#idk ths is just a joke or… new crack ship??

[lazymonth]

Wait what-

[huangfilms]

School Pres!Donghyuck & Secretary!You

summary: you and i work as a team and before our last year of high school we didnt really talk much outside of our meetings and preparation plans but now that we have i think i have a big crush on you

requested by: this lovely anon!! <3

(A/N) here it is bubs ! im sorry i made you wait so long :( BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REQUESTING ! this trope really pulls at my heart strings cause i really b in my feels LMAOO but i hope you enjoy ! <3 (ps,,, she is unedited)

school pres!donghyuck

thats cute wow i love this already although idk how its going to turn uout because i always: wing it HAHAKDJSF

okay well!!! donghyuck being the school president would be a shocker to most because he doesnt seem like the person to go for a position like that

but hes actually really good at what he does

and thats scheduling all of the student council meetings, planning fundraisers, school dances, all the Great Stuff

but he honestly couldnt do it without his trusty secretary

which is you

youre his secretary

you write down all of his ideas cause he trusts you like that also cause he has no physical stability to do it himself smh

even though you guys are like,,,, attached to the hip in student council, outside of it you guys barely talk LMAO

but people seem to ship you guys

youve been the secretary for 3 years of high school and donghyuck was the pres for 2!

so you guys have a good dynamic

it was kind of awkward at first because you admired him from afar,, so like a crush,,, and you didnt really know how to act around him

 and you were used to the old school pres ,,, it was weird to just have a shift and a big change so quickly

but it was okay cause donghyuck had a great work ethic

before you two became the secretary and president, donghyuck had a lowkey crush on you too

i think thats why he has been just a bit awkward with you at first as well but both of u are oblivious

but then he got used to having you around and used to having 1 on 1 meetings with just the two of you guys

he saw it as an opportunity to get to know you but you??? you didn’t really talk much about your personal life

all he knew was that you hung out with that one sophmore and one junior, jisung and chenle

oh and one person from your grade, jaemin

donghyuck never really bothered with you after your first encounter LOL

like !! youre nice and all but you just talk to him for work purposes! but thats okay! cause its better than not talking at all no?

so you guys have one of those 1 on 1 meetings at the library about an upcoming fundraiser to fund prom (cause its a new year and u need to think quicc abt ideas so people can vote on the theme)

you guys talk for hours on end about preparations and what you guys want to sell

you guys decide on doing a bake sale because who doesnt like baked goods !!

so you and donghyuck set out a date to bake EVERYTHING 

and after the meeting hes just like, ‘its lunch now, do you wanna go somewhere with me to eat?’ and he smiles so sweetly 

this is the first time youre really looking at him too

he looks,,,, really good

and his smile? the sun cant compete n e x t

and youre like wow this boy handsome

but you agree on getting lunch with him because youre pretty hungry and idkmaybeyoucouldgettoknowthisfineman

SO you guys walk to a nearby food joint and on the way you guys are just chatting away and youre finally opening up to him

!! wow hyuck: head over heels his headass prolly in love by now LMAOOO

and then you get into the topic of how you guys came to be the secretary and president

hyuck says ‘i wanted to prove everyone wrong,,, they always say im a trouble maker or whatever so honestly i started out of spite but i love being the school president’

all you said was ‘oh’ but you nodded up at him cause its cool that he likes being it but its badass that he proved everyone wrong and Still Loves What He Does

so you guys get to the food place and you guys just joke around th e majority of the time

it feels like you guys have been actual friends since forever

when you guys go back to the library u guys forget about what u 2 were supposed to b doing

and then you open up your notebook and then-- oh yeah Prom Preparations and Fundraising

so then you and hyuck plan ahead that every other sunday you guys are going to mass bake a lot of sweets so you can try and sell them all on monday

and everyone has tasted your baking before,,, so they usually sell a l o t

so the following sunday, you meet hyuck at his friends cafe,,, cause it has a big kitchen

