YES YES IK
IM SORRY FOR MAKING YOU ALL WAIT FOUR MONTHS🥹
IN MY DEFENSE
March, April, and most of May was spent suffering my college shit💃🏾
And then ending May, I went on a small trip with my friends to kick off the summer
Most of June, I've been with family, so I was mostly writing bits and pieces of this chapter as time went on
BUT ITS OUT
SO
ENJOY❤️
~~~~~~~~~Dipper's POV~~~~~~~~~
"AHHHH!!" I sat up as the storm of nightmares zoomed through my brain, looking around as I steadied my breathing, "Ugh, I just had a horrible dream that Gideon stole the deed to the Mystery Shack and kicked us out and... we all had to move with Soos's grandma!"
Soos leaned over to me, "That was no dream, dude."
Another scream escaped my lips as I realized I was in Soos's grandma's house, we all were!
"Shh, por favor," the grandma said as she turned on the lights and tv.
I shrunk a bit in embarrassment, looking away, "Uh, sorry, abuelita.."
"Oh, Soos, your grandma is so adorable!!" Mabel began touching the grandma's face, "And her skin is old lady soft..!"
As Mabel continued to touch her face with a hypnotic look in her eyes, Stan scolded her, "Mabel, quit being creepy, the news is finally on!"
"In a move that has all of Gravity Falls buzzing, child psychic Gideon Gleeful has taken surprise ownership of the Mystery Shack, previously belonging to area shyster Stanford Pines."
The picture shown on scream was one of Stan in a devil costume raising his fake weapon angrily, to which he responded with, "That picture was taken out of context."
"Now that you have the shack, what exactly are you planning to do with it?" Shandra asked as the camera panned out, revealing Gideon beside her.
"I have a big announcement to make today, and I'd like to cordially invite all the good people of Gravity Falls to join me!! Free admission to everyone who wears their Gideon pins~! It's my face!"
"I just can't believe Gideon beat us!" My mind began to remember the events of yesterday step by step, "Normally I'm able to save the day.. This is all my fault.."
"Don't get so angry with yourself, Maze.." It was then I noticed than (y/n) had been sleeping with his head on my lap, making my face grow hot as he sat up with a yawn, "We all did what we could.."
He had offered for at least two of us to go sleep at his shack in the woods, and although it would've been more comfortable, I still worried that Gideon could take us out easier if we were separated, so I argued against it. He was worried, but didn't argue back.
Mabel then walked over to us, "Don't worry, guys, looks like Mabel's gonna have to be the family hero now! I'll defeat Gideon with my..." she pulled out a weapon with a bright smile, "grappling hook!!"
(y/n)'s eyes widened, "Whoa, I forgot you had that thing!"
"Mabel, no offense, but that grappling hook has literally never helped us once," I replied.
"Oh yeah~? Jelly grab!!" she shot the grappling hook over to the jar of jelly, breaking it completely and spreading it all over the wall.
Abuela stood up and began to clean, "I vacuum the walls now."
Soos turned to us, "So you lost the shack, look on the bright side, dudes, now you get to live here with me Soos! Hey, anyone wanna play race cars? They're out of batteries, but we can make pretend!" He then choked up bits of cereal, "Would it be a new low if I ate that?" he chuckled, "I'm just kidding I'm totally eating it!"
Stan stared in pure disgust, "We gotta get the shack back."
Mabel made us these really lazy and totally obvious costumes on the way, but anyway, the front porch was filled with people talking and cheering, like a mindless hive. Gideon then stepped onto the stage, making a small dance, "Hello, Gravity Falls!!"
The crowd cheered once more, with Lazy Susan going, "Gideon is the psychic-est! He guest the secret ingredient to my coffee omelet!"
"Somehow he knew about my horrifying secret birthmark!" Toby added.
"I love the child psychic so much!!" Dan started to hug the sheriff and deputy.
It was a little too hard though, and Blubs managed to choke out, "You're choking me!!"
"Grandma, is that you?!" Durland asked as his face grew purple.
Mabel turned to us, "Just wanna say, I don't know what we're doing here, but I am loving these fake mustaches!"
(y/n) pulled it off his face, "I'm not, they're sticky and tickle my nose."
Soos looked around, pointing at his head that had a sign that said 'Not Soos', "If anyone asks, I'm not Soos!"
That's when Gideon started to speak again, "Ladies and gentlemen!! Today I'm delighted to announce my new plans for the former Mystery Shack!! I give you.." he pulled off a blanket from a series of small mountains on a table, revealing a theme park, but not just any theme park, a Gideon themed theme park, "Gideonland!!"
We all gasped in terror at the sight, that was what are home was gonna be replaced with?!
"We are gonna turn this dirty ol' shack into three square miles of Gidentertainment!!" He then walked over to his father, who was holding a cage covered with a sheet, "And introducing our new mascot, Little Gideon Junior!!"
Bud took off the sheet, revealing Waddles wearing a Gideon costume, Gideon continuing, "Boom, he's a pig!"
