#leading to the chocolate exploding in the back but hey he made a cute lil heart out of what is the heat equivalent to magma

[saeraas]

HIS ASS IS OUT????

[jungshookz]

Ramenboy!tae who works at a lil ramen joint and ur dragged there by Jungkook who loves to abuse Tae’s employee discount and wow they have a competition — eat this massive bowl of ramen in ten minutes and get free ramen for a month and u cannot lose to this heathen known as Jungkook and now u’ve made an awful first impression on Tae and ur mortified but he’s just impressed~ and high key thinks ur cute and now Jungkook needs to play matchmaker in the most disastrous way possible (cue chaos) 🔥anon

→ pairing: kim taehyung x reader

→ genre: nonidol!au, ramenboy!tae, comedy, tiny pinch of fluff, jungkook is an idiot and you might be one too because you just ate a gigantic bowl of ramen 

→ wordcount: 3.8k 

→ note: i’m sorry this took so lonG! u sent this in a while ago but i saved it in my notes because it’s.,, so cute,., this is less about taehyung and more about kook and y/n competing with each other lol!!!! my stomach exploded just thinking about eating five pounds worth of ramen idk how y/n did it 

(gif isn’t mine!) (also i was ecstAtic when i found this gif!!!! how pErfeCt)

this has quite possibly been one of the worst weeks in your entire life

you don’t know how it’s happened but on every single day of the week something has gone wrong for you

monday - your alarm didn’t go off so you accidentally skipped two veRy important lectures that were crucial for the finals

tuesday - your alarm diD go off but when you got to your first class (on time!) you didn’t realise that your prof sent out an email in the morning saying that there was a room switch for the day and the room was in a building located all the way on the oTHER end of campus so you basically missed out on half that lecture

wednesday - you have a big gap between classes on wednesdays so usually you just hang out and study in the library buT when you got there someone had taken your favourite spot so you were forced to go to the really, really quiet study area (no one’s allowed to make a peep otherwise ya get the booT) and when you stepped in you stumbled over someone’s laptop charger that was plugged into the wall and literally fell the floor in less than a millisecond with a big SMAK and everyone in that room looked like they wanted to rip your head off (especially the owner of the laptop charger)

thursday - you ordered a chocolate almond milk and banana smoothie because you wanted to treat yourself but somehow they fucked up your order and it tasted like they threw oranges into your smoothie instead of bananas and by the time you decided you wanted to go back and demAnd that they fix your order the line was like a hundred feet long so you were forced to throw out your $10 smoothie

friday - todAY,., you got your grades back for your midterms and uh.,,. all i’m going to say is u might want to spend a little more time studying and a little less time on tumblr

whatever

you’re just glad it’s finally friday because you are going to hibernate in your room over the weekend to recover from everything

you were going to head straight back to the apartment after classes today but jungkook insisted that you guys hang out today!!! even though you basically see each other every day!!!!

unfortunately you’re just not in the mood to do anything because you’re grumpy and tired

also it’s that time of the month

so like

you really reALLY aren’t in the mood to do anything

but of course

because it’s jungkook

he didn’t give you a choice (he dropped to his knees and literally just started sCREAMING until you said you would hang out with him and then he hopped back up onto his feet and was like heehee oki!! let’s go, friend!!!! as he wasn’t just screeching a lung out in the middle of the schoolyard a second ago)

and this is where he decides to take you

a dinky ramen joint in the city

“why couldn’t we just have gone to watch a movie?” you groan and flop your head back “also we had lunch like two hours ago-“

“and your point is??” jungkook scoffs as he flips through the menu

“if we eat now it’s going to ruin our appetite for dinner and thaT’s going to throw everything off course- hey quit iT” jungkook reaches back blindly to whack your face gently to shut you up

ur a great person and he likes u a lot but you need to relax ur asshole sometimes (he literally said that to you within the first week of knowing you and when you gawked and responded with ‘my asshole is SO relaxed and loOSE right now!!!!!!’ in the middle of the cafeteria he knew that this friendship was meant to be)

“listen, i was craving ramen and i always come here because i know one of the guys who works here so i always get a discount…” jungkook trails off as he continues looking through the menu “okay, i know what i want!”

“okay give me a second to- woAh-“ jungkook drags you into the restaurant before you get a chance to look at the options

oh

this place is a lot bigger than it looks

spacious booths on both sides with obscenely red leather seats

square tables scattered around the place

it seems like it’s doing pretty well in terms of business because almost all of the tables are full

“jungkook!” both you and kook turn at the source of the sound

who is

who is tHAT

floppy, soft brown hair peeking out from behind a red bandana

a little blue apron wrapped around his tapered waist

a stained white v-neck (it looks vEry good on him and usually u hate v-necks on guys)

and his smile is very.,,. boxy?

your eyes widen when he approaches you two

you immediately duck behind jungkook and pray to god that you look somewhat presentable

you look down at your outfit

okay

jeans and a cute little flowery blouse

okay!!! not bad!!! hopefully your eyeliner hasn’t moved from your eyes to your chin tho

“hey, man!” they do one of those bro-hug things and he gives jungkook a couple pats on the pack

jesus

even his hand is hot

“table for one, as per usual?”

oh my god

and that voiCE?

silky smooth is the only way to describe it

“i actually brought someone with me this time! this is y/n.” jungkook points behind him and you poke your head out a little

taehyung tilts his head to get a better look at you and he offers you a warm smile

your heart skips a beat and you feel your cheeks grow warm

“ah, so this is a date?”

“taehyung, please.” jungkook scoffs and pauses “…my standards are higher.”

“hEy-“ you scowl and smack his arm before moving out from behind jungkook

you turn to face taehyung and you smile shyly “hi”

he sticks his hand out for you to shake and you take it graciously

he gives you a firm shake

“hi! i’m taehyung but you can call me tae if you’d like. any friend of jungkook’s is a friend of mine!” he grins and grabs two menus from the front before leading you guys to a booth in the back

you slide in on one side and jungkook slides in on the other side

taehyung hands each of you a menu

“i’ll be back with some water and to take your orders in a couple minutes!”

