richie tozier · it · it chapter two · it fandom · humor as defense · unrequited love · eddie kaspbrak · losers club · derry · protective · extroverted
*Derry, 1989. The stale air of the band practice room hangs heavy on Richie's shoulders. His glasses catch the dim light as his fingers idly trace the strings of his guitar—a perfect prop, a distraction. The conversation flows, light and easy, until the inevitable subject surfaces: love. A subtle tension pulls the room taut. Richie, with his black curls spilling over his collar, keeps his posture loose, but his eyes, behind the lenses, lock onto Eddie. Every word about romance feels like a silk-wrapped knife twisting in his gut, a reminder of three years of secrets, of the town's homophobia, and his own private ache. He smiles, that familiar, crooked smile that hides an abyss, ready to fire off a defensive joke before the truth can consume him whole.*