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Having lived in Gravity Falls for over 2 years now, you were used to weird things going on. But today was a new one, a ‘research trip’ with Ford into the forest to investigate the local fairy population. By this point, you have witnessed countless weird creatures and objects - you were dating Ford after all - but not once has the existence of fairies been brought up. Obviously, you jumped at the opportunity to witness one when Ford extended an invitation to you.
But, there was one addition to your travel group today, and she was about 20 steps ahead of you, currently making up a song about raccoons. You huffed a laugh at her silly lyrics, watching as she jumped and skipped on the makeshift trail to the enchanted part of the forest.
“Don’t run too far ahead, Mabel!” Ford yelled ahead. You could tell he was on edge about keeping the both of you safe. Shuffling to his side, you took his hand in yours, hoping to give him some comfort. You felt him relax slightly, eyes still trained on his niece on the trail stretching out infront of you both.
When you moved to Gravity Falls over 2 years ago, you knew no one. You were 27, an artist, and looking to start over somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. As you were on your trek to find employment anywhere possible, you noticed that Gravity Falls Elementary was hiring an art teacher. You jumped in immediately, finding that you love being an art teacher. But one thing that teaching lacks is a job in the summer, and you were still in need of money to afford the rent on your little cabin in the woods.
That’s how you met Mabel Pines. That first summer, you offered art lessons to any kids in the area. When you put a flyer up in the local library, Mabel’s name was the first on the sign up sheet. You soon learned she was not from Gravity Falls, but visits with her twin brother every summer to stay with her “grunkles” as she called them. You were still new to the area at this point and didn’t know many people, but you were good at taking Mabel and her stories in stride. She was very talented at arts and crafts, and you found her in your class more often than not. Sometimes her brother would accompany her, only somewhat enthusiastic about creating collages from magazine scraps or making animals from pipe cleaners. But she was always there, giddy and excited to make whatever you had planned for the day.
And then there was the “grunkles” as she called them. You met Stan first, when he came to pick her up one day. You had seen him around town before, always in his suit and fez. He was nice enough when you first met him, if not a little loud. And then there was Ford. It wasn’t until the end of the summer that you met Ford, at one of Mabel’s last lessons before she returned home for the fall. He accompanied Dipper to pick Mabel up from her lesson, and that was that. Within a few months you were dating, and now you just celebrated one happy year together.
Despite Mabel being the reason you were introduced to your boyfriend, you discovered this summer when the twins returned that she’s actually not that close to Ford. She prefers Stan’s company, while Ford spends more time with Dipper. Not that you had an issue with that, but you had a soft spot for the girl, and had started to brainstorm ideas to get your two favorite people to spend some more time together. That leads you to today. When Ford invited you on this adventure, you insisted Mabel come along as well, considering how much she loves fairies. He agreed, on the one condition that both of you stayed close. You’ve gone on a few ‘missions’ with Ford by this point, and every time he’s on edge about something happening to you.
“So, what do we have to do to see these fairies?” you ask, hand still firmly in Ford’s.
“Well, from what I remember, you have to locate them in their part of the forest, and just wait until they feel comfortable enough with your presence,” Ford said, eyes still scanning the trees and forest ahead. “But I’ve yet to experience one up close, and I’m hoping today is the day. I would love to investigate their powers, especially. I have a hypothesis that their power is what brings life to not only the enchanted part of the forest, but the forest as a whole. It would be fascinating to confirm my theory.” He rambles as a soft smile grows on your face. You always find it adorable when Ford goes on one of his scientific tangents, it’s what attracted you to him in the first place.
“What do these fairies look like? Are they hot?” you joke, knowing just how to push his buttons.
“You’ve been reading too many of those silly fantasy novels, y/n,” Ford says, “if my memory serves correct, they look like a stereotypical fairytale image of a fairy. They’re quite small, with sparkling wings.”
