✓ 𝗦𝗘𝗘 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧, reddie

iii. the river

THE RIVER!

　 ҉ THE NEXT DAY came in the bat of an eye for Eddie Kaspbrak, and then did the day after that. On the first day of Richie's return they spent time on the dirty ground of the garden, Eddie far too worried to let Richie inside the cottage just incase Mama returned home earlier than usual. The night was surely not eventful, and for around an hour or two, Richie and Eddie just softly talked. After Richie left, Eddie had went up his room to quickly pack a bag for the adventure Richie would take him on to see the lights. Hearing the familiar sound of mother's shoes against the wood leaning to his bedroom, he panics and shoves the bag underneath his bed and stands straight. Inside it where it hides on the dusty floorboards is a change of clothing, his spare inhaler, and a book. "Are you alright, flower?" She asks when she pushes the door open.

Pasting on a nervous smile over his bubblegum pink lips, he nods his head and pretends to be straightening out a wrinkle on the bed. She watches him carefully and tilts her head curiously, as if there's something she wants to say, but then she simply shuts the door with a click. He lets out a loud, relieved sigh.

She bids him farewell at noon the next day, giving him a tender kiss on the head before she leaves the cottage. Immediately after she leaves and he watches her walk away into the abyss of trees visible behind the baby blue curtain of the living room, he darts to his bedroom and slings his satchel over his shoulder. He waits no more than twenty minutes in the garden before it's being slowly pulled open, and there stands Richie. "Woah, Eds," He says, motioning to the bag slung over his shoulder, "pack a suitcase?"

Blinking, clearly not understanding social cues like sarcasm despite his exposure to television, he shakes his head slowly. "It's a satchel," He says slowly, as if Richie were an idiot. Which, in a way he was. Eddie was fond of it.

"We'll work on sarcasm," Richie says quickly as he opens the door of the gate wider, motioning for Eddie to walk out. Carefully, the smaller boy steps out of the gate, where his high tops plant slowly in the grass. It's not the same as inside his garden, he realizes when he sees the trees that go on in every direction. His breathing speeds up, and he slips the inhaler from his back pocket to inhale it with a wheeze. Richie says nothing, but watches his movements carefully and shuts the gate behind him. Eddie flinches and whips around at the sound of the gate latching shut.

Richie laughs a little at how nervous the boy seems; Eddie looks rather cute in his pale purple t-shirt that seems to be many sizes too big, and he thinks that if it weren't tucked away into his overalls that it might reach his knees. He tracks the movement when Eddie bites his lip and steps closer to put a hand on Richie's arm worriedly. "It's alright, Eds," Richie says, beginning to lead the way to the town he lives in. The plan was that Eddie got today to explore the town, since he knew there was no way to sneak out with Richie the day after. His mother would never let him go out at all, let alone only under the supervision of a boy his age.