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Thanksgiving at the Denbrough house was a tradition Eddie looked forward to every year. It was the one holiday his mother conceded to giving up control over, allowing him to hang out at Bill’s house all day, just as long as he made it home in time to watch the nightly news and bring home any leftovers from dinner for her to enjoy in the comfort of her beloved, dingy recliner in the living room.
It started his freshman year of high school when Bill invited him over for the first time after hearing that Eddie hadn’t particularly celebrated the holiday since he was ten years old. He had begged off at first, not wanting to intrude on his family’s celebrations, but Bill wouldn’t take no for an answer. And by extension, Bill also invited his best friend Beverly along, innocently claiming that no one deserved to spend the day alone when there was plenty of room at the dinner table at his house; though Eddie knew right away that that was just an excuse for the older boy to spend time with her, considering he had a very obvious crush on her.
Seriously, drool much?
Beverly accepted the invitation after Eddie had practically begged her to, and since then, Thanksgiving was a favorite holiday of his. No longer did he dread the weeklong vacation from school, of being away from his friends and forced to spend time with his mother. Spending that lonely Thursday watching the annual televised parade in silence while sitting stiffly on the couch and eating tacky leftovers that nowhere neared the theme of the day. No, because of Bill and his welcoming family, he finally had that one blissful day of the week to spend eating dinner and goofing off with the two most important people in his life.
Now, Eddie and Beverly were seniors in high school, and once again, they were invited over for dinner. Although Bill was currently attending his first year of college at NYU, his parents were nice enough to still have them come over for the special occasion and even on random weekends, having grown fond of them over the past few years. Sharon especially took a liking to Eddie, after finding out that he enjoyed spending time in the kitchen, helping her prepare dishes and even make some of his own from scratch with the help of the many cookbooks she had stored away. His homemade peach cobbler was an instant hit the first time he served it, much to his delight. The entire dessert was devoured by the Denbrough family within a half hour of Eddie placing it on the table.
“Eddie, would you chop those carrots for me while I—“ The doorbell rang suddenly and Sharon turned her head toward the sound and sighed. “While I answer the door apparently.” She wiped her hands on a stray kitchen rag and walked off, exiting the kitchen and leaving him and Beverly alone.
“You think that’s Bill and his friend?” Beverly asked while munching on a bowl of potato chips from her spot at the kitchen table.
“Well, they’re the only ones that haven’t arrived yet so I have a pretty good idea it’s them.” Eddie chopped the carrots on the cutting board and laughed when he heard Beverly scoff. A few potato chips hit him in the arm after.
“Thanks so much for the sass, babe.” She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. And he knew her well enough to know that if he looked up right now, he would see her rolling her eyes.
“It was a stupid question!” Eddie defended. “And can you please pick those up? You know I hate the stray crumbs.”
“It was a perfectly valid question, Kaspbrak and obviously I’m going to,” She got up and patted his back, picking up the chips that landed on the floor along the way. She then leaned her elbows forward on the kitchen island, and curiously watched him cut away and place the bits of carrot in a bowl for later use. “We should go out there and say hi and get it over with. Together...of course.”
“You’re still afraid he has a crush on you?” Bill wasn’t that desperate, but then again...maybe. He had seen firsthand just how mesmerized Bill was with his red haired friend, and Eddie would feel bad for him (he would!), but he had always secretly found it funny how Beverly needed him to be with her at all times when speaking to Bill. Apparently, she had figured out Bill’s not-so-secret crush on her just as fast as Eddie had, and throughout the years, she did everything in her power to subtly let the older boy know that the feeling simply wasn’t mutual. Dropping hints here or there about her crushes on other boys at school and even pleading Eddie to tell him that Beverly wasn’t into dating older boys, when they both knew that that was incorrect.
Bev was very much into dating someone older than her, just as long as that someone wasn’t Bill. Sorry dude.
“I’m just going to ignore it and hope for the best. Just like before,” Beverly nodded resolutely and then added, as an afterthought, “With you by my side.”
Eddie snorted and suddenly heard laughter coming from the living room. He glanced at the doorway, spotting Bill there, and didn’t even have enough time to be happy about seeing his friend again for the first time in months, because in the next second, he noticed a taller man standing next to Bill. Oh...right, Bill’s friend.