and then you guys get cracking cause you have a l o t to do 

half of the time you guys are throwing ingredients at each other but you guys Get Shit Done

you get to know hyuck more and you now understand why a lot of people have a crush on him

hes the sun!!! hes charismatic!! hes funny!!! hes got everything omg

his only flaw? he can’t frost a cupcake to save his life

youre just laughing at all his attempts but anywho

its the next day! so the first monday to sell sweets

you and hyuck made a schedule of who would be selling the cupcakes during what lunch period

you assigned jeno, jaemin, and mark for 1st lunch, then you, hyuck, and chenle, for the second lunch, and then for anyone who wanted to buy after school would buy from renjun and jisung

interesting that u guys would be selling together and have poor chonlu third wheeling 

ANYWAY

the whole bake sale was a success,,, you sold every cupcake and chenle was honestly just gagging the whole time when he was with you guys cause you two sat really close to each other and being r e a l l y friendly

chenle swore he could see u guys heart eyeing each other but whatever

‘just friends,,, okay y/n’ ‘shut up chinlin’ ‘hello??? yes, can i get some new friends’

so over the course of id say a few months??? you and hyuck are literally everywhere together

you guys plan together, you guys eat together, you guys do everythin g together

people are starting to think that you guys are dating cause,,, yall sure act like it

and i dont know maybeyoulikehimalotnowthatyouvegottoknowhimmore

maybehelikesyoualottoo

but you guys are just pining over each other and the dreamies are so s i ck of it

so they tell you guys that hey!! emergency council meeting in five lets all meet in the board room!!

you guys are just laughing on the way there about a stupid meme or something and when you walk in the dreamies are quiet and Looking At You Guys

‘what?????’ ‘nothing. absolutely nothing.’

you and hyuck are just like,,, well whats this meeting about???

so the dreamies are just quiet for a second, they all look at each other and nod their heads like they have some secret code

and they all stand up and renjun says, ‘we know u like each other,,, so we’regoingtolockyoutwointhisroomuntilyouconfessyourloveforeachother BYE’ and they all run out

you hear a click,,, you couldnt comprehend what the heck renjun said but now you did and youre both just frozen

so you just clear your throat and then you say, ‘i mean we might as well get some work done’ and you sit down

and hyuck just deflates a bit cause?? do u not like him??

POOR BABY SAY YOU LIKE HIM Y/N YOURE HURTING THE SUN’S FEELINGS

and then he goes, ‘haha right.’

and you could hear the shift in his voice cause hes a bit upset

and then you stop what youre doing and go,

‘listen hyuck, i like you more than a friend,, but i thought it was obvious? we were pretty much acting like a couple already so i didnt realy understand why i have to spell it out for you? i mean i understand if you dont like me like--’

and he kisses you

right on the lips

what a dream amirite kids

you could say that you just got,,,, sunkissed LMAOOOO IM SO LAMEKJGFJHSG

but you kiss him back cause you like him so much this means he likes you too!!!

when you guys pull back hyuck is just shyly grinning up at you and its??? adorable wow

and the dreamies all have their ears up against the door

so they hear everything

and chenle says ‘my parents!! finally!! are!! together!!’ and hes just so l o u d omg

and you and hyuck just burst out laughing and then it dies down after a bit an d hes just like,, ‘will you be mine : )’

‘course i will !! : )’

and so you guys just walk out of the room hand in hand

okay but your 1 on 1 meetings?? not a lot gets done

you know why?? hyuck is always staring at your face and is trying to kiss you 25/8

‘hYuck we need to actually do work thi-- Will You Stop Throwing French Fries At Me.’

and he just l a u g h s

‘oh yeah?? youre laughing now but how about when i say no kisses for a Week.’

and he just stops and sits up straight cause you give him The Look

‘suddenly i love doing work lets talk about our next fundraiser’

and you just chuckle and hold his hand

‘i think im in love with you.’

and hyuck freezes

he squeezes your hand and then he says, ‘im in love with you, too.’ and you guys just break out into big smiles

oof okay wow uwus: officially gone

school pres!donghyuck is a whole ass hard working sweetheart

im going oto end it here before my uwus spill out some more

hyuck! existing! in this trope! sign me up.

