#dianawritesfic

Richie snaked his arm around Eddie, careful not to wake him as he held him as close to him as he possibly could. ‘Thirty more minutes.’ He thought to himself as he began to drift off to sleep again. ‘Thirty more minutes and then I’ll wake him up.’

“Rich?” Eddie said softly as he placed a hand over the arm wrapped around him and began to gently shake at it. “Are you awake?”

Richie groaned, moving to bury his face against Eddie’s neck, as a muffled “ten more minutes” escaped his lips.

“No way!” Eddie protested as he turned to face Richie, tangling their legs together as he ran a hand through his boyfriend’s messy curls. “Knowing you, you already woke up and fell back asleep again. It’s time to get up babe!”

“It’s Sunday, Eds.” Richie whined, refusing to open his eyes. “It’s supposed to be a day of rest!”

“Rest does not mean sleep all day!” Eddie shot back as he began to kiss Richie’s face. “Come on, wake up. I’ll make you some pancakes while you watch those shitty cartoons you love so much.”

Richie didn’t budge, allowing Eddie to continue to kiss and bribe him with breakfast. He was about to agree, finally give in and get up when Eddie suddenly stopped kissing him. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion before finally opening his eyes again to peer over at Eddie.

 “I could spend hours just looking at you.” Eddie said before Richie could ask what was wrong. “I could lay in this bed all day and not give a fuck about anything and anyone around me.”

“Eds…” Richie began but was cut off by Eddie.

“Every moment that I’m able to just look at you and think about how lucky I am that I can finally be with you is just…” Eddie paused, voice cracking a little before he continued, “God I can’t quite put it into words.”

Richie let out a shaky breath as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. He knew Eddie loved him, of course he did, but he had never heard him say anything like this before. There was so much emotion- so much love- behind those words that it left him a little speechless.

He wanted to crack a joke, banish all the sappy emotions beginning to build up within him before realizing that he didn’t have to do that anymore. Richie loved Eddie and Eddie loved him back. They were living together, they were together. There was no reason to hide his feelings anymore, no fear of rejection. He could tell Eddie that he loved him without fear of being laughed at or rejected or anything bad he had ever imagined growing up.

“I love you Eddie.” Richie said as he kissed Eddie’s forehead. “I could spend hours telling you just how much.”

=====

Richie gasped as he stopped himself from tripping over his shoelaces, heart racing at almost dropping the one thing he was allowed to be in charge of. What’s a birthday party without cake? This baby would definitely get to the apartment in one piece. He struggled with the door once he got to the front door, using his leg to balance the cake as he turned the door knob and let himself in. 

He squinted through the darkness, finding it odd that no one was there yet. He was the one that was late after all. Before he could yell out and ask if anyone was there, the lights suddenly turned on and he was surrounded by various voices yelling “SURPRISE” at him. He gasped, dropping the cake in his shocked state and everything went quiet. 

He looked around at all the faces of his friends around him, wide-eyed and beginning to sweat. Not only was he late, but now he had dropped and ruined Eddie’s birthday cake before he even had a chance to blow out the candles and make a wish.

“What the hell Richie!” Groaned Bev as she rushed over to inspect the cake. He watched in silence as she opened the box and dropped her head with a sigh. “It’s no good, it’s ruined.”

She looked up again to glare at him and he glared right back at her. How was this his fault? They were the ones that surprised him! “Excuse me but in what world do I look even remotely like Eds? This is on you guys, I’m just the cake messenger.”

“We’d given up on you showing on time,” Stan chimed in. “Eddie should have been home by now so of course we thought it was him and not you!”

Richie checked his watch, confirming the time. Stan was right, Eddie really should have been here by now. He was always on time to everything, even coming home from work. It was this predictability that Richie loved about him. It was a constant he found comfort in. “Huh…You’re right, where is the birthday boy?”

Without waiting for an answer, Richie took out his phone, searching for Eddie’s name and pressing the call button. As the phone continued to ring, a growing panic began to build up within Richie. Eddie always answered his phone before the second ring. Something definitely had to be wrong. “He’s not answering.”

