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The Water Will Carry Me to You

Fandom- It. (Richie/Eddie)

Notes- Soulmate AU. Warnings for Henry's bullying and mild violence. I bring everyone together with a rock fight. Happy ending.

~~~

Richie Tozier stood abandoned in a dark room. There was only a humming around him, like the sound a motor would make in water- it was muffled. He felt like he was freezing, slowly turning into an icy statue. He was shivering uncontrollably and his teeth were chattering, so he pulled his arms around himself tightly.

There was one beam of light coming from the side- where a wall should be- of the room and showering down into the empty space. Richie could see particles of something floating noiselessly in the light and catching his eyes. The little flecks of debris burst into flame and disappeared, floating out of the light and into the darkness, which was freezing Richie to death.

Richie immediately made the decision that he would rather burn than freeze to death, so Richie began to move towards the light. His body moved with great difficulty and he had a very difficult time staying on the ground. He was moving through the air like it had the viscosity of water instead. Actually, Richie was pretty sure he was in water. His teeth chattered again, and sure enough, air bubbles rose into the water and floated away from him.

Still, Richie walked on the ground and made his way to the warmth of the light. He could feel his feet and legs freezing. If he didn't make it to that light soon, he knew he would die. He was so close and stuck his arms out in front of him. The humming was growing louder, but Richie was beginning to think it was his heart and not something far away from him. Yeah, that made sense.

Richie's fingertips grazed along the entrance of the light beam and he pushed them into the light. The water was colder there than in the dark and Richie felt his fingers start to gloss over and turn to ice. He watched, dumbfounded, as another hand pushing itself into the light across from him. Richie's had was in up to his elbow and he was icing over. The hand across from him was burning and he watched with amazement as that hand touched his. The ice melted and the fire extinguished, leaving their hands together in the beam of light, under the water. The other hand was a little more tan than Richie's own and smaller. The heat from the other person's body heated his own and he stopped shivering.

"Cold." The voice across from Richie said. His ears perked up. Was that a boy or a girl that had spoken? He couldn't tell for the water surrounding them and the echo that played with their voices.

Suddenly, Richie's heart gave a large thud and he was being blasted backwards, his hand being ripped away from the other person's. Richie was soaring, slowly, through the water and tumbling rapidly into the darkness and away from the light. In a gasp of breath, his eyes snapped shut.

~~~

Richie had been dreaming again. He dreamed almost every night, but sometimes he would only see a dark void where his subconscious movie should have been playing- but that only happened when his soulmate wasn't sleeping at the same time he was.

All of Richie's dreams were different, but he never saw the face of his soulmate. He wouldn't either, until he met them in person. He wouldn't know right away, only when he laid down at night and let sleep take him. Then he should see their face, beautiful and the other half of his soul.

It was like that for everyone. Soulmates appeared in dreams and interacted that way. Richie was one of the rather unlucky ones, because most people could see their soulmate's whole body- minus their faces of course. Richie was stuck with shots of their arms or their back. It wasn't too bad. Richie's best friend, Bill Denbrough, could only see a hand wrapped around his own and birds flying through the clouded sky. Bill seemed content though.

Soulmate dreams were... complicated. Like Richie's, for example. Richie always dreamed of some extreme circumstance where he met his soulmate. He was underwater and walking on the ocean floor in one and trying to pull someone out of a stormy sea that sucks them both in during another. All of his dreams with his soulmate had one thing in common though- water. Richie hopped they didn't find each other in a flood or a hurricane. He hoped it was a swimming pool or at the quarry. Something simple that wouldn't scar Richie for life.

Richie sighed as he moved fitfully under his damp sheets. His curly hair was sweaty and plastered against his sultry forehead. He wiped at his eyes and squinted harshly towards his alarm clock. Big, red, angry, numbers stared back at him and let him know he might as well go ahead and get up.

His first day of Sophomore year was in a few hours and it wouldn't hurt him to get ready early. So Richie swung his legs over the side of his bed and grabbed for his glasses. In one quick tug of the fitted sheet on his bed, he pulled it up and stuffed the loose sheet and duvet into a ball of dampness. He violently grabbed his pillowcase and swung his pillow around until all he had ahold of was the case. He tossed all his shit into the hamper and made his way to the shower.

