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They’ve been at it all summer. Usually they’re pretty bad, but…they’ve never really been this bad before. It’s usually more amusing and kinda cute to hear them bickering in the background every so often, but once it turns into nonstop arguing is when it needs to stop. When they were kids, the losers would just throw them into the club house for an hour or two and keep them locked up like that. They’d sort it out on their own while they were down there, and they wouldn’t need it for the rest of the summer. This year they’ve trapped them down there twice, and they were still incessantly fighting and arguing all summer. It was starting to get…pretty serious. Like, ending your life long friendship serious. Which is kind of unbelievable because no matter how annoying they are, there was no duo that made more sense than Richie and Eddie.
Okay, so things are actually really different this year. They were all about eighteen or nineteen, and a good chunk of them had been out of regular contact for college. Stan was in Georgia, Mike went down to Florida, Beverly was in New York with Eddie and Ben, and Richie was with Bill in California. It was difficult keeping up with everyone so branched out, so when they all came home for summer break it was kind of a surprise to everyone that Richie and Eddie weren’t talking to each other.
Usually they were inseparable and all up in each other’s business. Richie could never leave Eddie alone, and Eddie could never ignore him long enough for him to stop. It was a self perpetuating cycle of poking each other over and over again and laughing it off. They almost never shut up and now they could barely say hello or look each other in the eyes. It got to a point where the losers put them down in the clubhouse to make them talk to each other, but that only just set them off. They went from giving each other the silent treatment to bitter mumbling at each other until they would just start fighting on sight. Petty little arguments about “you never wrote me!” and “I called you seven times!” and “who is Kevin and why is he all over your Instagram?” and “I never said he was my boyfriend!”. It was hard to follow, but from what the rest of the losers could piece together it was a pretty deep cut into both of them to be apart like that for so long.
“What are you doing today?” Richie asked Bill. His friend spared him a glance off the road, but only for a moment before he sighed.
“I-I-I’m going to see Ed-Eddie,” he said truthfully. They all learned that if they lied about seeing one of them, the other would find out eventually anyways. It was pointless to hide it. Richie sniffled, feeling awkward, and then shrugged.
“Okay,” he said simply.
“Rich…y-you guys g-g-gotta make up soon,” he said. Richie shrugged again.
“Make up about what? He’s the one who stopped talking to me,” he mumbled.
“Y…yeah…because you k-k-kept talking about all your h…h…hook ups whenever he called,” Bill pointed out. Richie held his hands up defensively.
“Whoa! What the hell, Bill! Who’s side are you on here?” He scoffed. Bill sighed and then pulled over to the side of the road. He glared at Richie.
“N—no one! I’m on n-n-n-nobodies f—fucking side! I just w-want my friends back, Rich,” he blurted. Richie blinked at him.
“Billy—“
“No! Just…just shut up. Y-you’re coming with me,” he said. Richie’s heart stopped.
“What?” He asked. Bill sniffled, and then started his car again.
“Y—you’re coming with me…t-to my house…to hang out with…Ed—Eddie,” he stated. Richie’s heart started again with a vengeance.
“What the fuck, Bill! No, I just needed a ride to the drug store!” Richie protested.
“W—well! Too fucking bad, Richie!” Bill snapped. Richie sat back, exacerbated by this information, and shook his head as Bill drove them to his house. It took them a few minutes, and when they showed up Richie felt sick to his stomach to see Bev and Eds outside waiting for them already. He shook his head again, but got out of the car anyway. As expected, Eddie wasn’t happy to see him.
“Is this a fucking joke or something?” Eddie snapped the minute he saw Richie’s head pop out of the car. He rolled his eyes as he followed Billy out onto the lawn.
“Don’t pop a forehead vein, sweetheart. I’m not exactly thrilled to be here either,” Richie snarked. Eddie flipped him off, and Richie merely blew him a sarcastic kiss.
“Fuck you, asshole,” he bit.
“Couldn’t if you tried. You’re too short,” Richie bit back.
“Then I’ll fuck you on a stool, you oversized pool noodle,” Eddie continued.
