Stan slowly blinked his eyes open, his senses. coming back. Upon waking up, he already felt lethargic and sluggish. He quickly found his voice, raspy and gravelly. "Alright Stan," he said to himself. "Another day, another random body pain. Here we go."

He grunted, using all of his strength to sit up and place his feet on his slippers— which were soaked in milk. "Ugh!" He exclaimed, feeling immediately uncomfortable. Upon retrieving his glasses on the bedside table, he noticed a sticky-note in the shape of a shooting star. He plucked it out of the surface and read the note.

Dear Stan, I need something to carry milk in so I used your slippers. Love, Mabel.

Shivers ran up his spine at the thought of his great niece trying to move a slipper of milk around the house, and on top of that his feet were still wet and sticky. Nevertheless, he heaved his weight off the bed and continued to waddle his way to the kitchen with soggy slippers, making sloppy sounds in every step.

When he arrived, he saw that the lights were off, so he went to turn it on, but the light bulb burst, indicating that it expired. Stan groaned loudly, about to call for her help. If not Soos (who he knew wasn't here at this time of day), Y/n would always fix the lights.

But before he could open his mouth, he stopped himself. Y/n is not as free as before. He doesn't really know her schedule anymore, compared to before where they pretty much had the same routine every day. She had to spend her day with someone else now.

So Stan walked over to the cabinet with a deep pout on his face. Opening it, he found a box of bulbs but when he lifted it off the shelf, it was light. He shook the box in disbelief, finding it empty except for a piece of paper. He picked up and read it closely.

Dear Stan, I took these to build a planetarium suit for Soos! Sorry! Dipper.

Stan groaned some more and crumpled the paper in his hands. Yet another inconvenience, and it hasn't even been half a day.

Not even bothering to change his clothes or freshen himself up, he headed to the grocery store, got what he needed, and waited in line at the checkout counter. Behind him, a group of teenagers came up with their items. Lee spoke up in a not-so-subtle whisper. "Whoa, let's not take this line. There's an old person in it."

Robbie scoffed, "Yeah. He's probably gonna pay with like, pennies and war bombs or something—"

"HEY!" Stan turned around to face them, having heard their comments thanks to his big ears. "For your information, I was gonna shoplift most of this!"

The cashier whipped her head towards the older man. "Security!"

Long story short, he couldn't make his escape due to an expired smoke bomb now he had to win a brawl against two officers (not that he hadn't done that before, multiple times already), and successfully come home with bruises decorating his face, but he got it! He got a box of light bulbs!

He has had a rough start to his day, but looking down at the box of lightbulbs he obtained, it's all going to be worth it. He couldn't wait until he sees the smile on their faces when he fixed it eventually—

"Woahhh!"

His hope vanished as he watched Ford install a brand new lightbulb he invented instead of him, how they began cheering for Ford and calling him a hero instead of him, how Y/n looked up at Ford like her idol instead of him.

That irked him to his core.

Ignoring the pang of his chest, he retreated to the living room. He picked up the remote and slowly sank down on the seat of his beloved chair. "Well, TV at least you appreciate me. Give me the good news."

Shandra Jimenez's voice was heard from the TV. "This just in, the mayor is dead."

"What?!"

Dipper and Mabel entered the living room as well, having heard of the news. The three listened as Shandra listed his achievements, being told the repercussions of the mayor dying. She even cried in front of the camera, expressing her reminiscences.

Her co-host appeared from beside her, placing a comforting hand on her back. "There will be a town hall meeting this afternoon to discuss replacing him."

And Stan wondered just who that person might be.

***

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2DUpDxFJyg

***

Come the afternoon, all the citizens of Gravity Falls gathered inside the Town Hall, seated in rows of pews. Y/n decided to string along the moment she heard the news of the mayor passing, and with her naturally curious nature, she found herself sitting beside Dipper as they listened to Sheriff Blubs talk about choosing a worthy candidate.

They needed a large ring in the middle to throw their hats into (that was the procedure in joining), so when Deputy Durland had just brought out a hoop and placed it on the floor, a straw hat was immediately thrown inside it.

The owner of the hat stood up, donning a shirt of pink flowers and a very Southern accent. All eyes were on him as he stood up and announced his candidacy. "Well, now I do believe I fulfill all the requirements."

"Wait. Bud Gleeful?" Dipper asked, his tone laced with suspicion.

Mabel grinned. "He looks good!"

"Considering we threw his son in jail," Y/n added.

Stan sat back as he nodded, looking up at the ceiling. "That was a good day."

Bud had taken up the podium, looking at the citizens of the town. "Now, folks, I know our family's had its fair share of whoopsie daisies in the past, but I'd like to make up for it by formally announcing my candidacy for the mayor of Gravity Falls! Any questions?"

Toby Determined held up his trusty turkey baster. "Yes, are you still in contact with Lil' Gideon?"

"That's a great question, I'm giving you 50% off a used car!" Bud replied enthusiastically.

Toby's eyes dilated upon the offer. "Fifty percent? FIFTY PERCENT?" He ripped his notepad in half, excited about the discount rather than the product he's getting.

"In fact, everyone, look under your seats." Bud pointed at each person. "You get half off a used car! You get half off a used car!"

Mabel and Dipper pulled out a car discount coupon from under the pews, Y/n not bothering to do so. She didn't need it. "Wow," Mabel said, marveling at the graphic design. "A colorful piece of paper? He's got my vote!"

"Way to answer Toby's question," Y/n noted sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"Guys, I have a really uneasy feeling about Bud Gleeful becoming mayor," Dipper voiced his concern. One couldn't fathom having the father of their worst enemy given such power over the town. But Y/n understood that if Bud became mayor, it could potentially be a disaster. Clearly, he would secure his son's release from prison, and with the influence they wield, everything would be under their control. Y/n preferred not to contemplate what they might be plotting for the forests of Gravity Falls. She wouldn't let them do that.

But then again, who else is suitable to lead Gravity Falls? Everyone in the town had proven themselves to be incompetent, her being a witness to their idiocy. No one is capable and trustworthy enough to become mayor.

"It's a shame Ford isn't here," Dipper's voice brought her out of her thoughts as she turned to him. "He'd run, and win! And be a great mayor!"

She pursed her lips in contemplation. Ford? Mayor? The combination of those ideas hadn't crossed anyone's mind before. While Ford might be the smartest guy she'd ever met, he wasn't very... cordial with people. He wouldn't know how to coordinate with others and consider their ideas as valid. So, in a way, Mayor Ford would just be an arrogant Ford.

Before anyone knew it, another hat was thrown into the ring, a fez.

Everyone gasped, looking over to the man who owned a tourist trap in the middle of the woods. He stood up and pointed an accusatory finger at Bud. "Hold it right there! I'm taking you on!"

"Stanford?"

Y/n winced.

"No o-ffense but you're just some two-bit carnival barker," Bud said, "And your head is more ears than face!"

"Oh yeah?" Stan tried to come up with a rebuttal, one harsher than Bud's. "Well, your face is more fat than... not fat!"

Everyone gasped at the burn, shocked at the events. Stan continued, facing the crowd. "Whaddya say, folks? Are we just gonna let Bud win? How about a real election!"

"Get in there, cap!" Tyler Cutebiker tossed his biker hat into the hoop, and almost everyone followed suit with their own hats and head accessories. Y/n narrowed her eyes at Stan, trying to figure out his objective. Why would he want to run for mayor?

