ethereal : it oneshots

nights

pairing: stozier

a/n: rough drabble

sometimes, when richie's brain disconnected from what was in front of him, he could hear someone playing guitar, somehow suiting whatever was happening. it was a side effect of being obsessed with playing guitar, he supposed. he'd listened to discordant strumming as a child, sitting at the top of the stairs watching his parents argue.

normally, he had to zone out a little to hear the music clearly, otherwise it was like a thrown-away thought, something sitting patiently in the back of his head to never get pulled forward. 

he'd gotten a guitar in fourth grade, and while it was way too big for him then, it was if he'd grown to fit it, his arms wrapping around it perfectly. it was rare that richie went anywhere without it, like it was his best friend. the guitar had suffered quite a bit in its age, but it never stopped being able to play. richie would sit at lunches, in the band room, fiddling with chords he did and didn't like.

it had gotten to the point that he could practice guitar in his head, and he guessed that that is probably what led him to this point. it didn't help that whenever he zoned out at school, he was looking at stan. it wasn't objectively stan's fault, the kid just was nice to look at, and he never judged richie for staring at him thoughtlessly. 

in his head though, he was composing ballads, stan's smug smile writing the lyrics and chords for him. richie had tried to ignore it—or rather, what it meant—but it didn't matter. even fully zoned in, next to stan, his head played music, like songbirds that had found the spring. 

stan was just nice to him. 

the rest of the losers didn't really have themes of their own, though richie had tried. bill's was almost triumphant, but richie couldn't find the right chord to land on. eddie's was loud, enough said. beverly's felt like her laugh, light and barely heard. ben and mike's had a jazzy feel in common, but richie wasn't very good at jazz. 

but stan had a theme. richie couldn't explain it.

right now, though, as stan looked at him impatiently, waiting for an answer, it wasn't his theme that played. every form of d chords were playing, angry and loud, making richie's ears ring as it sped up.

"you've been ignoring me for months straight! what the fuck did i do, richie?" stanley's voice was strained, furious. richie couldn't blame him. it had been building up for a long time now; richie's consistent turning away and cold shoulder. he hadn't meant it to be mean, he just wasn't sure he could watch stanley any longer without someone realizing. he needed to dial it back, and fast.

but now he was here, drum beats in his head making his chest hurt as the guitar got louder.

"nothing, stan, you didn't do anything. i just... i can't just be friends with you. i'm sorry," richie felt sick, and his head hurt, and all he could hear was the unending noise in his head. someone was trying to kill him, turning the volume and the bass up on their guitar as they played.

"what? you don't want to be friends? clearly i did something, c'mon, you asshole, just tell me!" stanley's voice was more uneven now, and richie wanted to cry at the way you could hear the pain in his voice. the tune changed, still angry.

"no, i—" the music was at it's climax, richie could tell. it pushed him forward, towards stan. his hands felt the sides of stanley's cheeks, and stan looked to him, confusing clearing up. richie couldn't hear anything but the sound in his head. taking a breath and leaning in,

the music softened. piano played as their lips touched, richie's grasp on stanley's face still soft. to richie's surprise, he realized stan was placing as much forward force to connect their lips as richie was. he bumped richie's glasses a couple times. richie's headache was gone, and the ache in his chest now felt more like unsteady breathing.

when they broke away, stan's hands were hesitantly placed on richie's neck. they made eye contact. stanley nearly laughed, settling for an exhale out his nose. richie could see clearly now, his senses working like they normally did. the music was calm now. 

"i'm so fucking stupid. just friends. you said you couldn't be just friends." stanley muttered to himself. richie combed a hand through stanley's hair. something close to a smile was on richie's face.

"well, yeah. dumbass." richie muttered, stanley leaning into to kiss him a second time as he tutted. richie's smile grew wider. richie didn't even care about the music anymore, a faint guitar and piano playing softly.