Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The longing that Richie Tozier had for Eddie Kasprak was debilitating.

Especially now, as the weather started to cool down, and the days were getting shorter, and the need to cozy up by a fireplace with someone you love was starting to weigh on him. He couldn’t help but feel so utterly lonely. Everyone around him had someone, even if it wasn’t a girlfriend or a boyfriend. Bill and Mike were best friends. Stan had started seeing Pam and was with her more often than not. His parents were still happily married. Even Ben Hanscom and Beverly had started talking, and even though she lived so far away, he still had her.

Richie had Eddie, which by itself was fucking awesome. They were best friends, ride or die, and while Richie was so grateful to have him as a pal, he so desperately needed more than that. And as the years went on and they got older, the feeling only got worse. “Worse” is the correct word, because they lived in Derry. A town that would rip you limb from limb at someone the wrong way. No, Richie could not be openly gay here. Not only would some Henry Bowers wannabe want to hurt him, but they would want to hurt Eddie too. That was part of the reason why he had never confessed. There were moments he could have, especially recently. They had been spending a lot of time together, reading comics, doing homework, eating meals, hell, practically anything. Nothing was boring when they were together. But every time Richie had considered telling him the truth, had considered telling him just how much he fucking loved him, he’d remember how selfish he would be. To put their lives in danger in this homophobic shit town, to put Eddie on the spot like that, to expose a secret he had kept for way too long and was now destined to go to the grave with him.

But as the season dragged on, Richie couldn’t help himself. There were couples everywhere, he could walk down the halls of their school and see sweethearts talking about their matching costumes, or scaring each other with fake spiders, or kissing behind teacher’s backs. Horror movies were playing on TV, decorations were up, everything smelled like pumpkin spice, and black cats were roaming the streets. It was his favorite season, and he wanted, no, needed to spend it with Eddie. He didn’t know if it was some fucked up God in the sky or Pennywise manipulating his thoughts, but he needed to have Eddie, to touch him, kiss him, cuddle him, tickle him while he told ghost stories.

Richie decided he was going to do everything he could to spark a romance between him and Eddie. He’d plan little fall themed dates, hang out with him every chance he got, and do his best to show him a side that he’s never seen before. A loving side. A side that could tell him how he felt without really telling him. Maybe Eddie could make the first move. Maybe they’ll be caught in a rainstorm and have one of those cinematic, romantic movie moments. Maybe he could trip and fall on Eddie and “accidentally” kiss him.

Long story short, he was going to try to flirt.

He knew it was ridiculous. But that’s Richie. And while it might not work, and he and Eddie could still be just platonic soulmates by the end of all this, he was sure as shit going to try.

It’s not like he had anything better to do.

********

Richie was the first one to arrive at the pumpkin patch.

He stood next to his bike, kicking rocks while he waited for the rest of the losers to show up. They had all planned to meet at ten o’clock in the morning, and because Richie’s nerves got the best of him, he showed up thirty minutes early. He had spent the entire morning trying on outfits and ruffling his hair the way Eddie seemed to like and brushing his teeth. Which was so fucking stupid, because this wasn’t a date. He wasn’t even the one who planned the damn thing. It was just another hangout, and there was six of them, and the chances of him and Eddie having a moment alone were slim, but he couldn’t help it. He was just so excited to see him.

Bill arrived about ten minutes early, followed by Stan, then Ben, then Mike.

“Where’s Eddie?” asked Mike, arriving at exactly ten o’clock.

“Probably giving his mom a sponge bath.” Richie snickered.

Eddie came cycling in at around 10:05, looking a little out of breath but not sweaty.

“I’m sorry, guys. I got a little held up.” He said, parking his bike.

He and the losers talked for a minute, and Richie assumed Eddie was telling them about his morning or what made him late or what the rest of the day’s plans were, but Richie heard none of it. He couldn’t, and frankly he didn’t care, because Eddie looked so damn cute. He was wearing a cream colored knit sweater that looked incredibly soft, and it went so well with his pale skin and dark hair. He wore simple jeans and white sneakers, and while it was nothing fancy or outlandish, it made the butterflies in Richie’s stomach flutter all the way up his throat. Richie wanted nothing more than to grab him and squeeze him and nestle his little face into his soft and delicate little neck.

