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"Has anyone seen Stanford?" Stan had been searching for his brother for the past few minutes, only to come up with nothing."Have you tried lookin' on the island?" Staney asked with an indifferent look on his face. "Nerd's always up ta some'in', might be doin' his research out there.""I already checked. No hide, nor hair of 'em." Stan replied."Sure you just didn't miss him?" Shawn supplied."Naw. Plus, he usually lets me know if he was heading out. Have you seen him, Nesha?" "I thought I saw him downstairs a while ago." Stanesha replied, not moving her focus from her card game with Strand and Lee.Eyebrows furrowed, Stan took to heading down the stairs in search of his older sextuplet. As he made his way down, he caught sight of his son, Derek and niece, Shirley standing outside the bathroom door with worried looks.Stan approached them to as what was going on before he heard someone on the other side retch. "Papa, are you okay?" Shirley asked. "I-I'm oka-BLURGH!" called out Ford's voice before he retched again."Hey, kiddos. Why don't you go downstairs with your other uncles and aunt?" Stan asked, pulling them away from the door a bit."But uncle Ford's sick." Derek said in an innocent voice."I know. And it's all the more reason you shouldn't be around him right now. I can take care of him." Stan reassured.Both kids looked at him with unsureness before conceding to his words. Once they were down the stairs, Stan knocked lightly on the door."Open the door, Sixer." Stan said.He waited a few beats for his brother to come to the door. Eventually, the knob jiggled and the door swung open. The rancid smell of vomit invaded Stan's nose, causing him to wince in disgust. Then, he saw Ford, and he looked awful.His skin was pale, eyes bloodshot and puffy from what appeared to be tears, puke and spittle dripping down his chin. His body shook visibly, hair in disarray, arms wrapped around his belly with obvious discomfort. "Oh, Ford..."The elder whined, screwing his eyes shut as another pain hit him, tears welling up. He took the few steps that were between him and Stan, laying his head against the younger's shoulder. Stan placed a hand on the back of Ford's head, massaging his scalp in a soothing manner."Don't get any puke on my shirt." Stan joked.As if on cue, Ford pulled back sharply, rushing to the toilet before retching again. Stan gave him a sympathetic look as he walked over, pulling back the other's bangs. It took him a minute to finish throwing up his guts, falling back weakly against Stan's chest when he was done. The younger rubbed his shoulders soothingly before grabbing some toilet paper and wiping Ford's mouth and chin free of bile. Once satisfied, he threw it in the toilet and flushed."Let's get you back to your room." Stan said, helping his brother up.Ford was weak, legs wobbling beneath him as he tried to walk. Afraid he might collapse, Stan hooked an arm around his waist and held one of his hands. They took it slow, one small step at a time to their shared room.Stan helped the older onto the bed, being careful not to jostle him too much. Ford sunk into the mattress, groaning as he wrapped his arms around his midsection. "Do you...need anything?" Stan asked, unsure."Ahh,...my stomach. Hurts. C-cold." Ford whined, body shaking.Stan reached over and placed a hand over his brother's forehead, feeling his temperature. He was hot to the touch."You're burnin' up. I'm gonna go get some ibuprofen and ginger ale for-"Stan's words were interrupted when one of his brother's six fingered hands grabbed onto his wrist, refraining him from leaving the room. He turned to Ford, who had a scared look on his face."D-don't go." he begged."Hey, I'm just going to get a few things then I'll be back, kay?" Stan tried to reassure.Stan knew he never liked being left alone. He'd always been this way when he was sick though. Usually, Ford would want one of his younger siblings to stay with him. That's why he was hesitant on releasing his grip.Stan was about to say something when he heard footfalls on the steps down the hall."Stanley? Stanford?" called Stanesha."Down here."Slowly, Stanesha made her way down. When she got to their room, she looked across the space at her other brothers."Shirl and Derek came up saying Ford was sick." she said worriedly."Yeah. Think he's got a virus." Stan said, ruffling the eldest's hair lightly."Aww, Sixer."Nesha walked over, sitting at the edge of the bed. She rested a hand over Ford's free one, rubbing her thumb over the back of it."Mind stayin' with him for a bit?" Stan asked. "I gotta go get him some medicine and somethin' for his nausea.""Yeah."Stan gently pulled his brother's hand from his wrist, causing him to whine. With a reassuring smile, he bent over and kissed the top of Ford's head."I'll be right back."With that, he strode down the hall and up the stairs. He could hear Strand in the living room