You Don't Have To Be Sorry For Leaving and Growing Up

You're Just in Time, Make Your Tea and Your Toast

Eddie's hanging there, above Richie, impaled through the chest by one of IT's arms, and he looks so scared. He'd been so proud only moments earlier, and now here he was, fear taking over his whole face.

He was dying, Richie knew that, he knew Eddie was going to die if they didn't get him out of here. So he begs and pleads with the others, but they don't let him go. They just continue to fight the demon as Richie sits with Eddie, holding his jacket onto the gaping hole in the man's chest.

"I know you don't want to be down here with a wound like that." Richie says after enduring the worlds most awfully timed 'your mom' joke from Eddie.

"I'm gonna die, Rich, there's no point beating around the bush." Eddie states and Richie feels his eyes fill with tears." Hey come on, don't cry."

"Sorry." Richie says, voice trembling.

"Can you promise me something?" Eddie asks. Richie nods and looks up at him." Please don't leave me down here."

"I promise." Richie responds.

He screams as Ben and Bill drag him away from Eddie's dead body. IT may have been defeated but Richie doesn't want to celebrate, not when the love of his life is still here when he'd promised to take him out. He wanted to be out of here. Richie had promised.

"EDDIE!" Richie screams, tears streaming down his face. He needed to get back to him. If they wasn't going to let him take Eddie out of the cistern, then he was going to die with him." EDDIE!"

"Fuck." Richie breathes out as he shudders awake, the room dark, blurry and out of focus. His chest is aching with what he knows is an oncoming panic attack and he throws on his glasses with shaky hands. It's 6am. They'd been asleep for almost 24 hours.

He tries to sit and control his breathing, but the panic gets the better of him, and instead he's sat hyperventilating on the bed, crying his eyes out. His nose starts to bleed, just like it had done in the deadlights and he can't move to stop it. He's frozen to the bed.

"Richie?" Eddie asks, turning a lamp on and turning to the comedian, who's sobbing beside him." Hey, what happened? It's okay."

Richie tries to say something, but the panic doesn't allow him. He can't remember any of the techniques his therapist taught him to try and control his breathing, his mind is only focussed on one thing. Eddie's dead.

"Rich? It's okay." Eddie says and he moves to sit infront of the comedian." Look at me." Richie does." It's okay. What happened?"

Richie just shakes his head and sobs. Eddie looks a little unsure of what to do so, he grabs a tissue and holds it on Richie's nose to stem the bleeding before attempting his version of breathing exercises.

"Just look at me, it's fine. Everything's fine. You're in the townhouse. In your room. And I'm here." He says as Richie's breathing begins to level out.

"A-are you real?" Richie asks and Eddie pulls a face at the question, a bit confused to why he's asking. 

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" He asks in response. Instead of replying, Richie leans forward and hugs him." Careful of your nose!"

"I had a nightmare." Richie breathes out. Eddie wraps his arms around him." I...I need to leave this place. I can't stay here. I'm going mad!"

"Let's calm down, okay?" Eddie says, rubbing Richie's back." We'll get dressed, see the others and then we can all go for some breakfast to talk and see when we're all gonna leave."