God, how pathetic.

“Richie,” Eddie said, nudging his shoulder as the rest of the losers started walking into the pumpkin patch, “you feeling okay?”

Richie blinked, snapping out of his thoughts, “Yeah! I’m totally good, Eds! Did you kiss your mom for me?”

Eddie smiled and rolled his eyes, and they walked through the entrance of the pumpkin patch. It was a pretty good size; it was only about a ten-minute bike ride away from Derry city limits and they had enough money together to last them all day. When they walked through the barn entrance, they noted all the little activities like jumping on hay bales, riding horses, life-sized hamster wheels, train rides, and of course some stuff for the little kids.

The losers walked around for a few minutes and set their sights on the corn maze. It was tall, probably triple their height, bright yellow corn stretching farther than they could see, and there were silly little warning signs on the front to scare the little kids… or Stan.

“Losers! Andele!” He exclaimed, marching into the maze.

“Hell no, R-R-Richie. I’m not leh-letting you lead the buh-buh-bunch.”

“Yeah, we’d never make it out!” Ben said, following Bill inside the maze.

“Only because you wouldn’t stop eating all the corn!” Richie said, clasping at his non-existent pearls.

They all made their way in. Every time they came at a crossroads, Bill very carefully picked which way to go, and made a mental note about where they had already turned. It was all too practical, if Richie were to say. It’s more fun to just run around and get lost, and even more fun if someone had to be called to get you out. He could imagine a helicopter having to fly over and send down ladder. How cool would that be? Or even better, they could tear their way through the corn and make their own path!

But you couldn’t get lost in this maze, not really. This place was for kids, so it couldn’t be that difficult to find your way out. Which also meant that there were probably multiple paths you could take and still make it out. That lit a little imaginary lightbulb above Richie’s head, one that made him grin like a nine year old and act like one too.

Richie stopped following and quietly made a detour along another path. He couldn’t tell you how many turns he turned or how corners he cornered, but he ended up jogging through the maze, trying to make it ahead of the loser’s club without them seeing and also trying his best not to run into any kindergartners. He ended up close to the exit of the maze, and he peeked through just to make sure they hadn’t beaten him to the punch. So, he sat by the exit behind a wall of corn and listened for his stuttering friend.

When he heard several pairs of footsteps approaching, he got into a squatting position and waited for them to get closer. He had to put hands over his mouth to keep himself from giggling and he had that excited feeling in his tummy that made him feel like he had to piss.

He waited…

Just a few more seconds…

Almost there…

“BOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Richie screamed, jumping out from the corner and landing just an inch away from Bill. He squealed, jumping back and stumbling over Mike’s feet behind him, sending him ass down on the dirt path. Richie howled with laughter, grabbing his stomach and nearly falling over himself. He could hear the rest of the losers laughing too.

“N-n-not cool, Richie!” He said, appearing angry but Richie knew better. Mike and Stan helped him up, snickering while Bill wiped the dirt off his ass.

“Wow, I got you so good, Big Bill!”

“Ju-Just you w-w-wait, Trashmouth.”

“As long as we can get a good chuck out of it!” Richie said, skipping out of the maze and onto their next activity.

********

The losers walked down the main path of the pumpkin patch. There was stuff to see and do everywhere they look. To their right was a scarecrow and a cornhole setup. To the left was a cute little pond with ducks and a dock with fathers fishing with their sons. Richie thought about how hilarious it would be if he were to push them in and run away without them seeing a thing! They’d get soaked and make a huge scene and get nibbled on by all the little fishies. It’d also be funny if he didn’t run and then security caught him and had his picture up at the front with the words “BANNED.”

The thought of that reminded him of the missing kids’ poster he saw at the Neibolt house, and it gave him a slight chill and made his heart skip a few beats, so he quickly abandoned the idea, pushing his glasses in.

“Hey! I think they have snacks at that little barn! Wanna get some popcorn?” Ben asked, pointing to a huge red barn with lots of families around it. There were people holding buckets of popcorn, candy apples, that fancy corn on the stick, and lollipops. The smell of salt and butter got stronger the closer they walked, and Richie could feel his tummy start to rumble.

“I’ve got some extra money from my parents, I could get us a few cokes, too.” Stan said, getting his wallet out.

