~~~~~~~~~Dipper's POV~~~~~~~~~

Only one day has passed since the whole deal with Grunkle Stan's identity was solved, one day with our new Grunkle Ford now living in the lab of our basement.

And my mind was going NUTS!

Grunkle Stan had a habit of getting in the way of the few chances I did get to talk to Ford, and even that was very minor since he spent most of his time downstairs, where the rest of us weren't allowed to return to. (y/n) did his best to keep my hopes up, but I was starting to get agitated.

At the moment, we were in the gift shop hanging around. No customers had stopped by today, so we deemed today one of our lazy days where we e try to do as little as possible. Normally I'd love these kinds of days, but knowing all the answers were just a set of stairs away from me blocked by a wall of bricks would make my knee bounce on repeat at best.

Mabel, of course, was as carefree as ever. "I just ate a big of cheese boodles without using my hands!! Lazy Tuesday, you are delivering in a big way!"

Stan chuckled at that. "Yeah, it's nice to finally have a day where nothing where nothing interesting happens whatsoever-"

We all jumped in place as the basement door slammed open, revealing Ford standing there with an octopus-looking creature attached to his arm. "Everyone, get down!! Don't let it taste human flesh!!"

We screamed at the sight, (y/n) immediately grabbing my hand and pulling me behind him as he complained with disgust, "WHAT IS THAT?!"

"Can we keep it?!" Mabel asked with a smile.

Stan was already trying to wack it with his newspaper. "KILL IT! KILL IT!!"

The creature had crawled to the other side of the gift shop, trapping itself into a corner where Fire blocked its path. He had a strange pair of gloves on, staring intensely at the creature. "Patience.. And...."

The monster suddenly opened the mouth with razor sharp rose of teeth it had under its tentacles, but Ford didn't seem fazed. "GOTCHA," he yelled as he grabbed the creature, a hissing noise following before lifting it up with a proud smile, the creature now fried.

We all stared for a few seconds, some in disgust, and some, like me, in pure admiration.

But Stan, like always, wasn't thrilled about it. "Great, now get it out of here. Smell's like if death could barf."

Ford's smile instantly faded at his brother's response, heading back to the basement entrance. I smiled to myself, seizing the moment to run over. "Great uncle Ford! You need any help with that?! I've read all about these creatures in your journal and I think I know how to-!"

"No! I'm sorry, Dipper. On the dark weird road I travel, I'm afraid you cannot follow.." He stared ahead for a moment, and I gripped my pen at the dramatics. Then he smiled. "Well, call me for diner!"

I tried to smile back as he went back to the basement. "M-maybe next time then? Or not? Or never..?"

(y/n) walked over, wrapping an arm around me. "Aw, Maze, I'm sorry.."

Mabel walked over too, her smile apologetic. "Dipper, don't take it so hard."

But then I flinched down as Stan wacked me with the newspaper. "No, do take it hard! Take it hard and serious. My brother is a dangerous know-it-all and the stuff he's messing with is even worse! Do yourself a favor and stay away from him, you hear me?!"

"But Grunkle Stan, all summer long I've wanted to know who the author of the journal was," I tried to explain. "Now the guy lives in our basement and I can't even talk to him!"

"Don't worry about what's in the basement, you belong up here with me and your family!"

"Yeah!!" Mabel joined in. "Besides, the season finale of Duck-tective is airing this Friday! That's all the mystery you need this week! C'mon, quack with us, Dipper!"

The two of them began to quack, only adding to my annoyance. All I wanted was to ask at least one question to the author I've searched for all summer!

"Quack quack!! Quack!! Qua-!!" Mabel suddenly grew serious as she pointed at me. "Why isn't he quacking?"

(y/n) then let out a sigh, grabbing my hand. "How about we get some quiet time up on the roof, hm..?"

Well... maybe two things I want.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

~~~~~~~~~Your POV~~~~~~~~~

Mason and I spent about an hour on the shack's roof under the shade of the umbrella, chatting, snuggling, and, y-you know, sharing a few kisses here and there, as couples do.

