Song: Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers
October 27, 1993
The autumn wind blows harshly against the pale boy's exposed neck. It wisps at his already tangled hair, but he's not one to mind. The boy scuffs his boots awkwardly along the pavement. A decent looking brick building stands tall above him. It's cute, with pamphlets and signs hung outside.
Eventually he makes his way in, building up the courage to at last talk to strangers. A girl, mid twenties maybe, sits in a desk near the entrance. Her hair is wild, much like Richie's own, but instead it has a blonde, honey tint to it. A bell jingles over his head, alerting the woman and pulling her from the work that sits neatly below her nose. She smiles, it's small and possibly sincere. Richie can't be sure.
"May I help you?" She pushes her glasses onto the top of her head, which Richie finds strange.
"I'm here for Eddie?" He doesn't elaborate on any last name. There can't be too many guys that dance, especially in small town Derry.
"He's the last door on the right." She's back to her work in no time, and Richie doesn't mind. The presence of strangers makes him feel on edge.
Quickly he makes his way down. He wonders if he should knock, but decides better of it when he gets a better look through the window. There Eddie is, a black leotard to match his black leggings, which hug his toned calves. Richie's never realized just how skinny Eddie was until now. And he's even seen him without a shirt.
Richie enters as quiet as possible. Music immediately hits his ears, and he's happy to recognize the song. He stands in the back, watching closely as Eddie movies. And he can move. Eddie's entire body moves forcefully across the wooden floor. His movements are graceful and strong all at once. Richie's not sure how he pulls it all off.
Eddie's left leg extends all the way up, letting Richie get a better look at just how flexible Eddie really is. But it's not just his movements that shock Richie. It's him as a whole. Eddie's not just dancing, he's performing. His entire body moves together, and his face bends and contorts along with it. He holds emotion, so much emotion.
"And I don't ever wanna feel like I did that day.
Take me to the place I love, take me all the way."
The lyrics blast through the speakers, but Eddie's still the one telling the story. Richie's never seen such a beautiful performance. Eddie's mentioned dance a couple times before, but he had no idea he was this passionate about it. The amount of time and dedication to get to this level shows just how much this means to the small boy. Richie falls in love all over again. He does almost every day.
"I thought you said you couldn't act?" Richie's voice booms, pulling Eddie out of focus. He jumps a mile while clutching at his heart.
"What the fuck!"
Richie laughs loudly. "Sorry."
"How long have you been there?" Eddie's cheeks flush.
"Long enough to see how incredible you are."
"I'm okay."
"That was much more than okay."
Eddie continues to grow more red by the second. "Whatever."
Richie glides on over to him, finally noticing the sweat dripping from his curly locks. "I didn't know you listened to them."
Eddie nods, now moving past his boyfriend to retrieve a bottle of water, which he downs in about two seconds. "I love the Red Hot Chili Peppers."
Richie grins at this new fact. "Me too."
"I know. That's why I chose this song."
He's a bit taken back. "Really?"
Eddie nods, tossing the bottle in a nearby trash. "Yeah. Wanna know a secret?"
Richie hums and Eddie continues. "I saw you wear a shirt and then went to the record store. I wanted to know more of what you liked. The song reminded me of you."
Richie's smile is larger than life. "That's so fucking cute."
Eddie groans, another water bottle appears in his grasp. "Whatever."
"How come you never told me how good of a dancer you are?"
"I don't like to gloat."
"Pfft. You totally should."
He shrugs his shoulders. "I don't know."
Richie's curious now. "Why did you start dance?"
"I wanted to do sports like all the other kids so my mom started me in ballet. She said it was a sport that would be the least likely to hurt me."
"What about skateboarding?"
"She has no idea about that."
"And cheer?"
"Nope."
Richie crosses his arms. "Huh."
Eddie moves gracefully across the dance floor to catch his bag. "So what'd you come here for? Beverly was supposed to pick me up."
Richie watches the boy as he wipes furiously at his face with a sweat rag. "I know. I asked her not to."
"Because?" Eddie's changing back into his sneakers.
"Because I wanted to see my boyfriend."
Eddie gives him a pointed look. "I'm really gross right now."
"I think you're hot."
"Well I'm also hot. It's hot. In here."
"Not what I meant."
Eddie chuckles. "Why else are you here, Chee? You've never come to watch me before."
"Well, the Halloween party is in a few days."
Eddie perks up at this. "Go on."
"I was wondering if you'd want to do a couple costume with me?"
Eddie smiles. "Aren't you afraid of what people will say?"
Richie furrows his brows. "Aren't you out?"
Eddie shoots back the same confused expression. "Aren't you in?"
Richie waves him off. "Pfft. I don't care anymore. Not when I'm dating the hottest guy in school."
"You're funny, Tozier."
Richie wraps his arms around the other's torso and sways him from side to side. His chest is against Eddie's back, and his chin juts down into the small boy's shoulder. They watch themselves in the mirror, thankful that this was Eddie's solo hour and not a company class.
"I like to think I am."
Eddie rolls his eyes, but the smile stays attached to his lips. "Okay, so what were you thinking?"
"Costume wise?" Richie questions, earning a hum from his boyfriend.
"Yeah. I know that Bill, Stan, Ben, and Mike are going as ghost busters, and Greta, Linda, and Bev are going as the three Heather's."
"Well I have an idea, but you might not like it."
Eddie's eyes turn to slits. "What do you mean?"
"Have you ever seen 'Wayne's World?' You know like the-..."
"Saturday Night Live Skit and movie? Yeah of course. Everyone's seen it."
"Well, I thought maybe-..."
Eddie gasps. "Oh my god you'd be Wayne and I'd be Garth?"
"Is that okay?"
"Are you kidding me? It's perfect! We could totally get away with that."
Richie's excited to hear the good news. "Really?"
"Duh. Plus the movie is hilarious. We are going to look rad."
"You think?" Richie squeezes the boy's hips, resulting in a squeal and soft pat from Eddie.
"Seriously, Rich, that's genius."
Richie's heart swarms. He's never had someone be so gentle and kind with him. No one has ever been so easy to talk to. With Eddie, however, it's like he's walking on air. He'll never get used to the light feeling playing at his chest. He wonders if it'll be this way forever. He hopes so.
"So I'm pretty sure Bill is picking everyone up. I was wondering if we could get ready at your place. If that's okay? I know the rest of the guys will be at Bill's, but I was wanting to be alone for a bit before the dance. The girls will be at Linda's. Or Greta's. I don't think they've decided yet. Oh, also, we are leaving early to go to Wallflowers." Eddie continues on and on about meaningless facts, but Richie listens wholeheartedly.
Every word to leave Eddie's mouth is music to his ears. Whatever the boy has to say is important to Richie. He could talk about a kidney stone and Richie would still probably bat his eyes and drool. Eddie just has a way with him. A way that no one else will ever be able to imitate.
Everything about Eddie lights a fire in Richie's soul. From the way he moves to the way he talks to the way he smoothes out his shorts in awkward or nervous situations. Every little tick and habit makes him smile. Nothing Eddie does is ever boring. Every day is new and curious and exciting. Richie has a feeling that being with Eddie will always feel like this.
It'll always feel like the sea. Ever moving and forever changing. But you never get tired of the sight.