Author's note: How's everyone doing during these difficult times? It's been a crazy couple of weeks since my last update. I work in a grocery store, so I'm an essential employee, and it's been absolutely crazy as you can imagine. I've been so exhausted when I get home, the last thing I've wanted to do was write, so it's been a bit longer than I like. Aside from that and the fact that my vacation plans to meet James Ransone have been ruined, I am okay otherwise. Just sad, and disappointed, and ready for all of this to be over, but I hope this finds you well. Take care of yourselves.

Brave
Chapter 14 – I Want That With Richie

At the mere sound of Myra's voice, Richie immediately felt Eddie stiffen against him. It was like someone had flipped a switch, and Richie could feel Eddie's muscles tightening and straining under his fingers. It was a tenseness seeping back into Eddie that had been gone for two entire days, ever since Richie had helped him change his bandages the first time and Eddie had completely relaxed into his grip. Not even those assholes at the Kissing Bridge had made that stiffness return, but now with just a few words from Myra, it was back out of nowhere.

Fuck that woman, because Jesus Christ, how dare she undo all the progress Eddie was making with one stupid phone call? Richie had the crazy urge to grab the phone off the bed, scream at Myra to leave Eddie alone, and hang up. In the end, however, he didn't, because Richie knew that Eddie had things to sort out with her in order to get the divorce underway. The sooner that happened, the sooner he and Eddie could settle into their life together.

And the sooner Eddie could truly move forward and learn how to be his own person rather than an extension of his mother or Myra. And he was doing that. He had been doing that, until Myra reached out and tried to dig her fingers into him again.

"Myra," Eddie said stiltedly, gently pushing himself up. He crawled off of Richie, who almost moaned at the loss of contact, before grabbing up his phone from where it lay on the mattress.

Eddie made his way to the other side of the bed, sitting down on the edge. Richie didn't like it, because Eddie was facing away from him and it almost seemed like he was trying to put distance between himself and Richie. Or was Richie just imagining that? Was it the enormous feeling of jealousy rising up in Richie's chest that was making him see things that weren't really there? In reality, Richie knew there was nothing to be jealous of, but he still didn't like Myra thinking she had any semblance of a relationship left with Eddie at all.

A part of Richie wondered if he should leave the room. Eddie had had more than a few calls with Myra over the last month, and Richie always gave him privacy to do that. This wasn't really any of his business, and Richie almost felt like he was intruding. However, Eddie didn't get up from the bed, nor did he motion for Richie to leave either, so Richie stayed where he was.

No one said anything at first, and Richie wanted to yell at Myra to just get to the fucking point, because he and Eddie had some making out to get back to. Jesus, what was it with that woman that made Richie want to do ridiculous things?

"Who's Bill?" Myra asked accusingly.

Eddie sighed heavily, burying his head in his free hand. "He's a friend. You know, one of the friends I came back here to see in the first place?"

"Yeah," Myra snapped, "the friends that made you change your mind about me."

"They didn't make me do anything," Eddie stressed. "This is about me. This is about what I want."

A smug smile spread over Richie's features and he sort of wanted to laugh loudly. He wanted to shout that Eddie didn't want Myra any longer, that he wanted Richie. Of all the fucking things in the world, he wanted Richie. 'You know that crass comedian that Eddie liked to fall asleep to? That's me,' Richie had the urge to say. He had to press the back of his hand against his mouth to stop the words.

Richie honestly didn't know how Eddie could keep a somewhat civil marriage with this woman for so long, because Richie would have pissed her off at least twelve times already during this phone call alone.

But god, Richie was so fucking proud of Eddie. Not so very long ago, Eddie would have easily agreed with Myra and went along with whatever she wanted in the interest of appeasing her. But not any longer; Eddie was finally standing up for what he wanted, and if it was the last thing Richie did, he would make sure that Eddie never, ever settled again just to keep other people happy.

"You were never like this before you went back there – so standoffish, so cold to me," Myra said snottily. "If you would just come home-"

"I'm not coming home," Eddie cut her off. "I already told you that."

"You're going to stay in that dirty little town for the rest of your life?" Myra asked. "You never talked about your childhood a lot, but you made that much abundantly clear – that you absolutely hated that town."

