one-sided || reddie [COMPLETED]

identity

the next day, eddie came to school wearing some dark outfit: a black leather jacket, a black oversize t-shirt from a rock band he had never heard about and black ripped jeans. he was also wearing a neck chain and a lot of rings on his fingers.
his hair was messier than usual and he had a dark red shirt around his waist. his black boots made him look badass and everybody in the corridor stared at him.

eddie usually wore light red shorts and yellow polo shirts.

"hey richie. look up." Stanley warned him.

richie was focused on his locker when stan tapped his shoulder. with a sigh, richie turned around and stared at the e-boy walking towards him.

"what the-"

but eddie was already standing in front of him.

"bathroom. now." eddie told him, with a pretty severe voice.

richie didn't know how to react so he just nodded and followed him. he didn't know what was wrong with eddie after what he told him but he was sure about one thing: he hadn't been his true self lately. and even though he thought eddie looked hot in that outfit, he wanted his old eddie back.

once they were in the bathroom, eddie closed the door behind him and made sure they were alone.

"what are you wearing?" richie asked him.

"i-i don't know." eddie answered, trying not to cry. "my dad forced me to!"

"oh-"

"my dad's dead, richie!"

richie blinked without understanding any single word.

"okay, so i may got lost in that part."

"the day of the arcade" eddie started to narrate. "i got this call from my mom but it wasn't her. it was a man that said he had kidnapped my mom and told me it was my father. then he made me to this dares so he would be proud of me or something."

richie stepped closer to him.

"is that why you said that at the arcade?"

"yes! I'm sorry if i hurt you, rich, it was never my intention. but i was scared something would-"

"god! jeez!" richie said, breathing calmly. "i knew there had to be a logical explanation for that."

eddie smiled shyly, glad that richie believed him. his father told him not to talk to the police but he said nothing about telling everything to richie.

"but" richie continued. "why would he make you say that?"

eddie gulped and blushed lightly.

"i-i think he knew about my feelings for you..."

richie looked at him, clueless about what he meant, until he thought about it for a while.

"oh..." was the only thing he said.

eddie looked at the floor, ashamed, and put his hands on his pockets. it wasn't until then when richie noticed eddie was even wearing eyeliner. he thought it looked cute on him, even though he didn't draw the line correctly. maybe he could teach him.

"eddie i-" eddie looked up at him and richie fount himself speechless. "screw it."

"what were you going to say, chee?"

the fucking nickname blew everything apart.

"i love you, eddie. i mean i like you, not love just li-"

"i love you too, dumbass."

suddenly, richie felt eddie's hands on his cheeks and before he could kiss him, richie flinched.