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dialovers-translations · 4 years

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Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Shuu Dark [Prologue]

ー The scene starts in front of the portal to the Demon World

Yui: ( Ahead of here lies the Demon World, right...? )

( I wonder if Shuu-san will be upset if I go there without permission? But... )

*HOOOOOOWL*

Yui: ...!

( I knew it...I have no other choice. Not only am I anxious by myself, I want to be by Shuu-san’s side. )

*Creaaaaak*

ー She enters the forest of the Demon World

Yui: ( This is...the Demon World... )

( It’s much darker than my own world...They said the lunar eclipse is currently ongoing, so could that be why? )

( I would be lying if I said this place doesn’t scare me, but Shuu-san should be somewhere in this world, right? )

( When I think of it that way...I’m no longer scared. )

( I won’t get anywhere by just standing still here, so I have to proceed. )

( I made the conscious decision to come here, so I shouldn’t hesitate, but move ahead. )

ー Yui starts walking

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to an abandoned building

Yui: Phew...

( I walked quite a bit, I’m beat. Is there anywhere I could rest...? )

( Ah, I can see a building in the distance...! )

( It looks dark and creepy, it should be fine to take a quick rest here, right? )

ー She enters the building

Yui: ( Now where could the castle Shuu-san and the others are at be? Is Ayato-kun doing okay? )

( I came here because I was feeling lonely by myself at the manor...But I feel like the situation has barely changed. )

...If only Shuu-san was with me...

*Thud*

Yui: ...!?

( I could hear a sound coming from the back just now...! Don’t tell me, someone still lives here!? )

ー Somebody approaches her

Yui: ( They’re coming this way!? W-What should I do...!? )

Shuu: ...Shut up.

Yui: Eh...?

Shuu-san!?

Shuu: I knew it was you. What are you doing here?

Yui: U-Uhm...

Shuu: Didn’t I tell you to watch the house? Why are you in the Demon World?

Yui: I’m sorry...

Shuu: Well, knowing you, I was convinced you would show up here sooner or later.

Yui: ( Uu... )

( However, I’m so glad I was able to meet Shuu-san. Almost as if that restless feeling from earlier was nothing but a lie. )

Shuu: Pwaah...

Yui: ( Shuu-san seems the same as always too... )

Uhm, why are you here, Shuu-san? I thought you said you were going to the castle...

Shuu: I’ve evacuated here.

Yui: Evacuated?

Shuu: This is my secret hideout. Ever since I was little, I would escape to this place whenever things got a little troublesome at home,

Yui: ( How very fitting of him... )

...This must be a place of memories to you.

Shuu: Memories, huh...?

...Say, you.

Yui: Yes?

ー Shuu steps closer and embraces her

*Rustle*

Yui: Wah...!

( H-He embraced me...!? )

U-Uhm, Shuu-san...?

Shuu: Haha...Why do you seem so surprised?

Let me suck your blood. It’d be ridiculous not to do anything now that you’ve come all the way down to the Demon World, no?

Yui: I didn’t come to have my blood sucked or anythiーー!

Shuu: Pipe down. Come on, expose your neck...

...Nn...

ー He bites her

Yui: Nn...!

Shuu: Nn...Phew...Nn...

Yui: ( He’s as forceful as ever... )

( However...How odd. For some reason, that puts me at ease right now... )

Shuu: ...You’re being surprisingly meek today.

Yui: That’s not...

( ...Actually, I might be. I’m relieved to have my blood sucked, and I even feel happy... )

Shuu: It’d be great if you could be like this all the time. Then I wouldn’t have to waste any unnecessary energy...Nn...

...Haah...

Yui: ( I wonder if it’s because I’ve been pushing myself this whole time. I feel as if my body feels more sluggish than usual today... )

Shuu-san...

Shuu: What? ...You’re tired already? I’ve barely had any though.

Yui: I’m sorry, but...

Shuu: ...Haah.

ー Shuu steps back

*Rustle*

Yui: ( He plopped down on the couch. ...I wonder if he intends to sleep here? )

Uhm...Shuu-san?

Shuu: What?

Yui: Are you sure you shouldn’t return to the castle? That’s where everyone is, right?

Shuu: Why should I return? I told you earlier, didn’t I? I evacuated to this place.

Yui: However, unlike the castle protected by Karlheinz-san, this place might be dangerous, no...?

Shuu: So you were wandering around here, despite knowing the risks involved?

Yui: T-That’s true but...You guys said I’m not the one being targeted...

Shuu: ...Haah.

I want to avoid that castle at all costs. ...I feel like I can barely breathe in there. That’s why I’m here.

Yui: Still...If the wolves were to come after you guys again, it could end in another disaster, right?

Shuu: You’ve been awfully nosy this whole time...That isn’t something a human such as yourself should rack their brain over.

Or what...? You want to chase me out of here?

Yui: I never said that...

*Rustle*

Yui: Ah...!

Shuu: You can say it if that’s what you think. Tell me to leave, that is...

Yui: Shuu-sa...

Shuu: Nn...

*Smooch*

Shuu: You don’t want...us to be alone together?

Yui: ( ...The way he phrased that... )

Shuu: Come on, answer me. ...How do you feel?

Yui: That’s not what I meant. However...

Shuu: Then what’s the problem?

I’m gonna stay here a little longer. So stop spouting unnecessary crap.

*Thud*

Yui: ( ...Somehow Shuu-san seems a little different from usual today...? )

( I can’t quite pinpoint it, but I feel as if he’s acting off...Am I just imagining things? )

( I was told they may grow unstable during the lunar eclipse, so perhaps that explains it? I guess I shouldn’t let it bother me too much. )

Shuu: ...Che. I missed one song. It’s because you kept fussing about everything.

Yui: S-Sorry...What are you listening to today?

Shuu: You wouldn’t know even if I told you, right? Why not give it a listen? Here.

Yui: ( One of his earphones...I guess he doesn’t mind if we listen together? )

Thank you very much.

ー She puts in the earphone

Yui: ( ...What a beautiful violin performance. The melody sounds refined as well. )

What a lovely song. What is the title?

It’s called ‘Meditation’. (1) The best part has yet to come, so listen quietly.

Yui: O-Okay.

Shuu: ...

Yui: ( Shuu-san seems to enjoy it. )

( ...I would have never been able to imagine this in the past. That we’d one day sit next to each other and listen to music through the same set of earphones like this. )

( He can be oppressive and rarely ever holds back with his words but...When spending time with Shuu-san like this, Iーー )

Reiji: ーー Must be nice to be so carefree.

Yui: !

ー Reiji walks up to them

Yui R-Reiji-san!?

Reiji: I’ve found you, Shuu.

Shuu: ...It’s one interference after the other today.

Reiji: I figured you would be here. ...Although, I did not fathom to find her here as well.

What is this about, Shuu? Not only did you sneak out of the castle of your own accord, but you had the nerve to bring her here as well?

Yui: ( Bring me here...!? )

Reiji: If you brought her here despite knowing very well just how dangerous the Demon World is at present, then I must seriously doubt your sense of danger.

Yui: Y-You’ve got it wrong, Reiji-san! I’m the one who came here voluntarily...Shuu-san did nothing wrong at all!

Reiji: Save me the excuses. This man refuses to show any improvement because you keep doting on him like that.

Despite the circumstances, I doubt you are actually thinking things through? Therefore, you can easily pull these kind of farces.

Shuu: ...My bad.

ー Shuu gets up and walks away

Reiji: Hold it, Shuu! Where are you going next?

Shuu: You’ll have no complaints if I return to the castle, right? I will, so let me listen to my music in peace already.

Oi, let’s go.

Yui: Yes...!

ー You follow after Shuu

Reiji: Halt! I am not done talking to you! Shuu!

...Good grief. That good-for-nothing never changes...

ー The scene shifts to the forest

Yui: Shuu-san, are you okay with this?

Shuu: With what?

Yui: Not telling Reiji-san the truth...If you don’t, he’ll have the wrong idea forever.

Shuu: I don’t mind. It’s not like he’d let me stay there even if I told him.

Yui: However, by acting so coldly, it’ll only make the situation worse...

Shuu: Shut up. Don’t make me repeat myself. If you want to come with me, then keep quiet.

Yui: ( ...He seems in a bad mood. I can’t say anything else. )

( However, I do think it would be for the best if they had a proper talk. )

( He might have actually had a valid reasoning for leaving the castle as well. If Reiji-san took the time to properly talk to him as well... )

Shuu: Oi, don’t stray away from my side. Do you want to become prey to hungry demons?

Yui: Ah, r-right!

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the living room of the Sakamaki castle

Yui: Ayato-kun...Still hasn’t woken up, has he?

Reiji: Yes...His wounds will surely heal over time, however, we have no choice but to wait until he naturally regains consciousness.

Yui: I’m worried...

Shuu: His wounds have been treated. If we let him rest, he’ll wake up eventually, right?

Reiji: Shuu, once again you...

Shuu: He’s a Vampire so he should be fine, right? You’re all overreacting.

Yui: ( I’m really worried though, knowing he got hurt because he wanted to protect me... )

( I guess I can rest assured since Shuu-san said he’ll be fine? )

Reiji: Well...I suppose it is true that this is nothing you should stress yourself out over. Do not let it bother you too much.

Well then, it is time for dinner. If you will be residing here as well, be sure to follow the rules. Understood?

Yui: Y-Yes.

ー Reiji leaves the room

Yui: ( I’m worried about Ayato-kun, I suppose we have no other choice but to pray for his swift recovery and wait. )

Shuu-san, we should probably go as...

Shuu: You can go by yourself. I’m returning to my own room.

Yui: Eh...? But...

Shuu: I’m exhausted. Gonna sleep.

ー Shuu leaves as well

Yui: Ah, Shuu-san!

ー The scene shifts to the staircase

Yui: Shuu-san, please wait! You really aren’t going?

Shuu: I won’t.

Yui: ( ...Shuu-san really is acting off today. Almost as if... )

Shuu: ...? What?

Yui: Ah, no...

