Under It All || Reddie

Chapter 20; "16."

Word count: 1266

The two boys peddled to the kissing bridge Eddie just cluelessly following Richie, even though Richie told Eddie where they were going earlier Eddie still seemed to have forgotten.
The cold nights air pinched Eddie cheeks causing them to turn a bright red and same with Richie.
Eddie kept asking questions like "Chee where are we going?" "Do you have a tissue my nose is runny and I left my Fanny pack at home." "It's 2:12 in the morning do we have to do this right now?" Eddie kept glancing down at his watch as if they had a curfew.

"We could do this in the day if you want Bowers to catch us! He brings all the 8th grade girls here to suck face and other things." Richie said disgusted at the thought.
"We're going to the kissing bridge? Oh ya." Eddie replied remembering the conversation they had earlier in the kitchen, not really a conversation more of a few words shouted towards Eddie coming from an annoyed boy who's lips were swollen from kissing.
"How'd you know that!" Eddie shouted a bit loud after falling behind a few seconds to quickly tie his shoe so it wouldn't get caught in the bike chains.
"Remember I told you I've been here bef-" Richie started to say then turned around to see Eddie gone. "Eddie! Where'd you go? "Ed's?" Richie let his bike fall to the ground and walked back from where they previously just rode past. " Ed's!" Richie shouted as he saw Eddie liying on the ground with his bike toppled on top of his left foot.
"What happened?" Richie gasped lowering himself to cup Eddies face that had a slight scratch on it.
"I'm fine Chee I just fell off my bike." Eddie said embarrassed and sat up to get his foot untangled from the bike.
"You don't look fine." Richie said helping him to reveal a huge scratch on his ankle, it's began bleeding not badly but just enough for Richie to know Eddie wasn't gonna have it, being out at night, on the dirty floor, with a opened cut. Infection written all over it.
"Oh my god Chee this is so gross help me up, I don't want to get an infection." Eddie called out while holding his hands up for Richie to grab. Richie then scooped Eddie up in his arms carried him over to his bike and put him down in the front basket. Eddies small figure was the perfect size.
"What are you doing Chee?" Eddie said embarrassed that he was small enough to fit in a bike basket.
"Come on the kissing bridge is only a few more minutes of peddling then we can get you home and get you all fixed up we have the best doctors." Richie replied gesturing towards Eddie. "Oh ya when you grow up you better become a doctor." Richie smiled and began peddling hard towards the bridge. In the future Eddie becomes a risk Analysis because of the time he fell off his bike and Richie was there to help him. On a more important matter Richie was just there.

"Just- come on- grab my-" Richie said lifting Eddie out of the bikes front basket.
"I got it, thanks Chee." Eddie said stumbling off of the bike and putting his arm around Richies shoulder to balance himself.
"Oh so you got it?" Richie smiled at the small boys arm wrapping around his shoulders.
"Shut up Chee." Eddie teased and smiled at how warm Richie was.
"Ok so um this is weird or... I don't really know to be honest just um here." Richie said handing him the flashlight and Flicking his on. Richie began searching the bridge squinting several times thinking he saw his carving but it never was. After a few minuets of searching Richie found it.

"Here!" Richie shouted back at the boy who had one hand on his flashlight and one hand on the bridge for support.
"Coming...give me a sec." Eddie hopped over to the boy crouching on the floor.
"Ok what exactly am I looking at?" Eddie said crouching down next to Richie.
"This." Richie traced his fingers along the 'R+E', Richie blushed, so did Eddie.
"When-" "Before Pennywise." Richie looked over at Eddie and linked there hands.
"Jesus! Your hand are so cold!" Richie said looking at Eddie who had light blue lips.
"Ed's are you cold blooded or some shit?" Richie said rubbing his hands on top of Eddies to warm him up.
"No I...I don't know." Eddie said smiling at Richies touch.
"So before Pennywise. That explains why you had a pocket knife with you sometimes, we thought you were planning on killing us." Eddie chuckled.
"Never Ed's." Richie said fluffing Eddies hair. Eddie began shivering and Richie took notice so he slid off his jacket and put it on top of Eddie.
"Here."
"What no! You'll be freezing-" Eddie begins to say but gets cut off but Richie pressing a quick kiss to his lips then pulling out rubbing his thumb over Eddies soft but cold hand.
"I'm fine, I can't have you freezing to death." Richie beamed. Eddies blushing turned into not fucking breathing.
"Ed's breathe." Richie said while tracing over the carving with his finger one last time.
"I'm trying. Don't...have inhaler." Eddie replied smiling slightly.
"You don't need that piece of shit." Richie smiled. Eddie knew Richie was right so he calmed himself down and started tracing the initials as well with his finger.
"God were idiots." Eddie chuckled. "If we only told each other sooner..." Eddie trailed off.
"What Ed's?" Richie questioned knowing something was on Eddies mind.
"We should've- could have- we still can...run away." Eddie said terrified and avoiding eye contact at all costs.
The air grew silent and all you could hear were the two boys breathing unmatched with each other's.

"We can." Richie said trying to make eye contact at Eddie who connected his chin to his chest.
"But we can't leave them, not the Losers. And how.... don't get me wrong Ed's that's one of the best ideas you've ever had. Getting out of this shit hole town but it isn't possible we don't have a car or money and my mom. My dad just left her-" Richie spoke.
"16 then." Eddie stammered out, "we can leave when we're 16, and the Losers can come if they want my mom put a bank account away with money stashed for college but there's no way I'm leaving you to go to some fucking college, but you could  go with me to college." Eddie said looking up, to finally make eye contact with Richie.

"But your way smarter then me so the chances of me and you being able to go to the same college...are slim." Richie frowned.
"Chee...you know that's not true. I saw your report card even though you hide it from us every year, you get straight A's in all your classes. Your smart, hell smarter then me I'd be lucky if you even wanted to stay here for college with me." Eddie said cupping Richie face. Richie and Eddie embraced in a kiss stood up and both agreed they were gonna run away, they didn't know when but it was going to happen.

Both boys peddled back to the house and climbed into there sleeping bags wrapped up in each other's arms, Richie was still trying to warm Eddie up.

Thanks for reading this far! Don't forget to comment! ENJOY!!!
-Hayley