Bittersweet Love || Reddie [COMPLETED]

Fleeting happiness

Days passed by and still there was no sight of Alvin around Derry. As a precaution, Beverly was staying at the clubhouse, most of the time alone, but she insisted that she didn't mind. Eddie felt terribly bad, but he knew that place was safe, especially since they added a lock on the door and only Beverly had the key to open it.
Today it would be the one week anniversary of Beverly's runaway.

The only thing that Eddie could think about all day was her. No matter where he was: at school, home or walking on the street. The image of her crying while telling her story was always in his mind. If he had known before...
Staring at the mirror of his bedroom, he looked at himself wearing the uniform. He was tying his tie when Richie's hands appeared on his shoulders.

Eddie smiled for the first time in a long time. He leant back, resting his head on his chest.

"Cute, as always." the tall boy said, kissing his hair. It smelled so good, he could stay like that forever. "I have a surprise for you."

"Really?" Eddie's eyes glittered. He really needed good news after the whole situation with his best friend. "What is it?"

Richie let him go and walked towards the desk. Eddie followed his steps with his eyes, excited. Suddenly, Richie turned around, holding a piece of paper on his hands. Eddie couldn't read anything, so he got closer to him and held the paper.

"What's this?" his eyes read most of the words, really fast, until he understood what it meant. He smiled, full of happiness. "For real?"

Richie nodded, glad to see him so cheerful. The excitement was so big that Eddie even started to jump until he hugged him with all the love in his heart. He couldn't believe this was happening.

"But like, is it official?" Eddie wanted to make sure it wasn't all an illusion.

"It is, Eds. My dad approved it yesterday."

"Thank you! Thank you!" he pulled him closer.

Richie giggled. He had made him so happy.

"Now, go change that stupid sweater, okay?"

Eddie did so, running towards his closet as fast as he could. They were finally allowed to wear whatever they wanted and uniforms were not mandatory anymore. Clothes were his self-expression and now that he was able to wear what he wanted, that meant he could be himself again. God, he couldn't believe this was actually happening.

Eddie finally chose an oversized pink sweatshirt combined with black shorts. The weather in Derry was constantly changing and that outfit made him feel comfortable. Also, he loved how the shorts hid under the sweatshirt, making it look like he was wearing a dress.
After checking himself at the mirror for the third time that morning, he looked at Richie, curious about what he had decided to wear.

Of course it would be a Hawaiian shirt with blue jeans.

"Are you seriously going to wear that?"

"What's wrong with my clothes? You're not even wearing pants."

Eddie lifted his top, letting Richie see he was wrong.

"Oh," Richie said, sounding a little bit disappointed. "you got me excited there."

With a chuckle, Eddie went to grab his fanny pack and, after wrapping it around his waist, made Richie know he was ready for school.

They both left their home minutes later after eating some breakfast, gaining some winks from Sonia.
After saying "what?" a few times, they left together. Once outside, they held each other's hands.

On their way to school, they listened to some of Eddie's favorite songs through his wireless earphones. When a new song started, Richie began to dance, trying to follow the rhythm of the song.
Eddie let a giggle and smiled, his eyes in the shape of a heart.