𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐡.

𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭 | 𝐞 & 𝐫

E

    As much as Eddie wanted to forget about what happened with Richie and Henry Bowers that night, that memory couldn't be erased. It wasn't like a simple, erasable dot on a piece of paper, but rather a large spot from ink dripping on a canvas overnight, the blot growing as the night progressed, until it consumed the entire once blank canvas. That night wasn't the only blot, though.

    Eddie's life consisted of multiple blots, composed from regrets, lies, and broken relationships. He wished for his canvas to be blank again, and feared it was too late. This was something he regularly thought of - part of him thought he deserved these blots on his canvas.

    Eddie would spend nights trying to trace back to where these blots stemmed from, but he never could truly figure it out. He tried connecting it to many things - himself, his mother, even Richie. Nothing worked. He felt so confined, almost trapped most of the time. All he yearned for was control - a simple thought, but a harder thing to obtain. He never really had control over anything, no matter how much he tried to convince himself that. He could clean as much as he wanted to, work all day, study all night, but he didn't really have a dominant position over his life. Things just... happened sometimes.

As he rediscovered Richie and learned new things about him, he began to realize that perhaps things were supposed to just happen. Maybe things could work themselves out, in the grand scheme of things. Eddie looked at Richie, examining him. He wanted what he had - no plans, nothing to worry about, and almost no order. And it was the most terrifying thought.

As Eddie thought about such things, he looked back into Richie's eyes. "I'm not really... happy here." Eddie said, saying it aloud as he realized it for himself. He looked for some resonation in the boys eyes as they darted back to his. "Yeah." The boy replied. "I don't even know what's keeping me here, honestly." Richie said to him. Eddie felt the same, and was relieved to not be alone in this. "Why don't we just leave town?" Eddie said, looking seriously into his eyes. He watched as Richie laughed. After a moment, Richie looked back into his eyes. "You can't be serious." He said, the smile fading. Eddie felt like an idiot for a second, but the idea still just felt... right. "I'm serious." Eddie said, still processing if he himself was completely serious.

R

    Richie got a feeling, something like a rush. He looked at the boy, trying to find a joking expression in his honey brown eyes, but none was found. "Okay... Uh, okay?" He said, with a bit of a questioning inflection in his tone. This wasn't like Eddie. He felt that this was important - something that they both needed to do. "I mean, where would we go? I don't have any family that lives anywhere else besides here." Eddie said, trying to formulate an idea. "Don't ask me. It was your idea." Richie replied, jokingly. "Well I don't know, I just said it on an impulse! Oh god, now I have to follow through with this. What was I thinking?" Richie observed Eddie's panic and laughed a bit. "Calm down. It's fine. We can like... find somewhere, right?" He asked him. Eddie shrugged, looking annoyed. "Okay, fine..." Richie muttered. "For someone with such a bold idea, you're pretty clueless." "Well, we can't all be impulsive and just do whatever the fuck we want to do." Ouch. "I'm not travelling like you if you're going to be a little bitch the whole time." Richie said, teasing Eddie to block out the tinge of pain he got from his comment.  Eddie rolled his eyes, ignoring Richie. "Okay, fine." Richie said, getting up. "Have fun on your own trip." He said, grabbing his bag and pretending to walk out of the door just to get a reaction from Eddie. "Wait! Sorry, come back!" Eddie said, practically jumping out of his seat. "I'm joking, dumbass." Richie said, turning around and putting the heavy bag back down. He laughed as he watched Eddie's dewy cheeks flushed into a lovely scarlet shade, like dropping food coloring into clear water and watching the pigment gradually take over.

E

"I guess we need to pick where we're going to go, huh?" Eddie said, trying to distract Richie from his cheeks blushing. Richie smiled back and nodded, pulling out his small phone. "I mean, there's a lot of places in Maine." Richie said, scrolling through his phone to find a location. "Like?" Eddie asked, walking over to look at the pictures of the places on his phone. "Well, there's Kennebunkport, Augusta, Waterville-" "Wait. There." Eddie said. "Waterville? Really? I can make you w-" "No, and don't you dare finish that sentence." Eddie said, cutting him off and moving Richie's fingers away from the phone with a gentle touch. "That place. Camden? It looks pretty nice." Richie looked back up at Eddie, who was hovering above him from standing behind the chair. "What are your merits for 'nice'? A simple picture?" Richie asked him. "Don't be a smart ass," Eddie slightly snapped back at him. "Jesus, someone's having a bad day." Richie muttered. Eddie regained his temperament. "Yes, I'm basing it on how it looks. Do you have any research you've been doing on any places in Maine? I don't think so. Unless you have anyplace else to go?" Eddie said, saying the rude words in a polite manner.

R

    Spending a two hour drive with someone this moody? A personal hell for Richie. Was he still going to do it because he was a lovesick fool for Eddie? Absolutely. "So, when are we leaving, today?" He asked the boy, ignoring his rude "question". Eddie's eyes widened. "Uh... today? I mean... I guess?" Eddie said. "I thought you meant like, tomorrow, or two days maybe, but sure. Tonight works." He watched the boy slightly panic a little. "Okay, you're cute when you panic. I'll ignore you being a brat because of that." Richie said, getting up off the couch, stumbling again. Eddie rolled his eyes. Eddie walked up to him, looking like he was about to either slap or kiss him. Richie stood there waiting for one of the above to happen, but Eddie just walked away. "I'll never understand you." Richie said to him, shaking his head slowly. "What's that even supposed to mean?" Eddie said, turning back to him. Richie put his hands on the shorter boys shoulders, craving at least some affection from him. "You come into my apartment after leaving like you want to screw me, and now you're acting like I'm a disease." He said with a smirk. Eddie looked into his eyes, looking enraptured. "You are a disease, Trashmouth." Eddie said dismissively. Richie saw a small smile spread on the boy's face right before her turned around and walked into his room. Richie sighed, following him. He knew he was really going to wait, especially after today - and patience was not his strong suit.