timing : stozier

69

august 24/25

a/n: nice

mike grinned.

"i totally got that one right! they were being dicks," richie argued, probably louder than the taxi driver would have liked. stanley laughed obnoxiously, lightly smacking richie.

"saying that the word taint is slang for dick is not right, you idiot," stanley said in reply, bill groaning. 

sure, it wasn't super ideal to have 4 people (plus the driver) in a cab, but the driver hadn't seemed against it, so stanley, mike, and richie took it like champions and squished together. like the grown men they were, going to bill and eddie's after a trivia night.

stanley couldn't help but smile.

maybe they really had grown up a little.

"we're here," bill announced, the cab driver letting out a sigh. richie found it kind of funny, but he didn't blame the cab driver. he'd be tired if he had to deal with 4 men running off the high of winning a trivia night. god, what losers they were.

"get, get off-rich!" stanley shifted, laughing at the way richie cackled, shuffling off of stanley getting out of the cab. mike grabbed richie's forearm and lifted him up onto the sidewalk. stanley thanked the driver while bill counted out money. he handed it over, getting soaked in the process. 

the cab sped away with a splash against bill, who groaned and shook his hair. 

"do you thinks eds is here yet?" richie asked, standing directly in the downpour, completely unbothered. stanley found a place to stand, covered, and mike hunched over, looking at his phone.

"they left like 10 minutes before us, i'm sure they're here" mike reassured him, texting eddie to ask anyway. richie scuffed the bottom of his shoe across a puddle, trailing water everywhere.

"it's not my fault it took forever for bill to flag down a cab!" richie complained lightheartedly, crossing his arms in joking distaste. bill turned to richie, still shaking the water off his jacket (which wasn't super helpful, considering it was still pouring down onto the jacket anyway).

"it's pouring rain, and it's august. i didn't exactly come puh-prepared with neon signs. what am i supposed to do, stand in the street?" bill said. he was right, it was weird for it to rain in august, especially considering it wasn't particularly cold that night. you've never felt weird weather until you're in the middle of warm rain. sort-of like a nice shower but with your clothes on.

"yes, it's called a sacrifice, billiam do you love me or not?" richie asked, placing his hands on bill's shoulders. richie immediately regretted the action and shook his hands. bill's jacket was absorbing water by the second. richie backed up a little, and stanley sighed quietly.

bill rolled his eyes as stanley pulled richie by the arm under the cover of the steps in front of the building. the two shared a moment of eye contact, uninterrupted by the patter of rain in front of them or the splashes any stranger made on the pavement. it was nothing but stanley, his fingertips still grazing richie's arm, not willing to let go, and richie, blinking raindrops off of his eyelashes to see the intricacies of stanley's face better. stanley pushed richie's hair, soaking wet, above his forehead and back. richie smiled softly.

"they are here! buzz that shit," mike said, stanley turning around to press a button on the wall. richie watched stanley turn with intent before glancing at mike. mike raised an eyebrow knowingly.

- 

"hey, stan," richie caught him just as stanley walked out of the extra bedroom towards the bathroom.

"yeah?" stanley turned around, extra toothbrush in hand. he stood blankly, waiting for richie to say something. richie gulped. he looked down at the floor, and back up to stanley.

the two were crashing at bill and eddie's. truthfully, stanley simply did not feel awake enough to even cab home, and richie hadn't yet moved his stuff into his new place. 

"um, i... can i say something?" richie scuffed the floor lightly with the top of his foot. he took a couple steps closer to stanley.

"of course, rich" stanley sounded so welcoming, if not slightly nervous. richie took note of the way he adjusted his grip on the toothbrush. stanley raised an eyebrow at richie's silence.

"uh... after i left derry i spent so much time wondering if i'd ever, like, see you guys again. um, and i had to come to terms with the fact that i wouldn't and.. i guess that's when i forgot about...? not the point, anyway, i was thinking about that recently and uh... i'm glad you came back into my life, stan," richie almost felt like sweating, he had gotten so warm so fast, "what i'm saying, is, uh, we only have so much time, together, like, in life--i didn't mean this to sound so pretentious and poetic--" richie cleared his throat nervously. 

stanley laughed softly. he stayed silent, urging richie to go on.

"i'm... i..." 

you want too much. he doesn't love you.

richie sighed, "i'm just really glad you're back. i'm really grateful to have you."

you know he doesn't love you. not like i did.

shut up, richie tells his thoughts (that happen to sound like axel). 

stanley smiled sweetly, "i'm really glad you're back in my life too, richie. you're my best friend, you know that." the smile stayed on his face, but it felt a little forced.

he doesn't care. i told you.

"patty might have some choice words about that," richie laughed dryly, still running hi foot against the wooden floors. stanley's smile spread in a more genuine way across his face, and his eyes crinkled.

"you don't have to tell her," stanley said, flipping the toothbrush in his hand to hold it more comfortably. richie glanced to the ground again and then back to stanley.

"our little secret, huh?" richie joked. he followed it with a fake smile.

stanley hesitated, "our little secret."

"yeah... goodnight staniel," richie walked past stanley, feeling his head begin to hurt.

"goodnight rich." stanley's goodnight was far too quiet for richie to tell his voice had cracked.