IT au (Self insert)

CHAPTER 2, PART THREE.

"What the fuck was that, Aspen!" Vinny was lying down on the couch, Athien was sitting with his face in his hands, his left leg bouncing anxiously, Sebastian was pacing the room, and Jordy was making a call outside. Aspen, leaning on the doorframe, looked weary but determined.

"Look, Pennywise is back, okay? We need to find a way to defeat it, and I think I found it—"

"No! Stop. There's no way to kill this thing, don't you get that?! It comes around every 27 years to eat people and then disappears." When Sebastian said 'eat people,' Athien shuddered visibly.

"Look, how about we all leave and stay in a different town somewhere? Explore like how we used to. Because, if I'm being honest, the last thing I want right now is to die by some clown—" The moment the word 'die' was said, Athien shot up and rushed to the upstairs where Aspen's spare room was, shutting the door behind him. The room fell silent.

"I'll check up on him," Sebastian said, making his way towards the stairs, feeling a weird rush of déjà vu. Upstairs, Athien was sitting on the bed, his head buried in his hands, trying to steady his breathing. Sebastian knocked softly on the door before entering. When he looked at Athien he looked just like a kid again.. And was reminded about that day, the way he reacts.

"Athien? It's me. Can I come in?" Sebastian knocked softly on the door. Athien looked up, his eyes red from crying.

"Yeah, sure." His voice was weak, barely above a whisper.

Sebastian walked in and sat down next to him on the bed.

"Hah.. This feels familiar.. Hey, it's okay. We'll figure this out. We always do."

Athien shook his head.

"I don't know, Seb. This feels different. Worse. I'm so scared."

"I know. But we're together now. That's what matters." Sebastian put a comforting arm around Athien, squeezing his shoulder gently.

"We'll face this together, like we always have."

There was a moment of silence as Athien tried to steady his breathing, his body trembling slightly. Sebastian took a deep breath, deciding it was time to bring up something that had been on his mind for years.

"Athien, there's something I've been wanting to talk to you about. Something from when we were kids." Athien looked at him, puzzled.

"What is it?" Sebastian hesitated, his heart racing.

"Do you remember that time, just before I left, when we were by the sign? We were talking about being different, and... we kissed." Athien's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Kissed? Seb, what are you talking about?" Sebastian's face fell slightly, realizing that Athien had forgotten.

"You don't remember? It was just after Aspen left and you had... We were both scared, and it just... happened. I've thought about it a lot since then." Athien shook his head slowly, trying to recall the memory.

"I... I don't remember that at all. I'm sorry, Seb." Sebastian felt a pang of disappointment but tried to hide it.

"It's okay. A lot was happening back then. I just... I thought maybe it meant something." Athien looked down, feeling a mix of guilt and confusion.

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to forget something that was obviously important to you."

Sebastian forced a smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey, it's okay. What matters now is that we're here for each other. We'll get through this, like we always do." Athien nodded, though he couldn't shake the feeling of having lost something important.

"Yeah, you're right. We're in this together." Sebastian stood up and offered his hand to Athien.

"Come on, let's go back downstairs. The others are waiting for us." Athien took his hand and stood up, the two of them sharing a moment of silent understanding. Whatever had happened in the past, they knew they needed to be strong for each other now more than ever. As they walked back downstairs, Sebastian couldn't help but hope that, in time, they would find their way back to the closeness they once shared.

Downstairs, the tension was palpable. Vinny was staring at the ceiling, lost in thought, while Aspen and Jordy were in a heated discussion.

"We can't just run," Aspen argued.

"We need to face this thing head-on." Jordy shook her head.

"And get ourselves killed? We barely made it out last time." Aspen sighed.

"I've been doing some research. There's a way to weaken it. A ritual. But we need everyone on board." Vinny sat up.

"What kind of ritual?"

"The Ritual of Chüd. It's an ancient method. We have to confront it in its true form and perform the ritual together." Sebastian and Athien came back downstairs, joining the conversation. Athien's eyes were still puffy, but he looked more determined.

"If this is what we have to do, then let's do it. I'm not running anymore." Everyone exchanged glances, their fear palpable but their resolve growing stronger. Aspen nodded.

"Alright. We're going to need to gather everything we can about this ritual. We're going to need courage, and we're going to need each other. Let's finish what we started." The group nodded in agreement, their bonds of friendship stronger than ever despite the fear lurking in their hearts. They knew that together, they had a chance—however slim—to defeat the monster that had haunted them for so long.