Wait For It || Reddie ✔️

fifteen

"Not such a bad idea, Richie," Beverly said. She sat on her legs, back straight and hands on the bulbs of her knees as she peered into the cardboard box. "I didn't know you were into arts and crafts."

"That shit?" Richie asked, his voice pitching in an awkward, prepubescent squeak. "That's all Ben's. I'm not into girly stuff. I'm a man."

"Oh, yeah?" Mike asked, his mouth hooked into a wild grin. "Oh, yeah?" He challenged again and jumped up, swiftly moving from sitting on his grandparents rust-colored couch to standing, his weight sinking heavily into the old cushions. He bounced to pounce onto Richie, the boy then squealing out a fearful scream and jolting to the side. Mike, however, caught him in a grand bear hug and brought them both hurling to the floor. "Come on, Richie," Mike laughed as Richie tried and tried to roll out of his grasp. "Fight back like the man you are!"

"Fuck you, Mike! Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!"

Beverly's eyes fluttered to the ceiling. "Boys," she muttered and lifted herself to her knees. "So," she then said to Ben, who was sitting on the couch before her, the low, chunky coffee table separating them, "what's the deal with this again?"

Eddie leaned over with her, his attention still flickering to watch Richie and Mike wrestle on the ground. 

"Well, Richie said his mom was cleaning out their house and was complaining about the amount of mason jars she had," Ben began to explain, "and Richie had the idea to use them to catch fireflies, and when he was telling me about it last time we hung out, I thought it would be fun to decorate them."

A small smile delighted Beverly's face. "I love it," she said in a delicate voice, her soft eyes peering over at Ben through her eyelashes. "That's so creative of you, Ben." Then, reaching into the cardboard box to shuffle around: "And I didn't know you liked arts and crafts."

Ben lifted a shoulder, the apex of it touching a reddened cheek. "Yeah," he whispered. "Ye--yeah. It's, like, a hobby of mine. Kinda. It's--it's something me and my mom do together. But," he quickly added on, "not in a girlish way."

"Oh," Beverly said, her voice deep in sarcasm. "No. Never."

Ben smiled and pushed out a soft chuckle. He shifted to be sitting on the edge of the couch, leaning closer to rummage through the cardboard box with Beverly. He continued to talk, to explain what exactly he had, and Eddie sighed heavily through his nose and rolled onto his back.

"When's Bill and Stan getting here?" Eddie complained to no one in particular. "Ben and Beverly are flirting again and you two," he snapped at Mike and Richie, still pulling at each other's legs and pushing at one another's arms, "are jacked up on caffeine. I need someone normal to hang out with."

"What," Mike huffed out, "time is it? Richie!"

"Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you!"

Eddie craned his neck to look at the clock on the basement wall. "Like, eight."

"Then soon," Mike replied. 

"Stan said he'd get done with Shabbat around eight," Richie added on. He then yelled, once and sharp, and began to hurriedly crawl toward Eddie, his face pink and eyes wild. "Eddie, Eddie, EDDIE!"

"No!" Eddie yelled, scooting back, but Richie's warm hands were on his forearms and he was hurling himself behind Eddie, holding him as a human shield. 

"Please, please, please," Richie begged, his voice high and squeaky. "Mike's gonna get me."

Eddie tried to shake the boys grip off, but Richie held on tight. Casting a quick glance over to Mike, Eddie found him to be lying exhausted on the caramel carpet, his chest rising and falling rapidly. "I think you're fine."