Last year I animated this thing for an OTGW animated collab, but I guess I never posted it here :O so many mistakes lol but otherwise, I’m happy I got it done!
My@forduary entry, covering the prompts of Sleep and Au’s. I hope you enjoy! (A HUGE thank you to @snapback-gravity-falls for beta-reading and helping me improve this fic)
There was a shuffling outside of Ford’s room. Followed by several hushed whispers. The old man rubbed the sleep from his eyes and blindly passed his hand over his night stand for his glasses. It took a few moments. But he was able to read the bright red numbers on his alarm clock. 2:03 am.
“Greg, please, let’s not bother him.” Ford could make out Wirt’s voice from the other side of his bedroom door.
“Don’t worry Wirt!” Greg replied. He made little effort to lower his voice. “Mr. Ford will know what to do to help.”
“I just need to go back to sleep-Greg wait,” Wirt said, raising his voice.
There was a firm knock on his door. Stanford pushed himself into a sitting position, swinging his legs off the side of his bed. He took a moment to stretch before getting up and opening his door. Before him stood the two half-brothers he had taken into his care. Greg stood in front of the door, his stance confident, even if his drooping eyes showed that he was still a little tired. Behind him was Wirt, looking like he’d been fighting for his life. His eyes were bloodshot , he had hastily wiped away tear tracks along his cheeks and sweat along his brow. Worst of all were deep bags under his eyes.
“Good morning boys.” Stanford said.
“Good night Mr. Ford.” Greg said.
“Sorry.” Wirt’s gaze wouldn’t meet his, seemingly more invested in the floorboards.
“What seems to be the matter?” Stanford stepped forward and placed a hand on Wirt’s shoulder.
“It’s nothi-”
“Wirt had a bad dream.” Greg interrupted.
“Did he now?” Stanford raised an eyebrow. He pulled his hand back and placed it on his hip.
“Yeah, and he needs help getting a good sleep. But I don’t think I can do it by myself.”
“Greg, you’re making it sound worse than it is.” Wirt said quickly. He roughly pulled his brother back from Stanford. “I’m sorry, it isn’t anything to worry about. I’ll just take us back to our room.”
Greg squirmed against his brother’s hold. “But you need help sleeping.”
“No I don’t,” Wirt whispered harshly, tightening his grip.
“Wirt. Are you having trouble sleeping?” Stanford asked.
“It’s nothing serious, just some bad dreams.” Wirt reassured. He waves his hand, loosening his hold on Greg. “I think I’m just getting stressed from assignments.”
Stanford wasn’t convinced. He knelt down to Greg and whispered into his ear. The young’s sleepy eyes widened with excitement. He gave Stanford a salute before escaping Wirt’s grasp and running back to his bedroom. Ford stood up and walked over to Wirt.
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk about what’s troubling you?’ he asked.
“It’s nothing.” Wirt muttered, staring at a spot in the carpet.
Stanford gestured to Wirt’s face. “‘Nothing’ doesn’t give you bags that take up half your face.”
“Are they that bad?” Wirt asked, patting his face.
“No, but take it from someone who spent years staying up to dawn’s light for weeks at a time, you’re not the best at hiding your sleep deprivation.” Stanford smirked.
Wirt sighed. “It feels dumb. I didn’t want to come crying to you over something like bad dreams.”
“Believe me, I know that dreams can be far from harmless.” Stanford glanced down the hall towards the balcony. “Let’s get some fresh air.” He nodded towards the balcony door.
Wirt followed as Ford took the first few steps into the cool air of the balcony. The cool tiles against his bare feet made a shiver run along his spine. A much needed shock to wake him from his sleepy demeanor. He watched as Ford took in several deep breaths of the cold night air. It was still as the pair looked out to the black night sky, listening to the rustle of the trees in the autumn breeze.
“I won’t force you to tell me anything. If you’re not comfortable speaking about it, that is.” Stanford leaned forward, resting both his arms against the railing.
