Apprentice {Gravity Falls}

Cold

Dark clouds covered the night sky, blocking out any moon light from shining on Gravity Falls. Heavy snow fluttered in the wind, which howled a warning to any and every citizen to take shelter from its wrath.

Ford paid the storm no mind as he continued to write in the journal. Dipper had found a new type of flower a few days ago. He'd never seen that particular flower before and it didn't seem to match any of Dipper's online search results either. Weather the flower was an anomaly or just undiscovered was besides the point. Ford was determined to record it in their journal.

It was because the man was up so late he noticed his light flicker a few minutes before he was going to turn it off. Ford watched as the light continued to flicker, then went out completely. The buzz of the electric heater also faded into thin air.

"Power must've went out..." Ford mumbled. He glanced out the window to see if his theory was correct. Sure enough, the power lines were covered in snow. The harsh wind wasn't helping the situation either.

This was fine. Ford knew The Mystery Shack had a gasoline furnace. He installed it himself when he first moved to Gravity Falls. It also happened to be automatic, providing heat to almost every room. After a few minutes, Ford could hear the furnace kick in.

Without electric light, continuing to work would be a challenge. Besides, it was getting late. Ford closed the journal and decided to go to bed. He was a bit disappointed he didn't get to finish up the journal entry. However, there may have been a silver lining. In the morning Dipper would be up and they could work on it together.

Ford was about to fall asleep, as a few last minute thoughts bounced around in his brain. 'Dipper and I can work on it in the morning...' he thought starting to drift off. Ford closed his eyes peacefully when-

Dipper!

Ford shot up. One of the rooms the furnace didn't provide heat to was the attic. Dipper was up there all alone, most likely freezing.

The man tugged on his coat and made his way to the attic. Despite having access to the furnace, a chill ran throughout The Mystery Shack. The cold temperature made him hope the boy went to sleep in Stanley's room or at the very least slept in the living room.

But knowing Dipper, he probably hadn't left the attic. When Ford opened the door, he was met with a bundle of blankets rolled up in a ball.

"Dipper?" The man questioned. Maybe Dipper had in fact went to sleep in a warmer room of the house.

Yet sure enough, Dipper poked his head out of the blanket pile like a turtle poking its head out of a shell, "...so...cold..." he muttered.

"The power went out," Ford explained. "I installed a furnace when I first moved here, but at the time I didn't think I'd need to heat the attic."

"C-can you adjust... it?" Dipper asked through chattering teeth.

"I could... I will tomorrow," Ford confirmed.

"Ok-kay..." Dipper replied, tucking his head back under the covers.

"It's too cold for you to sleep in here, my boy. Why don't you come downstairs? It's warmer there," Ford suggested. Dipper poked his head out again.

"M'kay..." he mumbled, draping a blanket around himself. Ford led the boy to his room where the furnace immediately bathed the two in its warmth.

Dipper flopped into Ford's bed. It was so much warmer and cozier than the ice cold attic. Ford smiled and crawled into bed next to him. They both fell asleep as the storm raged outside.

A/n: Short, but super sweet! If it isn't obvious, I have a huge weak spot for platonic family cuddles!!