Work Text:
Richie Tozier's best friend since kindergarten had been Stanley Uris. Minus that one time when Richie licked Stanley's arm and Stanley ignored him for four days until he apologized.
But they had always been at each other's side. Bullied together, laughed together, struggled together, grown together.
Before The Losers Clubs, before Bill and Eddie, it had been them against the world.
And (though it took a lot of self hyping up and a pep talk in the mirror) when Richie realised he liked boys, he confided in Stan first.
Originally he had done it to see if Stan could help fix him, to make it stop, help him find a girl he could date or something. Fix this thing that was broken within him because Stan loved to fix things that were broken.
But Stanley hadn't done that, because Stanley didn't think he was broken.
Instead, the taller boy had placed a hand on Richie's back, heavy and grounding, and offered a gentle smile, eyes soft and understanding. His fingers tapped Richie's spine three times almost ritually before rubbing soft circles gently on his back. His entire presence was soft, warm and inviting, it made Richie want to lean into him, but he was still scared.
"Thank you for telling me," Stan had said with so much genuine gratefulness that Richie had shared this with him that Richie had immediately started tearing up, eyes blurring as tears began to stream down his face. Stan made a face at that. "Are you crying?"
"Shut up," Richie said, pushing his glasses up to rub at his face. Stanley laughed gently and moved his arm, wrapping it around Richie's shoulder and bringing him in close. Richie rested his head on the boy scout's shoulder, trying to stifle his sobs, choking and wheezing a bit as he covered his mouth.
"It's okay to cry," Stanley stated with so much sincerity that Richie only cried some more. The other boy squeezes Richie's shoulder, gently, comfortingly, three times.
"It's just- I was so scared-" Richie tried to explain so he didn't seem like a five year old girl crying for no fucking reason at all. "I was worried- I mean what if you didn't- I was- I can't-"
"It's okay," Stanley said, voice reassuring, understanding. "It's only logical to have been fearful, especially in Derry. But I'm here for you Rich, always, no matter what."
Richie sobbed some more, hiccuping cries until he sat up, tears beginning to dry and he turned to look at Stan through wet eyelashes, a grin stretching across his lips.
"Careful, Uris. A man could fall in love." Richie said, voice overly flirtatious like the newscaster he sees on TV.
Stan rolled his eyes with a matching grin and shoved Richie off him with a gentle push.
"Beep beep, Richie."
So Stan hadn’t shunned Richie away, in fact, Stan treated Richie the exact same as always, though anytime he caught Richie looking too long at an attractive guy, Stan would give him a teasing grin and Stan would roll his eyes.
So really, it’s only natural that two years later when Richie falls in love, he tells Stan again.
"Don't make fun of me," Richie said as he and Stanley sat down on his bed.
"Not promising that," Stanley combatted, not even looking at Richie as he plays with his viewfinder, swiping through different photos of birds.
"Okay don't laugh then," Richie tried to compromise and Stanley just snorted in response. "Ugh, okay whatever. Okay, okay here goes."
Richie inhaled slowly then exhaled. Then when his heart was still racing and beating so hard in his chest like it might explode, he screamed a little. After that, he shakes his hands out to try and shake off his nerves as he grounds himself. Richie swallowed a gasp of air before finally sitting up straight.
Stanley doesn't react to any of this, still clicking through the viewfinder and only stopping when he thinks Richie is finally calm enough to actually speak, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow.
"I think I might have a little possible crush on Eddie." Richie said before turning away instantly so Stanley can't look at his face, see how scared he was to say it out loud.
"Ew," Stanley said, voice void of any emotion and Richie glared at him over his shoulder. "Kidding. Eddie Kaspbrak?"
"What other Eddies do you know?" Richie asked miserably. "Yes Eddie Kaspbrak."
"Why? I mean, you never talked about like guys you like the way that Bill or Mike talk about girls they like so I don't really know what your type is, but I didn't think it'd be Eddie, you guys are always fighting.” Stanley said and Richie groaned before laying back on the bed.
Stanley reaches out the straightening his blanket out underneath him and Richie doesn't move an inch after so he doesn't mess it up.
“I don’t know.” Richie mumbled, putting his hands over his face, otherwise staying stock still as Stanley put the viewfinder down, turning to give Richie his full attention. “He’s cute, the way he always gets so bothered by my teasing. And he’s the only one who ever like, teases back. Everyone else just sucks it up or tells me to shut up but he’ll tease back. And I like how he gets worried over dumb things like paper cuts and how he’ll put everything on hold to take care of one of us if we get a scrape or some dumb shit. He’s never asked why Bowers and his goons bully me, he doesn’t care why I’m a loser and he doesn’t care that we all are. I don’t know, I just like him. A lot.”
“Hm.” Stan hummed, nodding a little as he thought. “I guess tat actually kind of makes sense. Though to be honest I thought you’d have a crush on Bill.”
“Bill is like a fantasy crush,” Richie said with a dismissive hand wave. “I admire him from afar, but I’d never like, actually want to be with him.”
Stan smiled and nodded.
“Sure,” He said, understanding. “In that case, Bill’s a fantasy crush of mine too. Not gay though.”
Richie snorted and slowly sat up, Stan quick to smooth the blanket out again after him.
“Bet all the losers have a fantasy crush on ol’ Billy Boy.” Richie said and Stan nodded. A beat of silence passed between them and Richie sighed a little. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Stan said on instinct and tilted his head. “What am I being thanked for?”
Richie shrugged, hiding his face a little. “For not, like, leaving me and shit. For being the Stan you are and just… not seeing anything wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you.” Stan said firmly, sighing heavily. “You don’t pick who you do or don’t like, no matter what Bowers thinks. Nothing you do could ever make me just up and leave. Well, if you punched me in the face I would.”
Richie laughed at that, smiling genuinely and Stan grinned back.
“Stan the Man, you are truly the man.” Richie said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and bringing him in close. The taller boy bent down a bit as Richie pulled him. “Thanks for real.”
“Of course.” Stan said and then jabbed Richie’s side, making the nerd pull away from him. “Now you have to go ask my mom if she will take us out for pizza. She always says yes to you.”
“Ugh fine.” Richie said and jumped to his feet, flipping Stan off before he ran off to go find Mrs. Uris.
Richie felt something settle in his chest, something comfortable, any prior fears and concerns melting away as he walked through his best friends house.
There was nothing wrong with Richie, not according to Stan, and that was all that mattered.