Chapter Text
“Are we ever going to leave Derry?” Eddie asked one day. Bev and Richie looked up at him, the only other losers in the clubhouse that moment. All the others were out either studying like losers or otherwise preoccupied. He was pretty sure the question came from Bev mentioning Ben sending in his college applications.
Like normal, Richie and Eddie sat on the same hammock, squished together on the tight space because neither were willing to compromise when it came to this.
And maybe Richie liked it when Eddie got annoyed, with his cute scrunched up face and red cheeks. Maybe he liked it when Eddie jumped onto the hammock with him, their bodies slotted together sharing heat.
“Of course we’re leaving this fucking town,” Richie said without hesitation, his eyes looking up to linger on Eddie’s face. Eddie’s eyes haven’t left the comic he was reading, in fact, he was staring it with an intensity that Richie couldn’t quite place.
“Yeah,” Bev said, her voice soft. “As soon as we can Eddie, you know that.”
Eddie made a soft humming noise, turning the page even though Richie knew he hadn’t read a single fucking word of what was in front of him.
“What are you thinking of Bev?” Eddie asked casually, flipping another page for some reason.
“My aunt and I are thinking of moving away soon,” She said. “I want to go to college, but not sure what for exactly.”
Eddie nodded slowly, the space between his eyes scrunching up in what almost looked like an attempt to stop himself from crying, and Richie couldn’t shake off the wrongness in Eddie’s posture. Eddie had been acting weird lately, ever since school had been coming to an end and everyone was talking about what colleges they wanted to go to or what cities they wanted to move to.
“What about you Rich?”
Richie blinked, Eddie’s voice snapping him out of his musing. He realized Eddie had finally looked up, catching Richie staring at him and despite himself he felt a bright red blush heating up his cheeks, so he quickly looked away, his eyes falling to Beverly, who was smirking like she knew something he didn’t.
“I just want to get out of this fucking town,” Richie sighed, finally deciding to stare up at the ceiling. “Anywhere is better than here.”
“You can say that again,” Beverly snorted, and the smoky smell of cigarettes filled the room in the telltale sign that Beverly had started smoking. “Derry is the worst.”
For a hot minute, the only sound filling the room was the methodically flipping of comic pages, the small puff of Beverly’s exhale, and the soft creak of the hammock swinging from side to side.
Then Eddie spoke up again.
“I don’t I’ll be able to leave.”
Richie startled enough that the hammock swung hazardously, and somehow Eddie didn’t snap at him, calling him an asshole among other things. The other boy was silent, his eyes steadily staring at the page.
Richie noticed the pale quality of his skin, the bags under his eyes, the thin jutting bones of his wrist. He had noticed these before of course, but he never worried about them, passing them off as one of Eddie’s weird habits. But under the soft and spotty lighting in the clubhouse, it seemed more pronounced just how dead his best friend looked.
He was still beautiful, of course he was. No matter how hard Richie tried, he never could think of Eddie as anything other than beautiful. But that was stupid of course, because he was his best friend.
“What do you mean you’re not leaving?” Beverly asked, laughing slightly but Richie could hear the concern hidden behind it. “You want to stay here?”
“I never said I didn’t want to leave,” Eddie snapped, harsh even for him. “I said I couldn’t.”
“Your mom?” Bev whispered; her voice gentle. Richie knew he should say something, but he was too busy trying to process everything.
The thought of Eddi never leaving this town scared him. The thought of Eddie staying here with his mom who smothered him to the point of mental breakdowns, of Eddie staying with the people who mocked him, belittled him. The thought of Eddie staying here while Richie went away.
He couldn’t imagine leaving town without Eddie.
“She’s been getting worse,” Eddie said, sighing and putting the comic down, rubbing his eyes. “She wants me to try and get a job at the fucking pharmacy.”
“I can try to talk her out of it when I see her tonight, but we might be otherwise occupied so I might forget.” He blurted out, despite knowing this was the worst time for one of his mother fucking jokes.
Sure enough, Bev shot him a look of pure fire, but somehow Eddie only snorted, shaking his head and kicking Richie int eh face.
“Asshole,” He muttered, but Richie noticed some of the tenseness leaving his shoulder, so Richie considered it a win.
He continued on, poking fun at Eddie until the two of them were half fighting on the hammock, a mess of legs attempting to smack the others face, but inside he couldn’t help but make himself a promise.
