#kaspbrough fanfic

[bagerfluff]

You Belong With Me (Kaspbrough Version)

Bagerfluff

Summary:

If you could see that I'm the one Who understands you Been here all along So, why can't you see? You belong with me

Why couldn’t Bill see that Eddie was the one for him. Eddie loves him, makes him smile, makes him laugh, and has always been there for him, unlike his girlfriend, who makes him feel like shit. Maybe Bill will finally see him, or maybe he won’t but he really does belong with Eddie.

[antisociallilbrat]

Gimme k L m

As you wish

K: What’s the angstiest idea you’ve ever come up with?

Uhhh this isn't a fic I ever completed- the outline is living in my drafts- but it's a kaspbrough fic where Eddie meets Bill in the hospital. Eddie is a nurse and Bill has a brain tumor and limited time left to live 🙃 I couldn't bring myself to write it

L: How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

I already answered this one here!

M: Got any premises on the back burner that you’d care to share?

All of the time. I have the Henry Creel vs It living rent free in my head and the murder house au Losers. I'm not going to disclose too much though rn 🤫

Fanfic Ask Game

[eddieeatsass]

Can you please describe the first time Bill tried to teach Eddie how to ride a bike? - kaspbooty

The first time Bill tries to teach Eddie to ride a bike is a little rocky. They’re nine years old and Eddie, of course, hasn’t ever been allowed to ride a bike. Sonia says they’re “death traps” and that anyone who rides one is asking to meet God early.

But Sonia isn’t there, and Eddie is staying at Bill’s house all weekend, so the two of them conspire to teach Eddie how to bike. Bill is confident he can teach Eddie in two days; two days is plenty of time!

Bill forgot the sheer extent of Eddie’s anxieties.

They started easy with Georgie’s tricycle. Eddie contorted his body to fit the small vehicle and began peddling easily, doing loop-de-loops in the backyard with his knees up so high they touched his chest. Clearly, they started too easy.

Bill went back to his garage, pushing two bikes out from the dark shed and handing one off to Eddie.

Bill, of course, brandished his own brand new bike; Silver, he’d named it. Eddie got his old one, a sturdy piece that was still in fairly good condition barring the chipping paint and missing spokes, but it would do its job.

Eddie followed as Bill led him out to the front of his house where the stretch of sidewalk would act as their training ground.

Bill mounted his bike and began explaining the technicalities to Eddie, using his own bike as demonstration and having Eddie mimic the same on his own. Once he knew how to use the break lever and what the shifter was for, all Eddie had left to learn was how to actually move.

That’s when he froze.

All of the confidence and rebellion that Eddie had built up inside him began seeping out like air from a tire, slowly deflating him until he was left with the whirlwind thoughts he usually dons. What if he falls and scrapes his knee, he could get an infection and need to get his leg amputated! Or if he rides into a tree and knocks out his teeth, he’ll have to adapt to a diet of porridge and soup for the rest of his life, which will probably lead him to get scurvy! Or worse yet, if he swerves into the road and gets hit by a car and dies!

It’s Bill’s warm touch that brings him back, reminds him that he’s safe and secure. Big Bill would never let him get hurt. He might be a bit reckless at times, but Bill is nothing if not protective of his friends.

Bill’s bike is abandoned on his lawn and he’s planted himself to Eddie’s right, one hand in the middle of the handlebars and his other on Eddie’s back. Even though both of Eddie’s feet are still planted on the ground, he feels sturdier with Bill’s presence.

They take it slow, first with Bill simply leading him down the sidewalk and Eddie walking with the bike between his legs. It’s a little awkward, but at least it’s safe.

After about ten minutes they’re able to progress to the next stage, where Eddie’s feet are off the ground but Bill is still steering him. Eddie watched as the pedals move automatically with the wheels.

Finally, after half an hour of that, Eddie is ready to try peddling himself. Bill doesn’t leave his side, doesn’t show any impatience or annoyance with Eddie’s slow pace, he simply acts as an extra safety measure so Eddie doesn’t have to overwhelm himself too fast.

When the sun starts to go down, Bill suggests that they stop for the day. They have all of Sunday to practice and Eddie has already made so much progress in merely a few hours. But Eddie is determined now, so he tells Bill to go inside and that he’ll join him in a few minutes.

It takes Eddie another hour before he’s bursting through the Denbrough’s front door with his arms up in triumph, announcing that he finally did it. Bill runs out from the living room with a little Georgie toddling behind him and together they knock Eddie over, toppling onto the grey welcome mat and giggling frantically.

They end up spending all of Sunday riding around town, and Bill can’t help but note that Eddie already looks like a pro.

(Thanks for the prompt @kaspbooty this was so fun to write!!! <3)

[hiyo-silver]

Amber

chapter three and I promise this is all I’ve got to post for a while

other losers are introduced in this!

1, 2, 3 on ao3

The Kaspbrak-Denbrough family awakes again the next morning, having actually slept the entire day away. Bill wakes feeling worlds more alive than he had before. Bill is actually the first to get up the next day, shaking Eddie awake, “Mmm babe how long was I out?”

Eddie had woken up at some time the day before, having he and Quinn eat dinner but not wanting to wake Bill, since sleeping is probably doing him good. He just ordered pizza, something easy and not overly taxing.

“You’ve been asleep for at least 24 hours, you should shower,” he says softly, rubbing Bill’s back slowly but firmly.

Bill nods softly in agreement, “Mkay,” he says sleepily. He sits up and gets out of bed, grabbing another pair of pajamas. He disappears into the bathroom to take a hot shower, the heat feels soothing overall.

He comes out feeling refreshed and completely awake again, almost human feeling again. He walks back into the bedroom, dressed and relaxed. He sees Eddie looking stressed and typing furiously on his phone.

Eddie looks up quickly when Bill finally walks in, “Bill,” he says quickly, “Bev had her baby.”

It takes a second for the information to sink in for Bill. when it finally does he’s already slipping his socks on his feet and shoving his sneakers on without even untying the laces. “We gotta go be there for it,” he insists.

Eddie nods in agreement, “Yeah, you sure you up to it?” he asks worriedly.

“Yeah, I feel worlds better, besides, this is a big deal,” Bill insists further, quite persuasive once he’s fully awake.

“Yeah, of course,” Eddie says softly, grabbing his own shoes and socks. He pulls his on a little less hastily than Bill had.

“Hey, Quinnie, can you get your shoes on?” Bill asks gently, grabbing his wallet and his phone, putting his watch on quickly.

“Yeah, why are we rushing?” She asks, she creases her eyebrows in worry, looking incredibly confused.

“Auntie Beverly is having her baby,” Bill smiles softly and starts walking to the living room and then to the front room to grab his coat off the hook where Eddie had put it away once he fell asleep on Monday.

Eddie grabs two water bottles and fills Quinn’s sippy cup with orange juice, wanting them to at least drink something if they were going to leave the house early and without having breakfast.

Once they have everything situated and Quinn is strapped into her car seat, Eddie made Bill at least take some Dayquil before leaving, just in case. Eddie drove, not trusting Bill with his car as much as he trusts himself, he takes good care of his car.

They arrive at the hospital and then they wait. And wait. Until finally a joyous Ben comes bursting out of the room, “I have a daughter,” he says quickly, stumbling over his own words with his own giggles getting in the way.

Both Bill and Eddie stand up immediately to envelop Ben in a congratulatory hug. “I’m so happy for you,” Eddie whispers softly before they all pull away.

Ben leads them into the room where Beverly is laying calmly in the hospital bed, although her face is still red from crying. But otherwise you wouldn’t have been able to tell, she looked serene with the child wrapped in a white blanket in her arms. She cooed softly and stroked the baby’s cheek, impressed with her body’s ability to make something so beautiful.

Bill and Eddie walk over, Quinn standing in the corner, not sure what to make of the situation. Beverly smiles softly at them, exhausted from the effort. “Does she have a name yet?” Bill asks.

“Amber,” Beverly says softly, smoothing the blanket gently again. “You hair is winter fire, January embers, my heart burns there too,” she recites the reasoning behind the name softly, stroking the baby’s hair, which already had an obvious tint of red.

“That’s a really pretty name,” Eddie says, Bill responding with a small nod. Ben and Beverly seem over the moon about the new baby and Bill and Eddie couldn’t be happier for them.

“Congratulations, Bev,” Bill adds, remembering how happy it had been when they finally officially adopted Quinn, he assumes this feeling must be similar. Although different, he almost feels bittersweet about the fact that he wouldn’t feel what Ben is feeling right now, but he also doesn’t think he’d ever want to change anything about his life.

“Thanks, Bill, now I’ll know how being a parent is, eh? You’ll have to help me through, I’ve never changed a diaper before, except maybe Quinn’s a few times,” Bev chuckles lightly.

“Yeah, I’m here to help, especially since you watch my kid all week,” he chuckles, beckoning for Quinn to get out of the doorway and come closer to see the baby.

The small girl walks up to him, hiding a little behind Bill. “She’s really small.”

“Yeah, babies tend to be,” Bill chuckles.

Soon, Stan and Mike come bursting into the hospital room with a gift bag and their twins in tow. “Bev, Ben!” Mike says enthusiasticallly, handing the bag to Ben since Beverly’s arms were already holding the only gift he really wanted to hold.

Bev passes the baby carefully to Mike, the baby still asleep. Mike coos quietly, remembering when Andy and Jenny were this small, scared to hurt her just because he’s so much bigger than her.

Stan gasps a little in surprise, “oh!” he takes her carefully, “Hi little baby, please don’t cry at me I still don’t know how to deal with that,” he says jokingly, though his voice quivers fearfully.

Eddie, who works in the NiCu sometimes, laughs lightly at how two grown men are so scared of such a tiny human. Though, he can’t talk, for he is scared of spiders that are much much smaller. “Stan, babies cry, it’s fine,” he says softly as he takes the baby from him gently, not sure that Stan was supporting her neck enough.