“okay, thank you!” you chirp and let your eyes linger for a couple seconds as taehyung walks off to wait on another table

jungkook narrows his eyes at you for a brief second

interesting

veRy interesting

“ah, let’s see what’s good…” jungkook hums and opens up the menu while stroking his chin

what a dork

“you literally jusT checked out the menu outside-“  

“hey. look at this!” jungkook pulls a flyer out of the menu before flipping it over to show you

he wiggles his eyebrows

you squint and lean forward to read the small text

you should’ve brought your reading glasses with u

“the big bowl challenge… finish a five pound bowl of ramen in ten minutes and get free ramen for a month-“ your eyes widen and you pull away as if jungkook just zaPPed you “are you insane?! five pounds???”

“it wouldn’t hurt to try!!! if you finish the bowl, it’s free!!! and free ramen for a month?!” jungkook points to the flyer again

“well, you go ahead and enjoy filling yourself up, i’m just going to get a normal sized bowl of ramen.” you scoff and shake your head as you flip through the menu

their new spicy ramen looks pretty good

you might go for that one

ooH and it comes with a side of dumplings for $2 extra

“you just don’t wanna do it because you know you’re going to lose.” jungkook sighs and leans back against the booth and casually flips through his menu

you drop your menu and gawk at him “wha- lose?? trust me, if we were to compete, you would be the loser here.”

“all bark, no bite…”

you clench your jaw in frustration and let out a huff

jungkook knows how competitive you are and he knows exactly which buttons to press to get you to fall for his tricks every single time

he’s so sneAKy

“c’mon, let’s do it together! i know how to make things more interesting. not only will we be racing against the clock - we will also be racing against each other.”

huh

that doEs make things more interesting

“what happens if i beat you?” you raise a brow and put the menu down

your spicy ramen and dumplings can wait for next time

“mm… i’ll buy you smoothies for a week. and if i win, you have to do my laundry for a week.”

oh groSS

you don’t want to do jungkook’s laundry

he has spiderman boxers with holes in them n stinky socks

but those smoothies are expensive

and really yummy

are you reALLY going to force yourself to consume a five pound bowl of ramen just to shove it in jungkook’s face

also,…,., do you really want taehyung to sEE you consume a five pound bowl of ramen

“-and i will be partaking in your ramen competition.” you snap out of it when you realise jungkook’s already ordering for you guys “and we’re alsO going to compete against each other to see who can finish their bowl the fastest!”

you can’t really change your mind now

you’re not a coWARD

you sit up a little straighter before propping your chin up on your palm and reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind ur ear

hopefully u look cute under this dim lighting

“oh, really?” taehyung looks between the both of you before scribbling it down on his soup-stained notepad “my money’s on y/n.”

“you’re a traitor.” jungkook responds immediately and slaps his menu shut “y/n’s going down and she’s going to do my laundry for a week.”

taehyung gasps lightly before shaking his head and tuning to look at you “god y/n.,., you better win because one time jungkook left a pair of socks at my place and i swear to god i was this close to moving out because of the stench… i don’t want anyone having to go through the pain of-”

“okAY okay don’t u have a job to do???” jungkook scowls and hands his menu to tae and you do the same

“i will return shortly with two monstrous bowls of ramen!” taehyung chirps and heads off towards the kitchen

you let out a little sigh before leaning back against the booth

jungkook clears his throat

“what… was that?”

“what are you talking about?”

“y’know, the-“ jungkook starts giggling like a maniac and reaches up to pretend to tuck hair behind his ears over and over again “that!”

“i have no idea what you’re talking about. also, just out of curiousity-“ you take a small sip of water, “how do you know taehyung?”

jungkook pokes his tongue into his cheek before leaning back and crossing his arms

“why do you ask?”

“i told u it was out of curiosity” you respond innocently and shrug

“we’re in the same literature class. he’s a pretty nice guy!” jungkook nods before going quiet “.,,.,.he’s also a pretty single guy.”

you give him a pointed look “don’t do that.”

“what?? you were curious and i answered your question!”

“i’m terminating this conversation.” you roll your eyes and cross your arms

jungkook hums and leans over to check out the little boxes of extra toppings on the side

pretty standard stuff

extra green onion.,.some ginger.,,. salt, pepper, chilli powder

“you ever think about how long it takes for people to shred green onion into these thin little-“

“how long have you known him for?”

jungkook’s shoulders droop

obviously this conversation has been resurrected from your termination

“ah… almost a year?” he shrugs and peeks into the little pot of shredded green onions

you gawk at him and lean forward

“…and you didn’t think to introduce me to him until now-“

“i thought you weren’t interested.” jungkook slaps the ceramic lid back onto the pot

“i’m just making conversation”

“i juSt tried to make conversation about green onions and you completely shut that down-“

“also, going back to my point, i never even asked you if he was single or not, all i asked you was how-“

“but if you were to ask me if he was single or not then i would respond with, yes, y/n, taehyung is very single and i’m sure-“

“alrighty, here we go!” you immediately shut up and give jungkook a warning look when taehyung appears at your table carrying two trays propped up on his shoulders

you swallow thickly when you see his biceps flex slightly

.,,.yes.

