Chapter Text
"Guys, check this out," Richie says as he walks over to the dining table where Stan, Bill and Mike are talking. They look up, none of them expecting to see Richie in a long, black leather coat.
"You look like you just finished filming The Matrix," Mike says.
"Which is not an insult, because Keanu Reeves is awesome. I mean, look at me," Richie says and does a slow three-sixty. "It's soft, and it has pockets-"
"And room for your hips," Stan says, making Bill and Mike snicker.
"You guys are just jealous of my new coat."
Squinting his eyes, Bill asks him "Did you actually buy this monstrosity?"
Richie shakes his head. "It was delivered to the wrong address, but finders keepers, right?"
"Doesn't really apply to this situation-"
"Gentlemen," Richie interrupts Stan, eyes bright. "Cancel all your plans for tonight."
"Oh boy," Mike mumbles behind his coffee.
"Tonight, we are getting laid," Richie shouts, punching the air.
"Nope."
"Pass."
"Richie, I'm already getting laid."
Richie sneaks behind Stan and pats his back. "You're only gonna be there for moral support, Stanley, don't worry. We're gonna hit every bar in town, except the one I work at, 'cause that would be embarrassing, and we're gonna get trashed."
"Oh, are you guys going out tonight?" Eddie asks when he enters the living room. He pauses, taking in Richie's coat, but says nothing and stands next to him. "Bev and Ben have date night so, world's best wingman, reporting for duty," he says, and does a little salute, grinning. It slowly turns into a frown when he sees them exchange side glances. "What?"
Richie looks down, fiddling with the buttons of his coat. "Eds, it would be better if you stayed here."
"What!" Eddie exclaims, eyes wide. "Why the fuck would it be better?"
"Because I actually want to get laid tonight," Richie says. "You're my cooler, Eddie."
"What are you talking about, man? I always help you get laid."
Bill can't help but chuckle. "Actually, Eddie, I'm with Richie on this. You keep pushing guys away from him."
"It's not you," Richie tries, cheeks burning as Eddie's frown becomes even deeper. "It's just the way that you behave around them, and the things you say to them, and-", he pauses, thinking. "No, actually, it is you." He sighs. "I'm sorry, Eds."
"No, I get it," Eddie mumbles, not looking at his friends. "Um, I'll just stay here and, I'll probably deep clean the house. Yeah."
"If anything, it's more fun here," Bill adds. "You'd be bored if you came with us."
"Yeah," Eddie says, voice empty, "right. You guys, uh, have fun," he mumbles, and heads to his room.
"Damn," Mike says. "Now I feel bad."
"He's gonna be fine," Richie says and grins again. "Come on, I know you're excited. It's gonna get so fucking crazy."
Two hours after Richie, Mike, Stan and Bill leave, Eddie is on his knees, surrounded by their furniture as he scrubs the bottom of their coffee table with a cloth. The place smells strongly of Clorox, their bluetooth speaker is blasting Prince, and he's quietly humming along to Raspberry Beret.
He finishes with the table just as the song ends, and he smiles, satisfied with his work. As he heads to the kitchen to grab a clean cloth for the dining table, in the silence between the song that just ended and the next one, he hears a scratching noise from behind the front door. His heart clenches in his chest, all his previous relaxed attitude gone, and he reaches for his phone in his backpocket to turn off the music. The scratching stops then, and he takes a tentative step towards the door, only for it to start again, making him jump.
Eddie can't help the panicked feeling that starts to rise in his chest. He's all alone in the apartment, and he knows Stan and Richie won't be home for at least a few more hours. The scratching continues, and his breath is shaky as he unlocks his phone and presses Stan's number. His call goes straight to voicemail. "Fuck."
The scratching picks up again, and so does his heartbeat. As he looks around the apartment, he reaches two conclusions. One, in case of a home invasion, they have no way of escaping. Their blinds are switch-operated, their fire escape is way too narrow, and their apartment is on the fourth floor, making their chances of survival extremely thin.
And two, Richie's fancy and pretty expensive knife collection he bought from Amazon two years ago, despite Eddie's and Stan's oppositions that they would be an impulse buy, might just save his life. Slowly, he goes to the kitchen and grabs the biggest, sharpest knife in their collection. A heavy, ceramic knife with a black blade and a golden handle. Beautiful knife, never used.
He grips the handle as tight as he can and goes back to the living room, where the scratching has stopped once again. He takes his phone out and tries to call Bev, who doesn't answer either. "Bev," he whispers in the voicemail, "please come to the apartment right now. There's scratching at the door, I'm all alone, and I think it might be a serial killer on the loose." He ends the call, and texts Bill, Mike and Stan, in case one of them has their phone on them.
His thumb tentatively hovers above Richie's number. He groans, hesitating, but then the scratching is back, and he immediately presses the call button.
