thespherelogs | light pink sky up on the roof

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light pink sky up on the roof | open + closed prompts

Who: Richie & whoever!
When: 23rd-25th
Where: all over!
What: Richie finds a friend.
Warnings: none at this stage!

Over the course of several days, Richie can be spotted out and about far more often than usual. He ventures outside of the dorm, clearly scavenging for something- occasionally picking up what seems like rubbish. Things like crumpled paper, or squares of cardboard.

That's clearly not all he's looking for though, because he doesn't ever stop there, face screwed up in frustration as he wanders through each dome and even pushes to some of the outer ones, on the hunt.

Most of the time he's alone, but on occasion, Richie can be found with one arm full of something soft, furry and quietly snuffling against his shirt. He's much slower these times, careful and deliberate with how he moves, never leaning too low for fear of jostling his small companion.

These times, you might even catch Richie leaning in to whisper something at her, the corners of his mouth curled up in a pleased, secret grin. It's a far shot from his normal loud, brash demeanor.

[ooc: feel free to catch richie scavenging and ask what he's after, or why he's digging through trash, or fawn over his new friend!]

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[Richie finds her under his bed. (He's not sure how he knows she's a she, either. Something in his gut just tells him. He could be wrong.)

It's an odd place for a rabbit to be, but way weirder things have happened here, so Richie doesn't question it so much. Instead, he just lays down along the side of his bed, on the floor, and gently murmurs until she wanders close enough that he can feel the press of her soft nose on his hand. His heart swells in his chest.

She doesn't really seem scared, which is strange too. Aren't rabbits meant to be really fearful? Richie could swear he remembers being told something like that. This rabbit doesn't so much as quiver when Richie carefully scoops her up and rolls away from the bed, wobbling up onto his knees and then his feet.

He treads over to Eddie, and climbs up on the bed beside him, poking Eddie's leg with one sock-covered foot. His hands are sort of busy right now.]

Eds. Psst. Wake up.

( Eddie sleeps like the dead these days, which is nice. He's having an odd dream – regular odd, not horrifying nightmare odd – and it could just be part of it when his leg starts jostling, when he hears his name. He's still fighting waking up even as it starts to happen, and by the time Richie's efforts get him to crack open one eye Eddie is already groaning. )

Jeez Richie, can't it wait? ( He screws both his eyes shut again, but there's no denying that he's awake now. Still, he makes an absolute enormous meal out of scrubbing a hand over his face, blinking with still-blurred eyes in the general direction of the other boy until the sleep fog clears from his vision.

He doesn't really notice the rabbit right away, mostly because he's absolutely not expecting it. He assumes Richie's holding something he's scavenged again, and Eddie really doesn't care about dome junk when he's just woken up.

...Okay, maybe he cares a little. He yawns, big and loud, and shuffles to prop himself up on the bed a little better so that he can actually take a look. )

Whatever you've got I promise it's not as cool as you— what the fuck, did it just move?

( Eddie's probably allergic, but that doesn't stop him from immediately scrabbling to sit up faster and get a closer look at the small animal cupped in Richie's palms. )

[It's definitely strange to feel so at peace sleeping here, but it's also nice, and Richie is kind of loathe to drag Eddie from it. But c'mon- this is way more important, and he needs to share it with Eddie first.]

Nope. Can't wait. Consider this a ticking time-bomb of the cute, fluffy variety.

[He actually cackles a little at Eddie's reaction when he's finally properly awake and excited, but then he thinks better of it, not wanting to scare the rabbit, and bites the noise down. The rabbit, for her part, seems to be entirely not at all phased. That's probably a very good thing, if they're going to keep her in this dorm.

Not if, Richie decides impulsively and with certainty.]

You wanna pet her? Dude, she's chill as fuck. I'm surprised this thing didn't hop in here chewing on a leaf of the good stuff or strapped to a pair of skates.

( To Richie's credit, this is definitely as cool as he probably thought it was.

Eddie's still shaking off the last of that sleep doziness that always comes with waking up unnaturally, but he doesn't seem anywhere near as bothered by it any more. Instead he just wriggles the blankets down off of him so that he can sit up completely, shuffling across the bed a little to get closer. )

Jesus Christ man, where did you even find this thing?

