dawn : stenbrough

8

"𝐖𝐎𝐀𝐇, 𝐎𝐇 𝐅𝐔𝐂𝐊," bill mumbles, immediately closing the door to his room. he stands there for a moment, taking in what he just saw. 

he had been going to get ready for bed, and opened the door on richie and eddie, making out viciously on the bottom bunk. richie's shirt was off, too. they were so enthralled with each other that they didn't even notice bill, giving him a chance to close the door again. 

he's frozen in place, standing in his position. a little scarred, like a deer in headlights, really. he had expected it at some point, but this was only the third night. bill finally gets the message from his brain to his legs to move, and he wobbles back over to the other train car. 

bill: are u tired

stanley: no, what's up?

bill: can we chill in the dining car

stanley: yeah of course

bill sits down, thinking about how happy he is for his friends. a little gross, but otherwise he's happy. stanley joins him promptly, sitting down right next to him. bill hums as an acknowledgement, the butterflies in his stomach preventing him from saying hello.

"it's eleven pm, what's going on? just not tired?" stanley asked, his voice hitting differently to bill's tired state. his voice is always nice, but at night... bill is thinking thoughts. 

"no, i am tired. but richie and eddie are muh-making out in my room, so i can't go in there. d-duh-duh-danger zone." bill explains, stan nodding in agreement. 

"yeah... that's good for them. do you think that's what eddie whispered in richie's ear? bev was telling me about it." stan asks, bill nodding, "i always go to my room late anyway, after my parents fall asleep." stanley mutters, the window showcasing the darkest of trees, the sun completely vanished from the sky. bill yawns.

"it looks like a horror movie in here," stan mumbles, pointing around. bill can't help but agree. it's dark, because the lighting in the cars at night dims, and dims quite a bit. outside it is pitch black. thus, the lighting within the train car is rather dark, and stan's a little glad for it. he's sure he doesn't look his finest right now. 

he doesn't understand that bill would love how he looked no matter what. 

"yeah, a little scu-scary." bill responds, once again leaning his head on stanley's shoulder. he misses stan's shoulder at first, which makes both of them giggle, but stan shuffles closer, and bill fits right into the right angle. he even links his arm with stan's, keeping him there. 

"i won't let you get eaten by demons, no stress," stanley assures bill, who is already almost half-asleep. stanley wonders how he falls asleep so easily. bill mumbles back incoherently. "what?" stan asks.

"not even slenderman?" bill repeats himself, his eyes flipping open and closed rapidly. 

"not even slenderman." stan laughs under his breath. bill is humming next to stan, who finds it endearing. he hand hovers over bill's, knowing bill can't see it. he considers it,

and then he puts his hand back, brushing it through his own hair. 

"thank you. very sweet of y-yuh-you," bill whispers, his voice barely audible. stanley leans his head a little on bill's, and bill's fingers tighten around stan's bicep. bill goes back to humming. 

stanley takes the time to think, honestly. he has a lot to think about. about how fast his heart is beating, with the prettiest boy he's ever met on his shoulder. his mind wanders, thinking about what his friends and family might say. 

instead, stanley focuses back into his thoughts about bill. stanley wonders if his full name is william. stanley wonders when his birthday is. stanley wonders about his life story. he wants to know everything there is to know about bill denbrough. he wants to know it, and he wants to appreciate it. 

honestly, stan thinks, he wants to spend enough time with bill that no one has ever known them apart. he wants to stay here with bill next to him, humming something that stanley is sure is from some disney movie, forever. is that dumb to say after knowing a person for three days?

the humming fades, and stanley realizes bill has fallen asleep on his shoulder. stanley lifts his head to look to bill, kindly admiring the way his lips are parted gently, and his eyebrows are furrowed. 

stanley had only walked up to bill the first night because his asleep nature made him unthreatening. that, and he wasn't an adult. that was comforting, too. 

now, stanley wishes he had admired bill more on that first night. 

a little while later, it is 12:30, according to stan's phone, and therefore time to wake bill up. his neck cannot be that comfortable sleeping like that so much. stanley tenderly grabs bill's neck, lifting his head off of stan's own shoulder. bill doesn't wake up, so with one hand cupping bill's face, he shakes bill's shoulders. 

"hmmrph?" bill wakes up, his eyes opening the smallest amount possible. 

"we're going back to your room," stanley whispers, still trying his hardest to ignore the woman glaring. bill mumbles an agreement softly, and stanley helps him get up. bill is still half asleep, if he's honest. 

"okay, stanny," bill says, and stanley wonders if he has a stutter when he's tired. stanley puts an arm under bill's shoulders, and he puts one of bill's arms over his shoulders. feeling a little like he's helping a drunk person, stanley half-carries bill into the next train car. 

up to the room, bill is silent. eventually, they get to the room, and stan gently opens the door, looking around. he sees richie and eddie, cuddling in the bottom bunk, fast asleep. richie is shirtless, and suddenly it makes sense to stan what bill meant by "danger zone". 

"they're honestly cute together, not that they get to know that i think that," bill whispers, confirming stan's suspicions that he doesn't have a stutter when half-asleep. strange. "i have to get changed. don't look at my ass." tired bill snickers. "unless you want to."

stanley reddens and looks away, instead looking at the two cuddling boys. he hasn't know the group for very long, he's aware, but it's not hard to see that there was always something between richie and eddie. soon enough, bill taps stan on the shoulder, and stan turns back around. 

"can you tuck me in, stan?" bill whines, still incredibly quiet, and stanley nods. bill fits himself under the bedsheets, and stanley takes the duvet and literally tucks it around bill. 

"can you just... sit here?" stanley vaguely remembers saying similar things to his mom when he was very little. he nods at bill and sits down on the edge of the bed, his hand on the bed roughly where bill's stomach is. bill shuffles a little bit and closes his eyes. 

"you're really cute," bill starts, thinking, "goodnight."

"goodnight, bill," stanley replies. his hand leaves bill's stomach and hovers over bill's forehead. 

he considers kissing him goodnight. 

instead, he rubs his thumb lightly over bill's forehead.