#tcmf

[travelcafemusicfood]

[Music] Good Mood - Chill Out - English Songs Playlist

[australianbushballadawards]

Australian Bush Ballad Awards Alliance Members

Terry Gordon OAM, Charley Boyter OAM, Lindsay Butler OAM, Shaza Leigh OWB, Dianne Lindsay and Peter Simpson

[postsofbabel]

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[cassidy-raewilson]

Cheers 🙌🏻 #Amazing is in its SECOND WEEK on the MUSIC NETWORK CHARTS! @_themusicnetwork One month till my birthday! One month+one day till Christmas 🎄 Less than 50 days till @tcmf_official AND SOME VERY COOL NEWS DROPPING THIS SUNDAY! So many exciting things happening y’all 🥰 What are you most excited about? • • • #cassidyrae #youareamazing #cheers #cheersyall #musician #musicianlife #singersongwriter #independentartist #happy #countrysinger #countrymusic #exciting #upworthy #goodvibes #goodnews #aussiecountry #tcmf2022 #tcmf #tamworth #musicnotes #ootd https://www.instagram.com/p/CWofOBEBPZI/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thermwbposts]

Beef Brisket Burger and Chips Beef Brisket Burger and Chips #food #bbq #beef #lunch #festival #blackbarrelbarbecue #tcmf #tcmf2020 #tamworth #nsw #australia @weareblackbarrelbarbecue @ Tamworth Country Music Festival

[kittycatswithshittytats]

In my bloody element 🤠🎸🎶 @tcmf_official @tamworthnsw #tcmf#tcmf2019#tamworthcountrymusicfestival#tamworth#tamworthnsw#country#countrymusic#countrygirl#cowgirl (at Tamworth, New South Wales) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs2xlkhgLzx/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1i1g7xu5bjir4

[trashcanmarvelfan]

(Stand-Up) Routines and (Engagement) Rings

Summary: 2 years after the events of IT: Chapter Two, Richie brings Eddie out during one of his stand-up performances in order to ask a Very Important Question.

Warnings: Lots of F-bombs (like seriously there’s 1 for less than every 100 words or something but let’s face it, our gay little balls of sunshine can’t say anything without swearing)

Word Count: 2300-ish.

Author’s Note: The Reddie Fix-it Future Fic no one asked for. :) Enjoy!

CROSS-POSTED ON AO3

Richie Tozier paced back and forth backstage in the theatre at the Venetian  Resort as his manager watched him. “I don’t know if I can do this,” Richie muttered.

“Don’t worry, everything is gonna go smoothly,” Brian replied. “You’ll do great. Here.” He handed Richie a glass of what looked like vodka on the rocks.

Richie took a sip and grimaced. “What the fuck is this?”

“Black cherry Vitamin Water,” Eddie Kaspbrak, Richie’s childhood best friend and boyfriend of two years, replied from behind him. “You need to stay hydrated and get your vitamins in. This is the last stop of your tour, I’m not going to let you get sick right when you get a break to come home.”

Richie grumbled but took another sip as Eddie moved in front of him. The things I do for love, he thought.

He could tell Eddie was scrutinizing his outfit. Richie had chosen dark-washed jeans, a black T-shirt, and an olive green suit jacket for his performance this evening. 

Eddie brushed some imaginary lint off of Richie’s jacket before giving him a quick kiss. “You look great, babe.”

“Thanks,” Richie replied. His pocket buzzed and he pulled his phone out. He had a text from his & Eddie’s friend Ben. We’re here and in our seats.

Thank fuck, Richie thought, sending a quick k in response. He was glad that the rest of the Losers Club had made it to Las Vegas. Tonight was an extra-special performance – Not only was this the final show in Richie’s “Off the Rails” tour, tonight was the night that he would… Well. Richie would think about that when the time came so he wouldn’t make himself even more nervous.

The lights dimmed. “Showtime,” Eddie said, taking Richie’s glass from him and giving him one more brief kiss. “Knock ‘em dead, Rich.”

Richie took one more deep breath as he was announced.

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the stage, Richie ‘Trashmouth’ Tozier!

Richie stepped out on stage, waved at the audience, and grabbed the microphone. “What’s up, Las Vegas?” he greeted with a smile. “You guys feeling good?”

He grinned at the audience’s reply of cheers and hoots.

“It’s so fucking great to be here with all of you. At least now I’m not the only drunk one in the room.”

