'39 [Stanley Uris]

38: Forever Young

After the defeat, they worked hard to gather as much as they could to create a trail from the police department to the sewer. They'd be able to give so many families closure now.

That work was tiring, more tiring than the fight- but more of an emotional strain than a physical one. So they all decided to head to Andi's and get cleaned up. Of course, Lana and Aj drove them all and even stayed to help them out with clean clothes and snacks.

Andi was the last person to get into the shower, and when she finished, she found herself wrapped in a towel and staring into the mirror.

Bruises are scattered along her neck and shoulders, down her chest, even, but her towel doesn't reveal that much. She smiles because she realizes that none of those bruises were even made by the clown. None of them.

"You okay?" Stan questions, suddenly behind her.

Andi nearly has a heart attack, gripping her towel and turning to face him with a bright blush.

"Jesus Christ, Stan!" She huffs. "How long have you been in here?!"

"A few minutes," he admits with an amused smile, "You were taking a while so I decided to come check on you. Anyway, are you alright?"

She giggles, "I don't know. Are you?"

He smiles and shrugs his shoulders.

"I mean, I guess," he nods. "My Bar mitzvah is still sort of stressing me out, but at least I know you'll be there and Pennywise is dead, right?"

In this moment, Andi debates whether to tell him she has to leave. Pennywise's energy would only generate for so long, and she has to act quick. She wants to tell him, but when she looks up at him she sees how happy he looks. His dimples are adorable, and his eyes slightly squinted from smiling.

How could she tell him? How could she hurt him?

Right now, Andi is forced to make a decision.

Go back to her timeline where she spent so much time trying to restore it, or stay here with Stan where he needs her more than he needs the air around him.

Her eyes stare into his as he waits for a response. With a small breath, she collects herself with a soft smile.

"Right," she nods. "I'll be there, and I'm not going anywhere. Okay?"

"Okay," he nods leaning in and kissing her softly. "You should probably get dressed."

"You just want me to take the towel off don't you," She smirks.

"Wh- n-no!" He blushes, shifting his eyes away embarrassedly.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mike and Richie sit around talking, only now discovering their new found friendship. They'd become close, and would spend much more time together in future.

"What's all this cheesecake doing in here?" Eddie questions, scavenging the fridge. "There's like a million!"

"Your mom probably ran out of room in your guys' fridge," Richie teases with a snort.

"Shut up, Richie," Eddie grumbles, moving the door to show them just how much cheesecake there is. "You think Andi has an addiction or something?"

"M-Maybe," Bill shrugs. "She doesn't seem like the cheesecake type."

"What the hell does that mean?" Richie squints, "Bill, everyone is the cheesecake type."

"Maybe she's addicted, or maybe..." Bev starts to imagine the worst, but shakes her head. "No no no, Stan can barely kiss her without having a heart attack."