I started this cute mini comic a year ago and it’s been in my drafts ever since. XD But I finally came back to finish it as I realized it’s perfect for today’s prompt! ^^
A/N: there's a lot of buildup at the start but THIS IS A TICKLE FIC I SWEAR! more than anything though, I'm writing this for the sake of developing characters. This is familial love so if I see any i*cest, I am blocking you on sight
Summary: When Ford comes to realize how much Dipper looks up to him, he seeks out a way to show his young nephew that there's no need to be intimidated by him.
Word count: 2,454
----
Dipper
Life just got a whole galaxy bigger.
Dipper thought he knew what his life would become when he found that old dusty book in the forest; he'd pursue adventure, get into danger, fight monsters.
But meeting his number one hero? And then finding out that he's related?
Not a chance.
It'd been a year since Dipper and his sister left Gravity Falls. They had lots of time that school year to ruminate on everything they had been through together. In the span of three months, their whole universe had turned inside out.
They had another uncle. Someone else to look out for and protect them. Mabel, as she is with all news of this sort, was over the moon. Dipper, however, wasn't as content. It wasn't that he didn't like Great Uncle Ford. Far from it. He loved him unconditionally. He worshipped the ground he walked on. He would fight a thousand beasts to earn his mentor's pride. And that was the problem.
Dipper had spent so long dreaming of the author as this distant hero; an intellectual mastermind that surpassed all around him. He dreamt of meeting him, yes. Bombarding him with questions, absolutely. But now the man was part of his family. The same family that he cracked stupid fart jokes and goofed around with.
Dipper wasn't prepared to have someone so important to him in his life on a permanent basis. He couldn't help but feel a little small around Ford, like every move he made was a chance to embarrass himself in front of his idol.
After his first summer in Gravity Falls ended, Dipper hoped that his overwhelming sense of awe would pass with the time, and he would grow more comfortable around this new addition to the family. But the moment he stepped off of that bus and saw his great-uncle there to greet him, he knew it wouldn't be quite that easy.
He volunteered for as many of Ford's experiments as he could. He offered as much help as he could provide. When faced with an obstacle, Dipper made sure to prove to his uncle that he was smart and tough beyond his years. This, as one might expect, is a difficult and exhausting image to maintain. Being "the perfect, mature man of science" was hard when you were a young, hormonal teenage boy. But that wasn't going to stop Dipper.
When Ford had asked if him if he wanted to help engineer a stronger form of glass that could withstand abnormally high temperatures, he nearly fell over with excitement. He was going to be the best lab assistant Ford could ask for.
It seemed, however, that he couldn't get that right after all, because when bringing over the regular glass jar for experimentation, it slipped through his fingers and shattered.
Dipper was mortified. Not only had he broken the constant variable in their experiment, but possibly also the trust Ford placed in him to be a responsible assistant. How could he have been so careless? Was their experiment ruined now? Did Ford think he wasn't taking this seriously?
"Oh my gosh! Oh my- I- I'm so sorry, Great Uncle Ford! I don't know what happened. I thought I had it" Dipper rambled, throat tightening.
"Aw shoot," Ford cursed under his breath, "It's okay, Dipper, it happens. Here, why don't you go fetch me a new jar from the back shelves while I sweep up this mess?"
"Act- Actually you know what, I think you might actually have an easier time doing this if I wasn't here. I- I don't want to get in your way. " Dipper shuffled back towards the door.
"But I thought you wanted to-" Ford turned to his nephew only to find that he was already gone.
---
Ford
It was unusual, and not the kind that Ford enjoyed. The puzzling kind of unusual.
The conclusion did not follow the variables. Variable one: Ford was conducting an experiment. Variable two: Ford asked Dipper for assistance. Variable three: Dipper was eager to help. Conclusion: Dipper had panicked and ran off. It just wasn't right. Something was off balance.
Now, in a technical situation, Ford could figure out the root cause himself. He had well over thirty years of practice doing so. But this was a human being. Moreso, this was his great nephew, and he wasn't so skilled in the people area. He needed to outsource this predicament with someone who knew Dipper longer than he had. Someone he could trust to tell him what he was doing wrong.
That someone in particular was tucking away a large medieval flail in the cupboards of the sitting room when Ford found him. What it was for, Ford thought it better not to ask.
"Stanley, can I talk to you about something?" He said.
"I didn't know it was a bear, honest!" Stan yelled.
"What?"
"Uhh, nothing. What's on your mind?"
