problematic ➳ reddie

79

august ❀ age 16-17

eddie stood at the airport, tapping his foot against the ground anxiously. he was chewing his bottom lip to the point it was nearly bleeding.

"you okay, eddie?" maggie tozier asked from behind eddie, who nodded. "yeah...yeah, i'm okay"

his eyes were burning towards the gate which said 'new york arrivals'.
god has he ever been this nervous.

he missed richie like crazy. he missed richie's eyes. his wild black curls. his dorky smile. his glasses. his freckles. his hands. his scent. his terrible jokes.

and ever since eddie's mother had taken his girl clothes away, he has felt weaker than usual.
although he had been lucky. he had dropped the yellow skirt on the floor the other day, which bill noticed, but sonia didn't. that was all eddie had. a yellow skirt.
eddie was happy about that. that skirt was one of his favorites, but it still didn't take the fact away that all his other clothes were gone. now all he had was boy clothes.

but eddie knew richie could make himself feel better about this all. it was richie after all.

speaking of....

the gate doors opened, revealing an older man. a woman with a small girl after him. then a young man and a woman, probably boyfriend and girlfriend.

and then...

"richie..." eddie exhaled as he saw the lanky boy, looking around desperately. their eyes met, richie's lips pulling up to a smile. he began walking towards eddie, who instead was running towards his best friend.

he crashed onto richie, wrapping his arms around richie's neck, bending his legs off the ground, literally hanging onto richie. the other wrapped his arms around eddie's small body, pulling him closer and holding him up. eddie buried his face in the crook of richie's neck, letting his tears spill out.

"I missed you" he sobbed onto richie's neck. the taller boy could feel eddie's hot breath against his skin. he spun eddie around a little, chuckling a little. "i'm here now"

richie put eddie down, the smaller one keeping his hands on richie's broad shoulder. "I can't believe you're...you're really there"

"you better believe it, kiddo" richie ruffled eddie's hair and then looked behind him to his mother. eddie followed richie's gaze, smiling a little. "yeah, go ahead"

richie mouthed a 'thank you' to eddie, before jogging to his mother, who had small tears in her eyes. richie leaned down a bit to hug his mother, since he had gotten a bit taller than the woman who gave birth to him.

"oh richie" maggie exhaled and kissed richie's cheek. "it's been so quiet at home. i even missed your profanity"

"i missed you too, ma" richie hugged her tighter. "I'll tell everything when we get home, alright?"

"yes, please do" maggie pulled back. "come on..let's get you home"

"eddie's coming too right?" richie looked behind him to see eddie standing few meters away from them.

"of course i am. how'd you think I got here?" eddie chuckled a little and followed maggie and richie who had begun to walk towards the exit.