timing : stozier

41

august 15/16

a/n: enjoy some good song quotes 

richie hopped onto the counter in stan's kitchen. he screeched as he did, or maybe that was the counter itself. old marble and all. nonetheless, he scooted himself back, until his back was touching the wall and he was sitting cross-legged.

"how am i supposed to cook when you're taking up 80% of the counter space?" stanley asked, his mom laughing from the other room. richie shrugged. stan brought out the ingredients he was using for dinner, and scoffed. richie had left him just enough space for the cutting board, essentially.

"jesus christ." stan muttered, a smile stretching across richie's face. richie turned around and began to connect his phone to a speaker next to him, stan sighing in expectance. soon enough, the music started blaring through the speaker, and a smile appeared on stan's face as well. 

stanley started chopping vegetables. he chopped them to the beat of the song, humming along as richie sang abrasively. stanley found it charming, honestly. richie was always, completely, utterly himself. 

eventually stanley was shuffling his feet across the floor, his socks taking him from one end to the other on the hardwood floors. richie jumped off the counter and danced with him, them holding hands and swinging each other. stanley laughed, and richie admired him for a moment. 

"you're out of touch! i'm out of time!" richie shouted, jumping along to the song. 

"but i'm out of my head when you're not around!" stanley finished the lyric, bumping into richie, and the two giggled. 

they broke into even smiles and stan returned to his vegetables as the song calmed down. a smile rested on stan's face. richie decided right then and there, it was all he needed for the rest of his life. stanley's smile. 

it wasn't like he hadn't already made that realization, though.

stanley placed all the chopped vegetables on a hot frying pan, nodding his head to the new song. richie was, of course, singing along. 

they stayed in the kitchen for a while, stanley cooking a mean stir fry while richie entertained him. richie's voice was worn out, and so he was resting against the fridge. stanley smiled warmly at him. 

"you're sleeping over tonight, right?" stanley clarified, richie nodding excitedly. 

"absolutely," richie's raspy voice replied. 

stan wandered over to richie, and leaned next to him. he hummed a happy agreement.

"stanley, how's dinner coming along?" stan's dad appeared in the doorway and stanley snapped up straight. richie, trying to be subtle, slowly straightened his back, standing in front of the fridge instead of leaning on it. stanley took a step away from richie. 

"it's good, it's almost done. i'll set the table soon." stanley said, back to his frying pan. he stood stiffly, whereas richie had a sort of smile on his face and muttered hello to stan's father. 

"okay. and stanley?" his father looked over at stanley. 

"yes?" stanley replied.

he looked to stan, and then richie, and then stan again, "i'm not stupid. don't treat me like i'm stupid," he said, his vision back on richie. he sighed through his nose and walked away. stanley froze, stiffer than before. richie waited until stan's dad was entirely out of sight and earshot before walking up behind stan. 

stan looked down, his hands on the counter and his back hunched over. richie put his hands on stan's shoulders, squeezing. he gave him a sort of massage, stanley tensing further for a moment before relaxing. he yelped a little, richie snickering at the noise. 

"it's okay," richie whispered, stanley exhaling and nodding. richie's hands trailed off of stanley's back and stanley turned to face him, a warm but saddened smile on his face. they shared a moment of eye contact.

richie couldn't stop thinking. 

all stanley could think about was richie. 

they were the only people who existed in that moment, everything else seemed to face around them. the music faded out, the lights dimmed, the smell of stir fry dissipated from the air, until it was just the two of them standing there. richie was standing there in front of stan, looking right into his lovely, honey brown eyes. they sparkled with a story to tell. stanley was standing there right in front richie, gazing into what must have been the darkest eyes stan had ever seen. they were absolutely magnified behind richie's glasses, but stanley didn't mind one bit. 

"your food is steaming," richie broke the moment, stan turning back to the stovetop to take care of it. the two both reddened a little. richie pushed his glasses up his face. 

stanley nervously pushed around at the food in the pan with a wooden spoon, thinking about what his father had said. did he really know? stan knew they weren't the most secretive, but it wasn't like they had done anything around his dad except stand near each other. 

he turned the dial on the stove off, it clicking. richie began to take out plates and cutlery, going to set the table. having known stan for a long time, these dinner/sleepovers were routine for richie and stan. richie wandered back into the kitchen, everything nice and set out on the dining table. he took stanley by the waist, who hummed happily.

"rich.." stanley mumbled, richie knowing to let go. he always knew. stanley was grateful for that. 

after dinner, they were lying in stanley's bed, on top of the duvet, next to each other. richie was holding his hand. stanley stared straight to the ceiling, richie still playing music from a small speaker. richie was mumbling along to it, like always. stanley sighed with content. 

"i'm glad i know you." stanley mused, rolling over onto richie, lying down on top of him, "really glad." stanley lifted his head up, putting one hand on richie's cheek. with the other hand, he removed richie's glasses, putting them to the side. richie hummed along, a smile sitting comfortably on his face. 

"my mind is open wide i think of it a thousand times, that empty space left in my bed from when you stayed the night," richie sang along to the song, stanley tapping his fingers on richie's face. richie leaned forward and kissed stanley. stan smiled warmly, and kissed him back. they kissed for a moment, backing away a couple centimetres from each other's faces. their noses were touching, both of them smiling, entranced. 

"richie," stan breathed out, "richie i'm in love w-"

"don't say it," richie interrupted him, stan raising an eyebrow. "you know i love you, stanley. so please, no questions asked, don't say it," richie pleaded, stanley nodding. stanley kissed him again, a simple okay to richie's request. and richie kissed him back, his hands on stanley's hips.