“Aw, I’m touched! They make sex accommodations for vertically challenged people!”
“Fuck off, Richie!”
“Eds—“
“No! You guys are fucking stupid for bringing him here! He’s a fucking asshole!” He protested as Beverly rubbed his shoulder.
“C—c’mon guys! We’ve been friends for over a f—fucking decade! W-w-we’re not just going to l-let you guys throw this away!” Bill insisted.
“You think I fucking want to? He’s the one being a douchebag!” Eddie insisted. Richie pointed to himself with a playfully surprised expression.
“Moi?” He asked. Eddie only glared at him harder.
“Yes, Richie! You! You fucking bag of dicks! Every time I try to talk to you about it you act like you didn’t fucking do anything wrong!” He insisted.
“Because I didn’t!” Richie insisted.
“Rich…c’mon,” Beverly sighed. In all fairness, it’s impossible for any human being to be 100% impartial. Especially when it comes to your childhood besties. He understood that Beverly was likely to “side” with Eddie just like Bill was likely to “side” with Richie. The rest of their friends were pretty neutral since they didn’t go to the same schools like they did.
“What? I’m not allowed to post on Instagram? I’m not allowed to party and have fun? I’m fucking nineteen years old! Of course I’m gonna do that! Sorry I don’t spend all my nights knitting and thinking about how dry my vagina is,” Richie argued.
“You’re disgusting. I’m going home,” Eddie grumbled.
“Eds! No, please! Let’s just try and talk it out,” Beverly begged.
“I can’t talk about shit with him if he won’t own up to the stupid things he’s done!” Eddie snapped. He pushed her hand off, and then stormed off. Billy let him go too, and Richie stayed put with his arms crossed. The three of them were silent until Richie realized they were both looking at him. He blushed.
“What? What are you looking at me for?” He asked. Beverly looked rather pissed, but Billy was more sympathetic.
“I mean…W-we usually ask y-y-you to talk to him when he’s l-like this,” Bill said truthfully. Richie swallowed hard, and then cleared his throat.
“Oh…right…”
“Richie, please…I know I don’t have the full picture, but…Eddie really isn’t okay. He’s really upset, and…and he needs his best friend right now,” Beverly pleaded. Richie kept his arms crossed, and then stubbornly looked at the grass.
“Then why don’t you go be there for him then? Since you two are so close,” he said bitterly.
“Richie,” Beverly said. He looked up and met her eyes. “I mean his best friend,” she said quietly. Richie held her eyes. They were just as bright as the first day he met her, and the slight wetness in them made him feel guilty enough to finally relent. He sighed, and then kicked the grass before wordlessly heading off in the direction Eddie ran off too.
He had a good idea where he went. Even though he said he was going home, his house was the complete opposite direction of where he went. Bill’s house was the closest to the clubhouse, and his street was just off the woods too. Eddie easily ran through the trees like they had done so many times before in their youth. Even if Richie didn’t know the way it was pretty easy to see which way Eddie ran through the brush. It took less than five minutes to get to the clubhouse door propped up, and when Richie approached it he stopped when he heard sobbing. He could recognize Eddie’s voice in any context. Laughing. Breathing. Crying. He knew it was Eddie, so he waited a moment to see if he would speak, and he eventually did.
“I dunno…maybe I’m taking it too seriously. It’s not like he and I have anything special, y’know? Why should I be so fucking bitter and jealous about him talking to other people and gloating about it?” He spoke. Richie felt his heart skip. God, this whole situation was so stupid, but he couldn’t help it. His brain and his heart always made him do stupid things regardless of who was in charge.
“I dunno, Eds. You and Richie…even if it’s not romantic, what you guys have is special. Like…I’ve never seen two people get along so perfectly before. It’s more concrete than math,” Ben said. Eddie was quiet for a moment, and then sniffled again.
“I dunno…sometimes I feel like he doesn’t care about me at all, and…I’m just reading into it and making it worse. Like…what if he really was just…forgetting to call me? What if he really was just posting pictures of him and other guys for fun? It’s like…I’d almost rather he do it on purpose to make me mad because that means he’s still thinking about me,” Eddie said quietly. Richie hated that Eddie was under the impression he didn’t spend every second of his pathetic life obsessing over him and what he was doing. Then again, he was the one denying that he meant anything by posts.
