timing : stozier

32

may 14/15

"hi!" richie bounded to his door, opening it and seeing stanley standing there already. stanley smiled warmly.

"hi, you would not believe what i had to do yesterday," stanley immediately burst into story mode, and richie grinned at it, taking him inside with a hand. they wandered upstairs to richie's bed as stanley kept talking, "i was on a walk and some lady asked me to herd her dogs for her! i was very confused, but it was this little old lady walking, like, six big dogs. needless to say, i herded some dogs yesterday."

richie chuckled here and there and they made it into richie's bedroom.

"you look really cute, stan" richie said casually, sitting down on his bed against the bed frame. stanley sat down too, a little awkwardly. stanley mumbled a thank you, brushing his hair out of his face with his hand. richie put an arm around stan, who leaned his head on richie's chest. richie took stanley's hand with his own and they sat there. it might've been a little weird, but when wasn't the atmosphere between them at least a little weird?

"can i ask it?" richie asked suddenly, stanley tilting his head to look at richie. richie's nose was very close to stan's face and a bit magnified. stan stifled a giggle and nodded his head. stanley honestly couldn't tell what it was, so he figured he'd let richie ask it.

"if... if you like me, can we be like, dating? i feel kinda bad asking because i don't wanna guilt you into anything, but you said to me that you liked me, and you seem to be kinda comfortable with a little bit of affection in public. and-like-yeah." richie cut himself off before he talked for too long, his thumb nervously running over stanley's. stanley felt a gulp of air caught his throat, and prayed for his heart to still its incessant beating.

"uh... rich... um," stanley spit out, richie taking the hint. richie's thumb stopped running over stan's. "i want to, rich, i think? but, i don't know, and i'm still scared, and--"

"we don't have to, it's fine," richie's voice was dejected, but he had kind of expected that answer. stanley clung tighter to richie's hand and leaned further into richie, like that would make things better.

"we just have the same conversation every time, and, and i want more. i'm sorry." richie clarified, melting to the touch of stanley in his side.

thick silence sat between them as richie awaited any kind of response from stan. anything. he held his breath as he waited, and stan could tell.

"no, i'm sorry. can we be okay?" stanley asked, now running his thumb over richie's pointer finger. richie finally exhaled, a deep sigh. then he swallowed his spit, and thought for a moment.

"yeah. we can, we can be okay," richie mumbled, "i just wish... you know." richie buried his face into stan's hair. he placed kisses on stan's scalp. and slowly, a small smile rose on richie's face, still dug into stanley's locks. 

"richie, i can't wait to be grown up." stanley changed the subject, talking softly. 

"what do you mean?" richie asked. he knew stan wanted out of this town, they all did, but stanley expressed it the most, in small side comments or glares at the concrete beneath him. 

"i wa--don't take this the wrong way, but i want to be grown up, where i have a steady job, i can pay my rent or mortgage, and this just seems like teenage angst. i want to not have to worry about this anymore." stanley spoke, and his voice cracked. richie thought about what to say, and had to turn away to sneeze. this omitted a giggle from stan, and a smile from richie. 

"yeah, i... i get that. i can't wait to get out of here. this town, i mean." richie sympathized. "i think we'll be happier. this town sucks the life out of you like a goddamn dementor. derry, hey?"

"derry." stanley replied.