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Richie Tozier is officially having the worst summer possible. He pushed his dark curls out of his eyes as he stared at the scene unfolding before him. The Losers had decided that with the heat of late June making the outside more and more unbearable, they should stop and all get some ice cream together. Stan had been the unlucky one to pay for it all. Everyone had checked their pockets (some already aware of them being empty), and had all come up with nothing. Well, except Stan of course. He was pissed off for the first couple minutes, ranting at the losers about how dumb it is to leave the house without money, but when everyone got their soft serve, he shut up and decided to just enjoy it.
But, Richie’s lack of money isn’t what is causing him to curse the summer season. He has a close friend by the name of Eddie Kapsbrak. He was one of the Losers (capital L!) that you would usually see Richie running around with. And well, you see, Eddie has a strange way of eating ice cream. Most people use their lips, and some even their teeth , but for Eddie, it’s all tongue.
Richie watched as he swiped his tongue up the side of the cone to the top, then how he folded it to take the desert back into his mouth. Eddie repeated this a few more times, his lips becoming wet and slick. Richie only tears his gaze away when he feels the sticky liquid of melted ice cream start to drip onto his fingers.
Great, he had been staring so long that his own ice cream had started melting in his hand. He quickly glanced around the table to see if anyone had picked up on his behavior, but to his luck, everyone was too focused on their own cone to even look up. Richie stole another glance at the scene and bit his lip. Eddie was swirling his tongue around the top of the desert, his lips turning a bright shade of pink from the cold. Suddenly, Richie felt his face heat up, and he decided that it would be better to dig into his own ice cream than watch Eddie eat his.
For the rest of the day Richie had forgotten about the entire thing. He forgot about how eddies tongue had looked so tempting licking the white liquid into his mouth. He forgot about how his eyes felt so permanently drawn to the way his lips moved. He forgot about how the scene had made his shorts feel a tad bit tighter than he remembered them being earlier that morning.
He forgot, until now that is. The small lamp on his bedside table gave his bedroom a slight orange glow. He had just finished showering and getting ready for bed. He was about to actually go to bed , but after remembering what happened today, he felt somewhat restless. The memory played on repeat while he held his knees to his chest. His hands were gripping the soft flannel pattern of his sleep pants as he tried to figure out why he was so stuck on the thought.
Eddie licking at the ice cream. Eddie with his lightly tanned skin and pink lips, rolling his velvety tongue around the desert. Eddie with his dark hair and freckles that fit his face so well, letting his perfect tongue tease around the ice cream, pulling the sweet liquid past his lips and into his mouth...
Richie threw himself back into his pillow as he felt the small waves of heat roll through his stomach. To Richie’s dismay, the thought of Eddie Kapsbrak, his best friend , enjoying a cold desert was tearing him apart. He glanced down at the small tent that was caused by his now half hard dick. He felt his face heat up again. The image returned, causing Richie’s dick to twitch again in interest. He sighed shakily as he turned to the lamp and clicked it off. Quickly as he possibly could, he settled into bed and pulled his blankets up to his chin. He tossed and turned, his... situation only getting worse as time passed and the memory kept coming back to him. He lasted about twenty minutes before he gave in and shoved a hand into his pants.
He kicked off his blanket and pulled down his pajama pants to his thighs, hissing slightly at the cold air that blew over sensitive skin. He quickly wrapped a tight hand around his erection and sighed at the contact. He slowly made an upward stroke, finally allowing the friction he craved. He built up a quick pace and tried to keep any thoughts away, trying to focus only on the sensations.
Spoiler, he failed.
Horribly.
His mind was almost instantly rerouted towards the memory and he felt his breath hitch. Behind his eyelids he could see the way Eddie’s tongue danced around the cone, he could see the way his lips puckered perfectly as he enjoyed it. He doesn’t know when, or how even, but the ice cream cone that Eddies tongue was dancing around in his head was replaced with the image of his dick. He let out a choked moan at the thought of it. He let his mind wander further, too focused on the pleasure to feel the guilt of the whole thing.
The way Eddie would stare up at him, his tongue lapping at the sensitive head of his cock. The way he would lick one long stripe up the side and wrap his perfect pink lips around it, slowly making his way down inch by inch.
Too dry , he thought to himself. Richie brought his palm to his mouth and spat in it before moving it back down to his throbbing erection. It was better but it was nothing like how he imagined Eddie’s hot mouth would feel like around him. He stroked in earnest, flicking his wrist at the end of each upward pull to let the tip slip through his tight fist. He tightened his fingers ever so slightly and bucked his hips up at the sensation. Eyes clenched tight, he brought himself closer to the edge with each movement of his hand. Behind his eyelids, he could still see the image of his friend staring up at him.
With his thighs tensing, he brought one hand to cover his mouth, trying to quiet the pleasured pants of breath falling from his lips. He barely had time to pull his shirt over his dick before he gasped out an “ oh fuck ” and came.
The hazy post-orgasm feeling cleared and he frowned at the sticky feeling of his shirt sticking to his skin. His now soft dick was covered by a wet spot on his shirt where it caught the offending liquid. He grimaced and pulled it over his head, throwing it into the hamper in the corner of his room. He did a small fist pump in celebration when he made it. After a moment, he settled back down, letting his head fall back onto the pillow. His dark curls created a halo around his head, a stark contrast from the white of his pillow case.
The silence of his room sounded a lot louder now that he was clear-headed. He stared emptily at the ceiling as he ran over what he had just done in his head. It was a weird situation overall, and he didn’t know what to make of it. Richie wasn’t dumb, he knew about his, well, unnatural attraction to men, but never once did it occur to him that he could ever think those things about someone close to him. Those thoughts were strictly limited to the male models in those magazines he pretended he didn’t have sitting under his mattress.
He almost wanted to cry for a moment, but he pulled his blankets back up to his shoulders and rolled over. He couldn’t let himself cry, crying was for women. Just because he was a fag didn’t mean he had to act like it. This never happened. And in turn, this will never happen again.
~~~~~
“C’mon Eds! You know we always go to the quarry. It’s, like, a Losers annual event.”
“Y-yeah,” Bill added, only slightly confused at Eddie’s apprehension, “What are yuh-you worried about? We always go to the quarry and swim. E-every year!”
Eddie shrugged his shoulders and looked away. He picked at the zipper on his Fanny pack as he kicked his feet underneath the diner table. It was a few days after that late night in Richie’s room (the Ice Cream Situation™ as he liked to refer to it in his head) and the Losers had decided to meet up again. They had biked to a diner to discuss their plans for later that day because of the free air conditioning. The decision to go to the quarry to swim was unanimous at first, but Eddie had came in last second and voted against it.
Eddie shook his head before opening his mouth, “Well, it’s just... I don’t know? It’s just weird! We’re older now. We’re not swimming around in our fucking tighty-whities like we used to.”
“If anything I would say that’s an upgrade. Boxers are way better for swimming.” Mike cut in.
“What? no— It’s not about the underwear okay! We’re just older and it’s weird ,” he said waving around his hands like they would help get his point across.
Richie, his voice bordering obnoxious, spoke up, “Eds. Eddie. Eddie spaghetti. Edward spaghedward. King Edward—“
Eddie glared at Richie, “stop calling me that! Just say ‘Eddie’ for the love of god!”
“...Geez, fine. Eddie. What I was gonna say is: The only one making it weird is you,” he said, finally making his point. Richie pushed his glasses up with his middle finger and Eddie stuck out his tongue in response. Richie felt his eyes flicker to the sight Eddie’s tongue for a second, before pointedly forcing himself to turn and pick at the upholstery on one of the diner seats.
“Richie’s right though Eddie, none of us think it’s weird except you.” Beverly added softly, not trying to seem too pushy.
Eddie glanced around, looking at each of the Losers, all shaking their heads in aggreance. Eddie let his eyes land on Richie’s for a second; to avoid it, Richie took of his glasses to wipe away a smudge that wasn’t there. It still felt a little weird to be around Eddie. Not as much as it had been the next morning after the Ice Cream Situation ™, but sometimes when he looked into Eddie’s eyes all he could see is the image his mind still clung to from that night. It haunted him... In a... weird... horny way.
Eddie sighed one last time, finally giving in, “Fine! We can go to the quarry!”
The Losers raised their hands and shouted in excitement. Richie started rambling on about his skills of persuasion in some poor implacable accent as they all pulled themselves out of the booths.
To the quarry they go.
~~~~~
This is how Richie, for the second time that week, began to wish summer never existed.