“Hey, those books are amazing, how dare you.” You joke, bumping your shoulder against his. He just huffs in return, hand tightening around yours. You and him always joke about the others reading taste, him always commenting on your endless romance and fantasy novels, meanwhile you can’t even recall the last time he read a book for pleasure.
Mabel stopped on the road ahead, finally spinning around to focus on you both. Today she wore a brand new sweater knitted for the occasion, a light pink sparkly one with a giant picture of a fairy on the front. You always wondered how she managed to make new sweaters so fast.
“Grunkle Ford! Y/n! This is it! The enchanted forest! I remember it from that time I came for the unicorn hair!” Mabel yelled, hopping from one foot to the other as she waited for you two to catch up.
“Unicorn hair…?” You questioned. This must be a story from a time before you were around. The stories from that first summer are told sparingly, but you’ve gotten the gist from Ford over the years. You’re just glad they’re all here to tell you their stories, so you never push, sensing it’s still a bit sensitive. But the unicorn hair is new.
“That was the first mission I ever sent Mabel on, and she did well. She helped protect the mystery shack. I’m sure she can tell you the story during your next art lesson.” Ford mumbled as you both approached the 14 year old girl. Your heart warmed at Ford recognizing Mabel’s accomplishments, feeling hopeful that your plan for the both of them would work.
You stepped into the clearing, gasping at the scenery around you. The enchanted forest was truly, well, enchanted. There were multicolored mushrooms, a gorgeous waterfall, and plenty of butterflies flitting around. It even felt like the colors of the clearing were brighter than the rest of the forest, as if it was all a technicolor haze. You had never seen anything like it before, and it felt like the forest itself made you feel more giddy and excited for what lies ahead.
“Ford, this is so beautiful! How have you never brought me here before?” You questioned, turning in circles to take it all in.
“I’ve been saving it for a special day. I take it you like it? It is rather breathtaking here. I used to come here somewhat frequently back in the day when I was working on my original research. There’s a lot to see out here..” Ford rambled, blush creeping onto his cheeks at your reaction to the scenery. He felt proud that you liked it here so much, as if he made a good decision to bring you along. And Mabel, of course, who was more than excited to be back in the enchanted forest.
“Grunkle Ford, I want to see a fairy! Where are all the fairies!” Mabel said, excitement ready to burst from the young girl.
“Well ladies, I’ve only ever seen fairies once, and when I did I had been sitting quietly for quite a while when they revealed themselves to me. They seem to be very skittish creatures, so we must be prepared to wait.” Ford said. You could see Mabel’s face fall slightly, asking her to sit still was quite a task. You were curious to see how the girl handled it. Next thing you knew, Mabel had a determined look on her face. She took her backpack off her back, (she told neither of you what it contained when you set off this morning) and sat criss cross on the soft grass.
“Well come on! I came here to see a fairy!” Mabel said, motioning for you to join her. You looked at Ford, shrugged, and sat next to Mabel on the ground. Ford followed your lead, sitting next to you, and taking your hand immediately. When it came to situations like this, you knew Ford needed reassurance that you were safe, so you had no issue with him taking your hand again. Not like you would ever have an issue with that, anyways.
Time slowly slips by as you listen to the trees rustle around you. Ford seems lost in thought, he hasn’t moved in atleast half an hour. You pass the time by listing everything you see in your head. Green mushroom, pink mushroom, caterpillar, rock, blue mushroom…
Mabel, however, is starting to get antsy. It is rather impressive that she’s waited this long, you knew that seeing a fairy today was something she determined would be happening, no matter what.
Another half hour goes by.
And another.
By this point, both Mabel and you are fed up. You knew Ford spent a lot of time on his research, but seriously? There had to be a better way to see these fairies than just sitting here, absouletly silent for over an hour. By this point, the sun was high in the sky, blazing in the afternoon. You wanted to be home by dinner, or Stan was going to flip over what was keeping Mabel so long.
Just as you were preparing yourself to break the silence, you were beaten to it.
