I do not own Gravity Falls.
Prompt: Snowball
Winter War
Creeping around the Shack, Dipper formed a snowball in his mitten-clad hands, eyes darting about. The winter air was silent and he listened intently for suspicious sounds. The crunching of snow caused him to whirl around in time to see a snowball flying towards him.
Ducking, it struck the wooden exterior of the Shack. Dipper immediately wound up and launched his weapon, but it fell painfully short of its mark. His face fell. "Aw, man! Seriously?"
Stan laughed, a smirk on his lips as he readied another snowball. "You need to try out for the baseball team and get some practice, runt. Your aim is pitiful. Oof!"
An icy projectile struck the back of his head, causing him to drop his snowball in surprise and allow Dipper time to escape. Stan whirled around to glare at Mabel, who was smiling triumphantly. "All right, you asked for it!"
"Catch me if you can!" she taunted, darting off.
She wound her way around the Mystery Shack, hoping to catch up to Dipper. But she didn't catch sight of him, so she paused and looked around.
"Rule number one of warfare, kiddo—never stop moving."
Mabel whirled around as Stan approached from the opposite direction, having snuck around the other side of the Shack in an attempt to cut her off. A snowball caught her in the face, causing her to splutter. Stan laughed at her startled expression, hunching over slightly and slapping at his knee.
"Ha! Your face!"
"Rule number two of warfare—don't celebrate too early!" Mabel countered, grabbing two handfuls of snow and flinging the powder into Stan's face.
The lenses of his glasses frosting over, Stan stumbled back and tripped, crashing backwards into the snow. Mabel spun on her heel and charged off with a snicker.
Dipper had snuck his way into the forest, ducking from tree to tree, an armful of snowballs. He froze when he spotted Ford a distance away, looking intently around with his own arsenal of snowballs. Thinking quickly, Dipper glanced up and smiled.
"Operation Sneak Attack, here we go."
He got himself into position and waited. Five minutes later Ford approached, halting when he noticed Dipper's footprints. His brow furrowed in confusion when he realized where they ended and instinctively craned his neck upwards.
"Bombs away!" called Dipper, dropping his snowballs.
Ford let out a shout as he was bombarded by a half dozen frozen spheres. Dipper cackled and hastily slid his way back to the ground. He let out a yelp as a snowball made contact with his back but did not slow. He darted back towards the Shack and crashed into Mabel.
"There you are!" she panted, face flushed red with cold and exertion. "I got Grunkle Stan pretty good."
"I got Grunkle Ford with a sky ambush. He didn't know what hit him."
"I think we're winning—oof!"
"Spoke too soon," muttered Dipper, watching the advancing Ford warily.
"That was very clever," spoke Ford dryly, a dusting of snow in his hair. "But I'm afraid you might regret it."
Dipper and Mabel ducked the incoming snowballs and quickly formed some of their own. "Only if you hit us," she said cheekily.
A few of their snowballs hit their mark, but Ford managed to dodge the others. Changing tactics, the twins started to run. Most people who were Ford's age would not have been able to catch up. But most people did not spend decades in a portal, having to keep fit in order to defend and survive against aggressive, hostile beings.
Ford caught Mabel, who let out a squeal of laughter. "Go!" she called to Dipper. "Save yourself!"
"Never!"
Dipper charged forwards and tackled an unprepared Ford to the ground. Mabel tried to wiggle free, but he kept a tight grip around her waist to keep her from escaping. Before Dipper could make another move, a pair of hands grabbed him by the shoulders and hauled him up.
"Gotcha, you little gremlin. Not so cocky now are ya?"
"There's no manhandling in snowball fights," accused Dipper, trying and failing not to laugh.
"Says who?" countered Stan, catching the fourteen-year-old in a headlock.
"It would be in your best interests to surrender," advised Ford, holding a clump of snow threateningly to the collar of Mabel's jacket.
"Cheaters," said Mabel with breathless laughter. "Fine. I surrender."
"Ugh. You win this round," said Dipper with a pout.
"Finally. My toes are frozen, we've been out here so long." Stan released Dipper and slung an arm over his shoulders. "I'm getting too old to do this stuff."
"You seem to run just fine," drawled Dipper.
"And I'll be feelin' it in the morning."
"I think we could all use some hot chocolate," spoke Ford, taking Mabel's hand. "And maybe a few painkillers…"
They started to head towards the Mystery Shack. Leaning close to his sister, Dipper whispered, "We'll get 'em next time."
"Definitely," she agreed whole-heartedly.