cash in. (au story)

chapter 12; meeting bowers.

"i wonder if we're gonna have an interesting week again?" richie suggested. kevin rolled his eyes.

"dude, we've never had such awful weeks here until you came. then there's loads of fuckin' drama," he said. richie threw his arms up.

"hey! it's not my fault this place is a fucking death trap!" richie retaliated.

"it wasn't one until you showed up, dickhead. so technically, you're the one who put us in this deep shit," said kevin.

"woow, kevin. the only thing i've brought to this pharmacy was my sui— um.. was myself. not my fault the big bitches love me so much," richie bragged, catching himself from making the joke 'suicidal self.'

"they've got too much skin to get to their heart, so of course you'd think that," kevin insulted. richie snickered.

"damn, kevin," said richie. the bell rang and both of them looked up, richie's face going pale. he swallowed hard. "kev, can you get that..?"

"why? it's your job," kevin immediately argued. richie shot him a look of worry alongside of a glare. "jeez. why shou—"

"what?! richie tozier?! HAH!" screamed the voice. richie squeezed his eyes shut.

"PLEASE, kevin!" richie whispered. kevin squinted.

"what's this guy want?" kevin whispered back.

"look who it is! no wonder we couldn't find ya, faggot," henry snipped. kevin flinched at the same and richie looked down, taking a deep breath.

"get the fuck out of here, henry," said the boy as he turned and flung himself right up to the counter.

"or what?" mocked henry, "not like some scrawny bitch like you could do anything."

"henry fucking bowers, get the hell out of my store," richie threatened. henry snickered and grabbed richie's collar, making kevin abruptly stand.

"hey, woah woah," kevin interrupted, putting a hand on richie's should and his other on the hand that held richie's shirt. "let go."

"we'll be waiting for you," henry threatened, shoving richie backwards and exiting the store with loud, psychotic laughter, forgetting why he entered in the first place.

kevin stared at henry's back as he left, and richie let his lip quiver.

"i'm staying here tonight," richie mumbled, snapping kevin out of his gaze.

"no, richie."

"i'm not leaving this fucking store."

"well he could enter. who is that asshole anyway?! why's he fuckin' around with you?"

"it's nothing."

"no, richie, tell me—"

"it's nothing! okay?!"

kevin stared at him for a second. "okay, look, i know you're upset, but c'mon, you gotta tell me what this dickhead wants."

"nothing! nothing. he wants nothing but my fucking blood on his hands. is that what you wanted to hear?!" richie snapped. kevin's eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth slightly ajar.

"what the fuck?!" kevin yelped. "he needs to be arrested!"

"his dad's a police officer," richie mumbled. kevin swallowed.

"look, i'm sorry, man. sorry that's happening. i'll leave with you later if you'd like?" kevin suggested. richie sighed. 

"no, it's fine. you have shit to do. he won't stop hunting me down and coming here daily and nightly until he can beat me fucking unconscious, so why not just get it over with," richie suggested, grabbing the empty bottle of water on the back table behind the counter and chucking it into the trashcan as he walked to the back. kevin watched as he did so.

"that's not happening if i have anything to do with that bitch," kevin said under is breath, storming out of the pharmacy.

he quickly stormed after the boy outside, who whistled freely with the wind. kevin grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.

"yo, what the fuck, man?!" henry yelped.

"who the fuck do you think you are to threaten my employee?" kevin yelled. henry rolled his eyes.

"he might be your little employee, but he's my punching bag," henry said, crossing his arms with a smirk. kevin glared at him.

"he is not your goddamn punching bag, he is a fourteen year old fucking boy and you have no right to do that to him. you have no right to do that to anybody unless it's self defense," said kevin.

"dude, have you seen his fucking face? that stupid fairy is just asking to be beat up."

"and you're just asking for me to call the police."

henry rolled his eyes. "whatever, man."

"if you come to our store or if i hear that you've done something to that boy, i will immediately call the police. got it, asshole?!"

henry shivered at the thought of getting arrested, furthermore getting in that much trouble with his father.

"yeah. fine."

"now go fuck yourself and leave us alone," said kevin strictly, walking back into the pharmacy with anger. he noticed richie, who had his head down on the counter.

kevin, without shifting his facial expression, walked into the storage room, opened the junk drawer, grabbed a pointer-hand stick, brought it out, stood fairly far from richie, and began tapping the boy on the head.

"stop it," richie groaned. kevin only did it again, sticking the toy finger far into richie's back, who yelped hard, flinching up from his seat. "stop doing that, kevin! don't you see my back fucking hurts?!"

kevin shrugged and threw the stick at richie, who picked it up and looked at him with unamused eyes.

"for your troubles," kevin joked.

"shove it up your fucking ass, jerk," richie said, chucking the toy at kevin as hard as he possibly could.

"you wish," kevin joked as he picked the stick up and walked back into his office. richie sighed and rested his chin on his fist as he waited for the store to fill with customers and thinking about henry.