contrition || reddie

4

"Sonia, please," Frank puts a hand on her arm to calm her, but it only seems to irritate her.

"I have a right to be concerned, Frank. He's delicate," Sonia says, and oh, man, is Eddie getting shit for this later. The future victim's mother addresses Richie again. "Keep an eye on him, will you? And that Marsh girl. I always wonder, he never talks to me about any girls, and I-"

"Sonia," Frank firmly interrupts, linking the bridge of his nose.

Richie bites his lip to keep himself from laughing. He thinks Frank probably knows, you know, about Eddie. About his lack of interest in girls. Sure, Eddie hadn't told Richie yet, but come on. Richie's gaydar has never been wrong before, and it isn't about to malfunction today.

The rest of the conversation is uneventful. They discuss how Richie is settling in, the purpose of The Haven, a brief history that Richie zones entirely out of. Frank tells him that Eddie will be performing a small checkup after the meeting concludes (he'd asked if Richie wanted someone else instead, and Richie had tried not to show his enthusiasm as he assured Frank that Eddie would be just fine).

Frank escorts Richie out of the room, and some other kid walks in, looking just as nervous as Richie had. Frank shows Richie to the hospital wing, dropping him off at the room Eddie is apparently in.

Richie enters the room slowly, still a little shaken both from the meeting and from what a fantastic first impression he'd made on Eddie's father. Eddie's standing there, like before, in his uniform. He smiles at Richie, and, Christ, this is too much.

"You look like you just saw a ghost," Eddie comments as he finished scribbling something on his clipboard, sweeping his eyes over Richie's frame. Richie swallows.

"Yeah, I don't think your dad was very awed by my wit and charm," Richie says in a hollow voice.

Eddie snickers. "Yeah," His snicker grows into more of a laugh. "He was standing right there- and the first thing he heard from you-" Eddie bursts out giggling between phrases. Richie watches him decidedly unamused. "Oh, man. Karmic justice for your stupid jokes."

"Shut it, mama's boy," Richie retorts, and Eddie's face falls in a spectacular moment of comical, horrified realization.

"Shit, you didn't meet my mom, did you?" Eddie almost whispers. Richie grins, knowing this battle is already won.

"Hell, yeah, I did. 'I have a right to be concerned, Frank. He's delicate," Richie puts on a shrill imitation of Eddie's mother, and Eddie wilts in embarrassment, cheeks and ears reddening. Richie returns to his normal voice, "Fucked her good, too. You know, usually the meet-the-parents part comes later, but boy, oh, boy am I happy I get to tease you about it today."

"Shut the fuck up, Richie. Out of all your terrible impressions, that one's the worst," Eddie says with an air of dignity that he really doesn't have right now. "My mother is crazy. You aren't allowed to make fun of me for it, it's not my fault."

"She is... woefully mistaken about you," Richie says, thinking back to Sonia's statements in the meeting.

"I know," Eddie's expression grows stormy. "She's always asking me about girls now. Why the fuck would I date a girl?"

Richie gives some kind of short, strange laugh that gets caught in his throat. "Did you just come out to me?"

Eddie rolls his eyes, "Yeah, like you didn't already know."

"Would it be rude to agree?" Richie smiles a little sheepishly.

"Kind of," Eddie shrugs. He looks uncomfortable. Quick, make a joke. Alleviate the tension.