"I have the strangest feeling that Dipper is more anxious than normal. He ran out of my lab this morning looking like he'd seen a ghost, which I have ruled out as a possibility because the air did not smell at all of sulfur. Anyway, the point is, I think something's wrong with him. You've known him far longer than I have. I thought maybe you would have better insight into these things" Ford explained.
Stan stood silently for a moment.
"Stan?"
"Oh sorry I was just enjoying the moment you finally came to me for advice"
"Stanley."
His brother quirked an eyebrow at him. "You don't gotta be a genius to figure this one out, Poindexter. The kid's afraid of looking bad in front of ya."
Ford was stunned into silence. This was a new feeling. An new, terribly odd feeling.
"What?"
"Come on, you've got to have noticed by now. He looks to you like you're a god. He practically worships the ground you walk on. You were like his hero before you'd even met him. You think he's not gonna feel some pressure to live up to your standard? He just wants you to be proud of him."
"I love him! He's my brother's grandson! And of course I'm proud of him. He's very remarkable for his age" Ford said.
"Then why don't you tell him that once in a while."
Ford lost himself in thought.
"Well, time to get back to restocking my weapons. Good luck with your family tension. I'll call you for dinner," Stan sauntered away, seemingly unbothered by the problem, "Prepping for battle, do do do..."
Once again, Ford was left alone to think.
---
This wasn't the first time that Ford had heard someone tell him that he had a standoff-ish impression on people, but he never thought it would impact his kin. Someone he treasured so greatly. Now that he knew how Dipper was feeling, he couldn't waltz around and act like he didn't know. Something had to be done. The only issue was, he didn't know what.
Ford waited a couple days before asking Dipper to rejoin his experiments, knowing that the boy probably wouldn't be willing to assist him just yet after what happened. To his relief, Dipper agreed.
It was still painful to know that his nephew was intimidated by him, but it felt nice just to have him by his side again being his seemingly normal self.
The day went without a hitch this time. In fact, things went quicker than expected and they finished early. It was as they were readying themselves to leave when Ford spoke.
"Thank you for your help today, Dipper. I've been having trouble operating all of this machinery by myself lately. Must have thrown out my back or something."
"I wouldn't worry about it," Dipper replied, "Muscles get tighter with age, so I'm sure it's normal."
Ford turned to look down at his nephew. "Are you calling me old?"
The boy paled. "Wh- I- Uh- I- I wasn't-"
"I'm afraid I have no choice but to punish you for your disrespect" the scientist said darkly.
Before Dipper could have time to overthink that threat, Ford pulled the boy into his arms, sat himself on the ground and started tickling his belly.
The first few seconds were filled with frantic babbling; jumbled syllables trying to make themselves into a coherent sentence. Ford wasn't hearing a "stop", so he didn't.
Dipper giggled hysterically. His face had instantly screwed itself up tight and was looking for a way to bury itself into some hiding place. "GREATUNCLEFORHOHORD! WHAT ARE YOU DOHOHOHOING?!"
"Tickling you, of course! I thought that was obvious," Ford answered with cheer, all pretend-seriousness gone. He chuckled. "I guess you inherited more from me than I thought."
Dipper couldn't seem to figure out what to do with his hands, until he settled on hiding his face with them.
"Aw, don't be shy, son. I'm not the author today. Today, I'm just your uncle," Ford then added with a growl, "Your uncle: the tickle monster!"
The boy's arms fell from his face, settling down on his lap like little t-rex arms. He seemed to have surrendered to the silliness of it and didn't bother to fight.
Wonderful, Ford thought, that means he trusts me!
As Ford moved from belly to sides to ribs, Dipper's laughter went up and down like a rollercoaster, his child-like smile never leaving his face. "IHIHIHI'M SORRYHIHIHI!"
"Nuh uh, kid. "Sorry"'s not gonna cut it," Ford said playfully. He was surprised how good he was at this. He didn't have much experience with playing with children, and he had thought his decades of interdimensional travel would've hardened him to such silliness. Thank the gods that it hadn't.
As Ford's hand started to travel up to the boy's underarm, the boy shrieked and suddenly found the will to fight.
"EHEHEHEK! NONONONONO!"
Ford couldn't help himself laughing at his adorable little ward. "Ticklish there, huh?"
"YEHEHES" Dipper cried.
"Okay, okay, I'll make you a deal. You take back what you said about me being old, and I'll stop tickling you."
