[Richie leans in and kisses the corner of Eddie's mouth and then his cheek. Too old to be having sleepovers in the same bed, too in love to care. He slips into a more comfortable position and wraps his body around him tightly. The way he'd always done when they were young and would, continue to do forever.]
( it's the one thing eddie could be 100% sure in the craziness that had been their lives. it makes it easy for him to curl in closer to richie's body and wrap his arms around his middle, burying his face against the other boy's chest with a tired sigh. although his thoughts lingered on their upcoming separation there is comfort and calm to be found in simply being at his side, easing him into a gentle rest.
the morning seems to come quickly, eddie waking early and eagerly moving to get richie up as well. this time yesterday, he had mostly been excited with the idea of graduation and being done with high school finally but now all he can think about is jumping in rich's car and driving for the border. it doesn't take long, thankfully, to get things together. they've both saved up a good bit of cash and it's not like they have a lot to bring with them beyond their clothes.
once he's left his mom a note explaining that, no-- he hasn't been kidnapped. they are finally able to set off. it isn't until they leave the derry limits that eddie finally feels at ease and once they reach canada? he's quite possibly, literally, shaking. that isn't to say anything of once they decide on a place with someone that'll marry them. it's a quiet, a bit awkward, ceremony but eddie can't helping tearing up. he doesn't full on find himself crying but damn, god damn, if he doesn't come close as he reads the vows he wrote on the back of a diner napkin.
it's only later when they're hand in hand, rings exchanged and awkwardly fitted on different fingers that he does break down with happy sniffling, openly crying.
the rest of the summer seems to swim by a leisurely pace. they go wherever the roads take them from the big cities to the smaller towns on the coastlines. it's simple, perfect and eddie swears that he probably holds richie's (his husband's) hand the entire time even when they're sleeping. it's so perfect that he doesn't want it to end and as they're driving back to derry, he breaks down again but this time it's in that heartbreaking sadness.
much like the summer, the fall and winter seems to take its time. richie keeps to his word and calls everyday, sometimes more than once and eddie is always there to answer. after their summer shenanigans his mother hold is tighter than ever but he still keeps pushing things. he visits richie more often than not during the holidays, traveling by bus from derry and even surprises him for christmas by having pooled together enough money to get their rings refitted. the r+e carved into the bands is an extra touch but richie seems to love the gesture and that is more than enough for eddie.
but finally the day comes when he leaves derry by bus without a return ticket, a bag all that he has to his name. his grades had never been as great as rich's own but he had managed somehow to be accepted to the same school and now they even had their own place. so, yeah, eddie swears his heart is probably beating like a drum the entire bus ride. usually, he was excited but now he feels some fear? but that was normal when starting a new chapter of your life, right? he tries not to think too hard about it and instead focus on the good that'll come from this.
he's the first off the bus once it arrives at the station, immediately scanning the crowd until a familiar bean pole of a husband catches his attention and eddie near tackles him off his feet as arms come to wrap around rich with a squeeze. )
Edited (i decided to make the time skip a little further along) 2020-02-16 16:09 (UTC)
[Time trickles by in not a lull but like a snap, Richie's entire world revolved around Eddie. College didn't come easy, especially not after the impromptu marriage ceremony. What followed after their vows, was bliss. Whenever he missed Eddie and couldn't call him, he'd think about that. It didn't fix everything but it calmed him down enough to focus on his schoolwork.
The initials carved into the band of their class rings gave the bands a new kind of weight. Sometimes, he'd rotate it around his finger during a lecture to see if he could get a glimpse. A game of peekaboo he played with himself and their inscription, a way to pass the time while taking notes.
Even the bus stations in Bangor were more populated than Derry had ever been. It takes a minute to find him in the crowd, and Richie is thankful that Eddie had been barreling right for him. That makes it easier to spot him and gives him time to brace for the impact.]
Jesus babe! Looks like you made good time. I can't believe you shuttled down here. How was the ride?
[The Eddie from childhood would've been laborious about his complaints on bus-travel. Richie's expecting a long-winded dissertation about other passengers and the vehicle itself. If he's lucky, he might even get a play by play about the driver and the journey too.]