After that, everyone piled out of the town hall, with the anticipation of the election filling their minds. Blubs and Durland fired a cannon, declaring the beginning of a race.

"Grunkle Stan, what are you doing?" Mabel accused.

"Running for mayor!" Stan shrugged as if the answer was obvious. "Did I... did I not make that clear?"

"Stan, we're asking for the reason why you're doing this," Y/n stepped forward with her crossed arms. "I mean, we didn't think someone like you would care about this kind of thing."

"Look, the mayor kicking the bucket got me thinking," Stan said. "I'm an old man, and I'm not getting any younger. My dumb brother's research is probably gonna make him famous. And what do I have to show for my life? Do I really want 'crooked grifter' on my tombstone? How about 'crooked mayor'?"

Right after Stan's rant about his life's purpose, the trio huddled around and talked about it. Dipper and Mabel decided to ride along with Stan's idea of running for mayor, knowing that it's the only way to oppose Bud's plans.

So the Shack was transformed into a campaign headquarters, the area being bombarded with flags and signs about voting Stan as mayor. It took the entire morning for them to set things up, from the merch to the statistics, the team looked really serious.

As Dipper explained to the group the mechanics and process of running for mayor, Y/n was down in the basement per Ford's order.. She told him about Stan's plans, as Ford was rereading the second journal. "If you ask me, I can see Stan as a great leader... sometimes," she explained. "He could be real bossy, but maybe that's what the town needs?"

"Stanley wouldn't know the first thing in being a government official. Heck, he's constantly on their target," Ford replied, noticing the ripped page in the middle of the journal, right next to his entry of the Blood Rain. His fingers moved over to the teared paper, trying to remember what it was.

"I'm just saying," Y/n shrugged. "He told us that he wanted this so he could have something on his grave. I feel like if he really tries, he'll succeed.."

Ford scoffed. "Oh, please."

Y/n deadpanned, glaring at the back of his head. "I guess the only thing I'm worried about is Stan not knowing the right words to say when convincing the people. He can really be blunt without needing to."

"That's Stan for you."

"Great-Uncle Ford, Great-Uncle Ford!" A voice came from the elevator, and Dipper entered the room, breathless. "I need your help!"

He noticed her standing there, and he motioned to her as he began his rant to Ford. "I'm sure Y/n already told you this, but this is an emergency!" The boy began explaining their dilemma and how it became worse when Stan insisted on speaking his mind.

Ford and Y/n exchanged knowing glances, it was exactly what they were talking about from moments before. "It is an emergency," Ford agreed, turning around to face Dipper.

"The Stump Speech is in a couple of days, and if he continues like this, we'll lose to Bud for sure!"

Y/n crossed her arms, thinking again. She wanted to vocally offer a suggestion of her talking to him but decided not to. She'll talk to Stan herself. How could he be so stubborn as to refuse advice? Perhaps if it came from her, he'd listen. After all, they have gone through so much together to build a close bond, she hoped that Stan would understand her concern. Out of all the people who would tell him to tone it down, she hoped that Stan would listen to her.

Ford hummed, placing a finger on his chin. "It's a shame there isn't some device that would allow you to control someone else."

She glared playfully at the older man. Of course he would have that sort of device. He was so proud of that personal invention.

"Oh, wait. Of course. Yes. There is," he said, removing the hopelessness in his face, replaced by an enthusiastic one. "Y/n, where did you put it?" he asked her, knowing that she was the one who would've known where it was kept away.

She bent down to a drawer next to him and opened the lowest divider, retrieving the striped tie.

"Ah!" Ford let out, snatching the tie from her. "A long time ago I designed a prototype for Ronald Reagan's masters," he gave Dipper the accessory. "Just get Stan to wear this, and you can make him a literal talking head."

"Woah!" Dipper expressed. "This is amazing! And ethically ambiguous!"

Y/n took out another tie from the drawer, a much darker one compared to the first. She gave it to Dipper as Ford continued to explain. "As long as you wear the matching one, he'll say and do whatever you want him to."

"Thank you, Great-Uncle Ford!" The boy held up the two ties and was about to make a run for it until he turned to her, "Are you coming? We kinda need your help."

"I'll catch up, I promise," Y/n assured, giving him a smile. She planned on going up anyway, wanting to have a conversation with Stan.

"Oh, okay," Dipper said, trying not to think about it. She never broke any of her promises, so he was sure that she'll never break this one. "I'll see you soon."

She watched his figure disappear from the elevator, making her lean back on the table. "What are you doing?"

"I'm revisiting my journal entries. It's almost hard to believe that you and I had gone through various encounters in Gravity Falls. Do you still remember the Blood Rain?" Ford asked with a slight smile, referring to the page from Journal 2 he just stopped on.

"You mean when we had to burn our clothes at the end of the day because the blood was so sticky that it was hard to wash it off? Yeah, I remembered it clearly."

Ford shook his head playfully, hiding the earnest stare from her. It wasn't supposed to be a test question, yet she still remembers. He had to snap out of it, get the horrible thoughts out of his head. He's safe. He can trust her. It's still her.

But why didn't she physiologically change? It was throwing his mind in a loop. He aged, Stanley aged, he apparently had a niece and nephew, his lab was transformed into a tourist trap, but why didn't she change?

What if... no. He didn't even want to go there. His thoughts were beginning to morph into a different territory, bubbles of what ifs floating in his head, all too dangerous to say out loud. He might be listening.

What if she was secretly being controlled by...?

No!

Snap out of it, Stanford!

"You okay?"

"Yes," he said in an even tone, despite feeling like he spat out the word. "I'm fine."

Silence passed by for a few moments, until Y/n broke it with a question, "You really think it's going to work?"

Ford shrugged. "As long as they use it responsibly, it could go well."

***

"Mind control is awesome!"

"Have you guys seen Stan? I can't—" Y/n had just walked out of the Shack to see the twins and Soos, noticing the ties they wore. Soos was breathing heavily while Mabel was grinning excitedly. "Um? What?"

"Now we're ready for the debate!" Mabel declared proudly.

And so everyone came to the venue where the Stump Speech was held to support Stan, where Tyler Cutebiker had finished answering a question about his goals. From the audience, Y/n clapped with the people for his very generic answer. She insisted to the twins that she would stay out of politics, not having an idea how to charm the people with words. She decided to leave the matter to the trustworthy twins, and would only intervene when necessary.

Stan was up next, now wearing a striped tie as he stood behind the podium. She anticipated on how he was about to introduce himself when he had already destroyed her hopes when he began with an abrupt—

"Hiya there! Stan Pines here. Let's get real. Do you think the women of Gravity Falls wear too much makeup?"

She could see the moment when Stan's consciousness was taken over by the twins, specifically Mabel, when the older man was suddenly an expert on makeup and giving women compliments. Dipper also took over when it transitioned to Stan speaking so seriously.

"But I believe in things. America. Freedom. Ameri-freedom!"

A patriotic guy sitting beside Y/n began to sob in happiness, agreeing with everything the old man was blabbing. She dodged his attempt of hugging the people beside him, letting him grab the other person instead.

"Like my opponent pointed out, I may not have a pretty face, but if you want a candidate that will listen to you, well, I'm proud to be all ears."

"Oh, wow," Y/n muttered under her breath, appreciating the wit in his words. Definitely courtesy of Dipper.

