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It was hard to believe that nearly a year and a half had gone by since they killed Pennywise. For Eddie, time seemed to move impossibly fast since he’d gotten out of the hospital. In a way, it felt like his life had just fully begun. At least it was the first time he could say with certainty that he was fully in control of his life. The clown was gone, and he’d survived. That was the most important thing.
His divorce turned out messier than he’d expected, but even that didn’t bother him too much. Mike had let him stay with him during it. Eddie had gratefully accepted, though with a promise that he would get out of Mike’s hair as soon as possible. Something deep down told him that they could both use the company. He wasn’t expecting his feelings for Mike to be anything other than strictly platonic. It was even more of a surprise to learn that Mike returned his feelings. So Eddie had stayed with Mike, happier than he could ever remember being.
The holidays had never particularly been a source of joy for Eddie. He’d still been recovering the year before, and every year before that had been absolutely passionless. This year was going to be different. He was sure of it. He had Mike now… and all of their old friends.
***
The smell of baking cookies drifted throughout the entire house, making Eddie feel like a little kid. All kinds of cookies: chocolate chip, cookie bars, gingerbread. When was the last time he’d spent a whole day doing nothing but baking cookies? Never. At least not that he could remember. It was Christmas Eve, Eddie and Mike had no other obligations. At least not until the Losers showed up for the party that night.
The first real holiday party either of them could remember throwing.
“Gingerbread cookies are done!” Mike called, setting the tray on top of the stove. “They just need to cool down for a little while. Then we can decorate!” Maybe it was a silly thing to be so excited about, but after 27 years alone in Derry, Mike decided that he deserved to get excited over something as small as cookie decorating. It was normal. Normalcy was something he’d severely lacked most of his life.
They had all lacked normalcy. Pennywise made sure of that, even as It hibernated. It kept its hold on them. Now Mike was determined to find the joy in little things. It wasn’t too hard with Eddie at his side.
“You’re such a dork,” Eddie teased, laughter clearly evident in his voice.
“Maybe, but I’m your dork.” Mike playfully nudged Eddie’s side, and grinned. This is what he’d been missing for so many years.
When they were kids, Mike and Eddie had been friends long before Mike had become a part of the Losers’ Club. Neither of them could pinpoint exactly how or when their friendship began, but that was okay with them. Sometimes they liked to make up ridiculous stories about how they actually met. Stories that made their childhood seem a bit more kind to them than it had truly been.
The kind of childhood that they’d always deserved.
***
Half an hour later, they were getting to work, decorating the cookies. Different colored icing was set out in separate bowls.
Eddie glanced over to see Mike concentrating intensely on drawing glasses on his gingerbread man. “Richie?” He asked, amused. Even in cookie form, he’d recognize Richie’s giant glasses anywhere. “It looks exactly like him.”
Mike laughed slightly. “Yeah, it’s Richie. I thought he’d get a kick out of it.”
“Oh, definitely. It’s probably his life’s dream,” Eddie agreed, making a grand gesture with his hands. “He’s never looked better, honestly.”
“Really? I think he looks… crumby-er than ever.” Mike quirked an eyebrow, and Eddie absolutely lost it. It was such a ridiculous joke, but he couldn’t help laughing at it. It wasn’t long before Mike’s laughter joined his own, and the kitchen filled with their joyful voices. Neither of them had laughed like that for so long.
It brought Eddie back to when he was a kid, even before Mike had been part of the Losers’ Club. Eddie had always wondered if Mike had been lonely, being homeschooled. He knew that he spent a lot of time working for his grandfather, too. It didn’t seem like he had a lot of free time to meet other kids.
They’d met by chance one day. Eddie had been by himself at the train tracks. It was his safe space, and he often went to watch the trains when he didn’t want to be around anybody else. In his mind, it was just for him.
Apparently Mike had had the same idea.
Usually, Eddie avoided anybody else he saw in the area, especially when he didn’t know anything about them. Mike was different, though. He wasn’t a bully. There was no intent to pick on Eddie, or chase him away. So he immediately felt comfortable near him. The first few times they saw each other, they’d quietly watched the trains go by together. Eddie couldn’t deny that he liked the other boy’s company, even if they didn’t talk much.
It didn’t take long for that to change, though. They’d been quick to come up with a routine that allowed them both to sneak away from home for a little while. Sometimes they’d play games, and sometimes they’d simply sit in silence. Either way was a welcome distraction for both of them. Eddie didn’t have to think about his mother or his “illness”, and Mike didn’t have to think about the sheep in the pens. Helpless to stop their own slaughter.
“Earth to Eddie.” Mike’s voice pulled Eddie out of his memories, and back into the present, standing in their little kitchen, still staring at the bowls of icing. “You looked like you were somewhere else for a few minutes.”
“Oh… I was just thinking about the old train tracks, and a boy I met there.” A ghost of a smile played on Eddie’s lips. “Remember that?”
Mike didn’t say anything, instead he stuck his fingers into the bowl of icing closest to him, and smeared it on Eddie’s nose. “C’mon, everybody’s going to be here soon. Don’t get sappy on me.”
Eddie rolled his eyes, but a grin quickly replaced the feigned look of annoyance as he leaned in to kiss Mike’s cheek. He was convinced, it really was going to be their best Christmas ever.