Quinn had long since attached herself to Bill’s leg, having never really been faced with this type of situation. It wasn’t anxiety over her parents friends, she knows them all well. Definitely not anxiety over the hospital, Bill was a little protective over her and would often at least bring her here to Eddie if Eddie wasn’t already home. Maybe it could even be distressing to her that Beverly didn’t look as comfortable as she always does, but the most likely cause was the baby that was currently in her dad’s arms.

Bill looks down at her, russling her blonde locks with a little chuckle, “Cat got your tongue, chatterbox?” he teases, lifting her up into his arms to level her with the baby, trying to make her less intimidated.

Quinn studies the sleeping expression, how Amber’s face is red and wrinkly, looking back up at her papa with confusion, “I thought babies were supposed to be cute?”

Bill suppresses a chuckle, “they are, you just have to remember that they’re babies and not big people, you looked like that as a baby,” he smiles, trying to give her a close enough explanation.

She seems to accept the answer, studying the smaller child with a fascination only a child’s eyes can hold. At one moment it seems to click and the fascination turns more to caring, reaching out to poke the baby’s cheek, to which Bill responds by pulling her hand back.

“Hey, hey,you shouldn’t touch her face unless you’ve washed your hands,” he explains, moving away because it seemed Mike was going to hold her again.

“You look-,” Mike pauses, adjusting how he was supporting her neck at Eddie’s instructions, “Just like your mom,” he smiles, looking over at Bev with a bright expression.

Bev smiles back reassuringly, looking down at Ben’s thumb stroking her hand, a certain comforting feeling in the surreal moment she was in.

The serene was suddenly interrupted by a loud and lanky man bursting through the door, “AY! And her Uncle Dick is here,” he grins, handing a bag to Ben, obviously a bottle of wine of some sort, “For the m’lady who hasn’t been able to drink for nine months,” he grins, a hint of his British guy voice sneaking into his words. “Sorry I’m late to the party y’know, walk of shame, wanted to at least brush my teeth for you guys,” he smiles with no actual hint of shame.

“Richie,” Bill grins, walking over to him with a proud pat on the back with the hand that was not holding his daughter, “not around the kids, but was she at least pretty?” he whispers the second part with a mischievous grin.

“Ah she was gorgeous,” Richie speaks back with a smile that takes up half his face, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as he spots the baby in Mike’s arms. “Gimme gimme gimme gimme,” he says quickly, reaching his arms out, “please?” he asks as an afterthought, his excitement having gotten the best of him.

Mike just smiles in understanding and passes her over, settling her head in the crook of Richie’s arm. “Geez, Rich, you reek of cigarette smoke, couldya not right before meeting a brand new baby?” he asks, though he knows the answer and there isn’t any real bite to his tone.

“Nah, Mike, it’s part of the Uncle Dick charm, can’t let her miss out because she’s a newbie” he smirks, bouncing the baby around lightly to try and entertain her, she’d obviously awoken at his dramatic entrance.

Andy and Jenny sit quietly in their chairs, Jenny swinging her legs restlessly, “daddy, when do we get our ice cream?” she asks, swinging her legs a little more violently.

“And I thought they were just well behaved, Stan, a bribe, really?” Eddie smirks, trying not to crack up at the idea of Stanley Uris only being able to control his kids by bribing them with ice cream, it got him laughing hard enough to need his inhaler, which Bill pulls out of his pocket and hands over as soon as he hears his husband wheezing.

Stan can offer no explanation besides a sheepish smile. “Ice cream, or at least the promise of it, can make any kid sit still,” he says softly, obviously not really wanting to preach his parenting tactics.

Mike chuckles lightly too, “Hey, I’m slightly in the wrong here too, I was the one who said we could add chocolate chips if they didn’t tell,” he glares jokingly at the twins, “looks like we won’t be getting chocolate chips,” he jokes, he probably would anyways because he can never say no to them.

“Papa, I want ice cream,” Quinn says quickly, shooting Bill her puppy dog eyes. Bill is one of the few who can resist them sometimes, seeing as he knows he has always pulled the same thing.

“Sometime soon, not today, alright?” he answers, pulling her higher up around his waist.

“I can get you some ice cream, kiddo,” Richie says, sneaking up behind Bill and nabbing his daughter, Bill only then realizing that the baby was back in Beverly’s embrace.

“Richie,” Bill says firmly, “This weekend maybe?” he suggests, since when it came to his kid he would rather make plans days in advance, he probably has more separation anxiety than she has ever had.

“Alright, Billiam, you win this time,” Richie says, even after all these years, most of the losers have trouble defying Bill’s authority, which he still hardly realizes. “But I can still- tickle monster!” he exclaims, dipping Quinn down and dancing his fingers wildly over her torso, which has her erupting into unstoppable giggles.

“She’s gotten so big, eh? They grow up too fast, I can’t even blink,” Mike comments, looking over to his own twins sitting in their respective spots, “I can’t believe they’re seven already, and Quinn is almost five,” Mike sighs. “Grow faster than bean sprouts,” he adds in conclusion.

“That they do,” Ben sighs fondly, looking around at all the kids in the hospital room, “Amber is going to be as tall as me sooner than I know I’ll be ready for,” he predicts, looking at his tiny daughters face with such a softness bev had only ever seen.

Eddie pulls out his phone, taking a picture, realizing the time after, “Hey- uh guys we’d better get going, it’s time for Quinn’s nap and I’m probably going to make Bill go back to bed too,” he notifies, eyeing his tired husband, the adrenaline having worn off a bit.

"Weeks of no sleep catch up to you," Bill says sheepishly, running his fingers through his hair. "I don't wanna go home and take a nap," Quinn whines, grabbing protectively onto Richie. "'s too boring," she pouts, the same puppy eyed look Bill tends to give him to get what he wants. "We'll let you play with the baby another day?" Bev suggests from her spot on the bed as Richie gently puts Quinn back onto her own two feet.

Eddie picks Quinn up on his own. "Yeah, another day when you and the baby aren't so sleepy," he explains, lifting Quinn up to his hip. She gives a tired nod and decides to sink into Eddie's grip and stop arguing with him. Bill nods as well, giving Ben a final hug and a smile in the direction of all his friends. He ruffles Jenny's hair and tells Andy to stay cool, something he tells the kids on a regular basis. After a few more stray goodbyes, they head out the door, and with the excitement wearing off, Quinn falls asleep before she's even strapped into her car seat. Which is exactly what Eddie expected. He slides into the driver's seat with a smile, "told you," he says to Bill with a smirk.

Bill returns a lazy smile, "I didn't doubt you, love," he chuckles, tugging the seatbelt over himself. He messes with the air and the music channel, earning a look from Eddie when he changes it to the 80s station. "Oh, William," Eddie sighs, putting the key in the ignition. He pulls out of his parking spot and out of the hospital parking lot. Bill rolls his window down, sticking his arm out of the window just a little. Eddie smiles at this, god how he knows how much his husband likes the feeling of wind on his skin.

"Oh you expected that channel," Bill grins, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" coming on next. Bill gives Eddie a devilish smile before singing along to it teasingly. "Oh shut up, Bill- you're already like losing your voice, your voice sounds dead," Eddie rambles, partially teasing but still a bit worried. He looks over at his husband warily whenever his voice cracks over not even the highest notes, but reminds himself that Bill can't even hit those on a good day. Bill shakes his head slowly and just goes to humming the tune. He taps his finger on his knee to the beat, bobbing his head along with it. Eddie can't help but smile at Bill's obvious love for music.

Eddie pulls into the garage of the flat, parking in his spot. He lets the song finish up before getting out of the car with Bill, going to the back seat to pick Quinn out of her seat, she stirs a bit, grasping onto him in her sleep. Eddie smiles, "oh lookit her, I wish they'd always stay this little," he hums to Bill. "Oh god I just remembered she's going to grow up someday," Bill says, looking over at Eddie with wide eyes but a teasing grin. "Bill! No! That's not allowed!" Eddie whisper yells, dragging Bill over to the elevator to get to their place. Bill keeps making teasing faces at him, being quiet to try not to wake Quinn up, she looks too peaceful when she sleeps for that to be something forgivable. They walk through their front door, Bill bending down a bit to press a sweet kiss to Eddie's cheek. "Bed? Couch?" He suggests, Eddie just shrugging and walking towards Quinn's room. He lays her in bed, gently pulling her shoes off and pulling the blanket over her, Bill switches off the light, ruffling the sleeping child's hair slightly. Bill and Eddie head back out to the living room, settling on the couch, Eddie tucked into Bill's arm. "I have some papers to grade before tomorrow,"Bill says softly, but not wanting to move from his spot. "Those can wait," Eddie says peacefully, melting into Bill's side, more vulnerable when it's just the two of them. They both are. "Just stay here for now?" He asks, trying to mimic bill's own puppy dog eyed expression to him.

"Yeah, they can," Bill agrees softly, putting his head on top of Eddie's and taking a deep breath in. "They're about of mice and men, that damn book," he chuckles slightly. "Oh the one I'm pretty sure made you cry in ninth grade?" Eddie grins, tracing his finger over the pattern on Bill's shirt. "That's the one," Bill agrees, wrapping his other arm around Eddie. Quinn comes out after a bit more of their teasing. They immediately stop when they see her amble into the room, sitting on the couch next to them, snuggling up to Eddie's side, still not fully woken up. "Daddy? Papa? Where do babies come from?" She asks curiously. Bill's face goes nearly white. "Uh-uh your father and I couldn't figure it out so uh- we just decided to buy you from the baby store," he mutters out awkwardly, Eddie shooting him an embarrassed look.

Quinn comes out after a bit more of their teasing. They immediately stop when they see her amble into the room, sitting on the couch next to them, snuggling up to Eddie's side, still not fully woken up. "Daddy? Papa? Where do babies come from?" She asks curiously. Bill's face goes nearly white. "Uh-uh your father and I couldn't figure it out so uh- we just decided to buy you from the baby store," he mutters out awkwardly, Eddie shooting him an embarrassed look.

