the line between love and hate // reddie
summary: soulmate au where you feel intense emotions with your soulmate & their name appears on your body the first time you touch warnings: underage drinking words: 2945
ao3 link
Everybody knew about soulmates. In fact, it was one of the first things you learned about when you went to school and one of the first things most children wished for on the birthday after. Everybody wanted to find their soulmate. It sounded magical. A person whom the universe created just for you, a perfect match sent to be with you until you died, complimenting you in every way as you did for them.
Richie Tozier came home from school they day he learned about them, blabbing nonstop about the new magic he became aware of.
“And Mrs. Johnson said that everything is better with them! That you feel a lot more. Like if you’re happy, then you’re really happy!” Richie told his mom from the backseat of the car.
“Yes, that’s right.” Mrs. Tozier laughed.
“And we get a special tattoo of their name!”
“When you touch for the first time, yes. And then you’ll fall in love. Or maybe even before.”
Richie paused for a moment. “When’s that?”
“Love?”
“Yeah.”
Mrs. Tozier sighed, trying to find the words to describe it to her 5-year-old son. “When you fall in love, you’ll know.”
“But, Mom, how?” He whined.
“Love is when you like the person so much that is almost hurts you.”
Richie grumbled. “I don’t want it to hurt.”
“Not really in a bad way, sweetie. You love them so much that you feel so full. You always want the best for them. You always want them to be happy.”
“Like with my friends?”
“Kinda, yeah.” She smiled and looked briefly back at him. “Except just so much more. It’s like being friends times a hundred.”
“What about times infinity?” Richie giggled.
Mrs. Tozier chuckled as well. “Yes, times infinity works, too.”
From that moment on, Richie knew that he wanted to find his soulmate as soon as he possibly could. He couldn’t imagine a world in which he didn’t have someone like that by his side. A friend times infinity? It sounded magical.
Richie soon found out that it wasn’t all magic. When he turned 9, his teacher told them that a lot of people don’t find their soulmates. Or sometimes their soulmates die. Or even worse, sometimes they don’t like their soulmate and their soulmate doesn’t like them.
“How does that happen? Aren’t they perfect for you?” Someone asked her.
“Well you already know that everything feels better with them.” His teacher, Mrs. Robin, explained. They all nodded. “Well everything bad also feels worse. If you’re happy, you’re more happy. But if you’re sad, you’re more sad.”
Richie pouted and that afternoon in the car on the way home, he asked his mom another question.
“Are you and Dad soulmates?”
Mrs. Tozier was a bit taken aback. “Of course we are. Why wouldn’t you think that?”
“Mrs. Robin said not everyone ends up with theirs.”
“That’s true.” She sighed. “But your dad and I are, don’t worry.”
“What if I don’t end up with mine?” Richie exclaimed, suddenly very nervous.
“Richie, there’s no need to worry. I am certain you’ll find your soulmate and be very happy.”
“Mrs. Robin also said not everyone likes their soulmate. What if I’m not happy?”
She sighed again, bringing one hand away from the steering wheel to rub at his forehead. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll be very happy.”
“But -”
“This is nothing to worry about right now. You’re 9, you have plenty of time to find them and be happy.”
“Okay.” He muttered, leaning his head against the car window and resuming his pouting.
--
“I hate him!” Richie Tozier, now 18 years old, slammed a hand on the table in front of him.
“What’d he do now?” Stan, Richie’s best friend, asked without looking up from his book. Bev, on the other hand, took it as an opportunity to push her textbook away.
“He’s just so infuriating! I’m just as smart as him, you know?” Richie sat down.
“I know.” Stan muttered.
“But fucking Kaspbrak thinks he’s all that just because he’s a teacher’s pet.”
“And captain of the track team.” Bev pointed out with a smirk.
“Who the fuck gives a shit?” Richie put his head down on the table.
“He’s not even that bad, Richie.” Stan finally pushed away his book. “He’s actually -”
“Don’t you dare say it.”
