Not Sure If You're A Boy or A Girl~ Reddie

New Years 1991

Once again Eddie had very little to pack. Richie had given up and understood anything that could fit Eddie's body was now a shared item of clothing. In all honesty, he didn't mind. His clothes looked cuter on the smaller boy anyway.
In a weeks time, they'd gotten their GED certificates in the mail. They were placed in Eddie's duffle bag along with their savings, Went's check and their birth certificates.
"Yeah, Billyboy. Don't get yer knickers ina twist. We wouldn't miss it for the world," Richie spoke from the phone attached to the hall's wall. He wrapped the cord around his neck pulling it tight and sticking out his tongue. Eddie smiled at his crossed eyes, "9pm. Yes sir! On the dot, sir."
He saluted as if Bill could see him.
Richie walked into his bedroom. With Eddie around it was so clean. He had taken the extra time they had while waiting to leave to perform a deep clean of the entire house. Richie had never seen the windows so spotless, like he could place his hand right through them.
He grabbed Eddie by the hips and placed a kiss on the smaller boy's forehead.
"You look so hot in my Dead Milkmen shirt."
Eddie shrugged, cerise blossoming on his cheeks.
"So we're going to the party tonight?"
It was the last day of December and the Loser's insisted on having a combination going away/New Years Eve Party.
"Hell yeah! What's better than a party thrown in our honour?"

"You think Ben will get up the nerve to kiss Bev tonight?"
The streets of Derry were abandoned. The air too cold for anyone with sense to be walking around. Eddie held on tight to Richie's thin body as the older boy peddled his rickety bike. It whined at the weight of two individuals on its frame. Richie felt his throat go dry at the mention of kisses and Bev, knowing if Eddie had been later the other night it would've been him attached to the red heads lips. He couldn't wait to get out of the town and leave it all behind.
"Yeah, maybe."
He mumbled, unsure why Ben wouldn't try. Or maybe the thought should've been why Beverly wouldn't let him. Ben was handsome. Almost as tall as Richie and much more filled out. He even had began to grow a beard. Something Richie could only hope to do.
"Choices are getting slim anyway. Bill and Stan are together. Us. It's either him or Mike."
Or me when you're not looking.
The thought bothered Richie. He tried to physically shake it from his head. The movement threw the bike off kilter, finally relieving its body of the extra weight. Eddie and Richie fell face first onto the pavement.
They landed with a simultaneous 'oof'.
"Fuck, Rich!"
Eddie dragged his body upward.
"What the hell was that?"
Richie stood up, picking the stray gravel from his hands.
"Sorry, lost my balance."

