#something something once again about eddie being the bravest when it comes to love something something

[yabakuboi]

Steve watched Eddie's van turn the corner and shut the front door, closing himself away from the outside world so none of his neighbors could see him as he rested his forehead against the painted wood.

"I'm not going to cry," he told himself.

He said it even as his eyes began to burn and his face began to twist, teeth grinding and throat closing. He wiped quickly at his face, again and again, as he stumbled to the couch to sit, drying each tear as it rolled down his cheeks, clinging to his jaw.

"I'm not going to fucking cry," Steve choked, and then doubled over into himself, arms around his thighs, and he began to sob.

So what if he was twenty-two, living in his parent's house alone, working the same dead-end job with a sixteen year old manager. So what if all his friends and family were in college, spread out from New York to Chicago to Los Angeles. So what if his boyfriend was moving to Seattle for his band and they broke up, because Steve was never going to be his parents, resenting and being resented for keeping his partner from his dreams. So what if he was too scared to ask Eddie to stay, to ask Eddie if Steve could go with him. So what if everyone moved on and Steve couldn't?

Steve grew up lonely. He could get used to it again.

He didn't realize how hard he was crying until the front door burst back open and Eddie hurled himself at Steve's feet, long limbed and clumsy and babbling.

"Baby, oh fuck, I'm sorry," he said, already untangling Steve from himself, tying all his loose ends back up together with his until they were a knot of their own. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Stevie. I never should have— I wanted to—"

"I'm sorry," Steve sobbed back. He gasped and swallowed it all back down. Eddie had already gotten them raveled up again, it would take forever to pick it back apart. Steve knew it would hurt worse this time. "Fuck, Ed, you didn't have to— I'll be okay, I don't want to hold you back—"

"Come with me," Eddie burst.

And Steve couldn't help himself, and began to sob again.

"Please," Eddie begged over Steve's crying, his voice shaking and his face wet enough to match Steve's. "Please, sweetheart, honey, please just come with me?"

Steve took a shaky breath, embarrassed and now too full of hope and fear. "You sure?" he whispered. He pressed his face into Eddie's neck, breathing him in again for what might be the last time, again. "Eddie, don't—"

"I'm so sure," Eddie said. "I'm so fucking sure, Steve, please."

"Okay," Steve breathed. Eddie had always been the braver of the two of them, especially when it counted. Steve leaned back so he could look at him, red faced and watery eyes. He tried to give Eddie a smile, but he knew it was wobbly and weak. "Okay."

All of Steve's fears meant nothing as he watched the happiness break like dawn over Eddie's face.

#steddie #my fic #shush mal #something something once again about eddie being the bravest when it comes to love something something #anyways they pack steve's shit that night and leave early the next morning to make up for eddie's lost time to get to wherever he's going #and they live happily ever after amen #my steddies

[izupie]

So recently I said that I would stop putting limits on myself as to what I’m writing - like, if I want to write it, and I have inspiration and motivation for it, I’ll Write It. (Despite hearing the moaning cries of my wip folder and beating it back with a broom) 

So taking away my impulse control on writing stuff has resulted in me spending the last few hours writing whatever this is and I don’t even know where it’s going and yes I’m aware I have another werewolf Richie wip already and no I don’t know if I’m ever going to finish this, but please take it from my weary hands anyway

---------------

“So, hypothetically, say I had a… friend… who got bit by a dog-”

“-You got bit by a dog?”

“Wha- No, Eds, fuck- weren’t you listening? My friend got bit by a dog. Hypothetically.”

“Richie- I swear to- how fucking stupid do you think I am? When has that line ever worked for anyone ever?”

Richie peered into the tiny sink at the red still dripping down his fingers from the wound on his hand. There was a pile of bloodied tissues next to him and the wad he was currently pressing onto the bite really needed changing too. “Oh, shit,” Richie cursed loudly, as his cell phone nearly slid out of the gap that he’d wedged it in, between his shoulder and his ear.

“What?”

“I nearly lost my phone down the plane toilet.” He snorted a laugh. “Imagine someone’s walking around down there, minding their own business, and a phone drops out of the sky on them.”

“That’s not how plane toilets work!” Eddie’s voice was agitated and clipped, and Richie could listen to it all day. Even with the whole bleeding out into a tiny plastic sink thing.

“Aw, it’s not?”

“Of course not, dipshit, otherwise every time someone flushes it, it would just-” Eddie took a deep breath and Richie reached for a handful of new toilet paper to press onto his hand. “You’re distracting me. You need to apply pressure to the wound.”

“I am. I’m like, pressing a load of toilet paper on it. But it won’t stop bleeding.”

“It’s probably gonna get infected… shit, what if the dog had rabies, have you had a rabies shot in the last year?”

Richie opened his mouth.

“Of course you haven’t. Okay, just don’t think about rabies. Dog bites get infected easy because of all the bacteria in their mouths, so you need to wash it. That’ll encourage the bleeding, but you need to make sure the wound is clean. Then you’ve got to dry it and just keep the pressure on.”

It was soothing to hear Eddie’s voice in his ear, and despite the bite (that had started to feel like it was burning – that can’t be a good sign) Richie was always so happy to talk to him. He was hunched over a plane sink with his cell phone jammed onto his ear and piles of bloodied toilet paper around him, but he was smiling because he was talking to Eddie Kaspbrak and he was being a helpful but bossy little shit. God he’d got it bad. “Wash it, dry it, pressure,” Richie repeated, “aye, aye, cap’n doctor K.”

“As soon as I pick you up, we’re going straight to the hospital.”

Richie began following Eddie’s instructions as he ran his hand under the tap, wincing as the burning sensation increased and the red freely flowed down the drain.

“Wait a minute- if you’re already on the plane… how’d you get bitten by a dog?”

Richie grabbed a handful of clean, dry toilet paper and patted the wound gently, as he thought about how he was going to dance around a way of explaining what happened. “Uh…” Then he pressed down hard, applying as much pressure as he could, and hissed at the stab of pain.

“Hey, are you okay?” Eddie’s concern came loud and clear through the phone and it was so startling in its utter sincerity that it made Richie want to pour his goddamn heart out to him with an, ‘Well I got bit by a dog but that’s not the problem, I’m not okay because I’ve been so in love with you that it hurts since we were thirteen fucking years old.’

Instead Richie just nodded and realised that he wouldn’t be able to see that, so he said, “I just nodded.”

Eddie let out a huff and Richie smiled at the soft sound.

“God you’re so distracting-”

No, you’re so distracting.

“-but, really, how’d you get a dog bite on a plane, Rich? Did one bite you before you got on?”

And there was his out. He could agree to that, and it would be fine. Eddie would never know. (Though it would probably be a little hard to keep up the lie if he got any kind of magical related disease or curse or something, since he didn’t consider rabies to be a legitimate concern from a bite he received through some magical bullshit that he thought he had left behind a year ago.) But maybe he was tired of tying himself up in a web of lies all the time with Eddie, because he was always so careful to mask everything with a joke or a punchline. Didn’t he deserve as much honesty as he was willing to give sometimes – about this at least?

“Richie?”

And oh, there was the word that always brought him to his knees. The word he heard whispered on bloodied lips. Whimpered into a cave. Hands up to a blood-stained spike, piercing a chest – before waking up sobbing in his bed alone.

It was dead.

It was fucking dead. And Eddie was alive.