laughing, probably playing with the kids.Stanley opened the fridge, pushing aside the contents within, searching for a bottle of ginger ale. And of course, it was at the very back. Groaning, he shoved his hand towards the back, pulling out an unopened bottle of the bubbling liquid."Plannin' on makin' punch 'er some'n'?"Stan turned his head slightly, catching sight of Staney leaned against the entry way."No. Ford's sick. Figured this'll help settle his stomach." Stan replied, pulling a glass from the dish drain and a few packets of crackers."Ehh. Tell 'em ta walk it off." Staney said."Ney..." Stan sighed."What have I said about callin' me that?""Fine. Tanner, stop actin' like Dad. Some people can't just power threw stuff like this. We're not robots. We're people.""Urgh, he's just a nerdy wimp, same as you." Staney said, rolling his eyes."I ain't no nerd. I ain't a wimp either. I'm just a brother tryin' ta take care of my family.""Whatever." Tanner said, walking out of the room, bumping into Shawn, Strand, and the kids on the way."What's his problem?" Shawn asked, rolling a straw of hay between his lips."Heck if I know." Stan grumbled, unconsciously rubbing his cheek."How's our dad?" Lee asked from where he hung off Shawn's arm."He's pretty sick. Gotta stomach flu or somethin'. But he should get better in a few days." Stan replied."Can we go see him?" Shirley asked from atop Strand's shoulders."That's not a good idea right now, sweetheart. We don't want you kids to get sick." Strand said."Can't we at least check on him?" Dawn asked, looking pleadingly up at her dad."Sorry, pumpkin. Can't risk it. But I'll tell you what you can do. How about you kinda make him some get well soon cards? I bet he'll really appreciate it." Stan said."Yeah! We can make him the best get well soon cards ever to exist in the multiverse! So great, that he'll be better again!" Shirley announced excitedly."Round up yer' other cousins and sibs so ya'll can get started." Shawn said, ushering them from the kitchen.Stan smiled at the younglings as he headed back downstairs, Strand following soon after retrieving and wetting a rag in cold water. They entered Stan and Ford's room, crossing the threshold to their sick sibling."Hey, bud." Strand greeted quietly.Stanford looked up weakly from where his head rested in his little sister's lap. He gave a small grunt in greeting, still clasping his stomach."Here. Drink some of this. It'll help a bit with your nausea." Stan said as he poured some ginger ale in a glass, handing it to Ford. "I gotta go back to the bathroom and find that ibuprofen."Stan left the three alone for a moment to retrieve said pills. Strand stepped up beside his sick brother, laying the cold rag over his forehead, causing Ford to sigh with a bit of relief."Outta help with the fever." Strand said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously."Thanks." Ford said, taking a dip from his glass."Yep."Nesha picked up a packet of crackers from off the bedside table she'd seen Stan leave. Opening it, she offered them to Ford, who greatly accepted one. He bobbled on it, not trusting his stomach to hold it down if he ate the whole cracker at once.Soon, Stan returned with the bottle of ibuprofen and sat beside the elder sextuplet. Nesha helped Ford to sit up before she got to her feet."I'll come back down later with some soup and see how you're feeling." Nesha said, bending to kiss Ford's cheek. "I love you.""Love you too." Ford said as she left.Stan wordlessly handed two pills to his brother. Ford took and gulped them down with a mouthful of ginger ale. Finished, he handed Stan his glass to set on the bedside table and laid back unceremoniously, causing Stan and Strand to chuckle."You always acted as if you were dying when you were sick when we were young. You still do." Strand joked."Shud up." Ford whined."I'm just messin' with you." Strand chuckled, patting Ford's shoulder.The elder glared up at him in response before wincing and curling up against Stan's backside. Stan and Strand gave him a sympathetic look."Hey Randy! We need a little help up here!" Staney yelled from upstairs."Coming!" Strand called back. "Hope you get to feelin' better, Stanford." With that, he jogged down the hall and up the steps, leaving Stan and Ford to themselves. The two sat quietly, aside from the eldest's occasional groans and whines of discomfort. He sounded pitiful.Stan placed a hand over one of Ford's and gave it a gentle squeeze. His brother's hand flipped over, palm up, and intertwined their fingers together. Six caged around five, like it'd always been.The youngest started reminiscing on their childhood. How the six of them would always go to the beach after school to work on the Stan O' War. How they'd dreamt of sailing away from home. How they'd always stood up for and take care of each other.Gah, why is there so much dust in this room? It kept burning his eyes.Ford took notice to his brother rubbing