"WADDLES!!!" Mabel yelled at the top of her lungs, "You monster!!"
"Alright, that's it!!" Stan yelled after, and we all threw off our costumes and ran onto the stage, with Mabel kicking off a Gideon cardboard cutout, "Alright, listen up, people!! Gideon's a fraud!! This kid broke in and stole my property!!"
"Arrest him, officers!!" Mabel yelled.
"Such accusations!!" Gideon took a few steps closer to us, showing us the deed, "Mr. Pines, I recall you gave the property to me! Look, here's the deed right here!"
Blubs fixed his sunglasses, "Well, that's all the proof I need to see."
"I love you, little Gideon!! Sing them funny songs!!" Durians yelled after.
Gideon snapped his fingers, two large men walking over and grabbing us by our shoulders, ready to kick us off. It was (y/n) who was able to push him off, which I shouldn't be too surprise off now, and then ran over to the mic, "Hey!!"
The crowd jumped a bit, confused to why this was all happening, but we knew better, he knew better.
"Are you really just going to believe this rat for just his word?! I get that Stan's a conman and sometimes it's difficult to believe him, but there are still things that need to be double checked, even for him!"
"Pip, you really shouldn't be defending someone like Mr. Pines, okay?" Blubs replied, "Just leave this to the professionals."
"'Professionals' my ass, you're taking a kid's side just cuz you like him more!! We were all there when Gideon broke in and stole the deed, I was there!! Maybe you don't believe Stan, but can you at least take my word into consideration?!"
To my surprise, (y/n)'s words did cause a stir in the crowd, making them all mutter to each other in doubt, and I swear I saw a hint of worry in Gideon's face, but that was until he placed a hand on (y/n)'s shoulder, causing his whole body to tense up, "My my, (y/n), you really gave it your all there, huh? It's too bad the decision has already been made! So how about you just admit defeat and we'll let these be bygones, okay?"
(y/n) didn't reply, he just stared at the podium with a strange expression, and my blood went cold when I saw something glowing from Gideon's hand, the one presses to his back. Was he doing something to (y/n)?!
One of the big guys from before walked over, picking him up as if he were a rag doll, with Gideon then yelling at Stan, "Now, would you be a dear and get of my property, old man!!"
"I'll show you who's the old ma- Ow!! Ah, my hearing aids!!"
"Thanks for visiting Gideonland, friends!!" Gideon yelled as we were carried out of the shack's premises, "Oohoo, don't come back, I don't care for y'all!"
We were all thrown out behind the gates as if we were garbage bags, getting locked out. I was already getting angry, but I resisted any irrational action when I noticed (y/n)'s movements were slow as he tried to get back up, taking his arm to help, "You okay..?"
He gripped his head, a groan in his throat, "Yeah, I.. what just happened..?"
"Uh, we just got thrown out of our home like a bunch of ragdolls, that's what happened!!" Mabel yelled, clearly more distressed than before.
I tried to ease the moment with a smile, though it came out as a nervous one, "Don't worry, guys, we'll get the shack back somehow!"
"I'm sorry, Mason.." (y/n) stood back up, glancing back at the crowd, "I really thought they'd at least listen to me.."
"You did what you could, (y/n).. And it's not over yet, we'll think of something!"
Eventually..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Go red car!!"
"Go other red car!!" Soos yelled after Mabel as they both stared at the race track with excitement, (y/n) and I beside them as we looked in confusion.
Eventually, I gave up, "This would be a lot more fun with batteries."
Soos instead just pushed one of the cars so it sped around the race track, which I guess worked. The boredom got so bad that I didn't even notice Stan walk over to us until he was right in front of us, a look of defeat on his face, "Kids, we gotta talk.. Look, I've been thinking, I can't take care of you anymore. I don't have a house, or a job, the plan is... you're going home," he pulled out two tickets from his pockets, "Your bus leaves tomorrow, here are your tickets.."
I felt a pit form in my stomach, "But Stan, you can't give up!"
"Yeah, dude, look at these faces!" Soos grabbed Mabel by her shoulders, shaking her, "Be cuter, Mabel, your summer depends on it!!"
But Stan had already made up his mind, "Look, I lost, okay? The best thing is for you to be with your parents. I'm sorry, kids, Gideon won.. Summer's over.." With a look of shame, he placed the tickets on the nearby nightstand and walked into another room.
As Soos ran after him, yelling for him to reconsider, I turned to the others, "Okay, that's enough!! If Stan won't get our home back from Gideon then we'll have to do it ourselves!"
"Gideon has the entire town around his pinky though," (y/n) shrugged with his crossed arms, unconvinced by my statement, "How are we gonna get rid of him?"
I was surprised to see Mabel being the one with the confident smile this time, "Well, Gideon might have the upper hand, but we have one thing he doesn't!"
"The journal!!"
"A grappling hook!!" Mabel and I said in synch as we raised our items, both pausing as we realized they weren't the same. She was the one to pull the grappling hook back down though, "Oh, the journal. Journal!"
