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etherealising · 1 year ago

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💔older sister thingsss

nat was just like “hmm carmy is looking a little more sad kicked puppy than usual”

poor guys going THROUGH it

nothing a bit of concealer can’t fix!

this!! it kills me like bro really has this pendant and it’s like what keeps him going?? like i find it kinda cute tho (like give me a man who wears my initial 🙄😐🥲)

this was such a last minute add. but that pendant is def carmy’s security blanket! it’s utterly adorable, but also so sad because he could have the real deal if he just got his shit together 😭😭 (I can conquer though i too need a lover to wear my initial 🫣)

surpiseeeee shawtyyyyy

should’ve been in the script honestly lol

these children i swear

nat is just out here getting all the experience she needs for raising children

i can picture them already LMAO

Richie is eating every bit of this situation up!

��

def one of my favorite lines i’ve ever given richie

richie #1 baby defender !!

he, pete, and nat are really laying the groundwork for these two losers.

AWWW PETEEEE

i just know he was so happy when nat gave him the news!!!

stop he loves her so muchhhh!!!

pete loves his wife and just wants it to be everyone’s business!

they’re sisters no matter what 🥹🤍 i’m really glad baby has someone like nat (and pete) but i also feel like sugar needed someone like baby since she grew up with just mikey and carmy + richie was probably one of those friends that was always at their house.

definitely I really love that I decided to take this relationship in that direction! but oh yeah baby was as much carmy’s best friend as she was nat’s (especially when puberty hit 🤣🤣)

he’s so needed in that family like he’s adds in a little fun and positivity

pete is the perfect balance for the berzattos they can all act like they tolerate him but I feel like deep down they have a soft spot for him because he’s so different from what they knew growing up!

🤭🤭

those two definitely gossiped about it over dinner

😂😭

this was so outta pocket for pete to say so happily, like sir do not allow this munchkin to diss you like this!

WELL SAID PETE 😭 WIFEY NEEDS A BREAK!!!!

• pete was like respectfully, figure your shit out lol

😭😭 he’s so real

cortez is carmy’s #1 hater! if carmy has one hater in the world it is cortez! if carmy has no haters in this world it is because cortez is dead!😭

i like this guy LMAO

i love cortez with my whole heart, he’s my favorite oc I’ve ever made (sowwy hayden 🤭)

omg

oh ‘em gee indeed!

each mention of the polaroids i die a little like.. 🥲

idk how polaroids and pictures in general even became a theme in this fic, like i was just supposed to be a one off but now it’s like their thing and i really love it 😭

i can’t wait for the baby shower !!! i’m hoping and praying it’s a sweet time (no drama pls) but whatever you have planned will be GOOD 😭😂

i am so excited to write the baby shower that chapter is gonna be so full of love, as of now i don’t think there will be drama, at least i didn’t plan for it lol but there will be a lot of feels : (

sighs

homeboys brain really short circuited

catch him replaying this voicemail every morning now after receiving it

baby boy is gonna listen to that thing like it’s a bedtime story

baby no.. that was actually well deserved for him

i can say that baby was indeed not sorry at all for that shot, her apology was out of forced maturity lol

it’s coming soon…. i cannot wait like even if it leaves me in tears

i hope when the time comes all the lovies in this community are so emotionally wrecked that they’re all like crying in a heap on the ground and i can just look down on all of you with a sense of pride in my chest (promise this is a joke)

i know he’s a chef but i love that he like immediately chooses that he needs to make dinner for her like i know for sure his love language is acts of service like bros here calculating time on how long it will take to get to her place then the grocery market like breatheeee dude

his math may’ve been fucked when it came to portioning out money for the restaurant, but i promise you baby could make an off handed comment about calculus or some shit and all of a sudden this kid is a mathematician and knows like the first 20 digits of pi off the top of his head. but also i feel like carmy only ever knows how to express himself through cooking and acts of service, that when these two finally get together he’s going to have to work so hard on accepting how loudly and openly baby loves him!

bro 😭😭

while baby was addicted to drugs, carmy was addicted to her 😍 (i need my internet privileges revoked for this one…)

BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 😭🤍

they really don’t make ‘em like this in real life and it’s such a travesty 😐

chapter seven | they know i believed in us last week

masterlist | ↢ previous chapter | next chapter ↣

pairing: carmen berzatto x fem!reader | platonic!pete x fem!reader | male!oc x fem!reader |

summary: carmy struggles to deal with your absence in his life, while you finally learn to live without him.

wc: 7.3k

song rec: i'll still have me - cyn, aquilo

semi-edited/proof-read

“Carm hey, are you listening?” Natalie’s eyes flitted across Carmy’s face, his blank eyes staring directly past her. She took this moment as a chance to take in her younger brother’s ragged appearance, at first glance he looked like he normally did; exhausted. But taking the time to really study him, she knew Carmy was doing worse than he’d ever admit.

His usual textured and fluffy hair was limp against his head, the greasy quality of it proving he needed a wash. The discoloration under his eyes was the worst Nat had seen it, the deep blue-purple bruising a sign that he was getting even less sleep than he usually did. The skin of his lips was dehydrated and bitten to pieces, a tick he had as a child that gradually calmed down as he grew older. And the visible stubble on his chin was enough to know that the absence of your presence in his life was hitting him harder than anyone expected.

Her eyes caught on the chain that was haphazardly peeking out of his shirt, squinting at the newly added pendant hanging from it. Natalie didn’t have to be a genius to know whose initial hung around Carmen’s neck, the chain which was usually safely tucked into his shirt was now blatantly on show for everyone to see. Natalie had noticed it more recently since your and Carmy’s argument, though this was her first time seeing it this close. She would find him just standing in the restaurant, sometimes eyes staring into nothing as he worried the pendant between his fingers, oftentimes raising it to his lips before letting it go completely and wandering to do whatever task needed to be done.

Natalie’s concern was palpable but the discomfort in her abdomen was worse. “Have you tried talking to her?” The shaky breath she let out filtered between the two of them.

Carmen’s eyes finally snapped to hers taking in the uncomfortable expression on her face, “Sug?” He waited for Nat to focus on him. “You good?” The question hung in the air as Natalie tried to even out her breathing.

Using his sister's obvious discomfort to deflect from the conversation she was insistent on having wasn’t the nicest thing to do, but he’d rather put his sister’s well-being before being forced to think about how long it had been since he last spoke to you; he last saw you.

Carmy watched as Sug raised a closed hand to her mouth suppressing the urge to gag. “Yeah good, I’m good.” The forced smile on her lips did nothing to fool Carmy, but he wouldn’t force the issue.

“Can you uh, explain to me again how we’re doing, I spaced.” His fingers raised to run through his hair a small grimace painting his face at the grime he could feel left behind on his fingertips.

“Seven weeks out, Carm, and still so much to be done,” An exhausted sigh breathed through Natalie’s lips. The stress opening this restaurant caused felt extremely unnecessary considering her current status.

“No yeah I heard that,” Carmy nodded his head rapidly, Sug’s words slowly coming back to him. He squinted his eyes, hand scratching the grown-out stubble on his chin. “You uh said something about the DBA getting rejected?”

“About that.” Natalie’s voice trailed off one hand pressing into her abdomen to ease the ache, “The name’s taken.”

Nat watched as Carmy processed the words, her discomfort felt like it was increasing as the seconds passed by.

“Who the fuck could’ve taken the name?” The idea perplexed Carmy. There was no chance another business could have the same name, well there was, it was just slim as hell.

Nat shrugged just as confused as Carmy “It’s been trademarked for years, whoever filed has all legal rights to the name.”

“Fuck me!” The pitch of Carmy’s voice rose along with his irritation.

Natalie’s own mumbled expletive was drowned out by Carmy’s outburst, the nauseating morning sickness she was experiencing came in an extra hard bout today.

“Yo, Sug…Sug. You sure you’re okay?” Carmy’s concern now outweighed his confusion, Nat’s weird behavior this whole morning was beginning to worry him.

“I can do this Carmy right, tell me I can do this.” Natalie’s breathing began to increase as a slight panic flooded through her. Carmy watched her with wide eyes, no idea what she could even be talking about.

“Tell me I can do it, Carm!” The wave of nausea subsided with her yell, Carmy’s hands raised in the air to divert blame.

“Fuck okay! You can do it Sug.”

“I am…completely terrified. And I’m only telling you because..I don’t know. Just-just in case.” Natalie nodded to herself as a way to provide her nerves with courage.

Carmy just stared at Natalie still not following where she was leading this conversation to.

“I really want this to be loving and good and happy,” A smile rose to Nat’s face “I just..I don’t want anyone to know…well besides Baby and now you.”

Carmy’s eyes focused on Sug’s abdomen, the pieces of the puzzle slowly fitting together in his head. The name she spoke felt like it was echoing through his ears.

“Sure” He wasn’t sure how to react to the news, he had always assumed Natalie would be the first of the siblings to start a family. And as the years passed by he knew it was a desire he himself had.

“I really don’t want Richie to know. Because somehow, it feels more in my control when and who knows…” The sound of the wall falling caused Nat to raise her voice as she finished her sentence. “That I’m pregnant.” Her final words were spoken just loud enough to alert the crew to her news.

“I fuckin’ knew it.” The sound of Richie’s shout grated on Nat’s nerves, but the quiet congratulations helped to ease her ire a bit.

Carmy was happy for Sugar, but it felt like it was setback after setback for the restaurant and all the personal issues he was dealing with weren't helping his stress. He felt his shoulders sag a bit mind racing as to how the name could already be trademarked, or who would’ve trademarked it.

His eyes found Richie’s as the man cajoled about how he knew Natalie was pregnant this whole time. Had Richie told someone the name and they took it for themselves? Did Mikey somehow trademark it while on a bender? The thought made Carmy’s head hurt what the fuck even was the point of opening this restaurant if they couldn’t use the name. The name was the epitome of the restaurant.

If you were here Carmy knew you would've given him an analogy for how he was feeling, you would’ve told him he was like Atlas holding up the sky or whatever he did. He shook his head trying to rid himself of thoughts of you, it wasn’t helping him in the least.

As much as he’d rather not converse with Richie, he needed to get to the bottom of this trademark business.

“Yo, Cousin!” The words felt wrong escaping Carmy’s lips the two men avoided each other in the same way you avoided Carmen.

The agitation on Richie’s face was instant, Carmy knew he fucked up with you, but the cold shoulder he was getting from Richie felt unnecessary.

Nat watched as the two men locked eyes, not too keen on playing referee for these two again. She looked in Carmy’s direction as Richie began making his way over, trying to gauge what was going through her little brother's mind.

“Carmen,” Richie nodded in acknowledgment to Carmy. Richie would be lying if he said he wasn’t purposefully using Carmy’s government name to rile him up, he knew how much Carmy hated it when you did it, and since you weren’t here someone had to uphold the tradition.

Carmy felt his eye twitch Richie’s immaturity since the argument with you felt never-ending. “Did Mikey ever trademark the name?”

Richie frowned looking between him and Nat the assumption that he had any goddamn clue laughable “What the fuck did Mikey look like trademarking shit? Wasn’t I just slangin’ crack to keep the lights on?”

Carmy’s eyes shut as Nat let out a quiet gasp, watching as Richie raised his hands in defense. Maybe running a back alley drug ring wasn’t the best for business, but without it, they may not have been in this moment renovating the restaurant.

“Well someone fucking trademarked it, Richie.” The attitude Carmy was catching was wholly unwelcome.

“I don’t like your tone, Carmen,” Richie matched Carmy’s energy giving him what he was getting. “All I’m sayin’ is Mikey didn’t trademark it whoever did might…I dunno hypothetically deserve an apology in return for said documents.”

Carmy was at his wits end with the older man “Oh so you’re the fucking Riddler now.”

“Baby trademarked the name?” Nat’s voice traveled between the trio at the same time as Carmen’s snarky remark. Carmy’s head shot to her, confused as to how she concluded you had anything to do with the conversation at hand.

“Bingo!” Richie’s hands came together in a loud clap Sydney rolled her eyes at the obnoxious man before looking over the various work orders. “She did that shit years ago and gave it to Mikey as a present, he…left it for her when he passed.”

A quiet fell over their small group, each of them taking in the gesture. Richie had only become privy to the present when he went through the office to try and make sense of what the hell Mikey was doing to keep the business up and running. He had knocked a framed picture of your group off the desk cleaning up the mess only to find the folded trademark document in the back of the broken picture frame.

Your name was haphazardly scribbled into the back of it.

Carmen’s chest heaved as he let the news wash over him, it seemed since the two of you had your falling out the universe was continuously pushing him to interact with you. He raised his hand to his face, rubbing it up and down as he added another item to the long list of things going wrong with the restaurant.

In a way, learning that you were responsible for trademarking the name made Carmy’s chest feel warm. It felt like you wanted this for Mikey just as much as he did, the two of you both supporting Mikey in ways the other never knew. It also gave him an excuse to speak with you, not that he needed one. If he was a better man he would’ve already worked up the courage to reach out to you. He could feel a headache coming on the more he thought about trying to fix things with you.

Carmen was sure he’d figure things out soon, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could figure things out with you not by his side. Which he would admit was quite ironic considering all the times he had willingly pushed you away. But being pushed away by you had proven to him just how badly he was screwing things up with you, to hear you be so upset by his actions he basically forced you into confessing your love stung him to his core.

Carmy wasn’t exactly sure what love was supposed to feel like, but he was almost positive it wasn’t this. The ache in his chest from not being around you, looking for you in every crowd he was in. Soaking up any conversation your name was mentioned in. Maybe he did know what love was supposed to feel like, because for all the time he had been in love with you, he had never once felt so completely and utterly broken as he had been since not fighting for your love a year ago like he should have.

“That was Nat,” you looked up as Pete returned to the table, a smile growing on your face at how happy he looked to have been speaking with his wife. “Cat’s out of the bag! Our pregnancy is no longer top secret!”

Pete’s excitement was contagious, your smile growing wider at his pure joy. “Our pregnancy?” You chuckled never having heard anyone refer to it as if the pregnancy was shared.

You watched as Pete sipped the water in front of him, a signature goofy smile back on his face. “Of course! I mean yeah Nat is carrying the baby, but I’m just as pregnant as she is.” You gave Pete a confused look, a laugh bubbling out of you.

“You laugh now Baby, but I’m serious.” Pete paused as the waiter brought out the bread for your table, both of you quickly thanking them. “Nat’s my partner you know? And I’m so grateful for her providing me the opportunity to be a father. Allowing me to build with her, for us to come together and bring a child into this world, it’s a beautiful thing I love her ya know.”

The sheen in Pete’s eyes was enough to make you emotional you didn’t need to hear his explanation to know how much Pete loved Natalie, you could just see it in the way he looked at her, in the way his face would light up when anyone would mention her name or ask about her.

“I’m happy that Nat has someone like you to build a life with.” Both you and Pete shared misty-eyed smiles, chuckles leaving each of you at how emotional the small things made both of you.

“Looks like that dinner you were planning just turned into a full-blown baby shower!” The loud clap Pete’s hands made startled you. “Wow, it really will be a Baby shower!”

You watched as Pete laughed at his own pun, doing your best not to laugh along with him and encourage his bad jokes. The relationship you developed with Pete was a bit weird in the beginning, you weren’t the most open to the idea, and it’s not because you didn’t like Pete, it just felt like you were replacing Mikey.

It took a while before you could look at Pete and realize he wasn’t trying to replace Mikey’s role in your life, and that the drugs and paranoia had driven you to that conclusion. Pete was a great man, standing by Natalie’s side while she fought to keep you alive. Probably being more accepting than someone else may have been when he and Nat decided to help you. Pete and Natalie both put aside their own lives to help you get better, and get back on your feet, and while part of you wished Mikey was around to ground you as well, Pete’s love and kindness didn’t deserve to be taken for granted.

“That dinner was supposed to be a surprise for you too Peter,” you shot him a tiny glare before reaching for some bread. “I just wanted you both to have a nice night off together, no stress.” The reservation had already been made, but thinking about Pete’s words and the excitement when explaining most everyone knew about the pregnancy, maybe it would have been best for an intimate shower for the two soon-to-be parents.

Pete was definitely a family guy and Natalie came from a big family, maybe a shower would be for the best. Surround them with people who loved and supported them and just allow everyone to bask in the happiness the joyous news brought, you were sure everyone could use a break.

“Okay hypothetically say I put together a small shower for the two of you, is that even something Nat would want?” Sure you knew Nat but Pete was her husband and this was their moment, you didn’t want to ambush her with a party she never wanted.

You watched Pete bristle a little, a nervous smile raised to his lips, “I uh I’m not sure if Nat ever told you but she kinda had this…this whole dream about the two of you,” you frowned confused at what Pete was talking about.

“Well not like an unconscious sleeping dream, more like a-an idea?” Pete’s voice rose at the end of his sentence, not sure if the question in his tone was meant for you or him.

“Pete bud you lost me.” You gave him a small nod of encouragement awaiting his response.

“Um so…after your uh…loss,” a sad smile rose to Pete’s lips, you could see the apology in his eyes. “Nat she uh…she confided in me about how she always wanted to be the one to throw you a shower if you ever decided to have children. And if-when we had our own she’d want you to be in charge of hers…if you wanted to not like she would force you.” The nervous huff of laughter from Pete hung in the air for a minute.

The admission perplexed you, Nat had never brought this up to you directly and maybe it was because she felt like she couldn’t. You weren’t the most open when it came to the topic of your miscarriage always avoiding the conversation whenever Nat tried to breach it.

“Baby…you’re the closest thing Natalie has to a sister. I can promise she would be ecstatic no matter what decision you choose.”

You nodded, the motion happened unconsciously as you tried to take in everything Pete had laid on you. Of course, there were things Nat wouldn’t share with you, but while the two of you were like sisters you didn’t expect her to share every little detail with you. As you let Pete’s words digest you couldn’t help the warm feeling beginning to flood through your body, if you were being honest you weren’t sure if it was the best idea to be throwing anyone a baby shower, but you also knew Natalie deserved to be celebrated, not only for the life she and Pete were creating together, but also for all the work she was doing to ensure that The Bear had a fighting chance.

“Okay,” your head continued its up-and-down motion. “Yeah okay let’s do it but I’m going to need your help, Pete.” You watched the smile on his face increase tenfold, your own wide smile spreading your lips due to how contagious Pete’s joy was.

“Anything and I mean anything Baby, I am your guy.” Pete’s giddiness warmed you even more, you didn’t think you had ever been surrounded by anyone with such a positive attitude before. In the beginning, when Natalie and Pete first began dating, his electric personality was a bit much but you found yourself always trying to make Pete feel included, especially with how off-putting the rest of the Berzatto clan could be.

And when you were recovering it was almost like you had to re-acclimate yourself to Pete’s personality. Your recovery was hard, there were some days you weren’t even sure if you wanted to get better or if you wanted oxygen to continue filling your lungs. But Pete was so positive and always looking at life and your situation with a ‘glass half full’ mentality, that his constant belief in you helped to make the hard days easier.

A small sigh escaped your lips as you readied yourself for the question you were about to ask. “Pete, do you think you could give me Carmen’s number?” You tried not to roll your eyes as you saw Pete’s own light up, you were almost positive he would be telling Nat about this topic of conversation. “Before you get any ideas, I just need it to invite him to the shower.” You raised your hands in defense hoping Pete wouldn’t look into this any more than he already was.

“No can do B, the idea train has already left the station.” His fingers drummed on the table with excitement. “But I will do you one better,” you frowned as you watched Pete pick up his phone, fingers skating across the screen before he held it up to show you. A call to Carmen already going through as Pete sent you a thumbs-up.

You looked at the screen eyes wide, the shock temporarily paralyzed for a moment. The quiet sound of the ringing between the two of you brought you back. “Pete! Hang up the phone.” Your voice was terse as you spoke trying not to draw too much attention from other patrons.

Pete laughed, “He never answers my calls anyway.” Pete’s words irritated you, but you were glad to see the call go to voicemail before Pete pressed the end call button and set his phone down.

You let out a surprised laugh, Pete had definitely been too influenced by the Berzattos during his time with Natalie. The little stunt he just pulled was something you knew both Richie and Mikey would do if given the chance.

“Baby?” Your head raised eyes meeting Pete’s, “I know this may sound selfish, but I…I need you to figure out this thing between you and Carmen.” Your eyebrows furrowed the need to defend yourself hitting you full force, you opened your mouth to respond but stopped as Pete raised his hand, a signal to let him continue.

“I know Baby, I know. I’ll be honest with you, as much as I love Nat’s family I think you should’ve given up on Carmen a long time ago.” Your jaw fell slack, and Pete’s eyes widened a bit. “No, no just for your own wellbeing, your peace of mind.” You began nodding as Pete explained himself better. “I just, whatever is going on between you and Carmen, it’s affecting Nat. And she won’t tell you because you deserve to feel how you feel, but with the baby and the restaurant…she doesn’t need to play "Fix it Felix” with you and Carmen right now.”

You let out a small chuckle at Pete’s explanation, over the years he had begun expressing himself to you more. You being the only one on Natalie’s side who actually gave him the time of day and willfully listened to him, helped him to gain more confidence when around the rest of the Berzattos. You reached for your glass of water, taking a long sip before setting it down.

“Thank you, Pete, for being honest,” you sighed, finger playing with the condensation on your cup. “If I’m being honest, it's easy to forget that Nat’s in the middle of everything. She’s so good at pretending it doesn’t affect her.” A rueful smile rose to your lips, as great as a friend as Natalie had been to you through everything, you weren’t sure the same could be said for yourself. “You’re right, Carmen and I are adults, we should be able to figure this out ourselves. I’ll…I’ll call him, figure things out.” You sent Pete a small smile.

Recently it felt like Natalie and Pete nursed you back to health and then for some reason became your surrogate parents. You didn’t think there was anything wrong with leaning on them, the three of you did endure a traumatic experience together so it was understandable. But maybe you had become too comfortable and relied on them too much to ‘fix’ your life. You could understand where Pete was coming from and he had every right to put his wife’s well-being before the feelings of his friends.

You knew Natalie and Pete would be amazing parents and of course, Nat’s fears were valid. But you had seen firsthand just how loving, caring, and kind the couple was, and while that wasn’t all that went into raising a child it was like a part of you just knew that their child would be in great hands.

“Enough about my poor life choices Pete, have you guys thought of any names?” The timing of the question couldn’t have been more perfect, Pete perked up at the question, eyes glazing over with excitement. A waiter stopped by your table to deliver your entrees as Pete began animatedly explaining his and Nat’s process for picking names.

A part of you ached at how happy Pete was, if things were different, maybe in another life you would’ve been able to see that excitement on another man’s face. Maybe the two of you would’ve come up with your own system for picking out names.

You listened as lunch continued, no matter how many times the thought had crossed your mind, you would always be grateful that Natalie had found a partner to love her in the ways she deserved.

It was silent between you and Cortez as you made your second lap around the block, the church in the distance behind you. Your hands were preoccupied with a warm disposable cup of hot cocoa as Cortez gingerly sipped his choice of tea. This had become the routine for your meetings with your sponsor, the two of you would meet at the bodega a little ways away from the church that housed both AA and NA meetings. Then continue your meeting with a few circles around the block before ending at the church stairs when all was said and done.

The air was tense between the two of you, Cortez hadn’t taken kindly to your decision to skip out on the few check-ins that you had asked for. In the beginning, you were in constant contact with Cortez, feeling the match between the two of you out. As you progressed through recovery and got back into the routine of daily life the daily talks between the two of you began to dwindle as you settled into life as a recovering addict.

But after that initial meeting at The Beef, being in Carmen’s presence again, surrounding yourself with Richie and the life you once knew, the meetings with Cortez picked back up in frequency. And you were doing fine for some time, the man meeting with you when you needed it, always willing to speak with you whenever you asked and it was helpful, god was it helpful. But then you made it to step nine, step eight in the recovery program was its own monster that Cortez helped you through especially when it came to who didn’t need to be on your list.

You made the decision to text Cortez after admitting your faults to Richie. As great as it felt to finally be open with Richie and let him into your life, it also brought with it the urge to use again. Richie had been kind enough to take the bottle of champagne off your hands that night, but the desire to call Fak and ask if Theo had anything he could spare almost won out. But as you scrolled through your contacts the red icon hovering over the voicemail tab brought you back to your senses.

“So your friend Richie knows?” Your eyes shot to Cortez taking in his side profile before focusing back on their attention focused on the steaming paper cup of coffee gripped in their hands.

“Yeah, his daughter kind of spilled the beans.” You nodded playing with the frayed edges of your jeans.

“That’s a bit fucked up don’t cha think?” Cortez’s brows furrowed. “I mean how does his little girl know but he don’t that’s gotta hurt.”

You rolled your eyes, “Aren’t you supposed to like not be judgmental?” Cortez’s laugh felt like it was grating on your ears, as good a sponsor as he was, he had the personality of an annoying older brother you were happy not to have.

“It ain’t even judgment though, it’s an observation.” You didn’t have to be looking at him to know that annoying smirk was on his lips as he shrugged his shoulders.

You stopped as Cortez dropped his now empty cup in a trash bin on the street, “Didn’t know you received your inspector gadget certification.”

“That smart ass mouth is bouta be the reason you out here looking for a new sponsor,” you let out a cackle before taking a much-needed sip of your hot cocoa. “Sound like my daughter with that dumb shit.” If you didn’t know the man who was walking by your side, you would’ve thought he was actually upset, but you could tell by the uptick of his lips he didn’t take anything to heart.

The two of you rounded the corner coming up on the church. You watched as Cortez plopped his long limbs down on one of the steps, opting to sit on the railing. Cortez took out his pack of cigarettes bringing the box to his mouth and removing one before offering the box in your direction. You slipped one out a small laugh escaped you at the irony of everything, how you had once been so against the cancer sticks that those around you would make sure not to smoke around you. And then instead of indulging in a nicotine addiction, you turned to alcohol and prescription pills, the fact that you would smoke a cigarette here and there to appease your urges now felt a bit comical.

