Promise || A Reddie Fanfiction

Nothing More- Chapter 1

     Richie shot up in bed- heart gripped in pure terror, and drenched in a cold sweat. His chest heaved as he tried to catch his breath. It was the fifth nightmare he had that week alone, and always the same, unfortunately. Eddie, the sewers, so much blood...and that fucking clown. He squeezed his eyes shut and slowly shook his head. This had better not be some fucking premonition, he thought bitterly. Minutes passed, and he still couldn't squash that familiar residual feeling of... regret? What would I have to regret?  His mind flickered to the afternoon he carved their initials into the kissing bridge, and he unsuccessfully tried to kill the thought. That was nothing. Eddie is my best friend. Nothing more, he repeated again, and again. Nothing more... almost as if there was someone to convince.

     His hand still shaking, Richie grabbed his glasses from his nightstand and switched on the lamp. He hesitantly glanced at the clock, as if he was already aware of the time- only two in the morning. He knew there was no going back to bed after everything he had seen. The first few times he'd awoken from the absolute horror that was his nightmare, he had tried desperately, but to no avail. This time he simply laid back in bed, took a deep breath, and resigned himself to the fact that he'd be working with only four hours of sleep today. Fuck.

     Richie slipped on the headphones of his Walkman and reached into a box of cassettes. He pulled out his favorite- The Cure – and slipped it in, making sure it was loud enough to drown out his thoughts. Of course Love Song is the first to play; he mused, and laughed dryly. He stared out his window, eyes searching the all too dark sky, almost begging for the sun to rise. Just a few more hours. A few more hours and you'll be able to get your mind off all this shit. He'll be able to get your mind off of it.

***

     Richie rolled up to the Synagogue in his steel blue Datsun late Saturday afternoon. He smirked, thinking about how much Eddie hated his car- the shit he'd give him when he had to give him a ride, always half joking. He kept the engine running- Stanley would be out any minute. He took a deep breath, and already could smell rain on the horizon; the weather forecast predicted a storm, but it wasn't supposed to be here until tomorrow morning. Come on Stan, I haven't got all fucking day. As if on cue, Stanley leisurely strolled out. Seeing the impatience on Richie's face- he could sense it a mile away- he hurried to the car.

"Hey, thanks for waiting, Rich. How have you been today? On the phone yesterday you said the dreams had-"

Richie cut him off. "Nightmares, Stan. These aren't dreams. They're starting to really fucking scare me, too. They feel... they feel so real," he said, drawing in a shaky breath.

Hearing him so serious, so vulnerable , put a knot in Stan's stomach. Had he ever heard Richie utter a single sentence that didn't turn into a joke, or end in a smile? He didn't think so. "Are you ready to talk about it yet? I don't know how much help I can be if I don't even know what you're dreaming about." The thought of something frightening Richie Tozier  this badly made him hesitant to ask, but he knew more than anything that Rich needed him in this moment.

"No. But I don't have a choice at this point, Stan. They're not going anywhere, and as much as I wish I could, I can't keep it to myself anymore."

"Go on, then."

"I... You can't... Fuck. It's about Eddie," Richie began, and for the first time in his life, he had trouble speaking. Stan stared intently. Richie knew he could tell him anything, but it didn't make him any less hesitant. "They're always about Eddie. We're in the sewers, and he's bleeding bad. I know he's dying, I know what's about to happen, but no matter what I do I'm never able to stop it. The whole time I just feel so regretful, I feel like I want to die right there with him, I feel like... nothing. Never mind."

Stanley furrowed his brow. He sensed whatever he was about to hear was weighing on his friend quite heavily. He looked Richie in the eye and lowered his voice. "Rich... You know you can talk to me. Whatever it is you're scared to say, I promise it stays between us."

"...Promise?"