They all started walking, but suddenly, Richie felt himself get pulled back by his right hand.

“Hey, why don’t we let them go ahead?”

Richie turned around. It was Eddie, with his hand firmly around Richie’s, looking deeply into his eyes. It was strange, his hold on him was so strong, so forceful, but his face was so calm, and kind. His lips were turned in one of those polite little smiles that said, “you can trust me.” But why did Richie need to trust him?

Richie looked back and forth between Eddie and the rest of the losers that were a few feet away now, stuttering like he had caught whatever Bill was cursed with, “D-Don’t you want to get a snack?”

“Maybe later.” Eddie said, letting go of his hand and wrapping his arm around Richie’s back like they were a high school couple as they walked away. Richie could melt. The shirt really was as soft as he imagined. He could feel the yarn caressing the back of his neck, like he was resting his head on a cloud, and not only that, but the smell of it filled his nose. The smell of Eddie. He smelled so clean, and so fresh, and he had a hint of something that he guessed was from his shampoo or maybe it was just him. It smelled sweet, like honey.

But Richie wouldn’t figure out why Eddie was so eager to leave until he glanced over his shoulder one more time, and he saw what was next to the barn.

A clown.

Not Pennywise, thank fuck. Just a regular clown making balloon animals for kids and honking his silly little horn.

In the summer of ’89, he and the rest of the losers were sitting on the grass in downtown Derry, talking about all the fucked-up shit they had seen when It was terrorizing them. Eddie and the leper, Stan and the painting, Bev and the blood. They had discovered that It was using their greatest fears against them. Eddie was scared of disease. Stan was scared of that whack ass painting. Bev was scared of becoming a woman. But when they had asked Richie what he was scared of…he lied.

Richie had said he was scared of clowns. But honestly, he just said that because there happened to be clowns performing that day in Derry, and it was the only thing he could think of. Richie actually liked clowns, most of them. They were funny and he liked the makeup they wore, and he figured it was a lot more work and talent than people realize. No, Richie was scared of himself. He was scared of his sexuality, he was confused as to why he was gay and why he had to be born all fucked up, he was scared of people knowing who he truly was. But he couldn’t tell the losers that. Not when one of them was his literal gay awakening at age five.

Richie looked back at him, just for a moment, not long enough to stare. He just needed to look at the boy who was causing his heart to play hopscotch. Eddie didn’t actually want to split up with the losers. He was trying to protect Richie. He didn’t want him to get scared when he saw the clown. He was making sure they didn’t even have to go near it. Even though it was based on a lie, it warmed Richie in ways he couldn’t describe.

Richie slowly, carefully, rested his head on Eddie’s shoulder while they approached the playground section of the patch, ready for any sign of disgust or hesitation, but none ever came. Eddie simply pressed his head gently on his and continued to walk until they made it to the seesaws. They walked slowly, and Richie wondered if Eddie was savoring each step like he was.

Finally, Eddie let go, and it took everything in Richie to not throw a fit about it.

“I bet you a king-sized Snickers I can send you flying off your ass!” Eddie yelled, running to one of the seats on the seesaws.

“You’re on, Eds! But I’d be careful about what you bet, your mom says I’ve got a pretty good grip.” He said, winking as he sat down.

It took him a second, but he realized what he said actually made zero sense; his mom would be the one with grip, not him. When he looked up at Eddie, his smile was wider than he had seen it all day. Richie felt a smile grow on his face, and soon, they were laughing so hard together that they could barely push their legs off the ground.

********

The sun was starting to make its way down the sky, and the horizon swirled with oranges, pinks, and lavenders.

The losers had been at the pumpkin patch all day. They rode horses, they jumped on haybales and laughed when Stan was too scared to make the jump that he slid off altogether. They ate popcorn and got hot chocolate. They played minigolf and raced down the crazy slides. They met up with another group of teens and played a few volleyball matches. They even sat and watched a live band while they quietly mocked the performers.

But when the day was coming to an end, their last stop was the actual pumpkin patch.

There was a huge section at the farthest end of the patch where all the pumpkins were. It was still early in October, so all the good pumpkins were still up for grabs, and many of them had grown bigger than three of their heads put together! There were lines and lines of pumpkins, all different colors and shapes. Some were lumpy, some were white, some were deformed and looked slightly penile, which Richie wasted no time pointing out.

