Work Text:
-<3-
School arduously went on and on, and you sighed, longing for the sweet release of Summer vacation. Or, at least, the bell to ring and let you out of this stuffy classroom. None of your friends share this class with you, so it always seems to be the longest, especially so with it being the last class of the day.
Your stomach growled hungrily, and you huffed in annoyance. You didn’t eat lunch today since you’d be going over to the Diner where your Mom works after school, you’d need to pick your sibling from there to babysit them until later that night – and you’d get something to eat there. Better than the school lunch by a long shot.
Your mouth watered thinking about the savory, richness of a greasy burger, or the cold, delicate sweetness of a milkshake. Fuck it. You’ll spoil yourself today and have both.
Finally, the bell rung, and you about leapt off your chair to clamber over your desk to get out of there. You got to your locker, throwing it open and tossing your books messily inside with a clatter, and then closed it afterwards.
“Excuse m-m-me,” The familiar voice of your boyfriend touches your ears, and you find yourself grinning before you turn around to face him, but when you do your head tilts when he extends a slip of paper to you. “Did you drop this?”
He’s smiling mischievously, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and you take the paper from his fingers, keeping your grin but narrowing your eyes on him. “What are you up to, Denbrough?”
He laughs and Gosh he’s so cute – and shrugs. “Doh-Don’t know wh-what you mean, miss!” He says, feigning surprise and aloofness, his eyes widening for added effect.
“Uh-huh.” You deadpanned and went to unfold the paper but was stopped by his fingers resting over your hand. You grinned again, exhaling a laugh. “What?”
“Y-You c-can wait till we’ve finished talking! So rude of you,” He tsks playfully and uses his grip on your fingers to bring you closer to him, pressing a kiss on your cheek, his neck arching to reach your shorter self.
You laugh, tucking the paper into your pocket. “Oh fine, you’re lucky you’re being so cute and I’m about to go get food. I’m starved.”
He smirks, but still blushes slightly. Which is also, adorable. No matter how long you’ve been together, it makes you smile so wide to see the blush on his face. “Don’t let me keep y-you t-then.”
You chuckle and reach up to receive a parting hug, “You’re a weirdo, Denbrough.”
“You lo-love me.” He countered and you didn’t disagree with him, especially when the hug parted, and he looked down at you with those wonderful sepia beige eyes.
He sent a wink, and turned, walking in the direction of where you could see your other friends. Richie and Eddie stood side by side, Stanley at the opposite of them. You waved to them and left once they waved back and then promptly got distracted by Bill instead.
Whatever – you knew they totally liked you more than him when it really came down to it. Tooootallly.
You forgot to check the paper until after you got to the diner and ordered a meal for you and your sibling. Taking it out while your lips were wrapped around your milkshake’s straw, you sputtered when you read what was written in Bill’s signature handwriting. “Tonight, on the bridge. Come alone.”
You stared at the words with an ascended eyebrow, intrigued and amused at how serious it seemed. You figured he meant the Kissing Bridge. Otherwise – he would most likely write down if it were someplace else.
“What are you up to?” You questioned aloud, receiving a quick response from your sibling, who had been naughtily stealing your fries and you gasped dramatically – even if they weren’t who you were asking, but rolled with it and stole one of the chocolate chips from their pancake.
Afterwards, you both said a quick goodbye to your Mom and made the walk home, which was only ten or so minutes. Despite it getting warmer with Summer on its way, there was a slight nip in the air.
“Can we watch The Fox and the Hound?” Your sibling asked after you unlocked the door and ushered them in. You made a face, “Again?”
“Pleeeease.”
Sighing, you nodded, and they excitedly scampered into the living room to scoop up the VHS, “I know how to set it up!” They exclaimed and you smiled, “Wow, really?” You gasped facetiously.
“Mhm! Daddy showed me how.” They beamed up at you before dropping down onto their knees to set up the player and then run back over to the couch and hop up on the sofa next to you.
“Do you think Mom would let us get a pet fox?” Your sibling asked in an excited whisper, looking up at you with sparkling eyes.
You pursed your lips in thought and hummed, “Maybe! But don’t you think a fox would be happier in the forest?”