The Losers all stood in their underwear (Richie’s glasses set with his shoes) at the edge of the cliff, staring down into it trying to figure out who would jump first. Richie had been silent the whole time, trying to take in everything as subtly as possible. Of course they had all seen each other basically naked, but with Richie’s secret surrounding his sexuality, it always felt like some sort of punishment; some sort of way for the world to tease him. It made him feel guilty when his eyes would linger over the other boy’s bodies slightly too long. Longer than any straight boy would let themself look at another man. All of them had grown over the past few years, their body’s taking on a more masculine shape over time, leaving the gangly, long-armed, preteen look behind... Except for Eddie.
Eddie still was short and skinny, but he had a lot of muscle in his legs. His thighs were a lot more toned because of all the biking they did, but other than that he was the same old Eddie as before. Despite the lack of change, Richie found his gaze more drawn to Eddie than the other boys. Whether it was because of what happened those few days ago, or he was just observing, he didn’t know. It felt weird to be studying his friend so intently over something so small. The way his boxers hugged his hips and his thighs that seemed so strong. It was the complete opposite of Richie.
Whereas Eddie was small overall with even proportions; Richie was a tall, lanky, beanpole of a person. Richie had grown a whole five and a half inches the summer before (Eddie spewing envious insults the entire time). Sadly though, he didn’t gain a lot of weight to go with it, so he kind of resembled a humanoid version of a toothpick in his eyes. It wasn’t actually that bad, he just had a high metabolism and didn’t put on muscle easily; what little muscle he did have mostly set in his shoulders, making him all sharp angles and knobby knees.
Richie’s thoughts were pulled back to the present as the boys continued to argue heatedly over which of them should go first. They hadn’t gotten anywhere in deciding, and Beverly had finally had enough of it. They all did a collective double take when Bev jumped suddenly, leaving all the boys in the dust, just like the years before. Finally the boys glanced around to each other, shrugged, and took their turns jumping in after her.
When only Richie, Eddie, and Ben were left, Richie allowed himself to peek again at Eddie. When he glanced to the side though, his gaze met Eddie’s. Eddie’s stare was heavy for about half of a second before they realized they were making eye contact, and they both quickly looked away. Ben had stepped back a few to make a running start, but Eddie took the chance to jump off before Ben could leave the two alone.
That was strange.
Why is Richie’s heart thumping so hard?
Ben jumped, making a loud hollering noise on the way down. Finally, Richie stood alone at the top of the cliff. He looked down at the moving bodies splashing around in the water. Deciding not to dwell on the weirdness of Eddie’s stare, he plugged his nose and jumped.
The shock of the cold water against his skin was enough to completely remove the awkward situation at the top of the cliff from his mind. When he reached the surface he was met with a large wave of water to his face. He cracked opened his eyes and noticed the Losers were in an all out water war. Not one to give up the chance to fuck with Eddie, he immediately started searching for the smaller boy. When his eyes locked onto him, he swiped his arm across the surface, and sent a huge splash into the Eddie’s face.
Eddie coughed as water dripped from his hair, and then returned a wave twice as large. It was chaos; you would be friends one moment, defending your territory with someone at your side, but the next you would be attacked by the same person you had trusted. Everyone splashed wildly, hitting anyone and everyone. After a while, the water war developed into a game of chicken. Bev was perched already on Bill’s shoulders, and she looked ready to attack. Richie smiled widely and plugged his nose before dipping underwater. He opened his eyes and swam to where two tanned legs were keeping one of the boy’s upright. He ducked his head between them, taking Eddie by surprise and lifting him onto his shoulders. The water made it a lot easier to accomplish, but their balance was off for a few moments because of Eddie’s surprise.
Bev took that moment of weakness and abused it, pushing Eddie and Richie over almost as soon as they had gotten set up. Richie breached the surface again, wiping away the hair that was slicked down into his eyes and laughing. Eddie popped up a moment later, his cheeks puffed out in a mix of embarrassment and anger. Richie had never felt such fondness as he watched Eddie make his way over to him, cursing and yelling the whole time about the risk of him drowning because of Richie’s stupidity.
~~~~~
The Losers had slowly started migrating from the water back onto land. Richie was already sitting at the top of the cliff next to his clothing while waiting to dry off. The sun was shining brightly, the clouds small and whispy and doing nothing to block the hot rays. Bev, Bill, and Ben were still down in the water, their bodies tiny from Richies view.
Mike and Stan were sitting together on a large rock, tossing pebbles they found off the cliff and into the water below. Richie allowed himself to glance at Eddie, only to check what he was doing, but immediately regretted it as a breath caught in his throat.
Eddie had just gotten out a few minutes ago, the small droplets of water still running down his skin in ways Richie could only describe as enticing. Eddies eyes were shut and his hands were propped up behind him. He faced the sun, taking in the warmth. Richie noticed they was that his freckles seemed even darker because of it. He let his eyes roam down Eddies body. Skinny arms and a small waist, slightly tanned skin that made his pink nipples stand out, toned thighs that connected to strong calves...
Richie shook his head and focused on the ground in front of him. He was being weird. Richie had been feeling strange ever since the Ice Cream Situation™. At first he was worried. He was worried that his friends were now going to become his jerk off material without meaning to. But, when he looked around at the other boys, he didn’t have that indescribable urge to touch. He didn’t feel his stomach swoop and his chest clench when looking at Bill or Mike... it was only Eddie.
Which made him come to the conclusion that either, 1) it was just some weird fluke and he would be fine, or 2) Richie was heavily attracted to Eddie and Eddie only. The second frightened him, so for now he’ll say that whatever was going on was just some kind of confusion, and he would get over it in time.
He wiped a drop of water that dripped from his hair off of his glasses lense and took a deep breath. The splashing from down in the quarry had ceased, meaning the rest of the Losers were probably on their way back up to the top of the cliff. Richie interlocked his fingers and straightened his arms over his head, enjoying the popping noise his shoulders made at the stretch. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the way Eddie’s eyes shifted back and forth from him to the sky. Richie realized he was probably sitting in Eddie’s sunlight with his height, so he sprawled out on his back and folded his hands behind his head. Eddie had stopped glancing at him so he guessed he had been right. The heat that the rock had absorbed from the sun warmed his back nicely, and he let out a long sigh because of it.
Surely enough, Bev and the two lover boys turned the corner, coming over to the rocks to sun-dry as well. Bev picked up her sunglasses from her pile of clothes and sprawled out onto a rock if her own, mimicking Richies pose. Richie closed his eyes and focused on the calming feeling of warmth washing over him. The sun was still high in the sky, and he was going to take in all he could get before he would have to put his clothes back on.
They all sat together, talking and smiling in the summer sun.
~~~~~
Richie was having an issue again. The lights were off and his mind was racing, only getting worse the more he tried to stop it. Each time he shifted his dick would rub against his blanket or mattress, causing him to gasp. He tried to ignore it once again, wishing for sleep to overtake him so he wouldn’t have to give in. Usually, he wouldn’t be so reluctant to get a hand on himself, but he was worried that his mind would turn to Eddie again. He couldn’t let himself do that, Eddie was his friend and it had to be some kind of unwritten rule. Like, “you don’t get off to the thought of your friends”. He clenched his eyes shut tight as he willed himself to try and sleep. Turns out that was the worse of the two options. He doesn’t know when he finally became unconscious, but that night was probably one of the most difficult ones he’s had in a while...
Richie felt soft hands sliding over the back of his neck. Underneath each soft touch his skin burned, like small fires were being lit with every caress. He opened eyes and was met with two dark chocolaty orbs peering back into his. The persons face was so close to his, he couldn’t see anything except the strong stare and long eyelashes that framed them. The other person exhaled, the breath fanning over Richie’s lips.
Richie could feel the others hands start to tangle into the curly hair at the nape of his neck and he inhaled sharply. Soft lips met his, taking his lower lip between two plump ones. The kiss was soft, yet there was a small sense of urgency, like the other was trying to tell him something important just with the movement of their lips.
Richie sighed into it, and almost gasped when he felt the firmness of a tongue against his upper lip. He parted his own and allowed the tongue entrance. It traced against the roof of his mouth, swirled against his tongue, and swiped across his teeth. He let out a small breathy moan when he felt his own tongue being sucked between the two soft lips. The other finally pulled away, pulling Richies lower lip between their teeth. The lips were back in a moments time, pressing small feather light kisses here and there. The heat in Richie’s stomach was intoxicating, and after a moment he lazily opened his eyes.
It only took him half of a second to see that the person looking at him was Eddie. But, even after realizing that, he didn’t feel surprised. He didn’t have a moment of panic, he just smiled because it had just felt so right. Eddie was straddling his hips, and looking up at him with a look that should be considered illegal; because it almost killed Richie.