Richie took a deep breath, inflating his lungs as far as they could go, and let it all out at once. “I’ve been having dreams.”

“What?”

“The fucking- the Deadlights or whatever- when I was caught in them I… saw things.” Richie was gripping onto his wounded hand so hard his knuckles were white.

You died.

“And I’ve been having, I don’t know, some weird kind of messed up dreams on and off since then.”

For a moment Eddie didn’t reply and then it burst out of him in a pure unfiltered explosion of Kaspbrak rage through the phone, “You didn’t think to tell us this sooner? What if that means- like what if It isn’t really dead? ‘Messed up’ dreams? What kind of messed up? Richie, what the fuck- why didn’t you tell anyone? Why didn’t you tell me?”

(Richie could imagine the pacing and the hand movements that went with the ranting, but it didn’t make him feel any less guilty.)

“Well I mean, I’m coming to stay at your apartment for a couple of weeks, so like, at some point I’d have woken you up with the screaming or the sobbing, or the pathetic party of both at the same time, so it would probably have come up then…”

There was another long pause and Richie expected this to be because of Eddie rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“So anyway,” Richie continued, “I fell to sleep as soon as the plane took off.”

“Of course,” Eddie sighed.

Richie thought he sounded sad. But he supposed if he found out that Eddie was keeping a secret like that from him, he’d be pretty pissed off and upset about it too. (It’s not the only secret he’s keeping from Eddie, but it’s the only one he’s willing to ever let past his lips.)

“Well this dream started similarly to the others… but…” Richie hesitated, remembering what had set the dream off its usual course of watching Eddie die in that cave – he’d so very nearly told him that he loved him. It had been on the tip of his tongue, but he’d swallowed it down. Instead he’d told a weak joke and they’d both smiled, even though Eddie was bleeding out under his hands, and the whole dream had gone black. “There was a turtle,” he said eventually, remembering the darkness and the tiny point of light in it. “Which was weird.”

“You’re having magic dreams and the weird thing is that there was a turtle?”

“Well yeah, ‘cause there’s never been one there before. They tend to all go the same way.”

“So… the turtle bit you?”

“What, no. The turtle didn’t fucking bite me. Jesus. It turned into a dog, and the dog bit me.”

Richie could hear Eddie sit down.

“It was one of those tiny fluffy demon things. It told me I had to stop hiding who I am and…” Let myself be seen. “I don’t know, some other weird stuff, so I reached out to it and it fuckin’ bit me, man.”

“The… turtle… that turned into a… dog… and bit you… told you, that you had to stop hiding who you are?”

“Yep.” Richie snorted a laugh and lifted the toilet paper on his wound carefully, to peek underneath. The bleeding had stopped. He finally reached up to adjust his glasses and released his phone from the gap between his neck and shoulder to hold it up to his ear with his good hand. “But I’ve always been a Trashmouth, and I’ll always be a Trashmouth and I don’t think anyone can say that I don’t flaunt it on stage. I don’t hide anything.” Richie winced as soon as the words left his mouth, and he was glad that Eddie couldn’t see. He was in fact talking to the one person that he was hiding the most from. Maybe the turtle-dog had a point…

But their friendship meant everything to him, and to lose Eddie after just getting him back would destroy him.

In retrospect, it was probably a bad idea to stay at the recently-divorced questionably-straight single-friend’s apartment that he had a lifetime’s long crush on, but when Eddie invited him over for a couple of weeks for a vacation there wasn’t a force on earth (or otherwise) that could have made him refuse.

(He really needed help.)

(But not the magic supernatural bullshit kind.)

“Okay,” Eddie said with a note of finality and decision, “okay, I’ll get in touch with Mike and see what he knows. Mike’s good with this kind of stuff, right? Or maybe Bev? She got caught in the Deadlights like you. Wait, didn’t Stan say he saw some weird Deadlights shit too? Though I’m not sure Stan would let me get past ‘Richie got bit by a dream dog’ before he hung up on me.”

Richie laughed as he felt a wave of affection crash through his chest. Eddie was clearly out of his comfort zone with anything involving magic again, but he was being practical and logical and making plans. He had always been, and continued to be, the bravest man Richie had ever known.

“Tell him I got bit by a magic pigeon and he might stick around long enough to hear a bit more.” He stuffed the bloodied toilet paper into the toilet and wiped around the sink to get rid of any traces of red.

Eddie’s voice softened, “How’s your hand?”

Richie turned his wounded hand over and examined the puncture marks – now just angry red indents. But they still burned. “It’s not so bad now,” he said, “bleeding has stopped. Thanks, doc.”

“Well, we’re still taking you straight to the hospital. I’m going to get in my car now and I’ll meet you at the airport as soon as you land. Just… stay awake for the rest of the journey, okay?”

Richie wondered if Eddie was really smiling, or if he was just doing a good job of imagining it in his voice. He smiled back anyway and ran his good hand through his messy hair. “You got it. See you soon, Eds.”

“Don’t call me-”

Richie chuckled as he pressed the button to flush the toilet and hung up the call.

#I had sooooo much fun writing their dialogue #Reddie #reddie fanfiction #werewolf richie #IT chapter 2 #richie x eddie #my fanfiction #I hope it shows how much fun I had writing this because it was honestly such a good time #IT stuff #eddie kaspbrak #richie tozier #I'm definitely uploading this to AO3 at some point #when it's not 1am

[lethbians]

78 👀

every little thing she does is magic / every thing she does just turns me on / even though my life before was tragic / now, I know my love for her goes on - #78: every little thing she does - sleeping at last

bill denbrough is a moron. like, he’s not stupid stupid — well, he is, he’s a little stupid — but god, is he an idiot. bill’s the kind of guy to hear the waiter say careful, it’s hot, and take a big, scalding bite anyway; the kind of guy who searches his entire house from top to bottom looking for a pair of jorts only to find he’s been wearing them the whole time (and, obviously, the kind of guy to own jorts in the first place). bill’s the kind of guy who throws his entire body weight into pushing on a pull door, bounces off with a confused “oh!”, and then pushes it again, like it might work the second time.

(it’s okay, he always gets it by the third.)

bill’s also the kind of guy who, when he was a kid, set out little bowls of milk in the garden to help the snails grow big and strong; the kind of guy who bought nice china to put the cat food on so that dr. peanut butter could feel fancy during his meals — the kind of guy who named their cat dr. peanut butter.

bill denbrough was an idiot, but he was a kind, good-intentioned, sweet as hell kind of idiot.

and fuck, if mike wasn’t head over heels for him because of it.

actually, mike was pretty sure bill was head over heels right back. there are moments (moments that stacked up into hours, probably days) when mike’s so positive that bill feels the same way he does that it hurts a little to think about for too long. they’ll be sitting in the field by the hanlon farm talking — well. bill will be talking, and mike will be listening, his smile growing a little bit bigger each time bill calls the barn the “sheep house”. regardless, they’ll be talking, and eventually bill will trail off, and mike will look over to find bill staring, big blue eyes soft and unwavering. when bill realizes he’s been caught, he’ll give this quiet, nervous laugh, and flush as red as the sheep house behind him.

mike never says anything, though. it’s not that he’s scared — at least, he doesn’t think he’s scared. actually, falling in love with bill had happened so gently, so easily, that there was never time to feel anything but safe. bill, with his kind eyes and tender hands, makes mike feel the bravest he’s ever felt. it’s also not that mike doesn’t want to say anything either; mike just doesn’t say anything because it never feels like quite the right time.

there’s a lot of almosts, though. bill pours his entire glass of water on the floor one day after eddie asks him what time it is; it’s not his fault, you know, the watch was just on the wrist of the same hand he’d happened to be holding the glass of water in. mike almost says something then.

once, mike had to watch bill try and make hot chocolate: bill filled up a mug with milk and tried to put it in the microwave, but found the mug was too tall. so he’d dumped out some milk, and tried to put it in again. mike almost says something after that, too.

last week, bill had called mike in a rush of stuttered words and frantic breaths.

