Hand in Hand || Stanford x Reader

Chapter 17 • Ford

The next day, I ran heath tests on the children, named Dipper and Mabel, and Y/N. I had to be sure the portal didn't cause any health problems with its toxic waste power source.

Mabel was first. "Say 'ah," I said.

"Ahh-ack!" She started coughing up glitter. "Sorry about that, I had some Mabel Juice before this."

I blinked. That was not normal, but she acted like that happened all the time. "Uh, okay then. You seem to be in excellent physical condition, although you might want to lay off the Gummy Koalas."

"Thanks, Great Uncle Ford!" The glitter-child hugged me tightly, then skipped up the steps. I would never understand her optimism.

Then it was Dipper's turn. The kid was sweating and fidgeting like crazy.

"Can you sit still for a moment? I need to check your heart rate for side effects of dimension fever."

"Oh, um, o-of course. I-I just s-sit here, not m-moving, with the a-author of the j-journals andI'mramblingandshouldprobablystoptalking."

I raised my eyebrows but checked his pulse. To my surprise, it was going a mile a minute. I glanced up, worried, and he looked like he was going to faint.

"Are you okay, Dipper?!"

"Y-yeah, I'm f-fine, I-I just c-can't believe t-the author of the j-journals is y-you, and you l-live h-here, I'mgettingofftopicagain..."

"Out of curiosity, which of the journals did you read?"

"T-The third one."

I frowned. "Impossible. That one's the hardest to access... unless the water damage loosened the machinery over time." I facepalmed. I really should've hidden my journals better. "Would you mind if I have it back?"

"O-of course!" The sweaty tween pulled it out of his vest and handed it to me. I flipped through it, devastated to find he had scribbled notes in over my research. Oh, well, nothing could be done about it now.

I sighed. "You're free to go."

Dipper walked slowly up the stairs, nearly tripping over his noodle-like limbs.

Finally, it was Y/N's turn. She gave me a wry smile. "I just came back after thirty years away, and I need to do a blood test right after?"

I felt myself start blushing. Thirty years apart and she still manages to make me start blushing whenever she pushes my buttons. "Let's just get this over with."

Y/N didn't even flinch as the needle went into her vein. I wondered what she encountered during her time away that would make her unresponsive to the syringe.  It only took a minute or so, then I took the vial and popped it into the machine to be analyzed.

Y/N coughed hard into a rag. She frowned at it and stuffed it back in her lab coat.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine." She scowled at nothing in particular.

Her short answer surprised me, but it was clear she didn't want to talk about it. The silence dragged on and on, eventually becoming unbearable. "So, I've been meaning to ask you, why didn't you bring our relationship up when we explained everything to the kids?"

She shifted uncomfortably. "Why didn't you? I guess it's because I don't know where we stand. Engaged, then don't speak a word to each other for three straight decades? Where does that leave us?"

I sighed. "I wish I knew the answer to that, myself.  Y/N, when I was trapped in the other dimensions, I went through some horrifying things.  I nearly died countless times, and I wished for death more times than that.  But I didn't give up.  I couldn't.  I cared too much about you.  You're the reason I kept going."

Y/N stayed quiet, shocked into silence.  "S-Stanford... I didn't know I'd mean that much to you, after all these years.  It's a similar story for me, actually.  Being pulled into another dimension?  That wasn't so bad on its own, but combined with the fact that I'd never see you again... that's what killed me." 

"What do you say to giving it one more shot?  If it turns out we hate each other after thirty years, well, at least we can say that we tried.  Want to pick up where we left off?"  I fished around in my lab coat, producing the robotic hand she had lost so long ago, complete with the ring on its finger.

Y/N looked at war with herself.  Finally, she let out a breath and gave me a rare smile.  "Why not?  What's the worst that could happen?"

She extended her current hand, letting me slip on the ring from the old one.  I gazed into her starry eyes, mesmerized once again by her.  I doubted there was another woman alive like her, the one who had stolen my heart for thirty years straight.  "Y/N, did I ever tell you that I love you?"

She cracked a smile.  "I believe the last time you said that was 1982."

"Then it's overdue.  I'm head over heels for you, Y/N," I said, grinning like a fool.

"I'd be a liar if I said anything different," Y/N responded, pushing her glasses up her nose.  I really needed to fix those again. 

Suddenly, the machine that analyzed her blood beeped loudly, shuddered, and printed out the results.  Y/N picked them up and sighed, like they had confirmed her worst fear. 

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing.  I'm fine."  She balled up her results and shoved them into her pocket angrily.  "I'm perfectly healthy-"  She couldn't finish her sentence, interrupted by another round of hacking coughs into her rag. 

"Seriously, Y/N, you don't sound alright, what did the results say?" 

"It's just a cold.  I said, I'm fine."  She shook her head.  "You worry too much, Stanford.  Get some rest, it's three in the morning."

She went up the stairs one by one, leaving me to my own thoughts.  Y/N's cough seemed worse than any cold I'd ever seen, but I didn't know what it was, either.  I rubbed my eyes, exhausted.  Y/N was right, I worried too much.  If the blood test didn't show anything, she was fine, just like she said.