"Now, watch me break it down!" Stan suddenly broke into a dance, spinning around and finishing with a big smile. The crowd loved it, cheering so loudly.

Y/n weaved across the crowd to get to the backstage, where Stan, the twins, and Soos were waiting.

They eventually noticed her walking over with her hands in her pockets. Stan looked at her with a strange look in his eyes. Mabel and Dipper waited on what she was about to say.

"Good job out there, old man."

His eyes slightly widened. "You like it more than Ford's. right?"

"What?"

"Stan! Stan! Stan! Stan!"

Chants of Stan's name resounded, and while at first the older man didn't understand, when Mabel explained it to him that it was the people's love for him, Stan happily accepted the cheers.

"There he is!" Toby led a bunch of photographers towards the group, asking for a picture.

"Yes, we Stan!"

***

So in the following days, Stan was in the lead, gaining people's votes as he managed to charm them with his flowery words. He hadn't been this happy ever since he found a 5 dollar bill on the floor of the gift shop.

And...

She's looking up at him again.

Election Day, the day where the townsfolk get to decide who they would prefer as mayor.

The people of Gravity Falls greeted Stan Pines, strutting the streets with a fresh set of clothes. Breakfast was to be eaten on the Greasy Diner just as planned and he was on his way there.

He opened the door to the establishment and greeted every patron, who greeted back with the same enthusiasm. Stan quickly found the booth where Dipper and Mabel were sitting in and he slid into the seats just as he was given a free plate of pancakes.

"Grunkle Stan, what's with the outfit? You're missing your lucky tie!" Mabel pointed out with a worried expression.

"Power tie, gotta wear it."

"Come on, have you seen the polls? I could debate naked and I'd still win! Huh, come to think of it..."

Mabel laughed nervously, squeezing out a forced smile. "Seriously though, we need you to wear that suit and tie, Grunkle Stan."

"Suit and tie, gotta wear it!"

Stan groaned loudly. "Why do you kids have to constantly tell me what to do? Y/n is finally seeing me as someone worth idolizing! Maybe you kids should too."

"Grunkle Stan, we'd respect you if you took things more seriously!" Dipper retaliated, noticing the way Stan mentioned Y/n and the way it seemed like he was seeking her approval— but decided not to comment on it.

"I am taking this seriously!" Stan slammed his fist on the table. "If you haven't noticed, everything that has come out of this golden mouth has put us on top! With or without your dumb advice!"

The brunette fumed. "Dumb advice?!"

"Yeah!" The older man replied, just as loud. "Dumb advice!"

"Dang it, Stan!" Dipper punched the table as he stood up. "Every one of those speeches, we were controlling you!"

"Dipper!"

"What?" Stan paused in the middle of his pancake.

"This tie is a mind control device invented by Ford!" Dipper explained, pulling off the back of the tie to reveal a system of circuitry inside. "If it wasn't for this tie, you'd be losing!"

There was a look of surprise in Stan, which quickly morphed into anger. So much anger.

"Well, you can tell that know-it-all Ford that he can keep his fancy light bulbs and magic ties! I'm gonna win this debate on my own, without any of you!" Stan walked out of the diner with a stride, determined to prove them all wrong.

Why did the twins have to do what they did? Why didn't they just believe in him? He already knew that he was the dumb twin, but he's not dumb at everything. He knew that, Y/n was supposed to know that.

Everything he had done, he only had himself to rely on. He can handle things by himself. Heck, he managed to survive almost all his life without needing Ford's help.

So when he discovered that the kids had strung in his nerdy brother for something he shouldn't have been a part of, it hurt. Stan didn't want to admit it, but it hurt so bad. Especially now that he knew she knew all this time, and was completely okay with it.

He gritted his teeth. Fine. If he could do it on his own all those years ago, he could do it now.

***

After being given a bag of birdseed, Y/n went to the final debate and saw Stan in his usual clothing, but no tie this time, making her raise an eyebrow in suspicion. Was there some sort of misunderstanding? And when Soos walked out with the red and blue striped tie, waving around unconsciously, that's when she knew: there was definitely a misunderstanding.

The Corduroy patriarch asked a question about taxes, and Stan answered with complete honesty, proposing wars against neighboring cities (It was a very Stan answer). Meanwhile, Soos was having a literal malfunction going on, but the weirdest one of all was Bud singing around with his sparkly red underpants and tiny ukulele.

"You may now throw your birdseed," Shandra Jimenez instructed, and almost everyone chucked a handful of seeds inside Bud's basket. Y/n stood by, her bird food in her closed palm. As a matter of fact, she's not voting for anybody.

Shandra announced an intermission, and before they knew it, the show was back on action. Y/n didn't even get to stand up and talk with the twins about their situation, and the candidates were all back to their podium. Everyone, except for Bud.

That was alarming.

She craned her neck around and tried to get a sight on a big fella with a very eccentric outfit, but he was nowhere to be found. But while Stan was getting flamed over his remarks about the Statue of Liberty, Bud miraculously came back as if nothing had happened.

That was very alarming.

"Excuse me," she muttered, standing up and making her way towards the backstage, where she couldn't see Dipper and Mabel anywhere.

"Help! Help us!" She twisted her head up towards where the voice came from. It was no doubt Mabel, asking for help. And when Dipper also screamed, "We're tied to a bunch of fireworks!" There was no doubt that the twins were in danger.

Stan suddenly appeared right behind her with his sleeves torn off his arms, revealing his biceps. "Y/n, you gotta stay back! I got this!" He said as he sprinted towards the scaffolding and climbed upwards, making her remember that Stan got rid of his fear of heights that this is a small feat for him.

Y/n wanted to help, but at the same time, she wanted to cheer him on instead. She could understand that people might think that Stan was doing this as some sort of publicity stunt, but she knew that Stan was a good enough uncle to save his niece and nephew from their deaths. What she didn't know was Stan also doing this to prove something.

She felt amazed by him, seeing Stan go through the lengths and finally managed to get to his family on time, pulling them up to safety.

And when they managed to jump off the small mountain before it exploded into pieces, she watched with bated breath, until they landed on the large pile of bird seeds she exhaled in relief. She rushed towards them, not caring about the literal small meteors crashing on the site that caused people to briefly run away.

"Are you guys okay?"

Before any of them could respond, a loud buzzer sounded followed by a bird's screech after the cage opened.

Everyone observed as the eagle flew down from the sky and landed on Dipper's hat before it leaned down and bestowed a lovely smooch against Stan's temple. And everyone knew what it meant to get a birdly kiss from the freedom eagle.

Stan Pines was the new mayor of Gravity Falls.

***

"This just in: Stanford Pines LOSES!"

"WHAT?!"

Shandra Jimenez faced the camera with a stone-faced expression. "Despite winning an overwhelming 95% of the vote, election officials had to disqualify him due to discovery of an extensive criminal record."

"Oh, boy..." Stan dragged his mouth.

Mabel turned to him with a frown. "Stan, what did you do?!"

"What didn't I do?"

Shandra started listing the beginnings of Stan's crimes, including ones he recently committed from the beginning of the summer. The entire family's ears deafened when she dedicated the rest of the broadcast to reading the entire list.

"Sorry, Stan," Dipper admitted. "I actually think you as mayor would've been fun."

"Eh, maybe it's for the best," Stan assured. "I got close to the dream, though, kids."

"Hey, Grunkle Stan," Mabel approached him. "I knit you something. It's not official, but... I think it fits."