The clubhouse was always easy to spot in the daylight. It was located just across from what the Losers had lovingly named a large oak tree 'the tree with the face'. It was, in fact, an ancient tree with crudely carved eyes and gigantic, almost menacing looking, grin gashed into the bark. They hadn't done it. But they admired it. On the other side of the path, dug into the dirt was their hide out.
Richie clicked on his flashlight. It illuminated the path and Eddie's face. A cut just below his cheekbone had been bleeding, leaving crusted crimson on his skin. Richie licked his thumb before rubbing the wound. Immediately a squeak escaped Eddie as he pulled back. His petite arms swatting.
"Germs, dude!"
Richie laughed at this, "We've been over this, spaghetti, we swap spit all the time. My germs are already all over you."
He pulled his boyfriend into a hug, placing an unnecessarily wet kiss on the cut to drive the point home. This earned another smack to his chest.
Suddenly, a light glowed from a few feet ahead. Ben's head poked out of the entrance to their clubhouse.
"Hey! Guys over here!"
Sure enough, Richie's flashlight revealed a tree with a face and their old friend.
They approached the boy. Ben took away one of the two hands that were holding the door above him to look at his watch.
"Nine thirty three. You're late."
Richie slid by Ben, sticking his feet inside the top of the bunker.
"You know, this one," he gestured to Eddie, "Had to make sure his fannypack had all the essentials before we left."
"Shove it, Mouth. I was waiting on you!"
The clubhouse remained the same as it did the last time they had come by. The smell of pine and moist dirt invaded Richie's nostrils as he found his way to the hammock he and Eddie had claimed as their own in one corner of the room. Stan and Bill were in the other corner, backs to him, talking admittedly about something. Mike was fooling with Ben's bomb-box, probably trying to play something other than New Kids On The Block. Beverly sat cross legged in a beach chair, just behind a load baring pilar. She was smoking, as always. A beer in her hand as the smoke curled around her cherub like face. She was forlorn and beautiful. Like an actress in a foreign film.
"The Losers Club reunited," Richie shouted, a little too forcefully, "let the party begin!"
The room grew silent just as Eddie had shimmied his way into the middle of the bunker. The air was melancholy. Even Richie had a grin on his face so fake it looked like PAM butter spray.
"Anybody bring anything cool?"
He asked, fists bundled in the pockets of Richie's jean jacket.
Beverly came to life at the question. Eyes more wild than he was comfortable with.
"We brought smokes, whiskey, beer and," she reached into her pocket producing a small baggy filled with green, "dope!"
"Hey, now that's a party!"
Richie exclaimed, leaping off the hammock. He pulled a tape from his jeans, tossing it to Mike.
Mike inspected the object. In Richie's horrible penmanship it read,
Badass Jams
With a shrug he placed it in the tape deck. Siouxsie and The Banshee's 'She's A Carnival' played in the small space.
Richie and Bev made quick work of rolling three joints while Eddie grabbed a beer.
The last time they all gathered for a hang out, Eddie had revealed himself. Came to the terms of who he was. He felt relieved that this time there was nothing to hide. He could just have fun.
Richie felt as though he had something to hide. When his hand accidentally knocked into Beverly's while grabbing more bud for his joint he recoiled as if her skin would burn him. She said nothing, but raised a brow, eyes still trained on her work.
He needed to get fucked up.
The time passed quickly. Drinks passed around the room as the bunker rapidly grew dim and smokey. The space lit only by the candles Bev had brought with her.
"So, Pennywise wasn't some fucked anxiety dream I was having?"
Mike asked between drags off the third and last joint. Everyone nodded.
"And he really did take Georgie?"
Stan spoke in his ever somber tone, remaining steady as Bill crashed into his shoulder.
"Yeah, and we killed that motherfucking clown."
Richie said, no waver to his tone. He felt good. Loose. With burning eyes and a dry mouth. Eddie was nestled in his lap, playing with his limp fingers.
Eddie did not smoke weed. He barely drank. But in the small space there was no avoiding a contact high. It made his bones feel like jelly, in the best way possible.
"You came at it wi-with a l-lead pi-pipe."
Bill's comment is almost inaudible behind Stan's shoulder. He lifted his head, the whites of his eyes red as rubies.
"Which was even more impressive seeing as it would let us go if we gave it Bill and he did punch you in the face earlier that summer."
Ben added, a dopey grin on his chiselled cheeks.
"Oh don't worry, I'm gonna get ya back for that Big Bill."
"What, when? It's been years, Rich."
Richie smiled behind the beer bottle pressed to his lips. He took a sip, "Long con, baby, long con."
Eddie lazily reached up to Richie's face then, pulling hard on his glasses.
"No baby! I'm baby. No one else."
He teased, eyes now magnified by Richie's thick frames.
The thudding in Richie's chest traveled down to his stomach at his boyfriends possessive display. Quickly, he pulled the smaller boys face back down, leaning over to kiss him.
"Yes, you're baby."
The boys erupted in coos and chuckles. Beverly remained silent for a moment, eyes running to Ben.
"What time is it, Benny?"
Through clouded eyes he checked.
"Eleven fourty five."
Everyone grumbled. Time was moving too fast. The plan for tomorrow looming over their heads.
Beverly untangled herself from the beach chair, practically sitting on Ben.
"Kiss me? For the new year?"
The question stood in the air. Ben looked at her, with eyelids finally opened wide.
"You, you mean that?"
She side eyed Richie and Eddie. The two had switched positions. Eddie straddling Richie's lap, lips stuck on his neck.
"Yes."

The Loser's gathered around Ben, and subsequently Beverly, as they stared at his watch. The digital display had just ticked up a number.
1159
In their drugged stupor the kids realised they wouldn't actually be able to count down unless the started at 60 and so they did. Each Loser had a plastic cup filled with whiskey. Even Eddie who had asked Mike to make it a small shot.
15
14
13
Richie looked to Eddie, heart buzzing with anticipation. He was finally going to ring in the new year with someone meaningful, instead of by himself on his roof with a cigarette.
12
11
10
Eddie's eyes met Richie's as he continued to chant.
9
8
7
6
"It's always been you, Eds."
Richie slurred, pulling his boyfriend in closer. Hand pressed to his cheek.
5
4
3
"I love you, Chee."
2
1
Happy New Year!!
"I love you too, Eds."