timing : stozier

6

june 13/14

on the same day stanley asked bill out, he had richie come over that night. he wanted to have one good cuddle with richie before having to be committed to bill. if the date went well, that was. the air was thick after their last conversation, but they both tried to ignore it, lying together like normal.

"have you ever kissed anyone?" stanley queried, richie confused as to where this could go. stanley hadn't, and he was worried he might ruin it if he kissed bill.

"yeah." richie lied easily, afraid of stanley's response.

"i haven't." stanley admitted. "what's it like?" he asked, richie panicking on the inside. he had never kissed anyone before, why had he said that? 

"do you wanna try it?" the words escaped richie's mouth before he realized what he was saying. he was asking to kiss stanley uris. of course he wanted stanley uris to be his first kiss, but maybe not like this. maybe not the day before stan went on a date with someone else.

stanley was silent for a second. it would help him be prepared for what to do with bill, and richie seemed experienced. maybe it was for the good of his date tomorrow with bill that he kiss richie now.

and he kinda wanted to try it.

richie's eyes were darting from stanley's eyes (god they were pretty) to the window to his lips (god they looked soft) and back into his eyes. he was about to say something about how he didn't have to when stanley moved forward and kissed richie.

he didn't back away very far, and when richie asked, "can i?" stanley nodded. richie moved back in and their lips connected again. soon they were moving in unison, kissing as stanley's hand found a place on richie's cheek, and richie's hand on stanley's neck.

richie was in a state of shock. he was kissing stanley uris and stanley was kissing him back. and maybe neither of them were very good kissers, but how could you know when the only thing you can compare it to is your pillow? but richie thought it was—although a bit awkward—the best thing in the world. he would have done anything to stay there.

when they broke away, stanley looked over richie's tousled hair and his slightly swollen lips. 

"just um... just to clear things up... i don't like you like that, i just wanted to try it. you're the same way, yeah?" stanley's words brought down richie's heart. richie didn't respond. he looked away.

well, now richie could find out for sure whether stanley was part of the 90%.

"oh." stanley said in response. his face was pink.

i'm sorry, richie. it's better for us this way. i don't want to lose you.

richie decided he wasn't.

he shouldn't have been surprised, after all, stan was going on a date with bill tomorrow.

they said nothing for the next couple of minutes, before deciding to watch a movie. they were sitting farther away from each other than they normally would be, but they tried not to think about it.

stanley felt the pit in his stomach again. why had he implied he wasn't gay when he was going on a date with a boy the next day? why was it so hard to come out to richie? why had he kissed richie when he was going on a date with a boy he liked the next day? and why had richie offered it when he knew stan was going on a date? 

the kiss had been nice. he couldn't lie about that. 

what a way to end their last day together. assuming stanley and bill ended up being something, they wouldn't ever get a chance like this again.