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fnf-amateur-writing · 3 years

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Hello! Can I request a scenario where l Updike with an s/o who got kidnapped and now he has to go save them- if u feel uncomfortable with that you can just do general relationship headcanons for him!

Hey there, Anon. I'm cool with your prompt, no worries!

TW: Kidnapping and violence.

Updike finding out S/O was kidnapped

Everything was rather dull at work. Sure, dealing with anomalies can be cool, but it wears on Updike after a while. Everyday was starting to become nothing more than paperwork, keeping tabs on the freely roaming safer anomalies, and trying and failing to kill Whitmore. Fortunately, his lunch break finally started after a long and boring morning.

Once he readjusted his tie and tucked away his trusty gun in his pocket, he went on a near daily walk to a local cafe. To be honest, it wasn't all that boring, since he now got to be with you during his lunch breaks. About a month ago, you two found out that you took your breaks at the same time. The cafe was also conveniently in between your workplaces, allowing you to walk an equal distance.

Without any incidents or that pestering metal head, Updike made his last turn, with the cafe now being just two buildings down. Strangely, the police were also two buildings down, talking to an employee that Updike recognised in front of the prematurely closed cafe. Avoiding involvement, Updike quickly turned around, waiting until he out of sight of them before checking his phone. You were always there first, so you probably texted him a heads up, but his phone showed no new messages.

It was pretty annoying, but no big deal. He'll just go somewhere else, and maybe you'll be there too if he's lucky.

~~~

The phone next to him rings, whilst Updike sat alone in his office, showing the front desk receptionist's name. That was rather unusual; that number almost never calls him directly, so it was probably important enough to be an exception. "Updike speaking," he spoke in his monotone voice, which was in a tone that easily showed how he says that a dozen times a day.

"Mr. Updike, the police are requesting your presence outside."

Okay, now that was very unusual. Not that the police are here, they show up all the time whenever a case involves an anomaly. But for them to make him go outside, when they usually go up to see him or a collegue, was odd. And he had a clean record too, so it's not like they were going to arrest him.

"I'll be right there," he said. He felt somewhat stressed from the sudden request, so he went a faster pace to the lift--to which he almost pressed the wrong button. He and a cop quickly made eye contact the moment the lift opened, and he followed the man as he beckoned him outside.

"Now, I know you're busy, so I'll get right to the point," the officer says, pulling a phone from his pocket. "Do you recognise this phone and the owner of it?" Updike wish he could say no, but he couldn't; it was clearly your phone, except it now has a large crack on the screen. "Yes, it belongs to my partner. Their name is (Y/N) (L/N)." As clear as he made those sentences, his throat was sore from the dread.

"Sir, are you aware that they've been kidnapped."

... No.

~~~

Looking back at it, he wasn't sure how he kept calm the whole time as the police explained what had happened. Some man had taken you right in front of the cafe. It happened so quickly, that the witnesses didn't seem to notice anything wrong until it was too late. They contacted him when told by employees that he always sat at the same table as you.

As he rushed home, he didn't quite know what he felt. It was a mixture of sadness, anger, stress, and whatever the hell else that couldn't be named that made his hair grey. But he wasn't going home just to wait in misery until the police did something; he was going to look for some clues, as recommended by the authorities. He wasn't aware of any troubles you may have wih your family and friends, but he was informed that most kidnappings are done by people the victim knows, so he had to snoop around your stuff to see if he could find anything to report.

However, he almost slammed himself into his own front door when something else caught his attention: a plain white envelope taped to the door. There was no markings or writing on the outside, Updike noted as he took it for inspection, but he could tell it had a letter in it. Surely, it couldn't be a coincidence this showed up the same day you were taken.

As he went inside, closing the door behind him, he didn't take another step away from the door before tearing the letter open. Within the envelope was a typed letter, which had a clear message despite never mentioning you or Updike by name. Also made clear was that this was nobody you knew, nor was it an anomaly trying to spite him, but rather a particularly greedy criminal who took notice of who you were with.

The letter demanded an absurd amount of cash to be hand delivered, an amount that clearly overestimated even his own wealth. And if he brought anyone with him or brought a weapon, then you would be shot on the spot. Finally, he had until midnight to do so, too, adding onto the stress.

The stress started to become a bit much as his hair grew darker. He had no way of knowing whether the bastard was bluffing, but it wasn't worth trying to find out. But still, there didn't seem to be a good way out anyways. It felt like he was about to snap, feeling some sparks from his head and... a spark of an idea.

He went up a flight of stairs to a closet within the hallway. There wasn't anything remarkable about it's contents, but he took interest on one side, where some suitcases of his were stored. Only one of these was useful right now: a sleek metal suitcase he can't remember even using, but he remembered it being there. After grabbing the case, he ran back downstairs while neglecting to close the closet door.

