the kissing bridge [reddie+stenbrough]

6

"Ready or not, here I come, bitches!"

Richie shouts as he turns away from the tree he was counting against. Richie climbs down into the clubhouse to look for the rest of the losers.

He saw Eddie hiding under the hammock, facing the wall. "Great hiding spot, Eds," Richie says sarcastically, "I can't believe i found you first."

Eddie turns around. "Are you okay? My mom said you were sick."

Richie stares at Eddie. "Why would she say that? I'm fine."

Eddie shrugs, "Never mind. Forget I said anything. Sorry." Eddie gets up and starts to walk to the ladder but Richie stops him. He put his hands on Eddie's shoulders. "What's wrong?"

Richie and Eddie were both blushing. They were both avoiding eye contact with each other. "Nothing, I... I'm fine. I'm not mad at you or anything, I'm sorry about earlier... I don't know what that was all about," Eddie says, talking quickly.

"Stop apologizing, Eds," Richie looks at him and watches Eddie roll his eyes. "Richie, I-"

"-you hate when I call you 'Eds'. I know."

Eddie sighs. "Then why do you keep calling me that?"

Without thinking, Richie answers, "Because you're so small, you look cute when you're mad." He pauses and rushes out of the clubhouse.

Eddie sighs again, and his lips curl up into a smile. What the fuck was that, Eddie thought.

///

God dammit, Richie thought, you idiot! Why would you say that?

Richie looks around for the rest of the losers, and sees Stan sitting in a tree next to a bird's nest. "Look, Richie!" he says, pointing at the eggs in the nest.

"Yeah, cool, whatever. Listen, I fucked up and i need you to come down here." Richie says.

Stan tries to get down, and his leg slips, getting his foot caught in a cluster of tree branches. "Um, Richie? I cant get down," he says. "Well, why the fuck would you go up there in the first place, numb nuts?"

Stan looks down at Richie. "I'll go find someone," Richie turns around. "Guys, Stan's stuck in a tree!," he yells. The losers come out from their hiding spots, except Eddie, who was still in the clubhouse.

"Wow, you guys suck at hide and seek," Richie says, "I could have been lying, you know."

They all look up at Stan. "You're screwed. I'm not going up there," Beverly says. "Yeah, I don't think I can do it, either," Ben says, looking at Stan, then Beverly.

"Gee, thanks, guys," Stan rolls his eyes, "This is very painful, you know!" Bill takes a deep breath and says, "I-I'll do it, Stan." Bill begins to climb the tree.

As Bill gets Stan's foot unstuck from the branches, everyone else stands under the tree in case either of them fall off of the tree.

"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" Stan yells as the branches cut his leg. "I-I'm sorry, S-S-Stan," Bill says. "It's not your fault, Bill, it's okay."

Stan and Bill get down from the tree and Stan's leg is bleeding. "Here," Richie takes off the button up shirt he was wearing over a white t-shirt and wraps it around Stan's leg.