Ford had expected the kid to be worn out by now. He thought it was only fair to offer him an out. To his surprise, he didn't take it.
Dipper seemed to think it over for a second, then shook his head with an extra giggle, one that was not from the tickling.
This kid is going to be the death of me, Ford thought, not a hint of regret in his mind.
"Okay, if you say so," the man said playfully, and dug all six fingers into the boy's hollows.
A shriek, and then more rambling, and then loud laughter.
Dipper, despite being tickled within an inch of his life, looked happier than Ford had ever seen him. If this was a dream, Ford did not want to wake up.
"I've got some questions for you, Dipper. Smile for yes and laugh for no, ya got it?"
All he could do was laugh.
"Okay, are you smart?"
Dipper sunk his chin in to his chest.
"Dipper, this won't work if you say yes and no" Ford remarked with fake incredulousness, "Okay, hmmmm... are you brave?"
The teen began to snicker.
"I don't think you understand the rules of this game," Ford said, which only made Dipper laugh harder.
"Alright, alright, last one. Are you ticklish?"
Dipper let out a snort at that infernal question.
"I'll take that as a yes," Ford smiled smugly.
After several more minutes of goofing around, Dipper finally had enough.
"OKAYHYHYHY OKAYHYHY! I TAKE IT BAHAHACK!"
"Good lad." And with that, Ford released his victim.
Dipper wrapped his arms around himself and giggled till there were no more laughs left in him.
"You okay, son? I didn't go too crazy, did I?"
"No no, I'm fihihine. Mabel's put me through much worhorse."
"I can believe that. She got that from your uncle Stanley, you know."
After having regained his breath, Dipper got up from his uncle's lap. "So... are you really not mad about the jar I broke the other day?"
"Oh, Dipper, of course I'm not. You should see the things I've broken down here. You'd be shocked."
"But when you make a mistake, it's different." Dipper recoiled. Apparently, he didn't mean to let that slip.
"What do you mean?"
Dipper's timidness was returning, and Ford almost regretted even asking.
"It's just... you've done so many great things and are so perfect the rest of the time that the mistakes you make don't count as much."
That was some seriously flawed logic, but Ford chose not to point it out.
Dipper continued. "I make too many mistakes."
"Dipper, you're supposed to make mistakes. You're twelve. Do you think I was able to do all the things I do now at your age? Not even remotely.
"And more to the point, you don't have to embarrassed about those mistakes. Especially not with me."
"But you're different! You're the author! The author I'd been searching for all summer. You're a dimension-hopping scientist! And surprise, surprise, you're even cooler in person! And I'm just... so... small.
"I keep trying to make myself useful, to be someone you can be proud of, but-"
Ford kneeled down and placed both hands on the kid's shoulders. "Dipper, listen very close to me. I'm going to tell you something, and I need you to really hear me, understand?"
Dipper hesitantly nodded.
"I am so proud of you. You're my great nephew. I'm proud of you every minute of every day. That's not something that can change. You've got nothing to prove to me. You make me proud simply by being who you are. Never question that. Can you do that for me, son?"
The boy looked near to tears.
Oh gods, Ford thought, did he say something wrong? He thought this would make him feel better, not worse! Should he-
Little arms suddenly hugged his neck tight. "Yeah... yeah I can."
Ford could not get his arms around him fast enough.
"Now, don't you ever go comparing yourself to me. What a disservice to your incredible self."
Dipper hugged tighter.
Ford himself could feel little pin pricks in his own eyes. He released his hug and cleared his throat.
"Well, I think we've had enough excitement down here for one day. What do you say we head back upstairs for dinner."
Dipper wiped his eyes with a happy smile. "Sounds good to me."
The two walked back towards the door, a new kind of bond formed between them. It felt like something had been accomplished today, and that was all either of them could ask for.
"You are old, though."
"Oh, I'll show you old. Get back here!"
----
This has been an idea of mine for quite some time. Rewatching the show was just the straw that broke this writer's back apparently. So happy to have finally written this ❤️
A/N: they’re so sweet and goofy! Love Wendy she is such a badass, his crush is understandable lmao. here ya are!!!:
...
“Wendy! Don’t!”
“Ticklish?! And trying to get away ..from me? No no, you’re not going anywhere.” She declared, gripping the back of Dipper’s shirt collar and dragging him back.
“Nononono- WendyheheHEEHEE! DON’T!” He cried as she started to pinch his sides with her other hand, while the one she’d grabbed him with began to skitter over his neck.