“Rich...” Eddie gasped breathily before rolling his hips down. Richie felt his eyes go wide at the feeling as he watched the other boy’s reaction. The friction made Eddies jaw go slack, letting his mouth fall open slightly. Richie stared at Eddie’s spit-slick lips as he continued moaning out a chant of “ Richie, Richie, Richie ”. Each roll of Eddie’s hips against his own only made the heat of his own body grow exponentially. Richie suddenly felt himself surge forward and catch Eddie’s lips with his own. It wasn’t like the first one, this one was all desperation and yearning and lust.
They sucked at each others lips and tongues, nibbling and biting slightly. Their mouths molded together perfectly as they swirled their sweet tongues against each other. Richie tilted his head to allow himself deeper access, and when he felt Eddie’s soft slickness meet his own he couldn’t contain the moan that tumbled out.
Their kiss was interrupted when Eddie threw he head back, biting his lip between straight white teeth as he rolled his hips, this time their cocks perfectly aligning and rubbing against each other. He moaned loudly, not even trying to suppress the pornographic sound.
“Fuck, Rich...” Eddie exhaled. He reached two shaking hands between them and pulled his polo shirt up over his shoulders. Richie let his eyes rake over the newly exposed skin. Eddies chest rising and falling rapidly with each breath, his nipples standing at attention. Richie traced eddies sharp angles with his eyes, before giving in and deciding to trace them with his lips. He started at his neck, just underneath Eddie’s ear, kissing softly and tracing his teeth downward. He could feel Eddies thundering pulse underneath his skin. Slowly licking his way down to the shorter boy’s collarbone, he listened to the way Eddie’s voice changed in pitch above him. Every time he found on of those sweet spots his voice would give out and he would only whimper in pleasure.
As he worked his way back up Eddie’s neck, the boy began to thrust his hips down erratically. The sudden fast pace made Richie groan deep in his throat as he clenched his eyes shut. He could feel air brushing against his skin as Eddie panted into the space between his neck and shoulder. Their dicks lined up perfectly once again and Richie’s throat felt like it closed completely. The last thing he remembers is Eddie whispering, “God, Rich please, ” before he’s suddenly back in his bed, the bright light of the window making him squeeze his eyes shut. His skin was slick with sweat and he felt uncomfortable under his blanket. He turned to roll over and grimaced the sticky wetness at the front of his pajama pants. Then it all came back to him in waves.
Oh god, he’s into Eddie.
~~~~~
With his new awareness about his attraction to Eddie, things only seemed to get worse. Every time he saw Eddie do anything his mind twisted it in some way to remind him.
Eddie would spew insults: that same mouth that whimpered so sweetly as I—
Eddie would use his inhaler: the way he wraps his lips around it looks super similar to—
Eddie would literally breath: his hot breath would fan over my lips as I reached forward—
It had been almost a week and luckily, since that night, his subconscious has been kind to him and Eddie had stayed out of his dreams. He’s been able to keep his mind on the more PG side while trying to figure out what he should do about this whole thing.
Of course he couldn’t tell Eddie, that a sure fire way of losing his best friend. Plus, his pride would never let him show a weakness like that to anyone. Eddie is supposed to be this unstoppable force and Richie an unmovable object. They just work. Richie always has something to say about his mom and Eddie something to say about his nonexistent sister. They’re only there to be each others punching bag, putting something like Richie’s recent emotional baggage in the way would only skew their perfect relationship they have now.
God why did he have to be into Eddie of all people. The kid walks around with a Fanny pack! He literally has a fear of anything and everything! For some reason Richie found all those little quirks and oddities so endearing though. There’s just something about it...
Nope, back to PG land we go!
Richie was doing so well, things had mostly gone back to normal on his part. He occasionally caught himself staring at Eddie, but other than that it’s just like it was before the Ice Cream Situation™.
However, of course, the summer season just loved to put him in misery.
It was unbearably hot, but the Losers still had agreed to meet up at the barrens. The humid air made it hard to breathe and Richie had to stop twice on the way there to duck into whatever store was nearby with air conditioning just to catch his breath. But, as per usual, the summer heat was never the problem. No, it was never the summer itself that was the issue, it was always the byproduct of something Eddie did.
This time it was what he wore.
Richie was putting down his kickstand to hold up his bike when he heard someone ride up behind him. He was sure he was going to be the last one there but it turns out someone else had to make a few stops too. When he turned he saw a Stan, his curly hair sticking to his forehead and the armpits of his button up shirt completely soaked through.
“Jesus, Stan, what the hell, you’re pouring buckets.”
Stan raised an eyebrow and dropped his bike, not even bothering to prop it up.
“Really Richie? Saying ‘Jesus’ to the Jewish guy?” He shook his head with exaggerated disdain. “Anyways, fuck you, it’s hotter than Satan’s asshole out here.”
Richie only nodded as he brought his hand to wipe at his hairline. The forecast had said that today and tomorrow would be sitting in the low hundreds (without the heat index), but for some odd reason Bill had insisted over the phone that they hang out. Eventually, they turned and started on their way down to meet up at the clubhouse, both cursing under their breath at the temperature. When they finally got close enough to spot the others though, Richie started cursing for different reasons.
Eddie’s fucking shorts.
Eddie was standing with one arm up and the other fanning himself with his shirt, the hem pulling up slightly to show off his soft belly. He was wearing these dark blue shorts that rode up on his thighs and hugged his hips tightly. They looked to be made out of the same fabric as the rest of Eddie’s pairs of shorts just... significantly shorter. Richie could already feel his eyes being drawn to the slightly lighter skin of Eddies thighs, the way they seemed so soft yet so firm. Richie licked his lips and decided that it was because of the heat and not because he was imagining marking up Eddie’s skin.
When they reached the rest of the group Richie opened his mouth to greet them, but what came out instead was, “Eddie where the fuck did you get those shorts?”
Eddie squinted at Richie through the heat and then looked down at himself. He looked back up at Richie with a challenging smirk, “My bad, must’ve mixed up clothes with your sister after last night.”
“Fuck you Eddie.”
“Fuck you! It’s fucking hot don’t judge my clothing choice.”
“I let Mrs. K judge my clothing choice. Spoiler! She likes them better off!”
“Oh fuck off, Richie!”
“You fuck off!”
“Both of you shut up! Fuck, it’s too damn hot for this,” Stan cut in.
“Yeah, why are we even here Bill?” Eddie turned, a bead of sweat running down his cheek. Richie traced it with his eyes as it sunk down and disappeared under the collar of his shirt.
Bill smiled and pointed down into the clubhouse. After a moment of confused silence, he elaborated, “Look in th-the Clubhouse idiots.”
No one moved for a second, but when bill huffed angrily, they all started crowding around to look down into the man made cave. There was nothing for a moment, but something in the corner of the hut moved and the Losers took a step back. Then, the small movement turned into a silhouette coming quickly at them. Richie jumped back, pulling Eddie behind him, while Bev put her arm in front of Ben. Mike seemed to be stuck in place completely. The silhouette jumped out of the hole and the losers all gasped when they realized what it was.
A large brown and white dog with floppy ears and a clipped wagging tail stared back at them, it lips pulled up into what could be called a smile. Bill crouched down and reached his arms in front of him, the dog immediately ran to him and began to lap at his face. Bill laughed as the long tongue left slobbery trails up his cheek. He looked back to the Losers and waved his arms around the dog in excitement.
“It’s a dog!” Ben shouted, seeming just as excited as Bill. Ben maneuvered himself around Beverly’s arm and crouched down beside Bill to run his hands all over the dog, petting it anywhere and everywhere.
“Yeah, it’s a dog... why is there a dog?” Mike asked while wiping at his forehead.
“And why are you petting it? What if it has fleas?!” Eddie hissed.
Bill looked up from the animal and his smile only got bigger, “I fuh-found her nearby, she doesn’t have a collar s-ssso I took her to th-the clubhouse and gave her some water. She’s super skinny, she looks like a stray. Sh-She’s super well trained though! L-look!” Bill stood and raised his hand, “Sit.”
Surely enough, she sat down, her little stub of a tail wagging even harder. Bill lowered his hand in front of him, “Down, l-lay down.”
The dog eagerly listened, her large tongue hanging out of her mouth as she panted. Bev walked over and started scratching behind the animal’s floppy ears. Slowly, each of the Losers started walking over to the dog and petting it. Richie stood back with Eddie though, noticing the way his hand hovered over his Fanny pack anxiously. The dog rolled onto her back as the Losers began all cooing and scratching her stomach.
“Guys! Seriously, it’s a wild animal!” Eddie said, slightly in hysterics.
