Chapter Text
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Chapter 1
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"Get in here, Eds. We can't finish it if your paranoid ass won't even get in the water." Richie complained as he stacked stones up in a line across a shallow stream of water. He and Eddie were building a dam to see if they could successfully re-route the water and make a little lake off to the side, but Eddie was hardly helping.
"I'll get the dry ones on the side. The wet ones are really dirty." Eddie noted, picking up a rock off dry land and frowning down at it. He held it between his thumb and forefinger and stared at it with a disgusted frown like it was a literal piece of excrement.
"The ones on the side aren't even necessary." Richie frowned. "We gotta get the middle done. The sides are already done. That's all you've been doing."
"I'm not getting in that water, Richie. I don't care how many times you say it. I don't want parasites." Eddie shuddered dramatically.
"It's not gonna kill you, Eddie Spaghetti. It's fucking water. God damn." Richie rolled his eyes as he dug more rocks out of the shallow water he was kneeling down in. "What do you think you shower in every day?"
"Um, I don't know, water that's not full of mud and bugs and bacteria?" Eddie forced a nervous laugh as he dropped his rock at the edge of the dam, knocking a couple rocks off of the top of the structure rather than adding to it.
"Maybe we should go play in the bleach aisle at the drug store. Make a tower out of bars of soap." Richie suggested with an annoyed glare. "You're not even helping. You're fucking it up more than anything."
"I don't want to get the muddy part on me, Richie." Eddie frowned. "Or the water. You know if you get dirty water into an open cut, you can get an infection in your actual blood stream. It could lead to amputation. It happened to my mom's friend."
"Yeah, right. Your mom seems to have a lot of friends who had all sorts of improbable shit happen to them. Ever think she's just fuckin' with you? I don't ever see her hanging out with any of these friends." Richie scoffed.
Eddie widened his eyes and shook his head. "Because most of them died, Richie. Dirty water really can give you an infection, especially if you have an open cut."
"Do you have an open cut, Eds?" Richie stared.
"No." Eddie shrugged. "Still don't want mud all over me. What if i have a little paper cut or something that I didn't know about?"
"Something tells me you'd know." Richie smirked.
"I did have a bad paper cut once and didn't know for a couple minutes." Eddie told him. "Because it didn't bleed at first, so I figured it didn't really cut me. But it did. Looked down a few minutes later and saw actual blood like running down my hand."
"Wow." Richie faked shock. "Must have been terrifying."
"Shut up, Richie. It is scary if you get an infection. I don't want my fingers amputated." Eddie pouted.
"You know dirt is just dry mud." Richie noted. "All the dry rocks you've been picking up have the same stuff on them."
"But they're not slimy, and it comes off easier. Look at you... You look like a fucking toddler let loose in a mud puddle." Eddie noted, placing his next stone more carefully down onto the rest of the structure.
"Hey!" An angry voice shouted from somewhere up in the trees.
Eddie gasped softly and shrunk down as he looked up toward the voice. "Shit... Oh fuck... Richie, it's Bowers..." He whispered, his eyes huge as he looked like he was contemplating dropping their plans and making a run for it. "We should go..." He suggested, his voice tiny.
Richie stood up and looked toward the sound as well, noticing Henry Bowers and his friends, Vic, Patrick, and Belch making their way down the hill. All four of them looked to be in less-than-good moods. Henry Bowers specifically looked absolutely pissed.
"Fuck... What'd we do to piss them off now?" Richie grumbled.
Eddie swallowed nervously, glancing quickly from their bullies to Richie, then back again. He looked like he wanted to run. It was actually a pretty solid idea - for at least one of them to run, and of course if only one of them could escape whatever the older boys had planned, it should be Eddie. Richie could handle their cruelty better than Eddie could.
For a moment, Richie contemplated grabbing Eddie's hand and making a run for it together, but he knew they'd be caught, and he knew whatever Henry was mad about, he'd be ten times madder if he had to chase them down first. Nine times out of ten, running meant more anger, more violence... not escape.
So Richie kept his feet firmly planted in the shallow water and stared, waiting to hear what Henry was going to say, hoping he chased someone else into the woods, accidentally lost track of them, and would move along continuing to look for them rather than beating the shit out of him and Eddie.
