Tight-Knit Family| Richie Tozier

33-

September 2015-

Eddie hated working from home. He despised it but due to the girls being homeschooled, he had to deal with it. So, Eddie was stressed, very stressed. This was due to a number of reasons, one being working from home. Another was that on this particular day, Aurora was ill, so he had to look after her whilst also making sure Willow was working. Not only this, but the house was a mess. Richie was naturally a messy person, often forgetting to clean up behind him. Eddie was used to it and normally wouldn't mind due to being able to clean the house. But he didn't have the time nor the patience today with juggling responsibilities.

"How are you feeling?" Eddie asks with a sigh as he hands Aurora her soup. She's lying on the couch, a comforter over her whilst she tiredly watches Disney Channel. Eddie strikes her hair gently and she manages a smile." Have you thrown up any more since this morning?"

"No but my tummy still hurts." Aurora says as she sits up to eat. Eddie kisses the back of her head." Have fun with work."

"Ha. Yeah right." Eddie chuckles sarcastically. Aurora grins and Eddie heads back to the kitchen where both he and Willow are working at the island. Willow is in a math class and she looks just as stressed as her dad." Are you okay?"

"I don't get it." Willow whines as Eddie sits beside her, looking at her work." Can you help?"

"Umm." Eddie replies. Richie was the one who got straight As and Eddie was awful at math." I-I can try. I'm not very good at math. I only just scraped a C. Your dad is the one with an A in it."

"It's fine. I'll do it myself. You've got your own work to do!" Willow sighs with a slight snap she didn't mean to have. Eddie nods and goes back to checking his emails.

But, he gets distracted by the mountain of dishes he eventually had to clean, the bin he had to empty, the living room he had to hoover and dust and the fridge he had to empty of leftovers.

"PAPA!" Comes Auroras voice, snapping Eddie out of his trance. He sighs and gets up, walking back into the living room." I was sick!"

"It's okay, sweetheart." He says gently, knowing she hates being sick. He takes the bowl she was sick in and goes to the bathroom to clean it. Then he returns it to the spot beside the couch." Try and get some sleep."

"Okay." Aurora says and then she closes her eyes. Eddie smiles and kisses her temple before heading back to finish his work.

He finishes work not long after Willow finishes school. She rushes off to pack her stuff away and Eddie puts his work things away before going to tackle the washing up. He's irritated and there's this ball of brewing anger he can feel in the pit of his stomach.

"I'M HOME!" Come a voice and Eddie hears the girls cheer. He sighs a little with relief, anticipating Richie will help him clean for once. Hi, honey."

"Hi." Eddie says as Richie enters the kitchen as Eddie washes up, trying to not let his annoyance slip through.

"This place looks like a shit hole." Richie jokes with a chuckle but annoyance twists further in Eddie's gut." What?"

"If you helped me clean once in a while, it wouldn't be a shit hole, would it?!" Eddie says with a hint of venom. He looks up at Richie as he stops cleaning. The comedian looks a little taken aback but he chuckles once more.

"Yeah but I'm a busy guy, my love." He jokes with a British accent. He knows Eddie usually softens up when he uses the accent but today, it doesn't work and he's met with a stern glare." Woah, Eds, what's wrong?"

"What's wrong? I'll tell you. You say you're a busy guy. Today I have had to get my work done whilst helping Willow with hers whilst looking after Aurora whilst also trying to clean away your shit!" Eddie explains with a snap. Richie raises an eyebrow.