The Gift Of You || College!Steddie
IT Secret Santa Gift for @maxine-gayfieldâ
IT Secret Santa Organized by @itfandompromptsâ
âI just donât understand why they need to do⊠this?â Stan furrowed his eyebrows, watching as a boy he recognized from his history class and a girl he had never seen before hung up another garland across the hallway. He acknowledged that the garland was a nice shade of green, and it was pretty to look at, but that didnât change his opinion on it.
Eddie, who could barely see through his layers upon layers of beanies and scarves, turned to Stan, seeing the contempt in his eyes. He followed Stanâs eyes to the winter garland that draped across the wall, just brushing the top of a doorframe.
âPeople get excited for Christmas, Stan. Itâs bigger than Hannukah, especially here. But that doesnât mean we canât cele-âÂ
âNo, no, I donât care about that. Itâs fucking November.âÂ
âOh.â Eddie blinked in surprise, as Stanâs hands curled into fists. He was almost shocked at how frustrated Stan was getting. Sure, he knew that Stan often felt left out at Christm- December,
(Eddie had sworn to Stan that he would be inclusive around the holiday season. Stan had told him he didnât have to do that, but Eddie had smiled sweetly and crossed his fingers over his heart)
but he hadnât expected Stan to get so annoyed at people hanging up decorations early. Maybe, a thought occurred to him, Stan would be less annoyed if it werenât just typical Christmas decorations being hung up everywhere. But then again, maybe Stan meant what he said and he was just frustrated that it was only November.Â
Letâs hope that Stan avoided any and all shopping malls until December.
â-vember is way too early for holiday decorations. Itâs barely been two weeks since Halloween, yknow?â Eddie glanced up at Stan again, his neck hurting a little, due to their difference in height.
Eddie used to complain about his small, 5â5 height in comparison to Stanâs 5â8 height, or anyone elseâs height quite regularly, so much so that Stan had once made a comment that their heights were not that different, and Eddie was simply being dramatic. Eddie hadnât said anything about his height since.
âStanny, I think youâre being a bit dramatic.â Eddie hummed, a small smirk on his face as he remembered the height conversation, his voice muffled through a scarf that heâd moved to warm up his face more. Stan huffed, but shifted his thoughts away from the decorations, and instead listened to Eddie talk about whatever his mom had sent a letter about this time.
As Eddie spoke, fumbling over his own words as he complained about his overbearing mother, Stan took one last look at the decorations that plagued the college hallway and made a mental note of the date.
November 11th. 44 days until Christmas.
âSo, you want to celebrate Christmas for the first time, because of Wheezy?â Richie Tozier snorted, eyeing his curly-haired dormmate over the top of his comic book. Richie had not stopped laughing since Stan had slammed open the door and collapsed on his bed, muttering unrecognizable sentences under his breath.
These sentences, as one might come to wonder about them, were very much related to the day Stanley had spent with Eddie. These comments were in no way negative. Stan would never dream of saying anything even remotely harsh to the smaller boy. No, these comments, as anyone who heard them could tell you, were simply muffled confessions of a newly burning adoration.
âYes, I do. And his name is Eddie, thank you very much.â Stan rolled his eyes at Richie, a common occurrence in their dorm.
Richie, however, was well aware that his name was Wheezy. Not only did he share some classes with the boy, but he slept in close proximity of Stan, and that reminded him of the brunette boyâs name enough. Stanley Uris had a terrible habit of talking in his sleep.Â
âOkay, so, you - a Jew - want to celebrate Christmas - a not Jewish holiday - because of some boy that you like?âÂ
âYes. Wai- No, I donât like him!â Stan glared at Richie, who simply shrugged his shoulders in response, the smirk across his face kept hidden behind his comic. Stan, in a moment of defeat, slumped back onto his bed, unaware of the conversation happening across the hallway.
âBen, itâs just not fair! Heâs too pretty to be real.â Eddie groaned, his pale skin flustered so much that his freckles were practically hidden. Ben Hanscom, who had been trying his hardest to finish his architectural sketch and not giggle at Eddieâs predicament, gave up and put his pencil down.
âDeal with it, Eddie. Some people are just too pretty.â He mused, eyes drifting to the set of four photobooth pictures pinned to the wall, flaming red hair drawing in his focus.
