Don't Speak(Reddie)

Chapter Two

Richie

It had been about a month since I met Eddie Kaspbrak, a small mute boy my friends Stan and Bill had introduced me to. I took a liking to him almost instantly and even though we gave each other a lot of shit but I felt like he liked me too. As a friend of course. I was bisexual but I didn't think Eddie would be gay. Just didn't seem like the type. He didn't seem like the type to even think about his sexuality. He was too pure and innocent. There were a number of times that he displayed this.

When Stan and Bill were busy, which seemed to be a lot lately Eddie and I hung-out. He seemed put off by it at first but he eventually warmed up to me. He seemed to have a few trust issues with people and I couldn't help but wonder why. I knew we hadn't known each other long enough for me to ask him either.

Today he and I were going to go down to the Barrens. It was a nice quiet little spot that I liked to visit when I needed to think. I never saw anyone else there so I was sure Eddie didn't even know it existed. There was a knock on my front door then and when I opened it there stood Eddie, cute as ever. I would be lying if I said I didn't have the smallest crush on the boy. It was so different to me. I'd dated plenty of girls and boys alike. Had my fair share of sex and everything, but none of those people seemed to catch my attention like Eddie did. He was just different. "Aww you always look so adorable Eds!" I reached out and pinched his cheeks which had become something normal between us. I was a terrible flirt and while it had made Eddie uncomfortable at first it seemed the shock value of it had worn off. Now it just seemed to kind of annoy him.

His mom had gotten him a phone recently to make communicating easier for him(for the sake of my sanity this fic takes place in 2017). He slapped my hands away before quickly typing out a message. 'How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? And STOP touching me!' I read it aloud and rolled my eyes. His efforts were pointless I'd never stop doing either and he knew it. It didn't stop him from hanging out with me so it must not bother him too much. "I'm sorry Eds you're just so cute I can't keep my hands off!" We left my house and made the kind of long trip to The Barrens. 

He just punched my shoulder playfully at the comment and we made the rest of our trip in silence. There would be plenty of time for talking when we were situated at The Barrens. It was rare that I stayed quiet for so long but I found it was easier for Eddie if I didn't go 90 miles a minute when he was with me. 

Once we got to The Barrens I led him to my favorite spot. A place that was lush with all kinds of flowers and trees. I didn't even think before sitting down right on the ground until I looked at Eddie and he looked hesitant. I gave him a quizzical look and he quickly typed out his issue. 'You really want me to just sit on the ground? It's dirty.' Then I faintly remembered Stan telling me that Eddie had a bit of an issue with germs. It wasn't as bad as it used to be Stan said but it was still there. 

I thought quick and pulled the button-up  I had on off of myself and placed it on the ground next to me for Eddie to sit on. He blushed before he sat down and started typing again. 'I hope you plan on washing this shirt at least twice.' I laughed at the smaller boy and shook my head at how ridiculous he could be. 'It's pretty out here.'

"Isn't it? I come here to think a lot or just to get away from my house in general." No one in this town knew it but my parents weren't the kind and wholesome people they seemed to be. In fact they were quite the opposite. My parents were abusive pieces of shit to say the least. They were smart in the way they did it. The only marks I had were ones my clothes would cover.

'Why get away from home?' I let out a soft sigh as I tried to figure out how to tell him something like that or if I even should. Eddie seemed like someone I could trust though as did Bill and Stan. Maybe I should tell him and maybe one day I should tell them too. 'You don't have to tell me. It's none of my business Richie.'

"No I want to tell you it's just hard to talk about so I guess the next best thing would be to show you right?"

Before he could type out a response, I crossed my arms over my torso and pulled my shirt over my head revealing every scar, cut and bruise that littered the area. I searched his face for his reaction. Tears suddenly sprang into his eyes and rolled down his cheeks. 'Fuck I'm so sorry Rich.' He typed with shaky hands. I just shrugged it off and out my shirt back on. I was used to the abuse and whenever one of my partners would ask me about it I would come up with some bullshit story to cover up the truth. 

'I've had bad things happen to me too. It's why I don't talk. It's not that I can't, it's that I choose not to. I don't want to talk about what happened, but it effected my mental state drastically.' I felt my heart break for the smaller boy and  I wondered what could have happened to him. I didn't press instead I just wrapped one of my arms around him and pulled him close to me. "Seems like we've both got a lot going on huh? Hm so you can talk... Now I wonder what your voice sounds like. It's probably super cute to match the rest of you." Things had gotten a bit too heavy so I decided to lighten the mood. It seemed to work because Eddie jabbed me in the side with his elbow even though I could see him trying to hide a smile and his face was a light shade of pink.

'Keep wondering Tozier, you'll probably never hear it.' That was all it took for me to set the goal of getting Eddie Kaspbrak to use his voice in the first time in years. 

A/N: Oooo is Richie going to get our boy to talk or nah?