Chapter Text
1.
Bev was first.
The losers decided to go for a swim, right in the place where she decided to visit them, jumping in for the first time.
(She could imagine what Richie heard like when he yelled “Holy fuck! We just got shown up by a girl!” It made her giggle.)
She kicked her feet, holding herself above water and she looked around, seeing Bill, Ben, Eddie, Mike, Stan but no Richie. She tried to peer beneath the murky water, seeing if he drowned or not but no sign of him until she saw little waves from his feet. She grinned watching the waves go farther. He was going to Eddie.
She looked over at Eddie to see him chatting with Mike, he was smiling and suddenly he yelped and Mike’s grin fell into as Eddie was (slowly) dragged down.
“Fuck, fuck!” Eddie screamed, flailing his arms and splashing water everywhere, “Im gonna die! Shit!”
Then his head went under water and Mike panicked, about to go under until he saw dark hair swim up. Richie swiped his hair out his face, pulling Eddie up by the waist.
Eddie gasped, coughing harshly and yet Richie beamed at him, holding Eddie still so he wouldn’t actually drown.
Once Eddie got ahold of himself, he pushed Richie away, his voice raspy, “You idiot! You put me under water! I could’ve drowned!”
Richie nudged Eddie, “Awh, c’mon, Eds. Y’know I wouldn’t let you drown. You’re mom would be devastated and then the sex wouldn’t be as good.”
“Ew! Why do you have to be so gross!”
As Bev watched them bicker her eyes flashed over to Richie’s face, seeing how his face was unusually soft as he got yelled at. His smile light and sometimes she saw that look from Ben, though he would look away after. She hasn’t seen Richie look like that since his last girlfriend.
And then it hit. Richie is in love with Eddie. It was so obvious, it was right in-front of her face. The way he looked at him, how they always bickered and Richie just grinned. She wondered if the others knew.
She turned to see Stan, he was staring at them too, his face was slightly amused despite he wasn’t smiling. She hit his arm with her elbow and he hummed, looking over to her, “You think Eddie will try to drown Richie?”
Stan shrugged, “Wouldn’t doubt it. He looks pissed.”
She grinned turning back to see them.
2.
Ben was the second.
They were in the library, one of Ben’s favorite places to go despite Richie playfully calling him a nerd.
He looked through the history books of Derry, trying to avoid anything that has to do with Easter killings. He heard Eddie and Richie bicker in the background as usual, he turned to see them.
“Rich! Give me back my fanny pack, this isn’t funny!” Eddie yelled, jumping up to try and get said fanny pack that Richie head way above his head, using his height as an advantage. They got shushed from the librarian and Richie’s grin got bigger as Eddie huffed and crossed his arms.
“You’re such an asshole, y’know?” And Richie’s grin fell for a moment before he forced it back up, “No need to be so angry, Eddie Spaghetti, but its okay, I like them feisty!”
“Don’t call me that!”
He saw Stan walk over to them, a book in his hand, “Will you guys stop fighting for a minute? People are trying to read.” He hissed, slapping Richie with his book, making him yelp.
Richie sighed, “Fine. C’mon Eds, Stan the man here is being a bummer.” He whined, wrapping his arm around Eddie’s shoulder.
Eddie yanked the fanny pack out his hand, though not moving Richie’s arm, and he buckled it around his waist.
Ben smiled and turned around in his seat, he saw a glimpse of Bev and Bill talking and he felt the familiar itch of jealousy hit him. He sighed, looking down at his book again. He read for a moment before his mind thought, why did Richie look slightly hurt when Eddie called him an asshole? He never looked like that When Stan called him, or genuinely anyone else. Ben pushed the thought away before thinking about how, wow, they touched a lot.
And, oh. Oh!
Ben gasped silently, looking up, scanning around the room and seeing Eddie and Richie. They were standing in some part of the library and Richie held up a book and make some joke he could barely make out and Eddie slapped him on the arm, a slight smile on his face. He saw Richie grin, putting the book back and Eddie turned away and Ben saw Richie sigh. It didn’t look like an annoyed one, more like the soft kind that Ben had when he hear Bev laugh.
Richie smiled softly at Eddie as he was turned away and straightened up when Eddie turned back.
