#checking the oven too many times I would’ve been diagnosed when I first wanted to

[gonzogender]

So neat the way different ocd symptoms will team up to create even more effective horrors beyond your control or comprehension

[201kl5-dead]

44+ REDDIE PLEASE YOU ANGST QUEEN!

Prompt 44: One of them being diagnosed with a terminal illness AU, Reddie

Read it on AO3

this is a lot less detailed and a lot worse than i wanted but i hope you at least dont hate it!

The although quiet but consistent beeping of machines was starting to drive Richie insane after the first five minutes, so it was fair to guess that his situation hadn’t gotten much easier after three bloody hours spent in the waiting room of the unfamiliar and cold hospital. The raven-haired young adult had his head in his hands, his messy curls being tugged into a more and more disastrous style as time passed. Maybe this whole day was cursed. They had been on their way to the mall, having planned on spending a few hours in there and had agreed to pick separate stores that both would have their time to go through and buy an outfit for the other before they met up again at a pre-planned place. It had been supposed to be fun, something to get them out of their comfort zone and to just have fun while your brand new fiancé got you a surprise outfit to wear. After that they would’ve continued on to the small and old cafe that they both loved, it was worn out and hidden from most curious eyes, but still perfect in just the right ways. They would’ve grabbed milkshakes and then gone to the movies, and just overall had the perfect day, right in time to celebrate the earlier week. The week where Richie finally got that job in the radio station that he had been wanting for years. The week where Eddie passed all his tests with flying colours, thus getting him in the best med school in the area. And most importantly, the week when despite them being young and in some would call ‘reckless’ love, they knew that all they really wanted from life was to spend it together. They would be able to take on anything, just as long as they had each other, just like always. Richie and Eddie. Eddie and Richie. Eddie Spaghetti and the Trashmouth. The two best friends who had always bickered like an old married couple but who fit together like two long-lost puzzle pieces, always managing to balance each other out and were always there for the other. It had been the week when Richie had finally, according to his own words, grown the balls to propose to Eddie. Maybe it had been awkward, and maybe Richie left the food that was supposed to be a grand and romantic dinner in the oven for a few minutes too long and then ended up ordering fast food in his panic, and maybe they both cried when Richie finally with shaking hands and voice got on one knee, almost falling over in his nervousness, and asked the big question while helplessly stumbling over his words. Maybe, it hadn’t gone as he had planned. Maybe, he had forgotten what he was supposed to say and just ended up stuttering something barely understandable in a small voice. But despite all of that, Eddie had said yes. Of course he did. That was something he always knew he would do, and he couldn’t have been happier. Even the weird morning headaches, the sudden waves of nausea and dizziness accompanied with him almost passing out a little too often, had left him alone that day. And it was perfect, oh it had been absolutely perfect. Maybe it had been too perfect, even. And now they were here. Or at least Richie was, Eddie had been rushed off hours ago, and Richie hadn’t seen his fiancé since. Eddie had been driving Richie’s old car that he had helped fix up a few years back, and they had both been singing off-tune with the radio blasting on high volume, and everything seemed perfect. At least until Eddie’s eyes had started to droop without a warning, and Richie had barely had any time to yank on the wheel to direct them to the side of the road, alerted by the small whimper of his name that had left the brunette’s lips before he had lost consciousness. Their car had crashed against a tree but with low enough speed that they both made it out with only a few scratches, and a mild concussion in Richie’s case, seeing as he had tried to both support Eddie and shield him from the impact. An ambulance had been called quickly by someone that had seen their accident and seeing as Eddie stayed unconscious even after five minutes, no matter how many times Richie tried to shake him awake. They had both been rushed to the nearest hospital, with Richie explaining what all had been going on for the past couple of months, telling how Eddie had started to get nauseous and dizzy often, but even after several different tests and visits to some very sought after doctors, nothing seemed to be wrong with him. And that’s how they got here, with Richie pacing around the waiting room before giving up and having sat down on one of the couches, head