But eventually he heard Ford come back out of his bag cave again and rushed downstairs to try to catch him. Part of me was worried this would become a routine, but this had been Mason's dream since we first found the journal all the way back at the start of summer, so I wanted to encourage him.

Instead, I went to the living room, where Mabel was on the floor writing a letter with her usual smile, repeating what she wrote out loud. "Dear Mom and Dad, we've been in Gravity Falls for a few months and so much has happened! Just yesterday, gravity reversed itself almost destroying the universe and totally wrecking the whole town!"

"Well, they say it was an earthquake, but you know what I think? I think I'm gonna have to start serving pineapple right-side-up cake!! Lazy Susan laughed from the tv as she was interviewed. "Am I right?! ... a-am I right?"

Then there was static, shifting over to the mayor. "Let the rebuilding of the town begin!! Wrecking ball, start wrecking things!!" He laughed manically as a wrecking ball started crashing through buildings, the whole thing being shown on the screen.

Sometimes I wonder why I didn't move out of this town earlier.

"But the coolest part of the summer was when Grunkle Stan's twin brother came put of this portal thingy! Now we have two grunkles for the price of one! And they are adorable together!!" Mabel bent the paper so the two sides would touch. "We love each other so much!! Mua mua mua!!"

"Hey, uh, Mabel?" I walked over. "Are you sure you should tell your parents about our adventures?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, you know, I don't think they'd be fans of how much we've been so close to death, so.."

"Guys!!" Mason yelled as he ran into the room. "You'll never guess what I found at the store!!"

Mabel instantly stood up. "Dogs! Dogs with hats!!"

"No," he answered, showing us a box. "It's my favorite fantasy talking level counting statistics and graph paper involving game of all time!! Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons!! You guys wanna play with me?!"

Mabel tilted her head. "Well, I do like unicorns, and that hot elf looks promising."

"Sounds interesting," I added. "How do you play?"

"The rules are simple!" He placed down the rule book, starting to read from it. "First, you roll a 38 sided die to determine the level of each player's statistics analysis poweroid. These orbs relate directly to the amount of quadrants that you team has dominion over, which is inverse to the anti-quadrants in your quadrant satchel!"

Mabel and I stared for a few seconds. I was trying to register what he just said, but Mabel had her mind on something else. "And then we ride unicorns?"

"Yes!"

Mabel gasped in excitement at Mason's answer.

"And no."

She deflated just as quickly. 

"First we make a graph!"

Mabel feel to her knees with a groan. "This is like Homework: The Game!"

"It is kinda confusing, Maze," I said, trying not to sound too judgmental.

But his shoulders slumped at our responses. "C'mon, guys, I need at least two people to play!"

That's when Soos walked in as clueless as always. "Oh, wow, would you look at that, two people!" Mabel yelled as she gestured to both of us, then ran out of the room.

"Huh," was all Mason said. "Hey, Soos, up for a little game of D, D, and More D?"

"Aw, sorry, Dipper, I don't go in for that pen and paper kind of stuff. I'm more of an FCLORPer."

"A wha?"

"FCLORP," Soos repeated, holding up a wristband with said initials. "Foam and Cardboard Legitimate Outdoor Role Play. It is where a passionate brethren of craftsmen bring their dreams to magical reality."

Mason let out a sigh of defeat. "Well, thanks anyway, Soos."

Then Stan walked in, eyeing the box with a raised eyebrow. "Say, is this that game that's mostly math and writing and isn't anything like the picture on the box?"

"Yes! It is!" Mason instantly perked up. "You wanna play with me, Grunkle Stan?"

Stan immediately laughed. "Look, kid, I prefer to do my dice rolling in Vegas. Besides, only a game designed by nerds would have "charisma" as a fantasy power." He then grabbed one of the papers from the things that had been makes down, starting to red from it. "When facing yon adversaries, shield thyself, under an elfin buttress!"