It was going to be a great fucking day.

~~~

English. Richie had English III for first period this year, followed by Art, then pre-Calculus, then Astronomy, then lunch, then Physics, then Derry history, and then it was all wrapped up in the seventh class period from hell. Study Hall.

Study Hall with Mr. Penny. The most batshit teacher in the entire teaching industry. Richie hated this man with a passion. All the man did was shush Richie, shout at Richie, write up Richie, and just suck major dick. Sure, the entire point of the class was to be quiet and not disturb others, but who the fuck was supposed to actually sit in a classroom full of students, stay at one desk, do homework, and not open their mouths? Not Richard fucking Tozier- that's for sure.

"Sit. Down." Mr. Penny's voice was high and flute like, always causing the hair on the back of Richie's neck to stand on end. He had red hair that was receding down to the side of his head and no facial hair. He had small, circular glasses, and a pinched nose. Richie huffed and bounced his leg under his desk. He wanted out of there. He had no friends in that class and wasn't allowed to talk.

That rule- no talking- made the rebellious streak in him fight against his want to not be in trouble on the first day of school. Richie just sat at his desk, bouncing his leg up and down, and tried not to let the string of profanities he was thinking of fly out of his mouth. It was a lot more difficult than usual. He was used to being at the Arcade all summer. Or goofing off with his friends. Bottling himself up and losing the freedom that summer gave him was honestly the reason he was having so much trouble being good right now.

Richie grabbed a Deadpool comic out of his bookbag and started flipping through the pages. Deadpool's white and yellow boxes were arguing from one side of the page to the other. Richie laughed softly, admiring the cleverly worded insults and jokes that would make Bill stutter out the words "Beep, beep, Richie."

"Ahem. Study hall is not for your entertainment purposes. It is for what the name states. A study hall. Grab a book from one of your classes, Richard. Not some- some overpriced funny book." Mr. Penny was out of his chair and plucking the comic from Richie's grasp. Mr. Penny had called Richie Richard, again. That was something he insisted on doing to his students. He called them by their formal first names instead of their surnames. Richie would have preferred some teacher to bark 'Tozier' at him than 'Richard.' Mr. Penny didn't seem to give a shit- which irked every muscle in Richie's body.

"I payed good money to see a page full of your wife's boobs in comic form. If I didn't pay, I would have ended up grabbing a free newspaper to look at your mom's vagina. And nobody wants that. Free or not." The words fell from Richie's mouth and smacked Mr. Penny in the ears before Richie could stop it. Mr. Penny's face and the top of his head turned a violent shade of purple and a blood vessel appeared on his forehead. He was sputtering, trying to keep his arms at his side.

"To Principal King's office. Now." Mr. Penny's words sounded like they were being released from a balloon. Yeah, Richie could imagine his head turning into a red balloon that would float off and pop in a set of power-lines. Richie cringed at the order, snatched his comic from the teacher, and slung his bookbag over his shoulder. Mr. Penny didn't even notice that Richie had taken it, but instead was barking at the class to get under control. They were laughing hysterically and Richie highly doubted he would lecture them back into shape.

Richie walked through the deserted hallways and towards the back of the high school's gym. Richie knew Principal King's policy. First office visits of the year are forgiven, so he didn't bother stopping in there. Mr. Penny would call Mr. King and tell him all about the disrespect and Richie would get spoken to tomorrow, so he didn't sweat it. Instead he slipped out to the back to see if he could bum a cigarette off anyone. Which, he was in luck, because his favorite person to bum off of was out there.

Beverly Marsh had a cigarette between her fingers and a hall pass dangling from her wrist. Richie grinned at her, pushing his glasses up his nose. Bev rolled her eyes and handed the smoke to him. It was almost intact, like she'd lit it seconds before he arrived. He took it and took a drag from it. The red headed beauty grabbed another cigarette from her pack and hung it between her lips. She lit it and the smoke mingled with the cloud Richie was making.

"Are you skipping?" Bev asked. Richie snorted and shook his head, his dark curls bouncing.

"I had Mr. Penny. He took my comic, I made a comment, and got kicked out. Mr. King's office can wait 'til tomorrow."

"What'd you say, Trashmouth?" Bev grinned. Her wide, green eyes danced with humor. Richie's cheeks heated.

"Something about his wife's boobs and mother's vagina." Bev's laughter busted out, her cheeks and ears tinting pink. Richie shoved his shoulder into his friends, laughing along with her.

Richie and Beverly had been friends since the beginning of eighth grade year. From the moment Richie had met Bev, they'd hit it off. They shared cigarette's behind the gym during lunch or break and just laughed about the stupidest shit. Her humor almost seemed to match his- almost.

They snuck out together a lot, sneaking into movie theaters, and skipping class when they could. Richie didn't worry about his grades, because he was one of the top in his classes. Bev just seemed to like the rush skipping supplied. Either way, they got called to class more often than not.

For a moment- a brief moment- Richie had thought Beverly could have been his soulmate. He'd asked her, but they'd soon discovered their dreams did not match up. Beverly did dream about water, but there were always fish swimming through it. Richie had never seen a fish in his dreams, which quickly told them they weren't for each other. Plus, they'd known each other for a week by then and neither had dreamed about the other.

Then Bev had found her soulmate. She'd been at a pet store, watching fish swimming inside of a tank. She told Richie that the boy came out of nowhere, but was looking at the same fish through the glass of the other side of the tank. Beverly told Richie that she knew the chubby faced boy was her soulmate as soon as they locked eyes. Richie was surprised about that, which led him to hope he knew when he met his soulmate. He wanted to know right then, not when he went to sleep that night.

Richie blinked up at the cloudless sky and felt the heat coming off of the pavement. It would be a perfect day to go down to the Quarry with Bill, Bev, Ben, and Richie's other friend- Mike. They'd become a nice little friend group since the beginning of high school.

"Wanna go to the Quarry after school? It's a nice day. I'll get the others on board, too."

"Sure thing. I might be a little late, since I'm dropping some books off at the library with Ben." Bev crushed the lit end of her cigarette against the concrete underneath them. She flicked the remains off into a nearby ditch and stood up.

"Later, Rich."

"Yeah, later."