You leaned forward allowing Cortez to light your cigarette, “Man ain’t nothin’ like smoking on Big G’s doorstep.” Cortez’s voice filled the silence that had settled over the two of you, you took a drag of the cigarette, a small chuckle escaping you with the smoke.

“I used to hate these fucking things.” The disgust on your face was obvious even as the stick hung from your mouth.

“Why you take one every time I offer 'em’ then?” Cortez switched positions leaning his elbows on the step behind him as he stretched his long limbs out in front of them, offering a wave to the few people entering the church for whatever meeting was scheduled to take place.

You shrugged eyes falling to Cortez’s beat-up boots as you sucked the nicotine deep into your lungs, “They’re the same brand Mikey smoked.”

“Damn ma, that shits kinda sad.” The two of you locked eyes before small laughs left the both of you. You had been around Cortez for so long that you’d picked up on his need to turn most anything into a joke. And while in the beginning, it pissed you off, you realized that’s just who he was and that sometimes being able to laugh in serious moments or at your trauma was helpful.

“Nah seriously though better smokin’ these than messin’ with that shit that hooked you in the first place. Know what I mean?” You nodded, finishing off the cigarette in your hand before taking the second cigarette Cortez offered. You knew how these things went and had spent so much time with the man that you learned to read him. Cortez only ever smoked two cigarettes and offered you two if the conversation was gonna be a rough one.

“Where you at with them apologies?” You sighed letting the man light your cigarette one more time, allowing the fumes to warm your lungs.

You dropped from your seat on the railing, your backside had gone numb. You settled yourself to lean against the railing “I mean I told Richie the truth and there were a lot of apologies in that conversation. But I feel like he deserves a better apology.” You shrugged, your attention dropping to Cortez as he listened.

“Ima be honest wit chu, this might be the hardest part of recovery. Shit I know it was f’me admittin’ to my little girl her father was a fuckin’ junkie. But at the end of the day, you gotta remember this recovery shit is for you. If homeboy loves you like a sister like you say he does, all that should matter to him is that yo annoyin’ ass still here. A’ight, ma?” You listened, nodding along to his words. “All you can do is apologize for the shit you did, you can’t control whether people forgive you or not, and remember ain’t nobody gotta fuck with your apology if they don’t want to.”

You let Cortez’s words settle into you, to anyone else his words may not have seemed genuine but this is just who Cortez was. And you knew no matter how nonchalant he sounded he was speaking every word from his heart.

“You still fuckin with that lil dumbass boy?” The question caused you to choke on the last bit of cocoa in your cup.

“We had a falling out, he’s one of the people I have to apologize to though.” The cigarette between your fingers continued to burn. “There’s a lot I still haven’t told him…the substance abuse, the reasons behind my overdose.” An exhausted sigh pushed its way through your lips. It was like one thing after another when it came to you and Carmy.

“Listen I know we ain’t sposed to have like personal relationships and shit, but lemme know what homeboy looks like I’ll get my goons on em’ for you.” Your head fell back in laughter as Cortez raised his fist to under both of his eyes.

“No goons Cortez, please. Wait, have you ever actually put a hit on somebody before?” You obviously didn’t know Cortez as well as you would have if the two of you were friends. But it wasn’t hard to tell that he would get down if need be.

“Why someone say somethin’?” The two of you shared a laugh, the now more frequent people entering the church signifying that your time together was coming to an end.

“Aight, I gotta head in, get shit set up in there. But ima send you the info for Nar-Anon you give that shit to people who still choose to put up with yo ass. You comin' in?”

You shook your head sending him a small smile, “I came to the morning meetings today.”

You nodded in thanks as Cortez stood up, pushing yourself off the railing. You placed the cigarette between your lips leaving your hands open to do the handshake Cortez insisted you did after each meeting. When he first introduced it you were still getting used to the idea of being a recovering addict and thought he was fucking crazy. But you realized he used it as a way to break the serious desolate feeling that some of these meetings ended on, to help bring some light to what was such a dark reality.

At least that’s how he explained it to you, but you were sure he just liked doing the handshake his daughter helped him come up with.

“Ima see you when I see you ma stay straight.” You chuckled before turning on your heel to head to your parked car. Putting the bud of the cigarette out against the trash bin you passed. It was still early, enough time for you to knock out some baby shower shopping before it got too late.

Carmen stopped in his tracks, eyes finding your figure across the street. You were in front of the church that held the Al-Anon meetings he told you about. Maybe you would be attending the one he was here for, his eyes traveled to the man sitting on the steps you were talking to eyebrows furrowing as he realized the vapors leaving your mouth weren’t from your warm temperature, but instead the stick you had raised to your mouth.

“Baby?” The question left his lips in a quiet whisper, he knew it was you standing across the street but it had been a few weeks since your last interaction he was sure he had imagined you. But he would know you anywhere, by scent alone. He couldn’t help the shock at watching you smoke, something you had been so opposed to since the two of you were children. Even going so far as telling Carmy you couldn’t be friends when he smoked his first cigarette at 15, the stalemate barely lasted a day after you realized how dumb the idea was.

Carmy watched as the two of you stood up, his hopes to see you inside dwindling as he watched the two of you begin to part ways, an intricate handshake taking place before you turned to leave. He watched as your figure disappeared around the corner, a quiet ‘shit’ leaving his lips before he darted across the street trying to catch you before you were gone for good.

“Baby! Hey!” His shouts were useless, you were too far gone to have even heard him. “Fuck!” One hand raised to sit on the bill of his cap, the universe seemed like it was doing everything in its power to keep the two of you apart. Or maybe it was just the way things were meant to be.

Carmy turned to see the man you were with still standing in the same spot you left him, eyes narrowed as he took in Carmy’s figure. The man eyed Carmy for a moment longer, sending a head nod his way before turning and entering the church. Carmy was tempted to follow the man and ask about you, but whatever your relationship with the unknown man was, it was none of Carmy’s business.

He sighed eyes shooting up to the sky before taking a deep breath and making his way inside, not wanting to be late and disturb the Al-Anon meeting before it began. Carmy made his way to the room where the meeting usually took place, eyes landing on the same man from outside once more as he greeted members, the sign near the door he stood by signifying it was an NA meeting. Carmy stopped for a moment, eyes darting between the man and the sign he’d just read.

“You lost kid?” Carmy looked at the man brown furrowed as he shook his head, he sent a tight smile the man's way before walking two doors down for his own meeting. Carmen’s brain felt like it was racing a mile a minute. If you weren’t coming to the Al-Anon meeting, why were you here? And why were you talking with someone who appeared to be leading NA meetings?

The vibrating of his phone caught his attention, the device easily slipped out of his pocket. He felt the air leave his lungs as your name flashed across his screen, he realized just how indecent setting that Polaroid picture of you with his chain on might have been now that he was in public, but it’s not like he ever thought you’d call him.

How’d you even get his number?

“Carmen, hey, we’re about to start your coming?” His head shot up to one of the usual who attended these meetings and would talk to him on occasion.

“Yeah uh, just give me a minute.” Carmy gave a tight smile, eyes flashing back to his phone finger moving to swipe across the screen, the call abruptly ending before he even got the chance to hear your voice. Carmen was sure he had the worst luck in the world, a defeated sigh leaving him, he was almost positive there was no chance you were calling him back.

Quickly putting his phone on Do Not Disturb and in the safety of his jacket pocket, he entered the meeting, as much as he wanted to drop everything and fix things with you. He wasn’t even sure what you had called him for. Carmen also knew it was for the best to attend the meeting,

Carmen was sitting in his car allowing it to warm up as he waited. The skyline began to reflect the sunset, the time on the dashboard letting him know it was around dinner time. He fished his phone out of his pocket mindlessly checking the notifications he’d gotten while in the meeting.

Carmy’s brows furrowed at the flurry of messages he received from a group chat he wasn’t aware he was a part of. He frowned as he opened it, your contact is one of the many in the text chain. The only contact with a photo was yours, making you easily distinguishable, he realized the rest of the people in the chat were the restaurant crew. He scrolled through the messages eyes reading over your message with details about a baby shower, your address included.

Carmy exited out of his messages, unsure of how things were between the two of you. It had been three weeks since the argument and neither of you had tried contacting the other. But here he was with a message from you, and a missed call and he wasn’t sure how to take any of it.

He decided it was a good idea to call you back, and try and feel out the atmosphere between the two of you. His heart felt like it was stuttering in his chest as his finger hovered over his screen; you left him a voicemail. He needed to know what the message said, but a part of him was also worried he might not like what he heard, he had hurt you too many times to count, and if whatever you had to say to him broke him down more than he already was, well then he was sure he deserved it.

Carmen took one last deep breath before clicking on the voicemail and raising the phone to his ear, heart pounding in his chest as he heard the sweet whisper of your voice.

‘Hey Carmen, uh it’s me…Baby. Not sure why I introduced myself. I'm sure you know it’s me.” Carmy let out a watery chuckle at the sound of your voice, even if he hadn't saved your number the delicate timber of your voice would’ve been enough for him.

“Listen uh, I got your number for Pete. I hope you don’t mind, I know you have issues with girls actually having your number…Sorry, that was actually kind of rude. Anyway, I uh…Pete helped put things in perspective for me and I, I think we need to talk Carmen. I’m not sure when or if you even want that, but I think we both deserve a chance to explain our side of things. I um…I also have some things I think you should know. Just, if this is something you’re interested in, you have my number.” Carmen felt his heart rate slow down your words, nothing more than a piece offering.

“I just want to be clear though, um..if I don’t hear back from you, I’m going to take that as a sign. So yeah, call me back or something I guess.” The line finally went silent, your voice no longer caressing Carmy’s ears.

It felt like he was having heart palpitations but he knew it was just his nerves getting the best of him. He pulled the phone away from his ear, the time on his phone reading 5:30 p.m. Carmy quickly opened the group chat scrolling through to find your address and open it up in maps. You lived about 30 minutes from where he was, he was confident he could get there in 20 and spare the 10 minutes at a store near you.

Carmen made his decision as he set his phone down in the cup holder before beginning his journey. The ball was in his court, you had given him an olive branch and it was up to him whether he accepted it or not. He was nervous, maybe showing up at your house to cook you dinner wasn’t his most thought-out plan but he needed you desperately, needed to see you, be in your presence, and know that there was still a chance of something more between the two of you.

The hope Carmy felt when he saw you calling him earlier was now back tenfold: the pendant delicately resting against his chest felt warm. Carmen was adamant that he would admit his love for you tonight, unsure if he could go another day living with the fact that you were in love with him, but you still didn’t know just how much he had always loved you. You were so blissfully unaware that since he could remember, you had been the one and only option in his mind.

a/n: wowza, long time no see. i apologize that this is a bit of a filler chapter but it felt kinda necessary idk. anway please let me know if there are any problems with this chapter it's barely edited. enjoy : )

also also: both richard cabral as coco in mayans and manny montana as rio in good girls inspired cortez the sponsor, but head canon him as whoever you want…okay bye now 🤍

#i missed you all so much more! : )#definitely will i can’t put out good chapters if im constantly exhausted 😩#right!! i really enjoyed writing about baby/Carmy outside of each other #cortez is a G and everybody respects him in this house!#i love that you annotate this fic like it’s assigned reading #it makes me so giddy to see all your comments #but same i reply in notability then just copy/paste to tumblr lol #[aiekoy] chapter 7 reblog #i love interacting with you all so much and it just feels so good to be back #its like reconnecting with an old friend #but also im overdramatic cause i was gone for like three days lol

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saskiahaggens · 2 years ago

Text

After the Storm Part 8

Masterlist

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 9, Ploy Ending,

Pairing: Jake x fem!Reader x Richy x Phil (?)

Warnings:

spoilers

mentioning of death, attempted suicide

swearing

Word count: 3582

Please remember that English is not my first language, so please don't kill me.

You set your phone down on the sink and unplugged the hairdryer; your charger would take its place. You simply hoped Richy wouldn't call because you were using the old phone for this. With your recent phone, you called the other one and put the speaker on. You were relieved that this ancient thing could accomplish it; otherwise, your strategy would have been rendered worthless.

Your second phone was able to silence your side of the call, allowing you to hear if anything happened in the bathroom, but they couldn't hear you. You also exited the restroom with this phone on speaker. You checked your pocket for a penny while leaving the light on. The doors had a little slit in their lock, so you could open them from outside in case of an emergency. Normally, you couldn't open or close it without the key, but you discovered by chance that a coin could also be used for this. Probably many people know this trick, but you never really thought about this, until you were like seventeen.

You knocked on the bathroom door after the door was locked to see if you could hear it through your phone. Then you unmuted your phone to see if anyone else could understand you. For the most part, your strategy worked. Your plan worked for the most part. It was kind of obvious, due to the poor sound quality of the phone, that something wasn't right, but if someone had the need to check up on you in the middle of the night, they wouldn't question any further.

You jumped out of your window and dashed to the meeting spot you'd directed Jessy to. Your shoulder appreciated the fact that your room was on the bottom floor. Nonetheless, you made a mental point to never climb out of a window again with an injured arm.

You took out your phone again shortly after your feet touched the ground. Perhaps Jessy was already waiting for you, so you texted her that you'd be there in five minutes.

The streets were deserted; not even cars were parked on the side of the road, but you attempted to keep as hidden as possible.

You obviously arrived after Jessy, but she wasn't upset; she simply hugged you for a while. You had no idea why she behaved the way she did. You last saw her a few hours ago, although she was probably anxious because of the accident. So it took some convincing to convince her to follow you into the woods.

You liked the forest because it was quiet and there were no people around... but it was a risky place to be in your current situation. The only reason you wanted to go to the Dear Hut was Richy. You weren't sure how Jessy would react, and if she shouted for whatever reason, people would get inquisitive and peer out their windows, and well... you wanted to keep him safe. You would even risk your well-being for him.

You'd even risk your own safety for him. Jessy drew you out of your thoughts when she grabbed your arm. She was glancing around skeptically, and every noise made her heard skip a beat. You reasoned that talking could help her relax a little.

"Listen, Jessy, I understand if you become angry, but whatever happens, please let me explain everything. You are free to go as soon as I finish, but you must first hear the entire story. Oh, and please, no matter how angry you are, don't tell anyone about this. At least not yet."

"You are scaring me.", she said, looking directly at you.

"I'm sorry, but it's really important. I trust you more than anyone else to keep this a secret, and I apologize for dragging you into the forest in the middle of the night for this."

The trees looked even higher than in daylight, which made everything more terrifying. You quickly understood that this was a horrible decision. What if Jake's brother is watching you right now, or worse, Jake himself was watching you? I mean, it's too late to turn around now, right? When Jessy tugged your arm, you knew you weren't alone any more.

"Um, Y/n, a person is standing near the hut. Could we perhaps turn around?" she said gently as she came to a halt.

You just realized now that you had been staring at the ground the entire time. You had already arrived? Not like you would have preferred a random encounter. At the very least, Richy was there before you. You knew him by his blue hoodie. He obviously wore it to let you know you didn't have to be scared.

"Yeah, I know. I invited him to come. Not only do I have to tell you something."

"So you know him?"

"Yes, and believe me, you know him too."

"I do? Wait, is this Jake? Did he make it out of the mine?"

"Yes, no, and yes. You should see him, otherwise you wouldn’t believe me."

"Hey," you said to Richy, unable to look at him or Jessy.

"Hey.", he nodded back.

Richy had his hood pulled up, but you could feel that Jessy recognized him, her body language told you that. Whether it was his voice, his physique, or the tips you provided her, she simply knew, .

"Jake wasn’t the only one to escape Ironsplitter."

Jessy just shook her head. She knew it, she just didn’t want it to be true. A few whispered words left her lips; you could only made out a quiet ‘No’ and an even quieter ‘Why?’.

Richy sighed and slowly took off his hood.

That was all the confirmation she needed. After a few seconds of looking at him, her expression shifted from afraid and horrified to angry and slightly disgusted. You couldn't respond, and Richy couldn't either, as she went forward and smacked him.

Richy grumbled and touched his cheek, "Yeah, I definitely earned that one."

"Why?" she just questioned again, this time louder.

You weren't sure if she was referring to you or Richy, or what she meant in general. Jessy just gazed daggers at her erstwhile best friend, who was at a loss for words. After a few seconds, her gaze shifted to you, and you avoided eye contact as well.

"How is he still alive? Did you know that the whole time? ", she asked.

"No, at least not the whole time. I found out back in the Aurora on my first day here. I promised not to tell anyone, but given recent circumstances, we decided it was time..."

"Tell me, please, Richy. Why did you do it? Hannah was one of your best friends, and you attacked me. I'd like an explanation. Now."

He nodded but remained silent for a moment.He probably wasn’t sure where to begin. You felt bad for him. He wanted you to tell them the whole story, but you couldn't, not so soon after his 'death.' Even if you weren't, it seemed like you were backstabbing him.

"You know about the accident ten years ago, right? Well, I gave Hannah the car so she could drive back to this stupid waterfall with Amy. I had drunk, so I couldn’t drive her and the car should be dismantled anyway."

"But they hit Jennifer. I already knew that, Y/n told me."

"Well, did she also told you that they came back to me? I helped them to bury her body. I buried that poor girl too, I knew about it the whole time."

Richy teared up a bit because of the memory. Seeing him like that broke your heart. You didn't want to draw too much attention to yourself, so instead of taking his full hand, you only interlocked your pinkies, as some sort of support.Jessy knew you had a thing for Richy before you found out what he did. But you weren’t sure if she would still support your feelings at this point.

"Hannah got rid of the car and I destroyed every clue that it was ever in our possession. We never talked about this again until a few days before she disappeared. I wanted to confess everything, but Amy was afraid. I remembered Hannah talking about the men without a face. So, I thought that Amy would want to confess if she saw him too.", he continued, and gave you a thankful look.

"So, the man without a face wasn’t real until then?"

"No, Hannah imagined him because of her guilt. I informed myself about this legend. I never did anything to Amy. I just watched her through her window."

"He wanted to do the right thing, you know? He wanted them to confess together."

"If you count driving someone into suicide as doing the right thing. I was at the end of my nerves at that point. And then Hannah found a receipt which I lost on accident. When she would have shown it to the police, they would have had proof that the man without a face existed, I panicked and I didn’t see any other way."

"You kidnapped Hannah, because you were afraid? All this stuff, because you panicked?"

"Yes, dammit. I had a perfect plan for everything, so it would end harmlessly, but then Jake and Y/n came.", he sobbed, so you took over.

"Richy tried to kill himself, back in Ironsplitter. He thought he didn’t deserve to live after what he did.Jake rescued him. Jake was also the reason Richy was unable to go to the police. They may not have helped us, but they aren't naive enough to assume he could have survived alone, despite his injuries. They knew Jake was there, and so they would have known that he was alive too. He always intended to do the right thing; he simply did it in the wrong way. "

You did your best to hold your tears back, but when Jessy teared up too, you lost it. You were feeling lousy. Everything may have been okay if it hadn't been for Jake and you, or at least it wouldn't have ended that way for Richy. Jessy was the first to find her voice again and wiped her tears away.

"Dose anybody else know about this?", she asked.

"Not the full story, but Hannah and Phil know that they are alive.", you explained, and Jessys' expression turned angry once again.

"You told her and my brother but not me?"

"Hannah saw us when we left the mine, but we didn’t talk to her. We were fortunate that the FBI assumed we were already dead, so they stopped paying attention to the entry, but we couldn’t push our luck that much. As for Phil... I didn’t had much of a choice in this. It wasn’t him who received the picture of Y/n after the accident, it was me. I needed to find Y/n, so I asked him for help, because I recognized his car. I never told him anything, and I doubt he knows anything about Jake. I only wanted to help Y/n.", he explained, taking your hand completely.

Jessy gave a nod. Her attention was drawn to your hands. You couldn't tell what she was thinking because she was emotionless, but you thought she didn't know either.

"But who sent the picture?", she asked more gently.

"It was an unknown number. I don’t even know how that guy got my number in the first place."

"I do.", you cut in, "When I put on my jacket earlier, I noticed that the piece of paper with your numbers on it disappeared. He took it after he dragged me out of the car. I probably should have thrown it away ages ago, but I just couldn’t. It felt wrong for some reason.", you scratched your neck in embarrassment. “But I figured out who it was."

"I still don’t think it was Jake Y/n. He is in love with you. He could never do this."

"Wait, it was Jake?", Jessy asked, confused.

"No, it wasn’t Jake. Turns out he has a twin brother.", you just blurred out the truth. They would find out eventually anyway.

"Wait what? I mean, that explains most of it, but why would his brother do this? He doesn't know you, and where did you get that information from, anyway?", Richy questioned.

"Jake told me. He snuck into my room after everyone had left. His brother wants to hurt him for what he did when they were young."

"He was in the hospital? That is way too dangerous for him. Someone could have seen him."

Richy was a bit shocked to hear that. He was right. It looks like you weren’t the only one risking your life for people that meant something to you.

"More importantly, why you? Hannah and Lilly are also important to him. You just met him on accident.", Jessy pointed out.

"He couldn’t hurt his sisters. That’s what Jake told me. Meeting you wasn’t a coincidence either. Do you two remember how you got my number?"

"Hannah sent it to Thomas.", Jessy shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"The only problem with this is that she was never able to get her phone and I didn’t send it either."

Jessys' look shifted to hatred for a brief moment as a result of Richys' choice of words, but she quickly realized that this was not impotent right now.

"That’s because Jake sent it. He set this up so his brother could hurt someone he didn’t care for."

"But he cares about you," Richy reminded you.

"Yeah, that the problem. He didn't want me to meet you because he was afraid of the man without a face, but because he was afraid of his brother, who wanted to kill me because of his mistakes.

"I'm very sorry, Y/n," he said, clutching your hand even harder.

"So, he just used you?"

"He wanted to, but I guess that he tries to fix everything. That's the reason why he is gone for now. I mean, he had risked his freedom to explain it to me."

You were interrupted by your phone, which made some weird noise. Richy and Jessy looked at you weirdly, but you just turned the sound down.

"Somebody is in my room.", you stopped Jessy and Richy from talking.

"We should cut this short then.", Jessy nodded.

"You're right, we have been here for quite some time. I will bring you back, at least to the edge of the forest. I can’t have someone else's brother hurting you two."

The walk back was agonizingly quiet. Richy held your hand the entire time, and you observed Jessy sometimes staring down at your linked hands. Nonetheless, she remained silent. The time flew by, probably because you felt more at ease with Richy around. Still not letting go of your hand, he turned around and looked at Jessy.

"Can I have a quick word with Y/n?", Richy asked.

Jessy hesitated, but eventually nodded.

"Yeah, but listen Richy, before I go, I understand your point of few, but that doesn't mean I forgive you... at least not now. I won't tell anybody about this because Y/n asked me to do so, but you can’t play dead for the rest of your life. You can’t run away from the consequences forever. Jennifer deserves this and so do Amy and Hannah. "

"I know and I will go to the police, but I want to make sure that Y/n is safe before I do that."

Jessy nodded and said a quick goodbye to Richy before she started to walk away. She would surely wait for you to ensure that you returned to the hospital, but she also wanted to give you some space.

"What’s wrong?", you asked after you were sure Jessy couldn't hear you anymore.

"I know Jake is in love with you... and I am as well."

"Richy, I-"

"I know. You have other problems right now, and I should too, but do you know the worst part?", Richy paused for a few seconds and looked away from you. "I like Jake as well."

You smiled slightly. "Yeah, I figured that by now. You looked close the few times I saw you stalking me. Did you tell him?"

"No, I only realized it after he disappeared. I mean, he was there for me when I needed him, even though he despised me. I'm not sure how he thinks about me; I'm sure he still hates me for everything."

"Yeah, I know what you mean, but he doesn't hate you. Did you never question his decision to disappear? His brother wants to hurt the people he loves the most. He wants to protect you as much as he wants to protect me." You smiled sadly and took his other hand as well.

"Can I kiss you?"

You were shocked for a second. Didn’t he just confess his feelings for Jake? He realized that what he said sounded weird, so he added an explanation.

"I know it sounds crazy, but Jake vanished, and you could have died just a few days ago. I just want to know how it feels to kiss someone like you - someone I would die for - because with everything going on right now, I’m afraid I will never have the chance to do so."

"All right," you said quietly.

You related to his feelings. Jake was gone for who knows how long, and his brother wants to kill you and perhaps Richy as well. What if this is your one and only chance to kiss each other? He's gone through a lot, and so have you. He needs this and you do too.

Richy let go of one of your hands to gently grab your chin. He looked deep into your eyes and searched for any kind of remorse before he leaned down to kiss you.

The kiss was unlike any you'd ever experienced. It was a quick and light kiss. And it wasn't like the 'fireworks' that everyone speaks about; it was more like a cool breeze on a hot summer day. When Richy drew away, he grinned at you, and you smiled back.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this," he said quietly.

"We need to talk to Jake when we find him. Everything is going to be fine in the end, and if it's not fine, it’s not the end."

Richy nodded. He kissed your forehead quickly before disappearing into the darkness of the forest, still beaming like an idiot. You weren't any different, and Jessy couldn't help but smile too, when you two met up. She was happy that you were happy, even after everything that happened.

"You really like them, don’t you?.", she laughed.

"Maybe."

You felt like fourteen again when you giggled after that. All your worries were forgotten for a few seconds, until one thought entered your mind again.

"But I have a bigger problem than Jake and Richy for now."

"And that would be?"

"It was difficult to get out of the room, but getting back in will be far more tricky. I mean, did you ever climb with a dislocated shoulder?"