Eddie sighs and looks over at his puzzled daughter. "Some mommies and daddies can make babies together with their bodies. Some mommies and daddies can't, and mommies and mommies and daddies and daddies can't do it by themselves, you came from another mommy and daddy who thought you'd be better off with us," he explains, hoping it's not too much for his young daughter to comprehend. "Oh," she says simply, seeming to understand, "can we watch Cinderella again?" She asks almost immediately after. Bill cracks a smile, "of course we can," he responds, reaching for the remote.

[pjobroadwayslut14]

few fandoms know the extent and power of fix-it fics like IT stans do

[s-oulpunk]

New fic for @theweaverofworlds-official !!

Read Soul Love here

“Vampires, Eddie. We don’t know where they came from. But they popped up in the past few years and so…” He gestures awkwardly to Eddie’s neck.

Eddie doesn’t want to believe it. Because that’s fucking insane. Vampires aren’t real. They exist in old wives’ tales and storybooks and horror movies. Not in real life.

---

Ever since his parents' nasty divorce as a child, Eddie has spent half the year in the dreary town of Derry, Maine and half the year with his father in Santa Cruz, California. He's sure if his mother could have it any other way - if she could keep him tucked under her wing forever - she would. But turning eighteen is a lifesaver. He's leaving to live with his father and never looking back. It's supposed to be the start of a new life. Instead he finds himself knee-deep in trouble.

---

Or the Lost Boys AU that is now unrecognizable by plot

Playlist for fic here

[blxezt]

Some tropes I found on IT fanfiction that deeply disturb me

1. Richie torture porn

Something I noticed right off the bat is how people seem to enjoy so much to make Richie suffer. Everything that can go wrong for him goes wrong and most of the times these fanfics undermine or invalidate the bad things the rest of the losers are going through.

Don't get me wrong, I'm an avid fan of angst, I'm all here for it, but it comes to a point where it's just weird. All of the sudden, Richie's parents, who by the way were one of the few actual good parents in Derry, are abusive and hate his son, and the losers are turning their backs on him and Richie's barely Richie anymore and just some weird emo edgelord that climbs Eddie's window and wallows in self pity.

I understand that the whole concept of the losers club and the general plot of IT will lead to some inevitable angsty times, and once again, I'm not against it, but they always make it seem like Richie's the only one who suffers and how the losers can "never truly understand his pain 😔" and are just a bunch of privileged assholes or some shit. Richie is literally the punching bag of the fandom at this point.

2. The over sexualization of Eddie

This one makes me uncomfortable to no end. When it comes to smut I understand that sexualization is needed to some degree, but Eddie is so fucking sexualized that it's just plain creepy at this point.

Once again, most fanfics with this trope usually fail to accurately portray his personality, he's always just the innocent uwu soft boy that always wears booty shorts and accidentally sexualizes himself. I usually only read reddie fanfics so I don't know how common this trope is in other ships that involve Eddie, so correct me if this is just some reddie thing.

And the most creepy part, is how in the majority of those fanfics Eddie is literally underage, let's please not sexualize children (which, unfortunately, leads to my next trope).

3. The sexualization of minors

This is honestly such a big problem in this fandom, and that fact disgusts me to no fucking end.

I understand that a lot of the fandom is underage, therefore really might not understand how these types of things are very much wrong, but still, they're underage, practically children!! If you don't want to make smut with their 40 year old selves at least have the decency to age them up to the legal age of consent.

"But teenagers have sex all the time" who fucking cares?! I don't want to see two underage kids having sex, that's fucking weird, and this comes from someone who is underage herself, let's just please stop sexualizing minors, it's disgusting, and I really shouldn't need to be saying this on the internet like it is some hot take or unpopular opinion.

4. Racism and fatphobia

Mike and Ben being the less popular losers between fans is really no fucking surprise.

I really don't need to elaborate on this one that much, it's something that literally everyone knows, Mike and Ben get always left behind and ignored in most fanfics and I refuse to think it's just some cruel coincidence.

I'm not forcing any of you to ship benverly or stanlon or hanbrough, I literally only ship one of those three, but could you guys please not make Mike and Ben some occasional characters with no fucking personality?

Like, I literally see people all the times giving Bill personality traits that actually belong to Mike and then just make Mike this blank slate that occasionally gives good advice and is only there to smile and agree with his friends.

5. Beverly is just Richie's best friend, nothing more.

Oh, this one just infuriates me.

Usually common in Richie torture porn-like fanfics, Beverly is literally just Richie's best friend that has no personality beyond smoking and having daddy issues. She's always there to listen to Richie's problems and feelings but as soon as she tries to speak about hers, the narrator just makes it seem like she's being selfish and trying to "own up" to Richie, like the fact her dad abuses her is some fucking competition.

As soon as she speaks up or calls Richie on his bullshit, she's the bad guy of the story and the narrator goes out of its way to show how Richie is the poor victim of Beverly's selfishness and how she's self-centred and a horrible friend she is for literally just wanting to talk about her problems with someone she loves and trusts, not to talk about the occasional slut-shaming and misogyny this trope carries, I literally read a fanfic (not mentioning names) where everyone just starts shaming Beverly for literally defending herself against her father that was literally trying to rape her and ends up accidentally killing him, let's please not shame abuse victims just for defending their own fucking lives.

Feel free to add any other tropes that disturb you btw

[petit-coquelicot]

Eddie wearing short shorts in the movie vs Eddie wearing short shorts in fanfiction

[theweaverofworlds-official]

What attracts you so much to ship stenbrough? It’s a good ship, but what for you made you go like, ‘ah yes, these are the gays’?

Hi thanks for asking!

I guess for starters I relate a lot to Stan Uris. I always have, so writing stories about him finding love, and being loved gives me a lot of comfort. (And after reading the book, and seeing Chapter 2 I decided he deserved better than SK gave him. I’ve been writing his redemption ever since...)

Stenbrough was the first ship that I discovered that included Stan. (Before I read some Bichie and some Reddie). But upon reading some amazing Stenbrough fics I fell in love.

I adore their dynamic so much. I love that it feels more mature than Reddie, like yeah they can still be a major dumbasses but there is also a maturity and depth to them that feels different. (Or maybe it’s just how they are written? IDK.) There’s a quietness and a softness to their relationship that I love to explore. I also love how Stan is kind of cold, and emotionally distant a lot of the time. Like he doesn’t know how to deal with his emotions, and Bill is the one who is able to get him to relax and open up.

I decided to start writing for them because so much of Ao3 IT fanfiction is saturated in Reddie-centric fics, and while I tend to include Reddie in my writing I always wanted to focus on Stenbrough. I wanted more stories that focused on them rather than pushing them to the side.

So yeah, I hope that explains things. And I’m not against other ships, I just haven’t written for them (yet!). I really do want to write some Stozier, and maybe even some StanPat. And I want to try my hand at Kaspbrough eventually. What I guess I’m trying to say is I’m not limiting myself to Stenbrough, although that’s all I’ve written. (And it might remain my favorite even after I’ve written for some other ships, who’s to say?)

[mini-anne]

Chapter Eight of IHaD is up!!!

I’ve had a bit of time sitting a hospital room to write, so I hope you enjoy. I’m really excited for the next chapter!

[denrbough]

Such a Fool

pairing: Bill Denbrough/Eddie Kaspbrak

summary: Songfic based on Fool by Cavetown for kaspbrough.

For the other losers, it’s always been so obvious that Eddie has less-than-platonic feelings for Bill, but somehow all, especially Eddie, are oblivious to the fact that Bill likes Eddie back that way.

Read on ao3

It’s got to be no earlier than two in the morning when Bill’s phone rings full volume from his bedside table. It’s bound to be one of the losers, he only keeps their ringtones loud at night, his own quiet way of intending to protect them, as if his phone was an alarm that could alert him to danger in their presence instead of providing a mere call. 

He looks over at the lit device with a groggy fuzziness, the kind that comes when he wakes up prematurely even when he’s taken the sleeping meds his doctor had prescribed (they were supposed to help with the night paranoia, go figure). His hand crawls from the edge of the bed over to his phone, sliding his thumb over the green button on the screen. “H-hello?” comes his sleep-thick voice.

Eddie is quite the contrary from the other end. His voice comes fast and airy like a group of rabbits being chased by a sticky-fingered child in the garden. It has a different kind of depth, one dripping with anxiety and a night full of tears before. “I kn- hic- know it’s like three-thirty in the morning,” ah, so that’s the time. “But can we meet somewhere? I really need to get out of here, and I assumed you’d be the only one still awake.”

Well, he wasn’t awake, but he omits that as he agrees to meet Eddie, somewhere around Derry Cemetary, a quiet place between both of their houses. It’s only about three minutes by the time Bill has pulled on a sweatshirt and mounted his bike as not to be late meeting Eddie. The bike to meeting up is always the calm, being in the eye of the storm. The minutes before he sits before Eddie as the latter breaks down in a well-needed rant. He arrives at the cematary before Eddie is there, sitting on a bench near where Georgie is burried in the earth. Eddie doesn’t notice most of the time in these early morning rants, but Bill always has them sit over there. As if a long gone six year old could offer any guidance.

Eddie isn’t far behind, Bill can hear his labored and angry breaths as he approaches, his shoes crunching autumn leaves under him. He takes the seat on the bench beside Bill and huffs out a breath. “I think she drugged my food again- I just passed out asleep a couple hours ago and woke up having fucking like- fucking sleep paralysis? Doesn’t that happen with some meds she gave me once? I’m so fucking mad- I literally missed like an entire night because her. Again!” Eddie almost growls under his breath as he finishes, deflated by not knowing else what else to say.

