back too. I have to protect you, Y/n, because I know that this is all my fault. None of this would have happened if I hadn't shaken that hand."

Ford had collapsed in his chair, placing his head on his hands as he let out a heavy sight.

"Hey," she said as she approached him. "You're not alone in this. You'll always have me." she frowned a bit. She hasn't been fulfilling that promise, but she's willing to prove that to him. "Well, hey, if you want me to blame you or something, guess I have to blame you for one other thing."

"What is it?"

"You found me and gave me a home," she replied, shrugging. "Because of you, you're stuck with me forever and you will have no choice. No take-backsies!"

At that, she drew him to a tight embrace, eliciting a light chuckle from him. She'll take a small laugh. At least he smiled. She pulled back and expected the smile to still be there, but he was looking directly at her eyes, her pupils.

"Well, come on Ford! It's still my birthday! We gotta go celebrate with food in Greasy's just like we always do!"

Ford was quickly back to frowning, "Y/n... we can't. We can't go outside. It's-"

"Dangerous? Yeah, I know. Figured you would say that. That is why I remembered ripping this number off the poster from that wall. Call for a delivery service!"

He was still unsure, but he was also getting hungry. Although his paranoia was causing him to imagine a slew of bad outcomes from this delivery service, he also had to consider Y/n's health.

After a half-hour of calling and waiting on the old-fashioned phone, the food arrived on the porch. But before Y/n could open the door, Ford drew her close to him, pushed her back into her seat, and shielded her with his arm. He shushed her and reached for the crossbow, despite her protests. When on earth did he get a crossbow?

"Ford!" she harshly whispered, but Ford ignored her, tip-toeing as he sternly placed a finger to his lips as if signaling her to remain silent.

Another set of knocks were heard and a voice from outside said, "delivery from the Greasy's Diner!"

Ford waited for a second, subtly clearing his throat before gruffly shouting, "Leave it by the door!"

The other side was silent for a moment. "Uh, sir? What about the payment?"

He slipped a fifty dollar bill on the small space under the wooden door. "Keep the change and scram!"

"Sheesh, fine." the voice spoke before leaving. It was clearly a teenage boy from his sarcastic remarks. Ford listened intently on the fading footsteps. Eventually, he opened the door slightly ajar before snatching the paper bag from the wooden porch. Y/n had caught a glimpse of the door that had a sign that said, "No Trespassing!" she felt really bad for him.

Ford inspected the bag thoroughly, looking for some explosives or something. Everything he was doing was making her kind of annoyed. This is ridiculous. "Is it safe now?"

"Yes." he looked so serious, before retrieving a small cupcake from his hand. The design was clearly a flower, with white frosted petals and a yellow fondant for the bud. A daisy. "Huh, it matches your necklace."

Instinctively, Y/n reached to her collarbone where her necklace had rested. The medium-sized daisy pendant was still there and suddenly, she was taken back to the time Ford had bought this for her. She wanted to go back.

She gratefully took the cupcake from him, and Ford rummaged through the paper bag some more until he took out two candles that looked like the number 1 and 3. Looking at the size of the candles made Y/n laugh, as Ford realized that it wouldn't even fit the small cake.

He grumbled at the diner's incompetence and stupidity as he placed the candles upright on the table and retrieving matches before lighting it up. Y/n looked at the glowing candles in joy as she carefully carried the cupcake.

She looked up at him expectantly. Ford sighed before smiling a little. "Happy birthday to you~"

It was a short tune, but it still made her happy.

Closing her eyes, she made a wish. She might be an "official teen" and she shouldn't be doing childish stuff anymore, but there's really no harm in wishing. She blew out the candle as Ford smiled at her before stopping momentarily. He looked directly in her eyes again. "I have to go and hide my research. I'm downstairs if you need me. Meanwhile, enjoy your birthday, Y/n," he said, patting her hair comfortingly.

She helplessly watched as Ford retreated to the elevator and then he was gone. She bit her lip, fiddled with her fingers as she looked down. She watched one of the candles, the number 3, tumble down. She sighed, taking the daisy cupcake.

"Happy birthday to me."

***

The next few days, Y/n awoke with a start. She had wanted to take the couch for the night, but seeing the stacks of books laid there, she was too lazy to pick it up and clean it, so she just settled on Ford's bed. He insisted he stay on the second level of the basem*nt, as he was still not done removing some of his important research.

She made a beeline towards the kitchen, and she just remembered the numerous unclean mugs that just laid in the sink. She groaned as she had no choice but to clean up one of the mugs if she wanted to enjoy coffee. It had been weeks since she had one, and they ran out of tea which was unfortunate.

The coffee she had was bland, while Ford had... nothing. After countless hours of persisting, she finally convinced him to come up for some natural sunlight, but it wouldn't even matter since it had begun SNOWING! HARD!

"Ford? Wanna make us some hot cocoa? You know, like you always do every snow day?" She asked the man constantly pacing around the living room. She tried but clearly, it didn't work. They didn't even have enough ingredients to make one cup of hot cocoa.

Ford was too busy thinking about - well - everything. He felt like the whole word lies on his shoulders, or, the shoulders of his twin brother. He wanted to write his thoughts, but his journals were hidden now, and he had nothing else to do but wait for S.

Y/n quietly watched him. She couldn't even get through to him. Every word she said just fell on deaf ears. He might just punch a hole on the floorboards from pacing too much. If he looked bad yesterday, he just looked worse now.

"I'm going to your room."

She left Ford to his devices as she reached the bedroom door. She turned it over and pushed it open, revealing the mess and where they would usually be. The prism placed on the table, the pile of books on the chair, Ford's shelf of achievements, and who could forget about Experiment 78? The electric blue carpet that switches your body with someone after creating enough friction. She remembered her and Ford switching conscience and then immediately switching back because it had felt so uncomfortable. Seeing herself from a taller perspective, and just seeing her actual self not from a mirror and having a voice of a young man is very off-putting to say the least. Getting to actually feel physical pain was a state that she didn't want to be in and it had gotten her to be thankful, while Ford just got up and took every chance he got to hurt himself. That was an experience.

Y/n heard a knock on the front door but did not go up to answer it. Ford would deal with it with his trusty crossbow. He wouldn't even trust her near the front door in the first place. She'll only come out to help if he screams for it.

Ford had been a constant source of concern for her. Heck, she's been worried about the portal since its inception. She'd just learned that the dream demon was the mastermind behind Ford's decision to build it in the first place. Why had she never heard of him? Ford never even gave it a name. Was it a name that should never be spoken aloud? Is the demon always present in this world, or does he need to be summoned? If it's the former, how come she's never met him? How did it target only Ford? So many questions, but none of them are answered.

When she remembered how Ford had looked into her eyes, she frowned. It was neither fond nor amused. He just kept staring. Was it a test to see if she had demon eyes? To see if he was possessing her now?

All of her thoughts made her shiver, or was it just that it was getting extremely cold around here? After all, it was snowing heavily.

From the outside of the room, she could hear loud voices. That must be S that Ford has been mentioning. Speaking of S, was he Ford's brother that was in his stories? They haven't seen each other for years now, and she wondered how they would react to seeing each other again.

Suddenly, the ground shook. It didn't feel like a natural earthquake, so her mind boggled into an immediate panic when she realized that it was the portal opening up. The portal!

As she rushed for the elevator, she was lifted off the ground slightly. Y/n frantically pressed the buttons until she reached the final level. When the door opened, she plunged forward until she reached the portal room's wall opening.

The portal had emitted a bright light that temporarily blinded her. "AH! "

The light dissipated and the noise became a long hum, and a man was laying on the ground. He sat up after a moment. "Stanford?" Stanford? A pair of glasses landed on the ground. "Stanford, come back! I-I didn't mean it!" He dashed to the portal and banged on the metal but nothing happened.

Y/n stood motionless beside the machines. Everything was shutting down, the lights were turned off.

"I just got him back- I can't lose him again!" The man begged, forcing all his might to pull the lever. "STANFORD!" he screamed into the empty portal, but no one screamed back. Not another response, just empty nothingness.

Finally, with shaky breaths, Y/n let herself known, stepping inside. "Ford is... gone?"

The man stood up after stopping sobbing and was surprised to see a child standing there. He stood frozen. "Oh no, I just murdered this child's father!" I hadn't even considered Sixer having a daughter, but-"

"Woah, woah! No. I'm... just his close friend. But where is he? Where did he go?"

"Kid, I don't know! We were fighting, and I accidentally pushed him into the portal. My brother's gonna die and it's all my fault! This is why I'm the dumb twin."

In that moment, Y/n realized that she had to act strong for the both of them, which should be the opposite considering he is twice her age. "I... never knew you were twins."

"Huh," he looked at her apprehensively. "Ford didn't tell you anything about me, did he? That's expected."

"No, no. We did talk about our families when we got stuck into the bottomless pit. Well, it's funny because I never had a family. Never had parents."

"Oh, sorry kid-"

She frantically waved her hands, "no! I- well, biologically - never had parents. Weird, huh? Heh, welcome to Gravity Falls," she said, and when he didn't say anything, she continued, "Anyway, Ford did tell me about how he didn't get to his dream school but he still worked twice as hard... but he didn't mention any names. He just refers to you as "my brother" or S... I'm sorry." she didn't have to include other nicknames such as 'knucklehead of a brother', 'bonehead', 'dumb brother', 'idiot'...

"It's alright," he replied. "Well, what's your name, kid?"

"You can call me Y/n... and if he's Stanford, then you're...?"

"Stanley. My dad wasn't all that creative."

She chuckled a bit. "I see,"

Stan smiled before looking back up at the portal that was turned off. His frown returned. "I'm guessing you've worked with Ford? Is he gonna be alright in there?"

"Uhm..." Y/n was really unsure. "That portal leads to multiple dimensions, but I'm sure Ford could handle himself. He's the smartest guy I know."

"Me too."

"But we can still get him back!" she encouraged him before walking back to the surveillance room.

"We do?" Stan's eyes lit up a bit, "Tell me, let's do it! Let's bring him back."

"Uh, okay. So, you see... I only really helped with coding and some of the calculations; the physics, the environment... But uh, F and Ford really did the mechanics and the materials and the whole rest of the scientific formulas. The blueprint is written in the journals."

Stan picked up Journal 1 from the ground. "Oh boy, and I almost burned this... I'm such an idiot."

Y/n's eyes widened slightly in fear, but she said nothing. This guy was about to wipe out all of her and Ford's research. Perhaps that was the source of their conflict? Stan approached her as she pushed certain numbers. Eventually, the backup generator kicked in and everything came back to life.

He flipped through the pages of the journal until he came to a specific page. "There." Clearly, the blueprint for the portal takes up one-third of the first journal. "Uh... the other two journals have the rest."

"Where are the other two journals?"

"I'm not sure. Ford had them hidden somewhere, but he didn't tell me where. He hid almost all of his research except for a few extra pages he left for me, but I'm not sure if it'll be useful-"

"Go get it. We need every information we can get. I just want him back."

Y/n wanted him back as well, but she's worried that having just one journal will get them nowhere because the portal requires all three journals. But Stan's determination persuaded her, and she resolved to assist him. It felt a little like a sense of deja vu.

Y/n wanted to go upstairs and just get out of the portal room for a while. That room makes her feel uneasy in some way. And Stan, even though he had proven to her that he was harmless, it was difficult to believe that Ford had vanished and that he looked so much like him. Except for the glasses.

She decided to clean the untidy living room to distract herself. Stan, she knew no haste, would almost certainly stay in the lab because the rebuilding would take a long time. She sighed and tossed all the trash into the garbage bag. She went into her room and took out a spare pillow, which she placed on the couch. Speaking of her room, she needed to clean it as well.

She suddenly heard loud whirring noises and before she knew it, she was already down the elevator again. She even tripped her way through the halls that she would've scraped her chin but she was unhurt and unfazed, since one of her abilities is invulnerability. "What happened?" Oh, no. Is he gone, too?

But Stan was still standing there, looking up to the portal. He was unharmed, but unfortunately, the generator must have lost all the power.

"What happened?" she asked again, slightly upset.

"I wanted to try something-"

"Well, you clearly did something!"

"You do it then! We both know you're smarter than us! I'm always the dumb one, I always screw things up! So just do your thing and get my brother back! Please!"

Y/n crossed her arms, unimpressed. "Flattery will get you nowhere, you know." He didn't respond, prompting her to continue, "and like I told you. We can't. Not without those other two journals," she said. "Why don't we sleep it off this one night and think of a game plan tomorrow. I'm sure you're tired from today."

Stan hesitated at first, but eventually compiled. "Hng. Fine," he said before walking past her back to the lift. She sighed deeply before following, not before leaving a glance behind her.

Coming back up, she saw Stan on the couch, sitting somberly. It was still snowing wildly outside, so she made sure to give him extra blankets.

Nonetheless, he had been unable to sleep for several weeks. Y/n was concerned, but who could blame him? She, too, was unable to sleep. Every day, she thought about Ford. She had just returned from weeks of slumber before he was sucked into a portal. But she simply needed to be stronger. For Stan's sake. He just lost his brother after a decade of not seeing each other.

It was countless nights of hard work that brought her back to F and Ford. This time, she was repairing the portal with someone less knowledgeable, but she couldn't refuse Stan's perseverance. While he fixed the lever with a random screwdriver he found, she tried inputting stacks of codes she could barely remember. She gave him a thumbs up after pressing a few buttons. Stan yanked on the lever once more. The portal emitted a few sparks before dying again.

Stan slouched against the lever, reminding her of Ford once more. Stan had been a constant reminder of who she had lost for the past few days. Their demeanors are nearly identical, as is their vocabulary, and they share the same facial features (especially the nose). When it came to differences, Y/n noticed that they had different types of smarts. Stan possessed street smarts, whereas Ford possessed book smarts.

She glanced at the table filled with papers of cracking codes and other notes. She had already figured out codes she was familiar with, but it is a known fact that the portal wouldn't work without the other two journals. It was hopeless.

***

"Say, kid, you got any money?" Stan asked one day.

"What? No."

"Well, we're gonna die of hunger if we don't buy any food soon. We just ran out."

Y/n huffed, "don't you have a business? No earnings?"

"Ya think this mullet earned any money?" Stan pointed at his long hair, making her deadpan. He gruffed. "Be right back. Gotta go buy something. Guard the house for me."

She rolled her eyes. He annoys her sometimes.

After nearly an hour, Y/n found herself wanting to brew a cup of tea, only to discover that they had run out. They also ran out of coffee. She groaned slightly in unpleasantness, and her stomach rumbled as well. When will Stan be back?

Finally, she heard the door being burst open. "Step right up, folks! On a world of mystery or- whatever."

Her footsteps lead to the other room, where Stan walked inside followed by many people in tow. "Wha- Stan!"

"That's Uncle Stan to you, y-young lady!"

She didn't know what came over him as questions marks sprouted above her head. With his sweat trickling down his face and his fake smile, he was clearly posing as her so-called uncle, but she's not about to call him that.

From her observation, these people have dollar bills in their hands, looking curious and excited. Stan was obviously putting on some sort of act as a tour guide of... the lab?

"Oh, yeah!" one of the people in the crowd had expressed. "I forgot this man had a little girl. Never knew she was his niece," he said, and Y/n figured that they were talking about her and Ford.

"What's your name, little girl?" The woman up front asked her. Y/n glanced at Stan and he signaled that she had to play along, making her sigh internally.

"You can call me Y/n," she said. With her quick wit, she added, "I'm not his niece, I'm just a family friend. We're totally not related, but I just call him Uncle out of respect and tradition."

The people crowded her with intrigue. "What a nice, young lady!"

"Even though you're unrelated, you must be as smart as him! Him being obsessed with spooky inventions and stuff."

"Uh-" she stuttered. "Yeah-!"

"Speaking of which, we have an invention right here!" Stan cut off, and she was thankful. It was getting suffocating. "Behold: The- uh- Nerdy... Science... Box."

Y/n wanted to facepalm at that point. Couldn't Stan come up with a more believable name? It was just a simple transmitter, but she realized at the same time that the townsfolk are far too stupid for their own good. She'd known for years that the townspeople were unaware of their surroundings, because if they weren't, the mysteries of Gravity Falls would've been revealed to the world by now. She guessed they liked the peace and quiet of the place.

Susan, the daughter of the owner of Greasy's Diner, leaned down to take a closer look at the transponder. Oh, she wouldn't do that if Y/n was her...

One of the antennas had produced a string of electricity that sparked until it spat out in her eye. "Ow!" she yelled in surprise. "My eye!" Her left eye had gotten unresponsive, paralyzed.

"Uh- I can assure you; that is, in no way, permanent," Stan nervously assured.

"I paid fifteen dollars for this?!" Susan yelled angrily, and the townspeople followed, shouting their own thoughts, which jumbled into this incoherent mess.

Stan had to look for a way to resolve this. "You're lucky you weren't part of the last tour group!" he said, quickly dressing the nearest skeleton with his clothes from his opened briefcase. Y/n grimaced at the neon-colored pineapple shirt. "They never made it out aliveee!" Stan creepily wriggled his fingers.

Everyone had gotten silent, until they burst into laughter. "That's funny," Susan remarked, pointing a telling finger with her other hand on her hips.

Y/n couldn't believe how easily they handed over their money to Stan — well, she could, actually. She thought it was hilarious how easily they could be duped, and her smile only grew wider when she noticed a sparkle in Stan's eye. They say that when a person is attracted to someone, their pupils dilate, and Stan only proved that he was in love with money.

When the people were completely, Stan stepped forward and raised his palm as he faced her. It was a high-five as F would teach Y/n. But in Ford's case, it was a high-six. With a smile on her face, she raised her own hand and smacked it against Stan.

Y/n stepped back after the elating high-five, but before she could say something, Stan was already looking at her in panic. "Y/n! Your arm!"

"Huh?" the girl questioned, glancing down and seeing the transmitter's antenna continuously buzzing as it produces electricity that can clearly reach her elbow, but she didn't feel anything. "Oh."

Stan only narrowed his eyes in utter confusion. "No offense, but I thought you're human. What are you really?"

"Welp. I am human; I have human blood, human organs, human senses – it's all in Ford's DNA test – but I am kinda invincible... that's my ability."

She was prepared for Stan to feel weirded out by her. He was technically the first man (outside her and Ford) to find out about this – since, well – F would've just freaked out.

"What?!" he exclaimed as he ran his fingers through his dark brown hair. "You could have shown them that instead of this lame trinket!"

"Stan, I'm not letting them treat me like some sort of zoo animal. Besides, they'll... freak out. Please don't tell this to anyone?"

That was one of the first secrets they promised to keep between them. The second was Stan informing her that he had been impersonating Stanford and had been living here since then. She didn't agree at first because they could easily come up with the excuse that Stanley was just visiting his brother and friend in Gravity Falls, but Stan quickly told Y/n that he's been banned in 32 states and imprisoned in a total of three countries.

"You're... you're kidding, right?" Y/n deadpanned.

"Nope. That's what happens when you tryna prove something and want to make a living."

"Just – scamming people, faking identities, committing illegal crimes? Sounds like a dream."

Stan pointed her a bread knife filled with raspberry jam. "Hey, it's only illegal if you get caught! And I'm always one step ahead of the law."

He spread the jelly on the other sandwich before smashing it together and biting off a piece. She inhaled deeply. "Okay. Fine. But I'm not going to call you Ford."

"I wouldn't call me Ford either. Just call me Stan, sweetie."

"Okay..." Y/n trailed off. "But... I apologize for being intrusive, but what about your parents? Wouldn't they come looking for either Stan or Ford and realize that one of them is nowhere to be found?"

Stan swallowed the sandwich before gazing at a distance. That was the same look whenever he had an idea. Sometimes, good, most were bad ones that he'd urge her to join.

"I have a plan."

"Oh, boy."

She should have woken up when Stan barged into her room at midnight, but she was still groggy after a short nap to make up for many sleepless nights spent fixing the portal. This had been a long week of planning for a plan that Y/n didn't even agree on at first.

Faking Stan's death? Seems a bit too far.

She had asked him where the idea had come from. He explained his side, and little by little, Y/n had come to understand. "I mean, I've been changing identities for the past how-many years now, and no one from my family has come to look for me, so what's the difference between killing off this one?"

"Are you sure you're ready for a world without Stanley Pines? It will be really complicated to go through the consequences," she tried to reason.

"Well, there isn't a Stanley Pines without Stanford."

Although his words were sporadic and overly dramatic, Y/n could tell that they were genuine. Stan speaks without even considering his words or how to phrase them; he simply says them. Y/n realized at that moment that Stan had a bigger heart than anyone she'd ever met.

He was a good person, and he had been doing a good job of maintaining the 'mysterious' act with folks, providing tours without Y/n (because she'd just point out the real name of each invention or she'd explode from the amount of loud sounds of stupid chattering).

"Y/n, let's go."

"I'm coming," she replied, standing up from the bed before stretching.

It was cold when she and Stan went out. They walked the whole time until they reached a highway and from a distance, Y/n saw a car on the side of the road.

"Perfect. Just like we discussed," Stan remarked, placing his hand on his hips.

"With whom?"

"Just one of my many connections. I'm not stupid to use my car in this. It's my baby."

She rolled her eyes, walking towards it. "Let's just get this over with."

He unbuckled his backpack and set it down on the ground. They got to work, trying to make the car look as occupied as possible, as if he'd been driving it for years. He had keychains from various states, polaroids of the sea, and the car had been punched and kicked until it had dents. This vehicle screams Stan.

Stan stood there watching as Y/n entered the car. She adjusted her gloves before placing them on the steering wheel, which was already covered in Stan's fingerprints. "Ready to drive this thing?"

Her grip on the wheel tightened. "You never once taught me how to drive."

"And that's exactly what we need," he replied. "A drunk driver."

Y/n deadpanned. "I'm going to let you have your final moments." He was basically killing off his own identity after all. All proof of him being a twin was all kept hidden from anyone who could find out.

She gave him a brief moment of silence. She couldn't see his face above the roof of the car, but she could tell he was crying and didn't want her to see it. Stan closed the door after a brief pause before crouching down to look at her through the window."You ready, kid?"

She nodded, her hands on the steering wheel. "Are you?"

He averted his gaze, but it was no longer melancholy. "The world is ready to say goodbye to Stanley Pines," he said as he stepped aside, and Y/n turned the key forward until she heard the engine roar to life.

Y/n inhaled deeply. Welp, that was the only thing Stan taught her, so she had no idea what she should do next. Because of her short stature, she had to stretch her legs to reach the pedals below her.

She attempted to press the pedal on the far right, but the vehicle did not move. "What..."

"Move the joystick!" Stan shouted over the noise of the engine.

"Joystick?" she wondered aloud. She had to search for the particular item. "Oh, you mean this one?" Y/n reached for the clutch next to her and drew it to the back before stepping on the pedal without thinking. The car abruptly reversed, causing her to scream. She immediately pushed the clutch forward, and the car was moving straight again.

Fortunately, Y/n was a quick thinker. Despite the difficulty of turning the heavy steering wheel, she managed to maintain control of the vehicle. The adrenaline was pumping, but she couldn't scream. She was afraid she was getting too far ahead, so she frantically pushed the other pedal, causing the car to skid off its tracks. As Y/n attempted to maneuver it, the tires squeaked loudly against the road.

She braced herself for the impending impact of a large tree. Her nose collided with the steering wheel as a result of the impact. Glass shards flew everywhere, pricking every inch of her body.

But she didn't feel anything.

Eventually, she heard footsteps and Stan stood beside the car, breathing heavily. "Boy, you were crazy back there! Are you hurt? God, I just realized I made a kid do this!"

"Relax, Stan, I'm already thirteen," she reassured, sweeping away the glass from her arms and face. He winced as she did it so casually. "I'm fine. Come on, let's do the plan!"

Y/n jumped out of the car as Stan pulled out a pair of pliers. He went around the vehicle and cut the brakes. When she pulled out a gallon of gas, the front car was unrecognizable, and the engine was already spewing black smoke.

Stan poured out the rest of the flammable liquid and wiped his wet hands on his shirt when he was done. He took a matchbox from his coat pocket and took a single match before striking it ablaze. "So long," he said, tossing the match inside the car, where the seats were already on fire.

Y/n wanted to watch, but Stan grabbed her wrist and bolted for his life. She caught up to him, and the car behind them had finally exploded, causing strong winds to push them away.

It made a loud boom before falling silent. The two stood there, staring at the still-burning car and the black smoke billowing into the sky.

They were unable to move. Stan was speechless as he imagined what his parents would say after hearing the news. He can already see the headline of the newspaper he'll pick up at the store in the morning.

"Stan?" Y/n spoke up after a brief silence, jolting him out of his reverie and making him look down at her. "I told you there would be consequences. But... I promise I'll be there with you to face them together."

She could see the corner of his lips lift up a bit. "Heh," he said, placing his hand on her hair and scrunching it affectionately, reminding her of someone. "Thanks, kid. Let's go home."

Home. It was the first time that Stan used the word when referring to the lab. The last time she heard that term was when Ford said it, but honestly, no matter who said it, it was music to her ears.

"Okay," she said, smiling. "Let's go." And as the two of them walked away, Stan never looked back.

He never looked back.

Chapter 7: Pseudonym

Chapter Text

'STAN PINES DEAD'

That was the headline in today's Oregon newspaper. It was the talk of the town for a few hours, and now some people have come to express their sympathy and condolences. The body wasn't found, said the police. "Must've been burned down with the fire", so there wasn't a funeral to attend to.

"You really did it," Y/n says to Stan, who is busy staring at a particular section of the newspaper. "You managed to sell it to everyone. You're an absolute natural."

"Hey, you gotta learn how to give yourself some credit, kid," he replies, chuckling as he flips to the next page. "Heh, take a look at this!"

He basically shoves the newspaper to her face. She has to lean back to read the section properly. It was a picture of a man in a square frame. Y/n glances back to Stan's smirk before reverting to the photograph. It is unmistakably him, with the words, 'GRIFTER AT LARGE' beneath it. Her brows furrow slightly after quickly reading the paragraph.

"Shouldn't we be worried?"

"Nah," he says, waving a hand dismissively. "I'm Stanford, remember? And Stanley is dead, so we ain't gotta worry about nothing!"

Double negative but sure.

Y/n leaves it at that, looking a little uneasy. Stan certainly notices it, pointing it out. "Hey, you look like we just murdered someone in cold blood- hey! That's a good name."

"What?"

"'The Murder Hut!'" Stan bellows with a sound as if he is waiting for her approval. "Come on, you like it."

"Wouldn't that be suspicious as heck?" she utters, crossing her arms and leaning back to her chair. "And you think people would buy merchandise with names like- I don't know – murder hat? Murder box?"

"Let's just try it out! Come on, I got wooden planks that need some signs." Stan stands up, walks outside and begins hammering signs.

Y/n shakes her head at him, but she has a smile on her face. He brightens the room and is eager to turn the lab around. Although she initially opposed touching her and Ford's research, she knows that without proper income, they will starve and die, and this is Stan's way of earning money, so she has no choice but to support him.

***

"Step right up, ladies and gentlemen! Step right up!" Stan takes his place in front of the audience. Some are locals, while others are visitors because Y/n has never seen these people before. The word must have spread to other neighboring cities.

Stan is a natural, just like she said. His skills at deception and trickery are finally paying off, literally. Each person's fifteen dollars all end up in his hands. Some may tip more based on how entertained they were, and boy, were they entertained.

All of the creatures Stan glued together reminded Y/n of the carnival to which the three went. She reaches for her daisy necklace, which was still dangling around her neck, and her thoughts return to Ford. She can't help but chuckle when she remembers her and Ford being unimpressed by the chicken duct-taped to a silver back gorilla.

She observes how people are drawn to the various displays of Ford's research and Stan's paraphernalia. Of course, he didn't want to tell the truth, so he had to make up a story about a completely fictitious creature. Nonetheless, customers bought it.

"Remember folks; we bring the 'fun' in 'No Refunds'!" Stan waves them all goodbye, making Y/n snort from the inside of the house.

The man turns to face Y/n, and she assumes he is waiting for her reaction or approval. The reactions were priceless, and he seemed to be selling it so well that she was almost persuaded at times. She smiles and gives him a thumbs up. Stan also smiles.

"So, any notes? Something to improve on?"

These suggestions have been gnawing at the back of her mind now. "Change the name-"

"Oh, come on. The Murder Hut is a good name! It'll really spook these people out, ya know?"

"Sure. I'll give you another name," Y/n starts, bringing her hands up as if she was ready to present something like a magician that was about to do a trick. "How about... 'The Mystery Shack'? eh?" she says, sliding her hands away from her face, watching Stan's expressions.

"The Mystery Shack, huh?" Stan repeats, rubbing his chin in deep thought. "The Mystery Shack... I don't know, I think– maybe– sounds a little bit- it's perfect!"

Wow, and here he is, adamant about not changing the name at first.

"Yeah!" Y/n grins. "And then they'll get to call you Mr. Mystery or something. Isn't that better than Mr. Murder?"

"Yeah, yeah... Mr. Mystery. It has a nice ring to it. I love it!" Stan smiles so wide, leaning towards Y/n to give her hair a little ruffling, making her scowl playfully at him.

"Hey, Mr. Mystery, just because you give tours and scam people for a living now doesn't mean you forget your sole purpose for staying here. You don't get a pass for fixing the portal, ya know!"

Stan sighs. "I know. We have to bring the real Stanford back."

Every night since Ford was sucked into the other dimension, Y/n and Stan have broken their backs and brains trying to restore the portal to its original state. She remembers some of the codes she entered, but the others were scribbled down by Ford and were unfortunately found in the rest of the journals, but they are nowhere to be located.

Y/n suggested she ask the forest creatures if they had seen Ford hide one in plain sight, but Stan expressed his fear of someone hurting her once she left the lab. She reassured him that there was nothing to be concerned about and that she would not be hurt due to her invulnerability.

Stan was still unsure, but Y/n was on her way to the enchanted forest while it was still light outside. Stan was giving tours as usual, and she managed to slip out without being noticed by the crowds.

She begins looking for someone with whom she can speak. She remembers the gnomes as being anything but friendly. Shmebulock was the only one who stood out from the crowd. Nonetheless, none of them could assist because all they wanted was for her to be their queen.

Where could Ford have hidden them? As something as important as his research, he must've hidden them 'where no one could find it' as he would always say.

It wasn't in the bunker the last time she checked, which was never (because she's kind of afraid of Shifty), but she doubted the journals would be there (because of Shifty and because it would be too obvious).

Y/n sighed dejectedly as she returned to the lab. Perhaps Ford traveled to another state or town and buried the journal there, or it was hidden by a puzzle. There are numerous options.

She didn't want to get a shovel and dig through every patch of land here in the forest. First is that it is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the second is that it appears suspicious. Someone may believe they are digging up skeletons for their tourist trap or burying a dead body. In either case, things may occur that would be beyond their control.

"No luck?" Stan exclaimed once Y/n had reached the portal room. It took her all day to search the woods for possible hiding places, but nothing turned up.

And the creatures that lived there provided no important information. "Nothing... he made it more difficult than I expected."

Despite the lack of information from the other two journals, the portal repair was still ongoing. They'll just have to rely on their stock knowledge.

Stan would occasionally read textbooks borrowed from the local library, which were scattered on the table down the portal room. There were subjects like physics, computer science and information technology, and mechanical engineering—in fact, perhaps all kinds of engineering were thrown in the mix.

Y/n had little difficulty understanding; she was, after all, a quick learner. Stan, on the other hand, was dim-witted, but that didn't stop him from trying to understand basic physics. As always, she admired his tenacity.

It had been months of nonstop work. Since then, the Mystery Shack has grown. Stan suggested separating the house from the museum to give them some privacy, and they got to work. The Museum was larger and had more exhibits. Y/n had no idea the room was so large until they cleaned it.

As Stan continued making more nick-knacks, Y/n was working on the vending machine, making it act as a door between the gift shop and the hallway that led to the elevator.

"What do you think of this? I call it, 'The Antelabbit'."

From Y/n's observations, it was a brown rabbit with spiral horns from an antelope. It posed cutely, but menacingly at the same time. "How did you even get to build that?"

"Saw a bunch of taxidermy animals when I went out for groceries and decided to buy all of them," Stan replied, doing more finishing touches.

"It looks familiar," Y/n said, now that she had gotten a second look at it. "Isn't that one called a Jackalope? It's a mythical animal I saw from one of the books that Ford borrowed from the library."

"Jackalope-Shmackalope. The Antelabbit is a much more clever name. The faces of those tourists would be priceless once they see this!"

Y/n shook her head, choosing to focus more on the vending machine. There is just no way of getting through that guy. "I think I'm done," she announced as soon as she was finished. She stood up finally, having no pain from squatting down for hours.

"Does it work?"

She closed the vending machine with a small huff. There was a sound of the whole thing locking. "Try the code," she handed a paper to Stan and he began punching in the combinations on the vending machine's keypad.

With the final number inputted, the vending machine unlocked and cracked a bit of open space for Stan's fingers to grip it open. "Ha," he let out an impressive noise. "Not bad, kid. Good job."

"Of course, I was taught by the most amazing teacher."

Stan almost smiled.

"These textbooks, baby."

The smile dropped.

"Okay, get to work," he playfully punched Y/n's shoulder. He didn't even get to worry whether he punched too hard because it wouldn't matter to Y/n, yet Stan will never get used to that. "I want you to continue these while I'm gone. Gonna have to buy a cash register and more wood, and materials."

A month has passed, and it was the same routine as always; Stan rounds up the crowd and tours them around the museum, letting them take pictures – but always with a price.

After the fun tour, he leads them to the gift shop, which Y/n manages. She helps them sell the items, coming up with interesting facts about them and what benefits they'll get upon purchasing. Obviously, they all eat it up.

As Y/n closed the register, she let out a heavy sigh. She had been thinking about it for a week now, but in a few days, it will be her birthday. She should be looking forward to it, but the haunting memory that happened the next day all just came crashing down. The shaking of the ground, rushing to the elevator, having arrived too late. What if she had been there right on time? Could she have saved him and risked her life instead?

She's happy that she had Stan to celebrate it with her instead of being alone on that day. And even though she also wanted to celebrate Stan's one year of staying here, it just left a bad taste in her mouth because it's the same day she lost her research partner, her closest friend.

"Happy birthday, kiddo," Stan said, pushing forward a small plate of a cupcake on it. "Make a wish."

Y/n smiled, albeit feeling like total dump truck. "Thank you."

The moment she blew on the candle, the realization dawned on her that she was fourteen. She didn't feel like fourteen. Every year, her height grew an inch, but this year felt different all of a sudden.

Then came the next birthday, and the next, and the next. Stan's mullet had grown long enough for him to let her cut it all off, but Y/n had not changed.

"Maybe it's some sort of weird puberty thing. You may be human, but maybe your invulnerability is affecting something inside-? Nope, I am now greatly uncomfortable."

"It's been five years. It's as if I'm stuck at thirteen or something. It is indeed strange."

"Hey, look on the bright side, sweetie. One of us is staying young forever, and it's surely not me," Stan said, checking himself out in the mirror and turning his head to gaze at his new haircut. "Not bad, kid! You even kept the sideburns. I look sharp!" He grinned at his reflection before walking away, but not before giving Y/n a little noogie. "Might consider opening up a barber shop!"

"You will never bribe me with flattery, Stanley."

"Heh, worth a try."

Before Stan left the room, he stood by the opening, his hand stilled on the door frame. "Y/n?"

"Yeah?" Y/n stared at him.

He averted his gaze before speaking, "Nothing. I'm just..."

"You're just what? You can tell me, you know."

Stan let out a small chuckle. "Yeah. I know. I just wanted to say that... I'm sorry. It's been five years since the second most stupidest thing I've done in my life."

Double superlative, but okay, Y/n thought, but she let him continue.

"He wouldn't be gone if it weren't for me. But, I also want to thank you for not giving up on me. I basically replaced him but you never left, ya know? You-"

"Okay, you're making me cry, man. Stop it," Y/n playfully chided, but there were tears threatening to escape from the corner of her eyes. "We should be celebrating our progress! I mean, considering that we lack the extra information from the other two journals, we still do it! The portal... kinda works."

Stan remained frowning. "Really appreciate your enthusiasm, kid, but we just spent the last five years with nothing accomplished. Admit it!"

"And here's to many more years. I don't care how long it takes. The important thing is that we're still trying and we won't ever give up on him. We both want him back, right?"

"I'm sorry. You're right." He sighed.

"When am I not?"

"Okay, smarty pants, I'm getting sick of your overconfidence," Stan remarked, but he wasn't being serious.

Y/n cackled. "Ha! Where'd you think I got that? And you don't get a choice, you're stuck with me forever!"

He smirked. "Good."

The two remained inseparable, knowing that they would only have each other for the rest of their lives. They decided that because Y/n does not age, she should be kept hidden from the public during the day. It was too complicated to explain, but Y/n had prepared a lie that she could tell whenever she needed to.

Stan and Y/n knew it would take a long time, but no one expected that almost twenty years later, nothing groundbreaking would have happened. The Shack kept on developing, though, now fully renovated with the huge sigh and other decorations.

They continue to follow their daily routine, in which Stan tours the visitors around the museum before leading them to the gift shop where he also manages the cash register. Meanwhile, Y/n works with the portal, taking note of what materials they would need. Stan might call Y/n to fix something, but as much as possible, he didn't want to fill up her plate with so many tasks.

Sleepless nights of hard work were also part of their routine. Someone should seriously do a bag check on their eyes from how saggy they look, but somehow Stan still manages to look charismatic in the day.

But every now and then, Stan would have one of those nights where he felt completely disheartened. He'd just stop what he was doing and go on a rant about how he's not smart enough and lacks critical thinking, doubting his abilities, and calling himself names.

But Y/n is always ready to put him back in his place, to tell him that he's wrong, and that he is smart in his own way.

There would also be days when Y/n would not want to get out of bed, feeling lethargic and uninterested. She'd spend the entire day lost in her own thoughts, which would always drift back to him and her memories with him.

Stan would check in on her from time to time, but would give her space if she needed it. He would, however, bring her meals in bed, which she greatly appreciates.

The two have grown to truly care for one another, internally promising to watch each other's backs.

After about twenty years, there was a ring that one morning. Stan reluctantly picked it up and sat in the dining chair. "Stan Pines speaking."

"Ford?"

Stan knew that voice. "Shermie?"

"You go by Stan now?"

His shoulders slumped. He just wanted to drop the call, though it might be suspicious. He already had the first strike, mistakenly introducing himself as Stan Pines when clearly, a person named Ford resides here. "What do you want, Sherm?"

"Well," Shermie began, "you know how I've been expecting my first grandchild..."

Stan stood up from his chair. "Wait," he said, "Is it happening now? Already?!"

"Heh, yep!"

"Well?"

"Well... what?" The older brother questioned.

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

Shermie let out a small chuckle. "You'll just have to go over here and find out, won't you?"

"You can just tell me, Sherm, come on!" he basically begged but nonetheless, Shermie didn't throw him a bone.

"Nope. No can do, Ford. It's been too long since we've seen each other. It's been like what, twenty– twenty five years already? You'll find out once you get here," he said before dropping the call.

Stan grumbled under his breath before dragging himself to Y/n's room. "Y/n, wake up," he said, approaching the huge bed on the side, "Wake up, peanut, I need your help."

Y/n fussed. "No. I want to sleep forever."

"Wake up!" Stan shamelessly punched the side of her shoulder, not feeling guilty at all because he knew it wouldn't even perturb her.

"What happened, what do you want?" Y/n groaned.

"I need you to find me Ford's clothes to wear."

"What?" She finally sat up.

"I have to meet my brother. As Ford."

"You have a second brother? How many other brothers are there?!" Her arms flailed wildly, her eyes narrowed at him. Stan was slightly amused at Y/n's irritated state, but his problem of trying to pose as his disappeared twin brother is surfacing on his mind.

Stan laughed shortly. "Don't worry, we're only three. His name's Shermie."

Y/n stood up and walked over to the large box in the far corner of the room. The box contained some of Ford's belongings, such as his clothes, and the majority of his belongings were on the basem*nt's second level. "I'm guessing you need to dress as Ford so you need his clothes."

"Yeah. Not too nerdy, though, even if it's an impossible challenge."

As she rummaged through the box, Y/n scoffed, shaking her head. It's been 20 years, but the scent is still there. It felt like a slap in the face, but Y/n powered through it, eventually pulling out a blue-gray long-sleeved shirt and a mustard vest. "Dusty."

Stan made a dismissive sound. "I don't care."

"Woah!" Y/n exclaimed as she noticed Stan taking off his coat. "Not here?!"

Stan returned to her room a few moments later, dressed completely differently than before, just as Y/n discovered Ford's other trench coat. "Here. This'll complete the look."

She watched Stan put it on with a solemn expression. "Meh, here," he said, twirling a bit to present his final appearance. "How'd I look?"

Y/n hummed in thought. She considered his appearance before pointing out a specific feature she wished to change. "Come here."

Stan leaned down to her face, speechless, before reaching up and running her fingers through his hair. She noticed that their hairstyles were different; Ford had thick, wavy curls, while Stan had straight, thin strands. She ruffled them around and couldn't help but chuckle. It was like getting even with him, who had frequently messed up her hair.

She eventually came to a halt and took a step back. Her lips formed a straight line. "You make the cut," she said, her voice slightly trembling. Stan approached the large mirror next to her and looked in it. He was stunned at first, his eyes scanning every detail of himself. "Now say something Ford would say."

Stan stood blankly, remaining still before clearing his throat. "Conspiracies," he uttered, "Mysteries! Bigfoot is real!"

The two erupted into small laughter.

"Heh, still got it." he smirked to himself.

"Okay, you big nerd, but what about your six fingers?"

The man in front of her contemplated for a moment, before coming up with an idea, "Hand me some bandages."

***

Through the window, Y/n observed Stan leave for his car. She tightened her grip on the window sill. The back of his figure looked like Ford's, and with a shaky grin, Y/n reasoned that if he truly strongly resembled him, it would surely fool his other brother.

She couldn't believe they had another brother as she slid down on the couch. She only found out because Ford never told her anything about him, only about Stan. Y/n stared at the ceiling, trying to think of something to do now that she was alone in the lab-turned-Shack. Should she go into the gift shop and create new "attractions"? Should she clean up the museum a little more? Should she double-check something with the portal?

She returned to her bedroom with a careless shrug. Stan interrupted her dream of becoming a famous monster hunter on TV, so she went back to sleep to continue it.

Her hunger woke her up, and she settled on making herself a sandwich. She went downstairs and snatched a few books and brought them upstairs to read some. She spent the rest of the afternoon reading and writing notes of her own.

Before she knew it, the front door opened. "I'm home!" She heard, but she wrote a few more sentences before looking up from the book and she just noticed that it had gotten dark. She made her way out of her room and saw Stan in the hallway who was just about to go to his room.

"So? How'd it go?" she inquired, crossing her arms.

"Twins," Stan began, and she swore she saw tears forming at the corner of his eyes. "They had twins - and – and matching names! What a tradition! It was Ma-"

Y/n couldn't help but smile at him. His happiness was highly contagious. She remained speechless, listening to him telling the story animatedly. And when he told her that he told Shermie to keep the whole "dead Stanley" topic a secret to the kids, she felt relief.

"I don't wanna do this whole thing again. It's... it's suffocating," Stan finished.

Y/n smiled reassuringly. "Let's just hope that we don't bump into a situation where you have to do it again."

***

Stan had spent countless hours renovating the tourist trap, determined to keep the oddities and appeal alive for profit and his love of money. As a result, when Stan returned home with a slew of wax figures, Y/n immediately expressed her disapproval.

"What is this..."

"They're wax figures! Got them at very low prices."

"Let me guess, you stole them while they weren't looking?" She crossed her arms.

Stan let out the biggest laugh. "You know me so well," he said quite affectionately, "Now, help me transfer them to the other room!"

They moved the remaining wax figures to the other side of the museum. They were definitely heavy, and Y/n was exhausted because she had no idea who these famous people that Stan had mentioned, and as a result, she felt like her energy was being wasted.

Stan decided to hire a handyman for the first time in twenty years. The person was tall and lanky. According to Y/n's observations, he was inexperienced, but he desperately needed a job, and Stan was sold the moment the guy said it didn't matter how much he was paid.

Yet, just the past few days of him working, Y/n was already shaking her head in disgruntlement. "What is he doing?" she whispered to herself as she watched Durland guess which part of the engine to touch from the window inside the Shack.

"What'cha watching?" Stan asked from beside her, sipping on his Pitt Cola. Y/n remained speechless, letting him see it for himself. She watched his reaction morphing from curiosity to something that she couldn't decipher. "Oh, boy."

"Why didn't you just have me fix up the golf cart myself? Would have fixed it in under fifteen and he's been working on it for an hour!" Suddenly, a yawn escaped her mouth.

"Look how tired you are," Stan said, "You already have the portal in your hands and I'm busy giving tours enough as it is."

"But clearly, he's an idiot. He's pulling on the wrong wire as we speak!"

As if on cue, the engine spewed black smoke and produced sparks. Durland coughed aggressively, removing his hat, and fanning away the exhaust.

"I'm gonna fire him," Stan said with a blank stare.

The bustling crowd from outside catches their attention, and Stan adjusts his bowtie. Y/n follows his figure walking towards the door. "Stan, fire him. Now. I'll fix the golf cart myself!"

"Sure, pumpkin. I'll do that- right after this!" And right after that, he just vanishes and his voice can be heard from outside, followed by noises of amazement and wonder. "Schlep right up, ladies and gentlemen to see my latest attraction-"

Y/n rolled her eyes as he flaunted his wax museum for the umpteenth time. Nothing beats seeing a crowd of people standing still. She was certain that this attraction would not last more than a month. When the door to the gift shop opened, Y/n quickly walked away, avoiding eye contact with a boy wearing a party hat who was walking towards the vending machine.

She went to the kitchen and got herself another can of Pitt cola, deciding that she should just use this time to relax a little. She heard more voices coming from the gift shop and assumed that some of his friends had joined him, purchasing something from the candy machine.

"You must be some kind of genius!"

The moment the voices were gone, Y/n approached the door and opened it ever so slightly. She took a peek around the gift shop to see that it was vacant and from the spot she was standing on, she had a view of the unfixed golf cart outside, making her huff in slight frustration.

She glanced at the medium-sized freezer that was on the floor, the side panel opened and exposed all its parts, which were also scattered on the ground. A tool box was open and strewn next to it. "This handyman is hopeless. Hopeless Handyman," she muttered to herself as she knelt down to inspect the problem. It appeared that one of the parts had become defective and that it was time to replace it, but no one seemed to be removing it – perhaps they didn't even realize the problem so they couldn't fix it.

"Where the heck is the screwdriver?" She rummaged through the toolbox for the necessary equipment, but she couldn't find it.

"Have you seen him?" Stan popped up beside her, and she raised an unimpressed eyebrow at him. He appeared to have finished with the first wave of tourists.

"No. He's busy not fixing the golf cart and apparently this ice- box thing, too."

He finally had enough and called the man's name. He eventually appeared alongside the two of them. Stan yanked the man outside, furious. "That is it-!"

Y/n didn't even get to hear the rest because her watch made a familiar beep. She hurried to the vending machine, entered the code she created, and staggered to the hallway as soon as the machine opened. The elevator took her to the bottom floor, and she wasted no time in pressing a specific button that would somehow neutralize the surveillance room. Something is probably overheating.

She huffed slightly as she cautiously swept her sweaty brow with her arm. "Stan... he forgot to turn it on again."

He was always in charge of pressing the button to stabilize the temperature of the portal before the two went upstairs, so the room stayed on while they were up there. Because of a lack of proper resources, leaving it on for an extended period of time causes everything to overheat and eventually explode, so there was a button to somehow distribute the electricity to other parts of the Shack. It was an extremely complex system-

"-that Stan shouldn't forget!" Y/n hissed. She checked over everything to see if it was stable now, and after a couple more inspections, she eventually left the room and returned to the elevator. "He almost destroyed everything. Okay, I'll just press the button myself before we leave. He's getting old."

In the meantime, she isn't. She's the same thirteen-year-old girl. She thought it was unfair that she didn't get to grow up like a normal human being, but most of the time she was grateful that she didn't grow and still learned something new every day. She may appear to be a youngster on the outside, but she felt far more intelligent and wise than the people far older than her.

Cautiously opening the vending machine, no one was there. She quickly slunk through the crevice that the machine had provided and closed it with force. Y/n let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and pretended to be someone who just casually walked out from the door.

"Hi!"

She screamed shortly, taking a few steps back. It was the kid with the party hat from earlier, who was now holding a red screwdriver. The same screwdriver that she was looking for.

"Hi..." she replied slowly, observing the boy. He was wearing a large question mark shirt – one of Mystery Shack's merchandise – over his red dinosaur shirt. It was far too large for him, yet he still wore the brightest smile ever. "What are you doing with the screwdriver?"

"Oh, um," he fiddled with the tool sheepishly. "I found this in my backyard and I wanted to return it, but that Mister with the cool suit hired me." He pointed at Stan's figure outside, who had his arms stretched proudly.

"Hired you? What did you hire you for?"

"...to fix a... golf cart?"

Y/n shook her head at Stan's incredulous decision. "Unbelievable. Uh-" she trailed off, not having a clue on what to do with this kid. "I'll go talk to him really quickly. You just... try and familiarize yourself with the freezer over there. Okay, bye."

She just needed to walk away for some reason and as she did, she looked back and watched as the boy amateurishly trifled around the freezer. She shook her head for the umpteenth time.

"Remember folks, we bring the fun in No Refunds! Tell your friends about the Mystery Shack?"

Stan returned inside, carrying a bag full of money. She idly followed him, and he didn't seem to mind, until Y/n finally cleared her throat. "Stan?"

"What's up," he blankly replied, inserting his hand into the bag and began clawing each dollar bills and counting one by one.

"Seriously."

"What did I do this time," Stan grumbled numbers under his breath. He's good at multitasking, counting money and talking to her, but he can mute her at any time and focus on the counting instead.

"Did you just hire a kid to be the Shack's handyman?" Y/n crossed her arms, staring at him disapprovingly.

He didn't say anything at first, and Y/n already knew that he was shutting her out. She waited until he finished adding up his income before pushing it all down inside the cash register and closing it.

She took the chance to continue her stance, "Seriously, a kid?"

"You're acting like you're decades older than him. You're only thirteen, Y/n, suck it up." Stan strolled by one of the shelves and took the duster and began cleaning.

"I'm-!"

"And hey, it's easier to teach a kid," he said, turning around to face her. "You know that old saying? Teach that kid to fish."

"I have no idea what the heck you're talking about."

Stan fully faced her. "If you teach him what you know, maybe he'll get to grow as someone who's actually capable," he whispered as if sharing a secret. "It's like planting a tree. It wouldn't grow unless you guide and take care of it."

Stan finally left her to herself. Y/n glanced behind her to see the kid reading a manual about the freezer as he scratched his hair, clueless.

The advice that Stan gave her was unbelievably wise, but he had a point. Begrudgingly, Y/n approached the boy on the ground. "Uhm, hey."

"What's up, dude?" He brought down the paper and looked at her.

At this moment, Y/n realized that he wasn't supposed to see her. Now her face was basically imprinted on his mind now – unless he's very easily influenced or has a weak memory. Hoping to distract him, she began communicating with him, "What's your name? Oh, is it your birthday?" she asked, referring to the party hat sitting atop his hair. "Happy birthday!"

"Heh, thanks," he replied, "I'm Soos. What about you?"

"You can call me Y/n," she said, before looking down at the untidy floor. "Uh... do you like... fixing stuff?"

"I haven't tried – because my Abuelita wouldn't let me– but I'm willing to learn!"

She gave a sweet smile before averting her gaze. Soos reminded her of herself from years ago, when she was eager to learn from the master. "Okay," she began, sitting on the floor next to him. "You're gonna want to find the problem; is it in the compressor? The relay switch?"

Soos may not be as bright or as quick to learn as she is, but his drive is unwavering.

Y/n watched him grow up and no longer need her help, but she had to be cautious about him possibly seeing her not aging. So she and Stan devised a strategy. To be specific, a lie.

Soos was twenty-one years old, and the new cashier girl just turned fifteen. The next day, Stan and Y/n walked into the Shack carrying Stan's suitcase. "Everybody, welcome Y/n."

"Hi," the girl meekly said, "You can call me Y/n."

"Hi, Y/n," Soos replied, pausing after. He narrowed his eyes on them. "Say, you look like someone I've met before..."

"Oh, you must've met my older sister. My mom named us the same and she took a vacation on Gravity Falls, too!" Y/n said, somewhat cheerfully. A single sweat dropped along the side of her cheek. "She told me about Stan's reliable handyman. Soos, right?"

"Heh, did she really?" Soos asked, a small blush appearing on his face. "Y/n taught me everything I needed to know."

"Can't believe your mom would name you both Y/n," Wendy commented from behind the counter. "That must've been confusing on the dinner table."

I know. Stan thought internally.

"Heh, yeah..." Y/n chuckled shyly. "It was ridiculous, but we grew up with it. Anyway, where am I staying, Stan?"

"Oh, uh. Follow me."

The moment that the two stepped out of the gift shop and entered the hallway leading to Y/n's room, she scolded Stan in hushed whispers, "You could've been any happier to see me?"

"What, you told me to act natural."

Y/n shook her head. "Let's just hope that they bought it."

"Oh, please. Soos? He's too dumb to pick up the clues, and Wendy wouldn't care enough to notice. They're the perfect clueless pair when I'm living a double life here, you know? They're not... adventurous, curious, nosy."

She frowned. "I can't believe it's been thirty years and we still haven't done anything. We haven't even found any journals. It's all hopeless.'

"Hey, don't lose hope," Stan reassured, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him. "We're still gonna try. Even if it takes a million years."

Eventually, Y/n smiled. "Until the end of the line."

"You and me."

Ring ring! Ring ring!

The ringing broke their resolve. Stan immediately glanced at the telephone situated on the dining table. Stan trudged towards it and answered within the fourth ring. "Hello?"

"Hi. Is this my Uncle Stanford?"

Stan co*cked his brow. It sounded like a younger version of Shermie. He had a feeling it was Shermie's son, Henry, but he wanted to be certain. "Who's this?"

"Oh, is this not my uncle?"

"Yes, this is him," he replied, perhaps begrudgingly, dragging a hand across his face. "Who am I speaking to?"

"Oh, this is Henry. Henry Pines. My dad told me I could send my twins to your place for the whole summer for some 'fresh air'," he said, letting out a few chuckles, "I know they're gonna need it, so... I trust that they'll have a great time in your care?"

"Uh," Stan stuttered, his gaze traveling in every part of the room until it landed on the girl who gave him an inquisitive look. "Sure, sure! Send 'em here! They'll have the best summer! Yes!"

Y/n watched as Stan nodded more and agreed with what the man was saying before he put the telephone down, breathing heavily. "Who was that?"

"He's sending his twins for the summer!" Stan wore a huge smile on his face, doing a little jig.

"Okay, but why did you look nervous before the end of the call?" she noticed.

Curse her perceptiveness.

"Well, because-" he fidgeted with his fingers. When he saw Y/n's suspicious expression, he sighed, defeated. "I want to make a good impression. They're supposed to know me as Ford; a genius, an inventor, a role model."

"But you're not Ford."

"I know! I'm just the dumber twin, posing as him," he said as he punched the wall next to him, but Y/n didn't even flinch, just stared at him.

"You know what I'm gonna say," she started monotonously.

Stan made a forced sound. "Yeah."

"Why do you still think that, then." She crossed her arms to herself. "You're not Ford and you don't have to act like him. No one even knows how he acts up close except for me, so you don't have anything to worry about. Just be you."

"Who am I?"

"You're Stan Pines, a funny, creative man, who knows business more than I do. You're the best at coming up with fictional creatures, creatures that I haven't even thought of. And I know that someone like Stan Pines will give his great grand-kids a good time."

"Heh, I know," Stan smirked, making Y/n deadpan. "I just wanted some gassing up from you."

Although, words coming from her really mean a lot to him.

***

It was finally time for the twins to arrive. Y/n had to admit that she was nervous, but she could argue that Stan was more nervous than she was. He was untying and retying the knot of his maroon bow tie for the umpteenth time.

"Don't worry, you still look somewhat presentable," she said amusingly. Her arms were still crossed.

"Do I?" Stan grumbled, looking at her through the mirror. His back was facing her as he combed his large hand through his graying hair. "You know, Y/n, I really want you to meet them. You might get along just fine."

"Come on, Stan, you think someone like me could go along with them? How many friends have I made for the last thirty years?"

Stan chuckled before his laughter died down. "Add those two to the growing list of people we're lying to."

"Yeah," Y/n said, sighing. "I'm confident we'll do well. We've been able to keep it hidden for thirty years. There's no way, no one would know."

"I just hope those kids won't meddle too much. The last thing I want is to put them in danger."

She remained silent and said nothing else. Stan genuinely cared about the twins, despite the fact that he hadn't seen them in nearly thirteen years. He held them during childbirth and eagerly told Y/n all the details as soon as he got home. So, of course, the moment his wristwatch rang, he strode past her and out of the room. Y/n had to laugh because she could tell Stan couldn't hide his excitement.

"Let's hope it's a normal summer."

***

Chapter 8: Her Aim is Getting Better

Chapter Text

She didn't know how Stan managed to convince her to come with because the next thing she knew, she was in the passenger's seat of Stan's car.

His fingers were drumming against the steering wheel. Y/n knew that one of his mannerisms when he's nervous is when his fingers get all fidgety and shaky that he doesn't know what to do with it.

"Calm down, or you might just crash the car before we even get there."

"I'm calm."

She didn't say anything as her eyes lingered on the passing trees on the window. Occasionally, she would also tap her fingers against her thigh. The car drove more until Stan slowly pulled it to a stop.

"We're here, I think," said Stan.

"Ya think?"

"This is their bus stop, okay? We just gotta wait, I suppose," he replied, propping his elbow on the side as he placed his chin on his hand.

The silence was... silent. There was nothing else to do except to watch the green leaves and brown trunks. The sun was already blazing as the summer began.

Beep beep!

Incoming bus.

Stan watched from his window as the large vehicle made its stop from the other end of the road. The vehicle shook a bit while the two passengers exited out with their luggage. The old man beside Y/n was grinning broadly as he awaited the bus to eventually drive off and reveal his two grandchildren.

***

Stan sprang open the door, leaving Y/n inside. Stan approached the two naive kids, who were probably her age, as he crossed the street. They were twins, alright.

The boy was sporting a beige hat with a brown star stitched in the middle. He gave off the impression of being dubious about the whole idea and was obviously not looking forward to spending the entire summer in a remote location.

His twin sister, who was standing next to him, was beaming with happiness. Y/n could tell they were diametrically opposed. On a sweltering day, the girl sported a hot pink headband and a hot pink sweatshirt.

She recoiled when Stan suddenly turned around and beckoned for her to come. He waved his hand energetically, and she motioned for him to stop and silently told him, no!, but Stan was persistent and was currently giving her the deadly eyes so she had no choice but to get out of the car.

With a forced smile, she walked towards the three. "Hi," she muttered. She didn't mean to sound so closed off and lame, but this was very unnecessary.

"This one's Y/n. She's been living with me for the past however many years," Stan introduced, placing a somewhat affectionate hand on her shoulders. He turned to the girl beside him and said, "why don't you help them carry their things to the car?"

Internally, Y/n rolled her eyes at Stan's request considering it was really out of character for him, but she really wanted to help.

All those years of training self-defense with Ford and practicing boxing with Stan paid off as she carried the girl's boxes and hauled it into the trunk with ease.

The four of them eventually got into the car, with Y/n being in front and the twins on the back.

"Thanks for the help, Y/n!" The girl chirped. "I'm Mabel, by the way, and this is my brother, Dipper!"

"I can introduce myself, Mabel– and yes, call me Dipper," said Dipper, crossing his arms. The bus ride must've been horrible for his mood to go this sour.

Dipper? Y/n thought internally, an imaginary eyebrow raising up. I thought he was Mason. There might be a reason for him to use a silly alias to hide his true name.

She knew his real name from Stan's story after coming back from the hospital many years ago. Stan still sometimes tells the story to this day.

Speaking of Stan, he seemed to be thinking the same thing as Y/n as he also raised an eyebrow at Dipper's different name. "Dipper? Could-" he stopped himself further from speaking and just turned on the ignition.

Y/n stared at the side of Stan's face intently for a moment, trying to analyze what was on his mind. He brought his handbrake forward and drove off.

He might be thinking, Dipper? Could it be from your birthmark that looks eerily similar to the constellation?

Well, that's what she heard from him over 10 years ago– that the kid had a birthmark of The Big Dipper exactly on his forehead. That information perplexed her for a moment the first time she heard it. She just couldn't imagine her favorite constellation as a birthmark. She's going to wanna see it to believe it if that were true.

But with a frown, Y/n had a sad thought. Should she be willing to get close to them? She figured she should just leave them alone as she works quietly in the basem*nt for the whole summer, but that wouldn't be enjoyable, would it?

Stan had insisted that at all cost, they shouldn't know about the portal. Everyone around them shouldn't know about the portal. It's just too dangerous, he'd finished. This is just between you and me, Y/n. and Y/n agrees.

And there were times when she just wanted to abandon the mission of saving Ford. She wished she could simply get up and leave The Mystery Shack forever to pursue her forest clinic. She thought it was long past time, but she knew it is never too late to help someone.

But she didn't want to abandon the project. She still believes Ford is trapped inside the portal, trapped in an infinite sea of dimensions. Other dimensions he'd visited, other creatures he'd met, and Y/n knew she could rely on Ford's skill and intellect to survive on his own.

The problem is that there hasn't been a lead. There is no progress. Nothing. Without the other two journals, she and Stan would be unable to turn it on. They tried other methods they learned from reading a lot of books, but it's like trying to open the strongest lock without a key.

How long until they give up? It has been thirty years. When does it all stop?

"We're here,"Stan announced to everyone, and Y/n couldn't wait to get out of the car and stretch her legs. Mabel, too, jumped out and inhaled a little too dramatically.

"Summertime, get ready, 'cos I'm about to spend you so hard!" exclaimed Mabel, pumping her fist in the air.

"That doesn't even make any sense," her twin brother remarked.

Mabel grinned. "No, it does make sense!"

Y/n assisted them in settling into their new room, which was the attic that she helped Stan and Soos in cleaning. It had two untouched beds on either side of the room, decorated with items purchased or found by Stan, such as the dirty round rug and an old cork board.

"Alright, here you go," Stan said as he dropped off the last bag. "Try and settle in and make yourselves comfortable."

"Will do, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel raised her hand in a salute as she wore the biggest smile, making Stan chuckle a bit.

As he took his exit, he didn't forget to reel Y/n with him and walked out together. It was silent, but Y/n couldn't let Stan get lost in his thoughts again, so she spoke, "They seem like good people."

"Yeah. They're already calling me their grunkle."

"I'm guessing that's short for Great Uncle?"

"Hehe, yeah."

***

Everyone noticed the change in atmosphere for the first week of the Pines twins being in Gravity Falls. Mabel had emphasized before that she was in her 'boy crazy' phase– which means flirting with every guy she meets– and she delivers. Almost all the guys in town are afraid of her.

Dipper was indifferent for the first week, as well as letting Mabel know that she's overdoing it with the crazy part of being 'boy crazy'. It looked like he already wanted to escape this place. Why wouldn't he, after he's been given chores after chores? But whenever he had the opportunity, he would take a walk through the woods with his pen and notepad.

Y/n pretended nothing had changed by remaining downstairs during the day, though she also makes an effort to be present upstairs to avoid suspicion.

She turned around after casually getting a can of Pitt cola from the vending machine she had just walked out of and saw the twins discussing Mabel's flirting tactics. Should she go up to them?

Stan, however, walked out of the museum with wooden signs under his arm before she could. "Y/n, gimme a can."

Without saying anything, Y/n elbowed the vending machine hard, and it eventually spurted out the soda can. She knelt and grabbed the can, then tossed it out until it landed perfectly on Stan's hand. "All right," he said as he opened the soda. "Look alive, people. I need someone to hammer up these signs on the spooky part of the forest."

Y/n's obnoxious slurps resounded as the twins spoke aloud, "Not it!" "Not it."

"Uh, also not it." Soos said from the other side of the gift shop.

"Nobody asked you, Soos," deadpanned Stan.

"I know, and I'm comfortable with that," Soos responded similarly blankly before biting into his chocolate bar. Y/n laughed a little. Oh, you silly Soos.

And Wendy isn't available either when asked by Stan. Or rather, she just couldn't quite reach it.

"I'd fire all of you if I could," Stan said before turning to the kids. "Alright. Let's make it... eeny meeny mine-y... you."

His finger was pointing at Dipper, who was already voicing his displeasure. "Oh what?" he frowned. "Grunkle Stan, whenever I'm in those woods I feel like I'm being watched."

Y/n nearly crushed the can she was holding.

"Ugh, this again." Stan squeezed the bridge of his nose.

"I'm telling you, something weird is happening in this town. Just today, my mosquito bites spelled out, 'BEWARE'!" Dipper told him, adjusting his sleeve to reveal said mosquito bites.

The elderly man leaned down as he narrowed his eyes to properly read it. Y/n couldn't help but take a peek at it as well. "That says Bewarb," Stan countered, and Dipper leaned back, noticing the misspelling.

Y/n hid her smile and scolded Stan internally. Stan, come on. They're called Soothsquitoes. They frequently mistype ominous messages. Dipper tells the truth!

And now, Stan is lightly berating Dipper about what he sees and how everything he sees is a hoax and a legend, and Y/n frowned. Stan was doing something she was aware of. He wanted Dipper to tone down his curiosity about the unknown, and he thinks he's keeping him safe, but he's slowly killing Dipper's spirit.

"So quit being so paranoid!" Stan finished before tossing Dipper the pile of wooden signs, hammer and nails. But before the old man walked away, he raised one finger. "On second thought, take Y/n with you. She could use some fresh air every once in a while."

Stan didn't even turn around to notice that Y/n was staring at him, and yet he kept that gleaming grin on his face.

Y/n stood motionless while Dipper sighed deeply, still carrying the stack of signs. "Let's go then."

***

It was indeed the spooky part of the forest. Trees swayed in the breeze mysteriously. The two were surrounded by fog as Y/n effortlessly handled the signs and Dipper hammered nails against the barks of the trees. "Ugh, Grunkle Stan," Dipper groaned aloud. "Nobody believes anything I say."

"Don't worry, Stan's always like that," Y/n said, trying to reassure the boy. It was the first time she spoke to him, and it felt chilling. She had broken the ice first. "He's old and grumpy so naturally, he wouldn't believe words from someone younger than him."

She couldn't help but wince internally. Well, that's one way to talk to someone she just met.

Dipper stared at her briefly before reverting his gaze to the wooden sign he just hung up. The two of them walked to the tree next to it. Dipper placed a nail on the trunk and tried to hammer it but unusually, a metal sound rang out. "Huh?"

Y/n tilted her head to the side in confusion. "What the..."

The boy leaned forward and gave it a few more taps with the hammer until he felt the sound vibrations against his ear and it confirmed their suspicions that it was indeed metal.

Dipper's hand swiped across the dust-covered steel surface until it reached the edge of what appears to be a hidden metal door. The hinges were hidden so that no one could figure out the fake mechanism. Including Y/n.

When he opened it, the two saw a small control unit with switches inside. Dipper looked around, curious, and began flipping the switches on and off. A trapdoor to their left split the ground open, sending Gompers the goat fleeing in terror.

Dipper approached the open hatch with caution, followed by Y/n. He looked down and saw an old-looking book. It was bound in leather and featured a monocle and a silhouette of a six-fingered hand. A cryptic number 3 was written in the center of the hand.

Wait a minute.

Y/n remained frozen in her place. She wished she could scream. She wanted to do multiple backflips and rip the book from Dipper's grip, never to see the light of day again. This was what she had been searching for for the past thirty years. This is half the key to unlocking the portal and ultimately saving Ford. And it all depends on Dipper's fingers.

"Hey, Dipper. You should hand the book to me. It looks kinda scary."

"Do you know this book?" Dipper closed the journal and hugged it to himself.

"No... I don't. I just need a little closer look." She smiled shakily.

"What? Y/n. You're acting a little suspicious," he said, raising an eyebrow."

Y/n couldn't take it anymore. "Just hand me the journal, Dipper! That doesn't belong to you!"

"I found it first! You know what? I can't trust you, Y/n. I won't ever talk to you again! I might have to tell you to the FBI and shut the portal down for good! You're never gonna get Ford back-"

Y/n shook her head, returning to reality. Maybe her lack of communication skills won out over the looming scenarios in her head, but then again, that kind of situation is possible if she makes the wrong move.

Stan was right. The twins should be kept in the dark about Ford and the portal. They should be kept in the dark about everything. However, Dipper's discovery of a journal may be the beginning of the end.

"Y/n, look," Dipper's voice jolted her out of her reverie. She blinked briefly before turning to the first pages of the journal. As she admired Ford's handwriting, it felt like old memories. She remembered him writing those words exactly:

"It's hard to believe it's been six years since I began searching the strange and wondrous secrets of Gravity Falls, Oregon," Dipper read aloud. He didn't continue the rest as he began flipping through the pages, baffled. "What is all this?!" He questioned. Y/n stood from behind him, wanting to answer his questions, but she knew. She knew that she couldn't. She shouldn't.

Dipper began reading again, "Unfortunately, my suspicions have been confirmed. I'm being watched! I must hide this book before he finds it." Who's he? "Remember– in Gravity Falls, there is no one you can trust."

He returned his gaze to Y/n, who appeared to have a pale complexion. Her eyes were tired, and she slouched, but she was fighting for her life. Dipper locked his gaze on her, as if he were telling her about their secret pact. They found the journal together, read the entries, and their curiosity was sparked at the same time. Dipper nodded subtly, continuing to stare at Y/n before repeating the final words, "No one you can trust."

"HELLO!"

Y/n and Dipper drew apart as if they were on fire. Dipper nearly dropped the book as it slipped from his grasp. Y/n remained silent.

"You guys are taking a long time, huh?" Mabel raised her eyebrows before changing her focus to the journal on her brother's possession. "What are you guys reading, some nerd thing?!"

Dipper placed the book behind him as he stuttered, "Uh, uh, it's nothing!"

"Uh, uh! It's nothing!" Mabel mocked, waving her hands in the air frantically. "What, you guys literally took a stroll in the woods for one minute and you're keeping secrets now? Are you actually not gonna show me?"

Y/n could see a twinge of hurt and uncertainty flash across Dipper's eyes. She stepped in. "Let's go somewhere private and we'll tell you."

As the three walked back to the Shack, Y/n wanted to pat herself on the back, both for comfort and pride, because she had to pretend not only that she didn't know anything, but also that she was friends with the twins in order to gain their trust. That meant she had to keep Mabel in on the secret to avoid suspicion and betrayal, and basically do everything Dipper says so he could trust her.

It was a cruel and selfish plan, which she should have honestly discussed with Stan first, but it was completely instinctive and thoughtful, so she shouldn't be concerned.

The three of them walked into the living room. Mabel sat on the lounge chair's arm, while Y/n leaned on the opposite arm. Dipper was pacing around the room, clearly excited. "It's amazing! Grunkle Stan said I was being paranoid, but according to this book, Gravity Falls has this secret dark side."

"Woah, shut up!" Mabel exclaimed.

"No way, really?" Y/n disguised her uninterest with excitement.

"And get this, after a certain point, the pages just– stopped. Like the guy who was writing it mysteriously disappeared!"

Y/n couldn't help it. "Hey, I think Soos called me for something. I'll be right back."

Just as the doorbell rang, she choked back a sob. She needs to go and talk to Stan.

He was, however, nowhere to be found. Stan entered the room as soon as she left, carrying a can of Pitt Cola. Y/n went into her room and bawled her eyes out quietly. Dipper had only to remind her. Of course! The key she'd been looking for had miraculously materialized after so many years, and now it's flown away! She'll have to find a way to get the journal somehow.

She decided to go outside and walk around for a while after hours of alone contemplation. Stan was busy watching Soos fix the portable toilet when she arrived. "These people don't know the word 'respect' it seems," the old man remarked with his hands on his hips.

"Stan. I need to talk to you," Y/n began, fiddling with her fingers. "It's really important."

"Can that wait? I'm busy ranting to Soos about the toilet and its uses that most of our tourists seemed to disregard."

Soos stopped his movements. "Agreed."

Before Y/n could get a word out, Stan chimed in, "Hey, did you know that Mabel got a boyfriend?" He turned to her. "Maybe you should start upping your game, sister."

"What-"

"Dipper thinks the guy's a zombie though," Soos cut off.

"And you believe him?" deadpanned Stan.

"Uh. I do. I mean, have you seen the guy? He looked so... undead!"

Y/n and Stan shared a glance before the girl gave him a look that said, "I need to tell you something".

Stan grabbed her shoulders and forced her to turn away from Soos, walking with her. "What's wrong?" He looked down at her in concern.

"Stan. I-"

A shrill beep from his watch cut her off as Stan glanced down. "Oh, shoot. The next wave is coming. I have to go. Tell me later, okay? Meanwhile, go and accompany Soos for me," he said before walking away, in a rush.

Soos was finally finished with unclogging the toilet after a moment. From afar, Y/n could see the crowds forming around Stan as he led them to the rock sculpture that looks like a face.

"Hey, Y/n, thanks for waiting for me, dawg."

"No problem," she replied nonchalantly. While they were walking back to the Shack, Soos had grabbed a shovel and baseball bat just as Y/n saw a small figure trying to get Stan's attention. "Is that Dipper?" The two of them watched as Dipper sprinted towards Wendy and frantically waved his arms in the air. Wendy gave him the keys to the golf cart.

"We have to help him," Soos said, scampering off while she weakly went after him.

"We?"

"Dude!" Soos appeared from behind the golf cart, effectively stopping Dipper from backtracking further. "It's us, Soos and Y/n." He looked down at the shovel he was carrying before he handed it off to the boy. "This is for the zombies."

"Thanks."

"And this is in case you see a piñata." He handed the baseball bat from his other hand. Even Y/n raised an eyebrow at that.

"Uh, thanks?" Dipper said, unsure.

"Oh wait, dude," Soos said before Dipper could move. "You should have a back-up."

She didn't know what was happening, but the next thing she knew, Y/n was being lifted up by Soos and then placed her on the golf cart. "Wait, what?! Soos!"

"We don't have time, Y/n. I'll explain it to you on the way!" Dipper drove the golf cart in reverse before reverting it back to forward, driving as fast as he could.

"Better safe than sorry!"

"What the heck is going on?!" Y/n demanded, her hands on the side of her seat.

"Okay," Dipper breathed. "Mabel has a boyfriend named Norman and he looked sickly and even had blood in his face but he lied and said it's jam. I thought he looked suspicious so I read through the journal that we found– woah!" The golf cart swerved as Dipper almost hit an unsuspecting squirrel in the middle of the dirt road. "And the journal says that he might be a zombie! I recorded every interaction he had with Mabel and in one of the clips I've captured, his hand literally fell to the ground and he put it back on. He's a zombie and my sister doesn't know! She could be lost right now, or worse: dead!"

"Woah, hey. Dipper, calm down," Y/n reassured. "I don't think zombies are smart enough to conjure up a plan so precise just to eat your sister's brain. It's impossible."

"I guess you're right. But she still could be in danger and we have to save her."

"Right. Sure." Y/n tried to ignore the slight pang in her heart. He reminds her of herself sometimes.

"HELP!" Mabel's scream resounded in the forest.

"Hang on, Mabel!" Dipper exclaimed before kicking the gas pedal and the two were accelerated.

From a distance, Y/n sees the girl twin fighting off a bunch of gnomes surrounding her, trying to keep her hostage.

Dipper eventually stopped the cart and the two got out of the vehicle, getting their preferred weapons; Dipper with the shovel and Y/n with the bat. "What the heck is going on here?!" Just as he said that, a lone gnome passed by and aggressively hissed at the two of them.

"Dipper!" Mabel called upon seeing the two of them. "Norman turned out to be a bunch of gnomes! And they're total jerks!" She punched off their smalls but unfortunately they got a hold of strands of her hair. "Agh! Hair, hair!"

"Gnomes? Oh, I was way off," Dipper said, taking out the journal and began flipping through them.

Y/n unconsciously clenched her fist in contempt. She should be carrying the journal. Not him. She should be flipping through the pages and reading about gnomes. Not him.

"The author didn't list their weaknesses."

Maybe because Schmebulock Sr. was the only gnome we examined closely that didn't show any weaknesses. The last thing she remembered about gnomes was that they were looking for their queen, and Mabel seemed to be their next victim.

"Oh, come on!" Mabel complained as she was being tied on the ground.

"Hey, hey!" Dipper marched to the leader gnome, who she guessed was named Jeff. "Let go of my sister!"

Jeff turned around albeit bashfully. "Oh!" He chuckled nervously. "Hey there! Um, you know, this is all really just... a big misunderstanding. You see, your sister's not in danger. She's just marrying all one thousand of us and becoming our gnome queen for all eternity!" He said that so casually. He then turned to Mabel. "Isn't that right, honey?"

Mabel pouted angrily before screaming, "You guys are buttfaces!" She wanted to say more, but one of the gnomes slapped her mouth closed, earning a muffled yell from her.

"Give her back right now, or else!" The boy threatened with a shovel. Y/n lazily spun the baseball bat around her hands.

"You think a bunch of children can stop us? You have no idea what we're capable of," Jeff said, his hands shaking. "The gnomes are a powerful race! Do not trifle with the-"

"Okay, let's get this over with." Y/n didn't waste a second before smacking Jeff with the bat, sending him to the bushes beside them as he screamed.

Dipper ran to a trapped Mabel and easily cut off through the wires with the spade of the tool. Mabel jumped off the ground, effectively shoving away the gnomes before escaping with her hand on Dipper's.

Sensing as it is escaping time, Y/n took the wheel of the golf cart and waited until the twins climbed aboard.

"They're getting away from our queen!" Jeff shouted, "No, no, no!"

"Seatbelts please," Y/n blankly stated to the two before taking off with the gnomes running behind them.

The three had already exited the enchanted forest and were on their way to the Mystery Shack. Mabel was upset the entire time that Norman wasn't a vampire, whereas Dipper was over it.

The ground began to tremble, and they heard stomping. Y/n stepped on the gas pedal without hesitation. She knew there were enough gnomes to make a giant gnome monster. And based on the size, they might be able to reach them.

"It's getting closer!" Mabel exclaimed from the back seat.

Y/n heard a couple of groans and thumping on the roof of the golf cart, and her instincts to protect kicked in. "Dipper, take the wheel!"

She stood on the driver's side of the seat, holding the metal poles that support the roof, before sliding across the front bumper to the other side of the front seat. She grabbed the baseball bat from their feet and thwacked it off just as a gnome appeared from above the roof. The gnome flew away.

The gnomes attacked again and again, but the three defended themselves immediately.

A flying tree suddenly appeared above their heads, whooshing past them. "Watch out!" Mabel said, pointing to the large tree that had fallen in front of them, blocking the road.

Dipper recoiled and slammed on the brakes, causing the car to swivel around the dirt road. He couldn't seem to keep it under control, and the golf cart spun out of control until it slid and flipped to the side before skidding to a stop.

The twins, clearly in pain, crawled out of the golf cart. Y/n was unharmed as she stood up with ease, despite the fact that she should not have done so. She must pretend.

The gnome monster towered over them, menacingly posing. Y/n awaited their next move, but Dipper felt compelled to throw a shovel at them, only to have it crushed.

Y/n, Mabel, and Dipper were left cornered by the monster. It walked closer, leaving no space to escape. "It's the end of the line, Mabel!" Jeff shouted specifically to Mabel, "Marry us before we do something crazy!"

Dipper placed his hands on the sides of his hair in a panic. "There's gotta be a way out of this!"

"Give him what he wants, Mabel," Y/n said determinedly.

"What?!" The twins chorused.

"You have to do it, Mabel. Give the gnomes what they want. We don't have any other choice."

Mabel turned to face Y/n, and she gave her a speechless nod as if saying, 'you know what to do, Mabel.'

"Okay," she said, "I'll do it."

"What?!" Dipper bellowed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Don't do this, are you crazy?!"

"Dipper," Y/n cut off before Mabel had to explain. She placed her own hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from his sister. "Trust me on this," Y/n said, "trust her."

He returned his gaze to his sister before sighing in defeat and stepping back with her. Mabel stepped forward, announcing her intention to marry the entire gnome army.

"Alright, Jeff!" Mabel shouted, "I'll marry you."

"Hotdog!" Jeff cheered before descending on his army members. He finally arrived on the ground and walked to Mabel before stopping in front of her and presenting her with a cheap box containing a diamond ring. "Eh, eh?" Jeff exclaimed excitedly.

Mabel smiled sweetly as she kneeled to his level and extended an arm. Jeff put the ring on her finger. As Jeff rejoiced, she admired the crystal pendant. "Let's get back to the forest, honey!"

"Jeff!" Y/n chimed in, "you just got married, man! Isn't it a tradition to kiss the bride in a wedding?"

She could feel Dipper staring at her with disgust. He was probably offended by the idea of the gnome kissing his sister so intensely.

But Jeff didn't see anything wrong with it. Instead, he smiled so widely. "Well!" He danced a little jig. "That's a good idea, random person! Don't mind if I do!"

It was a shock that Jeff had no idea who Y/n was, despite the fact that she had been living here for quite some time. Perhaps he had been preoccupied with something more important and had forgotten about their encounters when Y/n was looking for the journal.

Anyway, as Jeff leaned in for a kiss, Mabel pulled out a leaf blower and pointed it at the gnome, drawing him in. Jeff couldn't escape the force of the leaf blower before being sucked in and becoming trapped in the hole.

"That's for lying to me!" Mabel said once he got stuck. "That's for breaking my heart–" she pushed the Suck option farther until Jeff couldn't breathe.

"Ow, my face!"

"And this is for messing with Dipper and Y/n!"

The two situated themselves standing besides Mabel as they pointed the leaf blower with Jeff in it towards the unsuspecting gnome monster without its beloved leader.

"Wanna do the honors?" Mabel smirked at her two partners-in-crime. "On 3!"

"1, 2, 3!" The three yelled in unison before Dipper pushed down the lever to the Blow option, sending Jeff flying and aiming the center of the gnome monster until it exploded upon impact.

Jeff was sent back to the deeper parts of the forest. "I'LL GET YOU BACK FOR THIS!" He shrieked on his way home. Meanwhile, the gnomes were left wandering and scattered, asking the same question, 'Where's our leader? Who's giving orders?!'

Mabel stepped forward and attacked them with the leaf blower, blowing them away and making them scamper. "Anyone else want some?" Dipper asked with his arms crossed confidently.

"Huh. I guess that's their weakness," Y/n said aloud.

***

"Hey, Dipper," Mabel called to her brother as the three were walking towards the Shack. He turned around and waited for what she had to say. "I, um. I'm sorry for not taking your advice. You really were just looking out for me..." she trailed off.

"Oh, don't be like that," he replied, waving a dismissive hand. "You saved our butts out there!"

"I guess I'm just sad that my first boyfriend turned out to be a bunch of gnomes..." Mabel frowned as she looked down dejectedly.

Dipper gave her a reassuring smile. "Look on the bright side! Maybe the next one will be a vampire!"

"Oh, you're just saying that" Mabel playfully punched him on the shoulder.

He smiled back. "Awkward... sibling hug?"

"Awkward sibling hug."

The two stepped forward and pulled each other into an embrace before breaking the silence with a chorus of, "Pat, pat."

Y/n felt like she should've left earlier. She didn't want to feel empathy for these children. Okay, just kidding, she's not that evil. Seeing them hug felt like she was intruding on a private and personal moment.

They pulled away eventually, and before Y/n could walk away, Mabel had attacked her with a hug of her own. "Special friendship hug for Y/n! Thanks for saving our butts, too."

She awkwardly grasped Mabel's shoulders. And, as much as Y/n enjoys forcibly hugging Stan out of spite and to tease him, being the recipient of hugs is strange to her. She had never been hugged before.

And it feels good.

"Sorry for... the awkward response," Y/n had to say. She had to apologize. "I'm just not very used to... physical contact."

Perhaps physical contact with the monsters they encounter, as well as the rest of their adventures. That level of contact. Ford isn't a particularly affectionate person, and Stan wasn't particularly touchy with her—except when giving out noogies or literally wrestling every now and then—so she has no experience with hugging.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Mabel said. "Remind me to always hug you whenever I see you."

"Please don't."

"Nope! It's already in the list of my daily activities implanted on my brain," Mabel said, grinning widely.

She couldn't help but admit to herself that Mabel's smile is contagious and now she's smiling a bit. Dipper stood behind them with his hands on his pockets, watching his sister make Y/n smile.

He, too, smiled. Every day, he grows less amazed by the things he sees on the internet or in real life, but he'll never understand how Mabel can just have this effect on people and spread happiness wherever she goes. He guessed she was like that. She's extremely sociable and can make new friends faster than one can blink. Even the darkest, most impure hearts will not deter Mabel's determination to turn them around. She's a good person, not just a nice one. And he considers himself fortunate to have her as a twin sister.

Stan was counting money by the cash register, as he always did at the end of the shift, when the three entered the gift shop, looking disheveled and tired.

He stopped his counting once he saw them. "Sheesh, did you three get hit by a bus or something? HA!" Stan smacked the counter with a guffaw.

The twins didn't say anything as they trudged their way to the living room. Y/n came to a halt, giving Stan an unimpressed look. Stan gave her a panicked look, but she just motioned to the twins who were almost at the door.

Stan thought for a moment before he called for them,"Uh, hey!"

Dipper and Mabel both stopped walking and turned to Stan.

"Uh, wouldn't- wouldn't you know it, um, I... accidentally overstocked some inventory! So, uh- how's about each of you take one item from the gift shop. On the house, you know?"

Y/n smiled at that.

"Really?" Mabel exclaimed in disbelief,

while Dipper crossed his arms. "What's the catch?"

"The catch is Do It Before I Change My Mind, now take something!"

Y/n went and walked to the barrel placed beside the cash register and sat on it, placing her elbows on the counter and putting her chin on her propped up hand. While the twins were choosing the merchandise, Stan glanced at Y/n as if asking for approval. She grinned and formed her hand into a thumbs up, making him smile a bit.

Dipper chose a pine tree hat, and Y/n assumed he was used to wearing hats to conceal his birthmark. She still wants to see the Big Dipper imprinted on his forehead, or she won't believe it.

Meanwhile, Mabel got herself a grappling hook.

A grappling hook.

***

My uncle told us there was nothing strange about this town. But who knows what other secrets are waiting to be unlocked.

"Took you long enough."

"I forgot the passcode!"

"What?! How could you forget it when you've been inputting the same pattern for thirty years!"

"I'm getting old," Stan said, huffing before sitting down by the control panel. "Any progress?"

"No. But we have a lead," Y/n said, facing him. She didn't even wait to create some sort of suspense. "Dipper has the third journal."

"What?" Stan stopped his movements. "How?"

"He found it in the spooky forest you sent him– I mean, we found it in the spooky forest you sent us."

"And you didn't know? You didn't think it was there?"

"It was a hidden metal door in a tree bark! Quite impossible to notice it at first glance," Y/n said, feeling a bit offended that Stan thinks she's an idiot for not finding it sooner. "So?" she spoke after a brief silence. "Are we not gonna do anything about it?"

Stan paused, contemplating silently.

"If you don't have an idea, I do," Y/n spoke aloud, "I propose I steal it while they're fast asleep, copy the pages, and return it back before they wake up as if nothing had happened."

She waited in silence. Stan's back was still facing her when he said, "No."

"No?" she repeated. "But it's right there! It's just a few meters away from us and you're saying 'no'?"

He had his fingers placed below his chin as his eyes were furrowed. "I don't know. I don't wanna break their trust."

"Um, you might've already done it?!" Y/n retorted, "you've hidden things before they were even born! Multiple fake identities? Faking your own death? I was there, Stan." She crossed her arms.

"Gee, thanks for the reminder," he blankly replied. He sighed after a brief pause before continuing, "We have to... It's... just too dangerous. I don't want them to hold us back."

"But we need the journal, Stan," she was almost whining. "We need it! You know it has the other notes and parts for the portal!"

"Shh, I know!" He walked to the compartment where it contained the first journal. "What we need to do is earn their trust. I want them to willingly show me the journal. I want them to be comfortable around here, to make it a safe space."

Y/n rolled her eyes at Stan's reply. This Shack has already been a danger zone to begin with, but she understood his intentions and decided to just zip her mouth. "Okay," she said quietly before going back to the old computer and began typing different equations that might just work. But every time she hits enter and it doesn't work, it leaves her a painful reminder.

"But hey, you seem to be making good progress earning those twins' trust. What happened back there?"

"Mabel's boyfriend wasn't a zombie, it was a couple of gnomes inside a teenager trench coat," she said plainly, "Their leader goes by Jeff now, can you believe it? Last time I heard it was Joe or something."

"Hm," Stan softly let out. "Y/n, I want you to keep them safe, okay?"

"Yeah, well." She shrugged nonchalantly, "Already doin' that, old man. Couldn't help it."

"Well, continue doing it. You're doing a good job," the elderly man said as he bid her a wave. "You have your way, and I have mine. I already have a plan to get closer to them."

"What is it?"

"Oh, you'll see."

***

"TA-DA! It's Fishing Season!" Stan bellowed as he extended his arms upright to the air in joy.

Y/n watched, deflated, as she stood to the side. She crossed her arms, unimpressed. So this is how Stan wanted to spend time with them. Through fish and fishing.

"Fishing?" Mabel questioned with furrowed brows.

Dipper placed his hand on his hip while the other pointed accusingly at Stan. "What are you playing at, old man?"

"You're gonna love it!" Stan remains enthusiastic. "The whole town is here!"

Their eyes scanned through the entire expanse of the Gravity Falls Lake until Dipper seemed to have had enough, crossing his arms "Grukle Stan, why do you wanna bond with us all of a sudden?"

"Come on, this is gonna be great!" Stan said, skillfully evading the question. "Isn't that right, Y/n?" He then turned to her, who recoiled at the mention of her name. Stan has got to stop catching her off guard.

She didn't say anything, averting her gaze from Stan to Dipper and Mabel, both of whom looked as if they didn't want to be here, but she wanted to do it for Stan. "Yeah, Stan just needs more fishing buddies; we don't get to do this as often as we used to every summer, so the more the merrier, right?"

"Hey, I know how to make this stuff 'merry'! Pow!" Stan brought out two fishing hats and placed them on both on top of their hair. "Pines family fishing hats!"

Dipper and Mabel confusedly removed the hats and stared at the stitching of their names. Y/n watched their reactions go from confused to worried. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry at what was happening in front of her.

"It's just gonna be you three, me, and those goofy hats on a boat for ten hours!"

"Ten hours?" Dipper echoed, his eyes twitching. Y/n had to agree with him. Fishing for ten hours? That has got to be a joke.

"I brought the joke book!" Stan encouraged, rocking the book in his hands.

"Oh no, not the joke book."

Mabel turned to her brother. "There's gotta be a way out of this," she said.

"I seen it! I seen it again!"

A voice hollered from a distance. The cranky old man practically crashed and overturned anything on his way until eventually pulling a random man close to him and shouted in his face, "The Gravity Falls Gobblewonker! Come quick before it scrabdoodles away!" He danced frantically, slapping his knee as he yelped incoherent tunes.

"Aww, he's doing a happy jig!" Mabel clasped her hands together.

"NOOO!" The man screamed to Mabel, "It's a jig of grave danger!"

"Hey!" Y/n stepped forward and pushed him slightly. "Back off, lunatic!" She lifted a protective arm to shield Mabel from him.

"Hey, hey!" Tate McGucket came out of his cabin with a spray bottle and began spraying it on the old man's face. "Now what did I tell you about scaring my customers? This is your last warning, Dad!"

The whacko tried to spare himself from the water but to no avail. "But I got proof this time, by gummity!"

Dipper and Mabel looked at each other in curiosity before almost everyone in the place followed the man to the dock and there he pointed at the destroyed boat. "It's the Gobble-dy-wonker what done did it! It had a long neck like a gee-raffe!" He described it so dramatically. "And wrinkly skin like...like this gentleman right here!" He pointed to Stan, who was busy picking his ear to realize.

"Huh? Stan stopped his action and asked.

"It chawed my boat up to smitheroons, and shim-shamed over to Scuttlebutt Island!" He pointed to the silhouette of the island. "YOU GOTTA BELIEVE ME!" He pulled on his son's arm as a way to convince him but the son pulled away.

"Attention all units," said Sheriff Blubs, "We got ourselves a crazy old man!"

Tate shook his head in shame as everyone laughed at him, except for Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n, who were pitying him. What became of this man? He was obviously not insane since the day he was born because he clearly had the ability to produce a child. So something tragic must have happened for this man's sanity to completely deteriorate.

"Aww, donkey spittle! Aw, banjo polish!" The old man walked away from the crowd, but they continued laughing at him.

"Well, that happened," Stan said as he stepped into his rowboat. "Now let's untie this boat and get out on that lake! Come on, Y/n, help me."

But before she could step down, Dipper turned to them. "Guys, did you hear what that old dude said?"

Y/n tilted her head. "Scuttlebutt Island?" She didn't even think that would be the name of the island, but here we are.

"Aww, donkey spittle!" mimicked Mabel.

"The other thing. About the monster. If we three can snag a photo of it, we can split the prize into three!"

Mabel gasped. "That's three prizes!"

"Prize?" Y/n asked.

