A Friend (Stanford Pines x Reader)

The Reunion

Ford stumbled inside the cabin with a huge grin plastered on his face. You turned around and set two plates on the table across from one another. "You're home late," You said. Ford nodded, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck. "I sort of fell asleep while I was out researching," You raised an eyebrow skeptically. "You fell asleep? In the middle of the forest?" Ford shrugged. "Sleep hasn't been coming easily," He defended. 

"Don't I know it," You sighed, rubbing the bridge of your nose with your thumb and index finger as you sat down. Ford stabbed at a piece of chicken with his fork and popped it into his mouth. You thought for a moment. "Ford, listen, I'm just as eager as you are to get to the bottom of all this, but how exactly do you plan on going about building a portal? How are you even going to accomplish that? This is something no one has ever done before. Where do we even start?" Ford frowned and swallowed. "Well, I do want to just start building it entirely from scratch. Our own machinery, materials, all of it..." Ford trailed off when he saw your brow furrow in concern. "Ford, we can't afford to do something like that from scratch." You pointed out. His face fell slightly. "I suppose you're right," he admitted. His eyes flicked up to the ceiling as though it held the answer to whatever he was looking for. "Maybe the Crash Site Omega will have something." 

"You mean that aircraft we found?" You asked. 

Ford nodded. "You saw all the machinery that we found in there. Never have I seen such futuristic technology. We could move some pieces from the craft itself to the final level in the basement. It's not like we were using it for much, anyways, and I doubt you would be too fond of having a portal in our living room."

You laughed. "Fair point. I wouldn't want that. But Ford, this isn't just equations and physics. We're building something, and neither of us are mechanics. How are we even going to start building this? It's going to be massive." 

Ford clenched his jaw and tossed the food on his plate around. "There's only one person who I can think of who would know how to build something like this." You waited for him to continue. Ford looked up at you, an amused expression on his face. "You remember Fiddleford, don't you?" 

Your jaw opened in surprise. "You kept in contact with him?" You asked, remembering Ford's eccentric, banjo-obsessed friend. "He's a genius, Y/N, and it wouldn't hurt to try. Think of all the glory and possibilities that'll come after we complete this, Y/N! We'll be right up there with Newton, Tesla, and Einstein. The entire world will know our names! We'll have completely changed history."

That did sound enticing, you had to admit. The thought of the entire world as mankind knew it, changing in new ways that your parents and grandparents could have only conjured up in their wildest imaginations. Ford had often lamented on how he wanted to make something of himself. How he felt in his bones that your arrival in this town was no accident. He didn't seem to be wrong there. Gravity Falls felt like a true home to you. "Do you really think you'll be able to convince him to join us?"

Ford sighed. "Truthfully, I'm not sure," He turned to face the phone attached to the wall. "But there's only one way to find out." Ford rose from his chair and began to punch in a number. You listened to the pending rings in silence, before you heard a muffled voice from the other end. 

Ford relayed his plan to Fiddleford, going over how monumental it would be if they could pull it off, but that we couldn't do it alone. Ford stopped talking, and you held your breath in anticipation. After a minute of tense silence, Ford's face lit up, and you gave a sigh in relief. "Yes, yes, thank you, Fiddleford, thank you!" Ford cried out in triumph. "'ll truly owe you one after this. Can't wait to see you. Thank you so much again -- take care." Ford placed the phone down on its original place on the wall, turning to face you once more. 

Raising his arms, Ford's grin never wavered, and you wasted no time in flinging yourself into his embrace. He wrapped his arms over your torso and did a quick spin with you in his arms before landing a kiss on your lips. 

McGucket's Arrival

"He's here, Ford!" You cried out, closing the blinds to the front window. Ford scrambled down the stairs and sprinted for the door. He twisted the knob and yanked it open, rushing to greet his friend. Fiddleford wore an open-collared, mossy green shirt with different patterns scattered on the material, with navy blue jeans below them. His small glasses had slid down his nose slightly, causing him to look at the world from above the rim, revealing excited brown eyes. His hair, and apparently, his personality, hadn't changed in the slightest since your departure. 

"'Ello, Stanford!" Fiddleford greeted, the 'o' in Ford's name coming out as more of an 'e.' He climbed out of the car, pulling out a rickety banjo along with him. He placed it on the roof of the car and strode over to his friend. Ford extended a hand, his enthusiasm radiating off of him. "Ready to make history, friend?"

"Looking forward to it!" Fiddleford answered with equal enthusiasm. Ford grinned, then motioned over to you. "You remember Y/N, don't you, Fiddleford?" Fiddleford released his grip on Ford's hand and turned to face you. "By golly, I sure do!" He exclaimed. "Good to see ya, Y/N!" 

You laughed. "Good to see you too, McGucket." Fiddleford looked at you both in turn, then smirked. "So, you finally asked her out then, Stanford?" He asked rhetorically. Ford's cheeks went red. "Well, I, well,-"

"Yes," You intervened, cutting off Ford's stammering. 

Fiddleford gave a hearty laugh. "I wasn't waitin' on ya to do that!" He turned to Ford. "It was so obvious!" You giggled at Ford's increasing embarrassment. "Now, show me where that portal is, and let's get to it!" He turned his head and spat out a wad of his chewing tobacco from his mouth. Your eyes widened slightly, but Ford didn't seem to pay it much mind. Ford led you both into the home and to the elevator. He punched in the number to the bottom level. 

As the elevator carried you down, Ford began to speak. "I already added your suggestions to the design, and Y/N and I got some of the materials from the crash site I told you about. We'll probably have to head back there sometime soon." 

The doors opened with a ding, and Ford held his hands in the space expansively. A pile of metal lie stacked in the corner of the space, causing the dirt beneath to sink ever so slightly. Metal tables lined the unfinished walls, full of different tools, notes, and a plethora of screwdrivers, nails, and hammers. Fiddleford placed his hands on his hips and surveyed the space. "We can work with this," He nodded. 

"Help yourself to any desk," Ford explained. "That one is mine, then that one right beside it is Y/N's." He pointed at the two reserved desks. Fiddleford looked at the options, then strode over to one that wasn't full of clutter. He pulled out an object and placed it on the desk. You peered over his shoulder at the framed photo. "That's your family?"

Fiddleford nodded. "That's my wife," he pointed at the woman, then that's my boy." He pointed at a young boy wearing a ball cap that covered most of his face. "They're still in Palo Alto,"

Guilt tugged at you for a moment. It didn't occur to you that McGucket could have had other bonds other than his work. "Oh, Fiddleford, I didn't realize that-" Fiddleford waved a dismissive hand at your concerns. "'S'alright," He reassured you. "Besides, they're understandin'." 

You and Ford exchanged glances before he shrugged. You decided to drop the subject. "I'll have to bring my stuff inside, but I'm ready to get down to it when y'all are." McGucket said, not picking up on the look you two had given each other. 

"Then let's get to it," Ford announced. "Let's make history.