Yes To All Of That.

taehyung sets your bowl down in front of you carefully as to not have any soup splash out-

oh god

this bowl is.,., it’s a loT bigger than you thought it would be

there are like four boiled eggs in here

a tiny mountain of shredded green onion

six pieces of seaweed

ten thin slices of pork

you reach up and tie your hair up into a ponytail

ya gotta put the hair up when it’s time to get down n dirty

“get ready to lose, y/l/n” jungkook grins and rubs his hands together in anticipation

“in your wildest dreams, jeon.” you snap back immediately and pick your chopsticks up

“since you guys are competing, i brought two timers for you“ taehyung plops two little clocks down in between the two of you and you make sure to smile politely at him before looking back at your bowl

you don’t mean to brush him off but you’re tryINg to figure out the most strategic way to finish a bowl of ramen this big

and so it goes

the next ten minutes of your life will be the most important ten minutes in your entire life

here’s your game plan:

eat aLL the toppings first to get them out of the way

just go hAM on the slurping

use your chopsticks to really shovel and paCK the noodles into your mouth

if necessary don’t even chew!!!! just swALLOW

and then at the end chug down the broth because by the time you finish the noodles the broth will have cooled down a little bit

jungkook’s game plan is just to eat and enjoy himself

he doesn’t care whether he beats you or not

he just wants to see you shovelling food into your mouth like a maniac in front of his friend that he’s pretty sure you’re vERy attracted to

evil??? only a little bit

>:-)

“alright, you two ready?” taehyung keeps his fingers hovered over the start button on each timer “in 3, 2, 1… go!”

you immediately slurp up a giaNT spoonful of noodles and regret that decision almost instantly because hOT HOT HOT

it doesn’t matter

you gotta do whatever it takes to win

whATEVER it takes babY

okay jungkook was originally going to just enjoy himself but his competitive streak has officially kicked in so now he’s slurping up the noodles just as quickly as you are

side note

the broth is actually really good

and the eggs are cooked to perfection

and the noodles are also cooked to perfection

perfEctly chewy and perfectly slurpable

you definitely see yourself coming back here and it’s noT just because that taehyung boy is cute okay

speaking of taehyung

he is vEry impressed with your progress so far

most of the people he’s seen do this challenge have struggled a bit at the start but you seem to be doing just fine

jungkook’s noodles keep slipping from his chopsticks and taehyung laughs lightly when some of the broth splashes onto his face

he wonders why jungkook’s never mentioned his cute friend that he’s realising he might be slightly attracted to even though he literally only knows your name

u cute

u real cute

“you’re eating like an animAL-“

“says the one shovelling noodles into her mouth!”

“at least i-“

you and kook simultaneously bicker anD eat and taehyung snorts when you threaten to shove a spoonful of chilli powder uP his- [statement redacted]

you pause for a split second when you see jungkook literally swaLLow half an egg

good god

wat dat mouf do

swallow half a boiled egg apparently

“tiME” you smack your hand against your timer and wipe your mouth with the back of your hand because you feel yourself dribbling a little bit

let’s see

nine minutes and thirty eight seconds

not bad!! for a FIVE pound bowl of ramen

jungkook slurps up the last of his serving and whacks the timer

nine minutes and fifty two seconds

oOh

close call

jungkook drops his chopsticks into the bow and pats his chest a couple times before wincing in discomfort “the noodles are stiLL going down the hatch”

“alright, that’s ti- oh.” taehyung rounds the corner and hits the side button on his watch “you’re both done!”

“yep, we’re both done..” you smile weakly

you don’t know if you can ever eat another bowl of ramen again

you don’t know if you can look at boiled eggs the same way without imagining one sliding down jungkook’s throat

“congratulations, you two!” taehyung peeks into both of your bowls to make sure there’s nothing left “you’re both the noodle champions!” he stacks your bowls together and picks them up “i’ll be back with your prize t-shirts!!”

great.,,. you’re both nooDle champions.,,. but at what coST

o god

and taehyung just witnessed you inhale a five pound serving of ramen 

his first memory of you.,,.is seeing you shovel like five pieces of pork into your mouth while glaring at jungkook 

ahHHHH 

aT WHAT COST

“i think i’m pregnant.” you groan and lie down on your back

you sit up a little to look at kook “and i think it’s yours.”

jungkook glances back over at you “if it’s a boy, we name it ramen. if it’s a girl, we name it ramena.” he slouches back against the booth and stares into space “i have something to tell you too”

“what”

“i’m definitely pregnant and it’s definitely yours.” he rubs a hand over his bloated tummy and lets out a louD belch and you groan quietly

“you’re repulsive”

“i’m carrying your child, how dare you speak to a pregnant man like that?” jungkook sits up quickly but immediately regrets it

he lets out another belch and you whine before throwing a balled up napkin at him

god

u can smell it from here

“oh, god. the baby’s coming.”

“if you puke it all out you’re immediately disqualified-“

“i don’t caRE the bABY’S COMING-“ jungkook slides out of the booth and you can’t help but laugh at the sight of him sprinting to the washroom

you stop laughing when you feel the ramen coming up a little bit but you swallow it down because there’s no way you’re losing after that baTTle

“where’s kook?” you jump and immediately sit up  

you point to the washroom “he’s about to give birth to a ramen baby through his mouth”

“…huh” taehyung kisses his teeth “well, do you want your picture up on the wall?” he shakes the polaroid camera and your eyes widen in mild panic

heCk no you don’t want your picture up on the wall

“oh, god no. i do not want anyone knowing that i ate a five pound bowl of ramen in less than ten minutes.” you snort and shake your head

taehyung laughs lightly before pointing to himself “but i know that you ate a five pound bowl of ramen in less than ten minutes.”