Dipper smiled at her. "I found a Monster Photo Contest in the newspaper this morning. The winner gets one thousand dollars! Imagine what you could do with – what, one thousand divided by three? Uh, three hundred thirty three dollars and thirteen cents? What about you, Mabel?"

As the girl drifted off to daydreaming about her wants, Y/n squirmed a bit nervously. "I don't know. As much as Stan is a killjoy, don't you want to stay here? Where it's safe?"

"Oh come on, Y/n, live a little! It's not often you see a Gobblewonker."

Oh but have you seen the others? And the weirdest thing was that she hasn't even heard of the Gobblewonker. Never before had she encountered it with Ford.

"Dipper!" It seemed that Mabel was back from her imagination. "I am one million percent on board with this!"

"Grunkle Stan!" Dipper called as he walked towards Stan and placed his hand around his shoulders. "Change of plans: we're taking that boat to Scuttlebutt Island, and we're gonna find that Gobblewonker!"

Stan narrowed his eyes as the twins chanted "Monster hunt" together. Y/n just shrugged when he glanced at her in confusion.

From a distance, a large honking sound was heard and Soos pulled up in his boat. "You dudes say somethin' about a monster hunt?"

"Soos!" Mabel delightfully greeted. Stan stepped out to the boat and back to the dock.

"Wassup? You could totally use my boat for your hunt. It's got a steering wheel, chairs; normal boat stuff."

"All right, all right, let's think this through," Stan chimed in. "Ya kids could go waste your time on some epic monster-finding adventure, or you could spend the day learning how to tie knots and skewer worms with your Great Uncle Stan!"

The twins observe Soos in his boat, who performs a robot dance. They return their gaze to Stan in his leaky old boat, and he sniffs his left armpit. They gaze off into the distance at Scuttlebutt Island. They exchange grins. Y/n already knew which option the twins would take. They jumped aboard Soos' boat, wearing life vests. Stan didn't even notice, as he was busy fixing the leak on his boat.

"Y/n! Join us!" Mabel said before Soos hit the pedal.

"Yeah, dude. It's gonna be lots of fun," the older guy behind the wheel beckoned.

Dipper grinned as well. "Yeah! Don't you like adventures?"

"I don't think I can handle adventures," Y/n sheepishly excused, "You guys have fun, though! Take lots of pictures for me!"

"Sure will!" Mabel replied, "And if we do win that photo contest, I'll let you join me inside the human-sized hamster ball!"

"It will be an honor."

And they left. Soos' boat quickly zoomed past her as they ventured to the spooky island.

"So whaddya say?" Stan said after a moment, his back was still facing her.

"They left."

"Huh?" Stan turned around to see the three driving off laughing. He frowned before screaming, "Ingrates!"

"Stan o' War, eh?" Y/n noticed the writing on the boat.

"Heh, yeah. The only boat I'll sail," Stan replied quite somberly. "So you better respect it. You should be honored I'm letting you in."

"So what do we do now?" she asked, wearing her own life vest as she stood by the dock.

He sighed. "We can fish without them. Who needs them? We got a whole box of creepy fishing lures to keep me company." He referred to the lure beside him, surrounded by flies. Stan cringes in disgust before closing the box.

"I don't think you're doing this right," she said, slowly stepping to the boat to avoid the imbalance.

"I don't know what I'm doing. I want them to have fun, but these adventures might lead them to danger. I mean, have you heard of what that crazy man said?"

Y/n took her own fishing pole and fiddled the hook. "Oh come on, Stan. It's summer. I'm sure you have plenty of time to think of some plans. And don't worry about them. There's no such thing as the Gobblewonker."

"What do you mean?" Stan said, pushing his hand against the dock to make the boat move. He pulled the string of the engine and it whirred into a soft hum.

"I mean, the Gobblewonker seems like a wonky name, no? Feels like someone named it on the spot. And if it does exist, the whole town should've known and Ford and I should've discovered it by now."

"Hey, you haven't gone adventuring for the last thirty years. You wouldn't have known there's a scary sea monster in the Gravity Falls Lake."

"Fair point. But why did the monster appear now? You know what I'm saying?"

Stan grunted. "Okay, enough of the monster talk. We're here to go fishing."

Y/n rolled her eyes but followed Stan's lead. He attached his lure on the line before reeling it underwater. She does the same, expertly tying up the hook as Stan had taught her years ago. "Fishing is such a boring hobby. How do you like it so much?"

"Ugh, as much as I appreciated you being here and not abandoning me, you can be a bit chatty at times."

"I'm just lightening up the mood!" Y/n replied. She heard laughing from behind her. "Oh, they're here?"

Mabel and Dipper were laughing at Soos, who was coughing and gagging. They were standing beside a barrel of fish food, so Soos must've tasted some and it tasted awful.

Stan narrowed his eyes at the scene. "Traitors! You could've been learning how to tie knots and laugh at my jokes." He turned around again and saw another boat from a distance. "Ah! Say, Y/n, forget them. We shall find ourselves another set of boating buddies!"

"Oh, please don't do what I think you're about to do."

"Our new pals!" Stan revived the boat again and they were off towards the unsuspecting couple. Y/n pulled the bucket hat further down to hide her face. "Hey!" he said to the two. "Wanna hear a joke? Here goes. My ex-wife still misses me...but her aim is gettin' better!" He paused, "Her aim is gettin' better!" He paused again only for no one to laugh at the joke. "Y'see, it's-it's funny because marriage is terrible."

Under the cap, Y/n was slightly chuckling. She has a soft spot for bad jokes. And Stan has a lot of them.

But the couple obviously didn't like it, expressing their distaste before rowing away.

"Tell me more about the Stan o' War, Stan... o' War..." Y/n breathed a small laugh.

Stan scoffed playfully. "Yeah, well, it's still an ongoing project and it wouldn't sail unless the co-captain is here."

"Oh, so you're the captain of the ship?" She raised an eyebrow.

"What are you gonna do about it?"

Y/n smiled. "In that case, I wanna be part of it."

"Heh, okay." Stan smiled, too. "You can be the second mate."

"Can't wait to hear more of your unfunny jokes!"

"What?!" he bellowed. "Excuse me, my jokes are funny!"

"Don't worry, I love unfunny jokes."

The two spent their time soaking up the rays of the sun while enjoying a cool breeze. There were no fish to bite the hooks on their lines, so that was pointless, and Stan kept screwing up the knots. His hands appeared to be the ones in a tangle. Y/n decided to take a nap while wearing her bucket hat to protect her face from the sun. She didn't want to be present when Stan embarrassed himself.

When she heard Stan yelling something to the other side of the lake, she forced her eyes shut. Soon after, she heard a boat speed past, followed by a large wave that washed over them. She sat up straight away, shaking her wet hair.

Angry Stan removed his hat and threw it on the ground before frowning deeply.

"What was that?" Y/n asked, wringing her wet clothes.

"I have no idea."

Y/n had no idea what happened next either, but it turned out that the parents of the child Stan spoke with had filed a police report. Stan thought he could outrun them in a lake chase, but his engine failed at the last second and he had to stop. Stan was now compelled to wear an ankle bracelet. Y/n repaired the motor while Stan covered the leaks and repaired some of the damage.

The sun was slowly setting as the two strolled their boat around the waters. Y/n was trying to attach the ripped wood back to the boat as Stan maneuvered the boat in a straight path. He let out a sigh. Y/n frowned. "They should be back any minute now," she said.

"Hey! Over here!" Dipper's voice popped up from behind.

The two turned around to see Soos' boat beaten up and almost sinking, but it still worked.

"What the-" Stan began, but Dipper cut him off by taking a picture of him. "Kids? I thought you two were off playing "Spin the Bottle" with Soos!"

"Well, we spent all day trying to find a "legendary" dinosaur," Dipper began

"But we realized, the only dinosaur we wanna hang out with is right here," Mabel continued.

"Save your sympathy!" Stan exclaimed. "We've been having a great time without cha'! Makin' friends, tellin' jokes- we had a run-in with the lake police!"

"Guess Stan's gotta wear this ankle bracelet now, so that'll be fun," Y/n said, smirking at Stan.

The water was reaching their knees now as Dipper asked, "So... I guess there isn't room in that boat for three more?"

Stan narrowed his eyes at the two as they put on their hats. Y/n elbowed Stan to make up his mind already. His expression softened. "You knuckleheads ever seen me thread a hook with my eyes closed?" He asked.

"Five bucks says you can't do it!" Dipper challenged.

"You're on!" Stan agreed, and the boy climbed into the boat, sitting next to Y/n.

"Five more bucks says you can't do it with your eyes closed, plus me singing at the top of my lungs!" Mabel followed.

"I like those odds!" Stan smiled. Both Mabel and Soos boarded the boat. Stan saw Soos' ripped shirt and just had to ask, "Whoa! What happened to your shirt?"

"Long story dude."

"All right, everybody get together," Dipper said, bringing out his only disposable camera and pointing at Mabel and Y/n, who were both in the middle of the frame. Mabel had her arms around Y/n's shoulders as she grinned widely. Stan sat next to the two, while Soos was on the other side. "Say fishing!"

"Fishing!" The three said in unison, while Soos asked, "Dude, am I in the frame?"

The rest of the day was spent bonding and having fun. Y/n and Dipper mostly switched places for taking pictures. Stan attempted the challenge of threading the hook with his eyes closed, but he kept peeking, so Mabel had to go around and cover his eyes. He lost the bet, so he owed Dipper and Mabel five dollars.

Stan decided to make amends by reading an entire page of jokes from his joke book for the next thirty minutes. Y/n photographed their reactions as Stan delivered the punchline. Soos and Mabel were laughing, but Dipper was unconcerned.

Stan spent the next hour properly teaching the twins how to fish, and after a few minutes of waiting, Dipper's fishing pole began to wiggle, and he reeled it in with Stan's assistance. A fish was wriggling in the hook of his fishing line, slowly running out of air... or water.

"Good job, Dipper!" Y/n said as she took a picture of the boy holding up the line, but at the last second, Mabel jumped in the frame.

And for the final act, Mabel and Stan schemed a malicious deed. Stan maneuvered the boat closer to the other boat, which was occupied by the grandpa and two children who appeared to be twins. While Y/n and Dipper were busy talking with the tall old man and his granddaughter, Stan hoisted Mabel high while she was carrying a pair of scissors. She easily cut through the net, which held a fish. Soos had the pleasure of photographing it.

Which, of course, eventually led to a lake police chase in the sea. "Durland spoke through his megaphone, "Stop the boat this instant!"

"We didn't do anything, we swear!" Stan yelled back, driving the boat away so quickly that it nearly blew all of their hats away. Y/n was laughing at the situation and managed to take one more photograph despite the wobbly boat. She thought the blurred effect was more potent and amusing.

Somehow, the cops let them go and didn't chase them further. Stan rounded the corner, turning the boat around and heading home after the cops were gone.

Mabel and Soos were talking about improving their handshake when Dipper felt his side being bumped by Y/n. "So, did you ever find that monster?"

He sighed, "No. I'll tell you when we get home."

"Okay."

***

"Good thing you didn't come with us," Dipper said once Y/n appeared by the dining table where he was sitting. She took a seat across from him, her arms placed on the table casually. "It was... something else."

"So you found it?"

"We did, yeah," Dipper replied. He was doodling in the journal and Y/n had to clench her fist to prevent herself from saying anything. "We did catch it, but it was fake. It was literally cold blooded since it's made out of metal."

Y/n couldn't help but snort at that. Bad jokes will be the death of her.

"So who was controlling it?" Y/n asked.

"Old Man McGucket."

"Who?"

"The hillbilly who was yelling and dancing about the monster that he created." Dipper lifted the journal and showed her a page of his drawing of the old man. He really captured all the details; from the bandaged arms and feet, the broken teeth, the lopsided pupils, and the bandage on his beard.

"Oh. He has a name?" She inquired. But she stared at Dipper's art skills. "Not bad. You drew him so well."

"Yeah, well, he was pretty remarkable. Both in a good and bad way." Dipper placed the book down and continued writing the information he got about the man. "He wanted to make the monster in the first place to get the attention of his son. He just wanted to bond with him."

Y/n smirked. "Remind you of someone, huh?"

"Heh, yeah." Dipper smiled too. "Mabel and I regretted leaving Stan just for a creature that doesn't even exist."

"Hey, I personally believe in the existence of the Loch Ness Monster. People just don't see it because I assume it doesn't want to be seen. They would rather be alone and private. Or perhaps they are afraid of people and are simply protecting themselves."

"That was incredibly wise."

Y/n chuckled. "You think so? I thought I was rambling random and useless stuff."

"No, no, I think you're right."

The pleasant silence hung over them. She cast a glance down at the journal from the other side of the table, where Dipper was nearing the end of the McGucket page, "I had no idea you added your own entries. Must've felt good, didn't it?"

Dipper chuckled sheepishly. She could've sworn there was a hint of blush in his cheeks. "Heh. It does, yeah. Feels like I'm honoring the author by continuing to write Gravity Falls, you know?"

"Who knows? Maybe the author is still out there," Y/n said, placing her head on her hand. She was almost smirking at him. "What would you do if he finds out about your writings?"

"Oh don't say that please," he nervously replied. He was sweating in embarrassment now. "I honestly don't know how to deal with that when the time comes."

Y/n finally stood, "Anything is possible, Dipper." She walked past him. "I'm gonna go ahead now. Good night."

"Good night, Y/n."

She exited the room, staring at the path ahead of her as she went inside her mind. How is the author supposed to return when the only way to get him out is through the journal? Y/n didn't like how Dipper just adds his own entries as if it were completely his property, but she knew it was a harmless act. He is a talented artist; perhaps she can assist with the shading, which is lacking.

And because he is a smart person who is very careful with the journal, it is safe and reachable as long as he is within her line of sight. It's there. They can take it whenever they want, but as Stan stated, they must first earn the twins' trust, and so far, they are getting closer, which is important.

She admired Dipper's trust in her with the journal, knowing that they had discovered the book together. She has grown closer to the boy of the two siblings. Perhaps because he reminded her of Ford, and his inquisitiveness was admirable. It feels good to know he can count on her.

Just as she can rely on him.

***

Chapter 9: Even Bigger Fraud Than Stan

Chapter Text

"Hey, have you seen my pants?"

She stood there, deadpanned, as Stan asked her in his boxers. His top half was wearing the classic Mr. Mystery shirt and coat, all that is missing is his pants. "No," Y/n replied, sipping on the soda. "Where are Dipper and Mabel?"

Stan looked around the kitchen for where his pants could've been misplaced. "The kids are in the room with the wax figures. They have been there since this morning."

Y/n glanced at the clock hung on the wall. She didn't even notice that it's afternoon already. "Oh?" she wondered, "How did they find it?"

"Eh, I have no idea. I even forgot I've been keeping 'em in the Shack!" he replied, marching to the living room. He kept muttering, "Where the heck did my pants go?" under his breath.

"Where did you last put it then?!" Y/n exclaimed, getting tired of him searching.

"I don't remember! That's why I'm looking for it!"

She left him alone by himself. Watching him looking at every crevice for his large pants even got her tired so she went to the room where the twins were.

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered the faces of those wax figures. It really crept her out and she doesn't even know who these people were.

The door was already open when she arrived at the hall. Soos, Dipper, and Mabel in a beret were standing in front of a wax statue. Y/n took a casual sip of her drink.

"Y/n! There you are," Mabel greeted once she saw her. The girl in the sweater dashed towards her friend and grabbed her wrist before pulling her in front of the statue. "What do you think?"

Y/n's jaw dropped as the contents of her Pitt Cola had escaped her open mouth and to the ground.

"Woah!" Mabel exclaimed. "I guess my work is jaw dropping, huh?"

Stan entered the scene, now with his pants on. "I found my pants but now I'm missing my- woa- ha- AH!" He fell to the ground and scrambled away once he noticed the wax figure that looked a lot like his twin brother.

It's not him, Stan. Calm down.

"So, what'd you think?" Mabel asked Stan.

He had to ease his quickening pulse before responding, "I think... the Wax Museum's back in business!"

***

All of the people in the Mystery Shack helped transfer all the wax statues outside on a makeshift stage, with banners and chairs already set up.

"Ugh. So creepy," Y/n muttered under her breath as she lifted wax Sherlock Holmes, the last person, to the stand. "Never liked them in the first place."

"In the first place? Have you seen them before?" Mabel said behind her. She must've overheard.

"No. I- I've seen them on TV. I just don't like how hyper-realistic they looked."

Nice save.

"Oh, okay. I think they look cute though!" Mabel replied, holding her hands together with a huge grin. "I hope people will show up."

"I'm sure they will," Y/n reassured, "People will want to be in the reopening of the amazing Wax Museum."

Her sentence was dripping with sarcasm, but Mabel was too much of a sweetheart to notice.

Rest assured, people did come, although Y/n had a feeling that they only came because of "free pizza" that she's sure Stan wouldn't be able to provide.

"You all know me, folks! Town darling, "Mr. Mystery." Please, ladies, control yourselves!" Stan said over the microphone. As you know, I always bring the people of this fair town novelties and befuddlements, the likes of which the world has never known. But enough about me. Behold... me!" He walked towards the clothed statue and uncovered it, revealing a wax replica of himself.

Soos pressed multiple keys on his keyboard, emitting various fanfare sound effects. Two people in the crowd clapped while someone coughed.

"And now a word from our own Mabelangelo!"

"It's Mabel." she grinned, taking the microphone. "Thank you for coming! I made this sculpture with my own two hands! It's covered in my blood, sweat, tears, and other fluids!"

The crowd winced as they expressed their disgust, "Ugh, ew!"

"Hehe. Yeah..." Mabel chuckled. "I will now take questions! You there!" She pointed at the familiar hobo.

Old Man McGucket asked about the eventual wax-man uprising and Mabel wittily provided the answer. Followed by Toby Determined who was shamed by Stan who pointed out that his microphone was a turkey baster.

"Shandra Jimenez, a real reporter." A woman stood up with her cameraman. "Your fliers promised free pizza with admission to this event," she announced before showing said flier, "Is this true?"

The murmurs in the crowds resounded, until it had transformed into chatters of complaint and protests of pizza. Stan quickly exited the scene with his trustworthy smoke bomb and escaped with the box of admission fee in his grabby hands.

Dipper and Wendy sat by the booth where the admission box once lied. They both look concerned and a bit scared, while Y/n just looked out of it. Mabel enthusiastically placed her elbow on the table with a proud smile. "I think that went well."

The sun had set and the moon had risen. Owls were hooting as Stan was spouting old expressions. "Hot pumpkin pie! Look at all this cash!" He said, "Now you kids wash up. We got another long day of fleecing rubes tomorrow. Go, go!" He pushed the twins outside the room before sighing and placing an arm on Wax Stan's shoulder. "Kids."

"You, uh, got something going on there with good 'ol Wax Stan, huh?"

Stan jumped at the sound of her voice and turned around to see her behind the lounge chair. "Sheesh, you almost gave me a heart attack, and hey you should be washin' up, too, kid."

Y/n crossed her arms, ignoring his order. "I know we saw the same thing... with... this guy," she referred to the frozen smile that belonged to the wax figure in the room. "He really looked like you, you know? He could be your twin."

"Oup, no. No, no, no." Stan shook her head. "We're not talking about that. We're here to relax and watch my favorite show, Ducktective," he said grumpily, getting the remote and sitting down with wax Stan standing beside him at a weird angle.

Y/n stared at him switching through the channels. She was about to go back to her room to sleep when he spoke again.

"So, you gonna watch Ducktective or what?"

A hint of a smile appeared on her face. Wordlessly, she took a seat on the ground by Stan's feet just as Ducktective captured the criminal. The show has been their favorite ever since it premiered and they just find peace in watching it together — though they watch it to make fun of it.

Stan laughed at the corny catchphrase from the show. "Stupid duck! Well, I'm gonna use the john." he stood up and stepped away from the two of them. Y/n stood up as well, dusting her clothes. "Guard him while I'm gone, alright?" Stan told her before leaving the room.

She rolled her eyes. "Why does he act like it's a real person?" She took Stan's seat beside the figure. "Sure, he may look like him– a lot but it's not... real."

Y/n reached and slotted her hand around the wax statue's arm and leaned slightly. She chuckled weakly. "Heh, miss you. You're probably gonna be looking like an old man now just like your brother. Meanwhile, I'm still the same thirteen year old me that you left behind.

Might need an explanation once you come back..." Fatigue gradually overtook her. She really shouldn't fall asleep whilst clinging onto Ford- she meant Wax Stan, but she couldn't help but feel comfortable at the moment. She missed this.

She must've been a heavy sleeper because the next thing she heard, Stan screamed, "NOOOOO!"

Y/n scrambled up to her feet and didn't realize what was going on until she saw Wax Stan already on the ground... with its head gone.

The twins ran to the scene, Y/n stood there with a puzzled expression while Stan was shaking grimly. "Wax Stan has been murdered!" he turned to Y/n with a panicked look. "Y/n, what did you do?!"

"Me?! I didn't do anything!" she emphasized. "I fell asleep and the next thing I knew this guy's head was chopped off!"

Mabel fainted dramatically with the back of her head on her forehead. Dipper caught her before saying, "Everybody, calm down. Let's call the cops and see if they can help."

Surely enough, the cops arrived. They questioned the events before said murder, and Stan nervously told his point of view, "The three of us were just watching a show when I went to the bathroom. And when I come back, BLAMO! He's headless!"

"My expert handcrafting besmirched." Mabel kneeled next to Wax Stan's "corpse", carressing it gently. "BESMIRCHED!"

Dipper comforted his sister. "Who would do something like this?"

Blubs drank from his cup of coffee, "Why don't you ask the only person who was present at the scene of crime?"

They all looked at Y/n, who was already looking offended. Dipper frowned. "I don't think Y/n would have done this."

She smiled, grateful that he could trust her. Her happiness shifted to anger as she faced the cops again. "You can't accuse me of murder when you don't even have the evidence!"

"That's true!"

Blubs remained dismissive, "Then unless you don't think that this girl here is guilty, let's face it: this case is unsolvable."

"WHAT?!" Dipper, Mabel, and Stan exclaimed.

Stan pointed an accusatory finger at them. "You take that back, Sheriff Blubs!"

"You're kidding, right?" Dipper said, "You're not even gonna do investigations and search for more evidence?"

"Oh, Dipper can help!" Mabel chimed in, supporting her brother. "He's really good. He figured out who was eating our tin cans!"

"All signs pointed to the goat."

Even Stan wanted Dipper to help, only for the offer to be turned down by both the sheriff and the deputy. They laughed in his face, making fun of Dipper because he was a little kid.

They really shouldn't be underestimating him.

"Adorable. You should leave the investigating to the grownups," was their final words before being called to attend an emergency.

Determined Dipper turned to his sister with a fire like no other. "That's it. Mabel, you and I are going to find the jerk who did this and get back that head! And we'll see who's adorable." he seethed before unconsciously releasing an adorable sneeze that could've been mistaken for a kitten sound.

Y/n will also agree that he's adorable. His sneeze was adorable.

The twins started transforming the living room into what appears to be a crime scene. Mabel was photographing the headless wax figure repeatedly, while Dipper was pinning pictures to his corkboard.

Stan walked out of the room, depressed. Y/n wanted to go console him, but she was stopped by Dipper. "Hey, wait. Y/n."

"What's up?"

"I know that you wouldn't do this, but what happened at the time of murder? What were you doing?"

She was irritated, but she replied truthfully, "I was sleeping. I didn't know what happened. I didn't hear a sound because I was asleep."

"Well, wax Stan lost his head and it's up to us to find it and prove your innocence. Would you like to join us?"

As much as she would like to go be with them, she has to prioritize. And right now, Stan is her first priority. "I don't know," she began. "There's not much room for one more detective, don't you think?"

"But-"

"I'm sure Sherlock Holmes and John Watson will handle it." Yes, she read the books. "The question is, who is Holmes... and who is Watson?" she left without another word.

The twins stared at one another before Mabel smiled. "I'm Sherl-!"

"No," Dipper immediately turned down. "Mabel, focus. We have to solve this case. The murderer could be anyone."

Mabel's eyes widened. "Gasp. Even us!"

"In this town, anything is possible," Dipper muttered, taking out his journal and skimming through it. The book was full of codes and ciphers that he might use to find clues.

"Hey, look, a clue!" Mabel's voice brought him out the pages. She pointed down to the ground they were standing on.

"Footprints in the shag carpet!" Dipper marveled. "It looks like one of the shoes has a hole in it." Their eyes noticed the marks all leading somewhere behind the big, yellow chair.

The twins found an ax just lying there on the ground. This must be the murder weapon!

To clarify, they took the object and delivered it to Soos the handyman. He examined it thoroughly before concluding, "In my opinion... this is an ax."

Mabel suddenly got an idea. "Wait a minute. The lumberjack!"

They began to piece their assumptions together enough to go out and find the aforementioned lumberjack. Soos had told them about the biker bar.

With newfound information, they walked out the Shack in unison. They passed by Stan who was struggling with bringing out a coffin from his car trunk.

"Hey, give me a hand with this coffin, will ya? I'm doing a memorial with wax Stan. Something small, but... classy," he said, giving it all his all until the coffin eventually was pulled out.

Dipper clutched the straps of his duffel bag tighter. "Sorry, Grunkle Stan, but we have a big break in the case!" he emphasized with a clench of his fist.

"Break in the case!"

"We're heading into town to interrogate the murder."

"Oh, well in that case, do me a quick favor and fetch Y/n for me? This coffin is surprisingly heavy."

Mabel sprinted inside the shack, loudly shouting Y/n's name. "Y/n! Stan needs you!"

"I hear ya!"

And that was Mabel's cue to leave and regroup with her brother. "She's coming!"

Stan placed his hands on his waist. "I know this is dangerous and I would honestly forbid you from going if I am a responsible parent... good thing I'm an uncle! Avenge me, kids!

AVENGE ME!"

The kids took off, with Mabel carelessly swinging around the ax that they found. Stan watched them with an almost proud look on his face.

"You said you need me?"

He glanced beside him and it was Y/n, in the flesh. "What took you so long?"

"I was in the bathroom, jeez!"

Stan scoffed playfully. "You're probably performing another album from ABBA in the shower. Not surprised."

"Do you need me or not?" she glared at him.

"Help me carry this thing," he said before lifting up the other end of the box.

Y/n rolled her eyes but went to the opposite end and brought it to her chest anyway. "Put respect to their name. It's Number One All-Time Icelandic Pop Sensation BABBA."

"Right. How could I forget? You always play it in the basem*nt. I swear, the twins might hear the sounds from the attic."

"Oh, shut your yaps and tell me why you need to set up a funeral for this wax statue that reminds you of your twin brother?"

Stan fixed his gaze on Y/n and her direct question. He stopped moving, but she knew he wasn't mad at her for essentially touching a nerve. He exhaled a sigh. "Would you mind letting me do this just once?"

He never said anything else, but she understood. It may look and sound weird, but the intention behind it was deeply saddening. It's like he wanted to do a proper farewell... in case of it being true.

"And, hey, doesn't he look like... your teacher? Your boss? Your-"

"He's my mortal enemy now, Stan," she cut off, a playful grin on her face. They positioned the coffin over two stools. Soos was cleaning the floors.

"Oh," Soos said once he saw the casket. He frowned deeply. "I'll... go and set up the chairs."

Y/n placed her hand on her hips. "Where are the twins anyway?"

"Oh, they're off to find the killer."

"What?"

Soos appeared behind her again. "Yeah, you know, the one who... ch-chopped... Mr. Wax Pines'... head. I heard them say that they're doing it to clear your name."

Her heart leapt at the prospect of them attempting to prove her innocence. She appreciated the effort of going out and probably questioning everyone in town, but she knew. She knew that no human could do this and escape in record time. No human in Gravity Falls, that is.

It was already late at night when the mini podium for Stan was set up. Dipper and Mabel eventually returned home, apparently with nothing to share. Y/n sat beside Mabel, who sat glumly holding an ax.

As Stan regained his composure, Y/n leaned in closer to Mabel and whispered, "Did something happen? Why the long face?"

"We thought we cracked the case and blamed Toby Determined for a crime he didn't even commit," Dipper answered for his sister, sighing. "Those cops were right about me."

Stan cleared his throat loudly and began his eulogy with sad organ music in the background, before Mabel or Y/n could object.

"Kids, Soos, lifeless wax figures... Thank you all for coming."

Soos dramatically blew his nose on a napkin.

"Some people might say it's wrong for a man to love a wax replica of himself."

"They're wrong!" Soos screamed, pointing an accusatory finger.

Stan tried to coax him. "Easy, Soos," he said before turning to wax Stan who lay still on a coffin. Its iconic pose of a thumbs up stuck out. "Wax Stan, I hope you're pickin' pockets in wax heaven."

This made Y/n frown. Stan was visibly upset, and she could tell it wasn't a joke to him. He took off, sniffing despondently. "I'm sorry, I got glitter in my eye!" he exclaimed as he dashed out of the room.

"Dude...!" Soos cried, chasing after Stan as he sobbed also.

Y/n stood up, looking at both Dipper and Mabel. "I have to check on him in case he does something crazy."

She walked away, straight towards the living room, where Stan sat glumly. His glasses were perched on top of his hair, and he rubbed his eyes with his knuckles. Soos stood next to him, attempting to offer him a napkin.

"No, Soos. You need it more than I do," Stan said, sniffling.

She walked into the room. He gave her a quick glance before returning his gaze to the ground. Y/n motioned for Soos to return home, and she'd take care of it. He nodded and walked away, closing the gift shop door behind him.

It was quiet except for Stan's sniffles. Y/n gave him time to let it out. She's seen him cry before– many times now. It makes him the more emotional, empathic person out of the Pines twins.

If you think it's rare to see Stan cry, then it is incredibly anomalous to see even a glimpse of Ford letting out a single tear.

The first time Stan cried was, of course, the first night of his brother's disappearance. She could hear the bawling from her room. He was completely devastated and he always blamed himself.

Every other night for the last thirty years, Stan had grown to be comfortable to be himself around Y/n. Comfortable enough for him to cry a river. She's the only one who understands what he's going through.

She leaned against the doorframe of the living room, staring at a wall painting. Stan was constantly wiping his tears away. "I..." he began, but it got cut off with a sharp exhale. "I just– really, really miss him, you know?"

"Yeah," she replied quietly.

"I don't even know if he's alive out there. What even is out there? On the other side?"

He has asked this exact same question a thousand times, and even though Y/n is vague with her answers every time, it would always end it with, "He's alive."

"I hope."

"I know he's alive," she said. "Sure, there might be aliens and other dimensional lizards and whatnot, but he is the smartest guy in the world. He knows what to do."

Stan kept to himself. Looking down, he ran his thumb across the rim of the glasses he recognized as Ford's. "You know, I'm really glad you're here ."

"Happy to be of service, old man."

They stayed within their comfortable silence.

Meanwhile, the twins faced the sentient wax figures that were all staring them down menacingly. Wax Sherlock Holmes had just recounted their heinous history up to the time of the murder.

"So you were trying to murder Grunkle Stan for real?!"Dipper asked in disbelief.

"And you could've almost killed Y/n, too!" Mabel exclaimed, lifting her forefinger. "You made her look so guilty that the cops almost arrested her!"

"Enough!" Wax Sherlock bellowed, "Now that you know our secret, you must die."

His pupils vanished as his eyeballs rolled. The other wax figures joined him and marched slowly, grunting like zombies.

Dipper and Mabel felt cornered, stepping back from them. "What do we do?!" Mabel panicked.

"I don't know!"

"What the heck is going on here?!"

Everyone came to a halt and looked at the door where Y/n stood. She looked perplexed as she assessed the situation.

"Y/n. watch out!" Mabel screamed, flailing her hands around. "Wax Sherlock Holmes was the real murderer. All of the wax figures are alive!"

Hm. Y/n narrowed her eyes on them. "I've always known you guys were creepy."

Wax Sherlock fumed, "Oh you kids are driving me up the wall. Attack!"

Half of the wax army charged towards the twins, while the rest rushed over to Y/n, who skillfully dodged them before kicking their limbs apart. Wax Thomas Edison yelled out a curse when she punched his head loose and went in a different direction.

"Y/n, use this!" Dipper threw a hot fire iron at her, and she grabbed the handle just as Wax Sherlock brought a sword down on her head. She deflected the blow before swinging her own weapon at him.

The two of them fought their way out of the room, inadvertently leading themselves to the attic, where the fight raged on. Every strike from Y/n was deflected, and Wax Sherlock continued forward until she was pushed up against the wall.

He pointed the sharp blade to her nose. "I know you're still the same little girl you were ten years ago," he said, and it couldn't help but send a shiver down her spine.

Because the fire iron was gradually losing its heat, she realized that killing him with it would be pointless. She looked out the window next to Wax Sherlock, the light reflecting off it.

So she rolled under him and escaped through the window and onto the Shack's roof. Wax Sherlock pursued the girl with the sole intention of murdering her. They fought until she was forced to retreat and stall for more time. He continued to spout more British slang before darting towards her, cornering her once more.

She glanced to her right and saw a twinkle of sunlight.

Wax Sherlock turned to face her, his sword poised above his head, ready to strike. "We all have secrets that we keep hidden, and yours is bound to be revealed; it's just a matter of time!"

"I'll let you in on a little secret: I adore watching the sun rise."

"Watching- what?!" Wax Sherlock shrieked as he realized that this was all a trap.

In his final act, he attempted to swing down, only for Y/n to literally stop the blade with her hand. Wax Sherlock quipped briefly before being knocked to the ground by her kick.

"Any final words?" she asked as she let go of the sword. His lower half was already slipping off the shingles.

"Shut your festering gob, you sniveling- grmmm!"

The rest of him melted into liquid until it all fell down to the ground.

"Gross."

She walked back to the parlor where Stan now stood. "Y/n!" The twins exclaimed. "Are you okay? What happened?"

She shrugged casually, smirking a bit. "Heh, you should see the other guy," she said before making a melting sound and moving slowly.

The twins chuckled at her joke but at the same time, glad that she was alright. "So, do you also want an affectionate noogie from Grunkle Stan?" Dipper asked.

***

"Who?"

"The 'child psycho' Gideon Gleeful," Stan told Y/n, getting the both of them Pitt colas. They were working so hard with the portal, tackling the parts for it. She didn't remember who brought in cards, but the next thing they did was play poker all night. She didn't remember who was in the lead either.

"What about him?"

Stan grumbled. "You know the monster's been terrorizing me ever since he rolled into town, and now the kids are checking out the competition with his so-called 'Tent of Telepathy'," he said the last part in exaggerated quotes.

"Woah, calm down," she said, coaxing him, "Maybe they're just seeing if it's the real thing. We all know he's a sham."

He sighed. "You're right." He took a sip of his can before retreating to his office. "I'll be in here in case you need me."

"Don't worry, buddy. You just relax," Y/n answered back.

Just as Stan left the room, the back door opened and the twins entered. "Y/n! Where have you been!?"

"Sorry, I... overslept," she trailed off, "But, hey! You're back. How was the trip?"

"Oh, Y/n, you should have seen it!" Mabel gushed, rushing towards her. "Gideon was the cutest! He had this little cape and sang in rhymes! He even guessed my name! He truly is a child psychic."

Y/n and Dipper exchanged glances. "Is that so..." she hummed, looking at Mabel's sweater with the letters M A B E L sewn into it. "He must've been really entertaining."

"She is easily impressed," Dipper pointed out, crossing his arms before walking to the kitchen.

Before going to the table by the living room, Y/n went to the fridge and got another can of cola. The boy took a glass of water and sat in the other chair at the far end of the table.

The two sat in comfortable silence until Mabel came back with sparkly gems plastered on her entire face, from her eyelids to the inside of her mouth. "Check it out, guys! I successfully bedazzled my face!" She struggled to even manage a single blink with the jewels stuck.

"That was quick."

"Is that... permanent?" Dipper asked.

Mabel frowned. "I'm unappreciated in my time."

Someone knocked on the door and the three looked at one another. "Somebody answer that door!" Stan shouted from the other room.

"I'll get it!" Mabel yelled back, easily scrubbing off the colorful stones and heading to the door.

It turned out to be Gideon on the other side, asking Mabel on a tour of his dressing room. The two hung out and played make-ups until afternoon. Later, Gideon invited her once again to come and sightsee the entire town from the roof of his warehouse. They even brought their own pair of opera glasses.

She just didn't think Gideon would ask her out on a real date. She had a good time with him, but she never liked him in that way. Mabel thought this kid was creepy as he drew her into a hug and unabashedly sniffed her hair.

The next day, she and Dipper were playing video games when the doorbell rang again. Mabel replied, opening it to reveal the head of a horse peering inside. Gideon sat atop the horse, wearing a cowboy hat and a sickening grin.

And they were off to some probably expensive restaurant that Gideon bribed the staff into doing everything he asked.

"Hey!" Stan exclaimed that morning, getting the attention of Dipper, Wendy, and Soos. "What the jackal is Mabel doing in the paper next to that greasy pickpocket Gideon?" he aggressively pointed at the large picture in the first page of the newspaper.

Wendy and Soos were excited about it, Stan was exasperated, while Dipper was a little scared of him right now. Y/n was nowhere to be found.

Stan went out as well to deal with the whole 'dating grandniece' situation. The three were left to themselves, until they had to go and do their own thing.

Dipper went back inside the living room to do some reading. He was already in the ghost section when he felt someone enter the room.

"Oh, hey, Dipper."

He looked up and saw Y/n with a cup of coffee this time. "Y/n! Hi."

She sighed and yawned. Even though she had only slept for 30 minutes, she felt a surge of rage in her veins when she saw the Journal 3 in his hands. "What are you reading?" she asked, sitting across from him in the chair. They had always sat at this table, sometimes in different seats, but their conversation was always about the journal.

"Oh, I'm just trying to catch on to some ghost categories. Can't believe there's 10! The author must've experienced all of them!"

How'd you think he would write all of that down if he didn't go through them?! I was there with him.

Y/n didn't realize she was glaring at Dipper, but she rationalized it as her being insane from lack of sleep. So she slurped the coffee silently but angrily.

"Are you okay? Looks like you stayed up all night."

She couldn't tell him that she had spent the entire morning attempting to stabilize the energy distribution of the Shack and the portal. Energy was required for the portal to remain idle, while electricity was required for the house.

"Just like you, I was also trying to catch on some... reading," Y/n replied once she had her thoughts together. "Quantum Physics."

"You're already studying in summer? What?" Dipper was grinning from ear to ear. "What grade are you in?"

Grade? She didn't know what that term meant.

"Huh?"

The employee door opened from the gift shop, and Mabel appeared gloomy as she carried a lobster past the two of them.

"Hey!" Dipper called, his smile never left his face albeit being slightly confused from Y/n's response. "How did it go?"

"I don't know. I have a lobster now," Mabel said slowly.

Y/n placed her head on her propped hand. "Well, at least it's over and you will never have to go out with him again."

But Mabel didn't say anything. She was anxiously tapping on the glass box with the idle lobster.

"Mabel?" Dipper asked after a brief moment. "It's over, right? ...Mabel?"

"BLARGH!" The twin sister flailed her arms around in a panic. "He asked me out again and I didn't know how to say no!"

Dipper furrowed his brows. "Like this: no!" he enunciated, pointing at his mouth.

"It's not that easy, Dipper!" Mabel reasoned, "And I do like Gideon... as a friend slash little sister! So I didn't want to hurt his feelings!" She smacked her fist onto the table between the two. "I just need to get things back the way they used to be, you know? Friends!"

Unfortunately, Mabel's plan did not go as planned. Her heart seemed to always win in every situation, which she disliked. She disliked Gideon's advances on her and her inability to say no. She liked Gideon, but not in the way he desired.

So, the moment she got home, she was pacing all over the living room, weighing her options. He's just too nice but she can't keep doing this! – but she can't break his heart! There's no way out of this!

Dipper's voice jolted her out of her reverie. She was terrified of her upcoming date with Gideon. Dipper reassured her that it wouldn't come to marriage, until Stan stormed in with a TEAM GIDEON sign on his shirt, declaring that Mabel must marry the twerp.

Y/n entered the room with her favorite Pitt cola in hand. She stared disapprovingly at Stan. "What?" he asked. "Bodies change."

The boy twin found his sister in a place she dubbed, 'Sweater Town'-- where she just pulls her knees to her chest and wraps her huge sweater around her until she is completely covered.

Dipper has had his fill. If Mabel does not want to end her relationship with Gideon, he will. Mabel, of course, was overjoyed at her brother's offer.

He entered the restaurant where Gideon was allegedly waiting for his sister. He couldn't believe this little charlatan would basically force Mabel to date him. He's been behaving strangely since he saw him on stage.

Gideon was initially polite to Dipper, though he was perplexed by his appearance. Gideon's eye twitched when Dipper told him Mabel didn't want to see him again, but he still wore a sickening grin.

"You're not gonna- like, freak out or whatever?"

Bygones be bygones, he said. Dipper took it in stride and walked out. He didn't look like he was angry, so he thought that he'd understood.

But Gideon's gaze remained fixed on Dipper as he walked out of the restaurant. He suddenly felt a surge of rage coursing through his veins. How dare he put himself between him and Mabel? He has no authority to intervene! Gideon and Mabel were supposed to rule the town together as king and queen!

Dipper just made the biggest mistake of his life.

The next day, everything seemed to be back to normal. The twins were having fun with Soos outside the Shack, doing random shenanigans until the phone rang from the gift shop.

"Your turn," Mabel said first, beating Dipper to it – which means, he has to go and deal with whoever was on the phone.

Dipper had no idea it would be Toby Determined, the lamest guy ever, who was suddenly interested in interviewing him about the 'unusual' things going on in town.

Dipper's excitement overtook his worry, and he quickly scribbled the address Toby provided on the notepad from his pocket. He was about to leave the gift shop and continue on his way when he noticed Y/n out of the corner of his eye.

"Y/n, hey!"

She turned around, trying to look casual after having heard of the telephone conversation. In her defense, it was a total coincidence that she walked into the gift shop from the living room and... stayed until the end of the call.

"Dipper," she answered. "What's up?"

Wendy and Soos gave her that greeting. What does she know about interacting when she's been cooped up in the basem*nt for the past 30 years? Stan is mostly responsible for grocery shopping and going outside.

Dipper told her about Toby Determined and wanting to interview him with the address already etched in the paper.. "So, what I'm saying is," he began, "do you wanna come with me? We found this journal together, so I figured I shouldn't take the credit alone."

Her heart skipped a beat not only because of the thoughtful offer, but also because of the heavy anxiety. She took a look at the journal he had brought out. Knowing the journal was with Dipper - within her arms reach - calmed her a little, but she couldn't help but think about the risk of revealing the journal's secrets to anyone else, let alone someone like Toby Determined.

So she had to go with him. Just to make sure that he doesn't do anything stupid.

"Sure," she finally said, smiling. Dipper returned the smile, and the two proceeded to the cleared path in the forest to the address. Because the Shack is located at 618 Gopher Road, it took some time to locate 412. It appeared to be an abandoned warehouse on a cliff.

Y/n and Dipper exchanged uncertain glances before hiking up the hill to the main door. Dipper opened it to reveal a dark room full of shelves and unused cardboard boxes.

"Hello?" Dipper's voice echoed through the confines of the warehouse.

Y/n furrowed her eyebrows, confused with the silence. Someone was supposed to meet them there, but apparently no one came. "Let's just get out of here. Maybe it was a prank call."

"Yeah. Maybe you're right."

The two were about to leave when the door unexpectedly shut. Dipper jumped and tried unsuccessfully to open the door. He knocked, expecting someone to close the door on them as a joke, but no one answered. Panic gripped their chests.

A row of lights illuminated the warehouse until it reached the far end, revealing an office chair.

The seated turned around to see Gideon, who was petting his puppet version of himself like a supervillain. He had a menacing grin on his face. "Dipper Pines... oh, and you brought Y/n, too. Isn't that just swell?"

"Gideon?" The boy beside her rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"How long have you been living in this town, a week? Or two? You like it here?" Gideon inquired, innocently fidgeting with the stuffed toy.

Dipper crossed his arms. "What do you want from me, man?"

"Listen carefully, boy," he said slowly, "this town has secrets you couldn't even begin to comprehend."

"Is this about Mabel?" Dipper asked. "I told you she's not into you!"

"LIAR! You turned her against me!" Gideon stood from his chair and marched towards the two of them. "She was my pink dumplin'!" He grasped his bolo tie with a hard look on his face.

Dipper had the nerve to be concerned, "Are you okay, man?"

Gideon raised his hand, and the two of them were surrounded by a blue aura. They quickly realized that their feet were no longer touching the ground. Dipper panicked slightly, whereas Y/n felt dread mixed with familiarity.

When Gideon made a motion with his hand, the two were launched into the air. They landed in a heap of cardboard boxes containing his merchandise.

"Wha-what? But I- I thought he's a fake!" Dipper stuttered.

"Oh tell me, boy! Is this fake?" His hand on his bolo tie again, he lifted the other and the stuff around them were floating.

Y/n was staring at Gideon's closed fist. It can't be.

Gideon laughed maniacally as he directed the floating clocks towards Dipper. Dipper was the most targeted of the two, so he had to avoid the most hazards. Y/n stepped to the side, conjuring up some sort of plan. If only there was some kind of distraction so she could retrieve the mystical amulet.

So that's why his hair was unnaturally white.

Dipper jumped away from the tumbling shelf, rolling until his back hit the wall. He stroked his head, which he was certain was developing a lump. "Grunkle Stan was right about you, you are a monster!"

"Your sister will be mine!" Gideon's laughter was cut short when a pair of arms wrapped around his neck from behind. He screamed and flailed his arms around, attempting to punch Y/n but failing. "No! Let go of me!" He screeched, but she didn't falter, only squeezing tighter.

"Dipper, get the amulet!" She feared that once she let go of her other hand and reached for the necklace, Gideon would have the chance to unhand himself and use the magic against her.

Dipper stood up and ran towards the two of them. Gideon was still writhing under her grasp, sweating like a pig now. Dipper had a small triumphant smile on his face as his hand inched closer to the amulet, until-

"Guys?"

The three looked over to see Mabel by the opened door.

"What's happening?"

It was silent. No one really knew how to start at explaining the whole situation.

But Gideon quickly recovered, elbowing Y/n in the face—which didn't hurt, but caught her off guard—causing her to loosen her grip, and that's when Gideon took the chance, holding his bolo tie again and lifting his other hand, sending both Y/n and Dipper afloat. So much for a diversion, she reasoned.

"Gideon! What are you doing?!" Mabel exclaimed, panic settling in her features.

"Marshmella, I want to apologize for my behavior, but these two have come between our sweet relationship! Don't you want to get rid of them?"

"Heck no! I'm sorry, Gideon, but I can't be your marshmallow. I needed to be honest and finally tell you that myself," Mabel replied.

Gideon furrowed his brows. "I... I don't understand," he said, clutching the amulet tightly, with the gesture and his growing frustration, it made it so that he was choking both Dipper and Y/n while they were still afloat.

Dipper thrashed around in an attempt to relieve the pain in his throat. Y/n imitated the action, attempting to persuade herself that she, too, is in pain.

She yanked the glowing amulet from his suit as quickly as she could. "No!" Y/n and Dipper both fell to the ground, their magic practically unused. "You were like attacking my brother and my friend!What the heck?!"

"My tie! Give it back!"

He tried to reach it, but Mabel tossed it to Dipper.

"Ha!" Dipper caught it. "Not so powerful without this, are you?"

Gideon screamed and charged at Dipper, making him drop the amulet and breaking through the window.

"Dipper!" Mabel yelled. Y/n glanced at the amulet on the ground and wasted no time going for it. She picked it up, grabbing it tightly, and harnessed its powers. It was the same feeling when she held it the first time. With her mind, she thought about floating and instantly she was.

Mabel was astounded. She levitated as Y/n raised her hand with the amulet. She rushed the two of them outside the broken window and, with no time to waste, gestured her other hand up to stop Gideon and Dipper's horrific fall. The two stared up at them until Y/n and Mabel gracefully descended.

"Listen, Gideon," Mabel began once her feet landed, "It's over. I will never ever date you."

Y/n, too, put her feet on the ground, eventually letting go of the magic before it could affect her again. After all, the white streaks were still visible beneath her natural hair. She gave Mabel the amulet, knowing exactly what she wanted to do with it, and Mabel delivered, throwing it to the ground and breaking it.

"My powers!" Gideon exclaimed. "Oh this isn't over. This isn't the last you'll see of wittle... ol'... me," he said before walking back to the dark forest.

The twins looked at each other, both weirded out, before they turned around and made their way home. Meanwhile, Y/n stared at the broken pieces of the mystical amulet.

"'Buried deep underground where nobody can find it,'" she muttered under her breath. Ford was a terrible liar.

***

Chapter 10: Real Man Or Real Dead?

Chapter Text

Y/n stared at the virtual graph inside the monitor, the ling going up before descending slightly, and then it's getting high again, but it completely dropped very low.

"So the kid has powers. No big deal."

"I just have no idea how he got a hold of it," she replied.

"Maybe he just found it on a random spot of dirt or something," Stan said, swigging the last gulp of his one bottle of beer, which he shouldn't do because he still have work tomorrow, and not only that, but the kids can find out, but he's Stan and he can do whatever he wants.

"Ford said he buried it where nobody can find it."

Stan chuckled. "Well, my brother's either-" he presented his digits. "-suck at hiding, a terrible liar, or... yeah that's it."

Y/n laughed with him before trailing off, a far look on her face. "I'm kinda worried, though."

He made a dismissive tone, waving his hand. "Eh, don't worry about that rapscallion Gideon. What's he gonna do; nibble on my ankles? His hair is bigger than his entire body!"

It made her smile a bit, but she couldn't help but wonder. Is it possible that Gideon has the second Journal?

"Hey, quit it with the silence.. I swear, you look like you're about to explode with your thinking gears smoking. Tell me about what happened today while I was out."

"Well," she began. She was slightly annoyed when Stan interrupted her train of thought. She doesn't like it when she's disrupted whenever she thinks. "The moment you left, Wendy invited the twins to the roof and tried to hit the attached target on the totem with pinecones. Dipper hit a van, though."

"And did you compensate for the damage?"

"Of course I didn't. Owner didn't hear it anyway. And even if he did complain, I would insist that it was a wild animal or something,"

Stan grinned proudly. "Ah, I taught you well." He stood up and messed with her hair a bit before slowly making his exit. "Well, I'm off to bed. I'm drunk."

"What, you only had like- one beer. Not that I'm encouraging you to drink more because then you'd smell like a drunk."

"Okay, maybe I'm just sleepy. Good night, kid."

"Good night."

***

***

The next day, Y/n was outside tending to Gompers, the Shack's pet goat. It was now part of the ambience ever since it showed up and ate most of the grass from around the Shack. Stan thought that it would be a good idea to keep it so that he wouldn't do any more mowing.

Now, Y/n is treating its wounds after she found a red spot on one of its knees. He was whimpering like crazy, trying to lick it. She got to the bathroom and grabbed the gauzes before sprinting outside before the goat could escape.

She already got it cleaned from the blood and was now wrapping bandages around its ankle. It calmed down, basically just staring right at her, or was it behind her? She wasn't sure. Its pupils were lopsided, after all.

Y/n crumpled a handful of weed growing near her and fed it to Gompers which he happily munched on. She petted its head, thinking deeply.

She could really see herself building a clinic in the middle of the forest, catered specifically for the creatures and monsters of Gravity Falls. She's invulnerable and has fast healing (meaning any effect marks would disappear immediately), but not everyone in Gravity Falls does.

She already knows how to clean a wound, she'd read enough books about mythical creatures- even got to observe them closer with Ford- so she knows how to be delicate.

Her train of thought was cut off by a sudden horn and tires screeching against the dirt.

Wendy's friends poured out of the blue van. She knew all of them as she was with them once only because Stan wanted her to inspect them if they were secretly agents who were after the portal- which was dang impossible.

Thompson was being made fun of again by Nate and Lee, and honestly, poor guy. Y/n didn't have to check her watch to know that Wendy's shift will soon end and she'd go hang out with her friends doing who knows what in a place of who knows where.

Out of all the activities, of course it's the one where Thompson is getting tortured. He was held upside down by Lee and Nate– shirtless– as Robbie stood a few meters from him, holding a bag of candy pebbles.

Tambry began recording as Robbie started throwing them. Nate and Lee were chanting "IN THE BELLY".

Y/n stood there, unimpressed yet slightly confused. Is this supposed to be fun?

"Me-e-e!"

"Oh," she mumbled, turning around. It seemed that Gompers wanted more grass to eat. "You lazy goat, it's right beside you."

"Me-e-e."

"Okay, I'll do it. Not because you're cute... but because I'm a good person." She crouched down and pulled apart a patch of grass. Gompers happily– or not, she couldn't tell– chewed.

"OHHH!" The group cheered. A green jelly bean was inside the belly button, accurately shot by none other than Wendy.

Y/n saw the twins walking beside Wendy. What were they doing?

Wendy introduced the two to her friends, giving them all brief introductions. Robbie asked if she was supposed to babysit the twins, only for Wendy to playfully berate him.

And that's when Y/n made the mistake of watching them for too long. She didn't look away quick enough for Nate to catch her gaze.

"Hey, Wendy, ain't that one of your co-workers?" he asked as he pointed at her.

Wendy glanced at her friend and smiled. "Oh, yeah! Y/n! You've hung out with us before, right?"

Suddenly having many eyes on her, she tried to make a move to leave, but Mabel stopped her.

"Wait, Y/n! Aren't you coming?"

"Uhm..." she trailed off. "I'm sorta busy."

"We're gonna go to this abandoned store and have some fun!" Mabel pleaded, "Please go!"

Y/n hummed hesitantly. If she leaves, Stan's going to be alone, stuck watching TV with the Black and White Period Piece Old Lady Boring Movie channel because he's too lazy to get up and find the remote.

Which he should do since she's been wanting to watch the show with him.

With a small smile at her set-up, Y/n walked closer to the gang. "Alright, I'll join. I'm sure it will be fun."

Dipper's smile widened, Mabel's eyes sparkled, while half of the gang cheered. Everyone got inside Thompson's van as he started the ignition. Y/n and the twins were situated at the very back. They all wore their seatbelts and punched the roof while everyone chanted Thompson's name.

On the way there, Dipper was hyping himself up to be the coolest kid in the group. Mabel just vandalized the car with bright red marker, feeling silly, while Y/n was looking outside the window and watching the trees run past them and finally, they were out of the forest.

After what seemingly was a long ride, when it was actually rather short, everyone got out of the vehicle and gazed through the chain fence. Most of the group were wearing excited grins and mischievous smirks. "There it is, fellas. The condemned Dusk 2 Dawn," Wendy spoke.

The crowd gasped and let out amazed sounds. Dipper asked for the reason why it was shut down, and Nate said that the owners were murdered. Y/n wracked her brain for any news of the closing of the shop. She didn't hear anything from Stan. Were the couple really killed?

"A-are you serious?" Dipper nervously asked.

"Yeah! We're all gonna die!" Wendy mocked. "Chill out, man" she playfully punched him in the shoulder, "It's not as bad as it looks."

The twins glanced at the boarded sign which read, "NO TRESPASSING VIOLATORS WILL BE DEAD!" and from that moment, it was now or never. They should just suck it up and join their shenanigans so that they can be cool.

Everyone proceeded to jump over the fence– with a little bit of struggling from Dipper– but eventually, they were all heading towards the entrance of the store.

"Aren't you a bit creeped out about this, Y/n?" he elbowed her a bit, and she paused for a moment, "I mean, an abandoned building, the owners being murdered. Isn't this all one big trap?"

"I'm not sure," was her only reply to that. She wasn't really sure, although she had to admit, she felt a little excited for what's to come. "Do you believe in ghosts?" she said with a small grin.

Dipper was caught a bit flustered at the question. "Wh-why, are there ghosts? I- I don't know. I've read about it in the journal, but I've never seen one before."

She kept a chuckle inside and kept walking. The two saw Robbie grappling to force the door open, but it just wouldn't budge. "I think it's stuck."

"Let me take a crack at it," Dipper suddenly said, walking confidently ahead of Y/n. He pulled his sleeve up as if he's preparing.

Robbie glared. "Oh, yeah, I can't get in, but I'm sure uh- junior here is gonna break it down like Hercules."

"Come on, leave him alone!" Wendy chided, "He's just a little kid."

Dipper frowned at the word, but with a new surge of courage, he was determined to debunk Robbie's words. He marched towards the side of the building where there was a dumpster and he jumped on it before climbing onto the roof. Dipper wasn't fazed at all as he easily hoisted himself up and walked through the shingles.

Sounds of protests were heard from the crowd, but Y/n was looking confused and impressed at the same time.

He found a vent but the cover was screwed closed, but he was still not giving up. He pulled on it, pushed it with his body until finally, he punched it with all his might. The case was destroyed and he eventually got inside the duct.

Everyone looked concerned, but Y/n had to laugh. All this just to prove someone wrong. It was really admirable.

"Who wants to bet he doesn't make it?" Robbie crossed his arms with a smirk.

But Dipper walked out of the door, unharmed and gestured to everyone to go inside.

Everyone left comments as they entered the store. Y/n and Dipper exchanged smiles as they walked in last.

"Do you guys really think it's haunted?"

"Psh, nah! Thompson, are you kidding me?"

"Woah, man, it's even creepier than I imagined!"

The group walked around the dim room. It was dark, but the moon and the outside posts provided a bit of light. They were blindly looking for the power switch until Wendy had found it.

Miraculously, there was still enough power to light up the entire store. The freezers were still working smoothly.

"So, what do we do now?"

"Anything we want."

And anything they wanted, they did. From food fights to food experiments, it was guaranteed a great night. Y/n haven't felt this fun in decades.

She found herself sitting on one of the aisles with Dipper and Wendy, eating ice cream. She was sure that every food in this store expired since the owners died in 1995 (she saw the newspapers), but what does she know about the effects of expired food anyways? She doesn't get sick.

Dipper and Wendy sat upright, talking about how fun this night is going so far, while Y/n was laying on the aisle. She raised her ice cream above her face and watched as it melted and dripped on her tongue. She was only half listening to the conversation until she heard someone shouting, "Hey, guys! We need more ice!"

"I'm on it!" Dipper announced, jumping off the aisle and running off.

Y/n finally sat upright and faced Wendy who was clearly enjoying her ice cream.

"You know, Y/n, I've been working on the Mystery Shack for like a year now, but I know nothing about you."

"Well, I don't think there's anything cool for you to know about."

"Oh, come on. Any scars? Tattoos? Stitches?"

"Wha- Wendy? How old do you think I am?"

Wendy laughed. "I'm just kidding." She glanced to the side. "Dipper's a cool kid."

"Yeah?"

"I mean, he's really trying to be a part of this crew. Do you think he's actually thirteen?"

Y/n didn't say anything else before looking down. No, in fact, he and his twin aren't thirteen. They just lied to get to hang out around them.

Their attention was caught by a scream coming from the freezers. Everyone was slightly alarmed and weirded out by the sound so they huddled up and investigated. The group found Dipper with a bag of ice spread out by his feet.

"What was that?" Lee asked, approaching closer. "Thought I heard some lady screaming back here."

"You freaking out, kid?" Nate teased.

Dipper stammered, "Uh, no! No, I'm cool! Everything's cool!"

"Then, what's all this about?" Robbie pointed to the spilled ice.

"That's uh, um, huh... hey, look! Dancy Pants Revolution! The game that tricks people into exercising!"

Everyone sprinted to the arcade with mumbles of agreement. Dipper voiced his own weak cheers and thought he could feel relieved, until he realized that Y/n was left standing there with her eyebrow raised. "Y/n!"

"What's wrong?"

"Um, it was nothing!"

"What did you see in the cooler?"

Dipper looked back and eventually, he sighed in defeat. "I might be feeling delusional, but I swear I saw this floating ghost brain. It had eyes and a mouth, and it was staring at me, Y/n. Creepily staring."

She hummed in response. She tried to recall encountering that kind of creature, but her brain didn't supply much. "It does sound creepy," was what she only said before someone from the group called them over. Probably Wendy.

"Coming!" Dipper enthusiastically replied, before dropping his voice into a whisper. "But when I opened the fridge again, it was gone! Do I look crazy? I feel like I'm losing my mind the longer we're in this place."

"I believe you, Dipper, you don't have to convince me," Y/n reassured. "I know you don't want me to tell them, so we can just keep this between us, okay?"

He gratefully smiled. "Thank you, Y/n. It really means a lot."

She could tell that he was beginning to get nervous, and when she tried to touch his hand, it was cold. Where did she have the gut to hold his hand? "Don't worry, Dipper, as much as I believe in the supernatural, I don't think this building is haunted. And if it was, wouldn't it be cool to show these suckers that the ghosts are real?"

Dipper chuckled. "Oh, that would be priceless."

The two laughed among themselves as they walked to where Thompson was currently trying to beat the high score, but with his unathletic body, he was struggling to keep up with the pace.

Nate and Lee were cheering him on, while Wendy, Robbie, and Tambry, Dipper, and Y/n were behind. "Woah!" Wendy spoke, elbowing Dipper. "He's really terrible at this."

He chuckled nervously. "Heh, yeah, that's – that's great." His words died in his throat as he looked at the glass door, seeing their reflections. Their skin, however, is replaced by bones. Dipper frantically rubbed his eyes and everything went back to normal.

"Hey," Y/n bumped her shoulder against his, "you okay? What happened?"

"Uh..." he began. "I'll be right back."

Her eyes didn't leave his figure as he made his way to the wall telephone. She made an educated guess that he was probably trying to call Stan, and that made her stifle a chuckle. She doesn't think Stan would pick up any moment as he's busy crying to the telenovelas.

She couldn't watch Thompson be horrible at DPR anymore so she wandered around the store with her hand against the pockets of her jacket. Her feet lead her to the corner of the store by the window and that's where she discovered traces of two bodies that belonged to Ma and Pa Duskerton.

Y/n's brow furrowed. She couldn't believe that they actually died. They seemed to be a lovely couple based on Stan's gossip. She guessed the good thing was that they died side by side.

"Awesome, Y/n, you found the jackpot!" Robbie was thrilled behind her. "Hey, guys, take a look at this."

Everyone gathered together closer, and Y/n stepped back, slightly annoyed.

"Then the rumors are true..." Lee commented. Dipper gulped.

"Dude, I dare you to lie down in it," Robbie taunted.

"Good idea!" Lee said, before turning to Nate. "Go lie down in it!"

"Heh, I'm a dead body, look!" He walked over to the marking, about to step on the lines, until Dipper intervened.

"Wait!" He turned to the group. "Maybe let's not do that."

"This guy's scared!" Lee said in a sing-song way.

"All I'm saying is, why tempt the fates? I mean... What if this place really is... haunted?"

Everyone shouted 'boo's at him as Y/n rolled her eyes. "Come on, guys, I think Dipper has a point," she said. "We were already having fun without any of this. We can just go and play on a different spot and leave this couple alone. In peace."

Robbie groaned. "Ugh, I knew we shouldn't have brought these kids. They're acting like a major buzzkill right now, right?"

The group nodded in unison. Wendy was hesitant, but it was clear that she was upset. "Yeah. Little bit."

Dipper frowned while Y/n felt a little bit annoyed. Why does she need approval from them?

Tambry sighed, typing on her phone. "Status update; trapped in store with insane 9-year old."

"I'm not a 9-year old!" Dipper protested, angrily laying on the tape markings. Y/n gasped softly, trying to stop him. "I'm thirteen! Technically a teen!"

The traced figure surrounding him lit up and the lights went off. Everybody looked around in worry, until Tambry dissolved right in front of them, leaving her cellphone. Dipper picked up the phone and read aloud, "Status update; AAAAAHHH!!" Suddenly the security camera screen switched on and Tambry stood there, trapped. She banged on the screen but she couldn't get out.

"Tambry! Tambry!" Wendy screamed.

"Can you hear us?!" Dipper followed with his own shouts, but Tambry didn't respond, still looking lost.

Nate panicked. "What are we supposed to do?!"

"I don't know, man," Lee answered. "I don't know!"

"Let's just go already!"

Wendy tried to call for Thompson, but he was still adamant about beating the high score. He was dancing, until he, too, dissolved and was transferred inside the video game itself. The game began attacking him with the arrows. Robbie wanted to flee for his life before the door got shut and locked. Wendy tried pushing and pulling, but it wouldn't budge. Robbie tried destroying it with the cash register, but it only vanished and a green light erupted.

"Guys!" Y/n called for their attention. "Haven't you watched enough ghost movies? Ghosts don't just haunt because they want to."

"Yeah, whatever's doing this has to have some kind of reason," Dipper chimed in, taking out the journal. "Maybe if we could just figure out what it is, then they'll let us out of here!"

But Robbie wasn't listening, not believing a word from two children younger than him. Wendy wanted to give it a chance and sided Dipper this time, and when Lee mocked the ghost, the next thing he knew was that he was floating and appeared on the cover a cereal box.

"Welcome."

"AHH!" Everybody screamed.

"They got Mabel!" Dipper screeched. Mabel was floating in the air with her hand raised to the side and her eyes were glowing blue with no pupils. She had a deep and menacing voice.

Ghost Mabel cackled as she introduced them to their deaths. They began apologizing and begging for the ghost to let them go, and at first, she complied. But before they completely left, it offered hotdogs, but Nate was stubborn and didn't like hotdogs so Ghost Mabel became enraged once more. Nate dematerialized, and this time, he turned into a hotdog.

"It begins."

The room turned upside down and the objects that were on the ground were now on the ceiling. "Quick! In there!" Wendy pointed at the nearby soda machine and the three wasted no time hopping inside and closing the hatch.

"What could be the reason the ghost is doing this?" Y/n asked once they fit inside.

"Okay, let's try to figure out the pattern here; Tambry was texting, Thompson was playing a video game, and Lee is being sarcastic, it doesn't make any sense!"

I think it makes perfect sense.

"Yeah! I mean, those are just normal teenage things!" Wendy responded, making Dipper's eyes light up in realization.

"Wendy, say that last part again."

"'Normal teenage things'?"

"Of course!" He turned to Y/n, who was already looking at him. "I know what I'm gonna do."

"I'll cover you," she replied, nodding.

He nodded back. "We go in three. One, two, three!" On cue, the two jumped out before Wendy could have stopped them.

"Wait! Guys, what are you doing?!" She called out, but was too afraid to follow.

Y/n watched out for the floating chips and appliances that might terrorize them. The two marched towards Ghost Mabel with a stern look on his face. "Hey, ghost!" Dipper shouted, catching their attention. "I've got something to tell you!" they grinned maliciously as they let out an ecstatic sound.

Dipper and Y/n were now floating, surrounded by blue auras. Talk about deja vu. Dipper swallowed nervously, hoping it would work. It's now or never. "I'm not a teenager!"

Mabel's eyes stopped glowing and everything stopped floating. Even Y/n and Dipper fell to the ground with a thud, but Mabel stayed afloat with her hair pulled up by the spirit of Pa Duskerton. Ma Duskerton was beside him, and it was the first time that Y/n saw them again.

They were smiling. "Oh, why didn't you say so?" Pa chuckled, letting Mabel fall into a pile of junk. "How old did you say you were?"

"I'm..." Dipper paused, looking over at Wendy who was listening. With a hesitant stance, he finally told them the truth. "I'm twelve... technically not a teen."

The couple turned their heads to Y/n, who was standing there a bit awkwardly. She felt a bit nervous as their eyes sparked with curiosity. "How long have we been dead, dear?" Ma asked.

"Must have not been long if..."

Ma looked at her. "How old are you?"

"I'm thirteen..." she hesitantly answered, her brows furrowed in confusion and slight fright. Ma narrowed her eyes as it shifted into disdain. Y/n guessed that the hint of familiarity was gone now as the couple remembered a horrifying reminder.

The ghosts began telling them about their loathing for stubborn teenagers. Teens have caused them their double heart attacks. That's how they died.

"That's why we hate teenagers so much!" Ma said rather enthusiastically, bumping her nose against Pa.

"But they're my friends, isn't there anything I can do to help them?" Dipper reasoned.

Pa grinned playfully. "There is one thing. Do you know any funny little dances?" He wiggled his fingers.

"Uhhhh. Is there anything else I can do-?"

"NOOOO!" Pa screeched, his pupils rolling to the back of his head, fire surrounding him.

Dipper nervously shook his hands. "Okay, okay, okay!" He looked to the side. "Um, well. I do know the... Lamby Lamby Dance, but, uh- I can't really do it without a lamb costume!" He thought he had found a loophole, but the ghost had better ideas, and with a snap of his fingers, Dipper was dressed in a cute lamb onesie.

"Oh. Well. There it is." Dipper awkwardly stood, taking a deep breath to conjure up enough confidence to perform.

Well, who wants a lamby, lamby, lamby?

I do! I do!

So go up and greet your mammy, mammy, mammy

Hi there! Hi there!

So march, march, march around the daisies!

Don't, don't, don't you forget about the baby!

Dipper ended with a finger to his cheek and a wide, humiliated smile.

Y/n was blushing from the second-hand embarrassment, yet at the same time, she found it excessively adorable. She didn't know he had it in him, and her heart was beating crazier. Was it because she witnessed the cute performance right in front of her?

Rest in peace to Dipper's dignity and self-respect.

Of course, the ghosts have let them go and immediately disappeared without another word. The store turned right side up again, and everyone came back. Everything was a mess.

"What happened after everything went crazy?" Lee asked.

Wendy was excited as her friends crowded around her. "You are not going to believe it! The ghost appeared and Dipper had to-" she stopped when she noticed his nervous state. "Uh, Dipper just grabbed the bat and beat ghosts down, left and right! Then the ghosts got all scared and ran away like a couple of little girls. It was insane!"

Dipper sent an appreciative smile in her way, and Wendy had her thumbs up.

Everyone tiredly walked to the van like a group of zombies. Y/n supported Mabel on her way back as she clutched her sick stomach. Dipper climbed in first before Y/n and Mabel followed, Y/n sitting in between the twins.

She had her arm wrapped around Mabel who was leaning on her. She groaned in despair. "Ugh... I'm never gonna eat or do anything ever again."

The van drove off, until they dropped off the three in the Shack. Walking closer, the window was suddenly shattered by the TV.

Stan popped his head out of the window. "Uh. Couldn't find the remote."

Y/n chuckled, walking inside the gift shop and heading to the living room where Stan was cleaning the ice cream tubs. "What episode?"

"I don't know, I lost count," he said, sounding seriously upset. "The wedding could have been so great if it wasn't for-"

"Uhp!" she berated. "I'm not on that episode yet!"

"Yeah, well. You'll have to fix the TV before watching. Looks like it's broken."

"What?! Why me! You're the one who threw it out of the window!"

Stan left without another word, grumbling about how Count Lionel had his chance. Out of all the days, why on the day of the wedding? Y/n grunted, annoyed at Stan. She glanced at the broken glass with a piece still hanging on its frame. "Soos will fix it," she said before retreating to her bedroom to get some rest.

***

"Disco girl, so wild and true, that girl is you~ ooh, ooh-ooh! Ooh, ooh-ooh!"

"Ugh, can you stop that? I'm so tired of hearing that song the whole day," Stan complained, banging his head against the control panel.

Y/n raised an eyebrow. "I've only been singing this tonight." She continued typing on the built-in keyboard. She rolled her eyes. He shouldn't really be whining when she's heard of the same sailor song that he's been singing.

"Yeah, well guess who else is singing that earworm song?"

"Who?"

Stan grunted. "I heard him screaming the lyrics and checked out if it's true. Sounded like the entire 70s was happening there."

"...So you walked in on Dipper singing BABBA?" She shouldn't even be smiling. He just happened to like the same group as her. And listen to the song almost daily. "Wait. Why did you even walk in the bathroom when you know it's occupied?"

"Don't make it weird."

He was always so confusing to Y/n. But as the night turned into day, she still couldn't get the thought out of her mind, as well as the song. It kept looping in her mind, from the woahs to the oohs. She even mumbled the lyrics without knowing. Her obsession with the Icelandic pop sensation had ignited more when she found out that she was not alone.

The next week, it was a normal day at the Shack. Stan was managing the register, while Y/n was reading from the counter. Tyler Cutebiker was wandering around the gift shop, analyzing everything with enthusiasm, when all of a sudden, the twins entered. "Grunkle Stan?"

"Can we go to the diner?" Mabel asked. "We're hungryyyyy."

"Hungryyy." The two began hitting their stomachs against each other.

"Yeah sure. As soon as this yahoo makes up his mind." Stan pointed to Tyler who kept asking questions.

Y/n stood up and stopped her reading. "You know what? You guys can go. I'll stay and help this poor man out. If he doesn't make up his mind, I'll just lock him inside."

The Pines chuckled. "Alright." Stan grinned. "Come on, kids. To the diner!" They made their escape, their footsteps slowly deafening as they made their way to the car and drove off.

She stared at Tyler holding up two hangers of clothes. "Puma shirt, Panther shirt? Puma shirt? Panther shirt? Puma shirt... Panther shirt?"

"Dude, make up your mind already."

Tyler turned to her. "Do you have this shirt in my size?"

"That's the only size left," she replied, placing her head against her palm.

"I just can't pick! Tyler exclaimed, holding the shirts close to him. "I want to wear both at the same time!"

Y/n narrowed her eyes as an idea came to her mind. "We can make an adjustment."

Half an hour later, Tyler was clapping with joy as he gazed at the sewn clothing. The half was a puma shirt, while the other half was a panther shirt. "Amazing work, dear!" He said, "I didn't know this shop offers extra services!"

"Well, it also comes with extra charges," she said without missing a beat. The sewing doesn't come free considering she's never sewn clothes before. She figured it was going to be the same as sewing Ford's wounds, so she just guessed and went with it as it goes.

"How much?"

Even with additional pay, Tyler paid just as happily and went his merry way. More people came into the gift shop and looked around, bought something, and left. Not another hour later when Stan's car pulled up in the parking lot.

"Back so early?" Y/n asked once Mabel and Stan entered, but Dipper was nowhere to be found. "And where's Dipper?"

"Can't talk right now, Y/n! We have a love emergency!" Mabel pushed Stan towards the Employees Only door, opening it before closing. Wendy and Soos followed inside.

"Aren't you guys supposed to be working here instead of me?" Y/n said.

"Mabel needs some help." Wendy replied, walking forward.

Soos nodded, "And Mabel wanted me to act as Lazy Susan."

Question marks sprouted on Y/n's head. What the heck is happening?

Knowing that there weren't any customers right now, she figured she'd take a little peek inside the living room. She heard Mabel's voice and knew that they were in there, so she stood up and walked out of the counter and into the door.

Soos was wearing thick make-up and a uniform that looked exactly like Susan's. It was surreal. Does her eyes deceive her? Is Mabel actually teaching Stan how to flirt with a woman? She just had to laugh.

For the whole day, it was Mabel exercising Stan to basically become a better person, but Y/n knew that it just would not ever work. He doesn't try when it comes to romance. Clearly, he's stressing too much about the portal to care about love.

He has gone through extensive training, mastering the art of not slouching your back, or not scratching your body so indecently, yet he had just become worse. The before and after are vastly different from each other. Y/n entered the room, laughing uncontrollably. She dramatically wiped a tear under her eye as Stan gave her an unimpressed look. "Face it, Mabel, your uncle's unfixable!"

No one told her otherwise because it was true.

"Yeah," Wendy said, placing a hand on Mabel's shoulder. "Just like that spinning pie trolley thing at the diner."

At that, Mabel's face glowed like the sun. "Grunkle Stan, come with me! And leave your pants at home."

"With pleasure!" Stan immediately followed.

Before Mabel completely left, she returned. "Y/n, you're coming too!"

"I'd rather not-"

"You have to because I said so. Come on!"

Y/n let out a huff of air. Wendy and Soos were now left in charge of the Shack or they would be fired. The three headed to the diner as Mabel now had her hand on Stan's wrist. Y/n looked up at the big sign that said 'Greasy's Diner'. Boy, did she miss the food. Was there still a delivery service? She clutched her daisy necklace as another memory came to her. She had never worn the accessory off, nor forgotten who gave it to her.

The three entered and saw Lazy Susan punching the pie machine. Mabel tried all her might to convince the woman to accept Stan for who he really is, flaws and all. And after she was done, Stan stepped forward and gave out his hand. "So, uh, Lazy Susan. What do you say?"

Did he really forget he's the reason she got the lazy eye in the first place? Now he has some sort of a crush on her. Stan must've just wanted free food.

But Lazy Susan just spectated him up and down before turning around and leaving, making Stan frown. He let out a sigh in defeat, making his exit, not until someone shouted, "Hey!" Susan returned with a slip of paper. "Here's my number. Why don't you give me a call sometime?"

"Really?"

"Really!" Susan chuckled. "Also, here's some pie. On the house. For you!"

Y/n was sure that her mind was boggled from what just happened. Mabel squealed in excitement, scooting inside the booth, with Stan sitting beside her, looking hungrily at the scrumptious pie. Y/n sat across from them.

With a smile, Stan devoured the pie as Mabel rambled about getting a phone to call with Lazy Susan. Y/n had her head in her hands, contemplating about life... contemplating about how Stan scored a date with Susan.

"Dipper!" Mabel suddenly exclaimed, jumping up to the window and banging her fist against it. "It's me, Mabel! I'm looking at you through the glass! Right here! This is my voice! I'm talking to you from inside!" Dipper was weirded out by her sister's shenanigan and calmed her down before going inside the diner and sitting next to Y/n, who was looking at him in slight concern. "Did you see me through the-"

"Yes," he said rather glumly.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," he said.

"Good." Stan raised his fork.

"It's just these half man, half bull humanoids were hanging out with me-"

Stan deadpanned. "Here we go."

"-but then they wanted me to do this... really tough, horrible thing but it just wasn't right. So I said no."

"You were your own man and you stood up for yourself," Stan said with his mouth still full.

"Huh?"

"Well, you did what was right even though no one agreed with ya. Sounds pretty manly to me, but what do I know?"

Dipper smiled. Y/n couldn't help but appreciate Stan's words. He was right. Doing the right thing makes you strong.

"Wait a minute, do my eyes deceive me?" Mabel leaned forward to have a closer inspection. " You have chest hair!"

He checked his chest and gasped. "You're right! I do! Ha ha, this is amazing! I really do! Take that, man tester! Take that, Pituitor!"

"Pituitor?"

"This guy has chest hair!" Dipper celebrated, but it was finished too soon as Mabel plucked it out and put it in her journal.

"Scrap-bookortunity!"

He looked devastated as he looked at his now bare chest.

Stan grinned. "Don't worry, kid, if you're anything like me, there's more where that came from!" He ripped open his shirt, cackling like a maniac. Y/n looked away in disgust as everyone laughed.

The four eventually went home on foot (since the Stanmobile was left at home). Stan went and 'cleaned himself up' or whatever that means, while Mabel straightforwardly went upstairs to add more designs to her scrapbook. While waiting for Dipper's turn in the bathroom, Y/n interrogated him a bit. "What did you say you encountered?"

"Manotaurs. Basically half man, half... minotaur– bull? They have a group where they test how manly they are. I wanted to join just to prove that I'm manly enough, but I guess I was out of their league.They wanted me to kill the multi-bear."

"The multi-bear?" Y/n hummed. She had never heard of such a creature before. Maybe it coincides somewhere they haven't explored before. She's guessing that the multi-bear has multiple heads. "What did the multi-bear do?"

Dipper blushed, too shy to answer the question. He knew where the question leads. "Promise me you won't laugh?"

"I promise," she said without missing a beat. She probably had all her laughter out anyway, so the possibility of laughing right now is slim.

"Well, the manotaurs didn't like the multi-bear because... he knew all the words to... Disco Girl."

"By Icelandic pop group BABBA?" Y/n couldn't keep the smile off her face.

"Wait," Dipper said, his face enlightening. "You know them?"

She scoffed. "Duh? I have been a fan since..." Oh no, you can't say 20 years ago. "Since... since the day I was born!"

"No way!" he let out a laugh in disbelief. "So you must have listened to their albums, right?"

"Every. Single. One. What's your favorite?"

Dipper gazed in the distance as he thought. "Honestly... it might just be Emergence since Disco Girl is there."

"Disco Girl is one of my favorites," she said with a smile.

It became silent. The two avoided eye-contact, wondering who gets to say the next word or rather, the next lyric. Y/n pursed her lips before singing very quietly, fiddling with her fingers. "Saturday night is a night alright~"

Dipper slowly smiled. "Time to groove till the morning light."

"Your bell bottoms on!"

"Your hair unfurls!"

"Youuuu are the Disco Girl~"

They kept singing until they were standing up and grabbing the nearest microphone. Y/n had a brush, while Dipper got the broom. They were freely dancing around the living room, singing their hearts out until Dipper had the last note. "The girl is youuuuu~!"

The two high-fived. "You have a nice singing voice!" Y/n commented once they were relaxed from the rush.

"So do you?!" Dipper said, smiling widely. "That was so much fun!"

Stan got out of the bathroom. "Will it kill you guys to not talk about that song, ever?"

Y/n rolled her eyes as Stan began complaining about his old ears. He's so dramatic.

"I guess that's my cue," Dipper said, walking backwards towards the bathroom.

"I'll go to bed now, too. Good night, Dipper."

"Good night!"

Dipper spent his time singing in the shower. It was one of his favorite times of the week– day. Because he totally showers daily. He's been singing a different BABBA song this time, and this time, he locked the door in case someone enters his private space again.

After drying his hair, he went and wore his classic orange shirt and gray shorts. He discarded his navy blue vest and hat. He refused to wash his hat for some time now since it was supposed to be a symbol for all the adventures he'd been through.

He went upstairs and straight to the attic where his room was. Of course, it was being shared with his twin sister, and there she was on the floor with stickers and glitter surrounding her. Marker caps were open and the toxic smell lingered around the room.

Clearly, she was busy with the scrapbook to make conversations. She really tends to focus on the task so passionately that she disregards everything else. Much like him, he supposed.

Dipper was about to hop onto his bed, when he just noticed an old shoebox. He opened it and all he saw were cassette tapes, and on top of the pile was a tape player. He was confused at first when he picked up the cassette, but a surge of happiness washed over him when he realized that these are all BABBA's albums! He had a feeling who gave it.

On one of the tapes, there was a note attached to it.

Play this album first!

He chose the specific album and placed the cassette inside the cartridge, pushing it close, and pressing the play button. He wore the headphones that came with the tapes. A smile appeared on his lips as he knew the song. Of all the songs, she just had to pick this one. He carried the box to the floor and let himself lay on the bed. He stared at the ceiling as he mumbled the lyrics. Listening to this song made him feel like a winner.

Y/n was down in the basem*nt. Instead of shouting the lyrics out loud, she was whispering the words she knew that Dipper was listening to. She was smiling as she took down the notes of the results from the tests. Stan was looking at her weirdly.

That girl is you~

***

Chapter 11: I Always Have a Plan

Chapter Text

"Guess what, we're broke."

"What?!" Y/n stood, flabbergasted at the way Stan casually dropped the information. She began thinking about the effects of being financially unstable. "What are we gonna do?"

Stan hummed inquisitively. "I have a business proposal."

"Go on."

"I'm thinking of catering to the kids. What do they like? Socializing and friendships. So the Shack is throwing a...?"

Y/n raised an eyebrow. "A party?"

"Yes, a party!" He exclaimed. "Thought it might be a good way for kids to spend money at the Shack."

Stan had already gathered his employees and assisted in converting the parlor area into a party area without even consulting with her. The twins had already purchased the decorations, Soos had acquired inexpensive cups and plates, and Wendy had obtained food. Perhaps it was the first time they complied with Stan's orders.

Y/n helped with setting up the chairs and the stage, while the twins and Wendy were goofing off. She was so busy adjusting a spotlight that she didn't hear Stan instructing the kids to use the copier machine in his office to copy the fliers.

Stan meant well, but he should have been communicating with Y/n about the Shack's items since she was the one who lived here first. He may have repaired the machine, but this was no ordinary copy machine. It's only a matter of time before the twins realize it's a cloning experiment.

Ford had tested it on Y/n because the machine could only copy that size, and it had worked. They'd taken advantage of it, using copies of Y/n as they helped around the house, whether cleaning, researching, or going to the store. Although it was painful to watch them disintegrate after the job was completed.

The twins came back with multiple copies of the fliers, making Y/n hum. Maybe it didn't work this time because it was so busted and broken? Maybe it worked as a normal copier machine now.

Stan had everyone lined up to assign them their duties. He held a clipboard as he read the names and their responsibilities for the party tonight. He let Soos be the DJ and the guy was ecstatic because it had been his dream to be the DJ.

"Wendy, you and Mabel are working on the ticket stand."

"What?" Mabel objected. "But Grunkle Stan, this party is my chance to make new friends!"

"I... I can work with Wendy," Dipper spoke, raising his hand.

Everyone went silent as they stared at him. Stan rolled his eyes. "You realize if you do, you gotta commit to staying at the ticket stand with Wendy. No getting out of it, just the two of you, alone, all night."

Dipper watched Wendy, Soos, and Mabel goofing off as they laughed without a care in the world, making him blush. "I promise."

Stan turned to Y/n. "How about you, you wanna work?"

"Is this a rhetorical question?" She replied with a small smirk.

"I'm letting you be the supervisor, I guess. Be the all-around person." Stan glanced at his clipboard again before walking off.

***

The night had finally arrived. Stan came out of the room, dressed differently from his work clothes. "Woah, you're really looking forward to this," Y/n noted once they met at the hallway. She was wearing a jean jacket with a graphic shirt underneath.

"Of course. I haven't been partying since I met Carla! This is the Shack's first party, and uh-" he shoved her shoulder playfully, "why don't you loosen up a bit?"

"I think I'm pretty relaxed," she retorted, stretching her arms a bit. "This party would benefit us. What a good idea, Stan."

"Oh, I'm full of good ideas, sweetheart," he replied without missing a beat. "Now why don't we go out there and let's have some fun for once, huh?"

Leading themselves to the party area, Soos was playing energizing music. Many people were already here, some were chilling around, some were already eating, and some were actually dancing. The two of them met Mabel at the top landing of the staircase where she was gazing at the crowd. She was wearing a loose hot pink shirt with an orange skirt, complemented by an orange bowtie on top of her hair.

"Can your uncle throw a party or what?" Stan said to Mabel. She smiled at him. "And if anyone wants to leave, I'm charging an exit fee for 15 bucks!"

Y/n chuckled. "Nice."

The music picked up its pace, and Mabel excitedly let out a squeal. "I gotta get myself on there! Come on, Y/n! Join me!" She grabbed her wrist without hesitation and they sprinted to the dance floor.

People should really start conferring to her first.

She did not, in fact, dance with Mabel. She only knows how to stomp her feet and bop her head to the music. Is that considered dancing? Just as the Northwest kin made her entrance and strutted up to the stage the moment Soos announced a party crown, Y/n decided to go to the refreshments table and get a cup of punch.

The Northwest family wields tremendous power in this town, owning nearly everything. Their power is undeniable, but they have a deeper history that no one knows about except Y/n and Ford. They discovered an enclosed document containing a code that they have yet to crack during their investigations.

She had two other girls on her tail, both wearing the same amount of make-up that was clearly illegal to put on a child's face.

Mabel walked up to the stage, too, and it looked like she made new friends. At least Mabel had that kind of power. She was so easygoing. It appeared that the competition was between Mabel and Pacifica and Y/n knew that this is where their rivalry would begin.

Soos announced the beginning of the party contest, playing a very lively song. Everybody hollered as the two dance-battled to the death. Pacifica looked practiced, scripted, as if she trained her whole life for this while Mabel's dance was spontaneous and carefree.

Y/n sipped from her paper cup, amused at the dances. So interesting that people can express their feelings through dancing. Stan's words echoed in her mind, "loosen up". She shook her head. She can loosen up in other ways than partying.

She scanned the crowd and noticed that Wendy was jumping up and down, dancing. Y/n tilted her head as she wondered who was with Dipper in the ticket stand since she was here. She walked outside after getting another fill of cranberry juice just as Stan reprimanded Dipper for trying to escape.

Dipper glumly walked back to the table, looking like he didn't wanna be there. She watched as he handled the tickets one by one, and as much as she wanted to help, she just didn't want to, seeing the line of people.

But alas, she can't get anything she wants, does she? Dipper noticed her and his eyes lit up. "Y/n! I need your help. Can you cover for me? I have to do something important real fast. I'll be back before you know it!"

He sprinted inside the Mystery Shack without saying another word. Y/n wanted to call him but her words died in her mouth. He left her with this line of kids. "Hey, you! Let us in!"

With a grumble, Y/n obliged albeit grimly, and began taking their money and putting it into the box. The kids were happy as they were being let in. The group walked inside, excited to party all night.

Meanwhile, Dipper stared at an entirely new clone of himself. "I have a really big head."

He climbed down from the copier machine, and his clone gazed back at him. "So... uh-" the two said in unison, making them laugh at the same time. "Sorry, you first." They echoed again. "Stop copying me!" They both burst in laughter at the cliche line. Original Dipper slapped his knee, and Dipper 2 wanted to follow until his elbow hit the corner of the box.

"AH! Ow, ow, funny bone." He hissed in pain just as Dipper wrote number 2 on his hat.

"I will call you Number 2!"

"Definitely not," Number 2 opposed, placing his fingers on his chin. "You know the name I've always wanted."

The two Dippers crossed their arms and smirked at one another. "Tyrone?"

With an enthusiastic smile, Classic Dipper began, "Okay, Tyrone, let's get down to business. You cover me at the ticket stand, while I ask Wendy to dance."

"I know the plan, buddy!" Tyrone said, just as spirited as Classic Dipper. Both at the same time, the two pulled out their long list of steps in order to spend the night with Wendy.

But as they were reading the plan, Dipper narrowed his eyes as he stepped back a bit. "Hey, we're not gonna get jealous and turn on each other like the clones in the movies, are we?" he asked, feeling slightly nervous.

"Dipper, please," Tyrone assured, smug, "this is you you're talking about. Plus, hey," he snapped his fingers, "you can always just disintegrate me with water." The two let out impressed sounds, tapping their temples.

Before the two could make their leave and go to their respective places, Classic Dipper pulled Tyrone back. "Oh, by the way, if Y/n is still there, she can help you with the ticket stand."

"Okay," Tyrone replied, feeling slightly worrisome. "But what if she gets suspicious of me?"

"Then, you can tell her. She's one of the few people who we can trust."

Tyrone strode out of the Shack and Dipper proceeded towards Wendy. He found Y/n accepting cash now that the line has calmed down a bit. There were still people, and she was ripping off a ticket just as Tyrone walked up to her. He cleared his throat and Y/n smiled up to him.

"You're back!" she smiled. "So what important stuff did you do?"

"Um, I just had to go to the bathroom, that's all," he replied, taking over the ticket ripping and handing it to her.

She took a good look at him. He was paler than usual, and instead of a pinetree on his hat, it was the number two. Inquisitively raising an eyebrow, she smiled. "Dipper, are you okay? You seem paler than when I last saw you."

He stuttered out a reply. "Uh, I just ran all the way here. I guess this is a sign that I'm... dehydrated?"

Y/n took another kid's money and placed it inside the box. Tyrone tore apart the next ticket and handed it to him. He glanced behind him to see Classic Dipper on the dancefloor, heading his way towards Wendy. He subtly gave him a thumbs up to which Dipper replicated the pose.

"So," Y/n spoke slowly, "what should I call you?"

Tyrone snapped his head towards her in shock. "I... what do you mean?"

"You don't think I'm that dumb to believe you're Dipper, are you?" she said, grinning. He was tripping over his words. "So, is it Clone Dipper? Dipper 2? Double Dipper?"

He chuckled, "No, Classic Dipper and I had this name that we always wanted. Call me Tyrone."

"Tyrone," she nodded as she smiled. "Nice name."

Suddenly, Tyrone's walkie-talkie rang and he picked up the call. Dipper was talking in the other line. "Tyrone! Robbie is here. We gotta get rid of him if I ever want to dance with Wendy!"

Y/n continued giving out the tickets while Tyrone was spacing out. "Hey," she bumped her elbow against his to wake him up. "Tyrone, you okay?"

He shook his head awake. "I just got a jealousy fantasy." He stood and faced the stained window where he got a glimpse of inside.

"I know-! Wait, did she just call you Tyrone-?"

"Do you have a plan?"

Dipper looked around the party until he saw Robbie's dirt bike on a kickstand. "I have an idea."

"I have the same one," Tyrone said, "but we're gonna need some help."

Y/n watched Tyrone as he dropped the device. "Are you gonna leave again?"

"Yeah, we have a plan to get rid of Robbie so he won't get in the way of Dipper wanting to dance with Wendy."

"What an elaborate plan for a sure-fire goal you got there, Tyrone."

He smiled, before taking off. He walked back inside while Y/n tended to the remaining customers. The last bunch of tickets were sold and the metal case sure was full of money. She held it up by its handle and decided to bring it to Stan's office since the boss himself was busy clapping for his great-niece.

Just as she opened the door, Dipper 3 and 4, along with the Original Dipper stood there. Tyrone was still sitting on Stan's desk.

The two of them shared eye-contact. "I can explain," Dipper said.

"I already know. Tyrone told me."

Her gaze averted to the second Dipper who was suddenly caught off-guard that he almost slipped.

Classic Dipper was slightly flustered. "Oh, so... are you not weirded out by any of this?"

"I've seen weirder stuff every day. Anyway, I just came here to drop this box of cash here in Stan's office," Y/n said, walking inside and placing the box beside Tyrone. "And I promise not to tell anyone."

Dipper smiled. "Thanks, Y/n. We're off to do the plan!" He, 3, and 4 all sprinted out of the office.

Y/n was standing there idly when she spoke, "Are you and Dipper any different? Like, do you share the same IQ, same EQ, same memories?"

