Work Text:
“There’s a full moon tonight.” Fiddleford’s voice traveled across the lab and landed upon unhearing ears. He was reclined in his chair, one leg folded over the other as he took in Ford’s hunched over form.
Ford’s pen paused its frenzied scribbling for a moment; it seemed that he finally registered that Fiddleford had even spoken. “Huh?” He responded like a true genius, turning in his chair to face his lab partner.
“There’s a full moon tonight,” he repeated, this time with a hint of amusement hidden within his tone.
“Oh. How do you know that?”
“...Have ya ever read a newspaper before?”
Ford’s cheeks flushed at this, embarrassment clear on his features. “Right.” He paused, seemingly hesitant to ask another possibly stupid question. “Why are you telling me this?”
Fiddleford smiled, and Ford could’ve sworn his stomach did a flip in response. He wished it would stop doing that. “We should stargaze tonight.”
Ford’s eyes flickered with an unidentifiable emotion, and when Fiddleford blinked it was gone before he could process it. Ford briefly turned back to his work table, scattered with seemingly never ending papers filled front to back with possible ideas and equations. “I need to keep working…” His voice trailed off as he faced Fiddleford again, his eyebrows knit together.
Fiddleford crossed his arms, and it was slowly becoming clear to Ford that he would not be winning this. “Ya need to take breaks every now and then, Ford. You are a human being before a scientist, okay?” He sounded mildly exasperated, but any frustration Fiddleford felt for Ford was only because he cared. Ford was possibly the most intelligent person Fiddleford had ever met, and yet he was so… for a lack of a better term, bad at tending to his basic needs.
Ford absentmindedly chewed at the tip of his pen as he mulled over his options. He hadn't taken any time for himself in a while, and he did enjoy Fiddleford's company. It wasn't as though his research would sprout legs and run off. “...Okay. Only for a little bit, though.”
Fiddleford grinned as he stood up, content with his answer. “A little bit is better than nothin’. I’ll come grab ya when it’s time!” By the time he was finished speaking, he was almost out of the main room of the lab.
“Wait—!” Ford stood up a bit too fast and immediately regretted it; blood rushed to his legs and his vision became blurry. It had been a while since he’d last been standing. He plopped back down in defeat. Fiddleford was too fast anyways, already on the way back upstairs by the time Ford had left his chair. The two of them still had quite a bit of work left to do in order to stay on track, but Ford figured it would be alright for Fiddleford to leave this once. Fiddleford was doing Ford a favor by helping him out with the portal, after all.
Without any further distractions, Ford returned to his own work. Pen in hand, he continued to scribble away as hours passed without his knowledge. Once he got into a flow state it was easy for Ford to get lost in his research, time becoming unimportant to him.
With that in mind, it wasn’t a surprise that he practically jumped out of his seat when he felt a hand rest upon his shoulder. He whipped his head around, his eyes wide with panic until they met Fiddleford’s amused gaze. Ford’s shoulders relaxed, but his nose crinkled with mild embarrassment. “Fidds! you could’ve told me you were here!” He chided, though his anger was only surface level.
Fiddleford shrugged. “I tried! You were so nose deep in your work that I don’t think ya would’ve heard me if I yelled,” he responded, a teasing smile beginning to tug at his lips.
“Ah, I see.” Ford relaxed entirely at this, though the dusting of red upon his cheeks was undeniable. It was quite easy to fluster Ford, and Fiddleford often took advantage of this. “What time is it?”
Fiddleford offered a hand, smiling earnestly when Ford took it and stood up— this time without almost passing out, thankfully. “About 9 PM.” Ford’s eyebrows raised at this. The last time he looked at the clock it had been a little before 5 PM. “Go get yourself freshened up, your hair is a mess. Then come outside. I’ll be waitin’ for ya.”
One of Ford’s hands flew up to his hair, patting at what he had to admit was a mess of curls. He agreed, and they both went their opposite ways after exiting the basement.
--
Staring into the bathroom mirror at himself, Ford couldn’t help but grimace. He’d definitely seen better days, if the bags under his eyes didn’t make that clear. He moved on fast, though, taking time to comb through his hair and wash his face.
He made his way to the front door once he was satisfied, hanging his lab coat on the rack before pushing his way outside. Ford let the door click shut behind him as he took in his surroundings. The air was crisp, enough to send shivers through Ford’s body. He had the thought to go back inside to grab his coat and he had almost reopened the door until Fiddleford’s voice distracted him. Fiddleford was sitting on the ground and waving him over, and that was enough for Ford to let go of the doorknob and meet up with him.