“mm, that’s true.” you purse your lips before sticking your pinky out “pinky promise you won’t tell?”

taehyung grins and sets the camera down so that he can wrap his pinky around yours

he stands up a little straighter and clears his throat

“i promise,” he presses a hand to his chest, “i, kim taehyung, will not tell anyone that you, y/n y/l/n, successfully consumed a five pound bowl of ramen in less than ten minutes-“

“good-“

“iF-“

“…if?” your brows knit together in confusion

if

if whAT

“if you give me your number.”

huh

you have to admit that was kind of smooth

and unexpected

but a nice kind of unexpected

you snort and feel the apples of your cheeks growing warm 

you clear your own throat before sliding out of the booth and getting up

taehyung stands up straighter as you press your own hand to your chest “i, y/n y/l/n, will happily give you, kim taehyung my number if you don’t tell anyone that i successfully consumed a five pound bowl of ramen in less than ten minutes.”

keep in mind the two of you still have your pinkies locked together

taehyung nods firmly and lets go of your hand

“your country thanks you.” he salutes and you can’t help but giggle when his right eye drops in a wink  

you feel your heart go all warm and gushy

and it’s noT from the heartburn

:-)

okay wait

it might be a little from the heartburn  

help me help you make your wishes come tru (aka send me a request)

drabble tag

[trash-the-tozier]

The Disappearance of Georgie Denbrough (6/10)

Title: The Disappearance of Georgie Denbrough

Length ~60.8k (~5.4k for this part)

Summary: The summer between junior and senior year of high school, Bill’s little brother Georgie goes missing.

Warnings: It’s relatively canon-typical in terms of content. For this part there’s explicit language, violence, and some kisssssssing and a lil cheesy villain dialogue

Pairings: eventual Richie/Eddie and Ben/Beverly

A/N: oh h*ck this is one of my fave chapters I hope you guys like it! also posted to my ao3 here (much more readable tbh) Previous Parts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

“Richie, why the hell are you here? It’s barely after eight. I didn’t know you woke up any later than ten-thirty.”

Stan had already been dressed for the day for a little while, so Richie didn't really get why his friend was so surprised to see him. Besides, the words weren’t true anyway; Richie had to be conscious at five forty-five to make it down the trellis in time for Sonia Kaspbrak’s Six O’clock Son Check-in Ceremony. He couldn’t be there for that.

“I'm here because I know you already went to the Jewish Church--”

“Synagogue.”

“--for all your religious fun time, but your parents are gonna be there for a couple more hours. So I figured we could hang. Chat. Plus!” He adjusted an invisible monocle. “I am absolutely smeckish, my old chap! You do have sustenance, I presume.”

“Peckish.” Stan corrected, standing back to let Richie inside. “I don't think 'smeckish’ is a word in any version of the English language.”

“My dear Stanley, didn't you know I was speaking French?”

Stan gave him a grin and let out a fast breath through his nose, which in Richie's book, was completely raucous laughter from his friend, turning to head to the kitchen.

“That’s been a French accent this whole time?”

Richie bounded up to walk next to him, turning up his palms and shrugging.

“Who's to say?”

Stan laughed properly at that. Richie helped himself to the half-full pot of coffee Stan's parents must have left behind, counting the number of teaspoons of sugar he put in, able to point at Stan without looking when his expression changed to one of vaguely disgusted disbelief.

“I can't just drink it plain.” He protested. “I refuse to drink plain bean water.” It was too bitter and acidic.

“Okay, but all that sugar can’t be any better.”

“Whatever, it’s manlier than the hot chocolate you drink all the time.”

“Debatable.” Stan ran a hand through his curls. “This is what Eddie has to deal with constantly? He must have been a saint in his past life.”

“That little firecracker? Nah. He was definitely a stripper.”

Stan’s eyebrows shot up his forehead.

“Nobody wants that but you.” He said, and while Richie hadn’t genuinely been thinking about it before, just saying something he thought would be funny, he was definitely thinking about it now. He pushed the mental image from his mind, willing his face to stay a neutral color and scoffed, keeping his mouth covered by his mug.

“What, would you prefer Bill?”

Stan promptly choked on what Richie could only assume was his tongue and Richie grinned in satisfaction. Stan hastened to change the subject.

“This is stupid. Didn’t you say you wanted to… Chat, or something? About what?”

Richie swallowed. This was as good a time as any, he supposed. Nerves sat heavily in his stomach, churning like molten lead, and he placed the coffee back on the kitchen counter without having drunk it. He suddenly felt as though he just might throw up on Stan, but he reminded himself that he wanted to do this.

“Stan. The. Man.” Richie sat down slowly next to him, his feet in cadence with his words. Right foot, left foot, then his butt touched the chair. “I have something I need to tell you. Or… I just wanted to tell you first, because if I don’t say something to someone soon I think I’m going to explode.”

“Then talk, because I don’t want Richie guts all over my kitchen.”

“Eh.” Richie made a show of looking around. “Might liven up the place.”

Stan simply looked at him, expectant, and Richie could tell Stan knew he was stalling. Richie was nervous to talk to Stan about as often as Bill managed to say a full sentence, so Stan must know something was up. The last time Richie remembered feeling this way was years ago, after meeting Stan’s parents for the first time and wanting desperately for them to like him. He’d asked Stan what they’d thought, and Stan had been honest--“loud and messy, but he seems okay”--and Richie realized he appreciated the honesty more than a lie that could perhaps have been kinder.

Stan would be genuine with him; that’s why Richie was here. His fingers twitched, and he wished he had something to busy his hands with.

“I’ve been… I dunno, thinking lately.” He began.

“Hurt yourself?” Stan asked him. “It’s usually hard to do things for the first time.”

“Fuck off.” Richie grinned back, but the expression dropped off his face almost at once. “A couple of days ago, I kinda… Well… I’m in love with Eddie.”

There, he said it. He’d repeated it over and over on his own the day before, until there was a stupid smile on his face, but this was different. This was a confession. He swallowed, waiting a beat, gathering the courage to look Stan in the face.

Stan had barely reacted, simply staring at him, the minor tilt of his eyebrows making him look slightly incredulous. Silence stretched between them--it probably didn't last for more than a couple seconds, but to Richie it felt like years--before he couldn’t take it anymore, nausea curling in his stomach, heat rising to his face in a splotchy flush as he sprang to his feet.

“Fuck Stan, if you’re so goddamn disgusted then I’ll just let myself out.”

