˗ˏˋangst ; in which richie is best friends with henry bowers
word count ; 981
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EDDIE LET out another scream as henry's dry fist came into contact with his face. he couldn't help but think about the amount of germs and bacteria that were flying across his cheeks by now. but maybe that was the least of worries, especially with the way his head had hit the floor with such impact, the way his nose was gushing with blood and the fact his lungs grew tighter with every breath he took. he needed his inhaler, he needed it now.
despite the fact bowers and his companions were kicking painful blows into his side repeatedly, his shaky hands reached down to unzip his blood splattered fanny pack. he squeezed his eyes shut and allowed his hands to rummage through the contents of the small bag, tiny finger tips grazing over plastic pill containers until he felt the familiar shape in his hand. he pulled it from his bag.
bowers noticed and let a laugh erupt from his lungs. a mean and harsh laugh "look! little fucker cant breathe." before eddie could even react, the plastic inhaler was pulled from his hand and tossed aside, falling onto the ground and camouflaging itself into the grass. he was weak, he couldn't bring himself to argue, to spit or scream. it was as if he was hollow, a shell of the boy he once was.
all he could feel was the physical pain – because maybe little eds had blocked out his feelings long ago. he often felt numb, but he knew he had done this to himself, switched off his emotions like a robot. he had pulled the plug long ago. and why wouldn't he? his emotions didn't benefit him in any way. he was sure it was better this way.
so he closed his eyes, and allowed himself to sink into the dirt. he forgot about the bacterial crawling over his skin, the blood that dropped from gashes across his body. he struggled to breathe, but that was okay. it was okay for now. and their words soon became a distant sound – their words faded out, becoming white noise, until it drowned out completely.
they were gone.
he forced an eye open and was met with the grey clouds that littered derry's sky. he didn't notice how difficult it was for him to catch his breath until his eyes caught onto the sounds of his ragged attempts to reach oxygen. fuck.
eddie got onto his hands and knees, crawling over the damp field in search of his inhaler "fuck. fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck!" he wheezed, the venomous sound of frustration lacing his words as his hands brushed through the grass in search of the plastic.
the search for his inhaler was such a distraction that he didn't even notice the lanky, curly haired boy stood in front of him, watching eds with a pained expression across his features as he took in how badly the beating was.
the pale blue plastic stuck from the grass, and eds extended his hand in order to grab it. that's until he noticed the dirty black converse that sat in front of him. he leaped back in fright, heart racing as he recognised the features that stared down at him. richie – henry's best friend. eddie's struggle to breathe came more apparent, and the curly haired boy kneeled down. he picked up the inhaler in his left hand and held it between his fingers before cautiously holding it out for eddie to take "let me help."
his voice was soft – it wasn't threatening or scary. but maybe this was his trick. act like the innocent individual, show discomfort around henry and his actions. but at this moment, eddie didn't seem to care. because he needed that inhaler, he needed to breathe and he needed comfort.
eddie's eyes darted manically up to the curly haired boy as he snatched the inhaler from his hand, before scooting away to what he believed was a safer distance from the boy.
richie watched with wide eyes as he used the inhaler, his vision flickering to the bruises and grazes that littered carelessly across his porcelain skin. his lip was split, and blood fell down his chin. guilt was all he felt. the boy was small, tiny in fact. he had nothing compared to henry bowers and his idiotic group of friends.
"you're bleeding..." richie observed, words falling carelessly from in between his chapped lips as he extended his arm to brush his finger across the blood that fell from his nose. eds leant back, shaking his head and biting his lip anxiously. the taste of metal entered his system.
eds took another puff from his inhaler – and richie learnt in that moment not to get too close to the boy again. he was anxious, jumpy. he doubted touching the boy's injuries would make him feel any better, especially not when the boy touching him was best friends with the one who inflicted the pain initially. he was yet to speak – instead just staring at richie with those doe like eyes of his. he was lost for words, completely and utterly confused.
he tucked it back into his fanny pack, tearing his eyes away from richie in order to retrieve the cartoon patterned bandaids from the small bag, as well as a packet of tissues. richie paused for a moment, before moving slightly closer to eds "if you just let me help you..."
eddie sighed, shaking his head and attempting to stand "why would i trust you, richie?" he grabbed his bag from beside him, and hauled it onto his shoulder. richie stood from where he was kneeling, his wide frame seeming to tower over his petite body.
"because i'm not like hen." he spoke, his voice softened even further if possible. eddie seemed to melt under his gaze. "at least just let me walk you home, okay?"
