CAN'T REMEMBER TO FORGET YOU // REDDIE

t e n

.｡*ﾟ+.*.｡  i wanna sleep next to you, and that's all i wanna do right now ｡*ﾟ+.*.｡

Richie awoke to the sound of soft sniffles coming from the bed next to him.

"Eddie?" Richie asked groggily, rubbing his eyes and turning on the bedside lamp.

"I-I'm fine, Richie. Just go back to sleep," Eddie shook his head, wanting him to go back to bed.

"No, no, I need to make sure you're okay," Richie explained, rising to Eddie's bed and sitting down next to him. Eddie didn't push him away this time.

"Hey..." Richie left some space between them in case Eddie didn't want to be be touched, much less by him. "What's wrong?"

"B-Bad dream, s'all..." Eddie replied in a small voice, trying his hardest to wipe his tears away before Richie could see. He was not going to be a baby in front of him. Not again.

"Well then how bout you tell me what happened?"

"It wasn't just any dream, Richie," Eddie shook his head lightly and looked up at Richie, allowing him to see his tear filled eyes. Richie felt the corners of his lips sink down ever so slightly seeing Eddie so shaken.

"It was... It," Eddie said so softly that he wondered if Richie had heard, his gaze dropping to his hands as terrible thoughts of the killer clown they had defeated last summer crept back his mind.

Richie's eyes widened and he fell silent for a moment. "You still have nightmares about It?"

Eddie nodded, and a few fresh tears fell from his eyes. Richie reached to the nightstand to grab some tissues.

"I did too, y'know. For some months," Richie admitted, handing him one.

"Really? I thought it was just me being a fucking crybaby," Eddie laughed in relief.

"You're not a baby, Eddie," Richie reassured him.

"Then explain to me why every time you've seen me this school year I've been crying?"

"You've got legitimate reasons." Richie swallowed, knowing he was the main one. And he hated himself for that.

"If it makes you feel any better, It's not coming back for a long, long time. We'll be grown up and far away from this shitty town," Richie added.

"It's crazy to say, but I've forgotten so much about what happened with It last year. Just a few memories here and there, mostly the scary ones. They're fading away, especially now that we're split up. Almost like It wanted to make us forget about each other."

Richie looked troubled at this revelation. It knew they were stronger together. Also, how much could he remember anyways? Now that he thought about it, he couldn't seem to recall the details like he used to. After what they'd been through, it wasn't crazy to think some demon clown, or whatever it was, was capable of wiping away their memories and leaving them just as good as the ignorant adults of Derry. The town was cursed anyways, the murders and missing kids going relatively unnoticed and commonplace.

"I don't want to forget you - or the rest of the losers. I don't want to lose you guys, but I feel like I already am. You guys are the best friends I've ever had," Eddie told him.

"Trust me, me too. But look..." Richie brushed his fingers against Eddie's knuckles. "I'll figure something out. Don't worry about it right now. Just get some sleep, okay?"

Eddie nodded. He watched as Richie slipped away and scooted to the edge of the bed, preparing to go back to his spot on the floor. Just as he got up, Eddie let out a quiet "wait."

Richie turned around, the light illuminating on the side of his face and tall body, casting a soft and angelic glow. Eddie thought he looked really pretty that way.

"Stay." Eddie whispered, vulnerability and the fear of rejection seeping through his voice.

"Yeah, of course, Eddie." Richie climbed back onto his bed, pulling himself under the covers. It had been a while since they'd slept in the same bed, but Richie always saw it as a highlight of the sleepovers would have.

Richie shot the boy a small smile as he adjusted himself, then turned around and shut off the lamp. He decided to stay turned around, not wanting to overstep any boundaries no matter how much he wanted to stare and admire Eddie's face as he drifted off. Richie suddenly felt an arm sneak around his waist, and Eddie scoot closer to hug his body hug against his back.

Richie let out a sharp breath of surprise before taking Eddie's smaller hand in his and rubbing his thumb across his knuckles. It was as if their hands were meant to fit together like this. Richie lay there peacefully, recalling their conversation and listening to the other's quiet breaths and sniffles slow down. He missed this. Not the bed, not the gesture, but just physical contact with him in general.

A few minutes passed before he heard a groggy but soft "g'night, Rich," and the warm hand squeeze his.

Richie felt his heart swell at the use of his old nickname. He supposed it was an appropriate time to use the one used exclusively by Richie for Eddie, now. "Good night, Eds."

【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】 

a/n: so sorry it's been literally half a year since i updated!! i haven't abandoned this book, i'm just stuck on how the story should progress. thanks for your patience :)