Shuu: If you have something on your mind, why not just spit it out? It’d be more troublesome if I have to listen to your ramblings later. (2)

Yui: ( I do have something to tell him, but he might get upset if I do... )

( However, it really does bother me, so I’ll just ask him straight-up. )

Well...This might just be my imagination but...

Shuu-san...Aren’t you sort of avoiding everyone?

Shuu: Everyone?

Yui: Like Reiji-san, and your other brothers too...

( That might be why he had retreated to his secret hideout after slipping out of the castle as well...? )

Shuu: ...

( D-Did I upset him after all...? )

Shuu: ...I haven’t just been sitting still either.

Yui: Eh...?

Shuu: I’ve been putting in proper thought.

ー Shuu walks away

Yui: Ah...

...

*TIMESKIP*

ー The scene shifts to the living room

Reiji: ...Is it just you?

Yui: Sorry...

Kanato: What happened to Shuu? The two of you were together, right?

Subaru: Bet he’s snoozin’ in his room again.

Laito: Well, I don’t see the problem? Instead we’ve got Bitch-chan here.

Reiji: Keep quiet at the dinner table. ...I suppose it cannot be helped. You should quickly take a seat as well.

Yui: Yes.

ー She sits down

Yui: ( ...I know that Shuu-san is acting distant because he has something on his mind. )

( However, I’m not quite sure...What exactly this ‘something’ is. )

( I want to ask him, but being too nosy isn’t good either, so I’ll just wait and see for now. )

( Will Shuu-san be okay though? I hope he doesn’t overthink things... )

( I’m obviously concerned about Ayato-kun and the wolves, but Shuu-san worries me as well... )

ーー TO BE CONTINUED ーー

Translation notes

(1) The song was composed by Jules Massenet and most known for being featured in the opera ‘Thaïs’.

(2) Literally he says that it would be more troublesome to have to listen to the compilation of all the different thoughts which she has piled up inside her mind, yet never spoke out loud.

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<- [ Sakamaki Prologue ] [ Dark 01 ] ->

#diabolik lovers #dialovers #shuu sakamaki #dark fate #diabolik lovers translation #dfshuudarkprolog

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orangeoctopi7 · 4 years

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For Want of a Switch

... A Nintendo Switch, amirite?

No, JK I’ve actually started a new fic because plot bunny/fandom pet peeves wouldn’t let me work.

An AU where things go a little more smoothly at the UFO crash site, Dipper doesn’t make any life-changing decisions without sleeping on it first, and Ford clarifies some earlier statements made while under emotional duress.

Many metaphors have been made about how changing course by just a couple of degrees can lead to a very different destination. How flipping a simple switch can make a difference between a train ending up in Paris or Munich. In this case, the metaphorical switch was as simple as Ford and Dipper not pressing a real switch inside a derelict spaceship. Because of this, no security droids showed up when Dipper found the adhesive, and they were free to continue their conversation about apprenticeship uninterrupted.

“I-I dunno.” Dipper stammered when Ford insisted that Mabel would be fine on her own in California. “We’ve never really been apart before.”

“And isn’t that suffocating?” Ford asked.

“...What do you mean?” Dipper asked for clarification. He was pretty sure he knew where his great uncle was coming from, but he had to be sure. Because if not… well, the boy wouldn’t let anyone talk about his sister like that and not stand up for her, not even The Author.

“I mean always living with the expectations that you have to go everywhere together, to do everything together! I mean when people act as though you’ve done something wrong if you ever try to follow your own path, even your own twin!”

Dipper nodded. “I know exactly what you mean. The teacher over our Quiz Bowl team is always asking me when Mabel’s gonna join, no matter how many times I tell him she’s not into that sort of thing. And every time Mabel gets a part in the school play, everyone else pesters me so much for not auditioning that I end up joining the stage crew, even though rehearsals are the same time as Game Club. Mabel always says I don’t have to, but… I just get so tired of all the other teachers and students getting on my case.”

There were even more instances like this that Dipper could list. Heck, just earlier this summer, Mabel had been upset because he wouldn’t go trick-or-treating with her. But no, Mabel was more upset that Dipper had tried to ditch her without explaining that he wanted to go to the dance with Wendy, and Robbie had made him feel embarrassed about being too old for it. She wouldn’t have been so mad if he’d just talked to her in the first place. Right?

When he stopped to think about it, Dipper realized it was probably even worse for Ford and Stan when they were growing up. They may have been fraternal twins, but they definitely looked identical. And while Dipper had never met his great-grandfather, the few stories he’d heard about the guy didn’t make him sound like a very supportive parent.

“Dipper, can you honestly tell me you never felt like you were meant for something more?” Ford asked. “More than what people expect of you? More than just being half of an assumed pair?”

“I-I guess… maybe? I dunno. Staying here in Gravity Falls, working with you… it sounds like a dream come true, but I’m not sure I have what it takes. Bill tricked me, and I was wrong about Stan and the portal.…”

“Bill tricked me too, remember?” Ford assured him. “And you were right about Stan and the portal. It was too dangerous, and he shouldn’t have opened it.”

“But then you never would have--”

“I know. Believe me, I know. And I’m so glad I got to come back to Gravity Falls and meet you and Mabel, but… but it’s selfish of me to feel that way, because the event that brought me home put the rest of the universe in danger. Once we find the alien adhesive and seal the rift, maybe I can-- I can finally live without- well, with a little less guilt.” He sighed and muttered under his breath. “Sixty-three years old, and I’m still cleaning up after his messes.” Ford shifted through a few more containers, still looking for the adhesive. “What I’m trying to say is: I think you do have what it takes.”

“If you say so…” Dipper shrugged. “I mean, I can’t even work this magnet gun right!” He held it up to demonstrate and ended up zapping a hexagonal container right to him. It leaked a strange pink goop when he tried to pry it off.

“That’s it!” Ford cried. “You did it, my boy, you found the adhesive!”

“I did?”

“Yes! What did I tell you? You do have what it takes, kid, you’re brilliant!” Ford hugged him, and then carefully packed up the alien adhesive. “We can continue this discussion on the way back home. For now, we’ve got bigger things to worry about. I’ve been working on a specialized glue-gun back in the lab. We should be able to fill it with the alien adhesive and seal up the rift.”

Dipper got a few more tries with the magnet gun on their way back out of the crashed alien ship, and by the time he reached the ladder again, he’d actually gotten the hang of it.

“Great Uncle Ford?”

“Yes, my boy?”

“If… if I do become your apprentice, could we come back here some time?”

Ford grinned warmly. “Absolutely.”

As they ascended the ladder, Dipper paused to take a few more selfies before they left the UFO, and he even got Ford to pose with him in one, but it was clear the old researcher wanted to get back to the lab and seal off the rift as soon as possible. Their climb up was otherwise uneventful. But while Dipper was exiting the ship, his foot caught on the lip of the opening, and tripped over the rock that had been covering the access hatch before. Luckily, his backpack took the brunt of the fall. Unluckily, they heard the loud crunch of something breaking.

Dipper and Ford shared a moment of wide-eyed terror as the boy hurriedly opened up his bag and pulled out the rift. They shared a sigh of relief when they found the crack in the containment unit hadn't expanded more than a millimeter, and was still stable. Dipper rummaged around in his bag and found the offending culprit.

“Phew, it was just my walkie-talkie.” The boy sighed with relief. The speaker had popped out and the Talk button was stuck down. “Oh well, we weren’t getting a signal anyway.”

“I can fix it for you, once the rift is taken care of.” Ford assured him, “But we need to seal it fast, before that crack finally breaks.”

Dipper nodded and gingerly held out the containment unit to his uncle. “I think you’d better carry it from here on out.”

Ford solemnly took the rift and placed it in one of his many coat pockets. “That was close. We can’t afford to have any accidents with this.”

“I’m sorry…” Dipper murmured.

“You don’t need to be sorry, my boy. Just more careful.”

“See, this is what I’m talking about when I say I don’t think I have what it takes! I just almost ended the universe!”

“Almost being the operative word. You almost destabilized the rift, but you didn’t.” Ford reassured him. “Meanwhile, look at all the things you have done! Defeated a swarm of gnomes, faced off against a character from a fighting game brought to life, outsmarted a shapeshifter! How many other twelve-year-olds could do that? This town is a magnet for things that are special. For people who are special, like you and me!” Ford hugged him. “So what do you say, will you be my apprentice?”

“Well… I… it’s a really big decision.” Dipper said slowly. “I’m gonna need time to think about it.”

“You’re right. It is a big decision.” Ford agreed. “And you’ve got the rest of the week to consider it. Of course, I hope you say yes.”

* * *

The sun was just starting to dip towards the horizon when they got back to the shack, the sunlight filtering in long slanting beams between the trees. The beautiful scenery added to Dipper's good mood as he ran up the stairs to the attic, eager to share the day's events with his sister.

"Mabel! I just had the greatest day of my life! Aliens are real, and I got to explore their ship with Grunkle Ford, and-" he halted in his rambling when he saw his sister curled up in a ball on her bed, her back to him. "Mabel, what's wrong?"

She slowly sat up and turned around, revealing her walkie-talkie, still receiving transmissions from Dipper's busted one.

"Tell me I heard wrong, Dipper!" She cried, "Tell me you're not going to stay here and be Ford's apprentice!"

"Well, I… I haven't really made a decision yet." Dipper replied. "I've still got all week to think about it."

"You just had the best day of your life? Well I just had the worst day of my life!" Mabel informed her brother with tears in her eyes. "I found out that everything I was looking forward to in the future, highschool, a birthday party with my friends, even saying goodbye to them at the bus stop before we leave, it's all going wrong! And now I find out you, the one constant in my life, might not be coming home with me!?"

"I-I don't know, I haven't decided yet…" Dipper stammered. "Just give me a couple of days to think about it, we'll figure this out!"

"Why can't you figure out right now that it's a terrible idea!?"

Dipper tried to remember how Ford had put it. He made it sound so clear and logical. "Come on, Mabel, we can't always do the same thing! We have to choose our own path!"