He wasn’t leaving town without Eddie, even if he had to pack his smaller friend into a suitcase in order to smuggle him out.
___________________________________________
He isn’t sure why he said it, when they sat outside Eddie’s house, neither wanting to go inside.
They had started this ritual years ago, when Eddie was too scared to walk home by himself in the dark, forcing Richie to go with him. It had stuck, and even four years later they still walked home together, sometimes talking, sometimes not. This was one of the nights they didn’t, both lost in their thoughts until they got there.
Richie loved talking; anyone could tell you that. He loved to fill the nothingness in the air with sound, lighting up the air with his words. But he enjoyed basking in the silence with Eddie. He never felt pressured to talk when he was around, and found that the two of them could sometimes sit in silence, and Richie wouldn’t feel the need to say a thing.
This wasn’t one of these nights.
He wasn’t not talking because he didn’t feel like it, he wasn’t talking because he was thinking.
He couldn’t stop thinking of how sad Eddie’s face looked in the light of the clubhouse when he said he didn’t think he would be able to leave. He couldn’t stop thinking how over the past few weeks Eddie had changed, had become more withdrawn, more prone to silence than his normal energetic rants. Richie can’t help but think that somehow his best friend was pulling away and he was simply letting it happen.
And yet he still wasn’t fully sure why he said it, but he did anyway.
“You should come with me,” He blurted out, pointedly staring at the front of Eddie’s house instead of the look of shock that was probably written on his best friend’s face. “Out of here, I mean.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Eddie said, and yet his voice held no bite.
“I’m leaving,” Richie admitted, finally turning to face Eddie. His face was unreadable in the dark, and Richie wanted to move closer, to demand that Eddie tell him what he was thinking. “When schools out. I have a plan to go to LA. Try and get my career going.”
“Why haven’t you told me before this?” Eddie asked, and Richie could hear some hurt buried deep inside the tone. School was ending in just under tow weeks. Richie already had his bags packed and ready to go.
“I didn’t want to upset you,” Richie admitted, looking away again.
“Well you failed at that you asshole,” Eddie said with a laugh, sounding only a touch hysterical. His voice was strained, and Richie was half worried he was going to need his inhaler. But Eddie was getting better at not needing it, and soon he had his breathing under control again. “Fuck, I have like two weeks longer to spend with you and I didn’t even know it.”
Richie could already tell Eddie was still spiraling, so he tried his best to fix it. Or something like fixing it.
“But you can come with me,” He stressed. “We can go to LA and you can go get your medical degree or some shit, and we can live in the same apartment so I can drive you fucking crazy and you can tell me how shitty my jokes are.”
He was rambling, they both knew it. But the more he talked, the more the picture inside his head formed. A part of him had been preparing himself to leave Eddie, leave all of them really, but the thought of leaving Eddie was the worst for some reason he refused to think about. But he had found a way around it, a way to make sure that he never had to leave Eddie in this shithole of a town.
They could go together, the two of them against the world just like how it always was. Sure, the rest of the losers were always there, but in reality, Richie had always been closer to Eddie.
It was Eddie and Richie, Richie and Eddie. The two of them surviving and dealing with the horrors of the world together. And now they could continue that, and Richie never had to live with not being able to see Eddie.
“Rich,” Eddie sighed, turning to him, his arms crossed and his shoulders hunched. He was probably freezing, Richie wished he had a jacket to give him. Anything to get him form shaking so pathetically. He wondered if Eddie would let him rub his hands over his arms to try and put some heat into it. “I don’t know.”
“Would you rather stay here?” Richie asked, sweeping his arms up to gesture to the town around them. “You want to crawl back into that house and roll over for your mom and pop whatever pills she shoved into your mouth?”
Eddie frowns, his nose scrunching up and he almost looks like he's pouting and dear god Richie finds it to be the cutest thing ever.
“No,” Eddie finally admits, his shoulders falling. “For once in your useless life your right.”
“Sorry, what was that?” Richie asked, a grin creeping up on his face. “I might need you to say that again so I can record that.”
“Beep Beep asshole,” Eddie said, rolling his eyes.
“Oh you love me,” Richie cackled, shaking his head.
“Yeah,” Eddie said, and Richie’s heart stopped in his chest for a full ten seconds, like his entire body short-circuited at that one simple word.
