Author's note: Happy fourth of July to all of my lovely readers here in the US (and everyone else as well)! Stay safe and keep your pets safe as well!

Also, I apologize if this chapter shows up multiple times in your notifications. For some bizarre reason, I somehow uploaded the chapter of another story instead of this one - twice! Because I probably shouldn't be posting at three in the morning. This is the correct one now!

Brave
Chapter 19 – Last Morning in Derry

Eddie awoke the next morning with Richie curled up around his side of the bed. Richie's arm was thrown over Eddie's stomach and his leg was wrapped around one of Eddie's. Richie also had his nose was pressed into the side of Eddie's neck, and Eddie could feel Richie's breath soft and warm against his skin. Turning his head, Eddie buried his nose into Richie's dark curls, smiling into his hair.

A moment later, however, the previous night's events came flooding back to Eddie in full force. He suddenly remembered the ring he was now wearing on his finger and the fact that Richie had asked Eddie to marry him. Even though they had already previously agreed that it was something they both wanted, Eddie had never imagined that Richie would go out and buy him a ring and propose to him before they even left Derry.

It was way more than Eddie had even hoped for. Not only did Richie love him and want to be with him, but he wanted to spend forever with Eddie on top of that. While Eddie knew that Richie's gesture wouldn't fix things completely (his mother had gone out of her way to fuck him up for a very long time), Eddie also knew that Richie wouldn't have done this unless he was absolutely serious about Eddie. And that did count for a lot.

Richie wanted him. Out of all the people on the face of the earth, Richie had chosen him.

Eddie's left hand was trapped in between his and Richie's bodies, so he wiggled a bit in order to free it. When he succeeded, he held his hand up, using his thumb to jiggle the ring slightly on his finger, watching the way the opal caught and reflected the bright morning sunlight.

Eddie sighed contentedly.

Richie stirred next to him, and Eddie could feel him smiling into his neck. "Happy?" Richie asked sleepily.

Smiling in return, Eddie lowered his hand to grip the one that Richie had laying over his stomach. "Happier than I've ever been," Eddie whispered. He swallowed hard and said, "You really want this." It wasn't a question, but a statement, because Eddie was still trying to really make it sink in. It didn't quite feel real, and he wondered if it ever would.

"Yeah, I do."

"You really want me."

"More than anything."

Eddie let out another soft sigh and said, "I told you, this was what I wanted all those years ago when you dragged me to your aunt's wedding, but never in a million years did I think I'd get it."

"Me too," Richie said, kissing Eddie's neck. "I love you so much."

"I love you," Eddie responded, turning his head and kissing Richie gently. "And I'm sorry for being a complete and total dumbass."

Richie hummed against Eddie's lips before he asked, "Which instance of you being a dumbass are you referring to? Because you're going to have to narrow it down a little bit for me."

Eddie playfully elbowed Richie in the chest. "You know, when you were buying my ring and I was sitting here, worrying that you had changed your mind about us. And you were buying my ring," he repeated, throwing his right arm over his eyes.

Richie snickered. He turned his arm in Eddie's grip, grasping Eddie's left hand tightly in his. He threaded their fingers together and then ran his thumb over the engagement ring on Eddie's finger. "It's fine," Richie murmured. "But like I said, whenever you are having those doubts, just come talk to me, okay? Because I promise I'm not going to change my mind about us."

Eddie let his arm drop from over his eyes, instead laying that arm across Richie's arm as well, his thumb running across the hair there. God, he loved all these things about Richie that were so manly. He tightened the fingers of his other hand around Richie's before saying, "Okay."

"Besides," Richie admitted, "I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my own doubts about you saying yes."

Eddie blinked, pulling away slightly to meet Richie's eyes. "You seriously thought I'd say no? After we already talked about it?"

"I told you," Richie said, "I was afraid you'd tell me this was all way too soon and that I needed hold my fucking horses for a while." Richie snorted and said, "Ask Ben and Bev. I had a small freak out in their room yesterday, terrified that you'd think I was crazy, and that you'd hate the ring, and-"

"I love it," Eddie cut him off gently. He kissed Richie's forehead. "It's beautiful."

"It reminded me of you."

"Of me?"

Richie hummed in response. "'Cause it looks like it's on fire and that's how I'd describe you – because I've never met anyone that's as fucking fiery and passionate as you."

Eddie stilled in his arms. "You…you think I'm passionate?"