“Pretty nice.” Stan finished.
“He thinks he’s better than everyone. More specifically, me.”
Stan sighed and looked over at Bev, who had the same exasperated look on her face. This had been going on for the entirety of high school, since Richie had met Eddie Kaspbrak in his freshman English class. Richie had originally had a huge crush on Eddie, calling him the “cutest boy he’d ever seen”, but as they began to talk in their class, Richie realized the sheer rage he felt around the boy.
“You know, Ben is friends with him.” Bev mentioned.
“I know.” Richie rolled his eyes. “I don’t know how someone as sweet as Haystack could be friends with someone like him.”
“He says he’s a really good friend.”
“I really think you guys got off on the wrong foot.” Stan interjected hesitantly.
“You always do this. Just accept that I hate the guy and move on. You guys are my friends, you’re supposed to support me!” Richie groaned.
“I’m not going to support your childish hate of someone without reason.”
“So if I give you a legitimate reason, you’ll support me?”
Stan and Bev shared a look of confusion, but nodded nonetheless.
“I guess if you can find one, but he’s a good guy, Richie.” Bev answered.
“We’ll see about that.”
--
“So, Haystack, any parties this weekend with your other friends?” Richie asked Ben at lunch, resting his chin in his hands as he smiled faux sweetly.
“Yeah, Bev and I are going to Mike Hanlon’s party this weekend.” Ben smiled back, unaware of Richie ulterior motives.
“Can I tag along?”
Ben’s smile expanded to a grin. “Of course! That’d be great. You can bring Stan, too, it’ll be fun!”
“Benny boy, you’re so sweet to me.” Richie reached over and ruffled Ben’s hair.
“Why do you want to go?” Bev spoke up, having watched the exchange.
“Just some fun.”
Beverly squinted her eyes at him in suspicion, then turned to Ben. “Will Eddie Kaspbrak happen to be there?”
Ben shrugged. “Maybe. I haven’t asked him but I’m sure he will.”
Bev turned back to Richie and glared at him, but didn’t say anything.
When lunch ended, Bev grabbed a hold of Richie’s arm and dragged him into an empty classroom. Her grip on his arm caused him to curse as he was being pulled away.
“Shit, Bev, chill out.”
“You leave Eddie alone.” She pointed her finger at him accusingly.
“What ever do you mean?” He feigned innocence.
“If you and Stan go to that party this weekend, I want you to leave Eddie alone. This whole situation is getting so ridiculous and I honestly can’t handle it. We’re graduating soon, grow the fuck up!” She exclaimed.
“I will when he does!”
“Just shut up, Richie. This is childish and stupid and you need to forget about this.”
“Fine.” He snatched his arm out of her grip. “I’ll go and be civil to the demon.”
“Thank you for your sacrifice.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure it’ll be so difficult.”
“It will, Marsh.”
--
In fact, Richie actually was having a hard time being civil. From the minute he walked into the party, he had locked eyes with Eddie and felt a surge of emotions flow through his body. He immediately had torn his eyes away and walked to get himself and Stan a drink, his own being particularly strong.
He sat himself on a couch alone, Stan having gone to talk to the host (Richie was pretty sure he had a crush on Mike Hanlon), sipping his drink that would hopefully make him a more well behaved human being.
Then the couch cushion dipped.
“Surprised you haven’t sought me out.” Eddie’s voice filled Richie’s ears as he refused to look his direction.
“I made a promise.”
“A promise to what? Actually be a decent human being?”
“To be civil.” Richie spat out.
“Oh.” Eddie sunk back into the cushion, relaxing. “How’s that going for you?”
“Pretty good.” Richie tried to keep his answers short and curt, trying his best to keep his mouth from running.
“Well, thank you.”
Richie finally looked at Eddie, turning his head quickly with a confused look on his face.
Eddie took a sip of his drink. “I figured you, and me to an extent, could start being civil.”
“To an extent?” Richie barked a laugh. “Kaspbrak, don’t make me laugh.”