~~~

Everyone had agreed to meet up at the Quarry. Richie was already on his way, peddling slowly on his bike. He wasn't in a rush, since he was going to be the first one there. Bill was taking his little brother home and was going to come by after that. Mike would be a little bit since he had a few chores to do. So Richie rode alone, his back tire squeaking slightly as he started up a hill.

The warm wind whipped through his hair and warmed him to the bone. His Hawaiian shirt was open and blowing loosely around his body. He had a white t-shirt on underneath it that was plastered against his flat stomach.

Summer was Heaven for Richie, even during the school year. He loved the heat and the way his body was warmed to the core by the sun. He loved it.

Richie pedaled absent mindedly. He was thinking about not thinking. He thought about the birds chirping pleasantly and the way the leaves of the trees seemed to wave at him as he passed. If he imagined hard enough, he could hear the kidlike voices of the green leaves calling to him.

"Hi, Richie!"

"You look cute today!"

"That ass is doing amazing, Sweetie!"

He chuckled to himself. The imaginary voices of the leaves played in his head. He opened his mouth and tried to mimic them. He sounded squeaky, like the back tire on his bike. Richie cleared his throat and tried another voice, but never finished his full sentence when he saw who was on the road in front of him.

The birds stopped singing around him and his bones tried to escape through his skin. Richie's bike skidded to a halt, alerting to Henry Bowers and Belch Huggins that a victim was approaching. Richie observed the empty car and the one bike laying on the ground. His chest constricted for a second, worried it could have belonged to one of his friends.

Bowers and Belch grinned widely, sending Richie's spine on another mission to escape again. Bowers ran toward him. Richie dropped his bike and bolted into the woods nearby the road. Fight or flight- and Richie wasn't much of a fighter. Bowers and his three mouth breathers had been terrorizing Richie and his friends as long as he could remember.

Bowers had been on a rampage ever since he'd discovered he was being held back- again. It would be his second Junior year. No matter how many kids he beat up though, it didn't change anything. He was a lot more physical now, actually breaking bones, and slicing up kids. There was a rumor going around that he'd shot Mrs. Lenshaw's tabby cat. Richie didn't have to think too much on that. He'd go to the grave swearing it was the truth- just because Bowers was that fucked up.

Richie was a lot faster than the others, so he managed to get a pretty good head start on them, since he could only hear them behind him. They must have found Victor Criss, because now three sets of voices were yelling out for the 'Four Eyed Freak.'

Richie made a split second decision and ran into one of the open ends of the sewer tunnels. It smelled like shit and there was grey water congegated in the middle of the piping, but Richie ran down it. He was careful to avoid going too fast or making too much noise. He didn't want to get himself cornered by Bowers and Co.

Richie had made a few turns down the tunnel before he considered himself safe. It was dark and dank, but Richie managed his way down the pipes. His breathing was ragged and his skin was flushed. He walked on just a little more. He and Bill used to come down to the Barrens and explore the sewers- It was something to do during the summers. He was sure he'd been in this set of tunnels before, because it looked familiar and he guaranteed Bill could navigate them well. Richie sighed silently and rested his back against the sewer wall.

How long would he have to wait here before the coast was clear? Richie pushed his glasses up his nose and his head thumped back against his resting spot. It was quiet in here and he could here the sound of his own breathing. He'd managed to avoid sloshing around in the water and telling the bullies where he was. He would either sit down here or go farther in and hope for another exit.

Raspy breathing came from farther down in the tunnel and Richie jumped out of his skin. Something was triggered- it sounded a bit like a rusty pipe releasing air. But then again, it was too quiet for that. Was someone else in here? Was it Bowers or one of his gang? Richie's heart thundered in his chest and his palms felt slick, and not from the moisture on the sewer's wall.

Something clicked inside of Richie's brain. He remembered the sight of Belch and Henry grinning while standing over someone's bike. They had chased some other poor kid, who must have also seen the sewers and taken full advantage of the hideout. Fight or flight.

Richie walked beside the small and thin strip of water running in the sewer tunnel. It was attached to the Kenduskeag- Derry's very own section of the canal- and there had been very little rainfall, which meant there was barely any water standing in the pipes. He kept his hand against the wall as he walked, since it was rather dark and he could see a little bit, but not much. Soon enough, that raspy breathing was getting a little louder and the sound of an aspirator- Richie had identified it as not a rusty pipe- went off again.

Richie rounded another corner and he saw a shape leaning against the concrete with their shoes in the water. They weren't wheezing anymore, but Richie could feel the fear rolling off the kid in waves.

"So uh, whatch you do ta wind up in ta slammah? See me, I punched Ole Fuck Face Bowers right in ta kissah and heres I's am." Richie had flipped his Hawaiian shirt's collar up and was slouched and walking with his hips out from his body. He spoke from the side of his mouth and had his fists out in front of him.

The other kid didn't seem to enjoy his Voice that much and had to take another hit of his aspirator. Richie held his hands up in surrender and dropped the New Yorker/JD accent. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm actually hiding out from Bowers too."

