Stand by Us || Reddie [COMPLETED]

chapter 19

Richie, following his instinct, stepped in front of Eddie trying to protect him from whoever that clown really was: if he had wanted Richie dead he would have killed him before, so maybe, he was after Eddie instead.

Pennywise laughed evilly at Richie's action.

"Why don't you tell your dear Eds what you saw in the deadlights, lover boy?" the clown said, staring at him. "How you and your gang friends were planning to ki-"

"Shut up!" he shouted. "I'm not afraid of you."

"Oh, aren't you?" then, Will's figure appeared in front of him in perfect condition like he was still alive. "What about now?" he said with the dead boy's voice.

Eddie, feeling the situation like a flashback from one year ago with the Bowers fight, hid behind him without understanding anything. He knew Richie was sad about Will's accident but... was he really scared of it? Why would he be?

"You didn't tell him your dirty little secret, didn't you?" Will said. "How I really died that day?"

"What is he talking about, Rich?" Eddie finally spoke.

Richie, terrified about it, kept looking at Will, refusing to turn around and face Eddie. He was too ashamed of it.

"Tell him." Will provoked him. "There aren't any secrets in a relationship, am I right?"

Richie remained silent. He could feel Eddie's glare from behind.

"It was an accident..." he finally muttered.

"Then tell him why was it an accident."

"Why?" Richie's eyes were shining from his tears. "Haven't I suffered enough already? Don't you think I have been feeling guilty since then? He was special to me!"

"Special how?" the clown insisted.

Eddie gasped and realized everything that was going on.

"Richie, were you and Will-?"

"We..." Richie said between sobs. "it wasn't serious... we were just trying to figure things out..."

"Were we?" Will said, stepping closer until his hand was in Richie's shoulder. "Because it felt much more to me..."

Feeling jealous, Eddie tried to hold his tears back.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Richie said pushing the boy. "You're not him!"

The clown's appearance went back on scene and violently grabbed Richie by his t-shirt, pulling him up. Eddie ran towards the aggressor and started punching him angrily.

"Let him go!" he demanded. "Stop! You're hurting him!"

But Pennywise ignored the little boy's range and focused on the strangling Richie, who was fighting for his life.

"Doesn't this sound familiar to you, Tozier?"

"What the fuck did you do to me?! Why did you bring me back?!"

"Oh, sweet and innocent kid, you were never there. My deadlights just showed you the future but that never happened."

"Why did you-"

"So you can see what you are going to miss when I eat you!" he threatened.

Pennywise's mouth went wide open again showing his scary teeth and three shiny lights. Richie slowly started to float until Pennywise wasn't touching him anymore.

"Stop!" Eddie said, full of tears. "What are you doing to him? Make it stop!" he started jumping to catch Richie by his ankles but it was useless: he was too short. "Please! Stop it! Please!"