“It’s a house dog Eds, it’s not that bad.” Richie responded, but still making no move toward the animal.
“What should we name her?” Ben asked, ignoring Eddie’s rambling in the background about rabies and ticks. His voice was doing that thing where it got higher and higher the more he panicked. Richie found it amusing.
“We should name her Sonia, they look so similar!” Richie smiled widely.
“Oh fuck you Richie!” Eddie growled.
“You wish!” Richie called back, blocking a punch Eddie was sending toward his shoulder.
Bill ignored them, “I was thinking sh-she looks like a L-Lucy.”
“Lucy is such an old lady name,” Stan said with a grin.
“Yeah but it fits doesn’t it?” Bev laughed.
Richie was still blocking Eddie’s half hearted hits when he tripped on a tree root and flailed backwards. He reached out his arm to grab anything to stop his descent but nothing was there. His hands grasping futilely, he hit the ground, he glasses going slightly askew. The Losers turned to where Richie was laying on the ground embarrassed, and tried to hide their smiles. What they didn’t know was that Richie’s mind was currently short circuiting because of how Eddie was standing over him. While Eddie looked at him with faux anger and puffed out cheeks, the only thing that he could think was “ Cute! Cute! Cute! ”
~~~~~
They ended up naming the dog Lucy after all. The Losers had Lucy follow them on their bikes back into town to buy her some food and other necessities. This time they didn’t sponge off of Stan though, Bill had brought money of his own, probably planning to take the dog in anyways on the slim chance the Losers didn’t like her. Eddie kept his distance from her as they rode but it didn’t seem like he hated Lucy, he was just wary of her.
They sat outside the pet store with their bags of new items. They had bought a couple of water bottles for them to drink, a bowl, some cheap dry dog food, and a large red collar. The collar was the first thing they opened; the material was held together with a small buckle and there was a loop where the leash would probably go (not that they had one).
Lucy scratched at the collar for a moment after Ben put it on, and they were worried it might be too tight. The Losers talked over each other, discussing whether or not to loosen it, when they noticed Lucy’s newfound calmness they realized the collar was probably fine. She seemed to have adjusted to the feeling after a minute.
Stan opened the medium sized food bag and used the bowl to scoop out a large helping of food, which Lucy started quickly devouring when it was set in front of her. They all sat along the wall watching the dog eat her food, Eddie sitting the furthest from her. The sun was setting now after spending so long in the store and the sky was turning a mix of pink an orange above them.
The sky really was beautiful, the colors blending into each other like paint on a canvas, so seamlessly mixed. Bev and Stan were talking about something in the background but Richie didn’t care enough to listen in. He stared at the sky, the colors moving ever so slightly, the first lights of stars peaking out from behind the thin clouds.
“Richie?”
“Yeah?” Richie said turning to the voice. It was Ben, and he was looking at Richie with a pleading gaze.
“We’re talking about who is going to take Lucy home. Me, Stan, and Bill wouldn’t be allowed by our parents, Mike can’t have a dog working up the other animals at the farm, and Bev’s building doesn’t allow pets. So it’s either you or Eddie, and I’m pretty sure Eddie’s mom would freak out.”
Richie glanced around at the Losers, all of them looking at him with (funnily enough) puppy dog eyes. Well, except Eddie, he was just sorting through his Fanny pack, not paying any mind. Richie thought for a moment. Would his mom mind him bringing home a dog? He remembers asking for one a lot when he was younger but his mother never let him because he wasn’t old enough to take care of one. He already had the stuff to take care of Lucy too, so maybe his mom wouldn’t be upset about it as long as he keeps her off the furniture?
He sighed and nodded his head, the Losers all cheering and slapping Richie on the shoulder. Talking about the new addition to their group, the Losers slowly departed, Ben and Mike leaving first, Stan, Bev, then Bill, and finally Eddie and Richie were sitting outside the store together alone. Lucy was balled up next to Richie and Eddie was on his other side, still fumbling with something inside his Fanny pack. This was the closest Eddie had been to her the entire day.
“I’m pretty sure she doesn’t have fleas yknow... or rabies.”
Eddie turned his head to look at Richie, and then Lucy. Feeling Eddie’s stare, Lucy lifted her head and started shifting her feet to be able to wag her stumpy tail. Eddie opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again a moment after. It seemed like he was debating whether or not to take Richie for his word.
“I mean,” Richie continued, “None have us have been itching, and she doesn’t look rabid to me. I dunno though, you’re the one blessed with the knowledge of every fucking disease ever.”
“ Blessed. Right.” Eddie scoffed. Then he turned back to Richie, his face softening, “You sure she’s safe? I just...”
“She hasn’t killed anyone... yet.”
“Ha ha very funny Trashmouth.” Eddie said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Fuck you, the look on your face was funny.” Then, “God, that’s like the worst nickname ever. How did that stick?” Richie groaned.
“Really Richie? You constantly call me ‘Eddie spaghetti’ and you have the audacity to talk about bad nicknames.”
”Eddie spaghetti is clever though!”
“Putting spaghetti after my name isn’t clever!”
“It is because it rhymes!”
Eddie just sat quietly before murmuring, “no it isn’t.”
“Whatever you say ol’ chap,” Richie stated in his awful British accent.
Eddie puffed out his cheeks and glared at Richie, but after a moment his gaze transferred back to Lucy. Her stub was wagging slightly and her head was laid back down onto her front paws.
“Should... I pet her?”
Richie shrugged, “Only if you wanna.”
Eddie sat there a moment, seemingly still stuck on his decision. He worried his bottom lip between his teeth, and Richie watched as he continued his mental debate. He doesn’t know what came over him to do this, but Richie sighed and grabbed Eddies hand. His long fingers caressed Eddie’s soft palm for a moment. Eddie didn’t pull away, he just let his hand be guided over Richie’s lap and towards Lucy. Their hands lingered in the air over her head, and Richie turned back to look at Eddie one more time, his eyes asking ‘ is this alright?’
Eddie nodded his head slightly, his hair shimmering in the dim sunlight. Richie lowered his hand so that Eddie’s palm was resting on the top of Lucy’s head, over her soft ears. Immediately her tail started wagging and her paws shifting. Eddie tried to yank his hand away but Richie tightened his grip.
“It’s okay, Eddie,” he whispered, “She’s just happy. You’re fine.”
He felt air fan over his neck as Eddie sighed in relief. It took everything he had in him not to shiver at the warmth. Richie listened to the scraping of shoes on concrete as Eddie scooted in closer to reach Lucy better. His eyes shifted from where their palms were moving together to pet Lucy’s fur over to Eddie’s face. His eyes were wide, almost like he couldn’t believe what he was doing. His long eyelashes left shadows on his cheeks from the low sunlight. His pink lips were parted slightly, his teeth poking out as they curled into a small smile.
Fuck, he’s so beautiful .
Almost like Eddie somehow heard the thought, he turned his head, their eyes meeting. Eddie’s deep brown staring into Richie’s lighter ones. As if he were burned, Eddie pulled his hand away and got to his feet. He wiped his palms on the fabric of his small shorts before looking down to once again meet Richie’s gaze.
“I...gotta go, my mom is probably calling a search party as we speak.”
“Oh... uh, alright Eds, see ya then.” Richie said softly, raising his hand.
“Bye, Rich.”
He turned and got on his bike, nodding his head in another silent goodbye. As he biked away, Richie watched the way those cursed shorts rode up on his thighs.
Richie felt his heart flutter when he realized a second later that Eddie hadn’t used any GermEx after they touched hands.
~~~~~
When he got home he made sure to check the mailbox. He was planning to do anything to suck up to his mother before he dropped the whole “ I brought home a dog ” bomb. He set his bike up on the side of the house and whistled at Lucy, immediately she bounded up to his side. He carried the bag of food and her bowl up to the front door, before dropping them by Lucy’s side.
“Sit. Lucy sit.”
She tilted her head at him, unmoving other than that. Richie thought back to the way Bill had gotten her to sit and he raised his hand before once again telling her, “Sit.” This time she understood, sitting down and letting her tongue hang out her mouth as she smiled. Richie opened the door and stepped in.
“Mom? I’m home.”
“I’m in the Kitchen,” she called back. Purposefully leaving the door open, he walked through the living room to the Kitchen doorway and peeked around. His mother stood by the sink smoking a cigarette. Her eyes were light in color like Richies, but unlike his, they were tilted upwards at the outer corners. She smiled at him with thin lips as she flicked the ash of her cigarette into the drain of the sink.
“Why’d you call out that you’re home? Usually you just walk in and up the stairs.”