"No, I'm not going to stay here," Eddie said. "I'm-" Eddie stopped, then turned his head and looked out of the corner of his eye to Richie. He smiled before he said, "I've decided I'm going to move out west. I think a change of scenery would do me good."

"What's for you out west?" Myra asked. "Is that where she's from?" Myra's voice suddenly grew frantic. "Is that what you're doing? You're shacking up with her?"

Eddie's smile grew, but then he pressed his teeth over his bottom lip. He looked away from Richie and pressed a hand over his eyes. "For the thousandth time, Myra, there is no she." Eddie paused. "Never has been. Never will be."

Richie couldn't help it – at those words, he reached out a hand and pressed it against the small of Eddie's back. His fingers lingered in between the gap between Eddie's bandages and the waistband of his jeans. Richie had meant the gesture to be a sign of comfort, but a moment later, Eddie leaned forward. This broke the contact between he and Richie, and Eddie scooted forward, closer to the edge of the mattress, until he was out of Richie's reach completely.

Frowning deeply, Richie withdrew his hand like he had been burned. He pulled his hand to his chest, wishing that Eddie would just let Richie offer him some comfort. Again, fuck this woman, because Eddie had never shied away from his touch before. But Richie supposed it was an awkward position to be in – on the phone with Myra while Richie was trying to touch him, because as of late, when had they stopped at simply touching?

"What's for you out west then?" Myra asked. "What are you going to do? Just drive around aimlessly like a little lost puppy? I'm still here for you, Eddie-kins, and you still have a home here."

Eddie noticeably shivered, but now it was out of complete disgust. He ran his hand through his hair before pressing his fingers over his eyes again. "It hasn't been my home for a long time."

Myra was silent for several moments, but then said, "Eddie-"

"Why are you calling, Myra?" Eddie cut her off. His voice was demanding, and Richie could tell he was quickly reaching the extent of his patience with her. "I'm not going to change my mind about coming home, so if that's what this is about, you can stop wasting your time."

"So that's it then?" Myra asked, her tone growing in intensity. She was probably about ten seconds away from screaming. "You're going to dump me like a bunch of trash? Did I ever mean anything at all to you?"

Eddie's shoulders seemed to shrink in on themselves, and he was growing tenser by the second. This made Richie finally sit up on the bed, and he inched across the mattress towards Eddie. Richie knew his previous touch hadn't been welcome, but Richie wanted nothing more than to massage away all the tightness from Eddie forever. It made Richie absolutely furious to know that just one phone call from this woman could do this. Maybe Myra loved Eddie in her own way, but was she really that oblivious to the fact that she made him so unhappy? So uncomfortable in his own skin?

But much like Eddie's mother, Richie knew it had little to do with Eddie and everything to do with Myra and Sonia's need for control.

Richie shuffled up behind Eddie on the bed, folding his legs under him and gently placing his hands on Eddie's shoulders. When Eddie didn't immediately shake them off, Richie starting massaging them softly in an effort to help relax Eddie again. Eddie sucked in a soft breath and then leaned back into Richie's touch the tiniest bit.

"Of course you did," Eddie replied around a sigh. "But things haven't been like that for a long time, and I think you know that."

"Why won't you at least give us a chance to work things out?" Myra asked, and Richie could hear the sobs beginning to edge into her voice. "Don't I deserve at least that much from you?"

"It has nothing to do with what you do or don't deserve," Eddie said firmly. "As I said, this has everything to do with me. Me, Myra." He huffed out a breath before he said, "That's not a word that I've used a lot during our marriage, is it? But I think it's finally time that I do, because…it's been a very long time since I've been happy."

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Myra asked, "And are you so happy now?" The question was accusing and snippy, like she was daring Eddie to try and be happy without her.

"Yeah," Eddie replied easily. He reached up his free hand towards his shoulder, finding Richie's fingers and pressing his own over them. "I really am. I'm happier than I've been in a long time."

Myra didn't say anything for a very long time, but then she asked, "And does my happiness mean nothing to you anymore?"

Eddie opened his mouth, but then shut it again almost immediately. He covered his mouth for a moment before he said, "Not at the expense of my own, no." More silence fell between them, but then Eddie added, "I can't…I'm not responsible for your happiness."

