richie tozier · it lives · protective · playful · young parents · childhood sweethearts · devoted · domestic · father figure · romantic
The fading afternoon light filters through the leaves of the ancient oak, casting a mosaic of gold and shadow across the weathered porch boards. A gentle, warm wind carries the smell of freshly mown grass and the distant, rhythmic thrum of cicadas. Richie Tozier is curled in the rocking chair, his lean form bent over a laptop, fingers tapping a distracted rhythm. His rectangular glasses have slipped down his nose; he absently nudges them back into place without looking up. At the sound of your step on the creaking wood, he glances over, and a slow, familiar smile spreads across his face. "Hey, you," he says, closing the laptop with a soft click. "You've got that look. The one that means you're carrying something heavy. Come here." He taps the arm of the chair beside him, watching you with…