Reddie II: Eddie Kaspbrak

Chapter 3: The Inn

Four out of the six remaining Losers pushed their way eagerly through the entrance of the Inn they were all staying at. Mike was the only one out of the group who had stayed and grown up in Derry, and Bill had stayed behind with him as Mike tried to convince him that Derry needed them all to stay.

Eddie made an immediate b-line for the stairs and Richie closely followed. They could hear Ben and Beverly having an argument in the bar downstairs as Beverly tried to convince them all to stay, but she seemed very afraid.
As Eddie reached the top of the stairs, he flew through the door to his room and immediately began collecting his things, leaving his door wide open. A soft knock suddenly made him jump for a moment, but he eagerly continued to pack his bags. After a short pause, another knock at the door startled him again. He sighed hard and made his way over to see who it was.

"Hey... Can I come in?" Richie asked as he leaned against the doorframe. Eddie felt his hands getting a bit sweaty again and looked down at the floor, "Sure, I'm just packing right now" he said. They both stood in silence in the doorway for a moment, and Eddie could feel the warmth of Richie's presence as they stood close. His hands felt clammy all over again. "Eds?" Richie said as Eddie suddenly snapped out of his daze again, "Sorry. Come in" he responded quietly, and stepped aside to let Richie into his room.
Richie casually strolled into the middle of the room and whistled to himself in awe "Well, you definitely got the bigger room" he said "Compensating for something are we?" he joked.
"What do you want?" Eddie sighed as he continued to rush about the place, grabbing all of the possessions he could find.
"Oh... Nothing really" Richie said quietly. He sat down heavily at the end of Eddie's bed and placed his hands out beside him as he watched Eddie rushing about the room. "Are you okay?" Richie asked "You seemed pretty shaken up back there" he added with his concern beginning to show in his face. He too was scared, but he tried not to let Eddie see that.
"No I'm not okay. A fucking baby... monster... thing just burst out of my fucking dinner" Eddie responded hotly, and gagged a little as he reminded himself of the chaos. He was far too anxious and afraid to be dealing with Richie's shit right now. 

"Do you wanna sit down for a bit? I'm tired just watching you" Richie said, raising his eyebrows slightly in concern.  Eddie finally stopped as he couldn't find any more of his clothes lying around to pack, and he sighed hard as he rubbed his eyes with his hands in stress. "Talk to me" Richie said with a warm and reassuring smile on his face, and he patted the bed beside him seductively on purpose.
Quietly, Eddie sat down beside him and tucked his hands into his lap, "I'm scared, Richie" he managed quietly "I'm really scared..." He looked down at his hands in slight pain. "I don't want to stay here much longer. But I really don't want to go home either" he said. He looked up at Richie who was already looking at him, and he felt his chest tighten as their eyes met for a moment. "What's up at home Eds? Your wife sit on you instead of the couch again?" he tried to joke to ease Eddie's anxiety. Eddie sighed an exasperated sigh at his friend and rubbed his forehead with his clammy hand "Please don't call me Eds" he said "And actually, things at home have been pretty shitty as it is... I don't need a demonic clown to add to it"
Richie gently patted him on the back to reassure him, "I think we're all in the same boat, Eds" he said softly. "None of us want to be here right now... But we made a stupid oath" he added, and he too looked down at his hands. He quietly opened up his palms, and sure enough his scar was still there. "I'm guessing you still have yours too?" Richie asked as he looked up again at Eddie.
Eddie also opened up his sweaty palms and revealed his own scar "yeah" he replied sadly. He didn't want it to be there, and it was a constant reminder that he had to stay here until Pennywise had been dealt with for good. Richie looked back down at his hands and sighed quietly. Eddie continued to look up at Richie, and he felt his chest become full of overwhelming feelings again. Richie had always been a complete pain in the ass growing up, but even now his terrible jokes were comforting to him. 

Richie gently placed his hand on Eddie's and gave his hand a warm squeeze, "We'll be okay, Eds," he said. Eddie was thankful for Richie's reassurance. Even though Richie always drove him round the bend with his constant wise cracks and terrible impressions, he knew he could trust Richie with his life, and that feeling had instantly come rushing back to him when they reunited in the restaurant. He felt like home.
"Come on" Richie said, and gave his hand another squeeze; this time adding a raspberry noise to ruin the moment. Eddie simply rolled his eyes at him, "I'll be down in a minute" he replied, "I just gotta double check I have everything". Richie nodded at him, and quietly got up and left Eddie to himself.
Eddie sighed deeply as he watched his friend leave the room. There was something about Richie that always made him feel like his chest was going to burst at any minute. He found it all so confusing, but there was always something about Richie Tozier that had always captivated him, even when they were younger. He suddenly caught himself staring directly at Richie's backside as he left the room, and rose to his feet in embarrassment at himself. 

After Eddie spent a few minutes alone trying to calm himself, he continued to bounce back and forth with himself on whether or not he should go downstairs. "Eduardo! Ándale! Lets go!" he heard Richie call from the bottom of the stairs making him jump. Finally, he shook his head quietly in an attempt to shake off the anxiety, and made his way downstairs with his bags to join the others. He found them all gathered in the lounge area looking worried, and he suddenly felt his stomach become uneasy again as he saw Beverly looking particularly upset.

After what felt like hours of talking, Eddie once again felt his stomach tie itself in knots at the thought of having to face Pennywise again. He sat quietly on one of the couches with his hands tucked neatly into his lap as the others stood around the room having their own internal battles with themselves. Beverly had finally convinced them all to stay in Derry, and Eddie was already beginning to regret his decision. 
Richie casually plopped himself down on the spot next to him and had placed his arm along the back of the seat where Eddie was sitting. He felt his palms beginning to get a bit sweaty again, so he stood up and moved away. "Wow" Richie exclaimed "Talk about getting pied"