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Now and Forever

TW: may be sad ! I'm emotional rn because I'm on my period ! Sorry for this !

No one who dies here ever really dies

After the battle, they all went back to their lives.

Not home.

For better or worse, and in this case, for worse, Derry would be the only place they really called home.

It had been the worst of times when they all fell apart again. Some of them were happy, such as Ben and Bev, who left together to escape the crushing reality of their lives and to finally be happy together.

Mike was satisfied as well. He didn't ever think he'd get to leave Derry, but after they killed Pennywise, his job was done. He had no reason to stay, so he left it all behind.

Those three were the only ones who were satisfied and able to leave Derry without looking back. They had nightmares, yes, but after a while, they forgot.

Every now and then they'd feel terrible pains in their chests and searing burns across their palms, but other than that, nothing. Everything had faded. No one remembered a thing, despite the random pains.

The only two to keep their memories were Bill and Richie.

They were foggy, yes, but it was different for them.

Richie had taken Eddie's bags when he left Derry, and Bill had gone to Stan's parents house and taken some of his possessions. It was strange, but they could remember because of their connections to the dead.

When they left, Bill and Richie stayed together and decided to pay the families of the deceased a visit. It didn't go well, as Eddie's wife screamed at them for making her husband leave. She swore that she'd make sure they paid, even though it was clear she wasn't going to do anything.

When the visites Stan's wife, she invited them inside. She'd been the one to find Stan's body, and assured them that she'd be okay. It would be hard, since she missed her husband, but she was grateful they came to see her.

After the meetings, the two drove to New York and ended up as roommates. As the only pair to remember, they were both suffering and couldn't stand to be alone with their memories. It's how the story ended, until a night in late June...

•••

Richie sat at the bar, drinking in the scent of alcohol and what he remembered to be the smell of Eddie. He'd kept Eddie's things when he left and often wore his sweatshirts. The smell never faded, and that was something Richie was both thankful for and upset by.

The bar was hot, as it was June and the place didn't seem to have any air conditioning. Not that Richie really cared. To him, living was a burden, but he refused to give in to his depression.

Well, he did, but in a very different way. To Richie, alcohol poisoning was preferable to suicide any day. At least he wouldn't be the one to punish his friends by taking his own life. In his battered mind, only Eddie's death was a heroic one.

"Excuse me!" came a high pitched voice from beside Richie.

He turned and saw a blonde girl chewing gum loudly in his ear.

"Can I help you?" Richie asked groggily. He hadn't slept much over the past eleven months, so he knew he probably had massive eye bags along with bad bed head.

"Hi! I just noticed how lonely you looked," the girl said, shooting him a wink. "I was just wondering if you wanted me to keep you company?"

Richie rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, thanks."