Chapter Text
Richie had just finished talking to his friends. He now had a blooded cut in the palm of his hand, symbolizing that if It came back then the Loser’s club would return as well.
Bill had made the choice of cutting into their hands with a broken piece of glass. To be honest, he’s surprised that Eddie didn’t complain and comment on how many illnesses they could get.
Or that he didn’t immediately pull out some fancy medicine and bandages from his fanny pack. He would never admit it to anyone but that was his favorite thing about Eddie. But it was also a relief that he didn’t start doing that.
Richie had thought about that all the way back to his aunt’s house. His name isn’t even Richie . Or Richard . It was Mike, well, Michael. His mom and dad were living in Hawkins, Indiana. His mom wanted him to come to Derry, Maine with his aunt to get his mind off everything that was starting to happen in Hawkins. (She doesn’t even know the half of it)
It’s ironic. Everywhere he goes there’s always a strange occurrence, the upside down, It. He thinks he’s cursed.
Mental note, don’t come back to Derry he told himself. Well at least don’t engage with a half-ass creepy clown. Before he opened the door to his aunt’s house, he could hear someone calling his name. It almost sounded like— “Rich! Dumbass! Hold up!” It was Eddie.
“What do ya need Eds?” Richie loved taunting him with nicknames. Eds and Eddie Spaghetti were his favorites. Except… Eddie doesn’t seem annoyed. He looks happy? Or relieved? Damn it. “Don’t call me that… Dickweed. I got this for you. I know you're going back to… wherever the fuck you came from, but I wanted to give this to you.” Eddie handed a cassette to him. He made it for me?
“I made one for everyone in the group! It’s all the songs we had in the clubhouse.” Oh. So not only for me. Bummer. “It’s Hawkins, Indiana, Eds. I forgot to kiss your mom goodbye, so would you mind giving her one for me?” Richie smirked.
Eddie smiled, gently, but smiled nonetheless.
“You know she doesn’t much like any of you guys after-” He gestured to his cast. Richie doesn’t know who wrote ‘Loser’ on Eddie’s cast but if he did, they’d be getting taunted by a damn 13 year old. “But yeah, I’ll do that. Only because you’re leaving.” Eddie continued, punching Richie in the arm, “Ow! Oh, oh, oh! I am dying! Help me! Ahhhh.” Richie sarcastically fell to the ground as Eddie let out a small laugh and sighed.
“Hey Richie.” Eddie muttered, as Richie was standing back up. “Yeah?” Richie was worried after the long pause but he wouldn’t admit it to anyone. No way.
“Do… Do you think you’ll come back? To Derry, I mean?” For once, Richie was speechless. He wanted to, but just before he left for Derry, they had just gotten Will back from the upside down.
El was gone, and Will was back. So he wasn’t sure, but to see the losers, he would love to. Will and him have written letters to each other since the start of summer, of course, Richie/Mike hasn’t told him about the clown things.
Lucas and Dustin had apparently found Mad Max. Which isn’t bad, but it wasn’t preferred. Will had worded it as if Dustin was madly in love with her. He wouldn’t be surprised though.
He had missed everyone in Hawkins. “I-I’m not sure. I mean I want to. I mean who would have the most delicious sex with your mom?” Richie had won. Eddie pushed so hard, he had to focus on where he put his feet so he didn’t fall. “Shut up!”
Eddie was only met with Richie’s explosive laughter. That was something Eddie liked about Richie. He can make a joke about anything. In some ways it’s good.
It brightens someone's shitty day. But other times it just covers insecurities or just makes someone's day worse. Eddie was getting better at detecting when Richie was uncomfortable and just covered it with quips.
“It’s fine if you don’t come back to Derry, I mean who would want to come back?” Eddie scoffed and rolled his eyes before hearing Richie say something he didn’t expect. “People who have their best friends here.”
He looked towards Richie to be met with Richie's glistening brown eyes. “We could always write letters, or call.” Richie mentioned. “That's what me and Will do.” Richie clasped his hands over his mouth as soon as that escaped his lips.
“Who?” Eddie was confused. “I didn’t think you had any friends in Indiana. I mean... with your attitude?”
To be honest at first Eddie was sure that they only tolerated each other, then it grew to mutual liking. Then-
“Umm.. Yeah, he is my friend. Well, one of my friends in Hawkins. We used to play D&D together.” Richie explained sitting down on the steps. Eddie, being very curious and also not wanting to leave yet, sits as well.
“D&D?” Eddie is extremely confused now. Richie Tozier? Playing Dungeons and Dragons? He had to be playing a joke on him.
“Yeah! I’m a Paladin, Will is a Warlock, Dustin is an Artificer, and Lucas is a Ranger! One time we played for at least 14 hours! That campaign took 3 fucking months to prepare.” Eddie was speechless. To say he was shocked would be an understatement. “Hold up. 2 months?”
“Yeah! There was another 10 hour long campaign that took 3 months! The last 10 hour campaign was just before I came here.” Eddie barely noticed that Richie’s smile was disappearing.
“You miss seeing them?” Eddie asked, curiously. “No. I get letters and pictures almost every week. I’m just scared if I go back. What has changed?” Richie stressed, which Eddie would admit, is a little weird.
Richie never talks about his personal life. If anything he steers the conversation away from himself.
“What could have changed?” Eddie was trying to be supportive but couldn't help being a bit curious. He wanted to find out at least most of what Richie was hiding before he left.
“Umm… well… Pennywise isn’t exactly the first weird thing I’ve seen. First clown? Most definitely. But it’s hard to beat a demogorgon.” Richie spreads his hands on either side of his face gesturing to the flower-like head filled with teeth, he heard Nancy describe once.