She picked up a sash she sewed together and gave it to Stan. The words "Our Hero" were embroidered on the sash. The older man sniffled, trying not to cry.

"Come on, kids. I have something special planned for us," he wiped his tears away, standing up.

"Actually, Grunkle Stan, we can do that later," Dipper countered, trailing off.

Before the older man could ask why, another person arrived from the doorway of the living room, her arms crossed.

"Stan, can we talk?"

The twins took their chance to leave the room to give the two privacy, and Y/n sat on the arm of the yellow chair, beside Stan. It was silence between them, until she broke it with a statement:

"You didn't have to do all that to get my approval, you know."

Stan couldn't help but wince. Okay, so she found out. He wanted to deny her assumptions so badly, to tell her that no, he did not get into a mayoral election and go through public humiliation just to impress her and make her like him more than her mentor. He realized that he will never amount to her standards.

Y/n continued,"But you went and did it anyway, which makes me proud of you. It takes a lot of guts to run for mayor in this town after almost causing the end of the world."

He didn't say anything, her words rendering him speechless. Y/n? Proud of him? Unheard of. But here she was, affirming him.

"And if you were to ask me, you would be a better mayor than Ford any day."

"Really?" That made him break. Just the mention of him being better than his brother was music to his ears. And it was coming from Y/n herself.

"Yeah!" she giggled, trying to imagine Ford in public, talking with people and getting political. "Ford doesn't even know anything about being a mayor. He's going to suck trying to be cordial with people."

Stan chuckled at her comment, deciding to add his own. "I bet he'd freeze when it comes to public speaking. Embarrassing!"

"He would tell me that the people of Gravity Falls are beneath him because they lack the intelligence to follow his rules. That's just how nerdy he is!"

The two shared a hearty laugh, the bullying of one person bonding them together. Eventually, their laughter died down, and Y/n faced him. "But for what it's worth, I'm sorry, Stan. I didn't mean to make you feel that way."

She pulled him close to an embrace, and after a moment, she heard sniffling from behind her, making her pull away. "Are you crying?"

Stan quickly wiped away the tears building up, refusing to admit it. "No! I got campaign confetti in my eyes!" He stood up, smiling down on her. "Come on. How's about we go and vandalize Mayor Tyler's mansion?"

***

Stanford Pines— the real one— found himself tossing and turning in his sleep. He had been having trouble sleeping, as if that wasn't anything new to him. Even in the Nightmare Realm, he very much still has nightmares. In his dream, he was standing in a field of wheat, surrounded by various objects that were in his life; a ruined swing set, the interdimensional portal, and the Stan'O War.

He began to look around just as the tall stems of wheat flattened around him to resemble a shape of three sides, until it eventually glowed a bright blue. Ford's ears were ringing when he heard a set of maniacal laughter. He huffed in frustration, having to deal with another conversation with the dream demon. "Reveal yourself, you coward!"

In a lightning bolt, the triangle materialized into Bill Cipher, top hat and all. "Are you talking about yourself, big guy?"

"What do you want from me?" He asked him, tired of playing games. He just wanted answers, wanted his true intentions, but clearly, this monster always had something to say.

"Truthfully? Nothing! Nothing at all! It's just like you said, you're done doing my bidding," Bill replied, placing his hands behind him. He floated around him. "I have a new favorite plaything, Sixer! Isn't that fun?"

Stanford didn't answer his rhetorical question.

"While you were off indulging yourself in some dumb fantasy game, I'm just here waiting for the big day," Bill said, rubbing his hands together. "You can't keep that rift safe forever! And that plaything that I told you about? She'll be the perfect key."

The older man kept glaring daggers at the demon, opting to stay silent.

Bill continued, seeing Ford's reaction. "You might be right, Fordsy. Let's see if Y/n would make a great assistant!"

That made him crack.

Stanford was enraged, "NO! She's smarter than that. She will never shake your hand and accept your deals!" His throat was scratchy from how loud his yell was. He thought that maybe, the louder his claim, the more it was true.

But Bill only laughed in his face, floating around. "Not unless there's stakes, old pal. What's a good proposition without risks?" There were a bunch of glowing symbols appearing around them, ones that Ford recognized. "She might hear me out if it involves someone she cares about."

"You don't know her!" The older man argued back, his brows furrowed together. "She wouldn't do that."

If Bill had a stomach, it would be hurting from how hard he was giggling and laughing at Ford's stupidity. All humans are gullible, and here he thought Ford would be different, but he was just as dumb as all the other humans he manipulated and made a deal with.

"Maybe the only person who doesn't know Daisy at all... is you!" Bill's finger outstretched and touched Ford's chest, making him speechless. "Think about it, Sixer. It's been you and her since the beginning, you're back from your fun little vacation after 30 years to find out that your trusty assistant gained some friends."

Stanford stared at the ground, his fists clenched in admission as he remained silent.

"It's not just you anymore. Her circle of attachments widened. And so is my target.🗝️"

He didn't know what to say.

Bill was right.

"Of course I am," his voice cut through his subconscious, having read his mind. The demon adjusted his bow tie, closing his one eye. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go ahead and plan your dimension's demise."

And before he knew it, Bill Cipher left the confines of his mind, the laughter that ever so haunt his dreams echoing until he found himself sitting up and breathing heavily with his eyes wide like saucers. His eyes scanned around his room, looking for some sort of sign, before landing on a machine— his mind machine, and right then and there, he knew what to do.

***

Y/n woke up, her world spinning. She had to blink multiple times to get to see her room back to normal again. She couldn't remember the finer details of her dream, but it was no mistake that it was supposed to be a vision that someone was trying to tell her. It was just unfortunate that she had instantly forgotten the moment she woke up.

She had just been fixing her hair when she heard Ford's voice from the living room. "Family meeting! Family meeting!"

To which she raised her eyebrows in concern. What would be troubling Ford to the point that he needed to consult his family? Nevertheless, she shrugged and walked out of her room towards the living room where Ford was waiting, the table full of papers and books.

"Ford? What's wrong?" she asked, scratching her head.

Just in time, the twins followed suit, and he immediately turned to them. "Ah, children. Come in, come in!"

Mabel excitedly sprinted all the way to the table and marveled at the stuff on the table. "Ooh, mysterious scrolls and potions! Are you going to tell us we're finally of age to go to wizard school?" She began rummaging through the bag. "Is there an owl in this bag?!"

"No!" Ford quickly snatched the bag away from her, hugging it close to his chest. "I can assure you if there's an owl in this bag, he's long dead."

The brunette frowned at that, disappointment in his features. Y/n pouted at his pessimistic response, slightly shocked at his bluntness.

"Now, be seated. Tell me, do three of you recognize this symbol?" Ford asked, holding up a scroll emblazoned with the image of the triangular demon, along with several hieroglyphs.

The twins gasped, and Y/n thought it was an appropriate reaction. Bill Cipher. Not only was he the one threatening their lives all summer, he had also been visiting her dreams a lot more often lately. Bill doesn't always have a chat with her face-to-face, but he liked to drop hints here and there.

Dipper placed a name on the image, and the older man sputtered, staring at them wildly. "You... know him?" Bill Cipher truly doesn't discriminate. When it came to torturing someone psychologically, there wasn't an exception to his schemes.

"Know him?! He's been terrorizing us all summer!" the boy exclaimed. "I have so many questions and theories..."

