#i hope this gets a bunch of notes so it keeps going
Ford felt the tears burning his eyes behind the fixed frames of his glasses. He stared at his brother, his only friend, and he couldn’t comprehend the words he was saying.
“Ford..” Stan says suddenly and Ford slowly lifts his gaze from his shoes to his brothers eyes, “I hope you understand why I’m doing this…”
“No…I don’t…what in the world has made you want to join the navy…?” Ford asks in an almost breathless whisper.
Stan’s face scrunched in obvious hurt at the questioning of his intentions, “I have to…I can’t get into a fancy-smanshy school like you sixer. I don’t have the money to pay for it so I should go where I’m useful. I have more strength than smarts you know that…” Stan rubs his arm in subconcious shame and sighs.
Ford knew well that the odds of Stan getting into a good school with test scores alone were slim. The boy blew his way through high school with the mentality that he’d never amount to anything so why would he try? With that and the fact their fathers overbearing favoritism for Ford made an emotionally unstable time bomb out of Stanley, and ultimately caused the boys downfall.
“But Stanley! You’re needed HERE with me! I need you!” Ford exclaims with a quivering voice as more tears threatened to fall. Stan could sense the pain in his twins voice and he gently placed his hands on Ford’s cheeks to lifts his brothers chin so he could look him in the eyes.
“Ford…I’m not needed here anymore…you have your life ahead of you, go live it while you’re young~” Wow, he really sounded old. Ford couldn’t help the tears that rolled down his cheek.
“What about you!? Stanley! You’re young! You have a life to live!” Ford exclaims.
Stan frowns deeply and bites his lip. He knew no matter how much he tried to explain this all to Ford, he just wouldn’t get it. He was stubborn like that. No one could change his mind.
“Ford I’m no use to anyone but the navy. I got nothing out here for me! All I have is highschool boxing knowledge and a barely eligible high school diploma. No big scholarships. No fancy universities begging me to attend and just breath the air there…I don’t have any chance…not here…” Stan offers Ford a weak smile as he brushes away stray tears with his thumbs.
Ford takes in each word Stan spoke like he were studying an equation he had never seen before. How could Stanley possibly thing he wasn’t good enough for the life Ford was leading for himself? How could his wonderful, amazing brother not see his own talents?
“Is this about us…?” Stanley suddenly asks in a darkened tone, catching Ford’s attention immediately.
The smaller twin didn’t reply. He hadn’t been expecting a question so personal. Was it really about them though? Was Ford truly more concerned about Stan’s future, or THE future?
“Hey sixer, stop zoning out on me~” Stan says with a snap of his fingers.
Ford shakes his thoughts away and looks up at Stan with large searching eyes. Searching for some sort of level ground to crash on, for a hope that maybe Stan could sense his distress.
“Sixer,” stans voice was soft, kind now, “no matter where I go, no matter how long I’m gone, and no matter what force may come between us, I will never, ever let you go…I’ll always be here, and I’ll always come back for you~”
Ford’s eyes widden but then fill with fresh tears. He whimpers and lunges himself at Stan and burrows his face in his brothers chest. He let’s lets a few sobs rake through his thin frame before he’s being pried away from the warmth of his twin.
“Sixer…sixer my train is here…” Stan says suddenly as a loud whistle sounds signaling a train pulling into the station.
“Stanley please reconsider..” Ford attempts.
“No Ford. I have to go…” Stan cuts him off with a stern voice.
Without any protests Ford goes silent. He watches Stan’s face contort before he’s being pulled around the corner of the building where the tickets were sold. Within seconds of being out of sight of any onlookers Ford is pressed to the wall with a pair of lips against his own. The overwhelming smell of Stan engulfs him and he feels himself relax instantly. He kisses Stan back and cards 12 of his fingers through stans short hair. He pulls Stan close and they press chest to chest. The kiss grows more and more heated as each second passes with teeth and tongues scraping and coloring between them. They hold one another in a tight embrace like their lives depended on this moment. But they knew it didn’t, they knew it would end soon. They knew Stanley would have to leave soon. Ford knew that he’d have to watch as Stan was swept away into the great unknown and into the clutches of death that war brought to life. He knew he’d have to watch as his brother was driven right into the heart of war.
Stan pulls back after what felt like a way eternity of breathless lip locking. He looks down to Ford and with labored breaths begins pecking his lips between gasp of air. He lays his forehead to Ford’s and smiles kindly down to him.
“I promise I’ll write…” He says between soft pants, “I love you..” He says before he backs up and rushes towards the loading area where passengers of all kinds were loading the train. Ford rushes behind him and stands amongst the many families waving goodbye to their sons. Mother’s were in tears, father’s were at their wives side trying to comfort them. Ford felt a tinge of anger at the fact his parents didn’t even care to see stanley off but he had no time for that now.
Once aboard Ford could see Stanly pushing folks aside to get to a window. He opens it and as the train whistle sounds he calls to Ford, “Ford!! I love you!!”
Ford’s cheeks flush visibly and he watches Stanly head slowly inch down the tracks as the train begins it’s departure. Turning on his heels Ford begins running alongside the train and waves to Stanley, “Stan!” He shouts, “I love you too!”
Ford chases the train until he runs out of loading deck to run across. He stands at the edge of the splintering wood and watches his brothers figure fade into the distance.
“I love you…” He whispers to himself and rubs his watery eyes.
________________________________________
Almost a year had past since Stan had gone off to war. Ford received many letters from his brother while attending university in a quaint town known by the locals as Gravity Falls, Oregon. The town was strange and Ford would often write