"But you owe me a chance to try and work things out," Myra replied firmly. "I've found a marriage counselor here who's willing to fit us into her busy schedule."

"Myra," Eddie said, his voice beginning to quiver in anger. "It isn't something that can be…fixed with counseling. I've told you that. A person's feelings don't work that way. I don't work that way."

"Well, you seemed pretty happy with me until you went out there," Myra said. "And then you left to spend time with those friends of yours and now you're a completely different person. What happened to my little Eddie-kins?"

Eddie let out an exasperated sigh. He stared up at the ceiling and leaned back even more, pressing his back into Richie's touch. "I've changed," Eddie said. "I'll be the first one to admit that. I'm not the same person you married and I can't pretend-"

"And I can't give you a divorce," Myra cut him off. "Not if you won't try and work things out with me first. You owe me that much, Edward Kaspbrak. Come home and we'll go to counseling. We'll try and work through this."

Eddie scoffed. "You're not listening to me! You can't blackmail me into staying married to you. I'm not coming home and I'm not going to counseling with you! There is absolutely nothing left to work out! You know we've been beyond that stage for a very long time now, and the sooner you admit that, the easier this will be for the both of us." Eddie lifted his free hand into the air, holding it vertically and using it to emphasize each of his points.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Myra asked. "You'd like it if I just signed on the line, gave you a nice and easy divorce, and just sent you on your way to be with her. Well, our marriage means more to me than that. It's more than just a piece of trash to be thrown away, and I for one am going to fight for it, even if you won't."

Without warning, Eddie pulled out of Richie's grasp and was on his feet a moment later. He began pacing the room as he said, "There's nothing left to fight for and there is no she! How many times do I have to tell you that?! Jesus Christ, are you listening to yourself?"

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Edward," Myra bit out. "I'm not going to let you treat me like this!"

"I'm past the point of taking orders from you," Eddie said, his voice suddenly and ridiculously calm now. It was almost like he was trying to talk to a child in the middle of tantrum, using a quiet tone to try and get the child to stop screaming. It seemed like something he was accustomed to using after so many years. "I'm past the point of being controlled and there is absolutely nothing you can say that's going to make me change my mind. You can't keep me locked in this sham of a marriage."

Eddie paused for a long time. At first, Richie thought it was for effect, but then Eddie's face contorted into a grimace. He let his phone fall to his side for a moment, sucking in a shallow and shuddering breath, a noise that hurt Richie's heart to hear. Goddamn this woman and what she was putting this absolutely beautiful man through.

Eddie shook his head and choked in another breath before he brought his phone back up towards his face. "I'm sorry, but it's over, Myra, and that's final."

When Myra spoke again, her voice was low and steady, something that Richie hadn't quite heard from her yet. "It isn't over until I say it is," she whispered.

A moment later, Richie could see the words 'call ended' illuminated on Eddie's phone. Eddie let his phone drop to his side again as he made his way over to the dresser. The very same dresser where Eddie had been sitting while he and Richie had been making out. Had that really only been a mere half an hour ago? Because it felt like a million things had changed since then, and it barely felt like it had happened in the same day, let alone the same hour.

Eddie set his phone down on the dresser before he rested his hands flat on the surface of the wood. He leaned forward, gasping for air, his face screwed up in an expression of pain. A moment later, he was rifling through some of the items on top of the dresser with shaking hands. He tipped over his bottle of painkillers, nearly sending it to the floor. After he got it set upright, however, he only succeeded in knocking over his deodorant, which caused a domino effect. Richie's own deodorant fell over, which crashed into Eddie's hand sanitizer and lotion bottles.

"Where the fuck is my inhaler?!" Eddie asked, suddenly sounding in an absolute panic, just like he had when those abominations had started coming out of the fortune cookies at the Jade of the Orient. He was trying to fix the bottles he had knocked over for all the good it did; his hands were shaking way too much to even set them upright.

"Hey," Richie said, jumping up off the bed. He hurried over to Eddie, placing his hands on Eddie's shoulders from behind. "Breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth."

Eddie shook his head furiously, gasping for air through his mouth. "I can't – she – fuck." Eddie continued his labored gasping in between his words, and it was clear he had no idea what he was even trying to say. "I…I need my fucking inhaler!"

