𝐫𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 | 𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕕𝕚𝕖

chapter thirty-two: here comes the sun

Eddie wasn't quite sure how he'd survived his trip across the USA. Almost tortured by a bleach-blond gang member? Check. Shot at by a crazed Cuban named Hector? Check.

The lingering thought on Eddie's mind didn't involve blood, torture, or possible death though.

He was thinking about Richie. Even when he was standing right in front of him, he could never understand how his brain worked. He was unpredictable, reckless, but he was truly a goofball and a softie. He loved his parents, even with their quirks, and thought that hairless cats were severely under appreciated.

The boy was so gangly and weird. He was charming too. The more he thought about how... perfect he was... the more he wished the feelings would go away. And deep down, he knew the feelings wouldn't leave. The way he felt about Richie was something he would never feel for any man or woman in the entire universe.

So how did Eddie manage to fuck up so badly and trust a random person that was hit by their car?

He wasn't sure himself. But he knew that he had to get rid of the guilt somehow.

"Richie," Eddie spoke, attracting the tall boy's attention. "I feel terrible." He walked a few paces and kicked some dirt along the way, "I was so dumb to think that Hector had any good intentions."

Richie smiled lovingly and adjusted his glasses, "Babe, you couldn't have known that he had a gun." He pulled Eddie close to him and sighed. "Even I didn't see that one coming. And I'm a genius!" The tall boy pointed to his cranium and snorted once, covering it with a cough.

Eddie smiled sadly and tried to smooth out his once-neat hair and tried to ignore the thumping of his heart. He told himself that they were just heart palpitations. He was getting worked up over a snorting jester?

But how could he ignore his body's way of telling him how he felt?

Eddie had never dealt with emotions well. Most ordeals ended in tears for him, no matter the outcome. He wished he could say that the trauma made him stronger, but when would trauma ever make one tough? He was so delicate, not only in his feelings, but in his body too. And how did he feel about the fact that he was weak and delicate like a dandelion?

He felt immense passion boiling in his blood like a hearty broth.

He felt cold, forgotten, dead.

But even in death, he could admit it. He was so in love.

"So you're not gonna get us in trouble?" Richie asked Lawrence.

"Of course not. But you know the risks of bein' caught?" The officer spoke to Richie.

"Yes sir." The officer gave him an unconvinced look as Richie spoke again, "not really, sir."

Lawrence laughed slightly, "you two need to be stealthy if you wanna outrun the authorities. You gotta be witty, and you can't rely on hope." He looked back at his cop car, which held Henry and Hector in the backseat having a long conversation. "Those two are nuts."

"I wonder what they're talking about." Eddie chimed.

★

"No, my dick is way bigger than yours." Hector said to Henry.

"How would you know that, punk? My dick could slay your whole family."

"Well my dick will slay your whole family!"

★

"Yeah, I wonder," Richie added. He adjusted his glasses and turned to speak to Lawrence again. "I suppose we should get-a-move-on."

"You're right." Lawrence responded, smiling as his moustache moved with his mouth. "Onward and upward."

The older man nodded and walked to his car, leaving the runaways with their friends.

As Lawrence drove away with Hector and Henry, and Mike and Will walked toward the boys.

"We only came here for the car." Will said after a few brief moments of silence. "That's all."

"Jeez, dickhead! Try putting it lightly." Richie laughed at himself while the others glared at him.

"We can't get to California without a car." Eddie explained to Will as he adjusted his bandages.

"We don't got wings, that's for sure." Richie added. Eddie laughed a bit too hard and felt his face go red as Richie smiled to himself.

Will laughed, "we'll be taking the car back to Indiana, but before we do, we'll consider giving you a ride to your destination."

"It is only one state away." Mike mentioned, intertwining his fingers with Will's.

★

Eddie, according to the other members in the car, had a magical way of knowing which radio station was playing the best songs at the right time. He even proclaimed that it would be a 'The Beatles' song.

And he was right. 'Here Comes The Sun' soothingly played as the four made their way near the end of Nevada.

Will made a deal with Richie and Eddie that they would sit in the backseat or else they wouldn't be able to pick the radio station. The two complied, but Richie did miss sitting at the wheel.

"You know," Richie spoke quietly to Eddie, "we have a lot to discuss."

"Don't we always?" Eddie laughed out.

"You have a point there, hun." Richie smiled, "I still owe you a sundae."

"You can get me one when we get to the promised land." Eddie exaggerated in his tone and leaned more into Richie's side, but couldn't mistake the smile on Will's face in the side mirror. "And we can talk about all these... feelings we have. Feelings that I have."

It was a big step for Eddie to confidently admit his feelings, but he knew that he had a long way to go.

"Okay," Richie nodded happily, "but you have to promise me that you won't shy away from my affection. It's just how I say 'I love you'." He made sure to speak quietly so that Will and Mike could continue their conversation in the front.

Eddie nodded too and let his head rest on Richie's shoulder. "This is how I say 'I love you'." With that, Eddie reaches down his hand and grasped Richie's in a loving grip.

And Richie knew that Eddie wasn't nervous this time, because his hands weren't sweating.