He turned to the door, Stan’s hand closing in a vice-like grip around his wrist before he could take a step. He wheeled around to face his friend, wrenching his arm back.

“Don’t touch--”

“Shut up, Richie. I didn’t fucking say anything like that. I just… You really are an idiot, aren’t you?”

Richie kept his mouth closed, his lips pressed into a thin line, but his nostrils flared.

“I just thought you already knew.” Stan explained. “I mean… If I could tell, I thought it would be obvious to the person actually in the situation.”

“You could tell? Since when?”

“When was the first time you called him cute? That was like…” Stan pretended to think back, counting on his fingers to nothing in particular. “...what, the first day you saw him?”

“Fuck off.” Richie said again, the phrase holding about as much malice as it had the first time: none, with a side of embarrassment. “Is this going to be old news to everybody but me?”

Stan shrugged. That was a question he didn’t have an answer for.

“Either way, we all love you back, Richie. Even Eddie, I think. So don’t worry so much about it.”

Richie’s stomach flipped over itself and he sat back down for a moment, going over each of Stan’s words, letting them wash away all of the pent up anxiety in his chest. Stan gave him an amused, sympathetic sort of look and put an arm awkwardly around his shoulders, giving him a quick squeeze before walking towards the stove.

“You said you were hungry?”

“Always!” Richie called back, loud to an unnecessary degree, hopping to his feet to help. He couldn’t stop grinning, the aftershocks of his nerves making him shaky and jittery for a solid twenty minutes, despite Stan’s reassurances that really, he was stupid to be so concerned in the first place.

“What had you so freaked out?” Stan asked as Richie took a huge bite of toast, using his other hand to stab scrambled eggs onto his fork. “Have any of us ever given an indication that we would be less than completely okay with it? I mean, Eddie came out to us a couple years ago, and we were fine then.”

The toast suddenly felt like cardboard in Richie's mouth, Stan watching his expression critically. Richie watched his friend put his fork down in realization.

“You aren't okay with it.” He remarked.

“No, no, it's not that.” Richie said quickly, and for once Stan didn't criticize him for speaking with food in his mouth. “I just… Didn't think… It's just different, you know, than what I thought about myself. I talk about macking on girls all the time, and my parents have made it pretty clear how they feel, and…”

“Eddie's mom.” Stan added, and Richie swallowed.

“Yeah, Eddie's mom. D'you think this is why she hates me?”

“No.”  

The bluntness in Stan’s answer made Richie laugh a little, shrugging needlessly and leaning back in his chair. He kept his eyes on the table.

“But anyway, I dunno. I'm pretty sure I’m still into girls and stuff, but I just had this moment where I really wanted to kiss him the other day, and…” Richie was back in the moment, Eddie's body pressed against his in the darkness, Eddie’s head resting against his shoulder, Eddie’s lips light, just barely there against the side of his neck. “I don’t even know what to do. I’m a fucking smitten kitten.”

“Yeah.” To Richie’s surprise, there was a smile on Stan’s face. “You are.”

“Fuck off.” Richie told him for the third time that morning, Stan laughing a little bit. The house phone rang and Stan got to his feet to answer it, and Richie going back to finishing up his breakfast.

“Oh, hey Bill. What happened?”

Richie watched Stan’s expression, frowning as he watched Stan do the same.

“Nothing? Are you sure? But--” Stan’s eyes went wide. “Bill, if he was in your house--no!”

“What’s going on?” Richie asked, but Stan disregarded him.

“I know what I said, but… No, you aren’t going by yourself. No, you and Beverly aren’t going alone.”

“Whatever it is, I’ll come too!” Richie yelled, Stan turning to him with a look that clearly told him he wasn’t helping.

“...yes, Richie’s here. No, because this is stupid.”

Then Stan was silent for a long while, his face becoming increasingly unsettled.

“Bill… Fine. We’ll meet you there.”

“What’s up?” Richie asked. Stan looked a little too green to finish his last piece of toast so Richie ate it for him, talking around the buttered bread. “Where are we going?”

Stan looked as though even saying the name was a bad idea, but he did it anyway.

“The Neibolt house.”

Mike hadn’t ever been to the Neibolt house, but upon first glance he knew that he would be happy to never see it again. It was dark and scary, and he found himself wishing he’d brought something--anything--to defend himself with. He was second to last to arrive, standing in the front yard with the rest of his friends, Beverly approaching just as Bill finished his explanation of the previous day’s events.

“We really shouldn’t be here.” Eddie said quickly. “I mean… A guy died here, Bill. Yesterday. Doesn’t that freak you out?”

“Besides, the message told you to stay away. This is the exact opposite.” Ben pointed out. “Couldn’t that be bad?”

“If I-I-I don’t t-try to get G-Georgie out, no one e-e-else will.” Bill said. His fists were clenched. “I’m going inside, w-w-whether you’re with m-me or not. But…” He looked around at them. Richie, who was already standing by Bill’s left side, stepped closer and put an arm around his shoulders.

“Lead the way, chieftain!”

Bill gave Richie a hesitant smile. Beverly stepped up too, then Eddie, then Ben. Mike glanced over at Stan, who looked back. It was fairly evident that Stan didn’t want to do this, and didn’t want to be here, but he looked painfully conflicted. Mike felt the same way, but he knew they had to help.

“We’re all in.” He said, keeping eye contact with Stan until he nodded. Then he turned to Bill. “Let’s do this, I guess.”

Bill nodded, then led the way up the front steps. Ben and Beverly were stationed outside the front door, mostly to keep a lookout in case any cops showed up. Stan and Mike himself were in charge of looking around the first floor, while Bill, Richie, and Eddie were headed for the stairs.

“B-be careful.” Bill warned them all. “Watch y-your step, and stuff.”