“Maybe he just got held up at work,” Ben suggested despite not believing it himself. Taking out his own phone, he continued on to say, “I’ll give them a call and ask if they know anything.”

Richie nodded and made his way to Eddie’s room on instinct as he dialed Eddie’s phone again. He paused, about to turn around and go to his room when he heard it. A faint buzzing noise coming from Eddie’s room. Richie furrowed his eyebrows confused as to why there would be any noise coming from his best friend’s room. Slowly, he opened the room, peeking into the darkness and shoving an arm into the room, feeling for the light switch on the wall.

He wasn’t an idiot, you never go into a dark room to investigate an out of place noise without first turning on the fucking lights. When he heard a groan he pushed the door open the rest of the way and barged in, going straight to Eddie’s bed.

“Eds? Eds, are you okay??” Richie asked, panic evident in his voice as he knelt down to look over Eddie. He was sweating, cheeks flushed red and hair sticking to his forehead. Had he stayed home alone this whole time? He probably hadn’t eaten or taken anything this whole time. “You dumbass, why didn’t you call me??”

“S-shut up” Eddie moaned out, squeezing his eyes shut and attempting to cover his face with his comforter. “G-get out! Turn the fucking lights off!”

“No way dude,” Richie answered, refusing to budge from his spot next to the bed. “I can’t believe you’ve been here this whole time and none one out there noticed.”

Richie sighed as Eddie grunted in response before violently coughing. “Okay, I’m gonna go get you some medicine and some fucking water too. You look dehydrated as fuck!” He moved to get up, but was stopped by a hand clutching onto his shirt. He paused, looking over to see Eddie looking at him with glassy eyes, a pleading look on his face. 

“Don’t-Don’t leave me Rich,” Eddie begged, pulling at his shirt to bring him back, closer to him. “Don’t leave me alone.”

Richie sighed, taking out his phone to text their group chat to bring some water and search for some medicine in their bathroom to give to Eddie. Once he was done, he leaned down to give him a quick kiss on the forehead as he ran a hand through Eddie’s sweaty hair. “I’m not going anywhere Eds. I’ll stay right here by your side.”

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Patty smiled at that, realizing that she’d said that about every date she’d been on with Stan so far. Yet, it was true. Stanley Uris was not only kind and sweet, but someone Patty could imagine sharing a future with. He always made her laugh and every conversation they had fascinated her. He was opinionated, but also eager to hear her thoughts as well. He opened doors for her and always offered to pay for things, but also let her pay when she insisted on it. He never pressured her into anything and always asked her for permission before holding her hand or kissing her.

She giggled, burying her face into the soft sheets of her bed in an attempt to hide her blush. Thinking about Stan always turned her into a giggling, blushing mess. It was as if she’d never had a crush before Stan. This was different though, way more than a simple crush. Patty was in love. The kind of love where all you think about is the next time you’ll see the person you’re so gone on. The kind of love where you think about whether they’ve eaten or if they’re happy. The kind of love where you imagine a future where one day, you’ll wake up with them next to you every day, and not just when you accidentally spill ice cream all over their shirt.

Patty groaned at this, remembering how embarrassed she’d been when she tripped and dumped her cone of ice cream all over Stan. He had laughed it off, assuring her it was no big deal, as he began to stand up and head towards her bathroom. She covered her eyes as he began to take his shirt off, gasping as she turned away from the door and chanting “I’m sorry” over and over again. 

Stan had laughed, telling her it was no big deal. After all, they’d been dating for almost a whole semester now. Patty blushed, not wanting to admit that the only time she’d ever seen a guy shirtless was when she went to the pool. That she’d never seen a guy she’d been dating shirtless because none of her relationships had gone past the making out stage.

