"Just let me get some stuff and I'll be right out." Charlie said as she hopped off of Eddie's bike.

"Charlie, please be careful." He said, catching her attention. "If things get too dangerous, leave."

She nodded and carefully opened the door. The smell of burning alcohol instantly stung her nose. Her uncle was sleeping on the recliner. She gently closed the door and made her way to her bedroom.

She grabbed a black Jansport back-pack from her closet and started stuffing in her most important things. Underwear, clothes, her art supplies, etc.

"What are you doing?" Her uncle's rasp voice struck straight through to her rapidly beating heart.

"I-I'm going to spend the night at Beverly's." She turned to see his sluggish figure in the threshold of her door. He slowly walked to her and placed his hand on her cheek.

"No you're not." He struck his hand across her face, leaving her helpless on the floor. "That's enough stuff to last you awhile. Tell me the truth."

"I am telling you the truth!"

He threw her back-pack across the room and grabbed her by the hem of her shirt. His eyes were pure with fury. He punched her in the face, giving her a bloody nose. She tried to hold back his arm, but he plunged his fist into her stomach, knocking all the air out of her system.

"Tell me the truth!" He plunged his fist at her face again, causing both of her nostrils to bleed.

"Pleas-"

"Shut up!" He growled as he threw her with inhuman strength across her room.

He back collided with the wall as her body fell to the floor right next to her bedroom door.

"Charlie?" A small voice echoed through the halls of her house . . . Eddie.

"EDDIE LEAVE!" She tried to warn.

Her uncle grabbed the hem of her shirt again and slammed her against the wall. Her feet were at least 12 inches off the ground. She made the sudden decision to kick him as hard as she could in his stomach, causing him to double-over. He dropped her to the ground. Once her Doc Martens touched the floor, she charged to grab her bag from the hallway. Eddie was waiting by the front door. Charlie ran to him with her uncle trucking close behind.

"COME ON, CHARLIE!"

He held out his hand for her to grab and she did. Her uncle had grabbed a glass beer bottle and threw it at her feet, causing it to shatter behind her. She ran faster while shoving her bag strap on her shoulder, then doing the same to the other strap.

She gripped his waist, ready to go. He pedaled faster than the cars driving next to them. The wind rushed through her hair and she felt a great sense of freedom.

"WOOOO!" She shouted, surprising Eddie.

He smiled voraciously and continued to pedal to his house. When they got there, they both jumped off his bike. He dropped it on the ground and saw his mother wasn't home yet. (Probably getting Eddie's new pills after he busted one of the containers open.) He grabbed Charlie's hand and opened his house door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked - you know because it's the 80s and she knew her son would have to be home at some point.

"I can't believe it, Eddie! I've escaped." Despite the blood that trickled from her nose and the bruises she felt everywhere, she's never felt so alive. "Thank you so much for helping me."

He blushed after he closed the door and then took her to his room.

"No problem." He went and got a wet cloth to clean her nose with. "I'll be right back."

She sat on his bed as he sat delicately in front of her. He carefully approached the damp cloth to her nose. He wiped the blood from her nose and lips, then attempted to cool down the bruises, but she pulled away.

"The bruises will be fine-"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, thank you."

They both blushed as he got up to put the cloth in his drawer of his dresser. Charlie dejected her eyes to the floor of his bedroom and thought about Pennywise.

"What if he comes back?" She barely noticed that she even spoke.

"What?" Eddie's voice shook with fear. "It won't come back. We killed it." He sat next to her on the bed with gauze and an alcohol wipe he must've pulled from the drawer he just put the damp cloth in. "Besides, we promised Bill that we'd come back if it did."

He first attended to his scar that Bill etched into the palm of his left hand and cleaned the blood of his face that Charlie caused.

"I can do my own." Charlie said kindly.

"I can do it, Charlie." He smiled. "Really, it doesn't bother me."

She gave in as he cradled her blood oath hand in his hands. He paused before doing anything however.

"They say the strongest relationships are those that share traumas." Charlie said, breaking the silence.

"I guess that could be true." He locked eyes with hers before shooting the focus back to her hand. "This could hurt."

"That's fine,"

His hand trembled as he barely touched the wipe to her hand. She then caringly grabbed his wrist.

"Eddie . . . I can do it." He simply shook his head and then pressed on.

