Hand in Hand || Stanford x Reader

Chapter 8 • You

A.N.~ Just a friendly reminder, you guys asked for this continuation.  So when things start to go south in a few chapters, well, you had your chance to end the story.  *laughs evilly*

• Ten Years Later •

Ring! Ring!

I ignored the phone on my desk, content to let it ring. If someone really wanted to get ahold of me, they could stop by in person. Fred poked his head inside my office. "I need these papers done by tomorrow," he said, pointing at the massive stack of paperwork I had pushed aside. I only nodded, groaning internally.

These last few years had been... interesting, for sure. It had started out well enough, with me founding my own prosthetics company after graduating from WTC.  It had done exceedingly well, and soon I was the CEO of one of the biggest businesses out there. That's when things started to go downhill. My own company decided it was "unprofessional" to have a woman heading it, so I was demoted. By the team of people I had all hired personally, I was kicked out of L/N Prosthetics.

It was humiliating to be an average office worker in the place I had worked so hard to build. Now I was merely a figurehead, called in every once in a while for a speech or two, but was mostly stuck to doing all the paperwork. This is not where I thought I'd be in ten years.

Ring! Ring!

I glared at the phone on my desk, mentally urging it to stop. I didn't have the patience for phone calls on top of the colossal workload today. Shut up, phone. I'm not going to answer you.

Ring! Ring!

You called my bluff, phone. Irritability, I finally picked it up. "Y/N L/N, L/N Prosthetics, what do you want?" I silently cursed myself for being so rude, it was a slip up like that that could cost me my job. Besides, it wasn't fair to the person on the other end. It wasn't their fault I was having a cruddy day.

The stranger seemed taken back, then started talking. As soon as I heard his voice, I didn't regret snapping at him. "Y/N? Is that really you?" Stanford Pines was back. The son of a biscuit was calling a full ten years after the breakup. And you thought your ex was clingy.

"Yes, it is. What are you doing calling me after ten years of silence? Cut to the chase."

Stanford sighed on the other end, like he was asking himself the same question. "I need some help."

I let out an amused chuckle. "Never thought I'd see the day when Stanford Pines asked for help."

"Y/N, just hear me out. I started a new project, and I'm in way over my head. I can do the math part fine, but I don't know enough about robotics or engineering to get it off the ground."

I sighed in defeat. I could feel a migraine coming on. "Why me, of all people? Given our history, couldn't you have gotten someone else? I'm running my own company now and-"

"Don't lie to me, Y/N. It was all over the news you got demoted.  I haven't forgotten about what happened between us, in fact, don't you think I would ask anyone else if I could? You're the only person I know who can handle the type of robotics I'm attempting.  Please, just come up to my lab in Gravity Falls, Oregon. The pay wouldn't be much, but..."

Fred walked in unannounced and dropped off yet another load of paperwork. I grit my teeth. Stanford may be a selfish jerk, but it's not like I was doing so great here, either. Both of my choices were crap. I glared at the teetering pile of paperwork. I was done with this. "Yes, Stanford, I'll come. This is probably a horrible idea, but I'll come."

I hung up before he could say thank you. Casually, I walked out of the double doors, leaving all the stupid papers behind, never to go through them again. It felt good, really, leaving it all behind. The company would go nuts looking for its favorite puppet, but I wasn't going back. I should've left a long time ago. I hailed a taxi with an obscenely loud whistle, not hesitating to get in. "Gravity Falls, Oregon," I muttered to the driver. What a stupid name. The people there must love irony.

The cab driver raised his eyebrows at my mechanical hand, but didn't say anything. I flinched subconsciously, I had gotten used to people gawking at it a long time ago. Besides, the one I had now was much less bulky and easier to use. "You understand how much that's going to be, right, Miss?"

"I can pay the fare, just drive."

The cabbie shrugged, but started driving north. Goodbye, Silicon Valley, hello, Gravity Falls. For better or worse, I was coming. You're getting more than you bargained for, Stanford. You asked for some help, but you're getting a partner.