This was actually the first ever Reddie fic that I wrote!
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters.
It was so hot, the teenagers could feel their skin turning red as time ticked by. They were laying on the flat rocks beside the quarry, drying off after an afternoon of swimming. There was an INXS song playing on the rickety boombox that they had resting on one of the rocks, near their bikes, and Benjamin Hanscom was singing along, his voice cracking a couple of times and squeaking given the change his body was going through. Mike Hanlon was flicking through one of the books that Ben had brought in his backpack. Stanley Uris had fallen asleep about twenty minutes ago, and every now and then he began snoring. Richard Tozier and Edward Kasprak were splayed out on the rocks near Stan, and Richie was picking up dirty, sandy pebbles from around them and piling them up on Stan's back, seeing how many he could balance before his friend woke up. And then there was Eddie, who was slathering on sunscreen for umpteenth time that day.
Beverly Marsh and William Denbrough were the last two to bring up the group, who had been reunited after not seeing each other for a couple of months, who could barely keep their hands off each other. The group was sixteen now, and that had opened up a whole new realm of things for the young couple, who were still managing to go strong even after the years that had passed, and the distance between their towns now.
"Get a fucking room!" Richie yelled, seemingly getting sick of Bill and Bev, and picking up a handful of grit and tossing it at the couple. "We don't all want to listen to you sucking face."
"F-f-fuck off, Richie," Bill grumbled as he swiped at the sand and grit on his arms and stomach while Bev just pulled the fingers at Richie.
"Just coz no one wants to suck face with you!" She shot at him and Richie let out a snort.
"That's coz they're too busy sucking something else!" He laughed and groped himself. Eddie just rolled his eyes as he squirted more sunscreen onto his hand and rubbed it over his face. Richie looked at Eddie, and Bev lifted an eyebrow as she waited for the curly haired man to spout off some sort of crude comment about the white cream that wasn't rubbed in on Eddie's chin, but it didn't come. Richie just regarded him quietly for a moment, before leaning over at swiping at the dollop with his thumb, before quickly looking away.
"I should probably start heading back," Bev said, getting up and stretching her arms above her head. Bill couldn't keep the appreciative look off his face as he watched her, and Ben's cheeks were red as well, and not just from the sun. "You gonna walk me?" She asked her boyfriend as she picked up her dark purple sundress and shrugged it over her head.
"C-course," Bill smiled as he got up and picked up his shorts and a shirt. He managed to only fall over once while getting into his shorts, which was impressive since his eyes were glued to Bev the whole time as she arranged her dress around her slim thighs.
"I'll come too!" Ben announced as he fumbled to get up. He almost fell over as he tried to jerk on his socks and shoes, and one of his shoes slipped out of his hands and hit Stan, making the boy jolt.
"What the..." Stan mumbled as the stones and pebbles all tumbled from his back and onto the rocks around him. He swiped at his back and glared over at Richie, instantly knowing who the culprit was, who in turn was glaring at Ben.
"Oh, ya fuckwit," he grumbled. "I was going for a world record there!" Ben just rolled his eyes as he struggled to put his shoes on, Stan handing him the one that had been thrown in his direction.
"Are we going home?" Stan asked as he rubbed his eyes and opened his mouth to yawn. Bill opened his own mouth to warn him as Richie smirked and picked up one of the pebbles on the ground and aimed, but Eddie got there first, smacking it out of his hand and giving him a reprimanding look.
"Spoilsport," Richie muttered, but he didn't look upset like he probably would have if it had been any of the other guys. He never was when it was Eddie who deterred him from doing something, just took it with a shrug and then moved onto whatever next trouble he was going to cause.
"I should be heading back to the farm," Mike said as he got up and handed the book he had been reading back to Ben. Bill picked up the boombox and stretched out his other hand, Bev lacing her fingers together with his and then reaching out her other hand and steadying Ben as he almost overbalanced as he put his arms through the straps of his backpack. "We're going to meet back here tomorrow, right?"
"I-I-I have to look after G-Georgie in the morning, w-when dad is at work and mum has a doctors appointment, but I can be here by about e-eleven," Bill said.
"That sounds good," Stan agreed. There were murmurs of agreement from the rest of the group, and then goodbyes were said as they parted ways. Stan and Mike headed off in one direction, and Bill, Bev and Ben in the other. Eddie stood up and picked up his shirt from where he had carefully laid it out over a flat rock to dry it in the sun and pulled it over his head, his wavy hair bouncing back into place as he smoothed his hands over his shirt. As he was pulling on his shorts, he became aware of Richie—already fully dressed—was climbing back down the rocks toward the water edge.
"What are you doing, Richie?" Eddie asked with a long-suffering sigh as he pulled his socks up, folding them carefully back over at the top and then laced his shoes, the loops and laces exactly the same size and length on either side. "It's time to go."