He stared at her, speechless at first. "Um. Well, I don't know. We share the same hopes and dreams– and nightmares. I am literally a copy of him from this machine. I don't know how to figure out the difference."

"Your names are different."

Tyrone laughed, before it died down. He fiddled with his fingers as he remained seated. "Why aren't you out there, you know, partying?"

"Growing up, I was never really used to large crowds," Y/n replied, walking towards the copier machine, examining it. It looked so busted, but apparently it still worked. She turned to Tyrone. "Bright lights and slow dances with people... I just never got to experience it all my life. I have never been asked by anyone to go and dance."

Tyrone looked at her somberly. "Well, there's a first time for everything," he saw the way her lips pursed in hesitance, and her distant gaze was very prominent in her look. "Wait, I see what's happening here."

"What?" She was confused at his sudden inspection. "What's happening?'

He narrowed his eyes, and a grin slowly erupted. He pointed at her. "You want Dipper to ask you to dance!"

"What?! NO!" Flabbergasted, she stepped back. "I mean, getting asked to dance is an honor and all, but why specifically Dipper?"

Tyrone smiled widely. "I don't know, it's the way you got sad whenever Dipper and I talked about Wendy." He still had that smirk plastered on his paper face.

Y/n deadpanned. "So you and Dipper do have a difference," she said, deciding to leave the room.

"No, wait, wait!" Tyrone was giggling as he chased after her. He grabbed her shoulder. "You gotta help me first."

She turned around, raising an eyebrow. "With what?"

"You need to help me find more paper just in case we need more back-up..."

"Well, if you just used your eyes, you would have found them in a box here, Tyrone," Y/n chided playfully, going over to Stan's older desks. The box was beside the drawer. She lifted the lid and sarcastically presented him with a stack of old papers dusted with soot and cinders.

Tyrone rolled his eyes. "Okay, smartypants, I get it. Now, I need some assistance in loading the machine up with these papers...," he said slowly, probably feeling a bit bad about asking her too many favors.

But Y/n obliged. She collected half a stack of papers, went over to the copier and arranged them neatly inside the canister, but as she let go, her finger got caught by the sharp corners of the paper.

She pulled back to see that it was quickly spurting blood. "Hm," she hummed briefly.

"Oh no! Papercut!" Tyrone exclaimed and hurried beside her. "I gotta go get a med kit!"

"No need," she told him before he could leave. Tyrone couldn't stay still, watching her neutral expression. How is she so calm? Papercuts really sting! "Look," she said, and he gazed back at her bloodied finger. With a quick swipe on her denim jacket, she showed the finger again, and it was... "See? Nothing to worry about."

"It's... it's clean. H-how?"

Y/n looked at him seriously. "Promise not to tell anyone this?" Tyrone nodded. "Not even Dipper?" He nodded. "Well, I happen to not feel pain and have quick healing. That's it."

"That's it?!" He dared to mock. "Seriously, invulnerability? So you don't feel pain and can heal quickly?! That's so cool! But why are you keeping it a secret?"

"I..." how is she supposed to tell him without possibly hurting him? It's quite difficult spelling the words, 'she doesn't trust them... yet.' "I have to leave."

"Wait, don't go yet!"

Y/n shrugged. "I've made a mistake in telling you this, and now I'm disappointed."

"Don't leave! You haven't met my favorite Dipper yet!" Tyrone said.

"Huh?"

An unusual-looking paper Dipper crawled into the scene as Tyrone introduced him, "This is Paper Jam Dipper. The paper got jammed when trying to create Quattro, but I'm slowly growing on him."

Y/n stared at Paper Jam Dipper before he charged towards her. "NYANYANYANYA!" his voice was scratchy and screechy. He was clinging onto her, wrapping his arms around. "NYAAAA!"

Tyrone chuckled, crossing his arms. "Seems that he likes you."

Y/n wobbled, trying to carry around Paper-Jam Dipper. She grabbed its waist and pulled it off of her. This version of Dipper was very disoriented and discolored, and some parts were wrinkled and creased. It truly captured the look of a paper jam.

"Yeah, well, I like him too."

"Aw, but what about Dipper?" Tyrone teased, his hands held together as he pouted.

Y/n glared although there was a glint of playfulness in them. "You're seriously getting on my nerves, Tyrone."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do about it?"

"Nothing," she said, "which is why I'm walking out on you."

Tyrone laughed. "Hey, I still wanna see you later!" He promised. "Y/n, wait." his smile disappeared a bit. Y/n waited for what he wanted to say. "I'm not going to tell anyone. I'll take your secret to my grave."

"Thank you," she said. It was genuine gratitude.

"And," he followed, "if Dipper's plan to ask Wendy to dance is a success, we can show up as, you know, back-up. Just- just in case anything goes wrong."

Smooth.

Y/n was left speechless. Where did this sudden boost of confidence come from? Tyrone is truly different from Dipper. "But I can't dance."

"I don't know anything about dancing either, but can we still try?" Tyrone smiled.

She stared up at him. Why is her heart suddenly reeling? Why is her mind going bonkers over this boy? Yet despite her mind telling her that she would just embarrass herself, her heart compelled her to say- "Okay."

"Okay? Woo! I never thought it would work. I didn't need that stupid overcomplicated list after all!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Stupid overcomplicated list?"

"Yeah. Classic Dipper has this elaborate plan to impress Wendy. Honestly hope it's going well for him."

As if on cue, Dipper slammed open the door. "Tyrone! Where were you, man? I need some help!"

Y/n decided to leave the room without even saying a word. He looked pretty out of his mind, so Y/n figured that she shouldn't even bother and let Tyrone console him. After all, the only person who can understand you is yourself.

Y/n realized that all those talking and giving out tickets had her thirsty therefore eyeing the punch bowl and getting herself another cup.

Meanwhile, Dipper stared at 7 mirror images of himself. Tracey and Quattro have yet to return. He was relieved to have so much assistance from people who shared his viewpoint. Of course, dancing with Wendy will necessitate careful consideration of the circ*mstances. There were numerous factors to consider, but thanks to the swarm of Dippers, everything had been taken care of.

"Now is the time," Classic Dipper said once they were all gathered. "Y'all are clear on what to do?"

They all nodded in unison. Everyone except for Classic Dipper and Tyrone marched out of the room and proceeded to the party area to do their roles.

Y/n watched from her chair as Dipper 10 flashed a dot on the wall, making Soos distracted. Then, her gaze shifted to numerous other Dippers around the room. She was confused, wondering if she was the only one seeing this.

The scene was set, the only thing missing were the dancers. Wendy was nowhere to be found, and Dipper has yet to make his entrance. When was his cue?

It had been a few minutes, and she could tell Dipper 10 was getting impatient. Soos was still having a good time, proclaiming that he will never get tired of dot, until Dipper 10 picked up his walkie-talkie and responded before returning upstairs.

Is Dipper going to be okay?

Yet instead of following him upstairs, Y/n averted her stare as she sipped from her drink albeit gloomily. Let him handle his own problems this time. She decided to just look forward to the dance that Tyrone promised her.

After being confronted by the clones and imprisoning him inside the closet, Dipper already wanted to escape and get to Wendy. The clones were arguing about who gets to dance with Wendy, and Classic Dipper took his chance and broke out silently until he was in the hall towards the party area where Wendy was standing.

"Wend-!" His words were cut off when pairs of hands covered his mouth and pulled him back inside where the clones were looking unimpressed.

"Come on, man. Give it up. You're overpowered," Tyrone said, crossing his arms.

Dipper flailed his arms frantically. "Hold on, guys, think about it. We're exact equals mentally and physically. If we start fighting, it'll just go on for infinity!"

As the clones agreed amongst each other, Dipper suddenly punched Tyrone in the face. Everyone stared at him in awkward silence.

Until someone from the crowd burst out, "CLONE FIGHT!" And they commenced, proceeding to brawl with each other. As the fighting lingered, Dipper crawled through the swarm and nearly got away. Unfortunately for him, someone noticed. "Hey! Classic Dipper's getting away!"

With a faux gentle aura surrounding him, he faced them as they saw the number 7 on his hat. Dipper softly reassured them. "No, friends. It's me, number 7."

They narrowed their eyes at him before reverting to the real number 7 who was pinned on the ground. He was thrashing around when he said, "That's not me, guys! That's not me!"

Another misfortune befell Dipper when the hat's plastered number 7 became unstuck, revealing the iconic blue pinetree. His pupils dilated as number 9 pointed at him. "Go get him!"

One by one, they all marched towards him. Dipper retreated further away. "Stay back," he said, rummaging through his pockets. He felt the party poppers inside and pulled it out. The clones had no signs of stopping so he figured he'd just scared them with the loud noises.

"Stay back!" He said it once more before pulling the string on the party poppers. It exploded with a loud POP and confetti fell out. The small explosion sent a waft of smoke up to the ceiling, setting off the smoke alarms, which led to the clones' demise.

The alarm rang loudly, triggering the sprinklers to release water hysterically. The Dipper copies expressed noises of disgruntlement and annoyance at this turn of events. Dipper watched as everyone– including Paper Jam Dipper– melted and died in front of him in relief.

"Huh, how about that." He casually placed his hands on his waist.

It wasn't over though when Tyrone was behind him all this time. "You!"

"Uh-oh."

The two went and engaged into a fight, determining who gets to dance with Wendy. But all their efforts seemed to be fruitless when they heard Wendy laughing loudly from across the room. Dipper and Tyrone stopped fighting and walked out to see what was going on. "Wendy?" they said in unison.

On the side of the dance floor, Wendy and Robbie were talking very discreetly, exchanging jokes that few shouldn't hear, but it made her laugh anyway.

Seeing as they will never have a slight probability now, the two Dippers let out a beaten sigh. "We blew it, man." They turned around and slid towards the floor.

They let a couple of silence pass, until Tyrone broke it. "I don't know, you wanna go grab a couple sodas or something?"

Dipper smiled, because that's exactly what he needed right now.

And ironically so, he knew the perfect spot.

Tyrone and Dipper were sitting on the edge of the roof, probably at the precise moment of realization. Wendy was a cool girl, and the way he was doing the overcomplicated list didn't help him make any progress with her.

Knowing that this is the only chance he can talk to himself without looking weird, he voiced out his thoughts. "Do you really think we'd have a chance on Wendy?"

"I don't know, man," Tyrone replied truthfully.. "Honestly the only time you didn't trip up over Wendy was when you didn't do anything in those list stuff."

"I know," Classic Dipper agreed. "Mabel was right, I do get in my own way."

"Literally!"

With that lesson learned, the two celebrated it over a sip of cola.

"Oh, boy," Tyrone said as he just realized. It was such an idiotic and depressing death as his body slowly melted from his stomach. "Don't look now..."

"Tyrone!" Dipper exclaimed, standing up.

"It's okay, dude. I had a good run," he replied rather somberly. He was looking forward to seeing her again, but it looked like he wouldn't have another chance. He's just going to leave it all to Dipper. "Hey, Dipper..." he called as his lower body disintegrated into liquid. "Y/n is a really cool person. I... I promised her... I promised her a dance..." His chin was now on the roof's shingles as his speech patterns sounded more slow and lazy. "Keep my promise, Dipper! For my sake..."

Tyrone completely perished, the only remains were liquid as it fell from the roof. The author felt a little bit of deja vu from this.

"Tyrone!" Dipper shouted again. With furrowed brows, he raised his own can. "You were the only one who understood."

***

Going down from the roof, he stood in front of the door. He peeked inside of the window, and there were Soos, Stan, Mabel dancing with her two new friends, Wendy, and Y/n. It seemed that Robbie the pest had finally flown away.

Dipper reached for the doorknob, but before he could grab it, he remembered the list from his pockets. He stared at it, with the huge text of Wendy Plan B in it. Finally, Dipper tore it apart and let it fall to the ground, dusting his hands. And all of a sudden, his pocket didn't feel as heavy anymore.

He opened the door, and was immediately greeted by his sister. "Dipper! Where have you been?! Meet my girlfriends!" She screamed on top of her lungs and she was surely louder than the music.

The two introduced themselves as Candy and Grenda, and only from that moment and his observation, Dipper already knew that they're a perfect trio.

He walked away and let them continue with the obnoxious dancing. He ventured to the side of the dance floor and glanced at Wendy who was just vibing with the music. Y/n was laying very comfortably on the couch, reading, and Dipper had to smile. How could she even concentrate with the loudspeakers?

She was very good at multitasking, he already knew that. While the music was blaring, she was comfortably reading with a bowl of marshmallows on her lap. Yet instead of using her fingers, she was using a fork to eat. What an etiquette.

Dipper cleared his throat loudly for her to hear. Y/n glanced up and scooted a space even before he got to ask if the seat beside him was taken.

He smiled a bit, eyes scanning throughout the parlor. Not even five minutes have passed and he already missed Tyrone.

The boy glanced to his left to see that Wendy was already gone from beside him. Did she go to the bathroom? Meanwhile, glancing to his right, Y/n was silently reading.

He really didn't want to disturb her. If it were him, he would be annoyed too if someone interrupted his summer reading. He cleared his throat again, and this time his voice cracked. "Uhm..." why does everything feel so itchy now? Did Tyrone unintentionally make things awkward? Or was it Dipper?

"Want a marsh?" His thoughts were awoken by Y/n's voice. It was a simple offer. A yes or no question.

"S-sometimes," Dipper wanted to smack himself in the head. "I mean, no thank you."

She shrugged, flipping a page and continued reading.

"What's that book you're reading?"

"Huh? Oh, just this random mystery book I picked from the local library," she replied, showing the cover. The Sunken Secret of the Spherical Spiral Staircase. "Have you read this before?"

"I... actually haven't," Dipper answered honestly. "

"Where did Tyrone go?" Y/n asked, her brows slightly furrowed. She thought he might've been hiding since clearly Dipper was here

He looked down on the ground. "He's..." he sighed. "He's gone."

"Oh," she muttered, mumbling. She adjusted her position so she was sitting more upright as she closed the book. "That's... very sad."

"Yeah," he sighed again. Suddenly he remembered Tyrone's last words. "You know, he said something before he- you know."

Y/n's eyes widened. "He didn't tell you about-?"

"He promised to dance with you?"

She wanted to smack herself right in the face (which was useless) for almost forgetting the promise. She completely thought that Tyrone spilled her secret about being invulnerable. Her cheeks suddenly flushed in embarrassment. "We're dancing now?"

"If you're okay with it."

Y/n looked at everything else except for Dipper. She then realized that they were being watched by Mabel, who was squealing with joy around her newfound friends.

"But I can't dance."

"Me neither, but we can try?" As he smiled at her, she couldn't help but smile back. Tyrone and Dipper were alike after all.

So she took his offered hand and they strutted to the dancefloor albeit awkwardly. Dipper pursed his lips and took her hand, just as everybody around them gasped, including Stan. Soos quickly changed the music into a slow-paced one.

Y/n literally have never danced with anyone before. This activity was foreign to her that she didn't know where to start. She might have seen glimpses of dancing when Stan was switching between channels on his TV, but she has never experienced it first-hand.

Yet, here she is.

She was a fast learner, that was one of her quirks. So when Dipper stepped forward, she stepped back, and vice versa. All the time, they were looking at their feet and how they moved in sync. They were unaware of the huge smiles growing on their faces.

"Woo! Go Dipper!" Wendy cheered from the side.

"You're such a natural, Y/n!" Mabel followed.

Somewhere up in paper heaven, Tyrone was proud.. Because not only did Dipper keep his promise to dance with Y/n, he also managed to do it without the help from his list. If he was still alive, he would tell him, "I told you so," with a huge grin.

***

"Dang, Y/n. Didn't know you had it in ya," Stan remarked, grinning.

"Please stop talking about it," Y/n deadpanned, slouching over the control board. "I don't wanna hear about it."

He sang a tune, dancing around like a madman. "Lalalala~" he spun throughout the room, eyes closed as he imitated the steps, until-

"OW!"

Stan rubbed the spot in his head where it was hit by a metal bolt. "Oops," Y/n chuckled. "Forgot you're not as invulnerable as me." She turned back to her desk. "Now can we please just focus? It was just a dance. Nothing else."

He didn't say anything else, but he knew. He recognized the expression and was at a loss for words. He had no idea what would happen, which made him nervous. "If you say so."

Chapter 12: Sacrifices for Your Sibling

Chapter Text

"Whoa, what happened to you?"

Y/n let out a huge yawn as she trudged towards the living room. Even a single cup of coffee was useless to the hours of sleep she lost, so now she was on her 8th one. She faced Stan who was giving her a concerned look. "I had to stay up."

"And do what?" He raised an eyebrow at that.

"I was trying to come up with plans– you know, we really shouldn't talk about this in plain sight. Someone might hear," she said, lying on the yellow recliner as she closed her eyes. She placed the white mug on her lap, the heat not even affecting her. It was already 12 noon because she fell asleep at 7am.

Stan gave up. "Alright, fine. We'll talk about it later. Just look alive, your old man's trying to run a carnival around here."

Oh, yeah. The Mystery Fair.

A week after Pioneer Day, Stan realized that throwing a party wasn't enough. He needed more money, and what better way to get it than to entertain the locals with an amusem*nt park? Not only were half of the games rigged, but the majority of the rides were rickety and scuffed, so Stan is taking a risk here because an accident could result in someone suing him, causing him to lose a lot of money.

Speaking of Pioneer Day, the event was excruciatingly painful for both Stan and Y/n, but the twins kept it interesting. Dipper was determined to humble Pacifica's entire family after she made fun of Mabel in front of everyone.

It was difficult to remain clueless, and Y/n had no idea how she managed to do so in the first place. She accompanied them as they investigated the clues and deciphered the codes that Mabel's silliness had unintentionally solved. It eventually led them underground, where they discovered Quentin Trembley, the 8th and 12th President of the United States.

The bunker held secrets that Y/n had never known about. After years of being uncrackable, the historical document was cracked thanks to the twins, until they were pursued by cops. Y/n was terrified by the sight of the police. She doesn't want anyone, especially the government, interfering with her portal plans.

"Oh, Y/n," Stan spoke, taking her out of the flashback. He took out a clipboard of papers before tossing it in her direction. "I almost forgot, go slap these certificates on the structures outside at the fair. The twins are already doing that."

"If they're already on it, why do I need to do it."

"Because they might suspect that you get a free pass at everything. Act like you work with them."

Y/n grumbled something under her breath as she used the clipboard to cover half of her face. She closed her eyes for a brief moment once Stan left the room. She let out a deep sigh as she mustered the strength to follow through Stan's advice. With one final exhale, she stood up and walked outside the backdoor to see the ferris wheel. Now where did he get the budget to get that? She thought they were out of money.

"Y/n, hey! Did you just wake up?" Mabel ran towards her with a huge smile on her face.

"Can you tell?" she answered. She had already washed her face and all, but it all really fell into the deep bags under her eyes. She yawned. "What's happening?"

Mabel gleamed. "Oh, well the fair is about to open! Wanna come with me and buy some cotton candy?"

"Sure. Where's Dipper?" she asked while the two were on their way at a cotton candy stand.

"Oh, you know. He's with Wendy, getting all romantic at the fair," she replied, wiggling her shoulders.

As if on cue, Y/n saw Dipper and Wendy talking with mystery dogs in hand. The way they laughed and enjoyed each other's company made her feel something she's never felt before.

"Could you be any more obvious?!"

Y/n snapped out of her thoughts, face turned to Mabel who was giving her a look. "What?"

Mabel didn't even pause or hesitate. "You have a crush on my dorky brother over there!"

"I don't think he's dorky. I actually think he's really intelligent," she noted, not even noticing the way she's speaking or acting right now.

"Oh, Y/n. You're head over heels in love with him!"

"What does that even mean?" Y/n asked, "I just said that he's smart. It's not like I spend most of my time thinking about him! and his eyes... his unkempt hair... and his... unwashed clothes...."

Mabel laughed uncontrollably, wiping the tears that were coming out of her eyes. "Oh, you're too sweet, Y/n! And for the record, Dipper is a dork! He's as dense as a rock for not even seeing the way you look at him."

She felt her knees going jelly. Slight panic went over her. "It really is obvious, huh."

Reassuringly, the other twin draped her arm around her shoulders. "Yeah, but not to him! Guess he's obsessing over someone else for him to notice."

The two watched as Dipper and Wendy laughed at another joke, making Y/n hum.

Mabel frowned. "I'm... I'm sorry, Y/n," she said dejectedly, patting her back. "It's gonna be alright, but cheer up!" She leaned down and brought her voice into a low whisper. "Don't tell anyone this, but you and Dipper are a more perfect match than him and Wendy anyway! You both share the same nerdy interests!"

Y/n wanted to shake away Mabel's futile attempts of trying to cheer her up. She doesn't like this emotion that felt so foreign to her. "Thank you, Mabel, but it's fine. It's just a silly summer crush. I'm sure I'll get over it soon."

She didn't believe that statement for one second. "Don't worry, Y/n. Whatever happens, I'll be right here, supporting you every step of the – OH MY GOSH, A PIG!" Mabel screamed in delight, quickly sprinting towards the sign and following its arrow, leaving Y/n in the dust.

"But what about the-?!" Y/n called out to her, but she was long gone.

"Your cotton candy, miss." The man handed her two orders, but the other was supposed to be for Mabel who has since disappeared. She can't eat all of these by herself, not when she hasn't even had a proper breakfast yet.

Her feet led her to Dipper, who, after dealing with Robbie's annoying attitude, was feeling a little bit shaken. "What was that about?" Y/n asked after Robbie made his leave. Wendy was nowhere to be seen.

"Ugh, it's Robbie," he spat out his name like it was venom. "He kept blabbering about his new ripped jeans like it's worth a Nobel prize. I got to get him away from Wendy somehow."

Y/n pondered. "Well, I'll leave you to it then." She handed him the other cotton candy. "Good luck, Dipper."

She left him alone after that. After walking a few steps, she saw a toddler walking around and decided to give him the other stick that she had. Her appetite wasn't in the mood for sugary sweets anyways.

Meanwhile, Wendy finally returned from cleaning the mustard stain off her sleeve. The two walked around the fair, until the redhead noticed a huge stuffed toy by one of the game stands. It was one of those hit the bottles kind of games, but Wendy was more interested in the prize. "I don't know if it's a duck or a panda, but I want one."

Dipper's brain geared at the sound of that. The thought of him getting Wendy something would sound as sweet as the cotton candy that he just ate. That really gave him such a rush. He brought out a ticket and gave it to the man. "One ball please."

"You only get one chance."

He turned to Wendy, who gave him a thumbs up, and that's all he needed to want to win this game. He couldn't wait to see her smile after he got this prize. "And a-one, and a-two, and a-" he threw the ball with all his might.

It didn't hit any of the bottles. Instead it bounced off the wooden table and flew towards Wendy, hitting her right eye.

"OW! My eye!"

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! Wendy, are you okay?"

She breathed. "Does it look swollen?"

Her eyelids were closed as it formed a bruise, giving it a painful dark purple hue. Dipper tensed up, panicked. "Everything's going to be fine!" He didn't know whether he was assuring Wendy or himself. "Don't worry, I'll– I'll go get some ice!"

Dipper ran in the other direction, going to where he knew there would be ice, which was at the entrance of the gift shop where there was a cooler beside the door. He quickly opened it, taking a bag of ice and was back to running again.

He glided around the crowd. "Where is she, where is she?" He muttered under his breath. He finally saw her within meters, until he suddenly bumped into a rather large man wearing a gray jumpsuit. The two collided against each other, making Dipper drop the bag. Ice scattered all around as he scurried to pick them up. He glared annoyingly at the man he bumped into. "Hey- watch where you're going, man!"

The guy didn't say anything, just picked something up before dashing away.

It took a moment for Dipper to pick all the ice back into the bag before lifting it up and carrying it towards Wendy, but she wasn't alone anymore.

"Alright, ease your eyeball into that freezy cone."

Robbie's voice filled Dipper's ears, making him freeze.

Wendy smiled gratefully. "Robbie, thanks. It's really sweet; the gesture, and the flavored syrup."

"Yeah, I was just here in the right place and the right time."

Dipper felt immense guilt upon hearing that, and he clutched the ice bag tightly.

Robbie began fiddling with the string of his hoodie. "You know, I've been meaning to ask you. We've been spending a lot of time together, and I was wondering if...maybe... you wanna go out with me?"

The boy was trickling with anxiety. He felt cold; not just from the ice bag close to his chest, but also the nervousness that coursed through his veins.

Wendy contemplated for a bit before answering with a, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Sweet!"

Dipper was frozen in horror as he felt his heart-shaped balloon pop, which was the game behind him. "One more balloon, miss!" Someone said, but Dipper couldn't hear anything. It was deafening silence as his pupils dilated and his mouth was agape.

"Look, Dipper, I won my pet pig!" Mabel arrived with the chubby mammal in her arms. "His name is Waddles. I call him that because he waddles! Waaaaddlesss!"

"Everything is different now."

Mabel, who was always unconscious to what else is happening around her, asked, "What are you looking at?"

Dipper weakly pointed at the new couple who were on their way to the Tunnel of Love and Corndogs.

"Oh..." she trailed off. She looked at Dipper to see if he was okay. He was pretty much still out of it. It felt pretty devastating to watch your crush accept your rival's halfhearted confession.

He had laid at a slopey toss game for the whole afternoon, sighing defeatingly every once in a while. Mabel was the opposite, raving to her brother how she was so lucky to have won her new playmate (and soulmate) Waddles.

"I mean Wendy only went out with Robbie because he was there with the ice," he began to ramble, "and she only needed ice because of the baseball, and I would've had the ice if it wasn't for..." he gasped once he saw the familiar guy from earlier, "that guy!" He walked towards him. "Hey, you! Toolbelt! You ruined my life!"

"Huh?" the man turned around, acting confused.

Dipper pointed an accusatory finger. "Don't 'huh' me! I've seen you before! What's your deal? Are you following us around?"

"And why are you bald? What's that all about?" Mabel asked, following suit.

The gray jumpsuit-wearing man was startled, panic settling in his veins. He screamed momentarily. "My position has been compromised! Assuming stealth mode-" he started pressing buttons on his watch, making his suit change into different backgrounds. "Color match! Initiating color match!" His suit glitched, and couldn't seem to follow what he wanted. "Come on, dang it!" He gave up, taking out a red screwdriver, and tried to fix it.

"That's amazing!" Mabel said with a large grin. "Are you from the future or something?"

The guy introduced himself as Blendin Blandin, Time Anomaly Removal Crew year twenty sñeventy-twelve. He was here for the mission to stop a series of time anomalies that are supposed to happen at this very location, but he couldn't seem to find it.

Dipper eyed the tape measure looking device that was supposed to be Blendin's time traveling mechanism. He wanted to borrow it, but he had been rejected, so he had to find another way.

He watched as Blendin tiredly wiped the sweat off of his bald head. His hair was burned off from traveling through time too much.

"You know, you sound like you could use a break," Dipper suggested.

Thankfully, Mabel understood what her brother was trying to do. "Definitely, definitely. Might we recommend one of the various attractions at the Mystery Fair?" She presented two tickets.

After much contemplation, Blendin stood up with pride. "You know what? What the heck! I'm worth it!" He was still eerily suspicious of the twins knowing that they're after the time tape.

He approached one of the rides. Rusty Barrel Rodeo. Blendin gave his ticket to Soos, but Soos stopped him from going. "Uh, sorry dude, but you're gonna have to take your belt off for the ride. One of your tools might fly off and accidentally fix something."

Blendin felt slightly aggravated having to leave his utility belt to this random guy, but he really wanted to ride this so he took it off and placed it on the barrel. "Guard it with your life."

"I will watch it like a hawk, dude."

Blendin got on the ride, having the time of life, while the belt that Soos was supposed to be guarding had disappeared.

Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel were at the dining table, gazing at the gadget laid on it.

All the possibilities lie on this very simple accessory. If they change the past, they can change the future. Even the slightest amount of revision can result in a disaster– or a good thing. Is it a risk that they're willing to take?

For Dipper, his sole focus was to prevent Wendy from going out with Robbie. Mabel, however, plans to spend more time with Waddles, and if possible, string Y/n with her.

It was easy operating the gadget. You just pull the tape to a number of hours you prefer, and let it go– like a common measuring tape. Dipper did exactly that, and the two were sent back to 6 hours ago, when the carnival was recently opened.

The two blinked their eyes, adjusting to their surroundings. Nothing changed. They strided to the door and opened it, the sun shining on their faces. Stan had just announced over the megaphone that it's 12 o'clock. Dipper and Mabel looked at each other with knowing grins.

"Do over?"

"Do over!"

They both ran off to their respective goals; Dipper's being wanting to win the game for Wendy, and Mabel's being wanting to win Waddles.

Meanwhile, Y/n glanced around her surroundings, trying not to appear suspicious. She's been winning games easily, giving away the prizes to little children. She had been eyeing a particular stuffed animal for a while now, but she's saving it for later.

The coast was clear, and she made her move. As casual as possible, she walked back to the Shack. She could still hear Stan's mocking laughter echoing in her ears when she entered through the back door.

Her eyes wandered around the rooms. No one had an appropriate reason to be here anyway, so she nimbly tip-toed up the stairs until she reached the second level. She gazed at the wooden door that led to the attic, her palm wrapped around the knob.

Opening it, her look immediately fell on the twin's bed. Naturally, it should be lying there, specifically on Dipper's bed, but it wasn't. Y/n stepped inside completely, closing the door. She glanced back briefly, hoping that no one barged in.

That would be embarrassing.

She quickly scanned the entire bedroom, careful not to touch anything. Mabel could care less if her side was messy, but Dipper could be different. He could be very observant, he could notice the slightest change.

Y/n crouched down, peeking under the bed. She wondered if it was there. If she was Dipper, where would she hide it?

After minutes of searching, she figured she should make her escape before someone would notice her. Before leaving, she looked around one last time.

She closed the door with a sigh. The journal wasn't there, her search was thorough. Unless there was a secret hatch in this house that she doesn't know– which is unlikely. She's the only one who knows the insides of this Shack.

Dipper's heart soared as he and Wendy laughed, having finished another round of The Tunnel of Love and Corndogs. "That was even more awesome the third time around!" She gasped and pointed at a random stall. "Funnel cake! Let's go get some, Dipper!" She ran off. Dipper began to follow until he heard screaming from a distance.

"AAAAAAA!" Mabel frantically waved her hands.

He paused. "What's wr-"

"AAAAAAAAAA!"

"Mabel, wha-"

"AAAAAAAAAA!"

"I'll just wait until you're done."

"I'm done." Mabel frowned.

"Okay," Dipper started, "what is wrong?"

"We messed up the timeline! Pacifica saw the flier and won Waddles before I did!" the other twin rambled, "she took Waddles, Dipper!"

"Oh, Mabel, I'm sorry." Dipper genuinely felt bad. It's a rare occasion to see her sister getting sad as she always managed to fix everything with a scratch-n-sniff. But this is something even a sticker couldn't fix.

Mabel sighed, feeling tense. "It's okay. We just need to go back-" she grabbed the time device from Dipper's hands, "-and do things differently."

"Mabel! Wait," Dipper snatched the time machine back. "Look. I did the math. In any other timeline, Wendy ends up going out with Robbie. I can't mess up this day again!"

"But if we don't go, then I'll lose Waddles forever!"

The twins fought for the time gadget, trying to pull it apart, causing the tape measure to fall and get caught inside the moving corndog car. The tape was pulled a long way before it was withdrawn back to Dipper and Mabel who fell on the ground.

It brought them back to the early times, approximately 150 years, and the next destination was an even earlier time when dinosaurs were still alive. Still fighting for the time machine, the two accidentally sent themselves to the future where there was this great apocalypse. Mabel got a hold of the time gadget, finally, and tried to run away from Dipper.

She pressed the buttons and it only sent them back to previous occasions in the summer. One was when they went fishing, the next was the wax museum, and the next was the gnome tragedy. The same shack with snow falling around it was the last place they landed in when the time device was overheating.Mabel juggled it around like it was a hot potato.

"What did you do?!" Dipper accused.

"I don't know!" Mabel answered honestly. The tape measure emitted sounds like it was about to explode, and suddenly bright blue electricity had burst, zapping the two back.

Someone went to his front door after turning on the lights. He opened it to find nothing but the same expanses of snow that covered the woods. He took another look around before closing the door completely.

The twins found themselves in a very dark place. All they saw was black. They began screaming, panicking because they thought they were transported to the end of time.

"Wait, why does it smell so bad in here?" Mabel asked out loud.

She reached in front of her and felt something. She pushed the wall and it opened. Turns out, the twins were inside a porta-potty all this time.

They adjusted their eyes to the bright sun. "Hey, look, we're back in the present!" Mabel said.

"But which present?"

Looking around, they saw Wendy still gushing over the stuffed creature. "This is the best present ever!"

Dipper beamed, "Yes!"

Meanwhile, Pacifica was struggling to pull poor little Waddles by the leash as the pig squealed and thrashed around.

"No!' Mabel exclaimed before attempting to get the time machine back. The two ran around until Dipper stood on top of the porta-potty and Mabel was unable to reach him. "Give it back, Dipper!"

"It's over, Mabel! Give it up! I've worked too hard to lose this!"

"But what about Waddles? He was my soulmate!"

Dipper pulled his brown hair in frustration. "You said that about a ball of yarn once! Do you really want Wendy to date Robbie?"

Mabel looked up at him with a conflicted expression, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't know," she muttered weakly. Shakily, she brought up the polaroid of her and Waddles before silently walking over to the giant totem and placed her forehead against it.

"You're not guilt tripping me, Mabel. Not this time."

She didn't pay no heed, just continued banging her head against the wooden pole.

Dipper tried to pull her out of it, tried to coerce her, but nothing had work. Even if it took a day, a week, an entire month! (He used the time machine to prove it.) Mabel was still found standing there as her body was slowly getting crawled with weeds and vines.

He watched with furrowed eyebrows. The pig really means this much to her. He could stand missing this chance with his crush but not so much seeing his sister get depressed for the rest of the summer.

So with a defeated sigh, Dipper pulled back the tape, stopping at the specific time before letting go.

Dipper and Wendy walked towards the fated game.

"I don't know if it's a duck or a panda, but I want one!"

He sighed, anticipating the expected outcome. "Wendy, I just wanted to say that," he began. He wanted to utter his final words before he lost her, "well I just wanted to say that people make mistakes, and when they do, you should forgive them. And also that tight pants are overrated."

"Dude, you lost me."

"I know," Dipper sighed out again. He turned to the carnie and presented his ticket. "One ball, please."

"You only get one chance."

This time, Dipper lamely tossed the ball without any effort. Because no matter how many tries, it always ended in the same result.

Wendy yelped again, the ball having hit the same right eye. "Ow, my eye!"

And right on cue, Robbie the disease entered the scene. "Hey, Wendy, are you okay? You know this is the perfect time for me to ask you something..."

Dipper looked away. He couldn't bear to watch. "It is done."

Someone cleared his throat behind him. He turned around and saw Y/n with her hands behind her back. "Hey," she said, smiling.

"Hey," Dipper replied, trying to mimic her smile, but with the heartbreak, he just couldn't have the strength. "How's it going?"

"I won you something."

She brought her hands from behind and tossed a stuffed animal his way. He caught it with ease and gazed at the creature. "A stuffed owl? I- I love owls." He looked up at her. "Y/n, you shouldn't have."

"Well, considering I've been winning the rigged games for the sad kids who couldn't win... you don't have to thank me."

She had seen this exact scenario in her mind. Her giving this stuffed owl specially for Dipper In fact, she's imagined it over and over. She always meant to give the toy.

All of a sudden, Dipper was tackled by his twin's brutal hug. "Dipper! Thank you thank you thank you thank you!" Waddles was sitting beside them, letting out a happy sound. "He's saying thank you in pig! Aren't you, Waddles?" Waddles repeated the same noise.

Y/n watched with an amused grin. They could be so silly sometimes, but no one could mistake that they are the sweetest pair.

"I couldn't break your heart, Mabel," Dipper said. He kept the owl from touching the dusty ground. "Besides, there's no way Wendy can date Robbie all summer, right?"

"YOU TWO!"

The trio looked at the bald guy who was pointing an accusatory finger specifically at Dipper and Mabel. His yell was so deafening that it made them scream in fear. He snatched the time machine back.

"Do you have any idea how many rules you just broke?! I'm asking; I wasn't there with you... it was probably a lot, right?"

"Blendin Blandin..."

Two men appeared behind him in a flash. Their outfits looked high-tech, like they were from the future.

Blendin let out a hysterical shriek. "The Time Paradox Avoidant Enforcement Squadron!"

"That's right, and our phones have been ringing off the hook! There were settlers high-fiving in the 1800's and calculators littered through eight centuries!" The guy, whose name was Lolph, scolded.

Dundgren spoke next. "You're under arrest for violation of the Time Traveler's Code of Conduct."

The two grabbed Blendin, who was scrambling for an explanation. He shakily yelled, "I-It was those kids! And their leader, Waddles!"

"That's a pig, Blendin."

Blendin turned to the twins with vengeance in his eyes. "I'll get you for this! I'll go back in time and make sure your parents never meet!"

Dipper clutched the owl closer to his chest as he grinned to his sister. "Well, we're still here."

Mabel smiled back. "Guess he forgot to go back. Aww, look, Dipper! I'm booping Waddles' nose to your owl's nose!"

"Hey!" He pulled back, wiping the residue off the felted toy. "Aw, man. Now his nose is wet."

Mabel narrowed her eyes. "Wow, this stuffed animal really means a lot to you, brother," she said, raising her eyebrows knowingly at the person behind him, who was slowly getting flushed.

Y/n repeatedly made a 'cut it out' motion as her gaze was tense.

Dipper ignored Mabel's teasing as he gazed at the owl's purple eyes, a dorky grin on his face. It was such a rare occurrence that he received a gift, yet his heart skipped a beat at the thought. He'll cherish this gift forever.

Chapter 13: Through Fears and Insecurities

Chapter Text

"So how do you play this game?"

Dipper looked at Y/n, offended. "Seriously? You've never heard of this game before?"

She rolled her eyes. The two of them stood in front of a worn arcade machine with Fight Fighters in big, bold letters on the side of it. "I have, I just never had the time to play it." She crossed her arms.

"Well, you pick a character first," Dipper said, stepping forward and moving the joystick. "My favorite one's Rumble McSkirmish." He pressed a button and the character was chosen. "Your turn."

Y/n scoured through the list of fighters until she finally stopped on her chosen character. "This one looks promising." A ginger woman with two buns in her hair, and the name 'Suggessica' above her.

"Okay," Dipper nodded, smiling. The announcer shouted that the fight had begun and the two fighters faced each other with a referee in the middle. He felt excited as he taught her the basics of the game. "First things first, you use the joystick to move your character."

He moved left and right, Y/n following after him.

"Okay. Four buttons. This one is jumping, this one is punch, this is for kicking, and this is for your ultimate attack. You wait until the blue bar is full then you can use it."

Anyone who could be listening in to their conversation would deem this the nerdiest thing, but Y/n understood it easily. She nodded, and began pressing the buttons.

Suggessica moved forward, while Rumble stepped back. Y/n and Dipper began fighting momentarily. It was clear to her that he was taking it easy since she's only a beginner– which she appreciated, but Dipper shouldn't underestimate her.

Dipper was mashing the buttons and she picked up the strategy, because doing that can do some combos. Y/n pressed the kick button repeatedly, making Suggessica jump and kick Rumble a few times while in the air.

"Woah," Dipper muttered under his breath, beginning to fasten the pace, doing a counterattack of his own.

A couple of rounds later and the score was tied. "Wow, I didn't think you could beat me at my own game!" He spoke, staring at the screen.

"What can I say, I learned from the best." Y/n winked, nudging Dipper playfully. The two of them laughed. "One more game to break the tie?"

He grinned. "Game on."

"Fight!" The announcer declared.

Y/n and Dipper focused their attention on the match, pressing buttons. Dipper had his power meter almost full when someone pushed them both away.

"You kids have been playing the game since this morning. How about you two sit this one out?" Robbie came out from nowhere and immediately, Dipper felt annoyed. His presence alone made his blood boil. More than anything, he just wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face.

Dipper boldly retorted, "But we just started this round."

"Whoa, whoa, hey! Relax man, I'm just trying to spend a little time with my girlfriend, alright?" Robbie was defensive. "You and your own girlfriend can play some other game for now."

"She's not my-"

"Couldn't you have asked a bit friendlier?" Another voice cut him off and Dipper only noticed that Robbie was with-

"Wendy! Hi," the boy greeted albeit awkwardly. She always seemed to have this effect on him.

The redhead smiled apologetically at the two. "Sorry for Robbie's behavior. He's just a bit nervous for his upcoming gig," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Come on, babe! Let's play!"

With that, Wendy excitedly accompanied Robbie, the game's music being mixed with their laughter.

As they played, Robbie put his arm over Wendy's shoulder, subtly glaring at Dipper.

Y/n watched Dipper with mild bitterness as he stared back at the couple with the same level of animosity.

***

Eventually, the two went back to the Shack. Soos invited everyone to play cards, and as much as Y/n wanted to join, she had to go down and diagnose the portal as per usual.

She must've been down there for quite some time because the moment she went back up, Dipper and Soos were gone, Stan had his back on the ground hysterically sobbing, while Mabel was on her way upstairs with Waddles in tow.

"Um... did I come at the wrong time?" she spoke.

"Y/n! Perfect timing!" Mabel exclaimed with her hands together. She sprinted towards her, literally ignoring her great uncle sprawled on the floor having fallen from fear from seeing a skydiving commercial. "I need your help."

"Woah!" Y/n yelped from the force that was Mabel Pines. She pulled her upstairs to her shared bedroom and began pacing around. Y/n dusted her clothes from being dragged. "Mabel, what is wrong? Why is Stan crying?"

She continued marching in circles. "Did you know that he secretly has a fear of heights?"

Y/n stared at the twin. She did have a hunch that he may have a phobia, but Mabel just confirmed it. All the hints that the old man didn't know he dropped, she picked it up. "What about it?" She asked instead.

"How am I gonna get Grunkle Stan over his fear?"

"What are you planning?"

Before Mabel could reply, the bedroom door opened and entered Dipper with an entire new character – literally.

"Hey, Mabel. Hey, Y/n. This is Rumble, my new bodyguard."

"The child gave me a taco!" Rumble responded with the same monotone voice and stoic expression.

Y/n wasn't able to speak as Mabel just gawked at the tall guy in interest. "Wow! He's got a crazy voice! Here, say these words," she said, writing something on a blank sheet of paper before handing it to Rumble.

"Effer...vescent! Apple..fritter! RIBOFLAVIN!"

"Mabel, he's not a toy, he's a fighting machine. I'm gonna get him to defend me from Robbie."

"Isn't that like cheating?" Y/n pointed out as she stared disapprovingly at Dipper's choices.

He simply shrugged. "I guess so." He continued to smile and a brief silence passed by. "Well, I'll see you after the fight."

The door closed. It was quiet until Y/n spoke. "I'm just as unsure as you, Mabel," she reassured the twin. "But if his plan backfires, then he has himself to blame."

"I'm not as worried for him as you do, Y/n," Mabel smirked.

"I-"

"Come on, Y/n! I have an idea on how we can help Stan overcome his fear!"

And when Mabel managed to convince Stan to walk him out while wearing a blindfold, Y/n knew she was up to no good.

She got herself another can of Pitt Cola before the three left for Mabel's adventure.

"Mabel, are you sure about this?" Y/n asked as she stared up at the water tower with a muffin spray-painted on it.

"100% sure! Grunkle Stan," she turned to him, "you have nothing to worry about! We just have to climb on a... something." If she said the word 'ladder' it would've been a dealbreaker.

Stan grunted, trying to grasp what was in front of him considering that all he saw was black. "What? Climb? You're not talking about a ladder, right?"

"No!" she giggled 'reassuringly'. "You can trust me, beloved great uncle!" She patted, slightly pushing him.

He slightly hesitated. "Alright, fine."

"I don't think he can still trust you after this," Y/n muttered under her breath, but followed after Mabel.

After a moment, the three eventually reached the top, the wind washing over their faces as their hair flew. "Take off your blindfolds now!" Mabel exclaimed.

Stan did as he was told and immediately saw the great height before him. The same feeling of anxiety returned before he could think. "Yep, that's pretty much what I was expecting," he said monotonously.

"You're doing better than I thought!" Mabel cheered. "Now let go of the handrail..."

Y/n could feel Stan shaking beside her, his knuckles were turning white from the vice grip he had on the rails. "Nope!"

All of a sudden, a teen with a scent of anger and hormones climb up the same stilted structure, gasping for air. Y/n had to step back from the stench that was Robbie.

"Hey, Robbie! Get your own water tower!" Mabel demanded.

Robbie looked uneasy and scared. Y/n's eyebrow raised in suspicion. What was he running from?

"CHALLENGER SIGHTED!"

She looked down and saw Rumble on the ground, clearly aiming for Robbie. Dipper's plan to destroy him seemed to be working.

Rumble screamed something else before attacking the water tower, kicking one of the stilts, making it lean.

Mabel panicked, shaking as she grasped the handrails. "What's happening?"

Stan's arms were shaking. "Oh, boy..."

"We're safe, right?"

Y/n held on to Stan and Mabel tightly as the older man panicked and screamed. The stilts of the water tower were punched until it weakened, and the whole thing wobbled. Y/n pushed the two to the other side of the tower to balance it, but Robbie unfortunately fell to his demise.

He was caught by none other than Rumble, who was prepared to finish the teen. But all of a sudden, Dipper stopped him with a single pebble. The fighter was perplexed, confused as to why the boy interrupted. Dipper admitted his faults, his lies– that Robbie didn't actually kill his father.

Rumble felt utterly betrayed. He let go of Robbie and began to summon the wind as he closed his eyes. He was thinking very deeply as he felt his soul get corrupted once he realized that he has been manipulated by this kid.

"If Robbie V is not the last stage..." the character began, "then it must be... YOU!"

He pointed directly at Dipper as he jumped into the air to emphasize his seething anger. A floating 'START' button appeared at his side. He stared at it before Soos came running beside him.

"Dude! Don't fight him, man. That dude's got like a black belt wrapped around his black belt! You could get killed!"

"I have to," Dipper replied, already feeling defeated. "I started all this and I got to at least try to stop it."

He looked at him, uncertain. "You sure you wouldn't rather hide like a wimp?"

Wordlessly, he punched on the 'START' button, and it vanished, signifying his agreement.

Soos crossed his arms as he looked proud. "Fight like a man it is."

The round began, and just like a video game, Rumble's stance was bouncing on his heels. Dipper attempted to follow his movement but it just looked awkward.

He fought with all of his might, but in the end he just accepted his fate– as well as Rumble's Super Power Ninja Turbo Neo Ultra Hyper Mega Multi Alpha Meta Extra Uber Prefix COMBO– leaving him bruised and beaten up.

The round ended, and as much as Rumble was very confident in winning, he just didn't know that arcade games will always have a 'GAME OVER'. Rumble screamed as he disappeared pixel by pixel.

Meanwhile, Y/n watched from the water tower, and now that the fight was over, she urged the other two to go home. "Come on, guys, let's go."

"I'm sorry, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel exclaimed over the wind. "I thought this would help, but I was wrong! So wrong!"

Stan began patting himself. "I... I survived! I survived and I feel great! Wait, let me do a co*cky dance just to be sure." He placed his hands on his hips as he moved it back and forth with a huge smile on his face. He cackled. "Deal with it, world! Stan Pines has cured his fear of heights!"

Y/n rolled her eyes, but there was a twinge of amusem*nt in them. "Alright, after you, old man."

He climbed down. "You coming, kid?" He said to Mabel. She shook her head, fearfully looking down. "What, you have a fear of heights now?"

She didn't say anything. It was quiet, and he only realized. "Uh oh." He and Y/n shared a worried glance.

"Come on, Mabel," Y/n cooed as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help you get down." She took Mabel's hand and led her towards the ladder.

She was shaking, closing her eyes as tight as her grip on Y/n's palm. Gently, they climbed down as silence washed over them. The moment they touched the ground, Mabel immediately reached for Y/n's hand, holding it tightly that would have hurt, but it was never an issue for her.

While walking away from the water tower, Stan was telling the story about how he bravely faced his fear and eventually overcame it. Mabel was spacing out so clearly she wasn't listening, while Y/n was watching over the ruined park where Wendy had just arrived from her trip and was now talking to both Dipper and Robbie until she kissed her boyfriend and pushed down the boy's hat before walking back to her family.

The two boys talked briefly for a moment, agreeing on Dipper's offer of having a cold war with each other instead of fighting and risking Wendy seeing them. Robbie walked away with a scoff as Dipper stood there. Soos offered to walk him home seeing that he was still injured.

Everybody arrived home. Y/n already had the first aid kit out since she saw how bruised Dipper was. She waited until the door opened to the living room from the gift shop, and it didn't last long when it did open to reveal Dipper limping inside. "Ow, ow, ow," he muttered under his breath.

"Are you okay?" Y/n asked. Of course he wasn't, but she didn't know how else to open up the conversation without him overthinking the fact that she waited with the kit. "You should sit down."

Dipper obliged, sitting on Stan's yellow recliner. He closed his eyes but winced as he felt his black eye swelling again. "Ow."

Y/n ran to the cooler for ice and quickly handed it to him as he immediately placed it on his eye. He hissed as the cold, cold temperature met the bruise.. She began tending to his other wounds and it was quiet. The type of quiet where they could hear just their breathing. The type of quiet where you cringe when something rustles in the background. But it was the type of quiet where it was comfortable, calm, pleasant.

He closed his eyes as he breathed out, "Thank you, Y/n."

"You're welcome," she replied without missing a beat but she was still looking at his wounds.

Dipper had to admit, he felt guilty. He didn't know why. Maybe because she's always been helping him without expecting something in return. She had always been kind hearted and selfless, often seeming to be looking out for him and his sister.

He was brought out of his stupor when he felt her hand brush against his cheek. She was cleaning the scratch with wet cotton. He gulped at the proximity. What is happening?

Y/n was very gentle with every wipe. Every time her hand caressed against his skin, he felt warmth, but her stare could be so cold. She looked very determined to clean away his gashes. Dipper noticed the way she stopped moving. Her eyes shifted to meet his, and the two remained staring. Can you stop looking at me?

He had to back away. "Okay, I think I feel a little bit better. I can– handle it."

"Alright," she said after a brief moment and began cleaning up the dirty wipes and cottons. Dipper breathed what he didn't know if it was a sigh of relief. Y/n stood up. "I'll be in my room. Good night, Dipper."

"Good night."

***

It was one peaceful morning. Stan and the twins were watching another episode of Ducktective, when all of a sudden they heard a knock on the door.

With all of his might, Stan trudged towards it, opening it to reveal a suited man with a stern face. "Stan Pines..."

"Oh, no," Stan sweat-dropped upon a cold realization. "The tax collector! You've found me!" He threw a smoke bomb to the ground that effectively temporarily blinded the man and that was Stan's cue to take his bag of money hidden inside the walls of the living room and escape while he still could. He was looking desperately for a fake opening. "Which one of these is the trap door?!"

"Mr. Pines," the man spoke again, now inside of their living room. "I'm from the Winninghouse Coupons Savers contest, and you are our big winner!"

A cameraman, along with two women carrying a large check of ten million dollars, came in. Confettis were thrown around as Stan was shocked. "My one and only dream, to possess money, has come true!"

"We're rich!" Dipper exclaimed. "I'm gonna get a butler!"

Mabel punched the air. "I'm gonna buy a talking horse."

The man brought out papers. "Just sign here for the money."

"You bet!" Stan wrote into the paper without hesitation.

Only, it was all a lie when Gideon tore through the large check, exclaiming. "Stanford, you fool! You just signed over the Mystery Shack to lil 'ol me!" He began to do a little celebratory dancing jig.

Dipper and Mabel gasped in horror, but Stan was unperturbed. "Uh, you might wanna take another look there!"

Gideon raised the papers to his line of sight and began reading. "The Shack is hereby signed over to..." he saw the signature, 'SUCK A LEMON LITTLE MAN'?!"

Stan bellowed as he took pride in humiliating Gideon. The twins laughed as well to see the priceless look on his face.

The little boy tore the paper violently. "How dare you! I am not a threat to be taken lightly." He reached for the guy he hired to be the fake host. "Come here, I need your arms."

The unnamed lawyer followed his order and lifted Gideon before backing away slowly.

"I"ll get you, Stanford Pines! I'll get you all!"

First, get the name right.

Stan shook him off. He shouldn't dwell his attention on kids such as Lil Gideon. He had bigger matters in his hands. One of them was getting the cooler fixed– and another was setting up the gift shop. He was too lazy to do any of those, that's why he hired people for a reason. Soos will handle one of those tasks, though it was quite unfortunate that Wendy didn't work today...

He excused himself to the kids, telling them that he's going to go to the restroom. Boy, he's slowly running out of excuses and it's not even the half of the summer. He stood in front of the vending machine, surveying the closed shop before forcing it open and quickly shutting it once he got in. He meandered down the ramp that led to the elevator, punching the level's number, and waited until it took him there.

The elevator opened with a ding, and he walked to the pathway that showed the portal. "What are you doing here," deadpanned the girl who was casually working on the portal. She was typing the data that was coming out of the old-timey processing unit that Ford had designed for this portal. It was always ciphers– classic Ford– that Y/n had learned to decode. So far, the results have been... neutral.

"I should be asking you that question. You should be out there."

"I have nothing else to do."

"Then I'll give you something to do, fix the cooler."

Y/n groaned. "What? Have Soos fix it. I taught him how."

"I already assigned him other duties. Do you want to rearrange the shelves in the gift shop?" Stan asked. He waited, and when he heard nothing from her, he smirked as he felt cheeky. "I thought so. Now get off your butt and go upstairs!"

She punched down the table in defeat as she stood up, letting out an annoyed huff. "I hate you,"

"I love you, too. I'll take care of these while you're gone." He dismissed her, taking the seat she was previously in.

She rolled her eyes. As if he could understand a single symbol plastered there. Surely, he'd just take a nap.

Reaching the top level of the Shack, she took a peek on an opening from the vending machine. The gift shop was vacant, and no one seemed to be wandering around. So as quickly as she could, she slotted herself out of the machine, punching it shut for a Pitt Cola to fall off. She took it out and opened it like nothing had happened for the last ten seconds.

The universe was on her side when Soos had just opened the shop's door. "Sup, dude."

"Hey, Soos," Y/n said with her lips on the tip of the can. The two met in the middle of the room to give each other fist bumps. "You're on shelving duty right?"

"Yep, one of my favorite pastimes," he chuckled. "I just like looking at neatly arranged items that are all identical and stuff. Pretty satisfying."

She nodded, "Well, you get on that. I have to repair the cooler– again. Did you know why it broke?" The girl walked towards the cooler and circled around it, examining it from afar.

"I have no idea." Soos spotted the cardboard box from a corner and began inspecting it. It was a couple of Mystery Shack bumper stickers and other merchandise. "Maybe it was the heat of summer that's causing it to like– overheat. Or something."

Y/n couldn't help but smile. "You are exactly right, Soos. How did you figure that one out?"

"Well, the first thing I fixed was a cooler– uh, that cooler specifically. I helped Y/n – wait, not you you, but the you who was older... who was also named Y/n... She helped me fix the cooler. Your older sister."

She almost snorted in laughter. Stan was right, Soos was never going to pick up the clues. "Yeah? What did she teach you?" She already had the back of the cooler facing her, with the panel being opened. The toolbox was ajar, but she hadn't started yet.

"Everything I know," Soos answered. "She's the smartest person I know. Ten-year old me would have probably freaked out if it wasn't for your sister. Which is why..."

Soos trailed off. Y/n poked her head out the side of the freezer to look at him. "Which is why..." she repeated, wanting him to continue.

He smiled sheepishly. "Which is why... I'm kinda grateful that you're here, Y/n. The younger sister Y/n. It's like– you're continuing your sister's legacy. I don't know, I say dumb things."

There it is again, what Ford referred to as tears. It was simply there. To a normal person, it would feel like it was pricking the corner of their eye and about to come out, but to Y/n, it was just an inconvenience.

But what she felt inside after Soos said such a heartwarming statement... was enough to make her cry.

She quickly wiped it away. "I didn't think it was dumb..." she muttered.

It was times like these where she just wanted to tell the truth. "I was the same Y/n from ten years ago. I never grew up, never had a sister, and had been residing in this Shack for more than 30 years."

She wished it were that easy. Despite her desire to tell the truth, she would rather be selfish for a moment and let Soos talk about her nonexistent older sister with her than tell everything. The truth would eventually come out, and she had no idea what would happen or how he would react.

The twins entered the room before her mind could conjure up any more depressing scenarios. Dipper held a chessboard in his hands. "We need a table!"

"Hey, Dipper, what about this one?" Mabel pointed at a green, fake turtle shell with a random skeleton inside. "This seemed sturdy enough."

"Sure." The two brought the shell meters from the counter as well as dragged two tall wooden logs for chairs.

Mabel sat down, her legs swinging around because she couldn't touch the ground. Dipper crossed his legs as he brought out the chess pieces from the board. "What are we playing?" Mabel asked.

"Chess."

"Ooh, I love chess!" she expressed her excitement.

The two set everything up– well, Dipper did since Mabel doesn't know where to put the pieces– before they began the game.

Soos was on his way to reorganize a collection of Stan bobbleheads on a high shelf. Y/n was quietly turning a screw as she listened to the twins argue about the game. The game was full of commentary and Mabel impersonating a horse sound every now and then. Dipper was becoming increasingly enraged by his sister's casual approach to chess. This sport should be taken seriously.

After a few hours, Y/n had completed the cooler repair and was confident that it would work again. She connected the plug into a nearby wall outlet before switching it on. It hummed back to life as a single light turned on. She smiled proudly, her hands on her hips.

"Little guy to black space 9!" Mabel announced knowingly.

"It's a pawn, that's not your color, and stop stealing the tiny horses!" He pointed at her with an exasperated look.

Mabel smiled carelessly, cuddling the pieces close to her as it snuggled inside her sweater's pocket. "They like it better here!" She leaned closer to the black and white. "Don't you, babies?" Once again, she neighed in response to herself.

Dipper ignored her and lifted a bishop piece. He toppled Mabel's king with a big grin. "And checkmate."

"What? Booo!" Mabel shouted.

The boy took out his trusty notepad and pen, turning to the page that listed his victories in chess against his sister. He just got his 85th win. "OHHH! Dipper wins again!" He exclaimed. Mabel glared at him, annoyed.

Soos cast a glance to his right, where he noticed a brain in a jar wearing a tall hat and another brain in a jar wearing a blonde wig. He intended to replace the jars behind the bobbleheads, but he couldn't go down the step-ladder without letting go of the falling lantern beside him. He will have to fix that later, too.

He turned further to his right to go look for Y/n, but it seemed that she walked out of the room already. She was the tallest one out of the three preteens. She was taller than the twins by approximately four inches. Guess he had to go for the second tallest person in the room who could help him.

Still holding the lantern, he called, "Yo, Mabel, could you pass me that brain in the jar? The lady one?"

Dipper was already standing up. "I got it."

"Thanks, but Mabel's taller."

"What?!" Dipper reeled, "No she's not! We're the same height! We've always been."

Soos let the lantern fall, placing his fingers under his chin as he examined the two. "Better check again, dude."

He hopped down the stepladder, pushed them together back-to-back as Dipper removed his hat. Soos brought out a measuring tape he conveniently had in his pocket and began measuring. "Yep. She's got exactly one millimeter on you."

"What?!" Dipper was perturbed.

Mabel was amazed. "Woah, don't you see what's happening, Dipper? This millimeter is just the beginning. I'm evolving into the superior sibling! Bigger! Stronger!"

"Like some kinda alpha-twin!" Soos happily pointed out.

"Alpha-twin! Alpha-twin!"

Dipper crossed his arms, exhausted. "C'mon, guys, nobody even uses millimeters. It only makes you taller than me in Canada."

Mabel wondered aloud, completely ignoring her brother's complaints. "Y'know Dipper, I've always wanted a little brother. Who knew I already had one?" She laughed at her own joke.

Stan walked inside the gift shop, rubbing his eyes. "I was awoken by the sound of mockery." When actually, he was woken up by Y/n herself, telling him that she'd just finished the repair. "Where is it? Show me the object of ridicule!"

"I'm taller than Dipper!" The girl exclaimed.

"By one millimeter," the boy emphasized.

"Hey, hey," Stan warned, "don't get... short with your sister." He laughed uncontrollably. Dipper deadpanned.

Mabel put her hands together. "Now Grunkle Stan, I hope you don't think little of him."

He remained bemused while Stan laughed some more. "Yeah! And, and uh... he's short!" He and Mabel laughed in unison as Dipper began to think about his life choices.

Soos felt bad. He thought he had some kind of liability as he started all this height comparison thing. "Dude, maybe you should lay off a tiny bit."

Stan guffawed. "HA! Tiny! Soos is in on it now!" The two cackled hysterically, watching as Dipper finally stomped away.

"N-n-no, I didn't mean that!" Soos clarified.

Mabel placed her hands on her hips, walking towards her grunkle. "Dipper will forget. He's got a 3... 2... 1..."

"SHORT-TERM MEMORY!"

Y/n was about to return to the gift shop to see what Stan had to say when she ran into Dipper in the hallway. She chose not to say anything because she noticed he had a deep frown on his face and his brows were furrowed, indicating he was stressed.

She opened the door and saw Stan in tears because he couldn't stop laughing. Mabel, too, was howling with uncontrollable laughter. "What happened just now?"

"Oh, Y/n! There you are! Can you believe that I'm actually taller than Dipper? This is the best day of my life!"

"Congratulations?" She didn't know what to say to that trivial news.

Stan pulled Y/n to his side and playfully gave her a noogie. "Oh, come on, Y/n. Why don't you give Dipper some of your height? He could use it!" Once more it was followed by rounds of laughter.

She withdrew herself from the older man. "I didn't come here to make fun of Dipper. Have you seen the fixed cooler yet?"

"Eh, I trust you enough to know that you did a good job." The way he said it felt so dismissive, but she still felt pride when she heard that. Stan's compliments are a rarity. "Welp! I'm off to go back to my office. Waking up to this was better than some cup of coffee." He chuckled as he walked away.

Soos went back to the counter and got the jar of brain himself, while Mabel sat on the barrel chair beside it. Y/n bought herself a nice can of Pitt Cola before retreating towards the living room.She plopped on the yellow chair rather ungracefully, the content inside of the soda sloshing around as she did so. Sipping slowly, she stared at a random spot on a ceiling.

This was the same couch that Dipper had sat on as she had tended to his wounds. That felt like so long ago when it was actually just last night. What was she thinking?

This is just a ploy to get closer to them. The more you do something nice for him, the more he trusts you that he'll eventually lend you the journal.

He shouldn't even be lending it in the first place. It belonged to her first!

Another reminder that she's doing this for Stan as well. He was desperate to redeem himself and change. To show the kids that he wasn't just the stupid older brother. He wanted to be a good role model (though he wasn't really living up to that), but most of all, he wanted to protect them and keep them safe. And, as much as possible, they should avoid doing anything that will raise their suspicions.

Slowly, but surely.

She rose from her seat. It's pointless to dwell on these thoughts. She was drinking the last of her Pitt Cola when Dipper marched into the living room, almost making her spit it out as she noticed something different about him.

Dipper came to a halt, feeling unwell as he realized he no longer looked slightly upwards whenever he spoke with Y/n. He's looking directly into conniving eyes. They were the same height this time, and she noticed it right away.

"When did you get so tall, Dipper?"

He laughed quite nervously. "Oh, you know... puberty and stuff."

"Hm..." She'd read a few medical books about the topic because she hadn't got a personal experience, but she didn't realize that going through puberty also meant having your clothes enlarged...? It was too convenient to consider.

Dipper clenched his knuckles, looking like he was about to break. "Okay, I give up! Y/n follow me," he said, taking the lead and marching up the stairs.

Y/n watched as Dipper approached the shelves and reached for a seemingly ordinary flashlight—except it wasn't. It had a crystal taped to the spot where the light was supposed to shine.

"Wait, where did you get that?" Y/n pointed out as she realized something.

His eyes briefly widened. "Do you know this?"

"I see these exact things from time to time whenever I take walks. I thought they were just shiny rocks..." Gosh was it hard to act dumb.

He almost had a smirk on his face. "Well, you thought wrong because they were actually height-altering crystals. I read it in the journal. For example, this knight is tiny. I just shine a light at it and–" he presented like it was show and tell. "--BOOM! It's bigger now. But it can also be reversible. Just flip the crystal over and it'll shrink." He pointed the flashlight towards the knight and turned it on, this time the light was pink.

"That's interesting! But...why did you need it, Dipper?" She just had to question it out loud. Though Tall Dipper was a sight, she had to know what his intentions were.

"I... I'm just sick of my sister teasing me, and I have a habit of proving people wrong, so..."

When she said nothing else, he stepped forward and gave her the flashlight.

"Here, just aim it at me and turn it on then off. Do it quickly so I won't turn into a giant."

She nodded. following his instructions. He had his arms out as if embracing it. and that was her cue to turn it on. It was only a millisecond of the blue light washing over him and he grew in an instant.

Y/n stepped closer just to compare. This time, he was so tall that she had to look up slightly to meet his brown eyes. Woah.

Dipper's thoughts were racing. It was as if he had been slouching his entire life, and stretching his back changed his entire perspective. She was looking up at him. She had considered it before, and she had considered it again. Tall Dipper was a sight.

He couldn't help but smile at Y/n's stunned expression. He wanted to treasure this priceless reaction for the rest of his life. Surely he can keep being taller than her forever.

What was he saying?

All of a sudden, Mabel opened the door. "Give it up, Dipper!" she declared as she entered. As if they were electrocuted, the two hopped away from each other. Mabel marched up to them. Either she didn't see or she did but was too distracted by her frustration to notice.

As quickly as she could, Y/n turned around and made her exit. Only then did she notice an enlarged pawn literally behind them that went through the ceiling. How could she have missed it the first time she walked into the room? Her guard had been completely lowered.

The more Mabel trudged closer, the more she realized that her height couldn't compare to Dipper's right now. She gasped and instantly glanced down on the ground to see that he wasn't standing on anything. "What happened?!"

Dipper shrugged casually with a smirk. "I told you, sis. I just had a growth spurt. No big deal."

"This doesn't make any sense! Just a second ago you were– WAIT A MINUTE!" Mabel yelled. "This is some kinda magic-y thing, isn't it? Was it a wizard or something? There's a wizard in this closet, isn't there? ISN'T THERE?" Mabel strode to the closet.

"What? NO!" Dipper shouted back.

"You're telling me that there is not a wizard in this closet. You're telling me that if I open this door right now-"

"Fine! Open it."

She did, revealing a flannel shirt, a tee, and a pair of boots clearly too big to fit for either of the twins. Whose clothes are these?

Mabel remained unfazed, looking completely disappointed. "An invisible wizard! Really, Dipper?"

Meanwhile, Y/n had just run down the stairs. She could feel her very normal heart pounding in her chest. What the heck is happening?

"Woah, you alright?" Stan asked the moment he saw her.

She began walking away. "I'm fine. I just need... some space."

"Maybe you need some free entertainment," he suggested, on the brink of laughter. "Look out the window if you want a laugh."

She raised an eyebrow, but did what he said. She leaned on a nearby window and saw Gideon running around wildly as he smacked his hair repeatedly. He was screaming the words 'TERMITES!' over and over.

Stan was laughing beside her. "Come on, you gotta admit. It's hilarious."

"It's quite amusing."

"Boo, you're not even laughing." He glared.

Y/n looked at the clock and she suddenly looked surprised. "Oh, my! Is that the time? I have to do something really important! In the meantime, don't you have to be ready for your tour? The people would be waiting! Welp, ta ta!" She rambled before dashing away without giving him a chance to speak.

"Stop changing the subject!" Stan burst out as he watched her down the hall.

Upon entering her room, Y/n clenched her fists. Her plan to get closer to Dipper appeared to be working, but why did she feel so differently? She experienced emotions she had never encountered before. Is this normal? To be fair, she wasn't even normal to begin with. She punched a nearby wall until it was literally smashed to smithereens. It didn't hurt her hand in the least. Yep, definitely not normal.

She wasn't having the best day.

Dipper wasn't feeling well either, having been shrunken down by Gideon himself using the same magical flashlight he'd created. Now he and Mabel are trapped inside the jar as the boy takes them home. When Gideon arrived in his dark room, he opened the container and shook the twins out, causing them to fall to their butts on the wooden drawer.

"You two!"

"What are you gonna do with us?" Mabel asked.

Gideon giggled. "Why Mabel, I wouldn't hurt a hair on your itty-bitty head– if you agree to be my queen!"

"We live in a democracy! And never!" She pushed his finger away from her hair.

"Maybe you'll change your mind after this!" He picked her up by the collar of her sweater, bringing her to a pack of her favorite snack.

"Gummy Koalas!" Mabel gushed after threatening to fight Gideon until the day she died. That would keep her suppressed.

"As for you, boy," Gideon continued, facing Dipper. "Tell me, how exactly did you come upon this magic item? Hmm? Did somebody tell you about it? Did you.... read about it somewhere?"

Dipper raised his gaze to the pale child. His vest pocket became noticeably heavier as he realized the implication of his question. He remembered the journal tucked inside as the words 'TRUST NO ONE' flashed across his mind. He took a look around and noticed an air horn nearby. "Lean closer and I'll tell you!"

"Well don't mind if I-"

He sounded the air horn right in his face, making Gideon scream. He cupped his ringing ears as his face turned red from anger. He was breathing heavily before turning back around pushing away the lamp. "I COULD SQUASH YOU RIGHT NOW!"

Dipper stepped back in slight fear.

But Gideon stopped himself. "Steel yourself, Gideon. You could use them." His voice dropped into a whisper. "You could use them."

The ringing of the Shack's main telephone echoed throughout the house. Y/n's eyes opened for a brief moment. She laid on her bed with her hands on top of her stomach. She was waiting for Stan's order to answer the call, but nothing came and the ringing already stopped. He must've been nearby. After a long silence, it was cut off by his obnoxious laughter.

"Y/n, can you come down here!"

She blinked. She may not have been called to answer the phone, she was still ordered to come down nonetheless. What did he need this time?

Leaving her room, she trudged down the hallway. But before she could take a turn towards the parlor, she took a detour to the gift shop. She needed that soda intake before dealing with anything. Gideon Gleeful busted open the main door to the shop before her hand could reach the employees' only door. "The Shack is mine, Stanford Pines!" She heard, and that's when she took a peek at the slightly ajar door.

She saw Mabel's eccentric pink sweater and the blazing blue vest that Dipper wears by Gideon's grasp. In his other hand, the magic flashlight that he blatantly stole, with the pink light shining towards a direction.

Y/n followed the light, and that's where she noticed Stan's fez on the ground. She clenched her fists so tightly as she feared that Gideon may have won the battle– until he lifted the hat revealing a green speck. Gideon had shrunken Soos instead. "What?!"

The boy captured little Soos and took a random jar lying on the counter. He opened it and carelessly tossed the trio inside, even shaking them for a little bit of torture. "Tell me where Stan is!" Gideon yelled onto the jar.

Y/n observed him as he suddenly had a huge grin on his face, indicating that he had figured it out. He moved towards the door where she was hiding. She exited the living room as quickly as she could and headed straight for the kitchen."Stanford! I'm coming for ya!"

She peeked from the kitchen as Gideon turned to the direction where the parlor was located. Come on, think! She needed to tell Stan about Gideon's attempt to shrink him, but she had no idea where he was. He could be in the mirror maze that he was talking so proudly about, but Gideon could be ahead of her already.

Even after a few unsuccessful attempts to smack the glass, the twins and Soos remained helplessly trapped. As he felt guilty, Soos placed his hands on his head. "Guess I kinda 'Soos'ed that one up, didn't I?"

"It's not your fault, Soos," Dipper said," I"m the one who put together that shrinking device. I guess it's just..." he turned to Mabel, "... you kept teasing me, Mabel, like, all day! What was that all about?"

Mabel frowned, feeling bad. She tossed Dipper the notepad with the list of their games. He glanced at the paper cluelessly. "I guess it's that... you're better at me at, like, everything! And you always rubbed it in my face. Chess, checkers, ping pong..." Even croquet. "I guess I finally felt like I was winning at something for once."

Dipper felt bad as well. He lightly smacked the notepad against his head. "Aw, man. Now I feel like a big jerk."

"Don't you mean, a little jerk?"

"Oh!" The two of them chuckled at the lighthearted joke. "Alright, I walked into that one. Are we cool?" He stretched his arm for a fist bump.

"We're cool."

"Am I cool?" Soos spoke, presenting his fist as well.

"You're cool, Soos."

"Yes!"

Dipper smacked his hands together. "Alright, let's find a way to get out of this jar. We can't break it, so let's just open it the old-fashioned way. Soos! Carry me on your shoulders."

The handyman raised him until he was sitting comfortably on the back of his neck. He then raised Mabel, and Dipper grabbed her until she could step on his shoulder and sit on it, forming a tower. Mabel twisted the cover until it was loose, and a hard push was all it took. Soos stood on his tiptoes until she was able to lift the cover. The container had finally been opened.

"Let's get that flashlight before Gideon gets Stan!"

Y/n stalked after Gideon as he walked down the steps and into the mirror maze. It indeed looked like a maze made out of mirrors. Now how much did this cost Stan? "Ew, termites!" Gideon suddenly exclaimed, slapping the back of his neck. He continued walking until he saw Stan looking down on him.

He jumped, instantly reaching for the flashlight and turned it on. The light bounced off the various mirrors until it landed on the wall mount of a moose head. Unsurprisingly, it shrank.

Stan was laughing at him, causing Gideon to become enraged and throw the flashlight at him. "No!"

The flashlight broke one of the mirrors, shattering it into a million pieces. "Hey, watch the merchandise!" Gideon picked up the device, and with a devilish smirk, he had the perfect plan. He began smashing the mirrors with his flashlight one by one, not caring if it would prick him. He broke about 10 mirrors until Stan finally showed up, his hands on his hips. "You little troll! These mirrors caused me 10- I-I mean, uh 20- 5, 500... 500 dollars each! And you're paying for all of them!"

Gideon imitated his pose. "Au contraire! It will be you who pays!"

Y/n burst into the scene and tackled Gideon to the ground, reaching for the flashlight and attempting to apprehend him by pushing down his wrist, but he was quick, withdrawing his hand and pointing the flashlight at her. But before he could turn it back on, Y/n slapped his hand, causing him to drop the flashlight, which rolled to the ground.

"Ah! No!" Gideon screamed, thrashing around like a toddler. With the way he smacked his fist down her cheek, he wasn't exactly throwing back punches. Y/n didn't even flinch as she grabbed his wrist. She steeled herself against punching him back as much as she wanted to. All she has to do is keep him away from the flashlight.

"What is happening out there?!" Mabel exclaimed as her grip on Gideon's pocket tightened.

Dipper felt dizzy. "Y/n must be helping us by stopping Gideon from shrinking Stan! We gotta help her!"

"Wait, she knows about the magic flashlight-?"

"It doesn't matter, to his armpit!"

"Uh-uh!" Mabel grimaced.

"Just- just go! Come on!" He pushed her down until they were both crawling on his skin.

Gideon smacked Y/n several times, but she didn't budge. "Ugh, let go, you fool! Give me back my flashlight!"

"That's not yours to begin with!"

"You will rue the day you cut off my vengeance against Stanford." Gideon glared, pointing at her. "I wasn't going to include a nobody like you in my schemes, but now you've made a grave mistake messing with me! You and the rest of the Pines family will feel the wrath of Gideon Glee-"

He began giggling.

Y/n and Stan stared at him confusedly.

"Gideon Glee-!" He was laughing uncontrollably on the floor.

"I don't even know how to respond to this," Stan spoke aloud.

He was chortling before stopping himself. "No-!" Then he's back to laughing. Stan looked at him as if he were insane. He looked to Y/n for assistance.

Y/n stood up and began kicking Gideon, causing him to roll on the ground. She took up the flashlight as Stan took over the punting this time. The two rolled a laughing Gideon until they reached the front door, where Gideon landed on the ground with one last kick.

He finally stopped laughing. Gideon clutched his pockets and yelled, "My light!"

"You're the light of my life, too, pal," Stan replied before closing the door. "Phew! Freak show, am I right?"

He left without saying anything else. Y/n stood there motionless as she watched him walk away. "Dipper? Mabel?" she whispered after a moment.

"We're here! Y/n, we're here!"

Two little dots were jumping on the ground below her. She smiled and pointed the flashlight at them after flipping the crystal. She turned it on and the light was back to blue. The twins had all returned to their normal height, but they still needed to measure for... good measure.

"Hey! You're letting me keep my extra millimeter?" Mabel said.

"Oh," Y/n said, facing Dipper. "Do you want me to...?"

"Nope, she earned it." He brought his hand up, though he really missed the feeling of being taller.

"Aw, thanks! Little brothe-"

"Stop it."

The night had ended. Of course, they didn't forget about Soos and bringing him back to his normal height, too, before destroying the crystal completely.

Chapter 14: Halloween in June

Chapter Text

Stan abruptly stopped the car after it had been carelessly parked. Everyone inside jumped out as the twins gawked at what was in front of them."Here we are," he began. "The Summerween Superstore!"

"A very special store for a very special occasion that only happens once a year," Y/n added sarcastically.

Dipper scratched his head confusedly. "Wait. Summer-what?"

"Summerween!" Stan responded confidently, bringing out a calendar. "The people of this town loved Halloween so much, they celebrate it twice a year! And wouldn't you know it, it's today!"

"Do you always carry that calendar in your pocket?"

"Yes."

Mabel placed a finger on her cheek in curiosity. "Summerween? Something about this feels unnatural."

Soos walked over to the twins and placed his arms around them. "There's free candy~!"

The two of them smiled at one another before sprinting to the entrance. The other three followed suit. Stan noticed Y/n looking mellow, so he nudged her. "Hey, you okay? Did you get enough sleep?"

"I'm not sleepy. It's just... Summerween."

"What about it?"

"Nothing," Y/n dismissed. "I'm sure I'll just sit this one out again, like the last decade."

He raised an eyebrow at her before averting his gaze to the main door of the store. "Well, this is your chance to get a convincing costume so that no one can recognize you. This is the first time we're buying fake blood with the kids! I'm sure they're excited to celebrate Summerween with you."

Stan and Y/n watched as the kids messed around with the items on the shelves before Dipper discovered a wagon. Mabel hopped onto it while wearing a pair of silly glasses. "Come on, Y/n, to the costume aisle!"

"Go nuts, kid," Stan spoke beside her, and with a smile, she followed the twins.

The older man couldn't help but feel sorry for her. He was well aware that Y/n had been suppressed since childhood. Growing up, she didn't really go through all the experiences that a typical kid should have. She had always been out exploring and discovering new things thirty years ago. She was already too preoccupied with building an interdimensional portal that connects to other worlds when she could have been going to school and making friends her age. She should have aged to someone with an older physique but nothing had changed over the last 30 years.

Stan went to the containers of fake blood and began lifting one, not realizing that it was slowly spilling to the floor due to a leak. Mabel had already chosen a costume and decided not to tell both her brother and friend. "You're gonna find out later!" she said.

The three of them continued to goof off, with Y/n not having this much fun in years. She and Dipper were both pushing on the wagon that Mabel was in, turning a sharp right into a pile of Jack O' Melons, crashing and breaking into laughter.

Suddenly, everyone heard a voice on the intercom. "Have the police come and eject the Pines family from the store?"

They quickly gathered everything they could just as Stan threw a smoke bomb right in front of her. "Not today!"

"My eyes!" The smoke was everywhere, and that's when they made their escape. Stan was carrying a gallon of fake blood, while Soos was carrying two more. Y/n had a huge burlap bag filled with knick knacks and other props hauled behind her, and Dipper continued pushing Mabel on the wheelbarrow.

"You paid for the stuff, right?" Mabel asked with a smile.

"Of course!"

He paid it all with a limited edition Stan Bucks (Totally not just drawn on scrap paper). One piece of it already costs 500 dollars. Stan was just that generous to let the store keep the change.

**

Soos had already dressed himself in some sort of a mash between a superhero and a wrestler. Perhaps both. The Jack O' Melons were already litt and the decorations were hung up to produce a creepy vibe around it.

"I'm so excited!" Mabel exclaimed, sitting on the ground beside her brother.

Dipper matched her energy. "We're gonna have the best costumes, get the most candy..."

"And have the biggest stomachaches ever!"

"Yeah!"

"Haha, yeah!" The two high-fived.

The handyman sat on the yellow couch before them. "Dude, I've never seen you guys so pumped."

Y/n had just returned after helping Stan with his costume. He had difficulty with adjusting the girdle sometimes. She entered the room silently, leaning on the arm of the chair as she took a candy from the bowl that Soos was holding.

Mabel chuckled. "Well, back at home, me and Dipper were kind of the kings of trick-or-treating," she said just as Dipper brought up a scrapbook. She took it and began flipping through it. "Twins in costumes! The people eat it up." They dressed as cats, salt and pepper shakers, and zombies. It was, without a doubt, adorable.

"Well, you dudes better be careful out there. It's a night of ghouls and goblins. Not to mention..." he patted Y/n as a signal. She walked over to the light switch and turned it off just as Soos shined a flashlight on his face. "...the Summerween Trickster!"

They could've sworn there was dramatic music playing somewhere.

"The Summer-what- what-what?"

He continued his story as the twins listened very intently. "The Trickster goes door to door, so the legend goes, eating children who lack the Summerween spirit."

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Well, you don't have to worry about us." He proceeded to eat a candy from the same bowl Y/n took from. "We've got spirit to go around." He began coughing violently at the taste. Y/n turned the lights back on. "Ugh, what is this stuff?! I've never even heard of these brands!"

He picked up each candy as he named them, "Sand Pop? Gummy chairs? Mr. Adequate-Bar?"

"This is all cheap-o loser candy!" Mabel added.

"I- I like them..." Y/n quietly admitted, slightly confused at their distaste. She didn't know what Dipper was fussing about. Homework the Candy has a unique taste.

Mabel faced her. "Well, then, you must have low standards, Y/n. There are plenty of candy more delicious than these tacky ones, blegh."

Soos stood, picking up a lip gummy. "Quiet your discomfort, children," he scolded, "lest the Trickster overhear."

"Your cape is caught in your fly, Soos." Dipper said, walking away with the candy bowl and the scrapbook.

"Touchè."

Y/n watched as Dipper threw handfuls of candy out the window. "Goodbye, loser candy!"

"No, don't waste them! We could give them to trick-or-treaters," Y/n stopped him from continuing.

As if on cue, the doorbell rang. "Trick-or-treaters!" Stan shouted from the other room. "Quick, give 'em that terrible candy!"

"See?" she gestured to the door. "Now give them the candy."

Dipper's eyes rolled playfully, carrying both the scrapbook and bowl in his hands as he trudged to the door. Mabel suddenly grabbed the girl's arm. "That reminds me, Y/n! We have to wear the costumes we bought! Let's go!"

"Wah!" Y/n yelped as she felt herself being dragged upstairs to Mabel's room.

Meanwhile, Dipper opened the door as he said, "Happy Summerw- AHH!" His greeting was interrupted by his own scream as he saw who was at the door.

"'Sup, squirt," Robbie said, his arm around the redhead.

"Hey, Dipper."

"WENDY!" The greeting was very enthusiastic. "Wh-what's up, guys?"

She groaned. "I left my jacket here. Again."

Robbie scoffed, glancing at what Dipper was holding. "What's with the candy? You're goin' trick-or-treating or something?"

"Well, actually I- uh-" I am, in fact, trick-or-treating with my friends and sister, getting every candy of this town and eat them until we have stomach aches-

Wendy grinned as she put on the jacket. "Shut up, Robbie, of course he's not going trick-or-treating."

"No! Yeah," Dipper was agreeing before him realizing, noticing the book he was holding before hiding it and laughing nervously. "Trick-or-treating is for babies! Heh... I guess."

Wendy smiled and invited the boy to Tambry's party which sounded very promising. Robbie- although he didn't want to- handed Dipper a flier. The details were there, including the time of the party, which was supposed to be at 9PM.

Dipper told them that he probably might come before the couple eventually drove off and he was left by the porch. When they were gone, he looked at the two options literally placed on his hands. The flier on his left, and the trick-or-treat memory book on the other. He sighed. "How am I gonna tell Mabel?" He walked back inside, contemplating his future decisions.

Time passed shortly before the bell rang again. Mabel dashed down the stairs, Y/n in tow. Mabel was dressed as a jar of strawberry jam. Y/n lagged behind due to her adjusting the big beige coat hung around her shoulders. The overly excited twin opened the door just as Stan walked to the lobby dressed as a vampire– with the fangs and everything.

He laughed when he saw Y/n's costume. She donned a white shirt paired with a black tie underneath a tan coat that reached her knee. She also wore tan pants and black shoes that Mabel found which was surprisingly a nice fit. Square-framed glasses sat atop her nose (a/n: let's pretend that you don't have glasses in this au hahaha), and a tan press hat to top it all off.

Now that he realized it, Stan looked at her amusingly. "Aw, you looked just like him-"

"Stop it," Y/n cut him off before he could say another word. She tightened the tie around her neck. "By the way, I need some of that fake blood you have to complete the costume. Mabel had this whole backstory for me."

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel said. "These are my best friends, Candy and Grenda!"

Candy Chiu and Grenda (last name unknown) smiled at him, dressed as a candy and witch respectively. "I am so sweet I could eat myself."

"Hello, Mr. Pines!" Grenda greeted with her usual voice that would have normally belonged to a wrestler. But they still loved her nonetheless– manly voice or not.

Stan raised an eyebrow. "You got a cold, honey? Something wrong with your voice there?"

She frowned. "What do you mean? Why would you say that?"

Y/n glared at him. "Just get the blood."

He looked down at her. "What are you supposed to be again? A hotdog sandwich?"

Mabel answered the question for her, materializing on Y/n's side. "She's a horror fiction writer whose stories came to life and are out to get her!"

"She always has the best stories!" Y/n squeaked as she shrugged with the half-sarcastic comment. "So I need the blood. Get it for me, you vampire man."

Stan dramatically waved his cape before making his exit. Candy, Mabel, and Grenda were gushing over Waddle's office costume when he returned with a cup of red liquid. She took it before he left again. "Welp, here goes." She dipped her fingers into the liquid and began patting herself. "Oh, nooo. Ahhhh. Blood."

She had the thick substance all over her clothes and hat, and even had one splashed on the lens of her glasses for extra effect. Internally, she thought how she could have just used her own blood for a more scary prop– but she thought it might freak them out. She's not ready to see her differently just yet.

"Looking great, Y/n!" Mabel pointed out. "Oh man, guys, just wait until you see Dipper's costume! It's amazing!" She exclaimed. Everyone heard sounds of taps as they turned to the stairs. "Here he comes now!"

But Dipper wasn't wearing a costume. He had his pockets inside his vest as he walked down the stairs, dressing normally.

The four of them stared at him in silence before Candy spoke. "That is a very good Dipper costume."

Mabel walked over to him. "What the hey-hey, bro-bro. Where's your costume?"

"Look, I can't go trick-or-treating. I'm uh... really sick." He coughed right on cue. "M-must've been that bad candy!" He fell to the floor, clutching his stomach. "Go on without me!"

"Fight through it, man!" Mabel persuaded. "Where's your Summerween spirit?"

Y/n remained silent while setting the now-empty cup down on a nearby surface. Dipper's illness came out of nowhere. He couldn't have gotten sick from the candy, she was certain. His actions were extremely suspicious.

Instead of the usual door bell, someone knocked. Dipper stood up to his feet and opened it.

"Trick-or-treat."

A husky voice spoke. Dipper looked up to see a tall creature with a raggedy costume and a smiley face as their mask.

"Dude, really? You're a little old for this, man. Sorry."

"But, wait, I-" He was cut off by the slamming of the door.

Mabel had her hands on her hips. "Why'd you close the door?"

"I told you, Mabel, I'm just not feeling it tonight." He coughed again after his sentence.

"I think a little trick-or-treating will make you feel better," the other twin replied, nudging her brother.

Dipper glared. "I'm not trick-or treating!"

"Sounds a little weird coming from the so-called 'King of Trick-or-Treating'," Y/n noted, wanting to speak her mind. Her arms were crossed, her face contorted to a confused and doubtful expression.

Before he could utter a reply, there was a knock on the door again.

He opened it to see the same person. "Look, man, just go to another house!" He shut him out again.

"Dipper! Where's your Summerween hospitality?" Mabel shouted.

The door was knocked upon once more. "I'm not getting that." Dipper glowered.

"Well, I am!" She took over his place and opened the door this time, greeting the stranger with a happy face. "I apologize for my brother. He came down with a case of the grumpy-grumps-"

"SILENCE!"

Wind came over and leaves were flying around. The person made a dramatic stance and pointed at Mabel accusingly. "You have insulted me! For this you must pay... with your lives." He leaned closer.

"Ohhh, what a cute little mask!" Mabel placed her hands on her hips. "You're a funny guy, aren't you?"

The creature entered the Shack, and Y/n was immediately posed as if she's ready for a fight. She stood in front of the other girls as they shivered in fear. "Funny, am I?" He said with his raspy voice.

"Twik-ow-tweet!" A little boy walked by wearing a pirate costume. "My name is Gorney!" He said enthusiastically before he was being grabbed by the monster and devoured him whole as he screamed, "Remember me!"

Everyone in the room was hysterical. "Gorney!" Grenda shouted.

"There's only one way for you to avoid his fate." His slender finger poked Candy on the head, and it made her grab onto Y/n in fright as she glared at the creature. "I need a treat. If you can collect 500 pieces of candy, and bring it to me before the last Jack O' Melon goes out," He conveniently brought out a melon from nowhere and lit it up with his magic fingers before blowing it out. "I will let you live."

Dipper panicked. "Five hundred treats in one night? That's impossible!"

"The choice is yours, children." It began retreating its way outside. " You must trick-or-treat... or DIE!" The monster laughed maniacally before making its way to the Shack's roof and out of sight.

"Oh my gosh, Mabel. Do you know what this means?" Dipper frowned.

She was frowning as well, wearing a serious look. "I do... It means you have to come trick-or-treating! Yay!" She shook her brother in excitement.

Candy was still trembling slightly. "Who was that guy?"

"Was that the Summerween Trickster that Soos was telling us about?" Y/n wondered aloud.

"I can't believe it's true!" Mabel added.

"I can't believe he has a super hot, raspy voice!" Grenda chimed in, only to receive weird stares. "Just me? Okay."

Soos walked out of the Shack. "What's going out here, dudes? I heard a ruckus. Heh, funny word. Ruckus."

The kids told him about the monster that was threatening to eat them unless they gave him candy, confirming his legend. "You guys are in crazy bonkers trouble, dude."

Dipper began pacing around. "How are we gonna get so much candy in one night? There's no way!"

Mabel clapped from a random haystack she was standing on. Everybody crowded around her. "Listen up, people. Now some might say that being cursed by a blood-thirsty holiday monster is a bad thing, but that monster messed with the wrong crew. With everybody's own assets joining forces, we'll get 500 pieces of candy and have fun doing it, too, even if it takes all night!"

Everyone took off, Dipper trundling a wheelbarrow until they reached the streets of Gravity Falls. "How do you even do this anyway..." Y/n muttered, holding her own burlap sack.

Mabel gasped beside her. "Y/n, you've never trick-or-treated before?!"

She shook her head no. "I never had anyone to go out with, sadly," she confessed. All those years being sheltered down the portal room with Stan had been a result to her lack of social skills. Good thing she was a quick learner.

"Well, consider yourself lucky!" She hugged her side. "With us, you'll have so much fun with this being your first time!"

"I just don't understand why we can't just buy our candy and be done with it," Dipper spoke up, wiping the smile from her sister's face. Mabel removed her arm around Y/n's shoulders.

"That sorta takes the fun out of trick-or-treat-or-die, Dipper."

"I'm trying to take the die out of trick-or-treat-or-die!"

They all walked to the first house, which belonged to Lazy Susan. Another group of trick-or-treaters just received a bagful, so that means she's generous with her candy.

"Just say trick-or-treat, Y/n," Mabel said, facing her. "You need to be adorable, which you really don't have to do anything. Right, Dipper?" she nudged him casually, making him blush for a brief moment before looking away.

The team walked up to Lazy Susan and shouted in unison, "Trick-or-treat!"

"And is everybody in costume?" She began pointing them out one by one, naming them. "Chimney sweep (Grenda), elephant man (Soos), squeegee (Candy), ant farm (Mabel), hotdog sandwich! (Y/n)" She stopped at Dipper. "Oh, and what are you supposed to be?"

"Uh, actually, I'm not dressed up as anything. We're, we're kinda in a hurry here."

"Oh. I see."That made Susan frown as she began giving everyone except Dipper one piece of candy. "Enjoy!" She screamed with a smile before slamming the door shut.

"One piece of black licorice?!" Grenda complained.

Candy brought up her own lousy reward. "Circus peanut! This is loser candy."

"Five pieces of candy?! This is gonna take forever!"

"We've gotta up our game, Dipper. You gotta put on your costume," Mabel advised.

Dipper stubbornly declined. "I told you, I'm not up to it, Mabel!" He coughed in perfect timing again.

"Oh, really?" The Trickster appeared on top of a street light before climbing down onto Soos and picking up a candy from his bag. He inspected the piece as he hummed. Soos was quivering in fear. "I've seen better."

"Get off of him!" Y/n demanded, unafraid.

The Trickster jumped away and flipped onto a roof as he grabbed a lit Jack O' Melon. "Tick-tock..." he blew the candle out before jumping behind the house.

