adjectives | reddie

twenty&three - loving

i laid in bed, richie beside me, listening to the fireworks that were still going off at five in the morning. everyone had left to go home, but richie decided that he wanted to tag along to go home with me. so, we both stared at the ceiling beside each other for a while, not quite knowing what to say. richie, for once in his life, seemed to be biting his tongue as hard as he could. however, i never brought it up for the fear of making it more awkward.

instead, we both flipped over at the exact same time, looking at each other silently under the covers. the moonlight seemed to reflect into richie's pale skin. his breaths were slow and calm, but it looked as if a million thoughts were floating around in his head. i slowly broke eye contact and leaned my head onto his chest.

"what's wrong, tozier?" the words rolled out my mouth slowly. the words were breathy, tired, but still concerned. i heard a sigh fall out of his mouth as his chest fell. his arms wrapped around me for a moment, making me feel slightly more secure.

i took a deep breath to, gently closing my eyes. "you remember greta," i laughed drowsily, "she was a bitch."

"i bet she's missing you at the pharmacy," richie responded with a chuckle. i felt his chest jump with every laugh.

"she joked i needed gay pills," i played with a singular curl behind his head, "i certainly believe she's right this time."

"maybe there's actually something special about her."

the conversation dropped after richie's final remark. we both dropped our heads and laid down. the air felt tense again, suffocating me. i thought of something, anything to say. it was obvious that a lot was on his mind as he stared up at the ceiling almost blankly. i craned my neck to watch him carefully. his mouth drew open as he took a deep breath and began speaking.

"that," pause, "kiss didn't mean anything," he paused again, "right?"

"no," i answered simply, "bill is my best friend, nothing more."

i thought back to the conversation between stanley and richie. luckily, i had went downstairs before they even left the room, not caring to hear the rest of the conversation. everything was okay, so there was no need to hear anything. i sat downstairs, away from bill so that stanley could sit next to him when he arrived downstairs with richie trailing behind him.

i remembered stanley's adjective: 'calm'. his adjectives were always similar to that before sophomore year. he would occasionally appear with good or bad, but they mainly were neutral adjectives. however, september and forward had been an emotional roller coaster for everyone, but it seemed to go way too fast. it had only been a few months, but everything was different, and not necessarily in a bad way. i had more friends, and i had richie.

they say life flashed before your eyes when you are about to die. the best and worst moments come together in your final moments where everything clicks. i'm driven to believe that half of the memories that will come back in my final moments have happened in the last five months; i especially think richie will be in most.

i finally spoke again after a long pause, "everyone has their person, and bill and i are not each other's persons."

"you're my person," richie mumbled.

"and you're mine."

"no need to get all sappy on me, loser," he laughed, putting two fingers on my forehead and pushing me back playfully. he let out a laugh after i gave him a playful smile.

"fuck off, tozier!" i laughed, "you're such an idiot!"

—

my head ached slightly as i lifted my head from my pillow softly. richie laid beside me peacefully, still sleeping. his lips were slightly parted, taking small, barely audible breaths. my eyes were glued to his face.

serene

i brushed a piece of hair off of his face, causing him to move for a moment. the piece of hair fell back onto his face when he moved his head in his sleep. a long breath came out of his mouth when his body relaxed again.

my mind was moved away from richie when the door creaked open. i felt my body freeze, afraid of a scream or a shout. however, no scream came, just two voices speaking.

"i told you richie would come over here!" stanley whispered. the creaking of the door finally stopped.

"well i-i didn't th-think that eddie wuh-would let him!" bill responded in a hushed tone, "they're so c-cute though."

"yeah," stanley agreed, tapping on the door, "maybe we should come later."

"i'm awake, you know," i turned over and looked at the two. they were both at the door, faces pressed against each other's. their eyes widened when i looked between the both of them. "but be quiet because richie is asleep." they both nodded.

"we were wondering if you guys wanted to go get something to eat," stanley explained, walking into the room with bill and closing the door. he sat on the end of my bed and waited for a response. i looked over at him and sat up, leaning on the wall behind my bed.

"sure," i nodded, "i'll see you outside in twenty minutes." bill and stanley both nodded and walked out of the room. bill whispered something into stanley's ears as he closed the door, making him laugh. i looked over at richie again, putting a hand on his cheek. "richie," i whispered, "come on, tozier."

he groaned, starting to turn over, but i grabbed his shoulders and turned him. "i know you're up, dipshit,"

"fuck off i'm tired," he sighed, opening his eyes slowly. i smiled putting my hand on his forehead and pushing him slightly. he then seemed to have woken up, lunging forward and smothering me in a hug. he rolled around the head back and forth. i told him to stop with a quiet laugh, but he refused, "this is what you get!"

"get off me, idiot!" i whispered with a small chuckle. he finally let go, turning to land on the other side of the bed. deep breaths came out of his mouth as he continued laughing.

loving