Now, he wasn't going to place any money in it. No, nothing would be in it. But he had an idea, because maybe the guy didn't quite know who they decided to mess with.

~~~

Updike parked his car on the side of the road, getting out in the abandoned yet familiar area. It was a small part of the outskirts of the city that eventually lost it's population and was left to rot, which amazed him that it hasn't been torn down yet. The only people who regularly come here are the homeless and obnoxious teenagers with cameras who pretend that one of the buildings are haunted for internet clout. However, he does remember coming here too a long time ago to hunt down Whitmore a couple times.

The meeting place was a short walk away, having used to be a local library. The evening sky was getting darker by the minute, and the sun was near set behind Updike as he looked into the old library. As dark as it was, a light was barely visible from the entrance, partially blocked by empty bookshelves. With the case in hand, he walked through the shattered glass double doors and in between two of the shelves.

"I'm here."

The light across the library shifted and footsteps approached. The man looked as dodgy as he expected, except with a bit of a 1950's greaser look to him, and the gun the man held never pointed to anything but Updike. He placed the lantern onto the shelve and approached, saying "hand it over." Definitely not a negotiating type.

Time passed too slow, yet also too fast. Though he normally used his head, Updike had to channel what was within him elsewhere or else the man would shoot him seeing the thunder from his head. Hard, sure, but dong it for you was a pretty good motivator.

In three, two...

As soon as both hands were on the case's handle, Updike managed to give a hard zap through his hand. The case's material made it guaranteed it would shock him, and shock him very badly. He shouted at the sensation comparable to that of a taser, unable to pull the trigger before collapsing. Updike wasn't sure if he was conscious, but it didn't matter since he was already slamming the case into his face. Giving a man a free nose bleed such as this one was usually seen as too barbaric for Updike's taste, but damn it was satisfying.

He took the man's gun and briefly searched his pockets for anything else he might use as a weapon. He pocketed the lighter for the box of cigarettes he carried, since he might wake up and pull a fast one by burning the place down. And then there was a key, and not a usual key one would think of. In fact, Updike knew from the shape that it was meant to unlock a pair of handcuffs. It may be best if he took that as well.

"(Y/N)!" he called out, "are you there?" He made his way to the back, peeking into some rooms as he passed. He heard some sounds coming from nearby, causing him to peek through the old bathroom door. There you were, gagged with a cloth and both hands cuffed to a pipe beneath a sink. You were trying to say something, so he quickly worked the cloth off your mouth and let it fall under your chin. Upon closer inspection he now saw how disheveled you looked and that one of your eyes was black and swollen.

"G-GABRIEL!" you finally managed to scream before coughing from finally having your mouth to breathe through. "I thought you- I thought..." He hushed you before using the key he found on your cuffs, allowing you give him a much needed embrace. "Shhh, it's okay," he said as you cried, "I've dealt with him."

"Now," he picks you off the ground and carries you away from the dreaded building, "let's go. I have an interesting story for the cops."

Now for a surprise bonus ;)

Aftermath headcanons:

Unsurprisingly, you both took off work for a while.

Regardless of how well you can handle trauma, Updike WILL take you to a therapist. He's already got one booked, so you don't have a choice really.

For the first time in the relationship, Updike has been the one to initiate cuddles. He's also just as paranoid as you are, and has become somewhat clingy as a result.

When it was nearing the day you two would return to work, you discussed plans on preventing another incident. Though it may seem a bit far, you agreed on wearing a small tracking device clipped to your clothes until the fear wore off.

The forced therapy sessions did come with benefits for the future. When you eventually had to testify against your kidnapper in court, you felt more confident in your words and managed to tell them everything without a breakdown.

The man didn't stand a chance and earned himself several years in prison.

Finally, once you felt everything was behind you, you walked together to the cafe again. It was a nice cafe and it would be a shame if they stopped visiting.

Some of the regulars and employees recognised you two, and welcomed you back. And as you two sat in your usual spots with drinks on the house, you could finally say it was a pretty nice day with nothing to worry about.

#fnf x reader #fnf imagines #updike x reader #gabriel updike #fnf updike

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k7l4d4 · 3 years

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Midnight Striga: Fairy Tail/Owl House Cross Fic Episode 5 Part 5

Hello, and once again, I come before you with another piece of Midnight Striga!! Everybody Clap Your Hands!!

“U-Um, Luz? Do you… know these guys?” Willow nervously asked, flinching away from the chuckling group surrounding them. Amity was confused, but wary, while Gus was torn between fanboying over the humans and panicking. Several were brandishing weapons and tools, while others were gesturing with faintly glowing hands.

“Unfortunately.” Luz growled, hands pressed together to cast. “Let’s just say that they’re a problem from back home.”

The largest figure, still cloaked, chuckled at that. “Oh Blinder, you always did say the sweetest things.” They hissed out. They flicked off their cloak, the sight underneath sending the Witchlings reeling back, Luz’s eyes narrowing in hate.

The man was tall, Six feet and several inches easily, a rippling hulk of muscle. What was most eye-catching, and more than a little horrifying, was the state of his body; the tones and types of his skin were different shades, held together by stitches, screaming faces sewn into the body, contorted in agony. Extra limbs were attached haphazardly across the body, with the ‘arms’ in particular actually being multiple arms and hands forcibly bonded together. The head was misshapen, the jaw awkwardly bulging on one side, the pupils of his eyes slit, screws jammed into the scalp with blood leaking from the puncture sights. The cheeks were torn, crudely sewn back in place. The man opened his mouth, a skinless serpent slithering out in place of a tongue.

“You were rather naughty, Blinder, running away from your brothers and sisters as you did.” The snake hissed, acting as the brute’s voice. The figure blinked, before clapping it’s patchwork limbs together. “Ah, where are my manners!? I haven’t introduced myself.” A deep rumbling chuckle echoed from him, setting the Witchlings’ nerves on edge. He bowed slightly, a mocking leer across his face. “Reticulus Creeve, at your service. I look forward to integrating your remains into my masterpiece.” He said, gesturing to the patchwork monstrosity that acted as his body.

His faux-pleasant expression fell, and he turned to his troops. “Kill all but the human, she is to be captured. Afterwards, you are to raze this location to the ground and kill every being you come across not affiliated with Oroboros.” He said in a disinterested tone, before jumping into the rafters above, cackling in the twisted, hissing voice.

“Tch, bastard’s still underestimating me.” Luz bitterly muttered. She turned to the chuckling troops before her; none of them looked like anything other than goons, random thugs who had been brought in to pad the numbers. Still, if they were part of the Black Dog Squad, then they were more than willing to commit the atrocities Reticulus had ordered. “Well,” Luz sighed, “at least you guys will be a good warm up.”

“Luz?” Amity questioned, her eyes widening at the light building in Luz’s palm.

