the chapter we've all been waiting for (maybe)
october ❀ age 16-17
the following monday was awkward.
for eddie and richie at least.
eddie sat on the lunch table, trying to avoid richie's gaze. and he would be lying if he said it wasn't difficult. because it really was. especially when richie had eddie pressed down against the counter a couple days ago. eddie could still feel richie's lips on his and he didn't want to lose that feeling.
his mother had forbid him from talking to richie. of course eddie was going to talk to richie anyways...right? at least that's what he thought, until he realized sonia would find out. she's apart of the school's parents' association. she'd find out easily.
eddie didn't want to take that risk. maybe sonia would made eddie move across the country and he'd never see richie again.
eddie snapped out of his thoughts, bringing his gaze up from his food to look at richie, who immediately looked away.
"should we go camping?" mike suddenly asked.
everyone got quiet.
"on october? mike, it's pretty cold out there" bev shivered at the thought of cold wind.
"nonsense. it's the perfect weather. not too hot, not too cold. c'mon. halloween is coming up in two weeks. we could tell ghost stories and really get into the mood" mike suggested, looking around the table. "well? anyone?"
"i've always wanted to go camping" ben shrugged. bev sighed frustrated. "fine. but only because ben's coming"
"great! how about stan and bill? richie and eddie?"
"yeah sure sure" stan shook his hand towards the others while trying to aim pieces of a candy bar into bill's mouth.
the others looked at them a bit weirded out. "right...so how about richie and eddie? you two in?"
"when should we go?" eddie asked.
"this friday?" mike asked.
"yeah, i'm free" richie said.
"i'm free too" eddie sighed. "but I'm only coming because ben makes the best smores"
"dude, smores are just chocolate and a marshmallow between two cookies. who couldn't make them?" richie chuckled a little.
eddie gave him a weird look, richie lifting his brow in a questioning way.
"so everyone's coming. this is fantastic. now we have to share tents" mike clapped his hands. "Ben and bev are probably in the same tent"
bev nodded and kissed ben's cheek, the other blushing a bit.
"and stan and bill?" mike lifted a brow.
neither of the boys replied, while they giggled as a piece of the candybar bounced against stan's forehead.
"guys!" bev exclaimed harshly, stan and bill flinching and looked at the others. "what?"
"are you sleeping in the same tent or can I crash in with you two?" mike asked.
bill glanced at stan, who nodded. "yeah, you can come in the same tent, but only if you have a big enough tent. bill sleeps pretty widely"
"yeah, you would know" richie smirked.
"i have a tent for three people, calm down" mike rolled his eyes. "and then richie and eddie sleeps in the same tent, perfec-"
"woah, what?" eddie laughed nervously. "richie and I?"
"yes? got a problem with that?" mike asked, genuinely surprised.
"I just..." eddie looked at richie who had a sad expression on his face. "i just thought...."
"yes?" ben lifted his brows.
"nothing...it's...fine" eddie shook his head.
when the lunch break was over, eddie almost ran to his locker, needing to get away from richie and the awkward tension between them.
he arrived to his locked, opened it and shoved his head inside. he let out a breath and shut his eyes for a moment.
maybe he should talk to the devil himself...maybe his mother wouldn't find out
"what's the matter with you?" he heard a low voice behind him. eddie didn't need to make too many guesses to know that richie was behind him.
eddie looked out of the locker, seeing richie leaning onto the other lockers, hands crossed over his chest.
"what do you mean?" eddie shook his head and began getting his bio books from his locker.
"what do you- are you serious eddie? you're acting all weird" richie laughed unamused. "i don't get you"
"I don't get you either. you make jokes like we're old buddies there, when in reality, we were about to....until my mom bust in and told you to never talk to us again" eddie closed his locker and looked up at richie.
"well here I am. talking to you" richie spread his arms a little bit.
"yeah, well maybe you shouldn't" eddie was about to walk pass richie, but the other made it to grab his hand.
"no. i'm not doing this again. you can't allow your mom to do every decision for you." richie whined, while eddie looked desperately up at him. "tell me eddie, do you regret what happened?"
"...not until my mom came home" eddie said bluntly making richie nod. "so don't let her ruin this for us"
"us? when did you and I become us?" eddie laughed a little.
"since we were four" richie stated.
"whatever, richie...I really need to go" eddie shook his head and richie let go of his arm, looking how the other one walked away.
he really needed to fix this, and he might just know how.
the boy with the glasses smoothened his white button up a bit. he tugged his tie slightly and gripped the rose bouquet in his hands, until hitting his knuckles against the door of the kaspbrak house.
he heard footsteps get closer, until the door opened, revealing sonia kaspbrak in her floral dress. as soon as she saw richie, she was about to shut the door, but richie made it to put his feet against the door. he pushed it back open and gave a desperate look at sonia.
"please ms K" he said calmly.
"what the hell do you want?" sonia hissed and opened the door a bit.