Now we just.. needed a plan..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night, while the waxing moon's glow lit up everyone's sleeping faces, I noticed (y/n) was missing from the living room, the blanket he was using partially on the floor.
At first, I assumed he was in the bathroom, or maybe just getting a midnight snack somewhere, when I noticed a strange new lump in the shadows outside the window. My sleep had been pretty on and off these past few nights, so I remember clearly that the shadows of that side of the roof were flat, so it made me curious.
Once outside, it was easy to tell that the shadow-made lump was part of a head, the top from the the looks of the hair strands. To no surprise, I could see part of (y/n) sitting up on the roof. It wouldn't hurt to join, right?
One problem though.
I forgot I'm not athletic. Not by a long shot.
When I tried to climb up as I held on to the edges on the window, my foot slipped on the wood and I fell back first against the grass, which hurt a lot for such little distance (you'd think I'd be used to falling by now).
There was a giggle heard from above, and when I opened my eyes, (y/n) was peeking down at me from the roof's ledge. It was physically visible he was doing his best to not laugh at the situation, but he held it in and instead asked, "You okay?"
"Y-yeah, just-" I rested my arms under my head, crossing my legs in a pose of relaxation as I tried to look unbothered, "Just enjoys the view, you know?"
"The view of the roof?"
"It's got nice tiles."
Another small laugh, a blush creeping onto my face as it reached my ears, when he reached his hand down to me, "Need a hand?"
I let out a chuckle, partially embarrassed by my lack of strength, but otherwise happy to be able to hold (y/n)'s hand again. I'm still not used to his strength though, cuz I let out a yell when he suddenly hoisted me up onto the rough with little effort. Or maybe I was just that weightless. I hoped it wasn't the latter.
"Thanks," I muttered, my head low to hide the red in my cheeks, "Couldn't sleep?"
"Not really, though that's not really uncommon for me. You?"
"The usual, I'll fall asleep for about an hour and then wake up for another. Continue cycle until the sun rises."
"Cheers to our insomnia then."
I chuckled a bit at that, though we both knew it wasn't a blessing, specially not with how stressed we both were with the current situation. But his company was always something I treasured, and even in our worst of moments, he'd always make me feel better.
He stared up at the sky, which only revealed a few stars as clouds covered the rest, his smile morphing into something serious, expressionless, "You really think we can find a way to save the shack..?"
"I sure hope so, and I'll definitely try."
His response wasn't immediate, and instead he laid back against the roof as he let out a heavy sigh, "Maybe this'll sound a little weird, but.. I really don't want you to leave Gravity Falls, not yet, at least.. I always knew you'd leave eventually, but I was slowly preparing myself for that last day of August.. not for today.."
I couldn't help the heat that went across my face, lying beside him on the roof as well, "Yeah, I was hoping to stay a little longer too.. I've loved being here, with Stan, and Soos, and all the goons we've encountered.." A chuckle left his lips, then I turned my head to face him, "And.. if I leave, I'll miss you most of all.."
There was a rosy tint in his cheeks when I said that, and he lightly pushed my shoulder, "Oh, don't mess with my poor heart like that.."
"I'm serious..!" I scooted over, a little too much I realized when my shoulder touched his, "You're kinda the reason this summer has been so amazing.. You fight monsters beside me, you help protect my family, you're my voice of reason when I get too angry to think.. Not to mention you're the reason I'm alive, heh.."
That last part was meant to add a bit of humor, but he simply stared at me with glassy eyes, as if he were holding back tears, "You really think that..? Even after you learned about my.." his hands twitched a bit, and I knew what he was referring to, "m-my.."
I placed my hand over his, "I do.."
Glancing down, he gently gripped my hand, staring at it for a while until he buried his face into my hair, making my face grow hotter. He never let go of my hand, instead tightening his grip on it, and maybe it was my ears malfunctioning, but I could've sworn I heard him forcing back a sob.
"You know, before I started working at the shack, I'd spend my days walking throughout the town on loop.. I'd met everyone, talk to everyone, ask the same questions, they all chatted with me, and it made me happy.." his voice was shaky, yet he continued, "But when the sun went down, and everyone went to sleep, I always got so lonely.. I was so young back then, the dark terrified me, but full moons were even worse.."
"(y/n).."
He moved his head a bit, a smile on his face though the tears that poked out of his eyes were obvious now, "You're the first real friend I've made.. ever.. Even though I'm under the bright moonlight, I feel safe, with you.. whether you're here personally or not.."
A sigh then left his lips, and he loosened his grip, "I'm not telling you this for you to have more pressure on your shoulders.. I just want you to know that whether or not you're able to stay here for longer, know that this has been the most amazing summer in my entire life, and it's all thanks to you.."
For a moment, I wasn't sure what to say. Yes, I'd do everything in my power to stay for longer, but I was no god, it's not as if I could snap my fingers and erase Gideon out of existence, I could only do so much.
I was selfish. I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to be here longer, for him, with him.
