.: I Wish, I Wish, I Wish ~:||:~ Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier :.

14

Eddie got to the quarry early, and was surprised to see a bike already laying there. His heart leaned into his throat when he realized it was Richie's, and he threw his own bike down, hurrying towards the cliff. He saw the boy standing on the edge, and there was a small puff of smoke floating away from him, which meant he had a cigarette. Eddie sighed sadly as he walked over, trudging his feet a little so that Richie would know he was there. He paused a few feet away, staring at the back of his friend's head, at the curls that looked soft to the touch and the hunched position of his shoulders.

When Richie turned around, Eddie had prepared himself for the worst. He expected a black eye, maybe even a split lip. However, Richie's face was perfectly intact, and a broad smile stretched across his lips as he spotted Eddie. He tossed his cigarette to the side, even though it looked brand new, which just made Eddie's heart melt. Richie knew he hated when he smoked, and he even got rid of a brand new cigarette just because Eddie was there.

"Are you okay?" The question was asked slowly, hesitantly. Eddie folded his arms tightly across his chest, nervousness causing him to fidget slightly. Richie just nodded, his smile not even faltering for a moment as he examined Eddie's face from the slight distance of a few feet. His eyes were huge behind the magnification of his glasses. Eddie's arms dropped to his sides as he kicked at the ground awkwardly, the silence beginning to stretch between the two of them.

"Mom told me that she wouldn't tell Dad. I don't remember exactly why, something sappy about loving me despite my negligence of God's wishes. We all know my dad would flip his shit, so she just told me to keep it on the down low. She thinks we're dating." Richie laughed, but Eddie could tell it was a little forced. "I had to tell her multiple times that it wasn't like that. I did tell her who I like, though." Richie eyed Eddie warily, almost as if he had something else to say, but his mouth remained shut. Eddie hesitated. He wanted to ask, but he wasn't sure it was such a good idea. After all, it was Richie's business, not his.

He asked anyway.

"Is it okay if I ask who you like?" Eddie looked away, a sort of heavy feeling tugging his heart downwards. He didn't want to meet Richie's gaze, which he could feel burning the side of his head.

"You can ask, but I can't promise that I'll answer you right now. If you catch me at the right time, maybe," Richie teased. Eddie frowned deeply, finally forcing himself to look at his friend again. All he could see was gentle teasing and a great deal of adoration. He wanted to tell Richie that he meant it when he told him he loved him, but in a more than a friend sort of way.

"After all," Richie tilted his head with a lazy grin. "I did ask you first." Eddie blushed, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck. God, if he hadn't been obvious before, he was definitely being obvious now. He shuffled his feet, and it took all he had to hold Richie's gaze as he struggled with his momentary war with himself.

"I'll tell if you tell," he finally blurted out. Richie raised an eye brown and opened his mouth to reply, but Bill and Stan came running towards them with loud shouts.

"Guys, Bev is on her way and she's gonna have a fit if you jump first! Slow down!" Ben came stumbling after them, red-faced and sweaty. Bev burst out of the trees right behind him with a look of pure rage on her face until she glanced around and realized that nobody had jumped yet. Mike was the last to arrive with all of the towels in hand. He agreed that he would head down to the usual sunbathing spot with them since he never liked jumping anyway, ignoring Richie's usual comments of 'coward' and 'scaredy cat'.

The boys stripped down quickly and Eddie tried to ignore the fact that he could feel Richie watching him. It made him a little bit uncomfortable, but at the same time it was a little exhilarating. He wondered if Richie was going to jump without him again, and his heart sank at the thought. By the time he finished getting undressed, Bev and Ben had already jumped. Bill and Stan had latched hands and already getting their running start with shouts of laughter. Richie glanced back at Eddie who walked over to the edge and peered down.