Bill nods and listens, a strong presence there to ground Eddie from getting too full of hot air. It would be understandable with his reasons, but Bill hopes he doesn’t tonight. It’s always so hard to watch the people he loves break down. He stares at Eddie’s face, his eyes eventually zeroing in on Eddie’s chapped lips, torn in the middle where Bill knows that Eddie chews when he’s upset. For a split second he almost feels as if he should kiss him, but he snaps out of it and doesn’t. It’s not the time, and not something he wants to explain in a messy aftermath in a sleep muddled brain.

Eddie’s next words pull him from his trance. “I’m sorry for pulling you out here so late- I just. I need-” Eddie doesn’t finish his sentence before starting to cry and giving up. Bill pulls him close, holding him almost in his own lap. He wipes tears from Eddie’s cheeks and rubs his back but mostly just tries to be there for him. He doesn’t know why it gets to be him, he just hopes that his attempts to comfort him work.

They do eventually have to untangle and go separate ways to get home before their parents realize that they’ve been gone. Bill doesn’t get back to sleep, but Eddie does out of pure exhaustion.

Not a few days later are the two losers biking to school early in the morning, Bill had missed the bus and Eddie decided to dip the bus and just bike with him, better than the overwhelming nature of the bus anyways, it’s always loud and the views out the window move too quickly. The sun is out and the orange and red leaves of the trees hover over them and under their bike tires, a perfect early fall day. They bike in quiet, the occasional, “oh lookout for that rock,” but nothing more. It’s comfortable, they don’t need to say anything to enjoy their time together, they’ve known each other for so long that there’s not always something to say, and that’s alright.

For the other losers, it’s always been so obvious that Eddie has less-than-platonic feelings for Bill, but somehow all, especially Eddie, are oblivious to the fact that Bill likes Eddie back that way.

[eddieeatsass]

don’t take me for granted - detnarg rof em ekat t'nod

Summary: Eddie decides to have a little fun at Richie's expense, and uses Bill to fulfill his plan. But of course what fun would it be if Richie wasn't there to watch? Pairing: Reddie/Kaspbrough Rating: E Warnings: Smut, explicit language, threats of violence, alcohol

Read on AO3 Read the rest of the Dark Mirror Verse series

“Another round of shots?” Beverly asked the room, already pouring the alcohol before anyone agreed.

“If I drink any more, I’m gonna puke.” Ben protested, holding his bloated belly before belching obscenely loud.

“Puke in my living room and I’ll cut your dick off.” Eddie warned with narrowed eyes.

The rest of the group accepted the shots Beverly handed out, and after an enthusiastic countdown from the pink-cheeked redhead, they were all throwing back the cheap liquor.

“To Bill!” Beverly cheered, raising her hands up in the air and letting her body fall sideways into the aforementioned man.

“Why are we celebrating Bill when we’re the ones who busted him out? Without us he’d still be holed up in a cell, nothing but a prison bitch for some guy named... Donnie, or something.” Richie waved his hand as he picked a name at random.

“His name was Robert, actually, and he was a very tender lover. Well, except for that time he held a shiv to my throat and fucked me raw in the shower. But that was only the first time. After I agreed to be his go-to, the guy was a total sweetheart.”

All eyes were on Bill, wide and unsure, until Beverly began laughing, then everyone joined in, shaking their heads at the absurdity of the situation.

“Of course you were someone’s bitch.” Stan mumbled into his beer can before taking a sip.

“You’re just jealous because I’m not your bitch.” Bill griped.

“Try being my bitch for one night, I dare you. You wouldn’t come out of it alive, pussy boy.” Stan challenged, a glint in his eye.

The rest of the night went on just like that: binge drinking, thinly veiled sexual tension, and hurling harmless insults back and forth. It was when Beverly and Ben headed home together, intentions evident in the way she laid her body into his, that things started to heat up.

“I think we’re gonna hit the sack too.” Mike announced, Stan in tow as they made their way towards the front door. Mike’s muscles bulged under his shirt as he held Stan’s weight up easily.

“Goodnight fuckerssssss.” Stan slurred, having clearly hit his alcohol limit three drinks ago. Stan was notorious for having a stomach of steel, or rather, kidneys of steel. He was like a cat, 9 lives and counting, so there was never a need to be worried about his intoxication level. Stanley was unstoppable, and never wasted an opportunity to remind those around him.

“Try to get him home in one piece, Hanlon.” Bill shot over his shoulder, taking another sip of the beer he was nursing and washing down the bitter taste with a bite of pizza. God he’d missed pizza in prison.

“Can we take your motorcycle?” Stan asked eagerly as Mike shrugged Stan’s coat over his loose limbs.

“It’s like dressing a toddler.” Mike grumbled to the rest of the room, ignoring Stan’s question as he tried to get Stan’s feet into his shoes next.

“Mike! Buddy! Motorcycle!” Stan insisted, kicking off the shoe Mike had just gotten on.

“You little shit.” Mike hiked Stan over his shoulder, forsaking his shoes entirely in favor of shutting him up.

Stan’s whiny voice continued to echo into the distance as they disappeared through the front door and down their apartment hall. The last thing they heard before the door closed was Mike's booming voice, promising Stan they would take the motorcycle out tomorrow.

“What a mess.” Eddie scoffed with light laughter, twirling a pair of handcuffs around his finger. When they’d broken Bill out earlier that night, Eddie had managed to swipe the pair of handcuffs right off one of the guard’s belts. A little consolation prize for all the hassle they had to go through to get Bill’s dumb ass free.

“At least he’s a hot mess.” Bill commented, slouching down the couch just a bit more.

“I’ll drink to that.” Eddie agreed, finishing off his beer and slamming it down on the coffee table.

“You think anyone with a dick is hot.” Richie shoved Eddie’s leg with his toe, causing him to teeter into Bill’s chest, where he stayed.

“Not just anyone with a dick. Anyone with a nice dick.” Eddie corrected.

“And Stan ticks off that box.” Bill agreed.

“It’s not that nice.” Richie grumbled, jealousy seething from the fine lines of his furrowed brow.

“Awe, is someone jealous?” Eddie mimicked an empathetic tone, jutting his bottom lip out in a false pout.

“Please,” Richie huffed. “To be jealous I’d have to care about you.”

It sounded harsh, but Eddie knew Richie was just putting on a bravado to save face. Richie had an ego the size of his dick, and anytime something threatened to crush it, Richie went into fight mode. But knowing the cause of action didn’t make Eddie any less inclined to test how far he could stretch Richie’s blatant lie.

Eddie crawled across the sectional couch, stopping in front of Richie who was sat right at the end.

“You don’t care about me?” Eddie asked, continuing his routine of fake dejection.

Richie searched Eddie’s face, trying to figure out what his boyfriend was up to.

“What, you suddenly go soft on me, Kaspbrak?”

“Well, I just wanted to double check before I fuck Bill over there.”

As Richie’s face hardened, Eddie was quick to handcuff his wrist to one of the exposed pipes jutting out from their wall, and dart away before Richie was able to grab him.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS?” Richie shouted, causing both Eddie and Bill to burst into laughter.

“I SWEAR TO GOD ONCE I GET MY HANDS ON YOU YOU’RE DEAD, KID.” Richie threatened, glaring daggers at Eddie, who just slithered farther away from him.

Bill, who had been too distracted to hear Eddie’s plan, was surprised when the spitfire saddled up on his lap. But once Eddie leaned in and whispered his scheme, Bill was more than eager to comply.

“I thought you didn’t care who I slept with.” Eddie mused, beginning to grind against Bill’s lap lazily.

“I fucking don’t, but at least uncuff me so I don’t have to watch your bodies smack together in ungodly ways.”

Eddie just ignored him, turning his attention back to Bill’s half lidded eyes.

“Why don’t you tell Richie what you’re gonna do to me, huh Bill?” Eddie giggled as he began to kiss down the column of Bill’s neck.

Bill wasted no time reaching his arms around Eddie and grabbing his ass with both hands, kneading it indulgently.

“I’m gonna fuck this tight little ass of yours.” Bill stated simply, shooting a feral grin Richie’s way. Bill had always been unhinged, but when someone dangled meat in front of him he lost all common sense.

“It’s anything but tight.” Richie shot back. “He’s nothing but a loosened up fuck-hole, good luck getting any pleasure out of him.”

Richie was playing right into Eddie’s hands, the degradation causing him to grow tight in his pants.

Eddie grabbed Bill’s face roughly, connecting their lips in a messy show of dominance. Make no mistake, Eddie was the one in charge here; he was pulling both men’s strings tight enough to leave marks.

Eddie could hear muttered swears accompanying the clanging of metal as Richie tried to break free. He made sure to swirl his tongue along with the rhythm of his hips, stirring up Bill’s insides until he was humping up into Eddie’s small body.

When Eddie pulled away, a string of saliva spread thin between their lips, snapping at the last moment and leaving Eddie’s chin wet and messy.

Eddie stripped off his t-shirt, grinning wickedly as Bill followed suit and their bare torsos reconnected as he was pulled in close.

Eddie had seen Bill’s tattoos numerous times, but never this close up. He traced them delicately with his fingers, admiring the variations in tone between the older and newer ink. He followed the lines on Bill’s chest piece, a black and white bat with wings that spread across the tops of his pecks. Its face was mangled, mutated in a way that wasn’t distinctive but still left you feeling uneasy. It was a beautiful piece. Eddie had been there when Bill had first gotten it done, but now he was able to admire it from a whole new perspective.

Eddie ducked his head down, placing a kiss to each of the bat’s wings, before moving his attention to Bill’s nipples. They were pierced with simple silver barbells, small treasures that increased sensation in the area. Eddie was very familiar with them.

Eddie hovered above one, looking up through his long lashes to gauge Bill’s reaction as he flicked his tongue out and gently licked at the bud. The response was a loud groan, maybe exaggerated for Richie’s benefit, but satisfying nonetheless.

“You stupid slut.” Richie spat, only adding to the arousal Eddie already had building up. He looked over his shoulder innocently, locking eyes with Richie as he stuck his thumbs into the waistband of his pants and slowly pulled the fabric down to expose his ass.