“Light-Make: Wolf Pack!” She shouted, her constructs pouncing on the Black Dog agents surrounding them. With savaging jaws, they lunged for their prey… only to be turned back when one agent stepped forward.

“Air Rot!” He shouted, a black haze emitting from his palm, the wolf constructs crumbling on contact. Turning to them with an ugly smirk, the agent reared back his fist. “Palm Rot Pulse!” A bullet of compressed miasma rushed the group, only to be intercepted by Amity’s abomination. Acting on the agents’ brief confusion at their resistance, Willow summoned her vines, slamming them into the circle of agents and sending them back.

Willow turned her eyes towards the others. “Run!” With that, the group bolted, ignoring the curses and shouts from behind them. Screaming started sounding all around them, figures wearing the same uniforms as the agents who had surrounded them attacking the Covention goers. “Look out!” Willow shouted, summoning her plants to block a bolt of flame launched their way.

“Shit!” Luz bit out. “Light-Make: Spears!” In a flash, a dozen spears ripped through the air, impaling an agent standing over the cooling corpses of a pair of Covention goers, a man and his wife from the looks of it.

“Bolt Zone!” “Hail Shot!”

Eyes widening, Luz shoved the others away, a scream ripping through her throat as lightning slammed into her from above, and a chunk of ice crashed against her back, sending her flying.

“Luz!” Willow yelled, only to scream in pain herself as a bolt of flame slammed into her back. Turning, she just barely caught sight of Amity sending her Abomination after her attacker, she could barely see through the pain. Growling, Amity directed her Abomination to defend them, splitting its arms to intercept as many of the strange spells flying their way as it could, its amorphous body acting as an excellent barrier against attacks.

Luz flipped herself onto her feet, a spell already forming. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she called out. “Light-Make: Daggers!” A pair of blades formed, and she launched them, a grim smirk forming as they found their mark between the eyes of the agents who had attacked her. Dropping to a crouch, she spun, spells already forming. “Light-Make: Halberd!” She swung the massive, bladed polearm she now bore, catching two more agents by the ribs, the way the first folded around the blade indicating she had severed his spine, or at least chopped deep into it. Turning to the others, their jaws dropped at the sight of her actions, Luz’s eyes widened at what she saw. With a shout she leapt into the air, aiming for Amity.

Amity’s eyes widened. Was Luz going to attack her!? What was even happening!! The Covention was being attacked, that… thing from before somehow knew Luz and wanted to capture her and kill the rest of them, and all the invaders, and Luz herself, were wielding magic completely unlike anything within the Coven System! As Luz descended, Amity braced herself and her Abomination, only to relax as she saw Luz’s trajectory would take her roughly behind Amity… behind her!? Whirling around, Amity just barely caught sight of the maliciously grinning figure, arm reared back with a knife in hand, before Luz drove a glittering sword through the top of their skull. “Oh, so that’s what you were doing.” She muttered numbly, flushing at Luz’s raised eyebrow.

“Phew! Looks like we’ve got some breathing room!” Luz sighed, relieved at the break. She opened her eyes to find the group huddled close to her face, staring. “Uh, you guys mind backing up a little?”

“How did that sewn-up pile of parts know you!” Amity demanded.

“What is going on?” Willow asked in a calmer tone of voice.

“Since when are humans super scary!?” Gus begged to know, near hysterical.

Luz frantically pushed them back. “WHOA WHOA!! Guys, give me a little room!” After they backed off, Luz sighed. “In reverse order, humans have always been scary, we just usually aren’t, these guys are here to kill everyone to send a message to the leaders of the isles, and to make a very long, painful story short, I used to work for them until I decided I’d had enough and left.” Luz bluntly summarized. The group was shell-shocked, which Luz figured was fair; she just did drop a massive bomb on them after all.

“Wait a minute, kill everyone here?” Amity demanded. “That’s impossible, the Emperor’s Coven has guards stationed everywhere at events like this!” She insisted. Sure, those humans had displayed magic unlike anything native to the Isles that she was aware of, but they had just caught them by surprise!

Luz’s eyebrows rose into her hair. “Well they haven’t been much of a deterrent.” She stated, gesturing to a nearby corpse. As the others peered closer, they pulled back as if burned; it was the mangled corpse of a Coven Guard, one melted away, chest ripped open, and head crushed against the ground. After gazing upon the dead guard, the Witchlings’ eyes were drawn to the area around them, horror dawning upon their faces; dead Witches and demons, everywhere. A woman and her child, ripped open by what looked like giant claws. A man cowering in a corner, his flesh melted from his bones. And many, many more.

“Why?” Willow croaked out, tears in her eyes. “Why are they doing this?”

Luz stared, eyes filled with sorrow and weariness. “Like I said, they’re here to kill everyone. Them,” she gestured to the corpses, “You,” She pointed at the three, “Me,” she aimed her thumb at herself, “everyone.” She finished with a shrug.

Amity perked up at that, puzzled. “Wait a minute, that… thing from before said to take you alive. Why would they be trying to kill you?” She asked.

Luz snorted. “Yeah, he said that. That doesn’t mean anyone would listen.” She sighed. “These guys are the Black Dog Squad, the absolute worst of the worst in Oroboros, in terms of morals and self-control at least. All of them are rapists, sadists, and murderers of the highest order. They weren’t chosen for this mission because they’re powerful, even though some of them very much are, but because they are vicious and will do anything without regret or remorse.” She turned hard eyes on them. “Reticulus is a sadist and a bully, most of these people are. If he gave the order instead of capturing me himself, it means I’m not a priority. If one of them catches me, great! I’m caught and the poor sap who thought it would get him a payday becomes a volunteer for Retic’s experiments. If they don’t, then they all die, or I’m dead, along with everyone else.”

“Speaking of that, just what was up with his body!?” Gus hysterically exclaimed. “If everything you told me about human anatomy is true, not that I doubt you, then how is he even alive!?” He shouted, pulling at his hair in fright.

“He uses Flesh Sculpt, a form of magic that allows the wielder to alter and mold flesh and living material however they wish.” Luz explained gravely. “Retic took that and ran with it, harvesting body parts from victims on a murderous rampage to build himself the ideal form; nobody knows how much of his original body is in that thing, not even him at this point, and he’s ALWAYS looking to add to it.”

Amity paled. “So, wait, when he said about integrating our remains…” She trailed off, the three turning green at the thought.

“Yup.” Luz said flatly, her face just as green at the thought as theirs. “Guys a real sicko.” She pulled herself to her feet. “And I’ve got to go stop him.” She said grimly.

“””What!?””” The three exclaimed.

“As long as these guys are here, everyone is in danger. I’ll go after Reticulus and his goons, try and slow them down, and you all get as many of the civilians to safety as you can.” She said firmly, jaw set.

“Absolutely not!” Amity shouted. “Did you not see the size of that monstrosity?!? If you go after him, strange magic or no, you will be dead!”

“And that’s a price I’m willing to pay.” Luz said coldly. “As long as Oroboros has a foothold in the Isles, no one is safe. If dying is the price so that this place can live, I’ll gladly pay it.”

“Oh, so it’s okay for you to sacrifice yourself, and not let us help?” Amity snapped. She leaned in, grabbing hold of Luz’s collar. “In case you’ve forgotten, these Isles are our home. We have a right to defend ourselves. It doesn’t matter what you say, I can’t speak for them,” she glances at Gus and Willow, before turning back, “But I refuse to run away and let someone else fight when I can do something.”

