Chapter Text
It was a random Tuesday in April, right in the middle of the busiest season of the school year. The Losers were sitting together at lunch, talking in their respective pairs. Bill and Stanley, Richie and Eddie, Beverly and Ben, and Mike with his girlfriend, Ruth.
“Hear ye, hear ye!” Bev said towards the middle of the lunch period, breaking everyone from their conversations. She was standing by her side of the table, hands planted firmly on her hips as she glanced around to make sure she had everyone's attention. “After many months of careful consideration and talking, Ben and I have started dating.” She sat back down next to a furiously blushing Ben, who was probably not expecting the sudden announcement.
Stanley glanced over at Bill, who was…smiling? What happened to him being in love with her? Richie stood up and started slow clapping, to which Eddie kicked him in the shin for. “Ow!” Richie exclaimed, sitting back down and glaring at Eddie. “Congrats dude and dudette.” He said with a wide grin, waggling his eyebrows at the pair.
“How long have you guys been dating?” Mike spoke up, Ruth leaning her head on his shoulder. She was gorgeous, dark honey skin and long, curly black hair that went almost all the way down her back. She had a button nose and greenish-gray eyes, a soft jawline and heart-shaped face. She was incredibly sweet as well, always caring for others before herself. Mike and Ruth had been dating for a solid 9 months, and they were still going strong.
“Two months, give or take.” Bev says with a shrug. The rest of the group gaped at her, clearly they had not picked up on the cues between the two of them. “What? It’s not like we weren’t obvious. Did you guys not see me kiss Ben last week?!”
Looking back, Stanley did recall the slight peck Bev had placed on the boy’s lips. Perhaps he just didn’t think anything of it at the time, or he was too distracted by Bill. He had been a lot lately, just picking up on things he never noticed before. Like the way he cracked his knuckles when he was anxious, or how he was constantly fidgeting with the hems on his clothing, even when he thought no one was watching. Or maybe it was the way his sea green eyes lit up a bit whenever he saw Stanley, a fact that he took great pride in.
“-and I guess we both just realized we had feelings for each other.” Ben said, snapping Stanley out of his thoughts. He glanced over at Bill, who was…looking at him? Weird. Bill looked away after a moment, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Well, now we’ve got a second Loser couple!” Richie said with a clap of his hands, still grinning like a maniac. They all went back to their respective conversations, Mike and Ruth talking to Ben and Bev from across the table.
“Are you going to practice today?” Bill asked Stanley, who snapped himself out of his thoughts once again. He did that a lot, drowning in his own mind so much so that he blocked the world out.
“I think so. I’ll probably just have to walk home because my dad has work.” Stanley replied, thinking back on the seasonal calendar. They had both been playing baseball since they were little, and continued through high school. Bill was head captain of Varsity, and Stanley was co-captain. They had a big tournament coming up in a few days, one that would determine if they would go to the championship tournament.
“I could drive you. I got my license a couple days ago and my mom let me take the car to school.” Bill offered, taking a bite of his sandwich.
“If that’s alright with you. I don’t want you to have to drive me all the way home when your house is the other direction.” Stanley mumbles, putting down the granola bar he had been eating. He felt guilty for some reason. Bill was quite literally one of the kindest people ever and he obviously wouldn’t care. But still.
“It’s no big deal, Stan. I really don’t care. Plus, I would get to hang out with you and get more practice driving.” Bill said, nudging the curly haired boy with his elbow. Stanley blushed a little bit, picking his granola bar back up.
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Stanley had class with Richie, who was quite obnoxious when it came to the class. Bill walked them down the hallway, disappearing into his English classroom.
“So. Ben and Bev, huh? Who would’ve thought?” Richie said sarcastically as they sat down in their AP Biology class. Stanley would’ve never expected Richie of all people to be in the class, but he was actually extremely smart. He was constantly helping Stan with the work whenever he didn’t understand.
“I think they’re cute together.” Stanley said as he pulled his notebook out and copied down what the teacher was writing on the board. He thought it was stupid that they had to go back to class for only 30 minutes after lunch, even though they had an hour before lunch.
“Well, obviously. But like, what happened to Bev and Bill? I thought they dated for a while.” Richie says as he copies down the notes in his chicken scratch handwriting.
“No, they never did.” Stanley mumbled as their teacher looked over at them, eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Just the one kiss in eighth grade.”
“Hmm, keeping tabs, are we Stanley?” Richie says with a smirk, earning yet another shin kick.
“Stanley, Richie. Have something you’d like to share with the class?” The teacher interrupted, causing the entire class to look their way. Their eyes bored into Stanley, making him flush deep red with embarrassment, putting his hands in his hair and elbows on the table.
“Oh no, nothing of importance Mr. Johnson. Nothing at all.” Richie said with a slight posh accent, to which Mr. Johnson rolled his eyes as he kept teaching. He was saying something about genetics when Richie leaned back over, whispering to Stanley. “Someone’s got a stick up their ass.”