( Of course he wants to pet her, is that even a question? He's clearly not shaken all of his brain functions loose yet, because Eddie doesn't say a word about allergies, or diseases. He doesn't even bring up the fact that the rabbit is definitely going to shit on his bed if they stay here too long.

Instead he just reaches out one finger and incredibly gently runs it along the top of the rabbits head, right between her ears, and when he looks back at Richie he's just smiling, like it's the best thing that's ever happened to him. )

What do rabbits eat? I bet we can find stuff for her somewhere around here. Lettuce, right? Or carrots. Or is that just in movies? Maybe there's a book on rabbits.

[He's wildly delighted to be able to reply in all seriousness,]

Under my bed. Like she thinks she's some kind of badass monster.

[The rabbit wiggles a little against his fingers when he says this, and Richie stares down at her like she's doing flips or something equally awe inspiring. At least it's not just him fawning over this thing, though- and his heart does another stupid squeeze at the sight of Eddie, gently petting her, bright and smiling from the inside out.]

I dunno, maybe. Maybe Stan would know something. Rabbits, the birds of the ground, that's what I always say.

[He kids, but truthfully, Richie is already thinking of places they might be able to pilfer food. More importantly, in this present moment though-]

Wanna hold her?

Not an actual monster though. Right?

( It's played as a joke, an eye roll and a half grin accompanying the question, but he still wants an answer. Not that he thinks Richie would bring an animal he suspects of being a monster into Eddie's bed, but well– you can never be too safe these days. Nasty things were popping up all over the joint all summer, and even if they've had what seems to be a nice break here, it doesn't make Eddie any less cautious.

Of monsters, though, not rabbits. He's quickly sucks in and levels his serious eyes back at the rabbit, where his face immediately softens. It's just hard to be anything less than adoring in the face of something so objectively cute. )

Stan knows everything. ( He shrugs, as if it's that simple. In a way, it kind of is. Sure Eddie would argue the point if anyone were to say it straight, but all of them know that Stan's the smartest of them all, the wisest by a country mile.

Although Mike would know how to keep a rabbit, and Ben would know how to build a hutch, but Eddie really doesn't want to think about that at all right now, Instead he just clears his throat and drops his hands down flat, until his finger tips are prodding the side of Richie's gently, even as he asks: )

Are you sure?

[It would be so easy to tease Eddie here, to wiggle his fingers and lean in and joke back sure, at least not until night falls...!, but something in his voice stops Richie, and he speaks a little more gently than Eddie likely expects when he replies.]

Nah. Definitely not. Look at this fuzzy little face. Almost as cute as yours. Can't be a monster.

[Richie doesn't think about what he says, about whether or not it's safe to talk like that still, and it's the first time he hasn't in awhile. Something about Eddie's soft, relaxed face make it's easy to not worry.]

Yeah, but don't fucking go saying that around him.

[His hands flex a little under Eddie's touch, and Richie swallows nervously. Okay, cool, anyway, hurry up and take the rabbit, Eddie-]

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Go for it.

( Eddie absolutely doesn't blush. It might be that there's this pink little tinge high on his cheeks, around the tops of his ears, but he absolutely does not blush. That would be ridiculous. Instead he just grumbles something close to 'don't call me that', as if he thinks saying it quiet enough will stop Richie from arguing.

Richie always calls him cute. He won't overthink it. )

Obviously. He'll probably make fun of all the things we've done wrong already.

( Like holding it, probably. Eddie doesn't know how to hold a rabbit, he's never done this before. There'd been a petting zoo visit to their school back when they were younger, but Eddie hadn't been allowed to school that day. He's thinking very seriously about that as he wriggles his hands gently between Richie's palm and the rabbit's soft fur. By the time he gets what he thinks is a good enough hold on the animal, his hands are basically just resting on top of Richie's hands.

He doesn't jerk away, but he does lift his hands up slowly. A little reluctantly maybe, Richie's hands were a stabilising force and Eddie doesn't know how much he trusts himself. Still, he keeps moving until the animal is cradled gently to his chest, and finally, he relaxes again. )

God, she's so small, huh. ( He's quiet, practically whispering. It just seems right, with the little rabbit cuddled so close to his chest. ) What are you going to call her, Rich?