Mabel laughed at that. "Say it again!"

"Buttress!"

As the two laughed, Mason snatched the paper back. "Laugh all you want. You guys just aren't smart enough to understand it."

Soos then giggled a bit. "Sorry, dude, but it is kinda nerdy. Well, I'm off to lay siege to a goblin fortress."

Once the three of them left the room, I glanced down at Mason, feeling my heart sink a bit.

Well, it was my duty as the boyfriend, right?

"I'll play a few rounds with you, Maze," I said with a smile, which made him smile even more.

He immediately sat up, a smile on his face. "Thanks a lot, (y/n)!! I promise it'll be a lot of fun!"

I say beside him, looking at all the parts of the game. "I'll try my best to keep up."

~~~~~~~~~Dipper's POV~~~~~~~~~

I played a few rounds of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons with (y/n). They were kinda fun in a goofy way since he was having fun a hard time memorizing every rule, but I could tell he was trying his best for my sake.

Still, it wasn't the same as playing with someone who knew the real ins and outs of the game, so I got tired pretty quickly, packed up, and headed outside.

Part of me wanted to throw the whole game in the trash since there's no points in me playing this by myself, and I did reach for it for only a second, but immediately pulled back.

But the action caused the die to roll off the bored and under the shack's foundation. "Aw, man, my 38-sided die!!"

I set the box to the side and crawled under, trying to reach the die. And I always had it!

Had the ground not fallen from under me.

I screamed in a panic, but I hit the floor pretty quickly. Eventually, once my eyes adjusted to the darkness and I dusted off the dust and dirt I gathered, I realized I was in the basement, pr more accurately, Ford's lab.

Oh. Oh no. Ford's lab.

"DIPPER, STOP!" I heard Ford yell, seeing him immediately storming over.

"Great uncle Ford!"

"What did I say about coming down here?! My work is far too dangerous for a single living soul to spend even one second i-! Wait." He suddenly paused, looking at the die that had fallen with me. "Is that a 38-sided die from Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons?!"

My shoulders perked up. "Yeah! Y-you know that game?"

"With pen and paper, shield and sword.."

"Our quest shall be our sweet reward!" We both laughed as we spoke the line in synch.

Ford had a bright smile on his face. "This is my favorite game in the whole multiverse! I can't believe they still make it!"

"They do! And I've been looking all day for someone to play it with me!"

"My boy, do you know what this means? We must stop everything I've been working on at once... and PLAY!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin from excitement at his words. Then I flinched back as the octopus thing from earlier suddenly grabbed Ford's face.

Ford easily ripped it back off, but he now had burn marks on the right side of his face. "That's.... going to leave a mark."

~~~~~~~~~Your POV~~~~~~~~~

I didn't see Mason for the rest of the day after he left, to the point that the only reason I hadn't gone into a panic was because his scent was still around, just from underground. For a moment, I thought he was killed and buried, but then I caught Ford's new scent as well, so it was safe to assume Mason was down in the lab with him.

It still worried me though, to know he didn't come back up even for a glass of water.

Even the next morning, there was no sign of him. He didn't come to join us for breakfast, nor was he in his room when I checked. I was seriously starting to worry.

Still, Mabel hired me as her helper while she planned things for the Duck-tective finale, so I at least had something to do as a distraction. Stan was just as excited as she was, and they even invited Grenda to join.

"Thanks for coming over to watch tonight's Duck-tective finale, Grenda," Mabel greeted as she led her friend into the hallway.

"Of course!! I'm so invested in the lives of these characters!" And that was easy to tell considering she was wearing plenty of merchandise from the show.

Even Stan came downstairs wearing his suit, giving a little dance. Mabel chuckled at the sight. "Hey hey, look at you! Someone's all dressed up~"

"It's a big night! I think we all remember where we were, when we learned Duck-tective was shot.." The three or them looked up with a hurt expression, and I couldn't help but chuckle at the commitment they had to this imaginary duck.