( they collide and suddenly everything just feels right again. although the calls and brief weekend or holiday trips had helped ease the loneliness there was just something special in knowing that this trip would be his last. that he wouldn't have to go back to derry or go back to his mother.
the question gets a look from eddie as he glances up (has rich gotten taller?) and sticks out his tongue. he would have driven down here, if he could but his mother would blow a gasket if he was ever caught behind the wheel of a car. let alone driving alllll the way to bangor by himself.
but, most importantly: )
I need a shower. ( he hisses at the question, his face crinkling and fighting the urge to reach for his inhaler. ) Do you have any idea what it's like sitting across from a guy chewing tobacco and reading Playboy the entire time? It's not great. Someone asked me to hold their crying baby while they got a clean diaper out and the driver, I know, was driving at least twenty over the entire time.
[One thing Richie never seemed to stop doing was growing, he was still a thin waifish beanpole but he carried it a lot better now. His diet wasn't great, college eats to blame for that, but it helped him hide the weight to height disparity better.]
Look at you, learning about the female form and changing diapers. I feel like you just had a whole life saga on the ride over here.
[Richie wasn't about to complain about the driver speeding, it meant Eddie got to be here sooner, after all. Richie does what any good husband does and grabs his bags on their way into the dorms. His room is an elevator ride away, and thankfully they were on the same floor.]
It'll be a while before I can apply for a room change, so I figured maybe you could ask for a solo room and with any luck, I could set up shop there too. In the meantime, you're gonna love this - co-ed bathrooms.
( eddie says with a shake of his head but ultimately smiles up at richie because, in the end, it was worth it to be here. it meant they had finally managed part of what they had always talked about back in derry. soon enough, once they had jobs and saved up enough money, they could even get a place of their own.
he watches as richie takes his bags although eddie makes sure to grab something as they walk together back toward the dorms. admittedly, he finds himself staring a little just because it has been since christmas when they last saw one another. besides, he's allowed to stare dumbly at his husband, right? it's the thought alone that causes him to smile dopey, clearly love-struck. )
I already asked when I first applied to live at the dorms so, maybe, I'll get lucky. ( the next portion gets eddie to raise his brows before furrowing them together. ) I don't get it, Rich. What's so great about co-ed bathrooms?
Still, if someone asked me to hold a kid I feel like I'd be more likely to run away or claim temporary paralysis.
What? No, sorry ma'am. My arms lock up during cross country trips.
[Feigning the situation in different light always made Eddie smile and it's a nice way to edge him into campus living. Eddie grabs his toiletry bag as he usually did and they step inside and take the lift all the way up to his floor.]
That's the joke. You get to put some flip flops on and shower around a bunch of men and women. The horrors of gym class two: electric boogaloo.
❪ he makes a face at that. one that is half smiling but ultimately it transforms into something more... unimpressed. eddie didn't really enjoy sharing his spaces with people outside of the other losers and richie, himself. his mother thankfully kept him out of gym class (more or less) but it was always a little exciting, truthfully. if exciting could be used to describe co-ed showers. it was something his mother couldn't stop him from doing just like now―
when he steps forward on the lift and presses a heady, needy kiss to richie's lips. one that said everything that needed to be said of their time apart. ❫
It'll be okay though. If I can survive all that time away from you then I can survive all this.
❪ and then he laughs, pulling away as the lift doors open and eddie pulls richie along. unlike their time apart, time together in school seems to go by in a flash. it takes a lot of time between everything their both doing in school but they finally manage to wrangle up enough money for a place in town for themselves. it's small but cozy, enough for the two of them as they work toward finishing school. eddie thinks it'll be good for them, a chance for them to grow closer but―
but the opposite happens. he realizes it one day when sitting at the table, eating breakfast that he doesn't remember the first time they kissed. he can't remember how they met and derry itself is hazy at best. although he brushes it off, it grows like an infection as time slips on. pieces of their relationship are just not there and (honestly) it scares him. freaks him out especially when, one day, it becomes clear that richie equally doesn't remember.
it continues until, one day, eddie wakes up and realizes he doesn't know why he loves richie. why they married. why the man in bed next to him was important. it's like an ink stain and everything about richie has been blotted away.
so, perhaps, it isn't a surprise when he moves out the next week. there isn't anything there for either of them and staying together just because? well, it was clearly fucking with them both. this is for the best, he tells himself and moves back to campus until he graduates. although he thinks he sees the other man around campus by that time there isn't much of anything left to remember and eddie keeps walking and walking until one day, richie (like all of derry) is lost in a haze.
and eddie kaspbrak doesn't think about richie tozier again until some twenty years later he is presented with a problem. a major problem. a major problem that leads to a strongly worded email to someone he has no memory of but apparently married. the judge had been pretty sure of himself when he had given the information but eddie can't help but scoff. yeah, okay, a comedian. funny, hilarious even. there's a lot to be said but ultimately the email ends: ❫
Anyway, I thought you should know about all of this before I served the papers showed up because if you're anything like me then you knew NOTHING about this. I'll leave my number, call me if you need anything but the faster we can get this done then the better it is for everyone.