“m-my car has been stolen!” he’d said once mike had calmed him down. “i g-got off the bus after w-work and it was just gone!”

“bill,” mike asked, that same little smile on his face. “how’d you get to work this morning?”

“i d-drove, but—“ the man’s voice trailed off as the dots connected.

mike had been so close to saying i’m in love with you bill denbrough he had to literally bite his tongue.

somehow, he’d managed. he’d driven bill to work and followed him back, and then he’d stayed for supper, and when bill finished an incredibly intelligent rant about the importance of the oxford comma by showing mike a minion meme on his phone, mike managed to keep his silence once more.

it’s like everyone in the world has their own little superpower: their own, daily magic. maybe bev’s was always being able to pull off an outfit — even one that shouldn’t have worked on anybody. maybe richie’s was always being able to make someone laugh — even if it took a few tries to get there. maybe bill’s was being the smartest, kindest idiot in all of maine; maybe mike’s was falling in love with him, and being able to keep his mouth shut about it.

“i juh-just think that it could use some s-sprucing up is all,” bill says one day, talking.

“mmm,” mike hums, listening.

“a fresh c-coat of paint, you know?”

“we painted it last fall,” mike points out, because bill had been there to help — his first fall out of college as a bonafide adult with his own apartment and everything, and he’d still chosen to spend most of his free time painting the barn and house so that the hanlons didn’t have to hire anyone.

“i m-meant the inside.” bill sits up in the grass, excitement creeping into his voice as he makes plans. “i think it’d b-be nice if we painted mur— mura— landscapes inside f-for them. so even when they’re s-sleeping, they can s-still be outside.” the man’s on a roll now, practically vibrating with how passionate he is about the whole thing. “i c-can sketch out some ideas later and s-send you pictures. maybe i’ll pull out my wuh-wuh-watercolors tonight, juh-just for fun. it might help them feel less lonely.” bill’s eyebrows furrow: a snag in his thought process. “i don’t know if sheep feel luh-lonely, but, you know. if they do, a home m-makeover might help.”

mike closes his eyes; he can’t take it. it’s so goddamn adorable, honest-to-god fucking precious, that he feels pinned to the ground where he lays. bill wants to paint murals of fields and flowers for his sheep. so they feel less lonely. bill wants to hand paint the sheep house as a favor to the sheep that live there.

if little magic was supposed to work every time, maybe mike’s little magic was only the loving bill part; maybe the keeping his mouth shut was just a herculean restraint he could no longer control.

“bill, you have gotta’ stop saying things like that.” mike’s voice is low and relaxed, and the tornado of butterflies that usually spin around his stomach after bill does something particularly endearing is, for once, absent.

it feels, for the first time, like the right time.

bill pauses in his mental planning, confusion seeping into his face. “things like wuh-what?”

mike opens his eyes, squinting against the rays of the sun before tilting his head to look at bill through the tall blades of grass. “things that make me wanna’ kiss you.”

for a second, bill’s face pulls down further with confusion, before his eyebrows rocket into his red-brown hairline and his cheeks go pink. then, he looks nervous. “wh-why would you—“

bill’s not a total moron. he’s not; he can write a paper so beautifully eloquent it will make you think you’re reading poetry, not just an essay for a history class he only took for elective credits. sometimes there’s just not enough power in bill’s body to power both his brain and his giant heart, and usually his heart won out.

and because bill’s not a total moron, he can’t say he totally didn’t see this coming; he can’t pretend he doesn’t know what this means, and he can’t pretend he doesn’t want it just as badly.

bill tries — not very hard, but he tries — to hold back the smile that threatens. “what will you d-do if i don’t stop?”

like honey, mike’s grin appears: slow and sweet. “i guess i’ll just have to kiss ya.”

“alright.” bill looks over his shoulder at the barn behind him, and when he turns back to the man on the ground he’s got this coy little sparkle in his eye. “sh-sheep house,” he says, and then:

“o-oh. guess you have to k-kiss me now.”

so mike sits up, and he does just that— because bill’s little magic always, always worked.

#hanbrough #mike hanlon #bill denbrough #its bike night babie!!! #is it really a migz hanbrough fic if theres no farm mention #anyways thanks col i nearly cried in the lib #thinkin abt they to this song #my writing #richsbian

[eddiesasspbrak]

Coward

“You’re braver than you think.” That’s what Richie said, but he didn’t feel brave. He'd fought a killer clown, twice but he can't summon the courage to tell his best friend that he loves him.

Part of my “I’d rearrange the alphabet to put U and I together” series 

Read on AO3

A   D

2k words

Bravery. All of Eddie’s friends said he had it in him. That he was one of the bravest people they knew. He’d hunted down and defeated a killer clown with the rest of them, faced his fears to do it. He stood up to his mom when his friends were in trouble and refused to take the sugar pills she fed him after everything. Even though he was disgusted by blood and getting any blood borne pathogens from contamination, he still helped to clean up Bev’s bathroom with the others. He jumped from a cliff into the freezing dirty water below. All of that should have made him feel brave. But it didn’t. Maybe braver than before, but he still felt like a coward.

There were many things he wanted to do but was too afraid to try. Often, he’d watch Bev and Richie smoke and the desire to ask for one would come creeping up his throat only to die on his tongue without being spoken. He’d sit on the curb while Mike and Bill messed around on skateboards in the street, wanting to get up and join them. He wanted to learn and fall down and scrape his knee and not have it be a big deal. He wanted to grab Richie Tozier by the ears and kiss him until his face turned blue and his lips were swollen. But boys didn’t kiss boys. Not in Derry.

Years passed and one by one everyone left Derry behind and forgot. Eddie forgot what little bravery he had, and everything seemed to go back to the way it was before. Of course, he didn’t know that. Not until he was on a plane headed back to Maine. Everything came back a little at a time. Friends whose faces he couldn’t quite see. Seven of them who made his heart swell with love, unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time in some distant part of his brain. It wasn’t until he was at the restaurant, staring at their faces that he remembered them. Mike and Bill, Ben and Bev…Richie. Part of him knew that Richie was special he just wasn’t sure why.

They seemed to fall into their old habits, interacting as if no time had passed. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten all of the most important people in his life. As they talked, more memories rose to the surface, Stan, the clown, that summer of fighting together. After the initial panic and the knowledge that Stan was dead washed over them, Eddie used his time alone to remember. He couldn’t control what came back to him, but he chased anything that could tell him why Richie was different from the others. He was ready to leave with him though, not even thinking about the implication that he’d forget all over again.

It was in the club house that it hit him, knocking the breath from his lungs and bringing a flush to his face. He loved him. He’d always loved him and never done anything about it because he was afraid. The memories overtook him then. Every moment together with the other man wishing he could tell him how he truly felt about him. He’d never worked up the courage to do it and lost his chance before forgetting entirely for twenty-seven years. He could easily let this second chance slip through is fingers again. He was married after all. To a woman. A woman he realized that he never actually loved. Not like that anyway. He still loved Richie, but he was still a coward.