He grinned at the audience’s laughter. Interacting with his audience and making them laugh always helped calm him down, so he hoped tonight would be the same.

He continued through his act until he got to the final bit, where he usually talked about his & Eddie’s relationship.

“Alright, so I’m gonna get serious for a moment. As a lot of you probably know, I came out as gay a few years ago. Turns out all the dick jokes I made over the years were not only because I am a dick, but also because I like dick.”

He paused as the audience laughed. Here comes the surprise. “So yeah, anyway, I’ve been out for a few years now and it’s been nice not having to hide my relationship with my boyfriend. He’s here tonight, actually, you guys want to meet him?”

He turned to the wings. Eddie was staring at him like he’d grown an extra head. What the fuck are you doing, he mouthed.  

Richie grinned and gestured for Eddie to join him onstage. Come on, Eduardo, get your cute ass out here. “Aww, he’s being shy. Come on, babe, it’s ok.” He turned back to the audience. “He might need a little encouragement. Ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend Eddie.”

The audience burst into applause and cheers. Richie could hear the rest of the Losers in the front row cheering, “WOO, YEAH EDDIE!”

After what seemed like an eternity Eddie finally stumbled onstage, where a stagehand ran out and handed him a mic. Richie suspected that Eddie had actually been pushed onstage, but the important thing was that he was actually out there.

Eddie gave Richie a look that said, you are in so much fucking trouble when we get back to the hotel tonight. “What’s up, fuckwad?” he said instead. 

Richie laughed along with the audience. 

“So yeah, everyone, this charming fellow here is my boyfriend, Eddie,” he explained. “We’ve been together for 2 years now but were best friends growing up, so we’ve known each other most of our lives. Although we did forget each other for 27 years – long-ass story, involves rampant homophobia and an evil demonic clown. And that was just Eddie’s mother.“ 

Richie saw Eddie shoot him an exaggerated glare as the audience laughed. "I kid, I kid,” he continued. “Actually, that title goes to his ex-wife.” He could see Eddie shaking his head at him, but at least there was no heat to it. Thank God Eddie knows most of my act. Richie needed to get through that part without accidentally pissing Eddie off before he got to the reason he brought him out on stage.

“So anyway, yeah, we were best friends growing up, then when we were 13 something changed – for me, anyway.” He chuckled. “I used to joke a lot when we were teenagers about fucking Eddie’s mom, but surprise, the whole time I actually wanted to fuck Eddie. Imagine his relief when he found out that saggy old boobs actually don’t turn me on.

We – along with our four other closest friends – have literally been through hell and back together. Twice, actually.” Richie paused again as the audience laughed some more. “But honestly there’s no one I’d rather have by my side in this insane thing called life than this motherfucker. So –” He broke off and turned towards Eddie, digging in his pocket and pulling out the small square box he had been hiding for the past month. He opened it and got down on one knee as a collective gasp rang throughout the theatre. “Eddie, my love, will you make me the happiest man alive by becoming my husband?”

Eddie, who had gasped and taken a step back when Richie had knelt, started nodding tearfully. “Fuck yes,” he said into his mic, then dropped it as he pulled Richie to his feet and into a kiss, burying his fingers into Richie’s shaggy hair.

(Richie had thought when he and Eddie first officially got together that Eddie would nag him to cut it, but it actually turned out that Eddie really liked both Richie’s hair and the noises Richie would make when Eddie would tug on it. Who knew that his Eddie Spaghetti had a hair-pulling kink?)

The audience went nuts, but Richie didn’t hear any of the noise. All he was focused on was his fiance. Fiance, sweetheart, betrothed, HUSBAND, Richie’s brain supplied helpfully. 

He pulled the ring, which was a simple platinum band, out of the box and slid it onto Eddie’s finger, pulling Eddie into an embrace. “I fucking love you,” he mumbled against Eddie’s neck.

“I fucking love you too,” Eddie replied. “So fucking much.”

Richie gave Eddie another kiss before turning back to the audience. “In case you guys didn’t catch that, he just agreed to put up with my bullshit for the rest of our lives.”

He wrapped an arm around Eddie’s waist. “Now if you guys will excuse us, we’ve got some celebrating to do. Thank you all for being a part of this with me, you’ve been a fucking fantastic audience. Good night!”

He and Eddie walked backstage to thunderous applause, where Bill, Mike, Ben, and Beverly were waiting for them.

