(Eddie's POV)
Darkness. That's what I think of when I picture him. Not darkness as in cruelty or sadness, but darkness as in mysterious and intriguing. The thought of exploring deeper than you're allowed to is frightening. But it draws you in and the father you go the more encapsulated you become, tangled by the absence of light. Tangled in him. His hair is the first physical trait that is defined by darkness. Curls creating pockets darker than black. The rim of his glasses, framing his face, casting a shadow over his cheeks. The way his eyes squint, dark lines and creases, when he laughs. I love every dark feature about him. The light ones, too. The blue ones, orange ones, all of them really. But he'll never know. If only he knew.
The walk to the Barrons isn't too long, about twenty minutes. By bike it's ten, less if you have motivation or Bowers is chasing you. Today is a walking day. An emotional day, Richie would comment and say I'm on my period. But it's these days I favor most. When I'm truly connected to my emotions instead of immune to them. These days are the hardest days to be around Richie. Today is the first day we're meeting since defeating it. My arm is still healing, and not very well. The fight in the sewers set progress back a few weeks. My mommy almost literally had an aneurysm. She'd murder me, stranglation most likely, of she found out the truth about why. I just told her I'd fell off my bed in the night and heard something crack, thought it was my watch, and went back to bed. She was still angry, we spent the next two days in the emergency room getting me tested for all sorts of diseases, when all that'd happened only involved my arm. She's very protective of my health, a little too much sometimes. I could never say it to her face, though, or she'd think I was hiding an injury and send me back to the hospital. I can see the doctors physically cringe when they see mommy and I walk in. I bet they have a running tally of how many visits we have each week. They probably bet on it, too. A whopping 4 visits, $100 to Betty. Mommy would sue. When I get to the barrons, I see the Losers all splashing around in the water, starting without me. They probably thought I was still in the hospital, I don't blame them. As I get closer I can see Beverly sneaking up behind Bill. With all her might, she splashes him with an obscene amount of water. Bill uproars, causing the group to get into a splash war. They're yelling and laughing and enjoying each other's company. We deserve a break after the shit we did for this town. We deserve a gap year. They should restart summer in our honor. I smile hard when I see Richie tackle Ben into the water. I can't help it, he just can make anything better. I slip off my shoes near the pile of garments and rocks, tossing my shirt android shorts next to them. I bound ahead towards the water until Richie catches my eye.
"Eds! You made it!" Everyone looks up, still laughing, but each manage to send a smile towards me. "We thought you were still stuck in the hospital with mommy bear." He chuckles, sening me fuming.
"First off, that's not my name. And secondly, my mother had me tested for, like, a billion different diseases when all I did was hurt my broken arm a little more, and some of the tests hurt like fuckballs, so, not funny." Richie runs over to me, I can feel my body stiffening and a flush filling my cheeks. He stops right in front of me, biting his lip and looking me up and down.
"I'm so glad you're okay." He mumbles loud enough for only us to hear, before engulfing me in the tightest hug I've ever received from anyone besides my mommy. I hug him back, attempting to be as strong.
"Of course I'm okay, I'd never leave you." I say quietly. I hear the Losers still splashing behind us, allowing this moment to be a little more pleasantly private.
"I'm glad to hear it." he breathes into my neck, sending warmth down my now wet body. "Come to my house after, we can read comics until midnight." He lets go of me and steps back. I nod, excited as ever. "Okay." He smiles and grabs my hand, dragging me in towards the water. "EDWARD SPAGHETTWARD HAS ARRIVED!" Richie shouts, and my Losers chant for me. For us. For all that we did and for all that's to come.