Than an alarm went off, and Mabel gasped with excitement. "Viewing positions, everyone!!"

Once they all ran into the living room, I planned to head to the kitchen and get myself something to drink. But when a collective gasped came from there, curiosity got the best of me and I turned back, peeling inside the room.

Mason and Ford were sitting in the floor of the living room playing their board game, completely surrounded by graph paper that stuck to the floor and walls. Honestly, a college student's worst nightmare.

Grenda ended up stepping on one of the papers, which stuck to the bottom of her shoe. "AH! Graph paper!! Kill it!! KILL IT!"

I could tell Mabel was trying to keep her cool, smiling at her brother with as much kindness as she could. "Dipper, could you maybe move this to another room?!"

"No dice!!" Ford replied for him. "We ran out of room in the basement and we're going for a world record! Now dice!!" He threw the dice from the game plot the board. "Thirty two, yes!!"

Mason laughed along with him while the others groaned, and I was just kinda staring in the corner waiting for this to escalate.

"Why, why with this? You want to break a record, Ford?" He smirked at his brother. "You already got it for World's Nerdiest Old Man!!"

"Hey, at least I'm not all keyed up to watch a kid's show!" Ford argued back. 

"All have you know that Duck-tective has a big mystery element, and a lot of humor that goes over kids' heads!!"

"I don't get a lot of it, but I like animals in human situations!" Grenda added to Stan's argument.

Mabel looked at her uncle in a panic. "Grunkle Stan, it starts in a few minutes!"

At Mabel's worry, Stan tried to removed some of the graph papers off the tv, but Ford immediately grabbed his wrist to stop him, a glare on his face. "Move that and pay price!"

"Oh what?!" Stan snatched his hand away. "Fifty magical dwarf dollars?!"

"Don't mock our fantastical monetary system!!"

"I'll mock all I want, it's my tv room!!

"IT'S MY HOUSE, YOU-!"

"HEY!" I stood between the grownup Pines twins, grabbing both their arms as they attempted to fight. They both seemed shocked that they couldn't pull away, though I guess neither had ever seen my strength in person. "That's enough!!"

But Ford seemed far more startled than Stan, snatching his arm away and flinching back with an expression of panic. I raised an eyebrow at him, and he started back at me for a while, unsure of how to respond.

But he quickly regained his computer, letting out a sigh. "Listen, Stanley, did it ever occur to you that if you joined us you might actually have fun?"

"What?! Now you listen to me!!" Stan grabbed the bag that contained a couple of Ford's things, which he had previously sat nearby. "As long as I live, I will never.."

Mason's eyes widened. "Grunkle Stan, wait-!!"

"Ever!!"

"Stanley-!!" Ford tried to reach for Stan's arm as he leaned it back to throw the bag, but by then it was too late.

"Play your smartypants nerd game!!" He threw the bag onto the ground, a bunch of die stumbling out. But one in particular, which had been kept in a smaller box, rolled out of its box and began to glow. It was bigger than the rest, and the odd part about it is that it seemed to be constantly shifting. The sight made my stomach turn. It felt dangerous. 

Once the light died down and we were ere able to see, strange creatures with even stranger scents were standing in between us.

The one in the front, some strange old wizard, began to speak. "Mortals of dimensions 46 '/, kneel before me and-!!" He paused, then rolled the board game's die, smiling at the results. "Snivel!! I am Probabilitor, the greatest wizard in all of mathology! Give or take or take an error of 0.4!"

Stan raised an eyebrow. "Eh, is this normal?"

Mason looked panicked, but tried to give a smile. "Have you come to send us on the quest of a lifetime..?! Because we're the smartest players we've ever met....?!"

"You are the smartest players I've ever met," the wizard replied. "That's why I'm going to eat your brains, to gain your intelligence!! It's what I do!"

"It's his thing," the ogre beside the wizard pointed out.

Mason's eyes widened. "WHAT?"

"Seize them!!"