"Dipper's been pretty paranoid since Bill turned him into a living sock puppet," Mabel explained.

"The important thing is we defeated him twice."

"Once with kittens and once with tickles!"

"It was a lot more heroic than it sounds."

Ford dropped his voice to a solemn tone. "The fact that you've dealt with Bill is gravely serious."

Dipper decided to counter his great uncle's inquisition, asking a question of his own. "So, how do you know Bill?"

Y/n noticed the way the older man evaded the question so skillfully, providing an explanation, but not a direct answer. "I've encountered many dark beings in my time, Dipper. What matters is his powers are growing stronger, and if he pulls off his plans, no one in this family will be safe!"

As the twins gasped in horror, he caught her eyes, who seemed to be communicating with him through concerned glances. In Y/n's perspective, she was asking him if Bill had haunted his dreams again, and Ford understood the insinuation clearly, replying with a wandering look. Yes.

She wanted to talk to him, like old times, where he could confide in her and be able to tell her his problems so that they can shoulder it together. She just had a hard time accepting that this wasn't the old Ford anymore, and nothing was like before.

His voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Fortunately, there should be a way to shield us from his mental tricks. A way to Bill-proof the Shack." He pulled out a floor plan of the Shack, each room having a label that he scribbled some circles in it. "All we have to do is place moonstones here, here, and here, sprinkle some mercury... Let's see." He trailed off, seeming to forget the last ingredient. "What was that last one again, Y/n?"

She rolled her eyes, shivers running down her spine. "Ugh, don't remind me."

"What is it?" Dipper asked.

Y/n's eyes shifted to meet his, her expressions one of exasperation. "Unicorn hair."

That caused Ford to groan as well, glaring to the side. "Ugh. Unicorn hair," he repeated, and the two seemingly had an in-sync flashback to the time when Ford had to arm-wrestle a unicorn for 6 hours.

"That's not like..." Dipper glanced at his sister, who was about to spontaneously combust, before reverting his gaze to Ford. "Rare, is it?"

"It's hopeless," the older man replied, "Unicorns reside deep within an enchanted glade, and their hairs can only be obtained by a pure good-hearted person who goes on a magical quest to find them." He showed a page, explaining the details.

Mabel screamed the loudest anyone had scrumpt, leaving her seat. "Grunkle Ford, can I please go on this quest? I am literally obsessed with unicorns!" The brunette began to explain all the reasons why she was perfectly capable for the quest, and all of the members of the party in the meeting agreed with her acquisition

Ford was convinced, wishing Mabel luck— as well as his journal and a loaded crossbow, to which it was accidentally fired through the window, setting a car's alarm.

Everyone ignored that, and Mabel turned to the other girl excitedly. "Y/n! You should totally come with me! It'll just be us gals on a mission for the entire day!"

Before Y/n could speak, Ford stretched out a hand between them. "I'm sorry, Mabel, but I need Y/n for the afternoon."

The two girls looked at him before exchanging stares. Y/n shrugged woefully, looking at her friend. "Maybe next time, Mabel," she said, hoping to alleviate her disappointment just a bit.

Thankfully, Mabel's smile returned to her face. "Okay, I'll just call up Candy, Grenda, and Wendy!" She excitedly called their numbers on her phone, ordering them to clear their afternoons before walking off.

"Take some pictures!" She called out happily towards Mabel, who walked out the door, but just as it closed, her face shifted to one of despair. "Good luck."

Dipper asked from beside her. "So, what are the odds she gets that hair?"

"Unlikely," Ford answered for her, making the two glance up towards the source of the voice. "Y/n and I have dealt with unicorns before, and if we had to describe them in one word it would be..."

"Irritating? Annoying? Dreadful?"

"Exactly."

Unicorns are the worst.

"So, what are we gonna do about Bill?" Dipper asked, bringing the more important topic to focus on, and the two looked at him as Ford began to devise a plan.

"Follow me."

The two followed Ford as he opened the makeshift door that was the vending machine with his watch, making the girl roll her eyes. They could've just used the code, but the older man wanted to be dramatic and serious. They walked down the dimly lit hallway towards the elevator and entered the mechanism.

Y/n watched as the panel above them signified that they were on the second level of the basement, and the safety doors opened before them, revealing a door to which Ford had opened for them. It was just like she remembered, and Ford didn't even bother to clean up. That was just the way he is.

"Welcome to my private study," Ford introduced Dipper to a small room full of trinkets from his studies; a random skull, different sizes of rocks, and a bunch of papers. "A place where I keep my most ancient and secret knowledge. Even your uncle Stan doesn't know about this."

Y/n strolled around, looking for certain objects she remembered were placed there. She avoided this room like the plague, as it was the one room that would surely trigger her bad memories if she even pressed the wrong number on the elevator.

She heard Ford's voice calling to Dipper, explaining to him that they have to Bill-proof their minds while presenting a metal helmet with a mangle of wires attached to the top.

"And that includes you, Y/n,"

With that, she stopped her movements, staring at the two of them with an uneasy stare. "Oh, o-okay." Here she thought she was about to be exempted. Ford already considered her as someone who is paranormal, for someone who is invulnerable to pain, but in the author's defense, this is Bill they were talking about. Nobody is safe from him.

"Now, will you help me?" Ford spoke once more, turning to the girl, who was already on her way towards them. She took the helmet from him as he pivoted to his right where the machine was located. He began to press a few buttons, tweaking a gear and reading the calculated text.

She adjusted the helmet around Dipper after he sat down on a low stool and discarded his blue trucker hat. She tried to put it on smoothly, without disturbing his curly hair, but it proved to be a difficult task. "Does it fit okay?" She couldn't help but ask, leaning down to see his expression.

"Yeah. Thanks," he simply answered, and they both fell into silence. She didn't know whether to regard the silence as comfortable or awkward, but she decided to move on instead of brooding about it. She turned to Ford who was still busy with the machine.

Dipper cleared his throat, trying to face them but found he couldn't, with the helmet stuck on him. "So, I wanted to ask; what is Bill, exactly?"

"No one knows, for sure," Ford answered, his back still facing them. "Accounts differ of his true motivations and origins." Out of the corner of her eye, Y/n saw Dipper picking up a folder with the name 'The Cipher File' printed on the cover. "I know he's older than our galaxy and far more twisted."

She listened intently, also wanting to know more about the dream demon. She tried to do a little research on the triangle guy so many years ago, but there wasn't any information she could find about him. The Gravity Falls public library could only contain books that hold ancient knowledge.

"Without a physical form, he can only project himself into our thoughts through the mindscape," Ford continued to explain, and Y/n was slowly dissociating, imagining the possibilities. "That's why he wants the rift. The portal may be dismantled, but with this tear, Bill can still find a way into our reality. And the only way he could get his hands on this rift, is by tricking or possessing someone."

"It could be anyone..." Y/n mumbled, looking at the ground.

She couldn't deny Bill's manipulation skills. All humans are susceptible to perception. The dream demon could offer them anything they wanted while somehow looking for a loophole to get what he wants. A deal is a deal.

"So how do we keep Bill out of our minds?" Dipper asked.

"Well, there's a number of ways," Ford answered. "I personally had a metal plate installed in my head,"

The brunette chuckled, thinking it was a joke. "Good one."

