Summer of '93 - Stozier

19

⚠️ Henry is a warning on his own⚠️
⚠️Homophobic slurs⚠️
⚠️is violence a warning?⚠️

"Leave me alone, piss face." Stan spat, not in the mood to deal with Bowers.

"I'd watch your mouth, if I were you." Henry snickered.

"Why should I?" Stan rolled his eyes. "Its not as if you can beat me up anymore."

"Oh yea? and why's that?" Henry asked, a smirk on his face.

Stan leaned forward. "Cause you don't got daddy dearest to cover it up anymore." He shrugged. "Y'know.. cause you put a knife through his throat."

Stan could feel Victor and Belch going stiff beside him, they obviously didn't know.

"The cops might be fucking stupid, but i know what you d-" Henry cut Stan off, throwing a punch to his jaw.

Stan brung his hand up to his jaw, wincing a little, but keeping his cold stare on Henry, who was visibly shaking with anger.

"Listen, fag boy,  you are gonna join our gang." Henry stated like it was a fact.

"First of all, no. Second of all, fuck off. And third of all, why me?" Stan asked, already so done with this situation.

"To hurt the people close to you.." The person who had been holding him onto the bench from behind laughed, it was a girl. Stan knew her voice. He turned his head.

"Patricia? What the fuck are you doing with them?"

"Thats not important right now." Henry said, bringing Stans attention back to him."So, flamer, you're in?"

"Fuck no! Why the fuck would I join your gang? Are you forgetting you tried to murder me and my friends?!" Stan yelled.

"Cause if you don't.." Victor spoke from behind him, holding a photo in his hand. He showed it to Stan. "Everyone in town sees this photo."

Stan stared at the photo, his heart pounding, butterflies in his stomach making him want to throw up, and a blush on his face. It was from the party. Some bastard had took a photo of Stan and Richie kissing. Stan tried to grab the photo but Henry was quicker and snatched the photo from Vic.

"Where the fuck did you get that?" Stan asked, his voice shaking.

"Not important." Henry shrugged. "So, we got a deal, queer?"

Stan sucked in a breath, his arms crossed. "Fuck.." He muttered. "Fuck you! You asshole! I hope you fucking rot!" He yelled.

"Patts, let him go." Henry ordered.

Stan sprung up. "You lowlife, useless, ugly, piece of fucking shit!" He punched Henry with force.

Henry just turned his head back to Stan, unaffected with a smirk on his face. "See ya tomorrow, gay boy."

Stanley ran back home, slamming the front door shut (his parents weren't home so he didn't really care) before he locked himself in his room. 

He kicked the leg of his desk, knocking over a pen tub and sending his stack of books sprawling out over the floor. "FUCK!" he yelled, throwing himself down onto his bed. He screamed into his pillow, tears welling in his eyes.

"You idiot, Richie Tozier." Stan whispered, letting his tears fall.

•*•*•*•*•*•*•

"Hey, Richie!" Ben smiled, slightly surprised to see him at his door.

"Hi, Ben." Richie smiled back, his voice slightly trembling. "I need to tell you something." He was nervously shifting his weight from his right foot to his left as he spoke.

"Um, sure, come in." Ben stepped back to let Richie in, keeping the welcoming smile on his face.

They went up to Bens room (Which looked fairly different than it did a few years back, without the murder cases on the wall). Ben sat down, Richie stayed up, biting his nails now.

"What did you wanna tell me?" Ben asked, looking up at Richie.

"Um.." Richie looked around the room, trying not to make eye contact with Ben. "So um, I already told Eddie, Mike, Bill and um.. Bev, but uhh.. Im gay..?" He said, more like it was a question.

Ben shrugged. "I know."

"Oh okay- wait- what?" Richie furrowed his eyebrows. "Did Bev tell you?"

"No." Ben shrugged again

"Bill?"

"Uh-uh." He shook his head.

"Mike?"

"Nope."

"Eddie?"

"No one told me."

"How did you know then?" Richie asked, sitting next to Ben on the bed.

"I kinda figured.. y'know? I thought you might be cause when we'd go to the Quarry and most of the losers we're staring at Bev, you'd be staring at Bill or Stan or Mike." Ben shrugged. "Plus you just have that vibe."

"What do you mean I 'have that vibe'?" Richie laughed.

Ben shrugged again. "I dunno," He smiled. "You're too Richie to be straight."

"Did you just use my name as a verb?" Richie asked, chuckling.

"Mhm." Ben nodded. "I don't have a problem with it, by the way." He said after a few seconds. "The whole 'gay' thing."

"Thats a relief." Richie sighed.

"Im proud of you, dude." Ben smiled, wrapping his arm around Richies shoulder and pulling him into a side hug.

"Thanks Ben, this is why you're my favourite loser." Richie laughed. "Don't tell them I said that though."

Ben laughed. "I wont."

•*•*•*•*•*•*•

✨