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"COME ON, SIXER. JUST GIVE ME WHAT I WANT." Bill sing sung."Never! You're never getting that equation, Bill!" Ford yelled back.Stanford had been trapped in the fearamid for several days. At least, that's what it felt like. In that time, Bill had been endlessly torturing him for the key to escaping the confides of Gravity Falls. But he refused to let the devil bring hell to the entire universe."FORDSY, YOU'RE MAKING THIS SO MUCH HARDER THAN IT NEEDS TO BE." "Torture me all you want! The equation will go with me to my grave!" "IS THAT SO?" Bill questioned.Ford would have retorted with a 'damn right,' but the way Bill had said that made him suddenly uncomfortable. "I HAVE SOMETHING THAT MIGHT JUST CHANGE YOUR MIND."Bill snapped his fingers and a figure popped up from no where beside him. Ford glanced up at the figure and a lump grew in his throat. He recognized the person, dressed in a formal black suit and red tie.It was Stan."Wha-Stanley! Let him go!" Ford yelled, pulling against his chains."Urgh. Ford?" Stan questioned groggily, looking around."NO CAN DO, STANFORD. YOU STILL HAVEN'T GIVEN ME THAT LITTLE EQUATION." Bill said, removing the chains from Ford, which held him suspended in the air."Stanford!" Stan yelled as he watched his brother fall face first on the floor.Ford grunted, pushing himself up enough to glare at the demonic triangle. "Go to hell!""OH, I'VE BEEN THERE, THANK YOU. I FIND IT QUITE LOVELY." Bill retorted gleefully."Give me my brother!" Ford demanded."NAH. I THINK I'LL HOLD ONTO HIM FOR NOW. BESIDES, I THOUGHT HE RUINED YOUR LIFE?" Bill asked.Stanford said nothing to the question. He wished he'd told Bill to shove it, but his mouth snapped shut. "HE MESSED UP YOUR CHANCE AT A GRAND OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS COLLEGE ON THIS CONTINENT. REAL SHAME. HELL, IF HE HADN'T DESTROYED YOUR MACHINE, YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE MET ME AND THE END OF YOUR PUNY, FLESH LIVES WOULDN'T BE SO WORRYINGLY CLOSE."Stan sagged at Bill's words. They were true. All of this, the past and present, was his fault. Ford noticed his brother's downcast and he hated the hurt look on his face."Stan, don't listen to him. He's trying to get in your head, to break you. Don't let him." Ford said."OH, BUT FORDSY. I'M JUST TELLING THE TRUTH. AFTER ALL, YOU ARE THE ONE WHO CALLED HIM SUFFOCATING." Bill snarled.Ford's heart constricted when he saw his brother looking at him with hurt. He'd pretty much asked Dipper how suffocating it was to have his sister with him all the time, with no room to breathe. And right now, he really wished he hadn't said that, projecting his and Stan's problems on them when they were so much different."I-I didn't mean it that way." Ford stammered, taking a step forward."BUT YOU DID. AND IT CAUSED THOSE BRATS TO SPLIT.""Ford?" Stan questioned weakly."Stop this, Bill! Just leave my family out of this!" "IT'S TOO LATE FOR THAT, BUDDY." Bill said, grabbing Stan from the air. "NOW, WHAT CAN I DO TO BREAK YOU BOTH? I KNOW! I'LL TORTURE LITTLE STANLEY HERE.""Don't you dare lay a hand on him!" Stanford yelled, launching himself forward.Since Bill was high above, he couldn't do anymore than jump uselessly up and down. "HA!HA! YOU HUMANS AND YOUR SENTIMENT." Bill chuckled, turning one of the fingers from his free hand into a jagged blade."Stop, you sick sonova-GAH!" Ford was cut off when a rope coming from thin air wrapped around his throat, constricting his airways momentarily."PIPE DOWN."With that, Bill brought his jagged finger down to Stan's leg. The younger twin struggled to get away from his captor, but the demon just tightened his hold. Agonizingly slowly, he dragged the blade across his thigh.Stan hissed through the pain, gritting his teeth as blood trickled from the open wound. Ford watched on in horror from below as the blood trickled onto his head, dripping down his face."STOP!" Ford yelled, trying to stand, to do something.It hurt just to watch. Ford swore he could feel the pain himself. Bill ignored him though, continuing to drag the blade over Stan's chest, his arms, even his neck. He didn't cut deep enough to severe any vital organs, just enough to cut the first few layers of skin. But he soon grew a bit tired of it."HMM. STILL REFUSING TO GIVE UP?" Bill asked.Ford growled, giving Bill his answer."THAT'S OKAY. I GOT SOMETHING MORE INTENSE." Bill drew back the hand which held Stan and threw him into the brick floor."GAAHHH!" Stan screamed in pain."STANLEY!" Stanford jumped to his feet, despite the rope digging into his neck and the sudden, questioning pain that coasted through his bones, trying to reach for his brother. But he couldn't, and the rope kept getting tighter and tighter and tighter. Until eventually, he fell to his knees, face blue from strangulation, coughing and gasping for air.His brother was then lifted into the air again by magic. "WOW, NO BROKEN BONES? YOU'RE BETTER BUILT THAN MOST HUMANS, FEZ.""Screw you." Stan gasped out."I'll kill you, Cipher! Stan!" Ford screamed."I'D JUST LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY." Bill said, tightening the rope around Ford's neck."Leave him...alone." Stan demanded."I CAN'T. NOT UNLESS HE GIVES ME WHAT I NEED TO TAKE WEIRDMAGEDDON UNIVERSAL. YOU WOULDN'T UNDERSTAND. YOU'RE TOO DUMB!""Don't call my brother stupid! He's smart! Smarter than you! He would've seen you for the scam artist you are!" Ford yelled."HA! MAYBE HE WOULD HAVE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MATTER NOW." Bill