in hands as he still had no idea what was going on, or if Eddie was okay. And it was slowly starting to drive him absolutely fucking insane. — After almost three hours of agony of not knowing what was happening and not being able to do anything, a nurse finally approached him in the now otherwise empty waiting room. Richie practically shot up to his feet, almost falling over in the process. The nurse gave him a small and sympathetic smile and motioned him to come with. “Mr Kaspbrak is stable and awake currently, and asked to see you-” She didn’t even have an opportunity to finish her sentence before Richie was already walking ahead of him, clearly looking jittery. “What’s going on? Is he okay? Why did this take such a damn long time? Is everything-” “Mr Tozier, please try to calm down. We mostly just ran some tests and had to wait for the results to come in as we took care of him. He wanted to tell you the results himself, so please, feel free to go see him” the nurse stopped in front of one of the numerous doors decorating the hallway, and looked at Richie with a sad smile that set him even more on edge immediately. “Do try to let him rest, even if it’s hard. He’s deserved it.” He almost didn’t even hear the nurses departing words, having already rushed in the room, eyes searching around frantically. In a few seconds he had located Eddie almost buried under the disturbingly straightened hospital sheets, with an IV attached to his hand and a pile of papers on the metallic tray next to his bed. He reached the bed in a few long strides, immediately pulling up a chair next to the bed and sitting down before grabbing his fiancé’s hand and studying his face, trying to find any signs of the familiar symptoms of anxiety and panic the brunette tended to get around hospitals. Instead what he found would have probably been calming or reassuring to some, but the gentle and slightly worried look in Eddie’s eyes just scared Richie even more. Although that fear was nothing compared to the wave of nausea that washed over him with the words that rang in his ears, making everything else around him blur out. “So… They did all the tests that they could think of based on what you told them while they were checking up on me. And, well, there’s no easy way to say this, Rich. They- they just told me that one test showed something unpleasant, and they confirmed it with more scans. Richie, I have cancer. It’s-” Eddie swallowed softly, squeezing Richie’s hand as the other had gone completely white, and seemed to almost be shaking as he could feel his own eyes starting to well up too. “It’s in my brain, but in a spot that they can’t operate on it without permanently turning me into a vegetable. And since they can’t cut it out, well, it’s- It’s terminal. They don’t know how long it’ll take for it to kill me, but they think it won’t be too long. The closest guess the doctor was able to give is less than a year.” Eddie whispered out the end of the sentence, feeling like his heart was going to break as he saw the silent tears that started to fall down Richie’s cheeks, eventually falling on the bed and their joined hands. And without a word the taller male suddenly leaned down, enveloping the other in what was probably the tightest hug he could muster, as he tried to keep his crying silent. He had to be strong for Eddie, he just had to. It seemed like an eternity had passed before Richie finally lifted his head, arms still wrapped around Eddie’s small frame with no intention of letting go as he looked at his fiancé with teary eyes but a weak smile on his face, his voice barely above a hushed breath “I’m going to make sure that this is going to be the best goddamn year anyone has ever had.” The brunette smiled softly as his heart warmed up, and if he really was destined to die inside a year, he had absolutely no regrets about who he was going to spend every passing day of that year with. He sniffled softly and tilted his chin up, trying to look down on Richie but evidently failing. “You know, this means that you owe me some royal treatment, Tozier.” Richie let out a small and wet laugh, hesitantly untangling one hand from around Eddie in order to salute him. “I would never consider doing anything less- although you know, terminally ill or not, you’re still an adorable dork, Ed’s.” Those were the words that had Eddie smiling genuinely for the first time after they arrived at the hospital, and he gave his boyfriends, and best friends, words a soft chuckle, “But I’m your terminally ill and adorable dork.” “That you most certainly are my love, that you most certainly are.” Richie hummed as he moved to gently brush a few stray strands of hair from Eddie’s forehead, and tilted his head a little. “Anything else you want or need right now?” The answer he got was small and quiet, and almost so scared-sounding that it broke his heart. “Just.. stay with me? Please?” “Of course I will Ed’s, I promise. Through anything and everything.”