Charlie winced, but nothing more. He wiped the blood away and then wrapped her hand in gauze, as he did with the other one when Henry stabbed her hand.

"I should change the bandage on your other hand." He said as he finished up with her left hand.

Charlie nodded. It was the - sort of - same routine. He unwrapped the bloody gauze that had started falling off at her uncle's, and threw it in the trashcan in the bathroom (he was sure to cover it up with toilet paper so that his mother couldn't see.) He then gently wrapped her right hand in gauze.

"Would you look at that?" She said lightheartedly. "Both of our hands are damaged."

Eddie looked injured while Charlie just looked like a badass boxer.

***

Later that day

After Eddie's mother came back home, he ran downstairs to tell his mother that hanging out with his friends was fun and that the other cut on his hand was from falling off his bike and scraping his hand. He also apologized to her for how he acted when he abruptly left, and then continued to tell her that his medications were placebos.

After dinner, Eddie tried sneaking some leftovers upstairs. He had a few rolls and a bowl of warm soup that he snuck with the rolls.

"Thank you, Eddie." Charlie said quietly as he entered the room and gave her the food.

"You're welcome. Just try not to get any of it on the bed or floor."

"Alright."

She only got as far as eating one roll and taking a few sips of soup. She certainly was not used to having this much food.

After she ate dinner, she placed her feet on the wall as he laid upside down on his bed. Eddie placed his head next to hers but with his legs laying the opposite way.

"You know I can't hide here forever, right?" She muttered.

"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "Stay here for as long as you need and we'll find someplace when we're older."

"You really think we'll last that long?"

"I mean . . ." he madly blushed, "if you think so."

"Yeah, I think we could."

"Is it weird that I want to kiss you again?" Eddie asked nervously.

"No," Charlie couldn't help but laugh at his nervousness.

She sat up and kissed him. She placed her hand on his face as she planted her lips. He hesitantly started moving his hands to her hips, but pulled back. She took his hands and placed them to where he was too scared to put them.

"Don't ever be scared of me Kaspbrak." She said and smiled gently, warming him up.

"Ok," this time, he kissed more confidently which surprised Charlie, but she liked it.

Five Years Later (They're both 18)

"Eddie, you can't stay here forever!" Charlie shouted as she crossed his room and grabbed her bag; packing it.

"I didn't say I was staying forever!" He grabbed her wrist just before she grabbed her clothes. "I just want to be here for my mother."

"The same mother that lied to you for years?" Her voice was gentle, but her words had a much stronger effect.

"She didn't-"

"You said it yourself, Eddie!" Charlie's voice grew a bit louder.

Eddie's mother was out getting more medication and food for later. His mother found out a while ago that Charlie was staying with Eddie, what she doesn't know is that she's been staying after his mother told her to leave.

"You told me how she lied to you and that your medication were placebos! Unless you like the medication?"

"Oh GOD no! I hate the medication!"

"Then why do you still clutch your aspirator at night? Why do you still have a watch that tells you when to take certain medications? WHY DO YOU STILL HAVE THE FANNY-PACK?!"

"It's just-"

"WHAT!?" Charlie took a deep breath and charged to get her clothes. "I can't believe that you want to stay here after everything we've been through."

"Jesus, Charlie! I don't want to stay here!"

"THEN LEAVE!" Charlie couldn't help but shout. She loves Eddie more than anything, but right now he was pissing her off.

There was a long pause of dead silence between them as she began packing again. When she was finished, she opened his door.

"Charlie, please." Eddie begged quietly, a tear falling from his eye. He didn't want to lose the love of his life.

"I can't stay here." She looked back at him one final time with tears welling in her eyes. "I love you, Eds."

Before he could say anything, she barged down the stairs to find his mother at the threshold of the door. Charlie wiped her tears and glared at the much larger woman.

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU-"

"You don't have to worry about me anymore, Mrs. Kaspbrak." Charlie pushed passed her and ran out onto the sidewalk.

And there she went . . .

To start her new life as a painter in Leavenworth Washington.

*A/N*

Words: 1,803

Sorry for the depressing ending. Comment down below if you guys would like to see a second part! I've already started it, but it will take awhile to get finished. Thank you all for reading this story. I've worked really long and hard on this and I hope you all enjoyed it!