Richie let out a small huff and smiled the best he could with how anxious he felt, “Well, that’s because I kind of have a surprise for you.”
“A good one I hope,” she replied jokingly.
“This one kinda depends on how you see it.”
When her smile turned into a confused frown, Richie whistled and Lucy came barreling in the door to sit at his side. Her nails made a clicking noise as she slid through the hallway, and at the telltale noise, his mother’s jaw dropped.
Lucy looked up at Ms. Tozier. She raised a thin hand and ran it through her curled dark hair.
“You got a dog?!” She gasped, sounding surprised but not totally against it. Richies anxiety lowered slightly as he nodded his head.
“Her name is Lucy, she doesn’t have anywhere to go, my friends asked me to take her in. I figured—“
“Oh my god! Richie, she’s fucking adorable!”
She dropped the rest of her cigarette into the sink and crouched down with her arms outward, open to let Lucy run up to her. When Richie realized his mom wasn’t about to behead him he sighed and smiled. His mother grabbed Lucy’s cheeks and rubbed her face in a loving way.
“I already have stuff for her too. The bag of food isn’t too big so I might have to buy some more in a couple days but we have some for now, we even bought her a collar.”
“I... I always wanted a dog, but your father always said you were too young and it would be too much work,” she said, her teeth showing in a large grin.
Richie frowned for a moment at the mention of his father. It’s not that he disliked him or anything, Richie just couldn’t bring himself to like the man either. He was indifferent. Numb. His father had left him and his mother alone four years ago without so much as a note. Since then, he’s noticed the changes in his mother. She had taken to smoking a lot at first, almost always having a cigarette hanging from her lips, and her eyes were a lot more tired. She had left everything of his that he left in place, pretending that nothing was wrong. Pretending he was still there. It was only last year that she had decided to toss out everything connected to his father, and Richie was proud of her for it. She was a lot better now, she didn’t smoke constantly as she used to and sometimes he could even see the ways she was happier without him. This was one of those cases.
Richie stepped out for a moment to bring the food and bowl inside. When he returned, his mother was still crouched down, petting and rubbing Lucy while trying to block her kisses. He set the bowl down on the ground and pulled a Tupperware from the cabinet to fill with water. At the sound of the water splashing, Lucy ditched his mother and ran up to his feet, letting her tongue hang out. He set down the Tupperware and laughed at them way she started splashing water trying to lap it up. His mother sighed beside him.
“I feel abandoned. She abandoned me for water.”
“She’s prolly super thirsty because of how hot it was today.”
“You actually went out in that? I thought you would at least hang out somewhere indoors.” She said with a pinched expression.
“We found Lucy and then basically spent the rest of the day running around buying stuff for her. She had to stay outside in that heat though.”
“Damn,” she stated.
“Damn, indeed,” he copied.
They stood in the kitchen as Lucy emptied the water bowl. Richie filled it up a second time just in case but Lucy ignored it in favor of going to lie down in the living room carpet. His mother followed on her knees, laying down bedside the dog on the floor to pet her fur.
“Well, I’m gonna head up and take a shower,” Richie said, already making his way to the stairs.
“Rich, wait.”
Oh god , he thought, already expecting the worse.
His mom didn’t actually want to keep Lucy did she? She’s gonna make him keep her outside, or maybe even make him get rid of her! What if she lets the dog out and she runs away? His heart wracked against his ribs. He didn’t want to disappoint the rest of the Losers. They had trusted him enough to bring her home, what if they get mad he couldn’t do it after he said he would?
His mother must’ve seen the panic on Richie’s face because she said, “it’s nothing bad, just wanted to tell you that I’m going to be driving out to see mom.”
Richie’s pulse slowed at the revelation, but he still scrunched up his nose.
“Yeah,” she laughed, “I figured you wouldn’t like that. You don’t have to come. I’m gonna be staying with her for a couple days so I just wanted to remind you to lock the door, and now that we have Lucy, make sure she eats and goes potty while I’m gone.”
“Oh, yeah! Thank you. Yeah I’ll make sure, she’ll probably just go with me when I go out anyways. God, thanks for not making me go.”
She smiled at him knowingly, “You act like I want to drive all the way out there just to sit and do nothing. Truth is, she’s worried, and I just don’t want her to worry about me. It’s just to show her I’m okay. Now, Go on and do whatever you do at night, I’ll be driving out there tomorrow after seven, so I can make you some dinner before I go.”
He nodded at her in silent thanks and headed up to his room to collect some clothes for his shower. His T-shirt was drenched in sweat and he was starting to think he could create a deadly fungus with it if he let it fester any longer.
~~~~~
When his mother left the next day, Richie almost immediately took of his pants. Now, ok, that sounds bad. He wasn’t going to walk around naked or jack off somewhere new or anything weird like that, he just really liked the feeling of being able to sit around without anyone to judge him. His mother had made an unnecessary amount of spaghetti earlier that night, and he made sure to box up what was left so that he could survive off of its leftovers for the next couple meals.
He had spent all day cleaning his room (against his will) and was glad he could finally sit down. He switched on the stereo and put in one of his old mix tapes into the cartridge. When Bowie’s voice started pouring through the speakers he stretched out onto the couch and let the feeling of peace wash over him.
Lucy walked into the room and nudged his hand with her nose. He picked it up and laid it on top of her head, lazily stroking the short hair there. She started smiling, her large tongue hanging out of the side of her mouth. Richie smiled back at her. Late into the night, he listened to song after song, feeling drowsier with each hour that passed.
Finally, he gave in and shut off the stereo. He opened the door to let Lucy out and walked back to the kitchen to check her bowls. Her water Tupperware was half empty but full enough and her food dish was untouched. He turned and walked back through the living room, flipping the switch as he passed. He was about to walk out to the porch when he remembered that he wasn’t wearing pants. He settled for leaning behind the half closed door and watching as Lucy sniffed around the yard. He waited a few minutes for her to do her business before whistling and calling her back in.
He scratched his head and started up the stairs. A yawn pulled at his lips and he brought one hand to his mouth to cover it. When he got to his room he flopped down onto his bed and was almost immediately unconscious. His sleep was dreamless and empty, almost making the transition from night to morning seamless.
When the light from his uncurtained window assaulted his eyes (like every morning), he reluctantly pulled himself out of bed. He grabbed a random pair of shorts from the floor of his closet and pulled them on. Tracing his steps from the night before back into kitchen, he started the coffee pot before noticing Lucy waiting by the door. His eyes squinting as he yawned, he let Lucy out and watched as she stopped by a small bush at the edge of their property and squat down.
It was a nice lazy morning filled with caffeine and Lucy’s excited nose nudges. He watched the forecast on the small TV in their living room and noticed that today would only be sitting in the low eighties. He figured today would be a good day to go out but then he remembered it was Sunday and some of the Losers were going to be drug into church, so there was no point in trying to meet up if some of them wouldn’t be able to until at least one p.m. Richie ran his fingers through his hair, detangling it piece by piece.
Today would be boring without the Losers there to fill the silence. He looked at Lucy who was standing in the doorway that connected the kitchen and living room. She raised one of her ears, the upper half still flopped over. Richie sighed and stood up to head back upstairs. Lucy watched him leave before deciding to settle down on the floor by the TV.
Upstairs, Richie went through each drawer of his dresser before finally coming across what he was looking for. He grabbed the large sketchbook from the drawer and dropped it down onto the solid surface of the desk. After finding a pencil in his old school backpack he settled down in the chair before beginning to draw and doodle on the pages. He wasn’t much of an artist, the only reason he had the book was because his mom had bought it in hope he would do something creative to let out his energy.
After doodling a few more zombies on the corners of the pages he began to create a whole scene. There were little cartoon versions of the Losers wielding all different types of weapons, fighting against the zombies that littered across the page. He continued working on the miniature Eddie, making sure to add his freckles across his nose and cheeks. He scratched out the drawing when it didn’t look right and started working on another Eddie. This one was better, but something was still off about it. He started another, making it larger so that he could focus on some of the smaller details.
A few hours and a couple pages later, he had a sketch of Eddie he could call decent. He stared down at the paper, the dark lead suck out against the plain white page. He stared at the small marks that littered the drawing, each one representing the small flecks of pigment that covered Eddie’s cheeks. He stared at the blocky shape of his hair. It was a little longer since his mother hadn’t taken him to get his hair cut in a while, but Richie liked the way it curled around his neck and temples. He reached up and wrapped one of his own curls around his finger, frowning at the way it looked.