[Time was a funny thing, and Richie was every bit the victim that Eddie was. As it passed, his own interest waned and it pushed him right back into the closet and stole any and all recollection of happiness from him in its vice grip. He'd barely noticed the drift from Eddie, it washed away like chalk on a sidewalk and what traces were left had no stay power. Nothing concrete to keep them there, every now and then his mind would travel to sunny fields and red shorts but those things were day dreams. The fodder of an overactive imagination and not writing his own stuff anymore. That's what the pay per hour therapist he up and ditched had said.
When Richie received the email, at first he thought it was a joke. It filtered into his personal account and his PR manager had flagged it as spam but the curt and short-tempered way this guy typed seemed less like a scam and more like something genuine so several days later he takes the time to reply.]
Okay E.
You could have just told me you were a Nigerian prince and I won the lottery. It's a lot more believable.
I couldn't pull off the accent, thanks. But I figured you might say this so I went ahead and got everything from the Canadian side of things because, of course, an out of the country marriage.
❪ attached this time are two document images: one certificate of marriage and the applications filled out by the both of them with all the personal information you can imagine. ❫
Listen, I get it. This is crazy but I just want to marry my fiancee who knows nothing about this and hopefully never will. So will you just sign the papers when they get there so we can be done with this?
[Jesus H. Christ that sure as hell looks like his handwriting and the date gives him more questions than answers. No tan-line where a wedding ring should be, no recollection of it whatsoever. Richie's shocked, he'd been dealing with his sexuality but not acknowledging it whatsoever but to find he'd already married a dude and over twenty years ago no less, it makes his stomach sick in an awful way.
His response chimes in at about two in the morning and over twelve hours later.]
E-
Can we meet? Make sure everything's on the up and up?
❪ everything about this has given eddie more questions and answers. it does, however, explain one thing that has been bothering him for sometime. a class ring which, he assumes, was from high school that never fit quite right and had a notable engraving on the band. but the fact still remained that this made no sense―
he loved this person enough to marry them right out of high school. go to fucking canada to make it happen but why couldn't he remember anything about them?
so, it isn't a surprise that eddie is awake at two in the morning when richie's message comes through and he is quicker to respond. ❫
R ―
Yeah, okay, that's fine. I'll just bring the papers with me then. There's a coffee place not far from where I work.
I'll call you in the morning I mean after I've slept
- R
[True to his word, Richie does call but around eleven in the morning because sleep hadn't found him easily and he elected to rest several more hours instead of facing the day.
Richie's not sure what he's expecting to hear on the other end, he's trying to keep the yawns at bay while he nurses the coffee in front of him on his sofa.]
❪ sleep isn't much of a friendly friend to eddie either and he spends most of the nigh going through things in his office space. trying to find something that might jog his memory or offer some light on what this whole marriage had even been about.
by the time his phone rings, eddie is post his morning run, coffee and vitamins. for a long moment, he stares at it but finally reaches for it and answers: ❫
Yeah, I know your name dude. You have the nicest handwriting I've ever seen and that was like you had to be like nineteen or something. So.
[This was a whole lot more awkward than he expected. Richie pauses on his end of the line. Eddie didn't sound half as bossy as his strongly worded email had been. He almost I sounded sweet, gentle, and it throws him.]
That's me. Richie "Trashmouth," Tozier. At your service. Listen, I... was just calling you to see when you could meet. I'd have to fly out of Chi-town and get some of my own shit teogether, but uh- maybe next week? If that's not too long for you blushing bride.
I also need to keep a low-profile. I don't want to wind up on the Enquirer and I'm sure you don't want that shit out there either.
❪ excuse the laugh because this really wasn't how eddie was expecting this to start. it's nice, actually. certainly better than he thought it would be. ❫
Thanks, I think. ❪ another sound, again, close to a laugh. ❫ But yeah, yeah. Next week is fine just let me know what works for you and I'll work around my schedule. I also think it'll be just fine with said bride since, again, what she doesn't know is for the best.
