pop || reddie

Epilogue

January, 1990.

The Losers Club is at Bill's house, reunited with Beverly to celebrate the New Year. Bill's parents are out until the day after tomorrow (and Bill is absolutely sick of Richie making jokes about his parents fucking in their hotel), so the group is sleeping over.

Beverly and Ben are inseparable- this is Beverly's second day home, on her third visit to Derry so far, after she'd left in March of 1989. Richie and Eddie are inseparable, too, but only because that's how they always are. Beverly has her legs draped over Ben's, resting her head on the armrest of the couch. Richie and Eddie are less shy about their PDA, and Eddie is all cuddled up in Richie's lap.

"I can't believe it's been over a year since I met all of you." Eddie reminisces. "Just a few more months, and it'll be the one-year anniversary of us fucking destroying that mist."

"Look how much we've all changed." Bill smiles, setting down a couple bowls of snacks, which the Losers immediately ravage. "Like, Eddie finally wears pants now."

The group laughs lightly as Eddie looks down at his jeans. Richie sticks a finger in the waistband, pulling it and letting the fabric snap back against Eddie's skin. He rests his head on Eddie's back, sighing heavily.

"I miss your shorts. God, they were so short." Richie laments, and Eddie whacks his arm.

"Keep it in your pants, Tozier." Bill jokes, rolling his eyes at Richie's behavior.

Eddie leans forward to grab a bowl of chips, and everyone protests.

"You can't hog the chips, Eddie!" Beverly complains, and Eddie shrugs, shoving a handful into his mouth as he leans back against Richie.

Richie reaches forward to grab some, but Eddie smacks his hand away. He reconsiders, pushing a chip in front of Richie's mouth, and Richie bites it happily.

"I'll never know how your metabolism is so fast. You could eat those all day and you'd probably lose weight. Teach me your ways." Mike grins, and Stan laughs lightly. The two have been growing very close.

"Do you guys want to put on a movie or something?" Bill suggests, and the group agrees with him, breaking out into discussions about which movie they should watch.

"Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Be-" Eddie chants, but Richie claps a hand over his mouth playfully.

"You've seen Beetlejuice a million times, Eddie." Ben rolls his eyes. "I don't even know why you like it so much. I would think it would scare you."

"Oh, please. It isn't scary." Eddie scoffs, pushing Richie's hand off of his face. The Losers tend to laugh at horror movies now, after their experience with It. The things that scare other people seem silly to them.

"They're friendly ghosts." Richie adds, banding his arms around Eddie's waist, pulling Eddie back against him and burying his face in the soft fabric of Eddie's sweater. "The scariest part is how much of a dick Beetlejuice is."

"It's not Halloween anymore. If anything, we should watch a Christmas movie." Beverly says, and Eddie gasps in delight, eyes sparkling.

"A Christmas movie! I thought you guys were sick of me talking about Christmas!" Eddie says, beginning to ramble on about the various movies they could watch. Richie listens to him with a wide smile. He loves how happy Eddie gets when he's talking about something he loves- he always speaks at 100 miles per hour, his whole face lighting up. It's adorable.

The Losers eventually agree upon some Christmas movie or other. Richie is hesitant (he's in the mood for an action film), but Eddie hits him with his puppy-dog eyes, and Richie is defenseless against him.

Eddie finally surrenders the bowl of chips after his friends continue yelling at him for it. Bill starts the movie up, and everyone sits back to watch, not minding that Christmas has been over for a while now.

Eddie twists the ring on his finger around (which Richie had gotten him for his birthday, joking about a proposal a little too earnestly), fidgeting. He was always the hyperactive type- less so than Richie, sure, but he was always fidgeting and rambling. Richie loves it about him; but he loves everything about him.

The air is heavy with love, with the bond between every member of The Losers Club. Platonic, yes, but more than that. The Losers weren't friends, they were family. They always would be, no matter what happened. No matter if they forgot one another after leaving Derry. They would still feel the pull in their hearts, telling them the importance of their relationships with one another. They would all cherish their teenage years, knowing they were precious, even if they forgot why.

Eddie's back is pressed against Richie's chest, his head resting beside Richie's, the tall boy's hands resting on his hips. They're content together, relaxed.

"Love you." Richie whispers in Eddie's ear, pressing a kiss to his neck.

"I love you, too." Eddie whispers back, turning his head to kiss Richie's lips gently. "But shut up, I'm watching this."

Richie grins. He squeezes Eddie's hips, and Eddie huffs in irritation. Richie is familiar with the way Eddie's body works by now, which places to touch and how to touch them; Eddie's hips are probably his favorite place to touch, because they're soft and easily reachable, and because it never fails to get Eddie pissed (and aroused).The two look up as Stan boos them loudly.

"Get a room." Stan shouts, and the group laughs.

"I'll never understand how you can be asexual when there are boys around, Stan." Richie shakes his head. "I mean, with Eddie, I could never-"

"Yeah, alright, we get the point." Eddie interrupts. "You're a perv." He wants to steer the subject away from sex, as he's on Richie's lap, and he doesn't know if Richie's blood will start rushing somewhere it shouldn't be right now (it has 100% happened like this before, and Richie developed an unfortunate affinity for bathroom quickies).

"You can have a healthy relationship without sex, you maniac." Stan says, and Richie laughs.

"Oh, I know, but I just can't resist." He sighs. Richie slaps Eddie's thigh and Eddie jumps, glaring at him as the group giggles. If looks could kill, Richie would be long gone. He'd be dead a million times over by now, actually.

"How do you put up with him, Eddie?" Beverly shakes her head, grinning.

"I don't know." Eddie replies, smiling back at her. He really doesn't know how he does it, he just does. Because he loves Richie. Or something cheesy like that.

The group turns their attention back to the movie. They're unbothered, careless, and they feel that same feeling that they'd had in the stream of the barrens. Childish, free- it's nice. They're reunited again; but were they ever really not?

The evil in Derry is finally dormant. The Losers Club is at peace; bonded by their previous trauma, sure, but not bonded by imminent danger anymore. Bonded by love.

Once a Loser, always a Loser.

~fin~