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“Hypothetically speaking, if one were to develop feelings for another, how would one go about it?”
Your eyes widened as you looked at the man beside you.
With a smirk, you questioned, “Are you asking me how to confess your feelings to someone?”
Red overtook his weathered but handsome features. He placed a six-fingered hand over his mouth, trying to control his blush.
“I’m….asking for a friend,” he replied, unconvincingly.
“Sure,” you sighed, “I am not exactly the right person to answer this question for you, unfortunately.”
“Whatever do you mean?” Ford asked, tilting his head.
You smiled down at the wooden floor of the shack, a bittersweet feeling enveloping your voice.
“‘Cuz I….,” you paused, “I haven’t found the right words to confess to someone either.”
You huffed, “Nor do I think I ever could- confess, I mean.”
Silence took over the two of you. You stole a glance at Ford, who looked pensive.
This man…
You’d been in love with him for…forever. The two of you had met at your humble village by the sea when he was traveling with his twin. The world he had experienced had excited you so much that you left your village in pursuit of anomalies, traveling with the twins and settling down with them in Gravity Falls.
Somehow, somewhere, along the way, this nerdy old guy had crept into your heart and made himself home.
His intelligence, his smile, the way his eyes sparkled at the slightest notion of a discovery- all of that had stolen your heart.
It also didn’t help that he was a silver fox.
You were so not in league with him. He was a genius scientist with 12 fucking PhDs!
And you were just…you.
How could you even dare to confess your feelings to him?
You were 99.9% sure he’d reject you and then your relationship would sour. You’d have to leave the Mystery Shack, even Gravity Falls entirely. That was a mess you did not wanna deal with.
So you shut up and stayed quiet. You knew your place and you would stay in it.
And now, your heart ached at the prospect of him asking someone out, someone…who was not…you.
You snapped out of your thoughts when you heard Ford’s voice calling out to you.
“I need to go find Fiddleford to discuss a few….things for my umm…” he fixed his glasses nervously, “...research! Yes.”
You smiled and waved him off, “See you later, Ford.”
As soon as the door to the shack closed shut, you slumped over the counter, hitting your head on the desk.
“This is getting ridiculous, kid,” you heard a gruff voice speak up from behind you.
“Let me wallow in self-pity, Stan,” you groaned out loud, hitting your head a few more times on the desk.
Stan pulled you up by the scruff of your collar and guided you to the living room sofa.
“Kid, tryna hurt yourself ain’t working. You gotta come clean,” Stan sighed, “Tell Sixer how you’re feeling.”
“And risk ruining our friendship? Uh, no sir,” you grumbled.
“Yer kiddin’ right?” Stan asked, incredulously, “That nerd is head over heels for you. Have you seen the way he looks at you? Do you know how many people he’d fight the damn Kraken for? That’s right- only you.”
You looked at him tiredly, “I… I can’t,” you paused, “He just asked me for tips on how to confess to someone. It’s clear he’s got someone on his mind.”
You stood up, frustrated, “And the whole Kraken ordeal? He’d do the same for you and anyone else who’s got themselves foolishly stuck in a situation like that. That’s just the kind of guy he is.”
“ He might've even thought I was a nuisance, for getting us all in needless trouble," you grimaced, recalling the incident, "I’m going to my room, Stanley. I need a break.”
With that, you walked off.
Stan looked at your retreating figure.
“Idiots,” he sighed, “I’m living with a bunch of idiots.”