“And the same goes for me.” Willow said firmly, drawing surprised looks from the others. “I’ve been letting myself get pushed around for years, never speaking up or trying to change things. But Luz, you helped give me the courage to try and change things! Now that I can, I’m not just going to let people get hurt.”

Gus stepped forward, throwing his hat into the ring. “I don’t really have as many selfless bones as Willow, but she’s my friend. If she’s staying to fight, then I’m gonna help.”

Luz glanced around, recognizing the stubborn intensity in their eyes. She groaned, dragging her hand down her face. “Ugh, fine. You all can help.” She glanced up as they cheered. “But promise me, if things get dicey, you’ll run, and help as many people you come across to run as well, okay?” At the round of hesitant nods she received, Luz reciprocated. “Okay, let’s go!” And with that, the group turned on their heels, marching towards the chaos, the screams of the dying and the afraid ringing in their ears.

Skara shuddered, nervously backing away from the strange man in front of her. The strange man who had just killed a COVEN GUARD RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER AND HER FRIENDS!!!! She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. “Now, now, you shouldn’t do anything hasty!! You’re going to be in a lot of trouble for that, you know? When more Guards come, they aren’t going to ask you nicely now, right?” She hated the way her voice quivered, the way it kept doing when she had been afflicted by that jewel, when she tried to reason with her.

“Freeehehehehehe!! Moooorre Guards? Mooooorre bodies to play with!?” The strange man drawled, the cloak obscuring his body jiggling oddly. “Ooooooohhhhh I bet they’ll taste so yummy!! Soooooo much meat!! Yuuuuuummmmyyyy meat!! Freeehehehehehehehe!!! Iiiiiiii had better get changed then! Doooooonnnn’tttt want to ruin my cloak with food stains.” With that said, the figure tossed his cloak into the air, multiple other cloaks following suite throughout the crowd. The figure… was horrific. The body was horribly misshapen, the sheer amount of fat present should’ve had the figure at least twice as wide as they currently were. Skara stared in disgusted fascination at the oily sheen to his body, the way his flesh rippled and rolled with every movement, as if his entire body was gelatin held in a man-shaped skin. Pitch-black eyes set deep into a face that was just as fluid and gelatinous as his body, an uncomfortably wide and toothy mouth set into a perpetual smile (Skara hoped it was supposed to be a smile), and his nose was essentially gone, a ring of distinctly teeth shaped markings surrounding the missing chunk.

“Freeeeehehehehehehe!! Moooorrreee guards! Mooooorrreee meat!!” The distorted lump of fat squealed, eyes focused on Skara. “Ooooohhhh it will be so tasty!! Buuuutttt… What's even tastier than the men I kill, are the kids I kill. Aaaaaannnndddd what’s even tastier than the kids I kill…” He leaned in closer, the rotting scent of corpses wafting off his breath. “Are the pretty, pretty girls I kill.” Without another word, the slob lunged forth, jaw stretching open a mind-bogglingly large six feet, ready to swallow Skara whole in a single gulp. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t-

“Move it!!” “Demon King’s Rocking Roar!!”

Two things happened in that instant before Skara became the grotesque people-eater’s meal; first, Boscha, who had come out of nowhere, had shoved her clear of the kill zone, and some kind of magic was pinning the fat glob in place. At the sight of his body depressing into the ground, so tightly Skara could see bones against his skin, she figured her guess about him being mostly fat was closer to the truth than she’d thought. Suddenly, Skara became painfully aware of the panicked, screaming crowd around her. Boscha turned a burning glare Skara’s way; she suddenly felt very, very small.

Boscha jerked her head towards the group of their, or, rather, Skara’s friends. “Get her out of here.” She bit out. Skara’s heart sank even further at the cold tone. There… really was nothing left between them, was there. She didn’t protest as Cat and Amelia dragged her on, as the crowds roared and screamed as they tried to pry the doors open, people dropping to the ground as the strange figures who had come in cloaks picked them off. What was the point in saving a useless life like hers? No point at all.

“King, let him up.” She said, voice cold as winter ice. King mutely complied, getting clear of Boscha’s attack range. This was going to be ugly. “Hey! Fatso!” She called out, prompting the figure to pop up from the ground, that damn smile still stretched across his face.

“OOoooohhhh you know our name!?” He cheerfully giggled in that disgusting voice of his. “Hooooowwww strange! Weeee didn’t think we’d told you yet.”

“Wait, Fatso is your actual name? I was just trying to insult you!” Boscha exclaimed, briefly distracted by the odd being in front of her. She quickly shook her head, clearing it of confusion as best she could. “Wait a minute, that’s not important!” She shouted. “What is important is that you just tried to eat someone, and murdered a Coven Guard!! Just what the fuck is wrong with you!?”

Still giggling, the man, Fatso apparently, refused to answer, instead lunging forward with that freakishly large jaw of his. Biting back a curse, Boscha leapt back, barely clearing the now missing chunk of stone that the fat freak had ripped out of the ground, swallowing it whole. “Ooooohhhhh, nice and earthy, like yummy veggies!” He cried, lunging again. “Yooooouuuurrrr yummy meat will make a nice addition to this meal!!” He squealed, fleshy limbs lashing out, trying to pull Boscha to his waiting maw.

“Like fuck!” Boscha shouted, flames bursting into her hands. “Try and eat this, you psycho!” She hurled the flames forth, grimly expecting screams of pain to howl forth; what she wasn’t expecting was for the maniac to actually eat her flames!!! “WHAT!?!?”

“YYYUuuuuuummmmyyy, spicy flames!!” Fatso giggled, cheerfully gulping down Boscha’s attack. His eyes honed in on Boscha again. “Gggiiiiivvveee me more!!!!” He screamed, leaping towards her, jaw expanding to chomp down.

#the owl house #fairy tail #owl house au #fairy tail au #owl house crossover #fairy tail crossover #king the owl house #boscha the owl house #luz noceda #willow park #gus porter #skara the owl house #amity blight #magic

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beeluvsbunni · 4 years

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Boxcar Au?

As the sun shines through the makeshift house, the beams of light waking up the second-eldest child, he squirms as he feels shivers run up his spine. He was a young boy, rounding to the age of 14. He was short and skinny, barely looking like he was 11. He had messy, badly cut brown hair, which seemed to perfectly accompany his beautiful deep brown, almost black eyes. If it weren't for his soot-covered body or his yellowish-pale skin, or his ribs sticking out, he would be considered drop-dead gorgeous. But he wasn't drop-dead gorgeous. The soot, the yellowish skin, and the prominent ribs were all still there, due to his lack of food, water, and general well being. His name was Wilbur Pandell. [i love this au sO MUCH]

Wilbur glances over to his other siblings and notices almost instantly that the eldest is gone. He wasn't all that concerned about it, though, because this happened on an almost daily basis. He knew that his older brother was out catching fish, or at the market, or at one of his many jobs. That's just what his siblings had to do if they wanted to survive. The world is a cold and uncaring place, only making it easy for those who were born into good lives. Everyone else? They would rot.