his eyes, shoving his glasses off in the process. Grunting, the eldest pushed himself up into a sitting position, still holding onto the other's hand as his vision swam slightly. Stan glanced up at him with a quizzical look on his face.Stanford cupped his youngest sibling's cheek with his free hand. He wasn't sure what was upsetting Stan, but he didn't like seeing him cry.He looked at Stan's other cheek, which sported a large blue and purple bruise that he'd acquired from Staney. They'd gotten into a rather heated argument a few days ago and the second oldest sextuplet had been infuriated.So he punched Stan. Hard enough to send him to the deck floor. Luckily, it didn't escalate any further. It ended with Staney leaving the boat to take a walk and cool off.Stan would never admit to it, but Ford had seen tears run down his face afterwards.Squeezing his brother's hand, Stanford leaned forward, placing a gentle (almost feather-light) kiss against Stanley's abused cheek. He felt the muscles tense beneath his lips as his brother let out a low his.Ford pulled back, letting out a sympathetic whimper for both his brother's pain and his own. Stan let out a watery chuckle in response, sniffling after."Why're yo-ou tryin' ta comfort me? You're the one s-sick here." Stan asked, resting his free hand over Ford's on his cheek."Because it's my job." Ford said simply, rubbing his thumb over the other's cheek."You sap." Stan said, rolling his eyes. "But seriously, you need to rest. Try and sleep."Stanford laid down at his brother's instructions, letting his eyes close. He slowly started to drift, pain in his churning stomach forgotten. But before sleep took him under, he heard his brother's quiet words."Love you, Poindex. Get better soon."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Stan waited silently for his brother to fall asleep, smiling at how peaceful he looked when he was deep under. He looked like an exhausted puppy.Reaching his hand out to pick up his glasses, he caught sight of something on Ford's exposed wrist. Fixing his glasses on his face, Stan delicately lifted the elder's arm and examined it.He immediately recognized the burn that laced around Stanford's wrist. It was from the cuffs Bill had held him captive with.His brother had told him that the cuffs had been locked around his wrists, ankles, and neck. And in extra that insure he wouldn't escape, Bill had made it to where if he struggled at all, they would burn him.Ford, being the stubborn old man he was, still had tried to get away nonetheless, earning five severe burns that had nearly became infected. Stan was proud that he'd fought back though. Hell, he was even more proud when he'd seen him spit blood (his own blood) into the jerk's eye.But, it still ended with Ford getting hurt.Now they were scars, added to Stanford's collection of scars that littered his body. Reminders of what he went through, what Stan put him through.With a heavy sigh, Stan knitted his and his brother's fingers together, rubbing the scarred skin lightly with his thumb. His thoughts rambled around for a moment before coming to a screeching halt.Stanley's eyes had flittered across something on the inside of his brother's wrist, hidden by his sweater. Careful as to not wake Ford, he pulled up the sleeve to get a better look. Beneath, he found an odd sight.There were odd, almost white looking designs that traveled from the beginning of Stanford's burn scar, and running up under his sweater. Stanley had never seen the marks prior to when he was helping his brother clean his wounds and keeping them dressed.Stan did know, however, that he'd seen them somewhere before. He believed he'd seen them on Staney's neck. They hadn't seemt like scars, since the skin wasn't raised, but they really didn't look like tattoos either.Curious, Stan laid down the one arm, picking the other up and pulling back the sleeve. Just as he'd thought, they were on the other arm as well."Hmm." Stan hummed in thought.Standing up, Stanley tucked the covers around Ford's shoulders and left the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. He ascended the stairs, feet lightly thumping against each step."Woah! Easy nerd." Stan heard Staney call out."Sorry, I...the waves took me by surprise." Strand said as Stan entered the living room. "Oh, hey Let. How's Ford doing?""He's asleep right now. Figured I'd let him rest." Stan replied."Yer' eyes 're red." You been cryin'?" Staney asked, only a small hint of worry in his voice."Is something wrong?" Strand asked."Nah. Nah, I'm fine. Um, where's everyone else?""Nesh is with the kids in their rooms and Shawn went outside." Strand replied.Stan stood quiet for a moment, mulling some things over in his mind.'Family meeting.' Stan thought, looking up at Strand and Staney.'