"What does that even mean!?" She threw her hands up. "I'm your sister and your friend, Dipper, whatever you do it's gonna affect me, especially if it's you leaving me!"

“Well, always staying with you is going to affect me and the opportunities I have!”

“I’m not saying you always have to stay with me!” Mabel retorted. “But moving away from home for good? Staying cooped up in a lab with Grunkle Ford all the time? Is that really what you want?”

“I don’t know what I really want!” Dipper steamed. “So far today nobody has given me time to stop and really think about this! You think I don’t have misgivings about moving away from Mom and Dad? But it’s not like I’d never come back, I’d come to visit for holidays and stuff. And I wouldn’t be cooped up in the lab with Grunkle Ford all the time. We’d go out exploring, and I’d hang out with Wendy when she’s done with school for the day, and Grunkle Stan would still be around to make me do chores… probably…”

Come to think of it, Dipper wasn’t quite sure what Stan was going to do once tourist season was over. It was clear Ford didn’t approve of the Mystery Shack, even less than Dipper had when the boy first arrived. Would Stan stay in Gravity Falls after the Shack was shut down? Did he have anywhere else to go?

“Fine!” Mabel huffed as she stormed out of the room. “Take you time thinking about how much fun you’re gonna have chasing fairies with Grunkle Ford, while I’m stuck in Piedmont doing math homework!”

Dipper waited quietly in their bedroom as he listened to Mabel thunder down the stairs. He figured it was probably best to give her some space to cool down for now. They’d talk more about it when she wasn’t so upset, when they could both think clearly. Once the front door slammed shut, he knew it was safe for him to go downstairs. He headed down to the basement to see if Ford needed any help sealing the rift.

* * *

It was early in the evening, but the gift shop was completely empty. Of course, the fact that it was the second-to-last Friday of August didn’t help. Tourist season was coming to a close. Normally the Mystery Shack would cut back to only being open on the weekends once September rolled around, going until Halloween, when Stan would throw together a haunted house and go out with a bang before closing down until the holiday season, when he’d open up for a couple of weeks before shutting down again until Spring Break of next year.

Not this year, though.

This year, Stan would be closing up the Mystery Shack for good.

“Alright, I ain’t payin’ ya to stand around when we’re not pulling in any cash.” Stan barked at Wendy. “Go home!”

“You don’t need to tell me twice.” Wendy shrugged, pulling off her name tag and grabbing her jacket.

“You too, Soos!” Stan turned to the handyman, who was busy pulling boxes out of a closet.

“You sure, Mr. Pines?” Soos asked, “I thought you wanted me to clear out all our old inventory.”

“It can wait ‘til tomorrow. I get the feeling it’s gonna be another slow day.”

“Oh. Well, I could help you clean out the kitchen instead!”

“Soos.”

“You don’t gotta pay me. Oh, or I could vacuum the living room!”

“Go home, Soos! If you’re so set on doin’ chores, do ‘em for your Abuelita!”

“Oh. Ok…”

Stan hadn’t told Soos about Ford’s mandate to close down the Mystery Shack after the kids left, and he worried the handyman would figure it out if he stuck around. Stan also hadn’t told the guy he’d be kicked out after the kids left. Maybe Stan was just trying to spare the kid’s feelings. Or maybe he was hoping Soos’ inevitable water works when he found out would persuade Ford to change his mind. Not likely, but hey, it was worth a shot, right?

The old conman was tallying up the day’s profits in the cash register (there weren’t any) when his hearing aide picked up the bang of the attic bedroom door slamming open, followed by the tromp-thump-clomp-thunk of someone stomping down the stairs, punctuated by the creeeeeeak-slam of the front door being thrown open and then kicked shut.

“Oh boy.” He sighed, locking the till. He’d had to cheer Mabel up just an hour ago, and he didn’t think it was a coincidence that someone had stormed out of the house just a few minutes after Dipper and Ford got back from their latest nerd escapade. What were those kids fighting about now?

Stan peeked out the window at the front porch, and sure enough, there was Mabel, sobbing on the couch, her head pulled into her sweater. Earlier she’d just been sad and unsure of the future, but now Stan could see her mood had shifted, and not for the better. These were tears of anger and frustration.

“Hey Pumpkin, you alright?” Stan asked as he peeked out the front door.

“No!”

Right, stupid question. “Well, wassamatter? I gotta punch some jerk for you?”

“No…” Mabel said more quietly this time. Stan figured that was all the invitation he needed to sit down next to her.

“You feelin’ up to tellin’ me what happened, or am I gonna have to play Ducktective?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it right now…” Mabel mumbled, her voice a bit muffled by the sweater over her face. “Can you just… can you just sit here with me for a little while?”

“Eh, sure, I got nothin’ better to do.” Stan played it off like he was indifferent, but he wrapped a gentle arm around her back. He could tell she appreciated it by the way she leaned into his side.

They sat there like that for maybe five minutes before Mabel finally began to talk on her own.

“You remember earlier, when you said at least whatever happens, I’ll still have Dipper with me?”

Yep, they were definitely fighting again. “Yeah?”

“I’m starting to worry I won’t always have him with me.”

“Alright, what’d that bundle of sweat and nerves do now?”

“It’s not something he did… not exactly.” Mabel was quiet for a moment, as if she wasn’t sure she should share the next bit. “Grunkle Ford asked Dipper if he wanted to stay here in Gravity Falls and be his apprentice.”

“...Did he now?” Stan asked icily. He didn’t want to make this about him and his brother’s issues. This was Mabel’s problem. But oh boy, he was going to have words with his brother as soon as he had the chance. “Sixty-three years old and I’m still cleanin’ up after his messes…” he muttered under his breath.

“I overheard them talking about it on the walkie-talkies.” Mabel nodded, apparently not hearing that last bit. “And when Dipper got back, he said he needed time to think about it! I guess I’m mad because if it were me, I wouldn’t have to think about it. If I had to choose between staying in Gravity Falls without Dipper, or going home with him, I’d choose to go home with him every time!”

Stan gave her a reassuring squeeze. “I know you would, sweetie. But you gotta remember, your brother’s one of those over-thinking types. He’s gotta over-think everything! That big head of his will figure out it’s a bad idea.”

“But what if he doesn’t?”

“Then we’ll have to talk some sense into him.”

Mabel shifted inside her sweater and gave a little moan. She still wasn’t reassured.

Stan heaved a deep sigh. “Look, I’m gonna tell you somethin’ I wish I’d known when I was a kid. I don’t think this’ll happen, but… if Dipper does decide he wants to stay with Ford, or if when you two get older, he decides to do something you really don’t think he should do, you should try and talk some sense into him. But if he still won’t listen, all you can do is support him. Cuz if he ever feels like you’re tryin’ to hold him back, that’ll only push him away faster.”

Mabel finally poked her head out of her sweater and looked up at Stan with wide eyes. “I’m not trying to hold Dipper back… I just don’t want to be alone!”

He hugged her. “I know, sweetie. Nobody does.”

“And you weren’t trying to hold Grunkle Ford back when you two were teenagers! The thing with his science fair project was just an accident!”

Oh great. Here he’d been trying to not make this about himself and his issues with his brother. “Believe me, I know. But it doesn’t matter what I know. He still thinks it was sabotage.” The old conman shook his head. “But look, kid, you don’t gotta worry about my issues, even if they do seem pretty similar. I know right now with summer ending and your last year of middle school starting, it seems you’re growin’ up too fast, but the truth is, you’re still young. You an’ your brother’ve still got years an’ years to mess up and make up.”

Mabel squirmed the rest of the way out of her sweater and wrapped her arms around Stan’s waist. “Thanks Grunkle Stan. I guess I feel a little better now. I’m still worried about what Dipper will do, though.”

“Well, if he does decide to stay here with Ford, maybe I’ll come home with you.”

Mabel giggled and looked up at him again, but her smile faltered when she saw he wasn’t joking. “W-what are you talking about? You can’t just leave the Mystery Shack, this is your home!”

Yikes. Stan probably shouldn’t have said that out loud. He was pretty sure the whole reason Ford was letting him stay until the kids left was because the old nerd didn’t want them to know about it and make a fuss. Stan had just wanted to make Mabel feel better, but she’d just be more upset if she found out he’d been kicked out.

Luckily, something else caught their attention before that conversation could start. They heard something rustling through the underbrush. It was hard to see in the dimming light as the sun continued to sink towards the horizon, but a humanoid figure seemed to be making its way towards the clearing that housed the Mystery Shack. Stan reached behind the couch for his anti-creep bat, which he used to chase off Manotaurs, IRS agents, or the stray beautiful men that had started hanging around a couple of months ago. But an uneasy feeling he couldn’t place made him reach further down until his hand closed around the handle of a pistol. His thumb rested carefully against the safety switch, unsure if he should flip if off yet.

Before the figure came into full view, they heard its voice, high pitched and annoying, but probably male. “M-M-M-Mabel? M-Mable? Ugh, where is she? She should’ve come this way by now!”

Stan switched the safety off. He was about to order Mabel back inside when the stranger finally stumbled into the clearing. He was a tall, pudgy man with a hairstyle that looked straight out of the 1920’s, wearing weird little goggles and a gray jumpsuit. Wait, not gray, forest camo. Wait, no, brick pattern. No, a seascape. No, definitely gray. Wow, were Stan’s eyes really that bad?

“Wait, Blendin!?” Mabel exclaimed. She hopped up from the couch, but Stan immediately grabbed her shoulder and sat her back down. Every instinct in his body was telling him this was wrong.

This Blendin guy looked up with surprise when he heard her voice. “M-Mabel! I’ve been looking all over for you! I-I-I need your help!”

That just set off more alarm bells. Why would this creep be looking for Mabel in the woods instead of the home she’d been living in for the past two-and-a-half months?

“Mabel, who the heck is this weirdo?” Stan asked uneasily.

“That’s Blendin Blandin. He’s a time travel guy. Me and Dipper accidentally lost him his job, and then he challenged us to a time travelers’ gladitoral death match called Globnar, which we won, so we got him his job back, and now we’re cool!” She assured her uncle. “What’s wrong, Blendin?”