His older brother would also be considered beautiful if it weren't for his crooked teeth, or his acne covered skin or his dirty clothes. But he still, unfortunately, had all of those traits. He has golden, wavy hair that reached his chin, and light blue eyes. His name was Phill Pandell. He was the oldest, at the age of 17. He worked hard for his family, taking up 3 jobs and having to catch and cook food from the forest around their 'home'.

As Wilbur came back to reality, he looked over to his other brothers and sighed faintly. They were both cuddling together, trying to share as much body heat as possible. Wilbur softly removed his sweatshirt that he wore to stay as warm as possible, and draped it over the younger boys. He grasped the blankets that they all shared and wrapped them tightly around his brothers, before grabbing some extra clothes and walking across the boxcar they lived in and changed behind a curtain that Phill had set up when they first began to live there.

Wilbur grabs his dirty clothes, and closes the boxcar door and window, but not before lighting a candle so it wouldn't be completely dark when his brothers woke up.

The third oldest brother had unnatural pink hair, which was always adorned with a cardboard golden crown, made by the youngest Pandell sibling. He was 9, with dark brown eyes, ones that perfectly matched Wilburs. He would also, like his older siblings, be considered cute if he didn't have his cold, dead eyes, or his completely monotone voice, or his dirt-stained nails. He never shared his real name and went by Techno Pandell.

Then there was the youngest sibling, a 7-year-old child with blond hair that was always somehow covered in dirt. He had bright, almost turquoise eyes. He was unlike his other siblings because everyone considered him adorable. Everyone felt much worse for a dirty 7-year-old than they did for anyone above the age of 8. His name was Tommy Pandell.

As Wilbur reaches the river, he notices his eldest brother, Phill, holding a bucket and a fishing rod. He smiles as he walks up to him, noticing the gleeful grin on his face. "You catch a bunch of fish, Phil?" Wilbur asks, hope evident in his tone. Phil smiles brightly, and softly lifts the bucket as he speaks.

"Yep, caught about 9. For now, we'll leave some in this bucket until we're ready to cook them because we don't want them to go bad." Phil states, smiling proudly. Wilbur gives him a concerned look, panic in his eyes.

"9? Jesus Phil, how long have you been out here?" Wilbur questions, looking like he didn't really want the answer to that question. Phil chuckles softly, giving Wilbur a sad smile.

"That's not your issue to worry about, Will. I'll wash the clothes, you take the fish up and start cooking one of them, and about halfway through wake up Tommy and Techno, okay?" Phil orders, making sure to sound softer when telling him what to do.

Wilbur sighs faintly, but slowly exchanges his clothes for the bucket of fish. He walks back to the boxcar, setting down the bucket of fish next to their firepit and pulling out a fish, killing it as quickly and painlessly as possible. He starts a fire, beginning to boil a pot of pre-readied water as he guts the fish as quickly as possible. He grabs a couple of potatoes from a sack on the ground, already washed, and tosses them into the pot of water. He grabs a pan, and places it atop of the pot, setting the fish that needed to cook over it.

After a decent amount of time of cooking, he walks over to the boxcar and opens the door, smiling softly as he walks over to the sleeping children. He closes the door behind him as he goes over and kneels next to them, beginning to shake them awake. They both groan softly, annoyed, and confused. He slowly lays next to them, cuddling them close and whispering that they needed to wake up and that it was almost time for breakfast.

"5 more minutes." He hears Tommy whine out, and Techno nods faintly to the statement, showing that he agrees. Wilbur laughs faintly, wishing he could let them sleep.

"No, you need to wake up now. We're having fish and potatoes for breakfast, and it's gonna be a big breakfast, so expect leftovers for lunch and dinner." Wilbur whispers again, yet still adding more force to his tone. Both groan but slowly sit up. Wilbur sits up with them, keeping his arms wrapped around his siblings, trying to make their morning as calm as possible, smiling softly as they begin to wake up, knowing that if they didn't wake up calmly then they'd be grumpy all morning.

"Come on, get up, Phil's gonna eat with u-" Wilbur starts to say, but he gets cut off by an older male. "It's fine, Wilbur, let them wake up. I finished the rest of breakfast and cut it up for everyone." Phil states, smiling as he walks over to his younger siblings, but not before he closes the boxcar door.

With Phil always working or getting food, or at the market, he rarely had time to see his siblings before they were asleep. He tried to see them as much as possible and made as much time for them as he could.

Both Techno and Tommy perk up at the sound of their brother's voice. "Phil!" Tommy happily shouts, trying to get up to run over to him, but stumbling, he almost falls.

Phil manages to catch Tommy by the arms, pulling him up while laughing. He walks back to the makeshift bed they had, which was just a couple of old mattresses they found near-by and a decent amount of blankets and pillows.

Everything they had was makeshift, even their home. They lived in a boxcar. They all ran away from different orphanages/their own home 3 years ago and had found the boxcar after 7 months of running away from everybody and anybody. The boxcar was a decent size, and it was a dark green color. It had 2 large windows, both of which had cracks, yet none of the siblings cared. They lived in that boxcar for almost 3 years now, damaged or not, it would always feel like home.

Phil sits down next to the mattress that his siblings were sitting on and lets both Techno and Tommy cuddle up against him, and beckons Wilbur to join him. Wilbur smiles but shakes his head. "I'm gonna go finish the potatoes, you spend time with them-" But he is cut off, yet again, as Phil fakes a gasp. He looks to the younger siblings he had in his lap, who gaze right back up at him, and makes a plan.

"Did you hear that? Wilbur isn't gonna stay with us. Do you guys know what we have to do?" Phil asks softly, an evil look in his eyes. Techno and Tommy seem to catch on quickly, and they both look over at Wilbur, evil smiles on their faces. Wilbur goes to back away, laughing nervously, but he can barely take one step back before he hears Phil shout something he dreaded to hear.

"TICKLE HIM!" Phil screams loudly, pointing at Wilbur as both Techno and Tommy rush towards Wilbur, quickly beginning to tickle him mercilessly, giggling while doing so. Wilbur lets out a scream of surprise and falls back as his siblings basically tackle him to the floor. Phil smiles at his siblings and begins to re-make the beds. He gasps as suddenly he begins to get tickled, and laughs loudly, struggling to getaway. He can hear Wilbur laughing at him as he squirms.

"That's right, they're on my side now!" Wilbur exclaims, grinning like a madman. Phil barely manages to push away his siblings, quickly looking up at Wilbur who was towering above him.

"If they betrayed me so easily, who's to say they won't betray you?" Phil questions and Wilbur seems to contemplate this. Both Techno and Tommy's grins disappear, and Tommy whispers something to Techno.

"Should be run?" Tommy asks, cupping his hand over Techno's ear. Techno glances towards him, and then back at his older brothers, who seemed to be plotting something.

"Probably. But we won't make it if we run to the door, no matter how fast we are." Techno states bluntly but looks towards Tommy yet again. "Unless we have a distraction."

Tommy stares at Techno, before stating the obvious. "If you're saying that I'm willingly going to get tickled by those maniacs, then you're just fucking stupid." And Techno snorts, before glaring at Tommy.

"Well, I'm not getting tickled either!" Techno fires back, annoyance evident in his tone.

