Meant To Be//Reddie/Byler

Chapter twenty

"Wow, this shithole has not changed one bit." Ben said laughing a bit

"Ya wouldn't call it a shithole if you lived here." Mike said walking toward Ben "You would call it a hellhole instead."

"Sounds about right."

"Anyway, benny's is just about a mile left of here, it's great for burgers. Melvalds is about a mile south and the hawk is just a bit east."

"Great, thanks. When can I see the rest of them."

"You mean the losers?" Mike asked "I can ask if they want to get dinner next week."

"Oh, ok... you know if Beverly Marsh is still around here?"

"Yes, but she's dating Eleven, not as straight as any of us thought Hugh."

"Oh, yeah." Ben said laughing fakely

"Look, Ben, I'm sorry. I know you really liked her but there's no way she's ever leaving eleven and she probably won't date guys again after Bill." They both flinched when mike said his name, it was hard to move on and most of them probably wouldn't, ever.

"No, Mike look. It's fine, even if she did like me awhile ago, She won't now, I've changed a bunch."

"And so has she."

"Yeah, I know but there's no way."

"I agree, sorry."

"No, it's fine."

Mike patted Ben on the back, slightly scarring him, he walked back to the door of his house and waved to Mike who was already driving away. Ben opened the door and was drowned by the smell of cooking eggos.

"Hey auntie."

"Ben!" Cried a plump smiling woman in her 50's "It's been too long my dear boy."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Look at you! You're so thin!"

"Uhuh, it was pretty hard so..."

"Do you want some eggos?"

"Um, no thanks. Where's Unkle Mark?"

"Oh, he passed away a while back, did you not hear?" She said clearly not to disappointed by this.

"Oh, he did?"

"Anyway, I was hoping to stay here for a while, my friends are kind of falling apart since Bill died and I thought I should stay and help them." Ben said

"How fucking noble of you." Said Jim, Ben's cousin

"Jim! Language!" Shouted his aunt

"Jim, I thought you died."

"Well you thought wrong didn't ya? I'm right here aren't I?"

"Never said you weren't, can't say I didn't wish so though."

"Ah Ben, I missed ya." Jim said sarcastically

"Auntie, why is he here again?"

"Because I am." Said Jim

"No, actually, because he doesn't have enough money for his own place." Said Ben's aunt

"Ma, come one are you kidding me?" Jim said pushing past her and walking to his room, but before he could get far, his mother grabbed him by the ear and said "You do not speak to your mother that way Jim." She winked at Ben and let Jim's ear go. "So, you can stay in the guest room, it's upstairs." She said walking him to it. Meanwhile Mike and Will were sitting on Mike's lawn in the front of his house, just sitting there, not talking just sitting there. Mike kissed Will's forehead and stroked his hair.

"Will, are you ok?"

"I will be."

"You know Will, we have been through shit and the world has given up plenty of reasons not to be together, but we still are... why are we?"

"Because, Mike, we deserve this, we deserve each other." Will said rubbing Mike's hand

"Will, I love you."

"I love you too Mike." And it was true, they really did deserve each other. Richie and Eddie were lying on Eddie's bed, holding each other in their arms.

"I love you Richie and I'm sorry for how long it took for me to realize that and act on it, I'm sorry for how many obsticles there were and for how long it took me to get over Mike. But we're here now and I want to stay here forever if you'll let me."

"Of course Edds, I love you too