"I saw a rock," Richie muttered, so quietly that Eddie almost didn't hear him. He made a face.
"A rock?" He questioned.
"A rock," Richie repeated, rolling his eyes as he looked back toward his friend through his thick-rimmed glasses. "You know 'rocks', Eddie Spaghetti? Some big, some small, pretty hard—you threw one at Henry Bowers head one time and then he broke your nose?"
"Fuck you," Eddie snipped and Richie let out one of his loud, barking laughs, but he didn't get up from where he was crouched. Eddie let out an annoyed sigh and carefully stepped down the rocks until he was on the same level as Richie. Richie was still fumbling around, and Eddie let out another sigh.
"Shit, Eds, calm ya tits," Richie teased him before letting out a cry. "Ah-ha!" He finally found what he was looking for and snatched it up. He stood up and flattened out his palm, uncurling his long fingers and his chipped and dirty fingernails, exposing a red rock with black lines running through it. "Here," Richie's voice was a little rough as he shoved it toward Eddie, who's eyes widened as he looked down at it. "Add it to your collection." Eddie didn't stand for much clutter in his bedroom, because clutter meant dust and dust meant germs and mites, but he did have a pretty little rock collection that he had started a few months ago, lining them up along his window sill.
"Oh," Eddie managed to say as he took the rock from his friend, his fingers carefully not touching his palm as he turned the rock over. "T-thanks."
"What, someone does something nice for you and you turn into Big Bill?" Richie mocked him and Eddie rolled his eyes.
"Fuck up," he said half-heartedly. Richie started clambering back up the rocks, toward the grassy bank where their bikes were. Eddie followed more slowly, choosing his steps with more care that Richie, who's ankles kept twisting as his feet slid down rocks and his calves kept scraping against the rough surface. Richie got to the top first, but he tripped at the top and landed awkwardly on one knee.
"Shit!" He hissed out as the rock tore at the scabs that were already formed on his knee. Eddie made a face as he quickly caught up with Richie and gripped Richie's hand with the hand that wasn't holding the new-found rock.
"You need to be more careful," Eddie scolded gently.
"It's just a little blood, Eds," Richie brushed it off, but didn't try to pull his arm away.
"Sit down," Eddie let go of his arm and pushed gently. "And don't call me that."
"It's fine, you worry wart," Richie sung out, but he was already sitting down on the grass. The blood from the torn scab was beginning to well and threatening to drip down his leg. Eddie screwed up his nose, not looking at all happy about the sight in front of him, but he bravely pulled out a little package from his fanny pack and tore it open, presenting an antiseptic wipe. He chewed down on his lower lip, almost nervously, as he gently dabbed at Richie's wound. He kept on waiting for Richie to tell him to fuck off and swipe at his hand, but the taller boy didn't, so Eddie just focused on first cleaning his friends leg, and then carefully applying a plaster.
"There—" Eddie's words died in his throat as he lifted his head and realized that Richie was leaning in so close that when his face tipped upward, they were only a breath apart. Richie's eyes were incredible wide behind his thick rimmed glasses. Eddie knew his own eyes widened at the realization that his friend was so close. He licked his lips nervously, and then his stomach did this weird flipping thing and his heart squeezed really tight in his chest.
"Thanks," Richie murmured, without any trace of sarcasm in his voice. Eddie couldn't do anything other than blink up at Richie, and vaguely notice the way that the breeze lifted a few of Richie's curls and wisped them across his forehead.
Neither of them were too sure who it was moving first—or maybe they just both moved in at the same time—but then their lips came together. They both fumbled a bit, their lips only grazing together for a split second, before the two teenagers letting out short laughs as they bumped heads and pulled back after just a split second. Richie's cheeks were flaming red, looking uncharacteristically embarrassed, while Eddie was back to chewing on his lip.
"Do you wanna...Try again?" Richie asked, sounding hesitant. Eddie took in a deep breath, blinking a few more times, looking incredible pretty—as usual—before nodding and moving in again, puckering his lips slightly. Richie tilted his head in the opposite direction before he leaned in, and their lips melded together perfectly this time. Richie tasted like grape bubblegum and the cigarette he had shared with Bev. Eddie tasted like mint gum and strawberry chapstick. Richie lifted one of his hands so that his thumb and forefinger was brushing against Eddie's delicate jawline, before they parted, their foreheads still together. "Do I get one of these every time I hurt myself?" Richie asked optimistically, with a goofy smile that made Eddie duck his head and laugh.
"Fuck no, you hurt yourself all the time," Eddie stated as he got up, trying to ignore how fast his heart was beating in his chest. Richie got up as well, bumping his shoulder against Eddie's.
"But some other time, right?" He pressed. Eddie blinked again, and couldn't hide his smile.
"Right," he murmured, and Richie grinned wide, throwing his arm around his shoulder as they continued toward their bikes.
Let me know what you think :)