“Awwww man, this is too good!” Wendy jeered excitedly. She let out a little giggle that Dipper would have thought was adorable had he not been too consumed with his own laughter and how badly this tickled.
“Pleasepleasepleaseplease!” Dipper shrieked when Wendy got a hand under his arm. He flailed back and rolled around on the ground as Wendy continued to tickle him.
“Stop-stop! I cahahan’t take it! Plehehehease!” Dipper pleased, his arms flailing about in front of him desperately.
“Oh, aaaaalright.” Wendy sighed. She stopped tickling, instead patting him on the head and then offering a hand to help him up.
As soon as Dipper went to take it, huffing and panting from the tickle attack, Wendy’s hand lurched forward and poked a few times as his tummy. It sent Dipper wobbling back with a squeal.
“HA!” Wendy snorted. “Sorry, sorry. I had to. I’ll stop, I’ll stop.”
Dipper watched her, blushing madly as he stood on his own. “You! You’re! .. you!” Dipper palmed his face, groaning. “Don’t do that again.”
“No promises.” She winked.
…
[more sentence starter fic prompts]
[other sentence starter fics]
[read this & further gravity falls drabbles on ao3]
I just realized, we never got headcanons for Dipper & Mabel Pines! If you have any, could we see them?
✩‧Mystery Twins Tkl Hcs‧✩
~I cannot believe I never did any headcanons for these dorks! With the number of fics I've done, you'd think I'd have made some lol. Well, they're here now! Had fun going back over my old fics and getting into their characters. I hope you Enjoy!~
🧢Dipper✒️
General:
He's for sure a lee-leaning switch
While he loves both sides of tickles, he's incredibly embarrassed about it. Good luck getting him to admit to anything
Lee:
His lee moods are frequent, to say the least. Not a concerning amount or anything, but definitely more common than his ler moods
He gets blushy, fidgety, and can't stop smiling. Pretty easy to spot.
Mabel’s the main one who catches on, though Ford is pretty close with his observational skills. Neither one of them minds helping him out.
He'll whine and squirm the entire time, but you Dipper loves being tickled. He likes to laugh, to let loose, and to have fun with the people he trusts.
Cheer-up tickles make his day when he's upset. As long as he's up for it, he'll perk right up at some gentle pokes and praises.
Worst spots are his navel and underarms. Gentle tickles there drive him nuts, and raspberries are a death strike. His snorts would make Waddles jealous.
Melt spot is his stomach, believe it or not. He loves gentle, playful belly tickles. As long as you avoid his navel, he'll barely fight back.
He adores cuddles after you wreck him. He'll gladly take a nap with you, maybe share a small entry he made in the journal before he dozes off.
Ler:
He's a dork of a ler, to be sure
He'll laugh alongside his lee, make dumb little noises, and tease his lee with the most cliché stuff you can think of. There's a high chance of cringing.
“Citchie citchie coo!”
“Geez, you're really ticklish, aren't you?”
“Huh? Sorry, couldn't hear you over all the laughing.”
“You know, I think I saw a tickle monster in Grunkle Ford's journal somewhere. Maybe I can summon it… And you're perfect to help!”
He wouldn't do anything without permission, of course. He'll regularly check in to see if you're okay, then tease you if you let him continue.
His ler moods are decently rare. He usually strikes out of revenge or to cheer somebody up, but he does occasionally get the need to wreck somebody.
He's pretty good with aftercare. Once he's done tickling you, he gets all bashful; his confidence dissipates with the ler mood.
He'll bring you water for sure, and then stutter through asking if you want any cuddles, hugs, or snacks.
Regardless, he'll talk with you for a bit, helping you relax and recuperate. You can bet he'll make you some hot cocoa or tea.
🌠Mabel🐖
General:
Mabel's mostly a straight-up switch, though she is slightly ler-leaning.
She loves tickles. She can cheer others up, have a laugh herself, and bond with the ones she trusts and loves. What's not to like?
Lee:
The giddiest, goofiest lee in all of Gravity Falls.
She's got no qualms with asking for tickles, though she'll be smiling and holding back giggles the whole time.
Her lee moods are rarer than Dipper’s, but she loves when her loved ones help her with them. Mabel likes to laugh.
She's got a bubbly, infectious giggle; most of the time, her ler can't help but laugh with her.
Worst spots are her underarms and the backs of her knees. She shares the prior with her brother, but the backs of her knees are killer. She puts the Shrieking Shack to shame.
