Wait For It || Reddie ✔️

fourteen

"This has got to be, like, the best summer ever," Richie said, grinning up at the sky.

Eddie laughed from beside him. "Much better than last," he agreed. "That's for sure."

Rolling onto his side, Richie snorted, although it was breathy and fake, used purely as a response rather than an actual laugh. "Right," he said, and the presence of his voice in his chest broke up the sickly dread in his throat.

He stared over Eddie to their friends, the five running and jumping, bending to the grassy field and stretching to the popcorn clouds as the frisbee soared this way and that. A shrill laugh carried over to the two boys--Ben; a sharp, unsuspecting squeal--Beverly.

Richie's eyes fell down to Eddie's face, and he found the boy staring at him. "You don't have to sit with me," Eddie said, lifting and setting his head down to look better at Richie's face. "You can go play with them."

Richie made a face. "Nah," he said and flopped himself back onto the picnic blanket. He stretched out theatrically, his foot hitting Ben's mother's picnic basket, filled with their leftovers and empty drinks. "Frisbee is kinda childish, anyway."

His mood foiled into confusion when Eddie laughed, big and bellowing. His face pinched with his hysterics, and Richie found himself laughing along, lost but happy. "What?"

"Oh, Rich!" Eddie squealed. "That--that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth."

Richie's face crumbled, but his eyes were still alight with delight. "The dick does that even mean, Eds?"

"It means," he laughed, "you're a big--" he elbowed Richie in the side "--fat liar." Then: "You? Childish?" and he fell back into his laughter.

Richie was quick to knock him back, loving the feeling of Eddie's presence on his elbow. "Shut up!" he said back, his mirth happy and loud and warm in his chest. "Just let me sit here with you!"

Eddie giggled, his chin scrunched to his collar bone. "Fine, fine," he said, trying to be the last in their measly game of tag. Richie, known for taking things too far, spat out a hand and slapped Eddie's bare arm, making the boy howl out in pain, then burst into giggles.

Eddie kicked a foot into Richie's.

Richie ran a hard knee into Eddie's.

Eddie used both of his feet to push Richie's legs away.

Richie swung them into the air, the two pale twigs falling onto Eddie's stomach, a tough breath of air leaving the boy.

"Get them off," Eddie said, his voice strained from the impact.

"No," Richie said simply and folded his arms underneath his head. "I'm comfortable."

"Move."

"Nah."

"Richie."

"You hear something?" Richie asked, sticking a finger behind his ear. "Sounds like a whiny little--Ow!" Quickly, Richie lifted and dropped a leg onto Eddie's stomach in revenge for the sharp pinch. "Do that again and see what happens."

Softly groaning in pain, Eddie shook his head, forfeiting. Richie grinned to himself, triumphant. "Fine," he mumbled and opted to rest his arms on Richie's legs.

The two fell into a comfortable silence, their friends' happy noises swelling and drifting over. Birds chirped calmly from inside the brush behind them; clouds covered the horizon, the tops impossibly huge and bubbling. Richie tilted his head and stared up at the sky, the depthless expanse above them a dusty purple and hazy blue.