"Actually," They both hear someone behind them state faintly, causing Tommy to scream and Techno to tense up, both whipping around and staring at him. "You're both getting tickled." Tommy lets out another screech as Wilbur, who was behind them, begins tickling him. Techno tries to run and surprisingly makes it to the door, but Phil appears seemingly out of nowhere and grabs him, picking him up and tossing him carelessly onto the bed. Techno tries to get up and run, but Phil begins to tickle him relentlessly, now both Tommy and Techno giggling loudly. Wilbur manages to drag Tommy to the makeshift bed, and literally bodyslams him onto it, laughing as Tommy gasps, definitely surprised that he was bodyslammed down.

Both Wilbur and Phil stop tickling the poor boys and let them catch their breath. Wilbur starts laughing loudly, and Phil looks at him confused, before breaking into laughter as well. Techno and Tommy look dazed as they start to laugh breathlessly, too.

"Why are we laughing?" Techno manages to say, only causing everyone to laugh harder. Everyone seemed confused but happy with what was going on.

As they calmed down, Wilbur gasps loudly. "Oh, my fuck- the potatoes-" He starts to say, panicking, but Phil stops him from getting up.

"It's okay," He reassures, "I put the fire out, and with how cold it is right now, the water definitely stopped boiling a long time ago. The potatoes are fine." Phil calms Wilbur down with ease, softly grabbing his wrist. He sends him a calm smile, easily getting rid of Wilburs nerves.

"Potatoes?" Techno pipes up, hopefulness in his eyes. Both Wilbur and Phil laugh at this before Wilbur nods softly. Techno gasps in surprise, quickly grabbing Tommy's hand and pulling him up, both rushing outside to eat.

Wilbur laughs quietly, before getting up to follow them, but Phil pulls him back down. "Wilbur," Phil states, a look of concern over his face.

"Hm?" Wilbur questions, confused about what Phil needed.

"Wilbur, this the way you completely panicked, holy shit. You've been doing this every day now. You don't need to worry so much," He chuckles sadly, "That's my job."

Wilbur avoids eye contact, and then suddenly bursts into tears. Phil seems surprised and was quick to wrap his arms around him. He begins to rub circles in Wilburs back, softly whispering comforting words.

"I-I just... I worry about them so much..." Wilbur manages to choke out, sobbing softly. "I can't help but think, what if we end up getting caught? What if they hate me, and then turn themselves in?" He continues to sob into Phil's chest, his older brother softening when he hears his problems.

"Oh, Wilbur, I think the same way about you. I try so hard to make you three happy, yet I rarely spend time with you. It's okay to think like that, you just need to know that it isn't true." Phil states soothingly. He heard a couple of knocks on the door and turned to see Techno and Tommy standing there, holding 4 dishes, the boxcar's door wide open.

"Is something wrong?" Techno asks, looking between the two. Tommy suddenly gasps, quickly setting down the two plates he was struggling to hold. He had seen Wilburs tear-stained face and panicked completely.

"What's wrong?" Tommy shouts as he runs up to Wilbur, latching his arms around the older male. Wilbur seemed surprised and slowly knelt beside his younger brother, wrapping his arms around him and holding him close. Wilbur buries his face into the crook of Tommy's neck, surprising the younger. He wraps his arms around Wilbur's neck and pulls him closer.

Phil was smiling at the pair before glancing at Techno and was surprised by the sight. Techno was trying to hold all four plates at once and get them into the cart, causing Phil to instantly rush over and help him with the food, both setting down 2 dishes of food next to some of the candles to keep the food as warm as possible. When Phil glanced back over, Wilbur and Tommy were sitting on the makeshift bed, still cuddling. Phil walks over to the car door and closes it, taking note of the heavy storm clouds that were rolling in.

Phil looks at Techno and picks him up suddenly. Techno gasps loudly and goes to struggle, but Phil then sits down next to Tommy and Wilbur, and the four of them begin to cuddle with no care in the world.

Another couple of hours later, no one really knows how long, and it began to get dark out. They woke up around 2pm, and now it was 7pm, so they all assumed that they've been staying with each other for 6 hours.

Phil looks over and sighs, and gives a knowing look to Wilbur, a look that said, 'You know what needs to happen.' Wilbur nods and softly begins to grip Tommy's waist a little harder. Techno gives Phil a knowing look and moves so Phil can easily get up.

"Tommy," Phil begins, knowing that Tommy doesn't like it when he had to leave. Tommy glances up, confusion evident in his face. "I have to go now, but I'll only be gone for a little while-" Phil tries to say, and can't help but look away from Tommy's already tear-filled eyes.

"No!" Tommy shouts, instantly struggling to run over to Phil and try to stop him from leaving. "No, you can't leave!" Tommy tries to push Wilburs arms away, but can't due to how much stronger Wilbur was. Tommy was already crying but now seemed to be full-on sobbing, panicking that Phil wasn't coming back.

Phil opens the car door and reluctantly closes it behind him, trying to ignore his younger siblings cries. He started to go around and check the traps he made for food, going as quickly as possible.

With Wilbur and his younger siblings, Tommy begins to stop struggling as much as soon as he sees the car door close. He stops trying to push Wilburs hand away and instead just buries his face in his hands. Wilbur softly turns him around, hugging his younger brother, quickly grasping Techno and pulling him into the hug as well.

After what felt like an eternity to Tommy, He hears the door open again and turns around as quickly as possible, instantly beginning to struggle against Wilbur's grasp, but he didn't let go. Phil smiles as he walks towards his younger brother, and quickly hugs him. Tommy didn't say anything, choosing rather to wrap his arms around his brother. Phil didn't seem to mind, sitting next to Wilbur on the mattress. He notices the game they were playing and laughs.

"Were you guys playing Uno while I was gone?" He questions, amused. Wilbur only laughs in response.

A couple hours later, and it was time for the four of them to go to bed. Wilbur has the door open, and the pale moonlight was illuminating the entire boxcar, and Tommy was staring at him. Phil was putting away some of the food that they had caught, making sure that no animals would be able to find and eat it. Tommy knew that Phil was right outside so he didn't mind him not being in the car.

"Wilbur? Are you coming?" Tommy asks softly, Wilbur glancing over to see Techno laying down, his arms wrapped around Tommy, who was pushing himself up to look at Wilbur. Wilbur smiles faintly, noticing how tired both of his siblings were.

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for Phil. I'll be right there Tommy." Wilbur answers, looking back outside, waiting for Phil. Tommy nods and lays back down, cuddling against Techno for warmth. Phil glances up at the sound of his name, and smiles faintly, making sure to cover the buckets of food they had well. Phil walks over to Wilbur, who nods at him, standing up and walking over to his brothers. Wilbur lays down behind Techno and pulls up the blankets they had.

As Phil closes the door behind him, he walks over to his siblings and lays behind Tommy. He pulls up his own blanket and lays an arm over Tommy and Techno, making sure that they would be warm. Tommy and Techno were already dozing off, Tommy tired from crying, and Techno was tired because he was Techno.

Wilbur sighs faintly and glances up at Phil through the darkness. "We didn't really get anything done today, did we?" He murmurs softly. Phil smiles at him, feeling the same way.

"Tomorrow is another day." Is all Phil says back, before both of them go silent, falling asleep fairly quickly.

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eddiesasspbrak · 4 years

Text

Daydreams

Richie had trouble staying focused in class, always daydreaming about Eddie. He gets caught one too many times and has to face the punishment.

Part of my “I’d rearrange the alphabet to put U and I together” series

