by: me
♥ reddie
♥ 1,784 words (3,613 all together)
♥ soulmate au
so there is a first part to this, im gonna copy and paste it here and if you remember it just skip to where it says
"PART TWO".
♡
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
PART ONE
At the age of four, was when Eddie first remembered seeing that red string tied to his ring finger.
He looked at it curiously, twirling it around his finger and playing with it like a cat with yarn. But when he tried to pull it off, it stayed put. He tugged at it all day as it seemed to become a habit.
Then one day he asked his best friend, Billy, what the weird string was and why it wouldn't go away.
"What string? There's nothing" was all Bill said as Eddie twirled the string with his finger.
"Nothing? You can't see this thing I'm touching?" He pulled on it and Bill gave him a curious face and tilted his head. "Nope"
After that, Eddie decided that he should keep the string to himself. He didn't want other kids to think he was weird.
By the age of 10 he started to see more strings. The first one he noticed was the one on his mothers finger. It had been clipped short, way shorter than eddies that seemed to last forever. Then when he went to school the next day, he saw his friend Bills string.
It moved around as he wrote with his pencil. Eddie couldn't tear his eyes away from it. How could Bill not see it?
It wasn't until 7th grade when he learned what the red string was. According to his teacher, everyone has a soul mate. Their connected by a red string, and even though you can't see it their tied to your ring finger.
"And if your special, you can see this string. But that also means you can interact with them. You can cut someone's string and they'll never find their soulmate, or tie two different ones together to connect different souls."
Eddie decided that he was special. The first person he told was his best friend.
"No way. Prove it."
"I can't. I can just see it, it's right here" he tugged on the soft yarn-like string and Bills eyes widened.
After a very long talk about the new found information on soulmates, Eddie ran home to tell his mom that he can see the string.
Immediately she took him to the hospital. Only a few people are able to see the string, and the only way you could prove it was with a brain scan. If you really can see the red string, you'll be able to see it in a scan. And sure enough, Eddie could see the string and was born with 'the gift'.
-
Skip eight years later and Eddie thinks it's anything but a gift.
People constantly ask him to cut their strings to get away from an overbearing soulmate or connect them to a different person. But he refuses to mess with fate.
If its meant to be, it's meant to be.
So once he got into college, he kept it a secret and tried his best to ignore the hundreds of red strings crossing and dragging on the floor. Bill was the only one on campus to know about the secret, and upon eddies request, never talks about it.
On moving day, Eddie was roomed with a tall, slim boy with light blonde curls. He had a kind smile and kept his side of the room very neat.
Stan was his name, and Eddie became quick friends with him. So, he decided to introduce his best friend to him. Little did he know that he'd be making a match.
He watched as Bills string brushed against Stans as they shook hands. Their strings connected in a tight line the closer they were together. Eddie kept his mouth shut though, not wanting to mess with fate. Their connected, they'll fall in love any ways, they don't need eddies help.
"You should meet my boyfriend, he's kind of a loud mouth, but he's a good person."
Eddie really wished he wouldn't of met him.
Because as soon as the door to the dorm a few floors above opened, his string snapped into a tight line, connecting to the persons in front of him.
The boy had curly black hair and thick glasses that magnified his hazel eyes. He was tall and lanky, he had to look down to look at Eddie.
When they shook hands, Eddie immediately felt a blush spread on his face as he watched their strings touch. Then his stomach sank when he watched Stan kiss his cheek and walk into the room.
Ever since then, Eddie tried not to come into contact with Richie unless he had to. Which was pretty difficult when Bill had taken a liking to him and the four boys had become best friends. Richie especially liked to pick on Eddie. Wether it was about his height or 'cute' freckles, Richie was always talking to him, and referred to him constantly as his 'best friend'. And even though he was dating Stan, that didn't stop him from touching Eddie constantly and throwing an arm over his shoulder as they walked.
And it became harder when one late night Eddie accidentally revealed that he can see the soulmate strings. He made Stan and Richie promise not to talk about it, and Stan kept his word. But Richie wasn't so easy.
-
The room was glowing orange from Eddies desk lamp. He laid flat on his stomach on his bed and worked on homework. Richie sprawled out on Stans bed tapping his pen on his book.