"Which one of you fucking losers spray painted a dick on my car?!" Henry growled as he stormed up into the shallow part of the water, not even seeming to notice that he was getting his shoes and the bottoms of his pants all wet.
Richie felt his eyes widen as a laugh accidentally spilled from his mouth. He didn't even mean to laugh. He shouldn't have laughed... He was just caught off-guard. That wasn't what he expected the older boy to say. Richie didn't even know anything about this. He wished he had seen it though. He hoped Bowers hadn't painted over it yet so he could see it later.
"Someone spray-painted a dick on your car?" Richie fought to hold back his smirk, but didn't seem to have much success - not judging by the angry glare staring back at him. "Is it circumcised?"
"Wouldn't you like to know, faggot?" Henry growled.
Richie tried to force his smirk back down into a straight line. He couldn't believe someone pained a dick on Bowers's car. He couldn't even begin to guess who it could have been. Whoever it was, they were fucking funny... Brave as hell, maybe even to the point of being a fucking idiot, but still brave.
"It was you, Tozier?" Henry accused, stepping closer and grabbing the front of Richie's shirt in a tight fist.
Richie shook his head no as he reached up and gripped Henry's arm with both hands, hoping the older boy wouldn't pull up on his shirt any harder. He was going to lift him off the ground entirely if he did. "It wasn't me, Bowers." He answered with an unintentional smile. "Honest."
"I'm not fucking stupid, Trashmouth. You're the only little weasel both confident enough and fucking dumb enough to pull something like this." Bowers growled, letting go of Richie's shirt long enough to ball his hand into a fist and slam it painfully down against Richie's ribs.
Richie gasped a pained wince and squeezed his eyes shut as he fell down into the water with a small splash, catching himself painfully with his hands against the hard, cold, uneven rocks at the bottom of the shallow stream.
"Stop!" Eddie's frightened little voice called from somewhere behind him. Richie wished his friend would just run. It seemed Richie was pretty screwed here, but Eddie could still save himself.
"Don't you fucking lie to me, faggot. I know you did it. I want you to admit it." Henry persisted, grabbing Richie's arm and dragging him back up to his feet. "Tell me you did it." He glared.
Richie groaned in pain, but shook his head again. He really didn't do it, and couldn't even guess who would have. It did seem like something he'd do, particularly to deflect attention from any anger targeted at one of his friends... but it wasn't him. It would have been funny, but reckless even for Richie. He couldn't imagine any of his friends would have done it either.
"Say it, Tozier... Tell me you fucking did it. Or I'll punch you again." Bowers growled, squeezing the front of Richie's shirt in a tight fist.
"Let him go!" Eddie whimpered. "He didn't do it! Henry, stop!"
Richie looked over his shoulder at Eddie, who stood seemingly frozen in fear, offering the occasional weak plea for Richie's sake, but otherwise remaining firmly planted where he had been all along near the water's edge.
Richie breathed quick, shaky breaths as he looked back toward Bowers. It was funny that someone painted a dick on his car... but it wasn't funny that he had his friends here now, wanting to make someone suffer for it. It wasn't funny that Richie was in pain, or that Eddie was standing nearby, probably looking like a pretty easy target for the older boys' rage. It didn't matter that Eddie wasn't provoking them. It didn't matter that Eddie hadn't done anything to make them mad. They'd hurt him anyway just because he was there. Especially if he kept begging in that shaky little voice that probably made Henry and his friends want to punch him.
"I didn't do it, Bowers." Richie repeated, keeping himself from smirking or laughing this time. He couldn't keep making himself look guilty. He couldn't make Henry more upset and risk getting seriously hurt - or worse, risk getting Eddie hurt. "I know it seems like something I'd do, but I really didn't..." Richie shook his head.
"Who the fuck else is stupid enough to do that, Tozier? Which one of your little friends you gonna pin this on? Who do I need to fucking stab in the gut?" Henry growled, taking his knife out of his pants pocket and pressing the switch to draw out the blade.
Richie swallowed nervously, shaking his head and raising his hands in defense. "Holy shit Bowers... I didn't fucking do it. My friends didn't do it. This wasn't us. I swear. Calm the fuck down... I may be a loud mouth idiot but I'm not fucking suicidal. I didn't do it. I don't think any of my friends would have done that... You're barking up the wrong tree..."