Ben slapped himself on the head lightly, so obvious! They were always touching each other in some way, (Not like that), it was hard not to see. He turned away, he knows they will figure it out theirselves.
3.
Stan was next.
Figuring he was pretty smart, he was surprised to know he was the third person to know.
He was on his bike, on his way to Bill’s house when he heard Eddie’s familiar voice. He stopped his bike, pushing it near the sidewalk and he pushed the metal bar down.
He walked over, seeing Eddie’s house. Then he saw Richie’s back and, since it was after they defeated Pennywise, hopefully, he saw Eddie’s
He walked beside the side of the house and hoped no one thought he was some creeper watching them.
“C’mon,” He heard Richie whine, “It’s okay! I banged your mom so hard she’s probably knocked out! She wont know a thing.”
“Ew! Beep, beep,” Eddie said, Stan could hear the disgust in his voice, “And no, I’m not gonna run away with you. My mom would know, and you know she doesn’t like me hanging out with you.” He added in a softer tone.
Oh, Stan thought, thats what they’re fighting about.
“Please,” Richie said, “I’ll bring you back right before it even hits five.”
He saw Eddie turn for a moment, “Okay, fine. But you better take me some place good.”
Richie grinned, saluting him, “Yessir!”
And they walked off and Stan quickly moved out of view.
He sighed, they were always fighting and yet they hang out with each other more than the with the other losers.
He wasn’t upset over it, just confused. Eddie acted like he absolutely wanted to punch Richie in the nose every second but he agrees to go hang out with him. They act like a stupid married couple.
Oh.
Stan stopped in his tracks, about to get on his bike, when he realized, they act like a married couple because they like each other. Thats why they hang out with each other a lot. Damn, was he this stupid?
Stan smiled slightly, they probably didn’t know or were too stupid to confess.
He got on his bike and rode away, should he tell Bill?
4.
Mike was the fourth.
All the losers were walking through a corn maze, since it was October, Richie had suggested they had some fun.
Mike smiled, lightly grazing his fingers through the corn, it was one of those corn mazes with flashing lights and people in outfits. There was currently nothing happening at that moment but they could all hear some chainsaw noises. He was having fun and he could tell the others were too.
Suddenly, something popped out from the side of the corn maze and Eddie screamed, jumping beside him where Richie was. Mike jumped slightly but laughed at Eddie softly and looked over to see the others getting freaked out too.
The man in the outfit creepily waved at Eddie before slowly walking back into his hiding spot to wait for other people.
“Hey, its okay,” Richie said softly when Eddie looked over at him, slightly embarrassed from his screaming. He nodded, fumbling in his fanny pack to grab his inhaler.
Mike smiled at them and Bev nudged him, “Yeah?” He turned to look over at them and Bev grinned, “Aren’t they cute,” she whispered, “I wonder when they will start dating.”
Mike looked at her confused, then at Richie and Eddie, “Oh.” He said when he put two and two together. They did comfort each other a lot, especially Richie. He was always the first to go to Eddie when he was in need.
Bev nodded.
Again, another person popped out with a chainsaw, sound affects getting louder and he heard Eddie gasp loudly and Richie laugh. Mike turned to see them and Eddie was clutching onto the bottom of Richie’s Hawaiian shirt.
Mike grinned, “Buddy, I think it might be real soon.”
5
And last but not least, Bill.
He was confused when he found out he was the last to know.
When he found out the losers were having a movie night, they all sat on the couch, slightly squished but no one seemed to care.
Before the movie started, Richie jumped up from his spot, “Im going to go get me a drink,” and Eddie looked up, “Can i come? You guys are making me claustrophobic.”
Richie smiled and nodded, letting Eddie grab his hand and he hauled him up, making Eddie wobble for a second when he stood.
Once they left Bev laughed, “So obvious.”
Bill looked beside him to her, “W-What? Am I m-missing out on something?”
She gasped, “You don’t know? Eddie and Richie? They are literally in love with each other.”
“Yeah, bud,” Mike popped in, “Its pretty obvious.”
“I-I don’t s-s-see it,” Bill said, still confused.
Bev giggled, “You’ll see.”
-
At the end of the movie, (which wasn’t that good, in Bill’s perspective), Richie yawned, standing up and stretching.
