It had been a bit quiet lately, to say the least.
Richie wasn't doing too well. He tried, at first, to act like he was okay. He forced smiles and jokes and a couple of bites of food every now and then, but after a few days he couldn't keep forcing himself through the motions. And now, two weeks after the incident, he still had no appetite, no desire to get out of bed, nothing.
Eddie made sure to make him eat little things throughout the days to keep him going, of course. He also stayed at his side as much as possible and encouraged him to get up out of bed and get dressed, but there really wasn't much he could do.
Pest helped, too. But its purr could only be so comforting, it's not like it could actually fix any of Richie's issues.
Everyone else did their best to engage with Richie as much as possible too, but no one really expected him to cheer up anytime soon. They were all grieving, but there was no question that this whole situation hit Richie the hardest. It was hard to watch.
Gardening was supposed to be relaxing, but even now Eddie's mind was racing. That's all it ever did. He thought about Richie, and how poorly he was doing. And how little upwards progress he'd made. Obviously he was hurting but surely he should've been starting to find ways to cope, right? Was Eddie supposed to help him find ways to do that? He had to help somehow--
"Uh, Eddie?"
Eddie snapped back into reality when he heard Mike call for him. "Huh? What?"
"You killed that plant."
Eddie gasped and pulled his hands away before he'd even seen what he'd done. The small tomato bush that had been in front of him was now much smaller, and withered. Tomatoes that had been red were now green and laying abandoned in the soil, not able to be supported when the plant shrunk.
Looking at it was kind of shocking. He had reversed the growth of the plant, killing the fruit in the process and overloading the base plant with the nutrients that had been inside it as an adult to the point of death. How long had he been doing that? Had he ever even done that before?
"Shit," he cursed, running his hands through his hair. "Sorry, fuck. I can probably fix the base plant if I focus, but the tomatoes--"
Mike placed his hand on Eddie's back. "It's okay. Why don't you head back inside for today?"
Eddie sighed. "Sorry again." he said, but he did indeed head back inside. Getting out of the sun would be good. And it was probably about time he bring Richie some water.
Pest was waiting inside for him and happily began following him close behind. The rest of the Losers were scattered about the house, and as Eddie walked into the kitchen, he was greeted by Bill.
"Y-You okay?" he asked.
Eddie sighed as he collected a glass, filling it with water for Richie. He wasn't eating well today but Eddie could at least push him to stay hydrated. "Yeah, I'm alright. Just stressing a little bit."
Bill frowned. "D-Don't worry Eds, this won't last forever." he walked over and got another cup, handing it over to him. "And don't forget to take care of y-you, too."
Eddie genuinely smiled for the first time in awhile, which felt great. "Thanks Bill."
Eddie made his way back upstairs with now two glasses of water. Pest eagerly climbed the steps behind him. Everywhere Eddie went, Pest was right behind him. It was endearing and sweet, if not a little nerve wracking--he was always worried he'd step on the little monster at his feet. Maybe he'd start carrying it...
"Hey," Eddie said with a cautious smile as he walked into their room, relieved to see Richie hadn't drifted back to sleep. That was mostly what he did these days. "I brought you some water."
"Thanks," Richie said, accepting his cup. Eddie wasn't sure if he was actually thirsty, but Richie had finally mostly stopped fighting Eddie on these little things--it took him awhile, but he came to terms with the fact that Eddie wasn't leaving room for negotiation.
Eddie sat beside him, and for a little while they just sat together, sipping from their water. Pest curled up on Richie's lap and purred steadily as Richie absently pet him. It would've been nice if not for the distance in Richie's eyes. He was almost never there with them; always somewhere else. And Eddie had a hunch that he probably knew where.
Eddie opened his mouth to suggest any conversation to bring Richie back, but that familiar feeling hit him. Richie glanced at him and grimaced. "Nooo, stop making that face," he whined--even that was halfhearted.
"Sorry, one's here," Eddie sighed, patting Richie's leg. "Let's go."
"Why can't you just go without me?" Richie complained. "I haven't been doing anything lately anyway."
Eddie supposed that was true. Anytime they had a Them to take care of, Richie came along but he didn't really help. Lately they hadn't needed him; they'd been fortunate that their only opponents had been much weaker and easier to deal with. None of them had really been in the head space to fight huge battles. But at least now they were starting to feel more like themselves. Except Richie, of course.