I was about to run over, when the ogre grabbed with one hand as if I was I was a piece of bread. For once, someone actually matched my strength. "MAZE!"

Ford quickly pulled out his gun, pointing it at the new group. "Your math is no match for my gun, you idiot!!"

"Math ray!!" The wizard shot out a ray of lightning with numbers, which destroyed the wall ahead. "I'm not here to play games!!"

The ogre eventually threw me to the side to pick up Mason and Ford, the wizard pointing his staff upward. "Now, to the forest for the ultimate game!!" And then he flew away, an eagle picking up the ogre and following behind.

I stood up, holding my harm. Mabel was just as shocked as I was, but apparently the others not so much so, because Grenada simply, said, "So, the room's free now! Who wants to watch Duck-tective?!"

"Are you-?!" I looked over, feeling my anger raising up. "That's my boyfriend that was just kidnapped!!"

"I can be a good replacement!" she replied with a giggle, and I almost threw up into my mouth.

But Mabel quickly went to my side. "(y/n)'s right, we have to save my brother and Grunkle Ford!!"

Stan simply shrugged. "Eh, maybe let him get a couple of bites out of Ford's brain first, even things out smartness-wise."

"Grunkle Stan!!"

"Alright alright, I guess if we had no other choice, we'll go on a.." He shuddered, letting out a sigh. "Epic wizard quest.."

"YAYYY!!" the girls cheered.

"Everyone grab a weapon!"

Stan found a bat, which honestly would've been my first choice too. Mabel got a rake from outside, and Grenda just took the entire couch, letting out a chuckle. "Nice!"

"We're coming for you, Dipper! And Great-uncle Ford," Mabel mentioned. "And possibly that hot elf, if he's got anything to do with this!"

"Let's not," I added, trying not to snap.

Hand in there, Maze.. we're coming to get you.

~~~~~~~~~Dipper's POV~~~~~~~~~

Why oh WHY do I keep getting myself into these situations?!

Grunkle Ford and I had been tied up to a tree in the middle of the forest, trying to struggle out of the rope's grip.

The wizard, Probabilitor from the board game, was laughing as he measured our heads, which made it all the more horrifying. "With each brain I eat I shall increase my enchantelligence!"

"If my hands were free, I'd break every part of your face!!" Ford yelled at him.

But Probabilitor wasn't listening, he was just excited to feast. "The time has come!! Hot elf, ready the brain cooking pot!"

The guy named "hot elf" sighed with disinterest. "Yes, Probabilitor." Then he took off his hood and swayed his hair in a dramatic manner before pointing his bow and arrow at the wood under the pot, setting it on fire.

I'm sure (y/n) would've made a joke about "sensing one of us".

He's totally gonna rub it in my face that he saved me yet again. That is, if he makes it..

~~~~~~~~~Your POV~~~~~~~~~

"We must be getting close," Stan said as he slapped his own back. "These fairy bites are getting more frequent."

"At least bleeding sparkles is better than covering your suit in red splashes," I said, and it was. Stan's suit had never looked so girly pop.

"HALT!" We all flinched back as the ogre from before stomped onto our path. "You interlopers are trespassing on the ancient forest of Probabilitor the wizard!! If ye wish to pass, first, ye must complete seven unworldly quest, each, more difficult than the-"

Maybe it was the anger from seeing my boyfriend get snatched, or maybe I was exhausted from all the arguing, probably both, but I didn't care enough to listen to anything else. I grabbed Stan's back as the ogre talked and walked over, swinging the bat against the ogre's head as hard as I could.

I'm honestly surprised his head didn't fly off; ogres' strengths are not to be underestimated.

But I still felt angry, and I still swung the bat. "THAT'S for invading my home!!" Another swing. "THAT'S for nearly breaking my arm!!" And another. "And THAT'S for KIDNAPPING MY BOYFRIEND, YOU JERK!!"

Once the anger died down, I took a moment to catch my breath. Not a single drop of blood, surprisingly enough. Maybe it was good I chose an ogre to fight against after all.