said, slamming Stan against the wall."DAMN YOU, BILL! STOP!" Ford cried out, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes.Bill continued slamming Stan into the wall and floor two more times before stopping. At this point, Stan had two broken ribs, a dislocated arm, a gash on the back of his head, and bloody nose. "HMM. TOYS JUST BREAK TOO EASY. HOW ABOUT I JUST PUT YOU OUT OF YOUR MISERY RIGHT NO-""I'LL GIVE YOU THE EQUATION!"Both Bill and Stan looked over to the scientist. Ford was kneeling defeatedly on the ground, body shaking, face downcast with tears trailing off his chin."SAY THAT AGAIN? I DON'T BELIEVE I HEARD THAT RIGHT." Bill said, cupping a hand as if to hear better."I'll give you the equation. Just stop torturing him...and leave both my brother and the kids alone. They're to never to be so much as touched by you, nor your henchmen." Ford said, glaring up at the demon with teary eyes."Ford...don't do this. You can't...can't let him take over. I'm not worth it." Stan wheezed out."H-how can you say that?" Ford asked in disbelief. "You spent thirty years, restlessly trying to get me out of the portal when you could have been living your life and forgotten about me.""...I never could have forgotten you." Stan whispered out."I-I know." Ford said with a shaky laugh. "You didn't give up on me, even when I gave up on you. I was so blinded by my own selfishness that I hurt you...I'm sorry. I never should have done that. You're my brother.""URGH. NOT SORRY TO INTERRUPT THIS, BUT DO WE HAVE A DEAL OR NOT?" Bill questioned impatiently."Yes, but I want my brother first." Ford demanded."FINE."With that, Bill uncaringly dropped Stan from his hand. Ford jumped up immediately, feeling the rope leave from his neck, and ran forward to catch his brother.Stan fell loosely into his arms, grunting from the impact and pain. Ford carefully laid him on the floor, cradling his head in his arms."Oh God. Stanley? Are you okay?" Ford whispered shakily, stroking the side of his brother's face."Still alive, ain't I?" Stan quipped in a weak voice.He looked awful. Blood caked the open wounds that littered Stan's body, his breathing was labored, his suit was torn. He looked almost broken."I'm so sorry, Lee. This is all my fault." "Hey." Stan lifted his left hand up and rubbed his brother's arm. "Don't do that.""Huh?""Don't blame yourself for this. You didn't cause the apocalypse. That asshole did.""I didn't help matters none.""No...no, if I hadn't of been born, if I hadn't existed, you wouldn't be in this situation. The kids wouldn't.""Stop!" Ford cried, fresh tears spilling down his face. "Don't...don't ever say that. I'm happy I have you. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you.""Exactly.""No, I don't mean in this situation. I mean being alive. I never would have made it through school with all those bullies who'd beat the shit out of me. You stood up for me. You protected me. I-I love you, Stanley."Ford tightened his hold around his brother's neck, not enough to mess with his already labored breathing, but enough to for a firm pressure to be present. He nuzzled his face against the side of Stan's, trying to show what he said was true."...I love you too, Poindexter. Always have, always will." Stan said, wrapping his left arm around Ford's waist.Ford whimpered, burying his nose into the side of his twin's neck, being careful not to brush the cut over Stan's throat. He felt whole again at hearing that after everything, his brother still loved him. Heck, his heart swelled, his stomach felt like butterflies, and his arm was tingling a bit...wait, what?He pulled back from the hug enough to look at his wrist, right where his soul mark was. Just below the golden, six fingered hand mark, a new one was beginning to form. Stan watched this too, brows quieted in question. A few seconds later, and it was fully formed. It appeared as a golden fish, chasing a pellet.Both he and Stan gasped. They recognized the symbol, Stan especially. Ford reached over and delicately lifted his twin's left wrist into view. And there it was, Stan's symbol, exactly the same. Just below the younger twin's was Ford's symbol.They were soulmates. Just as they were forty years ago."Heh. Would ya look at that." Stan chuckled."Connected in more ways than one. Just like old times." Ford said, kissing the top of his brother's head. "Soulmates.""ALRIGHT, ENOUGH OF THE MUSHY, DISGUSTING HUMAN EMOTIONS! LET'S MAKE THE DEAL!" Bill yelled impatiently."Ford, don't do this." "You and your henchmen will leave my brother and the kids alone for their life?" Ford asked Bill, ignoring his brother's plea."AS YOUR DEAL STATES, WE WON'T TOUCH A HAIR ON THERE PUNY, HUMAN HEADS." Bill promised with a roll of his eye, extending his hand as it was engulfed in flames.Ford looked down at his brother, petting his hair tenderly as he gazed into his tired eyes. Giving Stan a sad smile, he intertwined their fingers and bent his head low, placing a chaste kiss to the side of his twin's temple."I'll make this right by you and the kids. I promise." he whispered in Stan's ear before pulling back, and raising his free hand to Bill."IT'S A..."Their hands were mere inches apart. Ford could practically feel the heat from the flames as they licked at his fingers. He felt a tremble invade his body, violent and unsettling. Only, it wasn't just his body. It was the ground too.Suddenly, a hole was blasted into the side of the Fearamid, bricks flying everywhere. Stanford threw himself over his brother, shielding him from the debris."WHAT THE-""Get away from our Grunkles!"