“Oh my God, what the fuck are you guys doing here?” Eddie exclaimed. “I thought we weren’t seeing you until Friendsgiving next month.”

“We couldn’t miss our best friends getting engaged, could we?” Mike replied.

Beverly wrapped them both in a hug. “Congratulations, you two!”

“Thanks, Bev,” Richie replied. “Great to see you guys. Thanks for coming.”

Eddie turned to Bill and slugged him on the arm. “You fucker! I just talked to you on Wednesday and you said you were going to Atlanta for a film shoot this weekend.”

Bill just shrugged and patted both of them on the back. “Congrats, guys.”

“Yeah, congrats,” Ben echoed.

“It’s about time one of you put a ring on it,” Mike added.

“Shit, that’s right, your ring.” Richie picked up Eddie’s hand and gently twisted the ring off his finger. “I wanted you to see – I had it engraved on the inside.” He handed the ring to Eddie, who held it up to the light.

R + E

Eddie looked back up at Richie with a smile. “30 years later and you’re still carving our initials into things.” He pulled out his phone. “Hang on just a second.” He sent out a quick text message, then tucked his phone back into his pocket.

Richie grinned before taking the ring and sliding it back onto Eddie’s finger. “You know, this might be personal bias talking but I think platinum looks a lot better on you than gold,” he said, referencing Eddie’s wedding ring from his first marriage. 

Eddie smiled back at him softly. “Yeah you know, I think so too.”

They were interrupted by a stagehand. “Excuse me, Mr. Kaspbrak, here’s your coat that you asked for.”

Richie raised an eyebrow. “Jeez, Eds, are you in that big of a hurry to get back to the hotel to celebrate our engagement? Because you know, the limo is pretty roomy, we could start early.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, digging in the inside pocket of his coat. He pulled something out but kept whatever it was concealed in his hand. He handed Bill his coat. “Here, Bill, would you hold this for a minute? Thanks.”

Eddie took Richie’s hand. “I have something to tell you.”

“Oh my God, are you pregnant?” Richie asked jokingly.

“Jesus, Richie. Just shut the fuck up for a second.” Eddie shook his head fondly. “Anyway, I wanted to show you something as well, something… something I’ve been carrying since the day after my divorce from Myra was finalized.”

He opened his hand to reveal a platinum band very similar to the one currently resting on his finger.

 He handed it to Richie. “Check the inside.”

Richie examined the inside of the ring and caught a glimpse of an engraving. He tilted it to inspect it further.

E + R

His jaw dropped and his eyes flicked back over to Eddie, who was watching him with pure love in his eyes.

Eddie took the ring back. “I was planning on asking you to marry me at Friendsgiving.”

“Yes,” Richie blurted. His brain seemed to had gone offline again.

Eddie laughed. “Well considering you beat me to proposing and we’re now engaged I’d assume that would’ve been your answer, dumbass.”

Suddenly an idea struck Richie. “Hey Eds, since we are in Las Vegas, elopement capital of the world, what do you think about getting hitched tonight?” He gestured at their rings then at the rest of the Losers Club. “I mean we both have rings and the most important people in our lives are already here.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Eddie replied.

Fuck, I guess not. “Well, yeah, but you know what actually, nevermind, it was a stupid fucking idea anyway–”

Eddie was nodding his head. “–Shit, Rich, yes. Fucking YES, I’d marry you right this fucking second if we could make it happen,” Eddie replied.

Richie’s heart swelled with relief. “Well okay then, let’s fucking do this.”

Mike had pulled out his phone and was scrolling through it. “The marriage license bureau is open until midnight,” he read off, “so if you guys want to you can go ahead and apply online for a marriage license on the way there.”

“Ben and I rented an SUV while we’re in town, so we can all ride together if you guys want,” Bev offered.

Richie was already texting Brian so he could get a press release together. “Yeah that sounds great, just give us a minute to grab the rest of our stuff from the green room and cancel the limo that Brian had lined up to take us back to the hotel. Eddie hated it anyway, said it was pretentious.”

“That’s because it is fucking pretentious,” Eddie muttered.

“Ok, Beverly and I will go get the car and meet you guys out back?” Ben asked, taking Bev’s hand and giving it a squeeze. 

“I’ll come with,” Bill said.

“Me too,” Mike added.

Richie nodded. “Ok, we’ll see you guys in a few then.”