"Do you mind?" Eddie asked without looking up from his work
"sorry...". Richie mumbled
Eddie could practically hear the gears turn in his head. It was distracting.
"What is it?" He sighed and sat up in bed.
Richie looked like he hesitated before saying, "is Stan my soulmate?"
Eddies mouth opened slightly and he looked down at his red string that stretched across the room to Richies. His heart slowed down and it felt as if he might puke.
"Because I think he is. I feel it... I love him Eds. A lot"
And that made eddies heart shatter. He leaned against the wall and looked at Richie who was staring back with an unreadable expression on his face.
"And?" Eddie managed to say, even though it felt like his throat was closing.
"You can see the string. Is he my soulmate? Are we connected?"
"I told you, I don't mess with the strings. If he's your soulmate, you'll know." It was becoming hard for Eddie to breathe
"Ya... But is he? I want to be sure. I think I want... I think I want to marry him....Is that crazy?"
Eddie closed his eyes and let his heart crumble in his chest.
Richie continued, "we've known each other since kindergarten so I don't think it's that weird to want to marry so young. He seems to like me just as much."
"I don't know"
"But you have to, you see the string"
"I don't know, Richie"
"Yes you do—"
"Stop!" Eddie snapped and covered his face with his hands. Richie stayed quiet on the other bed.
It didn't take long for the tears to finally fall from eddies eyes. And even though he was covering his face, Richie could see his body shake with sobs and hear him whimper.
"Hey..." Richie went over to the other bed and wrapped Eddie in a hug. Eddie wanted so badly to just push him away, but he couldn't. He liked how Richies arms felt around him and the weird comfort he got from it.
"Why are you crying?"
Eddie didn't respond
"You know I love you spaghetti man, I don't want you to cry"
That made Eddie cry harder.
"Your such an idiot...."
"What?" Richie chuckled and looked down at Eddie who wiped his tears. Eddie looked up at him, trying to ignore that their faces were inches apart.
"You heard me. Now what? What do you want to know?"
"You'll tell me?"
"I'm sure you won't leave me alone until I do."
If Richie really loved Stan that much, Eddie was willing to let him go. Even though Eddie loved Richie with everything inside him.
"Is Stan my soulmate?"
Eddie sighed, "no"
Richies eyes seemed to turn sad and he removed his arms from around Eddie. "That can't be... I can feel it. We are."
"I'm sorry Richie—"
"But you can change it! Right? Cut the strings and tie them together."
"No, that's too far. I won't do that."
"Come on Eds! Please?"
Eddie looked up at Richie. Looked at the way his chest heaved as if he ran a mile and the way he looked utterly lost and afraid. He really did love Stan.
"Are you sure? Your real soulmate will have no one."
Richie nodded, "Please. I need Stan."
Eddie felt hot tears roll down his cheeks but wiped them away quickly, "really sure?"
"Yes"
Eddie got up from the bed and grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk. "Really really sure?"
Richie nodded and held out his hand. Eddie stepped closer so that he was at the edge of the bed in front of Richie.
He looked down at Richie who had a slight grin and waited eagerly for Eddie to cut his string and tie him to Stan. he held out his hand to eddie
Eddies heart beat fast in his chest and his stomach felt empty. He put out his own hand and put his string right between the blades of the scissors. He watched as his string draped to Richies finger. Richies face dropped and he gave Eddie a confused look.
Eddie began to cry, his lip trembling as tears streamed down his face. He was about to lose his soulmate. Forever.
"Eds, What are you doing?!" Richie put his hand down and sat at the edge of the bed in front of Eddie.
"Like I said, Stan isn't your soulmate."
Richie went to grab for the scissors but Eddie pushed the blades closed and watched as his string hung limply on his finger and Richies end fell to the ground. He instantly felt everything become dark, like his heart stopped beating and his body was empty and filled with nothing but loneliness.
PART TWO
richie felt something inside of him break. it was the worst pain in the world and it made him let out a breath like someone knocked the wind out of him.
and stared down at his dangling string with flushed cheeks and hot tears in his eyes. he set the scissors down and sat on stand bed.