“S-something terrible is about to happen, and I-I-I need your help to stop it!”

Mabel tried to stand up again, but Stan kept a hand tightly clamped down on her shoulder.

“Whatever it is, you can tell her from where you’re at.” Stan growled.

“I-I-It’s top secret!” Blendin whined. “I-I-I could lose my job again i-if this gets out!”

“It’s OK Blendin! Grunkle Stan just wants to make sure I’m safe!” Mabel assured him. “But he’s really good at keeping secrets, you can trust him! Why don’t you just come up here and tell us what’s wrong?”

Blendin took a few steps forward, but stopped just a foot short of the porch. “Uuuuh… h-h-how about we meet h-half-way?”

That was it. Stan whipped out the pistol he’d been hiding behind the couch. “How’s about you start talkin’ now?”

“Grunkle Stan!” Mabel gasped, scandalized.

“A-a-alright!” Blendin whimpered. “I-I-I need something from your brother’s lab! B-but you have to hurry!”

* * *

Ford noticed right away that Dipper’s mood had worsened in the ten minutes since they’d gotten home. His gaze was on the floor, and he shuffled his feet as he left the elevator.

“Let me guess, Mabel didn’t take it well?”

Dipper just shook his head in reply. “I still need to talk to her about it when she’s not so upset, but… I’m starting to think I shouldn’t take your offer…”

The old researcher felt himself deflate at the boy’s words, but he hoped Dipper hadn’t noticed. Instead he changed the subject. “For now, we need to focus on sealing the rift. Everything else can wait.” He pulled the rift out of his pocket. The crack reached almost completely across the protective dome now. “Dipper, would you please get me the glue gun sitting on the console desk?”

The glue gun in question looked like a cross between one of Mabel’s crafting glue guns and a Nyarf Mega Soaker, complete with an empty tank built into the back end. It was big enough that Dipper needed both hands to lift it. The boy carried it over to Ford, who inserted the tip into the alien adhesive container and began to fill it like a syringe.

“Alright, I need you to take that flathead screwdriver and very carefully unscrew the base of the containment unit.” Ford instructed.

Dipper did just that, holding his breath the whole time so his hands wouldn’t shake.

“OK, now turn it over, slow and steady, and detach one of the tubes from the dome.”

Dipper turned the dome in his hands, careful to keep the swirling blob of chaos energy inside from touching the glass, and then pulled one of the tiny tubes out. Ford knelt down beside him and inserted the tip of the glue gun into the little hole before the rift could leak out. He began to pump the alien adhesive into the rift, starting at the bottom and working his way up until what had once been a sparkling hole in space was now a glowing pink mass. He continued until the glue began to ooze out of the cracks in the dome.

“Alright, put it down. Careful not to get any of the adhesive on your hands. Step back.” Ford put himself between Dipper and the filled containment dome the moment the boy moved. The old researcher stared it down, as if daring it to do something, anything, to suggest it was destabilizing. He waited a minute. Two. Five. It just sat there, unmoving, unchanging.

Ford released a breath he hadn’t even noticed he’d been holding. Was that it? Was he… done?

The unmistakable sound of a gunshot went off from the vicinity of the porch above them.

Ford swore he jumped as high as the ceiling at the sound. Dipper screamed. The old researcher pressed himself and his nephew into the small space beneath the console desk, looking warilly up at the hole in the roof where Dipper had fallen through under the porch just a few weeks ago. If he concentrated, he could hear voices arguing up there. It sounded like Stan, and another voice he didn’t recognize, but it was hard to make out. He was going to have to go up there if he wanted to know what was happening.

“Stay down here where it’s safe. If Stan or your sister try to come in here without me, don’t trust them until you’ve checked their eyes. If anyone else tries to get in, barricade the door and hide.”

“W-what about the rift?”

Ford glanced down at the ball of glowing adhesive. It’d take at least another 24 hours for it to cure, but it seemed safe, for now. “Hide it, if you have to, but it should be fine.” With that, he darted to the elevator, checking his weapons as he waited for the lift to take him up.

He hoped everyone was ok. It would be the cruelest irony if after finally protecting the universe from the rift, he failed to protect his family.

* * *

“Grunkle Stan, don’t hurt him!” Mabel cried, trying to pull down his arm holding up the gun.

“Just a warning shot, sweetie.” Stan assured her through gritted teeth. “I don’t remember ever mentioning anything about havin’ a brother to you, much less anything about a lab.” He addressed the stranger standing in front of the porch.

“I-I-I’m from the future! I know these sorts of things!” Blendin insisted. Funny. He didn’t seem any more flustered than he had been before the gunshot.

“Sure.”

“Grunkle Stan, he’s telling the truth!”

“I don’t doubt that.” But Stan knew better than anyone that the best way to sell a big lie was with a bunch of technically true facts. And his instincts told him this joker was trying to pass a doozy of a lie. “Go wait inside, sweetie.”

“No, you’ll shoot him!”

“Only if he gives me a good reason to.”

“M-M-Mabel, wait!” Blendin implored pathetically.

“Go wait inside kid, or you’re grounded!”

“But Grunkle Stan--”

“Somethin’ about this is off, alright?” Stan muttered to her under his breath. “Pay attention to your instincts, you’ll feel it too. Just do me a favor and go inside where it’s safe, ok?”

After another moment of hesitation, Mabel finally listened to her Grunkle and went inside.

“So,” Stan turned his attention back to the stranger waiting just beyond the porch. “I got five more rounds. That gives you five more chances to tell me why you want something outta my brother’s lab.”

The guy’s posture shifted into something far more confident and inexplicably inhuman as he burst into a long, mocking fit of laughter. The creep’s voice had completely changed the next time he spoke.

“OH, I SHOULDA KNOWN I COULDN’T PULL ONE OVER ON YOU, STANLEY PINES!”

“What, am I supposed to be impressed you know my real name? We already established you’re from the future, and even if that wasn’t the case, I’m pretty sure Soos has spread that gossip through half the town by now.”

“WELL, WE BOTH KNOW YOU CAN’T KEEP ON GOING BY ‘STANFORD’ AFTER THE SUMMER ENDS. I’M JUST TRYING TO HELP YOU GET USED TO IT.”

“Yeah. Drop the small talk and cut to the chase, bucko. I really don’t wanna shoot you after my niece asked me not to.”

“OK, OK. IT’LL PROBABLY COME AS NO SURPRISE TO YOU THAT YOUR BROTHER’S IN OVER HIS HEAD WITH ONE OF HIS PROJECTS.” The creep pressed a button on his watch and a hologram of what Stan could only describe as massively over-designed snowglobe appeared. “IT’S A TEAR IN TIME AND SPACE. HE’S TRYING TO KEEP THE THING FROM GOING CRITICAL, BUT HE CAN’T DO IT ON HIS OWN. HE’S TRYING TO SEAL IT NOW, BUT IT’S GOING TO RUPTURE. HOWEVER, IF YOU CAN GET IT TO ME BEFORE HE SEALS IT…”

“Uh-huh. And what’re you gonna do with it?”

“TAKE IT TO THE FUTURE, WHERE WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY TO CONTAIN IT, OF COURSE!”

“So why don’t you just ask him for it yourself?”

“HAH! YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW HOW STUBBORN AND PARANOID HE IS! HE’D NEVER LET ANOTHER PERSON TOUCH IT, HE HAS TO BE THE HERO ALL ON HIS OWN!”

“Yeah, you got a good point there. But I meant why don’t you ask him for it yourself when he bursts out this door in about ten seconds.”

* * *

The elevator ascent took entirely too long. It had to be at least two minutes since he heard the gunshot go off, which, depending on whether or not anyone sustained an injury, and what kind of injury it was, was time he didn’t have to waste.

As Ford rushed through the house to the front porch door, he was relieved to note that Mabel was perfectly safe, just peeking anxiously out the front window. But the observation did nothing to slow him down. Through the window he could see Stan on the porch, holding what appeared to be the offending firearm. The gun was pointed at an unfamiliar figure. What was familiar was the figure’s voice. Ford pushed past Mabel and threw the door open, one hand already on his own blaster.

“Bill!!” He cried as he lept dramatically onto the porch, drawing his blaster with a flourish. Stan was looking at him with a smug grin, obviously he’d heard his brother running through the house. Bill, for once, looked surprised. But he quickly regained his composure.

“WELL, SPEAK OF THE DEVIL! I THINK YOU KNOW WHAT I’M HERE FOR, SIXER!”

“You’re too late, Bill, I already sealed the rift!”

Ford was satisfied to see that for the second time in under a minute, Bill looked shocked. “WHAT?!? WHAT--HOW DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING!? FIRST SHOOTING STAR DOESN’T SHOW IN THE WOODS WHEN SHE’S SUPPOSED TO, NOW THIS!? IS SOME LESSER TIME BEING MESSING WITH ME TODAY?”

Bill removed his goggles, revealing the tell-tale glowing yellow eyes, which he rubbed with frustration before continuing, back in his usual mocking tone. “SO WHAT, DID YOU STEAL THE FATES’ SEWING KIT AND STITCH IT BACK TOGETHER YOURSELF? OR, OH DON’T TELL ME, YOU AND PINETREE WERE AT THE UFO EARLIER. YOU FILLED IT IN WITH SPACE GLUE, DIDN’T YOU? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW LONG IT TAKES THAT STUFF TO SET? OF COURSE YOU DON’T, YOU NEVER TOOK THE TIME TO TEST IT! TYPICAL SIXER.”

Stanford blanched. No, he hadn’t tested it first. There hadn’t been time! “I-I know it will work! And it doesn’t matter how long it takes to set, you can’t reach it if it’s within the protection spell!”

“I SURE CAN’T!” Bill agreed with a smirk. “BUT I KNOW SOMEONE WHO HATES YOU AS MUCH AS I DO WHO CAN!” He turned to Stan “WHADDAYA SAY, MAC? CARE TO HELP ME STICK IT TO YOUR UNGRATEFUL BROTHER?”

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” Stan growled. “And only I get to call him Sixer!”