Mabel had to cover her eyes though, and we hen she peeked over, she seemed startled. Nervously, she poked the ogre's foot with the end of her rake. "Is he.. dead?"

"He's magic, sweetie! I'm sure he's fine." But as the girls continued ahead, Stan grabbed my shoulder, whispering to me. "There's no cops in the forest. We take this to our graves."

"You got it," I replied with a nod.

~~~~~~~~~Dipper's POV~~~~~~~~~

I turned to my uncle. "What to we do? What do we do?!"

"Stop thinking, Dipper," he said. "The more wrinkly your brain gets, the more he'll want to eat it!"

"And now, a little math problem!" Probabilitor turned to us again. "When I subtract your brain from your skull, add salt, and divide your family, what's the remainder?"

"YOUR BUTT!"

"What? My butt isn't part of this particular equation!"

I smiled with relief as Mabel, (y/n), Stan, and Grenda came out of the bushes, ready for a fight. Ford didn't admit to anything, but I noticed his shoulders relax at the sight.

"Drat, how did you make it past my own guard?!" Probabilitor asked, to which (y/n) hid his bat behind his back. "Very well, there's only one way your family can save you! You must defeat me in Dungeons, Dungeons, and more Dungeons!! REAL LOFE EDITION!"

He banged his staff against the ground, everything around us shifting and glowing purple. I had to close my eyes in order to not become blind.

When I opened my eyes, Ford and I were no longer tied up. Instead, we were surrounded by what seemed like a medieval environment, but everything outside of a certain area seemed giant.

That, or we got smaller.

Ford reached up and touched his ears. "Ah, my ears!! They're so pointy!!"

I noticed his outfit had changed into something of an elfish warrior, and when I looked at myself, I noticed mine was the same. "There better be something protected under this tunic!" I turned and checked, immediately panicking and pulling the tunic farther down than it was meant to go. "Oh no, there isn't!!"

Stan seemed more annoyed than nervous. "Seriously? Can't we just like arm wrestle or something?"

"C'mon, this game is a lot of fun! I had my mom pack me lunch!" Probabilitor sat down and took out a bag, searching through it. "Ew, apple slices! I'll eat you last!"

"Just make with the rules." Stan let out a groan, throwing a piece of chewing gum into his mouth.

"The game is a battle royale! We help our characters by casting spells determined by rolls of the dice! If you win, I go back to my home dimension! But if I win, I eat their brains!!"

Fear filled my chest, trying to intervene. "Hey, I'm not sure this is such a good-"

"DEAL!" Stan said with no hesitation.

We are so doomed.

"Let the game begin!!" Probabilitor rolled the die first, getting a thirteen. "ATTACK!"

Ogres in armor suddenly appeared all around us, chasing us around when we tried to run away.

(y/n) leaned closer to the game in a panic. "We have to do something! They'll be killed!!"

"What do we do?" Stan asked, clearly just as scared. "What are our moves?!"

"There are no moves, you make them up!!" I answered as I jumped over a rock.

Stan raised an eyebrow. "What? Really?"

"Yes, we were trying to tell you!!" Ford yelled back. "This game involves math, but also risk and imagination!!"

"Risk?"

"Imagination?!" Mabel repeated after Stan, both their eyes sparkling with realization. "Grunkle Stan, make something up! It's just like lying!"

"I cast, uh.. shield of.. shielding!" Stan threw the die over, which landed on a fourteen.

Just as he said, a shield appeared in front of Ford and I, defending us from the ogre's attack and letting me sigh in relief than I wasn't dead just yet. A shield appeared in front of us protecting us from the ogre's attacks.

But Probabilitor was prepared. "Shield of Shielding Reversal spell!" he yelled, the die landing on something high enough to make the shields disappear.

"I cast.. Giggle Time Bouncy Boots!!" Mabel yelled while throwing the die, and on our feet appeared a set of pink, weird looking shoes. I'd have scolded her for it any other time, but the extra bounce in our step was more than useful.

Mabel continued to have control of the die, yelling command after command. "Hot flamey sword! Super hot flamey sword!!"

