𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐀 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 - 𝐑𝐞𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐞

It Chapter Two 2:43:14

Thank you all so much for reading! I've spent almost a year writing, editing, and rewriting this, and it means the world to me that so many of you enjoy it. It's not perfect, but I'm happy with it; I almost don't want to let it go, but I owe you all a final chapter. I hope you love reading it as much as I loved writing it! <3

▼

As spring progressed, the Losers finished their Junior year, and spring became summer.

This summer, everything would be different. They finally had friends, Henry Bowers was gone, and most importantly, Eddie finally had Richie.

The next step, of course, was to tell the other Losers that they were together.

▼

Ben smiled as Stanley grumbled, stuffing the money back into the box. "I can't believe you worked against me, Mikey. I trusted you!"

Mike shrugged, grinning. "I still lost."

"That's what you get for mutiny," Stan said.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better," Ben started as he put away the Monopoly pieces and board, "I only won because you got the places I was going to get; if you hadn't got them, I wouldn't have had the money for Boardwalk."

Stanley huffed through his nose, all but pouting.

"Ch-ch-cheer uh-up, Stanny," Bill said, placing his hand on Stan's knee and smiling at him. "At least you're not Richie."

"Hey!" Richie snapped, shooting up and nearly tipping himself and Eddie out of the hammock. "I only lost first because I kept getting sent to jail! And when I wasn't in jail, I was landing on all of Ben's fucking properties! He had those fucking mansions after like five rounds around the board!"

"They're hotels," Stanley corrected, grinning when Richie made various squawks of rage.

"I don't care what they are, that shit was unfair!"

"Richie, if you knock me out of this hammock, you're not allowed in it ever again," Eddie seethed, peering over his comic book at Richie. "I'm gonna be cuddling with Ben and Mike and you're going to be wishing you had the luxury of being in my presence again."

Richie settled spitefully, closing his eyes once more.

Eddie bit his lip, eyeing Richie for a moment before nudging him with his foot.

Richie blinked his eyes open again, meeting Eddie's with mild concern.

Eddie glanced at the others before turning around and laying next to Richie, rather than being head-to-foot. This made them close enough to feel each other's breaths fan against their cheeks. "I've been thinking," he breathed, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth when he noticed Richie's flushed cheeks. "Maybe we should tell them about us? We already know they don't mind gay people, and we're not exactly secretive when we're around them. We could be more open, though, if we told them."

Richie nodded almost immediately, a small smile quirking at his lips. "Yeah, that's kind of all I've been thinking about since I crawled in here. That and Ben's fucking hotel-mansion-things."

Eddie giggled, hiding his face behind his hands. "Jeez, Rich."

Richie chuckled quietly. "But yeah, we... we could tell them." He furrowed his brows and his hands found Eddie's. "I just... What if it makes them uncomfortable? Us being together all the time and then them knowing... What if they remember all the times we've been just a little too close and they get freaked out?"