Wait For It || Reddie ✔️

- 38 -

Eddie soon dozed off on Richie's shoulder. His cup leaned against his leg, dangerously close to spilling. Richie gently pulled it out of his limp grasp and without moving, reached over the armrest and set them down on the side table. He settled back into the comfort of cuddling with Eddie, a small smile on his face.

He focused on the last few minutes of the movie, not thinking of the car engine rumbling down the street. The engine cut off in his driveway, a car door slamming a moment later. "Oh shit," Richie mumbled, his hand hovering in the air for a second as he panicked. "Eds," he said gently, shaking the boys shoulder. "Eddie!"

His eyes shot open, them darting around before falling on Richie. "What?" He asked as he pushed himself up, the blanket pooling around his waist. "What's going on?" Richie jumped up and opened his mouth to speak but the sound of the front door opening cut him off. He spun around as his father walked in, sunlight spilling into the entry way.

"Richie," Wentworth said, dropping his work bag onto the floor. Richie's heart pounded out of his chest and Eddie stayed deathly still, his eyes wide with panic. "You know the rules. How many times am I going to have to repeat this?" He asked as he moved into the living room, his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes darted down to Eddie and Richie stepped to the side, covering him. "I'm too tired to deal with your bullshit, Rich. But if you're going to sneak friends in, at least don't be a dumbass about it. You left your bikes in the driveway." He raised a hand and motioned outside, sighing deeply. He rubbed his eyes and turned to walk down the hall to his bedroom. "Next time I'm going to run over that damn thing."

Richie didn't move until the door down the hall shut. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, not saying a word as he threw it onto the couch and grabbed the cups. "Richie?" Eddie asked, watching as he walked into the kitchen. "Richie." He spun around, the water sloshing over the sides and spilling onto his hands. He sighed and moved to set the cups down next to the sink, grabbing a towel as Eddie walked in.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Eds," Richie apologized as he dried his hands. Eddie shook his head, guilt weighing down on his chest. "Don't be sorry. Your dads an asshole anyway." Richie breathed out a short laugh and tossed the towel onto the counter. "I guess." The two didn't say anything more as Richie stared at the wall, giving himself a second to bounce back into his old self.

He pushed out a quick breath and looked at Eddie. "Wanna go upstairs to my room?" He asked, "We can play two-person spin the bottle." Eddie felt his breathing stop for a second. "I.." he trailed off and watched as Richie walked past him to the stairs. "You know you want to," he called over his shoulder. Eddie rolled his eyes and followed Richie up the stairs. "You're so weird."

~~~

Eddie awoke with the sun the next morning. It was still quite early, Richie's parents having just left for work. Eddie rolled his head to the side and saw Richie still fast asleep, an arm flung over Eddie's side. A small smile crossed his face and he studied Richie's peaceful expression. He reached up and kissed his forehead lightly, a silent apology for what he's about to do.

Eddie slid out of Richie's limp grasp and quietly got out of bed. As he grabbed his shoes, he noticed the paper and pencils still laying on the desk from their drawing contest. He glanced over at the still sleeping Richie as he shoved a foot into the shoe before jumping to his feet.

Richie,

Before you freak out, I know what I'm doing. I stayed up half the night thinking about it and you're not going to change my mind. I felt really bad about getting you into trouble yesterday and I feel bad about you having to sneak me around, even if your parents don't notice.

It's better if I keep you out of trouble, chee.

I'm not doing anything stupid like running away - you know I'd never leave this shithole town without you.

Eddie

The letter was a bit longer than Eddie expected it to be but it got the gist. He opened the door, a hand on the doorknob as he casted one more glance to Richie. He sighed and closed his eyes, pulling the door closed behind him.

~~~

Birds flew above Eddie's head as he biked down the sidewalk to a place he hadn't seen in weeks. A few times in his bike ride, the temptation to turn around and climb back into bed with Richie overcame him, but he knew he would only get Richie into more trouble if he stayed. Eddie's bike slowed as he turned up the driveway. He sat on his bike for a moment longer, staring at the front door. The overgrowing weeds and bushes warned Eddie not to come any closer, but he didn't listen.

He breathed in deeply and knocked. Footsteps could be heard from inside and his feet burned with the urge to run away, but he stayed put. Sonia opened the door, her curious expression disappearing when she saw her son. "Eddie?" Her question sounded more like a statement. Eddie shifted his weight and looked down. "Uh.. Hi, Momma," he said. Her mouth fell into a thin line as she gripped the doorknob.

"Well, aren't you going to come inside?" She asked, opening the door wider. Eddie swallowed through the lump in his throat and nodded, stepping back into the personal prison he thought he escaped from forever.