Window Boy || reddie

7

Richie's notes in the margins kept Eddie afloat over the next month. He must've read that book four times. Some of his favorite notes included:

"They're talking about fucking here. You know about fucking, don't you?"
"Soft and sweet, just like you."
"Those ancient Greeks... no wonder olive oil was so popular, am I right?"
"Fucking romantics. Shit, I guess I'm included in that now. Horrific!"
"Unrelated, but I hope you aren't missing me too much right now. I want a smile on that pretty face!"

The book always did put a smile on Eddie's face. It was a genuinely interesting book, and Richie's comments never failed to make him blush or giggle (even if he didn't understand the joke, like the ancient Greeks one; the way Richie phrased things was funny in itself).

Richie hadn't told Eddie the day he'd be back. He just knew it would be one month. So Eddie began counting down, starting day one; Richie should definitely be back by day thirty-five, so that's what Eddie aimed for. Hopefully he'd be back on day thirty or thirty-one.

But he might not come back at all, Eddie's mind would often whisper.

Richie's friends helped Eddie get through it, too. They were good friends, and everyone bonded a great deal that month. Eddie began helping Stan run The Losers Club, and Stan would always tell him funny stories about Richie (he'd known him for years).

And Richie did come back. He returned on day thirty-two. No one knew, but Bill was too excited to keep it under wraps, immediately heading to the library to greet Mike, so everyone would find out any minute now.

Richie walked into the bank.

Kaspbrak's father was standing there again. He looked up as Richie entered, his face going back to the same suspicious expression it held when he'd first seen Richie.

"Where is he?" Richie asked without skipping a beat. His mind was whirling with excitement.

"Down at the dock with that Marsh girl, I believe." Kaspbrak's father answered. He gave Richie a look. "Don't you go getting him into trouble."

"No, sir!" Richie chirped happily, then raced out. He felt like a child on Christmas, all giddy and jittery. He ran all the way to the dock, ignoring the strange looks he was getting.

And there he was, legs hanging over the edge of the dock, sitting beside Beverly. Beverly was smoking, but Eddie wasn't, instead rambling on and on about something with a huge grin on his face. Beverly was nodding along. Richie noticed that Eddie was holding the Homosexual Life book in his hands, flipped open to a page he was pointing at. Richie caught a snippet of the conversation.

"...the hell does that mean? I've got no clue, Bev. Maybe he can explain it when he's back..."

And then Beverly, who was facing a little sideways, saw a figure at the end of the dock in her peripheral. She looked over at Richie, expression dropping into a look of total shock, then wild excitement.

"...any day now, it's day thirty-two, right? Bev, right?" Eddie looked over at her, having been watching the water in front of him. He followed her gaze, and his face did the exact same thing that Beverly's had. "Richie." He breathed. Richie waved. Eddie scrambled to his feet, shouting it this time- "Richie!"

"Hey, Kasp- woah." Richie almost fell over as Eddie skidded to a stop by throwing his arms around Richie, his momentum making Richie stumble back.

"I missed you." Eddie said into Richie's shoulder, squeezing him with all his strength. Richie hugged him back, laughing a little.

"Well, don't shit yourself over it." Richie replied, and Eddie laughed, releasing him and looking up into his eyes.

"Sorry." Eddie said, eyes sparkling, smile wide and unrestrained. He stepped away to allow Beverly a hug, walking down to retrieve the book he'd left at the end of the dock. He walked back over to Richie and Beverly, who had separated.

"You know, I missed you, too." Richie smiled. Relief was coursing through his veins. He was home. Relief was coursing through Eddie's veins, too, for the exact same reason.

It was around five in the afternoon when they reunited. The whole group met up at The Losers Club- which was closed and empty- laughing and joking and discussing. And kissing. A lot of kissing, between Richie and Eddie. Well, until Stan scolded them over it and told them to quit ("I'm sure you'll have plenty of that going on later tonight, Tozier").

Stan wasn't wrong; as soon as the group dispersed, Richie and Eddie headed out towards the same lake they'd gone to the day Richie had left. And they kissed some there, but there was too much to be said, so they stopped.

"What all happened over there? What kinds of things did you do?" Eddie asked.

"I was on one base the whole time. I actually didn't do a lot. If something broke down, I'd help fix it. Or I'd help improve things." Richie shrugged. They were sitting at the end of the dock. It was around eight at night, and they were illuminated by gentle, pale moonlight, which shone beautifully over the calm, lapping waves of the water.

They talked a little about what had happened in each other's lives over the past month, and once they felt caught up, Eddie stood.

"Think we can go swimming?" He suggested. Richie saw a glint in his eye; it was something that Eddie didn't have often, but Richie recognized it as almost diablerie, and he recognized that Eddie had looked at him like that before. Usually before a playful kiss or something of the sort, something forbidden. It was enticing.

"You'd drown in that water." Richie said, but he tossed his cap on the dock beside him in preparation anyway, looking up at the window boy. "You're tiny and you've got a thousand layers on."

"Should I take some of them off?" Eddie asked. There weren't any hints of mischief in his voice or face, but his eyes glinted in that same way. It was a little confusing, sending mixed signals, and Richie decided to just play along. Be cool.

His Trashmouth had other plans, though.

"You should take all of them off." Richie blurted before he could control his tongue. Eddie's lips twisted into an almost wry little smirk.

"Naughty." He said, but he began unbuttoning his vest.

The vest went first, then the tie, and then the suspenders were undone. Eddie folded each neatly and laid them down on the dock. The drawn-out process filled Richie with a strange kind of anticipation and awe. People always wore so many layers. He didn't, but he relished in seeing someone else's stripped away. He sat and gazed at Eddie, not bothering to conceal the emotions displayed on his face, and Eddie didn't seem to mind.

"Aren't you going to join me?" Eddie said finally, as he began to unbutton his shirt.

Richie nodded quickly, standing up and tugging his own shirt off over his head. Eddie's movements slowed as he raked his eyes over the newly exposed skin. "Slowpoke." Richie teased, though a little bit of pride was blooming in his chest.

Eddie smiled and directed his gaze back to himself, moving his hands swiftly now. Richie took his time removing his boots, socks, and pants; he wanted to maintain an equal level of undress between them, and even with his deft fingers, Eddie had more to take off and took more time to do it.

Shoes, socks, undershirt, and finally pants. Bit by bit, Eddie revealed himself to Richie. Richie felt like he was standing before God. Eddie left his underwear on, and so did Richie (with a tiny bit of disappointment creeping into his body).

"Reckon your daddy would be very happy about this?" Richie grinned. Eddie laughed, clasping his hands behind his back at the mention of his father.

"It's not very proper." Eddie smiled, too, but it was a different kind of smile; almost coy in a way.

"Exactly." Richie said.

Exactly, Eddie thought to himself. That's the point of all of this, isn't it?