"eddie.." richie managed to get out, "why didn't you tell me?" he cried out as a tear slipped down his freckled cheek
"you love stan" eddie wiped his eyes. he couldn't feel anything.
"i do but—" he looked down at his shaking hands. it was like the world lost its color, "you cut our string and it hurt."
eddie shrugged, "you wanted it"
richie got up from the bed and kneeled down in front of eddie. he took both his hands in his and looked into his eyes. he changed. his face grew pale and his once warm brown eyes had turned gray and dark. lifeless.
"i wouldn't of down it if i knew" richie sniffled
eddie looked at richie. it was like everything was fading in and out. it was so empty and dark now. "you loved stan. but you weren't soulmates. you were platonic soulmates."
richie let out a sob, "i'm so sorry eddie.." he leaned his forehead against eddies chest and cried on to his shirt. the normal eddie would of cradled his head against his chest and ran his fingers through his hair. this eddie stared down at him like a stranger.
"come on please" he hugged eddies torso and cried harder, "put it back! i love you okay? i knew i loved you i just couldn't do that to stan!"
eddie didn't respond. he couldn't. when he looked down at richie he couldn't feel. when richie touched him he didn't feel the old butterflies. the cut string on his finger felt like a weight.
richie pulled away and looked at eddie. his gray eyes looking blankly back at him.
"i can tie you to stan now" eddie said in a mono toned voice, "but bill will be sad"
"bill?" richie asked, "is he stans soulmate?"
eddie just nodded
"no we can fix us" richie wiped his eyes cupping eddies cold cheeks. "i love you okay?"
eddie just stared at him.
"you can tie us back together right?" richie asked. eddie looked down at his hand. he couldn't see his string. he couldn't see richies either.
"i can't.." eddie marveled down at his finger. the one that had a red string on it for years up until now. it looked so alone. "i can't see it.."
"fuck.." richie muttered, "this is all my fault.." he tried to think of what to do. first he had to tell stan and bill.
—
richie took eddies loose hand and went into bills dorm.
"bill, is stan—" he stopped at the sight in front of him.
bill and stan pulled apart and looked at richie and eddie with wide eyes.
"shit richie you weren't supposed to—" stan began as he panicked and stood up.
"we were just—" bill tried
richie thought that seeing stan cheat on him would destroy him. but nothing would ever compare to the pain he felt when eddie cut their string.
"no it's okay," richie began looking down at eddie who was in a zombie state
bill noticed, "hey.. are you okay eddie?"
"he cut his soulmate string" richie explained
"what?!" stan asked, "why should he do that?!"
richie ran his fingers through his hair, "because i told him to! i wanted him to tie our strings together because he told me we weren't soulmates.. i didn't know he was my soulmate and he.. he cut our string.." richie held back tears and looked down at eddie who was looking up at him with a blank expression
"we're not soulmates..?" stan asked and rich is shook his head
"bills your soulmate.." richie pointed to billy.
bill and stan looked at each other, a feeling unexplainable going through them.
"i love eddie," richie spoke up unable to look at stan, "i have ever since i met him... i'm sorry i didn't tell you.."
"it's okay rich," stan said patting richies shoulder
richie felt a weight on his chest and became tired, "eddie lost his powers when he cut our string. we need to find someone that can tie them back together"
he looked down at eddie who was looking out bills window like he didn't know where he was.
"look at him.. i fucked him up.." richie wiped away a stray tear and squeezed eddies hand not feeling one back.
"it's rare to find someone with eddies power. how are we supposed to find one?" bill asked studying how eddie looked so... gray...
—
the four boys stood on the side walk looking up at a store with blue and purple bricks. a fluorescent sign read "beverlys fortune"
they traveled a total of an hour and a half to hopefully find this lady who told fortunes and predicted futures. maybe she could see soulmate strings?
the walked in the store making a bell jingle. the walls were covered in tapestries and the air smelt like candles. they looked around the shop seeing books and sage for sale.
"can i help you?" a voice spoke coming from behind a beaded curtain. it was a man with light brown hair and a kind smile.