Bill’s very attractive, tall-and-broad-shouldered friend.
Bev noticed his stunned expression. “What? Oh my god, did Bill get a weird haircut or something?” She tried to lean over the counter and take a peek out the doorway, but found it fruitless in the end from the unforgiving angle.
Eddie felt his face flush as he looked away, hoping that he wasn’t being too obvious, but by the way his breathing accelerated, he knew it was already a lost cause. “Um, Bill’s friend. I just saw Bill’s friend...out there,” He awkwardly pointed in the direction.
“So you think he's cute?” Beverly gasped. “You never think somebody is cute!”
He almost groaned out loud. “Okay, I so didn’t say that—where did you even get that stupid idea in your head, he could be ugly for all you know—and would you keep it down!” Beverly chose to ignore him.
“We should totally introduce ourselves then, I mean...it’s only polite, right?” Beverly smirked and before he could protest, she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the kitchen. Eddie’s eyes widened in panic and before he knew it, they were already standing just a few feet away in front of the two men.
Oh, he was so going to kill her later for this.
“Eddie!” Bill swooped in for a giant hug then, almost throwing him off balance, but Eddie merely laughed and hugged him back. It really was good to see him again after so long. “I missed you, man.”
“I missed you too.”
“Welcome back, Bill.” Beverly waved.
“Oh, h-hey Bev, it’s g-good to see you too.” Bill leaned in for a quick hug and before Eddie could tell whether or not it was an awkward one, Bill’s friend finally spoke up. Addressing him of all things.
“Hey Big Bill, I didn’t know you had another little brother,” The taller boy smirked down at him. “And what grade are you going into, kid?”
Eddie blinked. What the fuck? “I’m a senior, like Beverly.”
“So you skipped a few grades then?” He was still smirking, looking all too chuffed about his joke.
Eddie bristled, crossing his arms. “No, I’m eighteen, and I...“ He wildly looked to Bill, hoping he would step in soon and defend his stature (because fuck you very much), but found him with an amused expression across his face, looking between the two of them. Eddie huffed. Again, what the fuck?
“Richie, this is my friend Eddie, not another little brother,” Bill chuckled and pointed towards him. “And this is Beverly, another friend. Richie here is my roommate, guys.”
Richie grinned, stepping forward to shake both their hands, although Eddie was too busy internally throwing a fit to make his handshake less stiff. He dug his hands in his pockets of the leather jacket after, which...unfairly made him even more attractive, if that was possible. Eddie could see how loose the garment hung around his frame, yet tightly fitting across his shoulders, the fabric practically hugging them. He didn’t realize he was staring until Beverly elbowed him, giving him a look.
Zach and Sharon then decided to breeze into the room, carrying their fancy plates in their arms. “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes, kids.” Sharon shot them all a smile, breaking the slight tension between them.
Bill spoke up. “Oh, I f-forgot to tell you, mom. Richie doesn’t eat th-thanksgiving food.”
Zach paused while setting a plate on the table, raising an eyebrow. “May I ask why, Richie?”
“It’s kinda a long story and I don’t want to bore you with the details,” Richie nodded. “It’s fine, though.”
“Well I’m sure we have something here for you to eat, or at least snack on,” She said in a kind tone, and Eddie was reminded of why he was so fond of her. If it was his own mother who had heard that, she would’ve demanded why he would forgo eating on such an occasion, pestering him until he gave her an answer. Creating an uncomfortable atmosphere in the long run. Something she was very much adept at. “If not, then I hope you’ll still enjoy yourself today. We really appreciate you both coming down to visit.”
“It’s not a problem, mom and there’s no way I would miss your cooking on today of all days,” Bill said, making his way over to help them with the silverware. “Where’s Georgie, by the way?” Eddie drowned them out then and was about to turn to Bev and drag her back to the safety of the kitchen, when she winked at him before briskly walking off towards the others, leaving him alone with Richie.
Uh-?! He stomped down the urge to throw a tantrum in that moment. Who did she think she was?! He did not want to be alone with him, not after the scene Richie had just made, making fun of his height.
And to hell with how cute he was! It didn’t fucking matter anyways, he thought petulantly. No, no, no, no, no, no—
“Hey,” Richie nudged him with his elbow. “Sorry about all that earlier. I’m sort of an asshole.”