With our new aflamed swords, we could easily cut through the ogres, making them disappear from the game. For a moment, I was hopeful we'd come out of here alive!

"NO! Drat, you!" Probabilitor complained like a toddler throwing a tantrum. "You'll never outrun my Ogre-nado!!" He threw the die, and a bad remake of Shark-nado with ogres started to run through the board. "It is what it sounds like!!"

"Seriously, what's with this guy and ogres?!" I heard (y/n) ask, which would've gotten a laugh out of me had I not been running for my life.

But Mabel was more than prepared. "I cast.. Centaur-taur!!"

In front of us appeared a horse's body attached to the neck to.. another horse body?!

"Mabel," Stan started. "I'm so confused and so proud right now!"

I wanted to ask so many questions, and a part of me want e to throw up, but we didn't have the time. I hopped onto one body's back, Ford on the other, and running at lightning speed, we were able to run through a small hole out of the Ogre-nado's reach.

They began to cheer in victory, and for a moment I figured we were finally about to leave the game, when Probabilitor let out a laugh. "I was saving the worst for last!!"

Something grabbed Ford and I from above, and I looked up to see a monstrous creature with big bat wings and an ugly face.

"The Impossibeast!!" Fore exclaimed. "I thought they banned this character!!"

"Think again! I'm playing the controversial 1991-1992 edition!!"

The beast pinned us to the wall with its huge claw, and Mabel was already getting ready for the next move, though you could tell on her face that she was nervous. "I-I'll think of something!"

"You don't understand," Ford started to explain. "This is the most powerful monster in the game! He can only be defeated by rolling a perfect thirty eight, but the odds of that is-!!"

"Hey, long odds are what you want when you're a world class gambler," Stan said proudly as he snatched the die from Mabel. "Alright, Stan, you can do this. Papa needs a new pair of.. twins!!"

As the die landed on the board, I swear everything for the next three seconds felt like 30 years. Watching the die land, watching it roll, stop, roll back, make a turn, every movement of as enough to make my heart stop with fear.

But there it was. The thirty eighth side.

"NOOO!!" Probabilitor yelled at the sight.

Stan had never seemed more confident in his life. "Sorry, nerd wizard, all your smarts are no match for dumb luck!!"

"I cast.. DEATH MUFFINS!!" Mabel yelled at the top of her lungs, cupcake shaped bombs appearing in Ford and I's hands, and together, we threw them into the beast's mouth, watching it explode and disappear into nothing.

Next thing I knew, I was standing next to the rest of my family with Ford at my other side. (y/n) was the first to run to me, grabbing me and swinging me around in a hug. "YOU'RE OKAY!"

I couldn't help the blush on my face, but I laughed and hugged him back, just as relieved.

Mabel was second, wrapping me in a hug once (y/n) set me down, laughing in victory.

Grenda had gone off to hug that weird elf, who closed the rule book. The game is like, over. Excelci- whatever."

Probabilitor was already disappearing. "NO! I'm returning to my own realm!! I'm turning into math!! WHAT ARE THE ODDS!!" That last word was pulled long enough to sound dramatic, everything from the game disappearing back into the lonely board.

Finally, I looked up. "Grunkle Stan, that was amazing!! How did you know that would win?!"

"Hey, a gambler never reveals his secrets," he said smugly, but as he picked up the die, I noticed a piece of gum stuck to the bottom.

Of course, always the con artist at heart. But it saved our lives.

Mabel placed her hands on her hips. "Man, that was fun for ages eight to eighty!! Or a million or however old you guys are!"

"If a little anxiety inducing," (y/n) added. "I'm still trying to calm my heart down!"

I placed a kiss on his cheek. "Does that help?"

He grew red in the face, letting out a chuckle before resting his head on mine. "Very much."

That's when I noticed Ford looking at us strangely. Or.. no, looking at (y/n) strangely, like he was unsure what to think. Before either of us could say or do anything, he offered a hand to him, his expression calm. "(y/n), was it? Thank you for the help."