"That monster is seriously so dramatic..." Y/n muttered under her breath.

Mabel turned to Dipper. "So, what was that about being too sick to wear a costume?"

He sighed defeatedly as he kicked a rock.

***

A few minutes after coming back to the Shack and getting the costume before regrouping in the street and Dipper hiding later, Mabel finally welcomed her brother to the gang. "Introducing, for the first time in public..." Dipper walked out, shamefully wearing his costume. "TADA! Peanut Butter and Jelly!"

Everybody aww'ed in unison at the sight. Y/n couldn't help but smile at them. It was indeed a precious moment.

Dipper groaned. "Let's just get this over with, okay?"

The group lined towards the next street, splitting up to different houses. The peanut butter boy reached up and pressed the doorbell before facing the jelly girl. "Do you really think this will make a difference?"

A biker opened the door, grunting and holding a bowl of candy. The pair began dancing together before exclaiming, "TWINS!" with a broad grin. The biker stared at them before looking up, his eyes welling up with tears of joy. He threw the entire candy bowl into their bag, and the twins ran away in delight.

Grenda, Candy, Soos, Y/n had just returned from their respective homes they just trick-or-treated in, meeting in the middle to unload their earned candy. "Let's get that candy guys!"

More trick-or-treating ensued with Dipper and Mabel using their twin powers to charm the residents and making them give all the candy they had left. The notepad and pen that was inside Y/n's trench coat that was supposed to be a harmless prop came in handy as they used it to list the number of candies that they have.

The more candy they have in their wheelbarrow, the less time they have left until the last Jack O' Melon was blown out. A couple of ringing and dinging bells later, Mabel had just upturned her bag and a few more candy spilled out into the wagon. "499! We did it!" The group cheered. "All we need is one more piece of candy!"

"And it's only 8:30," Dipper said, looking at his watch. "Perfect timing!"

Perfect timing for what? Y/n wondered.

Mabel hugged him tightly. "Ah, and your cough went away, too!"

"Dude, I'm gonna go around and grab the truck. Soos, away!" Soos ran off with his cape wavering behind.

The ecstatic girl turned to Grenda, Candy, and Y/n. "Last one to the last house is a pair of wax lips!" The three giggled as they sprinted while Grenda screamed that she wasn't a wax lip.

The four girls arrived at the supposed last house by the corner of the street. "So, how was your first time trick-or-treating with us, Y/n?" Mabel asked, nudging her slightly.

"It was so fun! I didn't know it was fun," Y/n admitted with a huge smile on her face. "I can't believe a bunch of kids dressed up as various things get rewards from grown adults just because they have to!" The other three laughed at Y/n, making her confused. "Am I wrong?"

Mabel stopped chuckling first. She rang the doorbell and the girls greeted with "Trick-or-treat!" The woman sadly motioned to her hands that held a single piece of candy. "It's perfect, ma'am! Thank you!" They all began to walk back but Y/n spoke again.

"Wait, why did you guys laugh at me?"

"Oh, Y/n, you are such a nerd– and I don't mean that in a bad way, no. You know you don't have to spout out smart stuff all the time, right? Dipper's already impressed with you."

That only added to her confusedness. "...what?"

The trio giggled to one another. "He is... wait for it... nuts about you!" Everyone except Y/n burst into laughter again. "HAH, get it? Because he's a-" Mabel was cut off by her own laughter. "He's peanut butter! HAHAHA!"

Y/n shook her head. "You guys are hard to decipher."

Mabel slung her arm around her shoulders, not caring about the fake blood stain that might dirty her costume. "Don't worry your pretty little head, Y/n. You can talk to him about it later. Speaking of Dipper, let's–!"

Her words died in her throat as the four of them watched Dipper conversed with Wendy without his costume. "...party?" was the last part of Wendy's sentence.

Dipper was chuckling. "Yeah, yeah, I'm definitely coming." He nodded.

The van eventually speeded off as he waved them away. "Later, guys!"

Mabel stood there, frozen. "You're going to a party?"

His eyes widened as he turned around and saw their disappointed faces, his sister having the deepest frown. "Well, hey, I-"

He was cut off by the last piece of candy thrown directly at his face. "That's why you were acting so weird and trying to hurry us!" Mabel exclaimed. "You're not sick at all! So if it wasn't for this crazy monster, you were gonna ditch me! On our favorite holiday!" Her lip wobbled as she spoke.

Candy and Grenda said, "Ooooh" in unison, while Y/n remained silent.

"What happened to the DIpper who used to love Halloween?!" Mabel looked away as he remained silent. She looked around. "And where's all the candy?!"

"Relax, relax!" Dipper tried to ease her worries with a relieved grin. "I left it right here. Behind this bush." He walked over to the shrubs and pushed away the leaves before looking over. "Oh no."

The candy-filled wheelbarrow had fallen into a creek gorge, and the majority of the candy was floating downstream.

"What did you do?!" Mabel yelled further as they felt a pit to their stomachs. All their hard work was gone, down the drain. There was no way they could get another 500 pieces of candy with almost all the Jack O' Melons out.

Everybody looked around and they saw the houses all dark with no signs of light in them. "Oh no, all the Jack O' Melons are out!" Panicked Mabel.

"Look!" Dipper pointed down the road where the last melon was still lit. Old Man McGucket stood beside it with a large unknowing smile. "Hehe! Good night!" He inhaled his breath, ready to blow.

"Stop!" They got to him and tried to explain that he shouldn't blow out the candle.

"What?!" He had to pull out a horn to his ear.

"Don't blow out that candle!" Dipper shouted.

The man threw away the horn carelessly as he jollied, "I'm Old Man McGucket!" He inhaled again.

"Wait-!"

Grenda rammed into the old man and got a hold of the Jack O' Melon. "Sorry."

McGucket crawled away, producing sounds from an animal they couldn't identify. Finally, he was gone, and the melon was still lit. "Phew, that was close." The group sighed in relief, but the air from the mouths caused the candle to go out. Very unfortunate.

"Uh oh."

As if on cue, the Trickster appeared from under a lone streetlight, stepping into view. "Knock knock." He continued walking forward, and the team walked back. "So, children. Where's my candy?"

The three girls hugged each other in fright. Y/n was trying to devise a plan to escape from this monster, while Dipper was trying to reason. "I swear, we had all 500 pieces. Look! It's down there somewhere, we can still get it!"

The monster's limbs suddenly stretched him to a much taller height. "I'm afraid it's too late!" His back popped from behind, ripping away his sort of clothing. He leaned towards Dipper, mocking him with his slender fingers. "That was your last chance!"

Dipper took out the last candy he got from Mabel and attempted to attack him with it, flinging it towards the monster, but they watched as it only got absorbed with its flesh. The Trickster laughed maniacally. Okay, so it probably absorbs anything it hurls at him so they shouldn't go near it.

Y/n grabbed Mabel's hand, making her hold onto Grenda, who clasped her arm with Candy. "Let's go!"

Everyone ran around the Trickster, who followed them. The group suddenly collapsed and was being captured one by one by its morphing arms. "What are you made of?!" Y/n shouted, thrashing around in its hold. Surely he has a weakness once she finds out what he is.

It took hold of everyone, swinging them around as if it won a prize, until a van crashed into the monster, causing it to explode. The children went flying. The van stopped and Soos looked out the window. "Woah."

"Soos!" They were glad he was there to save the day, perfect timing and all.

"That wasn't like a regular pedestrian, was it?" He asked.

"It was the monster!"

"Thanks, Soos," Dipper said, turning to Mabel. "I'm just glad it's over, right?" He asked, only to receive no answers from her. She walked away towards the truck and hopped inside.

Once everyone was in the car, Soos asked the group, "Did everyone remember to put on their seatbelts?"

"Yes." Everyone except Mabel and Y/n – who just hummed – said. Mabel nodded without saying a word.

The truck drove off. Dipper and Mabel sat up front, while Y/n was in between Candy and Grenda. Mabel rubbed her slowly bruising elbow under her sleeve, not saying a word. "Hey, are you okay?" Dipper noticed. She turned away, giving him a cold shoulder. "There are probably some bandages back at the Shack..." he tried to reassure but all he received was nothing. He breathed a sigh.

Mabel was gazing outside the car's window when all of a sudden, particles of what looked like mush were taken by wind, moving quickly past her. "Uh... guys?" She said, looking back at the road to see the Trickster's body slowly being reassembled.

The smiley face mask was still there, and his limbs grew back, but he didn't even finish his transformation when he jumped into the air and crashed onto the car's roof, making Soos swerve as everybody screamed.

Soos managed to get the Trickster to release its grip, but the vehicle was still zigzagging. The van made an unsuspecting turn towards the Summerween store. "Hit the brakes, Soos!" Y/n shouted over the commotion.

The handyman stomped on the pedal and the tires screeched against the pavement until it eventually rammed into the sliding doors, smashing the glass. The car was now inside, dashing through shelves and merchandise before stopping.

Everyone managed to get out of their seats and into the store. Dust littered the room as Y/n checked if no one got hurt. The Trickster appeared in the giant hole the car made, crawling on the ground. "We have to hide!" Dipper yelled and the group hid behind the shelves.

The Trickster was getting more bloodthirsty by the second, destroying everything in its path. "He's blocking the only exit..."

Mabel and Dipper decided to hide on one of the lower shelves as well as Grenda, Candy, and Y/n. Soos was standing with the hung up costumes.

"Everyone, stay quiet!" Dipper whispered to the other four.

Y/n tapped her fingers against a surface as she thought of a plan. They can't be stuck here forever. It's only a matter of time until the Trickster finds them and devours them. She couldn't just sit here and wait. She had to do something.

So she crouched out of the shelf and looked around to see if the creature was nearby. "Y/n, what are you doing?"

"I'm finding another way out," she told them.She scouted the area as thoroughly as she could before proceeding to the other side of the aisle. A grip on her wrist stopped her, and she faced Dipper standing up from behind the shelf.

His brow furrowed in concern. "Stay! The monster might see you!" He hissed.

Mabel couldn't help it, she was angry. "Oh, now you're worried about the monster. I thought all you cared about was the party!"

Dipper still had Y/n in his grip, turning to his sister as he crouched back down with her. "Mabel, you know that's not true."

The two sensed that the Trickster was coming their way so they fit inside the shelf with Mabel. They stopped breathing for a bit until the monster passed by completely. Now, the three were squished together in a tight space. "I just..." Dipper continued in whispers, "I felt like I was getting a little too old for trick-or-treating."

"That's exactly why we need to go trick-or-treating, Dipper! We're getting older, there's not that many Halloween's left!" She turned away with a sigh. "I guess I didn't realize it was already our last one."

Dipper's eyes widened. As if he had only realized that this meant so much to Mabel. He looked down to the patterned floor and remained quiet. If only Y/n could reach over and give her a comforting hug, but she's afraid that there are more important things to take care of at the moment. |

"We have to find a way to not let him see us," Y/n told the group, thinking of a plan.

Soos stood still by the costume rack "If only there were something we could use to cover our bodies and faces with. You know, like a disguise of some kind..." he trailed off, placing fingers under his chin.

Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n looked at one another, having the same idea.

The group managed to find identical capes with skull masks – except for Soos, who donned a gorilla outfit. They tip-toed around the monster, stopping moving when it was near. Good thing the Trickster didn't have good senses. Does he even have a proper face with ears and a nose?

"Almost there!" Dipper said, leading the line.

Y/n paused in her movements, noticing that one person wasn't with them. "Wait-" she turned around and saw Soos by the shelves of cackling skulls again. "Soos!" she whisper-shouted towards the man, alerting everyone else as they stared at him in panic.

"Soos, don't you dare!" Mabel warned, pointing at him.

Soos held his hands together. "Sorry, dude, today's been way stressful. I need some levity. He pressed one of the skulls— but nothing happened.

Mabel smiled in relief as she faced the group. "Oh, thank goodness. It was out of batteries."

Unfortunately, Soos found a package of batteries, and was now struggling to open it.

"Soos, no!"

He eventually put the batteries inside of the toy but before he pushed down the head again, he was tackled to the ground. Y/n climbed on top of his belly. "Cut it out, man! The monster will hear you!" She snarled.

"No, let me hear it!" No matter how Y/n tried to push him down, Soos just easily managed to get up because of his height against her. "I... want... the... jokes!" He bumped the toy skulls and it turned on.

"No matter the score, I'm always a-head! Nyahaha! Nyahaha!"

Soos laughed as well, slapping his leg. "I'm sorry, Y/n, but this cackling head's the voice of a generation!"

Y/n's eyes widened, completely ignoring what he said as the Trickster was coming up behind them as its mouth opened. Soos turned around as well and the monster finally made its move, widening its mouth and leaning down. Y/n got into a fighting stance, but before the monster reached them, Soos pushed her away, sending her back to the group, before he was eaten.

She stared in shock. Why did he have to sacrifice himself for her?! Before she could call herself all the ugly names, Dipper's voice echoed through the hallway. "Hey, monster!" Y/n averted her gaze to the group pulling out toy weapons and began charging towards the Trickster. Mabel tossed her a plastic spear and they were all attacking the large being.

Grenda leaped into the air and swung her ax and it was effective, cutting off one of the Trickster's limbs. As they bash their weapons into its limbs, some particles were flying out, and poor Grenda had a taste of them. Her brows furrowed as she found the taste familiar. "Saltwater taffy? Gross!"

Dipper hacked at a leg, and the same itty bits came at him. "What are you–?!" He tasted a piece. "Wait, it is!" He confirmed Grenda's suspicions.

"You really haven't figured it out yet?" The Trickster said, picking everyone up as he brought them closer. "Don't you recognize me? Look at my face! Look closely." He pulled the smiley mask off to reveal that he was an amalgamation of various candy pieces. Cherry swirlies for his eyes, pepper sticks for his brows, apple licorice for his lips, and worst of all, candy corn for his teeth. The rest of his so-called flesh was just littered with-

"Loser candy!" Mabel shouted.

"That's right!" The Trickster said, proceeding to tell his backstory– how he was rejected so he sought revenge on the picky children. "No one would eat me. But now, I'm going to eat you." The twins screamed, holding each other. They hear something grumbling, making the Trickster struggle to speak. "What is that?!" He screamed in pain as his body was growling and moving around.

Suddenly, Soos tore through the Trickster's chest, screeching. The creature dropped the group as he fell to the ground, vomiting jelly beans. Soos sat atop of the monster comfortably, basically eating his insides with a smile. "You guys want some of this?"

Everyone shook their heads. Y/n grimaced, feeling like Mabel after eating those expired Smile Dips. "I don't wanna eat any candy ever again," she said after seeing this horrifying view.

"Wait! You actually think I taste... good?"

Soos shrugged. "Uh, sure! You know."

The Trickster smiled. "All I've ever wanted is for someone to say that I was... good!" He began sobbing as candy corn came out of his eyes, "I'm so happy!"

Gorney was also safe inside of the Trickster's stomach, screaming happily, "I've bween twaumatized!"

Eventually, everyone decided that it was time to go home. The Trickster was gone because his unfinished business was finally, well, finished. Luckily, the truck was still working after the crash. After removing all the debris, they finally got in and drove back to the Shack.

The moon was still high up in the sky as the group entered through the living room. They greeted Stan by the door who was watching a horror movie.

"Hey, Dipper!" Wendy chimed in as she had been sitting from the chair on the left of them. She was carving a watermelon.

"Wendy!" He was surprised to see her here, especially now where she could see him in his peanut butter costume with Mabel.

The redhead frowned. "I didn't see you at the party. Where were you?" She asked.

Dipper began stuttering, stalling for a cool excuse to somewhat impress her as she waited with an eyebrow raised. He stopped and decided that he shouldn't lie anymore and he shouldn't be ashamed of it. So with a proud grin, he told her. "I was trick-or-treating. With my sister." He brought her in for a side-hug, making Mabel smile.

Wendy turned to Y/n who was looking at the now cracked fake glasses. "Wait, you went trick-or-treating too, Y/n?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

The older teen smiled. "Well, I gotta say, I like your hotdog costume."

"It's not a hotdog costume! Why do people keep saying that?!"

"Maybe because of your beige coat, beige pants, and beige hat that looked like a hotdog bun," Mabel happily pointed out.

Dipper agreed. "Mm, and the fake blood honestly looked like ketchup."

Y/n sighed in defeat, deciding that denying the hotdog theory would be pointless anyway.

Wendy was telling them that the party was lame and that Robbie ate a lollipop stick first and had to go home sick, making Dipper stifle a laugh.

"Aw man," Mabel said, frowning, "we went to every single house, and we didn't even get to eat any candy!"

"Candy?" Stan asked from the yellow chair before bringing out two large sacks. "How's that for candy?"

The trio grinned at each other. Everyone got out of their costumes except for Soos (who stupidly didn't bring his clothes) as Stan turned the bags upside down, letting all the candy fall to the ground. The TV had just announced that the movie is coming back from a commercial break. Y/n turned off the lights as everyone settled around the pile of candy.

Dipper returned from upstairs and silently entered the room, sitting on the steps. He carefully attached a bandage on Mabel's sore arm and they smiled at each other.

They were quietly munching on candies as they intently watched the supposed horror movie until Soos broke the silence.

"I ate a man alive tonight."

***

Chapter 15: Exchanging Bosses and Bodies

Chapter Text

Summerween had passed exactly two weeks before. Things had moved slowly but steadily. Nothing significant had occurred. Stan kept working for the Shack, while Y/n was trapped in the portal room every evening until morning. No one questioned her erratic sleeping schedule, though Y/n appreciated it when Mabel made a plan and informed her ahead of time so she could adjust her time frame.

One morning, Stan was watching his favorite show with the kids, 'Cash Wheel' with his niece and nephew until Soos came and announced that they had a bus full of tourists coming in from different places. Stan made sure that the prices of each merchandise were tripled– no, quadrupled.

He even used Dipper as an attraction, having him dress in a wolf costume, who dances when people throw money at him. Mabel attempted to give one bumper sticker on the house until Stan chastised her for giving away something for free. Mabel told him to use his please and thank you, but Stan argued back that those words never earned him money.

The rest of the day, the employees of the Mystery Shack were ordered to paint the whole sign with pink glitter to attract more tourists before Stan went outside and saw Y/n by the vending machine.

"Oh, my- I thought you were someone else." Y/n jumped as she heard him by the door. She had just exited through the fake door and if someone saw her come out, their whole cover would be blown.

Stan rolled his eyes. "You're lucky the tourists were down at the museum or else you would have ruined everything. Now give me a Pitt Cola."

"Of course I peeked first before coming out. You think I'm an idiot?" Y/n elbowed the glass and the machine automatically spat out two cans of sodas. She took the two, tossed one to Stan, and they opened it at the same time.

Meanwhile, the four people standing on the roof in filthy clothes were now complaining about Stan being the worst boss ever. Soos also shared his own experience with Stan disagreeing with his idea of having a Mystery Shack mascot, which Mabel thought was where Stan crossed the line.

Stan entered after saying his goodbyes to the customers on his porch. When Mabel appeared behind him, he almost dropped the jar full of money. She followed him to his office, complaining that he had gone too far this time. "Did you seriously tell Soos not to follow his hopes and dreams because he 'couldn't handle it'?!"

The older man explained his way of bossing then around but Mabel was just not having it. "No way! I bet you'd make way more money being nice than being a big grumpy grump to everyone all the time!"

He was unimpressed all the same. "Ha! You think you know more about business than I do? You think you could wear this hat?"

Mabel accepted the challenge with glee, proclaiming that she can turn the situation around. Stan mocked her once more, claiming that he could make more money on vacation than Mabel could running the place.

"Then why don't you go on a vacation?"

Her proposition made him raise an eyebrow in interest. He rubbed his chin, thinking of a deal as he is a wagering man. "3 days. 72 hours. You run the Shack, and I'll go on vacation. If you make more money than me, then I guess it means you're right about the way I run my business."

Mabel stayed silent, contemplating his words.

"But if you lose, you- uh..." He picked up a random, dirty shirt from the floor and wrote 'LOSER' in marker. "You gotta wear this LOSER shirt all summer!"

She stared at the shirt in horror, imagining herself in the horrendous shirt, but she's not putting down a fight. "Fine! But if I win, I get to be the boss for the rest of the summer! Plus, you have to sing an apologizing song with lyrics by me! Mabel."

They had themselves a deal.

Stan changed his clothes before packing his belongings. He stuffed his suitcases into the trunk of his car. After closing it, he turned to face his niece. "See you in 72 hours! We'll see who makes more money." He entered his car, but before closing it, he threw his fez, which landed on Mabel's head.

But before he drove away, he returned his gaze to her. "Oh, and don't ask Y/n for help." He was gone before Mabel knew it.

An hour passed when Dipper knocked on Y/n's bedroom door. "Y/n? You there?"

She opened the door after a moment. "What's wrong?"

He shrugged. "Nothing's wrong, it's just that Mabel is calling us from Stan's office,"

"Why would she be–"

"She made a bet with Stan that she runs the Shack for 3 days while Stan is on vacation."

Y/n paused, averting her gaze. Stan? Outside? It was the first time he had been away from the Shack in 30 years. He deserved it because he's been working so hard. "Hm."

"So, are you coming?"

"Alright," she replied, "just give me a moment."

Dipper stood outside the closed door. He'd never been inside her room before and was curious about what it looked like. He never got a good look because the door was always shut.

Y/n walked out again after a full minute. "Okay, let's go."

On the way to Stan's office, they met Soos and Wendy who apparently were also called to meet 'Stan' but when they opened the door and stared at the large office chair, the old man was replaced by a young girl wearing an oversized suit with glasses.

Mabel had already sent a message to Stan that she has a different approach to business, as Y/n could tell. She has no idea how this will go, despite the numerous motivational posters hung on the wall and stickers attached to every tool.

The young boss informed everyone that Stan had gone on vacation and that they had made a bet that she would be the Mystery Shack's temporary show-runner.

So far, Mabel's shower of compliments and positive outlook have stood in stark contrast to Stan's nagging and demanding demeanor, which makes Y/n concerned. She's been in the Mystery Shack business for decades and is well-versed in its operations. She knew how to win over customers and how to attract tourists. She just hoped Mabel's temporary job wouldn't be too stressful.

All previous working conditions have been transformed into a relaxed, yet cooperative environment. Wendy's request to have friends at work was granted, Mabel had Soos' dream costume ready, and Dipper was dispatched to capture the next Shack's attraction.

Naturally, the boy was ecstatic, eager to discover anything that might exist in the journal. Y/n stood there watching as he practically jumped out the window.

"As for you, Y/n..." she heard Mabel say. She turned to the glasses-wearing tween. "How would you like to change the way you move around this establishment?"

Y/n didn't have an answer she could give to Mabel considering Stan really didn't give her a heavy load of work, but she didn't want to look like she wasn't interested with Mabel's changes around the Shack. "Well, if you want, Mabel, I can be your assistant around here. You know, in case things get hectic."

It was a sincere offer. With Stan gone, it was up to Y/n to take care of the Shack. She was a little concerned, but she knew they could handle it. What possibly could go wrong?

To put it mildly, the first 12 hours have been... okay. Mabel was wholeheartedly attempting to be a better boss, but nothing is truly better than before. The tour, led by Mabel and Y/n, was pleasant, and the tourists were satisfied, pouring money into the large jar.

Y/n smiled at Mabel's excited grin when she looked inside the jar filled with dollar bills.

"Guys! I caught something!" Dipper called as he arrived, pulling a large sack behind him. The creature inside was still thrashing around, groaning. "This is gonna blow those tourists away!" He laughed shakily as he couldn't contain his excitement, but it was cut short when the sack suddenly leaped and captured Dipper's arm with its mouth.

Dipper screamed, punching it repeatedly and it let go.

After praising his brother and giving a motivational speech to Soos who felt very unsure about the Questiony the Question Mark mascot, Mabel and Y/n walked inside the Shack and decided to check on the redhead.

"How's my favorite Wendy!" Mabel greeted cheerily but she was greeted back by a trashed gift shop.

Y/n felt frustrated, seeing the broken up merchandise and garbage lying everywhere as Wendy just stood there, doing nothing.

Lee and Nate were playing around with a shriveled goblin skull until the latter had the last kick that was unknowingly aimed at an innocent kid, hitting him directly into his face.

The kid cried aloud, sobbing as his mother frantically ran to him. "Billy, your face! It's ruined!"

Mabel dashed towards the woman while Y/n marched up to Wendy's friends, unafraid.

Unfortunately, they all - except for Wendy - got up and left without receiving much as a bicker from Y/n. She rolled her eyes, beginning to pick up the garbage and placing them on a nearby trash can.

The boss approached Wendy after handling the customer. "Wendy, you got a lot of cleaning up to do. Please?"

"Whoa," Wendy said, "all this rule stuff is starting to make you sound like Stan..."

Y/n stared at the older teen as she couldn't believe the incredulity of Wendy's dupe to make Mabel think that she's becoming like Stan, when she was completely aware that Mabel didn't ever want to be compared to the old man.

"What? No! I'm nothing like Stan!" Mabel hurriedly denied. "In fact, take the rest of the day off...?"

Wendy paused. "With full pay?"

Mabel didn't even hesitate, chuckling nervously. "Of course!"

The redhead gave her a thumbs up before sprinting out the door. Maybe this was her way of getting out of work, but she still took advantage of Mabel and that didn't sit right with Y/n. She shook her head as she felt that her respect for Wendy had decreased significantly.

Mabel was unnerving, even seemingly proud of herself for being such a nice boss. Y/n shook her head slightly. Oh, Mabel...

Dipper finally got the monster he captured inside the cage after nearly being killed. It was now time to show the creature to the two unsuspecting tourists. "Behold, part gremlin, part goblin..." he unveiled the cover, revealing the thrashing monster inside. "The Gremloblin!"

It was shaking the bars, groaning as spit flew everywhere. Alas, even when it spit out a real human skeleton arm, the couple easily dismissed the display as fake, referring to the body hair as strings.

Dipper tried to convince them, but they were more entertained with the other creatures. "Look at this, dear! The 'Six Pack O' Lope!'"

The man chuckled. "Wordplay!"

"No, everything else here is fake!" He pulled the two of them back to the caged monster. "This is a real paranormal beast! Hey! Fun fact about this little guy; if you look into its eyes, you can see your worst nightmare."

And looked into its eyes they did. It was also a fun little fact when its eyes glowed yellow and rendered the couple speechless. It was also quite hilarious when Dipper had to call for the ambulance because they were now permanently scarred, quivering and stammering.

"Thanks again for visiting!" Dipper bid the vehicle away, trying to appear optimistic but quickly abandoning the act when the ambulance was far away.

Mabel, on the other hand, was having a particularly bad day. She was feverishly running around the gift shop, assisting customers with everything. She was frantic as she helped the customers with everything they needed, completely unaware that she was messing things up.

Slumping on the back of the counter, she let out an exhausted sigh. Dipper plopped on the ground next to her. "Welp, I just made two people go insane. How about you?"

"I'm so tired," Mabel breathed, "I gave Wendy the day off so I had to do her job."

"Where's Y/n?"

"She wanted to excuse herself. I figured she was tired, so I let her take some rest..." the girl replied.

Dipper turned to her. "Well, maybe you need to start being a little bit tougher around here. And we need Y//n's help, why are you letting her slack off, too?"

"Being tougher is what Stan would do! No way!" Mabel immediately rejected, "And you know what he said before he left; do not ask Y/n for help."

"But we need all the help we can get!" Dipper argued. "I'm sure Stan didn't mean anything."

The other twin shrugged. "Let's just give her some space, maybe she really needed it. Meanwhile, I just need to think positive, be friendly, and everything will work out fine-""

Suddenly, a roar rang throughout the gift shop and the Gremloblin burst through the wall. Tourists screamed and ran out of the Shack as Mabel and Dipper hid behind the counter.

"What?!" Dipper exclaimed. "How did he get out of his locked cage?"

Mabel was guiltily fiddling with the sleeves of her sweater. "Well... I wanted to give him a 5-minute break so I taped the key on his cage! No big deal..."

"YOU GAVE HIM A BREAK?!"

"He's an employee...! Sort of..." she tried to reason.

He face-palmed, trying to devise a plan. "We gotta round him up. Where's Soos?"

"He was stressed out, so I told him to take a soothing nature walk," Mabel replied.

"Okay, we gotta call for Y/n, then."

"No! But what if she's asleep?"

Dipper's hands were shaking. "She should be awake from the noises right now! I need to go get her!"

The two managed to run out from the counter where the Gremloblin was near. They went through the Employees' Only door next to the broken up wall.

Before they could dash off, Y/n was running out from the hall. "Oh, my– what the heck happened?!"

"Y/n! Shush!" Dipper hissed, pulling her closer to them. They managed to evade the monster's sights. He tried to explain as quickly as possible. "Don't freak out. It was supposed to be a display for the museum, but Mabel accidentally let it out-"

"You captured a Gremloblin?!" Y/n exclaimed in whispers. "How did you even-"

"It doesn't matter," he quickly moved past it, despite being aware of the enraged look in her eyes. "We need to find a way to make it leave."

Mabel, having gotten a quick peek from the door, was pacing. "What do we do? He's awarding himself stickers that he didn't even earn!"

Y/n stared at the ground, knowing exactly what to do with the monster in order to sedate it. She recalled the first time they had an encounter with the Gremloblin, how F was there and that she and Ford saved him... Stupidly, Ford thought that in order to keep it calm, it needed-

"...'water'...'" Dipper was reading from the journal. Y/n's eyes widened when she saw that Mabel wasn't with them, only to be found outside with a glass of water in front of the Gremloblin. Oh, crap. She had to do a flashback that lasted for a whole minute.

"No, don't-!" Y/n tried to stop Mabel, but she already tossed the liquid onto the creature just as Dipper turned to the next page in the journal.

"... 'only as a last resort as water will make him much much scarier'! AH!" He closed the book in a panic. "Who writes sentences like that?!"

Apparently the author. Y/n scoffed internally.

Mabel managed to run away as the Gremloblin transformed into a scarier version of him.

Y/n glanced at the monster, trying to find a way to get on its back and sending a blow on its neck. She needed a distraction, but how?

The Gremloblin spent its hours playing with the knickknacks of the shop, including the Singing Salmon, which it has been pressing for hours now.

"Ugh, why doesn't he just leave?" Mabel said, exasperated.

All of a sudden, the monster seemed to be hungry, catching a whiff of the green dollar bills tucked inside the jar. It sat up and reached for the container, pouring the cash into its mouth.

"Our profits!" Mabel cried, not hesitating to run towards the beast.

"Mabel!" Y/n and Dipper shouted in unison.

"Stop, stop!" Mabel yelled as she flailed her arms, getting the attention of the Gremloblin. The monster grabbed her and lifted her up to its face.

Y/n cupped her hands on the side of her lips. "Mabel, whatever you do, don't look into his eye!"

"It's evil, Mabel!" Dipper shouted too. "You'll see your worst nightmare!"

Mabel was persistent, thrashing around in its grip. "I wish we had an evil eye to show him!" She said to the monster, unfortunately looking into its eyes. "Oh no!" Her eyes glowed yellow, and that made Y/n go forward and to the side of the monster, climbing up the logged walls of the gift shop until she reached a high shelf.

Dipper also had a plan of his own, having thought of the most logical way to beat a creature who has a pair of evil eyes. "Hey, monster!" he called, getting a random mirror off the ground. "Take a look at this!" He showed the reflective glass and it was sent to its own nightmares, making it drop Mabel.

Before the monster could thrash around more, though, it went unconscious when Y/n bashed something hard on the back of its neck. It was probably a stone golem version of Stan as a merchandise.

"Woah!" Dipper exclaimed as the Gremloblin crashed to the ground. "Y/n, that was... amazing! How did you know that?"

Y/n got off of the beast's back. "My mom made me do judo last summer," she quickly came up with an excuse, "and one of the lessons they taught me were pressure points."

"Well, good job, because then the Gremloblin wouldn't have dealt more damage to the Shack."

Suddenly, the Gremloblin woke up with a start, began running in circles before running towards the wall and flying away, but not before breaking off the tall totem pole and setting off a car alarm.

"Oh, boy." Dipper breathed.

"Guys! It's the third day!" Mabel said frantically. "We've only got 7 hours to earn back our profits, or I've got to wear that loser shirt all summer!"

Right at the hole where the monster just burst out of were Wendy and Soos. "Hey, guys!" The redhead greeted the three. "Am I nuts, or does this place look different?"

"Wendy, Soos! Am I glad to see you," Mabel exclaimed in relief. "We've got a lot of work to do, but if we hurry, we can still beat Stan!"

Wendy sheepishly rubbed the top of her hat. "Uh, yeah. I've got a little headache, so maybe I should, like, not work today."

"And I actually just met this pack of wolves, and I think they're gonna, like, raise me as one of their own, so I should really be at the den right now..." Soos followed with his own reason why he shouldn't work today.

"But-but..." Mabel helplessly stuttered, wearing a huge frown.

"But, hey, we'll see ya on Monday." Wendy and Soos didn't even notice Mabel's change in mood as they both walked away.

"Um, guys?" Y/n tried to butt in and explain that they would really need their help. I mean, did they even see the look of the Shack? How insensitive.

Mabel was twitching angrily, holding her purple pen so tightly that it broke in her hand. "ENOUGH!" Her scream was through the roof, stopping both Soos and Wendy from leaving. Dipper and Y/n gasped at her sudden change in tone. She walked to the back of the counter. "I have HAD IT! I fought a monster to save this business, and this is how you repay me?! I'm gonna get an ulcer from your lollygagging!"

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "Lollygagging?"

Soos followed. "Ulcer? You're acting... different."

"You shut your yaps!| Mabel shouted back, making the two gasp. "I've been doing everyone's job while you bums have been bleeding me dry!"

"B-but, I-"

"No buts except yours on the floor cleaning! Now quit loafing and get to work!"

"Yes, Mabel."

Mabel narrowed her eyes. "That's yes, BOSS!" She slammed her hand against the counter, making Stan's fez fall and land on her head. She looked in the nearby mirror and gasped when she saw who she looked like. "Dipper, what have I become?" She wondered aloud.

Dipper appeared beside her and laid a comforting pat on her back. "What you had to, Mabel. What you had to." He nodded.

"We've got 7 hours to turn this around!" She stood on the counter, holding up the money jar. "Let's go, people!"

And they were off to work. Soos had to contact a construction worker with an excavator to fix the totem pole. Wendy was sweeping the floors while Y/n was fixing the broken walls of the gift shop.

Mabel was yelling on the megaphone, still wearing the red fez. "Time is money, hard hat! You got complaints, file them with the complaint department!" She shouted, holding up a trash can. "Ugh, my back." She stretched with a groan.

Then, a tour bus pulled up on the yard, making Mabel yell angrily at her megaphone once more. "Dipper, we've got tourists at 9 o'clock!"

Dipper was in front of her. "But what do I show them? Real magic just freaks people out."

"Figure something out, knucklehead!"

After thinking of numerous ideas, he eventually came up with one. "Soos, c'mere!"

The two quickly came up with the idea of having Soos as one of the attractions, naming him 'The Horrible Giant Question Baby,' with Dipper even dressing up like a mini Mystery Man. Of course, the people were sold, pouring their money into the photographs and the gift shop. Concerning the shop, it was fortunate that it was repaired quickly and that Y/n knew where the other stocks of merchandise were hidden so that they could sell it.

Dipper waved goodbye to the tourists, who were all holding their own Mystery boxes. "We put the 'fun' in 'No Refunds'!" He walked back inside the Shack. "How'd we do?"

Mabel pridefully lifted the container. "We filled the whole jar!"

Everyone in the room cheered and hollered. Guess they had the chance to defeat Stan after all.

Y/n wasn't all that enthusiastic even after the results of today. All that jarful of money would all just go away once they calculated the expenses, then the damages...

Dipper brought out the printing calculator and began counting the bills. She pulled out the amount of cash they needed for the repairs as he was inputting the numbers into the device. They worked flawlessly, whilst the rest of the three watched. "Minus the money to replace all the furniture, supplies to fix the Shack. That leaves us..."

Mabel glanced at the lone buck sitting on the bottom of the jar. "One dollar..." she frowned.

The door was slammed open as Stan walked in with his suitcase and a digital clock that read 00:00. "Tick-tock! Time's up, kids!"

"Oh, no!"

Stan strode to the five of them by the counter. "Nice to see you learned how to dress while I was gone." He said, pointing at Dipper's Mystery Man outfit.

The boy glared at him in reply as Mabel asked, "How much did you beat us by?"

"I won three hundred thousand dollars!" The older man exclaimed. The twins gasped, while Y/n was looking around him for the money or the large check but it was nowhere to be found. Did he leave it in his car? "And then..." he trailed off, telling the story of how he had gotten to the final part of the game where he just needed to guess one more word.

Rich, the host of the show, had said the hint for the final word, "What is the six-letter word you use to ask for something politely? For example, 'May I blank have that'?" Stan had answered wrong the first time, and even when he was given another chance, he was unsurprisingly incorrect again because the word was-

"Please!" Mabel pointed at the sticker with a huge grin on her face, her braces shining.

Stan frowned in defeat. "Apparently that word can make you money."

Y/n couldn't help it. She burst out in laughter. The older man narrowed his eyes on her. "Really rubbing it in, Y/n," he grumbled.

Her laughter dissipated just as Dipper spoke. "So, wait. If you lost everything, then that means... Mabel, you won!" He turned to his sister.

They were overjoyed, but when Stan explained that part of their bet included Mabel becoming the new boss, everyone objected. Stan was perplexed, but Mabel admitted that trying to be boss was difficult. She handed him his fez, which she had been wearing for the entire afternoon. Her grunkle reapplied the hat as he drew the twins in for an embrace. "It's nice to be back, you know?" The three of them smiled.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, get off-a me!" Stan said, playfully pushing the twins away from him. He then turned to his other two employees with a calm smile, holding his hand together. "And Soos, Wendy... get to work!" He cleared his throat. "...please. Ugh, still hurts."

Y/n sighed and rolled her eyes. Stan had good intentions, he truly does, and he has such a kind heart. He just doesn't know how to express his feelings, though he does so through actions.

"Mabel, didn't your agreement say something about Stan having to do some kind of apology dance if he lost?" Dipper spoke after a moment.

Stan became hysterical. "N-no. No, it didn't!"

Mabel nodded with a malicious grin. "Actually, yeah, I think I have it in my notes here."

"No! That never happened!"

Wendy, having overheard the entire conversation, popped in with a laugh. "I'll get the camera!"

"Alright, let me just..." Stan dashed away from the three as far as he could. But he couldn't run away forever.

***

To say the least, the next few days have been eventful. Y/n had fallen back into the bottomless pit after Stan insisted on getting rid of his Mystery Shack suggestion papers despite the strong wind and storm that was approaching. She was now strung along with the twins and Soos, who attempted to save Stan, and they ended up telling stories for twenty one minutes.

The last time she was in the pit was with Ford and it was... an experience. She spent her minutes constantly thinking about her mentor and the feeling of knowing more about him. He tried to tell jokes, and each one was funny (she loved bad jokes), and she'd gotten to know more about him and his life before Gravity Falls.

They told stories with Stan, Dipper, Mabel, and Soos that were entertaining enough to last the entire twenty-one minutes of falling in the pit.

The following day was the hottest day of the summer. Y/n had no idea what 110 degrees hotter felt like because, obviously, she doesn't feel pain. She sat comfortably with her jacket on her study table in her room, while the others were suffering in heat, sweating profusely even with most of their clothes discarded, and laying on the ground.

She refused Stan's invitation to the newly opened pool because she wanted nothing more than silence while reading one of her favorite books. Fortunately, Stan didn't care about her opinion because all he wanted to do was go to the public pool and cool off. She was given command of the entire Shack, so she had the entire house to herself - and Waddles.

The very next day was completely normal. Mabel and Dipper were having fun with their new "Attic Stuff Mini-Golf" game. Their room was filled with props made from items found in the Shack, such as Dipper's old laundry "where man fears to tread," as Mabel put it.

Dipper had just sunken a Stan shot, and they were arguing about whether it was a legal play or not, when Mabel's Meow o'clock began to ring. She handed him her golf club. "Hey, Dipper, I gotta go hang out with Candy and Grenda tonight."

"Aw, again? You can't leave mid-game." Dipper frowned.

"Don't be silly, I'm not leaving," the other twin smiled. "My friends are coming to me!"

"Wait, what?!" The boy's eyes widened, dropping the clubs as he realized... "Oh, no. No no no. Sleeping bags? Rom-coms? Calling All Boys: Preteen Edition?!" He stepped back in fear. "You're not having a..."

The door opened behind him, and there stood Candy and Grenda grinning in the shadows. They jumped in, finishing Dipper's sentence. "Sleepover!"

Dipper screamed in horror that could be heard in the entire house.

The girls had arranged their cushions and pillows, as well as their snacks and essentials, together. They were talking about boys (as usual) when Mabel began screaming, followed by Candy and Grenda, who then began punching the wooden floor.

In the other half of the room, Dipper was losing his mind and hearing.

He tried asking the girls to do this somewhere other than their room because of the noise, but when they retaliated using makeovers, he decided that he shouldn't be here as he's pretty much outnumbered. So he took his pillow and blanket and began to tread through the hallways of the Shack, walking up to Soos who stood in front of a door that says "Break Room".

"Hey, Soos, can I sleep in your break room tonight?" He sighed.

Soos smiled, "Of course, dude." He opened the door to reveal a very cramped up closet with hazardous pipes and steam. When the handyman further explained how to fit inside, Dipper just walked away and found himself going near Y/n's room.

The thought of sleeping in the same room as her was awkward, but he had no choice. So, with all his strength and courage, he lifted his hand and knocked three times on the door. He waited with baited breath, but there was no response after a few seconds. He knocked again, louder and faster this time because he was getting worried about his actions.

It was silent again, making him sigh. Guess she was a heavy sleeper.

After a few minutes of searching for places to sleep in, he finally found the perfect place. He breathed out in relief. "Sleeping under the stars..." He could feel the cold grass under his vest, and the rubble under his pillow, but he couldn't care. "Not bad."

He momentarily closed his eyes, but not before he heard a growling sound. He sat up and saw a wolf biting on his leg. "Ah! Get off! Get away!" He tried to push away the creature, but then he looked up at the window of his room and saw Mabel, Grenda, and Candy jumping up and down, singing very loudly.

Dipper's gaze reverted to the wolf, who was still biting and shaking his ankle. "This is still better," he said, glaring, and laying down again as the wolf gnawed on his leg.

The morning arrived and that's where Mabel bid her friends goodbye and promised a next time. Dipper returned to his room, all beaten up with a black eye and twigs in his hair. He proceeded to lay on his bed. "Mabel, last night an owl tried to eat my tongue."

Mabel only laughed optimistically. "That's great!"

"No, it's not great!" He sat up on his bed. "This is impossible to live with!" He said, gesturing to their messy and wrecked room.

Mabel was trying to cheer him up, but Dipper had had it. He put his foot down and began laying down some ground rules. One of them was prohibiting sleepovers, in which Mabel argued back that he's keeping her up every night with his summer reading.

"Well, at least my braces don't whistle when I breathe."

"At least I wash my clothes once in a while."

"Washing clothes is a waste of time, I'm a busy guy!"

"Meow meow meow meow meow!"

Dipper glared. "Alright, if you meow one more time-!"

"Meow meow meow!"

"Okay! That's it! That's the final straw!" He walked around. "Maybe we shouldn't share a room anymore!"

Mabel was taken aback, lost for words. "Wah, uh... well, maybe we shouldn't!"

"Fine by me!"

"Double fine by me!"

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Then we need to talk to Grunkle Stan about moving rooms."

After preparing for the day with deep frowns on their faces, the twins ran to the living room where Stan was watching fights on his TV. "Grunkle Stan, we want different rooms!" Dipper demanded.

Stan laughed mockingly. "And I want a pair of magic money pants. It's not gonna happen."

"Magic money pants...?" Mabel questioned under her breath.

"Come on, Grunkle Stan. Can't we work something out?" Dipper begged.

Stan smirked. "Look, kid, there's my room and the attic. That's it."

Dipper's eyes seemed to light up as he came up with an idea. "What about Y/n's room?"

The suggestion wiped the smirk away from the older man's face as he had gotten hesitant. "Eh, I'm not sure she would want that."

"We haven't even seen her room yet, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel agreed to the idea, now feeling excited.

Stan remained silent. He didn't know what to say, but he also didn't want more silence to pass for the kids to suspect that Y/n was hiding something, which Y/n and Stan both didn't want to happen.

While all of this was going on in the living room, Y/n had been cooped up in her bedroom all morning. She had just returned from working underground all night, and she should have been sleeping, but she didn't feel sleepy at all. She suddenly felt reminiscent. She was pacing around her room aimlessly, attempting to fall asleep but failing miserably. She couldn't help herself.

She really missed him.

When was the last time they experimented for fun? Coming up with novel inventions? She took a look at the old calendar on her bedside table. 1982 was in front of it because she never ripped it off or moved it. It was simply there. She had no idea why it was still hanging there, perhaps as a painful reminder that he had been gone for 30 years and that she just liked to torture herself, or perhaps as a motivation that they should keep going or all of this would be for naught.

She began a small quest to look for experiments that she kept in her storage with a small smile, which didn't take long because it was a striking blue that immediately caught her eye. It was rolled up and tucked into a corner. She effortlessly lifted the dusty material and placed it on the ground. She grabbed the end of it and lifted it up as if dusting it, revealing good 'ol Experiment 78.

She was giggling with delight as she noticed the familiar yellow loop in the center of the design. It was laid out on the ground as she felt the material. Very shaggy. She couldn't help but laugh as she started rolling around on the carpet, feeling the electrons on her skin. She was creating carpet angels when she heard a knock on the door all of a sudden.

Opening the door slightly with a creak, Stan was on the other side with Dipper and Mabel. Immediately, she looked up at the older man's eyes that were staring down at her. "Yes?"

"They want to share rooms with you."

Y/n couldn't form a proper response. "Uh..." she then looked across to see the twins who were waiting for their answer. Just what happened that made them decide to switch rooms? "Sure." She opened the door wider for everyone to see. Stan rarely comes here, while it was the siblings' first time seeing everything.

They began listing off things that they could see about her room. "Woah, this is just as big as the one in the attic!" "You have your own toilet?!" "A study table! I would love to read here!"

While they were being excited about her room, Y/n stood beside an unimpressed Stan as she glanced at the rug that they were stepping on. She couldn't help but be worried. "Okaaay, that's enough ogling. What's going on?" She stared up at Stan.

"Well these bozos just randomly come to me demanding that they want separate rooms, don't cha, kids?" The older man said, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, and in my opinion, I should be the one sharing the room with Y/n," Mabel spoke, pointing at herself. "Me and Y/n can bond over girly stuff and actually have fun. She'll have the funnest roommate ever!"

Dipper glared. "Yeah, well, I know that Y/n wouldn't wake up to my night reading because she's a heavy sleeper!"

"Wait, how did you know that?" Y/n chimed in.

He was suddenly flustered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "I was knocking on your door last night, and you didn't answer so I figured you were fast asleep..."

Y/n's eyes widened. "Oh, you were?" She composed herself. She couldn't admit that she wasn't actually in her room last night, and that she was working hard in the portal room downstairs. "I... I'm sorry, I didn't hear you..."

"That's alright," Dipper easily dismissed it. "It's perfect! I can be your perfect roommate!"

"Wait a second," Stan began, walking between both Dipper and Mabel. "So you both want to be Y/n's roommate, huh? Because I own this Shack and specifically, this room, I'll be the one who decides who gets the other half depending on whom I like more." He said so confidently even without asking for Y/n's opinion.

Stan looked around the room until his gaze fell on a random dream catcher hanging on the back of her door. He snatched the item off of the wood that made Y/n yell out in protest. "Hey, put that down! What are you gonna do with that?"

"This is just gonna act like some sort of key. Whoever got this dream catcher in the end gets to be your roommate," Stan easily answered.

"I'm not agreeing to this!"

"Come on, Y/n, how are we supposed to figure out who gets to share the room with ya?" He asked before bending down and pulling his shoelaces loose. "Uh oh, looks like my shoes untied!"

The twins looked at each other for a second before scrambling to the ground and trying to tie Stan's shoe. Stan cackled maniacally. "To the kitchen!"

He ran out of Y/n's room and Dipper and Mabel got up to follow him out the exit.

Y/n was rendered speechless. She didn't know what the heck just happened in the last ten minutes. All she knew was that she had to hide some of her personal belongings from the twins if either of them decided to stay here. While doing so, she tried to figure out Stan's plan without having to ask him directly. Is he doing this for the journal? How will this even go?

And why did the twins even want separate rooms now, anyway? What happened that made them want to do this?

Her beeping watch interrupted her brewing thoughts. She groaned, knowing what she had to do. Glancing quickly around her room, she thought that she had hidden what she needed to hide before leaving her room to tend to the portal. Her watch does the reminder for portal duties during the day.

While walking down the hall and tip-toeing around the gift shop, she kept thinking about her room. She didn't forget anything, did she?

Stan's watch was beeping too, but he quickly turned it off, focusing on his great niece and nephew instead who were busy mowing the lawn in such heat. "Dipper, you're phoning it in!" He called out before drinking lemonade.

They were eventually done with that one chore and they all went inside. "Grunkle Stan, can I go to Y/n's room? I need a little break."

He was aware that Y/n could be downstairs already, meaning that her room would be completely empty. "Sure, but she's not gonna be there."

"Oh? Where is she?"

"She's out, I made her fetch the laundry," Stan quickly came up with an excuse that the twins didn't even question.

Mabel was out and about in the kitchen, throwing in eggs in the pan and garnishes she could find in the cupboards. She wasn't saying anything as she was clearly busy.

"Hey, Dipper, before you go, I need you to fix the door hinges by the toilet. Go get the toolbox on one of those closets on the way." Stan instructed, making Dipper roll his eyes discreetly. "What was that?" Stan still caught it.

"Nothing, nothing!"

"Want me to deduct your suck-up points? You're already at a negative, you know."

"What! No, no, no! I'll do it, I'll do it. Just don't deduct my points!" Dipper begged before walking away towards the hall that leads to the toilet.

It was a fairly quick job, but not for Dipper apparently. For starters, he's too short to reach the top hinges so he had to find a stool. But the tightening part was done quite swiftly. Dipper didn't waste anymore time and made his way to Y/n's room.

Luckily, it was unlocked. It's alright to come inside her room, right? She's not home, and it'll be his room as well eventually, so it's okay, right?

He opened the door and sighed. "I mean, all these chores will be worth it. She even has shag carpeting. Nice." He removed his shoes and began shuffling his sock feet on the carpet as electricity built up around his legs.

Mabel's voice cut off his lounging moment. "Hey, brother. Don't get too comfortable. I just made Stan an omelet shaped like his own face.

Dipper stood up and began pacing around Mabel, building up more electricity.

"Face it. I'm like a suck-up ninja. Half of Y/n's room is as good as mine, and we'll be the best roomies! You might as well give up now. What do you say?" Mabel said, stretching out her hand.

He narrowed his eyes on her. "I say I'm gonna be Y/n's roommate somehow, and when I do, I wouldn't ever have to worry about any of your sleepovers, and we'll never have to share anything ever again!"

Dipper slapped Mabel's hand away, electrocuting her and causing a massive glow between them that knocked them both out.

The girl sat up first, rubbing her head. "Ugh, what happened?"

"Dipper?" The boy said. "Why are you wearing my clothes... and my..." he began to feel his skin. "...face! Am I in your body?"

"Am I in your body?!"

The two began screaming in unison. Mabel in Dipper's body ran to the toilet and threw up while Dipper in Mabel's body was having a meltdown.

After a few moments, Dipper and Mabel stared at their new, swapped bodies in Y/n's tri-fold mirror, pointing out weird things about each other now that they were in each other's bodies. "Great. Just what we need, more Gravity Falls weirdness."

"This is stupid!" Mabel exclaimed. "Sharing a room was bad enough, now we're sharing bodies?"

Dabel (in Mabel's body) walked over to the edge of the carpet and took a look at the tag. "Hey, look. 'Experiment 78'." He flipped the tag over and the back said 'Electron Carpet'. "Electron Carpet. Atoms can swap electrons. This carpet can swap electrons. It must build up a static charge so powerful it can swap minds!"

"But why does Y/n have this?" Mabel asked.

"I have no idea. W-we need to change back and tell Y/n about this."

Mipper (Mabel in Dipper's body) sighed in relief. "Phew! Glad I'm switching back. If I was you I would totally lose the contest."

"And if I was you, which I am, I could sabotage myself! Then Mabel would lose her points and the room would go to Dipper!"

"Wait what?!"

"Oh, Stan!" Dabel yelled out. "I've always hated you!" He chuckled evilly. "See who gives the room to now." He ran out of the room.

Mipper began to chase him but tripped on her feet. "Tie your shoes!"

The two attempted to say and do things that would almost certainly result in them losing points. Dabel poured cereal out of the box everywhere and laughed obnoxiously as Mipper kicked the oven and bottles around. Stan, clearly perplexed, walked out of the kitchen, followed by the twins, who demanded that the points be removed.

Back in Y/n's room, Soos was chasing down Waddles who unknowingly went inside her room because the door was wide open. It was also the handyman's first time seeing the girl's room, while Waddles didn't care as he rolled around in the carpet, loving the way it felt. "Aw Waddles," He cooed, "Nobody thinks it's cute when I lie naked on the living room floor." He began rubbing the pig's head. "I wish I could be a pig."

And, lo and behold, his wish had been granted by the electron carpet, and their bodies were swapped in a snap.

Meanwhile, Dabel was running through the hallway. "Grunkle Stan, come back! I have more terrible things to do!" He turned around. "You're toast, Mabel!" He began to sprint off, only to crash into Grenda.

"There you are, Mabel!" She exclaimed.

"Attack her with love!" Candy followed, hugging Dabel and Grenda close. The two - with Dabel embraced tightly, jumped in unison. "Sleepover!"

"What?!" Dabel thrashed. "No! No, no, no!" He screamed as he was carried up the stairs while Mipper tried to run after them.

Grenda and Candy ran into the twins' room.

"Wait, come back!" Mipper shouted. "Hey, um," she faced Grenda by the door, "can I talk to my... sister, for a sec?"

"This is a sleepover, buddy. No boys allowed!" Grenda emphasized before slamming the door in her face.

Mipper crouched down and peered through the keyhole to see Dabel unsure about the entire situation. Grenda and Candy were giggling and gushing over Grenda's mother's age inappropriate romance novels, which she had brought with her. She had just learned about the book's protagonist, Gerard the werewolf, when someone approached her.

"What's going on, Dipper?"

She gasped and tried to cover the keyhole where she was looking in. Stan glanced at the door and he had the idea on what Mipper was up to. "Ah, you're at that creepy age where you spy on girls, huh? Guess it's time you and I had a man to man talk. About the birds and the bees, you know?"

Mipper frowned deeply as Stan led her to his office. He shuffled around the room until he found just the ideal book for the topic. 'Why Am I Sweaty?' was the book's title.

While all of this was happening above, underground, Y/n was stressing out about the portal. She sighed and leaned back in her chair, staring at the control panel in front of her. Why does she have to keep the portal stable when it's not even running?

They actually needed the three journals as a blueprint for the inter-dimensional portal to work, but they only had one in their possession. Wait a minute, the third one was nearby; they just didn't have the perfect opportunity to grab it.

She shifted her gaze to the journal, which she opened to a specific page. Since when has she been staring at this section of the blueprint? She's been staring at it for three whole decades and it's already imprinted in her mind.

Shaking her head, she stood up. That's enough inquisition for the day. She glanced at the control panel again, giving it a hard punch. Her knuckles slammed against the metal but it didn't hurt one bit. She smacked it in hopes of a functional portal, but alas, no change.

Y/n rode the elevator quietly, walked up the path to the vending machine and took a peek through the glass display. The gift shop seemed to be vacant – even Wendy was out, signaling that the coast was clear. As quickly as possible, she opened the machine and lurked her way out, not forgetting to get herself a can of Pitt Cola to make it look like she was just getting herself a drink and not someone who just got out of a secret door.

Opening the can, she took a sip and exhaled in relief. The drink was always a nice one. She turned around casually and she just realized the chaotic mess of the gift shop. It looked like someone made a breakdown and destroyed everything in their path. The banners were chewed, the signboards were broken in half, and the glass jars were shattered on the ground. Who could have done this?

She heard multiple voices coming from down hall. It sounded like it was coming from her bedroom. She sprinted across, finally arriving at her room just as Dipper and Mabel were dashing out with the dreamcatcher on the boy's hand.

"Dipper, give it back!" Mabel screamed, chasing after him.

Y/n stood there, staring at the numerous unwanted visitors inside her room. She was too afraid to step inside. Clearly, their bodies have been swapped because of their personality changes.

This was her fault and all she blamed was herself for bringing the carpet out again, but she couldn't help but feel mad for the people uninvited who were screaming and laughing from the body switching shenanigan.

"Everybody, stop!" She screamed, and it was silent. "Why are you in my room?!"

Everyone looked at her, speechless as if they were caught red-handed.

"Please, don't move. I demand you all to form a circle, and shuffle your feet against the carpet," she urged them, and thankfully, they granted her request.

Eventually, each one of them had returned to their own bodies and Y/n immediately ushered them outside, one by one.

Once they were out, she was pulling her hair in frustration. What a mess.

While she was cleaning her cluttered room, the twins eventually returned from what seemed to be their feud. They stood from outside of her room, and because the door was opened, Y/n just let the two in.

She resumed her cleaning while the twins were watching her from the door.

"Hey, Y/n, I'm sorry we got inside your room without your permission," Dipper began.

"It's fine," Y/n answered without even looking at him. She was trying to focus on reorganizing the stuff on the shelf.

He stepped forward. "But, I wanted to ask you about the carpet. It was an electron carpet that can swap... well, our electrons."

Y/n almost smiled as she stopped her movements momentarily at Dipper's inquiry. The experiment still works.

Dipper paused in his speech. How does he even ask the question without making her feel bad? "Where... How... Why...?" He stuttered out. That was pathetic.

Finally, Y/n turned around. "I bought it at a yard sale; I didn't expect it to be like that!" Another lie. She couldn't decide whether she should feel bad or proud of herself for thinking of that excuse so quickly.

Before the twins could utter anything in response, she decided to change the subject. "So, who won the uh... contest?"

"Dipper won, but now I understand and won't argue about it anymore," Mabel said with a kind smile as she looked over her brother.

Y/n shrugged. "Alright."

Everyone helped with the moving, but it was mainly his bed. His clothes had a special shelf from one of Y/n's drawers. The room was parted in half, just like the attic used to be. The electron carpet was long gone. Dipper thought it was already thrown out, but it was hidden under her bed.

"Well, this is it," Y/n said, looking at Dipper who was adjusting the mattress. "We can share the study table, but, uh... is it okay if I use my toilet?"

"Uh huh. Sure..." Dipper trailed off, looking down at his pillow. He moved ever so slowly, and she had a feeling he was adorning a frown.

"What's wrong?"

He let out a sigh before turning around and sitting on the edge of his bed. "Nothing, it's..."

"It's what?"

"I thought it would feel more liberating having separated from Mabel, but I had no idea it would be..."

"Would be...?"

"Lonely," he said.

She stared at a random wall, fiddling with her hands. "I'm sorry," seemed like the right thing to say at the moment.

"No, no, don't be," Dipper quickly replied, "It's fine. It's the first time we didn't sleep in the same room, and..."

"Dude, you need to stop letting me finish your sentences."

"I already miss Mabel."

Y/n sat awkwardly on her bed, her interlocked fingers placed on her lap. She didn't like the silence this time as she could practically feel Dipper's depression resonate through the room. "Well," she started slowly, "we could always have a little sleepover?"

A small smile appeared on his face. "I can't believe I would say this but a sleepover sounds like a good idea." He looked at her with hopeful eyes. "Wanna come?"

"Oh," she jumped. "I- I figured this could be between you and your sister...?"

Dipper rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, you've never been in a sleepover?"

With a solemn smile, she averted her gaze. It was almost comical how she didn't have time for sleepovers or other activities that most kids do. Consciously, she rubbed her baggy eyes. Her exhaustion had only recently caught up with her, and she realized she'd spent the previous thirty years underground. She was extremely fortunate to be unable to feel pain and to heal quickly, or she would have honestly died by now.

He was taken aback by her silence, which made him look at her slightly sad. He got out of bed after grabbing his pillow and did the most spontaneous thing of his day, if not his life. He approached Y/n as she looked at him expectantly.

"What are you doing?"

Dipper grabbed her hand and yanked her off her bed before leading her out of the room. "All right, come on." He was holding her hand in the one hand while still gripping the pillow on the other.

"What?"

"We're doing a sleepover... right now." Dipper smiled at her. Thankfully, Y/n let him lead her upstairs to the attic.

The boy dropped her hand before knocking on the door and a few seconds later, Mabel answered, opening it just a bit so she could only see him.

"Hey, you wanna have a sleepover?" Dipper asked sheepishly.

Mabel glanced at the pillow under his arm and smiled widely.

"Oh, and I brought a friend," he smiled and pushed the door open, allowing Mabel to see Y/n, who was waving shyly.

Her grin widened even more when she saw the two of them and immediately drew them inside. Mabel picked up her mini golf club before giving a spare one to Y/n. "Fore!" She shouted, striking a synthetic eyeball. "Let's play Attic Stuff Mini-Golf!"

Y/n let a smile stretch her lips. "How do you play?"

"Just hit the ball and we'll score the points depending on how awesome it goes!" She explained.

Dipper smiled and encouraged her, placing the eyeball on the ground by Y/n's shoes.

"Okay..." Y/n trailed off, allowing her golf club to kiss the ball for a brief moment before swinging back and swatting the ball too hard, causing it to bounce on various walls and surfaces until it crashed through the window and fell on Stan's head.

"Ah! Why am I even out here at night?!"

Their laughs filled the entire attic as they had fun for the rest of the night until they eventually passed out on the floor, cuddled together.

Chapter 16: Bros Before Dinos

Chapter Text

Working at the Mystery Shack is no laughing matter. At least, that's what Stan says all the time when all they do is make tourist jokes. Y/n was at the museum, finishing up an attraction that will undoubtedly impress the crowd. It was Stan's idea, so she's perplexed as to why she's the one making it rather than him.

So there she was, accompanied by a plethora of bags of corn cobs that she had individually attached to a mesh model of a horse's carcass. She had just finished the 'Cornicorn' (Stan's idea, not hers) hindquarters when she noticed a pig- Mabel's pig- entering from the gift shop. He was wearing a red sweater with the ball of yarn still trailing off behind him.

The hog approached her slowly and sweetly. "Waddles," Y/n said as he moved in front of her. She was curious about Mabel's whereabouts because they are practically attached at the hip all the time. "Want one?" She asked when she noticed Waddles' fixated gaze on the corn in her hands.

Waddles oinked in approval and she tossed the corn to the other direction, preferably away from the Cornicorn if the swine favored the starchy vegetable. Y/n had finished the horn part when she'd turn around and saw Stan coming down. "Are you done?"

"You don't rush an artist," Y/n playfully chided. "But I'm almost done."

Stan hummed, admiring how it was all coming out. "Good thing you didn't run out of corn. I made sure I bought enough bags."

"Too bad. Could've given the rest to good 'ol Waddles over there." Y/n nodded towards the pig at the corner staring at them.

The older man groaned. "Ugh, just as I thought I could escape this pig, he just turns up everywhere I go!"

Y/n was tightening the wires around the cob when she wondered, "What's it doing down here without his best friend, anyway?"

"Eh, Mabel went out to get a huggy tummy or something and wanted me to watch over him. As if! He's a monster to deal with!"

She laughed at his irritability towards innocent little Waddles. "Oh come on, Stan," Y/n cooed, lifting Waddles to her chest. "He's just a pig, but Mabel loves him. If you love your niece, then you have to love things and animals she loves too."

Stan didn't say anything, but she knew that he was internally rolling his eyes in both disgust and annoyance. Eventually, a tour bus honked its horn, announcing its arrival. "Okay, get out of here. I have tourists to tour around."

"Sure you do," she said. She was about to bring Waddles to the ground when Stan stopped her.

"Hey, take the pig with you!"

She stared at him before bringing Waddles back to her arms. The ball of yarn was also tucked in her elbows. "Okay?"

"Don't let it wander around the gift shop or the museum. Understood?"

Y/n rolled her eyes. "Sure, fine."

She took a small flight of stairs from the museum to the gift shop with Waddles in her arms. He was thrashing around a bit before deciding to munch on her daisy necklace. "Hey, hey," she commented. "It's not an edible flower, stop." She brought him back to the floor and he stared at her.

Leaning down in front of Waddles' face, she brought her voice down in a whisper. "As much as you want to eat this, I made this necklace indestructible with a secret recipe," she winked. "You're so cute when you don't have any idea I just said," Y/n pinched Waddles' cheeks before walking away to get herself a drink.

Waddles only blinked before going back to the museum and finishing his business. His corny business.

Stan was showing the tourists around the museum, telling them how all of these are haunted and scary originals, as well as mythical creatures he invented. The group of people blindly followed Stan and believed everything he said, having arrived in this town for the first time and knowing nothing about its history.

"And here, ladies and gentleman, is our final exhibit, the most hideous creatures known to man!" He stood in front of a blanketed stand before removing the covers and revealed a large mirror that fit everybody.

They glared at their own reflection, confused, before bursting into laughter as they realized the joke. "Oh, it's us!"

"Right, right?" Stan raised his eyebrows, chuckling. "We have fun here. But seriously, folks," He walked towards the other covered attraction that was just created an hour ago. "This is something.

"I present to you, a unicorn made out of corn. The 'Cornicorn!'"

He yanked the cloth off, and the tourists made a noise of protest and disappointment. The Cornicorn's skin had been completely ripped away rom its mesh body. All of the cobs had been stripped off of its corn and it was just messy. "What the-?!" Stan exclaimed and saw the culprit of the crime.

Waddles was happily munching on the last of the mesh-bound corn.

"What a rip-off!" The one guy in the crowd complained.

"Kids, we're leaving."

Everyone turned around and walked away towards the exit as Stan wailed, "NOOOO!"

Stan's temper was out of control as the door slammed shut. He growled and turned to face the pig."YOU!"

He carried Waddles and the ball of yarn all the way up to the living room and out to the backyard. As he stomped towards an open space with a rope attached to a large nail hammered into the ground, he looked around for anyone who could catch him. "Just ten minutes without this pig in the house, is that so much to ask?"

He lowered the pig to the ground and wrapped the rope around its neck, tightening the knot before pounding the nail. "If Mabel asks, this never happened." He stood back up and began to walk away, pretending to sound like Mabel. "'Oh, but Grunkle Stan! It's not safe out there! There's predators!' Oh brother."

Suddenly, a loud noise resounded as a huge creature swooped in and captured the poor, unsuspecting pig with its claws and flew away. Stan's fez was blown off as he watched helplessly how a freaking pterodactyl was flying around with Waddles in its grasp. The poor pig was terrified.

Y/n was just listening to good 'ol BABBA in her room when her world just shook. She almost lost her balance in the earthquake and decided to run out to see if everybody was okay. She met Dipper and Soos by the hallway and she was relieved that she wasn't the only one who felt the ground shake.

The three went outside to the back and saw Stan already standing there, frozen. They saw the pterodactyl flying away, weirdly leaving a red string that hung onto some trees. A path.

"Dude, did you see that?" Soos nudged Dipper's shoulder. "That thing was a dinosaur, bro!" He exclaimed with a huge grin.

It was indeed a dinosaur, Y/n deduced. But-

"How is it possible a dinosaur survived 65 million years?" Dipper asked. She was thinking of the same thing.

"Did you see it, Mr. Pines?" They turned to Stan, who was still frozen, his gaze distant.

Y/n raised an eyebrow at the older man's odd behavior. "Are... you okay?" she asked slowly.

"It... it took him," he finally spoke, but he still looked like he was in a trance.

"Took what?"

"The pig," Stan said, "It took Waddles."

"What did you say about Waddles?"Mabel chirped happily as she arrived on her bicycle.

The four people looked at her in an awkward silence as Mabel remained unbelievably joyous, "What's going on? Why are you standing around all awkwardly?" Her smile suddenly disappeared. "And where's Waddles?"

"Uh, uh," Stan stuttered, desperately hiding a nail behind his back. Y/n noticed and immediately got an idea on what happened, and now Stan is outright lying to his niece about his mistake. "The good news is, you're getting a puppy!"

"What happened?" Mabel asked.

Stan fiddled with his fingers. "Well! Uh, you see...-"

"The pig got eaten by a p-terodactyl, bro," Soos spoke up, and Y/n had the urge to elbow him in the belly, but she stopped herself, placing her head on her hand instead.

"WHAT?!" The girl gasped and began calling for her pig. "Waddles? Waddles! Where did he go? How did this happen?!" She was hyperventilating and panicking, so Y/n stepped closer to Mabel and attempted to comfort her through back rubs.

Mabel turned to Stan. "Grunkle Stan, you didn't put him outside?"

"What?! No!" He denied aggressively. If Mabel was as smart as Y/n, she would've figured it out already as Stan is being such a bad liar at the moment. "I didn't put him anywhere! I'm not acting suspicious, you're acting suspicious! What's a pig?!"

"Then, what happened?" Dipper asked, his voice cracking.

Stan then proceeded to tell the most fabricated story imaginable, in which he was the hero who bravely confronted the pterodactyl with his ripped shirt and muscular body. He convinced Mabel of this, as the poor girl gave him a sympathetic hug for attempting to save her pig, despite the fact that he was the reason Waddles was taken in the first place.

Dipper was suspicious. "You punched a pterodactyl in the face?" He pointed at him with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you didn't even believe in the supernatural."

"Dinosaurs aren't magic. They're just big lizards," Stan said while Mabel was still hugging him.

Mabel was tearing up as she caressed a photograph of her and Waddles. "That's it. No pterodactyl messes with my sister," Dipper said, walking over to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "We're gonna go out there, catch him, and save your pig! For Mabel, guys!"

"But where do we even start?" Stan asked.

Y/n pointed out the string of red yarn from Waddles' unfinished sweater and everyone was cheering for her ingenuity- except for Stan, who was hesitant about the whole thing.

Dipper and Mabel brought their own luggage for the trip, whereas Stan and Y/n planned to bring nothing. Y/n had never seen a dinosaur before, and she was really excited about it today. It was the same feeling she had whenever she and Ford went on an expedition, except this time she had to be careful not to let loose. After all, she is the only member of the team who is practically invincible.

Soos was preparing his pick-up truck for the adventure. A cage was strapped in the back that would surely not fit a pterodactyl, and the skin of the car had the words 'PTERODACTYL MOBILE' spray-painted on it. He chuckled, facing Dipper, "That p-terodactyl won't know what hit him."

Dipper laughed half-heartedly. "Huh. It's 'pterodactyl', man." He directed, pronouncing the p as silent.

"Actually, nobody knows how to pronounce it because no one was alive back in dinosaur days," Soos said confidently before almost having his head run over by his own pick-up truck.

Dipper walked over to both Y/n and Mabel. "Guys, we've gotta talk." The two faced him. "This is a really high-stakes mission, and I'm a little worried about Soos coming along on this one. I love the guy, but sometimes he... messes stuff up."

"What? Since when?" Mabel asked.

"Well, there was a time where he bumped into a magic crystal and it broke into a million pieces, then he tried to attach a window but it wasn't properly attached so it fell down and the glass broke into a million pieces. Oh! What about that one time when we found a fairy from our bedroom window and Soos killed it with a fly swatter?"

"Yeah, but people make mistakes." Y/n shrugged. "And Soos is a kindhearted guy. He helps when he can."

"I'm just not sure. Maybe we shouldn't bring him today... to keep him safe?"

Y/n shrugged, unsure what to say in this situation. She did agree that he is more... unserious when it comes to these things, but as much as Soos' lightheartedness can do as much harm as it does good, she believed that he can be really intelligent underneath the silliness.

"Let him down easy," Mabel told him, and he strode towards Soos.

His attempts to converse with him were futile as Soos excitedly showed him brand new t-shirts he had made of the two of them as Pterodactyl Bros, and Dipper decided he couldn't do it. He couldn't just dismiss Soos' happiness like that. So he just went along with Soos' enthusiasm and everyone went off to follow the yarn path.

The red string ended up inside of an abandoned building that looked like a church. Everyone got out of the truck and went inside the structure to follow the yarn. They see a man on a rocking chair, yodeling with his banjo.

"Old Man McGucket?" Mabel raised an eyebrow.

He turned around and waved wildly. "Howdy friends!"

"What are you doing out here?"

"You'll never believe me! Now I was doin' my hourly hootenanny- Doodily doo ding dang!" The crazy man did a dance.

"Ugh, this guy," Stan grumbled under his breath.

"When this enormous wing-ly critter stole my musical spoons and flew lickety-split into the abandoned mines down yonder!" He gestured to the punctured hole on the floor that led to the darkness below.

They stared in both amazement and horror at what other creatures were down there. "Looks kinda hairy down there." Stan commented.

"Come on, Grunkle Stan, you can handle it! You punched a pterodactyl in the face, remember?" Mabel smiled up at him.

"Oh, yeah!" He chuckled nervously. "Heh, heh, I did do that, didn't I. Heh... heh, heh, heh..."

"My, what suspicious laughter!" McGucket remarked.

"Guys, we're going in," Mabel said seriously.

"Need someone to tag along and tell weird personal stories?" McGucket grinned.

Y/n deadpanned, staring at him. "Do we have a choice?"

"NOPE!"

Everyone then descended using a single rope. Y/n was astounded at how a single thin piece of rope managed to hold them all together until it broke, exactly as she had predicted. They landed on the largest mushroom cap anyone had ever seen. As soon as she recovered the earliest, Y/n jumped off and began observing their surroundings.

There were various plants and flowers that appeared to be out of place in the era in which they lived. To be honest, it appeared as if they were in a Jurassic world. They discovered a large tunnel and realized it was an abandoned mine.

Dipper was carrying a lantern, which was their only source of light, so he led them through the tunnel until they came across sap-filled walls with dinosaurs inside of them. Everyone dispersed to examine them more closely. Mabel attempted to take a selfie with a Stegosaurus, but she became entangled in a sap and was now struggling to free herself.

It was a cavern full of real-life dinosaurs preserved in tree sap for millions of years. That's how they must have survived. Y/n discovered the exact location of where the pterodactyl used to be, the sap surrounding the hole slowly melting, most likely due to the summer heat.

Y/n saw Dipper quietly sitting on a boulder and writing on Journal 3 with his trusty blue pen. She approached him slowly until she stood behind him. Looking over his shoulder, she saw scribbles and sketches of the various sap-covered dinosaurs that they saw in full detail and she was very impressed with his skill.

He was shading the T-rex's body when she said, "I'm always impressed by your drawings, Dipper."

"Ah!" Dipper jumped, consciously bringing the journal to his chest to hide the pages. He looked in her eyes with a blush appearing on his cheeks. "Oh." He calmed down once he saw her. "... thanks. It's not as good as the author's, though, so..."

"Still..." Y/n said. It looks greater than mine. She almost did say. But when was the last time she drew in the journal?

She clenched her fists when she realized.

"No, I get to draw you this time," she interrupted, taking the pen from his coat pocket and starting to sketch. Ford crossed his arms in disapproval. She had learned the fundamentals by watching Ford draw for years, so she practiced on her own time. Y/n had her tongue out unconsciously as she focused on his features: glasses, a big nose, long and unkempt hair, and a massive chin.

The memory resurfaced in her mind, along with the fact that Ford had drawn her in the book. Did Dipper notice? If that's the case, why didn't he ask her about it? How come he hadn't confronted her about it? Did Ford rip her page from the Journal, which is why Dipper had no idea she was Ford's assistant?

She'd do anything for Dipper to simply turn the page.

Meanwhile, Stan was happily planning to make money off of this place, like he always did. He was thinking of a theme park to establish for everyone to see and pay. "This could be a gold mine! Velvety-rope type deal there, ticket booth here, ha!" He brought his hands together. " I should have put that pig outside ages ago!"

"Wait, what did you just say?" Mabel spoke from behind him.

"Hm? What's that?"

"You said the dinosaur flew into the house." she gasped as she realized.

"I-if you think about-"

Mabel pointed an accusatory finger at him. "You put Waddles outside then you lied to me about it! And now, thanks to you, my pig could be DEAD! Waddles could be dead!" Tears flowed in Mabel's eyes as her lips wobbled.

"Look, he's an animal, he belongs outside!" Stan tried to reason, but his only digging his hole deeper.

"No, that's it! Grunkle Stan, I am never, ever speaking to you again!"

Stan tried to talk to her, but all she did was shut him out and speak over him, pretending she couldn't hear him.

"Guys, guys, don't fight!" Soos said, bringing Dipper close to him. "Why can't you be more like me and Dipper? Look, everything's gonna be cool. All we gotta do to find the pig is follow this here yarn!" He picked up the string and began wrapping the yarn around until it formed a ball.

"Soos, wai-!" Y/n tried to intervene, but it fell on deaf ears.

"Just keep following and following, until we reach the end!" The yarn reached the other end as Soos held it up, speechless. " Oh- uh oh." He stared at the network of mine shafts. "Which- which cave was it again?"

"Agh, Soos! You lost the trail!" Dipper said, exasperated.

"Hey, come on, we'll find our way. Trust me!"

Soos smacked Dipper on the back a little too hard, causing the lantern Dipper was holding to fly out of his hands and break and the light was out.

"Sorry, dude."

"Ugh, that is it!" Dipper exclaimed. "See, this is why I didn't want to bring you along."

"What- what do you mean?"

"I mean, this is really important to Mabel and you keep screwing everything up!" Dipper angrily explained. "You ruined our photograph, and now you've got us hopelessly lost!"

Soos frrowned. "But we're p-terodactyl bros. I made t-shirts!"

"It's pronounced 'pterodactyl'!" the younger man harshly corrected. "And these shirts are useless! They're gigantic!"

"I... have... a different body type, dude!"

As Mabel and Stan began bickering again, the group devolved into an argument. In the midst of the fight, Y/n shook her head helplessly. She and her mentor had never had such a heated argument while out adventuring, and they never argued even with F present.

McGucket walked over to the lantern and began repairing it. She moved closer to him, wanting to assist, but it appeared that he knew what he was doing. She guessed he's not a cuckoo all the time.

But before she could smile at the glowing lantern, she became aware of a shadow looming over them. She felt as if she were frozen by the size of the creature in front of them. McGucket, on the other hand, was completely unaware as he beckoned the group.

"Hey! Cheer up, fellers! I fixed your lantern!"

The group turned to face the old man and screamed in unison when they noticed the pterodactyl standing behind him. McGucket noticed they weren't looking at him and turned around to see the pterodactyl.

"Nobody make any sudden movements or loud noises..." McGucket trailed off.

We're already on it.

It was silent until he jumped in joy. "YEEHAW! We found a pterodactyl!"

The dinosaur screeched as it spread its wings. The group fled in the opposite direction, entering one of the mine shafts until they came to a halt. Because the rails were broken and barely hanging on a cliff, the group turned to the right and found a set of boulders to hide from the dinosaur. Fortunately, the rocks were large enough to hide from the pterodactyl.

The creature flew away, oblivious to them. It's only a matter of time before they're caught.

Dipper informed the group that they needed to devise a strategy to get out of here. Stan proposed an illogical idea that Soos agreed to: have Soos be a human sacrifice. "Whaddya say, Mabel?"

Mabel huffed and turned away from Stan.

"Aw, come on, you can't stop talking to me forever!"

"Yeah, Mabel, we have to work together here!" Dipper agreed.

"Oh what, you want to work with Mabel, but not your buddy Soos?" Soos chimed in angrily, and Y/n huffed as the arguments flared up again. Emotions can cause you to say something you didn't mean and do something reckless.

Speaking of reckless, Mabel heard a distant oink amongst the argument. "Wait! Did you hear that?" She turned to the left and saw a massive nest with a large egg and her soulmate, alive and well, beside it. "Waddles!"

She sprinted off and towards the rails that lead to the giant nest, sounds of protest were coming behind her but she didn't hear a thing. She just needed to go to Waddles.

"Are you nuts?!" Stan exclaimed.

Mabel stopped in her tracks. "Oh, is someone speaking? Because I can't hear anything!" She continued running.

Y/n didn't even let her finish her sentence before she fearlessly crossed the rails too. "Mabel, be careful!"

Dipper followed behind her, voicing his own panic. "Mabel, come back here!"

The other three men followed until they reached Mabel, who was relieved at their happy reunion. She was cradling Waddles in her arms, assuring him that he was safe now, but the gang behind her was staring at the human skeletons surrounding the nest. Who knows when they're next.

Mabel was putting on the Huggy Wuvvy Tummy Bundle that she just bought on Waddles when Dipper came up behind her. "Mabel, great, you got him. Now we gotta get out of here!" He whispered harshly.

From above, Waddles saw the pterodactyl flying around and he was instantly terrified, running off away from Mabel. "Waddles, wait!" She gasped.

Waddles ran as fast as his little legs could take him until he collided with an unwitting Stan who caught him off guard. They landed with a thud on the railings."Get off me, you dumb pig!"

The pterodactyl swooped down towards the two. "Look out!" Dipper and Y/n yelled out.

Its claws kicked the railing, causing the two to sporadically bounce off before Stan screamed and fell with the pig. For a moment, it was silent until the dinosaur dropped something off in its nest. It was Stan's fez. Mabel gasped, grabbing the hat. "Guys, we gotta save them!"

"I'll make a distraction while you guys go," Y/n spoke.

"What? Y/n, it's dangerous!" Mabel exclaimed.

"Yeah, there's gotta be some other way! McGucket," Dipper turned to the older man, "do you have an invention that could distract the pterodactyl?"

"Do I?" McGucket rummaged through his hat before coming up with nothing. "NOPE!"

Y/n groaned in frustration. They just don't understand. She could handle it. "I'll make noises that will attract the pterodactyl and you guys go in the other direction."

"No! I-"

The large egg in front of them suddenly cracked and fell down, the top part of its shell breaking open as a young pterodactyl peered through with its large eyes. It produced a small tweeting noise and the quartet found it oddly adorable.

McGucket had his hands on his hips as he smiled down at the creature. "Well, welcome to the world, little-"

Before he knew it, the pterodactyl devoured him whole, swallowing completely as McGucket's screams were cut off.

The trio shrieked in terror as they witnessed the brutal consumption of Old Man McGucket. Meanwhile the youngling just went along its merry day, continuing eating whatever it could find. "What do we do? What do we do?" Dipper asked, panicked.

Soos' mouth dropped slightly as he got an idea. "We have to get in a straight line."

"What?!"

"A pterodactyl's eyes are so far apart, that if you stand right in front of it, it can't see you."

It sounded like a logical plan, Y/n though, while Dipper was just noticing how Soos correctly pronounced the dinosaur's name this time. "Soos, you've been wrong about stuff all day," he said, "How can we-"

"Dude," Soos placed his hand on Dipper's shoulder. "Look, I- I know I messed up a lot. I could be sorta clumsy, and it's not always as lovable as I think. But please, as my friend, just trust me on this one."

Dipper stared at the handyman thoughtfully before averting his gaze towards the young pterodactyl and how the thing with the prospector can happen to them too, before looking back at his friend. He nodded, trusting him.

"Get behind me, dudes." Soos said, and they all stood up, tiptoeing around the pterodactyl. When it noticed them, they immediately fell in a straight line, with Soos closer to the dinosaur, then Y/n, then Dipper, then Mabel.

They scooted to the side as the dinosaur did nothing. "It's working," Mabel said as they followed the creature's eyes, or in this case, the creature's forehead, because its eyes were on either side of its head. They eventually crossed the railings and arrived on the other side, immediately hiding behind the boulders from earlier.

Screeches from above interrupted their relief sounds. When the group looked up, they saw the pterodactyl flailing around until they could get a better look. Stan was riding the back of the pterodactyl's neck while wearing the bundled up Waddles on his torso. Everyone, including Y/n, smiled as Stan punched the dinosaur in the face.

The creature flew around until Stan brought his fist together and raised them high. "FROM HECK'S HEART I STAB AT THEE!" He declared as he smacked his fists down on the pterodactyl's skull, sending it crashing down until it bumped its head against the cliff. It was unconscious as it fell down while Stan clung onto the edge of the cliff.

He climbed up and stood up, though he was out of breath from all the energy he expended on beating up the pterodactyl. As they surrounded the man, everyone celebrated and cheered him on. Mabel came up to him with a sweet, grateful smile.

"Here's your pig, kiddo," Stan smiled, lifting up Waddles' front leg to signify a wave.

Mabel took the pig from him with glee. "Aw, you saved him for me!"

"Yeah, well," Stan said, "Sometimes you just gotta-"

"Look out!" Y/n yelled out, seeing as the pterodactyl was slowly climbing up and they took off, running back where they came from, this time without McGucket.

Stan led the charge through the mineshaft. Dipper screamed as the pterodactyl chomped on his vest, and he almost tripped, but Y/n slowed to take his hand in hers, and they ran together. The group eventually made it back to the open field from which they came until they realized there was no way up.

"We're trapped!" Stan exclaimed.

Y/n noticed that there were geysers surrounding them, one specific geyser was aiming at the hole from the church. "Come on, the geysers can shoot us back up!" She said as she pointed at one. Everyone followed her and hopped into the fountain, waiting for it to burst.

The pterodactyl was nearing, and Y/n panicked slightly as she realized that they had to pressurize the geyser into blowing up.

Dipper swished his hands around the water for a response "Come on, go! Go!"

The dinosaur opened its mouth and charged at them all, until Soos yelled, "BROS BEFORE DINOS!" " before slamming his fists down the rock, causing the water to sprout up the hole and away from the creature.

Everyone landed safely and okay. Soos brought down Mabel and Waddles hanging on a chandelier, Stan was still breathing heavily as he laid on a wooden casket, Dipper dried up his hat, while Y/n dusted her clothes. "Man, now that's an adventure," Mabel remarked.

Soos chuckled. "Yeah, I honestly don't know if I wanna go through that again."

Dipper approached Y/n, who was standing in the middle of the church. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I should be asking you that question," Y/n replied playfully. "That pterodactyl almost got you, you know."

"Yeah, if it weren't for you saving me back there." Dipper rubbed his arm sheepishly. "Y/n, I-"

The pterodactyl jumped out, catching Y/n's legs in its mouth and attempting to drag her down, but Dipper managed to grab her hand. Mabel, Soos, and Stan followed him and began pulling as well, hoping to free her, but the dinosaur was far stronger than all four of them.

Nonetheless, they refused to give up.

Dipper saw Y/n's contorted face and mistaken it for pain and he gritted his teeth. "Y/n, don't- don't let go, okay?"

In this situation, Y/n was at a loss for words. She was perfectly fine, in no pain, but she was conflicted. She didn't want them to be pulled as well, but she also didn't want to be eaten.

The pterodactyl resisted, pulling harder on her each time. Y/n looked down at Dipper's slipping shoes, which were losing traction. "Don't worry, Dipper," she encouraged him. The two exchanged ferocious stares; Dipper appeared helpless while Y/n appeared assured.

She was yanked one last time, and his grip on her hand slipped, but she didn't fall because Dipper managed to grab the pendant from her necklace. Y/n fixed his gaze on his hands. "Dipper, it's going to snap."

"No! Just- take my hand! " He extended one hand while keeping the other clasped around her necklace.

"No, you're gonna get pulled down, too!" Y/n yelled back. "You need to let go!"

Dipper was unyielding in his refusal to listen to her pleas. Y/n managed to share an unsure look with Stan in the midst of the struggle. They both had no idea what to do.

But at the moment, she does.

Her hands came behind her neck and unhooked her necklace with one swift swipe, and the force was shocking as she was swiftly taken down, her gasp echoing. Dipper screamed into the darkness, calling out her name, but there was no response.

"We have to go after her!" He yelled, stomping his foot. "We- we-"

"Dipper, watch out!" Mabel drew her brother away from the center just as the roof and ceiling collapsed, covering the hole.

As his grip on the necklace tightened, he started pacing back and forth. He clutched it to his chest. Stan approached him calmly, hands outstretched. "Kid, calm down..."

"She could be stuck down there forever. She could be dead!"

Stan was unnerved, but he was still slightly shaken. "We can call the police, Dipper, You know it's too dangerous down there!"

The boy turned to him with seething rage in his eyes. "What happened to the Stan who bravely faced a freaking pterodactyl and punched it in the face? Where did he go?!"

" Dipper, I-"

"Why are you not worried about Y/n?!" Dipper pointed at him accusingly.

"You think I'm not?" Stan's voice raised as he felt offended by Dipper's claim. "What exactly do you want me to do, kid? The hole is blocked and there's no other way down there! I assure you, Y/n will be-" He huffed, the exhaustion from today was finally catching up to him, and on top of that, Y/n was in danger. He calmed down for a moment. "She's as brave and smart as you. If you and your sister can handle those dinosaurs, then you have to trust her that she can handle it, too."

Dipper was hesitant, his brow furrowed. He was on the verge of crying and wiped his tears away harshly. He imagined Y/n in the dark, up against a pterodactyl preying on her and chasing her until she reached a dead end, and...

He shook his head and closed his eyes tightly. No, he refused to believe that. They'd been through adventures together before, and they always find a way to survive them.

"But, Mr. Pines, she's alone," Soos spoke up.

Mabel looked up at him, her face stained with tears, as she hugged Waddles close to her ."Grunkle Stan, can't we do something?"

Stan clenched and unclenched his fist. He truly had no idea what to do. He was irritated by the situation, but he was also concerned for her safety. "Alright, alright." He heaved in a sigh. "I'll stay here and find a way to save Y/n. Soos will drive you kids home. Don't leave the house. I promise you, I'm not going back until I get Y/n safe and unharmed."

When he said this, he didn't feel nervous like a person would before embarking on a rescue mission because they don't know if the person they're saving will be alive or not, but Stan knew Y/n would be alive and well.

The twins didn't say anything, they couldn't say anything. It was a good idea, sure, but they were just incredibly worried.

"Now go home. I'll start searching."

Soos drove the three of them home in the van. Stan stood there watching the sunset's shadow cast over the vehicle until it vanished over the horizon.

Once the truck was gone, he let out a loud groan. "Y/n! Can you hear me?!"

Silence.

He grumbled as he kicked the wooden debris that surrounded the hole. He was unsure if this was a good idea. He was concerned that the dinosaurs would have the chance to escape once the hole was open.

After nearly an hour, the hole reappeared, and Stan needed to lie down due to exhaustion. He breathed heavily. "Y/n, you there?" He heard his voice echo before standing back up.

He took a lighter from one of his coat pockets and walked to the wood pile before lighting one. He hurriedly brought the fiery plank over to the hole and let go, watching the light disappear into the darkness. He caught a glimpse of what lay beneath, but it was nothing but inky black. The plank landed with a loud thud, making him wince.

Stan started pacing, trying to figure out how to get down without hurting himself, but the universe had other ideas. The board he was stepping on next to the hole snapped, causing him to slip and fall. He screamed as he was thrown down until he landed on the same mushroom cap they had earlier.

"Ugh, just take me now," he groaned as he couldn't feel his back. "I'm too old for this."

He got off the mushroom and dusted himself off. "Y/n! Where the heck are you?"

A sudden screech thundered the entire tunnel and Stan could see the shadow of the pterodactyl coming closer. "Here we go," Stan deadpanned, pretty much accepting his fate.

The dinosaur flew around him, encircling him. Stan pointed at the pterodactyl. "Hey, I punched you in the face before, and I'm not afraid to do it again! Come at me!" He took an arrogant stance, challenging the creature.

Stan didn't think the pterodactyl would understand him as it charged at him. Stan shrieked, covering his face in defense. But then the dinosaur came to a halt, and Stan heard boisterous laughter coming from behind the pterodactyl.

"What the-" He noticed Y/n sitting on the neck of the dinosaur. "Y/n?! What- what did you do that for?"

She was coming down from her laughter. "It was a prank. Never heard of a prank before? Even I knew what a prank was and I don't-"

"I know what a prank is!" Stan yelled angrily, and the pterodactyl opened its mouth as if to threaten him, forcing him to take a step back. "I'm just- how? How did this happen?" He gestured to the dinosaur.

Y/n leaped down from its neck as her hands caressed its meaty skin. "Long story. I'll tell you on the way home."

The baby pterodactyl also appeared in the scene, but this time it was being ridden by Old Man McGucket. "WOO WEE!" They landed next to the two and he jumped out. "You're a good dinosaur," he said, petting its head.

The pterodactyls flew the three back to the hole after they said their goodbyes. The mother pterodactyl was grateful for reasons Stan didn't understand, but Y/n did. Stan was desperate to get out of there as the night grew colder. "Let's just go already."

McGucket insisted on taking the other route, claiming that he needed to see his raccoon wife, to which Stan and Y/n had no response.

A moment of silence passed between them until Y/n began with, "Why did you come back for me? You know I'd be perfectly fine."

"Yeah, well, the kids were all worried about you. You'd rather Dipper and Mabel come down to get you instead of me?"

"Of course I don't," she answered without missing a beat, "but hearing them panic about my safety, it's just..."

Stan turned to her with a weird large grin. "Oh you should've seen the look on their face! Dipper was close to crying, and Mabel was already sobbing!"

Y/n chuckled at Stan's expressions. What's so hilarious about that?

"What are we going to tell them?" He asked after a brief pause.

"I'm planning on staying dead, but now that I think about it..."

