coy ➳ Reddie

Eleven

"Eddie, wake up." Richie said.

Eddie opened his eyes. "Sorry. I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"It's fine. It's a Friday. I'm pretty sure we're all tired." Mike said, to which Eddie let out a sleepy chuckle.

"It's eight o'clock. We were gonna get some pizza. You hungry?" Ben asked.

Eddie nodded. "Yeah, a little."

"Okay. I had a slice before you guys came here, so I'm fine." Beverly said.

Eddie, Stan, Mike, Ben, and Bill walked into the kitchen and opened the cardboard box, each taking two slices, except for Eddie and Bill, who each took one. Eddie was a light eater, and Ben had almost come to his calorie limit for the day. They all walked back into the room where Beverly and Richie both were. They were having conversation from opposite sides of the couch, and Richie had changed positions so that his back was pressed against the armrest. The boys all sat down, and Eddie sat next to Richie, who opened his arms at him, obviously wanting the younger boy to cuddle with him the same way they had while watching Invasion Of The Body Snatchers.

Eddie let out a laugh. "Richie, I'm eating." 

Richie pouted, his lanky arms still outstretched, longingly. "Please, Eddie Bear?"

"I will after I'm done with my pizza. And don't call me Eddie Bear."

"Okay, fine. Then I'll call you Eddie Spaghetti. Deal?"

Eddie shook his head. "Beep beep, Richie."

"Yeah, beep beep." said Beverly, and the serene quiet of the room erupted into the laughter of the seven teens. When the room quieted down again, Bill cleared his throat.

"I-I'm really glad we're friends again. When we weren't hanging out I honestly th-thought that life wasn't as speh-special as the people at church or the people on TV claimed it was. I mean, I was fine, but now I'm better than f-fine." he said.

"You know, I agree. Honestly, just the four hours we've spent together and I already feel close to you guys again." Ben said.

"Well said, Haystack." said Richie. "Eddie, are you finished with your pizza yet?"

Eddie sighed. "Richie, I've only taken, like, five bites!"

"Hurry!"

"I'm trying! But anyway, yeah. I'm so glad we're talking again. Ever since we split up, I've been so shy. I don't quite know why, either. Stan used to try to get me to talk to people and to make new friends, but I just hated talking to people. And suddenly, after talking to Richie, and now you guys, I don't feel scared when people talk to me, or when I have to answer a question out loud in class." Eddie said.

"Agreed." Stan, who was sitting next to Mike, said. "I guess I don't really have it as bad as some of you guys do, but sometimes the words people say really get to you."

"I get what you mean." Mike said. "I used to have these douchebag friends, who were named Christopher and James. Me and Richie used to hang out with them in the Barrens. When Richie started talking to Eddie again, we took him down to the Barrens, and Christopher and James decided that, instead of just politely asking Eddie to hang out with them, they thought it would be a wonderful idea to throw mud in his face. And the next day the took Eddie's fanny pack and emptied it, and at the end of the day, they ripped up his book. When I was friends with them, they would make racist jokes and call me names. I honestly don't know why I hung out with them so much."

"That's pretty fucked up." said Beverly. "But I agree. I'm not that scared of my dad, now that I'm friends with you guys again. He would call me everyday for a month, and he'd tell me to come home, or to visit, and when I told him that I didn't want to, he'd yell at me and tell me he worries about me. But I know that he has no right to come into my apartment without my permission."

"Eddie are you done, yet?" Richie asked, when Beverly finished.

Eddie put his cleared paper plate onto the coffee table in front of him, and crawled next to Richie, who quickly wrapped his slender arms around the smaller boy.

  ♚  

The group spent the rest of the evening talking about life and laughing at things that normal people wouldn't find funny. It was about 12:30, and everyone was starting to get tired, except for Richie.

"I'm gonna go get out the extra blankets. You guys can go get your sleeping bags." Beverly said, getting up and walking out of the room.

"What? You guys are tired? It's early, though." Richie said.

"It's not early, it's twelve o'clock! Technically morning." Eddie said, getting up and going over to the door, where the bags sat near. 

"Can we stay up a little bit longer?" Richie said.

"You can stay up longer, if you want, but we're going to bed." Stan said. 

Beverly came back into the room, her skinny arms carrying blankets of different colors.

"Who's sleeping on the couch?" she asked, dumping the bundle of plush fabric onto the sofa.

"I forgot my sleeping-bag, so I guess I will." Ben said.

"Anyone else?" Beverly asked.

The group was silent, and a few shook their heads, and Beverly took that as a no.

"Okay." she said. 

After getting their pajamas on, Eddie, Richie, Stan, Bill, and Mike were all laying out their sleeping-bags on the hardwood flooring. When they finished, the five unzipped them and slipped under the covers. Eddie and Richie's sleeping bags were close together.

Beverly switched off the light. "I'm gonna sleep out here on the couch, too." she said, and laid down on the sofa, pulling a soft, dark green blanket over her slim frame.

"Goodnight, everyone." Eddie said.

Everyone whispered goodnights back, and the room was still, and hushed, until Beverly spoke up. She said:

"I love you guys."

And everyone whispered I love you toos back to her.

They were Losers again.

A/N Here's some fluff before shit goes down in the next chapter. I'll try to update again tomorrow, or the day after.