He and Eddie headed back to the green room and gathered the rest of their things. 

“That’s everything, right?” Eddie asked him.

Richie looked around. “Uh, yeah, I think so.”

“Ok, good.” Eddie turned towards the door.

“Eds, wait a second,” Richie said quickly.

Eddie turned back towards him. “What is it, Rich?”

Richie bit his lip. “Are you sure you want to go ahead and get married tonight? I don’t want you to feel rushed into anything just because everyone’s here.”

Eddie shook his head. “Yeah, I’m sure. We wasted so much time dancing around our feelings as kids, I spent the next 27 years feeling like half of myself was missing and not knowing why, then when we reconnected I was almost impaled by a fucking monster clown-spider, so yeah. I’m not putting anything else with our relationship off in case some other crazy shit goes down.” He smirked. “Besides, I want to spend the rest of my life annoying the shit out of my husband and the sooner I can do that the better.”

Richie grinned. “And I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life annoying the shit out of my husband.”

Eddie tugged him towards the door with a wink. “Then we better get going.”

[heyhomamapho]

Last year at Tamworth Country Music Festival! #tamworth #tcmf #sessionguitarist #guitarist #countryrock #australia (at Tamworth, New South Wales)

[blueherringmedia-blog]

Bad Day Good Tamworth O'Shea

[catherinegunther-blog]

#flashback 🌿 I found these two photos last night from my first @tcmf_official when @matthenrymusic let me play a few songs with him. Thanks Matt for making my first festival so memorable and kicking off my love of performing. 4 years later and I haven’t missed a festival! 🌿 . . . . . . #americanamusic #countrymusic #tcmf #tamworth #musicfestival #artist #flashbacktuesday #photos #bookshelf #memories #catherinegunther #matthenry #americana #music #goldcoast #australia (at Gold Coast, Queensland)

[nervoustriggers]

A eulogy for an incredible bar: Last night, while waiting for #againstme! to go on at the #stonepony, I was talking to my pal Brian from the great @night___birds, and the conversation turned, as it often will, to our shared loved of #minneapolis in general, and the lunatics of #dillingerfour specifically. I very fondly recounted to Brian a story of my first time at the @triplerockmpls, and how @billytcpm had me in stitches telling me the story of a completely bonkers fistfight that had occurred outside. Between that and the giant sandwich I ate (mock duck po'boy!), I fell in love with this place instantly. Years later, thanks to our lovely friends @bdrejesse and @sweetanitasparrows, #nervoustriggers had the honor of playing on that stage I had so revered for so long, at the epic, @davestrait themed weekender #onelastparty. It is safe to day that was a watershed show for us. The crowd at the T-Rock gave Nervous Triggers a reception like we had never seen before, and rarely have since! It was the first time we ever got a circle pit going, and that filled my heart with indescribable joy. We shared the stage with many old friends, and we also made many new ones, most notably meeting and instantly befriending our best pals from the west coast, @badcopbadcop. To date, it is the furthest from home this band has played, and yet we felt right at home! That's the magic of #mpls, and so much of that magic was readily apparent anytime you walked through the doors of the #triplerocksocialclub. Its impending closing can't help but remind me of the closing of our own @asburylanes, leaving a void that will be difficult to fill. I wish Erik and Gretchen all the best in whatever they do next, and thank all the T-Rock staff past and present for all the memories, even the ones that barely exist! I'm really going to miss that place, and Nervous Triggers will forever be grateful to the spot and our friends who allowed us to have been a small blip in the history of this legendary punk venue. Jay Insult // Nervous Triggers All photos here by @backroad #mplspunk #mnpunk #punk #punkrock #twincities #johnnyjumpup #doublewhiskeycokenoice #tcmf (at Triple Rock Social Club)

[travelcafemusicfood]

家乡小厨16店

from Travel Cafe Music Food [TCMF] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbBMlwfg0rA

[australianbushballadawards]

AUSTRALIAN BUSH BALLAD AWARDS - SECURE FUTURE

Urgent discussions have resulted in major changes for the awards. An alliance has been formed to ensure the Australian Bush Ballad Awards are elevated and protected into the future.

The Australian Bush Ballad Awards, also affectionately known as The Stan Coster Memorial Awards, were established many years ago by BUNGENDORE MUSTER founders, Greg and Maureen Gordon, with a small group of concerned industry leaders of the time.

