tutor; stenbrough

25

25
tw: discussion of anxiety

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when bill clicks the small call button next to stanley's contact information, he's expecting the other boy to pick up pretty quickly, as the two of them had been texting one another just seconds prior. but stanley takes a few extra moments, nervous, to collect himself before he hits accept.

"i didn't think you were going to answer," bill teases as soon as the line connects, his tone as light as ever.

stanley shifts in his desk chair a bit, the discomfort he always gets from speaking on the phone setting in, and he responds, "i didn't take that long."

"you took forever," the football player exaggerates, and although stanley can't see his face, he can picture the sly smirk on his pink lips and the mischievous look that bill's eyes always hold when he insists on teasing him. "i almost just gave up."

stanley rolls his eyes to himself. "yeah, okay, sure."

a moment of silence stretches on, but stanley barely notices this as he tries to even his breathing, which had become uneven due to his anxiety. it's quiet for a few seconds, and then bill says, "you don't take phone calls often, do you?"

it's less of a question and more of an observation, but stan still doesn't see how bill could have observed that from the one minute they'd been speaking. curious, he replies, "um, no, not really. why, how'd you know that?"

"your breathing sounds a little shallow," it's only after he's already said this out loud that bill realizes how weird he must sound. his face burns, and he's glad that stanley can't see the rosy hue that his cheeks had suddenly taken on. before stan can answer, bill rushes to explain, "sorry, no, i just mean, my little brother, he has anxiety. he doesn't like phone calls, so he avoids them most of the time, but when he has to take one, his breathing gets a little shallow," bill is shaking his head at himself. "i'm sorry, i really shouldn't have assumed anything."

there's a long pause as his words float in the space between them, passing through the line and hanging there, waiting for a response. stanley doesn't say anything right away, and while this concerns bill, his own heart beating just a little bit too fast, stanley's lips are now the one's curled up just slightly in the corners.

once the silence has stretched on for almost too long, and bill is about to start apologizing all over again, a sound comes from through the receiver, preventing bill from saying anything else. but instead of a real response, stanley is laughing.

at first, the laughter is so quiet, and bill is so shocked, that he thinks he must be losing his mind. he'd barely ever seen stanley smile, not to mention heard him laugh. but the suspicion is proven, against his greater disbelief, and there stanley is, chuckling quietly over the phone.

it takes a long moment for bill's surprise to wear off, and once it finally does, or at least enough for him to speak, he cracks a smile of his own, his heart slowing back down to it's normal pace, and he asks, "what? what's so funny?"

stanley shakes his head, although he knows this doesn't translate to william, and the tiny, amused smile remains on his lips as he replies, "i just never thought that you would be the one stumbling over your words, that's all."

"what do you mean?" bill inquires now, laying back on his bed and peering up at the dull grey ceiling above him as he awaits an explanation.

"i mean, i thought i was the shy one with anxiety. oh, and the bad social skills, as you remind me. you're supposed to be the confident, charming, charismatic jock. shouldn't i be the one struggling to talk to you?"

bill doesn't answer right away, and stanley can't really picture his reaction, but he sure isn't expecting the smugness in bill's tone when he comes back with, "so you think i'm charming and charismatic?"

stanley can barely stop himself from the laughter that erupts from his lips, and while he tries to calm it, bill thinks that maybe, just maybe, he'd like to be the cause of a laugh like that again sometime.

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hehe, anyway!