Richie let his hands drift down Eddie's back, reaching them around to Eddie's front. He stepped up closer behind Eddie, pressing his chest up against Eddie's back, hoping that the contact would help to calm Eddie. Richie buried his nose into Eddie's hair and said, "Breathe with me, okay?"

Eddie shook his head again, still sucking short and loud gasps in through his mouth. Eddie's entire body was shaking, his heart pounding impossibly hard underneath Richie's fingers on his chest.

"Come on," Richie said gently. "In through your nose." He stopped, taking a large breath through his nose, holding it, and letting it out slowly. "Do it with me this time. Come on. Please."

Hesitating for a few more moments, Eddie pressed his lips together and closed his eyes, sucking in a shuddering breath through his nose.

"In through your nose," Richie said. "That's it." He took his own deep breath, pressing his chest into Eddie's back even more firmly, so that Eddie could feel Richie breathing in time with him. "And let it out." Richie let out a long and slow breath as Eddie followed suit. "Let's do it again. Breathe in with me. Come on."

Richie stopped talking after that, simply holding Eddie close as they breathed in and out together. Richie kept his hands splayed across Eddie's chest, feeling his heartrate slow and the quivering in Eddie's body begin to subside. Eddie had clenched his hands into fists somewhere along the line, and he was gradually unclenching those as well until his hands were hanging loosely at his sides.

After several minutes, Eddie leaned back into Richie, bringing his hands up to place them over Richie's. Richie simply held him like that for a while, waiting until Eddie's breathing returned to normal.

Eddie opened his eyes, and it was then that he realized that Richie was using the mirror on top of the dresser to stare at him intently. This seemed to embarrass Eddie for some reason and he looked away, his cheeks growing red.

"Thank you," Eddie said quietly, still not meeting Richie's eyes.

"Anytime," Richie replied, pressing a kiss to the back of Eddie's head.

Bringing a hand up to his eyes, Eddie rubbed at them harshly. "I'm sorry you had to hear that." Eddie swallowed hard and added, "I'm fucking sorry you had to see what that woman does to me."

Richie shook his head, still not taking his eyes off of Eddie's face in the mirror. "All the more reason we need to get you away from her. Bitch really isn't good for you."

At his words, Richie felt Eddie stiffen in his arms. Richie only had a few seconds to wonder what it was he said before Eddie spoke.

"Richie."

"What?"

Eddie pulled away from him and returned to the bed, sinking down onto the edge of the mattress. Eddie stared down at the grey carpet underneath his feet, a deep frown growing to consume his features.

Richie wanted to ask him what was wrong, but he didn't. He simply leaned into the edge of the dresser, waiting for Eddie to speak.

After nearly a minute, Eddie finally lifted his head, meeting Richie's eyes. "Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Richie asked, pushing himself away from the dresser. He joined Eddie on the bed, sitting down on the mattress next to him.

Eddie let out a heavy sigh, staring up at the ceiling, and Richie thought he could see the smallest hint of tears in Eddie's eyes. "This," Eddie said, gesturing between them. "Putting up with this shit."

"Fuck, Eds," Richie said. He lifted a hand from his thigh and raised it, meaning to place it on Eddie's shoulder, but then he thought better of it. He returned the hand to his thigh before he said, "I told you, I love you. I want to be with you, and nothing is going to make these feelings go away. You're stuck with me now."

"And stuck with a fucking crazy ex-wife and my fucked up ass," Eddie muttered, pressing a hand to his eyes again. He shook his head and said, "You don't need to do this. I don't get why you'd want to do this – put up with all of this shit. You heard Myra – she's going to fight me every step of the way on this and it's going to be a long fucking time before I'll be…free."

"Because this is what you do when you love someone," Richie said simply. He leaned forward, taking Eddie's hand to pull it away from his face. When Eddie finally met his gaze again, Richie added, "We're going to get through this together – your crazy ex-wife, and your long ass divorce, and your issues, and my fucked up ass, because believe me, you're not the only one who has issues. Let's not forget that I've only now been able to admit that I'm gay after forty fucking years."

"I know," Eddie replied, "but Jesus, Rich. This…this is a lot of fucking baggage, you know? You heard her – she's not letting me go without a fight."

Richie shrugged. "Neither am I."

