Reddie Oneshots

Stupid Deep Pt.9

At some indeterminate time past midnight on one of the most crucial nights of Eddie's life (in terms of how much he'd like to be sleeping), he is woken up by a quick shake to his hip. He groans as he wrenches his eyes open, having only just really fallen asleep, and blinks with difficulty. Moonlight and light pollution are streaming in through the window. Richie is staring at him with wide eyes from the space between their pillows. His hair is wild and he's bathed in cool bluish light. "Eddie," he says softly.

"What," Eddie mutters, eyes falling shut.

"Are you asleep?"

Eddie pries his eyes back open specifically to send him a scathing look. "I was, thanks for asking."

Richie blinks a half dozen times in quick succession. He probably can't see shit in this low lighting and without his glasses on, but he's looking straight at Eddie like he can find all of the answers to the universe in his eyes or some shit. "Eddie," he says, quiet and serious. "You're not gonna abandon me at the altar, right?"

Eddie's heart softens, even though his eyes are still protesting and his head is throbbing. "Richie," he says. "Why the fuck would I do that."

"I don't know," Richie says. "Remember Mamma Mia? The first one? She just, like, cancelled the wedding. And they were still in love!"

Eddie frowns. "Are you saying...we're not in love?"

"Huh? No. Wait. Anyway, you've never even seen that movie, probably."

"No," Eddie admits, rubbing his gritty eyes with his knuckles. "Rich, are you okay?"

"No," Richie says, like it's fact. "Hey, you're not having second thoughts, right? You can tell me if you are. I'll understand. I just want you to realize it before the actual wedding."

Fumblingly, Eddie reaches out to frame Richie's face with his hands instead. "Richie. Are you having second thoughts? It sounds like you're having second thoughts."

He feels as much as he sees Richie shake his head vigorously. "No, no, I'm not, Eds. I'm not. I'm so in. I'm all in. Why, how would you feel if I was? Would you be relieved? Are you trying to drop hints that you'd be relieved if I was having second thoughts?"

"Richie," Eddie says, holding his cheeks firmly. "Baby."

"I don't have abandonment issues, what are you talking about?" Richie says, voice a little panicked.

Eddie has to smile a little bit at that, because Richie is a mess and Eddie is usually a mess and it's kind of nice, not being the one who's a mess sometimes. And because Richie is a predictable mess, and it's bizarre that Eddie didn't expect this to happen. Everything had been so smooth up until now. So chill. Richie making dumbass suggestions and Eddie shooting them down. Eddie stressing out over booking things in time and Richie giving him sloppy blowjobs in the bathrooms of venues they're touring. Just, generally, Eddie being stressed about dumb details, and Richie laughing and telling him to relax, babe, I can help with that. He should have expected this.

"You're fucking stupid," he says, in his most loving voice.

Richie sighs exaggeratedly. "I know. Can you, like, cuddle me and shit?"

Eddie doesn't respond—just lifts his arms a little bit so that Richie can wriggle closer and smush his face directly into Eddie's chest, like he's a child. Eddie wraps his arms around him and pats his back rhythmically with one hand, uses the other to cradle the back of his head gently. Richie tangles their legs together, one hand tight on Eddie's hip, sniffling against his shirt. It's cute; Eddie tips his face to kiss the top of his head.

"This is nice," Richie says pathetically.

"You're fucking stupid," Eddie says again, letting his tired eyes flutter back closed. "Hey, you wanna know something?"