Truth be told, I'm not sure what came over me in that moment, but I leaned up and placed a kiss against his cheek. It surprised him, understandably so, it surprised me too, but he didn't pull away, his face growing red.
"Try to rest, (y/n), cuz tomorrow we'll do whatever it takes to best Gideon.."
He stared at me for a while, eyes wide at me action as he passed a hand along his own cheek, unsure of how to react. In the end, he gave me a small nod, snuggling into my hair.
Resting my head against his chest, I listened as his breathing slowly got more and more relaxed, and soon, I followed, falling asleep to the sound of his heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Alright," I began, staring at the fence that blocked our way into the shack as I held my journal, "the bus to take us out of Gravity Falls comes at sundown. If we wanna stay in town, we've got to get past those guards, make it through the fence, and get Gideon to hand over that deed."
"Leave that to Mabel!" She pointed her grappling hook up, which (y/n) tried to stop her from doing as she shot up, hitting a tree branch, and making it fall on me.
It hurt. A lot. I think I have ribs broken now.
Picking up the hook, I stood back up with a glare, "Now will you admit the grappling hook is useless?!"
"Nope!" and she brought the hook back to its gun, "Besides, can't (y/n) just fight the big guys?"
"At most, I'd be able to take one of them down," he explained, "but the other guy would either intervene or throw me away."
"Besides, I'd rather not throw him into that sort of danger on his own," I added, making Mabel let out a small giggle as she looked between (y/n) and I.
I shot her another glare, feeling my cheeks heat up before I turned my attention over to my journal, scrolling through its pages as (y/n) and Mabel peeked over my shoulders.
"Okay, what can we use to defeat Gideon? Let's see... Barf fairy?"
"Yeah!"
"Those things are divas, they'd never agree," (y/n) replied after Mabel, "Next choice."
I turned the page, "Butternut squash with a human face and emotions?"
"Yeah!"
"Do I really need to point out how useless that would be?"
"Yeah that's fair," I replied to (y/n), turning the page once more.
It was a page that grabbed his attention, for he pointed at it, asking, "Whoa, what's that?"
"I stared at this page for hours! It seems like a blueprint to bring some kind of strange futuristic super weapon-"
"Boring!!" Mabel interrupted, "To defeat those guards we need some kind of army!"
My eyes widened at that, "Wait a minute, an army!! Mabel, that's it!!" I flipped through the journal, finding a specific page, "The gnomes!! They're perfect!!"
Mabel backed away, clearly not onboard with the idea, when (y/n) turned to me, "You think they'll be willing to help?"
"If we play our cards right? I think so.
And so, we left to find the gnomes' hideout, which wasn't that hard to do, just a few yards deep into the forest. (y/n) had already picked up their scent of pine cons and strong cologne, which he'd cringe at the closer we got. Unfortunately to us, we came at a bad time, cuz it was a sight I would never be able to forget....
There was Jeb alright, their leader, bathing in a small bowl, though it wasn't water he was soaking in. It was squirrels. Lots of squirrels, all running around in circles.
Jeb screamed the moment he saw us, then froze as he thought of an explanation, "This- this is normal. This is normal for gnome. Scrub scrub." None of us replied at that, just all frozen in disgust, until he continued to speak, "Well well well, look who came crawling back! Take five, Chris, a squirrel hopped out of the bowl, "You guys keep doing what you're doing. So, changed your mind about marrying me, did you, Mabel?"
"Eww, hardly!! We need your help, and seriously, ew..!!"
"You want our help after you left me in the altar?! No dice!!"
"Well.." (y/n) was the one who started, seeing the gears turn in his head before looking back at the gnome, "What if we were able to get you a new queen?"
Mabel smiled and followed, "Yes, and I know the perfect one! She's be even more beautiful than me!"
"Her name's Gideon, and she has lovely white hair!" I finished.
Jeff was definitely intrigued, "Woah, mature woman, huh? Hey, Shmebulock, get my cologne!!"
And so he did, crawling out of the bushes with a small bottle, "Shmebulock!"
"Is Shmebulock all you can say..?"
"... Shmebulock..."
"It's a deal!!" He shook hands with me, and for a moment, I felt confident that I'd be able to stay.
It didn't last long though..
Not long after, we headed back to the gates of the shack, seeing no one outside. We yelled for Gideon to come out, and it seems he heard us, cuz he walked out and headed our direction about a minute later.
"Give us the deed to the shack, Gideon, or else!!" I yelled.
He simply giggled, "Am I suppose to say 'or else what'?"
"Yes, you are suppose to say that!! NOW!!"
At Mabel's yell, two gnomes stabbed themselves into the backs of the guards that had followed Gideon outside, with the rest of them breaking down the face and surrounding Gideon from all sides, making him let out a gasp.
"You're surrounded by an unstoppable gnome army!!" I started threatening, or doing my best to, "Now give us back our deed and get off our property!!"
Jeff stepped forward, "And let the marriage ceremony begin!!"