“So you’ll come with me?” He says after a moment, still feeling slightly out of breath.
“I guess I will,” Eddie giggles, and he wants to bottle the sound. “Fuck Rich, I guess I am.”
“Awesome sauce,” Richie said, shooting him two finger guns. “Pack your bags Eds, we are going on a road trip in t minus two weeks!” He turns around, unable to hide his smile and he practically skips away.
“Don’t call me that!” Eddie yells after him, but all that does is make the smile grow larger in his mouth.
________________________________________
Two weeks later they walked the stage, and after a night celebrating with the other Losers, Richie almost regrets having to say goodbye.
Bill hugs him tightly, stuttering in his ear while telling him not to do anything stupid. Stan is similar, but his smile is softer, and they exchange numbers, because Stan is his other best friend and a part of Richie hates leaving him behind, even if he knows Stan is leaving in a couple of weeks too.
Ben hugs him, and says they need to keep in contact. Mike tells him not to starve while in LA and makes him promise to phone at least once every month. Bev hugs him tightly, winking at him and wagging his eyebrows while her eyes dart over his shoulder to Eddie.
The two of them haven’t said they were leaving together, but Richie knew that it wouldn’t be hard to put together. Since, you know, they were leaving on the same night.
He smacks her shoulder, and she wishes him good luck, passing him her cigarette for one last smoke between friends.
Then they're gone, and as Richie drives out of the town, Eddie strapped into the passenger seat, he can help but finally feel free.
Free of the nightmares that woke him up weekly, free of the dark cloud surrounding the town, free of the heaviness weighing him down.
He glances over to Eddie, who had already fallen asleep despite it only being like midnight, and he smiles.
He had no clue where to go from here, but he was free and he had his best friend by his side.
He would figure it out.
________________________________
The bar was dimly lit, the chatter of voices and the pounding of music filling the air, loud clinks of glasses hitting each other pulling Richie’s attention every way.
Eddie was walking in front of him, his wide eyes wandering around, his skin glowing in the almost red-colored lighting.
“It’s loud as fuck in here,” Eddie complained, turning to look at Richie, who is taken aback for a moment with how stunning Eddie looks at the moment. But he shakes his head and focuses on the task in front of him.
“Lindsay said she would be by the back,” He said instead of answering Eddie’s observation. “If the fucker showed up that is.”
“You have such affectionate ways of referring to our friends,” Eddie deadpanned, walking forwards again.
“Awe,” Richie cooed. “You know I love her anyway, even if she is a fucker.”
Eddie snorted, and then suddenly someone was pushing his way in between the two of them, his shoulder knocking into Richie’s, sending him stumbling back a step. He couldn’t see Eddie at the moment, and he groaned, once again marveling at how small his friend was.
He looked around, and suddenly something was grabbing onto his hand, and he followed the arm back up to Eddie's face, the man in question holding an annoyed look on his face.
“I think I need to put a leash on you,” Eddie grumbled, not letting go of his hand as he tugs him through the thickening crowd again.
“Kinky,” Richie teased, in order to pretend that he wasn’t having a crisis just by holding Eddie’s hand. They were rough, calloused and firm but small, pathetically small in his hand.
It had been a year since they moved from their hometown, which he can’t remember the name of for some reason, and Richie knew that he was hopelessly in love with his friend.
He wasn’t sure how long it’s been, in fact, any of his previous memories of Eddie were a bit blurry, but Richie knew that he had always loved him.
And how fucked was that? Falling in love with your best friend. He tried to cover up his feelings with multiple girlfriends and one-night stands. But he couldn’t quash the fluttering feeling he got when he saw Eddie. He couldn’t ignore that he found Eddie’s laugh so much more beautiful than any other girls.
But he did his best, because he was like 80% sure that Eddie didn’t think of him in that way and one thing Richie was not about to do was jeopardize their friendship. He would rather drown in repression than lose Eddie.
They were meeting their friend Lindsay, who for some reason wanted to meet them in the middle of the town's busiest bar. Eddie continued to tug him further in the back, their hands clasped tightly together and Richie really hopped his hands weren’t sweaty. How embarrassing would that be?
They finally spotted Lindsay in the back, taking a shot while she talked to her current boyfriend, who Richie personally thought was a huge D-bag.
