in between days.

one.

on a crisp day in january with flakes of snow sticking to a frosted window that burned the pads of eddie's fingers with frost when he touched it. eddie woke up to the dim white light passing through his room, rubbing his eyes and stretching his limbs before jumping out of bed. a gleam in his eyes, he was finally eighteen and free to do whatever he wanted (although he was not sure what that whatever would be yet).

rushing off to take a shower that warmed up his body perfectly before getting dressed in a cozy sweater and jeans, then going downstairs but not finding his mothers usual self on the couch or in the kitchen. puzzled he checked outside to see the car parked, then rushed back upstairs to her room. he found the lump of a mother in bed still, seeming asleep.

he shrugged it off and bundled up in his winter jacket and gear then makes his way outside to get on his bike and ride down to the book store to treat himself to a fresh smelling book and a few fancy book markers. when he got back he partially expected to smell breakfast being made, but when he didn't he expected the television to be on, but the house remained silent and cold. he felt weird now, expecting something bad, but when he opened his mothers door he found her still asleep, but in the same position.

going over to her, he tapped her on her shoulder. no reaction. then gently rocks her by pushing at her arm. no movement. he furrows his brows, feeling how cold she is, but the small heater in the corner should be keeping her warm? then it dawns on him and suddenly he's in tears, rushing off to the phone mounted on the wall in the kitchen.

the ambulance came, declaring eddie's mother dead and eddie was already a mess when he heard the confirmation of what he already suspected. when his mothers body was already out of the house, the house felt even colder and quieter. eddie occupied his time by laying in his bed crying.

sure his mother was a pain, but no one could deny their love for someone who cared about them so much. she could be manipulative and controlling, but she loved eddie and eddie never knew if anyone would love him that much ever again.

as a few weeks pass, eddie's settled trying to find family to stay with. a case worker by his side as well, although having just turned eighteen soon his childhood home would be taken away since he barely was set to graduate and had no way of paying for the house. he had no family, the last he had just passed away in her sleep and he was alone.

it was all a daze as all his things were being packed up by movers and he was being shipped off a few states over and then being dropped off in a familiar boy's house. the boy was richie tozier and he was no longer a boy, he was now twenty two and living a big apartment, bigger than any eddie has ever seen.

"do you want anything? need anything?" a voice says, snapping him out of his trance and he's moving his head too fast to meet the persons gaze. richie.

he thinks about it, then shakes his head. "no, no i'm okay." he whispers. he knew a few years back richie's parents died when he barely just turned seventeen and was thrown in the same situation eddie now was in. he seemed fine though, now.

richie stares at him, this look in his eyes that eddie saw too much already. a worrying look, a 'i know you aren't okay, but i wanna try to make it seem like i'm not dwelling too hard on how not okay you are' look. "okay,"

eddie and richie unpacked eddie's things into a spare room richie had, eddie would have loved this place if he wasn't just thrown here, because his mother died. eddie found himself laying in bed in a big yellow shirt that had red scrawl over it as he stared out a window that was conveniently facing him when he laid on his left side.

richie would drop in here and there to bring him bottles of water, ask him if he's doing okay and press a small kiss to eddies forehead that burned there. each one lingered. richie even knew the times eddie had to take his medication, so he would stop by each time on the exact dot to bring him the medication.

richie and eddie were good friends when they were younger. eddie being only five while richie was nine, but richie was so immature he got along just fine with eddie. they stayed friends until richie moved away when eddie was thirteen. they use to bike ride everywhere and when richie got his license him and eddie would drive all around town listening to richie's 'horrid' music, as eddie liked to call it.

speaking of the horrid music of richie's, richie still blasted music through out his apartment which settled this warm nostalgic feeling in eddie's stomach when he heard it and the blankets felt cozier and the room filled with comfort that he was sure crept in like a thick fog from under the door.

it took two months until eddie fully came out of his room, the grieving was still there, but he knew it always would be. he one day told himself he needed to get out of bed. eddie and richie both lost their parents, but richie was living too, not merely existing as eddie was.

when eddie stepped out of bed, he found his feet guiding him to his bathroom that was connected to his room and he showered, washed his face, brushed his teeth and he felt new. he'd of course took showers in that course of two months, but not like this. his body felt loosened and new. when he stepped out he slipped on a pair of socks and underwear then a pair of shorts with an oversized sweater. leaving his hair damp and wanting to curl up which he usually never allowed it to do.

exiting his room, he found richie, sitting in a chair in front of a desktop computer in a white tee shirt and sweat pants. glasses that reminded eddie of the ones he use to have, but these were new. they didn't swallow up his face and they fit. richie heard the door open and he turned in his seat, a big smile spreading across his face at the boy that made eddie's face heat up.

"well, look at who's up." he says, sounding as if eddie just slept in an extra hour not isolated himself for two months. richie worked from home so eddie wasn't surprised to see him. "you feel okay?"

"i feel fine." he whispers back, making way to sit on the couch. richie makes his way over to sit by the boy, pulling the boy into his chest and squeezing him slightly to himself, rubbing small circles into the boy's back.

they sat like that without words being spoken, eddie cuddled up to richie and richie's chin rested on top of the boy's damp curls. eddie didn't need words when he had this. he was fine.