𝗥𝗢𝗠𝗘, reddie

032. lecce

RICHIE didn't know how to react.

At first he was unbothered by the people that shipped him and Eddie — it was teasing, mostly; just suggestive usernames and little fanarts, nothing too intense for either of the boys to handle.

Then, as popularity rose for both of them thanks to Richie's feature in his cousin's video and the release of a few originals paired with Eddie's poetry collaboration from a few months ago, the people that shipped the two got more intense.

It amused Richie a bit at first when the public accounts would mention their rumored ( but still inexistent ) relationship — but taking videos? Exposing private conversations?

Richie was new to the whole fame thing, and he had absolutely no idea what to do.

He stared down at his phone in silence, the sound of Eddie brushing his teeth in the background of his mind — although Eddie himself wasn't in the background, but the forefront, bright and center.

His thumb moved on it's own accord, tapping to scroll through the replies on the tweet that the particular so-called tea account has uploaded earlier that day before they'd been back at the hotel.

in reply to pinkdramaz:
richieluvbot  |  emily <3
— "y'all r so shallow leave them alone stop targeting them jsut so u can get attention i'm so TIRED of straight people"
12:25 PM  •  03/24/20

in reply to pinkdramaz:
eddieseyelaah  |  jennifer, they/them
— "reddie is real as fuck y'all hate to see it"
12:38 PM  •  03/24/20

in reply to pinkdramaz:
bevmarshland  |  joshua 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈
— "THE WAY RICHIE LOOKS AT EDDIE i can't breathe hes so whipped it hurts 🥺🥺"
12:41 PM  •  03/24/20

in reply to pinkdramaz:
toesure  |  step tf up kyle
— "leave them???? alone??????? imagine being a piece of literal garbage, rip to pinkdramaz but i'm different"
12:48 PM  •  03/24/20

Every response made Richie's chest tighten just a little bit more, rather good or bad. "Uh, Eddie?" He finally spoke after a moment, hearing the knob of the sink turn to stop the stream of water from the faucet.

The light haired boy rounded the corner, eyes furrowing when he saw how nervous Richie had looked against the dim light of the sunset through the window.

"Rich?" He asked after a moment, seeing Richie's eyes never torn from the phone in his hands, "What is it, honey?"

Richie nervously looked up, meeting Eddie's eyes. "I think we need to do some damage control," He said as he handed the phone to Eddie so that he could read the tweet.

trashm0uth has started a live video! Tap to join...

connecting...

connected!

RICHIE smiled and waved at the camera, his phone rested against a lamp on the end stand. Next to him on the bed, legs crossed, a couple inches from touching his knees to Richie's, Eddie sat cross legged.

People joined, at first only thirty or forty, and then up to just under a thousand. A lot of them were typing out greetings, a handful asking for the two of them to say their names or acknowledge their birthday.

"Hey everyone," Richie greeted after a few minutes, smiling kindly, adjusting his glasses nervously. Eddie noticed the anxious habit and glanced at him, almost reaching out to gently touch his arm, but decided against it.

Richie turned to him, catching his dark eyes in a soft stare, and the comforting smile he received in return made him just a bit more comfortable.

"Uh — Eddie and I wanted to talk about the rumors," Richie said when he turned back to the camera, shifting nervously in his seat.

"They're... They're not true. Eddie and I are just close friends," Richie explains, giving Eddie a nervous glance. Eddie smiles fondly at him, his face gleaming with appreciation and comfort.

When Richie swallows thickly and looks down at his lap, Eddie is quick to help him out. The former's lips were pulled into a pursed frown as his eyes focused on his lap, tears brimming.

"But it shouldn't matter if we were or not," Eddie said quickly, turning to the camera just in time for Richie to look up at him, eyes glimmering with hope.

"Either way, it's up to us if we want to talk about it to the public. Maybe I'm secretly in love with him, or maybe we secretly hate each other. But that's none of your business until we tell you. Respect that," Eddie said carefully.

Richie dragged his hand over to grab ahold of Eddie's boldly, looking back to the camera screen. "We shouldn't have to stop — being affectionate as friends, just because you all can't respect our boundaries."

Eddie takes a deep inhale at the physical contact, fighting back a shiver at the sudden unexpected touch.

"And, by the way, we're super thankful for the people standing up for us. Thank you a lot for it," Eddie said carefully, smiling and rubbing patterns into the back of Richie's leg.

They talked a little bit longer, accepting apologies from a few fans and ignoring hateful responses, and then shutting off the live when they started to become tired.

"Hey Richie?" Eddie's meek voice spoke when the lights were out and they were snug in their separate beds. The light outside was just enough to shine against the highlights of his face.

"Yeah, Eds?" Richie asked, blurred eyes fixing on Eddie's bed.

"I — uh," Eddie started, hesitating, "Just, thank you. For being my friend and — just. There for me."

"Oh," Richie hummed tiredly, nuzzling into his pillow, "Yeah. Thank you, too."

As consciousness drained from them, they both slept contently despite the stress of that day.