Chapter Text
“Would you hurry up, Eds. Jesus, I’m not getting any fucking younger over here.”
“I’m the one driving, so you better stop calling me, Richie.”
“I will once you pick me up. Bill is insufferable when he’s bored.”
“I think you mean you are.” Eddie corrected, trying not to pull on the phone cord as he wedged his shoes on.
“But he won’t stop telling me to sit down. Eddie. Come on.” Richie begged. “While we’re young.”
“Okay okay. I’ll be right there.” Eddie placed the phone back on the wall and checked his pockets for his keys and wallet. He scribbled a note for his mother on the pad hanging by the phone: Picking up the guys. Don’t wait up. High school had been just another wedge between Eddie and his mother– besides their polarizing cultural differences; the turn of the decade was proving to be a hardship for their already tense relationship.
As he approached his car, still squarely parked in the driveway, he checked the tires, tapping them with his shoes stiffly. The one incident junior year with a flat tire made Eddie paranoid there would be another railroad spike in the road or in his tire. He couldn’t drive without checking at least once. Or twice.
Richie was already with Bill that morning, ready for their trip downtown– spring break had already come to the point where they went downtown just to have something to do and all day to do it. Eddie backed out of his driveway, his mirrors adjusted and perfect, and began driving to Bill’s house. The drive was typically boring, a fine exercise in Point A to Point B driving. Nothing hard to remember, not even a traffic light to stop him. Eddie never really passed anyone on the road– especially not anyone on foot.
There was a boy, probably Eddie’s age, wandering along the edge of the street. The street was along the back of the neighborhood, the boy calling out into driveway alleys and empty patches of grass. He definitely didn’t go to school with Eddie or any of his friends. He couldn’t have been from Derry. Against his greater judgment and childhood instincts, Eddie pulled the car over.
“Hey, everything alright?” Eddie asked, cranking his window down. “You lost?”
“I–I’m looking for someone. We were walking around, trying to get that stuffy hotel air out of our heads, and then– then I turn around and I can’t find him! I swear he was right– MIKE! MIKE!” The boy didn’t even want to stop searching long enough to finish a full sentence. His eyes were naturally round but when with the whites of his eyes framing them as he stared out around him, they seemed to get bigger.
“Hey, I’m going downtown. Why don’t I drive you in and you can see if you see him?” Eddie offered, leaning over to open his passenger door. “I have to grab some friends, but then we’ll take you in. How’s that?”
“I have to find him.” The boy said quickly. “I have to find him.”
“You will. Come on.” Eddie hit the seat beside him and motioned for the boy to get inside. “I’m Eddie.”
“Will. Hi.” Will stuck out a shaking hand to Eddie, the two of them seemingly more scared of each other than the situation.
“So, what are you doing here?” Eddie asked, starting to drive again. “Derry, I mean. You said hotel, so I assumed you aren’t from here.”
“We’re not.” Will shook his head. “It was his idea for spring break– Maine, I don’t know. Him and Jonathan thought of it I guess– I don’t know. I don’t know!” Will muttered, looking out the window. He called Mike’s name out into the streets, scaring the people Eddie was passing on Bill’s street. As if Eddie wasn’t strange enough…
“Derry isn’t that big. You’ll find him.” Eddie offered comfort in the only way he knew how at the moment: vague uncertainty.
“No. I was doing some research before we came here and–”
“Don’t do that.” Eddie muttered. “Just… don’t. You’ll have a better time if you don’t.” Eddie had done his fair share of hiding newspapers and articles from any visiting relatives; if his name showed up anywhere, his entire family would turn into the Derry Police Department, asking one hundred and one questions all over again.
Will muttered a quiet agreement before rolling up his window. He crossed his arms as Eddie pulled up outside of Bill’s house. Eddie opened his car door, motioning for Will to stay put before marching up to Bill’s door.
“Bill! Open up!” Eddie called, not even close enough to knock. “I gotta talk to you.”