The kid's arms- which had tensed up by his side- relaxed. "Did he follow you in here? Are you alone?"

"No, he didn't see me. I had a pretty good head start." Richie sighed and sat down next to the other boy. The other seemed slightly taken aback and scooted over a little to give Richie room on the slab of concrete that was higher than the rest of the tunnel. "I'm Tozier. Richie Tozier."

The other boy scoffed and Richie could hear the eye roll. The lighting was absolutely terrible, but Richie could make out thick, long, eyelashes. He could really only see how his chest rose and fell jaggedly. He wanted to pat the boy on the back or offer words of comfort, but that seemed weird, so Richie kept his hands to himself.

"Eddie Kaspbrak." Eddie sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and chewed on it gently. Richie watched his lip, but peeled his eyes away and looked down the tunnel in the direction he had come down. "How long do you think we'll have to wait in here?"

"Probably until some other loser comes along and gets caught." Richie leaned back against the sewer wall before jolting up. "Losers! My Losers! Aw, shit. We've got to get out of here."

"Wa-what? What are you talking about? They're out there waiting for us!" Eddie hissed out the words. Richie shook his head and had to push his glasses back up his face before they slid off his nose.

"My friends! We're supposed to meet at the Quarry and this is the route we all take. They don't know about Mullet Face out there and his goons. I've got to go!" Richie stood up and could feel the air move behind him. Eddie was stood up too and Richie looked back at him. He had expected the kid to continue sitting there and maybe to take another hit of his aspirator.

"I don't think it's a good idea to go alone. I'll help you so you don't get killed, okay? But you have to do the same for me." Eddie spoke quickly and stuck his hand out. Richie looked at the outline of it in the darkness before taking it in his own and shaking.

"Deal. Come on."

Richie had no clue how to get out. He was honestly lucky to have found Eddie, because Eddie led them out of the sewers like he was walking on a straight path. They only got lost once, but that was Richie's fault. It took barely any time for the two to arrive at the entrance, but it took a second for Richie's vision to focus in the bright light. The other kid had stopped wheezing- thank God- and was now just clutching his inhaler anxiously.

Richie poked his head out of the piping, looking around for the three Dickbags. He saw nothing, so he cautiously moved forward. The birds were not chirping and the tree leaves were not giggling in Richie's imagination anymore. The sky was gorgeous and so was the summer breeze, but that was all. Richie felt chills worm their way up his skin and into his bones. Something was wrong.

He heard screaming. It was far off, but he heard it all right. It sounded like a girl and she sounded scared and panicked. Richie felt Eddie flinch beside him, but they didn't try to go back inside of the sewer. Richie started to walk towards the noise.

"Ben! Stop it! Please!"

Richie's eyes widened and he took off running. Beverly was screaming and she was screaming about Ben. Richie was flying, his long legs covering more ground than usual and he could sense Eddie running close behind him. He was terrified of what he would find when he emerged from the bushes. Nothing prepared him to see Henry Bowers holding a knife to his friend's stomach and trying to cut it.

"Stop fucking moving!" Henry cursed and slammed Ben's back against the Kissing Bridge's wooden railing. Beverly screamed out when the knife glinted in the sunlight. She was being held back by Belch Huggins, who was holding her arms behind her back and twisting them like he was trying to give her an Indian Burn. Her face was a pasty white, which was a sharp contrast to the reddening heat of anger coating Ben's face.

Ben wasn't crying, only thrashing madly and yelling out that nobody better touch Beverly. His blue eyes were wide and slowly getting an enraged look to them. He couldn't get to her because of the eight-inch blade hovering in front of his gut, but Richie was getting nervous about that look in his eyes, because Bev made a sharp noise of pain, and he truly believed that Ben was about to plunge himself onto the knife just to strangle Belch.

Richie looked around, trying to find something to help Ben out. Victor Criss was holding him tightly by the shoulders and staring at Henry's knife in bewilderment. Richie got the feeling they hadn't planned this out as much as Henry had. Richie's eyes flicked across the scene, trying to think of something- anything- that could help. He hadn't even remembered Eddie standing next to him until a big rock went flying through the air. It smashed against the back of Henry's head and knocked him forward. The knife fell from his hand and Ben kicked it backwards- sending it spiraling over the edge of the bridge and into the shallow waters below.

"Hey, Fuckface! Over here." Eddie's voice cut through the air and Henry's head snapped toward him. Ben barreled forward, breaking free from Victor's grasp and knocking Henry to the ground. He stepped around the crumpled form of Bowers and started towards Belch Huggins. Belch had stopped twisting Bev's arms up after he saw his batshit leader hit the ground. There was a pause in the air and Belch tossed her away from him. He moved towards Ben, seeing the fight about to happen and wanting to be the first one to get in a hit. But Richie was ready this time.

"Hey, Dick for Brains!" Another rock soared through the air and landed with a pleasing thud against Belch's stupid face- Richie saw blood spurt from Belch's nose. Beverly turned around and sent her foot barreling into his crotch, causing him to lose his breath and double over. Victor was trying to help Bowers up when the sound of machine gun fire started down the hill. Henry flinched out of the corner of Richie's eye. Nobody said a word.