Masterlist

[thebigreylotheory]

My Episode 9 Wishlist (with a dab of speculation)

Happy May the 4th (Force) My Reylos, Star Wars fans, and others-I-amuse-in-some-way!

So we’ve all heard the May the 4th tale that if you post your wishlist and with a tiny bit of magic maybe, possibly some fraction part of your wish will come true, right???

No?

I knew it was just me, dagnabbit. Me and my delusions of grandeur. It’s just like sand, it gets everywhere. Ugh (I feel like I’ve done this joke a lot, I go back to the well, but it’s dry).

But, but, I’ve been a really good, bad Star Wars fan Reylo this year (all in how you define good and bad…this is what I get when I google it, cause I’m lazy:

) So here goes nuttin’:

My List of Wishes (ok, ok Fan Girl Demands Full of Feels)

Properly honor the Skywalker lightsaber – AHHHH! They broke an antique!! Get some duck tape quick!!

What could happen:

o   Rey uses Skywalker crystal, but designs a new hilt.

§  My feelings: I’m ok with this, this could be an interesting side story or comic. But I’m NOT a fan of her having a two bladed lightsaber similar to her staff or Darth Maul. I was recently in a panel with someone who’s into weapons training at JordanCon and I heard: although something with two blades might look cool, it’s not realistically practical because it makes it more difficult to guard yourself. And my headcanon is Rey is a practical gal.

§  Could it be an interesting unstable blue lightsaber cause it’s cracked? (And be another thing Rey and Kylo have in common…And if Kylo’s cracked crystal was Vader’s we’d have cracked Anakin and cracked Vader and that crack could combine (Captain Planet! No wait…)and Force Balance stuff

o   Rey finds a new crystal, gives Skywalker crystal to Ben as a gift (aww) when he embraces the lights again (aww) (Maybe she gives him a graduation from the dark side to the light party? No? Mmm…ok I’ll fangirl out and say engagement/wedding gift. I went there PEOPLE.

o   Rey and Kylo Ren done broke it together, so they gotta fix it together (aww) So sweet, it could be like a date. Lightsaber Repair AND Chill. Hands on projects are really good for your relationship. *wink wink*

o   Rey and Ben half the crystal (if that possible?) and make two new lightsabers like nifty friendship thingies you see

o   The lightsaber becomes a nice paperweight for Rey’s Jedi Office™ or The Throne of Ren™ (AKA they fuhgeddaboudit)(And if Star Wars rhymes then I guess it goes back to being nothing like it was before Anakin found it? Maybe? Hmm. But that makes me sad.)

Don’t mess with Chewie or the Falcon

o   Right now I’m really glad this is Star Wars and not GOT or Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling killed me when she killed Hedwig…it was just so unnecessary)

§  Ok, our father figures Han and Luke are gone. I want Chewie to stay in this role for Rey, and even for Ben. And with Leia gone, I really, really need Chewie there. Seriously.

·      He was the first to go in the old canon, so now maybe he’s the last?

·      I need him to be grandpa to Han’s grandbabies. I really have to have this. White-haired Gramps Chewie.

§  I’m sure the good ship lollipop will stop flying one day. But I’m not interested in seeing that on screen. Have mercy.

·      Ben Solo Redemption

o   Else, what was this, the tragedy of the Skywalker clan?

§  And, lo, the Force did harden the heart of the last Skywalker Solo and the evil Pharaoh-o Ren™ did perish for the wickedness of his forefather, and, lo, they were wiped from the galaxy, and cursed is the name Skywalker and Solo and none shall utter it ever, ever again, yea, even unto an age.

§  Why you wanna make me sad? Star Wars + Sad = DOEs Not Compute (No, no seriously life is sad enough)

o   There’s no morale to the story for my kids. Or even my cats.