"I can't believe you got us kicked out of the bar, Richie," Bill says, sitting down in front of the counter in Richie's bar.
"I can," Stan states.
"How was I supposed to know he had a boyfriend?" Richie says, lifting the door and sliding behind the bar. He grabs a whiskey bottle and four glasses, he pours a good amount of it and slides the three glasses to Mike, Bill and Stan.
"Just stop hitting on everybody," Mike says. "There, problem solved."
"Impossible." He goes to pour some more drinks, when his eye falls on a tall, well-built guy with wavy hair that just entered the bar.
"Oh, that's my type right there," Richie says and tosses his towel away, his eyes practically undressing the guy.
"Nuh-uh, sit down," Bill says and gets up, also having noticed the guy. "That's my type, Rich."
Both of them leave the counter, leaving Mike and Stan behind. "This isn't going to end well, right?" Mike asks Stan, who shakes his head. Grinning, Mike shrugs. "Eh, it'll be fun to watch them fight."
Pushing each other out of the way, Richie and Bill eventually reach the guy at the other side of the bar. He has a drink in his hand, and he's looking at the two with curiosity. "Hi," Richie says sweetly. "You looked very handsome from across the bar."
"Ignore him, he works here," Bill butts in, flashing the stranger a smile. "Hi, Bill Denbrough, author," he says and extends his hand, moving to stand in front of Richie as the guy returns the handshake. "What's your name?"
"James," the guy says, voice deep and clearly amused.
"Nice to meet you, James," Bill says as Richie tries to push him out of the way. "Can I buy you a drink?"
"No, can I buy you a drink?" Richie says, elbowing Bill who doubles in pain, clutching his side and leaving room for Richie to finally push him out of his way. "I'm Richie, and I do work here, which means everything you order is free."
"Don't believe him," Bill says, still holding his side in pain. "The drinks are coming out of his salary. Let me buy you a drink, I can afford it."
"Hey, I can afford it, too-"
"Oh, looks like your phone is ringing, Richie," Bill says, grinning.
To Richie's genuine surprise, his phone is ringing, but he ignores it. "Shut up, Bill."
"Could be someone important."
"Shut the fuck up, man."
Before Richie knows it, Bill has reached into his pocket and has grabbed his phone. "Would you look at that. It's Eddie," Bill says and accepts the call, shoving the phone into Richie's face. "You better take this one, Rich. You don't wanna leave Eddie hanging."
Groaning, Richie takes a few steps back and takes his phone, mouthing 'I'll kill you' to Bill as he brings the phone to his ear. "What do you want, Eddie, I'm in the middle of a date-"
"No you're not!" Bill calls.
"Richie, I'm sorry, but there's someone at the door, and they keep scratching, and I'm scared-"
"Eddie the building has really old pipes, they make noises all the time-"
"Can you come home? Please?"
Richie shoots a glance at Bill as he talks to James. "Cooler, Eds, you're being a cooler right now-"
"Richie, I need you."
The desperation in Eddie's voice gets his attention, and he realizes he sounds genuinely disturbed, maybe even scared. His stomach tightens at the thought, and he glances at James, who's laughing at something Bill said. He sighs, and clears his throat. "Okay, Eds. I'm coming."
"And this is us," Richie says, shaking his head towards their apartment door as he fishes his keys from his pocket. He has barely opened the door when a scream pierces their ears, making them all scream as well. The fact that Eddie is coming at them with a knife and the rage of a thousand men doesn't help, and they all scream even louder.
Eddie is the first to stop, when he sees it's not a serial killer, and he drops the knife, relieved. "Thank fuck you're here," he says and rushes towards them, engulfing them all in a big hug. He buries his face deep in Richie's shoulder. "Never leave me alone again," he mumbles, relaxing even more when Richie starts caressing his back.
"What the fuck happened in here?" Stan asks when the group hug ends and he sees their furniture all over the place.
"Well, I started cleaning, and then I thought I was going to die so I never finished," Eddie says. He then notices James standing between Bill and Mike and extends his hand, grinning. "Hi, I'm Eddie. Welcome to our home."
"James," he says. "You guys are weird."
"Eddie!" Bev calls from the hallway, out of breath as she rushes to their door. Behind her is Ben, also out of breath and slightly confused. "Are you okay?" Bev asks as they enter the apartment.
Eddie nods, hugging Bev and Ben. "False alarm. Sorry I ruined your date night."
"Alright, let's go check the house," Richie says, grabbing the knife from the floor and motioning for Eddie to follow him. "See if there's a killer hiding in our bathroom."
"Hilarious," Eddie deadpans and follows him.
First, they check Stan's room. "Eddie, I've told you a thousand times, the building has ridiculously old pipes. They're even older than the landlord."
Eddie shakes his head as he opens his door, peaking inside his dark room before he turns on the light. "This wasn't the pipes, Richie."
