Chapter Text
Anxiety was the biggest thing running through Richie's brain as he stared at Max ahead of him. In some sick, twisted part of his brain, Richie ignored the feelings of relief and happiness that had started to grow like mould since he had first heard Max's voice again. His heart pounded in his ears. The only thing in Richie's vision was Max and that grin. How did it look the same? How could he come in here after being dead and grin? How could he after seeing how much Richie had cried?
"C'mon, Rich." Max ducked his head slightly, tilting to the side, brows drawing together in a crude copy of concern. "We've got to do this. I can't stay dead forever." A barking laugh came out of Max's throat as he leaned back against the lockers properly again.
Richie swallowed, thinking. How could he even fix this? He wasn't at all well versed in this sort of thing. He didn't even know if ghosts existed until this very moment. Sure he'd started to believe a few days ago, but he wasn't even sure. But now he had to bring someone back from the dead? How? How could he do that? He started nodding, forgetting himself.
"Okay. Okay. I can fix this. We can get you back." Richie continued nodding. "Okay. Okay. Okay." He felt like a stuck record, repeating the same word on loop. Max watched him, Richie watched him back.
Richie held himself. Neither of them had moved from where they'd been stood when Max had first come around the corner. He swallowed. Breathed in. Breathed out. And felt his body lose some tension. He repeated the motions until he was mostly calm. His eyes never left Max, who also didn't stop looking at him with an unreadable expression. His eyebrows were lowered, mouth set in a line, jaw clenched. Richie felt like he was being inspected under a microscope.
"So how are we going to fix this?" Max broke the silence that had settled.
Oh.
Right.
That.
Richie inhaled. "Yeah, I actually have no clue." He ran his hand through the side of his hair. "Uh... I could ask my friends? They might know?" He was trying his best to try and get some sort of plan.
Max took a moment to look at him again before sighing and rolling his eyes. "Yeah sure. Why the fuck not."
Richie smiled at him before starting to head in the direction of the door. But to do it, he had to walk past Max.
As he approached his undead boyfriend, the air grew thick and cold, the hair on his legs and neck rising. Time seemed to slow as each step felt like forever to even meet the ground, let alone lift again.
He felt Max's eyes remain on him as he passed him completely, and time seemed to speed back to normal. Jolting back to the present, Richie paused as he put his hand on the door handle.
What if he turned back and Max wasn't there?
What would he even do in that case? Go outside and act like he hadn't just imagined his dead boyfriend in the locker room? Ruth would have a field day if she knew.
Richie turned back.
Max was still stood there, frowning. He tilted his head sideways.
Richie shook his.
It was nothing.
The breeze hit him as he left the locker room, and Richie couldn't help but sigh and inhale as he began to walk to where his friends were seated in the bleachers.
He was greeted with a cheer from the small huddle of Pete, Ruth, Steph and even Grace, and Richie smiled as he was hugged by Ruth, returning it.
"Dude you were so cool!" Ruth all but yelled as they pulled away from him, grinning. Richie just awkwardly laughed and rubbed his arm.
Pete caught the hesitation immediately. "What's going on, Richie?" The concern was written all over his face.
"There's a situation. A pretty weird one that I can't explain." Richie smiled nervously. "Just. Come with me?"
The group tentatively agreed and followed Richie back to the boys locker room.
"But. This is the men's locker room." Grace laughed nervously, shaking her head from the back of the group. "Steph and Ruth and I can't go in there."
Stephanie rolled her eyes and, staring Grace dead in the eyes, pushed open the door. "I think whatever this situation is, is more important than rules like that, Grace." And with that, she walked in, followed by the rest of the group. Richie sped to be back at the front of the group.
"Okay, uh. Don't freak out?" He tried a grin, but he felt it stick between that and a grimace. He raised his hands almost protectively before turning and walking around the corner again.
He didn't know if he should be glad to see Max there still, or concerned over the lack of a reaction from his friends.
Richie turned to face them again to find various looks of shock and surprise. He should have expected that, really. The group stood in a stretching silence as everyone processed what they were seeing. Richie took a seat on a bench and watched patiently as Max grew restless.
Richie was just about to break the silence before Steph spoke up. "No fucking way." She had a gobsmacked grin as she spoke, shaking her head in disbelief. And once that had been said, the dam broke, and a flood of overlapping voices filled the locker room. Thankfully, they were drowned out by the cheering and chatter from the game outside. Richie looked at Max, who looked back at him. Max shrugged his shoulders and Richie copied it, mocking.
It was almost easy falling back into the same patterns they had before, especially when the others hadn't taken particular notice of them properly. Max gave him a look before smiling and Richie sniggered, putting his hand to his mouth to try and muffle it. It was for futile effort though, as almost immediately after, the others went silent, staring again.
"You nerds done?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow and returning back to how he was postured before, leaning against the lockers and turning his face to face the group. Steph rolled her eyes but nodded.
"Yeah sure. Whatever." She smiled. Then she looked at Richie. She had definitely seen the interaction from the start. Richie almost felt like he was being given approval. For what, he didn't know, but it still felt like it.
"So... Why are we here?" Pete asked, addressing Richie and Max. Richie winced slightly, and turned to face Max, who looked less than pleased.
"Well, I don't exactly like being dead. So you nerds-" he raised a single hand to address the group in question. "- are going to fix it."
"How are we expected to bring you back to life?" Pete questioned.
"Not my problem, Spankoffski. All I know is you nerds killed me, then I'm back like this." His hands clenched where his arms were folded against each other. "So that means that you need to fix it. Be glad I'm deciding to work with you instead of just killing you."
Richie sat silently, thankful that nobody had started a physical fight yet. He wracked his brain as to what the group could even do to fix this problem, but he couldn't think.
A cheer erupted from the game outside, and Richie winced at the noise. The group had fallen into silence with the lack of Peter and Max arguing, everyone - except Max - trying to figure out a way to bring back the dead.
Another cheer made Richie groan.
"I can't think right now." Stephanie broke the group's silence and everyone turned to face her. "Let's just... Head home for the night and try to come up with something?"
A reluctant noise of agreement came from the group before they all separated and left the locker room. Richie lingered back with Max, turning to him once everyone had left.
"We're gonna fix this." He didn't know if he was trying to reassure himself or Max.
Max nodded. "I know." Richie didn't miss the way that he had intended to say that he knew Richie would try, and he sighed, nodding slightly.
"Okay. Yeah." Richie left the locker room, knowing that Max would make his own way back to Richie's house eventually.