Melt spots are her sides. She loves gentle squeezes, pokes, and skittering fingers up and down them.
Mabel’s definitely a squirmer. If hiding in her sweater doesn't work, she'll wriggle around and weakly shove at her ler until she runs down.
You know she loves starting tickle fights with her friends, especially during their sleepovers. They eventually end up dragging Dipper into the mess.
Ler:
Playful, fun, and all about making sure you have a good time
Mabel will never go hard unless you ask her to. She knows Dipper usually likes having his worst spots targeted, but she won't go for yours unless you specifically ask her to.
Plus, you just know she'd love to tease.
“Oh my gosh, your snorts are adorable! You and Waddles would get along so well!”
“You’re, like, uber ticklish. I didn't think that was possible… So cool!”
“Your giggles are so cute! Ooo, and now you're blushing~ You need compliments more often. I'm on it!”
She's all about respecting boundaries. If you seriously ask her to stop, she's done in milliseconds. She'll also slow down and check in if she thinks you're getting tired. Of course, if you give the okay, she's happy to keep going.
Mabel is all about aftercare. You're immediately getting a blanket, some Mabel Juice (or fruit punch, if you can't handle its awesomeness), and some music to relax with.
She's more than happy to talk while you recover, and of course she's up for cuddling if you want it. She's pretty good at back rubs if you ask (Stan can attest).
And, naturally, Waddles will be available for some comforting piggy hugs and pets. Mabel assures you that he's “the best emotional support pig this side of the Falls!”
This is the first fanfic I have ever ever written!! Isn't that cool?
Just so you know, this is a fanfic about tickling, so if you dislike that then please don't interact!
Lers: Grunkle Stan, Mabel
Lee: Dipper
"Give it back!!"
That was the first thing Grunkle Stan heard that morning. Judging by the screechy girlish nature of the voice...it was probably Dipper. it was just a little too girly to be Mabel. It was too early for this. Only thirty minutes past noon, we're they trying to take away his beauty sleep or something? It was probably some pointless argument that could be settled with less than a paragraph anyway...may as well check on them. He knew how big stupid fights could get between siblings.
"Oh c'mon..."
He groaned, sitting up and cracking his back before dragging himself downstairs. There he saw the sight of the problem: the journal. Mabel was holding it above her head, running around while trying her darn hardest to convince him into taking a break.
"Oh come on Dipper! Just for one day! Take a break, you'll be fine!"
"I can't take a break! We don't know everything that's out there! Give it back!"
Right before he tried to snatch it, she pulled away, running up to Grunkle Stan. Her and Dipper ran circles around him, who was barely processing what was happening in his sleepy un-caffeinated state, groaned and grabbed Dipper by the back of his jacket.
"Look kiddo, shooting star here is right. You keep your nose stuffed in that book 24/7, you'll give yourself bad eye sight like me."
Dipper fought against his grip, trying to tug himself away while shooting Mabel a half hearted glare.
"But I still have things to be doing! Grunkle Stan you don't get it! I need the journal back!"
Stan groaned and thought for a moment or two. How was he supposed to work this out between the two? Especially when he wasn't entirely awake, nonetheless. He knew a few tactics that tired Dipper out, but judging by the chaos he was woken up to, no, he had to go big or go home.
"Mabel, hide the journal somewhere and meet me in the living room with your brother."
"What?! But Grunkle Stan!-"
"No buts! You wake me up over something stupid? You'll learn not to."
Without letting Dipper really process those words, Mabel already running off to hide the book, Stan brought Dipper to the living room by the arm. He sat down and gripped both his shoulders, making eye contact and speaking in a serious yet concerned and somewhat soft tone.
"Look kid, you're too young to be worried about this whole...cryptid thing. I understand you have a nack for it, but take a break why don't ya?"
Dipper avoided eye contact for a few moments before nodding, giving a soft sigh and looking up at him again. He felt bad for causing his Grunkle stress, but he just had to find out what was going on with Gravity Falls.
"I'm almost a teenager though, and I know I can handle it! Please, I have so many things that I'm close to solving, I can't just...take a break now!"
"He can't even take a shower!"
Mabel chimed in, skipping from the doorway over to the two and looking at Grunkle Stan. He decided that enough was enough, it was time to make him relax, even if it was by forcing him into exhaustion.
He suddenly took two of Dippers wrists in one hand, taking off his hat since he'd probably squirm so much it fell off anyway. He then gave him a serious look, though it quickly turned into more of a mischievous smirk than anything as he raised his other hand, wiggling his fingers at him.