"No, we need you," Eddie said sternly. And who knows, maybe they could've handled this without him. But ultimately, this was an excuse to get Richie out of bed and out of the house. Plus, one of the first things they learned was to never leave anyone completely alone if they could help it. And in this case, they could help it, so he was going.
Richie groaned, but he didn't argue. He just rolled out of bed and pulled on his shoes. "I'm getting real sick of these bastards..." Richie grumbled.
Everyone was already gathered up downstairs, waiting. Beverly smiled when she saw them coming down. "Nice of you to join us, sleepy head," she said, but even her teasing had a much softer edge these days.
"It's pretty close, huh?" Eddie observed as he met up with them.
"Seems that way," Bill agreed. "M-Maybe a little bigger than what we've dealt with lately, too?"
"See?" Eddie asked, nudging Richie slightly. "We need you."
Richie just rolled his eyes, but there was a small grin on his face. Not as playful as they usually were, but definitely something. "Whatever, let's just deal with this so we can get home and I can get back to bed."
Eddie noticed Pest sitting beside him--the little beast never seemed to make any noise, Eddie was always surprised to see it there. He crouched down. "Listen, stay here and guard the house." he instructed, pointing to where Munchkin was asleep on the couch. "Don't let it steal everyone's stuff, got it?"
Pest stared back at him blankly--its head absolutely empty, it seemed.
"Great," Eddie said with a nod, straightening out with a huff. "Alright, let's go."
As they made their way through the forest, Eddie felt something on his arm.
It startled him at first until he felt it again and again, slowly and lightly falling all over him. It was rain. He looked up at the gray clouds overhead. "Well I guess we get to search in the rain now." he sighed.
Beverly seemed more than happy to welcome it, sighing peacefully. "It's nice," she said.
"It's kind of random though, isn't it?" Ben asked, holding out his hand and inspecting the drops that fell onto his palm. "It's been pretty sunny lately."
"I doubt our monster can influence the weather, if that's what you're worried about." Stan said, rolling his eyes slightly. "Keep in mind, it's not from here."
"I guess..." Ben muttered.
A loud clap of thunder sounded overhead--it almost sounded too close. And as if just to spite Stan, an owl-like monster shrieked in the trees above them; more thunder ripping through the sky.
Everyone had thrown their hands over their ears, wincing. "Alright, fine!" Stan shouted.
The rain was pouring now, and when they were finally able to look back up at their monster, it was gone. "Great," Richie groaned. "Where'd it go?"
Eddie focused, furrowing his brow in concentration. It did no good. "I don't know," he sighed, frustrated. "Its scent is faint, and hard to track with the wind and rain." If it was intentional, it was definitely a clever cover-up technique.
"Should we split up again then?" Mike asked.
Everyone glanced at Richie without thinking about it. Richie noticed all their eyes on him and if anything it sort of made him mad. "Why are you looking at me? I don't care. If it's smarter to split up, then let's split up."
Eddie frowned a bit. Richie was supposed to love being the center of attention; now all it did was make him squirm.
"Richie and I can go together." Eddie said quickly. Richie clearly didn't want to deal with people too much. And sure, maybe Eddie was also being a bit selfish--but he wanted to be the one to keep an eye on him.
He didn't even really pay attention to how the others sorted out the group, he just quickly went to Richie's side and led them off once they decided what direction they'd be going in. "You okay?" Eddie asked. "With this, I mean."
"Why is everyone acting like this would upset me?" he asked, clearly upset.
"It would upset me." Eddie said honestly. "I think any of us would be upset, if we were you. It's alright to be upset, Rich," he assured. He considered taking Richie's hand, but he doubted Richie would care for that right now.
"It's fine, Eds." Richie said, but Eddie didn't buy it. The nickname didn't come out the same way as it usually did. It wasn't as warm and playful. It came out cold and rehearsed. Painfully forced.
"Don't call me Eds," Eddie replied quietly. Not if you're going to say it like that.
It was taking forever to find this monster. The only reason they knew it didn't up and disappear was that it was still pouring rain, and the occasional clap of thunder would strike seemingly out of nowhere.
"Maybe I should let out some energy," Richie said after awhile. Eddie hadn't realized how long they'd gone without speaking until the silence was being filled. "Get its attention."
Eddie nodded. Richie's presence was loud and strong, and if he pushed it even further, there was no way he could go unnoticed.