Bill’s confident grin set into a forced grimace.

“HA.”

“WELL.”

“YOU PROBABLY THINK YOU’VE WON, DON’T YOU? WELL, GUESS AGAIN, LOSER! THIS ISN’T OVER! EVEN IF I CAN’T CROSS THAT BARRIER, I’VE STILL GOT PLENTY OF PAWNS IN THIS HICK TOWN! AND EVEN IF YOU SOMEHOW MANAGE TO KEEP THE RIFT LONG ENOUGH FOR THAT GLUE TO SET? I’VE BEEN WAITING BILLIONS OF YEARS FOR THIS! YOU THINK I CAN’T WAIT ANOTHER DECADE FOR SOME OTHER SCHMUCK TO COME ALONG AND BUILD A PORTAL!? YOU CAN’T STOP ME! AND I’LL MAKE SURE THE ENTIRE PINES FAMILY REGRETS EVER CROSSING BILL CIPHER!”

Bill pulled out a time tape and disappeared in a flash.

The elder Pines twins stood there in silence for a moment, staring at the empty space Bill had just left as if they could still see the anger and hatred radiating from it.

Stan, of course, was the first one to speak again. “We gotta talk.”

Ford just nodded solemnly, and followed him inside.

* * *

After Stan finally convinced Mabel to go inside, she’d waited silently, peeking out the nearest window. Stan had probably wanted her to go someplace where she couldn’t hear or see what was happening, but she just had to know everyone was going to be ok. She didn’t want her Grunkle or Blendin to get hurt, even if the time traveler was acting weirder than usual.

The air froze in her lungs when she heard Bill’s voice come out of Blendin’s mouth. She wanted to run back out there and warn Stan, but he’d asked her to go inside for her own safety, and Stan hadn’t trusted the time traveler from the beginning, so he would probably be fine… right?

Luckily she didn’t have to wait by the window worrying for long. Less than a minute later, Ford came crashing and banging down the hall. His serious glare lightened to relief for the split second he spared his niece a glance, but then snapped right back to blazing fury as he kicked the door open. Mabel heaved a sigh of relief. If anyone could handle Bill showing up at their front door, it was Grunkle Ford.

She peeked back out the window and watched as her Grunkles exchanged words with Bill. They both approached the problem very differently. Ford was yelling with a bravado that faltered the minute Bill pointed out a flaw in his plan. Stan was treating Bill much like he had Gideon. Outwardly, he seemed calm and unworried, but the fact that he’d sent Mabel inside and fired a gun showed he took the threat seriously.

Bill’s last threat before he time traveled away sent a chill down Mabel’s spine. She remembered the last time she’d crossed paths with the demon. The note he’d left for her in Grunkle Stan’s car. She couldn’t let Dipper down like that again, couldn’t let him get hurt like that again. They needed each other now more than ever.

Of course, it was some reassurance to know that the barrier spell Grunkle Ford had created was obviously working. That was probably the only reason Bill hadn’t marched right up the porch steps and taken her himself. Mabel was doubly glad she’d been able to get that unicorn hair now.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Stan and Ford came back inside. Ford stopped like he’d just remembered something when he saw Mabel still sitting there.

“I left Dipper hiding down in the lab! I need to go let him know what happened.”

Stan folded his arms impatiently. “Alright, but make it quick, and if you’re not back up here in ten minutes, I’m coming down after you. I’m serious about that talk.”

Mabel decided to follow Ford down to the secret lab. She was suddenly very concerned about Dipper and his whereabouts. Ford didn’t seem to mind; he just gave her a tired smile when they both stopped at the vending machine to input the code. As the two of them got into the elevator, Mabel wondered if this was a good time to confront her Grunkle about the apprenticeship he’d offered Dipper. But no, Mabel was pretty sure she’d just get mad again, and she didn’t want to feel mad right now. She just wanted to be sure her family was safe. So the elevator ride passed in an uncomfortable silence.

When they arrived in the lab, it appeared empty. Only after Ford stepped out of the elevator and past an oozing pink orb on the floor did Dipper emerge from his hiding spot. It was a pretty good hiding spot, behind what looked like a periscope designed to look like part of the totem pole outside.

“Mabel!” The boy rushed to hug her immediately. “What happened? Wh-where’s Grunkle Stan, is he alright?”

“Stan is fine, he’s just waiting upstairs.” Ford assured him. “Bill came possessing a time travel agent.”

“He was pretending to be Blendin!” Mabel elaborated. “He wanted me and Grunkle Stan to get something out of the lab for him to stop something terrible from happening in the future!”

“Luckily, Stan recognized him as a threat.” Ford continued. “That was the gunshot we heard earlier.”

Dipper paled and pulled at his hair. “Ohmigosh, did Grunkle Stan kill Blendin!?”

Ford actually chuckled as he got down on one knee and placed a comforting hand on Dipper’s shoulder. “It was just a warning shot. Don’t worry, nobody got hurt. But Bill was furious when I told him I’d sealed the rift. I’m afraid we’re not done protecting it yet.”

“What’s this rift you keep talking about?” Mabel asked. “And what’s that sparkly pink ball of glitter-glue in the middle of the floor?”

“I’ll explain once we get back upstairs. Stan has made it quite clear he wants to talk about what’s going on.” Ford assured her.

* * *

They found Stan waiting in the gift shop, leaning against the checkout counter and tapping his foot in an agitated rhythm.

“Finally. Now you two kids go to your room, the grown-ups have to have a talk.”

“Stanley, they deserve an explanation just as much as you do! Besides, Dipper already knows.”

“Of course he already knows, you asked the kid to stay here without ever botherin’ to talk to anybody else about it!”

“Who even told you… what does this have to do with the rift?”

“Rift? Wha-- I don’t care what you an’ pudgy out there were yellin’ about, I wanna know how come you’re askin’ your 12-year-old nephew to move in!”

Ford rolled his eyes and groaned with frustration. And here he thought they were finally on the same page for once. “That hardly matters right now! Stopping Bill and protecting the rift should be our top priority! Now, I’m sorry I kept this from the two of you up until now, but I honestly thought it would be safer if you knew as little as possible.Obviously, just the opposite was true.” He omitted the fact that he’d been reluctant to let Mabel know about the rift after seeing her break an entire shelf-full of snow globe souvenirs in the gift shop.

“Don’t try an’ change the subject, Sixer!” Stan pointed an accusing finger at his brother.

“Grunkle Stan, this is more important!” Dipper interjected exasperatedly.

Mabel tugged at the old conman’s sleeve. “They’re right.” Mabel agreed gently. “Besides, I want to know what’s going on and why Bill was here.”

“Fine.” Stan hissed through gritted teeth. “But we’re havin’ this conversation later, no gettin’ out of it!”

They all had a seat around the card table in the den, and Ford began his explanation. “Bill Cipher is an extradimensional being trying to break his way into our world. Dipper and Mabel have already encountered him--”

“I read all your Journals, genius, I know who Bill Cipher is.” Stan snapped. “But I thought he was some annoying triangle guy who showed up in your dreams, not some pushy time traveler.”

“If you read my Journals thoroughly” Ford said testily, “You’d know he’s capable of tricking people into allowing him to possess them.”

Stan grimaced, probably remembering a few particular passages from Journal 3. “Oh.”

“Not long after I first came to Gravity Falls, I was stupid enough to let Bill trick me. He convinced me that building a portal to another dimension would give me the answers I sought, but what he really wanted was to bring his dimension, the Nightmare Realm, into ours.”

“Yeah, but… then Grunkle Stan got you out of there and the portal was super broken, so we don’t have to worry about him anymore, right?” Mabel asked uncertainly, holding vainly onto hope.

“No.” Ford replied with an icy glare at his brother. “Stanley’s reckless operation of the portal created a rift: an unstable hole in space and time that Bill could use to enter our dimension and plunge the world into a bizarre doomsday I call ‘Weirdmaggedon’.”

Stan snorted. “Still got a flair for names, huh?”

“Stanley, would you take this seriously!?”

“What? I heard you say earlier you sealed the rift, and then that jerk exploded. He wouldn’t’ve gotten mad like that unless what you did really screwed with his plans. From what he was sayin’ I’d guess we’ve got another decade at least until we have to deal with that guy.”

“If the rift is sealed properly, then yes, we’ll have bought some time while Bill searches for another pawn to manipulate, but after what he said earlier, I’m afraid the alien adhesive I used to seal it won’t set as quickly as I had hoped, leaving the rift vulnerable.”

“Eh, he was just sayin’ that to psych you out.” Stan waved his hand dismissively.

“Wait, alien adhesive? Is that what that glass ball of glitter-glue was?” Mabel asked.

“That was the containment unit I was using to keep the rift stable. Once it started cracking, I began searching for something to close it up for good. Just earlier today, Dipper and I were able to retrieve the adhesive without any trouble. I sealed up the rift with glue, then filled the containment dome, just to be safe.”

Mabel slapped her forehead. “Grunkle Ford, haven’t you ever heard of ‘A Little Dab’ll Do Ya’?”

“What?” Ford asked in confusion.

“When you’re using glue, you only use just enough to get things to stick together!” Mabel explained. “If you use too much, it’ll take forever to dry! If I filled whole ball with Schmelmer’s glue like that, I don’t think it’d ever dry!”

“Can’t you just spray it with a setting agent?” Stan asked. Everyone stared at him in surprise. “What? I use a lot of crafting glue makin’ exhibits for the Shack!”

“I couldn’t use a two-part epoxy because the energy of the chemical reaction would destabilize the rift.” Ford shook his head. “It needs to crystalize naturally, or it will leave seams in time-space that Bill could use.”

“Well, how long will it take to crystalize naturally?” Dipper asked.

Ford hesitated. “I had hoped it would take a little over 24 hours, but…”

“Not if it’s trapped inside a ball like that.” Mabel shook her head. “Can you get it out?”

Ford pinched the bridge of his nose frustratedly. “I’d have to chip away the dome. It’s not just glass, it’s a special substance as strong as steel. But, it has already started cracking, I suppose if I can expand those cracks enough…”

“So, are we still in danger of the rift destabilizing?” Dipper asked.

