Summer of '93 - Stozier

31

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"Hey, Spaghetti! Hows it hangin'?" Richie spoke cheerily into the receiver of his phone, his new Guns N' Roses Appetite for Destruction vinyl playing in the background.

"I almost kissed Bill." Eddie blurted. "Twice."

Richie sat in shock for a moment. "Almost?"

"Uhuh." Eddie whispered. "Well- actually um- he almost kissed me and I kept backing away as if it wasn't happening?"

"Eds.. what?!"

"I know! I know! Im a pussy when it comes to this stuff!" He whisper-yelled into the phone.

"Eds- get your ass over here."

"Its ten PM- Not Now, Mom! Y'know what? Be right there."

•*•*•*•*•*•*•

"-And- and we we're just sitting there! Just watching some fuckin' indiana jones movie! And like- I turned my head and hes like- Staring at me, dude!-"

"Eddie! Eds!" Richie laughed at the pacing boy, closing his bedroom door."Slow down!"

"Right, sorry." Eddie nodded before going back to pacing and ranting, using hand gestures as he spoke. "Anyway, this happened twice! Couldn't have been an accident if it happened twice, right?!  And- It was like- He was like- really close to me? And- I- I almost k-kissed him! But I chickened out because what if thats not what he was tryna do? He's straight, isnt he? Him and Bev dated a few years back, right? And then- then I got embarrassed and had to leave for like- ten minutes-"

Eddie continued on his rant for what felt like hours, but in reality was only twenty minutes.

"And- yeah, I want to kiss him, I want to like- be with him, ya know? But like- my mom and- Bills obviously straight, i think? and-"

"I think this is the first time i ever get to say this to you, but.. Beep beep, Eds! jesus christ on a fuckin' roasting stick! You've been talking non stop for the past like four fucking hours!" Richie laughed.

Eddie sat beside him on the bed, sighing dramatically. "What do I do, Richie?"

"How'm I supposed to know? Im about as hopeless as you, man." Richie replied.

"I know! But- but- What if he does kiss me! And like- I know that its never gonna happen- but what if?!? I mean- What if im bad at it? I- I've never even kissed anyone before!-",

"Then practice! You won't know until you've tried it!"

Eddie sat up and faced Richie, his eyebrows furrowed. "Practice? What'd ya mean practice, dimbo?! With what? My fuckin' hand?!"

Richie sighed and bit his lip. "With me? dimbo."

Eddie made a face of disgust. "With you?! But- but you're Richie."

"Shut up." Richie deadpanned. "Not funny, didn't laugh."

Eddie snorted. "But thats awkward! We're like- friends!"

"It doesn't have to be in a romantic way! Just- think of it as me helping you out as a friend, y'know?" Richie shrugged.

Eddie hesitated for a second, blushing a little from embarrassment. "Fine." He whispered. "Lets get this over with. First kiss, not a big deal."

"Thats the spirit, spaghet! pucker up, bitch." Richie blew him a kiss, over dramatically winking.

"I think im gonna puke." Eddie rolled his eyes.

"Hot." Richie joked, wiggling his eyebrows and leaning closer to his nervous friend.

"I hate you."

"I hate me too, your not special." Richie chuckled nervously, connecting their lips at last.

It was weird at first, neither boys knowing what to do with their hands or whether they should move at all, and Richies glasses digging uncomfortably into both boys faces.until Eddie awkwardly placed one hand on the side of Richies face and the other on his waist, pulling him just a little closer, enough to deepen the kiss (killmepls*literallyvomits*).

Richie just sat there, a little bit hesitantly moving his lips in sync with the others. Sure, the idea that he was kissing one of his best friends didn't absolutely repulse him, Eddie just wasn't the right one. It was fun, though. Oh, if thirteen year old Richie could see me now. Richie had to fight off a laugh at that thought. He decided he at least had to put some effort in, it was his idea, after all. So, as awkward as it was, Richie moved his hanf to cup Eddies cheek, pressing a little harder into the soft heat of his friends lips (assassinate me pls. i hate writing kisses).

They eventually pulled away for air, both panting and blushing.

"Well that was.." Richie began.

"Awkward." Eddie finished.

"I was gonna say fun, but sure, awkward. Pretty good, Eds. I mean- not as good as your mom but-"

"You just have to ruin it." Eddie laughed.

"Hey! Its my job." Richie joked.

•*•*•*•*•*•*•

Stan climbed back down from the ladder under Richied bedroom window, making as little noise as possible.

He'd decided to see Richie as soon as he got away from Bowers and his gang.

Stan didn't know why he felt a pang in his chest when he looked through the window and saw Richie and Eddie in the room..- kissing. He also didn't understand his protective urge to climb through the window and pull Eddie away from Richie.

He wasn't surprised at what he saw. Everyone knew that Richie and Eddie were the two most likely to secretly be dating out of the whole losers club. So why did it hurt so much? Stan didn't know.

Half way up the road, ten minutes away from his house, Stan stopped under a street lamp when a sudden burt of realisation hit him like a truck.

"Do I like Richie?"

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lol finally