𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐎𝐌

↱ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖙𝖜𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖞𝖙𝖍𝖗𝖊𝖊; 𝕺, 𝕷𝖔𝖗𝖉 𝕴 𝖕𝖚𝖙 𝖍𝖎𝖒 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖞 𝖍𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖘.

"I know it's stupid," Eddie whispered, the inside of his dry lips sticking to Richie's t-shirt from where he lay curled under Richie's arm. "But I don't want tomorrow to come."

"S'not stupid, bub," Richie promised in a soft tone, running his fingers up and down the length of Eddie's bicep in a decidedly non-platonic manner that Eddie would have protested in any other situation. He squirmed at Richie's words, confused by the nickname Richie had been pulling out a hell of a lot lately but also loving it. The affection with which he said it both scared and thrilled him.

"It is," Eddie sighed, bringing a hand up to rest in the centre of Richie's chest, directly in front of his own face, to watch it rise and fall in time with Richie's breathing as he listened to the dull thud of his best friend's heart beating against his cheek. Despite his sad demeanour, he felt so warm and safe. "It's just one day, it doesn't actually mean anything. I should be as sad today as I will be tomorrow. It's been seven years, it's stupid-"

"Hey, don't do that," Richie protested, pinching the baby fat on the back of Eddie's arm.

"Don't do what?" Eddie asked, tilting his head on Richie's chest so he could look up at Richie's face.

"Act like it doesn't matter because it happened when you were little," Richie responded, laying exactly what Eddie was thinking out in the open. "You are allowed to be as sad or as happy as you want to be today, tomorrow, and every other fuckin' day. There's no rules to your feelings."

Eddie sucked his bottom lip into his mouth as tears began to turn the back of his eyes. Letting out a shuddery breath Eddie surged up Richie's body, wriggling his arms behind Richie's back and looping them around his neck before pressing his face to the taller boy's soft skin. Richie reacted immediately, grabbing Eddie's hips and pulling the boy directly on top of him so he'd be more comfortably situated before rubbing a soothing palm up and down Eddie's back, the other remaining on one of Eddie's hips.

Richie sniffled slightly, feeling his own eyes burn with the warning of tears as he listened to Eddie weep quietly, before pressing a quick and barely-there kiss to the top of Eddie's head with blushing cheeks.

"Doesn't this weird you out?" Eddie croaked once he'd stopped crying, turning his head enough to breath more comfortably.

"What?"

"This," Eddie answered with a shrug. "Us. None of the other guys-"

"Fuck the other guys, Spaghetti," Richie interrupted, rolling his eyes. "Make sure you fuck me first though," Richie added jokingly, never one to remain serious for too long.

"You're an idiot," Eddie laughed, moving his leg to jab his knee into Richie's side in reprimand.

"But I'm your idiot," Richie answered without missing a beat. It had become something of a motto of his.

"Yup," Eddie sighed miserably but turned his head to hide his smile against one of his biceps.

"Spaghetti?" Richie whispered, rolling over to face his best friend's back in the soft morning light. "Y'okay, Spaghetti?" he whispered again, reaching a hand out to Eddie's shoulder as his body was curled away from Richie.

"Yeah," Eddie whispered, voice hollow and distant.

It was the seventh anniversary of Frank's passing and it seemed like this year was going to be as hard on Eddie as every year previous.

Richie scooted forward silently until his chest was pressed against Eddie's back, curling an arm over Eddie's shoulders and tucking his hand in the crook between Eddie's neck and his pillow.

"Hungry?" Richie asked with a hum.

"No," Eddie answered in the same soft and hollow voice as before, twisting his body until he faced Richie and tucking his head under Richie's chin before the tell-tale shaky gasp of breath signalled the beginning of Eddie's heart wrenching sobs.