She had admitted that to him last night, and he’d been apologetic for laughing at her. That only made Patty fall a little more in love with him. When she had offered to let him stay the night, they had both been surprised. She could see the blush begin to bloom across his cheeks and knew that her face was probably just as red as his was beginning to turn. Patty never made the first move. She always let Stan ask her if something was okay before eagerly agreeing.

Despite the offer coming off as suggestive, all they ended up doing was making out and falling asleep wrapped up in each other’s arms. There would be time for more later. Besides, she wasn’t prepared with the…proper items to go any further than some kissing and groping. She knew that was perfectly fine with Stan, could feel that they were on the same page regarding their future together.

As she began to get up, stretching her arms over her head as she yawned, she thought about how it might be a good idea to get some condoms for when they finally did more than literally sleep together. Now that he’d stayed the night, it would happen eventually, and honestly, she couldn’t fucking wait. She walked towards the kitchen, ready to make a joke about how loud Stan was being when she choked out a laugh instead.

“Is that my shirt?”

Stan jumped, quickly setting down the mug he had been filling with coffee as he turned around to face her. He was blushing as he began to laugh nervously. 

“Y-yeah it is. Sorry, my shirt was still damp when I went to get it from the dryer and I didn’t want your roommates to see me shirtless so…”

He pulled at the shirt he had on, a black t-shirt with cats wearing sunglasses on it that she had gotten on a whim while out drunk with Richie. She eyed him, attempting not to laugh but couldn’t help it, covering her mouth as she began to laugh at the sight in front of her.

“God, I need to get my phone this is amazing!”

She began to rush back to her room, eager to get her phone and take a picture of Stan to send to Richie. He’d definitely get a laugh out of it. She could hear Stan following behind her, and sped up.

“Don’t you dare! I’ll never live this down if Richie sees me in this shirt.”

He caught up to her as she was about to get her phone, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her down onto the bed with him. They both laughed as they began to wrestle, attempting to get the upper hand on one another. Stan suddenly paused, leaning in to kiss her. Once their lips met, nothing else mattered to Patty. She kissed him back eagerly, phone forgotten on the bedside table. 

“You’re a little cheater. Using my love for you against me.”

“I love you too Patty Cake”

=====

“Eds, are you listening?” Richie questioned, as he waved a hand in front of Eddie’s face. “Don’t tell me you just tuned me out this whole time!”

Eddie blinked, faint blush spreading across his cheeks as he slowly came back to reality. He had been so engrossed in thoughts about the boy in front of him that he hadn’t realized he’d stopped paying attention to his ramblings. Quickly, he scrambled for an excuse and said, “Sorry Rich! I’m just so hungry I got a little distracted!”

He reached to pick up the menu in front of him, hiding behind it as he pretended to think about what he wanted. Eddie didn’t actually have to look. He’d been to this diner enough times with Richie and the other losers, to know what he wanted, what he ordered every time.

“You’re kidding, right?” Richie said as he reached over to pull the menu back down onto the table. “You always get the same thing Eds. Why bother pretending like you’re gonna order something different?”

“I’m not pretending Richie,” Eddie said as he pouted, crossing his arms defensively. “What makes you so sure that I didn’t want to try anything new tonight?”

Richie stared at him, eyebrows raised suggestively as his mouth began to spread into a wide grin. “You just handed me a perfect line and I could totally make a dirty joke out of it. But I won’t, because I’m trying to be nice tonight.”

Eddie gasped, feigning shock. “Richard “The Trashmouth” Tozier? Being nice???” He pretended to think about it, before he giggled and said, “Less likely than you think!”

“Hey, you jerk! It’s more likely!” Richie laughed along with him. “Keep this up and I’m not buying you a milkshake!”

Eddie stopped laughing at this, looking at Richie with a confused expression on his face. He couldn’t help but focus on the way those words made him feel—like this was something more than just friends hanging out. He refused to dwell too long on that impossible fantasy, though, and instead rolled his eyes at the boy in front of him. “Oh no, that’s so tragic! Whatever will I do now?? Oh, that’s right! Buy my own like I was going to do anyway.”