...Give me a second.' he heard Nesha say, using her own telepathy.'What's this about?' Shawn asked.'We'll talk about it when we're all in the living room.'The three brothers sat down, waiting patiently for Nesha and Shawn to come in., not exchanging a word. It took a few minutes, but eventually, they were all gathered together. "Alright, Stan. What's up?" Nesha asked, clasping her hands together in her lap."I...don't think it's anything major, but...it's about Stanford." Stanley said, looking at his siblings."What about him?" Shawn asked."...On his arms, below where those burns around his wrists are, I saw some weird lookin' markings. They went up past his sweater sleeves." Stan said."They could just be old scars. Lord knows he's got plenty of 'em." Staney said."If they were just scars, I wouldn't have called a meeting over it." Stan sighed."Maybe...they're tattoos?" Shawn suggested."Yeah, probably somethin' goofy like that all-star tattoo on his neck." Stanesha chuckled."No...they don't look like tattoos either. They look...I don't know. They look different." Stan said awkwardly."Different how?" Strand asked."They look kind of like white branches."Staney's brows furrowed in thought, same as everyone else. White branches? Why did that sound familiar? Everyone was stumped as well, unable to pinpoint what their little brother was talking about."The marks...look like the ones on your neck, Tanner." Stan said.Staney's brows drew up slightly in surprise. That's why his brother's description sounded familiar. Reaching up, he pulled down the handkerchief around his neck, revealing the skin beneath."They looked like this?" he asked hesitantly."Yeah." Stan replied, nodding at the marks that skittered down the other's neck."Shit.""W-what?""...they're called Lichtenberg marks." Staney sighed."Lichen-what?" Stan asked, confused."Lichtenberg marks. They're...they are scars..." Staney muttered. "But of a different type.""How do you mean?" Strand questioned."Ya don't get Lichtenberg scars from simple gashes or cuts...ya get 'em from bein' electrocuted.The other four siblings' eyes widened as the room became silent. The air was thick between them. No one could speak.Stan gritted his teeth, trying to prevent his eyes from welling with tears as it hit him. Because Ford had been electrocuted, which meant that Tanner..."Wha- you mean to tell us that Ford was electrocuted, that...you were electrocuted?" Nesha asked.Staney looked away. He didn't wish for his family to question him about being electrocuted. I mean, this was supposed to be about Stanford!"How did'ja get shocked, Tanner?" Shawn asked."I ain't too keen on talkin' 'bout that. Right now, this is supposed ta be about Stanford." Staney gritted out."You can't just tell us about that shit and not expect us to ask!" Strand argued."Enough, Randy.""What else have you been hiding from us?!""I said ENOUGH!"Staney stood up and made an attempt to swing at Strand. Though, before his fist could connect with the other's cheek, Stan jumped between them, taking the blow to his already bruised cheek.Yelping, Stan stumbled back, falling into Strand's lap, nearly falling to the ground. Strand was quick to react though, grabbing the youngest by his shoulders to bring him close. Nesha stepped between them, preventing anything from escalating further."STOP!"Suddenly, Axel cane sprinting in from the hall, going straight up to Staney. And to everyone's great surprise, the scrawny eight year old shoved him several steps back."Leave my uncle alone! You've already hit him once, now you hit him again! Don't you feel bad about that?" Axel cried out.Staney didn't say anything, too shocked by his usually shy nephew's outburst."It's already bad enough what the family's went through. You don't need to make things worse by acting like an angry kid. You have no right!" Axel yelled.Sighing, Staney turned on his heels and, even though it was getting dark, walked outside. Axel clenched and unclenched his fists for a moment before turning to the others, who looked at him with surprised faces."What?""...come here, kid." Stan said, standing up from Strand's lap.Axel did as he was asked, stopping just in front of his uncle, who bent down and placed a free hand on his shoulder."Pretty brave, you standing up ta yer' uncle like that." Stan chuckled, ignoring the tears that pricked at his eyes from the new pain in his cheek."Well, he hit you. I wasn't gonna just stand by and watch." Axel muttered out shyly."Heh. Thanks kiddo, but yer' ol' Uncle Stan coulda took him...plus, you should be your room. How much of our conversation did you here?""...did my dad really get electrocuted?"Stan sighed. "You really shouldn't eavesdrop on people's conversations.""Sorry...""...head back to your siblings."Wordlessly, the young boy left. Stan grunted as he got to his feet, Nesha and Shawn coming over to help him."You okay?" Shawn asked, wiping a few stray tears from Stan's eyes."Yeah, ya dope. I'm good." Stan said with a sheepish smile."Damn, that looks awful." Nesha hissed, examining Stan's cheek."Is it really that-""AHHH!""Stanford?!"