“Not spontaneously, no.” Ford assured him. “I wouldn’t recommend using it as a football or anything, but even when wet, the adhesive will act as a binding agent and keep the hole in time-space closed. It would take a large burst of energy, or deliberately trying to pierce through the rift in order to open it.”

“And that’s probably what Bill’s gonna try to do.” Dipper said gravely.

“Well we’re not gonna let him!” Mabel declared, slamming her fist down on the table.

“That’s the spirit!” Ford allowed himself a small smile. He pulled out Journal 3 and turned to a blank page. “Bill said he still had pawns in Gravity Falls. We need to make a list of potential threats to be on the look-out for. Who would be most likely to work with Bill?”

“Gideon!” Mabel answered immediately. “Me and Soos saw him summon Bill earlier this summer!”

“Soos and I.” Ford corrected automatically. He’d only heard about this Gideon from a couple of entries Dipper had added to Journal 3. All he knew about the kid was that he’d apparently had romantic interests in Mabel, hired McGucket to build a giant mech-bot of himself, and was now in jail. It was also clear from the entries that Dipper did not have a high opinion of him.

“That little troll’s in jail, what’s he gonna do? Use his one phone call to prank us?” Stan rolled his eyes.

“With Bill’s help, there’s no telling what he could do from behind bars.” Ford warned. “But, Stanley does have a point. Are there any other possible pawns who would have easier access to the outside world?”

They all sat there thinking for a moment before Dipper offered his own answer. “I remember seeing a tapestry with Bill on it in the Northwest’s mansion. I don’t know if they realized what it is though, I think they just buy up any local Native American artefacts on principle. It makes them look like they care about the people, when really they’re just trying to keep how horrible Nathaniel Northwest was from getting out and ruining their image.”

“The Northwests have a lot of power over this town. If Bill is working with one of them, protecting the rift will be all the more difficult..” Ford said somberly.

“Luckily, we have an insider with the Northwests!” Mabel grinned. “I’ll call Pacifica tomorrow and ask her to come over and hang out! We can ask her if she’s noticed anything weird about her family then!”

“Good.” Ford nodded. “Anyone else?”

“Eh… pretty sure Toby Determined would sell his soul for a date with Shandra Jimenez.” Stan grunted.

“Noted.” Ford jotted down all their suggestions before continuing. “These are all people we should keep an eye on, but they’re also the most obvious answers… aside from this Toby fellow. Bill will undoubtedly know we suspect them. He doesn’t just work with dangerously unhinged people. Think, is there anyone you wouldn’t normally suspect, who Bill could trick into helping him? Someone with access to this house?”

The three other Pines around the tabel all shared a glance and shrugged.

“Soos is pretty impressionable, but he was there with us when we drove Bill out of Stan’s mind. He knows that triangle guy is bad news.” Mabel answered. “What about Wendy?”

“No way!” Dipper replied vehemently. “Wendy’s way too smart to fall for Bill’s tricks!”

“Unfortunately, being smart has very little to do with it.” Ford reminded him.

“Y-yeah, but…” Dipper stammered. “She’s a different kind of smart! She’s really skeptical and good at reading people. She could tell I had a crush on her, even though I never said anything!”

Mabel giggled. “That’s because you were really obvious, bro-bro.”

The boy blushed. “Well, what about your friends?”

“You mean Candy and Grenda?” Mabel asked. “I don’t think so. I told them about Bill when we went to get the unicorn hair.”

“Then you would have told Wendy about him too!”

“Oh yeah!” Mabel remembered. “I’m not sure she believed me though. She definitely didn’t believe in unicorns before we found one.”

“Well, that’s everyone who comes here on a regular basis.” Stan leaned back in his chair. “Besides, y’know, the dozens of tourists who come through the gift shop every day.”

Ford paled. “All he would have to do is convince one tourist… Stanley why on Earth did you think it was a good idea to build a gift shop in the same room as the lab entrance!?”

“The best hiding spots are always in plain sight, genius!” Stan retorted. “You don’t gotta worry, tourist season is wrappin’ up, traffic’s gone down a lot. Shouldn’t be too hard to keep an eye on things.”

“You’re out giving your so-called ‘tours’ half the time.”

“Then I’ll ask Soos to keep an eye on the entrance.”

“No, he’s far too easily distracted. I’ll stay in the gift shop and guard the entrance.” Ford insisted.

Stan rolled his eyes. “That’s just gonna draw attention to it, knucklehead! Look, I got security cameras. If you really gotta watch the vending machine every minute, you can watch the video feed from my office.”

“Fine.”

“Welp, would you look at that! We’ve discussed who the heck Bill Cipher is, what he wants, and what we’re gonna do about it!” Stan stood up from his chair abruptly. “Guess this conversation’s over. And would you look at the time! Time to get you kids up to bed!”

“But it’s still light out!” Dipper protested.

“The sun sets really late out here in the summer. You don’t know what time it is!” Stan began to push the kids out of the room.

“I have a watch! It’s only like 7:30!”

Stan quickly swiped the watch off his nephew’s wrist. “What watch? I dunno what you’re talkin’ about. It’s bedtime!”

The young twins, seeing that trying to reason with Stan at this point was an exercise in futility, reluctantly allowed themselves to be shepherded upstairs.

In the short amount of time while they were gone, Stanford found his mind wandering back to one particular thing Bill had said.

“I KNOW SOMEONE WHO HATES YOU AS MUCH AS I DO WHO CAN! WHADDAYA SAY, MAC? CARE TO HELP ME STICK IT TO YOUR UNGRATEFUL BROTHER?”

Bill was a liar. Of course this was a lie too, right? Stan didn’t hate him, right? Stan had immediately turned Bill down, after all. That might just be because he knew Bill was dangerous though… because he just wanted to protect the kids….

“Alright, you’d better have one heck of an explanation.” Stan returned and Ford was reminded of just why he was so mad at his brother.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I wasn’t aware I needed your permission to invite someone to move into my own house!”

“It’s not my permission you need! Have you even talked to their parents yet?”

“Well, no…” Ford admitted. “But it’d be a waste of time to ask them if it turns out Dipper isn’t interested. And besides, I’m sure they’d be thrilled at the opportunity to accelerate their son’s education.”

Stan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. “You don’t know their mom, Poindexter. She expects a letter from her kids every week.”

“Well, I’m sure we could keep up that tradition.”

“And every time she calls lately, she’s been goin’ on and on about how excited she is to see her ‘little lamby’ again. She’s not gonna be thrilled her son isn’t coming home.”

Ford rolled his eyes. “You make it sound as if he’s going to die! We’ll make time to go visit the family between projects, and I know communications technology has made huge advancements in the last 30 years. I saw your handyman communicating via a two-way video stream just last night.”

“That’s not the same as him actually being there!” Stan shouted. “He’s still just a kid, Stanford! He still needs his parents!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll call their parents and talk to them about it!” Ford relented. “Is that all?”

“No that’s not all!” Stan fumed, “It’s bad enough you’re offering Dipper an apprenticeship without gettin’ an OK from their parents first, but where do you get off excluding Mabel?”

Ford was taken aback. “I’m not excluding her.”

“You gave Dipper an opportunity to stay here with you, but not her. That’s pretty much the definition of excluding! Earlier today she was almost in tears about having to leave Gravity Falls and bein’ scared of the future. I had to give her a big ol’ pep-talk about how growin’ old is mandatory, but growin’ up is optional, and that even if her future ain’t so bright, at least she’s got her brother. Then, not even an hour later, you two come back from your science shenanigans and she goes wailing out to the front porch! All ‘cuz you want Dipper but not her!”

“It’s not like that at all!” Ford bristled. “Mabel has vastly different interests than Dipper. I couldn’t provide her with the same kind of quality education I could give him! At best I could give her a few tips about detailed pen sketching and blueprint drafting. The most I know about knitting is that I feel comfortable in a soft sweater, and she’d have to be the one to teach me about social structure and modern culture.”

“Oh, so that makes it ok to take her brother away?”

“I’m not ‘taking him away’! Dipper would be free to visit his family in California whenever he’s not busy!” Ford flushed with anger. “And since I’ll be his only teacher, he’ll be able to request time off and breaks very easily. His schedule will be much more flexible than at a traditional university or college.”

“He’s freakin’ twelve Stanford! He hasn’t even finished Junior High yet! Why are you so eager to start him on grown-up school already?”

“Why wait? Dipper is intelligent, resourceful, and a fast learner. He’d already started following in my footsteps before we even met, I’m just helping him continue on that path. And it’s not ‘grown-up school’. We’d be studying and researching the weirdness of Gravity Falls together.”

“He’s not an adult, Ford, he still needs time to be a kid! He can’t be your new research assistant! Now answer my question: why can’t you just wait until he’s older?”

“Because I don’t want to be alone anymore!”

Ford’s last statement hung in the air, reverberating like a pin dropped in an empty theater. The old researcher couldn’t believe his emotions had gotten the better of him like that. Just like that, a statement he wasn’t even comfortable admitting to himself had slipped out. He couldn’t even begin to defend or explain what he’d just said.

Stan’s eyes widened at the unexpected outburst, but his face quickly morphed back into the scowl Stanford was all too familiar with.

“Oh, you don’t wanna be alone, huh? Well, maybe you shoulda thought of that before you kicked me out of the house come the end of Summer!”

“Wait, what?” Ford asked, perplexed.

“Oh, don’t play dumb!” Stan accused. “That first night after I brought you home, you said I could stay here the rest of the summer to watch the kids, then I gotta hit the road.”

“That’s not what I said!” Ford objected. “I said you could stay upstairs and take care of the kids and run your ‘Mystery Shack’ until the end of the summer, so you can continue bringing in enough money to take care of them. But once the summer is over, I want-- no, I need my home and my identity back. And I’m not going to allow you to continue running a glorified freak show that goes against everything I’ve worked for!”

“And why would I stay, if you’re gonna make me shut down my livelihood?”

Ford’s breath hitched as the memory of Bill’s words echoed in his head once again. I KNOW SOMEONE WHO HATES YOU AS MUCH AS I DO.

