CRAWLING BACK TO YOU | { pennywise/reader oneshots }

pathetic

You were late.

Actually, you were really late. You meant to stop by the decrepit excuse for a house on Neibolt Street earlier that afternoon but Life decided to throw errand after errand at you, almost as if the universe itself were trying to keep you away. Not that you could blame it though.

As you passed the rusted, falling-apart gates, something felt..off. The house always felt off. Not that that was a surprise in any way. The feeling of unease that covered the property like a thick fog was due largely in part to its sole inhabitant. That and the fact that it looked like it would collapse in on itself if a strong enough breeze passed by it. But this was different. This made your gut twist with a familiar twinge of anxiety and you couldn't explain why.

It didn't take much to shove the door open, it was already slightly ajar. That shouldn't have fazed you, there was always people coming in and out of the house, usually because of a dare or pure curiosity. But it did. The feeling of dread only got worse once you stepped into the house. It was too quiet. Not the type of silence that filled the house when Pennywise was off hiding somewhere. This was an empty quiet.

"Penny?"

Not a even a creak in the floorboards.

You fumbled with your hands to keep them from trembling as your pace got faster, subconsciously making a beeline to the basement. Your breath was caught in your throat as you peered down the well. You called out to him again. Still no answer.

You tried to keep yourself from panicking. This isn't the first time he's done something like this , you repeat to yourself. Just wait, he'll pop out from some shadowy corner and scare you just like he always does.

But he didn't. At least, he didn't mean to.

You heard him before you saw him. It started off as a low rumble echoing from the well. You stood back. You could never tell what he was up to, and you were on edge every time you came by to visit. But you were always drawn back to him.

"P-Pennywise?" you whispered.

The sound turned into a deep growl, and you saw It. Pennywise creeped out of the well on all fours, his clawed hands scraping against the old well's bricks. You couldn't properly see him, as the lighting in the basement was practically nonexistent (and was only getting worse the later it became), but you could tell that something was wrong. He was being unusually cautious, slowly crawling out from the entrance to his true home. As he lay hunched over on the ground, the one thing you could clearly see in the dark were his golden, glowing eyes. He never took them off you.

You took a deep breath and stepped closer to him.

"Are..are you okay?" you carefully reached out to him, but like a frightened animal Pennywise snarled at you.

You quickly retracted your arm, putting them both up above your head. "Hey! Hey, it's me, Penny. It's Y/N." Your voice softened slightly, even though it was already barely above a whisper.

"Can you at least come closer? So I can see you?"

The clown, or rather the entity that looked like a clown, studied you with an untraceable expression. You could tell that he could tell that you were scared. You were always a little scared of him, no matter how "gentle" he would be around you. Eventually, Pennywise moved away from the edge of the well, and closer to what little light the stairwell gave. Closer to you.

He stumbled with every step, and the worried knot in your gut only twisted more. When he was finally just a few steps away from where you stood, your stomach dropped. You tried not to, but a gasp escaped your lips before your hands could cover your mouth. From what you could see, Pennywise had a pole stabbed through his face. It completely punctured his right eye and shot out through the opposite side of his head. To be honest..he looked pathetic. Pennywise had gotten much closer to you, and you could feel his ragged breath hit your face.