âBut I donât wanna deal with it!â Eddie whined, shoving his face into his pillow, leaving Ben on the verge of a giggling mess. âWhy canât- why canât he deal with it, and be- be less pretty?âÂ
âWell, I donât think youâd like that, would you?â
âNo⊠I suppose not. Fuck, I hate when youâre right.â Eddie, upon hearing Benâs triumphant laughter, stuck out his middle finger, frustrated grumbles spilling from his lips. Eddieâs fist met his mattress repeatedly, each impact paired with a sweet, but angrily spoken, comment on Stan.
Ben, figuring he wasnât going to be having another conversation with Eddie for a while, stood up and walked over to there calendar. It had been a gift from Sonia Kaspbrak, who had no clue how to give suitable presents to her son and had presented him with a calendar with a different health fact each day.
Ben ripped off that day and its fact (blood makes up about 8% of your total body weight) revealing the new fact for the 21st of November.
November 21st, 34 days until Christmas.
âBenjamin Peter Hanscom, I am 100%, without a doubt, completely and utterly in love with Stanley Reuben Uris.â
Ben, who had not been expecting Eddie so early, almost knocked poor Beverly off the bed in shock. Bev, who had simply wanted to spend time with her boyfriend, gaped at Eddie, his words coming as a surprise to her.
âBen, why arenât you saying anyt- oh, hi, Bev.â Eddie collapsed on his bed, which had become a regular occurrence since Eddie had realised he had any semblance of feelings for Stan.Â
Oh, he definitely had feelings for Stan. Stan, who would barely speak up in class, but always had so much to say. Stan, who would always wait for Eddie outside the classes they didnât share. Stan, who knew Eddieâs order at every nearby restaurant and cafe. Stan, who was a straight-A student, yet would sometimes arrive late to class due to being distracted by a bird.
Stan, who Eddie could talk about for hours.Â
Yeah, he absolutely had feelings for Stan.
Looking up, Eddie saw the awkward expressions on Beverly and Benâs faces and rolled over to face the wall and not them.
âContinue. Iâm not watching.â
âYouâre in love with Wheezy! Youâre in love with Wheezy! Youâre in love wi-â
âYes, Richie! We get it, okay? Stanâs in love with Eddie.â Mike placed his hand over Richieâs mouth, only to receive the sensation of Richieâs tongue across his skin. âYou, Richie, are disgusting.â
âS-so, Stan, when did you r-realise you liked, or love, him?â He watched as Stanâs cheeks lit up red, a smirk now adorning Billâs face. âIâm sorry, S-Stan, is love too strong a word f-for you?â
âYou guys need to shut up!â Stan cried out, leaving the other three boys in fits of laughter. âOh, fuck you guys!â
âCmon, Stan, you know weâre just messing with you, right?â Mike sat beside Stan, patting his back comfortingly, while Bill and Richie continued to laugh. Now, as cruel as it may seem for Bill and Richie to find such humour in Stanâs feelings, they were actually quite happy and proud of their best friend.
âHey, Rich?â The glasses-clad boy looked over at Stan. âWhat would- I canât fucking believe Iâm asking you this- What would you do if you thought youâd found your soulmate?â
âWhoa, Stan the Man! You saying that Kaspbrakâs your soulmate?â Mike exclaimed, springing to his feet. Bill and Richieâs eyes widened as Stan fiddled with his fingers.
âWell⊠yeah. Do I sound insane, or ridiculous or obsessive or-â
âYou and Eddie are absolutely soulmates. Just ask him out. If he doesnât say yes, you can just go out with me.â Richie smiled and tried to pull Stan into an affectionate embrace, trying to keep up a serious facade, Stan slapping his arms away and laughing loudly.
âHow do you ask someone out?â Stan asked, earning eye rolls from his three friends.
âW-well, itâs got to be special. And important. Especially to Eddie.âÂ
Stan wracked his mind for something special and important to Eddie. And of course, things that might actually make Eddie say yes. That, to Stan, meant no disease, no illness, nothing that reminded Eddie of his mother.
âWait! Stan, Stan, Stan, Stan, Stan!â Richie shook the curly-haired boy by his shoulders, Stan simply rolling his eyes in response.
âDidnât you tell me you wanted to celebrate Christmas because of Eddie?â
Stan, in a moment of realisation and possible brilliance, bolted to the calendar.
