soft ✃ reddie

11:00am

"eddie!" richie yelled across the class when he stepped into his 4th period, immediately making the small boy flush and mumble, "shush, people are staring rich!"

richie only laughed and plopped into the seat next to him.

"y'know, that's one of the first times you've used my actual name and not a nickname" eddie giggles and richie thinks for a minute ,
"huh. guess you're right. well, don't get too used to it, eddie spaghetti." he smiled and watched the boy laugh again.

he watched the way he covered his mouth and leaned back in his chair, using his whole body to express his laughter.

throughout the class richie couldn't help but keep looking at the boy next to him, how he kept rubbing his eyes and yawning from lack of sleep, how he smiled whenever richie answered a question correctly, and how his light blue shirt was tucked into his shorts, and how his hands looked so small as they rested on the desk.

he couldn't help but replay how his weekend went over and over.

how just a day or two ago eddie was in his house. and how just a day or two ago, eddie was in his arms.

"richie?" eddie said, snapping the boy out of his trance, "the bell rang, silly. c'mon!" he giggled, waiting for richie to gather his things.

richie chuckled, "oh.. sorry e-eds.. just, caught up in my thoughts is all.." he cringed at the stutter as he shoved his papers into a binder and his pen into his pocket.

"i'll walk you to your locker then we'll go to lunch, alright?" richie said, looking down at the boy as he nodded, and they began to walk.

"oops ! sorry, ed's!" richie heard, as eddie stood next to him, now drenched in water.
it took richie a second to process what was happening, since it all happened so fast.

but richie's heart broke as the small boy froze in place as tears filled his eyes. henry and two other boys only stood and laughed at him. his soft hair now dripping with cold liquid.

richie yelled in the middle of the hallway, not caring about getting in trouble, "what the hell, bowers?! lay off! he didn't do anything to you!"

henry just kept laughing and turned to richie, "oh yeah? what are you going to do about it?" he said.

without skipping a beat, richie dropped his binders and kicked henry in- well,

you don't want to know where richie kicked him.

henry groaned in pain and fell to the ground, holding the place richie had kicked.

richie grabbed the small boy's cold hand, leading him to the bathroom. as soon as they entered, he heard eddies sobs echo off the empty walls, "hey, come on ed's.. i'm here now. he can't hurt you." richie spoke softly, and pulled off his sweatshirt revealing a grey shirt, "take off your shirt ed's, don't want you getting sick. do you know how cold it is out there? you'd get a cold as soon as you step out of this bathroom."

eddie blushed and giggled quietly, wiping his tears, "quit it.. you sound just like my mom." he mumbled, carefully untucking his shirt and pulling it over his head.
he took the black sweatshirt from the tall boy's hands and put it on. "that idiot henry never learns his lesson, huh ed's?" richie chuckled.

he finally looked at the boy after politely looking away while he changed.

richie gasped,
eddies entire frame was engulfed in the hoodie, it reached nearly to his knees.

"shut up" eddie blushed.
"you just look so cute eddie spaghetti, i can't help it!" richie pulled the boy in his arms and hugged him tight, both of them laughing and eddie blushing even more.

richie planted a soft kiss on eddies cheek, and walked him out of the bathroom, "c'mon, let's get to lunch baby."

eddie gasped, looking up at richie with flushed cheeks, "wh-what?" he looked at the tall boy with wide eyes.

"nothing..." riche said nonchalantly.

"o-oh.." eddie sighed and laughed, " i thought for a second that you called me-"

"..baby."