The only inside light was the sun coming in through cracks in the boarded up windows. The floor creaked as they crossed the threshold, and Mike looked around. Aside from some blood on the floor that looked fairly new, it was apparent that everything else about the place was incredibly old. The house looked as though it had been abandoned for longer than Mike had been alive. The three exploring upstairs continued on, and Mike was left to pick through the dusty kitchen with Stan.

“Be careful.” Stan was murmuring to himself, his voice disbelieving. “Right. In this place.”

“I didn’t misread that, did I?” Mike had to ask. “You did want to come in, right?”

“Well, ideally, none of this would be happening. It would be a normal summer, and we'd be out at the quarry, or dragging Richie out of the arcade to see a movie, or…” His voice was increasing in pitch as he spoke, so he stopped to calm down, letting his shoulders fall. “But yeah. I want to help, this is just…”

“Just fucking insane.” Mike offered. “I know.”

Stan sighed, walking over to the fireplace and looking in.

“This place really does seem empty.” He remarked, just as a bang and muffled curse sounded from upstairs.

“Richie?” Stan asked loudly.

“Fuck. Shit! That hurt.” Richie continued loudly, the gaps between the old floorboards making it easy to hear. It was Bill that called down to them.

“Watch for t-t-tripwires!” He said, Stan closing his eyes.

“Fucking tripwires. Who set all this shit up? There’s a bear trap over here next to the couch.” He gestured, Mike walking over to look, frozen in place when another noise came from the second story of the Neibolt house. That one was an obvious door slam, a strangled scream being very quickly cut off.

“Eddie!” Richie’s voice, frantic, then more slamming sounds. Both Bill and Richie started yelling Eddie’s name, Mike turning towards the stairs to help when Stan grabbed his arm. He pointed up, directly above them, and when Mike fell silent he could hear it. Heavy, cadenced footsteps, with the steady sound of something being dragged across the floorboards. Eddie.

Then the spot where Eddie was became a mass of pounding noises, the sound of a struggle, so sudden and violent that Mike nearly jumped out of his skin. Wood splintered and the floor above them cracked, pieces of debris crashing onto the dining table next to them. Mike shoved Stan one way and ran the other as an entire chunk of ceiling collapsed, Eddie falling through on his back, a figure overtop of him. They completely flattened the table in a tumultuous amount of sound, dust exploding out in a blinding haze.

For a moment, as the air settled, everything was silent. Mike was able to see the scene in the kitchen as the dust cleared, a sickening jolt of fear lurching in his stomach. Stan was standing, wide-eyed and trembling, no less than a foot away from the collapsed dining table. Aside from a few stray cuts though, he seemed mostly unscathed. Eddie was on his back, looking dazed and barely conscious, his right arm unnaturally bent and held aloft by the person standing over him. It was a man, his feet planted solidly as though having landed that way, his outfit dirty grey and ruffly, with a flash of cartoonishly bright orange hair.

The clown turned to look at Stan in a slow, mechanical movement.

“Hello.” He said, grinning wildly.

Stan scrambled backwards in panic, the clown giggling loudly and turning back to Eddie. He shook Eddie’s broken arm, but only a faint sound came from Eddie’s lips as he kicked his feet, still fighting, trying to twist away.

“No more screaming? That’s just no fun.” The clown--Pennywise, it had to be Pennywise--let Eddie’s arm fall, the limb hitting Eddie’s chest uselessly. A crash came from the staircase and Bill and Richie were there, Richie vaulting over the banister with Bill fast on his heels.

“Eddie--!”

Pennywise turned on his heel, Mike taking advantage of the distraction to lunge forward and grab one of the disconnected table legs. Before he could talk himself out of it he swung, cracking the wood across the back of the clown’s head. It splintered on impact and Pennywise stumbled away, giving himself a few good shakes. When he turned to the five of them, there was a smile on his lips but his eyes looked murderous.

“Who thought that would be funny?” He asked. “That wasn’t funny.” He took a step towards them and Mike began backing away, tripping over Bill’s legs and grabbing at the wall for leverage. Pennywise set his eyes on Eddie, whose eyelids were fluttering, his grip tight on Richie’s shirt.

“At least let me finish what I started.” He said, almost as though the request was something reasonable, picking up an oversized serving fork from a pile of silverware that had been lying on the counter next to him. He bent, as though trying to lower himself to their level, then began to advance.

He didn’t get far. With a wild yell, Ben and Beverly jumped into the house, Bev holding a rusted metallic rod. It was pointed at one end like a picket for a fence, and she took the spiked end, plunging it in the clown’s direction. It pierced through his thigh and he roared in anger, swiping at her. Ben stepped in the way, the fork sharper than it looked, ripping through the fabric of his shirt and into his chest. Pennywise was bleeding badly, limping as he retreated backwards from the kitchen, and once he had left the room the air felt incredibly still.

“Don’t let him get away!” Bill shouted desperately, scrambling to his feet and running after the clown, ignoring Beverly’s call after him.

“We need to get the fuck out of here.” Richie’s voice was high in panic. He’d pulled Eddie into his lap as much as he could, the smaller teen now unconscious. “Bill’s the only one that drove here.”

Nodding in understanding, Mike rushed off the way Bill had gone. He found him in a dark back room, pounding at what looked like a manhole cover.

“H-h-h-h-he’s down here!” Bill protested when Mike grabbed at his shoulders to pull him away. “H-h-he--”

“We need to leave.” There were tear tracks through the storm of dust on Bill’s face, his eyes wide, and Mike held his gaze. “Listen. We need to go. Eddie needs help, and you’re the one that drove. We need to get him to a hospital, do you hear me?”

Bill was breathing rapidly, but after a few seconds he let out a shuddering breath and nodded. They returned to find everyone leaving, Eddie in Richie’s arms, Stan helping support Ben down the front steps. Bill offered up his keys, and he looked so unfit to drive that Mike took them. Mike didn’t know how to drive though, and eventually the keys made their way into Beverly’s hands, and they were speeding down the street.

