oH!! 28 + reddie???
Thank you! Guess who failed again at keeping this short?
28. I won't let anything bad happen to you
They leave the Jade of the Orient around midnight. It surprises none of them to find out they’re all staying at the Derry Town House, after all where else would they be staying? Ben suggests they all walk together and everyone agrees, no one is feeling too keen on walking through town alone at night after the fortune cookie incident.
They start walking together, the six of them as a group― a group that is missing one member but none of them brings that up. But soon they break into pairs.
Mike and Bill are leading the group, talking about what they’re going to do about It. Eddie’s glad not to be a part of that conversation, his memories are still blurry but what he remembers is enough to wish it would remain that way.
Ben and Beverly are walking behind them, Bev has her arms wrapped tightly around herself, head hanging low and Eddie can see Ben itching to wrap his arms around her, to comfort her. It’s clear she’s still shaken up from finding Stan’s name inside her fortune cookie. But Ben keeps his hands to himself, tucking them into his pockets and resigning himself to just stare at her. Taking in the sight of the girl he had once loved. Maybe still did.
While they walked and without realizing, Eddie had been slowly drifting towards Richie. He doesn’t know why but he thinks it’s what he used to do when they were kids and that this might be some kind of conditioned action from his part. They fall behind from the group and end up walking next to each other, their arms brushing every couple of steps.
Richie is quiet. Uncharacteristically so. Hands tucked into the pockets of his jacket, staring down at the street and kicking rocks out of the way. Eddie is quiet too. One of his hands is wrapped tightly around his inhaler while the other hangs limply at his side, itching to be holding something as well.
He wants to say something. Break the silence. Crack a joke. But he stays quiet and it’s Richie who finds the words first.
“The Aladdin!” He gasps, taking Eddie by surprise.
Eddie frowns at him. Frowns up at him. Richie used to be slightly taller than him when they were kids but now the difference is so much more noticeable. “The- kid movie?“
Richie shakes his head with a laugh. “No, Eds! The movie theater, here in Derry. I’ve been trying to remember the name of that place for hours. Do you remember? We used to go there all the time.”
At first Eddie doesn’t remember but slowly the memories start to surface in his mind and soon he knows what Richie’s talking about. He nods. “They probably tore it down. The place was already falling apart when we were kids."
"Yeah probably.” Richie shrugs, he bumps his shoulder against Eddie. “Do you remember when we saw the movie about the werewolf? All seven of us. And you accidentally poured your drink on―”
“Henry Bowers and his gang!” Eddie says, remembering the incident even if some details are slightly fuzzy. “But I thought we were watching a movie about a vampire.”
Richie shakes his head, there’s a playful smile tugging at his lips. “It was a werewolf, I’m sure of it. I remember because I was scared shitless.”
“You were?” Eddie frowns. He remembers that Richie had been overly fidgety but that was a natural occurrence with him. It never occurred to Eddie that it was because he was scared.
“Yeah, I couldn’t keep still―”
“You could never keep still.” Eddie quips, rolling his eyes. Even now that remains true. Every few steps Richie will reach for his glasses and adjust them or run a hand through his hair, just to have something to do with his hands.
“Har-har Eddie.” Richie chuckles. “I know that, but that day I remember I had to literally sit on my hands so I wouldn't―” He stops himself abruptly and frowns.
Eddie bumps his shoulder against Richie’s. “So you wouldn't― what?”
Richie gulps, shrugging. “So I didn’t do anything stupid like hold your hand or something.”
“Hold my hand?"
"Come on Eds.” Richie runs a hand through his thinning curls. “You had to know that I- you know.”
Eddie’s eyebrows knit together and he looks up at Richie, confused. “I don’t know.”
Richie sighs, nervous. “That I had a huge crush on you when were kids."
Eddie stops walking. "You- what?"
Richie nods, his face twisted in discomfort. "You didn’t know?"
"Of course not!” Eddie says, voice coming out more high-pitched. “How would I know?"
"Because I was fucking obvious.” Richie says, his hand hanging from his neck. “Why do you think I dropped my popcorn on Bowers right after you kicked your drink on him?”
Eddie didn’t even remember that part until Richie mentioned it. He shrugs. “I don’t know. You always liked getting in trouble with them.”
Richie shakes his head. “No, Eds that was me trying to attract their attention so they wouldn’t go after my Eddie Spaghetti.”
“They beat you up that day! Behind that alley!"
Richie shrugs, nonchalant. "Yeah and then you cleaned my cuts and iced my bruises, so it was worth it."
Eddie shakes his head, disbelieving. "You were such a fucking idiot."
"Now that’s something that didn’t change."
Eddie laughs, rolling his eyes. He wants to ask Richie if other things did change. Like Richie having a crush on him. Because the more they talk and the more Eddie remembers about their childhood, the harder it is to convince himself that his own crush on Richie has faded away. But he can’t bring himself to ask, he doesn’t know what he would do with the answer, whatever it might be.
"So, all the fucking names and the cheek-pinching and the jokes about my mom?”
Richie cringes visibly. “Yeah. That was me trying to get your attention.”
Oh.