Fire engulfed Richie’s eyes and he violently pulled against his restraints, looking at Eddie’s ass, his property, sitting atop Bill Denbrough’s lap.

It didn’t take long before Bill’s hands wandered down to the divots in Eddie’s lower back, tracing them with sharp nails that left scratches in their wake. Eddie arched into the touch, moaning loudly at the feeling of being marked. Bill’s fingers drifted further down, finding Eddie’s puckered hole ready for the taking, as they circled it teasingly.

“Don’t draw it out, just fuck me Denbrough.” Eddie demanded, tugging hard enough on Bill’s hair that it forced his head back.

“You don’t have to tell me twice.” Bill agreed, making quick work of unzipping his pants and pulling out his painfully hard cock.

“Should I tell you twice how much it’s gonna hurt when I CUT OFF YOUR FUCKING DICK!?” Richie shouted.

“Shhhh Richie, calm down. Sharing is caring, right?” For the first time since this all started, Bill looked past Eddie to regard Richie. He was red in the face, a vein Bill had never seen before popping out on his forehead. It was a beautiful sight, a complete loss of power. Bill almost had half a mind to take advantage of Richie’s bound state himself, but he’d rather wait for a time when Richie willingly submitted to him. Now that would be a sight to behold. Maybe he could have both of them at the same time, even.

Eddie’s impatient whine brought Bill back from his fantasies, directing his attention to where Eddie had maneuvered himself closer to Bill’s cock.

“You want it dry, dirty slut?” Bill taunted, watching the way Eddie’s cock twitched in response. Bill chuckled darkly, the black of his eyes growing as he roughly pulled Eddie’s pants and boxers the rest of the way off, leaving him completely nude and completely exposed to whatever abuse Bill had in store for him.

“I’m gonna make you bleed.” Bill whispered into Eddie’s ear, noticing how the smaller boy shivered.

Bill’s only prep was a glob of saliva he let drip down from his mouth to his cock, coating it in a slicked sheen that would do little to actually help Eddie’s discomfort. Then he was lining himself up with Eddie’s entrance and forcefully pushing himself in.

Eddie screamed, raw and wanton, a masochistic grin overtaking his features as he was split in half on Bill’s cock. It was thicker than Richie’s, not quite as long, but it still managed to fill Eddie up.

“YOU SON OF A BITCH, FUCKING BASTARD LOWLIFE- I’M GONNA RUIN YOUR FUCKING LIFE YOU FUCKING-”

Richie’s yelling was like music to their ears, because deep down they all knew Richie was loving this. It was the same sick pleasure he got when Eddie managed to get Richie in a submissive state. He struggled with an  internal battle of not wanting to let go of control, but knowing that loss of power felt so so good. One glance over their shoulders confirmed that Richie was in fact straining against his pants, trying to hide his subtle grinding up against the seam of his jeans.

Eddie’s thighs were already quivering, clenching around Bill’s own as he slowly lifted himself up and clenched back down the thick shaft. His breathing was heavy, sweat beginning to break out on his body as he struggled to take the intrusion.

But the burn felt good, and soon it started feeling really good, and eventually Eddie found himself losing his composure completely.

“Fuck, no wonder they call you big Bill.” Eddie said unabashedly. He heard Richie scoff behind him.

“Oh come ON.” Richie groaned. Eddie could practically picture him rolling his eyes.

Bill’s face was flushed, his mouth hanging open as he panted along with Eddie. His hair was tousled from Eddie’s ministrations, and his pupils had eclipsed his eyes, leaving nothing but a thin ring of blue keeping him from looking inhuman. He looked hotter than Eddie had ever seen him look before, but that could be attributed to the fact that his cock was in Eddie’s ass at that moment.

“Your cock sleeve is fitting me nicely.” Bill said to Richie, shooting him a wink along with a wicked grin.

“FUCK you.” Richie snapped.

Eddie’s head began swirling with the familiar fog that usually came before he hit his peak. Looking over his shoulder, he zoned in on Richie.

“He feels so good, Rich.” Eddie moaned, his eyes beginning to roll back in his head as Bill thrust up into his prostate head on.

“Anything would feel good to you, you fucking tramp.” Richie seethed.

Eddie glanced back down to Richie’s lap, smirking knowingly.

“You like watching me get fucked, don’t you Richie?”

Richie was completely quiet, but Eddie could see his jaw clenching like a vice grip.

“Yeah, he does.” Bill supplied. “Fucking cuck.”

“BILL YOU FUCKING SON OF A BITCH I’M GOING TO SLIT YOUR FUCKING THROAT.” Richie shot forward, his restraints finally giving out. Things moved in a flurry after that. Within a few quick moves Richie grabbed one of the switchblades they had under the coffee table, pushed Eddie off, and pinned Bill to the ground with a blade to his neck.

He could hear Eddie complaining behind him but drowned him out, hyper focused on the man before him. The knife dug into Bill’s neck where Richie held it with brute force, bobbing against Bill’s skin every time his laughter caused his Adam’s apple to move.

That laughter, unrestrained and maniacal, was the laughter of someone a little too unhinged.

“Do it, come on pussy, fucking do it!” Bill began pushing himself forward, causing the knife to breach his skin.

Richie searched his face, trying to find a logical reason why he couldn’t end Bill’s life the way he had countless others. The answer wasn’t conscious, it was a feeling low in his gut, one that made him uneasy and frankly a little bit queasy. It was something he felt for all his friends, the reason he continued to bail them out of their problems, sit with them through their miseries, seek out to destroy the people who hurt them. And as much as Bill had pissed him off, he was still a part of that very small circle of people that Richie would kill for, but could not kill.

Pulling the blade away, Richie spat in Bill’s face. Sneering down at him as the anger simmered in his belly.

“You’re not worth it.” He gritted out.

Suddenly, Richie felt a warm sensation beneath his thigh, which he had been using to pin Bill down. He moved off of his friend, stumbling back a few steps as he gazed down at the mess Bill had made.

“Did you fucking cum on me, bitch!?” Richie growled, instantly rethinking his choice to let Bill live.

Bill just laughed once again, the noise joined by another chuckle from behind Richie.

He turned slowly to address his boyfriend, who was fanning the fire with every giggle he supplied.

Richie reached forward, grabbing a fistful of Eddie’s hair and forcing him to his knees violently enough that they’d be bruised tomorrow.

“Clean up the mess your dog made, you useless slut.”

Richie pushed Eddie’s face against his thigh, rubbing his face in the cum that dripped down towards his knee. Eddie obeyed, opening his mouth and sticking his tongue out, licking as much as he could while Richie maneuvered his head aggressively. When Richie decided it was clean enough he tugged Eddie back up roughly.

“Don’t ever do that again. Next time, I won’t let them live.” Richie warned.

“I’ll make sure it’s not someone we know, then.” Eddie challenged. “But… it kinda seems like you liked it.” Eddie eyed the damp spot on Richie’s pants, the one that wasn’t left behind by Bill. "Everyone got to finish but me." He added as a last thought, pouting for real this time.

“Don't worry, when I'm done with you you'll be so oversensitive even breathing will hurt.” Richie pulled Eddie towards the hallway, the strong grip on his hair still acting as a rein.

“Thanks Eddie, real good work kid, let’s do it again sometime!” Bill shouted towards their disappearing figures. Before Richie was entirely out of sight, he chucked his knife through the air with expert precision, landing it right beside Bill’s head. It stuck into the wood flooring at a 90 degree angle, cutting off a few inches of Bill’s hair in the process.

“Next time I won’t miss.” Richie growled.

That night, Eddie learned two things. Firstly, Bill was a good fuck. He wasn’t Richie… but he was a pretty good substitute. And secondly, riling Richie up resulted in the best sex he’d ever had. So in conclusion, this would not be the last time Eddie pulled the strings.

[hiyo-silver]

Flower Doodles

chapter two of the dads au! part one is right here!

this one is a bit angsty but aaaa

it’s also on ao3 here!

Eddie fumbles with his keys, finally poking them into the keyhole and opening the front door, around 8 o’clock. “Is it cheesy to say ‘honey I’m home?’ even though we’ve been married for six years?” he calls out, expecting them to be in the playroom. He walks in and hangs up his coat on the hook, Bill’s was not hung.  

He walks into living room, spotting Bill on the couch, fast asleep, a tiara on his head, obviously he’d been playing some sort of game with Quinn. She, on the other hand, was kneeling in front of him on the couch, drawing flowers on his face with a washable marker.

Eddie walks over, wanting to chuckle at the situation. He kneels in front of the couch where Quinn is, “Hey sweetheart, papa’s face isn’t a canvas,” he says with a small smile, “Can you get the wet wipes so we can clean this up?”

Eddie studies Bill’s face, who looks exhausted, his nose looks a little red and raw, and it makes Eddie frown. “Hey, Billy, you up?” he says softly, tapping his face lightly to get his attention.

Bill hardly stirs, turning his back to Eddie and hiding his face in the back of the couch. Eddie frowns again, rubbing circles on Bill’s back gently. “Baby, I don’t know how long you’ve been asleep but you’ve gotta get up, honey,” he says softly. He carefully takes the tiara off Bill’s head, it looked tight enough to hurt. He notices that Bill is still in his coat, the house wasn’t too cold so he must be overheating.

Quinn comes back with the package of wet wipes, they were easy to find on the shelf in the bathroom. She hands them to Eddie, giving him the puppy-eyed expression. “I’m sorry, daddy,” she says softly, seeing Eddie’s frown and assuming he was upset with her.

“No- no sweetheart it’s fine, I think your papa is just a little sick, I think, you wanna go back to your room?” he asks, taking the package and pulling out a wipe for Bill’s face.

“Is papa okay?” she asks, staying put, if not moving even closer to Bill.

“Yeah I think he’s just got a cold, I just wanna clean this up and have him at least drink some water.”

“Mkay,” she says calmly, “When you’re done will you play with me?” she asks, offering another puppy-dog-eyed face.

