timing : stozier

49

december 23/24

a/n: don't worry especially if you can't remember these secondary characters, jamie and axel are all of the new bunch that you really need to know ! jamie is a boy, by the way, for clarification.

i hate it here

axel: hey hey hey ! where is everyone today

jamie: i am at home by myself

jamie: kathy is working

roy: i was gonna go to the bar tonight

francis: i was gonna go with roy

axel: can we all get drunk tonight

axel: bar hop and shit

jamie: YOOOOOOOOOOO absolutely.

jamie: is richie coming ?

axel: he's sleeping right now but naw i think he'd wanna stay home

axel: he doesn't really like getting drunk

jamie: lame i don't think i've seen him get drunk once

roy: that's because he was an alcoholic for 3 years, idiots. he's almost one year sober, i think now

axel: oh i'm sorry are you the expert on my fiancé?

roy: lmao whatever i'm just saying

jamie: ohhh yeah that makes sense

francis: LMAOO so guys are we going bar hopping tonight?

axel: absolutely man

jamie: we can chill at my house before 

jamie: you all good w coming over at 3 or something ? 

axel: yeah dope

"axel, i have a question," richie had sleepily gotten out of bed to glom onto axel, who sat at the kitchen counter. axel chucked and turned to him, basically holding richie up. 

axel cocked an eyebrow, "what's up?" he asked, rubbing his hands up and down richie's sides. 

"can i hang out with some friends today?" richie said, axel smiling warmly and nodding. he pecked richie on the lips who blinked drowsily.

"of course you can. who?" axel purred to richie, who smiled. richie finally kept himself standing up, and richie rubbed his eyes. richie sat down on the chair next to axel.

"bill, maybe eddie, and..." richie suddenly found himself less tired. his stomach churned a little (he didn't want to think it, but) in the good way. he prayed for his ears to remain their normal colour, "and stanley." he finished. 

"who are they? i don't think you've ever mentioned them," if axel did hear the hesitancy in richie's voice, it didn't show in his response. he tucked a strand of hair behind richie's ear. richie smiled clumsily.

"uh, childhood friends." richie replied. axel paused, his hand on richie's cheek.

"the childhood friends? " axel asked hesitantly. richie realized he had talked about them, but never named them. he didn't ever want axel to speak stan's name in vain, and axel had talked shit about the boy "you used to date".

"no. no, these were different ones." richie lied through his teeth, hoping axel hadn't listened carefully enough to his stories to know richie hadn't had any other friends. 

"oh, okay, sure" axel kissed richie's forehead and got up, walking off to the bedroom. richie breathed out a sigh of relief. he put his hand in the pocket of his pyjama pants, finding his phone there. 

jamie: r u really not coming tonight ?? boring

richie: i just checked the gc my bad i just woke up

richie: no i'm hanging out with other people today

jamie: dude what other people

richie: you jealous?

jamie: no wtf

richie: it was a joke

jamie: u dont make jokes tf

richie: anyway. i told u abt bill eds and stan that one night at ur house right

jamie: yeah??

richie: yeah its them they're in town

jamie: ????????????

jamie: does axel know ????

richie: uh no i lied to him and i know that's not good but he's axel i know he'd have one of his freak outs if i told him it's my ex from childhood that i was basically in love with so. this is the only time i'm gonna lie to him i swear i love axel n i would never wanna hurt axel so pls dont tell him and its not like im still in love with stan so its fine right??

jamie: chill i lie to kathy all the time that doesn't mean we're bad for each other

richie: it doesn't ?

jamie: no it's whatever. i'm sure she lies to me too

richie: oh okay

jamie: alright well have a good time with your  past love

richie: shut up

richie sighed and put his head on the counter. the cold marble on his face felt soothing, but also uncomfortable. he shoved his hands in his hair, remembering axel's suggestion about cutting his hair. his fingers got tangled in his hair. 

"richie, babe?" axel poked his head out of the bedroom door, his bare shoulder exposed. richie raised his eyebrows to show he noticed the question. 

"do you want to take a shower with me?" axel said, richie turning back towards the counter and putting his phone on it. he shook his head subtly, dismissing the thoughts in his head. 

richie breathed in, "sure," he got up.

"he's real!" was the first thing out of bill's mouth upon seeing richie, a giant smile spreading across his face. richie put his arms out and bill came running towards him, wrapping him in a hug. in that moment, it occurred to richie that he had never hugged bill like this before. 

stanley was standing on the other side of the room, smiling warmly. one side of his mouth was tugged up more than the other, and richie smiled back at stan from bill's grip.

"i am, in fact, real!" richie laughed, letting go of bill as the two stumbled from each other's grip. bill let richie actually walk into stan's apartment. richie took a look around and chuckled, marvelling at how there was a couple boxes stacked together and some messy desks.

they really had grown up, he guessed. 

he walked towards stan and almost reached out for a hug, but it felt weird now. don't get richie wrong, it felt right, but he almost felt like he was disrespecting axel. he'd already lied, and now?but he had hugged bill, and that hadn't been wrong. 

stanley noticed richie just standing there, and he put a hand out for richie to shake. richie shook it, and the three of them gathered together. 

"where's eddie-spaghetti? little spaghetti-fuckin-meister?" richie asked, looking around. 

"he's at work, he'll be home tonight sometime, and we can go to my place later if you want," bill said, richie's eyebrows furrowing together. richie nodded slowly, still bewildered at something.

"big bill doesn't have a stutter!" he realized, bill nodding and smiling. stanley watched the two , his vision sitting mostly on richie. since the coffee shop, richie was acting a lot more like he had as a teenager. he had been so shy, so reserved, so nervous at the coffee shop. here, he was... he was in his element.

"what do you guys say about dinner?"