Eddie falls silent, his mind drifting back to the Jade of the Orient― before the terror cookies made an appearance― when they had been just a group of friends catching up after years of not seeing each other. Richie had been calling Eddie all those stupid nicknames and reaching over the table to pinch his cheek before Eddie slapped his hand away and making jokes about marrying his mother that made Eddie feel surpringsingly relieved that Richie hadn’t actually gotten married. All those things Richie did when they were kids that now have an entirely different meaning.
Oh.
Before Eddie can answer, their group comes to a stop at an intersection. There, they say goodbye to Mike who turns left, heading for the library while the remaining five continue straight ahead for the Town House.
With Mike gone, Bill falls back to talk to Bev. Which leads to Ben joining Eddie and Richie, shutting down their previous conversation. Eddie is both relieved and slightly annoyed. But it’s nice to talk to Ben even if it’s difficult to match this tall broad-shouldered man with the kid he once built a dam with.
They arrive at the Town House quickly, they might have grown but the town definitely didn’t. From the outside it looks just like it did twenty seven years ago. Eddie never went inside when he was a kid but he doesn’t think it looked that different from how it looks now.
They check in, collect their keys and climb into the elevator, all five of them. Ben’s room is on the second floor and he steps down first, waving at them as the elevator door closes.
Richie and Eddie are both on the sixth floor and they say good night to Bev and Bill as they get off together.
“What are the chances that those two will actually end up in their own rooms?” Richie says as they walk through the empty hallway.
“Who? Bill and Bev?” Eddie asks, glancing back at the elevator with a frown. “You don’t think- they wouldn’t-” Richie stares at him, shrugging. “Would they?”
“I’m just saying whoever checks on the security footage of that elevator might be in for a surprise.” Richie chuckles.
Eddie lets out an embarrassing squeal, slapping Richie’s shoulder. “Gross Richie!”
Richie laughs and Eddie has half a mind to worry about the people trying to sleep in their rooms being woken up by that noise. But it’s the first time Richie laughed like that in the entire night ―real, honest laughter and Eddie can’t bring himself to shush him.
“We should give them another show! I’m sure they have cameras in the hallways too!” Richie leans towards Eddie with a playful smirk but Eddie pulls away from him, fighting a smile of his own.
“Get away from me dickwad."
Their laughter trails off and soon they find themselves in front of room 609, Eddie’s room.
"This is me.” Eddie says, pointing at the door. “Goodnight I guess."
"Goodnight Eds.” Richie says, his room is number 612 just a few doors down the hall. “Don’t let the bed bugs bite.” Eddie scrunches up his nose and watches as he starts to walk away. He’s hit by a memory then, similar to this moment. When a young Richie would walk a young Eddie home and leave him at the door, just to go around the house moments later and climb Eddie’s bedroom window, careful not to wake Mrs. Kaspbrak.
“You used to climb through my bedroom window.”
Richie stops, frowns and then his mouth curls up in a smile. “I did yeah. Almost fell to my death a few times too."
Eddie rolls his eyes, opening his door but not going inside just yet. "It was a one-story window Richie. Don’t be so dramatic."
Richie sticks his tongue out at him. "You should leave it open tonight. I might pay you a visit. For old times sake.”
“We’re on the fourth floor!” Eddie says, shaking his head. “That is a fall that could kill you."
"For you Eddie Spaghetti I’ll take the risk.”
“No. I don’t need that in my conscience.”
“Aw he cares!"
Eddie rolls his eyes. ”I won’t let anything bad happen to you just because you’re trying to sneak into my room so instead of climbing through the window just knock on my door.“ He chuckles but the sound dies in his throat at the way Richie’s eyes widen, before they shine with amusement and― interest?
"I’ll keep that in mind.” Richie winks and with one final look at Eddie he turns around and walks down the hall.
Eddie hurries inside, knocking his head against the closed door in mortification. He just invited Richie into his room. The implication of it makes Eddie’s cheeks burn with embarrassment.
Part of him is glad that Richie didn’t take him up on the offer but the other part is disappointed. Richie had seemed interested though and he hadn’t laughed at Eddie’s suggestion or shrugged it off. There was a chance that he might change his mind later.
And then what? Eddie’s brain supplies. What would you do if Richie showed up at your door?
Eddie doesn’t know. Maybe he would panic and slam the door in his face. Maybe he would let him in and nothing would happen. Or maybe Eddie would be brave enough to do and say what he couldn’t twenty seven years ago.
But that doesn’t matter now. Richie is currently in his room and will probably stay there the entire night. And Eddie will do the same.
He’s getting ready for bed when he hears the first knock.
“Shit. Oh shit."
He’s still frozen in the spot when there’s a second one. Louder.
It must be Richie. It has to be Richie. No one else knows he’s here. He didn’t tell anyone else to come visit him.
He didn’t want anyone else to come visit him.
Eddie takes a deep breath, grabbing the door knob. He opens it while he’s still trying to figure out what he will do when he sees Richie on the other side of the door. What he will say.
Turns out he doesn’t have to worry about that.
"How ya doing Kaspbrak? Got any rocks on you Rock Man?”
Eddie’s breath catches in his throat. The person in front of him is not Richie and despite haven’t seen him in twenty seven years, Eddie recognizes him and the knife he’s holding almost immediately.
Henry Bowers.
And he’s here to kill Eddie.
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