“Hey, Eddie Spaghetti, want me to walk you home,” Richie asked, “Im dying to see Ms. K again, she probably missed me after last night.”
“Beep, beep, asshole,” Eddie mumbled, “But sure,” Eddie stood up too, and Richie wrapped his arm around his shoulders.
“Cya, losers,” He called out.
Bev smiled, “Bye Richie, bye Eddie.”
“W-Wait, do they always do t-t-this,” Bill asked.
Bev nodded, smiling and biting her lip, “You see it now?”
“W-Well,” Bill thought for a moment. It did seem odd that they did this all the time, “I g-guess.”
Stan nudged him, “Its okay, it wasn’t as obvious to me either.”
“I don’t think it was too a lot of us,” Ben replied.
Bill smiled, he was happy for his friends.
+1
Richie hissed as Eddie put a cotton ball on his cheek, “Ow, that hurts.”
“Well maybe if you didn’t try to beat someone up, this wouldn’t happen, would it,” Eddie mumbled, “Now shut up, I’m trying to concentrate.”
After a few seconds and a few little gasps from Richie as Eddie cleaned his face up, Richie finally spoke, “I’m sorry.”
Eddie paused for a moment before reaching for the alcohol, “Are you?”
“Yeah, ow fuck!” Richie bit his lips.
“Im sorry, I know it stings but I don’t want your cuts to get infected,” Eddie flinched when Richie cussed again.
“Im sorry i was stupid,” Richie sighed, and Eddie snorted, mumbling a ‘nothing new,’ “Bowers called me something and I was pissed and if I want a dumb fuck, you would have to do this.”
Eddie stopped what he was doing and laid the bandaid he was gonna put on Richie’s face down, “Hey, its fine, it doesn’t matter really,” Eddie bit his lip, “I- I like taking care of you.”
Richie grinned, “Really?”
Eddie nodded and slapped his arm, “Dont let it get to your head, I still hate you.”
Richie hummed, letting Eddie take care of the rest of his wounds.
As Richie zoned out he heard a faint, “You’re really pretty,” from Eddie.
“What?” Richie asked, making sure he heard that right.
“Nothing! I- um- everything is done,” Eddie said, rushing to shove everything in his fanny pack and he practically sprinted out the room.
“Hey, wait,” Richie yelled, grabbing Eddie’s arm.
Eddie squirmed, “What?”
Richie beamed, “Did you call me pretty?”
“No! I didn’t,” Eddie said, slapping his arm.
Richie poked Eddie, “Yes you did! Just admit it! You think I’m cute.”
“Beep, beep,” Eddie yelled.
Richie laughed softly, letting go of Eddie but he didn’t leave.
“Maybe I kinda did call you pretty,” Eddie slapped Richie in the chest when he opened his mouth, “Maybe!”
Richie picked Eddie up, swinging him around, “It’s okay! I think you’re a cutie too, Eds.”
“Let me down! You asshole,” Eddie yelled, slapping his arm.
Richie smiled and put him down and a familiar warmth spread through his body and fuck.
Richie stopped in his place, did he like Eddie? No. No, he wasn’t gay.
“Hey, Rich, you okay?”
Richie shook his head, “Uh- yeah- yeah,” He grinned, “Shouldn’t you get home, Ms. K may get all mad and then I cant bang her because she wont be in the mood.”
“Ugh! You’re so gross! Next time I’m not helping you,” Eddie yelled but then he quieted down, “Cya, Rich.”
Eddie smiled at him and walked out the door and Richie sighed softly, feeling his cheeks flush up.
He needs to tell Bev about this.
-
Eddie ran out the front door. Did he really just call Richie pretty.
Fuck. Fuck!
He got on his bike, peddling fast and hard until he was out of breath. He put his bike up and went into his house.
“Eddie-bear! Where were you? I was worried sick,” his mom said.
“I was just out, Ma, I’m fine. Gonna go do homework.” He replied and she nodded, “Okay.”
He went up to his room, closing the door and he laid himself on the bed.
Fuck. Way to blow it, he thought, calling Richie Tozier pretty, real smart, Eddie.
He took a deep breathe in, its fine.
He can talk to him about it tomorrow.