the lockbox [richie tozier x eddie kaspbrak]

008

A few months later, Richie turns sixteen and he gets his driver's license. He gets it before the first day of junior year so when Eddie walks out of his front door to see the tall -he's somehow even taller than before, around 6"2 now. Fuck him, Eddie is still at 5"6- boy leaning against a beat up car he's surprised. Richie bought that car last month after saving up from working at the arcade. He's so proud of the car and Eddie is so proud of him. Not that Eddie will say that out loud, no way he'll give Richie that big head of satisfaction.

"Hey trashmouth." Eddie says when he walks out the front door, slightly terrified to get into the car. Richie doesn't move from where he is leaning outside of it.

"Edward." Richie says with a smile. Eddie blushes, his crush for Richie has grown stronger each day and he won't admit it but he thinks his crush is forming into something more.

Of course this summer was something else. Eddie stopped hating himself so much –I mean he still does a little but doesn't everyone- and spent at least more time with Richie than he did alone. The other losers were with them about 70% of the summer, laying about in random places around Derry basically doing nothing. 5% of summer Eddie spent alone in his bedroom listening to his music.

The other 25% of summer was spent just between Richie and Eddie. Who even knows what they have been doing. Richie slept in Eddie's bed almost every night, for various reasons; it started off with Richie's parents so of course Eddie was going to let him sleep there. Then Richie would come over and sleep in the bed because his was hurting is back or his room was too hot to sleep in or he likes how the sun doesn't shine too brightly in the morning from Eddie's window. Each night they would go to bed with enough room between them but each morning they found themselves cuddling. Neither boy mentioned anything about it.

Once though, Eddie did wake up at 3am to Richie spooning him and a hard object pressed to his lower back. He pushed Richie out of the bed and made the boy sleep on the floor. Richie didn't fight it or ask why. Eddie cried himself to sleep but not before his hand that laid off the bed was gripped gently by a bigger one.

The two boys followed each other around like puppies, as Bev said multiple times. When Richie had to work, Eddie was there sitting on the office counter and complaining about the smell of pennies and sweat. When Eddie had to buy more supplies to fill his fanny pack Richie was right next to him in the pharmacy, loudly shaking a box of tampons into Eddie's face. Their summer was...nice and Eddie found butterflies in his stomach every time Richie gave him that look behind those huge ass glasses.

Now though, summer is over and back to the present.

The ride to school is quick, way too fucking quick, Richie runs two stop signs and goes over the speed limit half on every road. Eddie screams at him over the music blaring out of the radio and of course Richie ignores him. Once he steps on the ground he feels his legs shaking.

"You're never fucking driving again." Eddie says to Richie.

"Aw, but Eddie Spaghetti how will you get anywhere? I'm your fucking chauffeur now." He uses the dumb British voice again and throws an arm around the smaller boy leading him into the school. They walk to Eddie's locker where all the other losers' are waiting, everyone a bit tan from their nice summer terrorizing Derry.

"My grandfather is killing me." Mike grunts out. Richie removes his arm from around Eddie, the butterflies stay in his stomach.

"W-why?" Bill asks. Mike starts to explain how he was woken at 4am to feed the sheep on the farm. Eddie tries to listen but Richie is whispering his name trying to get his attention. The boy sighs and turns to his left. Richie is smiling at him, no doubt about to say something stupid.