Richie seemed to deflate a little at Eddie’s comment, but he continued to chuckle lightly, the playful look in his eyes changing to something Eddie wasn’t sure he could properly decipher. ‘Was it disappointment? Nah, couldn’t be.’

Even so, the change in behavior worried Eddie and he frowned, eyebrows furrowed as his hand reached out to grasp the other boy’s. Before he could get a chance to ask what was wrong, he jumped at the sound of their waitress finally coming up to their table, smiling and unaware of the growing tension—if you could call it that—between the two of them.

“Your usuals again tonight boys?” she asked with a grin on her face, not bothering to take out her order pad.

Before Eddie could respond, Richie winked at her, handed back their menus, and said, “You got it, Linda!”. With one last smile, the waitress nodded and left just as quickly as she came, once again leaving them alone.

Eddie played with the straw in his cup, staring at it as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. He was unwilling to look Richie in the eyes, not yet. If he didn’t look, he could pretend for one second more that this was an actual date—that Richie had ordered for him like he’d seen men do for women millions of times in the romantic movies Bev would often force them all to watch.

“Thought you wanted something different,” Richie’s teasing tone made Eddie snap his head up and stare at the curly-haired boy in surprise.

“I- well, you kind of went ahead and ordered for me,” he defended, a pout once again beginning to form on his face.

“Relaaaax Eds, I’m just...just messing around,” Richie said as he put his hands out in front of himself in defense. “No need to get your panties in a- I mean, yeah, sorry, I just figured you’d prefer your usual, jokes aside.”

Richie sounded nervous now. Eddie could feel something different, something that had changed in his attitude towards Eddie. He was trying to be playful with him, a tamer version of his usual self. ‘Jokes aside’ kept repeating in Eddie’s head until suddenly, it clicked, and he realized that Richie had not made a single mom joke that night. In fact, he hadn’t called him anything other than Eds, which was something he was surprised he hadn't picked up on earlier.

Eddie ignored this revelation and continued to talk and laugh with Richie as usual. They talked about their friends, school—anything and everything really—as if nothing between them had changed. Well, really, nothing had changed. Eddie noticing Richie’s less than normal behavior didn’t mean anything had changed at all. Eddie knew that change would only happen once one of them actually acknowledged what was going on tonight. ‘God, how many times will the word change cross my mind tonight?’

They sipped on their milkshakes, their usual after dinner ritual, as the conversation between them finally died down. Suddenly, Eddie wasn’t sure what to say or how to act. This was typically the part where they would share their drinks, mixing Richie’s chocolate and Eddie’s strawberry to create what Richie called their special ChocoBerry Milkshakes™.

Eddie smiled at the memory of the day this tradition started, remembering the way he’d told Richie how much he hated that name. ‘I’m such a fucking liar,’ he thought to himself as he peaked over at Richie.

Eddie loved it. He loved whenever Richie made something their thing, something they could both share and call their own. He, however, would never admit that to Richie, not in a million years. As Richie looked up from his own drink, Eddie averted his eyes, pretending to find the salt shaker on the table very interesting.

“What’s up Eds?” Richie questioned as he lightly nudged Eddie’s ankle with his foot. “Your face looks like you’re constipated, which usually means you’re worrying about something.”

“I’m not—” Eddie paused, attempting to relax his face as he nudged back at Richie’s foot with his own. “I’m fine, just—nothing. It’s nothing.”

Eddie could feel the way Richie was staring at him, willing him to look at him. When he wouldn’t, Richie grabbed Eddie’s milkshake and dumped it into his own glass. Eddie didn’t respond, despite his annoyance, and continued to stare at the salt shaker on the table. “You’re really not going to tell me what’s wrong?” Richie asked as he began to mix the contents of his glass. “This is the worst d—”

At Richie’s words, Eddie’s eyes snapped up to look at him. His heart began to race as his mind began to repeat the word he was hoping Richie had been about to say. ‘Date...Date...Date? Just fucking ask him. Why is that so hard for you to do?’ He struggled with himself for a moment, debating whether he should just lay it all out and ask the question that could change everything between them.