“Rich!” She cried when she saw them. “Eddie! Fancy meeting you here.”
“You literally invited us here,” Eddie said, dropping Richie’s hand and he tried not to miss the contact.
“Don’t be so literal.” She said, waving a hand. “Sit down you guys!”
They did, taking the seat opposite to the two lovebirds.
“This place is wonderful isn’t it?” She asked, leaning closer to them and practically shouting in order to be heard.
“This place is probably crawling with disease.” Eddie sniffed, looking around. “I’m pretty sure I saw at least two dead people.”
“Lighten up Eds,” Richie laughed, slapping his best friends’ shoulder. “I love this place.”
“Of course you do,” Eddie rolled his eyes. “It’s just as disgusting as you asshole.”
“I’m hurt!” Richie cried out, a hand resting over his head. “You wound me Eds.”
“Don’t call me that,” Eddie grumbled, but Richie ignored him.
“So,” He said to the other two. “Why are we here today? Celebrating a birthday? An engagement? Are you preggers?”
“Shut up Rich,” Lindsay rolled her eyes. “You know we’re here to celebrate your first booking.”
“Oh!” He cried, laughing. “That little thing?”
“Don’t be so modest,” She groaned. “It took you forever in order to get this deal, we might as well celebrate.”
“I mean, it is pretty great I guess.” Richie shrugged in false modestly, shooting a wink at Eddie. “I guess I’m a star now.”
“Oh god,” Eddie groaned. “You're letting this get to his head Linds, what are you doing?”
They laughed about it, all grabbing a shot glass and raising it into the air.
“To Richie!” Lindsay said.
“For him finally getting his shit together so he can help pay the bills,” Eddie teased, and Richie blew him a kiss before they all downed the drinks.
The night progressed easily, the four of them chatting easily and drinking until they were all drunk.
Lindsay and the boyfriend started making out, eventually stumbling off to the dancefloor and leaving Eddie and him alone. Richie didn’t really mind.
He was happy.
It took him almost three years, three long years of working off jobs and booking any venues he could to gain attention, but he had finally gotten the attention of a fairly big agent, who hooked him up with some petty big dates. If this went well he could actually gain attention for his career to launch, he could literally become a professional comedian. Which was huge for him.
Eddie was on his third year of his bachelor's degree in finances, which was probably the most boring thing Richie had ever heard. He wanted to become a risk analyst, which again, boring, but he was also currently working in a big-time cab driving agency, and he had literally driven around major celebrities more than once.
In fact, that was how Richie had gotten the job he had. Eddie had given a big shot agent a ride, and when the same dude saw Eddie at one of Richie’s smaller shows, he had actually stayed to listen to the show, which he somehow actually enjoyed. Next thing Richie knew, he had signed a five-performance deal.
Things were actually looking up, and he was drunk as fuck.
He smiled over at Eddie, who was also pretty much out of it.
“Did you ever think we’d get here Spaghetti?” He asked, cutting Eddie’s rambled story off.
“Nope,” Eddie replied, popping the p. “Never thought you’d actually do anything in life.”
“Ouch,” Richie laughed. “I’ll go fuck myself I guess.”
Eddie giggled, punching Richie’s shoulder lightly.
“I’m kidding you dick,” He said. “I’m proud of you fuck face.”
“You think we would have thought this possible ten years ago?” Richie sighed his head resting against the wall behind him.
“Did I know you ten years ago?” Eddie asked.
Richie’s first instinct was to say yes, the word at the tip of his tongue, but then he really thought of it.
Did he know Eddie ten years ago? His memory was foggy, and he was pretty sure it wasn’t just because of the ridiculous amount of alcohol he drank.
He hadn’t thought much of the past since they left. Hell, he couldn’t remember much about his past at all.
If he focused hard enough, he remembered brown eyes staring at him, a soft smile, a group of people laughing with him, fear.
But they were all just whips in the back of his mind, distant memories blurred from his mind. He never thought about it, was never concerned about the fact that he couldn’t remember things most people could his past.
He knew he knew Eddie from before. Knew they left together, but how long had they known each other? Why couldn’t Richie picture Eddie any younger?
“How did we meet?” Richie asked, turning to his best friend, who looked just as confused.
“I don’t know,” Eddie hummed. “Are we that drunk?”
“No,” Richie denied. Then he thought about it. “Well yes actually, but I don’t think that’s it.”