“Well, for one, I’m going to need your help undoing your identity theft.” The old researcher continued after pushing the thought to the back of his head. “And… I know you haven’t got anywhere else to go. I’m not going to just throw you out. I’m not Dad, Stanley.”

Stan stared at his brother with a mixture of surprise and some more complex emotions Ford couldn’t name.

“Y-yeah, well…” The old conman seemed, for once, to be at a loss for words.

Ford just wished he knew what his brother was thinking. The old researcher had never been good at reading people, but as a child, Stan, at least, was someone he always understood. But now, his brother was even more of an enigma than the average stranger. Ford found himself on the verge of asking… do you really hate me?

“Dang it, this isn’t about us!” Stan snapped, “Stop making this about us! It’s about the kids!”

“I’m making it about us? You’re the one who started complaining about something I didn’t even say!” Ford huffed a frustrated sigh. He was tired. Tired from a long day and tired of fighting. “Look, if this whole apprenticeship thing is bothering Mabel so much, I’ll talk to her about staying here too. I can’t give her the kind of education she needs, but perhaps I can find someone who can.”

Stan threw his hands up in disbelief. “Seriously!? Unbelievable! Have you even listened to a word I’ve said, this whole conversation!?”

“Obviously I have, otherwise I wouldn’t have agreed with your demands to call the kids’ parents and include Mabel in the apprenticeship offer. Nor would I have caught your erroneous assumption that you have the leave at the end of the summer.”

“The whole point I’ve been tryin’ to make to you this whole time is that ya can’t just take these kids away from their home!”.

“I’m not taking them away from their home. You said the two of them have been here for over two months.”

“Yeah, and then they’re goin’ back home next weekend. To their parents. To their real lives.”

“Life is just as real here.” Ford said with finality. “I told you, I’ll talk to their parents tomorrow. That should settle it.”

Stan’s scowl deepened. “Yeah, yeah I guess it will.”

#Gravity Falls #Fanfiction #Stanford Pines #Stanley Pines #Dipper Pines #Mabel Pines #Bill Cipher #My Writing

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fatrainbowmermaidunicorn · 6 years

Text

Didn’t I Tell You That I Love You? (Jungkook x You) // Chapter 1

A/N: Im sorry if the first chapter seems a little slow, cliche or boring, but ya know… its the first chapter. hehe

MASTERLIST

Jeon Jungkook is an international playboy.

He knows he’s an international playboy.

He knows how sexy he is.

He knows how handsome he is.

He knows he is sought after.

He knows how just by flashing his innocent bunny like smile or a simple smirk can drive most girls crazy.

He knows he breaks women’s heart everyday, bedding them and never calling them back.

What he doesnt know however, is how to get his best friend to fall in love with him.

That’s right, Jeon Jungkook the cocky playboy is head over heels, deeply and pathethically in love with his best friend, Y/N, for years.

And he doesnt know what to do or how to tell her.

And she on the other hand is oblivious about his feelings, parading her beloved boyfriend of five years in front of Jungkook whenever they hung out.

Jungkook had known even from his teenage years that Y/N is the only girl for him. She is his perfect match in every way. He just doesnt have the confidence or the bravery to confess to her, always planning to finally make her his one day after he debuted and gain some well earned manliness and confidence. But all that dream burns to ashes when Y/N came to see him one day, hands tightly clasps in another boy’s, introducing him as the love of her life, her boyfriend and him only as Jeon Jungkook, the best friend. Heart shattered and with teeth clenched, Jungkook accept the boy’s friendly handshake and since then he has been burying himself in girls, trying to get these feelings for Y/N out from his head.

He is an international superstar. It will be easy right?

Wrong.

In every girl Jungkook dated or slept with, he always try to find a piece of Y/N in them, the same hair colour, the same kind of smile, similar sound of lauhgter, but nothing coukd ever compare to the real thing, making his relationship never last longer than a few dates. Jungkook finally gives up the hope of finding Y/N’s replacement and decide to just live up to his name, an international playboy.

“You okay Jungkook?” The boys gathered around him, face lined with worry.

“Take it easy,”

“I’m fine. I feel better now. Just need some rest and I’m good to go,” he replied curtly to his hyungs. Due to over practice and inproper diet, Jungkook almost fainted during one of their concert and is brought backstage. The other members advised him to just sit the rest of the show out, saying the fans will understand. They always care about his health more than his ability to perform, but Jungkook being the competitve man he is, would never admit to weakness. After the paramedic gave him the necessary treatment, he is ready to go after the next interval.

“You are so stubborn!” Jimin huffed.

“Jungkookie!” Jungkook whipped his head around towards the sound and found Y/N running towards him, in panic and breathless. Despite being sick, he cant stop the smile from creeping on his face once he saw her face.

“Y/N? What are you doing here? I thought you cant come to the show?” He cocked his head, confused.

“Namjoon oppa called me! He said you fainted! I came here as fast as I could. Are you alright?” Y/N rambled, hands moving all over Jungkook’s sweaty and shirtless body and face, trying to see if he is alright. Jungkook turned to look at Namjoon who just shrugged and quickly went away, avoiding the maknae’s wrath that he knows is coming for telling Y/N about his condition.

“I’m alright Y/N,” he grabs both of her hands that is still busy wondering all over his face, stopping her and chuckled. “Namjoon-hyung is just overreacting. I’m okay. I will be able to perform again in a few minutes,” Y/N smacked his hard chest.

“God, can you please stop scaring me? I almost died when I heard and here you are laughing at me?!” she pouts. “How many times do I have to tell you to make sure to take care of yourself? What’s the point of overpracticing snd not eating if you cant perfom well after that?!”

“Okay mom,” he rolled his eyes but the smile still didnt leave his lips. “I promise I will. Now stop worrying,” Jungkook assured here. It always makes him extremely happy to see how concern Y/N is about him. Sure they are the best of friends, of course Y/N worries about him a lot, but it just did a little something to his heart. Jungkook finally have a chance to finally look closely at Y/N and take in her beautiful face. He raised an eyebrow when he sees how nice she is dressed.

“Why are you dressed so nicely?”

“I was in a middle of a date with Jae Hwa. Its our 5 years anniversary remember? I told you that! That’s why I cant come to your show. How can you forget?” Y/N placed both her hands on her hips and pouts. “I knew it. You never pay attention to me during our phone calls!” Although Jungkook thinks her action is extremely adorable, but the mention of being on a date with Jae Hwa ruined all the good mood he felt.

“Oh. Ya. I forgot. Sorry,” he looks around. “Where is he then?”

“He went to find the parking. You know you have about millions of fans right? The carpark is packed!” Y/N teased. “Oh, here he is now,” she motioned towards the backstage entrance and an impecabbly dressed Jae Hwa rushed in. Jungkook has to admit that there is absolutely nothing wrong with Jae Hwa. He is handsome, smart, a gentleman, treat Y/N right and have no problem with his girlfriend being best friends with an international idol. Jungkook sometimes wished he wouldnt be so perfect so he could find a reason to steal Y/N away, but she is happy with Jae Hwa, and that means the world to him.

“Hey babe, sorry. This place is packed!” he slide a hand around Y/N’s waist and smile at Jungkook. Jungkook runs his tounge in the inside of his cheeks at his gesture, a well known sign of his jealousy that he cant avoid everytime he saw Jae Hwa with Y/N. “How are you doing Jungkook? Y/N here is crying like crazy in the car all the way here. I was extremely panic I dont know what to do!” Jae Hwa exclaimed. Y/N playfully hits his arms.

“I did not!” Jae Hwa turn to look at his girlfriend with eyes filled with so much love it almost makes Jungkook barfed right then and there.

“Yes you did baby. I thought Jungkook is dying!” he held Y/N closer. “I dont think I have ever driven a car that fast in my entire life!” he chuckled. Jungkook awkwardly laughs back and realized he didnt answer Jae Hwa’s question.

“I’m fine actually. Namjoon-hyung and Y/N are just both drama queens! But thanks for bringing her here so fast Jae Hwa,” he nodded his thanks to the man.

“No problem man. Glad to see you are okay,” Jae Hwa shrugged. “Phew, your group is really well know huh? I have to pushed my way through over a hundred of screaming girls!” He exclaimed, surprised at Jungkook’s popularity. “No wonder you sre the international playboy, he winks, making Jungkook frowned. He hate that nickname. He hates it even more when its called in front of Y/N or if Y/N herself calls him that. He glanced towards her but before Y/N can say anything else, two paramedics came and asked them to give some space for Jungkook.

"Sorry, but he needs space to relax and breathe before he goes on stage. Only one of the members and his girlfriend is allowed in here,” Jungkook is confused and turned around to see who the paramedic meant by his girlfriend and saw the girl from last night came rushing in, face concerned and worried.

“HunnyBunny! Are you okay?” the girl, who Jungkook cant even remember the name rushed to his side and worriedly wiped his face, checking to see his condition. Jungkook immediately turns to look at Y/N who is trying to sniffle her giggle. When she noticed Jungkook is looking at her, she mouthed a question to him behind the girl’s back. Jungkook hates this. He hates it when Y/N saw his latest conquest. He hates it even more when she always giggle and teased him, not at all showing any sign of jealousy. It just proves that she really didnt have any feelings for him.

“HunnyBunny? Are you for real?” and she giggled even louder, making the girl turned around and glare at her.

“Excuse me? Who are you?” she crossed her arms across her chest and stare pointedly at Y/N.

“Urm. Nobody,” Y/N quickly answered, still giggling. Jae Hwa pulled her close and try to lead her out. There is no point in explaning who she is to the girl. Y/N knows Jungkook better than anyone else. The girl will be gone from his life in a few days.

“Err come on babe. Lets go then. We dont want to impose. We should leave Jungkook here with his… err.. girlfriend,” Jae Hwa smile and quickly pulled Y/N out, only giving her time to give Jungkook a small wave.

“Wait!” Y/N turns around. “You are not staying for the rest of the show?” Jungkook asks, hopeful. He loves it when Y/N watches his show. It somehow gives him more motivation to do well, just to impressher. Y/N shakes her head.