“Richie…” Eddie began as he continued to look at Richie’s face, now the one willing him to look over and meet his gaze. Richie’s cheeks were slightly flushed as he refused to do so, continuing to mix the milkshake in his glass. Eddie huffed, rolling his eyes and grabbing the straw from his now empty glass. Without further thought, before he could chicken out, he suddenly got up from the table, finally getting Richie’s attention.

He could see the way Richie looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, eyes slowly widening as he realized Eddie was coming over to sit next to him. Plopping down on the seat, he pushed Richie further into the booth, making himself comfortable. Without breaking eye contact, he placed his straw in Richie’s milkshake glass and asked, “Are we on a date right now?”

Eddie watched carefully as Richie drew in a sharp breath and stood still, gradually raising his head to meet Eddie's eyes. He could see the way Richie was debating what to say, could see the way he was leaning towards making a joke he knew could have the potential to anger Eddie and make him drop the subject.

This time though, this time it wouldn't work because Eddie was determined. Determined to get an answer to the question that had been eating away at him since he first realized Richie had been acting differently. He reached out, fingers softly grazing the hand Richie was using to hold onto the milkshake glass. He could feel the way Richie’s hand twitched, shocked at the contact, before he gripped the glass a little tighter. “Why, are you going to pay if I say it is?”

Eddie smiled wide at this, bringing his free hand up to cover his mouth as he began to laugh. “Excuse me? You’re the one that said you were going to buy me a milkshake earlier!”

“Oh, so you want this to be a date so I’ll pay?” Richie shot back as he grinned at Eddie. He was no longer nervous, and Eddie sighed in relief at this.

“Come on Rich,” Eddie pleaded, looking at him fondly. “Answer the Question. Please.”

“I mean, yeah I—” Richie sighed as he ran his hand through his unruly hair. “Yeah, it’s a date.”

“Okay.” Eddie said simply, pulling the glass closer to himself and taking a sip of the mixed milkshake.

“Okay?” Richie questioned, staring at Eddie’s hand which was still holding on to his around the milkshake. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“It means okay,” Eddie shrugged with a soft smile on his lips. “It means this is officially a date, if you still want it to be.”

“Of course I do Eds!” He said excitedly, scooting closer to Eddie. Richie smiled at him and Eddie could feel the fluttering feeling of butterflies in his stomach. He loved this Richie. This happy over the moon Richie that got so excited that he would start rambling and fidgeting with uncontrollable energy. He loved this Richie that seemed so genuinely happy to be on a date with him, that got so flustered over asking him on a date in the first place.

He loved Richie. He had always loved Richie. As a friend, as something more. Eddie knew Richie loved him too, he just didn’t realize that it was as more than best friends. As they both finished up the milkshake, Eddie couldn’t help but wonder how things would be from now on. ‘Are we boyfriends now? Should I ask?’

Eddie’s thoughts were interrupted when he felt an arm snake it’s way around his shoulders, pulling him close to the boy beside him. “You’re doing it again. The thinking.”

“It’s what people usually do,” Eddie joked. “I know you don’t do it often but it is a thing people—”

Eddie’s words were cut short as Richie gently grabbed his chin, tilting his head towards him. His eyes widened as Richie’s face got closer and closer before Richie suddenly paused and said, “Is...Is this ok?”

He didn’t respond, only smiled at Richie before moving forward until their lips met in a gentle and—despite Richie’s chapped lips—soft kiss. He smiled into it and Richie pulled back, still holding on to his chin as he looked into his eyes, making Eddie’s stomach flip.

Before Eddie could say anything, the sound of a throat clearing made both of them jump and pull away. Linda stood there, wide grin on her face as she held the check out to both of them. Richie reached over to take it and as he did, Eddie used it as an opportunity to get impossibly closer to Richie and whisper in his ear, “So, you’re paying for this date then right?”