"Fuck yeah," Richie said. "The way you get so intense about things you believe in and the way you kiss me sometimes – you're so passionate."

Eddie frowned deeply, because he never considered half of the things he did out of habit, and paranoia, and irritation as passionate. "What you call passionate I've always thought of as annoying," Eddie pointed out.

"When you kiss me the way you do?" Richie asked, quirking an eyebrow. "When we're making out, and you get all hot and bothered, and start thrusting your hips against mine?" Richie pressed his hips insistently into Eddie's thigh, grinning mischievously. "Not a chance."

"That's not what I mean," Eddie said, pressing his thigh back into Richie in annoyance. He huffed out a sigh and said, "I wouldn't call having a fucking panic attack passionate. I know it's a pain in the ass, plain and simple."

"Okay, I wasn't talking about your panic attacks when I said you were passionate," Richie argued, "and you know it. But you're not a pain." Richie tightened his arm around Eddie's waist and pulled him closer. "Believe me, if I thought you were annoying in the least, I would have stopped hanging out with you way before now. Do you seriously think I'd even consider you my best friend after all these years if you annoyed me that much?"

Eddie took a deep breath and let it out slowly, knowing that Richie didn't tell him these things for the hell of it. Knowing that Richie wasn't the least bit like his mother, and he would never lie to him no matter what. Except for when he was out buying engagement rings and shit.

Eddie smiled and muttered, "Well, you're annoying and I don't know why I put up with you."

"You love me," Richie said smugly.

"Fuck off."

This only made Richie grin even more, and he laid several kisses along Eddie's jaw. "You know, I told Ben and Bev that you telling me to 'fuck off' is just part of our relationship. It's when you stop saying shit like that that it means we're in trouble. So feel free to keep telling me that."

"No problem. Fuck off."

Richie giggled before capturing Eddie's lips in a kiss, but Eddie quickly broke it.

"You know," Eddie said around a heavy sigh, "I should call Myra and let her know I'm coming to pick up my shit either today or tomorrow."

Richie grumbled and frowned. "I hate when you talk to her. She always gets you so worked up."

"Well, she needs to be warned," Eddie said. "I can't just show up on the doorstep, because all hell will break loose."

"All hell breaks loose when you talk to her."

"I know," Eddie said around a groan, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "But it'll be even worse in person, especially if I don't let her know we're coming. That woman hates surprises. But it's just going to be a quick call. I'm going to call, and tell her, and hang up. That's it. I'll be fine."

"If she lets you hang up."

"I'll tell her we're getting ready to leave and I can't talk," Eddie said. "Bitch will have to deal with it."

"Are you going to tell her about our engagement?" Richie asked, nuzzling against Eddie's neck again.

Eddie rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You're horrible."

"Speaking of which," Richie said, pulling away so that he could meet Eddie's gaze, "thank you for not letting me post an announcement to Twitter last night. It seemed like such a great idea in the spur of the moment, but you were right. Now that I stop and think about it, it only would have caused a shit storm."

"I just didn't think you'd want to come out that way," Eddie said. Despite the gravity of the situation, Eddie found himself smiling. "No matter how excited you are to announce that I'm your fiancé."

"I am," Richie said, returning Eddie's smile. A moment later, however, Richie's expression turned serious, his lips twitching down and his eyebrows knitting together. "But I need to ask you something."

"You already did. I said yes, remember?"

"I don't mean that," Richie told him. "I…I need to ask you something serious."

Eddie shifted on his pillow, scooting away from Richie so that he could take in Richie's entire expression. "About what?"

"I probably should have brought this up sooner," Richie admitted. He leaned up and propped his head up with his hand. "But I honestly didn't even start thinking about it until last night."

"Brought what up?" Eddie asked, searching Richie's eyes. Eddie swallowed the lump that had suddenly sprung to life in his throat, trying to keep himself calm. "What? Do you have a crazy wife too?" he asked, desperate to break some of the tension that had settled into the room.

"I didn't have anyone," Richie said. "Not before coming back to Derry. Just…a housekeeper and a fancy apartment."

Eddie ran his hand up Richie's arm, gently rubbing his fingers over Richie's bicep, just under the sleeve of his t-shirt. Richie didn't often speak about his life before returning to their hometown, but when he did, it was always with a deep sadness in his voice. A profound sense of regret that Eddie never wanted to dig into too deeply.

"You know you can tell me anything," Eddie told him.

"I know," Richie said, taking a deep breath. "I just…you're going to be okay with it once I do come out, right?"

