✓ | BETTER WITH YOU → richie tozier ³

eleven

ASHLEY BRENNER was met at her front door by Richie Tozier, who grinned.

"You ready, gorgeous?"

She nodded, and stepped outside, buttoning up her coat as she did so.

"Please tell me we're not biking there, R-Rich." She shivered, and he grinned, slipping an arm around her shoulders.

"Nah- wouldn't want my girl to get hypothermia, now would I?"

He kissed the side of her head, and grabbed her by the hand, leading her around the side of her house.

"Okay, then I don't understand how we're supposed to-"

Ash stopped dead as Richie's hands slipped over her eyes, and she said, "Richie, you know how I hate it when you-"

"Shut up, angel, you're gonna spoil everything!"

"Spoil what!?"

"Nothing, nothing!" Richie said hurriedly, and Ash felt him gently propelling her forward.

"Richie, where the fuck are we going!?" Ash asked, and Richie said, "Somewhere. And I swear, if I have to deal with one more piece of tree bark bullshit I'm going to kill myself. Tree bark is bullshit, all of nature is bullshit, basically everything is bullshit!"

He paused, and then said, a grin tilting the corners of his mouth as leaned down next to Ash's ear, his lips pressing against her earlobe and whispered, "Except not you, beautiful. You're not bullshit."

Ash's mouth fell open, and he saw a dark red blush appear on her cheeks. "You did not just-"

He laughed, cutting over top of her. "I'm so in love with you. Anyway, I've been thinking of some new nicknames for you."

Ash snorted. "Oh really? Beautiful, gorgeous, angel, baby, babe. . .those aren't enough?"

"Nope. Although beautiful has always been my favorite."

"I beg to differ-"

"No, what I had in mind needs approval. So while we're walking, I'm going to tell you names."

And so they continued walking, Richie saying nicknames as they did, his warm body pressing against her back.

"Angel."

"Richie, that's already a nickname."

"No, you didn't let me finish! Angel food cake!"

"Shut up."

"Alright. Blueberry."

"What!?"

"Cause whenever I'm without my baby, I get berry blue."

"I would hit you if I didn't know where the hell I was right now."

"And I would probably thank you for it."

"Richie, I swear to God-"

"We're here!" Richie announced, and Ash felt herself come to an abrupt halt.

"I love how you said we weren't walking, yet we've literally been walking to wherever the hell you were planning to take me this entire time." She grumbled.

"Stop complaining. Okay, I'm going to uncover your eyes."

And with a whoosh, his hands had disappeared from her sight and she blinked in the sudden sunlight, her eyes adjusting to her surroundings.

And then, she saw it, and she let out a gasp.

A truck was sitting in the middle of the field by the train tracks. The field by the lake where Richie had kissed her for the first time.