Jessy gave a hesitant laugh.

"Jokes aside, I still have a bigger worry. Do you remember the person in my room? If it had been a nurse, she would have asked if everything was okay, but the person never said anything.

"Why haven’t you said anything sooner? Richy could have come with us."

"No, it would be too dangerous for him. I mean, what if I’m wrong."

"Can you text Jake?"

"I don’t know if he will answer, because I was so mad at him, but I will try. You shouldn’t worry and get home. If I can’t reach him, I will ask Richy, alright?"

You lied. You wouldn't tell this Richy under any circumstances, but Jessy believed you anyway and went home. Still, you texted Jake and asked him if he came back. Surprisingly, he answered just seconds later, that he didn’t. Maybe it was really just a nurse and you were just paranoid after the accident.

When you walked in, your room was dark and just as you left it... until you unlocked the bathroom door. Jake stood there holding your phone, looking like a mother waiting for her child after it sneaked out.

The only problem was that it wasn’t Jake, as you thought at first. A little mole under his right eye gave it away.

"I wouldn't scream and hand over your second phone if I were you," he insisted.

You did as he asked. Just because you couldn’t see any weapons on him right now doesn't mean he was unarmed. You could scream later too. It was a hospital, after all.

You were also curious about what he wanted. If he wanted to kill you, he would have done it right away.

"Good girl. I have to say, you impressed me, Y/n. Nobody really did this before, so you deserved a price. Let’s talk. I want to know more about you before I kill you."

#jake x y/n #jake x mc #duskwood everbyte #everbyte studios #phil x mc #richy rogers #richy x mc #duskwood richy #duskwood jake #jessy duskwood #cleo duskwood #phil duskwood #thomas duskwood #hannah duskwood #mc x jake #richy x reader #phil x reader #imagine

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beauregard-s · 4 years ago

Text

Verdigris | Bill Denbrough

Pairing: Bill Denbrough x Reader (18 yo in this one)

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings: language, mild hate-to-love trope and mentions of cheating and toxic relationship

A/n: ‘The one with Baseball Player!Bill and the song Verdigris by Gus Dapperton’

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He can’t stop watching you.

At the bowling alley on a Friday night. Your arms crossed, a hidden smile on as one of your friends rolls the ball and misses the pins miserably. You probably had a night off, or else you’d be at the arcade trying to tame the thirteen-year-olds that keep fighting over the Pac-Man machine.

Bill can’t stop staring and it’s annoying beyond belief.

“For fuck’s sake, Bill! Are you playing or not?”

He’s forced to drag his attention away from you under Richie’s hiss only to perceive how everybody is staring at him - except for Ben checking on his shoelaces after tripping on them at least twice already. The looks range from Richie’s pissed one, to Mike, Beverly, and Eddie’s confusion, and laying on Stan’s impassivity.

“I just puh-played two rounds ago, Richie, stop m-mah-messing the order,” he complains, yes, but stepping up and grabbing himself a ball is the same as calling his own bullshit.

His move is absent anyway, only hits three pins because he backs off as soon as the ball leaves his fingers, making room for Ben to go next. Standing more in the back so he can turn his head in your lane’s direction again, all the way across the alley.

Only in time to watch you striking for the second time that night.

Only in time to catch how your eyes automatically fly in his direction right after that.

It’s quick, just a few seconds before you turn away again like at school two - or three? - weeks before, when you shouted out loud in a hallway about how you were cheated on, a thing many girls would hide, never talk about and pray for it to never come up. But you didn’t. When Henry Bowers leaned by your locker and probably tried to slide in some smug explanation, you shut the metal door so loud people around turned their heads and others who didn’t hear it from the first time caught on what was happening as soon as you told him to go ‘get his dick wet with Anna Thompson from now on’.

That being said you stormed out, and your eyes met his because he was frozen in a trance not perceiving at first he was blocking your way.

He couldn’t call you a bully, but nor could he call you an angel. You were Bowers’ girlfriend for quite a while, never messed with him but was never smooth either. You always stood neutral about Bowers tormenting him, almost bored, he noticed. Maybe uncomfortable with the situation if he overthought on that?

Never mattered. Bill recognizes he doesn’t know much about you, never got interested in doing so. Never needed to. You are just y/n, Henry Bowers’ blessed girl - because, thinking about it, yes, someone must be somehow holy to endure that one. Y/n, who he thought that barely minded him but still locked eyes and seemed to flash him a very inconspicuous smile that brought him back to Earth and made him move aside to let you walk into your 6th period class.

Y/n that since then started to hover above him like a little bird of prey, keeping those secretly mischievous eyes on him whenever they shared the room. Driving him insanely curious to find out what all of this is about.

“I swear to God, Big Bill!” Richie cries out in frustration, clapping his hands together in a desperate try to get his attention, “it’s your turn again!”

***

“Homealone again?” Stan asks while buckling up on the driver's seat after leaving the alley almost forcefully when the place closed, Mike’s horn breaking the late-night silence as he leaves to take Ben and Bev home.

“Yeah, for the weekend.” Bill sighs, sinking into the seat and smirking. “Why? Wanna throw a p-party?”

Stan snorts in the dark, turning the keys for the headlights to break through the darkness ahead. “Not after the last one,” he starts the car and leaves while Bill recalls the last party they went to. The party where around 1 am everybody started gossiping about how someone entered a room without knocking and...

“Y/n l/n, then?”

Bill moves uncomfortably. Of course, the party where everybody found out you were cheated on before you could do it yourself. Stan Uris really sees everything, knows everything, and perceives everything. And also have the gift of smoothly leading people into the point he wants to get to.

“I don’t think so,” Bill says.

Stan swirls the steering wheel to the left into a quiet street, suffocating another laugh. “So you’re telling me you were not perving on her the whole night.”

“I wasn’t p-puh-p-perving!”

“No!” Stan’s laugh finally comes filled up with irony. “At the bowling alley, at school, whenever she shows up during practices and her great presence disturbs you to the point you miss the pitches… Since she broke up with Bowers, whenever she’s around your mind goes wasted”. Bill grimaces and he goes on. “And judging by tonight, she seems to be at the same place as you are.”

“She’s not at the same p-place as I am because I’m not at any p-place, Stan.” Bill sticks his arm out of the window into the cold breeze, feeling something boiling inside him. That annoyance again. “She’s been teasing me since she broke up with her dear b-boyfriend, it’s all.”

Stan slows down at a crossing, making a snap noise with his tongue. “How convenient, no?” Bill scowls, eyes off the road to look up at his slightly raised brows, and he goes on, “Bowers’ girl gets cheated on and then starts flirting with you, Bill Denbrough. The guy who had his lip split open by those fists more times than we could actually remember.”

“Tell me about it…” Bill’s voice barely comes out as he watches the stores slowly turning into houses with dark windows and faded front porches, trying to smother that burning feeling inside.

“And you’re playing her game,” Stan adds calmly.

Bill snaps his neck towards the driver's seat again but Stan only shows that same impassivity from earlier, eyes solely on the road. “Don’t tell me you’re not, because you are. I saw it tonight. Besides it, we all know you’re that sucker for unbecoming stuff.”

Bill shakes his head, gnawing on his cheek in bitterness as the car stops in front of a two-floor house and Stan turns the keys, sending them into silence and darkness again, turning on his seat to face a skeptical Bill unclasping his seatbelt harshly.

“I am not. I wanna f-find out what game is she p-playing b-but I’m not playing it myself.”

“Okay,” Stan taps onto the wheel, grinning in his disbelief because he knows Bill well enough to know he may sound like he has his foot down when he’s in fact as unsteady as sand. “But she could put you in big shit trouble, you know?”

Bill gets out of the car, leaning into the window as soon as he closes the door, drawing a cockish grin. “Yeah b-but, again, I’m not playing her game, Stan.”

He assured himself that, even though his mind wanders towards you until he goes to sleep and even though you remain there when he wakes up Saturday morning.

He’s not playing your game.

But you’ve been testing his limits, slowly getting under his skin somehow with so little effort. Catching his attention when he doesn’t want to give it to you. You’re guaranteed trouble and he hates how you leave him restless whenever you are out of his sight and trouble his mind whenever you are both sharing space.

But he’s not playing your game.

Yet he still finds himself waiting outside the arcade later at night, at a discreet distance with his hands tucked in his jacket’s pockets to keep them from freezing under the fall weather. Bill watches you leading the last kids outta the place, promising an upset little guy they’ll be open early the next day too and turning the sign hanging on the glass door as soon as they leave to warn everyone the place is finally closed. The sweet way you talked to the kid doesn’t match the troublemaker image he painted of you in his mind throughout the day.

He’s not playing the game, but he’s ending it before he goes insane. Being a chess piece is not on his plans. He doesn’t know where you’re going with all of that so he walks into the store, immediately catching your attention.

You’re checking and closing the cashier when the noise makes you look up from behind the counter only to find the surprisingly-not-so-popular pitcher of the Derry High School’s baseball team standing there in between the flashing machines.

“Hey there, Denbrough,” you say softly, bringing your attention back to the dollar bills. “We’re closed.”

He taps his foot, trying to find the words to say what he wants to say because even though he planned talking to you the whole day, suddenly he feels lost and vulnerable under that nonchalant way of yours.

“I know, I didn’t come to play.” Bill feels proud of how steady he sounds although he’s clenching his hidden fists. He has the slight impression you are not as confused as you seem when you eye him again. This time deeper.

“How can I help you then?”

He thought he had a solid plan, but he doesn’t at all. All he can think of is how did Bowers get you? A straight A’s girl with such sweet talk, pretty face, and bold demeanors.

“You can help me by stopping m-messing around.” There goes his steadiness through the window, every single drop of it when your lips give him a lopsided smile, closing the cashier and pulling a bunch of keys out of a drawer.

“And what do you mean by messing around?” you walk around the counter and passing by him because even though Bill Denbrough is standing in front of you straight out of a dream in his stupid letterman jacket, a robbery wouldn’t be welcome and you gotta lock the doors and close the curtains. That blocks all the light from the outside, sending both of you into a gloom only lightened by the neon lights around.

“I mean all the flirting you’re doing.” His voice deepens a tone. “ I want you to stop it.”

He looks adorably anxious, of course. All fidgety when he’s trying to confront you that way but flinching when you turn on your heels to face him, his hands still in his pockets for what? Hide his nervous manners?

Not that you’re that secure yourself with your sped up heart. You wish you had pockets too so you could hide how you poke a cuticle on your thumb.

“I’m not flirting with you,” you say simply. “I know you’d like that, but-“

“You wish, l/n” he hisses and you know you’ve hit a weak spot. Also not that you didn’t know said weak spot exists.

“I know what you’re doing, and I’m not getting in trouble for it.” Bill steps closer, letting his sweaty hands finally fall to his sides.

“Again, I’m not the one messing around” You see his jaw clench, and go on leaning back against the Donkey Kong machine. “You are.”

Bill snorts and the way he runs his fingers through his auburn hair messing it in frustration makes things to you. Yes, Bill Denbrough in his lettermen jacket is stupid… stupidly hot, even if you hate admitting that.

“I’m n-not-“

“Are you sure?” You defy him, resting your hands on the machine and accidentally hitting the joystick. “So you’re telling me you’ve not been leering me around, casually hanging out with your friends by my locker or… Following my ex-boyfriend around to make sure he’s not coming close to me, Bill?”

Touché.

You never called him ‘Bill’ before, but thought it would match the soft-turn your voice takes and the little ‘got you’ move you just made. Bill thinks it raises a level. He said he didn’t come to play, but it feels like he did and now he’s losing because you know something you shouldn’t.

You know last Tuesday he followed Patrick Hockstetter’s car because he saw them harassing you when you were walking home after school. He watched when they pulled over by the sidewalk, Bowers leaning out through the window and saying something that made you argue with him for a while before you kept walking and they drove out. Bill should’ve turned right and drive home, but he turned left and followed them instead, made sure they went home and not after you.

“I was just trying to m-muh-make sure you were safe,” he reasons but inside he’s recognizing his failure.

Maybe you’ll call him a creeper for that? No, you just bat your eyelashes.

“You really have an unforgiving hero complex.”

“I don’t have a hero complex.”

He does. And maybe an unforgiving crush too because he realizes you’re not the one hovering here. He is. He always thought he never paid attention to you but he did all the time in the deep of his head, dreary by the fact that you ended up with someone like that disgusting jerk.

“A hero complex and a huge neglect towards yourself, apparently” you bicker, the changes in his mind showing briefly in his expression.

“Okay, I m-may be the one m-messing around but you don’t seem like you’re trying to run from it.”

The others have already warned Bill about that, his lack of fear and his broken anti dumbness filter, mainly Beverly, but there he is again. Making dangerous, uncalculated moves, totally improvising his next step to avoid a checkmate from you.

He’s kinda angry, maybe embarrassed, eyes locked on your as he comes closer. You don’t answer because he got a point. From the moment you noticed Bill paying more attention to you after you were publicly free from Henry, you never intended on cutting him off. You fed the fire and now, with his eyes so deep in yours and the smell of his cologne all around you, you let him taste a bit of power to decrease that embarrassment of his.

“Are you trying to imply that I want you too?” You whisper, no need to talk louder with his chest an inch from yours like that.

He likes how beautiful you look like that, face shining in verdigris tones flashing from the next machine, the way it turns you into neon pink and back to the blueish-green. He likes how daring you look even if he’s towering over you, inches taller, little knowing how you’re putting on a fight to keep yourself solid and your thoughts in place. Without much success when he leans in and brushes his chapped lips along your soft ones.

“Again, you wish, l/n.”

The previous moves were yours but in a turn, you’re the one getting the final checkmate when you give in and pull him into a kiss. A greedy and heated kiss that showed how you’ve been craving each other. Bill presses against you as he’s trying to challenge the laws of physics, his tongue licking into your mouth as your hands clutch on his thick jacket, feeling his broad shoulders underneath. His hands cup your face, his thumbs gently tracing up your cheekbones in contrast to how roughly his lips take yours, only for a moment before his arms embrace your waist and he smugly slides a large hand into your jeans’ pockets.

He swore himself he wouldn’t play your game, but he feels like he did and just lost it when he leaves your lips and trails the tip of his nose down your neck, feeling how you softly quiver in his arms, breathing in your perfume. Pulling away before everything goes to waste.

“As I said, totally n-not running away from me,” he mutters, leaving you.

You shake your head slowly, a mazy little smile glued on your lips. “Screw you, Denbrough…” But the words drip out like honey to him as he walks backwards towards the door.

Bill turns the keys still in the lock behind his back, flashing a cocky grin at you as he pushes the door open. He feels defeated, you do too but somehow none of you regret what just happened in the empty arcade. He can see you don't by the way you look at him as he leaves. It’s not just one of those glances anymore.

He feels defeated, but maybe it will be worth it.

“S-see you later, y/n.”

#bill denbrough #bill denbrough x reader #bill denbrough imagine #bill denbrough fic #bill denbrough fanfic #bill denbrough fanfiction #it #it imagine #it fic #it fanfiction #it fanfic #the losers club #the losers club imagine #the losers club fic #the losers club fanfic #the losers club fanfiction #the losers club x reader #beauregardwrites

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lothioriien · 5 years ago

Text

richie tozier and his zoomer teen: headcanons

A/N: I tried keeping this as gender neutral as possible, but idk it’s a lil implied that the kid’s a girl. i’m trying to learn how to write gender neutral stuff :”)

By teenager, I mean around 16-17! High school age!!

Enjoy!

Sometime in the early 2000s, famous comedian Richard Tozier went to a party and came home with a woman.

oh yeah they deffo got it on that night

But that was a one night stand kind of thing, and Richie didn’t have any contact with her until about a year later.

He got up the couch one early evening to the ringing of his doorbell, and found a basket and a bag filled with baby food, diapers, and clothes perched on his doorstep

And in the basket? A small child, an apology note from the mother, and a birth certificate with his name listed as the father.

Oh boy did his life completely change after that.

It was him and the child, against the world.

but let’s skip the details on him struggling to take care of an infant first and move on a bit to when the kid’s older.

You, of course, are the baby that was left on his doorstep, and Richie tried to be the best father he could be despite his touring career as a comedian.

He’d bring you to the shows, even if you didn’t understand a thing that went on, though eventually when you’d help him write some material when you were older.

Constantly touring with him as a kid meant you were homeschooled. But that didn’t stop you from having a social life. You’d be friends with a lot of his fellow comedians, and John Mulaney was your ultimate favorite friend of his.

you just loved the very tall and gangly twelve year old looking man named uncle john.

Your academic life though was not too bad. You’re pretty intelligent, but when it came to maths, oh boy.

As a kid, you’d ask Richie constantly about math. He’d hate the school curriculum you had because math was different back when he was younger. He’d always help you, but it was mostly the internet just teaching you both.

You’d introduce him to vines (through iconic vine compilation videos), but mostly because he was so confused with this new language you were speaking.

Eventually he’d say some vines back to you and it’d come off so weird cause he’s a 40 year old white dad. You love him, nonetheless, and appreciate the effort

A lot of your instagram stories or snapchat stories are you filming him as you sing “You are my dad! You’re my dad! Boogie woogie woogie!”

He found it cute at first, where he would smile at you hiding behind your phone and hug you after cause dang he loves his kid so much and would die for you

then later, he’s evidently so annoyed because you do it constantly. As in he takes off his glasses, puts his head in his hands and just sighs so loudly.

When tiktok became the new vine, you were on the app every single day, making it a goal of yours to become tiktok famous.

You’d force your dad to do tiktoks with you

“I love my daddy. he is my superhero”

“Famous relative check!”

BUT THE PERFECT AUDIO

“Don’t look at me like that.” “YOU��RE MY DAD. BOOGIEWOOGIEWOOGIE!”

Gaining some clout because he is a pretty famous comedian 👀

Saying “ok boomer” to him when he’d annoy you

But then he’d clap back by being like “What the fuck Y/N. I was born in 1976, i’m not that old.”

“Yeah but sometimes you think like a boomer.”

“Ok, zoomer.”

“Dad. No. Get out.”

He’s really chill with you swearing. You definitely got that habit from him.

“What the actual fuck, Richard.”

“At least have the fucking decency to call me dad, Y/N.”

He got you into video games at a young age. Every time there was a new console or a new interesting game out, you’d both be up early to go out and get the said console/game.

And in each game you’d play, there would be hilarious commentary.

it’s basically that video with bill hader playing god of war with conan but imagine that and a zoomer’s feral energy combined.

He also got you into becoming a cinephile. Though unlike him, you read the books before watching the movie.

Marathoning a bunch of tv series together and you can never watch any new episode without him. Friday nights were reserved especially for it.

Richie can’t fucking cook for the life of him. Growing up, it was always take out, pizza, instant noodles, or mac and cheese.

He tried learning how to cook, he really did. But it was just so bad that eventually you’d learn how to do it. Then you’d try to teach him how too.

But did he get better as a cook?? Not really.

He once accidentaly set almost the whole kitchen on fire when he tried making pasta when you were 15.

“DAD, YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO PUT WATER IN THE POT FOR PASTA.”

“HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT? I JUST WANTED TO DO SOMETHING SPECIAL FOR YOU!”

“I APPRECIATE THE GESTURE BUT PLEASE DON’T EVER TRY TO COOK AGAIN.”

The following morning, he got up and learned how to make pancakes with sausages, bacon, and eggs.

It was damn good, and by far the best thing he ever made.

So his pancakes became a regular thing.

On casual dinner nights at home, he’d let you have a drink with him and be drinking buddies. He taught you how to drink and be safe with drinks (cause we stan a protective father amirite)

Speaking of protective father, he’d be so picky and open about the people you’d date

“Really Y/N? That person? They’re fucking trash and you know it. You deserve better, sweetie.”

“But dad. They’re hot.”

“That’s still a no from me, kiddo.”

Having the most random, yet somehow meaningful conversations with Richie, yet roasting him at the same time.

“Y/N, do you think I would be classified as a papi by people.”

“No. You still wear hawaiian shirts over a t-shirt. You’re too tacky for that. You’re a papa, not a papi.”

But somehow, you also adopt his fashion style?

Cause hawaiian shirts are pretty cool? Very John Deacon ala 80s aesthetic?

And then he roasts you back from the time you called him tacky.

“Respect the drip, Richard.”

Even though you always poke fun at each other, you guys are actually so open with each other and just talk about anything and everything.

Oh no when you first got your period, he was panicking and nearly bought the entire aisle of pads and tampons because he was so clueless

Meeting the Losers Club was exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. You didn’t know what to expect of them or what they’d expect from you.

You clung to your dad the whole time, watching him reunite with his childhood friends. Each one of them had a look of surprise and confusion the moment they laid their eyes on you.

They found you to be like a mini-me of Richie, as both of you were clad in printed/hawaiian shirts and glasses.

“Jeez, Richie. Why’d you decide to bring a fucking clone of yourself?” asked Eddie.

“That’s my kid, you dumbass! Eddie, this is Y/N.”

“No shit, you have a kid! You got married, dipshit?”

“No, uh, it’s just them and me.”

You decided to butt in jokingly, “Joe was in the picture for a while too,”

“Joe? Who the fuck is Joe?” The minute Eddie asked this, Richie knew what was coming next.

“Joe mama.” Thus receving a high five from your father and a groan from Eddie.

at first, everyone else would not believe Richie ‘Trashmouth’ Tozier had his very own kid, but the minute you started to get comfortable and joke around, it really clicked for them.

“There’s no doubt they’re Richie’s kid. Look at them! They’re basically a carbon copy of him!” Eddie would have exclaimed.

You‘re very liberal and open-minded, supporting the LGBT+ community and such, but you didn’t really know Richie’s stance on it.

Perhaps it was because he’d been surpressing his feelings for a specific boy from his childhood for almost his entire life, and he didn’t really talk about that topic so much.

But when you saw the chemistry between your dad and Uncle Eds, you sensed a little something there on both ends.

always saying a specific vine under your breath when you see them “two bros, chilling in a hot tub, five feet apart cause they’re not gay” (thank you to for this hc)

OKAY UNCLE EDS LIVES IN THIS AND HE’S DEFFO A BIG PART OF YOUR LIFE AFTER ONE SPECIAL TRIP TO DERRY, MAINE.

You’d say the vine so much, Richie eventually heard it and pulled you aside.

“Y/N, I- how did you know?”

“Know what dad?”

It took a little while for him to come up with the proper words to say. How was he gonna break this to you?

“Y/N..honey, I’ve had feelings for your Uncle Eds ever since we were kids. I-i don’t know, it really scared me as a kid to feel that way so I never talked about it. I guess what I’m trying to say is, kiddo, I’m gay.”

“Huh? I thought you were American?”

the man was basically on the verge of tears. He was so tense, he almost forgot to breathe. But the moment you hugged him and told him that it’s okay, that you love him so much, and that you’re so proud of him, he wrapped you in the biggest bear hug and cried. You cried too.

A/N: Imma end it here for now :)

So sorry it took forever!! I hope you enjoyed!!

Let me know if you want a part 2! 🤪

#richie tozier #bill hader #richie tozier x zoomer reader #richie tozier headcanons #richie tozier x reader #bill hader imagine #finn wolfhard #it #it movie #it 2017 #it chapter two #richie tozier imagine #eddie kaspbrak #eddie kaspbrak imagine #reddie #reddie imagine #reddie headcanons #james ransone

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misszura · 4 years ago

Note

Where, besides Tumblr, can people find you doing fannish things? (Obviously only mention sites and usernames you actually want to be found at. Don’t expose your secret identities on my account.)

What other names have you gone by on these platforms, including Tumblr, if any?

When did you join the IT fandom? And what got you into fandom, to begin with?

What are your favorite ships, or characters, if any, and why? What do they mean to you?

In what ways do you participate in fandom? (ex. Posting memes, reblogging/commenting on content, writing fanfic, making fanart, creating fanmixes, etc.)

Do you have any in-fandom inspirations? Other members of the community that drive you? (And if you have the time/energy, in what ways do they inspire you?)

Name and link some of your favorite works, please!

Do you have any works of your own that you feel particularly proud of, or wish more people would’ve consumed? Please provide links if possible.

Have you ever participated in a fannish event (ie. IT Week, a fic Big Bang) or applied to be a part of a fanzine? If so, which ones, and can you please link them?

Without any form of bashing or lashing out, what is something you feel this fandom is missing?

(lmao sorry I accidentally unfollowed trying to get to the ask button)

OMG, it's 2am here, and I just received this notification, so instead of watching the celling, trying to find sleep, I'll answer your questions !