Those same industry leaders, Terry Gordon OAM, Charley Boyter OAM, Lindsay Butler OAM and Shaza Leigh OWB have once again joined forces, along with Dianne Lindsay and Peter Simpson, forming the ‘Alliance’ to secure a new platform for these important industry awards. This has become necessary due to the announcement of the Bungendore Muster closure.

The Australian Bush Ballad Awards will appropriately find a new home in Australia’s Country Music Capital - Tamworth. Planning is already underway to establish the presentation of the awards during the 2023 Tamworth Country Music Festival.

An experienced awards administration team will be appointed and all operations will be run from the capital where infrastructure and support is abundant. 

The Australian Bush Ballad is a unique art form popularised by the likes of Buddy Williams and Slim Dusty. It is important that this music be nurtured, promoted and recognised into the future.

Press Release by:

Shaza Leigh OWB

On behalf of the Alliance for:

Australian Bush Ballad Awards

[tcmftilinfinity]

PSYCHO DE MAOY

WSH x TCMF x Romances x Strap

05.27.17

@ Suez & Zapote

Photos: gravoringo

[cassidy-raewilson]

✨ I’m craving you & your good vibes ✨ Lyric drop #2 AMAZING Out Nov. 5th Pre Order & send your screenshot to go in the running to win free merch! Link in bio ♡ xx • • • #cassidyrae #amazing #newsong #countrymusic #tcmf #preorder #spotify #itunes #youareamazing #lyrics #happy #happylyrics #dittomusic (at Sydney, Australia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CVlsafph9Bk/?utm_medium=tumblr

[trashcanmarvelfan]

(Not-At-All) Dirty Little Secret

Summary: On National Coming Out Day, Richie gathers the Losers together for dinner before the first show in his new stand-up tour.

After the show, he & Eddie have a Conversation.

Warnings: Usual Richie trashmouthing.

Word Count: ~2200.

Author’s Note: How many different fix-its can I write that involve Reddie getting together? Idk, but I’m having a blast doing it. :D.

In honor of National Coming Out Day. To all my LGBTQ+ friends & readers, you are seen & heard. Don’t let anyone ever let you feel like you’re less than your worth.

CROSS-POSTED ON AO3

Richie Tozier checked his phone one last time as he finished rehearsing for his new stand-up show, pulling up the Losers group text thread and scrolling back to the beginning of the conversation about his show that night. Hey so, uh, my new tour is kicking off at the Laugh-Out-Loud Comedy Club in San Antonio on October 11th and I'd love for you all to be there. I'll be there all weekend if you guys want to come.

He had held his breath as the replies started rolling in from everyone but the one person he most wanted to hear from.

BEV: Ben and I will be there!

BEN: We wouldn't miss it for the world.

MIKE: Of course, man.

BILL: Absolutely.

Finally, after what seemed like forever (although it probably was really only 20 minutes) the last reply came.

EDDIE: I'll be there.

Richie had let out a huge sigh of relief and responded with, Thanks, guys. I'll tell my manager to arrange everything and get you all VIP tickets. Thinking we can do dinner before the show. 

BILL: Sounds great!

MIKE: I'm down.

BEV: Losers' Reunion Dinner! :) <3

EDDIE: No Chinese though. I still have an aversion to fortune cookies.

Richie had laughed before replying. I'm with Eddie on this one. I'll check for some recommendations.

They had ultimately decided on The Esquire, a tavern near the club that had come highly recommended by some of the locals from the club. 

Richie's manager had booked everyone at the same hotel that Richie was staying at for the weekend, at Richie's insistence. Since Richie had to rehearse, he had told the other Losers that he would just meet them for dinner and had arranged for a car to take them from the hotel to dinner and the club and back. He had arranged for his own transportation just in case what he had planned tonight didn't go well.

A new message came in. 

BILL: Richie, you said a CAR was picking us up from the hotel. This is too much.

Richie grinned. Technically, a limo is a car. Besides, I told you guys you were getting the VIP treatment.

EDDIE: What he means is thank you.

BILL: Richie knows what I mean.

EDDIE: We'll see you soon.

Richie's mouth went dry. He grabbed the bottle of water he had stashed by the microphone and took a long swig. Showtime.

He climbed into the Uber he had called and greeted his driver, then practiced the speech he had prepared in his head the entire ride over to the Esquire, his hand shaking nervously. Come on, Tozier. Get your shit together. You can battle a psychotic killer space-clown twice, you can do this.

