Hand in Hand || Stanford x Reader

Chapter 27 • Ford

The gold covering my face vanished, making me stumble.  Y/N nearly tripped as she unfroze, grabbing my arm for support with her singular hand.  Amidst the crowd of people recently freed from Bill's throne, I raised my eyes to to see the twins running towards us.  "Kids! Ah, you did it! I knew I could count on you two."

They ran up to give us both a hug, but at the last second Mabel dodged me and hugged Y/N full force, tears in her eyes.  "Granite Y/N, this is all my fault, if I hadn't given Bill the rift we'd all be safe."  Mabel started bawling and buried her head in Y/N's coat.  "I just wanted to help you."

Y/N gently shushed her and pulled her closer.  "You have nothing to be sorry for, Mabel.  This oddpacalypse is thirty years in the making.  If I hadn't worked on the portal, Bill wouldn't stand a chance."

As they embraced, I noticed an old pair of eyes, belonging to someone I hadn't seen in three decades.  He had grown a snow-white beard and wore a scarecrow hat, but I knew him all the same.  "Fiddleford. I-I haven't seen you since we parted ways. You must hate me."  I hung my head in shame.  That was the worst apology I had ever given, but it was all I had to offer to my friend who I had hurt so badly. 

He tilted his head, considering.  "I've tried forgettin'. Maybe I should try forgiving. Come here, old friend."

I awkwardly hugged my stick-thin partner, relieved he wasn't holding any grudges.  "Glad to have you back, Fidds." 

Stanley looked miffed.  "Hey, good to see you too, bro.  Now let's get outta here, huh?"

Dipper nodded.  "Listen, Uncle Ford, we don't have a lot of time.  Remember how you told me right before you were frozen that you knew Bill's weakness?"

It clicked, seeing all of them there.  The ten members of the zodiac were all here, ready to take down Bill.  "I-I do!  Now, does anyone have a pen? Pencil? Anything?"

Y/N pointed to my shirt pocket.  "There's a pen in your pocket, genius.  Although, spray paint would be better on rock."

The angsty teen with a stitched heart handed me a can of blue paint.  Hastily, I shook it and started to draw the wheel. 

"Drawing a circle on the floor.  Well, he's lost his mind," my brother grumbled. 

"My mind is fine. And there is a way to beat him. With this."

The girl with the llama sweater flipped her hair in annoyance.  "The world's most confusing game of hopscotch?"

I frowned.  "No, a prophecy. Although it would be a pretty fun game of hopscotch.  Many years ago I found ten symbols in a cave.  Some I recognized then, some I only recognize now.  The people of Gravity Falls prophesied that these symbols could create a force strong enough to vanquish Bill.  His weirdness would be reversed and the town could be saved.  This whole time I though that it was just superstition.  But seeing you all here now, I finally understand that it's destiny.  Dipper, the pine tree." 

The tween stepped on his symbol in disbelief, mouth slightly agape. 

"Mabel, the shooting star." 

She flounced on her comet, delighted.  The dark palace was filled with murmurs as the citizens found their respective symbols.  Y/N and Fiddleford glanced uncertainty at the glasses symbol.  Both pushed their glasses up their nose simultaneously and glanced at me for direction. 

"The symbols needn't all be literal, my friends.  The spectacles need to be someone scholarly.  Heck, you both work for that one." 

Y/N extended her hand to F.  "Let's end what we started, and take down Bill together." 

He hesitated, then took it.  "Start as partners, end as partners." 

"Now hold hands, everyone." 

The zodiac members reluctantly grabbed each other's palms, even Stanley sucked it up and held mine.  The circle began to glow with a mystical blue energy, but it still wasn't complete.  Y/N stared at the ground, face bright red, as she stuffed her naked wrist in her pocket.  The blonde llama girl reached out to grab her hand, then realized she didn't have one. 

"Y/N... just give her your wrist.  Please.  It'll work, it has to." 

She shut her eyes tight, but slowly slid her arm out of her pocket.  The llama extended her hand, about to grab it, when I thundering voice echoed around the fearamid. 

"Oh no, it's Bill!  Right?  Isn't that what you're all thinking?  This is just too perfect!  Didn't you brainiacs know the zodiac doesn't work if you don't all hold hands?  Yeah Y/N, you don't exactly fit the bill.  And what's better, you've brought every threat to my power together in one easy-to-destroy CIRCLE!" 

The tyrannical triangle snapped his fingers, and all of the zodiac members were transformed into tattered banners, each displaying their symbol and terrified face.  "Looks like it's too late for your friends, Y/N, but you can still save your family.  Last chance: tell me how to take Weirdmageddon global and I'll spare the kids!"

Y/N looked torn as Bill captured the kids in a pyramid cage. 

Mabel pounded on her prison.  "Don't do it, Y/N, Bill makes bad deals!"

"Don't you toy with me, Shooting Star. I see EVERYTHI-"

She sprayed the last of the paint into his eye, making him recoil.  "Ow!  Why?!  Every time!"

Dipper took the opportunity and used his height-altering flashlight to make the bars of their cage big enough to jump out.  "Save yourselves.  We'll take care of Bill.  We've beat him before, and we'll beat him again!" 

Y/N and I tried to run after them, but walls of energy closed in around us, trapping us in an identical cage. 

"Not so fast.  I've got some children I need to make into corpses."  He split apart into a hideous red beast spilling black tongues and crawled after them. 

Y/N leaned against the side and sat down in defeat, tears making a silent trail down her face.  "The kids are gonna die and it's all my fault.  If I was a whole person, they would be safe."

I knelt next to her, moving her head up so she'd look me in the eyes.  "I don't want to hear you beating yourself up like that, it's not something you can control.  I'm the one who made a deal with Bill in the first place." 

Y/N turned away and stood up.  "I'm going to play the only card we have left. Let Bill into my mind. He'll be able to take over the galaxy and maybe even worse, but at least he might let the kids free."

"Are you honestly telling me there's nothing else we can do?!"

Her shoulders sagged.  "I know of one other way.  Bill's only weak in the mind space.  If you could erase him with the memory gun when he steps inside my mind, he'll be gone for good." 

"B-But that means..."

"It means I'd lose all memories.  Erased from existence.  Like I'd never lived at all." 

"I'm not going to lose you again, you hear?  I-I can't go through this again!"  I shut my eyes to stop the flood of tears from coming, but it did nothing.

"I'm going to die anyways, Stanford!  Two days left, remember?  There's no point.  I'm not leaving it up to you."  She pulled out the memory ray and dropped it on my shaking hands.  "Shoot as soon as he enters my mind.  Please."