timing : stozier

63

april 24/25

tw: abuse , manipulation , violence

richie sat at home, essentially fresh home from rehab. he had gone through a 90 day program, and he took himself and his chips back home. not that this really was his home, now that he was thinking about it. he didn't--no he didn't say that. that--he shouldn't say stuff like that. 

"richie? what are you doing?" axel entered the kitchen, observing richie staring out the window of their apartment in the kitchen. 

richie didn't really hear him, instead focused on a white moth that was sitting on the windowsill. it didn't really seem to be moving, but rather a little injured. richie, having never really seen a moth in the daytime, was enamoured.

"richie?" axel finally caught richie's attention, and he turned around quickly. 

"hi, axe" richie sighed. axel reached his hands out to richie, who either didn't notice them or didn't take them. axel sighed in distaste as a response, and walked closer to richie. richie turned back around and stared into the sink, running his nails against each other. 

"richie, you still love me, right?" axel asked, placing his hands on richie's hips from behind. richie scratched his nails on the sink.

"yeah" richie responded instinctively. do you still love me? what a dumb fucking question. what a loaded question. richie mimicked axel in his head. richie began to criticize himself for being cruel to axel, but something stopped him. fuck it. why the hell would you ask someone something like that! 

"really?" axel asked again. richie gave up. 

you're not worth pleasing

"you don't love me." axel said, and richie almost rolled his eyes. yeah, it was what he had been implying, but he really did not want to have this conversation now. honestly, richie didn't want to have any conversation now. rehab had helped him realize a small amount of what had really been happening in his life, and he wasn't awake enough to lie anymore.

"axe--" richie started, but axel's grip on richie's hips tightened and it caused richie to go silent. 

"you don't fucking love me." axel murmured, his nails digging a little into richie's sides, richie trying to pry his hands off.

richie somehow managed to turn around to face axel, "that's not true" he said, placing his hands on axel's chest to try and push him off. ironically, richie was thinking about when he was extremely little, and his parents put him in a self defence class for a couple weeks. richie pretty much learned nothing, he was too small to really absorb any knowledge, but he was pretty sure he remembered learning that the nose was a really sensitive spot.

now, richie wasn't going to punch axel in the nose right now, but for some (slightly upsetting but he didn't dwell on it) reason, he found the idea a little funny. 

"then tell me you love me," axel said, less of a request and more of a demand. 

richie wondered if axel was ever really kind to him. he figured he must have been, because he wasn't delusional enough to fall for a guy that treated him like absolute dog shit, right? either way, richie was here now, and he supposed that was proof enough that he was at least a little bit an idiot.

"axel, stop, i have so much going on," richie replied, still trying to get out of axel's grip. he even pressed his foot against axel's ankle, but axel pushed richie back, his back hitting the sink counter.

"say you love me!" axel growled, richie biting his tongue.

"it's not like you love me anyway" richie retaliated, knowing it probably wasn't what he should be saying, but honestly there was nothing else to say.

"richie what the fuck does that mean?" axel asked, richie finally prying one of axel's hands off his waist and pushing him away a little. 

"there's no fucking way you truly love me, axel" richie broke his grip and walked away to a different part of the kitchen. axel followed after him.

"you don't know what you're fucking talking about, i love you richie," axel started.

"no you fucking don't."

"do not fucking talk to me like that," axel raised his voice, grabbing one of richie's wrists harshly, richie yelping.

"you've hit me! you don't fucking hit people you love!" richie replied, wriggling his arm. tears watered in his eyes, not because he felt like crying, but rather out of anger. 

"i have never fucking hit you!" axel shouted, as if his hand wasn't tightening around richie's wrist violently. richie, briefly thinking about whether his wrist would be red or not, groaned.

"see-you're-i-you're fucking lying!" richie said, finally smacking axel's hand off his arm. 

axel looked at richie in shock, then at his own hand. he blinked a couple times, and tears welled in his eyes too. richie scoffed, knowing axel was simply trying to make him feel bad. axel, apparently sensing richie wasn't going to fall for it, sighed. the tears were gone.

"you're a fucking asshole, richie. why would i lie to you? i do everything for you. you're lying and you know it." axel finally said, crossing his arms. 

now, richie could've done a lot of things. what he did, he wasn't exactly proud of. 

"you know what, axel? you're right. i don't love you. i fucking hate you. i never want to see you again, axel. i don't want to get married at all. i wish i never knew you. i-i hate your fucking guts."

axel hardly reacted, "richie you're not yourself. i don't know what's happening with you, but you're not you. you don't mean this." it sent richie for a loop. maybe he was overreacting. he bit his tongue.

"i mean it, axel. i feel more like me than i have in 5 fucking years, axel, fuck you." richie had backed himself into a corner, but he wasn't scared. axel approached richie with a look of faux concern on his face. 

"did you relapse again? are you drunk? let me smell your breath" axel said, raising an eyebrow, richie swatted at him, trying to keep axel's hands away from him.

"fuck off!" he screamed. 

"calm down!" axel got a hold on richie and kept him in place, richie struggling.

"let me leave! let me fucking--get off of me!" richie's legs threatened to buckle underneath him and he glanced at the window behind him, and the door far away from him. 

axel pinned richie on the ground and richie let out another groan of exasperation. he kicked at axel, but axel refused to move, and richie, for all it was worth, decided just to succumb. he went limp in axel's arms, and axel seemed to calm down.

richie laughed quietly, a little in disbelief. 

he pulled his arm out of axel's grip and socked axel in the face, axel screaming and letting go of richie to hold his nose. richie pushed axel out of the way, scrambled to his feet and ran for the door. he opened the door quickly and slipped out of the door. he shut the door as he saw axel get up and scream his name. richie ran for the stairs.