âItâs the 30th of November. I have 25 days to give Eddie the best Christmas of his life.â
âGâmorning Stan!â Eddieâs cheerful voice called down the hall, causing Stan to choke on his peppermint latte and almost spill the gingerbread hot chocolate in his hand. As Eddie practically bounded over to Stan, the taller boy took in his appearance. Eddieâs cheeks were flushed red, and the white flakes of snow on his head stood out among his chestnut curls.
He looked utterly adorable and Stan could only just keep himself composed.
âHow are you, Eddie?â Stan smiled, not unaware of Richie standing not too far behind Eddie, gesturing crudely at the pair of boys.
âWell, itâs December 1st, and Ben got up early to decorate for Christmas, so Iâm in quite a festive mood.â Eddie smiled, remembering the string of red, yellow and green lights that had woken him up.
Stan blushed at the sight of Eddieâs wide smile, and the way his hair bounced as he shook out the snow. The burning sensation tingling through Stanâs hand reminded him of the drink he was still holding.
âOh! Eddie, I brought you a drink. I remembered you texting me at, like, 2am about how excited you were for a gingerbread hot chocolate, so I thought Iâd get you one.â Stan breathed a sigh of relief that he hadnât stammered or messed up his words.
âFuck, Stanley, I love you. I canât believe you remembered!â
Stan froze at Eddieâs words, the dorkiest smile imaginable breaking out across his face. He handed Eddie the cup, laughing softly as he aggressively started drinking it. It was almost gone in a minute, Eddie giggling awkwardly as he realised heâd downed the whole thing.
Stan was yet to tear his eyes away from the small brunette, eyes open wide in pure shock and admiration. His next words barely matched a whisper.
âHow could I forget.â
âEddie? Really?â Beverly sighed as she watched Eddie shove a bobby pin into the lock. Sure, he couldâve just asked Richie for the key, but as if that dickweed would just hand them over. Especially if he knew why.
Beverly and Ben had boxes stacked to the skies that Eddie had filled with decorations and other surprises heâd bought the past week. He could only hope that Stan would like the surprises too.
âFuck yeah!â Eddie swung the door open, only to be met with Richie, Mike and Billâs scared faces as they huddled together.
âThe fuck are you doing here?â Tozier screeched, pushing up his glasses that were slipping off.
âNo point in lying now,â Eddie groaned. âI- We were planning on decorating Stanâs dorm. Iâve spent the past week shopping for Hannukah items and simple decorations in Stanâs favourite colours. Thatâs what weâre doing here.â
Bill and Mike shared a knowing look with Ben and Bev, while Richie let squeaky laughs to escape through his smiling face.
âThatâs kinda gay, Kaspbrak!â
âOh, go suck your boyfriendâs dick, Tozier.â
The two continued to bicker, as Bill and Mike moved to help Ben and Bev unload the boxes. In the time it took for Richie and Eddie to calm themselves down and move on, the other four had already hung up all of the blue and silver decorations, and were in the process of stringing up the little bird-shaped fairy lights Eddie had hunted down for three days.
âHey! I was meant to hang this all up!â Eddie gasped, genuinely upset.
âDonât worry, Spaghetti, they left the most important part for you,â Richie said, handing the extremely expensive menorah (which had cost Eddie all his savings. But it was for Stan, so he didnât care.) over to Eddie, being careful not to drop it.
Eddie placed it carefully on Stanâs desk, making sure it didnât disrupt the perfect order that Stan kept everything in. Once that was done, Eddie left the room, Bev and Ben not too far behind.
10 minutes later, Stan unlocked the door and gasped in surprise. There was barely an empty area of wall, and usually, this would have upset Stan, but when he took a moment to actually examine the festive explosion, it brought a smile to his face.
Three out of four of his favourite things. His fourth favourite thing was Eddie. And there, on his desk, was the most gorgeous menorah heâd ever seen. He was so enchanted by the new item on his desk, he hadnât noticed Richie reading another comic.
âItâs gorgeous,â Stan spoke, seemingly to himself.
âYeah, Wheezy did quite a good job,â Richie muttered, almost causing Stan to scream in shock.