"At least you're safe," Richie says as they check his room. "Whatever it was, it ruined my chance with James."
"No it didn't."
Hand on the bathroom's door handle, Richie turns to look at Eddie. "He's all over Bill, man."
Eddie pauses for a moment, thinking as Richie looks behind the bathtub curtain. Then, he snaps his fingers. "Got it. Richie, you're getting laid tonight," he says and grabs Richie's wrist, dragging him to the living room.
"Alright, listen up," Eddie shouts to get everybody's attention. "The game we're about to play is called Truth or Dare, but with a sexy twist. For every truth, you have to take a shot. For every dare, a piece of clothing has to be removed, regardless if the person goes through with the dare or not."
He reaches for the buzzer in the middle of their irregular circle. "This is another new twist. Every time someone acts like a little bitch, which I'm sure will be a common occurrence, we hit the buzzer and we resolve the tension with the ultimate dare. We raise our fingers to our forehead and whoever has the same number of fingers up as the bitch, has to share a passionate kiss with them, with clear presence of tongue, behind the kitchen slide door. Ready?" he asks, taking a shot glass in his hand, the rest doing the same. "GO!"
Bev goes first, and asks Richie who answers dare. He begins undressing himself before he even hears what the dare is, removing his tacky shirt and tossing it on the couch behind him, and then goes through with the dare. After that, multiple shots are taken, multiple clothes are removed, and everyone is either tipsy, or fully drunk.
An hour later, the apartment is a mess. There's spilled beer, from Bev daring Mike to drink three beers at the same time, four different condiments are open -and spilled- on the table, Ben's shoes are on the stove and there are clothes everywhere. A shirtless Richie is fighting with Bill for James's attention, Bev and Ben are making out on the couch, and a nearly naked Eddie is pouring shots for Stan and Mike on the dining table.
Expectedly, Richie is the first one to start acting like an asshole, when he sees Bill and James head towards Stan's room, holding hands.
"What the fuck, Bill?" Richie asks, words slightly slurring. "Get away from James, you piece of-"
"I didn't do anything, you asshole!"
"In my room, you guys? You were about to have sex in my room?" Stan asks, barely audible in the ruckus and visibly grossed out.
"Okay, that's it, you sneaky mother-" Richie says and lurches forward, ready to tackle Bill.
"Buzzer!" Bev yells, and Ben presses the buzzer, which echoes loudly in the apartment. "Richie, you're being a bitch."
"Me? He's the one who's been trying to sabotage me all night!" Richie yells and points at Bill, who is smirking half-hidden behind James.
"Let's go, everyone," Ben says, gesturing for them to gather around him. "Let's raise those fingers and see who gets to smootch Richie."
Richie groans, but immediately turns to James. "Do two, put two fingers up, not three-"
"Put three or a four," Bill talks above him.
"Don't put three, put two-"
"Three."
Confused, James glances between the two, as Mike yells "Three, two, one" and everyone raises their fingers. Richie, like he said, has raised two fingers, and James has raised-
"Why did you raise three?"
"You said to raise three!" James says, exasperated.
"No, I said two-"
Bill cackles, then his jaw slightly drops, and he points at Richie, then at Eddie. Confused, they turn to look at each other, and their eyes go to their foreheads, where they both have two fingers up.
"No!"
"Fuck."
Within seconds, Richie and Eddie are pushed into the kitchen, door locked behind them as they all chant "Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!".
"Hey!" Richie shouts, banging at the door with his palm, "let us out, guys."
Behind the door, Ben cackles. "The rules are rules, Rich," he says and continues chanting with the rest.
Slowly, Eddie walks away from the door, while Richie continues to bang it. He looks away, avoiding Richie's eyes as he turns to look at him. He does not look pleased.
"I see how, in this situation, I might be considered a cooler," Eddie admits.
"You think?" Richie groans and rubs his face. "Okay. Let's get this over with. It's just a kiss."
"Okay, fine, it's just a kiss," Eddie agrees and approaches Richie. They stand opposite each other, neither of them moving.
"Should I use tongue?" Richie asks.
"Are you really asking me how to kiss?"
"No, you asshole, I just don't want to use tongue if you don't like it-"
"Who doesn't like tongue-"
"I don't know, man, maybe you're one of those weirdos who don't like tongue. Whatever, let's get this over with," Richie says and puts his hands on Eddie's bare biceps. He takes a deep breath. "One, two, wait I'm not gonna do a countdown-"
"Richie. You're stalling."
"Alright, I'm doing it," Richie says.
"Do it."
"I'm doing it," Richie repeats.
"Are you, though?" Eddie asks, slightly annoyed.
Groaning again, Richie drops his hands and starts banging at the door. "Get me the fuck out of here!"
Eddie rolls his eyes, and tugs Richie's shoulder, bringing him away from the door. "Richie, just kiss me."