Richie let a relieved grin overtake his face at the sight of Bill Denbrough rolling down the hill on the bicycle he called Silver. Silver was a massive bike with playing cards clothes-pinned to the spokes, when they caught air they made a machine gun noise. Henry Bowers had recognized it all right. Bill was standing while pedaling; a set of arms were wrapped around his waist and curly hair was peeking over his shoulders. Bill easily pieced together what was going on. The happy and joyful smile on his face disappeared quickly and was replaced with a seething and angry look. Victor Criss hissed through his pointy and crooked teeth, his arm supporting a glaring Henry.

Silver rolled to a stop, causing the boy behind Bill- Stanly Uris who just happened to be the one holding Bill's hand in those dreams- to poke his head around his torso. His smile instantly dropped too, the light left his warm, dark, eyes and Richie felt a pang of sympathy. He doubted in the two weeks of them finding each other that Stan had seen Bill mad. Richie supposed there was a first time for everything.

"What the fu-fuck are you duh-doing?" Bill set his mouth in a tight line. Stan set his feet on the ground and stood up from the back of Silver. Bowers glared at him as he straightened up his blue button-up. A snarl left his mouth, but Bill had already dropped Silver to the ground and was walking towards Bowers.

"No-none o-of yo-your fu-fu-fuc-king business, Mush Mouth." Henry jerked his arm in synch with his mocking stutter. Richie could see a pump-knot forming under his greasy mullet where Eddie had hit him. Bill's hands knotted into fists and he took another few steps towards Henry. Belch was slowly getting to his feet and making his way to his two friends.

The next bike over the hill carried Mike Hanlon and- as if it were possible- Henry Bowers's sneer deepened. Richie felt something slide into his hand and he gripped it. It was a fat rock that barely fit in his hand, which said something. He got the message though. He passed it to Beverly who was standing beside him. She took it and he felt another large rock slide into his palm. Ben must have gotten one too, because his knuckles were white from gripping whatever was in his hand.

"Go the fuck away!" Mike belted the words out. Stan and Mike were standing with them now and they had rocks of their own. The side of the road that Richie and the Losers were standing on was littered with the big bastards, which could only benefit them.

"Or what?" Victor Criss sneered at Mike. His face was sharp and angular, sort of like a cats. One of those ugly naked cats that sort of reminded Richie of Gollum from Lord Of The Rings.

"We'll make you." Ben spoke up, his voice was sharp and deep. Richie grinned widely while maintaining eye contact with the three idiots in front of him. Bill was still standing a few feet away from Bowers, his fists ready to fly at a moments notice.

Ever since Bill had found out who gave his little brother, Georgie, a black eye over spring break- he and Bowers had been in an all out war. Every time that Bowers had tried to fuck with him, he and Bill had ended up fighting, which meant whomever was with Bill also fought by his side. (It was usually Richie) Now it was seven to three and Richie was pretty sure he knew who was about to win. Here's a hint- they had rocks.

"You can't do shit." Belch grunted the words out. His voice was higher by a few octaves- almost being a perfect match to Mr. Penny's voice. Richie thought about how good Beverly would play soccer with kicks like that.

"Tell that to your broken nose, asshole." Stan's voice was steady and Richie would have believed he was calm- had it not been for the slight shaking of his hand that the rock resided in.

"You're just a bunch of fucking losers." Henry smiled like he's said something new. He stood up to his full height. Richie hadn't noticed how close in height Bill and Henry were becoming until then. Bill was a full two inches taller, with a wiry form, but he could pack a punch. Too bad Henry was stronger and meaner, otherwise Bill could have taken him by himself.

"Exactly." Bev paused. Richie saw her arm flex and then the rock in her hand went flying- hitting Henry on the gap between his eyebrows. He grunted- flying backwards and knocking Victor down with him.

Soon enough- five other rocks were flying through the air and bouncing off of the bodies of the three bullies. Bill was standing above the three- his chest heaving up and down. He raised his fist and brought it down- hard- against Henry Bower's face. He only hit him once before letting him drop back to the ground. Henry was angry now- shooting up from the ground- only to get drilled by another six rocks flying through the air. Victor grabbed him by the back of his shirt and the three of them scrambled to get into Victor's car. Bill managed to get Silver out of the road before the car went barreling by.

"Bev."

Mike dropped a rock into her hand and she took it. She reared her arm back and threw the rock at the car. It hit the middle of the back windshield and bounced off with a bang. No cracks could be seen, but the car had sped up. Bill clapped her on the back and she grinned. She'd always had the best aim out of all of them. The boys had tried to talk her into playing for the school's softball team, but she said it wasn't really her thing. Plus, she'd have to quit smoking to join.

"Das right! An' doan yous come back now!" Richie put on a Voice and sauntered forward. He bit his thumb in the direction of the car, steadily proving how much of a dork he was. The others laughed, but one laugh was unfamiliar. It sent a smile over his face and his cheeks glow softly. Eddie.

