Breathe ⭐️ Reddie

59

Eddie stared at him in shock, still barely able to believe that Richie was alive. He wasn't dreaming. He had survived. They were okay.

"You're... you're okay," Eddie mumbled, tears still leaking down his cheeks.

Richie smiled at him and hugged him loosely so he wouldn't hurt Eddie's arm or accidentally cut him short of breath again. "Yes, I'm okay. We're alright," he whispered, placing their foreheads together.

The doctors asked Richie to move so they could check on Eddie. He was the most fragile at the moment, after having lost air and being sensitive in his head and lungs. Once they deemed him okay, they left the room and allowed Richie to stay with him and make sure he'd be alright.

"Did the other Hive bases explode?" Eddie whispered once the doctors left and Richie had crawled into the hospital bed with him, holding Eddie close.

"Yeah. The government officials interviewed us all and confirmed the explosions had hit the Hive bases. Apparently they had learned of the Hive but couldn't find the bases until I contacted them. They told us that we aren't in any trouble, but they still want to talk to all of us and help us adjust to living in the real world," Richie said, kissing Eddie's forehead.

"They're not punishing us?"

"No, they're not. It wasn't your fault you were raised the way you were, and they decided you acted in the best way possible."

Eddie nodded, accepting that they wouldn't have to go to prison or be separated, and curled further into Richie's chest, if that was possible.

"I really thought I was going to lose you," Eddie whispered, looking up at Richie with big, sad eyes.

Richie smiled at him and leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "I wasn't going to let that happen. I promised we'd escape, didn't I?"

Eddie giggled and nodded, kissing Richie again. They continued to kiss and lay close, legs tangled together, the occasional "I love you" being spoken out into the silence of the room.

Then, the door slammed open.

"Holy fuck, you scared the shit out of us, Eddie!" Bev yelled, running over to the pair and hugging both of them, being gentle with Eddie because of his cast.

The whole group of both Hawkins and ex-Hive teenagers ran into the room and crowded together, everyone trying to hug everyone else. They had all gotten comfortable, sitting on the chairs and ground, when there was a gentle knock at the door.

Stan stood up and opened it, and Henry Bowers walked inside, followed by his father, El trailing behind the two.

No one knew what to say for a second, until Eddie spoke up.

"I'm sorry for punching you in the face," he said quietly, earning a small smirk from Henry.

"It's alright, Kaspbrack. You did help destroy the Hive, so I'll forgive you, and I think breaking your arm makes up for it anyway. We just wanted to make sure you ended up surviving, or else Tozier might kill me for breaking my promise," he said, leaning against the door frame.

"You know it, shithead!" Richie called, giving Henry finger guns, who rolled his eyes.

"What are you going to do now?" Stan asked, gesturing towards Henry and Butch.

"We're taking off, helping the girl hide from other crazy organizations. That's our job, so we're going to keep it up. We'll drop by every now and then with her to see you guys, but it's safer if she's not in one spot," Butch said, placing his hand on El's shoulder.

Mike Wheeler sat on the ground, obviously upset, but they all knew it was for the best. El deserved to be safe and out of the hands of dangerous people, whereas the rest of them were able to stay put.

"We're leaving now, but we'll stay in contact," Henry said, walking forward and shaking all of the ex-Hive members' hands, giving them all a brief smile.

The Hawkins kids followed them out of the room to say their goodbyes to El, while the others stayed in the room. They all sat in a comfortable silence, grateful what they had accomplished.

"We won," Eddie finally said, smiling brightly at his friends.

"And we all survived," Bev added, leaning on Ben's chest.

"Where do we go now?" Stan asked the group, knowing that all they had was each other.

"We're all eighteen so legally we can live alone. Mike said something about us all moving to Hawkins. I guess there's a house near his that's big enough for all of us," Richie said, laying his head back so Eddie could rest more comfortably on his chest.

Everyone shared glances, smiling at each other. Bev stood up and walked over to the bed, putting her hand out.

"I'm in. I don't think we can really survive without each other," she said with a grin.

Eddie and Richie both laid their hands on top, soon to be followed by everyone else. The moment was perfect, all of them free from their lives that they didn't choose, all of them allowed to be normal kids.

"I al-already drained m-my parents b-bank accounts. We ha-have all of the Hi-Hive's money," Bill said, causing everyone in the room to whoop and cheer.

The road ahead of them would be tough. They all would need to adjust to normal lives and learn new skills to get jobs and pay for their lives. The Hive's money could only last them so long.

However, that night as they all laid together in the hospital room, Eddie's head on Richie's chest, he realized that they were going to make it. They'd be okay. No one was going to hurt them ever again. They were free to live by their choices, not controlled by anyone.

Eddie felt Richie shift in his sleep and looked up to see his eyes opened, looking at Eddie curiously.

"You okay, baby?" he whispered, as not to disturb the others in the room.

Eddie smiled and pushed himself closer to Richie, kissing his cheek. "I've never be better."

"Why are you awake then? Shouldn't you be exhausted?" Richie asked through a yawn.

Eddie smiled, blinking slowly. "Yeah, but I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"We're free. Free from the Hive, from the danger, and we get to be normal people. Have normal jobs, go to super markets and have day trips to the beach, we get all of that!" Eddie's eyes dazzled with excitement, and Richie smiled seeing how happy his boyfriend was to be free to live a life of his own.

"You're right. We are free, and we can do whatever we want with our lives. For now, though, we need to get some rest. That way you're not stuck here another night," Richie teased, turning on his side and wrapping his arm around Eddie's waist and tugging him closer.

Eddie didn't respond, but nodded, kissing Richie goodnight and closing his eyes.

They were going to make it.

They all had each other.

And that was enough.