âWh- Eddie did this?âÂ
âYeah, who else? Me? Nah, Iâll leave this kind of sappy shit to your tiny boyfriend.â
âHeâs not my bo- I donât care. He did all this for me?â
âJesus, Stanley, get it through your head. Yes, he did it for you. Now go run to his dorm, sweep him off his feet and fuck for god sake.â Richie sighed, more serious than heâd ever sounded.
âNo. Iâm not hanging Mistletoe in the doorway, Benny. Thatâs a stupid plan.â Eddie sighed, tossing the leaves behind him. Ben sighed, reaching down to pick up the discarded decoration.Â
âBut wasnât that your plan?â
âIt was. But thatâs so basic. And thereâs no consent because of âtraditionâ, which is stupid and dumb. And itâs a Christmas tradition and I want it to be more⊠Stan, yâknow?â
Ben sighed again, burying his head in his hands. Eddie was truly one of the most frustrating people heâd ever had to deal with, but he loved the boy nonetheless, and all he wanted to do was help his friend get together with the boy he was so clearly in love with.
âFine, weâre scrapping Mistletoe. What else you got?â Ben queried, staring at Eddie with an inquisitive look. He was quite intrigued to see what Eddie could come up with.
âWhat if- and I know this sounds stupid- but what if I gave Stan a Hannukah present, but the present was me and I kiss him? Is that stupid?â
Ben stared in shock. Never did he imagine that Eddie Kaspbrak, the resident germaphobe, who sometimes screamed at the slightest breath on him and ran miles away from any cough or sneeze, was thinking of kissing Stan Uris.
Ben couldnât assume that Eddie hadnât thought of kissing Stan before, because there was no way he hadnât. But Eddie was ready to put his thoughts into action. Ben couldnât help but be proud of him.
âFuck. Ben, Iâm going out. December 25th is too far away.â
Eddie sped out of the room, not giving time for Ben to process his words. When the realisation dawned on him, the smile on his face swelled, and he rushed after Eddie, excited to see what he did.
âStan The Man! Youâre gonna kiss Wheezy as a Christmas-Hannukah present? Now thatâs a move!â Richie nudged Stan in the shoulder, only receiving a light shove back. Stan was an alarming shade of red, which only made Richie happier.
âShut the fuck up, Tozier. Iâm only doing it cause Mike told me to.â
âShut the fuck up, Hanlon. Iâm not in the mood.â Stan laughed softly, as did Mike and Richie. When the laughter fell to silence, Stan began to mull over his tumbling thoughts. Fuck, was he really going to kiss Eddie? Yes. Yes, he fucking was.
âHey, guys?â The two boys hummed in response, gazing up at their friend. âWhat if I⊠didnât wait until Christmas?â
Their eyes widened, and so did Richieâs smile.
âStan my man! Thatâs what Iâm talking about! Sweep the little fucker off his feet and kiss him until he has an asthma attack! Go, you fucknut, and get your man!â Richie headlocked Stan, ruffling his already messy curls.
âI believe in you, Stanley. As Richie said; go get your man!â Mike cheered, clapping him on the back.
âI also said fucknut.â Richie stated through laughs, to which Stan simply rolled his eyes, a smile evident on his face. Stan stood up from his bed and headed for the door, ignoring the cheers and wolf-whistles from his friends.
He swung open the door, only to be met with Eddieâs closed fist, as if he were about to know on the door.
âEddie!â Stan exclaimed, his voice breaking in surprise.
âStan! Sorry for almost punching youâŠâ Eddie sighed, dropping his arm to his side, letting it swing awkwardly. âOh! Youâre probably wondering why Iâm at⊠your door and very clearly trying to get in, since I was about to knock⊠I really am sorry for almost punching you. So uh, basically, I was going to wait until Christmas- sorry, Hannukah- but I couldnât wait so now Iâm here and Iâm so sorry for just showing up but I ju-â
Their lips moved perfectly together, their bodies moulding as if they were clay being sculpted into each other. Time seemed to slow as Eddie grabbed Stanâs waist and Stan grabbed Eddieâs face, both pulling each other closer.
âYou need to stop apologising,â Stan murmured, drawing Eddie nearer. âJust keep kissing me.â
Mike stood from his viewing position, shutting the door, much to Richieâs frustration. Ben coughed awkwardly and scurried off to his dorm, leaving Eddie and Stan in the empty hallway, their lips still brushing against each other.
âHappy Hannukah, Stan.â
âMerry Christmas, Eddie.â