Stan continued, "I don't think it's a good idea," he said, proceeding to list all the reasons why it was. "If we go along with your plan then you have to always stay downstairs and I have to pretend to be sad, then the kids would have the worst summer of their lives and might not even come here anymore. I don't wanna put that weight on them." He sighed. "Believe it or not, Y/n, you've become their closest friend, and I don't know what I'd do once I tell them that you died."

Y/n breathed out a sigh. "I'll just tell the truth then," she paused before turning to Stan. "Will that be okay with you?"

His gaze was distant, considering the possibilities once Y/n revealed the truth. Will they still trust them?"What will you say?"

"I'll think about it once we get there," she shrugged, causing Stan to smirk.

After what seemed like an eternity, they arrived at the Shack's back door.

Stan peeked inside first. "We're clear. We have to-"

Screams cut him off as footsteps approached them speedily. "Y/n!" Mabel and Dipper dashed to the door, not even allowing Y/n to enter. "You're safe!" The twins engulfed her in a hug, startling Y/n.

She came to a halt as her hands remained in the air, but she quickly recovered and hugged back, closing her eyes. She had grown to value hugs, especially those from the twins.

They parted after a brief moment, and Mabel had tears in her eyes. "We thought you were dead!"

Y/n exchanged glances with Stan before clearing her throat. "Lets- go inside. I'll explain everything."

"You better," Dipper spoke, following them to the living room. "I saw your half get eaten by the pterodactyl!"

The three children* sat on the cold wooden floor of the living room while Stan busied himself in the kitchen- when in reality, he's just getting four glasses of water for each of them.

Y/n began fiddling with her fingers while keeping her gaze fixed on the ground. She had to come up with yet another lie to tell the kids. Her mind was making excuses after excuses, and she was silently thanking Stan for the delay.

He eventually emerged from the kitchen with a tray of glasses of water, and Y/n exhaled heavily.He eventually emerged from the kitchen with a tray of glasses of water, and Y/n exhaled heavily."Okay," she started. "I... have a defect."

"A defect?"

"Yes," she continued, recalling a specific page from one of the books she borrowed from the local library. "Uh, I'm insensitive to pain. I cannot feel pain, and I have quick healing."

She remembered telling Tyrone this after she had recovered from a paper cut. Tyrone's reaction was one of excitement, but Dipper and Mabel had expressions she couldn't read, which scared her a little.

She continued talking to fill the awkward silence. "I'm still human. I have human blood. Human emotions." She omitted the fact that she was born in Gravity Falls. She didn't know why, but she just didn't want to say it. "I can get in accidents or literally get half of my body eaten by a pterodactyl," Y/n said lightheartedly, but the twins winced. "But I won't feel the pain," she quickly reassured. "And as you can see with me still being in one piece, I heal pretty quickly."

Stan observed how the twins processed the information. They remained quiet. Too quiet. He silently thanked Y/n for saving him from having to tell them. He wouldn't even know where to begin.

"Guys?" Y/n said after a moment. "If you have any questions, I'll gladly answer-"

"I can't believe it..." Mabel chimed in, staring at the ground. "I... have a best friend who's invincible!" She screamed in triumph as she stood. She stretched her arms as wide as her grin.

Y/n smiled slightly "I'm not really-"

"That is actually so hardcore, Y/n!" The energetic girl went on. "So that's why you always jump in and save us. I thought you just didn't care for your own safety," she laughed. "But you actually have a secret superpower! Do you go out at night and save kittens stuck in trees?"

"No."

"Do you have a superhero name?"

"No! Mabel, I'm not-"

"Do you wear a cape? I think capes are a lame fashion choice, in my opinion. It could-"

"Alright, Mabel, that's enough." Stan cut off, rolling his eyes. "You kids should get some sleep now."

Y/n cast a glance at Dipper, who appeared to be preoccupied. "Actually, Stan. Dipper and I should talk. Alone," she said, and Stan nodded, bringing a drowsy Mabel with her, who was still raving about superpowers and heroic names to call Y/n.

When the two were out of the room, she turned to face him. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

Dipper nodded meekly.

"Hopefully not about superheroes and stuff?"

"Oh. No. Nothing about that." He spoke for the first time after her confession. "I guess I believe you considering the stuff I've encountered so far."

"We can test it if you're still uncertain. You can plunge a knife on my hand, or hit me with a pan, or-"

"I don't wanna do that, gosh." Dipper quickly shook his head. "I don't want to intentionally hurt you."

Y/n stared at him. "But I can't get hurt, Dipper. That's the thing."

"It doesn't matter. I won't do it."

She laughed. 'Suit yourself."

The two stayed up going back and forth about her ability, Y/n tried to answer as honestly as she could– whatever 'honest' in her dictionary meant.

"It's just so cool. I really thought you died back there, Y/n."

When she heard him say that, she couldn't help but smile, ignoring the change in her heartbeat. So he was concerned about her. That's great to hear.

"Anyway, we should sleep this off, huh?" The both of them stood up. Y/n looked at him. "I hope this doesn't change anything. Do you... still trust me?"

"I trust you," Dipper said without missing a beat, which made her smile even bigger. He took something from his vest pocket, and she noticed his fist clasped until he revealed it to be her daisy necklace. He took a step towards her, and her back was to him. "It will take some getting used to the fact that you are unique. Good unique. In all honesty, this makes you even more awesome than before."

He was relieved she wasn't facing him because she would have noticed his prominent blush. Why did he feel the need to say that? Dipper chastised himself.

"Thank you for keeping this safe," Y/n said, turning back around and touching the pendant.

"You're welcome. Thank you for saving my life."

"No worries," Y/n replied in the same tone. They proceeded to exit out of the living room and walked their separate ways towards their respective rooms.

When Dipper entered his room, he was disappointed to see that his sister had already gone to bed because they didn't have time to discuss Y/n, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He lay on his bed, hands behind his neck, staring at the ceiling. Mabel was right. This explained why, most of the time, Y/n would risk her life and bravely face every adversary. She didn't have to be concerned about being hurt because she can't feel them.

Dipper wondered if he'd come across this so-called defect before. He preferred to read books about documentaries or unsolved mysteries rather than medical topics. Y/n stated that she was still human, the only difference being her aversion to pain.

He looked down at his palm, which he closed and opened several times. He could still feel his hand clasped in hers at the abandoned church, never letting her go. He should feel stupid for crying over her thinking she was dead when she was perfectly fine, but defect or not, he wouldn't hesitate to keep her safe as well.

Because he knew she wouldn't.

***

One night, Y/n was hard at work downstairs, as one of the capacitors was causing havoc yet again. Fortunately, the portal had been relatively stable, to the point where they could only work on it at night and not necessarily during the day. In recent days, they have been dealing with the stress of caring for a baby dinosaur. What was the point of Stan stealing the dinosaur egg in the first place?

As the sun began to rise over a new day, she glanced at the calendar conveniently placed in front of her, next to a framed photo of Dipper and Mabel that Stan had placed. Y/n noticed that it was July 13th, and she wouldn't forget that day.

It was Soos' birthday, but she knew he wouldn't be in the mood to celebrate. She already knew the reason—or rather, her "sister" did, because Soos knowingly revealed his secret to the former Y/n. The Y/n who met him on the day of his 12th birthday.

Y/n attempted to greet him on his birthday a year after they met, but Soos didn't have the same energy as she did. He had the deepest frown she'd ever seen him wear, and she had no idea why, until the next day when they were tasked with fixing the ventilation of the gift shop and 13-year-old Soos decided to coincidentally vent out to Y/n.

"You wanna know why I get sad whenever it's my birthday?" his little voice croaked as he meekly picked up a screwdriver.

Y/n paused her reading from the manual and gave Soos her undivided attention. "Why?"

"Um, you're the only person outside of my family who knows this. Even Mr Pines doesn't know. I'm telling you this because I've come to trust you so much, Y/n."

She stared at him, not knowing what to say. "I'm honored, Soos, but you don't have to tell me if you're uncomfortable."

"No, I want to," he began to fiddle with the tools surrounding them and preferred keeping his gaze down, avoiding hers. "My dad left me when I was like... four years old, and every year I'd always hope that he would go and visit me on my birthday. I've been wishing and wishing on my birthday candle, but he just... doesn't..."

He was cut off by his own tears. When he talked about it, it seemed like it was still a sensitive subject for him. Y/n had no idea what it was like to be a father. But she knew what it was like when someone left her and didn't return. She was still holding out hope that he'd return, but Soos didn't seem to have any hope left in him.

"Thank you for telling me." Y/n gently patted his back. "It's gonna be alright, Soos."

"Please don't tell anyone," that was all he said before the topic was eventually dropped.

A tap on her shoulder cut her train of thought—or, more accurately, her dream. Did she fall asleep by accident and have a dream about a memory she had years ago? Strange, but fascinating.

"Oi, go back to your room. It's sunrise," Stan returned her to the land of the living. Y/n double-checked the capacitors she miraculously repaired the night before. When she saw that it was working properly, she went upstairs and wiggled her way back to her room.

She'd slept for four hours before getting out of bed and getting ready for the day. She is unsure how things will go considering the twins are here this summer.

Everyone was nowhere to be seen, making her confused a bit. She had a bad feeling; do the twins know of Soos' birthday? She caught a glimpse of balloons outside of one of the windows and her hunch had been correct. Yet, the birthday celebrant and his peers didn't seem to present, so where were they?

She went outside and soon enough, she saw Soos sitting on the steps of the porch, staring at the same postcard he had kept for 10 years. The paper was a bit crumpled, but the words written on it were still imprinted on his mind.

Unaware of the multiple pair of eyes staring at her, she walked towards Soos and sat beside him. She didn't say anything at first, and he was grateful for the silence.

"What are they doing?" Wendy asked.

"I have no idea," Stan replied, shaking his head with his arms crossed.

"This is good," Mabel bellowed, jumping out of their peeking spot. "Y/n will be the distraction while we go and make a reservation at Soos' favorite place on Earth!"

Dipper watched how Y/n silently placed her hand on Soos' and admired her golden heart. Although he felt like she knew why Soos was feeling this way so she knew how to approach him.

All of a sudden, Mabel pulled on his arm. "Come on, bro!"

"Ah!"

They soon made a game reservation on the counter before returning to the Shack and finding Soos a little bit better, but he was still frowning.

"Soos!" Mabel ran to him, holding his hands together. "Soos, I need you to please trust me and put on a blindfold! I promise you, this will be the greatest surprise ever!"

Y/n watched as Soos reluctantly allowed Mabel to put a blindfold on him. Before Soos could stand up, Dipper motioned for her to be quiet, and Mabel led the way, taking his hand in his.

Y/n didn't move an inch because she assumed their plan involved taking Soos somewhere. She didn't feel like going to town with her ostensibly hidden identity, but when Dipper took her hand and pulled her up, she couldn't say no.

Everybody walked to town on a cloudy day. Y/n didn't want to be seen as much as possible, so she squeezed herself between Stan and Wendy who were doing a good job hiding her with their tall heights. Mabel guided a blindfolded Soos until they reached an all too familiar establishment that used to be a mattress store.

They entered through sliding doors, and laser zaps could be heard from afar. "Alright, guys," Soos spoke, his voice wavering with hesitance. "Blindfold me once, shame on you. Blindfold me twice- wait a minute." He paused his movements as used his other available senses. "Hot dog smell? Sticky floors? Future sounds?"

He took off his blindfold and saw the signs and saw the large sign of 'BIG GUNZ LASER TAG' "Laser tag? I-I love laser tag." He faced the twins. " How'd you guys know?"

"Um, we definitely didn't rifle through your wallet!" Mabel chuckled nervously.

They wore their target sensors and brought the laser guns close to their chests. "How do you play this game?" Y/n asked while they were preparing, and everyone around her gave her wide-eyed stares. "I'm sorry?"

"You have never played laser tag before?" Dipper exclaimed.

"Dang, you are one weird kid, Y/n," Mabel remarked, but she meant no harm to the statement. "I'm blaming your parents for your sad childhood."

"Just tell me how to play." Y/n rolled her eyes as she ignored Mabel's comments about her parents and childhood, despite the fact that she didn't have either.

"You'll figure it out in the field, don't worry," Dipper said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Soos remained frowning as he looked at his own laser gun. "I- I don't know, guys. I'm not sure I'm up for this today."

The twins looked up to him. "Don't worry, Soos," the boy reassured, "As soon as you start playing with us, you're gonna have a good time."

Mabel grinned beside him. "We promise, no matter what happens, we won't leave your side."

"Well, I guess I could give it a shot." Soos gave a hesitant smile. Everyone waited in line for the lobby to open its doors to the arena. Y/n was standing in front of Dipper, Mabel, and Soos. When the doors finally opened, she dashed to catch up with Stan as the game began.

Y/n guessed she was supposed to shoot because of the gun she was holding, but what was she shooting at?

She looked behind her to see if the twins were there, but all she saw was Soos bending down to tie his shoelaces. He rose and ran back into the arena. "Mabel, Dipper? Dudes?"

"Soos!" Y/n called to him.

"Y/n!" Soos said, "Have you seen Mabel and Dipper? Where did they go?"

Y/n glanced behind him, trying to hide her worry as she pondered the same question. "Uhm, they're already hiding. Come on!" She grabbed his wrist and led the two of them to a nearby hiding place. As she faced him, laser sounds could be heard in the background. "So how do you play this, Soos?" she asked in an attempt to divert his attention.

"Uh, you just point your gun and shoot at the target on each player's suits," Soos answered, but his face looked like he wanted to go home already. "Don't let them shoot you though, or you lose."

"Okay, seems easy," Y/n nodded.

"Yeah, it's fun. I still can't find the twins, though, so I don't have any backup," he said low-spiritedly as he gazed in the colorful room.

She patted his arm comfortingly. "Hey, we can be each other's back-up... even though I might suck at this game. Let's watch each other's backs, yeah?"

Soos smiled. "Okay."

Meanwhile, Dipper and Mabel were fleeing the time police after stealing the time machine from members of the Time Paradox Avoidance Enforcement Squadron, Lolph and Dundgren. Instead of the laser tag game, the twins found themselves entering a box made of solid time-tanium—all because of their former adversary, Blendin Blandin, who had returned to challenge them to a gladiatorial time combat, Globnar.

Dipper used the time machine to return to Soos' birthday, and the two zapped back in time and vanished.

They landed on a soft bed and began to take in their surroundings. Mabel grunted. "Are we back?"

The boy's eyes widened. "Oh no, look!" He pointed to a large sign that said 'Mr. ZZZ Mattresses'. "Mabel! The laser place is a mattress store! We went too far into the past!"

"Time travel, man! Why you gotta be so complicated?!" Mabel started shouting until they heard a burst from behind them and ran to hide under one of the beds. They may have gotten away, but the squadron- and Blendin- were still following them.

The three men rushed out of the mattress store, and the twins crawled out from their hiding place. They intended to return to the present, but the time gadget was broken upon impact. Dipper could fix it; all he needed were the right tools. And he knew exactly where to get some because he saw a sign from outside that said, 'Mystery Shack - 1 mile'.

The twins began their journey towards the tourist trap, passing by people they had seen ten years before. There was Toby Determined, who aspired to do tap dancing on Broadway, a street sign depicting Gideon as a baby (he still looked the same), and finally, young Tambry and Wendy riding their tricycles.

"Woah-"

"Oops, sorry," young Tambry said.

Wendy, the young girl, raised her eyes to the twins before leaning over and whispering something to her friend.

Tambry, on the other hand, immediately smiled and pointed at Dipper. "My friend thinks you're cute."

The redhead's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! Tambry! Shut up!" She exclaimed, pushing her off the trike.

"Ow! Hey?!"

Dipper was at a loss for words as an awkward laugh escaped him. "Thank you... I mean, you're super young, so this is weird..."

Mabel snorted as she smacked him across the shoulder. "Now you know how she feels, creep."

As the realization hit Dipper, he tried to laugh it off. "Wow..."

They eventually arrived at the Mystery Shack, where Stan is on tour promoting his new wax museum. The twins took advantage of his distraction and jumped in the nearest window.

Dipper landed awkwardly on the ground, but right next to him was an open box with tools strewn inside. Dipper smiled as he saw a red screwdriver lying in the open. "Ha! Bingo."

Mabel followed her brother inside and was watching him work when she heard a small voice from behind her. "Aw, come on, candy! Fall! Fall!" The girl approached the vending machine, employing the secret technique that Soos had taught her to obtain free snacks.

She took the candies from the open glass and went to give them to the child, but she froze when she realized he was no ordinary child. It was Soos, only ten years younger. "Thanks, dawg!" With a smile, he extended his hand. Mabel handed Soos the snacks with a shocked expression. "You must be some kind of genius!" He walked away with a grin.

Mabel dashed to her brother, who excitedly turned his head towards the boy in the party hat as his abuela approached him. "Mi precioso, you keep wandering off! You don't wanna be late for your big day." Young Soos took the old woman's hand and walked home with her.

"Big day? This could be the birthday where that personal biz went down," Mabel said, "We could finally find out why Soos hates his birthday!"

"Alright..." Dipper said slowly, looking at the fixed time machine. "But let's be quick."

Dipper swore he heard something in the kitchen as the two walked out of the Mystery Shack. If Stan was busy dealing with tourists, the other handyman was outside, and Wendy was too young to be the cashier, who was inside? It couldn't possibly be one of the employees.

The twins left with the timepiece and the screwdriver in case they needed to fix it again, not realizing that it would be needed by someone else to repair the broken freezer.

Dipper and Mabel stood on the sidelines as Soos celebrated his birthday. They noticed the young handyman bouncing in anticipation of his father's expected return for his birthday. However, when the mailman knocked on his front door instead of him, giving him a postcard, the twins noticed how the news changed his mood.

"Sorry, Champ. Couldn't make it this year. Real busy again. See you next year for sure. Dad," Young Soos read aloud, and the twins can see how his energy was slowly draining from him. He then went to his room and sulked about his father not caring about him on his special day, preferring to go have fun in New Orleans instead.

Dipper and Mabel had no idea how to deal with this major issue. How can they make his birthday so happy that he forgets about his problem when they don't even know what he truly desired?

Out of nowhere, they heard Blendin's voice and they hid in a nearby tree. Lolph began searching for their chrono signatures as Blendin and Dundgren talked about Globnar and its powerful price. "Man, the sooner I defeat those kids in Globnar, the sooner I can win my time wish," the bald man said.

"Tell you what I'd do if I had a time wish," Dundgren replied, "Retire early. Spend more time with the kids-"

"Nyah-nyah-nyah-nyah with the kids?!" Blendin cut off with an annoying screech. "Don't you know a time wish can literally do anything? Any impossible problem solved-" he snapped his fingers, "--just like that? I mean, imagine the possibilities!"

Dipper, having overheard the conversation, turned to his sister. "Wait. Mabel, that's it! The time wish! If we defeat Blendin in that space battle–"

"--then we can wish Soos' dad came to his 12th birthday!"

"And Soos' birthdays will be fixed forever!" Dipper snapped his fingers. "All of them!"

Mabel raised an eyebrow as she dropped her voice in an unsure whisper. "But do you really think we could win Globnar?"

"It's the only chance we have," he replied instantly. "Besides, it's for Soos. He would do the same for us."

The twins nodded in unison before rising to their feet and putting their hands behind their necks. "Here we are, Blendin, we surrender," Dipper said as the two walked out of the tree.

Lolph and Dundgren threatened them with their blasters, but Dipper assured them that they were not going anywhere and that they accepted Blendin's challenge. The guard zapped them all back to the future, dropping the red screwdriver on the ground.

Dipper and Mabel stood in the middle of the arena, handcuffed like Blendin as a massive baby, (who dubbed himself 'Time Baby'), rose from the ground. The baby had a giant hourglass symbol on its forehead, but it also had a very deep voice and very powerful laser eyes that could kill.

Time Baby explained the instructions and the games began, consisting of all the challenges the arena could think of, ranging from a hotdog-eating contest, to a chess match where a giant 'Cyclocks' is chasing them.

The twins expected the final game to be lethal, but after all the games they've played, they're prepared for anything. The Time Baby announced the final game as Laser Tag, and they knew they were going to win. And after Dipper caught Blendin off guard while ranting, Mabel climbed up that platform and eventually grabbed the orb that was the game's main objective.

Dipper and Mabel won, granting them the time wish and the opportunity to declare the loser's punishment. They were confronted by the Time Baby, who inquired, "What fate do you decide for the loser?"

"DEATH!"

"Mabel!" Dipper hissed from behind her.

"Sorry," Mabel breathed, "Got carried away there."

They didn't punish Blendin in the end because they knew they were the ones who ruined his life in the first place. And if they treat him better now, maybe he'll be a better person subsequently. So they not only had Blendin get his job back, but they also restored his hair, so he was no longer the bald guy.

"Now, children," Time Baby said, as if he wasn't a child himself, "What is it that you want for your time wish?"

A glowing orb floated down between Dipper and Mabel. "Thank you, but the wish... isn't for us." Mabel said, sharing a look with Dipper.

"Not you?" Time Baby questioned. "But then who? Who is worthy to receive such power?!"

Back to the laser tag place, Y/n and Soos were sitting on the floor with their backs against the wall. When Soos decided that he'd rather not play anymore, Y/n stayed with him instead of playing. She was itching to tell him that she knew about the whole dad thing, but she didn't know where to begin. If she said that she knew, then either she admits that her "sister" Y/n told her, or she had been the original Y/n the whole time.

Soos might feel betrayed when he finds out that Y/n told her sister despite him saying that 'she shouldn't tell anyone', and Y/n didn't want Soos to know that she... didn't age throughout the decade.

It was just all confusing.

All of a sudden, Soos stood up with a frown. "I can't see the twins anywhere," he sighed. "Who am I kidding?"

"Soos, wait," Y/n followed. "I'm sorry, I was lying."

"Wait what?"

"Mabel and Dipper aren't actually here. I didn't know where they went and it's actually making me worry," she said, starting to fiddle with her fingers.

"Huh? But where did they go?" Soos asked, which Y/n didn't provide an answer to.

Before Soos could utter a word, everything around him stopped moving, including his friend. "Y/n? Y/n?!" She wasn't speaking nor blinking, and he was getting scared... until there was a burst behind him, blowing away his hat.

He turned around and saw Dipper, Mabel, and a futuristic-looking guy beside them. "Soos!" They exclaimed, running towards him.

"G-guys!" Soos said, surprised to see them. They both look like they've gone through a lot, as their clothes were filthy and their skin and hair were dusty. Just what adventure did they go through?

"We're sorry we left you hanging, dude!" Dipper said. "We got caught up in this... time-travel junk."

"And there was a time-cyclops," Mabel added.

"And don't forget about the-"

"The time race!" The two said in unison and chuckled tiredly.

"But the point is, Soos," Mabel looked to him, "we think we know how to fix your birthday!"

"Oh, really?" Soos said, but then he closed his eyes, placing his fingers on his eyelids. "Wait, you guys did all of that... for me?"

Blendin stepped into the scene, pressing something in his watch before the glowing orb appeared and bobbed between them. It floated down to Soos' as Blendin explained the directives. "The power to alter time paradox free in any way you choose," he said.

It was all down to Soos' decision. He could finally meet his dad after not seeing him for so many years, but looking down at the twins and their dirty clothing and messed up faces, he saw the look of love and care that he could never see in his father. They went through literal life and death just to see the smile on his face but the one person that Soos was looking for is nowhere to be seen.

"What are you waiting for, Soos?" Dipper spoke, breaking him out of his thoughts.

Soos remembered the postcard on the pocket of his cargo pants that was beginning to feel heavy. He threw away the image in his mind before looking at the time orb. "Alright, here goes nothing," He thought of what to wish for and finally touched the orb and it sparked a bright light.

When the light cleared, Dipper and Mabel were cleaned off dirt from their battles. The twins were baffled at this. "Wait what?" Mabel said.

"Bam. Fixed you up. Enjoy, dudes!"

"But, Soos! What about meeting your dad?"

"Well, birthdays are supposed to be spent by the people who care about you. But you know what, that dude didn't care about me enough to visit me once, let alone fight monsters through time and space like you dudes. I mean, you had a gladiator fight, just to make me happy. I've been being ridiculous this whole time. Whoever my dad was, he can take a hike," Soos explained, throwing away the postcard. "I know who my family is now, and it's you dudes." He kneeled down and gave the twins a hug. " Thanks for giving me the best birthday ever." He wanted to say more, but he steeled himself.

"Are you kidding me?!" Blendin screamed. "Do you have any idea what you've just wasted?! Do you know how many have died to get the time wish; the wars that were started?!"

"Oh that's not all dude," Soos assured, now holding up a slice of pizza. "I also wished for thisslice of infinite pizza. Watch." He took a bite and the pizza regenerated. "And it can do that for like...infinity."

Blendin's angry expression was wiped away. "Okay, yeah. Phew. That's a good time wish!"

Soos smiled. "There's still ten minutes before Laser Tag closes. You dudes wanna play?"

"Yeah!"

"Um," Soos turned to Blendin. "Can you unfreeze Y/n?"

Everyone stared at the frozen Y/n who was unblinking.

***

After a fun game of Laser Tag— that Y/n quickly got the hang of, they all went home, tired. But Y/n wasn't done for the day. She quickly walked beside Soos who wore a huge grin. "Soos, I need to talk to you."

"Sure, what is it?"

Y/n let the twins and Stan go inside the Shack as she and Soos stayed in the same porch steps they sat in earlier that morning. "Listen. I... know about your issue."

"Issue?" Soos asked.

"About..." she averted her gaze, "About why you hate your birthday so much."

"Y/n..."

"I... I found it through my sister, and I didn't know how to approach you about it, but I know, and I'm sorry about your dad. I'm sorry that he's the reason why you're sad every birthday. You don't deserve that, you know."

Soos' eyes widened at the mention of her sister as he remembered that exact moment years ago when he told her while they were supposed to fix the vent. But then Soos became slightly amused as he looked at the 'younger sister' Y/n, who appeared to be lost. For a brief moment, he forgot that Y/n had been frozen for the duration of Soos telling the twins that they were enough and that they were now his new family. Despite the fact that Y/n was frozen in that particular conversation, he included her in the confession.

"I've started not to care about my dad since I realize that he doesn't care about me," Soos shrugged. "I should be paying attention to people who reciprocate my respect, you know?"

Y/n nodded in agreement. She was relieved that Soos was no longer bothered by his father. Though she felt she had missed Soos's development. He was just having the worst day ever because of his birthday, but the next thing she knew he was laughing and having fun with her and the twins.

Soos looked down to the ground as he went silent. "Okay, because you told me that you knew about my dad... I guess I should tell you one thing."

"What is it?"

"Although my 12th birthday was the worst, at least one good thing happened that day," Soos smiled as his eyes were distant.

"What happened?"

"I met Y/n," he smiled as he faced her. "Your sister, I mean. She taught me how to fix machines at such a young age. She was so patient with me. Mr. Pines is great, he gave me a job too and he was also welcoming, but Y/n was just the kindest person I've ever met."

Y/n clenched her fist and stared at the handyman. She was fighting back tears as she heard Soos' praise. He says things so naturally, and he always gives credit where credit is due. She was afraid that if she spoke, tears would flow, and she didn't want to add to Soos' burden.

So she looked away and subtly wiped on her eyes. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, uhm... yeah."

"How is she anyway?"

"Hm?"

"Y/n? How is she?"

Her eyes looked into his. Does he not see that they're literally the same person? Stan was right, Soos was dumb enough to pick up clues. She shook her head. She shouldn't mock Soos after hearing him talk about her so highly. "She's doing fine with her research and all..." she said. "I'm sorry for the secret again."

"Eh, it's fine. Really. Honestly, who cares about my dad? He can hit the road," Soos said with a dismissive hand. "You, Dipper, and Mabel turned it all around anyway and I wanna thank you for being my friend."

"I'm glad we're friends too," Y/n smiled, her eyes twinkling. We've been friends for a long time.

Y/n watched Soos grow up and he remained the same goofy, compassionate, and tender-hearted person. Soos deserved all the good things in the world, despite not getting what he wanted those years ago. Yet, looking at himself and the people in his life now, he couldn't ask for anything more.

"Happy birthday, Soos."

Chapter 17: Escaping Dreams

Chapter Text

It was surprising to see rain in the middle of summer– a thunderstorm nonetheless, but that wouldn't stop the twins from going and finding some entertainment. The moment the rain began though, because Stan was a major cheapskate and wouldn't dare spend a penny on fixing the Shack properly, the roof had gotten frail and weak, causing water to leak.

The family went and gathered as many containers as they could, ranging from cups, pots, and pans and began putting them under each leak.

While they were searching for more bowls, Mabel found a random Conflict Boat board game lying around the attic and invited Dipper to play. Dipper, being competitive he is, immediately accepted the offer with an intent to win while Mabel had no idea how to play this particular game.

The rain continued pouring, and Y/n thought that this was a good excuse for coffee– although every hour is coffee hour for her– and proceeded to enjoy watching the rain fall down the window of the kitchen while sipping on the flavorful bitterness. Meanwhile Stan loitered by the TV as usual, boringly flipping through channels. Wendy and Soos were forced to stay inside the Shack because the heavy rain came unexpectedly and they didn't have anything against the weather.

Dipper inquisitively placed a hand on his chin. "I'm gonna say... B5,"

Mabel grinned excitedly. "Miss!" She proceeded to put a peg on her board. "Whop!" Her pegs were arranged like a cat's face.

"I don't think you're playing this right." Dipper glared.

All of a sudden, Stan's booming voice resonated through the house, louder than the rain. "Kids! Come quick!"

The twins sprinted down the stairs in unison, finding Stan cackling in mock laughter. Y/n sat on the huge dinosaur fossil beside the yellow couch as she continued sipping her hot beverage. "I need you to laugh at this with me!" Stan exclaimed, motioning to the TV where Gideon's commercial played. The boy held a mini guitar and the background were clouds passing by.

"Who's cute as a button, and always your friend? Lil' G-I-D to the E-O-N! Wink!"

"Li'l Gideon!" Bud announced after.

The twins had the urge to grimace. Y/n thought the jingle was fairly catchy, but it was also hilarious seeing Gideon try this hard. "Ugh, Gideon," Dipper stared weirdly.

"Remember when I wouldn't date him and he tried to destroy us?" Mabel voiced aloud.

Stan frowned deeply. "He's always trying to trick me into losing the Mystery Shack!"

"He's annoying."

Wendy walked in the room. "One time I caught him stealing my moisturizer."

"He's so weird."

Soos followed with a smile. "And yet, our mutual hatred for him bonds us together."

The commercial continued, and now Gideon was laughing with doves flying out from behind him. "Come on down to Li'l Gideon's Tent of Telepathy, opening soon at this location." The TV shows a pseudo-Mystery Shack getting crushed by the Tent of Telepathy.

"Uh," Dipper stuttered. "Should we be worried about that?"

"Please," Stan waved a dismissive hand, smirking, "the only way Gideon's taking over this shack is by breaking in and stealing my deed."

A crash was heard from the upstairs, alerting everyone. Y/n sat up. "You mean, right now?"

Inside Stan's office, was Gideon attempting to open Stan's huge safe. He mumbled possible significant numbers as codes, but nothing worked. "38? 41? Oh, heavens to Betsy!" He whispered harshly.

The door opened and there stood Stan with an angry expression. "Gideon!"

"Well, well, Stanford!" – Y/n visibly cringed upon hearing the incorrect name– "my arch nemesis. We seem to have entered a dangerous game of cat and mouse. But the question remains, who is the cat, and who is the-"

"Soos, broom." Stan deadpanned.

Conveniently, Soos was holding a broom when the old man asked for it. He began treading closer to the younger boy. "Oh no, not the broom!" Gideon ran around the room as Stan chased him.

Gideon hissed, but those fitful fell on almost deaf ears as he was repeatedly hit by the broom until he chased him outside in the rain. The people left in the office began cleaning up the mess that was the break-in attempt.

"You mark my words, Stanford, one day I'm gonna get that combination. And once I steal that deed, you'll never see the Mystery Shack again!" Gideon screamed against the rain accompanied by thunder.

"Good luck, bucko!" Stan replied with a smirk before closing the door.

Stan went back to his office, opening the vault with the combination before opening it. The deed was still there, tucked safely. He closed the vault shut again, pressing the lock button. He laughed mockingly. "The combo to this safe in the one place he'll never find it: my brain." He said aloud to himself, not knowing there was a pair of eyes peering at him through the window.

Gideon thought that he's had enough of playing games. He brought out his greatest weapon out of his little suit. A book; a dark, leather-bound cover adorned with an insignia– a six-fingered hand and a huge number 2 in blank ink. Inside were pages filled with intricate drawings and cryptic messages, and memories written by someone who had a lot on their mind. It was supposed to be a biography, a series of findings, but it had fallen in the wrong hands. It had fallen in the hands of one Gideon Gleeful.

He flipped to a certain page, his eyes shining a mischievous, evil glint as he stared at the book that gazed back.

***

It was still raining heavily. The five being Mabel, Dipper, Y/n, Wendy, and Stan were watching TV. Stan sat on the yellow throne, Mabel laid on her stomach, Dipper and Wendy were playing with toy guns– one couldn't be sure if they were enjoying it so much. Stan was the only one interested with the Grandpa the Kid showing on TV.

But while they looked like they were almost bored to death, Y/n was enjoying a tub of ice cream as she sat between Dipper and Mabel. Despite the cold rain, Y/n likes to eat dessert. It doesn't give her any brain freeze, nor does it make her tummy hurt no matter how much she ate.

Dipper glared at her playfully, aiming the Nyarf gun at her. "I admire your capacity to consume cold food in chilly conditions."

Y/n smirked at that from the rim of her ice cream tub. "You just couldn't handle it."

With that, Dipper fired, the plastic bullet hitting her straight on the forehead, but she didn't even flinch.

Mabel groaned, turning behind her. "Grunkle Stan, why can't we watch a movie that we'll all enjoy?" She brought out a video cassette. "Dream Boy High! 'Where love is on your permanent record~'."

A chorus of "Boo's" resounded while Y/n chuckled at Mabel's suggestion. "You'll learn to like it," Mabel said.

A sudden crash was heard from the kitchen, followed by Soos' screams as he ran out and into the living room. "Dudes! There's a bat in the kitchen! It tried to touch me with its weird little bat fingers!" His face scrunched worriedly.

"I got it," Y/n immediately stood up, wanting to help– but Stan pushed her back, her butt landing on the carpet with an 'oof'. "What the-"

"Don't worry, I got this under control," Stan reassured her, but she didn't believe a word he said. He simply leaned further back in his armchair and placed his hands on the nape of his neck in faux relaxation. "Dipper, take care of it."

"What?" Y/n and Dipper voiced in unison. "But why can't Y/n do it?" Dipper asked.

"'Cause life ain't fair," Stan answered without missing a beat. "Are you really making someone like Y/n sort it out?"

Y/n raised an eyebrow in offense. "What does that supposed to mean-?"

"Now go fight a bat so we can watch TV," Stan said to Dipper, completely ignoring her.

Dipper stood up and faced the older man. "No way, Grunkle Stan! You always make me do dumb chores." He clenched his fists. "I'm putting my foot down this time!" He said, stomping his shoe on the ground.

"I said do it, kid! Now!"

The room went quiet, except for Stan and Dipper seeming to have a stare-off, growling at each other.

"Grr-!"

"Okay! I'll do it." Dipper surrendered, sighing in defeat. He exchanged glances with Y/n before retreating back into the kitchen. Y/n and Mabel followed behind him. "Stupid chores..." he picked up a saucepan and spoon off the floor.

"Don't worry, I can help you, Dipper," Y/n tried to assure.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Stan shouted from the other room. "Y/n, go throw out the rainwater from the pots upstairs!"

She turned behind her and gave the voice a glare that could kill. Dipper tried to smile positively. "It's alright, Y/n. You can go."

"But-"

"I can handle it," he said, "Besides, Mabel is here for support."

"Okay..." Y/n said slowly before quickly sprinting across the living room and upstairs to take care of the leaks to get to the twins as soon as possible.

That left Dipper, who looked quite determined in getting the bat out, and Mabel, who had her back on the wall, about to say some inspiring words. "Remember, bats are more afraid of you than you are of them."

He nodded briefly before treading forwards to face the creature with nothing but kitchen supplies.

"Maybe I'm thinking of ducklings."

Loud screams from Dipper resounded as things crashed around the kitchen. The boy fought for his life when the bat extended its claws and aimed to scratch him. He managed to dodge its attacks, but the hits caused his Dipper to fly off. He screamed some more when the bat attempted to grab his vest and bring him away somewhere.

"Go get it, Dipper!" Mabel cheered from the side.

"I'm trying!"

"Do you need help?" Y/n asked, standing beside Mabel as she had already finished her task.

"It's fine!" He smiled shakily, trying to appear calm. The bat screeched, revealing its sharp fangs, rearing for Dipper. "A-actually, I might need a little- help! Eek!" He dodged the rabid animal's grasp.

Y/n frantically stepped in, arms reaching for the bat. It was a big bat, but it wasn't anything she hadn't seen before. The creature saw the gal coming towards it, so on instinct, it pushed Dipper off so hard that his head fell on the floor with a thud.

The bat squealed some more and tried to scare Y/n off, but there wasn't an inch of fear on her body. With her right arm, she stretched for the bat trapped in the corner. It jumped onto her and bit her hand, but of course, it didn't hurt. Now with her vacant hand, she caressed its furry head. The bat tensed up, surprised from the sudden act of affection. Its teeth let go of her fingers and began sniffing as if familiarizing itself.

Y/n walked herself and the bat near the fridge and opened it, finding a half-bitten apple. "Want it?"

She brought the fruit closer to the creature clinging onto her arm. It seemed to have understood her, leaning closer to catch a scent. It took it with its little hands, bringing it to its mouth and taking a bite. Y/n looked outside the kitchen window and the rain stopped. She deduced that the bat probably just wanted food and shelter. But this Shack wasn't the right place to look for those two things.

"You gotta go, little fella," she spoke to the bat. "You've caused quite the ruckus."

The twins watched with looks of wonder. It was amazing to see her so caring and gentle albeit seeing her literally act like that every single day. But this was the first time– and maybe last time, that she managed to calm down a raging bat.

Mabel, being the enthusiastic and optimistic one out of the two, stepped closer. "Can I pet it?"

Y/n glanced down at the creature and gestured something. "What do you say?"

The bat clung tightly, but its expressions were blank. Y/n nodded to signal Mabel that it was okay so the girl reached over and gently patted the bat's head and neck. Immediately, the creature nuzzled closer, closing its eyes in comfort. Y/n had the urge to smirk slyly. The bat does like pets, but wouldn't want to admit it.

Eventually, the bat had to be set free, seeing that there wasn't any rain anymore. Dipper didn't want to pet it for obvious reasons and because he needed medical attention. So Soos went to the bathroom and got the medkit.

Dipper was situated in a chair placed in the middle of the kitchen as the supplies were placed on the dining table. Bandages and disinfectant were brought out, and Mabel began applying bandages to Dipper's head. Y/n sat in front of him after washing her hands. She brought out the hydrogen peroxide and cotton balls, and began cleaning the wounds he got from the bat fight.

"This might hurt..." she mumbled, reaching for his arm.

"Ow, ow!" Dipper clenched his hand tightly.

She stopped momentarily, opting to glance at his face and see if the pain stopped before continuing. He gritted his teeth as he squeezed his eyes shut.

Dipper sighed. "Why does Grunkle Stan always pick on me? Think about it! The more painful or difficult the chore is, the more likely it is I'll have to do it. Why doesn't he pick on you guys?" His question seemed to be directed at Y/n since she felt his eyes on her.

She couldn't answer. Lucky for her, Soos came into the kitchen, having overheard the conversation. "Dipper, Stan's personality is one of life's great mysteries. Like whether or not it's possible to lick your own elbow." Good enough answer.

"I bet you can't!" Mabel challenged.

"I bet I can!" Soos began attempting to licking his own elbow, his feet leading him away from the kitchen. Mabel followed, chanting support.

It was just the two of them. Y/n was absentmindedly wrapping a new gauze on his wrist, not knowing what to say at the moment. Dipper exhaled tiredly. "Sometimes I feel like Stan hates me."

"He doesn't hate you." He looked up to see Y/n avoiding his gaze. It was a surprise to hear a reply after that statement. "He doesn't hate you," she repeated, softly this time.

Dipper remained quiet. Although thoughts were still brewing in his head– particularly memories of Stan bossing him around– he couldn't say anything. He watched as Y/n finished bandaging his hands and began clearing the table of the first aid supplies. Dipper stood up and helped her. Silence loomed over them. The only noise surrounding them were the random droplets of water coming from the sink and the deafening sound of a radiator. Their hands briefly touched when they reached for the gauze. Dipper flinched away while Y/n didn't bat an eye. It was just quiet.

"Thank you," Dipper decided to end the muteness between the two of them.

"You're welcome," she replied. So she wasn't mad at him. That was good. "You know that I'm always here for you." That was great. "I know that sometimes you try and prove to everybody that you can do it, but you don't have to do it alone." That was better. "We're a team. You and me." That was best.

He couldn't help but smile at that. "I know I can rely on you," he said. "I trust you."

Y/n's heart was racing, but she couldn't tell whether it was good or bad. Trust is a big word with even bigger implications. Her palms were clammy at his confession. He trusts her. Trust. That meant he trusts that she would never stab him in the back or she would catch him if he falls. He feels safe around her. He knows that he will never be hurt in her presence.

"I trust you too," she couldn't stop her mouth.

"You do?" Dipper dared to ask.

"Of course. We're friends, aren't we?"

The corner of his lips dropped slightly. It took him ten seconds to reply. "Yeah. That's... that's good to hear."

***

The day went on normally. The rain stopped in the afternoon, but it was still cloudy until sunset. Come evening was dinner, until Mabel proposed to have a movie night. Maybe this was her way of making Dipper relaxed and rested after that embarrassing bat fight, but a movie does sound nice.

"So, what are we watching?"

"Whatever comes in the almighty Gravity Falls TV!" Mabel answered happily, picking up the remote and switching the appliance on. Immediately, the announcer listed off the following movies the local theater production had to offer. Most of the items in the catalog were done with almost no effort at all, but it was still good entertainment– laughing at the mistakes and errors that they could notice.

"You're watching theGravity Falls Bargain Movie Showcase!" The voice from the TV took the trio's attention. "Coming up next: Kewl Vampirez! Classic Romantic Teenage Movie! Ducktective: The Duck That Went Quack! And Attack of the Killer Gnomes!"

"Hmm," Mabel thought aloud.

"I already know what you're thinking, Mabel," Dipper deadpanned.

"You don't know what I'm about to choose." The girl rolled her eyes.

The boy crossed his arms. "Let me guess, is it 'Classic Romantic Teenage Movie'?"

"Nope!" Mabel looked proud. "I actually want to watch Attack of the Killer Gnomes and see if they captured the gnomes' stinky attitude perfectly! But what about you, Y/n?"

The twins faced her as she entered the living room with a bowl of freshly cooked popcorn, the smell wafting in the air. "I'm fine with anything," she said, casually sitting next to Dipper on the big, yellow couch. Dipper immediately reached over and got himself a handful of the tasty snack.

"Well, for once I actually agree with Mabel's pick," Dipper said with his mouth still full, resulting in his speech to sound so muffled. He swallowed. "Come on, let's watch it."

Mabel played the movie anyway, the logos of the productions rolling up. She stood up and switched off the lights, the soft glow of the TV providing their only light. Mabel situated herself on the ground, in between Y/n and Dipper's feet, munching on her own bowl of popcorn– and with Waddles already fast asleep beside her, she used him as a pillow.

The movie was pretty decent– featuring a trio of friends going on an adventure when they encountered innocent-looking gnomes. They thought they were safe until they found out that they were about to be eaten, like a plot straight up from Hansel and Gretel. The three kids battle with the gnomes, reminding the three other people of their own encounters.

It was a funny moment when the microphone was being visible in some scenes, and the teen actors weren't doing their best acting scared. Well, who would get scared when the "gnomes" weren't actual, moving creatures. They were moved by hand, only plastered with eyebrows and sharp teeth to appear angry.

The credits soon rolled. The popcorn already ran out, and they were stretching in their seats. They opted to share their insights about the film they just watched, mostly recalling the moment when they pointed out the mistakes and laughing about it.

Mabel picked up the remote and switched through the channels, pausing when a duck in a detective outfit waddled around the street with a magnifying glass in one of its wings. "Ooh, which episode is this?"

"I think it's a rerun of the first season while we're waiting for the second," Y/n answered, her eyes glued to the TV. "I haven't watched this particular one, though."

"Oh okay. Let's watch it." Mabel grinned.

"Should I get more popcorn?"

The twins shook their heads. "Nuh-uh. I'm full."

"Me too."

"Okay then." Y/n stayed in the chair, even going as far as sliding down slightly. Dipper had his left arm placed on the arm of the couch as his head laid on his palm comfortably. Mabel remained seated, her back sliding further down Waddles' stomach. Her eyes were half-lidded as she burped out. A duck with a gun was the last thing she saw before sleep completely took over.

Dipper wasn't doing very well as well, he fought to keep his eyes open as the episode was nearing its end. He adjusted his seat and laid his back against the cushion, blinking his eyes. Y/n was beside him, attention solely on the television, eating what was left of the popcorn bowl.

He glanced to his right and watched as Y/n's eyes sparkled with the animation dancing in her sclera. Her mouth slightly opened when Ducktective stabbed the suspect repeatedly and fake blood gushed out.

Y/n saw something move in the corner of her eyes. Facing to her left slightly and sliding her gaze, Dipper was immersed with the TV, drumming his fingers against the arm of the couch. He suppressed a yawn with his right fist, tears forming in the corner of his eyes as it closed. When he opened those charming brown eyes again, Y/n already had her stare back towards the TV.

They sat equally, shoulder to shoulder, with hands not knowing where to put. Dipper's hands were on his stomach, while Y/n's were caged around her body. The episode reached its conclusion before the credits quickly appeared. A commercial for a new vacuum played and boredom commenced.

The two people left awake were too tired to start a conversation. All the noise left were voices from enthusiastic business people as they try to sell their invention, and the occasional whistle coming from Mabel as she laid fast asleep with her pet pig.

Y/n slowly blinked, afraid that sleep just might take her captive– but she didn't want to move and had to wake up the twins. She couldn't disrupt Mabel's slight laughs as she's clearly having the best dream ever.

But before Y/n could do further adjustments in her, she felt something heavy lay on her left shoulder, making her tense up. She could feel thick curls tickling her neck and cheek. And her arm felt warmth as skin made contact. Her whole left side felt warm as Dipper placed his entire weight on her.

Yet instead of moving, she stayed still, eyes fixated on the show. She hadn't watched this particular episode either, but her mind couldn't seem to concentrate. Her skin seemed to tingle when she felt Dipper nuzzle unconsciously deeper in her collar. Does he feel comfortable? Is she moving too much? Is she warm?

Is Waddles a pig?

They all have the same answers.

She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her shoulders slumped after realizing that she was still tense. Y/n sighed a bit, calming her ferocious-beating heart, turning her gaze to the TV. She didn't know where to put her hands again, opting to intertwine it and place it on top of her stomach.

Dipper was sound asleep, and she was envious. But the universe reassured her and practically told her that she shouldn't worry any longer and soon enough, her eyelids felt heavy. Ducktective was hanging on a cliff and as much as Y/n wanted to see what happened, unfortunately, sleep came first.

△▼△

Dipper woke up to a bright flash, shielding his eyes until the light died. He looked around and saw that he was inside the Mystery Shack, but it was void of objects. It was an empty room, nothing else.

Except there was a blue portal that resembled a black hole, violent winds sweeping the boy off his feet as he tried to keep his feet on the ground. He stared at the swirl of dark colors, emitting a whooshing sound as if something was about to come out. He waited in participation. What could it be? A monster? His greatest fear? Death?

But nothing could have prepared him when a yellow triangle-shaped creature with arms and legs– its prominent features were a bowtie and tall hat– tumbled out of the portal.

"Hey there. buddy!" The triangle spoke, levitating in the air like it was a bubble. He snapped his fingers and a cane appeared in his hands. He floated down in front of the dumbstruck boy and began dancing, singing a tune.

Dipper, still bewildered, pointed at the being. "Who are you?"

The triangle's eye remained blank. "Name's Bill, nice to meet ya." He tipped his hat but doing so caused the room to flip and Dipper tumbled in his steps. He toppled around while Bill plopped his tall hat back to his pointy head.

Bill? That name sounded too familiar. And the isosceles form he took couldn't be a simple coincidence.

"Nice subconscious you got here, Dipper!"

Dipper tried to balance himself, recovering from the room flipping around. "Wha? H-how did you know my name?" His face scrunched into a look of anxiety, confusion, and fear.

"Oh, I know lots of things!" Bill raised his arms before landing on the floor. He pointed a finger-gun at him as he listed things that he knew about the boy. "You're scared to death of uncertainty.

Another copy of Bill came out from behind him, "Your real name isn't Dipper,"

And another duplicate appeared to the left. "And..." the copy chortled to himself. "Oh, this is interesting..." The three sets of Bills stared at him. "You spend a lot of time thinking about... Daisy?" The end came out more as a question rather than a statement. "Daisy? And I thought she's dumb."

Dipper raised an eyebrow. "Daisy? Who is that?"

If Bill had a mouth, he would be smirking. The other Bill leaned towards the last Bill. "Gimme details!" The three little triangles huddled together as whispers erupted. "Oh ho, that is scandalous!" The other one commented.

Dipper was getting red in the face, anxiety creeping in as he thought of what Bill might say. The triangle still had to explain who Daisy was supposed to be, but he may have a guess because she's the only one running through his mind. "Dude! What do you want from me?" Dipper said, exasperated.

"Oh, right!" Bill exclaimed before snapping his finger and before he knew, he became one again. He walked up to the boy. "So get this," his singular transformed into a mini-projector, emitting blue light. A photo of Stan's head appeared on the screen. "This fat little baby man Gideon hires me to, uh, I don't know-" the projection occurred,, depicting Bill's plan like he was doing a business proposal, prepared with a powerpoint presentation, "uh, hop into your uncle's mind and steal a combination to his safe or whatever?"

Dipper stared at the projector, his eyes furrowed.

BIll continued, "So the kid, can, I don't know, steal a deed and destroy your house or something?" He nonchalantly showed a graphic of Gideom's large hand smashing the Mystery Shack completely. "Pretty serious stuff," the show was over, and he turned off the projector that was his eye.

It was silent for a brief moment until Bill caught something lying on the ground. "Hey, what's this?" He picked it up, it was a paddleball. Bill began playing with it. "Paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle," he mumbled.

Dipper was still reeling from the information he just received from possibly one of the most powerful beings. "You're gonna get Grunkle Stan's code by entering his dreams?"

Bill continued paddling with a casual stance. "Sure, just like I entered your dreams. And thanks for the compliment! I am pretty powerful. Hey, what's that?" He snapped his fingers and before Dipper could have the chance to think and process what just happened, he realized that his feet weren't touching the ground anymore.

Gravity pulled him down as Dipper tried to cling to any leverage, screaming for help. He was falling through the sky, groups of clouds flying past him. Meanwhile, Bill's pose looked relaxed with his triangle head laying on his hand. "I bet you're wondering if there's a way to stop me." Dipper couldn't answer as he was still screaming. "Well, I don't wanna give you any hints, but I bet there's a way for you to follow me into his brain!"

He then pointed at something from afar. "Ah, there's the old man's head now!"

Dipper stopped screaming momentarily to take a look at a ginormous Stan head laying on the vast expanse of pasture. Bill had the two of them float near towards the target, until he stopped. He flew to where he needed to be; facing Dipper, as the same portal from earlier appeared once more.

"See you in your nightmares, kid!"

His eyes closed then opened. "You can't tell but I'm winking. You know, uh, one eye- okay, later, BYEEE!"

Bill went through the glowing gateway like a flushed toilet. Dipper looked down and realized that he was still falling, about to meet his rough demise. He screamed as the ground was coming near, but before the harsh impact, he woke up.

He was breathless when he opened his eyes. His face was sweaty as he scanned his surroundings. The TV was off, Mabel was on the ground fast asleep, but Y/n was already awake, rubbing her eyes frantically. She heaved a huge sigh, not noticing that the boy beside her was looking at her in concern.

Earlier...

A maniacal laugh echoed around the emptiness. She glanced around her to find the culprit, only to find nothing. She flitted her eyes around again until the laughing stopped.

Piano sounds accompanied a ringing voice as it sang a little jingle, "Daiiisy, Daiiisy~ Give me an answer, dooo~!"

Upon the horizon, a yellow triangle floated down with a singular eye closed. Arms stretched out as if he was a god descending from above. He continued singing despite not having a mouth– but Y/n was sure that the reverberating voice was coming from him, "I'm haaalf crazy! All for the looove of you!"

He hovered around until he was in front of her. Y/n was unimpressed. "Nice song," she remarked sarcastically.

"An 1892 classic, sung just for you!" He bounced around in the air. "I'm sure you missed me just as how I missed playing with you! Do you even remember who I am?"

She stepped back a bit at his close proximity. "Something tells me I met you before..." she said slowly.

"Does your brain need refreshing?" The triangle flew near and plucked a copy of her brain, dipping it in a bucket of water that magically appeared. "Name's Bill Cipher, although it's kinda my doing that you couldn't recall our first meeting."

"What?" She was clueless.

His one eye rolled away. "Oh come on, Daisy, surely that big head of yours can restore memories from 30 years ago!" Bill placed his hands on.... the side of his shape. "It's not that long, is it? You even kept the necklace he gave you!"

Instinctively, she reached for her collar where her necklace laid on. Ford? How does he know Ford?

"Oh my, you are so gullible! And stupid. And dumb." He laughed aloud, placing his hands where his stomach was supposed to be.

Y/n narrowed her eyes in irritation. She didn't want anyone to ever belittle her and her skills. "What do you want from me?"

"And why did the headless chicken cross the road?" The literal chicken without its head crossed between them. "Is for you to not know and keep your nose out of it!" He cackled before flicking her nose. "Okay, okay. I'll give you a hint. I'm not that bad."

Bill snapped his fingers and all of a sudden, Y/n was floating with him. "Wha-"

He swiped his hand to the left, and she felt whiplash from the movement of the room around them. Everything thrusted to the side and now they were in a dark, empty abyss. "Gideon Gleeful. Stan Pines. Mind. Code. Shack. Destroyed. Kaboom. Presentation over."

As a visual aid, pictures appeared around him out of nowhere.. Y/n's gaze wandered around possible hints but the answer was right in front of her all this time. She wasn't the moron Bill assumed she was. Clearly, this being was tasked to break inside Stan's mind to forcibly get the code for Gideon. How is he going to do that?

Her thoughts were cut off when a hand landed on her cheek harshly. She was brought back to reality– the reality being she's still with the triangle guy. She glared at him in offense. The slap didn't hurt of course, but the fact that he got to touch her made her annoyed.

"Boy, you kids sure love to overthink a lot. Here's some advice: clear your head. It would make it easy for me to look around for information I need when I enter your mind."

"As if I'll let you do as you please," Y/n challenged, crossing her arms.

"Why not? It would be so much fun! Look at all the fun me and Fordsy had!"

Hearing the name hit her harder than a smack ever could. Her veins felt like they were on fire, but her muscles were trembling. Fordsy? Ford? When she sought to grasp them, reflections of the past emerged. Ford's voice appeared to come in whispers. "Daisy, Daisy. Sleep tight, Daisy."

Bill groaned, annoyance seeping in. "Are we seriously doing this again? Come on, recover your memories faster. We're on a time limit over here!"

She kept quiet. She's had enough replying to his mockery. She kept her mind clear to avoid him reading her thoughts. She figured someone like Bill could do that. She just wanted Bill to get out of her mind as soon as possible so she could find a way to save Stan.

"You done?" Bill checked, leaning to the side.

Y/n promptly nodded, looking him directly in the eye, her arms remained on her sides. "Are you gonna leave now?"

"Because you said so... I have to leave," the triangle said, feigning sadness– if he could even do that. "Don't miss me that much. You still have to focus on fixing that portal!" He floated away from her, a portal hoving into view behind him. "See you in your nightmares!

"He'll see you soon."

She woke up with a sharp inhale, her eyes snapping open. Her breathing shortened for a bit as she rubbed her sleep away. The sun was already up as the light was seeping in. Noises from the TV entered her hearing and after successfully finding the remote within her reach, she turned it off. She just needed peace after that chaotic meeting with Bill.

Heaving a sigh, she rubbed her temples. "Bill Cipher..." That was the name of the triangle that visited her in her dreams.

"So you got that nightmare, too?" A voice to her left whispered slowly. Dipper looked down. "A triangle guy. I've seen him from the journal."

Dipper reached from behind him and retrieved the leathered book. He flipped through the pages and stopped once he saw a huge drawing. Bill Cipher, written in Ford's elegant writing. There were codes and symbols surrounding the triangle being with one eye. But it was seeing this particular page with drops of red that sent her mind into a frenzy. Was it blood? Was it jam? And why is this coming to light now? What was Ford hiding from her, then?

So many questions yet all of them are left unanswered.

The one thing she despised above all was someone keeping something from her, especially from someone she cared about. She simply did not enjoy being kept in the dark. Ignore the fact that she is literally doing to the twins what she despises right now. She pushed the uncertainty and nervousness down and remained blank. "Read it," she said.

"Beware Bill, the most powerful and dangerous creature I've ever encountered. Whatever you do, never let him into your mind."

An involuntary shiver ran across her spine. That was Ford's warning. He couldn't possibly write this in his journal if he hadn't encountered the being. The last statement seemed to haunt her. Never let him into your mind. More questions arise from that, alarms blaring in her mind.

"We have to stop him," she spoke. "Bill is planning to extract the code to the safe directly from Stan's mind."

A pointed gasp interrupted before Y/n could question Dipper's hesitant expression. Mabel was breathless. "Triangle..." she hyperventilated. "Stan's mind..." She puffed. "Code...!"

"Mabel, calm down." Y/n reached over and patted her hair comfortingly. "We'll stop him."

"You had that dream, too?" The girl exclaimed before standing up, startling her pet pig who ran away in fear. "We have to go now!"

"Dudes!" Soos came into the room in perfect timing, but he was panting out of breath. "You gotta help Stan! He's gone cuckoo bananas and his eyes are turning blue!"

The trio exchanged panic glances before discarding everything in the living room and following Soos into Stan's office. Opening the door, the sight of the old man greeted them. He was writhing in his seat like a wild dog. He grunted like he was having the worst nightmare ever.

In a panic, Mabel snatched the book from Dipper. "It is possible to follow the demon into a person's mind and prevent his chaos. One must simply recite this incantation."

Dipper wasn't feeling up to it, sulking. "Ugh, this is just great. I spend all day cleaning sinks and fighting bats for Stan and now I have to save him from some crazy brain demon?"

"But if we don't do anything Gideon might steal the shack! Or worse!" Mabel took the words out of Y/n's mouth.

Stan's screaming resounded and the four's attention switched to him. "Come on, Dipper," Y/n faced him. "Do this with us."

He sighed in defeat. "Fine."

A few minutes later, after hauling Stan over to the living room, the quartet managed to make the living room look like they were about to summon something– with the lights turned off and lit candles surrounding them. They all placed their hand on Stan's head as Dipper began orating the invocation.

"Videntis omnium. Magister mentium. Magnesium ad hominem. Magnum opus. Habeas corpus! Inceptus Nolanus overratus! Magister mentium! Magister mentium! MAGISTER MENTIUM!"

Eyes opened to a place of black and white. Soos and Mabel made exclamations of awe as they slowly looked at their surroundings. Y/n couldn't believe that it worked, while Dipper was wary of the atmosphere.

They stood in front of what seemed to be a macabre version of the Mystery Shack. "Whoa, this is Stan's mind?" Mabel said to no one in particular.

Soos followed suit, "Huh. Figured there would be a lot more hot old ladies."

Y/n frowned. Now they were going to see what Stan really was. She didn't want that day to come just yet.

"Remember, everyone, we've got to look out for the triangle guy," Mabel warned.

"Yeah, look out for the triangle guy!" A voice arrived, and it was Bill in the shape. He held a cane fit for his size as he twirled it around.

"Look! He's a triangle!" Soos pointed out.

Mabel asserted, "You leave our uncle's brain alone, you isosceles monster!"

"Mabel, wait!" Y/n's warning fell on deaf ears as the girl rushed forward to Bill, but he was one step ahead, using his body as a makeshift portal and Mabel jumped inside. Seconds later, she was out.

"Gotcha!" Mabel exclaimed, but her hands were empty. "Wait, what?"

Bill's eye widened slightly in joy. "Ah, Stan's family, we met at last! Question Mark, Shooting Star, Pinetree," he paused, intertwining his hands together. "And who could forget our dear Daisy!"

Dipper jolted when he heard the nickname. He looked to his right to see Y/n staring right at Bill with an irritated expression. He didn't want to think about Bill's implication earlier in his dream at the moment.

Without another second to think, Bill had shot a hole in Y/n's chest– that Mabel's hand could fit through. Dipper screamed. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Never better," she smiled as a joke, when she didn't even feel anything. Ignoring the literal gap in her torso, she glared at Bill. "Get out of Stan's mind, Bill! You're never gonna find the code!"

"Hah! As if you can stop me! I am the master of the mind. I even know what you're thinking right now! "

"That's impossible, no one can guess what I'm thinking!" Mabel objected.

With a snap of his fingers, two tall, brightly-colored men stood in between Mabel. They looked like they were from an 80s film, and looking at them just made Dipper's eyes hurt.

"Whoa!" The first guy spoke in a weird accent. "Where are we, bro?"

"We must be in heaven!" The blue-haired guy in a cool jacket shrugged. "'Cuz I just saw an angel..." he crouched down to Mabel, who was wearing a wide smile.

"I'm never letting go of your leg!"

Bill floated boredly. "You're out of your league, kids. Turn around now before you see something you might regret." He tipped his hat in farewell. "Later, suckers!" Bill crashed through the wall inside the Mystery Shack and he was gone.

"Let's go," Y/n spoke, unimpressed that Bill could easily distract them like that. She began walking as Dipper followed suit after complaining to Mabel about the two other men with them.

Eventually, the main door to the Shack opened, revealing sets of doors. It didn't look like the normal Shack; it was disoriented and messy– like Stan. Eyes roamed around floating wooden boards, monochromatic decorations and such.

As Y/n scouted every possible room they might come across, they followed the descending stairs. There were separate territories for Stan's hopes and fears, but they decided to go to his memories instead, hoping to find the memory of Stan inputting the code before Bill could. That way, they could conceal it or keep it safe from him.

Memories of Stans played as they walked by them. Each opened door showed recollection from this summer. Soos marveled at the sight. "Whoa, look! All of Stan's memories!"

"Great. Sure there's plenty of memories of Stan bossing me around, can't wait to see more of that."

Y/n raised an eyebrow at Dipper's bitterness. His resentment towards the old man can wait. What's important was that they get to the code before Bill finds it.

So everyone went searching, opening doors and looking through Stan's history. One had Stan in his entrepreneurial days, his moments in jail, and even his times going on dates.

While walking, Dipper discovered a door with a symbol on it; the iconic pinetree on his trucker hat. Write on the door were the words, "DIPPER MEMORIES" with a boarded up sign that said "keep out".

"Look, guys! Memories about me..." Dipper said, stopping in his tracks.

"That doesn't seem like a good idea," Soos suggested.

"I just wanna know what the old guy really thinks of me," He replied, raising an eyebrow.

Mabel walked by, casually smiling, "We already know how Stan feels about us; he loves us! We're great."

Dipper wasn't satisfied with the answer, crossing his arms in contempt.

Y/n looked away, knowing that Dipper would still go inside that section anyway despite their warnings. "Let's just go. We're running out of time." She just hoped that Dipper would soon understand that Stan's actions are vastly different from his intentions.

Dipper took Y/n's cue as a distraction, quietly thankful. He slipped away from the group as a distraction and went back to the already ajar door and tip-toed inside. A hallway full of closed doors greeted him, accompanied by Stan's orders and mocking laughter. "Dipper, my back itches!" "Unclog the toilet, Dipper!" "Dipper, fix the roof in this sweltering heat right now!"

He stopped in front of a random door, twisting the knob open. He remembered this memory. "-No buts! Now go chop that firewood already!" Stan twisted the newspaper in his hand and smacked Dipper's head with it.

"Ah!" Dipper winced, glaring as he turned around and walked towards the stump meters away from the Shack.

Stan sat down on the couch beside Y/n who was sighing in pity. "Stan, why are you so hard on Dipper all the time? You make fun of him 24/7, and you give him chores. And whenever I volunteer to do them, you don't let me."

Stan whispered something to Y/n that Dipper couldn't hear clearly, making him lean more. "The kid's a loser. He's weak! He's an utter embarrassment!

"I just wanna get rid of him..."

Dipper heard enough, closing the door with a deep frown on his face. He went to look for the exit, bile growing in his stomach. He just wanted to get out of this place.

Meanwhile the remaining five went and opened every door that might lead to Stan's code. Y/n had looked everywhere all the while being wary of what the others might discover the longer they were in here. On top of the vexing hole in her chest, it was becoming increasingly frustrating that they hadn't made any headway in cracking the code. She became agitated when she realized that anyone could open a door with her in it and notice that Stan was younger while Y/n remained the same. Fortunately, no one was able to locate one.

Yet.

Soos opened one door, displaying a memory of Stan in front of the vending machine, pressing buttons. The contraption opened and he stepped inside. Imaginary alarms blared in Y/n's ears as Soos let the memory play. "Soos, wait, let me explain-" Y/n whispered harshly.

"Boring," Soos cut off, closing the door abruptly. And at that, Y/n raised an eyebrow at his uninterest. Did... Did Soos just call possibly one of the most dangerous secrets unfolding right in front of his eyes- boring?!

Y/n stood still, while the rest went forth, following Mabel. Said girl found a trapdoor with the words TOP SECRET above it. "Alright, guys, I have a good feeling about this door," Mabel said before opening it.

Everyone watched as a memory of a shirtless Stan played with his belly button, giving it a voice and feeding it. Y/n almost gagged at the sight.

"Sweet sally!" Exclaimed Mabel.

"Oh, we've been searching forever! What if the triangle guy finds the memory before we do?" Soos expressed his uncertainty.

Y/n narrowed her eyes at the handyman. It wasn't like Soos to worry. In fact, he's been taking this situation very lightly– making dumb jokes, laughing at the memories, and smiling with Mabel. Something weird was going on, but she didn't know what.

Mabel placed a finger on her chin. "If we wanna find Stan's memory, we gotta think like Stan. He's always hiding stuff, right?"

Soos smiled, "Yeah! Like how he hides his arrest warrants under that rug in the gift shop?"

Wait, how did he know that?

Y/n felt a shiver running down her spine at the information. Only she knew that because she's the one hiding them under that rug.

"Soos-?"

Her question died in her throat when Mabel found the same exact-looking rug in one of the hallways. "Guys, look!" She pulled off the carpet and lo and behold, there was a random trapdoor. Mabel opened the door, and there Stan was, walking towards his vault with the deed in his hands. He placed it inside before closing the safe. He inputted the code, but Y/n closed the door just as Stan almost finished his sentence.

"Ok, we found it," she said. "Now let's destroy it."

Mabel smiled without a care in the world. "Good idea, Y/n! That way Bill wouldn't be able to get his hands on it."

Yeah, and even if the memory was disintegrated, Y/n knew the code. And even if Bill somehow got a hold of it and gave it to Gideon, she could easily change the code to the safe before Gideon could break in again.

She just didn't want to let him win.

Mabel saw a nearby ax and was about to hand it to Y/n until Soos stepped in between the two. "Wait! Maybe I should do it. My big fat arms are great at destroying stuff!"

Okay, Soos was bothering her now, but she refused to admit it. What happened to the Soos who had put his trust in her to do the job? Oh, it didn't appear to be the real Soos when he lifted the door with psychic power. A blue aura shone through the door.

"Hey, guys! I just saw a memory of Stan roller skating and wearing short-shorts!"

Their attention turned to the other Soos who was unaware of everything that happened. The first Soos laughed– his voice different now. At least he found it funny.

His two eyes become one and his body morphed back to a yellow floating triangle paired with a bowtie and tophat. He was floating again. "I knew it," Y/n seethed under her breath.

"Sure, you 'knew it'," Bill mocked through quotes. "Pretend you're the smartest in the room,"

She glowered more. She didn't like people belittling her intelligence.

"Face it, you won't beat me! You all are simply too gullible for a powerful guy like me." If he had a mouth, he would be smirking. "Later, suckers!" He breezed away before the human eye could blink.

"Come on, we gotta save Stan!" Mabel exclaimed. Y/n was rearing for a fight and was ready to agree with the braces-wearing gal, until-

"What's the point?" A voice sounded from the end of the hall. Dipper descended from the set of stairs. He scowled. "Why should I save him, huh? I work for Stan day and night, and all he does in return is say he wants to get rid of me," the boy fumed.

The group was quiet, until Mabel spoke. "Dipper, I'm sure that's not true," she reasoned, trying to ease his increasing temper. Leave it to Mabel to handle her brother's mood.

"I saw it with my own eyes in one of his memories, Mabel!" Dipper shouted. "He's always picked on me and now I know why. Stan hates me!" Then, his gaze flitted to the person standing behind. His glare only deepened. "Isn't that right, Y/n?"

Soos and the rest gasped at Dipper's accusation.

"What?" Y/n croaked a response. She wondered how she got reeled into the conversation between the twins.

"You were there," he began. "You asked Stan why he picks on me all the time, and you heard his answer."

She couldn't say anything.

"I'm weak, an utter embarrassment and Stan just wants to get rid of me. Does that ring a bell?" Dipper emphasized his phrases, and each time she felt guilt running across her veins. Upon seeing her face shift into one of shame, he grew even more angry.

Mabel stepped in, not wanting to waste any more time. "Dipper, it doesn't matter what you saw. If we don't stop Bill, we'll lose the Shack!"

"No!" He whirled to her. "You know what? Not this time. For once this is one of Stan's problems I'm not gonna fix." He folded his arms and stepped back.

Mabel narrowed her eyes. "Fine. Come on, Y/n, we'll save Stan ourselves."

When she heard her name, Y/n was startled and hesitantly stepped forward. The rest of the group followed Mabel, eventually leaving the two in the hall. Dipper was glaring so hard at the ground, he could practically ignite a fire with his gaze.

Y/n bit her lip in anticipation. "Dipper, I'm not sure what memory you saw in there, but you know Stan will always have an underlying meaning with his words." She had a feeling that what he saw wasn't all there is to it. There must be some way to convince him otherwise, but she didn't have time. "I hope you change your mind in saving him."

She waited, hoping for a shift in his resolve. He didn't move.

She left.

The group ran after the yellow triangle, following the path of destruction he left behind. There was one hall where all the doors of memories were opened so they ventured through. Mabel brought out a nyarf gun that she was hiding in her sweater's pocket the whole time.

Y/n heard a distorted voice in the next hall and urged the others to stay quiet. They followed her steps to the monochromatic corridor to see Bill talking to Gideon. He was on his way to disclose the code to him just as Mabel aimed for the trapdoor before firing. The plastic bullet directly hit the door, smacking it out of Bill's hand and tumbling towards one of Stan's memories of the Bottomless Pit.

Bill chased after the falling door with a scream. "Ah! No, no, no! Wait, no!"

The Stan in the memory watched as the door entered the pit and was plunged into the darkness. "Whoo! Whatever that was, it's gone forever!"

The door closes, leaving Bill petrified. Y/n stood proud of Mabel while the others cheered her on.

"She did it!" The two brightly colored men bellowed and gave each other a high five.

Soos raised his fist. "The Shack is safe!"

"The deal's off!" Gideon hissed.

Bill stuttered, "Wa-wait, no! Wait-!"

"I'm switchin' to plan B!"

The call ended before Bill could reply, and theatrically, his yellow body cracked into pieces and fell to the ground as if he wasn't of use anymore. His triangle form came back, but this time, it was bright red– like a warning sign and the edges of his shape illuminated like lightning.

He turned around and glared fiercely. "You! You can't even imagine what you just cost me! Do you have any idea what I'm like when.. I'm... mad?!" He roared the last part in a low, demonic voice.

Immediately, Y/n pushed Mabel back and shielded them. Bill wasn't playing anymore.

Several foreign characters passed by Bill's singular eye. The letters reflected on them, and Y/n could recognize some of them but she didn't entirely know what it meant.

All of a sudden, they were surrounded by tall fire. Encircling around them as if creating a cage, a trap. With no escape. Bill raised his hands and the fire only grew bigger until it was a wall of hot, scorching fire.

They were lifted off into the boundless panorama of inky blue, pink, and dark purple, littered with stars.

On the other end of the arena, Bill made himself bigger, towering over them like a skyscraper. Instinctively, the group huddled closer. They had nowhere to go. Behind them was the edge of the platform and one misstep might cause their demise. Meanwhile, in front of them was a raging demon who didn't get what he wanted. Y/n wanted to think that this is just a giant baby who's having a tantrum...

...who has the power to eradicate their existence with a snap of his fingers.

"EAT NIGHTMARES" Bill declared, his hands producing electricity, flowing towards them.

"AHHHHH!"

Meanwhile, the boy in a pinetree hat was desperately looking for a way out of here. He was helpless as he opened almost every door that might be the exit, but to no avail. "Ugh, how do I get out of this place?" He spoke to no one else in particular. "Exit? Hello?"

He opened a completely random door, but it turned out it was the same memory of him chopping wood. "Aw, this again?" he grumbled, his anger coming back in less than a second, but he was just exhausted.

However, he didn't close the door. Not yet. It was pathetic of him to listen to it again. Maybe it's just he was hoping it wasn't the same set of words he heard earlier. Maybe he just heard it wrong. Maybe Stan didn't really say those things.

"He's a loser. He's weak. I just want to get rid of him."

Yeah, why did he even bother expecting a different scenario?

Dipper started closing the door, but memory Stan continued. "Hah, yeah. Those are all things people said about me when I was a boy."

"Huh?" He opened the door again to get a closer hearing.

"It was terrible. I was the biggest wimp on the playground!"

A door opened behind Dipper. A memory. A younger Stan– a kid, stood under the rain and received a soccer ball to the face, displacing his square-framed glasses. He sobbed before running away, boisterous laughter followed him.

"So one summer, my pop signs me up for boxing lessons. It was even worse than the school yard!"

A door opened, playing the exact memory. Young Stan was pinned to the ground by a kid twice his size. "Left hook!" He punched his opponent. Someone watching from the shadows– his dad, nodded approvingly.

"Y'know, at the time, I thought my pop was trying to torture me!" Stan's voice continued.

Another door. It was of teenage Stan lining up at the local theater. Grandpa The Kid was showing, and he was outside, waiting in a line.

"But wouldn't you know it? The old man was doin' me a favor all along!"

A suspicious-looking man came up behind a woman while Stan was up front. "Give me that bag!"

"Help! My purse! Help!" The woman screamed.

"LEFT HOOK!" Teenage Stan bravely turned around and punched the guy in the face, knocking him out.

The people around him began cheering for him. The lady gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"So that's why I'm hard on Dipper," Stan told Y/n in the memory. "To toughen him up. So when the world fights he fights back. Look, it's working."

They watched as Dipper successfully chopped the wood in half. "I... I did it!" Memory Dipper was ecstatic. "Haha, yes!"

Memory Y/n couldn't help but smile.

"He's really comin' along!" Stan said with a smile. "When push comes to shove, I'm actually proud of him... just- don't ever tell him that. His head's big enough as it is."

She smirked at that, shaking her head.

Dipper from outside the door, grinned and placed a hand on the memory. But the memory hadn't installed some kind of invisible wall. Dipper accidentally fell into the memory, facing Stan and Y/n.

The two glanced at the other Dipper still very much chopping wood before reverting back to the Dipper who had just evaded their conversation. "Whoa, kid, what are you doin' here? Want a soda?" Stan flamboyantly flipped a hand and the can appeared in his hold.

"Wha- what the- how did you do that?" Dipper stuttered in wonder.

Y/n leaned on Stan's side, facing Dipper. "Word to the wise, Dip. We're in the mind! You could do whatever you can imagine here!" She demonstrated, generating two cans before outstretching her hand towards him, but he didn't take it. "What's wrong?" She tilted her head.

"I... I'm sorry,"

She hummed in intrigue.

"You were right," Dipper said. "Stan does have an underlying meaning with his words. He doesn't hate me. I didn't mean to be mad at you."

A short laugh resounded. Y/n smiled widely, "Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a memory. Although, judging from your apology, it seemed that you didn't see the entire picture until now. So if it was up to me, I forgive you."

Dipper smiled gently.

"But you should probably be saying that to the real me. I'm sure she's still thinking of how to make it up to you. Just explain and I'm sure she'd forgive you too."

He eventually took the Pitt Cola in her hand and opened it. But before he could take a sip, he heard sounds; Bill's maniacal laughter, Mabel's screams, Soos' shouts, and Y/n's yells.

"Oh my gosh, what am I doing? I gotta stop Bill!" Dipper blurted out, leaving the can of soda behind.

Stan watched his great nephew go. "Huh. Fighting back."

Meanwhile, the gang was still being tormented by the giant, red Bill Cipher. "One nightmare, coming up!"

"Nightmare?" Soos asked anticipatingly. "Hope he doesn't mean that British dog man I'm always dreaming about."

A bright red laser zapped a spot beside Soos and indeed, a British dog man appeared in front of him. Mabel was hit by the red beam too, and her nightmare came true. Her skin changed into a sickly green hue and her braces were unbelievably bigger. Her voice changed low and slow. "What did you do to my cuteness!"

Bill didn't spare Xyler and Craz as well, getting knocked out by Bill's ray of light. They burned and vanished into space. "My dream boys!" Mabel cried out

"Don't think I forgot about you, Daisy!" Bill rubbed his hands together as he prepared a bigger laser. He pointed his black finger at her as she prepared for his attack. What are her nightmares consisted of? Sure, she is plagued with a constant state of anxiety but fear is a trivial thing to her. She began listing off things she's afraid of, and things she wasn't. Monsters don't scare her, poison is the least of her worries, bugs and creepy crawlers fascinate her...

"Hey, Bill!"

Dipper swooped into the scene like a superhero, flying around with a bright blue glow surrounding him.

Bill stopped in his movements, his eye widening at the sight of Pinetree. "WHAT?!" He was stunned. Who told Dipper that everything is possible in the mind?

"Nice bow tie!" The boy made a hole in Bill with lasers from his eyes, causing him to scream in a panic.

"Dipper!" Mabel exclaimed in joy.

Dipper grinned back. "Guys! I just learned that you can conjure whatever you can conceive in Grunkle Stan's mindscape!"

Well how about that. Y/n looked excited, while Soos and Mabel remained confused. "Huh?"

"You can do whatever you can imagine!" She looked down at the gaping hole in her chest and when she lifted a finger, she was whole again.

"Woah!" The two gasped. Soos stretched a palm and the British dog man disappeared. "Ha, ha. He's dead now."

"What?!" Bill shouted, "Who told you that?! Don't listen to him!"

"We can do anything?" Mabel asked, a sense of exhilaration coursing through her. She made herself go back to normal. "Like have kittens for fists?" Immediately, her small knuckles turned into precious pink furballs. She began shooting them towards Bill, kitten heads firing from her sleeves.

Bill screamed, either from fear or annoyance- no one could tell- as the kitties bunched up and covered the large triangle area.

"Anything, huh? Soos loves stomach beam stare!!!" Those were all words.

Colorful question marks blasted from Soos' tummy and aimed directly at Bill's face. The being tumbled away.

Y/n bounced into the air freely, before doing a twirl and summoning a large sledgehammer and gracefully slamming it down his eye.

"AHH! Oh, my eye! AH!" Bill writhed in pain, kneeling down.

Mabel lifted her arms. "Rise, Xyler! Rise, Craz!" The two radiant boys emerged behind her back with musical instruments. Xyler played a key-tar while Craz handled the electric drum kit.

"No! Synthesized music! It hurts!"

This powerful being had some weird weaknesses.

"And now to imagine your worst nightmare," Dipper pointed at the triangle. "A portal out of Stan's mind!"

Mabel sang, "Out of Stan's mi-ind~!"

The gang closed their eyes tightly as a portal materialized under Bill's feet, planning to swallow him down. "No, no, no!" Bill wailed before he made everything white. Everyone was floating in nothingness. He became yellow again as he dusted his top hat. "You know, I'm impressed with you guy. You're a lot more clever than you look. Especially the fat one."

Soos leaned down and elbowed Mabel slightly, dropping his voice into a whisper. "He's talking about you!"

Bill spoke again, placing his hands on his side. "So I'm gonna let you kids off the hook. You might come in handy later. BUT KNOW THIS: A darkness approaches. A day will come in the future when everything you care about will change!" A six-fingered hand appeared on top of Bill- like a symbol. A sign. A forewarning.

"Until then I'll be watching you!" He tipped his hat in farewell. "I'll be watching you...!"

A wheel with eleven distinct symbols hovered around Bill, illuminating a bright blue. Y/n wasn't sure if she's seen this exact image before. And if she did, she must've forgotten. Before she knew it, Bill disappeared, his voice echoing. He'll be watching.

Eventually, their bodies began flickering rapidly. "Stan must be waking up."

"Will I ever see you guys again?" Mabel asked the two boys.

"In your dreams."

The group woke up on the living room floor, shouting in surprise. "We did it!" Mabel cheered after a moment of silence.

"What? Did what?" Stan voiced out, scratching his head. "What are you all doing here? And why was I dreaming of two brightly colored and radical young men?"

"Grunkle Stan, you 're okay!" Dipper expressed glee as he went to hug Stan. The older man was frozen in his seat, exchanging glances with Y/n who feigned the same expression.

"What is this, a hug?"

"Nope!" Dipper remained cheerful. "It's a choke hold." He went behind Stan and proceeded to wrap his arms around his neck tightly, making him squirm in his seat. Mabel, Soos, and Y/n laughed at that.

Dipper eventually let go as Stan chuckled. "Not bad, kid. Not bad." They shared a content look.

"I'm just glad Gideon didn't get into the safe. I really love this old shack."

"GROUP HUG!" Soos declared out of nowhere. No one batted an eye. He paused. "No?" He frowned. "I never know the right time!"

"I'll hug you, Soos," Y/n said, enclosing her arms around Soos' stomach. He gladly returned the embrace.

Dipper pouted. "Hey, I want a h-" The Shack began to shake, cutting Dipper off. "Hey, do you guys feel...?"

An explosion blew up and burst through the living room. It came from the office, launching everyone off. The quintet watched Gideon walk out of the destroyed wall. The vault was torn open, the furniture were wrecked, and the deed was in his hand.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Pines family. Did I wake you?" He asked in feign pity.

"But... we defeated Bill...!" Dipper was confused.

Gideon retaliated, "Bill failed me! So I switched to plan B: dynamite!"

"What? Bill? Who?" Stan was left puzzled. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Spoiler alert, Stanford! I've got the deed! The Mystery Shack belongs to me! So get off my property!" Gideon then brought out a handheld transceiver, striding back. "Daddy? Bring it around the front."

"Don't worry, guys! It's just part of the dream!" Dipper tried to assure, but he wasn't even certain himself. "We're gonna wake up any second now! Right?"

Right?

Chapter 18: After All These Years

Chapter Text

"Y/n."

Said girl looked up at the sound of a gravel sound calling her name. "Hello?" She called. The voice belonged to him. "Where are you?"

"Y/n."

"Stan," she replied just as quickly as before. She looked around, searching desperately for the elder man. She only needed to see his silhouette, his shadow. Where could he be?

"Y/n," he said for the final time. Finally, he materialized in front of her, but his wrists were ensnared by a pair of handcuffs. "We lost," his voice dropped in a whisper, "they... they found us."

And as if on cue, alarms reverberated around her, and flashes of blue and red appeared. A megaphone squeaked from afar, alerting them of someone coming into the scene. "This is the police!" Through the powerful blast of the megaphone, the police officer's urgent voice reverberates among the continuous sirens.

"Stan Pines, you are suspected to have been constructing a highly dangerous doomsday device hidden beneath the shack! Surrender yourself immediately! I repeat, surrender yourself now!"

Y/n remained frozen in place. The police found them and now Stan is getting taken away. Away from the portal, away from progress, away from the Mystery Shack.

Away from her.

This was her worst nightmare.

"No," She found the strength to speak. "No, please!" It all felt so real. "Stan!"

His gaze remained downwards. "I'm sorry, kid. I have no choice."

"Don't go! Please! We've worked so hard!" She tried to reason. Thirty years of trying to save Ford and it all goes downhill? Ruined by the police? Everything was gone just like that, and they were so close– yet so far.

The older man didn't say anything, but his feet moved to their own accord, taking him somewhere. Y/n tried to stop him, tried to wake him out of his trance. Maybe he was being brain-washed. Maybe his memories were wiped clean. Why was he giving up so easily?

"Stan! What about Ford?"

"We tried everything," he stopped in his tracks a bit, tilting his head to the side to address her. But he wasn't looking at her. "But I guess it wasn't good enough. Face it, Y/n. We didn't succeed.

"We. Failed."

Y/n opened her eyes, inhaling deeply as if she only remembered how to breathe again. She clenched her fist in retaliation to the dream she had. Bill couldn't be blamed– she has been having these dreams now long before she met the beast. Although, there's a possibility that he purposefully took advantage of her mind while she was asleep.

So many things to ponder about. For the last three decades, all she ever cared about was fixing the portal. Her and Stan's lives intertwined in a shared mission, dedicating countless hours, poured undying effort, and endured the passage of time. Days turned into nights, seasons passed, yet their resolve remained unwavering.

But remembering the occurrence of her dream... minutes have passed for how long she's been staring blankly at a wall.

Only realizing that this wasn't her bedroom. This wasn't the shack.

She vaguely remembered Soos suggesting they go to his house for the meantime– his house being his Abuelita's. She remembered finally falling to sleep from exhaustion and when she awoke, she saw a different living room filled with timeless trinkets. Frames of young Soos littered around the yellow walls, and the furniture was covered by meticulous patterns. Stan and Mabel laid on the ground with sleeping bags, while she laid on a mattress propped up on a couch.

A rustle beside her caught her attention. It was Dipper, He was squirming, closing his eyes tightly. Hesitantly, she placed a hand on his blanketed shoulder, rubbed soothing comforts. He was mumbling something before waking up in cold sweat. He screamed momentarily, clutching the blanket they shared.

He breathed heavily. "Y/n?" He saw her already staring at him. "I just had a horrible dream that Gideon stole the deed to the Mystery Shack, and kicked us out, and... we all had to move in with... Soos' grandma?" He all said in a series of questions.

Before Y/n could say anything, the third person sharing their bed sat up and leaned in closely towards them. "That was no dream, dude."

Soos, shirtless, said with conviction.

Dipper screamed in horror, waking everyone up. Abuelita from the side turned the lamp on and brought a finger to her lips. "Shh! Por favor."

"Uh, sorry...! Abuelita..." Dipper trailed off. He didn't even register that he was sleeping besides Y/n until he did, scooting slightly away. "Sorry, I didn't wake you up, did I?" He muttered guiltily.

Y/n's face morphed into an assuring smile. "I was already awake before you. No worries."

"Well you sure woke everyone else with that scream," Stan quipped from the ground he was sleeping on. "Now quiet! The news is finally on," he pointed at the TV.

Shandra Jimenez appeared on the screen, microphone in hand. "In a movement that has all of Gravity Falls buzzing, child psychic Gideon Gleeful has taken surprise ownership of the Mystery Shack, previously belonging to area shyster, Stanford Pines."

This time, Gideon stood in frame with the reporter. "Now that you have the shack, what exactly are you planning to do with it?"

"I have a big announcement to make today," Gideon spoke with a huge, fake smile in his punchable face, "and I'd like to cordially invite all the good people of Gravity Falls to join me. Free admission to anyone who wears their Gideon pins! It's my face!" He winked.

Y/n was the first to react. "The people of this town are too gullible to believe this despicable kid," she voiced out.

"I just can't believe Gideon beat us," Dipper lamented, sitting on the edge of the makeshift bed, "Normally, I'm able to save the day. This is all my fault."

Mabel stood beside her brother. "Don't worry, Dipper. Looks like Mabel's going to have to be the hero of the family now. I'll defeat Gideon with my grappling hook!" She brought out the tool she chose from the beginning of the summer.

Dipper glared mildly. "Mabel, no offense, but that grappling hook has literally never helped us once."

"Oh yeah? Jelly grab!" The girl shot her grappling hook at a random jar of jelly inexplicably placed on a shelf, causing it to break and splatter jelly on the walls. The paintings, porcelain angels and half of Abuelita's body were in the splash zone and are now covered by the sticky substance.

"I vacuum the walls now."

"So you lost the Shack," Soos said as if it was a normal day, like it was a trivial matter. "Look on the bright side, dudes! Now you get to live here with me. Soos!" He then invited anyone to race cars without batteries. It's supposed to be a pretend kind of game.

"We gotta take the Shack back."

***

The next day, the family dressed up as an undercover entourage– with help from Soos' wardrobe and went to Shack. They saw the child psychic taking up the stage and dancing around before walking up the podium and spoke into the mic. "Ladies and gentlemen! Today I am delighted to announce my new plans for the former Mystery Shack!"

Bud came up with a wagon, a covered prototype on it.

"I give you..." Gideon reached down and pulled the cloth away, revealing a miniature version of his plans. "Gideonland!"

"What?!" The incognito team exclaimed in unison.

"We are gonna turn this dirty ol' shack into three square miles of Gideon-tertainment. And introducin' our new mascot, Lil' Gideon Jr.!"

Bud pulled off a cloak to reveal Waddles in a Gideon costume, white hair and all.

"Boom, he's a pig!"

"Waddles!" Mabel screamed in horror. "You monster!"

"Alright, that's it!" Stan pulled off his disguise and angrily ran up the stage. Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n followed, destroying everything in their path.

Stan stood behind the lectern. "Listen up people. Gideon's a fraud! This kid broke in and stole my property!"

"You have to believe us!" Y/n reasoned.

"Arrest him officers!" Mabel ordered.

"Yeah!" Dipper agreed.

Gideon walked up. "Such accusations!" He said, his tone being artificially innocent. "Mr. Pines, I recall you gave the property to me!" He had the nerve to frown in confusion. "Look, here's the deed right here!" He easily pulled the deed out of his shirt for the town to see.

"Well that's all the proof I need to see," Officer Blubs dismissed.

"I love you, Lil' Gideon!" Durland hollered. "Sing them funny songs!"

"Do you actually believe that Stan Pines would willingly give the deed of his house to Gideon?!" Y/n shouted, angry and frustrated. "They're rivals for crying out loud!"

"Stan and I are very close friends!" Gideon instantly retorted, flashing his puppy eyes. "And he trusted me to hold onto the deed for safekeeping. We're the best of friends after all!"

"Best of friends?" Stan glared. "More like the worst of enemies. Give me back my deed, you pint-sized troublemaker!"

The little boy snapped his fingers and two burly guards got ready to kick the Pines off the stage. "Hey!" Mabel yelled. The other three were easily grabbed.

Y/n surprised herself that she could endure all Gideon's taunt without easily knocking him out of the stage and taking the deed. Beat up the father too for neglected parenting. But looking at the people of Gravity Falls, she knew that they were easily swayed, and if they saw her assaulting their favorite manipulator, they might shun her out and never trust her again. She had sacrificed so much to maintain her reputation.

"Now get off my property, old man!" He slapped a Gideon pin on Stan.

"I'll show you who's the old man- AH! Ow, my hearing aid! Ow!"

The Pines got carried off the stage by the guards. "Thanks for visiting Gideonland, folks!" Gideon giggled a heinous laugh. "Don't come back, I don't care for y'all."

Going back to Soos' home, Mabel, Dipper and Soos sat on the couch sadly, sulking about today. Stan and Y/n were in the kitchen. The former was pacing around with a telephone in his hands while Y/n was leaning on the countertop, her arms crossed and her face contorted into worry.

2 minutes earlier, in the midst of their argument, the ringing of the phone cut them off. Stan answered with a scowl, but when he heard the voice from the other side of the call, his face melted into nervousness. His skin paled more and he was sweating. "H-Henry! It's you! What's wrong?"

This wasn't the first time a call came up while they were talking. Stan waited, nodding consciously. Henry sounded mad at the other end from the way the older man was trying to calm him down. It seemed that the parents heard the news all the way from Piedmont. "Don't worry, your son and daughter are fine!" He reassured them, himself included. "Where're we staying? Uh, I put 'em up in this amazing four-star hotel!" There are hotels?

He seemed to be in his own world of delusions, like he was actually in a fine establishment, being served food. Y/n was getting more worried. "What, uh, sure! We got..." He glanced at the contents inside the refrigerator which was merely a near empty gallon of milk, "we've got plenty to eat..."

Stan stood back up in faux confidence. "Relax, if I thought I couldn't take care of these kids, I'd send them back right away. " That seemed to have done it. "Uh huh, you too." He ended the call seconds after.

Silence ensued, but not for long when Mabel shouted from one room away. "Grunkle Stan, can we order pizza?"

The older man checked his pockets only to discover they're empty. Y/n kept silent, tapping beats against her skin.

"They have to go back," Stan spoke in hushed tones, leaning against the tiled surface. "I can't afford to take care of them anymore, not when Gideon has the Shack."

"He also has the portal."

Stan frowned deeper, if that was even possible. He wanted to curse Gideon with every fiber of his being. How did he manage to beat them? For how long are they going to remain underneath his small thumb?

The thought of Gideon having his hands on the portal has been plaguing their minds for the last 12 hours. It's only a matter of time until Gideon dismantles the entire Shack for his tourist attraction and discovers the underground device before using it for his evil schemes. There was no way of stopping him then.