“Oh my GOODNESS, Grunkle Ford, how long do we have to wait! This is ridiculous!” Mabel burst out, falling backwards to lie on the grass. Ford started, as if he forgot anyone else was there with him. You rolled your eyes, starting to get a bit annoyed that he didn’t even realize how long the three of you were out here.
“I’m with Mabel on this one,” you added, putting your head in your hands, feeling a sunburn start to form, “You realize it’s been like an hour and a half since we sat down, right? By this point I can tell you the exact number of mushrooms in this clearing, and how many bugs have gone by. Does it seriously take this long?” You grumbled, tipping over to rest your head on Ford’s shoulder. Mabel still laid flat on the grass, a grumpy look on her face as she stared at nothing.
“To be honest, I don’t know how long I waited the last time I saw the fairies, but we really don’t have any other options. For all I know we could have scared them off by having this conversation,” Ford said, looking between you and Mabel. “I know it’s not the most interesting way to spend time, but think of the fairies we’ll see at the end of it!” he said, trying to cheer you both up. Mabel just grumbled as she sat up.
“There has to be another way to see these fairies,” she mumbled, “They’re magical creatures! Surely there has to be a non-boring way to get them to come to us. Oh! What if we sang them a song? Or danced for them? What if we wrote an entire play about them including musical numbers and costumes! I have some ideas-” Mabel said, getting louder and louder as she thought aloud. You started to giggle at her antics, always entertained by the younger girl. It’s why you loved spending time with her. “I even made tiny paper crowns for them in art class, I have them in my backpack to give to them when they arrive!”
“No, Mabel, we have to do this the scientific way. We don’t have time to mess around with the method, or we would have to come back tomorrow. Now sit down before we scare them away completely.” Ford snapped. You watched as Mabel’s face fell, and she buried her head in her arms, staring ahead in defeat. You felt a pang in your chest, not liking how this was going. You knew Ford loved his research, and investigating creatures, but this was ridiculous.
“Ford, can I talk to you,” you said, standing up. “It’s important.”
“O-of course y/n” Ford said, getting up to follow you. He could sense the shift in your attitude and was curious about what you wanted to talk about.
“Mabel, we'll be right back.” You called to the girl as you led Ford away from her. Mabel didn’t respond, just nodded her head once in confirmation that she heard you. You two stopped a bit away, towards the waterfall to drown out your conversation. Ford glanced at you expectantly, and you took a breath as you tilted your head up to look at him.
“Ford, do you know why I brought Mabel here today?” you asked.
“Was it not because you originally had an art lesson planned with her today?” he replied, eyebrows knitting together in confusion. While the man was a genius when it came to a lot of things, sometimes he was lacking when it came to human emotions. You could sense that this was one of those times.
“No, dumbass,” you couldn’t help but swear, “I wanted to give the two of you time together. You realize we’ve been dating over a year now, and I can probably count the number of times on my hands that you’ve really spent time with Mabel. She’s your grand niece, and she’s only getting older, you know.” you sighed, taking your hand in his. Your thumb traced over his six fingers, feeling your annoyance fade away. It only came from a place of love, anyway.
“O-oh. Yes I could see how that might be a problem,” He stammered, eyes flitting over to Mabel’s small form, curled up into a ball in the clearing. “I’m sorry y/n, sometimes I get so focused on my research I forget about those around me.” He mumbled, red rising up his neck and cheeks. You giggled as you stepped closer.
“Trust me, if anyone is aware of that fact, it’s me,” you smirked. “But Mabel’s excited to be here, she wants to spend time with you before she goes back home. If she has some silly ideas she wants to try out, let her. You can always come back tomorrow and be a serious science man then.” You say, wrapping your arms around his neck. His hands instinctively grab your waist as he moves you behind a tree, out of Mabel’s line of sight.
“Serious science man, eh?” He chuckles, leaning closer. “Is that what you think of me?”