“I get it. Indifference is worse than being spiteful. If they don’t care about you then it feels stupid to care about them,” Ben sympathized. Eddie sniffled again and then sobbed a couple more times.
“I hate him so much…everything he does drives me fucking crazy,” he sighed. Richie sighed, and then finally knocked on the wood frame to the opening.
“Eds? You down there?” Richie shouted.
“Go away! You stupid…stupid bastard,” Eddie grumbled. He didn’t have as much fight in his voice as he usually did, and Richie took that as a sign to climb in. He found Ben comforting Eddie on the hammock and rubbing his back. He looked up, and Richie was happy to see even a neutral expression from one of his friends.
“Can you give us a moment? Beverly is at Bill’s and…she’s kinda torn up,” he said. Ben nodded, and then gave Eddie a hug before getting up. The hammock dipped lower with only one person in it, and when Ben climbed out of the clubhouse Richie quickly took his place. Eddie looked away from him, and Richie twiddled his thumbs as they sat in silence for a moment.
“…you got dirt on your shoes,” Richie pointed out.
“Of course I have fucking dirt on my shoes. I was running through the fucking forest, dumbass,” he snapped. Richie pursed his lips and then nodded.
“Good point…”
“What do you want, Richie? Because if you just want to get into another screaming match then I’m gonna have to reschedule that,” Eddie mumbled. Richie hummed.
“Geez…well, in that case can you pencil me in for Monday?” Richie teased. Eddie rolled his eyes and then nudged him softly with his thigh.
“Shut up…god, I hate you.”
“Well…at least you still care about me though…right?” Richie asked. Eddie didn’t say anything, and then looked down at the ground instead as far away from Richie as possible.
“Of course I do…you’re just a fucking asshole too,” he said. Richie looked at their touching thighs, and then to the hammock they were sitting in.
“Remember when we used to both fit in this thing?” He asked.
“You mean when we were in middle school? Rich, we haven’t been able to fit for years now,” Eddie scoffed.
“I bet we could make it work…maybe with a little bit of layering action this time. Like, yeah. You can’t just shove your feet in my face anymore, but…we could get some good cuddling out of it,” Richie said.
“Wouldn’t you rather be cuddling with Kevin? Or was it Ryan? Jordan? Andrew? Whoever else the fuck you spend all your time with over in LA?” Eddie said bitterly.
“Are you making these names up or did you actually find these people off Instagram?” Richie asked. Eddie blushed.
“…I know Kevin is real,” he said. Richie blew a raspberry.
“Right. Well…Kevin is uh…he and I…we don’t really cuddle and all that shit,” Richie admitted.
“God, just say he’s your fuck buddy. For Christ’s sake, Rich,” Eddie huffed. Richie nodded and then nervously bit his lip.
“Okay. Fine. Yeah. Kevin and I are fuck buddies. We hook up once in a while, but like…that’s it,” Richie said. Eddie shook his head and then looked away again.
“You don’t need to explain your intimate relationships to me, Richie. I’m not your boyfriend or anything, so…you can see whoever you want,” Eddie dismissed. Richie sighed. His fingers were shaking ever so slightly, and he wished he could speak his mind without having a panic attack.
“You’re right,” Richie announced. Eddie finally looked at him, and when their eyes met he looked surprised.
“I’m…what?”
“You’re right, Eds,” Richie repeated. Eddie furrowed his brows and shook his head.
“Right about what? You can’t just fucking say cryptic shit like that without a fucking explication,” Eddie snarked. Richie smirked. He loved that about him the most.
“I mean…you were right when you said I was doing it on purpose,” he explained. Eddie’s confusion melted away, and he blinked at Richie with wide eyes.
“Wha…Richie…I—“
“Please, just…this just isn’t easy for me to say, so…like hold that thought for a moment if that’s okay,” Richie requested. Eddie nodded, and then he let out a deep breath.