"Wait, where are you going?" Y/n stood up, seeing that Stan was about to walk out.

Stan sighed. "I'm gonna go get some fresh air. There's a lot on my plate right now." He didn't look at her. He never did, until he exited the kitchen and outside of the house.

Y/n didn't bother pursuing him, as she figured that he really needed a breather. Her mind has been jumbled. She had no idea what to do first. Should she just sneak over to the Mystery Shack and stealthily pass through the guards and Gideon to get to the basem*nt? And what happens after that? Does she just plan on staying there forever?

"Y/n! Let's play racing cars!" Mabel's voice reverberated through the walls again.

"But we have no batteries so we have to pretend!" Soos chimed in as well.

Mustering all her positive thoughts to her facial expression, she pushed herself off and stepped into the living room with a small smile on her face. "How do you play?" She saw Soos, Mabel, and Dipper sitting on the floor with the racetrack in the middle. It had toy cars in the plastic path, waiting for control. But without the batteries, it was immobile.

"Go, go, go!" Mabel cheered on. "Go, red car!"

Y/n sat on the ground with them, placing her hands on her lap. She noticed Dipper watching her every move, and she looked back, catching his eye. He flashed a small reassuring smile, but it was strained. Her lips were pursed as she tried to smile back, but Dipper knew that she must be exhausted from the situation. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his noodle arms and force her to rest.

"Go, other red car!" Soos smiled, raising a fist.

Dipper's attention reverted back to the other two trying to entertain themselves with stationary vehicles. "This would be a lot more fun with batteries," he complained, glowering.

Sounds of footsteps interrupted the ongoing race and the four looked up at the old man who wore a worried look. Stan cleared his throat. "Kids... we gotta talk." Everyone stood face to face with Stan. "Look, I've been thinking, and... I can't take care of you anymore. I don't have a house or a job. The plan is, you're goin' home. Your bus leaves tomorrow, here are your tickets."

"But Grunkle Stan, you can't just give up!" Dipper tried to reason.

"Look, we lost, okay?" Stan cut off, casting a quick glance with Y/n. "The best thing is for you to be with your parents. I'm sorry, kids. Gideon won," he placed the tickets on the table. "Summer's over."

He didn't leave room for any objections and left the room. Soos ran after him, calling his name. "Mr. Pines! Come back! Reconsider!"

"Okay, that's it!" Dipper protested. "Guys, if Stan won't get our home back from Gideon, then we'll have to do it ourselves."

"Gideon may have the upper hand, but we have one thing he doesn't," Mabel said confidently.

"The journal!"

"A grappling hoo- oh." Mabel stopped. "The journal. Journal!"

"Y/n, you have to come with us," Dipper expressed with determination. "We need your help in getting the Shack back, too. I'm sure you're mad at Gideon and want proper revenge on him."

She does. She wanted nothing more than kicking the little guy's behind.

So the classic trio went to the Mystery Shack and concealed themselves behind large bushes. Two stoic-faced and muscly guards were pacing around the fences. They couldn't possibly get through. Dipper emerged from the bushes with a telescope.

"Okay. What can we use to defeat Gideon?" Dipper opened the journal in his grasp, flipping through the pages. "Barf fairy?"

"Yeah!" Mabel voiced.

"Nope." Dipper went to the next. "Butternut Squash with a Human Face and Emotions?" Y/n snorted back a laugh as she reminisced the exact moment she and Ford encountered this for the first time.

"Yeah!"

"Nope."

Dipper pitched to the next page, but Mabel stopped his hand, pointing at the set of symbols. "Whoa, what's this?"

Y/n leaned closer and saw the one-third part of the schematic plan of the inter-dimensional portal. It reminded her of the actual device living underneath them. She kept silent as she inspected Dipper's change in expression.

"I've stared at this page for hours. It seems like a blueprint to build some kind of strange futuristic super-weapon-"

"BORING!" Mabel bellowed. It seemed that Y/n had always underestimated Dipper, when he's actually smarter than he came off as. The braced-wearing girl continued, "To defeat those guards, we need some kind of army!"

"An army?" Y/n asked, "what about..." she temporarily took the journal and flipped to a specific page. "The gnomes?"

"Good idea, Y/n!" Dipper cheered, while Mabel nervously tugged the collar of her sweater. The three knew about their history with the gnomes. Heck, they experienced it firsthand. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

The three went back to where it all began. This was where they found Mabel tied up on the ground with a bunch of gnomes, but it seemed that the group were busy doing something else.

"I wonder what gnomes do out here alone in the forest," Mabel wondered aloud as they walked towards a nearby bush.

They got their answer when Y/n pushed apart the bunch of leaves and there they saw Jeff in a rather compromising position. Squirrels lathered his small body as he took a "bath" in a tub. The trio screamed in horror, and Jeff screamed back. "This is normal!" He tried to convince them.

There was no other way to change their mind otherwise.

"Well, well, well. Look who came crawlin' back,'' Jeff mocked, "So, changed your mind about marryin' me, did you, Mabel?"

"Ew, hardly!" Mabel replied all too quickly. "We need your help. And seriously, ew!"

"You want our help?" Jeff became angry, "after you left me at the altar? No dice!"

Y/n stepped forward with an inviting smile. "Well, what if we were able to get you a new queen?"

"Yeah, one even more beautiful than me!" Mabel encouraged.

Dipper smiled, "Her name's Gideon, and she has lovely white hair."

"Whoa. Mature woman, huh?" The gnome seemed interested in their offer. "Hey, Shmebulock, get my cologne!"

Said gnome came in with a skip in its step. "Shmebulock!" Y/n couldn't help but smile at the sight. Oh hey, it was the same gnome she and Ford experimented on.

"It's a deal!" Jeff shook hands with Dipper.

And they were off. Y/n schemed a plan to get inside as she laid out formations around the Shack. They talked about distracting Gideon before calling out for the white-haired boy. "Give us the deed to the shack, Gideon, or else!" Dipper demanded.

Gideon smirked with his hands on his hips. His two bodyguards were quick to stand behind him for backup. "Am I supposed to say, "Or else what"?"

"Yes, you are supposed to say that!" Mabel screamed as they heard the code word. "Now!"

The two guards were frozen as they felt gnome hats impaling their backs, temporarily knocking them out as they fell to the ground. The rest of the army of gnomes charged forward riding deer and bunnies. They had Gideon surrounded, number clearly at an advantage.

There was a flash of panic in his eyes. He tried to run, but it was useless as the gnomes pointed their apparently sharp hats. The three stepped forward with a threatening gaze. "You're surrounded by an unstoppable gnome army!" Dipper began, "Now give us back our deed and get off our property!"

Mabel's eyes narrowed, and Y/n's glare could cut bullets. Gideon only sighed in defeat, frowning down. "Very well," he spoke somberly. He dug through his coat pocket. "I supposed this deed belongs to-" He pulled out what wasn't the deed, but instead it was a whistle, and he didn't hesitate blowing into it. It produced a deafening, head-splitting sound, hurting the gnomes' sensitive ears. The trio looked around in worry as their plan slowly crumbled.

They guessed their other weakness other than leaf blowers were loud, shrill sounds.

The grimace on Gideon's face was quickly replaced by a cheerful simper. "Huh, what do you know? Works on gnomes too!" He shrugged before casually blowing on the whistle hard again.

Every gnome kicked their feet in reaction to the piercing noise. Their faces were scrunched in pain and for a moment, Y/n felt bad they had to string in the gnomes along. "Stop, we'll do anything!" Jeff screamed, kneeling on the ground and bowing. "How can we serve you, Your Majesty?" He continued, bringing a smile to the little boy's pale face. "The most beautiful girl we've ever seen!" The compliments were non-stop.

"I AM NOT A GIRL!" Gideon screeched, startling everyone.

"Really? But your skin is so soft! D'you... moisturize, or..."

"Subdue them!" Gideon commanded, pointing at the three. The gnomes immediately scamper towards them and easily got a hold of Dipper, Mabel, and Y/n who was thrashing around their hold.

"I have to admit, kids, I am impressed by your creativity," Gideon said, placing his hands behind his back. The audacity of him calling them "kids" was really starting to irritate her. "How did you ever-"

And as Dipper was trying to get out of the gnomes' hold, he didn't realize that the journal had slipped out from his vest, falling to the ground. Gideon instantly caught the sight of it, gasping. "Oh, no!" Dipper exclaimed in a panic.

"No!" Gideon breathed in disbelief, staring at the open pages of writings. "Could it be?" His eyes widened. "Is it...?" He went and carried it in his arms, flipping through the pages with an excited giggle. "Of course! It all makes sense! The one place I never think to look, you had it the whole time!"

If it wasn't possible, Y/n squirmed more. Just the thought of Gideon holding the journal filled her veins with fiery anger, but seeing it in person... she wanted nothing more than to choke his non-existent out of his mystery.

"No!" Dipper voiced out, trying to fight against the deathly grip of the gnomes. "Give it back!"

Gideon remained smirking. "Every victory you had because of your precious book!"

Dipper glared, "Give it back or I'll-!"

"Or you'll what, boy?" Gideon leaned forward in a mocking manner, rendering the other speechless. "You'll what? Huh? Huh? No muscles. No brains. Face it! You're nothin' without this!"

Y/n growled, trying to pull her arm out of their grip. "Don't make me beat you up again, Gideon!" She threatened, but it didn't faze the boy. She'd attacked him before, she wouldn't hesitate attacking him again for all the pain and suffering he had inflicted upon the family.

Gideon simply snorted. "I'd like to see you try!" He waved his hand, "Bye bye forever, y'all!" The whistle in his mouth produced that loud noise again, and the gnomes carried the three out of what used to be their property.

"NOOO!"

"AHH!"

"Let me go! Let me go, you dang gnomes!"

The gnomes dissipated and spread out after dropping the three of a random clearing. "Next time, do your own dirty work!" Jeff scolded before calling for his squirrels again and tucking it inside his pants.

Dipper remained seated on the dirt, placing his hands on his knees. "Well, that's it. Guess the bus should be here soon."

Mabel stopped pacing. "What?! Dipper, don't give up!" She crouched down to his height and tried to meet his eyes but they stayed staring at the ground as he aimlessly drew doodles on the soil. "You always have a plan!"

"No, the journal always has a plan!" Dipper quickly interjected. "Think about it, Mabel. Gideon was right! The only courageous or cool things The only courageous or cool things I've ever done have been because of that journal," he rambled. "Without it, I can't help you, or Stan, or Y/n..."

He briefly glanced at her. She was wearing a forlorn gaze.

"...Or anyone," Dipper finished his speech, looking back to the ground.

"There's gotta be something we could do," Mabel worried, turning her head towards Y/n, who had been silent ever since.

"What can we do?" Dipper asked, and when he was met with silence, he thought that that was it. It was over. With Gideon having his journal, he was powerless, helpless, weak.

"Bus 52, departing Gravity Falls. All aboard." The intercom sounded.

The twins found themselves in front of the bus door, opened and just too soon.

Their bags were packed, unprepared and unplanned. They begrudgingly hauled their baggage into the bus and towards the back of the vehicle, with no other passengers on board. It seemed that no one else planned on leaving this town the same time they did. It was the middle of the summer, after all.

Dipper and Mabel peered through the window from the back. There stood Stan, who could only give them an apologetic look. "Sorry, kids," they heard him through the glass. "It's for the best." There was nothing they could do. The Shack was gone, they didn't have a home, no business, no money. Everything was taken away from them, just like that.

As the bus began departing, the twins watched the friends they had made that stood beside Stan. Candy and Grenda were crying as they hugged each other. Wendy mournfully waved her goodbyes. The older man couldn't even look them in the eye.

But Y/n was nowhere to be found.

Dipper's heart squeezed painfully in his chest. She wasn't even there to say goodbye. He thought he could have one last conversation with her before leaving, but he guessed the universe couldn't even grant his one request. "I can't believe this is happening," he mumbled absentmindedly, and the bus drove further away from the town that unfurled his curiosity to the unknown.

Goodbye, Gravity Falls.

***

Back in the Mystery Shack, Gideon slammed the front door closed as he excitedly stomped his little feet on the wooden flooring, giggling in victory. All his scheming and waiting for the right time had finally come to fruition. (Though he wasn't really patient as he literally broke inside the Shack with dynamites, but that's beside the point).

He ordered his servants he call his parents out of the living room to have this moment all to himself. The mother and the father scrambled to escape his wrath and he was left to his own devices. "It's finally mine!" Gideon hollered. "At last! I have Journal number-"

He placed the journal he took from Dipper on the table. But it wasn't the first journal as he was expecting. Instead, the cover had adorned a number 3, not 1.

"Three?!" Gideon uttered in pure disbelief. "There were three of 'em?!" He slapped his forehead.

"Uh, son?" Bud's voice resonated through his son's tantrums. How he had the guts to speak to him while he was having an episode was beyond him, but it was an urgent matter. There was an unwanted visitor that he had caught at their doorstep.

"Don't disturb me, old man!" Gideon howled in anger.

Bud sighed in exhaustion. "B-but, you have a guest. They seemed furious."

"Gideon!"

His ears perked up at his name. "Let her in."

The large man hesitantly opened the door, and there stood Y/n, seething with rage. Without speaking, she quickly charged towards the little boy and tackled him to the ground. Gideon screamed for help as he tried to stop the flurry of arms coming to slap his face. Y/n's hands snaked towards his collar and began squeezing until he was choking on his breathing.

Big hands came and pulled her off, grabbing onto her arms tightly. "Now, calm down! Calm down!" Bud repeated, trying to alleviate the girl's fury. "We can all talk about this!"

Gideon was trying to replenish his oxygen, easing his collar and breathing heavily as he laid on the ground. This brought a small smirk to Y/n's face as she exhaled in exhilaration. That felt good.

"I told you I would kick your butt. Thanks for letting me in, by the way," she told Bud sarcastically.

"Ugh, get away from me, you're crazy!" Gideon screeched.

"Guess we haven't established that yet. Give us the Shack back!" She demanded, pushing against Bud's hold.

"Tell me, where is Journal number 1?!"

"I don't know."

Gideon stood up. "Don't lie to me!" He chucked the nearest chair to the other side before striding towards her. "Where's Journal number 1! The Journal that I got from that boy was the third one. I need all three for the power to be unlocked!" He screamed.

Y/n deadpanned, her lips pursed into a line. "Give me. The deed."

Gideon paced around wildly before stopping. His eyes widened as if he had a realization. "Dipper! He must know where it is. He gave me the third one and kept the first for himself!"

"Even if you try and ask him, they're already long gone," Y/n tried to say.

Gideon pulled on his hair frustratingly, his face red. "I can't let him leave Gravity Falls!" He shouted and began to take his leave, taking the two journals with him.

"Hey- w-where are you going?!" Y/n called out desperately, annoyance seeping through. She tramped her shoe on Bud's foot making him let go of her and she chased after him. Running outside of the Shack, she watched Gideon make his way to a larger version of him made out of steel. It was a robot Gideon, who can move according to his controls.

The giant stomped its way through the forest until they were gone. Y/n had to find a way to get to it somehow and finally stop his reign once and for all.

***

"Hey, Dipper, wanna play 'Bus Seat Treasure Hunt'?" Mabel offered, in hopes of cheering up her brother. They always come up with such random activities that would pass the boring time of traveling.

Dipper continued gazing through the window and watched the trees pass by. "I'm not in the mood," he answered earnestly.

"Oh, come on," Mabel insisted, opening the bus seat in between them, revealing what was underneath. "We've got a Canadian coin, gum that's shaped like Ronald Reagan's head– ooh! Miscellaneous fluid stain-!"

"Giant robot!" Dipper shrieked..

"Yeah, giant robot– wait. What?!" Mabel exclaimed back.

"LOOK!"

From the back of the bus, a giant Gideon robot slid across the dirt and was carelessly sprinting towards them. "Halt!" They heard his voice. "I demand you to halt!" Every step sent an earthquake their way. The twins screamed in a panic, going to the front of the bus where the driver sat.

"Mr. Bus Driver!" Mabel cried. "There's a giant Gideon bot coming towards us!"

"Oh, hey dudes."

"Soos!"

The twins cheered in relief when they saw a familiar face. It turns out that Soos had been taking multiple jobs at once when the Mystery Shack was temporarily out of service. Now, he had been a part-time bus driver for at least 40 minutes and this was his first day.

Soos accelerated and pressed on the gas, making the bus move faster. "Hang on, dudes!" The vehicle dodged Gideon's attacks as best as they could, but when the overly large hand went and reached for it, Soos had unknowingly swerved to a new direction, heading towards a restricted area, blocked off by wooden signs.

The bus went up a hill, the road going round and round. For a moment, they thought they lost him, but the robot was unfortunately persistent and carelessly climbed up the mountain. The twins watched through the window as the Gideon-bot made the effort to clamber up. "He already won, what does he want from us?!" Dipper asked incredulously.

They ran towards the front and saw that they were heading straight towards a cliff. "Soos! Cliff!" Dipper called out, but it was too late for Soos to kick the pedals. The tires squealed against the dirt until the bus turned and ended up hanging for its dear life, stopping right at the edge of the hill. Soos tried to accelerate, but the other end of the bus didn't have dirt to move against.

Gideon rises from the mountains, striding menacingly towards the transport. The bot easily grabbed the bus and began shaking it up and down until the roof was torn apart. There, he found Soos who busied himself reading a manual to help him in this situation. The twins were nowhere to be found.

He turned around and looked for them until he saw two kids trying to run across the railroad that connected two tunnels of the cliffs. Dipper and Mabel tried to escape, but when they saw the signed boards that said, "DEAD END", on the other side of the railway, it was hopeless to get away.

The Gideon-bot jumped down and landed, causing the bridge to quake with its weight. It was amazing that the structure could still withstand the great amount of mass. "TELL ME!" Gideon's real voice reverberated through the speakers of his machine. "Where is Journal #1?!"

"Journal #1?" The twins echoed his question.

"Don't play games with me, boy!" The robot punched the other cliff, rocks crumbling apart and falling onto the siblings. Dipper and Mabel tried their best to dodge the descending boulders.

Dipper glared at the bot. "I don't know what you're talking about, you took the only journal I ever had!" He shouted in retaliation. "What do you even want with these journals, anyway?"

Gideon didn't answer, instead he reached down and took the twins in each of his metallic hands, separating them. Mabel struggled against the tight, cold grip.

"LET GO OF HER!" Dipper punched the metal in every word he spoke.

The bot simply laughed. "You still think you're some kind of hero?"

Without warning, Gideon tossed him away. Dipper landed by the edge of the cliff, hitting his head on a rock. He felt a warm, sticky substance running down his nose. "Agh..." he rubbed the pain on the back of his head. It was getting hard to breathe, getting hard to stand up. But he managed to do so, anyway.

"Dipper, help me!" Mabel screamed. "Help!"

The boy tried to look around for a way to reach his sister and rescue her, but his mind couldn't even think properly. His mind was hazy, and his heartbeat was erratic. Usually, he would've taken his journal out of his vest right by now and flipped through the pages for the solution. But he didn't have anything, and he was left to himself.

He didn't know what to do.

He just stood there, frozen in place. The anxieties he had always felt came crashing in more heavily now. Gideon's words from earlier were plaguing his mind that his shoulders were sagging from emotions.

"Face it, kid, you're nothing without that journal!" It was true. " How're you gonna fight back? No muscles, no brains..." His words got to him. He felt tears escaping him as his lips quivered. "What are you gonna do, huh? What are you gonna do?"

Dipper retreated back to the forest in defeat. Gideon was right. There was nothing he could do. He let the words of mockery get to him as his resolve crumbled. His mind shut down.

That's why he was following his heart this time, and took a leap of faith.

He turned around and charged forward, plunging down from the cliff. He jumped, flying down towards the bot. Dipper yelled, alerting the bot as it faced him.

Dipper crashed directly through the eye– which was made of glass– and tackled the real Gideon out of the controller. They landed on the floor but Dipper quickly stood. "Let go of my sister!" Dipper reared his fist back and punched Gideon repeatedly in the face.

"Never! I finally won this time!" Gideon retaliated, pushing him off and fighting back. The two exchanged punches and hits. The Gideon bot replicated his actions, flying Mabel around.

Gideon managed to throw Dipper down, sending punches to his face until the brown-haired boy had had enough. His brows furrowed in resolution as he stood back up and prepared for Gideon's next hit. And when he did, he captured the boy's fist, easily stopping him.

The white-haired boy's resolve faltered for a bit, startled at Dipper's change in strength.

With Dipper's other hand, he guided Gideon's arm and twisted it around to aim for his pale face. He began hitting him with Gideon's own arm, playing a game of "why you hitting yourself?".

Finally, Dipper managed to force one last hit on Gideon, and the bot did the same, hitting its own head. It punched itself so hard, that the head came loose, spinning around wildly.

With Gideon out of his control hub, the robot lost its balance, until it eventually fall backwards and plummeted down. "Dudes! NOO!" Soos shouted.

The twins were falling in mid-air, screaming as they did so. The Gideon-bot crashed and caused a huge explosion, big enough for everyone in the town to see. Parts of the robot were still fizzing with electricity, convulsing as the last remaining power wore off. Amongst the destruction, a continuous squealing of a rope was heard,

The smoke dissipated a bit to reveal Dipper and Mabel, going down slowly with the help of the almighty, "GRAPPLING HOOK!" Mabel declared loud and proud. "Told you that would come in handy." She told to her brother before their shoes hit the ground safely.

"Mabel, that was amazing!" Dipper exclaimed excitedly.

"Not as amazing as you defeating that robot!" Mabel shot back, playfully punching him in the arm, causing him to knock over a random metal sheet and under it was his journal. Safe and sound.

Dipper quickly picked up the book and tucked it inside his vest, just in time for the townspeople to arrive– including the police. "Is this the thing that exploded?" A random townsfolk uttered aloud.

"What's going on?"

"What is it?"

"What happened?"

Gideon managed to pop his head out of his contraption, groaning as he felt a headache coming from the impact he dealt. The people saw him and immediately ran to his aid. "Gideon!" Deputy Durland assisted Gideon all the way down as the twins watched with distaste.

The group of people all feigned a concerned look. "What on earth happened here?" Durland asked the little boy.

"It was the Pines twins!" Gideon bawled haplessly. "They tried to attack me and blew up my statue with dynamite! Arrest 'em!"

"WHAT!?" The twins squawked in disbelief.

"Officers, he's lying!" Dipper tried to convince, but the handcuffs were already out and dangling.

Gideon wore the smirk back to his face as Blubs shrugged, "Sorry, kids, but we trust Gideon– and nothing short of a miracle could ever change our-"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

The Stan mobile made its entrance as Y/n carelessly drove through the dirt and even went to bump the police car so hard that it flipped to the side before parking But Stan didn't care as he jumped out of the window. "Wait, wait! Stop everything!"

"Not this guy again," Blubs discerned, not even commenting enough that a young-looking kid was driving the car in the first place.

Stan sprinted out of the car and parted the people to make way towards the cops. "Just wait! Look!" He was full of energy as he ran to the destroyed robot. "You guys all think Gideon is so perfect and honest, "Oh! I could never tell a lie! I'm Gideon!"" He mocked, making Y/n roll her eyes.

"He's more honest than you!" Blubs retorted, hands on his hips.

"Yeah!" Durland agreed, "and he's psychic too!"

"How's this for psychic? Bam!" Stan proceeded to kick the Gideon-bot, causing the metal panel to fall off. "Take a good look!"

Inside the bot were numerous monitors displaying the lives of people from Gravity Falls. The townsfolk surrounded the bot and pointed out their appearances inside the screens. "That's me!" They echoed.

"That's right!" Stan grinned. "These pins are hidden cameras! And my hearing aid was picking up the feedback! Who's the fraud now?" With a pinch, he easily broke the pin in his hands, revealing the small camera inside.

The rest of the townspeople followed suit, smashing their Gideon-themed pins on the ground before glaring at the culprit. Gideon could only giggle nervously as he feared for his consequences. Everyone marched towards the child with grief-stricken expressions. "Gideon, we gave you our trust!" Durland sobbed.

"You lied to us!" Manly Dan exclaimed with roughness in his voice.

Gideon shrank back until he was cornered. He stuttered some sort of explanation, but it was useless to change their minds now. "W-what are you gonna do with me?"

Durland turned to the town's local enthusiasm enthusiast. "Tyler?"

With a heavy heart, Tyler looked away. "Get 'em..." he sobbed, sniffling away his tears. "Get 'em!"

Gideon gasped as Blubs stood over him. "Lil' Gideon, you are under arrest for conspiracy, fraud, and breaking our hearts!" His voice cracked at the end before turning to his partner. "Durland, the tiny handcuffs."

They shackled his tiny wrists together before letting him walk towards the police car. Stan was already there by the vehicle's door. "Just one more thing," he said, picking Gideon up by the back of his collar and effortlessly shaking him.

"Let go of me!" Gideon screamed as the contents from his suit fell. There were his wallet, set of keys, an ax!?, a random crumbled paper, a photograph of Mabel, the deed, and the second journal.

Y/n nonchalantly slinked through the crowd and took advantage of them being distracted by Stan reclaiming the deed. Fortunately, she managed to slip it inside the pocket of her jacket. No one seemed to have noticed it, and when the twins walked closer to Stan, she casually just gave them a relieved smile.

"I'm glad you guys are okay," she told them.

The twins reciprocated her smile, "Finally, we're free from Gideon," Mabel sighed in completion.

"Yeah, no more of that little jerk terrorizing us," Dipper added, smiling.

Gideon was finally sent off in the police car, screaming out curses and threats. Shandra Jimenez materialized beside Stan. "There you have it. Local hero Stanford Pines has just exposed Lil Gideon as a fraud," she said, aiming the microphone at Stan. "Anything you have to say to the town, Stanford?"

The camera pointed at Stan, Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n laughing carefree.

"The Mystery Shack is back, baby!"

***

The tourist trap was indeed back and better than ever, bustling with customers and booming with sales. With the grand re-opening, they attracted fans who wanted them to autograph their merchandise. Stan did so gladly, just as gladly as he took their money.

When the Shack was empty again, the family took their time adjusting to their rooms again, placing everything back to where it used to be. It seemed that Gideon didn't really touch anything in their rooms and with that, they were grateful.

Dipper and Mabel were tidying up their room when Stan opened their door. "Hey, Grunkle Stan!" Mabel greeted.

"Uh, you kiddos settlin' back in okay?" Stan began before letting himself in. He sat on the edge of his nephew's bed, right beside him.

"Yep!" Mabel answered.

"Hey, Grunkle Stan?" Dipper spoke slowly. "Me and Mabel have been talking, and I think there's something we should finally tell you."

He showed him the velvety book with the six-fingered golden hand on the cover.

"This is a journal Y/n and I found in the woods when you sent us out," he told the older man, handing Stan the journal to peruse. "It talks about all the crazy stuff that goes on in Gravity Falls. Gideon nearly destroyed the whole town trying to find it. I don't know what it means, or who wrote it. But, after all we've been through..." he and his sister exchanged smiles, "Maybe you should finally know about it."

Stan's face was serious, void of a smile. "I'm glad you showed me this, Dipper." He closed the journal after skimming through it. For a moment, they thought he was going to say more, but he suddenly cackled aloud. "Now I know where you've been getting it all from! Spooku*ms and monsters." He ruffled up Dipper's hair in the process. "This kooky book has been filling your head with crazy conspiracies!"

"But it's all real!" Dipper tried to convince him. He had to believe him!

Stan merely laughed. "You gotta quit readin' this fantasy nonsense for your own good. Although some of these would make great attractions!" He opened a random page and showed an illustration of the Squash with Human Face and Emotions. "Can't come up with this stuff! Mind if I borrow this?" Stan got up from the bed, taking the book with him and strutting away.

"Wait! No! Grunkle Stan!" Dipper called after him, but it all fell on deaf ears.

Stan chortled, ""Magic book." Ridiculous!" He walked out of the room, laughing echoing in the hallways.

He didn't tread long before he saw Y/n, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed coolly. "Good acting back there. For a second, I would have also thought that you don't believe in the paranormal."

The two of them walked down the stairs. "How could I not when I've been living with one for 30 years?" Stan inputted the code and the vending machine easily opened with a hiss. They slipped inside. "And hey, they have to think that I don't believe any of this stuff or it would blow my cover."

They stepped out of the elevator at the lowest level, automatically entering the room that held the key to saving her exemplar and his brother.

"Let's get to work."

Y/n sat in the chair and dragged herself over to the table, where she opened a drawer to reveal the first journal. Stan handed her the third journal, and the second one as still in her jacket pocket when she took it out. She set them down on the table. One. Two. Three.

After all these years.

Finally they have them all.

One. Two. Three.

Y/n opened the journals to their corresponding pages. The sensation of the paper against her fingers was exhilarating. It was as if each time it had a different texture. She found the blueprint and pieced it together. There it was. Codes littered the entire pages, and she immediately copied the arrangements of the alphanumeric symbols. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Ford's writing and the buttons she was pressing.

Slowly, the lights on the portal lit up, associating with the switches and levers she moved. Stan was quiet, watching her work, right until she pressed the last key, and the portal turned on.

Stan gazed at the illuminated portal, beaming with life. "It's working! Y/n, it's working!" She was speechless.

The older man madly rushed through the sliding door and face-to-face with the portal. Stan jolted the massive lever to the other side, which Y/n watched through the protective glass. The portal began to sparkle with power, emitting random laser lights before blinking to a bright white. The empty and presumed-dead was now brought back to life. All thanks to these journals.

One. Two. Three.

"Here we go," Stan said, his hands on his hips. Their hard work is finally getting paid.

***

END OF SEASON 1.

Chapter 19: Scary-Oke!

Chapter Text

In the dead of night, the air was filled with the hooting of owls and the rustling of leaves. The weather vane, a whimsical arrangement of the letters W, H, A, and T, occasionally let out a squeak.

The skies were draped in shades of black, blue, and white, casting a shroud of darkness over the surroundings. It was the perfect time to have a good night's sleep because it was quiet– except for the casual rumbling of the ground every now and then. The town had been experiencing earthquakes more often than usual, and while the rest of the residents slumbered peacefully, oblivious to the ongoing seismic activity, these two culprits were well aware of the disturbances they were causing.

As Y/n and Stan stood there, the air before them danced and shimmered with a vibrant, swirling light. It was a sight to behold, a testament to their hard work and determination. This was the breakthrough they had been waiting for, the first step to get him home.

"Thirty long years and it's all led up to this," Stan spoke into the portal room. It seemed that he was at the beginning of a speech. "Our greatest achievement!" A wide grin spread across his face as he uttered those words.

His attention shifted to the girl standing behind him, and he gently ruffled her hair.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Stan's gratitude was a rare occurrence, but his sincerity was evident.

Y/n nodded in agreement, her own smile mirroring his. "This is just the start," she replied. Stepping back into the control room, she followed the instructions from the journal, flipping down a few switches. As she did, the display at the top started to light up with various boxes and lines of text.

AUTO SCAN.

The boxes were now filled with interdimensional information, symbols that Stan had never seen before. Y/n knew that they were on the right track as bodies of green logarithmic scripts scrolled upwards endlessly. The older man tried to understand the meaning of the figures on the monitor, while the younger girl kept her gaze on the results box that kept displaying the X sign. It only meant there were no signs of him in the dimension.

Laser lights flashed sporadically as the various symbols on the portal lit up accordingly. The tabulating machine dispensed out long papers of results, binary statements that served as records. The screen on top of it read, "0.0000000000% COMPLETE." and within a few seconds, it shifted into "0.00000000001% COMPLETE."

That change gave them hope.

If they finally pull this off, it will all have been worth it.

To get him home, to be reunited.

Y/n was busy flipping through the second and third journal for more information that they might use, but her eyes kept on glancing back at the framed picture of Dipper and Mabel smiling at her. The flickering of the portal behind them sent doubts in her head.

"What if they found out about this?"

"Those two?" Stan scoffed. "Yeah, right. We've come this far. Who could possibly catch us now?"

I can give you a list. She stares at him with a raised eyebrow. He shouldn't be underestimating the twins, especially having been with them for almost a month now.

Stan continued with a cheerful stride, slipping on a glove meant for a hand slightly larger than his own. The extra finger on the glove dangled loosely as he extended his hand towards the handle. With a firm grip, he pulled it down, choosing the maximum power setting for the device.

A blinding light engulfed their surroundings, its intensity beyond measure. But it was, as Y/n was directly looking at it while Stan was shielding his eyes with both of his arms. It's like waking up at 3am and checking their notifications, but none of them have phones.

Meanwhile, in another dark room far, far away from the Mystery Shack...

"See, there! There it is again," a man in a suit exclaimed as he and his partner observed the patterns on the dimly lit screen.

The other man glowered. "We haven't seen readings like this for thirty years."

"Is it coming from deep space?" the first one stressed, using their computer to track down the source of immense power. "An enemy weapons site? The sun?!"

The screen displayed a globe, rotating to a specific part of the world, the red dot glaring at them. He zoomed in on the country, the state, the town.

"Just as I suspected,"

A small lumber town in roadkill county, Oregon: Gravity Falls.

GOOD MORNING, GRAVITY FALLS!

Shandra Jimenez appeared on the local news as she happily reported, "A week ago, hardly anyone knew who they were. But we all know them now." A close-up photo of Stan, Mabel, Dipper, and Y/n smiling was broadcasted as Shandra continued. "The brave family that exposed and took down a fake child psychic who used his celebrity to spy on the entire town!"

The reporter looked distressed. Footage from the Gideon fight was shown next. "And caused massive damage to our pride and property."

Photos of Stan dramatically pointing out the destruction of the Mystery Shack. Y/n was laughing at his facial expression throughout the photoshoot just to rub it in Gideon's face. A text on the bottom says, "Big damage for small mediums."

Another one was of Stan angrily pointing at something, accompanied by another text of, "Crack in the ground named 'Gideon's Fault.'"

Then came a video of Gideon being escorted to jail, wearing the most perfect orange attire, fit for a fraud. He sat there in his cell, already having a chalk and writing a single stroke, symbolizing the toddler's first day.

Shandra smiled professionally. "That's our top story today. I'm Shandra Jimenez!"

"And I'm Toby Determined!"

Silence as Shandra stared at the weird guy sitting beside her. "You don't work here," she said, unimpressed. "Security!"

A lone staff member literally carried him out of the studio with its meaty arms.

Stan Pines, Local Hero.

The older man stood smugly in front of the camera. "Look, saving the town? That's what I do. I'm a great man!" He leaned closer and dropped his voice into a whisper. "Some might say the greatest man!" He paused, his eyes sliding to the side. He smiled before walking over to a long table and began snatching pieces of shrimp into a plate.

The camera followed him and he stopped. "These are complimentary, right?"

Mabel Pines, Little Girl

The sweater-wearing girl was seated on a chair as the microphone was pointed at her in an interview. "Oh yeah, the Pines family totally kicked Gideon's butt! Haha!" Mabel smiled widely. "Sometimes, when the going gets tough, you gotta whip out—" she reached down and pulled out her trusty grappling hook, "one of these bad boys!"

She aimed it around like a cool agent, but before anything else went, a random security guard suddenly shouted, "SHE GOT A WEAPON!"

Two guards tackled her down and it all cut to static.

Y/n, Wendy, and "Zeus?", Employees

Soos was wearing a formal outfit, different from his usual question mark uniform. His hair was slicked back as he wore a light blue vest over a clean, hot pink shirt. He sat politely, smiling at the camera. Wendy leaned back with her arms crossed. Y/n was casually drinking her hot coffee offered to her by one of the staff members. She was careful not to drink it in one go, acting as if the coffee would actually "burn" her tongue off. She laughed at the idea.

Y/n let Wendy talk her thoughts. "Gideon? That little jerkwad is history, man!" She exclaimed.

A man appeared from the side and whispered something to the redhead.

"What do you mean I can't say 'jerkwad' on TV?" Wendy said. She then began to do the opposite of the warning. "Jerkwad! Jerkwad! Jerkwad! Come on, Y/n!" She stood up on the couch so that her head was out of frame. "This is America! Freedom of SPEECH!"

Y/n stared into the camera like she was in a famous TV show that featured people working in an establishment. Soos cheerily reached for the sign behind him and brought it out for the camera to see. "HELLO, GRANDMA!" the sign said.

It cut to Stan, the segment still continuing. Stan Pines, Local Hero was still on the screen by his stomach. He was happily eating the shrimp he took from the catering. "Good news is—'' he chewed, "we're celebrating the Grand Re-opening of the Mystery Shack. Tonight, baby!" He waved the shrimp around. "Party... punch... inflated prizes..."

Waddles entered the frame, jumping up to reach for the seafood. Stan raised his arm and began berating the pig. "Hey, hey. Not for pigs."

It cut to Mabel again, leaning forward proudly with an excited smile. "We're calling the party, 'Scary-oke' and then I'm gonna be the party-planner! It's the start of my new party-planning business!" She looked to the side. "Soos?"

On cue, the large man ran up to the camera and lifted his vest, revealing the pink shirt he's been wearing. In neon green letters it read, "CRAZY MABEL'S PARTY PLANNING AND CAT SITTING!"

In one of his back pockets, he pulled out a handful of glitter and confetti and blew it out. Mabel followed and stood beside him. "8 o'clock tonight, suckers! Don't miss it! Fun! Fun! Fun!"

Soos continued throwing out glitters while Stan, Wendy, and Y/n appeared behind her. "Fun! Fun! Fun!" The three chanted alongside her.

The screen then cut to Dipper Pines, Kid.

Said boy sat on a chair, both of his arms propped on the table with a single light shining down on him. The room around him was dark like it was watching a serious documentary. "Honestly," Dipper began, "I think partying is a bit premature if you ask me."

He intertwined his fingers together. "Sure, we defeated Gideon, but Gravity Falls is a hotspot for paranormal anomalies." He stood up, both of his hands on top of the table. His face was stern. "And I urge everyone in this town to be vigilant. The next threat could come from anywhere," he finished with a determined look.

But then he stopped being serious and looked to the side, "Can we get the graphics department to do like the words– 'PARANORMAL WATCH', or maybe– I mean, I don't wanna tell you how to do your job but maybe—"

His footage stopped midway, ending the segment with the word 'CRACKPOT' in bold red in front of his face.

"Well there you have it!" Shandra said, "A shack full of fun loving heroes, and one very paranoid kid."

It stopped on Dipper's face yet again, and the twins watching the news in real time had different reactions. The boy was focused so grimly at the screen, while Mabel was casually bouncing on the yoga ball. "Man, the camera doesn't love you! Haha!" She teased. Dipper didn't say anything to that. Mabel continued, "Hey, look! If I rewind, you're totally making a pirate face and rapper hands!"

And on remote control, Mabel rewinded the video while it was still paused, the Dipper in the TV doing what she described. He was doing exactly that.

Her twin brother sitting beside her planted his face on the counter. "Ugh. It's not fair." He turned to Mabel. "This whole summer I've been trying to get people to believe me about the weirdness in this town, and after everything that happened, they still just make fun of me! You see this?"

Dipper motioned to the customers of the gift shop. There was an old lady eyeing a U.F.O keychain, kids running around wearing monster masks made out of rubber, and a guy raving about a bigfoot bobblehead.

"This is what people think of the magic in this town."

Mabel smiled at him, assurance in her words as she swayed herself on the yoga ball "Hey, bro. I know it's all real. And Y/n does, too! We believe in you!"

Dipper was unconvinced as he brooded. "I just wish the rest of the world did."

The rest of the morning consisted of people bustling around the Shack. Some were aiming to get Stan's autograph, while others were considering buying every merchandise. In other words, the town loves them. Everything is finally going their way.

Wendy and Soos had a conversation by the counter. "So, it's midnight, right?" The redhead began, "I'm texting with Tambry when the whole house started shaking. I almost swallowed my cell phone!"

"Oh, it was an earthquake, man!" Soos replied, "I almost stabbed myself with a nacho!" He then turned to Y/n who was standing in front of the vending machine, a Pitt Cola in hand. "Did you feel that, dude?" He asked her.

The girl paused, turning with an innocent look. "Earthquake?" She pondered, "Uh, can't say that I did..." she trailed off, pursing her lips.

Soos reverted his gaze to the cashier teen. "Dude, I've lived here my whole life and I've never felt anything like it," the guy emphasized, his face turning serious. "It's suspicious if you ask me."

Y/n nervously sipped the soda, her hands slightly shaking. A million thoughts spiraled in her mind. She shouldn't have been too agreeable with Stan when he said that these two won't care about their surroundings. Once again, Stan had underestimated them.

Speaking of the older man, he slid into their conversation with an affronting expression. "Hey, would you three quit yapping?" He crossed his arms. "I want you goons preparing for the party tonight!"

"I'm prepared!"

The four turned around towards Mabel, who was wheeling on a karaoke machine behind her.

"I rented a karaoke machine with my allowance money." She placed her hands on her hips with a smile. "I got a plan! The party is gonna culminate with the greatest karaoke performance the world has ever seen! Starring the world's greatest singers—" she pulled out a paper of her drawing of her, Dipper, and Stan with flashy outfits and singing into the microphone. "Love Patrol Alpha! Dipper already agreed—"

"---No, I didn't!---"

"---Now, I just need you!" Mabel said to Stan. She turned to the girl behind him, "Y/n, you're welcome to join too if you'd like~!"

Stan placed his hands on his hips as he grumbled, "I'll have to get back on you on that one."

Soos interrupted the discussion as he pointed something outside the window. "Hey, Mr. Pines? Is that a limo service for the party or what?"

The older man whipped his head around and saw the black vehicle parking in front. His eyes widened when he saw the words, "U.S GOVERNMENT" plastered on the side of the car, its plate number being "USEXEMPT"

Stan immediately closed the window and bolted towards the P.A system. He pressed the button and began shouting, "The Mystery Shack is now closed! Everybody, out! I will not hesitate to use the hose on the elderly!"

The people began filing outside, Y/n assisting said elderly people whose faces were slower. Stan shutting down the gift shop could only mean one thing, because he never shut down the gift shop.

Mabel faced her great uncle with a concerned look. "Grunkle Stan, what's happening?"

Stan began pacing back and forth, running his hands across his arms to stop the nerves that he was feeling. Meanwhile, Y/n was also perturbed, tapping her feet as a nervous habit. Pitt Cola remained in her hand, she might as well use it as some sort of stress can with it almost being crushed from the pressure.

They were being unusually quiet, not answering the girl's questions. The two were not prepared that this day would come. Everything was going smoothly, they thought. Well, the government vehicle in front of the Shack proved them wrong.

Three loud knocks on the door shook them out of their reveries. Stan shook the jitters off his body, muttering, "Just be casual, Stan. Be casual."

Mabel continued her aimless motion with the yoga ball. "STOP BOUNCING!" Stan yelled. Mabel did, staring at the man strangely.

Y/n wished she could do something at the moment. She desperately could've helped Stan ease his tension, but her feet were helplessly frozen at the spot. She could only avoid their faces the moment Stan opened the door.

"Welcome to the Mystery Shack, gentlemen!" Stan greeted, going into his "Mr. Mystery" persona– all giddy and charming. "What can I get you?" He began rubbing his hands before pulling things out of his coat. "Keychains? Snow globes? These rare photos of American presidents?" He urged, extracting an old dollar out of one of his sleeves.

"My name is Agent Powers, this is Agent Trigger," the man's monotonous voice meant that they came here with a different purpose. They presented their respective ID's with the same logo on their car. Both of their expressions looked strict. "We're here to investigate reports of unusual activity in this town."

And if it wasn't enough emphasis, the other guy narrowed his eyes and pointed, "Activity!"

"Mysterious activity? In the Mystery Shack? You've got to be joking!" Stan attempted to divert the subject.

"I assure you, I am not. I was born with a rare disorder that makes me incapable of experiencing humor."

"Oh!" Mabel exclaimed, having overheard the conversation. "Our friend has a disorder too! She-" Her mouth was clasped shut by the girl's hand.

The three men turned to stare at the two girls. Stan's eyes instantly found Y/n's nervous ones as she made a shaky smile. But before anyone could utter another word, Dipper came bounding in from out of nowhere. "Did you just say, 'unusual'? 'In this town'?!" He looked excited, walking closer towards the agents in black suits.

Stan leaned down to Dipper's height and brought his voice to a whisper, "N-not now, kid. The adults are talking."

"But Grunkle Stan, these guys clearly work for the government! We've gotta cooperate with them, right?"

The man with the mustache kneeled on one knee as his face morphed into intrigue. "You seem bright," he remarked. "What's your name, son?" He began rummaging for something inside of his blazer.

"Uh, D-Dipper..." He stuttered, "Dipper Pines."

"Have a pen." Powers handed him what looked like a regular writing pen, but when the brown-haired boy clicked on the tip, it produced a streak of black light coming from the pen. "They're the same kind we use to find fingerprints back at the lab."

Dipper's smile turned wider– if that was even possible.

"What is it you wanted to tell us, Dipper?"

"I..." he began, "I don't know where to begin!" He said, but he wanted to say so much. "This town is like a hotspot for paranormal and alto-average phenomenon and creatures ever dreamed about!"

The two exchanged worried glances.

"Ghost, gnomes, time anomalies–" Dipper rambled on, "and it's all written down in this ancient journal we've found which proves everything!" He was being crazy as his sister– and he knows it– but he just couldn't let this all go to waste if it meant getting to work with the government in blowing the lid off the mystery of this town.

The agents shared a silent look. Should we trust this kid?

Powers turned back to Dipper, his voice remaining rigid. "Tell me, Dipper, do you still have this... ancient journal? Could you show it to me?"

"Of course!" Dipper chirped in an instant. "Grunkle Stan's been borrowing it," he looked up to his uncle. "Grunkle Stan, show him that journal!"

With a forced smile directed at the two men, Stan gently pushed Dipper back as he got in front of him. He let out a strained laugh, holding his stomach. "Hah, I'm sorry about this, gentlemen. Kid's got an overactive imagination, and like– a... a sweating problem!"

A cackle sounded from the back. "That's true!"

Stan continued, "All the rumors you've heard are just part of gift shop lore!" He easily explained. It sells more tickets, you know?" He winked before snapping his fingers and on cue, Soos entered the scene and slapped Mystery Shack bumper stickers on either of the agents' chests and placed alien headbands on their heads.

"Swag!"

The cops looked unimpressed now, and Dipper couldn't help but sweat, feeling their indifference from a mile away. They're losing interest. "B-but... it's true, officers!"

"It's true, officers!" Mabel bounced in with a huge smile, wearing the same alien headband. "This town is a magical wonderland! Gremloblin!" She spouted, and Dipper frowned gravely.

Why did Mabel just say that? How are they supposed to take them seriously now? He turned to the other person he knew he could trust.

Stan tried to intercept again, "Alright, kids, let's not get ahead of ourselves. I'm sure these agents have better things to do-" he offered with a polite smile.

"But, Stan, they need to know the truth! Y/n, tell them about the things we found! You believe me, right?" He said, raising his voice slightly. He didn't mean to demand an answer from her, but the agents had to treat them like they're smart. He had to reel them in.

The girl felt everyone's eyes on her, waiting for her reply. Their looks were of various emotions; the agents looked impatient, Stan's was uneasy, Mabel's was reassuring, while Dipper's was anticipating.

She found herself stuck in a tight spot. Both Dipper and Stan were counting on her answer, so what is she going to say? She couldn't come up with a quick excuse to just leave the conversation (plus, she could possibly be seen as suspicious for running away). They have always been so cautious about the government finding out about this. With one more glance at Stan, he shook his head subtly, his brows furrowing. He knew he could trust her to side with him.

And in that moment, Y/n regretted one thing.

She never should've joined Dipper and his adventures.

"Well, I... uh..."

Stan jumped in, trying to redirect their attention to something else. Poor Y/n was trying to go through it. "Folks, I assure you, there's nothing to see here. It's all harmless fun!"

Powers was unimpressed as he faced Stan. "Sorry, for wasting your time." He turned around and began walking towards the exit. Trigger compiled a bunch of bobbleheads in his arms.

"I'm confiscating this for evidence."

"Smart move."

"Wait, wait!" Dipper chased after the two, dashing for the door. "Please, y-you have to believe me!" Powers stopped in his tracks, glancing at the boy. "I- I can prove it!"

The agent got down on one knee again as he and Dipper had the conversation between just the two of them. "We'll be in town until tomorrow. Our agency is always looking for help from bright, young minds."

Dipper watched as Powers reached for the pockets in his jacket again, drawing out a card and giving it to him. He stared at the blank paper. There's nothing on it– until he tilted it to the side, and a telephone number appeared with their logo.

555-326-1567

He tilted it back and it disappeared. He tilted it again and it was there– before tilting it again and it was gone. "Woah. Secret card..." he muttered under his breath.

"Bring us some proof that there's more here than bumper stickers and we'll talk."

Dipper waited until the agents drove off in their fancy government vehicle before he was left alone again– and anger filled him to his core. The door was kicked open as he exclaimed, "Grunkle Stan!"

The older man stood there with his hand on his temple, massaging away the stress. Y/n was nowhere to be found. He'll deal with her later, but he wanted to start with him.

"Why would you throw me under the bus like that? You lied right to their faces!"

Stan brought his brows together as he pointed at the boy. "Listen, kid. You should be thankful. I was keeping you from embarrassing yourself! Like you always do."

"Nothing could be more embarrassing than what you just did to me," Dipper replied without missing a beat. "After everything that's happened, how can you just stand there and say that there's nothing magic or weird about this town?"

"Because there isn't!" Stan burst out. "Whatever you think you've seen in Gravity Falls is a mix of cabin fever, altitude sickness, and reading that sci-fi trash!"

"It's not trash!" Dipper retaliated, standing his ground. "That journal was written by a genius! Someone smarter than you'll ever be! And I'm going to get it back!"

Stan looked furious. He didn't have to hear from his nephew that he's the dumb one. He knew that already. But him holding the real author of the book in such a high regard just irked him when they haven't even met yet.

His voice was dangerously low, "Look, kid. I know you think you have this all figured out, but you gotta trust me when I say this is for your own good." He snatched away the card in Dipper's hand, making him gasp. "I'm confiscating that card." Dipper glared so hard at the back of his head. "Now, leave it be."

Stan walked away as Dipper tried to stop him. "But, Grunkle Stan! You don't understand!"

"And don't go talking to those agents!" He yelled before completely disappearing into the living room.

Dipper grumbled. "Ugh! Grunkle Stan always ruins things! That could've been my big break!"

"Bro," Mabel slid in, placing her arm across his shoulders. "Maybe Grunkle Stan is right. We're throwing a party tonight! Can't you go one night without searching for aliens or raising the dead or whatever?"

"I'm not gonna raise the dead," Dipper insisted as if it was a foreign concept. He untangled himself from her hold. "And speaking of those things, I still need to get the journal back from him. I need a chance to show those agents the book."

"Trust me, Dipper. The only book you'll need tonight is right here! Boop!" Mabel brought out a thick binder that said KARAOKE on the cover.

Dipper stared at it unimpressed. "Where did Y/n go?"

He needed to talk to her. He was hurt that she hadn't spoken up to the agents, but he gave her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she was just as nervous and excited as he was, in disbelief that professional people had come to the Mystery Shack with the same motives as them. He couldn't believe it either. He imagines himself working with intelligent groups of people solving mysteries, and when looking to his side, he sees his partner smiling at him. She was smiling at him.

"Bro?"

***

The elevator descended to the very bottom. This was the only other place she'd go to after not hearing a response from the other side of her bedroom door. Stan waited until the mechanism opened before stepping out. He didn't hear any typing, but he saw her with her head kept down in her crossed arms.

She heard him walking towards her, but she didn't budge. Leave her alone for a bit to mope.

"You okay, kiddo?" Stan mumbled, placing a doting hand on her shoulder.

She vehemently shook her head, refusing to look up from her folded arms.

He sighed. "We knew this day would come, but we're still unprepared," he said, checking on the machines. "Those agents could ruin everything,"

Just the thought of having the government involved had Y/n's mind completely shut down. She sniffled as she leaned back and hunched over the desk. "Can you leave me with my thoughts for a bit?" Her voice was meek and raspy, exhaustion oozing.

But Stan didn't falter, moving closer to her. "Oh, no. If you think I'm gonna leave you alone– you're dead wrong," he said. "We're in it for the long haul, remember? And if that means facing a bunch of dumb agents trying to stop us from doing something great here, so be it."

A small smile made its way to her face. She exhaled a soft breath, a bit more calmed down than before. His words helped a lot. Stan could be stubborn sometimes– it reminded her of someone else.

Her eyes followed Stan's hand as he aimlessly flickered the pages. "He's gonna want it back." She weakly muttered, arms stretching across her torso.

"I know," Stan sighed forlornly. "As much as it would be a dumb decision to give this back, it wouldn't be good to keep it." He nodded once.

But there has to be some way to keep a copy of it. Her eyes slightly lit up as an idea popped in her mind. "You go up. I'm sure they're already looking for you."

"Wha-" Stan's brows furrowed. "What are you gonna do?"

"I'll take care of it," she said dismissively, motioning him to leave. Stan was dismayed. Her lips were twisted into a faint smile. "I'll copy these pages and make sure to return this to Dipper," she said as she clutched the book to her heart. "Now, go! It won't be a party without you."

"Actually, I have to go out."

"Out?" She echoed. "Where are you going?"

"I have to take down the boarded up signs that lead to the Shack. The government is already onto us. We don't need more curious people up our butts," Stan grumbled, seriously frustrated at the situation.

She stood there, her gaze fixed on him as he made his way towards the elevator. Her mind raced, struggling to grasp onto a single coherent thought, but exhaustion had taken its toll. Glancing down at the journal clutched in her arms, she willed herself to focus on the immediate task at hand.

Desperate to shift her focus away from the underlying issue, she felt the need to do something – anything – to distract herself.

Perhaps she'd simply punch the nearest wall.

Unbeknownst to Stan, mere minutes after he reentered the Shack's yard where the party was in full swing, Y/n had also taken the elevator upstairs. Quietly and unnoticed, she navigated her way to the elder man's office, fully aware of the copier's location. Skillfully, she slipped through the door and ensured it was securely locked behind her. With deft movements, she swiftly crossed the room and focused her attention on the worn and creaky machine.

The image of the numerous copies of Dipper strewn across the Shack was etched vividly in her memory. A fleeting thought crossed her mind – would this unusual phenomenon also occur with ordinary, aged paper? Could Ford's sketches spring to life following a scan?

There's only one way to figure it out.

Y/n cautiously lifted the cover of the journal and flipped to its opening page. Carefully positioning it, she twisted the book over and firmly placed it onto the scanner bed. Under her breath, she murmured, "I hope this actually works," and with a determined press of the button, set the process in motion. The aged contraption protested with its characteristic groans and squeaks, wriggling and shifting before coming to an abrupt halt.

The copier sprung to life, methodically reproducing the page Y/n had placed on it. While lacking color, the duplication was strikingly accurate. She wasted no time, moving swiftly to the next page and repeating the process. The task was undeniably tedious, yet she pressed on with unwavering determination, fully aware that the sooner she completed it, the better.

A sigh of relief escaped her as her shoulders slumped slightly when she finally reached the last page. Just one more page to go.

The redhead and the brunette stood before Stan's bedroom, their gaze fixed on the door adorned with signs bearing messages like "No Minors Allowed" and "Do Not Disturb."

Dipper wasn't to be stopped despite the warnings and proceeded to walk closer.

"I'll keep an eye out for Stan," Wendy called out to him. "You go rustle through his weird old 'man biz'." She grimaced.

As Dipper pushed open the door, he was greeted by the chaotic scene that was Stan's bedroom. The space was strewn with relics of old pranks and knick-knacks one might expect to find in the room of an aging man. However, Dipper's focus was fixed on a particular item – the card that Stan had confiscated from him. He scanned the cluttered room, his eyes searching for any sign of its whereabouts. Where could it possibly be?

He meticulously sifted through Stan's drawers, meticulously examined his closet, and even delved into the crate containing the questionable magazines – an endeavor that Dipper made sure to cleanse his hands of afterward.

Feeling on the brink of surrender, Dipper's mind raced, attempting to think from Stan's perspective. Where would he hide the card if he were in Stan's shoes? His gaze locked onto a counterfeit painting portraying Stan in the guise of a prosperous man adorned in a crimson robe. "Wait a minute," Dipper whispered to himself. He cautiously extended his fingers towards the edge of the framed portrait and sensed a slight resistance as it began to shift.

As Dipper scrutinized the faux artwork, he discovered a concealed vault concealed behind it. Within the hidden chamber rested a cardboard box prominently labeled 'contraband' in bold, white letters. Its contents held items Dipper, at his age, wouldn't be permitted to possess. Hastily grasping the box and prying it open, he swiftly extracted the sought-after calling card.

He looked around the room and saw a telephone. He stalked towards it and dialed the number. It rang once before the line was answered by the familiar voice from earlier. "Agent Powers."

"Hi! This is Dipper," he said, confidence slightly wavering now that he's speaking with the agent. "Th-the kid from the Mystery Shack?" And if he still didn't recognize him, Dipper wanted himself to be clearer. "The- uhm, sweating problem?" He briefly glared, but he continued, "I found the- uh, journal! Yep! You have to see it." It was a complete lie. He hadn't seen it anywhere ever since Stan borrowed it from him. He still has to look for it. Maybe it was in this room as well. But if he still can't find it, then he'll just have to get help from the agents.

"And you're certain this... journal will help our case?" Powers questioned, uncertainty oozing through the call.

Dipper was surely sweating by now. "Yeah! I am 100% sure."

"Very well. We're on our way."

"Great! I'll see you."

"Dipper?"

He pivoted around to her voice, seeing her standing in the doorway with Wendy gone. She must've been invited by her friends to go and party.

"Y/n!" Dipper breathed. He saw her petrified expression, but he didn't dwell on it too long before his eyes went to the journal in her hands. "The journal! You got it!" He bounded towards her with the widest smile. "Where did you find it? And I didn't see you this entire afternoon. Where did you go?"

She couldn't answer, her nerves getting the best of her. But she let him take the journal from her. Now with nothing to grasp, she closed her knuckles tightly.

Dipper skimmed through the journal, inspecting its condition. "Alright. I have the journal and the agents are almost here."

"Agents?!" The word jolted her awake. "You called them?!"

"Woah, calm down," he motioned with his hands, not understanding what she was panicking about. "This could be a good opportunity, Y/n. Those agents might give us the right equipment to finally solve the mysteries about Gravity Falls!"

She was silent.

"The agents will be here, and I'll show them the journal and they'll finally see the truth!" He rambled, before going to a halt. His eyes were bouncing around the place except for her own, his voice becoming rather meek. "And I- I was thinking... I mean, if you're not doing anything else, you can... go with me?"

It was a simple request. He asked her to accompany him. If only she could equal his enthusiasm for telling those agents knowledge they could use to their advantage. If she hadn't considered the potential of them uncovering the interdimensional doorway in the basem*nt—one that she and Stan had been working on for the past 30 years—she would have gone with Dipper completely.

But she didn't want to do anything with those agents.

Dipper observed the downward gaze of her eyes, uncertain of how to respond. "Are you alright?" He was about to reach out, but she intervened by placing her hand on his, gently stopping him. She spoke softly, "You know what, I think I should head to bed. Feeling pretty tired." Though it was a weak excuse, she hoped Dipper would understand and let her leave.

Dipper blinked, his gaze fixed on her. "Sure... Rest well," he replied.

Y/n found herself at a loss for words, offering him a faint smile before exiting Stan's office. Taking a left turn, she headed to her own room. The thought of returning to the portal room crossed her mind, yet she ultimately opted to embrace the comfort of her bed. Despite the intrusive music from outside, its steady beat gradually soothed her thoughts, coaxing her into a peaceful slumber. Perhaps a restful nap was just what she needed.

The familiar government vehicle that had appeared earlier came to a stop just a few meters away from the Mystery Shack. The two agents stepped out of the vehicle, glancing at their watches. Just as they did, Dipper emerged suddenly from the nearby bushes, eagerly addressing them, "Guys! I'm so glad to see you. Working together, we can crack all the secrets of Gravity Falls!"

The agents exchanged curious glances, deciding to trust this kid, just this once.

Dipper continued with his enthusiasm, "Trust me, this book is the lead you've been looking for." With a confident gesture, he revealed the journal he had been holding, presenting it to the agents for their examination. They accepted it, closely studying the book's contents and scrutinizing the sketches. As Dipper pressed on, his words brimming with excitement, "I'm thinking full-scale investigation! Forensics, researchers– do you guys have a helicopter?" He paused, a bashful chuckle escaping him. "I'm sorry. Helicop-ters."

Powers maintained a serious expression, looking uninterested, "Kid, I'd love to believe you, but this just looks like more junk from your uncle's gift shop," he said. "I mean, Leprecorn? I can't be the only one that thinks that's not funny." He shifted his gaze towards his partner, seeking agreement.

"I can confirm; not funny," Trigger added, nodding.

Dipper looked distraught. "No! It's real, I swear! You should... send it to the lab! Am I saying that right?"

"Your uncle was right about that overactive imagination," Powers said, handing the book back to him. "We got paperwork to do."

"Boring paperwork."

"Wait! This book is real!" Dipper began chasing after them, showing the journal once more. "Gnomes! Cursed objects! Spells! Listen!" The agents halted abruptly, turning to glance behind them. They observed Dipper swiftly flipping through the pages, searching for a simple incantation to recite out loud.

"Uh... Corpus Levitas, uh– Diablo Dominium, MONDO VICIUM!" Dipper shouted the incantation at the top of his lungs, disregarding the specific spell he might invoke. His only goal was to trigger some kind of occurrence or manifestation that would convince the agents of the existence of the supernatural.

As the agents stood there, a sudden gust of wind enveloped them, and the atmosphere grew charged with energy. Their surroundings began to tremble, and confusion set in as they struggled to comprehend the unfolding events. Then, right beneath Dipper's feet, the ground split apart with a jolt. In a hurried scramble, Dipper managed to escape the rift just in time. All three onlookers were transfixed as a gnarled, shaky hand emerged from the gaping crevice, followed by the emergence of a creature – a zombie.

A zombie!

"Ah! A zombie!" Dipper wondered with an excited smile as he pointed at it, looking at the agents' reaction. "A real, actual zombie! See? Spooky journal, a hundred percent real." He felt accomplished and now he was waiting for their confirmation. "Now can we work together?"

From behind the boy, the creature began to crawl. "Mother of all that is holy!" Powers expressed in a panic.

"What do we do?!" Trigger shouted in the same tone.

But Dipper was unnerved, "It's just one zombie," he said, trying to calm them down. "Trust me, I see stuff like this all the time." As he hastily flipped open the journal in search of a potential reversal spell, the solitary zombie suddenly materialized right in front of him, catching him off guard with a startling jumpscare. "Ah—!"

With a swift, powerful motion, Powers crushed a small boulder directly onto the zombie's head, instantly immobilizing it.

Dipper chuckled in relief. "Good thing it was just that one—"

Contrary to Dipper's skepticism, nature seemed determined to prove him wrong. Just as he spoke, the ground quaked once more, and a series of cracks spread open. From these fissures emerged a horde of zombies, numbering around 15 to 20. These skeletal creatures, their hollow eyes emitting a sickly green glow, staggered forward with an unsettling hunger for brains.

"Oh my gosh," Dipper voiced out, "You guys can help, right?"

Powers and Trigger stepped back slowly. "Kid, we've been chasing the paranormal for years, but we've never seen anything like this before!"

"Get down!" A piercing scream escaped Trigger's lips as the horde of zombies lunged forward, overwhelming the two adults. Dipper's own voice joined the chorus of terror as he watched in horror, the relentless zombies dragging the shrieking agents into the shadowy depths of the forest, leaving him utterly alone.

"Oh my gosh. WHAT HAVE I DONE?!"

Y/n was jolted awake as the ground trembled beneath her. Springing out of bed, she was met with the sound of frantic screams echoing outside. Rushing out of the Shack, her eyes widened as she took in the scene before her – Dipper, Mabel, Waddles, and Soos were encircled by a horde of zombies. "What in the world..."

Her gaze remained fixed on the unfolding chaos. She observed as the handyman bravely stepped forward, shielding the kids from the encroaching danger. However, her heart sank as he was caught off guard, a zombie sinking its teeth into his shoulder. His skin took on an eerie paleness, his once-vibrant eyes transformed into vacant white orbs, and his mouth began to ooze with a disturbing excess of saliva.

"Guys!" her voice rang out in an urgent warning as she dashed out of the gift shop. The twins swiftly turned their heads in her direction and wasted no time in bolting towards her, the pig trotting closely behind. "This way!" she shouted, quickly dispatching any zombies that crossed her path. Soos stumbled along, trailing behind the group as the horde of zombies closed in.

They hurriedly entered the gift shop, and Y/n forcefully slammed the door shut behind them. "Quick, we need to board up all the windows!"

"Where's Grunkle Stan?!" Mabel's scream echoed through the room as she rushed towards the corner, her panic palpable. Waddles joined in with a distressed squeal, clearly unsettled by the dire circ*mstances.

"I don't know," Y/n admitted, looking around for wooden boards to use. "And I don't think he's coming anytime soon. Come on, we gotta–"

The window beside her suddenly shattered open, and Soos leaned in with an excited smile. In his hand, he held a drill. "Hey, dudes! By the way, I taught the zombies how to get to the fuse box. Among these dudes, I'm like a genius!"

In an instant, the lights within the Shack flickered out, casting the interior into darkness, while a crimson glow seeped in from the outside. As panic set in, zombies started to clamber their way in through the windows. "Get those brains, dawg!"

Y/n reacted swiftly, delivering a punch that forcefully repelled a zombie, creating some distance between them. Simultaneously, Dipper dashed towards the alternate door that led to the living room, narrowly avoiding a zombie hand smashing through. A gasp escaped him as he retreated, his back pressed against the corner with Mabel by his side. In her haste to reach the twins, Y/n performed a powerful kick that severed the zombie's arm from its body. "Y/n, watch out!" Dipper's voice rang out, filled with concern.

"Dipper, isn't there something in the journal about defeating zombies?" Mabel asked.

He frantically looked through the journal. "No! There's nothing in here about weaknesses!"

The twins' heads snapped up as the door splintered under forceful impact. Their gazes locked onto Y/n, who stood before them, having deliberately smashed down the door to create an escape route. Breathing heavily, she urgently directed them, "Quick, to the attic!"

With their options dwindling, Dipper, Mabel, and Waddles raced away, narrowly avoiding a zombie's desperate lunge. The trio hurriedly made their way toward the stairs, Y/n vigilantly keeping watch behind them. While Mabel and Waddles continued ahead, Dipper halted on the third step, casting a wary glance over his shoulder.

"Dipper, what are you doing? You need to go!" Y/n's urgency was evident in her voice.

"No, I'm not leaving you here!" Dipper's determination was unwavering. "Hide with us."

Y/n shook her head, attempting to allay his concern. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll catch up, I promise."

Dipper's eyes held a mixture of worry and frustration. "I get that you might not get hurt, but what if you can turn into a zombie? You don't need to put yourself in danger all the time!"

Growing increasingly frustrated, Y/n could sense Dipper's stubbornness and lack of trust. "Dipper, listen. Please trust me. I want to keep you safe. I'm likely the only one who can't be turned. Go, look after your sister, and I'll do my best to keep the zombies away from the attic."

"Y/n, don't treat your life like it's nothing. I – we care about you, okay?" Dipper pleaded, his voice laced with concern. "Now don't try to fix the problem that I caused. It's all my fault! I should be the one to fix this."

"We don't have time for this, Dipper!" Y/n shouted, her frustration evident. Her words were abruptly cut off as a zombie's grip closed around her arm, hoisting her off the ground. Panic surged through her, and she screamed, struggling against the creature's hold. "Ah! Let me go!"

"Y/n!!!" Dipper's scream echoed.

Out of nowhere, a resounding smash filled the air. The zombie was struck by a baseball bat, causing it to release its grip on Y/n. The creature's head was then brutally crushed beneath the foot of—

"Grunkle Stan?!" Dipper exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief.

Stan's command cut through the tension. "Attic! Now!"

Dipper didn't waste his time. He seized Y/n's hand, dragging her from the ground, and together they dashed toward the attic, ignoring her protests. Mabel, already positioned at the door, swung it open, allowing them to enter. Panting from the exertion, they found themselves in the attic, Y/n withdrawing her hand from Dipper's grasp. Her irritation was palpable. "Here I am. Happy now?" She couldn't help but be somewhat annoyed. "Instead of just waiting, wouldn't it be more sensible for you to search the journal for a solution?"

He complied with a muted response, his fingers turning the pages of the journal. Though he remained silent, traces of annoyance were evident on his face. Meanwhile, Mabel remained oblivious to the unfolding tension, unaware of the gravity of the situation.

A sudden commotion outside drew their attention, and the twins instinctively moved into a defensive stance, bracing themselves for a potential threat. However, the door swung open to reveal Stan, who entered with a cough and a hand clutching his side. "Oh! Ow. Everything hurts," he groaned, his discomfort evident. He quickly closed the door behind him and reinforced the barricade with a chair.

"Grunkle Stan!" Mabel exclaimed, noticing his disheveled and worn-out appearance. "You're finally here!"

Dipper offered a shrug, a modest smile gracing his lips."I guess you can't deny magic exists anymore, right?"

Stan took a moment to catch his breath, his gaze briefly flickering toward Y/n before returning to Dipper. "Kid, truth is, I've known all along," he finally confessed, his voice heavy with admission as he turned away.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Dipper asked, perplexed.

"I'm not an idiot, Dipper! Of course this town is weird!" Stan's exclamation carried a mixture of frustration and concern. "And the one thing I know about that weirdness is that it's downright dangerous!"A zombie's hand abruptly broke through the door, sending a jolt of panic through the group as they retreated to the room's center. Stan's voice remained resolute as he continued, "I've been lying about it to try to keep you away from it. To try to protect you from it!"

A zombie burst through the window, prompting Stan to react swiftly. He delivered a powerful punch, sending the creature crashing to the ground. As it tumbled, a horde of zombies outside fixated their gaze on the Shack. The situation escalated further as additional zombies began to crawl up the exterior walls, intensifying the impending threat.

"It looks like I didn't lie well enough."

Y/n remained silent throughout the entire ordeal, her thoughts and words unable to provide a useful contribution in the moment. Internally, Y/n offered a silent applause for Stan's long-awaited confession, all the while contemplating when the time would come for her to unveil her own truth.

"What do we do, what do we do?!" Mabel said in a frantic voice.

Dipper tried to find the solution in the book, but with the Shack's lights turned off, he couldn't see a thing. "Ugh, it's too dark, I can't see anything!" He expressed, trying to find a lone light.

"Wait, wait, wait. Didn't those agents give you some sort of pen light?" Mabel asked from beside him.

Dipper's eyes lit up. "Mabel, you're a genius!" He rummaged through his navy vest and brought out the same pen from earlier. He pushed on the button and aimed the black light on the page. "Wait- what?!"

All of a sudden, white writings appeared on the pages overlapped on the old black ink. Dipper laid the journal on the floor for everyone to see, flashing the black light onto it. It revealed Ford's decreasing sanity as the invisible writings of him going crazy appeared.

"Invisible ink?" Y/n heard Stan mumbled in curiosity, briefly sharing a glance at one another.

Y/n's hands trembled, a mix of emotions swirling within her. It could have been anger, triggered by the revelation that Ford had kept this from her. Or maybe it was anxiety, stemming from the uncertainty of having copied pages without knowledge of the hidden writings in invisible ink, which could have been vital for the portal. The thought that crucial information might be concealed beneath a seemingly inconspicuous black light frustrated her. Now, Y/n was left uncertain about whether the copier had replicated the invisible ink writings, and a sense of hopelessness had settled over her.

Dipper backtracked to the zombie's page. There was a large block of text written in invisible ink and he read it aloud. "Zombies have a weakness! Previously thought to be invincible, their skulls can be shattered by perfect three part harmony."

"Of course," the three heard Y/n mutter, accompanied by the sound of her smacking herself in the head – an odd gesture considering it wouldn't hurt her physically. This caught their attention, and they exchanged puzzled glances. "I just thought, you know, zombies thrive on chaos. So, logically, the only way to defeat them is through harmony!" Y/n quickly conjured up an explanation that the family readily accepted, all the while berating herself internally for not recalling her past experience of defeating zombies. She vividly remembered harmonizing with Ford and F, enjoying the moment, and feeling a genuine sense of happiness.

Y/n took a confident stance, hands on her hips. "Alright, let's think about a three-part harmony. How can we pull that off?" she inquired, prompting the group to engage in a brainstorming session.

Dipper offered a suggestion with a shrug, "I mean, I've got a naturally high-pitched scream?"

"I can make noises with my body– sometimes intentionally!" Stan added.

Mabel's eyes lit up as she chimed in with a smile, "Guys, I think you're missing the obvious solution."

"What is it?" Stan asked, looking clueless.

"Duh! It's the karaoke machine!" Mabel declared with a triumphant smile.

On the rooftop, the group skillfully navigated past the zombies—sending a few punches when necessary—and swiftly set up the karaoke machine. "Hello? Hello? Is this thing on?" Mabel's voice projected through the microphone, eliciting a burst of feedback that immediately captured the attention of every zombie in the vicinity. "Y/n, I don't have a spare mic, but you're free to sing along if you'd like!"

Y/n waved her hands around. "Oh, it's fine. I'll just keep on the lookout for any approaching zombies."

"Alright! But you're officially the honorary member of the band!" Mabel declared, her finger hitting the button to play a song that had been queued up since earlier this evening.

Dipper interrupted with a hint of hesitance, his gaze fixed on the title of the song. "Wait, wait, wait. Is this really the song we're singing?" He shot a swift glance at Y/n positioned behind Stan, his grip on the microphone revealing his doubts about the impending musical performance.

Unfazed by Dipper's question, Mabel enthusiastically addressed the gathered zombies, "Zombies and gentlemen! I'm Mabel, there's Dipper, Y/n, and Stan, and together we're Love Patrol Alpha!"

"I never agreed to that name!"

"Hit it!"

The beat resounded, erupting into a fun rhythm. Stan narrowed his eyes at the lyrics, adjusting his glasses. "Uh, Mabel? Our lives may not be worth this," he remarked, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

Dipper made a slight grimace, clearly not entirely thrilled with the situation. However, he took a deep breath and, with microphone in hand, began singing the song. It was a sacrifice for the greater good of humanity, after all. "Friday night, and we're gonna party 'til dawn. Don't worry, Daddy, I've got my favorite dress on?! Mabel, this is stupid!"

With a confident stance, Mabel placed a hand on her hip and started swaying to the infectious beat. "Roll into the party, the boys are lookin' our way. We just keep dancing', we don't care what they say! And all the boys are gettin' up in my face–"

Stan extended the microphone towards Y/n, but she firmly shook her head and pushed it away with a hint of determination. Instead, she took action, forcefully shoving a zombie that attempted to crawl onto the roof they were standing on. "Guys, you have to sing together or it won't work!" she urged.

"Ngh... Boys are a bore, let's show 'em the door..." Stan sang albeit reluctantly.

"We're takin' over the dance floor!" Everybody sang in unison. "Oh-oh! Girls do what we like! Oh-oh! We're taking over tonight!"

Y/n observed in astonishment as the three-part harmony seemed to work like a blast– literally! Zombies' heads began exploding all around them strangely to the rhythm of the music. The trio carried on singing the chorus, maintaining their tune until the majority of the zombie heads had disintegrated in a series of explosive bursts.

"Oh-oh! We're taking over tonight!"

Dipper's grin widened, and he belted out the lyrics at the top of his lungs, "Takin' over toniiiight!"

Amidst the guitar riff playing in the background, a zombie unexpectedly appeared behind Dipper, causing him to let out a startled scream. Reacting swiftly, Y/n grabbed the confetti cannon from the ground and directed it towards the zombie, urgently shouting, "Duck!" With a swift pull of the trigger, a burst of confetti exploded from the cannon, simultaneously propelling the zombie's head away from its body.

The detached head soared through the air before finding an unexpected resting place in the punch bowl. Mabel's smile grew even wider as confetti rained down around them. "Thank you!" she exclaimed over the music, her voice laced with excitement. "We'll be here all night!"

Stan pointed triumphantly at the fallen zombies, his laughter ringing out, "Deal with it, zombie idiots!

"Pines! Pines! Pines! Pines!" The trio chanted as Y/n couldn't help but smile at them. Stan cast a brief glance her way before extending his arm to draw her into a side hug, pulling her closer to him. In a wordless exchange, they shared a smile.

As the sun rose on a new day, the four of them descended from the roof and entered the living room. The room was in disarray, marred by zombie residue and dirt. The round table was tipped over, and a fallen light added to the disorder. It was quite a mess.

Dipper looked guilty, his hands placed inside the pocket of his vest. "I'm sorry, guys. I totally ruined everything."

"Dipper, are you kidding me?" Mabel asked as he approached him. "I got to sing karaoke with three of my favorite people in the world! No party could ever top that," she reassured.

Stan walked up to the trio, drawing them close in a huddle, and knelt down to share a serious conversation. While he made sure he included Y/n, his focus was mainly on the twins. "Kids, listen. This town is crazy, so you need to be careful. I don't know what I'll do with myself if you get hurt on my watch," he glanced at her briefly before heaved a sigh and rubbed his temples. "I'll let you hold on to that spooky journal." he turned his attention back to Dipper, his tone stern. "As long as you promise me you'll only use it for self-defense, and not go looking for trouble." Stan finished.

Dipper took a step back, his expression skeptical as he eyed Stan. "Okay..." he replied cautiously. "As long as you promise me you don't have any other bombshell secrets about this town!"

Y/n couldn't help but notice the way Stan's hand was extended behind his back when he emphasized, "Promise."

"Promise," Dipper repeated, mirroring Stan's gesture by placing his hand behind his back too. She gave a subtle shake of her head, amused by their similarities. They are definitely related.

She gave Mabel a quick glance, hoping to gauge her reaction, but Mabel seemed completely oblivious. Y/n couldn't help but chuckle inwardly at the irony of being caught in the middle of their little exchange. This is the price she pays for being in the know on both ends.

"Man, we have got a lot of zombie damage to clean up," Stan said with a stretch. "Where's my handyman, anyway?"

"Brains..." a slurry voice caught their attention and they gasped upon seeing Soos as a zombie, staggering towards the living room. His eyes were still undead-like and saliva was running down his chin. "BRAINS!"

"Holy Moses!" Stan exclaimed, grabbing a chair and lifting it above his head about to inflict it on Soos until Dipper stopped him.

"Wait! There's a page here about curing zombification. It's gonna take a lot of formaldehyde."

One cup of formaldehyde, one teaspoon salt, two teaspoons paint thinner, one quart newt's blood. Y/n silently recited the ingredients.

"Ooh and cinnamon!" Mabel chimed in, delighted when she saw the page.

Y/n smirked. For taste, of course.

"Come on, Soos. Let's fix you up."

Dipper walked out, engrossed in the journal, "I can't believe it! All this time the author's secrets were hiding in plain sight!" he exclaimed. He retrieved the pen the agents had given him, using the black light to reveal hidden content. "A whole new chapter🗝of mysteries to explore..."

[ROLL CREDITS]
These pages were the ones Y/n had duplicated. It turned out the enchanted copier was truly potent, replicating the precise content of the page, invisible ink included. Swiftly getting herself a black light, Y/n reexamined the pages, this time under a different light – quite literally.

***

K HM P IYQBSE LBXYKU A QHSB
🗝 : ????

In letters secret, they intertwine,
A cipher's art, a coded design.
With a keyword's key, the code shall break,
Vigenere's dance, a puzzle to partake.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 20!

Chapter 20: The Bunker and Tiny Men

Chapter Text

The sun had just risen, casting an early morning glow over the Mystery Shack. The establishment remained closed for renovations after the chaos of the zombie-filled party the previous night. Having successfully convinced the construction worker not to question the source of the recent chaos- a.k.a he bribed the worker- Stan made his way into the gift shop, with Waddles trailing faithfully behind him. "Dipper!" his voice echoed through the empty room. "I need someone to look out for those workers while I take my elderly nap! I need it 'cause I'm old!"

But there was no response.

"Mabel?" Stan continued, "Soos? Wendy?"

After a moment of silence, the older man shrugged nonchalantly. "Welp, there goes the need for clothing." He proceeded to remove articles of his clothing such as his coat and unbuckle his belt, letting his pants sag to the ground. Waddles oinked in response.

"Why are you taking off your clothes in the middle of the gift shop?"

Y/n and Stan engaged in a brief staring contest, the awkward silence stretching out until he waved his hand in a dismissive manner. "It's better this way, trust me. Now, where did those kids run off to and why aren't you with them?" He placed his hands on his hips, demanding an explanation.

She shrugged, mirroring Stan's earlier action. "I don't know, I was busy," she answered nonchalantly, her attention seemingly focused on the notes on her clipboard.

He paused for a moment before. "I'll take it," he said, walking towards the vending machine. He pressed the code and it opened with an exhale. "C'mon, pig, let's hit the lab. You too, I guess."

Y/n rolled her eyes, but she moved nonetheless, going inside as Stan closed the door. "Hopefully those kids haven't joined a gang or something."

***

Mabel, Soos, and Dipper gathered around a tree in the middle of the forest. The chestnut-haired boy tapped his pen against the lamp, catching the attention of the other two. "Thanks for being here," he began. While he wished Y/n had joined them, he understood that she might still be rattled from the zombie incident. He decided to focus on the matter at hand and save the idea of a solo adventure for another time.

"Hey, when there's a mystery, you can count on your sister...-Ey," Mabel said in an attempt to rhyme.

Soos chuckled, amused. "That's an amazing rhyme." He began to think of his own slogan, "When you want some, good... When you need a Soos, you... Oh oh, gosh, I don't know."

Dipper continued, "We're here to solve the number one mystery in Gravity Falls; who wrote this journal?! Thirty years ago the author vanished without a trace. But according to this new clue," he turned on his black light pen and flashed it on the page. "We may have found his secret hiding place. We find that author, we learn the answers to everything. We just need to figure out a way to get down there."

"Chop it down, dudes!"

A voice called from behind them as Soos neared closer to the tree. The twins looked behind them and saw the redheaded teen pulling up with her bike. "Wendy!" Mabel exclaimed.

"You came!" Dipper greeted with an awkward smile. He really wanted to impress someone so cool like her. Maybe it was the fact that she was three years older than him and that he wanted to fit in with the teens, but it wasn't like he had a crush on her or something. He could differentiate between admiring someone and having a crush.

Wendy started taking off her helmet, even though she hardly ever needed one in the first place. "Dude, I'm so stoked about this!" She swapped the helmet for her signature hat. "I've been wanting to go adventuring with you, guys." She glanced around, realizing someone was absent. "Y/n's not here?"

"No, she said she's busy," Dipper replied.

Mabel shrugged, "Whatever that is!"

"Oh, geez," The redhead let out a disappointed sigh. "You okay with that, Dipper?" Her smirk formed gradually, the tone in her voice playing along.

His head snapped in her direction, his neck angling curiously. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Hands on hips, Mabel mirrored Wendy's grin, catching her implications. "Yeah, are you cool with that, brobro?"

Dipper feigned cluelessness under the teasing, but his flushed cheeks gave away his façade. "I don't know what you girls are talking about."

"Ohhh!" Mabel exclaimed. "If she was here, this adventure would be romance central overload! Imagine: you, her, rescuing each other from a monster! 'Ahh! Y/n, save me!'" Mabel acted, her voice a bit higher to mimic her brother.

Wendy joined the act, adjusting her stance. "'I'll save you, Dipper!"

"Y/n doesn't even sound like that. Now, come on, let's go," Dipper said, walking past them and dampening their shared laughter.

After a while, the two of them caught up, taking a closer look at the large tree. Wendy's gaze traveled up the bark to its top. "Hey, is it just me, or does that branch up there look like a lever?" She pointed out a seemingly ordinary branch, which had an odd metallic gleam painted on it, but painted brown to make it appear more realistic.

"Huh, oh yeah." Dipper realized, placing his finger on his chin and think of a plan.

Without hesitation, Wendy unbuckled her belt and expertly looped it around the trunk. She started to climb the tree with the confidence of a seasoned adventurer. The trio observed in awe as she effortlessly ascended, reaching the branch. From her jeans, she produced an ax and pushed the branch upward like it was the simplest task in the world. It seemed like a walk in the park for her.

"Whoa," a chorus of awe erupted from the group.

Wendy shared a casual explanation, "Yeah, my dad used to have me do these lumberjack competitions when I was little. I guess I got pretty good at it." Still gripping her belt, her words were cut short as the tree began to shake and tremble. "Woah, what's going on?"

Amidst the shaking, she didn't notice her grip slipping and her belt coming undone. She tumbled, landing in a bush. But then, the bush started descending, leaving her dangling. Luckily, the trio managed to rescue her before the tree could lower her further. As the tree descended, a set of stairs appeared from the side of the hole. A portion of the trunk opened like a sliding door.

"Alright, guys. This is it," Dipper's voice carried a mix of excitement and determination. He turned to face the group, his gaze serious. "Remember: whatever happens down there, we tell no one- except Y/n, I'll tell her what we found."

Wendy and Mabel exchanged knowing smirks, but the three of them, including Soos, nodded in agreement. Dipper ignored the two girls and raised the lantern, holding it aloft. "I'm going first."

As a group, the four cautiously descended, their senses alert to their surroundings. The once-illuminated area turned abruptly dark as they stepped down. The space they entered was draped in a layer of dust, cobwebs, and grime. Finally stepping inside, their eyes widened in awe at what lay before them. "Cool" seemed to be the unanimous word on everyone's lips.

"It's like a fallout shelter or something," Dipper observed, carefully placing his lantern on a nearby desk. "It must've belonged to the author." The quartet branched out, each exploring the finds for themselves. The items they discovered were aged and covered in layers of dust, seemingly untouched for years. Wendy even decided to take a sign as a keepsake for her room. Meanwhile, Soos stumbled upon a fez dispenser, his excitement evident.

Dipper's attention was drawn to a shelf lined with boxes, each labeled with dates that projected 60 years into the future. "What kind of disaster would need supplies for over 60 years?" he pondered aloud. His exploration continued, and his foot brushed against a can of beans. A closer look revealed it wasn't aged or coated in dirt. He picked it up, only to feel warmth emanating from it.

"Wait, guys," he called their attention. "This can was opened recently."

"The author might still be alive- down here!" Soos suggested, his voice tinged with excitement.

While Dipper and Soos theorized, Wendy's focus was on a map of Gravity Falls affixed to the wall. But this was no ordinary sight; the map was moving as if it was being carried by a breeze. However, in the confined space of a fallout shelter, wind was an impossibility. "Wait a minute..." Wendy muttered. She strode up to the map and tore it off the wall, unveiling a vault door slightly ajar. With a determined expression, she pulled the door open, revealing a passageway inside.

"I think I know where he might have gone."

Without hesitation, they entered the vault, maneuvering through the passage like they were navigating a ventilation system. "Whoa!" Wendy's exclamation echoed as they reached the tunnel's end. Before them was a compact room constructed from metal cubes, each adorned with intricate symbols. Though the space seemed deserted, an air of mystery hung in the air.

Standing within the room, Wendy moved cautiously, stepping around the area. "Seriously, was this place built in the past or the future?"

Soos chimed in, adding his own thoughts, "Yeah, this room gives off some major creepy vibes."

"Not as creepy as Dipper's internet history! Heyo!" Mabel's playful shove knocked Dipper slightly off balance. Inadvertently, he stepped on a square tile marked with a symbol. The tile sunk into the floor, setting off an unforeseen mechanism. The tunnel they had entered through promptly sealed itself, locking them in. Panic crept in as the room quivered, its symbols blazing red. Sirens wailed, and the quartet jumped in alarm.

The metal cubes that formed the room began to shift, slowly extending and jutting inward, as if attempting to ensnare them.

ALERT! ALERT!

Y/n's head snapped around at the familiar sound, her instincts recognizing it instantly. Stan and Waddles occupied chairs, engrossed in their own world. "Y/n, Y/n! This is the best part, look," Stan exclaimed, motioning towards the TV they had set up in the portal room. They were absorbed in an episode of 'The duch*ess Approves'.

Despite Stan's attempt to capture her attention, Y/n rose from her chair, her focus shifting to the blaring alarm. She acted swiftly, moving to the panel and pushing buttons. A camera feed emerged on the screen, displaying the interior of the bunker. Her fingers danced across the controls, navigating through different camera angles until the alarm ceased its blaring, stopping at the view of the security room.

The sight before her left her breathless and shaken. Soos, Wendy, Mabel, and Dipper were all trapped inside. Though speechless, Y/n knew she had to act. "I have to go," she murmured rapidly before bolting away. She knew Stan wouldn't realize her absence amidst his TV distraction.

"It won't stop!" Wendy's voice pierced the room, frustration clear as she tried to fend off the encroaching cubes. Her attempts to repel them were met with stubborn resistance.

Mabel's determined grunt filled the air as she strained to push back the cubes. "Dipper!" she shouted in desperation. "What do we do?"

Dipper's mind raced as he flipped through the journal's pages, searching for a solution. At last, he found the answer-a page illustrating the security room, symbols included. Extracting his pen from his vest, he unveiled its hidden ink and revealed the symbols' corresponding keys.

With the newly visible symbols, Dipper signaled the group. Working together, they pressed the four keys, causing a door to their left to swing open. They dashed for the exit, barely making out alive.

With some effort, they all managed to escape, although Dipper's vest took a beating, caught in the cubes. The four exchanged exhilarated and relieved breaths, celebrating their success with high-fives and excited remarks. "Oh, my gosh, that was intense!"

"Yeah, it felt like we were in a movie! Crazy bonkers, dude," Soos chimed in right after, his excitement evident.

Mabel playfully teased, "Don't you mean- 'crazy bunkers'?" Her joke elicited laughter from everyone, while Dipper just rolled his eyes as he retrieved his vest from the previous room.

Taking a closer look at their surroundings, Dipper observed, "This seems to be some kind of surveillance room." He adjusted his vest while his eyes scanned the array of computers, machinery, and technical equipment around them.

"Dipper, you've gotta see this weird metal closet! It's like that sci-fi movie we just watched," Wendy exclaimed, stepping into the metal enclosure. She playfully continued in a robotic voice, "'I am Borg, defender of the universe!'" She mimicked robotic movements, embracing the fun.

"Yeah, you're right," Dipper chuckled, intrigued by the resemblance as he approached. "I wonder what the author would keep in here."

Unbeknownst to them, Mabel had a prank brewing. With a sly grin, she shut the door behind them, locking it tight and trapping them inside. It was a playful prank that even elicited a chuckle from Soos. "Mabel, let us out!" Dipper's voice echoed from within.

"Oh, what's the matter, scared?" Mabel taunted, her laughter trailing behind her words.

"When you do this to me every year, it's hard to be," Dipper deadpanned.

The teen chuckled, amused. "Wait, what?" she asked, waiting for an elaboration.

"Mabel does these pranks where she locks me inside closets to find the 'real monster'," he said, finger-quoting on the last part. "Oftentimes she pranks me but then forgets to let me out," he shrugged as if it was a trivial matter.

She laughed, especially at the last part. "That is morbid! We wouldn't want Mabel to forget us now, do we?" she then chimed in, "Seriously, Mabel, it's getting pretty stuffy in here. Can you please open the door?"

Mabel playfully countered, "Nuh-uh, you're stuck there forever and ever! Hey, Soos, imagine a world without Dipper and Wendy. What's that like?" Her tone was teasing and light-hearted.

Within the confined space, the two trapped individuals exchanged a moment of silence. Then Wendy's voice broke through, questioning, "Where are the lights?" She noticed a string dangling from the ceiling and gave it an experimental tug. Unbeknownst to them, the action triggered an unexpected shower of cold water, causing both of them to scream out in startled surprise.

Suddenly, steam hissed from both ends of the closet, wrapping their figures in a shroud of heated air. Their hair tousled, their attire slightly disheveled. In an instant, the entire interior of the closet was awash in red light, and a screen positioned above them flashed the words, "Decontamination Complete."

So it wasn't a simple metal closet.

With a hiss, the door behind them swung open, unveiling an underground expanse adorned with numerous chambers. Illuminated by a steady cascade of cold, blue light, the room stretched before them. The realization struck Dipper as he observed the scene before them. In the center, a chamber's glass lay shattered, while to their right, a cage had its bars torn apart. This scene matched what he had read in one of the journal's pages. There was no doubt about it now - - they had indeed found the author's hidden bunker.

"A secret lab," Dipper mused while he and Wendy wandered through the space. "I wonder if the author conducted experiments here."

Wendy's gaze wandered to the earthen walls enclosing them. "Huh," she pondered aloud, her eyes tracing the tunnels. "What do you think dug all these passages?"

"Let's hope we don't find out," Dipper replied, his voice tinged with unease. However, fate had other plans. The sound of a fierce roar reverberated throughout the lab. From the shadows emerged a creature, prompting Dipper and Wendy to sprint back to the metal closet, frantically banging on its door. "Mabel! Open up! Seriously! There's a monster in here!" His voice was a mixture of panic and urgency.

"Ha! Nice try. You won't trick me with that again, Dipper! If there's a monster, then I'm like a monster hunter, sniffing out lies and truths!" Mabel shouted back from outside.

"That is so wise," Soos added.

"Ugh!" Dipper's frustration erupted. "We need to find another way out, and fast!" They raced toward an alternative tunnel to their left, narrowly escaping the pursuing monster. After an extended sprint, however, their hopes were dashed as they reached a dead end. Gasping for breath, their hearts sank when the distant sound of multiple footsteps grew louder. They pressed themselves against the rocky wall, desperate to put as much distance between themselves and the approaching threat as possible. Their breaths were jagged, a mix of fear and adrenaline.