Eddie blinked in confusion, because he genuinely had no idea what Richie was even asking. "What do you mean? I…I want you to come out when it's right for you. You don't…have to worry about me."

"But I do," Richie said, absently tracing patterns with his fingers across Eddie's chest. Across where the bandages and scar lay just below his t-shirt. "I'm…kind of famous. It's not going to just be about me, you know. It's going to be about if I'm seeing anyone and who that might be." Richie huffed out a breath and bit at his bottom lip in irritation. "Your name is going to get thrown around at some point, and…the paparazzi have been known to camp outside my apartment and follow me when I go get fucking coffee and shit. It doesn't happen often, just on slow news days, but it does happen, and it's fucked up. That people care what a loser like me does with my boring ass day. And what I get in my fucking coffee."

"Three sugars," Eddie said. "Not that exciting."

"My point exactly," Richie replied, "but…are you ready for them to start doing the same thing to you? Because I imagine it's going to blow up for a while after I do come out."

"Rich," Eddie said earnestly, "don't think I haven't thought about those things already. Believe me, I considered all of that and more the moment we came back to Derry and I figured out you were that comedian I watched on YouTube. I still initiated this regardless."

Richie smiled again, one that genuinely reached his eyes, and if Eddie wasn't mistaken, he thought he saw the faintest glimmer of tears in his eyes as well.

"Were you sitting in the Jade of the Orient and going over all of this in your mind?" Richie asked, and it looked like he was straining to contain a giggle. "About what it would be like to date me, because I'm a famous comedian?"

"Yeah," Eddie admitted. "I was. I knew that it would make me famous too by default, and…I still wanted it. I still want you. The only person in my life who doesn't know I'm bisexual is Myra and…she's going to be pissed off regardless, knowing that I've moved on without her." He shrugged before he added, "Hopefully, I can at least get my divorce settled before any of this gets out, but…if not, we'll deal with it. I'm…honestly done trying to please other people. This is what I want and that's all that matters to me right now."

"Shit," Richie muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't even think about the fact that this would complicate your divorce. And I should have." Releasing his hold on Eddie, Richie flopped down on his back on the mattress. "Fuck. I'm sorry."

Eddie pushed himself up from the mattress and turned on his side to face Richie. He placed his hand on Richie's chest, feeling the strong beat of his heart underneath the fabric of his t-shirt. Then Eddie reached up, letting his fingers trail along the skin of Richie's neck and up to his cheek. God, he fucking loved the stubble there, the way it brushed against his fingers.

"Don't worry about it," Eddie insisted. "So she may try to sue me for more money, but…let her. I'm already leaving her the house and almost everything in it, and she can have it. I'll still have enough in savings to last me until we get to LA and I find a new job. I don't…want this to affect us or when you choose to come out, because I told you – that needs to be your decision and yours alone."

Richie nodded solemnly. "And you've made me realize that this is something I need to think about for a while before I actually do it, so your divorce may very well be over by the time anything actually happens. I need to come out to my manager first and see how that goes – if he'll want to continue to work with me or drop me."

"In which case, you'll find a new manager," Eddie said. "One that isn't a douchebag."

Frowning and squinting his eyes in thought, Richie mumbled a quick, "Yeah. I mean…I don't think he'll care. He's never given me the impression that he's a bigot at all, but it's not something we've ever needed to talk about before, so who knows? And being a manager for a gay guy who wants to come out is another thing altogether."

"We'll get through it," Eddie said confidently, and he loved being the one to give Richie those kinds of assurances now. Eddie almost felt like it was always Richie taking care of him and reassuring him, but now Eddie could help him navigate through coming out and handling his career on top of it. "Whatever happens, we're in this together, right?"

"Absolutely," Richie said, smiling up at Eddie now. "And don't forget, I'm putting you up in my plush apartment free of charge, so it's not like you'll be strapped for cash, even if Myra does try taking all your money."

"God, you make me sound like a fucking sugar baby."

"Do you want to be?" Richie wiggled his eyebrows.

"Seriously, fuck off." Eddie released his hold on Richie and plopped down on his back again. "Are you going to go get breakfast or what?" he asking, giving Richie a sideways stare.

Undeterred, Richie turned over onto his side, wrapped an arm around Eddie's waist again, and kissed his cheek. "Yeah, I am. Are you going to call Myra?"

"Yeah, I want to get it out of the way."