"Oh, uh.." (y/n) awkwardly shook his hand, probably just as confused as to why Ford picked him specifically. "Of course, always."

Stan then looked over, letting out a sigh. "You know, I'm sorry for making fun of your game, kiddo.. Sure, it might be too nerdy for me, but it's just the right amount of nerdy for you and my brother. And if you two want to hang out sometimes, I won't get in your way."

I smiled at that, at least he understood things from my side. And as mad as I knew he was at Ford, that also meant he saw things from his point of view too.

Still, I sighed. "Actually, after all that, I could use a little mindless fun."

Grenda immediately ran over after hearing that. "Guys, we can watch the second showing of Duck-tective, it's not too late!!"

You know what? To heck with it, why not!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I'm going to that big pond in the sky," translated the subtitles as Duck-tective quacked on the hospital bed.

The constable was crying beside the bed. "I just don't understand who shot you! The only person clever enough to defeat Duck-tective is.." He gasped. "Duck-tective!!"

Suddenly, the constable was knocked out by something heavy from behind, another duck stepping into the room.

"Time to finish the job.. TWIN BROTHER!"

Duck-tective gasped with horror, and the episode came to an end, leaving all of.. kinda disappointed.

Mabel says what we were all thinking. "He had a twin brother all along? That's the big twist we were waiting for?!"

"What a rip off!!" Grenda yelled.

Soos rolled his eyes. "I predicted that like a year ago!"

(y/n) just laughed at everyone's reactions, then he let out a yawn and stretched his arms over his head, one wrapping around my shoulders. "Whay a day, huh?"

"Did you really beat up an ogre on the way to save us?"

He tenses up, pausing before answering. "No? Who said that?"

"Mabel."

He turned to Mabel, who was already running away. "SNITCH!"

I laughed, harder than I had in the last week, leaning into his shoulder. Yeah, some mindless fun is always welcome..

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hours passed after that, and I grew kinda worried when Ford asked me to join him in the basement.

He grabbed the small box from before, setting the Infinity die, which he had shown me hours ago, back inside it. "This'll be here if you ever need it."

"Really? Even though I got us into the whole game-playing mess?"

"Eh, we both got carried away. I guess we'd both gone for a while without a friend," he said with a smile, then turned to me. "Dipper, can I tell you something?"

I nodded, partially excited.

"You asked me earlier what I was working on. Well.." He pulled a curtain to the side, and my eyes widened. The portal, the one he first came through just days ago, was now destroyed. "I dismantled the portal. An interdimensional gateway is too dangerous for the world it feeds into. That's why I was mad at Stan for using it. He saved me, but as I feared, the instability of the machine created this."

He showed me what looked like a snow globe, just like the ones sold in the Gift Shop, but inside was something I couldn't comprehend. In my eyes, it looked like a goop that swirled around and shifted shame inside the globe, but the material looked like space itself.

"An interdimensional rift," he answered my unasked question. "I've contained it for now, but it's incredibly dangerous. Dipper, I don't want you to tell anyone about this. Not Stan, not your sister, and especially not your boyfriend. You understand?"

Especially not (y/n)?

My mind went to how he reacted back in the forest. Was there something he didn't like about him? Ford knew so much about the world, more than I could ever imagine.. Maybe he knew more about (y/n) than (y/n) knew himself.

But he was trusting me with this, and I couldn't let him down. "Oh, uh- of course..!"

"In my time, I've made many powerful enemies, but I trust you with this secret." His trust brought a smile to myself, feeling proud to get the attention of someone I looked up to so much. Then he turned and put the glove away in a box for security. "Now get yourself to bed. I have much research to do."

I nodded. "Goodnight, great uncle Ford.."

"Goodnight, Dipper."

Thanks for reading!!! 'Till next time!

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