Breathe ⭐️ Reddie

37

"You named a monster from another fucking dimension after some stupid board game?!" Richie asked, his jaw dropped in shock.

Mike Wheeler had instructed Stan to drive toward Maine, where Eleven apparently lived. That earned a groan from Richie, who claimed they were wasting gas because they were going to end up in the state they started in.

Over the past few hours, Richie, Eddie, Mike Hanlon and Ben had sat with Lucas, Mike Wheeler, Max, and Dustin in the back of the van, getting to know each other. The Hive teenagers kept themselves secretive, but Mike Wheeler wasn't shy about telling the story of Hawkins. Especially since they knew about El anyway.

"Yes, we did! It was very fitting!" Lucas said, laughing.

"Wow and I thought Eds was a nerd!" Richie ignored Eddie's glare and tackled him to the floor of the van, kissing his nose. "Come on, baby, don't get mad."

"I'm not a nerd. You're the one obsessed with tech," Eddie giggled, pushing Richie off before twisting to sit in his lap and turning to look at Mike Wheeler. "So your friend goes missing and you find the bald girl in the woods and she has powers?"

"Yeah, it doesn't sound realistic when you summarize it like that," Mike mumbled.

"I didn't believe it at first either," Max said as she braided her hair. "But, it does make things more exciting, I guess."

"You guess?! I thought our lives were interesting!" Richie exclaimed, but quieted down when Dustin, Mike, and Lucas all exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Yeah, it would be cooler, but the monster that made El leave..." Max took in a shaky breath. "It kind of killed my brother. He was a douche for the time I knew him, but he saved El. So yeah, it's not the most exciting thing."

"I'm, uh, I'm really sorry," Eddie murmured, resting his head against Richie's chest.

"It's alright. I mean, that's not really the issue right now. That thing is dead. You guys said that El could be in danger. What kind of danger?"

The Hive members all exchanged and received warning looks from each other. They couldn't really reveal anything, not to people who could still be enemies.

"We can't really say anything. Sorry," Eddie said.

"It was a long shot anyway," Mike said with a shrug. "You're going to protect her, right?"

"We're just supposed to find her then contact our superiors. I don't think anything bad will come of it, just a precaution so no one else can try to use her for her powers," Stan called from the front, trying to keep the newer teenagers from automatically not trusting them.

"That might be an issue," Lucas said, taking a drink of water from the bottle he had been given earlier.

"Why?" Richie asked.

"El's powers stopped after the fight with the Mind Flayer. The second fight, I mean. We don't know if they've returned."

No one spoke after that, trying to process the situation. No one trusted the other group, but they all wanted to. Each group knew the others had a tough life, and they all got along well, but knew deep down they'd probably never see them again after the mission.

As the night fell, Richie and Eddie curled up together on the floor of the van, Richie's arms wrapped firmly around Eddie's waist. He continuously pressed gently kisses to the back of Eddie's neck, snickering when Eddie kicked him gently.

"I'm tryna sleep, Rich," he murmured, turning to face him.

"Leaving me alone in the dark, Eds?" Richie whispered, pressing his lips to Eddie's.

Eddie's eyes were closed so he wasn't expecting it, but he smiled anyway and kissed back. Tangling his hands in Richie's hair, Eddie gasped when Richie licked his bottom lip, asking for entrance, smiling again when Eddie gave it.

Richie pulled away, kissing Eddie's neck. Eddie moaned quietly, before slamming his palm over his mouth.

"There's other people in here!" Eddie hissed, watching as Richie's eyes sparkled, obviously trying not to laugh.

"Not my fault you're getting into it, Eds."

"Beep beep, Richie," Eddie mumbled, yawning.

Richie smiled softly as Eddie's eyes fluttered shut and he wrapped his arms around Richie's waist. Soon, his breathing slowed, signaling he had drifted off to sleep.

"I love you, Eddie," Richie whispered, though he knew Eddie couldn't hear him.

"You love him?" a hushed voice asked from beside Richie.

Richie looked up, his eyes meeting the eyes of Mike Wheeler, who was leaning against the wall of the van, his knees pulled to his chest.

"You love him?" Mike asked again, nodding toward Eddie.

"Yeah, I do. I haven't said it to him yet, because I'm not sure he loves me, but yeah, I do." Richie knew he was rambling but couldn't seem to stop. Mike might not have felt it, but Richie felt a sibling connection with him.

"I didn't tell you all, but I dated El for six months before she left with the Byers. I loved her, and I think she loved me, too." Mike's eyes were shiny with what Richie assumed were unshed tears.

"You miss her, huh?" Richie asked.

"Yeah, and I'm worried about her. If there are people after her..." Mike pauses, inhaling sharply. "If someone is after her, she can't protect herself. Her powers are gone, at least from what I know. I don't want her to get hurt."

Richie nods in the dark, the dim moonlight and headlights from other cars illuminating his face. He watches as Mike wipes his eyes, hiding any signs of tears.

"Don't worry. She'll be safe, I promise," Richie said quietly as Eddie shifted in his sleep.

"I thought you were on some mission and couldn't make promises?" Mike challenged.

Richie snickered. "Yeah, I'm not supposed to, but I'm not a killer. I don't know what the official plan is for my team, but I don't think we're supposed to hurt her. I think we need to protect her."

Mike didn't seem convinced. "What if you're ordered to kill her. Would you?"

Richie felt his gut tighten in guilt. "I can't kill people. I mean, I never have, and I don't want to."

"That wasn't my question."

Richie sighed. He couldn't lose his place in the Hive. He had orders to follow, and if he was ordered to kill someone, he knew he'd try to follow through. If he didn't, he could lose his place and worst of all, lose Eddie. Yet, he saw how broken Mike looked, and even though he barely knew him, Richie felt like they must be related.

Mike sighed when Richie didn't respond. "Fine. If you're told to kill her though, just know I won't hesitate to kill any of your friends to protect her."

Richie clutched Eddie even tighter, but nodded anyway.