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n i n e t e e n

"what the fuck?"

eddie continues repeating the same few words over and over in his head, unsure of what had happened. he had begun the day kissing his boyfriend, laughing with his friends, enjoying his time, and he'd ended it in the midst of a sour argument, fleeing his apartment, now single.

what had he done? what had richie done? the entire fight didn't even make sense! richie agreed that playing along with will's game would be better for them, and so that's what eddie was doing. playing along. so what if he'd come to realize that will was somewhat nice after getting to know him? of course, amidst the blackmail and such. but still, richie's jealously was a dumb reason to end such a strong relationship.

eddie thinks back to what he could've done differently, and he comes to realize that if he had maybe attempted to see richie's point of view, he could've avoided the entire thing.

however, eddie cannot bring himself to understand what richie meant. he genuinely could not see will's toxicity and flirtatious behaviour. his kindhearted nature prevented him from spotting the man's actions, that were just slightly off from what a friends should be.

eddie is on the bus, his foot tapping against the dirty floor, hand gripped tightly around one of the handrails. he's not really sure where to go at this point, and his mind is foggy as the bus rolls over some potholes.

the small boys knuckles turn white, and he's in a daze as the sun begins to set and people enter and exit the bus. he doesn't know what to do, and he feels hopeless, because he's newly single, even though he really really doesn't want to be, and he's upset and confused with richie, but ultimately sad because, fuck, he loves him, but fuck, his judgement is so cloudy right now.

as the bus nears the last stop of the route, eddie sighs as he checks the street sign. he can't really continue sitting there, as the bus would continue going in loops until the bus service shut down for the night, not bringing him any closer to the answer he so desperately needs at the time.

so, without any clue what to do, he climbs off the bus, stopping on the sidewalk and peering around is contemplation. he spots a coffee shop and heads there to get a drink, hoping that in the fifteen minutes it takes, he would come up with some sort of solution.

while waiting in line for his tea, which he'd ordered in hopes of it calming his nerves and clearing his mind, eddie decides that he cannot go back to his apartment, nor does he have anyone he could stay with. his friends already believed him and richie were broken up, so he can't go to them now, saying he can't go back to their shared home. he can't go home to his mother, because their relationship is broken enough, and he doesn't have the money for a hotel.

eddie is clutching his warm drink between his fingers as his eyes land on a familiar building across the street, and he mentally slaps himself for not thinking of it earlier, immediately crossing to the other side and walking with intent. it's not ideal, but it's better than nothing, right?

"eddie?" his friend questions when he opens the door just ten minutes later, hair a fluffy mess and an old, faded t-shirt covering his torso.

"hey," eddie offers a shy smile, already feeling guilty for just appearing. "i, uh, i hope i'm not intruding."

"no, not at all," the door is then opened wider. "come in."

eddie smiles nervously. "thanks, will."

-

hello i'm alive! i know i say that every time i pop in but <3 i love u guys! i honestly don't think i'll be super active again for a while but i have quite a few chapters written for some of my books that i can post for y'all if you want them! :)