Soon (too soon?) the car stopped in front of the Esquire.

Richie thanked his driver and headed inside, taking a deep breath as he headed to the private room he had reserved for their party.

"What's up, fuckers?" he said, entering the room.

"Richie!" a chorus greeted him.

Ben wrapped him in a hug first, followed by Bev, who also gave him a kiss on the cheek. Mike, then Bill shook his hand, then finally, Eddie. 

Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. Eddie was wearing jeans, a button-down shirt that was open at the collar, and a black leather jacket, and Richie honestly thought that Eddie had never looked hotter. He suddenly got nervous again. Fuck, I can't do this, he thought.  Actually, shit, I have to. It's not right to let them find out later with everyone else.

They sat and ordered drinks, with Richie making his a double. He had promised his manager that he wouldn't get drunk before the show, but he never said anything about a little liquid courage.

After their drinks were delivered and they had placed their orders, Bill had raised his glass. "I'd like to make a toast to the man of the hour -- Richie, who has brought us together -- but we're not fighting a multi-dimensional demon clown this time, are we?"

Richie looked around. "Well, no, I don't see Eds's mom anywhere, do you?"

"Hey, fuck you, bro," Eddie said, but with no heat to it.

Richie cleared his throat. No time like the present. "Actually, I do have something to talk to you guys about."

Five pairs of eyes watched him expectantly.

He fiddled with his glass. "I, uh… I'm, well…" He looked up to the ceiling as if it could give him the courage to say what he needed to say.

He felt a hand on his wrist, then glanced down to see Eddie's black leather-jacketed arm give him a gentle squeeze before retracting. Suddenly his own words came back to him: You're braver than you think.

He took a deep breath. "I'm gay."

Silence followed his statement until Beverly stood up, walked around the table, and wrapped him in a hug. "Thank you for being brave enough to tell us," she said, which prompted the others to also get up and give Richie a hug and their own words of affirmation.

Richie was probably imagining things, but it felt like Eddie lingered in his embrace a little longer than necessary. He didn't have time to dwell on the thought though because soon after, their food arrived.

Dinner went normally, with the only mention of Richie's sexuality being Ben asking politely if Richie was seeing anyone.

Richie shook his head. "No, no, not seeing anyone right now. Honestly there really haven't been too many guys I've been interested in lately." He had shot a quick glance over at Eddie, who was currently studying his gluten-free turkey burger like it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen. Just one in particular.

After dinner, Richie joined the others in the limo on the way to the club. With six people in the car, it was a bit crowded, but Richie definitely didn't mind Eddie sitting close to him.

Once they had gotten to the club, Richie headed backstage while the Losers went to their seats.

Soon it was time for the show. Richie pumped himself up while he waited to be announced. You fucking did it, man. You came out to your friends and the world didn't end. You're not dirty, or wrong, or broken. You're still Richie.

He was surprisingly calm as he made his way onstage, knowing that he had the support and love of the people who mattered most to him.

"What the fuck is up, San Antonio?" he greeted the cheering audience. "How you guys doing tonight?"

He grabbed the mic off of the stand. "It's so fucking great to be kicking off my new tour here. So I was near my hotel earlier, and…"

Richie fed off of the energy of the crowd, getting more laughs with his all-original jokes than he had ever gotten with his old writer's stuff.

"So I had my sexual awakening at 13," he continued, grabbing ahold of the mic stand for support. "And I'm gonna preface this by reminding you guys that I grew up in the 80's. Any Gen-X'ers in the house?"

Hoots and whistles pierced the air.

"Awesome, Ok, so yeah, anyway, I had my sexual awakening at 13. I had this group of friends, and the summer I turned 13 we all went swimming at the quarry in my hometown, and this group of friends had this one particular girl - you know the type. I mean she was beautiful -- milky white skin, fiery red hair, she was just gorgeous." He sent Bev a cheeky wink before continuing. "So anyway, all us guys are staring at her while she was sunbathing and all of a sudden it hit me -- I had no attraction towards her what-so-ever."

He paused and let his words sink in before continuing. "Then I look over to another one of my friends and it was like a chorus of angels started singing. Beautiful, amazing girl -- nothing. Pale, skinny little white guy -- instant boner. You guys have no idea how hot a pair of long legs in some short-shorts and a fanny pack were to teenage me. They say if you jerk off too much you could go blind…" He exaggeratedly pushed his glasses further up oh his face. "Well, I guess that was pretty much the truth in my case." He paused as the crowd laughed.

