temptations : stozier

1

"are you waiting for an invitation?"

richie hadn't heard stanley pull up on his bike, assuming he'd already been there. instead, stan had caught richie staring up at the synagogue. in a way, it was embarrassing, richie didn't really care about the brick of the building or the marble column, he'd just sort of been wondering what about it was supposed to be godly.

"nah, i thought you were inside," richie was still stood, mounted on his bike. he scratched the top of his head. the whole concept of god was laughable to richie—who wouldn't laugh at the concept of a big old man in the sky? but stanley had always taken it so seriously. especially in the last year, it seemed his loyalty to his so-called god was intense, in a way richie couldn't comprehend. 

"no, i'm thirty minutes early. why are you so early?" stanley narrowed his eyes at richie. what, was a guy not allowed to want to see his friend? god forbid, literally.

"bored." richie shrugged. he wasn't jealous of god. probably.

"okay," richie could see stanley muttering something under his breath as he kicked (and then unkicked, and then kicked again) his bike stand, placing it next to the wall. richie sat back down on the seat of his bike. 

a silence sat between them for a moment, stanley straightening his shirt. briefly, richie wondered why he'd biked here instead of just being driven. surely his parents were coming.

"so..." richie started, nodding slowly at nothing, "you excited to get it lobbed off?"

stan immediately sighed. "how many times have we talked about this, richie? circumcis—"

"i'm joking! i just wanted this to be less weird." richie threw his hands up in defense.

"what? what's weird?" 

"i'm the only loser invited to your bar mitzvah, isn't that weird? i mean, i'm flattered, stan, i'm basically blushing, but i'm also a little scared. what if your nonno looks me up and down in a disgusting little perverted way!?" richie laughed at himself, but stan only continued to stare at him, no longer perplexed, now irritated.

"shut up! i was only allowed to invite one of you." 

richie furrowed his eyebrows, "the fuck? it's literally your bar mitzvah. don't you guys normally throw like huge parties for this shit?" 

stanley rolled his eyebrows, "you say that like your dad isn't jewish, richie."

"yeah, my dad, so i wouldn't know, dude!" besides, richie's dad wasn't very religious in the first place. richie had learned far more from watching stanley go insane wanting to please god than he had from his dad.

stan approached the door, richie still perfectly still on his bike. after a moment, stanley rubbed his eyes, then spoke, "my parents thought that would go to my head, or something. so it's just a ceremony. and i don't mind, i think the big parties aren't really focusing on the religious aspects enough." he picked at his nails.

richie snorted, "you would think that."

"okay? fuck off. i've gotta get inside." stan put his hand on the door, but didn't push. almost like an invitation, richie thought. he kicked his bike stand out and lifted a leg over the bike.

"am i allowed to come in?" he hobbled off the bike a little bit. stan pursed his lips.

"i'm just gonna be upstairs, writing passages, so i don't think there's much to see. you'd probably distract me, anyway, so maybe just loiter for another half an hour." stan took his hand off the door. 

okay, so not an invitation. richie shrugged.

"alright. see you soon, then."

"yeah."

stanley had only pushed the door halfway open when he stopped himself, richie looking up from his parking his bike. 

"um, i invited you because your dad is jewish, so i thought you'd feel the least weird being there. sorry if it makes you feel weird. i wasn't trying to single you out." stanley held the door, halfway open, and spoke rather quietly, in a way that felt unlike him. richie's chest hurt suddenly. he swallowed his pride.

"oh, okay. if you say so, staniel." richie waited until the door had shut behind stanley, with a loud thud, before kicking his stand back up, getting on his bike, and beginning to pedal.