8TEEN | IT ONE SHOTS

behind closed doors [reddie]

Eddie watches Richie from across the room, flirting effortlessly with a girl that he knows is out of his league. He's throwing his head back as he laughs at something the girl says, she has a hand on his shoulder, slowly inching down the length of his arm until she has her hand on his elbow, smiling wide.

His heart is beating wildly with contained jealousy. He wants nothing more than stop watching them and pay attention to the story that Beverly is currently telling in animated fashion, eyes bright and luminous with excitement, but something wills him to keep watching. It's not because he wants to, definitely not.

He's not sure where the jealousy comes from, he knows he shouldn't—can't—feel this way for multiple reasons, and he and Richie had a deal. Call it a friends-with-benefits situation, no strings attached. It mostly consisted of making out in the backseat of Richie's car, grinding and groping at one another for some sort of release. Until one night about a month prior when they let things go too far. Eddie isn't exactly sure how it happened, it still feels like a blur, but he distinctly remembers undressing rather quickly and the phrase 'yes, I want to' had never left his mouth so quickly.

He is now literally and figuratively fucked because he is left with bottled up feelings that he has no idea what to do with. He realizes it's not healthy to keep all of this to himself but he promised he would keep their situation between them. Now he's forced to watch Richie flirt shamelessly with other people right in front of him and act like it doesn't bother him because they're friends. Just friends.

Eddie could feel himself grinding his teeth, a voice in the back of his mind feeling him to stop because it's a bad habit but his focus was strictly on Richie and this girl who was now standing way too close for Eddie's liking.

"-die. Eddie?" Stan's voice catches him off guard, head snapping toward him where he sat at the corner of the booth between Ben and Bill. "You okay?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Peachy." Eddie nearly growled, trying to contain the anger growing inside of him. He forces himself to keep his eyes on the table, struggling to block out the sound of Richie and his desperate attempts to flirt.

"You think he'll actually do it?" Mike asked from next to Eddie, watching the situation that Eddie was now trying to avoid.

"I think he might, she seems to be into whatever bullshit he's spewing." Bev chuckles next to Ben, looking over her shoulder. Richie's hand is resting on the wall behind the girl, holding himself at arms length from her and still smiling wide.

"Must have pretty low standards if she's going after Richie." Eddie can't stop the words before they're tumbling out his mouth. Anyone else might think it's just Eddie being a dick but the losers brush it off, seemingly immune to how he , the conversation coming to a halt as Richie begins to make his way back to the table, a napkin in his hand and grinning from ear to ear.

"And that's how it's done, fellas." He bows and pulls a chair up to their booth, gaze falling on Eddie who is swirling his straw around in his water, listening to the clinking as the ice inside hits the glass of his cup.

"Only took you f-fifteen minutes, bravo." Bill retorts sarcastically, arm laying across the back of the booth where Stan is sitting.

"These things take time, Billiam." Eddie rolls his eyes, ignoring Richie's eyes when they fall back on him. Their group begins to disperse after another half hour or so until it's just Richie and Eddie left in the old booth at the diner, the sun setting around them.

"What's up, Spaghetti?" Richie tries, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair seeing Eddie do the same, pushing his glasses higher on his nose. Eddie shakes his head and decides it's best not to say anything about what he's feeling.