“Weird,” Eddie said, reaching for his drink and taking a sip. “I don’t remember anything about my past.”
“We don’t need to,” Richie found himself saying, staring intensely at Eddie. Eddie looked over at him, those brown eyes wide and innocent, his cheeks blushed red from the alcohol. He looked truly handsome, sitting against the dark wall, the poor lighting bouncing off his cheeks. His lips were full and pink, slightly wet from the drink he just took a sip from.
Richie wanted to kiss him.
“We don’t need to remember,” He repeated, a surge of confidence rising in him. He must have had way too much to drink. “I don’t care if I don’t remember meeting you Eds, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re my best friend. I could remember a hundred years with you or only one, and you’ll still be my Eds.”
Eddie was silent for a long moment, his eyes flickering over Richie’s face and down to his lips.
Then, before Richie could even think to react in any way, Eddie was leaning forwards, their lips crashing together messily.
It was everything Richie had ever dreamed of.
Eddie tasted like cheap beer and breath mints, his lips chapped and ripped from how he was always biting at them but Richie really didn’t mind.
His hand reached up, cupping Eddie’s soft cheek in his hand as he kissed back, and he swore he saw fireworks go off behind his eyes.
He had dreamed of kissing Eddie since even before he could remember, had fantasized about how perfectly their lips would fit together, how perfect Eddie would feel pressed against him. The reality of the situation did not live those down.
They pulled away after a long moment, both of them panting slightly and he stared into Eddie’s eyes, his pupils blown wide.
“Fuck,” Richie whispered, as elegant as always.
Eddie laughed, his forehead leaning forwards to press together.
“Fuck,” He agreed.
“We should have done that a lot sooner.” Richie laughed, his hand moving to cup the back of Eddie’s neck, his fingers tangling in the slightly wild curls back there. He needed a haircut.
“No shit,” Eddie replied, pulling back and pressing their lips together chastely. “I’ve wanted to do that for years.”
“Really?” Richie asked, his voice louder than he wanted. “Me too!”
They stared at each other for a long moment before they burst into laughter, pulling away from each other because they were laughing too hard.
Richie felt like he was going to overflow with giddiness, and a part of him knows that this was a moment long overdue, a moment that he had waited for almost his entire life.
He didn’t quite remember a lot about his past, but he knew that he has always been in love with Eddie Kaspbrak.
________________________________________________
“Eddie!” Richie called out into their house. “I’m home!”
“No shit!” Came Eddie’s answering call, and a few seconds later his boyfriend came meandering out of their bedroom, leaning against the wall. “How was the meeting?”
“It was wonderful,” Richie said, throwing his jacket to the ground, which Eddie picked up seconds later. “My next show is sold out; the people love me.”
“I’d be more impressed if you wrote your own jokes,” Eddie told him, and Richie groaned, his head thrown back as he launched himself onto the couch.
“I get it,” He sighed. “I am the worst, we know that.”
“I never said that,” Eddie said from somewhere behind him. “I just said the jokes you tell suck.”
“Because I don’t write them?” Richie said hopefully.
“No, cause you aren’t funny dickhead,” Eddie replied, but Richie heard the affection in his voice.
“Oh you love me,” Richie snorted, his eyes fluttering closed.
“I do,” Eddie said, a lot closer and Richie’s eyes cracked open to see his boyfriend hanging over top of him, smiling softly. Eddie leaned down, their lips pressing tougher and Richie smiled into the kiss. He never grew bored of kissing Eddie. “It’s our seventh year in a week, you planning something special?”
“I am,” Richie said, despite knowing he had nothing planned. “You're going to love it.”
A week later they were out at dinner, Eddie’s favorite expensive restaurant.
Richie couldn’t believe that they had only been dating for seven years. He was 28 years old, and his career was thriving. Soon enough Richie Tozier was going to be a household name, and he was booking dates everywhere, even planning for a worldwide tour within a few years.
Eddie worked at some insurance business, still working as a cabbie driver on the side. They were happy, rich, and thriving.
Richie had everything he could have ever dreamed of, and honestly, he was sure that nothing could bring him down at this point.
“We should go for a walk,” Richie proposed after they paid and were walking home.
Eddie looked over at him with an annoyed look in his eyes.
“It’s like 11:00 pm Rich,” He said, their hands tangling together.