[Richie's heart is already in his throat, and Eddie's quiet, hardly convincing grumbling doesn't help. The worst part of it all is that he does look cute, all flushed with annoyance and overly serious.]

Don't worry about it. I'm gonna ask him some 'theoretical' questions and then say, 'yeah, sweet, that's exactly what we've been doing.' Bulletproof.

[Eddie's hands slide in against his, and Richie flushes a little himself, staring determinedly down at the rabbit and not at the other boy. Of course, that leads to staring at the way she's pressed ever so carefully against Eddie's chest, his hands curled around her as he whispers, and it's wonderful and awful to hear his name that way- Rich?

He blurts out a response, desperate to break the atmosphere.]

Queen Megablast Asskicker.

Yeah, 'cause he'll definitely be fooled by that. When have we ever convinced Stan that we haven't done something dumb?

( Eddie doesn't roll his eyes, shockingly, but he might as well have with how sarcastically the response is delivered. Better to focus on that and not the heat of Richie's palms against the backs of his hands, still warm from where he'd been holding the rabbit.

He thinks maybe he can still feel it, even after their hands are separated, but that's silly. He wont think about why his skin still feels alight where they had touched, not when there's a perfectly good distraction right in front of him.

Speaking of— )

Richie!

( Naturally Eddie has immediately forgotten about whispering, indignant and a little too loud. )

You can't call her that, look at her! She needs a nice name.

Edited 2020-05-18 09:15 (UTC)

[This is so much easier. The earnest and overwhelming delight Richie feels the moment Eddie gets loud and indignant isn't embarrassing, or shameful, or scary. It's nothing to feel bad about, and he leans into it with no small amount of relief, growing louder the moment Eddie does.]

I don't know what you're talking about. It is a nice name. I'm honoring my great great grandfather, Sir Kicker Of Asses. What would you pick?

Not Queen Megablast Asskicker.

( This time he does roll his eyes, an overly dramatic gesture to make sure that Richie definitely doesn't miss it. He adjusts his hold on the rabbit a little, so that he can get one hand free, and he moves to cover her ears. Heavens forbid the poor thing hears Richie saying such terrible things, after all. )

I don't know, can't we give her a rabbit name? ( We, as if he somehow has staked a claim on the pet just by virtue of being friends with Richie. ) Like Poppy or Hopper or something. Y'know. Something sweet.

( He's just going to smile down at the animal again. Surprisingly, Eddie is very on board with the idea of keeping a pet – probably in part because he doesn't have someone screeching about allergens. )

Well, what can I say. There's no accounting for taste.

[The rabbit, for her part, still seems perfectly content in Eddie's arms, not at all bothered by their volume. Maybe it's weird behavior for a rabbit, but Richie thinks he can understand.

Something sweet, Eddie says, smiling down at what Richie now knows with certainty is their pet, and the realization paired with Eddie's soft smile makes his heart do dangerous somersaults. Words tear out of Richie the way they do when something else is trying to claw to the surface, and for all that they're loud and rude, every single one comes straight from the ache in his chest.]

Oh my god, I knew you'd say Hopper. I fucking knew it! I was just sitting here, minding my own business, coming up with literally kickass names, and some kinda all-knowing, all-seeing deity spit the truth right into my brain that you were gonna say some shit like Dandelion, or Whiskers, or Hopper.

[He leans in, planting both hands firmly on Eddie's shoulders.]

Eddie. Eds. Hear me when I say this. She will never be named Hopper, unless it's followed by the words 'the', and 'conqueror.'

Edited 2020-05-19 12:04 (UTC)

Shut the fuck up!

( Eddie absolutely should be offended, but for some unknown reason he just laughs. Full, embarrassingly loud sniggers, there might even be one little snort in there somewhere too – which he'll deny on his life ever happened, but still. He's laughing right up until the hands wind up on his shoulder, but with Richie right there it tails off.

He's still grinning despite it all, but he can't quite find a spot for his eyes to settle. Richie's nose, maybe, or his chin, or his big stupid forehead, not his eyes definitely not his eyes.

