𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌

↱ 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖋𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖙𝖊𝖊𝖓; 𝕰𝖉𝖘

"Hey, Ed," Bill called, chasing Eddie and Richie down the hall from his Math class.

"Oh, hey Bill," Eddie smiled as Bill fell in line next to them.

'Ed?' Richie thought to himself jealously. 'Since when does Bill call him Ed?'

"D-d-id you fuh-fuh-finish Harrison's history assignment yuh-yet?" Bill asked as Richie frowned at his feet, dwelling jealously on Bill using a nickname for Eddie.

"No, I'm going to the library to work on it after school if you want to join," Eddie smiled.

"Sh-sh-sure, thing," Bill nodded. "Gotta guh-get t-t-to English, but I'll s-see you luh-later?"

"Okay," Eddie nodded, waving as Bill took off.

"Since when are you and stuttering Bill such good friends?" Richie grumbled as they made their way to their shared Science class.

"What do you mean?" Eddie laughed, looking up at a frowning Richie. "We have a lot of classes together," Eddie shrugged.

"And he calls you Ed?"

"Yeah," Eddie nodded as he smiled confusedly at Richie's cold demeanour.

"Huh," Richie nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Is that a bad thing?"

Richie shrugged in response, looking away from Eddie as his eyes scanned the hallways disinterestedly.

"Rich?"

"What?"

"Are you mad at me?" Eddie asked, lips curled into a nervous smile.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" Richie lied unconvincingly.

"About Bill?" Eddie guessed. "I dunno. That's why I'm asking you!"

"Just didn't know you guys were so close you were using nicknames," Richie shrugged, trying to appear unaffected.

"Lots of people call me Ed, Rich," Eddie sighed.

"But why?" Richie whined. "Eddie's already a nickname."

"You call me Eddie Spaghetti," Eddie laughed.

"But, I'm your best friend," Richie answered.

"Well, we're almost in middle school," Eddie responded, "Eddie's kinda a baby-ish name. I dunno, Ed is just a bit more... grown up?"

Richie hummed, not convinced by Eddie's explanation in the slightest.

"Hey Ed," Ben from their Social Studies class called, approaching Eddie and Richie who were at Eddie's locker gathering his things before heading home. "Here are those notes I said I'd give you since you missed math last week."

"Thanks, Ben," Eddie sighed, taking the notes with a smile. "You're a life saver!"

"No problem," Ben smiled back. "See ya!"

Richie groaned to himself as Ben took off down the hallway. It was like the universe was mocking him. All week all he had heard was people calling his best friend Ed. It was driving him insane.

Richie had also used the shortened nickname every once and a while, but now that he knew it was so commonplace for their classmates to use he was completely uninterested in using it ever again.

"Hey, Eds!" Richie screeched, hunching over Eddie from behind and blowing a raspberry against the ticklish skin of his neck.

"Rich!" Eddie squealed with a laugh, pushing his best friend's head away from him.

"Whatcha working on, Eds?" Richie asked, sliding into the seat across the cafeteria table from Eddie and Bill who were sharing notes.

"History," they both groaned together.

"That sucks, Eds," Richie nodded, trying to get Eddie to notice the use of the new nickname he had created that set himself apart from his classmates.

"Yeah," Eddie agreed, turning back to his notebook.

"Can I have some of your chips, Eds?"

"Yeah, sure," Eddie nodded, pushing his tray towards Richie without looking up from his notebook, making Richie groan.

"So, Eds," Richie tried again, his friend only responding with a distracted grunt. "Hey, Eds! Eds, Eds, Eds, Eds, Eds-"

"Richie!" Eddie groaned. "God, what do you want? Stop calling my name- Wait. Eds?"

"What?" Richie shrugged, stuffing a couple of Eddie's potato chips in his mouth, trying to act as though he hadn't just been trying to get Eddie to notice him calling him Eds.

"Since when do you call me- Oh, Rich," Eddie laughed, shaking his head with amusement. "Is this because everyone calls me Ed? Were you jealous?"

"No," Richie muttered, cheeks turning pink as Bill looked up at him curiously.

"It is so," Eddie grinned.

"S'not," Richie whined dramatically.

"Okay, Rich," Eddie smiled, shaking his head at his best friend as his stomach flipped pleasantly at the fact that Richie felt the need to make Eddie's nickname his own. "Whatever you say."