But the older man quickly debunked his assumption by knocking the side of his head, making a metallic sound. Dipper avoided his uncle's gaze as he pretended to cough. Y/n had a small, amused smile as she watched the scene. The boy suddenly looked at her, feeling uneasy. "Do I... have to...?"

"No, we're not gonna install a metal plate on your head," she gently reassured. "Though I'm not sure how this machine is going to work...?" she trailed off, averting her gaze towards Ford, waiting for an explanation.

"This machine will scan his mind, and will bioelectrically encrypt his thoughts so Bill couldn't read them," Ford answered, and the two stared at one another in silence while she was thinking to herself: can it really do that? They have had the machine sitting here for as long as they could remember, but it was never really used to encrypt someone's thoughts. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and assumed that maybe Ford modified it for some time.

Ford was the one who broke the staring contest first, swiveling to his machine and turning it on. "Now, Dipper. Say hello to your thoughts."

On the screen, words began to appear in green text, signifying the brunette's thoughts.

Oh, man. The author of the journals is right there! I can't believe this is happening!

What is up with Bill Cipher?

DISCO GIRL! COMING THROUGH!

Y/n is standing right there. She looks so—

"UH!" Dipper suddenly stood up from his chair, using his entire body to block the whole monitor. He faced the other two people in the room with a flushed face of humiliation. "Just... ignore them." He felt so exposed at the moment, seeing that most of his displayed thoughts were about the other two in the room. The other part of him was trying to assure that it's normal since naturally, he just had a conversation with them.

But his thoughts were supposed to be kept to himself. Now it was fully disclosed for the two people he wanted to impress the most. He just wished that when he turned back around she wouldn't be looking at him in disgust.

Sure enough, she wasn't.

Repressing a sigh of relief, he turned to head as he shook his head. "A-Anyway, Great Uncle Ford, you never told me what your history with Bill was."

Y/n sifted through her memories, searching for any details related to Bill. Some memories were as old as three decades, and she made a point to keep these recollections to herself. She chose not to share this information because, firstly, Dipper hadn't directly inquired, and secondly, she preferred to keep those encounters private.

Ford pressed some more buttons, and eventually a text that said "SCANNING THOUGHTS 0%" appeared on the screen in front of the scrolling thoughts. They waited around, but they knew it was going to be a long process, causing the author to sit down and slowly doze off, leaving Y/n and Dipper to be the only people awake in the room.

No one knew how to open up a conversation. There were so many things to talk about, and yet... What do you talk about?

The girl noticed the way the sliding texts shifted into something else, as she subtly took a peek.

Oh, man. This is awkward. Oh, man. This is awkward.

How should I talk to her? What do we even talk about? How should I talk to her? What do we even talk about?

This is the first time I've seen the author asleep. So cool.

I want to ask her about Bill.

She sweatdropped.

"I'm kinda worried about Mabel," she finally spoke aloud, hoping to come across casual. She just needed to talk about something else, other than the elephant in the room. She just wasn't ready for that conversation. "Wonder how she's holding up."

"Don't worry about her," Dipper reassured with a swipe of his hand. "Mabel can handle anything. We're twins, remember?"

"Right! Right," she chuckled nervously, thankful that he completely dropped the subject, but when she looked back at the screen she noticed that some of the texts were still there. "Of course."

"D'you think this machine is going to work?" he asked in a throwaway comment, fiddling with his fingers.

Y/n shrugged, looking everywhere in the room. "Let's hope it works. Never really tried encrypting my thoughts before."

That made him hum in thought. "So... before we met Bill that night, you've never seen him before? Great Uncle Ford didn't directly say that he and Bill talked, but maybe you could tell me something you know? You know, because you're the assistant?" Dipper said the last part of the statement more slowly, causing his speech to crumble. His confidence gradually decreased, as he avoided her gaze now.

"I may be the 'assistant' but he didn't really tell me everything," Y/n replied, unaware of the shift in her tone. Dipper heard the slight bitterness, but decided not to comment on it. "Anything about Bill Cipher, he clearly kept it a personal secret."

Dipper nodded, taking it all in. Silence overtook the two and the other unconscious person in the room. The girl was uncertain what to call the silence. Was it uncomfortable? Awkward? Tense? All of a sudden she felt itchy.

With an internal huff, she turned to Dipper. "Anyway, this whole process is making me thirsty– and we still have a long way to go, so... gotta go get a soda." She spoke, pointing at the elevator behind her. She began to walk backwards, her eyes remained locked on him. "Do you want anything?"

"Surprise me," he replied, smiling good-naturedly as he shrugged.

The gesture made her chuckle shortly, feeling her insides tingling. She ignored the sensation and headed towards the elevator without another word. Don't be weird, Y/n— even though you are.

While she exited out of the room, she didn't see the way Dipper watched her back until she completely disappeared from his vision, a loose smile on his face. His eyes reverted to his Great Uncle Ford who was asleep for the whole conversation. He must've been really tired. Poor man had gone through so much messed up stuff.

Dipper decided to sneak a glance at the monitor, wanting to see how far the process had gone. He felt like he had already been here an hour. Surely it only needed approximately 10 more percent, right?

Nope.

He groaned loudly when he saw that it was only done by 15 percent. Man, he briefly forgot that this machine wasn't exactly brand new. He began to communicate with himself, knowing that he needed to express these thoughts aloud; he couldn't simply read it through a screen. He wasn't sure whether to be thankful that Y/n wasn't in the room anymore.

"This is taking forever. How long have I been doing this for?" He glanced at his uncle, the perpetrator who was making him do all of these tedious procedures to defend himself against Bill. He had read the author's entries from the third journal, about his betrayal, but it all had been quite vague.

He wanted to know more, wanted to hear from the author— his uncle, what he personally experienced with the dream demon. But with a somber sigh, he realized; if Ford didn't even bother telling Y/n– his assistant– about it, what more could he do? He stood no chance when it came to closeness.

"Why does he have to be so mysterious about Bill?" Dipper asked aloud, his gaze fixed on Ford. "I can handle the truth."

All of a sudden, his subconscious began to evaluate the decision he was going to make.

I wonder what Great-Uncle Ford is thinking—

Use the machine! It'll show you his thoughts!

Dipper furrowed his brows, reflecting on his thought process. One part of him was not agreeing, but the other part of him was seriously considering the offer. "I shouldn't..."

He won't know! He's going to tell you eventually!

But what if Y/n finds out? She's about to come back soon. I don't wanna betray her trust.

It'll just be quick! You put on the machine and you'll see it. Bah-boom! Just like that. The more you know about Bill, the more you can help the author! The more you can help Y/n.

"Man, I am really good at rationalizing," he noted.

YES YOU ARE! YES YOU ARE! YES YOU ARE! YES YOU ARE! YES YOU ARE!

Without further hesitation, he removed his helmet and trekked over his sleeping uncle, who he transferred the headgear to. It was taking every cell in Dipper's body to stop him from proceeding, but his curiosity remained unshakeable.

The moment when he heard the locking sound from the helmet, his heartbeat seemed to have escalated, as if the sound had reminded him that this was his final decision and now he had to live with the consequences.

Dipper figured that there would be texts appearing on the screen, but since the subject of the machine was sleeping, it displayed visions instead of letters. Bill Cipher was the first image that had appeared on the monitor, and he was laughing maniacally.

The boy wasn't aware that this thing had an audio output, or was his brain just playing with him?