(I love asking ! Thank you so much ! )

Others social medias that's it ? I have plenty of them. You can find me on twitter (@ CrazyZura) but it's mostly in french (speaking English in front of a buch of french people is hard y'know ?) I have Instagram, but it's not really interesting (except if watching me make paper boats and leave them at my university is interesting) I think it's resophinement (I'll check before posting) I also have wattpad, but as before it's in french (feel free to have a look on my unfinished works (no It there)) still CrazyZura, but I have a second account where I project to post the fanfiction I'm currently writing ! (I'm almost done ! ) Oh and I have a tik tok account ! I draw a lot, and there is some IT content there certainly CrazyZura (as @ but I think my username us wawawa, because I used to cosplay a gebderbend Wario) (don't ask he is underrated XD)

I never changed my username on those platforms, because I'm kinda a newbe on Internet, i mean, I'm here from 2015 for most of them, before I was on... YouTube i think, and Facebook. I used to have a blog, and my username was something like sosodu44 (my name + from my department) (and I'm on Tumblr for 2/3 months, I still don't know how it works)

(please tell me i understood well the question, sorry if not, I still learning foreign languages)

I'm also a newbe on the IT fandom since I watched them (2017 and 2019 version) during the lockdown, and the 1990 miniseries not long after. I'm still looking for the book, but I can't find any book shop open (and I won't buy it with Amazon.) You laugh at me if I say that I saw those movies while watching the whole Finn Wolfhard filmography ? Because it's thanks to that I'm in the fandom

My favourite characters are Stan, Richie and Patrick, and my favourite ships are probably Stozier (don't hit me please) patrick X Richie, henpat and obviously Reddie (I mean, I think everyone in the fandom like Reddie, right ?) Why ? I kin (it's the term ? Let's say it's the term) Richie and Stan (more Richie, he is my Confort character ) and Patrick, because I have a thing with unsaine bad Guys, my family always make jokes about it. (I can't help, plus the fact that he is pictured by Owen teague improve my love for him) (funfact : patrick is my Confort drawing, when I don't know what draw, it end up by Patrick) (sometimes Vic comes, because i like his character a lot too)

I love this question, because it makes me feel like I'm really a part of something even if I don't do a lot. As said before I draw Patrick a lot, not only, I draw it characters a lot (I need to find where I put my last Bill drawing ) I also have a fanfiction, but I won't post it until it's finished, because I fear to not end it, and I don't want the pressure of people asking "when is the next chapter" (if people ask that) and I'm kinda anxious that if I start post it before I finish it, I'll never finish it... (But soon ! Like before July if I work hard !). And obviously I reblog memes, I share fanarts, cosplays, tik tok, videos, and fanfiction.

Ok so this is the "sophie is going to simp over everyone" time ! Fanfictions writers who inspires me are @ fuji09 (I didn't notify them on purpose, I have to stop bothering them) they're fanfictions are really cool, and there for every tastes, I wish I could have a writing skill as good as them. There is also my friend shayla_mitchel (on Wattpad) she writes a lot about Patrick and she Helps me a lot with my work (plus she is the one who correct the English version, since my translations aren't always the best) (by that I mean : it's sometimes, when the moon is in good therms with Neptune, good enough) (in my language it's fun. I swear) there are those Cosplayers on tik tok, mostly fezilius and Synthestron, moonshine4snails, tarondactyl and aphelion (they're cosplaying with their friends, if you have time watch they're works, even if they don't do only It contents, they're really good Cosplayers that I love) (i just noticed I've mentioned only male/nb Cosplayers, so I add cospla.natro (on Instagram and tik tok) and Ligeia.cosplay (on Instagram and tik tok too) and there is also the reddie videos of kmcarras (on Instagram)

I still don't know how to put links in her (I'll try to figure out while answering) the leach series of Fuji09 (mentioned above) on AO3. A fic called When you say my name by YoungDumbandFullofHeadcanons on AO3 (really a jewelry, but a lot of tw, mostly of transphobia, be careful and take care) and a hard one called "a lot of marshmallow" by MeganRosenberg on AO3 (apparently) kinda hard because it's a violent one. There was others like Above and bellows (I think) i can't find it back to mention, I think the author deleted it.

I'm really proud of the fonction I'm currently writing, even if it's a fiction with an OC and I'm a little ashamed of that(because people judge that a lot). (As said before not posted yet) and my tik toks about Richie and patrick (the two last I've posted.

It's now 3am, and I haven't finished, my phone Will probably get out of power before the end XD (like this I'll see if Tumblr have some automatics saves)

I wish I would, but no... One day, may be if the occasion comes to me :)

I don't really know, I wish we had more content (in french for exemple ! ) But I think the fandom is kinda cool (when we forget all the ship wars and all dramas like this)

I hope I've answered well enough, I'll probably regret doing this that late tomorrow, because I probably forget a lot of things (did i mentioned that i made some It incorrects ? I don't think so) keep asking me things I'm totally open for this (idk if annon are on)

On this, I wish you a good night, or day, or whenever you are and I'm going to keep watching my celling !

Good night 🍈🍈🍈

#zurask #it 2017 #idk what put on ashtags #I'm not even sure that the right orthography?#I'm sure that's not the right one

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a-second-hand-sorrow · 5 years ago

Text

Hey Romeo (Richie Tozier X Reader)

WC: 2181

Warnings: language, kinda sexual thoughts/comments, alcohol

Summary: Every time Richie went to tell Y/N how he felt he just couldn’t do it, but maybe things might change.

A/N: I hope y’all like this one, bc it is Cute. Also sorry if it’s a bit shit in parts, I wrote it on an airplane while being Very sleep deprived.

“Richard you are meant to be on in fifteen minutes, what are you doing?” Y/N asked, clutching a clipboard in one hand with the other on her hip. Y/N and Richie had been friends since college, and she now worked very closely with him, essentially acting as his manager.

“I’m just feeling a little out of it right now, Y/N. Got some stuff on my mind, you know.” Richie said, and Y/N sighed, briefly checking her watch before sitting down next to Richie, giving him a sincere smile.

“Rich, I’ve known you for like fifteen years. You know you can tell me anything, right?” Y/N said, and Richie nodded, taking in a deep breath.

“So what’s on your mind, and please don’t bullshit me. You know I can see through you like glass.” Y/N said, gently resting a hand on his knee as a means of reassuring and calming him. Unfortunately for Richie, it had the opposite effect.

See, the thing that was on Richie’s mind was the intense feelings he had for the woman sitting next to him. His best friend of fifteen years, roommate of ten and the woman who currently had her very soft, very warm hand on his knee. He wished he would stop feeling like a fucking schoolboy who got flustered if his crush so much as looked at him, but the feeling of Y/N’a hand on his knee was really speeding up his heart rate.

“It’s uh, it’s nothing much. Just nerves and stuff.” Richie said, and Y/N gave him a look that screamed ‘I call bullshit’ but she simply sighed, rubbing her thumb along his jean-clad knee.

“You’re going to knock them dead, Richie. Trust me.” Y/N said kindly, her warm eyes almost turning Richie’s insides to mush.

“You know I do, Y/N/N. Thank you.” He said, trying to keep his voice as even as he could manage. Y/N stood up, and Richie nearly let out an audible whine at the loss of warmth and contact.

“Any time Tozier, now go get em, tiger.” Y/N said, patting his back as he walked past her to the door. As soon as his hand touched the doorknob, he felt a wave of courage and he turned around, taking in another deep breath.

“Hey Y/N?” He said, and the girl let out a hum of acknowledgement as she turned to face him. Every bone in Richie’s body was screaming ‘JUST TELL HER!’ and he was about to, his mouth open to tell her how he felt but he was cut off by Y/N swearing loudly, looking at her watch before moving like a whirlwind, shoving Richie out of the dressing room towards the stage.

“Whatever it is you wanted to tell me, it can wait until after the show Rich. Go out there and kill it, ok?” Y/N said, smiling as Richie nodded eagerly, adjusting his glasses slightly.

“Break a leg Richie.” Y/N said before turning and walking away, and Richie couldn’t help but curse himself for making his last thought before going on stage be how good Y/N’s ass looked in that skirt she was wearing.

—————————

“Fuck Richie, can you help me with the groceries? My arms are just about to fall off.” Y/N called, bumping the front door open with her hip because of how full her arms were with bags of groceries.

Richie jumped up from his spot on the couch, immediately rushing past Y/N and out to her car. He grabbed as many bags as he could muster and barrelled back into the apartment, nearly spilling everything when he put the bags down.

“Ok, I think that’s everything. Hell yeah! Well done team.” Y/N said, high fiving Richie who spontaneously burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing? What the fuck did I do?” Y/N said, pulling an iced tea out of the fridge and taking a sip as Richie pulled himself together.

“Well done team? You sound like a soccer mom after her stupid kid’s soccer game. You don’t say ‘well done team’ in response to anything unless you’re a soccer mom or a middle-aged white dad.” Richie said, wiping tears away from his eyes as Y/N huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I do not sound like a soccer mom, you asshole! That was very rude and very mean of you.” Y/N said indignantly, like an annoyed toddler on the verge of throwing a tantrum.

“Now you sound like a pissed off little kid. This is just too good.” Richie said, and his heart felt a little bit fuller at the sight of an annoyed Y/N. She always got pouty when she was annoyed, and he thought it was adorable.

“I’m gonna strangle you.” Y/N muttered, causing Richie to let out another laugh as he straightened up slightly.

“I’d like to see you and your itty bitty legs try, Y/L/N. I doubt you could reach even on your tip toes.” Richie taunted, crossing his arms as he watched Y/N’s eyes narrow.

“Oh it’s on, Tozier.” Y/N said under her breath before suddenly running at Richie and jumping. Richie panicked, his hands instantly going to her waist as her legs wrapped around his waist.

“How’s this for not being able to reach, tall ass?” Y/N said, laughing maniacally at the incredibly confused look on Richie’s face.

In truth, the look on Richie’s face was part confusion, part panic at the fact that Y/N was so close to him and god did her legs feel good wrapped around his waist. He had to stop his thoughts from wandering too much due to their close proximity. He couldn’t make it any more awkward than it needed to be.

“Why?” Richie said, his eyes wide and his voice higher than usual, and Y/N just giggled.

“Firstly, I wanted to prove to you that I could, in fact, reach your neck and secondly, I wanted to see the look on your face when I threw myself at you. So it was a victory for me on both fronts.” Y/N said, a smug grin on her face.

They both took in a deep breath, and suddenly the playful energy of before had melted into something a little more tense. Richie swallowed, trying not to stare too much at Y/N’s face that was so very close to his own.

“Look Y/N, there’s something I need to tell you.” Richie said, and he could feel his heart start to beat ridiculously quickly. He really hoped that Y/N couldn’t hear or feel it.

“Fire away Richie.” Y/N said, and it seemed that by looking so deeply into Y/N’s eyes Richie was suddenly filled with panic and anxiety.

“Oh um, it’s just that I need to start writing stuff for the new tour so would you be able to put the groceries away?” Richie said, hating himself as soon as those words left his mouth.

Y/N looked confused but she nodded, dropping away from Richie’s body and out of his hold. “Sure, Rich.” She said, furrowing her eyebrows slightly but obliging his request.

Richie walked away feeling incredibly stupid, having wasted another opportunity to tell Y/N about how he felt.

That’s nil to Tozier, two to all consuming anxiety and panic. Great.

——————————

“I really think we need to celebrate! The end of your very successful tour is a momentous occasion.” Y/N said, kicking off her heels as her and Richie entered the apartment.

“Sure. One glass of champagne couldn’t hurt. Pour up, my dear.” Richie said, causing a cheer to erupt from Y/N’s lips as she pulled out two glasses and opened the champagne, much to Richie’s delight.

The promised one glass of champagne turned into closer to four or five, and soon Y/N and Richie were dancing around the kitchen like maniacs, shouting the lyrics to Another One Bites The Dust with no style or class.

“We should really get drunk together more often. It’s so fun!” Y/N said, giggling at Richie’s enthusiastic nod.

“I love it! I haven’t felt this loose in forever. I don’t think I’ve listened to Queen in ages but here we are.” He said, throwing his arms up in the air in a gesture that showed how relaxed he was, apparently.

The giggle subsided slightly as the song changed from the upbeat Queen song to a slower Elton John number. Richie was pretty sure it was Your Song, one of Y/N’s favourites. He looked over to see Y/N smiling widely, swaying to herself and mumbling the lyrics under her breath.

Richie took a seat on the stool near the breakfast bar, trying his hardest to ignore the butterflies that were filling his stomach. He had since given up on trying to tell Y/N how he felt, because not only did he chicken out every time, he was 90 per cent sure she didn’t feel the same way.

However, all of his heart strings were being tugged by the sight of Y/N dancing in their shared kitchen, and suddenly Richie was pulled from his thoughts by Y/N calling his name.

“Richie, dance with me. Please?” She said, making grabby hands towards him with puppy dog eyes and Richie groaned, carefully getting off the stool and walking over to Y/N, who now looked very pleased with herself.

She gave him a dopey smile which Richie mirrored as his hands slowly made their way around her waist. Y/N rested her head against his chest, placing her hand on his upper back around his shoulders. She grasped at the fabric of his shirt, balling it up in her firsts as they swayed.

Y/N murmured something into Richie’s chest, and he pulled a confused face, knowing that she said something but not what she said. “What was that Y/N?” He asked, and she pulled away from his chest to look up at him with an emotion on her face that could only be described as adoration.

“I love you Richie. I know I’m drunk and you’re drunk but I don’t give a shit. I love you so much and I just really wanted to tell you so, yeah. There it is.” Y/N said, gaining more confidence as she spoke.

Richie’s eyes widened at Y/N’s words, looking at her dumbfounded once she had stopped speaking. He would struggle to process this sober, let alone drunk, but slowly things fell into place and Richie’s face lit up in an electric smile.

“Wait, so you’re saying you love me? Like romantically, like you’d want to be my girlfriend?” Richie said excitedly, smiling like a madman as Y/N nodded.

“Yeah idiot, that’s what it means when someone says they love you. I wanna date you and kiss you and shit.” Y/N said, causing Richie to let out an almost girlish giggle.

“You wanna kiss me?” Richie said and Y/N nodded enthusiastically, burying her head in the crook of Richie’s neck bashfully.

“Then what are you waiting for Y/L/N? Kiss me.” Richie said, placing a finger under Y/N’s chin and lifting her head so they were making direct eye contact. Y/N gave Richie a loving smile before leaning up and closing the gap between them.

Maybe it was the alcohol and maybe it was just how long they’d both waited for it, but the kiss was incredible. Y/N noted that Richie tasted like champagne and something else that she couldn’t quite place, and neither of them wanted to pull away. Richie was almost in heaven, and he was convinced that Y/N was made for him, because her body fit perfectly against his and so did her lips.

When they did pull away Richie’s eyes were still closed, and Y/N giggled as she looked at his blissed-out face. “Hey Romeo, you can open your eyes now.” Y/N said, and Richie instantly opened his eyes, sending Y/N an apologetic smile.

“Can we go to bed? I’m so tired and I just wanna sleep. I did, after all, conclude a very successful stand up tour tonight.” Richie said, an almost whiny quality to his voice as he spoke, running his hands up and down Y/N’a arms.

“On one condition: I get the left side of the bed.” Y/N said and Richie chuckled, nodding his head as he took Y/N’a hand and walked to his bedroom. Y/N shed her dress and immediately moved to Richie’s wardrobe, pulling out an old t-shirt that was huge on her. Richie simply took off his shirt and jeans, leaving him in his boxers.

“Hey.” Y/N said once she was in bed, facing Richie.

“Hi.” He replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Y/N rolled over onto her side, and Richie followed suit by wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his chest into her back.

“I love you Richie, can’t say it enough.” Y/N said, and Richie pressed a soft kiss to her neck in response.

“I love you too Y/N. Goodnight.” Richie whispered, his breath raising the hairs on Y/N’s neck in the best way.

As they drifted off to sleep, Y/N felt more comfortable than she ever had, and she decided that maybe she belonged in Richie’s arms.

#it #it 2019 #it chapter two #richie tozier #richie tozier x reader #richie tozier imagine #bill hader

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billhaderlovebot · 5 years ago

Text

beep beep (2) - richie tozier

okay, mentions of sex, weed, and as usual, language that would make my grandmother disown me. some horror-typical blood stuff. enjoy.

@the-star-above-you @ceruleanrainblues

had it not been for richie's incredible, rugged good looks and sex appeal, as he had so tactfully put it, you were sure you would have tried to fucking murder the guy at least once, because he was infuriating at the best of times.

you'd never actually made an attempt on his life, of course, but now, as he tried to peel away from you and get out of the bed that wasn't a single but not quite big enough for two people, you almost killed him, hissing at him to lay the fuck back down right now we might die today i haven't seen you for like half my life you asshole cuddle me right now, richard.

richie, of course, as he hadn't ever been able to say no to you, smirked and shifted to lay back down, resuming the earlier position in which your limbs had become not unlike that thing where your headphones get all knotted in your bag and you can't figure out how to separate them.

"that's what i thought." you huffed, leaning up to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

this was almost surreal. being back here, and with the same man you left behind. it was like, the whole time you'd been apart, you'd only been half a person. and now you were back and he was holding you and you were one whole, functioning person again because he was your other half.

"i was just thinking, yknow." richie voiced, pressing a kiss of his own to your temple. "about, uh, your husband."

"i fucking hope not. that's not good bedroom etiquette, tozier, bedding a girl and then fantasising about her husband."

"shut up," he laughed. "no, i mean, you're... married." he noticeably recoiled at the word, and you visualised the nose-scrunch, because he was definitely scrunching his nose right now. god, you loved him so much.

"i noticed."

"yeah, but, babe, this isn't a very married thing to be doing, is it?" richie gestured to the bedclothes, which you were both very naked underneath, and also his shirt, which had ended up hanging from the door handle. there was underwear strewn about the place, and you literally did not know where your pajamas had gone. oh well.

"rich, when i made the decision to come here, i made the decision to leave there." it was true. you may not have known it at the time, but the moment you left that house you were never to return.

your husband might have been calling, and you'd be lying if you said you hadn't thought about him. but any calls he made would have come through in a stream of bubbles and a faint gurgling sound, what with your phone still being back home in your bathtub. being back here just proved that this was where you were always supposed to be. with him. you slid off your wedding ring, pressing it into his palm, and it was as if a weight had been lifted.

"it's always been you, richie."

and that was enough for him.

---

bill raised his eyebrows at last night's dark purple and red hickeys that littered your throat, courtesy of a one richard tozier, before joining you where you sat in the common area. you hadn't thought to pack a turtleneck, or a scarf, at that, and so you'd have to avoid everyone's inquisitive looks and make do.

when richie emerged from the kitchen, a cup of coffee in his hand and a matching set of hickeys, bill sighed.

"th-thought so." he said.

"huh?"

"thin w-w-walls, guys."

"it's not her fault im the best she's ever had." remarked richie, winking at bill and falling onto the couch beside you. he slung an arm over your shoulders and pulled you into him, sipping his coffee.

you shrugged. "yeah, billy, and it's not his fault he hasn't had a good lay since i dumped his ass in derry."

"hey! you didn't mean to dump my ass."

"ah, but i did, nonetheless."

"fuck you." richie teased, setting his coffee down on the table so he could pretend to argue with you properly.

"no, fuck you." you shot back.

"fuck both of you." a voice, eddie's, whined from the kitchen where richie had come from and interrupted your pretend dispute. "i mean, you kept me up all fucking night, fucking each other absolutely senseless in the room next to mine, you inconsiderate assholes."

"they haven't changed, eddie." bill groaned, rolling his shoulders and leaning back on the couch.

"i know that," said eddie "but i don't think i can deal with it, they're all fucking over each other!"

you supposed eddie was right.

richie, now realising you were here and he was with you and you were both within kissing distance of each other again after over two decades, he took every opportunity to shove you against a wall or a door or a sink or on a bed and kiss you hard. a lot. a lot. seriously, he'd sprung at least four impromtu heavy makeout sessions (with tongue) on you so far and it was only your first day here.

it was like you were teenagers again.

god, if only.

"w-we need to put a plan together." bill said firmly, clasping his hands together. you had noticed his stutter had been worse since you'd left the restaurant. not as bad as when you were kids, but still there. "w-w-we need everyone here, t-together, which doesn't include you two s-sneaking off to suck face."

"but she's got such a nice face." richie whined.

"she won't if you don't get your shit together." you heard the voice of ben hanscom (or, handsome, as richie now referred to him.) as he trudged down the stairs and joined you all in the living room. "so shut up and listen in case IT decides to tear it off her."

now, that had really freaked richie out, so he shrugged in defeat and pulled you tighter to him, kissing your forehead and holding you to his chest.

"good morning to you too, ben." you yawned, circling an arm around richie's waist and allowing him to just hold you.

what? he was fucking warm, ok.

"are you guys gonna be like this the whole time?" ben queried, gratefully accepting the cup of coffee eddie had just brought out for him.

"i think it's sweet." beverly was the next to come in, ruffling the back of her hair and rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"yeah guys, we all got hot or married, and richie got less and less familiar with his fucking shower. we should be impressed he got anywhere near her." eddie chided. a chorus of laughter arose, all of you sat around the coffee table on plush couches, and you could pretend, just for a moment, that this was all you were here for. a reunion. but you weren't.

"m-mike's meeting us later." bill explained. "we have.... stuff to do."

---

the clubhouse was almost exactly how you remembered it (save for the inch-thick layer of dust and the smell of rot and the slight water damage from what must have been 27 years of rain leaks). you'd damn near punched richie in the fucking face when he pulled that "you'll float too" bullshit. his impressions were always impeccable, but now was not the time. he'd rectified his mistake by kissing you soundly and offering one to everyone else, to which they all refused.

"reckon we could still fit?" richie echoed your own thoughts as you both stared in at the dusty old hammock you'd spent so many hours on as teenagers, nostalgia coming over you in waves.

"how much you betting, trash-mouth?" you grinned, your tongue poking out from between your teeth.

"five bucks says we can."

you looked over the stretch of fabric that ben had pinned up between the boards on the ceiling all those years ago. you could barely fit on it when you were teenagers, so there wasn't much change of it happening 20-or-so years on. "i say we can't, so, ten bucks."

"done." he said, with an air of finality, and stuck his hand out for you to shake.

"nah," you shook your head. extending your little finger instead."handshakes are for businessmen and drug dealers. pinky swear."

richie hooked his pinky around yours and flashed you his signature shit-eating grin. "get ready to cough up."

a great deal of struggling later, (richie almost bringing the fucking roof down) you were considerably warmer and ten dollars poorer. the rest of the losers stared on in disappointment because the two of you were still absolutely insane. but you had done it.

granted, you'd had to twist very close around each other to fit on, and your leg was sticking out at an odd angle, but neither of you were terribly bothered.

"ten bucks, babe."

"can't i just have sex with you?" you groaned. you hadn't brought much money with you in the first place, and you really needed a coffee and a therapeutic shop for stationary.

"how about you give me ten bucks and then i have sex with you." he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows.

"i think that consistutes prostitution, actually, babe." you pointed out, kissing his lips and reluctantly pressing two folded fives into his hand. "but i do expect something by way of a sexual favour later on, provided we don't die."

"guys? important stuff is going on. yknow, like, if-we-don't-do-this-we'll get-fucking-murdered stuff." you'd forgotten that the rest of them were there, and eddie had rather pulled you both out of the bubble you were existing in.

"lighten up, eds. i just got my girl back." for once, richie wasn't joking around, and the sincerity in his voice almost made you cry. eddie didn't say anything more.

but mike did. "we have to split up to find our artefacts." he chimed in, reminding you all exactly what you were there for. "we have stan's, and i have mine. you'll know what they are when you see them."

you couldn't help but feel sorry for mike. he knew so much and had everything so planned out, but at what cost? he had been waiting alone for years and years and years, knowing full well the rest of derry depended on him not giving up, even if they didn't know it themselves.

"w-we can't split." bill interjected. "it's t-too dangerous. what if one of us d-d-d-d..." he inhaled deeply, calming himself and allowing mike to put a hand on his shoulder. "what if something happens. i won't forgive myself."

"im not letting this one out of my fucking sight, mikey." richie concurred, absently drumming his fingers where they rested on your waist. "no fucking way."

"you have to do this alone. all of you." mike continued, and you knew he was right.

ben and beverly knew it, too, and had begun making their way out of the clubhouse, the maggot-eaten wood of the ladder groaning in protest underneath their feet.

"right. a-are you s-sure, mike? really?"

"positive. this is how it has to be."

------

"okay, so if you die, we can't fuck later, and i would rather like to, so, maybe don't die, please." richie was trying to make light of possibly the worst moment of his life, but it wasn't working so well, because his hands were shaking so hard that he could barely keep ahold of you.

"i'll be fine, rich." you assured him, leaning against his chest and inhaling the scent of home.

"you don't know that, y-y-you don't-- t-there's no way you can-- y-y-you're-"

you cut him off by firmly pressing your lips to his, and it did seem to calm him. the act of holding you close and feeling the rise and fall of your chest and knowing he could touch you and you were still here. you thread your fingers through the soft hair at the nape of his neck and allowed him to deepen the kiss, knowing he needed it.

he had always needed reassurance when you were kids, because he'd always been insecure or scared about something he couldn't remember. he always went to you first, because the whole vulnerable thing wasn't really his scene, and you were the only person who saw it. and his nightmares, god, the fucking nightmares. you hadn't seen him cry before until he woke up shaking in your bed, searching around for something to grab onto because he couldn't tell what was real or not. he cried for what seemed like hours in your arms and all you could do was hold him.

"you're stuttering worse than billy." you murmured, close enough so your lips just barely touched. "ill be fine."

his eyes searched yours desperately for any sort of truth, but he could tell that you weren't sure. that you were just as shit-scared as he was and you were holding it together for the both of you.

"fuck." was all he said.

"fuck." you agreed.

---

1994

---

"baby." richie's voice was practically ecstatic down the phone. you grinned and reached over to your shelf to turn your record player, and the cure, down.

"yes?"

"i have, like, the best idea ever."

"and what would that be?"

"so, yknow, i have like, a shit ton of pot."

"uh huh."

"and i haven't seen you in like, uh, like two days. which is, fuckin, two days too long, yknow."

"yeah, of course."

"so, what say you and me get really really stoned and wait for your grandmother to leave for bingo and have a lot, and i mean a lot, of high sex."

"trash-mouth tozier, i may just take you up on that." you smirked, twirling the bright red phone cord in between your fingers.

"oh, good, cause im already here."

richie's voice was now coming from your actual window.

you whirled round to see him perched on the fire escape like a fucking curly haired pigeon with a high libido.

"god, you do know how to make an entrance, rich, fuck me."

