Tragic Kingdom (80s/90s imagines)

43. Teddy Duchamp (Stand By Me)

For Aradia_the_Unwanted

Teddy had a short temper, everyone knew that. His triggers ranged from people picking on his friends to himself to his family, especially his father, so when Milo Pressman, the nasty junkyard man, began running his mouth off about Teddy's dad, you knew he was in for a shock.

And you weren't wrong.

Teddy was nearly climbing back over the fence to rip the older man to shreds, and it took all three of you to pry Teddy from the chainlink.

He broke down as you all walked him away from the junkyard, tears streaming down his face, though he tried to cover them.

"What does an old piece of shit like him know anyway?" Chris tried to comfort him. "You think he stormed the beach at Normandy?"

"Yeah, he doesn't know anything," Vern chimed in.

Teddy shook his head, but before he could protest or anyone else could continue trying to make him feel better, you took hold of your friend.

"Teddy Duchamp, you know that what he says has no affect on the way any of us or you see your dad. We all know what he did, and we know that things could be better." The other guys remained quiet. "But most of all, we appreciate your dad because without him, we wouldn't have you, okay? We're your friends."

"Aw, stop it with the mushy stuff, Aradia," Teddy mumbled, a peek of a smile showing through.

You gave him a friendly punch in th arm. "See, now you feel better though. I mean it, Teddy, don't listen to that old bag of crap. That's why you have us." You turned to Gordie, Chris, and Vern. "Right, guys"

They all smiled and patted Teddy's back and said their "Yeahs" and their "Rights."

Teddy wiped his remaining tears from his face. "Sorry, I ruined everyone's good time."

Gordie, ever the realist of the group, frowned slightly. "I'm not so sure this should be a good time."

"What'd you mean, Gordie?" Chris asked, as you all stopped to look at the scrawny boy.

"We're going to find a dead kid. I don't think it should be a party." Gordie's solemn expression spread across all of your faces.

"Yeah, like what if we find him all decomposed, all blood and guts and shit," Vern rambled, looking very concerned.

"Shut up, Vern," Chris scolded.

You put a hand on Vern's shoulder. "Let's drop all that depressing talk. Let's just go guys." You turned to Teddy, making sure he was still alright. You offered a smile, and he returned it.

I'm sorry I've been so lazy and that this is so short! Thank you for requesting and being patient with me. I hope you like it! Thank you for requesting! M'kay.

~Mariah