Bowers narrowed his eyes, looking over Richie's shoulder toward Eddie. "If you didn't do it, he must have. Is that what you're trying to tell me?"
Eddie let out a tiny breath from behind Richie, whimpering a quiet, shaking noise, but not speaking up in his own defense.
Richie held his breath, shaking his head. "He didn't..." Richie breathed in a low voice. Eddie wouldn't do something so bold. Eddie was fucking terrified of these people. He normally just looked down and avoided them at all costs. He wouldn't dare make such big waves with these brutes. He was normally too scared to even say anything when they shoved or tripped him or called him names.
Henry suddenly pulled Richie closer, then shoved him roughly back.
Richie stumbled and landed in the water, catching himself painfully with his hands. Eddie was quick to come to his aide, no longer so scared of the dirty water as he took a few steps in to grab Richie's arm and pull him up.
"Eds, just go..." Richie whispered as Eddie pulled him to his feet. "Go home. I'll deal with this. I'll be fine... Go."
"No." Eddie whispered back, holding nervously onto Richie's arm. "I'm not leaving you alone with them..."
Richie exhaled tiredly. "Eddie, go!" He said again, shoving Eddie lightly backward. "I can handle them. Run home. I don't want you mixed up in this. It doesn't have anything to do with you."
"It doesn't have anything to do with you either, Rich." Eddie reminded him.
Richie swallowed and closed his eyes for a moment, before putting his hand on Eddie's arm and pushing him carefully behind himself, stepping forward to stare down their bullies. "What do you guys want? We didn't fuck with your car... Sorry somebody else did... I can't do anything about that. You're cruel to every kid in fucking town. Your list of suspects is infinite. I can't help you here."
"You won't tell me who did it..." Bowers narrowed his eyes. "But I bet your little friend will." He took a step forward, causing Richie and Eddie to both gasp and step back.
"Eddie, go!" Richie demanded again, turning toward his friend and shoving him back harder than before.
"Grab him!" Bowers yelled to one of his friends, even though Eddie wasn't even trying to run.
Richie immediately felt hands on his own arms, pulling him backward as Patrick splashed over toward Eddie, grabbing the younger boy's arms in harsh hands and pulling him back so that he was against Patrick's chest, looking out with wide eyes at Richie, who Henry was holding in a similar manner.
Eddie let out a small whimpering noise as he shrunk down under Patrick's hands, but didn't struggle. He was clearly scared to do anything other than hold still and hope for the best.
"Bowers, stop! Patrick, let him go! He didn't do it! I did!" Richie lied. He had to save Eddie, and if that meant taking the blame for this, then so be it. "I did it, okay? I fucking did it... Let him go and do whatever you have to do to me... I did it... I think you fucking suck, so I painted a dick on your ugly ass car. Alright? So punch me... Whatever... Just let Eddie go. He didn't do anything. I did."
"No you didn't..." Henry guessed, narrowing his eyes and staring an annoyed glare.
"I did... I thought it'd be funny. It was me... So just... Just let Eddie go. Beat the shit out of me if you have to... I'm the one being a dick, as usual. Just do whatever you have to do to me. Let Eddie go..." Richie breathed. "I'm an annoying little prick... You should punch me." He shrugged. "Eddie didn't do anything."
"Richie, stop!" Eddie whimpered. "He didn't do it! Let us go!"
"Your little friend looks more scared than you do." Henry whispered as he leaned down close to Richie's ear. "That's smart. You guys should be scared... Patrick could break his little arm so fucking easy... I've killed dogs bigger than that little runt."
Richie continued staring at Eddie, who stared back with wide, fearful eyes. He appeared to be shaking ever so slightly. He had tears in his eyes. His breaths were growing more rapid, more wheezy. Richie had to do something. He had to get all the attention back on him. If they wanted to hurt someone, they could hurt him. He couldn't let them hurt his friend.
"There's a lesson in here somewhere, you know." Richie started. "If you don't want dicks painted on your car, stop being dicks. I was only painting your portraits." Richie breathed, his voice shaking a bit more than he would have liked it to.