“Come on Ford, everyone does. The most serious man to ever science.” you joke. He lets out a small laugh, his breath warm against your ear. You shiver, tilting your head to face him, eyes glancing at his lips. He looks gorgeous in this light, you think. The light reflects off his gray hair, almost as if he’s shining in the sun. You can’t help yourself, and lean in to connect your lips with his. Your hands are still wrapped around his neck, and you move them up to his hair as he deepens the kiss. He pulls you even closer by the hips, and you let loose a little breath, only encouraging him more. You knew this was coming, having been with the older man all day, a makeout session was inevitable. If Mabel hadn’t joined the two of you, you’re sure this would have occurred much earlier in the journey. Mabel!
“Oh my god, Mabel!” you whisper, remembering that you left the girl alone in the clearing. If something happened to her…
You could tell Ford was having similar thoughts. A look of pure panic flashing across his features as he dropped his hands from your waist. You both moved around the tree and back into the clearing in a flash, preparing for the worst. You knew it was silly thinking, it’s not like you were far away, and you were literally in an adorable magical forest, but still. You knew both Ford and Mabel have been through a lot of horrible things and you prayed that today would not be added to that list.
Luckily for you both, it wasn’t. Infact, when you stepped back into the bright light of the clearing, you heard soft giggling from Mabel. Her backpack was open at her side, small paper crowns tumbling out and onto the soft grass. She held one in her hands, and you watched as she handed it to a small, glittering, creature floating in the air infront of her. You let out a gasp as you realized what you were seeing, Mabel had found a fairy!
“Here you go Tulipia, I think the pink crown would look best on you,” Mabel giggled, placing it on the fairies head. She heard the rustle of the grass as you and Ford slowly approached, a wide grin splitting her face in half. “Y/n! I found a fairy!” she exclaimed, noticeably leaving Ford out of her announcement. The girl was good at holding grudges when she wanted to. You let out a soft giggle as you slowly walked over and sat next to Mabel in the grass. Your eyes widened as you looked at the fairy up close.
She looked like a stereotypical fairy from a fairytale. A small woman with long brown curls, her skin a pink hue with glitter floating in the air around her. Her eyes were wide, and she had a small smile on her face as she messed with Mabel’s paper crown on her head.
“Thank you so much for the gift, Ms. Mabel,” the fairy, Tulipia as you heard Mabel call her, said. “Us fairies love beautiful things!”
“Of course Tulipia, I have more if any of your fairy friends would like one!” Mabel squealed, eyes drinking in the fairy infront of her. Tulipia grinned, nodding once. She made some shrill sound, you assumed to call the other fairies to the clearing. You turned your head behind you to see Ford frozen in shock as about a dozen more fairies floated into the clearing. You got up to go join him where he was rooted to the spot.
“Looks like Mabel out-scienced you, Mr. Science,” you giggled, elbowing him in the side. “What did I say about letting her do her own thing?” you smirked, basking in the glow of being right.
“I should have known fairies would be intrigued by an offering,” he said, eyes still facing ahead to watch the scene infront of him. “But to give them an accessory of some kind, that’s something I didn’t even consider!” He said.
“Looks like you owe your grand niece an apology.” You simply answered, placing a hand on his shoulder to guide him forward. He whipped his head around to you, then back to Mabel. He gave you a sheepish smile, realizing that he indeed did owe Mabel an apology. You gave him a wide smile, a kiss on his cheek, and then lightly shoved him forward to where Mabel was distributing crowns to all the fairies.
You decided to give Ford privacy as he spoke with Mabel, feeling like you’ve already done enough today as it is. Now it’s his turn to make it right. You knew that his heart was in the right place, and he would never hurt Mabel’s feelings on purpose. But he did, and now he had to make it better. You watched as he sat down on the grass next to Mabel, and began to speak with her in a hushed voice. You saw her shoulders sag a bit in relief as he spoke, and soon she was facing him as she listened to him speak. The fairies began to disperse, spreading out around the clearing to show off their crowns to each other, flitting about and giggling. A few came up to you, and you were more than happy to spend time talking to real-life fairies. You blushed as they complimented you and asked questions about you, and they squealed when you confirmed their suspicions that you were dating “The handsome man with the glasses” as they called Ford.