"Okay, I'll give you some privacy." Richie started to pull away, but then he paused, turning back to Eddie. "I'll be right downstairs if you need me. I'll take my phone, so just shoot me a text if you want me to come back up."

Eddie nodded. "I will. And I'll be okay."

Richie pressed one last kiss to Eddie's lips before he got out of bed. Eddie watched him put on his glasses, pull on some pants and shoes, and grab his phone and the room key before heading for the door.

"I love you," Eddie said, staring up at the man he adored more than anything in the world.

"I love you," Richie replied, blowing him a kiss before leaving the room.

Eddie reached for his phone on the bedside table, taking a deep breath to calm himself before tapping Myra's name in his contacts. Just then, however, an incoming call showed up on this screen. Eddie grinned when he saw the name and immediately accepted the call.

"Hey, Bill."

"All right. What's this I hear about you getting engaged?" Bill asked, sounding smug. "The last time we talked, you were concerned that he wasn't all that serious about you." He snorted.

Despite the fact that he normally hated being proven wrong, Eddie was perfectly okay with it in this case. He laughed softly and said, "Yeah, about that – so you were right, okay?"

"Told you."

Even though Eddie didn't mind being proven wrong, that didn't mean he needed to be ribbed for it. "Shut the fuck up."

"I'm really happy for you," Bill said instead. "Both of you. I mean it. You deserve it."

"Thanks, Bill." Eddie paused for a moment, biting at his bottom lip. "But I'm actually glad you called, because I wanted to ask you something else. Or a couple of things actually." He almost thought Bill would make a joke, but he must have detected the suddenly concerned tone of Eddie's voice.

"Shoot."

"Well, we're all leaving today," Eddie said. "Now that I'm okay to travel, we're getting the hell out of this town once and for all, and so are Ben, and Bev, and Mike."

"Good. And don't look back."

"I didn't want to say anything Richie, because we have enough shit to worry about as it is," Eddie said, "but…you haven't forgotten anything this time, have you? Not like last time?"

"Not like last time," Bill said reassuringly. "I talked with Mike about this a bit and he seems to think it's b-because It's dead and that power died with It. I still remember all of you and everything that happened."

"Okay," Eddie said around a heavy breath, relaxing into the bed as he absorbed Bill's words. "Is it weird that…I'm sort of afraid that I'll wake up one day and forget Richie completely? That I'll find myself not in love with him anymore?" he asked. "And that scares the shit out of me, because he's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I mean…I'm sure it won't happen, because we're going to be living together, but…can you imagine waking up and seeing a stranger in your bed? What the fuck would that be like?" Eddie shivered, because it terrified him to his very core. They already lived through that once, and it wasn't something that Eddie wanted to repeat.

"No, it's not weird," Bill replied. "Because I was afraid when I first left Derry too. Afraid that I'd forget the best family I've ever had. But look – I've been gone for a good month, and I haven't forgotten any of you. You're not going to forget Richie. Promise."

Eddie found himself smiling as he said, "I'm sort of glad you left Derry first so we could see what'll happen to the rest of us. I think I'd be having a fucking panic attack right now if we were all still here and we didn't know what was going to happen to our memories."

"Glad to be your guinea pig," Bill said dryly.

Eddie snickered before he said, "And now I have a really, really important question to ask you."

"No, I don't think Richie's going to leave you at the altar."

"You're never going to let me live that down, are you?"

"Nope."

Eddie let out an overdramatic sigh, making sure that Bill could hear it through the phone. A moment later, though, Eddie said, "This is serious."

"What's your question?"

Eddie paused for a moment, shifting a bit in bed to try and ease some of his nervousness. Not that he thought that Bill would actually say no, but that didn't quite stop Eddie from worrying. Eddie closed his eyes, trying to calm himself before he asked, "Will you be my best man?"

A brief moment of silence passed before Bill replied, "Yeah, man. I'd be honored."

"Thanks, Bill."

"No problem. And tell Richie congratulations and that I'm happy for him too, okay?"

"I will."

When Eddie hung up with Bill a moment later, it left him feeling even more relaxed and happy than he had before. He almost didn't want to ruin the moment by calling Myra, but it had to be done. Gritting his teeth, Eddie quickly brought up Myra's name in his contacts again before he could lose his nerve.

"Eddie-kins," Myra cooed in that grossly annoying sing-song voice of hers. Like they hadn't been screaming at each other the last time they had talked. Like they were still on anything resembling good terms.

