dogfight : reddie

gettin' gone

it's strange how something changes overnight

richie stood soberly, buttoning up the shirt to his uniform. eddie lied behind him, sleeping in the bed. richie turned to him, giving up on the top button.

eddie stirred and looked up to richie, "good morning," he mumbled, blinking several times.

"hey." richie said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. eddie crawled out from behind the blanket to sit next to him. 

"you get any sleep?" he asked, looking over richie's face. eddie seemed unashamed to be in only an undershirt and boxers now, no longer troubled by the sun lighting him up.

"barely. i guess i'm too riled up." richie fumbled with his fingers. eddie looked down to his uniform, then back to richie's face.

"today's the day, huh. they make you wear the uniform the whole way there?" eddie questioned, scooting forward to grasp richie's shirt. he began to button the top button.

"i think now i pretty much wear it all the time." richie replied, his hand sitting lightly on eddie's side. 

"ask me how my first date was," eddie said, backing away from richie, the top button done up neatly. richie smiled. "it was nice." eddie answered.

"yeah." richie commented sweetly.

"was i alright?" eddie asked, shameful. richie stroked eddie's hair softly. he kissed eddie's forehead.

"you were great." richie said, then admitted, "not that i got anything to compare it to." the two of them locked eyes, admitting things to each other. "i better go before your mom wakes up." richie stood up, and eddie rushed to his bedside table. 

he scribbled on a piece of paper, then handed it quickly to richie, "here's my address. when you get to where you're going, rich, you're going to tell me how to get in touch. i wanna write to you."

richie took the piece of paper, "me? sure thing, eds. thanks. that'd be great." he placed it in his back pocket, feeling it sit there, folded.

"keep it safe." eddie said, more a whisper than anything else. richie kissed him softly. his hands stayed on eddie's cheeks as long as they could before breaking away. eddie smiled at him.

-

richie walked up to bill and ben, noticeably keeping his hand in his back pocket. ben, annoyed, threw his hands up in the air like he was celebrating.

"bitchie! there you are." ben said, slinging an arm around richie as he got closer. richie felt his chest puff out and his attitude changed. 

"p-prodigal fuckin' son," bill remarked, watching richie gently remove his hand from his back pocket. 

ben jostled richie, "where the hell've you been, asshole?" 

richie began, raising his hands, "i know–"

"deserter!" ben cried.

"better be a g-guh-good story." bill said, his voice notably bitter.

"i'm sorry–" richie tried again.

"traitor!" ben howled.

"spit it out." bill pushed at richie. 

"okay, okay, but you gotta keep it down... 'cause she was married," richie finally gave in, feeling cocky. he grinned slyly, and ben jumped.

"she was married?! you fuck! don't leave anything out," ben was cruelly interested, and bill raised an eyebrow. 

"we're talking blonde, thirty-two, built like a–" richie continued, his hands gesturing what he didn't need to say aloud.

"thirty-tuh-two? what are you, some kinda grandma-fucker?" bill said, richie shaking his head in mock disbelief.

"if your grandma looked like this? you bet your ass." richie replied, and his smile got ben to relax.

"well, we had a pisser of a time. and since we know how to report when called, we got these too." ben said, rolling up his sleeve. there, on his arm, was a new tattoo.

"check it out, ben guh-guh-got yours for you. you owe us a damn b-bee." bill crossed his arms, and richie studied ben's bicep. there were two bees inked into his skin. richie whistled a sign of appreciation.

"three fuckin' bees," richie muttered, nodding.

"c'mon, fellas. gotta show 'em our new ink," ben motioned for the three of them to join the rest of the marines, standing further away. bill moved, but richie grabbed him by the shirt.

"go on, we're right behind ya," richie encouraged ben to move, and so he did, bill and richie standing alone.

"what's up?" bill raised an eyebrow.

"that toothless sack you took to the party? i know it was a set up." richie confronted bill, who shook his head.

"the hell you tuh-tuh–" bill began.

"don't bullshit me, i'm sick of it." richie seethed, close enough for bill to feel his hot breath on his face. bill grit his teeth.

"who t-tuh-tuh-told you?" 

"i just know." richie said flatly, bill nodding for a moment. in a quick moment, too quick for richie to stop him, bill reached into richie's back pocket, grasping the paper and pulling it out. "hey!" 

"what's this?" bill began to unfold it.

"gimme that," richie reached for it, but bill read it above richie's reach.

bill burst out laughing. it was a malicious laugh, and richie felt his throat close. "well, i'll b-buh-be! you think this is g-gonna keep you w-w-warm on the other side of the world?" bill threw the paper at richie, speaking directly, "you want the straight shit, tozier? that s-stuff don't matter where we're g-guh-going. this," he motioned to his tattoo as he rolled up his sleeve, "this is 'bout the only thing that does. that's why you ain't g-guh-gonna spill about me f-fixing that fight... and i ain't gonna tell n-nuh-nuh-nobody 'bout you spending the night with ed-duh-ddie." 

richie gulped. he shook his head in disbelief. "how'd we get to be so full of shit?" he asked.

bill grinned, grabbing his duffel bag next to him. 

"that's the thing about bullshit: you hit me with a little, i b-buy it. i hit you with a little, you eat it up. that duh-don't make us assholes. that makes us buddies." 

he marched off towards the rest of the marines, and richie looked down to the note. was bill right? when he was overseas, what did it matter? was bill right? did it matter more to learn or to fight? 

in one quick moment, richie ripped up the paper into pieces, them scattering around him in the san francisco wind. he ran to catch up with the sergeant leading drills.