A sigh of defeat escaped Gideon's lips, "Very well, I suppose this deed belongs to-" he pulled out a metal whistle from his jacket, the sound too high pitched for my hears to actually hear.
But the gnomes heard it, too loudly by the looks of it, cuz they all began to scream in agony, to which Gideon smiled, "Ha, what do you know! Works on gnomes too!" He then glanced behind us, his smile turning into a smirk, "And by the looks of it, pretty boys!"
I raised an eyebrow and turned around, my heart stopping at the sight of (y/n) now kneeling on the ground, forehead touching the grass as he gripped his ears, his breathing heavy, "(y/n)!!"
Another blow to the whistle, another wave of screams and yells, both from (y/n) and the gnomes, when Jeff began to beg to Gideon, "Stop, we'll do anything!! How can we serve you, your majesty, the most beautiful girl we've ever seen!!"
Gideon grew red in anger at that, "I am not a girl!!"
"Really? But your skin is so soft! You moisturize or-?"
"Subdue them!!" At his orders, the gnomes surrounded us in return, grabbing our arms and legs. Mabel was trying to kick them away, and (y/n) wasn't in any state to push them off as Gideon walked closer with a slow clap, "I have to admit, kids, I am impressed by your creativity!"
And to add more salt on the wound, in the struggles, my journal ended up falling out of my vest, "Oh no!!"
"No.. Could it be..? Is it-?!" Gideon's eyes went wide as he picked up the journal, looking through it, "Of course!! It all makes sense!! The one place I'd never think to look!! You had it the whole time!! And to think I actually considered you a threat!"
He flicked my nose, and I tried to push him back, "No, give it back!!"
"Every victory you had was because was because of your precious book!"
"Give it back or I'll-!!!"
He leaned in closer, glaring daggers into me, "You'll what, boy, you'll what? Huh? Huh?! No muscles, no brains, face it! You're nothing without this!" Then he pulled back, waving to us, "Bye bye forever,
y'all!" and blew the whistle one last time, the gnomes dragging us back into the forest as we tried to escape.
We were dropped in the dirt, the gnomes spreading away, with Jeff glaring at us, "Next time do your own dirty work! C'mon, boys," he said after as a few squirrels dove into his pockets, running out of view.
There was a strong sense of panic in my gut, and I could feel my breathing speeding up, but I did my best to hold it in, "Okay.. okay! Minor setback, but- but we can come up with a new plan! Help me think of something, we could- uh-"
"Don't."
"What?"
(y/n) walked over to me, his expression unreadable for a moment, "Just.. don't.. not this time.."
"W- but- we have to stop Gideon, he has the shack, he has the journal, we can't just-!"
"I'm not letting you get killed out there!!" I understood his expression now; anger, but not towards me, I wasn't sure to who exactly, "God knows what he plans to do with two journals, and we know Gideon well enough to know that if things go well for him, he'll destroy you, and if things go south, he'll blame it on you, you need to get out of here!!"
He cupped my face, his own changing to show worry, sadness, "I need you to be safe, okay..? Even if it means we won't see each other again, I'd rather know you're alive.."
The part that hurt the most was that.. he was right, I knew he was right. Without my journal, I'm defenseless, I have nothing to fight with, and I'd be dragging Mabel down with me!
I.. I needed to leave.. for the safety of my town..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was sunset when we were at the bus stop. Stan, Wendy, and Mabel's friends were there with us, as well as (y/n), who had followed us all the way back.
Mabel actually said goodbye to him before I could, giving him a big hug that he returned, "Make sure Stan doesn't try to leave Waddles out again, okay..?"
That got a bit of a chuckle out of (y/n), "I will.." He then pulled away, "You make sure your brother doesn't pull so many all-nighters.."
"Deal," Mabel said with a giggle, then walked off to say goodbye to her friends, leaving just us.
Just.. us..
"(y/n), I- ... there's so much I have to say-"
He wrapped me tightly in a hug, face buried into my cap, it was a gesture he'd always do when he was emotional, I had grown to love it. Yet now, what are the chances I'd ever get to see him do that again, to see him do anything ever again..?
I hugged him back just as tightly, not wanting to let go, not wanting to leave him behind, when he muttered something to me, only loud enough for me to hear, "Thank you for giving me the best summer of my entire life.."
That alone made me tear up, but I didn't have a chance to react when he pulled away, too quick for my liking, too short of a moment. I wanted to be here longer, I wanted to be with him longer, I needed to tell him..
Tell him I l-
"Next bus to California leaves in one minute," spoke a robotic tone, making me jump a little.
Mabel placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to give me the best smile she could, through I could tell it hurt her to do so. And with heavy hearts, we grabbed our bags, climbed onto the bus, and sat at the very back, staring out the window at the group of people that had changed my life, people who I may never get to see again..
So stupid..
I should've.. told him...
~~~~~~~~~Your POV~~~~~~~~~
I sat on the couch at Soos's grandma's home, head buried into my knees as I tried to ignore all that's happened today.
