timing : stozier

72

august 24/25

richie was sleeping when someone started knocking at his door. the only reason he had woken up was that he hadn't exactly moved in entirely yet, and there were frames that shook on the counter top loudly every time someone knocked. 

he sighed, grabbing his glasses off the nightstand. with his glasses on, he stumbled out of bed. he made his way in the dark to his front door, noting how early it was by the clock on the oven. 

he had to make his way around a few boxes, and he sincerely hoped whoever it was on the other side of the door didn't mind. 

when richie peeked into the peephole, he did not expect to find stanley uris on the other side of the door. he didn't expect it, but he wasn't complaining. anybody else and he might have been disappointed.

he fumbled with the lock for a couple seconds, still having not turned any of the lights on. when he finally got a hold on the door knob, he pulled it open slowly, and stanley's mouth dropped a little from his jaw.

"oh, you're awake," stanley said, and richie nodded his head mindlessly. "sorry if i woke you up, uh," he laughed awkwardly.

"no worries at all staniel." every time richie called him a stupid nickname he felt himself flash back to high school. richie was mumbling a little, as his brain hadn't truly awoken yet.

feeling so young was going to give him a heart attack.

"so, fuck," stanley laughed again, "i didn't think you'd answer, shit."

"what's up?" richie pushed his glasses a little further up his face and sniffled a little. stanley scratched at his thigh nervously through his pants.

"i have something to tell you, and like, you can do whatever you want with what i'm going to tell you, i just think you should know, rich," stanley bounced lightly from heel to heel. the sentence made richie nervous, but he aimed not to show it.

"okay, shoot," richie rubbed at his eye, stepping back to let stanley in, but stanley took no steps into the house. instead, stanley stayed stuck where he was, feet cemented to the floor outside richie's entrance.

"alright. uh, i still love you. i always have. i'm sorry."

richie barely blinked. he gulped, and his lips formed something close to a smile. his hands were shaking, but it went unnoticed in the dark. stanley stared directly at the ground. richie scoffed lightly, "what are you sorry for?" he asked.

"um, loving... you?"

"shut up." richie reached his arms around stanley and pulled him in for a hug, stanley saying nothing but hugging him back. "please don't go back to derry," richie mumbled into stanley's shirt, "i love you too."

"i won't. i won't." stanley replied, squeezing richie tighter by the second. 

"st-stanley i cannot breathe," richie coughed and stanley let go of him only to notice richie was joking, a smile wide on his face. 

stanley laughed with him and finally entered richie's dark apartment. richie shut his front door behind stanley and turned on the light above the oven. it lit up the room just enough to see each other without blinding richie. stanley reached up and adjusted richie's glasses, which currently sat askew on his nose.

"rich, you know i mean love as in, like, i'm in love with you, like-" stanley was cut off.

richie kissed him gently, his glasses slightly pushing into stanley's face as he placed his hands on stanley's cheeks. they broke away a moment, and stanley, in a moment of blaring clarity, removed richie's glasses, placed them on the counter behind him, and kissed richie once more.

"yeah, i know what you mean," richie breathed out between kisses. stanley snickered.

"shut up, asshole,"

"i love you so much."

"you were so worth waiting for, richie," stanley smiled and put his hands on richie's shoulders gently.