"ask, and ye shall receive." richie smirked, dropping his legs through your window. in two strides he was in front of you, pupils dilated and partly concealed by his dark curls. his glasses were almost falling off his nose.

the phone receiver dropped from your hand and clattered to the ground as you reached up to take them off, and-

oh, and then his tongue was inside your mouth, so the glasses fell and landed alongside the phone by your bare feet.

no matter how many times you kissed richie tozier, it never failed to surprise you just how fucking good he was at it. you found yourself rather at his mercy whenever his lips were on yours, his hands on your face or in your hair or your back trouser pockets. he'd always make a point of tugging your bottom lip between his teeth and oh my fucking god. wow.

"well i can't fucking see you now, can i?" he whined, pulling away and blinking hard in an attempt to adjust to you having taken his actual sight away.

you responded by reaching your hand around to his back pocket where you knew his silver zippo would be.

"and here i thought you loved me."

richie stuck his bottom lip out in mock sadness, but grinned about two seconds after, reaching into his other pocket and handing you a small zip-lock baggie.

"you know that i love you." you smiled, kissing his lips and edging round him to get to your bed.

"you do?" he asked.

"more than anything."

----

2016

----

the zippo lighter was much heavier than you remembered it, you thought, as you turned it over and over in your hands.

you flicked it open, but no flame arose. not as though you expected it to.

god, those years were the happiest of your life. after IT. when richie and yourself could be happy and in love and kids.

just two stupid kids in love.

and your heart ached now as you thought of all the lost years. all that time you could have spent with him, watching him grow, and growing alongside him.

but you were together again, and it was alright. it was alright, now.

"beep beep, richie's girl."

the voice that came from behind you caused your heart to plummet, and you swore it could have fallen out of your ass.

"oh, fuck no. you fuck right off, right fucking now." you steadied the shaking of your hands. you were not afraid. i mean, yes, you were, very much so. but you weren't letting It see you weak.

clenching your fists, you slowly turned to look at the space near the window from which the voice had come.

oh, fuck.

it was richie.

or it would have been, if it were normal for richie to have a huge slice across his throat and a considerable amount of his left arm missing.

blood poured like a fucking faucet from the slash, forming grotesque patterns where it fell across its shirt.

"help me, baby." it choked, hands coming up to the wound, trying desperately to hold it together. it fell to its knees before you and pleaded with you to fucking help me, please and then it was crying and in that moment it's eyes looked so fucking much like his that you almost threw up.

"no, fuck no." you were seriously, seriously about to vomit right now, but you weren't about to embarrass yourself in front of a supernatural evil entity.

"please." blood came spluttering from its mouth, and you had to commend it on its honest to god phenomenal acting. it wasn't a pretty sight, honestly, because richie in any form of pain was enough to make you want to tear out your eyes, even a fake richie. but this wasn't him.

"you got it wrong." you flipped the lighter open and closed absently, hoping to whatever god would listen that the shake in your voice wasn't noticeable.

the mock expression of fear disappeared from not-richie's face.

"m not fucking scared of you. you'll only hurt me if i let you, right?" you hoped to god that you were right, because it'd be pretty embarrassing if after all that, you were torn to shreds anyway.

and then it was gone. leaving behind, scrawled in fake richie's fake blood on the wall:

beep beep, richie's girl.

you had to admire the theatrics, really.

---

richie hadn't wanted to talk about his artefact, or where he had got it, and you knew better than to push him.

he looked so fucking tense, tears in his eyes, that you just wanted to hold him and never let go ever until the earth stopped spinning. but that wasn't an option, so:

"nap?" you suggested, reaching up to thread your fingers through his hair.

his eyes fluttered shut and he leaned into your touch.

"yeah. nap."

"rich?"

"yeah?"

"i love you."

"i love you more."

"fuck you."

"no, fuck you."

#richie tozier x reader #richie tozier #adult richie #it richie #it 2019 #it chapter 2

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stellar-alley · 4 years ago

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Everfalls

•Chapter 2•

This is based off of the artwork by oceanteeeth on Instagram! Also shout out to my Beta super.rose.cosplays!

(Summary: Eddie finds his father's best-kept secret. Richie gets some well-awaited news. )

Previous Chapter // Next Chapter

He travelled about an hour northwest, he continued away from the ocean and deeper into the forest. At times it was almost too thick, but he kept going. The sun had begun to rise when Eddie stumbled upon a sign, 'Welcome To Derry'. He glanced down at his map, so close. And he was close. It took the boy a while to square in on the exact coordinates, but once he did, he knew he'd found his father's secret.

It was a house and a big one at that. It stood tall on the outskirts of the city. Far enough out that he could be one with nature and the residents of Derry wouldn't be a bother. Eddie stood in front of the house and let out a sigh laced with excitement and fulfillment. The moment he stepped onto the property he felt it, he felt the magic of a protection spell wash over him.

Smart one dad...

The bunny looked around and he could practically see it, a forcefield of magic surrounded the house. It also made the house seemingly invisible to anyone that wasn't deemed worthy, which made sense, considering humans never wondered why there was a random house no one owned. By the way it simply let Eddie pass through, he assumed it was a blood spell. Meaning it only allowed those of the bloodline to pass through or anyone deemed worthy by the one who set the spell, or whoever it was passed onto. With that, he removed the beanie that sat on his head, allowing the cool spring breeze to flow through his hair and tickle his ears, it felt nice.

Well I guess this is mine now

He smiled happily at the house that stood before him. The house was surprisingly fairly clean, the same way all the nature in The All Lands was always kept at bay, magic. Yes, there was some dirt, dust and cobwebs, a broken window even, but it was nothing that Eddie hadn't dealt with in the past. As he walked through the house, he couldn't shake the familiar feeling that he wasn't alone. Somewhere, somehow, he knew his father was with him. Just being in the house-made him feel so much closer to Frank than ever before, with his hat, compass, and now the house.

Eddie did a quick walkthrough of the house. The main floor had the essentials, kitchen, living room, dining room and washroom. The upstairs had 3 bedrooms and a washroom. Eddie quietly placed his bag down on the bay window in the room at the front of the house. He liked the bay window and the bed seemed comfy, a little dusty but nothing a good cleaning won't fix. There was also a basement but Eddie got the chills just looking down the stairs, so he closed the door and decided to check it out another day.

As the bunny stood in the kitchen and admired his new house, he debated where to sit before he hoisted himself up and onto the counter. From there he sat and listened peacefully, the house settling, the birds chirping outside and the odd gust of wind that blew by. He stayed like that for a while, in complete harmony with his surroundings.

Suddenly his leg twitched, something that wasn't rare, but also not a coincidence. A moment later he felt that same twitch vibrate through his entire body. He hopped off the counter and shook it off. Quickly, he tried to calculate how long it's been since he last shifted.

Maybe a couple of days? I've been pretty preoccupied with the council on my back, but still, I've gotta go and fucking run free or something.

This will be good. It's a new town anyway, so I might as well go do some exploring...

With the plan already laid out in Eddie's head, he marched out of the house and gave it one last look before continuing out onto the front lawn. He found a good spot where the grass wasn't too long and he still had a good view of the road to town.

Being a hybrid has its perks for sure, but being half-animal didn't simply mean you had ears and a tail, there was also the shift. Every hybrid could do it, they need to do it. It's like the animal that resins deep within their soul must be let loose every couple of days, or else it begins to get restless, that's when their animalistic side tends to show. This results in humans creating myths like werewolves and vampires, to explain what was happening to the Ancestors who couldn't show their true colours.

Although the shift isn't what the humans made it out to be, well not for Eddie at least. He's never met a werewolf so he can't really ask if it's the same but he's heard enough stories to know that it's not as gruesome as humans believe it to be. Anyways, for Eddie, his shift is simple.

The teen began by crouching down, low to the ground and getting a feel for the earth beneath him. Followed by the tingle, the same one that you see when a bunny's nose twitches randomly, that tingle. It starts off in his nose, then the feeling washes over his entire body. Yes, there is some pain since the guy is literally shrinking and growing white fur. But there's a magical essence to it that allows the last little part to simply be overtaken by a quick glowing light. Once the light disappeared, there sat Eddie Kaspbrak, who was now in the form of a small white rabbit.

Richie Tozier bolted upright in bed. His entire body was shaking with a feeling he'd never experienced before. His skin was covered in a layer of sweat which caused his curly hair to matt to his forehead. The boy tried to get out of bed but failed as his legs were tangled up in his sheets. After mentally cursing out Sleeping Richie, Awake Richie began to tug his feet free from their silky prisons. Just because his feet were free didn't mean he still wasn't a 6-foot tall clumsy mess, because the moment he set his foot down on the floor and began to stand, a wave of nausea washed over him. Richie fell to his knees, dizzy and confused; he looked down at his hands which were swaying back and forth in a blurry haze. Quickly he reached for his glasses on his nightstand and slapped them on his face, but that only made the nausea worse. Finally, he caved and ran to his washroom and fell to the floor in front of his toilet just in time because he immediately began throwing up everything he'd eaten the day before.

After the vomiting stopped, Richie sat on the floor of his washroom and let the cool tile floor beneath him soothe his overheating body. He tried to remember everything he ate the day previous, attempting to pinpoint the substance that had poisoned him. With no luck, Richie flushed the toilet again for safekeeping and trudged back into his room. He looked over at his alarm clock and saw that it was 8 am on Saturday. Usually, Richie would still be in bed for another 3 hours or so before waking up, but after that incident, he didn't think he'd be able to fall back asleep. So he opted to get an early start on the day.

Of course, Wentworth and Maggie Tozier were already awake and in the kitchen, fixing breakfast and discussing their plans for the day ahead. Only did they stop when their son cleared his throat a little too loudly from where he stood at the entrance of the kitchen. When Wentworth saw his son he froze in his stance, "SHH! Maggie, shhh" He put a finger to his lips and shushed his wife, "I think we just stumbled upon the elusive Richard, darling we haven't seen one of these in ages. Do you know how rare they are?" he asked in astonishment as he spoke in an Australian accent. (It's his Bear Grylls impression)

"Ahaaham funny" Richie deadpanned as his dad dropped the act. "Son! Good to see you up so early, what's the special occasion? Are your friends coming over? Wait, crap is it Christmas?" His jaw dropped suddenly, "Shit... It's your birthday isn't it?".

This actually received a subtle laugh from Richie, his dad always put him in a good mood. "Wentworth gets off a good one” Richie chuckled, “Don't worry dad you're in the clear. But uh- I did do something" He began, unsure how to tell his parents he just puked up his lungs in the upstairs bathroom.

Maggie's brow scrunched together slightly as she took a step towards him, "Are you okay Richie?" her head tilted slightly.

"Y-Yeah... Well, I think so"

"You think so? What happened?" Maggie questioned and began inspecting her son.

"I threw up. But not like- a little, like a lot. Like a lot a lot-"

"We got it Rich" Went's lips were pressed into a thin line as he stopped his son from digging himself into a deeper hole.

"Honey, what happened?" Maggie moved to put one hand on Richie's shoulder and the other on his forehead to feel his temperature, "no fever...".

"I-I don't know" He sounded almost defeated, his eyes stayed on the floor as he continued, "I'm nauseous and sweaty and I feel like my bones are just gonna fucking jump out of my body-"

Went cut in, "Language" with a half-hearted tone.

"I don't know what's wrong with me" Richie finished, finally he looked up to see his parents sharing a knowing glance. It was like they were having a conversation with their eyes, no words were said but Maggie and Went both knew what the other was thinking. "What? What's going on? You two meddling kids better tell me what's up or else I swear to god!" Richie had subconsciously slipped into one of his various voices as he pretended to scold his parents.

"Do you want to or?" Maggie asked Went as she motioned to the two.

"I can do it" Went confirmed as he turned his attention back to his son. "Rich, I know we've talked to you about this before and you're ready for this, we know you are, so don't worry okay? Everybody's first full moon is always a big occasion and it'll really be-".

"MY FIRST FULL MOON?" Richie gasped, his eyes had doubled in size as he stared at his parents in shock, "No way! What? Really?" He asked eagerly, "How are you so sure?".

"You've got all the symptoms. Nausea, vomiting, weak bones, it's all there honey" Maggie pipped up with a small smile, "Aw, my boy! Going through his first transformation already" Her smile only grew wider as she went to hug Richie. He let her hug him only for a moment before he wiggled out of her grasp.

The full moon was a big occasion for the Tozier family, as it was for every other Ancestor. Although the Tozier's didn't associate themselves with the Ancestors in any way, Wentworth left that life behind him when he chose love, all those years ago. Once he was an Ancestor like every other werewolf was, he lived in one of the bigger cities near Maine, the sister city of The All Lands, Everfalls. He grew up there with his parents and his younger brother West. Even with all of the lessons taught to him throughout the years, at the age of 14 Went still snuck out to the human world and he met a human girl named Margaret, who he'd grow to fall madly in love with. The love birds had a plan to run away and live their lives together, but the council caught a whiff of their little runaway plan. They made Wentworth choose between staying in Everfalls or being forever banished to the human world. (Since an Ancestor could never marry a human) Of course, he chose Maggie, he chose love. He was never the biggest fan of the way the council ran things anyway, so he was more than happy to finally be out of their grasp.

Wentworth and Maggie Tozier went on to get married and even have a kid of their own, Richie Tozier, who we all know and adore. The thing with raising a werewolf in the human world was that it was a challenge keeping their secret, a secret. Both Went and Richie had pointed fluffy wolf ears, instead of normal fleshy human ears, those weren't too hard to hide. Richie got away with it by giving the school some forged doctor's note that claimed he needed to wear a hat because of how the fluorescent lights in the classroom fucked with his hair. So Richie usually wore beanies and snapbacks which hid his wolf ears. But that wasn't all, the father and son also both had long wolf tails that sat right at the bottom of their back. These weren't hard to hide, just more of a pain. Normally Rich would wear multiple layers of sweaters and jackets, so he could hide his tail in the layers. But no matter how he hid it, at the end of the day he always returned home with an ache in his back and a minor headache.

In places like The All Lands and Everfalls, werewolves would've been taught at a young age how to shift from human to wolf and vice versa, but those who were never taught as pups usually experience their first full transformation after their 16th birthday. Richie had turned 16 in March and it was currently May, so it made sense.

"So what are we gonna do? Go terrorize the villagers? Or go plot our revenge against the Ancestors and that damned council?" Richie schemes, he rubbed his hands together in an evil manner, ya know like Dr. Doofenshmirtz.

"Hm yeah maybe" Went played along for a moment before he dropped the act, "Probably just the usual, you, me, down in the cellar".

The Tozier's chose this house for one main reason, aside from the fact that it was DIRT CHEAP, it had a cellar with a hefty door which made it perfect for full moons, so the werewolves wouldn't get out.

"But seriously Rich, now's the time you've really gotta be careful, alright? Any small thing can make you go all wolf and the last thing we need is a call from your teacher claiming you ate another student" Went was cracking a joke but the message still got through.

Even without the full moon, Richie always had to be careful. Whether it was watching his anger or making sure his hat was positioned correctly, he always had to be careful. If he lashed out in class, he'd feel his fangs begin to lengthen in his mouth and need to go to the bathroom to calm himself down. If he got a bad mark on a test and curled his fingers into tight fists. When he'd unclench his fists to find small semi-circle nail marks on the palms of his hands that were on the verge of bleeding because his claws were coming in. He was always careful.

It's one of the reasons why he used comedy and sarcasm as a defence mechanism. It was a way to get the message across without throwing punches and risk killing his poor victim with his enhanced strength.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I'll be careful. Now can I get something to eat before I go and eat those three little pigs?"

(get it? Cause... ya know, Big Bad Wolf, Richie's a werewolf? Three little pigs? Get it? I know I'm hilarious.)

Since it was Saturday, Richie spent the day lounging around the house doing whatever he pleased. He'd start off by playing some video games in the basement and maybe even do some homework in the living room while his parents watched their usual Saturday afternoon cooking shows together. By 3:00 pm the teen werewolf had sprawled out on the floor of his bedroom and read comics.

Ms Marvel had just finished saving Jersey city when Richie closed the comic and stood up. He began to walk out of his room but stopped in the doorway when he noticed the way the sun beamed into his room. The urge to look out his window filled his body as he turned and made his way towards it.

It was a sunny day for May which was nice, especially since it practically rained the entire month of April. The sun brought a new look to the Tozier's backyard, which Richie's room looked out to. It's warm afternoon light made everything just a little brighter, Richie could feel the edge of his lips tug upwards and into a warm smile with the sunlight that warmed his cheeks.

Something moved. Richie caught it out of the corner of his eye. He titled his head and focused on the spot where he'd seen the movement. The creature was easy to spot as it contrasted against the greenery in the Tozier's backyard. A little ball of white fluff sat peacefully in the grass. Richie smiled a little brighter at the sight of the cute little white rabbit.

Haven't seen one of those in a while

The thought drifted to the surface of Rich's mind as he studied the precious little bunny. Its nose twitched and one of his ears flopped slightly. "Awwe" Richie cooed at the cuteness of the little rodent. He scrunched up his nose as his smile grew wider.

"Cute, cute, cute" he mumbled to himself and watched the bunny hop off into the hedges.

Later that day when dinner time rolled around the Tozier's sat in comfortable silence with the TV on low in the background. Richie finished chewing on the piece of steak he had in his mouth before he asked, "Have you guys seen any white rabbits lately?". The question stemmed from the fact that Richie had seen countless rabbits throughout his lifetime, yet he couldn't bring himself to remember if any of them had ever been purely white.

Maggie and Wentworth had another silent conversation with their eyes. "No... Why? Did you see one, honey?" Maggie asked with curiosity, she set her fork down on her plate and looked across the table at her son.

"Uh- yeah I saw one when I was reading, it was out in the back" Richie explained, "It's not like a saw an alien" Richie let out a forced chuckle since the air in the room had become tense.

"No, it's just odd. You know why white rabbits are so rare?" Went asked, he didn't wait for a response as he just kept going, "White rabbits are a symbol for magic. If you were to go to any land populated with Ancestors, all you'd see are white rabbits. They rarely ever come onto human territory".

The young werewolf's eyes grew wide, "Wait, so are you telling me that we had an Ancestor on our property today?".

Went scratched his head and contemplated the different options that could explain the event, "No... Not necessarily. Not every white rabbit is part human. Yes, some are-

Maggie cut in, "It could've just been a rabbit who spent too much time in Everfalls or The All Lands. Or maybe it was enchanted?" She looks over at her husband for backup.

"Precisely" He winked at his wife. "I wouldn't worry too much about it Rich. Just let us know if you see it again" Went concluded, he then proceeded to dig into his steak, his incisors had come to a point, his fangs out. Richie lightly rolled his eyes and let an amused huff of air out through his nose before he followed suit and continued his dinner.

Word Count: 3275

Hello ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to chapter 2! I really hope you guys are liking this as much as I like writing this. Let me know in the comments if you liked this chapter and if you're excited to see what happens next!

Don't forget to like, comment and share! It motivates me to write and show you enjoy my content.

See you next Friday with chapter 3!

Until next time

So Long and Goodnight!

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babza29 · 5 years ago

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Flying With Losers

Hello, amazing people! This is the second bit of this series, I created this moodboard and therefore it’s mine :) I’m not sure how far this will go but I have a third one that I’m going to write soon :) Hope you enjoy.

Summary: The Losers Club have reunited once again after 27 years. The gang sees two guys with a baby, Eddie doesn’t want a nanny and Richie has his eye on a golden gong.

Warnings: Bad Language

When Eddie and Richie got the call from Mike that he was getting the losers club to come back for a reunion in their hometown, Derry Maine, they both were very hesitant. Eddie, with the persistent memory of his mother’s constant worry that the world was a bad place and that he needed to stay inside with his mummy where she would keep him safe. But the drugs that he carried in his fanny pack turned out to be placebos which finally gave him the courage to stand up to his mum and be free from her torment.

Richie had one memory in particular; the arcade. The arcade was where he was brutally outed in front of so many children and with a small town, a small community, word had travelled fast of that one word that was a sin to be. Bowers words had struck him hard and he would never want to experience that again. But he was glad to have such an understanding and loving group of friends. Of family. Of losers. And now they are about to show their world to the people that they both trust the most.

Eddie parks their car in front of the Chinese restaurant, Jade Of The Orient, gets out and waits for Richie to put on the baby carrier to his chest, unstrap Birdie from her car seat and lay her carefully in the carrier where she gracefully sleeps against Richie.

As they walk towards the restaurant Richie hears Eddie groan beside him, “Shit, I left the baby bag in the car, you go on ahead I’ll be right back. Don’t do anything you would do.”

“Oh cmon Eddie, we’ll be just fine.”

“I sure as hell hope so, whatever you do, don’t wake up Birdie.”

“I would never. Now go fetch her bag fine sir, she will need it once she wakes from her slumber” Richie explains in his slightly better British accent from when they were kids.

“I hate you.”

“Love you too”

Richie walks towards the entrance, with his hands on the back of the carrier where his sleeping Birdie’s back is and asks the lady at the counter for the reservation ‘Hanlon’. She directs him to the room at the back where the setting seems to be a nice private area; as no one has caught his tall lanky figure yet, the golden gong catches his eye and without thinking he picks up the stick, hits the gong and says, “This meeting of the losers club has officially begu- oh no no no sweetheart Papa didn’t mean it, shit, don’t cry, don’t cry, shhh it’s okay.” Everyone at the table snaps their necks to the disruption at the entrance showing a shaggy black-haired man with big framed glasses trying to quiet down an upset baby.

Beverly Marsh, the only girl in the losers club was about to say something when they all heard a scream coming from the other room, “Richie I swear to fuck if you have woken up Birdie! – give her here you piece of shit” In comes a more familiar man that takes the baby from who they now figured out to be Richie Tozier, the comedian of the group.

“Why didn’t we get a nanny, then this would have been much easier.”

“You know what happened on the news last week, how that nanny almost killed those kids and thankfully got arrested. No fuckin way.”

“What did I say about watching the news.”

During their little argument, the losers all put together Richie and Eddie’s relationship at different moments. Beverly caught on straight away that they were together and grinned as wide as Cheshire the cat. Stan also knew but whilst rolling his eyes, his face had a ‘meh, they’ve been together since we were kids’ look. Mike and Ben were a little slow but gradually had smirks on their faces, listening to Richie and Eddie’s arguing never seemed to change from when they were children. Bill, on the other hand, had a dumbfounded ‘What?’ Look on his face causing Stan to chuckle beside him.

The surprise wares down and Beverly jumps up and goes straight to Eddie who was soothing Birdie, trying to stop her now quiet whimpers by swaying her side to side. “Let me hold the baby, oh my gosh, when did you adopt her, what’s her name, how old is she?”

“Forget that, my concern is how old she’s gonna live for with Richie as her dad,” Stan says immediately after Beverly,

“Fuck you, man.” Replies Richie with a joking tone but mixed with a hint of seriousness. Their daughters’ safety and life mean everything to Eddie and Richie.

“Well losers, this is baby Birdie, funny name but it fits her perfectly. We’ve had her for a month and a half now, she is three months old and she is our world.” Says Eddie, carefully handing her to Beverly.

As everyone sits down and orders their food, Stan moves next to Beverly who begrudgingly hands her to him after a while but leans over his shoulder with Ben, keeping her full attention on Birdie. Stan, who secretly loves her even more because of the fact that her name resembles his love for birds, is holding her with the most adoring look on his face which catches the attention of Richie,

“Stan the man, how come you like her but not me bro, I made her.”

“No you didn’t, she’s adopted you idiot.”

“Didn’t you hear what I was doing to your mum 12 months ago?”

“Hey, that’s not funny!”

“Nah I’m just kidding. It was Eddie’s mum, so that means that she’s basically blood-related to the both of us.” The last comment of Richie and Stan’s banter causes Bill to choke on his drink making him cough and breathe for air and for Eddie to hit Richie on his shoulder in annoyance.

As their food arrives, the conversation and bonds that they shared when they were kids immediately fall back into place. Many laughs and jokes are all that can be heard from everywhere in the restaurant, turning a few heads at attention by how loud they are.

Sitting in silence, Mike has a slightly frustrated look on his face as a baby was getting all the attention when he was the one who put this event together and no one has had the decency to give him any conversation. This does eventually catch everyone’s attention and to make matters worse, they kept on pushing Mike to hold Birdie. With a little more persuasion Birdie ends up sitting on his lap which is stiff and still as he has no idea what he is doing, but he is immediately softened when he feels a small pressure clinging onto his finger. A tiny hand that doesn’t even reach the entire way around.

Eddie looks in pure wonderment as Mike brings her to his face and kisses both of her cheeks, then lays her gently on to his chest. He has never been happier in his life with his annoying yet caring husband and beautiful baby girl.

As Birdie is constantly shared around to each and every one of the losers, it starts to stir her up from the frequent movement. Not seeing her Daddy and Papa, the only familiar faces she knows, starts to unsettle her and that’s when the tears once again start flowing. Instantly in dad mode, Eddie gets up from his chair whilst Richie starts ‘attempting’ to make a bottle, hands it off to Eddie who in turn directs the nipple of the bottle to Birdie who starts eating with such eagerness you would think that she hadn’t had a meal for months.

“So is that all she eats?” Says Bill with curiousness. And before Eddie can respond, Richie replies,

“Yea, only milk at the moment, Eddie here is still breastfeeding, but we don’t do it in public and that’s why we have bottles.”

For some reason, with belief, the losers turn to Eddie in question. With a massive glare towards Richie that says, ‘you’ll hear about this when we get home’ he faces the rest of them, “What the hell are you looking at!?”

Everyone bursts into laughter, with Eddie joining in at the end. But with one tiny yet adorable yawn, that is Richie and Eddie’s queue to leave. Everyone gets up and hugs one after the other – giving Birdie a small kiss on her forehead too – and as they drive home with their hands clasped together over the gearstick, they both would have never guessed that 27 years later they would be married and have the most loving group of friends with a baby that would end up becoming their world.

Their baby Birdie.