“I- I don’t know.” Wirt sighed. “I’m in high school…getting nightmares and crying to an adult about it feels like something Greg would do.”
“There isn’t anything wrong with seeking comfort Wirt.” Ford assured.
“I guess. Wait…how many times did Mabel have to grill you to think that naturally.” Wirt raised an eyebrow wryly.
“Oh dear, it seems my secret’s out. I’m glad that you haven’t lost your wit after having your nerves rattled.” Ford chuckled. He tilted his head towards Wirt, smile falling from his face. “I may have considered it a sign of weakness when I was younger, but with some help from my family, I realized that being harsh on myself in such a way was not helpful to anyone.”
“Mm. I guess that makes sense.” Wirt rested his hands on the cold metal of the railing. The warmth in his hand was quickly sapped. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, it helped ground him a little more as he gathered his thoughts.
“If it’s about the Unknown, then it could be the beast trying to get a hold of you.” Ford hummed. He tapped his chin, eyes fixated on the trees that swayed in the light autumn breeze beneath them. “I should have some materials to make some charms to keep you and your brother safe.”
“I wasn’t dreaming about the Unknown.” Wirt crossed his arms, staring at the floor.
“Oh.”
Wirt’s nails dug into his arm. He turned to Ford, his throat tightened as he tried summoning the strength to speak. His words died on his tongue as he opened and closed his mouth several times. He was about to turn back into the apartment when a gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. Looking up Wirt found himself looking into Ford’s caring gaze, and for a brief moment the fear that felt colder than the cold autumn air disappeared.
Taking a deep breath Wirt started to recall his dream. “I was getting ready for a party with my friends from school. We were on our way back here, but instead of presents they helped me pack my bags. When I asked them what they were doing, you stepped into my room and said that I was old enough to be on my own…and…that I needed to move out. I tried to say something, ask why or convince you to not throw me out, but you would just laugh over me.
“I wanted to cry, but something in me made me scream out that you were being unfair. After that, the world around me shattered, like glass, and I was left standing in this inky darkness. I tried to run for help and find someone, but my feet were stuck to the ground. I looked down and saw that I was turning into a tree. I could feel the stiffness crawling up my legs. I reached out, trying to run away from my own feet. But I just ended up turning into an edgewood tree.” Wirt’s knuckles turned white as he tightened his grip on his arm. Wirt was drawn from his thoughts for a moment as he felt the warmth of Ford’s arm wrapping around his shoulders.
“It felt like an eternity had passed as I stared out to nothing in my wooden prison. But then, like the wind that blows through the branches of trees in the forest, I heard the same sadistic laughter from earlier. Then a hand holding an axe before it swung at my neck. I woke up just as the blade was about to… get me.” Wirt let out a shaky breath that turned into a weak chuckle. “Real dumb right?”
“As dreams go, I wouldn’t call it the most enjoyable. Unless you are a particularly sadistic lumberjack.” Stanford laughed softly. He glanced over in concern. “However, you were clearly shaken by this.”
“I don’t know why.” Wirt threw his hands up in the air. “You promised you wouldn’t leave me or Greg. You’ve helped us so many times…so why do I still feel like I’m always one mistake from being thrown to the streets?”
Those last words hit Stanford particularly hard. Images of a young man, hardly younger than Wirt staring up at him from the cold street one unfortunate night. Biting back the guilt, Stanford pushed away the image of angrily closing the curtains on his distraught twin’s distraught face to focus on the matter at hand.
“When someone is forced into a stressful situation, their body and mind adjust in order to survive. When exposed to that sort of stress for extended periods of time, your body will grow used to that level of stress and anxiety. Just because I say I won’t abandon you… that doesn’t mean your subconscious mind has adjusted to this situation. It will take you a while before you will properly adjust.” Stanford said slowly.
“How long will it take? I hate living like this.” Wirt scowled.
“There isn’t a real measurement for this sort of issue.” Stanford looked up towards the sky above, his gaze lost in the countless stars and the possibilities they held. “From my own experience, it took me the better part of three years to grow out of the habit of sleeping with my ray-gun on my person.”