Eddie always made things look good no matter what they were. For fucks sake the kid wore Fanny packs, and for some reason he was wet dream material in Richie’s eyes. Slumping back in his chair, he checked the clock that sat in the corner of his room. It was around two in the afternoon, meaning the Losers might be free, but he couldn’t bring himself to go out. His eyes stung from staring at the blank paper too long without his glasses. He moved from the chair at his desk and back onto his bed, stretching out his legs for the first time in a while.
He laid on the mattress, doing nothing but staring at the popcorn ceiling above him. His eyes drooped shut after a while and he retreated into his mind, random daydreams keeping himself busy as he slowly slipped into sleep.
~~~~~
He’s woken up by a loud slam downstairs. At first he thinks that it was part of a dream he might’ve been having, but the continued soft thumps seemed louder than before, and he realized he wasn’t dreaming, they were coming from downstairs. He shot straight up in his bed, looking around his room for something to use to defend himself. That’s what people in movies do right? They find some kind of weapon? He listened for the thumping sound again, when his blood ran cold.
Lucy wasn’t barking.
He immediately ditched the search for a weapon as he thought of what could’ve happened to Lucy. Surely she couldn’t have gotten hurt, she’s an animal she can defend herself. He quickly but silently opened his door and started down the stairs. He jumped slightly when he heard glass break. The sound came from the kitchen, and Richie knew there were plenty of things in there that could be used as weapons. He would have to grab something to use against the intruder quickly, that was the only way.
He turned the corner with his fists raised but his eyes bulged when he saw who was standing in the kitchen.
“Eddie?! What the fuck?”
Eddie turned around quickly, a glass plate slipping from his fingers and shattering on the ground, mixing with the glass that already littered the floor. Lucy was sitting in the corner of the kitchen, her tongue flopped out, not a care in the world.
“Aw damn,” Eddie mumbled as he looked down at the glass that surrounded him.
“How did you get into my house?!”
“If you didn’t want me coming in your door should’ve locked it,” Eddie answered matter-of-factly.
“Wait— uhm, Okay? But why are your here?”
Eddie pointed to the fridge, “Sandwich,” he said simply. His eyebrows shot up in confusion, but Eddie didn’t seem like he was joking. Richie continued to stare at Eddie, something was off, something was different. He let his eyes roam over his body when he noticed his Fanny pack wasn’t wrapped around his waist.
“Where’s your Fanny pack Eds? I thought you carried it around everywhere.”
“I don’t realnedit-“ His words ran together. Eddie made a ‘bleh’ noise and started over, “I don’t really need it.” Richie watched as Eddie walked through the glass on the kitchen floor and towards the stairs. That was weird, just a few days ago Eddie had panicked after taking it off and misplacing it, now he was willingly walking around without it because ‘he didn’t need it’?
“Where are you going?” He asked. Eddie didn’t respond, he just continued his way up the stairs and into the upper hall.
Okay, there is something definitely wrong with him. This isn’t Eddie at all. He followed the younger boy upstairs and into his own room. Richie shut the door behind him before turning to look at the boy. He was facing away from him, his chest heaving with each breath. He was either really pissed or crying. Eddie suddenly turned and looked into Richie’s eyes.
He was really pissed.
“I’m not actually sick!” He yelled, his calm demeanor he had downstairs suddenly disappearing, “They’re not real pills, They’re fucking fake! And this whole time I thought I was gonna fucking die if I didn’t take them! Did you know that?! I thought I would die if I pet a dog ! She said I was allergic! And look at me! I’m really fucking alive right now.” Eddie got in Richie’s face, waving his hands around like he usually did when he was panicking. He was rambling more than usual and it scared Richie.
“Turns out, my precious Ma is a fucking liar!”
With Eddie only a few inches away, Richie finally got a whiff of something on Eddie’s breath. Eddie’s behavior suddenly made a bit more sense.
“Have you been drinking? ”
Eddie’s eyes seemed fiery, “Oh, what, are you gonna tell me I’m too sick to do that too?!”
“No!” Richie replied quickly, “Just, where the fuck did you get alcohol?!”
Eddie sniffed and wiped at one of his eyes, “One of Bower’s old friends sells the shit like candy. I dunno— I just felt like doing something... something that’d piss off Ma.”
Richie swore under his breath and walked over to the end of his bed, grabbing a full water bottle and holding it out to Eddie. He kept a pack of waters at the end of his bed for nights that he wakes up parched and didn’t want to go downstairs, and he was really glad he did at this moment. The confused look on the shorter boy’s face only made Richie sigh.
“You’re gonna need to drink this, you’re dehydrated as hell right now.”
Eddie’s face switched, the anger returning to it quickly, “I don’t need to do shit! I can make my own choices!”
“I’m not trying to— Eddie! You’re fucking drunk! Just drink this!”
Eddie didn’t move, so Richie walked closer to him, holding out the water bottle so Eddie could reach it. As soon as he got within Eddie’s reach though, two arms shoved against his sternum, sending him falling backwards into his bed. He raised his head to look at Eddie who was now standing at the end of his bed. He sat back up, fixing his glasses, but as soon as he did, Eddie’s hand was at his shoulder, shoving him back down.
This time though, Eddie crawled over him, his knees on each side of Richie’s hips. He immediately felt panic well up in his chest, as Eddie fisted both of his hands in the front of his shirt. This is it, he’s going to get beat up by a kid who’s half a foot shorter than him, and he’s gonna enjoy it because it’s fucking Eddie! Chocolaty eyes bore into his own.
“I can make my own choices.”
And then two firm lips were pressed against his. He dropped the water on the bed next to him and held his hands in the air, not knowing what to do with them. His mind was racing between ‘ is this real? ’ and ‘ why is this happening? ’. His eyes were still wide open, staring straight at Eddie’s closed ones. His lips were chapped, but at the same time they felt so amazing against Richie’s. They were warm and inviting, and after wanting them for so long, Richie’s heart was hammering at the feeling. When Eddie pulled back, he sighed, the hot air fanning over his lips like in the dream he had. That dream felt so far away now, almost as if it happened years ago. Everything seemed so thrown out of perspective now that Eddie was actually on top of him.
“I’ve wanted to do that for so fucking long...” Eddie mumbled, their lips still close enough for Richie to feel the way they moved as he said it. Richie’s mind caught up with him and he put two strong hands on Eddie’s shoulders and pushed. Eddie looked down at him, his pupils blown and his eyes wide.
“Eddie, you can’t do that.”
His eyebrows furrowed, “Why the hell not?” Then, nervously, “...Do you not like it?”
“Eddie— you’re drunk, you’re not—“
Eddie only surged forward and met his lips again. When he pulled back slightly, he asked again, softer, “Do you not like it?”
“It’s not about—“
Another kiss cut him off, this one softer. Eddie pulled back just barely and asked again. Richie tried to open his mouth to say something but before he could, he felt Eddie nibbling at his lower lip and gasped. He could feel Eddie’s smile against his lips.
“Eddie—“
“You’re so fucking pretty Rich, it doesn’t take alcohol to see it...”
Richie felt his face heat up, he knew he was probably embarrassingly red but his mind was so stuck on what Eddie had said... The way he had said it. His voice broke slightly as he whispered out a, “What?”
Eddie let out a small breathy laugh. His breath smelled strongly of beer but Richie loved the way it felt against his skin. Eddie leaned back, his grin wide, showing all of his upper teeth. The way Eddie looked at him made him breathless.
“After... after I went home, I confronted my Ma about the dog thing. I pet Lucy... she said I was allergic to dogs and cats, but I was fine. I asked her why she had lied to me and she kept trying to convince me she wasn’t. And on top of that... the pills. I lied about taking my pills too. I went to the pharmacy, to refill, some girl told be they were fake. That they were bullshit... so I stopped taking them.”
Eddies grin faded as he continued, “She lied to me about it all. I didn’t take my pills and... I’m fine.”
“Eddie... I’m so sorry—“
“Don’t be... She—“ his smile returned, “—she also told me I would get a disease if I ever kissed anyone beside her, did you know that? Turns out she lied about that too...”
“Eds—“
“ Fuck — “ he interrupted “—I love it when you call me that,” He confessed, his voice breathy and broken.
Richie could feel he face heat up again as Eddie said this. He could also feel the warmth already building up in his stomach. That was when he started panicking, trying to find a way to get Eddie off of him. He tried shoving at Eddie’s shoulders, but that was the wrong move, because as soon as he did, Eddie sat up fully, sitting directly on his crotch. Richie hissed in a breath through his teeth at the feeling.
Eddie’s face twitched, a teasing smirk pulling at his lips. He ground his hips down, rubbing his ass against Richie’s quickly growing erection. His jaw went slack as he grabbed at Eddie’s hips. He didn’t know if he was trying to push him away or pull him closer, he just felt like he had to do something. Eddie leaned back down, his lips right against Richie’s ear.