Eddie looked down, distracting himself by fiddling with his hands. “So, I’ve noticed,” He muttered back while trying to discreetly catch a glimpse of him in his peripheral, because he was fucking weak, okay?
“Ooh, a feisty one. I think I like you now.” Richie teased him.
Eddie whipped his head up in surprise. “Well, um...I don’t like you.”
Smooth, Eddie cringed.
Richie snorted. “I guarantee you, that’s going to change. Everybody likes me.”
“Yeah? Well, I find that really hard to believe.”
“Believe it, cutie.” Richie dug out a bag of jelly beans from his pocket then and started eating them, one by one.
Eddie quickly decided not to focus on the cutie part, and instead on the candy. “Is that really going to be your dinner?” He asked, skeptically eyeing the bag. There was no way that was going to fill him up. It was barely two o’clock in the afternoon as it was and he knew for a fact that Bill was planning on staying through the night and leaving in the morning.
An idea then popped into his head. A brilliant one.
“Yup, you want one?” Richie offered, holding out the bag, but Eddie declined with a shake of his head.
“I can make you something, if you want. Since you don’t eat thanksgiving food and I-I don’t want you to go hungry.” He hastened to add, “But don’t worry! I’m a good cook, so you’re in good hands, really. This morning, I actually helped Sharon prepare the turkey, the dessert, and even the mashed potatoes. Though uh, those were the easiest, anyone with half a brain could make that, so I guess that wasn’t even worth mentioning as an example...” He trailed off awkwardly, realizing far too late that he had rambled; an, admittedly, annoying trait of his. Eddie really wanted to pinch himself.
“You don’t have to. I mean, I’m fine with not eating and besides, I’ve got my sweet treats right here to tide me over,” He proudly held the bag up, shaking it around to indicate how relatively full it was. “Plus, I don’t want to put you out or anyth—”
Eddie didn’t wait for him to finish. “See, that’s the thing! I like cooking so you wouldn’t be putting me out or whatever,” He insisted, waving his hands around for emphasis. “So, what’s your favorite food? I’m pretty sure I can make anything since their kitchen is stocked with the basics.”
Richie stared at him, idly switching the bag back and forth between his hands. Still chewing. “You’re really not gonna let this go, huh?” He commented, and any enthusiasm he had felt about the prospect of making Richie dinner, instantly faded away upon hearing that.
Let it go? It was hard doing that sometimes. At least for Eddie, it was. He just didn’t like the thought of all of them enjoying dinner, while Richie just stood by and ate some measly jelly beans as if that was ever going to fully satisfy him. He deserved a full meal just as much as them.
Eddie liked things done a certain way and above all, he took joy in doing things for other people. It was honestly just the way he was built, just the way he functioned. He was nowhere near a perfectionist, but he also liked to think that he wasn’t a pushover with the way he felt so strongly about things, the way others normally wouldn’t.
But maybe he was a pushover. Just like his mother...Eddie blanched further and took a step back.
“I can drop it if you want.” He backtracked, waiting for Richie’s response.
“Yeah, you got me. I was just trying to deal, but I actually am hungry.” Oh, Eddie tentatively met his gaze then. Richie looked sheepish. “Think you can make some mac n’ cheese for me? With cut up hot dogs mixed in?”
Eddie couldn’t help but stare up at him in wonderment. Seriously, what the actual fuck? “No way that’s your favorite dish.”
“Hey, you don’t get to judge me! Food cravings get weird during college, mark my words.” Eddie giggled but was quick to cut it short and avert his gaze.
“One custom order coming up then,” He announced and blushed in the process. Oh god.
Richie nodded and before he could say anything else, Eddie was off to the kitchen. Needing to get away. Plus, noodles took a lot of precious time to cook.
Except for the fact that they didn’t.
He was on his knees and looking through the Denbrough’s fridge, trying to find the pack of hot dog weenies he knew they had, when Beverly approached him with a grin.
“So,” She playfully tapped him on the shoulder. “How did it go with Gumby over there? I see you’re already playing housewife.” She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms over her chest.
