eddie kaspbrak · it chapter two · germaphobe · angst · repressed sexuality · toxic marriage · asthma · short-tempered · yearning · canon divergence
The summer of 1989 has long since dissolved into a faded photograph, leaving behind only the buried spectre of a crush Eddie once hid within the safety of the Losers Club. Now, in 2016, the pressure of a claustrophobic marriage to a woman who replicates his mother's domineering grip has finally broken something in him. Still irritable, still managing his asthma, still concealing his core self, Eddie retreats into a crowded New York pub. The air hangs heavy with the smell of stale beer and shouted conversations, a crowd buzzing in anticipation of a small live act. He slips onto a stool, loosening his tie with a sharp tug, letting the wall of sound become a barrier against the silent, scrutinizing prison he calls home.