Eddie turned to face Richie, glancing up at him, his eyes wide. There was a faint shimmer of tears there again, and Eddie's chest was moving a bit more quickly with every breath in and out. "You…you really want me that much?" Eddie asked. "That you're willing to fight for me?"

"Um, yeah," Richie said simply. "You think I spent thirty fucking years pining over you just for the hell of it? If Myra wants a fight, then she's got it. I killed a goddamn psychopath and a fucking space clown in the span of a couple hours. Believe me, your crazy ass wife is nothing, and she has no fucking clue what a crass comedian like me is capable of. They don't call me Trashmouth for nothing."

Letting out a soft laugh, Eddie leaned into Richie's shoulder. Richie immediately wrapped his arm around Eddie, pulling him tightly against him.

"I just want to be with you," Eddie whispered against Richie's neck. "Like you said, why does all hell have to break loose? I don't know why it can't just fucking happen already. Haven't we waited long enough? Haven't we put up with enough shit? You'd think that killing that goddamn space clown and almost losing my life in the process would be enough bullshit to last a lifetime."

Richie took a deep breath, running his hand up and down Eddie's arm. "I know. But…we've already discussed this – you trust me, right?"

"You know I do. More than anyone."

"Then believe me when I say that I want to be with you too," Richie said, pressing a kiss to the top of Eddie's head. "Nothing's going to scare me away from that – not bigots, not your wife, and not any of your issues. I'm in this for the long haul, okay? I'm going to marry you someday, you know." The words were out of Richie's mouth before he could scarcely even process then, and he mentally kicked himself.

Eddie grew still and quiet against him. It was a while before he asked, "You really want that?"

"Fuck, yes," Richie said, even as his heart gave an uncomfortable thump in his chest. Was marriage even something that Eddie ever wanted to think about again? Had Richie finally overstepped his bounds and made Eddie uncomfortable by suggesting something so serious so soon? Richie swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump that had settled in his throat. "You're the love of my life, Eds. Of course I want to marry you."

"I…" Eddie began before trailing off again. "I mean, you joked about inviting James to the wedding while I was in the hospital, but…I thought it was just that – a joke. I didn't know you were being serious."

Richie pulled away from Eddie, reaching his hand up and cupping Eddie's cheek. When Eddie met his eyes, Richie said, "I am. It's my fucking dream to spend the rest of my life with you. And yes, that includes marrying you." Richie stopped, searching Eddie's gaze, waiting for any sort of sign that Richie wasn't completely going out on a limb. "Is…is that something you want?"

"Oh, Richie," Eddie gasped, leaning his forehead against Richie's. A small smile grew to encompass Eddie's lips before he said, "I've wanted to marry you since I was…fifteen, I think." Eddie squinted his eyes in thought. "Yeah, isn't that when your aunt got married and you dragged me along to the wedding?"

Richie laughed, the memory suddenly rushing back to him so quickly, it almost felt like a tidal wave of long-buried feelings. "It was the summer after I turned sixteen, so yeah."


"Jesus Christ, Rich," Eddie complained, pushing at Richie's arm. "Get the fuck off of me."

Richie only tightened his arm around Eddie's shoulders and said, "Do you think anyone will ever marry us Losers?"

"Definitely not you," Eddie replied grumpily. "No one could stand you for that long."

Eddie tried to ignore the fact that Richie's arm was still around his shoulders and he showed no signs of moving it. Eddie sat stiff in his chair and stared out at the dance floor, trying not to think about Richie's fingers and the way they kept brushing against his upper arm. Truth be told, Eddie wanted nothing more than to lean into Richie and reach up to thread his fingers through Richie's. But Jesus Christ, they were in public, and Richie was only being an asshole. Eddie knew Richie certainly didn't mean this gesture in any sort of romantic way and was only doing to annoy Eddie.

Eddie sighed heavily as he watched Richie's aunt and her new husband cling to each other on the dance floor. It was probably the stupidest thought he'd ever had, but the same words kept running through Eddie's mind: I want that and I want that with Richie.

Talk about a pipe dream, because Eddie knew that nothing was more unattainable. Aside from the fact that he knew Richie would never want him in that way, it wasn't like Eddie could ever marry Richie even if they both really wanted it. Because this world was fucked up, and people like Eddie couldn't be themselves.