“Thanks…uh…I just…it wasn’t like I was always doing it on purpose, but…yeah. Okay, yeah. I’ll admit it. There were…more than a few times that I would post something or ignore your texts and calls because I thought it would piss you off. I would think…oh, Eds would hate this…and then I’d post and…like, I’d obsessively check and see if you saw it yet. I’d spend half my time at the clubs I posted at checking my notifications to see if you said anything about it. I just…I missed the way you’d try to talk me out of stupid shit, and…I just got really homesick sometimes,” Richie admitted. Eddie’s lip was trembling, and Richie’s eyes were getting weepy too.
“Rich…why didn’t you just say so?” Eddie asked. Richie shrugged.
“I dunno…I guess…I didn’t want you to read into it too much…or maybe because I did want you too and I was terrified of how you’d react when you realized how fucking obsessed I am with you. I just…I didn’t want you to hate me,” Richie explained. Eddie shook his head and gently touched Richie’s shoulder.
“Richie…okay, I could never actually hate you. Like…actually hating you is fucking impossible. I’ve just been so frustrated with all the lies and just…it felt like you didn’t care about me anymore,” Eddie said. They’ve gotten into screaming matches centered completely around why they don’t care about each other and why they hate each other. It hurt to hear it, but Richie could easily tell what a lie sounded like from Eddie’s lips.
“Eds…I care about you…so much,” Richie said. Eddie blinked at him with his sparkling eyes, and Richie reached up to wipe the tears away. Eddie blinked when he felt his finger next to his cheek, and then pulled away to wipe them himself.
“Sorry…god, I’m fucking disgusting,” he groaned as he wiped his nose. Richie merely smiled, and then dared to touch Eddie’s back. He easily fell into Richie’s arms, and they hugged for the first time since last year.
“I missed you…like I really fucking missed you. I had no idea how fucking hard this was going to be,” Richie murmured. Eddie nodded, and then buried his face into his shoulder.
“I missed you too…I stopped calling because I didn’t think you wanted to talk to me anymore,” Eddie admitted. Richie huffed and then kissed his forehead.
“Eds, I want to talk to you every fucking day. I mean…this summer has been fucking miserable, and I know it was stupid but I didn’t want to tell you the truth because I didn’t want to hurt you,” Richie murmured.
“You’re such a stupid asshole,” Eddie sighed. Richie chuckled, and cradled Eddie’s head like it was the most precious thing in the world to him.
“Yeah…you got me in a box,” Richie agreed. Eddie shook his head, and then pulled back to sniffle some more.
“I’m sorry for pushing too hard about Kevin. I…I was saying that I cared about the STI’s and the risk…and I definitely do, but…” he sighed. Their fingers slowly found each other, and Richie held onto his hand as tightly as he hung off his words. “…but you’re also right. I…I am a little bit jealous. I mean…yeah. Yeah, of course I’m fucking jealous. My best friend gives more attention to some guy he fucks in his free time than he gives to me. I just…I hated that he had so much free access to you and all I could get was a shitty heart reaction on Instagram when I told you I missed you,” Eddie told him. Richie winced hearing that. Yeah, that was dick move.
“Eds. Kevin and I aren’t serious,” he insisted. Eddie nodded.
“I know, but—it shouldn’t matter! If you are or aren’t together, it shouldn’t matter. It shouldn’t matter because…” Eddie trailed off, and then slowly let his fingers loosen from Richie’s. “…because we aren’t like…together…or anything. Because you have every right to make new friends and date people while you’re at school and experiencing life. You’re right. I shouldn’t expect you to spend all your time thinking about me and waiting to hear back from me,” Eddie explained. Richie felt his heart ache, and he held onto Eddie’s hand tighter.
“Eds…please. Hold on,” Richie begged. Eddie frowned, and then looked him in the eyes. He blinked a couple tears away and then sniffled too. “I want you to know that Kevin isn’t serious because…because I already have someone that I…that I want to be serious with. I already have someone that I want that from, but…I’m just stuck. It’s so hard to say it,” Richie explained. Eddie frowned.