They shrugged, “We can put bushes in my room.”
You grinned and let them snuggle up on your side as the movie began. Having seen it already about five times, you were pretty much done by the halfway marker, your thoughts instead on Bill.
It felt like you guys had been together for ages, in truth, you begin to date the stuttering boy only a couple years ago, despite being friends with him and the other losers for years longer and crushing on him since you were a kid.
You had met him when you both were five. You had moved into town with your Mom and sister after your parents divorced and at first, you hated everything about the situation – feeling like you had lost your Dad, you home, your old friends. But then you met your neighbors.
You lived next door to Eddie and Sonia Kaspbrak. Your Mother had met Sonia first when the round woman had welcomed her to the neighborhood, and you found yourself not liking the woman much because she seemed to be a little rude and didn’t let you play with her son much without her watching over like a hawk.
Eventually though, you met Eddie’s friends and got to hang out outside of your Mother, or his Mother watching over and making sure you never did anything to upset Eddie’s ‘fragility’.
At first, they seemed unsure about letting a girl hang out without them, particularly Richie – and the little kid version of you was very offended by that. Bill, who seemed to be the leader of their little group said you could hang out anyway, but you made it a point to win them over and you did eventually.
But still, you couldn’t help but appreciate how he accepted you right away and did so with a friendly smile.
So then, you grew up with them. Made it through Elementary and into Middle school. Went through that one horrible, awful summer with them that still left you awake some nights feeling smaller and terrified.
Not only that but going through that Summer knowing Bill was crushing hard on Beverly wasn’t particularly easy either. By that point, you had been heads over heels for him and he had no clue, and you stepped back to let him, and your only real girl friend have whatever it was they had.
You were there for him when he found the only thing left of his Brother and were there for him in the following months of his grief, never once leaving him when he needed you – always making it a point to be available for him even if it was just hanging out in his room, quiet or doing something simple as homework together.
And then, it was the Summer after fighting the clown when you had let it slip.
You were both hanging out at the club house, after your other friends had gone back home. He mentioned something about how it was weird to be there during the summer without your red-headed friend being there too and you asked him if he missed her. Of course, he did. And you couldn’t hide the disappointed look on your face when your next question was if he still had feelings for her.
“…I don’t think so,” He had admitted after a few long stretches of silence. You sat up a bit in the hammock and looked over at him, noticeably a little taller at the news. “Really?”
He shrugged a shoulder and avoided your gaze. “I-I-I think Beverly is great, and I meh-miss having her a-around. B-B-But I don’t think I ever liked her as much as I was hoping.”
You stood up from the Hammock and made your way to sit next to him, the old rackety chair you took creaked slightly and you winced, thinking you all might need to bring in some new ones soon. “What do you mean?”
He sighed, looking down at the ground. “I-I-I think partly I was h-hoping that it would make me loose my c-crush on someone else.”
You deflated; any hope dashed. “Oh… who do you like?”
He smiled for a moment, glancing up at you with another shrug. The smile he wore on his face was weak, and it looked forced. “I-It doesn’t matter. I-I’m pretty sure they like someone else.”
Your head tilted, and you shook your head. “Well, if she doesn’t like you back, she’s pretty dumb.”
His smile grew slightly and wasn’t forced this time. Bashful, he rubbed at his neck with a light pink blush on his cheeks. “You think so?”
You smiled back, eyeing the blush on his cheeks. “Yeah, Billy. Of course. You’re awesome!”
He laughed, shaking his head. “Th-thanks.”
You hummed your response, “Who do you think your crush likes?”
His smile dropped some, and he looked at you for a long moment before he sighed, “Eddie.”
Your eyebrows rose, trying to search your mind for someone Eddie would know that liked him, that you didn’t know. You all were pretty much a tight group of friends, and you were unaware if your rabbit-like friend had another female friend on the side you hadn’t ever met before.
Your face scrunched up, “Eddie has other friends?”
Bill laughed and shook his head, “I-I-I don’t th-think so.” Your eyebrows knit together. “I’m confused.”
He stared at you again, one of his eyebrows lifting. You were lost, looking back at him from one eye to the other and then it dawned on you. “Wait – you think I like Eddie?” Was your first question.