§  Once upon time two of the most beloved space characters of all time Leia and Han had a baby and that baby was Kylo Ren and he turned bad and was Pharaoh-o Ren™ and they executed him. AKA I guess you’re just born bad. If you feel like you’re a bad person, you should probably just give up now cause there’s no hope (This isn’t Star Wars: Episode 9 No Hope™, right? Just checking)

Reylo Fight Round 2

o   Ok in my wildest lil Reylo dreams I never thought Rey and Kylo would fight together on the same-ish side (though how very brief)….I really thought they’d fight each other AND Kylo would openly spare Rey. Anyways call me crazy but I’d like to see them fight each other again. And after the end of TLJ, I think it’s super plausible.

§  If Rey wins:

·      I’d love for Rey to have a “Ben/Kylo join me” scene. We don’t get these scenes with female characters in charge (or in my experience, at least). Give in to your light side!

o   Also, I mean, she thought Ben would return to the light, but did she outright ask him? These peeps need to communicate better.

·      Or, Kylo starts confessing some deep regretful feels at the point of death, I’m talking something equally as sorrowful as his outbursts are rage-filled, making Rey super conflicted about what to do with him

o   Sorta her Ben-returns-to-the-light-wish is granted but it’s practically too late

o   Should/would she trust him?

o   Could she kill someone who wants to be good again??

§  If Kylo wins:

·      He spares her (I done said Star Wars shouldn’t be sad, right?)

o   Cause he confesses his deepest feels for her! (yeah, yeah in my fangirl dreams)

o   Mm, does he kinda owe her a life-debt for not killing him in TLJ when he was knocked out?

·      He takes her prisoner again and we go down the First Order rabbit hole a final time

§  Tie!:

·      Well, I guess they’d just have to learn to live together, cause they could fight until the bantha-cows come home, but it wouldn’t do any good, so, yeah, balance, harmony together and stuff

      Supreme Leader Hux

o   Cause, I mean, can’t the average man get ahead as the boss in the galaxy? It’s always some Force user?

§  Arguably aren’t their more non-Force users? Maybe they don’t want to be ruled over by some mystical dude anymore.

o   I like for people to get their dreams

§  Even if they are short lived…

o   First Order Civil War seems more likely…you really want me to believe NO ONE would help the Resistance on Crait, time jump, Resistance is stronger than ever?

      Reylo Fight United 2.0

o   I just need more of this in my life

A “real” Reylo Kiss

o   Cause regardless of Reylo, there’s not enough kissing in this trilogy compared to the others

o   ForceTime is great and all, but puts me in a Mockingbird “Real or Not Real” state of mind. Eventually the long-distance relationship has to have some in-person one on one time.

o   Arguably, it might, mean more if they kiss naturally opposed to ForceTime.

§  Kinda of, oh-look, they like each other, and it’s not just about the Force

Mountains

o   I dunno, I just wanna see mountains Gandalf.

     Anakin Force Ghost

o   Argh stuff you see in Art Books and the idea gets stuck in your head.

      Luke-y Pooh Force Ghost

o   So long as he’s standing with the others at the end I’m good

o   But just hearding a creepy Luke ghost voice could be cool, too

A Happy Ending

o   IDK, don’t Finn, Poe, and Rose deserve metals?

§  Give the Wookie one, too!!

o   Or do be Senators in a Neo-Senate?

o   StormRose wedding!

o   I see Poe trading in his X-Wing for a boat on the lake and having really great Resistance Independence Day BBQs, but doesn’t translate well on film

[notagoodplace4gods]

[FIC] Beep beep

Summary: 

"I'm not afraid of you!" Richie tries, - god, he really does, - to fight back this time, but It just laughs at him.

"How many times do we have to beep you before you shut up for good, hmm, Richie?" Its hands are all over Richie's face, all over his mouth, and Richie can't talk, he can't breathe. "I think I'll do your friends a favor and just kill you." It laughs again, mouth opening and shining and Richie...

