R+E - Reddie Oneshots

The Last of The Losers - Away From Home

- How do you think Derry is?- Said Eddie as he balanced on a log, while they were walking towards their old home town.

- I don't know... Fucked, maybe. - Said Richie, looking at the trees.

Eddie smirked.

Their new house was far from Derry, but not as far as New York. The point is, they didn't need a car to get there.

Two months ago, something strange started happening to Derry, a lethal virus that caused it to disappear from the map. The person, when infected by the virus, begins to have a lack of appetite in the first days, headache and severe nausea; after a week, he/she can not only hallucinate, but also cause injury to him/herself; after more than a week of being infected, the virus takes full control of the brain, the infected person undergoes cannibalism, he no longer thinks for himself or even speaks. The virus has spread through Derry and around the city.

- And you? - Richie asked.

- Well... empty... and gross.

- Still the Eddie I knew since I was a kid. - Richie grinned.

- Shut up. - Eddie said. He gulped and continued. - Do you... Do you think we'll find them there?

- I hope so. If they hadn't cut the signal we could just call them, but uh... nothing has to be this easy, right?

Eddie felt guilty, he was doing this because Kaspbrak wanted to find his friends. He could have stayed home, but friendship talked louder.

- I'm sorry...

- For what, Eds?

- It's my fault we're doing this.

- Eds... - Richie stopped and approached Eddie. - Don't be sorry for something you didn't make.

- What you said before, the way you did it... I don't know, I felt guilty.

- It wasn't my intention, okay?

- I know, I-I'm... I'm sorry.

Richie smiled, he kissed Eddie's head and patted his shoulder.

- Besides... I knew you'd do this with or without me.

- What do you mean? - Eddie said, frowning.

- The letter... I read it. - Tozier stated.

Eddie stopped and gulped.

- Richie, I-

- ... You're sorry?

- I... I...

Richie grabbed his backpack, opened it, picked up the letter and gave to Eddie.

- Here.

Eddie, not understanding what was happening, grabbed it. He frowned again and saw Richie, who didn't seem to be disappointed or sad about it.

- If you're wondering... No, I'm not mad at you for this. I understand.

Richie just kept walking, and Eddie stood there. Tozier turned around and saw his boyfriend, standing still as a single tree in a field, with his confused expressions.

- Derry's this way... - he said.

And then, slowly, Kaspbrak continued walking, until they were side by side again.

- So, what are you gonna do after all of this is over? - asked Richie, after a few minutes of silence.

- You mean what we are going to do? - Eddie said.

Richie giggled and shrugged.

- Yeah...

- Well, find the cure we certainly can't, live in that hell again neither, so I'd say we could go back to our ranch, how about that?

- Sounds nice to me... We could see if there's enough space to the rest of the Losers.

- I'm sure there is. - Eddie smiled... And then the thoughts came into his mind.

About the letter, was it just that? He practically opened his heart on a paper, he could do it by talking to his boyfriend, his best friend instead. And his boyfriend finds out about it... and it's like that?

Maybe some things don't need discussion... Maybe?

- Richie... about... about the letter...

- Eddie. - Richie sighed. - I'm not mad, trust me, I'm really not. Please, Eds, pleeease... stop feeling guilty about everything that's happening, it is not your fault. Again, I understand you, and I wouldn't mind, really, but I'd definitely miss you and worry about you.

- I know, it's just, there's this thing, this weight on my back, and I couldn't just release it, you know? I tried so hard to do it, every damn time... but there was this... this barrier... I don't know why or how it happened. I wish things were different, I wish I wasn't this... introvert like I am right now.

- Eddie, you're not introvert, look around you, it's okay to feel insecure, like I said, I understand you, and now I want you to understand that you will always have my back. I'll be there for you. I love you. And I'm worried about you... Yes, that's it... I am worried about you. You are a strong person, Edward, you're just going through a hard time, we all are. So, don't be afraid to talk, don't be afraid to take a step forward, Jesus, I've known you since we were kids, there's nothing I don't know about you.

Eddie smiled with tears in his eyes.

- Thank you, Richie.

- So how are you feeling now, babe?

- I feel like the weight is far away from my back now...

Richie looked at Eddie and smiled.

Shortly after, they decided to stop, the sun was getting low and they needed a rest. There was a spot near a river, perfect for a camp.

Richie was sitting near the river and Eddie was cooking some canned beans on the fire.

Little did they know, they weren't alone in that area.