“So?” Richie scoffed. “We’re adults.”
Eddie laughed, and Richie smacked his shoulder but couldn’t help his own smile from surfacing.
They walked for a while, finding a park and aimlessly wandering around, rambling about everything and nothing.
Eddie talked about his job, and Richie paid attention despite finding nothing entertaining about it at all. It was worth it to see the excited look in Eddie’s eyes, see his smile when he was talking about the most recent customer he drove.
They got to where Richie placed his surprise, and they stopped in front of a small pond. Richie couldn’t help but feel nervous as he shifted from foot to foot.
“Close your eyes Eds,” He said, and Eddie raised an eyebrow but entertained him, his eyes fluttering shut.
Richie darted to the side, pulling out his surprise and grinning down at it. He walked back in front of Eddie, holding the gift in his hands.
“Okay,” He said. “Open them.”
Eddie’s eyes flew open, and he stared at Richie in shock.
“Is that a fucking dog?” Eddie asked.
Richie looked down at the little Pomeranian puppy in his hands, the adorable little thing with brown puffy fur and the cutest little eyes.
“Uh, yeah.” He said, as if it was obvious.
“You bought me a dog?” Eddie asked.
“Surprise?” Richie asked, trying to grin but it came out more like a please-don’t-kill-me look.
“Oh my fucking god,” Eddie said, and then he was laughing, reaching out and pulling the puppy from Richie’s arms.
“Do you like it?” Richie asked, coming closer and wrapping his arms around Eddie from the side.
“I hate dogs,” Eddie muttered, but Richie could see the joy in his eyes. “What the fuck are we going to name it?”
“Penny?” He offered, but Eddie shook his head.
“That’s a shitty name.” He told him.
“Thanks,” Richie said, frowning. “Let’s name him Katz.”
“Katz?” Eddie laughed; his head thrown back. “You want me to name our dog after a cat?”
“Uhm,” Richie buffered. “Yeah?”
“I hate it,” Eddie said, grinning at the puppy. “Welcome to the family you little fucker.” He muttered to the dog, who squirmed happily.
“Happy seventh Eds,” Richie said, turning Eddie’s head with his hand so he could press his lips against his boyfriends.
“Don’t call me that,” Eddie whispered back, before kissing him even harder.
_________________________________________
On their tenth year of dating, Richie proposes.
One year after that they ran off to the Netherland to get married.
Seven years after that and they're happier than ever, the three of them creating an odd mismatched family and Richie couldn’t ask for anything more in life.
He had a beautiful husband who he loved more than anything, a dog who Eddie pretended to hate and Richie loved almost as much as his husband, and he had a wonderful job that made him very very rich.
They weren’t technically out to the public, despite being married. Eddie didn’t want him to risk his career like that, despite Richie not giving a flying fuck. He didn’t care if he lost all his deals and was forever mocked wherever he went, he wanted to be able to parade Eddie down the street, wanted to show the world his hot husband.
But he knew Eddie didn’t want that, so he stayed in the closet at his work, still joking about girlfriends and wives and he hated every second of it, but he did it either way. They were out to the people that mattered, their friends and close neighbors, and that was enough.
Life was perfect, but sometimes both of them would wake up screaming for no reason with names they can’t really remember on the tips of their tongues.
Richie sometimes can’t sleep, tortured by the harrowing sounds of someone screaming, and he wasn’t sure who it was but he knew it was someone he loved dearly. There was something missing from his mind, something hiding in the back of his mind, infecting his mind. Something he couldn’t touch, couldn’t pry out from behind the veil, and it bothered him. Sitting with Eddie helped.
Eddie, on the other hand, had issues sometimes too. He sometimes got so worried about his and Richie’s health that he would cause himself to break down, and only the bullshit pills he forced himself to take would help him. Richie knew it was because of Eddie’s mother, but for the life of him, he couldn’t fully remember what Eddie’s mom did. But he knew that Eddie didn’t really need his inhaler, didn’t really need any of the shit Eddie thought he did.
But they helped each other out, and when things got bad for either of them they would take time to unwind, to sit in their house with Katz cuddled between them. They worked out in the end, and despite everything, life still moved on with little to no bumps. Fighting was rare between them, and if they ever did it was solved within a few days.
Everything was perfect.
But then he got a call from Derry Maine.