Richie wakes up.

A/N: ah, hurting my favorite character is my jam.

This fic is OT7, gen, but I’m tagging it as both reddie and stozier because I ship both ships, and idk they all just love each other so much

It’s on AO3, please comment!

Pennywise is dead, they've killed it, but Richie still wakes up screaming and crying.

It's not a big deal, he tries telling himself. After everything that had happened, they all have nightmares, it's normal, and they'll be gone soon. They have to be, god, Richie doesn't think he can take anymore of this. It's the third night in a row he dreams about Pennywise, and it's always the same thing. He's back into that creepy-ass doll room in Neibolt staring at a life sized Richie doll, eyes vacant, glasses broken, and mouth sewed shut. He tries running, he tries screaming, but no sounds escape him, he can't even open his mouth, it has been sewed shut and it hurts, god it hurts so much.

"Beep beep Richie" Pennywise laughs and laughs, his teeth getting sharper and bigger and... That's when he wakes up. To be safe, he doesn't try to go back to sleep, he just hugs his own legs, rocking back and forth, waiting for the sun to come out.

Getting ready for school feels stupid, it feels fake. It's like he's playing the role of a normal student who cares about normal things like getting good grades and making fun of his teachers. Everything feels empty now, but he does it anyway because he has to, because there's nothing left for him to do. It all feels like an outer body experience, he feels detached, like he's seeing things through somebody else's eyes and living somebody else's life and it's fake, fake, fake.

It gets better when he finds the losers, because they're real and, more importantly, they are Richie's. I did that. Richie breathes out, I made friends with them, I was the one who followed Stan around since our first day at school, I was the one who helped Bill, Eddie and Ben in the barrens, I took Bev out on a movie date and she taught me how to play with yo-yos, I nicknamed Mike "homeschool," I'm one of them and they're mine. You can't have them.

He doesn't know if he's saying it to Pennywise's ghost, trying to convince It, or if he's trying to convince himself.

"What's up losers?" He waves at his friends, receiving tons of greetings, smiles and a pat on the back from Mike, who's now attending high school with them. This. This is mine. He repeats it to himself, and he doesn't know why, but he's getting desperate, his heart beating fast on his chest and he's breathing hard, but he thinks it again and again, because it's important, they're important, and they make him important.

When he manages to calm down enough, he turns to his friends. They're all laughing from something Stan said, and Richie's sad that he missed it. Stan is really funny, and he doesn't even try to be. Richie, on the other hand, tries really hard.

"Stan the Man gets off a good one!" He tries, and it's loud, it's probably too loud, but he likes it loud, he needs to be loud so it can drown Pennywise's incessant "beep beep Richie beep beep Richie beep beep beep

"Beep beep Richie" Stan rolls his eyes, and the rest of the losers laughs so hard they don't see Richie physically flinch away from the words.

It's okay, Richie tells himself, it's just a joke, it's an old inside joke and it's funny. He takes a deep breath. They've always beeped him, it's not a big deal, he can't let Pennywise ruin this for him. Another deep breath and it's working. Besides, they're just trashing the trashmouth, it's not like they really mean it, right?

xxx

"I'm not afraid of you!" Richie tries, - god, he really does, - to fight back this time, but It just laughs at him.

"How many times do we have to beep you before you shut up for good, hmm, Richie?" Its hands are all over Richie's face, all over his mouth, and Richie can't talk, he can't breathe. "I think I'll do your friends a favor and just kill you." It laughs again, mouth opening and shining and Richie...

Richie wakes up.

xxx

"You look terrible." It's the first thing Eddie tells him next day at school.

"And you look amazing as always, my dear Eddie Spaghetti." Richie jokes, but Eddie just stares back at him; he's having none of it. But it's okay, Richie knows what to do. "I'm okay, Eds, I just didn't get much sleep, too busy fucking your mom!"

"Beep beep Richie." There it is. Richie was expecting it, he really was, but somehow it still hurts.

