TW: Mentions of sex

Also, I'm gonna be using AJ Mitchell's music for all of Richie's songs of thats all good with y'all... :)

Eddie's eyes flicked open and he didn't recognise the room he was in. An arm was draped over his chest. He turned his head to the side to see Richie laying next to him completely blacked out. Eddie had a terrible headache and the cold air nipped at his bare skin. He looked down to find himself covered in love bites.

"Fuck," he uttered as the events from last night began coming back.

Eddie slowly lifted Richie's arm and slipped out from underneath. He found his clothes on the floor and quickly pulled on his boxers and jeans. He slipped out the room and closed the door behind him, wearing the dog tag, but gripping his shirt in his hands. Beverly was leant against the wall with a smirk on her face.

"Morning, Eddie."
"Jesus fucking christ," Eddie jumped back startled, "how long were you waiting there?"
"Not long. Have fun last night?"
"How did you know I was in Richie's room?"
"You guys weren't particularly quiet."
"Shit."

The pair both heard a loud "oh fuck" from Richie's room so Beverly decided it be best for Eddie to hurry back to his room. As he opened his door, Beverly winked and Eddie rolled his eyes lovingly. He closed the door behind him, ran into the bathroom and looked at his covered chest.

"What the fuck," he muttered, "this is not okay."

Richie slowly opens his eyes and rubbed them. He felt like shit. He rolled out of his bed, slipped his glasses on and despite it hurting, he walked over to the bathroom. He turned on the light and what he saw in the mirror made his mouth drop open. From the bottom of his chest to the top of his neck, he was covered in love bites, there were even teeth marks on his shoulder.

"Oh fuck!"

Richie pulled the curtain back and turned on the shower. He needed to think. Him and Eddie had just hooked up after twenty two years of not seeing each other. He had no idea what was going to happen next, but one thing he did know was that everyone was going to take the piss out of him for being the obvious bottom.

After he showered, Richie put on some jeans, his yellow Hawaiian shirt and leather jacket. He also slipped on the dog tag and hid it beneath his shirt. He looked in the mirror noticing heaps of the love bits were still showing.

"Fuck it."

Richie's phone buzzed. He took it off the bathroom counter to see a text message from Mike.

Meet at the library in 10 mins.

He responded and headed out into the hallway. As Richie walked out, he saw Eddie's head disappear down the stairs and waited until he heard Eddie's car start. Richie walked down the stairs and into the lobby. He smiled at the lady at the front desk and walked out to where his car was parked. Richie got in the car and began driving towards the library.

Richie sat outside in his car for a while before gathering enough courage to walk inside. He felt like a seventeen year old boy hiding in his car just so he doesn't have to talk to Eddie as long. It's not that he wanted to ignore him, he was scared of messing up making Eddie hate him. He always was and always has been and probably always will. Richie took a deep breath and got out his car. He locked it and headed inside.

"Fashionably late as always," Ben smiled.
"At least I'm here," he rubbed his eye, "I was tempted to say in bed, I'm so fucking tired."
"Uh huh," Beverly but her lip in an attempt to stop them from curving into a smile, which of course didn't work.
"Good morning to you guys too."
"How a-are we k-k-killing this th-thing, Mikey?" Bill asked, changing the subject.

Richie immediately picked up that he was stuttering again. He wasn't sure if it was the recent news of Stanley's death making him slip back into his old habit, but he tried not to think about it.

"I think it's better if I show you," Mike spoke nervously, "how do you guys feel about going for a walk?"

Richie noticed Eddie shoot a look straight over at him. Little fucker read his mind. It hurt Richie to walk, but of course he wouldn't admit it.

"I'm down," Richie shrugged.
"Yeah me too," Eddie added.

Everyone agreed and they headed out. Mike began talking some shit about Pennywise and the 'Ritual or Chüd', but of course Richie zoned out. It wasn't his fault, he just couldn't stop thinking about the night before. He thought about how Eddie had held him so tenderly and made sure he was okay the whole time, constantly asking him if was okay and if he wanted him to stop when he slightly hurt him. It made Richie wonder if anything had happened to him within the last few years. He was pulled out of thoughts by none other than Eddie himself.

"Hey," he smiled sweetly, "are you okay?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm good...how about you?"
"I'm good, last night was fun."

Richie tripped and staggered slightly when Eddie said those last four words. The last thing he expected from Eddie was him to be so forward and it caught him off guard. Eddie had obviously noticed, but he chose not to say anything.

"Yeah, we should do it again sometime," Richie winked with a smirk.

Eddie smiled and playfully rolled his eyes.

"So, a singer huh?"
"It's crazy. It all just kinda happened."

Eddie pulled out his phone and began searching something.

"What you lookin' up there?"
"You."
"Pff, alright."
"No fucking way!"
"What?"
"I love this song!"
"What song?"
"Used to be! I have that shit on repeat all the time."
"I don't believe you."

