timing : stozier

52

december 23/24

"do you want to sit down, man?" bill asked, watching stanley pace throughout the small living space. stanley held a mug between his fingers and couldn't stop moving. bill's eyes followed him, while eddie leaned into bill's side. 

"how am i supposed to sit down when i have to meet axel?!" stanley mused, bothered too much by the thought of seeing richie's fiancée face-to-face to think about anything else. what did axel look like? would he be nice? stanley already had a bad feeling about axel, but he was majorly biased, so that didn't help much.

"i have to meet axel too, stan." bill added, as if that was going to help. 

richie had invited bill, stanley, and eddie to a dinner with axel and jamie. honestly, stan suspected jamie was only there because richie didn't want stanley to be fifth wheeling. that was fine, it was going to be awkward either way, especially if axel knew the history between richie and stanley.

"i know... but he's... ! you know what i mean?" stan's counterpoint was weak, but bill nodded his head sympathetically. stanley took a sip out of his mug, returning it to his position and continuing to walk around the couch. this was stan's third cup of coffee, bill had been counting. 

"yes, i do know what you mean." bill replied, rubbing his thumb up and down eddie's hand.

"you mean that because you're still in lov--" eddie started, bill squeezing his hand violently as stan shushed him quickly.

"don't say that." stanley snapped quickly, eddie flinching a little as he shrunk into bill's side.

"why not?" eddie asked innocently.

"eds." bill warned, pulling eddie even closer to him. eddie didn't say any more, and stanley sighed.

"no, it's okay, i just... long story... you know?" stan said, exhausted. despite his exhaustion, he continued pacing. bill watched him with concern, but turned his head to eddie, who was contemplating an answer. 

"oh, yeah, i guess so." eddie replied softly, bill humming an agreement. 

"what's going on?" patty walked into the living room from the kitchen, holding a mug of keurig coffee between her fingers. the three men turned their heads to her as she approached them, calmly looking up and down a panicked stanley.

"pats, stan is still panicking over meeting axel," bill answered her question, patty nodding. she took a sip of her coffee, recoiling a little at how hot it was. she looked up to stan.

"oh c'mon man, you'll be fine." she reassured him. stanley shook his head, unsure that that was entirely true.

"what if he hates me?" stanley put forward his worry, and to be fair, it was a valid worry; if axel knew about their history, god knows what could happen. axel wasn't going to beat him up or anything, right? no, of course not.

"he won't hate you, just don't tell him you've got a thing for his fiancée!" patty said one of the first valid statements of the night, stanley having a moment of realization. patty sat down onto the couch across from where bill and eddie were sitting. 

"you're right, god i hate when you're right." stanley groaned, putting his face in his hands and smacking both against the wall.

"she's always right." eddie chimed in, patty snickering.

"i am, in fact, always right." she confirmed, trying to kick at stanley with her legs swinging from where she sat. he turned around to her and bill realized the two of them were holding their mugs in the same way. at that moment, stanley put the cup down on the table next to the couch.

"that's just not true," he then collapsed onto said couch, but mostly patty. patty shrieked as his head attacked her stomach.

"get off me, loser," patty pushed him off, him rolling away and laughing.

"cmon, be nice, patty, the man looks pathetic" bill replied, snickering at his own statement. stanley groaned.

"that's rude, you fucking prick," stan swore, all of them laughing a little.

"are you drunk, stanley?" eddie asked.

stanley sighed, "no, i just feel like shit."

"i'm glad i don't have to meet this axel dickhead. perks of having never met richie, i suppose." patty chimed in, taking another sip of her coffee. bill raised his hands (and therefore eddie's) in defence. 

"hey, maybe he isn't a dickhead." bill defended the yet to be met man, unsure what to think of him. stanley scoffed. 

"wouldn't that be worse?" eddie posited.

"...no?"

"eddie is right. it would be worse." stanley groaned again, completely exhausted.

"you can join me and eddie, we can be a throuple for the night." bill said. eddie looked at him quickly, shocked. eddie's nose was upturned.

"it's okay, eddie, don't worry. i'm not gonna interfere with you and bill. thank you for the offer,  though bill."

a/n: totally unedited hehe