They walked through the pumpkins, picking them up and checking them for spots and mold and blah blah blah. Honestly, Richie preferred the messed-up ones. They were more fun, and they would look extra creepy when they were carved. He picked up one that was mostly orange, except for a decent sized spot towards the bottom that was completely molded and gooey and disgusting. He looked around and was pleased to see that Eddie was only a few feet away from him. No one else would pick this pumpkin, and it wasn’t right to waste it.

“Hey Eds! Can you hold this pumpkin for me?”

Eddie looked up, raising both eyebrows, “That’s a pretty good one, Rich.”

“Yeah, but it’s still a maybe, could you hold it for a sec while I look at this other one I found?”

Eddie rolled his sweater sleeves up and held his hands out. Richie was holding by the side and the stem, and when he gave it to Eddie, his right hand grabbed right onto the mold spot, squishing into it like it were slime.

“Ew! What the fuck!” Eddie yelled, dropping the pumpkin. Richie nearly exploded with laughter.

“You disgusting little shit!”

“Don’t worry, Eds, doesn’t penicillin come from mold?” Richie asked, wiping a tear.

“That’s from bread, you dickwad!”

Eddie looked back down at the pumpkin on the ground, and Richie noticed a small, mischievous little smile. He bent down and started tearing into the mold and grabbing handfuls of green and orange colored goop from inside the melon. He grabbed as much as his hands could hold and started bolting for Richie.

“Oh shit!”

Richie started running, hopping over pumpkins and sticks and twigs and even a toddler at one point. But his mission was cut short when his foot got trapped in a vine, sending him face first on the ground.

He quickly rolled around, and before he could even process what was happening, Eddie was on top of him, straddling him while he held the pumpkin guts in his hands.

Even though they were having fun, and all of this was surely innocent and friendly and whatever, Richie couldn’t help but feel a little hot. He was sitting right on top of Richie, his face only a few inches from his, with an evil little smile on his face. The butterflies had quickly turned into a tornado in his stomach, and his heart was beating so hard and fast that he could hear it in his ears. He couldn’t help himself from imagining if they were in Richie’s bedroom, in this same position, and maybe a little less clothing on.

Eddie spoke, snapping him out of his fairytale before it went too far.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t slather your face with all this goop.” He said, holding the pumpkin guts right over Richie’s head.

“Uh, ‘cause I’m your best friend?”

Eddie sighed, “Not good enough, I’m afraid.”

“Because my glasses might break?”

“You’ve broken them before.”

Eddie’s hands were centimeters away from Richie’s face now. He started squirming until he finally blurted out, “Because I was going to ask if you wanted to do a group costume together!”

Eddie froze, tilting his head, “Really?”

“Yeah, I was going to wait to ask until I thought of a few ideas, but I was going to see if you wanted to do a duo costume, just me and you.”

Eddie’s smile grew wider, and after considering it for a moment, he lifted his hands and threw the pumpkin guts to the side, wiping his hands on his jeans as he stood up.

“Okay, but I get to have the final say. I can’t trust that you won’t pick something stupid.” He said, holding his hand for Richie to grab.

“Deal!” Richie said, grabbing his hand.

And while Eddie’s hands were still damp and sticky, Richie didn’t let go of it immediately. This wasn’t a date, and Richie’s fall mission of flirting wasn’t exactly in session, but sometimes you just can’t plan for these things. So, Richie kept Eddie’s hands in his for just a few moments, and to his surprise, Eddie didn’t let go.

Not only that, but it was Richie who had to be the one to let go when they caught up with the rest of the losers.

Chapter Text

Richie Tozier had no fucking idea how he was going to make Eddie Kasprak his boyfriend before Halloween. It was fucking ridiculous. Richie was not only deeply in the closet and the attic and the basement, but he also always talked about banging Eddie’s mom and bragged about how many threesomes he had with the girls from other schools. Of course, they were all jokes, but he never once gave any inclination that he was gay. Also, he wasn’t even sure Eddie was gay. He might be completely straight, and then this whole mission will just go right down the fucking toilet.

