Wildest Dreams || Reddie Fanfic

IX

Eddie laid still in his bed, listening to the soft snoring sounds coming from Elio in the bed across the small room. A beam of moonlight shone in through the window, just barely blinding him when he would roll over.

The moisture from his nervous palms had smudged the words on the paper a bit, but he could still read it perfectly.

Under the Derry bridge, 4:00 am. Eddie glanced at the analog clock on the wall, 3:45am. The walk from the dorms to the bridge was only about 5-10 minutes. He quietly heaved out of bed and snuck on his shoes, slipping out the door.

The lights seemed softer outside with the dense mist hanging in the air. It smelled sweet, like wet sage, cedar, and overly ripened apples.

He wasn't sure why he was going. Maybe he was just curious, or stupid. The tingling in his fingers and the pounding of his heart was addicting. He felt so alive sneaking out at 4 am to meet with Danny, to not know why. He'd nearly died so many times in his life that he had forgotten what living really felt like. The faint sensation of the wind tousling his hair and the aroma of weathered leather intoxicated him as he continued to walk.

Hang on, Eddie! We're gonna go fast! His fathers voice echoed in his head. Those motorcycle rides were all the memories he had with his father. It gave him a taste for living. The feeling of being alive was scary, unknown, and dangerous to Eddie, a feeling he welcomed and embraced. However, the emptiness that lingered after feeling so alive was familiar too. He took it in stride, accepted the fact that emptiness was just a symptom of being alive sometimes. That the part he liked most about living, was almost dying.

Whether or not this craving of existential adrenaline was a factor of the events of his life so far, or the effect of it, he did not know. It wasn't healthy, that much he knew, but he was willing to do almost anything to feel so vulnerably alive again.

"What took you so long?" A familiar voice sounded behind him as he made his way underneath the bridge. Eddie turned around and Danny stepped from the shadows of the night. He was wearing dark clothes.

"Well that's not creepy at all." Eddie joked and laughed. "I got here just on time." He pointed to his watch on his wrist. "4 am exactly."

"You ready?" Danny asked vaguely. Eddie gave a simple nod, following behind Danny for several steps before falling in rhythm beside him. "Not gonna ask where we're going?"

"Should I be worried?" Eddie questioned with a raised eyebrow. Danny grinned and shrugged.

"I don't know..." he started hesitantly, before playfully adding, "should you be?" Eddie knew Danny was trying to make him nervous, but the playful nudge took from the potential threat. He gave a soft chuckle and rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. You aren't going to scare me. It's practically impossible." Eddie commented through laughter. Danny raised his brows at this bold claim and shrugged.

"Oh now you've done it, Teddy. It is now my goal in life, to scare you." Eddie rolled his eyes and shook his head, but Danny's expression caused him to falter. It held a danger that seemed new to him, a danger that felt fun. "Why are you smiling?" Danny chuckled.

"What?" Eddie blurted as his face flushed. Had he been smiling? When their gazes met again, Eddie felt the smile cross his face this time.

"How's your swing?" Danny asked as they approached an old looking cabin in the middle of the woods, grabbing a baseball bat and throwing a practice swing. Eddie caught the bat that was tossed to him, a puzzled expression on his face. They sauntered up to the cabin and entered through a busted plank of wood that Eddie assumed was the sorry excuse of a door.