"I understand you feel protective over eddie and I'm not expecting you to ever approve him the way he is...or the fact that he likes to wear skirts...not even mentioning about the fact that he'd perhaps like a person like me. but eddie being gay doesn't make him any less son to you as he was before. he's always been like that...deep down. and you loved him before, and you still do. you're just blinded by disgust to embrace the love you have towards him.
and I know I've been a trashmouth ever since birth. and I know I really am not someone who you'd want to hang out with your son, but...I really do like eddie. and if it takes me the rest of my life to try and have him, that's what I'm willing to do.
just, please, let me try and give eddie a chance to live his life the way he wants to." richie spoke softly, making sonia's angry expression turn into somewhat sad one. her eyebrows were still furrowed, but her eyes were slightly glistening.
"what are the roses for?" she asked quietly, nodding towards the rose bouquet in richie's hands.
"these, actually are for you. it's an apology for all the dumb shit i've done these past years." richie smiled and gave the roses to sonia, who hesitantly took them.
"let me please take your son out?" richie asked carefully. a silence fell over the two.
sonia looked so shocked over everything that had happened. she simply didn't know what to say.
for the first time, she didn't feel so uncomfortable about the fact that her own son was gay. it wasn't, like richie had said, something what she'd ever completely approve, but maybe she could live with it.
without replying, sonia shut the door in front of richie, leaving the tall boy alone on the porch, eyes widening. tears were brimming in his waterline.
sonia just declined his offer. and he put this suit on for nothing. for getting reject by a monster, who had to be eddie's mother.
richie waiter for a moment, staring at the door. eventually he let out a sigh and turned around, about to walk back to his car and drive away, maybe drown himself on the go.
but then, he heard the door open behind him. "just where do you think you're going?"
richie turned around to look at eddie who was dressed in a light yellow button of, tugged into his highwaist black jeans with cuffed ends.
"mom told me you wanted to take me out..."
richie let out a breathy laugh and opened his arms a bit, where eddie then ran, hugging him. he wrapped his arms around richie's waist and pressed his head against his chest. "you really did that, richie"
"yeah...i really dressed up for the first time" richie smiled and earned a little hit on the shoulder. "you know what I mean. you made my mom's head turn"
"hey, what happened to you calling her 'mommy'?" richie lifted a brow, while grabbing eddie's hand and leading them to his car. "that was kinda cute"
"only little kids say 'mommy'" eddie rolled his eyes as richie opened a door for him.
richie smiled and walked over to his side. but before he began driving, he took a good look at eddie, who began getting a tint of red on his cheeks.
"what?" he asked tugging his hair behind his ear.
"nothing. you just look really beautiful" richie grinned.
eddie rolled his eyes and looked out of the window and heard richie start the car and drive away. "where are we going?"
"it's a surprise" richie smirked and gave a short glance at eddie to take in his beautiful features.
"it's monday night. monday is the least attractive day to go on a date" eddie said to richie, who only smiled. "yes, meaning that there won't be a lot of people"
"is it a place where I should suit up?" eddie asked scared.
"Nope. it's actually better if you're wearing more comfortable clothes. I just wanted to make a good impression on your mother" richie chuckled.
"and you look pretty good in a suit too" eddie pointed out.
"are you kidding me? I'm hot as fuck" richie exclaimed, making eddie giggle. "you're so lucky to go on a date with me"
"i'm only surprised you asked this late"
"oh and like you couldn't ask me out"
"I had no idea what'd we do" eddie defended. "i was gonna, but I just-"
"okay, take it easy wheezy" richie smirked and ruffled eddie's hair without looking at him.
"oh be careful. with those kind of nicknames you're losing the privileges to take me on a date" eddie pointed hi finger at richie, who lifted his other hand up in defense. "sorry suga"
"that's better" eddie said satisfied.
"yeah, you're into praising" richie chuckled lowly. eddie almost choked on his spit. "uhm, no i'm not"
"so what, degrading then?" richie lifted a brow, genuinely surprised and curious.
"no, shut up" eddie got red. "stop ruining the moments with your gross kinks"
"I'm not the one with the kinks"
"yeah right" eddie huffed and crossed his arms.
richie smiled until parking on a parking lot, sighing and looked over at eddie. "well, we're here, pretty one"
"roller skating?!" eddie gasped. "richie, I don't know how"
"it's a high time to learn. come on, i'll teach you" richie walked to eddie's side and opened the door before eddie could even blink. he held out a hand for eddie, which the other took.
"such a gentleman" eddie curtsied a bit as he was standing in front of richie.
"anything for my princess" richie smiled and kissed eddie's knuckles.
"stop referring to me as princess or i'm going to hit you" eddie warned, but there was a hint in eddie's voice that he kinda enjoyed being called that.
richie locked his car and walked with eddie to the doors, pushing them open and almost letting eddie in, before grabbing him back.
"no wait. let me check there's no one with a knife or something" richie said and peeked in from the doors until nodding and letting eddie walk in. "it's clear"
"a knife? what?" eddie laughed.