Alright then, Mr. Big Shot Celebrity. Just give me a heads up if you're coming in disguise.
I guess so. Thankfully, I was able to crack the code of your handwriting and figure out your name.
❪ again, he makes a noise that might be mistaken for amusement. ❫
Yeah, no worries, I'll text you. I'll see you then.
❪ and, once more, eddie finds himself going through his day as normally as possible despite the thoughts lingering in the back of his mind about this forgotten marriage that had taken place when he was barely an adult. still, he goes through his motions and finishes out the day with another mostly sleepless night after texting richie the directions to the coffee place.
he does manage some but needless to say he is grateful for the fact he picked a place with coffee for this... meeting of sorts. eddie is sipping on his coffee when he hears the door chime and glances up, immediately recongizing the figure. though not because he knows him or remembers him but because eddie might have watched a comedy segment or two.
it's with a small sigh that he raises his hand and waves the other man down. ❫
Hey. I went ahead and ordered some coffee for you.
[Sleep didn't find him easily the night before his flight. Despite being able to carry out his week as normally as possible the pre-game jitters got to him and he tossed and turned all night long. What little sleep he did have was plagued with frantic cloying dreams, the sort of stuff with no real meaning or images to cling to and his anxiety had spiked so high before the flight call that he wound up popping a few pills just to tolerate the trip.
The ride to his hotel was abysmal, Richie didn't so much as unpack before he was on his way to the small cafe. He was dressed normally, a t-shirt with a loose button-up over it and some jeans over boots. The only difference was that he had a black ball cap on over his slightly too long hair and thick black-rimmed glasses, eyes too dry from lack of sleep for contacts.]
Hey. [Richie's quick to wrap his palms around the mug and take a seat. He brings the mug to his lips and is pleasantly surprised when the drink is neither too sweet or too bitter.] Thanks. I appreciate it. Nice to finally meet you in person, well, I guess for the second time?
No problem. I figure if you're anything like me, you'll need it and― sorry. ❪ he says, cutting himself off as eddie turns to cover a yawn. it's clear the two plus days of terrible sleep is certainly catching up with someone. ❫ And, yeah, it's good to finally meet you again.
❪ and for a moment he stares as if searching for something before eddie ultimately shakes his head and glances away, thumbing through the folder he has in his lap. ❫
Even if I can't remember the first time we met. I mean, I don't remember anything about you. You're pretty much a stranger to me yet― ❪ yet somehow all this happened. ❫
Anyway― it explains a lot of what made it so hard for me to find shit in my name for some of my early twenties. Because I never would have thought I had done something like change my last name. ❪ with a small look up, he shrugs and removes the old marriage application that he lays out carefully between them. ❫ I figured you'd want to see everything, at least. Know that I wasn't fucking around with you.
[Well, they had to have enough in common in their twenties to seal the deal which only gives him more questions and less answers. Richie never made it a habit of hanging out in Canada, and the trip looked purposeful - no marriages by Elvis, nothing out of the ordinary.
Richie's got the paperwork in his hands and he's staring back at it like it might show him the whole story, but it doesn't do anything. It still seems to unbelievable.]
No, uh - after you the sent the documents I did a little research of my own. Everything looks legit. You know, it's weird, I'm not- I mean, I never officially came out of the closet but here we are - getting married at twenty like some high school sweethearts. Hard not to feel like you might have missed out on your own superhero origin story, you know?
Tell me about it. I've never been― ❪ with a man, eddie doesn't quite say because clearly he fucking was with one. probably the first person he ever dated, first kiss and everything else under the sun and he can't remember a damn thing about him. ❫ Anyway, yeah, I know the feeling but it's funny you mention high school.
❪ this time he has to go through his pocket but he finally brings out the item, very clearly a class ring. ❫
I've had this for... well, forever. I figured it was mine and left it at that. I don't know about you but until this all started happening, I hadn't thought about where I lived with I was younger in... ❪ and he sighs, shrugging. ❫ I just never thought about it, I guess.
❪ it's weird, now that eddie thinks about it. don't most people sometimes think about the past and where they came from? ❫ Anyway the point I'm trying to make is that I think this is yours.
Oh. Yeah, thanks - but you can keep that. A token of my memory.
