butterflies // stenbrough

~ Stan Part Two ~

    Stan just could not catch a break. First, he was forced to clean the nasty ass food hall and now the storm interrupted his favourite camper game, Mafia. Technically it didn't need to be outside but the campers did not look up to playing it at the moment.
    They were all gathered in the main hall while the weather raged outside. The rain splattered against the windows like a vicious painting, while the lightning illuminated the hall. They needed the light, as the storm had caused a blackout. Bill had suggested candles but eternally energetic tweens with fire wasn't the best idea for a venue made of wood. Even while they sat scared and worried in the hall, they still had energy. Wide eyed tweens made up stories about the worst possible scenarios, honestly Stan admired their creativity. Even if it wasn't exactly helping morale.
"Ryan T.B.!" Stan exclaimed "This is not the work of the cia trying to kill the kids of Derry!"
    "You don't know that." Ryan T.B. muttered under his breath.
    "Yes, I do!" He rolled his eyes at the conspiracist tween.
    "G-G-Glad we have such bright kids." Bill whispered to Stan.
    "Gives me real hope for our future." Stan giggled back.
"Stan?" Richie walked over.
"Yeah?" He replied.
"How do I stop my kids from sobbing?" Richie asked.
"Kick them." Stan joked.
"Really?"
"Oh god no, do not do that."
"Oh good." Richie sighed "I can never tell when you're joking"
"Okay well don't do that, and don't try to 'stop' them either. Just comfort them. Maybe a pat on the back? Let them know they won't be hurt." Stan said.
"Good advice, thanks." Richie walked back over to his campers. Stan kept a watchful eye, but he didn't need to. Richie followed his directions and started patting some kid on the back. Stan loved to see him improving, he was finally starting to mature. He also loved Richie's fun side, it's why they were friends, but it was always hard when Richie couldn't understand certain situations were not appropriate for jokes. Wasn't his fault, Stan came to realize, coping mechanisms are hard to control.
"Let's do something, I'm boooored." One of the campers(Brian? John? Who cares?) complained.
"Yeah let's play a game!" Another chimed in.
"Ok-k-kay sure, any ideas?" Bill asked.
"We should throw someone out in the rain and see if they get struck by lightning!" A kid suggested, met to a disturbing amount of agreement.
"Okay, we are not doing that! Any other ideas?" Stan asked.
"What about truth or dare?" One of the kids said, with lots of less concerning agreement.
"That sounds good. Everyone sit in a circle." Stan told the kids.
"I'll start!" Ryan T.B. said once everyone was sat down "James, truth or dare?"
A short kid with curly brown hair responded "Dare."
"I dare you to....." Ryan T.B. looked around the room for inspiration "go up to a camper in another cabin, tap them, then run away!"
Stan thought it was kinda lame but all the kids giggled at it so apparently it was a good dare.
James slowly got up and approached the area where Cabin Five was sitting. He took his time walking up behind a blonde girl with pigtails and anxiously inched his hand forward. Honestly, he barely touched her back before running away impressively fast. He slid about a foot when he sat back down. Everyone broke down in giggles, even Stan couldn't help but laugh a little. It only got worse when she walked over to them.
    "Did someone tap me?" She asked.
    "No." Ryan T.B. said through surprised giggles.
    "Okay." She said and walked back. It wasn't very eventful but for some reason the campers(and counsellors) of cabin eight found it to be comedic gold.
    "Okay, it's James turn." Stan said, still giggling a little bit.
    "Okay, Bill, truth or dare?" James asked.
    "Um.... t-t-truth!" Bill replied.
    "Okay, do you like Stan?" James asked.
    "Um...." Bill turned bright red. Stan didn't know why he was taking this to heart, it was just little kids saying stupid shit to get a rise out of their counsellors, he didn't need to take it so seriously. "Honestly, I d-d-don't even know why you would ask t-t-t-that. I would never like a g-g-guy like that, why would-d you even ask? That's weird J-J-James." Bill responded.
    "I just meant if you and Stan are actually friends or if it's just a summer job." James said, quietly.
    "Oh I....." Bill trailed off before running off into the  bathroom, the only other room in the main hall.
    "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" James apologized.
    "Don't worry about it, you didn't do anything wrong." Stan reassured him.
   "Is everything okay? I just saw Bill....." Beverly said.
    "Yes, everything's fine. Do you mind watching the kids for a little bit? I just want to check on him real quick." Stan asked.
"Yeah, for sure." Beverly replied.
"Thanks" He said before running off into the bathroom after Bill. Stan didn't even know what to think. Why did he get so defensive? How could he talk to a camper like that? A million questions he wanted to ask to the pacing boy in front of him, but only one came out.
    "What the hell was that?"
    "I'm really s-s-sorry." Bill said, his tone honest but also nervous. Stan noticed he was playing with his hands, they went a mile a minute. Interlacing, running over each other, everything possible.
    "You don't need to apologize to me, apologize to James. You can't just talk to campers like that." Stan said.
    "Yes, I s-s-should. I will." He promised.
     "Okay." Stan sighed "Also are you...okay?"
    "What?"
    "Well you got super defensive and then you ran away. That's not very 'okay' behaviour." Stan said.
    "Yes! I-I.... maybe? I d-don't know." Bill admitted.
    "Why did you get so defensive?" Stan tried to ask as softly as possible, he was cautious, Bill hasn't really opened up before now and he didn't want to accidentally shut him off again.
    "When he asked t-t-that, it seemed like he just kn-n-n-new. I didn't even th-th-think that maybe he meant it d-d-d-differently because just the th-thought of it being meant like how I th-thought it meant freaked me out, I couldn't th-think." Bill explained.
    "Knew? Knew what?" Stan almost didn't say anything, he could sense that Bill was outside of his comfort zone. But he just had to ask.
    "That I.....I....." Bill finally looked Stan in the eyes, he could see fear in Bill's eyes. Stan tried to make his eyes look 'kinder' if that was even possible. "Um n-n-n-nevermind."
    "It's okay, you can talk to me." Stan comforted.
    "No, it d-d-doesn't matter." Bill looked away again "I'm g-g-going to apologize to James."
    Stan watched as the nervous boy left the bathroom, he almost tried to stop him. God what was he going to say? Stan was dying to know, but he could tell Bill wasn't prepared to tell him. So he just stayed there, until the storm receded and they could leave the main hall. Just standing there, wondering what he could have meant.

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So this is a Stan double feature because I started writing the first half as Bill's POV, then left it and when I came back to it I forgot it was Bill's POV and started writing Stan 🤪🤪 #girlboss
I'll do two Bill's next to make up for it.

Also y'all I have gotten really into Succession. I know everyone says it's good but it's actually really good. 10/10 show honestly.