ethereal : it oneshots

i don't like change very much

pairing: stozier

im sorry about the patty slander to come i love her so much

"wait, fuck, i f-fuh-forget his name. what's his name?" asked bill, snapping his fingers as if that would help him remember. he pointed to the boy taking off his shoes on the other side of the theatre. richie rolled his eyes at bill. 

"seriously, bill, i told you last class. it's stanley." richie said, looking over to the boy in question. he admired the kid for a second. stanley took off his shoes slowly, and bill walked over, initiating a conversation. 

"i live on 325th," stanley said, popping a california roll in his mouth. richie raised his eyebrows, leaning back in his seat. 

"wait, really? that's the bus stop i get off at," richie replied, excited at the idea of living near someone. stan smiled widely, chuckling under his breath. 

"wait, we can all visit each other when we go to richie's, that'll be so sick," beverly exclaimed, taking a bite of her sushi. they all turned to bill, laughing at his failing attempts to use chopsticks. richie grinned at stanley, and the two shared a moment. 

"hey, can i come to your house today?" richie asked, his voice groggy over the phone. stanley checked the time, 10 am. 

"yeah, alright." stanley answered, tapping his fingers. 

"see you soon," richie responded, a little nervous at going to his new best friend's house so unprompted. 

"mariaaaaaaa! i just met a girl named maria!" the two boys sang, their voices echoing throughout the house. they giggled like schoolgirls between the lines, richie sitting on the counter in stan's cramped kitchen. 

stan was pulling dinner out of the oven, the two of them enjoying each other's presence. 

"and suddenly that name... will never be the same... to meeeee," richie continued to sing, and once stan had taken out the tray, he held stan's face in his hands. stan blushed and sang with him. 

"they're very pretty, thank you," richie was looking at his one hand, nails painted, and then looking to stanley, who was painting the other hand. stanley had discovered he had a skill for nail painting, and richie had gotten him to paint his nails. 

"well, of course, rich." stanley mumbled, humming to the music in the background. 

"you know you're my best friend, right?" stanley asked, the two lying in stan's bed staring at the ceiling. 

"that's sweet. you're my best friend too. i love you," richie replied, bumping stan's shoulder with his head. stan bumped him back. 

"i love you too." stanley sighed in content. 

"i'm just saying... you and patty..." richie teased, stan scoffing and shoving richie over. 

"she's just a friend! shut up. people have done that to us our entire friendship. how hard is it for people to see that girls and boys can be just friends..." stanley replied, trailing off. richie smiled. 

"i know, stan, i just like to tease you," richie said, playfully punching him. 

"I KISSED HER, RICHIE!" stanley's exuberant voice echoed through the phone. richie smiled wide, despite the strange feeling in his stomach. was it his stomach?

"HELL YEAH! you guys are so cute, stan. i won't lie, i've known that patty has a crush on you. you're cute though!" richie cheered for stan, still feeling a little weird. stan felt a little weird too. 

"thank you, i... wow... it was so nice," stanley's voice softened and richie smiled wider. 

"richie... are you and eddie together?" stanley asked, pointing to richie's lock screen, a photo of eddie. richie blushed red, looking stan anywhere but in the eye. "oh my god! how did you not tell me you had a crush on him?" stan exclaimed, playfully shoving richie. 

"yeah... well i didn't know i did until he called me and told me that he liked me. it was really sweet of him," richie gushed, his heart not entirely in it. stanley smiled brightly for richie, feeling a little discomforted. 

"rich, did you see what patty said on the group chat?" eddie asked him, standing at his front door. richie raised an eyebrow. 

"what?" clearly, he had not seen. eddie walked into the house and closed the door, holding both of richie's hands in his own. 

"she said some really transphobic things... and stan defended her..." eddie told richie, richie's jaw dropping. he wasn't that surprised at patty saying that kind of things, he wasn't her biggest fan at the moment, but he was shocked stan defended her. 

"i mean... i get that she's his girlfriend... but that's fucked up.. what kind of things?" richie was so confused. he was hurt. eddie showed richie the screenshots, and richie fumed just reading them. 

"i... i want to talk to him... what the fuck..." richie finally said, eddie squeezing his hands. 

"i know. and you should talk to him, but that is inexcusable. i'm really disappointed in him." eddie sighed, richie nodding at his boyfriends words. 

"i miss my best friend," richie cried to bill, thinking his boyfriend might not be there to hear him complain about stan. bill nodded, running a hand through his hair. 

after what stan and patty had said, they had left the group chat, and separated themselves from the rest of the losers club. richie was angry. everytime he saw stan in the hallway he would just kind of stare, for a moment. 

"i kn-nuh-now," bill cooed. 

"i miss him... as my best friend... and i think... as the love of my life," richie mumbled, letting out the words he had been thinking for around 6 months now. bill went completely quiet. 

"i just.. didn't think he would abandon me for a girlfriend." 

richie sobbed in bill's arms for the rest of the night.