butterflies // stenbrough

~ Stan ~

"We're really gonna miss you guys, which is why we have to make this a day to remember and give all our energy!" Stan said to the group of tweens, today was their last day of camp. They would be picked up early tomorrow. Stan would be here for another month but their week was coming to an end.
"T-T-Tonight the activity is.....d-drum roll" The kids held their breath "Scavenger hunt!! G-Get into groups of t-two then Stan will exp-p-plain."
The kids erupted in cheers and ran around excitedly to find a partner.
"Okay I'm going to explain this fast because we're supposed to let you out to play in five minutes. There are ten objects hidden. All shiny stuff, you'll know it when you see it. Every time you find an object, you go to the corresponding counsellors. Example, you find object one, you go to Riley and Beverly in cabin one. Object four, Richie and Eddie in cabin four. So on and so on. They'll be somewhere around their cabins. These counsellors will give you hints to find the next object. First team to the final object gets epic bragging rights and a certificate. "
The kids groaned at the lame prize but otherwise seemed thrilled and ready to go.
"Okay it's 7:29 so I can give your first clue. Roses are red, violets are blue, this is where all the campers go at two. Okay 5..4...3..2..1! Go find it!" Stan smiled as the campers ran out of the cabin.
"They have s-s-so much energy." Bill observed, not that anyone would miss it.
"Yeah, it's nice." Stan said as the two boys walked around to the back of the cabin.
"Okay s-so I know you want t-to make the campers work by p-p-putting us back here, but I d-don't want to stand." Bill complained.
"Come on! It's an hour of standing to make the kids get the full experience. You wouldn't want them to miss out on the full experience would you?" Stan teased.
"Fine," Bill rolled his eyes "But I'm b-b-blaming you if my l-legs hurt."
"Go ahead."
    Bill smiled at his snarky comment, Stan was glad to see it again. Bill had been really weird for the last few days, after they talked during the storm he said almost nothing to anyone. He didn't smile, he didn't have energy, he wasn't the Bill that Stanley was coming to know. Though part of knowing Bill was knowing that you never really know what's going on with him. At least he was better now. The day before, it's like something clicked. All of his energy returned, he interacted with everyone twice as much, especially Richie and Eddie. He was very glad to see Bill be Bill, not some shattered quiet version of Bill. Though, Stan didn't mind a quiet Bill. After all, that was the version of Bill that Stan had come to enjoy. Stan liked to think that out of anyone else at the camp, Beverly was the only one who knew Bill more than him. Despite that. Bill was more awkward around Stan than anyone else, even if it's barely more awkward, Stan noticed. Bill stuttered more around him, gave him more awkward smiles, and just overall was a different more overthinking, but more honest and true version of himself with Stan. It was oddly endearing. It just drew him in more and more until he found himself willing to do anything for this quiet boy. His mind pondered the thought, but it felt more like a reality. If it wasn't for the certain reality of Derry, he might have told Bill.
    "It's b-beautiful tonight"
    "Yeah," he looked at the boy standing beside him "Really beautiful." The sun was setting right before his eyes, sending a luminous golden glow throughout the campgrounds. But Stan didn't care about the sun. He thought about it on the bus, and he thought about it now, Bill was the cutest boy he'd ever seen. Maybe cutest didn't apply anymore, the glow on his sharp jawline and dark brown eyes matured him. A juvenile word such as 'cute' couldn't apply to the beautiful face next to him.
    "Your eyes are stunning." The words escaped Stan's lips.
    "Oh um," Bill cheeks flushed a dark red "Th-Th-Thanks." 
    "Yeah." Stan said, tearing his eyes away from Bill and looking anywhere. Anywhere except his face. He didn't want to make it weird, and he definitely didn't want to make Bill uncomfortable. He could sense that he was compromising a bit again, he promised he wouldn't do that anymore. Old habits are hard to break, especially when the entire world is encouraging you to continue the habit.
