[ there's a strange dissonance in richie's head the moment stan wraps his arms around him.
richie's distinctly not used to the feeling of an adult touching him much beyond cursory pats on the shoulder from his dad or controlling arm grabs from his mom or especially exasperated teachers, and there's a small, anxious voice in the back of his mind practically rioting at the sensation, telling him to pull away, not to trust it but.
but even old, even sad, stan is recognizable to richie in a way that there's simply no denying, and his hug is familiar too. and richie wants so desperately to sink into that hug and let the rest of the world just fall away.
there's a good thirty seconds where richie is still and shivering in stan's arms, like a rabbit about to bolt, before he gives into his instincts and buries his face in stan's shoulder, tears flowing freely now. ] I love you too, Stan.
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richie's distinctly not used to the feeling of an adult touching him much beyond cursory pats on the shoulder from his dad or controlling arm grabs from his mom or especially exasperated teachers, and there's a small, anxious voice in the back of his mind practically rioting at the sensation, telling him to pull away, not to trust it but.
but even old, even sad, stan is recognizable to richie in a way that there's simply no denying, and his hug is familiar too. and richie wants so desperately to sink into that hug and let the rest of the world just fall away.
there's a good thirty seconds where richie is still and shivering in stan's arms, like a rabbit about to bolt, before he gives into his instincts and buries his face in stan's shoulder, tears flowing freely now. ] I love you too, Stan.