"What do we do?!" Wendy's voice trembled with worry.

"I don't know!" Dipper replied, hopeless himself.

From the shadows emerged the colossal form of the monster, its roars resounded through the tunnel. Yet, an unexpected figure leaped into action, someone they recognized. The newcomer seized the monster and expertly removed its tongue from its gaping maw.

"Is that...?" Dipper's words caught in his throat, disbelief evident in his tone.

"Get back! Back, you heinous beast!" The voice they recognized resonated through the tunnel.

As the figure emerged from the shadows, Wendy and Dipper's astonishment deepened. "Y/n! You saved us!" Dipper's words were a mixture of confusion and immense relief.

Y/n appeared taken aback by the tone. "I did... Now, come on! I scared it off, but it'll regenerate!" With that, she sprinted forward, Wendy and Dipper close behind.

"Y/n, I thought you weren't coming today," Dipper remarked, keeping pace beside her.

A wry smile tugged at Y/n's lips. "I did say that, didn't I?" She turned to face them as they ran. "So, what brings you two here, anyway?"

Trailing behind Y/n, Wendy and Dipper observed her as she navigated the area with confidence. "Oh, did I forget to tell you?" Dipper inquired, retrieving the journal from his vest pocket and displaying the page to Y/n, walking beside her excitedly. "We had this theory that the author might be in this hidden underground bunker. See?"

Y/n's eyes flickered to the page. "Oh, seriously? And did you guys find it?" Her curiosity was palpable, slightly twinkling. She noticed the way they were close with one another.

"Unfortunately, no. We stumbled upon that monster, and for a moment, we thought we were done for!" He recounted.

"Yeah, but thankfully you showed up just in time to save the day," Wendy added, sharing a knowing look with the brown-haired boy. "Right, Dipper?"

He nodded in agreement, clearly catching on to the reference she was making.

While Y/n appeared oblivious to their shared reference, her knuckles involuntarily clenched as she eyed the journal in Dipper's grasp. She was itching to get her hands on it so badly.

"So, where are we going?" Dipper's question hung in the air as he turned his attention to Y/n.

"Um, well. You guys are trying to track down the author, right? I actually came across another lab while making my way here, and that's where we're headed," Y/n explained, her fingers fiddling nervously, a habit of hers.

"Wait, really? You know where the author is?" Dipper's excitement was evident in his tone.

"Mhm!" She hummed in approval. "Let's go!"

Soos stumbled upon an old lab coat and couldn't resist trying it on, seeking something to amuse himself. "Hey," he called out, lifting a briefcase from a nearby desk. "Do I look smarter with this coat and briefcase? I feel like I look smarter-"

Mabel's breath caught as her gaze fell upon a control panel adorned with an array of buttons. "Razzle dazzle!" she expressed, her fingers tingling excitedly. "Check out this tube-y thing!" Mabel exclaimed, referring to the camera feed displayed on the screen before her, which showed a cryo chamber. Curiosity getting the best of her, she pressed the red button, causing the chamber on the monitor to light up-a sign that it was operational. "Frozen," Mabel observed, pressing the button once more, "Unfrozen!"

She pressed the button a few more times before her attention was drawn to a clipboard resting on the panel. A note caught her eye, and she read the words aloud, "What's this biz?" Her voice took on a curious tone as she continued, "'Experiment #210: 'The Shape Shifter'."

"'Shape Shifter'?" Soos questioned, his finger tapping his chin in thought. His expression shifted suddenly to one of concern. "Uh, dude? Didn't Dipper say there was a monster in there with them?"

Mabel gasped, realization sinking in. "I thought he was joking!"

"YOU KNOW DIPPER'S JOKES ARE TERRIBLE!"

An alarm resounded loudly to their left, originating from the room they had just left, and the cubes surrounding them vanished, revealing Y/n standing there, her breath slightly labored from the sprint.

"Y/n! Oh my gosh, you're here!" Mabel shouted in excitement, rushing toward Y/n and wrapping her in a warm, tight hug. "I'm so glad to see you!"

A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips as her gaze swept around the room. However, her concern quickly rose to the surface. They were a group of four, yet... "Where's Dipper and Wendy?"

"You've gotta help us!" Mabel exclaimed in worry. "I tried to trap the two of them inside of that metal closet for a prank but I may have forgotten to let them out and now they might already be eaten by some sort of monster and it's all my fault!" She covered her face with her hands, a heavy sense of guilt weighing on her.

Y/n placed a reassuring hand on Mabel's shoulder. "Hey, it's alright, Mabel," she comforted. "I'm sure Dipper and Wendy can handle it. They're two of the bravest, coolest people in the world. But we have to find them. This place... you shouldn't have come here."

Soos and Mabel fell into a hushed silence as Y/n made her way toward the metal closet. She passed by the machinery, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. Even catching sight of the wooden stairs that led into the bunker stirred memories within her-recollections of helping construct the very place or the equation for the security room. Regardless, her main focus was on rescuing her friends and getting them out of here.

The trio stepped into the decontamination room, allowing the process to cleanse them before they ventured into the lab. Mabel observed Y/n's confident demeanor and curiosity got the best of her. "Y/n, do you know this place?"

Y/n's gaze drifted toward the shattered chamber and the damaged cage, a rush of memories flitting through her mind. "Um, not really. But I've visited a bunker tourist attraction once, and it looked like this one," she replied, her voice carrying a hint of flatness. She wasn't entirely comfortable with that particular lie, but the question caught her off guard and she hadn't prepared for it. She felt a wave of relief when Mabel didn't delve deeper into the matter.

The room was dimly lit, making it difficult for Soos to see. However, when Mabel effortlessly pressed a button on her sweater and the bulb design on it illuminated, he didn't continue to complain.

Y/n's gaze swept around the room, memories flooding back from the time she spent here years ago-fixing leaks, tending to an injured F, and looking after Ford's pet. She released a deliberate breath, her thoughts wandering. Was that creature still lurking down here? Judging by the vacant cryo chambers, it seemed to have escaped and was now freely roaming the lab-perhaps even tormenting Dipper and Wendy.

She had to find them, fast.

Y/n's fingers grazed a piece of cloth that was fastened to the rocks, functioning as an improvised door. "Here it is. The author's lair..."

The surroundings hadn't transformed much, aside from a few scattered remnants and an abundant collection of bean cans. "The author must have had a thing for beans," Dipper commented, exploring the area with a thoughtful expression.

"Beans are... tasty! Indeed." Y/n expressed with a wide smile. She watched them from the side. "Say... Dipper. We're friends, right?"

He raised an eyebrow and smiled in confusion as if it was an obvious question. "O-of course we are, why do you ask?" he turned to her as he stopped in his tracks.

"I'm glad you think so. I must be a good person if we are friends."

"What are you talking about, you're the greatest person I've ever met!" Dipper replied.

Wendy nodded, "Yeah, Y/n. You're cool!"

"Is that so? Then..." Y/n's gaze shifted to the journal, catching the glimmer of the golden hand on its cover as it caught the light. "I don't think the author is showing up, seeing as he's not here. He could be on the other side of the bunker, but we might need a map of it. You have it in the journal right?" She walked towards Dipper, deliberately entering his private space.

"Yeah, it's... it's in here."

Wendy had her arms crossed, watching Dipper trying not to trip over his words. Man, I wish I had my phone to capture all this. These dorks are too cute.

Y/n grinned, her hand gently coming to rest on his arms. She blinked in a pattern, in the way her lashes twinkled. "Can I...maybe borrow it? I can lead the way with the map. We can find him."

He couldn't ignore the way her touch had stirred something within him. "Sure," he readily agreed, passing the journal to her. For the past half-minute, his mind seemed to have gone blank, lost in a kind of trance.

"Thanks, pretty boy."

Dipper experienced an almost overwhelming sensation, as if he was about to implode, his cheeks heating up rapidly. He found himself touching his nose, half-expecting it to be bleeding from the sheer surprise. Pretty? Did she just call him... pretty? Him? The thought was like a jolt of electricity, propelling him into a cloud nine of disbelief. It felt surreal, almost too good to be true. However, the reality of the situation set in just as quickly, and the awareness that Wendy might be overhearing the conversation caused his embarrassment to spike at an astonishing speed.

Y/n busied herself by flipping through the journal's pages, her laughter bubbling up as she did so. Giddiness surged through her as she playfully stomped her feet around, her eyes dancing across the intricate drawings of the various creatures Ford had encountered. Finally. After all these years.

"Okay. Are you going to find the author now?"

The question seemed to go unnoticed, directed at someone whose attention was fully absorbed in a fit of almost maniacal laughter. The laughter belonged to someone who had been giddily consumed by the contents of the journal the whole time. "Finally, finally!" her excited mutter reached their ears.

Wendy and Dipper exchanged perplexed glances, their confusion evident. "Hey, Dipper. Have you noticed that Y/n's been... acting a bit strange lately?" The teen's voice dipped into a hushed whisper as she leaned in to speak privately with him.

He gazed at the back of her head, his brow furrowing in thought. "Yeah, I've noticed that too... Ever since we found her in the bunker, she has been acting a bit different," he acknowledged, his observation carrying a note of concern.

"Dipper, you don't think... that's the real Y/n, do you?"

Silence settled between them as he maintained eye contact with Wendy. Her expression held a mixture of uncertainty, mirroring the look on his face, which was quickly shifting from perplexity to a growing horror. Could this be some kind of illusion? The memory of Y/n's recent actions-particularly her deliberate touch on his arm-played vividly in his mind. Despite his initial delight at the gesture, he couldn't ignore the troubling feeling that it was completely out of character for her.

"Y/n?" He called out, concern lacing his voice, but his words fell on deaf ears as the two of them observed her engrossed in flipping through the journal. "Hey, are you alright? Maybe we should head back to the surveillance room. The air down here might be messing with our heads..."

With her back still turned to them, Y/n abruptly straightened, her eyes blinking to the side. In a strange and unsettling manner, her neck seemed to stretch unnaturally, allowing her to peer behind her without turning her entire body. In a startling transformation, her pupils morphed into cat-like slits, and her voice deepened dramatically. "YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" her words boomed with an otherworldly resonance.

Her body contorted, scaling the wall and crawling onto the ceiling with an eerie grace, her neck elongating like a coiled telephone cord. Suspended upside down, she clung to the ceiling, and then, to their shock, four additional insect-like legs sprouted from her back.

She isn't Y/n anymore.

Wendy and Dipper's horrified screams pierced the air, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Directly in front of them, the figure that had resembled Y/n contorted into a grotesque creature with an entirely white, slimy body, its form now hanging from the ceiling with four spindly legs. One arm appeared delicate, ending in a three-fingered hand, while the other arm was grotesquely swollen, ending in a clawed appendage. Its baby pink eyes glowed with an otherworldly intensity, set within a snout-like structure that sported four protruding fangs on the exterior, along with six smaller teeth lining the interior.

"How do you like my true form? Go on, admit it, you like it!"

"You!" Dipper pointed at the creature, anger in his features. He was deathly terrified that what he thought was his friend turned out to be a monster. "What did you do to Y/n?! Where's the real author?!"

"You'll likely never find him. That six-fingered nerd hasn't been himself in thirty years! And Y/n? Ha! You care about that useless fool?" The shapeshifter maniacally laughed.

"I never thought I would get to see the journal again, and I never thought I would have it in my hands. I just had to transfer into that puny, little girl and you didn't even think twice! You're just as stupid as her! And now, I have so many wonderful forms to take!" He began flipping through the journal and transformed into various creatures he saw in the book.

Dipper's mind was too clouded with emotions to process what the shapeshifter had just explained at the last minute. He was slightly overwhelmed by the turn of events, but one thing was important; he's got to get the journal back. "We gotta get the journal!" he whispered to Wendy beside him.

Wendy sprang into action, grabbing a can of beans and shouting, "Hey, body snatcher! Snatch this!" With impressive aim, she flung the can at the creature, striking its form. In response, the shapeshifter transformed into a frog-like monstrosity, extending a slimy, elongated tongue toward them. Wendy swiftly snatched up a metal sheet and employed it as a makeshift shield, thwarting the creature's attack. She realized that its tongue was now attached to the metal surface, attempting to yank her closer. Quick-witted, Wendy released the sheet, letting its momentum snap back to the shapeshifter's face, making him drop the journal to the ground.

Dipper reacted swiftly, seizing the opportunity to retrieve the journal. "Run! Run! Run!" he shouted, setting off in a sprint, closely pursued by the shapeshifter. The creature seamlessly shifted forms, ultimately transforming into a massive pill bug monster and relentlessly chasing them through the twisting tunnels.

As they encountered a crossroads, they paused, evaluating their options. On Dipper's impulse, he hurled his flashlight down one of the paths, creating a distraction, and then led the way down the opposite route. Concealed in the shadows, they observed as the shapeshifter fell for the ruse, chasing the light before losing track of them. With the creature momentarily fooled, they made their escape, putting as much distance as possible between them and the shifter.

Breathing heavily, they sprinted until they collided with three more figures, their momentum causing a stumbling crash to the ground. As they scrambled back to their feet, they recognized the faces of their friends and exchanged relieved greetings. Yet, Dipper and Wendy's gazes lingered on Y/n, their expressions tainted with uncertainty and a touch of fear.

"What happened?" Y/n inquired, genuine concern in her voice.

Dipper's suspicion flickered in his narrowed eyes as he cautiously stepped in front of Wendy. "How do we know they're not shapeshifters?" he questioned, his tone tinged with suspicion.

"You encountered... a shapeshifter?" Y/n asked, her voice cautious and slow, her head tilting slightly as if trying to catch every detail. "Are you guys okay?"

His suspicion still loomed large. "Are you the shapeshifter?"

"What?" Her confusion was evident.

Dipper proceeded to rapidly recount the events from the moment the alleged "Y/n" intervened to save them from the monster, all the way to the shocking revelation that she had been the shapeshifter all along.

"Well, I'm not the shapeshifter, Mabel and Soos can vouch for that!" Y/n responded firmly, turning to the other two for support.

"Dipper, I really don't think Y/n is the shapeshifter. She hasn't transformed into anything since she arrived here. We came looking for you guys!" Mabel chimed in, trying to reason with him.

But Dipper was persistent. "Give me one proof why you wouldn't be the shapeshifter."

The tension in the group grew as Dipper and Y/n locked eyes in a silent standoff. The rest of them held their breath, waiting for Y/n to provide some sort of proof to settle the matter.

They want proof? She'll give them proof.

She decided to take a drastic step to prove her identity. Without warning, she picked up a sharp rock lying nearby and, before anyone could react, she drove it toward her own chest.

"No-!"

"Why on earth would you-"

"Dude!"

Instead of showing any signs of pain, Y/n's expression remained unchanged as the rock approached her chest. There was no wince, no flinch— nothing. She stared straight ahead with an eerie calmness.

"Convinced yet?" she asked in her casual tone.

With an exhalation of relief, Dipper waved his hands frantically. "Okay, okay! You're her! Just-just pull it out." Y/n yanked the rock out and tossed it away, the group collectively letting out sighs of relief. "I forgot you could do that," he admitted with a nervous chuckle.

"What the heck just happened before my eyes?"

The group's attention shifted to Wendy, whose eyes were wide, almost bulging out of their socket while her hands trembled slightly, and Soos appeared equally shaken by what had just transpired.

Y/n and the twins exchanged knowing glances, a silent understanding passing between them. They waited, giving Y/n the space to speak. "Okay," she finally said, her voice steady as she adopted a posture of self-assurance. She braced herself for the lie she was about to reveal. "I have a defect."

"A defect?" Soos repeated, his confusion evident.

"Yeah," Y/n answered. "I'm insensitive to pain, and have quick healing," she repeated the explanation she had shared with the twins a few days ago. Observing Wendy's and Soos' reactions closely, she knew that one of the many hidden secrets had finally come to light.

Y/n didn't allow the tension to linger. "Save your questions for later. Right now, we need to deal with the shapeshifter you guys encountered."

Dipper's sudden gasp diverted their attention. "Oh my gosh, Wendy, you're bleeding!" He quickly kneeled down to inspect her bloodied knee.

Wendy crouched down as well, examining her scraped knee. "It's cool. It's cool," she reassured. "It's just blood, man; don't freak out."

"What happened?" Mabel asked, concerned.

Y/n observed as Wendy removed her plaid shirt, tearing off a sleeve to fashion it into a tourniquet - a skill she knew and used before. Wendy wrapped the makeshift tourniquet around her wounded knee while explaining, "We got attacked by the shapeshifter. He broke out of his cage, pretended to be Y/n, and wants Dipper's journal."

"What?" Y/n couldn't contain her surprise. "He pretended... to be me?"

So her theory was correct. He was still alive after all these years. Ford's little pet.

"We thought it was the real you, Y/n. He even got your personality." Dipper explained, casting Wendy a meaningful glance.

"Your charming personality," Wendy added, giving Dipper a knowing look.

"Okay, okay. That doesn't matter," Y/n's response came out in a rush, clearly taken aback by the revelation. It was surprising to realize that Shifty still remembered her appearance and had even impersonated her. What really angered her, though, was the fact that he had exploited her identity to deceive Dipper into thinking he was her and manipulate him into giving up the journal.

Y/n went on to devise a plan, and everyone listened intently. The shapeshifter's main objective was to acquire the journal from Dipper. This situation reminded her of a similar incident from decades ago when Shifty had attempted to deceive her.

In response, Wendy proposed the idea of utilizing a large pipe she had noticed on their way to the shifter's hideout. This pipe had a valve that could be manipulated to release a forceful surge of water. While Y/n was familiar with the pipe's location, she allowed Wendy to take the lead and guide them to that specific spot.

After locating the valve, they put their plan into action. Dipper and Mabel would initiate the plan by grabbing the shapeshifter's attention. Meanwhile, Soos and Wendy positioned themselves by the pipe, ready to manipulate the valve. Y/n remained hidden from view, positioned away from the immediate action. They had agreed that she should stay out of sight to avoid any confusion in case the shapeshifter tried to mimic her appearance again.

Mabel and Dipper moved to another room, ensuring that their conversation was audible. "Oh, boy, Dipper! That book sure is full of some great monsters!" Mabel exclaimed loudly.

The shapeshifter immediately craned its neck at the twins, a manic smile forming. "There you are! Ooh, and a new one." He easily transformed into Mabel. "...or the other?" he turned into Dipper. "How about both?!"

Suddenly, he morphed into a bizarre creature with six legs. The upper part resembled Dipper, while the lower half took on Mabel's features. Both halves sported a large mouth filled with menacing teeth. Emitting a ferocious roar, the creature charged forward, and the twins took off in a sprint to evade it.

"Guys, he's coming!" Dipper yelled, coming in. "He's coming! NOW, NOW, NOW!"

Despite their efforts, the valve yielded no water. "It's not working, dude!" Soos exclaimed in frustration. The shapeshifter was rapidly approaching, its tongue extending towards Dipper's grasp on the journal.

"Hey! Let go!" Dipper shouted, attempting to tug the journal away from the creature's relentless grip.

Y/n sprang into action, joining Wendy as she released the valve and assisted Dipper. "You leave him alone!" Wendy's voice carried a stern command. While Soos struggled with the valve, Wendy and Dipper attempted to free the journal from the shapeshifter's grasp.

The situation took an unexpected turn as the pipe that seemed broken suddenly surged with a forceful stream of water. The shapeshifter's grip on the journal and Wendy was broken as they were pushed back by the torrent. Wendy, gripping her ax, prepared to strike down, but the surging water knocked her off balance. The powerful flow of water surged through the space, engulfing everyone in its rush until it eventually receded, leaving the area partially flooded.

The four of them were left panting, drenched from head to toe. Coughing to expel the water from their mouths, Dipper gingerly opened his eyes. He noticed Mabel and Soos going through the same process, but his attention quickly shifted to Wendy, who was lying still on the ground. Concern etched across his face, he gently shook her and called out, "Wendy! Are you okay?" With a mixture of anxiety and relief, he watched as she coughed and gradually opened her eyes. "Thank goodness," he muttered under his breath

"Dipper," Mabel's voice caught his attention and he turned towards her. Her concerned expression mirrored his own feelings. "Where's Y/n?"

The question hit him like a punch to the gut. His heart raced as he scanned the surroundings, his eyes darting in search of the familiar figure. But no matter where he looked, Y/n was nowhere to be found. A sinking feeling settled in his chest, heavy and unsettling.

Y/n stood in front of the beaten shapeshifter, clutching the journal securely in her hands. She had swum through the water, gained closer to the shapeshifter and had picked it up off the ground when she saw him being unconscious. The form he had taken was the guy from the bean can, a figure she recognized as she remembered giving them beans from that very can.

"Oh, Shifty..." she mumbled. Her mind raced, trying to formulate a plan to incapacitate him and return him to the cryogenic tube. But before she could react, the shapeshifter suddenly sprang to life with a growl. He lunged at her, catching her off guard and knocking her to the ground. They grappled and wrestled, each trying to gain control over the journal that lay between them. Their struggle continued, a tense battle for possession.

They pushed against each other, their faces mere inches apart. The shapeshifter's voice dripped with resentment as he spoke, his growls accentuating his anger. "So, after all these years, huh?" he began, his breath hot against her face. "We're the same; never changing."

"You grew," she grunted in retaliation, eyes narrowed in determination. "We can talk about this. Just let go of the journal, Shift-"

"Don't call me by that corny nickname! I hated being in that stupid cage, hated beans, and I hated you, taking all his attention for yourself. I should've killed you 30 years ago," he snarled, his words a venomous admission of his long-held grudge. The tension between them intensified as their struggle continued.

"Y/n! Hang on!" Dipper's voice echoed as he rushed onto the scene, descending from a cliff. Along the way, his eyes caught sight of an ax lying on the ground, and he snatched it up, his heart pounding with urgency. He needed to intervene and help her.

Positioning himself for a strategic strike, he raised the ax, ready to land a blow on the shapeshifter. However, the shapeshifter was cunning; he saw Dipper's intention and swiftly morphed into an identical copy of Y/n, effectively muddying the waters.

The two Y/ns engaged in a chaotic struggle, fighting for possession of the journal and leaving Dipper in a state of anxious uncertainty. Amid the frenzied clash, insults and demands were hurled between them. Amidst the chaos, a plea emerged from one of the Y/ns. "Dipper, just swing down!"

"Hit her with the ax, Dipper! She's the shapeshifter!"

"I... I don't know who's who!" Dipper's voice quivered with panic, his grip on the ax tightening as uncertainty gripped him. "Give me a sign!"

One of the Y/ns responded with a helpless pout. "Save me, Dipper!"

"Dipper," the other Y/n's voice carried a mixture of frustration and determination, her eyes locking onto his with an unwavering intensity. "Just. Swing. Down." Their shared gaze conveyed an unspoken understanding, a message that finally clicked within Dipper's mind.

Even if you hit me, I won't get hurt.

As realization dawned on him, Dipper's hesitation dissipated, and he knew what he had to do. He knew who the fake Y/n was, so with a determined nod, he adjusted his stance and brought the ax down, targeting the shapeshifter that had taken on Y/n's form- but on the last minute, the shapeshifter pulled the two of them around, switching positions with the other, making the ax find its mark, and Y/n's painful cry was music to the shapeshifter's ears.

"Y/N!!!" Dipper's guttural scream tore through the air, the sound of it piercing his heart. He staggered back, clutching his hat tightly against his chest. His breath came in ragged gasps, overwhelmed by a surge of emotions. Y/n's body crumpled to the ground, blood spilling from her abdomen.

Amidst the chaos, the shapeshifter's triumphant laughter echoed, and he held the journal victoriously. "Congratulations, Dipper," he sneered, his voice dripping with mocking triumph. Still transformed as Y/n, he faced him with an evil grin. "You've failed to protect your precious journal, just like you failed to protect your little girlfriend. It's amazing how easily you humans can be manipulated. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a world of chaos and deception to unleash."

Unbeknownst to him, the real Y/n was already on her feet, recovering swiftly. With a smirk, she stood and effortlessly retrieved the ax from her abdomen. Swiftly swinging from the side, she severed the shapeshifter's head. From Dipper's angle, it looked morbidly like Y/n had decapitated herself, a chilling sight that sent shivers down his spine.

The other three finally arrived at the scene of the fight. Dipper's eyes were immediately drawn to the spot where he had thought he'd inflicted the wound, but there was only a bloodstain on Y/n's shirt. Y/n let out a relieved sigh, her gaze fixed on the shapeshifter's lifeless body now split in two. "What the heck happened?!" Mabel exclaimed, shocked by the scene.

Y/n allowed the ax to drop from her hand, while Dipper quickly retrieved the journal from the ground, their eyes locking the whole time. A good-natured smile spread across her face, and she gave him a thumbs up, as if the whole incident was just a casual encounter. "Good job pretending that I died, Dipper."

A nervous chuckle escaped him, his voice quivering as he replied, "Heh, yeah." He was at a loss for words, overwhelmed by the situation, but one thing was certain: he had a newfound respect for Y/n, seeing her as one of the most remarkable people he had ever met.

After assisting each other in placing the shapeshifter's body into the cryogenics tube, they made their way back to the surveillance room. Mabel, with a sense of satisfaction, pressed the red button that initiated the freezing process within the tube. Permanently, they hoped.

They successfully exited the bunker through the same entrance they had entered. The sun was now setting, casting a warm pink glow over the surrounding forest. The temperature was dropping, and a slight chill was in the air.

Soos and Mabel headed home, their plans shifting towards getting snacks. Wendy also said her farewells, mentioning the tradition of watching movies with Dipper.

With them gone, it was just Dipper and Y/n left.

Dipper shifted uncomfortably, his gaze wandering as he scratched his arm. Breaking the silence, he murmured, "I always forget you could do that." He briefly glanced at the bloodstain on her shirt.

Y/n's expression turned apologetic as she frowned, her voice carrying a hint of remorse. "I'm sorry for surprising you like that every time."

"Thanks for saving me- again," Dipper said, his gratitude evident in his voice.

Y/n offered a warm smile. "You don't have to thank me all the time."

"And you don't have to apologize all the time," he retorted quickly.

"I'm-" Y/n started to reply, but Dipper's glare silenced her. "Okay. It might be hard for me, but I'll do my best." A pause settled between them before she spoke her thoughts. "I didn't know you guys were coming to this place."

"I thought we were going to find the author since we were heading to his bunker," Dipper explained, finding a log to sit on. "I read his entry about the shapeshifter, but I had no idea it was still down there. I was so stupid. I put all my friends in danger." He plopped down on the log, placing his head on his hands.

"Well, Mabel, Soos, and Wendy came to the bunker with you because they wanted to help you. And if adventuring comes with danger, you know that we'll always have each other. And I'll always be here to protect you guys," Y/n assured him.

"That's the thing, Y/n. I don't want you to save me," Dipper confessed, his tone serious.

Y/n stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening. His words hit her like a shock. Not wanting her help, not wanting her protection, it felt wrong, like a puzzle piece that didn't fit. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice tinged with confusion and concern.

"I mean, I want you to save me, Y/n, but I also want to be there to save you. I want you to be able to rely on me, too. I can handle facing monsters." Dipper said, giving her a determined look.

She shook her head. "I know. I don't doubt your skills, Dipper. But... you know the circ*mstances," she said slowly. "I can be stabbed multiple times and I'll walk it off. You get stabbed once and you're dead. There's a difference."

"And what if one day, that invulnerability of yours just- stops?" He quickly countered. "What if, by some chance, that blow with the ax could actually harm you?"

"That's not going to happen, Dipper. It's not a big deal," she reassured.

Dipper glared. He didn't like that line of thinking. "Just because you can't get hurt doesn't mean you should keep throwing yourself into dangerous situations. I- Mabel and I care about you. We're a team, the Mystery Trio. You don't have to carry everything on your own. Let me be there for you, just like you're there for us." Dipper said.

Y/n sighed, her conflicted expression showing a mix of gratitude and reluctance. "I understand where you're coming from, Dipper. And I appreciate your concern, I really do. But it's not easy for me to step back when I know I have the means to help. It's like an instinct, you know? Seeing you and Mabel in danger triggers this need to shield you both from it."

"Okay." He stopped arguing. For now. "But I need you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

Without thinking, Dipper took her hand and held it tightly. "Promise me that no matter how tough things get, Mabel and I can rely on you to look out for us. But also promise that you'll let us do the same for you. We're a team, and we need to have each other's backs."

She smiled. "Promise," she said, turning her hand so that their fingers were intertwined with one another. His hand felt warm, feeling his pulse radiating. She gazed at their hands interlocking and from that moment she realized that she likes the feeling of being around Dipper. Just as Dipper likes the feeling of being around Y/n.

"So! How did it go?"

Mabel suddenly appeared beside Dipper, causing both of them to startle in surprise. He quickly released Y/n's hand, his cheeks turning pink. "W-what did you hear?" he stammered.

"Everything! All the time!" Mabel replied with enthusiasm. "Don't bother trying to hide your intertwined hands, brother. Just pretend that I'm not here!" She winked playfully.

And Mabel likes the feeling of teasing the two of them. A win-win situation.

The three experienced a sudden change in the atmosphere as Soos settled down on the opposite side of the log. "I'm still kind of bummed that we're no closer to finding that author guy," he remarked with a tinge of disappointment. "But hey, at least I got his science-y coat and briefcase." With a grin, he produced the briefcase from his coat. However, when he opened it up, it revealed something unexpected. It wasn't just an ordinary briefcase; it had transformed into a laptop. Y/n immediately recognized it as F's beloved laptop, the one he held dear.

Property of F. MO52584.

"I bet I could get this thing fixed up in a few days," Soos suggested, placing a hand on his chin. "It's gonna take a lotta duct tape."

"This could be our next clue!"

The four of them were on their way home under the moonlight. Dipper walked alongside them, engrossed in reading the journal, particularly Ford's entries from the bunker. As Mabel and Soos chatted about their perfect breakfast combinations, Y/n contemplated starting a conversation.

Only Dipper beat her to it.

He turned to her with a curious tone in his voice. "Hey, Y/n," he began, "You know how I've been trying to find the author of the journals, right?" He paused, as if organizing his thoughts. Y/n stayed silent, allowing him to continue. "Well, I've come across mentions of an assistant in some of his entries. His assistant," he added, and the word sent an unexpected shiver down her spine. "But it's strange; their name is all scribbled out in the journal, like he's trying to erase any traces of them."

Y/n nodded thoughtfully, sensing that Dipper had more on his mind.

"When I found out about the entrance to the bunker," Dipper began, "I didn't just want to meet the author. I was also hoping to meet the assistant. They must have known a lot about the author's work. But, no such luck," he sighed in disappointment. "Do you think they're still around?" he asked, looking genuinely curious.

Y/n blinked in surprise at Dipper's question, feigning ignorance. "The author's assistant? I'm not sure, Dipper," she replied, trying to sound as clueless as possible. "I mean, I guess it's possible they're still around, but it's been so long, who knows?"

Dipper looked a bit disappointed but continued walking, and Y/n, noticing Dipper's disappointment, decided to reassure him. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly. "Hey, don't worry, Dipper. We'll keep looking. I'm sure there are still some clues we have yet to discover."

Dipper's mood brightened a bit, and he returned her smile with gratitude. "Maybe you're right." They continued walking.

Y/n nodded, her heart pounding as she kept her secret hidden. Little did Dipper know that he was sitting right next to the very assistant he was so curious about. She couldn't help but wonder how he would react if he ever found out the truth.🗝

***

Her fingers danced across the keyboard, swiftly entering lines of code into the screen. Stan was occupied with fixing the metal sheen on one of the control boards, diligently hammering away. Amid his work, he stole a glance at Y/n, who was sporting a faint smile, her eyes carrying a touch of wistfulness.

"Hey, focus," Stan chimed in, grabbing her attention. His voice held a mix of annoyance and playfulness as he continued, "I know that smile."

She rolled her eyes, choosing to ignore him and continued typing. Stan might not have known the truth, but if it amused him to tease her, she was content to let him have his fun. Despite the early morning hour, they had been up all night conducting check-ups and running tests. With the mess finally cleared, they decided to take a break and headed upstairs to their respective rooms, ready to finally get some sleep.

Y/n enjoyed a restful sleep and woke up feeling rejuvenated. After freshening up in the bathroom, she made her way to the hallway. From a distance, she spotted Stan busy in the kitchen, cooking up something. The sound of the TV drew her attention to the living room, where she saw Dipper sitting on the yellow couch, eating a bowl of cereal. He had his feet propped up on top of Waddles, who seemed engrossed in his own bowl of cereal.

Spotting her from the corner of his eye while mid-chew, Dipper swallowed his cereal before offering her a gentle smile. "Morning," he greeted.

"Good morning," Y/n replied.

"Want some?" Dipper reached down and lifted the cereal box, showing it to her and giving it a slight shake. "There's still some left," he mentioned.

"Sure," Y/n agreed with a casual shrug. She walked toward her left, entering the kitchen area. However, as she stepped in, an unpleasant odor hit her senses. Hastily avoiding Stan, who was seemingly engrossed in his culinary endeavors, she grabbed a bowl and spoon, then quickly maneuvered her way out of the kitchen and back to the living room.

Dipper generously poured cereal into her bowl, and then he grabbed the milk carton and handed it to her. Y/n poured the milk, adjusting the ratio to her preferred cereal-to-milk ratio.

Without needing to say anything, Dipper shuffled a bit to create more space for her on the yellow chair, and Y/n settled down beside him. His feet were no longer atop Waddles, who was still munching in his own breakfast. The two of them turned their attention to what appeared to be a new episode of Ducktective on the TV, enjoying their bowls of cereal in companionable silence.

"Who wants Stan-cakes!" Stan's announcement boomed as he entered the living room with a pan, his mittened hand resting on his hips. Both Dipper and Y/n briefly looked at him before turning their attention back to the TV. "They're like pancakes, but they probably have some of my hair in it."

"Pass," the two chimed in unison, their eyes fixed on the screen.

From the doorway behind Stan, the door swung open, revealing Mabel holding a newspaper. Her excitement was palpable as she rushed into the room with a high-pitched exclamation, accidentally bumping into Stan in her haste. She then proceeded to circle the room, repeating, "It's here! It's here! It's finally here!"

Mabel's excitement was contagious as she bounded over to the dinosaur head positioned beside the couch. Perched atop it, she declared, "I've been waiting all morning, and it's finally here!" The sight of Mabel's elation prompted Dipper and Y/n to set aside their cereal and turn their full attention to her.

Her enthusiasm was evident as she continued, "The Gravity Falls Gossiper accepted my article about summer fashion tips for squirrels! My picture is gonna be in the newspaper! Check it out!"

Stan, intrigued by the commotion, approached the trio to take a look at the newspaper. He read aloud the headline and the subtitle, his expression a mix of confusion and amusem*nt. "Greatest Thing of the Summer: Pacifica Northwest declares v-necks the look of the season. What am I looking at here?"

Mabel's excitement turned into a momentary freeze as she read the article for herself. Right there on the page was a prominent photo of Pacifica Northwest, striking a pose for the camera while wearing a v-neck. But at the very bottom of the page, in a small box, were the words, 'Other girl does something else. I think her name was Dabble?'

Dipper's annoyance was evident in his tone. "Looks like someone bought their way to the front page."

Stan narrowed his eyes, his expression one of mild skepticism. "Is it legal for a child to wear that much makeup?"

Y/n offered Mabel a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry, Mabel. Nobody really reads newspapers anymore."

Dipper chimed in, trying to lighten the mood. "That's true. Cheer up, Mabel."

Just then, Soos burst into the living room with his usual energy. "Dudes! V-neck season is upon us! Who wants to help me get ahead of the fashion curve? I'm taking it one step further... with a W-neck!"

Mabel retreated to the wooden table where a carton of orange juice sat. She poured herself a glass and downed it in one go, her face displaying a mix of disappointment and frustration. "Ugh, I need something to get my mind off this."

"Looking for a distraction from your horrible life?" A voice emanated from the TV, accompanied by regal-sounding music.

Mabel's eyes lit up at the commercial. "Why, yes!"

Multiple images flashed on the screen. "Victory! Honor! Destiny! Mutton! These old-timey sounding words are alive and well-at the Gravity Falls Royal Discount Putt Hutt! No mutton available at Snack Shop," the announcer's voice chimed in, concluding the commercial.

Dipper was quick to react. "Hey, Mabel, you love mini-golf!" He reached for a conveniently placed scrapbook nearby. "You've been a mini-golf ace since we were kids!" He proudly showed to the unsuspecting group a picture of a 9-year-old Mabel holding a gleaming golden trophy from a junior mini-golf competition. "What do you say, Mabel? We've had a stressful couple of days. How about we take a break and have some fun?"

"Would beating us all at mini-golf put a smile on your face?" Stan inquired with a mouthful of pancakes.

Mabel glanced to the side, her smile growing. "Maybe just a little," she admitted.

And so, with Waddles overseeing their departure, the entire team left the house in good spirits, ready for a game of mini-golf.

The summer sun beat down on the vibrant scene outside, the sky a brilliant expanse of clear blue. The area around Ye Royal Discount Putt Hutt was abuzz with activity as people enjoyed a day of mini-golf. The group of five made their way to the entrance, passing various stages and holes.

"Ah, mini-golf!" Mabel exclaimed, inhaling the fresh air. "The sport of mini champions!"

"The grass may be fake, but the fun is as real as it gets. There's something here for everyone," Dipper chimed in.

Their adventure began as they approached a slightly challenging course. Stan and Soos veered off to the snack shop, in need of a quick bite. The remaining trio stood ready with their golf clubs. Dipper took the first shot, positioning his ball and putter with precision. A little shimmy of his hips, and he swung - only to miss completely, sending the ball rolling into a nearby lake.

Dipper's irritation was evident, but Mabel swiftly intervened, determined to lift his spirits. "Don't worry, bro! You're still-" She playfully slapped a sticker on his cheek from her collection. "Ext-ROAR-dinary!"

"I'll take what I can get," Dipper replied before he turned to Y/n. "Y/n, it's your turn."

Her own name jolted her, and she seemed a bit flustered. "Oh! Uhm, I don't really know how to play this game," she admitted, a hint of embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

"What?!" The twins exclaimed at the same time. "You've never played mini-golf before?" Mabel questioned incredulously.

Y/n fidgeted with her green golf club, her gaze shifting down. "Well, Stan used to teach me, but he got busy, so... I'm a little rusty. How do you even play this game?"

"No worries, Y/n. We'll teach you!" Mabel said with enthusiasm, guiding Y/n to the grass and positioning her hands around the putter. Placing the green ball on the ground, Mabel continued, "So, you place the putter near the ball like this- then you swing and try to hit the ball! The goal is to get the ball into the hole to score points."

"Sounds simple enough," Y/n shrugged, preparing her golf club.

Mabel nodded enthusiastically. "Totally! It's like, mega easy. And don't forget to shout 'fore' when you hit the ball!"

"Why?"

"I don't really know," Mabel pondered, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

Dipper joined the conversation, explaining, "It's actually to warn other golfers so they don't get hit by the ball."

Mabel brushed it off with a dismissive gesture. "Nah, that's not true; it's a golfer's lucky number!"

With that settled, Y/n took a swing at the ball. The ball navigated the course, passing through triangles and ramps, finally landing in the crocodile's mouth. It popped up and headed toward the hole, but it missed due to McGucket casually snoozing on the ground. "Dang it," Y/n grumbled, stomping her foot in frustration.

"You'll nail it next time, Y/n," Dipper encouraged.

Mabel bounced over to her. "Either way, great job!" She playfully stuck another sticker on Y/n's cheek. This one featured a lemon character wearing sunglasses and giving a thumbs-up. "You're simply the zest! Now let me give it a shot."

She positioned her ball on the grass, giving a little hip wiggle before taking a swing. "Fore!" Mabel shouted, and her ball followed the course, making its way into the crocodile's mouth and then moving to the next part of the course. Her ball hit McGucket's nose and then landed in the hole, rousing the old man from his nap.

"Yes!" Mabel cheered, elated with her success.

"Holy smokes!" Stan exclaimed, hotdog in hand, as he witnessed the impressive shot. "Someone in our family actually has some talent!"

Dipper turned to Stan with a confident grin. "Just wait, Grunkle Stan. You ain't seen nothing yet."

With everyone's spirits high, they gathered to cheer Mabel on as she breezed through the various mini-golf courses that the Putt Hutt had to offer until she reached the 18th hole- the final stage.

Mabel's impressive skills had drawn a small crowd of onlookers, who gathered behind her with bated breath. Dipper held up the scorecard, excitement evident in his voice. "Guys, this is incredible! Just one more hole-in-one, and Mabel achieves a true perfect game!"

"Shh!" Soos suddenly interjected. "You're not supposed to say that out loud, dude. It angers the golf gods," he whispered with a serious expression, even taking off his hat and looking up at a nearby statue in reverence.

Y/n and Dipper exchanged amused glances at Soos's antics, before shifting their focus back to Mabel. She closed her eyes in deep concentration, and everyone held their breath in anticipation. With a determined swing, she sent the ball rolling through the course. It entered the moving windmill, staying inside for a few suspenseful seconds before emerging on the other side. The ball continued to roll, but unfortunately, it narrowly missed the hole and ended up in a puddle.

Mabel's radiant smile faded as she frustratedly hurled her golf club to the ground. "Ah, nuts!"

The group's collective excitement turned into dejection as they slowly left the scene, their hopes crushed by the near-perfect game that didn't quite make it. Disappointed sounds of "aww" and "oh, man" filled the air as they processed their letdown.

A heavy silence hung in the air, until Stan piped up, trying to offer some consolation. "Ah, don't worry about it, kid. The thing's random!"

Soos chimed in, his supportive nature evident. "Yeah, and you know, besides the Bermuda Triangle, how mini-golf works is our world's greatest mystery."

Stan continued, "As far as I'm concerned, you're still better than anyone else in Gravity-"

Their attention was abruptly drawn to the eighteenth hole as they watched in shock, a purple ball expertly sinking into it. Their gazes turned to the source of the unexpected shot.

"Oh," a blonde girl with a purple shirt remarked with a mockingly sympathetic tone. "Would you look at that?" It was Pacifica Northwest, accompanied by her parents, standing there with a self-satisfied smirk. "I didn't know it was 'Hobo's Golf Free Day'!"

"So that's why they came here," Y/n muttered under her breath, sending a glare.

"Pacifica!" Mabel seethed under her breath.

Pacifica and her family confidently approached the group. "Well, well, well, if it isn't the Pines family. Fat, old, lame, braces!" Her gaze then shifted to Y/n, her expression turning to one of confusion. "I don't even know who you are, so I could care less!"

"Soos," Stan's voice dropped to a hushed tone as he leaned closer to the handyman. "Would it be wrong to punch a child?"

"I got this," Dipper interjected. "Hey, Pacifica, how's that whole 'your-family-being-frauds' thing workin' out for ya?" He asked with a big smirk.

"Great, actually!" Pacifica retaliated with an even bigger smirk. "That's the thing about money; it makes problems go away." As a visual display, she pulled out wads of dollar bills from her pockets and tossed them into the air. Some people eagerly scrambled to grab the cash, while others danced around like excited chickens. Her parents found the whole spectacle amusing, applauding and chuckling.

Pacifica pressed on, her condescending tone unwavering. "I couldn't help but notice you playing my game. You should stick to things you're good at. Like retaining baby fat!" She emphasized her point by playfully poking Mabel's tummy with her golf club.

Unfazed, Mabel took a step back and retorted with a confident smile. "Yeah, well, this fat baby is pretty good at golf!"

Pacifica's expression remained unchanged, her arms crossed in an air of superiority. "Ha! Sergei!" She called out, snapping her fingers to summon a European-looking guy who strode forward with an authoritative demeanor. "This is Sergei, my trainer."

His mustache moved as he talked. "The Sportylmpics had mini-golf once. I took gold!" He showed the medal on his chest.

"So, if you don't mind moving out of the way of the professionals..." Pacifica then shifted to another course and effortlessly hit a golf ball into a hole that triggered a volcanic eruption, blowing their hair away. She wore a smug expression of accomplishment. "Enjoy second place. Give her a hand, folks!"

Mabel wasn't one to back down easily, so she fired back, "Oh, yeah? Well, I want a rematch, you... you walking one-dimensional, bleached blonde, valley girl stereotype!"

The crowd audibly gasped, and Pacifica came to a sudden stop. She turned around with a clearly annoyed expression. "Like, let's do this."

The skies seemingly conjured gray clouds, casting a gloomy atmosphere over everyone. Before anyone could react, the owner of the establishment arrived in his usual golf cart. "Hear ye! Hear ye! Stop at once! The park is now closed due to inclement weather! The King of Mini-golf has declared it!"

Pacifica stood taller than Mabel. "This isn't over. You, me, midnight. We'll see who's best."

"I'll be here!" Mabel shot back, thunder rolling as if echoing her determination. Lightning flashed and rain started pouring. The Northwests promptly pulled out their umbrellas and made their exit. Sergei scurried after them. "I'll be here..."

The Pines family soon found themselves at a nearby Mexican diner, seeking refuge from the rain. Their clothes were damp, but the staff didn't seem to mind as they took their orders. When the food arrived, they sat down to eat, but Mabel's gloomy mood cast a shadow over the atmosphere. She didn't even react to the cheerful sign on the wall featuring a cat enjoying tacos.

Mabel sighed, nibbling on a few nachos that Dipper fed her. "Time to scratch mini-golf off my talents list..."

"Don't give up, Mabel," Soos offered his encouragement.

"You're better than Pacifica in every way," Y/n chimed in.

Dipper's smile brightened. "Yeah! And if you beat her at this, she could never rag on you again! Imagine it!"

Mabel's eyes sparkled as she imagined herself triumphant, yelling victory in Pacifica's face. With newfound determination, she stood up on the table, placing her hands on her hips. "You're right, guys!" she declared. "I just need to practice a little more before midnight."

"Go to the golf course after dark, you say?" Stan asked, mid-chew, looking somewhat uncertain. "I don't know, we'd have to break in and- just kidding, let's break in!" he suddenly exclaimed, sporting a large, manic grin.

With everyone piled into the car, Stan drove past the entrance, plowing through the blockade. Soos was on security lookout duty with his binoculars, while Stan went to work hammering a board to create a hole for the three youngsters to sneak through. Mabel handed him her sticker book, and she, Dipper, and Y/n slipped through the opening. Mabel was the last to enter, but just before she could go through, Stan stopped her. "Mabel?" he called out. She turned around, puzzled. Stan opened the scrapbook and stuck a sticker on Mabel's sweater. It read 'U DA BEST!'

"Knock her dead, kid." He gave her a thumbs up to which she happily reciprocated.

The remainder of the evening saw Mabel repeatedly attempting to sink the golf balls into the windmill, while Dipper and Y/n observed from the opposite side. Unfortunately, each attempt seemed to miss the hole entirely.

"Darn! Poop heck darn!" Mabel expressed angrily.

Dipper, growing increasingly puzzled, got up and began to pace. "Ugh, I don't get it! What is wrong with this hole?" Suddenly, he heard clanking noises emanating from inside the windmill. His eyes widened, and he turned to Y/n. "Did you hear that?"

Silently, Y/n nodded, confirming that she had also heard the mysterious noises. Dipper cautiously stepped back from the windmill.

Mabel, sensing something unusual, hurried over to her brother. "What? What is it?" she whispered, joining them.

Dipper motioned for her to grab her golf club. The three of them gathered closely, clutching their clubs tightly, and in unison, they tiptoed towards the windmill. Their hearts raced as they prepared to confront any potential intruder.

With a shared signal, Y/n carefully removed the wooden cover from the windmill, revealing an unexpected sight-tiny figures!

The moment the little people realized they were not alone, their tiny faces met the gaze of the much larger intruders. In their fright, they let out piercing screams that echoed through the night. They exchanged screams, until they calmed down seeing that they really didn't look like a threat. These tiny beings were dressed in traditional Dutch attire, complete with wooden clogs. The boys sported blond bob cuts and rosy cheeks, while the girls had twin braids neatly arranged.

The blue golf ball at the front of the group stepped forward and nervously addressed the three newcomers. "We good? We good?" it asked.

Dipper, Mabel, and Y/n exchanged uncertain glances before nodding cautiously.

The golf ball cleared his throat- weirdest sentence ever. "Hi, hello. I'm Franz, and welcome to our home!"

Dipper couldn't help but express his confusion. "What is this?"

Mabel chimed in with her skepticism. "Yeah! Are you guys tiny humans or enormous mini-humans?" She narrowed her eyes, placing her hands on her hips.

Franz cheerfully responded, "Neither! We're Lilliputtians! Lilli- Lilliputt... the name makes more sense written down than spoken. And we control the balls! Behold!" He gestured proudly toward the windmill, which then opened up to reveal its intricate inner workings. The trio watched in speechless awe as a golf ball was sent inside and underwent a meticulous process, showcasing the Lilliputtians' control over the golf balls.

"That's incredible!" Mabel expressed.

Y/n smiled, "Impressive!"

"And so needlessly complicated," Dipper added with a hint of amusem*nt.

"Aw shucks," Franz sheepishly smiled, tapping his clogs. "It's only our lifelong passion! Would you like us to elaborate through song?!" The Lilliputtians quickly got into position, with some holding musical instruments and others carrying flags. Franz began singing a tune, starting the music, but Dipper declined their offer, visibly disappointing the Lilliputtians.

"So, what are you hugelings doing here anyway?" Franz asked.

"We kind of have to play this golf tournament against my rival, Pacifica..." Mabel explained.

Gasps from the Lilliputtian interrupted her as frustration replaced their curiosity. Echoes of the word "rivals" spread throughout the windmill. "Oh, we know all about rivals," Franz remarked with a sneer, crossing his arms.

As if on cue, a gruff-sounding voice resounded from the other end of the area. "Put a clog in it, ya windmill-lubbers!" From the 8th hole, pirate-themed Lilliputtians brandished their swords as their captain spoke. "These frilly bottom popinjays are terrible at controllin' the balls! We are the ball masters, says I! Arrr!"

His crewmates joined in the chant, filling the air with hearty "Arrs!"

It turned out that each hole in the arena had its own faction, from the French and the knights to the cowboys and miners. They all seemed to harbor long-standing rivalries that had persisted for many years. Y/n couldn't help but wonder how these factions came to be, but her questions were always met with the explanation that this was just the normal way of things in Gravity Falls.

In a sudden twist, they launched into an attack, converging in the middle of the field. Colorful golf balls clashed and tumbled across the artificial grass, creating a chaotic yet strangely endearing spectacle.

Mabel couldn't help but laugh. "Guys, guys, calm down! Your fighting is inadvertently adorable!"

Amidst the fighting, Franz managed to speak, though he looked a bit battered from the brawl. "Adorable we are, hugelings," he began, clutching an injury. "But our tale is less so. Every hole in the park thinks they're superior, from the cowboys in the east to the grimy miners of the south. If only there was some way to decide which side is best, with... maybe... an award, or, like a trophy, I dunno."

A French Lilliputtian dashed toward Franz, his excitement palpable. "But Franz, look!" He pointed at Mabel's sticker, the one Stan had given her.

"The sticker! The sticker could decide!" Franz exclaimed, his enthusiasm mirrored by everyone on the field as their attention was captured by the sticker.

"It does say 'Ze best' on it!"

"Decide for us, hugeling! Choose which mini-kingdom should receive the sticker and end our war!"

The Lilliputtians erupted into cheers, but Mabel looked unsure. She waved her hands, expressing her hesitation. "Uh, I don't know, guys. I'm not sure I want to get involved in your weird mini-blood feud—"

"Pst, Mabel," Dipper called out to her, gently turning her around away from the skirmishing golf balls. He motioned for Y/n to join them, and the three of them huddled together. "This is perfect! These guys control the course! Just tell them you'll give the sticker to whichever group helps us win!"

Y/n couldn't help but chuckle softly at Dipper's unexpected cunning, she thought that the plan was too diabolical to be coming from someone like him. She watched as Mabel's brow furrowed in thought, a troubled expression on her face. "I'm not sure, Dipper. I want to beat Pacifica, but doesn't this seem like... cheating?" Mabel tried to convince both the other two and herself.

But Dipper didn't hold back. "Pacifica's rich, Mabel. She's cheating at life." He ended his argument with a shrug.

Mabel's gaze shifted from Dipper to Y/n, who nodded in agreement. Y/n had gleaned some knowledge about the Northwest family's history and their immense influence over the town. They owned everything from Northwest Realty to Northwest Mud Flaps to Northwest Weather Vanes. Y/n couldn't forget the first encounter with Preston Northwest, finding him ignorant and pretentious, not to mention his pet fox, Hunter. (Yes, Pacifica's father once had a pet fox.)

Taking all this into account, Mabel rubbed her chin thoughtfully until she reached her final decision. She gathered the warring factions in front of the Knights' tower, and Y/n and Dipper stood on either side of her, assuming the roles of her loyal knights. Dipper had even borrowed a mini trumpet, which he used to herald the beginning of the announcement before returning it to the Knight Lilliputtian with gratitude.

"People of the eighteen holes!" Mabel declared, her arms outstretched dramatically. "We're going to have a game of mini-golf! And whoever does the best job helping me win, gets the sticker!"

"It will be us, lads. Not these tulip-munchers!"

"I will not be insulted by a man with no depth perception wearing earrings!"

Y/n spoke up, "Just remember, as long as you're helping Mabel, no fighting."

The Lilliputtians' mood suddenly turned a 180 and their angry frowns turned into wide smiles. No fighting, like she said.

So the three waited until midnight for Pacifica to arrive.

As the clock struck midnight, Pacifica arrived on the scene. Her parents had dropped her off after a briefing on how the Northwests were the best at everything and that they never lost. Pacifica, fueled by their expectations, entered the premises with her trainer, Sergei, fully expecting to face off against the braces-wearing girl. However, they were met with darkness, shrouding the mini-golf course in mystery.

"How much you wanna bet they're no-shows?" Pacifica asked nobody in particular.

A sequence of lights flashed on, guiding Pacifica and Sergei to the main stage where Mabel stood leaning on her golf club, wearing a smug expression. Y/n and Dipper flanked her, their arms crossed and matching smirks on their faces. Mabel addressed Pacifica with a determined glint in her eye.

"Looking for someone?" Mabel quipped, her confidence palpable.

Pacifica remained unfazed, walking closer with her arms crossed. Her tone was dripping with skepticism. "Waiting in the dark, not creepy at all. Seriously though, I don't know why you bothered to come. Unless you've got something up your sleeve."

Mabel, undeterred, playfully elbowed Y/n with a sly grin. "Oh, I guess you could say we've got a little something, right, right?" It seemed like an inside joke between the trio, but Pacifica and Sergei didn't find it amusing. A tiny Lilliputtian momentarily popped out of Mabel's sweater sleeve in greeting, but she quickly shoved it back in. She and Dipper laughed nervously, while Y/n simply smiled innocently, her hands hidden behind her back.

They all gathered around as Sergei, the expert, explained the rules. "Eighteen holes. Standard rules. Winner lives in glory, loser wallows in eternal shame. On your mark, get set, mini-golf!"

Dipper took on the role of the scorekeeper, clutching a scorecard for the two players. Meanwhile, Y/n held a small flaglet with Mabel's name on it, waving it enthusiastically as she cheered from the sidelines. "Go, Mabel!"

They began on the first hole, controlled by the cowboy Lilliputtians. Pacifica putted first, only to have her ball obstructed by a covered wagon, expertly maneuvered by the tiny cowboys. Then, it was Mabel's turn. The cowboys worked their miniature magic, raising the grass to guide her ball toward the hole. A cowboy perched on a water tower even fired a minigun, propelling the ball straight into the hole.

"What?!" Pacifica exclaimed in frustration as they walked away from the hole, while Mabel grinned and sent a triumphant thumbs-up gesture toward the mini cowboys.

On the eighth hole, known as the pirate hole, Mabel took her turn, sending her ball into the ship, where it was dramatically shot out of a cannon and landed perfectly in the hole. In a fit of frustration, Pacifica forcefully pushed Mabel aside. "Out of my way!" She attempted her putt, but her ball was unceremoniously ejected out of the ship's front and ended up right in her own mouth. "Are you serious?!"

Y/n and Dipper exchanged suppressed giggles from behind them, thoroughly amused by Pacifica's misfortune.

Then came the miner hole. Mabel took her turn, sending her ball down into the miniature mine. "Ha, ha!" Dipper playfully nudged Y/n while giving her a knowing look. "Miner hole. I wonder what cute, silly things are going on down there." They shared a chuckle as they watched Mabel's ball navigate the underground course.

They stood there in silence, waiting for the ball to reappear. Pacifica glanced at her watch, growing impatient. Y/n, with her hands tucked into her jacket pockets, turned towards Dipper. She spoke up, "I'm thinking of grabbing a drink. Do you want anything?"

"I'm good, thanks," Dipper replied, and he watched as Y/n disappeared through a hedge and into an area with a bench and a vending machine. As she stood alone, she approached the vending machine, only to realize she hadn't brought any spare change. Y/n leaned closer, placing her ear against the machine's surface. With a strong punch, she struck the machine, causing it to clank and rattle until a can of Pitt Cola finally rolled out.

Y/n found it surprisingly easy to hack into the vending machines in Gravity Falls, having dissected the inner workings of the mechanism herself. With a victorious chuckle, she opened the can of Pitt Cola and took a sip.

However, her moment of triumph was short-lived. She suddenly heard a voice from the pathway, and she recognized it as Pacifica's. Not wanting to be seen and potentially forced into an interaction, Y/n sprinted off to the nearest restroom and locked herself inside.

Curiosity got the best of her, though, and she couldn't resist placing her ear against the restroom door to eavesdrop on whatever was happening outside.

Sergei retrieved a new Pitt Cola from the vending machine and handed it to Pacifica. She was clearly agitated, her leg bouncing with irritation. "There's something fishy going on, Sergei. I can feel it," she muttered.

"Maybe they has little people who control where the balls go," Sergei explained in one long sentence, his tone dead serious.

Pacifica shot him an exasperated look. "Hoo, we really need to get you some English lessons. What I mean is, think about it. I'm globally ranked. It's absurd that she's beating me." She took a sip of the soda but quickly spat out the pit inside the can. "Ugh! Pitt Cola! I always forget about the pit. Get me a different one, Sergei!"

As Sergei's back was turned, occupied with getting another soda, a small hand reached out from the bushes and tapped Pacifica on the shoulder. Without warning, she was grabbed and pulled into the foliage. Her scream was muffled by the leaves, and Sergei didn't notice as he turned back around.

When he saw his master had disappeared, he stood there with a hopeless expression. "This is bad," he muttered.

A few minutes later, Y/n cautiously peeked outside, expecting to see both Pacifica and Sergei. To her surprise, there was only Sergei. He heard her movements and turned to face her. "You seen Miss Northwest, yes?"

Y/n shook her head. "No," she replied, stepping out of the restroom completely. The two of them stood there, questions filling their minds. Where did Pacifica go?

The answer appeared right before Y/n's eyes when Sergei was ambushed by a group of Pirate Lilliputtians, knocking him out and tying him down. But the Pirates weren't alone; it seemed that the French Lilliputtians had the same idea of abducting someone. "What the—?!"

Meanwhile, the twins waited in the middle of the field, Dipper tallying the scores with a huge, excited grin. "I can't wait to see the look on Pacifica's face when we win. I'm thinking it'll be like, 'ugh'." He mimicked her irritated expression. "You know how she does that? 'Ugh'."

"Dipper, is it bad that I feel good about her feeling bad?"

He waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, just enjoy your victory, Mabel. Trust me, after we win, Pacifica will be fine, and you, I, and Y/n will get ourselves some victory milkshakes. Hey, speaking of, where's Y/n–?"

A scream interrupted their conversation, and their eyes landed on Pacifica, who was tied down on a platform with the Dutch windmill behind her. The Dutch Lilliputtians had gathered around her like she was food and they were ants. They had unsheathed their pencils– their swords, as Pacifica tried to thrash around but she was bound by the rope. "What's going on here? Let me go! Let me go, you creeps!"

"Oh my gosh! Dipper, what are they doing?" Mabel asked, her eyes instilled on the blonde.

"I have no clue," he admitted, looking slightly afraid.

Franz stepped forward with a huge, welcoming grin. "Welcome, twins, welcome! I can tell you're loving this, right? Right?" He hiccuped a chuckle. "No?"

"What are you guys doing?" Mabel had the decency to look uncomfortable.

Dipper had his hands placed on his hips, looking mad. "This wasn't part of the deal, tiny Dutchman!"

Franz also had the decency to look sheepish, explaining their motives as slowly as possible. "Okay, so we saw you were favoring the miners, and we figured, what's better than beating Pacifica?" he blew a raspberry, slapping his golf face. "Killing her! Right?"

Pacifica's confused expression turned into one of irritation. "As if!" She objected. "I'm calling my parents! Where's my phone?"

Franz and the twins ignored her pleas, choosing to pay attention to their deal more. "So how about it, hugeling? Who's the best now?"

Their conversation was abruptly interrupted by the same gruff voice, drawing their attention to the eighth hole where the Pirate Lilliputians had gathered. "Not so fast, land lubbers!" They appeared to have captured Sergei, who stood on the plank, bound with ropes as well. The captain had his mini-sword pointed at the European. "If you're going to play dirty, then so are we!"

"So are ve!"

A French accent grabbed their attention, causing their gaze to shift towards the Eiffel Tower, where the French Lilliputtians had taken Y/n hostage. The twins gasped at the situation, but Y/n didn't look scared, not at all. She just seemed bored. "I'm okay," she reassured them.

"Give us ze sticker or this will end up in ze books!" They said, extending a pencil that pointed at her back.

"Give it to the miners! Give it!"

"No, give it to us!"

"Give us the sticker! It belongs to us!"

The Lilliputtians all clamored, their demands were in discord, but they all voiced out the same thing; they wanted the sticker. All of these voices pressured Mabel, until she screamed, "ENOUGH!"

They stopped, all of their eyes on the girl. "You know what? No one gets the sticker!"

"Sacre-boooooo!"

The rest of the Lilliputtians followed, booing along in distaste.

"No, no. Nuh-uh. No booing! Stop! No. No one gets the sticker 'cause you're all being jerks!" Mabel exclaimed. I mean, why can't you just get along?"

A beat passed. "Because we hate each other!"

The pirate captain Lilliputtian added, "That's kind of how rivalries work, lass."

"Well then, maybe... maybe rivalries are dumb." Mabel's voice took on a thoughtful tone as she continued, "Maybe you don't settle them with petty competitions," She glanced at Pacifica, who appeared somewhat guilty or uncomfortable. "Maybe the only way to be "da best" is by ending the fighting and working together!"

In an impulsive act, Mabel tore the sticker off her sweater and crumpled it into a ball, then unexpectedly consumed it all, leaving the Lilliputtians gasping. Their reactions ranged from surprise to understanding. "It's all so clear!" exclaimed one of the Dutch Lilliputtians.

"If we work together..." Franz began.

"Then we can cut open her belly and get the sticker!" The Lilliputtians erupted in cheers and rushed forward.

"Get the girl! Slice her open!"

"Uh oh," Y/n mumbled quietly as she watched the situation unfold. She effortlessly loosened and dropped the rope that had bound her before sprinting toward the twins. Just as she reached the field, the Dutch windmill suddenly roared to life, its blades spinning wildly and causing Pacifica to scream as she was dragged toward it.

Y/n reached Dipper, and he immediately took her hand. "We gotta get out of here!" he urged, pointing toward the nearest exit.

But Mabel had different plans. She was determined to save Pacifica first. She glanced around, assessing the situation. With the swarm of Lilliputtians blocking her path to the windmill, crossing the field seemed impossible. However, she spotted a lamppost with lights attached to it.

Without a second thought, Mabel dashed toward the lamppost and began to climb it. The Lilliputtians followed her, but she managed to swing along the chain of lights leading to the windmill. She landed on the ground safely, evading the golf pencil spears thrown by the angry crowd.

Y/n and Dipper, realizing that the Lilliputtians' main target was Mabel, noticed that they weren't being attacked. Y/n turned to Dipper, a sense of urgency in her voice. "We have to help Mabel."

As they pondered their next move, Sergei, who was near the eighth hole, called out to Dipper. "Ah, Mister Dipper! Нет, нет!" he yelled, appearing to be on the verge of falling into the water.

Dipper released Y/n's hand momentarily and cupped his hands around his mouth. "Don't freak out, man! The water's shallow! There's literally no way to drown!"

Sergei tumbled into the water, face-first, creating bubbles in the shallow puddle.

"Seriously?"

"Come on!" Y/n grabbed Dipper's hand and led them to a golf cart she had spotted in the distance. They both got in, and she was fortunate to find the key still in the ignition. With a swift start, she drove off, making sure to take Sergei with them before reaching the girls who were engrossed in putting golf balls.

She brought the golf cart to an abrupt halt, and Dipper urgently gestured for them to board. "Get on, get on!" he urged.

"Gun it!" Mabel exclaimed.

Y/n slammed her foot on the pedal, and the golf cart shot forward, accelerating away. "Don't let them escape!" shouted the pirate Lilliputtian, and large axes swung dangerously in their direction. Mabel, Dipper, and Pacifica screamed in fear, but Y/n remained determined, pressing down harder on the gas.

It felt like they had become golf balls themselves, hurtling through the course. Ramps and loop-de-loops left them dizzy, except for one fortunate soul. Sergei tumbled off the golf cart when they hit a bump. "Sergei overboard!" Sergei shouted in alarm.

"I'll get a new one," Pacifica declared after witnessing Sergei being left behind.

"What?" Y/n asked, oblivious to the commotion, completely unaware that they had abandoned Sergei.

"They're closing us in!" Dipper exclaimed from beside her, observing the large entrance gates slowly shutting.

Mabel gasped as she saw pencils poking holes in the roof of their golf cart. She climbed onto it while the golf cart was still in motion. Franz, perched on the roof, threatened her with a pencil. "Don't even think about it. You call yourself a golfer? Without us, that club is useless in your hands!"

Mabel didn't hesitate. "Oh yeah? What's ten minus six?"

Franz looked puzzled, clearly not well-versed in basic math. "Ten minu- what- hang on..."

"Four!" Mabel shouted, delivering a direct hit to Franz's face, sending him flying into the bonus hole. The hole immediately glowed and shot up a column of lava just as the golf cart sped off a ramp, riding the wave of lava. The cart skidded through the gates and came to a halt in the parking lot, where it eventually fell apart, with pencils and an ax poking through the gate.

"Stay out, you dumb hugelings!" Franz yelled while tossing golf balls over the wall.

Pacifica was infuriated by his remark. "What did you say, you little trolls?" She marched towards the gate with determination. "I will sue you! I will sue you, and I will own you!" She punched the gate and then turned to point a finger at the trio. "You three! I don't know what you did or what's going on, but if you think just because you saved my life I—"

From the depths of her sweater pocket, Mabel handed Pacifica a purple sticker that read, "I a-paw-logize," causing the blonde to pause. Mabel spoke slowly, "I'm sorry, Pacifica. We shouldn't have cheated. You totally would have beaten me, fair and square."

Pacifica paused, glancing at the sticker before placing it on her shirt. She frowned. "You're just lucky this sticker looks fantastic on me."

After a while, Stan and Soos pulled up in their car, and the three of them climbed in: Y/n got in first, followed by Dipper, and finally Mabel. Everyone looked at Pacifica, who was standing alone in the parking lot. Mabel glanced at Dipper, who was shaking his head. Her eyes then shifted to meet Y/n, who was giving her a look that said, "it's up to you."

Without hesitation, Mabel turned to Pacifica. "Hey! Your parents aren't here. Want a ride home?"

Dipper slumped and crossed his arms but stayed quiet.

Pacifica hesitated, then said, "Huh, puh-lease. As if I'd ride in your—"

Lightning flashed, and thunder cut off her sentence.

Stan and Soos were busy singing jingles in the front of the car while the rest were cramped in the backseat, squeezed against each other. Dipper had to adjust his position, not wanting to sit beside Pacifica (Mabel switched seats with her), so he raised his arm and placed it on the seat behind Y/n. They caught each other's glances and gave each other a small smile with a blush, both in comfort and discomfort.

Mabel was scouting the back of their seats and found two car tacos. She began eating one.

"You're allowed to eat in the car?" The blonde asked in meek disbelief.

The brunette let out a casual scoff. "Yeah! The car is where secret surprise snacks happen! Want one?" She offered, extending her hand.

Pacifica immediately refused. "Oh, I'm not supposed to take handouts."

"Handouts? It's called sharing! You do know what sharing is, right?"

"Sha- sha-ring?"

"Just take it."

Surprisingly, Stan knew the way to the Northwest Manor and pulled up in front of the gate. Pacifica hurriedly got out of the car, trying to appear nonchalant. "Thanks for the ride, or whatever. Oh, and Mabel?" She paused briefly, turning her head slightly. "Um, I can't believe I'm saying this, but I had fun." With that, she started walking away. "And tell your servant I like his W-neck!"

They all looked at Soos, who was sporting a celebratory grin. "Yes!" he exclaimed.

Dipper turned to Mabel. "So, are you guys, like, cool now?"

Mabel answered with enthusiasm, "I think we made some progress. The important thing to remember is that at the end of the day, she's just an ordinary kid like us."

With the car still parked in front of the house, the gates swung open for Pacifica, revealing the grand Northwest mansion, complete with fountains and peaco*cks. Fireworks lit up the sky above a large neon sign that read, "Congratulations, Pacifica."

"Ordinary, huh?" Y/n remarked with a sarcastic nod.

Dipper chimed in, deadpan, "Should've charged her for that pizza."

Mabel agreed with a chuckle, "Agreed!"

***

PZNA OBUXXU VFXXZ, VFGX ATBY T SHFE.
🗝: ???

From fierce rivals, a friendship did bloom,
A bond that lit up even the darkest of gloom.
Now as friends, a future unknown we explore,
Could it be something more, we both adore?

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 21!

Chapter 21: Where's My Other Sock?

Chapter Text

Y/n opened her eyes and found herself lying on the ground. She stood up and let her gaze wander around, noticing a row of bookshelves lining in different directions. One was a curvy bookshelves, making the library look more like an ocean with millions of colorful books piled inside. Her legs took her forward, curious at the encounter.

Standing in front of one of the shelves, she began to slowly reach for a book she was interested in, until from a distance she heard a twinkling tune. It sounded like it was coming from a music box. Followed by that was a voice echoing, "Looking for answers, are we?"

"Here we go again," she muttered, folding her arms as she didn't have to turn to know who was annoying her.

Bill chuckled, his voice reverberating through the surreal dreamscape. "Oh, just checking in on my favorite plaything. You know, Pine Tree's getting quite fond of you. It's almost adorable."

Y/n turned to face him, her expression a mix of annoyance and intrigue. "What's the deal with this place, Cipher?"

"It's just a library, no need to think so much– gosh, all this thinking is making your mind so disorganized. You know who else's mind is disorganized?" He floated around her, his tone smug.

"Why are you even here?" She quickly changed the subject. "I just want a peaceful reading session without an isosceles triangle with a bow and top hat terrorizing my dreams."

A cane materialized in his hands, "You act like you don't enjoy our little chats."

"I don't," Y/n retorted. "I have better things to do than listen to your cryptic nonsense."

"Yeah? Like fixing the portal! Actually, you're doing great!" Bill chuckled, unfazed by her irritation. When he was met by silence, he continued with a glare. "Oh, don't be such a bore, Daisy. I'm just here to offer a little... guidance."

"Guidance? From you? I'd rather take directions from a broken GPS," she walked around, watching the books fly around the air, even jumping on it as a platform.

He followed her, easily floating himself up to her level. She was jumping across open books, reminding him of someone else. "Don't you want to see a glimpse of the future? Just think of me as your own personal oracle."

Y/n couldn't help but grow more exasperated with each encounter. "Cut the cryptic act, Bill. If you have something to say, just say it." She seemed to be belittling every word that he was saying.

"You're enjoying this, huh? Floating books? Dreams? Well, let me offer you a word of advice, Daisy." All of sudden, all of the books from the shelves flew out and began piling on one another until it formed a tornado, surrounding her with open pages flipping hysterically. "The line between reality and dreams can be quite thin, and sometimes, the things that seem impossible might be more real than you think."

Y/n frowned, unimpressed by his cryptic warning. "Is that all you've got? Some fortune cookie wisdom?" She yelled at him.

Bill circled her, his voice dripping with ominous foreshadowing. "A rift, gullible little Daisy. A tear in the fabric of your precious little town. It's coming, and it's going to change everything."

"Can't you be a little more straightforward for once?"

He chuckled, his tone casual despite the message. "Where's the fun in that? Just remember, Y/n, the line between friends and enemies can be quite thin in this town."

Before she could respond, the dream world around her began to crumble, and she woke up with a frustrated sigh. She couldn't deny that Bill's hints were starting to get under her skin, but she refused to be drawn into his enigmatic games.

It was a dreary, windy morning. Getting herself a mug of coffee, she easily drank it in one go, the hot liquid sliding down her throat. Energy gradually getting replenished, she felt like she could face whatever comes at her today.

"Y/n, there you are!" Dipper said from the stairs. "Come on, we have to go to the library."

Oooh, the library, she thought internally. She loves going there on occasion. "What for?"

"I'll tell you on the way, we've got no time to lose!"

***

In the Gravity Falls Library, Dipper, Mabel, and Y/n located a table with three chairs and a nearby electrical outlet. They arranged themselves in a triangle, with the bag Dipper had brought placed in the center.

Dipper began to search through the brown bag. "Today's the day, guys."

"Big day!" Mabel enthusiastically echoed, her voice carrying through the library, seemingly oblivious to the library's rules. Y/n, on the other hand, had to offer apologetic glances to the older patrons who were casting disapproving looks their way from a distance.

"Soos finally managed to fix the laptop," Dipper announced, revealing the supposedly repaired device, though it still appeared old and worn. "If this thing works, we could uncover the identity of the author and solve the biggest mysteries of Gravity Falls. Are you guys ready?"

Mabel turned to him with a determined look, holding a book in her hands. "Oh, I'm ready, baby." She enthusiastically flipped through the pages of a pop-up book with an illustration of a baby. "Ma-ma!"

Dipper and Y/n exchanged a glance, and she gave him a thumbs-up. He opened the laptop, revealing the words 'Property of F' once again. Y/n couldn't help but wonder if he was still out there after all these years. He had left his laptop, his prized possession, in the bunker, suggesting he must have left Gravity Falls in a hurry. She realized she never knew what the 'F' stood for; what was this guy's full name?

"This is it. This is it," Dipper muttered under his breath as he opened the laptop, and the screen came to life with neon words that read 'Welcome,' eliciting a relieved laugh from the young boy. "Aha! It worked!"

The three of them extended their hands towards the center of their circle, performing a trio handshake that Mabel had invented one day. It had taken them three hours to learn and execute perfectly. The sequence was smooth, with their fingers curling and fists bumping before ending in a raspberry, complete with their tongues sticking out.

Suddenly, a deafening alarm sounded, and the laptop displayed a message: "//UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS FORBIDDEN// Enter Password," causing Dipper to groan. "Ugh! Of course, a password."

Y/n placed a finger on her chin, deep in thought. She had observed F with his laptop many times, but she couldn't recall ever seeing him input a passcode. The only code she remembered from him was the one for the security room in the bunker, but that was about it.

"Don't you worry, bro bro," Mabel reassured him with a wide grin. "With your brains, Y/n's wit, and my laser focus, there's literally nothing that can distract us from... did you hear that?"

A piano tune suddenly echoed from the other side of the library, abruptly interrupting Mabel's speech. Emerging from the kids' section was a boy with a blond ponytail and a black sweater, singing as if he were serenading someone, "All my life I've been dreamin' of a love that's right for me. And now I finally know her name, and it's... sing it with me, kids—literacy!"

"Literacy!" The children in the library joined in with glee. The boy had a bee puppet on one hand, which he made talk animatedly, saying, "I finally understand what all the buzz is about. Reading!"

On his other hand, he had a book puppet that seemed to represent a female character. "Give me some of that honey!" they playfully exclaimed, and the two puppets proceeded to 'kiss,' while the boy laughed.

Dipper and Y/n exchanged amused glances, then turned to Mabel, who was completely enthralled by the new boy's performance. She enthusiastically flipped the pages of a pop-up book, making it go, "Ba bump. Ba bump."

"Oh, boy," Dipper muttered with a bemused smile.

Mabel's eyes glittered with excitement as she observed the young puppeteer receiving his well-deserved applause. "Just when I thought I was getting over Mermando, you show up at my doorstep!"

Dipper stood from beside Y/n, walking over to a bookshelf. "Oh yeah, I forgot about Mermando. Did not care for Mermando..." he grabbed a book off of the shelf and began flipping through it. "Okay, this cryptology book says there's 7.2 million 8-letter words. Y/n, wanna read it while I type? Mabel's gonna be—"

Mabel's empty chair suddenly spun on the floor, and Dipper let out an incredulous sigh. "Figures."

"I'll read them," Y/n volunteered, taking the book from him. Dipper settled back into his seat, focusing on the laptop and positioning his fingers over the keyboard. "Alright," Y/n cleared her throat and began listing words that started with the letter A. Each word she uttered received a loud beep in response, indicating an incorrect input.

Y/n skillfully avoided words that didn't seem like plausible passwords. Who would choose a word like "autogamy" as their password, after all? She continued flipping through the pages, plucking out words that might potentially serve as a password. She was determined to crack the code and uncover whatever secrets might be hidden inside the laptop.

"Uhm, try 'password'?" Y/n suggested, half-jokingly.

However, it turned out to be a rather feeble attempt, and she couldn't help but be relieved when the laptop predictably beeped in error. Y/n couldn't fathom why someone as skilled with codes as F would use something as basic as 'password' as their password. Dipper, too, seemed exasperated by the lack of progress.

Mabel returned after a few more unsuccessful attempts, taking a seat beside Y/n. Her expression was vacant, prompting Y/n to inquire, "So, how did it go?"

"Um," Mabel replied slowly, her voice tinged with uncertainty, "how hard do you guys think it would be to write and compose a sock puppet rock opera with lights, original music, and live pyrotechnics by Friday?"

A loud beep emanated from the laptop to Y/n's left, and she turned to see Dipper looking utterly flabbergasted. "What?! Mabel, are you serious?"

"I don't know what happened!" Mabel exclaimed, frustration evident as she smacked the table with both arms and flailed about. "I got lost in his eyes and his ponytail, and I'm going to be so embarrassed on Friday if I don't have anything!"

Dipper, still leaning on Y/n's shoulder, turned his attention back to her. "But what about cracking this password? You know, the three of us?" He paused, as if trying to recall something, then asked, "What did Mabel call us again?"

"Mystery Trio?" Y/n supplied.

"Right! Mystery Trio."

Mabel's eyes widened, and she adopted an almost pleading look. "If you guys help me with this for just a couple of days, I promise I'll help you with the password! Please, pretty please!" She blinked, making her eyes appear even larger and filled with a magical sparkle. "It's for love, Dipper..."

Dipper and Y/n exchanged silent glances, trying to appear casual. Y/n was fine with either option; she was ready to help either of them. Dipper resigned with a sigh. "Alright, okay—"

But before he could finish his sentence, Mabel tackled him with a hug. "Yes! Thank you!!!" She didn't forget to include Y/n in the embrace, squishing the two of them with her arms. "These two, right here! They're Gravity Falls' number one!"

"Okay, okay, okay, shhh!" Dipper hushed her, turning off the laptop and placing it back in the bag. The three of them made their way out of the library. However, Y/n suddenly felt a shift in the atmosphere. She glanced at the twins, who seemed indifferent, discussing the laptop and the puppet show. But something nagged at her. Consciously, Y/n looked behind her, but all she saw were rows of bookshelves.

"Y/n?" She heard Dipper call for her, and she realized that she was lagging behind. She quickly caught up with them. "What happened?"

"Nothing, I thought I saw something..."

***

As Friday drew closer, Mabel's puppet show was making progress. She had purchased a sufficient number of used socks from the thrift store with her allowance money and had obtained extra fabric from her knitting supplies. Mabel was already skilled in sewing, and she was teaching Y/n, so they had an extra pair of hands to create more puppets. They had even crafted puppet versions of people they knew, including Stan, Wendy, Soos, Candy, and Grenda, all of whom were there to lend a helping hand (except for Stan).

Meanwhile, each night, Y/n and Dipper dedicated themselves to deciphering the password in the twins' bedroom. The walls were plastered with long strips of paper covered in scribbled words, while an open journal rested on a table, illuminated by a black light revealing hidden codes. Despite their tireless efforts, the laptop remained locked. Their determination led to moments where Mabel would find the two of them sprawled next to each other, exhausted and fast asleep.

However, in the early morning hours, before anyone else was awake, Y/n would be roused by the beeping of her watch. She'd silence it after the second ring, tiptoed around Dipper's room, which resembled a chaotic mess, and quietly make her way downstairs to the basem*nt, where Stan patiently awaited her.

She was so tired.

Thursday rolled around, and the group was immersed in the puppet-making process, diligently drying the glue on the sock puppets and crafting various props. As they worked, Mabel enthusiastically shared her vision.

"Alright, everyone, the play is going to be called 'Glove Story: A Sock Opera.' But here's a heads-up: people's eyes will get wet. They'll be crying— from laughing! From how tragic it is," Mabel announced with her signature excitement.

Dipper, on the other hand, struggled with sock puppets glued to his face. He managed to speak despite the predicament. "Yeah, that... um. That sounds great," he said, coughing up some pom poms, his expression less enthusiastic.

Wendy chimed in with a casual shrug. "Dipper, you just have to go along with Mabel's craziness. It's what makes life worth living."

Mabel went to her keyboard, playing a bunch of keys– another talent that Y/n didn't know about. "Puppet boy, puppet boy, you're the boy I–"

"Loooooooove!" Everybody sang with her, while Waddles squeaked.

Stan observed the chaotic scene in the room and decided not to inquire about it, simply shaking his head and moving on.

Later that night, Mabel was nestled under her blankets, surrounded by sock puppets and softly caressing a puppet version of Gabe Benson. She spoke to it with affection, saying, "Soon, Gabe Benson—"

Beep!

"Ugh, wrong password. WRONG, WRONG! UGH!"

Curious, Mabel asked about Y/n's whereabouts, noticing her absence from Dipper's code-breaking session. Dipper, looking weary, explained, "She said she needed to catch up on some sleep, so I let her rest. She seemed really tired..."

Mabel observed Dipper, concern in her eyes. "Well, you look tired too, Dipper," she pointed out. "Don't stay up all night. Last time you got this sleep-deprived, you tried to eat your own shirt."

Dipper's response was a muffled protest as he sucked on his shirt, before he realized what he was doing and spat it out. "Pleh. It's fine, I just need a few more tries."

After Mabel had settled in for the night, Dipper retrieved a jacket from his bag and made his way to the roof, laptop in hand. He sat on the edge with his legs dangling and the laptop on his lap, fingers typing in more possible passwords. Yet, all he received in return were more beeps from the computer.

Frustration took over, and Dipper pounded his fists on the laptop. "Ugh, I can't take that sound anymore," he grumbled, his hands venting his frustration as he muttered, "I. Hate. You. Sound!"

He let out a yawn. "There has to be some shortcut or clue. Who would know about secret codes?"

As Dipper continued to vent his frustration, violent winds suddenly began to swirl around him, leaves and debris swirling in a chaotic dance. He stood up, his heart racing, and glanced around in alarm, a shiver running down his spine. The large moon hanging in the night sky seemed to come alive, an eerie eye creeping around its edge. Unnerving bricks materialized in the air, forming a familiar triangular shape. The colors in the world drained away, leaving a monochromatic and surreal landscape.

Before him stood Bill Cipher, his presence ominous and overwhelming, as if reality itself had warped to accommodate his arrival.

"I THINK I KNOW A GUY."

Bill floated before him, twirling a cane. "Well, well, well. You're awfully persistent, Pine Tree. Hats off to you!" He took his hat off and tilted it, and the entire world followed, tilting sideways as well, Dipper almost falling off the roof. "Did you miss me? Admit it, you missed me."

"H-hardly!" Dipper answered. "You worked with Gideon, you tried to destroy my uncle's mind!"

"Ah, it was just a job, kid. No hard feelings! I've been keeping an eye on you since then," said eye became enlarged as it zoomed towards him. "And I must say, I'm impressed! That stunt you pulled defeating that shapeshifter? Pretty crafty." He slipped away.

"Wait, really?"

"Oh, you deserve a price!" Bill exclaimed. "Here! Have a head that's always screaming." He clapped his hands and a screaming head appeared out of thin air.

Dipper shouted in surprise at the severed head, before kicking it off the roof.

"The point is," Bill began again, "I like you. How's about you let me give you a hint, huh?" He nudged Dipper closer to him. "I only ask for a small—" his voice got low and his hand and eye lit on fire. "-favor in return."

The brown-curled boy stepped back. "Y-you better stay out of my head. I'd never do a favor for you! Don't forget who defeated you last time!"

"Right," the triangle let out a humorless chuckle. "You 'defeated me'. Well, if you ever change your mind, I'll be here for you, ready to make a deaaaal! Hey, here's my impression of you in about three seconds!" He screamed, flailing his arms around.

Dipper woke up from the dream, screaming and flailing his arms around. He stopped, realizing he was back on the roof of the Mystery Shack. He quickly scanned his surroundings, noting with immense relief that the world had returned to its usual colors, and Bill Cipher was nowhere in sight. The soft, warm rays of the morning sun greeted him as they crept over the horizon. It was Friday, and the day of Mabel's sock puppet opera was here.

Y/n turned around from the stove where she was flipping a fresh batch of waffles and saw Dipper shuffling into the kitchen, still looking half-asleep. She offered him a warm smile. "Morning," she greeted, setting aside a plate of waffles for him.

"Woah," Stan said, "Bag check for Dipper's eyes!" He chuckled, but no one laughed with him. "Nobody?" His eyes shifted to her but he only received a glare.

"I'm sorry for not being there last night, Dipper," Y/n said with a guilty expression.

"Dipper, I told you to get some sleep last night!" Mabel scolded with a frown. "Here, wake up with some Mabel Juice." She held up a blender filled with red liquid with various objects floating around. "It has plastic dinosaurs in it!"

Stan grimaced at the drink. "It's like if coffee and nightmares🗝 had a baby! Just eat one of Y/n's waffles. Doesn't taste half bad if I say so myself!"

"Thanks, old man," Y/n replied, placing another perfectly cooked waffle on the plate and slid it onto the table. She was very intricate in getting the right cook of the food so it was bound to taste amazing. She took a piece for herself and started savoring the delicious meal.

"We need to talk," Dipper said before quickly pulling the two girls outside of the kitchen and into the living room. "Okay, listen. Last night, I had a dream with Bill in it."

Mabel paused. "Wait, hold up. The triangle guy?" She held up her fingers around her eye and formed a triangle shape.

"What did he say?" Y/n asked, almost choking in her food. She couldn't help it, but she was curious. Why would Bill visit the both of them in their dreams? Should she tell them of her dream, too?

Dipper explained the dream, "He said he'd give me the code to the laptop if I gave him something." He smugly crossed his arms. "Like I'd actually trust Bill, right?"

Before she could think of what Bill's motives were, Y/n's eyes flitted over to Mabel, who gave an encouraging smile. "Don't worry, bro. Today's the day that the Mystery Trio are back in action. I'll help you crack that code! I've just gotta hand off my puppet stuff to my production crew."

"Production crew?"

Leading the two outside, Mabel introduced them to her production crew, covered in socks.

"We read the script," Candy Chiu adjusted her glasses, "very emotional."

"I cried like eight times!" Grenda expressed.

"Hey, ladies!"A male voice chimed in from behind the group, and they all turned to see Gabe Benson smoothly skating up to them. His blond ponytail swirled in the wind, and he sported his usual attire: black tights and a leotard, complete with his two puppets in hand. Y/n's eyes narrowed with curiosity, unaware of a pair of brown eyes keenly observing her reaction.

"Gabe!" Mabel exclaimed in greeting.

"I was just bladin' by," Gabe said smoothly, "Helps me dry out my ponytail after a shower." He took off the helmet and shook his hair, seeming to be in slow motion. "Ah... oh..."

"Hubbity-bubbity!" Grenda howled.

"메이블이 한테 개이브을 훔쳐와야겠다!"

Dipper shot a disapproving look at their interaction, his eyes briefly flicking towards Y/n, who mercifully refrained from making any comments.

Mabel ran up to the blond. "It's so great to see you! I was just working on the world's greatest puppet show. It has puppets!"

"Your passion is so refreshing, Mabel. Unlike the girl from last night's puppet show," his tone suddenly shifted into one of disgust. "Single stitch on one puppet, and cross-stitch on the other? I was like, "Uh-uh!"" He told Mabel a story that only experts on puppeteer would understand, but unlike Gabe's judgment, Mabel looked lost.

"Cross- huh?"

"Naturally I deleted her off my cell phone contacts list," Gabe said, as if it was a natural thing."

"Naturally?" Mabel held her hands together and laughed nervously.

The puppeteer faced her again with a hopeful smile. "I know you won't let me down, though. Based on what you said the other day, you must be a puppet expert."

"You know, Gabe, you look pretty sweaty," Grenda said, smiling. "You should really take your shirt off. Right? Aren't we all thinking that?"

Gabe put on his helmet again. "Later, ladies." He skated off.

Mabel waited until Gabe had receded into the distance, hidden by a thicket of trees, before she turned back around, her face twisted into an expression of panic, her hands pressed against her cheeks. "GWAAA! We gotta up our game, girls! Did you hear that thing he said about the stitches?!"

"Don't worry, Mabel, your crew can handle it!" Grenda tried to reassure Mabel, holding up a puppet of herself, held by two sticks, but then ripped it. "Oops."

"How many eyes does a face have again?" Candy held up a sock covered in googly eyes.

And as if on cue, the mountain of stuff that Soos was trying to handle, fell over. "I'm not okay!" He shouted.

Mabel screamed. "Okay, I'm back on fabrication," she began to run off back to the Shack with a box full of socks. "Get me my lint roller!"

But Dipper pulled her back. "Whoa, whoa! Hey, you just said you were going to help me and Y/n!"

"Dipper!" Mabel shouted over him. "This sock crisis just bumped up to a code argyle! There's Y/n! She can help you!"

"Mabel, do you seriously think that your random crush of the week is more important than uncovering the mysteries of this town? You're obsessed!"

"I'm obsessed? Look at you! You look like a vampire! And not the hot kind!" Mabel began picking up the socks on the ground and back to the box. "On second thought, Y/n, I need you for—"

"Oh, no. Y/n stays with me," Dipper demanded, pulling Y/n by her wrist.

Mabel stood up again, stomping her feet. "But I need her help or else this puppet show won't be done for tomorrow! Gabe would hate me forever!"

"But I need Y/n to help me with cracking the password. You already have enough hands to help you!"

"Well, let's let Y/n decide for herself," Mabel said, and the twins faced Y/n who looked like she's close to collapsing. "Who are you going to help, Y/n?"

Well, that's the problem.

She wanted to help everybody.

But she couldn't be in two places at once. On one hand, she wanted to help Mabel with the puppet show. She understood how much this meant to her sister – impressing her crush, showcasing her passion and talent. On the other hand, she also longed to spend time with Dipper and work on opening the laptop. She knew how important this quest was to him, satisfying his thirst for uncovering mysteries and secrets.

Dipper, unable to bear the oppressive silence any longer, finally spoke up. "Fine," he declared, his voice tinged with frustration. "You know what? I'll do it on my own!" He stormed off, leaving Y/n torn between following him and giving him some space to cool off. She couldn't help but feel like she had betrayed him in some way.

"Ugh, just forget about him, Y/n. We have to get moving!" Mabel re-arranged all of the sock puppets that she will be using, bringing out the materials such as a paste, buckets of glitter, and googly eyes. Oh dear.

After a few minutes of Mabel's laughter blending with Grenda and Candy's, Y/n decided to leave her be and check up on Dipper. She ascended the stairs leading to the twins' shared bedroom and gently knocked on the door before entering.

Inside, she found Dipper admiring himself in the mirror, a content smile on his face as he flexed his fingers. Y/n called out to him, saying, "Dipper?"

Y/n watched as his neck slowly turned to her, his wide smile unwavering. "Daisy!"

Daisy?

The first thing she noticed was that instead of Dipper's bright brown eyes, there were cold, cat-like irises in their place. Irises she was definitely familiar with. A voice, oh so different from Dipper's, greeted her, saying, "Lovely to see your fleshy face!" It was as though she had stepped into a children's book, becoming a character who wears a red hood and brings pastries to her grandmother.

"You're not Dipper," she managed to say, her voice quivering with unease as she silently pondered her next move. This wasn't Dipper anymore; it was Bill, the same one the boy had warned them about earlier that morning. Dipper had said he wouldn't trust him. Where was he now?

He blinked his eyes, glowing yellow ones. "Ah, always a smart girl you are, Daisy. Would expect from someone working for him."

"Get out of his body, Bill!" She demanded, stepping forward and meeting his gaze.

The height difference was apparent, as Bill-Dipper had to crane his neck slightly upward. "Oh, but why should I do that?" A sly smirk finally crossed his lips as he relished the sensation of being in someone's body. "Pinetree and I made a deal, and every action... has its consequences!" He started slapping himself, the bizarre display unsettling Y/n. "See? I can feel pain!"

He noticed her glaring at him. "Let me wipe that look off your face, sweetheart," he said before delivering a resounding smack to her cheek. However, her expression remained unchanged, seemingly growing even more resolute. "Oh, it didn't work. Let me try again!" He slapped her once more. "Again—"

"Stop!" She stepped back, avoiding his hand. "Where's Dipper! Give his body back!"

