Chapter Text
Eddie Kaspbrak does not have friends.
It’s not that he doesn't choose to have any, it’s more of a “who would wanna be friends with you” type situation. But Eddie doesn't need friends, it’s like his mother always says, people are disgusting. With all their germs and lack of self-constraint when it comes to physical contact.
But —
No. Eddie Kaspbrak does not need friends. People like him are meant to be alone. People like him are easily tainted. His mother is always saying how dirty other people are, so imagine the possibility of another person spreading their filth to him.
No. Eddie doesn't need that. He is a clean boy. He isn’t dirty.
So what if Eddie stares too long sometimes, and what if the creepy looks Mr.Keene gives him sends a small thrill through his body. That doesn’t make him dirty. No, Eddie is not dirty.
Not dirty. Not dirty. I am not dirty
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Not dirty, not dirty, not dirty, not dirty
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Eddie, honey, I think it’s time
Pain.
Eddie’s whole body feels like someone stepped all over him. It even hurts to breathe. But just as it feels like he’ll be consumed whole, a voice pulls him out.
“Hello? Hellooooooooooooooooooooo?...Are you awake?... Are you awake now? How bout now? No? Hmmmm, HOW BOUT NOW!? Really? Damn, it seems like we’re gonna need to pull out the big guns.”
Guns! Did they just say guns!?
At the mention of guns, Eddie is suddenly sitting straight up. The pain of knocking his head against the stranger's head, combined with his already sore body, not yet registering.
“Jesus—”
“Please don't shoot me!” Eddie says in one breath, still not acknowledging the throbbing pain all over his body. His mind hyper fixated on the stranger's previous words.
Guns. Guns. Guns
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Guns. Guns. Guns.
He has a GUN.
He’s going to SHOOT me.
Shoot. Shoot. Shoot--
I can't breath. I can't breath. I cant breath
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2--
“Hey are you ok?” But like before, the stranger's words pulled him back, and his mind's usual chaos is drowned out. This, however, doesn't last long, as his surroundings slowly start to come into focus.
Suddenly conscious, he notices that something is wrong and upon catching what he's wearing, his blood runs cold, because...these are not his clothes. One look around him also tells him that this is definitely not his house either. In fact by the looks of things he isn't even in New York anymore! While his brain tries to process the sudden fear that's wreaking havoc through his body, he fails to notice the stranger starting to reach over until it’s already too late.
And if his mind wasn’t on overdrive as it is, the simple touch sends a shockwave throughout his body. It’s been so long since anyone last touched him. It could almost be comforting if it wasn’t for the panic it sends his mind into.
Dirty
Dirty
He touched me, what if he made me dirty
Dirty
Dirty
Why are you still letting him touch you dear, dirty, dirty, boy.
The voice in his head sounding an awful lot like his mother. But, regardless of who it was, they were right. So Eddie mustered all the power he had left in his sore body and pushed the other away.
With nothing left, he takes one glance up at the stranger, noting the odd expression on the male's face, and passes out.
---
To say Richie was confused, is an understatement. One second he’s sitting in a diner in the middle of a desert, talking to a sentient notepad, his body craving anything that is edible. The next thing he knows the ceiling is opening and dropping off a new passenger, who then proceeds to push him for who knows what reason.
It’s honestly a shock to him that such a small boy could push that hard, considering he just fell like 20 feet. And while Richie remembered how sore his body was after arriving it seemed like more of a consequence of his life before the train.
He never thought it could’ve been because they literally just dumped you out of a weird pod thing.
Jesus, the train really doesn't like us huh.
Anyway, the boy now seems to have passed out, which is both a good and bad thing. Good because it means Richie doesn’t have to worry about getting pushed or randomly headbutted, but bad because oh shit he passed out!
Not really giving it a second thought he stands up, and scoops the other boy into his arms, slowly making his way over to the diner. His stomach grumbling as he fights off the wave of hunger threatening to also make him collapse like the boy in his arms.
As Richie enters the diner a voice yells out “Back already I see—oh my heavens! Is that boy ok?” The notepad lady from earlier exclaimed. Quickly making her way over to Richie and the unconscious boy he’s holding.
His body exhausted, he doesn't reply; instead, Richie sets the boy down in a booth and takes a seat on the opposite side, throwing his head back as he lets out a sigh.
“I think I’ll take those pancakes now,” he says, his body molding to the seat.
As he waited for his food to arrive, his mind kept jumping to the pure fear on the kid's face. He seemed convinced that Richie would shoot him, it almost broke his heart seeing how scared the boy was.
Richie hadn’t been in this car for particularly long, heck, he had just made it to the diner when the small guy in front of him arrived.
And speaking of a small guy, this kid is tiny, like can fit in my pocket if I try hard enough tiny. Ok well he’s not that tiny, but he’s pretty tiny.
But something about him is different. Richie has been on the train for some time now, and while it’s not uncommon to meet other passengers. He’s definitely never seen one dropped off. But it’s not that either, while it was an unusual introduction, Richie almost feels some type of familiarity from the boy.
Yet he can’t seem to pinpoint why exactly. He gives it no more thought as the Notepad lady, who he comes to find out is named Meredith, comes out with his pancakes.
“Thank you malady!” He chirps, putting on his trademark Tozier smile.
“You’re very welcome!” She says, her southern belle accent reminding Richie that he needs to practice his as well. He quickly makes a mental note to interrogate Meredith about pronunciations later.
As most food on the train is, the pancakes are delicious. Not all cars will have food mind you, but cars like these seem to never run out. As if all the supplies are magically restocked as people order.
It's not long before his plate is empty and he's calling Meredith over for more. He decides to order a plate for the unconscious boy too, remembering how scarce cars meant to feed passengers actually are. He might be using the word loosely, but if you get trapped in a car that has no food for a couple of days you're basically a goner. In fact if this wasn't the car after a particularly rough challenge he would've definitely succumbed to his hunger.
As Richie tries to avoid the baggage of nearly dying, he fails to notice the unconscious boy awaken.
---
The first thing Eddie realizes when he wakes up, is the smell. It smells sweet, reminding him of when his father would make him breakfast on his day off. The second thing is that he’s no longer on the ground, instead he seems to be laying on something soft.
Eddie allows himself to lay there and enjoy the warmth from the cushion, and the memories of his father the smell brings him. His brain's usual spiraling, quiet for once, bringing a wave of relief.
But, like all good things it comes to an end, and Eddie is suddenly aware that someone has been watching him. Willing his eyes open, he sees the bottom of someone’s feet. Presumably the stranger from the field he was just in.
Without even thinking of it, Eddie pushes himself up and runs. A voice behind him yelling out, “Hey!”
He quickly spots a door leading outside the diner, but just as he’s about to reach the door, he gets knocked back as he collides with something.
“Watch where you’re going,” a female with a southern accent yells out.
“Who the fuck are you!? Where the fuck am I!? Did you kidnap me!? Oh my god! Oh my god--”