“The D-demogorgon? As in the thing from D&D?” Richie simply nodded. “Their real?” A nod.
“They come from this place El– we named the Upside down. It’s like another realm parallel to this one, except almost no life, besides the creepy monsters, including the demogorgon. From what I heard from Nancy, it’s so dark that you need, like, a sea lantern to maneuver around.”
“You don’t think It was—”
“No. It may seem like it was but it wasn’t. I can assure you that.” Eddie had just noticed this is the first time he had an actual conversation with Richie that didn’t include odd quips or sassy remarks.
It was nice.
The front door opened as both of them jumped out of their skin. “Hey- Oh! Mike! Karen just called, we should get going soon so we get there in less than 20 ho–” She paused as she noticed Richie/Mike with a small boy with a dirty white cast on his right arm.
“You must be Eddie! Mike has talked about you non-stop! You are so cute! No wonder he likes you so much! I’m Michelle. Mike’s aunt.” She took Eddie’s left hand and held it gently as he was trying to figure out who the fuck was Mike. Unless… no he couldn’t be..
Eddie looked towards Richie- no, Mike. It was shown on his face. That’s his real name. Why would he lie? Did— “Hey Aunt Shelly! I completely forgot we were leaving today! You said we had to leave soon! Could you help me pack? It’d be a great help.” Mike practically forced Michelle back into the house before she said, “Alright sweetie, it’s ok!”
As the maroon door closed, Mike was swallowed by his thoughts but was quickly brought back to reality.
“What. The. Fuck?” Eddie was looking like he had something on his face. A ginormous something on his face.
“Heh?” was all that escaped his mouth before being tugged to the ground again. “Talk.” Eddie was serious this time. No jokes. No quips. No escaping until he explains his reasons.
“Well, first off. Michael Wheeler. Pleasure.” He spoke softly with a small grin to help ease the tension.
It didn’t work.
“Why did you lie to us? What was so important to lie about your name?” Eddie spoke again, but this time it was more concerning than anything. “Well…” Mike started but sighed instead. He looked towards the sky waiting for another angry sentence from Eddie.
It didn’t come.
“Look, I don’t have to tell you my reasons, it was my choice.” Mike turned to Eddie, his face held a small hint of betrayal.
“I would like to know why my best friend… why my friend decided to lie about his name to me and the others.”
For a split second, Mike could see Will. The disappointed look Mike only got when he showed sass to anyone (mainly elders) besides the party.
For some reason now that Mike looks back, Eddie is a lot like Will. Maybe besides the germaphobe part but the fact that they can both keep up with his jokes and actually tolerate him.
“I don’t like my name.” He said simply looking towards the sunset sky again. He could practically hear the ‘Why?’ that was breathed out of Eddie’s mouth. He sighed. “Me and my family, mainly my parents and me, get into a lot of arguments and disagreements. I thought if I came here then, I could be free and with another name besides Michael Wheeler. At least a little.”
“I couldn’t find it in me to tell you guys, especially after… It. ”
Eddie’s gaze softened. “You could’ve told us. I’m pretty sure everyone has parent issues with us. Hell, Mike, doesn’t even have parents.” Eddie tried chasing the rest of the silence away but it only made it more awkward. “Dude. Not cool.” Mike looked towards Eddie as he shook his head gently, a small smile creeping onto his face.
After a pause, longer than needed, “Yeah, that wasn’t cool. Sorry.” Eddie could make out a small smile on Mike’s face as the grin spread onto his face as well.
“I’m sorry.” Mike muttered as he looked down at his shoes. He moved them so weirdly that one slid and hit Eddie’s. “You gotta stop that.” Eddie mentioned.
“Stop what?” Mike was confused. What was he doing to bother Eddie this much? “Being nice. It’s unusual. So… please stop.” Eddie couldn’t hold his smile back anymore.
Mike loved Eddie’s smile. It was so hard not to. It was perfect in every shape and form. He would thank any god there was to have blessed him with this menacing little shit he calls his friend.
His eyes couldn’t leave the soft lips of Eddie’s.
Before he knew it, he had leaned in.
He couldn’t stop himself. He wanted to stop. Eddie wasn’t like him. He wasn’t a freak. Wasn’t a queer.
“Get the fuck out of here, FAGGOT!”
The Bowers were right. He was a freak. It was… like a disease.
He still couldn’t stop leaning closer and closer to Eddie. He closed his eyes awaiting a slap, something. Nothing came.
Besides soft lips gently pressed against his. His eyes shot open. Eddie had come in for the kiss, eyes closed and everything.
When they finally let go, it was as if no one was around to stop them from looking lost when they looked into each other's eyes. They wouldn’t stop it even if someone pulled them apart.
“I-I… I have to go get my stuff.” Mike had gotten up first. He panicked. Something he learned from Nancy, don’t panic after you have just kissed . It gives the wrong impression, apparently. “Y-yeah. Umm.. I’m gonna… I’m gonna go.” Eddie stood as well.
He made sure to give Mike the cassette tape before hopping down the steps and grabbing his bike.
“I’ll uhh… I’ll write you a letter as soon as I get there.” Mike said with a fluttery smile as his heart burst. “Alright! If I don’t get any then I’m gonna find this Hawkins and visit you. Might embarrass you in front of your friends while I’m there.” Eddie smiled as he recomposed himself.
“Not a chance, Eddie Spaghetti.” Mike had, what felt like, thousands of butterflies in his stomach. Eddie had kept his smile as he was riding off, while Mike stood like a deer in headlights for a few minutes as he processed what happened.
But alas, he couldn’t stop the bright smile that shined across his pale face.