"Um, nope! Gotta find that journal first. Race you to the bottom of the stairs!" He let his body fall back and tumbled down the stairs.

Y/n gasped and quickly chased after him. "Hey!" She hurried to the kitchen where she found Dipper opening and closing the fridge. "People soda!" he declared when he found a Pitt Cola, cracking it open and pouring it all over his face. He cackled as the liquid cascaded over his eyes. "Ooh! Fizzy!"

"You're just... gonna stay in Dipper's body forever?" Y/n asked him.

He emerged from the fridge once more, this time clutching a sandwich and a bottle of hot sauce – when had they even stocked hot sauce in the Mystery Shack? "Well, until something happens to it!" Bill gleefully began drizzling an excessive amount of hot sauce onto the sandwich. But instead of eating it, he started to rub it harshly all over his face. "Man, I am loving these senses! Daisy, you must be so jealous right now that I can feel the pain. And you've got your priorities all wrong, kid."

His eyes seemed to be fixated on something else, causing Y/n to glance behind her, wondering if he was addressing someone else. However, there was no one else in the kitchen. "Uh, who are you talking to?"

"Like why waste your time with dumb mysteries when you got this fun body to play with?!"

Bill-Dipper opened a drawer and began reaching inside. He proceeded to slam the drawer onto his arm repeatedly, seemingly unconcerned as his skin turned red. "Where does Pinetree keep that journal anyway?" he taunted. "Huh? Pinetree? Got anything to say?"

He seemed to be talking to the wind.

"Wait, Dipper's here? But I can't see him!"

"Geez, the two of you are talking at the same time, it's actually giving me a headache. Ha! A headache, never felt that, not ever!" He grabbed a handful of forks from the drawer and, without hesitation, threw them at Y/n. Simultaneously, he drove another fork straight toward her shoulder with his other hand.

"Stop being such a nuisance and answer my question!" Y/n effortlessly removed the fork, earning nothing more than a wicked cackle from Bill-Dipper.

"Oh, there you two lovebirds are!" Mabel exclaimed from the doorway of the kitchen. "Dipper! I borrowed your journal to use as a prop in the show. I hope you don't mind. I'm gonna go before you process this sentence, okay, BYEEEE!" Mabel ran off before anyone could process her sentence.

Bill-Dipper grinned widely. "Sure! Sounds great, sister! I'll see you at the show!" He began to dash away before Y/n could grab him back.

"Where do you think you're going?!"

The vest-wearing boy abruptly halted in his tracks, and Y/n couldn't help but notice that he appeared to be talking to thin air again. Perhaps he was communicating with Dipper? "Ha! Welcome to the mindscape, kid!" She heard. "Without a vessel to possess, you're basically a ghost!"

"A vessel?"

"Oh, hey! There you dudes are!"

The two turned around and saw Soos and Wendy walking out from the Shack.

"We're heading to the theater," Soos said.

Wendy smiled, "Need a ride, you two?"

"Oho, anything for you, Red!"

Y/n firmly gripped Dipper by the elbow and forcefully pulled him away. "Oh, I don't think so," she retorted.

"Whoa, come on now, dear. You don't have to be so jealous. I'm just hitching a ride!" Bill-Dipper replied with unsettling smoothness.

Her face flushed with frustration. "I'm not—!" She caught herself before she could explode. "I'm not jealous," she said, and silence hung in the air. Soos and Wendy exchanged a knowing look. "Fine. Go. I'll catch up with you guys later," she forced a smile and watched as they got into the car and drove off.

When they were gone, Y/n found herself alone, stomping around and punching the air in frustration. If Bill had been in his physical form, she would've punched him square in his triangular face.

But then she realized that she might not be alone. "Okay," she took a deep breath. "Dipper, I don't know if you're still here, but if what Bill said is true, then you need to have a vessel. Uh..." She paced around the driveway, her mind racing. "Where could we find a— that's it! Maybe one of Mabel's puppets?"

She sprinted back inside the Mystery Shack and upstairs to the bedroom where some of Mabel's extra puppets lay dormant. "There!" she pointed at a random one. "Maybe you can possess one?"

She waited in silence, watching with close attention, hoping for some sign that Dipper was still there. From her left, directly under Dipper's bed, something moved. A purple owl emerged from under the bed, floating around and flying close to her. It was the stuffed owl that she had given him that day at the fair.

She couldn't stop the smile from appearing on her face. He just had to choose the stuffed owl. "Okay," she chuckled. "Can you say something?"

"Hello?"

The beak opened and closed at Dipper's command, creating a comical sight. It felt like she was conversing with an actual owl, but with Dipper's voice. "Oh my gosh, it really is you," she breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm dying to hear the story of how you stupidly decided to trust Bill but let's put that aside. Right now, we need to stop Bill before he gets his hands on the journal."

Y/n and the floating purple owl raced downstairs and out of the Shack. She scanned the area for a means to get to their destination until Dipper pointed at Mabel's pink bike. Hopping on, she carefully placed the stuffed toy into the basket, making sure its wings were tucked inside. "Are you comfortable?" she asked the animated owl.

"Yeah."

"Okay, let's go!" Y/n exclaimed as she pedaled away. Dipper couldn't help but feel like he'd seen this scene in a movie before, where a group of kids befriended an extraterrestrial being. Eventually, they reached the theater, and Y/n hopped off the bike, watching as the animated purple owl floated out of the basket. She stared at the toy in mid-air.

"What?" Dipper asked.

"People could see you floating around. We need to act as normal as possible." Y/n already had her arms outstretched. "Can I?"

Wordlessly, the stuffed owl fell into her arms, and she held it close. "It's just me and my toy owl. Nothing weird about that, right? Are you—uh, comfortable?" She asked, half-joking and half-serious.

"Um, yeah. Yeah."

Y/n rushed into the theater, scanning the audience that had gathered to support Mabel and her puppet show. Mabel was already on stage, performing her opening song, introducing herself, and professing her love for Gabe amidst the spectacle of smoke, lights, and songs.

"Where the heck is Bill?" Y/n brought her voice down to a whisper.

"I don't know. Where do you think Mabel placed the journal?"

"I don't know either," she replied. "Let's check backstage?"

"Good idea. Come on," Dipper urged Y/n to move quickly, and the two of them dashed towards the backstage area of the theater. They arrived just as Grenda announced the intermission, causing the audience to get up from their seats and mill about. Y/n found herself in a hallway that led to Mabel's dressing room. Without hesitation, she burst through the door, startling Mabel.

The brunette coughed and tried to regain her composure. "Oh, my gosh! You almost gave me a heart attack! Y/n, a little knock would have been nice, you know! Ooh, and you brought Dipper's stuffed owl!"

"Mabel, there's no time—"

"Ah! It can talk?!" Mabel screamed, scrambling away when the owl suddenly floated in front of her.

"It's me, Dipper!" He said, making the beak move. "You need to help us!"

His twin sister eventually recovered. "Wait, what? Dipper?! But you're... so much more of an owl than usual!"

"Mabel, you have to listen," he continued, "Bill tricked me! He stole my body and now he's after the journal!"

"We have to find the journal before Bill destroys it," Y/n added.

"It's the only hope to get me back in my body!"

Mabel reasoned, "But my cue's coming up any minute!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Gabe entered with flowers in his hand, which Y/n thought wasn't possible. "Hey, Mabel, do you have a moment?" he asked.

"Gabe!" Mabel exclaimed, attempting to hide Dipper behind her. Y/n quickly grabbed the owl and hugged it to her chest, trying to appear as normal as possible.

Gabe looked at the braces-wearing girl. "Mabel, it's clear to me now that you really love puppets. I mean, you went whole hog. And if you stick the ending, well, maybe later you could join me for a biscotti?"

Mabel's eyes seemed to sparkle. "You drive a biscotti?"

"What's a biscotti?" Y/n asked.

Gabe's eyes flew over to the girl who asked a question. "Oh, you're one of Mabel's friends, I assume. Good work."

Y/n could feel the owl in her hands wriggling. "Thank you?"

The lights around them flickered on and off, signaling that it was showtime. Gabe turned and made his exit. "I'll be waiting, Mabel," he said with a wink.

When the door closed, Mabel exploded in happiness. "Did you hear that? He loves it! This play has to be flawless. Can't we wait until after the show?"

"Mabel, we don't have time! Bill could find the journal and destroy it!"

"Okay, but can't Y/n do it?" Mabel suggested.

"I don't know where you placed it. And it might take me a lot of time before I locate it," Y/n turned down the offer with a frown.

"Okay, I'll do it. But on one condition," Mabel said, raising a finger. "Take over for me until I get back with the book."

***

Dipper and Y/n reluctantly took the stage, clutching the script that Mabel had given them. After a quick skim of just one page, Y/n already wanted to make a run for it. The curtains were drawn back, and a spotlight illuminated the Mabel puppet, which Y/n was operating. Candy began narrating the next act, singing, "10 years later..."

Y/n cleared her throat to mimic Mabel's voice. "Gabe! You're back from the war!"

Dipper, portraying Gabe, appeared on the stage as a decorated veteran. "Yes, I am! Wanna kiss and sing at the same time?" he said with enthusiasm.

"...Okay!" And the two proceeded to make out, adding kissing sound effects— as it was stated from the script.

"Ugh, seriously?"

Despite their disgust, the audience applauded.

"So, Mabel, now that we're done kissing... there's something I've been meaning to ask you ever since I left for war..." Puppet Gabe with Dipper's low voice said after parting away.

Puppet Mabel gasped. "Oh my gosh! What is it, Gabe?"

"Will you marry me?!"

The lights around them turned pink, and music played. The backdrop transformed into a church as Y/n quickly changed from normal Mabel to Mabel in a wedding dress. Stan, puppeted by Dipper, popped out of the stage.

"I'm giving you away," Stan declared. "You are a woman now! Waddles, the rings!"

The pig squealed, coming into frame with the rings in his mouth.

"Wait, huh?!" Puppet Mabel suddenly spoke, looking up.

Puppet Stan and Puppet Gabe followed, pausing. "Oh no," Stan mumbled.

Suddenly, the cake prop crashed to the floor, sending Mabel and Bill-Dipper tumbling out, fighting over the journal. Laser lights and the fog machine went off. Waddles sprinted away, while Y/n dove in and joined the struggle. Bill-Dipper managed to kick Mabel off of him, momentarily incapacitating her, just as Y/n tried to grab the journal, but Bill-Dipper resisted. "Get out of his body!"

"Oh no!"

"What is happening here?"

"Children fighting!"

Bill-Dipper tripped Y/n off her feet, and when her back hit the floor, he crawled on top of her and began delivering punches. "I don't like that you don't feel pain, Daisy," he taunted between punches. "It's fun being in pain! Fun!" Another punch. "I know you're holding yourself back from hurting me, because you know that I'm in Pinetree's body." He brought down his fist again, but Y/n stopped him, firmly holding his fist in her palm.

"True. I'm not going to inflict pain on you. But you're not a being with no weaknesses like you think you are. You're in a human's body. Dipper's body. And he has weaknesses."

"What do you mean his—?"

"Now, Mabel!"

"Tickle, tickle!"

Bill in Dipper's body began to laugh uncontrollably and fell on the floor beside her. He screamed in horror. "AAAH! Body spasms! What are these?!"

"A little note about the human body– you haven't slept for 24 hours!" Mabel said, running around the stage. Bill-Dipper tried to chase after her. "Also, I got a full night's sleep and I'm on four mega-shots of Mabel juice!"

He tried to match Mabel's energy, but his face was drooping as his steps gradually got slower and sloppier. "Ah! What is this feeling?" He wheezed out. "My body is burning! I can't move these stupid noodle legs! Curse you, useless flesh sticks!" He was seriously going out of it. "Body... shutting down... must... scratch... mosquito bites..."

Y/n and Mabel watched as Dipper's body began to shut down, stumbling around the stage. It took a moment before Y/n slid over on her knees and caught Dipper as he collapsed. After a moment, he opened his eyes again and stood up, feeling alive again. "Yes! I'm in my own body!" He paused, all of his senses coming back to him in an instant. "And it's... just as underwhelming as I remember..." He grimaced, feeling the aches in his body. "Oooh, everything hurts."

Dipper immediately fell on his knees and collapsed back into Y/n's arms again, closing his eyes momentarily. He mumbled, "Can I just stay here forever?"

He might also be delirious from the lack of sleep.

They heard cackling from the other end of the stage, and they saw a puppet version of Dipper talking, "This isn't the last you'll hear of me! Big things are coming! You can't stop me!"

"I'm sorry, Gabe," they heard Mabel mumbling before she brought out a device and clicked the red button that said, "Big Finish".

The pyrotechnics that the puppet was sitting on exploded, sending fireworks shooting into the audience and blowing up the box of puppets. The rest of the fireworks went off in a cacophonous boom, and Mabel gleefully stomped on the Dipper puppet that landed at their feet. As the smoke cleared from the smoldering set, the trio turned to the audience, their faces filled with shock. Some scaffolding crashed to the floor behind them. (Keep in mind, Dipper's head was still on Y/n's lap when they watched everything around them explode.)

"Don't worry," Mabel reassured, "I've seen enough movies to know this is the part where the audience thinks it was all part of the show and loves it. Cue applause!"

Silence fell upon the audience as they fixed their gazes on the trio. Then, a chorus of boos erupted, and disgruntled viewers started to leave the theater, muttering about how they almost died. Gabe, wearing the most pronounced frown, was the last to rise from his seat.

"Gabe!" Mabel called. "Stick around for the wrap party? We got mini-quiches!"

The blond turned away sharply. "Don't speak to me, Mabel. You've made a mockery of my art form." He made his leave. "Let's go, my loves." He walked away, kissing the puppets in his hands.

"Did he just make out with his puppets?" Dipper said slowly from below.

Mabel, who also saw the whole thing, grimaced. "I might've dodged a bullet there."

"개이브 잠깐! 캔디는 아직도 널 사랑해!"

The three watched as Candy ran after him, still in a David Bowie costume.

Dipper struggled to rise, and Y/n immediately assisted him, bearing his weight. No ordinary 12-year-old could maintain their composure after enduring such physical stress. Dipper didn't resist; instead, he leaned on her for support, his arm draped around her shoulders like a makeshift crutch.

"Listen, Mabel," he began, a tinge of guilt in his voice, "I'm sorry about all this. It's all my fault your puppets got ruined."

Mabel remained smiling. "Well, one of them survived," she said, pulling out the Mabel puppet. "And she has something to say to you," she began, moving her hand. "I'm sorry, Dipper. I spent all week obsessing over a dumb guy. But the dumb guy I should have cared about? T'was you! Bap!" She nudged his face.

Her puppet then faced Y/n. "I'm sorry, too, Y/n. I pushed you too hard sometimes. I know you have this superpower, but I didn't consider that you could be tired too. Boop!" She nudged her face.

"Mystery Trio?"

"Mystery Trio."

The three bumped fists, but Dipper gasped in pain as he pulled back. "Ow! What did Bill do to my hand?" He hissed in pain, trying to shake off the discomfort.

"Nothing a little sleep can't fix," Mabel said. "Come on, lovebirds. Let's go home!"

/n and Dipper walked forward, trying to follow Mabel. Dipper was limping, and Y/n was doing her best to support him. "Seriously, I need to go to the hospital," he mumbled between pained steps.

Mabel was almost at the exit when Y/n called out to her. "Mabel, wait! Can you grab the owl for me?"

"Oh, right! Almost forgot." The brunet sprinted off towards her own dressing room.

While she was gone, the two were trying to find a rhythm in walking, as Dipper was still flinching in pain whenever he placed a foot down. "I guess these are the consequences of your actions," Y/n noted, feeling slightly bad for laughing at the situation.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm the dumb one for trusting a mind demon. I got too selfish," he admitted.

"Then he went ahead and used your body for a day for dangerous stunts like, I don't know, throwing himself down the stairs and stabbing his arm with a fork."

"Oh my gosh, I just remembered– ow!" He stopped moving, closing his eyes tightly and trying to shoo the pain away. Y/n looked at him, trying to listen to what he said. "I'm so sorry for hurting you– a lot. I swear, it's not me."

"I know," Y/n tried to dismiss it like it was nothing, and with Dipper, it didn't sit right with him. "Technically you didn't do it, so..."

"But why do I still feel bad about it?" he said.

Y/n remained silent, and the two of them kept moving, albeit slowly, until they reached the exit. Mabel eventually came out from backstage with the purple owl. "By the way, bro, what an adorable move," she commented to Dipper with a playful grin.

"Shut up."

Mabel giggled, waving the stuffed toy around as she dashed out the exit.

"Alright," Y/n suggested after a moment, turning to him. "How about this? Once we get you to the hospital, we can grab some ice cream, and you can fill me in on everything?"

With that, Dipper smiled. "Deal."

***

JQZOBZ TYI UUIVAXDS, R WWPZKA EUEJ

🗝:???

In a sock puppet's warning, heed the call
The triangle demon, don't underestimate at all.
For secrets lurk where shadows fall,
In Gravity Falls, where mysteries enthrall.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 22!

Chapter 22: Into the Unseen!

Chapter Text

"Am I blanchin', girl we blanchin'. I live up in a mansion!"

Soos was sweeping to the beat without a care in the world, raising his hands in the air.

Y/n and Wendy were hard at work replenishing the gift shop's inventory, enduring the tenth repetition of the infuriating song. Y/n was nodding her head to the rhythm, while Wendy, on the verge of frustration, felt like tearing her red hair out. "Ugh! I can't get that terrible song out of my head!" She burst out.

"Oh, you mean "Straight Blanchin'" by 'Lil Big Dawg?" Soos piped up, stopping his chore. "It's the catchiest song of the summer!"

"What is "blanchin"?" Wendy argued, "Rappers can't just make up words!"

He stood his ground. "Rappers are visionaries, Wendy. If they told me to eat my own pants, I would do it."

"Eat your own pants. Eat your own pants, yeah!"

The three glanced at the boombox speechlessly, before Soos' face morphed into one of agreeableness. "Thy will be done, 'Lil Big Dawg." He began unzipping his pants as he hummed.

"No, Soos," Y/n ordered.

"Heh, okay!" he replied with a grin.

The song kept playing, making Wendy turn to Y/n. "Can you hand me a power drill? Because I will literally drill it out of my brain."

"I don't have a power drill at the moment," Y/n replied. "But I have this box cutter!" She enthusiastically provided, showing her the tool with a smile, unaware of the implications of her suggestion.

"Good enough for me."

Stan walked out from the living room, reading a newspaper as he made his way to the register. "Hey, guys," he greeted. As he passed by, the trio heard him sing under his breath, "Am I blanchin', girl we blanchin'. I live up in a mansion..."

Wendy looked exasperated as she shouted, "You too?!"

Stan sat comfortably on the stool, relaxing his shoulders. "It's catchy. Sue me."

Mabel and Dipper suddenly burst through the employees only door, panting. Their expressions were frantic. "Y/n!" Dipper called. "Wendy, Soos! We need to go see Old Man McGucket!"

"That's the first time anyone's said those words," Wendy remarked.

"Is it an emergency?" the handyman asked rather excitedly. "Can I break this glass?!" he pointed at the emergency box containing an ax. Nobody knew how it was installed in the first place, it was just there.

"We'll explain on the way!" Mabel screamed and the gang scrambled their way towards Soos' van, ignoring Stan's calls for them to go back.

While in the vehicle on the way to the junkyard, Dipper slowly began to explain the plan. "Okay, so don't freak out..." he started, taking out the journal. "But Old Man McGucket might be the author of the journals." His brown eyes were fixed on Y/n, closely watching her reaction. She responded with pursed lips, unblinking eyes, and slightly raised brows. Inside the van, there was silence, with only the sounds of the car's engine, Soos' chewing, and Mabel's tongue clicking. Y/n swallowed hard before averting her gaze. Wendy was the first to break the silence, asking, "Uh, Dipper, are you sure it's him?"

"Yeah, I wouldn't have thought that this kooky, deranged old man would write something like the journal," Soos added, turning left, nearing the junkyard.

Y/n stared at the back of his seat, a faint hint of a helpless smile playing on her lips. Oh, he had no idea.

"Guess how we managed to find that one out!" Mabel happily kicked her legs in her seat. "We saw a detail through the glass bottle that Mermando gave me– on the laptop it said that it belonged to McGucket Labs!"

"Wait, what?" Y/n asked. "Maybe you're trying to say that the laptop was manufactured by someone from McGucket Labs."

"But we don't know any other McGuckets than the one living in the dump," Dipper argued. "Unless, you know something, Y/n?"

She clamped her lips shut, realizing she might have divulged too much of her thoughts. A careless slip, Y/n scolded herself. "Never mind," she replied, successfully ending the conversation.

After a while, they reached the junkyard, their destination in their quest to find the familiar hillbilly. At last, they spotted his unique home, a structure ingeniously crafted from assorted scrap materials. As they approached, they witnessed him in the act of shooing away some graffiti-prone teenagers. Upon noticing the approaching gang, he greeted them enthusiastically. "Visitors! Come, come."

Old Man McGucket welcomed them with open arms, insisting they enter his peculiar abode. Y/n observed the man thoughtfully. There was no way Dipper's theory about him being the journal's author could be accurate. Inside, McGucket provided them with a tour of his bizarre surroundings. He even engaged in an eccentric conversation with the person he believed to be in his bathroom mirror. "You're just in time for my hourly turf war with the hillbilly that lives in my mirror!" he bellowed, addressing his own reflection in a bathtub. "Quit starin' at me when I bathe!"

Dipper maintained a stoic expression. "You can drop the act, McGucket. I know you're the author," he declared, unveiling the velvet-covered journal. "You studied the mysteries of this town and wrote this book!"

"Dude, you're the genius Dipper's been searching for all summer!" Wendy added, retrieving the busted up laptop from the backpack and showing it to him.

But McGucket still looked clueless. "Uh, genius? I'm no genius. I've never done nothin' worthwhile in my life."

"Looks like it."

"Y/n."

McGucket continued, "See? E-everybody knows I'm no good to nobody. I can't remember what I used to be, but I must've been a big failure to end up like this."

"But the laptop has your name on it!" Soos tried to convince.

Y/n seized the opportunity to check the insignia on the laptop, which indeed read, "McGucket Labs." However, this didn't necessarily mean it was his personal possession. It was F's laptop. McGucket Labs might have been a long-established company producing such gadgets. It seemed unlikely that someone like him would have created it.

She missed F.

Their hope was slowly dwindling, but Dipper wasn't ready to give up just yet. "What about this book? Are you sure you didn't write it? Take a closer look." Dipper started flipping through the journal's pages, while McGucket watched with a blank expression.

"I told you, I don't recall," the older man insisted. "Everything before 1982 was just a blur. Just a hazy..." His sentence was interrupted when his eyes landed on a specific page of The Blind Eye. The symbol seemed to have triggered him as he began shrieking. "The Blind Eye!" He screamed, "Robes, the men, my mind! They did something!"

"Who did?" Y/n asked, her attention fully focused on his words, especially the mention of 1982. Perhaps this man's mind had indeed been tampered with, and he had been deprived of his true identity. Could he be... him?

"I... oh, I don't recall." McGucket replied, his expression hopeless as he massaged his temples.

"Oh, you poor old man!" Mabel expressed. "No wonder your mind's all–" she blew a raspberry. "You've been through something intense."

"What if McGucket learned something he wasn't supposed to know, and someone, or something, messed with his mind? We've got to get to the bottom of this," Dipper suggested, looking over to Y/n, sending some sort of silent plea.

Everyone seemed to follow his lead, as all eyes were now on her. "Alright," Y/n nodded once at Dipper before turning back to McGucket. "Think, man. What was the earliest thing you can remember?"

He contemplated for a moment, before pulling down a newspaper from the wall adjacent to him. "This is... I think."

Everyone saw the headline that read, "Disoriented Man Found at Museum." The in-line photo was of him looking quite disoriented.

"The history museum!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Then that's where we're going," Dipper declared with a determined grin.

The gang hastily made their way to the car, strapping in and speeding away with Soos at the wheel. McGucket, his white beard ruffling in the wind, rode in the back. The ride to the museum was mostly quiet, apart from Soos singing along to his favorite song, "Straight Blanchin'". The peaceful atmosphere was broken when Wendy, fed up with the repetitive tune, ejected the CD and tossed it out of the car. A silence hung in the air, and Soos gave Wendy a dirty look. She paused for a moment, realizing she might have overreacted. "I'll buy you a new one," she offered

They arrived at the museum, and it was clear that it had already closed for the day. Fortunately, only the main entrance was locked; the casem*nt windows remained accessible, allowing the gang to slip inside with relative ease.

"Here, lemme help you up, girly." McGucket reached down from inside of the museum to the other side, where Y/n was.

"Please don't call me girly," Y/n replied, her tone bemused, but slightly apologetic. Nonetheless, she took the offered hand and hoisted herself up against the wall and through the window. "Thank you."

"Ain't no thang." He slapped his knee.

Weird.

Soos, being one of the first people who were inside, called out, "Hello? Anyone here?"

"Shh!" Y/n warned. "We're not supposed to be here at this time. Try not to make any loud noises."

"Keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious." Dipper whispered, looking around.

Y/n placed her hands on her hips as she turned to the old man. "So your last memory🗝 was here. Anything coming back?"

Before McGucket could answer, Soos' voice suddenly boomed and had everyone's attention. "Guys, look!" He pointed and down the hall, there was a shadowy figure running away as if he was caught red handed.

Immediately the gang went after the guy in the robe, with Dipper shouting "Hey!"

They found themselves a room filled with depictions of eyes. Everywhere they looked, there were irises pupils, corneas, eyes.

Y/n had to narrow her eyes for this one. They were sure that the guy was here, he couldn't have escaped to another room in time. From McGucket's words, he "vanish-ified", so there must've been a secret passage. She touched a fake eyeball, smooth to the hand. She had a fair share with codes and secret doors so there's bound to be a hidden button or deciphered symbols.

"Eh... I feel like all these eyeballs are a-watchin' me," McGucket expressed, unconsciously pushing himself against Y/n and hiding behind her. Instinctively, she wanted to push him away, but she felt him shaking, and now she didn't know what to do. "Protect me, girly."

"I told you not to call me girly—"

She glanced at McGucket, who was standing in the edge of the room, beside multiple sets of eyeballs, big or small, different colored irises. With Dipper's quick thinking, he deduced that the eyes were looking in his direction. He made McGucket step aside, and Y/n had to pull him away to reveal a prehistoric symbol of an eye embedded on a rock. Dipper stepped forward and pushed it in. From behind them, the fireplace was casted aside by some sort of mechanism, and a staircase that leads to below appeared.

"Jackpot!" Wendy exclaimed.

"We'll have to be stealthy," McGucket warned. "I'll hambone a message if there's trouble." He began slapping his arms, legs, and face.

"I have no idea what that means," Dipper replied.

Without wasting any more time, they descended down the stairs, going as quietly as possible. If anyone saw the way McGucket cling onto Y/n, they didn't say anything. Why was he particularly clingy to her today?

They neared a doorway covered with red curtains, and voices were soon heard. They were chanting what sounded like Latin languages.

Y/n parted the curtains slightly, and everyone behind her piled in to watch for themselves. The robed people performed their ritual until what Y/n thought was their leader stepped in and spoke with a deep voice. "Who is the subject of this meeting?"

"This woman," the members brought her out and removed the sack off her face, revealing Lazy Susan. They pulled her over to the chair and cuffed her hands with metal restraints.

The leader had his hands together, facing Lazy Susan. "What is it that you have seen?"

"Speak!"

Susan looked unnerved by the voices around her, but she replied, "Uh, well, uh. I was leaving the diner, and I saw these little bearded doodads! And I was like, 'BWAAA?'

"There, there." The main guy replied in faux comfort, going over to open the box they pointed at earlier in their chant. It was a ray gun. The members all pulled down their hoods. "You won't be like 'BWAAA?' for much longer.

"What is that gizmo?" Susan wondered aloud. "It looks like a hair dryer. Are you guys barbers?"

Those were the last words she uttered before it was replaced by a horrifying scream as she was zapped by the gun. He stopped blasting, she stopped screaming, it was silent.

"Lazy Susan!" The leader turned around as if he just did the coolest stunt ever. "What do you know of little bearded men?"

Her voice sounded robotic, monotonous "My mind is cleared thanks to the Society of the Blind Eye!"

Everyone raised their hands as they chanted, "It is unseen!"

Susan was eventually escorted away. "Your memories will be safe with us, buried in the Hall of the Forgotten." The leader extracted a tube from the memory erasing gun and wrote her name on it. He walked towards a wall where it had a pipe attached to it. He let the tube get sucked and it flew through the duct, towards the assumed Hall of the Forgotten.

They adjourned their meeting, now talking casually with one another. They eventually dispersed, saying "Unsee you later", and the room was empty, meaning the coast was clear.

Dipper signaled the group to go into the room, and instantly, he went directly for the ray gun, carrying it. He didn't notice Y/n now lagging behind, looking like something was on her mind.

Her eyes glanced at the gun in Dipper's hand, her brain feeling a little itchy. To think that this sort of mechanism existed, its purpose was to erase a particular memory. Y/n might consider it a good addition to science to help traumatized individuals erase a bad memory, but falling into the wrong hands... she didn't want to imagine the power that someone holds.

It looked so... familiar. Why is it so familiar?

"A secret society of evil mind erasers..." Dipper said. At least he also agreed that it was an evil organization. He turned to McGucket. "I'll bet they erased your memory a long time ago. If we could find where your memories have been hidden, it could be the key to unlocking all the mysteries of Gravity Falls."

And with that, he constructed a plan.

"Alright. Soos. You, me, and McGucket are gonna go find the Hall of the Forgotten. Wendy, Mabel, and Y/n are gonna stay here and make sure those robe guys don't come back." He paused for a second, glancing at her. "Unless... Y/n wants to come with us?"

"Oh, no," Wendy interjected, pulling on the girl's arm. "You already called the shots, Dip. Y/n stays. It's a girl's club."

Mabel laughed when she saw Dipper looking speechless. "Yooo!" she sounded, feeling slightly bad for her brother, but she was also amused by the entire spectacle.

Y/n gave Dipper an apologetic smile. "Guess that's that," she shrugged. She was fine with whatever, though she much preferred staying and inspecting the ray gun more closely.

"Fine," he huffed. "Let's go."

Soos found himself too close to the pipe, causing his hat to get sucked inside and flew off in a direction.

"Follow that hat!" Dipper exclaimed, and the three sprinted off.

And that left Y/n, Mabel, and Wendy. The two girls sat on the stone floors, while the other was standing by the opened chest with the memory gun on it. She took the device in her hands, the metal cold to the touch. She spun it around, trying to identify the parts that made up the gun. The more she stared at it, the more she was confident she saw it before... and being used on someone– prior to the one she saw them using it on Lazy Susan.

With her other hand, she scrolled through the wheel, making letters appear on the screen. From her twisting, she formed words like "dream", "fun", "reality", before she stopped it, placing it back in the chest.

"I just don't get it, Wendy," Mabel groaned out just as Y/n regrouped with them. "I hug a lot, I can burp the alphabet, I have scratch and sniff clothing. Why does every boy leave me?"

"Pfft, who cares? Boys are the worst," Wendy replied, "You shouldn't get hung up, man."

"Maybe I come on too strong, you know?" the brunette shot back.

"Well, what's your opener? Come on–" Wendy slapped Y/n's shoulder playfully. "Pretend Y/n is a boy."

The redhead glanced at her and Y/n stared back just as blank. Wendy raised her eyebrows as if she was waiting for her move. "What?" she asked. "What do I do?"

"Act like a boy. Duh."

Y/n huffed. "Fine." she cleared her throat, trying to come up with a decent greeting. She made her voice lower. "Yo."

Mabel immediately jumped up to her feet and screamed at her face. "HI! I'M MABEL! I'M TWELVE AND OWN A PIG! WANNA GET MARRIED?!"

The faux boy's face morphed into confusion and horror. Before she could utter a word, Wendy laughed from beside her. "Honestly, that was perfect!"

Perfect?!

"You should just forget about guys, Mabel," Wendy added.

It seemed like a lightbulb appeared on top of the brunette's head, and Y/n already feared for what her idea could be. "Wendy, that's it. Forget about guys!" She dashed towards the chair and sat on it before anyone could say anything. She picked up the memory gun. "I just need to type 'summer romances' into this thing, and I won't feel bad about them anymore.

The two followed, but Y/n looked a little more frantic. "Mabel, be careful with that."

"Yeah, Mabel," Wendy looked uncomfortable this time, "We don't even know what that thing does. You could accidentally erase, like, learning to read, or breathe, or..."

Y/n agreed, the thought not even coming to mind.

"Or..." Mabel interjected, "one of those terrible summer songs you can't get out of your head?"

Wendy raised her eyebrows, going silent. And from that, Y/n knew that Wendy had gone completely to the other side, leaving her alone to convince both of them otherwise.

Meanwhile, the three boys who were on another more serious mission found themselves in the Hall of the Forgotten, memory tubes that were stacked all around them could already reach the ceilings. They began their search for McGucket's memories, the clink clank sounds that the glass tubes reproduce were the only sound they heard in the midst of their search.

They saw memories that belonged to people that they met, people that they knew. One of them was Robbie Valentine, and upon watching the memory tube from an old-timey TV that can seemingly read memory tubes, they discovered that the teen was abducted after the event with Rumble McSkirmish. His memories must've been erased after that.

Even so, Dipper hasn't solved the puzzle yet. He still didn't understand the motives of the society.

"Lookie, fellers!" McGucket called them over, pointing at a statue with memory tubes properly organized around it. "It's those words what people call me!"

Dipper and Soos walked over to the older man and upon closer inspection, they saw one memory tube sitting atop of the statue that was labeled as "McGucket Memories". They expressed their excitement, as McGucket climbed atop and easily grabbed the tube from its spot— unaware of the alarm attached at its rear, to which it began beeping.

Meanwhile, Mabel was continuing her plan, having successfully typed 'summer romances' on the gun without prior knowledge in how to use the wheel.

In her last attempt in changing the brunette's mind, Wendy urged, "I don't know, Mabel. Do you really think this is a good idea?"

"ALL IDEAS ARE GOOD IDEAS!"

Before she could shoot herself with the gun, an alarm above the trio suddenly beeped rapidly, the light blinking red. "Oh, no." Y/n muttered. "We have to hide! Quick!"

They were too late, as the men in robes flooded inside and quickly surrounded them, giving them no space to escape. They went ahead and apprehended them, but the girls weren't about to go down without the fight. They screamed and thrashed against their grip, but it was all fruitless and insignificant as they were inevitably tied against the stoned post.

Eventually, another set of the robed men emerged from the other room, Dipper and Soos in their hold. They were also tied up, with no hope of moving. But Y/n noticed that McGucket wasn't with them. Perhaps he managed to get away? She thought of the chance that the older man would save them, but judging his demeanor and insane behavior, he might as well have upped and left the museum, leaving her helpless.

Y/n found herself in the middle of Mabel and Dipper, who were busy writhing against the ropes. "You guys shouldn't waste your energy. It's hopeless."

"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?!" Dipper exclaimed angrily out of panic. "They could seriously erase our minds!"

"And right you are, boy," the leader spoke aloud, crouching down and taking away the memory tube that was in Dipper's hands. "You shouldn't have come here. We do not give up our secrets lightly."

They momentarily stopped moving as they glared at the hooded man. "Who are you, bathrobe-wearing freaks?!" Wendy spat. More other questions were from the twins and Soos. Y/n remained quiet as she had to concentrate, but she too had the same inquiry.

"Well, I suppose we are going to erase your minds anyway," he shrugged, before turning around and gave the other members the go signal to reveal their identities. It was a group consisting of people that they already knew; Toby Determined, Bud Gleeful, That Farmer Guy, and Creepy dude who married a woodpecker. Him. Too.

But Y/n's eyes were transfixed at their leader. Somehow, weirdly enough as it is, she was familiar with the man's voice. There was that feeling again; familiarity. She had always found herself in the particular situation for the whole day now. "And you never met me before..." the leader spoke, fingers on the hem of his hood. "And if you had, you wouldn't remember!"

Her senses returned with even greater intensity. The most striking feature that immediately drew her attention was the peculiar tattoos covering his bald head. With a click, recognition hit her—this was the young carny from the day Y/n, Ford, and F visited the carnival! She couldn't forget the emotional moment when he tearfully shared his story about being bullied because of his head tattoos.

So, ha. Take that, tattoo guy. She does remember.

"I am Blind Ivan," he introduced himself. "And we are the Society of the Blind Eye! Formed many years ago by our founder... our founder..." he faltered, looking flushed. "Does anyone remember who he was?" He turned to his group.

Bud gave him a sheepish smile as he shrugged apologetically. "We've been usin' that ray on our own brains an awful lot."

"But why would you do all this?" Dipper asked from beside her, "What do you have to gain?"

She also had that question in mind, along with many others.

Blind Ivan brought his hands together as he strung up together the origin story of their organization. "As you have no doubt discovered, Gravity Falls is a town plagued with supernatural strangeness. No one knew how to stop the things that went bump in the night, so our founder invented the next best thing: a way for us to forget. We took it upon ourselves to help the troubled townsfolk by erasing the memories of the strange things they've seen. Now the people of Gravity Falls go about their lives ignorant and happy, thanks to us. And as a perk, we help ourselves forget things that trouble us."

Despite his explanations and the partial clarity they brought, new questions sprouted in their minds. If the Society of the Blind Eye aimed to assist the troubled townsfolk by erasing memories of the supernatural, why hadn't they targeted Dipper, Mabel, or even her? She had encountered and interacted with the supernatural, being supernatural herself. She hadn't witnessed men in red robes roaming around at night, but then again, she wasn't typically outside the Mystery Shack after dark.

Maybe the Society of the Blind Eye was incompetent that they couldn't target anyone. Maybe they only have eyes for people who display signs of trauma. Maybe they have a checklist to follow.

Or, someone could be protecting them from the inside.

But as Y/n's eyes swept across each member's faces once again, no one could have done it. She couldn't think that someone like Bud Gleeful would protect them from the Society.

"Don't you see? This is ruining lives!" Dipper argued, sounding exasperated. "What about Old Man McGucket? He lives in a hut and talks to animals thanks to you! Don't you feel bad about that?"

For a moment, Blind Ivan faltered, frowning slightly. "Eh... Maybe a little..."

...and then he zapped himself with the gun.

"But not anymore."

"Oh, that's gross." Y/n commented.

Ivan ignored her and tampered with the weapon, typing something in. "You won't be telling anyone else what you've learned here. Say goodbye to your summer." He slowly stepped forward, aiming the gun at the entire gang.

"Uh, guys? If we're gonna forget everything, I got some stuff I wanna get off my chest," Soos rambled, "Mabel, for half the summer, I thought your name was Maple, like the syrup. No one corrected me!"

Mabel followed, "I only love some of my stuffed animals, and the guilt is killing me!"

"Sometimes I use big words so I could impress someone but I don't actually know what they mean. I mean, I'm supposed to be the smart guy. If I'm not the smart guy, who am I?!" Dipper prattled.

"Okay, I'm not actually laid back," Wendy added. "I'm stressed, like 24/7! Have you met my family?!"

Eventually, all eyes were on Y/n. And it was quite awkward when the room was silent after spouting so many confessions. Even the members of the Society seemed to be waiting. "What?" She said, looking up at the eyes of Blind Ivan.

"Well? Don't you have a secret to tell, too?"

She couldn't help but smile at that. She would take her secret to her grave.

Her eyes traveled behind the man. "Wait, what is Lazy Susan doing back here?"

They took the bait, spinning around, causing her grin to broaden. Concealed in her jacket's pocket, she swiftly cut the final rope with a hidden box cutter. With the agility of a martial artist, she executed a kip-up, propelling herself to a standing position and expertly disarming Blind Ivan by kicking the gun out of his grip.

He shouted as he was about to make a run for the gun, when all of a sudden a mining pan came flying out of nowhere like a frisbee and hit him square in his bald head. "Owie!"

Rushing in from the adjacent room, McGucket sprinted past Ivan, catching the other members off guard. Wielding his pickaxe, he effortlessly sliced through the ropes restraining his friends. "I raided the mining display for weapons," he declared, pushing a garbage can filled with tools in their direction. "Now fight like a hillbilly, fellers!" He then grabbed a shovel and hurled it at Y/n, who deftly caught it.

Wendy opted for the banjo, Dipper grabbed a stuffed raccoon, Mabel chose a mallet, and Soos went for the informational display about dysentery. "Oh, nobody better mess!"

Ivan recovered soon enough, pointing at the gang. "They know too much! Don't let them escape!"

The Society members closed in on them, but they were swiftly defeated with the weapons provided by McGucket. Y/n skillfully used the shovel to incapacitate them, ensuring minimal harm. She just aimed to escape the situation.

Dipper noticed McGucket's memory tube and moved to retrieve it. As the red guys targeted him, he hastily sent it through the transport tube to Mabel. However, Sprott the Farmer Guy intercepted it before her. Fortunately, Mabel redirected the closest transport tube toward him, catching his robe and tearing it off, leaving him in his underwear.

The shock made him throw the tube away, focusing on the fact that he wasn't wearing anything under his robe.

The view seemed to have stunned the group, so much so that Ivan managed to snatch the memory gun from Soos. "Give me that tube." He told Dipper.

But the brunet was relentless, sending the tub into another transport tube. The two watched it zoom before they broke into a sprint, chasing it.

"That memory belongs to McGucket!" Dipper yelled.

"The Society's secret belongs to us!" Ivan retaliated, gaining speed than the younger boy. The tube reached the end of its tunnel, landing on a pile of other memory tubes. At the last minute, Ivan stretched out his legs under Dipper making him trip, getting ahead of the boy.

But before he could reach for the bottle, someone beat him to it.

Immediately, Ivan aimed the gun at Y/n, who was hugging the memory close to her chest. She was frozen as she realized that one pull of the trigger and her memories would be gone forever. How ironic that she was willing to jump and take a bullet from a real gun but when it comes to this particular gun, she was genuinely terrified.

"Give me that tube," Ivan demanded.

"No, it doesn't belong to you!" Y/n answered, stepping back.

He stepped forward, cornering her, the gun shining in the warm light. "Don't make me use this on you, little girl."

He doesn't remember me.

Of course he doesn't. He probably used that gun on him more than she drank coffee in the last 30 years. And that's a lot.

She stood her ground, eyes unwavering despite the fear coursing through her veins. "You might scare me, but you won't control me," she retorted, defiance cutting through her trembling voice.

"You left me no choice," he hissed, the words dripping with malice as he tightened his grip on the gun, the bulb now sparkling with a blue hue.

Dipper stretched his arm, but it was hopeless knowing that she was out of reach.

"NO—!"

Y/n closed her eyes as she waited for her memories to flush down the drain. Her identity would be erased, she would forget her friends, she would forget Stan, the portal wouldn't be completed, and she'll never see Ford again.

ZAP!

She heard Dipper and her friends gasp, making her slowly open her eyes. Her memories were still intact, she was untouched, because she wasn't zapped by the memory gun. McGucket stood in front of her, bravely facing the leader of the society. "You..." Y/n began, staring at him with empathy in her eyes. Her voice faltered, her composure beginning to fail her. "You took a bullet for me..."

No one did that before.

Another zap rained down on McGucket, hitting him straight on the forehead. "Oh my gosh!" Y/n exclaimed, placing a hand on his elbow concerningly. "Are you okay?!"

He merely blinked.

Then a smile erupted from his face, he looked normal– as normal as he could be. "Okay as I'll ever be!" He cheerfully replied, swinging his arms around. He cackled, inching towards Ivan.

"What?!" Dipper breathed.

Ivan shot the gun every time he shouted the words. "Why... isn't... this... working?!"

"Hit me with your best shot, baldy!" McGucket retaliated, still walking towards him. "But my mind's been gone for thirty-odd years. You can't break what's already broken!"

30 years.

Suddenly that caught her attention.

The old man finally got in front of him even with the multiple attempts of erasing his mind. MgGucket slapped the gun from Ivan's hand, sending it far from him. "Say good night to Sally!" He headbutted Ivan, knocking him out.

Y/n was then surrounded by the gang, relieved and happy that she was safe. But Dipper was the most ecstatic.

Eventually, they got the members tied up like the way they were binded before. Ivan eventually came to his senses, realizing the situation he was in. "Unhand us!"

"It isn't so fun being tied up, is it?" Mabel taunted, pointing at him. She brought out a sharpie, waving it around. "Hey, wanna draw on their faces?"

She proceeded to draw on Ivan's face, doodling all over his tattoos.

They looked seriously angry. "We'll have our revenge. We'll never forget what you've done!"

He fell into a trap with that one as Dipper typed into the memory gun, 'Society of the Blind Eye'. "I think you just might. Say cheese!"

Struggling against the ropes proved futile, and Dipper, using the memory gun, erased their recollections of the Society. Confused, they blinked, scanning the museum with no recognition. The group freed them and led them toward the exit, bathed in the pink hues of the evening sunset.

In a hurry, they concocted a fabricated story to tell the members, providing an explanation for their presence in the museum. "Thanks for visiting the Museum for Gold Miner Appreciation Night! Be sure to tip the gold miner on your way out," Dipper proclaimed, positioned next to McGucket, who held up his hat.

Each member wore blank faces, but accepted the information nonetheless. As Y/n had foretold herself, the people in Gravity Falls are gullible as a bunch of lambs.

Ivan was the last to come out, massaging his head. He paused in his step, turning to the two. "I'm sorry, but... what's my name?"

Dipper had the decency to feel guilty. "Oh... might have overdone that one." He scratched his chin in curiosity.

Thankfully Mabel came out and easily came up with a story. "Your name is Toot-toot McBumbersnazzle. You're a traveling banjo minstrel, with a song in your heart, and funny tattoos on your head."

In a blink of an eye, Toot-toot accepted his newfound identity. He began playing the bango Mabel handed to him. "Yes. I am Toot-toot McBumbersnazzle. Cheers!"

He walked away, with a little bit of pep in his step, as he sang his name.

The three eventually went back to the underground room, specifically the one with a bunch of memory tubes and the TV that shows them the memory.

"All right, McGucket, are you ready to see your memories? Find out who you really are?" Dipper asked, facing him.

The older man looked hesitant, looking down. "I'm not so sure. What if I don't like what I see?"

"We've come all this way," Mabel urged on, nodding. "Go on!"

Y/n found herself at the back of the crowd, nervously picking at her cuticles. The objective of today's adventure was to retrieve McGucket's memories and determine if he was indeed the author of the books — a question already answered in her mind. While the gang focused on that mystery, she grappled with a different concern.

Was he the guy who Ford called? Was he the guy who loved beans his whole life? The guy who had been nothing but sweet to her, who would always manage to solve a Cubic's Cube within seconds.

The screen fizzled.

And he was.

There, looking exactly like the guy Y/n had missed. It felt like taking an ice bath from how cold the room got all of a sudden. The guy on the TV introduced himself as 'Fiddleford Hadron McGucket', making her realize that the F could've stood for Fiddleford this entire time.

As he talked, her eyes scattered around the background of the video. There was the familiar graph of the probability of failure with a sketch of the portal stuck on it. Scribbles of formulas were to his left. "For the past year, I've been working as a helper for a visiting researcher and his assistant. Those two have been cataloging their findings about Gravity Falls in a series of journals. The researcher thought of a machine having potential to benefit all mankind, and I helped them build that. But something went wrong."

Something went wrong?

"I decided to quit the project," Fiddleford continued, "I really wanted to bring the assistant with me in hopes of saving her from that... from that monster, but I... I was simply too scared. But I lie awake at night, haunted by the thoughts of what I've done. I believe I have invented a machine that can permanently erase these memories from my mind." He then held up the memory-erasing gun and began typing with the wheel. "Test subject one: Fiddleford."

He placed the bulb against his head and pulled the trigger, extracting the memories. The screen went static and it fast-forwarded to him smiling.

"It worked; I can't recall a thing!"

Static. His lab was in disarray.

"I call it the 'Society of the Blind Eye'. We will help those who want to forget by erasing their bad memories!"

Static.

"Today, I came across a colony of little men, very disturbing. I would like to forget seeing this." He used the ray again.

Static.

"I accidentally hit another car in town today. I feel terri-bibble! T-terrible. I've been forgetting words lately. I wonder if there are any negative side effects to-"

Static.

"I saw something in the lake, something big!"

Static.

"My hair's been a-fallin' out, so I got this hat from a scarecrow. Hey, are my pants on backwards?"

Static.

The final clip was of the man who once was, looking wild-eyed, finding himself in a junkyard. He was maniacally giggling and speaking gibberish. "Yroo Xrksvi! Girzmtov!"

Static.

Everyone stood in silence as their eyes lingered on the TV producing static in a dimly-lit room. The gang let McGucket take it all in, speechless.

The older man wordlessly took the tube out of the container, staring at it. Mabel was the first one who broke the silence. "I'm so sorry, McGucket."

No one said anything when heavy footsteps were drawn towards McGucket. No one said anything when she didn't say anything. And no one said anything when she suddenly pulled McGucket into a hug.

She didn't realize that she was crying until she felt her body slightly shaking as she tried to control her sobs. Just how tragic did the portal test go? Was it even a success? Was that why he already left when she woke up? She felt so frustrated because she couldn't remember anything. And that only made her cry out more.

McGucket's voice brought her out of the water, which was still not helping. This was the same man who would cheer her up when she's sad, who would always listen to her stories, who would take the effort to memorize her coffee preference. "There, there, girlie."

And it was more frustrating when she realized that he didn't even know the reason for the way she acted. He was comforting her just because he wanted to and he's genuinely a kind, kind person deep down.

How frustrating.

She also came to realize that they were probably hugging for too long now. She parted, immediately avoiding their eyes. She didn't have to look at them to know that they might be looking at her weirdly. She had to give them an explanation quickly, or they'll notice. "I was... moved by his story," she tried to explain, sniffling. Her voice was so shaky and breathing was short. "I-I – I thought I could give him a hug as comfort."

"It's alright," McGucket understood, of course he does. "McGucket After all these years, I finally know who I am. Maybe I messed up in the past, but now that I see what happened, I can begin to put myself back together again."

He then hamboned a message, something they couldn't understand.

How did he go from a local hillbilly that she could care less about to a significant man that potentially changed her life in one blink of an eye?

"Still don't know what that means," Dipper shook his head playfully in response to the hambone. "So, wait. You weren't the author, but you worked with him. Do you remember who he was?"

A louder sob resounded from the side.

Mabel hurriedly came over to Y/n and massaged her back gently, hushing her cries.

McGucket insisted that he needed more time, while discovering an abandoned reading glasses for himself.

In a second, Y/n was done being emotional in front of everyone. That was enough oversharing for one day, she believed. So, cleaning her face of tears and insisting that she was finally alright convinced Mabel and eventually stepped back from her.

"Are you okay?" Dipper asked.

"I will be," she smiled. It was the truth. She wasn't fine; they knew that, she knew that. But she will be fine. She will be okay.

***

[ROLL CREDITS]

Y/n and Dipper had McGucket sit in between them, the journal in his hands. He was flipping through the pages, trying to remember. "It's all so familiar. It's almost like I can remember..." he reasoned.

"You don't have to force yourself, M–..." she trailed herself, not knowing how to address him. It suddenly felt so weird trying to use his last name when she wasn't used to it.

Dipper held the memory gun close to his chest. "Come on, man. I need some answers here. Anything about the author? Surely you guys are best friends or something. What about the assistant? You said in the tape that you wanted to save her from a monster or something."

"What exactly happened?" Y/n asked as well, being curious herself. She was also having a hard time recalling.

"I– Gosh, I must've used that gun on me more times than I could remember how to count." He scratched his head, never looking so helpless.

The two on his side exchanged glances with one another, not knowing what to say.

***

"Hey, there you are," Stan spoke as she made herself known in the basem*nt. "Where have you been? You were probably out there having some fun with the kids while you left me here by myself!" He wanted to tease her, his holster of nicknames were already aimed at her, ready to shoot.

But she wasn't responding to any of them.

He knew that look. He knew what it meant when she sat that way on her chair. He knew what it meant when she despondently placed her head on her arms on the table. He knew what it meant when sniffling sounds came out of her instead of snide remarks.

Without prodding her for whatever she may have come across on her adventure, he let her be and continued working.

Poor girl's got a lot on her mind.

***

***

GRHSZJ FLQ AVQEESS, CCF MF OIGEI
🗝: ???

In the Society's shadow, where memories decay,
A silent sorrow, where emotions sway.
For in the enigma of forgotten dreams,
A reunion bittersweet, in silent streams.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 23!

Chapter 23: The Woodstick Festival

Chapter Text

Stan Pines is not the guy you would go to if you need advice, legal advice.

But in Y/n's case, she had nowhere else to go. Because who else would understand her situation?

"It was him, Stan," she brushed away tears, but they kept flowing. It felt like a dam had burst, and the emotional flood would take time to subside. "Ford's colleagues, his friend. The smartest inventor I know."

Stan didn't believe it at first. "McGucket? Smart?" He thought the two words didn't belong in the same sentence. He was lounging back on his chair as he fiddled around with the bottleneck in his hands. "Maybe you're hallucinating," he said to which he received a pointed glare in return. "Hey, I'm just saying. An underground society? Gas chambers might be-a leakin'."

"Oh, come on. You don't seriously think that?" Y/n's tone was angry. She couldn't believe Stan would be undermining her feelings.

"Okay, I was joking," he raised both his hands in surrender. "Continue on with your story."

"I guess my point was... he didn't really leave Gravity Falls after the portal test. I don't remember him flaking that day, he showed up. But why didn't I remember anything after the portal test? Why didn't I remember him saying goodbye?"

She looked at Stan who could only give a helpless shrug, and that was the only answer he could give her; he didn't know. Y/n sighed. "Forget it," she tightly closed her eyes after realizing what she said. Too soon.

Stan stared at her expression morphing into something of regret. He cleared his throat, trying to arrange his thoughts, trying to think of an appropriate reply.

"I can't believe the way I treated this guy. I thought he was the local cuckoo clock, a crazy man. I couldn't care less about him," a sob wrecked through her, making her run her hands through her hair in frustration. "Ugh, I'm such an– idiot! Stupid!" She hit her head one time. "Stupid! Why hadn't I seen it before?!" She hit her head two times.

Before she could hit herself for the third, Stan reached over and stopped her hand. "Hey, stop that! Right now!" His tone was gruff, berating. "You shouldn't do that."

"Doesn't matter. I don't get hurt." But she stopped, anyway. Her eyes remained downcast.

Stan sighed. "Look, kid, life's full of surprises, and most of 'em ain't pleasant. McGucket's seen his share of twists and turns, but sometimes that's just the way the cookie crumbles. We can't change the past, but we can decide what we make of the present. So wipe that gloomy look off your face and let's focus on what's ahead. Dwelling on what's behind won't do you any good."

He stood up, opting to place his large hand on top of her head. "In the meantime, you can clear your head with the twins. I bet they're planning to go out with their friends today. Go on, I'll handle this one."

"You sure?"

"No big deal," Stan waved a dismissive hand, looking smug. "Go, before I change my mind."

Y/n did what he said, deciding to follow his advice. Stan Pines was not the right person to go to for advice, but he was the only one who understands.

They both know who's the right person who could answer her question, and this was the only way they'll get him back. Someday.

"Woah! That cloud looks like a chipmunk!" Mabel pointed towards the cloud that was shaped like the animal, an airplane flying through its mouth.

To which Wendy immediately countered," Barfing an airplane!" Everyone laughed with her.

The moment Y/n walked out of the vending machine, the twins caught her just in time and invited her outside just like Stan said. They were supposed to meet Wendy and her friends and hang out around the town. She accepted their invite, and now the three found themselves laying on the green grass of the cemetery, watching the clouds pass by them.

Thompson decided to throw in his attempt, pointing at a waffle-shaped cloud. "Uh, that cloud looks like uh... a cloud!"

His friends immediately shut him down, booing him. "What?!" Lee exclaimed in exasperation.

"Thompson, stop being the worst at everything!" Wendy jested, and the others joined in at making fun of the poor boy, their laughter blending together perfectly.

Dipper glanced at the person laying beside him, whose face could rival a canvas from how blank it was. Her eyes were fixated on the clouds, but she never looked so lost staring at it. He noticed that she never laughed at any of the jokes, not even a smile.

That bothered him.

"Oooh! That cloud looks like a big heart-shaped balloon!" Mabel's squeal took him out of his thoughts as he followed Mabel's finger, pointing what she thought was a cloud.

Dipper sat up, debunking her assumption. "Clouds don't come in colors; that is a balloon!"

"Oh, dude!" Wendy sat up next, looking excited. "It's The Woodstick Festival!"

Oh. Y/n thought internally when she heard the redhead's words, realization sinking in. It was indeed The Woodstick Festival, and she completely forgot. Stan was completely afraid of the free-loading, kale-munching freak shows that appear every year that he closes the Shack against any trespassers that might have ulterior motives.

Seeing that she was already in the cemetery and not the Mystery Shack, she figured she'd just stay here and relish in the summer air. Stan can handle those hippies all by himself.

"Wait, the Wood-what?!" Dipper looked extremely confused, having never heard of the name before.

Wendy began to explain. "It's this annual outdoor concert featuring Oregon's up and coming indie bands." She reached over Tambry and forcefully took her phone, making the goth girl shout in protest. Wendy quickly searched up the featured artists in the event. "They're all coming! Scarves Indoors, Wood Grain on Everything, the Love God! You've probably seen him in that viral video."

They watched the Love God's pathetic attempt at being cool, only to fail miserably. "Whoa! Like a real concert concert?" Dipper marveled. "I've, uh... I've never actually been to one of those before," he sheepishly admitted, rubbing his elbow.

"That's because you've never had an awesome crew to roll with before!"

From their right, the rest of the 'crew' were urging Thompson to lick a dirty sponge they randomly found by the graves. They were chanting, "Lick that sponge! Lick that sponge!" And with the encouragement, he simply gave the scrub a devious lick, causing the group to burst in laughter.

"What about you, Y/n?" Wendy turned to the girl still laying on the ground, looking like a withered leaf. "The spot for one more member is always open," she tried to cheer her up.

"Thanks for the offer," she replied after a moment. She didn't like looking vulnerable in front of anybody, so without wasting more time, she decided to suck it up and suppress her demotivation.

"You're coming, right?" Wendy asked her. "Your sister used to watch the annual concert with us. I feel like you'll have a good time."

At that, Y/n couldn't help but let out a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her neck shyly. "Oh yeah, I remember her saying that the indie bands were always good every year, but sure! I'll go! I wanna see it for myself!" She quickly came up with a lie. She didn't expect Wendy would remember her 'sister', but it was just another example of proving Stan's underestimation wrong again.

All of a sudden, loud groaning was heard from a distance, disrupting the peace of the local cemetery. The gang looked shaken, glancing at their surroundings. Another groan and a flock of ravens chirped and flew away from branches.

"Ghost-y sounds!" Mabel expressed, as she began shaking Dipper around in response to fear, ruffling his hat off. "Cemetery ghost-y sounds!"

Wendy was the first to stand up, and the others quickly followed. "It's coming from that open grave," she motioned towards the rectangle hole on the ground, estimated to be 6 feet below the ground line. It's like it was dug for a coffin, only the casket was nowhere to be found. The hole was just left discontinued.

The gang lined together in front of the open grave, staring at it, waiting for what's to happen. But nothing's gonna happen unless someone looks over it, right?

"You look!"

"No, you look!"

"Thompson! Go look," Dipper's voice cut between the two rascals, and they grinned, Nate praising Dipper's use of Thompson.

Lee pushed the guy towards the grave, as Nate began to chant, "Gaze upon death! Gaze upon death!"

The others followed, as Y/n had her arms crossed against her chest. The terrified teenager took a bold step forward, and another– until he broke into a screaming fit. "I- I can't do it, guys! I'm scared!"

"Come on, Thompson! Just look at it!"

Without words, Y/n found herself a medium-sized rock next to her feet. She bent down and picked it up, sizing it up in her hand before coming up with an idea. She rolled the rock around her palm until she finally made the decision— and threw the rock towards the grave, hitting someone straight in the chest.

"OW!"

Everyone looked at Y/n like she was crazy. She simply shrugged. "Well, it's not a zombie," she remarked.

Realizing that it was a human response, they all deemed the threat harmless and all went to the grave to take a look for themselves. Tambry scoffed, "Ugh, it's even creepier than I expected.

Lo and behold, Robbie looking crestfallen and depressed, depressed as a wilted flower in a forgotten garden. In his hand was a polaroid picture of Wendy, which he clutched to his chest as he sobbed. He sat up, unaware of the gang watching him from his back.

"Why did she leave me?!" Robbie shouted.

Said redhead crouched down and lowered her voice. "Robbie?"

The sound of her voice alerted the hoodie-wearing boy, causing him to scramble around the grave as he frantically hid the picture behind him. "Wendy!" He tried to appear nonchalant. "Oh. Uh. Hey. What's up? Just hanging out in this grave, you know. Regular– regular day for me."

"Woah, dude," Lee had his hands on his knees as he took a closer look at his friend. "We haven't seen you in, like a million years. Where have you been?"

"You're not still mourning our breakup, are you?" Wendy asked, her tone full of pity.

"What?! No way," Robbie emphasized as if he wasn't lying, until he pathetically tried to hid her picture.

The redhead looked away in slight embarrassment, rubbing her neck nervously. "Robbie, we split up forever ago. It's really sweet you'd throw yourself into a grave for me but, man, time to move on."

Robbie stood up in protest. "What? I've totally moved on."

Cue his phone ringtone, which came in at the worst possible timing, Who would bother to even call him at this time of day? "Wendy, I miss you so much! I'll never move on. Never ever–"

The boy quickly retrieved his phone from the pocket of his hoodie and threw it as far from here. "That was a different Wendy. Unrelated. Wendy."

From the back, the other three teens were growing uninterested. "Dude, this is getting really awkward." Lee whispered not-so-subtly to Nate.

Tambry continued typing without a care in the world. "Yeah. The cemetery used to be fun, now it's just depressing," she said. It was pretty ironic coming from someone like her.

Everybody began to walk away, except for Mabel, who decided to look at Robbie, and Y/n, who wanted to wait for Mabel before deciding to regroup with the rest.

The brunette watched as Robbie dejectedly sighed out of the grave. "Wait, you guys!" She chased after Dipper, who was about to make his way back. "He's in pain! We can't just ditch him here!"

Dipper's voice was brought down to a whisper. "Come on, Mabel. It's Robbie," he uttered the name as if it was obvious.

"But he's suffering!" Mabel reasoned, "How can I be happy if I know someone else is sad? It totally throws off my happiness chart!" And to prove it, she brought out the said happiness chart from the back of her sweater, with drawings of their friends' faces and a pink smiley sticker next to them. Robbie having a blank, Mabel forcefully pasted a frowning sticker next to Robbie's face.

Dipper narrowed his eyes at the chart. A smiley sticker? Next to Y/n's? He turned to the girl and asked her without using his words.

Y/n easily understood his confused expression. "Hey, I'm happy," she didn't know whether she was trying to convince Dipper or herself.

He raised an eyebrow at that as if saying "are you sure?".

Her frown got deeper. "I'll get over it," she told both the twins and herself. She'll just buy her favorite comfort food later to ease her worries.

Dipper faced Mabel again, "Mabel, trust me. If there's one thing I've learned this summer, it's not to get mixed up in needless romantic drama. Besides, we're finally in with Wendy's friends. With Robbie gone, there's a good social balance. Maybe we should just let a good thing be, you know?"

Before he went to go back, he turned to Y/n. "You coming?"

Y/n opened her mouth to utter a response, but Mabel beat her to it. "I actually need Y/n for something. She'll catch up. Right, Y/n?"

Said girl caught her look that was telling her to 'play along', making her nod. "Yeah, sure."

Dipper exhaled, placing a hand on the bridge of his nose. "Just... whatever you guys are planning to do, make sure to leave me out of it."

When he was eventually out of earshot, Y/n asked his twin. "What do you need me here for, Mabes?"

"We need to come up with a plan to make Robbie happy again, I just don't know what yet," Mabel expressed, placing a finger to his chin.

Y/n stared at the brunette, speechless. "Suggestion: don't overthink much of it. He'll get over his heartbreak sooner or later."

***

Back in the Mystery Shack, Wendy was apologizing to the trio about the embarrassing incident they encountered earlier. Y/n was happily munching on a handful of blueberries she bought on their way back to the Shack. All types of berries have always been her favorite.

"Oh, man. Sorry you guys had to see that," Wendy spoke, sounding humiliated.

"You know what Robbie needs," Mabel began, "a new girl!" She enthusiastically revealed. "Romance is like gum; once it's lost its flavor, you just cram another one in!"

"In that case I do not want gum," Y/n spoke from the cash register.

"Mabel, it's not that easy," Wendy added.

"It is if you're the world's greatest matchmaker!" Mabel happily retaliated, pointing proudly at herself. "I've never had an unhappy customer! Like Soos and Melody!" She motioned towards said couple who were in a video chat. Soos was cheerfully entertaining Melody, while the girl was— you guessed it, entertained.

"Match made!" Mabel cheered. "And then of course, there's Waddles and Gompers?"

The goat and the pig walked into the gift shop, bodies duct-taped against each other. Waddles acted as a groom, and Gompers was the bride. Y/n swallowed the blueberry grimly when she remembered that fateful wedding day.

"Match made!" Mabel cheered again after throwing a handful of rice from her pocket.

Wendy frowned, "That might work for a goat and a pig, but Robbie's a hopeless case."

"Hopeless case, ehhh?" Mabel said slowly, her hands intertwined together as if she was scheming.

"Mmm, blueberry🗝."

***

Meanwhile, the patriarch of the Mystery Shack was busy building a new attraction for his museum, singing a jingle as he did so. "Puttin' a rainbow wig~ on a big, white gorilla~!"

It seemed that his sewing skills still needed some improving, when the rainbow wig was easily swept away by the wind. Stan soon realized that this was no natural gust, as he stepped back and scaled the giant contraptions floating in the sky. "What the–?! Oh, no." A large shadow casted over him. "Hot air balloons," a bike drove past him. "Fixed gear bikes..."

A van pulled up by the shack, a man sat on top of it, playing his guitar and singing a song, "Singing by the open road. My sandals are so open toed~"

"Folk music!" Stan panicked, "It's the Woodstick Festival! Soos!" He began rummaging through his suitcase full of various medieval weapons as Soos sprinted out of the Shack. "Lock down the shack and hide my shirts before anyone tie-dyes them!"

He pulled out a crossbow from the chest and aimed them towards the hot air balloons. "They're slow. I could probably take a few down."

"Wait, Mr. Pines!" Soos walked down the steps and pushed Stan's crossbow down, throwing off his aim, making the arrow fly off. The older man paused, anger in his features as he waited for the handyman to explain. "I've been thinking, every year this festival comes by and every year you shun what could be potential customers."

Stan gazed at the parking lot where teenagers roamed around, doing recreational activities. He sounded hesitant about Soos' offer, "You really think I could make money off of these free-loading, kale-munching freak shows?"

"You just gotta figure out what appeals to them."

Soos left the older man with his thoughts, "Hmm, how do I appeal to young people?" He glanced upwards where the transport balloons scattered across the clear, blue sky. Stan suddenly got an idea, holding his hands together as he began scheming, "So young people are into hot air balloons, ehhh?"

***

Y/n found herself walking beside Mabel, who very determinedly thought of her plan. She was still munching on her packed blueberries (as she found another concession stand that sold fruits) when Mabel had asked her to accompany her to Valentino's residence.

"Why do you want me here again?" Y/n asked, glancing around their surroundings. The cemetery. She was rarely in this part of Gravity Falls, though the last memory she had of this place was her and Ford categorizing the various ghosts they had encountered. It was an awesome experience being covered in cold, slimy ectoplasm.

Mabel turned to her with an enthusiastic smile. "From now on, you are my apprentice in match-making, and this is lesson one. Robbie's a broken teacup, and we're going to piece him back together." She then motioned to herself dramatically. "Observe your superior as she does her magic."

"Be my guest," Y/n was fine with having Mabel do all the talking. Just let her eat her blueberries in peace.

The two arrived at the front door, and the brunette reached up to press on the doorbell. It produced a rather familiar classical tune. Mabel lowered her voice as she turned to Y/n. "Okay, this could get intense."

Before them, the front door opened, revealing a couple in their middle of age. Both wearing glasses, as well as smiles on their faces, they were Robbie's parents.

"Howdy– do!"

"Happy day!"

Mabel gasped, "It is intense!" she expressed with a huge smile on her face.

"You're Robbie's parents?" Y/n asked incredulously, swallowing the blue fruit.

"I couldn't believe it either to be honest!" Mabel admitted, "I always thought he was like, raised by sad wolves or something..." she trailed off.

The patriarch of the Valentino house looked amused, "Oh, well, he doesn't like to talk about us. He always says we're too cheerful for funeral directors!" That prompted the two of them to laugh joyously, simultaneously urging the duo to come inside.

The two entered the living room and made their way to their respected furniture. Y/n watched with a grim expression as Mr. Valentino picked up a tray of snacks from a glass coffin with a corpse clearly occupying it and approached them. "Cracker platter?" He asked Y/n first.

To which she wordlessly responded by lifting up her bag of blueberries. Mm-mm.

Mr. Valentino turned to the other girl, inciting the same offer. "Cracker platter?"

"Oh, no time for crackers, sorry. We're here to cheer Robbie up. Cannot have a dry cracker mouth for that," Mabel reasoned with a grin.

The matriarch walked by the stairs and raised her voice to call up her son. "Robbie Stacey Valentino! You have guests!" When there wasn't a reply from upstairs, she turned to the girls. "You two go on up," Mrs. Valentino said, handing Mabel a plate of spaghetti. "And could you bring him his lunch?"

Mabel saw the way the pasta was plated and commended the woman, "Lady, I like your style. Come on, Y/n!" She giggled as the two headed upstairs.

They arrived at a hallway that had multiple pictures of Robbie throughout his life. Y/n saw how a little boy with a toothy smile grew up to be a closed-off, isolated pubescent.

They reached the end of the hallway where Robbie's door was placed. It was littered with posters of himself and his band, a police tape, literal vandalism on the walls, and other multiple stickers that Mabel wasn't fond of.

"Great job for not accepting a cracker, dear apprentice!" Mabel whispered. "We wouldn't have a dry cracker mouth for cheering someone up."

"I learned from the best," Y/n replied as enthusiastically as one could. Mmm, blueberry.

Without further ado, the brunette knocked on the door three times. "Robbie! It's us; Y/n and Mabel!"

"Huh?!" Robbie asked from the inside of his room.

"Remember me?" Mabel supplied, "I'm like girl-Dipper!"

From the boy's name, Robbie's tone was much more aggressive, "Ugh, go away!"

Mabel's smile didn't falter. "I heard a 'come in'!"

Y/n looked bewildered. Is this girl about to come inside a teenager's room uninvited and unannounced? Before she could stop her, she had already opened the door. Greeting them was a dimly lit room that Y/n was scared to enter. Mabel carelessly flipped open the lights switch, triggering the teenager inside. "AH! Hey!"

His eyes were soon trained on the duo, full of resentment, full of despise. "Oh. It's you." The disdain in his voice couldn't have been more clearer when he saw the face of these meddling kids attempting to disturb his free time. "Listen, kid," he diverted his attention back to Mabel. "Nobody in the Pines family is welcome here. In case you forgot, your stupid brother is the one who ruined my life!"

"And Mabel's the one who's gonna fix it!" Mabel replied, placing the spaghetti plate on a nearby flat surface. She got herself a chair and sat like a therapist, while Y/n remained standing. "Listen, Robbie, I always used to see you as a creepy jerk, like the human version of rat poison."

Robbie's eyes fleeted from her to Y/n, like he was seeing if she agreed. She nodded once, and he suddenly looked a bit flattered by the comparison as he sunk in his bed. "Go on."

Mabel continued, "But when I saw you in the cemetery today, I realized; Robbie's not a bad guy. He's just a heartbroken soul who needs love and gloves with fingers."

"Hey, fingerless gloves look awesome!" He protested.

"No, they don't!" The brunette retaliated, chuckling. "Robbie, you just need a good matchmaker. I guarantee I'll find you true love or twice your sadness back."

Robbie sighed, turning around. He contemplated for a moment, but from his expressions, it seemed he wanted out of whatever Mabel was fantasizing. "And here I thought Y/n's the least sane of you three," he said, glancing up at the girl who was busy eating her blueberries. "You seriously agree with everything she's saying?" he asked, referring to the braces-wearing pre-teen across from him.

"I have good faith," Y/n shrugged. "She can do whatever she puts her heart into."

From that, the boy grumbled, raising his voice as he faced Mabel. "If I say yes, will you two leave my room?"

Mabel zipped Robbie's stitched heart hoodie, mending the two broken pieces together. "I guarantee it."

The duo finally made their way back to the Shack. Mabel opened the door for the two of them as they went upstairs to the twins' bedroom. "That was a great first lesson, Y/n. What have we learned?"

"Um, it's to—"

"If your client is a bitter-minded, closed off jerk, simply use your charms and sweet-talk your way into his heart! Doesn't it feel like an accomplishment when he agreed to our offer?"

"Sure. Can I leave now?"

Mabel chuckled. "Oh, no, no, dear apprentice! We still have much to learn!" From the corner of their room, she pulled up a miniature diorama of the town and its residents.

"When did you have the time to do all this?!" Y/n asked, looking impressed and amazed as she went over the details.

"Just last night! I found a pile of wood and decided to do this little project!" Mabel said proudly. "Now..." she found herself two pairs of sunglasses, a heart-shaped, rose-colored glasses for her, and a star-shaped, purple-colored glasses for Y/n. Mabel cracked her knuckles.

"Lesson 2: Match-making."

She looked over the miniature versions of the people of Gravity Falls as she put her hands together in a scheming manner. "Who wants to go out with Robbie?"

Y/n gravely swallowed the blueberry.

Playing god is a dangerous job for someone like Mabel.

The brunette began listing her options. She lifted a wooden dummy of Robbie, and next to him were her other hand of women that might be suitable. "Lady Susan? Too old. Grenda? Too young. Multi-bear?" She paused, contemplating. "I'm putting you in the 'maybe' pile."

She placed the creature next to other random girls that were categorized as 'maybe'. Along with them were other categories such as 'too young', 'too old', and—

"Hey, is that supposed to be me?" Y/n pointed at a miniature version of herself, with the length of her hair, her clothing style, and daisy necklace.

Mabel took notice and grinned. "Yep!" And didn't elaborate further.

Little Y/n was standing in the category that said 'future matches'. Pretty sure this is one of Mabel's fantasies again, and she shook her head, deciding to ignore it.

"Who could it be, Y/n?" The brunette turned to her. "Who could be the perfect match for Robbie?"

A mixture of a bleat and squeal sounded from Mabel's bed, getting her attention.

"What's that, Wompers? Someone we already know?" Mabel scratched her head. "But who could possibly be superficial and gothy enough for—"

Y/n deadpanned. She basically just answered her own questions. Waddles oinked once more, and Mabel quickly understood, gasping. "Of course, that's it! You two really are America's favorite power couple."

Soon enough, the partners in crime informed Robbie of his blind date after contacting Tambry. No idea how Mabel managed to snag her number and text her of the location, but she insisted that it was all taken care of.

The two were now sitting on the stools watching Robbie quietly sitting on a booth. "Mm, blueberry."

Just as Lady Susan was passing by with a tray on her hand (it was quite unnerving to see her again after the memory-erasing incident), Mabel said with a determined gaze, "Love is about to happen, Lazy Susan. Watch and learn."

As if on cue, the entry door dinged with the bell and Tambry walked in. The first person she saw was Robbie waiting by the booth, giving her the idea that he was the one who texted her. "Ugh. Robbie?!" She approached him. "You're my secret admirer?"

Robbie's mood worsened when he saw one of his friends. "Tambry?!" He groaned. "This is just what I get for trusting little kids," he remarked, crossing his arms. He was already forming a statement. "Listen, I don't think this is gonna work out. Dating somebody I already know? It's kinda like admitting defeat."

Tambry sat down, wanting to say the last word. "Um, way to assume I'm even interested."

"Tambry, let's be real. If I wanted to date you I would have done it already," Robbie shot back. "I'm just a little out of your league." He shrugged before noticing a mustard stain on the elbow of his hoodie. "Whoa, is that mustard? Don't want to waste that bad boy." Robbie began licking said condiment.

The goth girl from across the table brought out her phone and typed in, "Status update: On blind date with sociopath."

Robbie scoffed. "Oh, sure, bring out the phone. Classic Tambers." He raised his hand and called up the waiter. "Hey, can I get some chili fries? To go?"

Their glares were as sharp as knives.

Y/n laughed shortly. "Huh, that didn't go out the way you planned."

"What? How is this possible!?" Mabel panicked, looking at her happiness chart once more. "I'm supposed to be the best matchmaker ever!"

"Don't worry too much, Mabel," Y/n encouraged. "Love doesn't always work out, especially for someone like him."

She stared at you helplessly. "But there has to be a way to make it work!"

The other people in the diner began rushing towards the door, muttering about the Love God eating in this exact diner. That caught the duo's attention. "What's happening?"

In a second, the door was kicked open none other by the artist, storming in as if he owned the place. "Woohoo!" he hollered. "Who's ready to fall in love tonight?!"

The crowd screamed his name, squealing their cheers, and sobbing their hearts out.

Love God slapped the jukebox, starting a song. "That's what they call me! We're rewriting history tonight, and it starts with you and you!" He pointed at a male patron and a female employee. Without a moment's notice, the two looked at each other and began kissing.

"Love is real and it's in your face!" He wobbled over to a table where an old lady sat. He chuckled as he leaned closer to her. "What's your name, you little angel?"

She giggled, placing a hand over her mouth. "Meredith."

Love God dropped his voice in a hurried whisper. "Meredith, Meredith. We got a problem." His tone was serious as he pointed at another elderly woman sitting across from them. "That cutie right there is your soulmate and you're living without her!"

"Oh, no!" Meredith expressed her panic. "What do I do?"

"Get it girl. You know what you love." He raised his arms and on cue, Meredith sprinted out from her chair and easily picked the woman up, the two giggling.

Y/n chewed on her fruit as she thought of the events happening before her eyes, Her opinion remained unchanged; the people of Gravity Falls are truly gullible.

Dissimilar to her, Mabel was completely interested with the Love God's tactics. "I must know how this works! Come on, Y/n!"

The brunette approached him so quickly while he was stuffing a large sandwich into his mouth.

"Hi. Love God? Mabel here. Big fan. Can I just say, that was some of the finest matchmaking I've ever seen!" She sat in the other booth across from him. "Can you please, please, please tell me your secret?"

"Who are you two supposed to be?" He paused his eating, looking skeptical as he motioned to the two girls facing him.

"Oh, don't mind us. We're just really big fans of you, Love God!" Y/n easily played the role of a clueless patron.

From the compliment, Love God's smile was back on his face. "Well, between you two and me, let's just say my name's not exactly a coincidence." He gestured to the wings attached on his back, fluttering in command.

"Wait what?"

"Oh. My. Love God. Are you an actual love god?" Mabel's pupils were blown up as she asked in wonder.

"Call me a cherub," he smirked. "The internet pretty much does my job for me nowadays so I'm taking some time to focus on my rock career." He then retrieved a cassette from his shirt, handing it to Mabel. "Boom. Cassette. Boom. For you."

"Oh...!" Mabel exclaimed rather excitedly. "That's... great!" She subtly handed the record to Y/n, who not-so-subtly tossed it towards the trash can conveniently placed beside her. She simply preferred listening to a particular Icelandic pop sensation.

"So, anyway. Can you make anything fall in love? Like that snake and that badger?" Mabel directed towards the two creatures outside of the diner, about to break into a fight.

Surely enough, the Love God simply pointed at the animals and now they turned into the opposite of fighting, as the snake wrapped itself around the badger like they were hugging.

"How are you doing that?" Y/n asked.

"Love potion, yo. I got it all: Summer Love, Young Love, Anti-Love... you just gotta put a little on your fingers and pow?" He demonstrated so.

Mabel watched with astonishment, excitement running through her veins. "I need that potion. How much would it cost?" She grabbed a nearby squirrel that was running by. "And will you accept squirrels as payment?"

"Whoa, no way. You might think you know what's best for people but this stuff can have major social consequences. That's why it can only be used by a serious expert."

The brunette leaned towards Y/n as she whispered, "We need to form some sort of distraction."

Y/n nodded, and was about to think of a plan, when a random woman from a booth behind them appeared and screamed, "Love God! Sign my face!"

Love God enthusiastically agreed, "Only if you sign mine, baby. Let's get weird!" He was soon occupied, his back facing the duo.

The two exchanged glances before nodding. Time to put the plan into action.

With the squirrel still in her hand, Mabel easily and quickly replaced the Love Potion with the rodent and they got out of there as soon as possible. Mabel led them both towards the kitchen where the supposed chili fries that Robbie ordered were ready.

Mabel walked through and asked the chef, "Mind if I add a little something to these fries?"

The chef stared at the two, before shrugging. "I don't see why not."

Again, the people of Gravity Falls are gullible.

Mabel went ahead and poured a very reasonable amount of love potion onto the top of the chili fries, rendering it pink and sparkly. It was then served to their table and Robbie, without even questioning the pink stuff drizzled around the fries, took a piece and ate it immediately.

The people of Gravity Falls are gullible.

His irises widened and sparkled for a moment, until he shook it away. He seemed to be having a sort of epiphany as he looked at Tambry. "Whoa. Did your whole thing suddenly get a lot more likable?"

Tambry also took a piece and the same effect also happened to her. The people of Gravity—

"You don't seem as needy as I used to think you were."

"Hey," Robbie said, leaning forward. "You wouldn't wanna maybe get outta here and, I don't know, go kiss in public a lot?"

"For some reason, I do?" Tambry responded, her tone slightly robotic. She leaned closer as well, placing her hand on top of his. She pulled out her phone and began to type as Robbie played with her pink hair. "Status update—you know what? Forget it." She placed her phone down and held her purse. "Maybe I should stare at something other than my phone for a while."

The couple stood up, holding hands as they made their way towards the exit, abandoning her phone and chili fries on the table.

Mabel jumped out of her hiding spot, celebrating. "Match made! So, Y/n. Do you wanna come with me and break the good news to the gang?" She faced her.

Y/n tried to think of an answer. Telling the friend group that Robbie and Tambry are now dating sounded destructive and she would rather stay out of it. Besides, "I'm out of blueberries" She held up the beige bag that once contained her beloved fruits. "I have to go buy some more."

"You really love those blueberries, huh?" Mabel grinned, placing her hands on her hips. "Well, our lessons are already completed anyway. Robbie's back to his normal self, and Tambry isn't using her phone anymore. I say this was a success, don't you think?"

The other girl nodded. "Yep. You really are the best matchmaker ever," she said it as she really meant it.

Mabel's smile was even wider. "Well, I better go and tell the rest of our friends! You sure you're not coming?"

"Nope! You go ahead." Y/n insisted, her tone jolly. She's not very knowledgeable when it comes to friendships and social cues, but teens can be quite... emotional.

Besides, she had somewhere else to go to.

***

"Mm. Blueberry."

Strolling through the streets of Gravity Falls with a fresh bag of blueberries in hand, she found herself at the junkyard. Her gaze wandered as if searching for someone familiar, his name on the tip of her tongue, almost ready to be called out. However, she hesitated, holding back her voice.

Letting out a sigh, she started to walk away, scolding herself for feeling like such a coward. Memories flooded her mind, recalling the time they were trapped in the dinosaur cave together. They had bonded with the pterodactyls, cared for them, and shared moments of joy.

She had no idea that it would be him all this time.

All of a sudden, a whistle sounded from inside the junkyard, making her turn her attention towards it. "Hey! It's you!" F— McGucket waved his bandaged arm at her. "Spotted ya from a mile away. Got a favor to ask, somethin' real crucial. Mind pitchin' in?"

A favor? Y/n asked internally, consciously raising an eyebrow. What could he possibly ask her to do?

Nonetheless, she approached the older man, who quickly welcomed her inside. Different was the home she literally just saw yesterday where there were scraps and old junk. Now, his table was filled with ink-blotted papers, colored pens, tools, and the fixed laptop.

He was acting sporadic next to the laptop. "Now, I ain't got a clue about them fancy laptops, and I reckon you're a sharp gal, so I need your help figurin' out this little contraption. Seems you need some kinda 'password' to open this thingamajig, but my noggin's so jumbled up, I can barely remember words!"

"Mhm. Yeah," she replied, staring blankly. She took a blueberry from her bag and ate it, chewing slowly as she tried to process his words. "Soooo, you need my help in opening your laptop?" she concluded.

McGucket chuckled, "Well, if your schedule ain't so packed this afternoon, then yep!"

Y/n turned silent after swallowing the blueberry that now felt like a heavy pill. Now that she knew who the laptop originally belonged to, she might have some hints to help remember what F used as his password.

But what could his password be?

She heard him causing a ruckus from behind her, but the moment she turned around he was sitting backwards on a chair, about to watch her intently.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

McGucket placed his arms on the back of the chair. "If you don't mind, Imma be watchin' you do your magic."

She reverted her gaze back to the laptop, which awaited her input. The text cursor was blinking in a certain beat, seemingly taunting her. You know the password. You know the password. You know the password.

"But this is your laptop," Y/n emphasized, turning back to him. "You should know the password."

She knew it was an insensitive demand, but she couldn't help it. Maybe she just needed to let out a tinge of frustration bubbling in her body, and McGucket was unfortunate to be in the splash zone.

McGucket chuckled sheepishly, scratching a portion of his beard. "Heh, well. I can't remember the last time I held a gadget as advanced as that."

She didn't need reminding.

"Yes, you do!" Y/n snapped, clenching her fist. "In fact, you were surrounded by tons of gadgets such as this one! You're a genius at inventing!"

Were.

He stared at her blankly. It seemed that nothing was coming to light for him. And that pissed her off more.

"You invented computers, built contraptions; the machinery in the underground bunker was your idea! You were one-third of the collaboration in building an interdimensional portal! You were the greatest...!"

She was breathless after her outburst, her eyes opting to stray away from him. She felt slightly ashamed of her behavior, but releasing all of her pent up anger from the last 30-something-years... felt good.

What happens when you shake a can of Pitt Cola for so long?

Y/n took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure. She lost herself in the memories for a moment there, unknowingly spilling her knowledge of the old F to this F. "I'm..." she didn't know whether she should apologize. She felt bad for basically exploding, but part of her felt like it was right to tell him his past.

In hopes he could remember.

However, her efforts were crushed into dust when McGucket simply stared at her, before his lips stretched into a grin. "My, what a life I lived! H-how did you know about that, though?"

"I read it in a book," she came up with the excuse quickly, but her tone seemed uninterested and forced. She turned back around and focused her gaze on the laptop instead.

"It was published, too? Hot dang! I might take up some reading later–!"

"You can't find it. It was burned. The library had a huge fire years ago." She hoped he'd buy it.

"..." He didn't say anything, and the two were in a silent stare-off, until he broke into a smile. "Hot dang! Literally! That's a shame."

She breathed out a sigh of relief, her heart slightly splitting into two. This wasn't F anymore, and she just had to accept that he's never going back to his old self. He's now better known as garbage-dwelling Old Man McGucket, Gravity Falls' local kook.

"So are you gonna crack it open?"

Y/n recoiled from his voice interrupting her train of thoughts. With a sigh, she placed both her hands on the laptop's keyboard and began typing an 8-letter password; what about... acetonic?

BEEP!

Ugh. Football?

BEEP!

Hm. sdvvzrug?

BEEP!

"AGH!" Y/n shouted, slamming her head on the surface of the table, rattling a bunch of pens.

McGucket looked uneasy, regret seeping in. "I... have to go and get you something to drink." He hurriedly exited out of the scene, afraid to be the target of her anger again.

Think, Y/n. Think. Passwords aren't simply words in the dictionary. Passwords were meant to be personal, significant. A key to secrets. This is F's laptop, so you have to think like F. If you were in his shoes, what could his password be?

Her energy returned, determined to open the lock. She inputted her name, only to realize (it didn't fit/ it wasn't enough/it wasn't the password), making her scoff.

To think they were that close...

What are the other things that were important to F? Cubicscube— Nope, didn't fit.

Sandwich? F loved sandwiches. Surely that's— BEEP!

Nope.

For the past 20 minutes, all of her efforts were in vain. As always. She was used to failure.

Things of importance to F were already inputted, but they didn't work, clearly.

"Do you remember anything of importance to you?" Y/n decided to ask as she was slowly running out of hope. Unfortunately, this kind of laptop was so ancient that it didn't have a 'reset password' option.

Thanks a lot, F.

Or... now that she knew his first name; Fiddleford.

What an interesting first name.

Her gaze returned to the laptop, awaiting another input that she was sure to fail again. Fiddleford wouldn't even fit, and this was Fiddleford's laptop.

Y/n chuckled to herself. Would it be funny if F's password was Ford? She typed F-O-R-D—

Didn't even fit. It's still needs four letters—

Wait.

Ford isn't his complete name.

S-T-A-N-F-O-R-D

She leaned back in her chair, looking at the letters that fit perfectly in the blank. It wouldn't hurt to press enter, but why was her finger hesitating?

Was she afraid that it would be correct?

Her hand reached forward and pressed enter.

ACCESS GRANTED

Y/n let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, noticing that her hand was slightly trembling. Immediately, she closed it into a fist, glaring at it. Dang it, Y/n. Not now.

Fiddleford chose his once close friend as his password.

Isn't that something?

Right on time, the hillbilly came back, holding a rusty tray that lifted two dirty mugs in need of washing. But it was filled with questionable liquid nonetheless. "Oh, you got it!" He throttled the tray out of his hands towards the nearest wall, producing a CLANG sound.

He scrambled to the computer, fingers wiggling. "How'd ya do it?!"

"Don't worry about it," she dismissed.

"See, you really are a smarty pants! I was right to believe in you!"

Y/n allowed a small smirk appear in her face. "You're a smarty pants, too, F– McGucket." The name felt foreign, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. She called him that before, but that was before she knew he was apparently used to be her closest friend.

"Aw, shucks. Quit it!" He turned bashful from her compliment, refusing to admit it.

Y/n walked over to a corner of blueprints, containing plans for the robot Gobblewonker and the Gideon-bot. Both contraptions that almost got Dipper and Mabel killed. It seemed that his talents were used for... questionable purposes.

"See this? How did you even come up with this stuff?" She asked him. "I told you, you're smart."

McGucket approached her, delving into an explanation of each prototype he had crafted. Y/n attentively absorbed the details, noting the insights from the brilliant inventor she admired. Each time he employed technical terms, it struck her as unusual, given his usual goofy demeanor. However, in the realm of inventions, she discerned his profound knowledge and passion, appreciating the seriousness he invested in his creations.

A beep resounded from behind them, originating from the laptop. Their heads whipped around and noticed symbols floating on the screen. Green rectangles containing texts surrounded what seemed to be a triangle with circles. The silhouette was familiar.

Meanwhile, Mabel and Dipper were busy making their way sneakily towards the Love God's plan. After the disaster that was their group dispersing from the news of Robbie and Tambry being together, they have to make things right.

Love God was called to the stage, leaving the van unoccupied. Now was their chance. Mabel sifted through the bottles, all varying in colors. "Here we go. Let's see; Puppy love, Interspecies love, Love of country music— ew. Oh! Anti-love!"

She picked up a potion that contained a liquid with a dark hue. She quickly read the description pasted on the bottle, "To reverse effects of love potion, simply spray on your victim and watch their heart die on the inside."

"Sounds good to me," Dipper said, shrugging.

"HEY!" Love God stood before them, wearing an angry look. "You're the one who's been stealing my stuff!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Mabel "I am not loving this!"

"I'm sorry! Mabel confessed, while Dipper was staring blankly at the guy. He doesn't look like a Love God. "I made a mistake, and I want to fix it!"

"Kid, I tried to tell you. This stuff is way too dangerous. On my oath as a god, I will not let you— oh hey, where'd you just go?"

He saw the twins making a run for it, in the girl's hand was the anti-love potion. "I"m sorry, Love God, but it's for the good of my friends!"

"Come back here!"

They ran towards the stage where there was an ongoing performance. Although the performers worked on stopping them, they stood no chance against the Pines twins. They had nowhere else to go, so they surged forward, riding the wave of hands as they carried them to the other side. Mabel was delighted, while Dipper was horrified.

They rounded a corner, Love God slightly lagging behind. He begged for his wings to make him go faster, eventually reaching the corner. On the other side, stood Y/n, holding the anti-love potion. "Looking for this?"

"I know you, you're the thief's friend! Give me back the bottle, bro. Don't make this any harder than it should."

Y/n contemplated, hesitating. "But we really need just one use of this potion— okay, maybe two. We made a mistake, and we're trying to fix it."

"Where did the other two go?" He inquired, looking around her.

"Hiding. But that doesn't really matter, is it? You're only after the potion," as if to prove a point, she wiggled the contents of the bottle, the hue was as dark as the night.

Love God grunted, seeing as she still wasn't about to give it up so easily. "What do you want?"

"Just leave us alone."

He was perplexed, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What?"

"I'll give you the potion, you leave us alone," Y/n persisted, now extending her hand that carried the bottle.

"That's it? W-what about your problem?" he stuttered, his fingers now itching to grab it.

"We'll find some other way," she said, shrugging casually. "They're a bunch of teenagers. We'll handle it."

Love God took the bottle, hesitant. He glanced at it before averting his gaze at the young girl, trying to see some ulterior motive. Is he gonna get jumped by the twins and forcibly take it away from him? Is this some sort of distraction?