self-acceptance // reddie

five

"Eddie Kaspbrak!" Richie called out to his friend. "I have a surprise for you!" Once Eddie heard there was a surprise, he turned around to face Richie, a grin forming on his face.

"Watcha' got for me, Tozier?" Eddie questioned, peering up at the taller boy.

"I would like to cordially invite you to accompany me to the Losers' Club's annual trip to the beach next weekend," he spoke in an English accent as he handed Eddie an envelope. "And there, you will complete initiation that will allow you to become a loser." Richie tried to hold a straight face but failed when Eddie giggled. He could listen to that sound forever. "Do you wish to accept, my good sir?"

"Why, of course, Mr. Tozier," Eddie played along, attempting his best accent as well. "I thank you immensely for the invite." Richie's smile was so big it nearly looked fake. "Seriously, Rich. I wouldn't miss it for the world. But I do need to get to class." Before Eddie left, he reached up and let his hand sit on Richie's shoulder. "We'll talk later, okay?" As he walked off, Richie stood there with his mouth nearly dangling open. Why did he feel a shock when Eddie touched him? Why did Eddie make his heart skip a beat?

"Rich!" Stan took long strides to greet his best friend, waving at him. "What's up, dude? Why are you blushing like crazy?" Stan, of course, knew why Richie was blushing; he just had to give him a hard time about it. What else were best friends for? He laughed at Richie's attempt to hide his blushing; he was just making it worse.

"Staniel!" Richie hissed, hiding his face behind his hands. "Shut the fuck up, please and thank you! Now let's get to Spanish! ¡Vamanos!" Stan rolled his eyes and happily followed him to the classroom.

***

"Hey, Mom!" Eddie answered his phone, feeling happy after having a good day. "What's up? I'm just now getting off work!"

"Hi, Eddie Bear!" Sonia felt her heart grow at the tone of her son's cheerful voice. "Are you coming home right now? Or are you running any errands?" Eddie informed his mom that he would be stopping at Derry's local grocery store to pick up a few things. They chatted for a bit longer before Eddie ended the call, walking into the building. As he grabbed a basket, he noticed someone familiar standing in front of a shelf.

"Bev?" he called out, slowly approaching his friend. "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, Eddie," Beverly smiled kindly. "Nothing really, just picking up some things. Since we're both here, do you want to shop together?" Eddie nodded gratefully, feeling even happier. They roamed the aisles, talking about their days and any plans for the weekend. Eddie learned that Beverly and Ben were having their one year anniversary on Sunday and planned to eat out at a fancy restaurant. "So, how are you excited about our trip to the beach next weekend?"

"Oh my gosh, yes!" Beverly noticed the way Eddie's eyes lit up with excitement. "Honestly, I just feel really glad that you guys are including me in this group. Sorry for being mushy, I just really love you guys already."

"Eddie!" Beverly nearly pushed him over with the force of her hug. "We love having you around. We think you're the one we always needed to finish off our group! We're a great bunch of losers," Beverly hesitated for a minute. "Especially Richie, you know. He's a really good guy, despite how much of a jackass he is." Eddie blushed at the mention of Richie; he nodded, agreeing with what Beverly was saying.

"Yeah," Eddie looked into Beverly's eyes, appearing raw and vulnerable. "He really is crazy special. I just wish I could get him to realize he's as cool as he is." Eddie forced out a laugh, afraid of sounding too weird. "He's a dummy, but he's our dummy."

"Yeah, Eds," Beverly smirked; she had learned how to pick up on crushes, whether they were on her or not. She had Ben to thank for that. "He's our dummy," she put her emphasis on the word that showed Eddie was now really a big part of their group.

The two friends said their goodbyes as they headed opposite directions to their vehicles, still laughing from their conversation. Eddie was feeling great about his new group of friends, he wasn't exactly a loner, but he was like a chameleon. He was able to blend in and look like he belonged to any group, but he never had a permanent place. Now, he was sure he had one. As he started his car, an image of Richie's smile popped into his head. He had seen him around plenty of times at school and made a mental note of how cute he was the first time their eyes locked, but they hadn't talked until their encounter at the coffee shop. Eddie figured, then and there, that he just had to go for it. He had been spending almost all of their time together flirting, but he wasn't sure that Richie could tell. Eddie considered himself to be a straightforward person. If he wanted something, or in this case, someone, he would go after them.

His drive home was quick and peaceful, and he couldn't wait to climb into bed and fall asleep, thinking of Richie's sparkling eyes.

***

Richie locked his phone and turned his attention to his TV. He had decided to binge watch John Mulaney specials all night. He always found him as a role model, and he was so inspired by him.

"'Hey, look at that high-waisted man, he's got feminine hips!'" Richie quoted along with the show. He would probably be able to recite any line from it with ease.

His mind floated back to the subject of Eddie after his show ended. Where else did his thoughts go these days? He thought of his brown eyes, and how he always got lost in the stories they told. He hoped one day, Eddie would think about his eyes in this way, too.