Kisses | Reddie

thirtysix ☆ a crush

by: mere1018 on wattpad (my heart goes uwu for this author)

"First words out of your mouth should've been, 'Hey, wanna come to Derry and get murdered?' Because then I would've said no," Richie said. Eddie nodded in agreement and followed Richie.

"I'll meet you at the Inn, Eds. Then we can get out of this shithole." Richie got in his car.
Eddie felt something weird when Richie called him that, he felt tingly and a blush creep up his neck and cover his cheeks. Why was he blushing? He'd been feeling weird around Richie all night now that he thought about it, like butterflies had been flying around his stomach.

Eddie shook it off and got in his car, driving back to the Derry Inn. He got out as Richie did, and the two went upstairs. Eddie quickly threw stuff in his huge suitcases, cursing himself for packing so much. Then he heard a knock on his door. Before he could yell for whoever it was to come in, Richie poked his head around the door and smiled, walking into Eddie's room.

"Hey Eds! Jesus, you don't pack light, do you?" Richie laughed at how many clothes and medications he had.

"My wife would never let me leave without all of it." Eddie finished shoving the clothes into his second suitcase. Richie's smile faltered slightly; of course he was upset Eddie had married someone. The second he heard that high-pitched voice, the second he saw Eddie's dimpled smile, the second he'd even gotten the call about Derry, he had remembered Eddie. His Eddie.

He'd remembered his feelings for the small, asthmatic hypochondriac who he had always shared a hammock with. And the entire night he had been trying to ignore them, becuse Eddie was married. But hearing Eddie talk about her, and seeing what she was doing to Eddie, Richie realized who Eddie had married; his own mother.

And while that was usually the perfect opportunity for a joke, Richie cold see Eddie was trapped, wanting to get out.

"She's already called me a million times," Eddie sighed and showed Richie the calls and texts from Myra, yelling at him. Richie had had it.
He took Eddie's phone and blocked Myra's number, throwing it into his suitcase and zipping it shut.

Eddie blinked, and then slowly his face split into a huge smile and he was laughing so hard he had to hold onto Richie. Richie joined in, laughing too and wrapping his arm around Eddie. He was still so small.

"I think we need to talk," Richie blurted out, not sure why he had said it. Eddie stopped laughing slowly and looked at him.
Now Richie had gotten himself in deep shit. There was no turning back.

"Eddie..." He looked down at the man in front of him, trying to find the words. "When we were younger, I had a crush on you."

"Really?" Eddie said softly. He couldn't explain the feelings exploding around in his heart right now. He felt like his heart was going to pound so hard it fell out of his chest.

Richie did not look the same. He was pale as a ghost, ad he looked like he could start crying. His eyes were wide and he was staring straight down. He had always been terrified of his sexuality, and now it was out there. He couldn't breathe.

"Richie..." Eddie slowly reached out, intertwining his short fingers with Richie's long, nimble ones. Richie looked up at him with wide eyes. "I had a crush on you, too."

A tear slid down Richie's cheek and he shook his head. "No... No Eddie, it's not just that."

"Then what is it, Rich?" He creased his eyebrows. Why was Richie so upset over a crush from 27 years ago?

"I still like you! The minute I saw your stupid face, my heart threw up all over itself! I've kept this damn inhaler all these years and I didn't even know why!" He pulled out Eddie's old spare inhaler, it was empty but Richie had never been able to throw it out. Any time he heard someone take a heavy breath, his hand instinctively flew to the inhaler, but he had no idea why. Now he knew.