Richie hadn't actually looked at the kid since they got out of the sewers. He turned around, expecting to see some twelve year old standing there with tears in his eyes. Instead, his eyes met the prettiest whiskey color he'd ever seen. His eyes were bright and shining. His hair was a wavy brown that hugged his ears and fanned over his forehead. Freckles rested subtly on his nose, which had a cute little button shape towards the end. Richie felt goosebumps roll over his skin. He realized he was staring- so he had to mentally jumpstart his brain.

"The rocks! Good thinking, Eds!" Richie clapped Eddie on the shoulder, only to have his hand smacked away.

"Don't call me Eds. That's not my name." Richie smiled. He wasn't offended that his hand had been slapped away, he was too giddy for that.

"Thanks, for what you did. I thought Henry was really going to do some damage to Ben." Bev smiled at him, her hands nursing the red skin of her forearms. She leaned down and pecked the side of his cheek. Eddie's face flushed, but he looked proud more than flustered.

"Anytime. I would hope that someone would do that for me."

"Someone wuh-will now. Wuh-welcome to the Loser's Club. I'm Buh-Bill." Bill smiled softly and the others looked around with wide eyes. Nobody had ever been inducted into the Loser's Club that quickly before, but it somehow felt right. It felt like a piece of a puzzle had clicked into place. Richie had only thought that the Loser's Club would fit six, but he was wrong. It was seven and he thought it had always been meant to be seven.

"Yeah, Eddie. Welcome to the Loser's Club." The others introduced themselves one by one. Ben and Beverly intertwined hands and grabbed their bikes. Mike tossed his leg over his own and Richie grabbed his. Bill mounted his bike and helped Stan onto the back. Stan's hands grazed gently over the busted knuckles on Bill's right hand. Bill whispered something to him and Stan's face softened.

One by one- the group of kids started down the road. Richie was watching the others go, laughing and giggling along. Eddie stood by the side of the road, sporting a dazed look on his face- one that told Richie right away he'd never had any friends before. Richie rolled his bike back and forth, listening to the squeaking of his back tire. Eddie was watching the others and Richie was trying to string words together in his mind.

"We're going to the Quarry. You coming?" Eddie's face turned toward Richie's and Richie felt his breath leave him. Eddie was absolutely stunning and Richie's heart was pounding like a drum. His brain started to try and explain the reason- but Richie pushed that thought away. He focused on the rocks laying everywhere and the broken concrete that Derry really needed to repair.

"Yeah." Eddie grabbed his bike and off they went.

~~~

The Quarry was abandoned, much to the delight of the kids. They all arrived at the same time- bikes squeaking and playing cards gunning. They laid their bikes down before taking off some of their clothes. They were all in shorts and Bev also had on her bikini top.

The Quarry was the unofficial initiation to becoming a Loser. Once you made the jump- you were in for life. Eddie wasn't going to be told this, of course. He could be pushed or jump himself, but no matter what he was going to hit the water below. He was a Loser already- he just needed the Badge of Bravery that came with the Quarry. (In Bill's words, at least.)

Bev squealed loudly, trying to get out of Ben's reach. Her soulmate had managed to wrap his arms around her waist and was walking her towards the cliff. Soon enough, she was being pushed over the side and he was jumping in close behind her. It was a full couple seconds before the water below was reached. Bill grinned mischievously at Stan, who shook his head pleadingly.

"No. You better not!" Stan tried to fight the smile off his face, but to no avail. Bill had his arms wrapped around Stan, their chests close together. Bill pecked his lips gently before shoving his soulmate a good four feet over the Quarry's edge. Mike was the one to push Bill over, who hadn't been expecting that at all. Mike jumped after, leaving Richie and Eddie standing up top.

"Are they always like this?" Eddie asked. Richie nodded his head and casually tossed his arm across Eddie's shoulders. He led the two of them forward, feeling the slight shaking of Eddie's body. The jump could be pretty scary, especially for someone who had never attempted it before. The two boys looked at the water below, watching the small shapes of their friends swimming and splashing around. Richie could already hear the game of chicken being discussed.

"I guess it's just you and me, Eds." Richie looked over in time to see a grin spread across the shorter boy's face. Before Richie could prepare, Eddie's hands were on his chest and he was being shoved over the edge. Richie's long fingers wrapped around Eddie's wrist and he was being pulled over the edge too.

While falling, Richie was staring at the terrified look on Eddie Kaspbrak 's face. His brown eyes were open wide and his mouth was letting out a shriek. His arm was still in Richie's grip, but he didn't try to pull away. Eddie's free hand smacked the curly haired boy's shoulder. Richie laughed and his body broke through the water.

The Quarry's water was cool, which was a wonderful contrast to the heat of the sun. As Richie plummeted down into the depths, he felt the water lift his hair, loosening the tight spirals and pulling them towards the surface. Eddie was right across from Richie, looking through the surface and into the sky. His cheeks were puffed out from him holding his breath, which caused him to look like a very startled chipmunk. Richie laughed again, watching as his air bubbled up. He kicked his legs and brought his head out of the water, Eddie following close behind him.

"You mu-made it!" Bill was swimming over, the others trailing behind him. Eddie was wiping his right hand across his face and smiling softly. The others circled around and patted him on the back. Eddie was smiling, clearly happy about the positive attention.

"Welcome to the Loser's Club, Eddie Spaghetti!" Richie rolled his knuckles against Eddie's head and dunked him under the water for a split second. When Eddie reemerged, he was sputtering and flushed. He locked eyes with Richie and lunged at him. Richie swam quickly, laughing and trying to stay out of Eddie's reach. The others laughed and started teaming up for chicken. (Mike and Richie won, mostly because Richie cheats.)

The Losers learned about their newest member. Eddie Kaspbrak had moved to into the town of Derry after living a few towns closer to Bangor. His father had passed and his mom had insisted that his spirit was haunting the house. Eddie hadn't been too upset to have found out he was moving. He'd had a rough time at school and thought a new start would be good. It was too bad Henry Bowers lived in Derry, otherwise the town would have been perfect.

Eddie was a Sophomore at the same high-school the others went to. He had classes with all of his new friends, just not at once. Apparently, he and Richie were in the same Study Hall and he'd been there to witness the scene with Mr. Penny. Richie had gotten a lot of 'Beep, beeps' after Eddie had finished the story.

By the time Richie got home, he was exhausted. They had left the Quarry after sunset. Everyone had pulled their shirts and shoes back on and mounted their bikes. Richie was one of the last to leave, since he'd lost his glasses in the water at one point and had to find them. Then the tire on his bike had finally decided it was done with his shit and busted while he was riding down Up Mile Hill. He had to push it beside him on his way home.

When he got home, he'd seen his mom sitting in the kitchen, smoking a cigarette and reading some erotica novel with Fabio on the cover. He'd cracked a joke about it, causing a smile to twitch onto her face. He took that as a win.

After his much needed shower, he'd put his fresh sheets on his bed and tossed his glasses on his nightstand. As soon as his head hit the pillow, Richie was unconscious.

