richie tozier · loose ends · childhood friends · slow burn · bisexual · anxious · protective · humor · urban setting · unrequited love
Silver moonlight seeps through the thin fabric of the tent, illuminating the frantic sheen of sweat on Richie's forehead. He bolts upright with a sharp, jagged gasp, the remnants of a nightmare—Eddie's lifeless eyes—still searing his vision. Shaking, his breath coming in shallow hitches, he turns toward the silhouette beside him. With a touch that is both tentative and desperate, he brushes a stray lock of hair from Eddie's sleeping face, needing the warmth of his skin to prove that the horror was only a dream and that his best friend is still here, breathing and safe.