“I wanna do so many things to you Richie.”
Richie swallowed, his throat clicking, “Y-yeah?” He winced at the way he stammered as he said it. He sounded like Bill. He pushed the thought away immediately, he did not need to be thinking of Bill right now.
“Yeah...” Eddie whispered before kissing the spot underneath his ear. Richie let out a small sigh at the way Eddie swirled his tongue against it before sucking. Eddie continued, slowly working his lips down the taller boy’s neck until he reached his collar bone, biting against it softly while looking up at Richie with blown pupils. Eddie pulled away suddenly, sitting back again with his ass pressed against the front of Richie’s shorts.
“God Richie. If only you could see yourself right now,” Eddie followed his words with a deliberate hard downward press of his ass, “fuck, I’ve wanted to do this since we were fifteen.”
That’s almost two whole years.
Richies eyes bulged, “...What? I... Really?”
“Yeah, I mean, have you seen yourself? I swear, at the quarry, the way you laid out... I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you,” Eddie ran his hand over Richie’s clothed chest. Then, he suddenly moved his hands to his own shirt and yanked it off. It got stuck for half a second from where he hadn’t unbuttoned the top of the polo but it came off with another yank.
“Wait! Eds, Wait.” Richie called out when Eddie tossed the piece of clothing off the side of the bed. Eddie looked down at him, his face suddenly a lot more serious at Richie’s tone, “Are you sure you wanna do this? You’re drunk and I— I don’t want you to regret this... we can stop.”
Eddie smiled sincerely at the words, “Yeah, I want this.” He started sliding downward, “I really, really, want this.”
Richie leaned up on his elbows to look down at Eddie, a groan caught in his throat when he saw the way Eddie’s hands were resting in his thighs, his face a few inches away from his clothed dick.
Eddie fucking Kapsbrak was staring at the tent in his pants, and licking his lips. The sight was enough to make him moan into the back of one of his hands. Eddie peered up at him, his eyes looking nothing like the innocent ones that he looked into only a few days ago. Slowly he slid one of his hands down Richie’s thigh, his hand stopping at the hem before sliding back up, his fingers now underneath the fabric. His long fingers caressed Richie’s pale thigh, the skin buzzing where his long fingernails softly raked against it.
Eddie leaned his face down toward the front of his shorts, kissing him through the fabric, even going as far to nuzzle his dick. Richie’s breath hitched when Eddie brought up his other hand to trace Richie through his shorts, stopping to circle his finger around the covered head. Finally, he brought his hand to the waistband.
“Can I?” He asked simply.
Richie, not trusting his voice at the moment, nodded.
Contrasting his earlier slow, teasing behavior (the quick switching a pattern which Richie was starting to notice), Eddie sat up and quickly yanked down both Richie’s shorts and underwear to his knees. Suddenly self conscious, Richie tried to squeeze his thighs together to cover himself, but Eddie reached between them and held them open as much as he could with the shorts still holding his knees together.
Eddie growled at the way they restricted Richies movements, and yanked them all the way off of Richie’s long pale legs. When the offending items were thrown off of the side of the bed, Eddie looked down and hummed, like he was taking in the sight below him. He ran his hands up the long pale legs and rested them on Richie’s hips, his fingers splayed.
“You’re so perfect.”
Richie felt the blood rush to his face again. It was so strange to hear Eddie talk to him this way, let alone that tone of voice. He said everything like it were the truth, like he couldn’t believe that somehow, this was happening. It was throwing Richie off entirely. He never would’ve expected Eddie to act like this. Eddie leaned down, pressing feather light kisses over the pale expanses of Richies thighs, sometimes stopping to nibble or suck a mark onto his skin.
“So perfect, so pretty... just for me.”
The whimper that left his throat made his face feel even hotter. He liked the sound of it. Being just for Eddie. He opened his eyes that he didn’t even remember closing and looked down to where Eddie was perched between his legs. He watched the way Eddie’s tongue darted out to wet his lips. Taking in a shaky breath, he reminded himself that Eddie was looking at him like that.
Eddie who usually called him names and insulted his sister. Eddie who wouldn’t even touch a person for more than five seconds before dousing himself with hand sanitizer. Eddie who he believed would never, ever, even see him that way, was staring at him like he was unbelievable. Like he was the one who was gorgeous.
He continued to press kisses into Richie’s thighs and hips, muttering sweet words and praises after each one.
“Beautiful.”
“Perfect.”
“Sexy.”
“ Mine .”
Eddie pressed a small, tentative kiss to the tip of Richie’s cock, which was now throbbing from all of the teasing Eddie had subjected him to. It twitched away at the soft touch. When long fingers finally wrapped themselves around his dick, he moaned loudly. He immediately closed his mouth embarrassed, but when he saw the way Eddie was staring at him after he made the noise, the realization hit him. Eddie likes it when he’s loud.
Eddie began to stroke him, too slowly for his liking, soaking up every noise that fell from Richie’s parted lips. The loud gasping groan that he got when he licked a long stripe up the side of Richie’s dick made him shiver. Finally, Eddie wrapped his lips around the head of Richie’s dick and sucked. Richie sucked in a large gulp of air, releasing it suddenly when Eddie hummed around him and began to sink down, working his tongue along the underside of his sensitive skin.
Eddie started to slowly bob his head, letting his tongue dig into the slit and gather precum every time he reached the top, and caressing the vein underneath each time he lowered. Richie’s arms gave out from underneath him and he flopped down onto the soft mattress. Eddie was working his dick, one hand pumping him while the velvety heat of his mouth slid up and down, meeting each stroke. Richie felt like he was melting; the wet heat was turning his bones to liquid.
“Fuck— fuck! Eddie? Ed’s I can’t, hold on—“
Eddie hummed, only working faster to pull Richie towards his orgasm. Richie moaned as the thought about how Eddie, sweet Eddie, was wanting Richie to come in his mouth. He let himself glance back down, meeting Eddie’s stare as he sunk even deeper. Richie let his fingers tangle into the other boy’s dark hair, not pulling, just resting there.
His hips started bucking up, the pleasure making him lose control of them. Eddie pulled off suddenly, put both of his hands on Richie’s hips to hold him in place, and replaced his mouth on Richie’s dick, sinking lower, and lower. Taking more and more in, inch by excruciating inch. Until at last, his nose was buried in the dark curls that sat at the base of Richie’s dick.
“Shit, shit!”
Richie saw white has he finally tipped over the edge, his dick twitched as he emptied down Eddie’s throat. Eddie swallowed twice but a small bit poured out of the corner of his mouth. When he released Richie with a ‘pop’ noise, he let his tongue poke out and lick the rest of the come from the corner of his mouth.
Despite just having the best orgasm of his life, his dick still twitched as he watched this. Eddie leaned back up and pressed his lips to Richie’s. He should feel disgusted, that mouth was just on his dick, but it was Eddie, and he would take any kiss he could from the boy. Richie licked into his mouth and began to run his tongue along the rough roof of it. His glasses were pressing harshly against the bridge of his nose but he couldn’t care less. Eddie was kissing him and that was all he needed. Eddie groaned, pressing his hips down into Richie’s thigh.
Eddie was still hard.
Richie mentally berated himself for a moment. Of course Eddie was hard! He was so focused on his own pleasure and Eddie hadn’t even been able to touch himself the whole time. So, in one swift movement, he flipped them both over so that he was leaning over Eddie.
He ran his hands over the soft skin of Eddie’s chest, letting his rough fingertips run over his nipples. Eddie sighed at the touch, his hips bucking up against the thigh Richie had pressed between his legs.
He wanted to get Eddie off, but he wanted to get revenge too. Eddie spent a lot of time working him up, it would only be fair to do the same. A small smile quirked at his lips as he thought this. He wanted to make Eddie moan and squirm. He wanted Eddie to call his name, to curse and writhe beneath him. He wanted to break him. But he also wanted to be the one to fix him after too.
He leaned down and softly took Eddie’s lips between his. Eddie sighed into it and Richie took the chance to slip in his tongue. It was a slow kiss, both of them taking the time to map out each other’s mouths with long swipes of their tongues. Richie finally pulled back, feeling his heart race at the pink, spit-slick look of Eddie’s lips. Richie reached one hand up, caressing the nape of Eddie’s neck, intertwining his fingers into the short curls that lie there. He smiled at Eddie, an innocent smile, and took off his glasses with his other hand before tossing them onto the nightstand nearby. When he made sure they were safely out of the way, he yanked the hair tangled in his fingers, Eddie’s head falling back as he gasped in surprise. The full column of his throat was now in full view, and Richie took the chance to surge down and roughly kiss against the spot where his jaw connected to it.