But he could be. It wasn’t completely impossible. Over the years, Richie had noticed (because he notices everything about Eddie) that he was well kept. He blamed that mostly on his mother, who was constantly on him about diseases and staying clean and scrubbing his skin until it was raw and blah blah blah. But he wasn’t just clean, he was groomed. His hair was always brushed, his breath was always minty, and even his nails were trimmed and cleaned. He didn’t think he had a single hang nail or chip. More obviously, the way he smelled was more than just clean. He always had such a sweet, sugary smell from him, similar to what he smelled at the pumpkin patch. Not sweet like candy, but a natural sweet, like honey. Something Eddie must have in his daily routine that made Richie want to give him tattoo kisses.

And of course, there was the fact that they were best friends. They were closer to each other than any of the other losers. He had noticed every single time that Eddie had only gotten him an ice cream, or decided to stand next to him rather than Stan or Bill, or the fact that he only bickered with him and no one else. It was a special bond.

But of course, Eddie could be acting innocent in all of this. However, there was the fact that neither of them had ever had girlfriends. Obviously, Richie hadn’t had one because he is very gay. He knew how to put up an act. He joked about fucking, and he kept dirty magazines in his room, and he made sure to “flirt” with girls when the other losers were around. Never going as far as dating them, but he figured it was enough to keep up appearances. Eddie, on the other hand, never did anything with girls. He didn’t talk about them, didn’t talk to them, and Richie had never even caught him glancing at a girl’s ass or her boobs. His eyes avoided them like it was something bad.

Richie had honestly never asked Eddie about girls. He supposed a very large and aching part of him knew it was because he didn’t want to know. He didn’t want to get jealous for no fucking reason and say something to make Eddie mad, in the not cute way, and expose the real reason like he was acting like a fool, again, not in the cute way. Adversely, Eddie had never asked him about that either. It was just never something that came up, and he wondered if that was abnormal. Aren’t guy friends supposed to talk about girls? Or does it not work like that because he’s gay?

But Richie does want to talk about everything else with Eddie. Even things he wouldn’t share with other people.

Basically, Eddie has to be gay, or else Richie is going to be roommates with Henry Bowers.

Which is why today had to be perfect. He figured since he had just mentioned it four days ago, that going shopping for their Halloween costumes could be seen as perfectly reasonable and innocent. Except that Richie had to make it a little romantic. What could he do to suggest his feelings without saying them? Hold the door open for him? Pay for everything? Push him a little when they walk on the sidewalk? Did any of that count? Would they be noticeable? Did Eddie notice things like Richie did? He would have to, with how much he notices dirt on his shoes. He felt overwhelmed with how many ways this could go sideways, but he realized he was being too quiet, something that Eddie always picks up on.

“I was thinking we could do something from a movie or a show. Something popular where everyone will know who we are. We could be Bert and Ernie, or we could be Shaggy and Scooby? I’m Shaggy of course, because you’re so little. I could walk you around with a little leash and feed you Scooby snacks. What? You’re no fun. Or we could be Kermit and Fozzy. Or Kermit and Piggy! But you’re Piggy. You’d look so cute, cute, cute in a little dress.” Richie said, circling Eddie with his bike while they cycled down the street towards town, smiling at Eddie’s absolute disdain for his suggestions.

“Thank fuck I’m the one who’s picking.”

“What the fuck? Okay, how about Kermit and Scooter? Oh my God, what about Gonzo and his little chicken wife?” Richie said, excitedly. He wondered if Eddie noticed his emphasis on them doing a couple’s costume. Not that he necessarily wanted to do that, but it was sort of his way of saying, “I want people to know we’re together.”

“No, Richie, I don’t want to dress like a fucking chicken.”

“Throw me a bone here! I’m the only one giving suggestions!”

Eddie sighed, “I don’t know. I want us to pick something that’s iconic. Something where people look at us and know we’re supposed to be together.”

“Be together?”

“Yeah, like you wouldn’t really know what we were apart, but together, everyone knows who we are, and they know our costumes go together, ya know?”

“Oh, yeah, I know.” Richie couldn’t think of anything to say, which is something only Eddie could do to him. Instead, he changed the subject for the time being.

“You, uhm,” he began, doing his best to say this in a not gay way even though he totally is, “You, your hair looks…different.”