Eddie will not blush just because Richie's a little closer than he has been in a while. He won't. He can't, not when Richie knows. So instead he just makes a desperate knee jerk decision to lean in too in response, and that would be a mistake but he's quickly running his mouth again to make up for it. )

There's nothing kickass about a rabbit named Megablast! Whatever! I can compromise asshole, call her Hopper the Conqueror that'd be cute as shit.

[Eddie's laughing and his smile is so wide, and Richie has missed being this close this easily. He feels like an idiot for letting anything sit in the air between them, when he could have been feeling like this instead.

Of course, there's still a difference between Okay and Not Okay, and Richie is lowering his hands from Eddie's shoulders when the other boy leans in, and now they're just sort of both leaning towards each other, Richie's hands balled up on his knees in front of him. His face feels hot. He grins viciously.]

I can compromise, says the guy who once threw a comic book out of his bedroom window so that we'd read his pick instead.

[Still, Richie knows a good name when he hears one. He reaches over to gently stroke Hopper's ears.]

Whaddya think, Miss H.T. Conqueror?

I didn't throw it, it slipped!

( It didn't slip.

It's not that he means to be stubborn and argumentative, it's just that he has a lot of strong opinions and feelings – all of which tend to come out violently and explosively, more often than not. There's nothing explosive about this though, even as he laughs away at the name.

Hopper the Conqueror. H.T. Conqueror. It's kind of perfect, really. A stupid mash of both of them that makes Eddie hot in the face. Lest it show too obviously, he raises his hands and Hopper along with them, until the rabbit is held between the both of their faces. )

Look at her, she clearly loves it. ( Eddie's smile softens, and he drops his face a little closer until his nose touches the fur.

He's also...much closer to Richie again. But that's not important. ) I'll help you look after her. If you want, y'know.

Edited 2020-05-26 10:32 (UTC)

[Richie scoffs the most disbelieving scoff of his life, right in Eddie's face, even as he laughs along.]

Alright, sure, and I'm Buddy Holly!

[For some reason, he finds himself growing a little quieter, his voice dropping in volume, even though the comfort of their neighbors has never been something Richie worried about. Something about Eddie's honest, warm expression inches from him makes Richie feel like he needs to whisper.]

Oh. Uh- yeah, that'd be- yeah, you probably should. She needs someone responsible to balance out having a cool parent.

[hahahahha!!! we're her parents!!!! funny joke!!!!!]

You've got the face for it.

( There's a pleased, smug little smirk on Eddie's face, one that often accompanies the moments where he thinks he's come up with a particularly clever jab. He's got retorts for days, of course he does, but they're just as likely to be smart as they are a "I know you are, but what am I?".

But sometimes Richie laughs at the good ones – a lot of the time, actually – and that's just...it's good. )

Shut up, just because I'm not going to feed her everything under the sun. She'll get fat Richie, you can't just give her cake and whatever.

( There are things that someone might think, if they were this close to another person. There are thoughts that might occur, and surely that can't be strange. Can't be weird, if anything it would be weirder not to think them. Right?

It's a leap, even for Eddie. )

You're not the cool parent, I'm the cool parent. Being healthy and responsible is totally cool.

Hah! I'm going to take that as a compliment.

[Richie sniffs, faux offended, but can't help slipping into an overly amused grin seconds later. There's something so fucking delightful about Eddie pinpointing him with an insult or remark that's sharply personal. If he dug into it more deeply, he would come to realise that what he really loves is the intimacy it implies, how well Eddie needs to know him to know what will get Richie scoffing, or laughing, or which references he'll appreciate.]

I never fucking said I would! Now you're just putting words in my mouth, Edward!

[Richie would be inclined to agree with that train of thought, if only because it would save his own bacon right now as well. He's doing his best to blame his racing heart and uncontrollable giddiness on the excitement of a new pet, and how much he enjoys a good argument with Eddie. Yeaup. That's all. Nothing to do with proximity, or the flush on Eddie's face, or anything like that!!!]

I can't believe you even just said that with your own mouth. They should hire you to do the voice over on those anti drug commercials.

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light pink sky up on the roof | open + closed prompts

closed | eddie

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