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3k+ words

Richie was in detention again. He was a good student when it came to his studies, consistently got As, but he couldn’t always keep his mouth shut. He’d landed himself in detention many times and had phone calls and letters home to discuss his behavior. Given his grades, they never took any serious action, though he hated how disappointed his parents would be each time. He tried to change, but you can’t easily change a trashmouth.

Lately, it wasn’t his mouth that was getting him in trouble. For a while he’d found himself daydreaming more than normal. He wasn’t a stranger to frequent daydreams when class became boring or he was in a situation that triggered one. The subject of each daydream had been the same and, at first, they had worried him. After a while he realized what exactly was going on inside his head and he accepted it and gave into it. He was hesitant to actually do anything, so he just ran scenarios through his head.

The subject of the daydreams was none other than his best friend, Eddie Kaspbrak. He wasn’t exactly sure when he fell in love with him, but part of him thought he always had been. It just took him a while to realize it. Before he truly understood what he was feeling he thought it might be due to puberty and rampant teenage hormones. But he was sure of it, it was love. Slowly the fantasies became more frequent and to the point where he couldn’t control them anymore. He’d look across the classroom at Eddie and all he’d have to do was yawn and suddenly Richie was gone into his mind, sitting under the big tree in front of school with Eddie’s head on his lap while he napped.

Sometimes he didn’t even realize he had zoned out until something pulled him out of it again. A few times he thought that he’d actually confessed his love for Eddie only to realize it wasn’t real. Probably for the best. It was worrisome though. If he couldn’t differentiate fantasy from reality, surely, he’d make a fool of himself eventually. Still, he couldn’t help himself. Eddie was like sunlight and Richie was the idiot who kept staring into it. If he went blind from his brilliance it would be worth it. Except that he wouldn’t be able to stare at him any longer, he’d have to survive on memories of his smile. He knew that if he voiced these things to Eddie, he would think he was crazy.

Every time Richie told a joke and Eddie laughed beside him, it filled him with warmth. He loved it when he’d tell him to shut up or he’d scold him for what he said too. He loved every part of him and every interaction with him was perfect. So why wouldn’t he want to extend them in his mind? The Eddie in his fantasies always told him that he loved him too. He wasn’t sure it would go like that in real life. He didn’t even know if Eddie liked boys or girls or somewhere in between. Richie wasn’t sure if he himself like boys in general or if it was just Eddie because he was all he saw. He’d imagined what it was like to kiss him so many times, he thought he might actually know what it felt like.

They’d been in history, learning about some old white guy, when Richie found himself looking at Eddie for the hundredth time that day. They didn’t sit together. Richie wasn’t allowed to sit with any of his friends in class because he was known to talk during lessons. That didn’t stop them from passing notes to one another. So, when he saw Eddie intensely focused on his notebook, it was unlikely he was writing notes about the lessons and more likely he was writing something to one of their friends. Or maybe to Richie. Maybe it was a love note that he would sneak into his locker or backpack signed from a secret admirer. And so, the fantasy started.

In his head, Richie saw Eddie slipping notes into his things and him finding them. In the pages of his textbook, in his pocket, in his locker, on his desk at the start of class, even in his lunch bag. Richie would theorize who it was sending him secret love letters until he finally caught Eddie with his hand in his backpack. Eddie would be embarrassed and flustered. He’d speak at the speed only he was capable of and deny that he was leaving a note. He’d say that he saw it in there and wanted to see what it said. Richie would know better and he’d silence Eddie with a kiss.

Richie was just getting to the good part when a hand slapped down on his desk, startling him and snapping him back into reality. It was the fourth time that week he’d zoned out in that class and the fourth time he’d been caught. He was sent to the office and, after a long lecture about the importance of paying attention in class, he was given a detention. It sucked but it was nothing he wasn’t used to.

After school, his friends walked him to the classroom where detention was held, telling him where to meet them when he was free.

“Real friends would find a way to get out of the detention.” He said with a grin.

They all ignored him, Stan rolled his eyes and Beverly shoved him through the door. He flipped them off as they left him there before finding a seat near the front. He found that if he was diligent in doing his homework during detention, sometimes they’d let him out a little early. So, he always sat in the front of the room, so they’d notice how hard he was working. Mrs. Walsh was the teacher left to babysit them this time. They rotated who had to supervise detention. She barely paid attention to them and he was pretty sure she was playing a game on her phone.

Not wanting to pull out a bunch of stuff, he decided to do some reading for his English class. They were currently working their way through Shakespeare plays and Hamlet was burning a hole in his backpack.

He did a decent job of focusing on it for a about ten minutes, and then his eyes began to get tired. This wasn’t unusual. He just had to take a short break, look at anything other than the words crammed together on the pages. The classroom they were in was usually used for science classes and the back half of the room was big tables with stools pushed up the edge and sinks off to one side. Other than that, they were empty as all of the science equipment was kept in cupboards that lined either side of the room only broken up by the emergency shower and eyewash station. At least once a week someone snuck into the classroom and pulled the chain that activated the shower and made a mess in the classroom.

The other people in detention were passing the time in their own ways. One girl in the corner was drawing in a sketch pad and had a charcoal smudge on her cheek. There was a guy sleeping with his legs up on the desk in front of him and his head tilted back against the seat. It looked painful. A girl sitting two seats over had a textbook open and propped up against a pile of books behind it. From the front it looked like she was studying but from where Richie was sitting, he could see that she had her phone hidden and was watching 10 Things I Hate About You. A favorite amongst him and his friends.

He thought about the plot and wondered if they’d get to The Taming of the Shrew while they were on Shakespeare plays. He’d never actually read or seen the play that the movie was based on, but he’d seen the movie about a hundred times with his friends. His mind drifted to the scene where Patrick was in detention and Kat entered the classroom to break him out. It was one of their top favorite scenes in the movie and suddenly Richie wondered if any of his friends would actually do that for him. He’d joked about it before entering the room, but he couldn’t actually see any of them doing it. Maybe Bev. It was a silly and sweet thing for someone to do he thought. The person he’d want to see do it would be Eddie. After all, it was supposed to be a romantic thing when Kat did it.

Any hope Richie had in getting back to the play were out the window as a new fantasy took over. Almost as if he’d been expecting it, Eddie entered the classroom, earning the attention of everyone awake. He was mildly flustered at the attention being on him as he made his way to the front desk. Mrs. Walsh looked up at him in annoyance as she set her phone aside, screen facing down. Richie really did wonder what she did on her phone that was so engrossing. He’d figured it was games but maybe she was on tinder. She was a widow, maybe she was looking for new love or just someone to warm her bed. Richie immediately regretted having that thought though he’d have to tell his friends that line later.

