timing : stozier

62

a/n: sorry this took so long. this takes place after they've partied and all of them have hung out a bit, and stanley decides he should take richie (who is still trashed) to his house. 

"hi" richie stretched the i, leaning on stan's shoulder as stanley unlocked his door. stanley jiggled the key a little and it clicked. he took his key out and put an arm around richie's back, opening the door and guiding richie in. 

"yes, hello, richie, i'm gonna need you to help me walk, man" stanley said, richie tripping over his feet as stan held him up. richie looked down to his shoes and attempted to kick them off.

"sorry-sorry-sorry" richie mumbled, his knee cracking as he lifted his leg up to take off a shoe. 

stanley, feeling particularly guilty about the situation he had gotten himself into, sighed quietly. he gave richie another little push and richie started walking again. 

"you have nothing to be sorry about," stanley replied quietly, richie scoffing. 

"yes i do.. god fucking damnit," richie murmured, and stanley pulled him closer to the door of what stanley was going to call his 'guest bedroom'. he turned the knob and richie stumbled in.

"richie, it's okay, let's just get you into the bed, okay?" stanley said, pushing the blanket down so richie could fit himself in. richie took off his hoodie messily while stanley stepped back. stan crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. richie didn't say anything for a second while he shimmied off his jeans underneath the covers. he took them out from under the blanket and threw them across the room. 

"are you gonna tell axel i relapsed?" richie asked, stanley grabbing a garbage can from one end of the room. 

"richie, i... i have to, don't i?" stanley came over to the bed and put down the garbage can in front of the bedside table. "c'mon, on your side," richie shifted a little to be lying on his side, facing stanley. stan backed up again. 

"you don't have to tell him. we can k-keep this a secret." richie hiccuped. stanley shook his head.

"no, richie, you need help. axel's your fiancee, he has to be involved." stanley said. 

"but he's so mean about it." richie's eyebrows turned upwards and his lip quivered a little. stanley wanted to scream.

"what?" 

"i didn't say that. st-stan i didn't say anything." it wouldn't be a stretch to say that on a normal day, richie's complexion was pretty fair. in this moment, though, stan swore he looked sheet white with fear. 

"richie. i don't know what to do for you. i want to help you. i don't know what to do." on any particular day, stanley was a very decisive person. his friends came to him with problems because he always seemed to know what to do. and yet, stanley reflected on the irony as he stood there, he had absolutely no clue what to do. 

richie, however, seemed to have an idea, "i can go back to meetings. i... axel will call my sponsor, i guess. i hate this. i hate the world." he sighed. stanley fumbled with his own fingers, leaning against the wall again.

"i know." stanley breathed out. richie blinked a couple times before looking at stanley. his eyes were a little glazed over.

"that's a lie. i don't hate axel." richie paused. " i don't hate bill or eddie or beverly or mike. patty's really nice. i don't hate you, either, you know. i tried to." he shuffled a little, trying to get comfortable. 

"you did?" stanley stood exactly still. 

"yeah. i can't. i don't want to." the look on richie's face seemed to tell stanley that he was regretting everything he had said. richie couldn't keep eye contact with anyone else.

"uh, cool." stanley had really never wanted so badly to walk into the ocean until that moment. what the fuck was he supposed to say to that? absolutely fucking inane. 

richie stayed quiet. stanley could only imagine what was happening in his head. 

a/n: does anyone wanna write the rest of this story for me tbh. i have an outline but there's no way i'm gonna be able to write this whole story. i have no motivation. sorry. anyway if u wanna write the rest of the book lmk