[Richie didn't particularly love where he went to high school and how he had to live in that shitty little town. Even now, he can't help but feel robbed - not being out of the closet, not having any experience to look back on positively with regards to his own sexuality.]
I know you're keeping it a secret, and for good reason too. I'd hate to upset your newly married bliss, but later on you'll love the story about how you were married to a famous comedian and neither of us had any idea.
I only wish I had known sooner. I bet you looked sharp in a tuxedo.
If you're sure. It feels strange to keep something I have no real memory or connection too besides what I'm making now.
❪ eddie can't really remember enough about high school or the shitty little town where they both apparently lived to hate it. it was just a blank spot in his memory, a frustrating blank spot and he can't help but frown slightly. ❫
Yeah― a funny story, I guess. But we're still not married just yet and, honestly, it wasn't so much my idea. I think it's too soon but this has caused a surprising hiccup that's helped a lot with stretching things out.
❪ he laughs then and shakes his head, amused: ❫ Me? What about you? I'd like to have seen you cleaned up. I wonder if we even wore something nice or just showed up in jeans and shirts.
[It's a random thought that pops into his head, along with his truth - he didn't remember much of anything. Glimpses, probably, but nothing substantial or concrete. His face falls at the realization.]
From what I hear, cold feet's normal, but if it's not your idea you might want to dial it back and decide whether or not you're willing to make the lifelong commitment. This isn't like renting a car.
[So he assumes. Richie's track record for relationships was terrible. The coffee is a great place-holder for his inability to shut up.]
Well, I've never worn something nice a day in my life. I'd like to think you did though.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
respirations) wrote2020-02-13 09:47 pm
if you wanna time skip you're welcome to! up to you.
[Richie leans in and kisses the corner of Eddie's mouth and then his cheek. Too old to be having sleepovers in the same bed, too in love to care. He slips into a more comfortable position and wraps his body around him tightly. The way he'd always done when they were young and would, continue to do forever.]
I promise. Everything'll be fine, Mr. Tozier.
👌
( it's the one thing eddie could be 100% sure in the craziness that had been their lives. it makes it easy for him to curl in closer to richie's body and wrap his arms around his middle, burying his face against the other boy's chest with a tired sigh. although his thoughts lingered on their upcoming separation there is comfort and calm to be found in simply being at his side, easing him into a gentle rest.
the morning seems to come quickly, eddie waking early and eagerly moving to get richie up as well. this time yesterday, he had mostly been excited with the idea of graduation and being done with high school finally but now all he can think about is jumping in rich's car and driving for the border. it doesn't take long, thankfully, to get things together. they've both saved up a good bit of cash and it's not like they have a lot to bring with them beyond their clothes.
once he's left his mom a note explaining that, no-- he hasn't been kidnapped. they are finally able to set off. it isn't until they leave the derry limits that eddie finally feels at ease and once they reach canada? he's quite possibly, literally, shaking. that isn't to say anything of once they decide on a place with someone that'll marry them. it's a quiet, a bit awkward, ceremony but eddie can't helping tearing up. he doesn't full on find himself crying but damn, god damn, if he doesn't come close as he reads the vows he wrote on the back of a diner napkin.
it's only later when they're hand in hand, rings exchanged and awkwardly fitted on different fingers that he does break down with happy sniffling, openly crying.
the rest of the summer seems to swim by a leisurely pace. they go wherever the roads take them from the big cities to the smaller towns on the coastlines. it's simple, perfect and eddie swears that he probably holds richie's (his husband's) hand the entire time even when they're sleeping. it's so perfect that he doesn't want it to end and as they're driving back to derry, he breaks down again but this time it's in that heartbreaking sadness.
much like the summer, the fall and winter seems to take its time. richie keeps to his word and calls everyday, sometimes more than once and eddie is always there to answer. after their summer shenanigans his mother hold is tighter than ever but he still keeps pushing things. he visits richie more often than not during the holidays, traveling by bus from derry and even surprises him for christmas by having pooled together enough money to get their rings refitted. the r+e carved into the bands is an extra touch but richie seems to love the gesture and that is more than enough for eddie.
but finally the day comes when he leaves derry by bus without a return ticket, a bag all that he has to his name. his grades had never been as great as rich's own but he had managed somehow to be accepted to the same school and now they even had their own place. so, yeah, eddie swears his heart is probably beating like a drum the entire bus ride. usually, he was excited but now he feels some fear? but that was normal when starting a new chapter of your life, right? he tries not to think too hard about it and instead focus on the good that'll come from this.
he's the first off the bus once it arrives at the station, immediately scanning the crowd until a familiar bean pole of a husband catches his attention and eddie near tackles him off his feet as arms come to wrap around rich with a squeeze. )
no subject
The initials carved into the band of their class rings gave the bands a new kind of weight. Sometimes, he'd rotate it around his finger during a lecture to see if he could get a glimpse. A game of peekaboo he played with himself and their inscription, a way to pass the time while taking notes.