"So yeah, in honor of National Coming Out Day, surprise, motherfuckers!"  Richie chuckled as the audience cheered. "Thank you so much for being so supportive and such a great crowd -- I'll see you next time!" He waved before making his way off stage.

"Richie, that was brilliant!" his manager said, handing him a napkin to wipe the sweat off his brow. "You killed it! Listen, I've already been fielding calls from Out Magazine and a couple of the late-night talk shows…"

Richie shook his head. "Can we talk about this tomorrow?" he said. "Tonight I just want to celebrate with my friends." 

"Sure, sure. I had them escorted back to the limo since you already did your meet & greet with the other VIPs."

"Thanks, man." Richie tossed the napkin in a nearby bin and made his way to the back of the club, where the limo was waiting for him.

He threw open the door and climbed in. "So what did you guys--" he cut himself off.

The limo was empty except for one person. Eddie looked up from where he was sitting. "Hey, Richie."

Richie looked around. "Where's everyone else?"

Eddie looked uncomfortable. "They, uh, they said they'd meet us back at the hotel and went ahead and got an Uber. Can we talk?"

Richie froze. Shit. "Um, yeah, sure Eds." He closed the door behind him and made his way over to the seat, leaving a good bit of space between him & Eddie. "What's up?"

Eddie bit his lip. "I didn't announce this during dinner because I didn't want to overshadow you coming out, but… I divorced Myra once I got back to New York."

Richie had been so distracted by Eddie in his black leather jacket, exuding just a *hint* of bad-boy appeal, that he had never really looked at Eddie's hands. Sure enough, Eddie's ring finger no longer bore the gold band that he had been sporting the last time Richie had seen him. "Holy shit, dude. I honestly wasn't sure if you had it in you."

Eddie smiled softly. "Well, a wise man once told me that I was braver than I thought, so as soon as I got home I packed the rest of my stuff and told Myra that I wanted a divorce.  I played it safe for so many years and was so warped by my mother that I pretty much wound up marrying her clone. Myra was just like her, even down to her buying my clothes."

Richie blushed and cast his eyes downward. "Um, yeah, I kind of noticed you looked different tonight. You uh, you look good."

Eddie shrugged and smiled shyly, then took Richie's hand. "Tonight, in your act, when you publicly came out… You said you had been attracted to one of your friends who wore short-shorts and a fanny pack. You were talking about me, weren't you?"

Richie squeezed his eyes shut. Fuck, fuck, fuck. "Um--"

"Rich? Please tell me that wasn't just part of your act." Eddie's voice sounded so hopeful that Richie's heart squeezed. He dragged his eyes back up to Eddie's. "No, not at all. Shit, Eds, you have no idea how much I lo--"

He was cut off by Eddie's lips on his own.

Hoooooooly fuck. Richie melted into the kiss, scooting closer and reaching up to gently caress Eddie's face. "Oh my God, Eds…" he muttered against Eddie's lips.

Eddie broke the kiss. "I know it's probably obvious by now, but I'm gay too," he replied. "And I'm in love with you. I've been in love with you for over 28 years now. Ever since we were kids."

"Fucking Christ, I love you too," Richie said breathlessly, pulling Eddie back to him for another kiss. He licked his way into Eddie's mouth, savoring the taste of mint (wait, did Eddie actually fucking brush his teeth while he was waiting on me? he briefly wondered) and Eddie.

Once breathing became a necessity, they broke apart and Richie leaned his forehead against Eddie's. "Jesus, this is like the beginning of every single one of my childhood fantasies come true," he panted, his hands still on Eddie's face.

Eddie wrapped his fingers around Richie's hands. "Mine too." He turned and placed a kiss against Richie's palm where his oath scar used to be, a kiss so tender that it made Richie want to cry. 

Suddenly the limo stopped and the driver's voice came over the speaker. "Mr. Tozier, we've arrived back at your hotel."

"Uh, thanks," Richie replied, before turning to Eddie. "So what do we do now?"

Eddie smirked. "Well, first we need to go have another coming-out with our friends in the hotel bar, then after that I'm dragging you upstairs, where we're going to fulfill the rest of our childhood fantasies."

And they did. Repeatedly.