He silently cursed himself. That is so not what he was going for. He could have said like, anything else! He could have said his hair looked nice, or his outfit looked nice, or he could have asked if he was wearing new jeans.

“Oh, yeah,” Eddie smiled, shyly, running a hand through his scalp, “I’ve been growing it out a little bit. Does it look stupid?”

“No! Not at all! I like it! I mean, I prefer it. I think you should keep growing it out. It suits you.”

“Thanks, Rich,” he said quietly, “Mom said it was stupid.”

Richie frowned at that. His mother really had a way of having a bad influence on Eddie’s feelings.

“Why? Is Norma Bates worried that you’re going to have girls all over you?”

“Pfft, no,” Eddie started, “She said I’ll get lice and that it’ll be harder to shampoo, and it’ll just end up smelling and looking like shit.”

“Damn, she must hate my hairdo, then.”

Richie hated the idea of Sonia saying that stuff to him. It’s been a constant storm cloud over their friend group since they met Eddie. Richie was always the one with normal parents. They made sure to feed him, they never dogged on him about where he went or what he was doing, and they surely never made comments about his appearance. It made him feel sick.

“I don’t.” Eddie said, shrugging.

Richie felt his heart skip a beat. He looked at Eddie, and instead of ruining the moment with his trashmouth, he just smiled.

“Eddie.” He said, after a few moments.

“Hmm?”

“I really hate your mom.”

Eddie let a little puff of air out of his nose, a mixture of a sigh and a laugh, “That’s okay, she hates you too.”

“And I think she hates you.” Richie said, lowly.

Eddie let out a sigh, “No, she loves me, in her own way.”

“That doesn’t make it any better.” Richie said, coldly. He glanced over at Eddie, who was looking down, brows furrowed, and he wasn’t sure if he was sad, mad, or anxious. He immediately regretted it.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t bud in.”

“No, no,” Eddie said, looking up, “I like you budding in. It helps. I can’t really talk about it with anyone else.”

“What about the other losers? They know the wrath of Sonia Kasprak as much as I do.”

“But they don’t know me like you do.” Eddie responded, barely audible, but Richie heard it, and he smiled.

“Well, one day I’m going to get you out of there.”

“Oh yeah? How?” Eddie looked over at him, doubtful.

“College, duh! I’m not letting you let that big ol’ noggin go to waste!” Richie said, attempting to lighten the mood. And he did, because that’s what he does best.

Eddie smiled cheekily, “You think you’re getting into college?”

Richie scoffed, “Um, excuse me! I make better grades than you!”

“Yeah, but you’re annoying as hell, I doubt they’d even let you through the door.”

Richie mumbled an “asshole” under his breath, which got them both laughing and struggling to stay balanced on their bikes. He lived for moments like this. Bickering, throwing insults, but never actually getting insulted because it was all good fun. He good imagine just how much fun they’d have together as roommates in college.

As they continued to cycle down the street, they passed up a bunch of little, local Derry shops that had put up Halloween decorations. The pharmacy had pumpkins out front, there was a boutique with skeleton’s acting as mannequins, and there was a coffee shop with a hand-made werewolf by the door.

“AAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOH!” Richie howled.

Eddie giggled, and began howling with him, both in sync and doing it at the top of their lungs.

Then, Richie started humming along to a song that Eddie thought sounded familiar, “What is that song?”

“Werewolves of London, duh!”

Eddie laughed, and it was music to Richie’s ears. Richie started to sing the words out loud, and Eddie joined in, doing a little duet as they closed in on the costume shop.

“I saw a werewolf with a Chinese menu in his hand, walking through the streets of Soho and Claridge!”

“He’s looking for a place to be a hobo, to get himself a plate of beef chow mien!”

They finally arrived at the costume store. It was just a generic little building that said “COSTUMES’’ out front, but it only came around seasonally. The rest of the year it was just a rental store. The boys parked their bikes and wandered in, smiles widening at all the décor.

“Wow! They really did it up this year!” Richie exclaimed.

The place was done up with walls of costumes, masks, accessories, props like swords and knives, big displays that went in your yard, little do-nothings like “vampire blood scented candles” and spiderweb decorations.

“Man, I could live here!” Richie said.

Eddie looked at him, smiling, “Well, on the off chance that you get into college, we could totally make our room look like a house of horrors.”

