festival of lights : stozier

2

"okay, are you ready? oh my god, you're sheet white," richie turned to stanley, turning the key in his ignition to off. he laughed lightly, putting the back of his hand to stanley's forehead. stanley was in fact, extremely pale, his hands scrubbing at his thighs through his jeans.

"yeah, yeah, sorry, i've never faked being a boyfriend before," stanley snickered, a sign that he wasn't as nervous as he appeared. richie waved a hand.

"you'll be fine. c'mon," richie pulled his door handle and got out, reaching back into the car to grab his bag. stanley followed him in the action, retrieving their other bags from the backseat of the car.

"so there's—" stanley stopped himself, the front door of richie's family home swinging open, someone who stanley had seen in photos was richie's mom, maggie, standing in the door way. she raised her arms, smiling brightly.

"boys! you've made it! oh richie, matok, come here!" richie stumbled over there, dropping his bag on the doorstep to give her a large hug. stanley struggled his way to the front door, dropping the bags as well. "you must be stanley," maggie said, her smile still insanely wide as she offered him a hug as well.

stanley nodded, accepting the hug and taking in the way that she smelled—like home cooked sweets—and her hand rubbing over his back.

"yes, mom, this is stan! staniel, stanny, little st—" stanley reached over, slapping a hand over richie's mouth. maggie laughed, and backed into the door, the boys picking their bags up and walking into the building.

"you guys will stay in your old room, rich, okay?" maggie said, richie nodding as they began their trek up the steps. stanley thought about the idea of sharing a bed with richie and felt his face warm up a little.

"so who's here?" richie asked, pulling his jacket over his shoulder as he got up the stairs. shuffling his shoes off, stanley appeared beside him, and maggie gestured to the front. richie slung an arm over stanley's shoulder.

"so this is michael and maria," richie pointed towards two of his cousins standing by the kitchen, where both of them waved. they looked related, the way michael's hair fell mimicking maria's.

"this is stanley! oh shit, richie wasn't lying!" michael exclaimed, elbowing maria to look in richie's direction. maggie rolled her eyes, upset that michael had sworn.

"they're actually not siblings, if you can believe it. just cousins." richie said, his head now on stanley's shoulder. if stanley was honest, he'd never felt this much affection from richie in his life. he wasn't complaining, though he could feel his face heating up red.

"i'm not sure i can believe that," stanley replied, leaning into richie's touch lightly. richie moved stanley's head, pointing to a third person around their age. the boy looked unlike the other three tozier adults.

"aaand that's tyler. i think sarah is..." richie looked around, stan waving kindly to tyler. tyler smiled back.

"sarah isn't here yet. her mom's running late." maria said, reading something on michael's phone. michael laughed lightly.

"yeah. like always, jesus." michael rolled his eyes. stanley couldn't help glancing between the three of them, the family resemblance unbearably present. suddenly a woman was behind michael, lightly smacking him over the head.

"can't go one second without blaspheming, can you?" she asked, scoffing though her tone was kind. it was something richie had always been good at—making sure people knew that he loved them even when he made fun of them—and here it was, reflected around him in his family.

stanley felt the need to swallow manually, like something was stuck in his throat.

"what? we're jews, jesus means nothing!" michael leaned back, looking at his mother upside down.

"it's about the sentiment, darling." she put her hand on his head, dragging it back upright by his hair. maria laughed, and stanley could tell that the two had bickered like toddlers their entire life. glancing back to richie, he also knew that they probably always would.

"sentiment, schmentiment," michael mocked, looking back down to his phone. maria, though scoffing, looked over his shoulder to keep snooping. 

"did you raise this child? he sounds exactly like you," stanley pointed at michael, who raised his hands in defense. richie cackled, shrugging over stanley's shoulders.

"ma-aybe!" richie replied, sing-song, michael shifting to sit on a stool.

"stanley, tell us about you. richie has said, well, a lot, but i want to hear it from you." maria spoke up,  stanley's head turning from richie to her. 

"um, i don't really know what to say. i'm studying anthropology and accounting, and uh—" stanley began, scuffing the edge of his foot on the floor nervously. 

"do you want a cup of coffee, stan? we just made some," maggie interjected, and as he nodded a mug was passed his way. he smiled gently, taking it in his hands. it warmed up his hands, and richie's presence over his shoulders was suddenly a lot more noticeable.

"how do you tolerate richie?" tyler spoke up, richie flipping him off silently.

"i just do. he's..." stanley thought about richie, currently still draped over his shoulders, "he's just cool."