𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 | ͏reddie

24

Life is crazy but I'd never give up on something I've worked so hard on. You all have my heart 💕💕
____

Eddie lays still and silent on top of his autumnal themed bedsheets, limps sprawled across the material like a starfish. He stares up at the ceiling with thoughts of Henry still circling his mind, eyes glassy from the brimming tears.

It's 10pm now, quite a few hours have passed and Eddie still hasn't moved an inch. Once he was finished with Henry he ran all the way home, dodging his mom on the way in and locking himself away inside his bedroom. Since then all he could do was cry and whimper away to himself. Occasionally he would use his hand to cover his mouth so that the sobs wouldn't be too loud and spark his mother's attention. He doesn't want to talk to her about it. He doesn't want to tell anyone.

He feels dirty. The feel of Henry Bowers' hands all over him is still present and sending shivers down his spine. The feel of his wet lips against his own and the words he muttered close to his ear. Eddie can still feel his breath too.

Still, he can't stop thinking about Richie. How he's betrayed him. What would Richie think if he found out about this? Would he think I'm a dirty slut? Would he break up with me?

Eddie lets out a small cry at the thought, tears racing down the sides of his face. "I-I'm sorry, Chee. I didn't wan-want to." His cries are interrupted by hiccups, lips quivering mercilessly. Although nobody can hear his words, not even himself, he wishes that Richie could.

Eddie chokes on a hiccup and pulls his body up from the bed, sitting up. His hands clasp tightly onto his blue inhaler, bringing it to his shaky lips and pressing the trigger a few times in a row. The medication engulfs his lungs and allows him some time to calm down. He spends a few moments to control his breathing and wiping away his tears, trying to compose himself again. Thankfully, this distracts him from all of the sad thoughts and brings his attention back to reality.

The room is silent, nothing within that would be causing any sound other than his own uneven breathing. The boy's brown doe eyes gently scan the room for no reason in particular, until they set on the window. The glass is foggy from condensation, the outside world blurred away. Eddie lets out a soft sigh and glances away again...

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Eddie sees something move. A tingle defends down his spine and his head turns towards the window within seconds. What he then sees manages to form a bright smile across his face, dimples and all.

There's a heart drawn onto the foggy glass, one that resembles a five-year-olds illustrations. Behind it, through the glass, Eddie can see a mess of black curly hair and a pair of piercing dark eyes that are squinted from a grin. Eventually a large hand is placed against the window and dragged along, clearing the view to reveal the entirety of Richie's gorgeous face.

Eddie's smile grows even wider somehow, a playful giggle finding its way out too once he stands from the bed and approaches the window. The boy on the other side of the glass bites down on his lower lip with his hand still pressed against the barrier, watching close until Eddie is right on the other side.

"Hey, baby-cakes." Richie's voice is muffled through the glass, but that doesn't matter anyway as the window is clear enough for Eddie to read his lips and giggle again.

The small boy's eyes are lit up with happiness, and he raises his own hand to press onto the glass too, right against Richie's. Only then does he realise how big Richie's hands are, and how small his are.

"W-What are you doing here?" Eddie's voice is still a little shaky from all of the crying he's done. He can only hope that Richie's doesn't notice.