“What kind of trouble left you needing to get used to that?” Wirt asked tentatively.
“The Stuck-traveling-through-the-multiverse-for-30-years-with-no-set-place-of-safety kind.” Stanford grinned.
“Oh.” Wirt looked ashamed at asking.
“Don’t worry, I’m home and I’m here to stay.” Stanford assured. “And if you need any advice on how I adapted, I’d be more than happy to offer some advice.”
“Mr. Dr. Ford! My mission is complete!” Greg burst out onto the balcony and gave Stanford a serious salute.
“Good job young man.” Stanford returned the gesture with a wide grin.
“What are you two planning?” Wirt looked between the pair with suspicion.
“You aren’t the first person in history to suffer from bad dreams. When I was a young boy-”
“Back with the dinosaurs?” Greg interrupted.
“Those were a little before my time,” Ford ruffled Greg’s hair. “As I was saying, my brother and I would sometimes be helped back to sleep by our mother. She would have us in one bed, rather than in our separate bunks. She’d read us stories, and keep us in arms reach for plenty of hugs. Some nights she would join us in bed.”
“But I’m not a kid,” Wirt whined.
“You’re never too old for hugs, Wirt.” Greg crossed his arms.
“Well said, Greggory.” Stanford smiled. He led the way back into the house towards his bedroom. “Come on now, we need to get as much sleep as we can or we’ll all be late for school tomorrow.”
“Can we have waffles for breakfast?” Greg asked. He grabbed a hold of Wirt’s hand and dragged him into the apartment.
“If we sleep quickly I’ll make hot chocolate to go with them.” Ford promised with an indulgent smile.
The old man opened the door to reveal a pillow fort on his bed, designed and built by the one and only Greg. The boy babbled happily about how he had listened to Wirt’s talks about buildings and that he used the couch cushions to make it ‘stable’ and that he brought their blankets from his and Wirt’s room for extra warmth since Ford’s blankets were the roof of the fort. Greg sat comfortably, sandwiched between his brother and Ford, talking excitedly about how much fun this sleepover was going to be.
Unfortunately there wasn’t much excitement in the other two. Wirt and Ford listened intently, or at least tried to. However, the change from the cold outside, to the warmth in the expertly made pillow fort, had both of them feel their sleepiness returning.
Despite his initial excitement, Greg was the first among them to fall asleep. Ford followed suit not long after.
Last was Wirt.
He sat in the warm bundle of blankets and cushions that his brother had set up for him. The room was quiet, save for the gentle breathing of his brother and the soft snores from Ford. His heart wasn’t beating loudly, his breath wasn’t short, nothing about the situation made him feel like needed to panic.
‘It’s okay.’ He thought. ‘Ford won’t kick you out. I have a home here.’
The words felt foreign on his tongue. He looked to Ford, carefully he reached out. Wirt was half afraid that the old man would break into pieces, like everything that had just happened was another dream. Instead he was met with the sensation of warm wool against his finger tips. Ford was real. His nerves still felt on edge, as they always did, but for a brief moment Wirt felt relaxed.
He may not be perfectly fine, but he had family who were here to help him improve. And with that thought he drifted off to sleep.
~~~
Author’s note: I have an Au that’s been sitting on the back burner, which is based off of @reaganwarren’s College Drop out Dipper fic (TW: self harm). however this one is based on Dipper being a drop out in high school. The Au i devised had a series of unfortunate events that resulted in Ford taking custody of Wirt and Greg from their parents. This follows a possible situation with Ford taking care of the brothers.
Welp, i drew this for my sister, when i make she see the show and go trought this episode, i ask how it is? and then she sayd ” woah Greg is so cool he took the responsability and its not more a children, and i dont really like wirt ‘cos it supose to be the older brother but look at Greg :C “
I drew this a few months ago while I was briefly fixated on Over The Garden Wall trivia videos. I have fond memories of watching the miniseries when it first came out!
