Chapter Text
i - leaving on a jet plane (john denver)
"i made it through the wilderness
somehow i made it through
didn't know how lost i was
until i found you"
eddie kaspbrak skips through the airport with his expensive pink luggage carrier and duffle bag rolling behind him on the rack that he's pulling along. his airpods are in his ears and his white tommy hilfiger t-shirt is tucked loosely into his jeans, that are rolled up above the ankles. his parents trail behind him with their luggage in their hands, big smiles on their faces that are going to disappear as soon as they're out of public and in their own little world, and together they all walk to the gate.
the boy listens to the madonna album off his spotify premium as he continues to jam out and dance around the crowded airport hallways. he sees people sitting in the waiting areas, some alone and some not, probably waiting to get on a plane and go somewhere for summer vacation. they're probably not going to a fancy place like paris, as he is, he thinks, because they're all still sitting here and not getting on the plane to go sit in first class.
he slips his designer, rose-tinted sunglasses over his eyes when they get to the gate, so he doesn't blind himself with the harsh sun when they get outside. they check all their tickets and make sure they're really the family that had bought the tickets in the first place, and then they get let go, scurrying past all the people that are flying in the regular seating so they can get in first. there's a group of people only a few feet in front of them, who must be flying first class as well, and he tries to spot out anyone that looks to be around his age so he can sit next to them if he can't find anywhere else to sit.
as they board the plane, his parents find a place to sit next to each other and he rolls his eyes when somebody takes the single seat in front of them that he was going to take. he would throw a temper tantrum to get his way if he really wanted to embarrass himself and his parents, but he has enough dignity not to.
instead, he maneuvers through the isle of seats until he spots a boy that appears to be a teenager just like him, sitting alone in the way back row, by the window. he has his airpods in as well, and eddie bends down a little to tap him on the shoulder and get his attention. the boy tilts his head toward him and takes out only one airpod so he can hear him, and eddie motions toward the seat with a hopeful expression evident on his face. "is this seat taken or can i sit here?" he asks, and he shouldn't have a blush on his face but he can't help it because this boy is so handsome. with his sharp jawline that could honestly probably cut his finger open like a papercut and the quiff of his shiny dark hair that he would totally run his fingers through if he knew him well enough.
the other boy shakes his head, moves the heel of his foot off the edge of the seat so he can make room for eddie. "no, go ahead, fine fellow," he speaks, and he's shocked to hear a british accent come out of his mouth. he really was not expecting that.
he thanks him quietly and rushes to get his luggage up to the holder above their heads but he's too short. he backs up a little when the boy stands up and goes to help, since he's a hell of a lot taller than he is, holy cow, and he easily slides it up there, going to sit back down with a polite smile on his face. eddie sits down next to him, flips the top of his airpod case open and closed repeatedly and just stares at it, until he realizes how annoying that is. he turns his whole body toward the boy that still has only one airpod in, holding the other one in his hand, and he can hear some form of indie music blaring from that one. he furrows his eyebrows as he watches him shake his leg to the beat of the song, and then he looks at him and they make continuous eye contact for more time than they probably should.
"what's your name?" he asks eddie, in a completely normal american accent this time. it makes eddie blink a couple of times in confusion, and then the boy starts laughing. "the british accent was a joke, by the way," he tells him. he sticks out his hand toward him after he switches the earbud to his other hand, and smiles a little. "i'm richie tozier. i'd like to consider myself a comedic genius, but richie's fine."
the brunet only looks at his big and bony hand for a few seconds, taking in the redness of his fingertips. he doesn't know what that's for but judging by his band t-shirt - some band he's never heard of, obviously, he doesn't listen to whatever he listens to it it's anything like what's blasting from his spotify right now - and just his personality from the minute he's known him, he probably plays a guitar or some type of instrument.
he finally holds his own hand out and shakes their together, which feels silly, like they're in a business meeting and are shaking on a deal or something. "eddie," he gives him his name, and richie just nods, lets his eyes drag over the fashionable articles of clothing that he's wearing, especially the shiny diamond necklace with some initials on it. eddie catches this and holds it in between his fingers, looking at it now, too. "kaspbrak," he explains. "eddie kaspbrak, my initials."
richie nods with an eyebrow quirked up in a teasing gesture. "wow, never would've guessed," he says. he looks down at his pink converse and pokes them with his own pristine black and white checkered vans. "i like your shoes," he quips.
eddie lets out a breathy laugh through his nose. "thanks," he nudges his shoe back with a shy smile on his face. "i like yours, too."
-
"what're you listening to?" eddie asks the raven-haired boy, who's been sitting next to him for three hours now. they're been chit-chatting ever since the two had sat together, about whatever they can possibly think of, and they still have eight hours to go.
speaking of going to paris, richie tells eddie that he's from new york (he can hear a hint of an accent in his voice now, not fake like the british one earlier) and that he'd been in california to visit family members before taking off on the plane, just him and his dad. he also tells him that he'd been living with only his dad for years now, since his mother had just up and left the two of them for some other guy. but he says he likes his dad more, anyway; he has a shit ton of money and every summer they go to paris for summer vacation and sometimes his dad can book him gigs to play the guitar and sing. apparently he's not a terrible singer, either, which he explains that he'll show him when they get off this plane and get away from other people.
richie takes his airpod back out of his ear for the second time today, figuring eddie was going to sleep pretty soon or was going to just relax on his phone for a while until they got too bored and began to converse again. he doesn't have his own airpods in now, he thinks they're in the back pocket of his jeans, but he doesn't pay any attention. "weezer," he answers the question he had just been asked. "they're fuckin' awesome, you should listen to them."
the brunet shrugs, curls up in his seat, that's surprisingly comfortable. he can't really say he didn't expect absolutely nothing from first class, though. "i would but my airpods are dead," he sighs, as he digs around in his sweater pocket. "i swear i kept my charger in here but i cant find it. and besides, i only like seventies and eighties music," he grumbles, richie is quite honestly awe-stricken by his grumpiness.
"you can use mine," he holds his hand out and waits for eddie to slip his case into it, then he plugs it in and sets it in the cup holder attached to his seat. he turns back to eddie afterward with a scoff. "but you haven't heard weezer. i swear to you that you're gonna listen and like them by the time you get back on this plane to go home."
eddie only shrugs, rests his head against the pillow that was provided for him and wraps his arms around it. he doesn't close his eyes, though, only maintains eye contact with richie, as if they're having a staring contest. they end up actually having one, and eddie accidentally blinks when he can feel richie blowing air past his lips and into his eyes, drying them out so he can win instead.
the taller, older boy laughs when eddie smacks him lightly across the chest. "you lose," he taunts.
"shut the fuck up," eddie replies, narrows his eyes at him, but he's not really mad. in reality, he doesn't want richie to shut the fuck up. he wants him to keep taking to him until he falls asleep in his comfy plane seat. after all, they are going to be best friends (he hopes, at least) by the end of this vacation.
this trip is going to be a thousand times most interesting now that he has richie tozier by his side.