self-acceptance // reddie

three

As Eddie's alarm sounded throughout his bedroom, he snuggled impossibly closer to his pillow, not wanting to get out of bed.

"Eddie Bear!" Mrs. Kaspbrak knocked lightly on her son's door once she realized he was awake. "Can I come in, honey?"She waited patiently until she received permission through Eddie's sleepy mumbling. "Oh, baby, you have to get out of bed and go to school!" Eddie, however, grumbled in protest.

"No, mama," Eddie lazily pulled his covers over his head. "Don't want to go today."

"Eddie! You have to get out of bed, sweetie. I know that it's hard to get out of bed sometimes, but you have to, baby!" Mrs. Kaspbrak kneeled next to his bed, gently removing the covers off of his head. She brushed his slightly curly hair out of the way as she pressed her palm to his scorching forehead. "Eddie, baby! You're sick, honey. How do you feel? What hurts?" Eddie only grunted in response. Mrs. Kaspbrak immediately rose to her feet, scurrying to the bathroom to retrieve pills for her ill boy.

Sonia groaned to herself as she realized that she had forgotten to restock the medicine that always made her son feel better when he had a fever. She started to panic as she thought about how disappointed Eddie would be that he had to wait even longer to feel better. She shuffled back to his bedroom with a frown painted on her face. She explained to Eddie that his medicine was all out, and she had to run to the pharmacy. Sonia apologized multiple times for not restocking the medicine before they needed it again, but Eddie told her that she had nothing to worry about. He was just so grateful to have a mother that would go above and beyond for him anytime he needed her.

"I'll be back soon, baby," she pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Text me if you need anything, okay?" Eddie nodded in response, smiling weakly. "I love you, Eddie Bear."

As soon as Eddie heard his mom shuffle down the stairs, he pulled his covers up again, cursing silently as he realized she had left without turning the lights off. He attempted to get into a comfortable position yet again, hoping to peacefully fall back asleep. To his disappointment, his phone let out a familiar ding, signifying that he received a notification from Instagram. He groaned as he pushed his phone in front of his eyes, squinting at the screen.
"Trashmouthtozier started following you," the message read, confusing Eddie. Who is trashmouthtozier? He thought, racking his brain for any memories it could find. He unlocked his phone to get to the profile. His eyes, now adjusting to the brightness of the screen, cautiously scanned each picture that the account had posted. Before Eddie could ask himself where he had seen that face before, his brain hit him with the realization - it was the cute boy from the coffee shop! He remembered that his first impression was how soft the boy's curly hair looked; he hoped to one day run his fingers through it to test his theory. Instantly, he followed back. He was so eager to talk to him again that he didn't hesitant a second before sending him a message.

***

eddiekaspbrak: hey! you're the kid from the coffee shop! how did you find my insta?? I'm glad you did tho!!

trashmouthtozier: i did some highkey insta stalking lol!

trashmouthtozier: took a while, but i knew that we were destined to be friends haha

trashmouthtozier: I'm richie, you already know, but my last name is tozier

trashmouthtozier: and I'm a little bit of a trashmouth

trashmouthtozier: hence the username haha!

trashmouthtozier: shit - i just sent you so many messages - I'm sorry, I'm being kinda annoying :(

eddiekaspbrak: no! You're nowhere near annoying, don't ever think that! :) my full name is eddie kaspbrak haha, also hence my username ;) but hey rich it's so cool to meet ya!

eddiekaspbrak: do you think i could get your number?

trashmouthtozier: sureeee it's (123) 456-7890

eddiekaspbrak: cool, I'll definitely text you sometime soon! Thanks rich :)

Eddie locked his phone and grinned to himself. He finally made a new friend, and he could not have been happier. Satisfied with his recent conversation, he felt himself drift into a light sleep as he awaited his mother's return.

***

Richie hopped out of his car, nearly forgetting to unbuckle his seat belt. He was far too excited to remember such a simple thing - he needed to deliver some news to Stan. He had spent his whole drive to school thinking about how the Losers' Club desperately needed a new member; he had been feeling them fall apart, and once he met Eddie, he knew that he would be the glue to hold them all together. Something about him just struck Richie with a happy, warm feeling in his stomach, although he wasn't quite sure what it was. He was clueless as to why he hadn't felt anxious when he first met Eddie; he felt rather comfortable. When he normally meets new people, his anxiety seems to rocket to an all time high, except for a few select people. When he had met each different person in the Losers' Club, his anxiety seemed to fly out the window. When Richie had first encountered Stan, he was scared of the fact that he wasn't scared to be talking to someone new. With Stan, every conversation came so easily, and he would never understand why. He never knew how much he needed his best friend until he came along.

When Richie entered his Spanish classroom, he glanced around the room, noticing that Mike was standing next to Stan's desk. He grinned as he took long strides to greet his friends, practically running.

"Alright, lovebirds," Richie started, taking note of Mike brushing his hands through Stan's hair. "I have got some important news." The couple both rolled their eyes playfully before giving Richie their attention. "You guys know that kid I met at the coffee shop? Eddie?"

"Yes," Mike smiled softly. "Stan told me about him. Why? What's up?"

"He followed me back on Instagram this morning!" Richie's eyes were glowing with indescribable happiness. "And he even messaged me first! Anyway, he says he wants to be friends!" He couldn't help how wide his grin was becoming.

"What's his last name?" Mike questioned.

"Kaspbrak," he smiled goofily. "Eddie Kaspbrak!"

"Richie, dude!" Mike chuckled, his eyes widening. "Eddie's in my economics class! I talk to him sometimes!"

"And you didn't tell me about him? Mike, what the hell?!" Richie's mouth fell open and he gawked at Mike. "We could have had another member of the Losers' Club a long time ago!"

Mike playfully punched Richie's shoulder as the five minute bell rang. He pulled Stan's face toward his and he pressed their lips together, smiling into the kiss.

"Yuck!" Richie imitated a vomiting sound.

***
A/N: woah, a new chapter, that's cRaZy !!! I worked really hard on this one, it's slightly a filler chapter but it's kinda cute, so i like it. and please please please give me feedback because i want to know how people are liking this story !!