~~~

He was freefalling- dropping through the black horizon like a ton of bricks. His face was turned toward the sky, but his curls were blocking his view. It's not like he could see anything anyway- he was basically falling out of a void. Air was gushing against his back, causing his shirt to snap against his stomach like a shitty whip. His hands were clawing the space in front of him, trying with all of his might to find something to grab ahold of.

After what felt like an eternity, his hand scrapped across something resembling flesh and he gripped down on it. It was an arm and the arm belonged to a person. He struggled to see around his curls, but then his body met the water.

The quick and rapid falling was cushioned by the water, which was not something that could happen in anything but a dream. Richie felt like he'd landed in a bed of feathers, sinking in slowly and gently. The water held him and was beginning to pull him towards the surface. Richie's eyes were shut now, trying to prevent the water from irritating them. Richie felt the direction of the water change and his body was being pushed to the surface.

He opened his eyes when the sunlight turned the back of his eyes a glowing red. The sun was shining down- the sun had been no where to be seen earlier- and was casting rays against the green water. Fluffy, white, clouds were floating in the blue sky and cicadas screamed sweetly. The water droplets on his glasses raced towards the bottom of his lenses. He blinked hard and stared at the cliff in front of him.

The Quarry. He was swimming in the Quarry. He'd never seen a place before in his dreams- not one he could recognize, at least. Richie's lips parted in awe and he looked around. He couldn't have been alone in the water? After all, he heard water stirring beside him. Richie cast a glance over his shoulder, not actually expecting to see someone's face. A beautiful face.

"Richie?"

Eddie Kaspbrak was floating next to him, water droplets cascading down his flushed face. Richie took in the sight. Was it really Eddie? He had the same mouth with water sliding across the plush lips. He had the same button at the end of his nose and his hair was slicked back, slightly darker now that it was wet. And he had the same eyes. The eyes that looked like sun shining through a bottle of whisky, eyes that somehow held the sun and stars and once. Could it be?

"Eddie?"

