Do Not Fucking Touch Me // Reddie

Seventeen

(Richie's POV)

The day after I found out what Eddie had been doing, I decided to surprise him at his uncle's with some gifts, kind of to cheer him up, kind of just because I wanted to. I walked down the aisle of the convenience store, looking for his favorite kinds of candies. He liked nerds a lot, and I would tease him and say 'You are what you eat.' He didn't think it was funny. I did. His absolute favorite treat, though, was Trolli Gummi Worms. I spotted them and loaded a couple boxes into my basket.

"A little early for halloween, isn't it?" the cashier joked. He clearly thought he was being really funny, me being a kid and all, obviously candy crazed.

I just looked at him like he was dumb, crinkling my nose and furrowing my eyebrows, and his smirk faded.

I paid and left the store with the plastic bag in hand, and slipped it around the handlebar of my bike. I pedaled all the way to the mall. I hated the mall. A bunch of snotty girls hung around their like flies and fed off of me and my friends. There was a new girl in our grade, Cindy, who was an absolute cunt, forgive my language. She told Eddie one day that he was a faggot and that he was going to hell. I poured my slushie on her head and she gasped, screeched, and ran to the bathroom huddled around her hoard of bitches.

I was planning on getting Eddie some long sleeve shirts, maybe some other stuff too. It wasn't that I wanted my sweatshirts back or anything, they looked better on him anyway even if they were three sizes too large on my baby boy. I was going to let him keep those too. I just wanted to buy him some that fit him but still covered up his scars. I hated thinking about them. I know he did too. I know he felt bad about doing it and definitely regretting making such a harsh decision, such a harmful act to himself. I teared up just thinking about him slicing a knife or razor or whatever across his soft skin. They were going to heal, though. I would make sure of it, and I would make sure that my boyfriend healed inside as well. He needed me right now, more than ever, and I needed to show him how much I cared.

I grabbed a soft white cable-knit sweater and held it up in the air. I pictured him in it, and agreed with myself that he would look adorable as fuck. I draped it over my arm and walked around the store, not really noting that Cindy and her girl gang were closing in on me.

"That's a gay sweater, Richie. Why don't you just stick to your ugly shirts?" she closed in on me. I wasn't afraid of her.

"Why is gay such an insult to you. It's just a description. Wow Cindy, what Caucasian earrings you have on today!" I clapped sarcastically and went back to flipping through hangers.

She scoffed and pushed me in the clothes rack. "Faggot," she laughed and walked away. I just rolled my eyes. It didn't get to me at all anymore, but I knew it still got to Eds.

For me, all the insults, all the judgement, all of that was nothing. None of it mattered because I had the greatest reward in the world, which was Eddie Kapsbrack. The love of my life. I would go through hell and back for him.

After shopping around, I decided on a black and white striped long sleeve tee, as well as the sweater, and a zip-up red hoodie. I paid for the items with my dad's credit card I nicked from his wallet before leaving the house. I went back outside to get on my bike and go deliver the stuff to my boyfriend.

I stared at it. It was knocked over, and 'Richie is a Fag' was written on the side. I shook my head. This was too personal. I loved that bike. Not as much as I loved Eddie, for sure, but I still had that bike for years. I angrily got on it and pedaled towards Eddie's.

I threw it on the curb by his uncle's driveway when I reached the house. I didn't want to look at it. I just needed to focus on my boyfriend and forget all about those bubblegum bitches. I knocked on the door, with a bag full of clothes, candy, bandaids, and a rose. Eddie's uncle opened it promptly.

"Richie? Are you here for Eddie?"

I looked at him quizzically. "Yes, of course."

"Oh, alright. Perhaps you can help. He's been in his room crying. I thought you two fought yesterday, I heard some muffled screaming from the kitchen," he explained.

"No, no, we weren't fighting. I'm here to cheer him up," I said. He nodded and smiled.

"Well then, by all means, come on in," he pushed the door open and stepped aside. I smiled with my lips pressed together and hurried down the hall to Eddie's room.

The door was cracked open and I pushed it with my foot. I walked inside and shut the door behind me. Eddie was crying, but he wasn't awake. He must be having another nightmare, I thought.

I sat on the bed next to him and sighed. I felt so bad. All the nightmares about me getting killed, and I felt like it was partially my fault. I was causing his pain inadvertently. He slowly opened his eyes and noticed that I was there. He immediately put a hand on mine, which was resting on his mattress.

"Hi, loverboy," I said. He smiled.

Before he could think about a single sad thought again, I pulled the bag of goodies onto the bed and started sprawling them out.

"I brought you some things," I stated, halfway blushing. I didn't know if he would like the things I picked out.

He examined the items one by one, first the bandaids with little hearts on them. He chuckled to himself and tossed them aside. He looked at the candies and smiled wide and looked at me. I nodded to the bag and he pulled out the white sweater first. I know he liked the color white, it looked clean to him. I was sure that this sweater would suit that for him.

"Richie, why did you get me all this?" he asked.

"Shh!" I put a finger up to my boyfriend's lips, "There's more!"

He giggled and shook his head, pretending to be annoyed with me and pulled out the black and white striped shirt and the red hoodie.

"I got you some things to cover up the scars," I said.

He let a half-smile creep onto his face. He hugged me tightly.

"I love you," he said.

I closed my eyes and blushed, smiling my ass off. "I love you too, Eddie."

"Oh!" I grabbed the bag, and pulled out the rose, "You forgot this!"

He smiled brightly and stared at the flower. "No one's ever gotten me a flower before," he added.

He put it up to his nose and smelled it and closed his eyes to take it all in.

I grabbed ahold of the case of bandaids and opened it.

"Alright, Doctor K, step aside, Dr. Trashmouth Tozier is on the case."

"That's a detective, dummy."

I laughed but didn't respond. I pulled up his sleeves and carefully laid out the individual bandaids one by one on each scar. When I was done fixing him up, we both sat back and stared at the finished arms, full of heart bandaids.

"Look. Now, when you look at them, you won't see your pain. You'll see my love and how my love is gonna fix your pain."

He smiled down at his wrists and pulled down the sleeves. He then pulled me into a gigantic hug and I crept under the covers. It felt good to do so much for him, even if I got nothing out of it. But I did get something out of all of my care, I got Eddie, the cutest boy in the world, to smile. That made everything worth it.