Shaking his head, Eddie turns and leaves, leaving Richie alone in the hallway.

xxx

The needle tores through his skin and Richie wants to scream. He wants to scream, but he can't move his lips, they're sewed shut. He wants to scream, but no sound leaves his mouth, and everything is quiet, everything is so quiet, except for the splashing of gray water as Pennywise dances in front of him.

xxx

Get the fuck over this. He has to spend a few minutes psyching himself up so he can stop freaking the fuck out. Bill, Bev, Stan, they all had so much worse than he did, and they're fine. All Richie had to deal with were a few missing posters, and creepy dolls, he got off easy, so he should be okay! He's gonna be okay, it's okay.

They hang by the quarry after school, and it is okay. They're all talking and joking around, and it is more than okay, it's good. Richie lights up a cigarette he stole from Bev, and closes his eyes as he takes a deep drag.

The next minute, the cigarette is gone from his fingers, and he opens his eyes to stare at Beverly. "I'm stealing it back, asshole." She says and takes a drag.

Richie's doing his irish cop voice before he can even think about it. It slips right off his tongue and he yells at Bev that he's gonna have to arrest her for this.

Beverly is smirking at him, but then Bill calls out, from behind her:

"Ss-sh-shut up, Richie!"

Richie's first thought is to crack a smile and answer with something like "as you wish, milord," but there's something inside his mind that keeps telling him that they aren't going to laugh. That they think it's annoying.

They think he's annoying.

So Richie just does them all a favor and shuts up.

xxx

Everything hurts. His lips are numb, from the pain and the cold. He can feel all the warmth leaving him as all his blood does and he wants to scream for help, he really does, but he can't.

"You're so loud!" Pennywise laughs at him. "Even with your mouth shut, you still manage to be loud! How do you do that?"

Richie swallows the sobs wrecking his throat in an attempt to stop them. Maybe if he's good, maybe if he's quiet, he'll survive this, so he tries. He tries so hard.

"Still loud." Pennywise whispers, as he leans close to Richie. "You breathe too fucking loud."

xxx

He dials Stan's number the moment he wakes up, before he can even fucking think about what he's doing. It rings once, twice, three, four times, and the constant ringing almost lures him back to sleep, but then Stan's voice brings him back to reality.

"Who is this?" Stan sounds tired and slightly annoyed.

Hang up, hang up, hang up. Richie's mind is screaming at him, but he's frozen to the spot.

"Today's a school night, asshole!" Richie can somehow hear Stan rolling his eyes over the phone.

He feels bad for waking Stan up on a school night, he does, but he doesn't regret calling him, not when the sound of Stan's voice fills him with warmth and calms his heart. He closes his eyes and basks on this feeling for a minute, and then...

"Richie?" Stan calls for him. "Richie, I know it's you, what's..."

He helplessly watches his hand slam the phone down so fast he hits his elbow against the table. It hurts, but what hurts more is that Stan recognized him and probably hates him for calling him this late. But how? He doesn't understand. He never said a thing, how could Stanley know it was him?"

"You breathe too loud." The wind whispers and Richie shivers.

xxx

Stan is after him the next day, but Richie denies everything. "Nah, I didn't call you, Staniel the maniel." God, he used that same joke last week, it's like he's not even trying anymore. "I can call you tonight but only if you promise to wear that red thong I love so much."

"Beep beep, Richie." Mike says, absently, and, fuck, not even sweet sweet Mike likes him. The smile freezes on Richie's face, he feels numb.

"Stop with the bullshit, Richie." Stan stops walking, turns to him and stares him down. Richie feels terribly self-conscious, completely aware of everything that's wrong with him. Well, for starters, there's the teeth, the nose, the thick glasses, and his stupid fucking face that begs someone to punch it, but those are old news. Now, not even his mom's makeup can hide the dark circles under his eyes, or the red around his mouth, where he desperately scratched it to get rid of the thread Pennywise sewed his mouth shut with during his nightmares. He knows Stan notices. Stan notices everything.