He almost let Richie die as he stood helplessly in the corner, just watching until their friends saved him instead. He’d almost lost the love of his life and best friend all because he was too afraid. He hadn’t even snapped out of it until Bill had yelled at him for it. When Bev was pulled underwater, he was the only one not to jump in after her. He was the only one too afraid to swim in dirty water and fight a monster to save his friend. He just stood and watched helplessly, telling himself that the wound in his cheek could become infected if he dove in. It was an excuse.

“You’re braver than you think.” That’s what Richie said, but he didn’t feel brave.

Sure, he’d faced the leper in the pharmacy, tried to strangle him and win, but he’d failed at that too. For a moment he felt brave when he stabbed Bowers with his own knife, but that action had been spurred on by fear. He knew that if he didn’t do something, Bowers would kill him there in the bathtub. It was survival instinct. When the ritual failed, he stayed by Richie’s side. If there was one thing he was going to do, one feat of bravery, it was going to be protecting Richie. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice and watch Richie die. With the old rusty fence post in hand, he followed Richie to the doors, stood by his side as they opened them and faced the horrors beyond. For Richie he could be brave, that’s what he kept telling himself.

When Pennywise had Mike in his grasp, ready to kill him, he watched helplessly but Richie didn’t. Richie put himself in danger to save him. What he hoped to accomplish by calling It names and throwing rocks at It, he didn’t know. But he didn’t think that far because all he wanted to do was keep his friend from dying. So, when he turned on Richie, trapping him in the deadlights, something welled up within Eddie. Clasping the fence post tightly, he told himself that it could kill monsters as long as he believed. And he believed because he had to. He had to believe to save his friends. To save Richie. And so, he threw it with all of his strength, feeling for the first time like he truly was brave.

He watched as Pennywise fell backward, skewering himself on the jagged rocks behind him, before he ran to Richie’s side. His eyes were white, his mouth hanging open, blood dripping from his nose. Eddie lightly slapped his cheek, trying to rouse him from the trance. Nothing happened and fear gripped at Eddie as he worried he’d be stuck like this forever. But he couldn’t be. Bev had been trapped in the deadlights once before and she’d woken up. Because Ben had kissed her.

Eddie chased the feeling of bravery he’d felt and, holding Richie’s face between his hands, he pressed their lips together. It was strange, stubble rubbing against his chin a new sensation. He could taste Richie’s blood but didn’t care. He didn’t care because it was Richie and he’d wanted to do this his whole life. When he pulled away, Richie gasped for air and sat up quickly, groaning with the effort.

“Eddie.” Richie said, staring at his friend who’d just saved his life.

“There he is.” Eddie smiled. “I did it Rich. I killed It.”

They both looked back, and sure enough, the big monster that was the clown that haunted their nightmares, was hanging limp, slowly shriveling up. The deadlights were fading and the earth beneath them began to rumble. The others ran to them and Eddie and Ben helped Richie to his feet. Together, they all ran through the tunnels, out through the Neibolt house until they were exiting into the cool night air. The six of them stood, watching the house cave in on itself.

“You did it, Eds.” Mike’s grin was huge as he slapped a hand down on Eddie’s shoulder before pulling him into a rib cracking hug.

One by one they all joined in, until it became a group hug. With It finally defeated for good, they had to figure out their new normal. Bev was going to get a divorce; of that she was certain. Ben had always been in love with her and it seemed she’d finally realized, ready to give him a chance. Mike planned to go home with Bill for a while. There was no reason for him to stay in Derry now and he thought he could use some sunshine. As they sat in the townhouse, all freshly showered and waiting for the sun to come up, they each talked about what would come next. All except Eddie.

He knew he needed to divorce Myra. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he also didn’t want to be with her. Especially now that he’d remembered what it felt like to really love someone. He’d kissed Richie but he didn’t know if he remembered. He’d been in the deadlight trance and had been disoriented when he woke. Eddie sure as hell wasn’t about to confess his thirty-year crush in front of all the others. It wasn’t until everyone began to split off to get some rest, that Eddie pulled Richie aside.

Staring up at him, mouth opened ready to speak with no words coming out, he caught sight of his lips. Remembered the way they felt. Unable to find his voice, he did the next best thing. The thing he’d wanted to do since he was thirteen. He grabbed Richie by the ears, stood on his toes and pulled him down until their lips crashed together. Eddie waited for a negative reaction. To be pushed away, maybe hit, yelled at. Nothing like that came. Instead, Richie’s hands were snaking around to his back, pulling him closer, his lips parting at the same time.

Forty-year-old Eddie Kaspbrak had never been kissed in a way that made his toes curl, until today. His mind went blank, his focus on the feel of his lips and tongue and his hands pressing into his skin hard enough to bruise. He’d imagined this a hundred times and that was just since getting his memories back. The Neibolt kiss had been necessary but not at all passionate or with feeling. This was closer to what he thought it would be like, only so, so much better. If he’d known kissing Richie would be like this, he would have done it years ago.

Eddie tapped out when he could no longer breathe from Richie’s mouth. Even still they held one another close, unwilling to let go. Unspoken words hung between them though neither quite knew what to say. Eddie knew that there was some dumbass remark brewing in Richie’s head as he came back down from the high. He decided to beat him to the punch.

“I knew your mouth was good for something.” Eddie said with a look somewhere between a smile and a smirk.

Richie laughed, tilting his head back as he did so. His cheeks were flushed, his lips slick with combined saliva and Eddie felt like he was falling in love all over again. When Richie calmed and looked back into Eddie’s eyes, there was something there he couldn’t quite place. It was a look he knew, the same look Richie used to give him when they were young, but he’d never understood. Part of him thought he might finally understand what emotion was hidden in that look, but he wouldn’t know until he said so himself.

“I love you.” Eddie’s expression must have mirrored Richie’s as he wasn’t even sure if the words had come from his own lips. But they had. Somewhere within him, that bravery was rising and spilling out of him before he could contain it. So, he gave in. “I’m filing for divorce. I want to be with you, Rich.”

“I’m a homewrecker.” Richie grinned.

“Completely.”

“I love you too, Eds. Always have.”

It took fighting a killer clown, twice, forgetting his childhood and friends for 27 years and a loveless marriage for Eddie to get to this point. It was terrifying and some of the hardest things he’d had to face in his life, but it worth it. Finally reaching Richie made it all worth wile. “You’re braver than you think.” He’d said, and he was right. For the first time in his life, he truly felt brave.

#reddie #eddie kaspbrak #richie tozier #it (2019) #It (2017) #it chapter two #Ro writes

[softest-cinnamon-roll]

“Looks like you’re having some trouble there, can I help?” + Best friend- Lovers AU for reddie???

Prompt taken from this list that I created!

12. “Looks like you’re having some trouble there, can I help?”

8. Best friend- Lovers AU for reddie???

AO3

* * * * *

“Fuck fuck fuck!” Eddie groaned and slammed the hood of his car down harshly, wincing at his resounding bang. He was so sure that he had managed to fix the car up, but of course it had to break down when he was only a few miles away from home. Next time he’d be taking it to a damn garage.

