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It was enough to make Ford choke on preemptive grief sometimes. So much time had been wasted and they had so little left! Sailing the world in pursuit of scientific discovery (and treasure and babes, yes Stanley) was everything they'd dreamed of as children trapped ashore on Glass Shard Beach. In fact it was perfect, he thought, clsing his eyes to inhale deeply of the salty air.
But Ford had always been greedy. He heard the groans, the clicking joints and winced at the wheezing snores. He saw the swollen knuckes, myriad scars and the careful movements of a man moving past far too many improperly healed old injuries. Neither of them was body shy and Ford had seen the gnarled knots of scar tissue stretching across his brother's frame. Ten brutal years of struggle for survival followed by thirty years od overwork, neglect and privation, working with hazardous materials without so much as a nod towards basic safety protocol.
However long they had left was nothing compared to the wasted decades behind them. It made him want to scream and rage like that Dylan Thomas poem Stanley had quoted to him with such relish.
XoX
Stan hadn't asked what the healthcare situation was like in space, but it must be pretty fucking good. Ford's joints didn't creak like an old ship in a gale like his and he didn't have to swallow half a damn pharmacy every morning just to keep on ticking.
Ford was stronger and faster than ever as they chased down and wrestled an amazing variety of monsters to get samples and measurements. It made him a bit sad to notice it - Stan was slowing down and he knew in his heart of hearts that this happy ever after schtick wasn't going to last.
He just hoped Ford didn't take it too hard. Just like an old dog whose back legs are going. Give the poor bastard one last bacon cheeseburger and put a slug in its head. No hard feelings.
His only regret was that it'd all be over so quick - all those years surviving, working for these few years of happiness before bam! Forces of entropy!
No use wallowing. This was it and Stanley was determined to squeeze every last ounce of happiness outta this. He'd worked so long and dreamed so hard, the least he could do waas enjoy it.