Work Text:
Richie has a habit of throwing up.
He threw up on his first day of elementary school, his first day of middle school, first day of high school, first day of college.
He also threw up just before his first ever stand up show, out the back of this shitty little dive bar in an alleyway in front of a dumpster. And then he threw up before every stand up show ever since.
Throwing up seemed to be his reaction to stress.
So Richie guesses he could say he was stressed after he and Eddie first kissed. They were both fourteen or fifteen and it was uneducated and not very good. Richie still remembered the silent agreement not to use tongue. He just couldn’t remember if it was made before or during the fact. So after moving their mouths together for a while, Eddie said goodbye and left. Richie threw up.
Richie then threw up two years later when they were sixteen/seventeen and used tongue. Eddie stuck around for that one. Richie kind of wished he hadn’t. The kiss itself was sloppy and wet but neither of them minded that much, although Richie felt Eddie was a little too practised, not an expert but better than he was. Richie chose to ignore it, he makes fun of Eddie but he’s not going to embarrass him like that after they just made out. He’d kind of like to keep doing it and he couldn’t if Eddie was pissed at him. so Richie threw up and then after that day, they seemed to be attached at the lips. The others found it gross despite having their own attachments.
Neither Richie nor Eddie were surprised when they were both eighteen and first had sex that Richie threw up after the event. Eddie joked that he was surprised Richie never threw up after Eddie hugged him for the first time when they were like ten, maybe earlier. Richie kept quiet. Kept his head in the toilet bowl. Butt naked. Eddie had put underwear on but that was it. Richie wondered why Eddie had stuck around all these years. It was a miracle really. He was thankful as Eddie rubbed his back and laughed a little bit but his smile was kind and soft so Richie didn’t care.
Richie wasn’t surprised when he threw up just before their wedding years later, after college, after his first stand up show, after his first netflix special ( he threw up before that one too ). Eddie wasn’t surprised either when he found out, just recalled a time when Richie threw up after their first date when they were like fifteen, maybe. It was still a beautiful wedding and Eddie said Richie tasted minty when they were told to kiss. Richie put his head on the table and stayed there for five minutes. Processing.
Richie threw up when they got accepted to adopt a baby girl. He cried too but Eddie didn’t mention it. He was crying too.