Even the bus stations in Bangor were more populated than Derry had ever been. It takes a minute to find him in the crowd, and Richie is thankful that Eddie had been barreling right for him. That makes it easier to spot him and gives him time to brace for the impact.]
Jesus babe! Looks like you made good time. I can't believe you shuttled down here. How was the ride?
[The Eddie from childhood would've been laborious about his complaints on bus-travel. Richie's expecting a long-winded dissertation about other passengers and the vehicle itself. If he's lucky, he might even get a play by play about the driver and the journey too.]
no subject
the question gets a look from eddie as he glances up (has rich gotten taller?) and sticks out his tongue. he would have driven down here, if he could but his mother would blow a gasket if he was ever caught behind the wheel of a car. let alone driving alllll the way to bangor by himself.
but, most importantly: )
I need a shower. ( he hisses at the question, his face crinkling and fighting the urge to reach for his inhaler. ) Do you have any idea what it's like sitting across from a guy chewing tobacco and reading Playboy the entire time? It's not great. Someone asked me to hold their crying baby while they got a clean diaper out and the driver, I know, was driving at least twenty over the entire time.
no subject
Look at you, learning about the female form and changing diapers. I feel like you just had a whole life saga on the ride over here.
[Richie wasn't about to complain about the driver speeding, it meant Eddie got to be here sooner, after all. Richie does what any good husband does and grabs his bags on their way into the dorms. His room is an elevator ride away, and thankfully they were on the same floor.]
It'll be a while before I can apply for a room change, so I figured maybe you could ask for a solo room and with any luck, I could set up shop there too. In the meantime, you're gonna love this - co-ed bathrooms.
no subject
( eddie says with a shake of his head but ultimately smiles up at richie because, in the end, it was worth it to be here. it meant they had finally managed part of what they had always talked about back in derry. soon enough, once they had jobs and saved up enough money, they could even get a place of their own.
he watches as richie takes his bags although eddie makes sure to grab something as they walk together back toward the dorms. admittedly, he finds himself staring a little just because it has been since christmas when they last saw one another. besides, he's allowed to stare dumbly at his husband, right? it's the thought alone that causes him to smile dopey, clearly love-struck. )
I already asked when I first applied to live at the dorms so, maybe, I'll get lucky. ( the next portion gets eddie to raise his brows before furrowing them together. ) I don't get it, Rich. What's so great about co-ed bathrooms?
no subject
What? No, sorry ma'am. My arms lock up during cross country trips.
[Feigning the situation in different light always made Eddie smile and it's a nice way to edge him into campus living. Eddie grabs his toiletry bag as he usually did and they step inside and take the lift all the way up to his floor.]
That's the joke. You get to put some flip flops on and shower around a bunch of men and women. The horrors of gym class two: electric boogaloo.
in which i tl;dr another flash forward
❪ he makes a face at that. one that is half smiling but ultimately it transforms into something more... unimpressed. eddie didn't really enjoy sharing his spaces with people outside of the other losers and richie, himself. his mother thankfully kept him out of gym class (more or less) but it was always a little exciting, truthfully. if exciting could be used to describe co-ed showers. it was something his mother couldn't stop him from doing just like now―
when he steps forward on the lift and presses a heady, needy kiss to richie's lips. one that said everything that needed to be said of their time apart. ❫
It'll be okay though. If I can survive all that time away from you then I can survive all this.