Sure, they were baiting themselves, but it sort of came with the job.
They didn't have to walk much longer after that--the tree beside them creaked loudly as something heavy sat on one of its branches. It was definitely huge--it hunched over like an old owl, and stared at them with snake eyes.
Then much to Eddie's surprise, it started singing. As it did, thunder boomed overhead.
"Its song triggers the thunder," Eddie realized. The song itself wasn't terrible, Eddie supposed. Sounded almost like a bird's song, but something was a little twisted. Eddie didn't understand the point to the song and he didn't really care to, especially if it was meddling with the weather this severely. "Wanna try zapping it?"
Richie didn't answer. "Richie?" Eddie asked, glancing at him.
Richie was staring at the monster, his eyes completely glazed over. "I've never heard anything like that," he muttered. Before Eddie could say anything, Richie started shuffling towards the Them, his eyes never losing that distant, foggy look.
"Woah!" Eddie yelled, grabbing his arm. "Where are you going!?"
Richie didn't take his eyes off the Them. "What are you talking about? I've got to go listen," he answered, but even his voice was far away.
"What the hell!?" Eddie muttered under his breath, holding tight to Richie's arm to keep him from approaching that thing. He had no idea what it was doing, but clearly it was doing it on purpose. It stared at Richie intently as it sang, wings going stiff in anticipation.
"Eddie!"
Eddie turned to where Bill and Mike were, both of them with their hands pressed tightly to their ears. "It song is hypnotizing!" he seemed to hesitate, seeing Eddie staring back at him. "B-But if you're truly happy, it has no effect!"
Eddie stared in surprise for a moment or two. If you're happy...? he glanced at Richie, frowning. Looking at him so entranced by this thing's song, it all made sense. It was a beast who targeted the sad. Eddie's heart hurt as he watched Richie completely taken over by this--but even then, it still didn't affect Eddie.
Because where it counted, he was happy. Being sad on the surface for someone else wasn't enough.
So that meant Richie was heartbroken, all the way down to his core.
"Richie!" Eddie shouted, yanking him back. "Stop! You don't have to let this take over you!" He yanked him back again, as hard as he could, and it was enough to snap him out of it for a second. Finally, he looked at Eddie. He looked bewildered and confused, but there was some clarity in his eyes at least.
Eddie wasted no time in throwing his hands over Richie's ears. "Don't listen!"
Richie only looked more confused, but he let Eddie keep his hands there. Eddie looked over his shoulder worriedly, just in time to watch the Them realize its song had been interrupted. It shrieked, more thunder sounding overhead.
With the bird distracted and throwing a glorified fit, Eddie quickly removed his hands from Richie's ears and cupped his face instead. "Listen! You don't have to let this take over you! I know you love Freddie and I know it hurts, but--"
Richie took a step back, looking utterly lost. "Woah, Eds, what the hell? What's going on?"
"That Them controls people with its song, but only people who aren't truly happy--we need to talk about what happened, it's just sitting inside you--"
"What?" Richie asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "What, you're trying to tell me it didn't work on you? With our lives?" he asked with a humorless laugh.
"Of course not," Eddie said confidently. "Why would it? I got away from my mom, I spend everyday with you and our friends, and we're doing something important." he softened. "I'm so happy, especially with you."
Richie stared back at him, something softening in his eyes too now. "You really feel that way?"
"Of course," Eddie assured with a smile.
Richie glanced at the Them, which was finally starting to settle down, its feathers puffed up in anger. He looked back at Eddie, and he looked so pained--but despite how it sounded, Eddie was relieved. It had all finally reached the surface.
"Eddie, what if I'm not happy right now?" he asked, his voice tight.
"That's fine!" Eddie said, grabbing his face again. "There's nothing wrong with being sad or heartbroken. After what happened, it's expected. But you have to let yourself feel it so it doesn't just sit inside you forever."
Richie managed a smile, and finally, it wasn't empty.
"Wanna get rid of that thing before it starts singing again?" Eddie asked, mirroring his smile.
Richie laughed--it was a bit raw and unsteady, but it wasn't forced, that was for sure. "I guess if I must," Richie said, some of his playful warmth returning to him.
And all Eddie could do--even as Richie was killing a monster of all things--was sigh in relief.
By the time they made it home, everyone was exhausted.
