Hand in Hand || Stanford x Reader

Chapter 20 • You

I didn't know what was taking so long down there, but the wait was driving me insane. They started whatever they were doing in the morning, and by now it was late afternoon.

My chest suddenly constricted, feeling as if it were trying to crush me.  A red-hot pain seared just under my collarbone, and another coughing fit started.  I hacked into my bloodied rag, adding even more red to the several shades of scarlet staining it.  Gradually, the pain subsided, and I looked at my bloodstained rag in despair.

It wasn't fair.  It sounded so childish to say it aloud, but it wasn't fair to come all this way, sacrifice so much, and be rewarded with an expiration date on my life.  I had known I was sick for a while, I just didn't know how bad it was until Stanford had me do the blood test. 

Terminal Lung Cancer.  Stage IV.  Expected date of death: August 31.

I stuffed the rag in my pocket angrily, shaking my head. Yes, it wasn't fair, but what could I do about it? I apparently had three weeks left to live, and there was no way on earth I was going to spend them in useless treatment. I had decided when I first read the test results not to tell anyone, not even Stanford. I had known him for long enough to know that if he ever found out, he'd exhaust himself trying to find an impossible cure. Though he had twelve PHDs, he was a doctor, but not that kind of doctor. I wasn't going to do that to him. My cancer was called terminal for a reason. He couldn't cure me when I was this far along. 

I put my glasses on.  I might was well check up on the boys if it was taking this long to "Bill-Proof" themselves, instead of wallowing in self pity.  I took the elevator down, not expecting the sight before me.

Stanford, though he was asleep, had his memories shown on the screen.  Dipper looked horrified as we saw the images flash across.  My blood ran cold as I saw a familiar demon cackle: Bill Cipher.  It flashed to Fiddleford shaking him.  "Where are these ideas coming from? Who are you working with?!" 

It changed to himself writing frantic messages in the journal, 'I'm losing my mind,' and 'Trust no one.'  Then came the darkest of all:  Stanford in his thirties, shaking his hands with the almighty triangle.  "Then it's a deal. From now until the end of time."

"Just let me into your mind, Stanford."  Bill held out his hand. 

"Please, call me... a friend."

The final memory became a grotesque image of Bill possessing Stanford, laughing maniacally. 

Dipper was trembling.  "Ford and Bill?!"

My mind was swimming.  "It can't be..."

Stanford stood up and took the machine off without warning.  "You shouldn't have done that."  The helmet rolled into a curtain, pushing it back to reveal countless items resembling the dream demon.  

I grabbed the rift from the table and pushed Dipper behind me.  "Whatever happens, Dipper, stay back."  I faced Stanford, whose glasses harshly glared in the light.  "Why were you shaking hands with Bill?  He would possess anyone so he could get this."  I struggled to keep my voice even. 

He started advancing towards me, stretching his hand out.  "Careful! Hand me the rift, Y/N!"

"You haven't answered my question, Stanford Pines.  Or are you Bill right now?"  I slowly backed away from him, careful to keep the kid behind me.  I could feel him shake.  He was scared, and so was I. 

"Now just-just calm down, P-"

Dipper made a strangled noise.  "Pinetree?!  Y/N, that's what Bill calls me..."

"I was just going to say "please," kid!"

I narrowed my eyes.  Only one creature in this universe called everyone "kid."  I grabbed the nearest weapon - the memory gun - and aimed it with one hand, the other in the rift.  "It's my job to protect the rift! Get one step closer and I'll shoot.  I'll erase you right out of Stanford's head!  You know I will, Bill!"

"It's me, Y/N, it's Stanford!"

Tears were freely flowing from my eyes now, but I knew what I had to do.  "Trust no one," I whispered, and shot the gun. 

The ray bounced off his glasses and all around the room, finally busting through the large screen of the memory machine.  I picked up the gun for another shot, but it was knocked out of my hands by Stanford. 

"Calm down!  Look into my eyes! Look at my pupils. It's me, Y/N, it's me."  He adjusted his glasses to show me his normal brown eyes. 

Slowly, I put down the gun.  "You, Stanford Pines, have a lot of explaining to do."

He ran a hand through his greeting hair.  "I was a fool to try to hide all this.  Bill tricked me, a long time ago.  It's the biggest regret of my life.  He told me he was a muse. That he chose one brilliant mind a century to inspire. What a fool I was.  He became my research assistant. He was free to move in and out of my mind as he pleased.  When he told me 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.  Until you fell through the portal." 

He sighed and continued.  "I'd been betrayed. I shut the portal down, severing the link between Bill's world and ours. 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."

I exhaled.  "Oh, crap." 

"Oh crap, Indeed."

We all stayed silent for a second or two, until my lungs clogged up again, seeming to fill with fire.  Oh no, not now!  I tried to keep it in, but I broke into yet another round of harsh coughs, keeping my rag in front of my mouth.  It didn't last for too long, but when I finished, Stanford's face was white. 

"Y/N... is that... blood?!"