The twins were gone, Stan had lost his home and job, my new home that I had just started getting comfortable in; my own job, Wendy's, Soos's.
This family.. they didn't deserve this..
"Well, Stan, this is it, rock bottom," Stan said to himself as he walked in with a sigh, collapsing into the couch before turning to me, "So much for you being the new roommate."
The chuckle I let out was small, but a chuckle nonetheless, Stan's coping mechanism was always to try to joke around, "Sorry for the bad luck."
"Ah, don't beat yourself over it." He then raised the Gideon pin from earlier, staring at it with sadness in his eyes, "How did you do it, kid? Why are you always one step ahead? Maybe he really is psychic after- AH!!" he jumped in place, clutching his ear, "My hearing aids!! What keeps causing that?!"
Just then, his eyes widened, smiling widely "Wait a minute, that's it!! I know Gideon's weakness!!"
"You what?!" I nearly tripped as I stood up from the couch, "How, what is it?!"
"I'll tell you when I'm back!!" he rushed to the door, yelling as he left, "Make sure the kids don't leave just yet!!"
I stood there a few seconds, so confused by the latest minute, but I ran out out just as quickly as he did.
If Stan had really found a way to let them stay, I had to bring them back!
~~~~~~~~~Dipper's POV~~~~~~~~~
It had only been a few minutes since the bus began to drive, and I hadn't moved much from my position. My shoulder rested against the window's edge as I stared into the moving trees, head on my palm. I wasn't sure what I was thinking about at the moment, just a haze of memories mostly, familiar faces that I might forget as the years go by, faces I didn't want to forget.
Mabel must've noticed, doing what she did best, trying to cheer others up, "Hey, Dipper, wanna play Bus Seat Treasure Hunt..?"
"I'm not in the mood.."
"Aw, c'mon!" She lifted up the seat cushion, starting to point at the things she saw, "We got Canadian coin, gum that's shaped like Ronald Reagan's head, ooh, miscellaneous fluid stain!"
"Giant robot!!"
"Yeah, giant robot- wait, what?!"
"Look!!" I pointed forward as she sat back up, both of us staring at what was now behind us. My eyes couldn't blink, too stunned about the giant Gideon robot that was chasing after us!!
"HAULT! I COMMAND YOU TO HAULT!"
We both screamed at the top of our lungs, running to the front of the bus, Mabel yelling in terror, "Mr. Bus Driver, there's a giant Gideon-bot coming towards us!!!"
"Oh hey, dudes!"
"Soos!!" we both yelled, both confused and relieved.
"Don't worry, guys, I've been a part-time bus driver for at least 40 minutes! One of these things is probably a clutch," he said before pulling a lever, "Hang on, dudes!!"
Soos did his best to avoid the giant robotic hands that tried to grab the bus, constantly swerving around in the thin dirt road as Mabel and I held onto each other for dear life.
At one point, Mabel yelled for him to 'Look out', but Soos had already crashed through a Closed Road sign, the three of us screaming as we continued to drive uphill.
"He already won, what does he want from us?!" I asked as I glanced back at the robot. But my heart paused when I looked forward, eyes wide, "SOOS, CLIFF!"
More screaming as Soos slammed his foot against the breaks, the bus stopping just at the edge. I only had a moment to catch my breath, when the robot was already towering over us, my blood running cold at the sight.
The last thing I saw was the giant metal hand reaching down before closing my eyes, when an arm then wrapped around my waist, followed by a sudden gust of wind.
"WHAT?!" I heard Gideon's voice yell, and I opened my eyes to find myself down in the old train tracks that went above ground.
A new yet familiar voice followed after, this one much closer, much softer with worry, "You two okay?!"
"(y/n)!!" Mabel and I both yelled in synch as he placed us down, and I continued, "How'd you find us?!"
"Stan asked me to stop your bus," he began to explain, when the three of us were forced to back up as the giant robot jumped onto the tracks, the whole thing trembling in place, "But I didn't expect a giant Gideon-bot to do the same!!"
The robot stepped closer, "TELL ME, WHERE IS JOURNAL NUMBER ONE?!"
"Journal number one?!" we asked in synch.
"DON'T PLAY GAMES WITH ME, BOY!!" The robot punched the mountainside, parts of it breaking off and falling down, (y/n) pulling us back to avoid being hit.
I peeked over from behind (y/n)'s shoulder, "I don't know what you're talking about, you took the only journal I ever had!! What do you even want with these journals anyway?!"
One of the robot hands tried to reach for us, with (y/n) punching it back. It still surprises me just how strong he is, because he ended up bending part of the metal. It wasn't enough though, because the second time the robot reached, it instead smacked (y/n) off the railroad.
I ran over to the edge to try and grab him, but two large hands had already taken a hold to Mabel and I, one in each to separate us.
Mabel screamed, struggling to get out of his grip, while I tried to punch the hand around me, "LET GO OF HER!"
