pop || reddie

vingt-six

Notes: unedited bc I'm on vacation oops

"Happy early birthday!"
"Jesus, Eddie, my birthday is on Tuesday. Calm down."

"I know, but it's early and I can't sleep, so I wanted to annoy you." Eddie grins, sitting beside a very tired Richie. The sun streams in through the mesh window and thin fabric of their tent, and the two are bathed in green light.

Richie fumbles for his glasses, which lay on the ground by his head, and he shoves them onto his face, sighing heavily. He shimmies further down into his sleeping bag. "When are you not annoying me?"

"Hurtful." Eddie says, frowning. He yawns, still sleepy, and Richie admires his casual beauty. "Can I join you in there? 'Looks warm."

"Hmm, I don't know..." Richie replies, pretending to consider it.

"Pleeease?" Eddie whines, clasping his hands together and smiling brightly.

"You're so whiny." Richie complains, though he loves it. "Can you fit in here?"

"I can fit anywhere." Eddie grins, slipping into the sleeping bag with Richie.

It's cramped, and Richie is immediately smothered. Eddie throws his leg over him, wrapping his arms around Richie's torso as he nuzzles his head against Richie's collarbones, positively beaming. Eddie used to be a tiny kid, like, really tiny; now he's a little taller, his legs a little lankier, and it's a bit of a struggle to fit in the space.

"Jesus, you sure are cuddly." Richie comments, reaching over and unzipping the bag a tiny bit to allow more room. It's not like he minds, though. He drapes his arm around the brunet, his heart warm.

"I don't know what it is about you. Just... just the contact, the touching, I love it." Eddie confesses, savoring Richie's endless warmth in the cool air. "'Love cuddling up with you. It's really nice."

"Cute." Richie chuckles softly, bringing his free hand up to play with Eddie's soft hair, one of his favorite things to do with the boy.

Richie can understand what Eddie's saying; he feels the same way. Still, it's confusing. Richie's never had anyone feel this way about him, and this is his first time feeling like this about someone, too. He's just thankful that Eddie's showing his soft side.

Eventually, Richie ruins the moment with some lewd joke about Eddie- in typical Richie fashion- and Eddie quickly wriggles out of the sleeping bag, flushing. By then, Stan's whole tent is awake, and the three unzip Richie and Eddie's tent just as Eddie reaches the opposite side from Richie, giggling nervously.

"Man, we were going to scare you two awake." Bill sighs, disappointed, as Stan and Mike peek in over his shoulder. "Anyway, rise and shine. We've got work to do."

The three walk towards Ben and Beverly's tent. Richie and Eddie share a sheepish look. That was a close one. Then, they hear screams from the tent next to them, accompanied by a loud, "FUCK YOU!" in Beverly Marsh's distinct voice. The two burst into giggles as their friends all start laughing outside the tent.

"They're all idiots." Eddie grins.

"I know, it's incredible." Richie agrees, sitting up out of his sleeping bag. He stretches, straightening out his glasses and fixing his hair.

The Losers Club groups up once again, standing outside the tents by the long-dead bonfire.

"We're going to the b-b-barrens." Bill says, his voice determined.

"May I ask why?" Richie replies. He really doesn't want to go back there, not after what happened last time.

"We've got to explore. Look at the sewers, see where It comes from." Mike says. "We can't just avoid this forever."

"And you really think this is a good idea?" Ben asks uncertainly.

"Do we have another choice?" Stan says. He's looking at the ground, clearly adverse to the prospect of returning to the barrens. He looks like he's about to run away at any second. It must have taken some serious convincing from the boys in his tent to get him to tag along. "We have to do it."

"Alright, man." Richie agrees. He knows they're right, as much as he hates it. "Let's track down this mist."

It only takes two or three minutes for the Losers to arrive in the barrens. They all walk down towards the sewer, looking around cautiously.

"Well, nothing's happening." Richie says as he steps near the entrance. Eddie hangs back a little, watching. He can't believe how brave Richie is.

"You're g-going to jinx it." Bill replies. But still, nothing happens. Other than the Losers' breathing and shifting around, it's silent in the barrens.

"Maybe It's busy." Richie says, a small smile gracing his features. "Gone fishing."

A chill travels up Richie's spine as he hears a quiet laugh, that same awful laugh he'd heard before. His smile disappears and he looks around at his friends. Eddie has the exact same frightened expression, but no one else seems bothered.

"Did you guys hear that?" Richie asks, and everyone shakes their heads or asks what he's talking about. Except Eddie, who nods, swallowing. "It was a laugh. The laugh."

"A laugh?" Ben says uncertainly. "We didn't hear anything, Richie."

"It's you and Eddie again." Bill murmurs, and the two boys look at each other, almost suspiciously.

Suddenly, as if placed there by someone else, Eddie and Richie both have a thought. Deadlights. No one else saw them. That must be it.

The laugh echoes again, and Richie squints into the sewer. Carefully, he steps inside the entrance, bending his tall frame so that he can fit. Eddie catches his hand in both of his own, face pale. Richie looks back at him, and Eddie shakes his head, almost a plea. Don't go in.

Richie bites his lip. He takes another step into the sewers, Eddie clinging to his side. The other Losers follow behind. The two boys in the front hear that laugh again, a shudder passing through their bodies at the sound. Eddie gags silently at his surroundings.

The group slowly makes their way into the sewers, until most of the light is blocked out by their bodies. But Richie can still see It, in the near distance, at the end of the tunnel. The mist curls and twists, waiting.

"Turn around." Richie says, squeezing Eddie's hand tighter. "Turn around, It's right there."

"Fuck." He hears Beverly mutter, and the group begins to retreat.

"Going so soon, Eddie?" The voice echoes. No one turns around, except Richie and Eddie, who are breathing heavily, looking back at the mist fearfully. "Don't you want a kiss?"

"Ew, ew." Eddie breathes, shaking his head violently, taking another step towards the exit of the sewers.

"Eddie, Richie, come on!" Bill yells into the tunnel, and the two begin to run.

But the mist is faster, smarter. It shoots out and wraps around Eddie's ankle, tripping him. He falls to the damp ground with a cry of pain, and Richie stops to help him up. Eddie flips onto his back, trying to get to his feet, but the mist is quicker again.

"Want Trashmouth Tozier to touch you like this?" The voice whispers, and Eddie watches in horror as the dark mist snakes up his shorts and in between his thighs.

He closes his legs forcefully and the mist dissipates, but that doesn't stop the wail of terror from bubbling up in his throat. The worst part is, he answers the question in his head. So bad, he thinks, and the voice laughs.

"Holy shit, fuck, Eds, come on!" Richie urges, practically yanking him to his feet. Eddie stumbles as the two race out of the tunnel, but Richie always catches him. They hop outside, looking at their puzzled friends. "Why are you all just standing there? Run!"

And that's exactly what they do, leaving the sewer tunnel far behind him as they race back to their campsite. Eddie looks back to see the black fog billowing out of the sewers in quantities larger than he's ever seen it in.

He keeps running, grasping Richie's hand tight, until they're safe and sound back at the campsite.