“Cuh-cuh-coming!” Bill’s voice answered from inside the house. Eddie tried not to look behind him at the boy sitting in his car. He tried not to make him any more nervous by being a suspicious set of eyes. “Let me grab my coat.” Bill said, opening his door to let Eddie in.
“It’s not that cold out.” Eddie said quickly. “You’ll be fine.”
“And risk a cold?” Richie teased, raising an eyebrow at Eddie. “What has gotten into you Eds?”
“Listen, I picked someone up from town.” Eddie continued, ignoring Richie and looking on at Bill.
“Jesus, Eddie. You don’t have to pay for it. Just ask, man.” Richie continued to nag Eddie anyway, pulling on his arm and tugging him through the doorway.
“Shut up, Re–Re–Richie.” Bill scolded, hitting him upside the head. Richie’s glasses fell off his nose and clattered to the ground by their feet. “What’s wrong with them?”
“He lost someone. I’m driving him into town to see if we spot him.” Eddie explained. “But he’s jumpy so just… don’t be a dick.” Eddie turned his head to Richie, still rubbing the back of his head, eyes squinting to find Bill in the blur.
“Mike!”
They all jumped at the loud cry at the foot of the porch stairs. Eddie stepped aside, trying to find the fourth person in the house. Richie continued squinting at Bill, who was still just trying to put on a damn coat.
“Mike, where the hell have you been? I turn around for one minute and you just take off? That’s not funny!” He apparently thought someone in the room was Mike, continuing the conversation as he marched up the steps. He locked eyes with Richie, who was making an expression misconstrued with disgust as he stared at Will walking towards him. “Don’t ever do that again.” He reached for Richie, hands grabbing his face and bringing the stranger’s face into Richie’s focus. Being nearsighted meant that Will was in perfect focus as he leaned in to kiss him.
“Whoa, whoa, what the fuck.” Richie cried, pushing Will’s hands away from his face. “Dude. Not that kind of fucking search party.”
“Mike, what are you talking about?”
“My name is Richie.” He said slowly, tapping his chest. He reached down to grab his glasses, sliding them onto his nose to relieve his taunt expression. “Who the fuck is Mike?”
“Hanlon?” Bill asked. “Is that who you’re looking for?”
“Do I look like Mike?” Richie asked, waving his hands out to Bill. “Fucking idiot.”
Will looked at Richie with those same wide, scared eyes that had been glued to Eddie earlier. “You aren’t Mike. You aren’t Mike.”
“No fucking shit, buddy.”
“Why aren’t you Mike?” He asked, shaking his head. “Why aren’t you Mike? Why? What happened?” His breathing began to quicken, his eyes looking between the three of them rapidly. “It doesn’t have clones. No, we haven’t found any clones yet. That’s not… That’s not a thing. She didn’t mention clones.”
“Clones?” Eddie echoed. Oh, good, he picked up an actual maniac and brought it into Bill’s house. “He’s not a clone, Will. I promise. Richie’s real.”
“I–I have to go. I have to go home.” Will backed out of the house slowly, still keeping his eyes fixed on Richie. “There aren’t supposed to be clones. No.”
“What is he talking about?” Bill asked, adjusting his coat lapels before following Will out of the house. “Where are you going?”
“MIKE! MIKE, WHERE ARE YOU?” He stood at the end of Bill’s driveway and began screaming, allowing pathetic silence after each call to wait for a response. “This isn’t funny, Mike. MIKE!”
“Should w–we help him?” Bill asked.
“On second thought, maybe we let him walk downtown.” Eddie muttered, watching the boy staggering down the street, screaming Mike’s name into every car window and every dark corner he passed. “If he’s right in any capacity… That means there are two of Richie. And I don’t think I want to find that.”
“Excuse me I am a fucking catch, Eddie. You know that.” Richie retorted, stepping closer to the door and onto the porch. “Now this I’ve gotta see.”