Eddie spotted the new eight-pack and grabbed it. He then turned towards her and frowned, closing the fridge. “He needs to eat dinner, okay? There’s nothing wrong with making him something…”
“Bill’s mom could’ve done that, you know.”
“And I’m just being nice and giving her a break, that’s all. She’s done enough for today,” Eddie easily deflected, nodding to himself as he grabbed a clean pot and filled it up with water. Once the liquid was at an adequate height, he carried it over to the stove and turned on the burner, kneeling to focus on getting it at the right temperature. He completely missed Beverly’s devious smile.
“Whatever you say. By the way, Bill got hot so maybe I will take a chance on him.” Eddie’s eyes widened. He lost his footing then and fell back on his ass.
“You’re joking? Really?!” He asked incredulously, ready to hear some gossip, but then Beverly doubled over laughing. And didn’t stop for a good while. Eddie gasped at her, shocked that she would pull this, and then groaned from his spot on the floor. “Y-you absolute turd!” He yelled while getting up and dusting off his pants. Eddie then made a move to wash his hands as his best friend finally settled down.
“Oh god, I can’t believe you fell for that! Literally!” She wiped a stray tear from her eye, beaming at him.
“Leave before I tell Bill that it was you who blabbed to his parents about the porno magazines hidden under his bed and not Georgie,” Eddie threatened, walking to the pantry and grabbing the box of macaroni noodles.
“I’ll go!” Bev waved at him and then left the kitchen, but not before she stuck her head in one last time. “Richie’s kind of a looker though, don’t you think?”
Eddie’s cheeks burned. “Leave please!”
“Such a sore loser,” Beverly mumbled teasingly on her way to the dining room.
The macaroni and cheese was a success. Even the hot dog chunks too. Eddie grinned and gave himself a pat on the back before he scooped up a sizable portion into a bowl and speed walked to the dining room in his haste to serve it to Richie already.
Richie was sitting on one end of the couch and watching the Thanksgiving Day parade on tv when Eddie approached him. “All done, here you go,” He said, smiling politely and holding out the bowl to him.
Richie took it from him and smiled back at him. “Hey, thanks a lot.” He grabbed the spoon, taking a bite. Eddie anxiously stood there and waited for his reaction.
He didn’t need to worry though.
“God, fuck, this is so good,” Richie mumbled, bringing two fingers up to mimick a chef’s kiss and Eddie let out a tiny laugh. His chest feeling like it could burst, just the littlest bit.
“Oh, good! And there’s of course more in the kitchen if you want another bowl or two...” Eddie let his sentence trail off and shyly looked away. Should he leave now? There really was no reason to hang around him anymore...he’d done his job and made him dinner. Eddie wished he knew the proper etiquette for these kinds of situations.
Richie interrupted his thoughts with a hum. “Are you planning on attending NYU next year?” He asked.
He wanted him to stay? Eddie hesitantly lowered himself to sit on the coffee table in front of him; their knees almost touching. He could eat later, no problem. “I haven’t really thought about it honestly.”
Richie nodded after he finished swallowing another bite full. His bowl was almost empty. “You should think about it. Going.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, I’ll be your first friend there.” Richie said so casually, flooring Eddie in the process. He then held up his spoon and squinted at it, looking between him and the cheesy noodles. “Eddie Macaroni?”
Eddie frowned slightly and scrunched up his nose in distaste. “Oh god, what is that? What are you doing?”
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m coming up with a nickname.” He said as if it was obvious. “All my buddies have one.”
“All your buddies have food related nicknames?”
“Nah, just you. You’re just that special.” Richie smirked again and Eddie willed everything in him to just- stop. “Eddie Macaroni just doesn’t sound right though.”
That’s because it’s a godawful nickname, he wanted to say, but he didn’t. He glanced towards the bowl again, and thought of his favorite dish. Favorite noodle related-
“What about spaghetti instead? It um, still has the rhyme there…” Eddie suggested and Richie smiled big as if he just delivered the best news ever.
Oh no.
“Holy shit. Eddie fucking Spaghetti, going for the win.” Richie said in triumph and nudged his arm with a finger. “Now you have to come to NYU. I mean come on, we can’t let this nickname go to waste.”
And Eddie just laughed again, feeling unbelievably light. Hearing the nickname coming from Richie didn’t sound too bad.
Not bad at all actually.