Everyone at the hospital knew Eddie by name, and when Sonia Kaspbrak arrived none of them were allowed to stay. She cursed them all thoroughly in the parking lot, their feeble protests only infuriating her further before she stormed inside.

“O-o-okay.” Bill was taking breaths, looking as though he was processing and calming down, his chest still heaving slightly. Stan looked like the exact opposite was happening to him, his body stock still, his eyes a little too wide. Ben had stopped bleeding, and Richie was a desperately anxious, restless mess. “Okay.”

Everyone looked at him, and he looked back until he realized they were waiting for him to speak.

“I saw the w-well he went into.” He said. “So now w-w-w-we know where he is. When we g-g-go back--”

“Go back?” Richie echoed. He sounded stunned. “Go back? Are you fucking insane?!”

“Richie, n-next time--”

“No! No next time, Bill! You know that I would follow you blind into a minefield but this was a fucking shitshow! We are not doing this again.”

“Rich--”

“No!” Richie said again, even louder. “What part of this are you not getting, Bill? Ben's all ripped to shit again, that monster could've gotten any of us, almost killed Eddie… How could you possibly be thinking--”

“What about G-Georgie?”

“What about him?”

The question caught Bill off guard, simply staring at him for a few moments in disbelief. Tension hung dangerously in the air.

“H-h-he’s there, he's in that house--”

“No, Bill. You're fucking delusional. No one is there except that goddamn clown. It's been weeks, okay? Georgie's dead, and you will be too if you keep this shit up.”

The entire group was wide-eyed. Bill's lips twisted in anger and he shoved Richie in the chest, sending him stumbling backwards into Stan.

“You fucking t-t-t-take that back.”

Richie pushed him back, following up and getting in Bill's face. Mike felt his arms tense, readying himself to grab Richie if it looked like he needed to be held back.

“You couldn't save him Bill, but you could still save yourself.”

“Take it back!”

“Stop it!” Beverly shouted, but before any of them could react, Bill swung and punched Richie in the face. Richie stumbled backwards and fell, looking enraged, leaping to his feet like a bottle rocket and lunging in Bill's direction. Mike grabbed at him, Stan doing the same on the other side. Richie struggled, his elbow nearly hitting Mike in the nose.

“Fine! Hunt down a fucking clown! But stop trying to get us killed too, and if you care at all, about any of us, don't make us watch.”

Then he wrenched himself free and was gone. Stan followed after him, though Mike doubted he would be able to catch up. As much as Mike hated to admit it, he felt himself siding with Richie; there wasn't a logical way to look at this situation and think that going back to Neibolt was a good idea. He made to leave as well, Beverly calling after him in surprise.

“Mike?”

“This is bad, guys.” Mike shook his head. “I'm an outsider. Always have been. And it's pretty obvious that this town doesn't want me, either. I'm sorry.”

Knowing he wouldn't be able to stand the expression on Bill's face, Mike didn't look back as he walked away.

The first thing Eddie registered was pain. It started as a dull ache in his right arm, but the more his brain returned to consciousness, the more it hurt. His face twisted slightly into a wince but he didn’t want to wake up yet, remembering that his arm was broken. He thought back, remembering his mother stuffing him with pills and leading him up to his room to sleep. A little further back, he remembered leaving the hospital. He remembered opening his eyes in a hospital bed, his mother’s face looming over him. The longer into his memory he searched, the hazier the moments got, and he nearly gave up.

Then the clown was there, right behind his eyelids, grinning madly and closing a gloved hand around Eddie’s throat. He gasped, his eyes flying open, trying desperately to sit up. Pain shot up his arm when he attempted to use it and he fell back against his pillows, struggling breaths in through gritted teeth.

“Eddie! Eddie. You’re okay. You’re home. It’s fine.”

Richie’s voice, fingers tangling with his own in the darkness. Lips pressed gently to his knuckles and Eddie looked around, seeing Richie sitting next to his bed on the desk chair he’d pulled up. He was doused in the silver moonlight streaming through the open window blinds, reaching up with his free hand and brushing Eddie’s hair back from his forehead.

“You’re okay.” He murmured, his breath warm against Eddie’s knuckles, Eddie feeling the panic in his chest subsiding.

“Richie.” He said quietly, loosening his hold on Richie’s hand, hoping he hadn’t hurt him, and Richie gave him a small sort of smile.

“The one and only.”

Then he broke eye contact and sat up straighter, trying to pull away, but Eddie gripped his hand again, unwilling to let him go. Richie resigned himself to the contact and let their hands rest on Eddie’s bedspread, looking at him with concern.

“How are you feeling, Spaghetti Man?”

“I’m fine.” Eddie lied. Richie’s gaze flicked pointedly to his cast. “Okay, my arm hurts. But other than that I really am fine. Stop looking at me like I'm dying. I don't have cancer or something dumb like that.”

Richie chuckled a bit, his voice incredibly soft.

“What about everyone else?” Eddie assumed they were alright, thinking that otherwise Richie would have already told him, and Richie shrugged a little.

“Okay. Nothing too bad. Stan has a few splinters in his face from when you did that swan dive through the second story floor and scared the shit out of everyone.”

Richie’s mention of the moment drew Eddie back into it, the clown gripping his arm and knocking his feet out from under him, Eddie able to regain his wits just enough to kick and flail, not that it had helped much. Richie squeezed his fingers gently, bringing him back to the present.

“Ben kinda got cut up again, but not as much as the first time. Come to think of it, he’s probably going to have some pretty badass scars when everything heals over. Maybe I should get on that, see if I can get Bowers to try to kill me so I can look badass too.”

“It wouldn’t take much persuading.” Eddie remarked, and the little jab had Richie beaming at him. The motion caused his cheekbones to catch the light and Eddie noticed something, frowning.

“What happened to your face?”

“This handsome mug? It’s a blessing and a curse.”