Richie shot around to him, making sure he heard right, “Seriously?”

“Yeah dude, that’d be fucking awesome. Besides, I know you’d love it.” He responded, patting his back before walking away to the costumes. Richie stood there for a moment, still feeling the warmth of his hand even after it left. He didn’t know why it affected him so much but knowing that Eddie thought about rooming together was enough to make his heart stop.

Eddie whipped around after taking a few steps, “You coming?”

Richie nodded quickly, jogging to where Eddie was and walked side by side (Richie could save the sulking and the longing for his nighttime routine). They started going through the bags of costumes. Eddie would look at one, analyze it, and put it back, not considering any of them to be good enough for them. Richie, on the other hand, would hold up every costume he thought was funny and make puppy dog eyes as Eddie rolled his eyes.

“I’m not dressing as a penis.”

“Buzzkill.” Richie mumbled, going back to the mission of trying to find the perfect costume. While Richie was honestly going to let Eddie take the reigns on this one, since that’s what they agreed upon last week, he spent his time dicking around and looking at everything. He always loved messing around with the machetes that had the blood in it that would disappear when you held it up. He also liked touching all the rubber masks and curling his nose at how weird they felt, especially the Leatherface one. Then his eyes wandered to a hockey mask, and he got an idea.

He looked around, making sure Eddie wasn’t around, and quickly put the mask on. Then, he grabbed a machete and slowly made his way around the corner of the wall. Eddie was still by the costumes, flicking through them like they were records and going so fast that he surely wouldn’t even know what he was looking at. Richie walked slowly behind him, holding the machete up and waiting for Eddie to feel his presence, and he did, because he quickly turned around, and jumped back at the sight of him.

“Holy shit!” Eddie exclaimed, stumbling backwards and losing his footing.

Richie quickly reached forward, catching Eddie under his arms and just barely keeping him from falling on his ass. Eddie was stiff at first but then relaxed into his hold as he realized what had happened. He reached for the mask and ripped it off Richie’s face, looking pointedly at him but not able to hide the smile creeping on his face. Richie continued to pull him up, letting him stand on his own two feet, despite his aching soul pleading to keep touching him.

“I got you good there, didn’t I Eds?”

Eddie pushed him with the mask in hand, “Doofus.”

“You love me.”

“Against my better judgment.” He said, turning around.

Holy shit. Richie could melt.

“You find anything good while you were dicking around?”

Richie cleared the lump in his throat, “Eh, everything’s so generic and overdone. I want to be creative.”

“Yeah, same here.”

Then suddenly, Eddie gasped, holding up a costume with the words “mad scientist” plastered on top. The picture had a man with crazy white-grey hair, a white lab coat, and funny little glasses holding whatever those science things are that kind of look like bongs.

“This is perfect!” Eddie exclaimed.

“You’re going to have to dumb it down for the trashmouth.” Richie said, raising his eyebrow exaggeratedly to show his confusion.

“What if we were Doc and Marty! You know, from Back to the Future?”

“Oh!” Richie said, dropping the machete and taking the costume in his hands, looking it over, “Which one of us is which?”

“Oh, you’re definitely Doc.”

“Killer,” Richie said, smiling, “This sounds really cool, but what about your half?”

Eddie shrugged, “We could go shopping around. I mean, all he wears is jeans, a jean jacket, a button up underneath maybe, and that orange vest.”

Richie takes a second, looking over the costume and debating on whether or not he should suggest what he’s about to suggest, but then he remembered the whole reason he was here.

Be a man, Tozier.

“You know, I have some of that. I have a jacket, and I also think I probably have a white button-up in there somewhere. We’ll have to go looking for a vest, though.”

“Really? You’d let me borrow your stuff?”

“Of course, but don’t tell anyone, only you’re allowed to go snooping in my closet.” Richie replied, pointing a finger at him.

Eddie smiled, one of those grateful, admiring smiles that Richie adored, and topped it with a little giggle that was music to his ears. Eddie went to grab the costume out of Richie’s hands, but he dodged him.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Eddie cocked his head, confused, “I was going to go pay for it.”

“No, no, no,” Richie said, shaking his head and walking to the front of the store, “Not on my watch.”