Just as you were finishing up your conversation with the fairies, you looked over again at Ford and Mabel, and saw Mabel stand up as she gave Ford a big hug, burying her face in his trench coat. You felt a smile creep up your face as she then handed him a small paper crown for him to give to the next fairy that arrived in the clearing. He took it with a smile on his own face, and handed it to the blue fairy waiting nervously for a crown. You took the opportunity to join your two favorite people in the middle of the clearing.
“Hey there,” you said, creeping between the two and pressing yourself into Ford’s side. He immediately wrapped his hand around your waist as Mabel whirled around to face you. “Y/n! This is so amazing! The fairies are like, my best friends now! And Grunkle Ford got a whole new page in his journal about them!”
“Turns out they’re not so skittish when you bring them presents, as Dr. Mabel here discovered today.” He said, reaching around you to ruffle Mabel’s hair a bit. Mabel laughed as she stepped out of his reach.
“Dr. Mabel?” she questioned with a giggle. “I’m not a scientist!”
“Well, today you definitely acted like one! You came up with your own hypothesis, tested it all by yourself, and reached a successful conclusion. You figured out how to find the fairies all on your own, Mabel. That sounds like a scientist to me” Ford said. You felt something warm in your chest as you saw Mabel tear up a bit, before turning her focus back on the fairies. You could tell she wanted to hang out with them a bit more before it was time to head back.
“Why don’t you go play with them a bit more before we head back?” you asked, and before she could even reply, Mabel was off, running across the clearing to the group of fairies. Once she was out of earshot, you turned to face Ford, placing your hands on his arms as he pressed you closer to him. Before you could even say anything, he pulled you in for a kiss.
“What was that for?” you giggled, fingers playing with his trench coat as he rubbed his hands up and down your back.
“For being right.” he said with a smile.
“For being what?” you joked, “I can’t hear you, it’s pretty loud in this forest actually.”
“For being right, silly,” He grumbled, pulling you closer. “I had a good talk with Mabel. I promised that if I’m ever stuck with my research, I’d go to her and ask if she has any ideas. Her creativity really shined today.” He said, smiling.
“Yeah, we’re lucky she was here, or we never would have seen the fairies. Who, by the way, called you handsome when I was talking to them.” you laughed.
“Really?” he said, looking a bit embarrassed. “Well, they called you beautiful when Mabel and I were speaking to them earlier, and made me promise to always treat you right and care for you. They seem very loyal to both you and Mabel.” he said.
“Well? Did you promise them?” you questioned, grinning up at your boyfriend.
“Of course I did, I don’t need magical fairies to remind me how lucky I am.” He said, pulling you closer for a kiss as the sun sank below the trees.
–
The three of you trudged back to the shack hours later, the sun long gone by this point. Thank god Ford had a flashlight with him, or the three of you would be spending the night with the fairies. You were sure Mabel would have preferred that, actually.
But here you were, reaching the front steps of the shack, Mabel running ahead of you both again as she slammed the front door wide open.
“GRUNKLE STAN! DIPPER! EVERYONE! I AM QUEEN OF THE FAIRIES!” She exclaimed, running straight into the living room.
“Pointdexter is that you? I told you to have Mabel home three hours ago!” You heard Stan yell from further in the house, anger clear in his voice. You and Ford both stood by the stairs, rooted to the spot. You were kind of curious how this argument would go down, honestly. But before you could see what happened next, Ford grabbed you by the hand, dashing up the stairs like teenagers running from their parents. You couldn’t help but giggle as you heard Stan yelling at the two of you from downstairs as Ford ran the both of you into his room to avoid the yelling, slamming the door shut behind you and locking it.
A successful journey indeed.