Nyctophilia 🌪 Reddie

i

The aftermath was not what any of the ex-Hive teens expected.

The day that the Hive bases were blown up was know to the world as "The Day The Sky Went Black."

The bases surrounding the country were hit with an atomic bomb type force, killing the members in the Hive, but also those who were in towns surrounding it. It was seen as a worse tragedy than 9/11, shaking the country to its core.

Richie told Eddie the only reason that the town of Derry survived had to do with the bomb that hit the Hive base there. It was faulty and did not have as much power, so it only hit the Hive and destroyed that piece.

Eddie argued back that he was thankful, because if it had its full power there was a higher chance that Richie wouldn't have survived.

As the country looked up at the blackened sky, they realized there were deeper plots surrounding what they thought was a safe place. Somehow visual was leaked and many people saw Eleven using her powers, as well as the teenagers who had escaped the Hive and survived.

Many people wanted them dead, so the government took the teenagers to an underground base to keep them safe. They knew it would be a long time before they could go see the world, but they understood.

Richie was pissed that he couldn't go see his brother, but the Hawkins group hadn't been seen except for El, so they were allowed to go home. The ex-Hive members obeyed what the government told them, although they all wanted to be free.

That day was the day that people realized that they weren't safe, and that people living in the country could have abilities or want to kill them for not reason but power.

It was also the day that the Hive teenagers lost what little freedom they had, and they didn't know if they'd ever be able to get it back.

•••

Two Months After The Hive Base Explosions

"I figured I'd find you here," Richie said, leaning against the wall next to a large vent.

The sound of metal screeching filled the air and the front of the vent popped off, revealing Eddie's face. His expression held annoyance, though he was grateful that his boyfriend was there.

"What gave me away?" he asked, shimmying out of the vent and falling on the ground, replacing the cover once Richie helped him stand.

"Well, you weren't in our room and weren't in the workout room, so my immediate thought was,  'I know where Eds would love to hide in his free time! A random vent!'"

Eddie punched Richie in the arm, though he was smirking. Richie planted a kiss on his cheek, returning the smile. "I waited until I heard your inhaler," Richie said.

Eddie scowled, realizing that his inhaler was the thing that fucked up his hiding. "It's quieter in there. I just needed time to think," he said in a low voice.

"If you want alone time I can always leave our room," Richie responded, looking slightly guilty.

Eddie shook his head. "There's still people around. I needed space."

Richie seemed to respect that answer, taking Eddie's hand and leading him toward the cafeteria. The other teenagers were all sitting at a table already, waving as Richie and Eddie walked in.

The days where they all yelled at each other as a greeting and messed around died when their base did. As much as they hated it and realized the Hive was the enemy, it had been their home. The base they were hidden in was similar to it, but they only knew each other. Everyone else there was some kind of government official, only there to make sure the teenagers didn't leave.

It was for their safety, but also to try to help the world forget about the day that people perished when the missiles blew up. They all knew that the country would never forget. It was named the worst attack since 9/11, where hundreds perished.

The missiles had killed so many people, to the point that the government officials refused to tell the teenagers how many. They didn't want them to feel guilty for something they tried to help stop.

"Where was he this time?" Stan asked Richie with a smirk once he had sat down at the table.

"The vent in the north hall," Richie said with a laugh when Eddie glared at him.

They all laughed along and tried to act as they would before the Hive destroyed the security people felt. It didn't last long, and soon everyone fell silent. Food was laid out on the table, but they all picked at it without much of an appetite.

"Who's turn is it today?" Bev asked when they had been silent for a while.

"Mine," Eddie said, nibbling on an apple slice, knowing he had to eat something or he'd end up with a headache much like he did the week prior when he refused to touch anything.

Ever since the explosion, within the base the teens were at, they had been required to go to a counseling session each day to help them recover. As there were seven of them, they each went one day of the week.

Eddie absolutely hated his therapy sessions.

The lady who spoke with them was nice, but she often touched on sensitive subjects, including his father's death, the betrayal, and his fear when he though he had lost Richie. Eddie didn't think it helped him, since he just felt worse after. The others seemed to enjoy them, but Eddie would have preferred to jump off the quarry without any water at the bottom.

After finishing his apple slice, Eddie stood up, drawing the attention of the group to him. "I'm gonna go lay down for a bit before my session," he said, hugging Richie over the shoulders and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Richie asked, lacing his fingers with one of Eddie's hands and tilting his head back so they could see each other.

"No, it's fine," Eddie said, kissing Richie once again before letting go and walking off to their shared room.

Once he was out of ear shot Bev looked at Richie sadly. "He's hurting, isn't he?" she asked, taking a small bite out of a piece of cheese.

Richie nodded. "He cries almost every night but asked me not to tell anyone. The end of the Hive was supposed to mean freedom and safety, but the country hates us. He just wants to be free and to be able to work past his dad dying and almost losing me, but he can't. This base is constant reminder of where we were and what we lost," he said in a low voice, focused on the half eaten sandwich in his hand.

"It'd get better if he gave the therapy a chance," Stan said, rolling his eyes.

"Doubtful," Mike chimed in. He seemed to be the only one attempting to have hopes for their future, giving everyone genuine smiles when he saw them. "Eddie and Bill the worst off. Eddie lost his dad, Bill lost his mom, Eddie almost lost Richie and Bill hasn't been able to see his brother because he's still with my grandpa's family in France."

"Yeah, where is Bill?" Bev asked, noticing that one of the losers was missing.

"He's in our room, sleeping. He's been really tired lately. I should probably take him to the doctor, he might be coming down with something," Stan said, standing up.

Everyone stopped talking, walking back to their rooms. Richie and Eddie shared, Bill and Stan shared, Bev, Ben, and Mike all had their own rooms but Bev would often end up crawling in bed with Ben, complaining of nightmares.

Richie and Bev walked side by side until they stopped outside Richie's room. Even from the hall, they could hear Eddie attempting to cover his sobs.

"Will it ever get better, Bev?" Richie asked, tired of his beloved boyfriend being in constant pain and sadness.

"Give it time, Rich. He's hurting. We need to be there for him," Bev said in a quiet voice, hugging Richie before opening the door to Ben's room and vanishing inside.