Chapter Text
It was a long drive to Gravity Falls. But Y/N’s brand new compact SUV handled the trip with ease. Y/N on the other hand, not so much. She was eager for the road trip to be done when she finally got to Gravity Falls.
Y/N's older brother, Fiddleford, had dropped all contact with his family about thirty years prior to Y/N arriving in Gravity Falls. But Y/N was always fascinated with her older brother. She looked up to him and was concerned about what had happened to him. She stayed in contact with her ex sister in law despite the divorce. Emma-May had sadly informed Y/N years ago that her brother had lost his mind. No one knew what had happened, but once his mental decline started, it was a rapid process.
She thought her brother was lost forever. Y/N always planned to go see her big brother in person some day since she knew he was in Gravity Falls, but with her research, she never got around to it. Then one day, to Y/N's surprise, she got a call from none other than her big brother himself. He told her he had gotten her contact information from his son, Y/N's nephew Tate. Fiddleford asked Y/N to come to Gravity Falls and even offered her a place to stay. He apparently owned a whole manor.
Y/N parked in front of the address Fiddleford had given her. The place was gigantic. She slowly got out of her SUV and stared at the manor with wide eyes. "Aunt Y/N!" A familiar voice called out. Y/N looked in its direction and spotted her nephew Tate. She smiled brightly at him.
"I guess I am in the right place," Y/N said with a slight laugh. Tate smiled at her.
"Come on, I'll help you carry your things inside. Dad has some guests at the moment, but I'm sure he would love to introduce you to them," Tate told her. He walked over to her car and helped pull Y/N's luggage out of her trunk. He led her inside and Y/N could hear people talking. It sounded like two kids, which surprised her. Tate seemed to be leading Y/N toward the voices.
"Dad," Tate called out. "Aunt Y/N is here." Y/N tightened her grip on her backpack and she swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. The reality of her situation sank in. She was about to meet her brother for the first time in over thirty years.
Her eyes widened when she saw him. Fiddleford looked nothing like he used to. He was dressed like a hillbilly and had a snow white beard that had bandaids on it. Fiddleford did a jig when he saw her and slapped his knee. Tears burned at her eyes but did not fall. It was her big brother. "Fiddleford?" Y/N asked.
Fiddleford motioned for Y/N to come further into the room and Tate gave her a reassuring smile. "Come, come," Fiddleford spoke. Y/N looked around the room as she stepped inside it. She noticed that it held three other people. Two teenagers watched her curiously and an extremely handsome older man gave her an odd look. Y/N unconsciously looked the silver haired man up and down, taking note of his six fingered hands. Wait, six fingers? She immediately knew who that man was. He was just as attractive as he was during his college days, if not more. Her parents had a picture of the two of them on their bookshelf while Y/N was growing up.
Y/N carefully set her backpack on the floor and approached her brother. As soon as she was within reach, Fiddleford pulled her into a bone crushing hug. Y/N's eyes widened. She had not been expecting a hug. When Fiddleford pulled back, he scratched the back of his head. Y/N remembered something her brother had said during the phone call. "Can't say I remember too much 'bout ya', sadly. But I'd love ta get ta know ya' again." Yeah, she certainly had not expected a hug.
"You have a sister, Old Man McGucket?" The young girl asked.
Fiddleford nodded excitedly and swung one of his arms in front of his chest. "Y/N, this is Mabel, Dipper, and-"
"Stanford Pines," Y/N cut him off as she looked directly at Ford. Ford's eyes widened drastically. He had never met Y/N before, so he was very surprised that she knew who he was. Y/N looked away with a blush when she realized that she had interrupted her brother. She took a sheepish look at Ford. "Mom and Dad had a picture of the two of you on our bookshelf," she explained. What Y/N didn't admit was that she looked at it every day growing up.
Ford relaxed and offered the flushed Y/N a smile. Mable looked back and forth between them and squealed. Everyone turned their attention to the girl and Dipper elbowed her to stop. He knew exactly what Mabel was thinking. Mabel got the hint and dropped her smile. "Sorry," she apologized without explaining her excitement. Everyone looked back at Y/N after Mabel's apology since they were already used to her strange behavior.
Fiddleford looked at the single bag that Y/N had brought in and the bag his son was holding. "Not much stuff for ya' to be stayin' here. Not plannin' on stayin' long?" Fiddleford commented.
Y/N looked back at her bag before looking back at her brother. "I don't own much since I am always moving around for projects," Y/N explained. "Speaking of which, do you know anyone in need of an engineer around here? I'm currently between work," Y/N jokingly asked while smiling and rubbing the back of her neck.
"Grunkle Ford needs an assistant! Don't you Grunkle Ford?" Mabel interjected excitedly. Ford tensed. Y/N looked at him in surprise, but the hopeful look in her eyes faded when she saw how uncomfortable Ford appeared. Her shoulders sunk and she looked away. Working with Ford, the way her brother used to would be amazing in her opinion, but Ford did not seem to feel the same way.
Mabel gave her Grunkle Ford a pointed look. Ford couldn't say no to his great niece, so he had no choice but to humor her. Ford cleared his throat, causing Y/N to look at him again. "What kind of engineering did you study?" He asked awkwardly.
"Oh, um, mechanical, chemical, and environmental. I have work experience in all three as well." Her response surprised Ford. Mabel was right, Y/N seemed to be the perfect match for what he was looking for. Y/N's hope returned when she saw the surprise on Ford's face.
"I suppose I do have a need for an engineer. Would you be able to make some time tomorrow to take a look at something for me?" Ford asked hesitantly. He half expected Fiddleford to object considering everything that happened when they worked together, but Fiddleford just smiled.
"She has time!" Fiddleford answered for Y/N. She had been just about to say the same thing, but she closed her mouth when Fiddleford spoke for her. It was Fiddleford's way of giving his permission. He does not remember much about his days with Ford, but Ford has told him what happened. Still, the Ford he knew was not like the one he faintly remembered. He was still just as self-certain, but he cared about others more. He had changed and Fiddleford trusted his old friend.