problematic ➳ reddie

92

august ❀ age 17-18

"mike, it's killing me" richie paced around his room. "it's been like...forever!"

"so, why are you telling me this?" mike lifted a brow as he was sitting on richie's bed, looking how richie was throwing his hands in his hair. "i'm not having sex with you, if that's what you're asking"

"jesus, mike! no! that's not what I mean! I just..." richie groaned and kicked the chair, instantly letting out a grunt of pain. "fuck!"

"dude, you need to calm down" mike got up and put a hand on richie's shoulder. "It's all good"

"should I just go to see eddie to new hampshire?" richie looked at the other boy with begging eyes.

"what? no! no, you should wait until he gets back. richie, I hate to tell you this, but you're suffering from extremely bad separation anxiety" mike pulled richie to sit on the bed with him. "you need to distract yourself from eddie"

"it's not that easy, pal" richie laughed breathily and scratched his neck. "got any ideas?"

"have you considered your future at all? like eddie had suggested?"

"no, I don't have time for that! this is all eddie's fault! god! now I obviously can't think of anything when I know he's gone and eddie knows! he knows how fucking frustrated I can get"

"man up!" mike punched richie's shoulder. "you're acting like a wimp right now!"

"easy for you to say. you don't love anyone like this" richie sighed, making mike go silent. the dark skinned boy relaxed his body and looked down a nervous smile on his lips.

"okay, you didn't really have to say that"

richie felt an immediately rush of guilt go through him. he looked at mike sadly and watched how mike's usual happy, cheerful expression had turned into a tired, depressed look.

"mike, I didn't mean it like that" richie placed a hand on mike's hand.

"you know, richie...even though you do have everything. you have supportive parents, an amazing boyfriend, one hell of sister, everyone loves you at school, you're good at football, you look good...it doesn't give you the rights to act like a total jackass"

richie's head was spinning. first eddie and now this. he hated feeling like this.

"I'm sorry" richie said quietly.

"yeah" mike nodded and stood up. he walked to the window and looked out to the street, the sun escaping through the holes on the clouds, shooting long flares on the concrete. "I'm not loved in school. I don't have parents. I have no siblings. the only thing I'm good at is shooting sheep in the head. not very ideal, right? nobody looks at me in school"

"that's not true" richie shook his head.

"oh it's not true that my parents are gone and they'll never see what I've become" mike spun around, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

richie was taken back by this. he usually saw mike as a strong character who never cries, but maybe the strong ones can break too.