ethereal : it oneshots

i would know him in a flash in the dark

pairing: stozier

a/n: wrote this high still am high might edit it sober later

when richie disappeared, stanley stopped going to temple.

it wasn't that one caused the other, or vice versa, simply that after richie disappeared stanley found himself around the rest of his friends much more often, and shabbat seemed less important. stanley stayed by the fact that he would be attending temple, and not seeing his friends so often, except that it wasn't really his choice, and he hadn't really been all that able to refuse.

"i-i have studying to do..." stanley trailed off, scuffing his shoe on the rocks underneath them. he adjusted his backpack awkwardly, avoiding beverly's stare by directing his eyes to the ground as well. surprisingly, it wasn't beverly who began to argue with him.

"richie's g-guh-gone missing, w-we can't just sp-spluh-split up!" bill said, and stanley looked up to meet his heartbroken eyes. stanley could feel the guilt in his heart pull down his own eyes, drooping to match bill's twisted sad look. stanley attempted to swallow, repulsed at how suddenly dry it had gotten.

"please, stan, we'll all be at bill's. come with us." mike joined in, and stanley hated the way his heartstrings felt heavy. he had always had a soft spot for bill, mike and richie, and he hated that richie always used to use it against him (often telling one of the two to ask stan so he'd say yes). here he was, even missing, somehow getting bill and mike to call a symphony and sad strings to his stupid heart.

"i... fine. okay," he gave in, feeling his hand begin to cramp from clutching his backpack strap. he swallowed again, still dry. he swore that little ancient mouth egyptians were probably building pyramids on the back of his tongue, using the uvula as their sun.

the six set off on their walk, stanley falling behind. he wasn't thinking about the temple, or even the part of the torah he'd intended to work on, instead missing how richie always fell back to walk slowly with stanley. someone was always excluded when walking down sidewalks, the seventh member having to trudge alone, but richie had been insanely good at making anyone forget it was ever an issue.

it didn't help that stanley had always liked to stare at richie as they spoke, studying every small change on the boy's face. when he turned his head up to mike, the fifth to his six beside him, he nearly pictured richie's on top of it, each part perfectly memorized and in place. he blinked a couple times, looking back down to the ground.

mike bumped stanley's shoe with his, "you okay?" stanley caught the smallest glance of mike's expression. his eyebrows turned upwards slightly, it was the most concerned stanley could remember mike looking. stanley cleared his throat (dry as the skull inside it), and nodded.

"i know he's probably okay, but—" stanley cut himself off, shaking his head. he could feel his hands trembling, and put them in his jacket pockets to keep it from being noticeable. mike stayed quiet a moment, perhaps wondering if stanley would continue.

"i know. i'm scared too." mike said when he realized stanley was done. it was comforting from mike's mouth, but the image of richie next to him instead of mike only pushed stanley to keep worrying.

richie had disappeared three days ago by then. it wasn't completely uncommon for richie to disappear for one or two days, to be completely untraceable. but he always came back, and he had always left one of the losers with some kind of notice of where he was. this time, it had been three days, and the losers were concerned. his home phone wasn't answering (a sign richie wasn't there—only richie ever answered the landline), he hadn't left any of the losers anything, and his parents wouldn't answer the door.

the six of them had immediately known something was different this time. with no notice found on the third day, beverly and eddie had kicked into third gear, convinced something had happened to him.