"What's wrong, Spaghetti?" Richie asked in a slightly teasing tone, leaning his head towards Eddie. "Not having a good time? Don't like being my date?"

Eddie stiffened under Richie's arm, because fuck. Was that what they were doing here? Were they on a date? Because no, that was ridiculous. Richie had only begged and pleaded with Eddie to come with him, because he said he would be bored out of his mind otherwise. Eddie knew Richie certainly didn't mean this as a date, but the truth was, that was what Eddie wanted it to be. He wanted it to be a date, and he wanted to be able to relax into Richie's grip like it was completely normal. But that would never happen.

Eddie shrugged, staring down at his hands clasped together nervously in his lap. Didn't Richie realize what he was fucking doing? Didn't he realize the things that his arm slung around Eddie's shoulders was making him feel? Obviously not, because Richie was the most oblivious creature on the face of the planet.

"Weddings kind of depress me sometimes," Eddie admitted after a while, because that was true. Because he knew he'd never be able to have the one person in the world he really wanted. He'd never be able to stand in a room full of people, clinging to Richie and kissing him as they danced. Richie would never want that and the rest of the world would never want that either.

"Eh, don't worry," Richie said, his head still leaning in towards Eddie in that awkward way of his. "There's someone for everyone. I mean, if I decided to fuck your mother of all people, you'll find someone easy."

"Beep beep, Riche," Eddie said, giving Riche's arm one last firm push and finally dislodging it from its resting place on his shoulders. "You're so gross." A moment of silence fell between them, punctuated by the soft music playing and the din of conversations going on around them. Eddie snorted and said, "No one would ever want me anyway. I have too many fucking mommy issues."

Richie didn't reply at first, and Eddie considered the subject dropped. But then, after nearly a minute, Richie whispered, "I think you'd be surprised, Eds."


"Was…was that a date?" Eddie asked, leaning back and staring at Richie intently. "I thought you were just being an asshole, but…was that our first date?"

Richie could feel his cheeks growing warm, a strange feeling coming to life in his chest. It was like he was embarrassed that Eddie finally figured that shit out, even if it had taken him twenty-five years. "I…I guess it was," Richie said around a laugh. "And I knew it would be safe, because my family already knew how touchy-feely we could be sometimes, you know? I…can't believe I felt comfortable enough to put my arm around you like that in front of so many people, but…yeah. I knew I could just play it off as trying to annoy you, so that was what I did." Richie suddenly found himself grinning. "And I had no idea you were wishing that it could be us up on the dance floor."

"I did," Eddie said, pressing his forehead against Richie's once more. "'I want that and I want that with Richie.' That was all I kept thinking. I still remember it like it was yesterday, those fucking words going through my mind over and over again. Even after I got home that night, that was all I could think about. I laid in my bed until after fucking one o'clock in the morning, imagining that it could be us dancing on our wedding day." Eddie's cheeks flushed red again and he turned away. "And that sounds so stupid, doesn't it?"

Richie reached out, placing a hand on Eddie's cheek and directing his gaze back towards him. "No," Richie said, shaking his head firmly. His eyes were burning with tears, and he blinked, trying to keep them at bay. "I can't believe you actually wanted me in that way and…that you still want me." Richie swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump that had settled into his throat. He ran his thumb against Eddie's bottom lip. "I'm going to make your dream come true, Eds, if you let me. It is going to be us someday on the dance floor at our wedding. I want that more than I've ever wanted anything."

Eddie's bottom lip quivered under Richie's thumb just before he leaned forward, pressing his lips against Richie's. He kissed him hard and fiercely, bringing his hands up against Richie's cheeks.

"Yeah," Eddie replied thickly when the kiss broke, "yeah, that's something I want. Like you wouldn't believe."

"Then we'll get there," Richie said firmly. "No matter how much shit life throws at us – no matter how many space clowns, or crazy exes, or bigots – I swear I'm going to marry you and nothing's going to stop me. Okay?"

Eddie nodded, tucking his head underneath Richie's chin and relaxing into his arms like he hadn't been able to do all those years ago. Like he never thought he'd be able to do. Like he never thought Richie would want him to do.

