No One But You ✔️ Reddie

One

Richie pedalled hard to fight the incline of the tarmac. He called over his shoulder to the boy behind him, 'Hurry the fuck up, Eduardo, ándale.'

Huffing, sweat beading on his brow, Eddie spat back, 'Fuck you, dude. I have asthma.'

'Still slow. Still short,' Richie laughed, his hair rippling in the wind.

'What's short got to do with it?' Eddie scoffed, offended.

'Nothing, just any excuse to bring it up.' Richie glanced over his shoulder again to check Eddie was following him as he made the turning to cross over the kissing bridge.

'You're the fucking worst,' Eddie retorted, pedalling harder to try and catch up with Richie. His little legs cycled rapidly.

'You love me, Eds,' Richie taunted, a great grin spreading across his face as he looked over at Eddie who was finally drawing up alongside him. 

Rolling his eyes, Eddie turned to Richie, 'Don't call me Eds.' Distracted from the road, he didn't see the idle rock in his pathway. His bike jolted as the wheel skittered. 'Shit!' Eddie yelled as he catapulted over the handlebars and juddered to the ground. He put his palms out to try and break his fall, but he managed to graze his elbows and knees. One knee smacked the kerb and sliced open, red oozing from the gash.

'Fuck, Eddie, are you okay?' Richie screeched to a halt and leapt off the seat. The bike clattered to the ground, back wheel still spinning.

'Fuck, I'm bleeding. Oh, God.' Eddie wrinkled his nose in disgust. He looked at his hands, at his legs, muck splattered over them. 'There's so much dirt in the cuts. I'm gonna get an infection.' His breath quickened. 'I'm gonna need a tetanus shot!'

'Shut the fuck up, you're not going to get an infection.' Richie snorted, but he lowered himself down carefully beside Eddie to get a closer look at the damage and check he wasn't seriously hurt.

Eddie scrambled for his fanny-pack. He hesitated, 'Ugh, I don't want to put my dirty hands in there. But I need my fucking inhaler.'

'Relax, Eds, I got it.' Richie said quickly, unzipping the bag and finding the blue object. He held it to Eddie's face and he puffed at it.

'Great, now I need to disinfect that because you've touched it,' Eddie scowled, but stopped when he realised that Richie was offering him an antibacterial wipe for his hands. Seeing the dirt made his stomach turn. He glanced at his knee again and heaved. 'Rich,' Eddie began, timidly, 'I need you to fix the cut.'

'Ew, no,' Richie blurted automatically. 'I don't want to touch your gross ass knee. Do it yourself, loser. Man the fuck up.'

'Beep beep, Richie.' Eddie said, pale. 'Please.'

Richie saw that Eddie needed him. He never would have begged if he didn't. 'God, if you're gonna be such a fucking baby about it,' he said, but it came out with tenderness. He pulled out another wipe and started to clear the gravel and blood from Eddie's leg, rubbing as gently as he could.

'Fuck, that stings,' Eddie seethed, flinching. 

'Then hold still.' Richie scolded, wrapping his other hand around Eddie's ankle to steady his trembling leg. He tossed the wipe to the side and started to dab with a salve, then opened a plaster and smoothed it over the seeping wound. Satisfied with his handiwork, he hummed. 'There. Good as new.'

Eddie grumbled, looking at Richie's face which hang in profile. 'Still hurts.'

'God, you're such a whiner,' Richie rocked his head around and his eyes met Eddie's. In a babied voice, he sarcastically asked, 'Need me to kiss it better?' He mocked leaning in, pursing his lips like a fish.

Eddie shoved him. 'Fuck off.' He stammered, then managed, 'Do you have any idea how much bacteria is in the human mouth?'

'Oh, God, you're right.' Richie gasped. 'I guess that's why everyone fucking dies as soon as someone kisses them.' He pouted, looming over Eddie and making more exaggerated kissing noises, darting closer and closer to Eddie's legs and arms, threatening.

'Richie, stop it! Stop!' Eddie squealed, slapping at him. His nose was wrinkled, his voice angry and loud, but then he laughed right as Richie's lips finally made contact with his cheek. With a snarl, he drew the back of his hand to his cheek and wiped at the spot where Richie had kissed him. 'You're such an asshole.'

There was a moment when Richie's face was solemn, almost quizzical, then the usual smile crashed down, and he joked, 'That's it man, I've infected you now. Guess you're a goner.'

'Fuck you, man. Seriously.' Eddie said, pulling himself to his feet.

Richie stayed sat for a moment, watching Eddie walk away and pick up his bike. There was something tight and alien in his chest. He'd felt that before with Eddie, sometimes. But this was more intense, harder to ignore, something which had ignited when he'd pressed his lips to Eddie's skin, a spark growing into a flame. It frightened him. He wasn't sure if it was in a bad way, like when Bill's brother Georgie had gone missing, or in a good way, like when he was on the rollercoaster at the Derry fair.

Eddie turned around. 'Come on, we're gonna be late.'

Richie scrambled to his feet, dusting his hands on his jeans. He wrenched his bike off the ground. 'You will be, fucking slowpoke.'

They rode away.