He swallowed as it didn't seem any of the bullies were going to take his bait. They didn't respond at all. They were still all looking at Eddie.
Richie breathed out a small breath, then looked up over his shoulder at Henry. "You ever wash that nasty ass mangy mullet dripping down your head, Bowers? Has it grown a personality of its own yet? Developed any new varieties of super-lice? That's a thing, you know. Super-lice. Bet there's like a fuckin' swarm of 'em in there."
Richie forced a small smirk as he noticed Patrick laugh at his comment and Henry's hands tighten around his arms. "Looks like maybe you wash it in oil and shit maybe." He went on, further digging his own grave for Eddie's sake. "I hear that's actually good to get rid of the lice. They can't live in that sort of chaotic apocalyptic wasteland. Even lice can only deal with so much."
Henry let out a small growl, then spun Richie around, punching him hard across the face.
Richie winced and fell down into the water again, ignoring Eddie's frightened cries behind him. It was either this, or letting them hurt Eddie instead. Richie had no choice.
Groaning, Richie pushed his glasses back up his nose. He tasted blood in his mouth. He either accidentally bit his cheek, lip, or tongue. He couldn't even tell. He just knew he felt pain and his mouth tasted that salty metallic flavor of blood.
"Hold onto him, Belch." Henry ordered as he dragged Richie up roughly by his arm and shoved him toward his friend. "I see what you're doing, Tozier. Running your little mouth so we're mad at you and not him." Henry nodded toward Patrick and Eddie. "It's not gonna work. I heard enough of your shit to know it's all talk. It's a distraction. Hold him tight, Belch." He demanded.
Richie let out a shaking breath as Belch held each of his arms in a vice-like grip. He was in quite a bit of pain from Henry's punches to the side of his face and his ribs, but he was more scared for Eddie's sake than his own.
"We can get back at Trashmouth by fucking with the little one." Patrick noted, letting go of one of Eddie's arms and pulling a lighter out of his pocket.
"Exactly." Henry smirked, stepping up toward Eddie and grabbing his now-free arm. He dragged it up toward Patrick's lighter while the other boy lit it up and moved it toward Eddie's fingers.
"No! Stop!" Eddie whimpered, pulling his fingers into a fist and trying to yank his arm back. "Please don't!" He sobbed as Patrick drew his lighter closer.
"Better keep that thing away from Henry's greasy hair!" Richie called out, determined to run his mouth as much as he needed to to deflect attention from Eddie and onto himself. "You'll start a fuckin' forest fire out here. No amount of water in the world could stop it. That shit's gotta be highly flammable by this point."
Richie's heart pounded in his chest as none of his taunts seemed to be working how they usually did. Normally, any time one of their bullies started zeroing in on one of his friends, Richie would say something stupid to attract their attention to himself. It wasn't working. They were still only interested in Eddie. They knew what Richie was doing and weren't going to let him get away with it.
Eddie whimpered a shaking cry as Henry squeezed his wrist tighter and Patrick brought his lighter up to Eddie's arm, letting the flame touch the skin of the younger boy's forearm for a long two seconds. "Stop!" Eddie screamed, pulling uselessly at his arm.
"Patrick, don't!" Richie pleaded, yanking his arms uselessly, trying and failing to free himself from Belch's grip. "Let him go! Stop! Bowers, you gross piece of shit! Let him go! Get off of me, Belch! Get the fuck off of me!"
Patrick moved the lighter back away from Eddie, snapping it closed and laughing as Eddie choked out pained, shaking sobs.
"The more you talk, the more pain he's gonna get." Henry growled, letting go of Eddie's arm and staring at Richie with cold, angry eyes.
Eddie whimpered breathlessly, pulling his arm protectively against his chest and shrinking down as much as Patrick's firm grip on his other arm allowed.
Richie swallowed and snapped his mouth shut. It looked like Henry had finally found his greatest weakness. For once, he didn't know what to say to get himself and Eddie out of this mess. Richie didn't know what to do. He couldn't plead, couldn't attract their anger toward him to keep it off Eddie. He felt entirely trapped. Eddie was entirely trapped... And even though Richie wasn't even the one who vandalized Henry's car, he couldn't help but to feel like this was all his fault.
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