When Richie woke up the next morning, Eddie was sitting on the floor, wrapped up in a blanket, reading some of Richie's books. To a lot of people, it was surprising that Richie Tozier was a big reader. He loved reading, and that was good for Eddie, who was sitting on the floor reading through one of Richie's favorite books.
"Good morning," Richie said, glancing at his clock.
9:57
Maggie and Went would have already both left for work. Maggie worked in the morning so she could be there when Richie got home from school, so Richie knew she'd be gone and that it'd be safe for him to take Eddie downstairs.
"Good morning," Eddie said, not taking his gaze off of the book he was reading. "You didn't sleep well."
Richie narrowed his eyes. "How did you know?"
Eddie was right; Richie hadn't slept well. As soon as he closed his eyes he had nightmares of red eyes and his friends getting killed. Usually he woke up from them, but after the dream his mind went to a black space and his mind finally rested for a bit.
"I could feel your fear," Eddie responded, looking up from the book for the first time that morning.
Richie thought he looked adorable. The sweatshirt was too big on him and his hair was messy. No red tints took over his eyes; they were full and brown. He looked like a normal teenager without his wings and red eyes; the only tell that he wasn't was the fact that he had been able to sense Richie's inability to sleep.
"Why do you have nightmares?" Eddie asked, trying to ignore the expression of awe on Richie's face as he stared. Eddie could feel a blush on his face but tried to ignore it.
"Why don't you read my mind and find out?" Richie asked with a smirk.
Eddie rolled his eyes. "I can't read minds. I sense emotions," he said, not getting that Richie was joking.
Richie didn't feel like explaining his nightmares, so he ignored Eddie and got up.
"Hungry, Eds?"
"Don't call me that." Eddie glared at Richie, before sighing. "...but yes, I am hungry."
"What do you usually eat?" Richie asked as he led Eddie down the stairs.
Eddie was about to answer, but he ended up tripping down the stairs, tumbling to the bottom. Richie burst into laughter, realizing that Eddie had barely ever used stairs before, and if he did, he most likely flew down them instead.
Eddie glared at Richie as he laughed and lifted his hand, throwing Richie down the stairs after him with his powers. Richie didn't land hard, so he continued to laugh at Eddie, his eyes tinged slightly pink with annoyance.
"You're not funny," Eddie snarled, standing up and brushing himself off.
Richie stood up and led Eddie to the kitchen, still snickering. "Do you not know what stairs are, Eds?"
"I usually fly down them, human."
"You're part human, Eds."
"And that's the failing part of me that made me fall down the stairs."
Richie shook his head and went to his fridge. "What do you want to eat?"
"Any raw meat that you have, preferably red,"
Eddie said, sounding excited that he got to eat more than once that day.
"Why do you eat raw meat?"
Eddie shrugged. "My caretaker said that it keeps me healthy." He paused before looking at the ground shamefully. "She said that it's what demons eat."
Richie could see that Eddie was embarrassed of what he was. It was clear that Eddie knew his eating habits and his abilities were unnatural, and he was ashamed of them.
"Well, Eds, if you want some raw meat I think I can help you out," Richie said with a wink.
Eddie looked confused for a second before he understood the joke and glared at Richie. "Do you ever shut up?"
"If my mouth is doing something else I stay quiet, if you get what I'm sayi-"
Eddie clamped his hand over Richie's mouth. "I get it. I may have been stuck in my room my whole life, but trust me, I get it. Can you stop making gross jokes now?" Eddie sounded a bit whiny, and Richie could tell he wanted to get on with the day.
"Fine, fine." Richie opened the fridge and tossed Eddie a packaged of ground beef.
Eddie tore open the package and was about to begin eating the usual savage way he did, but he saw Richie raise an eyebrow and stop.
Richie walked to the cupboard and grabbed a plate and a fork for Eddie, knowing that if Eddie was treated normally, he'd most likely be more comfortable.
As expected, Eddie blushed and smiled, taking the plate and laying the meat out on it. He ate slowly, following Richie's lead, who was eating a bowl of cereal. Despite Eddie slowing down his eating, they still finished quick.
Richie let Eddie borrow a new shirt even though it was way too big on him. He would've offered Eddie a pair of pants, but he knew they'd just fall off. Eddie seemed content to stay in his shorts anyway, so Richie didn't push.
"What's that?" Eddie asked, pointing at the top of Richie's dresser.
Richie grabbed the thing Eddie was pointing at and laughed. "My aunt got me a fanny pack for Christmas. It's like a tiny backpack that you put around your waist, but it's not my style," Richie said, tossing in on his bed.
That's when he saw how excited Eddie seemed looking at the tiny pouch. His eyes were shining with confusion and happiness, making Richie smile softly at the other boy.
"Do you want to wear it?" Richie asked, grabbing the fanny pack from his bed.
Eddie glanced at Richie and forced his face into an annoyed expression and scoffed. "I'm a demon, Richie. I don't need your human tools."
Richie ignored Eddie and strapped the pouch around his waist. "You're still part human, cutie," he whispered in Eddie's ear.
Eddie didn't want to show how happy he was, so he scoffed again and walked toward the window, before realizing he didn't have to fly out the window. Richie grabbed his hand and guided him down the stairs and out the front door.
"Come on, Ben told me the Hanlon farm is outside of town a ways."
The pair made their way through town, Richie still holding Eddie's hand. Neither were complaining, though. They felt safer having physical connection, especially after the tough night they had both had before.
As they were about to leave town on the path to the farm, Richie felt Eddie's hand ripped from his grasp. He turned and saw Henry Bowers holding a knife to Eddie's throat and glaring at Richie.
"How the fuck did you do it, Tozier?!" he yelled, and Richie saw Eddie looked scared at first, then simply bored.
"Do what?" Richie asked. He was scared, for sure. He didn't want Eddie to get hurt, but at the same time, he knew that Henry was making a big mistake.
"Make your eyes do that! What the fuck are you? Tell me or this fag gets a knife to the throat."
Richie rolled his eyes, seeing how bored Eddie looked. His eyes were slowly turning red, and Richie knew he didn't have long until Eddie decided to attack. "Maybe it was a trick of the light. I don't know, Bowers. Leave him alone!" Richie said.
Richie heard a door open and turned to see a man looking at the teenagers in surprise. He looked like he was about to say something, but
Henry growled and threw Eddie to the ground before he could.
"I know you're hiding something," he snapped, walking away.
Eddie jogged over to Richie and took his hand again. "I can get rid of him if he's bothering you," Eddie said, glancing back at Henry who turned down an alleyway.
"No, if you attack someone, they'll find out who and what you are. Your demon persona needs to stay hidden. That includes not killing people," Richie said, pulling Eddie out of town.
Eddie didn't understand why he couldn't get rid of a kid who was an asshole, but he didn't say anything. He allowed Richie to pull him out of town and down a dirt road to a farmhouse.
They stood at the door of the house, and Richie raised his hand to knock.