the other you - reddie spider-man au

S E V E N

"thank you, spiderman. designed it myself." eddie smiled, and combed his hand through his messy hair.

richie giggled, eddie heard the giggle perfectly even through the mask. the mask didn't actually do anything to
sifile his voice like you'd expect. no, the sound travels through the spandex like it wasn't even there.

"hey, spiderman.?" eddie whispered, sliding off the bed onto the floor with the masked boy.

"yeah, eds?" richie smiled turning his hands over, up for grabs, only if eddie wanted to.

"don't call me that. but, um, i'm glad you came." eddie confessed. his head dropped low as a slight pink crept onto his cheeks.

without thinking, richie used his gloved hand to pick up eddies head by his chin, looking him in his puppy dog eyes.
he smiled and eddie knew it was there. eddies face once filled with shock was now smiling back at this masked figure.

"me too."

eddies smile turned to a frown looking to the left. richies hand moved from eddies chin to the side of his cheek.

"are you okay?" he asked, inching closer.

"yeah, i guess. i mean, life is just kind of hard with my mom. she makes me and everyone around uncomfortable. always yelling and screaming. i cant take it anymore, i want to get away from her." eddie's cheeks turned red as his eyes glazed over.
richie nodded, scooting closer again trying to look more open. he could tell eddie wanted to go on and on. eddie grabbed richies hand off of his cheek to put it into his own. "i don't know why i'm telling you all this, but you make me feel safe. sure, you're a superhero but- i feel like you'll always understand."

"i do, i do understand." richie smiled as eddie looked up. richie knew eddie saw his smile even through the mask.

"it must be hard to have a parental figure act like a child. my parents were basically children when they had me, i don't see them anymore." richie confessed, wanting eddie to feel comfortable with him.

"awh spidey i'm so sorry. i wish i could help." eddie smiled at him, tears begging to fall out of his eyes.

"no need to say you're sorry, it happened awhile ago. you're going through stuff now, i want to listen to you." richie gripped eddies hand harder.

"yeah, i guess you're right. i just can't believe that she drove me to the point of.. of um you know." the tears were forming bigger, ready to fall at any second.

"i know, and it's okay to not be okay sometimes." richie smiled, he loved knowing eddie found comfort in him. he wanted that feeling to last.
the feeling of utter safeness.

eddies head dropped down, slowly making its way onto spider-man's chest. richie pulled him closer, subsiding into the heat of the smallest boys body, he wrapped his arms around eddies back as eddie did the same.
eddies tears were now falling, they feel off his cheeks as they had the night before. and the night before that.
but these tears felt different, eddie didn't know why the felt different.. they just did.

but richie knew, they were tears of finally being heard.