"I don't know what I'm going to do, Rich." Eddie spoke up from where he sat on Richie's bed. Comic books were scattered everywhere along with dirty clothes, and every once in a while Eddie would spot a Playвoy sticking out from somewhere.
Richie was placed over his window, a lit cigarette in his hand. "What do you mean?" He asked, but he knew well enough.
"My mom." Eddie explained. "If I go back, she'll punish me even more, but if I stay here, she'll call the police or something."
Richie took one last drag of his cigarette before smashing it on his windowsill and throwing it out. He then made his way over to the chestnut haired boy and wrapped his arms around his waist. "We'll figure something out. I promise you."
"You smell like smoke," Eddie laughed, then spoke up more seriously. "Richie."
"Hm?" Richie hummed.
"What about us?" Eddie asked, looking down.
"What about us?" Richie dug his nose into the crook of Eddie's neck.
"Well, I mean...have you thought about putting a label on us yet?"
Richie went silent for a moment then spoke up, loosening his grip on the small boy's waist slightly.
"I wanna be with you Ed's, like- boyfriends. That sounds weird, I know, but I do."
Eddie shifted his body around to look at the tall lanky boy, the smell of cigarette smoke drifting off of him heavily. Richie didn't smoke often, only when he was immensely stressed or anxious or bored. Beverly would usually be where he got them from, having her steal a box of Marlborough's from the Center Street Drug Store where Mr. Norbert Keene worked. He'd take any brand of cigarettes he could get, but Marlborough's were in particular his best bet.
"I wanna be with you too, Richie." Eddie responded. "But I don't know how it would work. You know how Derry is. Even if two boys hug for a second too long you get beat up and-and thrown over a bridge or something!" Eddie threw his arms up just to put them back down again.
"Hey, we'll make it work, don't worry." Richie assuaged, fondling Eddie's cheek with his thumb. "That is, if you want it to."
"No, no...I do want it to work." Eddie quickly countered back, fidgeting with his hands. "I'm just scared the others will find out."
"Ben already knows about me." Richie spoke up suddenly, surprising Eddie.
"What do you mean?" Eddie grilled, a puzzled look moving to his face.
"He knows I'm, uh." Richie abruptly stopped himself mid-sentence. If he spoke what he meant to say, it would be the first time admitting to himself what he had always been afraid of. "He knows I'm gay."
Eddie's face blew up in shock at the words Richie muttered. "What do you mean he knows?"
"I told him, alright? He's the only one that knows and I knew I could trust him. I just gotta tell the others."
"If you tell the others, I also tell the others." Eddie said, snuggling deeper into Richie's chest.
AN: I promise chapter 18 will be better, I was tired writing this, okay 😭