His face lit up in a blush, and then the second thing dawned on you and your mouth dropped open “Wait,” You said again, a little dumbly now that you thought back on it, “You have a crush on me?” When you asked, your voice was soft and a little airy.
He gulped, glancing back down at his hands which were wringing together. “Y-Yeah,” He muttered, “You d-do, d-don’t you?”
You sat, dumbstruck. You blinked and inhaled sharply to try and clear your mind. “Uh, what?”
“L-Like Eddie.”
“No.” You admitted, right away. “We’re friends, duh. We live next to each other, so I guess we hang out when we can – but that’s when his Mom isn’t being…you know, his mom.”
Bill glanced up then, a surprised expression on his face. “O-Oh.”
You swallowed and turned your body to face him fully. Your knees bumped against each other, and you took in a deep breath, and then smiled. It only just then seemed to hit you that the guy you had been crushing on for so long actually returned it, and you giggled.
He smiled at the sound, still looking bashful, but your laughs always made him smile. “W-What?”
“Just thinking how much I’d like to kiss you.” You said, the knowledge that he liked you back gave you the courage to say so and his face turned almost as red as the plaid shirt he wore.
“Y-You – uh, y-you want to k-k-k—” His stutter grew, and he sighed, shaking his head at himself but only for a moment when you leaned in, and he froze with your lips touching against his. It was a sweet, short kiss and you smiled when you pulled back.
A grin broke out on his face, and he pulled you back for another one.
“Y/N?”
The voice of your sibling broke you out of your memory and you glanced down to see them look up at you with a confused little face. “What?”
“Your face is all red. Are you sick? Momma says to eat soup when you’re sick. Do you want me to make you soup?”
You laughed, touched by their worry but shook your head. “I’m okay. Pick another movie, and I’ll start on dinner, okay?”
They beamed up at you and nodded, scampering back over to the VHS collection your family had while you stood up to make your way to the kitchen and start on dinner, keeping the memory in your mind.
You and Bill had become a couple that night, and have been together since then, now being in later Highschool. You couldn’t be happier with him, he’s the perfect boyfriend. Even when you both had the odd fight, he always made it up to you even if you were the one who might have started it. You felt lucky to have someone like him.
-<3-
Even though it had been years since the clown had been gone, you still found yourself a bit nervous to walk around at nighttime, especially if you were on your own.
Crickets sung into the night, the odd hoot of an owl or flutter of wings, the nip from earlier still was within the air, and you unrolled the sleeves of the plaid shirt you had stolen from Bill earlier that week, crossing your arms while making your way to the Kissing Bridge.
And there he was. His tall form leaned forward against the rail, his hands clasped, and his face turned up towards the cloudless night sky. The moon was bright and ample, casting a silver glow onto his auburn hair and you stilled for a moment, taking him in with a bright pink blush on your face. He was handsome. He was yours.
Then, as if he could feel your gaze on him, he turned his head, and a wonderful smile broke out on his face. “I’m so glad you made it.”
He welcomed you with his arms wrapping around your form, pulling you into him. One hand rested at the small back your back, the other at the back of your head. His nose brushed at the crown of your head, nuzzling into your hair and you giggled softly, squeezing him back. “Your note wasn’t ominous at all or anything.”
He laughed, pulling back enough to rest his hands on your forearm and you met his face with a grin. “I-I-It got you here, didn’t it?”
“I would have come anyway.” You told him truthfully and loved it when the cute lopsided smile broke out on his face. “But why are we here?”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pocketknife, and it connected in your mind when he glanced over to a free spot on the bridge. You bit your bottom lip to hide your shy smile, “Oh.”
He held your hand in his, bringing you both over when he only let go to kneel and scratched both of your initials together, surrounding it with a jagged, deep heart. He smiled when he looked up at you, and it made your heart skip to look at your names, and then at his face.
You took his hand and brought him back up to his feet and leaned into his chest when he hugged you tightly against him. His arms hooked around your waist, and your noses bumped together. “I love you.” He said softly, but with a deep-seated emotion that made your face heat up.
“I love you too, Bill.”