cynosure [it characters]

june 8th, 1989 [7]

"we are going to have the time of our lives, richie! i'm telling you!" eddie exclaimed, in attempt to make his friend feel better. he's known richie long enough that if he gets annoyed or upset, it won't take long or too much effort for him to get happy and wild again.

richie, though not really feeling all that sad, sighed. eddie frowned as he sat on bill's neat bed. no way he was going to sit on richie's, which seemed a little rude, but there were dirty clothes littered around, and eddie doesn't need some new disease.

he folded his hands together and placed them on his lap. "let's play a game. you can pick one, explain it to me if i don't know it, and we can play. any game you want," eddie smiled. richie shrugged. "okay, then...how about we play twenty questions?"

he shrugged again, but eddie took this one as a yes. "great. i'll go first," he started, smiling. "who are your best friends?" he asked. richie seemed to take this question to heart, far deeper than he would've if he wasn't in the state he was currently composed of.

richie thought for a moment. "probably stan. and you, of course," he said. eddie seemed a little taken back from his name being called, as the two only met yesterday around the same time. they've been friends for twenty-four hours, yet richie declares eddie his best friend?

"more of you right now. i know i'm mean to stan and i get on your nerves, i mean, i get on everyone's nerves," he said, chuckling lightly. eddie thought he was chuckling to hide the hurt. "i am trashmouth tozier, the man and the voices in one!" he recalled.

eddie grew sympathetic, seeing as richie didn't really enjoy this question. "okay, let's move on. you ask one," he said politely. richie thought.

"how is your life back in derry?" he asked. eddie was stunned that richie had remembered his home town, he only mentioned it once yesterday, and richie cut him off before he could finish talking about it.

nonetheless, eddie shrugged. "it's okay. my mom is very protective of me, but i love her. i don't have many friends back there, my mom is really my only friend. she's considering i get home schooled," he said. richie had to hold back his laughs.

"eds, that's horrible!" he giggled lightly as he smiled. "well, at least you got your old pal bucky beaver," he smiled, showing off his array of "buck teeth", as the kids at his school would say.

eddie smiled, too, as if it was contagious, the only contagious thing he would be okay to catch. he was happy he and richie had this time alone, and they continued to ask questions about their lives with a few light jokes laced in the mix.

meanwhile, stan and bill both sat on stan's bed in silence. they knew they wanted to be together, but they didn't know what to do, what to say. so they just sat there, the silence filling the room until bill spoke up.

"i-i hope ruh-ruh-richie feels bet-ter," he managed. stan shrugged.

"he's always like that, though. i love him," bill seemed to tense up at these words, "but it can just get annoying. i spend everyday with him, and sometimes it's better to split up for a few hours at a time, like we are now."

bill nodded in agreement. the silence fell over again, and they just sat, listening to each other's heart beats. stan looked over at bill at one point, and bill looked at him, but they quickly glanced away, not exchanging words.

it was more awkward than anything, really. stan sighed lightly, bill furrowing his eyebrows as he looked over. "wha-what?"

stan shrugged. "nothing. just thinking, i guess," he said. 

"oh." bill subconsciously moved over, closer to stan, and there came the longing silence again. this time, it was coupled with extra loud heartbeats. stan reached over and took bill's hand with his own.

the stuttering boy's face heated up as he smiled to himself, looking down at their hands laced together. it's not like holding hands is normal for them; and that may be what makes bill smile so much when it happens.

he doesn't know what it means, or what will come after it, but he does know that it makes him feel this sort of way that he's never felt before. not to mention how beautiful stan is, as well, which makes his heart beat out of his chest.

maybe he should ask what it meant.

"h-hey stan?" he said, causing the older boy to look up at him. "wha-what does th-the hand huh-huh-holding thing meh-mean?" he asked slowly. stan pressed his lips together as he looked down at their hands, connected.

his eyes didn't return to bill's, but bill watched his every move. "i don't know, billy," he breathed in. "it just," he paused to exhale, after seemingly holding in a breath, "it makes me feel safe." he bit his lip, starting to feel a little silly, but bill smiled fondly.

he squeezed stan's hand. "ah-anything for yuh-you, stuh-stan," he mumbled.

the two boys smiled, cheeks rosy, as the silence had fallen over them this time. finally comfortable.