The dream demon was engulfed in blue flames as he cackled. The screen changed to the author moving around in his sleep, as Fiddleford's voice resonated through the room. "Where do you get these ideas for the portal, Ford?"

And then, Y/n's voice entered his thoughts. "Ford? I can trust you, right?"

Along with that were his memories of him writing in the journal about Bill, scribbling his pages with black ink, depicting his assistant in a dangerous situation. "I'm afraid he'll just hurt her and use her against me."

A younger Ford appeared in the larger screen, his hands outstretched to someone out of the frame. "Then it's a deal. From now until the end of time."

It changed to Bill, who was doing the same, but his hands were on fire. "Just let me into your mind, Stanford!"

Their hands connected, shaking it up and down. "Please," Ford replied with a smile. "Call me... a friend."

The screen changed again, to Ford looking quite possessed with his yellow-glowing eyes and slit-shaped pupils. He was cackling, like Bill would do, and Ford was aware.

Dipper couldn't believe what was happening, but it seemed that the show wasn't over yet as the visions continued to change, showing a now-possessed Ford talking to his assistant with a jolly grin. She happily joined in the conversation as if she was also aware of the possessions.

But what he wasn't prepared for was a vision of Y/n shaking hands with Bill Cipher, him taking control of her body and wreaking havoc; the journals being burnt, the portal destroyed, the town in a wreck, people screaming, blood being spilled, and—!

There was a rustle from behind him, and Dipper gasped as he watched his uncle awaken. The brunette struggled to catch his breath, his mind still processing the events. Was it just a dream or a buried memory? Was it in Ford's subconscious or had it already occurred?

Dipper was shaking just as Ford stood up and stared at him. His glasses reflected the static-y, black and white of the screen, but it wasn't hard to discern that he was gravely disappointed from the deep frown on his face.

"You shouldn't have done that," he said, striding towards him. The older man removed the helmet and tossed it aside, carelessly knocking down a curtain, revealing many items depicting Bill; posters, statues, and other caricatures, but it was horrifying all the same.

Dipper stepped back, regarding him carefully. At the moment, the guy standing in front of him was an imminent threat, using him to get what he wants. "Wh-why are you shaking hands with Bill?" he accused, getting close to the rift. "You said Bill could possess anyone so he could get this!" He took the rift with shaking hands, to which it almost slipped through his fingers.

"Careful!" Stanford warned, reaching out. "Hand me the rift! Now, boy!"

Boy?

He backed away now, having his guard up. His mind was in disarray now, not knowing what to believe, who to believe. He glanced to his left where he saw the memory gun. He picked it up and aimed it at Ford.

"Why were you really scanning my thoughts? Are you Bill right now?!"

Ford followed him, trying to reach out to him, trying to change his mind. Where the heck is Y/n? "Now just– just calm down, P—"

"PINE TREE?!" Dipper burst out in anger. "IS THAT WHAT YOU 'RE GONNA CALL ME?"

"I was gonna say 'please', kid!"

Dipper stopped at the end of the room, but his courage was unwavering. "Great-Uncle Ford told me to protect the rift! Get one step closer and I'll shoot! I'll erase you right out of Ford's head!"

"It's me, Dipper. It's your uncle!" Ford exclaimed, but he knew it was a losing battle.

He was going to shoot.

The gun was charging up, and Dipper closed his eyes. He began a mantra, "Trust no one, trust no one, trust no one..."

Deep down, the boy was hoping that he would be stopped, he was hoping that all of this was just a bad dream. But everything felt real when the memory gun fired, shooting a ray and hitting Ford's glasses, making it bounce around the room.

The two took cover, uncertain of where the ray was headed, until it destroyed one of the screens. The room fell momentarily silent, but the fear in Dipper's chest remained. Hastily, he attempted to retrieve the memory gun and rift, but Ford intervened, effortlessly lifting him up by the back of his shirt.

Dipper writhed in his grasp, trying to hit him. "Let go of me!"

"Now– now, just calm down. Calm down!" Ford adjusted his glasses so that his nephew could see clearly. "Look into my eyes! Look at my pupils. It's me, Dipper. It's me," he reassured the boy with a smile as he set him down gently.

Dipper immediately felt remorse as he stopped fighting against him. "I tried to erase your mind. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Dipper," Ford told him. "Besides, my mind can't be erased, anyway. Remember?" He knocked the side of his head to prove it, and his head replied with the sound of metal. "If that really was Bill, though, you would've done great. I should have been more like when I was young, Dipper."

The boy regarded him with a careful gaze, listening to his story intently.

"I was a fool to try and hide all this. The reason I've been trying to prepare you for Bill's tricks is that Bill tricked me. It's the biggest regret of my life. Bill wasn't always my enemy, Dipper. I used to think he was my friend."

Ford proceeded to recount the story of when he had hit a roadblock in his investigation of Gravity Falls, until he stumbled upon some mysterious writings in a cave all by himself. Desperate at the time, he had read them aloud. This led to the most peculiar dream of encountering a being with answers.

"Hiya, smart guy!" the being floated around his shoulders, making Ford startle. "Woah, don't have a heart attack, you're not ninety-two, yet!"

"Who are you?" younger Ford said.

"Name's Bill! And your name's Stanford Pines, the man who changed the world, but I'm getting ahead of ourselves; let's relax!"His speech was so quick, forcing Ford to shut up and listen to him. He was still in the middle of processing the situation that he was talking to a floating triangle with a bow tie and top hat.

"Care for a game of interdimensional chess? Have a cup of tea!" Everything appeared at the snap of his fingers, and Ford watched with an amused grin as he moved his chess piece first.

"He told me he was a muse, that he chose one brilliant mind a century to inspire. What a fool I was. Blinded by his flattery and games. He became my partner, free to move in and out of my mind as he pleased."

The more Ford told him about Bill, the more Dipper understood.

"When he told me that I could complete my research by building a gateway to other worlds, I trusted him. He said this was the way genius happened, with a little help from a friend. It seemed that I was on the verge of my greatest achievement!" Ford's voice turned grave. "Until Y/n got a glimpse of Bill's true plans."

"Wha- what happened?" Dipper asked quickly.

"She..." he avoided his gaze, trying to carefully word his next sentence. "You should ask her yourself."

Dipper deadpanned. After a moment, he sighed. "Continue, please."

"I confronted Bill, asking him where the portal really led. He told me... that if the portal finished charging up, our dimensions would learn how to party..."

"Then? What did you do?"

"Feeling betrayed, I shut the portal down, severing the link between Bill's world and ours. While Y/n was resting, I had to hide my instructions so no one could ever finish Bill's work. Bill's been waiting for the gateway to reopen ever since. All he needs to do is get his hands on this rift. To Bill, it's just a game, but to us, it would mean the end of our world."

Dipper contemplated for a moment, trying to construct the right question to ask as there were so many. "But..."

He wanted to know.

"But what about the image of Y/n getting possessed by Bill?" He couldn't get the idea out of his head.

Ford quickly supplied the answer for that one, wanting to convince his nephew that he got the wrong idea. "I want to think it was just my subconscious worrying about Bill potentially taking advantage of Y/n, but she's too smart for that. Smarter than me," he said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "She wouldn't shake his hand, Dipper."

"But surely she met him before, right? She and Bill met before?"

The older man didn't answer right away. "I'm not sure. She didn't tell me anything. But I have a feeling that Bill spoke to her through me, while he was in control of me. I dreamt about it," he admitted.

