Chapter Text
Richie was hoping against hope that his friends wouldn’t tease him about Stan. He was wrong. Hilariously and immediately wrong.
“Richie, he’s so sweet!” Bev cooed.
Richie was thankful that Stan was already driving away in his car and therefore couldn’t possibly be privy to the teasing.
“Who?” he asked, feigning ignorance.
Bev just rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face.
“Same time next week?” Richie asked as he meandered toward his car.
“Yea, yea, trashmouth,”
Goodbyes were exchanged and Richie and Eddie climbed into Richie’s car. For the first minute the ride was silent.
“So-“ Eddie started.
“I don’t even know if he likes guys,” Richie blurted out, anxiety forming a pit in his stomach as he thought about the mere idea of his damnable crush being unrequited.
“I don’t even know how to ask. I mean I probably should have checked- and I told you all about him. I’ll never recover if he isn’t- fuck Mike and Ben know. I’ll never live down the mortification of having a crush on a straight man-“
“Richie,” Eddie interrupted.
“I got my hopes up too high-“
“Rich,”
Richie fell silent, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel.
“I don’t think he would have come tonight, wearing the shirt you bought him, if he didn’t maybe like you too,”
Maybe.
“Maybe,” Richie echoed.
“And,” Eddie added, his voice intense, like he really wanted to drive his point home.
“He got you that Good Place mug,”
Aaaand Richie had no idea where Eddie was going with his point.
“… and?”
“And, I doubt you spend your whole day talking about that show, which means he remembered you like it,”
That… maybe- maybe Eddie had a point there.
“Ok,” he said quietly.
“Thanks Eds,”
“Not my name,”
The first week of break seemed to fly by. Christmas Day found Eddie and Richie with Bill and Georgie, opening gifts and watching as many Christmas movies as they physically could.
In what seemed like no time at all it was trivia once again. A highlight of break, and definitely not because Stan showed up and voluntarily took the seat next to Richie and not the one next to Bill. Richie tried very hard not to read too much into his seating choice.
“Ready for next week?” Stan asked quietly as the rest of their table chatted amongst themselves.
“I’ve got a CSI episode all ready to go,” Richie said with a grin.
“Is that all your class is?”
Richie huffed out a laugh.
“Of course it is. Just don’t tell admin,” he stage whispered.
“Oh of course not,” Stan agreed with a wink.
Richie’s brain short circuited.
“You uh- going to show a video as well? Give the poor kids a break for their first day back?”
“Yea, because I have so many options for videos,” Stan replied, sarcasm thick in his voice.
“Bill Nye,” Richie said.
“… I teach math…?”
“Doesn’t matter. They fucking love Bill Nye,”
“Language,” Stan warned, a beautiful teasing smile on his face.
Oh Richie was so fucked.
“You’re right, Staniel. They forking love Bill Nye,”
Stan laughed.
“Wait, are you guys doing Bill Nye too?” Ben asked from the other side of the table.
“Nah. He’s not my type,” Richie said without thinking.
Bev choked on her beer and Stan only laughed harder. Richie rubbed the back of his neck and took a sip of his beer, feeling very flustered. He had sort of come out- but also sort of hadn’t. Stan didn’t say anything phobic- but that could just mean he was an ally.
Before anything further could be said, the announcer started up the trivia contest, and from then the only thing discussed at the table were potential answers as they tried like hell to win.
They did not.