timing : stozier

58

december 23/24

"have you eaten dinner?" stanley asked briefly, shuffling through a couple envelopes and flyers that he'd put on his kitchen table earlier that day. he was reminded of jamie saying richie had a list of dinners to cook. 

"uh, no, not really," richie mumbled, unsure where to sit in the house. he looked around nervously, and stan motioned with his head to the couch. richie smiled gratefully and sat down. 

"okay, cool, me neither. i was going to order greek food. is that okay?" stanley said, putting his flyers down and picking up his phone. he waited for an answer from richie, watching richie zone out on the couch.

"yeah, for sure," richie finally replied. a silence hung in the air and stanley was going to ask him what he wanted, but he decided richie probably didn't want to speak much. a harsh contrast from the richie that stanley knew. it had been a long time since stanley had seen richie so closed off.

"alright." stanley said softly. in the back of his head, too, he kinda knew what richie wanted anyway. while searching for the flyer with the greek place's number, he watched richie out of the corner of his eye. richie scratched at his nails and appeared to bite his cheek. 

richie sat there quietly while stanley ordered over the phone, speaking softly and kindly. richie smiled a little when stanley asked for extra pita bread. 

after stan hung up, the two sat in quiet for a bit, stanley holding back from humming the song that was stuck in his head. stan opened an envelope and hummed at what was inside. he looked up and saw that richie looked apprehensive, about to ask a question. stanley looked back down.

"can i be uncomfortably honest?" richie asked the question.

"hmm?" stanley replied, running a hand through his hair as he set the envelope down and looked up to richie.

"i miss drinking." richie said, leaning back in his seat, exhausted. stanley's eyebrows twisted up in concern, but richie didn't look like he was going to move, really.

"definitely for the better that you're not having it though, right?" stanley asked. he hadn't ever really experienced addiction, so he didn't know how to handle with richie's alcoholism. if he was being completely frank, richie getting addicted to alcohol hadn't been a huge surprise to stanley. that wasn't to say he wasn't incredibly glad richie was recovering, but it made sense with what he knew about richie's parents. 

"oh definitely, but i miss it so fucking much. but i was such a fucking asshole. but i really feel like i need it right now." richie stated, covering his face with his hands. he pulled a little at his hair, and stanley felt like he should tell him not to.

"well, uhh, if it helps you out, you don't need it. sorry, not an expert at this. kinda useless, in fact," stanley replied, extremely unsure. 

"it's okay. i really sucked. once, i got so drunk that i angrily broke up with axel because he told me he wanted to go home, and i really had to pay for that one. he took me back the next day, obviously, it just sucked that i put him through my drunk anger so much. he's been there for a lot of my shit." richie said.

stanley didn't really know what to say. he had a lot of thoughts, but he definitely could not voice any of them. he was glad richie had someone to be there through all of that. but something in stanley couldn't trust axel.

stanley swallowed his doubt, "o-oh. i'm sorry. congrats on being sober, though."

"yeah. thanks." richie replied, taking his hands off of his face and putting them back into his lap. 

"rich, do you want to watch something?" stan asked after a moment of tension, changing the subject. richie nodded.

"god, please," he replied, exasperated.

"alright," stanley passed him the remote, "choose something."

"how the fuck do you use this?" richie caught the remote, fumbling with it a little and turning to the television. he succeeded in turning it on, and that was about it in terms of what he succeeded in doing. 

"hell if i know" stanley replied, rather lax considering it was his apartment and television. stanley's television was an (insanely generous) gift from patty's parents. they had come to see him as their son, essentially.

"oh! okay, i got it," richie said, pressing enough buttons to get it to work.

"what are we watching?" stanley asked, richie perusing his options and stalking stanley's watching history.

"of course you watch hannibal." richie mumbled, stanley whipping his head around. 

"what do you mean, of course you watch hannibal, dude YOU have hannibal-watching energy if anything," stanley retorted, richie laughing at his defensive stance. 

"ooh, stan the man is sour," richie joked, biting his tongue between his teeth as he laughed. stanley snickered a little, but continued to cross his arms.

"shut up, are we watching hannibal or not?" stanley asked.

"we are." richie nodded and turned back to the television. stanley sat down next to him on the couch. richie glanced over to him.

"interesting choice for dinner-time, but i'm not complaining." stanley said, richie shaking his head.

"what, human skin doesn't make you hungry?" richie asked, batting his eyelashes and pouting his lips. stanley looked at him with a little smug smile on his face.

"you are..." stanley sighed and turned back to the tv, the smile still there, "incorrigible." he laughed softly through his nose and richie smiled too, knowing stanley still thought he was a little funny. richie's eyes lingered on stan a little too long before turning back to hannibal.