kalopsia || reddie

one

"I'm sorry for kissing you last night," Richie sped out, his long fingers squeezing his bag strap as it threatened to slide off of his left shoulder. He leaned against his locker, the one next to Eddie's, that belonged to another student before he made it known to them that he would be occupying the spot. Although the smaller of the two insisted it wasn't necessary, Richie made it clear that his protests would lead to no avail.

"Richie, I told you, it's fine," Eddie sighed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He knew how Richie worked, that he needed to be patient if he wanted him to accept his reassurances. It wasn't like similar conversations hadn't played out before, and over time Eddie became a pro at knowing exactly what he needed to say.

"I know but I still feel shitty, Eds. I was drunk and it was a bad night for me, you know with my dad still gone and all. I honestly don't know what came over me. It was really inappropriate and I-"

"How is this all on you if I reciprocated?" Eddie interrupted, slamming his locker door shut and turning to face the older boy, tilting his chin upward in order to make eye contact with him. "Let's just drop it for now, okay? Nance is going to be here any minute and I can't have her on my ass about you again."

"Why can't you just admit to yourself that you're gay?" Richie interjected, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. Eddie took a step forward, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"What?" He snapped fiercely, ready to defend himself from whatever might be said next. Despite their difference in sizes, Eddie had the tendency to overpower Richie. He was a gentle person but quick to fire back when he needed to, bolder than one would expect. Eddie was aware of how Richie reacted to this, softening his ambience when he began to shrink into himself.

"Eds, don't play dumb. You fucking told me. Whatever act you have-" Richie began to fire back before being interrupted by a squeaky voice approaching the boy in front of him. The girl responsible for the noise wrapped her arms around his neck from behind, kissing his cheek and grinning. Richie rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and taking a step back.

"Eddie, babe! Ready for lunch?" She chimed, moving next to him and intertwining their fingers. He looked at her and nodded, shifting his weight uncomfortably before turning back to Richie.

"I gotta go, Rich. Call me later if you want," He said quickly before walking past the boy and towards the end of the hall, looking over his shoulder only to see Richie resting his head against his own locker door, fists on either side of him. Eddie sighed and faced his girlfriend, smiling sadly in an attempt to match her enthusiasm. "You have me fucked, Richie Tozier," He thought to himself, cursing under his breath.

-

"Hey Eds, it's me. Just seeing if you wanted to talk. Call me back if you get this. You know what number to use," Richie breathed into the phone, twiddling with the spiral cord that pooled onto his stomach. He hung up with defeat and got up from his bed, reaching into his underwear drawer for a new pack of Marlbros before making his way onto the roof, stepping over the windowsill painted with cigarette burns.

He heard faint arguing from the kitchen underneath him as he lit up, grateful for how tame it was in comparison to most days and relieved he wasn't the one on the receiving end of the accusations. The sky looked particularly dark despite the fact that it was only 6:30, and Richie had wondered if this was a result of the rain that had fallen hours earlier. He took a long drag from his cigarette before snubbing it on the tile, throwing the butt over the side of the house. Just as he began to step inside he heard a ring, causing him to fall head first from the window to his floor. He quickly recovered, lunging for the phone and composing himself before picking it up.

"Hey," Richie answered, running his free hand through his tangled curls, attempting to undo the knots he ran into.

"It's Eddie," He heard from the other end of the line, causing him to chuckle.

"I figured as much," Richie laughed, happy to hear his voice. He hadn't realized how much it relaxed him.

"No. It's Eddie. You called me Eds in your voicemail. How many times do I have to tell you to stop doing that, Rich?" He snapped, and Richie couldn't help but grin at the boy's way of speaking, admiring the sharp words that always came out of his small body. He imagined how Eddie looked right now, lips pursed and cheeks heated, loose curls dangling in front of his freckled face, causing him to smile more.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get ya riled up there, Spaghetti Man. Maybe I can come over and give you a massage to calm you down, it always works for your mother," Richie retorted with faux confidence.

"Gross, Richie! When's the last time you washed your hands? You're not touching me with the same fingers that went down Bill's throat last time we played truth or dare. I do want you to come over, though," Eddie fired back, fighting back the blush that began to creep onto his face. Richie knew it was there despite the fact that he was unable to see him, but he was certain that Eddie couldn't possibly be as red as him in this moment.

"Sure thing, Eds. I'm leaving now," He replied, the phone tucked between his ear and shoulder as he started to tie up his Chucks.

"It's Eddie," He repeated before hanging up and throwing himself onto his bed, eyes fixed to the ceiling.

Eddie turned his head to the side and was met with a polaroid Nancy had taped to the wall the day before. He leaned forward and slowly pulled it off, careful as to not remove any paint along with it. Eddie stuffed it under his pillow, tracing his thumb over the now vacant area.

Next to the blank space hung his favorite shot of Richie. His long curls were separated into pigtails, glasses half covering his glazed pupils. He held up his middle finger with one hand, the opposite arm lazily thrown over Eddie's shoulder. Stan sat in the background, sticking his tongue out with Bill. While the picture itself was nice, Eddie's enjoyment of it came from the fact that it was taken seconds after Richie had kissed his cheek. Something about him doing it so shamelessly in front of the other losers made it better than any of the other previous times it had happened in private.

He was unaware that it held the same significance for Richie.