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Richie shushed her, frantically looking over at the register to make sure that the guy in question hadn’t heard her a word she’d just said. “Patty! Don’t blow my cover! I’m desperate here!”

“Yeah yeah, I know.” She huffed as she looked up at the menu. “You’re buying by the way. You owe me that much.”

“I’ll even throw in a pastry, as a treat.” Richie reassured her, as they slowly moved to the front of the line. “By the way, my hoodie looks comfy on you.”

“Reminding me that this is your hoodie isn’t going to make me give it back to you.” Patty said, rolling her eyes at him.

“Nice try!” Said a voice in front of them, causing them both to turn and look wide-eyed at none other than Richie’s coffee shop crush. “You’re never getting that back from your girlfriend. Just save yourself the trouble and admit defeat right now.”

Patty looked between Richie and his cute coffee shop crush and couldn’t help but laugh as Richie began to blush furiously. This was such a disaster and she loved being there to experience it in person. Her best friend had just single handedly ruined his own chances with the guy he’d been crushing on by making him think they were together.

Taking mercy on Richie, she spoke up first. “No way, we’re not together. I’m too good for him.”

Eddie smiled at her politely as he began to apologize. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to assume!”

“Don’t worry about it.” She waved him off as she leaned against the counter. She pointed back at Richie, winking as she said, “You’re more his type anyway.” 

“Patty!” Richie hissed, elbowing her out of the way. “Ignore her please, she thinks she’s so funny. Can we get two peppermint hot chocolates please?” 

“S-sure yeah, of course!” Eddie mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Richie. Patty smiled as she watched the way they interacted with each other, shaking her head at how dumb both of them were. They were obviously into each other and they were both too oblivious to see it.

“Hey what about my pastry?” Patty asked as they moved over to the side to wait for their drinks. “You promised me something sweet Tozier!”

“That was before you went and hit on Eddie for me while I was standing right there!” Richie scoffed, crossing his arms defensively.

“Uh?? You’re welcome??” She shot back, kicking him lightly on the shin. “He thought we were together! At least now he knows you’re single AND that you’re into dudes.”

Richie sighed, dropping his arms and hanging his head in defeat. “You’re right, thank you sugar plum. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“You’d be a disaster without me and you know it.” Patty teased, nudging him playfully with her elbow. “Well, more of a disaster than you already are.”

“Hahaha very funny!” Richie said before moving to get their drinks from the pick up counter. He pointed towards an empty table and Patty followed, sighing in relief as she took a seat. “So, do you think I still have a chance?”

She took a sip of her hot chocolate as she peeked over at Eddie, who quickly looked away from them. Patty chuckled as she took another sip before responding, “I think you should go get in line again and get me that pastry and find out for yourself.”

=====

It was 6:30 p.m. when Eddie decided that maybe, just maybe, Richie wasn’t going to come. He stood up, brushing the bottom of his shorts off before turning back towards his front door. As he turned the knob on the door, he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

“I should have known he was messing around.” Eddie sighed as he opened his door and stepped in. “Of course he wasn’t serious about this. Of course it was a joke.”

Eddie made his way to his living room and as he plopped down on the couch, he was grateful that his mom was gone for the evening. He didn’t want her to see him. He didn’t want anyone to see the way his lip trembled and the way his eyes were scrunched up in an attempt to keep the tears threatening to pour form his eyes at bay. 

He took deep breaths, willing himself to calm down. His mind wouldn’t let him though. Thoughts of Richie calling him “his love” and “cute” as he pinched his cheeks plagued his mind, aggravating the pain he felt in his chest. 

You should have known better than to take one of his stupid jokes seriously.

He rubbed at his eyes, seconds away from falling apart at the realization that this was all just a joke to Richie. He didn’t mean any of the words he’d said to Eddie and he never would.