Gideon's laugh was mimicked by the robot, "You still think you're some kind of hero?!" He then threw me onto a ledge, where I slid back until my head hit a rock, forcing me to bring a hand to my hair to make sure there wasn't any serious damage.
When I stood up, the robot was already walking away, "Once I find the final journal, I'll rule this town, with you as my queen!!"
"DIPPER, HELP ME! HELP!!" Mabel yelled, her voice getting quieter the farther they went.
My heart was beating far too fast for it to be healthy, trying to brainstorm any solution to this situation. Gideon had Mabel in his custody, and (y/n) could've been seriously injured, or worse, and it was a robot the size of a skyscraper I was suppose to fight!
"Face it, kid! You're nothing without that journal!How're you gonna fight back?! No muscles, no brains, what're you gonna do, huh? What're you gonna do?!"
The words circled my head on repeat, my legs starting to lose their balanced, what am I gonna do..? What can I do..?
... I don't know..
But I won't just do nothing.
As the thought finished, my legs began to run before my head could comprehend, jumping as high as I could at the very edge. My yell got Gideon's attention, the robot turning around, giving me the perfect opening.
I crashed through the light that was supposed to be the robot's eye, tackling Gideon to the ground. I was never much of a fighter, but my adrenaline was pumping through, punch after punch, don't let your opponent rest. At one point, I punched his face so hard the robot's head began to spin around at rapid speeds, the two of us losing balance, and the next thing I knew, we were all falling down, away from the robot.
All I saw was the huge Gideon-bot falling to the ground, followed by a big explosion that covered the area in a blueish haze of smoke, making me blind for a few seconds.
I felt an arm around me in the darkness, and when the smoke finally cleared out, I looked up to see my sister, grappling hook in hand as it held onto the railroad above, her other arm around me as the two of us slowly lowered down, "Grappling hook!!"
Once we both landed on the ground, I laughed in relief, "Mabel, that was amazing!!"
"Not as amazing as you beating that robot!" Mabel pushed me to the sight, making me trip on something on the ground, noticing a familiar maroon color.
"Hey, my journal!" I leaned down, picking it up and placing it back into my vest, when a sudden panic of realization washed over me, "Wait- (y/n)!! Where's (y/n)'s?!"
As if on cue, I heard leaves crunch behind me, and I turned around to see a semi-scratched up (y/n) standing there, "Sorry for the late entrance."
"You- wh- h-how-?!"
"Maze, you should know by now it takes a lot to seriously injure me. I had climbed right back up after hitting the ground, but by the time I reached the cliff, well.." he gently nudged my arm with a smile, "Someone was already taking care of the situation, and I couldn't steal away your spotlight.."
I stared at him for a few seconds, and then a sudden feeling covered my being as I wrapped him in a tight embrace, gripping the back of his jacket, "I'm just so glad you're okay.."
He seemed a little surprised by the action, not moving for a second or two, which let me hear Mabel trying to hold back her giggling, but he hugged me back just as tightly, head buried into my hair.
There's that gesture of his again..
However, we were forced to pull away from each other when police sirens were heard around us, and in a matter of seconds, we were surrounded by a bunch of cars, police and normal, as well as the entire town of Gravity Falls, worry and fear covering their faces as they saw the disaster we had been a part of.
I was about to explain the situation when Gideon then crawled out from under piles of robo rubble, deputy Durland rushing over to pick him up, "Gideon!! Oh, good heavens!! What on earth happened here?!"
"It was the Pines twins and their friend!! They tried to attack me and blew up my statue with dynamite!!" he pointed at us from behind the two police officers, "Arrest them!!"
"What?!"
"Officers, he's lying!!" I tried to protest, not that it mattered.
"Sorry, kids, but we trust Gideon," Blubs began, "And nothing short of a miracle could ever change our-"
A familiar car then pulled up, along with someone we were very happy to see stumbling out. Stan had an odd smile on his face as he ran over to the crowd, "Wait, wait, stop everything!! I've got something to say!!"
Blubs let out a sigh, "Not this guy again!"
"Just wait, look!!" Stan walked over to the broken robot, "You guys think Gideon is sooo perfect and honest! Oh, I could never tell a lie, I'm Gideon!"
"He's more honest than you!"
"Yeah, and he's psychic too!!" Durland added to Blubs's words.
"How's this for psychic?!" Stan then kicked down a big piece of the robot. Even I was surprised by what was shown; many monitors around the stomach of the robot, each showing a different person from town, "Take a good look!!"
"Wait a minute," Lazy Susan was the first to react, "is that me?!"
"The secret ingredient to my coffee omelet is coffee!" said the Lazy Susan from the monitor.
"And me!!" Toby Determined pointed at the monitor that showed himself.
"I can verify that that birthmark is indeed disgusting," spoke the doctor in the monitor.
Toby raised his arms in a cheer, "Hurray!!"
One by one, they began to recognize themselves in different monitors. Then Stan raised the famous Gideon pin that had been passed out to many, raising it for everyone to see, "That's right, these pins are hidden cameras, and my hearing aid was picking up the feedback!! Who's the fraud now?!"