"I'm not gonna kiss you, Eddie."
"Kiss me," Eddie demands, crossing his arms.
"Eddie, stop-"
"Richie, just kiss me."
"I'm not gonna kiss you-"
"God, Richie, just kiss me-"
"No! Not like this!"
Despite the constant chanting from outside the kitchen, the silence that follows Richie's words is deafening.
"What?" Eddie eventually says, voice soft. He tilts his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. "What does that mean?"
"Nothing," Richie rushes, shutting his eyes closed, "it meant nothing." He feels his breath getting heavier and heavier, and he shuts his eyes as tight as he can. "I didn't mean it like that, because you- and I'm me and you're- and you have Adam-"
"Adam and I broke up two weeks ago," Eddie interrupts. Slowly, Richie opens his eyes and they immediately find Eddie's. His expression is neutral, and his arms are no longer crossed.
"Cool," Richie says and looks away, "cool, cool. Yeah. I'm gonna just-" he mumbles, and moves towards the kitchen balcony.
"Rich- what are you doing?"
Richie opens the door, despite Eddie's protests, and goes on the balcony that connects with the living room. That balcony door is locked, so he starts banging the glass, startling everyone in the room. They immediately stop chanting, and they help Richie get inside before he freezes to death, while simultaneously opening the kitchen door for Eddie. Richie and Eddie don't exchange any other word for the rest of the night, but no one says a thing.
Not long after that, the game is over and Bev and Ben are the first to leave. Bill and James are next, and Richie sees them out. Him and Bill exchange a look, silently forgiving each other, and they say their goodbyes.
"I'm not cleaning up this mess tomorrow," Richie says when he shuts the door and looks at their living room, ignoring Stan's and Eddie's protests about never having done that anyways. He rushes to his room without saying goodnight to either of them, and locks the door behind him.
Around 2 am, Eddie is woken up by a noise coming from outside his room. He doesn't pay much attention to it, but the noise gets louder, and the longer he hears it, the more it starts to resemble-
"The scratching's back," Eddie mumbles, throwing away his covers as he gets up. He opens his door and frantically knocks at Richie's. He doesn't wait for him to come out, and he tentatively approaches the door. A couple seconds later Richie is behind him, yawning. For a moment, Eddie forgets about the scratching when he notices what Richie is wearing. "Are you sleeping in your leather coat?"
"None of your business," Richie says and walks past Eddie, putting his arm protectively in front of him. "Stay back," he says, and barely turns the door handle before something big and furry knocks him down. He grunts when he feels paws pressing on his chest, and he cackles when he realizes it's a golden retriever that's straddling him and drooling all over his face.
"Easy! Easy, boy," a woman's voice sounds from the hallway. "I am so sorry," she says and picks up the dog's leash. "He tries to leave the house every time I open the damn door. I live across the hallway and- wait," she says when Richie gets up with Eddie's help, and points at him. "Is that my coat?"
"Uh... no?" Richie tries.
"I knew it had been delivered, but for some reason I never actually got the package," the woman says, struggling to keep the dog from escaping. "Were you sleeping in it?"
"He probably was," Eddie says. "We are so sorry. Richie, give her the jacket."
Reluctantly, Richie sighs and shrugs off the coat, giving it to their neighbor. "God, this apartment complex is messed up," she says and turns around, dragging the dog with her.
Snickering, Eddie shuts the door, and him and Richie head to their rooms. "You know, I'm gonna miss that coat," Eddie admits.
"Me too," Richie says, smiling softly. "Made me confident."
"Yeah, you were definitely lacking in that department," Eddie says, and they both giggle. "It was a woman's coat, though."
"You're right," Richie says as they stand outside their rooms, still smiling.
Eddie smiles back just as softly, and takes half a step back. "Goodnight, Rich."
"Goodnight, Eds."
He doesn't get to enter his room. A second later, he feels a tug at his elbow, and he's pulled back, right into Richie's arms. Richie's lips on his catch him by surprise, but he finds himself easily kissing him back as he wraps his arms around Richie's neck. Richie pulls him closer, leaving no space between their bodies, and he runs his hands up and down Eddie's back as Eddie runs his hands through Richie's hair. The kiss quickly turns from rough and messy to soft and sweet, with Richie hugging Eddie's waist and leaning forward so that Eddie won't have to tiptoe in order to reach him.
Eventually, they pull back to breathe, foreheads gently touching. Neither of them opens their eyes yet, and Richie dips back, giving Eddie another soft kiss, and then one more. He opens his eyes, meeting Eddie's.
"I meant something like that," he breathes into Eddie's slightly open mouth. He slowly, almost reluctantly, leans away and heads to his room, shutting the door behind him, leaving Eddie to stare at the shut door with wide eyes, his fingers gently pressing on his lips.