"Don't call me that, Myra," Eddie snapped, but a moment later, he grimaced. This conversation wasn't going to go over well if he was already annoyed with her. Trying desperately to reel his frustration back in, he said, "Listen…I'm heading back to New York today, so if it's okay with you, I'd like to come pick up a few things either later today or tomorrow. It depends what time I get into town."

Myra didn't reply at first, like she was weighing her various options here. Finally, she asked, "You're coming home then?"

"Not home," Eddie replied, trying his best to keep his tone gentle and civil. "I'm just stopping there to pick up a few things. That's all."

Myra was quiet again before she asked, "Can we talk when you do?"

Eddie suppressed the urge to tell her that they didn't have anything to talk about, because Eddie didn't have any romantic feelings for her whatsoever, and that he was divorcing her ass whether she liked it or not. Instead he said, "I won't be there very long, but…we can talk." Eddie rubbed his eyes with his free hand, because he didn't want to give her false hope, but he didn't want a furious Myra greeting him when he got there either. He felt like he was walking a tightrope, trying desperately not to fall to either side.

"About us?"

Eddie wanted to tell her that there was no 'us' to speak of, that it was now Eddie and Richie just like it always had been. Closing his eyes and shoving those thoughts and words to the back of his mind, he promised, "We'll talk, Myra, okay?"

"Okay," Myra said, but her voice was uncertain, like she didn't quite know what she was agreeing to. "Will…will you text me before you get here?"

"I'll text you."

"Okay," Myra repeated before she added, "I can't wait to see you."

Eddie had to bite back a snide laugh, because he definitely wasn't the same Eddie that had gotten that call from Mike nearly two months ago. He had fucking scars up the ass and had resorted to growing a beard in order to hide one of them. Myra detested facial hair, insisting that it was 'dirty', so Eddie had always stayed clean-shaven while he was with her. Not to mention, if Myra only knew what now lay beneath his shirt, she'd have a fit, demanding to know what trouble he'd gotten himself into while he had been gone.

Then there was the little matter that Eddie felt like he had grown by leaps and bounds since he'd been away from her controlling behavior. It had been ages since he had touched his inhaler, and a part of him was considering leaving it behind in Derry along with the fucking clown and all the bad memories. On top of that, Eddie was finally standing up for himself and going after what he wanted (which had always been Richie), and he was through letting anyone stand in his way.

"Myra," Eddie said, trying to keep his voice as soft as he could, "you know this isn't going to be a reconciliation or anything, right? I'm…just coming to pick up some of my things. That's all." He really didn't want to piss her off by bursting her bubble, but he didn't want to give her any false hope either.

"But we'll talk."

"We'll talk," Eddie said shortly. "Goodbye, Myra."

Eddie quickly ended the call before she could say anything else, because he wasn't going to entertain her trying to weasel her way back into his life. He recognized this tactic from Myra, and he had almost seen it coming a mile away. The last time they had talked had turned into a pretty heated argument, and that hadn't gone anywhere. Now that Myra knew that screaming orders and threats at him wouldn't work, she was resorting to kindness in order to try and reel him back in. It happened every time they had an argument in their marriage, and Eddie would usually crumble underneath her pleas. But not this time.

Not this time.

Eddie took a deep breath before getting up and going to join the others.


Two hours later, Richie and Eddie had the former's car packed and they were gathered in the front hall of the townhouse, saying their last goodbyes to Ben, Bev, and Mike.

Beverly's gaze was directed down at her cell phone as she said, "I'm putting everyone in a group chat so we can stay in touch more easily."

"Good," Eddie said, "because I think Bill was feeling a little out of the loop with this whole engagement thing."

Beverly shoved her phone into her pocket a moment later before hugging Eddie tightly. "I'm so happy for you," she said before turning to Richie and squeezing him as well. When she pulled away, she looked up at Richie and added, "You know you can call us if you need anything else, right?"

"Yeah," Richie said, and he really, truly meant it. For the very first time in his life, he felt entirely supported for who he was, and the fact that he didn't have to hide certain aspects of himself from his friends any longer was exhilarating. Ben, Bev, and Mike had all helped him propose to Eddie in one way or another, and none of them (including Bill) had batted an eye at the revelation that Richie and Eddie had had been in love with each other forever. At the fact that Richie was gay.

Every time Richie thought about it, it almost felt like his heart was swelling inside his chest somehow, and it sent waves of emotions and tears through him.

Sniffling slightly and attempting to push the feeling down, Richie said, "Thank you guys so much. For putting up with my annoying ass, because I know it's a lot."