"you do know that back in the days when the other let their buddy go in first from the door, that was just a test that if on the other side was the enemy, the enemy would kill the friend first" richie told eddie, who smirked fondly. "so you were making sure nobody tried to kill me?"
"yeah, of course" richie pushed eddie forwards from his back towards the counter. "i mean, it'd suck if you got stabbed on our first date"
eddie shook his head a bit and looked from the side as richie paid the roller skates and then gave eddie the white ones with pink lines and wheels. he, himself got ones with green lines and wheels.
then eddie led them to a bench to put them on.
and as the two were slipping them on, eddie let out a breathy laugh. "you know, red and green are opposite colors...and opposites attract right?"
richie looked up at eddie, until standing up and holding out his hand for the shorter to take it. "c'mon"
"i'm scared" eddie looked behind them the rollerskating track, where people were doing what kind of tricks.
"it's okay. I won't let you fall" richie nodded, reaching his hand out more. eddie sighed and grabbed it, wobbling a bit as he stood on the wheels, but richie grabbed his waist and held him up. "there we go"
"I swear if you let me trip" eddie mumbled as richie pulled them on the track, holding onto eddie's hand. as they were on the floor, richie turned around and grabbed both of eddie's small hands.
"look at me and not the floor" richie nodded and began pulling eddie with him, while skaing backwards. "you got this, eds"
"shit shit shit" eddie bit his lips as he glanced down at his wobbly legs.
"no, my eyes are up here" richie chuckled. eddie looked up into richie's eyes, trying to ignore that he was sliding against a slightly slippery floor.
"there you go" richie nodded. "now start moving your legs. one at a time, to the side"
eddie carefully did as richie told, finding that it wasn't that hard. he smiled as it became easier. it warmed richie's heart, seeing that small smile on eddie's lips.
"you're doing it. okay, i'm going to let go now" richie warned and slowly began letting go of eddie's hands.
"No no no no don't" eddie pleaded, searching for richie's hands, but the taller one had already pulled his hands away. "you're perfectly fine, eds. i'm right here"
eddie nodded, scared, yet willing to try. so, he moved his legs carefully, getting more confident each second.
and by the end of the night, he was rollerskating like he'd been doing that for years. he did have moments when he almost fell, but everytime, richie had caught him. and if that's not enough, richie held eddie's hand every second he got.
eddie looked so beautiful when his brunette hair caught in the wind a bit and how his eyes sparkled in the neon lights. richie truly enjoyed what he was seeing. and not even in a sexual way. he thought eddie was so beautiful, that it was unrealistic.
"you're staring again" eddie smiled as they were exiting the track to take off the skates.
"you're making it sound like staring is a bad thing" richie scoffed playfully. "I'm simply to watching and looking how amazingly beautiful you are"
"that loses it's touch soon" eddie said.
"no it won't. you always like it when I call you beautiful" richie grinned and waited for eddie to untie his other rollerskate.
"well yeah but..." eddie whined a bit and looked up at richie, who gave him a smug look. "but...you're beautiful too?"
"aw thank you" richie put a hand on his heart. eddie grinned and grabbed his skates after putting on his regular sneakers.
they returned them on the counter and headed towards the diner which was a part of the roller skating place.
"I was going to take you out on a fancy dinner after this, but I'm so hungry I can't wait any longer. I hope you like junk food" richie groaned in hunger as they stopped on the end of the short line for the counter.
"I love any food as long as I get to eat it with you" eddie said and looked around for good spots, hitting his eyes on the booth near a window.
"next"
richie pulled eddie from his sleeve with him, since the other one was so caught up with his own thoughts so he didn't see that the line had moved.
and so the two made the order and took the tray with a number on it, meaning the workers would bring the food on the table.
"this night was great, richie" eddie sighed as he sat on the booth. "although my feet are burden"
"that's what rollerskating does, little one" richie shrugged and looked at eddie with fond eyes. "no, but don't worry, i'm going to take you out on some fancier place than a fast food restaurant"
"you don't have to. I love junk food" eddie said.
"who doesn't" richie let out a breathy laugh and felt eddie brushing his leg against richie's under the table. richie only gave eddie a smile, where the other replied with an even wider smile.
eddie hummed in a laugh-form. richie lifted a brow. "what?"
"we're on a date" eddie smiled softly and played with a napkin.
"yeah" richie nodded. "who would've thought"
"probably all of our friends?" eddie lifted a brow.
"yeah probably" richie hummed. "i mean, I didn't try to hide my crush on you"
"yeah you did a terrible job" eddie let out a breathy laugh.
"oh don't think you were very good either, 'mr-I-love-yogurt'" richie said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
"but I do" eddie tilted his head. "I do love yogurt and that's not a secret"
"yeah, of course I love yogurt too. it's so soft"
"yeah and lovable" eddie added.
"and tasty" richei winked.
eddie choked on his spit. "jesus fuck richie"
-
a/n
guys, stop hating on my christmas carols. I just like singing them :( if I see someone telling me to stop singing them, i'm going to get really sad again