the lockbox [richie tozier x eddie kaspbrak]

014

"This is ridiculous." Richie throws his notebook across Eddie's bedroom.

"We haven't even started yet." Eddie points out, writing his name at the top of the paper. He's sitting on his bed cross legged while Richie is spinning around in Eddie's desk chair. He's been off all day, a face of anger always behind his eyes. Eddie looks at him with worry, hopping his innocent eyes will help Richie confess what's bothering him.

They've been dating a little over two months now. It's nice and sweet with loads of kissing and cuddling, just like Eddie imagined. He fears Richie will get sick of him one day but for now they're happy. The other losers say that they flirt and bicker harder now that they're dating and it's disgusting. Richie usually just sticks his tongue in Eddie's mouth at their comments.

What does suck is that they're the only ones Eddie and Richie can be opened around. Turns out that everyone's not so into the whole two boys dating in Derry thing. It started about two weeks ago when Greta Bowie found them kissing behind the arcade and called them fags. Then Eddie's mom and him were watching TV the next day when two kissing boys came on screen, she called them queers and other words such as disgusting, wrong, dirty. Eddie adds them all to a box in his brain, he titles the box sadness.

"Are you okay?" Eddie asks sweetly. Richie just stands up and begins to pace the room mumbling out words such as ridiculous, Eddie, and kissing. The smaller boy's wrings his hands together, nervous about what is bothering Richie. Is it the fact that they can't be together in public? Or the fact that Eddie's asexual -has two months sexless been too much for Richie? Sure, he's still a virgin but not like he'll tell anyone that. Instead he just explains to the losers how sore his wang is because of Eddie. That has to be it, he's sick of the no sex thing.

Eddie isn't ashamed anymore. He doesn't think he is broken but that doesn't mean he isn't allowed to overthink and worry still. Richie is going to break up with him. There is no other reasoning. He can't take being a sixteen year old celibate boy any longer. Eddie braces for the breakup about to come. Richie is still mumbling things and it takes two steps for his long legs to cross Eddie's room, he pivots and crosses the other way. Eddie watches him from the bed, nervous with his thoughts. Of course he blurts out what he's thinking.

"Are you going to break up with me?" Eddie word vomits out. Richie stops pacing and turns to the small boy with raised eyebrows.

"Why the fuck would I do that? Then I can't cuddle your sweet ass anymore." He chuckles and brushes a hand through his curls.

"I just-" Eddie waves his hand. He's kind of sick of having this conversation. It's always about him, about his stupid asexuality. Stop only thinking about yourself, Eddie. Richie could be angry about something else, something entirely related to the taller boy. Maybe his parents did something or the Bowers or he ran out of cigarettes. Not everything is about you, Eddie thinks. He adds a box in his mind called selfish.

"Explain what's happening in that tiny head of yours." Richie crosses his arms from where he's standing.

"I just, you are always telling the losers how much we fuck when we...don't. I figured you're just sick of not having sex." Eddie shrugs, playing with his comforter.

"When are you gonna get it through that little germy brain of yours that I'm with you, including your asexualness." Richie tells him with a small smile.

"That's not a word."

"It is now."

"Are you sure?" Eddie chews on his lip.

"So fucking sure." Richie takes a step towards the bed and kisses Eddie's cheek. "Now, let me continue pacing." And he goes back to digging a hole in Eddie's floorboards.

"So, what is this for? What's bothering my tall man?" Eddie chuckles at himself, feeling lighter now that he knows him and Richie are okay.

"I'm just thinking about your mom."

"You think you're so fucking funny." Eddie deadpans, Richie throws him a wink.

"I am. Now shush babe, I'm thinking." Eddie blushes at the nickname. It's a new one since they've been dating and its Eddie's favorite one. He has a whole box in his brain that's filled with all the time Richie has called him babe, only a few more until Eddie is going to need to find a bigger box.

Eddie watches about five more minutes of Richie before going back to their homework. He looks through his history book, reading something about the war of 1812. They have to write a paper on it so Eddie begins to jot down some facts he can use.

"I got it!" Richie stops pacing. He jumps on Eddie's bed and pushes the boy's book off the bed.

"The fuck!" Eddie yells, his mom isn't home don't worry.

"Let's make out." Is all Richie says. Eddie raises an eyebrow.

"That's what all that was about?" Eddie waves to the worn down carpet. "To fucking make out?"

"Well yeah," Richie shrugs, anger still behind his glasses. Eddie squint at him as Richie tries to advance on him, he places both hands on the tall boy's chest to keep him away.

"What's really bothering you?" Eddie begs. Richie sighs.

"My mom knows about us."

"What? How?" Eddie nearly shrieks with worry. Richie's mom is just as terrible as his dad, drunk all the time and spitting hurtful words at the poor boy.

"She saw us at the movies the other week." Richie tells him. "She told me yesterday to stop being such a fucking fag." He spits out. "And then she said some things about you and I just stood there and said fucking nothing." He looks always with anger.

"Ignore her-"

"I fucking can't, Eddie!" Richie stands up and begins to pace again. "I can't sit by and do homework why she trashes on you. You're my boyfriend, I'm supposed to stand up for you." Now Eddie gets it. Richie is mad at himself, for not talking back to his mom. Oh, Richie.

"It's okay," Eddie stands up and goes to stop Richie's pacing. He wraps his arms around the taller boy's neck.

"It's not fucking okay." Richie sighs.

"People say so much shit about me. I'm a weirdo Richie, you're a weirdo. It doesn't bother me." Eddie smiles when Richie brings their foreheads together.

"I wish I would have said something, stood up for you." Richie tells him.

"It's okay." Eddie says and honestly, it is.

"You're not mad at me?"

"Nope." Eddie stands on his toes. "Now let's make out." And he presses their mouths together.