Before either Eddie or Bill could stop Richie, he took off after Will. They tried to chase him but didn’t want to seem like an ambush to the boy already shouting at Richie to get away from him. Richie didn’t seem to get the hint for another three blocks, the two of them nearly stumbling into hedges that surrounding the town’s park central.
“Would you stop fucking running? I’m trying to talk to you!”
“Get back!” Will screamed, holding both his arms back. “MIKE!” The entire park was beginning to stare at them; family’s having picnic’s, children on the swing sets, couples nestled on benches. “Don’t get any closer!” Will yelled, backing himself against a tree. A few men nearby began to advance towards them as the fear began to spread over the park. “MIKE!”
“I don’t know who you are looking for. Why don’t we take you to the police station?” Eddie offered, grabbing the collar of Richie’s shirt to stop him from inching further.
“Yeah, maybe they’ll put him back in the asylum he escaped from.” Richie scoffed, eyeing Will’s shaking hands as they gripped the tree bark pressing against his back. “He’s about a Richter Scale eight, man. Jesus fuck.”
“Will, let’s get more people looking for your friend. How about that? How about–”
“MIKE!” Will cried again, pointing over Richie’s shoulder.
“No, dude. I’m Richie.”
“Will!” A distant voice answered. “Oh my god, there you are.” Eddie turned to look past Richie, but somehow seemed to still be staring right at him. Someone looking exactly like Richie was running up to Will, oblivious to anyone else around him. “I’m sorry. I wandered for a second and thought I would circle back but then– I don’t know what happened!”
“I was so worried!” The two collided and held onto each other in a way that Richie was sure to make quiet gagging noises about. Eddie couldn’t help but know what that kind of high-intense relief felt like. He was happy there was someone out there to calm Will down.
While Eddie and Richie were noticing their own observations about the endearing couple, Bill seemed to be the only one with a brain in the matter, tapping the boys harshly and pointing.
“Uh, is everyone else suh-suh-seeing double?” He asked quietly. “That kid looks exactly like Richie.”
“He does not.” Richie scoffed.
“Get a better prescription.” Eddie responded, siding with Bill. “You can’t read the goddamn E.”
“Guys, God doesn’t make more than one man in perfect image.” Richie sighed. “It’s like, in the bible.”
Bill and Eddie sighed before looking back at the two boys. Will was whispering to Mike, holding his hand tightly in his own and slowly peering back over towards them. Mike was frozen, locking his focus on the boy convinced that the ice cream stand down the street was far more interesting.
“R–Richie?”
“That’s my name.” He responded, yawning. Mike approached them with timid steps, still clutching Will’s hand.
“Mom… Mom said you died.” Mike breathed, his lip quivering. Wait, what?
“Whom?” Richie asked, turning his head to put his ear closer to Mike.
“Wait… that’s the kid from the picture?” Will asked quietly, his lips parting as he gasped in surprise.
“What photo?” Eddie asked. “Of Richie?”
Mike was still struck by silence, Will cutting in for him. “There’s this polaroid in Mike’s house… I always thought it was a friend from daycare or something. They were both so young. I couldn’t tell but, I see it now.”
“See what?” Richie asked, throwing his hands up.
“We’re twins.” Mike said.
“I am not adopted.” Richie said shortly. “There’s no way.”
“Your back.” Mike said. “There’s a scar there, right? On your left shoulder?” Richie slowly moved his hand to his shoulder and answered him silently. “I have one too. We were fused together just on the shoulder. They cut us apart and then you went to your other parents.”
“I am not adopted!” Richie yelled, pointing at Mike.
“R–Richie! You have dark curly hair and buh-both of your parents are platinum blond!” Bill cried, waving his arms out to Mike. “He’s your brother!”
“Oh my god.” Mike whispered, a lifetime of curiosity and denial washing away from Mike’s tense expression. He stepped forward, taking in Richie with new, hopeful eyes. Will stood beside him, squeezing his hand and grinning between the two of them.
“Oh my god.” Richie sighed, groaning. “I am adopted!”
“RICHIE!”