❪ and then he laughs, pulling away as the lift doors open and eddie pulls richie along. unlike their time apart, time together in school seems to go by in a flash. it takes a lot of time between everything their both doing in school but they finally manage to wrangle up enough money for a place in town for themselves. it's small but cozy, enough for the two of them as they work toward finishing school. eddie thinks it'll be good for them, a chance for them to grow closer but―
but the opposite happens. he realizes it one day when sitting at the table, eating breakfast that he doesn't remember the first time they kissed. he can't remember how they met and derry itself is hazy at best. although he brushes it off, it grows like an infection as time slips on. pieces of their relationship are just not there and (honestly) it scares him. freaks him out especially when, one day, it becomes clear that richie equally doesn't remember.
it continues until, one day, eddie wakes up and realizes he doesn't know why he loves richie. why they married. why the man in bed next to him was important. it's like an ink stain and everything about richie has been blotted away.
so, perhaps, it isn't a surprise when he moves out the next week. there isn't anything there for either of them and staying together just because? well, it was clearly fucking with them both. this is for the best, he tells himself and moves back to campus until he graduates. although he thinks he sees the other man around campus by that time there isn't much of anything left to remember and eddie keeps walking and walking until one day, richie (like all of derry) is lost in a haze.
and eddie kaspbrak doesn't think about richie tozier again until some twenty years later he is presented with a problem. a major problem. a major problem that leads to a strongly worded email to someone he has no memory of but apparently married. the judge had been pretty sure of himself when he had given the information but eddie can't help but scoff. yeah, okay, a comedian. funny, hilarious even. there's a lot to be said but ultimately the email ends: ❫
Anyway, I thought you should know about all of this before I served the papers showed up because if you're anything like me then you knew NOTHING about this. I'll leave my number, call me if you need anything but the faster we can get this done then the better it is for everyone.
― E. Kaspbrak
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When Richie received the email, at first he thought it was a joke. It filtered into his personal account and his PR manager had flagged it as spam but the curt and short-tempered way this guy typed seemed less like a scam and more like something genuine so several days later he takes the time to reply.]
Okay E.
You could have just told me you were a Nigerian prince and I won the lottery. It's a lot more believable.
Sent from Richie's iPhone
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But I figured you might say this so I went ahead and got everything from the Canadian side of things because, of course, an out of the country marriage.
❪ attached this time are two document images: one certificate of marriage and the applications filled out by the both of them with all the personal information you can imagine. ❫
Listen, I get it. This is crazy but I just want to marry my fiancee who knows nothing about this and hopefully never will.
So will you just sign the papers when they get there so we can be done with this?
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His response chimes in at about two in the morning and over twelve hours later.]
E-
Can we meet? Make sure everything's on the up and up?
- R
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he loved this person enough to marry them right out of high school. go to fucking canada to make it happen but why couldn't he remember anything about them?
so, it isn't a surprise that eddie is awake at two in the morning when richie's message comes through and he is quicker to respond. ❫
R ―
Yeah, okay, that's fine. I'll just bring the papers with me then. There's a coffee place not far from where I work.
― E
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I mean after I've slept
- R
[True to his word, Richie does call but around eleven in the morning because sleep hadn't found him easily and he elected to rest several more hours instead of facing the day.
Richie's not sure what he's expecting to hear on the other end, he's trying to keep the yawns at bay while he nurses the coffee in front of him on his sofa.]
Hello?
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― E
❪ sleep isn't much of a friendly friend to eddie either and he spends most of the nigh going through things in his office space. trying to find something that might jog his memory or offer some light on what this whole marriage had even been about.
by the time his phone rings, eddie is post his morning run, coffee and vitamins. for a long moment, he stares at it but finally reaches for it and answers: ❫
Hey. It's Richie, yeah? I'm Eddie by the way.
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[This was a whole lot more awkward than he expected. Richie pauses on his end of the line. Eddie didn't sound half as bossy as his strongly worded email had been. He almost I sounded sweet, gentle, and it throws him.]
That's me. Richie "Trashmouth," Tozier. At your service. Listen, I... was just calling you to see when you could meet. I'd have to fly out of Chi-town and get some of my own shit teogether, but uh- maybe next week? If that's not too long for you blushing bride.
I also need to keep a low-profile. I don't want to wind up on the Enquirer and I'm sure you don't want that shit out there either.
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Thanks, I think. ❪ another sound, again, close to a laugh. ❫ But yeah, yeah. Next week is fine just let me know what works for you and I'll work around my schedule. I also think it'll be just fine with said bride since, again, what she doesn't know is for the best.
Alright then, Mr. Big Shot Celebrity. Just give me a heads up if you're coming in disguise.
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[There's a thoughtful pause on his end of the line but he works through the small moment of clarity for the moment at hand.]
So, do I get an uber to this undisclosed coffee shop. You know what? Never mind, text me the address. I'll be there by like 10:15 or something.
