Reddie Oneshots

reddie eating disorder fic part 1

its ACTUALLY named "if you are the cliff, i am the water beneath" on ao3 by the middle of mars.
⚠️HUGE MAJOR TRIGGER WARNING⚠️
rape, eating disorder, and im sure plenty more. keep that in mind and stay safe loves 💕

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His childhood, if he thought about it, was his mother crying. It was the pressure on his chest from his father's death, his mother nosediving into depression. He answered the phone when his school called, asking why he had been absent for a week— he answered that he couldn't get to school and they told him to ride a bike. But he didn't have money for a bike, he only had a handful of coins.

When he did go back to school, however, he was corned by his teacher who gasped upon seeing him, her hands covering his mouth. "You look so sick, Eddie!" She cried as the kids ran out to recess. He wasn't going to lie, he felt sick. He felt dizzy and he couldn't stay awake. He only came to school because his mother was threatened.

His teacher sat down with him in one of the empty desks. "Eddie, what happened?"

"My dad died. And my mom is sad." He says, his voice flat and emotionless. His teacher frowns and touches his arm.

"Is she taking care of you?"

Eddie shrugs. "I can do it myself, I let her sleep. She says she's tired. I don't want to make her upset."

"Has she been feeding you? Have you had anything you eat?"

"Kinda. But we ran out of stuff. Mommy says she'll go to the store soon."

His principal went home with him that day, knocking on his mothers front door. His mother answered in a crumpled nightgown, her hair in tangles around her head, and dark circles beneath her eyes. She glanced down at Eddie and then up at the principal. "Wha'd he do?"

"Nothing, ma'am. I just wanted to check in on his wellbeing, yours as well. How are you?" He asks and Eddie shuffles his feet, avoiding his mother's gaze. He didn't want to wake her up. He never wakes her up.

"Fine. Fine. Everything is fine. We're well taken care of-"Eddie's mother reaches forward and yanks Eddie's hand, pulling him inside. "We don't need anything."

"That's fine, Ms. Kaspbrak. Like I said, I just wanted to check on you. The Sheriff's office can confirm this."

"Sheriffs office?"

"Just for a wellness check. They're going to make sure you guys have everything you need and be on their way."

"But we do!"

"Then it will be quick, Ms. Kaspbrak. Have a nice day, see you tomorrow, Eddie."

-x-

He's never seen his mother move faster than she had before. She used to take him along for grocery shopping all the time, holding his hand as they moved up and down the aisles. She was practically running. Grabbing everything that was affordable or had a coupon and throwing it in the cart. Their haul was a lot of junk food. Chips, Cookies, Eggos, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Microwave Meals. To Eddie, it was heaven seeing all of these things going home with them, and he stared with gluttony as his mother put them away in their home.

She wouldn't look at him, and he didn't speak to her, figuring she didn't want to be bothered right then. But she took out a package of Oreos and dropped it in front of him— "Eat, you look too skinny." — and ran off to her bathroom to clean up before the wellness check.

The results turned up fine, proving that Eddie Kaspbrak was living in a good home with sustainable meals and working appliances. But after they left his mother curled on the couch, devouring bags of chips, ice cream, and cookies. Crying into the empty bowls as the glow of the TV reflected in her tears.