romeo & juliet | reddie

.. twin sized mattress ..

Eddie Kasprack awoke to the sound of his rusty window opening, followed by the crashing and cursing of his best friend entering his room.

"Fuck!", Richie whispered before stumbling into Eddie's bedroom.

"Richie! What the fuck? Are you fucking insane? My mom's downstairs, if she hears you I'm going be in so much-" The smaller boy was cut off by Richie's finger across his lips, the raven haired boy shushed him before giggling quietly.

"Shhh... Eds you can't... you can't be loud, or Ms. K will hear us. Shh!", he began to ramble and Eddie pushed the taller boy off of him, turning on the lamp on his bedside table. Richie flinched at the sudden light, and Eddie recognized the flushed and goofy face of his best friend.

"Holy shit dude, are you drunk?" Eddie's eyes widened as he got up from his bed, peeking into the hallway before closing and locking the door behind him.

"Eds..." Richie whined, dragging out his words as he hid under a pillow, "Please dont be mad." He said into the sheets.

The shorter boy crossed his arms, he was pissed off as usual. But... He couldn't help but admit to himself that he was amused seeing his drunken best friend.

"Eds... Edddsssss! You know what would be fun?" He giggled. Fucking giggled? God, he sounds like a fucking girl. Eddie sighed, before responding, "What?".

"We could have a sleepover. That would be so fucking fun... Dude, please. I don't have anywhere else to go, plus I can keep you company so it isn't such a fuckin' snoozefest at 'La casa de Kasprack'".

"Rich... My mom will literally fucking kill me if she sees you here. I'm sorry dude, but you can't stay here. You're already shitfaced and you literally just crashed into my fucking room.", Eddie gripped the bridge of his nose.

  It was the spring of their freshman year of highschool and Richie was already breaking numerous laws... breaking and entering, underage drinking... It all made poor Eddie extremely nervous. He sighed, before taking another look at his best friend.

He laid on Eddie's unmade bed with closed eyes, as if he was already falling asleep. He was wearing a band t-shirt under a patterned button up, his usual attire, just messier. His clothes were slightly torn and dirty, as well as his flushed face that was usually pale. A gentle curl laid above his left eye, a small detail that Eddie noticed more than all the others. He thought about it for a single moment, before simply shaking away any larger meaning to his observation of the boy.

A heavy silence stood in the air as Eddie thought about the situation. "Okay, fine. We can hang out. Just, not here. We can go to the clubhouse." Eddie chimed in. Richie cheered quietly, swinging his arms into the air as if punching the sky.

Eddie qucikly dressed in a polo and khaki shorts, throwing on a light cardigan to protect from the slight chill he would feel from the crisp may air. The two boys disappeared through the window, as easily as one had entered.

It was then that the smaller boy had realised that Richie carried with him a backpack. "Hey, Rich. What's in the bag?" He broke the silence they had kept since escaping the hell that Eddie  had called home.

"Booze, duh. You really think I'd show up to your house wasted and not offer you any?" Richie said, as the boys walked through the streets. This was met with silence as Eddie sniffled before looking up at the night sky. The raven haired boy stopped, rummaging through his bag for a second, before pulling out a silver flask. The boy took a long swig of the drink before passing it to his companion as they entered the Derry woods.

Reluctantly —Regretably,— he took the mystery flask before downing the liquid quickly, as if to get it over with. He grimaced at his friend, sticking his tounge out in disgust.
Richie cackled, "Dramatic much? Dude, it's just whisky. Found it in my attic. It's not my fault you only like margaritas and sweet shit like that. How am I gonna turn you into a raging alcoholic if you drink like a slighty promiscuous nun on a saturday afternoon?".

"That shits fucking nasty, Rich! I honestly don't know how you stand that shit. God, that burns!" He cried. As the two boys squabbled, they found themselves at the clubhouse sooner than expected. The boys climbed down the ladder, turning on the flashlights Ben had so lovingly tied to the ceiling.

In the past few summers, improvements had been made to the clubhouse. Beverly had decided that their hangout spot should at least be decently comfortable, and added a small grimey sofa they had found on the side of the road. A sofa that had Eddie absolutely refused to sit on until recently. Posters were hung, and storage was added, so all in all, the losers had created a pretty cozy hole in the ground.

Richie plopped down onto the couch, pulling out a box of Marlboros Bev kept in between the cushions. He quickly lit it, taking a drag as he watched Eddie take a long swig from the flask.

"Hey Eds. Do you ever think about how old we're getting?" Richie asked, propping up his feet on Eddie's lap. "How do you mean?" The smaller boy asked, feeling the warmth of the whiskey in his stomach.

"I don't know, it's just different? I guess. I'm... I'm probably not making alot of sense? I just feel like this summer is gonna be our last summer to be kids? Like, next summer
we'll be able to drive and shit. We're gonna be real fucking people. Actual fuckin' humans." Richie said, fumbling with his glasses as he tried to articulate his thoughts. "It just... It makes me nervous. Im..." Richie quieted his voice, as though scared he would be overheard.
"I'm scared to grow up, Eds." He said, barely whispering as he stared into the darkness of the space around them.

Richie's legs were no-longer perched atop Eddie's thighs, the boys now sat hip to hip. The shorter boy silently looked up at the raven haired boy. He noticed tears in his eyes, and somehow Richie's hand found itself in Eddie's. And the two sat there, an uncomfortable silence filled the air, as it often did when the two were left alone.