Eddie nodded and Richie felt his face change. He was smiling widely and opening his mouth to talk. But he never got a chance to say anything, because his alarm clock was startling him awake.

~~~

Richie was ready for school in record time. His heart was thundering out of his chest and his hands were shaking like maracas, which really deteriorated his ability to dress himself. Richie's glasses were still on his nightstand when he went to leave his room, causing him to lose some precious seconds of time that he could be on his way to Eddie.

Eddie. A boy. The new Loser. His soulmate.

People didn't judge one another for their soulmates- it was Fate that marked them after all- since no one had any say over it. Soulmates had always been a touchy subject for Richie. Sure, he'd asked Beverly and Bill, but he'd trusted them not to judge his yearning for someone to- for a lack of better wording- love.

Richie's parents weren't soulmates. Nobody except for a handful of people knew this, but it wasn't really a big deal. A minority of people never find their soulmates and Maggie and Wentworth Tozier had just given up on looking. They still had dreams of their respective other halves, but nothing came of it. Richie was waiting for the day one of his parents came home with another person. Cause that would be the icing on top of the cake of an already shitty household.

Richie had always worried he'd end of just like them. That maybe after so many people with similar dreams came and went- that he would still be holding his own heart in his hands, just waiting for someone to come by and trade it for their own. Maybe Richie would take up drinking- like his mom. Or maybe he would wake up in another person's bed after his 'late night shifts'- like his dad. Or maybe worse, he would spend his entire life searching for someone who could never love him in return.

But that was all out of the window now. He had a soulmate. He had found him and he was going to him. Richie didn't think he could handle it if Eddie rejected him, but then he thought about his face in the dream. The blush that coated his cheeks and the water that dripped over his curved up lips. He was happy to see Richie and Richie was so fucking happy to see him.

Richie grabbed his bike off of the concrete of his driveway. He threw his leg over the seat and kicked off from his spot, only for his bike to go a few feet and crash to the ground. In his fit of excitement, he'd forgotten all about his back tire being blown out. He cursed- definitely waking up old Ms. Harris in the process- and tossed it on the ground. He started to run now, his long legs covering a lot of ground.

Richie lived closer to Bill Denbrough than any of the others and he was about to take full advantage of their friendship. Richie was at the Denbrough residence within five minutes. He couldn't even feel the way his legs were throbbing or his lungs were trying to shut down- he definitely needed to lay off the cigarettes- because the heat in his chest and in veins was overriding every other feeling. Eddie. His soulmate.

Richie's fist pounded on the door for a solid thirty seconds before it swung open to reveal Sharon Denbrough, who looked very concerned about the red color in Richie's face- yeah, he really needed to lay of the cigarettes.

"Richie? What's wrong, honey?" Mrs. Denbrough pulled her housecoat tighter across her chest. Richie wheezed hard and coughed before he tried to speak.

"Soulmate. I need Bill to 'High-Yo Silver, Away!' me to school. I can't run- oh Christ- anymore." Richie was gasping for breath and she was shouting over her shoulder for Bill.

"Oh, I remember when I saw Zack for the first time in my dreams. He was walking through a field of stargazer lilies- which is our common theme- and he just turned and looked at me. Our eyes met and it was three days before we found each other again. It was a rough time, but it all worked out in the end." Sharon smiled, her blue eyes were so similar to Bill's that it was disturbing. Bill came out of his kitchen, hopping and pulling his shoes on with a piece of toast dangling out of his mouth.

"Come on!" Richie's hand shot into the door frame and grabbed his friend by the arm. He pulled Bill with him and grabbed Silver. Bill was trying his best to eat his toast, but Richie smacked it out of his hand. "We have to get to school!"

"Wuh-what's at scuh-scooh- fuck!- there?" Bill tossed his leg over Silver's seat and helped Richie onto the package carrier. As soon as Bill picked his foot off of the ground- Richie's heart jumped into his throat. He hated riding double on Silver, mostly because of the way Bill always got her started off. She would waver from side to side, almost tossing the boys off with each pump of Bill's legs. The playing cards on the tires would swish at first, but by the time the they were at the end of Bill's street, the cards had the machine gun noise down pat.

"Eddie. He's my soulmate." Richie shouted over the sound of the cards and his own heavy breathing. He was clutching the top of the package carrier, hoping today wasn't the day Bill would run them into traffic. Bill's foot almost slipped of the pedal and his entire body stuttered. If Richie wasn't so anxious to see Eddie, he would have laughed long and hard.

Bill's excitement took over his tongue and his stutter increased ten-fold. Richie told him everything, making sure to answer all the questions Bill could possibly ask. Bill was smiling, looking over his shoulder occasionally. He was thrilled about the news and Richie was thankful. If the two teens weren't going fast before- they were a speeding bullet now. Bill leaned off his seat and hovered over Silver's handlebars. She swayed heavily while he shifted his weight from pedal to pedal.

"High-yo Silver, AWAYYY!" Bill screamed at the top of his lungs. The playing cards were deafening now and Richie was clutching onto anything to keep him from falling off. Needless to say, they made it to school in record time. The best part was- a newly familiar bike was already shoved in the bike rack.

"Ruh-Rih-Richie! Luh-look!" Bill brought Silver to a stop, which was a painstaking process of Death flashing before Richie's eyes. Eddie was standing on the grass near the front of the building with his fingernail in-between his teeth. When he caught sight of Richie- Richie could see the change in his face.

Richie didn't even bother to wait for Silver to come to a complete stop. He stumbled when he connected with the ground, but quickly righted himself. He was running again. Eddie's hair was messy- like he hadn't taken the time to brush it. His shirt was inside-out and Richie was pretty sure his socks were mix-matched. He looked perfect.

"Richie-"

Eddie was knocked off his feet and his body crashed to the ground. Richie was wrapped around him like a snake, crushing his bones under the impact of him falling on top of the shorter of the two. A pair of lips were pressed against Eddie's face repeatedly, causing a blush to rise to the surface of Eddie's pale skin. He erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Hiya, Eds." Richie propped himself above Eddie, staring down at him. Eddie was glowing and his hair was even more dishevelled, now with little decorative pieces of grass.

"Fuck off, Trashmouth."

Eddie's hands cupped Richie's face and he pushed himself from the ground. He pulled their mouths together. It was a quick kiss, mostly because neither of the two could stop smiling long enough to try and make it good. It wasn't even messy, just weird and gentle. It wasn't a big deal though, because they had the rest of their lives to master their smiles.

#rock war

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