𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑻𝑯𝑬 , reddie

1

chapter one

richie tozier saves a life
"woop de doo"

(a/n: if you've already read this chapter before i added more,, please just scroll down, i added about 400 more words.)

richie absolutely hated his job. well, obviously richie hated everything, but he hated his job more compared to anything else he hated.

he worked the closing shift at keene pharmacy, a small green signed pharmacy tucked in between two stores on main street.

no one was ever around while he worked the shift so he practically did whatever he wanted, he often sifted through a playboy magazine or blasted his music. sometimes he even made a mess of the store, as long as he cleaned up afterwards no one would ever know. richie knew mr. keene was gross and always kept the cameras off for "personal reasons". yeah, right.

some bruce springsteen song played softly, it was one of these nights where the pharmacy was particularly empty, richie had thought. until the bell connected to the door had chimed.

richie, who sat behind the counter, a playboy magazine in his lap, looked up to see a boy about his age walking his way.

richie tucked the magazine under the desk and stood up. a little embarrassed but none the less excited to actually have someone come in while he was working his shift.

"how can i help you today young fellow!" richie spoke in an accent most said was 'tasteless' or 'rather bad'. richie always ignored it, his dad loved them, or so he'd say.

"eddie kaspbrack, here for my prescription."

"ah yes, your birth control medicine." richie spoke, his mouth spewing incoherent nonsense that constantly got him into trouble.

"yeah, yeah. go off, and i'm saving them for your sister." the boy, eddie kasprack, rolled his eyes. richie smiled to himself and turned to grab the medication.

"good audience, ed's."

his eyes dragged quickly across the label, it was pills for some weird ass allergy he's never even heard of. he slipped them in a paper bag and attached the perception note to it.

he slid the bag across the counter, his eyes landing on the boys face. it was pretty, but rather pale.

"yer not lookin too good." richie spoke, his accent faded away quickly, when he was nervous it was harder to use it.

eddies hand reflected to his head. "i'm fine."

he was definitely not, richie could tell. the boy looked like he was about to die. his eyes were dark and wide like a deers caught in headlights. he looked quite shaken and sick. but richie decided to ignore it and not bother eddie anymore.

the only noise was bruce springsteen still playing faintly through old speakers.

"so, you like ol brucey?" richie grinned, flirtatiously leaning on the counter that separated him and the small eddie kaspbrack.

"only my momma listens to bruce springsteen." eddie said quietly and awkwardly.

"not a fan? me neither," richie went on. "i like rock an shit." richie plays the air guitar, bobbing his head around a bit before flashing eddie a bright smile.

eddie nods slightly and turns to leave. "thank you for the meds, and the tasteless humour."

richie laughed. "my humour is anything but tasteless ed's."

"don't call me ed's." eddie said before walking down the isle.

richie watches him leave. he's never actually met eddie before, seen his name on prescriptions more times than he could count, but never seen the face that went along with the infamous name.

richie thought to himself that eddie wasn't so bad, a little cute and rather feisty, before he turned back to his 'tasteless' magazine.

it didn't take long for him to lift his head again in a panic. instead of hearing the familiar bell of the opening and closing door, he heard a drop to the floor.

"eddie! eddie!"

richie should have noticed eddies breathing was very shallow, but he didn't. his mind was occupied by other things, like how big eddies eyes were and how soft his lips looked. richies gay self had put eddies health in danger. "woop de doo" richie would always say this sarcastically in bad situations. "well, woop de doo this ere don't look to good i say and i do. woop de doo." he'd gotten a punch in the face a few times for that.

when richie had heard eddie fall to he floor he instinctively ran to him and yelled. he shakily called an ambulance as he checked eddies pulse and 'other medical shit' eddies breathing was slow and short, but he was breathing. richie let out a sigh of relief. he propped eddie up in his lap.

"aspirator." eddie breathed out.

"what the fuck is that?"

"fanny pack.."

richie unzipped the fanny pack around eddies waist. 'what a lovely fashion statement, my pretty boy.' unsaid.

"the blue thing.. put it in my mouth and push the button down."

richie pulled out the 'blue thing' and placed it in eddies mouth. once eddies lips were around it he pushed the button. it made a releasing noise like a 'puff' and richie pulled it out after.

"woop de doo, ed's. i thought maybe you had died." he said to himself at the time.

he didn't say any woop de doos this time as he sat in the lobby of the hospital. he didn't make any fat jokes when a morbidly obese woman came yelling hysterically through the hospitals automated doors. he did however think a lot of them, like how she was able to fit through them. things he could absolutely not say in fear she would sit on him and crack his bones. another thing he should not say.

"where's my eddie bear!?" richie noted how hysterical she was. so hysterical that in fact saying hysterical was most definitely an understatement. crocodile tears ran down her sagging cheeks. don't joke about that either.

the woman, presumably eddies 'momma' (as eddie would say), looked to richie who was sitting uncomfortably silent.

"are you the boy that did this to my eddie?" her voice was overpowering, strong, manipulative, it was bad. just bad.

"no ma'am, i'm the one that saved him." he still held back, thousands of unsaid thinks dancing on his tongue. 'saved him from a future of obesity' unsaid.

"you stay away from my son, trashmouth." the way she said trashmouth made him want to disappear. his friends always said it. he was a trashmouth. this wasn't anything new, but somehow it still hurt. "i've heard about you, gay boy. you and your little fancy friends. i don't want my eddie catching whatever disease you have."

she left without spitting another word.

'jesus, say it don't spray it.'

richie would have said, but his mouth was dry.

"woop de doo, tozier." he spoke softly.

woop de doo, gay boy.