The sky above him grumbled and Eddie swore once more as a few drops of rain landed on his shoulder. Quickly he made a beeline for the passenger side and slipped in before the heavens opened the rain began hammering off of the car as well as the ground around him.

“Today really is my lucky day isn’t it?” He hissed to himself, leaning back in the seat and closing his eyes. He wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon, at least not until the rain stopped so he made himself comfortable and ran over the days events in his head once more.

He had traveled a few towns over from Derry for a job interview at a magazine. The interview had gone rather well, at least Eddie had thought so, until the interviewers had brought up a phone call they had received from his mother prior to the interview. Apparently, she had told them Eddie wasn’t suitable for the job as the hour would intercede with him helping her as he, according to her, was her full time carer.

That statement alone was the last straw, and Eddie decided as he stormed out of the building and back to his car, that he was going to move out of the house, and probably Derry as soon as he could. In all honesty, he would have been gone years ago if it wasn’t for one soul reason. Or person for that matter. His best friend, Richie.

Richie, the one person who had been by his side since they were little kids. Richie, the smartest, bravest, most amazing person Eddie knew. Richie, the person Eddie was completely and hopelessly in love with but too scared to make a move.

He wasn’t entirely sure when his feelings for Richie changed from best friend to…oh my god I want to kiss you on your stupid mouth, but at some point that’s what happened. One minute Eddie was telling Richie to shut up after another failed impersonation, and the next he was giving Richie heart eyes whenever he walked into the room. According to his friends, it was a little sickening.

There had been a few times that the words were on the tip of Eddie’s tongue, but he had always pushed them away, too scared that Richie wouldn’t feel the same way, even if Stan was insistent that he did.

As senior year flew passed, everyone went off to college, all accept Eddie and Richie. Richie had been accepted into a one year apprenticeship at the radio station a few towns over and Eddie decided to apply for a one year course in literature at Derry Community College. He didn’t want to leave Richie alone in that hellhole, and when Richie asked him why he didn’t run away, Eddie had come up with some bullshit excuse about not being ready.

Yes, Richie was the sole reason he was still living at home, in Derry, with his mother. However, in two days, Richie’s apprenticeship would be up, and Eddie was more than ready to take him by the hand and drag him away, whether that be as best friends or…more was to be decided.

Letting out another groan, Eddie pulled out his phone and dialled Richie’s number, knowing that he was the only person who would be insane enough to come out in this weather and rescue him. The phone only rang twice before Richie’s voice filled the speakers, “Well if it’s isn’t the light of my life. How’d the interview go, Eds” He asked and Eddie could just tell he was laying back in bed, all relaxed.

“Shit,” Eddie sighed, the bitter feeling returning. “My mother called them, told them not to give me the job as I am her full time carer. Full time carer my ass.”

Richie inhaled sharply and then exhaled, “Eds…I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Eddie shook his head, even though he knew Richie couldn’t see him and he closed his eyes once more. “I’m actually glad, because if I had gotten the job then I’d be stuck here. I don’t want to be stuck here Richie.”

There was silence on the other end of the line, until, “Me neither,” Richie whispered. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Eddie laughed and he bit his lip, “You read my mind.” He paused. “Actually, there’s a reason I called. My car broke down just outside of Derry and I’m sitting in a layby. Would you-”

He was cut off by the sound of what was clearly Richie jumping off of his bed. “Don’t you worry Eddie Spaghetti! Help is on the way!”

A giggle escaped Eddie’s lips as Richie hung up the phone, and of course, no less than ten minutes later a familiar red truck was pulling into the driveway in front of him. The rain had somewhat ceased, only a few drips here and there, but Eddie knew it was only a matter of time before it started up again.

Richie got out of his car and sauntered over to the passenger side window, a grin on his face and Eddie knew that there was an impression coming. Deciding to play along, Eddie rolled down the window just as Richie reached him, grinning as he placed his hands on the door. “Looks like you’re having some trouble there, need some help?”

“Well if you’re offering,” Eddie laughed and rolled up the window, slipping out of the passenger side and locking the door. “I had a look, but I can’t seem to find out what’s wrong with it. I’ll just call a mechanic in the morning.”

With a nod, Richie looked inside the car, as though checking that Eddie had collected everything since they were going to leave the car there until morning. “I’m sorry about the job, Eds.”

“It’s really okay, Richie.” Eddie smiled, lacing their fingers together. It was something they had done for years and no-one ever questioned it, not even themselves. “I meant what I said on the phone. I need to get the hell out of here. I can’t take it anymore.”

Richie frowned at that, tilting his head to the side. “Eds…if you’re so ready to leave, why haven’t you already?” He asked. “And don’t give me the whole ‘I wasn’t ready’ crap because it’s clear you are more than ready to flee the nest.”

A flush took over Eddie’s cheeks and he realised that his cover was blown. Not able to come up with a valid excuse, he sighed and looked at Richie with a serious expression on his face. “Did you really believe that’s why I stayed?”

Silence.

Eddie took a step closer to Richie and squeezed their joint hands a little tighter. “Of course I was ready to leave but…but I didn’t want to. I couldn’t.”

“W-why?” Richie stammered and Eddie gave him a pointed look. He bit down on his lip and stared right into Richie’s eyes, pouring his heart out without the use of words.

“Richie…” Eddie whispered eventually and he watched as realisation settled in and Richie’s eyes widened to the size of saucers.

“Oh…oh Eds…” He breathed and for a moment, Eddie thought that Richie was going to turn him down. Except he didn’t. Richie stepped closer, closing the distance and taking Eddie’s face into his hands, caressing his cheeks. “You- you stayed here for me?”

A laugh, soft and disbelieving left Eddie’s lips and he nodded his head, leaning up on his toes and pressing their foreheads together. “Of course I stayed here for you, Richie. I- I love you. I’m in love with you. I have been for years.” As the words left his lips, Eddie felt a heavy drop of rain land on his face as well as the rumble of thunder above him. However, he ignored it, too lost in Richie’s eyes to care.

Their lips were now mere inches from one another, one more move and they would be kissing. One little jolt forward and Eddie would be feeling Richie’s lips on his, lips that he has dreamt about for years. He didn’t want to wait any longer, so he took that final leap, pushing up on his toes and sealing his lips with Richie’s in a first, long awaited, kiss.

Richie didn’t hesitate to kiss him back, moving his hands down to wrap around Eddie’s waist, tugging him closer as the heavens opened once more and the rain came crashing down, soaking them through to the bone. Even though he was now soaking wet, it still wasn’t enough to force Eddie to part from Richie. It actually was Richie that pulled away, laughing loudly over the sound of the rain.

“I love you too, Eds,” He yelled and Eddie grinned back at him, happiness filling him to his very core. “But if we don’t get inside we’ll catch pneumonia.”

Eddie wanted to say he didn’t care, but he actually did and nodded his head, running with Richie back to his truck and climbing inside. They were both still grinning like idiots, happy that they had finally taken that next step with each other after so long. “I love you,” Eddie whispered, biting his lip.

“I love you, Eds.” Richie whispered back, his glasses steaming up with the change in temperature. “Let’s get home and have a shower before we do catch the cold.”

And that’s what they did…but they still caught the cold anyway.

