rambling about paralyzed Ford to take my mind off of this awful day.
The days before Dipper and Mabel arrived were full of both excitement and nervousness for Ford. He hadn't had the chance to travel anywhere outside of Oregon, much less visit family. Having no clue how they would react to him or what they were like, Ford felt slightly anxious. They were kids, bound to have much more energy than he ever had and possibly more questions about him than he could feasibly answer. Ford prepped himself by thinking of ways he could answer several possible questions, taking into account that Stan would have to translate his signing.
Of course it turned out that Ford was seriously overthinking when the twins arrived. It was so incredibly surprising when Mabel signed to him that first time, it stunned him. Ford wasn't expecting that at all. Dipper and Mabel proved to be very kind towards Ford, assisting him with what he needed when Stan wasn't around. But Ford didn't want to feel like he was taking their fun away from the summer by always needing help, so he usually waited until Stan was available for assistance. But he received help from his niblings more often that not, regardless of his attempts to dissuade them.
Ford spent a lot of time with his niblings when he wasn't in too much pain, wanting to thoroughly get to know them before summer ended. Still loving a good old fashioned game of Dungeons, Dungeons, and More Dungeons but not having a lot of opportunities to play it, Ford was ecstatic when Dipper told him he loved that game. The duo often played on the dining room table, a more accessible location than the floor. Ford's muteness made for a small hurdle when they first began playing that very vocal game, but he was willing to sign everything he needed to before rolling, so it was still fun.
Mabel taught Ford how to knit when he asked how she made so many sweaters for herself. It was an activity Ford grew to love sharing with Mabel, though he wasn't nearly as good as her at it. By the time the summer ended, Ford's closet was practically drowning in Mabel's gifted sweaters and knitting supplies. Ford and Mabel spent much of the summer wearing theme coordinated sweaters for every occasion. Ford was happy to follow her whims in fashion, just enjoying the fun company she provided.
Ford loved to join in on Dipper and Mabel's adventures, often providing his knowledge of the town and the forest when they got stuck trying to solve a mystery. Though physically being there with them on rough trails could be difficult, Ford usually found his way. His wheelchair was designed by Fiddleford after all. When he needed their attention, he lightly tapped the metal of his wheelchair so as to not scare potential weirdlife with the buzzer. It made him happy that he could still do what he loved, even if he had to change it up from before, especially with his beloved niblings.
At home, Ford liked to sit them down on his lap or at the table and tell stories. Stories of him and Stan, of fantastic creatures he met before becoming paralyzed, of dimensions he'd dreamed of every night that felt weirdly familiar, anything and everything that an interesting story could be made from. Ford also taught them some signs that the twins didn't know already, pointing to something or writing a word and signing it. By the time the summer ended, the twins were most definitely fluent in sign language, or at least more than they were when they first arrived.
All in all, Ford loves his niblings so much. Their summer with him was simply the best summer Ford had ever had in so many years. Dipper and Mabel could say pretty much the same thing. They had bonded so well it was hard to tell that they hadn't met before that summer. Ford just wished he could've met them sooner, but travel was an impossibility for him. It was no matter, Ford was still very grateful that he had met them at all.
anyway, this is a big ramble so imma stop there. just needed to talk about things that make me happy, like my paralyzed Ford and everything about him, cuz today was pretty rough. it's kinda weird, I'm only just now obsessing over him again when I finished the fic months ago... but whatever. hope y'all enjoy this and feel free to ask questions!!!