“Yeah I’ll be there soon, sweetheart,” he promises, coaxing Bill into turning towards him again.

She finally leaves the two, scampering off to her room to play with her dollhouse or something. Leaving Eddie to play nurse. Even though that’s his literal career, he feels that he has to do it for his husband far too often. He really needs to take care of himself better. He frowns again.

Eddie gives up on trying to get Bill up, just gently rubbing the flowery scribbled design off his cheeks. It takes him quite a while to get them all off, “Bill, c’mon, you gotta eat dinner, did you or Quinn eat yet?” Eddie looks over at the clock, 8:26.

Bill opens his eyes blearily, putting his hand out to Eddie, who doesn’t accept it. “Mmm no ‘mb sorry,” he slurs out, putting his hands on his face out of shame, he felt like he messed up big time by forgetting to have the two of them eat.

“Hey- hey no baby it’s okay, I know you don’t cook, you obviously aren’t feeling great, I’ll be right back, mkay?” Eddie says softly but quickly, not wanting his husband to feel bad for something that wasn’t his fault, schools really are germ factories.

Bill pushes himself into a sitting position on the couch, fumbling to unzip his jacket, which Eddie does for him instead, “You too hot?” Eddie asks as he helps the disoriented man get his coat off.

Bill shakes his head, “not too bad, my jacket just makes weird noises when I move,” Bill murmurs, getting up to hang it up on his hook.

Eddie frowns at the sound of his voice, “Have you been feeling bad all day, baby?” it sounded settled in his sinuses which probably wasn’t comfortable. Bill sits back down on the couch and pulls the throw blanket over his shoulders.

“Mmm only a little,” he still speaks softly, curling up a little on the couch, looking small, which was always concerning to Eddie.

“Bill… you should call me if you aren’t feeling well, I think you have a fever, you should have come home,” Eddie said in a disappointed voice. He hates having to be like this, he is Bill’s husband, not his nurse who should be nagging him all day about his choices.

“‘Mb sorry, Eddie,” Bill tucks his head away in his knees, he’s always most emotional when he doesn’t feel his best.

Suddenly, Quinn comes back in quietly, basically sneaking behind Eddie, he jumps when she speaks. “Papa, you’re awake!” she says with a smile, clamoring to sit next to him on the couch and pushing a fuzzy pink blanket in his lap. “Daddy said you were cold so I brought you a blankie because he was taking too long to make you warm enough to play with me,” she explains, which brings a small smile to Bill’s face.

“Ndo,” Bill cringes at the sound of his own voice, “A little cold but I’m just a little sick, Like two months ago, remember, daddy made you be quiet because he wanted me to sleep,” Bill explains, he was always better at explaining things to little kids than Eddie was.

“OH, I’m sorry papa,” Quinn says, in a smaller tone, trying to be quieter since he had brought it up.

“I’m gonna make some food,” Eddie says, giving Bill a sympathetic look, he wishes Quinn wouldn’t cuddle so close to him, she was going to get his germs and then she’d be sick too- and he just didn’t want that. “Quinnie, you wanna help?” he asks, trying to pull her away.

She nods excitedly, she loves helping in the kitchen.

“We’re going to make canned soup for dinner again,” he tells her as they go to the kitchen and both thoroughly wash their hands. He gets out the cans and lets her set them in the automatic can opener. She giggles the entire time, she likes to feel like she’s helping too, and Eddie didn’t let her often. He was just desperate now.

They put the food in bowls and put them at the table with three glasses of water. Eddie walks back to the living room to find Bill wrapped in both the blankets now and made a note to grab the thermometer after they ate. He shakes Bill’s shoulder again to wake him back up, “Billy, I’m sorry you’re so exhausted but please come eat something,” he says a little desperately.

Bill easily agrees, just wanting to properly get to bed soon as possible. He keeps the knit blanket from the couch over his shoulders as he drags his feet to his spot at the kitchen table. He swirls his spoon around in his bowl a little, taking some small sips of the broth.

Eddie watches him with pity, seeing him wince at swallowing and needing to be careful so that he could breathe through his mouth when he needed to. Bill puts his spoon down when he’s finished most of it, “shower?” he asks, wanting to take another steamy one to clear his sinuses again before bed.

“Yeah, of course, I’ll do the dishes and get Quinn in bed, I’ll read her Peter Rabbit, it’s been a while, and you shower and get some warm pajamas on, I’ll get the Vicks out too.”

“I still wanna do storytime,” Bill says strongly, “Makes me happy,” he says tiredly. He cringes at the mention of the Vicks, he’s never been a fan of it, he’s too familiar with it.

“Of course, baby,” Eddie nods, surprised that he is so specific about it, although he should have known.

“Yeah, papa has to tell the story,” Quinn says surely, even as Bill gets up and shuffles to the bathroom.

Eddie agrees, finally asking Quinn about her day with the Hanscoms as he does the dishes. When she’s finally done talking about all the games they played and the stories they exchanged, Eddie suggests that she goes back to her room to wait for he and Bill to be ready.

Bill comes out of the bathroom feeling a little better and a little more awake. He has on a baggy and long sleeved shirt, one that’s relatively old and gross but it makes him comfortable. He had pulled on some navy flannel pajama pants.

Eddie studies his dark circles and angry pink looking nose, creasing his eyebrows in worry. He just doesn’t like when Bill gets so worn down. “Hey Billy, I set up some clean sheets on the couch for you so you’d be comfortable sleeping tonight,” he says softly.

Bill nods, this was standard procedure for when he was unwell, since Eddie may be able to be around germs, but he also still can’t get sick because work. At least Eddie made him feel loved by showering him with care besides physical affection.

They go to Quinn’s room, Bill didn’t write anything new that day either. So, he must wing it. “Once upon a time,” he clears his throat for his voice to come out clearer. “There was a beautiful little princess named Quinn, and one of her fathers, the king, wasn’t feeling well,” he starts with a small smile, finding himself clever.

Eddie just kept his same worried expression, wanting to just put Bill to bed already. He sounded congested still and he would do better with a good night’s rest and he’d probably call him out of work the next day, against the other man’s wishes.

“And he was taken care of by the other big and strong king who made him feel all better really soon so that he could kiss his daughter goodnight,” he finishes the story much quicker than usual, frowning when he realizes he should probably be more careful of spreading this to her.

Eddie kisses both of her cheeks, instead of Bill kissing one of them, “Night, princess,” he says, flicking on the nightlight before switching off the main lights.

Then he drags Bill out too, bringing him back to the living room couch and having him sit down, “Bill goddamn, you look like Rudolph, if I didn’t know better I’d think you didn’t have proper tissues in your classroom.

“Rand out this mornindg,” he says through the congestion, looking down at the ground.

“Mmm baby, I’m gonna get you more, I think we have some in the linen closet, I’ll be back.” Eddie gets up quickly, ruffling Bill’s hair and walking to the hall closet where he kept most of what he’d need.

He gets out the unopened box of tissues along with the thermometer, Vicks, and a cold and flu medicine before kneeling in front of Bill on the couch again. “I’m gonna fix you right up, don’t worry, baby,” he says softly, rubbing Bill’s shoulder gently.

“I know, Eddie, I trust you,” he says tiredly, leaning into the boy’s touch.

Eddie pulls the wastebasket nearer to the couch, unwrapping the tissue box and throwing the trash away, handing the box to Bill since he’d need it that night. He gestures for Bill to take off his socks, rubbing the Vicks into his feet, massaging his feet a little longer than he needed to to be more comforting once he sees Bill relaxing more as he does. He pops two pills out of the package and hands them to Bill with a glass of orange juice. “Okay one last thing, lemme take your temperature.”

He pops the thermometer in Bill’s compliant mouth, it’s gotten easier to do this over the years. Bill has slowly gotten easier on him about getting taken care of. While he waits for it to beep, Eddie swipes some more Vicks under Bill’s nose and walks behind him to rub his shoulders, grabbing it from his mouth as soon as it beeps, before Bill can even grab it himself. “100.4, not too bad, you’ll be alright, but I do want you staying home from school tomorrow,” he lets him know, although it wouldn’t be a choice.

“Mkay, as long as I can get a sub,” he says quietly. He lays down and Eddie lays the blanket over him, running his hands through his still damp hair.

“I’ll help if you need, you just sleep. You’ll be okay for the night?” Eddie asks, continuing to rub his hair carefully.

“Yeah, I just am annoyed that I can’t sneeze,” Bill mumbles, cuddling himself into the couch.

“Lemme help,” Eddie chuckles, booping Bill’s nose ever so lightly and pulling his hand back when Bill wrinkles his nose and buries his face into his elbow to sneeze. “Bless you. Mmm yikes, baby, that sounds like it hurts,” Eddie says softly.

“Only a little,” Bill replies, closing his eyes, at least he was comfortable now.

“Goodnight, I love you, I’ll be checking on you tomorrow before I leave for work, so I’m sorry that I’ll be waking you around six, I’m just paranoid, and you’d be up by then anyways if you were going to work, and I’ll get Quinn to Bev’s tomorrow morning like usually,” he rambles on, trying to calm himself by talking out loud.

“Eddie-” Bill interrupts softly, “It’s gonna be fine,” he says, looking up at Eddie assuredly.

Eddie nods and goes over to turn the lights off, “You can take more nyquil if you need it, I know the dose isn’t that many, but another capsule shouldn’t have long term damage if you really need it to be comfortable enough to sleep. Eddie turns on the t.v., putting on Cartoon Network, for some reason Bill still always watches cartoons to fall asleep when he doesn’t feel well, although Eddie does find it adorable. “Sleep well, baby, I hope you wake up feeling better tomorrow.

Bill nods and hums happily, snuggling into the couch and blowing Eddie a kiss, “I love you,” he murmurs out, although it comes out more like “I wuv you,” due to the lack of enunciation.

