Reddie or Not

Chapter Five - Superman

Later that night, Richie woke up, cold because his blanket had fallen off of him. As he went to retrieve it, he saw Eddie shaking about in his sleep, thrashing his body around almost as if he was possessed by some demon. Quickly, Richie got up onto his knees and grabbed Eddie's shoulders.

"Eds," he said, shaking him. "Eds, just wake up."

His eyes shot open and he took a deep breath of air. Eddie blindly reached for his inhaler, his eyes not yet adjusted to the dark, and took a shot. After a moment, his breathing became normal again.

"You're okay," said Eddie, sighing in relief.

Richie furrowed his eyebrows. "I know I'm okay, Eds. You're the one having a fucking seizure in your sleep."

"Just a nightmare." dismissed Eddie. "I don't want to talk about it."

Richie nodded, understanding. "I still get them, too."

The two just sat in silence for a minute, both knowing what the other meant but not wanting to say it exactly. Almost as if talking about it in past tense was a sure jinx.

"Hey, uh, Richie?" said Eddie, breaking the quiet. "If the floor's uncomfortable, you can climb in with me, I guess."

"What about 'mommy'?" said Richie, feeling the atmosphere felt too intense. "What if she walks in and sees you in bed with the town gay?"

"Sleeping pills," said Eddie, pulling back his bed sheets to make space. "Besides, we've slept together in a tent, what's the difference?"

"So you don't mind even though I'm gay?" clarified Richie, not wanting to overstep.

"Well, as long as I don't wake up with your dick in my ass." joked Eddie.

"No promises, Eds." said Richie jokingly as he climbed in next to him. "Now you know I'm gay, I can tell you I've always thought you had a magnificent bottom."

Eddie felt his cheeks burn and thought about how glad he was that it was dark. "You told me that all the time before you told me you were gay, Richie."

"Ah, but now you know I meant it." smiled Richie, his heavy eyes half-shut but still focused on Eddie.

Eddie examined Richie's face. The lighting was dim, but he could make out most of his features. Sharing a single bed, he'd never been so close to Richie's face before, at least not for more than a second or two.

"You look weird without glasses." said Eddie softly. "You look like another person."

"Just call me Superman, Eds." Richie buried himself into the pillow and, almost instantly, he fell asleep.

Eddie kept looking at Richie, Richie who didn't look like the Richie he knew. A new Richie, even before he took the glasses off. He felt his heart beat faster and he raised his hands, feeling desperate to just touch Richie's cheek or maybe hold his hand again, but he stopped himself.

"Superman," whispered Eddie, and then he fell asleep too.