timing : stozier

51

december 23/24

"do you not understand why i'm angry?" axel groaned in frustration, richie standing in the corner of the bedroom. axel held his head in his hands. first a wicked hangover, and now this. 

"no axel, i get it, but," richie started, but got cut off, axel taking his face out of his hands to continue to berate richie. 

"i was so worried! i knew you were going out with them, but i don't even fucking know them! what if you had gotten hurt? how was i supposed to know that you were over there with them? you didn't tell me!" axel yelled, richie shaking his head in the corner of the bedroom. 

"i know! i'm sorry!" richie shouted back, the two of them equally angry. axel essentially growled to himself, upset with richie. 

"and you answered my fucking call only to hang up on me. what the fuck kind of a dick move?" axel asked, throwing his phone on the bed only for it to bounce off onto the floor. axel didn't notice.

"you were yelling at me!" richie rebutted, standing up for himself for the first time in... well... a long time.

"richie, i was scared! i love you! and you didn't even tell me who they were!" axel said, gesticulating his hands everywhere around the room. 

"what do you mean? i literally said they're childhood friends!" richie screeched.

"yeah? did you, richie? because i remember you fucking lying to my face. jamie told me who they really are, you asshole," axel said, richie freezing in his tracks. richie's ears lit up like an alarm, and axel pursed his lips. "if you had just told me it was the dickhead stanley that you were in love with, maybe i'd understand better." axel's eyes watered, and richie's embarrassed stature was not helping axel, who wondered aloud, "are you cheating on me?" 

it was richie's turn for his eyes to water, but he was desperate not to cry. "no, i-i'm not fucking cheating on you," he said softly. 

"don't swear at me," axel growled, stepping closer to richie.

"axel, i would never cheat on you. i love you so much, you know that!" richie willed himself not to cry, and it worked, because the tears disappeared. axel shook his head at richie's words.

"really? because i don't even think you've said that in the last few days." axel scoffed, crossing his arms. richie reached out for axel, but axel stepped away.

"what? yes i have," richie said, cracking his knuckles nervously.

"no you haven't richard, don't make that shit up." axel huffed, richie swallowing every thought that popped into his head and the words that bubbled at the bottom of his throat. 

"have i? an-and you know i don't like it when anyone calls me richard," richie spoke back, putting his finger out to point at axel. axel rolled his eyes and looked away from richie.

"don't use that tone with me. it's not like i don't care, richie, i make the effort to tell you i love you, and you don't do anything." axel replied, richie immediately faltering and looking down to the ground. his ears burnt red hot and he fumbled with his fingers. god, why did he have to fuck this up? he had been doing so good.

"i-i-axel-i'm sorry, okay? look, i know i lied, i-i didn't want you to be nervous, but we're just friends! i could never cheat on you, axel! how long have we been together?" richie defended himself, axel looking away sourly. richie reached out towards axel again, but axel refused to take his hands.

"oh, so you're not in love with me anymore?" axel snapped back, looking richie up and down.

"axel, listen to me," richie interjected before axel could say anything more, anything about stanley, "i love you, okay? i'm in love with you, i wouldn't fucking get married to you if i didn't love you," richie exploded, yelling in a way that (horrifically) reminded him of his father. 

"don't fucking swear at me!" axel smashed his fist down on the bedside table, rattling it so much a glass fell off onto the floor, shattering. he looked down at it in shock as richie flinched.

"axel!"

"i'm sorry," axel started crying, now it was him reaching out for richie, "i know that w-was an overreaction, but i get so worried about you, bubba," axel said, richie shuddering involuntarily. richie slowly and tentatively took axel's hands in his own.

"i'm sorry. i'm sorry, axe." richie apologized, axel placing his face in richie's chest, now wrapping his arms around richie. richie put his arms down on axel's back. he rubbed his back.

"promise me you'll never do that again," axel mumbled into richie's shirt. richie put his head next to axel's and sat down on the bed, bringing axel down with him.

"i promise i'll never stay at someone's without telling you, okay?" richie muttered. axel reached his head up and kissed richie's neck. richie felt chills down his back.

"okay. an-and i'm still not sure about how i feel about you hanging out with stanley." axel added, richie tensing up. he still felt anger thinking about the way axel had referred to stan as, "that dickhead", but he pushed it aside. 

"you can meet him, and you'll see we're just friends, okay? i'm sure they'd love to meet you," richie suddenly decided, unsure if this was the best or worst decision he had ever made. 

"you wouldn't be ashamed to show me to them?" axel retracted his hands to put them on richie's chest, and he looked up to richie. axel kissed richie passionately for a moment, taking richie by surprise.

"what? no, axel." richie answered his question.

"okay. i love you." axel buried his face back into richie.

richie didn't hesitate, "i love you too," but he wasn't sure about whether that was because he meant it or because he had fallen into habit. he immediately felt bad for thinking it.