"we're looking for beverly?" stan spoke up
"this way please," he opened the curtain and the four shuffled in to a darker room. they sat on a couch and looked around the weird shop.
a woman with fiery red hair walked in, "poor boy"
they all jumped and looked at her as she stared down at eddie. she walked over to him and held his chin in her hand. he looked back up at her with no expression, just weakly pushing her hand away.
"what have you done to yourself.."
"can you see soulmate string?" richie blurt out hoping to every god out there she would say yes.
she looked at richie and raised an eyebrow, "your kind of dumb. asking someone to cut their own soulmate string.."
"how did you.." bill began in amazement and she just smiled
"i'm see the future and the past," she explained sitting in a chair across from them. " and i can see the string that connects you to your lover." she looked at her own string that connected to bens. he stood in the doorway watching.
"can you please tie our string back together?" richie asked solemnly "i messed up as i'm sure you have already seen"
she chuckled and leaned forward, "look at him."
richie looked down at eddie who seemed to only be getting worse. he looked around like he was lost. he barely spoke and when he did it held no emotion or thought.
"he's practically broken." she looked at him as he blinked slowly. "there's a reason you don't mess with fate"
"yes i get it i'm dumb bit can you help him?" richie started to lose patience, "please."
she looked at richie and sighed, "at a price"
"name it. anything you want." richie said as he started to feel emptier and emptier by the second. it was like he lost a limb. he lost a person.
she looked at ben who shrugged. she stood from her spot and kneeled in front of eddie, looking at his hand that was clasped in riches. "may i?"
richie let go of eddies hand and bev took it into her own. she closed her eyes and felt her mind start to fade into eddies.
he was still there. watching but unable to say anything or move. he looked around helplessly his mind running a mile a minute.
she opened her eyes and looked into the gray ones that now possessed eddies body.
"he's still there. but i'll need your help."
—
they sat in a new room. two chairs sat across from each other, eddie and richie occupying them. beverly sat at a sewing machine sewing the string back together. once she was down she looked at richie.
"it's back together"
richie looked at eddie, "then why does he still look so empty?"
"you have to bring him out. he's your soulmate." bev leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms, "talk to him. he can hear you"
richie swallowed a lump in his throat and looked back at eddie who stared back with a dead look.
richie took eddies hands in his own, admiring how small they were.
"eddie.. if you can hear me.. i'm so sorry." he started already feeling his heart become heavy and his eyes fill with tears, "i love you so much.. and i knew that a long time ago but i never even imagined that you would like me back let alone be my soulmate.."
he looked into eddies still dull eyes and sighed. "remember that time we went and got ice cream and then sat on top of that billboard having a spit contest?" he smiled fondly at the memory, "i never wanted to leave... i just wanted to stay next to you and i couldn't explain why. i know now that it's because i needed you.. i still do..."
"and when you smile my heart melts and that cute giggle you do drives me mad.. i wish i wasn't so dumb and would of noticed why you make me so soft sooner." he glanced at bev who was watching with gleaming eyes, " i can't imagine not having you in my life.. and i need you to come back eds..." he felt tears roll down his cheeks, "please come back to me baby..."
eddie looked back at him. a void in his eyes as if he wasn't understanding anything richie was saying.
"i need you eds please! i want you back just look at me. you loved me enough to let me go. remember how much we mean to each other! remember all those nights we spent together and those times we held hands... i love you eddie... please." he searched eddies eyes and nothing came up. he felt his heart in his throat and choked out a sob. he looked at bev who was wiping her own tears.
"i'm sorry kid.." she rubbed his back and he felt the entire world come down on him.
"no..." he whispered looking back at eddie, "i can't give up..."
he softly cupped eddies cheeks and leaned in to kiss him. a moment later soft lips were kissing him back and his heart bloomed out of his chest and he could feel again. he felt eddies arms wrap around his neck and couldn't help but cry.
eddie pulled away and hugged richie so tight he almost fell out of his chair. he sobbed into richies neck, "i love you so much richie!"
richie hugged him back, crying hard, "fuck eds i thought i lost you.."
eddie pulled away and cupped richies face, seeing his own string connect to richies in a bright red stripe, "i couldn't lose you..."
richie smiled and eddie wiped away his tears with his thumbs,
"i'm never letting you go"
♥ chris ♥