#Reddie #Parent Reddie #Richie Tozier #Eddie Kaspbrak #Beverly Marsh #Ben Hanscom #Mike Hanlon #Bill Denbrough #Stanley Uris #No Pennywise au #Baby Tozier/Kaspbrak

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eddiesasspbrak · 5 years ago

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Escapism

Eddie needs to get away from his mother and finds himself stuck in a downpour. The closest place to hide is the arcade, where he meets Richie Tozier, a boy from his school. Richie takes an interest in him and gives him a place to escape to.

Part of my “I’d rearrange the alphabet to put U and I together” series

Read on AO3

5k+ words

Eddie Kaspbrak didn’t like to say he hated things. Hate was negative and there were already so many negatives in his life that he wanted to focus on the positive. On things he liked. He liked movies. Going to see them in the theater with the big comfy seats and a large popcorn perched on his lap. Sitting at home on the couch, a movie he’d seen a hundred times on the screen and big blanket on top of him. Both were great. He liked running. His mother always told him he shouldn’t run because of his asthma, but he never had a problem. He liked the way the wind felt against his face as he pushed himself to go just a little faster. It was freedom. He liked spending time with his friends, Bill, Ben and Mike. Riding their bikes down to the quarry and going for a swim in the summer. Sitting in the clubhouse reading comics until it became too dark to see.

Yes, there were many things that Eddie liked and didn’t hate much. What he did hate was his mother. He’d been told before that you can’t truly hate your parents. You might hate things that they do or get angry enough to think that you hate them, but deep down you really love them. Eddie thought that was bullshit. He hated his mother and he knew that if he did love her it was such a microscopic part of him that it would never be strong enough overpower the hatred.

There were several reasons he hated his mother. When he was younger, she would overreact to every little illness. He would get a tickle in his throat and cough and she’d be on the phone making a doctor’s appointment within seconds. He fell off his bike once and didn’t even get hurt, but she called an ambulance and made him lay where he fell until they gave the all clear. Even then, she insisted that he was injured and made them take him to the hospital anyway. A full body x-ray later and he was sent home with a big bill and no injury. She used to make him take a handful of pills a day for his “conditions”. He eventually found out they were placebos and stopped taking them.

He wasn’t even sure if he had asthma or not. He’d run vast distances at a fast pace and, sure he’d be out of breath for a minute when he stopped, but he never had to use the inhaler. The only time he did feel like he needed it, he realized, was when he was having a panic attack. The panic disorder was probably the only thing that was actually wrong with him and he was sure she was the one who caused it.

He hated her because she had to know what he was doing, where he was going and who he was with at all times. If he didn’t tell her, she would follow him. She seemed to have spies all around town who would report back to her on what he’d been doing. In a small town like Derry, everyone knew almost everyone else, so it was likely that she really did have spies watching his every move.

She hated his friends, called them a bad influence when they were nothing but respectful when in her presence. They were the ones he loved. They’d been there for Eddie when he needed someone to talk to. He couldn’t talk to her. About anything. The one time he thought he might let her know what was going on in his life, she grounded him for two weeks. All because he said he thought Beverly Marsh was pretty. Bev had a bad reputation in town, which probably wasn’t even true, and she would not have her son spending time with a girl like that. He wondered how she’d react if she knew that he also thought he liked boys.

Despite all the hate he felt for her, he still tried to stay positive. A feat proving impossible whenever she started in on him. This time it had been because he dropped a glass while doing the dishes and it broke. He bent down to pick up the bigger shards and she ran in yelling at him to stop. She was afraid he would cut himself. He ignored her and kept cleaning it up only to have her grab his arm roughly to pull him away from it. The motion caused one of the pieces to fall from his hand, hitting his other hand on the way down. It wasn’t a bad cut, but it bled and caused him to curse from the jolt of pain.

She followed him into the bathroom, where he was going to disinfect it and bandage it, yelling about how he needed to be careful. She also wasn’t happy about the swearing and blamed his friends influence for the foul language. Eddie bit his tongue and said nothing until she told him he was too delicate to touch sharp objects and should let others do it for him. She’d been saying something similar his entire life. Always calling him delicate and incapable.

He couldn’t go on the roller coaster at the fair because he’d be too afraid. He might pass out and he’d surely throw up. He couldn’t go to Betty Ripsom’s tenth birthday party at the roller rink because he might fall and break something or another kid could roll over his hand. Besides, the food could have his allergens in them and what if he ate something and they couldn’t get his EpiPen fast enough? He couldn’t stay the night at Bill’s house because what if someone broke in hurt him or kidnapped him?

The anger built up and resulted in him yelling at her. Eddie told her that it was her fault he cut himself because she pulled on him. He could have cleaned it up without incident if she had just left him alone. He could take care of himself and he didn’t need her. He yelled until his throat hurt and then he left. She ran after him, calling out his name. Followed him out onto the porch and watched him run down the street toward town, screaming after him. He ignored her and kept going.

He needed to be alone and to cool off. Bill was out of town for the weekend with his family. Ben was working. Mike was probably home but his grandfather’s farm was too far to walk to, and he didn’t bring bus money or his bike. He couldn’t go back to get either because it would mean seeing her and she would try to guilt him into staying. With none of his friends being an option, he didn’t know where to go. Though he had to figure it out fast.

The forecast had called for rain and he knew it was coming. The sky had gone dark with grey clouds and thunder rumbled in the distance. Since he didn’t have any money, he didn’t know where to go. The library was an option, but he thought the silence would drive him mad. He needed somewhere noisy to block out his thoughts. Every place he could think of required money or it would be considered loitering and the last thing he needed was another argument.

He looked at all the shops as he passed by, hoping that one would let him come in without having to spend any money. Restaurants and stores surrounded him, everyone likely to make him leave if he just stood there. He didn’t want to be accused of shop lifting for just browsing either. A flash of lightening caused him to startle and a second later he felt a raindrop hit his cheek. Now desperate as the rain started as just a light drizzle but picking up by the second, he began to run and ducked for cover under the alcove of a shop. Surely, they couldn’t yell at him for standing outside the store, right?

He sighed as the rain began to pour, becoming like a sheet of water, making it hard to see two feet beyond where he stood. He knew it was going to rain, he just didn’t realize it would be this heavy. Part of him wished that he had just gone up to his room and turned on loud music instead. He knew that wasn’t always effective though as they were still under the same roof and the odds of things boiling over again were very high. This was for the best, even if he was stuck in the rain. He just wished he’d grabbed a jacket as the rain made the spring air cold and he hadn’t gotten away without getting a little wet. He shivered and turned to look at the building behind him, unsure of exactly where he was. He’d just seen a hiding spot and lunged for it.

Eddie knew there was an arcade in town, he’d just never paid much attention to it. He definitely had never been inside. Video games had never really been his thing. If he was going to spend his money on something frivolous it was going to be something that would last. If someone had asked him for directions to the arcade, he couldn’t even tell them where to go. So, it was a surprise that the alcove he chose to hide under was part of the storefront of the arcade. The windows were slightly tinted and beyond he could just barely see kids and teens alike playing the games inside.

A particularly big crowd had formed around one game and that gave Eddie the impression that he could hang out in there and watch. It wasn’t the most exciting way to spend the day, but it was a way to escape the rain and cold.

Inside, music played at a low volume from overhead speakers. Yelling, cheering, button smashing, and game noises were much more audible. The entire place smelled like pennies, fried foods and too much air freshener and it made Eddie’s nose itch. Trying to blend in, he made his way to the largest group to see what they were all watching. A half circle of boys and girls of various ages were formed around a single person whose focus was on the game before him. Eddie recognized him from school but couldn’t quite remember his name.

“Why’s everyone watching him?” He asked a preteen boy standing near the outside of the group.

“Because he’s about to beat the high score on this game.” The kid explained, standing on his toes in attempt to see better.

“Oh.” Eddie didn’t really see the point. Was getting a new high score really that important and impressive? If anything wasn’t it a little sad? Spending so much time playing a game that you become the best. Was it even enjoyable anymore by that point? Still, Eddie had nothing better to do and he needed to look like he belonged and so he watched.

Eddie couldn’t say how much time had passed. He kind of zoned out watching the rhythmic movements of the other boy’s hands on the joystick and buttons. It was only when the group around him all yelled out and the hands stopped moving that he snapped back to reality. Eddie glanced at those around him and was met with disappointed faces. The crowd began to disperse, some going to the boy to say a few words. He heard a “better luck next time” in there and figured he must have failed.

With the crowd now gone and Eddie’s hiding spot taken with it, he turned to look back at the entrance to check the status of the weather. If he’d been paying attention, he might have seen that he caught the notice of gamer he’d been watching. When he turned back, finding that it had slowed but was still pouring, he found that he was no longer alone. Dark eyes magnified by big glasses, floppy, curly black hair and a crooked grin stared back at him and he wondered if he’d blown his cover.

“Kaspbrak. I didn’t take you for a game enthusiast. Don’t think I’ve ever even seen you here.” He said.

Eddie searched his brain for a name. It seemed rude not to greet him now that he’d called him by his own name. Or last name at least. Whether or not he knew his first name was still unclear. Still, Eddie couldn’t seem to find the name in his head. It was a small school, their graduating class a tiny fraction, yet he easily forgot the names of his classmates. If it wasn’t Bill, Mike or Ben, it just didn’t register. Though Eddie had definitely noticed him before. He was a part of his bisexual awakening a few years back along with a handful of other guys from school.

“I’m not really. This is my first time here. I just…it’s raining.” Eddie felt flustered as he gestured back to the front windows. Talking to attractive people was never an easy task. Not that his friends weren’t attractive. He was just used to them and he’d known them since they were kids with missing teeth and runny noses. Not cute.

“So it is.” He looked up over Eddie’s head, reminding him how much taller he was, and toward the windows. “And you chose the arcade to take shelter in. Couldn’t resist the smell of prepubescent sweat and nacho cheese wafting through the room?”

The thought was gross, but Eddie couldn’t stop the smile from forming. “Is that what that is?”

He opened his mouth to respond when another boy came by and slapped a hand down on his shoulder with a grin. “That kid tried to beat your score, Rich. I told him it wasn’t going to happen. I think he might be crying now.”

Rich? Richie! Eddie knew that he knew his name. He just needed a jolt. Now that he remembered, he also remembered all the nicknames he was called by their less than friendly classmates. Dick was the obvious one, Trashmouth a bit more creative. He’d heard his name called out in class often enough that it really should have stuck. Eddie wondered if he was self-absorbed. Why else would he forget a name so easily that he heard so often?

Richie finished talking to the boy who moved onto his next conversation, leaving the two alone again. Eddie didn’t know what was left to say. He wasn’t the best conversationalist. Not with practical strangers anyway. It didn’t help that he felt like all eyes were on them as Richie seemed to be somewhat of a celebrity to the younger kids.

“So…you’re not into games?” Richie asked, breaking the brief awkward silence between them.

“Not really, no. Plus the idea of touching machines that hundreds of other people have touched with their dirty hands it just disgusting.” Eddie wrinkled his nose.

“That’s right. You have that thing.”

“What thing?”

“That germ thing. What do they call it? Germaphobe?”

“I’m not a germaphobe. I just get grossed out easily.”

“No kidding. Last week I saw you gag when that couple passed gum between their mouths.”

“Any normal human would find that gross!” Eddie was laughing now, and it was weird how quickly he was becoming comfortable with Richie.

“You swap saliva while kissing anyway. What’s the difference?”

Eddie wasn’t sure if it was the conversation or Richie or the way he was smiling at him that was making his heartbeat so fast. He thought that if it weren’t so noisy everyone would be able to hear it. His bad mood from earlier, his argument with his mother, was gone from his mind and he focused on coming up with a response.

“It’s very different. Swapping gum is the same and eating already chewed food.” The thought made Eddie shiver in disgust.

“If you think that’s gross, then I wouldn’t suggest eating the food here.” Richie leaned in and whispered conspiratorially.

Before entering the establishment, Eddie had never known that they had a small kitchen in the back of the arcade. It was pretty gross. Who bought food at an arcade? He had glanced at the menu hanging above the order window. Hotdogs, burgers, nachos, fries and pizza. Eddie couldn’t imagine willingly eating any of it, especially after Richie’s previous comment. It made him laugh but also made his stomach turn.

“There’s a better place down the street. The chip shop. Ever been there?” Richie asked when Eddie made no move to respond.

“No. My mom frowns upon eating in restaurants. The cooks don’t wash their hands and you’ll get a parasite from it. So, she says anyway.”

Richie furrowed his eyebrows together and laughed a bit awkwardly. “I promise I’ve never gotten a parasite from them. They’ve got great burgers and fries though. Come on, you’ve got to try it at least once.”

Eddie turned as Richie passed him to walk toward the door. Miraculously, the rain had stopped, and the sun was shining beyond the front door. Being invited to get a meal with Richie was weirdly exciting but Eddie was reminded that he’d left home with empty pockets. He followed Richie to the door but stopped as soon as they were outside, frowning for the first time since talking to him.

“I don’t have any money with me. Rain check?” Eddie asked, the disappointment hard to ignore.

“Don’t worry about it. I got paid this morning.” Richie said, taking off down the street.

Eddie had to jog a bit to catch up. God, his legs were long. “No, I…I can’t let you pay for me.”

“It’s not a big deal. You can treat next time.”

The smile he sent Eddie’s way brought a visible blush to his cheeks and Eddie choked on a response. He’d been invited to eat with Richie. Now Richie was going to pay for him. He implied this wasn’t a one-time thing. Was Eddie naïve or had he been asked on a date without realizing it? That was a stupid thought as he didn’t even know if Richie was into guys and Richie didn’t know if Eddie was either. This was Derry. People didn’t exactly run around shouting that they were gay. They’d likely be killed or run out of town if they did. Still, it was possible, right? Did normal friendships start this way? He really didn’t know. The three friends he had were all made in elementary school when all you had to do to make a friend was invite them to play tag or share your cookies at lunch.

Eddie was sure there was a subtle way of finding out Richie’s intentions, but he didn’t know what it was. Aside from coming straight out and asking him or attempting to flirt, his mind was blank. And neither of those options was ideal. Or really possible for Eddie. He’d chicken out if he tried to ask and he’d never successfully flirted with anyone. He always became too tongue tied when he tried and ended up embarrassed.

When they arrived at the chip shop, Richie held the door open for him and he managed to nearly trip over his own feet walking through the door. He internally berated himself for being so unsmooth and couldn’t ignore the smile his lack of grace earned from Richie. Their menu was small but then again so was the shop. It was narrow, booths lining both walls with a small walkway in between. The whole back wall was made up of the counter and Eddie noticed there were no customer bathrooms. He wouldn’t be able to wash his hands before eating. It was fine. He was fine. He wouldn’t die from eating one meal without washing his hands.

They each ordered a burger and a side of fries to share. Richie paid and a few brief, awkwardly quiet, minutes later, they were receiving their order. Richie lead him to a booth halfway between the door and the counter. Eddie was once again reminded that this was so unbelievably foreign to him. If it were Bill, Mike and Ben he’d feel totally relaxed. He’d slide into the booth, probably with Ben, and eat as if it was the first meal he’d had in weeks. Now he felt anxious. He didn’t want to embarrass himself or make a mess of himself. He’d made sure to only get one messy toppy on his burger, opting for ketchup. It would probably stain more than the others, but he didn’t like mustard and mayo could be mistaken for other things he didn’t want to think about. Not while sitting across from Richie.

He took small bites of his burger, only taking a fry every few bites and he wondered if other people ate their food so carefully. Calculating the possible outcome of each bite before he took it. It was sad, wasn’t it? Spending time with a potential new friend and being so nervous he could barely function like a normal human being. He blamed his mother. She kept him from socializing for so long, it was something he had to learn from observing others closely. Just another thing to add to the long list of reasons to hate her.

The silence was beginning to weight on Eddie. Every so often Richie would say something, but it didn’t spark a conversation and he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to say something soon or the anxious nerves were going to build up and cause him to launch off his seat like a little rocket.

“So…video games…I heard you have a lot of high scores.” He said, inwardly cringing at his lack of conversational skills.

“I have a few. I’m on the board for pretty much every game in the arcade.” Richie looked proud but Eddie was confused.

“Is that where you spend all your free time? What about hanging out with friends?” Eddie knew that he was friends with Beverly and there was another guy he was often seen with. Started with an S. Stanley?

“I still hang out with them a lot. The arcade is just…”

“Just what?”

Richie seemed hesitant to speak again, taking an exceptionally long sip from his drink. Briefly Eddie wondered if he should have pushed it. He just wanted to know more about him, and the arcade seemed like a safe starting point for a personal conversation. Maybe he was wrong.

“Just a safe place. Things at home aren’t great and the arcade is like an escape from it all. I don’t have to think about anything else except what’s happening on the screen. I don’t have to worry about my dad calling me a disappointment when there are alien invaders to blast out of the sky.” He smiled but it was without humor. It broke Eddie’s heart to see that look on his face.

“I get it. I wish I had a place like that to escape to.” Eddie of course would go to his friends houses when things got rough at home, but he always worried about being a burden. They’d tell him again and again that he wasn’t, but he couldn’t change his own mind. If he had a place like the arcade, he wouldn’t spend another day wandering through the rain looking for refuge.

“What made you come to the arcade today? Was it really just the rain or were you out for a walk and got unlucky? I can’t imagine any reason I’d leave home without some cash.” Richie pointed a fry at him as he spoke, seeming a bit more relaxed.

“I just needed to get out of my house for a while. My mom is…a lot.”

“Yea I’ve kind of heard rumors about her.”

“Wait, what? Where? There are rumors about my mom?” Eddie felt slightly panicked. He’d never heard anyone talking about his mom before and he could only imagine the things that were being said.

“People say she’s super overprotective and doesn’t let you out of the house much.”

Well that was partially true. Overprotective, definitely but she couldn’t keep him inside. She’d tried and he always found a way out. He made it clear that he wasn’t going to be caged in. “Overprotective is an understatement.”

“Worse than that?”

“Way worse. She’s terrified of me getting sick or hurt so she goes out of her way to make sure it doesn’t happen. Our entire house would be padded if she had her way. I cut my hand today-.” Eddie held his hand up to show the bandage there. “-and she caused it panicking over the potential of me cutting myself. The irony is lost on her.”

“Is that why you went out in the rain?”

“I thought a cold rain shower would help calm me down after the screaming match.”

Richie smiled. “Did it work?”

“No.”

“But you seem calmer.”

Eddie didn’t say anything. He wanted to say that it was because of him but couldn’t make the words leave his mouth. He didn’t know how Richie would react to that. If he was completely wrong about his intentions, Eddie could end up making things very awkward. The last thing he needed was rumors to be spread around town that he was gay. His life would become hell outside of the house as well and he couldn’t handle that. Sure, there were bullies but they didn’t bother him much. If they thought he liked men, he could only imagine the things they’d do to him. So, he kept his mouth shut and just continued to smile as he stuffed a fry into his mouth.

They finished their meals while talking about school and friends. When they finished, Richie convinced Eddie to follow him to a “secret location”. He said that something cool always happened there after it rained. Part of Eddie was afraid to go. He didn’t really know Richie or what his intentions were. He could really be leading him to a cool spot he frequented, or he could be leading him to a trap. Would be pay for his lunch just to beat him up? It really was a silly thought as he knew for a fact that Richie was bullied as well.

Eddie followed him all the way to the edge of town, down a grassy field by the quarry to the edge of the woods. His anxiety only grew with each step he took farther from civilization and help. Richie walked past the line of trees a few feet before stopping. Eddie was distracted by the way his shoes were sinking into the mud and almost didn’t notice that he’d stopped in front of him. He just barely avoided crashing directly into him. Probably best that he didn’t as the muddy ground was slippery and likely would have sent both lurching forward into the mess in front of them.

Looking down, Eddie saw a flooded swampy area on the ground with sticks and leaves floating. The most notable thing was the frogs. He wasn’t sure just how many there were as they wouldn’t stop moving long enough for him to count, but there were fifteen at least. They were a distance away to keep from disturbing them, but close enough for Eddie to worry about one jumping on him.

“Cool, right?” Richie aske, looking back at Eddie. “They always come out like this after a heavy rainfall.”

“I’m not gonna lie…I wasn’t expecting frogs.”

“What were you expecting?”

Eddie shrugged because he didn’t know what he’d been expecting. He had about a million possible scenarios running through his head, but none were probable. In the end, anything that Richie had to show him would have surprised him.

“Do you always come here after it rains?” Eddie asked.

“Not always. Bev and I found them by chance when we were out for a walk. I’ve come back a few times and they’re always here. I like listening to them.”

Eddie looked at Richie’s face in time to see the content smile spread across his lips. He’d never seen him look this happy and it sent butterflies to his stomach.

“I feel like I’m intruding on your secret spot.” Eddie admitted, feeling a little awkward.

“You’re only the third person who has seen this with me.” Richie said. “Bev obviously being one and Stan the other. So, I guess it is a secret.”

“Why show me then?”

“Because I like you.”

The smile he sent Eddie’s way made him dizzy. Of course, Eddie knew he meant as a friend but hearing those words from a cute boy was like an arrow to the heart. The last thing he needed was to fall for a potential new friend who might very well be straight. Yet, there he was, eyes fixated on his mouth wondering what he tasted like.

A second later he’d know the answer. Ketchup and salt from the meal they’d shared. Of course, he wasn’t actually thinking about that when Richie leaned down and planted one on him. The exact thought running through is mind was something like “danger, danger! Brain explosion in 3…2…”. He’d only been kissed once at a Christmas party. He didn’t even realize he was standing under the mistletoe until Ben’s cousin swooped in and kissed him. It was nothing like this.

When Richie pulled away, Eddie wasn’t honestly sure if he’d kissed him back. His brain had short circuited almost immediately and he was still trying to figure out if it had really happened. Richie was smiling, his hand on Eddie’s cheek and his thumb resting on the corner of his mouth.

“I…you…” Eddie couldn’t make a coherent thought come to his mind. His tongue felt thick in his mouth and his head was mush. “Kissed. We kissed.” He finally managed.

“Is that ok? You didn’t say anything after I said I like you, so I took my chance.” Richie said, tilting his head slightly.

“Ok. Yea. It was…ok. Definitely.”

Richie laughed and Eddie hated that he sounded so stupid and out of it. “I’ve always noticed you at school and wanted to talk to you, but people tend not to like my sense of humor. Admiring you from afar was better than you hating me.”

“You liked me before today? Like…before meeting me? Why?”

Richie leaned back against a tree and sighed. “Why? Let’s see…because your adorable doe eyes make me weak when they’re all scrunched up in anger. I’ve heard you laughing with your friends and that little snort you make is one of my favorite sounds. When you got mad in class when you were told you’d fail if you skipped the dissection, I swear I had heart bubbles around my head when you called Mr. Groff a masochistic amphibian murderer.” He was laughing at the memory and Eddie was sure he was going to melt.

“I…couldn’t remember your name.” Eddie winced as the words fell from his lips. “I mean, I knew who you were I just…I’m bad with names. But I’ve noticed you too. You’re part of the reason I realized I liked guys. I just wanted to be honest because you just said a lot of stuff and were really honest, so it only felt fair that I-.”

Richie cut off Eddie’s rambling with another kiss. This time Eddie stayed focused on the feel of his lips, soft and wet and salty. They stayed like that for a while, together in the canopy of the trees, getting to know one another and kissing when the mood struck. Richie gave Eddie his number, told him to call when he needed somewhere to go. He would be there to take him away. To help him escape.

#reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #it (2019)#It (2017)#Ro writes

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laedraws · 5 years ago

Text

I had to exercise myself with writing and I found a prompt generator. This is probably very bad but I tried

Warning: language

Your prompt: Eddie is the barista at a coffee shop and always screws up Richie’s name on purpose + Your prompt: Richie hates coffee, but goes to a coffee shop and drinks some just so they can see Eddie, who works there

Richie Tozier enters the coffee shop that’s across the street the way he always does.

It’s quiet, and it’s a nice change from all the noise he’s usually exposed to.

Eddie Kaspbrak walked through the same door hours ago, half an hour before the start of his shift. He’s not thrilled about his job, but it’s not the worst he could be doing, either.

It’s quiet, and it’s a nice change from all the noise his thoughts make inside his head.

Richie Tozier hesitates only a few seconds before taking his place in line, not needing to mentally rehearse his order.

Eddie Kaspbrak has had anxiety all of his life, he still checks every order twice, despite knowing each one by heart.

Richie Tozier hates coffee. Don’t get him wrong, he usually gladly throws himself onto everything that could possibly make him develop some sort of addiction; but the light adrenaline wave coffee provides just isn’t worth the shitty taste.

Eddie Kaspbrak has learnt from a very young age that sometimes you have to just pinch your nose and swallow whatever substance your body does (or doesn’t) need. He grew up weak, and medicines helped him, or so his mother said. Caffeine was just another help, a boost for when his useless body claimed sleep too early or too often. A necessity, really.

Richie Tozier hated caffeine, but ordered a cup of coffee anyway. He always did, because the only reason he even entered the coffee nearly every other day was to tell said order to the brown eyed boy working at the counter.

Eddie Kaspbrak saw him the moment he got in line. He ordered the same thing every day, and it was the only time of the day Eddie didn’t need to repeat the order in his head until he had handed the cup to the customer in line.

Richie smiled, Eddie smirked.

“Your name?”

Your name is Richie. I know this. I heard your friends call after you. I heard you saying it yourself while you were trying to sound professional on the phone. You failed, by the way.

“Richie”

Please remember it right this time. I spelled it clearly, for you. I’m only here because of you. Fuck. I don’t even care how much this shit’s overpriced if I get to hear you call me correctly for once. (I want to hear my name on your lips)

Eddie grabbed a sharpie and scribbled something onto the soft cardboard. It made a soothing sound and he dared to quickly look up to the other, curly black hair partly hiding the huge frame of his glasses. He looked so hopeful Eddie almost felt bad.

