𝑺𝑳𝑬𝑬𝑷𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑫𝑬𝑳𝑰𝑽𝑬𝑹𝒀 , reddie

night 12

as soon as richie arrived, he walked casually to the couch.

richie had a habit that eddie has just recently picked up on. richie would fiddle with the blossom keychain on his backpack. it hung on his phone now, it didn't fit richie toziers 'edgy hot basketball player' aesthetic. when eddie thought deeply it seemed really off.

richie started complaining about his battery. "dammit, this shitty thing can barely stay alive."

he was grumbling but he still fiddled with the keychain in his hand.

he never talked about it, but it seemed special to him.

"rich, that keychain.." eddie had picked up a habit of calling richie 'rich' or 'chee' richie always said it was annoying, but he would blush softly and smile. "it seems very important to you."

"hm?"

"you carry it around, every time i see you. it seems really special to you."

"not really." richie turned his eyes to eddies bag where a matching keychain hung. "not really." he whispered.

"you must think a lot about the elementary school days." eddie started thinking on this now. his hand rested on his fanny pack.

"all elementary schools are the same," richie started sourly. "no big deal."

'stop brushing me off you idiot.'

"what could have happened during elementary school?" eddie wondered aloud, looking down at his own keychain.

richie waved him off. "how about we go to bed ed's? your bein crazy."

richie was pushing eddie around more than usual. maybe something important happened in elementary school? or something sad? eddie really had no clue, and richie wouldn't tell him anything.

"rich-"come, come, off we go."

eddie lied still now, covered by soft blankets. the curiosity did not stop, however. it only seemed to grow deeper.

"go to sleep." richies voice was soft in the yellow glow of the room, everything was soft. richies warm hand covered eddies eyes. "don't think about strange things."

what was it about elementary school?

richie always blushed when eddie brought it up. it was odd.

there was something that popped up in eddies mind, the thought popped out of eddies mouth before he even realized it.

"first love?"

richie paused like he was caught in deadlights.

"oh! so i was right?" eddie turned over in the bed to him now, amusement on his face. "is it really your first love."

eddie unconsciously leaned closer, his eyes looked up at richie, and even with the lighting darker, he could see richies face was red.

eddie poked richies cheek with a smile, showing off his faint dimples. richies heart flipped when he saw them.

'seriously, how cuter can he get?' he took a heavy breath.

"so how long have you been dating your first love?" eddie paused a little. "oh, is it one-sided?"

richie furrowed his brow and adjusted his glasses. "wow ed's, you're pretty nosy."

he quieted down a bit. "but.. you don't know how i feel."

"i'm curios."

"can't you just shut your mouth," richie covers eddies face again and forces him to lie down. "go to sleep now."

eddie breathed. when he blinked his eyes, brushing his eyelashes over richies palm, richies hand would twitch.

eddie pulled richies hand down and held it on his chest. he looked up to richie who looked dreary.

"what makes you so curious?" he asked.

eddie shrugged. "i don't know, i think it's interesting."

"dammit ed's, you'd be nicer if you didn't speak." richie laughed. "was that a good chuck? enough for ya, ed's?"

"don't call me ed's," eddie mumbles. "richie, is it something you don't want to remember? i'll shut up.." eddie trailed off.

"maybe, maybe not."

eddie looked over at richie, the blankets ruffled.

"do you still like her?"

richie paused. eddie thought he would deny it, or maybe ignore him, but richie looked at him.

he looked at eddie through his thick frames like he was deciding something.

"he was a very mature boy, unlike his peers. i didn't get a proper chance to talk to him."

eddies mouth opened and closed, his heart raced. richie really just..

"richie.."

but richie kept going.

"even if he was hard at times, he always pretended, and i couldn't take my eyes off that," richie inhaled nervously. "it was unusual for me to worry about someone."

the more he spoke the more eddies heart throbbed. eddies mouth went dry and his mind went blank.

'holy shit.' that was all he thought.

it was.. different. when he saw richies eyes filled with yearning between the gap of his fingers- eddie closed his eyes without knowing.

"i bet he doesn't know about it," richie went on. "that i liked him."

richies voice got softer. "that i even asked him out."

eddie could not come up with an answer now. 'who would turn richie down?'

there were so many words rolling around in eddies mouth, dancing on the tip of his tongue, but he could not get them out.

eddie thought now that he shouldn't have asked.

now there was only deep regret and no more curiosity.