* * * * * 

@richietoaster @tozier-boy @eds-kas @eds-trashmouth @strange-reddie-loser @jem-carstairs-is-perfection @tinyarmedtrex @liliemm @inthebreadbinwrites @lo-v-ers @studpuffin @aizeninlefox @reddie-for-anything @richietoizer @girasol-eddie @bi-bi-richie @honeybeehanlon @hawkinsbabe @mrs-vh

#reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #writing tag

[xstarkzdonut-blog]

We are Venom(part one)

Y/N walked down the dark streets of San Francisco with a bag of groceries,headphones on,listening to rap songs.A night breeze slips past her.San Francisco isn’t the coldest place to be, but 62 degrees isn't Y/N's ideal temperature either.She checked her phone,sighing.It’s 10:05 pm - not the time she planned to end the night. 

It's been a hard day,added to the top 5 list.

Her boss fired her again,Monica(Y/N's mother)tried to convince her to stop doing what she likes the most(killing bad people),besides that she never understood Y/N,she blamed her for all the numerous "big mistakes" too.

Like the highschool she choose,the attitude,the job,the way her hair looks eVeN hEr ClOtHeS,mostly everything.

The only thing that made her relaxed was the thought of Eddie waiting in their shared apartament.

In the mean time

Eddie Brock,her bestest friend in the world,was currently struggling to keep his fella amigo at peace.

“Come on, man. This is the fifth different time I’ve had to re-buy Y/N chocolates, you parasite.”

“What did you just call me?”

“Oh, yeah. I called you a parasite, you like it?”

“No. I don’t, scrawny human.”

“Well, I’m sure my girlfriend wouldn’t like you eating her Valentines chocolates either.

Without a second glance he stormed out off the shop,disappearing into the darkness of the night.

Y/N took out her keys and opened the door of the apartament to be meet by an entire chaos.

,,-What the-"She tried to say as a pan flew a few centimeters away from her.

Yes,they were fighting,again.The small woman sighed as she put the bags on the table and sat down on the kitchen stool pouring a cup of tea as the two came in.

,,-Hi boys"She looked at them,more to Venom,because of the guilt of ignoring his texts for the last "decade" as Eddie called it.

,,-Ugh..happy Valentine's Day?"Eddie opened his arms for a hug as Y/N walked by.

,,-We are not-"Y/N tried to say

,,-Friends with benefits,yes...yes I know.It still means something"Eddie smiled,hugging her from the back as she took one of the reports to read it.

,,-I can't escape you.."Y/N spoke aloud without realizing it.

Eddie smirked as he kissed her cheek

,,-I know"He whispered behind her ear.

The (your hair color) haired girl would lie if she said that didn't sent a shiver down her spine.

,,-What I was trying to say"Y/N continued,taking his hands off her shoulders,,Is that:everywhere you go chaos is made and I have to clean it"she crossed her arms.

Eddie scoffed out a chuckle as he noticed her smile.The smile that made the blood in his lips run,a pleasant hum.He wanted nothing more but to grab the back of her neck and just kiss her.

,,-So?"She snapped him out of his thoughts

,,-So?"

,,-What do you have to say in your defense?"Y/N kept her straight position

What do I have to say....wait what do i have to say??Eddie was lost,completely lost.How did she manage to silence him in less than 10 minutes?!

,,-Umm..."

Y/N raised an eyebrow as she walked closer.

,,-I'm listening"

Venom transferred out of Eddie's body

,,-Did you got my tater tots?"He asked

,,-In the kitchen"She didn't even looked at him,facing Eddie but not exactly looking in his eyes.

,,-What about you telling me what got you in this mood?"Eddie searched for any sign of distress on her pretty face.

,,-Nothing"She walked past him again and jumped on the couch knocking off a few books.

,,-That doesn't look like nothing to me"Eddie continued sitting next to her.

,,-Don't change the subject"

After a few seconds of silence she sobbed.Eddie felt his heart break,same did Venom's...well...more like burning with rage ready to eat the head of the one who hurt their girl.

,,-Who is it?"Venom asked in a dangerous tone

Eddie hugged Y/N tightly as she cried on his shoulder.

And she cried...and cried...for what felt like eternity.God,what could have hurt her so much?Eddie thought

,,-Shhh,it's okay.Let it all out"He rubbed her back to comfort her.

She put her head on his chest as he tried to move the hair from her face and gently wipe away the tears,then cupped her cheeks as he rested his forehead on hers.

With swollen lips and puffy red eyes she finally looked at him,in those electric blue eyes.

,,-I'm sorry...I'm so so sorry"

,,-Don't be sorry"his thumb caressed her cheek

,,-I'm a-a mess....the worst...I always make mistakes..."She closed her eyes,,I'm not good enough"

,,-I'm not the best man either,especially without you.I'm not perfect,I carry a monster with me,who is obsessed with tater tots"he smiled and she laughed softly"you are the kindest,most beautiful,bravest assassin in the world.I think we make a great match"

,,-I could have been a doctor,be good enough for my mom's expectations..."

,,-Noo,that's not Y/N.Who am I talking to?Mmm lemme think...Mr Grinch?Are you in there?"He looked closely to see if her hair wasn't green"hmm good disguise"

,,-Stoop it,it's me"Y/N giggled,showing her genuine smile once again

,,-What are you ticklish?"He smirked

,,-Nooo!Is just my hair.Even when I brush it happens"She giggled as he kissed her nose

,,-Never do what the others expect,the unexpected is always better"He put his arm around her shoulder pulling her closer.

,,-I'll try my best,Mister Brock"Y/N said

,,-Good"

Then Eddie noticed the scars and that's where he lost it..

,,-Y/N?"

Y/N realized quickly that not covering her wounds with a bigger hoodie was a bad idea.

,,-Uh...does it matter what I say?"She looked at him,even if she already knew the answer

,,-Nope"He said popping the p like does the popcorn.

Y/N tensed up,,-I played with the cat"

,,-What cat?"Eddie questioned,not believing a word

,,-From the street?"Y/N almost lost herself

,,-Whose?"Eddie asked

,,-That old asian woman from the shop..."

,,-Mrs Chen doesn't have any cats"Eddie crossed arms,tilting his head trying to look innocent

Oh snap

,,-Um..."

,,-Tell me his name"Eddie said and Venom(with a muffled voice)added:

,,I knew there was SoMeOnE"

,,-Wh-a no.I-I just...GUYS stop being like that!"She gestured nervously.

,,-How am I supposed to be otherwise if someone hurt the woman I love-"Eddie complained,but as soon as he finished his sentence he knew it was a mistake

,,-What?"Y/N asked with shiny,still red from crying,eyes.

To be continued...

#venom #venom fic

[thatunperfectworld]

Their Reaction To First Meeting You. (The Flash)

Barry Allen: You met when you first started working as Barry’s lab partner. You were sitting at you desk when Barry walked in, you looked up at him with a glaring expression “You’re late” you snickered to the tall boy and he glanced at you before walking to his desk just before you stood up “Are you always this late?” you had questioned him and he nodded “Have you got the files?” he asked “No, i’m casually reading your death certificate” you spoke sarcastically, Barry couldn’t help but shake his head into his hand. Your sarcasm was only the beginning of that relationship.

Cisco Ramon: You were best friends with Barry since you were little but you went off to college for four years. When you got back Barry had to tell you everything, well except him being ‘The Flash’ and the team. But he did tell you about his friends and his job. Barry had invited you and some others out to the bar for some fun and you were running a bit late but you arrived shortly after they did. You walked up to Barry and told him you were getting drinks, before Barry could introduce you to the others you had smiled towards the other boy and walked off. Cisco took an immediate interest and turned to Barry “Yo, who was that hottie?” he asked before Barry laughed softly “Y/N, she just got back from college. She’s my best friend. She’ll probably be working at CCPD with me and Joe as a cop” he answered before Cisco turned in his chair to admire you. 