It’s a cute name really. R-I-C-H-I-E. Has a nice ring to it, too. It would be a shame if someone put a T in there.

He finished writing, turned the cup so that Richie couldn’t see it, and moved to make his coffee. Cupboards sounds tingled in the air. He was aware of Richie’s presence somewhere behind him, but it didn’t make him nervous. He wasn’t overthinking for once. It was their little game, or Eddie’s at least, if the other somehow hadn’t caught up yet.

“Here you go” he said as he finished pouring it, half smiling but carefully avoiding the other’s eyes.

Richie smiled back and took his coffee, then quickly stopped in his tracks.

Are you fucking kid-

“-ding me?”

Eddie turned around, eyebrow raised.

Him and his fucking trashmouth. While he mentally zeroed any possibility he may have had with the cute boy from the shop he could clearly hear the distinct voice of Stanley Uris himself, telling him to stop being so freaking loud all the time. Serves him well for never listening to Stan the Man.

“Is something wrong?”

If Eddie was having a mini panic attack the moment he heard Richie complain (which he was), he didn’t show it.

And then something incredible happened, something so rare it could be comparable to the passage of some comets in the sky. Richie Tozier was left speechless.

“I-“ he started, flushing through his pale skin. “I’m sorry” he finished. “I just…was wondering how you think it’s pronounced? Maybe RiTchy?” He added, a sincere smile softening the joke.

It took some seconds for Eddie to blink away his confusion and pick up that the other was in fact fucking with him.

“You pay for the coffee, not for accuracy”

What the actual fuck was that, Kaspbrak.

“Excuse me?” It was Richie’s turn to be confused now.

“We put names on the cups so they don’t get mixed up, it’s a practical tip which also happens to do wonders for health codes, ‘cause imagine picking someone else’s cup that’d be so anti-hygienic and have you ever heard of a staph infection-”

Richie had honestly lost himself trying to follow the other’s train of thoughts, the only thing he could think about was that all the rambling made the boy in front of him look strangely cute.

“…and basically my point is that in the end the name is not really relevant for the service, so-”

(cute, cute, cute)

“Well yeah okay I’m sorry, I got it, I was kind of a dick-” And then Richie snorted because of course, he had to add “A Dick, get it? Because my name’s Richard?”

The barista blinked, but otherwise had no response. If Stan had been there, he would have smacked Richie in the head, which, fair enough. He suddenly became painfully aware of the line growing behind him.

“Alright, for real now, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you, just… uh, you’ve been butchering my name for weeks now and I guess I overthought it a little? Thought that maybe you didn’t like me which, I guess you’d be right in doing after this..”

Eddie felt like the shittiest person on the planet because you see, Richie’s eyes looked like those of a kicked dog behind those stupid glasses.

So when the other reached for his money and paid, muttering a ‘keep the change’ under his breath, Eddie took a deep sigh and- where’s my inhaler when I need it?

“It’s Eddie!”

“Uh?” Richie turned around, the cup of coffee still warm in his hand, the steam fogging the base of his glasses.

“Eddie. It’s my name. In case you wanna butcher it back”

As Richie looked at him Eddie felt his cheeks go down two shades. And then a wide, heartfelt grin pictured himself on the black haired boy’s face and Eddie felt his chest relax as if he really took a huge spray out of his inhaler.

“Nice one” he decided, and then, as a grin formed on his face: “Mind if I call you Eds?”

Eddie shook his head. Yes, he did mind, but he guessed they were even now.

“No” he lied while moving to the next costumer: “I owe you one”

And with that Richie could have considered himself satisfied, really. Not only the cute boy- Eddie, he quickly reminded himself, would call him by his correct name from now on, but Richie knew his, too.

You could just have asked, he heard Stan’s voice echo in his mind.

But isn’t it enough to just sit into my Hawaiian shirt, lovestruck? He would have probably said back.

(Yes that is the variation of a meme I just quoted. No, Stan, I physically cannot talk ‘normal’)

And so he refused to walk through the door, lingering on the back of the counter, respectfully out of line: “That’s nice to know, Eds. How about Eddie Spaghetti?”

That’s where Eddie drew the line.

“I said I owed you one, don’t push it”, but he was smiling.

Richie noticed it, and that’s why he said: “Alright Spaghetti-head”

He forgot he was holding coffee, because the smug face he was picturing having fell apart as he took a sip of his drink and almost spit it all out. Luckily the other was too busy to notice it.

Eddie handed the order to his current costumer, and forgot all about work policies and ‘professionalism’ as he absent-mindedly slipped in a conversation with the boy he had been purposely misnaming for weeks: “Beep-beep Richie”

“Did you just beeped me?” Richie added, faking indignation.

“Yeah, you’re annoying”. But there was no serious tone in his voice. Then, he quickly added: “Can I ask you something?”

Richie was glowing: “Yeah, sure”

“Why don’t you order something else if you dislike coffee?”

Richie’s heart did something funny in his chest as he realized he was panicking in his spot.

“Huh?”

“Yeah I can see you throwing it away as you walk out, you know. The poor plant outside has probably become addicted to caffeine by now. At first I thought it was me, that I had fucked up your order or something. That’s why I started to spell your name wrong, I was pissed because I thought you didn’t like the service or something. And I used to check every time, and I’m pretty sure that I had done alright”

Richie started to understand how Stan must feel while dealing with his shenanigans, because he suddenly had the urge to smack himself in the head, too.

“Oh fuck, I’m sorry if you thought that! I swear it has nothing to do with you-

(It has everything to do with you, just not in the way you’d think)

“-I just like coming here, and it wouldn’t sit well with me if I didn’t support the place, somehow. Does it make sense?”

Eddie didn’t look too convinced but he wasn’t one to push people too much. He just nodded and bit his lip, going on another tour to the coffee machine.

“If that’s how it is then, I was thinking, how about I make you another one? Another order, I mean. One that you actually like. I promise I’ll spell your name right this time”

“That’d be cool, actually. Do you have anything with chocolate?”

Eddie smiles and gestures him to go back in line.

Richie patiently waits, and when Eddie hands him his new order he forgets about checking his name’s spelling. He smiles at Eddie and maybe stares a little too long before thanking him and finally walking out the place.

It’s only when he passes the poor plant he’d been accidentally feeding with caffeine that he remembers the previous conversation.

On the cup, truth to his word, Eddie wrote “Richie”, the clear handwriting striking on the white cardboard. Under it, there’s a row of numbers Richie takes some seconds too long to decipher.

When it finally hits him, it makes his body warm despite the weather and a sincere smile brightens his face.

Richie Tozier goes home and doesn’t hear the noises of the street over the memory of Eddie’s voice he’s playing in his head.

Eddie Kaspbrak finishes his shift hours later, takes out his umbrella and lets the sound of the rain silence his overthinking, as thoughts of Richie bloom at the edge of his mind.

#it #it chapter one #it chapter two #reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #losers club #the losers club #Richie x Eddie #prompt generator #fanfic

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dear-wormwoods · 5 years ago

Photo

--> Playlist: Eddie Kaspbrak Makes a Change <--

All of this new content inspired me to finish fine tuning the Eddie playlist that accompanies the Richie one I posted last week. I’m super excited about this one because it has some incredibly meaningful songs on it and Eddie is REALLY hard to make cohesive playlists for because he’s so complex. This is like, the 6th incarnation of ‘my Eddie playlist’, but it’s by far the most cohesive one.

So, as with the Richie one, this follows the plot of IT as is, except that Reddie happens. Which... may not be as canon divergent as we all thought, now! The narrative here follows Eddie’s attachment to Bill, realizing the truth about his mother, falling for Richie, moving and regressing into mom dependency and sedative abuse, then returning to Derry and ultimately dying in Richie’s arms.

Detailed explanations underneath. Spoiler alert: shit gets depressing.

1. Intro: Like I said in the Richie playlist, I like to start out with an instrumental that sets the right tone for the story that follows it. Intro has a really whimsical, dreamy vibe, which is how Eddie’s chapters always read, to me.

2. Like the Dawn: This song is... so Eddie. It represents Eddie meeting Bill, his idolization of him, and the feeling that Bill can give him the world and therefore his world depends on Bill. It contains a lot of biblical imagery, which I love when it comes to Eddie songs. Most meta lyric: “and you will surely be the death of me, but how could I have known?”

3. Futile Devices: This one is also about Bill, but at this point Eddie is trying to figure out what category his feelings for Bill fall under. He grapples with the idea of it being romantic, but ultimately he realizes it’s familial - brotherly/fatherly.

4. Glass Ceiling: This one represents Eddie’s gradual separation from his mother throughout his time with the Losers. At first it’s just, I only know what I’m told, I only do what I’m told. He says what Sonia tells him to say and acts the way she wants him to act. But as time goes on, he feels trapped and starts breaking out of this mold - and what’s more, he realizes this is something he has to do for himself, not something he will be saved from by a third party (no knight in silver armor shining). Most meta lyric: mention of losing an arm, rip.

5. Secrets and Lies: OOF. This song. This is after Eddie finds out about the placebos, when he’s in the hospital with his cast, channeling Maturin to fully and sternly stand up to his mother. At least for now, he knows exactly what she’s done and who she is, and he’s not going to take it anymore.

6. breathin: Self explanatory. Eddie has an anxiety disorder and the Losers help him deal with it and keep going, even while he’s freaking out. This song also signals the beginnings of a shift in how he feels about Richie, who is the most adept at distracting Eddie from his panic and getting him to just breathe. Most meta lyric: “How do I know if this shit's fabricated?”

7. Meet Me in the Woods: This one represents the sewers and the first battle with IT. “There ain't language for the things I've seen, and the truth is stranger than my own worst dreams.” There’s also a reference to Holy darkness, which connects Eddie’s experience with IT to his issues with religion and spirituality.

8. Cigarettes in the Theatre: After that summer is over and things go back to normal, Eddie and Richie’s relationship spends the next couple of years changing. This song mirrors ‘Rules Don’t Stop’ on Richie’s list. It’s that initial excitement of starting something new, a trip to the movies that doesn’t feel the same as it used to, and quiet conversations under the stars that one day just seem deeper. My favorite line is ‘tell me your favorite things’ because of how invested Eddie is in Richie’s interests in the novel.

9. Fire in My Bones: This song mirrors Richie’s ‘American Money’, but has a much more uncertain, anxious, Eddie feel to it. While Richie spends their brief teenage relationship thinking nothing can go wrong, Eddie is continuing to battle with his fear. Both songs are full of whimsical references to weather, geography, and open hearts, painting this exciting picture of that specific brand of young, idealistic love where it feels like the world is yours. Both songs also reference flying kites, which represent their newfound freedom to be open with each other. In Richie’s song American Money, the kite comes from Eddie (”you started flying a kite, at the end was the key to my heart”), who has always given him the freedom to be himself. However, for Eddie, the kite is waiting for him at the end of a tunnel - it exists in a bright light, representing the freedom Richie could give him, but the tunnel represents his mother, still attempting to close him off.

10. Don’t Forget About Me: Richie moves out of Derry before Eddie does. Although he swears they’ll get through the separation, Eddie isn’t so sure - after all, Bev left, and then Bill, and they hardly heard from either of them again. In this, he’s begging Richie not to forget him, not to leave him behind for good. We all know how that turned out.

11. Mother: Once Eddie is left with only his mother to turn to, and once his memories start to fade when they move to New York, he regresses quickly. This song represents Eddie’s repeated attempts to exist outside of Sonia’s security blanket and his repeated choice to return to her. He can depend on her to protect him, make him into what she thinks will be best, etc. There’s also some religious reference here, sort of implying that ‘Lord’ and ‘Mother’ are on equal footing - which, to Eddie, they always have been.

12. Numbers: Over time, Eddie grows more and more dependent on prescription pills to get him through life. At some point he has to turn into the guy at the beginning of the novel who has every sedative in the book in his medicine cabinet and actively muses on how great those highs are, so I imagine that habit would begin in his 20′s. During this time period, he’s also seeking out sexual relationships with men who he thinks will make him feel better, or feel something, but they never do. At this point he doesn’t realize how big the hole in his heart is because he doesn’t remember who Richie is.

13. Cough Syrup: As time goes on, Eddie starts feeling restless within this numb, sedentary, safe life he’s stuck in. He dreams of running away and doing what he actually desires, but he still stays put, and stays “sick”, because he’s always too afraid to take a chance.

14. Wake Up: He gets Mike’s phone call and starts to see things clearly again. Memories start to come back, he starts to open his eyes to what has become of his life, and how it didn’t have to be that way. This is Eddie figuratively throwing off the shackles and eagerly running back to Derry.

15. Home: Pretty much self explanatory. More so than most of the other Losers, besides maybe Bev, Eddie is the most eager to go back ‘home’, to his childhood friends, and the memories there.

16. Dear Wormwood: Ohhhh Dear Wormwood... my old friend. I’ll just summarize what I’ve said about this song before: this represents the moment when, as an adult down in the sewers, Eddie is able to overthrow his mother’s voice in his head for good. Now that he’s back in Derry and his memories have returned, he can see her for what she was, what she did to him and still continues doing to him even after her death. He understands her and pities her, but he’s not going to fall into that trap anymore. Her voice no longer matters. Most meta lyric: “I have always known you, you have always been there in my mind... But now I understand you, and I will not be part of your designs.”

17. Blur: Okay so THIS song is literally about IT and literally about Eddie. At first it talks about IT coming back, and then ends with the iconic ‘we all float down here’, but this is the verse that matters: “My throat's cracked and beaten, my back's whipped and torn. The glasses you once wore won't have a use anymore. Where do we go? What will we eat? The only promise I can keep is the one where I say ‘I'll meet you again’, reborn from the sand. The glasses you once wore don't have a use anymore.” So breaking this down, the first part refers to Eddie’s anxiety, his throat tightening. The ‘my back’s whipped and torn’ is a reference to when they fought IT as kids and he was attacked by Mike’s bird (when IT was targeting Eddie for beating the crawling eye for Richie) - his shirt and back were torn by its claws. Then obviously the glasses part is a reference to Richie, now an adult, having switched to contacts. Then the ‘promise’ he can keep is a reference to his own death. All he can do is promise to meet Richie again in the afterlife, or in the next life.

18. The River: This one is like, the beginning of Eddie’s death scene, when Richie stumbles to him. Eddie’s encouraging him to let his emotions out instead of bottling them up, because he knows that’s Richie’s coping mechanism and he knows how unhealthy it is. He wants to make sure Richie is going to be okay, and continue to be himself after this.

19. Yes I’m Changing: FUCK. THIS SONG IS MY FAVORITE, IT’S SO FUCKING TRAGIC IN THIS CONTEXT AND I LIVE FOR THIS SHIT. Okay so this song is like, technically about a break up - whatever. It fits so much better as a death song. Specifically Eddie’s death song. This song fully represents his moment of self acceptance at the very end, and how at peace he felt as he died. The saddest yet most graceful death ever.

“I felt the strangest emotion but it wasn't hate, for once” - a glorious representation of Eddie feeling okay with himself for the first time in his known memory.

“There's no future left for you and me. I was holding and I was searching endlessly, but baby, now there's nothing left that I can do, so don't be blue. There is another future waiting there for you.” - He needs Richie to accept that this is it, but he shouldn’t be sad, because Eddie is okay with it and knows Richie will lead a full life after this is over.

“Yes I'm changing, can't stop it now, and even if I wanted I wouldn't know how. Another version of myself I think I found, at last.” - He’s changing in death to this cleansed, spiritually light version of himself he’d like to preach upon if he could. He’s been so miserable for basically his entire life, and dying isn’t so bad.

Repeating that the world is calling Richie’s name, as in he needs Richie to go on without him and not get stuck on this grief. “Arise and walk, come through. A world beyond that door is calling out for you.” - I love this outro especially because in this context, it acts as a reference to the door to ITs lair. There is a world outside of this place and that’s where Richie needs to be, he can’t stay here.

20. The Trapeze Swinger: Okay. :) I don’t even know where to begin. This song has everything, it’s full of childhood references, biblical imagery, and visuals that inexplicably connect to even the most obscure parts of Eddie’s character. Plus the added layer of irony that he’s begging to be remembered in the afterlife, while Richie is desperate to forget, which makes it extra tragic. I’ve wanted to write a full meta about this song in particular for a very long time, but I’ll settle for a breakdown of some of the lyrics:

“Please, remember me, happily, by the rosebush laughing. with bruises on my chin” - Refers to the rosebushes by the house on Neibolt street where Eddie got entangled escaping from the leper, as well as his tendency to find humor and excitement in pain.

“Someone caught us in the kitchen with maps, a mountain range, a piggy bank, a vision too removed to mention” - Refers to Eddie’s constant daydreaming about running away, his navigational skills, and the fear and guilt he feels whenever he let himself think about doing this.

“The pearly gates had some eloquent graffiti, like 'We'll meet again', and 'Fuck the man', and 'Tell my mother not to worry'” - Refers to eventually reuniting with the Losers, his desire to rebel, and his continuous habit of putting his mother’s feelings and needs above his own as a child.

“And when the morning came, I was ashamed, only now it seems so silly.” - Refers to the shame he felt about his sexuality throughout his life, and then the clarity and acceptance he felt as he died.

“And now you're lit up by the city, so please, remember me, mistakenly, in the window of the tallest tower.” - Refers to Richie now living in the city, and hoping he will remember him sometimes as life goes on, even by accident. Also lowkey refers to Bev seeing his ghost in their window reflection along with Stan’s.

“Just like the gates around the holy kingdom, with words like 'Lost and Found' and 'Don't Look Down', and 'Someone Save Temptation'” - Refers to his lifelong fear of being locked out of heaven. The phrases each refer to losing/finding the Losers, facing his fears, and accepting his “temptation” (aka his sexuality).

“Please, remember me, as in the dream we had as rug-burned babies among the fallen trees.” - Refers to exchanging secret goals and aspirations with Richie as kids while playing in the Barrens. He wants Richie to remember that.

“A fleeting chance to see a trapeze swing as high as any savior.” - Throughout this song, the trapeze swinger symbolizes love/relationships. Richie and Eddie’s window of opportunity to be together was fleeting, but it was more meaningful than anything else they’d experienced.

“Please, remember me, my misery, and how it lost me all I wanted.” - Eddie spent his life being scared and stagnant, always miserable but never having the guts to change his situation on his own, which ultimately cost him a fulfilling life. He wants Richie to remember that and avoid making the same mistake.

“... and chasing trains, the colored birds above there, running in circles ‘round the well...” - Refers to Eddie’s obsession with traintracks and freedom, the birds he watched fly away from Derry that brought tears to his eyes, and the cyclical nature of his life that he could never escape.

“You turn from me and said 'The trapeze act was wonderful, but never meant to last.'” - Again, the trapeze act symbolizes love/the relationship. Richie and Eddie’s time together was limited and exciting, but couldn’t last forever due to the circumstances of their lives.

“The clown that passed saw me just come up with anger.” - lmao I can’t even deal with this line. Self explanatory. IT is what tore them apart, both times.

“Please, remember me, finally, and all my uphill clawing.” - He doesn’t want to be remembered for his previous failure, but for his determination and how he ultimately overcame the things that were holding him back.

“My dear, but if I make the pearly gates, I’ll do my best to make a drawing of God and Lucifer, a boy and girl, an angel kissing on a sinner, a monkey and a man, a marching band... all around the frightened trapeze swingers.” - Eddie never thought he would go to heaven or ‘make the pearly gates’, but in his dying moments he finally feels like it’s possible. If he gets there, he’s going to preserve the memory of the Losers and their experience in the afterlife (the ‘drawing’). God and Lucifer represent Maturin and IT, the boy and girl represent Ben and Beverly, the angel kissing on a sinner represents he and Richie (who is who? Eddie would say he’s the sinner, but Richie would say the opposite). The monkey and the man refer to ITs timelessness - that the entity was here long before the evolution of man and witnessed all of human history unfold - it’s also a reference to Mike and Richie’s experience in the smokehouse. The marching band refers to the Losers as a group, working together as a unit. The frightened trapeze swingers again symbolize the relationships, how scary and thrilling love is, and that “love and desire” are stronger forces than memory.

YIKES that was so much. I expect virtually no one to read all that, but I hope y’all enjoy the playlist!

#stephen king's IT #eddie kaspbrak #reddie #my playlists #it meta #my meta #music #meta #eddie spaghet tea #my shit #eddiecore #it hcs #top tier #reddiecore

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wilwywaylan · 5 years ago

Text

Third time’s a charm

Fandom : It (mostly It-book with It-movie looks and cellphones (oops))

Fix fic (spoilers ahead), Richie x Eddie, 4079 words

For @rolls-of-the-tongue-nicely who contaminated me to Reddie and is not evilly laughing in her lair.

Beta-ed by the amazing @kujaku-myoo

Also on AO3 !

--------

It had all started like a joke, as it always did between them, and it quickly escalated to serious levels. As it always did between them.

- Come on, Richie. What are you scared of ? It's just a movie !

Yes, it was a movie. No, it wasn't just a movie. It was the spookiest, scariest movie Richie had ever seen. That... thing had haunted his dreams for weeks after he had watched it, and even just thinking about it gave him goosebumps. Of course he had opened up to Eddie about it, and of course, Eddie had jumped on it like some overgrown puppy who didn't want to let go of the slipper he was chewing on.

- Let's go, it's going to start !

And now, Eddie was pulling by the arm. Or rather pulling on his arm and trying to make him move, but since he weighed 50 pounds soaking wet, it didn't work very well. But still, Richie followed, because he may protest and bicker with him, but he'd follow Eddie to the end of the Earth. As long as Eddie wasn’t aware of this, of course.

He swallowed when he saw the marquise. "The Crawling Eye", it said in large, red letters, and just reading them, his stomach churned and curled on himself. But Eddie dragged him to the counter of the Aladdin, put a few coins on it and grabbed the two tickets. Still holding on Richie's wrist, he went inside, in the hall, far from the comforting warmth of the summer sunlight. It was dark inside, and cool, shadows hiding in the corners, moving around as they did. Eddie, apparently oblivious of the whole atmosphere, pushed the little piece of cardboard in Richie's hand.

- Go and find us some seats, I'll be right back.

And he disappeared towards the concession stand at the other side of the hall. Richie would have very much liked to follow him, hoping that whatever was lurking in the darkness (oh but you know what's hiding in the darkness, Richie, you do know) would be scared enough of them being a group (but he knew that what was hiding there wasn't afraid of them at all) to attack. But he'd never, ever, ever confess it to anyone. So he did as he was told, walked inside the theatre itself. As usual, he opted for the balcony, making sure that the exit was near and free. They were almost alone up there. Good. At least there would be less witnesses to his inevitable freak-out.

The news reel had already started to roll when Eddie came to sit with him, carrying a bucket of popcorn bigger than his head, or that what it seemed to Richie. He sat beside him, put the bucket on his lap, making sure that it was balanced before offering it to Richie. It was tempting, but it would certainly be a waste, spitting it out as soon as the movie would start. He ate two kernels, to look like he was enjoying it, and focused very hard on the curtain above the screen, like he was fascinated by Eisenhower signing the Space Act.

At first, it went well. The first victim came and went, the heroins tried to investigate in the what passed for the Alps, they ran and screamed as they were chased by the killer. Nothing new, and it was as bad as he remembered. And still, he couldn't even relax and enjoy the wooden acting and the bad special effects. His whole body was tensed in anticipation. Soon, too soon, it would jump out of the fog, at him, and....

He was reaching in the popcorn to grab some, more to get something to do than because he really wanted it, when his hand brushed against something, and he almost screamed. Hey, anyone would have done the same when faced with something one wasn't expecting in a popcorn bucket, especially something that was warm, soft and squishy.

It took him four entire seconds spent hyperventilating and frantically searching for a way out to realize that was Eddie's hand. Eddie who was looking at him like he had grown a second head. Richie composed himself a smile and spouted :

- Nice chick, Anne, no ? Reminds me of your mom.... well a third of your mom.

Eddie punched him, dropping a few kernels of popcorn on the floor, but he turned to face the screen again with a muttered "idiot". He hadn't noticed anything weird in Richie's behaviour. Well weirder, of course. Richie tried to sit back and look at the screen, but his train of thought has definitely derailed, instead landing square at "I just touched Eddie's hand in the popcorn" station. What happened on the screen didn't matter anymore, it was just all colours and shapes moving around, sounds blasting through the loudspeakers, a background on which his feelings were dancing, unbridled. He was now extremely aware of Eddie's presence beside him, with his stupid fanny pack full of he didn't know what, and his stupid shorts that looked insanely stupid, and his stupid.... face....

He was feeling hot, now, especially around the cheeks and his ears. It was always so hot in that theatre, would it kill them to open a window ? Except that his feet were strangely cold, and he could feel a cool draft around his legs. So what was happening ? Was he suffering from a fever ? Had he fallen sick ? He had to hide it ; if Eddie learnt that he was sick, he would first gloat about it for two seconds because he always told him to be careful, put socks on and not play everywhere, then run away because what if he was contagious ? His mind played a bit with Eddie visiting him while he was laying in his bed, all pale and wan, slowly holding out ta hand that Eddie stepped forwards to take, his face marred by worry...

Eddie moved, and the fantasy shattered. He was going for popcorn. Richie immediately did the same. Once again, their hands brushed against each other, sending the same jolt of electricity as first time. It danced through his nerves, climbed to his brain and sent it into overdrive, so hard that he felt he was going to be punted out of his seat and directly in the alley. He glanced at Eddie. Who looked so unaffected it was almost unbelievable. As if they didn't just share a shock hard enough to light up all the lights in the room. But maybe Eddie didn't feel it ? Maybe Eddie was the one electrically charged and Richie just happened to give him an outlet. There was just one way to figure it.

