Chapter Text
Dajan Weatherell was back on the road. She almost regretted it. Her road trip had taken an unplanned detour on the way through Oregon and she'd ended up taking an unexpected detour in a town called Gravity Falls.
The reason for the detour had been strange with a literal capital S. The car, borrowed from Dajan’s cousin, had suddenly decided to speed up and go straight, ignoring Dajan’s attempts to slow it down or stop. The thing that finally stopped it turned out to be a quaint but kitschy cabin in the woods. Mystery Shack, said the sign before the S dropped onto her hood, making a loud crash and smashing enough things beneath that there was smoke issuing from beneath when she came to.
That had been all it had taken. A tall stranger had made sure she was all right. He'd turned out to be named Ford and one of a set of twins, the other of whom answered to Stan.
The one was so sorry for using a small but powerful magnet to accidentally yank her car off the road. The other had agreed to fix her car. They never quite explained how, or presented any mechanic credentials. But they were a couple of smooth talkers and before she'd realized she might possibly have hit her head, Dajan had not only accepted the promise of free car repairs, but free lodging until the repairs were done. It was only when someone said it might take weeks that she had her “WTF?” moment. But by then, it was too late to back out gracefully.
The family, which included another pair of twins, the great niece and nephew of the Pines Brothers, did all they could to make Dajan feel at home.
At home for this family apparently included cryptid hunting. Dajan had originally done it to avoid finding out just how bad off the car was when she'd offered to help Ford create mothman repellant to protect his niece’s pet pig.
One thing had led to another and Ford had revealed himself as a kind hearted (the repellent was non lethal), gifted (some Xerox copies of pages from his journal revealed him as a skilled artist) mutant (after obtaining a moth from the Mothman, Dajan realized that going for a high five, Ford had six fingers… Explaining why he'd offered her a joke rather than a handshake!) world traveling adventurer. Getting the moth had been mildly embarrassing for Dajan, but Ford had humored her curiosity and politely overlooked her awkwardness.
A friendship had started in earnest until Mabel, the niece, had decided she'd seen chemistry between Dajan and Ford and decided to encourage it. Dajan had been reluctant… Not that Ford wasn't attractive (boy was he)... Nor the extra fingers; she'd seen body modders do far more unusual things than something that occurred naturally. Dipper also contributed in his own way, helping Ford teach her to RPG, something she’d always wanted to try. Dipper also was the more protective over his two uncles, giving Dajan suspicious looks. But when Mabel announced she arranged a date for her and Ford, Dipper kindly offered her advice, and pointers for when Mabel decided to up the ante.
Before she knew it, two weeks had passed. Stan had fixed the car, and Dajan was finding herself feeling go fluttery every time Ford walked into the room. Mabel’s idea of a romantic date had involved cupcakes and glitter. Her idea of upping the ante involved a sweet but ultimately doomed attempt to make them dinner.
Unfortunately, Dajan had the idea their age difference was why he seemed to be unwilling to do anything about the attraction between them. She was afraid she'd misread him, and so struggled with her own heart.
Worse, she was feeling dismayed that while her vacation would be sidetracked it was also ending just as she was getting to know this charming older man.
It turned out that Ford had a closet full of secrets… starting with the explanation for why he was so awkward at the whole concept of dating.
Due to an accident, Ford explained, he had been time displaced by 30 years, and shortly after returning to Earth, he had been part of something called Weirdmageddon.
Dajan thought she'd made all the appropriate sympathetic reactions, genuinely offered sympathy and support, but despite being willing to open up and get playful and affectionate at the pool, Ford had still maintained his distance. Perhaps he didn't believe Dajan took his story seriously. He never said.
Taking the time displacement into account added another factor to Dajan’s own doubts and worries. Maybe it wasn't the age difference but the race difference… Which was kind of a dealbreaker.
By the time the car was ready to roll again, the whole family had managed to become dear to her, shoving aside the worries altogether.
To her surprised delight, though, it was neither! Ford asked for a moment just as Dajan was saying her goodbyes and trying to swallow a lump in her throat.
He indicated he and his brother would be shoving off to sea again, but he'd be interested in a long distance relationship with Dajan if she was willing … Starting with writing letters. It was a good way to get to know him better.