A few hours later Bill shoots up into a sitting position, his face wet with tears and sweat, still choking out a panicked sob even in his conscious state. He puts his face in his hands and tries to calm himself, but he’d awoken from a nightmare. He wasn’t on his PTSD medication anymore. It didn’t usually affect him anymore. Sometimes though, it came back with fever dreams. He felt himself reimagining Georgie’s death over and over in his head. He feels like he can’t breathe. Just like when Pennywise had me in a chokehold. He chokes out another sob, forcing himself to stand up and shuffle to he and Eddie’s room with the blanket still around his shoulders, a mess of coughing and hyperventilating and crying as he opens the door.

“E-Eddie,” he pauses to try to catch his breath, coughing roughly into the blanket.

“Bill?” Eddie wakes up slowly at first and then sits up quickly and is at Bill’s side in seconds. “Baby, baby, what’s wrong?” he coos softly and ushers Bill over to the bed, having him sit and rubbing his back.

“Dr-dr-druh-dreams, G-g-g-g-georgie,” Bill fumbles the words out and leans into Eddie with almost all his weight. Eddie holds him close, pulling him between his legs and rubbing his back with one hand and his hair with the other.

“Sweetheart, it’s just the fever, baby you didn’t do anything wrong,” Eddie murmurs to him softly, trying to be comforting to him because it was distressing to see him in this stage of a panic attack.

Bill coughs again, the hyperventilating wasn’t doing his clogged chest any good. He starts to regulate his breathing and calm into Eddie. “‘M s-suh-suh-suh-sorry, cuh-cuh-can you tuck muh-me in again? Buh-buh-but first cuh-can we check on Qui-Qui-Qui-Quinn, I’m sc-scuh-scuh-ared,” he breathes out.

“Billy baby, sleep here for the rest of tonight, I don’t want you alone like this,” Eddie says worriedly, pressing the back of his hand to Bill’s neck, “You’re burning up, baby,” he fingers the sweaty short hairs at the back of Bill’s neck.

“Stay here, I’m getting the ibuprofen,” Eddie says, pushing Bill onto the bed.

Eddie gets the bottle of fever reducers and rustles around for a washcloth to get damp with cool water. Quinn shuffles out of her room, her teddy bear in her grip, “Is papa alright?” she asks, having heard the chaos.

“He’s just not feeling well, he had a bad dream,” Eddie finds a soft cloth and brings it to the sink and turns the water to cold, running it over the cloth and wringing it out before deciding it’s good enough to bring back to Bill.

“Can I help?” she asks softly, rubbing her eyes.

Eddie looks down, considering it. Maybe it would help Bill calm down if she were there for at least a few minutes, and that’s all he’s about right now. He just wants Bill to feel better. “Alright honey, just for a while, you really need sleep too, so he doesn’t get you sick.”

He brings the things back to the bedroom, grabbing the tissue box and wastebasket on his way back to the bedroom. “Hey Billy, Quinn was worried,” he says as he makes Bill sit up again, putting the cool cloth on the back of Bill’s neck.

Bill shivers at the sudden coolness but finds comfort in it eventually. “Qui-qui-qui-quinnie the pooh,” he smiles, putting his arms out for a hug. She crawls into his lap, a little confused by the sound of his words.

“Papa you sound like a frog,” she giggles lightly.

“Mhm, I knuh-know,” he croaks out in his hoarser voice.

“You need sleep, papa,” she says softly. “I gotta go back to bed.” She starts to get up, and Eddie is glad to notice that he already seems a little calmer.

“I pruh-pruh-promise I’ll get some rest. Tea p-puh-party redo tomorrow?” he asks tiredly, cuddling up to Eddie.

“Mhm,” she says, already on her way back to her bed, yawning. She’s always been pretty independant, which was good in this situation.

Bill lays back on Eddie, relishing in the comfort of the cool cloth and gratefully taking the bottle of pills, swallowing three with the water on the bedside table. Eddie lays back, Bill immediately crawling on top of him. Bill was basically entirely on him, his legs straddling his hips and his head on his chest. The rise and fall of Eddie’s breathing slowly calmed him the rest of the way.

“Thank you, Eddie,” he says softly, “‘M sorry for being so needy,” he mumbles.

“No, sweetheart, you’re fine, I shouldn’t have left you out in the living room alone, I know a lot of your triggers have been around and I should have known it would be really bad soon,” Eddie says softly, running his fingers through Bill’s hair lightly.

“I can’t lose you two,” Bill murmurs as he slowly starts to drift to sleep again. Bill’s stuffed up snores fill the air again soon after and Eddie feels a twinge of guilt in his chest.

I really can’t just keep hurting him because of my own phobias. I know my mom sucked, but his parents were the opposite, I can’t help but feel like them. Eddie almost starts crying at the realization. Eddie has trouble sleeping due to the intense smell of Vicks right in his face. He falls asleep with his hands tangled in Bill’s hair, Quinn walks back in with her blanket and he teddy, cuddling up to Eddie’s side, never one to pass up sleeping in her dad’s bed.

As promised, Eddie is up by six in the morning to shower, squirming gently out from under Bill to get ready for another day of work. He showers quickly and comes back to the bedroom to get dressed and then wake Quinn. He’s mindful of the fact that Bill’s nose is still running in his sleep, which sends a shiver down his spine as he tries to clean his face up with a tissue.

He shakes the small blonde one until she wakes up fully, attached to her papa’s warm body. “Morning, Quinnie,” he says softly, picking her up to take to her room to get her in clothes for the day. He gets her dressed and makes her a quick piece of peanut butter and banana toast, at least healthier than yesterday’s meal.

“Thank you, daddy,” she says, eating her toast slowly as she grabs her coat for when they leave.

Eddie texts Beverly asking if Quinn could stay until eight that day, not wanting to leave his ailing husband with her for two hyper hours before Eddie could be home. She says it’s fine, sending Bill her well wishes.

Eddie hears a pained squeak from the bedroom, quickly walking over and peaking in, Bill had curled up under the blankets in a tight ball. He’d stifled back a sneeze in hopes he could stay silent and not have Eddie worry about him at all before work.

“Billy, you know that can burst your eardrums,” he hums in a tone of disappointment.

Bill peeks just his eyes out from under the covers, embarrassed to have been caught. “‘M sorry, didn’t wanna bother you too much before work,” he says, sitting up and rubbing his eyes to alleviate some pressure in his sinuses that had ignited a headache.

“It’s fine, Bill, as long as you’re up I’m gonna have you take some medicine, alright?” he says, although Bill can tell the question isn’t really a question. “Mike is coming over later, wanted to make you something to eat, since you don’t seem to do that much when I’m not here but food is important for healing.”

Bill just nods, “I’ll be fine today, Eddie, no more panic attacks, I promise.”

Eddie frowns a little, “I just feel guilty leaving you again,” he sighs, walking over and kissing Bill’s temple. “You’re still warm, what if your fever spikes again?” Eddie asks softly, about two seconds away from calling into work sick. He never missed work, he never got sick himself, he decides that he may as well use it for Bill.

Bill turns to the side opposite of Eddie to cough into his elbow, sighing and laying back.

“That’s it- I’m calling in to work to take care of you,” Eddie says, pulling out his phone and leaving no room for argument. Bill whines and looks over at him.

“Babe, I don’t want you missing work because my students are actually germ factories,” he mumbles, turning to lay on his stomach and cuddle his pillow.

“No, I wanna stay and make sure you’re alright,” Eddie says, gaining more confidence every time he repeats himself.

Eddie was in his sweatpants and a tee-shirt already, seeing as he had to change into scrubs when he got to work anyways. He crawls back into bed next to his husband and cuddling up to him, “I’m staying right here.”

Then, Quinn pulls off her coat and climbs in next to them again, “Me too?” she asks softly.

“Oh shit, yeah I gotta text Bev,” Eddie says in a hushed voice, pulling out his phone to let her know.

“Eddie, language,” Bill says softly, curling up with his face in Eddie’s chest.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Eddie says distractedly, typing away on his phone. She responds quickly, only a little frustrated with the sudden change in plans, but she understands.

“How about I fill you with medicine again and then you take a nap, how does that sound?” Eddie asks softly, playing with Bill’s hair gently.

Bill cuddles closer to the other for a moment before releasing his tight grip on Eddie’s waist. “Mkay, as long as you come back,” he says softly, letting Eddie wriggle out of his place in bed again.

Quinn pulls herself closer to her dad, snuggling into his chest, “I miss you when you go to work, papa,” She says softly.

Bill feels guilty when he hears this, although he knows he can’t help it. “I’m sorry, I’m home now,” he replies softly.

They lay quietly until Eddie comes back with a small bottle of cough syrup and some Dayquil pills. “Here, sit up and take these, I’ve got tea for you too,” he says softly, pulling Quinn off of him gently and pulling him into a sitting position.

“You’re the best,” Bill hums, taking the small cup of red liquid and knocking it back, and then swallowing the pills easily. Eddie hands him the mug of tea, which he sips carefully before laying back down. “I’m still sorry, but hold me?” he asks softly, putting his arms out, beckoning Eddie to lay beside him.

[floralbuckley]

new idea: please send me a serious of words/phrases and a ship to write a fic with

[hanscom]

if i haven’t bothered you yet, “new college roommates” trope please

you’re absolutely not bothering me!

this could work in a different way for all sorts of pairings but i think i’m gonna go with kaspbrough for this. eddie comes to college and is so thrilled to be out from under his mother’s thumb. he comes out of the closet and is living his best life. but there’s the matter of his roommate. there’s nothing wrong with bill necessarily, but eddie gets a strong bro-ey frat boy vibe from him. he’s wary about bringing boys home because he doesn’t want to make things awkward, but he also likes bill a lot so he doesn’t bring the whole sexuality thing up because he doesn’t want to risk this new friendship. but, of course, he can’t lie about it for long. so when the conversation finally comes up and eddie finally comes out, bill just gives him this weird look and is like “i know”. and eddie looks so confused that bill can’t help but laugh. “dude. i listened to an entire cher album with you. we marathon drag race. i hung up a rainbow flag on our wall.” and eddie’s just like “idk i thought you just really liked rainbows.”

and eddie is just so cute and clueless that bill has no other option but to kiss him.

