real; reddie

t w e n t y

"i'm really sorry for just barging in like this."

eddie is guilty as he sinks into will's couch, his two-thirds-empty paper coffee cup replaced now with a ceramic mug that sends warmth throughout his body. his hair is sticking up in all directions due to stress grooming it, and his foot is tapping the ground anxiously.

"eds, it's seriously okay," will offers a crooked smile and pats eddie's knee before leaning back into his spot. "are you going to tell me what happened?"

"oh, yeah, of course," eddie shakes his head as if it was the dumbest thing in the world for him to have forgotten the entire reason he had shown up on will's doorstep in the first place, and he shoves a hand through his hair again. "okay, uh, so after the dinner, you dropped me off, and i went inside, and richie was already there. he was really stressed, and so of course i asked him why, and he, uh, he explained to me why, and-"

"was it because of me?"

"what?" eddie looks confused at the interruption, and cocks his head in question. "was what because of you?"

"was he stressed because of me, is what i meant," will restates, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, looking somewhat concerned. "am i the reason that he was stressed in the first place?"

eddie doesn't really know how to respond, because he doesn't want will to think it's his fault, but it kind of sort of is just in a small tiny way, and eddie isn't really sure how to explain any of it. "no, um. it wasn't you specifically, he was just...worrying over all the faking."

will nods, but he looks unconvinced.

eddie pretends he doesn't notice. "basically, he told me that you flirted with me a lot, which i obviously told him was crazy, because we're friends, and he said that we're only friends because of blackmail, which, like, i guess isn't a lie but also that's not the only reason we're friends and that shouldn't be held against you forever, because you're actually a nice person and stuff, but richie kept insisting that this was all too much, the pretending and the fake break up and all the hang outs with you. you know him, he gets jealous. and i was telling him there was nothing to worry about, obviously, but he couldn't take it, and so he just kept insisting he couldn't do it anymore, and somehow that turned into us breaking up."

eddie isn't crying, because the weight of the situation hadn't even begun to hit him yet. it has always been richie and him, and his brain can't really understand the idea of it ever not being the two of them, so he just kind of stews in his disbelief.

"plus, after that, i had nowhere to go. i guess i could've stayed there, but in the heat of the moment i left. and i couldn't go to anyone else's house because they already thought we were broken up, so what would i say? that i'd been living with him the whole time? anyway, i'm sorry for barging in, but i didn't know where else to go."

eddie finally shuts up. will offers his hand, and squeezes eddie's comfortingly. "it's okay. you can stay as long as you need."

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whoop there it is