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.

https://youtu.be/X2DUpDxFJyg

"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?

"I realized that using a potion won't solve all of our problems, and we're sorry we abused the love potion's use," Y/n admitted, placing her hands behind her back, and Love God scrutinized her apology, staring at the change of her expression. It seemed genuine and real.

After a moment, he groaned. "Are you making me feel guilty?"

"No? What makes you think that?"

"You're doing all this apology thingy and giving me back the potion like a good saint to make me feel guilty and give it to you. Is that it?"

Y/n's eyes widened. "Oh, Love God, I would never," she placed her hand on her chest, where her heart was, "do such a thing."

Before Love God could utter another remark, a speaker resounded through the festival, "Love God to the stage? Love God to the stage?"

"Just take it. We've regretted all our actions and we're undoing our mistakes. After all, it belongs to you," Y/n said, concluding the whole debacle.

Love God groaned. "I'm so over this," he said like a teenager would. He walked away with the anti-love potion in hand, deciding to forget the whole thing ever happened.

The twins jumped out of their hiding place, standing beside Y/n with a grin. The three watched Love God walking away before Y/n brought out the real anti-love potion from the pocket of her jacket. "Hope you like blueberry juice!" She remarked, giggling maniacally.

"Thanks for saving us, Y/n," Mabel breathed a sigh in relief, taking the potion.

The three made their way towards the couple. "I was looking for you guys everywhere." Prior to the exchange of words with Love God, Y/n got a sight of the chase, and thought of a plan. Getting herself a bottle from a random tent, she made a concoction from the remaining blueberries from her bag.

"Where did you go?" Dipper asked.

"Somewhere," Y/n answered, popping a blueberry in her mouth. It was vague, cryptic, one that deserved a lot of questioning from the twins, but Mabel had a far too important of a mission to notice it.

From the stage, a band played a mellow song, the skies painted purple and blue. Robbie and Tambry sat on a blanket draped on the grass. Behind them, stood the trio hiding behind a bunch of bushes, mumbling about. "Mabel, now's our chance," Dipper whispered to his sister. "They break up, and the whole group goes back together."

Mabel aimed the anti-love potion towards the couple, her hand slightly shaking. She glanced at Dipper to maybe change her mind, but all he gave was a determined nod, eager to finish it all. Mabel then turned to her left where Y/n was, and her eyes gave her a look that said, "Do what your heart tells you".

Just as her finger was on the trigger of the spray bottle, Robbie noticed her, turning around. "Oh, hey, it's you two!"

Dipper quickly ducked down, away from the teen's sight. Mabel quickly hid the spray-bottle behind her back. Robbie walked towards the two girls, an unusual, genuine smile in his face. "Mabel, I just wanted to thank you. I've been so miserable since Wendy broke up with me that I thought my life was over, but you were right." Mabel was at a loss for words, staring up at him. He turned to Y/n, who was also speechless at his heartfelt admission. "And thanks for basically supporting the whole thing...I just needed to move on. I'm... happy? Weird, huh?"

"Robbie, people are commenting on our pictures!" Tambry called from behind him, her voice weirdly excited.

The guy smiled widely, beginning to walk backwards as he winked at both Mabel and Y/n. The sweater-wearing girl turned to Dipper with a troubled look. "Dipper, maybe we shouldn't do this. I mean... every time we've played with peoples' fates, it's only made things worse."

They watched the two teens do each other's eyeliner. "They are kinda perfect for each other in a... gross kinda way," Dipper tried to reason, albeit sounding forced. "But what about our friend group?"

"Well, maybe it'll sort itself out," Mabel replied, shrugging. "I mean, there's gotta be something that could bring everyone back together."

From a distance, Thompson was walking around, wearing a green jacket and a hat. In his hands was a cake. "Guys, I made a friendship cake. So let's all get over this, okay?" He called out to his friends, until a beach ball randomly got thrown and hit his head, making him drop the cake. "Ugh! My cake!" He started to bend down to pick it up only for his jacket to rip apart, revealing the hidden snacks under it.

Security took notice of the illegal act, their faces contorting into one of anger. "Hey! Food from outside!" They chased after Thompson, who screamed and ran. His friends, who were conveniently near each other, began to gather and watch as Thompson climbed up a utility pole while the police were smacking him with a broom.

"Whoa! Hey, look!" Lee called out.

Wendy smiled, "Is that Thompson?"

They began to laugh at Thompson who was stuck at the top. "Yeah, fight the machine, Thompson!"

"Throw snacks at 'em!"

"Use jerky as a weapon!"

The group chanted his name in a united chorus, all the while the guards beat him senseless. Everything just might be all right.

Y/n narrowed her eyes at Thompson getting beat up. That's what you get for banning us from the theater that one time, you jerk.

***

After figuring out the password, McGucket and Y/n delved into discussions about machinery and engineering. While Y/n refrained from disclosing anything about the portal, she aided him in recollecting fragments of his memories, narrating his history and providing other details about him (her pretext being that she read it in a book). McGucket clung to every word, as if he were listening to a bedtime story.

***

QWOGL XYV DJCMX MIKKCSD, IRF FP FLF
🗝: ???

In the echoes of McGucket's memories lost,
Y/n faces a friend, a soul the cost.
Adapting to change, like leaves in the breeze,
Embracing the new, with uncertainties to ease.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 24!

[author's note]: i gotta admit, this was the worst one i've ever written. it was just dragging on for so long now, and it was the first time i've felt writer's block in this book. but anyway, i hope you guys like it anyway. y/n with the blueberry was so random it was literally put in last minute LMAO but i had a lot of fun writing it. the love god episode was one of the weakest imo, so not surprised that i'm going to do bad at it.

but anywayyyy, guess what episode is next? 👀👀

fanarts? theories? speculations? GUESSES? i'm ALL for them, baby!

kimmiepines
9620 words