"You've been so busy with that book that I've practically forgotten what your laugh sounds like...Mabel sweetie? Get his ribs."
"WHAT-?!"
he went bright red in the face and nervously squeaked, leaning away from the hand that Stan was slowly moving towards his belly. He bit his lip, but it failed to cover the nervous yet giddy smile slowly forming.
"Oooh, gladly!"
His sister joining in too? That just wasn't fair! He'd probably be dead by the end of this. He leaned forward and away from her hands, only to yelp as he bumped his stomach against Stan's hand. He gave a soft burst of giggles and jerked back, only to find his ribs being spidered across by Mabel's fingers.
"MAahahahabehel!!"
He protested, trying to move away from her only to find his Grunkle's hand was still there waiting for him to do just that. He felt like a fly in a spiders web, and the idea of getting that journal back today wasn't looking good either...
Eventually both hands had closed in on him. One was scribbling all over his belly and occasionally jumping to his side to catch him off guard, while two more hands were running up and down his ribs and digging into the spaces in between. He let out multiple loud and embarrassingly girly shrieks, laughing his head off and trying to tug both arms down to no avail.
"Yeah well life ain't fair kiddo. You're taking a nap."
"I'm nohot evehen tihihirehed!!"
"You will be after this!"
Mabel suddenly shot back, moving her hands to his back and wiggling her fingers against his spine. One went up and down it rapidly while the other focused on where it met the neck, making him scrunch his shoulders up and snort a few times from laughing so hard.
"NONONOHONOnOHOHhohohooo!!- not theheRE!! Snrk- MAHABAHAL!!"
He squealed out, kicking his legs since his arms were still trapped, a wide smile stuck across his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut. He could feel his face burning bright red from the embarrassment of the situation, but it actually did feel kind of nice to relax like this for once...
He quickly regretted ever starting to enjoy it as he felt his shirt get lifted up, followed by Grunkle Stan picking him up and snickering down at him. He took a deep inhale before pressing his lips to his stomach, blowing a long raspberry against the skin. He flinched slightly at the shriek that Dipper produced, but managed to tune it out after a few seconds.
He shrieked out, pushing at his shoulders and head now that his arms were free while trying to squirm out of his lap. The bit of facial hair mixed with the raspberrys were driving him up the wall within seconds, and it didn't help that Mabel decided to start scratching at the hollows behind his knees.
He let out loud, high pitched cackles, repeatedly snorting and hiccuping whenever he attempted to take a break. Tiny tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, his face scrunched up with how hard he was laughing. He started to get really wheezy, his brain shutting off for the most part due to being tickled senseless.
He kept laughing for maybe another minute or so, and despite really wanting to work on that journal yet again, he had his limits. He patted the back of Stans head, barely managing to speak through his own laughter.
Him, who was already out of breath himself from blowing so many raspberries back to back, pulled his head away and let Dipper relax. Mabel gave a victorious grin and ruffled her twins hair, leaning on the seat while looking down at him.
"I knew you would! Come on, let's go to bed. I'll help you make your bed, it's a mess."
He only mumbled in response, still decently giggly from the tickle attack he was just forced through. After regaining his bearings, he managed to stand up, hugging himself and smiling at the two.
"Yeah yeah, okay..."
He considered saying something, but decided against it. They didn't need to know he actually had enjoyed that...as if they couldn't tell already though. He gently hugged Stan for a moment, yawning as he spoke due to being worn out.
"Good night, Grunkle Stan!"
"Night kiddo."
He fondly smiled back at him, ruffling his hair before breaking off the hug. He watched Mabel and Dipper leave to go upstairs, sighing before shutting his eyes. He'd probably just crash on the couch since he was still tired, but at least Dipper was gonna rest too. That put him at ease.
Mabel finished fixing his bed up for him, gently pulling a blanket back so he could lie down under it. He curled up under the blanket and gave a soft, content sigh, hugging a plushie Mabel let him borrow for the night. He shut his eyes, mumbling a soft "thank you" to Mabel, then slowly starting to doze off.
He smiled as he felt her ruffle his hair, the feeling helping his brain shut off into a peaceful sleep. He had the rest of summer to work, which still wasn't exactly a whole lot of time, but...maybe just...one day would be fine to rest. Not like he could or wanted to get out of bed now anyway.
He'd get back at Grunkle Stan and Mabel for this though.