“What do you mean? Is it someone back at UCLA?” He asked. Richie sighed and then shook his head.
“No it’s…it’s not that. Honestly, it’s so much easier telling someone I just met that I want to stick my dick down their throat than it is to tell someone I’ve known since I was five that I want to hold their hand,” Richie said vaguely. Eddie wrinkled his nose in disgust.
“Ugh—Richie! Why do you have to say it like that?” He protested. Richie chuckled, and then held Eddie’s hand more tightly.
“Sorry…it’s just…I don’t want to lose my best friend over some shitty fight, but I also don’t want to lose my best friend because I want something he can’t give me,” Richie said. Eddie was quiet when Richie said that, and then he added his other hand to their clasped fingers.
“What can’t I give you, Richie?” He asked delicately and quietly. Richie licked his lips, and then chuckled nervously.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing…” Richie lied. Eddie huffed and then let go of Richie’s hand. He was about to try and reach for him again, but instead he was faced with Eddie in front of him with his arms crossed.
“Stop…stop fucking lying to me!” He shouted. Richie blinked.
“Eds—“
“You think I can’t tell when you’re pulling this shit out of your ass? Why can’t you fucking tell me the truth! What’s so fucking horrible that you have to go through all of this crazy shit just to avoid saying it! I mean—what? I can’t read your mind, Richie! As close as we are, I still have no idea what the fuck is going through your brain half the time!” He snapped. Richie felt fresh tears down his cheeks, and they were only in response to Eddie’s own tears.
“Eddie…”
“What? Eddie what? What are you trying to say? I spent the past eleven months fucking dying to see you again! I was counting the days to summer break until we had that fight over the phone back in February! I was so fucking excited to see my best friend again, and now—now you can’t even talk to me!” He sobbed. Richie stood up, and instead of running again Eddie merely fell back into Richie’s embrace.
“Eds, I’m sorry…I’m so sorry…fuck, I’ve been so stupid,” Richie sniffled.
“Yeah! You have!” Eddie sobbed into his shoulder. Richie sighed, and then kissed the side of Eddie’s head.
“Eddie…baby, breathe. Take some deep breaths, okay?” Richie urged. His breathing was erratic from the crying, and Richie’s instruction helped him settle down. He stroked his hair and his spine as he calmed down, and Richie loved the way Eddie held him tighter.
They stayed like that for a moment, and when Eddie finally pulled back and looked up at Richie he was incredibly overwhelmed. His eyes were so red and so round, and his nose looked painful from how much he’s been crying this summer. His mouth was pouty with some drool leaking over his cheek, and Richie couldn’t resist wiping it away. He cradled his face as he did so, and he felt his heart ache when he noticed just how much comfort he provided to his best friend from such a simple action. His lower lip trembled as Richie continued to stroke his cheek, and then Richie couldn’t resist leaning down to kiss his forehead. Eddie let out another sob, but it was softer this time. He reached up to hold Richie’s face in return, and before he knew it their lips were desperately pressed against each other.
Richie’s first reaction was to kiss Eddie harder, but then he quickly tried to pull back when he realized that he was actually kissing Eddie instead of imagining it. He was pulled back in before he could get very far, and that was about as much fight in him that he had. After that all he wanted to do was kiss him back and give him everything. He held Eddie tight around his ribs, and clung to every kiss like it was a lifeline. Such a sweet but messy sensation that Richie only dreamed of experiencing in his life. Ever since they first met Richie knew he loved Eddie more than anything, but that was exactly the reason he decided not to try and pursue him. All he wanted was to make Eddie happy, so he decided he would never try to ruin their friendship by asking for more. It was a shame he had to realize that asking for less was more damaging than that.
“Richie…” Eddie sighed when their lips finally parted. Richie was speechless, and merely cradled Eddie’s face in response. “Richie, tell me what you think I can’t give you,” he demanded. Richie sniffled.
“More…more than…than being friends,” Richie finally said. Eddie shook his head and nuzzled under his chin.
“You’re so fucking stupid,” he grumbled. Richie smiled hearing that, and then closed his eyes in bliss as he kissed the top of Eddie’s head. Just being able to hold and kiss him was beyond anything he ever dreamed would actually happen.