Stan squished the pin, breaking it into pieces, when everyone else threw theirs onto the ground hard enough to break them, glaring at Gideon with rage as they walked closer and closer to him.
Durland was the first to speak, clearly sad about the situation, "Gideon, we gave you our trust!"
"You lied to us!!" continued Manly Dan.
"Please I- Ooh- It's not what it looks like-" Gideon tried to argue back, pinned against the broken metal pieces, "What are you gonna do with me?!"
Durland looked to the side, "Tyler?"
"... get'm.." Tyler wiped off some tears, "Get'm..."
Gideon let out a gasp, with Blubs walking closer to him as he cleaned his glasses, "Little Gideon, you are under arrest for conspiracy, fraud, and breaking our hearts.. Durland, the tiny handcuffs!"
The tiny handcuffs were placed around Gideon's wrists, making him yell, "What?! No!!"
Stan was enjoying this as much as we were, opening the car door himself as the policemen and Gideon walked over, "Just one more thing." He picked up Gideon, shaking him a bit as a bunch of things fell out of his suit before putting the child down. He then picked up the deed to the shack, raising it up and smiling at the cameras, "I believe this belongs to me!"
"No, no, not the hair!!" Gideon yelled as he was pushed into the police car that soon drove him off, "You can't do this to me!!! You'll see!! You need me!!! I'll be back!!! You'll here from my lawyer!!!"
Mabel let out a loud shriek of excitement, running over to Stan, who picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. I was about to run over myself, when I noticed (y/n) staying in place, so I looked back to ask, "Aren't you coming?"
He seemed a bit surprised at that, fiddling with his jacket sleeve, "Oh, this looked like a family moment, I didn't wanna interrupt.."
I let out a sigh, though a smile on my face, taking his hand into my own, "That's exactly why you have to join, stupid.."
Before he could protect, I pulled him over to Stan and Mabel; Stan ruffled my hat, and I noticed him share a smile with (y/n), when the newscast walked over to us, "There you have it! Local hero Stanford Pines has just exposed Li'l Gideon as a fraud! Anything you have to say to the town, Stanford?"
"The Mystery Shack is back, baby!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It took a while for us to get everything in order, but they had all been worth it as we finished re-decorating our bedroom, with Mabel adding the finishing touches/boyband posters on the wall as (y/n) and I sat on my bed, "Meow meow meow meow meow!"
"Uh, you kiddos settling back in okay?" Stan asked as he peeked inside.
"Yep, all my favorite moldy spots on the ceiling are still there!" Mabel looked up, "Even you, Darrel!"
Had everything fully settled down, I probably would've laughed at Mabel's comment, but there was still something left to be done, something Mabel, (y/n), and I had discussed a little earlier. (y/n) must've noticed the sudden nervousness that engulfed me, placing a hand over mine, my cheeks heating up as he gave me a warm smile.
Letting out a small sigh, I pulled out my journal from my vest, "Hey, Grunkle Stan? Me, (y/n), and Mabel have been talking and I think there's something we should finally tell you."
To my surprise, he sat down beside me, so I handed him the journal as I continued to explain, "This is a journal I found in the woods, it talks about all the crazy stuff that goes on in Gravity Falls! Gideon nearly destroyed the whole town trying to find it. I don't know what it means or who wrote it, but after all we've been through, maybe you should finally know about it."
".. I'm glad you showed me this Dipper.." he closed the journal, staying quiet for a few seconds, until he suddenly bursted into loud laughter, "Now I know where you've been getting it all from!! Spookums and monsters, this cooky book has been filling your head with crazy conspiracies!!"
"But it's all real!!"
"You've gotta quit reading this fantasy nonsense! For your own good! Although some of these would make great attractions! Can't come up with this stuff!! Mind if I borrow this?" He stood up before I could answer, rushing out the door. stands up and goes to the door*
"WAIT, NO!! GRUNKLE STAN!!"
"Magic book!!" was the last thing he said before leaving.
I stood up from the bad, about to run after him, "STAN, I NEED IT!"
(y/n) then placed a hand on my shoulder to calm me down, "C'mon, Mason, you know that's not true! "You defeated a giant robot with nothing but your bare hands, all on your own! You're a hero whether you got that journal or not!"
I could feel my cheeks heating up at his words, fiddling with the edge of my shoulder, "Oh, uh.. thanks, (y/n)..! I still want it back though."
"I'm sure you'll get it back," Mabel said as she hopped off her bed, "What would a boring old man like Stan want with that book anyway?"
"True," I said with a laugh, only for a sudden gush of water to soak the three of us, catching us by surprise.
Soos suddenly popped up from the door holding two water guns, "Soosed!!"
We all laughed, chasing after him. It was nice to finally be back to our normal lives, relaxing at the shack, laughing and having fun with the occasional ghost in the basement.
Mabel was right though, what would someone like Stan ever want with those journals?
I'm sure I have nothing to worry about.
Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!!!
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