timing : stozier

65

april 24/25

when stanley knocked on the door, he could tell richie was hesitating to open it, and stan tapped his foot patiently on the ground. if he had been looking in the peephole, he would've seen richie's face appear haphazardly.

the door opened slowly, and richie's looked out just to make sure it was stanley. stanley smiled sadly. richie ushered him inside, and stanley closed the door behind him.

"hey, rich," stanley started, watching the way richie's hands trembled. richie fiddled with his pockets while staring anywhere but stanley's eyes.

richie gulped, "i'm sorry i asked you to come over so early, i'm just a little scared of, uhh... i..." he trailed off. he continued to look around nervously. stanley frowned at how clearly distressed he was.

"he came by my apartment this morning." stanley said.

"what?"

"axel. he kinda barged in and demanded me to tell him where you were. said you relapsed. i told him to get out." he clarified, figuring that was most likely was richie was scared about. 

this may have been a bit of an inappropriate tangent of thought to wander off into, but stanley wondered how someone like richie had ever ended up with someone like axel. richie was one of the best (or perhaps the best) people stanley had ever met, and axel seemed so... vile. honestly, stanley was a little afraid that part of axel's tendency to be stubborn and aggressive had contributed to richie getting with him in the first place. 

"oh my god i'm so sorry holy shit--" richie spoke rapidly and against his better judgement, stanley placed a hand on richie's shoulder. richie quieted.

"you have nothing to apologize for, richie." stanley took his hand back, and richie crossed his arms, looking at the ground. he inhaled sharply.

"he's a dick." richie may not have known what he wanted, but he knew at least one thing: he did not want axel.

"... you said it," stanley bit his tongue.

"i'm so..." richie paused, afraid of what might come out. "stan, i'm scared of him."

"i..." 

"an-and none of my fucking friends will help me other than you guys. well, i don't fucking know, maybe roy would, but jamie's a fucking asshole and i am so fucking angry, and i don't know what the fuck to do" richie continued to talk quietly, but he hissed more than he spoke, and yet his hands continued shaking. he brought a hand up to his face and started chewing on one of his nails.

"hey, richie, we'll help you. okay? you're safe from him now, he doesn't know where bill lives, and i won't let him hurt you ever again." stanley said, richie finally making steady eye contact with him. it was stanley who broke the eye contact this time. he cleared his throat softly.

"are bill and eds awake?" stanley asked, shuffling his shoes off of his feet. 

richie shrugged, "bill's sleeping like a rock, and i think eddie is possibly awake but doesn't want to get out of bed." richie brought his hand down from his face and appeared to calm down.

"ah, yeah i should've expected that." stanley nodded. he looked around, "have you had breakfast?"

"um, not really, i had a couple vitamins," richie answered, scratching the back of his head. stanley glanced to an analog clock hanging up in the kitchen and then nodded to himself.

"i'll make french toast. bill may be able to sleep through earthquakes but i doubt he can sleep through a loud-ass pan." stanley reached below the oven and pulled out a frying pan as richie sat down.

time passed and richie sat at the kitchen island while stanley brought him through his aunt's french toast recipe. she was nowhere close to french (though neither is french toast, technically) but she did make a mean breakfast.

by the time stanley had made about three pieces, richie sighed through his nose and looked from the table to stan.

"hey, stan," he said, stanley turning to look at him. richie opened his mouth, "when i-"

"oh, the whole gang is here, look at that." bill walked into the kitchen, snorting a little. he shuffled over to the island in his slippers, and eddie came soon after.

stanley winked at richie, but richie couldn't tell whether it meant told you a frying pan would wake them up or tell me later.

"oh. hi stan." eddie said, rubbing his eyes and walking towards the coffee machine. bill nudged eddie softly and mumbled something about making him a cup of coffee, too. "do you all want coffee?" he asked, and stanley shook his head. 

richie bit his tongue, "sure."

"so stanley, not that i mind you cooking french toast for us on this fine morning, but why exactly are you here?" bill asked, sitting down next to richie and leaning his head on richie's shoulder. richie looked over at him, watching bill's eyes close. he looked back to stanley, slightly panicked.

oh, stanley thought, he hasn't told them why he's here

"i... i brought by some books and i was thinking of asking you guys if you wanted any of them." was it a lie? yes. did stanley have books he was planning on giving away sitting in the trunk of his car? also yes! sometimes life works out nicely. sometimes. 

"oh, cool." eddie remarked, getting out a second mug for bill and a third mug for richie. 

richie shuffled a bit, the weight of bill on his shoulder heavier and heavier by the second. 

"anyway, lucky coincidence richie was here, and awake, when i got here. i forgot you two aren't morning people." stanley said, flipping a piece of bread. he got out plates absentmindedly, and richie admired how he knew bill and eddie's kitchen so well. 

"you can say that again," eddie replied, leaning against the counter staring at bill, who was asleep once again on richie's shoulder. eddie crossed his arms. richie laughed quietly, only shaking bill's head a little. "bill?" eddie said, bill still completely asleep. eddie sighed out his nose and smiled a little. he moved forward and lightly smacked the top of bill's head.

bill shot up, "good morning, america" he mumbled. the other three laughed a little, and a smile spread across bill's sleepy face. 

eddie grabbed bill's mug and placed it in front of him, wandering around to the fridge. he took the milk out and slid it across the island in front of bill, who was blinking rapidly to wake up better. eddie also placed richie's mug in front of him, and poured them their coffee. bill leaned forward and kissed eddie on the cheek. 

it was stanley's turn to place plates of french toast on the island top, and the four gathered around.

"shit. your aunt maralyn was on to something, my god" richie said, french toast stuffed in his mouth. stanley smiled.