Richie continued to walk, fishing his wallet out of his pocket when he felt a familiar arm around his back.

“Thanks, Rich. Can I owe you a hot chocolate?”

“I’d never turn you down.”

********

After spending their afternoon searching for their costumes, they were finally back at the Tozier house, ready to try on what they bought. After the costume store, they had gone to several shops to look for a vest but didn’t have any luck. That is, until they tried out a run-down thrift store on their way home and found one that was almost identical. It was a little big on Eddie, but Richie liked it that way. It made him look so cute, and of course, Eddie attempted to pay for it himself. Key word: attempted.

They arrived at the Tozier house at around seven o’clock with their goodies. They were greeted as soon as they walked in by Richie’s mom, who was wearing an apron and wiping her hands on a towel.

“Hello, Eddie! It’s so nice to see you!”

“Hi Mrs. Tozier, is it okay if I stay for a bit?” Eddie asked, walking in.

“Of course! Are you hungry? I’m making tortilla soup!” she asked, walking towards the kitchen.

“Sure Mom, just call us when it’s ready.” Richie asked, leading Eddie up the stairs to his room.

“You boys have fun!”

They went up the stairs and into Richie’s room, which, to his disappointment, hadn’t magically cleaned itself from this morning. Richie had spent an embarrassing amount of time rummaging through his closet and trying to pick out his outfit. He was hoping Eddie wouldn’t notice the mountain of shirts in the corner of his room.

Richie sat their things on the bed while Eddie went straight for the closet, picking through his clothes. Richie felt warm in his chest. He imagined how life would be, them setting groceries on the counter and Eddie going through their shared closet in their shared room. He smiled to himself.

“I found them!” Eddie exclaimed, taking the jacket and button-up out of the closet.

Richie grabbed his costume and made way for the door, “Okay, you try on your shit in here and I’ll go to the bathroom.”

“How will you know when I’m done?” Eddie asked, with a smirk.

Holy shit, was he flirting now???

And Richie, because he’s an idiot and because Eddie is his weakness, turned and left the room without saying anything. And he cursed himself all the way to the bathroom.

After he put on his white lab coat, wig, and crazy scientist glasses, he walked out of his bathroom and knocked on the door to his room.

“Done!”

Richie walked in, and if he were dumb, he’d think his eyes had turned into literal hearts.

Eddie looked so fucking cute. All of the clothes were just a little big on him, but he did his best to tuck it into his jeans and Richie could see just how slim his little waste was and how plump his ass was. He told himself he shouldn’t look, but he couldn’t take his eyes away. Especially not, after knowing that he was in his clothes. His scent was on Eddie, and he hoped that on Halloween, people might ask him if he’s wearing Richie Tozier’s clothes.

“Wow, Rich! You look cool as shit!”

Richie snapped himself out of his perverted gaze, matching his eyes, “Me? What about you!”

Eddie looked down at his outfit, smiling shyly, “Stop.”

“I won’t!” He said, walking closer, “You really pulled it off! We’re going to look bitchin’ on Halloween.”

“Well, really it was you that pulled it off, it was your clothes and your money.”

“An artist is only so great as his muse.”

Eddie looked up at Richie’s eyes, and for a moment, his eyes glanced downward, and a panicked feeling rose in him as he realized that Eddie was looking at his mouth. They were standing closer now, and Richie could swear that Eddie was inching forward. Was this the moment? Had Richie done enough? Was it finally going to happen?

Eddie was getting closer now, and although he wished he were bolder, Richie stayed frozen in place. Anxiety flushed over him but welcoming whatever Eddie was thinking. He’d let Eddie do whatever he wanted to him.

They were centimeters away now and getting closer.

“Boys!” Richie’s mom yelled, “Dinner is ready!”

Richie and Eddie both jumped at the sound, grabbing their arms and whipping their heads to the door, as if they had been walked in on. As if they had done something bad. Had they? Were they about to kiss? It sure fucking seemed like it to Richie, and now, he was more pissed at his mother than he had been in his entire life.

“COMING!” Richie yelled, Eddie jumped.

Richie looked at him, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck, “Hungry?”

“Starved.” Eddie said with a laugh that sounded ingenuine, but he led the way out of the room.

And Richie followed, face-palming all the way down the stairs.