Dipper nodded slowly, proving one of the visions true. So she was aware.

"Hey, I ran out of Pitt so one of us would have to drink the—"

Y/n stopped in her tracks when noticed the changes in the room; a cracked monitor, the lights were off, and the curtains were all destroyed, and Bill's caricatures were in full display. She almost let go of the tray she was holding. "What just happened?"

"You can't tell me everything, huh?"

Her eyes shifted to meet Dipper, whose demeanor had imminently changed. He was back to looking at her with indifference, and here she was, wondering what happened in the last 30 minutes. "What?" She glanced at Ford who looked like he made a mistake. "Ford?"

"Let's go upstairs," he said, but no one seemed to make a move.

"Y/n, you didn't tell me you met him before," Dipper spoke again, and all attention was back on him.

"What?" She was still confused, and the brunette was getting frustrated with her acting clueless when she knew it this whole time.

"You and Bill talked before!"

Her brows furrowed. "Calm down, Dipper. He just came to me in a dream. He's a dream demon!"

It all seemed like Dipper's resentment transferred from the author to his assistant. "Did you make a deal with him? Shook his hand?" He decided that Ford's answer wasn't enough. He needed to hear it from Y/n himself.

"No! I didn't, I swear!" she pressed, placing the tray on a nearby table. "Dipper, please. Believe me."

"Why can't you just tell me the truth," Dipper huffed, exasperated. He was tired of her beating around the bush. "The first time I met him, you told me you had no idea who he was."

"I admit, I wasn't sure at first," she replied, breathing heavily. "I thought he was just manipulating my thoughts, but I remembered everything. I realized that he must've erased the encounter from my mind.," she confessed, her voice straining. "I was almost tricked too, Dipper."

It wasn't enough.

The answer wasn't good enough for him.

Dipper avoided her gaze.

"At this point, I'm not sure I can trust you."

She might be invulnerable to pain, but those words managed to pierce her heart.

Dipper walked past her without sparing her a glance, as if he hadn't left her bleeding in the middle of Ford's room. And speaking of Ford, the older man looked slightly spooked at the circumstances that just developed in front of him. Pre-teen angst is scary.

After a few minutes of silence, she couldn't bear it any longer. Ford was at a loss, unsure of what to do or say. Just as he decided to approach her, she turned around and dashed for the elevator, leaving the older man alone in his room.

Ford couldn't help but release a sigh as he rubbed his metallic forehead. Now, he didn't know which kid he should comfort. Glancing to his right, he noticed the tray of sodas placed to the side, and he sighed once more. Whoever he encountered first when he ascended the stairs would receive his attention.

Taking the tray, he pressed the button on the elevator to ascend to the first level. The vending machine opened with a hiss, revealing an empty gift shop. Hearing a rustle from the living room, he turned around to investigate, only to find Dipper sulking in his chair. His arms rested on the table, his hands clenched around his hat.

He observed Dipper's frustration and deemed it a normal reaction for someone who felt betrayed, though he couldn't determine if what Y/n did constituted an act of betrayal. He sighed, contemplating the best approach.

After a moment, Dipper sensed a presence entering the room and sat beside him. He didn't expect it to be his Great-Uncle Ford, who offered him a Pitt Cola.

As Ford opened the soda, that's when Dipper took his cue to open up and spill his emotions. "I'm so sorry, Great Uncle Ford."

"What for, Dipper?"

"For... everything?" Dipper tried, shrugging as he did so. "I broke the machine, I thought you were Bill, and that... thing between me and her."

Ford winced, having the strong urge to correct his nephew. "It's 'between her and me'," he gently said, placing a hand on his forearm so as to not come across as angry. "Just... simple grammar, really—"

Dipper stared at him.

The older man cleared his throat. "C-carry on."

"I just don't understand why she would never say things. I thought we'd have each other's backs." She promised.

Ford took his time, choosing the right words to say. He pursed his lips before sighing. ""It's not always easy to understand someone else's perspective, especially when they choose to keep things to themselves. But remember, trust isn't just about words; it's also about actions. Perhaps Y/n has her reasons, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have your back."

He felt a sense of satisfaction as he noticed his nephew's expression subtly morph into one of understanding. While he had limited experience in uplifting a child's spirits, he saw no harm in attempting to do so. Moreover, he felt compelled to defend his assistant's integrity. Ford harbored a firm belief that Y/n was inherently a good person, yet he also recognized that Dipper was simply feeling confused.

The boy sighed, choosing to change the topic instead of dwelling on the problem more. "But what about Bill? I broke the machine! Now we have no way to protect the shack!"

SLAM!

"Did someone say "unicorn hair"?!" Mabel appeared out of nowhere, eyes full of adrenaline, hair disordered, rainbow fluids on her clothes.

Ford and Dipper averted their gaze towards the girls, who were in the same state. "Um, no," Ford supplied, clearing his throat awkwardly.

"Oh. That would have been perfect," Mabel shrugged. "Either way, we got some unicorn hair!" She waved it in front of Dipper's face, who wasn't having it. He slapped her hand away, making noises of annoyance.

"They finally gave us this treasure just to get rid of us!" Grenda followed, proceeding to dump a large chest of treasures on the table.

"It... can't be!" Ford exclaimed in surprise. "This is a great day, girls! With this unicorn hair, we'll be able to completely shield the shack from Bill's mind-reading tricks!"

"Is it okay?" the girl began to get sheepish, placing her hands behind her back.

The older man smiled at her, impressed. "Better than okay; it's perfect! You've protected your family. You're a good person, Mabel."

Dipper couldn't help but smile at Ford giving praise to his sister. It was well-deserved, and he found himself proud of her as well.

After the occasional Stan-stealing-some-of-the-treasure-off-the-table, Ford and Dipper went on and glued the unicorn hair around the Shack. Dipper breathed an exhale as he watched a force field form around the house.

Ford smiled, hands on his hips as the spell came into effect. "Good job, kid," he said, the words dissipating in the air. It reached the brunette's ears, but it didn't really matter to him at the moment. "This will protect us from Bill."

Dipper simply stared.

While they may be protected from the chaos demon, Bill Cipher, and any external harm he might bring, he knew that the Shack was still a long way from experiencing peace as long as there was tension between him and Y/n.

And everyone noticed.

***

***

T CYGPEXNXK JHK YFA, WXVRVZW MH RVGT.

In the shadow of pines, daisies bloom,
Their vibrant petals amid gloom.
Yet tension lingers, a silent feud,
A dance of contrasts, nature's mood.

***

CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 29!

[author's note]: no words except thank you guys so much for waiting!!!!!!!!! oh my gooood this took me SO long to write! AND I FEEL LIKE THIS TOOK ME THE LEAST EFFORT TO WRITE— not because it was easy, but it was so excruciating! <3333333 thank u guys sososoososos much ahhaha i might be a lil delirious but are you guys READY for our MOST favorite episode of gravity falls of all time?!?! roadside attraction is next !! bet y'all didn't expect that hahah well we still need y/n ad dipper to make up before weirdmageddon starts— WOOOPS? SPOILERS? is weirdmageddon actually gonna happen tho? who knows?? maybe y/n stops it before it happens... MMMM actually those are a lot of words... thanks guys again

ANY THEORIES? COMMENTS? WORDS OF APPRECIATION? COMMENT DOWN AND I WILL THROW IT BACK AT YOU!

kimmiepines
11875 words!