“Not today Jungkookie. I have a date to finish,” she glanced towards Jae Hwa who smile shyly. “If you know what I mean,” she winked. “See you later Jungkookie. Take care okay,” and she went out before Jungkook can reply, leaving him with the girl he dont even remember the name of.

Oh, he knows exactly what Y/N meant by their date. Its their five years anniversary after all. Y/N is just his best friend and she is in love with someone else, so why does Jungkook’s heart pound harder whenever she’s around and it dropped when Y/N saw him with another girl?

Why does his heart just wants to hug her, kiss her, claimed her everytime he saw her? Jungkook shakes his head.

He is screwed. And he knows it.

/////

“Did Y/N came by just now?” Jimin asks after they settled down in in their car, ready to go back to the dorm after the tiring show.

“Yeah. She did. Namjoon-hyung called her,” he glanced at the leader who purposely avoided his gaze, sticking his earphones in quickly.

“Oh. Where is she? You dont usually come back with us and go see her after our show whenever she come by,” Jimin question him, leaning closer to the maknae who’s sitting in the front seat.

“Nah. She’s on a date with Jae Hwa. Its their 5th year anniversary. She just came to check on me,”

“Oh…” the car fell quiet. The boys know exactly how Jungkook feel about Y/N and how he uses different girls every other night to forget about her. They sympathize the maknae, but there is nothing they can do. Not even an advice can be given. Jungkook can have any girl he wants, but he is head over heels in love with Y/N and they know his feelings wont change any time soon.

“Hey Kookie?” Taehyung’s quiet voice breaks the silent air. Jungkook breaks away from his daydream about Y/N and turns to look at him.

“Yes hyung?”

“Did you ever tell Y/N that you love her?”

Jungkook turns back in his seat and sighed. That is a question that no one ever asks him before. The truth is, he didnt. He never told Y/N how he felt, and he couldnt blame her now for not noticing his feelings. They have been friends for years, how could she know about his feelings if he never told her. Its his fault, really. He knows one day he’s going to have to man up and finally tell her his true feelings, doesnt matter if Y/N accepts him or not. She just needs her to know.

“No, I didnt hyung. I have never told her I love her… yet. But I will. Someday…” he answered Taehyung, so softly that he wondered if Taehyung even heard him.

/////

“Y…Y/N? Are you okay?” Jungkook immediately sits up on his bed, snapping awake from his groggy state once he registered the voice on the other line as Y/N. It has been about a week since he last saw her, which is at the concert. His pack schedule stopping hjm from seeing her as much as he would like, even to just drop by for a quick hi. He had planned to go to her apartment and have some breakfast together the next day, but its now 2 am and Y/N is calling him, sobbing her hearts’ out, making Jungkook panic.

“I…I’m… Kookie can you come over?” she wailed. Jungkook waited not another second before grabbing his jacket and dashing out of the door. It doesnt matter what time it is or how tired he is. If Y/N needs him, he sure as hell going to be there.

“Hey, hey. I’m here. Calm down and tell me what’s wrong,” Jungkook patted Y/N’s head who has buried her face in his chest, crying. Its only about 15 minutes later and he arrived at Y/N’s front door and she immediately ran into his embraced, sobbing her eyes out. Jungkook slowly led her to the couch and sat her down, wiping any access tears left on her beautiful face.

“What’s wrong Y/N? I havent seen you for a week and you call me, crying! You are making me crazy worry! Tell me what’s wrong, please,” he asks slowly.

“I was just on the phone with my parents and grandparents,” she sobbed. Jungkook nodded, giving her time to continue her story. Y/N and him are childhood friends who came from the same hometown. Their family is as close as the two of them are, despite Y/N’s family owning a lot of major businesses, making her family one of the richest family in the city. Their family goes way back to the friendship between their granparents who are best friends, and went to their fathers, and now them. Jungkook’s parents and grandparents adore Y/N and so does hers, always asking about him whenever she goes back to visit. “Grandfather said he has something important to talk to me about… and… and…” she cried out before she can finished her sentence. Jungkook panics. What happened? Did something happen to her grandfather? To her family?

“What is it Y/N? Please tell me. Whatever it is, I’m sure its going to be okay,” Y/N tried to calm herself and continued.

“They are setting me up for an arranged marriage!” she wailed. “An arranged marriage Kookie!” Jungkook is stunt for a moment. The only thing that is registered inside his head is Y/N is getting married. And not to him. He felt a lump in his heart and tried to keep calm. He needs to get more information about this whole thing.

“Arranged marriage? Do you know the boy?” He asks carefully, not wanting to upset her more.

“I dont know! That’s the problem Kookie. They are selling me off to some boy that I dont even know!” Y/N is wailing again. “Jae Hwa is going crazy. He is so mad he doesnt even want to talk to me! I dont want to marry amybody else but him Kookie!”

Oh right. Jae Hwa. Y/N’s actual boyfriend. Jungkook totally forgot about him. If Jungkook himself is going crazy when he heard the news, he cant imagine what Jae Hwa is feeling right now. To have Y/N as his own and loose her to some family arrangement. He must be dying right now.

Jungkook swiped Y/N’s hair from her face and look at her. “You know what, lets go home tomorrow. The two of us. We will see what they have got to say first. And I will help you to talk some sense into them. Okay?” Jungkook suggested. He felt that is the only help he can offer to Y/N right now. Y/N nodded weakly.

“Okay Kookie. But dont you have a schedule?”

“No,” he shakes his head. “We have a few fays of break. I planned to come and take you breakfast tomorrow actually,” he smiled.

She softly nodded and pulled herself closer into Jungkook’s embraced. “Can you stay the night with me? I always feel safe with you,” she whispered, eyes heavy with exhaustion. Jungkook patted her head lovingly and smile at her childlike innocent

“Of course I will Y/N,” he whispered back. “I will always do anything for you,” he added under his breathe and kiss her forehead.

/////

“Oh, Y/N, Jungkook! What a surprise. We didnt know you were coming back. Why didnt you inform me? I could have prepared some special meal!” Y/N’s mother exclaimed when she opened the huge brass door of their mansion. Both Jungkook and Y/N hugged her mother and smile. Y/N glared at her.

“I think you perfectly know why I came back mother,” Mrs Lee chuckled and turns to Jungkook.

“She’s a feisty one isnt she? I dont know how you put up with her all these years. You are the only one who can!” Jungkook just laughed at her statement.

“Its not that hard Auntie. She’s kind of lovable actually,” he ruffled her head, making Y/N groaned and Mrs Lee smile at the affection shown between the two.

“Come into the living room. Your father and grandfather is there,” she looks at Jungkook. “Oh, so is your parents Jungkook,” both Jungkook and Y/N look at each other and shrugged. The two families visiting each other on daily basis is common knowledge to them. They are that close to each other. Jungkook held Y/N’s hand and lead her into the living area, rubbing her back, reassuring her that he will be there every step of the way.

“Oh look! How sweet. They are so cute together, dont you think honey?” Mrs Lee exclaimed once she saw they were holding hands, alerting the rest in the living room.

“Oh! My busy idol son is home!” Mrs Jeon quickly stood up and hugged Jungkook tightly, then turned to Y/N to give her the same bear hug. Y/N grins and went to kiss her father and grandfather on the cheeks.

“When are ever going to stop calling me that mom?” Jungkook grumbled. “Its embarassing,”

“When you stop being an idol!” she quickly replied back, making Jungkook groaned. “I’m proud of my son and I’m going to tell everyone about it,” she huffed. The rest of the man chuckled.

“What are you guys all doing here? Everybody looks so serious. I’m sure this is not just another normal dinner you usually have?” Y/N questioned. Everybody kept quiet at her question until her father cleared his throat.

“We are discussing something quite serious Y/N. As you know, which we have informed you yesterday,” he paused, gauging Y/N’s reaction, who is sending him a death glare. “And I think it is also the reason for your surprised visit today, no?”

“No more dilly dally son,” Y/N’s grandfather’s interrupt. “Its about your arranged marriage,” Y/N loves her grandfather to death, but he can be very serious and determined when he wants to, and this is one of those moments.

“Grandpa… I dont want to,” she whined.

“Give me a good reason why? You know by being born in this family, the possibilities of an arranged marriage is always there on the table,” he said sternly. Y/N looks at Jungkook for encouragement and he smile at her, telling her its okay to go on.

“Well, first I love Jae Hwa! And I know you know that. And-”

“That no good boy?! That’s not going to happen!” Her grandfather cut her off. Y/N stomped her feet, frustrated that he wont even listen to her. She knows Jae Hwa has never been her family’s favorite, but she doesnt understand why? Jae Hwa has been treating her with respect, trying hard to win her family’s favors, but he just wasnt able to wiggle his way into their hearts.

“And second, how do you expect me to marry some boy I dont even know?! This is not the Joseon era Grandpa! You cant just marry me off! Dont I get the chance to see if I can get along with the man I have to marry first?” Y/N try to reason. Her grandfather always responded to practical reasoning, maybe this way it will get through to him and she can buy more time to find her way out from this mess. Jungkook nodded, agreeing with what she said, although in his heart he hopes she will neber ever hit it off with that boy or Jae Hwa. He only wants Y/N for himself.

Even in this extremely tense atmosphere, everybody in the room, except for Jungkook and Y/N of course, laughs at what Y/N is saying.

“Why are you guys laughing? Is ruining my life funny to you?!” Y/N is fuming. How dare they laughed at her!

“No darling,” her father assurred. “Its just that if not knowing the boy is your biggest problem, then considered it settled,” Y/N raised an eyebrow. What are they talking about now? Jungkook’s father smile and finally opened his mouth.

“You are marrying my son Y/N. You are marrying Jungkook,”

#bts #bts fiction #bts scenario #bangtan #bangtan boys #bangtan scenarios #bts jungkook #jeon jungkook #jungkook #jungkook fluff #jungkook scenario #jungkook fanfic #jungkook series #kpop #kpop fanfic #kpop scenario

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