"Just tell me what's going on with you." Stan goes to grab his hands, and Richie flinches away so fast Stan is taken aback . "I... I... I'm worried, Rich."

"I'm okay, Stan. Promise." Richie lies, with a way too casual shrug and the frozen smile on his lips.

xxx

The ride to the quarry is quiet and awkward, and it's all because of him, Richie knows. Stan can't stop staring at him and everyone else notices, nobody says anything about it, though. Richie's not talking, no one's talking and it's the worst. I ruined them.

When they get there, Mike breaks the terrible, awful silence and begins talking about the twin kittens he just rescued, and everything is back to normal. Eddie is fretting over the diseases that cats can bring, Beverly is inviting herself over so she can get to know them, while Bill and Ben start talking names. Even Stan joins in after a few worried glances he sends Richie's way.

They're okay, Richie lets out a breath filled with relief, but it tastes bittersweet. They're okay, but I'm not. He should go before he ruins them for real.

He opens his mouth to excuse himself, but thinks better of it. He shuts up before anyone can tell him to, before It tells him to.

No one sees him leave.

xxx

Richie doesn't want to fall asleep, because he knows it's waiting for him, and no matter what he does, or how hard he tries, he's still so loud and annoying his friends leave him to die and, oh god, oh god, he just wants it to stop.

"Just stop talking once and for all." Pennywise whispers in his ears, and Richie doesn't even have any tears left to cry.

Richie has nothing left to do, but consider it. Maybe. Maybe he could. Maybe he should. It would be better for his friends and for everyone really, so maybe...

He suddenly opens his eyes, woken by pebbles being thrown at his window, but he doesn't remember falling asleep. He must have passed out from exhaustion, but still he feels tired. He feels so so tired. Another pebble hits his window, and Richie blinks awake, forcing himself to get up and move. He goes to the window and thinks he's still dreaming because all six of the losers are there.

"Ruh-Ruh-Richie let us in!" Bill asks and Eddie throws out a "yeah, asshole," while everyone else just nods.

Richie shouldn't. He knows he shouldn't, but he could never deny them anything, so he quietly goes down the stairs and opens the door for them.

"What the fuck, Richie?" Bev shoves him in the shoulder. But no one else dares to say anything else until they reach Richie's room.

"What she said." Ben points to Beverly. "Richie, why did you leave without telling us?"

You guys are better off without me. Richie doesn't say, he just shrugs.

"You know you can tell us anything, right?" Mike tries, and Richie nods. His friends are too good for him, and in return he just annoys the fuck out of them.

"T-t-talk to us, Ruh-ruh-Richie." Bill asks him and because it's Bill, strong, brave, loyal Bill, Richie tries his best to obey.

"What do you want me to say?" It's quiet, it's the quietest he manages, but it still annoys everyone.

"How about what the fuck is wrong with you?" Eddie yells, his voice turning high and desperate, and he's so angry, Bill has to hold him back.

"I... I'm sorry, Eds... Eddie." Richie remembers how much Eddie hates his stupid nicknames on time, and stops himself.

Eddie's mouth opens and closes, and then opens again. "Stop this shit, Richie." He's so angry, he's ready to fight, but he doesn't know who he can fight and that just makes him even angrier.

"I'm sorry!" Richie cries. "I'm so sorry, guys. Just... Just tell me what you want me to say, and I'll say it, I'll do whatever you want me to, I just... I know I'm annoying and loud, but I can do better, I can change, I know I can, so please..."

"What?"

"Richie!"

Everyone bursts out talking at the same time, and Richie knows he's made them angry, so he closes his eyes and takes a few steps back. "no, no, no, make it stop. Make. it. stop."

And suddenly it does. The room falls silent as arms wrap around him, and hold him tight. Richie opens his eyes and meets Stan's brown ones. His best friend dropped to his knees so he could hug him. "Richie." He's gentle, he's so very gentle. "What did It say to you?"