Joe West: You were a new cop being put on the force, you had just moved here from England in hopes to become a cop. After landing the job they told you to come in and meet your partner, Joe West. You glanced at your watch almost panicking when you had one minute until 8. you finally got there as the clock struck hitting your shoulder against the wall. You hissed softly before you heard a chuckle in front of you, looking up you saw a man. He greeted you with a smile and you smiled back “Sorry, I’m a little clumsy.” you whispered softly “When I’m late” you spoke again and he smiled “You must be Y/N, I’m Joe West. I guess we’ll be working together” he smiled towards you before you nodded lightly. You could tell you two were going to be quite close.

Harry Wells (Earth 2): You first met when he arrived, you were a meta and working with team Flash. You could control water, they called you “Water Siren” since you controlled it with your voice. Lately you had been feeling down about not having your powers since the meta you were fighting drained them from you. You were sitting in a chair when Harry had walked over to you “Everything okay?” he asked and you shrugged “Not really, feel kind of useless. What if I never get my powers back?” you asked looking up at him and he stood in front of you knelling down “Now I know that isn’t true, you are a strong adult. You will find a way to get them back. And with or without your powers Y/N you are still the most bravest person I know and that won’t change.” he whispered to you and you couldn’t help but smile at the tall man and whisper a soft ‘Thank you’

Wally West: You were out on a walk by yourself at night, you and your dad had just gotten in a fight and you needed some air. The wind hitting against your wet eyes was painful but you didn’t want to go back. You were watching the ground when you accidentally walked into someone, looking up you saw a man in a black sweatshirt. He scanned your face before you blurted something “Wow, you’re cute” before realizing what you said he side smiled before shrugging softly and smiling. That night you two walked together and talked about everything. To you, it felt nice having a friend and maybe one day, it would turn into more. 

Eddie Thawne: You were up in the training room when you heard the door open, you had been working at CCPD for two weeks now and you had a bad day. You had lost the bad guy you were chasing. You looked over to see a blonde haired boy come in grabbing some gloves. “Can I spot you?” he asked and you nodded once getting in position as he walked over holding it “G-” he went to tell you to start but you had already done that. Punching it with all your might you had finally finished moments after, the boy leaned his head against the large object and watched you as you took your gloves off. “So your Y/N?” he asked and you glanced at him nodding “That would be me, and you must be detective pretty boy” you replied back and he couldn’t help himself but to smile towards you with a soft nod. 

HR Wells: You were at the coffee shop ‘Jitters’ having a light cup of coffee. You had just been fired from your job because you had accidentally lost the 5 dollars your boss had given you to keep safe. You thought it was a ridiculous reason but you understood because you were already clumsy. You heard someone walk in and come up to you “Why so blue?” he asked and you looked up and let a small smile “I got fired, for losing something my boss told me not to” you said slowly and he sat down “What?” he asked making a funny face in the process causing you to laugh softly “Yeah, but oh well. I hated him anyways. I’m Y/N.” you chuckled and he smiled “Call me HR” he said before pausing and starting again “Why don’t you come work at STAR Labs with me?” he asked you and you smiled widely before nodding “I’d love that” you answered back. Not only was that the start of a new career, but maybe something more. 

Caitlin Snow: You were the new hire at S.T.A.R. Labs and today was your first day. You had walked into the lab and walked to the cortex were you were greeted by a young girl, she turned to you and gave you a small smile “You must be the new hire. I’ve heard a lot about you” she spoke softly. You smiled towards her “I am, and yeah same. Harrison told me so much.” you spoke lightly “I’m Caitlin” she smiled “Y/N” you smile back at her. She had that smile that made your heart patter and you couldn’t help but think of what your life would be like here on out. 

Iris West: You were going to ‘Jitters’ for your interview for the job when you walked inside. You went up to the counter and asked for the manager when a young girl with dark hair smiled at you “He should be out soon, he’s with someone right this second.” she smiled towards you and you nodded “Thank you” you smiled walking to a seat. You had ended up sitting there for an hour when she walked over to you and sat down “Sorry he’s taking so long” she apologized to you “Oh don’t worry. With my family you learn to have patience.” you chuckled which made her follow in a laughter “I’m Iris by the way” she said softly looking at you “Y/N’ you said lightly scanning her eyes, you were caught off guard when someone called your name. Finally the manager had called you back “I look forward to working with you. good luck Y/N” she smiled and you nodded “Thanks” you said before walking back. 

Jesse Wells: You were working at S.T.A.R. labs with your brother Barry when you went down to his secret room to sit and read for a while. You weren’t much of a social person so you stayed and read. You heard the door open and looked up to see a girl with short reddish hair. She smiled at you “Hey, you okay?” she asked and you smiled “Yeah, just reading” you replied quietly “What book?” she asked as you stood up “Looking for Alaska” you said softly and she looked at it then to you “I won’t spoil” she chuckled “Oh don’t worry. I’ve done read it three times” you laughed and she just let out a chuckle before looking down smiling. 

(Not my gifs! Credit to the owners. Hope you like themm. Sorry some are longer or better than the others. It’s 1:30 in the morning xD Taking requests. xoxo) 

#the flash #the flash imagines #the flash preferences #cisco ramon #caitlin snow #jesse wells #harry wells #hr wells #joe west #iris west #wally west #grant gustin

[lethbians]

#12

it’s laid down in the grass / with our old and worn-out shoes / looking at the stars / on a blanket made for two - #12: in the stars - my brothers and i


technically, you could see the stars from anywhere in derry. a small town not yet overtaken by the towering sky-rises or cloudy pollutions of the neighboring industrial plants, just about any spot was good enough to crane your neck back and see constellations from horizon to horizon in any direction. not that richie was gonna stand in front of the aladdin looking like a flipping idiot trying to see cassiopeia or hercules; he might as well slap a sign on his chest that said “henry bowers please kick the shit out of me.”

you could see the stars from anywhere in derry, but the quarry, still and calm and free of sociopaths horny for violence, was richie’s favorite.

“just be home by midnight, boys,” maggie says, smacking richie’s hand away when he scoops a finger-full of brownie batter from the side of the mixing bowl. “richie! wash your hands first!”


“yeah, yeah, back by midnight, whatever, thanks mom!” he’s so tall he has to bend down to kiss her cheek now – like he has since he was 15, shooting up past her already impressive five-foot-eight and then surpassing even his father less than a year and a half later. the tallest of the losers by an inch (with stan tailing just behind) and the gangliest by a mile (though bill’s clumsy doe movements could give richie’s elbows a run for their money), richie was always bending, slouching, cramming himself into rooms and chairs and twin-sized beds. maybe that’s why he liked the quarry so much: at least out there he didn’t have to worry about smacking and whacking and thwacking into low door-frames or shin-height coffee tables. 


(eddie had laughed so hard the day richie ran forehead-first into a support beam of the bunker that he’d fallen out of the hammock. they’d spent the rest of the evening on richie’s couch watching cartoons: richie, holding an ice pack to his head, and eddie, holding one to his wrist. karma had never felt so fucking satisfying.)