Richie held him tightly back, running a hand up and down Eddie's back, reveling in the fact that Eddie's breathing was calm again. That Eddie was completely relaxed against him in a way that Myra would never see him, not even if her fucking life depended on it. It completely boggled Richie's mind that so many women just wanted to control him and force him into a little box he didn't belong in. Eddie was the fucking man of his dreams, and nothing made Richie happier than letting him be himself. Richie completely loved everything about Eddie, of course, but nothing made Richie prouder than knowing that Eddie could be his true self with him.

Eddie could be brave, and calm, and relaxed, and funny, and loving in ways that Myra would never know, and goddamn, that was her loss. Why would anyone want to change Eddie when they could have him…like this? It made absolutely no sense to Richie.

Sniffling, Eddie pulled away, rubbing at his eyes and nose.

"Okay?" Richie asked.

Eddie nodding, smiling at Richie through the tears that had formed in his eyes. "Yeah. I'm just going to take a piss and splash some water on my face." Eddie pressed a quick kiss to Richie's cheek before he got up from the bed and made his way to the bathroom.

Richie waited until the bathroom door closed before scrambling across the mattress to his side of the bed. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and quickly found Mike's name in his contacts, sending him a text message.

Richie (11:01 AM): Can I use you for an alibi?

Mike (11:02 AM): Aw fuck, man. Did you murder someone again? Do I need to help you get rid of the body?

Richie (11:02 AM): Haha. No, I want to get a surprise for Eddie, but I don't want him to know. I was going to tell him I'm helping you pack or move boxes or some shit.

Mike (11:03 AM): As long as you don't put me in the middle of this shit and get me caught in a lie. When are you planning on doing this?

Richie (11:03 AM): Tomorrow morning around this time, so make yourself scarce until after lunch. I'll let you know when I'm done and you can come out of hiding.

Mike (11:04 AM): Yeah, I guess I can do that.

Richie: (11:04 AM): Thanks, man. You're the best.

Richie quickly closed the conversation and set his phone back down on the table. He climbed off the bed and went back to the dresser, digging out the t-shirt he had planned on wearing that day. He pulled it on over his head just as Eddie was emerging from the bathroom.

Eddie looked a bit better than he had before. His face was still a bit flushed, damp from where he had splashed water on it, but he now seemed to be completely calm and relaxed.

"Hey, man," Richie said, leaning back against the dresser again and crossing his arms over his chest. "Mike just texted me and asked if I could help him pack up and move some of his shit tomorrow. He's getting ready to get the fuck out of this town, and he wants to go as soon as you're clear to leave as well."

"I hope you know I can't help you move any shit," Eddie said, sitting down the end of the mattress. "I'm on strict orders not to do any heavy lifting until I'm done healing."

Richie tried to hide his smile, because he had been counting on the fact that Eddie wouldn't want to come with him. "No, I know. I thought you could sleep in while I go do that, and then…how about we do something tomorrow night?"

Richie still wasn't even entirely sure what he had planned or if he would carry through with his tentative ideas just yet, but he still thought it was high time that he and Eddie had their first official date.

"What did you have in mind?" Eddie asked curiously, his eyes large and round as he watched Richie.

Shrugging, Richie moved to sit down next to Eddie once more. "No idea. Just…dinner or something? We still haven't had an actual date yet – unless you count my aunt's wedding – and I'd like to correct that."

Eddie smiled, leaning into Richie's shoulder just like he had before. "Me too." Eddie found Richie's hand where it was resting on his thigh, threading his fingers through Richie's. "I love you, Richie."

"I love you. So fucking much," Richie said. "And I'm going to love you forever, whether your stupid ass wife likes it or not." Richie brought Eddie's hand up to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the back of it.

Chuckling against Richie's neck, Eddie let out a relaxed breath and asked, "Promise?"

"I promise, Eds," Richie said firmly. "I know I'm full of shit a lot, but I'm dead serious about this, okay? I'm going to spend forever with you as long as you don't get sick of me first." Richie could feel Eddie smiling against his skin, his breath slow and warm.

"If that's a challenge, I accept."

To be continued…

Author's note: And Myra is not getting any easier to write. Now I know why it's been so long since we've seen her. It was a struggle getting through the first part of the chapter so I could get back to my boys. Good lord, that woman. :P