“That’s the last sound I want to hear, Tozier.” He mocked the venom Richie had put into his name but had a small smile barely on his lips. “I was just thinking, our friend groups have melded and we only have a few months until graduation….”
“You’re waving the white flag?” Richie’s lips quirked upward into a smirk, his eyes glinting.
“Far from it. I’m proposing a truce.”
“And after we graduate you’ll go back to being a dick who thinks he’s better than me?”
“Me?” Eddie let out a bark of laughter. “You’re the one that started hating me out of nowhere!” Even with his voice raising, it did little against the loud sound of the music.
“You’re infuriating and are constantly putting me down, but sure, I’m the bad guy.” Richie stood up from the couch.
“You make fun of me, you insult me, you go out of your way to make my day miserable, I just want you to leave me alone, because from where I stand it seems like you’re a 5 year old with a crush and you don’t know how to handle it.”
“A crush?! I wouldn’t have a crush on you if someone put a gun to my head.”
Eddie stood up as well, gripping his drink tight in his hand. He glanced down at it for a moment before tossing it towards Richie, effectively soaking the other boy’s shirt in the sugary alcohol.
“Grow up.” He spat.
Richie stood there, sticky shirt and all, as people stared, suddenly feeling more embarrassed than he had in his entire life.
A hand grabbed his and dragged him through the crowd, he glanced away from where Eddie had stomped off to see a mess of red hair and a head of brown curls in front of him.
“You’re ridiculous, I swear.” He heard Bev saying as they started up the stairs. “How immature can you two be?”
“Not to mention you cock blocked me.” Stan grumbled, causing Bev to let out a short chuckle. He shot a look at her before turning to face Richie. “This has officially gone too far and I’m sick of it.”
“I’m sorry.” Richie said, still feeling embarrassed, and now slightly sick.
“Too late.” Stan grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him through a doorway, Bev following them. Mike was standing there with an equally annoyed looked on his face, his hand on a doorknob to what seemed to be a closet.
“You folks gonna murder me?” Richie looked around at all their faces.
“Maybe indirectly.” Mike shrugged and opened the door.
Using his grip still on Richie, Stan shoved him into the closet. He heard the door slam and lock behind him before he saw two glowing eyes in the darkness. He screamed and the other person screamed as well, and Richie scrambled to turn on a light.
Eddie Kaspbrak sat there with red, puffy eyes and wet cheeks.
“Kaspbrak? What -”
He quickly wiped his face with his sleeves, sniffling. “Shut the fuck up, leave me alone.”
“We’re leaving now.” Bev screamed from outside the door. “We’re not letting you out ‘til you grow up. Don’t care if it’s days from now!”
“Fuck.” Richie let out a deep sigh and slid down to the floor.
“I know, I know, you’d rather die of starvation than speak to me.” Eddie said quickly.
Richie swallowed hard and took in the other boy’s appearance. “Are you okay?”
“Okay? No! I just embarrassed myself in front of half the school and realized I’m so stupid that I didn’t figure out you actually hated me until this moment.”
“Only because you hate me.”
Eddie let out a deep sigh and rolled his eyes. “Do you really believe that?” His voice came out weaker than Richie had ever heard him speak.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Richie,” Their first names hadn’t been said by each other in years. “I had a total massive crush on you freshman year and you treated me like dirt.”
Both boys’ hearts silently skipped a beat at the confession.
Richie swallowed hard. “Shit, Kaspbrak….Eddie, I liked you too.”
He felt a strange feeling in his stomach unlike anything he’d ever felt before. It was as if he was going to be sick, but he knew he hadn’t drank that much. It made it difficult for him to speak, his throat closing and he voice coming out scratchy.
“So, what happened?” Eddie sounded small.
Richie racked through his brain, trying to recall the first moment that he started this rivalry, so to say, with Eddie Kaspbrak. The first time he walked into school, saw his face, and the words coming out of his mouth were cruel, not gentle.