    "Stan! Bill! I need the clue!" Ryan W. and Ryan T.B. came barreling around the corner, a large fake gold coin in their hands.
    "Speedy! First one here." Stan smiled to the eager kids "Okay so. You're almost there now, only two more to go. You'll find the next clue where you'll find your coats."
    "Oh I know!" Ryan W. exclaimed before taking off, Ryan T.B. close behind.
"They have so much energy." Stan chuckled.
"I d-d-don't know how they d-do it." Bill said.
"We could probably do it, if we wanted to. It'd be tiring though."
"Yeah." Bill said.
"Then do it."
"W-W-What?"
"Do something that takes lots of energy." Stan suggested "Run around or do gymnastics or something."
"No I-I-"
"Please!" Stan pleaded.
"I d-d-did do gymnastics in f-fifth grade, I'm p-probably no good anymore." Bill said.
"You're probably great. Just do anything you remember from your gymnast days."
"Um....." Bill seemed ready to turn him down "Okay!"
"Yes!" Stan cheered as Bill nervously walked out in front of him. Bill prepped himself with a few deep breaths before jumping into a back hand spring, landing gracefully on the grassy ground.
"Oh my god!" Stan exclaimed "I was expecting a lot less."
"I m-m-maybe did it for more than f-fifth grade." Bill blushed before returning to his spot next to Stan.
"Yeah maybe" Stan teased.
"You're n-next."
"What?" Stan asked "I can't do a back hand spring."
"No!" Bill exclaimed "Your turn to d-d-do something cool. Any h-h-hidden talents?"
"Um..." Stan scoured his brain for anything "I speak another language."
"Cool! W-W-Which one?"
"Hebrew."
"Would you sp-p-peak a little n-n-now?" Bill asked.
Stan replied "אני מחבב אותך"
"Amazing! What'd you s-s-say?" Bill questioned eagerly.
"Just some passage from the Torah." Stan sighed.
"Hey! We need the clue." A short blonde boy and a tall dark haired boy came around the corner.
"You're almost there now, only two more to go. You'll find the next clue where you'll find your coats." Stan repeated.
"Cool!" The tall one said before running off.
"F-Fuck it!" Bill exclaimed before sitting down on the grassy, dirt covered ground.
"I was waiting for that." Stan said before sitting down next to Bill, the sun now set and the moon illuminated his face in a way that was different but beautiful all the same.
"C-C-Couldn't take the standing." Bill joked.
"My apologies."
Bill laughed "D-Don't worry ab-b-bout it."
"Hey..." Stan started, unsure if he wanted to finish his thought "I know we have more weeks of counselling to do, but this feels sort of like an end because of the kids leaving and I just want you to know that this has been really great and I've enjoyed co-counselling with you."
"Oh," Bill looked almost taken aback "Th-Thanks, d-d-ditto."
"Yeah no problem." Stan cursed himself, he shouldn't have said anything. His worries were right, he made it weird.
"S-S-Sorry that was a l-l-lame r-response. I also really liked th-th-this week and you're really c-c-cool." Stan's worries decreased with Bill's response. "I w-w-went through some shit this w-w-week and you've been a c-c-constant so th-thanks."
Stan didn't know what to say. He knew something had happened with Bill, he didn't know what happened and he wasn't going to ask, no matter how much he wanted to know. But Bill brought it up, was he inviting him to ask? Would it be invasive?
"I feel the same. We've barely met yet I feel like you're just always here for me." Is what Stanley settled on, it wasn't perfect and it didn't express his feelings perfectly, but it was good enough.
"Yeah" Bill brought up his eyes from the ground to finally look Stanley in the eyes. His eyes were stunning in the moonlight, because of the dark brown colour but also the want and the emotion in them. Stanley tried to write it off, your eyes are your eyes they don't express emotion. But something about the way Bill looked at him just unlocked the same emotions in him. His mind filled with want for Bill, a desire to feel his lips on his own. Any other moment and he would have pushed it aside, but Bill's eyes drew him in, an open invitation to drop the secrets and lay it all on the line. It was a generous invitation, and Stanley was in no position to decline, so he allowed his lips to push forward and land on Bill's.

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Sorry for such a long chapter!! I just let myself write lol. There's a little Easter egg in here for all you Hebrew speakers <3