Mr. Johnson stopped again, turning around and pointing at the raven haired boy. “Tozier. Principal’s office, now. And leave your phone up here.” He said sternly, pointing towards the door. Richie just shrugged, dropping his phone on the desk as he walked out of the room backwards, tipping an imaginary hat at the class.
With Richie gone, Stanley was finally able to focus, taking notes till the end of class, notes that he didn’t actually understand, but would probably be helpful later. He packed up his things right before the bell, which was consequently when Richie came strolling back into the room with a detention slip in hand and a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Jesus Christ, Richard.” Stanley said with a sigh, slipping his backpack on and checking his watch for the time. 1:23. 2 minutes until the bell rang for his next class, which was unfortunately his athletic period. Which meant baseball. “Y’know, you’d get in a lot less trouble if you would just shut your mouth for five seconds.”
“I can’t Stan the man. It’s in my name, it’s in my blood. I am Trashmouth Tozier.” Richie says with dramatic flourish. “I can’t change the way I am just like you can’t stop ogling Bill.” He mumbles, smirking at Stanley, whose jaw was practically on the floor.
“How’d you-” Stanley started, cut off by the bell ringing for the passing period. Richie just winked at him and bounded out of the room to meet Eddie in the hall. Stanley walked out, still in shock. He was in so much shock, in fact, that he ran head first into Bill. Wow, speak of the devil.
“Oh, hey Stan!” Bill said when he looked up and saw who he had just collided with. They had about a one inch height difference, with Stanley being the taller of the two. Bill smiled at him as they walked to the locker room to get dressed into practice clothes. The worst part about having double practice days was having to go to class in between. Stanley and Bill thankfully had the same eighth period, so it wasn’t as bad. But they still looked a little ridiculous in their practice uniforms sitting in a history class.
“Hey, Bill.” Stanley said, fidgeting with the strap on his backpack. Talking to Bill had become increasingly more difficult as they got older, mainly because of whatever Stan felt towards the boy. He knew their town wasn’t exactly accepting, even though it was the 2020s now and things should be different. “Do you know what time practice ends after school? I tried to check but Mr. Johnson is super strict about phones.”
“Yeah, it’s late tonight I’m pretty sure. 8:00, I think, if not later.” Bill replied, biting his lower lip in thought. Stanley looked away, realizing he was staring at the auburn-haired boys’ lips. “Fuck, I was supposed to watch Georgie tonight. I’m going to be exhausted.”
“I could come over and help. If you wanted.” Stanley mutters as they enter the locker room, setting his stuff down by his own locker, before turning to face Bill.
“You’d do that?” Bill asks, eyes soft and bright, the same way that makes Stanley’s heart flutter.
“Yeah of course. You’re my best friend, Bill. It’s really not a problem, I didn’t really want to see my dad tonight anyways.” The curly haired boy says, taking his shirt off to change. Bill glances over, taking in his lean frame. His face flushes red at the sight of the boy’s bare abdomen and he has to look away, taking his own shirt off.
“Things still suck at home?” Bill asks quietly, making sure none of their teammates heard. Stanley opened up a few months ago to the Losers about how his parents were fighting again, about his dad yelling at him everyday over the smallest things. Once he was done talking that day, he started crying, and was quickly engulfed in a tight hug from Bill. It was one of Stanley’s favorite memories.
“Always do.” Stanley replies, pulling on his practice jersey; a white shirt with his last name and number (13) printed on the back, and “Derry Baseball” written on the front. Only his and Bill’s were white, because they were captains. Everyone else’s were deep, forest green with white wording. “I just wish my dad would give up his bullshit act and leave already. Him sticking around is only making shit worse.”
Bill nods, pulling on his own jersey, the number 7 printed on the back. They both change in silence, the bell ringing and all of their teammates filing out to the field.
“Stan?” Bill mumbles, looking at the boy with sadness in his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I don’t think I have been for a long time, Billy.” Stanley whispers, tears stinging his eyes. He shuts them tight, trying to calm down because he has practice, and he’s captain so he has to be perfect and if he isn’t then he’ll get kicked off and his teammates will hate him and-
Bill wraps him in a tight hug, similar to the one they shared all those months ago. Stanley collapses into the shorter boy’s arms, months of emotions and getting yelled at and just not being good enough escaping his mind and leaking out of every pore in his body.
“Shhh. It’s okay, Stanny. I’m right here. Deep breath, okay? It’s going to be okay.” Bill whispers into his shoulder, arms winding around the boy’s waist and holding him tight and close. “You can always talk to me, Stanley. I’m right here, I have been. You always have a place at my house with me, alright?”
Stanley nods, taking a step back and wiping his eyes. He takes a deep breath and grabs his practice bag, the bats clinking together on the side of the bag as he picks it up. Bill does the same, walking up next to Stanley and leading them to practice.