Even if the storm had cleared after Richie killed the monster, they were still cold and in need of a change of clothes and some warm food. Mike was more than happy to make a warm dinner, and even Richie ate. Eddie was absolutely beaming--he tried not to show it too much, he didn't want to embarrass him, but he couldn't exactly hide it either.
It would take time, of course. Richie wasn't suddenly happy or anything, but he was finally moving forward, finally letting his grief be felt and worked through his system rather than just pushing it down and hurting himself more.
And Eddie was more than happy to patiently stay at his side as he worked through this. Just seeing him so much more alive for the first time in what felt like forever was more than enough for Eddie.
As they were settling into bed that night, Richie paused and glanced at Eddie. "I love you, Eds."
The pleasant warmth rushed through him, forcing a smile to his face. "I love you too, Rich."
And maybe it was just his own positive bias, but Richie seemed to be having better sleep that night than he had in a long time.
Eddie fell asleep easier at least, that was for sure. He hadn't realized how much worry he'd been carrying for Richie until it was gone.
They were going to be fine. Richie was going to be fine.
When Eddie awoke again, it must've been past midnight at least.
Eddie tried his hardest to slip out of Richie's arms without waking him, but didn't do as well as he hoped.
"Sorry," he whispered when Richie stirred, looking at him with groggy confusion.
"Where're you going Spaghetti?" Richie mumbled sleepily, watching as Eddie scooted off the bed.
"Gotta pee," he said, standing and stretching. "I'll be right back."
He yawned heavily as he dragged his feet through the dark, quiet hall. It was nothing short of a miracle that he managed to get down the stairs without killing himself; he was so tired. All he could think about was going back to bed. He would've rushed as much as possible while he was in the bathroom but he just didn't have the energy.
It wasn't until he was done and was about to start the arduous task of climbing back up the stairs that he noticed the kitchen light was left on. He mumbled some complaints to himself under his breath as he shuffled that way. Just as he was about to flick the light off and go back to bed, he noticed a hand laying on the ground, behind the stand alone counter in the middle of the room.
He blinked as hard as he could and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was only slightly relieved to realize upon further inspection that someone must've been just laying on the ground behind the counter rather than there just being a detached hand abandoned on the floor. But that discovery brought on a whole new wave of anxiety.
The muscles in his legs had gone stiff, and it was all he had to push them forward. Slowly, he dragged his feet over there, fear willing him to give up and turn around and sprint up the steps.
But he managed to keep moving. And when he was close enough, he hesitantly peered behind the counter.
Both relief and panic washed over him instantly when he saw Bill laying there. "Bill!" he exclaimed, rushing over and kneeling beside him. "Hey!" he shook his arm, his chest growing tighter at the sight of his pale skin and bloody nose.
Thankfully, Bill groaned in response.
"Jesus Christ," Eddie muttered, pulling Bill up and against him, trying to help him sit up. "What happened!?"
It took him a minute, but soon Bill's heavy swaying stopped and he was able to sit up without assistance. He rubbed at his head, groaning. He finally opened his eyes and they were bloodshot and red. "I don't feel v-very good."
"Yeah, no shit!" Eddie said, panicking. "What the hell is going on--were you attacked?! Is there a Them we can't feel or--"
Bill shook his head. "No," he said, sounding almost surprised by it. "I don't know wh-what's going on," he admitted.
Eddie didn't like that one bit.
"Well..." he shrugged a little. "Are you okay?"
Bill laughed softly, despite the way it seemed to make his head ache further. "I g-guess so." he didn't sound entirely convinced, and it didn't look like his pain was lessening.
Eddie just sighed in relief and hugged him. "Whatever weird shit's going on, I'm sure we'll be fine." he said with a slight laugh. Bill didn't seem as amused though, not so much as a chuckle. Eddie cleared his throat, deciding that was probably insensitive right now. "Think you can stand? We can go find Richie." Bill didn't say anything, so Eddie continued. "Or Mike. Or I can go get him?"
Still nothing. "Bill?" Again, nothing.
Eddie cursed when he pulled Bill back and he was out cold again. As carefully as he could, he laid Bill back down before scrambling to his feet, panic rising as he went sprinting up the stairs to wake the others.
Eddie knew better than to assume this was just another Them, or Bill being sick. This was without a doubt something Bill had never felt before--something none of them had encountered yet. And with their life, it could be anything.
But the only thing Eddie knew for certain was that, whatever it was, it was bad.