[s-oulpunk]

kaspbrough: eddie’s late to class and his long time crush bill suddenly decides it’s a good day to spill his milkshake all over that cute angry boy in his calc class

Anon I LOVED writing this, it ended up being so soft🥺

-----

Eddie Kaspbrak is a good student.  He turns all his homework in on time, he gets straight A’s, and, most importantly, he’s not late.  Ever.  Sure, he misses a lot of school, but that’s hardly his fault.  Mama says he’s sick, and if he has to do his homework from the hospital bed, then that’s exactly what he’ll do.

But, back to the point.  Eddie’s never late.  He takes extra measure to ensure it.  Three alarms, clothes picked out the night before, bike ready to go in the garage.

Except for today.

Today he sleeps through his alarms.

Today he loses his socks halfway through getting dressed.

Today his bike has a flat tire.

So now he’s running to school, already fifteen minutes late, and barely halfway there.  He’s not supposed to be running, he knows that.  He knows if his mother ever found out, he’d be stuck in the hospital all weekend.

But he also knows he’s not supposed to be late.  Besides, it feels kind of good to run.  It’s not something he usually gets to experience.  And he’s going so fast.  He doesn’t think he’s ever gone this fast without his bike.  Scratch that, he’s never gone this fast in his life.

Mama doesn’t let him ride at a pace faster than a walk, and she’s always the slowest car on the road whenever they take a trip to the local hospital or grocery store.

But when he runs, he can feel the wind scratch against his face and the pavement disappear beneath his feet.  It’s exhilarating.

At least, it’s exhilarating until he turns the corner into the school parking lot and runs smack dab into another student.  And not just any student.

“Fff-Fuck, are you alright?”

Baseball star Bill Denbrough.

Bill Denbrough, who won the game three weeks in a row.

Bill Denbrough, who Eddie’s been in love with since the sixth grade.

Bill Denbrough, who’s staring down at him because Eddie’s currently laying flat on his back, sharp gravel digging into his back, as he wonders why his torso is suddenly freezing.

“Holy shit, I’m so ss-suh-sorry.”

Turns out, he’s freezing because Bill’s double chocolate chip milkshake is currently all over him.  Eddie frowns at the sticky mess as he sits up, his frown quickly turning into a grimace when the milkshake starts to drip down his stomach.

“I’m so sorry,” Bill continues to ramble. “I dd-duh-didn’t see you coming.  Are you oh-okay?  I’m sorry about yuh-your shirt.  Will it wash out?  Oh, fuck.”

“It’s fine,” Eddie grumbles, ignoring the hand Bill offers as he stumbles to his feet. “Jesus, who drinks a milkshake at eight in the morning?”

Bill flushes red. “Is there a time limit to when I can enjoy a mm-muh-milkshake?”

“Yes!” Eddie snaps. “You shouldn’t drink it at all, do you have any idea how unhealthy it is for you?”

Bill shrugs. “It’s milk.”

“It’s...It is not just milk!” Eddie yelps, gaping openly.

“Look,” Bill says, and Eddie supposes maybe he should feel a little bad for snapping at the guy, “I’m really sorry about your shirt.  If I can - Oh!  You can have my jj-juh-jacket if you want?  It’s not the same, but it’ll help cover some of the stains!”

“What - No, that’s okay,” Eddie says, but Bill’s shoving the jacket into his hands before he can even finish the sentence. “I can just wear my gym shirt.”

Bill pulls a face. “That’s gross.  It’s all ss-swuh-sweaty and stuff.”

“Well I washed it!  Do you not wash your gym clothes!”

“I’ll get it from you in calculus!” Bill says.  And Eddie can’t argue, because he’s already disappeared halfway across the parking lot.

-

Wearing Bill’s jacket is - and Eddie would never admit this - very exciting.

Bill’s relatively short, but the jacket’s still a little big on Eddie.  It’s a dark maroon color, per school colors, and has Bill’s last name in big, bold letters across the back.  Eddie can feel the stares from his peers throughout the day, can hear the whispers behind his back.  It puts him on edge, but Bill’s jacket - despite being the source of the attention - acts as a sort of force field.  As if nothing can hurt him while he has it on.

Eddie sits at the front in every single class.  Bill usually sits somewhere in the middle, somewhere he can pay attention without drawing too much attention to himself.  But today, Bill plops himself down right next to Eddie and grins at him expectantly.

“Thank you for the jacket,” Eddie says softly.

“You’re welcome,” Bill says. “Sorry I sp-spilled my milkshake on you.”

Eddie ducks his head, suddenly all-too-fascinated by the empty pages of his notebook. “Yeah, well, sorry I was a dick to you.”

Bill smiles softly. “That’s okay,” he says, which only makes Eddie feel worse.  Why is he so nice? “I would buh-be mad too.”

Cautiously, Eddie glances back up.  When he’s sure it’s safe, when all he can see is Bill’s blinding grin, he turns to face him completely.

“I can buy you another milkshake,” he offers.

If possible, Bill grins wider, “Like a dd-duh-date?”

Eddie balks. “No!  No, not - not like that.  Just - Just as an apology.  Because I - I spilled your milkshake.  Remember?”

“Oh.  I - Uh - Yeah.  Th-That’s okay, dude.  It’s, ll-luh-like, three bucks.  I can - Just - Don’t worry about it.”

Bill doesn’t talk to him for the rest of class.

-

That Friday, Bill has a baseball game.  Eddie knows because he has one every week.  Every week, Eddie tries to convince his mom to let him go.  Every week, the answer is emphatically no.

But this week is going to be different.  Eddie has to be there.  Because Bill had asked him exactly what Eddie had been dreaming he would ask for years, and what did Eddie do?  He fucked it up.  And now he has to find a way to un-fuck it up.

He waits, practically vibrating with nerves, until his mom falls asleep.  By the time she does, Eddie doesn’t even know if the game is still going.  But he has to try, he’ll be damned if he misses his chance.  So he pulls on his shoes, hops out his bedroom window, and runs.

Luckily, when he gets there, the game is not over.  At least, Eddie doesn’t think it is.  He doesn’t know anything about baseball - his mother was never big on sports - but there are still players on the field.  In fact, Bill’s currently up to bat.

Eddie lingers awkwardly by the bleachers.  Should he cheer?  Should he sit down?  He has no idea what the protocol for baseball is.

The pitcher throws the ball.  Bill swings.

No contact, strike one.

Eddie bounces on the balls of his feet as Bill gets back into position.

C’mon, Bill, he finds himself thinking. I know you can do it.

The pitcher throws the ball again.

Bill misses, strike three.

Even in the dark, Eddie can see Bill starting to get frustrated.

You can do it, Eddie thinks. Don’t give up.

The pitcher throws the ball a third, and final, time.

Bill hits it with a thunk and, before Eddie can even comprehend what’s happening, he’s racing through the bases.

His peers in the bleachers go crazy, shrieking and cheering, but Eddie’s shocked silent.  He’s heard about this moment over and over again, but seeing it is entirely different.  Simply watching him is intoxicating.  Eddie can go fast, but Bill’s faster.

Seeing Bill so in his element, Eddie can see why the school fawns over him.

Bill’s heading towards home base now, and it’s pure speed that’s going to get him there.  The ball is being passed through the players, getting scarily close to the catcher, at an alarmingly fast rate.

Eddie nearly shrieks when Bill suddenly drops to the ground, but then he’s sliding through the dirt and landing back at home base merely moments before the ball is thrown to the catcher.

Eddie can only assume they’ve won after that, because everyone starts screaming and Bill’s receiving hugs and claps on the back from his teammates.  A kid bolts past Eddie, racing straight into Bill’s arms, and Bill squeezes him tight, as if he's his lifeline.

He looks so happy, Eddie nearly turns around and goes home.  But then they make eye contact and Eddie knows there’s no turning back now.  Still, his nerves grow a little bit stronger with each step Bill takes towards him.

“Hey,” Eddie says, wincing at how shaky his voice sounds.

“Hey, Eddie,” Bill says. “I didn’t know you ww-wuh-were coming.”

“Eddie,” the kids repeats in a high pitched, nasally voice.  Eddie doesn’t have to hear much more to know the kid’s not his biggest fan at the moment.

“Georgie,” Bill hisses. “Stop th-that.” Georgie huffs. “Can wuh-we have a minute?”

Georgie stares pointedly at Eddie. “That milkshake better be for him,” he says, before disappearing back into the thick of the crowd.

“Sorry about him,” Bill says. “He just started jj-juh-junior high.  You know how it is.”

Eddie laughs, but it’s more out of nerves than anything else, because he doesn’t know how it is.  He didn’t have friends in middle school, and his mother would be damned if he became anything less than her perfect little boy because of something as silly as puberty.

“This - Uh - This is for you, actually,” Eddie says, holding the milkshake out awkwardly.

“Oh.” Bill looks so touched, Eddie kind of wants to laugh. “Thank you, yuh-you didn’t have to do that.”

Eddie shrugs. “It’s just a milkshake.”

“Still,” Bill says as he gently takes it from Eddie’s outstretched hand, “That’s sweet.”

Eddie’s thankful it’s dark, because his face is bright red. “It’s nothing really.  You - Um - you did great out there.”

Bill lights up, as if he didn’t have the whole school screaming for him. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you!”

“I also - Um - I also wanted to ask if you, maybe, wanted to go on a date with me?”

Bill beams around the milkshake straw. “Seriously?”

Eddie nods furiously. “And - And I’m sorry, for saying no at first.  You scared me.”

Bill barks out a laugh. “I scared yy-yuh-you?”

“Yes, shut up!  Now what’s your answer!”

“Yes!” Bill grins. “Yes, I would love to!”