He missed the whole last part of the movie, more focused as he was on trying to touch Eddie's hand again, feel if the jolt happened again. When they got out, he blinked like an owl, surprised to be out of the darkness and into the light again. His legs felt like they were made of jelly, and it seemed as he had spent hours in this movie theatre. Or maybe just seconds, he didn't know.

They parted at the end of Eddie's street, as usual, with nothing more than a wave and a half-heartfelt joke. That night, Richie spent long, torturous, delicious hours replaying every minute in his mind.

I should have kissed him, he thought. Even on the cheek. Maybe I will. Next time. That's right, next time.

~*~

It's a new dawn It's a new day It's a new life for me, ooh And I'm feeling good

Richie stretches, turns off the phone and throws it haphazardly on the night-stand. But it crashes on the ground with a noise that doesn't bode well for it. He opens his eyes, blinking against both the sun pouring by the window and the myopia. The wall is not the color it should be. The nightstand is not where it should be either. Nothing is as he should. It takes him several seconds to remember where he is now : in a small, one-star motel in the suburbs of Portland, and his phone just crashed from a one-star night-stand typical of a one-star motel.

He turns, careful not to move too hastily because the beds in one-star motels are typically one-person too... and his skull promptly hits something solid. He grabs his head, swearing profusely. Are they making their fucking pillows out of concrete ?

- Is that how they say good morning in the strange language they speak in your country, Trashmouth ?

Wait. He knows that voice. But what is that voice doing in his bed ? And more than that, what is its owner doing in his head ? He squints as much as he can, trying to make sense of what's in front of him. It's a person, alright. With brown eyes and mussed dark hair, and a thin, long face. It looks like Eddie, talks like Eddie....

- You look really funny when you squint.

Richie holds out his hand, pats him in the face, earning himself a "what the fuck, Trashmouth ?". He's solid. He's real. He's in his bed right now, it's not a dream. He dives forwards, embraces him, squeezes him tight, as he's dreamed countless times. But in his dreams, Eddie has never hit him in the chest and squirmed while screaming :

- Stop that, Richie, it hurts !

Richie backs down, bewildered. He looks - squints - at Eddie's face, then lower, where the shirt collar is gaping. The shirt is gaping because it's his, he notices. Eddie is wearing his shirt as pajamas. Is it his birthday come early ? Did a good fairy decide to realize all his wishes ? Is he still asleep ? He pinches himself and swears. No, he's not sleeping. Also there are bandages visible under the shirt, through the too large collar. This explains the pushing away. He remembers, of course, how Eddie was hurt, and everything that followed. He just can't believe it. It happened.

He rolls out of bed and finally retrieves his glasses, which have followed the same way than his phone. The world come back in focus. Richie almost regrets it. The room is exactly as depressing as he thought without glasses, with peeling wallpaper, dollar store furniture, and the remote chained to the wall. A perfect little nest.

He looks to his side, and lo and behold, Eddie is still there. He looks tired, shadows underlining his eyes, new lines on his face. He hasn't shaved, and his cheeks are eaten by a rogue beard, one of them hidden under a large, white piece of gauze. Eddie with a beard, it's not something that he expected to see one day. It fits him, he thinks. He looks good like that. But he doesn't say it. Instead, he says :

- Come on, loser, get up. We don't have all time in the world.

They don't, he knows, and they almost didn't even get the time they have now. It will be over soon, when he drops Eddie in Manhattan, or as close of Manhattan as he can without getting crazy with the traffic. But they still have time, they'll still have some, and it almost didn't happen.

Eddie straightens up, slowly, groans. Richie wants to rush at his side and hold him close, but he doesn't.

- What's wrong, grampa ? Need your walker ?

- Fuck off, Richie. You're not the one who got skewered.

I was, he thinks, but he doesn't say it because it would be way too sappy, and Eddie doesn't know, he doesn't need to know. It's still his secret.

- Yeah, of course. Do you want breakfast, or are you not waterproof anymore ? Food-proof ?

- At least I'm idiot-proof.

Eddie throws his legs off the bed, but he doesn't get up. His hands are closed tightly on the edge of the mattress, knuckles almost white. Richie walks a little closer, looks at him. His face is still pale, but everyone's would, after what he went through. The clammy part, the sweat on his forehead, that is bad news.

- Eds ? he asks. Are you alright ?

- What do you think, Richie ? Do I look alright ?

- No. You look like shit.

- Thank you for your comfort.

Richie fills a glass with water at the tiny sink, brings it to him with two of the pills they gave him at the hospital. Eddie grabs them avidly, but still stops to demand the leaflet first, and reads it from start to fiinish before finally taking them.

- Better ? Richie asks.

- They need time to act, and you know it.

- Yeah. So... food ? Do you feel like getting food ?

- Only if you find me something better than motel food, because I certainly won't eat it. I don't want another hole in my stomach.

Richie snorts, more just because he's still able to do it than because it's fun. He grabs his pants, his wallet and his jacket, puts them on and in his pocket, and leaves the room with a "don't miss me too much !" thrown over his shoulder. He closes the door on Eddie's half-shouted answer, but it sounds a lot like "fuck you". Things never change.

It takes him a bit of effort to find something pleasant and simple enough that Eddie will both accept and be able to eat. Not that Portland is lacking in the bakery department, but subpar confection just won't cut it. He finally opts for some coffee (sugar and cream on the side), cupcakes that look light and airy enough for Eddie, without peanut butter (remember the allergens !), and some good, greasy donuts for him. Eddie will scream that he only eats bad stuff and it's dangerous for him, but he loves them, and he needs a little pick-me-up.

As he comes back to the hostel, he suddenly feels scared. What if It still had one more trick up its sleeve ? What if they sent another ghost, or zombie, or lunatic after Eddie, and this time, finished the job ? It probably waited for Richie to left, just to be sure no one would stop It this time. Maybe Eddie is dying as he frets over donuts, and he'll find only his body in the room, and he'll surely lose his mind at the sight of Eddie's body, devoid of life...

He almost kicks the door down, and Eddie (is lying on the floor, dead) jumps. He got dressed in his absence, getting rid of the too large shirt for... another too large shirt, but it makes sense with his wound, he doesn't want to be too constricted. He's typing something on his phone, and he glares at Richie when the door hits the wall behind.

- What the fuck ? Are you crazy ? You almost gave me a heart attack !

Richie looks around, but it's still the same shitty motel room. No balloons near the ceiling, no voices in the bathroom, no stupid clown hiding under the bed. Just a very ugly wallpaper, furniture that's falling apart, and sheets that he hopes have seen a washing machine not too long ago. No otherworldly menace here, just the usual ones.

He sits down on the bed, near Eddie, hands him the coffee and the cupcakes.

- I thought... he starts.

I thought you were dead, he thinks. I thought you were going to leave me forever instead of just living a few hours from me. I thought It won. He doesn't say it, because he doesn't want to scare Eddie, and he now realizes that it was stupid. It is dead, they killed It, and now they are going to live happily ever after, in one way or another.

- I thought you wouldn't settle for any cupcakes, since you're so fussy, that's all.

Eddie grabs the pillow to hit him in the face. Then promptly doubles over, holding his side. Richie tries to help him up, but he bats his hands away, and sits up a little better.

They manage to get through breakfast without any other incident, but Eddie is definitely paler than before, which is a feat.

- Man, you look like shit, Richie finely remarks once more.

- I feel like shit, is Eddie's only answer.

- I suppose you don't feel up to a few hours locked in a car.

Eddie doesn't even answer, just rolls his eyes.

- Okay. So what do you want to do ?

And that's how they find themselves in the street a few hours later. They'd spent two hours watching the home improvement channel because that's the only one the TV could get, played stupid games on their phones, and took a nap. But after a while, it becomes just too much to stay locked inside this tiny room, and they decide to get some fresh air.

To be fair, there's not much to get themselves busy outside either, but at least they don't feel confined anymore. They're just walking aimlessly, Richie glancing at Eddie from time to time to make sure he's not fainting or bleeding out or having an asthma attack or... But no, he's still holding up.

They are crossing the street, when Eddie suddenly stops and points. Richie has to grab him by the arm to make him go the rest of the way under the threats of two drivers, before following his gesture. Then he shakes his head.

- Oh no. Oh no, Eds, no way, I'm not going, you can't make me and fuck you.

- We're going.

He goes inside the theatre, and of course, Richie follows. He'd like to say he's totally forgotten that movie, pushed it at the back of his mind, but it would be a lie. That... thing has never left him, still giving him goosebumps even years later each time his eyes land on the poster. Of course, he once mentioned it once during an interview (to his defence, he wasn't that sober when it came up), and of course, one of his asshole fans decided to ironically gift him a beautiful copy of the poster, framed and all. He almost vomited all over it when he opened it. It's really sad that the thing mysteriously disappeared during his next move.

A piece of cardboard appears in front of him. When he makes no move to take it, Eddie sticks it behind his glasses.

- Be careful, idiot, you're going to smudge them.

- Stop whining, Richie. Let's go.

He all but drags him to the seats. There's no more balconies in those modern theatres, so they grab two in a row in the middle. Richie still measures the distance between him and the door, but it's way, way longer than in the past. The screen is bigger too, without the heavy curtains that adorned the Aladdin's. But when the darkness falls, and the pictures start moving on the silver screen, it's the same apprehension that catches him around the throat at the first wobbly vision of the fake Alps he remembers so well. It's still the same. The movie quality may be a little better, but it's still the same bad special effects, the same wooden acting that made him laugh so much the first time, the same attempts at drama that fall flat on his face. It even still smells like popcorn.

Richie glances at Eddie, and of course, he has bought some popcorn, that he's munching on, without even offering him some, that ass. Richie proceeds to overtake some of that popcorn. He's going to endure The Crawling Eye again, he deserves some, dammit ! Eddie doesn't resist. But he reaches into the bucket at the same time as him.

The jolt when their arms touch is as strong as it was twenty-seven years ago. It may not be as strong or pure as a first time, but it's been magnified by all those years of refraining his feelings for Eddie. It's a spark of electricity that jumps up his arm and sets his brain on fire. He doesn't jump away, because he's a grown-ass man and he doesn't react like a kid anymore, but barely.

He tries to compose himself and will the beat of his heart slower, when he realizes that Eddie is looking at him. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck with a cherry on top. Fuck him sideways with a rusty fencepost. Eddie is looking at him. Their hands touched, he reacted as strongly as ever, and Eddie is looking at him. And he may be a hypochondriac, a loser and a fussy idiot, but he's not a *real* idiot.

- Richie ? Why are you jumping like that ?

When Richie doesn't answer immediately, he insists.

- It's the movie ? Ah sorry. I didn't think it would be that.... let's go, okay ? I'm sorry.

He goes to get up, but Richie catches him by the arm.

- Stay down.

- Are you sure ? Because you're...

Ah, fuck it. Might as well do it now. He's fucked anyway, better get done with it.

- I'm okay. Sit down. I... need to tell you something.

On the screen, the mysterious man is stalking the heroine, but none of them is paying them any attention.

- What ?

Okay, what is he supposed to tell ? I love you ? Too dry. I've loved you since I was like eight and you sat beside me and laughed at my jokes ? I haven't stopped loving you even if I have to confess that I have forgotten you for like twenty years but you were still at the back of my mind and I've probably dated a lot of men that looked a lot like you ? Too long. And will probably earn himself a punch or a kick. But he needs to do something, and quick, because Eddie will probably not wait until the end of time (or the movie) for him to blurt out something.

Finally, since the words don't come, he goes to the next step. Not a logical step, but with his fried brain, he does his best. Which is grab Eddie by the shoulders, then by his face, bend down and kiss him. It's probably the most awful kiss in his life. Eddie wasn't ready and tensed immediately, his glasses are squished between them, and it tastes like popcorn. Scratch that, it's the most awesome kiss in his life. Because Eddie.

He lets go after just a few seconds, sits back in his seat. Of course, Eddie is gaping at him. Absent-mindedly, he reaches out to straighten Richie's glasses.

- I'm sorry, Richie blurts. I mean.... forget it. Forget it, okay ? I just... I'm not myself.

- You didn't mean to kiss me ?

- Yes. I... oh gods yes. I've meant it for, like, forever.

- Oh.

Just that. Oh. And a quieter "oh". Then Eddie goes back to watching the screen.

- We're going to have a lot of things to unpack.

- Tell me about it.

- At the motel room okay ? We finish the movie, and we talk about it.

- Sounds fine.

It's not really fine, of course, Richie would have loved for Eddie to throw himself at him and do lots of unspeakable things to him. But he hasn't ran away or invoked his wife's name, so it's not all bad. Still, he's reconsidering his choices in life and maybe planning a trek in Tibet to find himself and spirituality, when a hand takes his and holds it, squeezing all the air out of his lungs. Eddie doesn't look at him, but he's smiling, slightly. Richie goes back to the movie too, with the biggest grin on his face. They'll need to talk things out, and maybe it won't work out at all, because Eddie has a life and a wife and may not love him back. But for a few more minutes, he's twelve again, and the happiest boy in the world.

It's a new dawn It's a new day It's a new life for me, ooh And I'm feeling good

#it (stephen king)#it (book)#richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #reddie #I've been caught #they are adorable #so dorky #also denial and river blah blah #I'm in denial #fix fic #so much fix fic #also I had to do RESEARCH #about events in 1958 #and that movie #I need to watch that movie #okay stop rambling now

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softschnappi · 5 years ago

Text

Welcome to Derry!

Word count: 2.6k

Warnings: swearing?

Based off of this headcanon of mine!

A/N: AAIIEEEEEE this is FINALLY done after a whole YEAR! I am so proud of this idea and I think it’s the best one I’ve come up with and I don’t even know where I came up with it like I just randomly pulled it out of my ass and it kinda blew up?? And BRUH I think it - unfortunately - fits perfectly with the canon ending in ST3 so I did end up changing some stuff from the original plan…hope you enjoy!

“Shit,“ Jonathan muttered under his breath.

Will sighed in response and leaned his head against the car window. It was pitch black outside and their car was the only one on the road which was surrounded by tall, ominous, swaying trees and bushes.

Jonathan had been driving his car with Will accompanying him in the passenger seat across the country to Maine, following behind his mother and El in a big Uhaul truck that held all of their belongings for the new house. They had been on the road for a few days, stopping at restaurants and drive-thrus along the way. All was going well and they were almost at the new house until a car cut in front of Jonathan on the highway and he couldn’t see what exit his mother took. All he knew was that the truck was nowhere to be seen.

After an hour of driving around it started to get dark and Will started to worry that they were really lost. They had no way of contacting Joyce other than to ask for a phone at a gas station and call the new house, but they weren’t even sure if she and El had even arrived yet. They were both equally horrible at reading maps. The one thing they were sure of was that they were definitely in Maine since they passed the Welcome to Maine! sign a while ago. So they tried their hardest to read the state map of Maine and of some of the towns they passed, but Will knew they were lost after neither of them could figure out the map and he tried to get Jonathan to admit it but he wouldn’t. However, after driving around in the dark in the middle of nowhere for twenty more minutes, he caved.

“I told you we were lost,” Will rolled his eyes and continued to stare out of the window. It was really dark on the road. Too dark. Way too dark.

Jonathan sighed and put his hand on Will’s shoulder. “Fine, we’re lost. We tried everything we could, but don’t worry-”

“Don’t worry?” Will scoffed and glared at his older brother. “We’re lost in a state we’ve never been to in the middle of nowhere at night and we have no way of contacting mom. Even El couldn’t get a clue of where we are because she lost her powers.” He turned away and looked back out the window, hiking his feet up onto the seat and pulling his knees to his chest.

“Will, calm down. I’m sure there’s like a gas station around here somewhere,” Jonathan assured him. “We can get directions there and everything will be fine.” He desperately hoped that what he was saying would be true.

They kept driving along the road for fifteen more minutes before they saw the first building with bright lights since the sun went down hours ago. Will and Jonathan noticed the gas pumps at the same time and cheered in unison. After four hours of being lost, they were finally going to be on their way home!

“Okay,” Jonathan started as he pulled up to a pump. “While I fill up the gas, you go in and ask for directions. They’ll have to have a map of where we are. I’m counting on you to remember what they say, okay?

Will nodded and opened the door, climbing out. Just as he was about to shut it he turned to Jonathan with a grin. “Let’s just hope they don’t lead us to Florida. Although, haven’t we always wanted to go to Disney?”

“The more time you waste talking the longer we’re stuck here,” Jonathan chuckled and put the gas pump into the car. “Now go.”

The store had all its lights on and Will could hear the faint music playing when he approached the door. He looked through the glass and saw a man with a yellow and black gas station looking uniform sitting at the cash, looking down and writing something. Perfect!

The man looked up at the sound of the chimes clanging when Will opened the door and stepped inside. He had short brown hair that was longer on one side, swooping down and almost covering his right eye. He was tall, lanky, and looked about Will’s age.

“Hi,” The man whose name tag read Bill greeted.

Will shuffled to the counter and looked up at him. “Hi there. Um, my brother and I are kinda lost and I was wondering if you could tell us where we are? Oh, and I’m also going to pay for the gas.”

“Well, you-you’re in D-D-Derry, Maine,” Bill stuttered, looking back down at Will and tapping his fingers on the glass that held all of the lottery tickets underneath him. He watched Will silently look away and cheer in victory.

“Great!” Will smiled at him. “So, I was wondering if you know how to get to-”

“I’m sorry, I d-don’t do well w-w-with directions,” Bill apologized, looking down and scratching the back of his head.

Well, shit. They were so fucked now. Will and Jonathan were going to have to stay the night in the car somewhere and their mom is probably worried to death about them-

Bill must have noticed how deflated Will became after he told him that he wasn’t good with directions because he immediately tried to tell Will that he knew someone else who could help him. He stumbled into the back room and Will heard some bickering between him and another person.

A few moments later, a taller, much more annoyed man appeared behind Bill. Will’s eyes widened and his mouth went dry at the sight of him: curly dark brown hair, brown eyes, big square glasses, soft-looking lips…He almost looked like Mike. Almost. Oh, how he already missed Mike.

But Will quickly forgot about his best friend as he felt his heart racing and his cheeks heat up as the very attractive man’s expression turned from agitated to…interested after he looked Will up and down.

“Scratch that, Big Bill,” The man said with a smile on his face, “No need to pay me. I would be honoured to spend my precious time helping out this lost eye candy.”

Eye candy? Will almost choked on his own spit at that one. He couldn’t believe that this random hot stranger at the gas station just implied that…no. That couldn’t have been what he meant. No way. No guy ever just hits on another guy like that, especially a stranger in public. Not possible. But regardless, it made Will’s face heat up even more.

The man stood beside Bill and leaned his elbows on the desk, holding out his arm for Will to shake. “Richie Tozier, at your service,” He greeted Will with a wink.

Will gulped and tried to calm his nerves as he shook Richie’s hand. Holy fuck, his hands were so soft and his own were so clammy from being so nervous.

It was kind of embarrassing for Will to be this much of a mess and have been turned into complete mush ever since he laid eyes on Richie. He tried to snap out of it. It wasn’t every day he got an opportunity to speak with a hot guy and he wanted to make the most out of it.

“I’m Will Byers. And my brother and I are lost. The end of our trip is Derry so thank God we’re here, but we need to get to Palmer Lane,” He explained after taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “And we have no idea how to get there.”

Richie reached underneath the desk, much to Bill’s displeasure who kicked him for getting too close. Will now noticed that Bill wasn’t actually writing anything but instead he was drawing. A bunch of birds, specifically, and it was looking really good. But his gaze was torn when Richie stood up and slammed a map on the counter and reached for a highlighter. With a yellow cap between his teeth, he drew three lines on the map and turned it around for Will to see.

“I don’t know what was so difficult about telling him where Palmer Lane is, you fucking wet end,” Richie turned to Bill and said. “Derry is the size of a penny.”

Bill rolled his eyes. “I thought h-he would w-want directions for o-out of town. And watch your language at wuh-work.”

Shaking his head, Richie mumbled something under his breath before turning back to Will. “So.” He started, pointing to a highlighted road on the town map. “This gas station is located on this road, which you need to take,” His finger slid down to the other road. “Until you get to Main Street. You turn onto that and then,” He pointed to a street right of Main Street. “You turn right onto Palmer Lane. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.”

Will and Richie smiled at each other and Will thanked him. He noticed that Richie had become closer to him than he was before he pulled out the map. Will’s heart was beating fast in his chest as he looked into Richie’s chocolate brown eyes, swearing he saw stars in them, but he looked away quickly in fear of the other noticing that his cheeks were turning pink again.

“Say, I’ve never seen ye ‘round here, bucko,” Richie said to him, his voice suddenly very Irish. “What’re ye doin in a shighthole like Derry?”

Will chuckled softly at his attempt to speak in an Irish accent. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t perfectly on point, either. “I think you need to work on that accent a bit more before it’s perfect,” Will encouraged Richie with a smile. “And I just moved here. Trying to find the new house.”

Richie’s face lit up and a joyous smile spread across his face. “Well, I’ll be,” He said, switching to a Southern accent. “We get a first look at the fresh meat before errybody else!”

“I’m sorry about him,” Bill apologized while shaking his head. He looked just about ready to stab Richie with the pencil in his hand.

Will waved his hand. “No, it’s okay! I mean,” He looked to Richie, shyly. “You’re funny.”

“You bet your fur I am!” Richie stuck his tongue out at Bill, who rolled his eyes.

Will blinked. “You…bet your fur?”

“Derry slang, my friend. You’ll be hearing plenty more soon enough.”

Will hummed in response before he remembered the other reason why he was in the store. “Oh! I almost forgot to pay for the gas,” Will said as he put fifteen dollars on the counter. “It’s pump-”

“Five,” Bill finished as he entered the money into the register. “Yeah, you’re the o-only one hu-here.”

Will looked down, feeling embarrassed. “Right.”

“So, are you going to Derry High in the fall?” Richie asked in his normal voice, pushing his glasses up on his face.

“Yeah, going into grade eleven.” Will picked up the change and put it into his pocket. When he looked back at Richie, he was still leaning over the counter but now had his elbow on it and his face resting on his hand. Watching as Richie quickly looked him up and down again, Will gulped as he began to rock back and forth on his feet. Richie didn’t even wait until a time when Will wasn’t looking to openly stare at him. Fuck.

“Cool! Me and Bill go there, and all of our friends. The same grade, too,” Richie smiled at Will, tapping his fingers on the counter. “Speaking of which, our friend Mike lives on Palmer Lane. So I’ll probably see you around before school starts!”

Will one hundred and ten per cent wanted to see Richie again before school started. There was no way he could go a whole month without seeing Richie’s handsome face. Will’s heart started to beat faster in his chest because Richie seemed like he really wanted to see him again. If he went to see his friend Mike then he could drop by the new house and hang out and- oh fuck, Will was already falling for him.

“Yeah!” Will smiled at him. “My place is the one with the moving van outside.” His eyebrows furrowed as he blinked a few times before opening his mouth again. “I just realized I don’t know what my own house even looks like yet,” He laughed.

Richie chuckled and looked back down at the map displayed in front of them. “Well, speaking of home, you better get on your way, buttercup. It’s almost 1am, and you don’t want ol’ Bob Gray coming to eat your toes and take your money.”

Will didn’t hear anything he said past “Buttercup.” His eyes were wide and his mouth was suddenly dry. Richie just…called him…Buttercup. Buttercup. Although he didn’t want to get ahead of himself, his brain automatically registered everything that had happened ever since he walked in the store as flirting. Richie, a super handsome guy he just met, was flirting with him. Him. Will could feel his whole face heating up again, getting hotter than it’s ever been before and he probably looked like a tomato.

Richie was scribbling something down on the map with a pen before he closed it up and handed it to Will.

“Did you just call me buttercup?” He wanted to make sure he had heard him right.

Richie blinked. “Yes. Because, y’ know, your hair. You look like a Reece’s cup. I didn’t mean for it to be insulting-”

“You didn’t insult me,” Will shook his head. “It’s just nobody’s ever called me that before,” He smiled up at Richie and took the map. “Do you call all your customers candy-related names?” He asked, remembering how Richie had called him eye candy at the beginning.

“Nope,” Richie said, popping the p. “Just you, buttercup.”

“Oh,” Will whispered, beaming. Then he did something he’d never done before: he put his hair behind his ear. Isn’t that something girls did when they talked to a guy? Will had no idea why he did that, but there was no time to worry over it. He’d just remembered that Jonathan was waiting for him in the car and they needed to get to the new house.

“Well I think you’re right, I better be on my way home,” Will said as he stepped away from the counter. He didn’t want to leave, but he knew he had to. “It was nice to meet both of you! Thanks for the directions, Richie.”

Richie waved at him and even Bill looked up from his drawing to tell Will to come back again.

“See you soon, Will,” Richie smiled at him. “Twas nice chatting with you! Watch out fur the hobos!” He added in his Irish accent.

Chuckling, Will walked over to the door. “Have a good night!” He shouted as he walked out of the store, looking at the ground and trying to hide the huge grin on his face. He hadn’t even got to the new house yet and he already made a friend. He thanked whatever Gods there were that he was able to run into such a handsome guy like Richie and have him - maybe - take some sort of interest in him. Oh, he was so handsome. Will kept thinking about Richie’s curls, the freckles on his face, and his chocolate brown eyes as he made his way to the car.

“Got the directions?” Jonathan asked as Will climbed into the passenger seat of the car.

Will opened the map and was drawn to the writing in the top right corner:

Derry Gas: 207-396-7289

Richie Tozier: 207-826-2591

☺

“Yeah,” Will smiled as he felt his heart rate speed up once again. “I got them.”

Maybe Derry wasn’t going to be so bad after all.

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