Lover - Reddie

fifteen

hey babes. sorry for my MIA time. might wanna re-read a bit of fourteen (not for views, just for recap) but i just wanted to address how messy this is (i'll be taking an editing break shortly) and that's kinda why i started 'say me the words to let me go'. if you like my work (idfk why you would) go check it out! xxx

richie's fingers twitched as he walked behind his friends. they were supposedly walking to the beach or maybe the movies, but rich wasn't really sure. he hadn't been paying attention.

"how about we take a break."

a few hours ago, his heart had shattered loudly, the sharps slipping up and cutting through his vocal chords ("why isn't he talking? are you okay, richie?") and wedging in his ears ("dude! you're being straight up rude now.). he'd been cast out by the boy he'd put above everyone else for as long as his memory traveled. but that was okay because it was likely better for him to get all distractions and heartbreaks out of the way because he certainly had just had his heart broken.

eds walked with a slouchy depression, which both brought down and raised richie's hopes for a return of their relationship.

millie was walking next to eddie, or rather, with him because their hands were tangled and she kept pace with him. bev was walking slightly behind the pair, and rich couldn't see beverly's eyes, but he knew they were glaring at the same exchange. jack was sixteen, millie fifteen. eddie didn't ever say specifically that he was gay....

"you thinking what i am?" bev asked as she paused to walk beside rich.

"probably.

"you like eddie?" richie's breathe caught in his throat and he choked, which seemed to be answer enough for his best friend. "well i like millie, if that's any condolence."

richie's heart skipped a beat and his fingers curled into a fist. "y-y-ou're-."

"into pussy?" bev giggled. "yep."

"you dated that kid for a year though-."

bev fixed a stone glare on him. "sexuality is fluid. i can be what i want. right?" it wasn't exactly a question-question, but richie nodded anyways.

they walked up to the theater and bev grabbed rich's arm to stop him before his distracted self bumped into millie. "you up for a horror movie, tozier?"

for a second, richie grinned and his heart did a leap. "you know it, marsh."

bev giggled again, keeping her hand over his arm, and the group walked it.

richie sat down first, and next to him sat eds so he got up and switched with beverly. she didn't question it, assuming it wasn't her place to input herself. richie silently praised the woman and slumped down into his seat. he could feel the small boy's eyes digging into him, but richie forced the pain down and grabbed bev's arm. "bev?"

"what's up, babe?"

"him."

bev gave richie a look, a long look, and with her eyes, told him she loved him. she then looked to eddie next to her, stealing his eyes away from richie. "what?"

"you hurt my best friend," bev growled.

"what?"

she hissed at him then. "i don't know what bullshit you pulled but that boy is head over heels for you, kid. what the fuck did you do?"

"nothing!"

"i. don't. believe. you." richie grabbed bev's arm, but she snapped it away and turned her fiery eyes on him. "for once in your life shut the fuck up and let someone else handle your problems. let someone else help you."

first came the pain in richie's eyes, then mild hurt, then came a thick, cloudy numbness that scared beverly to the bone. she hadn't seen such an emptiness since... well since her mother had killed herself. so she promised herself she'd get to the bottom of that, but right now, she needed her protect her best friend. so she turned and dug her nails into eddie's wrist, then more gently took richie's.

"c'mon," she whispered. she looked down at millie, who was frowning up at her. "we'll be right back, mills."

~*~

"so you kissed?"

"can you not get that straight?"

"i mean, straight might not be the righ-."

eddie whirled on richie. "not now!"

richie, now a little less angry, grinned mischievously at bev, who repulsed it. she instead stared angrily back at him, so hard was her glare that he shut his mouth and leaned against one of the sinks of the empty boys' bathroom.

"eddie," bev whispered. "you know what my question is."

the boy threw his hands up. "why didn't you ask richie!?"

"he's bisexual. i've known forever." richie gasped, but everyone knew that it was a known fact around derry. "but eddie i'm not asking him, i'm asking you."

"i'm not gay, beverly."

beverly stared at him. "i think you're lying."

"what the actual fuck is that supposed to mean, dude?"

bev bit her lip and looked to richie for assistance. when she got none, she looked helplessly back at the first. "i don't know what to say, eddie. the way you act around richie and bill and those shorts-."

"wait what was that about bill?"

"you're missing the point, richie."

"my point is that eddie's only gay for me."

"once again, not gay," eddie chirped. "i'm not into dick."

richie narrowed his eyes, and bev slapped his chest. "could you cut the bullshit, richie? and you too eddie. you two have feelings for each other and here's how it goes: you two stay here until you figure this shit out."

"no fucking way," richie laughed. "i don't want to be alone with this gay motherfucking liar."

"shut up richard!"

"my word has been laid!" bev shouted, then lowered her voice. "you stay until you're either making out again or separated. now we'd all rather one of those, but at least fix this drama and stop ruining the rest of our times."

and then she was gone and they were alone.