Breathe ⭐️ Reddie

42

"Who's on their way?" Joyce was the first to speak, her voice hesitant.

Everyone sat in silence, taking in the weight of the situation. El looked like she wanted to give up, the Hawkins teenagers looked terrified, and the Hive teenagers didn't know how to react.

"The people after me," El said in a low voice. "I need to leave, and you guys need to go somewhere else."

"No, I'm not letting you take off on your own and get hurt. You don't have your powers," Joyce said firmly.

"These people are no joke. You said they killed the Scorpions?" Richie asked El, who nodded. "Yeah, and the Scorpions tortured me. That means the Hive could be much worse. We need to split up and protect each other."

Richie looked around at the other Hive members. Eddie was in agreement, as were Mike, Bev, and Ben. Bill and Stan, however, looked hesitant.

"W-what if th-they're trying t-to protect h-her? We d-don't have all o-of the fa-facts," Bill said.

Stan nodded in agreement. "All we were told to do was find her and contact. They never said anything about-"

"Oh my god, they're not going to tell us if they want to capture a person with powers, Stan!" Bev exclaimed. "The superiors sent us on this mission and El literally said the superiors are the only ones who know the origins!"

"Fuck off, Bev! The superiors are some of our parents! Why would our own parents want to capture and experiment on people?!" Stan snapped, his face flushing red in anger.

"They may be your parents, but we don't know anything," Richie added, standing beside Bev.

"We need to split up until we know it's safe. The Hawkins kids, El, and Richie, and Bev should take cover somewhere. They're not directly related to the Hive so they'll be in the most danger," Eddie said, raising his voice.

The others fell silent, looking over at Eddie.

"Eddie, this is the group that we have grown up in. They raised us. We can't just not trust them!" Stan nearly yelled, his eyes wide with betrayal.

"Maybe, but my father always told me never to trust anyone. If what El says is true, she needs to run. And I'd rather take a risk and keep someone safe than play it safe and get someone hurt." Eddie was pleading with his eyes. He and Stan had been best friends for years, and he didn't want to risk losing that.

Stan sighed deeply, shaking his head. "Everyone split up into groups. Eddie and I will stay here and act like you guys escaped and the others ran after them. We'll try to gather intel," he said in tight voice.

Eddie smiled gratefully, hugging Stan. "Thank you."

•••

Richie stood across from Eddie, arms around his waist, face buried in his hair, taking in his familiar smell.

"You'll stay safe?" Richie whispered, shaking with nerves.

"Yes. They won't hurt me or Stan. You need to get your group out of here, find somewhere safe. Get rid of COMs, phones, any tech except for this burner phone," Eddie said, handing an extra burner to Richie. "Whatever happens, I'll call and let you know what's going on."

Richie inhaled sharply, giving Eddie a smile. "I know this is bad timing, given that there's a big chance we could be betraying an illegal group and may end up getting killed, but I have something I've been wanting to tell you. I've said it when you're asleep, but-"

Eddie cut him off, kissing him passionately. He tasted the salt from Richie's tears, not from sadness, but from happiness and fear. When they pulled away, Eddie rested his forehead against Richie's. "If you're going to tell me you love me, I already know. You told me when you were drunk as shit, but you know that drunk minds tell the truth," he murmured with a giggle.

Richie's face blushed a bright red, out of embarrassment and he was still thinking of how Eddie had just kissed him. "I said it when I was drunk?" he asked, obviously regretting drinking.

"Yeah. Did you mean it?" Eddie asked, worried that he may have said the wrong thing.

"Of course I meant it, but I feel shitty that I said it when I was drunk and you know that I obviously like you and-"

Eddie cut Richie off by covering his mouth with his hand. "I love you, too, Richie. And I'll see you in a few days once we figure this mess out alright?"

Richie nodded, pulling Eddie into a tight hug. "I'll see you then. All groups know the plan?"

"Yes. Do me a favor and talk to Mike, alright? He should probably know you two are related, even if you don't have evidence or anything. Maybe it'll make him trust you a little more, too."

"I'll talk to him, after we're not on the run."

Eddie snickered, but it was filled with tension and obvious worry. They stopped smiling at each other, hugging once more, before they joined their groups.

"He gonna be okay?" Stan asked, loading his gun and putting it in its holster.

"I hope so. What about Bill?" Eddie asked, knowing Stan must share similar concerns.

"He's hesitant, especially because his parents are in charge. I really hope that El's wrong."

"Me too," Eddie agreed, knowing things would be a lot easier if they weren't part of a lab that wanted to capture El.

The groups took off, one by one, each going their separate ways. They were all armed, covered in dark clothes, with a bit of money and a fighting attitude. Around an hour after the groups departed, Stan's burner began to ring.

"Hello?" he asked, answering on the second ring.

"We're here, surrounding the area. Where's the girl?" came Donald Uris's voice from the other end.

Stan took a shaky breath, trying to keep his cool. "She escaped. Eddie and I are here, waiting, but she took off. The others went after her. She has abilities, and we couldn't fight back."

An obvious groan of disappointment came from the other end. "Is the house secure?"

"Yes."

"We're coming inside, then. We need to go over some intel."

With that, the phone clicked, showing the caller had hung up. The door creaked open and Donald Uris walked in, accompanied by Zack, Sharon, and Frank.