“I don’t know.” He answered honestly.
All he could remember was the feeling of anger bubbling up in his chest, he didn’t even know if it was something Eddie did.
“Our personalities clash.” Richie finally said.
“So does everyone’s. Hell, you and Stan are pretty different.” Eddie managed to let out a small laugh.
“I don’t know what it is about you.” Richie moved his body closer to Eddie’s, so they only had to speak barely above a whisper. “You always just – ugh – managed to get under my skin and I couldn’t think.” He felt a lightness to him he’d never felt with anyone else, it was bubbling inside of him and spreading across his body and made him speak without any reservations. “I couldn’t think of anything but you, and every move I made was to frustrate you, or to get you to look my way so I could say something I thought was witty, and, damn, Kaspbrak, I don’t know how you did it, but you got a tight grip on me.”
“Like a compulsion you couldn’t control.” Eddie added on.
“Yeah.”
“You’re saying I was your drug, Tozier.” He smiled.
Richie let out a small chuckle and felt a hysterical wave of laughter wash over him, forcing him to cover his face with his hands as his cheeks became red with glee. Eddie couldn’t help but join in, the two boys laughing until their stomachs hurt and they couldn’t anymore.
“I think we’re idiots, Eds.” Richie said when he caught his breath.
“Eds?”
Richie’s mouth worked quicker than his brain. “Yeah, I figured, it’s short and cute, like you.” His eyes widened when he realized what he said. “Um, I’m…sorry.”
Eddie gave him a lopsided grin. “So about that truce?”
“You got it.” Richie stuck out his hand.
Eddie reached out and they shook, but they both quickly recoiled, a sharp pain running through their each of their bodies. Eddie clutched his wrist tight, waiting for the pain to subside, while Richie slapped his ribcage.
When it had passed, Eddie looked beneath his hand to see the name “Richard” scrawled across his skin. His felt his breathing quicken and he looked up to see Richie already staring at him with a hanging jaw.
“I – um – I don’t – how -” Richie tried to speak but Eddie reached forward, pulling up the shirt still soaked in alcohol to where Richie had gripped in pain earlier.
“Let me see your chest!” He screamed.
Richie scrambled to pull off his shirt and Eddie lightly touched his bottom rib, “Edward” printed there.
“Oh my god.” He covered his mouth with his hands and tried not to scream again.
Richie looked down at the writing on his own skin. “Holy fuck!”
“Are we…does this mean?”
“We’re fucking soulmates!” Richie yelled out in glee. “I found my soulmate!” He stood up from the ground, reaching down to grab Eddie’s hand and pull him up too, a huge grin spreading across the smaller boy’s features. He turned around, banging on the door repeatedly. “Hey, let us out, we’re more than civil!
The door opened and the boys scrambled out, Richie still holding on to Eddie’s hand.
“You’re missing a shirt.” Mike pointed out, Bev and Stan with him as well, taking in the scene.
“Look!” Eddie said excitedly, turning Richie and pointing to the name on his side, then lifting his own arm up to show his.
“Well, shit.” Stan exclaimed.
Bev looked hesitant to speak. “And you guys are okay with this?”
“I can’t tell you why, but I’ve never been more ecstatic in my life.” Richie answered.
Eddie glanced at Richie, biting the inside of his cheeks to stop himself from smiling anymore, his face was starting to hurt.
Stan let out an exasperated laugh. “All these years? The unexplained anger? Should’ve realized you were fucking soulmates.”
The two new found soulmates looked at each other, smiling in a way they hadn’t seen since they met each other years ago in their English class.
Richie couldn’t remember what caused his anger to start, he could only remember seeing Eddie’s bright face for the first time that morning and thinking “This boy better be my soulmate”.
-------------
hello everyone i am back from the dead to post a secret santa that i was supposed to post in december (obviously for christmas) but then i fell off the face of the earth and never did it!! so here it is...and enemies to lovers soulmate au it was for