golden boy : stozier

forty two

"no, and don't get me wrong, he's a nice dude, but he is for sure chasing a ghost, you know what i mean?" richie went on, the two discussing ben's hopeless pining for beverly. "like, no way he's catching that shit, especially as long as bill's involved," richie said, stanley snickering.

"no, i can't laugh, i feel bad!" stanley got up, following richie up to his bedroom, "he's a nice guy! he could probably treat her better."

"but is that really what she wants?" richie paused halfway up the stairs, turning around to stanley. stanley's brain didn't kick on fast enough, and he nearly walked right into richie, now looking right into his eyes, less than twenty centimetres away from each other. it made his breath catch in his throat. 

"no, you're probably right," stanley gulped, and richie put his arms out, continuing his walk up the stairs.

"hence lies the problem!" 

richie opened the door to his room, and somehow in the twenty seconds they'd been in the house, the sun had found its place next to the  mountains, sending beams of golden light into richie's room. it made it look lovely, and when richie walked into the light, it embalmed him, stanley freezing in his step. 

richie was so beautiful. he was so beautiful, and he'd been calling him staniel all night, and he'd been teasing him all night. and now, he looked unreal, turning back to glance at stanley. his eyebrows were furrowed in a confused grin. it tempted every sense and want in stanley's body. richie was his beautiful, golden, boy. 

"richie, um, y'know..." and without thinking, stan had lost the end of his sentence, moving forwards to place richie's lips on his. it was immediate, and instinctual, like every piece of affection had felt like with richie. god, richie was so warm. somehow, stan had known richie would be warm, like a blanket in a cool breeze. richie moved quickly, his hands grazing stan's neck to pull him closer.

stan thought he probably looked stupid, his arms hanging loose like a dummy, but he couldn't think of anything else but richie's beauty against him, his stupid kindness and god-like forgiveness and honey touch. they kissed for a sweet, gentle moment, before richie pulled away, grinning wide. it looked brilliant on him, the grin.

"is this okay?" stan asked, every muscle in his body aching to reconnect with richie. richie answered by kissing him again, stanley's arms finally moving to around richie's waist. this is how it is supposed to feel, stan thought. this is what love was supposed to feel like.

richie's gold was seeping into stanley's bloodstream, and stan was grasping at the seam of his shirt, praying he wouldn't wake up. this was real, this was happening, and stan had needed it. he knew there was more to life than love, but right now the evidence for the counterargument was too strong, and too completely gorgeous for him to agree. richie kissed so naturally, and stanley was trying to register the feeling of richie's tongue on his and richie's hands in his hair and on his neck.

the two moved, ever so slightly, until they ended up on richie's bed, richie hovering over top of him as stanley pulled him closer. he wanted to pull richie's hips against his, but he hesitated as richie broke the kiss, pausing. 

"am i—is this too fast? do you want to talk about, um, y'know, or anything?" richie backed away, his hand halfway through pulling through stanley's curls, and stanley laughed gently. he felt heavenly, and a part of him ached in how much yearning he'd endured for this moment. stan moved a hand up to higher on richie's back, and richie seemed to melt into it, inhaling happily.

"honestly, richie, i just want you to kiss me. i've been thinking about this for a long time, so if you don't mind—" that was it, richie kissing him madly. 

richie broke away again, "how long?" stan swore richie was blushing. one of richie's hands had moved to stanley's cheek, his pinky under stan's jaw and thumb ghosting his lip.

"what?" stanley leaned in again, but richie drew back, a smug grin on his face. "oh, fuck off." stan reddened, he was sure of it. 

"how long have you been thinking about this?" richie glanced all over stan's face, the sweetest smile gracing his lips. 

stan tried to look away, but a fundamental part of him couldn't, "how long have you?"

"i asked you first." 

"... since gina gave you that rash on your neck." stan finally took in how well his hands fit on richie's back, like the two had been made to love each other. 

richie moved his thumb along stan's cheek, "you're too cute. i've kinda been thinking about it since you sat down all prim and proper in that armchair." he moved forward to kiss stan's jaw, making him laugh.

stan scratched at richie's back, "oh, you have not, fuck all the way off." 

"have too!" richie replied, his eyes glittering. "i--" he cut himself off, kissing stan chastely. "sorry, i couldn't help myself. i'm gonna close my door, yeah?" his chuckle was perfect, and stan nodded eagerly. 

it had been worth it, everything stan had experienced as a side-effect of richie tozier was wholly worth it in exchange for getting to put his eyes on richie and smile genuinely, watching him come back from shutting his door. he didn't want to talk about what this meant for their friendship. it didn't matter, a part of him told him. a part of him knew this boy was the one he was going to grow old with, no matter what.