“and take the quilt from the hall closet this time instead of one of my nice ones from the living room,” she adds sternly, and richie looks away, sheepish, as he wipes the saliva from his finger across his jeans. clearly he hadn’t done as good of a job getting the dirt stains out of the expensive fleece as he’d thought.

“i got it, mrs. t,” eddie says, holding up a roll of patchwork fabric half the size of his body. richie was the tallest, and eddie was the smallest, and it’d always been that way. (except for the summer that eddie hit his growth spurt before bill and spent two months holding that half-inch of height like a goddamn trophy until bill eventually overtook him again.) richie kinda liked it though; even now, eighteen years old and set on the path to university in the fall, they both still fit in the old worn-down hammock. they didn’t fit well, but they fit, and even if they didn’t, they would’ve found a way to squeeze in. eddie and richie were always finding ways to be close, making silent excuses for the way their thighs pressed together as they played video games or pretending their hands didn’t linger with every playful smack or tickle fight. they didn’t talk about it: the other losers didn’t either.

“rich, c’mon, we’re wasting daylight.”

“that’s the point, eds, it’s star-gazing.” but rich crosses the kitchen in two easy steps, and they take the bickering that follows out the front door as maggie calls out have fun! with a knowing smile on her face.

mothers always know.

* * *

“and that one’s gumbus minoris, named after the bravest man that ever lived; slayer of blockheads and — eddie, stop laughing, this is important — slayer of blockheads and slayer of pussy—”

“oh, beep beep richie,” eddie says, but his cheeks are red from giggling and his brown eyes sparkle with mirth under the light of the moon. “gumby doesn’t have his own fucking constellation.”

“he does too! trust me,” richie sniffs, rolling over to prop himself up on his elbow and using his free hand to push his glasses up his nose. “i’m an expert.”

“on what, bullshitting?”

richie scoffs. “why, i never!” he throws his palm over his chest, twisting his voice into something whiny and high pitched and about as close to a southern belle as eddie was to out-growing richie’s horrible Voices.

(which was to say not close, not even in the slightest.)

“ah swear it eddie, on all the fiyaflies in the field and all the twists in your britches.” richie gets another burst of sweet giggles for that and a light smack to his stomach. eddie’s hand lingers for a moment, fingers skimming over the faded print of richie’s prized liger t-shirt before dropping away. eddie’s gaze is still pointed at the sky, so richie lets himself indulge in the soft curves of the boy’s profile, in the way his long eyelashes brush against the hairs of delicate eyebrows.

when they were younger, richie used to pull eddie close and give him a gentle noogie or pinch his cheeks and call him cutecutecute. shit, richie still did that, did it a lot more regularly than ‘best friends’ probably should, but lately, richie was having to bite his tongue to keep from calling eddie something else —  pretty, maybe. or beautiful. a downright knock-out, from head to toe. richie’s eyes flick to the stars. heavenly would work, too.

“i’m telling you, it’s up there! see, right…” richie leans over onto eddie’s side of the blankets — to get the sight lines right, of course — and points, tracing the outline of the green character over a configuration of stars. “right there.”

eddie tilts his head away from the sky, beaming, and when richie turns his head too their faces are close enough that richie almost goes cross-eyed. “uh-huh. is pokey up there, too, mr. expert?”

the weight of eddie’s stare sits on richie’s heart like a hot hand on his bare chest, like always, but richie’s greens are aimed down. soft brown freckles are spattered across eddie’s nose and spread ear to ear: fuzzy stars against warm skin. richie’s spent hours finding his own constellations there, and across eddie’s arms, and his back, too, when they were all laid out on the rocks drying off after a swim.

“nah,” richie says, and brings his hand down to ghost his index finger over the slant of eddie’s cheekbone. he traces… something, some shape, drawing invisible lines from one freckle to the next; suddenly he can’t remember who pokey was, let alone what he looked like. “he’s right here.”

the puffs of eddie’s breath come out uneven — richie can feel it against where his palm hovers over eddie’s mouth — and when richie finally scrounges up the courage to meet the other’s gaze, eddie’s eyes have become little more than chocolate rings around blown-out pupils.

the desire to close the gap and kiss his best friend is stupidly, ferociously, unbearably overwhelming. there is a possibility (or maybe just the heart’s whisper of hope in richie’s chest) that, with the way eddie’s eyes flit to catch the movement of richie’s tongue wetting his lower lip, eddie might want to kiss him right back.

but beneath every loud, obnoxious, look-at-me-or-i-swear-i-might-die funny kid’s facade, there is a coward. taking chances on a dirty joke, on crossing lines with Voices and bits, that was easy. taking chances on this? eddie and richie stood on a tightrope, a precipice of love and love. 

don’t ruin this, the coward screams. you can’t lose him now.

so richie grins, pokes eddie’s nose, and flops back onto the blanket with his hands behind his head. “don’t bother asking about the blockheads, though, fuck if i know where they—”

if the force of eddie’s body dropping onto his wasn’t enough to knock the wind out of richie, the feeling of lips — his best friend’s lips, eddie’s lips, eddie’s pink, pouty, perfect lips — against his own did the trick. frozen, richie stares, wide-eyed behind the frames of his glasses that’d gone lop-sided when eddie flew across the blanket at him.

kiss him back, fuckass!

he does. richie’s head thumps softly to the ground as his hands fly to curl around eddie’s jaw, tender and desperate all at once. there’s no finesse, no grace to any of it; it’s all the fierce, wild energy that always ricocheted between them focused into a single, bruising kiss. richie’s heart is hammering against his ribs so hard he’s sure it’s shaking his entire being.

eventually, eddie pulls back, though his body stays half-flung over richie’s like a tiny blanket of energy. he’s breathing hard, and even in the faint glow of moonbeams, richie knows eddie’s face is flushed. actually, his probably is too; his cheeks feel hot (and his hands, and his stomach, and everywhere else eddie’s pressed up against).

“you’re a blockhead, richie,” eddie says, but his face lights up with the biggest smile richie’s ever seen.

i love you, richie’s heart sings.

“no, you’re a blockhead,” richie’s mouth says. his brain’s a little scrambled still, swimming with thoughts of eddie eddie eddie, and his smack talk suffers as a consequence. eddie still laughs; eddie always laughed. eddie would never tell, but he thought richie was the funniest person in the world, easy. it didn’t matter the joke, and it never would. if richie was speaking, eddie was right there with him, hanging on every word that came out of his trash mouth like richie was spinning gold with his tongue.

“guess that makes us a pair.” richie smiles then too, a rush of joy, unbridled and pure, washing over him so strongly he thought he might drown in it. the moment felt infinite and ephemeral, impossible and  palpable, all at once.

“guess so.”

they don’t get home before midnight. in three weeks, richie (and the rest of the losers, too) would leave for school, while eddie would stay in derry to take classes locally. the coward inside richie screamed worries of drifting apart, permanently or not, but for tonight, it was silenced by the bravest man that ever lived.

eddie, not fucking gumby.

you could see the stars from anywhere in derry, but laying at the top of the quarry side-by-side with eddie, hands clasped between them and ankles hooked so that their dirty converse knocked together — yeah, that took the fucking crown.

#reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #my writing #this whole song actually screams reddie #id never even thought about it #god i almost hit 2k words with this #WHEN WILL I SHUT UP #i might post this on ao3 i... #ugh okay anywyas thank u for sending this in!! #Anonymous