Great. This is great, actually. I don’t have to keep hoping, wishing, that he’d like me back. This is just the wake up call I needed. I finally know Richie will never-

A frantic knock at his door interrupted his thoughts, making him jump in surprise. He checked his watch again, reading 7:05 p.m., and squinted at the door. As he stood up and made his way to the door, he willed himself not to get his hopes up, not to think that the person on the other side of the door would be Richie. 

Eddie opened the door cautiously, quickly stepping aside when Richie pushed and stumbled his way in, a giant, red monkey cradled in his arms. “Hey Eds, sorry I’m late!”

“Where’d you get that?” Eddie completely ignored Richie’s comment as he pointed at the monkey, making a face at the bright red color of the fur. There was only one place he could have gotten that, Eddie knew that, he didn’t even have to ask. “How much money did you waste this time?”

“Listen,” Richie began as he walked towards Eddie’s living room and dumped the monkey on the sofa. He turned towards Eddie and held onto his hand, looking at him with wide eyes. “That’s not important right now. What’s important is that I apologize.”

“For what?” Eddie asked, feigning ignorance. They both knew what this was about, but he wasn’t going to let him off the hook that easily. Richie had taken this joke to far, and for that Eddie would make him plead for forgiveness. 

“What do you mean for what?” Richie furrowed his eyebrow in confusion, as he stepped closer to Eddie. “Our date, remember? I’m really fucking late!”

“Oh, you were serious?” Eddie asked, folding his arms defensively as he looked away. “I thought it was just a joke. Like all the other times.”

“What-No Eds I-” Richie stuttered as he worked to find the right words to say. He was panicking now, Eddie could see that clearly. He peered back over at him, raising his eyebrow and tilting his head at Richie as if to say “explain yourself”.

“I-I was at the arcade-”

“No shit, I couldn’t tell.” Eddie scoffed as he pointedly looked at the monkey.

“I was at the arcade,” Richie began again, as he looked at Eddie with pleading eyes, begging him to listen. “because there was something I absolutely had to win.”

“So you ditched me, making me think you stood me up just so you could win a stupid stuffed animal that probably cost you all of your money??”

“Fuck-No Eds!” Richie said as he pulled a reluctant Eddie towards him, hugging him as closely as Eddie would allow. Eddie could feel the way Richie’s heart was beating fast and wondered if it was from nerves or something else. “I was trying to win something for you.”

“If it’s that monkey, I don’t want it.” Eddie said as he let himself relax into Richie’s arms. He buried his head in the soft fabric of Richie’s shirt and closed his eyes. As much as he wanted to stay mad at Richie, the fact that he had been late, not because he had forgotten about their date or because it was a joke, but because he had been trying to get something for Eddie, put him at ease. This was real. Richie was here, holding him and telling him everything he wanted to hear, had been hoping to hear. 

“Don’t say that about our son Eds.” Richie scolded as he gently pulled away from Eddie. Richie looked at him with a huge smile, and Eddie felt as if he could melt. At his words, at the way he was looking at Eddie with the fondest expression he had ever seen on Richie.

“Oh, we have a son now? I don’t remember agreeing to that.” Eddie teased, matching Richie’s smile with one of his own. “There’s no ring on my finger so I refuse to believe this child is mine.”

“Ok, first of all, that doesn’t make sense.” Richie laughed as Eddie punched him lightly on the arm, a whispered “shut up” escaping his lips. “You don’t have to be married to someone to have kids with them.”

“I know, I was just jok-”

“Second of all,” Richie interrupted him, refusing to let him play off his joke. “If a ring is what you want, does this work for you?”

Richie reached into his pocket, pulling out a chunky rhinestone ring, and presented it to Eddie on one knee. Eddie’s eyes widened at this, cheeks flushing at the sight before him.

“What the hell Richie!” Exclaimed Eddie as he continued to stare at the ring presented to him. “We haven’t even had our first date yet.”

“Yeah, well…” Richie grinned at him, that fond expression once again making it’s way back onto his face as if it was reserved only for Eddie. “When have you ever known me to do anything in the proper order anyway?” 

​====