Fiddleford was sitting on a picnic blanket, and there was an untouched platter of fruit next to him. Ford took a seat on the unoccupied spot next to him while eyeing the appetizing plate of food. “Did you cut all of this?” He asked, his gaze moving from the fruit to Fiddleford as he spoke.
Fiddleford chuckled. “How else do ya think I got ahold of it?”
Ford smiled a bit sheepishly at his response. “Hmm… maybe you stole it? I don’t know what you do in your free time.”
Fiddleford’s chuckle turned into a genuine laugh at Ford’s wild but amusing guess. “I don’t spend my free time stealing fruit, for one.”
Ford hummed amusedly, taking a moment to look up. The stars were truly beautiful in Gravity Falls. There was little to no light pollution in the small town, nothing keeping the stars in the sky from shining brighter than Ford had ever seen before. If he weren’t so busy with his research and the portal, he could see himself spending many nights taking in the beauty of the night sky.
Fiddleford’s hand came into Ford’s peripheral vision, his finger pointing at something in the sky. Ford followed the invisible line Fiddleford had created until he caught sight of the moon. It was huge, and Ford couldn’t help but let his mouth fall open at the sight of it. He really needed to go outside more.
“Ain’t she pretty?” Fiddleford’s drawl brought Ford out of his trance, eyes blinking back into focus as he pulled his gaze away from the moon to look at his friend.
Ford nodded. “I feel like I should go outside more,” he responded, voicing the thoughts he'd had a moment prior. When Ford first moved to Gravity Falls, there were days where he spent more time outside than inside; his research often had him getting his hands dirty. These days, though, he rarely left the confines of his lab.
"That’s exactly why I dragged ya out here tonight.” Fiddleford elbowed Ford’s side playfully before popping an orange slice in his mouth.
The two of them sat in comfortable silence as they snacked on the various fruits. It was the most relaxed Ford had felt in a while, and he missed spending quality time with Fiddleford. It reminded him of when they were in college— they were practically attached at the hip from the day they met until they graduated. Ford had to admit, he missed those days. He wondered if Fiddleford did, too.
“—Ere something on my face?”
Ford blinked. He had been staring. “Not at all, my apologies!” His cheeks felt hot with embarrassment. Thinking about their days at college brought… other thoughts that Ford did his best to keep at bay come to the surface.
Fiddleford was sporting a confused smile and a cocked eyebrow, and Ford could’ve punched himself for the way his stomach erupted in butterflies. They weren’t in college anymore, Fiddleford had a family. Ford couldn’t humor such thoughts, as much as it pained him to admit that.
At one point, he had been in love with Fiddleford. He never confessed to him due to fear of rejection, and after they graduated the two of them went their separate ways— Fiddleford even got married and had a kid. Ford thought he had gotten his feelings under control, though in moments like these it felt as though his heart was going to fall out of his chest. It was easy for Ford to keep his walls up while they were both hard at work, the tasks at hand putting an invisible barrier of professionalism between them. Now, though... the barrier was nowhere to be found, and Ford could feel the walls he had so carefully crafted crumble to the ground.
“Seriously, are you okay?” Fiddleford placed a friendly hand on Ford’s shoulder.
Ford almost jumped at the contact. “I’m okay. I don’t mean to dampen the mood, I’m only… thinking.” Ford’s gaze moved back up to the sky as he spoke, the sight of the stars relieving some of the weight that piled on his chest.
“Thinkin’ about what?”
Ford was quiet for a moment, searching his brain for a way to word what he wanted to say without giving away too much. “In another universe… I wonder if things turned out differently.” He risked looking back at Fiddleford. Fiddleford’s expression was knowing, and it took everything within Ford not to break eye contact. Ford's heart squeezed painfully.
“Me too,” was all Fiddleford said, but that was all he needed to say.
Ford wasn’t sure how to feel. He didn’t need to stress about that now, though. He shook his head, more to himself than to Fiddleford. “You see that cluster of stars over there?” He changed the subject, pointing to one of the many constellations that painted the night sky.
“I think, yeah.”
“That’s Ursa Major,” Ford informed with a tentative smile.
“That’s Ursa Major? That don’look like no bear.” Fiddleford responded, his voice practically dripping with skepticism.
At this, Ford’s smile grew. “No, see, you’ve got to use your imagination. See, that star right there is its head, and then…” Ford continued to point out the major points of its body, and slowly a rough shape began to come to life in Fiddleford’s mind.
“I guess I see it now… weirdest bear I’ve ever seen.”
Ford laughed. “I can bet you I’ve seen weirder.”
“Oh, really? A city boy like you?”
The topic at hand had been averted, and the tension was no longer palpable. Ford’s heart physically hurt, but he’d rather jump off a cliff than face whatever was going on between them.
Which was nothing. It would always be nothing.
Always.