"At least they get to leave you behind now," Eddie told him. "I have to put up with you all the way back to fucking LA in a car. It's going to be a nightmare. Why did I ever agree to this?"

"Not to mention the rest of your life, Eds," Richie said, wrapping at arm around Eddie's shoulders and kissing him. "You're stuck with me now."

"Fuck off," Eddie muttered, pushing gently at Richie's chest. Eddie's eyebrows were knit together in a frown, but Richie didn't miss the tiny little curve at the very corner of his lips.

It then occurred to Richie that he didn't even have to think about censoring himself around his friends anymore, that he had just kissed Eddie in front of them without the slightest hint of fear, and that made him suddenly want to cry again. There had been a time when he would have died rather than admit his feelings, much less act on them. There had been a time when just the thought of it made his palms sweat and his heart race. But now he could kiss Eddie in front of their friends, and it was okay. More than okay, actually, because everyone was thrilled for them.

It was so much more than Richie could have ever imagined.

Eddie was embracing Mike, so Richie turned to Ben next, hugging him tightly. "Thank you for letting me be myself," Richie whispered.

"Don't mention it," Ben replied, clapping him firmly on the back. "And I'm here if you ever need anything else – if you're stressed, or worried about anything, or just need to talk, don't hesitate to call, okay?"

Richie could only nod at this, throat suddenly feeling too tight to speak. When they released each other, Richie turned to Mike next. They hugged as Richie told him, "Thank you for being my alibi while I got an engagement ring for this asshole."

"Hey!" Eddie cried. He pulled out of his own hug with Ben before he said, "I can still break off the engagement, you know. Don't think I won't." He held up his hand in front of him, waving it up and down with his words.

Richie snorted. "Yeah, right."

Eddie crossed his arms over his chest. "Shut up."

"Um…you guys don't have any sharp objects in the car, do you?" Ben asked uncertainly, his eyes going back and forth between Richie and Eddie. "Because Eddie may very well murder you before you get back to LA. Don't forget, Eddie has a thing for stabbing people. And fucking space clowns."

"Damn right," Eddie muttered. "Don't think I won't do that either."

"Please don't make us clean up and hide anymore dead bodies," Mike pleaded. "Once was enough."

Richie honestly should have known that his friends wouldn't give a shit about his sexuality after they had told him they'd gotten rid of Henry Bowers's body. In the end, Bill, Bev, Ben, and Mike had decided that the best course of action would be to bury Henry in the rubble of the house on Neibolt Street. If anyone asked, they could easily say that Bowers followed them there (which wouldn't be that far from the truth) and ended up getting caught in the collapsing house like they almost all were. Like Eddie had almost succumbed to.

As it turned out, nobody seemed to notice or care that a house in their town had imploded, as was usually the case in Derry. On the other hand, even if they did notice, they probably weren't that concerned about a crack house being destroyed. The rubble had still been left to decay and sink farther into the ground, and no one seemed to miss it. Sometimes, having a murderous space clown in one's town had its advantages.

They had gotten rid of a dead body for him without even being asked to, and Richie was afraid of them hating him for being gay? Richie felt a little bit ridiculous when he thought back on it, but that feeling was quickly replaced with the knowledge that his friends would do fucking anything for him, and that meant accepting him exactly the way he was. How had he ever even gotten such amazing friends? And an amazing fiancé on top of that?

The five of them made their way out of the townhouse and down the steps to their cars parked just across the street.

"Let us know when you guys get to LA and Florida," Beverly called to them, standing next to the driver's side door of the car that she and Ben were taking. She had her hand up to her forehead, shading her eyes from the bright autumn sunshine. "I'll be like a worried mother until I know you guys are all safe."

If Richie wasn't mistaken, he thought he heard the faintest quiver in her voice. Not that he blamed her, because as ready as he was to leave this shithole behind, he knew he was going to miss his friends severely. He'd miss waking up and having breakfast with Ben and Bev every morning. He'd miss being able to text Mike and ask him to cover for him while he got a surprise for Eddie. Just like he had missed Bill for the last month.

He'd miss them all, but he wouldn't miss Eddie. He'd never miss Eddie again, because the love of his life was coming back to LA with him and they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. And Richie was the fucking luckiest man on the face of the earth.

To be continued…

Author's note: No, muse. I don't need to write a story about Eddie waking up and thinking Richie is a stranger lying next to him. I don't.