“Mr. Kaspbrak, I don’t see your name on the detention list today.” She said, eyeing the list sitting on the desk.

“No, I’m not here for detention. I’m here for Richie.” Eddie said, looking back at Richie with a small smile.

“Mr. Tozier still has forty minutes before he can leave.”

“I understand but it’s an emergency. His cousin…broke his leg.”

“I’m sure it will still be broken in forty minutes.”

“I know it doesn’t sound like it’s urgent, but you see, Richie is the only one he trusts. He doesn’t like being touched. So, he’s been screaming and threatening the EMTs with rocks if they come near him. We need Richie to come and calm him down so they can get him to the hospital and get a cast on his leg. If we don’t hurry, he could realistically lose his leg.”

“Mr. Kaspbrak-.”

“It’s true! My mom knows a guy who broke his leg while riding a bike on a trail and there was no one else around and no cell service. He couldn’t even drag himself for help so he just sat there praying someone would come by. He sat there four hours before someone finally came and by the time they got him to the hospital, the bone had started to…rot! They had to amputate, and he hasn’t ridden a bike since. Do you want that to happen to little…Timmy??”

Richie was biting his lip to keep from laughing as he watched Mrs. Walsh’s face go from mildly annoyed to extremely frustrated. She likely wasn’t believing a word coming from Eddie’s mouth, but she also didn’t want to deal with this any longer. Besides, this was Richie’s fantasy and he could make anything happen.

“Fine. Go attend to your cousin but I expect a letter from your mother by tomorrow.” She said, picking her phone back up.

“Yes ma’am!” Richie stood and grabbed his backpack, shoving Hamlet back into the open pocket.

He followed Eddie out into the hall and managed to hold his laughter until they were a good distance away. Eddie was smiling widely in a way that made Richie’s heart skip a beat. He just wanted to grab him and kiss him. But he would get to that later. He had plenty of time to enjoy the build up to it. He waited until they were outside to say anything.

“I thought you left with the others.” Richie said.

“I stayed behind to break you out. It took me a while to come up with an excuse though.” Eddie chuckled.

“It was a beautiful one. Hopefully little Timmy will be ok now that his favorite cousin is on his way.”

“Shut up, it was a good lie.”

Richie slung his arm around Eddie’s shoulders as they walked. The others would be at Bill’s house. He’d gotten a new multi-player video game they were all wanting to try. It was the first day since he’d gotten it that both of his parents would be out of the house so they could be as loud as they wanted without reprimand. Of course, Richie was in no rush to fantasize about what was actually going to come when he did get out of detention. He wanted to focus on Eddie.

“You’re my hero.” Richie said, squeezing his shoulder lightly.

“Does that make you the damsel in distress?” Eddie asked.

“Absolutely. I was debating growing my hair out or losing a shoe. But this works too.”

“You’re so dumb.” Despite his words, Eddie was smiling.

Richie didn’t know how much longer he had and all he could think about was kissing him. Even if it was pretend. They’d cut through the park, which was mostly empty this time of day, and the shade from trees set a mood with the sun poking through between the leaves above them. With no witnesses, his mind had created the perfect scene for a kiss with the object of his affection. Pulling Eddie to a stop with him, Richie dropped his bag in the dirt and, cupping his face with one hand, he leaned in and kissed him. It was an innocent kiss. More innocent than they typically were but he was in detention and didn’t want to draw attention to himself.

He’d imagined kissing Eddie so many times, basing it on the spin the bottle kiss he’d had a year prior at a birthday party. It was always the same in every fantasy, but this time was different. His lips were always pillowy and silky in his mind, but this time they were a little chapped yet still wonderful. Eddie always kissed him back immediately in his daydreams, this time he didn’t. When Richie pulled away, he looked shocked, his face and ears red.

“What…why…did you kiss me?” Eddie asked.

“Because I love you.” Richie had said those words more times than he could count while pretending. This time the weight of words felt heavy on his shoulders. Everything was different. Too different. Richie closed his eyes and tried to wake himself from the fantasy, but when he opened his eyes again, he was still standing in the park with Eddie. He knew that he’d been having trouble differentiating his daydreams from reality, but he never thought it was this bad. Bad enough to actually confess his love thinking it was just in his head.

Richie took in the still shocked face of the other boy and his heart began to pound in his chest. He felt like he couldn’t breathe, and he had to scramble for an excuse. “Fuck…hey Eds I was kidding. Don’t worry about it. Let’s go to Bill’s ok?” He picked his bag back up and slung it over his shoulder.

“You were kidding? What the fuck, Richie!” Eddie yelled, making no move to follow him. “I’m going home.”

Richie turned then, expecting to see Eddie’s angry face red and narrowed eyebrows. Instead, he was met with tears. At first, he wasn’t sure he’d seen them, but when one broke free and slid down his cheek, he was sure. He was crying. Why was he crying?

“Eds…I’m sorry. It was a dumb joke. You don’t have to cry about it.” Richie tried to laugh but he felt his heart breaking for a multitude of reasons.

“I thought you were serious! I should have known better. You may think everything you do is funny but playing with someone’s emotions isn’t! Did Stan tell you about my feelings? Is that why you did this?”

“Feelings? Stan hasn’t told me anything.”

“Don’t lie to me. Why else would you do that?”

Richie wasn’t stupid. He always got good grades and studying was easy for him. He’d learned to read between the lines and was able to understand people even when they weren’t speaking plainly. So, it didn’t take more than a second for him to understand what Eddie was saying. He loved Richie. Or at least liked him as more than a friend. He was so stupid for not noticing before. He’d always thought he was just looking too far into little things, hoping to find proof that he felt the same way. Now he knew he wasn’t.

“Eddie, I love you. I lied. It wasn’t a joke. I love you so much that I can’t stop thinking about you. I kissed you without thinking and panicked. Please don’t cry.” Richie had dropped his bag once more and was pulling Eddie into a tight hug against his chest.

“Are you lying?” Eddie sniffled.

“No. I swear. I’ve thought about telling you and kissing you so many times it’s criminal.”

Eddie chuckled a bit, his arms coming back around his middle, squeezing him back. One day Richie would tell him the truth about the fantasies and the mistake, but now wasn’t the time. He just wanted to hold him in his arms and maybe kiss him again and again until they got sick of it. As if that was possible.

After coming to an agreement, Richie sent a text to Bill informing him that he and Eddie would not be joining them at his place that afternoon. Instead, they would be going to Richie’s basement where they would be left alone and could talk about their newly found feelings for one another. And kiss. He couldn’t’ forget about the kissing. He’d thought about it so much, now that he could actually do it, Richie wasn’t about to let a second pass when he could be kissing Eddie Kaspbrak. The daydreams wouldn’t stop there, he’d just get to tell Eddie about them afterward and learn of the daydreams he had as well.

#Reddie #richie tozier #eddie kaspbrak #It (2017)#it (2019)#ro writes

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