See ya tomorrow I guess.
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❪ again, he makes a noise that might be mistaken for amusement. ❫
Yeah, no worries, I'll text you. I'll see you then.
❪ and, once more, eddie finds himself going through his day as normally as possible despite the thoughts lingering in the back of his mind about this forgotten marriage that had taken place when he was barely an adult. still, he goes through his motions and finishes out the day with another mostly sleepless night after texting richie the directions to the coffee place.
he does manage some but needless to say he is grateful for the fact he picked a place with coffee for this... meeting of sorts. eddie is sipping on his coffee when he hears the door chime and glances up, immediately recongizing the figure. though not because he knows him or remembers him but because eddie might have watched a comedy segment or two.
it's with a small sigh that he raises his hand and waves the other man down. ❫
Hey. I went ahead and ordered some coffee for you.
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The ride to his hotel was abysmal, Richie didn't so much as unpack before he was on his way to the small cafe. He was dressed normally, a t-shirt with a loose button-up over it and some jeans over boots. The only difference was that he had a black ball cap on over his slightly too long hair and thick black-rimmed glasses, eyes too dry from lack of sleep for contacts.]
Hey. [Richie's quick to wrap his palms around the mug and take a seat. He brings the mug to his lips and is pleasantly surprised when the drink is neither too sweet or too bitter.] Thanks. I appreciate it. Nice to finally meet you in person, well, I guess for the second time?
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❪ and for a moment he stares as if searching for something before eddie ultimately shakes his head and glances away, thumbing through the folder he has in his lap. ❫
Even if I can't remember the first time we met. I mean, I don't remember anything about you. You're pretty much a stranger to me yet― ❪ yet somehow all this happened. ❫
Anyway― it explains a lot of what made it so hard for me to find shit in my name for some of my early twenties. Because I never would have thought I had done something like change my last name. ❪ with a small look up, he shrugs and removes the old marriage application that he lays out carefully between them. ❫ I figured you'd want to see everything, at least. Know that I wasn't fucking around with you.
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Richie's got the paperwork in his hands and he's staring back at it like it might show him the whole story, but it doesn't do anything. It still seems to unbelievable.]
No, uh - after you the sent the documents I did a little research of my own. Everything looks legit. You know, it's weird, I'm not- I mean, I never officially came out of the closet but here we are - getting married at twenty like some high school sweethearts. Hard not to feel like you might have missed out on your own superhero origin story, you know?
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❪ this time he has to go through his pocket but he finally brings out the item, very clearly a class ring. ❫
I've had this for... well, forever. I figured it was mine and left it at that. I don't know about you but until this all started happening, I hadn't thought about where I lived with I was younger in... ❪ and he sighs, shrugging. ❫ I just never thought about it, I guess.
❪ it's weird, now that eddie thinks about it. don't most people sometimes think about the past and where they came from? ❫ Anyway the point I'm trying to make is that I think this is yours.
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[Richie didn't particularly love where he went to high school and how he had to live in that shitty little town. Even now, he can't help but feel robbed - not being out of the closet, not having any experience to look back on positively with regards to his own sexuality.]
I know you're keeping it a secret, and for good reason too. I'd hate to upset your newly married bliss, but later on you'll love the story about how you were married to a famous comedian and neither of us had any idea.
I only wish I had known sooner. I bet you looked sharp in a tuxedo.
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❪ eddie can't really remember enough about high school or the shitty little town where they both apparently lived to hate it. it was just a blank spot in his memory, a frustrating blank spot and he can't help but frown slightly. ❫
Yeah― a funny story, I guess. But we're still not married just yet and, honestly, it wasn't so much my idea. I think it's too soon but this has caused a surprising hiccup that's helped a lot with stretching things out.
❪ he laughs then and shakes his head, amused: ❫ Me? What about you? I'd like to have seen you cleaned up. I wonder if we even wore something nice or just showed up in jeans and shirts.
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[It's a random thought that pops into his head, along with his truth - he didn't remember much of anything. Glimpses, probably, but nothing substantial or concrete. His face falls at the realization.]
From what I hear, cold feet's normal, but if it's not your idea you might want to dial it back and decide whether or not you're willing to make the lifelong commitment. This isn't like renting a car.
[So he assumes. Richie's track record for relationships was terrible. The coffee is a great place-holder for his inability to shut up.]
Well, I've never worn something nice a day in my life. I'd like to think you did though.
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