Eddie opened spotify and clicked on his most listened to album from 2015. He handed Richie the phone and saw that his song 'Used To Be' was at the very top.

"And you never looked to see who it was by? You wound me, Eds."
"Oh shut up," Eddie grinned, "who'd you write the song about, if you don't mind me asking."
"Oh, I um dated this guy called Miles. I changed it to be about a girl because I wasn't out publicly then."
"Well, you should be glad to know th-"

Eddie was cut off by a bunch of cars driving up behind the group of losers. Heaps of people climbed out holding large cameras.

"Guys," Richie yelled, "run, it's the fucking paparazzi!"

The whole group began sprinting and neared what Richie recognised to be the forest where their clubhouse was built by Ben many years prior. The whole group watched as the paparazzi stopped following them and gave up they were amongst the trees.

"Those headlines bouta be really fucking weird," Richie said, putting on his announcers voice, "singer Richie Tozier spotted with olympic runner Eddie Kaspbrak, fashion designer Beverly Marsh and author Bill Denbrough in Derry, Maine!"
"Not to mention the hickeys," Beverly grinned.
"Oi," Eddie and Richie called at the same time.
"That c-collab would b-b-be wild," Bill shook his head.
"Just picturing it is making me want to cry," Mike laughed.
"Isn't this where the clubhouse is?" Ben asked.

Almost on cue, he stamped his foot on the floor and just disappeared. Everyone just stood still silently waiting to hear Ben's voice.

"I'm okay! Come down!"

The group of adults climbed down into the clubhouse they spent many nights in. Richie hadn't been in there since his argument with Stanley the day of graduation. He shook his head and tried to forget the memory. Richie wandered over to the old radio and tape player.

"Remember when Eds and I used to sing and you guys would be so annoyed?" He laughed as he picked up a Whitney Houston tape.
"Don't call me that."
"I used correct grammar and you're just gonna pick up the nickname? Wow, I see how it is."
"I remember that," Mike said, "you guys did it every single time we came down here."
"Stop arguing like an o-o-old married c-couple," Bill smiled and rolled his eyes.
"What are you holding, Bill?" Ben asked.

He was holding an empty blue paint can in his shaky hands.

"F-f-for the u-u-use of l-l-l-losers o-only...St-St-St-St-Stan."

Bill quickly lifted the lid and pulled out a shower cap. He looked at the fabric and remembered the first time he'd kissed Stanley. They'd been alone in the clubhouse listening to music and talking about nothing.

"I gotta go. I have to go do some shit for my dad. I don't know why he asks me to help and not mom, but he does."
"W-wait...I n-n-need to tell you something."
"Hmm?"

Bill got up and walked over to Stanley at the ladder.

"I was p-planning to t-tell you earlier, b-but I didn't h-have the courage t-to. H-here it goes...um...I l-l-like you...a l-lot."

Stanley's expression softened and a small smile spread across his face.

"S-say something. Anything."
"Bill," he placed a hand on his cheek, "I like you too."
"Y-you do?"
"Yeah."

The two boys neared each other and before long their lips had joined. Bill reached up and slipped off Stanley's shower cap so he could feel his curls. Stanley pulled away first and smiled at the boy.

"See you around, Billy."
"Yeah, s-see you."

Bill watched as Stanley climbed out the clubhouse. He began celebrating and pumping his fists. He'd gotten the boy he'd loved for a few years now. It all felt surreal.

Bill sat with Stanley's shower cap on his knee. He softly rubbed his fingers along the material remembering how it felt covering Stanley's hair. He quickly wiped a tear.

"Guessing this is Stan's token?"
"Yeah," Mike said in a small voice, "I guess so."
"I'm need some air," Richie muttered as he climbed out the clubhouse.
"Richie," Eddie called as he went after him.

Richie sat down by a nearby tree and rested his head against it. He felt absolutely terrible. Last time he'd ever talked to him, he upset him and made Stanley cry.

"Hey," Eddie sat next to him, "you okay?"
"No. Last time I saw him, we were arguing. After you left, Bill left a few months later. Stanley took it hard when we got a letter from Bill saying he didn't remember us and we needed to stop contacting him. We were in the clubhouse and I got upset and I said Bill's name and Stan just broke. He begged me to stop saying it and the last thing I said to him was 'you promised me that everything was going to be okay and so far nothing has been. Also, his name is Bill. Use it before you forget too.'"

Richie closed his eyes tight and dropped his head.

"After that, I stormed out and never talked to him again. I saw him at college once...he smiled at me in halls and I smiled back, but I didn't talk to him...I should've. I should've talked to him."

Eddie snaked am arm around Richie's shoulders and Richie leant his head on his chest. Eddie placed his free hand on the side of Richie's face and softly ran his thing along his cheek.

"It's okay."

Eddie rested his head down on top of Richie's.

"Should we leave them? Ben asked.
"Yeah," Beverly said, "probably for the best. They know to meet back at the library."