“I am pretty fucking stupid, yeah,” he agreed. Eddie shook his head and pulled back to look up at him.
“You can’t sleep with Kevin anymore if you want to be more than friends. I don’t share,” Eddie said sternly. Richie blinked down at him.
“Uh…”
“And I don’t care if you party, but just…stay safe and don’t drink too much. I can’t be there to clean up your puke in the morning when you’re in LA,” Eddie continued. Richie stared at him, and then let a slow smile creep across his face.
“Right. What else, sweetheart?” He asked. Eddie blushed, and it was adorable.
“N-no ignoring my texts unless you’re in class! And…and you have to call me every day,” he continued. Richie stared at him with a love struck grin and then leaned down to kiss him again. Eddie let him, and blushed even harder when Richie caressed his jaw.
“I’ll call you twice a day,” he said. Eddie’s fingers curled into Richie’s shirt, and he was quiet for a moment.
“I…I don’t have time twice a day, okay? We have different time zones to think about, remember? So…once a day is enough,” he assured him.
“For you, maybe. But not for me. I’ll call you every chance I get,” Richie said. Eddie’s blush got even deeper, and he shook his head more adamantly.
“Wha—Richie! No, you’ll call me in the middle of class! I don’t want to interrupt my professors just because you—“ he was cut off when Richie leaned down to kiss him again. His rambling turned into whimpers and then soft moans as Richie held him tight around his waist. He kept the kisses as short as he could, and then kissed down Eddie’s cheek and neck after that.
“Okay okay…I’ll leave you alone during class,” Richie assured him. Eddie sighed and then nuzzled against Richie’s hair.
“Good…but you can always call me after class,” he said. Richie chuckled and then kissed under his ear.
“Great. It’s a date,” he said. Eddie was quiet for a moment, and then wrapped his arms around Richie’s neck.
“Okay…it’s a date,” he agreed.
Richie couldn’t stop smiling. Even when they met for another kiss. Even when they climbed out of the clubhouse and headed back towards Bill’s house. Even when they held hands in the forest and especially when they crossed the street to see their friends waiting for them outside. The shocked look on Beverly’s face told him everything he needed to know, and the soft smile on Bill’s face was just as telling. Eddie was kind of shy when they approached, so Richie did his best to be as casual as possible as they walked across the lawn. Ben was just coming outside as they stepped in front of Bev and Bill, and his jaw dropped seeing their interwoven fingers. Eddie shyly clung to Richie’s arm, and he merely smiled as he stuffed his free hand in his pocket.
“Hey guys. How’s it going?” Richie asked.
“I-It’s going…h—how about you g-guys?” Bill asked. Richie shrugged.
“I’m doing pretty good. Eds?” He asked while looking down at him. Eddie looked back at him, and then at his friends before offering a smile and nodding.
“Yeah…I’m good too,” he agreed.
“That’s great,” Beverly said. She gave Eddie a knowing smile, and he was blushing again.
“C’mon, guys! It’s summer! Let’s spend all our time in the AC playing Mario Kart,” Richie urged. Bill nodded.
“Sh-should we call M-Mike and St—Stan?” He asked.
“Fuck yeah! Those assholes need to feel the wrath of my revenge!” Richie said. Eddie giggled.
“When are you going to enact your revenge? When they beat your ass or when they win the race?” Eddie teased. Richie’s jaw dropped and he placed his hand over his heart.
“Eddie, sweetheart, are you seriously doubting my skills?“ he asked. Eddie was grinning, and Richie loved seeing him happy again.
“More like I know what Stan and Mike are capable of once they work together,” Eddie corrected.
“Unbelievable. My own boyfriend thinks I’m going to get my ass best,” Richie huffed. Eddie’s blush got brighter, but so did his smile.
“Believe it, baby,” Eddie said. Richie was the one to blush this time, but it was worth it to see all his friends laughing together again. He let go of Eddie’s hand and instead wrapped his arm around his shoulders.
“Whatever! Let’s get this Mario party started, huh?”