“No, you have a bruise.” He pointed. Richie reached up and touched the injury, making himself wince. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah Eds, I’m fine.” Richie both looked and sounded slightly incredulous. “You aren’t in any state to worry about me.”

“What happened?”

“I…” Richie looked down at their entwined hands. “I had a fight with Bill. He punched me. Knocked me on my ass, to be honest.”

“Wait, what?” Eddie tried to sit up but couldn’t, Richie letting him go to help him upright. “When? Why?”

“It was after we’d dropped you off at the hospital.” Now that Richie's hands were free his fingers were searching for something to fiddle with, restless. “I was scared. We all trusted him, and he led us into that place. He let this happen to you.”

“He didn’t let this happen to me.” Eddie said sharply. “We all knew it wasn’t safe. And I’m fine, remember?”

“But he wants to go back!” Richie ran his fingers roughly through his hair, tugging at the curls that didn’t cooperate. “That fucking clown almost killed you, and he wants to go back.”

“His brother…” Eddie began, but Richie was biting hard on his lip, shaking his head.

“I want to help him, of course I do, but… I can’t lose you, Eds. I love you too much. I couldn't take it.”

“Richie…” Eddie wanted to comfort him, but didn’t know what to say. That was usually Richie’s job; they’d reached the point in any serious conversation of theirs where Richie would crack some stupid joke, break the tension, ruin the moment. But when Richie continued to stay silent, simply searching his eyes, Eddie felt the words crash over him again. “You’re serious.” He breathed.

Richie nodded, looking nervous, his eyes falling to Eddie’s blankets where he found a stray string, picking at it.

“I’m in love with you. I think I have been for a while, but I'm just a fucking idiot.” He laughed a little, looking beautiful and vulnerable all at once, and it was so surreal that Eddie felt tears stinging his eyes.

“I swear Tozier, if this is some fucking joke, or--” His voice was thick and choked up and he cut himself off, hating the way it sounded. Richie looked worried, his hands hovering around Eddie's face as though wanting to console him but not knowing how.

“Shit, am I not doing this right?” He asked. “I'm not just saying this because some chucklefuck bastard tried to kill you. I was going to tell you anyway. I talked to Mike, and Ben, and Stan about it, and… I'm in love with you, Eddie, and I wanted you to know.”

Eddie didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say, not trusting that his voice would work even if he tried. He'd never allowed himself to fantasize about “what if”s, thinking it was too unrealistic and that it would hurt too much, and now he was completely unprepared.

Richie, always bad with silences, was already backing away. He was retreating into himself, the beginnings of panic starting to show on his face. Eddie, still hopelessly stunned, did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed Richie by his shirt front and kissed him.

It was clumsy. Eddie pulled him in with too much force, their noses smushed together uncomfortably, and with Richie completely still against him, Eddie was suddenly terrified that he’d gone too fast. Pushed too hard. But he didn’t want to pull away, desperate not to ruin this moment, and a heartbeat later Richie completely melted against him.

First kisses weren’t perfect, but at the same time, this one was. Richie’s lips were slightly chapped, rough as they slid over Eddie’s, and it was all Eddie had not to sigh against his mouth. He reached up to thread his fingers softly through Richie’s hair, and at his touch Richie drew back, speechless.

“Wow, Eds.” He finally said, and Eddie had to blush at the coarseness in Richie’s voice. “You kiss almost as well as your mom.”

Eddie stared him in the face for a full ten seconds, Richie breaking down into giggles five seconds in.

“Fuck you, Trashmouth.”

“Is that an invitation?”

Eddie punched him in the arm and Richie jumped him, wrapping him completely in a hug. They collapsed on the bed together in a messy pile of limbs and Eddie heard himself laugh, Richie pressing a few kisses to the side of his head.

“Richie--”

“You need to sleep.” Richie interrupted. “I kinda woke you in the middle of the night. I’ll have to be gone in the morning--you know, your mom and all--but call me when you wake up, okay?”

“Richie--”

“And make sure you take your meds.” Richie was nervous, talking quickly, and Eddie really wasn’t sure why, but he could feel Richie tensing up next to him. “Especially painkillers for your arm.”

“Richie--”

“And--”

“Richie!” Eddie flicked Richie in the forehead to shut him up. When it worked, he pressed a chaste kiss to Richie’s cheek, situating himself comfortably by his side, under Richie’s arm. “Richie, I love you too.”

“...oh.”

Eddie enjoyed the starstruck expression on Richie’s face for a few seconds, realizing a moment later that his eyes were welling up, the tip of his nose turning red. Unable to give him a hug, Eddie just buried his face into Richie’s chest.

“That was supposed to make you happy.” He mumbled into Richie’s shirt, feeling Richie shake his head.

“I am happy.” He said, his voice rough and he swallowed thickly, Eddie looking back up at him. “I’m so damn happy Eddie, I--”

He cut himself off, tilting Eddie’s mouth to meet his own, kissing him. There was so much intensity behind the action, so much emotion behind the pressure of his lips as they slid across Eddie’s own that Eddie felt something in his chest ache. He pressed closer and Richie pulled him in, wrapping an arm around his waist, holding him even after the kiss had broken. Eddie felt completely breathless, Richie taking a deep breath of his own.

Then, to Eddie’s astonishment, he began murmuring out apologies, something about not asking if a kiss was okay, Eddie simply shaking his head and pulling Richie’s lips to his again.

“You are not actually trying to apologize for the best kiss I’ve ever had.”

Richie grinned a little, resituating the both of them on the bed, and Eddie somehow found himself on top of Richie, laying against his chest.

“But aren't I like… The only kiss you’ve ever had?”

“Hey, Richie?”

“What?”

“Shut the fuck up and just let me kiss you.”

Richie flushed, laughing at him.

“Anything for you, Eds.”

“And don’t call me that.” Eddie muttered, and he leaned in.