Someone gasps behind them at the mention of It, but Stan doesn't turn around. Richie has his entire focus, and it should be intimidating, but it isn't. Being this close to his best friend makes him feel safe.

"It...It told me...to..." Richie's sobs stop him, and he frantically fights to overcome them, breathing heavily. He doesn’t remember when he started crying.

"It's okay, honey, take your time." Beverly kneels down in front of them, resting her hand on his shoulder, Ben coming right after her. Everyone follows them, slowly getting closer, wanting to provide some comfort.

"We're your f-fr-friends." Bill takes one of Richie's hands, and Mike takes the other.

"Richie." Eddie says, and Richie immediately, instinctively turns to look at him. He's the only one still standing, his fists clenched and shaking. "Richie, please." He knows his friend is hurting, and there's no one for him to fight, unless he goes back to the sewers to kick Pennywise's corpse. He feels helpless, defeated.

Richie reaches for him, but stops in mid air, hesitating when he realizes what he's doing. Eddie doesn't hesitate, though, he meets Richie in the middle, throwing his arms around his friend's neck.

He's not the only one. Everyone's hugging Richie now, just like they've all hugged Bill in the sewers, after killing It.

It's dead, It's dead, It can't hurt us, not when we're together. Richie sobs again, but this time he feels a little better.

"I'm just..." After some time, he begins. "Remembering Neibolt, when we were separated." He looks at Bill, who only nods encouragingly. "It locked me in this creepy room with all these creepy dolls and clowns, and there was this... This coffin. It had my missing poster on it and when I opened it, I was inside." Ben squeezes his hand. "A doll version of me, I mean, but it had its lips sewed shut. And... Pennywise showed up seconds later and It kept beeping me and telling me to shut up and he was holding a needle and a thread and I..." He has to stop for a moment, remind himself to breathe. "Then Big Bill opened the door and saved me and I'm okay!" He talks quickly, wanting to get it over with.

"You're not." Beverly says softly, brushing his hair off of his eyes.

"I have nightmares, too." Stan says before Richie can lie.

"It... It hurts." Richie continues. "The needle, every night It sews my lips together, and tells me to shut the fuck up, and It really meant it. It wants me dead."

Nobody says anything, but the hands hold him tighter.

"And the worst thing is that I know It's right. I talk too much, I'm a fucking trashmouth and I annoy the fuck out of you guys, and you don't deserve... Maybe, maybe I should shut up. Like, for good."

The outrage is immediate. Mike and Bill sound shocked, Ben and Stan sound sad, Bev and Eddie sound angry. Eddie is suddenly on his feet, yelling. "IF YOU FUCKING DIE I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Richie blinks at all of them, and then turns to Eddie. "That... doesn't even make sense. How can you kill me if I'm already dead?"

"Fucking watch me." Eddie bites back, the same moment Bev adds a "we'll find a way," and, suddenly laughter comes out of nowhere.

They're all surprised, and Richie is the most surprised to realize that he's the one laughing.

"Guys, I..." He doesn't know how to finish.

"Go on, Richie." Mike prompts him.

"I don't really have anything to say." Richie chews on the inside of his cheeks.

"That never stopped you before." Stan says, and it's so incredibly fond that Richie melts. "We want to listen to you."

"You guys don't have to..."

"We don't have to, but we want to." Ben corrects him.

"Fuck that fucking clown!" Bev groans. "It's wrong! It doesn't know anything about us!"

"It d-d-d-doesn't know how mu-much we love you, and your t-t-trash mouth." Bill completes her. "Tell us a-a-anything."

Richie's in awe. Fuck, he has the best friends ever, how did he accomplish that, what did he do to deserve them, what can he do to deserve them?

"I love you guys so much." He settles on telling the truth.

"We love you too, but go on." Bev smiles at him. "Proclaim your undying love for us, milord!" She's going for an english accent and it's horrible. Richie laughs, they all do, and right there, in his room, surrounded by so much love and affection, it's easy to find good things to say about them.

So he talks. He talks, and they listen.