Stanley Pines was on a mission. The mission being defending his and his twin’s lifelong bully after the stunt the blond had pulled today. Stanley carefully put the last bandage over a cut on Stanford’s face before giving a small smile. Crampelter had taken advantage of Stan not being in school today to pick on Ford. Sure the bully never held back when Stan was there anyway but it just boiled Stanley’s blood more than anything to come back from getting his braces tightened to find his twin hiding in their room covered in bruises and scrapes.

“Crampelter!” Stan shouted when he caught sight of the larger kid and his group of ‘friends’ hanging outside the candy shop.

The blond kid barely had time to react before Stan punched him right in the face. Crampelter stumbled back into his friends; the ice cream he had been eating dropped to the ground with a splat.

“What the hell, Pines? You asking for a beating to match your freak brother’s?”

Stanley glared at the three bigger kids; his hands in tight fists.

“No! I am here to pay you back for what you did to Stanford.”

The other two boys pushed Crampelter back to his feet and laughed at the small kid standing in front of them. The ring leader of the bully gang laughing as well even as blood started to leak from his nose from Stanley’s punch.

“Yeah right,” Crampelter laughed as he wiped the blood away, “You are just as weak as your brother.”

“The blood coming from your nose says otherwise,” Stan shot back as he got ready to throw another punch.

“Look, I ain’t in the mood to start another fight. Your freak of a brother came at me first when I was just saying the truth,” Crampelter turned away from Stan, “So flake of, dip stick, before you get hurt.”

Stanley grit his teeth and moved forward to punch Crampelter again but found his hand held back by one of the other kids. The boy growled and moved to try and punch the guy but his other hand was grabbed.

Crampelter shook his head and looked at the boy trapped in his friend’s grasp.

“Should have left when you had the chance, but then again you got a reputation to trying to jump bad with everyone.”

Crampelter pulled back his arm ready to throw a punch. “Might as well give you what you want.”

Stanley struggled against the grip of Crampelter’s goons and the world seemed to start moving in slow motion as the arm came swinging back at him. The child closing his eyes tightly preparing for a hit. At least this way Stanford wouldn’t be the only told he needs to ‘man up’ by their dad at dinner.

A chocked sound of shock and his hands behind released made Stanley open his eyes. Over Crampelter stood a tall man hidden in the shadows of the setting sun and the buildings. The man held Crampelter’s fist and had a deep from on his face.

Stanley knew immediately who it was and grimaced; curse the builders of the pawn shop for putting the easiest accessible way to the fire escape in the room that had to be his older brother’s.

“If I see you trying to hurt one of my brothers again,” the man grit out; hand visibly tightening the grip on the blond’s arm, “You will live to regret it. Understand?”

Crampelter nodded his head and gave a small sound when his arm was released. The boy hurrying to get away from the eldest Pines brother but he did take the chance to knock over the youngest on his hurried escape with his friends.

Stanley wobbled from the push; sending a glare in Crampelter’s direction. The ten-year-old jumping when a hand rested on his shoulder. Stan slowly followed the arm with his eyes to look at his older brother’s face.

“Hi Sherman,” Stanley said in a soft voice filled with hesitance.

“He didn’t hit you did he?”

Stanley gave a fake laugh and brushed Sherman’s hand off his shoulder.

“You kidding? Like they could hurt a Pines.”

Stanley grinned for a moment before a twinge of pain from his jaw came back to remind him of the pain that he had been ignoring since he came home to find Ford in the mess he was. The smile would have dimmed seeing the look on his older brother’s face that clearly read ‘I don’t believe you.’

Stan looked down at the ground and let Sherman lead him back down the road to the house.

“I’m a putz, ain’t I?” Stan mumbled, “I shouldn’t have gone out looking for him.”

“You are not a screw up, Stan,” Sherman sighed, slowing the walking pace down, “You wanted to protect your brother…even if that meant going out when you weren’t supposed to and trying to fight three kids that are way bigger then you.”

Stanley didn’t smile at the bluntness of the statement, the kid just kicking at a rock on the sidewalk unhappily.

“That ain’t helping, Shermie. Fact is I still messed up and you had to come save me.”

Sherman rolled his eyes and stopped his brother from walking any further. The man kneeled down and made Stanley look at him.

“Stan, you’re my brother. I have to come save you for as long as I can go out and do that,” Shermie explained as he messed up Stan’s hair, “Because if I didn’t then Stanford would have no one out there to look after him.”

Stanley stared at Sherman with wide eyes as he started to feel better for this failed attempt at revenge against a bully.

“Us Pines boys gotta stick together?” Stanley asked hesitantly.

Sherman nodded and punched Stan’s shoulder lightly, “Exactly, twerp. Gotta sick together or who knows what might happen.”

Sherman stood up with a small grunt and stretched, “Now. I think you need some ice cream to help with your sore mouth problem and an excuse for you to suddenly be out of the house.”

“Really!?! You’re gonna buy me ice cream!”

Stanley grinned as wide as he can, metal shining in the evening light.

“Who says I am buying?” Sherman joked as they began to walk down the side walk again headed for the small ice cream parlor near their house.