[ Everything had been easier before Richie was a snake. The easy escalation to shoving would have just been another extension of the argument. They'd been mostly evenly matched. Even in moments like this, when Richie's anger is projected through the tension in each movement, Seth had been able to counter it. But if Seth doesn't get the drop on him, then he won't be able to match Richie. His arm is an iron bar against Seth's collarbone.
Seth's hands had come up in abortive motion; he'd meant to grab onto Richie's robes the way he'd have gone for Richie's lapels. But the impulse slips and dies as Richie's mind slams into his own. It's like a sledgehammer to the head. Richie's painfully present in his mind. Even as Seth tries to squirm away, he feels emotions and impressions sticking to him like tar. ]
Get the fuck off.
[ Seth's voice is harsh as he wrenches sideways, slipping along the wall and half stumbling out of Richie's grip. ]
Don't blame me because your girlfriend skipped out on teaching you self-control.
[ Except he knows now that it's as much Richie's discomfort at the gap in his knowledge as it is about Seth's reaction. That's hard for Seth to know. ]
no subject
Seth's hands had come up in abortive motion; he'd meant to grab onto Richie's robes the way he'd have gone for Richie's lapels. But the impulse slips and dies as Richie's mind slams into his own. It's like a sledgehammer to the head. Richie's painfully present in his mind. Even as Seth tries to squirm away, he feels emotions and impressions sticking to him like tar. ]
Get the fuck off.
[ Seth's voice is harsh as he wrenches sideways, slipping along the wall and half stumbling out of Richie's grip. ]
Don't blame me because your girlfriend skipped out on teaching you self-control.
[ Except he knows now that it's as much Richie's discomfort at the gap in his knowledge as it is about Seth's reaction. That's hard for Seth to know. ]