He kissed and sucked at the skin, talking his time while Eddie breathed heavily below him. Finally, he pulled away, looking at the bruise that now lied there. Eddie was panting and his half lidded eyes were blown with lust. Richie kissed his way down the soft skin, stopping again at his collar bone to nibble and suck at it. He left another red bruise, this one even bigger, before making his way down Eddie’s chest. He stopped for a moment, bringing his hands down to rest on Eddie’s hips before taking his tongue and swiping over one nipple. Eddie’s back arched instantly, searching for more of the touch.
Richie laughed, “You’re sensitive here Eds?”
Eddie let out a small moan at the name, “Yes, just— yes.”
He hummed against Eddie’s skin, “Just? Just what Eddie baby?”
Eddie looked down at Richie, his lips parted as he panted soft, hot breaths. Richie continued, “I can’t do it if you won’t tell me what you want.” Richie was playing with him, Eddie knew this too. Richie wanted to make Eddie ask, he wanted to make Eddie embarrassed like he had done to Richie.
“Rich...”
Richie flicked his tongue again, swiping at the nipple in a way that made Eddie whimper.
“Come on Eds, you were talking so much earlier... where’s your voice now?”
“Richie, I swear to god if you don’t touch me within the next three seconds—“
“You’re gonna what? Hm?” Richie wrapped his hands tighter around Eddie’s waist, pressing him down into the bed. Eddie tried to wiggle, tried to find some sort of friction, but Richie’s palms kept him pressed into the mattress.
“Fuck— Richie, please, I sucked your dick for fucks sake, just please touch me.”
Richie felt his face twitch into a grin, and finally, he let go of Eddie’s hips. Immediately, Eddie rolled his hips upward, his dick brushing against Richie’s stomach, and moaned filthily. His mouth hung open as he continued to roll his hips, dry humping against Richie. Richie took Eddie’s nipple into his mouth once again, rolling his tongue around the bud and even letting his teeth graze against it. He brought his hand to Eddie’s other nipple, letting the pad of his thumb rub against it in a circular motion.
When Richie pulled away, the blown look on Eddie’s face was entirely worth it. He drink in the way the smaller boy’s eyebrows knit together and his teeth dug into his lower lip. Eddie whined as the cold air hit his wet sensitive bud. Richie took the chance to press his palm against the front of the other boy’s shorts, finally allowing Eddie to rut against something with more force. He watched in amazement as Eddie writhed and pressed up against his palm, moaning with each buck of his hips.
“Rich! Richie, ‘m gonna come in my pants—“
As soon as the words left Eddie’s mouth he threw his head back, his hips stuttering against Richie’s palm. He felt the wet spot grow underneath his hand as he watched the way Eddie’s eyebrows shot up and his mouth formed a small ‘o’. When he came down from the high of his orgasm, he frowned at Richie.
“You made me ruin my shorts.”
“Whoops,” he said, not feeling one bit of sympathy.
He watched Eddie struggle out of his sticky bottoms and throw them off the bed, his paler lower body now in full view. Richie was half-hard again from watching the other boy, but he was too tired to even think about going again. Following Eddie’s lead, he yanked his shirt over his head and threw it over into the pile of clothes they had created throughout the whole mess. Richie laid down on the mattress at Eddie’s side, looking at the way the shorter boy pulled the blankets up to his shoulders.
“You gonna sleep here?”
“Yeah.”
”Hm,” he hummed in affirmation.
Richie pulled the blanket over himself before remembering what this whole thing had started over. He leaned off of the bed, grabbing the water bottle that had been easily forgotten and held it out to Eddie who was staring up at him with sleepy eyes.
“You’re gonna wanna drink this if you don’t wanna feel like death tomorrow.”
Eddie frowned, but took the water without argument. He took a sip, and then started to chug the water, seeming to realize how thirsty he was. Richie let out a soft chuckle and Eddie stuck out his tongue in response. After capping the bottle and putting it on the nightstand, Richie settled back down into the bed, grabbing some of the blanket and pulling it up to his shoulders as well.
“I swear to god if you don’t remember this in the morning—“ Richie started, half joking.
Eddie smirked, “God, how could I ever forget, I only just fucked the biggest loser in Derry.”
“Geez, I must have a thing for Kapsbraks, first your mother, now—“ He was interrupted by a soft punch to his shoulder.
They both giggled for a moment, still giddy from their previous actions. After wiping a tear from his eye, Eddie met Richie’s stare. It was heavy, like that day at the quarry, but unlike that day, neither of them felt the pressure to look away. They leaned in slowly, softly taking each others lips into a slow kiss. When they pulled back, they giggled again, somehow finding the whole situation hilarious. Eddie’s eyes were drooping more and more as time passed, and finally he yet out a yawn.
“I can’t believe it took you getting drunk for us to do this.”
“I never would’ve had the balls to just kiss you like that without it... I’m glad it ended up this way,” Eddie admitted.
Richie smiled at the confession.
“Goodnight Eddie spaghetti, see you in the morning.”
“Don’t call me— fuck it.” Eddie smiled and scooted himself closer to Richie so that he could pull himself between the taller boy’s arms.
“Goodnight Trashmouth Tozier,” then after a moment, “I love you.”
Richie’s heart fluttered at the words, but despite it the ones that led this mouth were, “You’re still drunk.”
“Hm,” he hummed softly, “You know what they say. ‘Drunk words are sober thoughts’.”
Richie waited a while as he ran through everything in his head. He had a habit of doing that. He mentally replayed the night, moment by moment, and smiled as his mind settled on Eddie’s ‘ I love you’. He figured Eddie was asleep now, his eyes closed and his breathing even. Quietly, as if he were admitting it to himself as well, Richie muttered, “I love you too.”
The smile he felt against his collarbone told him that Eddie had heard him perfectly well.
~~~~~
The door to his bedroom slammed open, causing him to jump upright, his eyes still crusty with sleep.
“Richie! W-w-we’ve gotta fuh-find Eddie! H-he’s not at home! His mom s-said he r-r-ran out!”
Bill was at his door, a couple of the Losers behind him with worried faces. His stuttering was worse than usual due to his panic.
“What? How did you guys get in here?” He asked in a sleep gruff voice, before remembering he never locked the door last night because he was... busy. Almost as if the world were listening, as soon as the memories of last night popped into his head, Eddie sat up beside him, his hair sticking up from sleep. Speak of the devil.
“How did who get in where?” Eddie asked, his eyes still closed.
Time seemed to stop for a moment. The Losers stood at the door, probably putting the pieces together in their head. A pile of clothing on the floor, Richie and Eddie sitting in bed together, Eddie’s hair wild, the room smelling like sweat and jizz... shit! Eddie even had hickeys! He also had hickeys! Oh fuck.
Lucy running into the room and jumping up on the bed broke the overwhelming surprised silence.
“Holy fuck!” was the only thing that Richie heard before Stan erupted into a fit of laughter.
Eddie, seeming to finally realize the position they were in, groaned pulled the blankets over himself and burrowed himself into the mattress to hide. Afraid of the feeling of the floor shifting underneath her, Lucy jumped back off of the bed and went to stand by Bill in the doorway. Richie grabbed his glasses off of the nightstand and slid them onto his face. He could feel the heat under his skin and he knew he was probably extremely red.
“Guys, I can explain—“ Richie started, knowing he indeed could not explain. No amount of explaining could make this situation look like anything than what it was. Stan was still on the ground in hysterics, Bev was smiling beside him, trying to cover her amusement but failing. The rest just stared, either seeming confused, or surprised.
“I don’t think you can explain this one Rich,” Mike said calmly.
“Well— just! Can you please let us get dressed before you make fun of us?!”
Bill seemed to be pulled out of his continued shock and closed the door quickly, Stan’s laughter only getting louder through the door. Stan was going to have a field day with this one when they were ready to come out. Eddie pulled the blanket from over his head, his signature angry puffed out cheeks, only making him more adorable in Richie’s eyes.
“We’re never going to live this down are we?”
“No... no I don’t think so. At least they don’t seem mad?,” Richie answered, smiling all the while. Eddie sighed and slumped out of bed, raiding Richie’s closet for a pair of pants that might fit.
“Fuck, my head hurts,” Eddie says while pulling on a pair of Richies jeans. He watched Eddie dress himself, his arms swinging wildly as he loses his balance for a moment while putting his other leg through the jeans. As Eddie finally gets himself into the slightly too large pants, Richie thinks to himself:
I love him.
And the truth is, he does.